_Comfort ye_, &c. “The prophet, in the foregoing chapter, had delivered a very explicit declaration of the impending dissolution of the kingdom of Judah, and of the captivity of the royal house of David, and of the people, under the king of Babylon. As the subject of his subsequent prophecies was to... [ Continue Reading ]
_The voice of him that crieth_ Or, as the Hebrew may be properly rendered, _A voice crieth;_ an abrupt and imperfect speech, implying, “Methinks I hear a voice;” or, “A voice shall be heard;” _in the wilderness_ Which word signifies the place, either where the cry was made, or where the way was to b... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed_ It was revealed in some sort when God brought his people out of Babylon: for that was a glorious work of God, in which he displayed his power, and love, and faithfulness in fulfilling his promises. But his glory was much more eminently revealed when Chri... [ Continue Reading ]
_The voice said, Cry_ Rather, _A voice;_ for it is not the voice last mentioned, which cried in the wilderness, that is intended, but the voice of God, who (Isa 40:1) said, _Comfort my people._ Having, with a view to comfort them, commissioned his prophet to foretel glorious and wonderful things, wh... [ Continue Reading ]
_O Zion, thou bringest good tidings_ Of deliverance from the Babylonish captivity, to other cities, and parts of the country; and of redemption by Christ to other nations. Lowth, and many other interpreters, think the marginal reading is to be preferred, as giving a better sense, _O thou that bringe... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold, the Lord God will come with a strong hand_ With invincible strength, to deliver his people from their most powerful enemies; _and his arm shall rule for him_ His own power shall be sufficient, without any other help, to overcome all opposition. _His reward is with him_ He comes furnished wi... [ Continue Reading ]
_Who hath measured the waters_, &c. Who can do this but God? And this discourse on God's infinite power and wisdom is added, to give them the greater assurance, that he was able, as he had declared himself willing, to do those great and wonderful things which he had promised; and neither men nor fal... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold the nations_, &c. As the drop of a bucket is as nothing when compared with the waters of the immense ocean, so all the nations of the world are as nothing when compared with God; _and are counted_ by him, and in comparison of him, _as the small dust_ which accidentally cleaves to _the balanc... [ Continue Reading ]
_To whom then will ye liken God?_ This is a proper inference from the foregoing discourse of God's infinite greatness; from whence he takes occasion to show both the folly of those that make mean and visible representations of God, and the utter inability of men or idols to give any opposition to Go... [ Continue Reading ]
_The workman melteth a graven image_ He melteth some base metal into a mould which giveth it the form of an image, which afterward is graven or carved to make it the more exact and pleasing likeness of some creature. Thus the image owes all its excellence to the earth for the matter of it, and to th... [ Continue Reading ]
_Have ye not known_ Jehovah to be the only true God, the Maker and Governor of the world, and all its inhabitants? How can ye be ignorant of so evident a truth? He addresses his speech to the idolatrous Gentiles; _from the beginning_ Namely, of the world, as the next clause explains it: were not the... [ Continue Reading ]
_To whom then will ye liken me_ He repeats what he said Isaiah 40:18, that he might oblige them to the more serious and frequent consideration of the absurdity of idolatry. _Lift up your eyes on high_ To the high and starry heaven, as appears from the following words. _Who created these things_ Whic... [ Continue Reading ]
_Why sayest thou, O Jacob_ The consolatory part of the prophet's discourse begins at this verse, wherein the foregoing doctrine and prophecy are applied to the comfort of the church, complaining, amid her various afflictions, that she had been neglected of the Lord; which complaint makes the basis o... [ Continue Reading ]
_He giveth power to the faint_ He hath strength enough, not only for himself, but for all, even the weakest of his creatures, whom he can easily strengthen to bear all their burdens, and to vanquish all their oppressors. The prophet seems to speak with an especial reference to those among God's peop... [ Continue Reading ]