1God revealed himself by prophecy, that his works might not be ascribed to idols: 9he saveth his people for his own sake: 12he exhorteth them to obedience because of his power and providence: 16he lamenteth their disobedience: 20he sendeth his people out of Babylon.
1HEAR ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth 1out of the waters of Judah, which 2swear by the name of the LORD, and 3make mention of the God of Israel, 4but not in truth, nor in righteousness.
1 That is, who are sprung from the tribe of Judah, as from a fountain. See Deut. 33:28; Psalm 68:26, and the annotations there.
2 Testifying thereby that they acknowledge the Lord for the true God; for, a just and lawful oath is to call upon God for a Witness.
3 Namely, when they swear by Him. See Exod. 23:13.
4 That is, not sincerely, as the Lord requires, but hypocritically. See Jer. 4:2.
25For they call themselves of 6the holy city, and 7stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The LORD of hosts is his name.
5 Or, Though.
6 Namely, Jerusalem. Hebr. the city of holiness; that is, they boast that they are citizens and inhabitants of the holy city of Jerusalem.
7 Namely, as much as concerns the outward appearance, But though they boast hereof in words, yet it is not so with them in deed and in truth, but their heart is far from Him.
3I have declared 8the former things 9from the beginning; and they went forth out of my mouth, and I shewed them; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass.
8 Namely, both blessings and punishments.
9 Namely, from that time that I took you to be My people. Or, from that time that I brought you forth out of Egypt, and gave you My law; so likewise verse 5.
4Because I knew 10that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is 11an iron sinew, and thy brow 12brass;
10 See the annotations at Exod. 32:9; 33:3; Deut. 9:13; 31:27; 32:5.
11 That is, as hard as an iron sinew.
12 That is, hard and impudent.
5I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, 13Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and 14my molten image, hath commanded them.
13 Hebr. My sorrow.
14 Hebr. my casting.
6Thou 15hast heard, 16see all this; and will not 17ye 18declare it? I have shewed thee 19new things from this time, even 20hidden things, and thou didst not know them.
15 Namely, that which I declared heretofore, and that which also afterward came to pass.
16 Hebr. behold, or observe, that is, lay it to heart, consider it well.
17 Ye who boast yourselves to be My people whom I have chosen, that ye as prophets would proclaim these things for My honor, namely, that I have dealt so fatherly and friendly with you.
18 That is, extol and praise.
19 Namely, the ruin and destruction of the Babylonians, and your deliverance from the Babylonian captivity by Cyrus.
20 Hebr. secured, kept.
7They are created 21now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not; lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them.
21 That is, it is now first revealed by the prophets and brought to light, that which was formerly as it were hidden in My secret counsel.
8Yea, thou heardest 22not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for I knew 23that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast 24called a transgressor 25from the womb.
22 Namely, from your stargazers and soothsayers.
23 Hebr. that thou dealing unfaithfully, wouldst deal unfaithfully, namely, towards Me.
24 Understand hereby: and you have also been as such; or, you have thus behaved and carried yourself, that they may justly call you so.
25 That is, from that time that you were conceived and born, and further also from that time that I called and received you to be My people.
9¶For my name's sake will I 26defer mine anger, and fora my praise will I 27refrain 28for thee, that I 29cut thee not off.
26 Or, prolong, or, put off.
a Isa. 43:21, 25.
27 Or, seal up, that is, curb, bridle, keep Myself back.
28 Or, for thy sake. Other, towards thee.
29 As a tree is cut down, which they intend to root out.
10Behold, I have 30refined thee, but 31not with silver; I have 32chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.
30 Namely, by affliction, misery and adversity.
31 Namely, not so often, nor so exact as silver is refined, that you perish not utterly. Or, not with silver, that is, I will not try you together with silver in the melting-pot, as false and counterfeit silver is tried together with the good metal in one and the same melting-pot. The meaning is: I will indeed visit you with affliction, but I will moderate it. See 1 Peter 1:7.
32 Namely, as purified, refined and selected gold or silver, which is refined in the furnace. See Prov. 17:3; 27:13. The meaning is: When by My grace and mercy I shall have permitted you to continue so long in trouble and affliction until you turn to Me by true and heart repentance, I will then show you favor and kindness again.
11For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should 33my name be polluted? and Ib will not give my glory unto another.
33 Or, it, My Name, verse 9. Be polluted, that is, be mocked and reproached, as if I had not dealt faithfully with My people, but had utterly forsaken them, whereas I had otherwise promised.
b Isa. 42:8.
12¶Hearken unto me, 34O Jacob and 35Israel, my called; I am he; Icam the first, I also am the last.
34 That is, ye offspring of Jacob, whom I have chosen and called to be My people.
35 That is, ye offspring of Jacob, whom I have chosen and called to be My people.
c Isa. 41:4; 44:6; Rev. 1:17; 22:13.
13Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath 36spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, 37they 38stand up together.
36 Hebr. hath palmed, or, spanned. See Isa. 40:12.
37 Namely, the heavens and all the creatures. See Psalm 147:4.
38 That is, they appear and stand forthwith ready to serve Me. A phrase borrowed or taken from the servants of kings and princes. See 1 Kings 10:8. Or thus: when I called them, they stood there together, namely, in the creation.
14All ye, assemble yourselves, and hear; which 39among them hathd declared these things? The LORD hath 40loved 41him: 42he will do 43his pleasure on Babylon, and 44his arm shall be on the Chaldeans.
39 Namely, the idols of the Gentiles, of which mentioned is made in verse 5.
d Isa. 41:22, 23.
40 Namely, so far, that He will give him His blessing and good success against the Babylonians. See Isa. 45:1.
41 Namely, Cyrus.
42 Namely, Cyrus.
43 Namely, the Lord’s pleasure. The sense is: Cyrus shall, according to the pleasure of God, destroy Babel, and deliver the Jews out of the Babylonian captivity.
44 Namely, God’s arm, that is, God’s power; or, Cyrus, his arm. Other, though the Chaldeans have been his arm. The meaning is: Though God used the Chaldeans to chasten and correct His people and to cause His power to appear, yet notwithstanding He will break them in pieces as a rod or staff wherewith He chastise His people, and will oppress them by Cyrus.
15I, even I, have spoken; yea, I 45have called 46him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous.
45 That is, I shall call him in due time, for, Cyrus was not born when Isaiah prophesied this of him. See the annotation Isa. 44 on verse 28.
46 Namely, Cyrus, as Isa. 45:1.
16 ¶ 47Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; 48I have not spoken in secret 49from the beginning; from the time 50that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, 51hath sent me.
47 The prophet speaks this to the Jews, calling them to him to confirm and establish them more and more in that which he preached and declared unto them before.
48 As if the prophet had said: I have concealed nothing from you of that which the Lord commanded me to preach unto you, but I have plainly and clearly told you all.
49 Hebr. from the head.
50 That is, that the Lord revealed it unto me. Other, that it was there, am I, or was I, that is, I waited diligently and carefully on my prophetic office. See Isa. 21:8.
51 While I am an ambassador of our great God, as such they should hear me and give trust unto me.
17Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.
18 Oe that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had 52thy peace been 53as a river, and 54thy righteousness 55as the waves of the sea:
e Deut. 32:29; Psalm 81:13.
52 That is, thy prosperity. See Psalm 37 on verse 11.
53 That is, abounding, and always lasting, as a river flows continually.
54 The fruit of thy righteousness, namely, the blessed and happy estate of thy government, which should have followed, if thou hadst applied thyself unto righteousness. See the annotation at Psalm 24 on verse 5.
55 That is, abundantly, exceedingly much.
1956Thy seed also had been 57as the sand, and 58the offspring of 59thy bowels like the 60gravel 61thereof; his name should not have been 62cut off nor destroyed from before me.
56 That is, thy children.
57 Namely, in multitude.
58 That is, the children who would come forth from thee. See the annotation Job 5 on verse 25.
59 That is, out of thy body.
60 Other, little stones, or, pebbles.
61 Namely, of the sand.
62 See verse 9.
20¶Gof ye forth of Babylon, 63flee ye from the Chaldeans, with a voice of singing declare ye, tell this, utter it even to the end of the earth; say ye, The LORD hath 64redeemed his servant Jacob.
f Isa. 52:11; Jer. 50:8; 51:6, 45; Rev. 18:4.
63 That is, get ye away speedily, as it were fleeing, that ye be not also involved in the severe judgment which God would bring upon the Babylonians. See Jer. 51:6; Rev. 18:4.
64 Namely, out of the Babylonian captivity, and out of many other miseries besides.
2165And 66they 67thirsted not when 68he led them through the deserts: 69he caused the waters to flow out of the rock for them: he clave the rock also, and the waters gushed out.
65 Namely, Say also.
66 Namely, the Jews, who would go from Babel to Judea through the wilderness.
67 Previously the Lord provided for His people, and furnished them with all things necessary when He led them through the wilderness toward the land of Canaan. In like manner the Lord promises here that He would also provide for His people when He would bring them again from Babel into the land of Jews, and consequently that He would spiritually deliver and save His church. See Isa. 43:19, 20.
68 Namely, the Lord.
69 See Exod. 17:6; Num. 20:11; Psalm 105:41.
22There is 70no peace, saith the LORD, unto 71the wicked.g
70 That is, no prosperity, neither in soul nor in body. See verse 18; Isa. 57:21.
71 That is, unbelievers, idolaters, whether Babylonians or Jews.
g Isa. 57:21.