Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed (a) thee from the womb,
[who] will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou,
Jesurun, (b) whom I have chosen.
(a) He treated and chose you from the beginning of his own mercy, and
before you could merit anything.
(b) Whom God accepts as righ... [ Continue Reading ]
For I will pour water upon him that is (c) thirsty, and floods upon
the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing
upon thy offspring:
(c) Because man of himself is as the dry and barren land, he promises
to moisten him with the waters of his Holy Spirit, (Joel 2:28; John
7:38... [ Continue Reading ]
And they (d) shall spring up [as] among the grass, as willows by the
water courses.
(d) That is, your children and posterity will increase wonderfully
after their deliverance from Babylon.... [ Continue Reading ]
One shall say, I [am] the LORD'S; and another (e) shall call [himself]
by the name of Jacob; and another shall write [with] his hand to the
LORD, and surname [himself] by the name of Israel.
(e) By this diversity of speech he means one thing, that is, that the
people will be holy, and receive the t... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of
hosts; (f) I [am] the first, and I [am] the last; and besides me
[there is] no God.
(f) I am always like myself, that is, merciful toward my Church, and
most able to maintain it, as in (Isaiah 41:4; Isaiah 48:12; Revelation
1:17;... [ Continue Reading ]
And who, as I, shall (g) call, and shall declare it, and set (h) it in
order for me, since I appointed the (i) ancient people? and the things
that are coming, and shall come, let (k) them show to them.
(g) And appoint them that will deliver the Church.
(h) That is, tell me how I should proceed in... [ Continue Reading ]
Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time,
and have declared [it]? (l) ye [are] even my witnesses. Is there a God
besides me? verily, [there is] no God; I know not [any].
(l) Read (Isaiah 43:10).... [ Continue Reading ]
They that make a graven image [are] all of them vanity; and (m) their
delectable things shall not profit; and they [are] their own
witnesses; (n) they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.
(m) Whatever they bestow on their idols, to make them seem glorious.
(n) That is, the idolaters seeing... [ Continue Reading ]
Who hath formed a (o) god, or cast a graven image [that] is (p)
profitable for nothing?
(o) Meaning that whatever is made by the hand of man, if it is valued
as a god, is most detestable.
(p) By which appears their blasphemy, who call images the books of the
laity, seeing that they are not only he... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, all his (q) fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they
[are] of men: let them all be gathered together, let them (r) stand
up; [yet] they shall fear, [and] they shall be ashamed together.
(q) That is, who in any way consent either to the making or
worshipping.
(r) Signifying, that the... [ Continue Reading ]
The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it
with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is
(s) hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is
faint.
(s) He describes the raging affection of the idolaters, who forget
their own necessi... [ Continue Reading ]
The carpenter stretcheth out [his] rule; he marketh it out with a
line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the
compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the
beauty of a man; that it may remain in (t) the house.
(t) To place it in some Temple.... [ Continue Reading ]
Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take of it, and (u)
warm himself; indeed, he kindleth [it], and baketh bread; yea, he
maketh a god, and worshippeth [it]; he maketh it a graven image, and
falleth down to it.
(u) He sets forth the obstinacy and malice of the idolaters who though
they... [ Continue Reading ]
He burneth part of it in the fire; with part of it he (x) eateth
flesh; he roasteth meat, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth [himself],
and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:
(x) That is, he either makes a table or trenchers.... [ Continue Reading ]
They have not known nor understood: (y) for he hath shut their eyes,
that they cannot see; [and] their hearts, that they cannot understand.
(y) The prophet gives here an answer to all them who wonder how it is
possible that any would be so blind as to commit such abomination,
saying that God has bl... [ Continue Reading ]
He feedeth (z) on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that
he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, [Is there] not a lie in my right
hand?
(z) He is abused as one that would eat ashes, thinking to satisfy his
hunger.... [ Continue Reading ]
(a) Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou [art] my servant: I
have formed thee; thou [art] my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be
forgotten by me.
(a) Showing that man's heart is most inclined to idolatry, and
therefore he warns his people by these examples, that they should not
cleave to a... [ Continue Reading ]
(b) Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done [it]: shout, ye lower
parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest,
and every tree in it: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified
himself in Israel.
(b) He shows that the work of the Lord toward his people will be so
gre... [ Continue Reading ]
That frustrateth the (c) tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad;
that turneth wise [men] backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;
(c) He arms them against the soothsayers of Babylon, who would have
said that they knew by the stars that God would not deliver Israel,
and that Babylon would... [ Continue Reading ]
That confirmeth the word of his (d) servant, and performeth the
counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be
inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will
raise up her decayed places:
(d) Of Isaiah and the rest of his prophets, who assured the Church of
G... [ Continue Reading ]
That saith to the (e) deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:
(e) He shows that God's work would be no less notable in this their
deliverance, than when he brought them out of Egypt, through the sea.... [ Continue Reading ]
That saith of (f) Cyrus, [He is] my shepherd, and he shall perform all
my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the
temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
(f) To assure them of their deliverance he names the person by whom it
would be, more than a hundred years before he wa... [ Continue Reading ]