Isaiah 40:7

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. THE GRASS WITHERETH ... BECAUSE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD BLOWETH UPON IT - or, the wind of Yahweh (). The withering east wind of those countries sent by Yahweh (). But the Spirit of Yahweh is what sends the 'blast' upon proud but frail man; as He did upon Sennacherib (). THE PEOPLE (Hebrew, ha'am) - rather, this people (Lowth), which may refer to the Babylonians (Rosenmuller); but better, mankind in general, as in ; so , "all flesh;" this wh...

7._The grass is withered. _This might be understood to relate to the beauty of the fields, which is spoiled by a single gust of wind, as it is said, (Psalms 103:16,) “As soon as the wind passeth over it, it is gone;” for we know that the wind is called “the Spirit of God” in other passages. But I am more inclined to think that the metaphor is adapted to the present subject; for otherwise the application of it would be somewhat obscure. The Prophet therefore explains what object he has in view, by saying that men, with all their glory, are nothing else than grass; theft is, because _the Spirit of God _will quickly carry them away by a single breath. _Because the Spirit of Jehovah hath blown upon it. _The meaning may be thus explained, “However illustrious are the gifts with which men are endowed, yet as soon as the Spirit of God shall blow upon them, they shall fed th

1-11 All human life is a warfare; the Christian life is the most so; but the struggle will not last always. Troubles are removed in love, when sin is pardoned. In the great atonement of the death of Christ, the mercy of God is exercised to the glory of his justice. In Christ, and his sufferings, true penitents receive of the Lord's hand double for all their sins; for the satisfaction Christ made by his death was of infinite value. The prophet had some reference to the return of the Jews from Babylon. But this is a small event, compared with that pointed out by the Holy Ghost in the New Testament, when John the Baptist proclaimed the approach of Christ. When eastern princes marched through desert countries, ways were prepared for them, and hinderances removed. And may the Lord prepare our hearts by the teaching of his word and the convictions of his Spirit, that high and proud thoughts m...

Verse Isaiah 40:7. _THE GRASS WITHERETH_] The whole of this verse is wanting in three of _Kennicott's_ and five of _De Rossi's_ MSS., and in a very correct and ancient MS. of my own, and also in the _Septuagint_ and _Arabic_. _SURELY THE PEOPLE_ - "Verily this people"] So the _Syriac_; who perhaps read העם הזה _haam hazzeh_. _BECAUSE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD_ - "When the wind of JEHOVAH"] רוח יהוה _ruach Jehovah_, a wind of JEHOVAH, is a Hebraism, meaning no more than a strong wind. It is well known that a hot wind in the east destroys every green thing. Compare Psalms 103:16. Two MSS. omit the word יהוה _Yehovah, Jehovah_....

THE GRASS WITHERETH - Soon withers. Its beauty is soon gone. THE FLOWER FADETH - Soon fades; or fades when the wind of Yahweh passes over it. So is also with man. He loses his vigor, and dies at once when Yahweh takes away his strength and beauty. BECAUSE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD BLOWETH UPON IT - This should be rendered, undoubtedly, ‘When the wind of Yahweh bloweth upon it.’ The word ‘spirit’ here does not suit the connection, and does not express the idea of the prophet. The word רוח _rûach_ means, properly, “breath” - a breathing, or blowing; and is often used indeed to denote spirit, soul, life. But it often means a breath of wind; a breeze; air in motion Job 41:8;...

PART III. ISAIAH'S LATER PROPHECIES (CH. 40-66.). SECTION I. THE PEOPLE OF GOD COMFORTED IN TRIBULATION (Isaiah 40:1.). EXPOSITION PREFATORY REMARKS THE Assyrian struggle is over. The prophet has accepted into the depths of his spirit God's announcement that the true spoiler, "the rod of his anger, and the staff of his indignation," is not Assyria, but Babylon. He has accepted the sentence that his people is to go into captivity. Into this future of his nation he throws himself with a faith, a fervour, and a power of realization, which are all his own. "The familiar scenes and faces, among w

THE GRASS WITHERETH, THE FLOWER FADETH,.... And so does man, and all his glory and goodliness: BECAUSE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD BLOWETH UPON IT: alluding to some impetuous and blasting wind blowing upon herbs and flowers, to the withering and fading of them; see Psalms 103:15, legal ordinances ceased upon the pouring forth of the Spirit. The external excellencies of men, or their outward advantages, perish at the breath of God, at the blast of his nostrils, when taken away by death; and at conversion the Spirit of the Lord blows a blast upon all the goodliness of man; the operations of the Spirit are compared to wind, John 3:8, which, like that, are free, and, as he pleases, are invisible and imperceptible, land powerful and efficacious, and these cause a withering in men's goodness; the Spirit o

Isaiah 40:1. _Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath receiveth of the LORD'S hand double for all her sins._ God would have his people happy. He knows that we are not in strong, vigorous state, neither do we honour his name while we are lacking in holy joy. Let the sinners be uncomfortable. Let them be «like the troubled sea that cannot rest»; but as for God's people, it is his great joy that they should be happy. He bids his servants again and again to comfort them. Sometimes we are in a condition of warfare, and we are under the chastising rod but now the Lord appears graciously to his servants, and he says, «Your warfare is over: your chastisement is ended.» Now the Lord returns in mercy, and he grants a sense of forgiven sin....

II. THE LATER PROPHECIES OF COMFORT AND GLORY (40-66) Like the first part this second part of Isaiah has three sections. The three sections of the first part revealed the judgments to come upon the Jewish people, Jerusalem, the nations and the earth. The three sections of the second part reveal the great blessings in store for the people of Israel, Jerusalem, the nations and the earth, after the judgments are passed. These sections give the past, present, and the future history of the Jewish people. In the first section (40-48) they are seen prophetically in Babylon, but about to be delivered and brought back to the land. Cyrus is predicted as the chosen instrument. However, this section looks also beyond the return of the remnant from Babylon. Their present dispersion and coming restoration is predicted as well. In the second section (49-57) we find this period of their history more f...

PROLOGUE ANNOUNCING THE END OF THE EXILE. IF. The prophet sees in the triumphs of Cyrus the coming fall of Babylon's empire, and a revolution in the fortunes of the exiles. These are God's voice bidding the prophet and all who hear it encourage His people. Let them speak tenderly to Jerusalem (_i.e._ the nation, not the city). Her forced service is completed, her punishment has been more than adequate to her offence. ISAIAH 40:3. Rapt from earth, the prophet hears a heavenly being in Yahweh's court bidding other spiritual beings prepare in the wilderness a straight path for Yahweh, who shall march with His people back to their city. Let all hills and depressions be levelled. ISAIAH 40:3. Render, Hark! One is calling, Prepare_ ;_ so too in...