_Thus saith the Lord to his anointed_, &c. Cyrus is called the Lord's
_anointed_, a title usually given to the kings of the Jews, who were
God's immediate deputies, not because material oil had been poured
upon him when he was made king, as was the case with most of them, but
because he was raised u... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will go before thee_ To remove all obstructions, and prepare the
way for thee. “The divine protection which attended Cyrus, and
rendered his expedition against Babylon easy and prosperous, is finely
expressed by this highly poetical image of God's going before him, and
making the mountains level.... [ Continue Reading ]
_For Jacob my servant's sake_, &c. The prophet here gives us the
reasons why God showed such favour to a prince, who had been addicted
to the superstition of his country, and ignorant of the true God, that
he prospered all his undertakings, and gave success to all his
endeavours. It was, 1st, For Is... [ Continue Reading ]
_I form the light, and create darkness_, &c. All men's comforts and
calamities come from my hand. “It was the great principle of the
Magian religion, which prevailed in Persia in the time of Cyrus, and
in which probably he was educated, that there are two supreme,
coeternal, and independent causes,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Drop down, ye heavens, from above_, &c. It appears from the last
clause of this verse, that these are the words of Jehovah himself,
commanding blessings to descend upon his people, and exhorting his
people willingly and gratefully to receive them, and to walk worthy of
them. The passage is strongly... [ Continue Reading ]
_Wo unto him that striveth_, &c. Bishop Lowth renders this verse,
“Wo unto him that contendeth with the power that formed him, the
potsherd with the moulder of the clay! Shall the clay say to the
potter, What makest thou? And to the workman, Thou hast no hands.”
“The prophet,” he thinks, “answers or... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thus saith the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker_ Israel's Maker. A
preface this which always ushers in some gracious promise: see Isaiah
43:1; Isaiah 43:3; Isaiah 43:14; and Isaiah 44:6; and Isaiah 48:17.
_Ask me of things to come_, &c. The words thus rendered contain a
concession, and the sense o... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thus saith the Lord_, &c. Here the prophet turns to Jerusalem, or to
the company of returning exiles, and relates some joyful consequence
of the deliverance foretold, which probably chiefly respects the
future admission of the Gentiles into the church of God. _The labour
of Egypt_ The wealth gotten... [ Continue Reading ]
_Verily_, &c. These are the words of the prophet, drawn from him by
the consideration of the great and various works and dispensations of
God toward his church, and in the world; _thou art a God that hidest
thyself_ Namely, from thy people for a season: thy counsels are deep
and incomprehensible, an... [ Continue Reading ]
_They_ The idolatrous Gentiles, as it is explained in the end of the
verse, opposed to Israel in the beginning of the next verse, _shall be
ashamed_, &c. Hebrew, בושׁו וגם גכלמר כלם, _They are
ashamed, they are even confounded, all of them;_ that is, after the
completion of this prophecy. _They shal... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thus saith the Lord_ Hebrew, _Jehovah; that created the heavens_, &c.
This description of God is here added, 1st, To detect the vanity of
idols, by asserting that none was to be owned as the true God, besides
that one Jehovah who made the heavens and the earth, and the
inhabitants thereof. 2d, To d... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place_, &c. This is declared
in opposition to the manner in which the heathen oracles gave their
answers; which were generally delivered not only darkly and
doubtfully, but from obscure cells and caverns of the earth: such was
the seat of the Cumean Sibyl:
_“... [ Continue Reading ]
_Draw near together_ To attend to what I have said, and am now about
to say again, concerning the vanity of your idols; _ye that are
escaped of the nations_ Ye that survive those many and great
destructions which I am bringing upon heathen nations for their
abominable idolatries and other wickedness... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have sworn by myself_ Which is the highest and most solemn oath
possible, Hebrews 6:13; and therefore signifies that the matter, thus
confirmed, is of extraordinary importance. _The word is gone out of my
mouth in righteousness_ It is what I will faithfully perform. _And
shall not return_ Namely,... [ Continue Reading ]
_In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel_ All Israelites indeed,
whether Jews or Gentiles; all believers, who are frequently called
God's Israel in Scripture; _be justified_ Acquitted, both from real
guilt before God, and from all false aspersions before the world; for
this justification of the tru... [ Continue Reading ]