Isaiah 49:17

Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee. THY CHILDREN SHALL MAKE HASTE. "Thy children" - Israel's (Isaiah 49:20; Isaiah 43:6) (Jerome). The Septuagint and Chaldaic read, for "Thy children" ( baanaayik (H1121)), 'Thy builders' ( bonayik (H1129)): they that destroyed thee shall hasten to build thee. HASTE - to rebuild thy desolate capital. THY DESTROYERS ... SHALL GO FORTH - thy destroyers shall leave Judea to Israel in undisturbed possession....

17._Thy builders hasten. _He affirms what had been briefly stated in the former verse; for it might have been thought that there was no ground for what he had now asserted about the unceasing care which God takes of his Church and of her walls, which he permits to be razed to their foundations, and therefore he adds the explanation, that it will indeed be thrown down, but will afterwards be built anew. _Builders. _From this word we may learn what is the true method of restoring the Church, namely, if the Lord send “builders, (7) to rear it, and next if he _drive far away the destroyers _who demolish it. Though God could, by himself, and without the aid of men, rebuild the Church, yet he deigns to employ their hands; and although he alone, by the secret influence of his Spirit, completes this whole building, yet he blesses their labor, that it may not be useless. From him, therefore, we o...

13-17 Let there be universal joy, for God will have mercy upon the afflicted, because of his compassion; upon his afflicted, because of his covenant. We have no more reason to question his promise and grace, than we have to question his providence and justice. Be assured that God has a tender affection for his church and people; he would not have them to be discouraged. Some mothers do neglect their children; but God's compassions to his people, infinitely exceed those of the tenderest parents toward their children. His setting them as a mark on his hand, or a seal upon his arm, denotes his being ever mindful of them. As far as we have scriptural evidence that we belong to his ransomed flock, we may be sure that he will never forsake us. Let us then give diligence to make our calling and election sure, and rejoice in the hope and glory of God....

Verse Isaiah 49:17. _THY CHILDREN SHALL MAKE HASTE_ - "They that destroyed thee shall soon become thy builders"] Auctor Vulgatae pro בניך _banayich_, videtur legisse בוניך _bonayich_, unde vertit, _structores tui_; cui et Septuaginta fere consentiunt, qui verterunt ωκοδομηθης, _aedificata es_, prout in Plantiniana editione habetur; in Vaticana sive Romana legitur, οικοδομηθηση, _aedificaberis_. Hisce etiam Targum Jonathanis aliquatenus consentit, ubi, _et aedificabunt_. Confer infra Esai. liv. 13, ad quem locum rabbini quoque notarunt en tractatu Talmudico Berachot, c. ix., quod non legendum sit בניך _banayich_, id est, _filii tui_; sed בוניך _bonayich, aedificatores tui_. Confer not. ad librum Prec. Jud. part ii., p. 226, ut et D Wagenseil Sot. p. 253, n. 9. "The author of the _Vulgate_ appears to have read בוניך _bonayich_ for בנ...

THY CHILDREN - The children of Zion - the true people of God. But there is here considerable variety in the interpretation. The Hebrew of the present text is בניך _bânâyı̂k_ (“thy sons”). But Jerome reads it, _Structores tui_ - ‘Thy builders;’ as if it were בונין. The Septuagint renders it, ‘Thou shalt be speedily built (ταχὺ οἰκοδομηθήσῃ _tachu_ _oikodomēthēsē_) by those by whom thou hast been destroyed.’ The Chaldee renders it, ‘Those that rebuild thy waste places shall hasten.’ The Syriac reads it, ‘Thy sons;’ and the Arabic, ‘Thou shalt be rebuilt by those by whom thou hast been destroyed.’ But there is no good authority for changing the present Hebrew text. nor is it necessary. The sense probably is, the descendants of those who dwelt in Zion, who are now in exile, shall hasten to rebuild the wastes of

SECTION III. THE MISSION OF THE SERVANT OF THE LORD (CH. 49-53). EXPOSITION The connection of the present section is especially with Isaiah 42:1, where the mission of the Servant of Jehovah was first announced. That mission was there described with extreme brevity. It has now to be fully set forth, for the instruction, consolation, and comfort of all Israel, which is represented as sunk in despondency, deeming itself forgotten of God and forsaken by him (Isaiah 42:13, Isaiah 42:14). In the present chapter Jehovah's at

THY CHILDREN SHALL MAKE HASTE,.... Regenerate persons, young converts, such as are born again of incorruptible seed by the word; these shall flock to the church, AS DOVES TO THE WINDOWS; join themselves to her, and submit to Gospel ordinances, and MAKE HASTE, AND DELAY NOT, TO KEEP THE LORD'S COMMANDMENTS; which is no small pleasure, joy, and comfort to the church of God. Some render it, "thy builders" m "shall make haste"; Gospel ministers, who are wise masterbuilders under Christ; these shall come with all readiness and cheerfulness, and build in the temple, the church of God, and rebuild her walls, and repair her breaches: THY DESTROYERS AND THEY THAT MADE THEE WASTE, SHALL GO FORTH OF THEE; tyrants and persecutors of the church shall cease, and be no more; and false teachers, that corrupt the minds of men, subvert their faith, and destroy their souls, as antichrist and his ministe...

In this chapter, we have not merely Isaiah speaking concerning the Christ of God; but it is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who here speaks concerning himself. Isaiah 49:1. _Listen, O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far;_ It is very remarkable how constantly the isles are spoken of in this Book of Isaiah, as if it had been foreseen that, in these far-off islands of the sea, the name of Jesus would be greatly magnified. «Listen,» says the Messiah, «O isles, unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far.» Isaiah 49:1. _The LORD hath called me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name._ Christ Jesus our Lord was spoken of by the spirit of prophecy from his very birth, and long before it; and when he did come into th

2. THE SERVANT OF JEHOVAH, HIS SUFFERING AND HIS GLORY (49-57) CHAPTER 49 The Servant of Jehovah and His Mission 1. _The servant speaks of himself (Isaiah 49:1)_ 2. _He complains of failure (Isaiah 49:4)_ 3. _Jehovah's answer to him (Isaiah 49:5)_ 4. _Zion speaks (Isaiah 49:14) Jehovah's answer (Isaiah 49:15) _ This entire chapter is the key to the whole section. The Servant of Jehovah, the Lord Jesus Christ, stands in the foreground. He is seen as the Rejected One, who complains that He has labored in vain. The ultim

JERUSALEM SHALL BE FORTHWITH REBUILT AND REPEOPLED. Zion has believed herself forgotten of Yahweh. But though a mother should forget her babe He will not forget Zion. His plan for rebuilding it He has cut upon the palms of His hands that it may be ever before Him. Zion's builders (_mg._) shall speedily get to work, while her destroyers shall haste out of the city. From all sides the dispersed people return; they shall be to the newly-built city as ornaments to a new-made wife. Though all the waste places be made habitable (?) still the people shall more than fill them. Oppressors shall be far away. Those born while the city lay desolate are so many as on their return to strive in Zion's hearing for room. And Zion shall ask herself in bewilderment, Who hath borne and reared me these when I was childless? (_cf._ Genesis 16:2)....