_Sing, O barren_ The prophet, having largely discoursed of the sufferings of Christ, and of the blessed fruits thereof, among which one particularly promised was, that he should have a numerous seed that should believe on him; and here, foreseeing the accomplishment of this glorious promise, he brea... [ Continue Reading ]
_Enlarge the place of thy tent_ That it may be capable of receiving the Gentiles, who shall flock to thee in great numbers, and desire to associate themselves with thee. _And let them_ Those to whom that work belongs; _stretch forth the curtains_, &c. The meaning is, the curtains must and shall be s... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou shalt not be ashamed_ As formerly, of the straitness of thy borders, and the fewness of thy children. _Thou shalt forget the reproach of thy youth_ Thy barrenness in former times: so great shall be thy fertility and felicity, that it shall cause thee to forget thy former unfruitfulness and mis... [ Continue Reading ]
_For the Lord hath called thee_ To return and come again to him; _as a woman forsaken_ When thou wast like a woman forsaken by her husband, who had given her a bill of divorce; _and grieved in spirit_ For the loss of her husband's favour and society, and for the reproach attending it; _and a wife of... [ Continue Reading ]
_For this is as the waters of Noah_ This covenant of grace and peace made with thee shall be as certain and perpetual as that which I made with Noah, that there should never be another flood of waters to drown the world. _So have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee_ Namely, so as I have been... [ Continue Reading ]
_O thou afflicted_, &c. O thou, my church, which hast been in a most afflicted and comfortless condition; _behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours_, &c. I will make thee exceedingly beautiful and pure, stable and glorious. For, as Bishop Lowth justly observes, “these seem to be general image... [ Continue Reading ]
_All thy children shall be taught of the Lord_ The church's children, being born of God, shall be taught of God, and that not only outwardly, by his word, but inwardly, by his Spirit. Our Lord, who quotes this passage, John 6:45, applies it to gospel grace, and represents it as having its accomplish... [ Continue Reading ]
_Behold, they shall gather together_ It is true, some will combine, and make an attempt against thee. _But not by me_ As they will do this without any such commission from me as Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar had, so they shall not have my help in it, without which all their endeavours will be in va... [ Continue Reading ]