Isaiah 40 commentary

ISAIAH 40 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE

INITIATION INTO ISAIAH
by
J. Vernon McGee, Th.D., LL.D.
Copyright @ 1960
THIRD DIVISION
SALVATION (Poetry) Chapters 40-66
This is the third and last major division of the prophecy of Isaiah. It is in contrast to the
first major section. There we had judgment and the righteous government of God. In this
section we have the grace of God, the suffering and glory to follow, here all is grace and
glory. The opening statement “comfort ye” sets the mood and tempo for this section.
It is this section that has caused the liberal critics to postulate the Deutero-Isaiah
hypothesis. A change of subject matter does not necessitate a change of authorship. It is
interesting that for 1900 years there was not a word about a second Isaiah. John refers to
this section as authored by Isaiah. He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias (John 1:23).
Our Lord likewise referred to this section as written by Isaiah (Luke 4:7-21). There are
numerous other references which confirm the authorship of Isaiah. Philip used it to win an
Ethiopian to Christ. The beauty and wonder of this section will come before us as we
proceed in a detailed chapter discussion.

Comfort for God’s People
1 Comfort, comfort my people,
    says your God.

1.BARNES, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people - This is the exordium, or the general
subject of this and the following chapters. The commencement is abrupt, as often happens in
Isaiah and the other prophets. The scene where this vision is laid is in Babylon; the time near
the close of the captivity. The topic, or main subject of the consolation, is stated in the following
verse - that that captivity was about to end, and that brighter and happier days were to succeed
their calamities and their exile. The exhortation to ‘comfort’ the people is to be understood as a
command of God to those in Babylon whose office or duty it would be to address them - that is,
to the ministers of religion, or to the prophets. The Targum of Jonathan thus renders it: ‘Ye
prophets, prophesy consolations concerning my people.’ The Septuagint renders it, ‘Comfort ye,
comfort ye my people, saith God. O priests, speak to the heart of Jerusalem; comfort her.’ The
design of Isaiah is doubtless to furnish that which should be to them a source of consolation
when amidst the deep distress of their long captivity; to furnish an assurance that the captivity
was about to end, and that brighter and happier times were to ensue.
The exhortation or command is repeated, to give intensity or emphasis to it, in the usual
manner in Hebrew, where emphasis is denoted by the repetition of a word. The word rendered
‘comfort’ (from םחנ s tex o) means properly to draw the breath forcibly, to sigh, pant, groan;
then to lament, or grieve Psa_90:13; Jer_15:6; then to comfort or console one’s-self Gen_38:12.
then to take vengeance (compare the note at Isa_1:24). All the forms of the word, and all the
significations, indicate deep emotion, and the obtaining of relief either by repenting, or by
taking vengeance, or by administering the proper topics of consolation. Here the topic of
consolation is, that their calamities were about to come to an end, in accordance with the
unchanging promises of a faithful God Isa_40:8, and is thus in accordance with what is said in
Heb_6:17-18.
My people - The people of God. He regarded those in Babylon as his people; and he designed
also to adduce such topics of consolation as would be adapted to comfort all his people in all
ages.
Saith your God - The God of those whom he addressed - the God of the prophets or
ministers of religion whose office was to comfort the people. We may remark here, that it is an
important part of the ministerial office to administer consolation to the people of God in
affiction; to exhibit to them his promises; to urge the topics of religion which are adapted to
sustain them; and especially to uphold and cheer them with the assurance that their trials will
soon come to an end, and will all terminate in complete deliverance from sorrow and calamity in
heaven.

2. CLARKE, “
Comfort ye, comfort ye - “The whole of this prophecy,” says Kimchi,
“belongs to the days of the Messiah.”

3. GILL, “
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. The Babylonish captivity
being predicted in the preceding chapter, for the comfort of God's people a deliverance is
promised, expressed in such terms, as in the clearest and strongest manner to set forth the
redemption and salvation by Jesus Christ, of which it was typical. Here begins the more
evangelical and spiritual part of this prophecy, which reaches to and includes the whole Gospel

dispensation, from the coming of John the Baptist to the second coming of Christ. It begins with
comforts, and holds on and ends with them; which consolations, Kimchi observes, are what
should be in the times of the Messiah; and the word "comfort" is repeated, he says, to confirm
the thing. It is God that here speaks, who is the God of all comfort; the persons whom he would
have comforted are his "people", whom he has chosen, with whom be has made a covenant in
Christ, whom he has given to him, and he has redeemed by his blood, and whom he effectually
calls by his grace; these are sometimes disconsolate, by reason of the corruptions of their nature,
the temptations of Satan, the hidings of God's face, and the various afflictions they meet with;
and it is the will of God they should be comforted, as appears by sending his Son to be the
comforter of them, by giving his Spirit as another comforter, by appointing ordinances as
breasts of consolation to them, by the promises he has made to them, and the confirmation of
them by an oath, for their strong consolation; and particularly by the word of the Gospel, and
the ministers of it, who are Barnabases, sons of consolation, who are sent with a comfortable
message, and are encouraged in their work from the consideration of God being their God, who
will be with them, assist them, and make their ministrations successful; and to these are these
words addressed; which are repeated, not to suggest any backwardness in Gospel ministers, who
are ready to go on such an errand, however reluctant they may be to carry bad tidings; but
rather to signify the people's refusal to be comforted, and therefore must be spoken to again and
again; and also to show the vehement and hearty desire of the Lord to have them comforted. The
Targum is,

"O ye prophets, prophesy comforts concerning my people.''

And the Septuagint and Arabic versions insert, "O ye priests", as if the words were directed to
them. The preachers of the Gospel are meant, and are called unto; what the Lord would have
said for the comfort of his people by them is expressed in the following verse.

4. HENRY, “
We have here the commission and instructions given, not to this prophet only,
but, with him, to all the Lord's prophets, nay, and to all Christ's ministers, to proclaim comfort
to God's people. 1. This did not only warrant, but enjoin, this prophet himself to encourage the
good people who lived in his own time, who could not but have very melancholy apprehensions
of things when they saw Judah and Jerusalem by their daring impieties ripening apace for ruin,
and God in his providence hastening ruin upon them. Let them be sure that, notwithstanding all
this, God had mercy in store for them. 2. It was especially a direction to the prophets that should
live in the time of captivity, when Jerusalem was in ruins; they must encourage the captives to
hope for enlargement in due time. 3. Gospel ministers, being employed by the blessed Spirit as
comforters, and as helpers of the joy of Christians, are here put in mind of their business. Here
we have,
I. Comfortable words directed to God's people in general,
Isa_40:1. The prophets have
instructions from their God (for he is the Lord God of the holy prophets, Rev_22:6) to comfort
the people of God; and the charge is doubled, Comfort you, comfort you - not because the
prophets are unwilling to do it (no, it is the most pleasant part of their work), but because
sometimes the souls of God's people refuse to be comforted, and their comforters must repeat
things again and again, ere they can fasten any thing upon them. Observe here, 1. There are a
people in the world that are God's people. 2. It is the will of God that his people should be a
comforted people, even in the worst of times. 3. It is the work and business of ministers to do
what they can for the comfort of God's people. 4. Words of conviction, such as we had in the
former part of this book, must be followed with words of comfort, such as we have here; for he
that has torn will heal us.

5. JAMISON, “Isa_40:1-31. Second part of the prophecies of Isaiah.
The former were local and temporary in their reference. These belong to the distant future,
and are world-wide in their interest; the deliverance from Babylon under Cyrus, which he here
foretells by prophetic suggestion, carries him on to the greater deliverance under Messiah, the
Savior of Jews and Gentiles in the present eclectic Church, and the restorer of Israel and Head of
the world-wide kingdom, literal and spiritual, ultimately. As Assyria was the hostile world power
in the former part, which refers to Isaiah’s own time, so Babylon is so in the latter part, which
refers to a period long subsequent. The connecting link, however, is furnished (Isa_39:6) at the
close of the former part. The latter part was written in the old age of Isaiah, as appears from the
greater mellowness of style and tone which pervades it; it is less fiery and more tender and
gentle than the former part.
Comfort ye, comfort ye — twice repeated to give double assurance. Having announced the
coming captivity of the Jews in Babylon, God now desires His servants, the prophets (Isa_52:7),
to comfort them. The scene is laid in Babylon; the time, near the close of the captivity; the
ground of comfort is the speedy ending of the captivity, the Lord Himself being their leader.
my people ... your God — correlatives (Jer_31:33; Hos_1:9, Hos_1:10). It is God’s
covenant relation with His people, and His “word” of promise (Isa_40:8) to their forefathers,
which is the ground of His interposition in their behalf, after having for a time chastised them
(Isa_54:8).

6. K&D, “
In this first address the prophet vindicates his call to be the preacher of the comfort
of the approaching deliverance, and explains this comfort on the ground that Jehovah, who
called him to this comforting proclamation, was the incomparably exalted Creator and Ruler of
the world. The first part of this address (
Isa_40:1-11) may be regarded as the prologue to the
whole twenty-seven. The theme of the prophetic promise, and the irresistible certainty of its
fulfilment, are here declared. Turning of the people of the captivity, whom Jehovah has neither
forgotten nor rejected, the prophet commences thus in Isa_40:1 : “Comfort ye, comfort ye may
people, saith your God.” This is the divine command to the prophets. Nachamu (piel, literally, to
cause to breathe again) is repeated, because of its urgency (anadiplosis, as in Isa_41:27;
Isa_43:11, Isa_43:25, etc.). The word ר ַמאּי, which does not mean “will say” here (Hofmann,
Stier), but “saith” (lxx, Jerome) - as, for example, in 1Sa_24:14 - affirms that the command is a
continuous one. The expression “saith your God” is peculiar to Isaiah, and common to both
parts of the collection (Isa_1:11, Isa_1:18; Isa_33:10; Isa_40:1, Isa_40:25; Isa_41:21; Isa_66:9).
The future in all these passages is expressive of that which is taking place or still continuing. And
it is the same here. The divine command has not been issued once only, or merely to one
prophet, but is being continually addressed to many prophets. “Comfort ye, comfort ye my
people,” is the continual charge of the God of the exiles. who has not ceased to be their God even
in the midst of wrath, to His messengers and heralds the prophets.

7. CALVIN, “1.Comfort ye. The Prophet introduces a new subject; for, leaving the people on whom no
favorable impression was made either by threatenings or by admonitions, on account of their desperate
wickedness, he turns to posterity, in order to declare that the people who shall be humbled under the

cross will experience no want of consolation even amidst the severest distresses. And it is probable that
he wrote this prophecy when the time of the captivity was at hand, that he might not at his departure from
life leave the Church of God overwhehned by very grievous calamities, without the hope of restoration.
Though he formerly mingled his predictions with threatenings and terrors for this purpose, yet he appears
to have contemplated chiefly the benefit of those who lived at that time. What will afterwards follow will
relate to the future Church, the revival of which was effected long after his death; for he will next lay down
a perpetual doctrine, which must not be limited to a single period, and especially when he treats of the
commencement and progress of the reign of Christ. And this prophecy must be of so much the greater
importance to us, because it addresses us in direct terms; for, although it may be a spiritual application of
what goes before, so as to be doctrine that is common both to the Jews and to us, yet, as he leaves the
Jews of that age, and addresses posterity down to the end of the world, it appears to belong more
especially to us.

By this exhortation, therefore, the Lord intended to stir up the hearts of the godly, that they might not faint,
amidst heavy calamities. First, he addresses the Jews, who were soon after to be carried into that hard
captivity in which they should have neither sacrifices nor prophets, and would have been destitute of all
consolation, had not the Lord relieved their miseries by these predictions. Next, he addresses all the
godly that should live afterwards, or that shall yet live, to encourage their heart, even when they shall
appear to be reduced very low and to be utterly ruined.

That this discourse might have greater weight, and might mere powerfully affect their minds, he
represents God as raising up new prophets, whom he enjoins to soothe the sorrows of the people by
friendly consolation. The general meaning is, that, when he shall have appeared to have forsaken for a
time the wretched captives, the testimony of his grace will again burst forth from the darkness, and that,
when gladdening prophecies shall have ceased, their proper time will come round. In order to exhibit
more strongly the ground of joy, he makes use of the plural number, Comfort ye; by which he intimates
that he will send not one or another, but a vast multitude of prophets; and this he actually accomplished,
by which we see more clearly his infinite goodness and mercy.

Will say. First, it ought to be observed that the verb is in the future tense; and those commentators who
render it in the present or past tense both change the words and spoil the meaning. Indircetly he points
out an intermediate period, during which the people would be heavily afflicted, as if God had been
silent. (104) Though even at that time God did not cease to hold out the hope of salvation by some
prophets, yet, having for a long period cast them off, when they were wretchedly distressed and almost
ruined, the consolation was less abundant, till it was pointed out, as it were with the finger, that they were
at liberty to return. On this account the word comfort must be viewed as relating to a present favor; and
the repetition of the word not only confirms the certainty of the prediction, but applauds its power and
success, as if he had said, that in this message there will be abundant, full, and unceasing cause of joy.

Above all, we must hold by the future tense of this verb, because there is an implied contrast between
that melancholy silence of which I have spoken, and the doctrine of consolation which afterwards
followed. And with this prediction agrees the complaint of the Church,

“ do not see our signs; there is no longer among us a prophet or any one that knows how long.”
(Psa_74:9.)

We see how she laments that she has been deprived of the best kind of comfort, because no promise is
brought forward for soothing her distresses. It is as if the Prophet bad said, “ Lord will not suffer you to be
deprived of prophets, to comfort you amidst your severest distresses. At that time he will raise up men by

whom he will send to you the message that had been long desired, and at that time also he will show that
he takes care of you.”

I consider the future tense, will say, as relating not only to the captivity in Babylon, but to the whole period
of deliverance, which includes the reign of Christ. (105) To the verb will say, we must supply “ the
prophets,” whom he will appoint for that purpose; for in vain would they have spoken, if the Lord had not
told them, and even put into their mouth what they should make known to others. Thus there is a mutual
relation between God and the prophets,” whom he will appoint for that purpose; for in vain would they
have spoken, if the Lord had not told them and even put into their mouth what they should make known to
others. Thus there is a mutual relation between God and the prophets. In a word, the Lord promises that
the hope of salvation will be left, although the ingratitude of men deserves that this voice shall be
perpetually silenced and altogether extinguished.

These words, I have said, ought not to be limited to the captivity in Babylon; for they have a very
extensive meaning, and include the doctrine of the gospel, in which chiefly lies the power of “” To the
gospel it belongs to comfort those who are distressed and cast down, to quicken those who are slain and
actually dead, to cheer the mourners, and, in short, to bring all joy and gladness; and this is also the
reason why it is called “ Gospel,” that is, good news, (106) Nor did it begin at the time when Christ
appeared in the world, but long before, since the time when God’ favor was clearly revealed, and Daniel
might be said to have first raised his banner, that believers might hold themselves in readiness for
returning. (Dan_9:2.) Afterwards, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Nehemiah, Ezra, and others, down to the
coming of Christ, exhorted believers to cherish better and better hopes. Malachi, the last of them that
wrote, knowing that there would be few prophets, sends the people to the law of Moses, to learn from it
the will of God and its threatenings and promises. (Mal_4:4.)

Your God. From this passage we learn what we ought chiefly to seek in the prophets, namely, to
encourage the hopes of godly persons by exhibiting the sweetness of divine grace, that they may not faint
under the weight of afflictions, but may boldly persevere in calling on God. But since it was difficult to be
believed, he reminds them of the covenant; as if he had said that it was impossible for God ever to forget
what he formerly promised to Abraham. (Gen_17:7.) Although, therefore, the Jews by their sins had fallen
from grace, yet he affirms that he is their God, and that they are his peculiar people, both of which
depended on election; but, as even in that nation there were many reprobates, the statement implies that
to believers only is this discourse strictly directed; because he silently permits unbelievers, through
constant languishment, to be utterly wasted and destroyed. But to believers there is held out an
invaluable comfort, that, although for a time they are oppressed by grief and mourning, yet because they
hope in God, who is the Father of consolation, they shall know by experience that the promises of grace,
like a hidden treasure, are laid up for them, to cheer their hearts at the proper time. This is also a very
high commendation of the prophetic office, that it supports believers in adversity, that they may not faint
or be discouraged; and, on the other hand, this passage shews that it is a very terrible display of God’
vengeance when there are no faithful teachers, from whose mouth may be heard in the Church of God
the consolation that is fitted to raise up those who are cast down, and to strengthen the feeble.

(104) “Comme si Dieu n’ cust rien veu.” “ if God had not at all seen it.”

(105) “Qui comprend en soy le regne de Christ jusqu’ a la fin du monde.” “ includes the reign of Christ till
the end of the world.”

8. J. VERNON MCGEE, ““Comfort ye, comfort ye.” The opening statement and its
repetition is a sigh of yearning from
the pulsating heart of God. Our God is the God of “all comfort.”
Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the
God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to
comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are
comforted of God (II Corinthians 1:3-4).
The Holy Spirit is called “the comforter.”
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide
with you for ever (John 14:16).
The Lord Jesus Christ is likewise called “the comforter.”
My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous (I John 2:1).
The word for “advocate” is the same as the one for “comforter.” God’s people in all ages
need His comfort as they face the problems and perplexities of life.

8B. CHARLES SIMEON. “
THE SCOPE AND TENDENCY OF THE GOSPEL
Isa_40:1?2. 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 received of the
Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

THE ministerial office is fitly compared to that of a steward, who divides to every one his proper portion
[Note: 2Ti_2:15. Luk_12:42.]. The execution of it calls for much wisdom and discretion, because there
must be a diversity both in the matter and manner of our addresses corresponding with the different
states of the people to whom we minister. To some we must of necessity proclaim the terrors of God’s
law, however painful such a discharge of our duty may be: but the great scope of our ministry is rather to
comfort the Lord’s people, and to “guide their feet into the way of peace.” The commission here given to
the servants of Jehovah, is very remarkable, being thrice repeated in one single verse. In this view of it I
am led particularly to shew,

I. How earnestly God desires the comfort and happiness of his people—

There are a people, chosen by the Father, redeemed by Christ, and sanctified by the Spirit, who are
eminently the Lord’s people [Note: Deu_7:6. 1Pe_2:9.]. And that God is peculiarly solicitous to promote
their comfort, appears,

1. From the commission which he gave to his beloved Son—

[He sent his Son into the world to execute his eternal counsels. And our Lord himself, in his first public
address to the people, declared, that the comfort of mourners was a principal object of his mission
[Note: Isa_41:1?3. Luk_4:17?19.].]

2. From the end for which he sends his Spirit into the hearts of men—

[God sends his Spirit to testify of Christ [Note: Joh_15:26.], to witness our adoption into his family
[Note: Rom_8:15.], and to seal us unto the day of redemption [Note: Eph_1:13?14.]. In performing these
offices he comforts our souls. And he is, on that very account, distinguished by the name of “the
Comforter [Note:Joh_16:7.].”]

3. From the titles which the Father himself assumes—

[He calls himself “The God of consolation [Note: Rom_15:5.],” and “the Comforter of all them that are
“cast down [Note: 2Co_7:6.].” He compares his concern to that of a Father pitying his child
[Note: Psa_103:13.], and to a mother comforting with tenderest assiduities her afflicted infant
[Note: Isa_66:13.]. Yea, he assures us that his regards far exceed those of the most affectionate parent in
the universe [Note: Isa_49:15.].]

4. From the solemn charge he gives to ministers—

[He sends his servants “to turn men from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God
[Note: Act_26:18.].” And he especially charges them to “strengthen the weak hands, to confirm the feeble
Knees, and to say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; your God will come and save
you [Note:Isa_35:3?4.].” Thrice is that injunction repeated in the text: and in the execution of this duty we
are justly called, “The helpers of your joy [Note: 2Co_1:24.].”]

5. From the dispensations both of his providence and grace—

[When he suffered his beloved Son to be tempted in all things like unto us, it was with a view to comfort
us under our temptations [Note: Heb_2:18.]. And when he comforted St. Paul under his multiplied
afflictions, he still consulted the comfort of his Church and people [Note: 2Co_1:3?4.]: yea, however he
diversified his dispensations, he had invariably the same gracious object in view [Note: 2Co_1:6.].]

As a further proof of his regard for our comfort, we may point out to you,

II. What abundant provision he has made for it in his word—

The message which we are commanded to deliver to his people, contains in it the richest sources of
consolation—

1. To God’s ancient people—

[To them primarily was this proclamation made. And it was verified in part, when they were delivered from
the Babylonish captivity and restored to the enjoyment of their former privileges in Jerusalem. But it was
yet further fulfilled, when, by the sending of their Messiah, they were delivered from the yoke of the
Mosaic law, which imposed a burthen which none of them were able to sustain. That, to those who
received him as their Messiah, was a season of exceeding great joy; for they were translated from the
kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s clear Son, and from a state of insupportable bondage
“into the glorious liberty of the children of God.”

It will not however be fully accomplished, till they shall, in their national capacity, return from their present
dispersion, and be re?united, Israel with Judah, in their own land. Then will their warfare be as much
accomplished as it can be in this life: then will the tokens of God’s displeasure be removed from them;
and a state of prosperity be vouchsafed to them that shall far exceed all the sufferings they have ever
endured, and all the privileges they have ever enjoyed. At no time have they ever been punished beyond
their deserts; (their severest trials have been far less than their iniquities deserved:) but in that day shall
their blessings infinitely exceed all that they can now either contemplate or conceive — — —]

2. To his believing people, in every age—

[It is the true Christian alone who can form any just idea of the import of my text. “His warfare is
accomplished!” so far at least, as that he is in a state of victory over the world, and the flesh and the devil.
He can say, “Thanks be to God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ.” “His sins too are blotted out
as a morning cloud,” and “put away from him as far as the east is from the west.” God has mercifully
“forgiven him all trespasses;” and he stands before God “without spot or blemish.” As for the blessings
vouchsafed to him, no words can possibly express them: his “peace passeth all understanding;” and his
“joy is unspeakable and full of glory.” “He has even now entered into rest [Note: Heb_4:3.],” according to
that promise given him by our Lord, “Come unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy?laden; and I will give
you rest” — — —]

See, then, Brethren,

1. What a wonderful difference exists between those who embrace, and those who disregard the
Gospel—

[Can that be said of carnal and worldly men, which is here spoken of the Lord’s people? Are their chains
broken? their sins forgiven? their comforts greater than any judgments that await them? No: they are yet
in bondage to sin and Satan; their sins are all “sealed up in a bag” against the day of judgment; and the
wrath of God is shortly coming upon them to the uttermost. Then it will appear how great a “difference
there is between those who serve the Lord, and those who serve him not [Note: Mal_3:18.].” Let not this
distinction then be made a subject of profane ridicule, but a motive to seek the Lord, that we may be
numbered with his people, and be made partakers of his benefits.]

2. What inconceivable blessedness awaits the Lord’s people in a better world!

[Even in this life, as we have seen, their blessedness is exceeding great. But what will it be when once
they shall lay down this mortal body, and enter into the joy of their Lord? Now conflicts remain even to
their latest hour; and whatever victories they may gain, they must still remain girt for the combat. And,
though “God has forgiven them all their trespasses,” so that he will never frown upon them in the eternal
world, they still have occasion daily to implore mercy at his hands on account of their short?comings and
defects. But in the day that they shall be taken into the immediate presence of their God, O! who can tell

us what they shall “receive at his hands?” — — — Dear Brethren, do not think lightly of that joy; but be
willing to sacrifice every thing for the attainment of it. Think in what estimation it is held by all who have
entered into the eternal world. What would tempt those in heaven to part with it? or what would not they
who are now in hell, give to be made partakers of it? Be assured, that it will be fully commensurate with
all your labours, though they had been a thousand times greater than they have; and that one single hour
of it will richly recompense all that it is possible for any finite creature either to do or suffer in the Saviour’s
cause — — —]

9. SBC. “
I. The text teaches us that there are certain things which hinder the spread of the
Redeemer’s kingdom, spoken of here as valleys, hills, mountains, rough places, and crooked
ways. The obstacles to the spread of the Redeemer’s kingdom are so numerous, that I must not
even attempt to name them, but refer, as an illustration, to heathenism and idolatry abroad, and
to ignorance and vice at home. The heathenism we are trying to remove; and that yawning valley
of ignorance we are, by God’s grace, as a nation, trying to fill up; but our national vices, which
are like mountains, we are also commanded by God to level and to remove. Take the vice of
intemperance. (1) Intemperance hinders the progress of God’s kingdom at home. (2) It is also a
hindrance to the spread of the Gospel abroad. How is it that though eighteen hundred years
have passed since the Redeemer made His great provision, and gave us the command to carry
the glad tidings to all, midnight darkness rests upon most of the human family? (a) There is a
want of means.(b) There is a want of men. (c) There is a want of success on the part of those who
are already in the field. With all those reasons strong drink has something to do.
II. It is the duty of the Christian Church to sweep this mountain away. (1) The Church must, if
she would hold her own. There is no neutrality in this war. (2) The Church must, if she would
please her Master.
III. The text puts before us the glorious result. "Thy kingdom come "is our cry. Here is God’s
answer: "Set to work; lift up the valley, bring down the mountain, make the rough places plain
and the crooked places straight, and then I will come." God waits for man. As soon as the Church
is prepared to do the Lord’s bidding, the world shall be filled with His glory.
C. Garrett, Loving Counsels, p. 142.

The imagery of the text appears to be drawn from the journey-ings of Israel to Canaan. That
great event in their national history was constantly before the mind of Isaiah, and is presented
in his writings with ever-varying illustration. Let us
I. Compare this prophecy with the history of the Exodus. The prophecies of God’s Word shine
both before and behind. They not only illumine the darkness of futurity, but they reflect a
radiance back on the page of history. So here. In the desert the Gospel was preached to Israel (as
St. Paul says) in types and ordinances, and especially by that great act of their redemption out of
Egypt. In this was a perpetual type of the Redeemer’s work of salvation, a foreshadowing of the
inspired song, "Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God." In the ordinances given by
the dispensation of angels might be heard "the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye
the way for our God."
II. Isaiah used the message as an illustration of his own ministry. He too, living now probably in
the idolatrous reign of Manasseh, felt himself in a spiritual desert. Led by faith he sees afar off,

and the seer is himself transported into that bright future. Just as heralds announced the
coming of an Oriental king, and pioneers prepared his march across hill and vale and desert
plains, so would Divine Providence lead His exiles home, removing all obstacles from their path,
and overruling the designs of their enemies.
III. The words of Isaiah certainly point on to Gospel times; for John the Baptist distinctly
announced himself as "the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord."
This preparation, in a spiritual sense, he accomplished by his personal ministry.
IV. But even in John’s day the words had a wider signification. Not only the land of Israel, but
the Gentile world, even all flesh, was then being prepared to see the salvation of God.
Providential agencies were even then at work preparing Christ’s way among the Gentiles, as it
were constructing a road for the march of Christianity through the desolate regions of
heathendom. The two most powerful agencies were Greek literature and Roman dominion.
V. The prophecy sheds a lustre on the world’s future. The Christ has indeed come to earth, but it
was to suffer and to die. Once more in this wide desert the "glory of the Lord shall be revealed,"
and not one but "all lands shall see it together."
S. P. Jose, Oxford and Cambridge Undergraduates’ Journal, May 13th, 1880.
References: Isa_40:3-5.—A. Rowland, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxi., p. 323; H. P. Liddon,
Old Testament Outlines, p. 200.

10. BI, “
The great prophecy of Israel’s restoration
In passing from chaps, 36-39, to chap. 40. we find ourselves introduced into a new world. The
persons whom the prophet addresses, the people amongst whom he lives and moves, whose
feelings he portrays, whose doubts he dispels, whose faith he confirms, are not the inhabitants of
Jerusalem under Ahaz, or Hezekiah, or Manasseh, but the Jewish exiles in Babylonia. Jerusalem
and the Temple are in ruins (
Isa_44:10), and have been so for long Isa_58:12; Isa_61:4 —the
“old waste places”): the proud and imposing Babylonian empire is to all appearance as secure as
ever; the exiles are in despair or indifferent; they think that God has forgotten them, and have
ceased to expect, or desire, their release (Isa_40:27; Isa_49:14; Isa_49:24). Toarouse the
indifferent, to reassure the wavering, to expostulate with the doubting, to announce with
triumphant confidence the certainty of the approaching restoration, is the aim of the great
prophecy which now occupies the last twenty-seven chapters of the Book of Isaiah. (Prof. S. R.
Driver, D. D.)

The Gospel of Isaiah
Here beginneth the Gospel of the prophet Isaiah, and holdeth on to the end of the book. (J.
Trapp.)

Does Isa_40:1-31. treat of the return from Babylon?
The specific application of this chapter to the return from Babylon is without the least
foundation in the text itself. The promise is a general one of consolation, protection, and change
for the better, to be wrought by the power and wisdom of Jehovah, which are contrasted, first,
with those of men, of nations, and of rulers, then with the utter impotence of idols. That the

ultimate fulfilment of the promise was still distant, is implied in the exhortation to faith and
patience. The reference to idolatry proves nothing with respect to the date of the prediction,
although more appropriate in the writings of Isaiah than of a prophet in the Babylonish Exile. It
is evidently meant, however, to condemn idolatry in general, and more particularly all the
idolatrous defections of the Israelites under the old economy. (J. A. Alexander, D. D.)

A comforting message
There is evident allusion to the threatening in Isa_39:7. Having there predicted the captivity in
Babylon, as one of the successive strokes by which the fate of Israel as a nation and the total loss
of its peculiar privileges should be brought about, the prophet is now sent to assure the spiritual
Israel, the true people of Jehovah, that although the Jewish nation should not cease to be
externally identified with the Church, the Church itself should not only continue to exist, but in a
far more glorious state than ever. (J. A. Alexander, D. D.)

God’s return to a pardoned people
The beginning of the good tidings is Israel s pardon; yet it seems not to be the people’s return to
Palestine which is announced in consequence of this, so much as their God’s return to them.
“Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight a highway for our God. Behold, the Lord Jehovah
will come.” (Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.)

“My” people; “your” God
All the prophecy we are about to study may be said to hang from these pronouns. They are the
hinges on which the door of this new temple of revelation swings open before the long-expectant
people. (Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.)

A storehouse of Divine promise
This portion (chaps. 40-66.) of the great prophet’s writings may well be regarded as the Old
Testament Store house and Repertory of “exceeding great and precious promises,” in which
Jehovah would seem to anticipate His own special Gospel name as “the God of all comfort.” (J.
R. Macduff, D. D.)

Jehovah and His Church
1. A glorious change awaits the Church, consisting in a new and gracious manifestation of
Jehovah’s presence, for which His people are exhorted to prepare (Isa_40:1-5).
2. Though one generation perish after another, this promise shall eventually be fulfilled,
because it rests not upon human but Divine authority (Isa_40:6-8).
3. Zion may even now see Him approaching as the conqueror of His enemies, and at the
same time as the Shepherd of His people (Isa_40:9-11).
4. The fulfilment of these pledges is insured by His infinite wisdom, His almighty power,
and His independence both of individuals and nations (Isa_40:12-17).

5. How much more is He superior to material images, by which men represent Him or
supply His place (Isa_40:18-25).
6. The same power which sustains the heavens is pledged for the support of Israel
(Isa_40:26-31). (J. A. Alexander.)

“Comfort ye, comfort ye”
The double utterance of the “Comfort ye,” is the well-known Hebrew expression of emphasis,
abundance, intensity;—“Great comfort, saith your God.” (J. R. Macduff, D. D.)

God’s great comfort
At the close of the prophecy, the prophet tells us what the strength and abundance of that
comfort is. Earth’s best picture of strong consolation is that of the mother bending over the
couch of her suffering and sorrowing child (Isa_66:13). (J. R. Macduff, D. D.)

A Divine art
When the soul is in the period of its exile and bitter pain, it should do three things.
I. LOOK OUT FOR COMFORT.
1. It will come certainly. Wherever the nettle grows, beside it grows the dock-leaf; and
wherever there is severe trial, there is, somewhere at hand, a sufficient store of comfort,
though our eyes, like Hagar’s, are often holden that we cannot see it. It is as sure as the
faithfulness of God. “I never had,” says Bunyan, writing of his twelve years’ imprisonment,
“in all my life, so great an insight into the Word of God as now; insomuch that I have often
said, Were it lawful, I could pray for greater trouble, for the greater comforts’ sake.” God
cannot forget His child.
2. It will come proportionately. Thy Father holds a pair of scales. This on the right is called
As, and is for thine afflictions; this on the left is called So, and is for thy comforts. And the
beam is always kept level The more thy trial, the more thy comfort. As the sufferings of
Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth through Christ.
3. It will come Divinely. God reserves to Himself the prerogative of comfort. It is a Divine
art.
4. It will come mediately. What the prophet was as the spokesman of Jehovah, uttering to
the people in human tones the inspirations that came to him from God, so to us is the great
prophet, whose shoe-latchet the noblest of the prophetic band was not worthy to unloose;
and our comfort is the sweeter because it reaches us through Him.
5. It will come variously. Sometimes by the coming of a beloved Titus; a bouquet; a bunch of
grapes; a letter; a message; a card. There are many strings in the dulcimer of consolation. In
sore sorrow it is not what a friend says, but what he is, that helps us. He comforts best who
says least, but simply draws near, takes the sufferer’s hand, and sits silent in his sympathy.
This is God’s method.
II. STORE UP COMFORT. This was the prophet’s mission. He had to receive before he could
impart. Thy own life becomes the hospital ward where thou art taught the Divine art of comfort.

Thou art wounded, that in the binding up of thy wounds by the Great Physician thou mayest
learn how to render first-aid to the wounded everywhere.
III. PASS ON COMFORT. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)

The Divine ministry of comfort
There are ministries in the world.
1. There is the Divine ministry of instruction. In this ministry nature, history, and the Bible
are constantly employed.
2. There is the Divine ministry of Justice. Nemesis is always and everywhere at work,
treading on the heels of wrong, and inflicting penalties.
3. In the text we have the Divine ministry of comfort. The words suggest three thoughts
concerning this ministry.
I. It implies the existence of DISTRESS. Bright and fair as the material world often appears, a
sea of sorrow rolls through human souls The distress is of various kinds.
1. Physical suffering.
2. Social bereavement.
3. Secular anxieties.
4. Moral compunction.
II. It implies the existence of SPECIAL MEANS. All this distress is an abnormal state of things.
Misery is not an institution of nature, and the creation of God, but the production of the
creature. To meet this abnormal state something more than natural instrumentality is required.
1. There must be special provisions. Those provisions are to be found in the Gospel. To the
physically afflicted there are presented considerations fitted to energise the soul, endow it
with magnanimity, fill it with sentiments and hopes that will raise it, if not above the sense
of physical suffering, above its depressing influence. To the socially, bereaved it brings the
glorious doctrine of a future life. To the secularly distressed it unfolds the doctrine of eternal
providence. In secular disappointments and anxieties it says, “Your heavenly Father
knoweth that ye have need of these things.”
2. There must be special agency. A physician may know the disease of his patient, but if he
does not know the precise mode of application he will not succeed. So it is with the Gospel. A
man to give comfort to another requires a special qualification. The comforting elements
must be administered—
(1) Not officially, but humanly.
(2) Not verbosely, but sympathetically.
III. It implies a LIMITED SPHERE. “My people.” The whole human family is in distress, but
there is only a certain class qualified to receive comfort, those who are here called God’s
“people,” and who are they? Those who have surrendered themselves to His will, yielded to His
claims, and dedicated themselves to His service. (D. Thomas, D. D.)

Comfort for God’s people

I. THE SPEAKER. It is the God of comfort, the God of all comfort that here speaks comfortably
to His people. There is a danger of our thinking too much of comfort, and one may only value
the word preached as it administers comfort; this is a great error, because all Scripture is
profitable for doctrine, and reproof, as well as for comfort. One great end which even the
Scriptures have in view, is not only to lead us to patience in suffering, but to comfort us under
suffering. It is one thing for man to speak comfort, it is another thing for God to speak comfort.
II. THE PERSONS THAT ARE HERE SPOKEN TO. “Comfort ye, com fort ye My people.”
1. The Lord has a people upon earth—He has never been without a people.
2. The Lord has a people; and if He has a people He will try them, and they shall not be
found summer flies just resting on the surface of things, but they shall be found to be those
that know the truth in the power of it, and they shall be made to feel and experience the
worth of it. It shall not be enough for them to say, I am a sinner, but they shall feel the
wretchedness of being a sinner, they shall not only confess that Christ is precious, but they
shall be placed where they shall know Him to be precious.
3. The Lord has a people; and it is a most blessed consideration to reflect that while He has a
people, He is their God. Talk not of your wretchedness and your poverty and your disease, of
your weakness; if God be your God, not only heaven is your home, but you have that without
which heaven would not be worth the having.
4. God has a people; no wonder then He comforts them—His eye is upon them from the
beginning to the end of the year. They are the salt of the earth to Him, and he that touches
them touches the apple of His eye.
III. THE LORD’S MESSAGE UNTO HIS MINISTERS. “Comfort ye, ” etc. The-great cause of
comfort to a child of God may be summed up in a little sentence—through eternity he never shall
come to the close of it. Let me point out some few of those great mercies that flow to a child of
God in consequence of his having Christ as his portion.
1. He has that which made David glad (Psa_32:1-2). The great contest Satan has with our
consciences is about the pardon of our sins. Well might the people of God then be comforted
by this truth, that their sins have all been blotted out as a cloud.
2. Do you ask for another ground of comfort? See it in a covenant, ordered in all things
(2Sa_23:5).
3. But the Psalmist found another source of comfort. “It is good for me to draw near to God”
(Psa_73:1-28.). There is no mercy on earth greater than to have a God in heaven, to have an
Intercessor at the right hand; to have the heart of God; to have the promise of God: to have
Jehovah Himself as my portion.
4. One comfort more is the bright prospect that is before the child of God. (J. H.Evans, M.
A.)

Comfort for Zion
It was once said by Vinet, that the three great objects of the preacher were the illumination,
consolation, and regeneration of men. The work of comforting is surely an important one, but it
is God’s people whom we are to comfort. We are not to say, Peace, peace! where there is no
peace. Stoical indifference is not real comfort, but peace alone is found in God.

I. Notice what a discovery is made in the text of GOD’S NATURE. He has not hidden away from
men; He is not asleep or tied down by law, but His tender mercies are over all His works. He is
near to every one of us, seeking our love and confidence.
II. HUMAN SOULS NEED COMFORT. Constitutional characteristics render us susceptible to
consolatory truths. Even those hardened in sin have been melted by a woman’s tears, or have
yielded to the persuasiveness of a child.
III. Look at the GROUNDS ON WHICH THIS COMFORT IS ADMINI STERED. Not those of
philosophy. When the Greeks, under Xenophon, caught sight of the Euxine, they jubilantly
cried, “The sea, the sea!” The discoveries of Divine grace—a sea without a bottom or a shore—
elicit profounder joy. (G. Norcross, D. D.)

“Comfort ye, comfort ye My people
The words of this passage (1-11) look on to the captivity. The people, afflicted, chastened, broken
in spirit, are called upon to listen to the strains of consolation which God had breathed for them
in His word. I venture to think that they were laden with a richer consolation in that they came
down a vista of nearly two hundred years. Old words are precious to mourners. That which is
spoken at the moment is apt to be coloured by the thoughts and the doubts of the moment; an
old word spoken out of the region of these present sorrows has double force. It seems to bring
that which is absolute and universal to bear on that which is present and passing. This is why the
Scripture is so precious to mourners. It belongs to all time. And these words rule all its
declarations. It is comfort throughout and to the end. The mercies of judgment is a subject we
too little study. Yet mercy is the deepest element in every judgment with which God afflicts
mankind. Stern, hard, unfaltering to the eye, but full of rich mercy to the heart. It was in tender
mercy that man, the sinner, was sent forth to labour. In society we see on a large scale how God’s
judgments are blessings in disguise. Great epidemics are healing ordinances. They purify the
vital springs. They leave a purer, stronger health when their dread shadow has passed by.
Catastrophes in history are like thunderstorms; they leave a fresher, brighter atmosphere.
Reigns of terror are the gates through which man passes out into a wider world. May we pray,
then, in calamities for deliverance, when they are so likely to be blessings? Yes, for prayer is the
blessed refuge of our ignorance and dread. But Isaiah had the profoundest right to speak o|
comfort, because he could speak of the advent of the Redeemer to the world. He not only
preaches comfort, but discloses the source from which it springs—“Emmanuel, God with us.” (J.
B. Brown, B. A.)

Divine comfort
1. Living in the midst of sorrow, and himself personally its victim, the Christian has need of
comfort. Whatever form the affliction may take, it is hard for flesh and blood to bear; it runs
contrary to all the tastes and desires of the natural man. Often under its pressure, especially
when long continued and severe, is he tempted to faint and despond; it may be, even to
repine and murmur; to doubt the faith fulness of God; to ask, in bitterness of heart, why
such woe is appointed to man?
2. With what power, then, do words like these reach him in the midst of his sorrow, coming
from God Himself, “Comfort ye, comfort ye My people!” No sooner are they heard than hope
revives, and the assurance of Divine sympathy at once soothes his trouble, and allays his
fears.

(1) Here is the first light from heaven which breaks upon human sorrow, and which
removes from it, for the Christian, its keenest sting. God knows your suffering and thinks
of it, and seeks to comfort you under it. You are not the sport of inexorable fate, or blind
and reckless chance; still less are your afflictions proof that God has abandoned you in
wrath.
(2) How sweet is the solace of human sympathy! But here we have Divine sympathy;
sympathy from One both able and willing to deliver,—from the God of all comfort.
(3) Not afar off, does the voice of God reach us, from an inaccessible heaven, telling us
we are His people and that He cares for us. He has come and made us His people, by
taking our nature, and being born and living as a man. (J. N. Bennie, LL. B.)

I. GOD HAS A PEOPLE IN THE WORLD.
The Lord’s people comforted
II. I proceed TO COMPLY WITH THE INJUNCTION IN THE TEX T. To this end, I will
endeavour to obviate some few of the most common causes of that want of comfort to which the
people of God are liable.
1. One cause is their misunderstanding the nature and extent of that pardon of sin, which
the Gospel provides.
2. Another cause arises from their seeking comfort where it is not to be found. You can never
find it from poring into your own hearts. Look in faith to Jesus Christ—His glorious person
and gracious offices, etc.
3. Another cause arises from their mistaking the proofs and marks of a really religious state.
They suppose that it consists in warm and rapturous feelings. Your salvation is grounded on
the faithfulness of Him who cannot lie. (E. Cooper.)

The trials of business men
These words came to the prophet in the olden time, but they come just as forcibly to any man
who stands to-day in any one of the pulpits of our great cities. A preacher has no more right to
ignore commercial sorrows than any other kind of sorrow.
I. A great many of our business men feel ruinous trials and temptations coming to them FROM
SMALL AND LIMITED CAPITAL IN BUSINESS. This temptation of limited capital has ruined
men in two ways. Despondency has blasted them. Others have said, “Here I have been trudging
along. I have been trying, to be honest all these years. I find it is of no use. Now it is make or
break.
II. A great many of our business men are tempted to OVER-ANXIETY AND CARE. God
manages all the affairs of your life, and He manages them for the best.
III. Many of our business men are tempted TO NEGLECT THEIR HOME DUTIES. How often it
is that the store and the home seem to clash, but there ought not to be any collision. If you want
to keep your children away from places of sin, you can only do it by making your home
attractive. We need more happy, consecrated, cheerful Christian homes.
IV. A great many of our business men are tempted to PUT THE ATTAINMENT OF MONEY
ABOVE THE VALUE OF THE SOUL. The more money you get, the better if it come honestly

and go usefully. But money cannot satisfy a man’s soul; it cannot glitter in the dark valley; it
cannot pay our fare across the Jordan of death; it cannot unlock the gate of heaven.
Treasures in heaven are the only uncorruptible treasures. Have you ever ciphered out in the rule
of Loss and Gain the sum, “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his
soul?” Seek after God; find His righteousness, and all shall be well here and hereafter. (T.
DeWitt Talmage, D. D.)

Religious comfort
I. SHOW WHAT THE COMFORT IS which the Gospel of our Lord conveys to mankind.
Whenever we speak of comforting another, the very expression implies that he is in tribulation
and distress. Without the Gospel of Christ the condition of men must be wretched.
II. DESCRIBE THE PERSONS WHO ARE AUTHORISED TO TAKE THAT COMFORT TO
THEMSELVES. Evangelical obedience is to be the foundation of evangelical comfort. (T.
Gisborne.)

Comfort for God’s people
“Comfort ye My people”—
1. By reminding them that I am their God.
2. By reminding them that their captivity in this world is nearly over, and that they will soon
be home.
3. The Saviour is coming to this world, and is on His way to show His glory here. He will
come and fill the world with His victories. (C. Stanford, D. D.)

Comfort proclaimed
What a sweet title: “My people!” What a cheering revelation: “Your God!” How much of meaning
is couched in those two words, “My people!” Here is speciality. The whole world is God’s. But He
saith of a certain number, “My people.” While nations and kindreds are passed by as being
simply nations, He says of them. “My people.” In this word there is the idea of proprietorship. In
some special manner the “Lord’s portion Is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance.” He
has done more for them than others; He has brought them nigh to Himself. How careful God is
of His people; mark how anxious He is concerning them, not only for their life, but for their
comfort. He would not only have us His living people, His preserved people, but He would have
us be His happy people too. He likes His people to be fed, but what is more, He likes to give
them “wines on the lees well refined,” to make glad their hearts.
I. TO WHOM IS THIS COMMAND ADDRESSED? The Holy Spirit is the great Comforter, and
He it is who alone can solace the saints; but He uses instruments to relieve His children in their
distress and to lift up their hearts from desperation. To whom, then, is this command
addressed?
1. To angels, first of all. You often talk about the insinuations of the devil. Allow me to
remind you that there is another side of that question, for if evil spirits assault us, doubtless
good spirits guard us. It is my firm belief that angels are often employed by God to throw
into the hearts of His people comforting thoughts.

2. But on earth this is more especially addressed to the Lord’s ministers. The minister
should ask of God the Spirit, that he may be filled with His influence as a comforter.
3. But do not support your ministers as an excuse for the discharge of your own duties;
many do so. When God said, “Comfort ye, comfort ye My people,” He spake to all His people
to comfort one another.
II. WHAT ARE THE REASONS FOR THIS COMMAND?
1. Because God loves to see His people look happy. The Roman Catholic supposes that God
is pleased with a man if he whips himself, walks barefooted for many miles, and torments his
body. When I am by the seaside, and the tide is coming in, I see what appears to be a little
fringe, looking almost like a mist; and I ask a fisherman what it is. He tells me there is no
mist there; and that what I see are all little shrimps dancing in ecstasy, throwing themselves
in convulsions and contortions of delight. I think within myself, “Does God make those
creatures happy, and did He make me to be miserable? Can it ever be a religious thing to be
unhappy?” No; true religion is in harmony with the whole world; it is in harmony with the
whole sun and moon and stars, and the sun shines and the stars twinkle; the world has
flowers in it and leaping hills and carolling birds; it has joys in it; and I hold it to be an
irreligious thing to go moping miserably through God’s creation.
2. Because uncomfortable Christians dishonour religion.
3. Because a Christian in an uncomfortable state cannot work for God much. It is when the
mind is happy that it can be laborious.
4. Again, “Comfort ye” God’s people, because ye profess to love them.
III. God never gives His children a duty without giving them THE MEANS TO DO IT. Let me
just hint at those things in the everlasting Gospel which have a tendency to comfort the saints.
Whisper in the mourner’s ear electing grace, and redeeming mercy, and dying love. Tell him that
God watcheth the furnace as the goldsmith the refining pot. If that does not suffice, tell him of
his present mercies; tell him that he has much left, though much is gone. Tell him that Jesus is
above, wearing the breast-plate, or pleading his cause. Tell him that though earth’s pillars shake,
God is a refuge for us; tell the mourner that the everlasting God faileth not, neither is weary. Let
present facts suffice thee to cheer him. But if this is not enough, tell him of the future; whisper to
him that there is a heaven with pearly gates and golden streets. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Comfort for England
I will make one little change in the translation, taking the words of Dr. George Adam Smith,
“Speak ye to the heart of Jerusalem.” “Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God! Speak
ye to the heart of England, and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished.” Had the Hebrew
prophets no other claim upon our regard we ought to hold them in everlasting respect for their
patriotism. For Israel the prophet thought a man might well die. Israel was also God’s people.
The strength of Israel in every time of trouble was the Lord of hosts. And the prophet’s interest
was not confined to the sacrifices of the temple, nor to the coteries of pious people, but swept
into its heart everything that concerned the welfare of the community.
1. Why should not our faith go farther afield and have a more generous range? We also carry
in our hearts, not only as citizens, but also as Christians, this England which God gave to our
fathers, and has continued in its glory unto their children. Why should we not take our
courage in both our hands and, looking at the history of the past and comparing it with the
history of the present, recognise in our own people another Israel called of God in a special
manner, set apart by God for a special mission, and gather into our soul all the promises of

God, and also make our boast in Him as the prophets did? What did they depend on, the
Hebrew prophets, for this great conception that God had called the nation, and had a great
work for that nation to do? They depended on the facts of history behind them creating in
their soul an irresistible conviction. And I ask you whether the right arm of the Most High
has not been as conspicuous in English history? From what perils in past centuries has He
not delivered this country when the whole world was against us and was put to confusion!
Have not we been surrounded by the sea, our national character formed, for purposes that
we can recognise? What nation has ever planted so many colonies, explored so many
unknown lands, made such practical contributions to civilisation, set such an illustrious
example of liberty?
Within our blood is the genius for government, the passion for justice, the love of adventure, and
the intelligence of pure faith. Our Lord came of the Jewish stock, and therefore that people must
have a lonely place, but when it comes to the carrying out of those great blessings, physical,
political, social, and religious, which have been conferred upon the world by the Cross and the
pierced hand of the Lord, I challenge anyone to say whether any nation has so extended them
within her own borders, or been so willing to give them to the ends of the earth as God’s
England.
2. I do not forget England’s sins, for we have sinned in our own generation by inordinate
love of material possessions, by discord between the classes of the commonwealth, by a
certain insolence which has offended foreign peoples, and also by hideous sins of the flesh.
Our sins have been great, and it becomes us to acknowledge them. Does our sin destroy our
calling? Does our sin break the Covenant which the Eternal made with our fathers? No
people ever sinned against God like Israel. And between the sin of Israel and the sin of
England, God’s chosen people of ancient and modern times, there has been the similarity
which arises from the sin of people in the same position. Both boasted themselves over-
much against other peoples. Both were intoxicated with prosperity. Both depended upon it
instead of utilising and conserving the favour of the Most High. When we desire to confess
our sins where do we go? We go to the confessions of the Hebrew prophets. And when we
ask mercy for our sins, what are the promises we plead? The great promise of mercy declared
by the evangelical prophet and now sealed by the life and death and resurrection of our
Lord! Because the Hebrew prophet believed that his people were God’s people, he had the
courage to speak plainly to them. He is not a traitor to his country who on occasions points
out his country’s sins. When Israel sinned there was no voice so loud as that of Isaiah or
Amos, but they delighted not in the work, any more than their God delighted in judgment. If
God sent them with a rod they took the rod and gave the stroke, but the stroke fell also on
the prophet’s own heart, and he suffered most of all the people. When the people repented
and turned again to God, when they brought forth works meet for repentance and showed
humility, there was no man so glad as the prophet.
3. When the prophet takes up the work of consolation he has no bounds, he makes the
comfort of God to run down the streets like a river. It is not enough to say it once, but twice
must he sound it, till the comfort of God shall run like lightning through Jerusalem. And
when he takes to comforting he is not to be bound by theories of theology or arguments of
the schools. He is not going to ask questions—whether a man can expiate his sins, or
whether a nation can win repentance. He flings all this kind of argument to the wind, for he
has come out from the presence of the Eternal, who does not keep accounts like that, and he
cries, “Speak ye home to Jerusalem; her warfare is accomplished.” Accomplished! More than
that! God hath now repented! It was His people repented first, now He is repenting. They
repented of their sins; behold, God has begun to repent of His judgment! “I have,” he makes
the Eternal say—“I have been over-hard with these people, and I have punished them more
than they have deserved. Go and comfort them. Comfort them royally. Give it out with a

lavish hand—they have received double for all their sins.” When the prophet speaks in this
fashion he is not referring to material prosperity, for the words were spoken to the exiles in
Babylon. He comforted the exiles because they had repented and been reconciled unto God.
The comfort I preach is not based on arms. It is based on the nobler spirit which God has
given England during the progress of the war in South Africa. We sinned, and according to
our sin was our punishment. We have repented. Through our churches and through our
homes, and individually, we have laid the lessons of the Eternal to heart; and according to
our repentance shall be the blessing of God. (J. Watson, M. A.)

“Comfort ye My people”
This command is adapted to the needs of the country in which we live. There is a good deal of
weariness and depression in modem life. If the blessings of an advanced civilisation can make
people happy, there are multitudes who ought to be enraptured, for they are surrounded by
material comfort. The gospel of recreation is preached to them. Outward nature is enjoyed and
reverenced. Music and painting are filling them with sensibility; literature is contributing to
their intellectual gratification; and church privileges abound. Worship to-day gratifies the
artistic faculty, without putting a very great strain on the spiritual nature of man. There never
was so much ingenuity displayed as now in the manufacture of forms of enjoyment. People
never waged such a successful war as to-day against physical and social discomfort. And yet, if
you watch them closely, you can see that they are not really satisfied. Affection to-day is not at
rest, intellect is not at rest, conscience is not at rest, faith is not at rest. Thank God, there is
sweet satisfaction of soul to be found. “Comfort ye,” etc.
I. There is a message in this text for ALL WHO ARE UNDER DISCIPLINE ON ACCOUNT OF
SIN. The connection between sin and punishment is never really broken. Men were never so
clever as they are to-day in the efforts they have put forth to evade the penalties of wrong-doing,
and they very often succeed so far as outward effects are concerned, But the inward penalty is
always sure. Loss of self-respect, loss of faculty, and deterioration of nature itself. “Thy warfare
is accomplished,” thy discipline may come to an end. It is the spirit of rebellion which lengthens
the period of discipline. Lay down your weapons, give up fighting against God, and He will
forgive you now, and the consequences of your wrongdoing shall inwardly be done away.
Further, your pardon will tell at once on the outward consequences of your wrong-doing. You
forfeited the confidence of your friends by your sin; that will come back to you. You damaged
your health; that will improve. You injured your social position; that will be retrieved. Just as
there is no decree in God’s mind as to the length of time during which a man’s discipline shall be
continued, so there is no decree as to the amount of suffering man can endure. The suffering,
like the time, may be relieved by speedy submission and penitence.
II. There is a message in this text for ALL WHO IN RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE HAVE NEVER
GOT BEYOND CONVICTION. Beyond conviction there is the forgiveness of God. Beyond the sin
there is purity. Beyond doubt there is faith; and beyond all this miserable weariness of spirit
there is rest.
III. There is a message here, also, for ALL TIMID CHRISTIANS. They feel it would be
presumption to expect conscious pardon and Christian perfection. Cultivate your capacity to
take in the comfort of God.
IV. There is a message here for ALL DISCONSOLATE CHRISTIANS. You want new ideas, the
old ones are about worn out. Thy warfare with weariness is accomplished.
V. There is a message here for DISCONSOLATE CHURCHES. The Jewish Church was
disconsolate at the time of the captivity, and there are Churches to-day which are in a sort of

captivity. They have made exceptional provision for the needs of the people, yet they are
declining. The declension of Churches in great populations is due to many causes, but due to one
cause that is a great deal overlooked, and that is the very peculiar temperament of the
generation in which your lot has been east. Competition, in particular, has led to a vast amount
of advertising. But disconsolate Churches may be comforted. We are coming out of the captivity
of those habits and conditions which have come down from the restrictive ages of society.
Modern evangelism has grown steadily in the elements of truth and spiritual intelligence. It is
resulting to-day in the deepening of spiritual life, and in the expansion of the kingdom of God.
VI. There is a message here for THE NATION AND THE EMPIRE. The return from captivity
was the beginning of a new spiritual movement, which was destined to extend over many
countries. The classical period of human history was about to begin. My text is the new strain
with which the prophet greets the expanding prospect. As one has said, It is the keynote of the
revived and purified Israel, and the reason of the hold of Christendom on Europe and on
modern times. There is a wonderful correspondence between that period and ours. England is
the centre to-day. Judaism at the time referred to was rational-ised by being brought into
contact with forms of Roman and Greek thought. Christianity is being rationalised by contact
with natural religion. But who is the leader of the improvement of the modern world? “Who is
this that cometh from Edom?” etc. (chap. 63:1). Was it some king ruling the nations with a rod
of iron? No. Some soldier with a two-edged sword? No. Some philosopher ruling the intellect of
the race? No. Jehovah s righteous servant and witness it was: “that speak in righteousness,
mighty to save.” And the Lord Christ, the Son of God, never spoke to the race as He is speaking
to-day, and He needs His messengers to prepare His way. (T. Allen, D. D.)

Conviction and comfort
A quaint Scotch preacher said that the needle of the law opens the way for and carries the thread
of the Gospel. I once quoted this saying in a tent-meeting, and a hearer remarked to me
afterwards: “Yes, you’re right; but the needle should be pulled out and not left behind.” (H. G.
Guinness, D. D.)

10. EBC, “THE DATE OF ISAIAH 40-66
THE problem of the date of Isaiah 40-66 is this: In a book called by the name of the prophet
Isaiah, who flourished between 740 and 700 B.C., the last twenty-seven chapters deal with the
captivity suffered by the Jews in Babylonia from 598 to 538, and more particularly with the
advent, about 550, of Cyrus, whom they name. Are we to take for granted that Isaiah himself
prophetically wrote these chapters, or must we assign them to a nameless author or authors of
the period of which they treat?
Till the end of the last century it was the almost universally accepted tradition, and even still is
an opinion retained by many, that Isaiah was carried forward by the Spirit, out of his own age to
the standpoint of one hundred and fifty years later; that he was inspired to utter the warning
and comfort required by a generation so very different from his own, and was even enabled to
hail by name their redeemer, Cyrus. This theory, involving as it does a phenomenon without
parallel in the history of Holy Scripture, is based on these two grounds: first, that the chapters in
question form a considerable part-nearly nine-twentieths-of the Book of Isaiah; and second, that
portions of them are quoted in the New Testament by the prophet’s name. The theory is also

supported by arguments drawn from resemblances of style and vocabulary between these
twenty-seven chapters and the undisputed oracles of Isaiah but, as the opponents of the Isaian
authorship also appeal to vocabulary and style, it will be better to leave this kind of evidence
aside for the present, and to discuss the problem upon other and less ambiguous grounds.
The first argument, then, for the Isaian authorship of chapters 40-66 is that they form part of a
book called by Isaiah’s name. But, to be worth anything, this argument must rest on the
following facts: that everything in a book called by a prophet’s name is necessarily by that
prophet, and that the compilers of the book intended to hand it down as altogether from his pen.
Now there is no evidence for either of these conclusions. On the contrary, there is considerable
testimony in the opposite direction. The Book of Isaiah is not one continuous prophecy. It
consists of a number of separate orations, with a few intervening pieces of narrative. Some of
these orations claim to be Isaiah’s own: they possess such titles as "The vision of Isaiah the son
of Amoz." But such titles describe only the individual prophecies they head, and other portions
of the book, upon other subjects and in very different styles, do not possess titles at all. It seems
to me that those who maintain the Isaian authorship of the whole book have the responsibility
cast upon them of explaining why some chapters in it should be distinctly said to be by Isaiah,
while others should not be so entitled. Surely this difference affords us sufficient ground for
understanding that the whole book is not necessarily by Isaiah, nor intentionally handed down
by its compilers as the work of that prophet.
Now, when we come to chapters 40-66, we find that, occurring in a book which we have just
seen no reason for supposing to be in every part of it by Isaiah, these chapters nowhere claim to
be his. They are separated from that portion of the book, in which his undisputed oracles are
placed, by a historical narrative of considerable length. And there is not anywhere upon them
nor in them a title nor other statement that they are by the prophet, nor any allusion which
could give the faintest support to the opinion, that they offer themselves to posterity as dating
from his time. It is safe to say, that, if they had come to us by themselves, no one would have
dreamt for an instant of ascribing them to Isaiah; for the alleged resemblances, which their
language and style bear to his language and style, are far more than overborne by the undoubted
differences, and have never been employed, even by the defenders of the Isaian authorship,
except in additional and confessedly slight support of their main argument, viz., that the
chapters must be Isaiah’s because they are included in a book called by his name.
Let us understand, therefore, at this very outset, that in discussing the question of the
authorship of "Second Isaiah," we are not discussing a question upon which the text itself makes
any statement, or into which the credibility of the text enters. No claim is made by the Book of
Isaiah itself for the Isaian authorship of chapters 40-66.
A second fact in Scripture, which seems at first sight to make strongly for the unity of the Book
of Isaiah, is that in the New Testament, portions of the disputed chapters are quoted by Isaiah’s
name, just as are portions of his admitted prophecies. These citations are nine in number.
(Mat_3:3, Mat_8:17, Mat_12:17, Luk_3:4, Luk_4:17, Joh_1:23, Joh_12:38, Act_8:28,
Rom_10:16-20) None is by our Lord Himself. They occur in the Gospels, Acts, and Paul. Now if
any of these quotations were given in answer to the question, Did Isaiah write chapters 40-66 of
the book called by his name? or if the use of his name along with them were involved in the
arguments which they are borrowed to illustrate as, for instance, is the case with David’s name
in the quotation made by our Lord from Psa_110:1-7, then those who deny the unity of the Book
of Isaiah would be face to face with a very serious problem indeed. But in none of the nine cases
is the authorship of the Book of Isaiah in question. In none of the nine cases is there anything in
the argument, for the purpose of which the quotation has been made, that depends on the
quoted words being by Isaiah. For the purposes for which the Evangelists and Paul borrow the
texts, these might as well be unnamed, or attributed to any other canonical writer. Nothing in

them requires us to suppose that Isaiah’s name is mentioned with them for any other end than
that of reference, viz., to point out that they lie in the part of prophecy usually known by his
name. But if there is nothing in these citations to prove that Isaiah’s name is being used for any
other purpose than that of reference, then it is plain-and this is all that we ask assent to at the
present time-that they do not offer the authority of Scripture as a bar to our examining the
evidence of the chapters in question.
It is hardly necessary to add that neither is there any other question of doctrine in our way.
There is none about the nature of prophecy, for, to take an example, chapter 53, as a prophecy of
Jesus Christ, is surely as great a marvel if yon date it from the Exile as if you date it from the age
of Isaiah. And, in particular, let us understand that no question need be started about the ability
of God’s Spirit to inspire a prophet to mention Cyrus by name one hundred and fifty years before
Cyrus appeared. The question is not, Could a prophet have been so inspired?-to which question,
were it put, our answer might only be, God is great!-but the question is, Was our prophet so
inspired? does he himself offer evidence of the fact? Or, on the contrary, in naming Cyrus does
he give himself out as a contemporary of Cyrus, who already saw the great Persian above the
horizon? To this question only the writings under discussion can give us an answer. Let us see
what they have to say.
Apart from the question of the date, no chapters in the Bible are interpreted with such complete
unanimity as Isaiah 40-48. They plainly set forth certain things as having already taken place-
the Exile and Captivity, the ruin of Jerusalem, and the devastation of the Holy Land. Israel is
addressed as having exhausted the time of her penalty, and is proclaimed to be ready for
deliverance. Some of the people are comforted as being in despair because redemption does not
draw near; others are exhorted to leave the city of their bondage, as if they were growing too
familiar with its idolatrous life. Cyrus is named as their deliverer, and is pointed out as already
called upon his career, and as blessed with success by Jehovah. It is also promised that he will
immediately add Babylon to his conquests, and so set God’s people free.
Now all this is not predicted, as if from the standpoint of a previous century. It is nowhere said-
as we should expect it to be said, if the prophecy had been uttered by Isaiah-that Assyria, the
dominant world-power of Isaiah’s day, was to disappear and Babylon to take her place; that then
the Babylonians should lead the Jews into an exile which they had escaped at the hands of
Assyria; and that after nearly seventy years of suffering God would raise up Cyrus as a deliverer.
There is none of this prediction, which we might fairly have expected had the prophecy been
Isaiah’s; because, however far Isaiah carries us into the future, he never fails to start from the
circumstances of his own day. Still more significant, however-there is not even the kind of
prediction that we find in Jeremiah’s prophecies of the Exile, with which indeed it is most
instructive to compare Isaiah 40-66 Jeremiah also spoke of exile and deliverance, but it was
always with the grammar of the future. He fairly and openly predicted both; and, let us
especially remember, he did so with a meagreness of description, a reserve and reticence about
details, which are simply unintelligible if Isaiah 40-66 was written before his day, and by so
well-known a prophet as Isaiah.
No: in the statements which our chapters make concerning the Exile and the condition of Israel
under it, there is no prediction, not the slightest trace of that grammar of the future in which
Jeremiah’s prophecies are constantly uttered. But there is a direct appeal to the conscience of a
people already long under the discipline of God; their circumstance of exile is taken for granted;
there is a most vivid and delicate appreciation of their present fears and doubts, and to these the
deliverer Cyrus is not only named, but introduced as an actual and notorious personage already
upon the midway of his irresistible career.

These facts are more broadly based than just at first sight appears. You cannot turn their flank
by the argument that Hebrew prophets were in the habit of employing in their predictions what
is called "the prophetic perfect"-that is, that in the ardour of their conviction that certain things
would take place they talked of these, as the flexibility of the Hebrew tenses allowed them to do,
in the past or perfect as if the things had actually taken place. No such argument is possible in
the case of the introduction of Cyrus. For it is not only that the prophesy, with what might be the
mere ardour of vision, represents the Persian as already above the horizon and upon the flowing
tide of victory; but that, in the course of a sober argument for the unique divinity of the God of
Israel, which takes place throughout chapters 41-48, Cyrus, alive and irresistible, already
accredited by success, and with Babylonia at his feet, is pointed out as the unmistakable proof
that former prophecies for a deliverance for Israel are at last coming to pass. Cyrus, in short, is
not presented as a prediction, but as the proof that a prediction is being fulfilled. Unless he had
already appeared in flesh and blood, and was on the point of striking at Babylon, with all the
prestige of unbroken victory, a great part of Isa_41:1-29 - Isa_48:1-22 would be utterly
unintelligible.
This argument is so conclusive for the date of Second Isaiah, that it may be well to state it a little
more in detail, even at the risk of anticipating some of the exposition of the text.
Among the Jews at the close of the Exile there appear to have been two classes. One class was
hopeless of deliverance, and to their hearts is addressed such a prophecy as chapter 40:
"Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people." But there was another class, of opposite temperament,
who had only too strong opinions on the subject of deliverance. In bondage to the letter of
Scripture and to the great precedents of their history, these Jews appear to have insisted that the
Deliverer to come must be a Jew, and a descendant of David. And the bent of much of the
prophet’s urgency in chapter 45 is to persuade those pedants, that the Gentile Cyrus, who had
appeared to be not only the biggest man of his age, but the very likely means of Israel’s
redemption, was of Jehovah’s own creation and calling. Does not such an argument necessarily
imply that Cyrus was already present, an object of doubt and debate to earnest minds in Israel?
Or are we to suppose that all this doubt and debate were foreseen, rehearsed, and answered one
hundred and fifty years before the time by so famous a prophet as Isaiah, and that, in spite of his
prediction and answer, the doubt and debate nevertheless took place in the minds of the very
Israelites, who were most earnest students of ancient prophecy? The thing has only to be stated
to be felt to be impossible.
But besides the pedants in Israel, there is apparent through these prophecies another body of
men, against whom also Jehovah claims the actual Cyrus for His own. They are the priests and
worshippers of the heathen idols. It is well known that the advent of Cyrus cast the Gentile
religions of the time and their counsellors into confusion. The wisest priests were perplexed; the
oracles of Greece and Asia Minor either were dumb when consulted about the Persian, or gave
more than usually ambiguous answers. Over against this perplexity and despair of the heathen
religions, our prophet confidently claims Cyrus for Jehovah’s own. In a debate in chapter 41, in
which he seeks to establish Jehovah’s righteousness-that is, Jehovah’s faithfulness to His word,
and power to carry out His predictions - the prophet speaks of ancient prophecies which have
come from Jehovah, and points to Cyrus as their fulfilment. It does not matter to us in the
meantime what those prophecies were. They may have been certain of Jeremiah’s predictions;
we may be sure that they cannot have contained anything so definite as Cyrus’ name, or such a
proof of Divine foresight must certainly have formed part of the prophet’s plea. It is enough that
they could be quoted; our business is rather with the evidence which the prophet offers of their
fulfilment. That evidence is Cyrus. Would it have been possible to refer the heathen to Cyrus as
proof that those ancient prophecies were being fulfilled, unless Cyrus had been visible to the
heathen, -unless the heathen had been beginning already to feel this Persian "from the sunrise"
in all his weight of war? It is no esoteric doctrine which the prophet is unfolding to initiated

Israelites about Cyrus. He is making an appeal to men of the world to face facts. Could he
possibly have made such an appeal unless the facts had been there, unless Cyrus had been
within the ken of "the natural man"? Unless Cyrus and his conquests were already historically
present, the argument in 41-48 is unintelligible.
If this evidence for the exilic date of Isaiah 40-48 -for all these chapters hang together-required
any additional support, it would find it in the fact that the prophet does not wholly treat of what
is past and over, but makes some predictions as well. Cyrus is on the way of triumph, but
Babylon has still to fall by his hand. Babylon has still to fall, before the exiles can go free. Now, if
our prophet were predicting from the standpoint of one hundred and forty years before, why did
he make this sharp distinction between two events which appeared so closely together? If he had
both the advent of Cyrus and the fall of Babylon in his long perspective, why did he not use "the
prophetic perfect" for both? That he speaks of the first as past and of the second as still to come,
would most surely, if there had been no tradition the other way, have been accepted by all as
sufficient evidence, that the advent of Cyrus was behind him and the fall of Babylon still in front
of him, when he wrote these chapters.
Thus the earlier part, at least, of Isaiah 40-66 -that is, chapters 40-48- compels us to date it
between 555, Cyrus’s advent, and 538, Babylon’s fall. But some think that we may still further
narrow the limits. In Isa_41:25, Cyrus, whose own kingdom lay east of Babylonia, is described as
invading Babylonia from the north. This, it has been thought, must refer to his union with the
Medes in 549, and his threatened descent upon Mesopotamia from their quarter of the prophet’s
horizon. If it be so, the possible years of our prophecy are reduced to eleven, 549-538. But even
if we take the wider and more certain limit, 555 to 538, we may well say that there are very few
chapters in the whole of the Old Testament whose date can be fixed so precisely as the date of
chapters 40-48.
If what has been unfolded in the preceding paragraphs is recognised as the statement of the
chapters themselves, it will be felt that further evidence of an exilic date is scarcely needed. And
those, who are acquainted with the controversy upon the evidence furnished by the style and
language of the prophecies, will admit how far short in decisiveness it falls of the arguments
offered above. But we may fairly ask whether there is anything opposed to the conclusion we
have reached, either, first, in the local colour of the prophecies: or, second, in their language; or,
third, in their thought - anything which shows that they are more likely to have been Isaiah’s
than of exilic origin.
1. It has often been urged against the exilic date of these prophecies, that they wear so very little
local colour, and one of the greatest of critics, Ewald, has felt himself, therefore, permitted to
place their home, not in Babylonia, but in Egypt, while he maintains the exilic date. But, as we
shall see in surveying the condition of the exiles, it was natural for the best among them, their
psalmists and prophets, to have no eyes for the colours of Babylon. They lived inwardly; they
were much more the inhabitants of their own broken hearts than of that gorgeous foreign land;
when their thoughts rose out of themselves it was to seek immediately the far-away Zion. How
little local colour is there in the writings of Ezekiel! Isaiah 40-66 has even more to show; for
indeed the absence of local colour from our prophecy has been greatly exaggerated. We shall
find as we follow the exposition, break after break of Babylonian light and shadow falling across
our path, -the temples, the idol-manufactories, the processions of images, the diviners and
astrologers, the gods and altars especially cultivated by the characteristic mercantile spirit of the
place; the shipping of that mart of nations, the crowds of her merchants; the glitter of many
waters, and even that intolerable glare, which so frequently curses the skies of Mesopotamia.
(Isa_49:10) The prophet speaks of the hills of his native land with just the same longing, that
Ezekiel and a probable psalmist of the Exile (Psa_121:1-8) betray, -the homesickness of a
highland-born man whose prison is on a flat, monotonous plain. The beasts he mentions have

for the most part been recognised as familiar in Babylonia; and while the same cannot be said of
the trees and plants he names, it has been observed that the passages, into which he brings
them, are passages where his thoughts are fixed on the restoration to Palestine. Besides these,
there are many delicate symptoms of the presence, before the prophet, of a people in a foreign
land, engaged in commerce, but without political responsibilities, each of which, taken by itself,
may be insufficient to convince, but the reiterated expression of which has even betrayed
commentators, who lived too early for the theory of a second Isaiah, into the involuntary
admission of an exilic authorship. It will perhaps startle some to hear John Calvin quoted on
behalf of the exilic date of these prophecies. But let us read and consider this statement of his:
"Some regard must be had to the time when this prophecy was uttered; for since the rank of the
kingdom had been obliterated, and the name of the royal family had become mean and
contemptible, during the captivity in Babylon, it might seem as if through the ruin of that family
the truth of God had fallen into decay; and therefore he bids them contemplate by faith the
throne of David, which had been cast down."
2. What we have seen to be true of the local colour of our prophecy holds good also of its style
and language. There is nothing in either of these to commit us to an Isaiah authorship, or to
make an exilic date improbable; on the contrary, the language and style, while containing no
stronger nor more frequent resemblances to the language and style of Isaiah than may be
accounted for by the natural influence of so great a prophet upon his successors, are signalised
by differences from his undisputed oracles, too constant, too subtle, and sometimes too sharp, to
make it at all probable that the whole book came from the same man. On this point it is enough
to refer our readers to the recent exhaustive and very able reviews of the evidence by Canon
Cheyne in the second volume of his Commentary, and by Canon Driver in the last chapter of
"Isaiah: His Life and Times," and to quote the following words of so great an authority as
Professor A. B. Davidson. After remarking on the difference in vocabulary of the two parts of the
Book of Isaiah, he adds that it is not so much words in themselves as the peculiar uses and
combinations of them, and especially "the peculiar articulation of sentences and the movement
of the whole discourse, by which an impression is produced so unlike the impression produced
by the earlier parts of the book."
3. It is the same with the thought and doctrine of our prophecy. In this there is nothing to make
the Isaian authorship probable, or an exilic date impossible. But, on the contrary, whether we
regard the needs of the people or the analogies of the development of their religion, we find that,
while everything suits the Exile, nearly everything is foreign both to the subjects and to the
methods of Isaiah. We shall observe the items of this as we go along, but one of them may be
mentioned here (it will afterwards require a chapter to itself), our prophet’s use of the terms
righteous and righteousness. No one, who has carefully studied the meaning which these terms
bear in the authentic oracles of Isaiah, and the use to which they are put in the prophecies under
discussion, can fail to find in the difference a striking corroboration of our argument-that the
latter were composed by a different mind than Isaiah’s, speaking to a different generation.
To sum up this whole argument. We have seen that there is no evidence in the Book of Isaiah to
prove that it was all by himself, but much testimony which points to a plurality of authors; that
chapters 40-66 nowhere assert themselves to be by Isaiah; and that there is no other well-
grounded claim of Scripture or doctrine on behalf of his authorship. We have then shown that
chapters 40-48 do not only present the Exile as if nearly finished and Cyrus as if already come,
while the fall of Babylon is still future; but that it is essential to one of their main arguments that
Cyrus should be standing before Israel and the world, as a successful warrior, on his way to
attack Babylon. That led us to date these chapters between 555 and 538. Turning then to other
evidence, -the local colour they show, their language and style, and their theology, -we have
found nothing which conflicts with that date, but, on the contrary, a very great deal, which much
more agrees with it than with the date, or with the authorship, of Isaiah.

It will be observed, however, that the question has been limited to the earlier chapters of the
twenty-seven under discussion, viz., to 40-48 Does the same conclusion hold good of 49 to 66?
This can be properly discovered only as we closely follow their exposition; it is enough in the
meantime to have got firm footing on the Exile. We can feel our way bit by bit from this
standpoint onwards. Let us now merely anticipate the main features of the rest of the prophecy.
A new section has been marked by many as beginning with chapter 49. This is because chapter
48, concludes with a refrain: "There is no peace, saith Jehovah, to the wicked," which occurs
again at the end of chapter 57, and because with chapter 48. Babylon and Cyrus drop out of
sight. But the circumstances are still those of exile, and, as Professor Davidson remarks, chapter
49 is parallel in thought to chapter 42, and also takes for granted the restoration of Israel in
chapter 48, proceeding naturally from that to the statement of Israel’s world-mission. Apart
from the alternation of passages dealing with the Servant of the Lord, and passages whose
subject is Zion - an alternation which begins pretty early in the prophecy, and has suggested to
some its composition out of two different writings-the first real break in the sequence occurs at
Isa_52:13, where the prophecy of the sin-bearing Servant is introduced. By most critics this is
held to be an insertion, for Isa_54:1 follows naturally upon Isa_52:12, though it is undeniable
that there is also some association between Isa_52:13 - Isa_53:1-12, and chapter 54. In chapters
54-55, we are evidently still in exile. It is in commenting on a verse of these chapters that Calvin
makes the admission of exilic origin which has been quoted above.
A number of short prophecies now follow, till the end of chapter 59 is reached. These, as we shall
see, make it extremely difficult to believe in the original unity of "Second Isaiah." Some of them,
it is true, lie in evident circumstance of exile; but others are undoubtedly of earlier date,
reflecting the scenery of Palestine, and the habits of the people in their political independence,
with Jehovah’s judgment-cloud still unburst, but lowering. Such is Isa_56:9 - Isa_57:1-21, which
regards the Exile as still to come, quotes the natural features of Palestine, and charges the Jews
with unbelieving diplomacy-a charge not possible against them when they were in captivity. But
others of these short prophecies are, in the opinion of some critics, post-exilic. Cheyne assigns
chapter 56 to after the Return, when the temple was standing, and the duty of holding fasts and
sabbaths could be enforced, as it was enforced by Nehemiah. I shall give, when we reach the
passage, my reasons for doubting his conclusion. The chapter seems to me as likely to have been
written upon the eve of the Return as after the Return had taken place.
Chapter 57, the eighteenth of our twenty-seven chapters, closes with the same refrain as chapter
48, the ninth of the series: "There is no peace, saith Jehovah, to the wicked." Chapter 58, has,
therefore, been regarded, as beginning the third great division of the prophecy. But here again,
while there is certainly an advance in the treatment of the subject, and the prophet talks less of
the redemption of the Jews and more of the glory of the restoration of Zion, the point of
transition is very difficult to mark. Some critics regard chapter 58, as post-exilic; but when we
come to it we shall find a number of reasons for supposing it to belong, just as much as Ezekiel,
to the Exile. Chapter 59 is perhaps the most difficult portion of all, because it makes the Jews
responsible for civic justice in a way they could ‘hardly be conceived to be in exile, and yet
speaks, in the language of other portions of "Second Isaiah," of a deliverance that cannot well be
other than the deliverance from exile. We shall find in this chapter likely marks of the fusion of
two distinct addresses, making the conclusion probable that it is Israel’s earlier conscience
which we catch here, following her into the days of exile, and reciting her former guilt just before
pardon is assured. Chapters 60, 61, and 62 are certainly exilic. The inimitable prophecy,
Isa_63:1-6, complete within itself, and unique in its beauty, is either a promise given just before
the deliverance from a long captivity of Israel under heathen nations (Isa_63:4), or an exultant
song of triumph immediately after such a deliverance has taken place. Isa_63:7 - Isa_64:1-12
implies a ruined temple (Isa_63:10), but bears no traces of the writer being in exile. It has been
assigned to the period of the first attempts to rebuild Jerusalem after the Return. Chapter 65 has

been assigned to the same date, and its local colour interpreted as that of Palestine. But we shall
find the colour to be just as probably that of Babylon, and again I do not see any certain proofs
of a post-exilic date. Chapter 66, however, betrays more evidence of being written after the
Return. It divides into two parts. In Isa_66:1-4 the temple is still unbuilt, but the building would
seem to be already begun. In Isa_66:5-24, the arrival of the Jews in Palestine, the resumption of
the life of the sacred community, and the disappointments of the returned at the first meagre
results, seem to be implied. And the music of the book dies out in tones of warning, that sin still
hinders the Lord’s work with His people.
This rapid survey has made two things sufficiently clear. First, that while the bulk of chapters
40-66 was composed in Babylonia during the Exile of the Jews, there are considerable portions
which date from before the Exile, and betray a Palestinian origin; and one or two smaller pieces
that seem-rather less evidently, however-to take for granted the Return from the Exile. But,
secondly, all these pieces, which it seems necessary to assign to different epochs and authors,
have been arranged so as to exhibit a certain order and progress-an order, more or less
observed, of date, and a progress very apparent (as we shall see in the course of exposition) of
thought and of clearness in definition. The largest portion, of whose unity we are assured and
whose date we can fix, is found at the beginning. Chapters 40-48 are certainly by one hand, and
may be dated, as we have seen, between 555 and 538-the period of Cyrus’ approach to take
Babylon. There the interest in Cyrus ceases, and the thought of the redemption from Babylon is
mainly replaced by that of the subsequent Return. Along with these lines, we shall discover a
development in the prophecy’s great doctrine of the Servant of Jehovah. But even this dies away,
as if the experience of suffering and discipline were being replaced by that of return and
restoration; and it is Zion in her glory, and the spiritual mission of the people, and the
vengeance of the Lord, and the building of the temple, and a number of practical details in the
life and worship of the restored community, which fill up the remainder of the book, along with
a few echoes from pre-exilic times. Can we escape feeling in all this a definite design and
arrangement, which fails to be absolutely perfect, probably, from the nature of the materials at
the arranger’s disposal?
We are, therefore, justified in coming to the provisional conclusion, that Second Isaiah is not a
unity, in so far as it consists of a number of pieces by different men, whom God raised up at
various times before, during, and after the Exile, to comfort and exhort amid the shifting
circumstance and tempers of His people; but that it is a unity, in so far as these pieces have been
gathered together by an editor very soon after the Return from the Exile, in an order as regular
both in point of time and subject as the somewhat mixed material would permit. It is in this
sense that throughout this volume we shall talk of "our prophet," or "the prophet"; up to chapter
49, at least, we shall feel that the expression is literally true; after that it is rather an editorial
than an original unity which is apparent. In this question of unity the dramatic style of the
prophecy forms, no doubt, the greatest difficulty. Who shall dare to determine of the many
soliloquies, apostrophes, lyrics, and other pieces that are here gathered, often in want of any
connection save that of dramatic grouping and a certain sympathy of temper, whether they are
by the same author or have been collected from several origins? We must be content to leave the
matter uncertain. One great reason, which we have not yet quoted, for supposing that the whole
prophecy is not by one man, is that if it had been his name would certainly have come down with
it. Do not let it be thought that such a conclusion, as we have been led to, is merely a dogma of
modern criticism. Here, if anywhere, the critic is but the patient student of Scripture, searching
for the testimony of the sacred text about itself, and formulating that. If it be found that such a
testimony conflicts with ecclesiastical tradition, however ancient and universal, so much the
worse for tradition. In Protestant circles, at least, we have no choice. Litera Scripta manet.
When we know that the only evidence for the Isaiah authorship of chapters 40-66 is tradition,
supported by an unthinking interpretation of New Testament citations, while the whole

testimony of these Scriptures themselves denies them to be Isaiah’s, we cannot help making our
choice, and accepting the testimony of Scripture. Do we find them any the less wonderful or
Divine? Do they comfort less? Do they speak with less power to conscience? Do they testify with
more uncertain voice to our Lord and Saviour? It will be the task of the following pages to show
that, interpreted in connection with the history out of which they themselves say that God’s
Spirit drew them, these twenty-seven chapters become only more prophetic of Christ, and more
comforting and instructive to men, than they were before.
But the remarkable fact is that anciently tradition itself appears to have agreed with the results
of modern scholarship. The original place of the Book of Isaiah in the Jewish canon seems to
have been after both Jeremiah and Ezekiel, a fact which goes to prove that it did not reach
completion till a later date than the works of these two prophets of the Exile.
If now it be asked, Why should a series of prophecies written in the Exile be attached to the
authentic works of Isaiah? that is a fair question, and one which the supporters of the exilic
authorship have the duty laid upon them of endeavouring to answer. Fortunately they are not
under the necessity of falling back, for want of other reasons, on the supposition that this
attachment was due to the error of some scribe, or to the custom which ancient writers practised
of filling up any part of a volume, that remained blank when one book is finished, with the
writing of any other that would fit the place. The first of these reasons is too accidental, the
second too artificial, in face of the undoubted sympathy which exists among all parts of the Book
of Isaiah. Isaiah himself plainly prophesied of an exile longer than his own generation
experienced, and prophesied of a return from it (chapter 11). We saw no reason to dispute his
claims to the predictions about Babylon in chapters 21 and 39 Isaiah’s, too, more than any other
prophet’s, were those great and final hopes of the Old Testament - the survival of Israel and the
gathering of the Gentiles to the worship of Jehovah at Jerusalem. But it is for the express
purpose of emphasising the immediate fulfilment of such ancient predictions, that Isaiah 40-66
were published. Although our prophet has "new things to publish," his first business is to show
that the "former things have come to pass," especially the Exile, the survival of a Remnant, the
sending of a Deliverer, the doom of Babylon. What more natural than to attach to his utterances
those prophecies, of which the events he pointed to were the vindication and fulfilment? The
attachment was the more easy to arrange that the authentic prophecies had not passed from
Isaiah’s hand in a fixed form. They do not bear those marks of their author’s own editing, which
are borne by the prophecies both of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. It is impossible to be dogmatic on the
point. But these facts-that our chapters are concerned, as no other Scriptures are, with the
fulfilment of previous prophecies; that it is the prophecies of Isaiah which are the original and
fullest prediction of the events they are busy with; and that the form, in which Isaiah’s
prophecies are handed down, did not preclude additions of this kind to them-contribute very
evident reasons why Isaiah 40-66, though written in the Exile, should be attached to Isaiah 1-39.
Thus we present a theory of the exilic authorship of Isaiah 40-66 within itself complete and
consistent, suited to all parts of the evidence, and not opposed by the authority of any part of
Scripture. In consequence of its conclusion, our duty, before proceeding to the exposition of the
chapters, is twofold: first, to connect the time of Isaiah with the period of the Captivity, and then
to sketch the condition of Israel in Exile. This we shall undertake in the next three chapters.
NOTE TO CHAPTER I
Readers may wish to have a reference to other passages of this part, in which the questions of
the date, authorship and structure of Isaiah 40-66, are discussed. See: Introduction to Book III;
opening paragraphs of chapter 18, and of chapter 19, etc.

FROM ISAIAH TO THE FALL OF JERUSALEM

701-587 B.C.
AT first sight, the circumstances of Judah in the last ten years of the seventh century present a
strong resemblance to her fortunes in the last ten years of the eighth. The empire of the world, to
which she belongs, is again divided between Egypt and a Mesopotamian power. Syria is again
the field of their doubtful battle, and the question, to which of the two shall homage be paid, still
forms the politics of all her states. Judah still vacillates, intrigues, and draws down on herself
the wrath of the North by her treaties with Egypt. Again there is a great prophet and statesman,
whose concern is righteousness, who exposes both the immorality of his people and the folly of
their policies, and who summons the "evil from the North" as God’s scourge upon Israel: Isaiah
has been succeeded by Jeremiah. And, as if to complete the analogy, the nation has once more
passed through a puritan reformation. Josiah has, even more thoroughly than Hezekiah,
effected the disestablishment of idols.
Beneath this circumstantial resemblance, however, there is one fundamental difference. The
strength of Isaiah’s preaching was bent, especially during the closing years of the century, to
establish the inviolableness of Jerusalem. Against the threats of the Assyrian siege, and in spite
of his own more formidable conscience of his people’s corruption, Isaiah persisted that Zion
should not be taken, and that the people, though cut down to their roots, should remain planted
in the land, -the stock of an imperial nation in the latter days. This prophecy was vindicated by
the marvellous relief of Jerusalem on the apparent eve of her capture in 701. But its echoes had
not yet died away, when Jeremiah to his generation delivered the very opposite message. Round
him the popular prophets babbled by rote Isaiah’s ancient assurances about Zion. Their soft,
monotonous repetitions lapped pleasantly upon the immovable self-confidence of the people.
But Jeremiah called down the storm. Even while prosperity seemed to give him the lie, he
predicted the speedy ruin of Temple and City, and summoned Judah’s enemies against her in
the name of the God on whose former word she relied for peace. The contrast between the two
great prophets grows most dramatic in their conduct during the respective sieges, of which each
was the central figure. Isaiah, alone steadfast in a city of despair, defying the taunts of the
heathen, rekindling within the dispirited defenders, whom the enemy sought to bribe to
desertion, the passions of patriotism and religion, proclaiming always, as with the voice of a
trumpet, that Zion must stand inviolate; Jeremiah, on the contrary, declaring the futility of
resistance, counselling each citizen to save his own life from the ruin of the state, in treaty with
the enemy, and even arrested as a deserter, -these two contrasting figures and attitudes gather
up the difference which the century had wrought in the fortunes of the City of God. And so,
while in 701 Jerusalem triumphed in the Lord by the sudden raising of the Assyrian siege, three
years after the next century was out she twice succumbed to the Assyrian’s successor, and nine
years later was totally destroyed.
What is the reason of this difference which a century sufficed to work? Why was the sacredness
of Judah’s shrine not as much an article of Jeremiah’s as of Isaiah’s creed, -as much an element
of Divine providence in 600 as in 700 B.C.? This is not a very hard question to answer, if we
keep in our regard two things, -firstly, the moral condition of the people, and, secondly, the
necessities of the spiritual religion, which was identified for the time with their fortunes.
The Israel which was delivered into captivity at the word of Jeremiah was a people at once more
hardened and more exhausted than the Israel, which, in spite of its sin, Isaiah’s efforts had
succeeded in preserving upon its own land. A century had come and gone of further grace and
opportunity, but the grace had been resisted, the opportunity abused, and the people stood more
guilty and more wilful than ever before God. Even clearer, however, than the deserts of the
people was the need of their religion. That local and temporary victory-after all, only the relief of
a mountain fortress and a tribal shrine-with which Isaiah had identified the will and honour of
Almighty God, could not be the climax of the history of a spiritual religion. It was impossible for

monotheism to rest on so narrow and material a security as that. The faith, which was to
overcome the world, could not be satisfied with a merely national triumph. This time must
arrive-were it only by the ordinary progress of the years and unhastened by human guilt-for
faith and piety to be weaned from the forms of an earthly temple, however sacred: for the
individual-after all, the real unit of religion-to be rendered independent of the community and
cast upon his God alone; and for this people, to whom the oracles of the living God had been
entrusted, to be led out from the selfish pride of guarding these for their own honour-to be led
out, were it through the breaches of their hitherto inviolate walls, and amid the smoke of all that
was most sacred to them, so that in level contact with mankind they might learn to communicate
their glorious trust. Therefore, while the Exile was undoubtedly the penance, which an often-
spared but ever more obdurate people had to pay for their accumulated sins, it was also for the
meek and the pure-hearted in Israel a step upwards even from the faith and the results of Isaiah-
perhaps the most effectual step which Israel’s religion ever took. Schultz has finely said: "The
proper tragedy of history-doom required by long-gathering guilt, and launched upon a
generation which for itself is really turning towards good-is most strikingly consummated in the
Exile." Yes: but this is only half the truth. The accomplishment of the moral tragedy is really but
one incident in a religious epic-the development of a spiritual faith. Long-delaying Nemesis
overtakes at last the sinners, but the shock of the blows, which beat the guilty nation into
captivity, releases their religion from its material bonds. Israel on the way to Exile is on the way
to become Israel after the Spirit.
With these principles to guide us, let us now, for a little, thread our way through the crowded
details of the decline and fall of the Jewish state.
Isaiah’s own age had foreboded the necessity of exile for Judah. There was the great precedent of
Samaria, and Judah’s sin was not less than her sister’s. When the authorities at Jerusalem
wished to put Jeremiah to death for the heresy of predicting the ruin of the sacred city, it was
pointed out in his defence that a similar prediction had been made by Micah, the contemporary
of Isaiah. And how much had happened since then! The triumph of Jehovah in 701, the stronger
faith and purer practice, which had followed as long as Hezekiah reigned, gave way to an
idolatrous reaction under his successor Manasseh. This reaction, while it increased the guilt of
the people, by no means diminished their religious fear. They carried into it the conscience of
their former puritanism-diseased, we might say delirious, but not dead. Men felt their sin and
feared Heaven’s wrath, and rushed headlong into the gross and fanatic exercises of idolatry, in
order to wipe away the one and avert the other. It availed nothing. After an absence of thirty
years the Assyrian arms returned in full strength, and Manasseh himself was carried captive
across the Euphrates. But penitence revived, and for a time it appeared as if it were to be at last
valid for salvation. Israel made huge strides towards their ideal life of a good conscience and
outward prosperity. Josiah, the pious, came to the throne. The Book of the Law was discovered
in 621, and king and people rallied to its summons with the utmost loyalty. All the nation "stood
to the covenant." The single sanctuary was vindicated, the high places destroyed, the land
purged of idols. There were no great military triumphs but Assyria, so long the accepted scourge
of God, gave signs of breaking up; and we can feel the vigour and self-confidence, induced by
years of prosperity, in Josiah’s ambition to extend his borders, and especially in his daring
assault upon Necho of Egypt at Megiddo, when Necho passed north to the invasion of Assyria.
Altogether, it was a people that imagined itself righteous, and counted upon a righteous God. In
such days who could dream of exile?
But in 608 the ideal was shivered. Israel was threshed at Megiddo, and Josiah, the king after
God’s own heart, was slain on the field. And then happened what happened at other times in
Israel’s history when disillusion of this kind came down. The nation fell asunder into the
elements of which it was ever so strange a composition. The masses, whose conscience did not
rise beyond the mere performance of the Law, nor their view of God higher than that of a patron

of the state, bound by His covenant to reward with material success the loyalty of His clients,
were disappointed with the results of their service and of His providence. Being a new
generation from Manasseh’s time, they thought to give the strange gods another turn. The idols
were brought back, and after the discredit which righteousness received at Megiddo, it would
appear that social injustice and crime of many kinds dared to be very bold. Jehoahaz, who
reigned for three months after Josiah, and Jehoiakim, who succeeded him, were idolaters, The
loftier few, like Jeremiah, had never been deceived by the people’s outward allegiance to the
Temple or the Law, nor considered it valid either to atone for the past or now to fulfil the holy
demands of Jehovah; and were confirmed by the disaster at Megiddo, and the consequent
reaction to idolatry, in the stern and hopeless views of the people which they had always
entertained. They kept reiterating a speedy captivity. Between these parties stood the formal
successors of earlier prophets, so much the slaves of tradition that they had neither conscience
for their people’s sins nor understanding of the world around them, but could only affirm in the
strength of ancient oracles that Zion should not be destroyed. Strange is it to see how this party,
building upon the promises of Jehovah through a prophet like Isaiah, should be taken advantage
of by the idolaters, but scouted by Jehovah’s own servants. Thus they mingle and conflict. Who
indeed can distinguish all the elements of so ancient and so rich a life, as they chase, overtake,
and wrestle with each other, hurrying down the rapids to the final cataract? Let us leave them
for a moment, while we mark the catastrophe itself. They will be more easily distinguished in the
calm below.
It was from the North that Jeremiah summoned the vengeance of God upon Judah. In his earlier
threats he might have meant the Scythians; but by 605, when Nebuchadrezzar, Nabopolassar of
Babylon’s son, the rising general of the age, defeated Pharaoh at Carchemish, all men accepted
Jeremiah’s nomination for this successor of Assyria in the lordship of Western Asia. From
Carchemish Nebuchadrezzar overran Syria. Jehoiakim paid tribute to him, and Judah at last felt
the grip of the hand that was to drag her into exile. Jehoiakim attempted to throw it off in 602;
but, after harassing him for four years by means of some allies, Nebuchadrezzar took his capital,
executed him, suffered Jehoiachin, his successor, to reign only three months, took Jerusalem a
second time, and carried off to Babylon the first great portion of the people. This was in 598,
only ten years from the death of Josiah, and twenty-one from the discovery of the Book of the
Law.
The exact numbers of this first captivity of the Jews it is impossible to determine. The annalist
sets the soldiers at seven thousand, the smiths and craftsmen at one thousand; so that, making
allowance for other classes whom he mentions, the grown men must alone have been over ten
thousand; but how many women went, and how many children-the most important factor for
the period of the Exile with which we have to deal-it is impossible to estimate. The total number
of persons can scarcely have been less than twenty-five thousand. More important, however,
than their number was the quality of these exiles, and this we can easily appreciate. The royal
family and the court were taken, a large number of influential persons, "the mighty men of the
land," or what must have been nearly all the fighting men, with the necessary artificers; priests
also went, Ezekiel among them, and probably representatives of other classes not mentioned by
the annalist. That this was the virtue and flower of the nation is proved by a double witness. Not
only did the citizens, for the remaining ten years of Jerusalem’s life, look to these exiles for her
deliverance, but Jeremiah himself counted them the sound half of Israel-"a basket of good figs,"
as he expressed it, beside "a basket of bad ones." They were at least under discipline, but the
remnant of Jerusalem persisted in the wilfulness of the past.
For although Jeremiah remained in the city, and the house of David and a considerable
population, and although Jeremiah himself held a higher position in public esteem since the
vindication of his word by the events of 598, yet he could not be blind to the unchanged
character of the people, and the thorough doom which their last respite had only more evidently

proved to be inevitable. Gangs of false prophets, both at home and among the exiles, might
predict a speedy return. All the Jewish ability of intrigue, with the lavish promises of Egypt and
frequent embassies from other nations, might work for the overthrow of Babylon. But Jeremiah
and Ezekiel knew better. Across the distance which now separated them they chanted, as it were
in antiphon, the alternate strophes of Judah’s dirge. Jeremiah bade the exiles not to remember
Zion, but "let them settle down," he said, "into the life of the land they are in, building houses,
planting gardens, and begetting children, and ‘seek the peace of the city whither I have caused
you to be carried away captives, and pray unto Jehovah for it, for in the peace thereof ye shall
have peace’-the Exile shall last seventy years." And as Jeremiah in Zion blessed Babylon, so
Ezekiel in Babylon cursed Zion, thundering back that Jerusalem must be utterly wasted through
siege and famine, pestilence and captivity. There is no rush of hope through Ezekiel. His
expectations are all distant. He lives either in memory or in cold fancy. His pictures of
restoration are too elaborate to mean speedy fulfilment. They are the work of a man with time
on his hands; one does not build so colossally for tomorrow. Thus reinforced from abroad,
Jeremiah proclaimed Nebuchadrezzar as "the servant of Jehovah," and summoned him to work
Jehovah’s doom upon the city. The predicted blockade came in the ninth year of Zedekiah. The
false hopes which still sustained the people, their trust in Egypt, the arrival of an Egyptian army
in result of their intrigue, as well as all their piteous bravery, only afforded time for the
fulfilment of the terrible details of their penalty. For nearly eighteen months the siege closed in-
months of famine and pestilence, of faction and quarrel and falling away to the enemy. Then
Jerusalem broke up. The besiegers gained the northern suburb and stormed the middle gate.
Zedekiah and the army burst their lines only to be captured on an aimless flight at Jericho. A few
weeks more, and a forlorn defence by civilians of the interior parts of the city was at last
overwhelmed. The exasperated besiegers gave her up to fire-"the house of Jehovah, the king’s
house, and every great house"-and tore to the stones the stout walls that resisted the
conflagration. As the city was levelled, so the citizens were dispersed. A great number-and
among them the king’s family-were put to death. The king himself was blinded, and, along with
a host of his subjects, impossible for us to estimate, and with all the temple furniture, was
carried to Babylon. A few peasants were left to cultivate the land; a few superior personages-
perhaps such as, with Jeremiah, had favoured the Babylonians, and Jeremiah was among them-
were left at Mizpah under a Jewish viceroy. It was a poor apparition of a state; but, as if the very
ghost of Israel must be chased from the land, even this small community was broken up, and
almost every one of its members fled to Egypt. The Exile was complete.
WHAT ISRAEL TOOK INTO EXILE
BEFORE we follow the captives along the roads that lead to exile, we may take account of the
spiritual goods which they carried with them, and were to realise in their retirement. Never in all
history did paupers of this world go forth more richly laden with the treasures of heaven.
1. First of all, we must emphasise and define their monotheism. We must emphasise it as against
those who would fain persuade us that Israel’s monotheism was for the most part the product of
the Exile; we must analyse its contents and define its limits among the people, if we would
appreciate the extent to which it spread and the peculiar temper which it assumed, as set forth
in the prophecy we are about to study.
Idolatry was by no means dead in Israel at the fall of Jerusalem. On the contrary, during the last
years which the nation spent within those sacred walls, that had been so miraculously preserved
in the sight of the world by Jehovah, idolatry increased, and to the end remained as determined
and fanatic as the people’s defence of Jehovah’s own temple. The Jews who fled to Egypt applied
themselves to the worship of the Queen of Heaven, in spite of all the remonstrances of Jeremiah;
and him they carried with them, not because they listened to him as the prophet of the One True
God, but superstitiously, as if he were a pledge of the favour of one of the many gods, whom they

were anxious to propitiate. And the earliest effort, upon which we shall have to follow our own
prophet, is the effort to crush the worship of images among the Babylonian exiles. Yet when
Israel returned from Babylon the people were wholly monotheist; when Jerusalem was rebuilt
no idol came back to her.
That this great change was mainly the result of the residence in Babylon and of truths learned
there, must be denied by all who remember the creed and doctrine about God, which in their
literature the people carried with them into exile. The law was already written, and the whole
nation had sworn to it: "Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God; Jehovah is One, and thou shalt
worship Jehovah thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength."
These words, it is true, may be so strictly interpreted as to mean no more than that there was
one God for Israel: other gods might exist, but Jehovah was Sole Deity for His people. It is
maintained that such a view receives some support from the custom of prophets, who, while
they affirmed Jehovah’s supremacy, talked of other gods as if they were real existences. But
argument from this habit of the prophets is precarious: such a mode of speech may have been a
mere accommodation to a popular point of view. And, surely, we have only to recall what Isaiah
and Jeremiah had uttered concerning Jehovah’s Godhead, to be persuaded that Israel’s
monotheism, before the beginning of the Exile, was a far more broad and spiritual faith than the
mere belief that Jehovah was the Sovereign Deity of the nation, or the satisfaction of the desires
of Jewish hearts alone. Righteousness was not coincident with Israel’s life and interest;
righteousness was universally supreme, and it was in righteousness that Isaiah saw Jehovah
exalted. There is no more prevailing witness to the unity of God than the conscience, which in
this matter takes far precedence of the intellect; and it was on the testimony of conscience that
the prophets based Israel’s monotheism. Yet they did not omit to enlist the reason as well. Isaiah
and Jeremiah delight to draw deductions from the reasonableness of Jehovah’s working in
nature to the reasonableness of His processes in history, -analogies which could not fail to
impress both intellect and imagination with the fact that men inhabit a universe, that One is the
will and mind which works in all things. But to this training of conscience and reason, the Jews,
at the beginning of the Exile, felt the addition of another considerable influence. Their history
lay at last complete, and their conscience was at leisure from the making of its details to survey it
as a whole. That long past, seen now by undazzled eyes from under the shadow of exile,
presented through all its changing fortunes a single and definite course. One was the intention
of it, one its judgment from first to last. The Jew saw in it nothing but righteousness, the quality
of a God, who spake the same word from the beginning, who never broke His word, and who at
last had summoned to its fulfilment the greatest of the world-powers. In those historical books,
which were collected and edited during the Exile, we observe each of the kings and generations
of Israel, in their turn, confronted with the same high standard of fidelity to the One True God
and His holy Law. The regularity and rigour, with which they are thus judged, have been
condemned by some critics as an arbitrary and unfair application of the standard of a later faith
to the conduct of ruder and less responsible ages. But, apart from the question of historical
accuracy, we cannot fail to remark that this method of writing history is at least instinct with the
Oneness of God, and the unvarying validity of His Law from generation to generation. Israel’s
God was the same, their conscience told them, down all their history; but now as He summoned
one after another of the great world-powers to do His bidding, -Assyria, Babylon, Persia, -how
universal did He prove His dominion to be! Unchanging through all time, He was surely
omnipotent through all space.
This short review-in which, for the sake of getting a complete view of our subject, we have
anticipated a little-has shown that Israel had enough within themselves, in the teaching of their
prophets and in the lessons of their own history, to account for that consummate expression of
Jehovah’s Godhead, which is contained in our prophet, and to which every one allows the
character of an absolute monotheism. We shall find this, it is true, to be higher and more

comprehensive than anything which is said about God in pre-exilic Scriptures. The prophet
argues the claims of Jehovah, not only with the ardour that is born of faith, but often with the
scorn which indicates the intellect at work. It is monotheism, treated not only as a practical
belief or a religious duty, but as a necessary truth of reason; not only as the secret of faith and
the special experience of Israel, but also as an essential conviction of human nature, so that not
to believe in One God is a thing irrational and absurd for Gentiles as well as Jews. God’s
infinitude in the works of creation, His universal providence in history, are preached with
greater power than ever before; and the gods of the nations are treated as things, in whose
existence no reasonable person can possibly believe. In short, our great prophet of the Exile has
already learned to obey the law of Deuteronomy as it was expounded by Christ. Deuteronomy
says, "Thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thine heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy
strength." Christ added, "and with all thy mind." This was what our prophet did. He held his
monotheism" with all his mind." We shall find him conscious of it, not only as a religious
affection, but as a necessary intellectual conviction; which if a man has not, he is less than a
man. Hence the scorn which he pours upon the idols and mythologies of his conquerors. Beside
his tyrants, though in physical strength he was but a worm to them, the Jew felt that he walked,
by virtue of his faith in One God, their intellectual master.
We shall see all this illustrated later on. Meantime, what we are concerned to show is that there
is enough to account for this high faith within Israel themselves-in their prophecy and in the
lessons of their history. And where indeed are we to be expected to go in search of the sources of
Israel’s monotheism, if not to themselves? To the Babylonians? The Babylonians had nothing
spiritual to teach to Israel; our prophet regards them with scorn. To the Persians, who broke
across Israel’s horizon with Cyrus? Our prophet’s high statement of monotheism is of earlier
date than the advent of Cyrus to Babylon. Nor did Cyrus, when he came, give any help to the
faith, for in his public edicts he owned the gods of Babylon and the God of Israel with equal care
and equal policy. It was not because Cyrus and his Persians were monotheists, that our prophet
saw the sovereignty of Jehovah vindicated, but it was because Jehovah was sovereign that the
prophet knew the Persians would serve His holy purposes.
2. But if in Deuteronomy the exiles carried with them the Law of the One God, they preserved in
Jeremiah’s writings what may be called the charter of the individual man. Jeremiah had found
religion in Judah a public and a national affair. The individual derived his spiritual value only
from being a member of the nation, and through the public exercises of the national faith. But,
partly by his own religious experience, and partly by the course of events, Jeremiah was enabled
to accomplish what may be justly described as the vindication of the individual. Of his own
separate value before God, and of his right of access to his Maker apart from the nation,
Jeremiah himself was conscious, having belonged to God before he belonged to his mother, his
family, or his nation. "Before I found thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest out of
the womb I consecrated thee." His whole life was but the lesson of how one man can be for God
and all the nation on the other side. And it was in the strength of this solitary experience, that he
insisted, in his famous thirty-first chapter, on the individual responsibility of man and on every
man’s immediate communication with God’s Spirit; and that, when the ruin of the state was
imminent, he advised each of his friends to "take his own life" out of it "for a prey." (Jeremiah
65) But Jeremiah’s doctrine of the religious value and independence of the individual had a
complement. Though the prophet felt so keenly his separate responsibility and right of access to
God, and his religious independence of the people, he nevertheless clave to the people with all
his heart. He was not, like some other prophets, outside the doom he preached. He might have
saved himself, for he had many offers from the Babylonians. But he chose to suffer with his
people-he, the saint of God, with the idolaters. More than that, it may be said that Jeremiah
suffered for the people. It was not they, with their dead conscience and careless mind, but he,
with his tender conscience and breaking heart, who bore the reproach of their sins, the anger of

the Lord, and all the agonising knowledge of his country’s inevitable doom. In Jeremiah one
man did suffer for the people.
In our prophecy, which is absorbed with the deliverance of the nation as a whole, there was, of
course, no occasion to develop Jeremiah’s remarkable suggestions about each individual soul of
man. In fact, these suggestions were germs, which remained uncultivated in Israel till Christ’s
time. Jeremiah himself uttered them, not as demands for the moment, but as ideals that would
only be realised when the New Covenant was made. Our prophecy has nothing to say about
them. But that figure, which Jeremiah’s life presented, of One Individual-of One Individual
standing in moral solitude over against the whole nation, and in a sense suffering for the nation,
can hardly have been absent from the influences, which moulded the marvellous confession of
the people in the fifty-third chapter of Isaiah, where they see the solitary servant of God on one
side and themselves on the other, "and Jehovah made to light on him the iniquities of us all." It
is true that the exiles themselves had some consciousness of suffering for others. "Our fathers,"
cried a voice in their midst, when Jerusalem broke up, "Our fathers have sinned, and we have
borne their iniquities." But Jeremiah had been a willing sufferer for his people; and the fifty-
third chapter is, as we shall see, more like his way of bearing his generation’s guilt for love’s sake
than their way of bearing their father’s guilt in the inevitable entail of sin.
3. To these beliefs in the unity of God, the religious worth of the individual, and the virtue of his
self-sacrifice, we must add some experiences of scarcely less value rising out of the destruction
of the material and political forms-the temple, the city, the monarchy-with which the faith of
Israel had been so long identified.
Without this destruction, it is safe to say, those beliefs could not have assumed their purest
form. Take, for instance, the belief in the unity of God. There is no doubt that this belief was
immensely helped in Israel by the abolition of all the provincial sanctuaries under Josiah, by the
limitation of Divine worship to one temple and of valid sacrifice to one altar. But yet it was well
that this temple should enjoy its singular rights for only thirty years and then be destroyed. For
a monotheism, however lofty, which depended upon the existence of any shrine, however
gloriously vindicated by Divine providence, was not a purely spiritual faith. Or, again, take the
individual. The individual could not realise how truly he himself was the highest temple of God,
and God’s most pleasing sacrifice a broken and a contrite heart, till the routine of legal sacrifice
was interrupted and the ancient altar torn down. Or, once more, take that high, ultimate
doctrine of sacrifice, that the most inspiring thing for men, the most effectual propitiation before
God, is the self-devotion and offering up of a free and reasonable soul, the righteous for the
unrighteous-how could common Jews have adequately learned that truth, in days when,
according to immemorial practice, the bodies of bulls and goats bled daily on the one valid altar?
The city and temple, therefore, went up in flames that Israel might learn that God is a Spirit, and
dwelleth not in a house made with hands; that men are His temple, and their hearts the
sacrifices well-pleasing in His sight; and that beyond the bodies and blood of beasts, with their
daily necessity of being offered, He was preparing for them another Sacrifice, of perpetual and
universal power, in the voluntary sufferings of His own holy Servant. It was for this Servant, too,
that the monarchy, as it were, abdicated, yielding up to Him all its title to represent Jehovah and
to save and rule Jehovah’s people.
4. Again, as we have already hinted, the fall of the state and city of Jerusalem gave scope to
Israel’s missionary career. The conviction, that that had inspired many of Isaiah’s assertions of
the inviolableness of Zion, was the conviction that, if Zion were overthrown and the last remnant
of Israel uprooted from the land, there must necessarily follow the extinction of the only true
testimony to the living God which the world contained. But by a century later that testimony was
firmly secured in the hearts and consciences of the people, wheresoever they might be scattered;
and what was now needed was exactly such a dispersion, -in order that Israel might become

aware of the world for whom the testimony was meant, and grow expert in the methods by
which it was to be proclaimed. Priesthood has its human as well as its Godward side. The latter
was already sufficiently secured for Israel by Jehovah’s age-long seclusion of them in their
remote highlands-a people peculiar to Himself. But now the same Providence completed its
purpose by casting them upon the world. They mixed with men face to face, or, still more
valuably to themselves, on a level with the most downtrodden and despised of the peoples. With
no advantage but the truth, they met the other religions of the world in argument, debating with
them upon the principles of a common reason and the facts of a common history. They learned
sympathy with the weak things of earth. They discovered that their religion could be taught. But,
above all, they became conscious of martyrdom, the indispensable experience of a religion that
is to prevail; and they realised the supreme influence upon men of a love which sacrifices itself.
In a word, Israel, in going into exile, put on humanity with all its consequences. How real and
thorough the process was, how successful in perfecting their priesthood, may be seen not only
from the hopes and obligations towards all mankind, which burst in our prophecy to an urgency
and splendour unmatched elsewhere in their history, but still more from the fact that when the
Son of God Himself took flesh and became man, there were no words oftener upon His lips to
describe His experience and commission, there are no passages which more clearly mirror His
work for the world, than the words and the passages in which these Jews of the Exile, stripped to
their bare humanity, relate their sufferings or exult in their destiny that should follow.
5. But with their temple in ruins, and all the world before them for the service of God, the Jews
go forth to exile upon the distinct promise of return. The material form of their religion is
suspended, not abolished. Let them feel religion in purely spiritual aspects, unassisted by
sanctuary or ritual; let them look upon the world and the oneness of men; let them learn all
God’s scope for the truth He has entrusted to them, -and then let them gather back again and
cherish their new experience and ideas for yet awhile in the old seclusion. Jehovah’s discipline of
them as a nation is not yet exhausted. They are no mere band of pilgrims or missionaries, with
the world for their home; they are still a people. with their own bit of the earth. If we keep this in
mind, it will explain certain apparent anomalies in our prophecy. In all the writings of the Exile
the reader is confused by a strange mingling of the spiritual and the material, the universal and
the local. The moral restoration of the people to pardon and righteousness is identified with
their political restoration to Judah and Jerusalem. They have been separated from ritual in
order to cultivate a more spiritual religion, but it is to this that a restoration to ritual is promised
for a reward. While Jeremiah insists upon the free and immediate communication of every
believer with Jehovah, Ezekiel builds a more exclusive priesthood, a more elaborate system of
worship. Within our prophecy, while one voice deprecates a house for God built with hands,
affirming that Jehovah dwells with every one who is of a poor and contrite spirit, other voices
dwell fondly on the prospect of the new temple and exult in its material glory. This double line of
feeling is not merely due to the presence in Israel of those two opposite tempers of mind, which
so naturally appear in every national literature. But a special purpose of God is in it. Dispersed
to obtain more spiritual ideas of God and man and the world, Israel must be gathered back again
to get these by heart, to enshrine them in literature, and to transmit them to posterity, as they
could alone be securely transmitted, in the memories of a nation, in the liturgies and canons of a
living Church.
Therefore the Jews, though torn for their discipline from Jerusalem, continued to identify
themselves more passionately than ever with their desecrated city. A prayer of the period
exclaims: "Thy saints take pleasure in her stones, and her dust is dear to them." (Psa_102:14)
The exiles proved this by taking her name. Their prophets addressed them as "Zion" and
"Jerusalem." Scattered and leaderless groups of captives in a far-off land, they were still that
City of God. She had not ceased to be; ruined and forsaken as she lay, she was yet "graven on the
palms of Jehovah’s hands; and her walls were continually before Him." (Isa_49:15) The exiles

kept up the register of her families; they prayed towards her; they looked to return to build her
bulwarks; they spent long hours of their captivity in tracing upon the dust of that foreign land
the ground plan of her restored temple.
With such beliefs in God and man and sacrifice, with such hopes and opportunities for their
world-mission, but also with such a bias back to the material Jerusalem, did Israel pass into
exile.
ISRAEL IN EXILE
FROM 589 TILL ABOUT 550 B.C.
IT is remarkable how completely the sound of the march from Jerusalem to Babylon has died
out of Jewish history. It was an enormous movement: twice over within ten years, ten thousand
Jews, at the very least, must have trodden the highway to the Euphrates; and yet, except for a
doubtful verse or two in the Psalter, they have left no echo of their passage. The sufferings of the
siege before, the remorse and lamentation of the Exile after, still pierce our ears through the
Book of Lamentations and the Psalms by the rivers of Babylon. We know exactly how the end
was fulfilled. We see most vividly the shifting panorama of the siege, -the city in famine, under
the assault, and in smoke; upon the streets the pining children, the stricken princes, the groups
of men with sullen, famine-black faces, the heaps of slain, mothers feeding on the bodies of the
infants whom their sapless breasts could not keep alive; by the walls the hanging and crucifixion
of multitudes, with all the fashion of Chaldean cruelty, the delicate and the children stumbling
under heavy loads, no survivor free from the pollution of blood. Upon the hills around, the
neighbouring tribes are gathered to jeer at "the day of Jerusalem," and to cut off her fugitives;
we even see the departing captives turn, as the worm turns, to curse "those children of Edom."
But there the vision closes. Was it this hot hate which blinded them to the sights of the way, or
that weariness and depression among strange scenes, that falls upon all unaccustomed caravans,
and has stifled the memory of nearly every other great historical march? The roads which the
exiles traversed were of immemorial use in the history of their fathers; almost every day they
must have passed names which, for at least two centuries, had rung in the market-place of
Jerusalem-the Way of the Sea, across Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, round Hermon, and past
Damascus; between the two Lebanons, past Hamath, and past Arpad; or less probably by
Tadmor-in-the-Wilderness and Rezeph, -till they reached the river on which the national
ambition had lighted as the frontier of the Messianic Empire, and whose rolling greatness had so
often proved the fascination and despair of a people of uncertain brooks and trickling aqueducts.
Crossing the Euphrates by one of its numerous passages-either at Carchemish, if they struck the
river so high, or at the more usual Thapsacus, Tiphsah, "the passage," where Xenophon crossed
with his Greeks, or at some other place-the caravans must have turned south across the Habor,
on whose upper banks the captives of Northern Israel had been scattered, and then have
traversed the picturesque country of Aram-Naharaim, past Circesium and Rehoboth-of-the-
River, and many another ancient place mentioned in the story of the Patriarchs, till through
dwindling hills they reached His-that marvellous site which travellers praise as one of the great
viewpoints of the world-and looked out at last upon the land of their captivity, the boundless,
almost level tracts of Chaldea, the first home of the race, the traditional Garden of Eden. But of
all that we are told nothing. Every eye in the huge caravans seems to have been as the eyes of the
blinded king whom they carried with them, -able to weep, but not to see.
One fact, however, was too large to be missed by these sad, wayworn men; and it has left traces
on their literature. In passing from home to exile, the Jews passed from the hills to the plain.
They were highlanders. Jerusalem lies four thousand feet above the sea. From its roofs the
skyline is mostly a line of hills. To leave the city on almost any side you have to descend. The last
monuments of their fatherland, on which the emigrants’ eyes could have lingered, were the high
crests of Lebanon; the first prospect of their captivity was a monotonous level. The change was

the more impressive, that to the hearts of the Hebrews it could not fail to be sacramental. From
the mountains came the dew to their native crofts-the dew which, of all earthly blessings, was
likest God’s grace. For their prophets, the ancient hills had been the symbols of Jehovah’s
faithfulness. In leaving their highlands, therefore, the Jews not only left the kind of country to
which their habits were most adapted and all their natural affections clung; they left the chosen
abode of God, the most evident types of His grace, the perpetual witnesses to His covenant.
Ezekiel constantly employs the mountains to describe his fatherland. But it is far more with a
sacramental longing than a mere homesickness that a psalmist of the Exile cries out, "I will lift
up mine eyes to the hills: from whence cometh mine help?" or that our prophet exclaims: "How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth
peace; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth."
By the route sketched above, it is at least seven hundred miles from Jerusalem to Babylon-a
distance which, when we take into account that many of the captives walked in fetters, cannot
have occupied them less than three months. We may form some conception of the aspect of the
caravans from the transportations of captives which are figured on the Assyrian monuments, as
in the Assyrian basement in the British Museum. From these it appears as if families were not
separated, but marched together. Mules, asses, camels, ox-waggons, and the captives themselves
carried goods. Children and women suckling infants were allowed to ride on the waggons. At
intervals fully-armed soldiers walked in pairs.
I.
Mesopotamia, the land "in the middle of the rivers," Euphrates and Tigris, consists of two
divisions, an upper and a lower. The dividing line crosses from near Hit or His on the Euphrates
to below Samarah on the Tigris. Above this line the country is a gently undulating plain of
secondary formation at some elevation above the sea. But lower Mesopotamia is absolutely flat
land, an unbroken stretch of alluvial soil, scarcely higher than the Persian Gulf, upon which it
steadily encroaches. Chaldea was confined to this Lower Mesopotamia, and was not larger,
Rawlinson estimates, than the kingdom of Denmark. It is the monotonous level which first
impresses the traveller; but if the season be favourable, he sees this only as the theatre of vast
and varied displays of colour, which all visitors vie with one another in describing: "It is like a
rich carpet"; "emerald green, enamelled with flowers of every hue"; "tall wild grasses and broad
extents of waving reeds"; "acres of water-lilies"; "acres of pansies." There was no such country in
ancient times for wheat, barley, millet, and sesame; tamarisks, poplars, and palms; here and
there heavy jungle; with flashing streams and canals thickly athwart the whole, and all shining
the more brilliantly for the interrupting patches of scurvy, nitrous soil, and the grey sandy
setting of the desert with its dry scrub. The possible fertility of Chaldea is incalculable. But there
are drawbacks. Bounded to the north by so high a tableland, to the south and southwest by a
super-heated gulf and broad desert, Mesopotamia is the scene of violent changes of atmosphere.
The languor of the flat country, the stagnancy and sultriness of the air, of which not only
foreigners but the natives themselves complain, is suddenly invaded by southerly winds, of
tremendous force and laden with clouds of fine sand, which render the air so dense as to be
suffocating, and "produce a lurid red haze intolerable to the eyes." Thunderstorms are frequent,
and there are very heavy rains. But the winds are the most tremendous. In such an atmosphere
we may perhaps discover the original shapes and sounds of Ezekiel’s turbulent visions-"the fiery
wheels; the great cloud with a fire infolding itself; the colour of amber," with "sapphire," or lapiz
lazuli, breaking through; "the sound of a great rushing." Also the Mesopotamian floods are
colossal. The increase of both Tigris and Euphrates is naturally more violent and irregular than
that of the Nile. Frequent risings of these rivers spread desolation with inconceivable rapidity,
and they ebb only to leave pestilence behind them. If civilisation is to continue, there is need of
vast and incessant operations on the part of man.

Thus, both by its fertility and by its violence, this climate-before the curse of God fell on those
parts of the world-tended to develop a numerous and industrious race of men, whose numbers
were swollen from time to time both by forced and by voluntary immigration. The population
must have been very dense. The triumphal lists of Assyrian conquerors of the land, as well as the
rubbish mounds which today cover its surface, testify to innumerable villages and towns; while
the connecting canals and fortifications, by the making of them and the watching of them, must
have filled even the rural districts with the hum and activity of men. Chaldea, however, did not
draw all her greatness from herself. There was immense traffic with East and West, between
which Babylon lay, for the greater part of antiquity, the world’s central market and exchange.
The city was practically a port on the Persian Gulf, by canals from which vessels reached her
wharves direct from Arabia, India, and Africa. Down the Tigris and Euphrates rafts brought the
produce of Armenia and the Caucasus; but of greater importance than even these rivers were the
roads, which ran from Sardis to Shushan, traversed Media, penetrated Bactria and India, and
may be said to have connected the Jaxartes and the Ganges with the Nile and the harbours of the
Ægean Sea. These roads all crossed Chaldea and met at Babylon. Together with the rivers and
ocean highways, they poured upon her markets the traffic of the whole ancient world.
It was, in short, the very centre of the world-the most populous and busy region of His earth-to
which God sent His people for their exile. The monarch, who transplanted them, was the genius
of Babylonia incarnate. The chief soldier of his generation, Nebuchadrezzar will live in history as
one of the greatest builders of all time. But he fought as he built - that he might traffic. His
ambition was to turn the trade with India from the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf, and he thought
to effect this by the destruction of Tyre, by the transportation of Arab and Nabathean merchants
to Babylon, and by the deepening and regulation of the river between Babylon and the sea.
There is no doubt that Nebuchadrezzar carried the Jews to Babylon not only for political
reasons, but in order to employ them upon those large works of irrigation and the building of
cities, for which his ambition required hosts of labourers. Thus the exiles were planted, neither
in military prisons nor in the comparative isolation of agricultural colonies, but just where
Babylonian life was most busy, where they were forced to share and contribute to it, and could
not help feeling the daily infection of their captor’s habits. Do not let us forget this. It will
explain much in what we have to study. It will explain how the captivity, which God inflicted
upon the Jews as a punishment, might become in time a new sin to them, and why, when the
day of redemption arrived, so many forgot that their citizenship was in Zion, and clung to the
traffic and the offices of Babylon.
The majority of the exiles appear to have been settled within the city, or, as it has been more
correctly called, "the fortified district," of Babylon itself. Their mistress was thus constantly
before them, at once their despair and their temptation. Lady of Kingdoms she lifted herself to
heaven from broad wharves and ramparts, by wide flights of stairs and terraces, high walls and
hanging gardens, pyramids and towers-so colossal in her buildings, so imperially lavish of space
between! No wonder that upon that vast, far-spreading architecture, upon its great squares and
between its high portals guarded by giant bulls, the Jew felt himself, as he expressed it, but a
poor worm. If, even as they stand in our museums, captured and catalogued, one feels as if one
crawled in the presence of the fragments of these striding monsters, with how much more of the
feeling of the worm must the abject members of that captive nation have writhed before the face
of the city, which carried these monsters as the mere ornaments of her skirts, and rose above all
kingdoms with her strong feet upon the poor and the meek of the earth?
Ah, the despair of it! To see her every day so glorious, to be forced to help her ceaseless growth, -
and to think how Jerusalem, the daughter of Zion, lay forsaken in ruins! Yet the despair
sometimes gave way to temptation. There was not an outline or horizon visible to the captive
Jew, not a figure in the motley crowds in which he moved, but must have fascinated him with

the genius of his conquerors. In that level land no mountain, with its witness of God, broke the
skyline; but the work of man was everywhere: curbed and scattered rivers, artificial mounds,
buildings of brick, gardens torn from their natural beds and hung high in air by cunning hands
to please the taste of a queen; lavish wealth and force and cleverness, all at the command of one
human will. The signature ran across the whole, "I have done this, and with mine own hand
have I gotten me my wealth"; and all the nations of the earth came and acknowledged the
signature, and worshipped the great city. It was fascinating merely to look on such cleverness,
success, and self-confidence; and who was the poor Jew that he, too, should not be drawn with
the intoxicated nations to the worship of this glory that filled his horizon? If his eyes rose higher,
and from these enchantments of men sought refuge in the heavens above, were not even they
also a Babylonian realm? Did not the Chaldean claim the great lights there for his patron gods?
were not the movements of sun, moon, and planets the secret of his science? did not the tyrant
believe that the very stars in their courses fought for him? And he was vindicated; he was
successful; he did actually rule the world. There seemed to be no escape from the enchantments
of this sorceress city, as the prophets called her, and it is not wonderful that so many Jews fell
victims to her worldliness and idolatry.
II.
The social condition of the Jews in exile is somewhat obscure, and yet, both in connection with
the date and with the exposition of some portions of "Second Isaiah," it is an element of the
greatest importance, of which we ought to have as definite an idea as possible.
What are the facts? By far the most significant is that which faces us at the end of the Exile.
There, some sixty years after the earlier, and some fifty years after the later, of
Nebuchadnezzar’s two deportations, we find the Jews a largely multiplied and still regularly
organised nation, with considerable property and decided political influence. Not more than
forty thousand can have gone into exile, but forty-two thousand returned, and yet left a large
portion of the nation behind them. The old families and clans survived; the social ranks were
respected; the rich still held slaves; and the former menials of the temple could again be
gathered together. Large subscriptions were raised for the pilgrimage, and for the restoration of
the temple; a great host of cattle was taken. To such a state of affairs do we see any traces
leading up through the Exile itself? We do.
The first host of exiles, the captives of 598, comprised, as we have seen, the better classes of the
nation, and appear to have enjoyed considerable independence. They were not scattered, like the
slaves in North America, as domestic bondsmen over the surface of the land. Their condition
must have much more closely resembled that of the better-treated exiles in Siberia; though of
course, as we have seen, it was not a Siberia, but the centre of civilisation, to which they were
banished. They remained in communities, with their own official heads, and at liberty to consult
their prophets. They were sufficiently in touch with one another, and sufficiently numerous, for
the enemies of Babylon to regard them as a considerable political influence, and to treat with
them for a revolution against their captors. But Ezekiel’s strong condemnation of this intrigue
exhibits their leaders on good terms with the government. Jeremiah bade them throw
themselves into the life of the land; buy and sell, and increase their families and property. At the
same time, we cannot but observe that it is only religious sins, with which Ezekiel upbraids
them. When he speaks of civic duty or social charity, he either refers to their past or to the life of
the remnant still in Jerusalem. There is every reason to believe, therefore, that this captivity was
an honourable and an easy one. The captives may have brought some property with them; they
had leisure for the pursuit of business and for the study and practice of their religion. Some of
them suffered, of course, from the usual barbarity of Oriental conquerors, and were made
eunuchs; some, by their learning and abstinence, rose to high positions in the court. (The Book
of Daniel) Probably to the end of the Exile they remained "the good figs," as Jeremiah had called

them. Theirs was, perhaps, the literary work of the Exile; and theirs, too, may have been the
wealth which rebuilt Jerusalem.
But it was different with the second captivity, of 589. After the famine, the burning of the city,
and the prolonged march, this second host of exiles must have reached Babylonia in an
impoverished condition. They were a lower class of men. They had exasperated their
conquerors, who, before the march began, subjected many of them to mutilation and cruel
death; and it is, doubtless, echoes of their experience which we find in the more bitter
complaints of our prophet, This is a people robbed and spoiled; all of them snared in holes, and
hid in prison-houses: they are for a prey, and for a spoil. "Thou" (that is, Babylon), "didst show
them no mercy; upon the aged hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke." (Isa_42:22; Isa_47:6)
Nebuchadrezzar used them for his building, as Pharaoh had used their forefathers. Some of
them, or of their countrymen who had reached Babylonia before them, became the domestic
slaves and chattels of their conquerors. Among the contracts and bills of sale of this period we
find the cases of slaves with apparently Jewish names.
In short, the state of the Jews in Babylonia resembled what seems to have been their fortune
wherever they have settled in a foreign land. Part of them despised and abused, forced to labour
or overtaxed: part left alone to cultivate literature or to gather wealth. Some treated with
unusual rigour-and perhaps a few of these with reason, as dangerous to the government of the
land-but some also, by the versatile genius of their race, advancing to a high place in the political
confidence of their captors.
Their application to literature, to their religion, and to commerce must be specially noted.
1. Nothing is more striking in the writings of Ezekiel than the air of large leisure which invests
them. Ezekiel lies passive; he broods, gazes, and builds his vision up, in a fashion like none of his
terser predecessors; for he had time on his hands, not available to them in days when the history
of the nation was still running. Ezekiel’s style swells to a greater fulness of rhetoric; his pictures
of the future are elaborated with the most minute detail. Prophets before him were speakers, but
he is a writer. Many in Israel besides Ezekiel took advantage of the leisure of the Exile to the
great increase and arrangement of the national literature. Some Assyriologists have lately
written, as if the schools of Jewish scribes owed their origin entirely to the Exile. But there were
scribes in Israel before this. What the Exile did for these, was to provide them not only with the
leisure from national business which we have noted, but with a powerful example of their craft
as well. Babylonia at this time was a land full of scribes and makers of libraries. They wrote a
language not very different from the Jewish, and cannot but have powerfully infected their
Jewish fellows with the spirit of their toil and of their methods. To the Exile we certainly owe a
large part of the historical books of the Old Testament, the arrangement of some of the
prophetic writings, as well as-though the amount of this is very uncertain-part of the
codification of the Law.
2. If the Exile was opportunity to the scribes, it can only have been despair to the priests. In this
foreign land the nation was unclean; none of the old sacrifice or ritual was valid, and the people
were reduced to the simplest elements of religion-prayer, fasting, and the reading of religious
books. We shall find our prophecy noting the clamour of the exiles to God for "ordinances of
righteousness"-that is, for the institution of legal and valid rites. (Isa_58:2) But the great lesson,
which prophecy brings to the people of the Exile, is that pardon and restoration to God’s favour
are won only by waiting upon Him with all the heart. It was possible, of course, to observe some
forms; to gather at intervals to inquire of the Lord, to keep the Sabbath, and to keep fasts. The
first of these practices, out of which the synagogue probably took its rise, is noted by our
prophet, (Isa_58:13-14) and he enforces Sabbath-keeping with words that add the blessing of
prophecy to the law’s ancient sanction of that institution. Four annual fasts were instituted in
memory of the dark days of Jerusalem-the day of the beginning of Nebuchadrezzar’s siege in the

tenth month, the day of the capture in the fourth month, the day of the destruction in the fifth
month, and the day of Gedaliah’s murder in the tenth month. It might have been thought, that
solemn anniversaries of a disaster so recent and still unrepaired would be kept with sincerity;
but our prophet illustrates how soon even the most outraged feelings may grow formal, and how
on their days of special humiliation, while their captivity was still real, the exiles could oppress
their own bondsmen and debtors. But there is no religious practice of this epoch more apparent
through our prophecies than the reading of Scripture. Israel’s hope was neither in sacrifice, nor
in temple, nor in vision nor in lot, but in God’s written Word; and when a new prophet arose,
like the one we are about to study, he did not appeal for his authorisation, as previous prophets
had done, to the fact of his call or inspiration, but it was enough for him to point to some former
word of God, and cry, "See! at last the day has dawned for the fulfilment of that." Throughout
Second Isaiah this is what the anonymous prophet cares to establish that the facts of today fit
the promise of yesterday. We shall not understand our great prophecy unless we realise a people
rising from fifty years’ close study of Scripture, in strained expectation of its immediate
fulfilment.
3. The third special feature of the people in exile is their application to commerce. At home the
Jews had not been a commercial people. But the opportunities of their Babylonian residence
seem to have started them upon those habits, for which, through their longer exile in our era,
the name of Jew has become a synonym. If that be so, Jeremiah’s advice "to build and plant."
(Jer_29:1-32) is historic, for it means no less than that the Jews should throw themselves into
the life of the most trafficking nation of the time. Their increasing wealth proves how they
followed this advice, -as well as perhaps such passages as Isa_55:2, in which the commercial
spirit is reproached for overwhelming the nobler desires of religion. The chief danger, incurred
by the Jews from an intimate connection with the commerce of Babylonia, lay in the close
relations of Babylonian commerce with Babylonian idolatry. The merchants of Mesopotamia
had their own patron gods. In completing business contracts, a man had to swear by his idols,
and might have to enter their temples. In Isa_65:11, Jews are blamed for "forsaking Jehovah,
and forgetting My holy mountain; preparing a table for Luck, and filling up mixed wine to
Fortune." Here it is more probable that mercantile speculation, rather than any other form of
gambling, is intended.
III.
But while all this is certain and needing to be noted about the habits of the mass of the people,
what little trace it has left in the best literature of the period! We have already noticed in that the
great absence of local colour. The truth is that what we have been trying to describe as Jewish
life in Babylon was only a surface over deeps in which the true life of the nation was at work-was
volcanically at work. Throughout the Exile the true Jew lived inwardly. "Out of the depths do I
cry to Thee, O Lord." He was the inhabitant not so much of a foreign prison as of his own broken
heart. "He sat by the rivers of Babylon; but he thought upon Zion." Is it not a proof of what
depths in human nature were being stirred, that so little comes to the surface to tell us of the
external conditions of those days? There are no fossils in the strata of the earth, which have been
cast forth from her inner fires; and if we find few traces of contemporary life in these deposits of
Israel’s history now before us, it is because they date from an age in which the nation was
shaken and boiling to its centre.
For if we take the writings of this period-the Book of Lamentations, the Psalms of the Exile, and
parts of other books-and put them together, the result is the impression of one of the strangest
decompositions of human nature into its elements which the world has ever seen. Suffering and
sin, recollection, remorse and revenge, fear and shame and hate-over the confusion of these the
Spirit of God broods as over a second chaos, and draws each of them forth in turn upon some
articulate prayer. Now it is the crimson flush of shame: "our soul is exceedingly filled with

contempt." Now it is the black rush of hate; for if we would see how hate can rage, we must go to
the Psalms of the Exile, which call on the God of vengeance and curse the enemy and dash the
little ones against the stones. But the deepest surge of all in that whirlpool of misery was the
surge of sin. To change the figure, we see Israel’s spirit writhing upward from some pain it but
partly understands, crying out, "What is this that keeps God from hearing and saving me?"
turning like a wounded beast from the face of its master to its sore again, understanding as no
brute could the reason of its plague, till confession after confession breaks away and the penalty
is accepted, and acknowledged guilt seems almost to act as an anodyne to the penalty it explains.
"Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? If Thou, Jehovah,
shouldest mark iniquity who shall stand?" No wonder, that with such a conscience the Jews
occupied the Exile in writing the moral of their delinquent history, or that the rest of their
literature which dates from that time should have remained ever since the world’s confessional.
But in this awful experience, there is still another strain, as painful as the rest, but pure and very
eloquent of hope-the sense of innocent suffering. We cannot tell the sources, from which this
considerable feeling may have gathered during the Exile, any more than we can trace from how
many of the upper folds of a valley the tiny rivulets start, which form the stream that issues from
its lower end. One of these sources may have been, as we have already suggested, the experience
of Jeremiah; another very probably sprang with every individual conscience in the new
generation. Children come even to exiles, and although they bear the same pain with the same
nerves as their fathers, they do so with a different conscience. The writings of the time dwell
much on the sufferings of the children. The consciousness is apparent in them, that souls are
born into the wrath of God, as well as banished there. "Our fathers have sinned and are not, and
we bear their iniquities." This experience developed with great force, till Israel felt that she
suffered not under God’s wrath, but for His sake; and so passed from the conscience of the felon
to that of the martyr. But if we are to understand the prophecy we are about to study, we must
remember how near akin these two consciences must have been in exiled Israel, and how easy it
was for a prophet to speak-as our prophet does, sometimes with confusing rapidity of exchange-
now in the voice of the older and more guilty generation, and now in the voice of the younger
and less deservedly punished.
Our survey of the external as well as the internal conditions of Israel in Exile is now finished. It
has, I think, included every known feature of their experience in Babylonia, which could possibly
illustrate our prophecy-dated, as we have felt ourselves compelled to date this, from the close of
the Exile. Thus, as we have striven to trace, did Israel suffer, learn, grow, and hope for fifty
years-under Nebuchadrezzar till 561, under his successor Evil-merodach till 559, under
Neriglassar till 554, and then under the usurper Nabunahid. The last named probably oppressed
the Jews more grievously than their previous tyrants, but with the aggravation of their yoke
there grew evident, at the same time, the certainty of their deliverance. In 549 Cyrus overthrew
the Medes, and became lord of Asia from the Indus to the Halys. From that event his conquest of
Babylonia, however much delayed, could only be a matter of time.
It is at this juncture that our prophecy breaks in. Taking for granted Cyrus’ sovereignty of the
Medes, it still looks forward to his capture of Babylon. Let us, before advancing to its exposition,
once more cast a rapid glance over the people, to whom it is addressed and whom in their half
century of waiting for it we have been endeavouring to describe.
First and most manifest, they are a people with a conscience-a people with the most awful and
most articulate conscience that ever before or since exposed a nation’s history or tormented a
generation with the curse of their own sin and the sin of their fathers. Behind them, ages of
delinquent life, from the perusal of the record of which, with its regularly recurring moral, they
have just risen: the Books of Kings appear to have been finished after the accession of Evil-

merodach in 561. Behind them also nearly fifty years of sore punishment for their sins-
punishment, which, as their Psalms confess, they at last understand and accept as deserved.
But, secondly, they are a people with a great hope. With their awful consciousness of guilt, they
have the assurance that their punishment has its limits; that, to quote Isa_40:2, it is a "set
period of service": a former word of God having fixed it at not more than seventy years, and
having promised the return of the nation thereafter to their own land.
And, thirdly, they are a People with a great opportunity. History is at last beginning to set
towards the vindication of their hope: Cyrus, the master of the age, is moving rapidly,
irresistibly, down upon their tyrants.
But, fourthly, in face of all their hope and opportunity, they are a people disorganised,
distracted, and very impotent-"worms and not men," as they describe themselves. The
generation of the tried and responsible leaders of the days of their independence are all dead, for
"flesh is like grass"; no public institutions remain in their midst such as ever in the most
hopeless periods of the past proved a rallying-point of their scattered forces. There is no king,
temple, nor city; nor is there any great personality visible to draw their little groups together,
marshal them, and lead them forth behind him. Their one hope is in the Word of God, for which
they "wait more than they that watch for the morning"; and the one duty of their nameless
prophets is to persuade them that this Word has at last come to pass, and, in the absence of
king, Messiah, priest, and great prophet, is able to lift them to the opportunity that God’s hand
has opened before them, and to the accomplishment of their redemption.
Upon Israel, with such a Conscience, such a Hope, such an Opportunity, and such an unaided
Reliance on God’s bare Word, that Word at last broke in a chorus of voices.
Of these the first, as was most meet, spoke pardon to the people’s conscience and the
proclamation that their set period of warfare was accomplished; the second announced that
circumstances and the politics of the world, hitherto adverse, would be made easy to their
return; the third bade them, in their bereavement of earthly leaders, and their own impotence,
find their eternal confidence in God’s Word; while the fourth lifted them, as with one heart and
voice, to herald the certain return of Jehovah, at the head of His people, to His own City, and His
quiet, shepherdly rule of them on their own land.
These herald voices form the prologue to our prophecy, Isa_40:1-11, to which we will now turn.

Isaiah 40:1

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ISRAEL AND THE RIGHTEOUSNESS O F GOD
IN the chapters which we have been studying we have found some difficulty with one of our
prophet’s keynotes-"right" or "righteousness." In the chapters to come we shall find this
difficulty increase, unless we take some trouble now to define how much the word denotes in
Isaiah 40-66. There is no part of Scripture, in which the term "righteousness" suffers so many
developments of meaning. To leave these vague, as readers usually do, or to fasten upon one and
all the technical meaning of righteousness in Christian theology, is not only to obscure the
historical reference and moral force of single passages, -it is to miss one of the main arguments
of the prophecy. We have read enough to see that "righteousness" was the great question of the
Exile. But what was brought into question was not only the righteousness of the people, but the
righteousness of their God. In Isaiah 40-66 righteousness is more often claimed as a Divine
attribute, than enforced as a human duty or ideal.

I. RIGHTEOUSNESS
Ssedheq, the Hebrew root for righteousness, had, like the Latin "rectus," in its earliest and now
almost forgotten uses, a physical meaning. This may have been either "straightness," or more
probably "soundness,"-the state in which a thing is "all right." "Paths of righteousness," in
Psa_23:1-6 and Isa_40:4, are not necessarily straight paths, but rather sure, genuine, safe
paths. Like all physical metaphors, like our own words "straight" and "right," the applicability of
the term to moral conduct was exceedingly elastic. It has been attempted to gather most of its
meaning under the definition of "conformity to norm"; and so many are the instances in which
the word has a forensic force, as of "vindication" or "justification," that some have claimed this
for its original, or, at least, its governing sense. But it is improbable that either of these
definitions conveys the simplest or most general sense of the word. Even if "conformity" or
"justification" were ever the prevailing sense of ssedheq, there are a number of instances in
which its meaning far overflows the limits of such definitions. Every one can see how a word,
which may generally be used to express an abstract idea, like "conformity," or a formal relation
towards a law or person, like "justification," might come to be applied to the actual virtues,
which realise that idea or lift a character into that relation. Thus righteousness might mean
justice, or truth, or almsgiving, or religious obedience, -to each of which, in fact, the Hebrew
word was at various times specially applied. Or righteousness might mean virtue in general,
virtue apart from all consideration of law or duty whatsoever. In the prophet Amos, for instance,
"righteousness" is applied to a goodness so natural and spontaneous that no one could think of it
for a moment as conformity to norm or fulfilment of law.
In short, it is impossible to give a definition of the Hebrew word, which our version renders as
"righteousness," less wide than our English word "right." "Righteousness" is "right" in all its
senses, -natural, legal, personal, religious. It is to be all right, to be right-hearted, to be
consistent, to be thorough; but also to be in the right, to be justified, to be vindicated; and, in
particular, it may mean to be humane (as with Amos), to be just (as with Isaiah), to be correct or
true to fact (as sometimes with our own prophet), to fulfil the ordinances of religion, and
especially the command about almsgiving (as with the later Jews).
Let us now keep in mind that righteousness could express a relation, or a general quality of
character, or some particular virtue. For we shall find traces of all these meanings in our
prophet’s application of the term to Israel and to God.
II. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ISRAEL
One of the simplest forms of the use of "righteousness" in the Old Testament is when it is
employed in the case of ordinary quarrels between two persons; in which for one of them "to be
righteous" means "to be right" or "in the right." (Gen_38:26; Cf. 2Sa_15:4) Now to the Hebrew
all life and religion was based upon covenants between two, -between man and man and
between man and God. Righteousness meant fidelity to the terms of those covenants. The
positive contents of the word in any single instance of its use would, therefore, depend on the
faithfulness and delicacy of conscience by which those terms were interpreted. In early Israel
this conscience was not so keen as it afterwards came to be, and accordingly Israel’s sense of
their righteousness towards God was, to begin with, a comparatively shallow one. When a
Psalmist asseverates his righteousness and pleads it as the ground for God rewarding him, it is
plain that he is able with sincerity to make a claim, so repellent to a Christian’s feeling, just
because he has not anything like a Christian’s conscience of what God demands from man. As
Calvin says on Psa_18:20 "David here represents God as the President of an athletic contest,
who had chosen him as one of His champions, and David knows that so long as he keeps to the
rules of the contest, so long will God defend him." It is evident that in such an assertion
righteousness cannot mean perfect innocence, but simply the good conscience of a man, who,

with simple ideas of what is demanded from him, feels that on the whole "he has" (slightly to
paraphrase Calvin) "played fair."
Two things, almost simultaneously, shook Israel out of this primitive and naive self-
righteousness. History went against them, and the prophets quickened their conscience. The
effect of the former of these two causes will be clear to us, if we recollect the judicial element in
the Hebrew righteousness, -that it often meant not so much to be right, as to be vindicated or
declared right. History, to Israel, was God’s supreme tribunal. It was the faith of the people,
expressed over and over again in the Old Testament, that the godly man is vindicated or justified
by his prosperity: "the way of the ungodly shall perish." And Israel felt themselves to be in the
right, just as. David, in Psa_18:1-50, felt himself, because God had accredited them with success
and victory. But when the decision of history went against the nation, when they were
threatened with expulsion from their land and with extinction as a people, that just meant that
the Supreme Judge of men was giving His sentence against them. Israel had broken the terms of
the Covenant. They had lost their right; they were no longer "righteous." The keener conscience,
developed by prophecy, swiftly explained this sentence of history. This declaration, that the
people were unrighteous, was due, the prophet said, to the people’s sins. Isaiah not only
exclaimed, "Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire"; he added, in equal
indictment, "How is the faithful city become a harlot! it was full of justice, righteousness lodged
in it, but now murderers: thy princes are rebellious, they judge not the fatherless, neither doth
the cause of the widow come before them." To Isaiah and the earlier prophets Israel was
unrighteous because it was so immoral. With their strong social conscience, righteousness
meant to these prophets the practice of civic virtues, -truth-telling, honesty between citizens,
tenderness to the poor, inflexible justice in high places.
Here then we have two possible meanings for Israel’s righteousness in the prophetic writings,
allied and necessary to one another, yet logically distinct, -the one a becoming righteous through
the exercise of virtue, the other a being shown to be righteous by the voice of history. In the one
case righteousness is the practical result of the working of the Spirit of God; in the other it is
vindication, or justification, by the Providence of God. Isaiah and the earlier prophets, while the
sentence of history was still not executed and might through the mercy of God be revoked,
incline to employ righteousness predominantly in the former sense. But it will be understood
how, after the Exile, it was the latter, which became the prevailing determination of the word. By
that great disaster God finally uttered the clear sentence, of which previous history had been but
the foreboding. Israel in exile was fully declared to be in the wrong-to be unrighteous. As a
church, she lay under the ban; as a nation, she was discredited before the nations of the world.
And her one longing, hope, and effort during the weary years of Captivity was to have her right
vindicated again, was to be restored to right relations to God and to the world, under the
Covenant.
This is the predominant meaning of the term, as applied to Israel, in Isaiah 40-66. Israel’s
unrighteousness is her state of discredit and disgrace under the hands of God; her
righteousness, which she hopes for, is her restoral to her station and destiny as the elect people.
To our Christian habit of thinking, it is very natural to read the frequent and splendid phrases in
which "righteousness" is attributed or promised to the people of God in this evangelical
prophecy, as if righteousness were that inward assurance and justification from an evil
conscience, which, as we are taught by the New Testament, is provided for us through the death
of Christ, and inwardly sealed to us by the Holy Ghost, irrespective of the course of our outward
fortune. But if we read that meaning into "righteousness" in Isaiah 40-66, we shall simply not
understand some of the grandest passages of the prophecy. We must clearly keep in view, that
while the prophet ceaselessly emphasises the pardon of God "spoken home to the heart" of the
people as the first step towards their restoral, he does not apply the term righteousness to this
inward justification, but to the outward vindication and accrediting of Israel by God before the

whole world, in their redemption from Captivity, and their reinstatement as His people. This is
very clear from the way in which "righteousness" is coupled with "salvation" by the prophet, as
(Isa_62:1) "I will not rest till her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a
lamp that burneth." Or again from the way in which righteousness and glory are put in parallel:
(Isa_62:2) "And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory." Or again in the
way that "righteousness" and "renown" are identified: (Isa_61:11) "The Lord Jehovah will cause
righteousness and renown to spring forth before all the nations." In each of these promises the
idea of an external and manifest splendour is evident; not the inward peace of justification felt
only by the conscience to which it has been granted, but the outward historical victory
appreciable by the gross sense of the heathen. Of course the outward implies the inward, -this
historical triumph is the crown of a religious process, the result of forgiveness and a long
purification, -but while in the New Testament it is these which would be most readily called a
people’s righteousness, it is the former (what the New Testament would rather call "the crown of
life"), which has appropriated the name in Isaiah 40-66. The same is manifest from another
text: (Isa_48:18) "O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments; then had thy peace been
as the River, and thy righteousness like the waves of the sea." Here "righteousness is not only
not applied to inward morality, but set over against this as its external reward,"-the health and
splendour which a good conscience produces. It is in the same external sense that the prophet
talks of the "robe of righteousness" with its bridal splendour, and compares it to the appearance
of "Spring." (Isa_61:10-11)
For this kind of righteousness, this vindication by God before the world, Israel waited
throughout the Exile. God addresses them as "they that pursue righteousness, that seek
Jehovah." (Isa_51:1) And it is a closely allied meaning, though perhaps with a more inward
application, when the people are represented as praying God to give them "ordinances of
righteousness," (Isa_58:2) -that is, to prescribe such a ritual as will expiate their guilt and bring
them into a right relation with Him. They sought in vain. The great lesson of the Exile was that
not by works and performances, but through simply waiting upon the Lord, their righteousness
should shine forth. Even this outward kind of justification was to be by faith.
The other meaning of righteousness, however, -the sense of social and civic morality, which was
its usual sense with the earlier prophets, -is not altogether excluded from the use of the word in
Isaiah 40-66. Here are some commands and reproaches which seem to imply it. "Keep
judgment, and do righteousness,"-where, from what follows, righteousness evidently means
observing the Sabbath and doing no evil. (Isa_56:1) "And justice is fallen away backward, and
righteousness standeth afar off, for truth is fallen in the street, and steadfastness cannot enter."
(Isa_59:14) These must be terms for human virtues, for shortly afterwards it is said: "Jehovah
was displeased because there was no justice." Again, "They seek Me as a nation that did
righteousness"; (Isa_58:2) "Hearken unto Me, ye that know righteousness, a people-My law is in
their hearts"; (Isa_51:7) "Thou meetest him that worketh righteousness"; (Isa_64:5) "No one
sues in righteousness, and none goeth to law in truth." (Isa_59:4) In all these passages
"righteousness" means something that man can know and do, his conscience and his duty, and
is rightly to be distinguished from those others, in which "righteousness" is equivalent to the
salvation, the glory, the peace, which only God’s power can bring. If the passages that employ
"righteousness" in the sense of moral or religious observance really date from the Exile, then the
interesting fact is assured to us that the Jews enjoyed some degree of social independence and
responsibility during their Captivity. But it is a very striking fact that these passages all belong to
chapters, the exilic origin of which is questioned even by critics, who assign the rest of Isaiah 40-
66 to the Exile. Yet, even if these passages have all to be assigned to the Exile, how few they are
in number! How they contrast with the frequency, with which, in the earlier part of this book, -in
the orations addressed by Isaiah to his own times, when Israel was still an independent state, -
"righteousness" is reiterated as the daily, practical duty of men, as justice, truthfulness, and

charity between man and man! The extreme rarity of such inculcations in Isaiah 40-66 warns us
that we must not expect to find here the same practical and political interest which formed so
much of the charm and the force of Isa_1:1-31 - Isa_39:1-8. The nation has now no politics,
almost no social morals. Israel are not citizens working out their own salvation in the market,
the camp, and the senate; but captives waiting a deliverance in God’s time, which no act of theirs
can hasten. It is not in the street that the interest of Second Isaiah lies: it is on the horizon.
Hence the vague feeling of a distant splendour, which as the reader passes from Isa_39:1-8 to
Isa_40:1-31, replaces in his mind the stir of living in a busy crowd, the close and throbbing sense
of the civic conscience, the voice of statesmen, the clash of the weapons of war. There is no
opportunity for individuals to reveal themselves. It is a nation waiting, indistinguishable in
shadow, whose outlines only we see. It is no longer the thrilling practical cry, which sends men
into the arenas of social life with every sinew in them strung: "Learn to do well; seek justice,
relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." It is rather the cry of one who
still waits for his working day to dawn: "I will lift up mine eyes to the hills; from whence cometh
my help?" Righteousness is not the near and daily duty, it is the far-off peace and splendour of
skies, that have scarce begun to redden to the day.
III. THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD
But there was another Person, whose righteousness was in question during the Exile, and who
Himself argues for it throughout our prophecy. Perhaps the most peculiar feature of the
theology of Isaiah 40-66 is its argument for "the righteousness of Jehovah."
Some critics maintain that righteousness, when applied to Jehovah, bears always a technical
reference to His covenant with Israel. This is scarcely correct. Jehovah’s dealings with Israel
were no doubt the chief of His dealings, and it is these, which He mainly quotes to illustrate His
righteousness; but we have already studied passages, which prove to us that Jehovah’s
righteousness was an absolute quality of His Godhead, shown to others besides Israel, and in
loyalty to obligations different from the terms of His covenant with Israel. In Isa_41:1-29
Jehovah calls upon the heathen to match their righteousness with His; righteousness was
therefore a quality that might have been attributed to them as well as to Himself. Again, in
Isa_45:19 "I, Jehovah, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right,"-righteousness
evidently bears a general sense, and not one of exclusive application to God’s dealing with Israel.
It is the same in the passage about Cyrus: (Isa_45:13) "I have raised him up in righteousness, I
will make straight all his ways." Though Cyrus was called in connection with God’s purpose
towards Israel, it is not that purpose which makes his calling righteous, but the fact that God
means to carry him through, or, as the parallel verse says, "to make straight all his ways." These
instances are sufficient to prove that the righteousness, which God attributes to His words, to
His actions, and to Himself, is a general quality not confined to His dealings with Israel under
the covenant, -though, of course, most clearly illustrated by these.
If now we enquire, what this absolute quality of Jehovah’s Deity really means, we may
conveniently begin with His application of it to His Word. In Isa_41:1-29 He summons the other
religions to exhibit predictions that are true to fact. "Who hath declared it on-ahead that we may
know, or from aforetime that we may say, He is ssaddiq." Here ssaddiq simply means "right,
correct," true to fact. It is much the same meaning in Isa_43:9, where the verb is used of
heathen predicters, "that they may be shown to be right," or "correct" (English version,
"justified"). But when, in Isa_46:1-13, the word is applied by Jehovah to His own speech, it has a
meaning of far richer contents, than mere correctness, and proves to us that after all the Hebrew
ssedheq was almost as versatile as the English "right." The following passage shows us that the
righteousness of Jehovah’s speech is its clearness, straightforwardness, and practical
effectiveness: "Not in secret have I spoken, in a place of the land of darkness,"-this has been
supposed to refer to the remote or subterranean localities in which heathen oracles mysteriously

entrenched themselves, -"I have not said to the seed of Jacob, In Chaos seek Me. I am Jehovah,
a Speaker of righteousness, a Publisher of straight things. Be gathered and come, draw near
together, O remnants of the nations. They know not that carry the log of their image, and pray to
a god who does not save. Publish and bring near, yea, let them take counsel together. Who
caused this to be heard of old? long since hath published it? Is it not I, Jehovah, and there is
none else God beside Me; a God righteous and a Saviour, there is none except Me. Turn unto Me
and be saved, all ends of Earth, for I am God, and there is none else. By Myself have I sworn,
gone forth from My mouth hath righteousness: a word and it shall not turn; for to Me shall bow
every knee, shall swear every tongue. Truly in Jehovah, shall they say of Me, are righteousnesses
and strength. To Him shall it come, and shamed shall be all that are incensed against Him. In
Jehovah shall be righteous and renowned all the seed of Israel." (Isa_45:19-25)
In this very suggestive passage "righteousness" means far more than simple correctness of
prediction. Indeed, it is difficult to distinguish how much it means, so quickly do its varying
echoes throng upon our ear, from the new associations in which it is spoken. A word such as
"righteousness" is like the sensitive tones of the human voice. Spoken in a desert, the voice is
itself and nothing more; but utter it where the landscape is crowded with novel obstacles, and
the original note is almost lost amid the echoes it startles. So with the "righteousness of
Jehovah"; among the new associations in which the prophet affirms it, it starts novel repetitions
of itself. Against the ambiguity of the oracles, it is echoed back as "clearness,
straightforwardness, good faith"; (Isa_40:19) against their opportunism and want of foresight, it
is described as equivalent to the capacity for arranging things beforehand and predicting what
must come to pass, therefore as "purposefulness"; while against their futility, it is plainly
"effectiveness and power to prevail." (Isa_40:23) It is the quality in God, which divides His
Godhead with His power, something intellectual as well as moral, the possession of a reasonable
purpose as well as fidelity towards it.
This intellectual sense of righteousness, as reasonableness or purposefulness, is clearly
illustrated by the way in which the prophet appeals, in order to enforce it, to Jehovah’s creation
of the world. "Thus saith Jehovah, Creator of the heavens-He is the God-Former of the Earth
and her Maker, He founded her; not Chaos did He create her, to be dwelt in did He form her."
(Isa_45:18) The word "Chaos" here is the same as is used in opposition to "righteousness" in the
following verse. The sentence plainly illustrates the truth, that whatever God does, He does not
so as to issue in confusion, but with a reasonable purpose and for a practical end. We have here
the repetition of that deep, strong note, which Isaiah himself so often sounded to the comfort of
men in perplexity or despair, that God is at least reasonable, not working for nothing, nor
beginning only to leave off, nor creating in order to destroy. The same God, says our prophet,
who formed the earth in order to see it inhabited, must surely be believed to be consistent
enough to carry to the end also His spiritual work among men. Our prophet’s idea of God’s
righteousness, therefore, includes the idea of reasonableness; implies rational as well as moral
consistency, practical sense as well as good faith; the conscience of a reasonable plan, and,
perhaps also, the power to carry it through.
To know that this great and varied meaning belongs to "righteousness" gives us new insight into
those passages, which find in it all the motive and efficiency of the Divine action: "It pleased
Jehovah for His righteousness"; (Isa_42:21) "His righteousness, it upheld Him; and He put on
righteousness as a breastplate." (Isa_59:16-17)
With such a righteousness did Jehovah deal with Israel. To her despair that He has forgotten
her. He recounts the historical events by which He has made her His own, and affirms that He
will carry them on; and you feel the expression both of fidelity and of the consciousness of ability
to fulfil, in the words, "I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness." "Right
hand"-there is more than the touch of fidelity in this; there is the grasp of power. Again, to the

Israel who was conscious of being His Servant, God says, "I, Jehovah, have called thee in
righteousness"; and, taken with the context, the word plainly means good faith and intention to
sustain and carry to success.
It was easy to transfer the name "righteousness" from the character of God’s action to its results,
but always, of course, in the vindication of His purpose and word. Therefore, just as the
salvation of Israel, which was the chief result of the Divine purpose, is called Israel’s
righteousness, so it is also called "Jehovah’s righteousness." Thus, in Isa_46:13 "I bring near My
righteousness"; and in Isa_51:5 "My righteousness is near, My salvation is gone forth"; Isa_40:6
"My salvation shall be forever, and My righteousness shall not be abolished." It seems to be in
the same sense, of finished and visible results, that the skies are called upon "to pour down
righteousness," and "the earth to open that they may be fruitful in salvation, and let her cause
righteousness to spring up together" (Isa_45:8; cf. Isa_61:10 "My Lord Jehovah will cause
righteousness to spring forth").
One passage is of great interest, because in it "righteousness" is used to play upon itself, in its
two meanings of human duty and Divine effect- Isa_56:1, "Observe judgment"-probably
religious ordinances-"and do righteousness; for My salvation is near to come, and My
righteousness to be revealed."
To complete our study of "righteousness" it is necessary to touch still upon one point. In Isaiah
40-66 both the masculine and feminine forms of the Hebrew word for righteousness are used,
and it has been averred that they are used with a difference. This opinion is entirely dispelled by
a collation of the passages. I give the particulars in a note, from which it will be seen that both
forms are indifferently employed for each of the many shades of meaning which "righteousness"
bears in our prophecies.
That the masculine and feminine forms sometimes occur, with the same or with different
meanings, in the same verse, or in the next verse to one another, proves that the selection of
them respectively cannot be due to any difference in the authorship of our prophecy. So that we
are reduced to say that nothing accounts for their use, except, it might be, the exigencies of the
metre. But who is able to prove this?

Isaiah 40:1-11

THE PROLOGUE: THE FOUR HERALD VOICES
IT is only Voices which we hear in this Prologue. No forms can be discerned, whether of men or
angels, and it is even difficult to make out the direction from which the Voices come. Only one
thing is certain-that they break the night, that they proclaim the end of a long but fixed period,
during which God has punished and forsaken His people. At first, the persons addressed are the
prophets, that they may speak to the people (Isa_40:1-2); but afterwards Jerusalem as a whole
is summoned to publish the good tidings. (Isa_40:9) This interchange between a part of the
people and the whole-this commission to prophesy, made with one breath to some of the nation
for the sake of the rest, and with the next breath to the entire nation-is a habit of our prophet to
which we shall soon get accustomed. How natural and characteristic it is, is proved by its
appearance in these very first verses.
The beginning of the good tidings is Israel’s pardon; yet it seems not to be the people’s return to
Palestine which is announced in consequence of this, so much as their God’s return to them.
"Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight a highway for our God. Behold the Lord Jehovah
will come." We may, however, take "the way of Jehovah in the wilderness" to mean what it

means in the sixty-eighth Psalm, -His going forth before His people and leading of them back;
while the promise that He will come to "shepherd His flock" (Isa_40:11) is, of course, the
promise that He will resume the government of Israel upon their own land. There can be no
doubt, therefore, that this chapter was meant for the people at the close of their captivity in
Babylon. But do not let us miss the pathetic fact that Israel is addressed not in her actual shape
of a captive people in a foreign land, but under the name and aspect of her far-away desolate
country. In these verses Israel is "Jerusalem, Zion, the cities of Judah" Such designations do not
prove, as a few critics have rather pedantically supposed, that the writer of the verses lived in
Judah and addressed himself to what was under his eyes. It is not the vision of a Jew at home
that has determined the choice of these names, but the desire and the dream of a Jew abroad:
that extraordinary passion, which, however distant might be the land of his exile, ever filled the
Jew’s eyes with Zion, caused him to feel the ruin and forsakenness of his Mother more than his
own servitude, and swept his patriotic hopes, across his own deliverance and return, to the
greater glory of her restoration. There is nothing, therefore, to prevent us taking for granted, as
we did in the previous chapter, that the speaker or speakers of these verses stood among the
exiles themselves; but who they were-men or angels, prophets or scribes-is lost in the darkness
out of which their music breaks.
Nevertheless the prophecy is not anonymous. By these impersonal voices a personal revelation
is made. The prophets may be nameless, but the Deity who speaks through them speaks as
already known and acknowledged: "My people, saith your God."
This is a point, which, though it takes for its expression no more than these two little pronouns,
we must not hurriedly pass over. All the prophecy we are about to study may be said to hang
from these pronouns. They are the hinges, on which the door of this new temple of revelation
swings open before the long-expectant people. And, in fact, such a conscience and sympathy as
these little words express form the necessary premise of all revelation. Revelation implies a
previous knowledge of God, and cannot work upon men, except there already exist in them the
sense that they and God somehow belong to each other. This sense need be neither pure, nor
strong, nor articulate. It may be the most selfish and cowardly of guilty fears, -Jacob’s dread as
he drew near Esau, whom he had treacherously supplanted, -the vaguest of ignorant desires, the
Athenians’ worship of the Unknown God. But, whatever it is, the angel comes to wrestle with it,
the apostle is sent to declare it; revelation in some form takes it as its premise and starting-
point. This previous sense of God may also be fuller than in the cases just cited. Take our Lord’s
own illustration. Upon the prodigal in the strange country there surged again the far-ebbed
memory of his home and childhood, of his years of familiarity with a Father; and it was this tide
which carried back his penitent heart within the hearing of his Father’s voice, and the revelation
of the love that became his new life. Now Israel, also in a far-off land, were borne upon the
recollection of home: and of life in the favour of their God. We have: seen with what knowledge
of Him and from what relations with Him they were banished.
To the men of the Exile God was already a Name and an Experience, and because that Name was
The Righteous, and that Experience was all grace and promise, these men waited for His Word
more than they that wait for the morning; and when at length the Word broke from the long
darkness and silence, they received it, though its bearers might be unseen and unaccredited,
because they recognised and acknowledged in it Himself. He who spoke was their God, and they
were His people. This conscience and sympathy was all the title or credential which the
revelation required. It is, therefore, not too much to say, as we have said, that the two pronouns
in Isa_40:1, are the necessary premise of the whole prophecy which that verse introduces.
With this introduction we may now take up the four herald voices of the Prologue. Whatever
may have been their original relation to one another, whether or not they came to Israel by
different messengers, they are arranged (as we saw at the close of the previous chapter) in

manifest order and progress of thought, and they meet in due succession the experiences of
Israel at the close of the Exile. For the first of them (Isa_40:1-2) gives the "subjective assurance"
of the coming redemption: it is the Voice of Grace. The second (Isa_40:3-5) proclaims the
"objective reality" of that redemption: it may be called the Voice of Providence, or-to use the
name by which our prophecy loves to entitle the just and victorious providence of God-the Voice
of Righteousness. The third (Isa_40:6-8) uncovers the pledge and earnest of the redemption: in
the weakness of men this shall be the Word of God. While the fourth (Isa_40:9-11) is the
Proclamation of Jehovah’s restored kingdom, when He cometh as a shepherd to shepherd His
people. To this progress and climax the music of the passage forms a perfect accompaniment. It
would be difficult to find in any language lips that first more softly woo the heart, and then take
to themselves so brave a trumpet of challenge and assurance. The opening is upon a few short
pulses of music, which steal from heaven as gently as the first ripples of light in a cloudless
dawn-
Nahamu, nahamu ammi:
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people:
Dabberu ‘al3lev Yerushalaim.
Speak upon the heart of Jerusalem.
But then the trumpet-tone breaks forth, "Call unto her"; and on that high key the music stays,
sweeping with the second voice across hill and dale like a company of swift horsemen, stooping
with the third for a while to the elegy upon the withered grass, but then recovering itself, braced
by all the strength of the Word of God, to peal from tower to tower with the fourth, upon the cry,
"Behold, the Lord cometh," till it sinks almost from sound to sight, and yields us, as from the
surface of still waters, that sweet reflection of the twenty-third Psalm with which the Prologue
concludes.
1. Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God
Speak ye home to the heart of Jerusalem, and call unto her,
That accomplished is her warfare, that absolved is her iniquity;
That she hath received of Jehovah’s hand double for all her sins.
This first voice, with the music of which our hearts have been thrilled ever since we can
remember, speaks twice: first in a whisper, then in a call-the whisper of the Lover and the call of
the Lord. "Speak ye home to the heart of Jerusalem, and call unto her."
Now Jerusalem lay in ruins, a city through whose breached walls all the winds of heaven blew
mournfully across her forsaken floors. And the "heart of Jerusalem," which was with her people
in exile, was like the city-broken and defenceless. In that far-off, unsympathetic land it lay open
to the alien; tyrants forced their idols upon it, the peoples tortured it with their jests.
For they that led us captive required of us songs,
And they that wasted us required of us mirth.
But observe how gently the Divine Beleaguerer approaches, how softly He bids His heralds plead
by the gaps, through which the oppressor has forced his idols and his insults. Of all human
language they might use, God bids His messengers take and plead with the words with which a
man will plead at a maiden’s heart, knowing that he has nothing but love to offer as right of
entrance, and waiting until love and trust come out to welcome him. "Speak ye," says the
original literally, "on to," or "up against" or "up round the heart of Jerusalem,"-a forcible
expression, like the German "An das Herz," or the sweet Scottish, "It cam’ up roond my heart,"
and perhaps best rendered into English by the phrase, "Speak home to the heart." It is the

ordinary Hebrew expression for wooing. As from man to woman when he wins her, the Old
Testament uses it several times. To "speak home to the heart" is to use language in which
authority and argument are both ignored, and love works her own inspiration. While the
haughty Babylonian planted by force his idols, while the folly and temptations of heathendom
surged recklessly in, God Himself, the Creator of this broken heart, its Husband and Inhabitant
of old, stood lowly by its breaches, pleading in love the right to enter. But when entrance has
been granted, see how He bids His heralds change their voice and disposition. The suppliant
lover, being received, assumes possession and defence, and they, who were first bid whisper as
beggars by each unguarded breach, now leap upon the walls to call from the accepted Lord of the
city: "Fulfilled is thy time of service, absolved thine iniquity, received hast thou of Jehovah’s
hand double for all thy sins."
Now this is no mere rhetorical figure. This is the abiding attitude and aim of the Almighty
towards men. God’s target is our heart. His revelation, whatever of law or threat it send before,
is, in its own superlative clearness and urgency, Grace. It comes to man by way of the heart; not
at first by argument addressed to the intellect, nor by appeal to experience, but by the sheer
strength of a love laid "on to the heart." It is, to begin with, a subjective thing. Is revelation, then,
entirely a subjective assurance? Do the pardon and peace which it proclaims remain only
feelings of the heart, without anything to correspond to them in real fact? By no means; for these
Jews the revelation now whispered to their heart will actually take shape in providences of the
most concrete kind. A voice will immediately call, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord," and the way
will be prepared. Babylon will fall; Cyrus will let Israel go; their release will appear-most
concrete of things!-in "black and white" on a Persian state-parchment. Yet, before these events
happen and become part of His people’s experience, God desires first to convince His people by
the sheer urgency of His love. Before He displays His Providence, He will speak in the power
and evidence of His Grace. Afterwards, His prophets shall appeal to outward facts; we shall find
them in succeeding chapters arguing both with Israel and the heathen on grounds of reason and
the facts of history. But, in the meantime, let them only feel that in His Grace they have
something for the heart of men, which, striking home, shall be its own evidence and force.
Thus God adventures His Word forth by nameless and unaccredited men upon no other
authority than the Grace, with which it is fraught for the heart of His people. The illustration,
which this affords of the method and evidence of Divine revelation, is obvious. Let us, with all
the strength of which we are capable, emphasise the fact that our prophecy-which is full of the
materials for an elaborate theology, which contains the most detailed apologetic in the whole
Bible, and displays the most glorious prospect of man’s service and destiny-takes its source and
origin from a simple revelation of Grace and the subjective assurance of this in the heart of those
to whom it is addressed. This proclamation of Grace is as characteristic and dominant in Second
Isaiah as we saw the proclamation of conscience in Isa_1:1-31 to be characteristic of the First
Isaiah.
Before we pass on, let us look for a moment at the contents of this Grace, in the three clauses of
the prophet’s cry: "Fulfilled is her warfare, absolved her guilt, received hath she of Jehovah’s
hand double for all her sins." The very grammar here is eloquent of grace. The emphasis lies on
the three predicates, which ought to stand in translation, as they do in the original, at the
beginning of each clause. Prominence is given, not to the warfare, nor to the guilt, nor to the
sins, but to this, that "accomplished" is the warfare, "absolved" the guilt, "sufficiently expiated"
the sins. It is a great AT LAST which these clauses peal forth; but an At Last whose tone is not so
much inevitableness as undeserved grace. The term translated warfare means "period of military
service, appointed term of conscription"; and the application is apparent when we remember
that the Exile had been fixed, by the Word of God through Jeremiah, to a definite number of
years. "Absolved" is the passive of a verb meaning to "pay off what is due." (Lev_27:1-34) But
the third clause is especially gracious. It declares that Israel has suffered of punishment more

than double enough to atone for her sins. This is not a way of regarding either sin or atonement,
which, theologically speaking, is accurate. What of its relation to our Articles, that man cannot
give satisfaction for his sins by the work of his hands or the pains of his flesh? No: it would
scarcely pass some of our creeds today. But all the more, that it thus bursts forth from strict
terms of dealing, does it reveal the generosity of Him who utters it. How full of pity God is, to
take so much account of the sufferings sinners have brought upon themselves! How full of grace
to reckon those sufferings "double the sins" that had earned them! It is as when we have seem
gracious men make us a free gift, and in their courtesy insist that we have worked for it. It is
grace masked by grace. As the height of art is to conceal art, so the height of grace is to conceal
grace, which it does in this verse.
Such is the Voice of Grace. But,
2. Hark, One calling!
In the wilderness prepare the way of Jehovah!
Make straight in the desert a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be exalted,
And every mountain and hill be made low:
And the crooked grow straight,
And rough places a plain:
And the glory of Jehovah be revealed,
And see it shall all flesh together;
For the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken.
The relation of this Voice to the previous one has already been indicated. This is the witness of
Providence following upon the witness of Grace. Religion is a matter in the first place between
God and the heart; but religion does not, as many mock, remain an inward feeling. The secret
relation between God and His people issues into substantial fact, visible to all men. History
vindicates faith; Providence executes Promise; Righteousness follows Grace. So, as the first
Voice was spoken "to the heart," this second is for the hands and feet and active will. "Prepare ye
the way of the Lord." If you, poor captives as you are, begin to act upon the grace whispered in
your trembling hearts, the world will show the result. All things will come round to your side. A
levelled empire, an altered world-across those your way shall lie clear to Jerusalem. You shall go
forth in the sight of all men, and future generations looking back shall praise this manifest
wonder of your God. "The glory of Jehovah shall be revealed, and see it shall all flesh together."
On which words, how can our hearts help rising from the comfort of grace to the sense of
mastery over this world, to the assurance of heaven itself? History must come round to the side
of faith-as it has come round not in the case of Jewish exiles only, but wheresoever such a faith
as theirs has been repeated. History must come round to the side of faith, if men will only obey
the second as well as the first of these herald voices. But we are too ready to listen to the Word of
the Lord, without seeking to prepare His way. We are satisfied with the personal comfort of our
God; we are contented to be forgiven and-oh mockery!-left alone. But the word of God will not
leave us alone, and not for comfort only is it spoken. On the back of the voice, which sets our
heart right with God, comes the voice to set the world right, and no man is godly who has not
heard both. Are we timid and afraid that facts will not correspond to our faith? Nay, but as God
reigneth they shall, if only we put to our hands and make them; "all flesh shall see it," if we will
but "prepare the way of the Lord."

Have we only ancient proofs of this? On the contrary, God has done like wonders within the lives
of those of us who are yet young. During our generation, a people has appealed from the
convictions of her heart to the arbitrament of history, and appealed not in vain. When the
citizens of the Northern States of the American Republic, not content as they might have been
with their protests against slavery, rose to vindicate these by the sword, they faced, humanly
speaking, a risk as great as that to which Jew was ever called by the word of God. Their own
brethren were against them; the world stood aloof. But even so, unaided by united patriotism
and as much dismayed as encouraged by the opinions of civilisation, they rose to the issue on
the strength of conscience and their hearts. They rose and they conquered. Slavery was
abolished. What had been but the conviction of a few men became the surprise, the admiration,
the consent of the whole world. "The glory of the Lord was revealed, and all flesh saw it
together."
3. But the shadow of death falls on everything, even on the way of the Lord. By 550 B.C.-that is,
after thirty-eight years of exile-nearly all the strong men of Israel’s days of independence must
have been taken away. Death had been busy with the exiles for more than a generation. There
was no longer any human representative of Jehovah to rally the people’s trust; the monarchy,
each possible Messiah who in turn held it, the priesthood, and the prophethood-whose great
personalities so often took the place of Israel’s official leaders-had all alike disappeared. It was
little wonder, then, that a nation accustomed to be led, not by ideas like us Westerns, but by
personages, who were to it the embodiment of Jehovah’s will and guidance, should have been
cast into despair by the call, "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." What sort of a call was this for a
people whose strong men were like things uprooted and withered! How could one be, with any
heart, a herald of the Lord to such a people!
Hark one saying "Call."
And I said:
"What can I call?
All flesh is grass,
And all its beauty like a wild-flower!
Withers grass, fades flower,
When the breath of Jehovah blows on it.
Surely grass is the people."
Back comes a voice like the east wind’s for pitilessness to the flowers, but of the east wind’s own
strength and clearness, to proclaim Israel’s everlasting hope.
Withers grass, fades flower,
But the word of our God endureth for ever,
Everything human may perish; the day may be past of the great prophets, of the priests-of the
King in his beauty, who was vicegerent of God. But the people have God’s word; when all their
leaders have fallen, and every visible authority for God is taken away, this shall be their rally and
their confidence.
All this is too like the actual experience of Israel in Exile not to be the true interpretation of this
third, stern Voice. Their political and religious institutions, which had so often proved the
initiative of a new movement, or served as a bridge to carry the nation across disaster to a larger
future, were not in existence. Nor does any Moses, as in Egypt of old, rise to visibleness from
among his obscure people, impose his authority upon them, marshal them, and lead them out
behind him to freedom. But what we see is a scattered and a leaderless people, stirred in their

shadow, as a ripe cornfield is stirred by the breeze before dawn-stirred in their shadow by the
ancient promises of God, and everywhere breaking out at the touch of these into psalms and
prophecies of hope. We see them expectant of redemption, we see them resolved to return, we
see them carried across the desert to Zion, and from first to last it is the word of God that is their
inspiration and assurance.
They, who formerly had rallied round the Ark or the Temple, or who had risen to the hope of a
glorious Messiah, do not now speak of all these, but their "hope," they tell us, "is in His word"; it
is the instrument of their salvation, and their destiny is to be its evangelists.
4. To this high destiny the fourth Voice now summons them, by a vivid figure
Up on a high mountain, get thee up,
Heraldess of good news, O Zion!
Lift up with strength thy voice,
Heraldess of good news, Jerusalem!
Lift up, fear not, say to the cities of Judah:-
Behold, your God.
Behold, my Lord Jehovah, with power He cometh,
And His arm rules for Him.
Behold, His reward with Him,
And His recompense before Him.
As a shepherd His flock He shepherds;
With His right arm gathers the lambs,
And in His bosom bears them.
Ewe-mothers He tenderly leads.
The title which I have somewhat awkwardly translated "heraldess"-but in English there is really
no better word for it-is the feminine participle of a verb meaning to "thrill," or "give joy, by
means of good news." It is used generally to tell such happy news as the birth of a child, but
mostly in the special sense of carrying tidings of victory or peace home from the field to the
people. The feminine participle would seem from Psa_68:1-35 "the women who publish victory
to the great host," to have been the usual term for the members of those female choirs, who, like
Miriam and her maidens, celebrated a triumph in face of the army, or came forth from the city
to hail the returning conqueror, as the daughters of Jerusalem hailed Saul and David. As such a
chorister, Zion is now summoned to proclaim Jehovah’s arrival at the gates of the cities of
Judah.
The verses from "Behold, your God," to the end of the Prologue are the song of the heraldess. Do
not their mingled martial and pastoral strains exactly suit the case of the Return? For this is an
expedition, on which the nation’s champion has gone forth, not to lead His enemies captives to
His gates, but that He may gather His people home. Not mailed men, in the pride of a victory
they have helped to win, march in behind Him.-"armour and tumult and the garment rolled in
blood,"-but a herd of mixed and feeble folk, with babes and women, in need of carriage and
gentle leading, wander wearily back. And, therefore, in the mouth of the heraldess the figure
changes from a warrior-king to the Good Shepherd. "With His right arm He gathers the lambs,
and in His bosom bears them. Ewe-mothers He gently leads." How true a picture, and how
much it recalls! Fifty years before, the exiles left their home (as we can see to this day upon

Assyrian sculptures) in closely-driven companies, fettered, and with the urgency upon them of
grim soldiers, who marched at intervals in their ranks to keep up the pace, and who tossed the
weaklings impatiently aside. But now, see the slow and loosely-gathered bands wander back,
just as quickly as the weakest feel strength to travel, and without any force or any guidance save
that of their Almighty, Unseen Shepherd.
We are now able to appreciate the dramatic unity of this Prologue. How perfectly it gathers into
its four Voices the whole course of Israel’s redemption: the first assurance of Grace whispered to
the heart, cooperation with Providence, confidence in God’s bare Word, the full Return, and the
Restoration of the City.
But its climax is undoubtedly the honour it lays upon the whole people to be publishers of the
good news of God. Of this it speaks with trumpet tones. All Jerusalem must be a herald-people.
And how could Israel help owning the constraint and inspiration to so high an office, after so
heartfelt an experience of grace, so evident a redemption, so glorious a proof of the power of the
Word of God? To have the heart thus filled with grace, to have the will enlisted in so Divine a
work, to have known the almightiness of the Divine Word when everything else failed-after such
an experience, who would not be able to preach the good news of God, to foretell, as our prophet
bids Israel foretell, the coming of the Kingdom and Presence of God-the day when the Lord’s
flock shall be perfect and none wanting, when society, though still weary and weak and mortal,
shall have no stragglers nor outcasts nor reprobates.
O God, so fill us with Thy grace and enlist us in Thy work, so manifest the might of Thy word
to us, that the ideal of Thy perfect kingdom may shine as bright and near to us as to Thy
prophet of old, and that we may become its inspired preachers and ever labour in its hope.
Amen.

11. SBC, “I. In our text there is a specification of one large class of medicine for spiritual disease;
and therefore, by inference, one large class of sickness. "Comfort" is the staple of the
prescription, and what was the condition of the patients? "Cry unto her, that her warfare is
accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received of the Lord’s hands double for
all her sins." Here evidently the condition of Jerusalem is one of distress, anxiety, and
distraction, and this accords most exactly with a passage of the Psalms: "In the multitude of my
thoughts within me, Thy comforts delight my soul." We conclude that the case of sickness so
emphatically prescribed for in our text is that under which the righteous may be labouring from
the difficulties which may encompass him. Our text contains a prescription, but not a
prescription which will serve in all cases wherever there is a throng of anxious thoughts, but only
in cases in which the party strives to walk according to the precepts of religion, and may
therefore be classed among the people of God.
II. Consider the faithfulness and efficacy of the medicine prescribed. The case is that of a
righteous man, on whom cares and sorrows press with great weight, and whose mind is torn
with anxieties, and thronged by a crowd of restless intruders, distracting him even in his
communings with God. Now the very disease under which this man labours incapacitates him in
a great measure for any process of argument. The comforts of God are the rich assurances of His
forgiving and accepting love; the gracious declarations of His everlasting purpose of preserving
to the end those whom He has chosen in Christ; the multiplied promises of spiritual guidance,
protection, and victory, which make to the eye of faith the page of Scripture one sheet of burning
brightness, always presenting most radiantly what is most suited to the necessity. There are the
foretastes of immortality, the glimpses of things within the veil, the communications of the
Spirit, the anticipations of glory, which if the cold and the worldly resolve into a dream of

enthusiasm, the faithful know by experience belong to the realities of their portion. Here then
are comforts, and it is the part of the righteous man in his season of anxiety and distraction to
confine himself to these comforts, regarding them as a sick man the cordials which are specially
adapted to his state.
III. We make no far-fetched application of the text, if we affirm it as specially appropriate on the
approach of the last enemy, death. What has the believer to do when conscious that the time of
his departure is at hand, but seize the consolations of Christianity, and give himself meekly over
into the Good Shepherd’s hands? Let him not argue; let him not debate; let him not sit in
judgment,—let him simply have recourse to the comforts of God.
H. Melvill, Penny Pulpit, No. 1712

I. With these words Isaiah opens his gospel; God’s good word to man. The earlier chapters are
burdens; in view of the sins and wrongs around him, he lifts up his voice and denounces doom.
But mercy rejoices against judgment, so he breaks forth before the burden is ended into the
most sublime strains of consolation and hope which God’s prophets have ever been
commissioned to utter to the world. "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but I am thy Saviour,"
is the real text of his prophecy. It is the theme of his poem wrought out with consummate art
through a hundred suggestive variations. A people self-destroyed, God-redeemed, is the thought
which meets us everywhere; and it is this which makes these closing chapters the great evangelic
poems, not of Israel only, but of the world.
II. The words of this passage (1-11) look on to the captivity. The people, afflicted, chastened,
broken in spirit, are called upon to listen to the strains of consolation which God has breathed
for them in His Word. These words look on through all the ages of human history. It is comfort
throughout and comfort to the end. The mercy of judgment is a subject which we too little study.
Yet mercy is the deepest element in every judgment with which God afflicts mankind. Great
epidemics are healing ordinances. They purify the vital springs. They leave a purer, stronger
health when their dread shadow has passed by. Catastrophes in history are like thunder-storms;
they leave a fresher, brighter atmosphere. Reigns of terror are the gates through which man
passes out into a wider world.
III. Isaiah had the profoundest right to speak of comfort, because he could speak of the advent of
the Redeemer to the world. He not only preaches comfort, but discloses the source from which it
springs.
J. Baldwin Brown, The Sunday Afternoon, p. 1.

I. In the first place, let us identify the people spoken of. "Comfort ye, comfort ye My people."
There was a first reference to the people of the Jews, who we know all through were a people
that shadowed forth other people. The people spoken of in these words who are to be comforted
are preeminently the people of God. They are those who have Christ for their righteousness, and
the Spirit for their strength, grace for their life, God for their Father, heaven for their home.
II. Notice next those messengers through whom this comfort is to be given. There seems to have
been no plurality at first, for this is the writing of the prophet Isaiah; but as it was written it was
not done with, and as the secretary of the Holy Spirit entered the minute in this book the All-
wise Spirit said, "I shall want it for the future; for Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, and Paul,—

for all My servants through all ages. I shall be saying through all time through them, ’Comfort
ye, comfort ye My people."
III. Consider the comfort we are to convey. "Comfort ye My people." (1) By reminding them that
I am their God. All this chapter is a remembrance that God is the Father of His people. (2) By
reminding them that their captivity in this world is nearly over, and that they will soon be home.
There is a glorious world beyond this. We know that there is such a world. Let us cherish the
thought, and push through the difficulties of this world. We shall not see it until we reach the
throne of glory, and see God as He is. (3) The Saviour is coming to this world, and is on His way
to show His glory here. Comfort the people who feel amazed and disquieted by the sight of the
strong things that are arrayed against Christ. Tell them that Christ will overcome these things.
He will come and fill the world with His victories.
C. Stanford, Contemporary Pulpit, vol. v., p. 9.

2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
    that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
    double for all her sins.

1.BARNES, “Speak ye comfortably - Hebrew,
בל־לע  ‛al-leb as in the margin, ‘To the heart.’
The heart is the seat of the affections. It is there that sorrow and joy are felt. We are oppressed
there with grief, and we speak familiarly of being pained at the heart and of being of a glad or
merry heart. To speak ‘to the heart,’ is to speak in such a way as to remove the troubles of the
heart; to furnish consolation, and joy. It means that they were not merely to urge such topics as
should convince the understanding, but such also as should be adopted to minister consolation
to the heart. So the word is used in Gen_34:3 : ‘And his soul clave unto Dinah - and he loved the
damsel, and spake kindly (Hebrew, to the heart) of the damsel;’ Gen_50:21 : ‘And he comforted
them, and spoke kindly unto them’ (Hebrew, to their hearts); see also 2Ch_32:6.
To Jerusalem - The direction is not merely to speak to the people in Babylon, but also to
comfort Jerusalem itself lying in ruins. The general direction is, therefore, that the entire series

of topics of consolation should be adduced - the people were to return from their bondage, and
Jerusalem was to be rebuilt, and the worship of God to be restored.
And cry unto her - In the manner of a crier; or one making public and loud proclamation
(compare Isa_40:3, Isa_40:9). Jerusalem is here personified. She is addressed as in ruins, and
as about to be rebuilt, and as capable of consolation from this promise.
That her warfare is accomplished - Septuagint, ‘That her humiliation (ταπείνωσις  tapeino
sis
) is accomplished.’ The Hebrew word (
אבצ  SH tv t), ‘warfare’) properly means an army or host
(compare the note at Isa_1:9), and is usually applied to an army going forth to war, or
marshalled for battle 2Sa_8:16; 2Sa_10:7. It is then used to denote an appointed time of service;
the discharge of a duty similar to an enlistment, and is applied to the services of the Levites in
the tabernacle Num_4:28 : ‘All that enter in to perform the service (Hebrew, to war the
warfare), to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.’ Compare Num_8:24-25. Hence,
it is applied to human life contemplated as a warfare, or enlistment, involving hard service and
calamity; an enlistment from which there is to be a discharge by death.
Is there not a set time (Hebrew, a warfare) to man upon earth?
Are not his days as the days of an hireling?
Job_7:1
But if a man die - shall he indeed live again?
All the days of my appointed time (Hebrew, my warfare) will I wait,
Till my change come.
Job_14:14
Compare Dan_10:1. The word then means hard service, such as soldiers endure; an appointed
time which they are to serve; an enlistment involving hardships, toil, privation, danger,
calamity. In this sense it is applied hero to Jerusalem - to the trials, calamities, desolations to
which she was subjected for her sins, and which were to endure a definite and fixed time - like
the enlistment of an army. That time was now coming to an end, and to be succeeded by a
release, or discharge. Vitringa, who supposes that this refers primarily and solely to the times of
the Messiah, regards this as meaning that the definite time of the legal economy, a time of toil,
and of vexatious and troublesome ceremonies, was about to end by the coming of the Messiah.
But the more correct interpretation is, probably, that which supposes that there was a primary
reference to the long and painful captivity of the Jews, in Babylon.
That her iniquity - The iniquity or sin here referred to, is that long series of acts of
rebellion, corruption, and idolatry, with which the Jewish people had been chargeable, and
which had rendered their captivity necessary. As a nation, that sin was now expiated, or
removed by their protracted punishment in Babylon. It was a sufficient expression of the divine
displeasure at the national offences, and God was satisfied (הצרנ  nı;r
e
SH tx) with it, and could
consistently restore them to their land, and to their former privileges. The whole language here
has respect to national, and not to individual offences.
Is pardoned - Vulgate, Dimissa est iniquitas illius. Septuagint, Λέλυται3α4τ5ς36378αρτία
Lelutai autes he hamartia - ‘Her sin is loosed,’ dissolved, remitted. The word ‘pardon’ does not
quite express the meaning of the word in the original (הצרנ  nı;r
e
SH tx). The word הצר  _ tSH tx
properly means to delight in any person or thing; to take pleasure in; then to receive graciously
or favorably; to delight in sacrifices and offerings Job_33:26; Psa_51:18; Eze_20:40; and, in the
Hiphil conjugation, satisfy, or pay to off, that is, to cause to be satisfied, or pleased; and then in
Hophal, to be satisfied, to be paid off, to be pleased or satisfied with an expiation, or with an

atonement for sins, so as to delight in the person who makes it. Here it means not strictly to
pardon, but it means that they had endured the national punishment which God saw to be
necessary; they had served out the long and painful enlistment which he had appointed, and
now he was satisfied, and took delight in restoring them to their own land. It does not refer to
the pardon of people in consequence of the atonement made by the Lord Jesus; but it may be
used as an illustration of that, when God is satisfied with that atonement; and when he has
pleasure or delight in setting the soul free from the bondage of sin, and admitting the sinner to
his favor - as he had delight here in restoring his people to their own land.
For she hath received - Jerusalem had now been desolate for almost seventy years, on the
supposition that this relates to the period near the close of the exile, and that was regarded as an
ample or full expression of what she ought to suffer for her national offences.
Of the Lord’s hand - From the hand, or by the agency of Yahweh. Whoever were the
instruments, her sufferings were to be regarded as his appointment.
Double for all her sins - The word rendered ‘double’ (םילפכ  kip
e
layim) is the dual form
from לפכ  kepel, ‘a doubling,’ and occurs in Job_41:13 :
Who will rip up the covering of his armor?
Against the doubling of his nostrils who will advance?
Good
And in Job_11:6 :
And that he would unfold to them the secrets of wisdom.
That they are double to that which is;
That is, there are double-folds to God’s wisdom, or the wisdom of of God is complicated,
inexplicabIe (Gesenius). The word in Job means ‘conduplications, folds, complications, mazes,
intricacies’ (Good). Here the word has doubtless its usual and proper meaning, and denotes
double, twice as much; and the expression may denote that God had inflicted on them double
that which had been usually inflicted on rebellious nations, or on the nation, before for its sins.
Or the word may be used to denote abundance, and the prophet may design to teach that they
had been amply, or abundantly punished for their crimes. ‘That is,’ says Grotius, ‘as much as
God judged to be sufficient.’ ‘Double, here,’ says Calvin, ‘is to be received for large and
abundant.’ Some have supposed (see Rosenmuller, who approves of this interpretation) that the
word ‘sins here means the punishment of sins, and that the word ‘double’ refers to the mercies
or favors which they were about to receive, or which God had purposed to confer on them. So
Lowth understands it; and renders the word החקל  . t"
e
ex tx ‘shall receive’ (in the future):
That she shall receive at the hand of Yahweh
(Blessings) double to the punishment of all her sins.
But though it was true that their favors on their return, in the hope of the Messiah, and in
their renovated privileges, would be far more numerous than their sufferings had been, yet this
does not so well suit the connection, where the prophet is giving a reason why they should be
released from their bondage, and restored to the privileges of their own land. That reason
manifestly is, that they had suffered what was regarded by Yahweh as an ample expression of his
displeasure for their national offences. It does not refer to individual sinners; nor to any power
which they have to make atonement for their sins; nor does it refer to the atonement made by
the Messiah. But it may be remarked, by the way, that in the sufferings of the Redeemer there
has been ample satisfaction for the sins of his people. The Chaldee interpreter understands this

as Rosenmuller does, that the word ‘double’ refers to, the mercies which they had received:
‘Because she has received a cup of consolation from the presence of the Lord, as if (וּלאכ  k
e
)O.ut)
she had been smitten twofold for all her sins.’

2. CLARKE, “
Double for all her sins “Blessings double to the punishment” - It
does not seem reconcilable to our notions of the Divine justice, which always punishes less than
our iniquities deserve, to suppose that God had punished the sins of the Jews in double
proportion; and it is more agreeable to the tenor of this consolatory message to understand it as
a promise of ample recompense for the effects of past displeasure, on the reconciliation of God
to his returning people. To express this sense of the passage, which the words of the original will
very well bear, it was necessary to add a word or two in the version to supply the elliptical
expression of the Hebrew. Compare
Isa_61:7; Job_42:10; Zec_9:12. האטח  chattaah signifies
punishment for sin, Lam_3:39; Zec_14:19. But Kimchi says, “Double here means the two
captivities and emigrations suffered by the Israelites. The first, the Babylonish captivity; the
second, that which they now endure.” This is not a bad conjecture.

3. GILL, “
Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her,.... Or, "speak to or
according to the heart of Jerusalem
(h)"; to her very heart, what will be a cordial to her, very
acceptable, grateful, and comfortable; and let it be proclaimed aloud, that she may hear and
understand it. By "Jerusalem" is meant the Gospel church, and the true members of it. Aben
Ezra interprets it of the congregation of Israel; see Heb_12:22,

that her warfare is accomplished; this life is a warfare; saints have many enemies to engage
with, sin, Satan, and the world; many battles to fight, a great fight of afflictions, and the good
fight of faith: this is "accomplished", or "filled up (i)"; not that it is at an end before this life is,
while that lasts there will be a continual conflict; yet all enemies are now conquered by Christ,
and in a short time will be under the feet of his people; the Captain of their salvation, who has
got the victory, is gone before them; the crown is laid up for them, and is sure unto them. Some
interpret it, as Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, "her set or appointed time (k)"; and
compare it with Job_7:1, and may be understood either of the time of deliverance from captivity:
so the Targum,

"that her captivity by the people is filled up:''

or of the time of the Messiah's coming, the fulness of time, when he should appear, afterwards
prophesied of; or of the servitude and bondage of the law being at an end, and of all the fatigue,
labour, and trouble of that dispensation; and of the Gospel dispensation taking place: it follows,

that her iniquity is pardoned; which is God's act, flows from his free grace, is obtained by
the blood of Christ, is full and complete, and yields great relief and comfort to guilty minds: or
"is accepted" (l); that is, the punishment of it as bore by her surety; see Lev_26:43. The allusion
is to the sacrifices being accepted for the atonement of sin, Lev_1:4, and may have respect here
to the acceptation of Christ's sacrifice, for the expiation of the sins of his people. Jarchi
interprets the word "appeased"; and so it may be applied to the reconciliation for sin made by
the blood of Christ. The Targum understands it of forgiveness, as we do:

for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins; which may be
understood either of a sufficiency of chastisements for sin; though they are not more, but less,
than are deserved, yet are as much as their heavenly Father, in his great tenderness and
compassion, thinks are enough; and though they are in measure, and do not exceed, yet are in
large measure often, at least in their own apprehension: or else of the large and copious
blessings of grace and goodness received, instead of punishment for sins, that might be
expected: or rather at the complete satisfaction made by Christ for her sins, and of her receiving
at the Lord's hands, in her surety, full punishment for them; not that more was required than
was due, but that ample satisfaction was made, and, being infinite, fully answers the demerit of
sin; and this being in the room and stead of God's people, clears them, and yields comfort to
them.

4. HENRY, “
Comfortable words directed to Jerusalem in particular: “Speak to the heart of
Jerusalem (
Isa_40:2); speak that which will revive her heart, and be a cordial to her and to all
that belong to her and wish her well. Do not whisper it, but cry unto her: cry aloud, to show
saints their comforts as well as to show sinners their transgressions; make her hear it:” 1. “That
the days of her trouble are numbered and finished: Her warfare is accomplished, the set time of
her servitude; the campaign is now at an end, and she shall retire into quarters of refreshment.”
Human life is a warfare (Job_7:1); the Christian life much more. But the struggle will not last
always; the warfare will be accomplished, and then the good soldiers shall not only enter into
rest, but be sure of their pay. 2. “That the cause of her trouble is removed, and, when that is
taken away, the effect will cease. Tell her that her iniquity is pardoned, God is reconciled to her,
and she shall no longer be treated as one guilty before him.” Nothing can be spoken more
comfortably than this, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. Troubles are then
removed in love when sin is pardoned. 3. “That the end of her trouble is answered: She has
received of the Lord double for the cure of all her sins, sufficient, and more than sufficient, to
separate between her and her idols,” the worship of which was the great sin for which God had a
controversy with them, and from which he designed to reclaim them by their captivity in
Babylon: and it had that effect upon them; it begat in them a rooted antipathy to idolatry, and
was physic doubly strong for the purging out of that iniquity. Or it may be taken as the language
of the divine compassion: His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel (Jdg_10:16), and, like a
tender father, since he spoke against them he earnestly remembered them (Jer_31:20), and was
ready to say that he had given them too much correction. They, being very penitent,
acknowledged that God has punished them less than their iniquities deserved; but he, being
very pitiful, owned, in a manner, that he had punished them more than they deserved. True
penitents have indeed, in Christ and his sufferings, received of the Lord's hand double for all
their sins; for the satisfaction Christ made by his death was of such an infinite value that it was
more than double to the demerits of sin; for God spared not his own Son.

5. JAMISON, “
comfortably — literally, “to the heart”; not merely to the intellect.
Jerusalem — Jerusalem though then in ruins, regarded by God as about to be rebuilt; her
people are chiefly meant, but the city is personified.
cry — publicly and emphatically as a herald cries aloud (
Isa_40:3).
warfare — or, the appointed time of her misery (Job_7:1, Margin; Job_14:14; Dan_10:1).
The ulterior and Messianic reference probably is the definite time when the legal economy of
burdensome rites is at an end (Gal_4:3, Gal_4:4).

pardoned — The Hebrew expresses that her iniquity is so expiated that God now delights in
restoring her.
double for all her sins — This can only, in a very restricted sense, hold good of Judah’s
restoration after the first captivity. For how can it be said her “warfare was accomplished,” when
as yet the galling yoke of Antiochus and also of Rome was before them? The “double for her
sins” must refer to the twofold captivity, the Assyrian and the Roman; at the coming close of this
latter dispersion, and then only, can her “iniquity” be said to be “pardoned,” or fully expiated
[Houbigant]. It does not mean double as much as she deserved, but ample punishment in her
twofold captivity. Messiah is the antitypical Israel (compare Mat_2:15, with Hos_11:1). He
indeed has “received” of sufferings amply more than enough to expiate “for our sins”
(Rom_5:15, Rom_5:17). Otherwise (cry unto her) “that she shall receive (blessings) of the Lord’s
hand double to the punishment of all her sins” (so “sin” is used, Zec_14:19, Margin) [Lowth].
The English Version is simpler.

6. K&D, “
The summons is now repeated with still greater emphasis, the substance of the
consoling proclamation being also given. “Speak ye to the heart of Jerusalem, and cry unto her,
that her affliction is ended, that her debt is paid, that she has received from the hand of
Jehovah double for all her sins.” The holy city is thought of here in connection with the
population belonging to it.
ב ֵל־ל ַע ר ֶE ִG (to speak to the heart) is an expression applied in Gen_34:3
and Jdg_19:3 to words adapted to win the heart; in Gen_50:21, to the words used by Joseph to
inspire his brethren with confidence; whilst here it is used in precisely the same sense as in
Hos_2:16, and possibly not without a reminiscence of this earlier prophecy. ל ֶא א ָר ָק (to call to a
person) is applied to a prophetic announcement made to a person, as in Jer_7:27; Zec_1:4. The
announcement to be made to Jerusalem is then introduced with י ִI, Jτι, which serves as the
introduction to either an indirect or a direct address (Ges. §155, 1, e). (1.) Her affliction has
become full, and therefore has come to an end. א ָב ָצ, military service, then feudal service, and
hardship generally (Job_7:1); here it applies to the captivity or exile - that unsheltered bivouac,
as it were, of the people who had bee transported into a foreign land, and were living there in
bondage, restlessness, and insecurity. (2.) Her iniquity is atoned for, and the justice of God is
satisfied:
sO_SH tx, which generally denotes a satisfactory reception, is used here in the sense of
meeting with a satisfactory payment, like
ןוֹ ָע 3ָהצ ָר in Lev_26:41, Lev_26:43, to pay off the debt of
sin by enduring the punishment of sin. (3.) The third clause repeats the substance of the
previous ones with greater emphasis and in a fuller tone: Jerusalem has already suffered fully
for her sins. In direct opposition to ה ָח ְק ָל, which cannot, when connected with two actual perfects
as it is here, be take as a perfect used to indicate the certainty of some future occurrence,
Gesenius, Hitzig, Ewald, Umbreit, Stier, and Hahn suppose
kiphlayim to refer to the double
favour that Jerusalem was about to receive (like
mishneh in
Isa_61:7, and possibly borrowed
from Isaiah in Zec_9:12), instead of to the double punishment which Jerusalem had endured
(like mishneh in Jer_16:18). It is not to be taken, however, in a judicial sense; in which case God
would appear over-rigid, and therefore unjust. Jerusalem had not suffered more than its sins
had deserved; but the compassion of God regarded what His justice had been obliged to inflict
upon Jerusalem as superabundant. This compassion also expresses itself in the words “for all”
(
b
e
khol, c. Beth pretii): there is nothing left for further punishment. The turning-point from

wrath to love has arrived. The wrath has gone forth in double measure. With what intensity,
therefore, will the love break forth, which has been so long restrained!

7. CALVIN, “2.Speak ye according to the heart of Jerusalem. Here God commands his servants the
prophets, and lays down the message which he wishes them to deliver publicly, when believers shall be
called to change their strain from mourning to joy. And yet he does not exhort and encourage them to the
cheerful and courageous discharge of their office, so much as he conveys to the minds of believers an
assured hope that they may patiently endure the irksomeness of delay, till the prophets appear with this
glad and delightful message. To speak to the heart (107) is nothing else than “ speak according to the
wish or sentiment of the mind;” for our heart abhors or recoils if any sad intelligence is communicated, but
eagerly receives, or rather runs to meet, whatever is agreeable. Now, in consequence of the people
having been apparently rejected, nothing could be more agreeable than a reconciliation (108) which
should blot out all offenses. By a figure of speech in which a part is taken for the whole, Jerusalem, as is
well known, denotes the Church.

And cry to her. The word cry means that the promise of this grace will be open and manifest, so as to
resound in the ears of all and be understood; for if prophets only muttered or spoke indistinctly, the belief
of this consolation would be doubtful or weak, but now that they publish it boldly and with open mouth, all
doubts are removed.

That her warfare is accomplished. This is the desirable message, that the Lord determines to put an end
to the warfare of his people. I consider יכ (ki) to be used for introducing an explanation. Some think
that האבצ, (tzebaahh,) which we have translated “ warfare,” simply denotes “” as if it had been said, “ time
is accomplished.” (109) Others think that it expresses the time of visitation, but this is incorrect; for among
the Hebrews it literally denotes a time previously appointed and set apart for lawful work or labor.
(Num_4:23.) But here unquestionably the metaphor is taken from the discharge of soldiers; for it means
that the end and issue of their vexations is at hand, and that God does not wish to harass his people
continually, but to set a limit to their afflictions. He therefore compares the time of the captivity in Babylon
to a righteous warfare, at the end of which the soldiers, having obtained an honorable discharge, will
return home to enjoy peace and quietness.

That her iniquity is pardoned. This means that God is so gracious to them that he is unwilling to treat
them with the utmost severity. These words, therefore, assign a reason; for, as physicians, in curing
diseases, first remove the causes from which diseases arise, so does the Lord deal with us. The
scourges by which he chastises us proceed from our sins; and therefore, that he may cease to strike, he
must first pardon us; and consequently, he says that there will be an end of punishments, because he no
longer imputes sin. Others think that הנוע (gnavonahh) means “ misery,” and that it denotes that her
misery is ended. This meaning also is highly appropriate, and thus the Prophet will make the same
announcement in two ways; for to finish her warfare, and to put an end to her miseries, mean the same
thing. Yet we must hold this principle, that God ceases from inflicting punishment when he is appeased,
so that pardon and the forgiveness of sins always come first in order, as the cause. But the
word הצרנ (nirtzah) demands, in my opinion, the former meaning; as if he had said, that God has been
appeased in such a manner that, having pardoned and forgiven their sins, he is ready to enter again into
a state of favor with his people.

Double for all her sins. This passage is explained in two ways. Some say that the people, having

deserved a double punishment, have obtained a double favor; and others, that they have received
enough of punishment, because God is unwilling to exact more. The former interpretation, though it
contains an excellent and profitable doctrine, does not agree with the text, and must therefore be set
aside; and it is evident that the Prophet means nothing else than that God is abundantly satisfied with the
miseries which have befallen his Church. I could have wished, therefore, that they who have attacked
Jerome and other supporters of this interpretation, had been more moderate; for the natural meaning
belongs to this interpretation, and not to the more ingenious one, that the Lord repays double favor for
their sins. The general meaning is, that God is unwilling to inflict more severe or more lengthened
punishment on his people, because, through his fatherly kindness, he is in some sense displeased with
the severity.

Here the word double denotes “ and abundant.” It must not be imagined that the punishments were
greater than the offenses, or equal to them; for we ought to abhor the blasphemy of those who accuse
God of cruelty, as if he inflicted on men excessively severe punishment; for what punishment could be
inflicted that was sufficiently severe even for the smallest offense? This must therefore relate to the mercy
of God, who, by setting a limit to the chastisements, testifies that he is unwilling to punish them any more
or longer, as if he were abundantly satisfied with what had gone before, though that nation deserved far
severer chastisements. God sustains the character of a Father who, while he compassionates his
children, is led, not without reluctance, to exercise severity, and thus willingly bends his mind to grant
forgiveness.

(107) “Selon le coeur;” “ to the heart.” Our author employs both “secundum cor “ and “ad cor.” — Ed.

(108) “La reconciliation avec Dieu.” “ reconciliation with God.”

(109) Que nons avons traduit Guerre, pour “ temps,” comme s’ estoit dit Son temps est accompli.

8. BI, “
Voices that speak to the heart
This is one characteristic of the voices that reach us from God: they speak home to the heart (R..,
marg.). The phrase in the Hebrew is the ordinary expression for wooing, and describes the
attitude of the suppliant lover endeavouring to woo a maiden’s heart. Love can detect love.
I. THE VOICE OF FORGIVENESS. The first need of the soul is forgiveness. It can endure
suffering; and if that suffering, like the Jewish exile, has been caused by its own follies and sins,
it will meekly bow beneath it, saying with Eli, under similar circumstances, “It is the Lord; let
Him do what seemeth good to Him.” But the sense of being unforgiven! This bitterness of heart
for sin is the first symptom of returning life! And before God can enter upon His great work of
salvation, before He can clear away the debris and restore the ruined temple, before He can
reproduce His image, it is needful to assure the penitent and believing soul that its time of
service is accomplished, that its iniquity is pardoned. In dealing with the question of sin and its
results, let us always distinguish between its penal and natural consequences. The distinction
comes out clearly in the ease of drunkenness or criminal violence. Society steps in and inflicts
the penalties of the fine, the prison, or the lash; but in addition to these, there is the aching
head, the trembling hand, the shattered nervous system. So in respect to all sin. The natural
consequences remain. David was forgiven, but the sword never left his house. The drunkard, the
dissolute, the passionate, may be pardoned, and yet have to reap as they sowed. The

consequences of forgiven sin may be greatly sanctified; the Marah waters cured by the tree of the
Cross—yet they must be patiently and inevitably endured. It was thus that Jerusalem was
suffering, when these dulcet notes reached her. The backsliding and rebellious people were
doomed to serve their appointed time and captivity, and suffer the natural and inevitable results
of apostasy. Hence the double comfort of this first announcement.
II. THE VOICE OF DELIVERANCE. Between Babylon and Palestine lay a great desert of more
than thirty days’ journey. But the natural difficulties that seemed to make the idea of return
chimerical, were small compared with those that arose from other circumstances. The captives
were held by as proud a monarchy as that which refused to let their fathers go from the brick-
kilns of Egypt. Mountains arose in ranges between them and freedom, and valleys interposed
their yawning gulfs. But when God arises to deliver His people who cry day and night unto Him,
mountains swing back, as did the iron gate before Peter; valleys lift their hollows into level
plains; crooked things become straight, and rough places smooth.
III. THE VOICES OF DECAY AND IMMORTAL STRENGTH. As man’s soul is still, and
becomes able to distinguish the voices that speak around him in that eternal world to which he,
not less than the unseen speakers, belongs, it hears first and oftenest the lament of the angels
over the transcience of human life and glory. In a stillness, in which the taking of the breath is
hushed, the soul listens to their conversation as they speak together. “Cry,” says one watcher to
another. “What shall I cry?” is the instant inquiry. There is, continues the first, “but one
sentiment suggested by the aspect of the world of men. All flesh is grass, and all its beauty like
the wild flowers of the meadow-lands, blasted by the breath of the east wind, or lying in swathes
beneath the reaper’s scythe.” The words meet with a deep response in the heart of each
thoughtful man. But listen further to the voices of the heavenly watchers. The failure of man
shall not frustrate the Divine purpose. “The Word of the Lord shall stand for ever.”
IV. VOICES TO HERALD THE SHEPHERD-KING. The Old Version and the margin of the R.V.
are, perhaps, preferable to the R.V. Zion, the grey fortress of Jerusalem, is bidden to climb the
highest mountain within reach, and to lift up her voice in fearless strength, announcing to the
cities of Judah lying around in ruins that God was on His way to restore them. “Say unto the
cities, Behold your God! Behold the Lord God will come.” All eyes are turned to behold the
entrance on the scene of the Lord God, especially as it has been announced that He will come as
a mighty one. But, lo! a Shepherd conducts His flock with leisurely steps across the desert sands,
gathering the lambs with His arm, and carrying them in His bosom, and gently leading those
that give suck. It is as when, in after centuries, the beloved apostle was taught to expect the Lion
of the tribe of Judah, and, lo! in the midst of the throne stood a Lamb as it had been slain. Do
not be afraid of God. He has a shepherd’s heart and skill. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)

God the Comforter of His people
The skill of a physician is shown, in the first place, in selecting out of many diseases that under
which his patient suffers; and, in the second place, in choosing, out of many remedies, that
which is most likely to effect his cure. There is as great variety in the diseases of the soul as in
those of the body. And if there be this variety in spiritual diseases, and this variety of remedy,
then evidently, in ministering to a mixed people, the preacher of Christianity will have to decide
in each separate case what is the precise form of sickness, and what the exact medicine best
adapted to its cure. Where the soul is utterly insensible to the truths of religion, there must not
be the same process as where the conscience is busy in remonstrance. There are spiritual
patients with whom we must try argument; but there are others with whom argument would be
altogether out of place, whose disquieted minds totally incapacitate them for any process of
reasoning; who require the cordials of the Gospel, that they may be strengthened for the trials

and endurances of life. There is the lowering medicine for the over-sanguine and presumptuous;
and there is the stimulating for the timid and mistrustful.
I. In our text, there is a specification of one large class of medicine; and therefore, by inference,
ONE LARGE CLASS OF SICKNESS. “Comfort” is the staple of the prescription. And what was
the condition of these patients? We may ascertain this from the subsequent words, “Cry unto
her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the
Lord’s hands double for all her sins.” Here evidently the condition of Jerusalem is one of distress
and anxiety and distraction; and this accords most exactly with a passage in the Psalms, and
with which we shall connect our text—“In the multitude of my thoughts within me, Thy comforts
delight my soul.” Here there is the same medicine—“comfort”; but you have the disease more
clearly defined—a “multitude of thoughts.” Bishop Austin’s version is, “The multitude of my
anxieties within me”; whilst the representation in the original Hebrew would seem that of a man
involved in a labyrinth, from whose intricacies there was no way of escape. All this agrees
precisely with the case of Jerusalem in the text. And what cause of distressing anxiety would
there be whilst there was warfare unfinished, and sin unforgiven! A multitude of thoughts is a
very common symptom; but in different patients it requires very different medicines. A man
might be “a man after God’s own heart,” and yet subject to the invasion of a crowd of anxieties.
It is not uncommon for religious persons to erect standards of excellence, failing to reach which
they become uneasy and doubtful as to their spiritual state. Reading the promises of the Bible,
which speak of the righteous as “kept in perfect peace,” which breathe tranquillity, abstraction
from earthly cares and foretastes of the blessedness of heaven, they conclude that what they
ought to experience is perfect serenity of mind; and when they often experience distracting
anxieties which the spirit is unable to throw off altogether, and when in times of approaching in
prayer the Lord God of heaven and earth, they find their attention broken, then they will add to
every other grief a worse grief than all—they will suspect their own sincerity in religion. And
never can it be a part of our business to lessen the extent of what is blameworthy, or to
endeavour to persuade the righteous that freedom from anxiety is not a privilege to be sought
for, or that the concentration of the whole soul is not to be attempted, and failure therein not
bitterly lamented. But we know that amid the turmoil of this busy world there will often be such
an invasion of the altar of the Lord as when the birds came down on Abraham’s sacrifice. “The
spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” And whilst we could not wish men to regard their
infirmities as sufficient excuses, or to be content with imperfection, as though unavoidable; still,
where there is the honest endeavour to stay the mind on God, and abstract it from earth, we may
tell them that piety may consist with anxiety, and sincerity of prayer with a multitude of
thoughts. God is speaking to those who were sorely distracted, and yet He still calls them “My
people.” It is not every failure which should fill you with apprehension as to your state before
God.
So wonderfully are we made, so many are the inlets into the mind, so great are the facilities with
which evil angels can ply their suggestions, so difficult, moreover, is it to keep that attention to
worldly business which is required from us as members of society, from being deformed by that
carefulness which is forbidden us as members of Christ’s Church; that, indeed, it were vain to
hope, however it be right to desire, that anxiety shall never harass us in a world that teems with
trouble. So far from being necessarily a cause of despair or despondency, the Christian may rise
superior to all these intruders, and prove that they do but heighten the blessedness of the
blessing, though invaded by the influence of earth. God speaks to those as still “His people” who
are wearied and worn down with warfare and toil; and in place of speaking to them
reproachfully He has only soothing things to utter—“Comfort ye,” etc.
II. Our latter observations have somewhat trenched on THE CHARACTER OF THE MEDICINE
which should be tried when the disease is a multitude of thoughts; but we must now examine
with attention, and endeavour to determine its faithfulness and its efficiency. The case is that of

a righteous man on whom cares and sorrows press with great weight; and whose mind is torn
with anxieties and thronged by a crowd of restless intruders distracting him even in his
communings with God. Now, the very disease under which this man labours incapacitates him
in a great measure for any process of argument. His distracted mind is quite unfitted for that
calm and searching inquiry which is required into the matter of the evidences of Christianity for
strictly convincing him of the inspiration of Scripture. His mind is evidently unfitted for duly
considering, and examining with that singleness of purpose which is demanded by their
solemnity, mysteriousness, and importance such truths as those of the Trinity, the Incarnation,
and the Atonement. Ask ye what these comforts are? There are the rich assurances of God’s
forgiving love; there are the gracious declarations of His everlasting purpose of preserving to the
end those whom He has chosen in Christ; there are the multiplied promises which make to the
eye of faith the page of Scripture one sheet of burning brightness, always presenting most
radiantly what is most suited to the necessity. There are the foretastes of immortality. You may
without sinfulness and merely through infirmity be invaded and harassed by a multitude of
thoughts. But the evil is that when thus invaded and harassed the Christian is apt to attempt a
critical examination of his spiritual state, to encourage doubts as to his acceptance with God,
and to try and satisfy himself by some process of reasoning as to whether he has indeed believed
unto the saving of his soul, whereas his very state is one which unfits him for reasoning, for
sitting in judgment on himself, and delivering an accurate verdict. He is sick, and requires God’s
comfort.
III. The comforting message is to be delivered to Jerusalem, and annexed is a statement of her
warfare being accomplished; and if you connect with this the exclamation of St. Paul—“I have
fought the good fight, I have finished my course,” you will see that we make no far-fetched
application of the text, if we affirm it as SPECIALLY APPROPRIATE ON THE APPROACH OF
THE LAST ENEMY, DEATH. Never is it likely that there will be a more tumultuous gathering of
conflicting emotions than when the mind fixes itself on approaching death. It is here that the
power of all mere human resources must eventually fail. Christianity furnishes an abundance of
what is needed for allaying the fear of death, and soothing man’s passage to the tomb. (H.
Mevill, B. D.)

Her warfare is accomplished
The Christian’s warfare
The acceptableness of any announcement will depend very much upon the state of mind and
feeling in which we are found in respect to the subject of such announcement. Go to the soldier,
wearied with a long campaign, and many a hazardous engagement, longing for a sight of his
beloved home—to him how welcome will be the announcement, “Thy warfare is accomplished!”
It was on this principle that the prophet Isaiah was directed to take a message of consolation to
the ancient people of God. The language of the text may, without any impropriety, be applied to
the termination of any state of anxiety, hardship, and grief.
I. THE LIFE OF THE TRUE BELIEVER IS A WARFARE. Frequen tly is it represented to us in
the Holy Scripture by this form of military phraseology. Hence, says the apostle, “Fight the good
fight of faith”; and, writing to Timothy, “That by these thou mightest war a good warfare”; “I
have fought a good fight,” etc.
1. The great principle of the conflict is faith, founded and implanted in the mind by a super-
natural agency. No man will ever in a Christian sense contend, until he is united by a living
faith to Jesus, the Son of God: for faith acquaints him with his spiritual enemies; faith is the
principle of the new life which puts itself into an attitude of resistance against all that is

hostile to itself. “This is the victory that over-cometh the world, even our faith.” When a man
is slumbering in his sin, nothing is further from his thoughts than to maintain a spiritual
conflict with invisible, spiritual existences; but, under the influence of faith, he will find he is
surrounded by a legion of foes. He looks within, and there he finds the corruption of fallen
nature. Besides the corruption of an evil nature, there are the powers of darkness. The world,
even in its lawful form, is a very serious enemy to our spiritual progress and our spiritual
peace.
2. This contention will continue as long as life shall last.
II. THE HOUR OF DEATH WITNESSES THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF TH IS WARFARE.
1. Death is the instrumental means of separating us from our connection with the present
evil world; it strikes at once a line of demarcation, which throws us beyond the reach of all
the elements of this present sensible life. He upon whom death has performed his solemn
office, has no further interest in the possessions, the endearments, the gains, the business,
the pleasures, and the satisfactions of this vain world.
2. Then, death terminates the strife of sin.
3. Death confesses that the believer is a conqueror over himself, and fields the palm of
victory at the moment when he inflicts the blow (1Co_15:55-57).
III. THE CONSOLING AND EXHILARATING QUALITIES OF THIS BL ESSED
CONSUMMATION.
1. When the warfare ends, the rest begins.
2. This state of rest is also a state of peculiar and inexpressible delight. It is something more
than rest, as implying a cessation from toil and from contention; it is a joyful rest. Think of
the place of rest into which the departed spirits of the just are received. They are where
Christ is; they behold His glory. And then, consider the society to which the ransomed spirits
of the just are admitted. Think of the employments to which they are advanced. They serve
God day and night in His temple, and His name is in their foreheads.
3. This felicity is evermore increasing.
4. This felicity will be for ever and ever. “So shall we ever be with the Lord.” (G. Clayton.)

Undeserved grace
“Fulfilled is her warfare, absolved her guilt, received hath she of Jehovah’s hand double for all
her sins.” The very grammar here is eloquent of grace. The emphasis lies on the three predicates,
which ought to stand in translation, as they do in the original, at the beginning of each clause.
Prominence is given, not to the warfare, nor to the guilt, nor to the sins, but to this, that
“accomplished” is the warfare, “absolved” the guilt, “sufficiently expiated” the sins. It is a great
At Last which these clauses peal forth; but an At Last whose tone is not so much inevitableness
as undeserved grace. (Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.)

Grace masked by grace
How full of pity God is, to take so much account of the sufferings sinners have brought upon
themselves! How full of grace to reckon those sufferings “double the sins” that had earned them!
It is, as when we have seen gracious men make us a free gift, and in their courtesy insist that we
have worked for it. It is grace masked by grace. (Prof. G. A. Smith, D. D.)

Double for all her sins
“Double for all her sins”
It is not to be pressed arithmetically, in which case God would appear over-righteous, and
therefore unrighteous. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)

3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
    the way for the Lord[a];
make straight in the desert
    a highway for our God.[b]

1.BARNES, “The voice of him that crieth - Lowth and Noyes render this, ‘A voice crieth,’
and annex the phrase ‘in the wilderness’ to the latter part of the sentence:
A voice crieth, ‘In the wilderness prepare ye the way of Yahweh.’
The Hebrew (
ארוק לוק  "kt. "kt_Im)) will bear this construction, though the Vulgate and the
Septuagint render it as in our common version. The sense is not essentially different, though the
parallelism seems to require the translation proposed by Lowth. The design is to state the source
of consolation referred to in the previous verses. The time of the exile at Babylon was about to be
completed. Yahweh was about to conduct his people again to their own country through the
pathless wilderness, as he had formerly conducted them from Egypt to the land of promise. The
prophet, therefore, represents himself as hearing the voice of a herald, or a forerunner in the
pathless waste, giving direction that a way should be made for the return of the people. The
whole scene is represented as a march, or return of Yahweh at the head of his people to the land
of Judea. The idea is taken from the practice of Eastern monarchs, who whenever they entered

on a journey or an expedition, especially through a barren and unfrequented or inhospitable
country, sent harbingers or heralds before them to prepare the way.
To do this, it was necessary for them to provide supplies, and make bridges, or find fording
places over the streams; to level hills, and construct causeways over valleys, or fill them up; and
to make a way through the forest which might lie in their intended line of march. This was
necessary, because these contemplated expeditions often involved the necessity of marching
through countries where there were no public highways that would afford facilities for the
passage of an army. Thus Arrian (Hist. liv. 30) says of Alexander, ‘He now proceeded to the
River Indus, the army’ that is, 63στρατιά he stratia, a part of the army, or an army sufficient for
the purpose, ‘going before, which made a way for him, for otherwise there would have been no
mode of passing through that region.’ ‘When a great prince in the East,’ says Paxton, ‘sets out on
a journey, it is usual to send a party of men before him to clear the way.
The state of those countries in every age, where roads are almost unknown, and, from want of
cultivation, in many places overgrown with brambles and other thorny plants, which renders
traveling, especially with a large retinue, incommodious, requires this precaution. The Emperor
of Hindoostan, in his progress through his dominions, as described in the narrative of Sir
Thomas Roe’s embassy to the court of Delhi, was preceded by a very great company, sent before
him to cut up the trees and bushes, to level and snmoth the road, and prepare their place of
encampment. We shall be able, perhaps, to form a more clear and precise idea from the account
which Diodorus gives of the marches of Semiramis, the celebrated Queen of Babylon, into Media
and, Persia. “In her march to Ecbatana,” says the historian, “she came to the Zarcean mountain,
which, extending many furlongs, and being full of craggy precipices and deep hollows, could not
be passed without taking a great compass. Being therefore desirous of leaving an everlasting
memorial of herself, as well as of shortening the way, she ordered the precipices to be digged
down, and the hollows to be filled up; and at a great expense she made a shorter and more
expeditious road; which to this day is called from her the road of Semiramis. Afterward she went
into Persia, and all the other countries of Asia subjected to her dominion, and wherever she
went, she ordered the mountains and precipices to be leveled, raised causeways in the plain
country, and, at a great expense, made the ways passable.”
The writer of the apocryphal Book of Baruch, refers to the same subject by the same images:
‘For God hath appointed that every high hill, and banks of long continuance, should be cast
down, and valleys filled up, to make even the ground, that Israel may go safely in the glory of
God’ Isa_5:7. It is evident that the primary reference of this passage was to the exiles in Babylon,
and to their return from their long captivity, to the land of their father. The imagery, the
circumstances, the design of the prophecy, all seem to demand such an interpretation. At the
same time it is as clear, I apprehend, that the prophet was inspired to use language, of design,
which should appropriately express a more important event, the coming of the forerunner of the
Messiah, and the work which he should perform as preparatory to his advent. There was such a
striking similarity in the two events, that they could be grouped together in the same part of the
prophetic vision or picture the mind would naturally, by the laws of prophetic suggestion
(Introduction, Section 7, III. (3), glance from one to the other, and the same language would
appropriately and accurately express both. Both could be described as the coming of Yahweh to
bless and save his people; both occurred after a long state of desolation and bondage - the one a
bondage in Babylon, the other in sin and national declension. The pathless desert was literally to
be passed through in the one instance; in the other, the condition of the Jews was that which
was not unaptly likened to a desert - a condition in regard to real piety not unlike the state of a
vast desert in comparison with fruitful fields. ‘It was,’ says Lowth, ‘in this desert country,
destitute at that time of all religious cultivation, in true piety and works unfruitful, that John
was sent to prepare the way of the Lord by preaching repentance.

That this passage has a reference to John as the forerunner of the Messiah, is evident from
Mat_3:3, where it is applied to him, and introduced by this remark: ‘For this is he that was
spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice,’ etc. (see also Joh_1:23) The events were so
similar, in their main features, that the same language would describe both. John was nurtured
in the desert, and passed his early life there, until he entered on his public work Luk_1:80. He
began to preach in a mountainous country, lying east of Jerusalem, and sparsely inhabited, and
which was usually spoken of as a desert or wilderness Mat_3:1; and it was here that his voice
was heard announcing the coming of the Messiah, and that he pointed him to his own followers
Joh_1:28-29.
In the wilderness - Babylon was separated from Judea by an immense tract of country,
which was one continued desert. A large part of Arabia, called Arabia Deserts, was situated in
this region. To pass in a direct line, therefore, from Babylon to Jerusalem, it was necessary to go
through this desolate country. It was here that the prophet speaks of hearing a voice
commanding the hills to be leveled, and the valleys filled up, that there might be a convenient
highway for the people to return (compare the notes at Isa_35:8-10).
Prepare ye the way - This was in the form of the usual proclamation of a monarch
commanding the people to make a way for him to pass. Applied to the return of the exile Jews, it
means that the command of God had gone forth that all obstacles should be removed. Applied to
John, it means that the people were to prepare for the reception of the Messiah; that they were
to remove all in their opinions and conduct which would tend to hinder his cordial reception, or
which would prevent his success among them.
Of the Lord - Of Yahweh. Yahweh was the leader of his people, and was about to conduct
them to their own land. The march therefore, was regarded as that of Yahweh, as a monarch or
king, at the head of his people, conducting them to their own country; and to prepare the way of
Yahweh was, therefore, to prepare for his march at the head of his people. Applied to the
Messiah, it means that God was about to come to his people to redeem them. This language
naturally and obviously implies, that he whose way was thus to be prepared was Yahweh, the
true God. So it was undoubtedly in regard to him who was to be the leader of the exile Jews to
their own land, since none but Yahweh could thus conduct them. And if it be admitted that the
language has also a reference to the Messiah, then it demonstrates that he was appropriately
called Yahweh. That John the Immerser had such a view of him, is apparent from what is said of
him.
Thus, Joh_1:15, he says of him that, ‘he was before’ him which was not true unless he had an
existence previous to his birth; he calls him, Joh_1:18, ‘the only begotten Son, which is in the
bosom of the Father;’ and in Joh_1:34, he calls him ‘the Son of God’ (compare Joh_10:30,
Joh_10:33, Joh_10:36). In Joh_3:31, he says of him, ‘he that cometh from above is above all; he
that cometh from heaven is above all.’ Though this is not one of the most direct and certain
proof texts of the divinity of the Messiah, yet it is one which may be applied to him when that
divinity is demonstrated from other places. It is not one that can be used with absolute certainty
in an argument on the subject, to convince those who deny that divinity - since, even on the
supposition that it refers to the Messiah, it may be said plausibly, and with some force, that it
may mean that Yahweh was about to manifest himself by means of the Messiah; yet it is a
passage which those who are convinced of the divinity of Christ from other source, will apply
without hesitation to him as descriptive of his rank, and confirmatory of his divinity.
Make straight - Make a straight or direct road; one that should conduct at once to their
land. The Chaldee renders this verse, ‘Prepare a way before the people of Yahweh; make in the
plain ways before the congregation of our God.’
A highway - (See the note at Isa_35:8).

2. CLARKE, “
The voice of him that crieth to the wilderness “A voice crieth, In the
wilderness” - The idea is taken from the practice of eastern monarchs, who, whenever they
entered upon an expedition or took a journey, especially through desert and unpractised
countries, sent harbingers before them to prepare all things for their passage, and pioneers to
open the passes, to level the ways, and to remove all impediments. The officers appointed to
superintend such preparations the Latins call stratores. Ipse (Johannes Baptista) se stratorem
vocat Messiae, cujus esset alta et elata voce homines in desertis locis habitantes ad itinera et
vias Regi mox venturo sternendas et reficiendas hortari. - Mosheim, Instituta, Majora, p. 96.
“He (John the Baptist) calls himself the pioneer of the Messiah, whose business it was with a
loud voice to call upon the people dwelling in the deserts to level and prepare the roads by which
the King was about to march.”
Diodorus’s account of the marches of Semiramis into Media and Persia will give us a clear
notion of the preparation of the way for a royal expedition: “In her march to Ecbatana she came
to the Zarcean mountain, which, extending many furlongs, and being full of craggy precipices
and deep hollows, could not be passed without taking a great compass about. Being therefore
desirous of leaving an everlasting memorial of herself, as well as of shortening the way, she
ordered the precipices to be digged down, and the hollows to be filled up; and at a great expense
she made a shorter and more expeditious road, which to this day is called from her the road of
Semiramis. Afterward she went into Persia, and all the other countries of Asia subject to her
dominion; and wherever she went, she ordered the mountains and precipices to be levelled,
raised causeways in the plain country, and at a great expense made the ways passable.” - Diod.
Sic. lib. ii.
The writer of the apocryphal book called Baruch expresses the same subject by the same
images, either taking them from this place of Isaiah, or from the common notions of his
countrymen: “For God hath appointed that every high hill, and banks of long continuance,
should be cast down, and valleys filled up, to make even the ground, that Israel may go safely in
the glory of God.” Baruch 5:7.
The Jewish Church, to which John was sent to announce the coming of Messiah, was at that
time in a barren and desert condition, unfit, without reformation, for the reception of her King.
It was in this desert country, destitute at that time of all religious cultivation, in true piety and
good works unfruitful, that John was sent to prepare the way of the Lord by preaching
repentance. I have distinguished the parts of the sentence according to the punctuation of the
Masoretes, which agrees best both with the literal and the spiritual sense; which the
construction and parallelism of the distich in the Hebrew plainly favors, and of which the Greek
of the Septuagint and of the evangelists is equally susceptible. John was born in the desert of
Judea, and passed his whole life in it, till the time of his being manifested to Israel. He preached
in the same desert: it was a mountainous country; however not entirely and properly a desert;
for though less cultivated than other parts of Judea, yet it was not uninhabited. Joshua
(
Jos_15:61, Jos_15:62) reckons six cities in it. We are so prepossessed with the idea of John’s
living and preaching in the desert, that we are apt to consider this particular scene of his
preaching as a very important and essential part of history: whereas I apprehend this
circumstance to be no otherwise important, than as giving us a strong idea of the rough
character of the man, which was answerable to the place of his education; and as affording a
proper emblem of the rude state of the Jewish Church at that time, which was the true
wilderness meant by the prophet, in which John was to prepare the way for the coming of the
Messiah.

3. GILL, “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,.... Not the voice of the Holy
Ghost, as Jarchi; but of John the Baptist, as is attested by all the evangelists, Mat_3:3 and by
John himself, Joh_1:23, who was a "voice" not like the man's nightingale, "vox et praeterea
nihil" a voice and nothing else; he had not only a sonorous, but an instructive teaching voice; he
had the voice of a prophet, for he was a prophet: we read of the voices of the prophets, their
doctrines and prophecies, Act_13:27, his voice was the voice of one that crieth, that published
and proclaimed aloud, openly and publicly, with great eagerness and fervency, with much
freedom and liberty, what he had to say; and this was done "in the wilderness", in the wilderness
of Judea, literally taken, Mat_3:1, and when Judea was become a Roman province, and the Jews
were brought into the wilderness of the people, Eze_20:35 and when they were, as to their
religious affairs, in a very forlorn and wilderness condition (m): what John was to say, when he
came as a harbinger of Christ, and did, follows:

prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God:
by whom is meant the Messiah to whose proper deity a noble testimony is here bore, being
called "Jehovah" and "our God": whose way John prepared himself, by preaching the doctrine of
repentance, administering the ordinance of baptism, pointing at the Messiah, and exhorting the
people to believe in him; and he called upon them likewise to prepare the way, and make a plain
path to meet him in, by repenting of their sins, amending their ways, and cordially embracing
him when come, laying aside all those sentiments which were contrary to him, his Gospel, and
kingdom. The sense of this text is sadly perverted by the Targum, and seems to be, done on
purpose, thus,

"prepare the way before the people of the Lord, cast up ways before the congregation of our
God;''

whereas it is before the Lord himself. The allusion is to pioneers, sent before some great
personage to remove all obstructions out of his way, to cut down trees, level the way, and clear
all before him, as in the following verse.

(m) Though, according to the accents, the phrase, "in the wilderness", belongs to what follows,
"in the wilderness prepare ye the way of the Lord"; where it is placed by Junius and Tremellius,
commended for it by Reinbeck, de Accent, Heb. p. 416. though the accent seems neglected in
Matt iii. 3. Mark 1. 3.

4. HENRY, “
The time to favour Zion, yea, the set time, having come, the people of God must
be prepared, by repentance and faith, for the favours designed them; and, in order to call them
to both these, we have here the voice of one crying in the wilderness, which may be applied to
those prophets who were with the captives in their wilderness-state, and who, when they saw the
day of their deliverance dawn, called earnestly upon them to prepare for it, and assured them
that all the difficulties which stood in the way of their deliverance should be got over. It is a good
sign that mercy is preparing for us if we find God's grace preparing us for it,
Psa_10:17. But it
must be applied to John the Baptist; for, though God was the speaker, he was the voice of one
crying in the wilderness, and his business was to prepare the way of the Lord, to dispose men's
minds for the reception and entertainment of the gospel of Christ. The way of the Lord is
prepared,
I. By repentance for sin; that was it which John Baptist preached to all Judah and Jerusalem
(Mat_3:2, Mat_3:5), and thereby made ready a people prepared for the Lord, Luk_1:17.

1. The alarm is given; let all take notice of it at their peril; God is coming in a way of mercy, and
we must prepare for him, Isa_40:3-5. If we apply it to their captivity, it may be taken as a
promise that, whatever difficulties lie in their way, when they return they shall be removed. This
voice in the wilderness (divine power going along with it) sets pioneers on work to level the
roads. But it may be taken as a call to duty, and it is the same duty that we are called to, in
preparation for Christ's entrance into our souls. (1.) We must get into such a frame of spirit as
will dispose us to receive Christ and his gospel: “Prepare you the way of the Lord; prepare
yourselves for him, and let all that be suppressed which would be an obstruction to his entrance.
Make room for Christ: Make straight a highway for him.” If he prepare the end for us, we ought
surely to prepare the way for him. Prepare for the Saviour; lift up your heads, O you gates!
Psa_24:7, Psa_24:9. Prepare for the salvation, the great salvation, and other minor
deliverances. Let us get to be fit for them, and then God will work them out. Let us not stand in
our own light, nor put a bar in our own door, but find, or make, a highway for him, even in that
which was desert ground. This is that for which he waits to be gracious. (2.) We must get our
hearts levelled by divine grace. Those that are hindered from comfort in Christ by their
dejections and despondencies are the valleys that must be exalted. Those that are hindered from
comfort in Christ by a proud conceit of their own merit and worth are the mountains and hills
that must be made low. Those that have entertained prejudices against the word and ways of
God, that are untractable, and disposed to thwart and contradict even that which is plain and
easy because it agrees not with their corrupt inclinations and secular interests, are the crooked
that must be made straight and the rough places that must be made plain. Let but the gospel of
Christ have a fair hearing, and it cannot fail of acceptance. This prepares the way of the Lord;
and thus God will by his grace prepare his own way in all the vessels of mercy, whose hearts he
opens as he did Lydia's.

5. JAMISON, “
crieth in the wilderness — So the Septuagint and
Mat_3:3 connect the
words. The Hebrew accents, however, connect them thus: “In the wilderness prepare ye,” etc.,
and the parallelism also requires this, “Prepare ye in the wilderness,” answering to “make
straight in the desert.” Matthew was entitled, as under inspiration, to vary the connection, so as
to bring out another sense, included in the Holy Spirit’s intention; in Mat_3:1, “John the
Baptist, preaching in the wilderness,” answers thus to “The voice of one crying in the
wilderness.” Maurer takes the participle as put for the finite verb (so in Isa_40:6), “A voice
crieth.” The clause, “in the wilderness,” alludes to Israel’s passage through it from Egypt to
Canaan (Psa_68:7), Jehovah being their leader; so it shall be at the coming restoration of Israel,
of which the restoration from Babylon was but a type (not the full realization; for their way from
it was not through the “wilderness”). Where John preached (namely, in the wilderness; the type
of this earth, a moral wilderness), there were the hearers who are ordered to prepare the way of
the Lord, and there was to be the coming of the Lord [Bengel]. John, though he was immediately
followed by the suffering Messiah, is rather the herald of the coming reigning Messiah, as
Mal_4:5, Mal_4:6 (“before the great and dreadful day of the Lord”), proves. Mat_17:11
(compare Act_3:21) implies that John is not exclusively meant; and that though in one sense
Elias has come, in another he is yet to come. John was the figurative Elias, coming “in the spirit
and power of Elias” (Luk_1:17); Joh_1:21, where John the Baptist denies that he was the actual
Elias, accords with this view. Mal_4:5, Mal_4:6 cannot have received its exhaustive fulfillment
in John; the Jews always understood it of the literal Elijah. As there is another consummating
advent of Messiah Himself, so perhaps there is to be of his forerunner Elias, who also was
present at the transfiguration.
the Lord — Hebrew, Jehovah; as this is applied to Jesus, He must be Jehovah (Mat_3:3).

6. K&D, “
There is a sethume in the text at this point. The first two vv. form a small parashah
by themselves, the prologue of the prologue. After the substance of the consolation has been
given on its negative side, the question arises, What positive salvation is to be expected? This
question is answered for the prophet, inasmuch as, in the ecstatic stillness of his mind as turned
to God, he hears a marvellous voice. “Hark, a crier! In the wilderness prepare ye a way for
Jehovah, make smooth in the desert a road for our God.” This is not to be rendered “a voice
cries” (Ges., Umbreit, etc.); but the two words are in the construct state, and form an
interjectional clause, as in
Isa_13:4; Isa_52:8; Isa_66:6 : Voice of one crying! Who the crier is
remains concealed; his person vanishes in the splendour of his calling, and falls into the
background behind the substance of his cry. The cry sounds like the long-drawn trumpet-blast
of a herald (cf., Isa_16:1). The crier is like the outrider of a king, who takes care that the way by
which the king is to go shall be put into good condition. The king is Jehovah; and it is all the
more necessary to prepare the way for Him in a becoming manner, that this way leads through
the pathless desert.
| ooOQv t_ is to be connected with pannu, according to the accents on
account of the parallel (
zakeph3katan has a stronger disjunctive force here than zekpeh3gadol, as in
Deu_26:14; Deu_28:8; 2Ki_1:6), though without any consequent collision with the New
Testament description of the fulfilment itself. And so also the Targum and Jewish expositors
take רבדמב 3ֵרוק לוק together, like the lxx, and after this the Gospels. We may, or rather apparently
we must, imagine the crier as advancing into the desert, and summoning the people to come and
make a road through it. But why does the way of Jehovah lie through the desert, and whither
does it lead? It was through the desert that He went to redeem Israel out of Egyptian bondage,
and to reveal Himself to Israel from Sinai (Deu_33:2; Jdg_5:4; Psa_88:8); and in Psa_88:4 (5.)
God the Redeemer of His people is called x t_kmKxImvx v tp d_ tvxkmSx. Just as His people looked for
Him then, when they were between Egypt and Canaan; so was He to be looked for by His people
again, now that they were in the “desert of the sea” (Isa_21:1), and separated by Arabia deserta
from their fatherland. If He were coming at the head of His people, He Himself would clear the
hindrances out of His way; but He was coming through the desert to Israel, and therefore Israel
itself was to take care that nothing should impede the rapidity or detract from the favour of the
Coming One. The description answers to the reality; but, as we shall frequently find as we go
further on, the literal meaning spiritualizes itself in an allegorical way.

7. CALVIN, “3.A voice crying in the wilderness. He follows out the subject which he had begun, and
declares more explicitly that he will send to the people, though apparently ruined, ministers of
consolation. At the same time he anticipates an objection which might have been brought forward. “ do
indeed promise consolation, but where are the prophets? For we shall be ‘ a wilderness,’ and whence
shall this consolation come to us?” He therefore testifies that “ wilderness” shall not hinder them from
enjoying that consolation.

The wilderness is employed to denote metaphorically that desolation which then existed; though I do not
deny that the Prophet alludes to the intermediate journey; (110) for the roughness of the wilderness
seemed to forbid their return. He promises, therefore, that although every road were shut up, and not a
chink were open, the Lord will easily cleave a path through the most impassable tracts for himself and his
people.

Prepare the way of Jehovah. Some connect the words “ the wilderness” with this clause, and explain it
thus, “ the way of Jehovah in the wilderness.” But the Prophet appears rather to represent a voice which
shall gather together those who had wandered and had, as it were, been banished from the habitable
globe. “ you behold nothing but a frightful desert, yet this voice of consolation shall be heard from the
mouth of the prophets.” These words relate to the hard bondage which they should undergo in Babylon.

But to whom is that voice addressed? Is it to believers? No, but to Cyrus, to the Persians, and to the
Medes, who held that people in captivity. Having been alienated from obedience to God, they are
constrained to deliver the people; and therefore they are enjoined to “ and pave the way,” that the people
of God may be brought back to Judea; as if he had said:, “ passable what was impassable.” The power
and efficacy of this prediction is thus held up for our applause; for when God invests his servants with
authority to command men who were cruel and addicted to plunder, and who at that time were the
conquerors of Babylon, to “ the way” for the return of his people, he means that nothing shall hinder the
fulfillment of his promise, because he will employ them all as hired servants. Hence we obtain an
excellent consolation, when we see that God makes use of irreligious men for our salvation, and employs
all the creatures, when the case demands it, for that end.

A highway for our God. When it, is said that the way shall be prepared not for the Jews, but for God
himself, we have here a remarkable proof of his love towards us; for he applies to himself what related to
the salvation of his chosen people. The Lord had nothing to do with walking, and had no need of a road;
but he shews that we are so closely united to him that what is done on our account he reckons to be done
to himself. This mode of expression is frequently employed elsewhere, as when it is said that God “ forth
into battle with his anointed,” (Hab_3:13,) and that “ rode through the midst of Egypt,” (Exo_11:4,) and
that he lifted up his standard and led his people through the wilderness. (Isa_63:13.)

This passage is quoted by the Evangelists, (Mat_3:3; Mar_1:3; Luk_3:4,) and applied to John the Baptist,
as if these things had been foretold concerning him, and not unjustly; for he held the highest rank among
the messengers and heralds of our redemption, of which the deliverance from Babylon was only a type.
And, indeed, at the time when the Church arose out of her wretched and miserable condition, her mean
appearance bore a stronger resemblance than the Babylonish captivity to a “” but God wished that they
should see plainly, in the wilderness in which John taught, the image and likeness of that miserably
ruinous condition by which the whole beauty of the Church was injured and almost destroyed. What is
here described metaphorically by the Prophet was at that time actually fulfilled; for at an exceedingly
disordered and ruinous crisis John lifted up the banner of joy. True, indeed, the same voice had been
previously uttered by Daniel, Zechariah, and others; but the nearer the redemption approached, the more
impressively could it be proclaimed by John, who also pointed out Christ with the finger. (Joh_1:29.) But
because, in the midst of a nation which was ignorant and almost sunk in stupidity, there were few that
sincerely grieved for their ruinous condition, John sought a wilderness, that the very sight of the place
might arouse careless persons to hope and desire the promised deliverance. As to his denying that he
was a Prophet, (Joh_1:21,) this depends on the end of his calling and the substance of his doctrine; for
he was not sent to discharge apart any continued office, but, as a herald, to gain an audience for Christ
his Master and Lord. What is here said about removing obstructions, he applies skilfully to individuals, on
this ground, that the depravity of our nature, the windings of a crooked mind, and obstinacy of heart, shut
up the way of the Lord, and hinder them from preparing, by true self?denial, to yield obedience.

(110) “Au chemin d’ Iudee et Babylone.” “ the road between Judea and Babylon.”

7B. GREAT TEXTS OF THE BIBLE, “The Forerunner

The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert
a high way for our God.—Isa_40:3.
All the four Evangelists refer these words to the ministry of St. John the Baptist. In the Baptist they
received their highest and complete fulfilment. But their first and historical reference is to the return of the
Jewish captives from Babylon. The Lord was the King of the chosen people; and in the vision of the
prophet, the promised return to home and freedom was to be a triumphant procession across the desert,
headed by Israel’s invisible Monarch. The cause of the holy people was the cause of God; their bondage
and shame in Babylon, although a heaven?sent punishment, had been a humiliation for the majesty of
Jehovah before the face of the scoffing heathen; their triumphant return would be the work of God, it
would also be the manifestation of His glory. No obstacle should stop the path of His resistless advance:
“Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be
made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall
see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”

Clearly there is here a wider reach of meaning than any which can be satisfied by the actual prospect or
history of the return from Babylon. Say what you will about the highly poetical form into which the prophet
has undoubtedly thrown his fervid thought, still here is the thought beneath the form which clothes it. If it
would be a degrading mistake to resolve this passage into a mere description of some vast engineering
operation: if valleys were not literally to be filled up, and mountains were not literally to be levelled,
something, at any rate, was to take place in the moral, social, or political world which should correspond
to this vigorous imagery. And that something was to interest, not merely the Jewish race and their
heathen neighbours, but the whole human family: “All flesh shall see it together.” It is clear that the
particular, local, temporal deliverance melts before the eye of the prophet—as, gazing on it, he describes
it—into a deliverance, general and world?wide in its significance, extending in its effects far beyond the
limits of time. The deliverance of deliverances is before him. He sees the great escape from bondage, of
which all earlier efforts at freedom were but shadows; he sees it afar off, the pathway of mankind across
the desert of time from the city of chains and sorrow, whereof Babylon was the earthly type, to the city of
freedom and glory imaged in Jerusalem.

And thus it is that the Evangelists so unhesitatingly apply the passage to St. John the Baptist. St. John
was the immediate forerunner of the Deliverer of humanity; St. John, as a hermit of the desert and a
preacher of repentance, supplied, by his life, the connecting link between the literal and spiritual senses
of the prophecy; St. John gathered up in himself, embodied and represented the ages of prediction and
expectation. He was the mind of the Old Testament in a concrete form, laying down its office and
proclaiming its work of preparation finished, when the Reality which it foreshadowed had come.
1 [Note: A. L.
Moore.]

The prophet’s mind is haunted by the vision of perfectness. He has seen it. Not in some dream of
shadowy romance has his mind toyed with the bright imagination, but in his hours of deepest commerce
with the unseen has this great thing been unveiled, and he has gazed upon its holy beauty. It may lie in
dim distances. It may be the final issue of many a bitter conflict and many a dreadful struggle. It may tax
the faith, and try the hope, and wear away the strength of generations of holy men and women before its
fine glory shall be translated into the actual fact of life. But there it is—a profound and actual reality. His
inspired imagination has run forward to greet it, his sometime despondent heart has rested in its certainty.
“The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” That is the revelation, that the
certainty, the hope, and the joy. The world may have no eyes for the glory of the vision, the wise may be
deaf to the Voice that declared it. The cynic may burst into ironic laughter, and the coarse interpret its
holy prophecy in terms of madness. But goodness ever has its own vision. The prophet has ever been the

man with eyes in his soul. He can sing with Abt Vogler—

But God has a few of us whom He whispers in the ear;

The rest may reason and welcome: ’tis we musicians know.

One holy vision fills his mind and heart—there is a perfectness which is dowered with supremacy, beauty,
and abidingness. And ultimately that shall surely triumph.
1 [Note: G. B. Austin, The Beauty of Goodness, p. 190.]

I

The Need of Deliverance
1. The herald and hastener of a better and holier day must be distinguished first by a profound sense of
the evil of the present. The prophet was no blind optimist cherishing a foolish hope of a better and happier
future, because he did not see the abounding evils around him. He saw with clear, penetrating eyes, the
moral and spiritual degradation of his nation and day; saw how king and priests and people were, with
few exceptions, eaten with idolatry as with a cancer. He speaks of it, aye, and of the national evils which
must issue from it—exile, defeat, the overthrow of their beautiful city. That is true of the prophetic band
from first to last—from Elijah to John. They saw, they were oppressed by, the evils in Church and State—
were almost overwhelmed by them—and rose up in indignant condemnation. They pointed out the
unescapable issue of the evil they saw, and demanded a return to a simpler and purer life. Elijah, with
trumpet voice, demands: “How long halt ye?” And John lifts up his voice in the desert and bids men “flee
from the wrath to come.” A profound sense of the sinfulness of sin, and of the wrath of God which abides
perpetually upon it, distinguishes those who were the “road?makers” of past ages. I do not say it was not
shared by many of their countrymen, but it is as true of these men as it is of men of our own day—the
holier and the more consecrated to God feel the evil and the sin most. They see the mountains of
injustice that need to be levelled, the abysses of vice to be filled in, the crookedness, falsity of social life,
the inequalities which make the existence of myriads a lifelong martyrdom.

2. What then was the evil which Christ was to conquer in man and for man? It was sin. Sin is the one real
evil. It is certainly worse than pain, since pain may become a good. It is certainly worse than death, since
death is only the effect of sin, and may be the gate of freedom. It is worse even than the devil, since it
makes the devil to be what he is. The devil would be powerless, and death would have no sting, and pain
would be unknown, if it were not for sin. But sin is not a thing always palpable to and recognised by the
sinner. It is, says Liddon, like the peculiar atmosphere in which we pass the great part of our lives here in
Oxford. Looking down upon our homes from the top of Shotover, we see the thick damp fog burying this
city and valley beneath a shroud of unwholesome vapour; but here in the streets of Oxford we scarcely
observe it hanging in the sunlight, except when it becomes excessive in the depth of winter. Sin is just
such a mist as this: it is a fog, a blight, impalpable yet real, about us, around us, within us. It bathes our
moral life on this side and that, and withal it blinds us to the fact of its existence. If man would take a true
measure of sin, he must be lifted out of it; he must ascend to some moral eminence, whence its real
character will be made plain to him, and where he may form strong resolutions to close with any offer of
deliverance and escape from its importunity and thraldom. Now such an eminence was supplied in early
days by the gift of a moral law. The law did not add to the stock of existing evil, but it drew the
unsuspected latent sin of man forth into the daylight; it irritated into intense vigour the principle of
opposition which, even when dormant, is ever so strong in sinful human nature, and which shows itself,
under the irritation, in its true light as sin. The law was like those remedies in medicine which rid us of a
disease by bringing it to the surface, or, as we say, by precipitating it; it forced man to see what he really
is, and to forget what he had fancied himself to be. “By the law is the knowledge of sin.”

3. But men must be convinced of the evil and of the need of deliverance from it. Take an illustration. We
know that in this country no political measure that really touches the interests of the people can receive

the sanction and the force of law, unless the people themselves are convinced that the evils which the
measure proposes to remedy are substantial and not fancy evils. No legislative genius on the part of the
minister can dispense with this condition of success. If the country is not convinced that the measure is
necessary, the minister must take measures that will produce this conviction. He must hold meetings; he
must make speeches; he must write dissertations; he must deal in dry statistical demonstrations and in
vehemently passionate appeals; he must set in motion all the complicated machinery of political agitation
and enterprise which may be at his disposal. Supposing him to be himself satisfied of the necessity of the
measure in contemplation, this is nothing more than his duty to his country; he would fail of that duty if he
should neglect to diffuse, according to the best of his power, that amount of political information which is
necessary to his success.

You will not understand me to be saying that here we have a strict and absolute analogy to the sacred
matter immediately before us; because it is plain that the correspondence fails in a most vital particular.
We all know that the enactment of a new law in a free country is, in reality, the act not of the legislature
but of the people; the legislature is only the instrument of the popular will. But the redemption of the world
is in no wise the work of redeemed man; Christ is the one Redeemer, in whose redemptive triumph man
could have no part save that of accepting and sharing its blessings. Yet this deliberate acceptance of
Christ’s Redemption by man is of vital necessity to man; man is not saved against or without his will to be
saved; and it is therefore of the last importance that he should understand his need of the salvation which
he must desire and accept.

4. And not only must men be convinced of the need of deliverance, but the Church (taking the
forerunner’s place) must prepare for the coming of the Deliverer. In the language of the prophet, it is the
business of the Church to prepare a highway for Him in the desert. This is a very significant statement, for
the world resents the idea that it is a desert and not fit to receive the Saviour when He comes to it. The
tendency of all human systems of religion, in these days at least, is to make the best of whatever there is
found among men. It is popular to say that there is a great deal of good in the world after all. That is false,
however, except so far as the Gospel has won its way into the hearts of men. The world is essentially evil.
“All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the
Father,” says the apostle. Men lose sight of this fact, that the whole world lies in sin, and that God is
displeased with it. There is no inherent goodness in it that can be brought out into the light and cherished
and developed until it becomes a valuable auxiliary of the work of the Church. No, the world is a desert,
and its barrenness and worthlessness are brought out into sharp relief by the “highway” which is to be
constructed right through it by the servants of God.

The servants of God have not only to build this highway through the desert, but they have also to make it
straight and level, for the Lord’s unhindered progress into the hearts of men. For there are many
obstacles to the spread of the Kingdom interposed by the world, and every one of them has to be met by
the Church and vanquished.

(1) Every valley is to be exalted. That is, the lowlands of indifference and sordid worldliness are to be
filled up and raised to the Gospel level. Divine truth is the great enlightener and quickener of the world.
The vast masses of mankind are indeed sunk in sin and shame, but it is largely because they have been
left so long in the pit, in the swampy places of every sort of misery and degradation, that they have lost
hope. They but strive to get through the days of this world’s life without grievous want of food or shelter,
and that is all. Nothing could be more pitiful than the hopeless misery and stolid indifference of the
teeming millions of earth’s poor. If Christ is to come into their lives, they must first be inspired to look up
and realise that better things are possible, that their condition need not be so wretched, as it is only for
the few years of this world’s span, and then every good and pleasant thing may be theirs in eternity, if
they but ally themselves with the gracious Redeemer who passes through their midst along this high
road.

(2) Not only are the valleys to be exalted, but the mountains and hills are to be made low. These
mountains and hills are the prejudices and self?satisfied ignorance of men, their wilful ways and false
systems, which they choose to think are better than the Gospel, or in any case equally good with it. They
will not suffer their creeds and philosophies and ideals to be beaten down. Yet this is just what the Church

has to do if she is to prepare the straight path for our Lord. Every human system upon which men pride
themselves is hostile to the Gospel. It must be broken down if Christ our Lord is to possess their hearts.
The wise one must surrender the fine?spun conceit of his theories and hypotheses, and bow to the
authority of the Gospel. And so it becomes the business of the Church in every way possible to overcome
the false systems and notions which oppose Divine truth, that the Master’s paths into the hearts of men
may be levelled.

(3) Again, the crooked places are to be made straight. How many of these there are, and what a
Herculean task it seems to be to try to overcome in men’s minds the opposition they have to the Divine
religion because of the inscrutable things in nature and in life’s experiences. Therefore the servants of
God who would make straight His path have to be striving, with tireless patience, to show their troubled
neighbours that there is wisdom in all manner of circumstances which at first sight appear merciless and
capricious.

(4) Once more, God’s servants are called to make the world’s rough places plain. How many places there
are, and how cruelly rough they often are also. We have to contend against this just as much in the
Church as without, for alas, Christians so seldom seem to illustrate the Christ?spirit in their lives, in their
daily intercourse with one another. As the apostle says, they bite and devour one another; so much so
that it is proverbial that ecclesiastical quarrels are the most bitter of all. It is no easy task to soften hard
hearts, to comfort sore hearts, to persuade men that there is something better in the Master’s religion
than they see exemplified commonly in the lives of believers. Yet there is no sort of labour more fruitful in
results than this. The constant effort to speak kindly, to act lovingly, to be gracious and sympathetic; slow
to take offence, quick to make up—such things as these move men more strongly than any words of
argument to embrace the Divine religion. Thus by making the rough places plain do we wonderfully make
straight the highway for our Lord in the desert of this world.

There is scarcely one good road throughout the length and breadth of Palestine. Travellers, as they
manage to pass their horses with difficulty along the wretched highways, or choose some adjacent path
over the open plain as far preferable to the road itself, often wonder whence come the huge rough stones
which so constantly obstruct the way. I was at a great loss to account for the presence of these, until my
attention was called, by W. Schick, our able architect at Jerusalem, to the manner in which many of them
are brought there. The camel, horse, and mule drivers, when they find the burdens they have arranged on
the backs of their sumpter animals are not equally poised, instead of rearranging them, have a cruel and
senseless custom of seizing any large stone which comes to hand, and placing it on that side where the
weight is deficient. This stone in time jolts off, and is replaced by another and often by a third and a
fourth, and in any case, at the journey’s end or when the animals are unloaded, is left where it falls in the
midst of the way. Besides this, in cleaning the vineyards, gardens, and arable land, stones are constantly
thrown out on to the nearest road. None of the highways, moreover, are at any time properly metalled,
and in winter they suffer very severely from the tropical torrents of rain. Neither is there any adequate
provision for keeping them in permanent order, even if they were efficiently made. Yet, notwithstanding
the almost impassable condition of the highways at ordinary times, I have repeatedly showed that on a
few occasions for brief intervals they were carefully mended. These few occasions were those of the
arrival of some royal personages. As soon as it was known at Jerusalem that a king or prince of the blood
was about to come through any of the adjacent parts of Palestine which lie within that pashalic, orders
were forthwith issued to the people of the various towns and villages to put all the roads in order over
which it was arranged he should pass. This was done as usual by means of enforced labour, as was
probably the case in former times.
1 [Note: James Neil, Palestine Explored.]

When I was a boy I sometimes used to stay at a little farm in the country, and of the many delights of my
holiday there, I do not think that any were more delightful than a ride in the farmer’s cart. The farmer’s
cart had no springs under it; the tub was fixed straight to the axle, and when it came to ruts or rough
places upon the road we knew it. Sometimes we went down with such a sudden jerk that we were almost
jerked out of the cart. Well, I used to like that jolting; I did not mind at all those rough places in the road.
But I find that as people get on in life they do not like these shakings up; they prefer to go along easily
and smoothly. And when people in Brighton want to go for a ride in a cab or carriage, they always look

out for one that has written on the lamps, “Rubber Tyres.” You see, the rubber tyres on the wheels make
the rough places plain; that is, they take off the friction; they lessen the unpleasant jolting, and people’s
nerves are not so strained as they would be if they went along the road in an old cart like the one I used
to enjoy going for a ride in, that was fastened to the axle without springs between or rubber tyres on the
wheels. Well, now, I want you to remember that the road of life is rough for most people, and it is rough
sometimes even for boys and girls. It is possible for us all to do something to make life easier, to take
away the friction and the unpleasantness of life, and to make it more pleasant and more enjoyable for
those going over the road.
1 [Note: D. J. Llewellyn.]

II

The Deliverer
The discovery of man’s deep need was accompanied by another discovery, the revelation of a
Deliverance. The hopes of man are as ancient as his despondency. At the gates of Eden was given the
promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head. We interpret that promise, and
rightly enough, in the light of its fulfilment. But when it was given it might have seemed vague, and
capable of many interpretations; nothing was certain except that man’s deliverance would in some way be
wrought out through humanity itself. Around this promise all the faith and hope of the earliest ages
gathered, and from this point gradually narrows and becomes definite as it proceeds to unfold its true
interpretation, until at length, when Isaiah and Zechariah had spoken, the whole life and sufferings of
Jesus Christ had been written by anticipation.

For myself, I am a social optimist, simply because I am a Christian; because I am not willing to take up
the cry which the pessimist and the social cynic desire to put into my mouth. The sky is not black, but
bright with the Christmas star which announces the advent of a King, of a Ruler of men—Christ Jesus—
not reigning merely supreme in far?off splendour in the glory of the heavenly palaces, but King in England
to?day, by His Spirit inspiring, illuminating, transfiguring life, the great Companion, full of love and
sympathy for all the sorrows and sufferings of the poor, full of care and concern also for the wider good of
the commonweal—the Reformer, the Emancipator of the captive and of the oppressed, the Champion of
social right and the Inspirer of social duty. And I am a social optimist also because I am an Englishman;
because I believe in what Burke once called “the inbred integrity and piety of the English people”;
because it is bred into my very bone, as I expect it is bred into yours, that somehow with Englishmen
things cannot go permanently wrong, but are bound to worry through in the end.
1 [Note: C. W. Stubbs, Bishop
of Truro.]

It is an old commonplace of divinity, which we are strangely forgetting, that despair is the only utter
perdition; because despair binds a man in the prison of his own evil nature, and fastens the chain of the
evil spirit upon him; because all hope points upwards to God, and is the response of our spirit to His
Spirit. Therefore I say it again, we ought to stir up hope in every human being. Hope for present help from
God to overcome the sin that most easily besets him; hope that he shall be able to say to the mountain
which now stands in his way, “Remove, and be cast into the sea”; hope for the future that the glory of
God, the Deliverer, shall be fully revealed; and that he, being included in the “all flesh” of which the
prophet writes, bearing that nature in and for which Christ died, shall be able to see it and rejoice in
it.
2 [Note: F. D. Maurice, Sermons preached in Lincoln’s Inn Chapel, i. p. 164.]

1. What is the “straight” line to heaven? Far, far away is the eternal, electing love of God. The visible

starting?place is a sense of sin, and a sincere desire for pardon and peace with God. Next is a feeling of
forgiveness through the mercy of God by the blood and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This leads on to peace.
And then peace runs into love. And love goes on into a new and holy life,—a life dedicate, a life loving, a
life of usefulness, a life for heaven. This line of life grows broader and broader as it goes on. And it also
grows humbler and humbler, till it is all Christ, and no self. And so it brings the traveller to heaven. And
not to stay there, but to go on, in the same line, straighter still, perfectly “straight,” for ever and ever! Thus
the “straight” line is—repentance, pardon, peace, love, holiness, usefulness, humility, heaven. Each runs
into the other; and they make one line.

“The rough places smooth!” Did it ever happen to you to know some very rough man, illiterate, coarse,
hard, who became a Christian? You saw, you could not help seeing, the wonderful change! How soft,
how gentle, how refined that hard man became. The whole being of that man was “smooth.” The “rough
places” were made “plain.” You may be perfectly conscious that there is much in yourself which is very
“rough”; much that grates and irritates; much that is most unlike your Master, and often very grievous to
yourself. “Rough” ways of speaking; “rough’ judgments; “rough” looks; “rough” actions. You regret them
afterwards. But the “roughness” is still there. It breaks out again. What shall you do? Think of the gentle
Jesus! Often have before your eyes His calm, holy, peaceful look. Cling to Him. Unite yourself to Him. Ask
Him to do it, and it will be done. He will make an Advent into your heart. And the more He comes, the
more certain is the result. He will bring quietness. He will make your “rough” places “smooth.” Or, it may
be thus: Perhaps there are many “roughnesses” now in your path; jars in daily life; “rough” persons with
whom you have to do; “rough” circumstances; “roughening” troubles; vexatious annoyances. The whole
discipline of life is “rough” to you! It is astonishing how Christ can, and will, turn those “rough” edges, if
you will ask Him! If He but throw in His calming presence, and pass over it all His smoothing hand, the
“rough” places will soon be “smooth”! The waters will soon settle down when He speaks “Peace”! Believe
it. It is in the covenant. “The rough places shall be made smooth.”
1 [Note: J. Vaughan, Sermons, Sept. 1881 to April
1882, p. 107.]

2. There are many advents of the Son of God, and for every one of them there is some forerunner, some
voice crying in the wilderness: “Prepare ye His way; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”
His comings mark the great upward strides of humanity towards a nobler, freer, purer life; they are the
occasions when the bonds of the past are broken, and the world moves swiftly towards its Divine goal.
The greatest and most hopeful epochs of history have been those when the religious spirit, which is the
Spirit of God moving in the hearts of men, has been quickened and purified. The voice of some John the
Baptist has gone ringing through the wilderness of a dead faith, of a formal worship, of a worldly life, and
men have been startled into attention, have been made conscious of shortcomings and sins, have broken
up the fallow ground of their hearts, have sown to the Lord in righteousness, and have reaped the golden
harvest of a Divine spiritual life.

Let me remind you of three cardinal instances in which living sympathy has prepared the way for Christ’s
triumphal entry into the heart of a generation.

(1) Why was it that while other apostles presented Christ in other ways—as Messiah, as Judge, as
Healer—Paul determined to know nothing but Christ crucified? Not because His Gospel, as he calls it,
was the whole of the Divine message, but because the language of sacrifice was the common speech of
all mankind. Differing in all else, Jew and Greek, barbarian and Scythian, were one in this, that they
regarded sacrifice as the central means of grace. While other aspects of the Saviour might appeal to this
class or that nation, this one touched the springs which move the universal heart of humanity. And so it
was not James or Peter, but Paul, whose picture of the Christ won the homage of the world.

(2) In Italy, at the end of the twelfth century, Christian faith was all but extinct. So entirely were priests and
rulers given up to hatred and greed and luxury that the few humble communities which aimed at a purer
life were hunted as heretics. The mass of the people, despised, oppressed and corrupt, lived in one dumb
longing for pity. Then came an apostle who, from the storehouse of Christ’s words of power, drew that
which they needed—“Blessed are the poor!” When he claimed Poverty for his bride, Francis of Assisi
enacted a parable which all the poor could understand. To choose the life of poverty was to choose that
which bound the sad millions to each other. It was to proclaim himself the brother of all. It was to rob
poverty of its sting by making it a bond of love. The life and words of St. Francis are one long poem, in
which Christ is presented as the Lord of pity. From him men learned once more that the Kingdom of God
is the kingdom of love; once more they became its willing subjects; once more there was a Christian
Italy—a Christian Europe.

(3) But not for long. The glorious revival of the thirteenth century was followed by a long decay of faith
and morals. The Renaissance which restored the art and the learning of the ancient world, restored its
vices too. An ignorant and corrupt priesthood not only oppressed the people, but degraded them; for they
taught that all forms of secular life were profane, and none truly acceptable to God but their own celibate
idleness. In Southern lands laymen accepted their degradation, and religion became a mockery. But in
Germany, in Switzerland, in England, and wherever men had Teutonic blood in their veins, the old
German faith in personal value persisted. Outraged manhood led them to scorn the priests, and almost to
renounce the religion which was an excuse for the domination. Then God raised up an apostle from
among the labouring poor who could understand and convert them. Convert them not by condemning
their errors or denouncing their excesses, but by showing them that all their just claims were allowed and
satisfied by the ancient teaching of the Church. The doctrine of justification by faith, which Luther drew
from Paul’s forgotten writings, meant release from the tyranny of the Confessional, meant the recognition
of each man’s conscience, and the consecration of each man’s life.
1 [Note: M. G. Glazebrook, in The Church
Family Newspaper, March 24, 1910, p. 248.]

3. As the life of the Church of Christ is developed, as its organisation and its methods are kept simply as
instruments for the spirit of faith and love to work through, the Church will become less and less
dependent upon the zealous efforts of any man to inaugurate reforms and to lead onward movements.
The influence of the one man seems to correspond with the generally low and enslaved condition of the
mass of the people; great when the people are most needy; comparatively small when the people are
more free and more able to help themselves. John the Baptist is a unique, a commanding figure, because
the age in which he prophesied was so destitute of spiritual men. Martin Luther is an imposing presence
because, until he began to preach, the people, not having the knowledge of God and of His Christ, were
abject enough to bow down to a corrupt Church which they hated and despised. John Wesley and
George Whitefield stand out conspicuously from a mass of clergymen and ministers of the last century
because the Gospel was then so little known, ministers so rarely experienced its power, and the people
were in such gross darkness. I greatly doubt whether in our country such forerunners of the Kingdom of
God will appear again, simply because I think that the conditions of our Church life are so highly
favourable to upward movements springing from a general sense of need.
2 [Note: J. P. Gledstone, in Christian
World Pulpit, xxxiv. p. 183.]

It is wonderful to see how sensitive the Church of to?day has become to her condition, to her reputation,
and to her efficiency. If there is backsliding, there is always a reprover at hand; if there is a low standard
of attainment, there is always some one to urge her forward to higher graces; if there is inefficiency in any

department of service, there is always some active, enterprising spirit prepared to supply the lack and do
the necessary work. If one Church declines, another grows; if one denomination passes by any field of
usefulness, another steps in and occupies it. If the Churches at home were to prove unfaithful, they would
be rebuked and stimulated by those abroad. If the ministry becomes cold and formal, the Press utters the
complaints of the hungry, starving flock. So much work is now cast upon the Church, her enterprises have
carried her into so many lands, and require so many workers and such enormous revenues, that she can
maintain her ground only by a life of faith. Faith brought her into this goodly land, and by nothing but faith
can she retain it. Yet mere retention is not enough. She must make fresh advances; she lives by growth.
To stand still is to die. Thus is she continually cast upon God, and to be cast upon Him is to find His
faithfulness and truth.
1[Note: J. P. Gledstone, in Christian World Pulpit, xxxiv. p. 183.]

4. What the world requires most of all is a revelation of the glory of God. The material progress which we
have been describing is what many people mean when they speak of “the civilisation of the nineteenth
century,” and yet that which has lamentably failed to bless our own people is sometimes vaunted as the
best message we can send to the heathen. Many say, “Let our trade, and our railways, and all our
conveniences first find entrance to a heathen land, and then the people there will be prepared for the
Gospel.” A grosser delusion could hardly be promulgated. Our own social condition might show its fallacy,
and experiment in heathen lands has confirmed it. When Christianity has gone first (as to the South
Seas), morality, and contentment, and safety have been generated with a simple religious faith, whose
earnestness puts us to shame. But when this so?called “civilisation” has preceded Christianity, idolaters
have become atheists, and their last state is worse than their first. Now, as our text puts it, the great
object we Christians are to keep in view, in all our achievements and enterprises, is that “the glory of
God” may be revealed—not, you observe, the glory of man, not the glory of a society, not the glory of a
sect, but the glory of God. And what do we understand by that? Certainly no burst of light upon the world
such as that which overwhelmed Saul of Tarsus, nor any new and supernatural revelation, but a fulfilment
of the Saviour’s words about His disciples, “I am glorified in them.” As a king, a man finds his glory in the
contentment of his people; as a father, a man finds his glory in the well?being of his children; and so the
great King and Father of us all finds His “glory” in our contentment and well?being. And how can that be
brought about? It is by the work and words of those who speak “comfortably” to the sinners, who proclaim
a reconciled God revealed in Jesus Christ, who declare to all who in penitence will accept it, that “iniquity
is pardoned,” and that it is possible for all flesh to see the salvation of God.
1 [Note: A. Rowland.]

We have produced, during the last fifty years, says Bishop Stubbs, agitators of the John the Baptist type,
from John Bright down to John Burns, and they have most of them done noble preparatory work; but we
have now to produce, if we can, and from the same classes, admirable administrators, who are quite a
different kind of people, a new order of men, a new religious order, shall I say?—men who, whilst
believing in the possibilities of democratic control, know how essential to efficient administration are all
the qualities which are of Christian character, justice, patience, hope, modesty, integrity, frankness, and
fellowship. We want, in fact, as great a change, it seems to me, in our conception of the essential
qualities which go to make an able public man, a vestry politician even, as Browning described in the
wonderful picture he gave of the true function of a poet, which he called, “How it strikes a Contemporary.”
Indeed, now I come to think of it, I am not sure that Browning’s poet is not quite the kind of man we want
for our county councillors and politicians. Do you remember Browning’s lines—

I only knew one poet in my life:

And this, or something like it, was his way.

You saw him up and down Valladolid,

A man of mark, to know next time you saw.

He walked and tapped the pavement with his cane,

Scenting the world, looking it full in the face.

He turned up, now, the alley by the church,

That leads nowhither; now, he breathed himself

On the main promenade just at the wrong time:

You’d come upon his scrutinising hat,

Making a peaked shade blacker than itself

Against the single window spared some house

Intact yet with its mouldered Moorish work,—

Or else surprise the ferrel of his stick

Trying the mortar’s temper ’tween the chinks

Of some new shop a?building, French and fine.

He stood and watched the cobbler at his trade.

He glanced o’er books on stalls with half an eye,

And fly?leaf ballads on the vendor’s string,

And broad?edge bold?print posters by the wall.

He took such cognisance of men and things,

If any beat a horse, you felt he saw;

If any cursed a woman, he took note;

Yet stared at nobody,—you stared at him,

And found, less to your pleasure than surprise,

He seemed to know you and expect as much.

The town’s true master if the town but knew!

We merely kept the governor for form,

While this man walked about and took account

Of all thought, said and acted, then went home,

And wrote it fully to our Lord the King.

8. BI, “
The way of the Lord prepared
I.
THE JEWISH THEOCRACY. It is a favourite statement with those who seek to account for
Christianity on entirely mundane principles, that Christ grew, as it were, out of His age. The age
was waiting for some such Teacher, some such Gospel—and Teacher and Gospel came. Just as
the wreck of the Roman Republic demanded a hand and brain like Caesar’s, and they appeared
at the critical moment and reorganised the State, so the Great Preacher of the universal Gospel
was called for by His times, and He came. There is something in the spirit of an age, we are told,
which creates the heroes and teachers of the age. This is very interesting, and has a large
measure of truth in it. Men of high genius are singularly sensitive to the influences around them,
and are created while they create; but it is blankly impossible to account for Christ and
Christianity by natural evolution, with the Jewish theocracy, a grand prophetic system which for
nearly two thousand years looked unto and prophesied of the Messiah, standing in the way.
There was existing for ages in the world, kept alive by marvellous interventions of a higher hand,
a national community, whose function was distinctly, from first to last, to prepare the way for
the Advent, for the Divine kingdom which was to rule over and to bless mankind. These Jews
were set to bear witness of the reality of the Divine rule, and its necessity, if states were to be
saved from chaos, and the whole world from wreck. There was a period, when Moses led them in
the wilderness, when the theocracy came out with wonderful clearness. Then there was a period,
under their kings, when, through their worldly conformity to the life of surrounding nations, the
theocracy was obscured. But the captivity ended that conformity in sorrow and in shame. From
the time of the captivity the idea of the theocracy was restored. The prophets are throughout its
great witnesses. The expectation, as matter of history, grew intense as the Advent approached.
The expectation of the Advent of a Being, a Person, who should fulfil the promise and the
prophecy with which their national life and literature were charged; who should bring, what
Christ has brought—a Gospel of salvation to the world. It is a wonderful feature of
thepreparation, that just as the nation which exhibited the theocracy was dying away as a nation
its belief in the theocracy grew more intense, and its witness grew more clear and impressive to
the approaching Advent of the great world theocrat—the Christ.

II. THE JEWISH DISPERSION. It was a very wonderful chain of providential agencies which,
before the Advent, scattered that people, these witnesses so charged with the promise and the
prophecy, through the civilised world. Up to the time of the captivity the Jews kept themselves
in a kind of stem, or, as the heathen around them called it, a sullen isolation. They cherished the
sense of a lofty superiority. But, after the captivity, they displayed a singular facility of
dispersion, a happy art of settling and flourishing among the Gentile peoples, which makes them
to this day, pace the Anglo-Saxon, the first settlers of the world. In every chief city of the empire
which Alexander founded a colony of Jews was sure to be settled; and the same state of things
afterwards obtained in the far wider empire of Rome. In order to appreciate the significance of
this, you must estimate the utter confusion of human beliefs and ideas about Divine things and
beings which had been the fruit of the Greek and Roman conquests. Neither Greek nor Roman
had belief enough in his gods to impose them on the conquered nations; nor did they find
anything Divine among the conquered nations which seemed better worth worshipping than
their own. This confusion of religious ideas and systems and deities, none of which had power to
emerge with absolute or even strong claims to belief, was profoundly detrimental to moral
earnestness, and indeed to any high-toned belief about Divine things. There was an utter
confusion and decay of faith. But here were communities settled among them who had an
absolute and indestructible belief in their Revelation. They had a God to worship of whom they
could give intelligible account. The Jews lived among the heathen in isolation still; but the
isolation was visibly based on a religious faith, and on religious records. These Jews, scattered
abroad, were witnesses everywhere of the reality and necessity of Divine revelation to, and
Divine legislation for, man. They familiarised men with the ideas which Christianity proclaimed,
and on which it rested its authoritative claim to the homage and the obedience of mankind.
III. THERE WAS A VERY REMARKABLE CHANGE WITHIN THE BOSOM OF HEATHEN
SOCIETY ITSELF, IN ITS INTELLECTUAL AND MORAL IDEAS , WHICH NOT ONLY
OPENED THE WAY FOR THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY, BUT SE EMED TO DEMAND
SOME SUCH REVELATION OF TRUTH TO MANKIND. Students of philosophy note a very
decided progress between the age of Socrates and the age of Seneca in the consideration of
questions bearing on man’s individual life and destiny. The supreme interest of a man’s life in
the golden age of Greek philosophy lay in his relations, as a member of a society, as a citizen of a
State. Within the little circle of Athenian society men realised a closeness of relation to each
other, which made the State something of a household. The conquests of Alexander created an
entirely new order of things. The Greek became, not the citizen of a State almost domestic in its
magnitude and character, but the subject of a great Empire, lost in an undistinguished mass of
fellow-subjects, and quite cut adrift from the landmarks and the moorings by which he had been
wont to steer and stay his life. The Greek must think about himself and his world, and Alexander
led him out into a world too big for him, which oppressed and distracted him, and overthrew all
the traditions of his schools. It was a world, too, of ceaseless conflict and change. The state of the
Greek world between Alexander’s conquests and the establishment of Roman supremacy, say,
roughly, two hundred years, was such as to throw the thinker back upon himself, to lead him to
realise his individual responsibility, to force on him the question, “What, after all, am I? Whence
did I come? For what am I here? Whither do I tend? I am in a world full of confusion and
misery—how am I to regulate my life, so that my happiness may not become a wreck?” So the
great thinkers increasingly concerned themselves with questions which had to do with the
individual man, his duty, his responsiblilty, his destiny, his means of arming himself for the
battle of life, his means of saving himself from utter and hopeless loss. Thus there was a growing
tendency in men to consider very much the question which Christianity came to treat of as
salvation. The thoughts of man, the longings and aspirations of man, seem to be led up step by
step to the point in which the cry, “Lord, save, or I perish!” was ready, did he but know all the
meaning of his dumb pain, to fashion itself on his lips. All was waiting for the proclamation,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the

poor,” etc. When men went abroad and proclaimed the Advent of a Saviour, they found a ready
entrance to the world’s sad, wistful heart.
IV. THE ROMAN EMPIRE. Incomparably the most important secular herald of the Advent was
the Empire—an Empire under whose sceptre such a decree could go forth (Luk_2:1). There are
many points of view from which the Empire may be regarded as the herald of the kingdom
which was destined to master it, and found on it the edifice of Christian society. We are working
and building on the foundations of the Empire still. The whole of modern European society is
but the fully developed Empire of Rome. It is the centre of the secular, as the Advent of Christ is
the centre of the spiritual, history of mankind. I might say much about the universal peace,
which made the preaching of a universal Gospel possible. About the universal law and language,
which made the career of the preachers, at any rate, far easier and more rapid than it could have
been in any previous state of society. The fundamental question opened by the Empire is also a
fundamental question of Christianity, the relation of men to each other. Is it enmity? is it
brotherhood? Is the struggle for existence the ruling principle of progress, or brotherly
sympathy, care, and love? The state of natural enmity and constant war gave way to a state in
which peace, good-fellowship, and mutual ministries were regarded as the natural condition of
society. Briton and Egyptian, Syrian and Spaniard, formed together a great political unity; and
were drawn into bonds of relation to each other, the nature and bearings of which men were
eager to explore. There rose on the minds of men the idea of human brotherhood. Men began to
speculate about a common good in which civilised humanity was to share, and a duty of the
whole human community to its weaker members, its sick, its poor, its wretched. Men wanted to
know why and how they were brethren, why and how they were to love. And so arose perhaps
the greatest herald of the Advent in secular society, the longing for a kingdom which should
fulfil the promise which Rome in the nature of things was constantly breaking; and give peace,
concord, love to a distracted world. Thus the way was prepared, the highway through the desert
was made. (J. B. Brown, B. A.)

The Divine glory revealed in Christ
I. ITS LITERAL ACCOMPLISHMENT.
1. In the appearance of John the Baptist. Ages rolled away, and no such preparing voice was
heard in the desert of Judea. But it was at length heard.
2. Following the footsteps of the servant, comes the Master. And as John had said, “Prepare
ye the way of the Lord,” then was the glory of God manifested; and all flesh, living at that
time in Judea, saw it together: the glory of God in human nature. Jesus Christ was the visible
image of the glory of God all the time He was on earth. The visible image—
(1) Of the power of God. His works were Divine; His word was power. See His power
over the elements.
(2) Of the truth of God. The doctrine of Christ has brought us nearer to the unclouded
truth of the Divine mind than men were ever brought before.
(3) Of the holiness of God; and that even while He was man upon earth.
(4) Of the justice of God. Though this is not so frequently adverted to as other attributes,
yet it is important. Why did Christ die so willingly? If, then, the glory of God was
revealed even in the lowliness and sufferings of the Saviour, I ask if the coming of Christ
had not in it more real pomp than if He had come with all the grandeur of an Eastern
monarch, to a people who waited for Him?

II. ITS SPIRITUAL ACCOMPLISHMENT. This is seen in the manifestation of Christ to the
hearts of men. In this there is both preparation and manifestation; for Christ, in mercy, no more
bursts upon the soul at once than He did upon the world; He sends His messenger to prepare
the way before Him; this is the first part of the process. That preparing herald, figured by John
the Baptist, is repentance. Consider what repentance is, and you will see how it prepares the soul
for Christ, for pardon, happiness, and purity.
1. The first element is a deep and serious conviction of the fact of our sin. For if we justify
ourselves, there will be no preparation.
2. The second element is a conviction of the extreme danger of sin and its infinite desert.
3. The third element is a burdened and disquieted spirit. This supposes a feeling that we are
not able to deliver ourselves. The way of the Lord is then plain; all obstructions are removed
when we come to this; for all true repentance, like the preaching of John the Baptist,
concludes by saying, “Behold the Lamb of God!” It is here alone that we see the glory of God.
For what is the happiness of a pardoned soul, but one of the brightest manifestations of the
glory of God upon earth? Here is a visible manifestation of the glory of the Divine patience;
that man, amidst all his repeated provocations, should at last be saved and made happy. The
glory of the grace of God! What a comment on the words of the apostle, “By grace are ye
saved!” And then, see the glory of that working of the Divine power by which the soul is
finally brought into the enjoyment of all the mind that was in Christ; the soul changing from
glory to glory, and the work completed by an abundant entrance into the everlasting
kingdom. This is the manifestation of Christ to the soul.
III. ITS ALLEGORICAL ACCOMPLISHMENT. It is seen in the establishment of Christ’s
kingdom upon earth. He sends forth His heralds. It is by the ministry of His Gospel that His
dominion is established. The doctrine to be preached is that of repentance. So St. Paul preached
at Athens. The manifestation of the master follows. Here is a manifestation of the glory of the
heavenly wisdom, raising, exalting, and purifying the human intellect; of the Divine
righteousness, putting a stop to all cruelty and injury. The glory of peace and harmony; the
union of man’s heart to man, the extinction of external wars, and the diffusion of internal
harmony. The glory of that order among families, and societies, and nations, preserved, and
sanctified, and so regulated that no part infringes on the other, but the whole proceeds
harmoniously, like a piece of sound mechanism. The glory of mercy and charity: teaching men to
remember those that are in afflictions, as being themselves in like manner afflicted. This is a
glory peculiar to the Christian revelation. (R. Watson.)

Preparation for the Advent Messiah
A positive preparation of the race itself was necessary, before the plan of redemption could be
successfully revealed. This preparation was gradually going forward at the same time that our
moral helplessness was so amply illustrated. If we reflect upon the nature of the Christian
revelation we shall be convinced that its conceptions belong to an advanced period of
civilisation. It addresses itself exclusively to the spiritual nature of man. But, in the earlier
periods of our race, our conceptions are all from without; they have to do almost exclusively with
sensible objects. The Gospel has to do with thought, feeling, sentiment, motive, and all their
various attributes; and it could not be well understood until the mind of man had become
somewhat at home in these conceptions. Nor is this all. The Christian religion addresses itself to
the moral nature, the conscience of man.
I. Hence, a remedial dispensation would naturally be delayed, until the moral character of man,
both individual and social, had been fully displayed; and MANKIND HAD BECOME IN SOME

DEGREE CAPABLE OF APPRECIATING THE FACTS THUS PRESENT ED TO THEIR NOTICE.
But, besides this, the Gospel is a revelation communicated to man by language, and its
authenticity, as is meet, is attested by miracles. Now, considerable progress must have been
made in civilisation before such testimony could be given as we would be willing to receive on a
question of so vital importance. Until the laws of nature are to some extent known, we cannot
determine whether the Creator has or has not in a particular case departed from them. And this
leads us to observe, again, that a revelation from God to man, informing him of this wonderful
change in the conditions of his probation,—a revelation designed for all ages to the end of time,
and destined towork a perfect transformation in the moral character of our race,—could not
have been completed until language had arrived at a considerable degree of perfection. It was
necessary that the doctrines and motives peculiar to the new dispensation should be
promulgated with all possible explicitness, and yet guarded from all tendency either to
incompleteness or excess. Amidst all the agitations of society, throughout all the overturnings of
empire, the human mind, during this long period, had been gradually attaining maturity. Each
nation, during its brief existence, had either added something to the stock of human knowledge,
or made some contribution to the materials for human thought. Every revolution had illustrated
in some new phase the principles of conduct, and had bequeathed the lesson to succeeding
generations.
II. We see, then, that God not only prepared a language in which this revelation for all coming
ages could, be written, but HE DIFFUSED THAT LANGUAGE OVER THE CIVILISED WORLD.
He created a suitable vehicle for the truth, and He made that vehicle, as far as was necessary,
universal. And this work was accomplished by means of the ambition of Alexander, and the all-
grasping love of dominion of the citizens of Rome. Men ignorant of the existence and character
of the true God, bowing down to the senseless images which their own hands had fashioned,
indulging without restraint their own corrupt passions, were thus advancing His purposes, and
opening the way for the advent of His Son.
III.
One other condition remains yet to be observed.
The nations inhabiting the shores of the Mediterranean were originally distinct in
government, dissimilar in origin, diverse in laws, habits, and usages, and almost
perpetually at war.
To pass from one to the other without incurring the risk of injury, nay, even of
being sold into slavery, was almost impossible.
A stranger and an enemy were designated by the same word.
It was necessary that these various peoples should all be moulded into one
common form; that one system of laws should bind th em all in harmony. This
seems to have been needful, in order that the new religion might be rapidly and
extensively promulgated. In order to accomplish this purpose WAS THE ROMAN EMPIRE
RAISED UP, AND ENTRUSTED WITH THE SCEPTRE OF UNIVERSA L DOMINION. In many
respects it resembled the dominion of Great Britain at the present day in Asia. We perceive that
the overturnings of forty centuries were required in order to prepare the world for the advent of
the Messiah. The same omniscient wisdom has ever since been engaged in carrying forward the
work which was then commenced. (D. Wayland, LL. D.)

Vox clamantis

It were surely a vain thing for a voice to cry in the wilderness where none can hear but the
startled wild animals; where there are no sympathetic human hearts that can thrill with its
message. But we must remember that of old the wilderness had a strange, weird attraction for
many who aspired to live a holy life. And other souls who had similar longings, but did not
possess the means or the courage to gratify them, would resort to the hermit of the wilderness
for counsel and benediction.
1. The metaphor, so wild and striking, of a voice crying in the wilderness, is as appropriate as
metaphor could be for representing the man of God who, in a degenerate age, lifts up his
voice to declare the truth, to reprove sin, to call men to a new life. Rocks are not harder than
hearts sometimes; the wandering blustering winds are not more inattentive to the speaker’s
message than are some souls. To a divinely taught spirit nothing is so truly a desert as the
crowded city. To him it is lonely, forbidding, sad, yet mightily attractive, awakening his
tenderest compassions, calling forth his mightiest and most patient exertions.
2. Now that it has been done, we probably fall into the way of thinking that nothing was
easier than for John the Baptist to preach to the Jews of the time of Herod, or for our Lord to
open His mission to the same people, or for Paul to preach Christ at Corinth and Athens and
Rome. How different the reality! Could any one of the inhabitants of these places have been
consulted by God’s messenger beforehand he would probably have said: “Do you think that
these cavilling, disputing doctors and philosophers will ever give credence to such stories as
you bring? Do you think that these pleasure-loving people will ever wear the yoke of such an
austere religion of self-sacrifice as you proclaim? Go home to your ordinary work again, and
don’t trouble yourself to speak a message which nobody will hear; or if you cannot be at
peace unless you say something about it, then go into the desert and speak it to yourself and
to nature; for your chances of succeeding will be as great there as anywhere.” Strange all this,
yet more strange the fact that it is the wilderness and the solitary place which shall rejoice
and be glad for the messenger of God who comes to prepare Messiah’s way. The unlikely
ground yields the harvest; they that are afar off come nigh. The voice in the wilderness is
that of a herald announcing that a Greater One is on His way; be ye ready to receive Him.
Widespread, radical, and lasting reformation was not achieved through the word of the
Baptist; but such souls as could be prepared for the coming of the Lamb of God were
aroused, called, separated from the hardened and worldly and unbelieving, and placed under
discipline and teaching. From among their number our Lord chose His first disciples and
chief apostles. Beyond the fringe of that little company which kept close to the Baptist
something of good also was done. A wave of spiritual feeling passed over a great part of the
nation; Jerusalem was greatly excited, if not savingly renewed. A general condition of desire
was produced.
3. There are many advents of the Son of God, and for every one of them there is some
forerunner, some voice crying in the wilderness: “Prepare ye His way; make straight in the
desert a highway for our God.” The voice of some John the Baptist has gone ringing through
the wilderness of a dead faith, of a formal worship, of a worldly life, and men have been
startled into attention, have been made conscious of shortcomings and sins. And although
God never ceases to work among men, yet we come on barren dreary years of history, a very
desert, when the signs of the Divine working are not apparent. Then arises some John the
Baptist, or a general sense of dissatisfaction pervades the Churches, a sense of shortcoming
and of shame, and the obstructions to a Divine manifestation are swept out of the way.
Hardly a decade passes now without a cry arising from the Churches themselves: “Prepare
the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.” Their conscience becomes increasingly quick
and true; their ideal grows nobler; their conception of the Christian life assimilates to the
standard given in the Word of God. And with attainment comes a longing for more, a sense
of need, a craving for God. Then let us prepare His way, as we would that of a dear Friend

whom we long to see, and whom we would not keep from us by any neglect or disrespect of
ours. (J. P. Gledstone.)

Prepare ye the way of the Lord
I. GOD HAS MANY MESSENGERS, AND THEY HAVE OFTEN LIFTED UP THEIR VOICE IN
THE WILDERNESS. Some speak with a voice of thunder to arouse a sleeping world. The
doctrine of others distils as the dew. Some open new paths to the seekers after wisdom: to others
it is given to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. Ever since man was
driven from Eden he has been a wanderer in the desert. The thorn and the thistle around him
are the emblems of the sin and the sorrow which spiritually mark his nomad state of existence.
No wonder, then, that the wilderness is so often used as an emblem of this present life, in which
you and I must listen to the voice of Heaven’s messengers. We want more law work. Our
consciences are too easily satisfied. Modern religion is far too superficial. The law prepares for
the Gospel. The Comforter must first convince of sin.
II. ISAIAH USES IT AS AN ILLUSTRATION OF HIS OWN MINIST RY. He, too, living now
probably in the idolatrous reign of Manasseh, felt himself in a spiritual desert. Yet by faith he
sees afar off, and the seer is himself transported into that bright future. Already foreseeing the
seventy years’ captivity of Judah, and then the joyful return of the exiles under the decree of
Cyrus, Isaiah writes of these events as if himself living and acting among them. Yea more, he
pictures the dawn of the day as ushered in by that return from Babylon.
III. THE TRANSITION IS EASY TO THE PERSONAL TIMES OF THE MESSIAH, AND OF HIS
HERALD, JOHN THE BAPTIST. The homely and heart-searching appeals of the Baptist proved
him to be the pioneer of the righteous King. Before this wilderness preacher the mountains of
Pharisaic pride were levelled, the valleys of Sadducean unbelief were filled up, the tortuous vices
of the courtly Judaean were corrected, and the rude ignorance of the Galilean smoothed and
reformed.
IV. But even in this day THE WORDS HAD A WIDER SIGNIFICATION. Not only the land of
Israel, but the Gentile world, even “all flesh,” was then being prepared “to see the salvation of
God.” The former was accomplished by John’s own preaching; of the latter he was only the
herald. Providential agencies were even then at work preparing Christ’s way among the Gentiles.
1. At the time when our Saviour was born the knowledge of the Greek language had spread
more widely throughout Asia and Europe than has since been the case with any other
tongue. What a preparation was this for the spread of the Christian religion. We know that
there is no greater harrier separating nations than a difference of language. But at the very
period when Christianity began to be published it found one language generally read and
understood from the Alps to the Caucasus; and so the Septuagint Version of the Old
Testament could now travel, with the gospels and epistles, to the many provinces of the
Roman Empire; for the valleys had been exalted, and the mountains and hills made low.
2. A second preparation designed by God’s providence was—the extent of Roman dominion.
The chief means employed by that great Empire for consolidating her possessions were her
roads and her laws.
(1) It was literally true that, owing to Roman dominion, both in Europe and Asia, the
crooked had been made straight and the rough places plain. That sagacious people
recognised the civilising power of good roads through their Empire just as we do now of
railways in our Indian and other colonies.

(2) It is the province of law to rectify abuses and remove difficulties: and to effect this
among the nations Rome ever felt to be her mission. Wherever she planted her colonies
she invited all people to share her privileges, and to dwell in safety under the aegis of her
laws. Was not this, then, a moral via strata made for the spread of Christianity?
V. HOW THIS PROPHECY SHEDS A LUSTRE ON THE WORLD’S FUTU RE. Once more in this
wide desert “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,” and not “one,” but “all lands shall see it
together.” Yes, He who ascended into heaven shall so come again. Are we ready for that day? Are
we making others ready? I believe that every Christian should be as the “voice of him that crieth
in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our
God.” The true Church, in short, must remain in the desert until the mystic “times” are fulfilled.
She is to be “the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” Meanwhile the voice of prophecy is given
to cheer her amidst trial and disappointment. We labour for years to tunnel through the Alps:
shall we not labour patiently to prepare the way of the Lord? (S. P. Jose, M. A.)

Prepare ye the way of the Lord
I. THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS WHICH HINDER THE SPREAD OF THE REDEEMER’S
KINGDOM, spoken of here as valleys, hills, etc. Heathenism abroad: ignorance and vice at
home. Intemperance hinders the progress of God’s kingdom on every hand.
1. Intemperance hinders the progress of God’s kingdom at home. Our country is occupied by
three armies—an army of paupers, an army of criminals, and an army of police, to stand
between the vicious and the virtuous, and protect the latter from the assaults of the former.
How is this? There is this huge evil established amongst us, which casts its dread shadow
over everything that is lovely and of good report. Where, e.g., are the working men of
England to be found to-day? Not in the house of prayer. In the case of many of them, they
have no suitable clothes; but why is this? Because wages are low? Because trade is bad? I
answer, because the money is carried to the public-house, and is thus worse than wasted.
There are some who go many times, perhaps regularly, to the house of God, and yet are not
saved. Why? The grand neutraliser of the Gospel is the habit of drinking intoxicating liquors.
2. It is also a hindrance to the spread of the Gospel abroad.
(1) They tell us that we cannot, as Christians, take possession of the world, because we
have not the means. Is it a truth that England, the richest land upon earth, made rich too
by her Christianity, has done what she could for Him who redeemed her when she gives
eightpence per head for the conversion of the world? Is it so? Alas! no; for while we have
done this, we have spent £4 per head on strong drink.
(2) They say the world is not converted because we have not the men—especially
suitable men. How is this? There are men to be found for everything else. One reason is,
that the drinking customs have done much to enervate the Church. Strong drink aims
high. It aims at the men of active brain and warm heart.
(3) Then there is the third reason—want of success. There are European barriers that are
much stronger than heathenism and idolatry. The missionary tells us, over and over
again, that he is far more afraid of English drinking than of native idolatry.
II. IT IS THE DUTY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH TO SWEEP THIS ENEMY AWAY. God has
decreed that these mountains shall perish.
1. The Church can remove this mountain. Look at her power as a teacher. Are not the
children of our country in her hands? Look at the political power which she possesses. Is

there an election in which the Christian Church cannot turn the balance? She has not only
the ordinary power which men have, but she has omnipotence at her command.
2. The Church must, if she would hold her own. If we are not assailing strong drink, it is
assailing us.
3. The Church must, if she would please her Master. How are we to proceed? Abstinence
first; then entire prohibition of the traffic.
III. THE GLORIOUS RESULT. (C. Garrett.)

Preparing the way of the Lord
I. THE ADVENT IMPLIED. “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.”
1. The Lord here spoken of is doubtless the supreme Jehovah; and from the appropriation of
the passage by inspired authority to Christ, I apprehend nothing less can be intended than to
intimate that He who was coming was the true God and eternal Life. This was that
Immanuel who was to bring in an everlasting righteousness, to redeem and restore the Israel
of God, and accomplish salvation for all the ends of the earth. Let us, then, inquire, Is this
interpretation of the passage justified by other scriptures, and especially by the event itself?
Assuredly He came with all the signs and demonstrations of incarnate Deity. He Himself laid
express claim to this high character, and most manifestly displayed the perfections which it
involves. With these sublime views of His character agrees the testimony of all His inspired
apostles.
2. The disciples of John were required to contemplate here the true Messiah coming to effect
salvation, to fulfil all the promises made of old to their fathers. It is, therefore, of great
interest and importance to ascertain what was involved in that character, and what was the
work assigned Him to do. It is expressly declared that He came to do the will of God,—to
magnify the law and make it honourable,—to render to it a perfect obedience, and make
reconciliation for iniquity.
3. The way of the Lord to us must be understood of His approach to our consciences and
hearts by His word and spirit.
II. The charge to “prepare the way of the Lord” implies that there ARE DIFFICULTIES OR
OBSTACLES IN HIS WAY.
1. There is the pride and self-righteousness of the human heart,
2. The heart is by nature hard and impenitent, blinded to its own defects, and, even after the
confession of them, unwilling to have them condemned or to give them up.
3. The state of human desires and affections presents other and formidable obstacles to the
claims of the Lord. Their desires are low—their affections carnal. The poor grovelling heart
must be raised to noble and exalted ends and aims.
4. In some there exists a mass of prejudice, and the truth of Christ is viewed under a false
light, or through a perverting medium. They will not receive the kingdom of God as a little
child, and they cannot enter therein. Some are prejudiced against the authority of
revelation—some against the mysteries of godliness—some against the doctrines of grace or
salvation by the merit of another; and many dislike the holiness, the self-denial, the
separation from the world which Christianity inculcates.
5. Repentance is necessary to prepare the way; humility, to receive and learn the doctrine;
prayer, to give it success in the heart; and watchfulness, to carry it out into practice. Every

one who is himself a disciple of the Lord, has something to do in preparing the way of Christ
in the earth. (G. Redford, LL. D.)

The road maker
(with Mattheew 3:3):—To the writers of the Gospel story this vivid expression seems to have
commended itself as peculiarly applicable to the Baptist. He came heralding the speedy advent
of the Messiah, and his life and ministry were a preparation for the greater life and more potent
ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. In all essentials that task still remains to be performed. The
modern road maker—the herald and hastener of a better and holier day—must be
distinguished—
I. BY A PROFOUND SENSE OF THE EVIL OF THE PRESENT. The p rophet was no blind
optimist cherishing a foolish hope of a happier future because he did not see the abounding evils
around him. He saw with clear, penetrating eyes the moral and spiritual degradation of his
nation and day. He speaks of it, ay, and of the national evils which must issue from it—exile,
defeat, the overthrow of their beautiful city. That is true of the prophetic band from first to last—
from Elijah to John. The man who deliberately closes his eyes to the evils of his day, or seeing
them minimises their importance, or in thought disguises them by some euphonious phrase, will
never—let his life be prolonged to beyond the age of the patriarchs—prepare the way of the Lord.
Too many of us live in an imaginary world as different as possible from the world of stern fact.
The men who do most in their own generation to make a way for a better day in the future are
usually the men who see clearly one wrong which needs righting, one obstacle which needs
removing, one lie which needs refuting, and give themselves to the doing of that one thing—e.g.,
Wilberforce and slavery, Wesley and Evangelism, Cobden and Free Trade, Booth and the
submerged tenth. One word of warning. To look fearlessly at the evils of your own day is not
without danger. Not until that Voice which speaks of comfort through forgiveness has been
heard and welcomed does the call come which bids hands and feet and active will prepare the
way of the Lord.
II. BY AN UNQUENCHABLE FAITH IN THE FUTURE. The road ma ker is an optimist because
he is a man of faith. There is an optimism which is both foolish and unfounded. But if the
optimist has first looked facts in the face, and then rises by sheer force of faith in God above all
that contradicts his hope, his optimism is not a vice, but a shining and beneficent virtue. Such
was this prophet’s. So with John. He is certain, despite the manifold evils—moral and social—
that afflict his people, that the day of the Lord sanointed will be a glorious day—a day of great
things; and he speaks of it and of Him whose shoe-latchet he is not worthy to unloose with an
unbounded faith. “He must increase; I must decrease.” Note on what the road maker rests—not
on man. “All flesh is grass; the grass withereth, the flower fadeth, but the Word of our God
endureth for ever.” The people have God’s Word; when all their human leaders have fallen, and
every visible authority for God is taken away, this shall be their rally and their confidence.
III. BY HIS READINESS TO SERVE OR SUFFER. So Isaiah: so John. No good cause but has
exacted its toll of both from heroic hearts that have espoused it. (W. H. Williams.)

Comfort for the afflicted Church
I. THE DESIGN OF THIS PROPHECY is to speak peace and comfort to an afflicted Church. Not
only to the Jewish Church under a temporal captivity, but to every Christian Church, and every
faithful soul.

1. “Every valley shall be exalted.” As the way St. John was sent to prepare by repentance was
in the hearts of men, this must express some change to be wrought in those hearts. And what
does it proclaim, but that humility is the way to glory?
2. “Every mountain and hill shall be made low.” As the lowly and fruitful valleys represent
the meek and pious servants of Christ, so do the lofty and barren mountains point out to us
the haughty and unprofitable children of this world that oppose Him.
3. “The crooked shall be made straight.” This is a most essential part in a highway, the end
and intent of which is, to lead those who travel in it directly to the place and city where they
would be. Man, at his creation, was placed in the straight way to heaven and happiness. Had
he kept the eyes of his faith steadily fixed upon it, and walked directly on in the path of God’s
commandments, he had soon arrived at it. But he listened to the suggestions of the devil,
who drew him out of it, pretending to show him a pleasanter and shorter road than that
appointed. But no sooner was man a sinner than God was a Saviour. When the valley of
humility is exalted by faith and the mountain of pride and self-sufficiency brought low in
your hearts, the crooked shall instantly be made straight before you.
4. “The rough places plain.” When the low ground is raised, the high levelled, and the whole
marked out with a line and made straight, nothing remains but to clear away all
obstructions.
II. The words thus explained, what remains but that we APPLY THEM TO OURSELVES, FOR
THE DIRECTION OF OUR PRACTICE? ( Bp. Horne.)

Preparing the way of the Lord
I. THE DUTY OF PREPARING THE WAY OF THE LORD.
1. The herald. Allusion is here made to an ancient custom, according to which heralds were
sent before to prepare the way for the monarch when he was about to march from one place
to another. Christian ministers are the “voice” of God “crying in the wilderness.” The very
circumstance of this voice being needed shows the disordered state of man by nature. It is
not enough for ministers gently to remind men of their state and duty—they must “cry.” Very
many are the souls that need to be thus roused.
2. The scene of his labours—“the wilderness.” This is highly descriptive of the state of men in
every age. A wilderness, a desert, indeed, is this world, while void of God’s grace; destitute of
beauty, and unfruitful as to every good work.
3. What is the work to which the herald calls? As far as we have it in our power, we are to aid
in removing whatever hinders the reception of Christ in the world. What is it hinders the
reception of Christ in our own hearts? The success of the messenger will ever depend upon
his looking up to the Lord.
II. OUR ENCOURAGEMENTS.
1. Every difficulty, however formidable, shall be surmounted. For “every valley shall be
exalted,” etc. What are the difficulties which present themselves? In the work of salvation
there are two leading classes of impediments.
(1) Internal. These are in every heart. There is much anxiety and depression: we are
ready to imagine there is no hope; here are the valleys to be exalted. Some are puffed up
with conceit of their own merit, and will not come to Christ; here are mountains to be
made low. There are some untractable, obstinate passions; here are the roughnesses
which are to be made plain. Who is sufficient for all this? None but the Lord alone.

(2) External. In introducing the Gospel among the heathen there are many difficulties.
2. There shall be an universal manifestation of the Divine glory. “The glory of the Lord shall
be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” There was a great manifestation of the Divine
glory when Cyrus and the foes of the Church were made the instruments of delivering God’s
people from their captivity. Christians! this is not our work, or we should soon be dismayed.
It is the way of the Lord. He is to work; He is to display His own glory. What tenderness and-
condescension has God shown!
3. The certainty of all this. “For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” When one promises
who can fulfil our wishes, we have all the encouragement we can possibly need. In no
blindness of mistaken zeal, in no rashness of enthusiasm, yet with all holy boldness, let us
labour to prepare the way of the Lord. (W. Williams.)

The King’s highway
I. VALLEYS MUST BE LEVELED UP.
1. Inattention.
(1) If we attend not to the Gospel message we can neither realise its importance nor
secure its benefits.
(2) Those who absent themselves from the house of God are indifferently prepared for
the coming of the Lord.
(3) So those who while there allow their minds to wander upon their merchandise,
pleasures, etc., are ill prepared for the coming of the King.
2. Apathy.
(1) Thousands of professors of religion put forth little effort in the cause of God.
(2) Begin with yourself. Make a stir among your neighbours. Begin now.
3. Despondency.
(1) There are those who are so affected with a sense of their sinfulness that they fear to
trust in Christ for salvation.
(2) Some professors take a morbid, gloomy view of the work of God.
II. EMINENCES MUST BE LEVELLED DOWN.
1. The mountain of pride must be reduced.
(1) The pride that will not make full confession of sin.
(2) The pride that will not receive the kingdom of heaven as a little child.
(3) The pride of reason that will not accept salvation until its mysteries are
comprehended.
(4) The progress of Christ is also hindered by the worldly pride of professors.
2. The mountain of presumption must be depressed.
(1) Sinners are presumptuous when, without forsaking their sins, they attempt to believe
for salvation.

(2) Professors are presumptuous when they expect the work of God to revive in the
Church without exerting themselves to promote a revival.
(3) While we work as though everything depended upon working, we must trust as
though everything depended upon trusting.
3. The hills of ingratitude must be brought low.
(1) Some are ostensibly so zealous for the conversion of sinners that they forget to thank
God for the good He is bestowing.
(2) There are others who will not rejoice when they hear good tidings of the work of God,
because they are not themselves the subjects of that work.
III. THE CROOKED PLACES MUST BE STRAIGHTENED.
1. Prejudice.
(1) Some object to the movements of the blessed Jesus because He comes too loudly.
(2) Others complain because He comes too silently.
(3) Some dislike them because “publicans and harlots” are getting converted.
(4) Others find fault because the work of grace takes hold upon the better classes.
(5) And there are those who disparage the work of God among the children because they
are too young. Nothing pleases crooked prejudice.
2. Jealousy.
(1) It hears that sinners are converted, but is not pleased because the converts have
joined other churches.
(2) We may be anxious for the prosperity of God’s work for party purposes.
(3) How admirable was the spirit of Paul, who rejoiced that Christ was preached, no
matter by whom!
3. Censoriousness.
(1) None of us are so perfect that we can afford to be severely scrutinised. We should
therefore endeavour to put the best construction upon each other’s conduct.
(2) We should be especially careful not to impeach good men with want of zeal for God
because they differ from us in judgment as to the best way to promote His work.
4. Covetousness.
(1) The acquisition of property is the one end for which some persons appear to exist. It
is to no purpose to remind such persons that the world is perishing, and that the Church
missions are languishing for want of funds
(2) Can the God of benevolence bless a covetous Church?
(3) The cure for covetousness is giving.
IV. THE ROUGH PLACES MUST BE SMOOTHED.
1. That ugly rock of Sabbath desecration must be removed.
(1) God did not institute His day for our amusement.
(2) It was not instituted to encourage idleness. It is separated from the toil of secular
business.

2. That rut of drunkenness must be filled up.
3. Those sinks of immorality must be filled. Lying, cheating, oppression, uncleanness.
4. The rough places of instability must be smoothed.
(1) Like the chameleon, which takes the colour of every object on which it rests, there are
those who never remain the same person for four-and-twenty hours. Treating Church
membership as a coat that might be put on or off at pleasure.
(2) At one moment they are all in a flame, the next moment they are cold as ice.
Sometimes they appear like the oak, at other times like the reed that is shaken with the
wind.
(3) In the Church they are one thing, in the world another. Yet are they the noisiest
fault-finders against the quiet, steady, unostentatious workers. (F. W.Macdonald, M. A.)

Preparing the way of the Lord
(with Luk_3:10-14):—
I. EXTERNAL PREPARATION ( Isa_40:3-5). Our King has notified usthat He wants to encircle
this world with His glory, and we are the pioneers to make way for His chariot. Let me indicate a
few things about this work if you are going to make it a grand success.
1. There must be a willingness to undertake it. Indifference will kill the enterprise.
Difficulties will appear; there must be courage and a cool head to guide a brave heart. Three
things must be prominent—
(1) Regularity of effort.
(2) A desire to find one’s own particular work.
(3) Surrender to the guidance of the Spirit.
2. There must be an appreciation of the importance of the work. If the King has given an
order, there must be some reason for it; and when the carrying out of that order involves
careful planning and difficult execution we must infer the importance of the result, and
hence of the preparation.
(1) Cutting down forests. What are the dead trees in the way? Apostate Christians. They
lie right across the King’s track, and He has to rein up until somebody removes them.
What are the strong, sturdy, even luxuriant trees on the way? Worldly Christians.
(2) Levelling the hills. Pride is a high hill. Unbelief is a considerable mountain. Criticism
is a rocky mound.
(3) Filling up the hollows. Oh, the deficiencies in the Church to make up!
II. INTERNAL PREPARATION ( Luk_3:10-14). Every pioneer of the coming King must observe
these demands.
1. Generosity. A niggardly nature is too narrow quarters for the Lord to dwell in.
2. Justice.
3. Peaceableness. It was the soldier’s duty to fight, but only when necessary, and only to
secure peace. The ultimate aim of justifiable war is always peace. When you have got the way
all prepared, you will find that it is—

(1) A highway for the King.
(2) A way of blessing for His subjects.
(3) A way beginning with a cross and ending with a crown. (W. H. G. Temple.)

A great work requires preparation
There is a lesson which man is taught in many ways, but which he is very slow to learn. It is the
necessity of preparation before any great work can be taken in hand and brought to a prosperous
end. Before men begin to build, they must dig the foundation. Before they reap the harvest they
must sow the seed and prepare the soil. The truth is an elementary one and yet through neglect
of it, many a good work has failed, many an earnest worker has despaired. And the greater and
more lasting the work, the longer and deeper the preparation must be. Things which shoot up
quickly, quickly pass away. A tree does not spring up in a night. A nation is not born in a day.
History shows us the long period of conception, and the painful period of travail, before great
ideas can be brought to the birth and great changes can be wrought in the political world.
Geology again teaches us the countless number of the ages of preparation in which this earth
was fitted to be the home of man. (F. Watson, M. A.)

Preparation for the coming of Christ
There is one event in the world’s history which by every Christian must be admitted to be
unique, alike in itself and in its consequences. The coming of God in the flesh, bringing life to a
dying world, light to a dark world, peace to a world at enmity with God, may find its types and
shadows, but it can find no parallels amongst other historical facts. There had been comings of
great men, but never the coming of the great God. There had been revelations of truth, but now
the Truth Himself was revealed. Great kingdoms had been set up quickly to pass away, but now
the world-wide eternal kingdom was established. We may call it a crisis in history; indeed it was.
It was the crisis, the turning-point in the history of the world, the turning-power in the history of
each individual man. We may describe it in its results as a re-creation, but even that word is
inadequate, unless it means much more than a restoration of the old creation to its original
beauty and perfection. The preparation for this unique event, how can we exaggerate its
importance! So much preparation was needed for any one of the ages; how much more for that
which is described as the fulness of them all! So many agencies were set at work to fit this world
to be the home of man; how can we overestimate the preliminary work by which men were
prepared to be the home of God? (F. Watson, M. A.)

The gnostic gospel
It is well worthy of notice that almost the earliest heresy with which the Church battled was one
which denied the reality of this preparation. A fundamental gnostic doctrine was the suddenness
of the appearance of the Christ in human fashion. There was indeed a preparation, a
development, so to speak, of the Supreme Being before He could stoop so low as earth. But there
was no preparation of man for the reception of his God. Suddenly, at the time of His baptism,
the Christ appeared in human form upon the earth. His human nature, or human body, if indeed
it could be called human, had no previous history. It did not grow like ours. It could not trace its
origin from the parents of the race like ours. It was an instrument which the heavenly Christ
took to Himself for His work, and which He flung away when He had no further use for it. Thus
teaching, the gnostics cut off the Christ from all the men before or after Him. They were not

bone of His bone, or flesh of His flesh. Thus was denied all preparation of the human nature by
which the Saviour of men worked. And the world into which He came, it also had not been
prepared for His coming. If the supreme spiritual God bad in any way come in contact with this
material world, it had been by accident; nay, rather by mishap. In this world of ours God had not
been the king, and never could be king. With this human nature of ours, God had not been and
never could be united. The Christ did not come to give this earth, in their fulness, truths of
which He had already vouchsafed us foretastes, but He came to deprive us of a higher life, which
had unawares come in contact with material bodies, and had been contaminated by them.
Instead of light struggling with the darkness to subdue it, the gnostics imagined light struggling
in the darkness to escape from it. If fuller light was revealed by their Christ, it was only that He
might gather up the stray light lost from heaven and take it for ever away. This is the gnostic
gospel. This is the gospel without the Old Testament. This is the gospel without preparation of
the Man Christ or man’s world. Not such the teaching of the Church. She has taught us to regard
the history of the world as the unfolding of the great plan by which God would gather all nations
and peoples to Himself. (F. Watson, M. A.)

Preparation among the heathen for the reception of Christianity
This preparation is not to be regarded as confined to the chosen people of Israel. It is true,
“Darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the peoples.” But even darkness, thick
darkness, may be preparatory to light. It was so at the creation of the world. It is so in everyday
experience. If we believe, as believe we must, that man was created with capacities for
comprehending the light; if we believe that in his pure and unfallen state it was natural for him
to love the light; if we believe that his higher nature is never wholly lost: then we must confess
that the very darkness in its depth and grossness must have caused longings deep and vast.
When men groped in the darkness, and missed their way, and felt they had missed it, they must
have longed for the Day Star to arise and shine. They must have said, we were meant for
something better than this. They must have hoped for happier times. “They sat in darkness and
the shadow of death, being fast bound in misery and iron. They fell down, and there was none to
help. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress.”
He in whose heart a longing for better things has arisen, albeit that longing may be indefinite
and ill-directed, has not been left unprepared for receiving a gift from God. (F. Watson, M. A.)

Israel’s preparation for the coming of Christ
Beyond this general preparation of the nations there was also a special preparation of a
particular people. We are entitled to argue this from the condition of that people when the
Saviour appeared. You find that nation scattered all over the world; though in it, yet not of it. It
was disliked and despised. It was persecuted and down-trodden. In most places it was a mere
handful. In no place had it the supreme authority. Numbers, educated opinion, popular
prejudice, and state power were all against it and its distinctiveness. Yet it was never crushed,
and it was never absorbed; it never ceased to exert power and influence. Low as its fortunes then
were, none of any nation were so proud of their history, none were more hopeful of their future.
Indeed, it might be said, with some truth, that at that time the Jews alone had hope. The nations
were groaning in their pains. Old institutions and old religions were worn out. Men’s hearts
were failing them for fear, and for looking for those things which were coming upon the earth.
The Jews alone hoped for the coming of new and better times. The Jews alone thought that the
pains they were suffering were not pains of dissolution, but birth-pangs, the pains followed by
new life and fresh joy. (F. Watson, M. A.)

Vox clamantis
The note of all times that are progressive is a note of urgency, preparation, advance. (J. Parker,
D. D.)

The appealing “voice”
Sometimes there is nothing to instruct us but a “voice.” We hear it, but cannot trace it. It is
called the spirit of the times, the voice of the day, the genius of the hour. Sometimes it is
personated in one man, one policy; at other times it is a diffused voice, coming, apparently to
the ear, from all the points of the compass at once, but with singular unanimity, emphasis,
truthfulness. It is never a voice of despair, or a tone that would cast the soul into dejection, but
always like a clarion, or a chiming bell, or a father’s call, or a soldier’s resounding peal. (F.
Watson, M. A.)

Make straight in the desert a highway for our God
A highway in the wilderness
We ought to read here, not “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the
Lord,” but rather, “the voice of one crying, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord.”
Now, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness”—if you read so—will have a sufficiently direct
application to John Baptist and to few menbesides. But “the voice of one crying, Prepare a
highway in the wilderness,” is no more exclusively applicable to him than to John Calvin or John
Knox or John Ruskin. It is applicable to everybody who does anything for the world, especially
in its waste places and its worst places, in the way of improvement. It is applicable to
Copernicus, Bacon, James Watt. Above all, it is applicable to Christ Himself. It is an anticipation
of better and still better times for all mankind.
1. Does it matter at all to us who can have no hope of seeing it in our time, who have
certainly, as it would seem, to live out our lives in a condition of things in which not so much
the presence of improvement as the need of it is conspicuous? To this question, I think, there
are two answers, both of which, for religious minds at any rate, have some weight.
(1) Our idea of God, of a Divine order in the world, is very much our whole stock-in-
trade in the matter of religion. The question with us, as regards religion, is, how much we
can see of God in what is not God, and in what seems opposed to God? Is that which we
see of Him, though it must be little, yet enough to give us feeling, emotion, to fill our
minds, not with a thousand anxieties and alarms about things clean and unclean, but to
fill them to overflowing with reverence, all that constitutes the mysterious life of a spirit
conversing with that unutterable Spirit behind the veil? Second to this even, though of
infinite importance, is the question whether we shall devour widows’ houses and for a
pretence make long prayers, or meditate upon the Good Samaritan, and go and do
likewise. It obviously, then, concerns very much our idea of God, our experience of Him,
what we see or feel of Him, our stock-in-trade in the matter of religion, what notion we
form and entertain of the future destiny of mankind We know that the past has not been
all that could be wished. Plenty of desert in that backward view. Will the future be
better? Evidently that is a matter which must go to shape our idea of God, of a Divine
order of the world. This is to look at the whole instead of a small part, and form some

conclusion or other about the whole. It does matter a good deal to us, therefore, though
we are not to live to see it, that, if it is possible or right to entertain it, we should
entertain the belief that the endless ages that are yet to come will exhibit the Divine
order as beneficent and beautiful in a way in which past ages and our own age have had
scanty experience of it.
(2) Another answer to the question, What does it matter to us what the future of
mankind may be? is obviously this: It is not so much a duty as an instinct for man to live
for posterity. We are all of one stock. With reference to this instinct and this satisfaction,
the case is plain as regards the future being other and better than the past or the present.
We have all something to do, and can do something for posterity. We have the conviction
or the hope in doing this, that it is not going to be in vain.
2. “Prepare ye in the wilderness a highway for our God.” In this, possibly, rather than in any
other form, there comes the Divine call to those in every age, and especially in this age, to
whom the Divine order is most of a reality and a power. Personal piety—you must have that,
say the professors of ecclesiastical pedagogy—before entering upon this or that work, It is
quite true: personal piety you must have to be fit to live, not to say to teach others or help
others to live well. But if you have piety enough to have any satisfaction in helping to leave
the world a little better than you have found it, then that is enough of a qualification and
commission for taking part in work which will occupy your whole life. This general view of
the Divine order and of the demands which it makes upon those who are most conscious of
the reality of it suggests one or two reflections.
(1) In regard to the fulfilment of the Divine order, it often happens that, while weaker
agencies at work in forwarding it are recognised, greater ones, even the greatest of all,
escape notice. Since the Divine order is not always clear, it must often happen, in the
case of lives of good men and even great men devoted to the advancement of it, that
efforts to advance it have other results than those who made them contemplated—great
results which they did not expect, no results where they expected great results.
(2) As it is often not the mightier but the weaker agencies at work in furthering the
Divine order that are recognised and appreciated, so in the case of men who are more or
less consciously devoted to the advancement of it, there is often a failure of insight; and
they are found working for issues which they did not anticipate, both in the way of failure
and in the way of success. In regard to the Divine order embracing the life of all that is,
has been, shall be, the clearest sighted of mankind see through a glass darkly.
Constantine was agreed that the triumph of the Christian faith was assured by his
making it the religion of the State, though John Wesley had afterwards some reason, in
his time, for thinking perhaps that more harm was done to it by that event than by all the
Christian persecutions. The Christian world, all but a small part of it, was certain that the
devil had broken loose in the Reformation in Germany, and few people who heard it did
not devoutly believe that Luther’s mother was a witch. John Baptist himself is not so
remarkable for what he knew as for what he did not know of his own life-work and its
effects. I mean, as regards the eternal order, in which he was no doubt a devout and a
brave believer. As a forerunner he was nothing of a foreseer. Not only are the greater
agencies at work in furthering the Divine order least recognised among the mass of men,
but even among choice spirits devoted to the furthering of that order, misunderstanding
as to the results of their own activity and the activity of others is more common than
insight. Thus stands the case as regards one class of agencies at work in furthering the
Divine order. That which is valued in regard to it is the old ecclesiastical machinery,
creak and groan and rattle as it may. In the meantime, discredited to some extent by its
association with enlightenment not always orthodox, the spirit of humanity enters from

the outside into the religious world, to the creation of new social conditions for whole
communities.
(3) What promise there is in this of a better era both for the Church and for the world is
better seen as yet by the world, perhaps, than by the Church. The importance of the fact
cannot at any rate be overrated. Nothing is so common in religious circles, among good
people, as lamentation. The good old times of religion are no more. That is their
complaint.
(4) In the meantime, religious people who are so much disposed to complain of the good
old times passing away are helping to prepare for times infinitely better than the good
old times, in ways of which they are as far as possible from conceiving. They are
deepening dissatisfaction with the life, even the religious life of the day, by their
lamentations. That is one thing—a negative sort of thing. More positive is the effect of
their keeping in their own view and that of others a certain high ideal of life, though it be
not the highest of all. (J. Service, D. D.)

Christ requires a straight road
The King’s chariot is coming; you must fill up the ravines and level down the hill,. He will not
accommodate His chariot to the tortuous lines of your life. If the Lord Jesus Christ is coming
into your soul, He is not going to follow the crooked ways of your iniquitous conduct. You have
got to make a straight road for Him. (A. T.Pierson, D. D.)

Isaiah 40:4-5

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low
Christianity an essential element in true civilisation
I.
THE WORLD IS STILL FULL OF THINGS NEEDING TO BE SET STRAIGHT. So far as the
economy of our earth is concerned a period of confusion has immediately preceded the
establishment of Divine order. Chaos preceded Paradise. Egyptian bondage was the precursor of
the exodus, which was the beginning of a national life Divinely ruled. Judaism was at its worst
and Paganism in its most corrupt condition when the voice of the preacher of righteousness was
heard, preparing the way of the Lord. Isaiah here compares the social and religious condition of
a people awaiting a revelation of Divine glory to the condition of a country, barren as a desert,
and impassable by reason of mountains and valleys; and the preparation of a highway amongst
these physical obstacles represents the exaltation of what is base and the abasement of some
things that are high in human life before the coming revelation of God. Around us here in
England, as well as in those foreign countries to which missionary enterprise addresses itself, is
a wilderness, in which what is good cannot and does not grow. The bodily and moral
degradation of some of our own people, if it were revealed in all its nakedness, would startle the
Church from its stately propriety. A “wilderness” is a fit emblem of a large section of our own
population. Yet in this land we have had the Gospel for centuries. How much more, then, do the
heathen want and deserve your sympathy! Another phrase in our text, which speaks of “valleys,”
may remind us further of depths in our social life in which corruption hides. Meanwhile pride
covers us, as with a garment. We talk of “the progress of the age,” we boast ourselves of our
achievements and discoveries. There are “mountains” of pride to be brought down, as well as

valleys of degradation to be exalted. And how many “crooked” things are yet to be made straight!
What distortions of truth are yet to be found in England, as well as elsewhere! The orderliness of
Divine progress in the natural world is a truth so contorted that some argue from it that all
things seen were originally made of things that do appear, and chat there was no Divine Creator
in whom they found their origin. The mercifulness of God is used as an argument against the
possibility of punishment for sin.
II. THE WORLD IS NOT ESSENTIALLY THE BETTER FOR THE HUM AN INVENTIONS OF
WHICH THE NINETEENTH CENTURY IS SO BOASTFUL. Much o f the misery of modern life
is due to the fact that moral and religious advance has not kept pace with mechanical advance,
and our danger is lest developed mechanism should be to our age what a complicated and
resistless machine would be in the hands of a child who knows not the ends for which it is
designed. Trains and steamers carry us over land and sea with a swiftness which, to our
grandfathers, would have seemed incredible. Our daily bread is often the product of labour done
in the far-off fertile fields of California. There has been a literal fulfilment of these words, which
speak of conquering mountains and valleys, and overleaping all obstacles, such as Isaiah never
dreamed of. But the question is fairly asked, Are we the better for all this? Are we wiser, are we
happier, are we nobler, are we more Christ-like, than our fathers were? We have greater
appliances than our fathers, but it may be fairly doubted whether we surpass them either in
capacity or in enjoyment. When you go for a holiday you can rush up the Rhine, through
Switzerland, and back across France in a fortnight, but probably, in a dozen journeys of that sort
you see far less than poor Oliver Goldsmith did when, with a fife as his companion, he trudged
along the highways of Europe. Scientific instruments are marvellous in power and in accuracy,
but scientific men have not advanced in genius beyond Newton or Herschel. Music is heard on
every hand; but it is not better than the music of Handel, or of Bach, or of Haydn. In short, we
have not a higher life because we have higher material appliances, and you and I are not one
whit the nobler men because we can read all the news of the world in a penny paper, and
transact our business with the other ends of the earth in a few hours. What do we all gain if, in
covering our land with factories and steam engines, we are covering it also with want and
wretchedness? In spite of all scientific discoveries and mechanical appliances, it is evident that
the world wants something more than these can give. It wants freedom from its sins, and a
Redeemer who can set it free. It wants love amidst its cruelties, and rest amid its weariness.
III. THE WORLD REQUIRES MOST OF ALL A REVELATION OF THE GLORY OF GOD. Many
say, “Let our trade and our railways and all our conveniences first find entrance to a heathen
land, and then the people there will be prepared for the Gospel.” A grosser delusion could hardly
be promulgated. Our own social condition might show its fallacy, and experiment in heathen
lands has confirmed it. When this so-called “civilisation” has preceded Christianity, idolaters
have become atheists, and their last state worse than their first. The great object we Christians
are to keep in view, in all our achievements, is that “the glory of God” may be revealed—not the
glory of man, nor of a society, nor of a sect, but the glory of God. As a king, a man finds his glory
in the contentment of his people; as a father, a man finds his glory in the well-being of his
children; and so the great King and Father of us all finds His “glory” in our contentment and
well-being. And how can that be brought about? It is by the work and words of those who speak
“comfortably” to the sinners, who proclaim a reconciled God revealed in Jesus Christ.
IV. GOD IS LOOKING TO THE CHURCH TO BRING ABOUT THIS CH ANGE. He is addressing
His people here, and, instead of saying “I will comfort,” He says “Comfort ye.” No angel
messengers now wing their flight from heaven to announce the glad tidings of great joy. The
message has been entrusted to us. Let us have patience, though the results of our work at home
and abroad seem sparse and small. The upraising of valleys and the levelling of mountains is no
child’s play, even in the physical world, and it is harder still in the spiritual realm. When we
remember the cost at which some modern discoveries were won, and see the patience and skill

and risk which accompany the driving of tunnels through mountains, or under the sea, we are
ashamed of the ease with which Christians give way to disheartenment. In preparing the
highway here spoken of we must work on the plan the Norwegians adopt for keeping up their
roads. Each occupier of land, in proportion to his acreage, has his own allotted portion of road to
maintain, and for that he is responsible. So, in proportion to your capacities and opportunities,
you have your work to do—in your home, in your class, in your sphere of thought or activity, and
from that responsibility none can release you. (A. Rowland, B. A.)

The prospects of the Church
I. SOME OF THE MOST FORMIDABLE OBSTRUCTIONS TO THE DIF FUSION AND
PROGRESS OF TRUE RELIGION AND THE CERTAINTY OF THEIR REMOVAL.
1. The defective character of personal religion. There are many features of the Christian
character scarcely ever brought out to public view; and others whose nature is so
misapprehended as to lead to a misshapen exhibition of the spirit and precepts of the Gospel
of Christ. Have you never been pained when at the close of the day you have endeavoured to
ascertain the character of your thoughts, feelings, and actions? Have you never been
surprised at the moral personage who has presented himself to your view at such seasons?
There is much of secularity mingled with the religion that prevails. What has religion done
for us if it has not so elevated the tone and order of our feelings as to render us indifferent to
the pleasures of sin? As a natural consequence of this defective piety much is withheld from
the service of God. There is so much of self mingled[with our religious engagements. The
purposes of God embrace the agency and co-operation of man. If, then, the piety of the
Church be defective, if the body that acts for God be enfeebled by disease, or misguided in its
operations, how fatally must its efficiency be counteracted! But assuredly an end will be put
to this state of things, for “every valley shall be exalted,” etc.
2. The division and animosities amongst Christians. A sectarian character has thus been
given to the Church, a fictitious and morbid zeal has been engendered, and those resources
which ought to have been expended in the evangelisation of the world have, on many
occasions, been laid out for party and sinister purposes.
3. The connection that subsists between religion and State politics. The Christianity that has
been patronised by the State—that has been adopted as the stepping-stone to emolument
and power, this has been mistaken for the religion of the Bible.
II. THE RESULTS WHICH THE PROPHET REPRESENTS AS CONSEQUE NT UPON THE
REMOVAL OF THESE OBSTRUCTIONS. “The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh
shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Nothing can be more inspiring
than this prospect. If it is gratifying to see the boundaries of science enlarged, or the elements of
human happiness increased; if the political resurrection of a nation inspires us with joy; if it
invigorates our hearts to see the spirit of an age awakening from its slumber and preparing itself
for wise and virtuous action, what should be the emotion of our hearts in contemplating such a
consummation as is represented in my text? It is not the mere promise of an approaching good
by which the prophet here seeks to inspire our mind. It contains the elements of all conceivable
happiness. It will embody and secure to the inhabitants of our world the highest enjoyment of
which their nature is susceptible. The glory of God has hitherto been but partially unveiled. The
sun is still behind the cloud, and a shadow is in consequence thrown on our path. But when the
piety of the Church shall be freed from its present stains, when her divisions are healed, then
shall she arise and shine, for her light will have come, and the glory of the Lord will be risen
upon her. But we are informed that” all flesh shall see it “together.” The Evangelist slightly,,

varies the latter part of the prophecy—“All flesh shall see the salvation of God.” As yet the
salvation of God is known to but a limited portion of the world. But the salvation of God all are
yet destined to see. (T. Price.)

The levelling force of Christianity
There are and ever have been in the soul of society opinions, prejudices, feelings, conventional
notions which, like mountains and valleys, have separated men into classes, and prevented the
free-flowing interchange of soul. Those mountains rear their frowning heads and throw their
chilling shadows in every district of society. Those valleys yawn everywhere, and form an
impassable gulf between the brothers on either side. Christianity has a power to remove those
mountains, fill up the valleys, etc. How does Christianity do this? In two ways—
I. BY THE LEVELLING TRUTHS WHICH IT REVEALS.
1. A common God.
2. A common nature.
3. A common obligation.
4. A common depravity.
5. A common salvation.
II. BY THE LEVELLING SPIRIT WHICH IT GENERATES. The spir it which Christianity
generates in the human soul is such that raises a man above all those prejudices of the heart and
conventionalities of life that divide men. What is the spirit? It is a spirit that has supreme regard
to three things—
1. The spiritual in man.
2. The right in conduct.
3. The eternal in destiny. The socially levelling force of Christianity, however, does not
involve spoliation. (D. Thomas, D. D.)

The crooked shall be made straight
The prophet and the picturesque
There is much in us which would instinctively resent and repudiate this ideal that he has put
before us. Take, for instance, that sensitive faculty in our century receiving so peculiar and
overwhelming a development, the sense of the picturesque. The words of my text break in with a
very surprising emphasis. This vehemence of the prophet clashes with all the primary instincts
of this sentiment of ours. Mountains flattened out, valleys filled in, highways levelled from end
to end, every broken piece of rough ground repaired, every turn and twist in the path
straightened—what a picture to portray with such rapturous enthusiasm! Could any result be
more deplorable? It is the very murder of the picturesque! The picturesque asks only that the
mountains should rise yet higher, be more pathless, more craggy, more perilous; that they
should be torn by glaciers and scoured by avalanches and wasted by storms and bemoaned by
winds, and be aghast with lonely desolation—that is what it prefers, that is what excites it,—and
the valleys shall plunge yet deeper, more gloomy vaults, sunless, with hoarse torrents buried in
awful black gulfs and roaming along in anger out of sight. There should be no roads if possible;
at least, never level or straight for two yards together; and there should be cliffs that are

frowning and overhanging and ruinous and threatening, and high and fierce and solitary rocks.
Everything should be rough, everything should be crooked, for the sake of the picturesque!
(Canon H. Scott3Holland, M. A.)

Picturesque abuses
In this contrast between the prophet and the picturesque is there nothing but of a light or
superficial nature, nothing serious? I doubt it. The prophet’s thunderous intensity brings our
sentiment to a check just at the point where it is apt to pervert the moral judgment. Where is
that? At the point where it helps to blind us to the actual life, the actual needs and necessities of
a living present. The feeling for the picturesque belongs always to those who are outside the
object of their admiration. They are looking on as unconcerned spectators. That which they
observe lies wholly outside their own living, personal experience, and that is why it touches
them and startles them, and pleases because it startles. It is so odd, so unexpected, so dreamy,
so old. That is the sentiment bred in tourists, in passengers tarrying the day, gazing from
without at a scene, unaffected by its sorrows, aloof from its inner reality. We like these strange,
huddled, dirty streets, and these swarming beggars, and these crumbling walls, and these
crooked alleys, and all the oddities of decay, and all the quaintness of the obsolete. Abuses, so
long as they do not hurt us, are much more picturesque than their remedies. In this mood what
serious blunders we have made abroad—offences against our best English self, for the native
English have a love for liberty, for a free people. How much has our love for the picturesque
killed our sympathy for freedom in Rome or in Venice, shall we say? This error which we make
again and again abroad is very apt to repeat itself here at home; for those who have leisure to
enjoy the picturesque are bound, of course, to have already reached some comfort themselves,
some security of position. That thatched cottage in the dell, in the hollow of the wood, could
anything be more engaging? We have sketched it again and again. It is very damp, and those
colours on it that we like so, the greens and the yellows, reveal the dampness. It is buried under
the trees, it stands on soppy ground, and there is no drainage; there is a cesspool behind. But
how raw the new brick four-roomed house would look without an offence in our rustic nook!
There is a great deal more of this among us comfortable and educated people than we are at all
aware of. It acts as a dead weight on us, it counteracts the force of our reforming zeal. We should
never for one moment dream of letting the picturesqueness stand in our way if we had to sink
into consumption through the damp or die of typhoid in some undrained, old-fashioned street;
but somehow it puts in its plea with us with far greater power when others are concerned, and
we are but spectators. It is against all this that the prophet’s zeal thunders. The picturesque may
rightly widen our sympathies for the past; it may plead for gentle handling of what is so fair in
the deposits of the past, it may rightly prompt us to do oar very utmost to save what is beautiful
and natural from cruel, hideous misuse by commercial greed, but there is one supreme law
which it never must gainsay, the law which is uttered in the cry of the recovered king, Hezekiah,
when he recovered from his sickness: “Death cannot celebrate Thee. The living shall praise Thee,
as I do this day.” (Canon H. Scott3Holland, M. A.)

Redemptive growth
Since the cloud and curse of sin, all this growth of ours, which is our life, is remedial, corrective,
redemptive. It is won through strife over wrong, through struggling out of evil, and always,
therefore, it must witness to its vitality by straightening the crooked, by making the rough places
plain. It must always testify to its life. Always it must be bettering bad highways. It must be
abasing mountains that obstruct and daunt. It must be filling up valleys that cramp and choke

and darken. That is the necessity, the necessity of clearing the way for free motion towards a
better day. But, again, even from inside this growing life, even after we have torn ourselves out
of the ranks of unconcerned spectators and irresponsible tourists, and have thrown ourselves
with heart and hope into this remedial work, and are keenly striving to bring the crooked
straight and to loosen the terrible burden of wrong; even then this old perplexity and trouble
will recur, and recur in a subtler and much deeper form. Perhaps in the very midst of our
reforming zeal there will suddenly come a thought, a sight crossing our mind of all our hopes
achieved. The crooked, now so cruelly wrong or disastrously distorted, has at last been made
perfectly straight. What then? Are we better off? What a poor, stale, stupid place this world will
have become. All wrongs redressed, all blunders rectified, all inequalities levelled; everybody on
the same platform, decent, snug, comfortable—a dull, unbroken mass of average respect-
abilities. Comfort for the comfortless—it was for that that we had hungered and toiled. But the
comfortable! Look at those who have already attained it. Are they so encouraging a prospect?
What if all were as they? After all, moral character is our sole aim; and will character have lost or
gained when our efforts have succeeded? Where is character found now? we say. Is it found
amid the comfortable? Hardly. Is it not always won through suffering, strife, anguish? Those
rare simplicities of the poor, those generosities, those devotions—are they not worth all the
smugger virtues? Would they not have vanished in a world where there was nothing crooked, no
high lights and no dark shadows, no ups and downs? Perhaps we take up some industrial
Utopia, some book like “Looking Backward,” and as we read we are chilled to the marrow. There
is a dull recoil. How utterly repugnant; how fiat and stale and unprofitable! All that makes
humanity dear and pathetic and glorious gone, died out! “No room in such a world,” we say, “for
high adventures, shining heroisms; no trumpet calls, no splendid risks, no holy indignation, no
exaltation of sacrifice, no prophetic passion. Democratic equality has levelled all the roads
straight as dies. They run between their kerbstones. All is smooth, orderly, equitable, and there
is no material there for art, none for music. Where shall we seek for Schubert’s songs that float
like dreams? “They were won,” we say, “by his tears.” And where will be our Hamlets and our
Lears in the romance? How will man ever display his higher capacities except through pain and
struggle and sorrow? Yet those are the very conditions that we are labouring to deny him. Alas!
our hearts sink, our imagination protests, our hopes flag, and the glowing passion of the
prophet, as it catches sight of the very fulfilment of its dream, dies away in the wail of the
preacher, “Vanity, vanity, even this is vanity.” (Canon H. Scott3Holland, M. A.)

No fear of Utopia
We have invented a terror for ourselves. We need not be the least afraid. These visions of the
future deceive us by suggesting a finality at which man will have arrived. These Utopias are just
what will not be true. That is just what we are quite certain will never occur while this present
age endures. The one thing that we know of the future is that it will not be like that, for we know
that at each moment of his earthly career, until his Lord Jesus comes again to make earth and
heaven anew, man will be found warring as a soldier—a pilgrim pressing on towards eternity
with mountains still towering ahead, dark with unknown destiny, with valleys into which he
must plunge, and moaning with perils through which he must dare his way; with tough tasks
still set him to achieve; with nerves, therefore, still strung and prophet voices calling and eyes
strained forward into the night, and loins girt, and heart on fire, and foes to fight, and deaths to
die, and victories to win. But you will say, “Is that a very encouraging message? Why waste our
efforts, then, in struggling to set things right if the crooked will never be straight, if the high road
will never be levelled? Why grind at smoothing down our present hills if always there will be
fresh mountains beyond?” Just because man is, in essence, a pilgrim, a soldier, a servant of
Jesus crucified, and it is his very life to bring this to the front. He discovers himself in and

through this struggle and pilgrimage, through the strain of the war. That is his mission in which
he proves his courage and his nerve. Unless he is always correcting evil, unless he is always
battling down wrongs, he is not himself, and he knows not of what spirit he is made. What the
particular wrong may be which he is called upon to redress at this moment, or at that, is
determined for him by the conditions of history, by God Himself, for God is in history-He
directs, He allots, He distributes the task to man—there is a design clearly disclosed. One by one,
God brings up to men the difficulties, the obstructions that He would have them encounter. Our
forefathers had their own fight to fight, and they fought it. They were tested and proved in other
ways. One fight at a time! They fought for liberty, they fought for free speech; they could not
attend to underlying poverty. Now their part is played, their mountains are brought low, and
their crooked things are made straight, and therefore there is time and opportunity for
something else. There is another task for us, another test applied. We are not to enjoy what our
fathers put straight without doing our own part to bend the crooked into line, to make rough
places plain. (Canon H. Scott3Holland, M. A.)

The battle for to-day
Since God is in history, there is continuity in our pilgrimage, and there is purpose. The old wars,
by healing some wrongs, prepared opportunities for new efforts. There is advance, after all,
along this- highway, -however much there is still always a rough place just ahead, a cruel corner
to put straight. We are farther along. There are wrongs righted and thrown behind us, and
therefore the nearer we draw to the end. Enough for us that we know the spot on the road at
which we stand, that we know what are the crooked things which it is our own special task to set
straight. Let us look at them and leave the rest to God. Who can doubt at what spot on the road
we stand to-day? Those crooked things on which the light of God has been turned in our day-
there they are; we know them and we see them—the commercial pressure that falls on the weak,
and that breaks and spoils the humanity under it, manhood, womanhood, home, joy; the
heartless mechanism of an impersonal economic system which crunches the aged, the women,
the children; the sorrows of those who labour on without any hope of reaching an end of their
labour; men and women, jaded, bruised, disfigured, always under-fed, invalided by penury,
unqualified for work, unfit for what they do; men and women tossed to and fro by blind tides of
fluctuating markets over which they have no control; men and women accumulated in hordes,
unsheperded and unregarded in squalid tenements, in sordid and mean dishonour, living
environed by disease, born into a world too masterful for their infirmities, sustained at the edge
of starvation by a competition that never improves them and yet never eliminates them, drawn
under by demands which they are helpless to fulfil, bruised and damaged in trying to meet them.
No one anticipated that our industries would create them or sustain in existence classes of this
type. They are the signals of some defect in our system, of some perversion, of some disease,, of
some disaster—that something that meant well enough has gone crooked, that the machinery of
our civilisation is out of gear. We have got out of the track. That much is plain. Therefore a
responsibility is laid upon us; a thing has got to be done. (Canon H. Scott3Holland, M. A.)

And the rough places plain—
The rough places made plain
I. We may take this to be, in outline, THE DESCRIPTION OF GOD’S WORK WITH OUR
WORLD AND WITH MANKIND, REGARDED AS A PREPARATION FO R THE FUTURE. It is
the voice of history, of nature, of science, of revelation. The present is a preparation for the
future, as the past was a preparation for the present, and as the future will be a preparation for a

still coming and greater future. We know the history of religion; how slow its progress—how for
centuries it was only successful in casting down obstacles, and preparing the hearts of men for
the entrance of a faith which was worthy of its Author. It required not the labours of one prophet
like John only, but the labours of many generations of prophets, to prepare for the advent of
Jesus Christ. Religion passed through numerous forms before it arrived at that form which
Christ gave it. And as this was the work of God in the religious thought and life of man, so was it
the work of God in the world. The kingdom of heaven did not come until the world was in a
measure ready for it.
II. So we may say that this is AN INDEX TO THE COURSE OF HIS PROVIDENCE IN EVERY
AGE AND COUNTRY. This lesson may be learned—that in all cases the spiritual is above the
material; and that all progress and improvement in the material world are but means to an end,
and are intended to serve far higher interests. All these benefits of rapid intelligence, of
conveniences, of comforts, are but the removal of hindrances out of the way of the progress of
what is spiritual and Divine. If they leave men devoid of better aims—if they leave us selfish,
earthly, false—they are no blessings after all! If we use the gifts of nature and invention and
discovery merely to attain our own ends, and if there is no growth of the spirit of truth and
charity, we have gained nothing: we have merely added to our former powers the power to
increase our selfishness. But such is not the use for which these new acquisitions are designed. If
there are more facilities for reaching the human mind by thought and speech or writing, all the
more carefully ought everyone who has influence over his fellows to see that that influence is
wholesome, and not hurtful. The material is the servant of the spiritual. What John the Baptist
was to Christ, such is all the world to the Christ. All nature was a preparation for Him, all
knowledge, all discovery. The world did not see this at the time; but the fact is true for all that.
People say that the growth of human wisdom and the increase of human blessings are adverse to
the Gospel; but on looking back on history we see that all these things were in the hands of God,
and were all made to prepare the way for the kingdom of God. So it is, and so ought it ever to be.
III. THE INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY IN MAKING THE PATH TO GOODNESS EASIER.
IV. THIS IS OUR WORK AS CHRISTIANS IN THE WORLD AND FOR THE WORLD. This is
part of our task for those who are finding the road to goodness and right living hard and rough.
Each of us has something in his power to prepare the way for the kingdom of God in the lives
and hearts of others. To many, the difficulties of a right life are very great, and it is no easy task
for them to carry it out. Everything is against them: training, circumstances, companions,
habits. From their youngest years they have been familiar with evil. It comes to them naturally
to deceive, to lie, to do all manner of misdeeds. How can such a youth ever open into a manhood
of worth or goodness? He must be helped by education, by guidance, by living examples of
affection and well-doing. Christian society, the Church, must come to his aid. And what is all this
but doing the work of Christ, the work of prophets and evangelists, the work of the Gospel,
preparing a highway, helping those who cannot walk, making the rough places plain, making it
easier for a man to stand in goodness and truth? After all is done, however, both for nations and
individuals, there will be difficulties to overcome. You can never for yourselves, or for those
whom you most love, so arrange things that all personal need for care and effort shall cease.
There will be for every man the cross to carry, and for many men the thorn to trouble them. (A.
Watson, D. D.)

Rough places
I. ROUGH PLACES.
1. In general human history.

2. In individual human life.
II. ROUGH PLACES MADE PLAIN.
1. The supreme power of Jesus Christ.
2. The supreme power of Jesus Christ used for the advantage of mankind.
3. The advantage of mankind identified with the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ.
III. THE TRANQUIL AND BLESSED FUTURE OF THE WORLD. Chris tianity is good news.
Inequalities are to be rectified. Relations are to be adjusted. (J. Parker, D. D.)

4 Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.

1.BARNES, “Every valley shall be exalted - That is, every valley, or low piece of ground,
shall be filled up so as to make a level highway, as was done in order to facilitate the march of
armies. This verse is evidently designed to explain what is intended in
Isa_40:3, by preparing
the way for Yahweh. Applied to the return of the Jews from Babylon, it means simply that the
impassable valleys were to be filled up so as to make a level road for their journey. If applied to
the work of John, the forerunner of the Messiah, it means that the nation was to be called on to
put itself in a state of preparation for his coming, and for the success of his labors among them.
Vitringa, and others, have endeavored to specify what particular moral qualities in the nation
are meant by the ‘valley,’ by the ‘mountain and hill,’ and by the ‘crooked’ and ‘rough places.’ But
the illustrations are such as cannot be demonstrated to be referred to by the prophet. The
general sense is plain. The language, as we have seen, is taken from the march of a monarch at
the head of his army. The general idea is, that all obstructions were to be removed, so that the
march would be without embarrassment. As applicable to the work of John also, the language
means in general, that whatever there was in the opinions, habits, conduct, in the pride, self-
confidence, and irreligion of the nation that would prevent his cordial reception, was to be
removed.

Every mountain and hill - They shall be dug down so as to make the journey easy. All
obstructions were to be removed.
And the crooked - The word used here, (בקע  p t"kv) is usually rendered ‘crooked;’ but
perhaps not by any good authority. The verb בקע  p t" v usually denotes to be behind; to come
from behind; or, as Gesenius supposes, to be elevated like a mound, arched like a hill or
tumulus, and is hence applied to the heel from the figure (see Gen_25:26; Hos_12:4). According
to this, the word would denote properly a hill, mound, or acclivity, which would put back those
who attempted to ascend.
Shall be made straight - Margin, ‘A straight place.’ The Hebrew word (רושׁימ  mı;MHxkt_)
denotes properly “evenness,” a level region, a plain. The hilly places would be reduced to a level.
And the rough places - Those which are hard, bound up, stony, difficult to pass. Such as
abounded with rocks and precipices, and which presented obstructions to a journey. Such places
abounded in the region lying between Palestine and Babylon.
Plain - Margin, ‘A plain place.’ A smooth, level plain.

2. CLARKE, “
Crooked - The word
בקע  akob is very generally rendered crooked: but this
sense of the word seems not to be supported by any good authority. Ludolphus, Comment. ad
Hist. Aethiop. p. 206, says “that in the Ethiopia language it signifies clivus, locus editus:” and so
the Syriac Version renders it in this place, אמרע  arama: Hebrew, מרעה  aramah, tumulus, acervus.
Thus the parallelism would be more perfect:” the hilly country shall be made level, and the
precipices a smooth plain.”

3. GILL, “
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made
low,.... Which is not to be understood literally, but, as Kimchi says, parabolically and mystically:
the meaning is, that in consequence of John's ministry, and our Lord's coming, such who were
depressed and bowed down with the guilt of sin, and were low and humble in their own eyes,
should be raised up and comforted; and that such who were elated with themselves, and their
own righteousness, should be humbled; their pride and haughtiness should be brought down,
and they treated with neglect and contempt, while great notice was taken of lowly minded ones;
see
Luk_14:11 and Luk_18:14,

and the crooked shall be straight and the rough places plain; what before was dark and
intricate in prophecy should now become clear; and such doctrines as were not so well
understood should now become plain and easy.

4. JAMISON, “
Eastern monarchs send heralds before them in a journey to clear away
obstacles, make causeways over valleys, and level hills. So John’s duty was to bring back the
people to obedience to the law and to remove all self-confidence, pride in national privileges,
hypocrisy, and irreligion, so that they should be ready for His coming (
Mal_4:6; Luk_1:17).
crooked — declivities.

5. K&D, “
The summons proceeds in a commanding tone. “Let every valley be exalted, and
every mountain and hill made low; and let the rugged be made a plain, and the ledges of rocks
a valley.”
ה ָי ָהְו, which takes its tone from the two jussive verbs, is also itself equivalent to י ִה ִיו.
Instead of איֵV (from א ְיַV), the pointing in Zec_14:4, we have here (according to Kimchi) the
vowel-pointing איֶV; at the same time, the editions of Brescia, Pesaro, Venice 1678, have איֵV (with
tzere), and this is also the reading of a codex of Luzzatto without Masoretic notes. The
command, according to its spiritual interpretation, points to the encouragement of those that
are cast down, the humiliation of the self-righteous and self-secure, the changing of dishonesty
into simplicity, and of unapproachable haughtiness into submission (for
p t"kmvx, hilly, rugged,
(Note: In this ethical sense Essex applied the word to Queen Elizabeth. See Hefele,
Ximenes, p. 90 (ed. 2).)
compare
Jer_17:9 together with Hab_2:4). In general, the meaning is that Israel is to take care,
that the God who is coming to deliver it shall find it in such an inward and outwards state as
befits His exaltation and His purpose.

6. CALVIN, “4.Every valley shall be exalted. He confirms and asserts the preceding statement; for he
shews that no difficulties can prevent the Lord from delivering and restoring his Church whenever he shall
think fit. These words might with propriety be rendered in the imperative mood, “ every valley be
exalted,” (111) so as to be placed in immediate connection with the command which God gives by his
prophets to prepare and level the way for himself; but it makes hardly any difference in the meaning. Let
us be satisfied with understanding the Prophet’ design, “ although many and formidable difficulties are
started to hinder the salvation of the Church, still the hand of God will be victorious and will prevail.”

And every mountain and hill shall be laid low. It ought to be observed that many obstructions always arise
whenever God makes provision for our deliverance, or wishes to aid the afflicted; and although his glory
is more fully displayed by these obstructions, yet we suffer no loss; for we behold more clearly his
wonderful power when no strength, or efforts, or contrivances of men can prevent him from gaining his
object. He conducts his people through “” and steep places in such a manner as if the road were perfectly
level; and by the words mountains and hills, the Prophet undoubtedly intends to denote metaphorically
obstructions of every kind; for Satan attempts in every way to hinder our salvation. When we come,
therefore, to spiritual redemption, these words undoubtedly include both internal and external obstacles,
— lusts and wicked desires, ambition, foolish confidence, and impatience, which retard us wonderfully,
but the Lord will break them all down; for when he stretches out his hand, nothing can restrain or drive
him back.

(111) “ supposes the command at the beginning of the chapter to be still continued, (‘ every valley, etc.,)
and the latest German writers give the same construction of this verse, although they make a new
command begin in the one preceding. The form of the following verb היהו, (vehayah,) though not
incompatible with this explanation, rather favors the strict interpretation of the future, which is, of course,
on general principles to be preferred.” —Alexander.

5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

1.BARNES, “And the glory of the Lord - The phrase here means evidently the majesty,
power, or honor of Yahweh. He would display his power, and show himself to be a covenant-
keeping God, by delivering his people from their bondage, and reconducting them to their own
land. This glory and faithfulness would be shown in his delivering them from their captivity in
Babylon; and it would be still more illustriously shown in his sending the Messiah to accomplish
the deliverance of his people in later days.
And all flesh - All human beings. The word ‘flesh’ is often used to denote human nature, or
mankind in general
Gen_6:12; Psa_65:3; Psa_145:21. The idea is, that the deliverance of his
people would be such a display of the divine interposition, so that all nations would discern the
evidences of his power and glory. But there is a fullness and a richness in the language which
allows that it is not to be confined to that event. It is more strikingly applicable to the advent of
the Messiah - and to the fact that through him the glory of Yahweh would be manifest to all
nations. Rosenmuller supposes that this should be translated,
And all flesh shall see together
That the mouth of Yahweh hath spoken it.
The Hebrew will bear this construction, but there is no necessity for departing from the
translation in the common version. The Septuagint adds here the words ‘salvation of God’ so as
to read it, ‘and all flesh shall see the salvation of God,’ and this reading has been adopted in
Luk_3:6; or it may be more probable that Luke Luk_3:4-6 has quoted from different parts of
Isaiah, and that he intended to quote that part, not from the version of the Septuagint, but from
Isa_52:10. Lowth, on the authority of the Septuagint, proposes to restore these words to the
Hebrew text. But the authority is insufficient. The Vulgate, the Chaldee, the Syriac, and the
Hebrew manuscripts concur in the reading of the present Hebrew text, and the authority of the
Septuagint is altogether insufficient to justify a change.
For the mouth of the Lord - The strongest possible confirmation that it would be fulfilled
(see the note at Isa_34:16). The idea is, that God had certainly promised their deliverance from
bondage; and that his interposition, in a manner which should attract the attention of all
nations, was certainly purposed by him. Few events have ever more impressively manifested the
glory of God than the redemption of his people from Babylon; none has occurred, or will ever
occur, that will more impressively demonstrate his glory, wisdom, and faithfulness, than the
redemption of the world by the Messiah.

2. CLARKE, “
“The salvation of our God” - These words are added here by the
Septuagint:
το3σωτηριον3του3Θεου, תא3תעושי3וניהלא   eth3yesuath3Eloheynu, as it is in the parallel place,
Isa_52:10. The sentence is abrupt without it, the verb wanting its object; and I think it is
genuine. Our English translation has supplied the word it, which is equivalent to this addition,
from the Septuagint.
This omission in the Hebrew text is ancient, being prior to the Chaldee, Syriac, and Vulgate
Versions: but the words stand in all the copies of the Septuagint, and they are acknowledged by
Luke, Luk_3:6. The whole of this verse is wanting in one of my oldest MSS.

3. GILL, “
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed..... Christ himself, who is the
brightness of his Father's glory, and his own glory, as the glory of the of the only begotten of the
Father; the glorious perfections of his nature, seen in the miracles wrought, and in the doctrines
taught by him; the glory of the divine Father, in the face or person of Christ; and the glory of his
attributes, in the work of salvation by him; all which is most clearly discerned in the glass of the
Gospel, or in the ministry of the word, by John, Christ himself, and his apostles:

and all flesh shall see it together; not the Jews only, but Gentiles also; not with their bodily
eyes, but with the eyes of their understanding; even the salvation of the Lord, and his glory, as
displayed in it, being set forth in the everlasting Gospel to the view of all; see
Luk_3:7,

for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it: that his glory should be revealed, and be visible
to all, and therefore sure and certain; for what he has said he does, and what he has spoken he
makes good. The Targum is,

"for by the word of the Lord it is so decreed;''

and therefore shall be fulfilled.

4. HENRY, “
When this is done the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
Isa_40:5. (1.) When
the captives are prepared for deliverance Cyrus shall proclaim it, and those shall have the benefit
of it, and those only, whose hearts the Lord shall stir up with courage and resolution to break
through the discouragements that lay in their way, and to make nothing of the hills, and valleys,
and all the rough places. (2.) When John Baptist has for some time preached repentance,
mortification, and reformation, and so made ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luk_1:17),
then the Messiah himself shall be revealed in his glory, working miracles, which John did not,
and by his grace, which is his glory, binding up and healing with consolations those whom John
had wounded with convictions. And this revelation of divine glory shall be a light to lighten the
Gentiles. All flesh shall see it together, and not the Jews only; they shall see and admire it, see it
and bid it welcome; as the return out of captivity was taken notice of by the neighbouring
nations, Psa_126:2. And it shall be the accomplishment of the word of God, not one iota or tittle
of which shall fall to the ground: The mouth of the Lord has spoken it, and therefore the hand of
the Lord will effect it.

By confidence in the word of the Lord, and not in any creature. The mouth of the Lord having
spoken it, the voice has this further to cry (he that has ears to hear let him hear it), The word of
our God shall stand for ever, Isa_40:8.
1. By this accomplishment of the prophecies and promises of salvation, and the performance
of them to the utmost in due time, it appears that the word of the Lord is sure and what may be
safely relied on. Then we are prepared for deliverance when we depend entirely upon the word
of God, build our hopes on that, with an assurance that it will not make us ashamed: in a
dependence upon this word we must be brought to own that all flesh is grass, withering and
fading. (1.) The power of man, when it does appear against the deliverance, is not to be feared;
for it shall be as grass before the word of the Lord: it shall wither and be trodden down. The
insulting Babylonians, who promise themselves that the desolations of Jerusalem shall be
perpetual, are but as grass which the spirit of the Lord blows upon, makes nothing of, but blasts
all its glory; for the word of the Lord, which promises their deliverance, shall stand for ever, and
it is not in the power of their enemies to hinder the execution of it. (2.) The power of man, when
it would appear for the deliverance, is not to be trusted to; for it is but as grass in comparison
with the word of the Lord, which is the only firm foundation for us to build our hope upon.
When God is about to work salvation for his people he will take them off from depending upon
creatures, and looking for it from hills and mountains. They shall fail them, and their
expectations from them shall be frustrated: The Spirit of the Lord shall blow upon them; for
God will have no creature to be a rival with him for the hope and confidence of his people; and,
as it is his word only that shall stand for ever, so in that word only our faith must stand. When
we are brought to this, then, and not till then, we are fit for mercy.
2. The word of our God, that glory of the Lord which is now to be revealed, the gospel, and
that grace which is brought with it to us and wrought by it in us, shall stand for ever; and this is
the satisfaction of all believers, when they find all their creature-comforts withering and fading
like grass. Thus the apostle applies it to the word which by the gospel is preached unto us, and
which lives and abides for ever as the incorruptible seed by which we are born again,
1Pe_1:23-25. To prepare the way of the Lord we must be convinced, (1.) Of the vanity of the
creature, that all flesh is grass, weak and withering. We ourselves are so, and therefore cannot
save ourselves; all our friends are so, and therefore are unable to save us. All the beauty of the
creature, which might render it amiable, is but as the flower of grass, soon blasted, and therefore
cannot recommend us to God and to his acceptance. We are dying creatures; all our comforts in
this word are dying comforts, and therefore cannot be the felicity of our immortal souls. We
must look further for a salvation, look further for a portion. (2.) Of the validity of the promise of
God. We must be convinced that the word of the Lord can do that for us which all flesh cannot -
that, forasmuch as it stands for ever, it will furnish us with a happiness that will run parallel
with the duration of our souls, which must live for ever; for the things that are not seen, but
must be believed, are eternal.

5. JAMISON, “
see it — The Septuagint for “it,” has “the salvation of God.” So
Luk_3:6
(compare Luk_2:30, that is, Messiah); but the Evangelist probably took these words from
Isa_52:10.
for — rather, “All flesh shall see that the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it” [Bengel].

6. K&D, “
The cry of the crier proceeds thus in
Isa_40:5 : “And the glory of Jehovah will be
revealed, and all flesh seeth together: for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it.” The pret. cons.

ה ָל ְגִנ ְק is here apodosis imper. When the way is prepared for Jehovah the Coming One, the glory
of the God of salvation will unveil itself (on the name Jehovah, which is applied to God, the
absolute I, as living and revealing Himself in history, more especially in the history of salvation).
His parousia is the revelation of His glory (1Pe_4:13). This revelation is made for the good of
Israel, but not secretly or exclusively; for all the human race, called here designedly “all flesh”
(
kol v tH t_), will come to see it (compare
Luk_3:6, “the salvation of God”). Man, because he is
flesh, cannot see God without dying (Exo_33:20); but the future will fill up this gulf of
separation. The object to the verb “see” is not what follows, as Rosenmüller supposes, viz., “that
the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken,” for the word of promise which is here fulfilled is not one
addressed to all flesh; nor does it mean, “see that Jehovah hath spoken with His own mouth,”
i.e., after having become man, as Stier maintains, for the verb required in this case would be
ר ֵE ַד ְמ, not ר ֵE ִG. The clause, “for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it,” is rather Isaiah's usual
confirmation of the foregoing prophecy. Here the crier uses it to establish the certainty of what
he foretells, provided that Israel will do what he summons it to perform.

7. CALVIN, “5.And the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed. He means that this work of redemption will
be splendid, so that the Lord will shew that he is the Author of it, and will illustriously display his majesty
and power. This, indeed, is very openly manifested in all places and in all events, but he promises that he
will do this especially in protecting and delivering his Church, and not without good reason; for the
deliverance of the Church, from its commencement down to the coming of Christ, might be called a
renewal of the world. (112) And because the power of God, which he had formerly been accustomed to
display, was almost extinguished, so that scarcely the slightest traces were discernible, as it is said in the
Psalm, “ do not see our signs,” (Psa_74:9;) this was a very seasonable warning, that a new and striking
demonstration is promised, by which they may perceive that God has in his power various methods of
giving relief, even when he conceals them for a time.

And all flesh shall see. He now heightens the miracle by an additional circumstance, that it will be known
not only in Judea, but in foreign and distant countries; for by these words “ flesh shall see,” he means that
there will be no nations that do not see clearly that the return of the people is a heavenly work, and that
God did not speak in vain by the Prophet. Thus he censures the unbelief of men, who never rely on the
promises of God, and who treat as fables whatever is said by the prophets, till by beholding the actual
fact they are constrained to yield.

That the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken. Here we are taught what is the true method of correcting our
unbelief; that is, to be employed in meditating on the promises of God, and to have our faith strengthened
by all the proofs of them which he exhibits. Thus it is proper to join doctrine with experience; for since the
sight of God’ works would produce little impression on us, he first enlightens us by the torch of his word,
and next seals the truth of it by the actual accomplishment.

(112) “Un renonvellement incroyable, ou seconde creation du monde.” “ incredible renewal or second
creation of the world.”

6 A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the
field.

1.BARNES, “The voice said - Or rather ‘a voice.’ Isaiah represents himself here again as
hearing a voice. The word ‘the’ introduced in our translation, mars the sense, inasmuch as it
leads to the supposition that it was the voice of the same person or crier referred to in
Isa_40:3.
But it is different. That was the voice of a crier or herald, proclaiming that a way was to be open
in the desert. This is introduced for a different purpose. It is to proclaim distinctly that while
everything else was fading and transitory, the promise of God was firm and secure. Isaiah
therefore, represents himself as hearing a voice requiring the prophets (so the Chaldee) to make
a proclamation. An inquiry was at once made, What should be the nature of the proclamation?
The answer was, that all flesh was grass, etc. He had Isa_40:3-5 introduced a herald announcing
that the way was to be prepared for their return. He now introduces another voice with a distinct
message to the people, that God was faithful, and that his promises would not fail. A voice, a
command is heard, requiring those whose duty it was, to make proclamation. The voice of God;
the Spirit speaking to the prophets, commanded them to cry.
And he said - Lowth and Noyes read this, ‘And I said.’ The Septuagint and the Vulgate read
it also in this manner, in the first person. Two manuscripts examined by Kennicott also read it in
the first person. Houbigant, Hensler, and Doderlin adopt this reading. But the authority is not
sufficient to justify a change in the Hebrew text. The Syriac and Chaldee read it as it is in the
present Hebrew text, in the third person. The sense is, that the person, or prophet to whom the
command came to make proclamation, made answer, ‘What shall be the nature of my
proclamation?’ It is equivalent to saying, ‘It was answered;’ or if Isaiah is the person to whom
the voice is represented as coming, it means that he answered; and is, therefore, equivalent to
the reading in the Septuagint and Vulgate, and adopted by Lowth. This is the probable
supposition, that Isaiah represents himself as hearing the voice, and as expressing a willingness
to make proclamation, but as waiting to know what he was to proclaim.
All flesh - This is the answer; or this is what he was to proclaim. The general design or scope
of the answer was, that he was to proclaim that the promise of Yahweh was secure and firm
Isa_40:8, and that therefore God would certainly come to deliver them. To make this more
impressive by way of contrast, he states that all people are weak and feeble like the grass that is
soon withered. The expression does not refer particularly to the Jews in Babylon, or to any
single nation or class of people, but to all people, in all places, and at all times. All princes,
nobles, and monarchs; all armies and magistrates are like grass, and will soon pass away. On the

one hand, they would be unable to accomplish what was needful to be done in the deliverance of
the people; and on the other, their oppressors had no power to continue their bondage, since
they were like grass, and must soon pass away. But Yahweh was ever-enduring, and was able to
fulfill all his purposes.
Is grass - It is as feeble, weak, and as easily consumed as the grass of the field. A similar
sentiment is found in Psa_103:15-16 :
As for man, his days are as grass;
As a flower of the field so he flourisheth;
For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone,
And the place thereof shall know it no more.
See also Jam_1:10-11. The passage in Isaiah is evidently quoted by Peter, 1Pe_1:24-25 : ‘All
flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the
flower thereof falleth away: but the word of the Lord endureth forever; and this is the word
which by the gospel is preached unto you’ - a passage which proves that Isaiah had reference to
the times of the Messiah in the place before us.
And all the goodliness thereof - The word rendered ‘goodliness’ (דסח  chesed) denotes
properly, kindness, love, goodwill, mercy, favor. Here it is evidently used in the sense of
elegance, comeliness, beauty. The Septuagint renders it: δόξα  doxa, and so does Peter 1Pe_1:24.
Applied to grass, or to herbs, it denotes the flower, the beauty, the comeliness. Applied to man, it
means that which makes him comely and vigorous - health, energy, beauty, talent, wisdom. His
vigor is soon gone; his beauty fades; his wisdom ceases; and he falls, like the flower, to the dust.
The idea is, that the plans of man must be temporary; that all that appears great in him must be
like the flower of the field; but that Yahweh endures, and his plans reach from age to age, and
will certainly be accomplished. This important truth was to be proclaimed, that the people might
be induced not to trust in man, but put their confidence in the arm of God.

2. CLARKE, “
The voice saint Cry “A voice saith Proclaim” - To understand rightly
this passage is a matter of importance; for it seems designed to give us the true key to the
remaining part of Isaiah’s prophecies, the general subject of which is the restoration of the
people and Church of God. The prophet opens the subject with great clearness and elegance: he
declares at once God’s command to his messengers, (his prophets, as the Chaldee rightly
explains it), to comfort his people in captivity, to impart to them the joyful tidings, that their
punishment has now satisfied the Divine justice, and the time of reconciliation and favor is at
hand. He then introduces a harbinger giving orders to prepare the way for God, leading his
people from Babylon, as he did formerly from Egypt, through the wilderness, to remove all
obstacles, and to clear the way for their passage.
Thus far nothing more appears to be intended than a return from the Babylonish captivity;
but the next words seem to intimate something much greater: -
“And the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed;
And all flesh shall see together the salvation of our God.”
He then introduces a voice commanding him to make a solemn proclamation. And what is the
import of it? that the people - the flesh, is of a vain temporary nature; that all its glory fadeth,
and is soon gone; but that the word of God endureth for ever. What is this, but a plain
opposition of the flesh to the spirit; of the carnal Israel to the spiritual; of the temporary Mosaic

economy to the eternal Christian dispensation? You may be ready to conclude, (the prophet may
be disposed to say), by this introduction to my discourse, that my commission is only to comfort
you with a promise of the restoration of your religion and polity, of Jerusalem, of the temple,
and its services and worship in all its ancient splendor. These are earthly, temporary, shadowy,
fading things, which shall soon pass away, and be destroyed for ever; these are not worthy to
engage your attention in comparison of the greater blessings, the spiritual redemption, the
eternal inheritance, covered under the veil of the former, which I have it in charge to unfold unto
you. The law has only a shadow of good things; the substance is the Gospel. I promise you a
restoration of the former, which, however, is only for a time, and shall be done away, according
to God’s original appointment: but under that image I give you a view of the latter, which shall
never be done away, but shall endure for ever. This I take to be agreeable to St. Peter’s
interpretation of this passage of the prophet, quoted by him, 1Pe_1:24, 1Pe_1:25 : “All flesh is as
grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth and the flower thereof
falleth away; but the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the
Gospel is preached unto you.” This is the same word of the Lord of which Isaiah speaks, which
hath now been preached unto you by the Gospel. The law and the Gospel are frequently opposed
to one another by St. Paul, under the images of flesh and spirit: “Having begun in the spirit, are
ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Gal_3:3. - L.
All the Godliness thereof - ”All its glory” - For ודסח  chasdo read ודח  chadu; the
Septuagint and Vulgate, and 1Pe_1:24.

3. GILL, “
The voice said, cry,.... Not the same voice as in
Isa_40:3, nor the voice of an angel,
as Aben Ezra; but a voice from the Lord, as Jarchi; the voice of prophecy, says Kimchi; it is the
Lord's voice to the prophet, or rather to any and every Gospel minister, giving them an order to
prophesy and preach, without which they cannot preach regularly and lawfully; it is the same as,
"go, teach all nations", &c. preach the Gospel to every creature, &c. Mat_28:19,

and he said, what shall I cry? publish, proclaim, or preach? for a minister of the Gospel is to
preach not out of his own heart, or of his own head, or what is of his own devising and framing,
but what is agreeable to the mind of Christ, as revealed in his word; he is to speak according to
the oracles of God, the proportion and analogy of faith; he is to inquire there, and of Christ, what
he shall say. The Targum is,

"the voice of him that saith, prophesy; and he answered and said, what shall I prophesy?''

The reply is,

all flesh is grass; declare the frailty and mortality of men; which some think is mentioned, to
increase the wonder of Christ's incarnation, after prophesied of, as the forerunner of it is before;
that Christ should condescend to take upon him such frail mortal flesh; that he should become
flesh, and be manifested in it: or rather this is to be said, to put men in mind and to prepare
them to think of another world, and how they shall appear before the judgment seat; seeing, if
they have not a better righteousness than their own, and except they are born again, they shall
neither see nor enter into the kingdom of heaven; which is one of the first things to be published
in the Gospel ministry; as also how weak, impotent, and insufficient, men are, to that which is
good, which may be meant by this phrase; being as weak as a spire of grass, not able to do any
good actions, much less to fulfil the law, or to regenerate themselves, renew their hearts, or
cleanse their natures: and this must be said, to abate the pride of men; to show the necessity of

divine power in regeneration; to instruct men to seek for the grace of God, as to convert them, so
to help and assist them in all they do; and to direct them to ascribe all they have, and are, to the
grace of God; to this purpose the Apostle Peter quotes this passage, 1Pe_1:23. It may be applied
to the ordinances of the legal dispensation, and all the privileges of it, which are said to be
carnal; and trusting in them was trusting in the flesh, Phi_3:4, Heb_9:10, these were weak and
insufficient to justify, sanctify, and save, and were not to continue:

and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field; all the goodliness and glory
of man; all that is excellent and valuable in him, or belonging to him, Or that is thought to be so,
his riches, honours, strength, beauty, wisdom, and knowledge; yea, all his seeming holiness and
righteousness; which are all fading and perishing, like a gay flower, which appears lovely for a
while, and on a sudden falls off, or is cropped, or trampled upon; to which a flower of the field is
more liable than that of the garden. This may be applied to the splendour of the legal
dispensation, which is done away by a more excellent glory taking place, 2Co_3:10.

4. CHARLES SIMEON, “ 6-8, “
THE IMMUTABILITY OF THE GOSPEL
Isa_40:6?8. The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness
thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the Spirit of the Lord
bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our
God shall stand for ever.

GOD doeth according to his own will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth.
When his time was come for the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt, in vain did Pharaoh labour to retain
them. Thus the prophet was inspired to declare the redemption of the Jews from Babylon, and the still
greater redemption of the world from sin and Satan, in despite of all endeavours which might be used to
thwart the divine purpose. This seems to be the immediate scope of the words before us. But they may
also be taken as a general declaration respecting the instability of every thing human, and the
immutability of God’s word.

I. The instability of every thing human—

The comparison of man to grass is very frequent in the Scriptures; and it affords a just description of,

1. Our temporal comforts—

[The grass in the early spring adorns and beautifies the face of nature; but, when parched by a burning
sun or an eastern blast, it soon withers and decays: in the same manner the beauty and strength of youth
are soon turned to weakness and deformity: the affluence and honour of the rich are quickly changed to
degradation and want: and all our goodly fabrics of case and happiness are soon demolished. St. James
illustrates this truth by the very comparison in the text [Note: Jam_1:9?11.]: and as Job experienced it in
the days of old, so in every age may numerous instances be found of such vicissitudes.]

2. Our spiritual comforts—

[God is pleased to give rich consolation to his people: and, while they enjoy it, their faces are made, as it
were, to shine, as the face of Moses did, when he descended from the holy mount. But these comforts
are often of short continuance. When Peter thought of building tabernacles to protract his happiness, a

cloud immediately overshadowed him, and he was called down to renew his conflicts with the world
[Note: Mar_9:5; Mar_9:7; Mar_9:14.]. When David fancied his mountain so strong that he should never be
moved, God hid his face from him and he was troubled [Note: Psa_30:7.]. Thus it is also with all the
people of God; whose manifold changes in this respect may well be compared with the diversified scenes
of nature under the influence of kindly showers, or malignant winds [Note: Psa_102:2?4.].]

3. Our very life itself—

[In the midst of health we promise ourselves years to come: but, when God withdraws our breath, we
instantly return to our native dust. Some look more gay and possess more “goodliness” than others; but
they are only as the “flower of the field,” which cannot survive the grass, and not unfrequently falls before
it. In this view the inspired writers describe our state [Note: Job_14:1?2. Psa_90:3?6. Psa_103:15?16.];
and both observation and experience attest the truth of their representations: we must all confess, in the
language of the text, “Surely, the people is grass.”]

But while every thing human is thus frail and transient, we have a firm foundation whereon to stand,
namely,

II. The immutability of God’s blessed word—

The “word of God” here spoken of, may be understood as relating to Christ, who is often called by this
name, and whose immutability is mentioned by the Psalmist in this very view [Note: Psa_102:11?
12; Psa_102:26?27.]. But St. Peter informs us that the prophet spake of the Gospel?salvation
[Note: 1Pe_1:24?25.]. Now

This “word” contains the most important and comfortable truths—

[There is no want, which it is not able to supply, no disorder, for which it does not prescribe a remedy. It
proclaims health to the sick, sight to the blind, liberty to the captives, and life to the dead. So extensive
are its invitations and promises, that there is not a human being excluded from its provisions, nor is there
any limit to the blessings which it will impart. It assures us, that sins of a crimson die may become white
as snow; that the most heavy?laden soul may obtain rest; and that none, who come to Jesus, shall on any
account be cast out [Note: Isa_1:18. Mat_11:28. Joh_6:37.].]

Nor is it a small excellence in these truths, that they are as immutable as God himself—

[How vain were the attempts of men and devils to stop the progress of the Gospel, and to make void the
declarations of God respecting it! Equally vain shall be every endeavour to invalidate the promises which
he has made to the believing penitent. Has he said, that “all manner of sin shall be forgiven; that he will
cleanse us from all our filthiness and from all our idols; and that, where he has begun the good work, he
will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ?” We may rest assured that he will fulfil his word: for “he is not
a man, that he should lie, or a son of man that he should repent.” But it may be said, “Though God
changeth not, yet we change, and therefore may forfeit our interest in the promises.” True; if God should
leave us, we not only may, but most undoubtedly shall, both fall and perish. But God has said, I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee; so that we may adopt the confident declaration of St. Paul, “I know in whom I
have believed, that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him.” We must be strong in faith,
giving glory to God. Then, though difficulties may arise, and appear for a while wholly insurmountable,
they shall surely be overcome; “Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain; and we shall see the salvation of

God.”]

We may learn from hence,

1. The folly of seeking our rest in earthly things—

[The injunction given to the prophet to “cry,” and to proclaim aloud that “all flesh is grass,” and the
frequent repetition of this comparison, are strong intimations of the extreme vanity of every thing here
below. And who amongst us has not found that the enjoyments he fondly anticipated, have either eluded
his grasp, or deceived his expectation? Whatever then be our comforts in life, let us not set our hearts
upon them, but “so use the world as not abusing it, knowing that the fashion thereof passeth away.”]

2. The wisdom of embracing the Gospel?salvation—

[They who trust in the word of God are sure of never being disappointed. However high their expectations
are raised, they shall never be ashamed. The stronger their faith, the more abiding will be their comfort.
Besides, their enjoyments, instead of cloying, will become more and more delightful; and, instead of
bringing with them many inseparable ills, will produce nothing but good to their souls. But that which most
of all must endear the Gospel to them is, that their happiness will then be consummated, when they,
whose comforts were of an earthly nature, will want even a drop of water to cool their tongue. Let the
word of God then be precious to our souls. Let Christ, as revealed in it, be the object of our faith, and
hope, and love. Let us embrace the promises, assured that they shall all be fulfilled; and let us tremble at
the threatening, knowing that they shall all be executed. Thus shall we be proof against the temptations of
the world, and shall possess an eternity of glory, when the lovers of this present world will lie down in
everlasting burnings.]

5. JAMISON, “
The voice — the same divine herald as in
Isa_40:3.
he — one of those ministers or prophets (see on Isa_40:1) whose duty it was, by direction of
“the voice,” to “comfort the Lord’s afflicted people with the promises of brighter days.”
All flesh is grass — The connection is, “All human things, however goodly, are transitory:
God’s promises alone steadfast” (Isa_40:8, Isa_40:15, Isa_40:17, Isa_40:23, Isa_40:24); this
contrast was already suggested in Isa_40:5, “All flesh ... the mouth of the Lord.” 1Pe_1:24,
1Pe_1:25 applies this passage distinctly to the gospel word of Messiah (compare Joh_12:24;
Jam_1:10).

6. K&D, “
The prophet now hears a second voice, and then a third, entering into conversation
with it. “Hark, one speaking, Cry! And he answers, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all
its beauty as the flower of the field. Grass is withered, flower faded: for the breath of Jehovah
has blown upon it. Surely grass is the people; grass withereth, flower fadeth: yet the word of
our God will stand for ever.” A second voice celebrates the divine word of promise in the face of
the approaching fulfilment, and appoints a preacher of its eternal duration. The verb is not
ר ַמּאָו
(et dixi, lxx, Vulg.), but ר ַמcְו; so that the person asking the question is not the prophet himself,
but an ideal person, whom he has before him in visionary objectiveness. The appointed theme of

his proclamation is the perishable nature of all flesh (Isa_40:5 πdσα3σάρξ, here πdσα363σάρξ),
and, on the other hand, the imperishable nature of the word of God. Men living in the flesh are
universally impotent, perishing, limited; God, on the contrary (Isa_31:3), is the omnipotent,
eternal, all-determining; and like Himself, so is His word, which, regarded as the vehicle and
utterance of His willing and thinking, is not something separate from Himself, and therefore is
the same as He.
Chasdo is the charm or gracefulness of the outward appearance (lxx;
1Pe_1:24, δ
όξα: see Schott on the passage, Jam_1:11, ε4πρέπεια). The comparison instituted with grass and
flower recals Isa_37:27 and Job_8:12, and still more Psa_90:5-6, and Job_14:2. Isa_40:7
describes what happens to the grass and flower. The preterites, like the Greek aoristus
gnomicus (cf., Isa_26:10), express a fact of experience sustained by innumerable examples:
exaruit gramen, emarcuit flos;
(Note: ל ֵבָנ has munach here and in Isa_40:8 attached to the penultimate in all correct texts
(hence milel, on account of the monosyllable which follows), and mehteg on the tzere to
sustain the lengthening.)
consequently the י ִI which follows is not hypothetical (granting that), but explanatory of the
reason, viz., “because
ruach3Jehovah hath blown upon it,” i.e., the “breath” of God the Creator,
which pervades the creation, generating life, sustaining life, and destroying life, and whose most
characteristic elementary manifestation is the wind. Every breath of wind is a drawing of the
breath of the whole life of nature, the active indwelling principle of whose existence is the
ruach
of God. A fresh v. ought to commence now with
ן ֵכc. The clause ם ָע ָה רִיצ ָח ן ֵכc is genuine, and
thoroughly in Isaiah's style, notwithstanding the lxx, which Gesenius and Hitzig follow. ןכע is not
equivalent to a comparative ן ֵכ (Ewald, §105, a), but is assuring, as in Isa_45:15; Isa_49:4;
Isa_53:4; and x tp to (the people) refers to men generally, as in Isa_42:5. The order of thought is
in the form of a triolet. The explanation of the striking simile commences with ) tKxIms (surely);
and then in the repetition of the words, “grass withereth, flower fadeth,” the men are intended,
resemble the grass and the flower. Surely grass is the human race; such grass withereth and such
flower fadeth, but the word of our God (Jehovah, the God of His people and of sacred history)
M t
qum
l
e
pkm. to, i.e., it rises up without withering or fading, and endures for ever, fulfilling and
verifying itself through all times. This general truth refers, in the preset instance, to the word of
promise uttered by the voice in the desert. If the word of God generally has an eternal duration,
more especially is this the case with the word of the parousia of God the Redeemer, the word in
which all the words of God are yea and amen. The imperishable nature of this word, however,
has for its dark foil the perishable nature of all flesh, and all the beauty thereof. The oppressors
of Israel are mortal, and their chesed with which they impose and bribe is perishable; but the
word of God, with which Israel can console itself, preserves the fields, and ensures it a glorious
end to its history. Thus the seal, which the first crier set upon the promise of Jehovah's speedy
coming, is inviolable; and the comfort which the prophets of God are to bring to His people, who
have now been suffering so long, is infallibly sure.

7. CALVIN, “6.The voice said, Cry. He now describes a different “” from that of which he formerly
spoke; for hitherto he had spoken about the “” of the prophets, but now he means the “” of God himself

commanding the prophets to cry. Although the voice of the prophets is also the voice of God, whose
instruments they are, (for they do not speak of themselves,) (2Pe_1:20,) yet this distinction is necessary,
that we may know when the Lord commands, and when the prophets and ministers execute his
commandments. There is also a beautiful comparison between the two “” that we may receive with as
much reverence what the prophets utter as if God himself thundered from heaven; for they speak only by
his mouth, and repeat as ambassadors what he has commissioned them to declare. Besides, this preface
gives notice that the Prophet is about to speak of something highly important; for, although he
everywhere testifies that he faithfully delivers from hand to hand what he has received from God, yet, in
order to obtain closer attention, he states that the voice of God has expressly enjoined the mode of
speaking which he shall employ. Such is also the import of the word Cry, as if he had said that he must
proclaim this commandment in a clear and loud voice, that it may make the deeper impression.

And I said, What shall I cry? The addition of this question has great weight; for the Prophet means that he
does not break forth at random, and boast of what he appeared to have heard in a confused manner; but
that he received clear and undoubted instruction, after having waited for it with composure. Besides, from
the fact itself we may learn that there is nothing here that is superfluous, because two chief points of
heavenly doctrine were to be briefly handled; that, although man is smoke and vanity, and all his
excellence is deceitful and fading, yet believers have the best reason for glorying, because they seek
salvation not from themselves; and that, although they are strangers on the earth, (Heb_11:13,) yet they
possess heavenly happiness, because God unites himself to them by his word; for by renouncing
ourselves we are led to desire the grace of God. The Prophet knew, indeed, what he ought to say; but by
this question he intended to make a stronger impression on their minds, in order to shew that he and all
the other servants of God are constrained by necessity to utter this sentiment, and that they cannot begin
to teach in any other manner, though they should put a hundred questions and inquiries; as indeed they
will gain nothing by choosing to adopt any other method.

As to the word Cry, I have no objection to view it as denoting both boldness and clearness; because
prophets ought not to mutter in an obscure manner, but to pronounce their message with a distinct voice,
and to utter boldly and with open mouth whatever they have been commanded to declare. Let every one,
therefore, who is called to this office constantly remember and believe, that he ought to meet difficulties of
every sort with unshaken boldness, such as was always manifested both by prophets and by apostles.

“ to me,” says Paul, “ I do not preach the gospel; for necessity is laid on me.”

(1Co_9:16.)

All flesh is grass. First, it ought to be observed, that he does not speak merely of the frailty of human life,
but extends the discourse farther, so as to reduce to nothing all the excellence which men think that they
possess. David indeed compares this life to grass, (Psa_103:15,) because it is fading and transitory; but
the context shews that the Prophet does not speak only of the outward man, but includes the gifts of the
mind, of which men are exceedingly proud, such as prudence, courage, acuteness, judgment, skill in the
transactions of business, in which they think that they excel other animals; and this is more fully
expressed by that which immediately follows —

All the grace of it. Some translate ודסח (chasdo) “ glory;” others, “ kindness;” but I have preferred the word
“” by which I mean everything that procures honor and esteem to men. Yet a passive signification may
also be admitted; as if the Prophet had said, that all that is excellent and worthy of applause among men
is the absolute kindness of God. Thus David calls God “ God of his kindness,” (Psa_59:10,) because he
acknowledges him to be the author of all blessings, and ascribes it to his grace that he has obtained them

so largely and abundantly. It is indeed certain that דסח (chesed) here denotes all that is naturally most
highly valued among men, and that the Prophet condemns it for vanity, because there is an implied
contrast between the ordinary nature of mankind and the grace of regeneration.

Some commentators refer this to the Assyrians, as if the Prophet, by extenuating their power and wealth,
and industry and exertions, or rather by treating these as they had no existence, freed the minds of the
Jews from terror. They bring out the meaning in this manner, “ you are terrified at the strength of men,
remember that they are flesh, which quickly gives way through its own weakness. But their error is soon
afterwards refuted by the context, in which the Prophet expressly applies it to the Jews themselves. We
ought carefully to observe that man, with his faculties, on account of which he is accustomed to value
himself so highly, is wholly compared to a flower. All men are fully convinced of the frailty of human life,
and on this subject heathen writers have argued at great length; but it is far more difficult to root out the
confidence which men entertain through a false opinion of their wisdom; for, if they imagine that they have
either knowledge or industry beyond others, they think that they have a right to glory in them. But he
shews that in man there is nothing so excellent as not to fade quickly and perish.

As the flower of the field. The Prophet seems, as if in mockery, to add a sort of correction; for a flower is
something more than grass. It is, therefore, an acknowledgment, that, although men have some shining
qualities, like flowers in the fields, yet the beauty and lustre quickly vanish and pass away, so that it is
useless for them to flatter or applaud themselves on account of this idle and deceitful splendor.

8. BI 6-8, “
The earthly transitory: the heavenly enduring
When we make a judgment of the objects of sense and of faith, “the things that are seen” claim
the preference over “the things that are not seen.” The appearance which the world presents is
seducing, that which religion exhibits is forbidding. The appearances are deceitful, and the
judgment we form of them false.
I. THE VANITY OF THE THINGS OF THIS LIFE. Empty as is every thing in the world, and
limited in its duration, it is one of the truths the most common and the least received.
1. The voice of reason teaches men that they have only a little while to live. If they will but
reflect upon their constitution, they cannot but discover, both within and without,
innumerable principles of their speedy dissolution.
2. This the Scripture teaches without ceasing: adapting its lessons to the importance of the
awakening truth, no strong expressions are overlooked, no striking images escape the sacred
writers.
3. Besides, our own experience proclaims to us the fact by the most indubitable proofs.
II. THE SOUNDNESS OF A CHRISTIAN’S HOPE IN FUTURITY. The future is as enlivening to
the Christian as the past is humiliating to the man. Death, properly speaking, is only the lot of
the wicked. The Christian, in the estimation of the Gospel, never dies; he falls asleep, he “rests
from his labours.” (P. Huet.)

The fading and the abiding
I. “ALL FLESH IS GRASS.” The prophet describes man by this name of “flesh,” as that which
strikingly sets forth his general state and ordinary habits. What is man? Is not the care of the

flesh his grand concern?—the pampering the body, the gratifying its senses, or fulfilling the lusts
thereof? Here and there, indeed, we meet with one who has broken its trammels;, whose soul,
rising up on the wings of faith and love, seeks for happiness in God; but when we look at the
world at large, we are compelled to say that it is a world whose aims, pleasures, pursuits, are
earthly. Yet how vain are these pursuits! “All flesh is grass”; that is, like the grass it is liable to
various casualties. If it abides to its utmost duration it soon withers and is gone. The blade when
it has only just sprung above the ground may be trodden under foot, may be parched by the
heat, cut off by the cold, or withered by the blight; may be plucked by the hand, or mowed down
by the scythe; thus is it with man. No sooner does he appear in the world than some little
casualty may at once deprive him of life. This is the state of all—“for all flesh is as grass, and all
the goodliness thereof as the flower of the field”: “the wind passeth over it and it is gone, and the
place thereof shall know it no more!” But is there no difference? Surely there are some
distinctions. Yes, there are, and as Archbishop Leighton observes, this difference is beautifully
expressed by the inspired writer—“the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field.” When we
enter a field, it is not so much the common blade which attracts the eye. It is the flower—those
various beautiful ornaments with which the creative power of God has adorned the face of the
earth. So there are various external embellishments which distinguish some from the ordinary
race of men. Every soul, indeed, is of inestimable value. Still, it must be confessed that there are
properties which some possess which are more attractive—youth, beauty, honours, talent. But
what are they all? But the flower of the grass. They partake of the fading nature of the plants
from which they spring.
II. THE WORD OF GOD IS AS ABIDING AS HIMSELF; and this notwithstanding all the
attempts that have been made, by wicked men instigated by evil spirits, to destroy it. This has
been their constant aim, for the Word of God has been their constant dread.
1. It abides in its doctrines. These are not evanescent theories, like some of the dicta of the
philosophers; they are eternal truths.
2. Its promises endure. Its sanctions also stand for ever; namely, the rewards and
punishments which are there made known. Let those who are now surrounded with many
temporal blessings regard them as flowers, which the goodness of God provides to sweeten
their present path; still set not your hearts upon them; they are but short-lived gifts, fading
flowers. There is but one flower that will never fade, “The Rose of Sharon.” (J. H.Stewart, M.
A.)

The withering work of the Spirit
(with 1Pe_1:23-25):—Something more than the decay of our material flesh is intended here; the
carnal mind, the flesh in another sense, was intended by the Holy Ghost when He bade His
messenger proclaim those words. It does not seem to me that a mere expression of the mortality
of our race was needed in this place by the context; it would hardly keep pace with the sublime
revelations which surround it, and would in some measure be a digression from the subject in
hand. The notion that we are here simply and alone reminded of our mortality does not square
with the New Testament exposition of it in Peter. Look at the chapter in Isaiah with care. What
is the subject of it? It is the Divine consolation of Zion. The Lord, to remove her sorrow, bids His
prophets announce the coming of the long-expected Deliverer, the end and accomplishment of
all her warfare, and the pardon of all her iniquity. Further, there is no sort of question that the
prophet goes on to foretell the coming of John the Baptist as the harbinger of the Messiah. The
object of the coming of the Baptist, and the mission of the Messiah whom he heralded, was the
manifestation of Divine glory (verse 5). Well, what next? Was it needful to mention man’s
mortality in this connection? We think not. But there is much more appropriateness in the

succeeding verses, if we see their deeper meaning. Do they not mean this? In order to make
room for the display of the Divine glory in Christ Jesus and His children there would come a
withering of all the glory wherein man boasts himself; the flesh should be seen in its true nature
as corrupt and dying, and the grace of God alone should be exalted. This would be seen under
the ministry of John the Baptist first, and should be the preparatory work of the Holy Ghost in
men’s hearts, in all time, in order that the glory of the Lord should be revealed and human pride
be for ever confounded. The Spirit blows upon the flesh, and that which seemed vigorous
becomes weak, that which was fair to look upon is smitten with decay. The withering before the
sowing was very marvellously fulfilled in the preaching of John the Baptist. When our Lord
Himself actually appeared, He came into a withered land whose glories had all departed. But I
am coming to your own ]personal histories. In every one of us it must be fulfilled that all that is
of the flesh m us, seeing it is but as grass, must be withered, and the comeliness thereof must be
destroyed.
I. Turning, then, to THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT IN CAUSING THE GOODLINESS OF THE
FLESH TO FADE, let us—
1. Observe that the work of the Holy Spirit upon the soul of man in withering up that which
is of the flesh is very unexpected. In our text even the speaker himself, though doubtless one
taught of God, when he was bidden to cry, said, “What shall I cry?” Even he did not know
that in order to the comforting of God’s people there must first be experienced a preliminary
visitation. Many preachers of God’s Gospel have forgotten that the law is the schoolmaster to
bring men to Christ. They have sown on the unbroken fallow ground, and forgotten that the
plough must break the clods. Preachers have laboured to make Christ precious to those who
think themselves rich and increased in goods; and it has been labour in vain. It is our duty to
preach Jesus Christ even to self-righteous sinners, but it is certain that Jesus Christ will
never be accepted by them while they hold themselves in high esteem. Wherever there is a
real work of grace in any soul, it begins with a pulling down: the Holy Ghost does not build
on the old foundation. The convincing work of the Spirit, wherever it comes, is unexpected,
and even to the child of God, in whom this process has still to go on, it is often startling. We
begin again to build that which the Spirit of God has destroyed. Having begun in the Spirit,
we act as if we would be made perfect in the flesh; and then, when our mistaken upbuilding
has to be levelled with the earth, we are almost as astonished as we were when first the
scales fell from our eyes.
2. Furthermore, this withering is after the usual order of the Divine operation. Observe, the
method of creation. There seems to be every probability that this world has been fitted up
and destroyed, refitted and then destroyed again, many times before the last arranging of it
for the habitation of men. What was there in the beginning? Originally, nothing. There was
no trace of another’s plan to interfere with the great Architect. The earth was, as the Hebrew
puts it, Tohu and Bohu, disorder and confusion—in a word, chaos. So it is in the new
creation. When the Lord new creates us, He borrows nothing from the old man, but makes
all things new. Take another instance from the ways of God. When man has fallen, when did
the Lord bring him the Gospel? The first whisper of the Gospel was, “I will put enmity
between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed. He shall bruise thy head.”
That whisper came to man shivering in the presence of his Maker, having nothing more to
say by way of excuse; but standing guilty before the Lord. If you will pursue the meditation
upon the acts of God with men, you will constantly see the same thing. God has given us a
wonderful type of salvation in Noah’s ark; but Noah was saved in that ark in connection with
death; he himself, as it were, immured alive in a tomb, and all the world besides left to
destruction. All other hope for Noah was gone, and then the ark rose upon the waters.
Remember the redemption of the children of Israel out of Egypt: it occurred when they were
in the saddest plight, and their cry went up to heaven by reason of their bondage. As in the

backwoods of America before there can be tillage, the planting of cities, the arts of
civilisation, and the transactions of commerce, the woodman’s axe must hack and hew: the
stately trees of centuries must fall: the roots must be burned, the old reign of nature
disturbed,—even thus the Lord takes away the first, that He may establish the second. As it
has been outwardly, we ought to expect that it would be within us.
3. We are taught in our text how universal this process is in its range over the hearts of all
those upon whom the Spirit works. The withering is a withering of what? Of part of the flesh
and some portion of its tendencies? Nay, “All flesh is grass; and all the goodliness thereof”—
the very choice and pick of it—“is as the flower of the field,” and what happens to the grass?
Does any of it live? “The grass withereth,” all of it. The flower, will not that abide? So fair a
thing, has not that an immortality? No, it utterly falls away. So, wherever the Spirit of God
breathes on the soul of man, there is a withering of everything that is of the flesh, and it is
seen that to be carnally minded is death. Wherever the Spirit of God comes, our
righteousness withers as our sinfulness. There is much more to be destroyed, and, among
the rest, away must go our boasted power of resolution. Still the man will say, “I believe I
have, after all, within myself an enlightened conscience and an intelligence that will guide
me aright. The light of nature I will use, and I do not doubt that if I wander somewhat I shall
find my way back again.” Ah, man! thy wisdom, which is the very flower of thy nature, what
is it but folly, though thou knowest it not? When the withering wind of the Spirit moves over
the carnal mind, it reveals the death of the flesh in all respects, especially in the matter of
power towards that which is good. We then learn that word of our Lord, “Without Me ye can
do nothing.”
4. Notice the completeness of this withering work within us. The grass, what does it do?
Droop? nay, wither. The flower of the field: does it hang its head a little? No, according to
Isaiah, it fades; and according to Peter, it falleth away. There is no reviving it with showers, it
has come to its end. Even thus are the awakened led to see that in their flesh there dwelleth
no good thing. What dying and withering work some of God’s servants have had in their
souls! Look at John Bunyan, as he describes himself in his Grace Abounding! For how many
months and even years was the Spirit engaged in writing death upon all that was the old
Bunyan, in order that he might become by grace a new man fitted to track the pilgrims along
their heavenly way. The old nature never does improve.
5. All this withering work in the soul is painful. As you read these verses, do they not strike
you as having a very funereal tone? “All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the
flower of the field: the grass withereth, the flower fadeth.” This is mournful work, but it must
be done. Those who experience much of it when they first come to Christ have great reason
to be thankful. Persons who come to Christ with but comparatively little knowledge of their
own depravity, have to learn it afterwards, and they remain for a long time babes in Christ,
and are perplexed with matters that would not have troubled them if they had experienced a
deeper work at first.
6. Although this is painful, it is inevitable. Why does the grass wither? Because it is a
withering thing. “Its root is ever in its grave, and it must die.” How could it spring out of the
earth, and be immortal? Every supposed good thing that grows out of your own self, is like
yourself, mortal, and it must die. The seeds of corruption are in all the fruits of manhood’s
tree; let them be as fair to look upon as Eden’s clusters, they must decay.
7. This last word by way of comfort to any that are passing through the process we are
describing. It gives me great joy when I hear that you unconverted ones are very miserable,
for the miseries which the Holy Spirit works are always the prelude to happiness. It is the
Spirit’s work to wither. “Because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it.” What doth the Lord
say? “I kill.” But what next? “I make alive.” He never makes any alive but those He kills.

II. THE IMPLANTATION. According to Peter, although the flesh withers, and the flower thereof
falls away, yet in the children of God there is an unwithering something of another kind. “Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the Word of God, which liveth and
abideth for ever.” “The Word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the
Gospel is preached unto you.” The Gospel is of use to us because it is not of human origin. If it
were of the flesh, all it could do for us would not land us beyond the flesh; but the Gospel of
Jesus Christ is superhuman, Divine, and spiritual. If you believe a Gospel which you have
thought out for yourself, or a philosophical Gospel which comes from the brain of man, it is of
the flesh, and will wither, and you will die, and be lost through trusting in it. The only word that
can bless you and be a seed in your soul must be the living and incorruptible Word of the eternal
Spirit. Do you receive it? Then the Holy Spirit implants it in your soul. And what is the result of
it? There comes a new life as the result of the indwelling of the living Word, and our being born
again by it. A new life it is; not the old nature putting out its better parts; not the old Adam
refining and purifying itself, and rising to something better. Wherever this new life comes
through the Word, it is incorruptible, it lives for ever. (C. H.Spurgeon.)

The transitory and the durable
I. THE TRANSITORY NATURE OF ALL EARTHLY THINGS. Consid er some of those things
which constitute the goodliness and the glory of man, and see how they justify the assertion in
the text.
1. Personal endowments of beauty and of form. We make our boast of beauty: of the
sparkling eye, of comely features. Small is our cause for boast! That body which seemed to
concentrate in it all that was beautiful, see it when wasted by accidents and by time, when
blasted by the touch of death!
2. The text may be illustrated by adverting to the wisdom, as well as to the beauty and
strength of man. Since the attention of man was first directed to the objects of nature, what
an innumerable succession has there been of notions, of systems, of theories. And yet we
look on these ill-digested systems as belonging only to days which are gone by, and as now
utterly exploded. For the fact is, that all knowledge, except that which is derived from the
Bible, is destined to pass away.
3. Advert to the transitory nature of those things which are the produce of the imagination
and taste. Whatever the pencil of the painter has portrayed; whatever the chisel of the
sculptor has wrought; whatever the skill of the architect has reared,—all these are destined
shortly to be destroyed. This should convey a very forcible reproof to those who expend so
large a portion of their time in the embellishments of life, in dress, and in furniture, and in
equipages.
4. In reference to the possessions of men,—wealth and fortune, and their concomitants—
grandeur, eminence, pomp, and luxury.
5. As strikingly is this illustrated by the emptiness of that shapeless thing,—that shadow of
ashade called fame.
6. See it illustrated, also, as to dominion and power. Kingdoms and empires rise and fall—
flourish and decay.
7. The world itself is an illustration of the sentiment.
II. THE DURABILITY OF THAT DISPENSATION WITH WHICH GOD HAS BEEN PLEASED
TO BLESS THE WORLD. The “Word of our God shall stand for ever.” This sentiment is greatly
illustrated, and abundantly confirmed, by—

1. The utter impotence of persecution.
2. The utter failure of the opposition of infidelity.
3. The blessed and delightful spread given to it in our day.
4. The dispensation of truth with which God has blessed the world is the dispensation of the
Spirit. The Word of our God is a living word; it is not only a dispensation of words,
addressed to the understanding and will, but a dispensation of the Spirit coming to the heart
of man. (J. Bromley.)

Israel’s oppressors; Jehovah’s promise
The words are of universal import; but the connection shows the sense in which they are here
used by the prophet. Israel’s oppressors are mortal: the promise of Jehovah—such a promise,
namely, as that contained in Isa_40:4-5 —remains sure. (Prof. S. R. Driver, D. D.)

The abiding Word
I. THE WEAK AND PERISHABLE NATURE OF THINGS OF EARTH. T he word translated
“goodliness” signifies excellency. Every sort of excellency. Is it external? Beauty of person,
strength of frame, the influence which rank, title, wealth, power, family bestow? It is but as
grass, the withering flower. Is it internal? The highest order of intellect, the finest imagination,
the soundest judgment, most retentive memory? But the word is wider still. It takes in all moral
excellency, truth, justice, benevolence, morality, and all the external decencies of that sort of
religion which often is taken for the true religion of the heart, yet is not such. It embraces that in
which we are so prone to confide, human power, our own wisdom; all are as grass, as separated
from the Word of God, and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. The wind of deep inward
temptation, of sore trial, does but pass over it, and it is gone. If man deal with us, we find it
sometimes a very solemn thing, how much more when God deals with us. When He comes in the
convincing power of His Spirit, in the solemn hour of death, and in the thoughts of immediate
appearance before Him, ah! how wither then the flowers that have seemed the fairest. But in the
midst of all that fades and perishes and is not, there is, blessed be God, that which standeth for
ever.
II. THE ABIDING CHARACTER OF “THE WORD OF OUR GOD.” Thi s is true in whatever
sense we take it. Is it the decree of God? (Isa_46:10.) Is it His written and revealing Word?
(Isa_55:9-10.) Is it His law? Mat_5:18.) But by “the Word” here, is especially and pre-eminently
meant the Gospel (1Pe_1:23-25). The Gospel stands upon the immutable perfections of God.
There is not an attribute that does not uphold it. “The Word of our God shall stand for ever.” It
shall stand amidst all the instability of the creature, amidst all the faithlessness of man, amidst
all the unfaithfulness and unbelief of our own hearts. Is the grass to be despised, the flower to be
scorned? Be thankful for them while you have them, admire that God who is in them, their chief
Beauty, their only real Beauty. Be thankful, seek the right use of them by seeking to glorify God
in them. Is it strength of body? strength of intellect? Use them for Him, and in His service. But
remember, they fade as you behold, and wither as you use them. Hold them as perishable
memorials of the imperishable God. How real are the blessings of the Gospel when realised in
the soul! The righteousness of Christ. It stands, it is everlasting (Dan_9:24). Consolation is
everlasting (2Th_2:16). Light, everlasting Isa_60:19). Love, everlasting (Jer_31:3). Life, eternal
Rom_6:23). The blessings in the Gospel are durable riches, because the Gospel endureth. Why
is it that there is so much instability among many that yet are true believers? They are not
rooted and grounded in Christ. (J. H. Brans, M. A.)

7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
    because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
    Surely the people are grass.

1.BARNES, “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
חור  _ut ex 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; Jer_2:24; Jer_14:6. It is applied to the cool
breeze which springs up in the evening (Gen_3:8; compare Son_2:17; Son_4:6). It sometimes
means a strong and violent wind Gen_8:1; Isa_7:2; Isa_41:16; and also a tempest, or hurricane
Job_1:19; Job_30:15; Isa_27:8. The ‘wind of Yahweh’ means that which Yahweh sends, or
causes; and the expression here refers, doubtless, to the hot or poisonous east winds which blow
in Oriental countries, and which wither and dry up everything before them (compare Jon_4:8).
Surely the people is grass - Lowth reads this, ‘this people;’ referring to the Jewish nation.
So the Syriac. Perhaps it refers to the people of Babylon (so Rosenmuller), and means that
mighty people would fade away like grass. But the more probable interpretation is that which
regards it as referring to all people, and of course including the Jews and the Babylonians. The
sense, according to this view, is, ‘all nations shall fade away. All human power shall cease. But
the promise of Yahweh shall survive. It shall be unchanging amidst all revolutions; it shall
survive all the fluctuations which shall take place among people. It may, therefore, be trusted
with unwavering reliance.’ To produce that reliance was the object of the proclamation. On this
passage, descriptive of the state of man, the reader will at once be reminded of the beautiful
language of Shakespeare:
This is the state of man! Today he puts forth
The tender leaves of hope: to-morrow blossoms,
And bears his blushing honors thick upon him;
The third day comes a frost, a killing frost,
And when he thinks, good easy man, full surely

His greatness is a-ripening, nips his root,
And then he falls -
- Never to hope again.
Hen. VIII, Act. ii. Sc. 2.
In the following passage from Tasso, the same image is adopted:
The gentle budding rose (quoth he) behold,
That first scant peeping forth with virgin beams,
Half ope, half shut, her beauties doth up-fold
In their dear leaves, and less seen fairer seems,
And after spreads them forth more broad and bold,
Then languishes and dies in last extremes.
So in the passing of a day doth pass
The bud and blossom of the life of man,
Nor e’er doth flourish more, but, like the grass
Cut down, becometh withered, pale, and wan.
Fairfax, Edit. Windsor, 1817.

2. CLARKE, “
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
םעה3הזה  haam3
hazzeh.
Because the spirit of the Lord “When the wind of Jehovah” - חור3הוהי  ruach3Jehovah, 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 Psa_103:16. Two MSS. omit the word
הוהי  Yehovah, Jehovah.

3. GILL, “
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
Psa_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, Joh_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 of God shows that their holiness is not true holiness;
that their righteousness has only the appearance of one before men; and their religion and
godliness a mere form; and their good works, "splendida peccata", shining sins; that those are

insufficient to justify and save, and bring to heaven; upon which they fade away and die in their
esteem, who now reckon them but loss and dung, Phi_3:6, "surely the people is grass"; the
people of the Jews, with all their external advantages; yea, all people, with all the excellencies of
human nature, or considered in their best estate, possessed of all that is reckoned good and
great, being but mere natural men. The Targum restrains this to the ungodly, as it does the
former verse, rendering it,

"as grass the wicked among the people are esteemed;''

as it does the former, thus,

"the wicked are as grass, and their strength as the stubble of the field.''

So Kimchi interprets them of the nations that come with Gog and Magog; and Jarchi of the
princes of the kingdoms; but very wrongly, since it is true of all flesh, or of all mankind.

4. HENRY, “
5. JAMISON, “
spirit of the Lord — rather, “wind of Jehovah” (
Psa_103:16). The withering
east wind of those countries sent by Jehovah (Jon_4:8).
the people — rather, “this people” [Lowth], which may refer to the Babylonians
[Rosenmuller]; but better, mankind in general, as in Isa_42:5, so Isa_40:6, “all flesh”; this
whole race, that is, man.

6. CALVIN, “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, (Psa_103:16,) “ soon as the wind passeth over it, it
is gone;” for we know that the wind is called “ 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, “ illustrious are
the gifts with which men are endowed, yet as soon as the Spirit of God shall blow upon them, they shall
fed that they are nothing.” For the false confidence with which they intoxicate themselves springs from
this source, that they do not appear before God, but, in order to indulge freely in flattering themselves,
creep into places of concealment. That they may no longer deceive themselves by a foolish delight in
falsehood, the Prophet drags them into the presence of God, and admits that apparently they flourish,
when they have been withdrawn from God; but as soon as the Lord has breathed upon them, all their
strength and beauty perish and decay.

But it may be thought that he assigns to “ Spirit of God” an office which is greatly at variance with his
nature; for it belongs to him “ renew by his power the face of the earth.” (Psa_104:30.) On the other hand,
if the Lord withdraw his Spirit, all is reduced to nothing. Here Isaiah asserts what is exceedingly different,
and appears to contradict David. But there is no absurdity in saying that all things are renewed by the
power of the Spirit, and again, that what formerly appeared to be something is reduced to nothing; for we

are nothing but in God, and, in order that we may begin to be something in him, we must first be
convinced, and made thoroughly to know, that we are vanity. Therefore does the Lord breathe upon us,
that we may know that of ourselves we are nothing.

Surely the people is grass. The Prophet added this, that all might know that he was not speaking of
foreigners, but of that people which gloried in the name of God; for the Jews might have thought that they
were more excellent, and held a higher rank than other men, and that on this account they ought to be
exempted from the common lot. He therefore addresses theta expressly and by name, that they may not
claim anything for themselves above others; as if he had said, that they would act wisely if, through a
conviction of their poverty, they should cast away all confidence in themselves. In a word, the Prophet,
after having mentioned consolation, shews in what way men must be prepared to receive it; for they are
not capable of it till they have formerly been reduced to nothing. Our hardness must therefore be
softened, our haughtiness must be east down and laid low, our boasting must be put to shame, and our
hearts must be subdued and humbled, if we wish to receive with any advantage the consolations which
the prophets bring to us by the command of God.

8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”

1.BARNES, “The grass withereth ... - This is repeated from the former verse for the sake
of emphasis, or strong confirmation.
But the word of our God - The phrase ‘word of our God,’ refers either to his promise to be
the protector and deliverer of his people in their captivity, or, in general, means that all his
promises shall be firm and unchanging.
Shall stand for ever - Amidst all revolutions among men, his promise shall be firm. It shall
not only live amidst the changes of dynasties, and the revolutions of empires, but it shall
continue forever and ever. This is designed for support to an afflicted and oppressed people; and
it must have been to them, in their bondage, the source of high consolation. But it is equally so
now. Amidst all the changes on earth; the revolutions of empires; the vanishing of kingdoms,
God is the same, and his promises are unfailing. We see the grass wither at the return of
autumn, or in the drought: we see the flower of the field lose its beauty, and decay; we see man
rejoicing in his vigor and his health, cut down in an instant; we see cities fall, and kingdoms lose
their power and vanish from among nations, but God changes not. He presides in all these
revolutions, and sits calm and unmoved amidst all these changes. Not one of his promises shall
fail; and at the end of all the changes which human things shall undergo, Yahweh, the God of his
people, will be the same.

2. GILL, “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth,.... Which is repeated, to raise attention
to it, as being a matter of importance, and for the confirmation of it:

but the word of our God shall stand for ever; the Apostle Peter adds, by way of
explanation,

and this is the word, which by the Gospel is preached unto you; who seems to
distinguish the word from the Gospel, by which it is preached, and to intend Christ the essential
Word; who stands or abides for ever as a divine Person; in his office as Mediator, being Prophet,
Priest, and King for ever; in the efficacy of his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice; and in the
fulness of his grace: it is true of the written word or Gospel, which remains, is everlasting, and
will stand and continue, notwithstanding the persecutions of tyrants, the craft of false teachers,
the reproach of ungodly men, and the death of the best of men, even of ministers; though all
flesh is grass, fading and withering, the word of God is fresh and lively, firm and durable; and so
it is as transcribed into the hearts of men, where it becomes the ingrafted word, and issues in
everlasting life. It may be applied to God's word of promise, which is for ever settled in heaven,
and is always fulfilled.

3. HENRY, “
When this is done the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
Isa_40:5. (1.) When the
captives are prepared for deliverance Cyrus shall proclaim it, and those shall have the benefit of
it, and those only, whose hearts the Lord shall stir up with courage and resolution to break
through the discouragements that lay in their way, and to make nothing of the hills, and valleys,
and all the rough places. (2.) When John Baptist has for some time preached repentance,
mortification, and reformation, and so made ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luk_1:17),
then the Messiah himself shall be revealed in his glory, working miracles, which John did not,
and by his grace, which is his glory, binding up and healing with consolations those whom John
had wounded with convictions. And this revelation of divine glory shall be a light to lighten the
Gentiles. All flesh shall see it together, and not the Jews only; they shall see and admire it, see it
and bid it welcome; as the return out of captivity was taken notice of by the neighbouring
nations, Psa_126:2. And it shall be the accomplishment of the word of God, not one iota or tittle
of which shall fall to the ground: The mouth of the Lord has spoken it, and therefore the hand of
the Lord will effect it.
II. By confidence in the word of the Lord, and not in any creature. The mouth of the Lord
having spoken it, the voice has this further to cry (he that has ears to hear let him hear it), The
word of our God shall stand for ever, Isa_40:8.
1. By this accomplishment of the prophecies and promises of salvation, and the performance
of them to the utmost in due time, it appears that the word of the Lord is sure and what may be
safely relied on. Then we are prepared for deliverance when we depend entirely upon the word
of God, build our hopes on that, with an assurance that it will not make us ashamed: in a
dependence upon this word we must be brought to own that all flesh is grass, withering and
fading. (1.) The power of man, when it does appear against the deliverance, is not to be feared;
for it shall be as grass before the word of the Lord: it shall wither and be trodden down. The
insulting Babylonians, who promise themselves that the desolations of Jerusalem shall be
perpetual, are but as grass which the spirit of the Lord blows upon, makes nothing of, but blasts
all its glory; for the word of the Lord, which promises their deliverance, shall stand for ever, and
it is not in the power of their enemies to hinder the execution of it. (2.) The power of man, when
it would appear for the deliverance, is not to be trusted to; for it is but as grass in comparison
with the word of the Lord, which is the only firm foundation for us to build our hope upon.

When God is about to work salvation for his people he will take them off from depending upon
creatures, and looking for it from hills and mountains. They shall fail them, and their
expectations from them shall be frustrated: The Spirit of the Lord shall blow upon them; for
God will have no creature to be a rival with him for the hope and confidence of his people; and,
as it is his word only that shall stand for ever, so in that word only our faith must stand. When
we are brought to this, then, and not till then, we are fit for mercy.
2. The word of our God, that glory of the Lord which is now to be revealed, the gospel, and
that grace which is brought with it to us and wrought by it in us, shall stand for ever; and this is
the satisfaction of all believers, when they find all their creature-comforts withering and fading
like grass. Thus the apostle applies it to the word which by the gospel is preached unto us, and
which lives and abides for ever as the incorruptible seed by which we are born again,
1Pe_1:23-25. To prepare the way of the Lord we must be convinced, (1.) Of the vanity of the
creature, that all flesh is grass, weak and withering. We ourselves are so, and therefore cannot
save ourselves; all our friends are so, and therefore are unable to save us. All the beauty of the
creature, which might render it amiable, is but as the flower of grass, soon blasted, and therefore
cannot recommend us to God and to his acceptance. We are dying creatures; all our comforts in
this word are dying comforts, and therefore cannot be the felicity of our immortal souls. We
must look further for a salvation, look further for a portion. (2.) Of the validity of the promise of
God. We must be convinced that the word of the Lord can do that for us which all flesh cannot -
that, forasmuch as it stands for ever, it will furnish us with a happiness that will run parallel
with the duration of our souls, which must live for ever; for the things that are not seen, but
must be believed, are eternal.

4. SBC, “
The immediate, the historical purpose of these words is undoubtedly to reassure the
Jews of the captivity. It was to men whose eyes were resting on the magnificence and power of
Bablyon that Isaiah spoke, but of another land and out of an earlier age, the solemn words: "All
flesh is grass, and all the beauty thereof is as the flower of the field." In contrast with the
perishing life of the great empire city and its vast populations, Isaiah points to the "word of our
God." That word, he says, "will stand for ever."
I. By the word of our God—of Jehovah, the God of His people—Isaiah means, beyond doubt, in
the first instance, the word of promise uttered in the desert by the inspired voice. The promise of
the return from Babylon, the promise of the after-presence of Israel’s great Redeemer, would be
verified. St. Peter detaches this text for us Christians from its immediate historical setting. He
widens it; he gives it a strictly universal application.
II. Isaiah refers to the grass as an emblem of the perishable and the perishing. In looking at it,
we look at that which is at best a vanishing form, ready almost ere it is matured to be resolved
into its elements, to sink back into the earth from which it sprang. As soon as we are born, says
the wise man, we begin to draw to our end. That is true of the highest and of the lowest forms of
natural life. Whatever else human life is, whatever else it may imply, it is soon over. It fades
away suddenly like the grass. The frontiers of life do not change with the generations of men, as
do its attendant circumstances.
III. The word of the Lord endureth for ever. How do we know that? Certainly not in the same
way as we know and are sure of the universality of death. We know it to be true if we believe two
things: first, that God the perfect moral being exists; secondly, that He has spoken to man. If He
is eternal then that which He proclaims as His truth and will, will bear on it the mark of His
eternity. The word of God, speaking in conscience, speaking in revelation, is like God Himself
above the waterfloods of change; it lasts. While men differ from each other about His word, it

remains what it was, hidden, it may be, like our December sun,—hidden behind the clouds of
speculation, or behind the clouds of controversy, but in itself unchanged, unchangeable. "Thy
word, O Lord, endureth for ever in heaven."
H. P. Liddon, Penny Pulpit, No. 706

"Hast thou not known?" This is not a new revelation. It is an appeal to memory, and that is a
strong point in all the Divine pleading. Our memory is to be as the prophet of the Lord in our
life. Recollection is to be inspiration; the forty years gone are a pledge of the forty years to come.
Let a man be faithful to his own recollections, and it is impossible he can long be despondent,
weary and slow of heart, to lay hold of the great work and discipline of life.
I. Is God almighty? (1) Then do not fear for the stability of His works. (2) Have no fear about the
realisation of His promises. (3) Do not imagine you can escape His judgments. (4) Be assured
that the throne of right shall stand upon the ruins of all wrong.
II. God is not only powerful, but all wise. There is no searching of His understanding. Infinite
strength would terrify us, but infinite strength under the dominion of infinite mind recovers us
from the tremendous shock which comes of. abstract, immeasurable, unwasting strength. Is God
all-wise? (1) Then the darkest providences have meaning. (2) His plan of salvation is complete
and final, and we shall waste our strength and show how great is our folly by all attempts to
improve the method of redemption and recovery of the world. (3) Our individual life is all
understood by Him. That life is but dimly known to ourselves. We catch glimpses of it here and
there, but its scope and meaning are still unrevealed to us. It is enough that God knows our life,
and that His wisdom is pledged as our defence. (4) We have a guarantee of endless variety in our
future studies and services. God is ever extending our knowledge of His works, in reward of the
endeavours we are making to acquaint ourselves with the wonders by which we are enclosed.
III. The subject forces upon us the solemn enquiry: What is our relation to this dread Being,
whose power is infinite, and whose wisdom is past finding out? We must sustain some relation
to Him. We are the loyal subjects of His crown, or rebels in His empire. Pause and determine the
answer. Everything depends upon our relation to the cross of Jesus Christ.
Parker, City Temple, 1870, p. 349.
References: Isa_40:8.—G. G. Bradley, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xxiii., p.
5. NISBET, “I. By the word of our God—of Jehovah, the God of His people.—Isaiah means,
beyond doubt, in the first instance, the word of promise uttered in the desert by the inspired voice. The
promise of the return from Babylon, the promise of the after?presence of Israel’s great Redeemer, would
be verified. St. Peter detaches this text for us Christians from its immediate historical setting. He widens it;
he gives it a strictly universal application.

II. Isaiah refers to the grass as an emblem of the perishable and the perishing.—In looking at it, we
look at that which is at best a vanishing form, ready almost ere it is matured to be resolved into its
elements, to sink back into the earth from which it sprang. As soon as we are born, says the wise man,
we begin to draw to our end. That is true of the highest and of the lowest forms of natural life. Whatever
else human life is, whatever else it may imply, it is soon over. It fades away suddenly like the grass. The
frontiers of life do not change with the generations of men, as do its attendant circumstances.

III. The word of the Lord endureth for ever.—How do we know that? Certainly not in the same way as

we know and are sure of the universality of death. We know it to be true if we believe two things: first, that
God the perfect moral being exists; secondly, that He has spoken to man. While men differ from each
other about His Word, it remains what it was, hidden, it may be, like our December sun—hidden behind
the clouds of speculation, or behind the clouds of controversy, but in itself unchanged, unchangeable.
‘Thy word, O Lord! endureth for ever in heaven.’ Canon Liddon.
Illustration

‘These three verses contain a contrast between our transient human life and the permanence of God’s
Word. The fairest things it all nature are pointed to, the graceful grass, the starry flowers, which make the
Oriental fields so beautiful. They are images of the best and brightest human life. What splendour there
was in the days of Solomon, what luxury under Jehoiakim! And now it was all withered and faded.
Meanwhile, the word of our God shall stand for ever. Religion endures when business and pleasure fall
into decay. Ten years, they say, is about the average length of the feverish speculator’s business life, as
he rushes and pushes and shouts on ’Change. The Temple foundations remain in Jerusalem to?day, but
Solomon and all his glory have left not a wrack behind.’

6. CALVIN, “8.The grass withereth. This repetition is again added for the purpose of bringing to nought
the glory of the flesh, but at the same time contains within itself a highly valuable consolation, that God,
when he has cast down his people, immediately raises up and restores them. The context therefore runs
thus: “ grass indeed withereth and perisheth, but the word of the Lord endureth for ever.” After having
learned how empty and destitute we are of all blessings, how transitory and fading is the glory of the
flesh, the only consolation left for us, that we may be raised up by the word of the Lord, as by an
outstretched hand, is, that we are frail and fading, but that the word of the Lord is durable and eternal,
and, in a word, that the life which we need is offered to us from another quarter.

But the word of our God shall stand for ever. This passage comprehends the whole Gospel in few words;
for it consists of an acknowledgment of our misery, poverty, and emptiness, that, being sincerely
humbled, we may fly to God, by whom alone we shall be perfectly restored. Let not men therefore faint or
be discouraged by the knowledge of their nakedness and emptiness; for the eternal word is exhibited to
them by which they may be abundantly supported and upheld. We are likewise taught that we ought not
to seek consolation from any other source than from eternity, which ought not to be sought anywhere else
than in God; since nothing that is firm or durable will be found on the earth. Nothing is more foolish than
to rest satisfied with the present state, which we see to be fleeting; and every man is mistaken who hopes
to be able to obtain perfect happiness till he has ascended to God, whom the Scripture calls eternal, in
order that we may know that life flows to us from him; and indeed he adopts us to be his children on this
condition, to make us partakers of his immortality.

But this would be of no avail, if the manner of seeking him were not pointed out; and therefore he
exhibits the word, from which we must not in any respect turn aside; for if we make the smallest departure
from it, we shall be involved in strange labyrinths, and shall find no way of extricating ourselves. Now, the
word is called eternal, not merely in itself, but in us; and this ought to be particularly observed, because
otherwise we could obtain no consolation. And thus Peter, a faithful expounder of this passage, applies it
to us, when he says that “ are regenerated by this incorruptible seed, that is,” says he, “ the word which is
preached.” (1Pe_1:23.) Hence we infer, what I mentioned a little before, that life is prepared for the dead
who shall come thirsting to the fountain that is exhibited to them; for the power which is hid in God is
revealed to us by the word.

9 You who bring good news to Zion,
    go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,[c]
    lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
    say to the towns of Judah,
    “Here is your God!”

1.BARNES, “O Zion, that bringest good tidings - This is evidently the continuance of
what the ‘voice’ said, or of the annunciation which was to give joy to an afflicted and oppressed
people. There has been, however, much diversity of opinion in regard to the meaning of the
passage. The margin renders it, ‘Thou that tellest good tidings to Zion,’ making Zion the
receiver, and not the publisher of the message that was to convey joy. The Vulgate, in a similar
way, renders it, ‘Ascend a high mountain, thou who bringest good tidings to Zion’ (qui
evangelizas Zion). So the Chaldee, understanding this as an address to the prophet, as in
Isa_40:1, ‘Ascend a high mountain, ye prophets, who bring glad tidings to Zion.’ So Lowth,
Noyes, Gesenius. Grotius, and others. The word תרשׂבמ  m
e
bas'
e
ret, from רשׂב  v tH) _, means
cheering with good tidings; announcing good news; bearing joyful intelligence.
It is a participle in the feminine gender; and is appropriately applicable to some one that bears
good tidings to Zion, and not to Zion as appointed to bear glad titlings. Lowth supposes that it is
applicable to some female whose office it was to announce glad tidings, and says that it was the
common practice for females to engage in the office of proclaiming good news. On an occasion
of a public victory or rejoicing, it was customary, says he, for females to assemble together, and
to celebrate it with songs, and dances, and rejoicings; and he appeals to the instance of Miriam
and the chorus of women Exo_15:20-21, and to the instance where, after the victory of David
over Goliath, ‘all the women came out of the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet Saul’
1Sa_18:7. But there are objections to this interpretation; first, if this was the sense, the word
would bare been in the plural number, since there is no instance in which a female is employed
alone in this service; and, secondly, it was not, according to this, the office of the female to

announce good tidings, or to communicate a joyful message, but to celebrate some occasion of
triumph or victory.
Grotius supposes that the word is ‘feminine in its sound, but common in its signification;’ and
thus denotes any whose office it was to communicate glad tidings. Gesenius (Commentary in
loc.) says, that the feminine form here is used in a collective sense for םירשׂבמ m
e
bas'
e
riym in the
plural; and supposes that it thus refers to the prophets, or others who were to announce the glad
tidings to Zion. Vitringa coincides with our translation, and supposes that the sense is, that Zion
was to make proclamation to the other cities of Judah of the deliverance; that the news was first
to be communicated to Jerusalem, and that Jerusalem was entrusted with the office of
announcing this to the other cities of the land; and that the meaning is, that the gospel was to be
preached first at Jerusalem, and then from Jerusalem as a center to the ether cities of the land,
agreeably to Luk_24:49. In this view, also, Hengstenberg coincides (Christol. vol. i. p. 424). But
that the former interpretation, which regards Zion as the receiver, and not the promulgator, of
the intelligence, is the true one, is apparent, I think, from the following considerations:
1. It is that which is the obvious and most correct construction of the Hebrew.
2. It is that which is found in the ancient versions.
3. It accords with the design of the passage.
The main scope of the passage is not to call upon Jerusalem to make known the glad tidings,
but it is to convey the good news to Jerusalem; to announce to her, lying desolate and waste,
that her hard service was at an end, and that she was to be blessed with the return of happier
and better times (see Isa_40:2). It would be a departure from this, to suppose that the subject
was diverted in order to give Jerusalem a command to make the proclamation to the other cities
of the land to say nothing of the impropriety of calling on a city to go up into a high mountain,
and to lift up its voice. On the meaning of the word ‘Zion,’ see the note at Isa_1:8.
Get thee up into a high mountain - You who make this proclamation to Zion. It was not
uncommon in ancient times, when a multitude were to be addressed, or a proclamation to be
made, for the crier to go into a mountain, where he could be seen and heard. Thus Jotham,
addressing the men of Shechem, is said to have gone and ‘stood on the top of mount Gerizim,
and lifted up his voice’ (Jdg_9:7; compare Mat_5:1). The sense is, that the messengers of the
joyful news to Zion were to make themselves distinctly heard by all the inhabitants of the city,
and of the land.
Lift up thy voice - As with a glad and important message. Do not deliver the message as if
you were afraid that it should be heard. It is one of joy; and it should be delivered in a clear,
decided, animated manner, as if it were important that it should be heard.
With strength - Aloud; with effort; with power (compare Isa_35:3-4).
Lift it up - Lift up the voice. The command is repeated, to denote emphasis. The mind is full
of the subject, and the prophet repeats the command, as a man often does when his mind is full
of an idea. The command to deliver the message of God with animation, earnestness, and zeal is
one that is not unusual in Isaiah. It should be delivered as if it were true, and as if it were
believed to be true. This will not justify, however, boisterous preaching, or a loud and unnatural
tone of voice - alike offensive to good taste, injurious to the health, and destructive of the life of
the preacher. It is to be remarked, also, that this command to lift up the voice, pertains to the
glad tidings of the gospel, and not to the terrors of wrath; to the proclamation of mercy, and not
to the denunciation of woe. The glad tidings of salvation should be delivered in an animated and
ardent manner; the future punishment of the wicked in a tone serious, solemn, subdued.
Say unto the cities of Judah - Not to Jerusalem only, but to all the cities of the land. They
were alike to be blessed on the return from the captivity - Mike in the preaching of the gospel.

Behold your God! - Lo! your God returns to the city, the temple, and the land! Lo! he comes
(note, Isa_40:3), conducting his people as a king to their land! Lo! he will come - under the
Messiah in future times - to redeem and save! What a glad announcement was this to the
desolate and forsaken cities of Judah! What a glad announcement to the wide world, ‘Lo! God
has come to redeem and save; and the desolate world shall be visited with his salvation and
smile, in his mercy through the Messiah!’

2. CLARKE, “
O Zion, that bringest good tidings “O daughter, that bringest glad
tidings to Zion” - That the true construction of the sentence is this, which makes Zion the
receiver, not the publisher, of the glad tidings, which latter has been the most prevailing
interpretation, will, I think, very clearly appear, if we rightly consider the image itself, and the
custom and common practice from which it is taken. I have added the word daughter to express
the feminine gender of the Hebrew participle, which I know not how to do otherwise in our
language; and this is absolutely necessary in order to ascertain the image. For the office of
announcing and celebrating such glad tidings as are here spoken of, belongs peculiarly to the
women. On occasion of any great public success, a signal victory, or any other joyful event, it was
usual for the women to gather together, and with music, dances, and songs, to publish and
celebrate the happy news. Thus after the passage of the Red Sea, Miriam, and all the women,
with timbrels in their hands, formed a chorus, and joined the men in their triumphant song,
dancing, and throwing in alternately the refrain or burden of the song: -
“Sing ye to Jehovah, for he is greatly exalted;
The horse and his rider hath he cast into the sea.”
Exo_15:20, Exo_15:21.
So Jephthah’s daughter collected a chorus or virgins, and with dances and songs came out to
meet her father, and to celebrate his victory, Jdg_11:34. After David’s conquest of Goliath, “all
the women came out of the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet Saul, with tabrets, with
joy, and with instruments of music;” and, forming themselves into two choruses, they sang
alternately: -
“Saul has slain his thousands:
And David his ten thousands.”
1Sa_18:6, 1Sa_18:7.
And this gives us the true sense of a passage in the sixty-eighth Psalm, which has frequently
been misunderstood: -
“Jehovah gave the word, (that is, the joyful news),
The women, who published the glad tidings, were a great company;
The kings of mighty armies did flee, did flee:
And even the matron, who stayed at home, shared the spoil.”
The word signifying the publishers of glad tidings is the same, and expressed in the same form
by the feminine participle, as in this place, and the last distich is the song which they sang. So in
this place, Jehovah having given the word by his prophet, the joyful tidings of the restoration of
Zion, and of God’s returning to Jerusalem, (see Isa_52:8), the women are exhorted by the
prophet to publish the joyful news with a loud voice from eminences, whence they might best be
heard all over the country; and the matter and burden of their song was to be, “Behold your
God!” See on Psa_68:11 (note).

3. GILL, “
O Zion, that bringest good tidings,.... Or, "O thou that bringest good tidings to
Zion
(n)"; which rendering of the words is more agreeable to the latter part of the verse,

say unto the cities of Judah, &c. and to some parallel places, Isa_41:27 and to the type, the
deliverance of the Jews from Babylon; the tidings of which came from Babylon to Zion, or
Jerusalem; and to the Targum which paraphrases the words thus,

"O ye prophets, that bring good tidings to Zion;''

and so may be applied to Gospel ministers, who bring the good tidings of the good will, grace,
and favour of God, to men, through Christ; of the grace of Christ, in his suretyship engagements
and performances; in his incarnation, sufferings, and death, and in his advocacy and
intercession; and of the good things that come by him, as peace, pardon, righteousness,
salvation, and eternal life:

get thee up into the high mountain; to declare these good tidings, in the most open and
public manner, that all might hear and receive them, and rejoice at them; it may also point at the
place, the church of God, comparable to a high mountain for its visibility and immovableness,
where the Gospel is to be published:

O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings: the church of God so called, to whom the faith of
the Gospel is delivered, which is the pillar and ground of truth; which receives, retains, and
maintains it, and sends forth ministers to proclaim it; particularly the first church at Jerusalem,
where it was first preached, and from whence it went forth into other parts of Judea, and into all
the world; here the apostles of Christ were, and from hence they set out, and published the
Gospel all the world over, and who seem to be chiefly meant; for the words may be rendered, as
the other clause, "O thou that bringest good tidings to Jerusalem (o)"; so the Targum: "lift up
thy voice with strength"; or preach the Gospel with a strong voice, speak it out; do not mutter it
over, or whisper it in a corner; proclaim it on the housetops, cry aloud that all may hear; lift up
thy voice like a trumpet; blow the trumpet of the Gospel with all the strength thou hast; cause
the joyful sound to be heard far and near:

lift it up, and be not afraid; of the reproaches and revilings of men on account of it, or of
their persecutions for it; or lest it should not be welcome, or be received as truth:

say unto the cities of Judah; the inhabitants of them literally understood, and to the several
churches and congregations of the saints everywhere:

behold your God! that divine Person is come, that was promised, prophesied of, and
expected; even Immanuel, God with us, God in our nature, God manifest in the flesh, God your
Saviour, and who being God, truly God, is able to save to the uttermost; look to him with an eye
of faith, and be saved; behold the Son of God, the Lamb of God, that has bore your sins, and took
them away; behold him now, as your King and your God, on the throne, made and declared,
Lord and Christ, crowned with glory and honour, on the same throne with his divine Father,
having all power in heaven and earth; and let the echo of your faith be,

my Lord and my God. The Targum is,

"the kingdom of your God is revealed; see Mat_3:2.''

4. HENRY, “
It was promised (
Isa_40:5) that the glory of the Lord shall be revealed; that is it
with the hopes of which God's people must be comforted. Now here we are told,
I. How it shall be revealed, Isa_40:9. 1. It shall be revealed to Zion and Jerusalem; notice shall
be given of it to the remnant that are left in Zion and Jerusalem, the poor of the land, who were
vine-dressers and husbandmen; it shall be told them that their brethren shall return to them.
This shall be told also to the captives who belonged to Zion and Jerusalem, and retained their
affection for them. Zion is said to dwell with the daughter of Babylon (Zec_2:7); and there she
receives notice of Cyrus's gracious proclamation; and so the margin reads it, O thou that tellest
good tidings to Zion, etc., meaning the persons who were employed in publishing that
proclamation; let them do it with a good will, let them make the country ring of it, and let them
tell it to the sons of Zion in their own language, saying to them, Behold your God. 2. It shall be
published by Zion and Jerusalem (so the text reads it); those that remain there, or that have
already returned, when they find the deliverance proceeding towards perfection, let them
proclaim it in the most public places, whence they may be best heard by all the cities of Judah;
let them proclaim it as loudly as they can: let them lift up their voice with strength, and not be
afraid of overstraining themselves; let them not be afraid lest the enemy should hear it and
quarrel with them, or lest it should not prove true, or not such good tidings as at first it
appeared; let them say to the cities of Judah, and all the inhabitants of the country, Behold your
God. When God is going on with the salvation of his people, let them industriously spread the
news among their friends, let them tell them that it is God that has done it; whoever were the
instruments, God was the author; it is their God, a God in covenant with them, and he does it as
theirs, and they will reap the benefit and comfort of it. “Behold him, take notice of his hand in it,
and look above second causes; behold, the God you have long looked for has come at last
(Isa_25:9): This is our God, we have waited for him.” This may refer to the invitation which was
sent forth from Jerusalem to the cities of Judah, as soon as they had set up an altar, immediately
upon their return out of captivity, to come and join with them in their sacrifices, Ezr_3:2-4.
“When the worship of God is set up again, send notice of it to all your brethren, that they may
share with you in the comfort of it.” But this was to have its full accomplishment in the apostles'
public and undaunted preaching of the gospel to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. The voice
crying in the wilderness gave notice that he was coming; but now notice is given that he has
come. Behold the Lamb of God; take a full view of your Redeemer. Behold your King, behold
your God.

5. JAMISON, “
Rather, “Oh, thou that bringest good things to Zion; thou that bringest good
tidings to Jerusalem.” “Thou” is thus the collective personification of the messengers who
announce God’s gracious purpose to Zion (see on
Isa_40:1); Isa_52:7 confirms this [Vulgate
and Gesenius]. If English Version be retained, the sense will be the glad message was first to be
proclaimed to Jerusalem, and then from it as the center to all “Judea, Samaria, and the
uttermost parts of the earth” (Luk_24:47, Luk_24:49; Act_1:8) [Vitringa and Hengstenberg].
mountain — It was customary for those who were about to promulgate any great thing, to
ascend a hill from which they could be seen and heard by all (Jdg_9:7; Mat_5:1).
be not afraid — to announce to the exiles that their coming return home is attended with
danger in the midst of the Babylonians. The gospel minister must “open his mouth boldly”
(Pro_29:25; Eph_6:19).

Behold — especially at His second coming (Zec_12:10; Zec_14:5).

6. K&D, “
The prophet accordingly now takes, as his standpoint, the time when Jehovah will
already have come. “Upon a high mountain get thee up, O evangelistess Zion; lift up they voice
with strength, evangelistess Jerusalem: lift up, be not afraid; say to the cities of Judah, Behold
your God.” Knobel and others follow the lxx and Targum, and regard Zion and Jerusalem as
accusatives of the object, viz., “preacher of salvation (i.e., a chorus of preachers) to Zion-
Jerusalem;” but such parallels as
Isa_52:7 and Isa_62:11 are misleading here. The words are in
apposition (A. S. Th. ε4αγγελιζο8ένη3Σιών). Zion-Jerusalem herself is called an evangelistess: the
personification as a female renders this probable at the outset, and it is placed beyond all doubt
by the fact, that it is the cities of Judah (the daughters of Zion-Jerusalem) that are to be
evangelized. The prophet's standpoint here is in the very midst of the parousia. When
Jerusalem shall have her God in the midst of her once more, after He has broken up His home
there for so long a time; she is then, as the restored mother-community, to ascend a high
mountain, and raising her voice with fearless strength, to bring to her daughters the joyful news
of the appearance of their God. The verb
bisser signifies literally to smooth, to unfold, then to
make glad, more especially with joyful news.
(Note: The verb
bisser signifies primarily to stroke, rub, shave, or scratch the surface of
anything; then to stroke off or rub off the surface, or anything which covers it; then,
suggested by the idea of “rubbing smooth” (glatt), “to smooth a person” (jemanden glätten;
compare the English, to gladden a person), i.e., vultum ejus diducere, to make him friendly
and cheerful, or “to look smoothly upon a person,” i.e., to show him a friendly face; and also
as an intransitive, “to be glad,” to be friendly and cheerful; and lastly, in a general sense,
aliquid attingere, tractare, attrectare, to grasp or handle a thing (from which comes
v tH t_,
the flesh, as something tangible or material). In harmony with the Hebrew
bisser
(
Jer_20:15), they say in Arabic basarahu (or intensive, bassarahu) bi-o u.utQOs, he has
gladdened him with the news of the birth of a son.)
It lies at the root of the New Testament ε4αγγελίζειν (evangelize), and is a favourite word of the
author of chapters 40-66, that Old Testament evangelist, though it is no disproof of Isaiah's
authorship (cf., Nah_2:1). Hitherto Jerusalem has been in despair, bowed down under the
weight of the punishment of her sins, and standing in need of consolation. But now that she has
Jehovah with her again, she is to lift up her voice with the most joyful confidence, without
further anxiety, and to become, according to her true vocation, the messenger of good tidings to
all Judaea.

7. CALVIN, “9.Ascend on the high mountain. He proceeds with the same subject; for the Lord, having
formerly promised that he would give prophets who should soothe the grief and fear of the people by
promises, now commands that this consolation shall be more widely spread; because it is his pleasure to
diffuse his grace throughout the whole of Judea.

Lift up thy voice aloud, O Jerusalem. Formerly he had given to Jerusalem, and Zion the hope of this joyful
message; now he commands that the same voice shall be spread and shall be heard through other cities,

and, for this reason, gives orders that the loud voice shall be lifted up, and proclaimed from a lofty place.
Although by the words “” and “” he means the same thing, yet the repetition is emphatic; for he shews that
one city excels all other cities, for no other reason than because God hath chosen it to be his sanctuary.

That bringest tidings. He gives to the city this appellation, because there the priests and Levites were
instructed according to the injunctions of the Law, that they might be the teachers of the whole people,
and by their labors might spread the doctrine of salvation. (Mal_2:7.) Yet we ought carefully to observe
this commendation which God bestows on his Church, that it may not be without a clear mark of
distinction; for an assembly in which the preaching of heavenly doctrine is not heard does not deserve to
be reckoned a Church. In this sense also, Paul calls it (1Ti_3:15) “ pillar and foundation of the truth;” for
although God might have governed us by himself, and without the agency of men, yet he has assigned
this office to his Church, and has committed to it the invaluable treasure of his Word. For the same
reason it will be called in another passage, “ mother of all believers.” (Isa_54:1; Gal_4:26.) Hence it
follows that nothing is more absurd and wicked than for dumb idols to boast of the name of the Church,
as is done in Popery.

We are likewise taught, that the Church has not been instructed by God, in order that she may keep her
knowledge hidden within herself, but that she may publish what she has learned. Besides, he commands
that grace shall be freely and boldly proclaimed, that prophets and teachers may not speak with timidity,
as if it were a doubtful matter, but may shew that they are fully convinced of the certainty of those things
which they promise, because they know well that “ who cannot lie,” (Titus 1:2,) is the Author of them. He
enjoins the witnesses of his grace to proceed from Zion, that they may fill with joy the whole of Judea.

Behold your God! This expression includes the sum of our happiness, which consists solely in the
presence of God. It brings along with it an abundance of all blessings; and if we are destitute of it, we
must be utterly miserable and wretched; and although blessings of every kind are richly enjoyed by us,
yet if we are estranged from God, everything must tend to our destruction. From this circumstance it
ought also to be remarked, that nothing is more opposite to faith than to estimate by the present
appearances of things what God declares by his prophets, who at that time must have been struck dumb,
had they not raised their views above the world, and thus, through the power of unshaken boldness and
perseverance, dared to draw others along with them, that they might cherish good hopes when matters
were at the worst. And indeed when wicked men and wickedness prevail, the greater the terror that is
spread all around, and the greater the seeming wretchedness of the Church, the more ought we to extol
the grace of God, and to point out his presence to believers. (113)

(113) “A ceux qui la veulent contempler en foy.” “ those who wish to behold it by faith.”

7B. CHARLES SIMEON, “THE MESSIAH’S ADVENT
Isa_40:9. Say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God.

THE Gospel with all its sublime mysteries is regarded by the generality with coldness and indifference;
whereas the most indistinct prospects of it were sufficient to fill the patriarchs and prophets with holy
rapture. It was a view of its Divine Author which drew forth from the prophet this animated exhortation. He
saw Jesus as it were already incarnate, and called upon the daughters of Zion and Jerusalem to proclaim

and celebrate his advent [Note: It should be read as in the margin, “O daughter, that bringest good tidings
to Zion,” &c. It was customary for women to celebrate the praises of God in public on remarkable
occasions. See Exo_15:20?21, and 1Sa_18:6?7.]. That, which he proposed to them as the subject of their
song, is the one great subject also of our ministrations. To call your attention unto Jesus, to set him forth
as crucified before your eyes, and, with an exalted voice, to cry, Behold your God! this is our commission.
But before we proceed to execute it, we shall,

I. Shew what is implied in this commission—

We cannot fail to observe, what the prophet so strongly intimates,

1. That Christ is God—

[This is a fundamental article of our fuith. The Godhead of Christ is that which stamps a value on his
sufferings, and renders the whole of his undertaking so meritorious and efficient. It would be to little
purpose to say with Pilate, “Behold the man,” if we could not also add with the prophet, “Behold your
God.” But we are not left to doubt of this important truth: it is clearly established in almost every page of
the sacred volume: we need go no further than to the writings of Isaiah; and we shall find it expressly
asserted, that the person who was to be “a Child born, and a Son given to us,” was the mighty god.
[Note: Isa_9:6.] He was therefore to be called Emmanuel, because he was God with us [Note: Isa_7:14.
with Mat_1:23.]. In the very chapter before us, his forerunner, John the Baptist, was commissioned to cry,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord (Jehovah) make straight in the desert an high?way for our God. [Note: ver.
3.] But we need not multiply words on this subject, since the voice of inspiration universally proclaims him
to have been, “God manifest in the flesh,” “God over all, blessed for ever [Note: 1Ti_3:16. Rom_9:5.].”

2. That the knowledge of Christ is of universal importance—

[It was through all “the cities of Judah,” and with her “voice lifted up with strength,” that the daughter of
Zion was to celebrate the Messiah’s advent. And whence the need of such zeal and labour, but on
account of the universal importance of those glad tidings? Indeed there is no other thing which men so
much need to be acquainted with as the work and offices of Christ. No attainments can save them, if they
be ignorant of Christ; nor can any past sins condemn them, if they be truly acquainted with this divine
Saviour. “This,” as our Lord himself tells us, “is life eternal, to know God as the only true God, and Jesus
Christ [Note: Joh_17:3.],” as our Mediator and Advocate with the Father. So excellent is this knowledge,
that St. Paul “counted all things but loss and dung in comparison of it [Note: Php_3:8.].” It is the one mean
of obtaining reconciliation with God, peace of conscience, and deliverance from the power of sin
[Note: 1Jn_1:7.]. O that all were aware how deeply they are interested in receiving these glad tidings! We
should proclaim them with infinitely greater pleasure, if we had not so much reason to complain, that “they
are counted as a strange thing [Note: Hos_8:12.].”]

Taking for granted these fundamental and indisputable truths, we shall,

II. Endeavour to execute the commission—

The text does not limit us to any particular point of view in which we are to behold our God; we shall
therefore direct your attention to him,

1. As descending from heaven—

[Lo! he comes from his bright abodes: but in what form does he appear? Does he descend in solemn
pomp, attended with myriads of the heavenly host? Does he visit the palaces of the great, and assume
our nature in its most dignified appearance? No: He is born of an obscure virgin, and has no better place
for his reception than a stable. Go, look into his mean abode; see him wrapped in swaddling?clothes, and
lying in a manger; look, I say, and behold your God! What marvellous condescension! how does it almost
exceed belief, yet, incredible as it appears, we must again say, Behold your God!]

2. As sojourning on earth—

[Surely, no sooner could his incarnation be known, than all the world, like the eastern Magi, must flock to
worship him [Note: Mat_2:11.]. So one might reasonably hope; but what is that “weeping and lamentation”
that we hear? The young child’s life is sought. The children from two years old and under are massacred
through the whole district, that no possibility may be left for his escape: and He is saved only by the
special interposition of his heavenly Father [Note: Mat_2:16?20.]. See his parents fleeing with him by night
to a distant, a heathen, land, not daring to return to their native country till the death of their blood?thirsty
persecutor! But this was only the beginning of sorrows. View him afterwards when he assumed his proper
office as the Prophet of his church: no sooner did he open his commission, than the short?lived applause
afforded him was turned into the most cruel indignation; and if he had not by an exertion of his own
almighty power effected his escape, his very first sermon had proved his last [Note: Luk_4:28?30.]. But to
pass over to the period of his death. Whom is it that we see prostrate on the ground, and bathed in a
bloody sweat? Who is it that those cruel soldiers are mocking, buffeting, scourging? Who is it that is
nailed to yonder cross, and that we see expiring under such an accumulated weight of shame and
misery? To all this we answer, Behold your god!]

3. As exalted to glory—

[Hitherto we have witnessed nothing but his humiliation; but the shame of his cross was quickly rolled
away. In vain were the stone, the seal, the watch: he burst the bands of death, and rose triumphant.
Henceforth we are to view him ascending amidst myriads of exulting angels, sitting on the throne of his
glory, dispensing blessings to the church below, and receiving the adorations of his church above. Sinner,
lift up thine eyes to heaven, and behold thy once crucified, but now exalted, Redeemer! Now he shines
forth in all his glory, and says to thee, even to thee, “Behold me, behold me [Note: Isa_65:1.]!” O that
every eye might see him, and that all, who have pierced him by their sins, might mourn and be in
bitterness, as one that mourneth for his first?born son [Note: Zec_12:10.]! Soon indeed all shall see him:
the time is shortly coming, when he will descend from heaven again, not however to stand, as before, like
a criminal at man’s tribunal, but to execute judgment on the assembled universe; and then happy shall
they be who have behold him here with suitable affection; they shall behold his face with inexpressible
delight; and be the spectators of his glory, and the partners of his throne, to all eternity.]

Address—

1. The careless—

[Know you what the sins, which you commit so lightly, have occasioned? Go to Calvary and behold your
God; and then judge whether sin be so light and venial a matter as you are ready to imagine! The Jews
and Romans were the immediate actors in that bloody tragedy; but your sins, and the sins of an ungodly
world, were the real occasion of all that your God endured; and, while you continue in your sins, you
“crucify him afresh, and put him to an open shame.” Ah! did David cast away the water, for which the lives
of three men had been endangered, and will not you cast away the sins which have actually shed the

blood of God [Note:2Sa_23:16?17. with Act_20:28.]? Let this thought induce you to put away the polluted
cup from your lips; and and let “the love of Christ constrain you to live unto him who died for you and rose
again.”]

2. The heavy?laden—

[To you especially the Saviour cries, “Look unto me, and be ye saved! “Come unto me, and find rest unto
your souls!” Consider well, who it is that thus invites you; it is your Saviour, and your God; there can be
no want of efficacy in his blood, or of power in his arm: he is a strong rock, a sure foundation, an all?
sufficient help. Trust then in him; and, as a sight of the brazen serpent healed the dying Israelites, so shall
a view of your divine Saviour prove an effectual remedy for all your wants. You shall soon, like Thomas,
exclaim with holy rapture, “My Lord and my God!” or, in the language long since dictated to you by the
spirit of prophecy, “Lo, this is Our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we
have waited for him: we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation [Note: Isa_25:9.]!”]

8. MEYER, “
CREATOR AND RULER OF ALL THE EARTH

Isa_40:9-17

Zion is bidden to climb the highest mountain within reach, and announce the advent of the
Savior-God. When all eyes are turned to behold Him, expecting a mighty hero, lo, a shepherd
conducts His flock across the waste lands, gathering the weakly lambs to His bosom and gently
leading the ewes with their young. Do not be afraid of God; He has a shepherd’s heart. Words
can never tell out all His tenderness; His pitying, understanding love.
We are next conducted to the Great Sea, Isa_40:12. Remember, says the prophet, that God’s
hands are so strong that the ocean lies in them as a drop of water in man’s. He can place
mountains in the scales He holds. So great is He that if all Lebanon’s forests were laid as wood
on His altar, and all its beasts were consumed as burnt sacrifices, it would not be sufficient to set
forth Page 68 His praise. And this God is our God forever and ever. The Creator of the ends of
the earth is our Father.

9. BI, “
The tidings the Church has to publish
The text has been variously rendered.
The best authorities give it, “Thou that bringest good tidings to Zion,” which rendering better
agrees with the latter part of the verse, with some parallel passages, and with the scope of the
passage. Our translators took Zion and Jerusalem in the nominative case, and so did others
before them, as if the prophet called on the chief city to acquaint the other cities of Judah with
the joyful news of their returning inhabitants: but there is far more congruity in the herald’s
being instructed to ascend the high mountains that the Jewish captives in the remotest corners
of Chaldea may hear the joyful proclamation of liberty, and prepare to return to their own
country. The Jewish Targum (no mean authority) paraphrases the words thus: “O ye prophets
that bring glad tidings to Zion” Vitringa supports the same idea, as does also Bishop Lowth. The
language may, with great force, be addressed to the missionaries of every denomination. “O thou

that hast good tidings to tell, get thee up into the high mountain. Say to the cities of the Eastern
and the Western world, Behold your God.”
I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH HAS GREAT TIDINGS TO TELL TO T HE WORLD AT LARGE.
The Jewish prophets were the heralds of a Saviour to come, and beautiful upon the mountains
were the feet of those who published peace; but the Christian Church has to proclaim the actual
accomplishment of the great salvation. We have to tell of a Saviour incarnate, crucified,
enthroned. We have to tell of a justifying righteousness, a sanctifying spirit, a pardoning God: of
Satan vanquished. The Christian Church has to reveal—
1. A system of truth as opposed to the errors of heathenism. These truths are universally
applicable. All have minds to which truth is precious as life to the eye, and the truth as it is in
Jesus is more needful than life itself.
2. A system of devotion, as opposed to the absurdities of their superstition. Would you
choose to have them still ignorant of the attributes of acceptable devotion?
3. A system of purity, as opposed to the shameless vices of their idolatry. Morality is
interested in the triumph of missions.
4. The Christian Church can tell them of the life and immortality brought to light by the
Gospel, as opposed to their obscure and degrading notions of futurity.
II. THESE TIDINGS OUGHT NOT TO BE KEPT SECRET, BUT ARE T O BE URGENTLY AND
UNIVERSALLY PROCLAIMED. “Lift up thy voice with strength: say, Behold your God.” This
light ought to be held forth as a burning torch, like the beacon light of ancient Pharos, that it
may scatter the darkness of the night, and guide the tempest-tossed vessel of distant nations to
the safe anchorage and peaceful haven of the welcome shore. We are bound by every tie, by all
that can constitute the most solemn and religious obligation, to diffuse far and wide the grand
principles of salvation. Dwell upon the moral destitution and wretchedness of the nations sitting
in darkness, and simply ask whether this be a desirable state of things.
III. THE CERTAINTY THAT THESE TIDINGS SHALL NOT BE PROCLA IMED IN VAIN. God
has said, “My Word shall not return void.” The Spirit is promised. (S. Thodey.)

The Church and her message
I. THE THOUGHTS THAT CLUSTER AROUND THE NAME. “O Zion, that bringest glad
tidings.” That is almost a definition of the Church; at any rate, it is a description of her by her
most characteristic office and function—that which marks and separates her from all
associations and societies of men. Her true dignity is that she bears a Gospel in her hand, and
grace is poured into her lips. We are to suppose the manifestation and approach of the Divine
Deliverer; hence what constitutes Zion the messenger of good tidings is the presence in her of
the living God. Translate that into New Testament language, and it just comes to this: that what
constitutes the Church the evangelist for the world is the simple possession of Christ, or of the
Gospel, and that breaks out into two or three points.
1. Whoever has Christ has the power to impart Him.
2. The possession of Christ for yourselves imposes upon you the obligation to impart Him.
(1) All property in this world is trust property, and everything that a man knows that can
help or bless the moral or spiritual age or intellectual condition of his fellows, he is
thereby under solemn obligation to impart. There is an obligation arising from the bands
that knit us to one another, so that no man can possess his good alone without being
untrue to the solidarity of humanity. You have got, you say, the remedy, healing for all

the diseases of humanity. What would you think of a man who in a pestilence was
contented with swallowing his own specific, and leaving others to die? You have got the
Christ, and you have got Him that you may impart Him.
(2) It is an obligation that arises, too, from the very purposes of your calling. What are
you saved for? For your own blessedness? Yes, and No. No creature in God’s great
universe but is great enough to be a worthy end of the Divine action. But no creature in
God’s universe so great as that he is a worthy end of the Divine action, if he is going to
keep all the Divine gifts in himself. We are all brought into the light that we may impart
light.
3. The very fact of the possession of this Gospel, or of this Christ, for ourselves ought to—
and in all healthy conditions will—inspire the impulse to impart. All deep conviction longs to
be vocal.
II. We have here, in a very picturesque and vivid form, the setting forth of THE MANNER IN
WHICH THE EVANGELIST ZION IS TO PROCLAIM HER MESSAGE . The fair-featured herald
is bidden to get up into the high mountain, perhaps a mere picturesque detail, perhaps some
reference to the local position of the city set upon a hill, like the priests of Ebal or Gerizim, or
Alpine shepherds, calling to each other across the valleys, to secure some vantage ground; and,
next, to let her voice roll out across the glen. No faltering whisper will do, but a voice that
compels audience. “Lift up thy voice with strength.” But a timid heart will make a tremulous
voice, and fear and doubt will whisper when courage will ring it out. So “be not afraid”; there is
the foundation of the clearness and the loudness with which the word is to be uttered. Our
message is to be given with a courage and a force that are worthy of it. “Be not afraid.” That is a
lesson for this day. There are plenty of causes of fear round about us, if, like Peter on the water,
we look at the waves instead of at the Master.
1. Let us cherish a firm, soul-absorbing confidence in the power and truth of the message we
have to tell.
2. Do not let us make too much of the enemy.
3. Let us remember the victories of the past.
4. Above all, let us remember who fights with us.
III. THE SUBSTANCE AND CONTENTS OF THE EVANGELIST ZION’S MESSAGE, “Say unto
the cities of Judah, Behold you God!” They were to be pointed to a great historical act, in which
God had manifested Himself to men; and the words are not only an exclamation, but an
entreaty, and the message was to be given to these little daughter cities of Judah as representing
all of those for whom the deliverance had been wrought;—all which things are paralleled in the
message that is committed to our hand. We all have given to us the charge of pointing men to
the great historical fact wherein God is visible to men. You cannot reveal God by word, you
cannot reveal God by thought. There is no way open to Him to make Himself known to His
creatures except the way by which men make themselves known to one another, that is, by their
deeds; and so high above all speculation, high above all abstraction, nearer to us than all
thought, stands the historical fact in which God shows Himself to the world, and that is in the
person of Jesus Christ. How beautiful in that connection the verses following my text are:
“Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand”; yet “He shall feed His flock like a
shepherd.” And so in that Christ is the power of God, for He is the arm of the Lord; and in that
Christ is the gentleness of God; and whilst men grope in the darkness, our business is to point to
the living, dying Son, and to say, “There you have the ultimate, the perfect representation of the
unseen God.” (A. Maclaren, D. D.)

News proclaimed on mountain-tops
Some suppose an allusion to the practice of addressing large assemblies from the summit or
declivity of hills Jdg_9:7; Deu_27:12; Mat_5:1). J.D. Michaelis compares the ancient practice of
transmitting news by shouting from one hill-top to another, as described by Caesar (Bell. Gall.
7.3)
. The essential idea is that of local elevation as extending the diffusion of the sound. (J. A.
Alexander.)

Behold your God
The manifestation of God
Taking the words as they stand in the text, consider them in—
I. THEIR EXTERNAL ACCOMPLISHMENT in the incarnation, na tivity, personal appearance,
and ministration of the Son of God in Jerusalem and in the cities of Judah.
II. THEIR INTERNAL ACCOMPLISHMENT in the hearts of all those who have spiritually
received the tidings of His Gospel. It is the process of Christ, from His incarnation to His
ascension, spiritually repeated within us; “God and Saviour” and our salvation entirely depends
upon our “beholding this”, manifesting Himself in all His amiable attributes within us, and by
our will cheerfully co-operating with Him in His great work of love. (J. Duche, M. A.)

The beholding of Jesus Christ
The prophet is directing the attention of his countrymen and of the Church in every age to the
Messiah who is the true God and eternal life. This illustrious personage we may behold in a
variety of interesting and instructive situations.
1. Carry your thoughts back into eternity, and behold Him, who in time was made of a
woman, sitting upon the circle of the heavens, in the essential glory of the Godhead; His
habitation immensity, His duration eternity, His perfections uncreated and infinite.
2. As a confirmation of the original glory and Godhead of Jesus Christ, “behold your God” at
the morning of creation, the dawn of time. Was it not His effective hand that planted the
pillars of the universe and raised the magnificent fabric of earth and heaven? What He
formed as the God of creation, He preserves as the God of power.
3. From the fall of our first parents to the birth of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer is only to be
seen in promises and prophecies, in sacrifices and ceremonies. Passing over, therefore, this
long lapse of time, suffer me to conduct your thoughts to Bethlehem. There, “behold your
God.”
4. Omitting the occurrences of His childhood and youth, let me invite you to look at Jesus
entering into the wilderness under the influence and direction of the Holy Ghost. Behold
Him tempted of the devil forty days and forty nights. It is a Divine maxim that “God cannot
be tempted, neither tempteth He any man.” But God in human flesh sustained the hour of
trial.
5. After this strange event, permitted to the powers of darkness, Jesus appears in a new
scene of life. Behold, then, your God going forth as a teacher, accompanying His
ministrations and instructions with signs and wonders, and all the marks of Deity. And He is
the “same yesterday, to-day, and for ever.” In every age, as well as in the days of His flesh,

there is treasured up in Him, for the flee use of all that come unto Him, pardon, and peace,
and grace, and strength, and life, and salvation.
6. Just before the close of His ministrations, a profitable view of the Lord Jesus opens to us
in the garden of Gethsemane: there “behold your God!” He appears emphatically a “man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” But let us follow Him from the garden, through all the
intermediate scenes of insult, reproach, and ignominy, to the bar of Pontius Pilate: there at
the tribunal of man “behold your God!” He, who shall one day appear to judge every man
according to his deeds, now stands arraigned as a criminal before the judgment-seat of man.
Judgment is perverted: Pilate declares Him innocent, yet suffers Him to be mocked, and
scourged, and crucified. Mingling in the crowd, follow Him from the common hall, and
“behold your God” as He passes through, the streets of Jerusalem,. bearing. His cross amidst
the revilings and tauntmgs of the people, who, m all the virulence of persecution, exclaim,
“Away with Him, away with Him! crucify Him!” “Behold your God” ascending the summit of
Calvary. Oh, what a scene was here! a scene which all nature seems backward to behold.
Standing at the foot of the Cross, learn that “ye were not redeemed with corruptible things,”
etc. (1Pe_1:18-19).
7. The last view which we have to take of Jesus Christ closes His sufferings, and
accomplishes our redemption. “Behold your God” bursting the barriers of the tomb,
vanquishing the king of terrors, despoiling the sepulchre, breaking the bands of corruption,
and rising to life, never to die again. Then was fulfilled that prophecy, “O death, I will be thy
plagues.” To enter into the spirit of the passage, you must keep your mind’s eye upon the
Saviour, and behold your God as He is ascending to the realms of bliss. Conclusion—“Now is
the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.” Now it is your privilege by faith to “behold
your God” as a Saviour, delighting in mercy. (S. Payne.)

10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.

1.BARNES, “Behold, the Lord God will come - (See the note at
Isa_40:3) Applied to the
condition of the Jews in exile, this means that God would come to deliver them. Applied to the

times of the Messiah, it means that God would manifest himself in a powerful manner as mighty
to save.
With strong hand - (קזחב  b
e
ex tÆ t"). Margin, ‘Against the strong.’ So Vitringa and others
understand it; and regard it as referring to the mighty enemies of the people of God, or, as
Vitringa particularly supposes, to the great foe of God and his people - the prince of darkness -
the devil. Lowth also translates it in this manner, ‘Against the strong one.’ The Septuagint
renders it, Μετά3pσχύος  Meta ischuos - ‘With strength.’ This is the more probable meaning - that
the Lord would come with the manifestation of strength and power, able to subdue and
vanquish all the enemies of his people, and to effect their complete and final salvation.
And his arm - The arm is a symbol of strength, because it is by that that we accomplish our
purposes; by that a conqueror slays his enemies in battle, etc. Thus, ‘Break thou the arm of the
wicked;’ that is, diminish or destroy his power Psa_10:15. ‘I have broken the arm of Pharaoh
king of Egypt’ (Eze_30:21; compare Jer_48:25). Thus it is said of God, ‘Thou hast a mighty arm’
Psa_89:13, and, ‘His holy arm hath gotten him the victory’ (Psa_98:1; compare Exo_6:6). The
metaphor is taken from the act of stretching out the arm to fight in battle, where the arm is the
effective instrument in subduing an enemy.
Shall rule for him - Lowth renders the phrase, ול  lo, ‘for him,’ ‘over him:’ - ‘And his arm
shall prevail over him;’ that is, over the strong and mighty foe. The Septuagint renders it, Μετά3κ
υρίας  Meta kurias - ‘With dominion.’ But the meaning seems to be, ‘God is mighty by himself; his
power resides in his own arm; he is not dependent on others; he will accomplish the deliverance
in such a manner that it shall be seen that he did it alone; and he shall rule for himself, without
any aid, and so that it shall be manifest that he is the sovereign.’ In the deliverance of his people
from their captivity, he so directed it, that it was manifest that he was their deliverer and
sovereign; and in the redemption of man, the same thing is apparent, that the arm of God effects
the deliverance, and that it is his own power that establishes the dominion.
Behold, his reward is with him - He will be ready to confer the appropriate reward on his
own people. The idea seems to be taken from the custom of a conqueror, who distributes
rewards among his followers and soldiers after a signal victory. This was always done in ancient
wars, apparently because it seemed to be an act of justice that those who had gained the victory
should share also in the result, and this participation of the booty was a stimulus to future effort,
as well as a compensation for their valor. The rewards distributed consisted generally of that
which was taken from the conquered; gold, and silver, and raiment, as well as captives or slaves
(see Gen_49:7; Exo_15:9; 1Sa_30:26; and particularly Jdg_5:30):
Have they not sped?
Have they not divided the prey;
To every man a damsel or two’;
To Sisera a prey of divers colors,
A prey of divers colors of needle-work,
Of divers colors of needle-work on both sides,
Meet for the necks of them that take the spoil.
The idea here is -
1. That Yahweh would bestow appropriate rewards on his people.
2. That they would be conferred on his coming, and not be delayed.
3. That it should be done by the hand of God himself.

This language was applicable to the interposition of God to save his people from their long
exile, and the ‘reward’ would be ample in the restoration to their own land, and the re-
establishment of his worship. It is applicable in a higher sense to the coming of the Messiah to
bless the world. His reward was with him. He blessed his faithful followers on earth; he will
bless them more abundantly in heaven. It will be assuredly applicable to him when he shall
come to gather his people to himself in the great and last day, and the language before us is used
with reference to that: ‘And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man
according as his work shall be’ Rev_22:12.
And his work - Margin, ‘Recompense for his work.’ The margin here is the correct
rendering. The Hebrew word strictly indeed denotes work, labor, business; but it also denotes
the wages for work Lev_19:13; Psa_109:20.

2. CLARKE, “
His reward is with him, and his work before him. “His reward is
with him, and the recompense of his work before him” - That is, the reward and the
recompense which he bestows, and which he will pay to his faithful servants; this he has ready at
hand with him, and holds it out before him, to encourage those who trust in him and wait for
him.

3. GILL, “
Behold, the Lord God will come with a strong hand,.... Some understand this
of the second coming of Christ, which coming is certain, such assurances being given of it by
promise and prophecy; and will be attended with power, which will be requisite to raise the
dead, summon all nations before him, and pass and execute the proper sentence on them; when
his arm shall openly bear rule, he will take to himself his great power, and reign; when his
reward will be with him, to give to every man according to their works; and his own work will be
before him, to judge the world in righteousness: see
Rev_22:12, but it is more agreeable to the
context, which foretells the coming of John the Baptist, points out the ministers of the Gospel,
and describes Christ in his office, as a shepherd feeding his flock, to understand it of his first
coming; for not God the Father, but the Son of God, is meant by the Lord God, who is truly God,
and so able to save, and which was the end of his coming. He is said to come "with a strong
hand", or with great power, which his work required; which was to fulfil the law, satisfy divine
justice, atone for sin, grapple and conflict with innumerable enemies, undergo the death of the
cross, bear the curse of the law, and the wrath of God, and all in order to obtain eternal
redemption for his people; for this he came from heaven to earth, not by change of place, but by
assumption of nature. Some render it, "against a strong one" (p); the strong man armed, the
devil, whose head he came to break, whose works he came to destroy, with whom he fought, and
whom he conquered and destroyed. Jarchi's note is,

"against the wicked, to take vengeance on them;''

but Aben Ezra and Kimchi supply the word hand, as we do:

and his arm shall rule for him; or he shall have sufficient power of himself to do the work
he comes about; his own arm or power wrought salvation for him and for his people; see
Isa_63:5. Some render it, "over him (q)"; that is, over the strong and mighty one, against whom
he came, whom he conquered, subdued, and ruled over:

behold, his reward is with him; to give to those that trust in him, as Kimchi; or to those that
do his word, as the Targum; that believe in him, embrace his Gospel, and act according to it: or
this may respect his own reward, which should follow his work; which he was as sure of as if it
was in his hands; namely, his exaltation in his human nature, his glory with his Father, and the
enjoyment of his spiritual seed to all eternity:

and his work before him; the work of redemption and salvation, which he was called unto,
sent to do, and which, being given him, he agreed to do, was very toilsome and laborious, yet he
took great delight in it, and has finished it; this is said to be "before him", being proposed in
council, and cut out in covenant for him, was well known unto him, and in his power to effect,
and what he could easily do, and did. The Targum understands this of the works of men being
before him, for whom he has a reward.

4. HENRY, “
What that glory is which shall be revealed. “Your God will come, will show
himself,”
1. “With the power and greatness of a prince (
Isa_40:10): He will come with strong hand, too
strong to be obstructed, though it may be opposed. His strong hand shall subdue his people to
himself, and shall restrain and conquer his and their enemies. He will come who is strong
enough to break through all the difficulties that lie in his way.” Our Lord Jesus was full of power,
a mighty Saviour. Some read, it, He will come against the mighty one, and overpower him,
overcome him. Satan is the strong man armed; but our Lord Jesus is stronger than he, and he
shall make it to appear that he is so, for, (1.) He shall reign in defiance of all opposition: His arm
shall rule, shall overrule for him, for the fulfilling of his counsels, to his own glory; for he is his
own end. (2.) He shall recompense to all according to their works, as a righteous Judge: His
reward is with him; he brings along with him, as a returning prince, punishments for the rebels
and preferments for his loyal subjects. (3.) He shall proceed and accomplish his purpose: His
work is before him, that is, he knows perfectly well what he has to do, which way to go about it,
and how to compass it. He himself knows what he will do.

5. JAMISON, “
with strong hand — or, “against the strong”; rather, “as a strong one”
[Maurer]. Or, against the strong one, namely, Satan (
Mat_12:29; Rev_20:2, Rev_20:3,
Rev_20:10) [Vitringa].
arm — power (Psa_89:13; Psa_98:1).
for him — that is, He needs not to seek help for Himself from any external source, but by His
own inherent power He gains rule for Himself (so Isa_40:14).
work — or, “recompense for his work”; rather, “recompense which He gives for work”
(Isa_62:11; Rev_22:12).

6. K&D, “
In
Isa_40:10 the prophet goes back from the standpoint of the fulfilment to that of
the prophecy. “Behold the Lord, Jehovah, as a mighty one will He come, His arm ruling for
Him; behold, His reward is with Him, and His retribution before Him.” We must not render
the first clause “with strong,” i.e., with strength, as the lxx and Targum do. The Beth is Beth

essentiae (cf., Isa_26:4; Ges. §154, 3, a). He will come in the essence, strength, and energy of a
strong one; and this is still further defined by the participial, circumstantial clause, “His arm
ruling for Him” (brachio suo ipsi dominante). It is His arm that rules for Him, i.e., that either
brings into subjection to Him, or else overthrows whatever opposes Him. Nevertheless,
Isa_40:10 does not present Him merely in one aspect, namely as coming to judge and punish,
but in both aspects, viz., that of the law and that of the gospel, as a righteous rewarder; hence
the double name of God, Adonai Jehovah (compare Isa_3:15; Isa_28:16; Isa_30:15, all in the
first part), which is used even in the Pentateuch, and most frequently by Amos and Ezekiel, and
which forms, as it were, an anagram. ה ָu ֻע ְw is already met with in Lev_19:13 as a synonym of רכ ָשׂ,
passing from the general idea of work to that of something earned and forfeited. Jehovah brings
with Him the penal reward of the enemies of His people, and also the gracious reward of the
faithful of His people, whom He will compensate for their previous sufferings with far exceeding
joys (see Isa_62:11).

7. CALVIN, “10.Behold, the Lord Jehovah. He adorns this short sentence by many words, because
some explanation was needed; and he again uses the word Behold for the sake of certainty, in order to
impart greater confidence to the hearts of good men. Thus he shews more clearly how great advantage
they derive from the presence of God. And first, he says, that he will come with strength, and that strength
not unemployed, but accompanied by such an effect as we shall perceive.

And his arm shall be powerful to him (114) ול (lo), which we have translated to him, is translated by
others of himself; or, perhaps, it will be thought preferable to translate it, “ is powerful, or
reigns for himself.” The meaning is, that God is sufficient for himself, and does not need the assistance of
any one.

Behold, his reward is with him, and his work before his face. By the repetition of the words “” and “” he
states more clearly what has been already expressed; for it is very customary with Hebrew writers to
express the same thing in two different ways. “” does not here denote what is due to merits, but the
justice of God, by which he testifies that he is a rewarder to all who truly and sincerely call upon him.
(Heb_11:6.) That this is the signification of the word רכש (sachar) is known to all who are moderately
acquainted with the Hebrew language. The meaning may be thus summed up: “ will not come to be
beheld by us as unemployed, but to display his power, and to make us feel it;” and thus, instead of the
word “” the word “” would not be inapplicable. Many persons attempt an ingenious exposition of these
words, and enter into childish discussion about the words “” and “” as if the “” were a merit on which a “” is
bestowed. But nothing was farther from the view of the Prophet; for he repeats the same thing, as we
have already said, and declares the result of the coming of the Lord, from which believers will derive the
highest advantage.

(114) “ strong (hand), or, against the strong.” — Eng. Ver. “ the strong one, that is, against (foreign)
nations to punish them.” —Jarchi. Vitringa gives the same version, though with a different explanation,
and quotes the authorities of Junius and Piscator, while he states that all the ancient interpreters, among
whom he enumerates the Septuagint, Jerome, and the Chaldee Paraphrast, render the phrase with
strength. — Ed.

8. BI, “
Power and tenderness
The beauty and peculiarity of these words consist in the combination of the might of Adonai-
Jehovah (
Isa_40:10), with the gentleness of the Shepherd, carrying in His bosom the weak and
weary of the flock (Isa_40:11).

I. “Behold your God,” FULL OF MIGHT AND MAJESTY (Isa_40:10). To Christ all power has
been committed. He is “the arm of God” (Isa_51:9), “the Man of Jehovah’s right hand,” etc.
(Psa_80:17). His name is “Immanuel.”
II. HE COMBINES WITH THE POWER OF THE VICTORIOUS KING, T HE GENTLENESS OF
THE TENDER AND LOVING SHEPHERD. “He shall feed His flock.” That word is a
comprehensive one. It means that He shall act all the part of a shepherd towards them; leading
them, protecting them, providing alike the green pastures and the still waters, Nay, as if this
were not enough, He is beautifully represented as “gathering the lambs in His arms”;—making a
pillow for them in the folds of the loose “abbeh,” or shepherd’s mantle, as they nestle close in
His bosom. And while thus He deals with the tender lambs, He is equally merciful and
considerate not to overdrive their nursing mothers. Exult in this twofold word of comfort,
“Behold thy King cometh, meek and lowly.” Behold your God! Behold your Shepherd!, strong to
smite, strong to save. (J. R. Macduff, D. D.)

Characteristics of the great Saviour
These words exhibit to our view some of the most lively characteristics of that illustrious Saviour
by whose incarnation our fallen race are become again entitled to that long-lost inheritance
which had been forfeited by sin, and by whose redeeming process in their souls they are
rendered capable of enjoying it. The illuminated prophet proceeds to point out the personal
character of this great Deliverer.
1. “Behold! the LORD GOD shall come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him.”
The mistaken Israelites vainly ascribed to these words a temporal interpretation, and looked
for a deliverer whose conquering arm should effectually rescue them from the earthly
powers to which they were tributary. But the true children of faithful Abraham wait for the
spiritual accomplishment of this prophecy in their hearts; and see and feel “the strong hand”
of their Redeemer in that inward opposition which He raises in their breasts to all the evil
desires and corrupt passions of human nature.
2. “Behold! His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.” This work is no other than
the complete deliverance of man from the captivity of sin and Satan. This reward is no other
than the glorious acquisition of those lost or wandering souls, who were originally His by
creation, and are now doubly so by redemption. The prophet seems to dwell upon the power
and majesty of this Deliverer. He represents Him as coming with a strong hand: and indeed,
such is usually His first appearance in the sinner’s heart. David speaks of this first
appearance in the most alarming terms: “The arrows of the Almighty stick fast in me, and
His hand presseth me sore.” The first feelings of an awakened and convicted conscience are
agonising indeed; for they are the breaking forth of heaven’s majestic light upon the
benighted soul, which shakes nature to her very centre, and discloses every hidden recess to
which conscious guilt flies from its approach. But when viewed with composure, and
received with cheerfulness, it soon becomes as mild and sweet as the radiance of the risen

day after a dark and tempestuous night. Hence it is that in the next verse we find the dignity
and majesty of this august Personage sweetly tempered with condescension and love, and
melting into heavenly meekness, gentleness, and compassion.
3. “He shall feed His flock like a shepherd,” etc.
(1) “The flock” here mentioned can be no other than our whole fallen race, who by virtue
of that “incorruptible seed” that was inspoken into the first Adam, are put into a capacity
of regaining eternal life through the redeeming power of Christ, their second Adam.
(2) But though the Shepherd’s love is thus universal, and all men are the objects of His
pastoral care; though they are all His children by redemption, yet all do not alike follow
the “Shepherd s voice”; all are not equally willing to be fed with His “bread of life.”
(3) Let the humble-minded Christian “lift up his head and look up.” He need not, as the
Psalmist expresses it, “run here and there for food; and grudge, because he is not
satisfied”: the wants he feels, reason, he well knows, cannot supply; the comforts he
aspires after, are such as the world cannot give. Wherever his Shepherd leads, he is
content to follow: he is sensible of His presence, in darkness as well as in light. The evils
by which he is oppressed he is satisfied to bear because his Deliverer is ever at his side.
(J. Duche, M. A.)

The magnitude and tenderness of Divine dealings
We find frequent reference in Scripture to the Divine hand, arm, and bosom, by which God is
brought the nearer to the level of our comprehension, and within touch of our love and
confidence. In these verses there is a striking combination in the use made of these figures.
I. THE MAGNITUDE OF GOD’S POWER AND RULE. “Who hath mea sured the waters in the
hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span?” etc. The reference to the Divine hand
is essentially human, man being the only creature on God’s earth who has a hand. How
wonderful is its construction! It is marvellously adapted for skill, power, and authority. It is that
which in happy combination with other endowments gives man dominion over creation. It is his
hand which, in more senses than one, sways the sceptre. It is his hand that asserts his royal
nature, his power and authority to rule. Again, the arm is that which gives leverage to the hand,
and without which the hand would be useless. The hand and arm of God are spoken of here. We
read elsewhere that the heavens are the work of His fingers, that in His hands are the deep
places of the earth, and that His hands formed the dry land. Here we read, “Who hath measured
the waters in the hollow of His hand, and meted out heaven with the span? “The great Architect
and Framer of the universe is represented as forming and adjusting earth, sea, and sky with His
hand. This is the graphic representation of the Divine Worker at work. The one implement used
is the hand of the Great Worker—its hollow for the seas, its span for the heavens! What sublime
poetry descriptive of creative skill! The illustrations are taken from primitive life. The truest
poetry comes from primitive simplicity.
1. “Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand?” What is the sublime truth
which this richly figurative speech conveys? One truth at least is the self-sufficiency of God
in His creative work. He needed not to go beyond Himself. All creation is the outcome of His
own power and skill, independent of the shifts of machinery and tools. When this has been
stated, the prophet proceeds to draw other figures from, primitive life in the simplicity of its
operations to describe God’s creative work. “Comprehended the dust of the earth in a
measure” that is a tierce, or the third of an ephah. It is the same word as that used in
Psa_80:5, “Thou givest them tears to drink in great measure.” As Delitzsch beautifully
expresses it, it is a small measure for the dust of the earth, but a “great measure” for tears.

“Weighed the mountains in scales,” that is, a steel-yard, that by which the greater loads are
weighed; “and the hills in a balance”—the tradesman’s balances which weigh smaller things,
but with greater accuracy than the “steel-yard.” Nothing has been done by haphazard. Every
world has been balanced, and the equilibrium of the universe adjusted with infinite wisdom
and skill. Astronomical observation leads to this conclusion; Isaiah asserted it with regard to
this earth before astronomy was born.
2. So far we have dwelt upon Isaiah’s statement of what God had done. Now we notice the
prophetic announcement of what God would do. The former refers to His creative power, the
latter to His providential rule. “The Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall
rule for Him.” There is here a prediction of a special Divine advent in power, but I take this
as typical of all Divine advents and interventions throughout the ages. We have read of the
Divine hand in the record of God forming and adjusting the earth, but now we read of the
Divine arm in His personal advent and providential rule. There is a Providence as well as a
creation. God has not completed His work by His creative skill and power. “He worketh
hitherto.” The hand that formed and adjusted is moved by the arm that rules and governs. It
is the arm that wields the hand. The Scriptures abound with emphatic references to the
Divine arm. “Hast thou an arm like Job_40:9) asked God out of the whirlwind of Job. “Thou
hast a mighty arm” (Psa_89:13), exclaimed the Psalmist; and again, “His holy arm hath
gotten Him the victory” (Psa_98:1). Isaiah wrote, “The Lord hath sworn by the arm of His
strength” (Isa_62:8), and again, “Therefore His arm brought salvation” (Isa_59:16). In these
andsimilar passages the arm of God is the symbol of His power in providential and
redemptive works. “His arm shall rule for Him,”—that is, shall bring all foes submissive, and
make all subjects obedient to His sovereignty and command. It is instructive to notice the
different names applied to God in the Scriptures to show various aspects of His character
and work. Observe the names by which God is called here. “The Lord God” (Adonai-
Jehovah)—a combination of the two greatest names by which God was knownunder the Old
Dispensation. The consequent announcement is that of the advent of the “Mighty One”
(R.V.). Yet these words, expressive of power and dominion, are followed by others which
have all the tenderness and grace of a pastoral symphony.
II. THE TENDERNESS OF HIS SHEPHERDLY CARE. “He shall fee d His flock like a shepherd,”
etc. The hand that meted out the heavens and measured the waters of the deep is that which
feeds the flock, and the arm that rules for Him is the arm that gathers the lambs. “And carry
them in His bosom.” Ah! I have not read of “His bosom” in this context before now. I heard no
mention of His bosom when He was spoken of as measuring the waters in the hollow of His
hand, and meting out heaven with the span; it is only when the prophet speaks of the lambs that
he mentions not only God’s arm but also His bosom. The hollow of His hand is good enough for
the waters, His span for the heavens, His arm for His subjects, but only His bosom for the
lambs. This is a tenderness specially adapted to the peculiar need. “And shall gently lead those
that are with young,” or. “those that give suck” (R.V.). The great Shepherd will not forget
motherhood with its cares and burdens. God s omnipotence can only be equalled by His
compassion. He is not only Almighty, but also “Almighty to save.” Our God who created the
heavens has also lifted up the Cross. (D. Davies.)

The grandeur and pathos of theology
In those words, “His arm shall rule for Him,” we have the grandeur of theology; but in these
words, “He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd,” we have the pathos of theology. (D. Davies.)

Consolation from the thought of God’s omnipotence
In his autobiography, Goethe tells us that the earthquake in Lisbon fairly stumbled his faith and
awakened his alarm at the time when he first heard the news of it. The notion of Divine
reliability fell under his suspicion; how could anyone trust a God who would suffer that 70,000
people should be overwhelmed by one awful tide of the ocean, rushing up and back as the earth
rose in imperious strength of upheaval; where was His goodness? What might He not do next?
The young man was frightened at the manifestation of so much almightiness. Later on in life he
saw how fine it was to have for his God a being who could rock the world at His will. (C.
S.Robinson, D. D.)

11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
    He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
    he gently leads those that have young.

1.BARNES, “He shall feed his flock - In the previous verse, the fact had been asserted
that God would come to subdue his foes, and to reward his people. In this verse, the mild and
gentle character of his government over his people is predicted. It would not be that of a
conqueror over vanquished subjects; but it would be mild and tender, like that of a shepherd
who carries the lambs, which are unable to walk, in his own arms, and gently leads along the
feeble and the delicate. The verb translated “to feed’ (
הערי  yir
e
‛eh), denotes more than our word
feed at present. It refers to all the care of a shepherd over his flock; and means to tend, to guard,
to govern, to provide pasture, to defend from danger, as a shepherd does his flock. It is often
applied in the Scriptures to God represented as the tender shepherd, and especially to the
Redeemer Psa_23:1; Eze_34:23; Joh_10:14; Heb_13:20; 1Pe_2:25; 1Pe_5:4. It is often applied
to a leader or a ruler of a people 2Sa_5:2; 2Sa_7:7; Jer_32:2. Thus Homer often uses the phrase,
ποι8ήν3λαyν  poimen laon - ‘shepherds of the people,’ to denote a ruler, or monarch. Here it
denotes that God would evince toward his people the same tender care, guardianship and
protection, which a shepherd shows for his flock.
He shall gather the lambs with his arm - This is a most beautiful expression, denoting
the care of God the Saviour for the feeblest and weakest of his people, and for the young and
feeble in years and piety. A similar thing is often done by a shepherd. The tender lamb, unable to
keep up with the flock, becomes weary and exhausted; and the shepherd naturally takes it in his
arms and carries it. Such a shepherd as this Virgil beautifully describes:
En, ipse capellas

Protenus aeger argo; hancetiam vix, Tityre, duco;
Hic inter densas corylos modo namque gemellos,
Spem gregis, Ah! silice in nuda connixa reliquet.
Eclog. i. 12.
Lo! I my goats urge fainting o’er the mead;
This, feebler than the rest, with pains I lead.
Yean’d mid yon herds upon the flinty plain,
Her dying twins, my flock’s late hope, remain.
Wrangham.
And shall gently lead ... - Margin, ‘Give suck.’ This is the more correct translation. It
denotes the dams of the flock that would be easily exhausted by being overdriven, and of which
there was, therefore, special care necessary. Thus Jacob says to his brother Esau, Gen_33:13 :
‘The flocks and the herds giving suck to their young are with me, and if they should be
overdriven all the flock will die.’ Of the necessity of such care and attention there is abundant
evidence, and indeed it is manifest at a glance. Dr. Shaw, speaking of the exposure of the flocks
in Syria, says: ‘The greatest skill and vigilance, and even tender care, are required in the
management of such immense flocks as wander on the Syrian plains. Their prodigious numbers
compel the keepers to remove them too frequently in search of fresh pastures, which proves very
destructive to the young that have not strength to follow.’ The following extract from Anderson’s
Tour through Greece will also serve to illustrate this passage: ‘One of the great delights in
traveling through a pastoral country, is to see and feel the force of the beautiful imagery in the
Scriptures, borrowed from pastoral life.
All day long the shepherd attends his flock, leading them into “green pastures,” near fountains
of water, and chooses a convenient place for them to “rest at noon.” At night he drives them near
his tent; and, if there is danger, encloses them in the fold. They know his voice, and follow him.
When traveling, he tenderly watches over them, and carries such as are exhausted in his arms.
Such a shepherd is the Lord Jesus Christ.’ No description could more beautifully describe the
character of the Redeemer. In the New Testament, he is often described as a kind and tender
shepherd, and regarding the welfare of all his flock, and as ready to give his life for them
Joh_10:7, Joh_10:9-11, Joh_10:14-15; Heb_13:20; 1Pe_2:25; 1Pe_5:4. We are here also
strikingly reminded of the solemn command which he gave to Peter, evincing his tender regard
for his flock, ‘Feed my lambs:’ ‘Feed my sheep’ Joh_16:15-17. It proves in regard to the
Redeemer:
1. That his nature is mild, and gentle, and tender.
2. That he has a kind regard for all his flock, and will consult the real interest of all, as a
shepherd does of his flock.
3. That he has a special solicitude for the feeble and infirm, and that they will be the objects of
his tender care.
4. That he feels a particular solicitude for the young. He knows their feebleness; he is
acquainted with their temptations; he sees the importance of their being trained up with
care; and he looks with deep interest, therefore, on all the efforts made to guard them
from the ways of sin, and to train them up for his service (compare the note at Isa_42:3).

2. CLARKE, “Shall gently lead those that are with young “The nursing ewes shall
he gently lead” - A beautiful image, expressing, with the utmost propriety as well as elegance,
the tender attention of the shepherd to his flock. That the greatest care in driving the cattle in
regard to the dams and their young was necessary, appears clearly from Jacob’s apology to his
brother Esau, Gen_33:13 : “The flocks and the herds giving suck to their young are with me; and
if they should be overdriven, all the flock will die.” Which is set in a still stronger light by the
following remark of Sir John Chardin: “Their flocks,” says he, speaking of those who now live in
the east after the patriarchal manner, “feed down the places of their encampments so quick, by
the great numbers that they have, that they are obliged to remove them too often, which is very
destructive to their flocks, on account of the young ones, who have not strength enough to
follow.” Harmer’s Observ. i., p. 126.

3. GILL, “
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd,.... Christ has a flock, a flock of men, a
distinct and peculiar people, and it is but one, and that a little one, and yet a beautiful one,
though often a flock of slaughter; which is his by his Father's gift, and his own purchase, and
appears manifest in the effectual calling, when he calls them by name; to these he stands in the
relation of a shepherd, being so by his Father's designation and appointment, and his own
consent; and a good shepherd he is, as is manifest by his laying down his life for the sheep; and a
great one, being Jehovah's fellow, and the chief shepherd, under whom all others are; yea, he is
the one, and only one; and a very careful, compassionate, and faithful one he is; who performs
his whole office as a shepherd, not only by providing food for his flock, by leading them into
green and good pastures, his church and ordinances; by appointing under shepherds to feed
them with the doctrines of the Gospel, the wholesome words of the Lord Jesus; and by feeding
them himself, with himself, the bread of life, and hidden manna, whose flesh is meat indeed, and
whose blood is drink indeed; but also by protecting them from all their enemies, the roaring and
devouring lion, Satan, and wolves in sheep's clothing, false teachers; and by taking such notice
and account of them, as that none of them shall be lost; and by doing all that is expressed
Eze_34:16, seeking that which was lost; bringing back that which was driven away; binding up
that which was broken; and strengthening and healing the sick, as well as watching over them
night and day, lest any hurt them:

he shall gather the lambs with his arm; the weaklings of the flock; the same with babes
and sucklings, newly born souls, weak believers, mean and low in their own eyes, the smoking
flax, and bruised reed, the day of small things, the poor of the flock; these he gathers with his
arm of power, and by the ministry of the Gospel, both to himself, his person, righteousness,
grace and fulness, and to his church, to partake of the word and ordinances of it, and to nearer
communion with him in them; he gathers them up into his arms in a way of protection, when
liable to fall into the hands of powerful enemies, and to be hurt by them, and in order to carry
them, they not being able to go of themselves, as it follows:

and carry them in his bosom; which is expressive of very great affection to them, such being
greatly loved as are put into the bosom, as Obed by Naomi, the poor man's ewe lamb, and a wife
of youth; as also of great nearness to him, being in his bosom must lie near his heart, and are
indeed upon it; likewise it denotes the most intimate communion with him, and a being privy to
his secrets, as Christ in the bosom of his Father is to his; as well as it implies an enjoyment of
rest in him, and safety by him; for what can disturb or hurt such as are in the bosom of Christ?

and shall gently lead those that are with young; who have the seed of grace in them, have
spiritual principles wrought in their souls, Christ formed in their hearts, are full of desires for

him and spiritual things, and carry a burden, that of their sins, under which they groan; these he
leads out, and off of themselves to himself, his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, into green
pastures, into his Father's presence, and at last to glory; and he leads them on "gently",
gradually, step by step, to see their own vileness and sinfulness, to look, go to, lay hold on him,
and retain him; he leads them into the truths of the Gospel, and the deep waters of the
sanctuary, and proportionably to their strength as they are able to bear, either the doctrines of
the Gospel, or the duties of religion, or afflictions and sufferings; see Gen_33:14.

4. HENRY, “
“With the pity and tenderness of a shepherd,”
Isa_40:11. God is the Shepherd of
Israel (Psa_80:1); Christ is the good Shepherd, Joh_10:11. The same that rules with the strong
hand of a prince leads and feeds with the kind hand of a shepherd. (1.) He takes care of all his
flock, the little flock: He shall feed his flock like a shepherd. His word is food for his flock to feed
on; his ordinances are fields for them to feed in; his ministers are under-shepherds that are
appointed to attend them. (2.) He takes particular care of those that most need his care, the
lambs that are weak, and cannot help themselves, and are unaccustomed to hardship, and those
that are with young, that are therefore heavy, and, if any harm be done them, are in danger of
casting their young. He particularly takes care for a succession, that it may not fail or be cut off.
The good Shepherd has tender care for children that are towardly and hopeful, for young
converts, that are setting out in the way to heaven, for weak believers, and those that are of a
sorrowful spirit. These are the lambs of his flock, that shall be sure to want nothing that their
case requires. [1.] He will gather them in the arms of his power; his strength shall be made
perfect in their weakness, 2Co_12:9. He will gather them in when they wander, gather them up
when they fall, gather them together when they are dispersed, and gather them home to himself
at last; and all this with his own arm, out of which none shall be able to pluck them, Joh_10:28.
[2.] He will carry them in the bosom of his love and cherish them there. When they tire or are
weary, are sick and faint, when they meet with foul ways, he will carry them on, and take care
they are not left behind. [3.] He will gently lead them. By his word he requires no more service,
and by his providence he inflicts no more trouble, than he will fit them for; for he considers their
frame.

5. JAMISON, “
feed — including all a shepherd’s care - “tend” (
Eze_34:23; Psa_23:1;
Heb_13:20; 1Pe_2:25).
carry — applicable to Messiah’s restoration of Israel, as sheep scattered in all lands, and
unable to move of themselves to their own land (Psa_80:1; Jer_23:3). As Israel was “carried
from the womb” (that is, in its earliest days) (Isa_63:9, Isa_63:11, Isa_63:12; Psa_77:20), so it
shall be in “old age” (that is, its latter days) (Isa_46:3, Isa_46:4).
gently lead — as a thoughtful shepherd does the ewes “giving suck” (Margin) (Gen_33:13,
Gen_33:14).

6. K&D, “
The prophet dwells upon this, the redeeming side not the judicial, as he proceeds to
place the image of the good shepherd by the side of that of the Lord Jehovah. “He will feed His
flock like a shepherd, take the lambs in His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead
those that are giving suck.” The flock is His people, now dispersed in a foreign land. The love

with which He tends this flock is shown, by way of example, in His conduct towards the םִיcל ְט (=
םִיי ָל ְט from י ִל ְט = ה ֶל ָט), the young lambs that have not long been born, and the תוֹל ָע, those giving
suck, lactantes (Vulg. fetae), not those that are sucking, sugentes (from לוּע med. Vav, to
nourish). Such as cannot keep pace with the flock he takes in his arms, and carries in the bosom
of his dress; and the mothers he does not overdrive, but ל ֵהַנְי (see at Psa_23:2), lets them go
gently alone, because they require care (Gen_33:13). With this loving picture the prologue in
Isa_40:1-11 is brought to a close. It stands at the head of the whole, like a divine inauguration of
the prophet, and like the quintessence of what he is commanded to proclaim. Nevertheless it is
also an integral part of the first address. For the questions which follow cannot possibly be the
commencement of the prophecy, though it is not very clear how far they form a continuation.
The connection is the following: The prophet shows both didactically and paraenetically what
kind of God it is whose appearance to redeem His people has been prophetically announced in
Isa_40:1-11. He is the incomparably exalted One. This incomparable exaltation makes the
ignorance of the worshipers of idols the more apparent, but it serves to comfort Israel. And
Israel needs such consolation in its present banishment, in which it is so hard for it to
comprehend the ways of God.

7. CALVIN, “11.As a shepherd. In this verse he declares what is the nature of that work of the Lord; for
since he works in various and, indeed, in innumerable ways, the hearer might have been kept in
suspense as to the work which God intended to accomplish; and thus the general doctrine would have
been less efficacious in exciting hope. Though he does not describe every part, yet he states in a few
words that God has determined to protect and guard his Church. On this account he compares him to “
shepherd;” and under this designation he expresses his infinite love towards us, when he does not refuse
to stoop so low as to perform towards us the office of “shepherd.” In other passages, and even a little
before, (Isa_34:2, etc.,) he described himself as armed with terrible power for the defense of his people,
and a little after this he repeats the same statement; but here he ascribes to him a more amiable
character, that believers may sweetly repose under his protection.

He will feed his flock. Now, although by the word “” he describes an elect people, whom he had
undertaken to govern, yet we are reminded that God will be a shepherd to none but to those who, in
modesty and gentleness, shall imitate the sheep and lambs. For this reason we ought to observe the
character of the flock; for he does not choose to feed savage beasts, but lambs. We must therefore lay
aside our fierceness, and permit ourselves to be tamed, if we wish to be gathered into the fold of which
God promises that he will be the guardian.

He will carry them in his bosom. These words describe God’ wonderful condescension; for not only is he
actuated by a general feeling of regard to his whole flock, but, in proportion to the weakness of any one
sheep, he shews his carefulness in watching, his gentleness in handling, and his patience in leading it.
Here he leaves out nothing that belongs to the office of a good shepherd; for the shepherd ought to
observe every sheep, so as to treat it according to its capacity; and especially they ought to be supported,
if they are exceedingly weak. In a word, God will be mild, kind, gentle, and compassionate, so that he will
not drive the weak harder than they are able to bear.

8. CHARLES SIMEON, “CHRIST’S CARE FOR HIS SHEEP
Isa_40:11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them
in his bosom; and shall gently lead those that are with young.

THE holy Psalmist, speaking of Jehovah’s care of him, says, “The Lord is my Shepherd:” and then, from
the union of the Godhead with the pastoral office, he infers, “Therefore I shall not want [Note: Psa_23:1.].”
The same incomprehensible union is mentioned by the prophet in the passage before us. The heralds
that proclaimed the advent of the Messiah were commanded to draw the attention of men to them in
these words, “Behold your God!” The person thus announced, is further described in the words preceding
our text; “Behold! the Lord God will come:” and then it is added, “he shall feed his flock like a shepherd.”
Now when it is considered how prone the Israelites were to idolatry, it cannot be conceived that the
prophet should speak of the Messiah in such exalted terms, if they did not properly belong to him. But the
prophets generally, and Isaiah in particular, are very full and explicit in declaring, that Jehovah was to
become incarnate, and by the sacrifice of himself to redeem and save a ruined world. It is not however of
his person that we now propose to speak, but of his office; that being the particular point to which my text
refers: yet it would be improper to pass over such a strong testimony to the divinity of our blessed Lord,
because, in the judgment of all, but more especially of Jews, it must have the effect of silencing every
doubt upon that important subject. And it adds no little interest to the description here given of him, when
we know, that He who so condescends to minister as a Shepherd to the least and meanest of his flock, is
the Most High God: according as it is written, “To us a child is born, to us a Son is given; and his name
shall be called, The Mighty God [Note: Isa_9:6.].”

The words which form the ground?work of our discourse, will lead me to set before you,

I. A general view of our Lord as a Shepherd—

The character of a shepherd is frequently assigned to our blessed Lord, in the Scriptures both of the Old
and New Testament [Note: Eze_37:24. Zec_13:7. Heb_13:20. 1Pe_5:4.]: and every duty pertaining to
that office is executed by him:—

1. He gathers them to his fold—

[They are “wandering upon the dark mountains, in a cloudy and dark day [Note: Eze_34:6.];” “every one
going in his own way [Note: Isa_53:6.],” and “after the imaginations of his own heart [Note: Jer_23:17.]” —
— — The paths of all, though differing from each other according as the age, the inclinations, and the
diversified temptations of the different individuals may lead them — — — all agree in this, that they are
far distant from the ways of God’s commandments [Note: Rom_3:11?12.]. But “he searches for them, and
seeks them out:” he follows them by the preaching of his word, by the dispensations of his providence, by
the mighty working of his Spirit; and, having found them, “he apprehends them” by his pastoral crook
[Note: Php_3:12.], and “makes them willing” to return with him [Note: Psa_110:3.], and “carries them
home upon his shoulders rejoicing [Note: Luk_15:5?6.]”— — —]

2. He provides for their wants—

[O! how sweet are the pastures into which he leads them [Note: Eze_34:14.]! Who can express the
delight which a converted soul experiences in feeding upon the promises, “the exceeding great and
precious promises” of his God? — — — In comparison of the food provided for the sheep of Christ, all

else is but as “husks on which the swine subsist [Note: Luk_15:16. Isa_55:2.].” This is set forth in
Scripture under the image of a luxurious feast [Note: Isa_24:6.]: and verily it is “a feast of fat things” to all
the saints; a feast, of which even the angels themselves might account it a privilege to partake
[Note: Psa_78:25.] — — —]

3. He affords them his effectual protection—

[Weak as they are, and beset with many enemies, they are preserved in perfect safety [Note: 1Pe_1:5.]
— — — He who laid down his life for them, will suffer “none to pluck them out of his hand
[Note: Joh_10:11; Joh_10:28.]” — — — “They lie down beside the still waters [Note: Psa_23:2.],” which
are a just emblem of the tranquillity of their own souls — — — “They are kept in perfect peace, because
they trust in him [Note: Isa_26:3.].”]

4. He administers to them according to their diversified necessities—

[Amongst them there will be some who are sick, or diseased, or injured by some misfortune: but he knows
all their particular cases, and imparts to them the relief which they severally need; “bringing buck those
which have been driven away, binding up that which has been broken, and strengthening that which is
sick [Note:Eze_34:16.]”— — — and never intermitting his care of them, till he has brought them to his fold
above [Note: Psa_23:5?6.]— — —]

But our text requires us to take,

II. A more particular view of him as ministering to the weak and needy—

Let us notice then in a more especial manner,

1. His tenderness to the weak—

[The lambs which have been but recently brought forth, may be supposed incapable of proceeding with
the flock to any distant pasture. But these “he will gather with his arms, and carry in his bosom.” “He will
not despise the day of small things [Note: Zec_4:10.].” There is not one in all his flock so weak, but he will
pay the most minute attention to its necessities. He who gave so particular a charge to Peter to “feed
his lambs,” and required this of him as a necessary proof of his love [Note: Joh_21:15.], will not himself
neglect his lambs; but rather will augment his tender assiduities in proportion as the weakness of the
lamb calls for more peculiar care: he will even take it up, and “carry it in his bosom.” In what an endearing
view does this place the character of our blessed Lord! — — — How sweetly encouraging is this
consideration to those who feel their weakness, and are ready to despond because of it! — — — Let us
remember, that when his disciples would have kept persons from troubling him with their little children, he
reproved them, and said, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the
kingdom of heaven [Note: Mar_10:14.].” Whether therefore you be children in respect of your natural or
spiritual birth, fail not to come to him, assured, that he will bear with your infirmities, and “perfect his own
strength in your weakness [Note: 2Co_12:9.]” — — —]

2. His compassion to the afflicted—

[He will have respect to the state of his flock, even as Jacob had, who “would not overdrive them one day,
lest they should all die [Note: Gen_33:13?14.].” So our blessed Lord “will gently lead that which is with
young.” There are amongst his people many who are weary and heavy?laden with a sense of sin, and

bowed down greatly by reason of the difficulties of their way. But to the former he sends a special
invitation, with an assured promise of rest [Note: Mat_11:28.]: and to the latter he authorizes us to
declare, that “he will raise them up [Note: Psa_146:8.].” In truth, he is pre?eminently distinguished by this,
that “he will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax; but will bring forth judgment unto
victory [Note: Mat_12:20.]. Consider what is implied in these metaphors: a bruised reed is, according to
human appearance, incapable of ever sending forth a melodious sound; and smoking flax has, as it were,
but a hidden spark of fire, whilst it is sending forth whole clouds of corruption: yet will Christ fan the
expiring spark to a flame, and attune the reed to send forth the most heavenly strains. Let none then
despond, however destitute they may be of any thing to encourage them from within; but let them “be
strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might [Note: Eph_6:10.]” — — —]

Let me now add a few words,

1. In commendation of this good Shepherd—

[Whence is it that all do not put themselves under his care? Is there any want of love, or tenderness, or
power in him? God frequently, by his prophets, called on his rebellious people to testify against him, and
to say, whether there had been any want of kindness or care in him: “O my people, what have I done unto
thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against me [Note: Mic_6:3. Jer_2:5; Jer_2:31.].” “What
could I have done more for my people than I have done [Note: Isa_5:4.]?” So do I now, in the name of this
good Shepherd, call upon you all this day, to bear, if you can, your testimony against him. Whom did he
ever neglect or despise? Whom that sought him did he ever refuse to receive? Whom that trusted in him,
did he ever omit to supply according to his necessities? — — — If then no complaint ever was, or could
be made against him from the world, let every heart appreciate his excellency, and every soul commit
itself to its care — — — [Note: If this were a subject for an Ordination or Visitation Sermon, the Clergy
should be urged to follow the example of this good Shepherd.]]

2. For the augmentation and encouragement of his flock—

[You who have to this hour been going astray, and walking in the way of your own hearts, reflect upon
your guilt and danger, and “return now without delay to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls
[Note: 1Pe_2:25.]” — — — As employed by him, I come now to search you out, and to bring you home to
his fold [Note:Eph_4:11. Mar_16:15. Jer_23:4.] — — — O think, how delightful it will be to “hear his voice
calling every one of you by name [Note: Joh_10:3.],” and “going in and out with you” as long as you shall
remain in this dreary wilderness [Note: Joh_10:9.], and then performing the same office for you in the
realms of bliss [Note:Rev_7:17.]; “O listen not to the voice of strangers” — — — but, follow him — — —
that you may be one fold under one Shepherd for ever and ever [Note: Joh_10:5; Joh_10:9; Joh_10:16.].]

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his
hand,

    or with the breadth of his hand marked off the
heavens?
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
    or weighed the mountains on the scales
    and the hills in a balance?

1.BARNES, “Who hath measured - The object in this and the following verses to
Isa_40:26,
is to show the greatness, power, and majesty of God, by strong contrast with his creatures, and
more especially with idols. Perhaps the prophet designed to meet and answer an implied
objection: that the work of deliverance was so great that it could not be accomplished. The
answer was, that God had made all things; that he was infinitely great; that he had entire control
over all the nations; and that he could, therefore, remove all obstacles out of the way, and
accomplish his great and gracious purposes. By man it could not be done; nor had idol-gods any
power to do it; but the Creator and upholder of all could effect this purpose with infinite case. At
the same time that the argument here is one that is entirely conclusive, the passage, regarded as
a description of the power and majesty of God, is one of vast sublimity and grandeur; nor is
there any portion of the Sacred Volume that is more suited to impress the mind with a sense of
the majesty and glory of Yahweh. The question, ‘who hath measured,’ is designed to imply that
the thing referred to here was that which had never been done, and could never be done by man;
and the argument is, that although that which the prophet predicted was a work which
surpassed human power, yet it could be done by that God who had measured the waters in the
hollow of his hand. The word ‘waters’ here refers evidently to the vast collection of waters in the
deep - the mighty ocean, together with all the waters in the running streams, and in the clouds.
See Gen_1:6, where the firmament is said to have been made to divide the waters from the
waters. A reference to the waters above the heavens occurs in Psa_148:4 :
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens,
And ye waters that be above the heavens.
And in Pro_30:4, a Similar description of the power and majesty of God occurs:
Who hath gathered the wind in his fists?
Who hath bound the waters in a garment?
Who hath established all the ends of the earth?
And in Job_26:8 :
He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds;
And the cloud is not rent under them.
The word ‘waters’ here, therefore, may include all the water on the earth, and in the sky. The
words, ‘the hollow of his hand,’ mean properly the hand as it is closed, forming a hollow or a

cavity by which water can be taken up. The idea is, that God can take up the vast oceans, and all
the waters in the lakes, streams, and clouds, in the palm of his hand, as we take up the smallest
quantity in ours.
And meted out heaven - The word rendered ‘meted,’ that is, measured (ןוכ  Kuts), means
properly to stand erect, to set up, or make erect; to found, fit, adjust, dispose, form, create. It
usually has the idea of fitting or disposing. The word ‘span’ (תרז  zeret) denotes the space from
the end of the thumb to the end of the middle finger, when extended - usually about nine inches.
The idea is, that Yahweh was able to compass or grasp the heavens, though so vast, as one can
compass or measure a small object with the span. What an illustration of the vastness and
illimitable nature of God!
And comprehended - And measured (לכ  Kkt. from לוּכ  Kut., to hold or contain); ‘Lo, the
heavens, and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee’ 1Ki_8:27.
The dust of the earth - All the earth; all the dust that composes the globe.
In a measure - (שׁלשׁב  v tHx t.ı;sh) Properly three; and then the third part of anything. Jerome
supposes that it means the three fngers, and that the sense is, that God takes up all the dust of
the earth in the first three fingers of the hand. But the more probable signification is, that the
word denotes that which was the third part of some other measure, as of an ephah, or bath. In
Psa_80:5, the word is used to denote a large measure:
Thou feedest them with the bread of tears,
And givest them tears to drink in great measure (  שׁילשׁ  Hx t.ı;ysh).
The idea is, that God is so great that he can measure all the dust of the earth as easily as we
can measure a small quantity of grain with a measure.
And weighed the mountains in scales - The idea here is substantially the same. It is, that
God is so mighty that he can weigh the lofty mountains, as we weigh a light object in scales, or in
a balance; and perhaps, also, that he has disposed them on the earth as if he had weighed them
out, and adapted them to their proper places and situations Throughout this entire passage,
there is not only the idea of majesty and power in God, but there is also the idea that he has
suited or adjusted everything by his wisdom and power, and adapted it to the condition and
needs of his creatures.

2. GILL, “
Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand?.... The following
account of the power, wisdom, and all sufficiency of God, and which is to be understood of
Christ, is to show that he is equal to the work of redemption and salvation he has engaged in,
and was about to come and perform, and that he is able to do it, as well as to execute his office as
a shepherd; and also to observe, that though his rich grace and goodness he had condescended
to take upon him the work of a saviour, and the office of a shepherd, yet this was not to be
interpreted as if he had lost his dignity and glory as a divine Person, or as if that was in the least
diminished; for he was no other than that infinite Being, "who has measured the waters in the
hollow of his hand"; the waters of the seas, for which he has provided a receptacle, where he has
collected and put them together; the dimensions of which are exactly known to him, and the vast
confluence of water is no more in his hands than so much water as a man can hold in the hollow
of his hand, in his fist, or hand contracted:

and meted out heaven with the span; which he has stretched out as a curtain, Isa_40:22,
and the measure of which is but one hand's breadth with him; and is no more to him than
stretching out a carpet or canopy; and as easily measured by him as a piece of cloth is by a man
with the span of his hand, or any measuring rule or yard:

and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure; the word (r) used signifies the
third part of some larger measure, as of a sextarius, as some; or of an ephah, or bath as others;
or of some other measure not known; See Gill on Psa_80:5. The Vulgate Latin version renders
it, "with three fingers"; and the sense may be, that the dust of the earth, or the earth itself, which
is but dust, is no more with the Lord than so much earth or dust as a man can hold between his
thumb and two fingers; and in like manner is the whole earth comprehended by the Lord:

and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance; as easily as a man can
throw in his goods into a pair of scales, and take the true weight of them, with equal ease did the
Lord raise the mountains and the hills in a proper proportion, and has so exactly poised them, as
if he had weighed them in a pair of scales; this seems to hint at the use of mountains and hills to
be a sort of ballast to the earth, and shows the original formation of them from the beginning.
The answer to the above question is, that it was the same divine Person of whom it is said,
"behold your God, and who should come with a strong hand, and feed his flock."

4. HENRY, “
The scope of these verses is to show what a great and glorious being the Lord
Jehovah is, who is Israel's God and Saviour. It comes in here, 1. To encourage his people that
were captives in Babylon to hope in him, and to depend upon him for deliverance, though they
were ever so weak and their oppressors ever so strong. 2. To engage them to cleave to him, and
not to turn aside after other gods; for there are none to be compared with him. 3. To possess all
those who receive the glad tidings of redemption by Christ with a holy awe and reverence of
God. Though it was said (
Isa_40:9), Behold your God, and (Isa_40:11) He shall feed his flock
like a shepherd, yet these condescensions of his grace must not be thought of with any
diminution to the transcendencies of his glory. Let us see how great our God is, and fear before
him; for,
I. His power is unlimited, and what no creature can compare with, much less contend with,
Isa_40:12. 1. He has a vast reach. View the celestial globe, and you are astonished at the extent
of it; but the great God metes the heavens with a span; to him they are but a hand-breadth, so
large-handed is he. View the terraqueous globe, and he has the command of that too. All the
waters in the world he can measure in the hollow of his hand, where we can hold but a little
water; and the dry land he easily manages, for he comprehends the dust of the earth in a
measure, or with his three fingers; it is no more to him than a pugil, or that which we take up
between our thumb and two fingers. 2. He has a vast strength, and can as easily move mountains
and hills as the tradesman heaves his goods into the scales and out of them again; he poises
them with his hand as exactly as if he weighed them in a pair of balances. This may refer to the
work of creation, when the heavens were stretched out as exactly as that which is spanned, and
the earth and waters were put together in just proportions, as if they had been measured, and
the mountains made of such a weight as to serve for ballast to the globe, and no more. Or it may
refer to the work of providence (which is a continued creation) and the consistency of all the
creatures with each other.

5. JAMISON, “Lest the Jews should suppose that He who was just before described as a
“shepherd” is a mere man, He is now described as GOD.
Who — Who else but GOD could do so? Therefore, though the redemption and restoration of
His people, foretold here, was a work beyond man’s power, they should not doubt its fulfillment
since all things are possible to Him who can accurately regulate the proportion of the waters as
if He had measured them with His hand (compare Isa_40:15). But Maurer translates: “Who can
measure,” etc., that is, How immeasurable are the works of God? The former is a better
explanation (Job_28:25; Pro_30:4).
span — the space from the end of the thumb to the end of the middle finger extended; God
measures the vast heavens as one would measure a small object with his span.
dust of the earth — All the earth is to Him but as a few grains of dust contained in a small
measure (literally, “the third part of a larger measure”).
hills in a balance — adjusted in their right proportions and places, as exactly as if He had
weighed them out.

6. K&D, “
In order to bring His people to the full consciousness of the exaltation of Jehovah,
the prophet asks in
Isa_40:12, “Who hath measured the waters with the hollow of his hand,
and regulated the heavens with a span, and taken up the dust of the earth in a third measure,
and weighed the mountains with a steelyard, and hills with balances?” Jehovah, and He alone,
has given to all these their proper quantities, their determinate form, and their proportionate
place in the universe. How very little can a man hold in the hollow of his hand (
sho‛al)!
(Note: The root
לשׁ, Arab. sl has the primary meaning of easily moving or being easily
moved; then of being loose or slack, of hanging down, or sinking-a meaning which we meet
with in לעשׁ and לאשׁ. Accordingly, sho‛al signifies the palm (i.e., the depression made by the
hand), and
sh
e
'ol not literally a hollowing or cavity, but a depression or low ground.)
how very small is the space which a man's span will cover! how little is contained in the third of
an ephah (
Hx t.ı̄sh; see at
Psa_80:6)! and how trifling in either bulk or measure is the quantity
you can weight in scales, whether it be a peles, i.e., a steelyard (statera), or mo'zenayim, a
tradesman's balance (bilances), consisting of two scales.
(Note: According to the meaning, to level or equalize, which is one meaning of
pilles, the
noun
peles is applied not only to a level used to secure equilibrium, which is called mishqeleth
in
Isa_28:17, but also to a steelyard used for weighing, the beam of which consists of a lever
with unequal arms, which flies up directly the weight is removed.)
But what Jehovah measures with the hollow of His hand, and with His span, is nothing less
than the waters beneath and the heavens above. He carries a scoop, in which there is room for
all the dust of which the earth consists, and a scale on which He has weighed the great colossal
mountains.

7. CALVIN, “12.Who hath measured? After having spoken of God’ friendly care in defending his
people, he now proclaims his power, and bestows upon it all possible commendations, which, however,

would produce less impression upon us, if we did not attend to the Prophet’ design. At first sight, ignorant
readers would think that the Prophet crowds together unfinished sentences, which would be absurd. But if
we look at his object, he adorns the power of God by a seasonable and elegant discourse, which is a true
support of our faith, that we may not hesitate to believe that he will do what he has promised. Not without
reason does Paul say that Abraham did not hesitate, because he believed that God who had promised
was able to perform what he had said. (Rom_4:20.) In the same sense also he testifies of himself in
another passage,

“ know whom I have believed; God is able to keep what I have committed to him.”

(2Ti_1:12.)

Such is also the import of those words of Christ,

“ Father who gave you to me is greater than all.”

(Joh_10:29.)

Since, therefore, we ought continually to strive against distrust, and since Satan attacks us by various
contrivances, it is of great importance that the promises of God should be believed by us, to give to his
power the praise which it deserves. Now, because the restoration of the people was beyond belief, it was
necessary that godly minds should he raised above the world, that they might not view the grace of God
as limited to human means.

We see that the Prophet does not merely teach that God is the Creator of heaven and earth, but applies
to the present subject all that he relates concerning God’ infinite power; and in like manner it is fitted for
our guidance. When any adversity befalls us, our salvation is hidden, and, as if a cloud had come
between, the power of God is concealed; we are held in astonishment, as if the Lord had forsaken and
overlooked us. Let us not, therefore, think that the Prophet speaks of some ordinary matter; for if this
conviction of the power of God were deeply seated in our hearts, we would not be so much alarmed, and
would not be disturbed by any calamity whatever. On this power, as we have said, Abraham leaned, that
he might cordially embrace what was otherwise incredible; and, accordingly, Paul affirms (Rom_4:18) that
“ hoped against hope;” for he believed that God was able to do what he had said, and did not waver or
stagger in his mind. We are thus taught to raise our eyes above this world, that we may not judge by
outward appearances, but may believe that what God hath spoken will come to pass; because all things
are at his disposal.

While this conviction is necessary for all, I have said that the Jews had very great need of it; for they were
pressed hard by very powerful enemies, they had no means of escape and no hope of freedom, and
nothing was to be seen on every hand but a large and frightful wilderness. In vain, therefore, would
consolation have been offered to them, had they not, at the suggestion of the Prophet, raised their minds
to heaven, and, disregarding the appearances of things, fixed their whole heart on the power of God.

When he names “” which are used by men in very small matters, he accommodates himself to our
ignorance; for thus does the Lord often prattle with us, and borrow comparisons from matters that are
familiar to us, when he speaks of his majesty; that our ignorant and limited minds may better understand
his greatness and excellence. Away, then, with all gross conceptions of God; for his greatness far
exceeds all creatures, so that heaven, and earth, and sea, and all that they contain, however vast may be
their extent, yet in comparison of him are nothing.

8. EBC, “
GOD: A SACRAMENT
SUCH are the Four Voices which herald the day of Israel’s redemption. They are scarcely silent,
before the Sun Himself uprises, and horizon after horizon of His empire is displayed to the eyes
of His starved and waiting people. From the prologue of the prophecy, in
Isa_40:1-11, we
advance to the presentation, in Isa_40:12-31 and Isa_41:1-29, of its primary and governing
truth-the sovereignty and omnipotence of God, the God of Israel.
We may well call this truth the sun of the new day which Israel is about to enter. For as it is the
sun which makes the day, and not the day which reveals the sun; so it is God, supreme and
almighty, who interprets, predicts, and controls His people’s history, and not their history,
which, in its gradual evolution, is to make God’s sovereignty and omnipotence manifest to their
experience. Let us clearly understand this. The prophecy, which we are about to follow, is an
argument not so much from history to God as from God to history. Israel already have their
God; and it is because He is what He is, and what they ought to know Him to be, that they are
bidden believe that their future shall take a certain course. The prophet begins with God, and
everything follows from God. All that in these chapters lends light or force, all that interprets the
history of today and fills tomorrow with hope, fact, and promise alike, the captivity of Israel, the
appearance of Cyrus, the fall of Babylon, Israel’s redemption, the extension of their mission to
the ends of the earth, the conversion of the Gentiles, the equipment, discipline, and triumph of
the Servant Himself, -we may even say the expanded geography of our prophet, the countries
which for the first time emerge from the distant west within the vision of a Hebrew seer, -all are
due to that primary truth about God with which we are now presented. It is God’s sovereignty
which brings such far-off things into the interest of Israel; it is God’s omnipotence which
renders such impossible things practicable. And as with the subjects, so with the style of the
following chapters. The prophet’s style is throughout the effect of his perfect and brilliant
monotheism. It is the thought of God which everywhere kindles his imagination. His most
splendid passages are those, in which he soars to some lofty vision of the Divine glory in creation
or history; while his frequent sarcasm and ridicule owe their effectiveness to the sudden scorn
with which, from such a view, scattering epigrams the while, he sweeps down upon the
heathen’s poor images, or Israel’s grudging thoughts of his God. The breadth and the force of his
imagination, the sweep of his rhetoric, the intensity of his scorn, may all be traced to his sense of
God’s sovereignty, and are the signs to us of how absolutely he was possessed by this as his main
and governing truth.
This, then, being the sun of Israel’s coming day, we may call what we find Isa_40:12-31 and
Isa_41:1-29 the sunrise-the full revelation and uprising on outsight of this original gospel of the
prophet. It is addressed to two classes of men; in Isa_11:12-16 to Israel, but in chapter 41 (for the
greater part, at least) to the Gentiles. In dealing with these two classes the prophet makes a great
difference. To Israel he presents their God, as it were, in sacrament; but to the Gentiles he urges
God’s claims in challenge and argument. It is to the past that he summons Israel, and to what
they ought to know already about their God; it is to the future, to history yet unmade, that he
proposes to the Gentiles they should together appeal, in order to see whether his God or their
gods are the true Deity. In this chapter we shall deal with the first of these-God in sacrament.
The fact is familiar to all, that the Old Testament nowhere feels the necessity of proving the
existence of God. That would have been a proof unintelligible to those to whom its prophets
addressed themselves. In the time when the Old Testament came to him, man as little doubted
the existence of God as he doubted his own life. But as life sometimes burned low, needing
replenishment, so faith would grow despondent and morbid, needing to be led away from
objects which only starved it, or produced, as idolatry did, the veriest delirium of a religion. A

man had to get his faith lifted from the thoughts of his own mind and the works of his own hand,
to be borne upon and nourished by the works of God, -to kindle with the sunrise, to broaden out
by the sight of the firmament, to deepen as he faced the spaces of night, -and win calmness and
strength to think life into order as he looked forth upon the marshalled hosts of heaven, having
all the time no doubt that the God who created and guided these was his God. Therefore, when
psalmist or prophet calls Israel to lift their eyes to the hills, or to behold how the heavens declare
the glory of God, or to listen to that unbroken tradition, which day passes to day and night to
night, of the knowledge of the Creator, it is not proofs to doubting minds which he offers: it is
spiritual nourishment to hungry souls. These are not arguments - they are sacraments. When we
Christians go to the Lord’s Supper, we go not to have the Lord proved to us, but to feed upon a
life and a love of whose existence we are past all doubt. Our sacrament fills all the mouths by
which needy faith is fed-such as outward sight, and imagination, and memory, and wonder, and
love. Now very much what the Lord’s Supper is to us for fellowship with God and feeding upon
Him, that were the glory of the heavens, and the everlasting hills, and the depth of the sea, and
the vision of the stars to the Hebrews. They were the sacraments of God. By them faith was fed,
and the spirit of man entered into the enjoyment of God, whose existence indeed he had never
doubted, but whom he had lost, forgotten, or misunderstood.
Now it is as such a minister of sacrament to God’s starved and disheartened people that our
prophet appears in Isa_40:12-31.
There were three elements in Israel’s starvation. Firstly, for nearly fifty years they had been
deprived of the accustomed ordinances of religion. Temple and altar had perished; the common
praise and the national religious fellowship were impossible; the traditional symbols of the faith
lay far out of sight; there was at best only a precarious ministry of the Word. But, in the second
place, this famine of the Word and of Sacraments was aggravated by the fact that history had
gone against the people. To the baser minds among them, always ready to grant their allegiance
to success, this could only mean that the gods of the heathen had triumphed over Jehovah. It is
little wonder that such experience, assisted by the presentation, at every turn in their ways, of
idols and a splendid idol-worship, the fashion and delight of the populations through whom they
were mixed, should have tempted many Jews to feed their starved hearts at the shrines of their
conquerors’ gods. But the result could only be the further atrophy of their religious nature. It has
been held as a reason for the worship of idols that they excite the affection and imagination of
the worshipper. They do no such thing: they starve and they stunt these. The image reacts upon
the imagination, infects it with its own narrowness and poverty, till man’s noblest creative
faculty becomes the slave of its own poor toy. But, thirdly, if the loftier spirits in Israel refused to
believe that Jehovah, exalted in righteousness, could be less than the brutal deities whom
Babylon vaunted over Him, they were flung back upon the sorrowful conviction that their God
had cast them off; that He had retreated from the patronage of so unworthy a people into the
veiled depths of His own nature. Then upon that heaven, from which no answer came to those
who were once its favourites, they cast we can scarcely tell what reflection of their own weary
and spiritless estate. As, standing over a city by night, you will see the majestic darkness above
stained and distorted into shapes of pain or wrath by the upcast of the city’s broken, murky
lights, so many of the nobler exiles saw upon the blank, unanswering heaven a horrible mirage
of their own trouble and fear. Their weariness said, He is weary; the ruin of their national life
reflected itself as the frustration of His purposes; their accusing conscience saw the darkness of
His counsel relieved only by streaks of wrath.
But none of these tendencies in Israel went so far as to deny that there was a God, or even to
doubt His existence. This, as we have said, was nowhere yet the temptation of mankind. When
the Jew lapsed from that true faith, which we have seen his nation carry into exile, he fell into
one of the two tempers just described-devotion to false gods in the shape of idols, or
despondency consequent upon false notions of the true God. It is against these tempers, one

after another, that Isa_40:12-31 is directed. And so we understand why, though the prophet is
here declaring the basis and spring of all his subsequent prophecy, he does not adopt the
method of abstract argument. He is not treating with men who have had no true knowledge of
God in the past, or whose intellect questions God’s reality. He is treating with men who have a
national heritage of truth about God, but they have forgotten it; who have hearts full of religious
affection, but it has been betrayed; who have a devout imagination, but it has been starved; who
have hopes, but they are faint unto death. He will recall to them their heritage, rally their
shrinking convictions by the courage of his own faith, feed their hunger after righteousness by a
new hope set to noble music, and display to the imagination that has been stunted by so long
looking upon the face of idols the wide horizons of Divine glory in earth and heaven.
His style corresponds to his purpose. He does not syllogise; he exhorts, recalls, and convicts by
assertion. The passage is a series of questions, rallies, and promises. "Have ye not known? have
ye not heard?" is his chief note. Instead of arranging facts in history or nature as in themselves a
proof for God, he mentions them only by way of provoking inward recollections. His sharp
questions are as hooks to draw from his hearers’ hearts their timid and starved convictions, that
he may nourish these upon the sacramental glories of nature and of history.
Such a purpose and style trust little to method, and it would be useless to search for any strict
division of strophes in the passage. The following, however, is a manifest division of subject,
according to the two tempers to which the prophet had to appeal. Isa_40:12-25, and perhaps
Isa_40:26, are addressed to the idolatrous Jews. But in Isa_40:26 there is a transition to the
despair of the nobler hearts in Israel, who, though they continued to believe in the One True
God, imagined that He had abandoned them; and to such Isa_40:27-31 are undoubtedly
addressed. The different treatment accorded to the two classes is striking. The former of these
the prophet does not call by any title of the people of God; with the latter he pleads by a dear
double name that he may win them through every recollection of their gracious past, Jacob and
Israel (Isa_40:27). Challenge and sarcasm are his style with the idolaters, his language clashing
out in bursts too loud and rapid sometimes for the grammar, as in Isa_40:24; but with the
despondent his way is gentle persuasiveness, with music that swells and brightens steadily,
passing without a break from the minor key of pleading to the major of glorious promise.
1. AGAINST THE IDOLATERS. A couple of sarcastic sentences upon idols and their
manufacture (Isa_40:19-20) stand between two majestic declarations of God’s glory in nature
and in history (Isa_40:12-17 and Isa_40:21-24). It is an appeal from the worshippers’ images to
their imagination. "Who hath measured in his hollow hand the waters, and heaven ruled off with
a span? Or caught in a tierce the dust of the earth, and weighed in scales mountains, and hills in
a balance? Who hath directed the spirit of Jehovah, and as man of His counsel hath helped Him
to know? With whom took He counsel, that such a one informed Him and taught Him in the
orthodox path, and taught Him knowledge and helped Him to know the way of intelligence?"
The term translated "orthodox path" is literally "path of ordinance or judgment, the regular
path," and is doubtless to be taken along with its parallel, "way of intelligence," as a
conventional phrase of education, which the prophet employed to make his sarcasm the
stronger. "Lo nations! as a drop from a bucket, and like dust in a balance, are they reckoned. Lo
the Isles! as a trifle He lifteth. And Lebanon is by no means enough for burning, nor its brute-life
enough for an offering. All the nations are as nothing before Him, as spent and as waste are they
reckoned for Him."
When he has thus soared enough, as on an archangel’s wings, he swoops with one rapid question
down from the height of his imagination upon the images.
"To whom then will ye liken God, and what likeness will ye range by Him?"

"The image! A smith cast it, and a smelter plates it with gold, and smelts silver chains. He
that is straitened for an offering-he chooseth a tree that does not rot, seeks to him a cunning
carver to set up an image that will not totter."
The image shrivels up in face of that imagination; the idol is abolished by laughter. There is
here, and for almost the first time in history, the same intellectual intolerance of images, the
same burning sense of the unreasonableness of their worship, which has marked all
monotheists, and turned even the meekest of their kind into fierce scorners and satirists-Elijah,
Mohammed, Luther, and Knox. We hear this laughter from them all. Sometimes it may sound
truculent or even brutal, but let us remember what is behind it. When we hear it condemned-as,
in the interests of art and imagination, its puritan outbursts have often been condemned-as a
barbarian incapacity to sympathise with the aesthetic instincts of man, or to appreciate the
influence of a beautiful and elevating cult, we can reply that it was the imagination itself which
often inspired both the laughter at, and the breaking of, images, and that, because the iconoclast
had a loftier vision of God than the image-maker, he has, on the whole, more really furthered the
progress of art than the artist whose works he has destroyed. It is certain, for instance, that no
one would exchange the beauties of the prophecy now before us, with its sublime imaginations
of God, for all the beauty of all the idols of Babylonia which it consigned to destruction. And we
dare to say the same of two other epochs, when the uncompromising zeal of monotheists
crushed to the dust the fruits of centuries of Christian art. The Koran is not often appealed to as
a model of poetry, but it contains passages whose imagination of God, broad as the horizon of
the desert of its birth, and swift and clear as the desert dawn, may be regarded as infinitely more
than compensation-from a purely artistic point of view - for the countless works of Christian
ritual and imagery which it inspired the rude cavalry of the desert to trample beneath the hoofs
of their horses. And again, if we are to blame the reformers of Western Christendom for the
cruelty with which they lifted their hammers against the carved work of the sanctuary, do not let
us forget how much of the spirit of the best modem art is to be traced to their more spiritual and
lofty conceptions of God. No one will question how much Milton’s imagination owed to his
Protestantism, or how much Carlyle’s dramatic genius was the result of his Puritan faith. But it
is to the spirit of the Reformation, as it liberated the worshipper’s soul from bondage to artificial
and ecclesiastical symbols of the Deity, that we may also ascribe a large part of the force of that
movement towards Nature add the imagination of God in His creation which inspired, for
example, Wordsworth’s poetry, and those visual sacraments of rainbow, storm, and dawn to
which Browning so often lifts our souls from their dissatisfaction with ritual or with argument.
From his sarcasm on the idols our prophet returns to his task of drawing forth Israel’s memory
and imagination. "Have ye not known? Have ye not heard? Hath it not been told you from the
beginning? Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? He that is enthroned
above the circle of the earth, and its dwellers are before Him as grasshoppers; who stretcheth as
a fine veil the heavens, and spreadeth them like a dwelling tent" (that is, as easily as if they were
not even a pavilion or marquee, but only a humble dwelling tent). "He who bringeth great men
to nothing, the judges of the earth He maketh as waste. Yea, they were not planted; yea, they
were not sown; yea, their root had not struck in the earth, but (immediately) He blew upon them
and they withered, and a whirlwind like stubble carried them away. To whom, then, will ye liken
Me, that I may match with him? saith the Holy One." But this time it is not necessary to suggest
the idols; they were dissolved by that previous burst of laughter. Therefore, the prophet turns to
the other class in Israel with whom he has to deal.
2. TO THE DESPAIRERS OF THE LORD. From history we pass back to nature in Isa_40:26,
which forms a transition, the language growing steadier from the impetuosity of the address to
the idolaters to the serene music of the second part. Enough rebuke has the prophet made. As he
now lifts his people’s vision to the stars, it is not to shame their idols, but to feed their hearts.
"Lift up on high your eyes and see! Who hath created these? Who leads forth by number their

host, and all of them calleth by name, by abundance of might, for He is powerful in strength, not
one is amissing." Under such a night, that veils the confusion of earth only to bring forth all the
majesty and order of heaven, we feel a moment’s pause. Then as the expanding eyes of the exiles
gaze upon the infinite power above, the prophet goes on. "Why then sayest thou, O Jacob, and
speakest, O Israel? Hidden is my way from Jehovah, and from my God my right hath passed."
Why does the prophet point his people to the stars? Because he is among Israel on that vast
Babylonian plain, from whose crowded and confused populations, struggling upon one
monotonous level, there is no escape for the heart but to the stars. Think of that plain when
Nebuchadrezzar was its tyrant; of the countless families of men torn from their far homes and
crushed through one another upon its surface; of the ancient liberties that were trampled in that
servitude, of the languages that were stifled in that Babel, of the many patriotisms set to sigh
themselves out into the tyrant’s mud and mortar! Ah heaven! was there a God in thee, that one
man could thus crush nations in his vat, as men crushed shell-fish in those days, to dye his
imperial purple? Was there any Providence above, that he could tear peoples from the lands and
seas, where their various gifts and offices for humanity had been developed, and press them to
his selfish and monotonous servitude? In that medley of nations, all upon one level of captivity,
Israel was just as lost as the most insignificant tribe; her history severed, her worship
impossible, her very language threatened with decay. No wonder, that from the stifling crowd
and desperate flatness of it all she cried, "Hidden is my way from Jehovah, and from my God my
right hath passed."
But from the flatness and the crowd the stars are visible; and it was upon the stars that the
prophet bade his people feed their hearts. There were order and unfailing guidance; "for the
greatness of His might not one is missing." And He is your God. Just as visible as those
countless stars are, one by one, in the dark heavens, to your eyes looking up, so your lives and
fortunes are to His eyes looking down on this Babel of peoples. "He gathereth the outcasts of
Israel. He telleth the number of the stars." (Psa_147:1-20) And so the prophet goes on earnestly
to plead: "Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard? that an everlasting God is Jehovah.
Creator of the ends of the earth. He fainteth not, neither is weary. There is no searching of His
understanding. Giver to the weary of strength! And upon him that is of no might, he lavisheth
power. Even youths may faint and be weary, and young men utterly fall; but they who hope in
Jehovah shall renew strength, put forth pinions like eagles, run and not weary, walk and not
faint." Listen, ears, not for the sake of yourselves only, though the music is incomparably sweet!
Listen for the sake of the starved hearts below, to whom you carry the sacraments of hope,
whom you lift to feed upon the clear symbols of God’s omnipotence and unfailing grace.
This chapter began with the assurance to the heart of Israel of their God’s will to redeem and
restore them. It closes with bidding the people take hope in God. Let us again emphasise-for we
cannot do so too often, if we are to keep ourselves from certain errors of today on the subject of
Revelation-the nature of this prophecy. It is not a reading-off of history; it is a call from God. No
deed has yet been done pointing towards the certainty of Israel’s redemption; it is not from facts
writ large on the life of their day, that the prophet bids the captives read their Divine discharge.
That discharge he brings from God; he bids them find the promise and the warrant of it in their
God’s character, in their own convictions of what that character is. In order to revive those
convictions, he does, it is true, appeal to certain facts, but these facts are not the facts of
contemporary history which might reveal to any clear eye, that the current and the drift of
politics was setting towards the redemption of Israel. They are facts of nature and facts of
general providence, which, as we have said, like sacraments evidence God’s power to the pious
heart, feed it with the assurance of His grace, and bid it hope in His word, though history should
seem to be working quite the other way.

This instance of the method of revelation does not justify two opinions, which prevail at the
present day regarding prophecy. In the first place, it proves to us that those are wrong who, too
much infected by the modern temper to judge accurately writers so unsophisticated, describe
prophecy as if it were merely a philosophy of history, by which the prophets deduced from their
observation of the course of events their idea of God and their forecast of His purposes. The
prophets had indeed to do with history; they argued from it, and they appealed to it. The history
that was past was full of God’s condescension to men, and shone like Nature’s self with
sacramental signs of His power and will: the history that was future was to be His supreme
tribunal, and to afford the vindication of the word they claimed to have brought from Him. But
still all this-their trust in history and their use of it-was something secondary in the prophetic
method. With them God Himself was first; they came forth from His presence, as they describe
it, with the knowledge of His will gained through the communion of their spirits with His Spirit.
If they then appealed to past history, it was to illustrate their message; or to future, it was for
vindication of this. But God Himself was the source and Author of it; and therefore, before they
had facts beneath their eyes to corroborate their promises, they appealed to the people, like our
prophet in chapter 40, to "wait on Jehovah." The day might not yet have dawned so as to let
them read the signs of the times. But in the darkness they "hoped in Jehovah," and borrowed for
their starved hearts from the stars above, or other sacrament, some assurance of His unfailing
power.
Jehovah, then, was the source of the prophet’s word: His character was its pledge. The prophets
were not mere readers from history, but speakers from God.
But the testimony of our chapter to all this enables us also to arrest an opinion about Revelation
which has too hurriedly run off with some Christians, and to qualify it. In the inevitable recoil
from the scholastic view of revelation as wholly a series of laws and dogmas and predictions, a
number of writers on the subject have of late defined Revelation as a chain of historical acts,
through which God uttered His character and will to men. According to this view, Revelation is
God manifesting Himself in history, and the Bible is the record of this historical process. Now,
while it is true that the Bible is, to a large extent, the annals and interpretation of the great and
small events of a nation’s history-of its separation from the rest of mankind, its miraculous
deliverances, its growth, its defeats and humiliations, its reforms and its institutions; in all of
which God manifested His character and will-yet the Bible also records a revelation which
preceded these historical deeds; a revelation the theatre of which was not the national
experience, but the consciousness of the individual; which was recognised and welcomed by
choice souls in the secret of their own spiritual life, before it was realised and observed in
outward fact; which was uttered by the prophet’s voice and accepted by the people’s trust in the
dark and the stillness, before the day of the Lord had dawned or there was light to see His
purposes at work. In a word, God’s revelation to men was very often made clear in their
subjective consciousness, before it became manifest in the history about them.
And, for ourselves, let us remember that to this day true religion is as independent of facts as it
was with the prophet. True religion is a conviction of the character of God, and a resting upon
that alone for salvation. We need nothing more to begin with; and everything else, in our
experience and fortune, helps us only in so far as it makes that primary conviction more clear
and certain. Darkness may be over us, and we lonely and starved beneath it. We may be
destitute of experience to support our faith; we may be able to discover nothing in life about us
making in the direction of our hopes. Still, "let us wait on the Lord." It is by bare trust in Him
that we "renew our strength, put forth wings like eagles, run and not weary, walk and not faint."
Put forth wings-run-walk! Is the order correct? Hope swerves from the edge of so descending a
promise, which seems only to repeat the falling course of nature-that droop, we all know, from

short ambitions, through temporary impulsiveness to the old commonplace and routine.
Soaring, running, walking-and is not the next stage, a cynic might ask, standing still?
On the contrary, it is a natural and a true climax, rising from the easier to the more difficult,
from the ideal to the real, from dream to duty, from what can only be the rare occasions of life to
what must be life’s usual and abiding experience. History followed this course. Did the prophet,
as he promised, think of what should really prove to be the fortune of his people during the next
few years?-the great flight of hope, on which we see them rising in their psalms of redemption as
on the wings of an eagle; the zeal and liberality of preparation for departure from Babylon; the
first rush at the Return; and then the long tramp, day after day, with the slow caravan at the
pace of its most heavily-laden beasts of burden, when "they shall walk and not faint" should
indeed seem to them the sweetest part of their God’s promise.
Or was it the far longer perspective of Israel’s history that bade the prophet follow this
descending scale? The spirit of prophecy was with himself to soar higher than ever before,
reaching by truly eagle-flight to a vision of the immediate consummation of Israel’s glory: the
Isles waiting for Jehovah, the Holy City radiant in His rising, and open with all her gates to the
thronging nations; the true religion flashing from Zion across the world, and the wealth of the
world pouring back upon Zion. And some have wondered, and some scoff, that after this vision
there should follow centuries of imperceptible progress-five-and-a-half centuries of preparation
for the coming of the Promised Servant; and then-Israel, indeed gone forth over the world, but
only in small groups, living upon the grudged and fitful tolerance of the great centres of Gentile
civilisation. The prophet surely anticipates all this, when he places the walking after the soaring
and the running. When he says at last, and most impressively, of his people’s fortunes, that they
"shall walk and not faint," he has perhaps just those long centuries in view, when, instead of a
nation of enthusiasts taking humanity by storm, we see small bands of pioneers pushing their
way from city to city by the slow methods of ancient travel, -Damascus, Antioch, Tarsus,
Iconium, Ephesus, Thessalonica, Athens, Corinth and Rome, -everywhere that Paul and the
missionaries of the Cross found a pulpit and a congregation ready for the Gospel; toiling from
day to day at their own trades, serving the alien for wages, here and there founding a synagogue,
now and then completing a version of their Scriptures, often times achieving martyrdom, but
ever living a pure and a testifying life in face of the heathen, with the passion of these prophecies
at their hearts. It was certainly for such centuries and such men that the word was written, "they
shall walk and not faint." This persistence under persecution, this monotonous drilling of
themselves in school and synagogue, this slow progress without prize or praise along the
common highways of the world and by the world’s ordinary means of livelihood, was a greater
proof of indomitableness than even the rapture which filled their hearts on the golden eve of the
return, under the full diapason of prophecy.
And so must it ever be. First the ideal, and then the rush at it with passionate eyes, and then the
daily trudge onward, when its splendour has faded from the view, but is all the more closely
wrapped round the heart. For glorious as it is to rise to some great consummation on wings of
dream and song, glorious as it is, also, to bend that impetus a little lower and take some practical
crisis of life by storm, an even greater proof of our religion and of the help our God can give us is
the lifelong tramp of earth’s common surface, without fresh wings of dream, or the excitement of
rivalry, or the attraction of reward, but with the head cool, and the face forward, and every
footfall upon firm ground. Let hope rejoice in a promise, which does not go off into the air, but
leaves us upon solid earth; and let us hold to a religion which, while it exults in being the secret
of enthusiasm and the inspiration of heroism, is daring and Divine enough to find its climax in
the commonplace.

9. BI 12-28, “
The grandeur of God
The prophet’s notions of God are diffused through all the verses of the text. The prophet’s design
in describing the Deity with so much magnificence is to discountenance idolatry, of which there
are two sorts.
1. Religious idolatry, which consists in rendering that religious worship to a creature which
is due to none but God.
2. Moral idolatry, which consists in distrusting the promises of God in dangerous crises, and
in expecting that assistance from men which cannot but be expected from God. The portrait
drawn by the prophet is infinitely inferior to his original. Ye will be fully convinced of this if
ye attend to the following considerations of the grandeur of God.
I. THE SUBLIMITY OF HIS ESSENCE. The prophet’s mind was filled with this object. It is
owing to this that he repeats the grand title of Jehovah, “the Lord,” which signifies “I am” by
excellence, and which distinguisheth by four grand characters the essence of God from the
essence of creatures.
1. The essence of God is independent in its cause. God is a self-existent being. We exist, but
ours is only a borrowed existence, for existence is foreign from us.
2. The essence of God is universal in its extent. God possesseth the reality of every thing that
exists. He is, as an ancient writer expresseth it, a boundless ocean of existence. From this
ocean of existence all created beings, like so many rivulets, flow.
3. The essence of God is unchangeable in its exercise. Creatures only pass from nothing to
existence, and from existence to nothing. We love to-day what we hated yesterday, and to-
morrow we shall hate What to-day we love.
4. The Divine essence is eternal in its duration. “Hast thou not known,” saith our prophet,
“that He is the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth?”
II. THE IMMENSITY OF HIS WORKS (
Isa_40:22; Isa_40:26). A novice is frightened at
hearing what astronomers assert. Over all this universe God reigns.
III. THE EFFICIENCY OF HIS WILL. The idea of the real world conducts us to that of the
possible world. The idea of a creative Being includes the idea of a Being whose will is efficient.
But a Being whose will is self-efficient, is a Being who, by a single act of His will, can create all
possible beings: that is, all, the existence of which implies no contradiction; there being no
reason for limiting the power of a will that hath been once efficient of itself.
IV. THE MAGNIFICENCE OF SOME OF HIS MIGHTY ACTS, AT CER TAIN PERIODS, IN
FAVOUR OF HIS CHURCH. The prophet had two of these periods in view. The first was the
return of the Jews from that captivity in Babylon which he had denounced; and the second, the
coming of the Messiah, of which their return from captivity was only a shadow. Such, then, are
the grandeurs of God! Application—We observed that the prophet’s design was to render two
sorts of idolatry odious: idolatry in religion, and idolatry in morals. Idolatry in religion consists
in rendering those religious homages to creatures which are due to the Creator only. To discredit
this kind of idolatry, the prophet contents himself with describing it. He shames the idolater by
reminding him of the origin of idols, and of the pains taken to preserve them. A man is guilty of
moral idolatry when, in dangerous crises, he says, ‘My way is hid from the Lord; my judgment is
passed over from my God.’ God is the sole arbiter of events. Whenever ye think that any more
powerful being directs them to comfort you, ye put the creature in the Creator s place; whether
ye do it in a manner more or less absurd; whether formidable armies, impregnable fortresses,

and well-stored magazines; or whether a small circle of friends, an easy income, or a country
house. The Jews were often guilty of the first sort of idolatry. The captivity in Babylon was the
last curb to that fatal propensity. Thanks be to God that the light of the Gospel hath opened the
eyes of a great number of Christians in regard to idolatry in religion. Ye who, in order to avert
public calamities, satisfy yourselves with a few precautions of worldly prudence, and take no
pains to extirpate those horrible crimes which provoke the vengeance of heaven to inflict
punishments on public bodies; ye are guilty of this second kind of idolatry. Were your
confidence placed in God, ye would endeavour to avert national judgments by purging the state
of those wicked practices which are the surest forerunners and the principal causes of famine,
and pestilence, and war. And thou, feeble mortal, lying on a sick-bed, already struggling with the
king of terrors; thou, who tremblingly complainest, I am undone!—thou art guilty of this second
kind of idolatry, that thou hast trusted in man and made flesh thine arm. Were God the object of
thy trust, thou wouldest believe that though death is about to separate thee from man, it is about
to unite thee to God. (J. Saurin.)

The incomparableness of the great God
“To whom then will ye liken God?”
I. THAT THE GREATEST THINGS IN THE MATERIAL WORLD ARE NOTHING TO HIM. The
ocean is great, great in its depths, breadths, contents, occupying by far the largest portion of this
globe of ours. But He “hath measured the waters in the hollow of His hand.” The heaven is great;
its expanse is immeasurable, its worlds and systems baffle all arithmetic, but He “meted out
heaven with the span.” The earth is great, great to us, though mere speck in the universe, and, it
may be, an atom to other intelligences; but “He comprehendeth the dust in a measure,” etc.
What is the universe to God? You may compare an atom to the Andes, a raindrop to the Atlantic,
a spark to the central fires of the creation; but you cannot compare the universe, great as it is, to
the Creator.
II. THAT THE GREATEST MINDS IN THE SPIRITUAL UNIVERSE AR E NOTHING TO HIM.
“Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being His counsellor hath taught Him?” etc.
(Isa_40:13-14). The Bible gives us to understand that there is a spiritual universe far greater
than the material, of which the material is but the dim mirror and feeble instrument—a universe
containing intelligences innumerable in multitude and incalculable in their gradations of
strength and intelligence. But what spirit or spirits at the head or hierarchy of these intelligences
has ever given Him counsel, instructed or influenced Him in any matter? He is uninstructible:
the only Being in the universe who is so. He knows all. Sooner speak of a spark enlightening the
sun, than speak of a universe of intelligences adding aught to the knowledge of God. He is
absolutely original: the only Being in the universe who is so. We talk of original thinkers. Such
creatures are mere fictions. He being so independent of all minds—
1. His universe must be regarded as the expression of Himself. No other being had a hand in
it.
2. His laws are the revelation of Himself. No one counselled Him in His legislation.
3. His conduct is absolutely irresponsible, and He alone can be trusted with irresponsibility.
III. THAT THE GREATEST INSTITUTIONS IN HUMAN SOCIETY ARE NOTHING TO HIM.
Nations are the greatest things “in” human institutions. “But nations are as a drop of a bucket,
and are counted as the small dust of the balance.” What were the greatest nations of the old
world, or the most powerful of modem times? What are the greatest nations that have ever been,
or are, compared to Him? Nothing, emptiness. Oh, ye magnates of the world, ye kings of the
earth, what are ye in the presence of God? Less than animalcula dancing in the sun.

IV. THAT THE GREATEST PRODUCTIONS OF HUMAN LABOUR ARE N OTHING TO HIM.
“There is,” said an eloquent French preacher, “nothing great but God.” (Homilist.)

The transcendent One
The grand object of this sublime chapter seems to be to inspirit and to comfort the Jews in their
Babylonian captivity. Their God in His transcendent greatness is brought under their notice for
this purpose—
I. IN THE EXACTITUDE OF HIS OPERATIONS. He is here represented as “measuring” the
waters, as “spanning” the heavens, as “comprehending” the very dust of the earth in a measure,
as “weighing” the mountains in scales. As the physician adjusts in nicest proportions the
elements in the medical dose, with which he hopes to cure his patient; the engineer every crank
and wheel and pin in the machine which he has constructed for a certain purpose, so God—only
in an Infinite degree—arranges all the parts of the complicated universe. It is seen in the
atmosphere that surrounds this globe; were one of its constituent elements more or less than it
is the whole would be disturbed. This is seen in the punctuality with which all the heavenly orbs
perform their movements; they are never out of time. It is seen, in fact, in the unbroken
uniformity with which all nature proceeds on its march.
1. This Divine exactitude should inspire us with unbounded confidence in His procedure.
Because God works with such infinite precision, His works admit of no improvement.
2. This Divine exactitude should inspire us to imitate Him in this respect. When we act from
blind impulse, or from imperfect reflection, we risk our wellbeing.
II. IN THE ALMIGHTINESS OF HIS POWER. He is here represented as holding the waters in
the “hollow of His hand.” In thinking of this power we should remember—
1. That all this power is under the direction of intelligence. It is not a blind force, like the
force of the storm or the tornado, but it is a force directed by the highest wisdom. Wisdom
uses the whole as the smith uses his hammer on the anvil, as the mariner the rudder in the
tempest.
2. That all this power is inspired by benevolence. The infinite is here portrayed.
III. IN THE INDEPENDENCY OF HIS MIND. “With whom took He counsel, and who
instructed Him?” From this absolute mental independency of God the following things may be
deduced—
1. That all His operations must originate in pure sovereignty. All that exists must be traced
to the counsels of His own will, for He had no counsellor.
2. That all His laws must be a transcript of His mind. What they are He is; they are the
history of Himself. Conclusion—What an argument is” here for an entire surrender to, and a
thorough acquiescence in, the Divine will. (Homilist.)

The greatness of Israel’s God
How little the palm of a man takes, how little the space which the span of a man can cover, how
scanty the third of an ephah and for what insignificant measures a balance suffices, whether a
steelyard (statera), or a retail balance (libra) consisting of two scales (lances). But what Jehovah
measures with His palm and regulates with His span is nothing less than the waters below and
the heavens above. He uses a shalish, in which the dust composing the earth finds place, and a

balance in which He weighs the colossus of the mountains. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)

God in relation to earth and ocean
Put two tablespoonfuls of water in the palm of your hand and it will overflow; but Isaiah
indicates that God puts the Atlantic and the Pacific and the Arctic and the Antarctic and the
Mediteranean and the Black Sea and all the waters of the earth in the hollow of His hand. The
fingers the beach on one side, the wrist the beach on the other. “He holdeth the water in the
hollow of His hand.” As you take a pinch of salt or powder between your thumb and two fingers,
so Isaiah indicates God takes up the earth. He measures the dust of the earth. The original there
indicates that God takes all the dust of all the continents between the thumb and two fingers. (T.
De Witt Talmage, D. D.)

The great God in His relation to heaven and earth
There was an engineer by the name of Strasicrates who was in the employ of Alexander the
Great, and he offered to hew a mountain in the shape of his master, the Emperor, the enormous
figure to hold in the left hand a city of 10,000 inhabitants, while with the right hand it was to
hold a basin large enough to collect all the mountain torrents. Alexander applauded his
ingenuity, out forbade the enterprise because of its costliness. Yet I have to tell you that our King
holds in His one hand all the cities of the earth, and with the other all the oceans, while He has
the stars of heaven for a tiara. (T. DeWitt Talmage, D. D.)

God weighing the mountains
What are all the balances of earthly manipulation compared with the balances that Isaiah saw
suspended when he saw God putting into the scales the Alps and the Apennines and Mount
Washington and the Sierra Nevadas? You see the earth had to be ballasted. It would not do to
have too much weight in Europe, or too much weight in Asia, or too much weight in Africa or in
America; so when God made the mountains He weighed them. God knows the weight of the
great ranges that cross the continents, the tons, the pounds avoirdupois, the ounces, the grains,
the milligrammes. (T. De Witt Talmage, D. D.)

“Why sayest thou?”
The devout thought of these paragraphs passes in survey, first the earth (Isa_40:12-20); then
the heavens (21-26); finally, the experience of the children of God in all ages (27-31).
I. THE TESTIMONY OF THE EARTH. It seems as though we are conducted to the shores of the
Mediterranean, and stationed somewhere near the site of ancient Tyre. Before us spreads the
Great Sea, as the Hebrews were wont to call it. Far across the waters, calm and tranquil, or
heaving in memory of recent storms, sea and sky blend in the circle of the horizon. Now
remember, says the prophet, God’s hands are so strong and great that all that ocean and all
other oceans lie in them as a drop on a man’s palm And this God is our God for ever and ever.
All men may be in arms against thee: encircling thee with threats, and plotting to swallow thee
up. But the nations are to Him as the drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the
balance. Thou hast no reason, therefore, to be afraid.

II. THE TESTIMONY OF THY HEAVENS. The scene shifts to the heavens, and all that is
therein. This is the antidote of fear. Sit in the heavenlies. Do not look from earth towards
heaven, but from heaven towards earth. Let God, not man, be the standpoint of vision. But this
is not all. To this inspired thinker, it seemed as though the blue skies were curtains that God had
stretched out as a housewife gauze (see Revised Version, marg.), or the fabric of a tent within
which the pilgrim rests. If creation be His tent, which He fills in all its parts, how puny are the
greatest potentates of earth! The child of God need not be abashed before the greatest of earthly
rulers. And even this is not all—day changes to night, and as the twilight deepens, the stars come
out in their hosts; and suddenly, to the imagination of this lofty soul, the vault of heaven seems a
pasture-land over which a vast flock is following its Shepherd, who calls each by name. What a
sublime conception! Jehovah, the Shepherd of the stars, leading them through space;
conducting them with such care and might that none falls out of rank, or is lacking. And will
Jehovah do so much for stars, and nought for sons?
III. THE TESTIMONY OF THE SAINTS. “Hast thou not heard?” It has been a commonplace
with every generation of God’s people, that “the Lord fainteth not, neither is weary.” He never
takes up a case to drop it. He never begins to build a character to leave it when it is half
complete. He may seem to forsake and to plunge the soul into needless trial; this, however, is no
indication that He has tired of His charge, but only that He could not fulfil the highest
blessedness of some soul He loved save by the sternest discipline. “There is no searching of His
understanding.” There is another point on which all the saints are agreed, that neither weariness
nor fainting are barriers to the forth-putting of God’s might. On the contrary, they possess an
infinite attractiveness to His nature. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)

Nature ministers to the suffering
Nature has always been the resort of the suffering. Elijah to Horeb; Christ to Olivet. And in these
glowing paragraphs, which touch the high-water mark of sacred eloquence, we are led forth to
stand in the curtained tent of Jehovah, to listen to the beat of the surf, and watch the march of
the stars. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)

13 Who can fathom the Spirit[d] of the Lord,
or instruct the Lord as his counselor?

1.BARNES, “Who hath directed - This passage is quoted by Paul in
Rom_11:34, and
referred to by him in 1Co_2:16. The word rendered ‘directed’ here (ןכת tiken) is the same which

is used in the previous verse, ‘and meted out heaven.’ The idea here is, ‘Who has fitted, or
disposed the mind or spirit of Yahweh? What superior being has ordered, instructed, or
disposed his understanding? Who has qualified him for the exercise of his wisdom, or for the
formation and execution of his plans?’ The sense is, God is supreme. No one has instructed or
guided him, but his plans are his own, and have all been formed by himself alone. And as those
plans are infinitely wise, and as he is not dependent on anyone for their formation or execution,
his people may have confidence in him, and believe that he will be able to execute his purposes.
The Spirit - The word ‘spirit’ is used in the Bible in a greater variety of senses than almost
any other word (see the note at Isa_40:7). It seems here to be used in the sense of mind, and to
refer to God himself. There is no evidence that it refers to the Holy Spirit particularly. ‘The word
spirit, he uses,’ says Calvin, ‘for reason, judgment. He borrows the similitude from the nature of
mankind, in order that he may more accommodate himself to them; nor, as it seems to me, does
he here speak of the essential Spirit of God’ (Commentary in loc). The design of the prophet is
not to refer to the distinction in the divine nature, or to illustrate the special characteristics of
the different persons of the Godhead; but it is to set forth the wisdom of Yahweh himself, the
one infinite God, as contradistinguished from idols, and as qualified to guide, govern, and
deliver his people. The passage should not be used, therefore, as a proof-text in regard to the
existence and wisdom of the Holy Spirit, but is suited to demonstrate only that God is untaught;
and that he is independent and infinite in his wisdom.
Or being his counselor - Margin, as in Hebrew, ‘Man of his counsel.’ He is not dependent
for counsel on men or angels. He is supreme, independent, and infinite. None is qualified to
instruct him; and all, therefore, should confide in his wisdom and knowledge.

2. GILL, “
Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord,.... In the creation of all things, in
garnishing the heavens, and moving upon the face of the waters? not anyone, angel or man;
there were none with him, nor did he need any to guide and direct him what to do
(s):

or being his counsellor, hath taught him? or, "the man of his counsel (t)"; there was no
other than the Wonderful Counsellor, the Angel of the great council, the essential Word of God,
whose spirit is here spoken of.

(s) The Targum is, "who hath directed the Holy Spirit in the mouth of all the prophets? is it not
the Lord?" which agrees with the accents; for so according to them the words should be
rendered "who hath directed the Spirit? the Lord"; so Reinbeck, de Accent. Heb. p. 418. and who
renders the next clause, and he hath made the man of his counsel (Moses) to know that.

3. HENRY, “
His wisdom is unsearchable, and what no creature can give either information or
direction to,
Isa_40:13, Isa_40:14. As none can do what God has done and does, so none can
assist him in the doing of it or suggest any thing to him which he thought not of. When the Lord
by his Spirit made the world (Job_26:13) there was none that directed his Spirit, or gave him
any advice, either what to do or how to do it. Nor does he need any counsellor to direct him in
the government of the world, nor is there any with whom he consults, as the wisest kings do with
those that know law and judgment, Est_1:13. God needs not to be told what is done, for he
knows it perfectly; nor needs he be advised concerning what is to be done, for he knows both the
right end and the proper means. This is much insisted upon here, because the poor captives had
no politicians among them to manage their concerns at court or to put them in a way of gaining

their liberty. “No matter,” says the prophet, “you have a God to act for you, who needs not the
assistance of statesmen.” In the great work of our redemption by Christ matters were concerted
before the world was, when there was one to teach God in the path of judgment, 1Co_2:7.

4. JAMISON, “
Quoted in
Rom_11:34; 1Co_2:16. The Hebrew here for “directed” is the same as
in Isa_40:12 for “meted out”; thus the sense is, “Jehovah measures out heaven with His span”;
but who can measure Him? that is, Who can search out His Spirit (mind) wherewith He
searches out and accurately adjusts all things? Maurer rightly takes the Hebrew in the same
sense as in Isa_40:12 (so Pro_16:2; Pro_21:2), “weigh,” “ponder.” “Direct,” as in English
Version, answers, however, better to “taught” in the parallel clause.

5. K&D, “
A second question follows in
Isa_40:13, Isa_40:14. “Who regulated the Spirit of
Jehovah, and (who) instructed Him as His counsellor? With whom took He counsel, and who
would have explained to Him and instructed Him concerning the path of right, and taught
Him knowledge, and made known to Him a prudent course?” The first question called to mind
the omnipotence of Jehovah; this recalls His omniscience, which has all fulness in itself, and
therefore precludes all instruction from without. “The Spirit of Jehovah” is the Spirit which
moved upon the waters at the creation, and by which chaos was reduced to order. “Who,”
inquires this prophet - “who furnished this Spirit with the standard, according to which all this
was to be done?” ן ֵI ִz as in Isa_40:12, to bring into conformity with rule, and so to fit for
regulated working. Instead of mercha tifchah athnach, which suggests the Targum rendering,
“quis direxit spiritum? Jehova” (vid., Pro_16:2), it would be more correct to adopt the
accentuation tifchah munach athnach (cf., Exo_21:24; Exo_23:9), and there are certain codices
in which we find this (see Dachselt). In Isa_40:13 we might follow the Septuagint translation, κα
{5B‘Y5y6Bü|5JrA}ü31üY5~k0’-Bü5•Y5JrA}:}d (Rom_11:34; 1Co_2:16, συ8βιβάσει) α4τόν, but in this
case we miss the verb ה ָי ָה. The rendering we have given above is not so harsh, and the
accentuation is indifferent here, since silluk is never written without tifchahif only a single word
precedes it. In Isa_40:14 the reciprocal 3ַעוֹנ is connected with ת ֵא = 3ִםא. The futt. cons. retain their
literal meaning: with whom did He consult, so that he supplied Him with understanding in
consequence (
hebhı̄n, generally to understand, here in a causative sense). The verbs of
instruction are sometimes construed with
3ְE of the lesson taught, sometimes with a double
accusative. In reply to the questions in Isa_40:13, Isa_40:14, which are essentially one, Israel
must acknowledge that its God is the possessor of absolute might, and also of absolute wisdom.

6. CALVIN, “13.Who instructed the Spirit of Jehovah? What the Prophet had formerly taught
concerning the Lord’ goodness and power he now adds concerning his wisdom. And we ought to observe
the connection; for, us carnal sense wickedly limits the power of God to human means, so it improperly
subjects his inscrutable counsel to human reasonings. Till God be exalted above all creatures, many
difficulties present themselves to interrupt the course of his works; and, therefore, if we form a judgment
according to our own opinion, various scruples will immediately arise. Thus, whenever we do not see how
God will do this or that, we doubt if it will take place; because what surpasses our reason appears to be
impossible. Consequently, as we ought to contrast, the power of God with our weakness, so our

insolence ought to be repressed by his incomparable, wisdom.

By inquiring, who guided or directed the Spirit of God, he means that God had no need of a teacher, to go
before and inform him about things unknown. Spirit here denotes reason, judgment, or understanding; for
he borrows a comparison from the nature of men, that he may more fully accommodate himself to them;
and I do not think that this ought to be understood as denoting the essential Spirit of God.

14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,
or showed him the path of understanding?

1.BARNES, “With whom took he counsel - The sentiment of the former verse is repeated
here, in order, probably, to make it more emphatic.
In the path of judgment - The way of judging correctly and wisely; or the way of
administering justice. It denotes here his boundless wisdom as it is seen in the various
arrangements of his creation and providence, by which all things keep their places, and
accomplish his vast designs.

2. GILL, “
With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him ,.... This is the same as
before, only repeated in other words, the more strongly to deny that any mere creature
counselled, taught, and instructed the Spirit of Christ, in the ordering and managing the works
of creation:

and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to
him the way of understanding? or gave him that judgment, knowledge, and understanding
in framing the world, and all things in it, in that beautiful and regular manner that it is; which
shows it to be a work of wisdom, more than human or angelical, and to be purely divine; no one,
angel or man, could have struck out such a path of judgment, such a way of understanding, or
showed such exquisite skill and knowledge, as appear in the works of creation; see
Psa_104:24.

3. JAMISON, “
path of judgment — His wisdom, whereby He so beautifully adjusts the
places and proportions of all created things.

4. CALVIN, “14.From whom took he counsel? The Prophet expresses the same thing in many ways;
that we may know that nothing is more foolish than man, (115) when he ventures to lift himself up into
heaven, to examine or judge by his own ability the works of God. In these words, therefore, Isaiah
intended to repress more and more the insolence and rashness of men. Paul quotes this proof for the
same purpose, to deter us from judging of the unsearchable counsel of God; for God does not wish us to
inquire concerning his wisdom but in a sober and becoming manner. (Rom_11:34.) There is one
difference, that Paul affirms that the spiritual mystery of the gospel cannot be fathomed by the human
understanding, while the Prophet pronounces a commendation, in general terms, on the providence of
God. But on both points we ought to learn humility, and to bring all our senses captive to obedience. All
the reason or understanding that we have is mere darkness, till we have been enlightened by Christ.

(115) “Que l’ est plus beste que los bestes mesmes.” “ man is more a beast than the beasts themselves.”

15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are regarded as dust on the scales;
he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.

1.BARNES, “Behold, the nations - All the nations of the earth. This is designed to show
the greatness of God, in comparison with that which strikes man as great - a mighty nation; and
the main object seems to be, to show that God could accomplish his purposes without their aid,
and that they could not resist him in the execution of his plans. If they were as nothing in
comparison with him, how easily could he execute his purposes! If they were as nothing, how
little could they resist the execution of his plans!
Are as a drop of a bucket - In comparison with him; or are so esteemed by him. The drop
that falls from the bucket in drawing water is a trifle. It has no power, and compared with the

waters of the ocean it is as nothing. So small is the power of the nations in comparison with God.
“And are counted.” Are thought of, regarded, esteemed by him, or in comparison with him.
As the small dust of the balance - The small, fine dust which collects on the best finished
and most accurate balance or scales, and which has no effect in making the scales uneven, or
making either side preponderate. Nothing can be a more striking representation of the fact that
the nations are regarded as nothing in comparison with God.
Behold, he taketh up the isles - Or he is able to do it; he could remove the isles as the fine
dust is driven before the whirlwind. A more literal translation of this passage would be, ‘Lo, the
isles are as the dust which is taken up,’ or which one takes up; that is, which is taken up, and
carried away by the wind. There is something unusual in the expression that God takes up the
isles, and the idea is rather that the isles in his sight are regarded as the fine dust which the wind
sweeps away. So the Chaldee renders it, ‘Lo, the isles are like ashes which the wind drives away.’
The word ‘isles,’ Vitringa and Jerome regard as denoting not the small portions of land in the
sea that are surrounded by water, but lands which are encompassed and enclosed Mesopotamia.
But there is no reason why it should not be taken here in its usual signification, as denoting the
islands of the sea. They would serve well to be used in connection with mountains and hills in
setting forth the vast power of God.
As a very little thing - (קדכ  k
e
ddaq). The word קד  daq means theft which is beaten small, or
fine; and then fine dust, chaff, or any light thing which the wind easily sweeps away.

2. GILL, “
Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket,.... Not only the Chaldeans and
Babylonians, and other nations most known, and most troublesome to the Jews, but all the
nations of the world; these, in comparison of God, of his infinite and immense Being, are but as
a drop of water that hangs upon the bucket, or falls from it, when water is drawn by it, or is left
in it, when poured out of it; which is nothing in comparison of the well out of which the water is
drawn, or even of the water in the bucket drawn out of it:

and are accounted as the small dust of the balance; that is, they are accounted nothing
of with God, comparatively speaking, any more than the small dust which hangs upon the
balance, and gives it no weight, nor turn one way or another, and so is of no consideration. The
Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, and Arabic versions, render it, "as the turn of the scale"; and
so the Targum; but the other version more strongly expresses the sense:

behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing; by which are meant not merely
islands, properly so called, which are encompassed by the sea, but all such countries which the
Jews used to go to by sea, for all such they called isles; these the Lord can take up, or cast away
(u), as some render the word; toss them about, overturn and destroy, as a man may take up the
most minute thing and cast it from him. The Targum renders it,

"as chaff which flies away;''

or, as others translate it,

"as the ashes of a coal which fly away.''

The word may signify any light thing, as chaff, straw, stubble, feathers, down of thistles, which
are easily carried away with the least force; and so Vitringa renders the words, "behold, the isles
are as some little thing which flies away".

3. HENRY, “
The nations of the world are nothing in comparison of him,
Isa_40:15, Isa_40:17.
Take them all together, all the great and mighty nations of the earth, kings the most pompous,
kingdoms the most populous, both the most wealthy; take the isles, the multitude of them, the
isles of the Gentiles: Before him, when they stand in competition with him or in opposition to
him, they are as a drop of the bucket compared with the vast ocean, or the small dust of the
balance (which does not serve to turn it, and therefore is not regarded, it is so small) in
comparison with all the dust of the earth. He takes them up, and throws them away from him, as
a very little thing, not worth speaking of. They are all in his eye as nothing, as if they had no
being at all; for they add nothing to his perfection and all-sufficiency. They are counted by him,
and are to be counted by us in comparison of him, less than nothing, and vanity. When he
pleases, he can as easily bring them all into nothing as at first he brought them out of nothing.
When God has work to do he values not either the assistance or the resistance of any creature.
They are all vanity; the word that is used for the chaos (Gen_1:2), to which they will at last be
reduced. Let this beget in us high thoughts of God and low thoughts of this world, and engage us
to make God, and not man, both our fear and our hope. This magnifies God's love to the world,
that, though it is of such small account and value with him, yet, for the redemption of it, he gave
his only3begotten Son, Joh_3:16.

4. JAMISON, “
of — rather, (hanging) from a bucket [Maurer].
he taketh up ... as a very little thing — rather, “are as a mere grain of dust which is taken
up,” namely, by the wind; literally, “one taketh up,” impersonally (
Exo_16:14) [Maurer].
isles — rather, “lands” in general, answering to “the nations” in the parallel clause; perhaps
lands, like Mesopotamia, enclosed by rivers [Jerome] (so Isa_42:15). However, English Version,
“isles” answers well to “mountains” (Isa_40:12), both alike being lifted up by the power of God;
in fact, “isles” are mountains upheaved from the bed of the sea by volcanic agency; only that he
seems here to have passed from unintelligent creatures (Isa_40:12) to intelligent, as nations and
lands, that is, their inhabitants.

5. K&D, “
From His exaltation as Creator, the prophet now proceeds to His exaltation as
Governor of the world. “Behold, nations like a little drop on a bucket, and like a grain of sand in
a balance, are they esteemed; behold, islands like an atom of dust that rises in the air.” Upon
Jehovah, the King of the world, does the burden rest of ruling over the whole human race, which
is split up into different nations; but the great masses of people over whom Jehovah rules are no
more burden to Him than a drop hanging upon a bucket is a burden to the man who carries it
(min is used in the same sense as in
Son_4:1; Son_6:5), no more than the weight in a balance is
perceptibly increased or diminished by a grain of sand that happens to lie upon it ( shachaq, from
Hx tex ", to grind to powder). The islands, those fragments of firm ground in the midst of the
ocean (י ִא = ivy, from הָוc, to betake one's self to a place, and remain there), upon which the
heathen world was dispersed (Gen 10), are to Him who carries the universe like the small

particle of dust (ק ַG from ק ַק ָG, to crush or pulverize), which is lifted up, viz., by the slightest
breath of wind (לוֹ? ִי metaplastic fut. niph. of tul = s tS ., cf., Isa_63:9). The rendering of Knobel,
“dust which is thrown,” would require ר ָפ ָע (Isa_41:2); and neither that of Gesenius, viz., “He
takes up islands like a particle of dust,” nor that of Hitzig, “He carries islands,” etc., is
admissible, for לוּט = ל ַטָנ signifies tollere, not portare; and the former, viz., insulas tollit,
furnishes no answer to the question, “How so, and to what end?”

6. CALVIN, “15.Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket. If we wish to understand the Prophet’
meaning, and to read these words with advantage, we must (as I remarked a little before) understand his
design. He does not celebrate the greatness of God in a detached manner, but extols it with the utmost.
possible adaptation to the present subject, that Israelites may know that this shield alone is sufficient to
protect them, and that they will have no reason to dread the efforts, or rage, or violence of the world, if
God be reconciled to them, and that they may thus learn to betake themselves to God’ protection; for if
they were not fully convinced of this, there would arise at every moment various causes of despair. Isaiah
thus continues the subject, when he says that all nations and peoples are nothing when compared with
God; for, by simply breathing on them, he will scatter like small dust all the inhabitants of the earth. In
consequence of our being excessively prone and foolishly ingenious in devising reasons of distrust, we
imagine that everything that Satan does for the purpose of hindering our salvation blocks up the path of
God. For the purpose of correcting this error, the Prophet declares that all the creatures are nothing
before God, and that all the nations resemble small and inconsiderable drops of water. Hence we infer
that nothing can be more contrary to reason than to exalt creatures for the sake of diminishing the power
of God, which is high above all, and ought to be so acknowledged.

16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires,
nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.

1.BARNES, “And Lebanon - The expression here refers to the trees or the cedars of
Lebanon. Thus it is rendered by the Chaldee: ‘And the trees of Lebanon.’ For a description of
Lebanon, see the note at
Isa_10:34. It is probable that the word Lebanon here is not used in the
limited sense in which it is sometimes employed, to denote a single mountain, or a single range
of mountains, but includes the entire ranges lying north of Palestine, and which were

comprehended under the general name of Libanus. The idea here is, that all these ranges of
mountains, abounding in magnificent trees and forests, would not furnish fuel sufficient to burn
the sacrifices which would be an appropriate offering to the majesty and glory of God.
To burn - To burn for the purpose of consuming the sacrifice.
Nor the beasts thereof for a burnt-offering - As the mountains of Lebanon were
extensive forests, they would abound with wild animals. The idea is, that all those animals, if
offered in sacrifice, would not be an appropriate expression of what was due to God. It may be
remarked here, if all the vast forests of Lebanon on fire, and all its animals consumed as an
offering to God, were not sufficient to show forth his glory, how little can our praises express the
proper sense of his majesty and honor! How profound should be our reverence for God! With
what awful veneration should we come before him! The image employed here by Isaiah is one of
great poetic beauty; and nothing, perhaps, could give a deeper impression of the majesty and
honor of the great Yahweh.

2. CLARKE, “
And Lebanon is not sufficient - The image is beautiful and uncommon. It
has been imitated by an apocryphal writer, who however comes far short of the original: -
“For all sacrifice is too little for a sweet savor unto thee:
And all the fat is not sufficient for thy burnt-offering.”
Judith 16:16.
Does not the prophet mean here that all the burnt-offerings and sacrifices that could be
offered were insufficient to atone for sin? That the nations were as nothing before him, not
merely because of his immensity, but because of their insufficiency to make any atonement by
their oblations for the iniquities which they had committed? Therefore the Redeemer was to
come to Zion, etc.

3. GILL, “
And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,.... The trees of it, as the Targum; these
are not sufficient to burn a sacrifice with, suitable to the dignity and majesty of God, and as his
justice can require for offences committed:

nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt offering, though it was a mountain and
forest which abounded with trees, and especially cedars, and there was a great quantity of cattle
in it, yet neither were sufficient to furnish out a proper burnt offering to the Lord; he only
himself could provide a Lamb sufficient for a burnt offering, and he has done it, the only
begotten Son of God; he has offered himself an offering and a sacrifice to God, of a sweet
smelling savour, by which he has put away sin, and made full atonement for it, Jarchi thinks this
is said to aggravate the sins of men, of the wicked, which were so great, that Lebanon with all its
wood and cattle could not furnish out a sacrifice sufficient to expiate them.

4. HENRY, “
The services of the church can make no addition to him nor do they bear any
proportion to his infinite perfections (
Isa_40:16): Lebanon is not sufficient to burn; not the
wood of it, to be for the fuel of the altar, though it be so well stocked with cedars; not the beasts
of it, to be for sacrifices, though it be so well stocked with cattle, Isa_40:16. Whatever we honour

God with, it falls infinitely short of the merit of his perfection; for he is exalted far above all
blessing and praise, all burnt-offerings and sacrifices.

5. JAMISON, “
All Lebanon’s forest would not supply fuel enough to burn sacrifices worthy of
the glory of God (
Isa_66:1; 1Ki_8:27; Psa_50:8-13).
beasts — which abounded in Lebanon.

6. K&D, “
By the side of this vanishing diminutiveness on the part of man as contrasted with
Jehovah, everything by which man could express his adoration of the exalted One comes
incomparably short of His exaltation. “And Lebanon is not a sufficiency of burning, nor its
game a sufficiency of burnt3offerings;” i.e., there is not enough wood to sustain the fire, nor a
sufficient supply of sacrificial animals to be slaughtered, and to ascend in fire.
י ַG (constr. י ֵG)
signifies that which suffices (and then that which is plentiful); it differs therefore from τ?3δέον,
what is requisite.
(Note: The derivation of י ַG is still more obscure than that of δε?, which signifies, according
to Benfey (Wurzelwörterbuch, ii. 205), “there needs;” according to Sonne, “it binds, scil. 63?
νάγκη.”)

7. CALVIN, “17.All nations. He repeats what he had said, that it is in the power and at the disposal of
God to destroy “ nations,” whenever he shall think proper; and that, even while they remain in their
present condition, they are reckoned as nothing before him. But it may be thought absurd for him to say,
that “ nations are nothing,” since God created them, that they might be something. I reply, this is said by
comparison; for the depravity of the human mind is such that it obscures the divine majesty, and places
above it those things which ought to have been subject to God; and, therefore, when we come to that
contest, we may boldly declare that everything that is compared with God is worthless. Nor does Isaiah
speak merely about the nature of men, such as it was created by God; but his aim is to abase and
restrain their pride, when they venture to exalt themselves against God. We know that we cannot subsist
but in God, in whom alone, as Paul declares, “ live, and move, and are.” (Act_17:28.) Nothing is more
vain than man; and, as David says,

“ he be laid in the balance with vanity, he will be found to be even lighter than vanity.” (Psa_62:9.)

In the same manner does Isaiah affirm that “ nations” are not only “” but “ than nothing.” in order to exhibit
more fully their feebleness and vanity. (116)

(116) The ambiguous use of the word “” and of the corresponding term in the Latin language, “vanitas,” is

avoided by our author’ version; “ in comparison of him they are reckoned less than nothing, and what is
not.” — Ed.

17 Before him all the nations are as nothing;
    they are regarded by him as worthless
    and less than nothing.

1.BARNES, “Are as nothing - This expresses literally what had been expressed by the
beautiful and striking imagery above.
Less than nothing - A strong hyperbolic expression denoting the utter insignificance of the
nations as compared with God. Such expressions are common in the Scriptures.
And vanity - Hebrew,
והת  Sktxut - ‘Emptiness;’ the word which in Gen_1:2 is rendered
‘without form.’

2. GILL, “
All nations before him are as nothing,.... As if they were nonentities, and were
not real beings in comparison of him, who is the Being of beings, the author of all beings which
exist in all nations; who are all in his sight, and are not only as grasshoppers, as is after
mentioned, but even as nothing:

and they are counted to him as less than nothing, and vanity; if there is or could be
such a thing less than nothing, that they are; and so they are accounted of by him; they are like
the chaos out of which the earth was formed, when it was "tohu" and "bohu", the first of which
words is used here; this serves to humble the pride of men, and to lessen the glory of the
nations, and the inhabitants of them.

3. HENRY, “
The nations of the world are nothing in comparison of him,
Isa_40:15, Isa_40:17.
Take them all together, all the great and mighty nations of the earth, kings the most pompous,
kingdoms the most populous, both the most wealthy; take the isles, the multitude of them, the
isles of the Gentiles: Before him, when they stand in competition with him or in opposition to
him, they are as a drop of the bucket compared with the vast ocean, or the small dust of the
balance (which does not serve to turn it, and therefore is not regarded, it is so small) in
comparison with all the dust of the earth. He takes them up, and throws them away from him, as
a very little thing, not worth speaking of. They are all in his eye as nothing, as if they had no
being at all; for they add nothing to his perfection and all-sufficiency. They are counted by him,
and are to be counted by us in comparison of him, less than nothing, and vanity. When he

pleases, he can as easily bring them all into nothing as at first he brought them out of nothing.
When God has work to do he values not either the assistance or the resistance of any creature.
They are all vanity; the word that is used for the chaos (Gen_1:2), to which they will at last be
reduced. Let this beget in us high thoughts of God and low thoughts of this world, and engage us
to make God, and not man, both our fear and our hope. This magnifies God's love to the world,
that, though it is of such small account and value with him, yet, for the redemption of it, he gave
his only3begotten Son, Joh_3:16.
IV. The services of the church can make no addition to him nor do they bear any proportion to
his infinite perfections (Isa_40:16): Lebanon is not sufficient to burn; not the wood of it, to be
for the fuel of the altar, though it be so well stocked with cedars; not the beasts of it, to be for
sacrifices, though it be so well stocked with cattle, Isa_40:16. Whatever we honour God with, it
falls infinitely short of the merit of his perfection; for he is exalted far above all blessing and
praise, all burnt-offerings and sacrifices.

4. JAMISON, “
(
Psa_62:9; Dan_4:35).
less than nothing — Maurer translates, as in Isa_41:24, “of nothing” (partitively; or
expressive of the nature of a thing), a mere nothing.
vanity — emptiness.

5. K&D, “
From the obverse of the thought in
Isa_40:15 the prophet returns to the thought
itself, and dwells upon it still further. “All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are
regarded by Him as belonging to nullity and emptiness.”
'Ephes is the end at which a thing
ceases, and in an absolute sense that at which all being ceases, hence non-existence or nullity.
Tohu (from S tx tx, related to Hx t) tx; vid., Comm. on Job, at
Job_37:6), a horrible desolation, like
the chaos of creation, where there is nothing definite, and therefore as good as nothing at all;
min is hardly comparative in the sense of “more nothing than nothing itself” (Like Job_11:17,
where “brighter” is to be supplied, or Mic_7:4, where “sharper” is similarly required), but is
used in the same partitive sense as in Isa_41:24 (cf., Isa_44:11 and Psa_62:10).

6. CALVIN, “17.All nations. He repeats what he had said, that it is in the power and at the disposal of
God to destroy “ nations,” whenever he shall think proper; and that, even while they remain in their
present condition, they are reckoned as nothing before him. But it may be thought absurd for him to say,
that “ nations are nothing,” since God created them, that they might be something. I reply, this is said by
comparison; for the depravity of the human mind is such that it obscures the divine majesty, and places
above it those things which ought to have been subject to God; and, therefore, when we come to that
contest, we may boldly declare that everything that is compared with God is worthless. Nor does Isaiah
speak merely about the nature of men, such as it was created by God; but his aim is to abase and
restrain their pride, when they venture to exalt themselves against God. We know that we cannot subsist
but in God, in whom alone, as Paul declares, “ live, and move, and are.” (Act_17:28.) Nothing is more
vain than man; and, as David says,

“ he be laid in the balance with vanity, he will be found to be even lighter than vanity.” (Psa_62:9.)

In the same manner does Isaiah affirm that “ nations” are not only “” but “ than nothing.” in order to exhibit
more fully their feebleness and vanity. (116)

(116) The ambiguous use of the word “” and of the corresponding term in the Latin language, “vanitas,” is
avoided by our author’ version; “ in comparison of him they are reckoned less than nothing, and what is
not.” — Ed.

18 With whom, then, will you compare God?
To what image will you liken him?

1.BARNES, “To whom then will ye liken God? - Since he is so great, what can resemble
him? What form can be made like him? The main idea here intended to be conveyed by the
prophet evidently is, that God is great and glorious, and worthy of the confidence of his people.
This idea he illustrates by a reference to the attempts which had been made to make a
representation of him, and by showing how vain those efforts were. He therefore states the
mode in which the images of idols were usually formed, and shows how absurd it was to suppose
that they could be any real representation of the true God. It is possible that this was composed
in the time of Manasseh, when idolatry prevailed to a great extent in Judah, and that the
prophet intended in this manner incidentally to show the folly and absurdity of it.

2. GILL, “
To whom then will ye liken God?.... There is nothing in the whole creation that
can bear any resemblance to him, or he to them; since all nations are as a drop of the bucket, as
the small dust of the balance, as nothing, yea, less than nothing, and vanity: "or what likeness
will ye compare unto him",
(w) order, ordain, and appoint for him? in what rank can he be
placed? to what class of beings can he be likened? what similitude can be given of him? what is
there that is fit to be named with him, or compared to him? this, with what follows, is mentioned
as an antidote to prevent the Jews falling into idolatry in Babylon, where they would be exposed
unto it; or rather to prevent Christians in Gospel times from going into the idolatry of the
Papists; see Act_17:28.

3. HENRY, “The prophet here reproves those, 1. Who represented God by creatures, and so
changed his truth into a lie and his glory into shame, who made images and then said that they
resembled God, and paid their homage to them accordingly. 2. Who put creatures in the place of
God, who feared them more than God, as if they were a match for him, or loved them more than
God, as if they were fit to be rivals with him. Twice the challenge is here made, To whom will
you liken God? Isa_40:18, and again Isa_40:25. The Holy One himself says, To whom will you
liken me? This shows the folly and absurdity, (1.) Of corporal idolatry, making visible images of
him who is invisible, imagining the image to be animated by the deity, and the deity to be
presentiated by the image, which, as it was an instance of the corruption of the human nature, so
it was an intolerable injury to the honour of the divine nature. (2.) Of spiritual idolatry, making
creatures equal with God in our affections. Proud people make themselves equal with God;
covetous people make their money equal with God; and whatever we esteem or love, fear or
hope in, more than God, that creature we equal with God, which is the highest affront
imaginable to him who is God over all. Now, to show the absurdity of this,

4. JAMISON, “
Which of the heathen idols, then, is to be compared to this Almighty God? This
passage, if not written (as Barnes thinks) so late as the idolatrous times of Manasseh, has at least
a prospective warning reference to them and subsequent reigns; the result of the chastisement of
Jewish idolatry in the Babylonish captivity was that thenceforth after the restoration the Jews
never fell into it. Perhaps these prophecies here may have tended to that result (see
2Ki_23:26,
2Ki_23:27).

5. K&D, “
The conclusion drawn from
Isa_40:17, that Jehovah is therefore the matchless Being,
shapes itself into a question, which is addressed not to idolaters, but to such of the Israelites as
needed to be armed against the seductive power of idolatry, to which the majority of mankind
had yielded. “And to whom can ye liken God, and what kind of image can ye place beside Him!”
The 3ְו before ל ֶאְו is conclusive, as in Isa_28:26, and the futures are modi potent.: with what can
ye bring into comparison (ל ֶא as in Isa_14:10) El, i.e., God, the one Being who is absolutely the
Mighty? and what kind of d
e
muth (i.e., divine, like Himself) can ye place by His side?

6. CALVIN, “18.To whom then have ye likened God? The Jews were in great danger from another
temptation; for there was reason to believe that the Assyrians and Babylonians would not have obtained
so many victories without their assistance; and hence they might naturally conclude, “ what avail is it to us
to have a peculiar manner of worshipping God which differs from other nations; for our enemies fight
under the favor and protection of heaven, while we are not cheered by any assistance from the God
whom we worship?” Neither can there be any doubt, that the captives were taunted by unbelievers, as is
evident from other passages. (Psa_137:3;Lam_2:15.) That true religion may not be ruined among the
Jews on account of the calamity which they had sustained, God rises up, and proclaims that a grievous
injury is done to him, if believers, discouraged by adversity, turn aside to the idols and superstitions of the
Gentiles. Thus he confirms them in the faith of the promises, that they may not sink under the weight of
the punishments which they endure.

The Prophet, as we formerly suggested, does not address merely the men of his own age, but posterity,
who would have a still severer contest with the mockeries of the nations whose captives they were, and
likewise with bad examples and customs; for when, in consequence of being mingled with heathen
nations, they daily beheld many corruptions of piety, it was more difficult for them steadily to persevere.
That they might not entertain any foolish notion that high prosperity attended the worshippers of false
gods, the Prophet meets this error, and reminds them that God, whom they and their fathers worshipped,
ought not to be compared with the gods of the Gentiles; for these were made by men, and were
composed of gold or silver, wood or stone; but God created all things; and therefore that the highest injury
is done to God, not only by comparing his majesty with things of no value, but even by not, placing him far
above all the angels and everything that is reckoned divine.

When Paul employs this passage (Act_17:29) as a proof against idolaters, or at least quotes the words of
the Prophet, he does not wrest them from their true meaning. He infers, indeed, from them that to frame
any image of God is exceedingly wicked, while the Prophet, in guarding the Jews against distrust, at the
same time condemns the superstitions of the Gentiles, and declares that it is inconsistent with the nature
of God to be represented by painting or by any kind of likeness. This shews clearly that Paul’ doctrine
fully agrees with it; for the Prophet, after having shewn that the power of God is infinite, since he holds all
things in his fist, at length concludes, “ whom then will ye liken me? for no image that is formed will have
any likeness or resemblance to me.”

Or, what resemblance will you appoint to him? This is a useful doctrine, and worthy of observation; for
were there nothing more than this single passage, it would be perfectly sufficient for refuting the
inventions by which Papists deceive themselves, when they think that they have a right to represent God
by outward figures. The Prophet declares that it is impossible to frame out of dead matter an image which
shall have any resemblance to the glory of God. He openly rejects idols, and does not even speak of the
worship of them, but affirms that to manufacture and set them up before God is wicked and abominable.
The Scripture is full of such proofs. Moses warned a people prone to this vice,

“ sawest no image or shape in the mountain, thou only heardest a voice. See then and beware that thou
be not led astray so as to frame for thyself any image.”

(Deu_4:12.)

In order to know God, therefore, we must not frame a likeness of him according to our own fancy, but we
must betake ourselves to the Word, in which his lively image is exhibited to us. Satisfied with that
communication, let us not attempt anything else of our own. Other ways and methods, such as idols and
images, teach us vanity and falsehood, and not truth, as Jeremiah beautifully says, “ wood is the
instruction of vanities,” (Jer_10:8,) and Habakkuk, “ graven image is falsehood.” (Hab_2:18.) When the
Lord sometimes compares himself to a lion, a bear, a man, or other objects, this has nothing to do with
images, as the Papists imagine, but by those metaphors either the kindness and mercy of God, or his
wroth and displeasure, and other things of the same nature, are expressed; for God cannot reveal himself
to us in any other way than by a comparison with things which we know. In short, if it were lawful to frame
or set up an image of God, that would be a point of resemblance to the gods of the Gentiles, and this
declaration of the Prophet could not be maintained.

19 As for an idol, a metalworker casts it,
    and a goldsmith overlays it with gold
    and fashions silver chains for it.

1.BARNES, “The workman - The Hebrew word denotes an artificer of any kind, and is
applied to one who engraved on wood or stone
Exo_28:2; to a workman in iron, brass, stone,
wood Exo_35:35; Deu_27:15; or an artisan, or artificer in general. It here refers manifestly to a
man who worked in the metals of which idols were commonly made. Those idols were
sometimes made of wood, sometimes of clay, but more frequently, as they are at present in
India, of metal. It became, undoubtedly, a regular trade or business thus to make idol-gods.
Melteth - Casts or founds.
A graven image - (לספ  pesel). This word commonly denotes an image carved or graven from
wood Exo_20:4; Jdg_17:3; Isa_44:15, Isa_44:17; but it is also frequently applied to a molten
image, or one that is cast from metals Jer_10:14; Jer_51:17. It is used in this sense here; as there
is an incongruity in the idea of casting, or melting a graven image.
And the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold - Idols were frequently overlaid with
gold or silver. Those which were in the temples of the gods were probably commonly made in
this way, and probably those also which were made for private use, as far as it could be afforded.
The word here rendered ‘goldsmith,’ however, does not of necessity man a worker in gold, but a
smith in general, or a worker in any kind of metals.
And casteth silver chains - For the idol. These were not to fasten it, but for the purpose of
ornament. The general principle seems to have been to decorate their idols with that which was
regarded as the highest ornament among the people; and as chains were used in abundance as a
part of their personal ornaments among the Orientals (see the notes at Isa_3:23), so they made
use of the same kind of ornaments for their idols. The idols of the Hindoos now are lavishly
decorated in this manner.

2. CLARKE, “
And casteth silver chains “And forgeth for it chains of silver” - For
ףרוצ  tsoreph, the participle, twenty-seven MSS., five ancient, and three editions, read ףרצ
tsaraph, pret. third person.

3. GILL, “The workman melteth a graven image ,.... Or, "the founder"; he melts some sort
of metal, as iron, brass, copper, or lead, which he casts into a mould for an image, and
afterwards graves, or gets it graved:

and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold; or, "the finer"; he stretches out plates of
gold, and covers it with them, so that it looks as if it was made of solid gold, and deceives the
eyes of men; such stupidity and vanity are there in mortals to believe that there can be deity in
such a piece of workmanship!

and casteth silver chains to put about the graven image, either for ornament, or rather
to fasten it to some wall or pillar, that it may stand upright, and may not be taken down and
stole away, or blown down with the wind, or fall of itself and be broken; thus ridiculing the
weakness of these idols, and the folly of the makers and worshippers of them. The Targum is,

"the silversmith joins silver chains to it.''

4. HENRY, “
The prophet describes idols as despicable things and worthy of the greatest
contempt (
Isa_40:19, Isa_40:20): “Look upon the better sort of them, which rich people set up,
and worship; they are made of some base metal, cast into what shape the founder pleases, and
that is gilded, or overlaid with plates of gold, that it may pass for a golden image. It is a creature;
for the workman made it; therefore it is not God, Hos_8:6. It depended upon his will whether it
should be a god at all, and of what shape it should be. It is a cheat; for it is gold on the outside,
but within it is lead or copper, in this indeed representing the deities, that they were not what
they seemed to be, and deceived their admirers. How despicable then are the worst sort of them
- the poor men's gods! He that is so impoverished that he has scarcely a sacrifice to offer to his
god when he has made him will yet not be without an enshrined deity of his own; and, though he
cannot procure one of brass or stone, he will have a wooden one rather than none, and for that
purpose chooses a tree that will not soon rot, and of that he will have his graven image made.
Both agree to have their image well fastened, that they may not be robbed of it. The better sort
have silver chains to fix theirs with; and, though it be but a wooden image, care is taken that it
shall not be moved.” Let us pause a little and see, 1. How these idolaters shame themselves, and
what a reproach they put upon their own reason, in dreaming that gods of their own making
(Nehushtans, pieces of brass or logs of wood) should be able to do them any kindness. Thus vain
were they in their imaginations; and how was their foolish heart darkened! 2. See how these
idolaters shame us, who worship the only living and true God. They spared no cost upon their
idols; we grudge that as waste which is spent in the service of our God. They took care that their
idols should not be moved; we wilfully provoke our God to depart from us.
II. He describes God as infinitely great, and worthy of the highest veneration; so that between
him and idols, whatever competition there may be, there is no comparison. To prove the
greatness of God he appeals,

5. JAMISON, “
graven — rather, an image in general; for it is incongruous to say “melteth”
(that is, casts out of metal) a graven image (that is, one of carved wood); so
Jer_10:14, “molten
image.”
spreadeth it over — (See on Isa_30:22).
chains — an ornament lavishly worn by rich Orientals (Isa_3:18, Isa_3:19), and so
transferred to their idols. Egyptian relics show that idols were suspended in houses by chains.

6. K&D, “
Least of all can an idol bear comparison with Him. “The idol, when the smith has
cast it, the melter plates it with gold, and melteth silver chains for it.” The object (
happesel, the
idol), which is here placed first as the theme in the accusative (lit. the image hewn out), denotes
in this instance an idol generally.
שׁ ָר ָח is as comprehensive as faber. ב ָהָ? ַE ע ֵ? ִר signifies here to
cover over with a ב ָהָז 3ַע ֻ? ִר (. oOs t5 u_O), the verb being used in a denominative sense, and not in its
primary meaning. As we must assume, according to Isa_40:20, that the prophet intends to carry
us into the midst of the process of manufacturing the idol, the paratactic expression is to be
pointed as above, viz., “after the (a) smith has cast it (compare Arab.
nasik, a piece of cast metal),
the (a) melter (goldsmith) covers it with gold plate;” and
tsoreph, which is palindromically
repeated, according to Isaiah's custom, is not the third pers. poel (on the poel of strong stems,
see at
Job_9:15 and Psa_109:10), but a participle, equivalent to אוּה ף ֵרוֹצ (as in Isa_29:8, which
see; and also, according to the accents, Isa_33:5), “and he melteth chains of silver,” viz., to
fasten the image.

7. CALVIN, “19.The carver prepares a graven image. As public opinion has great force, and
everything that pleases the multitude passes for a law, the Prophet fortifies believers against this error.
These words therefore convey an anticipation, that the Jews may not be terrified when they see the
Gentiles laboring with all their might to make idols, for in this way they deceive and ensnare each other.
But he attacks the madness of the whole world, (117) on this ground, that all are impelled by such
outrageous zeal to the practice of superstition, and every man is his own instructor in the formation of
idols.

(117) “Il s’ d’ saincte colere alencontre de la folie desesperee des hommes.” “ rises in holy wrath against
the desperate folly of men.”

20 A person too poor to present such an offering
selects wood that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker

to set up an idol that will not topple.

1.BARNES, “He that is so impoverished - So poor. So it is generally supposed that the
word used here is to be understood, though interpreters have not been entirely agreed in regard
to its signification. The Septuagint renders the phrase, ‘The carpenter chooseth a sound piece of
wood.’ The Chaldee. ‘He cuts down an ash, a tree which will not rot.’ Vulgate, ‘Perhaps he
chooses a tree which is incorruptible.’ Jarchi renders it, ‘He who is accustomed to examine, and
to judge between the wood which is durable, and other wood.’ But the signification of the word
(from
ןכס H tK s, “to dwell, to be familiar with anyone”) given to it by our translators, is probably
the correct one, that of being too poor to make a costly oblation. This notion of poverty,
Gesenius supposes, is derived from the notion of being seated; and thence of sinking down from
languor or debility; and hence, from poverty or want.
That he hath no oblation - No offering; no sacrifice; no rich gift. He is too poor to make
such an offering to his god as would be implied in an idol of brass or other metal, richly overlaid
with plates of gold, and decorated with silver chains. In Isa_40:19, the design seems to have
been to describe the more rich and costly idols that were made; in this, to describe those that
were made by the poor who were unable to offer such as were made of brass and gold. The word
‘oblation,’ therefore, that is, offering, in this place, does not denote an offering made to the true
God, but an offering made to an idol, such as an image was regarded to be. He could not afford a
rich offering, and was constrained to make one of wood.
Chooseth a tree that will not rot - Wood that will be durable and permanent. Perhaps the
idea is, that as he could not afford one of metal, he would choose that which would be the most
valuable which he could make - a piece of wood that was durable, and that would thus show his
regard for the god that he worshipped. Or possibly the sense may be, that he designed it should
not be moved; that he expressed a fixed and settled determination to adhere to the worship of
the idol; and that as he had no idea of changing his religion, the permanency and durability of
the wood would be regarded as a somewhat more acceptable expression of his worship.
A cunning workman - Hebrew, ‘A wise artificer;’ a man skilled in the art of carving, and of
making images.
A graven image - An image engraved or cut from wood, in contradistinction from one that is
molten or made from metals.
That shall not be moved - That shall stand long, as the expression of his devotion to the
service of the idol. The wood that was commonly employed for this purpose as being most
durable, as we learn from Isa_44:14, was the cedar, the cypress, or the oak (see the note in that
place). The phrase, ‘shall not be moved,’ does not refer so much to its being fixed in one place, as
to its durability and permanency.

2. CLARKE, “
Chooseth a tree that will not rot - For what? To make a god out of it! The
rich we find made theirs of gold and silver; the poor man was obliged to put up with a wooden
god! From the words “he that hath no oblation chooseth a tree,” we may learn that the gold and
silver necessary to make the graven image was first dedicated, and then formed into a god! How
stupid is idolatry! Strange that these people did not perceive that there could be no help in these
molten and wooden idols!

3. GILL, “
He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation,.... Who is so poor that
he cannot bring an offering to his God, yet he will have one; and though he cannot purchase a
golden or silver one, or one that is gilt, and adorned with either; yet he will have a wooden one,
as follows. Some render it, "he that is set over the oblation", which Aben Ezra mentions; that
was over the treasury, where the oblations were; the Heathen priest, whose business it was from
thence to procure idols to worship. Jerom takes the word
ןכסמ to be the name of a tree that will
not rot; and so the Targum renders it,

"he cuts down an ash:''

but the word is descriptive of an idol worshipper; and, according to Gussetius (x), signifies one
that by custom and repeated acts has got skill in such things; and so Jarchi: hence

he chooseth a tree that will not rot: he goes to the forest, and chooses the best tree for his
purpose he can find, even one that will not rot, as the cypress; and though he cannot get an idol
made of metal, but is forced to have one of wood, yet he will get the best he can, that will last
longest, an incorruptible deity, as he fancies:

he seeketh unto him a cunning workman, to prepare a graven image that shall not
be moved: having decided upon his tree, and what sort of wood to make his god of, he looks
out for an ingenious carpenter and carver, a good workman, to make it in the form of an image,
and grave, or rather carve it, in the best manner he can, and then fasten it in a proper place, that
it may not fall; a poor helpless deity, that cannot secure itself, and much less be of any service to
its worshippers.

4. JAMISON, “
impoverished — literally, “sunk” in circumstances.
no oblation — he who cannot afford to overlay his idol with gold and silver (
Isa_40:19).
tree ... not rot — the cedar, cypress, oak, or ash (Isa_44:14).
graven — of wood; not a molten one of metal.
not be moved — that shall be durable.

5. K&D, “
This is the origin of a metal idol. The wooden idol is described in
Isa_40:20 : “The
man who is impoverished in oblations, he chooseth a block of wood that will not rot; he seeketh
for himself a skilful smith, to prepare an idol that will not shake.” He who has fallen into such
poverty that he can only offer to his God a poor oblation (
t
e
_umo tx, accusative, according to
Ewald, §284, c), has an idol cut for himself out of a block of wood. That
H tKx s (Arab. sakana or
sakuna)
(Note: Both forms occur in this sense, according to the evidence of original sources, with
the common imperative
yaskunu, the infinitive sukune passed over by Freytag, the verbal

substantive maskane, and the adjective miskin or meskin, primarily to be forced to inactivity
through weakness, destitution, or outward influences, not to be able to move and exert one's
self; or, more particularly, not to be able to defend one's self (as it were to be obliged to sit
still or keep still). Hence more especially opibus et facultatibus carens, being in distress,
destitute, poor.)
is an ancient word, is evident from Deu_8:9. The verb yimmot, like yittol in Isa_40:15, is a fut.
niphal, to be made to shake. A wooden image, which is planed at the bottom, and made heavier
below than above, to prevent its falling over with every shock, is to be a god! The thing carries its
own satire, even when described with the greatest seriousness.

6. CALVIN, “20.The poor chooseth for his offering wood that will not rot. He concludes that no class of
men is free from that crime, that the rich and poor alike are guilty and condemned; for the rich make their
gods of gold or silver, and the poor of wood which they had selected. Hence he shews that all men are
carried away by strange madness, and that even though they have not the means, still they desire to
have something excellent for the worship of their gods. Men wish to enjoy the presence of God, and this
is the beginning and source of idolatry; for God is not present with us by an idol, but by his word and by
the power of his Spirit; and although he holds out to us in the sacraments an image both of his grace and
of spiritual blessings, yet this is done with no other intention than to lead us upwards to himself. Yet the
Prophet censures the folly of men, who are so blind as to labor with excessive industry and ingenuity in
highly adorning their idols.

21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was
founded?

1.BARNES, “Have ye not known? - This is evidently an address to the worshippers of
idols, and either designed to be addressed to the Jews themselves in the times of Manasseh,
when idolatry abounded, or to all idolaters. The prophet had in the previous verses shown the

manner in which the idols were made, and the folly of regarding them as objects of worship. He
now turns and addresses the worshippers of these idols, as being without excuse. They might
have known that these were not the true God. They had had abundant opportunity of learning
his existence and of becoming acquainted with his majesty and glory. Tradition had informed
them of this, and the creation of the earth demonstrated his greatness and power. The prophet,
therefore, asks them whether they had not known this? Whether their conduct was the result of
ignorance? And the question implies emphatically that they had known, or had abundant
opportunity to know of the existence and majesty of God. This was emphatically true of the
Jews, and yet they were constantly falling into idolatrous worship.
From the beginning - Hebrew, ‘From the head,’ that is, from the very commencement of
the world. Has it not been communicated by tradition, from age to age, that there is one God,
and that he is the Creator and upholder of all things? This was particularly the case with the
Jews, who had had this knowledge from the very commencement of their history, and they were,
therefore, entirely without excuse in their tendencies to idolatry.
From the foundations of the earth - Have you not learned the existence and greatness of
God from the fact that the world has been made, and that it demonstrates the existence and
perfection of God? The sacred writers often speak of the earth as resting on a foundation, as
upheld, etc.:
For he hath founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the floods.
(Psa_24:2; see also Pro_8:29) Perhaps here, however, the word ‘foundation’ refers rather to
the time than to the manner in which the earth is made, and corresponds to the phrase ‘from the
beginning;’ and the sense may be, ‘Has it not been understood ever since the earth was founded?
Has not the tradition of the existence and perfections of God been unbroken and constant?’ The
argument is, that the existence and greatness of God were fully known by tradition and by his
works; and that it was absurd to attempt to form an image of that God who had laid the
foundations of the world.

2. CLARKE, “
Have ye not known - On this verse Kimchi has a very interesting comment,
an extract of which I subjoin. “The whole world may be considered as a house built up; heaven
its roof; the stars its lamps; and the fruits of the earth its table spread. The Master of the house
is God, blessed for ever; and man is the steward into whose hand all the business of the house is
given. If he always consider in his heart that the Master of the house is continually over him, and
that he keeps his eye upon his work, and if in consequence he acts wisely, he shall find favor in
the eyes of the Master of the house. But if he find wickedness in the house, then will he remove
him
ןמ3ותדיקפ min3pekidutho, ‘from his stewardship.’ The foolish steward does not think of this;
for as his eyes do not see the Master of the house, he saith in his heart, ‘I will eat and drink what
I find in this house, and will take my pleasure in it; nor shall I be careful whether there be a
master over this house or not.’ When the Lord of the house marks this, he comes and expels him
from the house speedily, and with great anger; therefore it is said, Isa_40:23, He bringeth the
princes to nothing.” It seems that this parable had been long in use among the Jews, as our
blessed Lord alludes to it in his parable of the unjust steward. Or did the rabbin, finding it to his
purpose, steal the parable from the Gospel? In both places it has great and peculiar beauties.
Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth “Have ye not
understood it from the foundations of the earth?” - The true reading seems to be תודסוממ

mimmosedoth, to answer to שארמ  merosh in the foregoing line. It follows a word ending with מ
mem, and out of three mems concurring, it was an easy mistake to drop the middle one.

3. GILL, “
Have ye not known? This is the speech of the prophet, directed to the idolaters,
appealing to their own natural knowledge, who, from the light of nature, might know that idols
were nothing, had no divinity in them: that it is God that made the earth and governs the world,
and who only ought to be worshipped:

have ye not heard? by tradition from the ancients, from your forefathers, who received it from
theirs, and have delivered it to you:

hath it not been told you from the beginning? from the beginning of your states and
kingdoms, and even from the beginning of the world, by the wisest and best of men that have
been in it, that those things are true before related, and what follow:

have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? the being of God, the
invisible things of him, his eternal power and Godhead, from the things that are made, even
from his founding of the earth; as well as such knowledge and understanding has been as early
as that, and might be continued from it: or,

have ye not understood the foundations of the earth
(y)? what the earth is founded
upon, and who laid the foundations of it; no other than that divine Being described in the next
words.

4. HENRY, “
To what they had heard of him by the hearing of the ear, and the consent of all
ages and nations concerning him (
Isa_40:21): “Have you not known by the very light of nature?
Has it not been told you by your fathers and teachers, according to the constant tradition
received from their ancestors and predecessors, even from the beginning?” (Those notices of
God are as ancient as the world.) “Have you not understood it as always acknowledged from the
foundation of the earth, that God is a great God, and a great King above all gods?” It has been a
truth universally admitted that there is an infinite Being who is the fountain of all being. This is
understood not only ever since the beginning of the world, but from and by the origin of the
universe. It is founded upon the foundation of the earth. The invisible things of God are clearly
seen from the creation of the world, Rom_1:20. Thou mayest not only ask thy father, and he
shall tell thee this, and thy elders (Deu_32:7); but ask those that go by the way (Job_21:29), ask
the first man you meet, and he will say the same. Some read it, Will you not know? Will you not
hear it? For those that are ignorant of this are willingly ignorant; the light shines in their faces,
but they shut their eyes against it. Now that which is here said of God is, (1.) That he has the
command of all the creatures. The heaven and the earth themselves are under his management:
He sits upon the circle, or globe, of the earth, Isa_40:22. He that has the special residence of his
glory in the upper world maintains a dominion over this lower world, gives law to it, and directs
all the motions of it to his own glory. He sits undisturbed upon the earth, and so establishes it.
He is still stretching out the heavens, his power and providence keep them still stretched out,
and will do so till the day comes that they shall be rolled together like a scroll. He spreads them

out as easily as we draw a curtain to and fro, opening these curtains in the morning and drawing
them close again at night. And the heaven is to this earth as a tent to dwell in; it is a canopy
drawn over our heads, et quod tegit omnia coelum - and it encircles all. - Ovid. See Psa_104:2.
(2.) That the children of men, even the greatest and mightiest, are as nothing before him. The
numerous inhabitants of this earth are in his eye as grasshoppers in ours, so little and
inconsiderable, of such small value, of such little use, and so easily crushed. Proud men's lifting
up themselves is but like the grasshopper's leap; in an instant they must stoop down to the earth
again. If the spies thought themselves grasshoppers before the sons of Anak (Num_13:33), what
are we before the great God? Grasshoppers live but awhile, and live carelessly, not like the ant;
so do the most of men.

5. JAMISON, “
ye — who worship idols. The question emphatically implies, they had known.
from the beginning — (
Isa_41:4, Isa_41:26; Isa_48:16). God is the beginning (Rev_1:8).
The tradition handed down from the very first, of the creation of all things by God at the
beginning, ought to convince you of His omnipotence and of the folly of idolatry.

6. K&D, “
Having thus depicted in a few strokes the infatuation of idolatry, the prophet
addresses the following question to such of the Israelites as are looking at it with longing eye,
even if they have not already been deluded by it. “Do ye not know? Do ye not hear? Is it not
proclaimed to you from the beginning? Have ye not obtained an insight into the foundations of
the earth?” We have here four questions chiastically arranged. The absolute being of God, which
is above all created things, is something which may be either inferred per ratiocinationem, or
learned per traditionem. When Israel failed to acknowledge the absolute distinctness and
unequalled supremacy of Jehovah its God, it hardened itself against the knowledge which it
might acquire even in a natural way (cf.,
Psa_19:1-14 and Rom_1:20), and shut its ears against
the teaching of revelation and tradition, which had come down from the very beginning of its
history. The first two questions are construed with futures, the other two with perfects; the
former refer to what is possible, the latter to what is an actual fact. Have you - this is the
meaning of the four questions - have you obtained no knowledge of the foundations of the earth,
namely, as to the way in which they were laid?

7. CALVIN, “21.Do ye not know? After having ridiculed the stupidity and madness of the Gentiles, the
Prophet turns to the Jews; for we are all prone to superstition, and thus we easily fall into it when any
example is placed before our eyes. In consequence of mixing with the Babylonians during their captivity,
the Jews were constrained to behold daily the basest examples of idolatry, and might be led away to
wicked imitation. Isaiah therefore anticipates this at an early period, and warns them not to be carried
away by the sight of such things.

He asks, “ they not been taught, and have they not learned who is God?” The greater part of
commentators think that all the questions here put are a repetition of the same truth, namely, that the
creation of the world shews clearly that nothing can be more inconsistent than to seek God in wood and
stone, silver and gold. But we may infer from the context that there are two clauses. Had he proceeded in
his expostulation with the Gentiles, he would have brought forward no other witnesses than heaven and
earth. But because he addresses the Jews who had been plainly taught by the Law, he brings forward

direct arguments to refute them, drawn both from the order of nature and from the voice of God. And, first,
he puts the question in general terms, “ ye not know?” Next, he adds two methods by which they ought to
have distinguished between the true God and the false gods. The former is drawn from the hearing of the
Word, and therefore he expressly says, “ it not been told you? Have ye not heard?”

The latter method is borrowed from that magnificent theatre (118) in which the glory of God shines above
and below. If the discourse had been addressed to foreigners and heathens, he would have been
satisfied with this second demonstration, as we see that Paul also was; for, having to do with the
inhabitants of Lystra, to whom no knowledge of heavenly doctrine had been conveyed, he employs none
but natural arguments, that “ by giving rain and sunshine, did not leave himself ( ἀbάρτυρον) without
witness.” (Act_14:17.) But when the Prophet spoke to the Jews about true godliness, it would have been
improper for him to pass by the Law, which rendered them doubly inexcusable if, by neglecting it, they
profaned themselves with unbelievers; for they had been convinced not only by the sight of their eyes, but
also by the hearing of their cars, which God beat incessantly by the preaching of his Law. Since,
therefore, from their mother’ womb they had sucked along with the milk the true knowledge of God, and
had been taught by their fathers through a long succession of generations, the Prophet justly argues that
they will be exceedingly ungrateful and wicked, if such assistance produce no good effect upon them.

Hath it not been told you from the beginning? The phrase, from the beginning, or “ ago,” conveys the idea
that not only had they been educated from childhood in the pure worship of God, but during a succession
of ages there had been largely enjoyed by that nation a doctrine which would not suffer them to go astray,
provided that they were attentive; as if he had said, “ have not any new God, but the same God who
revealed himself from the beginning to Abraham, Moses, and the rest of the fathers.” And indeed it yields
no small confirmation, that the doctrine which had been continued among believers during so many ages
must have been ancient. Not that antiquity alone is sufficient for establishing the certainty of faith, (for, on
the contrary, the Gentiles might easily have objected, that their superstitions were not less ancient,) but
since “ the beginning” the authority of the Law had been abundantly ratified, and God had testified that it
came from him, long experience added no small confirmation, when they knew that their ancestors had
delivered to posterity a form of religion which they could not throw away without receiving the stamp of
base apostasy. Such a commencement, therefore, and such progress quickly remove all doubt. It is one
and the same faith that has been held by us and by our fathers, for they and we have acknowledged the
same God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The same word, the same promises, and the same end,
have been exhibited to all believers.

From the foundations of the earth. This is figurative language, in which a part is taken for the whole; for a
part of the world is put; for the whole world. God has exhibited this world as a mirror to men, that by
beholding it they may acknowledge his majesty, so that it is a lively image of invisible things, as Paul
explains at great length in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. Their ignorance is therefore “
excuse;” for they cannot allege that they do not know God who has revealed himself in so many ways.
(Rom_1:20.) And indeed men sin more through insolence and pride than through ignorance; for they
despise God who manifests himself openly and speaks plainly, and their attention is occupied with
creatures, and with the most trifling matters. Has such contempt any title to be excused? Do they not
deserve to be blinded, and to adore their own inventions instead of God, which we see has happened to
almost all? Such punishment is unquestionably just and due to so great pride. And if to that knowledge
which we obtain through the creatures there be likewise added the doctrine of the word, we are much less
excusable. Isaiah has therefore joined both kinds of knowledge, in order to shew that the Jews ought to
be doubly condemned, if they did not place confidence in God, after having received instruction
concerning his power and goodness.

(118) “De ce beau theater du monde.” “ that beautiful theater of the world.”

22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
    and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
    and spreads them out like a tent to live in.

1.BARNES, “It is he that sitteth - Margin, ‘Him that sitteth,’ that is, have you not known
him? The Hebrew literally means ‘the sitter, or he sitting on the circle of the each;’ and it may be
connected either with
Isa_40:21, ‘Have ye not known him sitting on the circle of the earth?’ or
with Isa_40:18, ‘What likeness will ye compare to him that sitteth on the circle of the earth?’ In
either case the phrase is designed to show the majesty and glory of God. The word ‘sitteth’ refers
to God as a sovereign or monarch, making the circle of the earth his throne.
The circle of the earth - Or rather, “above” (לע  ‛al) the circle of the earth. The word
rendered ‘circle’ (גוּח  exut[) denotes “a circle, sphere, or arch”; and is applied to the arch or vault
of the heavens, in Pro_8:27; Job_22:14. The phrase ‘circle,’ or ‘circuit of the earth,’ here seems
to be used in the same sense as the phrase orbis terrarum by the Latins; not as denoting a
sphere, or not as implying that the earth was a globe, but that it was an extended plain
surrounded by oceans and mighty waters. The globular form of the earth was then unknown;
and the idea is, that God sat above this extended circuit, or circle; and that the vast earth was
beneath his feet.
And the inhabitants thereof are like grasshoppers - Or rather, like locusts, for so the
Hebrew word properly means. This is designed to show that the inhabitants of the earth,
numerous and mighty as they are, are as nothing compared with God. The idea is that God is so
exalted, that, as he looks down from that elevated station, all the inhabitants of the world appear
to him as locusts - a busy, agirated, moving, impatient multitude, spread over the vast circle of
the earth beneath him - as locusts spread in almost interminable bands over the plains in the
East. What a striking illustration of the insignificance of man as he is viewed from the heavens!
What an impressive description of the nothingness of his mighty plans, and of the vanity of his
mightiest works!

That stretcheth out the heavens - Referring to the firmament above, as that which seems
to be stretched out, or expanded over our heads. The heavens above are often thus compared to
an expanse - either solid Gen_1:7, or to a curtain, or tent (compare the note at Isa_34:4).
As a curtain - The word used here (קד  doq) denotes properly fineness, thinness; and then a
fine or thin cloth, or curtain. Here it means a thin canopy that is stretched over us. The same
expression occurs in Psa_104:2 (compare Job_9:8; Isa_44:24). Probably the reference here is
to the veil, curtain, or awning which the Orientals are accustomed to draw over the court in their
houses. Their houses are constructed with an open court in the center, with the rooms ranged
round it. In that court or open square there are usually fountains, if the situation is so that they
can be constructed; and they are cool and refreshing places for the family to sit in the heat of the
summer. In hot or rainy weather, a curtain or awning is drawn over this area. According to the
imago of the prophet here, the heavens are spread out over our heads as such an awning.
And spreadeth them out as a tent - As a tent that is made for a habitation. Perhaps the
idea is, that the heavens are extended like a tent in order to furnish a dwelling-place for God.
Thus the Chaldee renders it. If so, it proves that the universe, so vast, was suited up to be the
dwelling-place of the High and Holy One, and is a most impressive representation of his
immensity.

2. CLARKE, “
As a curtain “As a thin veil” - “It is usual in the summer season, and upon
all occasions when a large company is to be received, to have the court sheltered from heat or
inclemency of the weather by a velum, umbrella, or veil, as I shall call it; which being expanded
on ropes from one side of the parapet wall to the other, may be folded or unfolded at pleasure.
The psalmist seems to allude to some covering of this kind in that beautiful expression of
spreading out the heavens like a curtain.” - Shaw’s Travels, p. 274.

3. GILL, “
It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth,.... Or, "the globe
(z)" of it; for
the earth is spherical or globular: not a flat plain, but round, hung as a ball in the air; here
Jehovah sits as the Lord and Sovereign; being the Maker of it, he is above it, orders and directs
its motion, and governs all things in it: Kimchi rightly observes, that the heavens are the circle of
the earth, which is the centre of them, and around which they are; and so it signifies, that the
Lord sits or dwells in the heavens, from whence he beholds the children of men:

and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; or "locusts (a)"; as one upon a very
great eminence looking down beholds creatures as exceeding small and little; and if the
Israelites were to the "anakim" or giants as grasshoppers, Num_13:33, much more must puny
mortals be such in the sight of God, and in comparison of him; and this may denote, not only the
minuteness of men, but what weak, impotent, useless, worthless, and short lived creatures men
are:

that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain; alluding to the firmament or expanse made
at the creation, and still continued; which is as a curtain to himself, which he draws around
himself, he dwelling in the highest heavens, and in light inaccessible to mortals; and which he
stretches out as a canopy around this earth, for the use of the inhabitants of it: or, "as a little
thing"; or, as a little skin (b); and which he stretches out as easily as a man can stretch out that:

and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in it; for himself to dwell in, and so stretches
out the heavens like curtains about him; tents being made of such, and often of skins.

4. HENRY, “
That he has the command of all the creatures. The heaven and the earth
themselves are under his management: He sits upon the circle, or globe, of the earth,
Isa_40:22.
He that has the special residence of his glory in the upper world maintains a dominion over this
lower world, gives law to it, and directs all the motions of it to his own glory. He sits undisturbed
upon the earth, and so establishes it. He is still stretching out the heavens, his power and
providence keep them still stretched out, and will do so till the day comes that they shall be
rolled together like a scroll. He spreads them out as easily as we draw a curtain to and fro,
opening these curtains in the morning and drawing them close again at night. And the heaven is
to this earth as a tent to dwell in; it is a canopy drawn over our heads, et quod tegit omnia
coelum - and it encircles all. - Ovid. See Psa_104:2. (2.) That the children of men, even the
greatest and mightiest, are as nothing before him. The numerous inhabitants of this earth are in
his eye as grasshoppers in ours, so little and inconsiderable, of such small value, of such little
use, and so easily crushed. Proud men's lifting up themselves is but like the grasshopper's leap;
in an instant they must stoop down to the earth again. If the spies thought themselves
grasshoppers before the sons of Anak (Num_13:33), what are we before the great God?
Grasshoppers live but awhile, and live carelessly, not like the ant; so do the most of men. (3.)
That those who appear and act against him, how formidable soever they may be to their fellow-
creatures, will certainly be humble and brought down by the mighty hand of God, Isa_40:23,
Isa_40:24. Princes and judges, who have great authority, and abuse it to the support of
oppression and injustice, make nothing of those about them; as for all their enemies they puff at
them (Psa_10:5; Psa_12:5); but, when the great God takes them to task, he brings them to
nothing; he humbles them, and tames them, and makes them as vanity, little regarded, neither
feared nor loved. He makes them utterly unable to stand before his judgments, which shall
either, [1.] Prevent their settlement in their authority: They shall not be planted; they shall not
be sown; and those are the two ways of propagating plants, either by seed or slips. Nay, if they
should gain a little interest, and so be planted or sown, yet their stock shall not take root in the
earth, they shall not continue long in power. Eliphaz saw the foolish taking root, but suddenly
cursed their habitation. And then how soon is the fig-tree withered away! Or, [2.] He will blast
them when they think they are settled. He does but blow upon them, and then they shall wither,
and come to nothing, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. For God's wrath,
though it seem at first to blow slightly upon them, will soon become a mighty whirlwind. When
God judges he will overcome. Those that will not bow before him cannot stand before him.

5. JAMISON, “
It is he — rather, connected with last verse, “Have ye not known?” - have ye
not understood Him that sitteth ...? (
Isa_40:26) [Maurer].
circle — applicable to the globular form of the earth, above which, and the vault of sky
around it, He sits. For “upon” translate “above.”
as grasshoppers — or locusts in His sight (Num_13:33), as He looks down from on high
(Psa_33:13, Psa_33:14; Psa_113:4-6).
curtain — referring to the awning which the Orientals draw over the open court in the center
of their houses as a shelter in rain or hot weather.

6. K&D, “The prophet now proceeds to describe the God whom both His works and word
proclaim. The participles which follow are predicates of the subject, which filled the
consciousness of the prophet as well as that of every believer. “He who is enthroned above the
vault of the earth, and its inhabitants resemble grasshoppers; who has spread out the heavens
like gauze, and stretched them out like a tent3roof to dwell in.” He, the manifested and yet
unknown, is He who has for His throne the circle of the heavens (
exum[5Hx to MOo,
Job_22:14),
which arches over the earth, and to whom from His inaccessible height men appear as
diminutive as grasshoppers (Num_13:33); He who has spread out the blue sky like a thin
transparent garment (doq, a thin fabric, like daq, fine dust, in Isa_40:15), and stretched it out
above the earth like a tent for dwelling in ('ohel
(Note: The noun
'ohel is derived from the root
לא, from which come Arab. 'wl, coaluit,
cohaesit, to thicken within or gain consistency (hence, regarded on another side, to lose in
outward extent or outward bulk, to shrink; to go back to its original or essential condition; to
issue in something as the final result; or generally, to draw back or return from a distance),
and Arab.
'h', to attach one's self or accustom one's self to a person or thing, equivalent to
alifa and anisa; to take up one's abode in a place, or absolutely, to commence housekeeping
by marrying, like the Italian
accasarsi, Turkish ewlenmek (from ew, a house); or, when applied
to a place itself, to be habitable, inhabited, and cultivated (= pass.
uhila, more especially in
the participle
txO., = p toO_ = ma‛mur). (Hence ahl, one who belongs to a person or place, with
its numerous applications, and also
ל ֶהּא, a tent (primarily a dwelling generally, Engl. abode),
which stands at the end of this etymological series.)
. tHxIvxISx). The participle brings to view the actions and circumstances of all times. In the
present instance, where it is continued in the historical sense, it is to be resolved into the
perfect; in other cases, the preservation of the world is evidently thought of as a creatio continua
(see Psychol. P. 111).

7. CALVIN, “22.It is he that sitteth. He pursues the same subject, though in a different manner, and
extols the glory and power of God. Why he does so we have already in some measure explained. It is
because we are so prone to distrust, that the very smallest occasion makes us waver; and therefore the
Prophet is constrained to repeat the same thing in many ways, that he may keep our weak and inconstant
hearts in the exercise of confidence in God. Formerly he spoke of the creation of the world, but now he
comes to the continual government of it; for God did not only for a single moment exert his power for
creating the world, but he manifests his power not less efficaciously in preserving it. And this is worthy of
observation; for our minds would be little impressed by knowing that God is the creator of the world, if his
hand were not continually stretched out for upholding it in existence. By the word sitteth the Prophet
means, that the earth does not remain firmly and permanently in its place any further than as it is upheld
by the power of God; for “” is a metaphorical term which denotes “”

The inhabitants of which are as locusts. By comparing the inhabitants of the earth to locusts, he reminds
us that God cannot be confined within such narrow boundaries, because “ the heavens (1Kg_8:27) do not
contain him;” that we may learn, whenever we mention God, to conceive nothing earthly or human as
belonging to his incomprehensible glory. Besides, this metaphor shews how ridiculous is the blindness of

men when they claim anything for themselves; for they gain by their boastings just as much as if some
small creatures, such as locusts, would elevate themselves by leaping; but they must immediately fall
back on the earth.

Spreadeth it out as a tent. David also employs the same form of expression, (Psa_104:2,) and both speak
of the aspect and spreading out of the heavens with respect to us; for they do not mean that God spreads
out the heavens, that he may dwell in them, but rather that there may be given to us a place of habitation
under them; for while the earth sustains, the heavens cover us, so that we have a dwelling close and
covered on all sides.

But it may be thought that these metaphors detract greatly from the dignity of the subject of which the
Prophet discourses, while his object is to commend and exalt it to the utmost of his power. What is
a curtain? What is a tent? I reply, these metaphors tend nevertheless to exalt the subject; for it is as if he
had said, “ it is as easy for God to spread out heaven, as for a man to spread out a curtain.” And he
leaves to every person to consider how great is the difference between heaven and a curtain, and what is
their size, which any person may easily understand. Lastly, there is an implied contrast between
tabernacles or houses (119) which men are long, and laboriously, and at great expense employed in
building, and yet which hardly rise to a hundred feet, and the immeasurable height of the heavens spread
out by an instantaneous act of the will of God, which makes abundantly manifest how great and how
excellent a workman he is.

23 He brings princes to naught
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.

1.BARNES, “That bringeth the princes to nothing - That is, all princes and kings. No
matter how great their power, their wealth, and their dignity, they are, by his hand, reduced to
nothing before him. The design of this passage is to contrast the majesty of God with that of
princes and nobles, and to show how far he excels them all. The general truth is therefore stated,
that all monarchs are by him removed from their thrones, and consigned to nothing. The same
idea is expressed in
Job_12:21 :
He poureth contempt upon princes,
And weakeneth the strength of the mighty.
And in Psa_107:40 :

He poureth contempt upon princes,
And causeth them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way.
The particular idea here, as appears from the next verse, is, that the princes and rulers who
are opposed to God constitute no real resistance to the execution of his purposes. He can strip
off their honors and glory, and obliterate even their names.
He maketh the judges of the earth - Kings and princes often executed judgment
personally, and hence, the words judges and kings seem to be synonymous as they are used
here, and in Psa_2:10 :
Be wise now, therefore, O ye kings;
Be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

2. GILL, “
That bringeth princes to nothing,.... The great men of the earth, kings, rulers,
and nobles, these he brings to the dust; and all their counsels, schemes, and purposes, come to
nothing; and their monarchies and kingdoms too in time. Where are now the Babylonish,
Persian, and Grecian monarchies, and those great princes that formerly reigned in them?

he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity; their decrees and decisions to stand for
nothing, as "tohu" and "bohu", the first of which words is used here; so that they are no more
regarded and attended to.

3. HENRY, “
That those who appear and act against him, how formidable soever they may be
to their fellow-creatures, will certainly be humble and brought down by the mighty hand of God,
Isa_40:23, Isa_40:24. Princes and judges, who have great authority, and abuse it to the support
of oppression and injustice, make nothing of those about them; as for all their enemies they puff
at them (Psa_10:5; Psa_12:5); but, when the great God takes them to task, he brings them to
nothing; he humbles them, and tames them, and makes them as vanity, little regarded, neither
feared nor loved. He makes them utterly unable to stand before his judgments, which shall
either, [1.] Prevent their settlement in their authority: They shall not be planted; they shall not
be sown; and those are the two ways of propagating plants, either by seed or slips. Nay, if they
should gain a little interest, and so be planted or sown, yet their stock shall not take root in the
earth, they shall not continue long in power. Eliphaz saw the foolish taking root, but suddenly
cursed their habitation. And then how soon is the fig-tree withered away! Or, [2.] He will blast
them when they think they are settled. He does but blow upon them, and then they shall wither,
and come to nothing, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble. For God's wrath,
though it seem at first to blow slightly upon them, will soon become a mighty whirlwind. When
God judges he will overcome. Those that will not bow before him cannot stand before him.

4. JAMISON, “
(
Psa_107:4; Dan_2:21).
judges — that is, rulers; for these exercised judicial authority (Psa_2:10). The Hebrew,
shophtee, answers to the Carthaginian chief magistrates, suffetes.

5. K&D, “This is followed by a series of predicates of God the Ruler of the universe. “He who
giveth up rulers to annihilation; maketh judges of the earth like a desolation. They are hardly
planted, hardly sown, their stem has hardly taken root in the earth, and He only blows upon
them, and they dry up, and the storm carries them away like stubble.” There is nothing so high
and inaccessible in the world, that He cannot bring it to nothing, even in the midst of its most
self-confident and threatening exaltation.
Roz
e
nı̄m are solemn persons,
σε8νοί, possessors of the
greatest distinction and influence;
shoph
e
lı̄m, those who combine in themselves the highest
judicial and administrative power. The former He gives up to annihilation; the latter He brings
into a condition resembling the negative state of the
tohu out of which the world was produced,
and to which it can be reduced again. We are reminded here of such descriptions as
Job_12:17,
Job_12:24. The suddenness of the catastrophe is depicted in Isa_40:24. ף? 3ַEל (which only
occurs here), when followed by םַגְו in the apodosis (cf., 2Ki_20:4), signifies that even this has not
yet taken place when the other also occurs: hence vixdum plantati sunt, etc. The niphal ע ַ?ִנ and
the pual ע ַרּז denote the hopeful commencement; the poelשׁ ֵרּשׁ the hopeful continuation. A layer
or seed excites the hope of blossom and fruit, more especially when it has taken root; but
nothing more is needed than a breath of Jehovah, and it is all over with it (the verb
s tHx Cx is
used in this verse, where plants with stems are referred to; a verb with a softer labial,
s tHx vx,
was employed above in connection with grass and flowers). A single withering breath lays them
at rest; and by the power of Jehovah there rises a stormy wind, which carries them away like
light dry stubble (
א ָשָׂנ); compare, on the other hand, the verb used in Isa_40:15, viz., tul = s tS .,
to lift up, to keep in the air).

6. CALVIN, “23.He bringeth the mighty to nothing. He proceeds in extolling the providence of God, by
which he governs the whole world, but more especially mankind. Already and but a little ago he had
begun to remark that God did not create the world, so as afterwards to allow it to be governed by chance,
but that he undertakes the preservation of it, and keeps it under his power and authority; but as he deigns
to look more closely at mankind, so the Prophet selects this department, that by means of it he may extol
God’ providence. The sum of what he says is, that God’ government extends far and wide, so that he
directs and governs everything according to his pleasure; but he shews, (what was also highly
advantageous to be known,) that even in the life of men striking proofs of the immediate exercise of the
power of God are visible, and, not even satisfied with the general doctrine, he brings forward one class
which ought still more to arouse our attention.

The governors of the earth as if they were not. (120) Anything that happens to the undistinguished mass of
common people is despised and passed by as unworthy of being observed; but when kingdoms and
monarchies, or men of high rank, fall from their elevation, it seems as if the earth had been shaken; and
the Prophet skilfully avails himself of such proofs to arouse us. It might, indeed, be supposed that princes
and magistrates are exempted from the common lot, and are not subject to the ordinary miseries of men;
for by their splendor they dazzle the eyes and understandings of all men. But their lustre is entirely
dimmed; and therefore the Prophet especially mentions them, and declares that the Lord “ them to
nothing.” And if the hand of God is so powerful against nobles and princes, what must we think of the
common people? Will he not also treat the ordinary crowd according to his pleasure, and drive them

wherever he thinks fit? Will he not either give or take away from them, whenever he pleases, both
strength and courage?

(120) “ maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.” — Eng. Ver. “ judges (or rulers) of the earth like
emptiness (or desolation) he has made.” —Alexander.

24 No sooner are they planted,
    no sooner are they sown,
    no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
    and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.

1.BARNES, “Yea, they shall not be planted - The kings and rulers - especially they who
oppose God in the execution of his purposes. The idea in this verse is, that their name and family
should become extinct in the same way as a tree does from which no shoot starts up. Although
they were great and mighty, like the tree that sends out far-spreading branches, and strikes its
roots deep, yet God would so utterly destroy them that they should have no posterity, and their
family become extinct. Princes and kings are often compared to lofty and majestic trees of the
forest (compare
Psa_37:35; Dan_4:7 ff) Vitringa supposes that wicked rulers are particularly
intended here, and that the idea is, that the wicked princes that persecuted his people should be
entirely extinct on the earth. He refers particularly to Pharaoh, Antiochus Epiphanes, Nero,
Domitian, Decius, Gallus, Galerius, Maxenus, Maximus, and some others, as instances of this
kind, whose families soon became extinct. It may be remarked, in general, that the families of
monarchs and princes become extinct usually much sooner than others. The fact may be owing
in part to the usual luxury and vice in the families of the great, and in part to the direct
arrangements of God, by which he designs that power shall not be forever perpetuated in one
family, or line. The general idea in the passage is, that earthly princes and rulers are as nothing
When compared with God, and that he can easily destroy their families and their name. But
there is no improbability in the supposition of Vitringa, that the prophet refers particularly to
the enemies of God and his cause, and that he intends specifically to affirm that none of these
enemies could prevent or embarrass the execution of his purposes - since with infinite ease he
could entirely destroy their name.
They shall not be sown - The same idea under another figure. The former referred to
princes under the image of a tree; this refers to them under the image of grain that is sown. The

idea is, that their family and name should be annihilated, and should not spring up in a future
generation. The same image occurs in Nah_1:14, in respect to the king of Assyria: ‘The Lord hath
given commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown;’ that is, that thy name
and family should become entirely extinct.
Yea, their stock - Their stem - referring to the stump or stock of a tree. When a tree is cut
down, the roots often still live, and send up shoots, or suckers, that grow into trees. Posterity is
often, in the Scriptures, compared to such suckers or shoots from old and decayed trees (see the
notes at Isa_11:1). The meaning here is, that as when a tree falls and dies without sending up any
shoots, so princes should die. They should have no descendants; no one of their family should sit
on their thrones.
Shall blow upon them - As God sends a tempest upon the forest and uproots the loftiest
trees, so he will sweep away the families of princes. Or rather, perhaps, the idea here is, that God
sends a strong and burning east wind, and withers up everything before it (see this wind
described in the notes at Isa_37:26).
And they shall wither - Trees, and shrubs, and plants are dried up before that poisonous
and fiery wind - the simoom - and so it would be with the princes before the blast of Yahweh.
And the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble - This, in its literal signification,
means that the whirlwind bears away the trees of the forest, and with the same ease God would
sweep away the families of the kings and princes that opposed him and oppressed his people. It
may illustrate this to observe, that the effects of whirlwinds in the East are often much more
violent than they are with us, and that they often bear away to a great distance the branches of
trees, and even the trees themselves. The following description of a whirlwind observed by Mr.
Bruce, may serve to illustrate this passage, as well as the passage in Psa_83:13 :
O my God, make them like a wheel;
As the stubble before the wind,
referring to the rotary action of the whirlwind, which often impels straw like a wheel set in
rapid motion. ‘Mr. Bruce, in his journey through the desert of Senaar, had the singular felicity to
contemplate this wonderful phenomenon in all its terrific majesty, without injury, although with
considerable danger and alarm. In that vast expanse of desert, from west and to northwest of
him, he saw a number of prodigious pillars of sand at different distances, moving, at times, with
great celerity, at others, stalking on with majestic slowness; at intervals he thought they were
coming, in a very few minutes, to overwhelm him and his companion. Again, they would retreat
so as to be almost out of sight, their tops reaching to the very clouds. There, the tops often
separated from the bodies; and these, once disjoined, dispersed in the air, and appeared no
more. Sometimes they were broken near the middle, as if struck with a large cannon-shot.
About noon, they began to advance with considerable swiftness upon them, the wind being
very strong at north. Eleven of these awful visitors ranged alongside of them, about the distance
of three miles. The greatest diameter of the largest appeared to him, at that distance, as if it
would measure ten feet. They retired from them with a wind at southeast, leaving an impression
upon the mind of our intrepid traveler, to which he could give no name, though he candidly
admits that one ingredient in it was fear, with a considerable deal of wonder and astonishment.
He declares it was in vain to think of flying; the swiftest horse, or fastest sailing ship, could be of
no use to carry them out of this danger; and the full persuasion of this riveted him to the spot
where he stood. Next day, they were gratified with a similar display of moving pillars, in form
and disposition like those already described, only they seemed to be more in number and less in
size.
They came, several times, in a direction close upon them; that is, according to Mr. Bruce’s
computation, within less than two miles. They became, immediately after sunrise, like a thick

wood, and almost darkened the sun; his rays shining through them for near an hour, gave them
an appearance of pillars of fire. At another time, they were terrified by an army (as it seemed) of
these sand pillars, whose march was constantly south, a number of which seemed once to be
coming directly upon them; and though they were little nearer than two miles, a considerable
quantity of sand fell around them. On the 21st of November, about eight in the morning, he had
a view of the desert to the westward, as before, and the sands had already begun to rise in
immense twisted pillars, which darkened the heavens, and moved over the desert with more
magnificence than ever. The sun, shining through the pillars, which were thicker, and contained
more sand, apparently, than on any of the preceding days, seemed to give those nearest them an
appearance as if spotted with stars of gold.’ (Paxton)

2. CLARKE, “
And he shall also blow upon them “And if he but blow upon them” -
The Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, and MS. Bodl., with another, have
םג  gam, only, without the
conjunction ו  vau, and.

3. GILL, “
Yea, they shall not be planted,.... As trees are, like the cedars in Lebanon, though
they may seem to be such; but be like the grass of the field, and herbs of the earth: or, "even they
shall be", as if they were "not planted
(c)", they shall not grow and flourish; or they shall be
plucked up, and be no more; this is said of the princes and judges of the earth; nay,

they shall not be sown; as seed is, which springing up, brings forth fruit, but so it shall not be
with them; or they shall be as if they had not been sown, no fruit being brought forth by them:

yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth; so as to continue and abide, but they
shall soon vanish and disappear, as the most powerful princes and wisest judges do. The Targum
is,

"although they multiply, although they increase, although their children become great in the
earth:''

"and" or "yea",

he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither; as grass withers, when a severe
wind blows upon it:

and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble; which is not able to stand before the
force of it; and as unable are the greatest potentates on earth to stand before the tempest of
divine wrath and vengeance; if God blows but upon them in anger, all their glory and grandeur,
pomp and power, wither away like the flower of the field; and especially if he comes forth in all
the fury of his wrath in a tempestuous way against them, they are no more able to stand before
him that stubble before a violent storm: see Rev_6:15. The Targum is,

"yet, even he will send his fury upon them; and his word shall take them away, as a whirlwind
stubble.''

4. JAMISON, “they — the “princes and judges” (Isa_40:23) who oppose God’s purposes and
God’s people. Often compared to tall trees (Psa_37:35; Dan_4:10).
not ... sown — the seed, that is, race shall become extinct (Nah_1:14).
stock — not even shall any shoots spring up from the stump when the tree has been cut
down: no descendants whatever (Job_14:7; see on Isa_11:1).
and ... also — so the Septuagint. But Maurer translates, “They are hardly (literally, ‘not yet’,
as in 2Ki_20:4) planted (etc.) when He (God) blows upon them.”
blow — The image is from the hot east wind (simoon) that “withers” vegetation.
whirlwind ... stubble — (Psa_83:13), where, “like a wheel,” refers to the rotatory action of
the whirlwind on the stubble.

5. K&D, “
This is followed by a series of predicates of God the Ruler of the universe. “He who
giveth up rulers to annihilation; maketh judges of the earth like a desolation. They are hardly
planted, hardly sown, their stem has hardly taken root in the earth, and He only blows upon
them, and they dry up, and the storm carries them away like stubble.” There is nothing so high
and inaccessible in the world, that He cannot bring it to nothing, even in the midst of its most
self-confident and threatening exaltation.
Roz
e
nı̄m are solemn persons,
σε8νοί, possessors of the
greatest distinction and influence;
shoph
e
lı̄m, those who combine in themselves the highest
judicial and administrative power. The former He gives up to annihilation; the latter He brings
into a condition resembling the negative state of the
tohu out of which the world was produced,
and to which it can be reduced again. We are reminded here of such descriptions as
Job_12:17,
Job_12:24. The suddenness of the catastrophe is depicted in Isa_40:24. ף? ל ַE (which only
occurs here), when followed by םַגְו in the apodosis (cf., 2Ki_20:4), signifies that even this has not
yet taken place when the other also occurs: hence vixdum plantati sunt, etc. The niphal ע ַ?ִנ and
the pual ע ַרּז denote the hopeful commencement; the poelשׁ ֵרּשׁ the hopeful continuation. A layer
or seed excites the hope of blossom and fruit, more especially when it has taken root; but
nothing more is needed than a breath of Jehovah, and it is all over with it (the verb
s tHx Cx is
used in this verse, where plants with stems are referred to; a verb with a softer labial,
s tHx vx,
was employed above in connection with grass and flowers). A single withering breath lays them
at rest; and by the power of Jehovah there rises a stormy wind, which carries them away like
light dry stubble (
א ָשָׂנ); compare, on the other hand, the verb used in Isa_40:15, viz., tul = s tS .,
to lift up, to keep in the air).

6. CALVIN, “24.It is as if they had not been planted. Though the particle ףא (aph) signifies also, yet in
this passage it may be more appropriately rendered “ that;” and thus the plain meaning will be, “ that you
may say that they were not planted or sown.” It is an amplification of what he had formerly said, for he
shews that the princes are totally destroyed and rooted out, so that no trace of them is left, any more than
if they had never existed. So long as they remain in prosperity, they appear to be so strong as to be
beyond the possibility of being thrown down by any adverse event. (121) but such changes happen as blot

out their name and remembrance, so that you would say that they had never existed; and we see that this
has happened not only to men but even to very flourishing kingdoms.

Since, therefore, great downfalls are so many tokens of God’ dreadful power, let us learn not to lean on
earthly and deceitful supports, but, whatever may be the amount of our riches or strength, let us depend
on him. God does not, as heathen men babble, turn about this world like a ball, as if he took pleasure in
this game; but whenever any person is highly elevated, he never ceases from insolent boasting till he is
thrown down headlong, so that the judgments of God are always manifest. We are also reminded by it,
that it is wrong to ascribe to fortune or to any other cause the various events that happen; for God was
not an instantaneous Creator, that would immediately abandon the charge of his work, but incessantly
applies his hand, so that nothing is done but by his will and pleasure. Seeing that various changes thus
happen in the world, seeing that those things which were thought to be firm and stable are transitory and
fading, let us turn our minds to that supreme providence of God.

Even while he bloweth on them. Hence he shows how light and trivial before God are those things which
commonly dazzle our eyes and fill us with amazement; for we cannot think of any great king without being
perfectly alarmed and stupified. But he shows that kings and princes are like stubble before God, by
whose breath they are driven, as by a whirlwind, at any instant that he pleases. We are therefore taught
that we ought never to be overwhelmed by the sight of any creature, so as not to render to God the honor
and glory that are due to him. This ought to have been carefully considered by the Jews, who would have
thought that that monarchy of the Babylonians, whose captives they were, would never be destroyed, and
that they could not be rescued out of their hands, if they had not called to remembrance this doctrine, that
nothing in this world is so durable that it may not be dissolved by the breath of God. That they may not
despair of their salvation, the Prophet reminds them that God, as soon as he shall be pleased to thunder
from heaven, will crush all that strength in their enemies that terrifies them, so that it shall vanish away.

(121) “Que le vent d’ ne les puisse abattre.” “ the wind of adversity cannot throw them down.”

25 “To whom will you compare me?
Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.

1.BARNES, “To whom then will ye liken me? - (See
Isa_40:18) The prophet having thus
set forth the majesty and glory of God, asks now with great emphasis, what could be an adequate
and proper representation of such a God. And if God was such a Being, how great was the folly of
idolatry, and how vain all their confidence in the gods which their own hands had made.

2.  GILL, “
To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal, saith the Holy One? Or
be upon a level with? since the greatest of men on earth are brought to nothing by him, and are
no more: this is repeated from
Isa_40:18 and supported with fresh strength of argument, to
show that there is nothing whatever, that is a fit likeness and similitude, by which to represent
the Lord.

3. K&D, “
The thought of
Isa_40:18 now recurs like a refrain, a conclusion being appended to
the premises by means of ו, as was the case there. “And to whom will ye compare me, to whom I
can be equal? saith the Holy One.” Not
x "" tQkmHx, because a poetical or oratorical style omits
the article wherever it can be dispensed with. The Holy One asks this, and can ask it, because as
such He is also exalted above the whole world (
Job_15:15; Job_25:5).

4.  CALVIN, “25.And to whom will ye liken me? He repeats the former statement, (Isa_40:18,) by
which he said that the Lord would not suffer himself to be likened to idols; that the Jews might not in any
degree detract, from his power, on account of their having been so long held captive in the hand of
unbelievers, or think that idols are anything on account of the prosperity of their worshippers, whom they
were compelled to serve; for, by reasoning in this manner about the power of the true God and of idols,
they would have compared him with idols. On this account he repeats, as it were in indignation, “ whom
will ye liken me?” as if he had said, “ you rob me of my majesty by your comparisons?” For although men
have various thoughts of God, and transform him according to their fancy, yet he continues to be like
himself, for he does not change his nature on account of the inventions of men.

Saith the Holy One. He appropriately applies to God the term Holy, by which title he indirectly blames or
accuses the Jews of base ingratitude, if, as they have been set apart by him, they do not sanctify him in
return. No holiness will be found in the gods of the Gentiles; they are the mere inventions of men. A
grievous injury therefore is done to God, and he is basely degraded from his rank, when idols are brought
into collision with him, and when it becomes a subject of debate if they can do more than God himself.

26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
    Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
    and calls forth each of them by name.

Because of his great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.

1.BARNES, “Lift up your eyes on high - Direct your eyes toward heaven, and in the
contemplation of the wonders of the starry world, and of God’s power there, learn the evidence
of his ability to destroy his foes and to save his friends. Lowth connects this verse with the
former, and renders it:
‘Saith the Holy One,
Lift up your eyes on high.’
The words ‘on high’ here are evidently synonymous with heaven, and refer to the starry
worlds. The design of the passage is to convince them of the folly of idolatry, and of the power
and majesty, of the true God. It is proof of man’s elevated nature that he can thus look upward,
and trace the evidences of the power and wisdom of God in the heavens; that he can raise his
eyes and thoughts above the earth, and fix his attention on the works of God in distant worlds;
and in the number, the order, the greatness, and the harmony of the heavenly bodies, trace the
proofs of the infinite greatness and the wisdom of God. This thought was most beautifully
expressed by one of the ancient poets.
Pronaque cum spectent animalia caetera terram;
Os homini sublime dedit: ccelumque tueri,
Jussit et erectos ad sidera tollere vultus.
Ovid, Met. i. 84386.
In the Scriptures, God not unfrequently appeals to the starry heavens in proof of his existence
and perfections, and as the most sublime exhibition of his greatness and power (see
Psa_19:1-6).
And it may be remarked, that this argument is one that increases in strength, in the view of
people, from age to age, just in proportion to the advances which are made in the science of
astronomy. It is now far more striking than it was in the times of Isaiah; and, indeed, the
discoveries in astronomical science in modern times have given a beauty and power to this
argument which could have been but imperfectly understood in the times of the prophets. The
argument is one that accumulates with every new discovery in astronomy; but is one - such is
the vastness and beauty of the system of the universe - which can be contemplated in its fall
power only amidst the more sublime contemplations of eternity. Those who are disposed to
contemplate this argument more fully, may find it presented with great eloquence and beauty in
Dr. Chalmers’ Astronomical Discourses, and in Dick’s Christian Philosopher.
Who hath created these things - These heavens. This is the first evidence of the power of
God in the contemplation of the heavens, that God is their Creator. The other demonstrations
referred to are the fact, that he brings out their armies as if they were a marshalled host, and
understands and calls all their names.
That bringeth out their hosts - Their armies, for so the word ‘hosts’ means (see the note at
Isa_1:9). The word here alludes to the fact that the heavenly bodies seem to be marshalled, or
regularly arrayed as an array; that they keep their place, preserve their order, and are apparently
led on from the east to the west, like a vast army under a mighty leader:

Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?
Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?
Job_38:32
By number - As if he had numbered, or named them; as a military commander would call
forth his armies in their proper order, and have them so numbered and enrolled in the various
divisions, that he can command them with ease.
He calleth them all by names - This idea is also taken from a military leader, who would
know the names of the individuals that composed his army. In smaller divisions of an army, this
could of course be done; but the idea is, that God is intimately acquainted with all the hosts of
stars; that though their numbers appear to us so great, yet he is acquainted with each one
individually, and has that knowledge of it which we have of a person or object which we
recognize by a name. It is said of Cyrus, that he was acquainted by name with every individual
that composed his vast army. The practice of giving names to the stars of heaven was early, and
is known to have been originated by the Chaldeans. Intimations of this custom we have not
unfrequently in the Scriptures, as far back as the time of Job:
Which maketh Arcturus, and Orion, and Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south.
Job_9:9
Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades?
Or loose the bands of Orion?
Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?
Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?
Job_38:31332
This power of giving names to all the stars, is beautifully ascribed to God in Psa_147:4 :
He telleth the number of the stars,
He calleth them all by their names.
This view of the greatness of God is more striking now than it was in the times of David or
Isaiah. Little then, comparatively, was known of the number of the stars. But since the invention
of the telescope the view of the heavenly world has been enlarged almost to immensity; arid
though the expression ‘he calleth them all by their names,’ had great sublimity as used in the
time of Isaiah, yet it raises in us far higher conceptions of the power and greatness of God when
applied to what we know now of the heavens. Yet doubtless our view of the heavens is much
further beneath the sublime reality than were the prevalent views in the time of the prophet
beneath those which we now have. As an illustration of this we may remark, that the milky way
which stretches across the heavens, is now ascertained to receive its white appearance from the
mingling together of the light of an innumerable number of stars, too remote to be seen by the
naked eye. Dr. Herschell examined a portion of the milky way about fifteen degrees long, and
two broad, and found that it contained no fewer than fifty thousand stars, large enough to be
distinctly counted, and he suspected that that portion contained twice as manymore, which, for
the want of sufficient light in his telescope, he saw only now and then. It is to be remembered,
also, that the galaxy, or milky way, which we see with the naked eye, is only one of a large
number of nebulae of similar construction which are arranged apparently in strata, and which
extend to great length in the heavens. According to this, and on every correct supposition in
regard to the heavens, the number of the stars surpasses all our powers of computation. Yet God
is said to lead them all forth as marshalled armies - how beautiful a description when applied to
the nebuloe! - and to call all their names.

By the greatness of his might - It is his single and unassisted arm that conducts them; his
own hand alone that sustains them.
Not one faileth - Not one is missing; not one of the immense host is out of its place, or
unnoticed. All are arranged in infinite wisdom; all observe the proper order, and the proper
times. How strikingly true is this, on the slightest inspection of the heavens. How im pressive
and grand is it in the higher developments of the discoveries of astronomy!

2. CLARKE, “
Left up your eyes on high - The rabbins say, He who is capable of
meditating on the revolutions of the heavenly bodies, and does not meditate on them, is not
worthy to have his name mentioned among men.

3. GILL, “
Lift up your eyes on high,.... From the earth, and the inhabitants of it, even those
of the greatest power and influence in it, to the heavens above, those that are visible to the eye:

and behold who hath created these things; that are seen in the heavens, the sun, moon,
and stars; consider the Creator of them, what a glorious Being he must be; what power he must
be possessed of; what dazzling light he must dwell in; what glory and majesty he must be clothed
with; and how infinitely transcending all mortal creatures he must be:

that bringeth out their host by number; not only into being, at the first creation of them,
but at every proper season; causing the sun to rise every morning, the stars to appear at night,
and the moon in its revolution; as a general brings forth his army, marshals it in order, musters
it, and takes the number of his soldiers:

he calleth them all by names; suitable to their position and influence; he knows the proper
names of them all, which no astrologer can pretend unto; and this is such knowledge as no
general of an army has; for though the stars are innumerable to men, the names of most
unknown, they are all known to him that made them,
Psa_147:4,

by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power not one faileth; through
the omnipotence of God, not only the sun and moon, the great luminaries, are continued in
being, and constantly observe their order; but even every star keeps its place, or performs its
course, and retains its influence, and in every instance obeys the commands of its Creator; never
fails of appearing at his order, and of doing what he appoints it should. Kimchi gives the sense
thus, that according to the virtue and efficacy that there is in every star, so is its name; and
because of the strength and power that is in everyone of them, they remain unchangeably and
unalterably the same as when they were first created; which not only holds true of the sun and
moon, but of the stars lesser and greater. The Targum is,

"because of the multitude of strength, and the power of might, not one is hindered from its
order;''

wherefore, as there is no likeness on earth, so none in heaven, with which the Lord is to be
likened, or to which he can be equalled. This may respect not the might and power of the Lord,
in supporting and maintaining these creatures in their being and usefulness; but the strength
and power of the mightiest creatures, to hinder their influence and service: for the words may be

rendered, "through the multitude of strength", or anyone being "strong in power, not one indeed
fails (d)"; or is wanting, that is, through the strength or power of the mightiest creatures, angels
or men, the hosts of heaven cannot be stopped in their course, or hindered in their work
appointed to do, or be deprived of their being.

4. HENRY, “
He appeals to what their eyes saw of him (
Isa_40:26): “Lift up your eyes on
high; be not always poring on this earth” (O curvae in terras animae et coelestium inanes! -
Degenerate minds, that can bend so towards the earth, having nothing celestial in them!), “but
sometimes look up” (Os homini sublime dedit, coelumque tueri jussit - Heaven gave to man an
erect countenance, and bade him gaze on the stars); “behold the glorious lights of heaven,
consider who has created them. They neither made nor marshalled themselves; doubtless,
therefore, there is a God that gave them their being, power, and motion.” What we see of the
creature should lead us to the Creator. The idolaters, when they lifted up their eyes and beheld
the hosts of heaven, being wholly immerged in sense, looked no further, but worshipped them,
Deu_4:19; Job_31:26. Therefore the prophet here directs us to make use of our reason as well as
our senses, and to consider who created them, and to pay our homage to him. Give him the glory
of his sovereignty over them - He brings out their host by number, as a general draws out the
squadrons and battalions of his army; of the knowledge he has of them - He calls them all by
names, proper names, according as their place and influence are (Psa_147:4); and of the use he
makes of them; when he calls them out to any service, so obsequious are they that, by the
greatness of his might, not one of them fails, but, as when the stars in their courses fought
against Sisera, every one does that to which he is appointed. To make these creatures therefore
rivals with God, which are such ready servants to him, is an injury to them as well as an affront
to him.

5. JAMISON, “
bringeth out ... host — image from a general reviewing his army: He is
Lord of Sabaoth, the heavenly hosts (
Job_38:32).
calleth ... by names — numerous as the stars are. God knows each in all its distinguishing
characteristics - a sense which “name” often bears in Scripture; so in Gen_2:19, Gen_2:20,
Adam, as God’s vicegerent, called the beasts by name, that is, characterized them by their
several qualities, which, indeed, He has imparted.
by the greatness ... faileth — rather, “by reason of abundance of (their inner essential)
force and firmness of strength, not one of them is driven astray”; referring to the sufficiency of
the physical forces with which He has endowed the heavenly bodies, to prevent all disorder in
their motions [Horsley]. In English Version the sense is, “He has endowed them with their
peculiar attributes (‘names’) by the greatness of His might,” and the power of His strength (the
better rendering, instead of, “for that He is strong”).

6. K&D, “
After the questions in
Isa_40:18 and Isa_40:25, which close syllogistically, a third
start is made, to demonstrate the incomparable nature of Jehovah. “Lift up your eyes on high,
and see: who hath created these things? It is He who bringeth out their host by number, calleth
them all by names, because of the greatness of (His) might, and as being strong in power:
there is not one that is missing.” Jehovah spoke in Isa_40:25; now the prophet speaks again.
We have here the same interchange which occurs in every prophetic book from Deuteronomy

downwards, and in which the divine fulness of the prophets is displayed. The answer does not
begin with אי ִצוֹ? ַה, in the sense of “He who brings them out has created them;” but the participle
is the predicate to the subject of which the prophet's soul is full: Jehovah, it is He who brings out
the army of stars upon the plane of heaven, as a general leads out his army upon the field of
battle, and that
b
e
oOHC t_, by number, counting the innumerable stars, those children of light in
armour of light, which meet the eye as it looks up by night. The finite verb
א ָר ְק ִי denotes that
which takes place every night. He calls them all by name (comp. the derivative passage,
Psa_147:4): this He does on account of the greatness and fulness of His might ( 'onı̄m, vires,
virtus), and as strong in power, i.e., because He is so. This explanation is simpler than Ewald's
(§293, c), viz., “because of the power (τ?3κρατερ?ν) of the Strong One.” The call addressed to the
stars that are to rise is the call of the Almighty, and therefore not one of all the innumerable host
remains behind. שׁי ִא individualizes; ר ָG ְעֶנ (participle), as in Isa_34:16, suggests the idea of a sheep
that is missed from the flock through staying behind. The second part of the address closes here,
having demonstrated the folly of idolatry from the infinite superiority of God; and from this the
third part deduces consolation for Israel in the midst of its despair.

7. CALVIN, “26.Lift up your eyes on high. The Prophet appears to linger too long on this subject, more
especially because it presents no obscurity; for he repeats by many statements what is acknowledged by
all, that God’ wonderful power and wisdom may be known from the beautiful order of the world. But we
ought to observe what I have already said, that we are so wicked and ungrateful judges of the divine
power, that we often imagine God to be inferior to some feeble man. We are more terrified frequently by
the empty mask of a single man (122) than we are strengthened by all the promises of God. Not in vain,
therefore, does the Prophet repeat that God is defrauded of his honor, if his power do not lead us to warm
admiration of him; nor does he spend his labor in what is superfluous, for we are so dull and sluggish that
we need to be continually aroused and excited.

Men see every day the heavens and the stars; but who is there that thinks about their Author? By nature
men are formed in such a manner as to make it evident that they were born to contemplate the heavens,
and thus to learn their Author; for while God formed other animals to look downwards for pasture, he
made man alone erect, and bade him look at what may be regarded as his own habitation.

This is also described beautifully by a poet: (123) “ other animals look downwards towards the earth, he
gave to man a lofty face, and bade him look at heaven, and lift up his countenance erect towards the
stars.” (124) The Prophet therefore points out the wickedness of men who do not acknowledge what is
openly placed before their eyes concerning God, but, like cattle, fix their snout in the earth; for, whenever
we raise our eyes upwards, with any degree of attention, it is impossible for our senses not to be struck
with the majesty of God.

And see who hath created them. By mentioning the stars, he states more clearly that the wonderful order
which shines brightly in the face of the heavens preaches loudly that there is one God and Creator of the
world; and all who shall observe, that amidst the vast number and variety of the stars, so regular an order
and course is so well maintained, will be constrained to make this acknowledgment. For it is not by
chance that each of the stars has had its place assigned to it, nor is it at random that they advance
uniformly with so great rapidity, and amidst numerous windings move straight forwards, so that they do

not deviate a hairbreadth from the path which God has marked out for them. Thus does their wonderful
arrangement shew that God is the Author and worker, so that men cannot open their eyes without being
constrained to behold the majesty of God in his works.

Bringing out by number their army. Under the word army he, includes two things; their almost infinite
number, and their admirable arrangement; for a small number of persons do not constitute an army, and
not even a considerable number, if there be not also numerous companies. Besides, it is not called an “”
when men are collected together at random, and without any selection, and in a confused manner, or
when they wander about in a disorderly state, but where there are various classes of officers, who have
the charge of ten, or a hundred, or a thousand men, (125) and where the ranks are drawn up and
arranged on a fixed plan. Thus the wonderful arrangement of the stars, and their certain courses, may
justly be called an “”

By the word number he means that God always has this “” at his command. In an army the soldiers may
wander, and may not be immediately collected or brought back to their ranks by the general, though the
trumpet sound. But it is otherwise with God. He always has his soldiers in readiness, and that “ number;”
that is, he keeps a reckoning of them, so that not one of them is absent.

He will call to all of them by name. The same expression occurs, (Psa_147:4,) and in the same sense.
Some explain it to mean that God knows the number of the stars, which is unknown to us. But David and
Isaiah meant a different thing, that is, that God makes use of the stars according to his pleasure; as if one
should command a servant, calling him to him by name; and the same thing will afterwards be said of
Cyrus, whose labors and service the Lord employed in delivering his people. (Isa_45:1.) In a word, it
denotes the utmost submission and obedience, when he who is called instantly answers to his name.

By the greatness of his strength. Those who explain the preceding clause to mean that the Lord knows
the number of the stars, are also mistaken in supposing that by giving them their names is meant their
power and office. Others explain it, that there is not a star that has not its own power and energy,
because the Lord gave to them those qualities they would always possess. But others connect these
words with ארקי, (yikra,) “ shall call;” as if he had said, “ Lord is so powerful that all the stars listen to his
commands.” But a meaning which appears to me to be more appropriate is, that God is so powerful, that,
as soon as he has issued an order, all the armies of the stars are ready to yield obedience. In this we
have an extraordinary proof of his power, when those highly excellent, creatures unhesitatingly submit to
him, and by executing his orders testify that they acknowledge him to be their Author.

Not one shall be wanting. The word שיא (ish) is applied by Hebrew writers not only to men and women,
but also to other animals, and even to inanimate objects, as in a former passage, (Isa_34:16,) when,
speaking of the birds that should occupy those splendid abodes, he said that “not one should be wanting,”
he used the word שיא (ish). (126) These words commend to us the power of God, that we may know that
there is nothing in heaven or in earth that does not depend on his will and pleasure. Nothing, therefore,
can be more shameful or unreasonable than to compare him to idols, which are as worthless as anything
can possibly be. (127)

(122) “L’ d’ ver de terre.” “ appearance of a worm of the earth.”

(123) “Par un poete profane.” “ a heathen poet.”

(124)

“Pronaque quum spectent animalia caetera terram,

Os homini sublime dedit, coelumque videre

Jussit, et erectos ad sidera tollere vultus.”

Some readers will, perhaps, thank me for a translation of the above passage into French rhyme, taken
from the French version of this Commentary. — Ed.

“ Et neantmoins que tout autre animal

Iette toujours son regard principal

En contre bas, Dieu a Phomme a donne

La face haute, et luy a ordonne

De regarder l’ des cieux,

Et d’ aux estoilles ses yeux ”

(125) “Mais celle ou il y aura des sergens de bande, capitaines, colonels et autres conducteurs.” “ where
there shall be serjeants of companies, captains, colonels, and other officers.”

(126) In the passage referred to, although not שיא (ish) but the feminine form השא (ishshah) is used, this
does not invalidate our author’ argument. — Ed.

(127) “Qui sont plus vaines que la vanite mesme.” “ are more vain than vanity itself.”

27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
    Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
    my cause is disregarded by my God”?

1.BARNES, “Why sayest thou? - This verse is designed to reprove the people for their
want of confidence in God. The idea is, ‘If God is so great; if be arranges the hosts of heaven with
such unerring skill, causing all the stars to observe their proper place and their exact times, the
interests of his people are safe in his hands.’ Piety may always find security in the assurance that
He who preserves the unbroken order of the heavens will not fail to keep and save his people.
The language in this verse is to be understood as addressed to the Jews sighing for deliverance
in their long and painful captivity in Babylon. Their city and temple had laid waste for many
years; their captivity had been long and wearisome, and doubtless many would be ready to say,
that it would never end. To furnish an argument to meet this state of despondency, the prophet
sets before them this sublime description of the faithfulness and the power of God.
O Jacob - A name often given to the Jews as the descendants of Jacob.
O Israel - Denoting the same. The name Israel was given to Jacob because he had power to
prevail as a prince with God Gen_32:28; and it became the common name by which his
descendants were known.
My way is hid from the Lord - That is, is not seen, or noticed. The word ‘way’ here denotes
evidently the state or condition; the manner of life, or the calamities which they experienced.
The term is often thus employed to denote the lot, condition, or manner in which one lives or
acts Psa_37:5; Isa_10:24; Jer_12:1. The phrase, ‘is hid,’ means that God is ignorant of it, or that
he does not attend to it; and the complaint here is, that God had not regarded them in their
calamities, and would not interpose to save them.
And my judgment - My cause. The word here refers to their condition among the people
where they were captive, and by whom they were oppressed. They are represented as being
deprived of their liberty; and they here complain that God disregarded their cause, and that he
did not come forth to deliver them from their oppressions and their trials.

2. GILL, “
Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel,.... The Jews, supposed to
be in captivity, are here meant, according to Jarchi and Kimchi; whom the prophet reproves, for
murmuring at the calamities and afflictions there endured by them; but it may be the church
and people of God, in Gospel times, are here intended, being under suffering circumstances,
either under Rome Pagan, or Rome Papal; not only inwardly repining, but openly complaining
and uttering, as follows:

my way is hid from the Lord; meaning not their course of life, or their religious actions,
their profession of the Gospel, their attendance on public worship, their prayers and other duties
of religion; but their sufferings for his name's sake, the tribulations they endured, the afflicted
way they walked in, which they imagined God took no notice of, since no way was opened in
Providence for their deliverance out of them:

and my judgment is passed over from my God ; my cause and case are neglected by him;
he does not undertake my cause, nor plead it against my enemies, or right my wrongs, and
avenge the injuries done me, or deliver me out of the hands of those that contend with me. The
answer to which complaint follows, and which clearly shows there was no just foundation for it.

3. HENRY, “Here, I. The prophet reproves the people of God, who are now supposed to be
captives in Babylon for their unbelief and distrust of God, and the dejections and despondencies
of their spirit under their affliction (Isa_40:27): “Why sayest thou, O Jacob! to thyself and to
those about thee, My way is hidden from the Lord? Why dost thou make hard and melancholy
conclusions concerning thyself and thy present case as if the latter were desperate?” 1. The titles
he here gives them were enough to shame them out of their distrusts: O Jacob! O Israel! Let
them remember whence they took these names - from one who had found God faithful to him
and kind in all his straits; and why they bore these names - as God's professing people, a people
in covenant with him. 2. The way of reproving them is by reasoning with them: “Why? Consider
whether thou hast any ground to say so.” Many of our foolish frets and foolish fears would
vanish before a strict enquiry into the causes of them. 3. That which they are reproved for is an
ill-natured, ill-favoured, word they spoke of God, as if he had cast them off. There seems to be an
emphasis laid upon their saying it: Why sayest thou and speakest thou? It is bad to have evil
thoughts rise in our mind, but it is worse to put an imprimatur - a sanction to them, and turn
them into evil words. David reflects with regret upon what he said in his haste, when he was in
distress. 4. The ill word they said was a word of despair concerning their present calamitous
condition. They were ready to conclude, (1.) That God would not heed them: “My way is hidden
from the Lord; he takes no notice of our straits, nor concerns himself any more in our
concernments. There are such difficulties in our case that even divine wisdom and power will be
nonplussed.” A man whose way is hidden is one whom God has hedged in, Job_3:23. (2.) That
God could not help them: “My judgment is passed over from my God; my case is past relief, so
far past it that God himself cannot redress the grievances of it. Our bones are dried.” Eze_37:11.
4. JAMISON, “Since these things are so, thou hast no reason to think that thine interest
(“way,” that is, condition, Psa_37:5; Jer_12:1) is disregarded by God.
judgment is passed over from — rather, “My cause is neglected by my God; He passes by
my case in my bondage and distress without noticing it.”
my God — who especially might be expected to care for me.

5. K&D, “
Such of the Israelites are required first of all to be brought to a consciousness of the
folly of idolatry are not called Israel at all, because they place themselves on a part with the
go
y
ı̄m. But now the prophet addresses those of little faith, who nevertheless desire salvation; those
who are cast down, but not in utter despair. “Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel,
My way is hidden from Jehovah, and my right is overlooked by my God?” The name Jacob
stands here at the head, as in
Isa_29:22, as being the more exquisite name, and the one which
more immediately recalled their patriarchal ancestor. They fancied that Jehovah had completely
turned away from them in wrath and weariness. “My way” refers to their thorny way of life; “my
right” (
oOHxC tSı̄) to their good right, in opposition to their oppressors. Of all this He appeared to
take no notice at all. He seemed to have no thought of vindicating it judicially (on the double
min, away from him, see Ges. §154, 3, c).

6. CALVIN, “27.Why wilt thou say? The Prophet now expostulates either with the Jews, because they
were almost overcome by despair, and did not look to the promises of God, by which they ought, to have
supported their minds; or he makes provision for posterity, that they may not sink under any distresses
however long continued. The verbs are in the future sense, which might also be explained by the
subjunctive mood, Why wouldst thou say? For Isaiah justly infers front the preceding statement, that the
chosen people, whatever may happen, ought to wait patiently for God, till he give assistance in due time.
He argues from the less to the greater: “ God keeps every part of the world under his authority, it is
impossible that he shall forsake his Church.” Yet it is probable that at that time there were heard among
the people complaints, by which they murmured against God, as if he did not care about their salvation,
or were slow in rendering assistance, or even shut his eyes and did not see their distresses. The fault
which is now corrected is, that they thought that God did not care about them; as usually happens in
afflictions, in which we think that God has forsaken us, and exposed us for a prey, and that he takes no
concern about the affairs of this world. (128)

O Jacob and Israel! By these names he calls to their remembrance the Lord’ covenant, which had been
ratified by promises so numerous and so diversified; as if he had said, “ thou not think that thou art that
people which God hath chosen peculiarly for himself? Why dost thou imagine that he who cannot deceive
does not attend to thy cause?”

My way is hidden from Jehovah. He employs the word way for “” and ‘” and hidden, for “” or “” for if God
delay his assistance for a short time, we think that his care does not extend to us. Some explain it
differently, that is, that the people are here reproved for thinking that they would not be punished for
sinning, and they think that this sentiment resembles such as, “ wicked man hath said in his heart, There
is no God.” (Psa_14:1.) But the Prophets meaning unquestionably was, “ thou, O Israel, that the Lord
taketh no concern about thine affairs?” For he exclaims against the distrust of the people, and chides
them sharply, that he may afterwards comfort them, and may show that the Lord will continually assist his
people whom he hath undertaken to defend.

And my judgment passeth away from my God. The word judgment confirms our interpretation of the
preceding clause; for “” is implored in affliction, when we are unjustly oppressed, or when any one does
us wrong; and God is said to favor and undertake “” or “ right,” when, after having known our cause, he
defends and guards us; and he is said to pass by it, when he overlooks us, and permits us to be
devoured by our enemies. It is as if he had said, that the Jews act unjustly in complaining that God has
disregarded their cause and forsaken them; and by that reproof he prepares them for receiving
consolation, for they could not receive it while their minds were occupied with wicked or foolish thoughts.
It was therefore necessary first to remove obstructions, and to open up the way for consolation.

(128) “Et qu’ ne se soucie des choses de ce monde.”

8. SBC, “I. Isaiah here reaches and rests upon the very foundations of the faith, trust, and hope
of mankind—the living God. Creation rests on His hand; man, the child of the higher creation,
rests on His heart. What His power is to the material universe His moral nature and character
are to the spiritual universe. This is the one ultimate answer of the Bible to all the questions
which perplex and bewilder the intellect of man, the one solution of the mysteries which baffle

his heart. "Have faith in God." Creation lives by faith unconsciously, and all her voices to our
intelligent ear iterate and reiterate, "Have faith in God."
II. Have faith in God. What do we know of God that we should trust Him? what aspects does He
present to us? We have two sources of knowledge—what He has said to, and what He has done
for, man. (1) There is something unspeakably sublime in the appeal in Isa_40:26. It is heaven’s
protest against man’s despair. Nor is Isaiah the only sacred writer who utters it. There is
something very strikingly parallel in Job. And in both cases God’s appeal is to the grand and
steadfast order of the vast universe, which He sustains and assures (read Job xxxviii.). God tells
us, if words can tell, that all the hosts of heaven are attendant on the fortunes of mankind. They
all live that God’s deep purpose concerning man may be accomplished. (2) God declares here
that we are not only involved inextricably in the fulfilment of His deepest and most cherished
counsels, but that we are needed to satisfy the yearnings of His Father’s heart.
III. We may apply these principles to the seasons of our experience when faith in the living God
is the one thing which stands between us and the most blank despair. (1) The deep waters of
personal affliction. (2) The weary search of the intellect for truth, the struggle to comprehend
the incomprehensible, to know the inscrutable, to see the invisible, which is part, and not the
least heavy part, of the discipline of a man and of mankind. (3) Dark crises of human history,
when truth, virtue, and manhood seem perishing from the world.
J. Baldwin Brown, Aids to the Development of the Divine Life, No. 9.
References: Isa_40:27-29.—E. L. Hull, Sermons, 1st series, p. 81. Isa_40:27-31.—Homiletic
Magazine, vol. vii., p. 136. Isa_40:28.—Parker, Cavendish Pulpit, p. 269.

Isaiah 40:27-29

Notice:—
I. Isaiah’s despondency. It arose from a twofold source. (1) The sense of a Divine desertion: "My
way is hid from the Lord." (2) The absence of Divine recompense: "My judgment is passed over
from my God."
II. The truth that removed Isaiah’s despondency. (1) The greatness of God in nature. (2) The
tenderness of the revealed will.
III. The results of its removal. (1) Strength in weakness. (2) Immortal youth.
E. L. Hull, Sermons, 1st series, p. 94.

9. CHARLES SIMEON, “. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord,
and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known, hast thou not heard, that the
everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no
searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he
increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but
they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

THE human mind is prone to extremes. Before a man comes to the knowledge of himself, he is filled with
presumption, and accounts himself as safe as if there were no judgments denounced against him: but,
when he begins to feel his guilt and helplessness, he is ready to run into the opposite extreme of
despondency, and to account his state as irremediable, as if there were not a promise in the Bible suited
to his condition. Such were the feelings of the Jews before their captivity in Babylon, and under the
pressure of the troubles which they experienced in their bondage. The prophet, by anticipation, views
them us already in Babylon, and reproves the desponding apprehensions which there depressed their
souls.

The words I have read, will afford me a fit occasion to set before you,

I. The discouragements which the Lord’s people suffer—

It is really no uncommon thing for even pious souls to utter the complaint mentioned in my text. They do
this on a variety of occasions:

1. Under a sense of unpardoned guilt—

[Sin, which in an unenlightened state appears so small an evil, to an awakened soul appears “exceeding
sinful,” insomuch that he is ready to imagine it can never be forgiven. Hear David under these distressing
apprehensions: “O Lord, rebuke me not in thy wrath, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure! for thine
arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore. There is no soundness in my flesh, because of
thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones, because of my sin. For mine iniquities are gone over
mine head; as an heavy burthen, they are too heavy for me [Note: Psa_38:1?4.].” Even good men will, at
times, adopt the language of Cain: “Mine iniquity is greater than can be forgiven [Note: Gen_4:13. See
the marginal version.].” Nor is this to be wondered at: for when we view sin with all its aggravations, and
especially as committed against the love of Christ and the strivings of his good Spirit, it does assume a
character most odious, and justly deserving of God’s heaviest indignation.]

2. Under the assaults of indwelling corruption—

[These continue long after a man is turned to the Lord. They have indeed received a check; but often, like
water obstructed by a dam, they rise and swell the more for the opposition that is made to them. St.
Paul’s experience in this respect has kept thousands from utter despondency. How bitterly he complains
of “the law in his members warring against the law of his mind, and bringing him into captivity to the law of
sin that was in his members!’” From hence, like a man bound with chains to a lothesome carcase, from
which he cannot get loose, he cries, “O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of
this death [Note:Rom_7:23?24.]?” He indeed saw that deliverance was laid up for him in and through
Christ. But many are driven almost to despair: their conflicts with sin and Satan are so frequent and so
violent, and sometimes, in appearance at least, so ineffectual, that they are ready to imagine that God
has given them up, and that it is in vain for them to contend any more. In this state they are strongly
tempted to say, “There is no hope: I have loved strangers; and after them will I go [Note: Jer_2:25.].”]

3. Under the pressure of long?continued afflictions—

[These will oppress and overwhelm the strongest man, if he be not succoured from above with strength
according to his day. Under these, David frequently complains, as if God had left him and forsaken him:
“Lord, why castest thou off my soul? Why hidest thou thy face from me? I am afflicted and ready to die

from my youth up: while I suffer thy terrors, I am distracted: thy fierce wrath goeth over me; thy terrors
have cut me off [Note: Psa_88:14?16.].” The patient Job [Note: Job_3:1; Job_27:2.], the pious Jeremiah
[Note: Jer_20:1?18.], the intrepid Elijah, all fainted through their troubles: the two former cursed the day of
their birth; and the latter, scarcely less excusable, prayed impatiently to God to “take away his life,” in
order to liberate him from his troubles [Note: 1Ki_19:4.]. Even the Saviour himself, in his afflictions,
adopted the language of the Psalmist, “My God, my God! why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far
from helping me, and from the words of my roaring [Note: Psa_22:1.]?” And no doubt the hands of the
strongest will hang down, and the heart of the stoutest faint, if God strengthen them not to drink the cup
which men and devils concur to put into their hands.]

But it would not be thus with them, if they used aright,

II. The antidote provided for them in the Scriptures—

In the Scriptures, Jehovah is represented as ordering and overruling all things; and as being a God,

1. Of almighty power—

[There is nothing in the whole universe which did not derive its existence from his all?creating hand; nor is
any thing left to its own operations without his sovereign control. Be it either good or evil, it subsists only
through his permission; as God himself has told us: “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace,
and create evil. I the Lord do all these things [Note: Isa_45:7.].” Even the murderers of our blessed Lord,
though perfectly free agents in all that they did, “effected only what the hand und counsel of Jehovah
himself had determined before to be done [Note: Act_4:28.].” Be it so then: our guilt lies heavy on our
souls; our corruptions work with almost irresistible force; our troubles of divers kinds threaten utterly to
destroy us: but is there no power able to deliver? Cannot He who created all things by a word, and spake
them into existence, accomplish for us whatever our necessities require? “Is his ear heavy, that he cannot
hear; or his arm shortened, that he cannot save [Note: Isa_59:1.]?” Were we left to the uncontrolled
power of our spiritual enemies, we might well despair: but whilst God is seated on his throne, we need
never fear but that he will interpose for our relief, if only we cast our care on him. “If we cast our burthen
upon him, he will sustain us.”]

2. Of unerring wisdom—

[Because God does not exert his Almighty power for us at the first moment that we implore his aid, we
suppose “that our way is hid from him, and our judgment is passed over from him,” or, in other words, that
he has utterly cast us off. But we forget that he has gracious designs to accomplish; and that he
accomplishes them in ways of which we have no conception, and which appear calculated only to defeat
his ends. We measure his wisdom by the scanty line of our own reason; forgetting that “his ways are in
the great deep,” and “past finding out” by any finite intelligence: that “there is no searching of his
understanding.” Now let this be considered: let the afflicted saint contemplate Jehovah as ordering and
overruling every thing for the good of his people and for the glory of his own name; let him say, ‘I have
cried long, and not been heard: but perhaps the purposes of Jehovah are not yet ripe for
accomplishment: there is more of humiliation to be produced in my soul; more of a preparation of mind for
discerning; of his mighty hand; more depression to be caused in order to a more glorious exaltation.’ Let
him recollect the ways in which Joseph’s dreams were realized; and bear in mind, that the same God
sitteth at the helm, and directs the vessel amidst all the storms, “the very storms and winds all fulfilling his
sovereign will and pleasure.” This were abundantly sufficient to compose the mind under the most
afflictive circumstances that can be imagined: for where there is unerring wisdom to direct, and Almighty

power to execute, no difficulty can exist, which shall not be overruled for good [Note:Rom_8:28.].]

But let the text declare,

III. The happy state of those who duly improve this antidote—

To wait on God in prayer is necessary, in order to the obtaining of help from him—

[He has said that “he will be inquired of, in order that he may do for us the things that he has promised
[Note: Eze_36:37.].” This is indispensable in every view: for without it there would be no acknowledgment
of him on our part, nor any readiness to give him glory, when he had interposed for our relief. Nor is it
only in a way of importunity that we are to wait upon him, but in a way of humble dependence also, and of
meek submission to his will. We must leave every thing to his all?wise disposal; “tarrying his leisure,” and
“waiting his time, however long the vision may be delayed [Note: Hab_2:3.].” “He that believeth must not
make haste [Note:Isa_28:16.].”]

To all who comply with this requisite, the most effectual relief is secured—

[It is God’s delight to succour his people in the time of need: “He giveth power to the faint, and to them
that have no might he increaseth strength.” This, I say, is his habit and delight: and one great end of his
delaying the communication! of his aid is, to make men more sensible of their dependence on him, and
more thankful for his gracious interpositions. Till he vouchsafe his answers to prayer, all human efforts are
vain; “even the youths will faint and be weary; and the young men, how strong soever they imagine
themselves to be, will utterly fall:” but “they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength.” Like the
eagle, when moulting, they may be greatly reduced; but in due season, like him, with his renovated
plumage, they shall soar on high, above all the trials and temptations with which they have been
oppressed. Their course may be yet long and difficult; the opposition which they may have to encounter
may be exceeding violent; but, through the Divine aid, “they shall run and not be weary; they shall march
onward [Note: Bishop Lowth’s translation.], and not faint.”]

Address—

1. In a way of tender expostulation—

[Such a state of mind as God’s people of old indulged, is approved by many, as characteristic of humility.
But it is a mark of pride rather, and of unbelief; and it is calculated only to excite God’s heavy displeasure.
This appears from the manner in which it is here reproved. In fact, it argues a forgetfulness of all our
principles as men acknowledging a Supreme Being. Have we not known, that there is a God who
ordereth all things both in heaven and in earth? Have we not heard, that “without him not so much as a
sparrow falleth to the ground?” How then can we imagine that he is inattentive to his suffering or
conflicting people, or that he is at a loss for means whereby to effect their deliverance? Have we not
heard that “he has given us his only dear Son to die for us? What, then, will he withhold from those who
seek him?” Still further; Have we not heard that “he has made with us an everlasting covenant, a
covenant ordered in all things and sure?” And is not a supply of all our wants there provided for? Be
ashamed, then, my Brethren, that, with such principles, you can give way to any disquietude. You have
only to “commit yourselves, and all your concerns, into his hands; and be sure that he will bring to pass”
whatever shall eventually advance your best interests.]

2. In a way of affectionate encouragement—

[See to what all your fears are really owing. The pious Asaph was harassed with them, like you: but, on
reflection, he said, “This is mine infirmity [Note: Psa_77:7?10.]” — — — Be assured, that not all the
powers of earth or hell can prevail against you, if only, in the exercise of faith and patience, you wait on
God. Take courage, then, and call yourselves to an account, as David did, for such unworthy fears and
such unhallowed depression: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul! and why art thou disquieted within
me? Hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance and my God
[Note: Psa_42:5; Psa_42:11;Psa_43:5.].” If you need some specific promise for your support, take that
which God has given to such as are in your very state: “Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not
dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the
right hand of my righteousness [Note: Isa_41:10.].” Rest on this, and you shall soon add your testimony to
that of David: “I waited patiently for the Lord, and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me
up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and ordered my goings:
and he hath put a new song into my mouth, even praise and thanksgiving to my God [Note: Psa_40:1?
3.].”]

28 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.

1.BARNES, “Hast thou not known? - This is the language of the prophet reproving them
for complaining of being forsaken and assuring them that God was faithful to his promises. This
argument of the prophet, which continues to the close of the chapter, comprises the main scope
of the chapter, which is to induce them to put confidence in God, and to believe that he was able
and willing to deliver them. The phrase, ‘Hast thou not known? refers to the fact that the Jewish

people had had an abundant opportunity of learning, in their history, and from their fathers, the
true character of God, and his entire ability to save them. No people had had so much light on
this subject, and now that they were in trial, they ought to recall their former knowledge of his
character, and remember his dealings of faithfulness with them and their fathers. It is well for
the people of God in times of calamity and trial to recall to their recollection his former dealings
with his church. That history will furnish abundant sources of consolation, and abundant
assurances that their interests are safe in his hands.
Hast thou not heard? - From the traditions of the fathers; the instruction which you have
received from ancient times. A large part of the knowledge of the Jews was traditionary; and
these attributes of God, as a faithful God, had, no doubt, constituted an important part of the
knowledge which had thus been communicated to them.
The everlasting God - The God who has existed from eternity, unlike the idols of the pagan.
If he was from eternity, he would be unchangeable, and his purposes could not fail.
The Creator of the ends of the earth - The phrase, ‘the ends of the earth,’ means the
same as the earth itself. The earth is sometimes spoken of as a vast plain having limits or
boundaries (see Isa_40:22). It is probable that this was the prevailing idea among the ancients
(compare Deu_33:17; 1Sa_2:10; Psa_19:6; Psa_22:27; Psa_48:10; Psa_65:5; Psa_67:7;
Psa_98:3; Isa_43:6; Isa_45:22; Isa_52:10). The argument here is, that he who has formed the
earth could not be exhausted or weary in so small a work as that of protecting his people.
Fainteth not - Is not fatigued or exhausted. That God, who has formed and sustained all
things, is not exhausted in his powers, but is able still to defend and guard his people.
There is no searching of his understanding - The God who made all things must be
infinitely wise. There is proof of boundless skill in the works of his hands, and it is impossible
for finite mind fully and adequately to search out all the proofs of his wisdom and skill. Man can
see only a part - a small part, while the vast ocean, the boundless deep of his wisdom, lies still
unexplored. This thought is beautifully expressed by Zophar in Job_11:7-9 :
Canst thou by searching find out God?
Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
It is as high as heaven;
What canst thou do?
Deeper than hell;
What canst thou know:
The measure thereof is longer than the earth,
And broader than the sea.
The argument here is, that that God who has made all things, must be intimately acquainted
with the needs of his people. They had, therefore, no reason to complain that their way was
hidden from the Lord, and their cause passed over by him. Perhaps, also, it is implied, that as
his understanding was vast, they ought not to expect to be able to comprehend the reason of all
his doings; but should expect that there would be much that was mysterious and unsearchable.
The reasons of his doings are often hid from his people; and their consolation is to be found in
the assurance that he is infinitely wise, and that he who rules over the universe must know what
is best, and cannot err.

2. CLARKE, “There is no searching of his understanding “And that his
understanding is unsearchable” - Twenty-four MSS., two editions, the Septuagint and
Vulgate, read ןיאו  veein, with the conjunction ו  vau.

3. GILL, “
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard?.... From the history of the church
in all ages; from the experience of all good men; from their own knowledge and observation;
from the Scriptures, and the prophets, the interpreters of them; both that what is before
suggested is wrong, and that what follows is true,

that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth
not, neither is weary? or, "the God of the world"; that has made it, and upholds it, and
governs it, and judges righteously in it; who is from everlasting to everlasting, unchangeably the
same; whose name alone is Jehovah, the self-existent and all comprehending Being, the Maker
and Former of all things; who has not only created the earth, and the foundations of it, as the
Targum, or the continent, and the habitable part of the world, that is most known and dwelt in,
but even the extremities of the earth; and therefore knows and will take care of his own people,
let them be where they will: and though the work of creation, and of upholding creatures in their
beings, and of governing the world, and providing for all in it, and of taking care of his church
and people in particular, requires so much power, as well as wisdom, yet he never sinks under it,
nor is weary of it; wherefore they have no reason to give way to such unbelief and despondency,
as above expressed:

there is no searching of his understanding; it is infinite, it reaches to all persons and
things, and therefore he cannot be at a loss to provide for his people, or plead their cause; nor
can their case be unknown to him, or he want either power or skill to help them.

4. JAMISON, “
known — by thine own observation and reading of Scripture.
heard — from tradition of the fathers.
everlasting, etc. — These attributes of Jehovah ought to inspire His afflicted people with
confidence.
no searching of his understanding — therefore thy cause cannot, as thou sayest, escape
His notice; though much in His ways is unsearchable, He cannot err (
Job_11:7-9). He is never
“faint” or “weary” with having the countless wants of His people ever before Him to attend to.

5. K&D, “
The groundlessness of such despondency is set before them in a double question. “Is
it not known to thee, or hast thou not heard, an eternal God is Jehovah, Creator of the ends of
the earth: He fainteth not, neither becomes weary; His understanding is unsearchable.” Those
who are so desponding ought to know, if not from their own experience, at least from
information that had been handed down, that Jehovah, who created the earth from one end to
the other, so that even Babylonian was not beyond the range of His vision or the domain of His
power, was an eternal God, i.e., a God eternally the same and never varying, who still possessed
and manifested the power which He had displayed in the creation. Israel had already passed
through a long history, and Jehovah had presided over this, and ruled within it; and He had not

so lost His power in consequence, as to have now left His people to themselves. He does not
grow faint, as a man would do, who neglected to take the repeated nourishment requisite to
sustain the energy of his vital power; nor does He become weary, like a man who has exhausted
his capacity for work by over-exertion. And if He had not redeemed His people till then, His
people were to know that His course was pure
t
e
vxums tx or understanding, which was in the
possession of infallible criteria for determining the right point of time at which to interpose with
His aid.

7. CALVIN, “28.Hast thou not known? He repeats the same statement which he had formerly made,
that the people who had been carefully taught in the school of God were inexcusable for their
slothfulness, and chides them sharply for not having profited more by the doctrine of the Law, and by the
other means which God had bestowed in addition to that knowledge which they possessed in common
with the Gentiles. The word know, which is more general, is put first; because by many miracles and other
proofs God had manifested his glory. Next, he asks, Hast thou not heard? As if he had said, “ thou hast
profited nothing by being taught by actions and by word that God is never unemployed, it is evident that
thou are excessively unteachable.”

That Jehovah is the God of eternity. The Prophet calls him “” and thus distinguishes him from all idols,
which endure but for a time, and were made by men; and truly, if this were deeply seated in our hearts,
there would no longer be any room for distrust; for if God is eternal, he never changes or decays, eternity
being uniformly attended by this quality, that it is never liable to change, but always remains the same.
Since the Jews did not sufficiently believe these things, though they had often “” them, the Prophet
intended to arouse them by this reproof, in order to shew that they will be doubly guilty before God, if,
after having been taught both by his numerous benefits, and by the word, they do not render the honor
and glory which are due to him.

And is not wearied by weariness, and there is no searching of his understanding. Here the Prophet
makes two statements; first, that God is not wearied in doing good; and, secondly, that no man can
explore his wisdom. In the former clause he shews that, nothing will hinder God from continuing to
exercise his kindness; for he is not like men whose resources are exhausted by giving frequently, or who
are wearied by continually bestowing new favors, or who repent of their generosity. His kindness is never
exhausted; if he was kind to the fathers, he will be not less kind and bountiful to posterity. As to the
allegation, that God very often acts differently from what we think to be best for us, the Prophet meets it
by saying that his purpose is incomprehensible, and warns us that we ought not to murmur, though he
does not all at once comply with our wishes; because nothing is better adapted to cherish our hope than
this sobriety, which leads us to consider how marvellously God works in preserving us, and thus to submit
to his secret counsel.

29 He gives strength to the weary

    and increases the power of the weak.

1.BARNES, “He giveth power to the faint - To his weak and feeble people. This is one of
his attributes; and his people, therefore, should put their trust in him, and look to him for aid
(compare
2Co_12:9). The design of this verse is to give consolation to the afflicted and down-
trodden people in Babylon, by recalling to their minds the truth that it was one of the
characteristics of God that he ministered strength to those who were conscious of their own
feebleness, and who looked to him for support. It is a truth, however, as applicable to us as to
theresa truth inestimably precious to those who feel that they are weak and feeble, and who look
to God for aid.

2. GILL, “
He giveth power to the faint,.... Who are ready to faint under afflictions, because
they have not immediate deliverance, or their prayers are not answered at once, or promises not
fulfilled as they expected; to such he gives fresh supplies of spiritual strength; he strengthens
their faith, and enlarges their views, to behold the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living,
and confirms his blessings and promises of grace unto them,
Psa_27:13. The Targum is,

"who giveth wisdom to the righteous that breathe after the words of the law:''

and to them that have no might he increaseth strength; not that they have no might at
all, strictly speaking; for then it could not be properly said their strength was increased by him;
but that their might and power were very small, and that in their own apprehensions they had
none, and then it is that fresh strength is given them; as the apostle says, "when I am weak, then
am I strong"; 2Co_12:10, though this may be understood, not of the strength of their graces, but
of their sins and corruptions: a word from the same root as this here used signifies "iniquity";
and the sense may be, that the Lord increases the spiritual strength of such on whom the lust's,
corruptions, and virtuosity of nature have not the power and dominion (e).

3. HENRY, “
He gives strength and power to his people, and helps them by enabling them to
help themselves. He that is the strong God is the strength of Israel. (1.) He can help the weak,
Isa_40:29. Many a time he gives power to the faint, to those that are ready to faint away; and to
those that have no might he not only gives, but increases strength, as there is more and more
occasion for it. Many out of bodily weakness are wonderfully recovered, and made strong, by the
providence of God: and many that are feeble in spirit, timorous and faint-hearted, unfit for
services and sufferings, are yet strengthened by the grace of God with all might in the inward
man. To those who are sensible of their weakness, and ready to acknowledge they have no
might, God does in a special manner increase strength; for, when we are weak in ourselves,
then are we strong in the Lord.

4. JAMISON, “He gives strength and power to his people, and helps them by enabling them to
help themselves. He that is the strong God is the strength of Israel. (1.) He can help the weak,
Isa_40:29. Many a time he gives power to the faint, to those that are ready to faint away; and to
those that have no might he not only gives, but increases strength, as there is more and more
occasion for it. Many out of bodily weakness are wonderfully recovered, and made strong, by the
providence of God: and many that are feeble in spirit, timorous and faint-hearted, unfit for
services and sufferings, are yet strengthened by the grace of God with all might in the inward
man. To those who are sensible of their weakness, and ready to acknowledge they have no
might, God does in a special manner increase strength; for, when we are weak in ourselves,
then are we strong in the Lord.

5. K&D, “
Jehovah is so far from becoming faint, that it is He who gives strength to the fainting.
“Giving power to the faint, and to the incapable He giveth strength in abundance.”
ם ִינוֹא ןי ֵא ְל is
equivalent to םינוֹא ןיא 3ְרשׁאל ןי ֵא is used exactly like a privative to form a negative adjective (e.g.,
Psa_88:5; Pro_25:3).

6. CALVIN, “29.He giveth power to the faint. The Prophet now applies to the present subject the
general statements which he made; for we have said that his intention was to give warmer
encouragement to the people, and to lead them to cherish better hope. Because the Jews were at that
time weakened and destitute of all strength, he shews that on this account it belongs to God to give
assistance to those who were thus exhausted and weakened. He therefore magnifies the power of God
on this ground, that they may conclude and believe that they ought not to doubt of their salvation so long
as they enjoy his favor. It was indeed to the people who were held captive in Babylon that the Prophet
looked; but we ought also to apply this doctrine to ourselves, that whenever our strength shall fail, and we
shall be almost laid low, we may call to remembrance that the Lord stretches out his hand ‘ the faint,” who
are sinking through the want of all help. But first, we must feel our faintness and poverty, that the saying
of Paul, “ power of God is made perfect in our weakness,” (2Co_12:9,) may be fulfilled; for if our hearts
are not deeply moved by a conviction of our weakness, we cannot receive seasonable assistance from
God.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

1.BARNES, “Even the youths shall faint - The most vigorous young men, those in whom
we expect manly strength, and who are best suited to endure hardy toil. They become weary by
labor. Their powers are soon exhausted. The design here is, to contrast the most vigorous of the
human race with God, and to show that while all their powers fail, the power of God is
unexhausted and inexhaustible.
And the young men - The word used here denotes properly “those who are chosen or
selected” (םירוּחב v exut_OMo, Greek ~κλεκτο{ eklektoi), and may be applied to those who were
selected or chosen for any hazardous enterprise, or dangerous achievement in war; those who
would be selected for vigor or activity. The meaning is, that the most chosen or select of the
human family - the most vigorous and manly, must be worn down by fatigue, or paralyzed by
sickness or death; but that the powers of God never grow weary, and that those who trust in him
should never become faint.

2. GILL, “
Even the youths shall faint and be weary,.... Such as are in the prime of their
strength, and glory in it, yet through the hand of God upon them, by one disease or another,
their strength is weakened in the way; or they meet with that which they are not equal to, and
sink under, and are discouraged, and obliged to desist. Some think the Babylonians and
Chaldeans are here meant, the enemies of Israel, and by whom they were carried captive. The
Targum interprets this clause, as well as the following, of wicked and ungodly men; and so do
Jarchi and Kimchi: it may be applied to the Heathen emperors, who persecuted the church of
God, and were smitten by him, and found it too hard a work to extirpate Christianity out of the
world, which they thought to have done; and also to all the antichristian states, who have given
their power and strength to the beast:

and the young men shall utterly fail; or, "falling shall fall"
(f); stumble and fall, die and
perish; or, however, not be able to perform their enterprise.

3. HENRY, “
He will help the willing, will help those who, in a humble dependence upon him,
help themselves, and will do well for those who do their best,
Isa_40:30, Isa_40:31. Those who
trust to their own sufficiency, and are so confident of it that they neither exert themselves to the
utmost nor seek unto God for his grace, are the youth and the young men, who are strong, but
are apt to think themselves stronger than they are. And they shall faint and be weary, yea, they
shall utterly fail in their services, in their conflicts, and under their burdens; they shall soon be
made to see the folly of trusting to themselves. But those that wait on the Lord, who make
conscience of their duty to him, and by faith rely upon him and commit themselves to his
guidance, shall find that God will not fail them. [1.] They shall have grace sufficient for them:
They shall renew their strength as their work is renewed, as there is new occasion; they shall be
anointed, and their lamps supplied, with fresh oil. God will be their arm every morning,
Isa_33:2. If at any time they have been foiled and weakened they shall recover themselves, and
so renew their strength. Heb. They shall change their strength, as their work is changed - doing
work, suffering work; they shall have strength to labour, strength to wrestle, strength to resist,
strength to bear. As the day so shall the strength be. [2.] They shall use this grace for the best
purposes. Being strengthened, First, They shall soar upward, upward towards God: They shall
mount up with wings like eagles, so strongly, so swiftly, so high and heaven-ward. In the

strength of divine grace, their souls shall ascend above the world, and even enter into the holiest.
Pious and devout affections are the eagles' wings on which gracious souls mount up, Psa_25:1.
Secondly, They shall press forward, forward towards heaven. They shall walk, they shall run, the
way of God's commandments, cheerfully and with alacrity (they shall not be weary), constantly
and with perseverance (they shall not faint); and therefore in due season they shall reap. Let
Jacob and Israel therefore, in their greatest distresses, continue waiting upon God, and not
despair of timely and effectual relief and succour from him.

4. JAMISON, “
young men — literally, “those selected”; men picked out on account of their
youthful vigor for an enterprise.

5. K&D, “
Faith is all that is needed to ensure a participation in the strength (
ה ָמ ְצ ָע after the form
ה ָמ ְכ ָח), which He so richly bestows and so powerfully enhances. “And youths grow faint and
weary, and young men suffer a fall. But they who wait for Jehovah gain fresh strength; lift up
their wings like eagles; run, and are not weary; go forward, and do not faint.” Even youths,
even young men in the early bloom of their morning of life (
bachurı̄m, youths, from
3ַח ָEר, related
to ר ַכ ָE, רַג ָE), succumb to the effects of the loss of sustenance or over-exertion (both futures are
defective, the first letter being dropped), and any outward obstacle is sufficient to cause them to
fall (ל ַשׁ ְכִנ with inf. abs. kal, which retains what has been stated for contemplation, according to
Ges. §131, 3, Anm. 2). In Isa_40:30 the verb stands first, Isa_40:30 being like a concessive
clause in relation to Isa_40:31. “Even though this may happen, it is different with those who
wait for Jehovah,” i.e., those who believe in Him; for the Old Testament applies to faith a
number of synonyms denoting trust, hope, and longing, and thus describes it according to its
inmost nature, as fiducia and as hope, directed to the manifestation and completion of that
which is hoped for. The Vav cop. introduces the antithesis, as in Isa_40:8. ףי ִל ֱח ֶה, to cause one to
pursue, or new to take the place of the old (Lat. recentare). The expression וגו וּל ֲע ַי is supposed by
early translators, after the Sept., Targ. Jer., and Saad., to refer to the moulting of the eagle and
the growth of the new feathers, which we meet with in Psa_103:5 (cf., Mic_1:16) as a figurative
representation of the renewal of youth through grace. But Hitzig correctly observes that ה ָל ֱע ֶה is
never met with as the causative of the kal used in Isa_5:6, and moreover that it would require
ה ָצוֹנ instead of ר ֶב ֵא. The proper rendering therefore is, “they cause their wings to rise, or lift their
wings high, like the eagles” (
'ebher as in
Psa_55:7). Their course of life, which has Jehovah for its
object, is as it were possessed of wings. They draw from Him strength upon strength (see
Psa_84:8); running does not tire them, nor do they become faint from going ever further and
further.
The first address, consisting of three parts (Isa_40:1-11, Isa_40:12-26, Isa_40:27-31), is here
brought to a close.

6. CALVIN, “30.The youths are wearied and faint. By this comparison the Prophet illustrates more
powerfully what he had formerly said, that the strength which God imparts to his elect is invincible and
unwearied; for men’ strength easily fails, but God’ strength never fails. It is indeed certain that all the vigor
which naturally dwells in us proceeds from God; but since men claim as their own what God has
bestowed generally on all, the Prophet thus distinguishes between the strength of men which appears to
be born with them, and that strength by which God peculiarly supports his elect; for God’ kindness, which
is diffused throughout all nature, is not sufficiently perceived. And thus by “’ strength” he means that
which is generally possessed by mankind, and by “’ assistance,”he means that by which he peculiarly
assists us after our strength has failed; for the Prophet speaks of the grace of God which is cormmonly
called supernatural, and says that it is perpetual, while men can have nothing in themselves but what is
fading and transitory; that by this mark he may distinguish between the Church of God and the rest of the
world, and between spiritual grace and earthly prosperity.

And the young men by falling fall. In the former clause he made use of the word םירענ, (negnarim,)
youths, but now he adds םירחב, (bachurim,) which means not only that they were “ men,” but also that
they had been selected. (129) The repetition of the same statement may be supposed to refer particularly
to age, though he means that they were persons of the choicest vigor and in the prime of life. With this
design he recommends that excellent privilege which God bestows on his children in preference to other
men; that they may be satisfied with their lot, and may bear no envy to earthly men, (130) for that strength
of which they boast. In a word, he shews that men are greatly deceived if they are puffed up by
confidence in their own strength, for they immediately sink and faint.

He appears to allude to what happens every day, that the stronger any person is, the more boldly does he
attempt what is exceedingly difficult, and the consequence is, that they who are naturally more robust
seldom live to be old men. They think nothing too hard or difficult, they attempt everything, and rashly
encounter all dangers; but they give way in the middle of their course, and suffer the punishment of their
rashness. The same thing befalls those who are proud of any gift which God has bestowed on them, and
are full of confidence in themselves; for all that they have received from God is reduced to nothing, or
rather turns to their ruin and destruction; and thus they are justly punished for their insolence.

(129) “ in full vigor, picked men, in military language.” —Stock.

(130) “Aux enfans de ce monde.” “ the children of this world.”

31 but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;

    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.

1.BARNES, “But they that wait upon the Lord - The word rendered ‘wait upon’ here
(from
הוק  " tg tx), denotes properly to wait, in the sense of expecting. The phrase, ‘to wait on
Yahweh,’ means to wait for his help; that is, to trust in him, to put our hope or confidence in
him. It is applicable to those who are in circumstances of danger or want, and who look to him
for his merciful interposition. Here it properly refers to those who were suffering a long and
grievous captivity in Babylon, and who had no prospect of deliverance but in him. The phrase is
applicable also to all who feel that they are weak, feeble, guilty, and helpless, and who, in view of
this, put their trust in Yahweh. The promise or assurance here is general in its nature, and is as
applicable to his people now as it was in the times of the captivity in Babylon. Religion is often
expressed in the Scriptures by ‘waiting on Yahweh,’ that is, by looking to him for help, expecting
deliverance through his aid, putting trust in him (see Psa_25:3, Psa_25:5, Psa_25:21;
Psa_27:14; Psa_37:7, Psa_37:9, Psa_37:34; Psa_69:3; compare Isa_8:17, note; Isa_30:18,
note).
It does not imply inactivity, or want of personal exertion; it implies merely that our hope of
aid and salvation is in him - a feeling that is as consistent with the most strenuous endeavors to
secure the object, as it is with a state of inactivity and indolence. Indeed, no man can wait on
God in a proper manner who does not use the means which he has appointed for conveying to us
his blessing. To wait on him without using any means to obtain his aid, is to tempt him; to
expect miraculous interposition is unauthorized, and must meet with disappointment. And they
only wait on him in a proper manner who expect his blessing in the common modes in which he
imparts it to men - in the use of those means and efforts which he has appointed, and which he
is accustomed to bless. The farmer who should wait for God to plow and sow his fields, would
not only be disappointed, but would be guilty of provoking Him. And so the man who waits for
God to do what he ought to do; to save him without using any of the means of grace, will not
only be disappointed, but will provoke his displeasure.
Shall renew their strength - Margin, ‘Change.’ The Hebrew word commonly means to
change, to alter; and then to revive, to renew, to cause to flourish again, as, e. g., a tree that has
decayed and fallen down (see the note at Isa_9:10; compare Job_14:7). Here it is evidently used
in the sense of renewing, or causing to revive; to increase, and to restore that which is decayed.
It means that the people of God who trust in him shall become strong in faith; able to contend
with their spiritual foes, to gain the victory over their sins, and to discharge aright the duties,
and to meet aright the trials of life. God gives them strength, if they seek him in the way of his
appointment - a promise which has been verified in the experience of his people in every age.
They shall mount up with wings as eagles - Lowth translates this ‘They shall put forth
fresh feathers like the moulting eagle;’ and in his note on the passage remarks, that ‘it has been a
common and popular opinion that the eagle lives and retains his vigor to a great age; and that,
beyond the common lot of other birds, he moults in his old age, and renews his feathers, and
with them his youth.’ He supposes that the passage in Psa_103:5, ‘So that thy youth is renewed
like the eagles,’ refers to this fact. That this was a common and popular opinion among the
ancients, is clearly proved by Bochart (Hieroz. ii. 2. 1. pp. 165-169). The opinion was, that at
stated times the eagle plunged itself in the sea and cast off its old feathers, and that new feathers

started forth, and that thus it lived often to the hundredth year, and then threw itself in the sea
and died. In accordance with this opinion, the Septuagint renders this passage, ‘They shall put
forth fresh feathers (πτεροφυήσουσιν pterophuesousin) like eagles.’ Vulgate, Assument pennas
sicut aquiloe.
The Chaldee renders it, ‘They who trust in the Lord shall be gathered from the captivity, and
shall increase their strength, and renew their youth as a germ which grows up; upon wings of
eagles shall they run and not be fatigued.’ But whatever may be the truth in regard to the eagle,
there is no reason to believe that Isaiah here had any reference to the fact that it moults in its old
age. The translation of Lowth was derived from file Septuagint, and not from the Hebrew text.
The meaning of the Hebrew is simply, ‘they shall ascend on wings as eagles,’ or ‘they shall lift up
the wings as eagles;’ and the image is derived from the fact that the eagle rises on the most
vigorous wing of any bird, and ascends apparently further toward the sun. The figure, therefore,
denotes strength and vigor of purpose; strong and manly piety; an elevation above the world;
communion with God, and a nearness to his throne - as the eagle ascends toward the sun.
They shall run and not be weary - This passage, also, is but another mode of expressing
the same idea - that they who trust in God would be vigorous, elevated, unwearied; that he
would sustain and uphold them; and that in his service they would never faint. This was at first
designed to be applied to the Jews in captivity in Babylon to induce them to put their trust in
God. But it is as true now as it was at that time. It has been found in the experience of thousands
and tens of thousands, that by waiting on the Lord the heart has been invigorated; the faith has
been confirmed; and the affections have been raised above the world. Strength has been given to
bear trial without complaining, to engage in arduous duty without fainting, to pursue the
perilous and toilsome journey of life without exhaustion, and to rise above the world in hope and
peace on the bed of death.

2. CLARKE, “
They shall mount zap with wings as eagles “They shall put forth
fresh feathers like the moulting eagle” - It has been a common and popular opinion that
the eagle lives and retains his vigor to a great age; and that, beyond the common lot of other
birds, he moults in his old age, and renews his feathers, and with them his youth. “Thou shalt
renew thy youth like the eagle, “says the psalmist,
Psa_103:5; on which place St. Ambrose notes,
Aquila longam aetatem ducit, dum, vetustis plumis fatiscentibus, nova pennarum successione
juvenescit: “The eagle lives to a very advanced age; and in moulting his youth is renewed with
his new feathers.” Phile, De Animalibus, treating of the eagle, and addressing himself to the
emperor Michael Palaeologus junior, raises his compliment upon the same notion: -
Τουτου3συ,3βασιλευ,3τον3πολυν3ζωοις3βιον,3
Αει3νεουργων,3και3κρατυνων3την3φυσιν.
“Long may’st thou live, O king; still like the eagle
Renew thy youth, and still retain thy vigor.”
To this many fabulous and absurd circumstances are added by several ancient writers and
commentators on Scripture; see Bochart, Hieroz. 2 ii. 1. Rabbi Saadias says, Every tenth year the
eagle flies near the sun; and when not able any longer to bear the burning heat, she falls down
into the sea, and soon loses her feathers, and thus renews her vigor. This she does every tenth
year till the hundredth, when, after she has ascended near the sun, and fallen into the sea, she
rises no more. How much proof do such stories require! Whether the notion of the eagle’s

renewing his youth is in any degree well founded or not, I need not inquire; it is enough for a
poet, whether profane or sacred, to have the authority of popular opinion to support an image
introduced for illustration or ornament. - L

3. GILL, “
But they that wait upon the Lord,.... As children on their parents, to do them
honour, to obey their commands, and receive food and blessings from them; as servants on their
masters, to know their pleasure, do their work, and have their wages; as clients on their patrons,
to have advice of them, put their cause into their hands, and know how it goes; and as beggars at
the door, who knock and wait, tell their case and wait, meet with repulses, yet keep their place,
and continue waiting: such an act supposes a knowledge and reverence of God, confidence in
him, attendance on him, not with the body only, in public and private, but with the soul also,
and with some degree of constancy, and with patience and quietness: the Lord is to be waited
upon for the manifestations of himself, who sometimes hides himself, but is to be waited for,
since he has his set time to show himself again, and his presence is worth waiting for; also for
the performance of his promises, which may be expected from his perfections, the nature of the
promises, and their being in Christ; likewise for answers of prayer, and for the fresh discoveries
of pardoning grace and mercy; and as Old Testament saints waited for the first coming of Christ,
so New Testament saints for his second coming, and for eternal glory and happiness: and such
"shall renew their strength"; which is to be understood of spiritual! strength in the heart, and of
the graces of the Spirit there: it supposes strength received already, which natural men have not,
but converted men have; and yet they want more, and more they shall have; to assist them in the
performance of duty, to enable them to resist Satan and his temptations, and the corruptions of
nature, and to cause them to endure afflictions and persecutions patiently, and to persevere
unto the end:

they shall mount up with wings as eagles; swiftly and strongly; it is expressive of the
motion of the affections heavenwards towards God and Christ, and things above; of the entrance
of faith and hope within the veil, and of the exercise of these graces on Christ, who is now at the
right hand of God; of the expectation of glory and happiness in heaven hereafter, and of present
support under afflictions, the Lord bearing them as on eagles' wings; see
Psa_103:5 (g):

they shall run, and not be weary; in the way of God's commandments; which shows great
affection for them, haste to obey them, delight and pleasure, cheerfulness and alacrity, therein,
so as to be without weariness:

and they shall, walk, and not faint: in the ways of God, in the name of the Lord, or in
Christ, as they have received him; leaning on him, trusting in him, continuing to do so, till they
receive the end of their faith, the salvation of their souls; and so shall not sink under their
burdens, nor give out till they enjoy it; different persons, though all of them believers, may be
here intended; particularly Christians under the Gospel dispensation, tried and exercised by
many enemies; some shall soar aloft, and dwell on high; others, though they cannot rise and
"fly" so swiftly and strongly, yet shall "run" without weariness; and others, though they can
neither fly nor run, yet shall "walk" without fainting.

(g) The Jews have a notion, that for ten years the eagle ascends very high in the firmament of
heaven, and approaching near to the heat of the sun, it falls into the sea, through the vehemence
of the heat; and then it casts its feathers, and is renewed again, and its feathers grow, and it
returns to the days of its youth; and so every ten years to a hundred; and in the hundredth year

it ascends according to its custom, and falls into the sea, and dies. So Ben Melech from Saadiab
Gaon.

4. HENRY, “
He will help the willing, will help those who, in a humble dependence upon him,
help themselves, and will do well for those who do their best,
Isa_40:30, Isa_40:31. Those who
trust to their own sufficiency, and are so confident of it that they neither exert themselves to the
utmost nor seek unto God for his grace, are the youth and the young men, who are strong, but
are apt to think themselves stronger than they are. And they shall faint and be weary, yea, they
shall utterly fail in their services, in their conflicts, and under their burdens; they shall soon be
made to see the folly of trusting to themselves. But those that wait on the Lord, who make
conscience of their duty to him, and by faith rely upon him and commit themselves to his
guidance, shall find that God will not fail them. [1.] They shall have grace sufficient for them:
They shall renew their strength as their work is renewed, as there is new occasion; they shall be
anointed, and their lamps supplied, with fresh oil. God will be their arm every morning,
Isa_33:2. If at any time they have been foiled and weakened they shall recover themselves, and
so renew their strength. Heb. They shall change their strength, as their work is changed - doing
work, suffering work; they shall have strength to labour, strength to wrestle, strength to resist,
strength to bear. As the day so shall the strength be. [2.] They shall use this grace for the best
purposes. Being strengthened, First, They shall soar upward, upward towards God: They shall
mount up with wings like eagles, so strongly, so swiftly, so high and heaven-ward. In the
strength of divine grace, their souls shall ascend above the world, and even enter into the holiest.
Pious and devout affections are the eagles' wings on which gracious souls mount up, Psa_25:1.
Secondly, They shall press forward, forward towards heaven. They shall walk, they shall run, the
way of God's commandments, cheerfully and with alacrity (they shall not be weary), constantly
and with perseverance (they shall not faint); and therefore in due season they shall reap. Let
Jacob and Israel therefore, in their greatest distresses, continue waiting upon God, and not
despair of timely and effectual relief and succour from him.

5. JAMISON, “
mount up — (
2Sa_1:23). Rather, “They shall put forth fresh feathers as
eagles” are said to renovate themselves; the parallel clause, “renew their strength,” confirms
this. The eagle was thought to molt and renew his feathers, and with them his strength, in old
age (so the Septuagint, Vulgate, Psa_103:5). However, English Version is favored by the
descending climax, mount up 3 run 3 walk; in every attitude the praying, waiting child of God is
“strong in the Lord” (Psa_84:7; Mic_4:5; Heb_12:1).

6. K&D, “
Faith is all that is needed to ensure a participation in the strength (
ה ָמ ְצ ָע after the
form ה ָמ ְכ ָח), which He so richly bestows and so powerfully enhances. “And youths grow faint
and weary, and young men suffer a fall. But they who wait for Jehovah gain fresh strength;
lift up their wings like eagles; run, and are not weary; go forward, and do not faint.” Even
youths, even young men in the early bloom of their morning of life (
bachurı̄m, youths, from
ר ַח ָE,
related to ר ַכ ָE, רַג ָE), succumb to the effects of the loss of sustenance or over-exertion (both
futures are defective, the first letter being dropped), and any outward obstacle is sufficient to

cause them to fall (ל ַשׁ ְכִנ with inf. abs. kal, which retains what has been stated for contemplation,
according to Ges. §131, 3, Anm. 2). In Isa_40:30 the verb stands first, Isa_40:30 being like a
concessive clause in relation to Isa_40:31. “Even though this may happen, it is different with
those who wait for Jehovah,” i.e., those who believe in Him; for the Old Testament applies to
faith a number of synonyms denoting trust, hope, and longing, and thus describes it according
to its inmost nature, as fiducia and as hope, directed to the manifestation and completion of that
which is hoped for. The Vav cop. introduces the antithesis, as in Isa_40:8. ףי ִל ֱח ֶה, to cause one to
pursue, or new to take the place of the old (Lat. recentare). The expression וגו וּל ֲע ַי is supposed by
early translators, after the Sept., Targ. Jer., and Saad., to refer to the moulting of the eagle and
the growth of the new feathers, which we meet with in Psa_103:5 (cf., Mic_1:16) as a figurative
representation of the renewal of youth through grace. But Hitzig correctly observes that ה ָל ֱע ֶה is
never met with as the causative of the kal used in Isa_5:6, and moreover that it would require
ה ָצוֹנ instead of ר ֶב ֵא. The proper rendering therefore is, “they cause their wings to rise, or lift their
wings high, like the eagles” (
'ebher as in
Psa_55:7). Their course of life, which has Jehovah for its
object, is as it were possessed of wings. They draw from Him strength upon strength (see
Psa_84:8); running does not tire them, nor do they become faint from going ever further and
further.
The first address, consisting of three parts (Isa_40:1-11, Isa_40:12-26, Isa_40:27-31), is here
brought to a close.

6B. NISBET, “I. Consider, first, what it is to wait upon the Lord.—Three things make it: service,
expectation, patience. ‘Wait on the Lord.’ We must be as those Eastern maidens who, as they ply their
needle or their distaff, look to the eye and wait upon the hand of their mistress, as their guide which is to
teach them, or their model which they are to copy. Our best lessons are always found in a Father’s eye.
Therefore, if you would ‘wait upon the Lord, you must be always looking out for voices—those still small
voices of the soul—and you must expect them, and you must command them. But service, however
devoted, or expectation, however intense, will not be waiting without patience. Here is where so many fail.
The waiting times are so long; the interval between the prayer and the answer, between the repentance
and the peace, between the work and the result, between sowing?time and reaping?time, and we are such
impatient, impetuous creatures. We could not ‘tarry the Lord’s leisure.’

II. Consider, next, the action: elevation, rapid progress, a steady course—soar, run, walk.—Is it not
just what we want—to get higher, to go faster, and to be more calmly consistent? (1) Elevation. What are
the wings? Beyond a doubt, faith, prayer; or, if you will, humility and confidence in a beautiful equipoise,
balancing one another on either side, so that the soul sustains itself in mid?air and flies upward. (2) ‘They
shall run.’ Have you ever noticed how the servants of God in the Bible—from Abraham and David to
Philip in the Acts—whenever they were told to do anything always ran. It is the only way to do anything
well. A thousand irksome duties become easy and pleasant if we do them runningly, that is with a ready
mind, an affectionate zeal, and a happy alacrity. (3) But there is something beyond this. It is more difficult
to walk than to run. To maintain a quiet, sustained walk, day by day, in the common things of life, in the
house and out of the house, not impulsive, not capricious, not changeable—that is the hardest thing to
do. Let me give four rules for this walk: (a) Start from Christ; (b) walk with Christ; (c) walk leaning on
Christ; (d) walk to Christ.

Rev. James Vaughan.

Illustration

‘In the ministry of Christian service the last is the best. It may be best with us long after the two pence are
spent, when we are spending more and more, and yet spending far more consciously than before what is
not ours by nature. The promise marks an ascent, though it may not seem to do so. “They shall mount up
on wings as eagles.” There is a better thing, “They shall run, and not be weary,” and best of all there is
this, “They shall walk, and not faint.” It is the climax of covenant grace.

So as of old I follow Him

Only another way;

When the lights of the world are growing dim,

And my heart already is singing the hymn

Of twilight grown to day.’

7. CALVIN, “31.But they that wait for Jehovah. Hebrew writers employ the phrase, “ strength,” (131) to
denote “ new strength,” and thus “ restored.” The Prophet therefore shews, that godly persons, who shall
hope in God, will not be deficient in strength; and he confirms what he formerly said,

“ rest and silence shall be your strength.” (Isa_30:15.)

We must not become agitated, or throw ourselves forward rashly, but “” patiently. In this passage,
therefore, waiting means nothing else than patience. Violent men dash themselves to pieces by their own
eagerness, but the vigor of godly men, though it has less display, and often appears to lie buried while
they calmly “ for” God’ assistance, is refreshed and renewed. We must therefore return to the saying of
Paul, that

“ power of God is made perfect in our weakness.”

(2Co_12:9.)

We must, therefore be fully convinced of our weakness, that we may yield to the power of God. The Jews,
who were oppressed by that cruel captivity, had great need of this doctrine; but for us also, during this
wretchedly ruinous condition of the Church, it is exceedingly needful.

They shall raise their wings as eagles. It is generally believed that the Prophet uses this phrase in the
same sense that the Psalmist says,

“ youth shall be renewed like that of the eagle.”

(Psa_103:5.)

It is certain that the “” is very long?lived as compared with other birds.

Aristotle and Pliny affirm that it never dies of old age, but of hunger; that is, that when the upper part of
the beak becomes too large, it cannot take food into its mouth, and for a long time subsists entirely on
what it drinks. One Zaadias, as all Jews are audacious in constructing fables, pretends that the eagle flies
upward into the region that is near the sun, and approaches the sun so closely, that its old wings are
burned, and other new ones grow in their place; but this is utterly absurd and fabulous. The Prophet
means that they who trust in the Lord will be vigorous, like eagles, till the most advanced old age. But
seeing that eagles fly higher than other birds, by which they shew remarkable swiftness, which has also
given rise to the proverb, “ eagle among the clouds,” this passage may be understood to denote not only
long life, but also strength and agility; so that Isaiah, after having shewn that their strength is recruited,
adds that they are more vigorous, and ascend to a great height. Such is also the import of what follows,
—

They shall run and shall not be weary. It is as if he had said, that the Lord will assist them, so that they
shall pursue their course without any molestation. It is a figurative expression, by which he intimates that
believers (132) will always be ready to perform their duty with cheerfulness. But it will be said, “ are so
many troubles which we must endure in this life; how then does he say that we shall be exempt from
weariness?” I reply, believers are indeed distressed and wearied, but they are at length delivered from
their distresses, and feel that they have been restored by the power of God; for it happens to them
according to the saying of Paul,

“ we are troubled on every side, we are not overwhelmed; we are perplexed, but are not in despair; we
suffer persecution, but are not forsaken; we are cast down, but are not destroyed.”

(2Co_4:8.)

Let us therefore learn to flee to the Lord, who, after we have encountered many storms, will at length
conduct us to the harbor; for he who hath opened up a path, and hath commanded us to advance in that
course in which he hath placed us, does not intend to assist us only for a single day, and to forsake us in
the middle of our course, (Phi_1:6,) but will conduct us to the goal.

(131) “ phrase translated ‘ shall gain new strength,’ properly means ‘ shall exchange strength;’ but the
usage of the verb determines its specific meaning to be that of changing for the better, or improving. The
sense is therefore correctly given in the English Version (‘ shall renew their strength’” —Alexander.

(132) Les fideles.

8. GREAT TEXTS OF THE BIBLE, “God’s Waiting Ones

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they
shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint.—Isa_40:31.
In speaking to the heart of Jerusalem the great prophet of the Exile spoke a word which will always be in
season to them that are weary, and to such as are engaged in great undertakings. An earlier prophet had
seen a vision of dry bones, the emblems of a dead people, to whom he was commissioned to promise a
renewal of national life. He had spoken to these dry bones; the Spirit of God had breathed upon them;
and as the heavenly wind swept through the stifling valley of death the scattered bones came together,

joint to joint, and flesh came upon them, and breath came into them, and they stood up a great army.
Now the new prophet has to speak to the awakening people in the early hours of their reviving national
life and aspirations, and he has to comfort them amongst the fears which imperil the great enterprise for
which they have been revived. And all through this chapter he deals with them. There is the profound
sense of guilt, and he deals with that, assuring them of forgiveness.

There is the dread of the great heathen empires which have broken and seem unbreakable, and he deals
with that, and shows how these great kings and judges and empires are but as dust in the balance and
their gods are silent. Yes, he has to speak to them in the beginnings of their rethinking out the situation.
They are alive many of them, but most of them are only just alive; and as the sensations experienced by
those who are coming out of a swoon are practically the same as the feelings of those who are sinking
into one, the prophet pictures some of these men as lying prone upon the ground, prostrate and
motionless, and the clammy dews of faintness upon their brows. They are unable to rise, and as they lie
there he bids them at least lift up their eyes and look up into the heavens and consider these things. Who
hath created all these things? Hast thou, Jacob, not known? Hast thou not heard? The Everlasting
Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary.l He giveth power to the
faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.

The prophet was not only consoling prostrate and decrepit souls; there were some among them who not
only had awakened, but had received a new?born strength, and were eager to attempt the heroic task of
national restoration. His one desire was to save them from the disastrous, but not uncommon, mistake of
supposing that this feeling of strength and power and fitness is a sufficient indication that they carry in
themselves an adequate and permanent reserved strength, without replenishment from outside. He
proclaims to them the universal law of creature life. Man at his best estate rapidly expends his energy of
body and mind and soul, and must utterly fail unless replenished; and so, he says, even the youths—
using a term which, to Hebrew ears, would designate the period, say, from about fourteen to twenty—
even the youths, still growing lads, the almost men, those who are in the freshest time of life, when the
step is full of spring and all activity is joy, even these, he says, will faint and grow weary before this great
enterprise has been accomplished. The chosen men, picked men, young men—because young men are
the picked men for such enterprises—the chosen, picked men of their generation, the elect of all those
who have reached that period when activity and staying power are best combined with acquired skill and
discipline, even these shall utterly fall. But are they, therefore, to sit down supinely? Having fallen shall
they lie still, and groan that all is over? No! cries the clarion voice of the prophet, for God is not weary,
God is not faint, and they that wait on Him, though not exempted from the law of decline, shall experience
the law of revival; “they that wait on Him shall renew their strength.” Let them lift up their voices to God, let
them make their prayer unto Him, and then wealth and want, strength and weakness, God and man, shall
meet together and find a common blessedness in giving and receiving might.

A ship is stuck on a mud?bank; and, the tide going out, it careens over, and there it lies, like many
discouraged Christians. They do not need to anchor. The anchor is out, though. By and by the tide begins
to come in, little by little. The captain calls up the crew, and orders them to hoist in the anchor. It is
hoisted in and stowed away. “Trim the sails,” is the next command; and that is obeyed. The tide is still
coming in, coming in, coming in; and by and by the vessel floats off, and the crew look up with admiration
and say, “What a captain we have! It was the hauling in of the anchor and the trimming of the sails that
saved us. The captain gave his orders, they were obeyed, and then she floated.” No, it was not the
captain’s doings. The Lord God who swings the stars through the heavens, and exerts His power upon
the ocean, did it. The captain merely foresaw the coming of the tide, and adapted the circumstances of
the vessel to influences which existed before.
1[Note: H. W. Beecher.]

I

They that wait upon the Lord

To wait for Jehovah, or to wait on Jehovah, has in the mouth of the pious Israelite a very definite, specific
meaning, very different from the general sense of our expressions “to have faith in God,” “to trust in the
Lord,” at least as generally used. The typical passage is Gen_49:18, “I have waited, or I wait for thy
salvation, O Jehovah.” On this the Jerusalem Targum says: “But not upon the salvation of Gideon, the
son of Joas, does my soul gaze, because that is temporal; not to the salvation wrought by Samson, the
son of Manoah, is my longing directed, because that is transitory; but upon the salvation which Thou in
Thy Word hast promised to bring to Thy people, the seed of Israel. Unto Thy salvation, Jehovah, unto the
salvation of Messiah, the son of David, who at some future time will deliver Israel, and restore them from
their exile, unto that salvation my looking and my longing are directed, because Thy salvation is an
eternal salvation.” In other words, the thought is connected with the promise of
redemption, that redemption, that salvation, which was to be brought about by the coming and presence
and manifestation of Jehovah as the Deliverer, the Redeemer, the Saviour of His people.
1 [Note: A. H.
Huizinga, in The Presbyterian and Reformed Review, v. p. 89.]

But waiting upon the Lord may now be taken in a more comprehensive way, and as covering three great
acts of life.

1. It means Prayer. It means much more than an occasional supplication, however real; it means
persistent, persevering, continual prayer; it means an abiding attitude of trustful dependence upon God; it
means all that is wrapped up in those beautiful words we love to hear sung, “O rest in the Lord, and wait
patiently for Him”; it means trust in the Lord and do good; it means trust in the Lord at all times, for with
Him is everlasting strength, and have no confidence in self. But the prophet has a deeper thought than
this. There are many things for which we can only ask and then wait in quiet stillness, things which we
cannot help God to give us, things which God Himself bestows without our aid, if we are ever to possess
them. There are times when the soul is so utterly spent that God bends over our voiceless misery as the
Good Samaritan bent over the speechless Jew, and not waiting for those trembling pallid lips to ask,
poured oil and wine into his wounds, and lifted up his almost passive frame, and set him on his own
beast.

The praying spirit can be granted to a man as his soul is in the attitude of prayer. Then we are like a bird
with outstretched pinions, poised betwixt earth and heaven, waiting in the atmosphere of God for the
knowledge of the work we have to do. And as the bird descends to the nest on the earth which it can see
from afar, so we should descend to our duties unperceived except we were on high with God. There, the
heart open to God, the soul responsive to His influences, lifted above the meanness of earth, we get a
true perspective of our duty; we have a high courage, we see what is required of us, and seeing, we
descend to do it. It is easy for us in our hours of silent communion with God to feel the meaning of
things—the meaning never put into words, for heaven comes near and illuminates earth. Nay, rather we
discover that earth and heaven are one.

And when in silent awe we wait

And word and sign forbear,

The hinges of the golden gate

Move soundless to our prayer.

During the great Welsh revival, it is said a minister was marvellously successful in his preaching. He had
but one sermon, but under it hundreds of men were saved. Far away from where he lived, in a lonely
valley, news of this wonderful success reached a brother preacher. Forthwith he became anxious to find
out the secret of this success. He started out, and walked the long and weary road, and, at length,
reaching the humble cottage where the good minister lived, he said, “Brother, where did you get that
sermon?” He was taken into a poorly furnished room, and pointed to a spot where the carpet was worn
shabby and bare, near a window that looked out towards the solemn mountains, and the minister said,
“Brother, that is where I got that sermon. My heart was heavy for men. One evening I knelt there, and

cried for power to preach as I had never preached before. The hours passed until midnight struck, and
the stars looked down on a sleeping valley and the silent hills; but the answer came not, so I prayed on
until at length I saw a faint grey shoot up in the east; presently it became silver, and I watched and prayed
until the silver became purple and gold, and on all the mountain crests blazed the altar fires of the new
day; and then the sermon came, and the power came, and I lay down and slept, and arose and preached,
and scores fell down before the fire of God; that is where I got that sermon.”
1 [Note: G. H. Morgan, Modern
Knights?Errant, p. 100.]

In the year 1861 the Southern States of America were filled with slaves and slaveholders. It was
proposed to make Abraham Lincoln president. But he had resolved that if he came to that position of
power he would do all he could to wipe away the awful scourge from the page of his nation’s history. A
rebellion soon became imminent, and it was expected that in his inaugural address much would be said
respecting it. The time came. The Senate House was packed with people; before him was gathered the
business skill and the intellectual power of the States. With one son lying dead in the White House, whom
he loved with a fond father’s affection; another little boy on the borders of eternity; with his nation’s eternal
disgrace or everlasting honour resting upon his speech, he speaks distinctly, forcefully, and without fear.
Friend and foe marvel at his collected movements. They know of the momentous issues which hang on
his address. They know the domestic trials that oppress his heart. But they do not know that, before
leaving home that morning, the President had taken down the family Bible and conducted their home
worship as usual, and then had asked to be left alone. The family withdrawing, they heard his tremulous
voice raised in pleadings with God, that He whose shoulder sustains the government of worlds would
guide him and overrule his speech for His own glory. Here was the secret of this man’s strength.
1 [Note: G.
H. Morgan, Modern Knights?Errant, p. 104.]

2. It means Faith. The original word means to “fully trust” or “strongly hope,” to believe that the thing
hoped for will be effected, and so to wait patiently and steadily till it is done. It has nothing to do,
therefore, with the off?putting of the impenitent; nor with the apathy, indolence, and indifference that too
often creep over believers themselves. To wait upon the Lord, instead of being a weak or languid form of
faith, is the form that shows most of its endurance and power. No doubt it is an expression which brings
out the quiet side of the spiritual life. But our text states this important and too much forgotten secret of
that life—that it is just such quiet confidence in God that maintains and revives grace in the soul.

“They that wait upon the Lord” is Old Testament dialect for what in New Testament phraseology is meant
by “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” For the notion expressed here by “waiting” is that of expectant
dependence, and the New Testament “faith” is the very same in its attitude of expectant dependence,
while the object of the Old Testament “waiting,” Jehovah, is identical with the object of the New
Testament “faith,” which fastens on God manifest in the flesh, the Man Jesus Christ. Therefore, I am not
diverting the language of my text from its true meaning, but simply opening its depth, when I say that the
condition of the inflow of this unwearied and immortal life into our poor, fainting, dying humanity is simply
the trust in Jesus Christ the Redeemer of our souls. True, the revelation has advanced, the contents of
that which we grasp are more developed and articulate, blessed be God! True, we know more about
Jehovah, when we see Him in Jesus Christ, than Isaiah did. True, we have to trust in Him as dying on the
Cross for our salvation and as the pattern and example in His humanity of all nobleness and beauty for
young or old, but the Christ is the “same yesterday, and to?day, and for ever.” And the faith that knit the
furthest back of the saints of old to the Jehovah whom they dimly knew, is in essence identical with the
faith that binds my poor, sinful heart to the Christ that died and that lives for my redemption and
salvation.
1 [Note: A. Maclaren. The Unchanging Christ, p. 17.]

Waiting upon the Lord is not merely a passing call, but an abiding in Him. Waiting is not so much a
transient action as a permanent attitude. It is not the restless vagrant calling at the door for relief, it is
rather the intimacy of the babe at the breast.
2 [Note: J. H. Jowett, The Silver Lining, p. 131.]

3. It means Service. Waiting upon the Lord means not only praying and trusting, it means doing His
commandments, like the angels, who because they do them excel in strength, hearkening to the voice of

His Word. These winged messengers of His are waiting upon God as truly when they fly to the uttermost
parts of His dominions as when they veil their faces with their wings before the central throne; and so the
man who is filled with the Lord, and relies upon Divine help, is as truly waiting on the Lord when he goes
out from his chamber strengthened in purpose to do the right and to obey the golden rule to keep God’s
name hallowed in business, and wherever he may be to do nothing which shall add to the burdens of his
neighbours, nothing to make faith harder for the unbeliever, nothing to make life harder for the saint. The
man who goes out to do the common work of the world, trusting in God to help him to endure the
hardness and the temptation, and to come off more than conqueror, is waiting on the Lord when he
engages with all his heart and mind and strength, in the discharge of these common duties, as when in a
locked chamber he kneels with clasped hands before the unseen Throne of Grace.

Waiting is not an idle and impassive thing. When the Bible speaks of waiting upon God, it means
something different from doing nothing. We commonly contrast waiting with working, and there is a sense
in which the contrast is a just one; but if it leads us to think that waiting is not working, it has done wrong
to a great Bible word. Think, for example, of the Cabinet minister whose duty it is to wait upon the king. Is
that an idle or a sauntering business? Can it be entered on without a thought? Will it not rather claim the
whole attention, and make the statesman eager and alert? For him, at any rate, waiting is not idleness;
rather it is the crown of all his toil. I have heard soldiers say that in a battle the hardest thing is not the
final rush. In that wild moment a man forgets himself and is caught into a mad tumult of enthusiasm. The
hardest thing is to stand quiet and wait, while the hail of the enemy’s fire is whistling round—to wait in the
darkness and in the face of death, and be forbidden to return the fire. It is that which tries the nerves and
tests the heart. It is that which shows the stuff that men are made of. In such an hour a man is not
asleep—he is intensely and tremendously alive.

Sometimes we do not know what to do—it is not clear; you possibly have come to a cross, to a division in
the road, and you are at a loss clearly to see the way and to decide upon what you ought to do; it wants
strength of mind to be content to wait, to be content to be still.

There is a great deal in that expression of St. Paul’s, “Study to be quiet.” Why, one might think, we may
certainly be quiet without any very great study. It is a great thing to learn to be quiet: “He that believeth
shall not make haste.” Do not take God’s work into your own hands; when a thing is not clear, and you
are really in doubt, and when you do not know what it is right to do, do not be in a hurry, do not make
things worse by precipitancy; “it is good for a man patiently to wait.” You may like to be at work, you feel
as if you had gifts that should not be idle; it may be necessary, you know, that you should just be quiet for
a time, and God will show you by and by what you ought to do.

God doth not need

Either man’s work, or his own gifts. Who best

Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state

Is kingly; thousands at his bidding speed,

And post o’er land and ocean without rest;

They also serve who only stand and wait.

You get up in the morning, and before you do anything else, you go and place yourself on your knees,
and you “wait” a few minutes for the Father’s blessing. You seek an audience of the King of kings. You
pay duty to God. You recognise your relationship to God—your dependence upon God—your trust in
God. That is “waiting upon the Lord.” Then, all the day, feeling your weakness, and ignorance, and
danger, you are constantly in little secret acts of communion—by silent prayer and silent praise. That is
carrying on the “waiting upon the Lord.” Then, you carry about with you—whatever you are doing—
whomever else you are serving—the thought, “I am doing this for Christ, I am serving the Lord Christ. I
am waiting upon my own dear Master.” And you like always to have some special work in hand which is

immediately done for Christ. It is your privilege, your joy, to do something for anybody’s comfort—
something for anybody’s soul—all for Jesus. That is “waiting upon the Lord.” You come up to this place
not only and not so much for anything you are to get here; but to do homage; to attend court; to show
your affectionate reverence; to unite with all God’s hosts in every world in an act of solemn worship. That
is “waiting upon the Lord.” Or, you draw nearer still, into the sanctuary of the Holy Communion. You wait
on Christ for some brighter manifestations of His presence. You take, at His hands, the soul’s bread and
the soul’s wine; and you unite yourself to Him in His own appointed way. That is service—free, holy,
happy service. As true service, as acceptable to God, as the service of an angel—as the service of that
blessed company in heaven, where His servants are serving Him indeed.

II

Shall renew their Strength
The word “renew” means here to put a new thing in place of an old thing. So in Isa_9:10 : “Sycomores
have been cut down, but cedars will we put in their place.” Hence it is, literally, to put a new fresh strength
in place of the old. But how is this to be brought about? In what way are those that wait for Jehovah to
renew their strength? To my mind there is only one possible answer to this question. Do we not read in
the words almost immediately preceding: “He (Jehovah) giveth to the weary force, and unto the
powerless maketh strength to abound” (Cheyne)? In themselves those that wait for Jehovah are not any
better or stronger, they have no greater power of exertion or of endurance, than the youths who faint and
are weary, and the young men who stumble. But this is the supreme advantage which they have. They
renounce, abandon, their own strength, or rather their supposed strength, that strength which has been
used up, that strength which has been found utterly inadequate, that strength they renounce and
abandon, and they take in its place the strength of Jehovah Himself. What they cannot do for themselves,
Jehovah does for them. The strength of Jehovah, fresh, inexhaustible, almighty, Divine, takes the place
of, is the substitute for, their own strength, so weak, so limited, so utterly inadequate. In other words, we
have here one phase of the Christian doctrine of substitution, not substitution as applied to the matter of
atonement, the sacrifice offered for sin, but as applied to the spiritual experience of the believer in
meeting the various temptations, sorrows, losses, afflictions, trials, and adversities of life, in performing
the various duties of life and in accomplishing its work for the glory of his Lord, and the advancement of
His Kingdom.

The Word of God is filled with promises, which glitter and shine on every page of this sacred Book—and
yet, as every effect has a cause, so every promise has its condition; and as in Nature the effect cannot be
disjoined from the cause, no more can the blessing be disjoined from the condition. They are inseparably
united. “And the word of the Lord came to Joshua, saying, Go over Jordan and take the land. There shall
no man be able to stand against thee all the days of thy life, for as I was with Moses, so will I be with
thee. I will never fail thee nor forsake thee. Only be thou very courageous.” This law comes into our text—
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” The condition of waiting upon the Lord must be
fulfilled before we can expect the renewal of our strength. And be it remembered that here, as in all other
cases, material and spiritual, the condition is not some arbitrary demand on the part of God. It is not His
exorbitant price for the blessing in question. The condition is the means whereby the blessing is to be
obtained. Thus the essential condition for getting a strong, muscular arm is that it shall be used to do hard
and constant service. But if this condition be fulfilled, it will also prove to be the means whereby the
strength is produced.

1. The man who waits upon the Lord gets an ever wider experience of God’s grace and faithfulness as life
advances. All experienced Christians grow brighter, stronger, and calmer in their assurance of God’s
love. Every one who has known anything of grace in himself can confirm this.

Let me call one witness—a ripe Bible scholar—but one who began life as a poor boy in a workhouse. He
had lost his hearing absolutely, by an accident, while little more than a child. By well?meaning friends he

was consigned to a poorhouse. But he ended, after many labours, a loved and honoured interpreter of
Holy Scripture. This is what Dr. John Kitto writes on a like text in this same prophet Isaiah: “Thirty years
ago, before the Lord caused me to wander from my father’s house and from my native place, I put my
mark upon this text: ‘I am the Lord; they shall not be ashamed that wait for Me.’ Of the many books I now
possess,” he goes on, “the Bible that bears this mark was the only one that belonged to me at that time.
It now lies before me, and I find that although the hair which was then as dark as night has meanwhile
become ‘a sable silvered,’ the ink which marked this text has grown into intensity of blackness,
corresponding with the growing intensity of conviction. ‘They shall not be ashamed that wait for Him.’ I
believed it then, I know it now; and I can write with all my heart over against that symbol, Probatum est—
‘It is proved.’ Looking back through the long period which has passed since I set my mark to these
words—a portion of human life which forms the best and brightest, as well as the most trying and
conflicting, in all man’s experience—it is a joy to be able to say it. Under many perilous circumstances, in
many trying scenes, amid faintings within and fears without, under sorrows that rend the heart and
troubles that crush it down, ‘I have waited for Thee, O Lord, and I stand this day as one not
ashamed.’ ”
1 [Note: J. Laidlaw, Studies in the Parables, p. 262.]

2. It is only by waiting on the Lord that His ways can be discovered and understood. Our hasty glances
and hurried inferences are sure to err. You notice Israel in this chapter—captive, broken?hearted, and
complaining—says, “My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God.” How
often have we fallen into such pettish and childish thoughts of our heavenly Father! We forget how great,
how calm, how unwearied and unwearying, He is! “The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends
of the earth, fainteth not. There is no searching of his understanding”; but waiting upon Him brings us to
know Him, and so renews our strength.

Several years ago a connection was discovered by a man of science between two sets of natural facts
which seem far enough apart, viz. the magnetic currents of the earth and the spots on the sun. It was
made in this way: A German astronomer, Schwabe, of Dessau, capital of the Duchy of Anhalt, for a very
long succession of years observed and kept account of the number of sun?spots seen every day, so that
a periodic rise and fall in the numbers was made out, during regular cycles of eleven years,
corresponding with a like cycle of magnetic storms on the earth. Now this law or fact was learned by
waiting for it. So many years the observer spent to satisfy himself, and so many more years to convince
the world. For forty?two years the sun never rose a single morning, clear of clouds, above the flat horizon
of that German plain at Dessau, but the patient telescope of Schwabe confronted him. On an average,
about 300 days out of every year the observations were taken, so that over 12,000 times was the sun
seen, and above 5000 groups of sun?spots were discovered. “An instance,” were the words used in
awarding a prize to Schwabe, “of devoted persistence unsurpassed in the annals of astronomy.” The
energy of one man has discovered what had eluded even the suspicion of astronomers for two hundred
years. The scientific observer has faith in the uniformity and consistency of nature. He waits for it. He
“believes” that it is, and that it becomes a rewarder of those who diligently seek it.
1 [Note: G. H. Morgan.]

3. There is even a simpler and more direct explanation of the fact that “waiting upon the Lord renews our
strength.” The ancient Greeks had a fable of an earth?born giant who could not be overcome by the
ordinary process of knocking him down, for the reason that every time he touched his mother?earth he
revived. Now invert that process. It describes the secret of the strength of faith. It is heaven?born. All
grace is of the Lord. Each act of fresh dependence upon God “renews its strength.” Everything that
breaks us off from self and means, and drives us up in our helplessness to the Lord, is our gain. For “He
giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength” (v. 29). “Most gladly
therefore,” as St. Paul says, “will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon
me; for when I am weak, then am I strong” (2Co_12:9?10).

You touch your electric button, and immediately the bell in your kitchen rings. You know that an influence
of some kind, which is generated in the cells lying down in your cellar, is carried in a trice round the wires
and makes that bell ring; but what that influence is, or how it passes along the wires, neither you nor the
wisest electrician in the world can tell. Yet you believe that such influence or power exists, and you act
upon your belief. So I am told that waiting upon God produces renewed strength. Although I do not know

how that strength travels from God to me, though I am unable to define that strength, yet when, after
testing the statement, I find it to be correct in practice, I will believe it, and act upon that belief.
1 [Note: G. H.
Morgan.]

“With five shillings,” said Teresa the mystic, when her friends laughed at her proposal to build an
orphanage—“with five shillings Teresa can do nothing; but with five shillings and God there is nothing
Teresa cannot do.”
2 [Note: J. D. Jones, Elims of Life, p. 140.]

Lord, at Thy feet my prostrate heart is lying,

Worn with the burden, weary of the way;

The world’s proud sunshine on the hills is dying,

And morning’s promise fades with parting day;

Yet in Thy light another morn is breaking,

Of fairer promise, and with pledge more true,

And in Thy life a dawn of youth is waking

Whose bounding pulses shall this heart renew.

Oh, to go back across the years long vanished,

To have the words unsaid, the deeds undone,

The errors cancelled, the deep shadows banished,

In the glad sense of a new world begun;

To be a little child, whose page of story

Is yet undimmed, unblotted by a stain,

And in the sunrise of primeval glory

To know that life has had its start again!

I may go back across the years long vanished,

I may resume my childhood, Lord, in Thee,

When in the shadow of Thy cross are banished

All other shadows that encompass me:

And o’er the road that now is dark and dreary,

This soul, made buoyant by the strength of rest,

Shall walk untired, shall run and not be weary,

To bear the blessing that has made it blest.
3 [Note: George Matheson.]

III

They shall mount … they shall run … they shall walk
1. That is a most noticeable sequence. Look at it. “They shall mount up with wings l; they shall run l;
they shall walk.” Flying, running, walking. At first sight this looks like an anticlimax, and the promise reads
like a descending promise. If we had wished to use these phrases to illustrate the effects of the strength
which God supplies, and if we had wished to use them in an ascending scale, so that each should
intensify and carry to a higher point the assertion made in the other, we should have inverted the order,
and should have read the clauses thus: “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they
shall walk, and not faint; they shall run, and not be weary: they shall mount up with wings as eagles.” But
the prophet begins with the flying and ends with the walking. It looks at first sight, I repeat, as if it were a
descending and diminishing promise; as if the progress were from greater to less, and from less to least.
As Dr. George Adam Smith puts it, “Soaring, running, walking; and is not the next stage, a cynic might
ask, standing still?”
1 [Note: J. D. Jones, Elims of Life, p. 141.]

Those who turned the passage into metre for our use in praise in the Paraphrases, have changed the
order into what might be supposed more natural; walking first, then running, and last the eagle’s flight. Yet
no doubt the order as it stands has its reason and its force. It may be simply this, that the eagle?flight is
the Christian’s burst of early joy and praise; the unwearied running the main onward ardour of an active
Christian course; the walk without fainting, the last calm steps and firm, that land the saint in glory. But I
prefer to find a principle in it, viz., that in accordance with the whole strain of reflection to which the text
has led us, the perseverance of grace is more remarkable than even its occasional triumphs; that the
daily course it runs, and the persistence with which it goes further and further, the more the Lord has for it
to do, is that which most effectually proves its Divine origin and character. Let us only wait upon the Lord,
be wholly, constantly, and vitally dependent upon Him, then we shall renew our strength, change and
interchange it too. When soaring is needful “we shall mount up on wings as eagles”; when rapid, steady,
onward progress is to be made, “we shall run and not be weary”; but always and all through we shall
persevere, “we shall walk and not faint.”
2[Note: J. Laidlaw.]

Strength will come for every day’s endurance,

Grace all the way, and glory at the end.

Many cyclists find the three?speed interchangeable gear of great service in varieties of road and weather.
Along a good surface, and with a favourable wind, by using the high gear one can easily have a short
burst at the rate of from fifteen to twenty miles an hour. When things are not so favourable it is easy to
change to the middle gear. With the low gear it is possible to climb stiff hills or continue to ride in the teeth
of a gale. May we not see in this an illustration of the true Christian who by waiting on the Lord renews or
changes his strength?

A sudden emergency arises and with Christian audacity he courageously attempts the task, he mounts up
and is victorious. The demand calls for strenuous effort possibly somewhat prolonged; again, through
waiting, his strength is changed, and once more he is victorious. Or, greatest triumph of all, his task is the
monotonous plodding of daily duty in the face of adverse influence, and with nothing apparently heroic in
the work; but he waits on the Lord, his strength is changed, and he walks without fainting.

2. There is no doubt that we have here a kind of historic treatment of the condition of Israel, of the way in
which God’s people rise triumphantly above their difficulties, and then march onward in the greatness of
their strength. What was the first thing they needed? They were in the grasp of the heathen, surrounded
by a great wall of captivity. The iron bonds of the strong were around them, the high walls of
imprisonment were there. They were like birds in a cage. What do they require first? Why, eagles’ wings,
of course, to escape from their prison. They must get up out of this imprisoning barrier some way or other,
and God must lend them the strong wings of the eagle that they may soar until they surmount the
barriers, and find themselves in the free heaven of liberty again. What do they need next? They must
begin their national life anew with enthusiasm. They must haste to build up Zion again. Their hands must
not tire by night or day until they have completed the building of the temple of the Lord. Every nerve that
belongs to them, every muscle, every power must be devoted to the task! They must run for a time, for
there is haste and urgency, and much to be done in a short time. Ah, but what then when all this
enthusiasm, this first novelty, has passed away, what must they do then? Then they must begin the
march of a long history, on, on, on, as the days go by, with each rising sun setting forward on the great
national march again, bearing the heat and the burden of the day without fainting, from year to year,
generation to generation, age to age, on and on they must walk in the power of the Lord.

’Twas August, and the fierce sun overhead

Smote on the squalid streets of Bethnal Green,

And the pale weaver, through his windows seen

In Spitalfields, look’d thrice dispirited.

I met a preacher there I knew, and said:

“Ill and o’erwork’d, how fare you in this scene?”—

“Bravely!” said he; “for I of late have been

Much cheer’d with thoughts of Christ, the living bread.”

O human soul! as long as thou canst so

Set up a mark of everlasting light,

Above the howling senses’ ebb and flow,

To cheer thee, and to right thee if thou roam—

Not with lost toil thou labourest through the night!

Thou mak’st the heaven thou hop’st indeed thy home.
1 [Note: Matthew Arnold.]

3. This might be illustrated, if one had imagination, by taking the three forms of genius, temperament,
and character. There are some men who naturally have, as it were, the imaginative faculty, the poetic
faculty, and their tendency is to soar; they cannot help it, it is the impulse of the genius within them—that
is the particular form that the gift of God in them takes—aspiration, a rising and soaring. Well, if that man

with his genius waits upon God, and that genius becomes sanctified, he will mount up on wings as eagles
towards heaven; there will be sanctified genius, imaginative, embodying itself in sacred song; that which
will lift other souls to heaven and give them wings. Then there are other people that are distinguished by
perpetual activity; they must be doing something, warring, running, fighting, taking hold of something by
perpetual activity; and if sanctified, they will run in the way of God’s commandments; if God energises
their heart with Divine strength they will be able to achieve anything. And there are others of a soberer
sort who can neither run nor fly, but they can walk; and, like Enoch, they can walk with God. They quietly
walk, drawing no observation to themselves; without great genius, and without the faculty for great
achievement, but just walking humbly in that quiet vale of life, they walk, and while the man of the wing
does not weary, and the man running does not faint, neither do they—they keep on and on in the way of
God and in the way everlasting.

Amiel was a professor in a Swiss university. In his younger dayshis friends prophesied great things
concerning him; he was a brilliant and talented youth, and naturally looked forward himself to a life of
large activity and great usefulness. In the end he proved what the world calls a failure. It was not only his
friends who thought so, for he thought so too. He falsified all the predictions of those who loved him. In
life he never did anything very bad, and he never seemed to do anything very good. Few students
attended his lectures in the Swiss university where he did his life’s work, and Amiel could not help feeling
that he was indeed a failure, and he was in great bitterness of spirit many a time. He wrote down his
thoughts about himself and the experiences of his everyday life—the humdrum, the drudgery, the
untoward, and the unwelcome. He kept his journal for his own eye alone, and every night he entered
therein his thoughts and feelings, and the totality of the experiences he had gained during the day. It is
sad reading; we have it now Amiel is gone. He had not discovered what the whole world has now
discovered—that he was really doing his life’s work in the very midst and by means of that which seemed
to be a sorry failure. By his experience, gained in mediocre service, gained even through his
disappointment, gained by the labours of the every day, in the midst of the comments of those who were
sorry that he had not developed something better, he was learning, and for generations to come
everybody will see that his life?work was done by means of that which he would have regarded as a
failure of that life?work.
1 [Note: R. J. Campbell.]

4. The marginal reading of the text throws yet another light on its meaning. “They that wait upon the Lord
shall change their strength.” The truth suggested is the important one that they who are calmly and
constantly depending upon God will get renewal of strength according to their time and their need. They
may seem even to exchange one form of strength for another. The strength of a young tree is of one
kind—in putting forth shoots, leaves, and blossoms. The strength of the same tree, mature, is of another
kind in firmness and fruitfulness. The graces which were active and vigorous in a believer at his first
conversion to God, such as were carried upon a stream of warm, natural affections, ought to be renewed
or exchanged for more wise, practical, patient fruit?bearing in riper years; and may be exchanged again
for deeper spirituality, heavenliness of mind, readiness for the cross, and death as life advances. Now, in
these renewals or exchanges of strength he shall be not less useful or pleasing to his Lord. Christ foretold
to His Apostle Peter that in his last days he would serve his Master in a very different fashion from that of
his youth. “When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedest whither thou wouldest: but when
thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee and carry thee whither
thou wouldest not.” When Peter fell at last a martyr, was bound by his foes, and borne away to be
crucified—they say with his head downwards, at his own request, that in one thing at least he might be
lower than his Lord—was Peter less strong in faith, was he less loving, than when he girded his fisher’s
coat about him to swim; or flashed out his sword in the garden, or preached the word of his risen Lord
amid howling mobs in the streets of Jerusalem? No! He was stronger, more loving, more lovable, for all
those years of waiting had “renewed his strength.” And so perhaps we have a key to the anticlimax which
closes this verse. “They shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary, and they
shall walk and not faint.”

The heart which boldly faces death

Upon the battlefield, and dares

Cannon and bayonet, faints beneath

The needle?point of frets and cares.

The stoutest hearts they do dismay—

The tiny stings of every day.

And even saints of holy fame,

Whose souls by faith have overcome.

Who wore amid the cruel flame

The molten crown of martyrdom,

Bore not without complaint alway

The petty pains of every day.

Ah! more than martyr’s aureole,

And more than hero’s heart of fire,

We need the humble strength of soul

Which daily toils and ills require.

Sweet Patience, grant us, if you may,

An added grace for every day.

IV

They shall mount up with wings as eagles
They who wait upon the Lord shall obtain a marvellous addition to their resources. Their life shall be
endowed with mysterious but most real equipment. They shall obtain wings. We do well when picturing
the angel presences to endow them with wings. At the best it is a clumsy symbolism, but all symbolisms
of eternal things are clumsy and ineffective. And what do we mean by wings? We mean that life has
gained new powers, extraordinary capacity; the old self has received heavenly addition, endowing it with
nimbleness, buoyancy, strength. We used to sing in our childhood, “I want to be an angel.” I am afraid the
sentiment was often poor and unworthy, and removed our thoughts rather to a world that is to be than to
the reality by which we are surrounded to?day. But it is right to wish to be an angel if by that wish we
aspire after angelic powers and seek for angels’ wings. It is right to long for their powers of flight, their
capacity to soar to the heights. We may have the angels’ wings. Wing?power is not only the reward of
those who are redeemed out of time and emancipated from death, and who have entered into the larger
life of the unseen glory, but it is the prerogative of you and me. “They that wait upon the Lord l shall

mount up with wings.” Waiting upon the Lord will enable us to share the angels’ fellowship, to feed on
angels’ food, and to acquire the angels’ power of wing. “They shall mount up with wings as eagles.”

The saints of God are mountaineers, mounting up to higher and purer air than can be found on earth.
Their “citizenship is in heaven.” Their great delight is to be with the Lord on the mount; they are glad to be
able in heart and mind to sit with Jesus Christ in the heavenlies, holding communion with their Father and
His Son Jesus Christ, through the ever?present and powerful influence of the Holy Spirit. The eagle
mounts up with remarkable rapidity, and is noted for its swiftness of flight. God asks Job, “Doth the eagle
mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?” (Job_39:27). Solomon speaks, too, of this
swiftness of flight. “Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves
wings, like an eagle that flieth toward heaven” (Pro_23:5). Saul and Jonathan were “swifter than eagles”
(2Sa_1:23). So when we have the Spirit of God with us, we are able in an instant to wing our flight away
from things of time and sense, and enter through the veil into the very presence of the Most High. We
must take no credit or glory to ourselves for this, for as of old with His literal Israel, so now with His
spiritual Israel, the Lord “bears us on eagles’ wings, and brings us unto Himself” (Exo_19:4).

I will tell you about the eagle’s nest. The eagle makes a nest of thorns, and over the thorns the eagle puts
some very soft things—some wool or some down over the thorns. And there the eagle lays its eggs, and
when the eggs are hatched, the little eagles come out into the nest, and there they stay. And when it is
time for the little eagles to fly, what do you think the old eagle does? With his great talons he scratches off
the soft wool and the down, and then the thorns prick the little birds, and they must fly because the thorns
prick them. And so they fly away, and fly away because the thorns prick them. And what do you think the
old eagle does then? He is such a kind old bird. He comes and puts his great wings under the wings of
the little birds, and helps them to fly; and so the young eaglets can fly very high, because their father, the
old eagle, helps them with his great wings to fly away. And then they go up, and up very high; and if you
have ever seen a great bird—a great hawk, or a kite, or an eagle, as I have seen an eagle, it is very
beautiful to see how it flies. It goes up very high, and it makes great circles round and round, and goes
very fast, and yet you hardly see it move its wings. It seems almost to go without flapping its wings. It is
so grand, so large a circle, and it does it so quietly, so quietly, up very high and round and round.
1 [Note: J.
Vaughan, in Contemporary Pulpit, 2 Ser., iii. p. 166.]

What are the characteristics of life with wings?

1. Buoyancy.—We become endowed with power to rise above things! How often we give the counsel one
to another, “You should rise above it!” But too often it is idle counsel, because it implies that the friend to
whom we give it has the gift of wings; too frequently he is only endowed with feet. If, when we give the
counsel, we could give the wings, the things that bind him to the low plains of life might be left behind.

2. Loftiness.—We speak of a “lofty character” as opposed to one who is low or mean. There are men with
low motives, and they move along the low way. There are men with mean affections which do not
comprehend a brother. Now, it is the glorious characteristic of the Christian religion that it claims to give
loftiness to the life. There is no feature that the Bible loves more to proclaim than just this feature of
“aboveness.” It distinguishes the disciples of Christ. See how the ambitions of the Book run: “Seek the
things that are above”; “Set your mind on things above.” It speaks also of dwelling “with Christ in the
heavenly places.”

We cry, O for the wings of a dove! God says, “You have the wings, use them; but do not seek to fly away;
fly up, and though ye have lain among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver
and her feathers with yellow gold.” There is a sense in which we ought to have the wings of a dove; and
there is a sense in which we may be said actually to have them, only we do not use them enough. God’s
message to us is not merely that we may soar, but that we ought to soar easily above the things that
depress us and keep us down; and if we are in fellowship with Christ, and in the fellowship of the Holy
Ghost we will.
2 [Note: G. H. Knight.]

3. Comprehensiveness.—High soaring gives wide seeing. Loftiness gives comprehension. When we live

on the low grounds we possess only a narrow outlook. One man offers his opinion on some weighty
matter, and he is answered by the charge, “That is a very low ground to take.” The low ground always
means petty vision. Men who do not soar always have small views of things. We require wings for breadth
of view. Now see! The higher you get the greater will be the area that comes within your view. We may
judge our height by the measure of our outlook. How much do we see? We have not got very high if we
only see ourselves; nay, we are in the mire! “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also
on the things of others.” It is well when we get so high that our vision comprehends our town, better still
when it includes the country, better still when it encircles other countries, best of all when it engirdles the
world. It is well when we are interested in home missions; better still when home and foreign work are
comprehended in our view.

If we only lived more habitually above the world, we would have larger freedom, larger joy, and larger
safety. Have we not noticed how very helpless any bird is on the ground, though on the wing it is both
strong and safe? To fight temptations on their own level is not always the most successful way. It is better
to rise so far above, them that we shall feel as little enticed by them as God’s pure angels were enticed by
the iniquities of Sodom.
1 [Note: G. H. Knight.]

4. Proportion.—To see things aright we must get away from them. We never see a thing truly until we see
it in its relationships. We must see a moment in relation to a week, a week in relation to a year, a year in
relation to eternity. Wing?power gives us the gift of soaring, and we see how things are related one to
another. An affliction looked at from the lowlands may be stupendous; looked at from the heights it may
appear little or nothing. “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” What a breadth of view! And here is another. “The sufferings of
this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to usward.” This is
a bird’s?eye view. It sees life “whole.”
2 [Note: J. H. Jowett.]

V

They shall run and not be weary
There are many meanings which this may bear. But the pith of them all seems to be Capacity for the most
strenuous exertion. They shall run. Wherefore? Because the King’s business requireth haste. Would that
the King’s servants always felt this. We are too ready to imagine that our work is to be literally easy, and
our Christian witness?bearing literally light. But if ever the world is to be won to Christ, we shall have to
endure hardness for Him. We shall have to ponder deeply the great questions of the social and moral
well?being of what are called “the masses,” the ignorance and depravity of our large towns, the semi?
serfdom of the agricultural population, the great problem of the drunkenness that disgraces our national
life and what can be done to remove it, and many kindred subjects that, as yet, we have hardly looked at.

There is power waiting for you for all the great crises of your lives which call for special, though it may be
brief, exertion. Such crises will come to each of you, in sorrow, work, difficulty, hard conflicts. Moments
will be sprung upon you without warning, in which you will feel that years hang on the issue of an instant.
Great tasks will be clashed down before you unexpectedly which will demand the gathering together of all
your power. And there is only one way to be ready for such times as these, and that is to live waiting on
the Lord, near Christ, with Him in your hearts, and then nothing will come that will be too big for you.
However rough the road, and however severe the struggle, and however swift the pace, you will be able
to keep it up. Though it may be with panting lungs and a throbbing heart, and dim eyes and quivering
muscles, yet if you wait on the Lord you will run and not be weary. You will be masters of the crises.

Holiness does not consist exclusively in heavenly contemplation and prayer. The breathing of the pure air
of heaven is essential for the saints, that they may be able to “run” in the way of God’s commandments,
and not grow weary in the race. There must be something very deficient in that holiness which is

characterised by slothfulness and lack of effort. We are told to “follow holiness” (Heb_12:14). The word
“to follow” signifies pursuing an enemy, or pursuing in the chase. Let us learn to be as intent upon
holiness as the soldier is intent upon pursuing the enemy. Let us be as eager to pursue holiness as the
hound is to follow the fox, or the hare, or the stag.

Have you ever noticed how the servants of God in the Bible—from Abraham and David to Philip in the
Acts—whenever they were told to do anything, always ran. It is the only way to do anything well. Run. A
thousand irksome duties become easy and pleasant if we do them runningly—that is, with a ready mind,
an affectionate zeal, and a happy alacrity.

In Indian Wigwams and Northern Camp-fires, by the Rev. E. R. Young, we are told that amongst the
brigades of Indians who annually left Norway House for the Mackenzie River and Athabasca districts with
supplies, and to bring back furs, the Christian brigade was always the first to return. The men themselves
attributed it to their observance of the Sabbath as a day of waiting upon God. According to their account
of one trip the brigades kept together until the first Saturday. Then those from the Christian mission chose
a place for their Sunday camp, and spent that day in rest and worship. Next day they started early,
refreshed by their rest, and on Thursday had passed the others and camped as the head brigade. Next
Sunday they rested again, and the others passed them and camped a few miles farther on. “We were up
very early on Monday morning, and came up to the others while they were at breakfast. With a cheer we
rowed by, and they did not catch up to us again.l We were three days down on our way home when we
met the other brigades going up.” They rested every Sunday during the trip of two months, yet were home
a week before those who pushed on every day. These Indians were no larger or stronger than others, but
in waiting upon God they renewed their physical as well as their spiritual strength.

VI

They shall walk and not faint
Is this the same as saying that we shall have the power of steady perseverance, of patient endurance
under protracted trial? Did the prophet put this last in his brief summary because patience is one of those
Christian graces that has its perfect work the latest—because the bearing of the Lord’s burden is often a
much more difficult thing than the doing of the Lord’s work? And was it because He would encourage us
by the assurance that even that power, difficult of attainment as it is, shall yet be ours through prayer?
Thank God for the assurance, for we greatly need it! “They shall break down under the trial,” suggests the
devil. “No,” says the prophet, “they shall bear up bravely.” That is, if in the great warfare it is not theirs to
be conspicuous in the battlefield, they shall receive power to be loyal in the barracks. If on the seas of
Christly inactivity it is not theirs to lead the squadrons of exploration, they shall at least be vigilant in the
roadstead, and alert about the shore.

The flight into the heavenlies, and the vigorous putting forth of effort, will fit us for the ordinary walks of
life. If all our religious exercises do not make us better husbands to our wives, better wives to our
husbands, better parents to our children, better children to our parents, better masters and mistresses to
our servants, and better servants to our masters, what are they all worth? We are then but “clouds without
water,” and trees “whose fruit withereth.”. Without doubt the highest attainment is put last—it is the climax
of holiness: “They shall walk, and not faint.” If there is not holiness in little things, what can we expect in
great things but mere paint and veneer, and what is artificial? But there is nothing so likely to produce true
saintship in the home and the quiet walks of daily life as prayer and much waiting on God, as well as
much valiant fighting and vigorous running, and deliberate setting aside every weight.

Let me give you four rules for this “walk.” (1) Start from Christ. Believe, and do not doubt your

forgiveness,—that you have an interest in Christ. The only setting?out point must be the foot of the cross.
(2) Walk with Christ. Feel Him at your side. Realise your union then. “How can two walk together except
they be agreed?” (3)Walk leaning on Christ. That is the most true and beautiful picture of the Christian in
the whole Bible,—“Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her Beloved?” Up, up,
out of a world which has become a barren wilderness,—for the superior joys you now taste; “leaning,”
leaning on one she dearly loves. And then (4) walk to Christ. I know it is a long, rugged, steep road to go;
but you are going home; and you are going to Jesus! Therefore go; “looking unto Jesus, the Author and
Finisher of our Faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame;
and is now set down” at the very place where you are going.
1 [Note: J. Vaughan.]

The United States in 1861 took up the sword in the cause of the negro. A wave of passionate enthusiasm
for the cause of the downtrodden and the oppressed swept over the land, and from every town and
village in the Northern States there went young men to fight the negro’s battle, singing as they went—

“John Brown’s body lies a?mouldering in the grave,

But his soul goes marching on.”

I admire the United States in those days of splendid enthusiasm and hope at the beginning of the war,
when she mounted up with wings as eagles, and ran, and was not weary. But I frankly confess I admire
that great nation still more in the later stages of the conflict; when the terrible realities of war came home
to her; when it became apparent that the deliverance of the negro was likely to be a long, costly, and
bloody business; when, in spite of defeat after defeat, she stuck doggedly to her task, sending regiment
after regiment and army after army into the field, bating not a jot or tittle of her resolve; not soaring or
running now, perhaps, but still “walking, and not faint.”
2 [Note: J. D. Jones.]

Did you ever hear of a great mathematician who lived a long while ago? He was one of the greatest
mathematicians, and knew about the stars. He was an astronomer, and was a very learned man. And he
has written his life, and he tells what happened to him when he was a boy. He says when a boy he got
tired of mathematics, and was going to give it all up. He said, “I shall give it up, I shall never be a clever
man.” Well, very strangely, as he was thinking that, he saw a piece of paper on the cover of his book, and
somehow or other, he could never tell why, he thought he should like to have it, and he got some water
and damped it, and then got this piece of paper off, and on it was written, “Go on, sir; go on, sir.” And he
said afterwards, “That was my master; I had no other master; that bit of paper was my master. I went
on—I went on; I would not give it up, and all through my life that has been my master, and to it I owe
everything.”
3 [Note: J. Vaughan.]

Footnotes:

Isaiah 40:3 Or A voice of one calling in the wilderness: / “Prepare the

way for the Lord
Isaiah 40:3 Hebrew; Septuagint make straight the paths of our God
Isaiah 40:9 Or Zion, bringer of good news, / go up on a high mountain. /

Jerusalem, bringer of good news
Isaiah 40:13 Or mind
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978,

1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved

worldwide.

Isaiah 40 commentary

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Isaiah 40 commentary

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