INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 48 The prophecy of this chapter is concerning the deliverance and salvation of the Jews, and is addressed unto them; who are described by their natural descent and lineage, and by their hypocrisy in religious things, Isaiah 48:1. By their obstinacy and impudence, and by thei... [ Continue Reading ]
HEAR YE THIS, O HOUSE OF JACOB,.... Who were of the house and family of Jacob, his descendants and posterity; and who were of the house of the God of Jacob, had a name and a place there, at least in profession: WHICH ARE CALLED BY THE NAME OF ISRAEL; a name given to Jacob, because of his prevalence... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THEY CALL THEMSELVES OF THE HOLY CITY,.... The city Jerusalem, so called because the temple, the place of divine worship, was in it, the residence of the Holy One of Israel: they valued themselves, not only upon their being of the family of Jacob, and of the tribe of Judah, but that they were in... [ Continue Reading ]
I HAVE DECLARED THE FORMER THINGS FROM THE BEGINNING,.... From the time of their first ancestors, from the time of Abraham their father, to whom was declared what should befall his posterity; that they should sojourn in Egypt, be afflicted there, and come out from thence with great substance; that t... [ Continue Reading ]
BECAUSE I KNEW THAT THOU ART OBSTINATE,.... Or "hard" a, hard hearted, an obdurate and rebellious people, contradicting and gainsaying: AND THY NECK IS AS AN IRON SINEW; stiffnecked, inflexible, not compliant with the will of God, and his commands; unwilling to admit his yoke, and bear it: AND THY... [ Continue Reading ]
I HAVE EVEN FROM THE BEGINNING DECLARED IT TO THEE,.... From the beginning of their being a people, even before they were formed into a body politic; yea, from the original of them, from the time of Abraham their ancestor, as before observed: BEFORE IT CAME TO PASS I SHOWED IT THEE; some hundreds o... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU HAST HEARD, SEE ALL THIS: AND WILL YE NOT DECLARE IT?.... You have heard of all these things, how they were foretold before they were; how they came to pass exactly as they were predicted; now look over these prophecies, and compare them with the events; see the exact completion of them; and wh... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY ARE CREATED NOW, AND NOT FROM THE BEGINNING,.... Not that they were now done or brought into being, for as yet Cyrus was not born; though the raising of him up, and holding his right hand, and his executing the counsel of God, are spoken of as if they were already done, because of the certainty... [ Continue Reading ]
YEA, THOU HEARDEST NOT; YEA, THOU KNEWEST NOT YEA, FROM THAT TIME THAT THINE EAR WAS NOT OPENED,.... This, as Kimchi rightly observes, is said by way of reproof; showing that they were so far from knowing these things before the prophecy of them was given out, that when it was, they did not hearken... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR MY NAME'S SAKE WILL I DEFER MINE ANGER,.... From age to age, for those sins which had been committed, and continued in ever since they were a people. The above account of them shows that it was not for any merits of theirs, or any works of righteousness done by them, that he showed favour to the... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD, I HAVE REFINED THEE, BUT NOT WITH SILVER,.... But it is not usual to refine with silver; not silver with silver, nor any other metal with it; that itself is what is refined; this therefore cannot be the sense of the words; wherefore they are, by others, differently rendered; by some, "not in... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR MINE OWN SAKE, EVEN FOR MINE OWN SAKE, WILL I DO IT,.... Defer his anger, not cut off his people and destroy them, but redeem and save them: this, in the literal sense, respects the redemption and deliverance of the Jews by Cyrus from the Babylonish captivity; which the Lord did, not for any des... [ Continue Reading ]
HEARKEN UNTO ME, O JACOB AND ISRAEL, MY CALLED,.... Called before out of Egypt, and now out of Babylon, and who had the name of God called upon them, and who called upon the name of the Lord; so such who are called with a holy calling, according to the purpose and grace of God, by the Spirit and gra... [ Continue Reading ]
MINE HAND ALSO HATH LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH,.... Which is ascribed to the Wisdom, Word, and Son of God, Proverbs 3:19. This Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret of the left hand k, seeing the work of the heavens is ascribed to the right hand in the following clause; the earth being less honourabl... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL YE ASSEMBLE YOURSELVES, AND HEAR,.... That is, the people of the Jews, Jacob and Israel his called, before addressed; who are bid to gather together, and draw nigh, that they might hear what the Lord had to say to them: WHICH AMONG THEM HATH DECLARED THESE THINGS? that are future, that concern... [ Continue Reading ]
I, EVEN I, HAVE SPOKEN,.... What I will do, and what shall certainly come to pass; for not one word of the Lord ever fails; what he has spoken he will make good; what he has said to his Son in his council, and in covenant, or has delivered out by promise or prophecy, Numbers 23:19: YEA, I HAVE CALL... [ Continue Reading ]
COME YE NEAR UNTO ME, HEAR YE THIS,.... An address to the Jews, to attend the ministry of Christ, and hear the doctrine he had delivered to them: I HAVE NOT SPOKEN IN SECRET FROM THE BEGINNING; from the beginning of his ministry; which be exercised not in private houses, but in the synagogues of th... [ Continue Reading ]
THUS SAITH THE LORD, THY REDEEMER,.... A character peculiar to Christ, who engaged in covenant to be the Redeemer of his people; was promised and prophesied of as such; and who came into this world for this purpose, and has obtained eternal redemption: THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL; who came of Israel as... [ Continue Reading ]
O THAT THOU HADST HEARKENED TO MY COMMANDMENTS,.... Which the Jews did not, but slighted and despised them, and were not obedient to them. So, in the times of Christ, they disregarded his doctrines, though so profitable; and despised his ordinances and commands, which were not grievous; they neither... [ Continue Reading ]
THY SEED HAD ALSO BEEN AS THE SAND,.... Upon the sea shore, as numerous as that, as was promised to Abraham, Genesis 22:17: AND THE OFFSPRING OF THY BOWELS AS THE GRAVEL THEREOF; that is, of the sand; the little stones that are in it, which lie in great numbers on the sea shore; the same thing expr... [ Continue Reading ]
GO YE FORTH OF BABYLON,.... Which the Jews had leave to do by the proclamation of Cyrus; and so the people of God will be called to come forth out of mystical Babylon before its destruction, to which these words are applied, Revelation 18:4 perhaps this, in the figurative sense, may be a call to the... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY THIRSTED NOT WHEN HE LED THEM THROUGH THE DESERTS,.... As when he led the people of Israel through the wilderness to Canaan's land, though they sometimes thirsted for want of water, yet they were supplied with it, by which their thirst was extinguished, to which the reference here is. So wh... [ Continue Reading ]
THERE IS NO PEACE, SAITH THE LORD, UNTO THE WICKED,.... To Nebuchadnezzar and his seed, says Jarchi; to the Babylonians, say Aben Ezra and Kimchi; who enjoyed no more peace and prosperity, being conquered by Cyrus, and their monarchy dissolved, and put an end to: but rather this is to be understood... [ Continue Reading ]