A VERSE BY VERSE COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH CHAPTER 35.

1. ISAIAH 35 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Joy of the Redeemed
1The desert and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.
Like the crocus,
1.BARNES, “The wilderness and the solitary place - This is evidently figurative
language, such as is often employed by the prophets. The word rendered ‘solitary place’ (‫ציה‬
tsı yah), denotes properly a dry place, a place without springs and streams of water; and as such
places produce no verdure, and nothing to sustain life, the word comes to mean a desert. Such
expressions are often used in the Scriptures to express moral or spiritual desolation; and in this
sense evidently the phrase is used here. It does not refer to the desolations of Judea, but to all
places that might be properly called a moral wilderness, or a spiritual desert; and thus aptly
expresses the condition of the world that was to be benefited by the blessings foretold in this
chapter. The parallel expressions in Isa_41:17-19; Isa_44:3-4, show that this is the sense in
which the phrase is here used; and that the meaning is, that every situation which might be
appropriately called a moral wilderness - that is, the whole pagan world - would ultimately be
made glad. The sense is, that as great and happy changes would take place in regard to those
desolations as if the wilderness should become a vast field producing the lily and the rose; or as
if Isa_35:2 there should be imparted to such places the glory of Lebanon, and the beauty of
Sharon and Carmel.
Shall be glad for them - This is evidently a personification, a beautiful poetic figure, by
which the wilderness is represented as expressing joy. The sense is, the desolate moral world
would be filled with joy on account of the blessings which are here predicted. The phrase ‘for
them,’ expressed in Hebrew by the affix ‫מ‬ (m) means, doubtless, on account of the blessings
which are foretold in this prophecy. Lowth supposes, however, that the letter has been added to
the word ‘shall be glad’ (‫ישׂשׂוּ‬ ye
s'us'u), by mistake, because the following word (‫מדבר‬ midbar)
begins with a ‫מ‬ (m). The reading of the present Hebrew text is followed by none of the ancient
versions; but it is nevertheless probably the correct reading, and there is no authority for
changing it. The sense is expressed above by the phrase ‘shall rejoice on account of the things
contained in this prophecy;’ to wit, the destruction of all the foes of God, and the universal

2. establishment of his kingdom. Those who wish to see a more critical examination of the words
used here, may find it in Rosenmuller and Gesenius.
And blossom as the rose - The word rendered ‘rose’ (‫חבצלת‬ chabı tsaleth) occurs only here
and in Son_2:1, where it is also rendered a ‘rose.’ The Septuagint renders it, Κρίνον Krinon ‘Lily.’
The Vulgate also renders it, Lilium - the lily. The Syriac renders it also by a word which signifies
the lily or narcissus; or, according to the Syriac lexicographers, ‘the meadow-saffron,’ an
autumnal flower springing from poisonous bulbous roots, and of a white and violet color. The
sense is not, however, affected materially whatever be the meaning of the word. Either the rose,
the lily, or the saffron, would convey the idea of beauty compared with the solitude and
desolation of the desert. The word ‘rose’ with us, as being a flower better known, conveys a more
striking image of beauty, and there is no impropriety in retaining it.
2. CLARKE, “Shall be glad - ‫יששום‬ yesusum; in one MS. the ‫מ‬ mem seems to have been
added; and ‫שום‬ sum is upon a rasure in another. None of the ancient versions acknowledge it; it
seems to have been a mistake, arising from the next word beginning with the same letter.
Seventeen MSS. have ‫ישושום‬ yesusum, both vaus expressed; and five MSS. ‫יששם‬ yesusum, without
the vaus. Probably the true reading is, “The wilderness and the dry place shall be glad. “Not for
them.
3. GILL, “The wilderness, and the solitary place, shall be glad for them,.... Either for
the wild beasts, satyrs, owls, and vultures, that shall inhabit Edom or Rome, and because it shall
be an habitation for them: or they shall be glad for them, the Edomites, and for the destruction
of them; that is, as the Targum paraphrases it,
"they that dwell in the wilderness, in the dry land, shall rejoice;''
the church, in the wilderness, being obliged to fly there from the persecution of antichrist, and
thereby become desolate as a wilderness; and so called, in allusion to the Israelites in the
wilderness, Act_7:38 shall now rejoice at the ruin of Rome, and the antichristian states; by
which means it shall come into a more flourishing condition; see Rev_12:14,
and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose; or "as the lily", as the Septuagint,
Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions; and so the Targum,
"as the lilies:''
not Judea or Jerusalem, as the Jewish writers, become like a desert, through the devastations
made in it by the king of Assyria's army; and now made glad, and become flourishing, upon the
departure of it from them: rather the Gentile world, which was like a wilderness, barren and
unfruitful, before the Gospel came into it; but by means of that, which brought joy with it, and
was attended with fragrancy, it diffusing the savour of the knowledge of Christ in every place, it
became fruitful and flourishing, and of a sweet odour, and looked delightful, and pleasant:
though it seems best to understand it of the Gentile church in the latter day, after the

3. destruction of antichrist, when it shall be in a most desirable and comfortable situation. These
words stand in connection with the preceding chapter Isa_34:1, and very aptly follow upon it.
4. HENRY, “I. The desert land blooming. In the foregoing chapter we had a populous and
fruitful country turned into a horrid wilderness; here we have in lieu of that, a wilderness turned
into a good land. When the land of Judah was freed from the Assyrian army, those parts of the
country that had been made as a wilderness by the ravages and outrages they committed began
to recover themselves, and to look pleasantly again, and to blossom as the rose. When the
Gentile nations, that had been long as a wilderness, bringing forth no fruit to God, received the
gospel, joy came with it to them, Psa_67:3, Psa_67:4; Psa_96:11, Psa_96:12. When Christ was
preached in Samaria there was great joy in that city (Act_8:8); those that sat in darkness saw a
great and joyful light, and then they blossomed, that is, gave hopes of abundance of fruit; for
that was it which the preachers of the gospel aimed at (Joh_15:16), to go and bring forth fruit,
Rom_1:13; Col_1:6. Though blossoms are not fruit, and often miscarry and come to nothing, yet
they are in order to fruit. Converting grace makes the soul that was a wilderness to rejoice with
joy and singing, and to blossom abundantly. This flourishing desert shall have all the glory of
Lebanon given to it, which consisted in the strength and stateliness of its cedars, together with
the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, which consisted in corn and cattle. Whatever is valuable
in any institution is brought into the gospel. All the beauty of the Jewish church was admitted
into the Christian church, and appeared in its perfection, as the apostle shows at large in his
epistle to the Hebrews. Whatever was excellent an desirable in the Mosaic economy is translated
into the evangelical institutes.
5. JAMISON, “Isa_35:1-10. Continuation of the prophecy in the thirty-fourth chapter.
See on Isa_34:1, introduction there.
solitary place — literally, “a dry place,” without springs of water. A moral wilderness is
meant.
for them — namely, on account of the punishment inflicted according to the preceding
prophecy on the enemy; probably the blessings set forth in this chapter are included in the
causes for joy (Isa_55:12).
rose — rather, “the meadow-saffron,” an autumnal flower with bulbous roots; so Syriac
translation.
6. K&D, “Edom falls, never to rise again. Its land is turned into a horrible wilderness. But, on
the other hand, the wilderness through which the redeemed Israel returns, is changed into a
flowery field. “Gladness fills the desert and the heath; and the steppe rejoices, and flowers like
the crocus. It flowers abundantly, and rejoices; yea, rejoicing and singing: the glory of
Lebanon is given to it, the splendour of Carmel and the plain of Sharon; they will see the glory
of Jehovah, the splendour of our God.” ‫ר‬ ָ ְ‫ד‬ ִ‫מ‬ ‫שׂוּם‬ ֻ‫שׂ‬ְ‫י‬ (to be accentuated with tiphchah munach, not
with mercha tiphchah) has been correctly explained by Aben-Ezra. The original Nun has been
assimilated to the following Mem, just as pidyon in Num_3:49 is afterwards written pidyom
(Ewald, §91, b). The explanation given by Rashi, Gesenius, and others (laetabuntur his), is

4. untenable, if only because sus (sı̄s) cannot be construed with the accusative of the object (see at
Isa_8:6); and to get rid of the form by correction, as Olshausen proposes, is all the more
objectionable, because “the old full plural in un is very frequently met with before Mem”
(Böttcher), in which case it may have been pronounced as it is written here.
(Note: Böttcher calls um the oldest primitive form of the plural; but it is only a
strengthening of un; cf., tannı̄m = tannı̄n, Hanameel = Hananeel, and such Sept. forms as
Gesem, Madiam, etc. (see Hitzig on Jer_32:7). Wetzstein told me of a Bedouin tribe, in
whose dialect the third pers. praet. regularly ended in m, e.g., akalum (they have eaten).)
According to the Targum on Son_2:1 (also Saad., Abulw.), the chabhatstseleth is the narcissus;
whilst the Targum on the passage before us leaves it indefinite - sicut lilia. The name (a
derivative of batsal) points to a bulbous plant, probably the crocus and primrose, which were
classed together.
(Note: The crocus and the primrose (‫א‬ ָ‫ת‬ָ‫י‬ ְ‫ל‬ ַ‫צ‬ ְ‫מ‬ ַ‫ה‬ in Syriac) may really be easily confounded,
but not the narcissus and primrose, which have nothing in common except that they are
bulbous plants, like most of the flowers of the East, which shoot up rapidly in the spring, as
soon as the winter rains are over. But there are other colchicaceae beside our colchicum
autumnale, which flowers before the leaves appear and is therefore called filius ante patrem
(e.g., the eastern colchicum variegatum).)
The sandy steppe would become like a lovely variegated plain covered with meadow flowers.
(Note: Layard, in his Nineveh and Babylon, describes in several places the enchantingly
beautiful and spring-like variation of colours which occurs in the Mesopotamian “desert;”
though what the prophet had in his mind was not the real midar, or desert of pasture land,
but, as the words tsiyah and ‛arabhah show, the utterly barren sandy desert.)
On gı̄lath, see at Isa_33:6 (cf., Isa_65:18): the infin. noun takes the place of an inf. abs., which
expresses the abstract verbal idea, though in a more rigid manner; 'aph (like gam in Gen_31:15;
Gen_46:4) is an exponent of the increased emphasis already implied in the gerunds that come
after. So joyful and so gloriously adorned will the barren desert, which has been hitherto so
mournful, become, on account of the great things that are in store for it. Lebanon, Carmel, and
Sharon have, as it were, shared their splendour with the desert, that all might be clothed alike in
festal dress, when the glory of Jehovah, which surpasses everything self in its splendour, should
appear; that glory which they would not only be privileged to behold, but of which they would be
honoured to be the actual scene.
7. COFFMAN, “Many scholars profess to see a close connection between this chapter and the
preceding one, and to interpret the wonderful blessings portrayed in this as being the consequence of the
destruction of God's enemies in Isaiah 34. We see no such thing. Whatever similarities may exist here
between the great blessings of the Kingdom of Christ, which is most surely the focus of the chapter, and
the return of a small remnant of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity, it appears to us are very limited;
and both in such types and the great reality itself, the cause of them must be discerned as being the
intervention of God Himself in human affairs. Was it due to the destruction of enemies? Not entirely,
because God still has enemies. The cause of the blessings in Christ's kingdom is Jesus Christ himself.
He is the HIGHWAY to heaven. Christ is also the highway that brought the Jews back to Jerusalem after

5. the captivity; because the very purpose of God's bringing them back was that the Jews should be
preserved as a separate people until Messiah should be born.
The existence of a "highway" through the desert from Babylon to Judah, and that desert that blossomed
like a rose as they came back home through that desert simply did not exist. This passage was not talking
about such literal things as that.
There could, of course, be a prophecy here of a "highway" for the Jews to use on the way back from
Babylon, if we could interpret such a highway as being the providential assistance that Cyrus the Persian
ruler gave the Jews in allowing, aiding and encouraging it. Where else in these ten verses do we locate a
prophecy of Jews returning to Jerusalem?
8. CALVIN, “1.The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad. Here the Prophet describes a
wonderful change; for having in the former chapter described the destruction of Idumaea, and having said
that it would be changed into a wilderness, he now promises, on the other hand, fertility to the wilderness,
so that barren and waste lands shall become highly productive. This is God’ own work; for, as he blesses
the whole earth, so he waters some parts of it more lightly, and other parts more bountifully, by his
blessing, and afterwards withdraws and removes it altogether on account of the ingratitude of men.
This passage is explained in various ways. I pass by the dreams of the Jews, who apply all passages of
this kind to the temporal reign of the Messiah, which they have contrived by their own imagination. Some
explain it as referring to Judea, and others to the calling of the Gentiles. But let us see if it be not more
proper to include the whole world along with Judea; for he predicted the destruction of the whole world in
such terms as not to spare Judea, and not only so, but because “ judgment of God begins at his house or
sanctuary,” (1Pe_4:17,) the singularly melancholy desolation of the Holy Land was foretold, that it might
be a remarkable example. Thus beginning appropriately and justly with Judea, he calls the whole world
a wilderness, because everywhere the wrath of God abounded; and, therefore, I willingly view this
passage as referring to Judea, and afterwards to the other parts of the world. As if he had said, “ the Lord
shall have punished the wickedness and crimes of men, and taken vengeance on Jews and Gentiles, the
wilderness shall then be changed into a habitable country, and the face of the whole earth shall be
renewed.” Now this restoration is a remarkable instance of the goodness of God; for, when men have
provoked him by their revolt, they deserve to perish altogether, and to be utterly destroyed, especially
they whom he has adopted to be his peculiar people. Isaiah has his eye chiefly on the Jews, that in their
distressful condition they may not faint.
Let us now see when this prophecy was fulfilled, or when it shall be fulfilled. The Lord began some kind of
restoration when he brought his people out of Babylon; but that was only a slight foretaste, and, therefore,
I have no hesitation in saying that this passage, as well as others of a similar kind, must refer to the
kingdom of Christ; and in no other light could it be viewed, if we compare it to other prophecies. By “
kingdom of Christ,” I mean not only that which is begun here, but that which shall be completed at the last
day, which on that account is called “ day of renovation and restoration,” (Act_3:21;) because believers
will never find perfect rest till that day arrive. And the reason why the prophets speak of the kingdom of
Christ in such lofty terms is, that they look at that end when the true happiness of believers, shall be most
fully restored.
After having spoken of dreadful calamities and predicted the lamentable ruin of the whole world, the
Prophet comforts believers by this promise, in which he foretells that all things shall be restored. This is

6. done by Christ, by whom alone they can be renewed and made glad; for he alone renews everything, and
restores it to proper order; apart from him there can be nothing but filth and desolation, nothing but most
miserable ruin both in heaven and in earth. But it ought to be carefully observed, that the world needed to
be prepared by chastisements of this nature, in order that it might be fit and qualified for receiving such
distinguished favor, and that the grace of Christ might be more fully manifested, which would have been
concealed if everything had remained in its original state. It was therefore necessary that the proud and
fierce minds of men should be east down and subdued, that they might taste the kindness of Christ, and
partake of his power and strength.
9. BI, “The blessings of the Gospel
The thirty-fourth and the thirty-fifth chapters of Isaiah are by the best scholars supposed to
constitute one entire and complete prophecy, not connected specially, or at least organically,
with what goes before or follows.
It is a masterpiece of poetry. A single poem divided into two parts; in the first part, the prophet
sets forth in lurid colours the universal judgments of God upon all the nations of the earth which
have arrayed themselves against Him and oppressed His people. As an instance of what shall
come upon all, he selects a single nation, that of the Edomites, and shows forth in them what
shall come upon all. This awful storm of wrath passes away; and we see in the “clear shining
after rain” the beautiful prospect which is opened up to both earth and man, when God’s
enemies cease from troubling and His people are gathered unto Himself. The almost universal
habit of spiritualising this, and all like prophecies, and allegorising them into an exclusive
application to present Gospel blessings, has served to hide the chief significance of the passage
from the eyes of the ordinary reader. The promise of this glorious chapter is without doubt
primarily and chiefly to the Jews, referring to their final restoration to their own land in the last
days. That it has a preliminary reference to the return from the Babylonian captivity is possible,
but it looks far beyond that time to the return from the dispersion which the Jews are now
suffering. Even the joy of that first return did not fulfil the glorious promises of this vision. God’s
day of vengeance, and the year of His redeemed, are thus set side by side. (Compare with 61:2;
and 63:4, with Mat_24:27-31; Luk_21:25-28.)
I. THE REJOICING CREATION. It is almost impossible not to associate the magnificent
opening words of this chapter with the hope held out to the “whole creation which groaneth and
travalleth in pain together until now, waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, when it
shall also be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of
God” (Rom_8:19-23). “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them.” This is a
beautiful picture of the sympathy of the earth with man. Not only do the beautiful parts of the
earth rejoice with the home-coming of man from his wanderings from God, but the very
wilderness and solitary places rejoice and are glad for them, because also in man’s redemption
the creation which was cursed for man’s sake is set free from that curse. The gladness which is
here ascribed to the inanimate creation corresponds with the songs and everlasting joy which
crown the redeemed of the Lord on their return. The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto them
and the excellency of Carmel and Sharon. Two other things are ascribed to the creation. They are
represented as consciously participating in the great goodness of God to man. They rejoice even
with joy and singing; and they see the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God. It is the
habit of our prophet thus to invest nature with consciousness and intelligence. It is the habit of-
all scriptural writers to put man and nature into close sympathy with each other, declaring that
God is the maker of both. There is a great spiritual as well as poetic truth in this. How powerfully
are we affected by plastic nature! How responsive the soil, the fruits of earth, and trees of the
forest to the loving touch and sympathy of man! Who does not know how wonderfully different

7. all nature seemed to us when we were first converted to God. What a world of beauty this will be
when the curse is removed and man and nature, so manifestly made for each other, shall rejoice
and be glad together!
II. THE BLESSINGS OF SALVATION. The outline of blessing which the prophet sets before us
is not complete, but simply consists of a few bold strokes, serving to fill us with the hope of
perfect and complete recovery to God.
1. Men shall see God. The vision of God has already been ascribed in a metaphorical sense to
the inanimate creation. It is certainly true that, among the chiefest blessings of salvation, is
the vision of God When Jesus came into the world, we are told that in Him we beheld the
glory of God, full of grace and truth We are also told that the first effect of the new birth is
the ability of the sinner to see God. The purification of the heart which comes with the new
life of God in the soul, carries with it the promise of seeing God (Joh_1:14; Joh_3:3;
Mat_5:8; 2Co_3:18). But there is manifestly something more than this meant. “They shall
see the glory of Jehovah and the excellency of our God.” This can refer to nothing else than
that beatific vision of God spoken of by Paul in 1Co_13:12; by John in the Rev_22:4. Yet
again, if we are to include the saints of the Church in this prophecy, then we shall also have
to look for a more literal fulfilment still. When the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven
in power and great glory (Mat_26:64; Dan_7:13; Joh_1:51; 1Th_4:16; Rev_1:7), then the
scattered Jews shall see their long-rejected Lord, as Saul of Tarsus saw Him on the way to
Damascus (Act_9:3), and be instantly converted, and start on their homeward way, greeted
by all the smiling and rejoicing flowers and trees and pools and newly fertilised wildernesses
and waste places of the earth. During all these dark centuries the veil has been over the eyes
of the Jews, but in this time the veil shall be taken away and they shall see the face, the glory,
the excellency of Jehovah-God.
2. They shall strengthen and encourage each other. This is most probably a retrospective
exhortation. In view of this promise and the certain coming of Jehovah and their restoration,
they are exhorted to strengthen and encourage each other. There are those whose hands are
weak, whose knees are feeble. They cannot fight the good fight of faith with courage, they
cannot run with patience the race that is set before them. The long delays and afflictions
experienced during the time of waiting has taken not only the courage out of many, but has
filled them with despair. Therefore they were to say to those of a fearful heart or of a hasty
tendency to unbelief:
“Be strong, fear not; behold your God will come with vengeance; even God with a recompense;
He will come and save you. Thus the prophet calls upon the strong to impart theft strength to
the weak and their faith and courage to the faint-hearted. The new Testament writers transfer
the spirit, and in part, the very words of this exhortation to the saints of the Church of God. “We
that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak” Rom_15:1).
3. Infirmities shall be removed. Not only shall the earth be restored to primitive beauty,
clothed with redemption glory, and tided with an almost conscious sympathy and joy, but all
the infirmities which sin has entailed on our poor sinful human nature shall be removed. In
view of this entire deliverance from all the consequences of sin, along with the people of
Jehovah, the sore spots of earth shad be healed too. Waters in the wilderness, streams in the
desert, pools covering the parched sand, and springs bursting out of thirsty lands; no longer
a mirage thrown up from a few turfs of dried herbage, but veritable grass with reeds and
rushes shall greet the returning and healed pilgrims. The beginning of this marvel of
redemption came when Jesus was first here, opening blind eyes, healing lame limbs,
unlocking deaf ears, and loosing silent tongues. Surely, if we have the will to do the will of
God, we shall know of this doctrine whether it be of God.

8. III. THE WAY HOME. Now follows a wondrous picture of the way of the return for the long
absent wanderer. The way of the transgressor is hard, and the world away from God is a barren
and thirsty land; but so soon as the face is set toward God and heaven, heaven’s God makes the
way of return easy and sure. The dispersion of the Jews was a way of misery. In the return of the
Jews to God and their own land we behold the truth of the spiritual way which God has prepared
for every sinner to return to Him, and by Him to heaven.
1. It is a highway. “An highway shall be there.” A broad and open way, cast up and
distinguished from all ether roads and tracks. It has both breadth and narrowness. Broad
enough for all the world to travel over,—and He will have all men to be saved,—and yet m the
highway there is a “narrow way,” in which every man must walk for himself, alone and yet
not alone—alone in that he must believe for himself; not alone, in that others are walking
with him on the same terms and surrounded by the same conditions.
2. It is a way of holiness. That is, it is a way clean in itself, and only for the clean to traverse.
“The unclean shall not pass over it.” Drunkards, liars, adulterers, fornicators, covetous,
idolaters, and extortioners may not walk in that way. For none of these sins shall see or enter
into the kingdom of heaven. When the scoffer points to such characters in the “visible”
Church, the sufficient answer is that the Church is not the way, but Jesus Himself is the Way,
and all that are in Christ Jesus are new creatures, old things having passed away and all
things having become new (2Co_5:17).
3. God is with them in the way. For such is the meaning of the expression. “It shall be for
those.” God’s children have in a sense to walk alone, and entering this way, they have to
break with many who in the days of their flesh were their companions, but the presence and
companionship of God with them in the way will more than compensate. No man who knows
the fellowship of God and the saints ever misses the company of the world.
4. It is a way of perfect plainness. No one need fear getting lost in this way. It is so simple
and straightforward, so guarded and marked, that the simple and unlearned need not err
therein. “He that followeth Me,” said Jesus, “shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the
light of life.” Besides, God has promised to hold us by our right hand, and to keep us from
falling Isa_41:13; Jud_1:24).
5. It is a safe way. No lion or any ravenous beast shall be there, nor be permitted to go up
thereon. God has cleared the way of enemies, so far as their ability to harm us is concerned.
It was only when” Christian” turned out of the way that he met the devil and had to fight
him, and even when the lions fiercely growled at him, he discovered that, by keeping in the
middle of the path, they could not approach him, being chained.
IV. SAFE AT HOME. What a picture is here presented to the poor outcasts of Israel! There had
been a dispersion and a home-coming from Babylon. There was to be yet another far wider and
more prolonged dispersion, and then at last a final homecoming. In view of this the prophet
bursts out with a triumphant exclamation of victory, in which he sets all the redeemed singing
for joy. He sees the wanderers and outcasts gathering from every quarter of the earth (Isa_11:12;
Isa_51:3). They come with songs of everlasting joy on their lips, bursting from their glad and
happy hearts. It has been a long night to them, but joy has at last come with this thriceblessed
morning. Is not this a blessed picture, too, of the triumphant entrance into the presence of God
of those who have fought a good fight, kept the faith, and finished their course? (G. F. Pentecost,
D. D.)
Transformation

9. The prophecy before us is one of those in which the so-called secondary meaning is, in truth, the
primary. The spiritual takes precedence of the natural.
I. THE SAD CONDITION OF THE LOCALITIES ON WHICH THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST IS
INTENDED TO OPERATE. Let us gather into one cluster all that is said of them. “A wilderness,”
“a solitary place,” “parched ground,” “thirsty laud,” “a habitation of dragons.” With the
exception of the last-mentioned, all the desolation seems to turn upon the absence of one
element—water. What simile could so vividly depict the moral barrenness and desolation,
whether of the individual, or of the world at large, apart from the glorious Gospel of the blessed
God? What a wilderness the heart is, that has not God dwelling in it! The idea of “solitariness”
may seem to disappear when this word “habitation” comes into view. But what a habitation it is!
“A habitation of dragons.” That, and that only, was wanting to complete the picture—the foul
serpent brood, with their huge encircling folds, prepared to crush the life out of every creature
that may cross their dreaded path. To a heart which has within it that “well of water springing
up into everlasting life,” there is no sadder scene than the unutterable desolateness of these
moral wastes presented by hearts that are unchanged. What is true of the individual is equally
true of the aspect presented by the world at large. It may, perhaps, be imagined that the one
element which is wanting to turn all this desolation into smiling fertility is Civilisation. That has
been already weighed in the balances and found wanting. What the wilderness, and the solitary
place, and the desert, and the parched ground, and the thirsty land require is—the Water of Life,
gushing from the smitten rock, Christ Jesus.
II. THE EFFECTS PRODUCED BY THE KINGDOM OF JESUS. Even to us, in a country where
water is plentiful, the beauty and appropriateness of the image are at once apparent. What a
charm it adds to the landscape, whether in the form of the great ocean, bearing on its bosom the
treasures of the world, or of the river winding through the pleasant meadows, which drink in
fertility and beauty from the living stream! The like with its mirror-like surface basking in the
sun, suggests, too, the theme of the prophet’s song. But it was with an appreciation more intense
that the inhabitants of these Eastern lands regarded this emblem of the life that is in Jesus
Christ. Water spoke to them of deliverance from death. Hence, wherever this glad Gospel is
spoken of, we find this emblem employed to bring before the mind the joy-giving results of the
kingdom of Christ. Note the results as these are brought before us in our text.
1. Gladness. It requires no great effort of imagination to realise the glad aspect of nature
refreshed by copious rains, after a heat that has scorched the grass, and dwarfed the corn.
Fitting emblem, this, of the great joy which the Gospel of Jesus brings with it to human
hearts.
2. Fertility. “It shall blossom abundantly.” This fertility not only stands connected with life,
it is the outcome of its existence. The desert is always barren. But the mighty power of the
Gospel of Jesus converts this moral wilderness into a fruit-bearing garden of the Lord.
3. Beauty. “It shall blossom as the rose.” One has only to picture to himself a part of this
earth’s surface, parched, desert, and barren, and to think of the marvellous change which
would be produced upon it were he, on revisiting the scene, to find it covered with the fairest
flowers that our gardens know. The first and most striking impression made upon the mind
would be that of surpassing beauty. Even so is it with the marvellous moral transformation
which the prophecy before us contemplates. The glorious annals of missionary effort render
it unnecessary to draw on the imagination. What a beauty is unfolded in a Christ-like life!
4. Glory and majesty. “The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel.”
To live under the power of Jesus is the true secret of a noble life. Whatever the sphere of life
which the man occupies, he is in closest alliance with the majesty of heaven, and in virtue of
that alliance is raised to regal dignity.

10. 5. A vision that extends into the Holy of holies. “They shall see the glory of Jehovah, and the
excellency of our God. (J. Kay.)
The transformative field and force of the Gospel
I. THE SPHERE IN WINCH THE GOSPEL OPERATES.
1. The condition of depraved humanity is that of solitude. It is in a state of awful isolation. It
is away from God and from fellowship with all holy spirits. Between corrupt souls there is no
true fellowship, and there cannot be.
2. The condition of depraved humanity is that of wildness. It is a wilderness. Depraved souls
are productive, but it is the productiveness of the wilderness.
II. THE TRANSFORMATION WHICH THE GOSPEL EFFECTS.
1. The Gospel makes the sphere joyous. “The wilderness shall be glad,” &c. What gladness
the Gospel brings into the soul when received in full faith, the gladness of gratitude, love,
hope, communion with infinite goodness.
2. The Gospel makes this sphere beautiful. “It shall blossom as the rose.” The Gospel
imparts to the soul beauty of the highest kind—moral beauty, the beauty of the Lord.
3. The Gospel makes the sphere grand. “The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it.” As
Carmel and Lebanon tower above the plains of Palestine, so the soul into which the Gospel
enters is raised above its unconverted contemporaries. Christliness makes man great in
moral strength, elevation, and majesty.
4. The Gospel makes the sphere glorious. “They shall see the glory of the Lord.” (Homilist.)
Christianity finally triumphant
I. THE CERTAINTY THAT THE NEEDED DIFFUSION OF TRUE RELIGION WILL BE
ACCOMPLISHED. Man is always animated to the performance of duty by the hope of success;
and in the onerous duties to which Christians are summoned, we must be animated by the
assurance, proceeding from the highest authority, that our efforts shall be crowned with success.
Before stating the grounds upon which the certainty as to the diffusion of our religion is
founded, we shall notice some matters which have appeared to render it equivocal, but which do
not really interfere with it.
1. The certainty of this diffusion is not interfered with by the obstacles against which religion
in its advancing progress has to contend. The obstacles are numerous and formidable;
arising from the long-indulged defects of its own disciples; the varieties existing amongst
men, of language, of national character, and of social habits; the public jealousies and
antipathies which so often bar intercourse, and which have sometimes been kindled into
desolating wars; the inveterate depravity of the human heart, nursed into rancorous
maturity by the impostures, whether barbarous or refined, which have so long prevailed, and
by the malignant influence of the god of this world. To many agencies such obstacles as these
would be undoubtedly fatal. But our religion possesses resources which elevate it far above
and beyond them.
2. The certainty of which we speak is not interfered with by the differences existing in the
professing Church as to the mode in which the anticipated diffusion shall come. Some aver
that the diffusion is to take place in consequence of the personal appearance of the Saviour

11. upon the earth; others hold that it is to come by the ordinary instrumentalities already
existing in the Christian system, rendered effectual by the abundant outpouring of the Spirit.
How can the ignorance of a private soldier in an immense army, as to the plan of the great
chieftain, argue against the fact that that plan when developed and carried out shall secure a
final and glorious victory?
3. The certainty is not interfered with by obscurity as to the time at which the anticipated
diffusion shall be effected. Obscurity resting over the time when the desires of the Church
shall be fulfilled and when the wants of the world shall be supplied, is a direct appointment
of God, not to be the object of curiosity on the one hand, nor the source of scepticism on the
other.
II. THE GROUNDS OR EVIDENCE UPON WHICH WE MUST CONSIDER THAT CERTAINTY
AS RESTING. It is to be deduced—
1. From general principles as to the character and government of God. Let it be admitted
that God exists, that He is the moral Governor and Sovereign of the universe, that He is
supremely concerned for the maintenance of His own honour, and that while powerful, and
just, and holy, He is also kind and benevolent, desiring and resolved upon the well-being of
His creatures, and then the conclusion which we now advocate appears to us reasonable and
unavoidable. If our religion be the instrument by which He will act upon the hearts of men,
so as to turn them “from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God,” then,
that religion will advance and proceed until every purpose of the Divine majesty and love
shall have been conducted to delightful accomplishment.
2. From the constitution and progress of our religion itself. The religion of the Gospel is
formed with capacities for, and with a direct view to, universal diffusion. It does not admit of
any ceremonial restrictions; it takes no note of national preferences or peculiarities; it owns
no distinction of rank, clime, or co]our; it addresses men on grand, comprehensive
principles, dealing with them in the common wants and properties of their nature; it is
founded on a redeeming provision of boundless sufficiency—a propitiation for the sins of the
world; and its commission is universal as mankind. If, from the constitution of our religion
you pass to its history, you find that history always bearing us onward to precisely the same
conclusion. There is no class of obstacles over which it has not achieved triumphs, no order
of beings among whom it has not acquired converts.
3. From the expressed testimony of the Sacred Volume.
III. THE RESULTS WHICH FROM THE NEEDED DIFFUSION OF OUR RELIGION WILL
ARISE.
1. Happiness in the world. “The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them,” &c.
By the disciples of scepticism Christianity has often been slandered as the cause of sorrow.
But the true spiritual religion of the Gospel can produce nothing but what is accordant with
its sublime and munificent nature. Christianity never spake a word but to utter a promise,
never took a step but to bring a boon, never struck a blow but to emancipate a captive, never
exerted an agency but to elevate and redeem a soul. As Christianity advances, there will be
the full development of results, of which now we have instances. There will be happiness to
individuals, to families, and to communities or nations. Yet, what is this to the happiness of
the life which is to come?
2. Supreme honour to God. “They shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our
God.” In connection with the diffusion of our religion God will display and magnify the
majestic attributes of His nature. In connection with the display and magnifying of the
Divine perfections, God will receive the homage and the highest praise of all created beings.
The happiness is the happiness of gratitude. Earth, with ten thousand times ten thousand

12. voices, will celebrate His praise; the angels of heaven and “the spirits of the just made
perfect” will join in the long and loud acclaim, and redemption will constitute the noble
theme of their noblest songs. (J. Parsons.)
Christmas blessings
I. THE WORLD WITHOUT THE GOSPEL IS A WILDERNESS, a “desert,” a “solitary place.”
What though the bright promise of the spring, the warm glow of summer, the rich maturity of
autumn, the quiet rest of winter, are full of beauty! What though Nature’s broad plains are
watered by noble rivers, though her mountains rise with majesty and grandeur, though her
valleys “stand so thick with corn that they laugh and sing,” and though a teeming population
give animation to every habitable spot; yet, to the spiritual eye and apart from the Gospel, all is
but a desert and a solitary place! And if it be so in our own fair land, which is the glory of all
lands, what of the heathen nations? Men have broken loose from God. Sin has overspread the
world. There is nothing to sustain the Divine life, nothing to insure spiritual health, nothing to
promote the soul’s eternal welfare.
II. WHAT, THEN, IS THE CHANGE WHICH THE GOSPEL PRODUCES? It is the same in one
and all when it comes with “demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” All things become new.
The “fruits of the Spirit” spring up, the solitary place is made glad, the desert rejoices and
blossoms as the rose. Conclusion—
1. Has my heart been made glad by the Gospel?
2. What am I doing to make the hearts of others glad? These are questions which demand
prompt answers, because—
3. The time is short. (Josiah Batsman, M. A.)
The wilderness made glad
I. A DESERT MAY BE CONSIDERED AS BARREN AND UNCIVILISED. So, in general, are
heathen countries. But, instead of unfruitfulness and barbarism, Christianity would introduce
culture, civilisation, and everything which, in connection with these, tends to promote the
substantial comforts of life. The Bible and the plough go together.
II. A WILDERNESS MAY BE CONSIDERED AS A PLACE OF DREARY SOLITUDE. But the
Gospel would introduce the endearments of society; or, at all events, sweeten solitude itself.
Among even the more numerous tribes of savages, social enjoyment is but small. They have,
indeed, their feasts; but these are seasons of diabolical, rather than of human mirth. Their
habitual character, undoubtedly, is retiredness, melancholy, and taciturnity. On the other hand,
true religion gives birth to those feelings which prompt man with confidence to seek man; while,
at the same time, it enlarges the mind, and furnishes many rational and enlivening topics on
which men delight to speak out of the abundance of the heart.
III. A WILDERNESS MAY BE CONSIDERED AS A PLACE OF INHUMANITY AND CRUELTY.
And such are heathen countries (Psa_74:20).
IV. When we hear of a wilderness we think of A PLACE OF COMFORTLESS SORROW. The
heathen world contains not within itself the means of soothing the sad distress with which it is
filled. But such a wilderness would be gladdened by the Gospel, which would bring home to the
afflicted and dying “the peace of God which passeth all understanding.”

13. V. LIKE A WILDERNESS, THE HEATHEN WORLD IS A PLACE OF AWFUL DANGER. “I was
in perils,” said the apostle Paul, “in the wilderness” (2Co_11:26). “Where there, is no vision the
people perish.” Pro_29:18). Improvement—
1. Let us improve the subject as furnishing ourselves with ground of gratitude and
admonition. How thankful ought we to be when we contrast our own happy situation with
the state of those who “sit in darkness, and in the region and shadow of death”!
2. It becomes us to consider whether we have personally embraced the Gospel.
3. Let us improve the subject in reference to the heathen.
4. According to God’s wise determination human instruments are necessary (Rom_10:14-
15).
5. The means of support must be furnished.
6. Already, He who is to be crowned Lord of all has gained some of His most signal triumphs
in modern times, through this instrumentality. (James Foote, M. A.)
Nativity
Here are three things to be considered.
I. THE WILDERNESS ITSELF. The world before the appearance of the Gospel was dry as a
wilderness, being destitute of God’s holy Spirit, which is the water of life, and the immediate
cause of all righteousness. The heathen were without the good Spirit, they were exposed to the
assaults of evil spirits, whose employment it is to go “to and fro in the earth” as wild beasts in a
wilderness, seeking whom they may devour. And it has ever been the way of wicked men,
agitated by those furious passions implanted in their nature, to become beasts of prey to one
another, biting and devouring one another. But the beast which is noxious and cursed above all
others is the serpent, in which we have the most perfect representation of the devil himself, and
of all his children, who are called the seed of the serpent. In a place infested with such
inhabitants there could be no real comfort; but on the contrary vexation, misery,
disappointment, and despair. The evil that prevails among men who live without God renders
this world a miserable place.
II. THE CHANGE THAT WAS TO BE WROUGHT UPON IT. The knowledge of Christ engrafted
in the hearts of men, soon made them green and fruitful in righteousness, and they abounded in
good works, even to the astonishment of their enemies.
III. THE CAUSE OF THIS BLESSED CHANGE. “They shall see the glory of the Lord, and the
excellency of our God.” The glory of the natural world is the sun, whose presence it is that makes
the day so superior to the night. But above all, the change of the winter into the spring, shows
the power and excellency of this marvellous instrument. Therefore Christ, who performs the
same things in the kingdom of grace as the sun doth in nature, is all respects the Sun of
Righteousness. (W. Jones, M. A.)
The desert blossoming
The desert shall blossom when Christ is in it, as the narcissus, the meadow-saffron, the rose.
1. There is a desert of separation from ordinary means of grace. I may be deprived, in God’s
providence, of my Christian surroundings. I may have to travel far from the homeland and

14. the sound of the Sabbath bells. But Jesus may dwell in my heart by faith. And then the
wilderness will be a garden.
2. There is a desert of trial. Perhaps I lose my substance. Perhaps I lose my health. Perhaps I
lose my friend, the half of my own soul. How desolating the affliction is! But Jesus can bless
me through it. He makes the sweetening tree grow beside Marsh.
3. There is a desert of apparent disaster to the cause of God. The Church has its periods of
adversity when all things seem to be against it. But Jesus teaches it to be more serious then,
more patient, more devout, stronger in faith, richer in feeling, purer in aim.
4. There is a desert of death. To go out from the world which I know so well into the world
which is mysterious and strange—how my heart shrinks from it v But Jesus shows me by His
Word and His Spirit and His own experience, that death is the road to glory and the path to
fruitfulness and the gate into life. The solitary place shall be glad. (A. Smellie, M. A.)
The rose
According to the old versions and many commentators “the narcissus” or the autumn crocus is
the plant intended. (W. Houghton, M. A.)
The rose
The name points to a bulbous plant. (P. Delitzsch, D. D.)
Life out of death
The valley of Chambra, in India, is rich in its fertility and beauty. The cause of all this fertility is
a wonderful spring of water which flows from a hillside, and furnishes water for the irrigation of
the whole valley, and for the use of the people who live there. Once, says the legend, the valley
was without water, and there was desolation everywhere. The plants and trees were all
withering, and the people were dying of thirst. The princess of the place took the sorrows of her
subjects much to heart. She consulted the oracle to learn how the constant curse of drought
could be removed. The oracle said that if the princess of the land would die for the people,
abundant water would be given. She hastened to give her life. Her grave was made, and she was
buried alive. Then forth from her tomb came a river which flowed down into the valley, restoring
all languishing life in field and garden, and sending water to every door for the famishing people
to drink. Ever since, the streams have continued to flow from the wonderful spring, carrying
their precious benediction to every home. This old heathen legend beautifully illustrates what
Christ did. The world was perishing for want of the water of life; Jesus died and was buried, and
from His Cross and broken grave poured out the river of the water of life for the quenching of
the world s thirst. Its streams run everywhere, and wherever they flow the wilderness has been
made to blossom like a garden of roses. Beauty blooms wherever they run. (J. R. Miller, D. D.)
10. PULPIT, “he glory of the Church not temporal greatness, but spiritual perfection
Amid the wealth of metaphor which Isaiah employs to depict the final prosperity, glory, and happiness of
the Church, it is remarkable how little use is made of any images drawn from the conditions or
circumstances of earthly grandeur. Images of natural beauty are principally employed—the shady forest,

15. the spreading cedar tree, the rich luxuriance of arable and pasture land, the choice beauty of the most
lovely among flowers, the placid lake, the pellucid rill, the gushing fountain. These raise no ideas of
earthly greatness or temporal dominion. They point, by what may be called the laws of prophetic
language, to two main features of spiritual life,
(1) abounding grace granted to the Church freely from above—a supply copious, unlimited, inexhaustible,
such that the cry may be confidently raised, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he
that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat" (Isa_55:1); and
(2) abundant fruit borne by her members in their several stations—fruit of various kinds and of various
degrees of excellency, but all "good fruit," spontaneously brought forth from ungrudging hearts, hearts
desirous of showing forth their love and gratitude to their Maker and Redeemer. Beyond these two main
characteristic features of the Church of the redeemed, we descry further—first, a power of working
miracles (verses 5, 6), physical or spiritual, or both; and secondly, a gift of spiritual insight, whereby the
redeemed are enabled to penetrate through the dense veil wherewith material things overlay the great
realities that are behind them, and to discern through all the "glory and excellency" of the Most High
(verse 2). q he redeemed seek for no external dominion—their efforts are, primarily, to walk themselves in
"the way of holiness", (verse 8); secondarily, to "strengthen the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees'
of their brethren (verse 3); and, finally, to realize to themselves, by continual meditation and study of his
works, the goodness and greatness, the "glory and excellency," of their Lord and God.
HOMILIES BY E. JOHNSON
Isa_35:1-10
Glories of the Messianic age.
This is a picture of the happy and glorious condition of Israel after the return from Captivity. Nature is
beheld rejoicing with man; and the whole scene is suffused with the light of a universal spiritual joy.
I. THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE NATURAL WORLD. The desert will rejoice "like the narcissus," the
beautiful white flower found in abundance in spring-time in the Plain of Sharon. A ringing musical cry shall
break out from those solitudes. The beauty of the most favored spots, of Carmel and Sharon, shall be
diffused over the whole. In poetic pathos a feeling is lent to nature, which does not really exist in her.
There is a deep truth, not of the reason, but of the heart, in this mood. Inanimate Nature is incapable
either of joy or of sorrow, of exultation or depression. This our reason tells us. But we are all something
more than cold rationalists in this matter. We take back from Nature impressions which we have first lent
to her, and suppose we have borrowed them. This has been called the "pathetic fallacy," and there is a
truth in the fallacy better than that of syllogistic reasoning. To the lover Nature looks love, and whispers of
love; to the desponding temper her expression is a frown, her tones are inspirations of lament; she wears
a nuptial robe for the happy bridegroom, and a pall for the mourner; silent and morose to the eyes of him
who is cast down in the sense of Divine wrath, it breaks forth into jubilant song for the ears of him whose
heart overflows with the sense of the redeeming mercy of God. "There is not the least flower but seems to
hold up its head, and look pleasantly, in the secret sense of the goodness of its heavenly Maker. This
silent rhetoric, though we cannot hear, but only see it, {s so full and expressive, that David thought he
spoke neither impropriety nor nonsense, in a strong line, when he said,' even the valleys break forth into
singing.'" It is a song of praise and thanksgiving, a song of joy and triumph in the "glory of Jehovah," the
manifestations of his creative and renewing powers, the liberal effusions of his goodness, even upon the
lowest parts of the creation.
II. THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE HUMAN WORLD.

16. 1. Weakness made strong—under the figure of the nerving up of languid hands and of tottering knees.
Languor, dullness, the privation of power, are symptomatic of the absence of vital energy, alike in the
physical and the moral sphere. People may be seemingly weak and impotent, not because they want the
organs for action, but because the inspiration to action is wanting. A life without defined activity is hardly
worth the name. In the fixed light of the eye, the prompt hand, the willing foot, we see signs of the
Divine afflatus upon a man. The sails have caught the favoring breeze, while others lie becalmed. But
there is always some part for the will. To him that hath shall be given; and the paradox is true, power
comes to those who exert it.
2. Despair exchanged for confidence. Despair unfits alike for human and Divine service. Men are moved
to duty by the hope of good or by the fear of evil. These motives cannot avail one who does not believe
that his state can be either bettered or worsened. The man becomes careless of his happiness, indifferent
to salvation. The biblical medicine for despair is the firm insistence on the message of salvation. God is
coming—is on the way, to requite, to redeem, to deliver. How careful should preachers be not to force
men into a "preternatural melancholy," by an unskillful handling of the Word of truth, by indiscreet
severity, by dwelling too much on the dark themes of human depravity and predestination!
3. The removal of human infirmities and limitations. Blindness, deafness, lameness, dumbness, are
symbolic of all obstructions in the soul to the entrance of light, and music, and power, and fluency. One
great outflow of the Spirit sweeps all these hindrances to enjoyment and to activity away. Near to us is a
God of infinite fullness; all about us is a world of beauty, strength, and joy; but we are "straitened in
ourselves." Life is full of illusions, which tempt us forward with all the power and promise of reality. These
are like the mirage of the desert—a seeming sheet of water in the distance, with its offer of refreshment to
the pilgrim; in fact, an optical deception. But these illusions bear a certain relation to truth. For we cannot
believe that the Almighty has planted a spring of error in the very mechanism of our fancy. Our minds
were made for truth and tend towards truth, even through hallucinations. "The mirage shall become a
lake."
III. THE REFORMATION OF RELIGION. There will be a "raised way," called "The Holy Way." It will be
exempt from all that is unclean; it will be so clear and straight, that even the simple-minded cannot go
astray; a secure and peaceful way, undisturbed by the furious beasts of ravening and destruction. Its
every stage will be marked with joy, as singing pilgrims pass along it; and the sighs of sorrow will die
away in the distance. It is a picture of true evangelical religion, as it is revived among the peoples, from
epoch to epoch, and of its blessed effects. True religion is an elevating thing; nobility of manner and
refinement of taste go hand-in-hand with it. It is a holy thing; and distinction of characters and classes, of
tastes and pursuits, must appear wherever it comes. Its doctrine is simple, intelligible, yet sublime.
"Justification by faith" can be understood and received by the humblest mind, while the most powerful
intellect must exert itself to rise to the serene height of the truth. It is a way of gentleness and peace,
unvexed by the furious storms of controversy, sheltering timid souls. It is a way of freedom and of joy, and
it leads to a fixed destination—a celestial place, an eternal kingdom, a city that cannot be removed,
whose Builder and Maker is God.—J.
2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

17. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
1.BARNES, “It shall blossom abundantly - Hebrew, ‘Blossoming it shall blossom’ - a
common mode of expression in Hebrew, denoting certainty, abundance, fullness - similar to the
expression Gen_2:17, ‘Dying thou shalt die,’ that is, thou shalt surely die. The sense here is, it
shall blossom in abundance.
And rejoice even with joy - Strong figurative language, denoting the greatness of the
blessings; as great as if in the waste wilderness there should be heard the voice of joy and
rejoicing. The Septuagint renders this: ‘The deserts of Jordan also bloom and rejoice;’ and
Jerome applies this to the preaching of John in the wilderness adjacent to Jordan. The
Septuagint evidently read ‫ירדן‬ yare
den instead of the Hebrew ‫ירנן‬ ye
rannen. Lowth has followed
this, and rendered it, ‘The well-watered plain of Jordan shall rejoice,’ but without any authority
from Hebrew manuscripts for the change.
The glory of Lebanon - The glory or ornament of Lebanon was its cedars (see the note at
Isa_10:34). The sense here is, that the change would be as great under the blessings of the
Messiah’s reign as if there should be suddenly transferred to the waste wilderness the majesty
and glory of mount Lebanon.
The excellency of Carmel - Carmel was emblematic of beauty, as Lebanon was of majesty,
and as Sharon was of fertility. For a description of Carmel, see the note at Isa_29:17; of Sharon,
see the note at Isa_33:9. The sense is clear. The blessings of the times of the Messiah would be
as great, compared with what had existed before, as if the desert were made as lovely as Carmel,
and as fertile as Sharon. The world that, in regard to comfort, intelligence, and piety, might be
cormpared to a pathless desert, would be like the beauty of Carmel and the fertility of Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord - As manifested under the Messiah.
2. CLARKE, “Rejoice even with joy and singing “The well-watered plain of
Jordan shall also rejoice” - For ‫ורנן‬ veranen, the Septuagint read ‫ירדן‬ yarden, τα ερηνα του Ιορ
δανου, “the deserts of Jordan.” Four MSS. read ‫גלת‬ gulath; see Jos_15:19 : “Irrigua Jordani;”
Houbigant. ‫גידת‬ gidoth, Ripae Jordani, “the banks of Jordan;” Kennicott. See De S. Poesi Hebr.
Praelect. 20 note.
Unto it - For ‫לה‬ lah, to it, nine MSS. of Kennicott’s and four of De Rossi’s read ‫לך‬ lecha, to
thee. See ibid.

18. 3. GILL, “It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing,.... A
redundancy of words, to express the very flourishing estate of the church, and the great joy there
shall be on that occasion, as well as because of the destruction of their enemies, and deliverance
from them:
the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it; a mountain in Judea, famous for its choice
and tall cedars, which were the glory of it; signifying hereby, that the church of God, which had
been in a desolate condition, should abound with choice and excellent Christians, comparable to
the cedars of Lebanon. Jarchi interprets it of the sanctuary or temple; which may be so called,
because built of the wood of Lebanon. This was an emblem and type of the Gospel church; and
the glory of it lay not only in its outward form and building, but in those things which were in
the holy places of it, especially the most holy, which were all typical of spiritual things in Gospel
times; so that all the glory of the Jewish church state and temple is brought into the Gentile
church, into the Christian or Gospel church state; and which will still more appear in the latter
day, when the temple of God will be opened in heaven, and the ark of the testament; see
Rev_11:19,
the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; two places in the land of Judea, famous for
fruitfulness and pasturage; and so denote the very great fruitfulness of the Gospel church; the
word and ordinances of which are as green pastures for the sheep of Christ to feed upon, and by
which they become fat and flourishing:
they shall see the glory of our Lord, and the excellency of our God; the Targum
introduces this clause thus,
"the house of Israel, to whom these things are said, they shall see,'' &c.;
but not Israel in a literal sense is here meant, but the Gentile church, formerly in the wilderness;
or, however, converted persons, be they Jews or Gentiles, in the latter day, who shall see the
glory of divine power, in the destruction of their enemies; and the excellency and beauty of
divine grace, in the blessings of it bestowed upon them; they shall see the glory of the Lord,
which shall then be risen upon them, Isa_60:1 the Lord our God is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is
Lord and God; the glory and excellency of whose person and offices, and of his righteousness
and salvation, is seen in the Gospel, by those whose eyes are enlightened by the Spirit of God;
and will be more clearly discerned, when there will be a greater effusion of the Spirit, as a spirit,
of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; and to this sight of the glory and excellency
of Christ, the joy and fruitfulness of the church will be greatly owing. The Septuagint and Arabic
versions render it, "my people shall see", &c.
4. HENRY, “The glory of God shining forth: They shall see the glory of the Lord. God will
manifest himself more than ever in his grace and love to mankind (for that is his glory and
excellency), and he shall give them eyes to see it, and hearts to be duly affected with it. This is
that which will make the desert blossom. The more we see by faith of the glory of the Lord and
the excellency of our God the more joyful and the more fruitful shall we be.

19. 5. JAMISON, “glory of Lebanon — its ornament, namely, its cedars (Isa_10:34).
excellency of Carmel — namely, its beauty.
Sharon — famed for its fertility.
see ... glory of the Lord ... excellency — (Isa_40:5, Isa_40:9). While the wilderness
which had neither “glory” nor “excellency” shall have both “given to it,” the Lord shall have all
the “glory” and “excellency” ascribed to Him, not to the transformed wilderness (Mat_5:16).
6. MEYER, “THE REJOICING OF THE REDEEMED
Isa_35:1-10
God’s judgments change Carmel and Sharon into a waste; but His blessing makes the wilderness
and parched land as Carmel and Sharon. Where the smile of God rests, deserts sing and become
carpeted with flowers. Your hands may be weak and your knees feeble, but when your
helplessness invokes the help of God, He will begin to perform wonderful things that pass
expectation. Say over and over to yourself: “My God will come: be strong, my heart, and fear not.
He will come and save.” Oh, for the quickened sense; the bounding leap of our nature lamed by
the fall; the songs from lips that God will touch! Your dreariest desert shall become water-
springs; the mirage shall no longer disappoint; thirst shall be satisfied; and the dragons of the
heart extirpated. Nothing can hurt us while we walk with God in holiness. Dreaded evils may
threaten to cast their shadows on our path, but they shall not stay our songs as we come with
singing unto the everlasting joy.
For Review Questions, see the e-Sword Book Comments.
7. CALVIN, “2.Flourishing it shall flourish. He describes more fully how great, will be the effect of the
grace of Christ, by whose power and might those places which had been overgrown with filthy and
noxious weeds “” exceedingly and regain their vigor. This repetition is used for the sake of amplification.
The doubling of the word “” may be taken in two senses; either to denote the prolongation of time in
incessant vegetation; as if he had said, “ shall not flourish with a passing or fading blossom, so as to
return immediately to the foul condition in which it once was, but with a continual, uninterrupted, and long-
continued bloom, which can never fade or pass away;” or to denote the increase and daily or yearly
progress of improvement; for Christ enriches us in such a manner as to increase his grace in us from day
to day.
The glory of Lebanon, the beauty of Carmel and Sharon. These metaphors display more fully the fertility
already described; for the Prophet is not satisfied with saying that where formerly there was a gloomy
wilderness smiling fields will be seen, and that dry places will be clothed with the beauty of flowers, but
adds that there will be such luxuriant beauty as “ Carmel, and Sharon” were celebrated for possessing.
Though Carmel denotes a cultivated and fertile field, yet here it is a proper name, like the other two. We
have seen in other passages (22) that these mountains were highly celebrated, and throughout the whole
of Judea held the undisputed preeminence both for delightfulness and for abundance of fruits.
They shall see the glory of Jehovah. What he had formerly spoken metaphorically he now explains clearly
and without a figure. Till men learn to know God, they are barren and destitute of everything good; and

20. consequently the beginning of our fertility is to be quickened by the presence of God, which cannot be
without the inward perception of faith. The Prophet undoubtedly intended to raise our minds higher, that
we may contemplate the abundance and copiousness of heavenly benefits; for men might be satisfied
with bread and wine and other things of the same kind, and yet not acknowledge God to be the author of
them, or cease to be wretched; and indeed men are often blinded and rendered more fierce by enjoying
abundance. But when God makes himself visible to us, by causing us to behold his glory and beauty, we
not only possess his blessings, but have the true enjoyment of them for salvation.
(22) [unclear Commentary on Isaiah, ] [unclear vol 2, pp. 330 ] [unclear and ] [unclear 420 ].
8. COFFMAN, “No such transformation of the desert between Babylon and Jerusalem is recorded as
having taken place on the return of the remnant; and therefore we must see in these words a prophecy of
a spiritual transformation that would take place at some future occasion afterward from the times of
Isaiah. What was it? As Barnes explained it:
"The sense here (Isaiah 35:1,2) is that the desolate moral world would be filled with joy on account of the
blessings which are here predicted ... and that the change would be so great under the blessings of the
Messiah's reign, as if there should be suddenly transferred to the waste wilderness (the desert) the
majesty and glory of mount Lebanon ... and that the blessings of the times of Messiah would be as great,
as if the desert were made as lovely as Carmel, and as fertile as Sharon."[1]
Archer understood that blossoming and singing desert to symbolize, "The inward changes that take place
in the redeemed";[2]
and that certainly makes sense. As the sense of this chapter begins to appear, we
may easily understand why Lowth complained that, "It is not easy to discover what connection the
extremely flourishing state of the church or people of God described in Isaiah 35 could have with those
events (of Isaiah 34)."[3]
We will go much further and declare that, in fact, there is hardly any connection at
all, except the resulting dramatic contrast between, "The future of the unrepentant, God-defying world and
the future of the people of God."[4]
There is also one other connection. The final glory of the Church will
come after the execution of the final judgment; and since it is the final judgment that appears in Isaiah 34,
it was most logical that the joy of the saints of God should immediately appear, as indeed they do, right
here in Isaiah 35. However, the element of cause and effect is not in the two chapters, but only the
element of their near simultaneous timing.
As indication of the many differences of scholars regarding these verses, take that word rendered "rose"
(Isaiah 35:1) in our version. Peake gave it as, "the autumn crocus, "or "the narcissus." "The Septuagint
(LXX) renders it `Lily,' the Vulgate gives us `Lilium' (the same thing); and the Syriac version translates it
`the meadow-saffron.'"[5]
Of course, anyone can see that the exact identity of the flower in this passage is of little, if any,
importance.
Rawlinson, as we see it, properly identified this whole chapter as a prophecy of, "The glory of the last
times,"[6]
and Hailey explained the reasons for doing so, as follows:
"The wilderness through which the redeemed came singing to Zion is not the road from Babylon to Judah,
but the spiritual desert which led them into the captivity ... Afterward came the Medo-Persian role and
oppression, then Alexander whose role was totally void of spiritual values ... then the Ptolemies, the
Syrian Seleucids, the Maccabean wars ... and the Pharisees and Sadducees, religious rulers who
corrupted the spiritual life of the nation ... and after them the Romans. It is obvious that the glorious

21. picture in Isaiah 35 was certainly not realized at any time during the period between Babylon and the
coming of Jesus Christ. Only a messianic interpretation of the chapter fits the text."[7]
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the knees that give way;
1.BARNES, “Strengthen ye - That is, you who are the religious teachers and guides of the
people. This is an address made by the prophet in view of what he had said and was about to say
of the proraised blessings. The sense is, strengthen and sustain the feeble and the desponding by
the promised blessings; by the assurances Isa. 34 that all the enemies of God and his people will
be destroyed; and that he will manifest himself as their Protector, and send upon them the
promised blessings. Or it may be regarded as addressed to the officers and ministers of religion
when these blessings should have come; and as being an exhortation to them to make use of the
influences, the promises, and the consolations which would attend the coming of the Messiah, to
strengthen the feeble, and confirm those who were faint-hearted.
The weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees - Strength resides mainly in the arms,
and in the lower limbs, or the knees. If these are feeble, the whole frame is feeble. Fear relaxes
the strength of the arms, and the firmness of the knees; and the expressions ‘weak hands,’ and
‘feeble knees,’ become synonymous with saying, of a timid, fearful, and desponding frame of
mind. Such were to be strengthened by the assurance of the favor of God, and by the
consolations which would flow from the reign of the Messiah. The Jews, who looked abroad
upon the desolations of their country, were to be comforted by the hope of future blessings;
those who lived in those future times were to be consoled by the assurances of the favor of God
through the Messiah (compare the notes at Isa_40:1).
2. COFFMAN, “As Payne wrote, "`Vengeance' today has a negative and unproductive ring about it;
but vengeance and recompense belong together. The world cannot be put to rights and the era of peace
be brought in without both the banishment and punishment of the wicked, and also the blessing of the
`ransomed of the Lord.'"[8]
Certainly, the admonition here for the strong to aid and strengthen the weak and fearful has an
application to every age of God's people, whether in the Old Testament or the New Testament. New
Testament admonitions on this subject are: 1 Corinthians 3:1; Galatians 6:1; Hebrews 5:12-14;
and Romans 15:1. That these verses also had a direct application to the Jews of Isaiah's day is certain;
for they apply to every age of God's people.
The big thing that is promised in this passage is, "Your God will come ... and save you." "This is nothing
less than an announcement of the Incarnation!"[9]
Efforts of some to apply these words in any manner
whatever to the Jewish return from captivity were described by the same author as "most

22. inadequate."[10]
Barnes denied that the words here have any other explanation than as a reference to the
Father; but it was not "The Father," but "The Son" who actually "visited" us from on high and brought
redemption to fallen man.
3. GILL, “Strengthen ye the weak hands,.... These are the words of the prophet, as the
Targum,
"the prophet said, strengthen the weak hands;''
or rather of God, by the prophet, to the converted Gentiles, to those who saw the glory of the
Lord; particularly to the ministers of the Gospel, who have to do with weak and feeble persons,
who can scarcely lift up their hands, or stand upon their legs, under a sense of sin, in a view of
wrath, and immediate ruin and destruction, ready to sink and faint, because of their enemies, or
through want of food; and their business is to comfort and strengthen them, by preaching the
Gospel, and pointing out the promises of it to them:
and confirm the feeble knees; that so they may keep their ground against their enemies;
shake off their fears and trembling; go on their way courageously and rejoicing; run, and not be
weary; walk, and not faint: "hands" and "knees" are mentioned particularly, because a man's
strength lies greatly in them; and his weakness is seen by the languor and trembling of them.
4. HENRY, “The feeble and faint-hearted encouraged, Isa_35:3, Isa_35:4. God's prophets
and ministers are in a special manner charged, by virtue of their office, to strengthen the weak
hands, to comfort those who could not yet recover the fright they had been put into by the
Assyrian army with an assurance that God would now return in mercy to them. This is the
design of the gospel, 1. To strengthen those that are weak and to confirm them - the weak hands,
which are unable either to work or fight, and can hardly be lifted up in prayer, and the feeble
knees, which are unable either to stand or walk and unfit for the race set before us. The gospel
furnishes us with strengthening considerations, and shows us where strength is laid up for us.
Among true Christians there are many that have weak hands and feeble knees, that are yet but
babes in Christ; but it is our duty to strengthen our brethren (Luk_22:32), not only to bear with
the weak, but to do what we can to confirm them, Rom_15:1; 1Th_5:14. It is our duty also to
strengthen ourselves, to lift up the hands which hang down (Heb_12:12), improving the
strength God has given us, and exerting it. 2. To animate those that are timorous and
discouraged: Say to those that are of a fearful heart, because of their own weakness and the
strength of their enemies, that are hasty (so the word is), that are for betaking themselves to
flight upon the first alarm, and giving up the cause, that say, in their haste, “We are cut off and
undone” (Psa_31:22), there is enough in the gospel to silence these fears; it says to them, and let
them say it to themselves and one to another, Be strong, fear not. Fear is weakening; the more
we strive against it the stronger we are both for doing and suffering; and, for our encouragement
to strive, he that says to us, Be strong has laid help for us upon one that is mighty.
IV. Assurance given of the approach of a Saviour: “Your God will come with vengeance. God
will appear for you against your enemies, will recompense both their injuries and your losses.”
The Messiah will come, in the fulness of time, to take vengeance on the powers of darkness, to
spoil them, and make a show of them openly, to recompense those that mourn in Zion with
abundant comforts. He will come and save us. With the hopes of this the Old Testament saints
strengthened their weak hands. He will come again at the end of time, will come in flaming fire,
to recompense tribulation to those who have troubled his people, and, to those who were

23. troubled, rest, such a rest as will be not only a final period to, but a full reward of, all their
troubles, 2Th_1:6, 2Th_1:7. Those whose hearts tremble for the ark of God, and who are under
a concern for his church in the world, may silence their fears with this, God will take the work
into his own hands. Your God will come, who pleads your cause and owns your interest, even
God himself, who is God alone.
5. JAMISON, “Strengthen ... hands ... confirm ... knees — The Hebrew for
“strengthen” refers to the strength residing in the hand for grasping and holding a thing
manfully; “confirm,” to the firmness with which one keeps his ground, so as not to be dislodged
by any other [Maurer]. Encourage the Jews, now desponding, by the assurance of the blessings
promised.
6. K&D, “The prophet now exclaims to the afflicted church, in language of unmixed
consolation, that Jehovah is coming. “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and make the trembling
knees strong! Say to those of a terrified heart, Be strong! Fear ye not! Behold, your God will
come for vengeance, for a divine retribution: He will come, and bring you salvation.” Those
who have become weak in faith, hopeless and despairing, are to cheer up; and the stronger are to
tell such of their brethren as are perplexed and timid, to be comforted now: for Jehovah is
coming naqam (i.e., as vengeance), and ge
mul 'Elohı̄m (i.e., as retribution, such as God the highly
exalted and Almighty Judge inflicts; the expression is similar to that in Isa_30:27; Isa_13:9, cf.,
Isa_40:10, but a bolder one; the words in apposition stand as abbreviations of final clauses).
The infliction of punishment is the immediate object of His coming, but the ultimate object is
the salvation of His people (‫ם‬ ֶ‫כ‬ ַ‫ע‬ ַ‫ּש‬‫י‬ְ‫ו‬ a contracted future form, which is generally confined to the
aorist).
7. CALVIN, “3.Strengthen ye the weak hands. We might explain this passage generally, as if he had
said, “ those who have feeble hands strengthen them, let; them whose knees tremble and totter compose
and invigorate their hearts.” But the following verse shews that the whole of this passage relates to the
ministers of the word; for he addresses the teachers of the Church, and enjoins them to exhort, arouse,
and encourage weak men whose hearts are broken or east down, that they may be rendered more firm
and cheerful. This exhortation is seasonably introduced, because he saw that so many tokens of God’
anger, of which he had spoken, could not do otherwise than fill even the strongest minds with alarm and
dread; for, seeing that we are always enfeebled by adversity, when God himself proclaims what may be
called open war against us on account of our sins, who would not tremble? But the Prophet commands
that they who are cast down and almost lifeless shall be enlivened, and the manner of doing it is
explained by him in the following verse.
8. PULPIT, “Inspirations to energy.
"Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees." It is not enough to be sorry for the woes
of others. Sympathy may be a sort of mental "minor," wherewith we simply soothe ourselves. We must be

24. earnest and inspirational. Pity must be practical. "Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand!" We
have plenty of critics and satirists; we want men who will help to save.
I. WE MAY STRENGTHEN BY OUR WORDS. "Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear
not." Tell a sorrow to some persons, and they draw a picture of still darker possibilities, and so feed the
already gloomy fancies of the mind. But it is possible to give "cheer," instead—to record God's great
deliverances to ourselves, and tell of all his wondrous works. Thus we may put the brightness of hope into
the sky, and help to chase the dark clouds away. "Say." We have all the faculty of quickly telling bad
news; let us tell the "good news" of God's gracious kingdom.
II. WE CAN CHEER THE HEART. That is the center of life. We may not be able to lift the burden, but we
may strengthen our brother's hands by energizing his heart. It is wonderful what a few depressing
influences will accomplish. Some are more sensitive than others, and are easily cast down. "Do not my
words do good?" says God; for they reach at once to the inner man. Blessed angels of help are words
that go to the heart. No man is so great but sympathy can cheer him; no man is so weak but he may be
made heroic by holy inspirations!
III. WE CAN HELP THE PILGRIMAGE. The knees are feeble; for it is a "tiring" journey to many. They are
very weary. Disappointments have multiplied; fountains have dried up in the desert; friends have died,
and, like Naomi, they went out full, and are returning home empty. We are all pilgrims; and the
statesman's steps often tire as well as the poor student seeking after his first ideal. In the spiritual
pilgrimage, too, we often faint and fail. The way is hard. We are disappointed with ourselves. It may be
that some soul was just turning back when we strengthened the feeble knees by our own eager pressing
forward, even when tired and faint. How much thus depends on our own Christ-like disposition! We
cannot do all this if we are insolent, quarrelsome, or hard. The very duties the gospel enjoins manifest
what a lofty ideal of character the gospel requires.—W.M.S.
4 say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.”

25. 1.BARNES, “Say to them - This is still an address to the ministers of religion, to make use
of all the consolations which these truths and predictions furnish to confirm and strengthen the
people of God.
Of a fearful heart - Of a timid, pusillanimous heart; those who tremble before their
enemies. The Hebrew is, as in the Margin, ‘Of a hasty heart;’ that is, of those who are disposed to
flee before their enemies (see the note at Isa_30:16).
Behold, your God will come with vengeance - That is, in the manner described in the
previous chapter; and, generally, he will take vengeance on all the enemies of his people, and
they shall be punished. The language in this chapter is, in part, derived from the captivity at
Babylon Isa_35:10, and the general idea is, that God would take vengeance on all their enemies,
and would bring them complete and final deliverance. This does not mean that when the
Messiah should come he would be disposed to take vengeance; nor do the words ‘your God’ here
refer to the Messiah; but it is meant that their God, Yahweh, would certainly come and destroy
all their enemies, and prepare the way thus for the coming of the Prince of peace. The general
promise is, that however many enemies might attack them, or however much they might fear
them, yet that Yahweh would be their protector, and would completely humble and prostrate all
their foes. The Hebrew will admit of a somewhat different translation, which I give in
accordance with that proposed by Lowth. The sense is not materially varied.
Say ye to the faint-hearted, Be ye strong; fear ye not; behold your God!
Vengeance will come; the retribution of God:
He himself will come, and will deliver you.
2. CLARKE, “
3. GILL, “Say to them that are of a fearful heart,.... Or, "hasty of heart" (w); are at once
for flying from the enemy; "hasty" in drawing black conclusions upon themselves and their
state; "inconsiderate" of the promises made unto them; ready to doubt of, and call in question,
the performance of the above things, respecting the fruitful and flourishing estate of the church:
wherefore it must be said to them,
Be strong, fear not; be strong in faith, fear not the enemy, nor doubt of the fulfilment of
divine promises, relating to their ruin and your safety:
behold, your God will come with vengeance; Christ, who is God in our nature, God
manifest in the flesh, and who came by the assumption of human nature; and when he first
came, he came with vengeance, and took vengeance on Satan and his works; on him, and his
principalities, and powers, whom he spoiled and destroyed, as well as made an end of sin and
abolished death; see Isa_61:2 so likewise he came in his kingdom and power, and took
vengeance on the Jewish nation, for their disbelief and rejection of him; and which time is
expressly called the days of vengeance, Luk_21:22 and at the time of his spiritual coming he will
destroy antichrist with the brightness of it, and avenge the blood of his servants, Rev_18:20 and
at his personal coming he will take vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not his
Gospel, 2Th_1:8 and the words are so expressed as to take in the several times of his coming:

26. and since he has already come, and taken vengeance in some instances, this may serve to
encourage, and perhaps the design of it is to encourage, the faith of God's people, with respect to
his future coming, and the end and issue of it:
even God with a recompence: or, "the God of recompence" (x); and so the Targum,
"the Lord of recompences;''
both to the wicked a just recompence of reward or punishment for their sins, it being just with
him to recompense tribulation to them that trouble his people; and to the saints, the time of his
spiritual reign being the time, as to destroy them that destroy the earth, so to give a reward to
his servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear his name, Rev_11:18,
he will come and save you; the end of his first coming was to save his people from sin, the
curse and condemnation of the law, from hell, wrath, ruin, and destruction; and the end of his
spiritual coming, at the latter day, will be to save his people from their antichristian enemies,
from idolatry, superstition, and slavery.
4. HENRY, “
5. JAMISON, “
6. K&D, “
7. CALVIN, “4.Say to them that are faint hearted. That strength of which he spoke is breathed into our
hearts by God through his word, as “ faith alone we stand” (2Co_1:24) and live; and therefore he adds the
promise of grace yet to come.
Behold, your God will come. First, it ought to be observed that God does not wish that his grace should
remain concealed and unknown, but rather that it should be proclaimed and imparted, that they who totter
and tremble may compose and invigorate their hearts. And this is one method by which our hearts may
be cheered amidst heavy distresses; for if we are not supported by the word of the Lord, we must faint
and despair. This, then, is the office assigned to the teachers of the word, to raise up them that are fallen
down, (23) to strengthen the feeble, to upheld the tottering.
We ought also to observe how great is the efficacy of the word in “ the feeble hands and strengthening
the tottering knees;” for if it had not been a powerful instrument in communicating this strength, the
Prophet would never have spoken in this manner; and, indeed, if God struck only our ears by his word,
and did not pierce our hearts, these words would have been spoken in vain. Since, therefore, the Lord
assigns this office to the word, let us know that he also imparts this power to it, that it may not be spoken
in vain, but may inwardly move our hearts, not always indeed or indiscriminately, but where it pleases
God by the secret power of his Spirit to work in this manner. And hence we infer that the same word
makes us disposed to obey him; for otherwise we shall be indolent and stupid; all our senses shall fail,
and we shall not only waver, but shall be altogether stupified by unbelief. We, therefore, need to receive
aid from the Lord, that the removal of our fear and the cure of our weakness may enable us to walk with
agility.
Fear not; behold, your God will come. This warning deeply fixed in our minds will banish slothfulness. As
soon as men perceive that God is near them, they either cease to fear, or at least rise superior to

27. excessive terror.
“ not anxious,” says Paul, “ the Lord is at hand.” (Phi_4:5.)
On this subject we have spoken largely on other occasions; and the Apostle to the Hebrews appears to
allude to this passage, when, after having charged them not to be wearied and faint-hearted, he quotes
the words of the Prophet. (Heb_12:3.) Yet he directs this discourse to every believer, that they may be
excited to perseveranceand because they have many struggles to maintain, may advance steadfastly in
their journey. Nor is it superfluous that he adds your God; for if we do not know that he is our God, his
approach will produce terror, instead of giving cause of joy. Not the majesty of God, which is fitted to
humble the pride of the flesh, but his grace, which is fitted to comfort the fearful and distressed, is here
exhibited; and, therefore, it is not without reason float he is represented as a guardian, to shield them by
his protection.
If it be objected that he brings terror when he comes to take vengeance, I reply that this vengeance, is
threatened against wicked men and enemies of the Church. To the latter, therefore, he will be a terror, but
to believers he will be a consolation; and accordingly he adds that he will come to save them, because
otherwise it might be objected, “ is it to us if our enemies be punished? What good does it do to us? Must
we take delight in the distresses of enemies?” Thus he expressly declares that it will promote our “” for the
vengeance which God takes on wicked men is connected with the salvation of the godly. In what manner
the godly are delivered from anxiety and dread by the favor of God and by the expectation of his aid, has
been explained at a former passage). (24) (Isa_7:4.) At present it ought to be observed, that God is
prepared and armed with vengeance, that believers may learn to lean on his aid, and not to fancy some
deity unemployed in heaven. Such is also the object of the repetition of the words, “ will come;” because
distrust is not all at once banished from the hearts of men.
The end of the verse may either be rendered, God himself will come with a recompense, or He will come
with the recompense of God; but as the meaning is the same, the reader may make his choice Yet if it be
thought preferable to view ‫אלהים‬ (elohim) as in the genitive case, “ God,” then by “ recompense of God” is
emphatically meant that which belongs peculiarly to God, that believers may be fully convinced that he is
a “” as truly as he is God. (25)
(23) “Fortifler ceux qui sont prests a tomber.” “ support those who are ready to fall.”
(24) Commentary on Isaiah, vol 1, p. 232.
(25) “ shall come. The meaning is the same as if he had said, ‘ will come in vengeance, or as an avenger.’
Again, the retribution of God shall come against your enemies and deliver you.” — Jarchi. “ construction
of the second clause is greatly perplexed by making ‫אלהים‬ (elohim) the subject of ‫יבוא‬ (yabo.) The true
construction as given by Junius, Cocceius, Vitringa, and most later writers, makes behold your God an
exclamation, and vengeance the subject of the verb.” — Alexander.

28. 5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
1.BARNES, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened - The images in this verse and
the following are those of joy and exultation. They describe the times of happiness when God
would come to save them from their foes. This passage is so accurate a description of what the
Messiah, the Lord Jesus, did, that it doubtless refers to the miracles which he would perform. In
not a few instances did he in fact restore the blind to sight, giving thus the most unequivocal
proof that he was the Messiah sent from God Mat_9:27; Mat_20:30; Mar_8:23; Mar_10:46;
Luk_7:21. It is a full confirmation of the opinion that this passage refers to Christ, that the
Saviour himself appeals to the fact that he restored the blind to sight, as demonstration that he
was the Messiah, implying that it was predicted that this would be a part of his appropriate work
(Mat_11:5; compare Luk_4:18).
And the ears of the deaf be unstopped - Another demonstration of divine power, and
another proof that would be furnished that the Messiah was from God The Lord Jesus often gave
this demonstration that he was invested with divine power Mat_11:5; Mar_7:32, Mar_7:37;
Mar_9:25.
2. COFFMAN, “Again, we point out that the great promise in Isaiah 35:4 is, "Behold, your God will
come ... and save you." Very well, the people who heard that would wish to know, above everything
else, WHEN will it happen?Isaiah 35:5 answers the question. Look at the first word in Isaiah
35:5 and Isaiah 35:6. "THEN," that is, when the "eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the
death unstopped." "When? .... Then," "When the lame man shall leap as a hart, and the tongue of the
dumb shall sing!" And when?, pray tell, is that? It is, of course, in the times of the Messiah, for there is not
a more Messianic message in the entire Bible than these two verses right here. Commentators of every
shade of conviction are unanimous:
"Lowth declared that, "The miraculous works wrought by our blessed Saviour are so clearly specified here
(Isaiah 35:5,6) that we cannot avoid making the application. And our Saviour himself has moreover plainly
referred to this passage as speaking of him and his works inMatthew 11:4,5".[11]
This passage is so
accurate a description of what the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ did, that it doubtless refers to the
miracles which he would perform."
3. GILL, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,.... Which was literally fulfilled in
the first coming of Christ, Mat_9:27, Joh_9:1 and spiritually, both among Jews and Gentiles;
especially the latter, under the ministry of the apostles, when those who were blind as to
spiritual things had no knowledge of God in Christ; nor of the way of salvation by him; nor of the
plague of their own hearts; nor of the work of the Spirit of God upon the soul; nor of the truths
of the Gospel; through the power of divine grace had the eyes of their understanding opened, so
as to see their sinfulness and vileness; their emptiness of all that is good, and their impotency to
do anything that is spiritual; their want of righteousness; their need of Christ, and the fulness
and suitableness of him as a Saviour; and to have some light into the truths of the Gospel, and a

29. glimpse of heaven and eternal glory: and this will still have a greater accomplishment in the
latter day, when the blind Jews are converted, and the fulness of the Gentiles brought in:
and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped; which was literally true of some when Christ
came in the flesh, Mat_11:5 and spiritually of many who had not ears to hear in a spiritual sense;
stopped what ears they had to the charming voice of the Gospel; and, though they might
externally hear, did not understand it: yet these having ears given them to hear, and their ears
and hearts opened by the Spirit of God, heard the Gospel spiritually, profitably, pleasantly,
comfortably, and with wonder and astonishment; and a multitude of such instances there will be
in the latter day glory. Jarchi interprets it of such who were blind as to the knowledge of the fear
of God, and deaf to the voice of the prophets.
4. HENRY, ““Then, when your God shall come, even Christ, to set up his kingdom in the
world, to which all the prophets bore witness, especially towards the conclusion of their
prophecies of the temporal deliverances of the church, and this evangelical prophet especially -
then look for great things.”
I. Wonders shall be wrought in the kingdoms both of nature and grace, wonders of mercy
wrought upon the children of men, sufficient to evince that it is no less than a God that comes to
us. 1. Wonders shall be wrought on men's bodies (Isa_35:5, Isa_35:6): The eyes of the blind
shall be opened; this was often done by our Lord Jesus when he was here upon earth, with a
word's speaking, and one he gave sight to that was born blind, Mat_9:27; Mat_12:22;
Mat_20:30; Joh_9:6. By his power the ears of the deaf also were unstopped, with one word.
Ephphatha - Be opened, Mar_7:34. Many that were lame had the use of their limbs restored so
perfectly that they could not only go, but leap, and with so much joy to them that they could not
forbear leaping for joy, as that impotent man, Act_3:8. The dumb also were enabled to speak,
and then no marvel that they were disposed to sing for joy, Mat_9:32, Mat_9:33. These miracles
Christ wrought to prove that he was sent of God (Joh_3:2), nay, working them by his own power
and in his own name, he proved that he was God, the same who at first made man's mouth, the
hearing ear, and the seeing eye. When he would prove to John's disciples his divine mission he
did it by miracles of this kind, in which this scripture was fulfilled. 2. Wonders, greater wonders,
shall be wrought on men's souls. By the word and Spirit of Christ those that were spiritually
blind were enlightened (Act_26:18), those that were deaf to the calls of God were made to hear
them readily, so Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened, so that she attended, Act_16:14. Those
that were impotent to every thing that is good by divine grace are made, not only able for it, but
active in it, and run the way of God's commandments. Those also that were dumb, and knew not
how to speak of God or to God, having their understandings opened to know him, shall thereby
have their lips opened to show forth his praise. The tongue of the dumb shall sing for joy, the joy
of God's salvation. Praise shall be perfected out of the mouth of babes and sucklings.
5. JAMISON, “Language figuratively, descriptive of the joy felt at the deliverance from
Assyria and Babylon; literally, true of the antitypical times of Messiah and His miracles (see
Margin references, Mat_11:5; Luk_7:2; 2Jo_1:5, 2Jo_1:8; Act_3:2).
6. K&D, ““Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then will the lame man leap as the stag, and the tongue of the dumb man shout; for waters