LXIV. (1) OH THAT THOU WOULDEST REND... — The division of Chapter s hinders the English reader from seeing that this is really a continuation of the prayer of Isaiah 63:15. The prophet asks that Jehovan may not only “look down” from heaven, but may rend, as it were, the dark clouds that hide the li... [ Continue Reading ]
AS WHEN THE MELTING FIRE BURNETH... — Better, _as when fire Kindleth brushwood, as when fire causeth the water to boil._ The two-fold action of material fire is used, as elsewhere, as a symbol of the “consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29) of the wrath of Jehovah.... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN THOU DIDST TERRIBLE THINGS... — The latter clause, “thou camest down ...” is supposed by some critics to be an accidental repetition from Isaiah 64:1. By others it is taken as an intentional repetition, emphasising the previous assertion, after the manner of Hebrew poetry. The latter view seems... [ Continue Reading ]
NEITHER HATH THE EYE SEEN, O GOD, BESIDE THEE... — The best commentators are in favour of rendering, _Neither hath the eye seen a God beside Thee, who will work for him that waiteth for Him._ The sense is not that God alone knows what He hath prepared, but that no man knows (sight and hearing being... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU MEETEST HIM... — The “meeting” is obviously one of favour. That was the law of God’s dealings with men. He met, in this sense, those who at once rejoiced in righteousness and practised it. But with Israel it was not so. Their sins had brought them under His anger, not under His favour. In THOS... [ Continue Reading ]
WE ARE ALL AS AN UNCLEAN THING... — Better, _as he who is unclean, scil.,_ like the leper of Leviticus 13:45. FILTHY RAGS point to that which to the Israelite was the other extremest form of ceremonial uncleanness, as in Ezekiel 36:17. HAVE TAKEN US AWAY — _scil.,_ afar off from the light and favo... [ Continue Reading ]
HAST CONSUMED US, BECAUSE OF OUR INIQUITIES. — Better, _hast delivered us into the hand_ (_scil.,_ the power) _of our iniquities._ The previous clause had pointed to the people s forgetfulness of God — what we should call their indifference — as the root-evil. This states that that sin led, in the r... [ Continue Reading ]
WE ARE THE CLAY, AND THOU OUR POTTER... — Commonly, partly, perhaps, from St. Paul’s application of the image in Romans 9:20, and Isaiah’s own use of it in Isaiah 29:16, we associate the idea of the potter with that of simple arbitrary sovereignty. Here, however (as in Jeremiah 18:6), another aspect... [ Continue Reading ]
THY HOLY CITIES... — There is no other instance of the plural, and this probably led the LXX. and Vulg. to substitute the singular. It probably rests on the thought that the whole land was holy (Zechariah 2:12), and that this attribute extended, therefore, to all its cities, especially to those whic... [ Continue Reading ]
OUR HOLY AND OUR BEAUTIFUL HOUSE... — The destruction of the Temple, which, on the assumption of Isaiah’s authorship, the prophet sees in vision, with all its historic memories, comes as the climax of suffering, and, therefore, of the appeal to the compassion of Jehovah. ALL OUR PLEASANT THINGS...... [ Continue Reading ]
WILT THOU REFRAIN...? — The final appeal to the fatherly compassion of Jehovah reminds us of the scene when Joseph could not “refrain” (Genesis 45:1), and natural tenderness would find a vent. Could the God of Israel look on the scene of desolation, and not be moved to pity?... [ Continue Reading ]