The Book of the Prophet Isaiah
Isaiah 49
Chapter XLIX · Vol. III, pp. 1206–1207
1 Christ, being sent to the Jews, complaineth of them. 5 He is sent to the Gentiles with gracious promises. 13 God's love is perpetual to his church. 18 The ample restoration of the church. 24 The certainty of its deliverance out of captivity.
1 Listen,a O isles,1 unto me; and hearken, ye people, from far; The LORD hath bcalled me from the womb; from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
B.C. cir. 702.
a ch.11.10; 42.1,4; 51.5; 55.1-5. Mat.17.5. He.12.25.
1 Messiah here addresses the 'isles of the Gentiles,' Ge. 10. 5.—C.
b Je.1.5. Ga.1.15. He.5.4,5,10. 1 Pe.1.20. Pr.8.23. Mat.1.20,21. Lu.1.15,31-35; 2.10,11.
2 And he chath made my mouth like a sharp sword;2 in the shadow of his hand hath he dhid me, and made me ea polished shaft; in his quiver hath he hid me;
3 And said unto me, Thou art gmy servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
g ch.42.1-7; 52.13-15; 53.2-12; 43.21. Ga.4.4,5. Phi.2.6-11. Mat.3.17; 17.5. Lu.2.10-14. Jn.17.4; 12.28; 13.31,32. Ps.40.8,9. ch.42.21. 1 Pe.2.9.
4 Then I said, hI have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain; iyet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work3 with my God.
h Mat.17.17; 23.37. ch.53.1; 65.2. Jn.1.11; 5.40; 12.37,42. Lu.19.41-43.
i Lu.24.26. Phi.2.8-11. Jn.17.5. ch.40.10; 52.13,15; 53.10-12. Ps.22.22-31. He.12.2.
3 Or, my reward.
5 And now, saith the LORD that formed me from the womb to be his servant, jto bring Jacob again to him, kThough4 Israel be not gathered, yet lshall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God shall be my strength.
6 And he said, 5It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved6 of Israel; I will also give thee for a mlight to the Gentiles,7 that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
5 Or, art thou lighter than that thou shouldest, &c.
6 Or, desolations or branches, ver.5; ch.4.2; 10.21. Mi.5.6,7. Zep.3.13. Joel 2.32.
m Ps.98.2,3. Lu.2.32. Ac.13.47; 26.18. ch.11.10; 42.1,4,6,7; 24.14-16; 60.3; liv. lv. lx.-lxii. Jn.1.9; 3.19; 9.5; 8.12; 12.46. Ep.3.8,9.
7 This title, compared with Lu. 2. 32, declares, beyond controversy, that the speaker is Messiah.—C.
7 Thus saith the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, to him whom man despiseth,8 ton him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers, oKings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
8 Or, to him that is despised in soul, ch.52.14; 53.2-10. Ps.22.1-21; 69.1-20. Mat.xi. to Jn.xii.
n Lu.23.18-23.
8 Thus saith the LORD, pIn an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I qwill preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, to establish9 the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages;
p 2 Co.6.2. Ps.69.13. Ep.1.6. He.5.7. Jn.11.41,42. ch.50.7,9.
q ch.42.1,6,7; 43.19,20; 44.3; 41.18,19; 51.5. Ep.2.14-16. 1 Co.3.11.
9 Or, raise up.
9 That rthou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves. Theys shall feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all high places.
A.M. cir. 3302. B.C. cir. 702.
r ch.42.7; 61.1. Ps.146.7. Zec.9.11,12. Jn.8.12,32-36. Ep.5.8. 2 Co.4.6. 1 Pe.2.9.
s Pr.1.22-24; 9.1-5. Ps.22.26; 68.10. ch.25.6. Joel 3.18. Mi.7.14. Eze.34.11-31. ch.11.6-8; 30.24; 40.11. Mat.22.9.
10 Theyt shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for uhe that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.
t Re.7.15-17. ch.4.6; 25.4; 55.1; 41.17,18; 65.13. Jn.6.35. Phi.4.19. Ro.11.12. Col.2.2. 2 Co.8.9. Ps.22.26. Je.31.12. ch.66.11. Ro.8.37; 5.3. Ps.121.6,7; 65.4; 91.1-9; 28.9.
u Ps.23.2. Re.7.17. Mat.28.20. ch.48.17. 2 Co.1.3,4. 2 Th.2.16,17. Lu.1.78. Ep.1.3; 3.17-19. Jn.10.10,11. He.13.20,21. Ps.36.8,9.
12 Behold,x these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.1
* It is evident from the scope of the passage that 'the land of Senim' is here mentioned as being at the extremity of the known world, either to the south or east. The probability is that the writer had in view the classical Sinae, who inhabited the southern part of China long previous to the time of Isaiah.—P.
x ch.2.2,3; 11.10,11; 43.5-7. Ps.2.8; 22.27; 72.10,11,17; 87.4,5. Zec.2.11; 8.23. Mat.8.11. Re.7.4-17; 11.15. Eze.30.15. ch.19.18-25.
1 See note * in first column.
13 Sing,y O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break forth into singing, O mountains; for the LORD hath comforted his people, and will have mercy upon his afflicted.
15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that2 she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
2 Heb. from having compassion, 1 Ki.3.26. La.4.3,10. Ps.103.13. De.32.6. 1 Pe.1.3. Ja.1.18. Mal.3.17. Je.31.20. ch.44.21; 63.9. Mat.7.11. Ho.11.8. Ro.11.28,29; 5.8; 8.32. Zec.2.8. Mal.3.6. ch.54.10. Je.33.20,21. Ps.89.28,34,35; 111.9. He.7.17,18. Ep.3.4.
17 Thyb children3 shall make haste; cthy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.
18 Liftd up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As eI live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely gclothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee as a bride doeth.
19 For hthy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and ithey that swallowed thee up shall be far away.
h ver.8,22,23; ch.54.1,2. Zec.2.4; 10.10; 2.11; 8.20-23. Ho.1.11. Eze.36.37,38. Re.7.9,11,15.
i ver.17,25,26. Ps.124.3. Hab.1.13. Je.30.16,23; l. li. Re.6.14-17; 14.16-20; 21.27; 22.15.
20 Thej children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
j ver.17,18; ch.60.4; 54.1,2. Ro.11.11,12,15,20. Ac.13.46,47. Mat.8.11. Zec.10.8,11. Re.7.9; 11.15. ch.11.9.
21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing kI have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
k Je.31.15-17. Ro.11.12,15,20. ch.54.1.
22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, lBehold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms,4 and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.5
A.M. cir. 3302. B.C. cir. 702.
l ch.2.2-4; 11.9-11; 14.1,2; 60.3-11,16; 42.1,4; 61.4,6,9; 66.12,20. Ps.22.27-31; 2.8; 72.8-11,17,19. Mal.1.11. Mat.8.11. Re.7.9; 11.15.
4 Heb. bosom.
5 See note † in second column.
† In Palestine the young children, the moment they are able to sit upright, are placed astride on the mother's or nurse's shoulder; this is the usual, indeed the universal mode of carrying children that are unable to walk.—P.
23 And nkings shall be thy nursing fathers,6 and their queens7 thy nursing mothers: they shall obow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for pthey shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
24 Shallq the prey be taken from the mighty, or 8the lawful captive9 delivered?
q Mat.12.29. Ge.18.12. Eze.37.3,11. Lu.1.34; 11.21,22.
8 'Captive of the terrible.'—C.
9 Heb. the captivity of the just.
25 But thus saith the LORD, rEven the captives1 of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.2
r Je.50.17-20,33,34; 51.34-36. Mat.12.29. He.2.14,15. 2 Ti.2.26. Jn.12.31; 14.30. Re.12.3,7. 1 Jn.3.8. Ge.3.15.
1 Heb. captivity.
2 See note * below.
* Those who enslaved Israel were powerful. Babylon was one of the mightiest nations in the world. But Jehovah was mightier still; and the cheering promise is here given that he would deliver his people.—P.
Notes
Ver. 1-6. Let all the Gentile nations know and believe, that God has, from eternity, appointed me, his eternal Son, to be the Saviour of men; and, from my incarnation, has manifested me under that character. By the unmeasured endowment of his Spirit, he has qualified me to speak for the conviction and conversion of men. He has protected and preserved me, and declared me the living head of all the faithful, in whose great and exalted services he will glorify all his perfections to the highest. And though my ministrations have little success in the conversion of the Jewish nation, God will honourably reward my faithful service, and give me for an Instructor and Saviour to the Gentile world. 7-13. In consequence of my great sacrifice and trouble among the Jews, Jehovah will highly exalt me, seasonably grant whatever assistance and protection I need for myself or members, and grant me a living body through the whole world, saved from all their misery and bondage, and richly supplied with the precious and comfortable oracles, ordinances, and blessings of the new kingdom, while both angels and men shall rejoice in their happiness. 14-23. Nor shall the Jews in Babylon, or in their long dispersion, nor the church under Antichrist, have any just reason to doubt of God's continued kindness to and care for them. Delivered from their enemies, and returned to their own country, the Jews shall greatly increase in numbers and abound in prosperity. During their infidelity and dispersion, the vast numbers of Gentiles who enter the church shall more than balance their loss: and at last both Jews and Gentiles shall, in countless multitudes all over the world, be converted to the Lord. 24-26. Nor shall the mightiest devils or persecutors be able to keep them from accepting Christ, since God, as their redeemer, will exert his almighty power in their behalf, and the tremendous overthrow of the wicked.
Ver. 2. This highly figurative passage was designed to be descriptive of the Messiah. His mouth was like a sharp sword, able to give utterance to words of convincing and powerful eloquence, which would penetrate the heart. The figure is carried on into the second member of the verse. The shadow of God's hand is there represented as covering or concealing the sword. It is preserved by divine power, hidden from the eye of the enemy, until the moment comes for action; then it is suddenly drawn forth, and wielded with skill and power. The last clause sets forth the same idea under another figure; an arrow preserved in the quiver until the moment for shooting it arrives. P.
Ver. 3. Israel signifies 'Prevailer with God'—and here is easily, and with certainty, seen to be a specific title of Messiah, and not the national designation of the Jews. The distinction lies in ver. 4: Messiah-Israel had his 'judgment and work' with God; but Israel, the people, were ever a 'stiff-necked and rebellious generation.' C.
Ver. 5. To bring (home again) Jacob, who went out an exile.—Though Israel (a name given on returning) be not gathered; that is, though during a long time Israel shall remain dispersed, 'yet shall I be glorious' in the judgment of their excision for a time, till the Gentiles be 'graffed in'—and finally, 'all Israel shall be saved.' C.
Ver. 7. To him whom man despiseth, &c. To Messiah, 'despised and rejected of men,' and so abhorred of the Jewish nation, that they preferred Barabbas, a robber, and cried out, 'Away with him, away with him: crucify him, crucify him!'—To a servant of rulers. To one led before the tribunal, and condemned by the pusillanimous injustice, not of a native prince, but a foreign ruler. C.
Ver. 8. In an acceptable time, &c. This passage is quoted in 2 Co. 6. 2. Its general meaning is, that in the days of God's power, in a day appointed by him, he would be ready and willing to extend his salvation to mankind through his Son. In the time of the gospel dispensation, under the ministry of Christ's apostles, the Lord would extend his grace and mercy to Jews and Gentiles alike. P.—A covenant. 'A purifier, or a covenant sacrifice.' Purifier seems most agreeable to the scope of the passage.—To establish the earth. Rather, 'to restore the land' to its rightful owners in the 'acceptable time' of the gospel jubilee. C.
Ver. 10. They shall not hunger nor thirst. 'The hunger and thirst' of the Lord's captives is always 'after righteousness,' Mat. 5. 6, for nothing short of 'everlasting righteousness' can satisfy the cravings or sustain the strength of the soul. But now they 'hunger and thirst' no more, for the word of life is in them 'a well of water,' Jn. 4. 14, and their food 'the living bread which came down from heaven,' Jn. 6. 51. C.
Ver. 12. Sinim is said to have been the name of a strong city in Egypt; and may thus represent every city in which Israel had been imprisoned as Joseph, or enslaved as his descendants: the Vulgate translates it 'South Country,' probably in reference to Mat. 8. 11. C.
Ver. 17. 'They that ruined thee shall speedily become thy builders; and they that wasted thy substance shall (by conversion) become thy children.' C.
Ver. 23. While, like all spiritual promises to the Jews, this prophecy is fulfilled to the Christian Gentile church; yet it is obvious from the entire context, that its first application is to the Jews. And little during their long pilgrimage has been to them the 'nursing' of kings and queens. But let not the infidel deride, let not the Christian forget, and let not the Jew despair, the word is spoken, and it will be accomplished. C.
Ver. 26. The restoration of the Jews will take place in the midst of terrible intestine commotions, not necessarily in all Gentile nations, but in all that shall oppress them, as Egypt did, and oppose their return, either from motives of jealousy or self-interest. C.
Reflections.—What important truths are notified to men by the gospel of Christ! And great is the mercy that the Gentiles have so deep concern in it, and such abundant access to know and receive it. Enlarged gifts and grace are necessary to qualify men for the ministry. And exalted ought to be their ends, earnest their care, and assiduous their labour in winning souls to Christ. Glorious and certain shall be the reward of their faithful service, even though it should not have the wished success with men. But infinite is the mercy of God, in calling his own Son to his mediatorial office, and qualifying him for it;—in freely giving him for us as a Ransom, and to us as an effectual Saviour! By it Jehovah's declarative glory, and the everlasting happiness of men, are wonderfully advanced. Alas! that ever he should be rejected, and his grace received in vain;—that his salvation, so extensive and suitable, should be so undervalued and refused!—In accordance with his love, God enlightens the mind, looses the bonds, supplies the wants, protects the persons, comforts the hearts, and makes plain the paths of the people. His work of redemption, his saving of men, demands our highest praise: and the assurances of his constant and everlasting kindness, and his promises to remove everything hurtful, give ground of encouragement to the most despondent. Thrice pleasant is it to behold the church extending her limits, and mightily increasing her members; and to discern how almighty power and grace protects and blesses it, notwithstanding all opposition!