ISAIAH CHAPTER 52 The church redeemed, and called upon to rejoice therein, ISAIAH 52:1. The universal preaching of the gospel glorious, ISAIAH 52:7. A call to free ourselves from bondage, ISAIAH 52:11,12. Christ's kingdom shall be exalted, ISAIAH 52:13. AWAKE, AWAKE; PUT ON THY STRENGTH: God biddeth... [ Continue Reading ]
SHAKE THYSELF FROM THE DUST, in which thou hast lain as a prisoner, or sat as a mourner. SIT DOWN upon thy throne. Or, sit up, as this word is rendered, GENESIS 27:19. LOOSE THYSELF FROM THE BANDS OF THY NECK; the yoke of thy captivity shall be taken off from thee. It is a metaphor from beasts that... [ Continue Reading ]
YE HAVE SOLD YOURSELVES, by your sins, into the hands of the Chaldeans, FOR NOUGHT; without any price or valuable consideration paid by them, either to you or to me, your Lord and Owner. YE SHALL BE REDEEMED WITHOUT MONEY; without paying any ransom.... [ Continue Reading ]
MY PEOPLE WENT DOWN AFORETIME INTO EGYPT TO SOJOURN THERE; where they had protection and sustenance, and therefore owed subjection to the king of Egypt. And yet when he oppressed them I punished him severely, and delivered them out of his hands. Which is easily understood from the following words. _... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT HAVE I HERE? Heb. _What to me here_ ? the sense is either, 1. What do I here? Why do I sit still here, and not go to Babylon to punish the Babylonians, and to deliver my people? Or, 2. What honour have I by suffering this injury to be done to my people? IS TAKEN AWAY, were carried away captiv... [ Continue Reading ]
MY PEOPLE SHALL KNOW MY NAME; they shall have sensible experience of my infinite power and goodness in fighting for them and against you; whereby they shall be able to put your blasphemous tongues to silence. THEY SHALL KNOW; which word is understood from the foregoing clause, as is very frequent in... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW BEAUTIFUL! these are words of rejoicing and admiration. They are exceeding precious and acceptable. UPON THE MOUNTAINS of Zion and Moriah, which are sometimes mentioned as one mountain, and sometimes as two. Or in the mountainous country of Judea, to which these glad tidings were brought, and fr... [ Continue Reading ]
THY WATCHMEN, thy ministers, who shall descry the approach and coming of this heavenly King and kingdom, _shall lift up the voice_; partly to give notice to all people of these glad tidings; and partly by way of exultation, to sing forth the praises of God for this glorious day and mercy, as it here... [ Continue Reading ]
For you shall be restored unto your former and a far greater fertility.... [ Continue Reading ]
HATH MADE BARE HIS HOLY ARM; hath discovered and put forth his great power, which for a long time hath lain hid, and seemed to be idle. ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH SHALL SEE THE SALVATION OF OUR GOD; all nations of the world shall with astonishment behold the wonderful work of God, first in bringing h... [ Continue Reading ]
DEPART YE, DEPART YE, GO YE OUT FROM THENCE; make haste, O ye banished Jews, to depart out of Babylon into your own land, that there I may meet with you, and bless you, and perform those further and greater things which I have promised there to do for you. And this invitation was the more necessary,... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR YE SHALL NOT GO OUT WITH HASTE, NOR GO BY FLIGHT; but securely, and in triumph, being conducted by your great Captain, the Lord of hosts. And therefore you will have both the greater obligation, and the more leisure and opportunity, to cleanse yourselves from all filthiness. FOR THE LORD WILL GO... [ Continue Reading ]
This is the beginning of a new prophecy, which is continued from hence to the end of the next chapter; and therefore it is well observed by divers, both ancient and modern interpreters, that the fifty-third chapter should have begun here. MY SERVANT. QUEST. Of whom doth the prophet here speak? It is... [ Continue Reading ]
WERE ASTONISHED; were struck with wonder, either, 1. At his glorious endowments, and the excellency and power of his doctrine, and his miraculous works. Or rather, 2. At his great deformity, and stupendous humiliation and calamity, as may be gathered both from the following words, and from the use... [ Continue Reading ]
SO; his exaltation shall be answerable to his humiliation. SHALL HE SPRINKLE; either, 1. With his blood, which is called _the blood of sprinkling_, HEBREWS 12:24; or, shall justify them, as it follows, ISAIAH 53:11, which is frequently expressed by _washing_, as PSALMS 51:2,7 EZE 16:9, and by _spri... [ Continue Reading ]