1The calamities of the Jews not owing to want of saving power in God, but to their own enormous sins. 16Salvation cometh of God only. 20The covenant of the Redeemer.
1BEHOLD, thea LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
a Num. 11:23; Isa. 50:2.
2But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins 1have hid his face from you, that he will 2not hear.
1 That is, cause Him to hide His face.
2 Namely, your prayers, that is, that He does not help you.
3For 3your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken 4lies, your tongue hath 5muttered perverseness.
3 Hebr. your palms. See Isa. 1:15.
4 Or, falsehood.
5 Or, spoken.
4None calleth for 6justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive 7mischief,b and bring forth 8iniquity.
6 Namely, so as to admonish them who deal against justice; or, to defend the innocent; or, to maintain a just cause and the truth to the utmost of his power.
7 Which they would like to bring to light against their neighbor.
b Job 15:35; Psalm 7:14.
8 Or, vanity, and likewise verses 6 and 7.
59They hatch cockatrice’c eggs, and 10weave the spider’s web: 11he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and 12that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
9 Hebr. they break open cockatrice’ eggs, that is, they have venomous and mischievous plots in hand, as the cockatrice cannot hatch anything but which is poisonous. Nothing else comes from the wicked as such but what is hurtful.
c adder, cobra
10 That is, they devise plots to catch and to devour others, as a spider catches flies and gnats with her web, and afterward kills and eats them. See Job 8:14.
11 That is, he who is partaker of their plots; or, he who keeps acquaintance or is familiar with them.
12 Namely, when the egg is crushed in pieces. Other, if anyone be sprinkled therewith, or, if anyone spreadeth it abroad, that is, if anyone will not eat it, but casts it down that it be spread upon the ground, then breaks forth a viper; that is, if anyone discover and hinder the plots of wicked men, they are incensed against him, and seek to do him mischief.
6Their webs 13shalld not become garments, 14neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act 15of violence is in their hands.
13 Or, are not good for garments. Hebr. shall not become garments, that is, their plots shall bring them no profit.
d Job 8:14, 15.
14 That is, not be able to defend themselves in time of trouble.
15 Or, of cruelty.
716Theire feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; 17wasting and destruction are in their paths.
16 That is, they are so inclined to wickedness, that when they know of any mischief to be done anywhere, they do not just go, but run to it. The apostle quotes these words in Rom. 3:15, to prove that the Jews are sinners, and are corrupt by nature as well as the Gentiles.
e Prov. 1:16; Rom. 3:15.
17 That is, they endeavor after nothing else then to hurt and disgrace their neighbor.
8The way of peace they know not; and 18there is no judgment in their goings: they 19have made them crooked paths: 20whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace.
18 That is, there is neither truth nor equity to be found in them. See Job 34 on verse 4.
19 That is, they make unto themselves crooked paths.
20 That is, whosoever associates with them, or follows after their wicked practice.
9 ¶ 21Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for 22light, but behold 23obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness.
21 That is, therefore God does not execute judgment or vengeance upon our enemies, but He permits them yet to oppress and afflict us daily; so that judgment here signifies as much as help or deliverance, as verses 11 and 14.
22 See the annotation at Isa. 58 on verse 8.
23 That is, sorrow and adversity.
1024We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noonday as in the night; we are in 25desolate places as dead men.
24 See Job 5 on verse 14; 12:25, and compare Deut. 28:29.
25 Other, fatness or fat places, whereof the meaning would be: We are indeed in prosperity and in plenty of all things in a good and fat land, yet we are as dead men in the midst of blessings; we cannot enjoy the rich blessings of God, on account of the fear which we have towards our enemies.
11We roar all like bears, and 26mourn sore like doves: we look 27for judgment, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
26 Or, peep, as Isa. 38:14. Hebr. muttering we mutter.
27 See on verse 9.
12For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and 28our sins testify against us: for our transgressions are 29with us; and as for our iniquities, we know them;
28 Hebr. our sins testifieth, that is, every one of our sins.
29 That is, within us, in our consciences; we cannot deny them; they accompany and follow us everywhere.
1330In transgressing and lying against the LORD, and departing away from our God, 31speaking oppression and revolt, 32conceiving and 33uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
30 See Isa. 57:11.
31 How they shall oppress their neighbor, and how they shall depart away from God.
32 Namely, in our hearts, as in a womb.
33 As verse 3.
14And judgment 34is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for 35truth is fallen in the street, and 36equity cannot enter.
34 See verse 9. Yet others thus: And judgment is driven backward, in this sense: as being a confession and a further account of their sad condition, as if they said: All things are amiss with us; there is neither judgment nor justice, nor truth to be found with us.
35 That is, truth is oppressed; no man is troubled about it, nor defends it.
36 Or, fairness, or, uprightness.
15Yea, 37truth faileth; and he that departeth from evil 38maketh himself a prey: and the LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no judgment.
37 That is, it is no more to be had.
38 Other, maketh himself to be accounted an unwise man.
16¶Andf he saw 39that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm 40brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.
f Isa. 63:5.
39 Namely, who would help us, or besought God for the people, or (as many understand it) that no one, being a mere man, would be able to be a mediator between God and man.
40 The sense is: Christ, by His Divine power, has wrought salvation for His church. See Isa. 63:5.
17For 41he putg on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and 42was clad with zeal as a cloke.
41 Namely, the Lord. It is spoken of God after the manner of men, as if he said: that which moves the Lord to redeem His people, is first, His justice or truth, and the salvation which He had promised His people; secondly, His wrath and vengeance against His enemies.
g Eph. 6:17; 1 Thes. 5:8.
42 Hebr. he wrapped himself.
1843According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; 44to the islands he will repay recompence.
43 Or, According to their works or merits.
44 That is, to them who dwell on the islands, that is, to foreign nations far away, namely, those who persecute the people of God. See Isa. 41:1.
1945So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. 46When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD 47shall lift up a standard against him.
45 Namely, when they shall see this redemption of the people of God.
46 The meaning is: The enemies of the church shall indeed bring all the forces they are able to make, to ruin and destroy the people of God, falling upon the children of God like an overflowing river, but they shall be beaten back, yea smitten down to the ground by the power of our Savior. See Psalm 124:4; Rev. 12:15.
47 That is, shall come against him with raised banners; or, shall chase him away.
20¶And 48theh Redeemer shall come 49to Zion, and unto them thati turn from transgression 50in Jacob, saith the LORD.
48 Namely, Christ Jesus.
h Rom. 11:26.
49 Or, for Zion, that is, for the elect Jews, for the true Israelites, for the faithful and penitent. Compare Rom. 11:25, etc.
i Isa. 10:21, 22.
50 That is, among Jacob’s posterity.
21As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is 51upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth 52of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.
51 Namely, upon Thee, O Christ, as Head of the church, from Whom spiritual gifts, as a precious balsam, run down upon all the members of Thy body. Compare Psalm 133:2.
52 That is, of Thine elect, who are Thy spiritual children. Compare Rom. 9:6, 7, 8.