1The church is comforted with gracious promises of enlargement, 4deliverance out of affliction, 11edification, 15and sure preservation.
1SING,1a O 2barren, thou that didst 3not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children 4of the desolate 5than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
1 Here the prophet addresses the congregation of believing Jews, who would live at the time when the Gospel would begin to be preached, as may be gathered from Gal. 4:27, where these words are quoted.
a Gal. 4:27.
2 As such he calls the church that was in the world, when Christ came in the flesh, with respect to the small number of believers.
3 That is, didst bear very seldom or few children, namely, children of God by the seed of the Word of God. Compare John 1:12, 13; 1 Peter 1:23. The number of believing Gentiles is much greater than the number of the believing Jews. See John 1:11; Rom. 9:27, etc.
4 Or, of the solitary, that is, of the Jewish church, which in Christ’s time was small in number with respect to the large number of the Jews who were reprobate.
5 That is, of the ancient congregation of the Jews, whom God first called and took her, as it were, in marriage unto Himself.
26Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine 7habitations: 8spare not, lengthen thy 9cords, and 10strengthen thy 11stakes;
6 Namely, that those, who are converted of the Gentiles, may find a place with you. This is spoken according to the manner of the ancients in the land of Canaan, who dwelled in tents, intimating that the church of the New Testament would greatly increase, and spread itself wide abroad, multiplying exceeding on all sides. See Isa. 49:19, 20.
7 Or, tabernacles.
8 Or, keep them not back, or, restrain them not.
9 Or, ropes, or, straps, wherewith the tents were stretched out.
10 Or, smite in thy pins fast. Hebr. strengthen thy stakes.
11 Or, nails, whereunto the ropes were fastened.
3For thou shalt 12break forth on the right hand and on the left; and 13thy seed shall inherit 14the Gentiles, and 15make 16the desolate cities to be inhabited.
12 Namely, into a multitude of children. The sense is: There shall be found even among the Gentiles, and in those places where there were no churches in former time, many believers and true members of the christian church.
13 That is, your posterity, namely, your spiritual children.
14 That is, the land of the Gentiles; that is, the Gentiles shall also be made children of God by the Gospel, which shall go forth from Zion, and shall be added unto you.
15 Or, they shall make, etc., namely your posterity.
16 That is, those cities wherein formerly dwelt no children of God.
417Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget 18the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
17 Namely, on account of your barrenness, which was counted in former times a great reproach.
18 That is, the ignominy which befell you in times past, namely, when you were delivered up to bondage for your sins unto the Egyptians. Others take it in this sense, as if the prophet said: The glory and happiness, whereunto you shall be advanced, shall cause you to forget all the misery and sorrow which you formerly endured, when you were as a desolate virgin or poor widow.
5For 19thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God 20of the whole earth shall he 21be called.
19 Hebr. thy Makers is thine husband. Compare this phrase with Gen. 20 on verse 13.
20 Not only of the Jews, but also of all other nations, yea, of the entire world, 1 John 2:2, while His church would be spread abroad throughout the entire world.
21 Understand additionally: and are likewise indeed.
6For the LORD 22hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and 23a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
22 First, out of the Babylonian captivity; secondly, out of the spiritual kingdom of sin and of the devil unto His Kingdom.
23 That is, as a wife whom a man has married in his youth, as Prov. 5:18. That is, thou wast very dear and precious to Me aforetime, and art so still for the patriarchs’ sake.
7For a small moment have I forsaken thee;24 but with great mercies will I gather thee.
24 Understand additionally the last words of the next verse: saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
825In a little wrath I hid 26my face from thee 27for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
25 That is, in a wrath which did not last long. Other, I hid my face from thee for a little season, in the moment of mine anger.
26 See of this phrase the annotation at Job 13 on verse 24.
27 See the annotation at Psalm 30 on verse 5.
9For 28this is as the waters of Noah unto me: 29for as I have swornb30that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be 31wroth 32with thee, nor rebuke 33thee.
28 The meaning is: What I have now spoken concerning My grace and mercy towards you, it shall be as sure and certain which I heretofore spoke after the universal deluge, which was in Noah’s time. See Gen. 9:11.
29 Or, to whom I swore.
b Gen. 9:11.
30 That is, the waters that came in his time.
31 Namely, so grievously, that I would utterly reject thee, and wholly bereave thee of My grace and favor.
32 This is to be understood of the elect children of God, who are the true members of the church.
33 Namely, so sorely, that I would utterly destroy thee.
10For 34the mountains 35shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall 36the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.
34 Compare this with the words of Christ in Mat. 24:35.
35 Or, may or can depart. Other, For though the mountains should be removed, etc. The meaning is: My mercy and kindness towards My church shall last forever and remain constant and immutable, though in the world all things would be turned upside down.
36 That is, the covenant whereby I have promised peace, that is, eternal salvation, unto thee.
11¶O thou afflicted, tossed with 37tempest, and 38not comforted, behold, 39I will lay thy stones 40with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
37 Understand here by this tempest, first, the Babylonian captivity, and secondly, the great desolation by Antiochus in the time of the Maccabees, and further, the spiritual combat, affliction and persecution of the church in general, Rom. 11:28, 29.
38 Or, comfortless one.
39 That is, I will build thee again far more glorious than thou wert before. This must be understood of a spiritual reparation or building up of the elect, which is begun in this life by the preaching of the Holy Gospel, and the glorious gifts of the Holy Ghost, Eph. 4:11, etc., and shall be perfected in the life to come, Rev. 21:10, etc.
40 Hebr. cause thy stones to lie down with or in ornament.
12And I will make 41thy windows of agates, and thy gates 42of carbuncles, and all thy borders 43of pleasant stones.
41 Or, I will make thy windows of crystal, or, of agates, or, of pearls.
42 Or, of rubies.
43 Or, of delightful or acceptable stones. Hebr. of stones of delight, or, of acceptance.
13And 44allc thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and 45great shall be 46the peace of thy children.
44 All the children of the church are taught outwardly by the Word and inwardly by the Holy Ghost, Jer. 31:34.
c John 6:45.
45 Or, manifold.
46 That is, happiness, salvation, as verse 10.
1447In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far 48from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and 49from terror; for 50it shall not come near thee.
47 Namely, by the righteousness of God, whereby He defends and protects His children. Or, understand here that righteousness wherewith God endues and adorns His children, and which flourishes and abounds among them.
48 That is, thou shalt not be oppressed, and shalt have no cause to fear oppression, which thou mightest suffer at the hands of thine enemies.
49 Or, from destruction.
50 Namely, fear or terror, that is, those things that might frighten thee.
15Behold, 51they shall surely gather together, but 52not by me: 53whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall 54for thy sake.
51 Other, But who so gathereth himself against thee in thee, that is, in thy land, meaning the traitors of the land. Other, Behold, there shall some sojourn with thee.
52 That is, without My command.
53 Other, but whosoever shall sojourn with thee against thee, he shall be to fall, or, he that gathereth himself with thee, being against thee, shall fall.
54 Or, shall fall before thee, that is, shall perish or be confounded.
1655Behold, I have created the smith 56that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument 57for his work; and I have created the waster 58to destroy.
55 The meaning is: I govern all things by My Providence. No smith would able to make any weapons or instruments of war, nor were any enemy able therewith to destroy the land, unless I had so decreed and ordained it before.
56 Or, that bloweth up the coal fire.
57 Namely, for the destroyer’s work, who intends something against thee. Other, for his work, namely, the smith’s work.
58 Namely, I who permit him to destroy, or as far as I permit him to destroy, or to cut off.
17 ¶ 59No weapon 60that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise 61against thee in judgment thou shalt 62condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their 63righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
59 None shall be able to hinder or hurt thee, but thou shalt overcome and conquer all through Christ Who loveth thee, Rom. 8:37.
60 Namely, by the enemies of the church.
61 Namely, to contend or plead with thee.
62 That is, convince that they have wronged thee and falsely accused thee.
63Righteousness is here as much to say as judgment, or defense and protection, which is a fruit of the righteousness of God. See Isa. 48:18. Others understand here by righteousness, the reward of righteousness, or the right which belongs to the Lord’s servants, which is this, that I defend and protect them against all unjust power and violence.