Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment. KEEP SILENCE BEFORE ME, O ISLANDS - The same "islands" as in Isaiah 40:15: all maritime regions, and those beyond sea (Jeremiah 25:22), incl... [ Continue Reading ]
Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow. WHO RAISED UP THE RIGHTEOUS MAN FROM THE EAST, CALLED HIM TO HIS FOOT? - "Who" else but God?... [ Continue Reading ]
He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet. HE PURSUED THEM ... BY THE WAY (THAT) HE HAD NOT GONE WITH HIS FEET. Cyrus had not visited the regions of the Euphrates, and westward, until he visited them for conquest. So the Gospel conquests penetrated regio... [ Continue Reading ]
Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he. WHO - else but God? WROUGHT AND DONE (IT), CALLING THE GENERATIONS FROM THE BEGINNING? The origin and position of all nations are from God (; ). What is true of Cyrus an... [ Continue Reading ]
The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came. THE ISLES SAW IT, AND FEARED - that they would be subdued. DREW NEAR, AND CAME - together, for mutual defense.... [ Continue Reading ]
They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage. BE OF GOOD COURAGE - Be not alarmed because of Cyrus, but make new images to secure the favour of the gods against him.... [ Continue Reading ]
So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved. SO THE CARPENTER ENCOURAGED THE GOLDSMITH - One workman encourages the other to be quick in... [ Continue Reading ]
But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. BUT THOU, ISRAEL, ART MY SERVANT - Contrast between the idolatrous nations whom God will destroy by Cyrus, and Israel, whom God will deliver by the same man for their forefathers' sake. MY SERVANT - so t... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. (THOU) WHOM I HAVE TAKEN FROM THE ENDS OF THE EARTH - Abraham, the father of the Jews, taken from the remote Ur of t... [ Continue Reading ]
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. BE NOT DISMAYED - literally, anxiously to look at one another in dismay [tishta`, from shaa`ah (H8159), to look].... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. ASHAMED - put to the shame of defeat (cf. ; ).... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. THOU SHALT SEEK THEM, AND SHALT NOT FIND THEM - said of one so utterly put out of the way that not a trace of him can be found (). THEY S... [ Continue Reading ]
For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. I WILL HELP THEE - (; .)... [ Continue Reading ]
Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. FEAR NOT, THOU WORM JACOB - in a state of contempt and affliction, whom all loathe and tread on: the very expression which Messiah, on the cross, applies to Himself (Psalm... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff. BEHOLD, I WILL MAKE THEE A NEW SHARP THRESHING INSTRUMENT - God will make Israel to destroy their enemies as the Eastern grain-drag ()... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel. THOU SHALT FAN THEM - winnowed (cf. ). THE WHIRLWIND SHALL SCATTER THEM - (; .)... [ Continue Reading ]
When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. (WHEN) THE POOR AND NEEDY - primarily the exiles in Babylon. SEEK WATER - fig., refreshment, prosperity after their affliction. The... [ Continue Reading ]
I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I WILL OPEN RIVERS ... I WILL MAKE THE WILDERNESS A POOL OF WATER - alluding to the waters with which Israel was miraculously supplied in t... [ Continue Reading ]
I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: I WILL PLANT IN THE WILDERNESS THE CEDAR - (Isaiah 32:15; Isaiah 55:13.) THE SHITTAH - rather, the acacia, or Egyptian th... [ Continue Reading ]
That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it. THAT THEY MAY SEE ... AND CONSIDER - literally, lay it (to heart); turn (their attention) to it. "They" refers to all lands (; ; ). The effect... [ Continue Reading ]
Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. PRODUCE YOUR CAUSE, SAITH THE LORD - A new challenge to the idolaters (see ; ) to say, can their idols predict future events as Yahweh can? (Isaiah 41:22, etc.) BRING FORTH YOUR STRONG REASONS - the r... [ Continue Reading ]
Let them bring them forth, and shew us what shall happen: let them shew the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. LET THEM BRING (THEM) FORTH, AND SHOW US WHAT SHALL HAPPEN - `Let them bring near and declare fut... [ Continue Reading ]
Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together. DO GOOD, OR DO EVIL - give any proof at all of your power, either to reward your friends or punish your enemies (Psalms 115:2). THAT WE MAY B... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you. YE ARE OF NOTHING - (note, Isaiah 40:17.) AND YOUR WORK OF NOUGHT. The Hebrew text [ mee'aapa` (H659), of the work of a viper] is here corrupt. So the English version treats it [it ought to be mee'aapec... [ Continue Reading ]
I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay. I HAVE RAISED UP - in purpose; not fulfilled until 150 years afterward. ONE FROM THE NORTH - in "from t... [ Continue Reading ]
Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, He is righteous? yea, there is none that sheweth, yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that heareth your words. WHO - of the idolatrous soothsayers. HATH DECLARED FROM THE BEGINNING, THAT... [ Continue Reading ]
The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. THE FIRST (SHALL SAY) TO ZION, BEHOLD, BEHOLD THEM: AND I WILL GIVE TO JERUSALEM ONE THAT BRINGETH GOOD TIDINGS - rather, 'I first will give to Zion and to Jerusalem the messenger of goo... [ Continue Reading ]
For I beheld and there was no man; even among them and there was no counsellor that when I asked of For I beheld, and there was no man; even among them, and there was no counsellor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word. I BEHELD ... AND (THERE WAS) NO COUNSELOR - no one of the idolatr... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, they are all vanity; their works are nothing: their molten images are wind and confusion. THEIR MOLTEN IMAGES (ARE) ... CONFUSION - emptiness: Hebrew, thohu, without form (). Remarks: There is agreed question at issue between God and the world, and between the people of God and the peop... [ Continue Reading ]