1God comforteth the church with gracious promises: 8he calleth the people to witness his omnipotency: 14he foretelleth the destruction of Babylon, 18and his wonderful deliverance of his people: 22he reproveth their neglect of his service.
1BUT now thus saith the LORD 1that created thee, 2O Jacob, and he that formed thee, 3O Israel, 4Fear not: for 5I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
1 That is, He, Who created thee, made thee to be His people, and regenerated thee by His Holy Spirit, calling thee to His knowledge according to His good pleasure, that thou mightest be unto Him a chosen people, dedicated to His glory. See Eph. 2:10.
2 O thou My chosen people of Israel.
3 O thou My chosen people of Israel.
4 Although ye shall be constrained to be a while in captivity in Babylon, and in your enemies’ country.
5 Namely, out of the power of the devil, namely by Christ, and I shall redeem thee out of the Babylonian captivity.
26When thou passest througha the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest 7through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
6 That is, when thou art in distress and danger, I will deliver thee, and will always be thy Protector and Defender. See the annotation at 2 Sam. 22 on verse 17.
a Psalm 66:12.
7 Namely, the fire of affliction and adversity, as Job 15:30.
3For I am the LORD thy God, 8the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave 9Egypt for 10thy ransom, Ethiopia and 11Seba 12for thee.
8 That is, this holy God, Whom the Israelites ought to honor and to serve in a holy manner, as their own God.
9 The meaning is: I have spared thee, and I have delivered up the Ethiopians and the Egyptians (as it were for the price of thy redemption), and have handed them over to be destroyed. See Isa. 20:4, 5.
10 Or, for thy redemption money. See Prov. 21 on verse 18.
11 That is, the Sabeans who descended from Seba. See Gen. 10:7.
12 Or, in thy stead. See Prov. 11:8 and the annotation there.
413Since thou wast 14precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and 15I have loved thee: therefore will I give 16men for thee, and people 17for thy life.
13 Namely, from that time when I brought thee forth out of Egypt.
14 That is, that thou becamest My dear, peculiar people. Exod. 19:5.
15 I have manifested My love toward thee by many and sundry mercies.
16 Namely, the Egyptians, Ethiopians and Sabeans, verse 3.
17 Or, instead of thy soul, that is, for thy life.
5Fearb not: for I am with thee: I will 18bring 19thy seed 20from the east, and 21gather thee 22from the west;
b Isa. 44:2; Jer. 30:10; 46:27.
18 Not only according to the flesh out of the Babylonian captivity, but also according to the spirit and out of the hellish prison.
19 That is, thy posterity, namely, in faith, whom I will call to the communion of My church.
20 That is, I will gather Me a church from all the regions of the earth.
21 Not only according to the flesh out of the Babylonian captivity, but also according to the spirit and out of the hellish prison.
22 That is, I will gather Me a church from all the regions of the earth.
6I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring 23my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth;
23 That is, the believers.
7Even 24every one that is called by my name: 25for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have 26made him.
24 That is, all the children of God, for, children bear their father’s name.
25 As verse 1.
26 Or, whom I have made excellent and honorable. See the annotation Psalm 100 on verse 3.
8¶Bring forth 27the blind people that have 28eyes, and 29the deaf that have 30ears.
27 That is, the people who are blind by nature, and cannot see into Divine matters.
28 Namely, fleshly or bodily eyes, but have no spiritual eyes which are enlightened by the Holy Ghost.
29 Namely, who by nature cannot hear nor understand the Word and will of God.
30 Namely, bodily ears, but not spiritual ears.
931Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: 32who among them 33can declare this, 34and shew us 35former things? 36let them bring forth their witnesses, 37that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, 38It is truth.
31 These are the words of the Lord.
32 What god is there among them and among all those who cleave and adhere unto idols, etc.?
33 Namely, that which I foretell you concerning the deliverance from the Babylonian captivity, and consequently concerning the spiritual redemption by Christ.
34 Or, or let them, namely, the idols of the heathen, cause us hear.
35 That is, the things which are passed; much less can they foretell things to come. See Isa. 41:22. The Lord proves by these words that He alone is the true God.
36 Namely, to point out and testify that they have foretold future things.
37 That is, that it may appear that they do really and truly bear the name of gods.
38 Namely, that they are gods.
10Ye are 39my witnesses, saith the LORD, and 40my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: 41beforec me there was no God 42formed, neither shall there be after me.
39 To bear witness that I am a true God, because I have done and foretold such things which no idols can do nor foretell.
40 Namely, the prophet Isaiah and other prophets, who from My mouth have published and declared such things before. Some understand here by this servant Jesus Christ, as Isa. 42:1.
41 The meaning is: I alone am the only and everlasting true God.
c Isa. 41:4; 44:8; 45:21; Hosea 13:4.
42 Understand here additionally: as idols are, that are formed or made by men’s hands, not subsisting of or by themselves, as I, the true God, do exist from eternity.
11I, even 43I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
43 Namely, the true God, Who has an eternal Being of Himself. See Gen. 2 on verse 4; Isa. 41:4.
1244I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was 45no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.
44 Namely, unto My people, that I would help them.
45 Namely, has neither declared it nor done what I have declared and what I have done among you.
13Yea, 46before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and whod shall 47let it?
46 That is, before that time when was the first day, that is, before the beginning of the world.
d Isa. 14:27.
47 Or, turn it away, that is, who shall hinder Me to do what I have once decided and purposed to do for Myself, Job 9:12; Isa. 14:27.
14¶Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I 48have sent to 49Babylon, and have brought down all their 50nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is 51in the ships.
48 That is, I will surely send. The prophets do often speak of a thing that is yet to be done as if it were already done.
49 Namely, Cyrus with the Persians and the Medes. These God sent to Babel, and caused that city to be destroyed, that the Jews would be delivered out of the Babylonian captivity.
50 Hebr. bars, that is, the power of the Chaldeans, which locked up and held fast the Jews as with doors and bars.
51 Hebr. in the ships of their shouts or cry. Thus He calls those great and goodly ships of the Chaldeans wherewith they sailed on and curbed the Euphrates, Tigris and other rivers; but afterward had to flee in and with them from the Persians and the Medes, without a doubt with a cry and with weeping.
15I am the LORD, your Holy One, 52the creator of Israel, your King.
52 As verse 1.
16Thus saith the LORD, which 53maketh a way in the 54sea, and a path in 55the mighty waters;
53 Hebr. gave.
54 See Exodus 14.
55 Understand the Red Sea and Jordan. See Exodus 14; Joshua 3.
1756Which bringeth forth 57the chariot and horse, the army and the power; 58they shall lie down together, they shall 59not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as 60tow.
56 This appears to have reference to the march of Pharaoh to the Red Sea. Others, Which bringeth forth, etc., applying this to God, by Whose power all, who oppose the deliverance which He shall please to give unto His people, shall be confounded and destroyed together.
57 Who by His Divine Providence caused Pharaoh and the Egyptians to follow the Israelites with their chariots and horses into the Red Sea, where they were drowned and perished altogether. See Exod. 14:3, 4, etc.
58 Namely, the Egyptians. Other, they shall lie down, namely, the Chaldeans and Babylonians.
59 Namely, here in this temporal life.
60 Compare Isa. 42:3.
18 ¶ 61Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
61 Intimating that the redemption by Christ, which was typified by the deliverance from the Babylonian captivity, shall be so glorious and excellent that the deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt, which was wrought in former time, would be in no way comparable to it. See Jer. 16:14, etc.; 23:7.
19Behold, I will do 62ae new thing; 63now it shall 64spring forth; 65shall ye not know it? 66I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
62 That is, some rare notable thing, something that was never heard nor seen before.
e Rev. 21:5.
63 That is, shortly or in a short time.
64 That is, is put in practice. A phrase borrowed from herbs and flowers that sprout or spring forth out of the earth.
65 That is, assuredly, ye shall know it.
66 The sense is: I will wonderfully deliver and preserve My church, as I did in times past wonderfully lead My people through the wilderness, and gave them water out of a rock, Exod. 17:6.
2067The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and 68the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.
67 He would say: All creatures, yea even the brute beasts, shall extol and praise Me, each in their own way. It is a metaphorical and figurative manner of speech, serving to set forth the exceeding great mercy and favor which God will show His elect in Christ.
68 As Isa. 13:21.
21Thisf people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
f Luke 1:74, 75.
22¶But 69thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; 70but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.
69 The Lord wants to say: that they, by their piety, had not deserved that He should deliver them, for, they had not served Him as they ought to have done. As if He said: It has not ministered unto Mine honor, and unto My service that ye have taken so much pains in killing so many sacrifices, observing very strictly the ceremonies of the law; as concerning the external part of worship, ye have done this to make a fair show, without faith, and consequently against Me, that is, by or with transgressions against Me, and to My grief. See verse 24. Other, for my sake. See 1 Sam. 15:22; Isa. 1:11.
70 Other, when thou hast wearied thyself against me, O Israel.
23Thou hast not brought 71me 72the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an 73offering, nor wearied thee 74with incense.
71 Namely, when thou hast killed many sacrifices, and so seemeth to serve Me, forasmuch as it was done without faith and contrition of heart.
72 Namely, sheep and goats.
73 Hebr. mincha. See Leviticus 2.
74 That is, in requiring many offerings of thee. See Isa. 1:11. In addition to the offerings, they were wont to use frankincense. See Leviticus 2.
24Thou hast bought me no 75sweet cane with money, neither hast thou 76filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast 77made me to serve 78with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.
75 This was used in the incense. See Jer. 6:20.
76 Or, moistened, made drunk, that is, rejoiced and filled me with joy and delight, as Prov. 5:19; Jer. 31:14.
77 Or, made me trouble. Hebr. made me to serve, that is, thou hast been burdensome to Me. See Isa. 1:14.
78 That is, with thy hypocrisy, with the oppression of thy neighbor, etc. Compare Isa. 1:15, etc.
25I, even I, am he that blotteth out 79thy transgressions 80forg mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
79 Compare Psalm 51:1.
80 Not because of your merits, but for My own honor’s sake, in order that I may be known to be a merciful and faithful God.
g Ezek. 36:22, etc.
2681Put me in remembrance: leth us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be 82justified.
81 Or, Cause me to remember, namely, if ye think that it is not so, but think that ye have truly dealt with Me. Is this your opinion, then bring into My remembrance your good deeds, which ye think that I have forgotten. But it will be found that ye are poor wretched sinners as your forefathers have been from the beginning.
h Isa. 1:18.
82 Namely, if ye win the lawsuit against Me.
2783Thy first father hath sinned, and 84thy teachers have transgressed against me.
83 Namely, Adam, from whom sin was inherited by you.
84 Understand the priests, who were appointed to offer sacrifices, to pray for the people and to instruct the people out of the law. Other, thy mediators, that is, those who, as advocates and intercessors, set themselves between Me and you, to reconcile Me unto you, as were formerly Moses and Aaron, the high priests and other priests and Levites.
28Therefore I 85have profaned 86the princes of the sanctuary, and have given 87Jacob to the curse, and 88Israel to reproaches.
85 Or, might I indeed profane, namely, when I would deal with you, and with them according to your and their merits, and not according to My mercy.
86 That is, the priests. See Jer. 35 on verse 4.
87 That is, the Jews, or the people of Israel.
88 That is, the Jews, or the people of Israel.