@Isa 41:1-29. ADDITIONAL REASONS WHY THE JEWS SHOULD PLACE CONFIDENCE IN GOD'S PROMISES OF DELIVERING THEM; HE WILL RAISE UP A PRINCE AS THEIR DELIVERER, WHEREAS THE IDOLS COULD NOT DELIVER THE HEATHEN NATIONS FROM THAT PRINCE.
1. (@Zec 2:13). God is about to argue the case; therefore let
the nations listen in reverential silence. Compare @Ge 28:16,17, as
to the spirit in which we ought to behave before God.
before me--rather (turning), "towards me"
[MAURER].
islands--including all regions beyond sea (@Jer 25:22),
maritime regions, not merely isles in the strict sense.
renew . . . strength--Let them gather their strength for the argument;
let them adduce their strongest arguments (compare
@Isa 1:18 Job 9:32). "Judgment" means here, to decide the point at
issue between us.
2. Who--else but God? The fact that God "raiseth up" Cyrus and
qualifies him for becoming the conqueror of the nations and deliverer of
God's people, is a strong argument why they should trust in Him. The
future is here prophetically represented as present or past.
the righteous man--Cyrus; as @Isa 44:28 45:1-4,13 46:11, "from
the East," prove. Called "righteous," not so much on account of his
own equity [HERODOTUS, 3.89],
as because he fulfilled God's righteous
will in restoring the Jews from their unjust captivity.
Raised him up in righteousness. The Septuagint takes the Hebrew as a noun "righteousness."
MAURER translates, "Who raised up him whom
salvation (national and temporal, the gift of God's 'righteousness' to
the good, @Isa 32:17; compare @Isa 45:8 51:5) meets at his foot"
(that is, wherever he goes). Cyrus is said to come from the East, because Persia is east of Babylon; but in @Isa 41:25,
from the north, in reference to Media. At the same time the full
sense of righteousness, or righteous, and of the whole passage,
is realized only in Messiah, Cyrus' antitype (Cyrus knew not God,
@Isa 45:4). He goes forth as the Universal Conqueror of the "nations,"
in righteousness making war (@Ps 2:8,9 Re 19:11-15 6:2 2:26,27). "The
idols He shall utterly abolish" (compare @Isa 41:7:23, with
@Isa 2:18). Righteousness was always raised up from the East. Paradise
was east of Eden. The cherubim were at the east of the garden. Abraham
was called from the East. Judea, the birthplace of Messiah, was in the
East.
called . . . to . . . foot--called him to attend His (God's) steps,
that is, follow His guidance. In @Ezr 1:2, Cyrus acknowledges Jehovah
as the Giver of his victories. He subdued the nations from the Euxine
to the Red Sea, and even Egypt (says XENOPHON).
dust--(@Isa 17:13 29:5 Ps 18:42). Persia, Cyrus' country, was
famed for the use of the "bow" (@Isa 22:6). "Before him" means
"gave them into his power" (@Jos 10:12).
MAURER translates,
"Gave his (the enemy's) sword to be dust, and his (the enemy's) bow to
be as stubble" (@Job 41:26,29).
3. Cyrus had not visited the regions of the Euphrates and westward until he visited them for conquest. So the gospel conquests penetrated regions where the name of God was unknown before.
4. Who--else but God?
calling . . . generations from . . . beginning--The origin and position
of all nations are from God (@De 32:8 Ac 17:26); what is true of
Cyrus and his conquests is true of all the movements of history
from the first; all are from God.
with the last--that is the last (@Isa 44:6 48:12).
5. feared--that they would be subdued.
drew near, and came--together, for mutual defense.
6. Be of good courage--Be not alarmed because of Cyrus, but make new images to secure the favor of the gods against him.
7. One workman encourages the other to be quick in finishing the idol,
so as to avert the impending danger.
nails--to keep it steady in its place. Wisdom 13:15,16, gives a similar
picture of the folly of idolatry.
8. Contrast between the idolatrous nations whom God will destroy by
Cyrus, and Israel whom God will deliver by the same man for their
forefathers' sake.
servant--so termed as being chosen by God to worship Him themselves,
and to lead other peoples to do the same (@Isa 45:4).
Jacob . . . chosen--(@Ps 135:4).
my friend--literally, "loving me."
9. Abraham, the father of the Jews, taken from the remote Ur of the
Chaldees. Others take it of Israel, called out of Egypt
(@De 4:37 Ho 11:1).
from the chief men--literally, "the elbows"; so the joints; hence
the root which joins the tree to the earth; figuratively, those of
ancient and noble stock. But the parallel clause "ends of the earth"
favors GESENIUS, who translates,
"the extremities of the earth"; so
JEROME.
10. be not dismayed--literally, anxiously to look at one another in dismay.
right hand of my righteousness--that is, My right hand prepared in
accordance with My righteousness (faithfulness to My promises) to uphold
thee.
11. ashamed--put to the shame of defeat (compare @Isa 54:17 Ro 9:33).
12. seek . . . and . . . not find--said of one so utterly put out of
the way that not a trace of him can be found (@Ps 37:36).
thing of naught--shall utterly perish.
13. (@De 33:26,29).
14. worm--in a state of contempt and affliction, whom all loathe and
tread on, the very expression which Messiah, on the cross, applies to
Himself (@Ps 22:6), so completely are the Lord and His people
identified and assimilated. God's people are as 'worms' in humble
thoughts of themselves, and in their enemies' haughty thoughts of them;
worms, but not vipers, or of the serpent's seed."
[HENRY].
men--The parallelism requires the word "men" here to have associated
with it the idea of fewness or feebleness.
LOWTH translates, "Ye
mortals of Israel." The Septuagint, "altogether diminutive."
MAURER supports English Version,
which the Hebrew text best
accord with.
the Lord--in general.
and thy redeemer--in particular; a still stronger reason why He should
"help" them.
15. God will make Israel to destroy their enemies as the Eastern
corn-drag (@Isa 28:27,28) bruises out the grain with its teeth, and
gives the chaff to the winds to scatter.
teeth--serrated, so as to cut up the straw for fodder and separate
the grain from the chaff.
mountains . . . hills--kingdoms more or less powerful that were hostile
to Israel (@Isa 2:14).
16. fan--winnowed (compare @Mt 3:12).
whirlwind . . . scatter them--(@Job 27:21 30:22).
17. poor and needy--primarily, the exiles in Babylon.
water--figuratively, refreshment, prosperity after their affliction.
The language is so constructed as only very partially to apply to the
local and temporary event of the restoration from Babylon; but fully to
be realized in the waters of life and of the Spirit, under the Gospel
(@Isa 30:25 44:3 Joh 7:37-39 4:14). God wrought no miracles that we
read of, in any wilderness, during the return from Babylon.
faileth--rather, "is rigid" or parched
[HORSLEY].
18. Alluding to the waters with which Israel was miraculously supplied
in the desert after having come out of Egypt.
high places--bare of trees, barren, and unwatered (@Jer 4:11 14:6).
"High places . . . valleys" spiritually express that in all circumstances, whether elevated or depressed, God's people will
have refreshment for their souls, however little to be expected it might
seem.
19. (@Isa 32:15 55:13).
shittah--rather, the "acacia," or Egyptian thorn, from which the gum
Arabic is obtained [LOWTH].
oil tree--the olive.
fir tree--rather, the "cypress": grateful by its shade.
pine--GESENIUS translates, "the holm."
box tree--not the shrub used for bordering flower beds, but
[GESENIUS]
a kind of cedar, remarkable for the smallness of its cones, and the
upward direction of its branches.
20. consider--literally, "lay it (to hear)"; turn (their attention) to it. "They" refers to all lands (@Isa 41:1 Ps 64:9 40:3). The effect on the Gentiles .of God's open interposition hereafter in behalf of Israel shall be, they shall seek Israel's God (@Isa 2:3 Zec 8:21-23).
21. A new challenge to the idolaters (see @Isa 41:1,7) to say, can
their idols predict future events as Jehovah can (@Isa 41:22-25,
&c.)?
your strong reasons--the reasons for idol-worship which you think
especially strong.
22. what shall happen--"Let them
bring near and declare future contingencies"
[HORSLEY].
former things . . . the latter end of them--show what former
predictions the idols have given, that we may compare the event
("latter end") with them; or give new prophecies
("declare things to come")
(@Isa 42:9), [MAURER].
BARNES explains it more reconditely, "Let
them foretell the entire series of events, showing, in their
order, the things which shall first occur, as well as those
which shall finally happen"; the false prophets tried to predict
isolated events, having no mutual dependency; not a long series of
events mutually and orderly connected, and stretching far into futurity.
They did not even try to do this. None but God can do it
(@Isa 46:10 44:7,8). "Or . . . things to come" will, in this view,
mean, Let them, if they cannot predict the series, even predict
plainly any detached events.
23. do good . . . evil--give any proof at all of your power, either
to reward your friends or punish your enemies (@Ps 115:2-8).
that we may be dismayed, and behold it
together--MAURER translates,
"That we (Jehovah and the idols) may look one another in the face
(that is, encounter one another, @2Ki 14:8,11), and see" our respective
powers by a trial. HORSLEY
translates, "Then the moment we behold, we
shall be dismayed." "We" thus, and in English Version, refers to
Jehovah and His worshippers.
24. of nothing--(See on Isa 40:17). The Hebrew text is
here corrupt; so English Version treats it.
abomination--abstract for concrete: not merely abominable, but the
essence of whatever is so (@De 18:12).
chooseth you--as an object of worship.
25. raised up--in purpose: not fulfilled till a hundred fifty years
afterwards.
north--In @Isa 41:2, "from the East"; both are true: see the note
there.
call . . . my name--acknowledge Me as God, and attribute his success
to Me; this he did in the proclamation (@Ezr 1:2). This does not
necessarily imply that Cyrus renounced idolatry, but hearing of Isaiah's
prophecy given a hundred fifty years before, so fully realized in his
own acts, he recognized God as the true God, but retained his idol (so
Naaman, @2Ki 5:1-27; compare @2Ki 17:33,41 Da 3:28 4:1-3,34-37).
princes--the Babylonian satraps or governors of provinces.
mortar--"mire"; He shall tread them under foot as dirt
(@Isa 10:6).
26. Who--of the idolatrous soothsayers? When this prophecy shall be
fulfilled, all shall see that God foretold as to Cyrus, which none of
the soothsayers have.
beforetime--before the event occurred.
He is righteous--rather, "It is true"; it was a true prophecy, as the
event shows. "He is righteous," in English Version, must be
interpreted, The fulfilment of the idol's words proves that
he is faithful.
showeth, &c.--rather, "there was none (of the soothsayers) that
showed . . . declared--no one has heard your words"
foretelling the event.
27. Rather, "I first will give to Zion and to Jerusalem the messenger of good tidings, Behold, behold them!" The clause, "Behold . . . them" (the wished-for event is now present) is inserted in the middle of the sentence as a detached exclamation, by an elegant transposition, the language being framed abruptly, as one would speak in putting vividly as it were, before the eyes of others, some joyous event which he had just learned [LUDOVICUS DE DIEU] (compare @Isa 40:9). None of the idols had foretold these events. Jehovah was the "first" to do so (see @Isa 41:4).
28. no counsellor--no one of the idolatrous soothsayers who could
inform (@Nu 24:14) those who consulted them what would take
place. Compare "counsel of His messenger" (@Isa 44:26).
when I asked--that is, challenged them, in this chapter.
29. confusion--"emptiness" [BARNES].