This document provides commentary on Isaiah 66 from multiple scholars. It discusses how Isaiah emphasizes that God does not need a physical temple, as heaven is His throne and earth is His footstool. While the Jews took pride in the temple, God finds His rest in humble, contrite hearts. The commentary also examines how Isaiah condemned the intentions of most exiles to build the temple, as their hearts were not right with God and their worship would be offensive. Overall, the commentary provides historical and theological context for Isaiah's message about true worship of God and His judgment of hypocrisy.

1. ISAIAH 66 COMMENTARY
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Judgment and Hope
1 This is what the LORD says:
“Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
Where is the house you will build for me?
Where will my resting place be?
1.BARNES, “The heaven is my throne - (See the notes at Isa_57:15). Here he is
represented as having his seat or throne there. He speaks as a king. heaven is the place where he
holds his court; from where he dispenses his commands; and from where he surveys all his
works (compare 2Ch_6:18; Mat_5:34). The idea here is, that as God dwelt in the vast and
distant heavens, no house that could be built on earth could be magnificent enough to be his
abode.
The earth is my footstool - A footstool is that which is placed under the feet when we sit.
The idea here is, that God was so glorious that even the earth itself could be regarded only as his
footstool. It is probable that the Saviour had this passage in his eye in his declaration in the
sermon on the mount, ‘Swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the
earth, for it is his footstool’ Mat_5:34-35.
Where is the house that ye build unto me? - What house can you build that will be an
appropriate dwelling for him who fills heaven and earth? The same idea, substantially, was
expressed by Solomon when he dedicated the temple: ‘But will God indeed dwell on the earth?
Behold, the heaven, and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I
have builded!’ 1Ki_8:27. Substantially the same thought is found in the address of Paul at
Athens: ‘God, that made the world, and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and
earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands’ Act_17:24.
And where is the place of my rest? - It has already been intimated (in the analysis) that
this refers probably to the time subsequent to the captivity. Lowth supposes that it refers to the
time of the rebuilding of the temple by Herod. So also Vitringa understands it, and supposes
that it refers to the pride and self-confidence of those who then imagined that they were rearing
a structure that was worthy of being a dwelling-place of Yahweh. Grotius supposes that it refers
to the time of the Maccabees, and that it was designed to give consolation to the pious of those
times when they were about to witness the profanation of the temple by Antiochus, and the

2. cessation of the sacrifices for three years and a half. ‘God therefore shows,’ says he, ‘that there
was no reason why they should be offended in this thing. The most acceptable temple to him was
a pious mind; and from that the value of all sacrifices was to be estimated.’ Abarbanel supposes
that it refers to the times of redemption.
His words are these: ‘I greatly wonder at the words of the learned interpreting this prophecy,
when they say that the prophet in this accuses the people of his own time on account of
sacrifices offered with impure hands, for lo! all these prophecies which the prophet utters in the
end of his book have respect to future redemption.’ See Vitringa. That it refers to some future
time when the temple should be rebuilt seems to me to be evident. But what precise period it
refers to - whether to times not far succeeding the captivity, or to the times of the Maccabees, or
to the time of the rebuilding of the temple by Herod, it is difficult to find any data by which we
can determine. From the whole strain of the prophecy, and particularly from Isa_66:3-5, it
seems probable that it refers to the time when the temple which Herod had reared was finishing;
when the nation was full of pride, self-righteousness, and hypocrisy; and when all sacrifices were
about to be superseded by the one great sacrifice which the Messiah was to make for the sins of
the world. At that time, God says that the spirit which would be evinced by the nation would be
abominable in his sight; and to offer sacrifice then, and with the spirit which they would
manifest, would be as offensive as murder or the sacrifice of a dog (see the notes at Isa_66:3).
2. WESLEY, “Zion's sake - Zion and Jerusalem are both put for the church, Hebrews 12:22 . My peace
- These seem to be the words of the prophet strongly resolving, notwithstanding all difficulties, to solicit
God for the church's happiness, and constantly excite to the belief of it by his preaching, though it were
long before it came, for Isaiah lived near two hundred years before this was accomplished.
Righteousness - With reference to the Babylonians, understand it of the righteousness of God, who hath
promised his people deliverance, and he must be righteous, and so understand salvation before; or
rather, the vindicating of his people's cause in the eyes of the nations by the ruin of the Babylonians; he
will shew that his people have a righteous cause. Lamp - And to that purpose is set up where it may be
seen continually, to signify how eminently conspicuous this prosperous estate of the church should be
among the nations, and as it may particularly relate to revealing of Christ unto the world.
3. GILL, “Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my throne,.... The third heaven, the heaven
of heavens, where angels and glorified saints are, and some in bodies, as Enoch and Elijah, and
where now Christ is in human nature; this is the seat of the divine Majesty, where he in a most
illustrious manner displays his glory; and therefore we are to look upwards to God in heaven,
and direct all our devotion to him there, and not imagine that he dwells in temples made with
hands; or is confined to any place, and much less to any on earth, as the temple at Jerusalem,
the Jews boasted of, and trusted in; and which were the unworthy notions they had of God in the
times of Christ and his disciples; to confute which these words are here said, and for this
purpose are quoted and applied by Stephen, Act_7:48. See Gill on Act_7:48, Act_7:49,
Act_7:50,

3. and the earth is my footstool: on which he treads, is below him, subject to him, and at his
dispose; and therefore is not limited to any part of it, or included in any place in it; though he for
a while condescended to make the cherubim his throne, and the ark his footstool, in the most
holy place in the temple; which were all figurative of other and better things, and so no more
used:
where is the house that ye build unto me? what house can be built for such an immense
Being? and how needless as well as fruitless is it to attempt it? where can a place be found to
build one in, since the heaven is his throne, and the earth his footstool? and therefore, if any
place, it must be some that is without them both, and that can hold both; but what space can be
conceived of that can contain such a throne and footstool, and much less him that sits thereon?
see 1Ki_8:27,
and where is the place of my rest? for God to take up his rest and residence in, as a man
does in his house? no such place can be found for him, nor does he need any; indeed the temple
was built for an house of rest for the ark of the Lord, which before was moved from place to
place; but then this was merely typical of the church, which God has chosen for his rest, and
where he will dwell, as well as of heaven, the resting place of his people with him to all eternity;
no place on earth is either his rest or theirs.
4. HENRY, “Here, I. The temple is slighted in comparison with a gracious soul, Isa_66:1,
Isa_66:2. The Jews in the prophet's time, and afterwards in Christ's time, gloried much in the
temple and promised themselves great things from it; to humble them therefore, and to shake
their vain confidence, both the prophets and Christ foretold the ruin of the temple, that God
would leave it and then it would soon be desolate. After it was destroyed by the Chaldeans it
soon recovered itself and the ceremonial services were revived with it; but by the Romans it was
made a perpetual desolation, and the ceremonial law was abolished with it. That the world
might be prepared for this, they were often told, as here, of what little account the temple was
with God. 1. That he did not need it. Heaven is the throne of his glory and government; there he
sits, infinitely exalted in the highest dignity and dominion, above all blessing and praise. The
earth is his footstool, on which he stands, over-ruling all the affairs of it according to his will. If
God has so bright a throne, so large a footstool, where then is the house they can build unto
God, that can be the residence of his glory, or where is the place of his rest? What satisfaction
can the Eternal Mind take in a house made with men's hands? What occasion has he, as we
have, for a house to repose himself in, who faints not neither is weary, who neither slumbers
nor sleeps? Or, if he had occasion, he would not tell us (Psa_50:12), for all these things hath his
hand made, heaven and all its courts, earth and all its borders, and all the hosts of both. All
these things have been, have had their beginning, by the power of God, who was happy from
eternity before they were, and therefore could not be benefited by them. All these things are (so
some read it); they still continue, upheld by the same power that made them; so that our
goodness extends not to him. If he required a house for himself to dwell in, he would have made
one himself when he made the world; and, if he had made one, it would have continued to this
day, as other creatures do, according to his ordinance; so that he had no need of a temple made
with hands. 2. That he would not heed it as he would a humble, penitent, gracious heart. He has
a heaven and earth of his own making, and a temple of man's making; but he overlooks them all,
that he may look with favour to him that is poor in spirit, humble and serious, self-abasing and
self-denying, whose heart is truly contrite for sin, penitent for it, and in pain to get it pardoned,
and who trembles at God's word, not as Felix did, with a transient qualm that was over when
the sermon was done, but with an habitual awe of God's majesty and purity and an habitual

4. dread of his justice and wrath. Such a heart is a living temple for God; he dwells there, and it is
the place of his rest; it is like heaven and earth, his throne and his footstool.
5. JAMISON, “Isa_66:1-24. The humble comforted, the ungodly condemned, at the Lord’s
appearing: Jerusalem made a joy on earth.
This closing chapter is the summary of Isaiah’s prophecies as to the last days, hence the
similarity of its sentiments with what went before.
heaven ... throne ... where is ... house ... ye build — The same sentiment is expressed,
as a precautionary proviso for the majesty of God in deigning to own any earthly temple as His,
as if He could be circumscribed by space (1Ki_8:27) in inaugurating the temple of stone; next, as
to the temple of the Holy Ghost (Act_7:48, Act_7:49); lastly here, as to “the tabernacle of God
with men” (Isa_2:2, Isa_2:3; Eze_43:4, Eze_43:7; Rev_21:3).
where — rather, “what is this house that ye are building, etc. — what place is this for My
rest?” [Vitringa].
6. K&D, “Although the note on which this prophecy opens is a different one from any that
has yet been struck, there are many points in which it coincides with the preceding prophecy.
For not only is Isa_65:12 repeated here in Isa_66:4, but the sharp line of demarcation drawn in
chapter 65, between the servants of Jehovah and the worldly majority of the nation with
reference to the approaching return to the Holy Land, is continued here. As the idea of their
return is associated immediately with that of the erection of a new temple, there is nothing at all
to surprise us, after what we have read in Isa_65:8., in the fact that Jehovah expresses His
abhorrence at the thought of having a temple built by the Israel of the captivity, as the majority
then were, and does so in such words as those which follow in Isa_66:1-4 : “Thus saith Jehovah:
The heaven is my throne, and the earth my footstool. What kind of house is it that ye would
build me, and what kind of place for my rest? My hand hath made all these things; then all
these thing arose, saith Jehovah; and at such persons do I look, at the miserable and broken-
hearted, and him that trembleth at my word. He that slaughtereth the ox is the slayer of a
man; he that sacrificeth the sheep is a strangler of dogs; he that offereth a meat-offering, it is
swine's blood; he that causeth incense to rise up in smoke, blesseth idols. As they have chosen
their ways, and their soul cheriseth pleasure in their abominations; so will I choose their ill-
treatments, and bring their terrors upon them, because I called and no one replied, I spake and
they did not hear, and they did evil in mine eyes, and chose that in which I took no pleasure."
Hitzig is of opinion that the author has broken off here, and proceeds quite unexpectedly to
denounce the intention to build a temple for Jehovah. Those who wish to build he imagines to
be those who have made up their minds to stay behind in Chaldea, and who, whilst their
brethren who have returned to their native land are preparing to build a temple there, want to
have one of their own, just as the Jews in Egypt built one for themselves in Leontopolis. Without
some such supposition as this, Hitzig thinks it altogether impossible to discover the thread
which connects the different vv. together. This view is at any rate better than that of Umbreit,
who imagines that the prophet places us here “on the loftiest spiritual height of the Christian
development.” “In the new Jerusalem,” he says, “there will be no temple seen, nor any sacrifice;
Jehovah forbids these in the strongest terms, regarding them as equivalent to mortal sins.” But
the prophet, if this were his meaning, would involve himself in self-contradiction, inasmuch as,
according to Isa_56:1-12 and 60, there will be a temple in the new Jerusalem with perpetual
sacrifice, which this prophecy also presupposes in Isa_66:20. (cf., Isa_66:6); and secondly, he
would contradict other prophets, such as Ezekiel and Zechariah, and the spirit of the Old

5. Testament generally, in which the statement, that whoever slaughters a sacrificial animal in the
new Jerusalem will be as bad as a murderer, has no parallel, and is in fact absolutely impossible.
According to Hitzig's view, on the other hand, v. 3a affirms, that the worship which they would
be bound to perform in their projected temple would be an abomination to Jehovah, however
thoroughly it might be made to conform to the Mosaic ritual. But there is nothing in the text to
sustain the idea, that there is any intention here to condemn the building of a temple to Jehovah
in Chaldaea, nor is such an explanation by any means necessary to make the text clear. The
condemnation on the part of Jehovah has reference to the temple, which the returning exiles
intend to build in Jerusalem. The prophecy is addressed to the entire body now ready to return,
and says to the whole without exception, that Jehovah, the Creator of heaven and earth, does not
stand in need of any house erected by human hands, and then proceeds to separate the penitent
from those that are at enmity against God, rejects in the most scornful manner all offerings in
the form of worship on the part of the latter, and threatens them with divine retribution, having
dropped in Isa_66:3-4 the form of address to the entire body. Just as in the Psalm of Asaph (Ps
50) Jehovah refuses animal and other material offerings as such, because the whole of the
animal world, the earth and the fulness thereof, are His possession, so here He addresses this
question to the entire body of the exiles: What kind of house is there that ye could build, that
would be worthy of me, and what kind of place that would be worthy of being assigned to me as
a resting-place? On maqom me
nuchathı̄, locus qui sit requies mea (apposition instead of genitive
connection). He needs no temple; for heaven is His throne, and the earth His footstool. He is the
Being who filleth all, the Creator, and therefore the possessor, of the universe; and if men think
to do Him a service by building Him a temple, and forget His infinite majesty in their concern
for their own contemptible fabric, He wants to temple at all. “All these” refer, as if pointing with
the finger, to the world of visible objects that surround us. ‫יוּ‬ ְ‫ה‬ִ ַ‫ו‬ (from ‫ה‬ָ‫י‬ ָ‫,ה‬ existere, fieri) is used
in the same sense as the ‫י‬ ִ‫ה‬ְ‫י‬ַ‫ו‬ which followed the creative ‫י‬ ִ‫ה‬ְ‫.י‬ In this His exaltation He is not
concerned about a temple; but His gracious look is fixed upon the man who is as follows (zeh
pointing forwards as in Isa_58:6), viz., upon the mourner, the man of broken heart, who is filled
with reverential awe at the word of His revelation.
We may see from Psa_51:9 what the link of connection is between Isa_66:2 and Isa_66:3. So
far as the mass of the exiles were concerned, who had not been humbled by their sufferings, and
whom the preaching of the prophet could not bring to reflection, He did not want any temple or
sacrifice from them. The sacrificial acts, to which such detestable predicates are here applied,
are such as end with the merely external act, whilst the inward feelings of the person presenting
the sacrifice are altogether opposed to the idea of both the animal sacrifice and the meat-
offering, more especially to that desire for salvation which was symbolized in all the sacrifices; in
other words, they are sacrificial acts regarded as νεκρᆭ ᅞργα, the lifeless works of men spiritually
dead. The articles of hasshor and hasseh are used as generic with reference to sacrificial animals.
The slaughter of an ox was like the slaying (makkeh construct with tzere) of a man (for the
association of ideas, see Gen_49:6); the sacrifice (zobheach like shachat is sometimes applied to
slaughtering for the purpose of eating; here, however, it refers to an animal prepared for
Jehovah) of a sheep like the strangling of a dog, that unclean animal (for the association of
ideas, see Job_30:1); the offerer up (me
‛oleh) of a meat-offering (like one who offered up) swine's
blood, i.e., as if he was offering up the blood of this most unclean animal upon the altar; he who
offered incense as an 'azkarah (see at Isa_1:13) like one who blessed 'aven, i.e., godlessness, used
here as in 1Sa_15:23, and also in Hosea in the change of the name of Bethel into Beth 'Aven, for
idolatry, or rather in a concrete sense for the worthless idols themselves, all of which, according

6. to Isa_41:29, are nothing but 'aven. Rosenmüller, Gesenius, Hitzig, Stier, and even Jerome, have
all correctly rendered it in this way, “as if he blessed an idol” (quasi qui benedicat idolo); and
Vitringa, “cultum exhibens vano numini” (offering worship to a vain god). Such explanations as
that of Luther, on the other hand, viz., “as if he praised that which was wrong,” are opposed to
the antithesis, and also to the presumption of a concrete object to ‫מברך‬ (blessing); whilst that of
Knobel, “praising vainly” ('aven being taken as an acc. Adv.), yields too tame an antithesis, and is
at variance with the usage of the language. In this condemnation of the ritual acts of worship,
the closing prophecy of the book of Isaiah coincides with the first (Isa_1:11-15). But that it is not
sacrifices in themselves that are rejected, but the sacrifices of those whose hearts are divided
between Jehovah and idols, and who refuse to offer to Him the sacrifice that is dearest to Him
(Psa_51:19, cf., Psa_50:23), is evident from the correlative double-sentence that follows in
Isa_66:3 and Isa_66:4, which is divided into two masoretic verses, as the only means of
securing symmetry. Gam ... gam, which means in other cases, “both ... and also,” or in negative
sentences “neither ... nor,” means here, as in Jer_51:12, “as assuredly the one as the other,” in
other words, “as ... so.” They have chosen their own ways, which are far away from those of
Jehovah, and their soul has taken pleasure, not in the worship of Jehovah, but in all kinds of
heathen abominations (shiqqutsehem, as in many other places, after Deu_29:16); therefore
Jehovah wants no temple built by them or with their co-operation, nor any restoration of
sacrificial worship at their hands. But according to the law of retribution, He chooses tha‛alule
hem, vexationes eorum (lxx τᆭ ᅚµπαίγµατα αᆒτራν: see at Isa_3:4), with the suffix of the object:
fates that will use them ill, and brings their terrors upon them, i.e., such a condition of life as
will inspire them with terror (me
guroth, as in Psa_34:5).
7. BI, “The eternal blessedness of the true Israel; the doom of the apostates
This chapter continues the antithesis that runs through chap.
65., carrying it onward to its eschatological issues. The connection of ideas is frequently
extremely difficult to trace, and no two cities are agreed as to where the different sections begin
and end. (Prof. J. Skinner, D. D.)
Temple building
Hitzig thinks (and with him Knobel, Hendewerk) that the author here begins quite abruptly to
oppose the purpose of building a temple to Jehovah; the builders are those who meditated
remaining behind in Chaldea, and wished also to have a temple, as the Jews in Egypt, at a later
time, built one in Leontopolis. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)
The offerings of the impenitent offensive to God
The address, directed to the entire body ready to return, says without distinction that Jehovah,
the Creator of heaven and earth, needs no house made by men’s hands; then in the entire body
distinguishes between the penitent and those alienated from God, rejects all worship and
offering at the hand of the latter, and threatens them with just retribution. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)

7. The inward and spiritual preferred by God to the outward and material
[These great words] are a declaration, spoken probably in view of the approaching restoration of
the temple (which, in itself, the prophet entirely approves, Isa_44:28, and expects, Isa_56:7;
Isa_55:7; Isa_62:9),reminding the Jews of the truth which a visible temple might readily lead
them to forget, that no earthly habitation could be really adequate to Jehovah’s majesty, and
that Jehovah’s regard was not to be won by the magnificence of a material temple, but by
humility and the devotion of the heart. How needful the warning was history shows. Jeremiah
(Jer_7:1-15) argues at length against those who pointed, with a proud sense of assurance, to the
massive pile of buildings that crowned the height of Zion, heedless of the moral duties which
loyalty to the King, whose residence it was, implied. And at a yet more critical moment in their
history, attachment to the temple, as such, was one of the causes which incapacitated the Jews
from appropriating the more spiritual teaching of Christ: the charge brought against Stephen
(Act_6:13-14)is that he ceased not “to speak words against this holy place and the law;” and, the
argument of Stephen’s defence (Act_7:1-60.) is just to show that in the past God’s favour had
not been limited to the period during which the temple of Zion existed. Here, then, the prophet
seizes the occasion to insist upon the necessity of a spiritual service, passing on (verses 3-5) to
denounce, in particular, certain superstitious usages which had apparently, at the time, infected
the worship of Jehovah. (Prof. S. R. Driver, D. D.)
The inwardness of religion
1. The tendency to make religion consist in external actions, apart from the inward
dispositions which should accompany them, is very common. The reason for this is
discovered from the fact that outward actions are easier than inward. It is easier, for
instance, to become outwardly poor than to become poor in spirit; easier to adore with the
body than to worship with the soul. The tendency is observable in all dispensations. For
instance, whatever other differences there may have been between the sacrifices of Cain and
Abel, we are expressly told that it was “by faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent
sacrifice ‘ (Heb_11:4). The outward act was linked with the right inward disposition. So,
again, in the time of the Levitical Law, the tendency often manifested itself to put ceremonial
above moral obligations (Psa_1:1-6.). And Isaiah, in his first chapter (verses 11-18), shows
how an outward service, without the putting away of evil, is an abomination to God. In the
same way our Lord condemned the Pharisees Mat_15:8).
2. This closing prophecy of Isaiah seems to contain a warning against formalism. It is not
that the outward is unimportant, for this would be to run from one extreme to the other, but
that the outward will not avail. The return of Israel from captivity will be followed by the
building of a new temple, as the event has shown; and the warning of the text is twofold—
one, to remind the Israelites that Jehovah had no need of a temple; the other, to impress
them with a truth they were very apt to forget, that religion must be a matter of the heart.
I. A REVELATION OF GOD. “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool.”
1. These words, or the substance of them, are again and again repeated in Holy Scripture
(1Ki_8:27; Mat_5:34; Act_7:49). Repetitions in the Bible show the importance of a truth, or
our difficulty in remembering it.
2. What is the truth? That God is incomprehensible. He is everywhere and cannot be
localized (Jer_23:24). There is nowhere where Cod’s power and essence and presence do not
reach. He knows no limit of space or time, of knowledge or love.
II. THE REFERENCE TO THE EXTERNAL TEMPLE. “Where is the house that ye build unto
Me?”

8. 1. These words are not intended to deter Israel from building a material temple when they
had returned to their own land. The prophet would be contradicting himself (Isa_56:5-7;
Isa_60:7); and he would be running counter to the solemn injunctions of other prophets,
such as Haggai and Zechariah, who were in part raised up by God to further the work of
building the temple. What the words are intended to rebuke is the falseness of the ideas that
God requires a temple, and that His presence can be restricted to its walls. God does not
need a temple, but we do. In heaven there will be no necessity for any temple (Rev_21:22),
where the glory of God and of the Lamb floods with its radiance the whole place.
2. Here the church, with its sacred objects and associations, appeals to us and excites our
devotion; here in the sacred place there is a distinct promise to prayer; here God acts upon
us, and we upon God, through prescribed ordinances; here He promises to be present in
some especial manner; here we act upon one another, and kindle fervour, and therefore
must not forsake “the assembling of ourselves together” in the house of Heb_10:25).
III. BUT THE TEXT ALLUDES TO THE INTERNAL TEMPLE—THE DISPOSITIONS OF THE
SOUL OF THE WORSHIPPER, WHICH ATTRACT THE FAVOUR OF GOD. “To this man will I
look,. . . who is poor,. . . contrite, and who trembleth at My word.”
1. Poor, not merely outwardly, but poor in spirit (Psa_138:6). The man who at all realizes
the Divine majesty will have a sense of his own nothingness.
2. Of a contrite spirit. A perception” of the Divine holiness brings self-humiliation by force of
contrast (Job_42:6).
3. “Trembleth at My word. Fear is ever an element of the spirit of worship. A sense of the
Divine justice and judgments fills the soul with awe in approaching God. The Word or
revelation of God is received, not in the spirit of criticism, but with reverence and godly fear.
IV. LESSONS.
1. The remembrance of the all-pervading presence of God should be a deterrent from evil,
and an incentive to good.
2. The obligation of regularity in attendance at Divine worship ought to be insisted upon,
both as a recognition of God and our relations with Him, and for the sake of the subjective
effects on human character.
3. But outward worship is of no avail without inward. There are tests, in the text, of the
presence of the spirit of worship—lowliness, contrition, and awe, as products of the
realization of God’s presence and perfections. (The Thinker.)
God’s elevation and condescension
1. The subject of remark—God Himself. “Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is My throne, the
earth is My footstool.” The attention is turned simply to God—His grandeur, His
magnificence, His immensity, His omnipresence. He abides in heaven, He puts the earth
under His feet.
2. The manner in which the remark about God is conducted, is that of a kind of contrast
betwixt Him and men. “Where is the house that ye build unto Me, and where is the place of
My rest?” God is unlike man. He challenges any comparison. “The heaven, even the heaven
of heavens, cannot contain Him. Ancient kings aimed often to Impress their subjects with an
idea of their magnificence, and surrounded themselves with a solemn and salutary awe, by
rearing palaces of the most imposing splendour and magnificence. They wished to overawe
the multitude. On this ground, God Himself, seems to have ordered the unequalled grandeur

9. of the ancient temple. But in doing it, He took care that its dazzling beauty and stateliness
should only be an aid, a stepping-stone, to assist the imagination in its upward reach
towards the grandeur of God. In the prayer of the dedication, Solomon’s devotion soars
infinitely above the temple.
Here, the majesty of God, and the littleness of man, stand side by side. After mentioning the
earth and the heaven, God says, “All these things hath My hand made.”
3. But yet, lest dread should too much terrify the worshipper, or a high and just idea of God’s
infinite majesty lead the humble into the error of supposing that such an august Being would
not regard such an insignificant creature as man, he adds, “To this man will I look, even to
him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.” A turn of thought well
worthy of our admiration. A contrite sinner has nothing to fear from God. His very majesty
need not terrify him. Indeed, His majesty constitutes the very ground for his encouragement.
It can condescend. Just as much does the King of kings and Lord of lords glorify Himself,
when He consoles, by the whisperings of His Spirit, the poorest and most unworthy sinner
that ever felt the pangs of a bruised heart, as when He thunders in the heavens as the most
High, and gives His voice, hail-stones and coals of fire. With this idea, sinners should-
approach Him and meditate His grandeur. (I. S. Spencer, D. D.)
The magnificence of God
I. THE STYLE OF THE TEXT. God speaks of Himself. “The heaven is My throne, the earth is My
footstool.” This style of religious address is especially common in the Scriptures (Psa_137:1-9.;
Job_11:7-8; Job_26:6-14; Isa_40:1-31.). These passages all speak of God in a style which we
cannot attempt to analyze. Their aim appears to be twofold.
1. To lead us to make the idea of God Himself the leading idea in religion.
2. To have this idea, which we are to entertain about God, an idea of the utmost grandeur, of
the most amazing magnificence, and solemn sublimity.
II. THE DESIGN IN VIEW CANNOT EASILY BE MISTAKEN. They would give us just ideas of
God. The impression they aim to make is simply this, that God is incomparably and
inconceivably above us—an infinite and awful mystery!
III. THE NECESSITY OF THIS MAY EXIST OH DIFFERENT GROUNDS.
1. Our littleness. In the nature of the case, there can be no comparison betwixt man and God.
All is contrast—an infinite contrast.
2. Our sinfulness. Sin never exists aside from the mind’s losing a just impression of the
Deity; and wherever it exists, there is a tendency to cleave to low and unworthy ideas of Him.
3. Our materiality, the connection of our minds with material and gross bodies. This
connection renders it difficult for us to soar beyond matter. We are in danger of introducing
the imperfections of our existence into our religion, even into our ideas of God.
Consequently, when God speaks to us of Himself, He speaks in a manner designed to guard
us from error. He says to us, “The heaven is ,My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where
is the house ye build unto Me? We are limited to the world. We cannot get foothold
anywhere else. We are circumscribed within very narrow limits. But God asks, “Where is the
place of My rest?” He would elevate our conceptions of Him beyond matter, out of the reach
of its bounds.
4. The nature of God. Man is only a creature. He owes his existence to a cause without him.
That cause still rules him. That cause allows him to know but little, and often drops the veil

10. of an impenetrable darkness before his eyes just at the point, the very point, where he is
most desirous to look further, and it drops the veil there, in order to do him the twofold
office of convincing him of the grandeur of God and his own littleness, and of compelling
him, under the influence of those convictions, to turn back to a light which concerns him
more than the darkness beyond the veil can, to a light where are wrapped up the duties and
interests of his immortal soul. God would repress his curiosity, and make him use his
conscience. Therefore, He makes darkness preach to him.
IV. APPLICATION.
1. Let us be admonished to approach the study of religion with a solemnity of mind which
belongs to it. It is the study of God. The voice comes from the burning bush, “Draw not nigh
hither, put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the ground whereon thou standest is holy
ground.’ How unlike all other subjects is religion! How differently we should approach it!
2. This mode in which God teaches us—this grandeur and magnificence which belong to
Him—ought to remove a very common difficulty from our minds, and prepare us to receive
in faith, those deep and dark doctrines, whose mystery is so apt to stagger us. What can we
expect?
3. Since God is so vast a being, how deep should be our humility!
4. How deep should be our homage.!
5. The greatness of God should gauge the depth of our repentance. Our sin is against Him.
6. The greatness of God should invite our faith. “ If God be for us, who can be against us?”
7. The magnificence of God should be a motive to our service. He is able to turn our smallest
services to an infinite account.
8. The greatness of God ought to encourage the timid. Because He is great, His regard
reaches to every one of your annoyances. Your enemies cannot hurt you.
9. The grandeur of God ought to rebuke our reliance upon creatures. (I. S. Spencer, D. D.)
What God does not, and what He does, regard
I. WHAT THE LORD DOES NOT REGARD. He speaks quite slightingly of this great building.
But is it not said elsewhere that “the Lord loved the courts of Zion”? Did He not expressly tell
King Solomon when his temple was completed, “Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be on it
perpetually”? He did; but in what sense are we to understand those words? Not that He
delighted in the grandeur of the house, but in as much of spiritual worship as was rendered
there. The temple itself was no otherwise well pleasing to Him than as it was raised in obedience
to His orders, and as it served, in its fashion and its furniture, for “an example and a shadow of
heavenly things;” but the Lord “loved the gates of Zion” because the prayers of Zion were
presented there. He points out to us two things—His throne, and His footstool! and then He
leaves it to ourselves to say whether any building man can raise to Him can be considerable in
His eyes.
II. Hear from the Lord’s own lips THE DESCRIPTION OF THE MAN WHO DRAWS HIS EYE.
“To this man,” etc.
1. The sort of character described.
(1) He is “poor”—humble towards God. He is humble, too, towards his fellow-creatures;
carrying himself meekly towards all men, and “in lowliness of mind, esteeming others

11. better than himself.” He is “slow to wrath”—patient under provocation—anxious not to
be “overcome of evil” but rather to “overcome evil with good.”
(2) Another quality which marks the man to whom the Lord looks is contrition.
(3) He “trembleth at My word.” But what kind of trembling is meant? Felix trembled at
God’s word; and many a wicked man from his days to the present has trembled at it also.
And yet it has been but a momentary pang—a sudden fright that has come over them, but
which they have soonlaughed off again. Now it is certainly not this sort of trembling
which the Lord regards. The man who “trembleth” at God’s word is one who entertains a
deep and abiding reverence for every word which hath proceeded from God’s lips.
2. What does the Lord mean when He saith, “To this man will I look? He evidently means,
“To this man will I look with an eye of notice and regard.” The Lord’s favourable look, be it
remembered, is quite another thing from man’s; there is help, and comfort, and support
conveyed by it Isa_57:15). The Lord but looked on Gideon, and Gideon, weak before, was
wonderfully strengthened (Jdg_6:14). (A. Roberts, M. A.)
God’s greater glory
Here are described two phases of the Divine greatness, one material, and the other moral; the
superiority of the latter being clearly implied.
I. THE MATERIAL GREATNESS OF GOD. “Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is My throne, and
the earth is My footstool.” Here God represents Himself as a mighty potentate, leaving us to
infer the measure of His kingly glory and the extent of His dominion from these two things—His
throne and His footstool. Thus the glory of the whole is indicated by the glory of the part.
1. The throne. We must note carefully the full extent and purport of the figure, “The heaven
is My throne. It is not that the heaven is the place of His throne, but that the heaven is itself
the throne. The conception, bold as it is, strikingly agrees with another figure used by
inspiration to set forth the transcendent majesty of God, “Behold, the heaven and heaven of
heavens cannot contain Thee.” The figure is a bold one. The human imagination, daring as
its flights often are, could never have conceived it. It is purely a Divine conception, and the
text is careful to say so, “Thus saith the Lord.”
2. His footstool. “The earth. ‘ We know very little of the heaven. We know a great deal about
the earth. Men have taken its dimensions, explored its resources, and discovered its glories.
Yet this magnificent object is but His footstool. The footstool is the humblest article of
furniture in the household; so needless is it deemed that thousands of houses dispense with
it altogether. Others easily convert the thing nearest to hand into a footstool, as occasion
may require. Nevertheless, some have expended no little skill and expense upon the
construction even of footstools. There is preserved as a relic in Windsor Castle such an
article, once belonging to the renowned Hindoo prince, Tippoo Sahib. It is in the form of a
bear’s head, carved in ivory, with a tongue of gold, teeth of crystal, and its eyes a pair of
rubies. This article is adjudged worth £10,000. It is after all but a footstool. If Tippoo Sahib’s
footstool were so magnificent, what must have been the splendour of his throne! Yet, were
all the thrones of the world collected together into one vast pile, they would form but a heap
of rubbish as compared with God’s footstool.
II. THE TEXT PRESENTS US WITH ANOTHER PHASE OF HIS GLORY—THE MORAL,
WHICH IS ALSO HIS GREATER GLORY. “But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor
and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.” What a contrast we have presented to us
here. God, the Mighty Potentate, from the height of His heavenly throne, looking down with

12. yearning, compassionate regard upon such objects as are here described, the very dust of His
footstool. There is a moral grandeur in this far transcending the power of language to describe.
In order to appreciate fully the beauty and glory of this act, we must notice particularly the
characters which are its special objects. They are described as those who are “poor” and are “of a
contrite spirit,” and that “tremble at His word.” These several expressions do not describe one
and the same condition. They indicate three distinct and progressive stages of spiritual
experience.
1. Destitution. “Poor.” It is not physical poverty that is meant, for the wealthiest, those who
abound most in worldly possessions, are equally with the most destitute in the condition
here indicated by the term “poor. It describes a spiritual condition—the spiritual poverty into
which all men are reduced through sin—the wretched, the miserable, the oppressed of sin
and guilt—the poor in the sense of being without hope, destitute of true peace and
happiness.
2. The second stage indicated is one of conviction—the misery becoming a felt fact. “ And of
a contrite spirit.” In these words we have indicated that condition of the mind when the all-
crushing fact of its poverty and wretchedness has come home with overwhelming conviction.
3. The third stage is one of hope. “Trembleth at My word.” God, out of the infinite depth of
His compassion, hath spoken to this poor, wretched, sin-convicted creature, and the word
spoken is a word of hope. The “trembling” at the word does not mean regarding it with fear,
terror, or dismay, but solemnly, feelingly, and trustingly. It is the trembling of gratitude and
of an awakened hope—an exquisite thrill of gratitude piercing the whole soul, causing it to
vibrate with responsive joy to the message of hope. This wonderful condescension of God in
relation to sinful men is His greater glory, it redounds to His honour far more than His
conversion of the heavens into His throne and of the earth into His footstool. (A. J. Parry.)
Worship and ritual
The desire for Divine communion has ever been strong in man. This desire was originated by
God Himself. If not from God, whence could it come? We have no right to suppose it to be self-
originated. That finite man should conceive an infinite Deity is an incredible supposition, for, to
use the words of Pascal, “the infinite God is infinitely inconceivable.” The manner in which God
has thus revealed Himself in response to the passionate desire which He originated in man is a
study fraught with a singular interest. He made Himself known to our first parents in Eden’s
garden, and in our first Scriptures we have several examples recorded of revelations made by
Him after the banishment to the fathers of our race. By tradition these revelations were spread
throughout the earth, and so we find the earliest religious faiths of our world abounding in
sublime truths. But He specially revealed Himself to a chosen people. Israel lived under the very
shadow of Jehovah, for God dwelt in that temple ann specially manifested His presence in it. But
that presence did not restrain the people from rebellion. When not open followers of the
idolatries of the surrounding nations, they left worship for ritual and forsook God for
observances, and so made that temple to be at once their glory and their shame. It was at such
time as this that the words of our text were uttered. Thus are we taught that Divine worship is
not material, but spiritual, and that the habitation of God is not the building, but the soul.
I. THE NATURE OF THE BEING WHOM WE WORSHIP. Our text brings before as His
omnipresence. He is in heaven, and He is on earth. We have a revelation also of the Divine
omnipotence. Not only is He in heaven, not’ only is He on earth, but He has a throne. Of course
the one includes the other. If He be the omnipresent One, He is also the omnipotent One. That
which is Infinite must be Absolute. We, however, distinguish, so as to obtain clearer

13. conceptions. We are in danger of supposing that amidst all this vastness we can be but of little
consequence. But mind is greater than matter, and such ideas immediately vanish when we
remember that the vastest material substance can never outweigh a holy thought, a feeling of
devotion, a thrill of love. The man who can tell the motions of the stars is greater than the stars.
And thus looking at the question, what shall we say of that man in whom God dwells? He who
lives in a palace is greater than the palace, no matter how gorgeous it may be; and in the
presence of a holy man the whole material creation is dwarfed into nothingness.
II. THE NATURE OF THAT WORSHIP WHICH THIS GREAT GOD REQUIRES. It must be
something more than outward. Of all ceremonialism the Jewish was the most gorgeous. It was
also of Divine appointing. The temple was built according to Divine plan and under Divine
direction. The services were divinely commanded. The priests belonged to a Divinely set apart;
tribe. Tokens of the Divine presence were given. But although this ceremonial was thus
gorgeous, and of Divine appointment, yet God rejected it so soon as it lost its spiritual
significance. All true religion begins in poverty of spirit. There must be a sense of natural defect
and a consciousness of our own inability either to atone for the past or to deliver in the future.
And with this poverty of spirit there must be contriteness. The heart needs to be broken before it
can be bound up. (Allan Rees.)
A transcendent existence and a transcendent doctrine
I. AN EXISTENCE THAT STANDS IN CONTRAST WITH ALL THAT IS CREATED.
1. Here is an omnipresent Existence. One whose throne is heaven, whose footstool is earth,
and to whom all places are alike. One who fills heaven and earth, not merely with His
influence, but with His actual presence, as much at all times in one point of space as in
another. The incommensurable One, not only everywhere, as the pantheists teach, as a
substance, but everywhere as a Personality, free, conscious, active. All created existences are
limited by the laws of space, and those that occupy the largest space are mere specks in
immensity. Concerning the stupendous fact of God’s Omnipresence, observe—
(1) This fact is agreeable to reason. The denial of it would involve a contradiction. It
enters into our very conception of God. A limited God would in truth be no God.
(2) This fact is essential to worship. It is essential to the spirit of worship. Worship
implies mystery. It is essential to constancy of worship. True worship is not an occasional
or specific service confined to times and places, it is an abiding attitude of the soul. “God
is a Spirit,” etc.
(3) This fact is promotive of holiness. Let men realize the constant presence of God, and
how strongly will they feel restraint from sin and stimulation to virtue and holiness.
(4) This fact is assurative of retribution. Who can hide himself from the Lord?
(5) This fact is illustrative of heaven. There is nothing local or formal in the worship of
heaven. “ I saw no temple in heaven, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the
temple of it. He is felt to be everywhere, and He is worshipped everywhere.
2. Here is a creative Existence. “For all those things hath Mine hand made,” etc. Because He
made all, He owns all. Creatorship implies Eternity, Sovereignty, Almightiness, and
Proprietorship.
II. A DOCTRINE THAT TRANSCENDS HUMAN DISCOVERY. “To this man will I look,” etc.
The doctrine is this,—that this Infinite Being, who is everywhere, who created the universe and
owns it, feels a profound interest in the individual man whose soul is in a humble, contrite, and

14. reverent state. Could reason ever have discovered such a truth as this? Never. Although this
doctrine transcends reason it does not contradict it. (Homilist.)
Living temples for the living God
I. GOD’S REJECTION OF ALL MATERIAL TEMPLES. There was a time when it could be said
that there was a house of God on earth. That was a time of symbols, when as yet the Church of
God was in her childhood. She was being taught her A B C, reading her picture-book, for she
could not as yet read the Word of God, as it were in letters. She had need to have pictures put
before her, patterns of the heavenly things. Even then, the enlightened amongst the Jews knew
well that God did not dwell between curtains, and that it was not possible that He could be
encompassed in the most holy place within the veil It was only a symbol of His presence. But the
time of symbols is now passed altogether. In that moment when the Saviour bowed His head,
and said “It is finished! “ the veil of the temple was rent in twain, so that the mysteries were laid
open. So, one reason why God saith He dwelleth not in temples made with hands, is, because He
would have us know that the symbolical worship is ended and the reign of the spiritual worship
inaugurated at this day (Joh_4:21; Joh_4:23). But our text gives,from God’s own mouth,
reasons why there can be no house at the present time in which God can dwell; and, indeed,
there never was any house of the kind in reality—only in symbol For, say now, where is the place
to build God a house? In heaven? It is only His throne, not His house! On earth? What, on His
footstool? Will ye put it where He shall put His foot upon it and crush it? Fly through infinite
space, and ye shall not find in any place that God is not there. Time cannot contain Him, though
it range along its millenniums! Space cannot hold Him, for He that made all things greater than
all the things that He has made. Yea, all the things that are do not encompass Him. But then, the
Lord seems to put it,—What kind of a house (supposing we had a site on which to erect it) would
we build God? Sons of men of what material would ye make a dwelling-place for the Eternal and
the Pure? Would ye build of alabaster? The heavens are not clean in His sight, and He charged
His angels with folly! Would ye build of gold? Behold, the streets of His metropolitan city are
paved therewith, not indeed the dusky gold of earth, but transparent gold, like unto clear glass.
And what were gold to Deity? Find diamonds, as massive as the stones whereof Solomon built
his house on Zion, and then lay on rubies and jaspers - pile up a house, all of which shall be most
precious. What were that to Him? God is a Spirit. He disdaineth your materialism. And yet men
think, forsooth, when they have put up their Gothic or their Grecian structures, “This is God’s
house.” And then the Lord shows that the earth and the heavens themselves, which may be
compared to a temple, are the works of His hand. How often I have felt as if I were compassed
with the solemn grandeur of a temple, in the midst of the pine forest, or on the heathery hill, or
out at night with the bright stars looking down through the deep heavens, or listening to the
thunder, peal on peal, or gazing at the lightning as it lit up the sky! Then one feels as if he were
in the temple of God! Afar out on the blue sea, where the ship is rocking up and clown on the
waves foam—then it seems as if you were somewhere near to God—amidst the sublimities of
nature. But what then? All these objects of nature He has made, and they are not a house for
Him.
II. GOD’S CHOICE OF SPIRITUAL TEMPLES. “To this man will I look, even to him that is poor
and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word.”
III. THOSE THAT ARE OF THIS CHARACTER SECURE A GREAT BLESSING. God says He
will “look” to them. That means several things.
1. Consideration.
2. Approbation.

15. 3. Acceptance.
4. Affection.
5. Benediction. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
The greatness and condescension of God
That is an excellent answer which was given by a poor man to a sceptic who attempted to
ridicule his faith. The scoffer said, “Pray, sir, is your God a great God or a little God? The poor
man replied, “Sir, my God is so great that the heaven of heavens cannot contain Him; and yet He
condescends to be so little, that He dwells in broken and contrite hearts. Oh, the greatness of
God, and the condescension of God! (C. H. Spurgeon.)
8. KELLY, “The concluding chapter of our prophet pursues what was begun in Isa. 65. - the answer
of Jehovah to the supplication which precedes them both.
"Thus saith Jehovah, the heavens [are] my throne, and the earth [is] my footstool: what [is] the house
that ye will build unto me? and where [is] the place of my rest? Even all those [things] hath my hand
made, and all those [things] have been, saith Jehovah" (vv. 1, 2). It is not that God did not accept the
house which king David desired, and his son Solomon was given, to erect for His glory. It is not that He
will not have a sanctuary in the midst of Israel in the glorious land; for He has revealed it minutely,
with the feasts, sacrifices, priests, and appurtenances, by Ezekiel (Ezek. 40 - 48).
But it is another thing when His people, despising the only Saviour and Lord, their own Messiah, rest
in the sanctuary, as of old in the ark to their own shame and discomfiture before their enemies. So it
was when the Lord left the temple - no longer God's house but theirs, and left to them desolate,
Himself its true glory being despised and rejected. So Stephen charged home on them these very
words (Act_7:48-50). It was not he nor Luke, but Isaiah who declared that the Most High dwells not in
temples made with hands: and this in full view of the "exceeding magnifical" temple which Solomon
built. Heaven is His throne, earth is His footstool. What can man do worthily for Him to rest in? He
needs nothing of human resources. His own hand has made all these things, in comparison with which
man's greatest exertions are puny indeed.
Once more among the Jews at the end of the age shall be the state of things which draws out this
rebuke of their own prophet. Trusting in the house that they are at length allowed to build in

16. Jerusalem, they must prove afresh that an unbelieving idolatrous heart desecrates a temple, and that
not thus can sin be settled between God and the sinner. Earthly splendour in such circumstances is
but gilding over iniquity. It is real hypocrisy. They may seek in unbelief to restore "all these things that
have been"; but God has a controversy with the people about idolatry and the rejected Messiah not
yet judged; and His elect own their sins and look for the new estate He will create in honour of
Messiah. The heart must be purified by faith in order to worship acceptably.
9. CALVIN, “1.This saith Jehovah. This discourse is different from the preceding one; for here the
Prophet exclaims against the Jews, who, puffed up with vain confidence in the sacrifices and the temple,
indulged freely in their pleasures, and flattered themselves in their sins under this pretense. He shews
that this confidence is not only foolish and groundless, but diabolical and accursed; for they grossly mock
God who endeavor to serve and appease him by outward ceremonies. Accordingly, he reproaches them
with endeavoring to frame an idol in place of God, when they shut him up in the temple. Next, he speaks
of the renovation of the Church, and of the extension of it throughout the whole world.
Heaven is my throne. His aim being to shake off the self-complancency of the pretended or hypocritical
worshippers of God, he begins with his nature. By assigning “” for his habitation, he means that the
majesty of God fills all things, and is everywhere diffused; and that he is so far from being shut up in the
temple, that he is not shut up or confined within any place whatever. The Scripture often teaches that God
is in heaven; not that he is shut up in it, but in order that we may raise our minds above the world, and
may not entertain any low, or carnal, or earthly conceptions of him; for the mere sight of heaven ought to
carry us higher, and transport us into admiration. And yet, in innumerable passages, he protests that he is
with us, that his power is everywhere diffused, in order that we may not imagine that he is shut up in
heaven.
It may be thought that this is beyond all controversy, and was at that time acknowledged by all; for who
did not know that heaven and earth are filled by the majesty of God? They might therefore object that
there is no man who wishes to thrust God out of heaven, and that the Prophet has no good reason for
waxing wroth and breaking out into such violent invective. And undoubtedly they rejected with great
haughtiness this doctrine of the Prophet, and were highly irritated and enraged, as if great injury had been
done to them. But it is easy to reply that, when men endeavor to appease God according to their own
fancy, they frame an idol that is altogether contrary to his majesty, Relying on their useless ceremonies,
they thought that they had performed their duty well when they went frequently to the temple, and offered
in it prayers and sacrifices. The Prophet shews that the majesty of God must not be measured by this
standard, and that all that they bring forward, unaccompanied by purity of heart, are absolute trifles; for

17. since it is evident from his dwelling-place being in heaven that the nature of God is spiritual, if the worship
do not correspond to that nature, it is undoubtedly wicked and corrupted.
Where is that house which ye will build for me? Under the word house or temple he includes all the
ceremonies in which they thought that the worship of God consisted; and because they measured God
and his worship by the temple as a standard, the Prophet shews that it is unworthy of God’ majesty to
view his presence as confined to a visible and frail building. He does not argue merely about God’
essence, but at the same time discourses concerning his true worship, which he shews to be spiritual, in
order that it may correspond to the nature of God, who “ a Spirit.” (Joh_4:24.) And if men diligently
considered what is the nature of God, they would not contrive foreign and new modes of worship for him,
or measure him by themselves. (217) This common and often expressed sentiment is more weighty and
energetic than if the Prophet had brought forward something new; for he shews that they are so stupid
and dull as to be ignorant of that which was well known to the merest idiot, and that they resemble dumb
beasts in imagining that God dwells and reposes in the temple. He therefore asks contemptuously, “ is
that house?” For it was absurd to think either that God dwells on the earth, or that he is concealed and
shut up in a prison. Besides, the temple was built on a small mountain, and could not contain the glory of
God within its limited dimensions.
And where is this place of my rest? And yet the Lord had said of the temple, “ is my rest for ever; here will
I dwell, for I have chosen it,.” (Psa_132:14.) In another passage it was said, “ O Lord, into thy rest.”
(2Ch_6:41.) Besides, we have seen, in a former part of this book, that “ Lord’ rest shall be glorious in it.”
(Isa_11:10.) Finally, this was the ordinary designation of the temple, and yet the Prophet now finds fault
with it. I reply, the temple is called God’ rest, because he gave the token of his presence in the temple; for
he had chosen it as the place where men should call upon him, and from which he would give a display of
his strength and power. But he did not command it to be built in order that men might conceive of his
majesty according to their own fancy, (218) but rather that, reminded by the outward signs of God’
presence, they might raise their minds higher and rise to heaven, and acknowledge that God is greater
and more excellent than the whole world. Yet, as the minds of men are prone to superstition, the Jews
converted into obstacles to themselves those things which were intended to be aids; and when they ought
to have risen by faith to heaven, they believed that God was bound to them, and worshipped him only in a
careless, manner, or rather made sport of worshipping him at their own pleasure.
This passage is very appropriately quoted by Stephen, (Act_7:49,) and is indirectly accommodated by
Paul to the sense which we have now stated; for they shew that those persons are grievously deceived
and far astray who bring to God carnal ceremonies, as if pure worship and religion consisted of them, or
who wickedly and profanely disfigure his worship by statues and images. Stephen addresses the Jews,

18. who, being attached to the figures of the Law, disregarded true godliness; while Paul, speaking to the
Gentiles, affirms that “ dwelleth not in temples made with hands.” (Act_17:24.)
(217) “Et ne mesureroyent sa grandeur infinie a leur petitesse.” “ would not measure his infinite greatness
by their littleness.”
(218) “Afin que les hommes creussent de sa majeste tout ce que bon leur sembleroit.” “ order that men
might believe concerning his majesty whatever they thought fit.”
2
Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being?”
declares the LORD.
“These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,
and who tremble at my word.
1.BARNES, “For all those things hath mine hand made - That is the heaven and the
earth, and all that is in them. The sense is, ‘I have founded for myself a far more magnificent and
appropriate temple than you can make; I have formed the heavens as my dwelling-place, and I
need not a dwelling reared by the hand of man.’
And all those things have been - That is, have been made by me, or for me. The
Septuagint renders it, ‘All those things are mine?’ Jerome renders it, ‘All those things were
made;’ implying that God claimed to be the Creator of them all, and that, therefore, they all
belonged to him.
But to this man will I look - That is, ‘I prefer a humble heart and a contrite spirit to the
most magnificent earthly temple’ (see the notes at Isa_57:15).
That is poor - Or rather ‘humble.’ The word rendered ‘poor’ (‫עני‬ ‛anı y), denotes not one who
has no property, but one who is down-trodden, crushed, afflicted, oppressed; often, as here, with
the accessory idea of pious feeling Exo_24:12; Psa_10:2, Psa_10:9. The Septuagint renders it, Τ

19. απεινᆵν Tapeinon - ‘Humble;’ not πτωχόν ptochon (poor). The idea is, not that God looks with
favor on a poor man merely because he is poor - which is not true, for his favors are not
bestowed in view of external conditions in life - but that he regards with favor the man that is
humble and subdued in spirit.
And of a contrite spirit - A spirit that is broken, crushed, or deeply affected by sin. It
stands opposed to a spirit that is proud, haughty, self-confident, and self-righteous.
And that trembleth at my word - That fears me, or that reveres my commands.
2. CLARKE, “And all those things have been “And all these things are mine” - A
word absolutely necessary to the sense is here lost out of the text: ‫לי‬ li, mine. It is preserved by
the Septuagint and Syriac.
3. GILL, “For all those things hath mine hand made,.... The heavens and the earth,
which are his throne and footstool; and therefore, since he is the Creator of all things, he must
be immense, omnipresent, and cannot be included in any space or place:
and all those things have been, saith the Lord; or "are" (l); they are in being, and
continue, and will, being supported by the hand that made them; and what then can be made by
a creature? or what house be built for God? or what need of any?
but to this man will I look. The Septuagint and Arabic versions read, by way of interrogation,
"and to whom shall I look?" and so the Syriac version, which adds, "in whom shall I dwell?" not
in temples made with hands; not in the temple of Jerusalem; but in the true tabernacle which
God pitched, and not man; in Christ the antitypical temple, in whom the fulness of the Godhead
dwells bodily, and in whom Jehovah the Father dwells personally; see Heb_8:2 as also in every
true believer, who is the temple of the living God, later described, for these words may both
respect Christ and his members; the characters well agree with him:
even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word; Christ
was poor literally, and his estate and condition in this world was very low and mean, 2Co_8:9,
or "afflicted" (m), as some render it, as he was by God, and by men, and by devils; or "humble"
(n), meek and lowly, as the Septuagint and Targum; it was foretold of him that he should be
lowly; and this character abundantly appeared in him, Zec_9:9 and he was of a "contrite" or
broken spirit, not only was his body broken, but his spirit also; not through a sense of sin, and
consciousness of it, but through his sorrows and sufferings:
he also trembled at the word of God; that is, had a suitable and becoming reverence of it; it
was at the word of the Lord he assumed human nature; and according as his Father taught, and
gave him commandment, so he spake; and, agreeably to it, laid down his life, and became
obedient to death: and now the Lord looks, to him; he looks to him as his own Son, with a look
of love, and even as in human nature, and is well pleased with all he did and suffered in it; he
looked to him as the surety of his people, for the payment of their debts, and the security and
salvation of their persons; and he now looks to his obedience and righteousness, with which he
is well pleased, and imputes it to his people, and to his blood, sacrifice, and satisfaction, on
account of which he forgives their sins, and to his person for the acceptance of theirs; and he

20. looks to them in him, and has a gracious regard for them: they also may be described as "poor";
poor in spirit, spiritually poor, as they see and own themselves to be, and seek to Christ for the
riches of grace and glory, which they behold in him, and expect from him; and are both "afflicted
and humble", and become the one by being the other;
and of a contrite spirit, their hard hearts being broken by the Spirit and word of God, and
melted by the love and grace of God; and so contrite, not in a mere legal, but evangelical
manner:
and such tremble at the Word of God; not at the threatenings of wrath in it, or in a servile
slavish manner; but have a holy reverence for it (o), and receive it, not as the word of man, but
as the word of God: and to such the Lord looks; he looks on these poor ones, and feeds them; on
these afflicted ones, and sympathizes with them; on these contrite ones, and delights in their
sacrifices, and dwells with them, and among them; see Psa_51:17.
4. CHARELES SIMEON, “THE POOR AND CONTRITE THE OBJECTS OF GOD’S FAVOUR
Isa_66:2. To this man will I look, even to him that it poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
IT often happens that accidental distinctions serve men as grounds of confidence towards God. Many
found their hopes on no better basis than Micah did [Note: Jdg_17:13.]: the Jews in particular thought
themselves assured of the Divine favour because of God’s residence in their temple [Note: Hence that
common boast among them, Jer_7:4.]. But God shews them the folly of their notions [Note: ver. 1, 2. The
import of which is, How can you think that I, an infinite Being, who myself created those things of which
you boast, can be allured by an earthly structure to continue my presence among you, if you persist in
your evil ways?], and declares the character of those who alone shall be considered by him with any
favourable regard:
I. Who are the objects of the Divine favour—
Men choose for their companions the rich and gay; but those whom God regards are of a very different
character—
1. They feel themselves destitute of all good—
[It is not temporal, but spiritual poverty, that distinguishes God’s people. They have discovered their total
want of spiritual wisdom [Note: Pro_30:2-3.]. They are constrained to acknowledge that they have
norighteousness of their own [Note: Isa_64:6.], and that they an “without strength” for obedience
[Note: Rom_5:6. 2Co_3:5.]. They unfeignedly adopt the language of St. Paul [Note: Rom_7:18.]— Nor do

21. they hope for mercy but as the free gift of God [Note: They say not, like the servant, Mat_18:26. but
desire to experience the clemency shewn to insolvent debtors, Luk_7:42.].]
2. They bewail the many evils they have committed—
[They hare been made to see that sin is hateful to God; and they have felt the bitterness of it in their own
consciences. They know experimentally the sensations of David [Note: Psa_38:4; Psa_38:6;Psa_38:8.].
They lothe themselves for all their abominations [Note: Eze_36:31.]. Nor are their convictions merely
occasional or transient; they are habitually of a tender and “contrite spirit.”]
3. They pay a reverential regard to every word of God—
[They dare not say like the idolatrous Jews [Note: Jer_44:16.]— They rather resemble the man after
God’s own heart [Note: Psa_119:161.]. If the word be preached, they “receive it as the word, not of man,
but of God.” They hear the threatenings like the meek Josiah [Note: 2Ch_34:19; 2Ch_34:27.]. They
attend to the promises with an eager desire to embrace them. To every precept they listen with an
obedient ear [Note: Like Cornelius, Act_10:33 and Paul, Act_22:10. yes, the angels in
heaven, Psa_103:20.].]
These, though generally considered by the world as weak and superstitious, are not overlooked by the
Supreme Being.
II. The peculiar regard which God shews them—
The “eyes of God are in every place beholding the evil and the good;” but he “looks to” these, in a far
different manner from others. This distinguishing favour implies,
1. Approbation of them—
[From the proud and self-sufficient God turns his face [Note: Jam_4:6.]; but he “despises not the broken
and contrite in heart [Note: Psa_51:17.].” Though so exalted in himself, he will not disdain to notice them.
His approbation of such characters stands recorded for ever [Note: Luk_18:13-14.]. His reception of the
prodigal is an eternal monument of the regard he will shew to entry repenting sinner.]
2. Care over them—

22. [Wherever they go, his eye is upon them for good [Note: 2Ch_16:9.]. He watches them in order to deliver
them from danger [Note: Psa_12:5.]. He watches them in order to comfort them in trouble
[Note:Psa_147:3.]. He watches them in order to relieve them in want [Note: Isa_41:17-18.]. He watches
them in order to exalt them to happiness and honour [Note: 1Sa_2:8.].]
3. Delight in them—
[There are none on earth so pleasing to God as broken-hearted sinners. Their sighs and groans are as
music in his ears [Note: Psa_102:19-20.]. Their tears he treasures up in his vial [Note: Psa_56:8.]. He
dwells with them as his dearest friends [Note: Isa_57:15.]. He rejoices over them as a people in whom he
greatly delights [Note: Zep_3:12; Zep_3:17.]. He saves them here by the unceasing exercise of his power
[Note: Psa_34:15; Psa_34:18.]; and reserves for them hereafter an inheritance in heaven
[Note: Mat_5:3.].]
Nor shall the fewness of such characters render them at all less the objects of God’s regard—
[It must be acknowledged that they are but few. But if there were only one in the whole world, God would
find him out [Note: “To this man, &c. even to him,” &c.]. Not all the splendour of heaven, nor all the
acclamations of angels, should for a moment divert God’s attention from him. Though he were despised
by all the human race, yet should he be amiable in the eyes of his Maker. Nor should he want any thing in
time or eternity. Never shall that declaration in any instance be falsified [Note: Psa_138:6.]—]
Infer—
1. How should we admire the condescension of God!—
[If we view only the material world we may well stand astonished that God should regard such an
insignificant creature as man [Note: Psa_8:3-4.]. But, if we contemplate the majesty of God, we cannot
but exclaim with Solomon [Note: 1Ki_8:27.]— Let then the declaration in the text lead our thoughts up to
God. Let us adore him for so clearly describing the objects of his favour. And let us express our
admiration in the words of David [Note: Psa_113:5-8.]—]
2. How should we desire to attain the character that is pleasing to God!—
[The pool and contrite are exclusively beloved of God. If he look on others, it is only as he did on the
Egyptians [Note: Exo_14:24-25.]. And how dreadful must it be to have such an enemy! But how delightful

23. to have an almighty, omnipresent guardian! Above all, how awful must it be to have him turn his face from
us in the day of judgment! Let us then endeavour to humble ourselves before God [Note: Isa_2:11.]. And
rest assured that the promised mercy shall in due time be fulfilled to us [Note: Jam_4:10.].]
5. JAMISON, “have been — namely, made by Me. Or, absolutely, were things made; and
therefore belong to Me, the Creator [Jerome].
look — have regard.
poor — humble (Isa_57:15).
trembleth at ... word — (2Ki_22:11, 2Ki_22:19; Ezr_9:4). The spiritual temple of the heart,
though not superseding the outward place of worship, is God’s favorite dwelling (Joh_14:23). In
the final state in heaven there shall be “no temple,” but “the Lord God” Himself (Rev_21:22).
6. KELLY, “"But to this [man] will I look, to the afflicted and contrite in spirit, and trembling at my
word" (v. 2). Thus the line is drawn here as before between a godly remnant, and the people apostate
as a whole. Hence their oblations are vain. "He that killeth an ox slayeth a man; he that sacrificeth a
lamb breaketh a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation [is as] swine's blood; he that burneth incense
[is as] he that blesseth an idol. As they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their
abominations, I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I
called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did the evil in mine eyes, and chose
[that] wherein I delight not" (vv. 3, 4).
7. CALVIN, “2.Yet my hand hath made all these things. The Prophet refutes the false opinion which
men form about the worship of God, by thinking that sacrifices and outward ceremonies are of great value
in themselves; for the state of the question is this. God cares nothing about ceremonies, but they are
empty and useless masks, when men think that they satisfy God by means of them. When he says that
he made all these things, this must not be understood as referring solely to the temple, but to all that was
there offered to God. Now he says that he “ all these things,” in order that men may know that God has no
need of this external worship, as he declares (Psa_50:10) that all the animals were created by him, and
are his own, though by sacrifices of them the Jews hoped to obtain his favor. But foolish mortals have this
disease deeply seated in them, that they transform God according to their inclination, though he
appointed external worship not for his sake, but for our advantage; that is, that we may be trained by it
according to the capacity of our flesh.
And all these things began to be. It is the same as if he had said that he must not be compared to these
things, which at one time began to be; for he is eternal and had no beginning. “ could dispense with your

24. sacrifices,” saith the Lord, “ before they began to be, I was, and therefore they can be of no service to
me.” In short, he maintains that ceremonies are of no avail in themselves, but aim at a different object.
Isaiah takes for granted that it is impossible that God could receive any addition; and hence it follows that
he is satisfied with himself alone; for he could do without the world from all eternity.
And I look to him who is humble and contrite in spirit. Next, a definition of lawful worship is added; for,
when he says that God “ to the humble,” I have no doubt that he who is “ and contrite in spirit” is indirectly
contrasted by him with the array, and splendor, and elegance of ceremonies, by which the eyes of men
are commonly dazzled, so as to be carried away in admiration. On the other hand, the Lord testifies that
he demands humble and downcast minds, and that tremble at his commandments. By these words he
describes inward purity of heart and sincere desire of godliness, and at the same time shews in what way
we ought to be prepared to please God.
And trembleth at my word. So far as relates to “” it might be thought strange at first sight that he demands
it in believers, since nothing is more sweet or gentle than the word of the Lord, and nothing is more
opposite to it than to excite terror. I reply, there are two kinds of trembling; one by which they are terrified
who hate and flee from God, and another which affects the heart, and promotes the obedience, of those
who reverence and fear God. This clause, I am aware, is viewed by others as relating to the Law, which
threatens and terrifies, and proclaims the dreadful judgment of God. But I take it in a more general
acceptation; for even believers tremble at the promises when they embrace them with reverence. Hence
infer that true godliness consists in having our senses brought into a state of obedience to God, and in
making no boastful or wicked claims for ourselves. The nature of faith is to yield obedience to God, and to
listen to him attentively and patiently when he speaks. But when we are puffed up and carried away by a
vain confidence in ourselves, we have no piety or fear of God; for we cannot make even the smallest
claim for ourselves without despising God.
We ought carefully to mark the expression which he employs, “ at the word of God.” Many boast that they
reverence and fear God; but, by disregarding his word, they at the same time shew that they are
despisers of God. All the reverence that we owe to God must be paid to his word, in which he wishes to
be fully recognised as in a lively image. The amount of what is said is, that God prefers this sacrifice to all
others, when believers, by true self-denial, lie low in such abasement as to have no lofty opinion about
themselves, but to permit themselves to be reduced to nothing. Thus also the Psalmist says, “ sacrifice
acceptable to God is a contrite spirit; an afflicted heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psa_51:17.)
Because this modesty of faith produces obedience, this pious feeling is likewise added, that, laying aside
all obstinacy, they tremble at the word of God.

25. From these words we ought to draw a remarkable consolation, “ we appear to be wretched in our
abasement and humility, and though we appear to be unworthy of being beheld by men, yet we are truly
happy; because the Lord looks upon us, and bestows on us his favor.” When we are tempted to despair,
let us think that in this way the Lord exalts his servants to heaven, though they have been cast down to
hell, and almost sink under the burden.
3
But whoever sacrifices a bull
is like one who kills a person,
and whoever offers a lamb
is like one who breaks a dog’s neck;
whoever makes a grain offering
is like one who presents pig’s blood,
and whoever burns memorial incense
is like one who worships an idol.
They have chosen their own ways,
and they delight in their abominations;
1.BARNES, “He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man - Lowth and Noyes render
this, ‘He that slayeth an ox, killeth a man.’ This is a literal translation of the Hebrew. Jerome
renders it, ‘He who sacrifices an ox is as if (quasi) he slew a man.’ The Septuagint, in a very free
translation - such as is common in their version of Isaiah - render it, ‘The wicked man who
sacrifices a calf, is as he who kills a dog; and he who offers to me fine flour, it is as the blood of
swine.’ Lowth supposes the sense to be, that the most flagitious crimes were united with
hypocrisy, and that they who were guilty of the most extreme acts of wickedness at the same
time affected great strictness in the performance of all the external duties of religion. An
instance of this, he says, is referred to by Ezekiel, where he says, ‘When they had slain their
children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it’ Eze_23:39.
There can be no doubt that such offences were often committed by those who were very strict
and zealous in their religious services (compare Isa_1:11-14, with Isa_66:21-23. But the
generality of interpreters have supposed that a different sense was to be affixed to this passage.
According to their views, the particles as if are to be supplied; and the sense is, not that the mere
killing of an ox is as sinful in the sight of God as deliberate murder, but that he who did it in the

26. circumstances, and with the spirit referred to, evinced a spirit as odious in his sight as though he
had slain a man. So the Septuagint, Vulgate, Chaldee, Symmachus, and Theodotion, Junius, and
Tremellius, Grotius, and Rosenmuller, understand it. There is probably an allusion to the fact
that human victims were offered by the pagan; and the sense is, that the sacrifices here referred
to were no more acceptable in the sight of God than they were.
The prophet here refers, probably, first, to the spirit with which this was done. Their sacrifices
were offered with a temper of mind as offensive to God as if a man had been slain, and they had
been guilty of murder. They were proud, vain, and hypocritical. ‘They had forgotten the true
nature and design of sacrifice, and such worship could not but be an abhorrence in the sight of
God. Secondly, It may also be implied here, that the period was coming when all sacrifices would
be unacceptable to God. When the Messiah should have come; when he should have made by
one offering a sufficent atonement for the sins of the whole world; then all bloody sacrifices
would be needless, and would be offensive in the sight of God. The sacrifice of an ox would be no
more acceptable than the sacrifice of a man; and all offerings with a view to propitiate the divine
favor, or that implied that there was a deficiency in the merit of the one great atoning sacrifice,
would be odious to God.
He that sacrificeth a lamb - Margin, ‘Kid’ The Hebrew word (‫שׂה‬ s'eh) may refer to one of a
flock, either of sheep or goats Gen_22:7-8; Gen_30:32. Where the species is to be distinguished,
it is usually specified, as, e. g., Deu_14:4, ‫כשׂבים‬ ‫שׂה‬ ‫עזים‬ ‫ושׂה‬ ve
s'eh ‛ı zzym s'eh kı s'abı ym (one of
the sheep and one of the goats). Both were used in sacrifice.
As if he cut off a dog’s neck - That is, as if he had cut off a dog’s neck for sacrifice. To offer
a dog in sacrifice would have been abominable in the view of a Jew. Even the price for which he
was sold was not permitted to be brought into the house of God for a vow (Deu_23:18; compare
1Sa_17:43; 1Sa_24:14). The dog was held in veneration by many of the pagan, and was even
offered in sacrifice; and it was, doubtless, partly in view of this fact, and especially of the fact
that such veneration was shown for it in Egypt, that it was an object of such detestation among
the Jews. Thus Juvenal, Sat. xiv. says:
Oppida tota canem venerantur, nemo Dianam.
‘Every city worships the dog; none worship Diana.’ Diodorus (B. i.) says, ‘Certain animals the
Egyptians greatly venerate (σέβονται sebontai), not only when alive, but when they are dead, as
cats, ichneumons, mice, and dogs.’ Herodotus says also of the Egyptians, ‘In some cities, when a
cat dies all the inhabitants cut off their eyebrows; when a dog dies, they shave the whole body
and the head.’ In Samothracia there was a cave in which dogs were sacrificed to Hecate. Plutarch
says, that all the Greeks sacrificed the dog. The fact that dogs were offered in sacrifice by the
pagan is abundantly proved by Bochart (Hieroz. i. 2. 56). No kind of sacrifice could have been
regarded with higher detestation by a pious Jew. But God here says, that the spirit with which
they sacrificed a goat or a lamb was as hateful in his sight as would be the sacrifice of a dog: or
that the time would come when, the great sacrifice for sin having been made, and the necessity
for all other sacrifice having ceased, the offering of a lamb or a goat for the expiation of sin
would be as offensive to him as would be the sacrifice of a dog.
He that offereth an oblation - On the word rendered here ‘oblation’ (‫מנחה‬ minchah). See
the notes at Isa_1:13.
As if he offered swine’s blood - The sacrifice of a hog was an abomination in the sight of
the Hebrews (see the notes at Isa_65:4). Yet here it is said that the offering of the ‫מנחה‬ minchah,
in the spirit in which they would do it, was as offensive to God as would be the pouring out of the
blood of the swine on the altar, Nothing could more emphatically express the detestation of God

27. for the spirit with which they would make their offerings, or the fact that the time would come
when all such modes of worship would be offensive in his sight.
He that burneth incense - See the word ‘incense’ explained in the notes at Isa_1:13. The
margin here is, ‘Maketh a memorial of.’ Such is the usual meaning of the word used here (‫זכר‬ za
kar), meaning to remember, and in Hiphil to cause to remember, or to make a memorial. Such is
its meaning here. incense was burned as a memorial or a remembrance-offering; that is, to keep
up the remembrance of God on the earth by public worship (see the notes at Isa_62:6).
As if he blessed an idol - The spirit with which incense would be offered would be as
offensive as idolatry. The sentiment in all this is, that the most regular and formal acts of
worship where the heart is lacking, may be as offensive to God as the worst forms of crime, or
the most gross and debasing idolatry. Such a spirit often characterized the Jewish people, and
eminently prevailed at the time when the temple of Herod was nearly completed, and when the
Saviour was about to appear.
2. CLARKE, “He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man “He that slayeth an ox
killeth a man” - These are instances of wickedness joined with hypocrisy; of the most
flagitious crimes committed by those who at the same time affected great strictness in the
performance of all the external services of religion. God, by the Prophet Ezekiel, upbraids the
Jews with the same practices: “When they had slain their children to their idols, then they came
the same day into my sanctuary to profane it,” Eze_23:39. Of the same kind was the hypocrisy of
the Pharisees in our Savior’s time:” who devoured widows’ houses, and for a pretense made long
prayers,” Mat_23:14.
The generality of interpreters, by departing from the literal rendering of the text, have totally
lost the true sense of it, and have substituted in its place what makes no good sense at all; for it
is not easy to show how, in any circumstances, sacrifice and murder, the presenting of legal
offerings and idolatrous worship, can possibly be of the same account in the sight of God.
He that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine’s blood “That maketh an
oblation offereth swine’s blood” - A word here likewise, necessary to complete the sense, is
perhaps irrecoverably lost out of the text. The Vulgate and Chaldee add the word offereth, to
make out the sense; not, as I imagine, from any different reading, (for the word wanted seems to
have been lost before the time of the oldest of them as the Septuagint had it not in their copy,;
but from mere necessity.
Le Clerc thinks that ‫מעלה‬ maaleh is to be repeated from the beginning of this member; but that
is not the case in the parallel members, which have another and a different verb in the second
place, “‫דם‬ dam, sic Versiones; putarem tamen legendum participium aliquod, et quidem ‫זבח‬
zabach, cum sequatur ‫ח‬ cheth, nisi jam praecesserat.” - Secker. Houbigant supplies ‫אכל‬ achal,
eateth. After all, I think the most probable word is that which the Chaldee and Vulgate seem to
have designed to represent; that is, ‫מקריב‬ makrib, offereth.
In their abominations - ‫ובשקוציהם‬ ubeshikkutseyhem, “and in their abominations;” two
copies of the Machazor, and one of Kennicott’s MSS. have ‫ובגלוליהם‬ ubegilluleyhem, “and in their
idols.” So the Vulgate and Syriac.

28. 3. GILL, “He that killeth an ox, is as if he slew a man,.... Not that killed the ox of his
neighbour, which, according to law, he was to pay for; or that killed one for food, which was
lawful to be done; but that slew one, and offered it as a sacrifice; not blamed because blind or
lame, or had any blemish in it, and so unfit for sacrifice; or because not rightly offered, under a
due sense of sin, and with repentance for it, and faith in Christ; but because all sacrifices of this
kind are now abolished in Gospel times, to which this prophecy belongs; Christ the great
sacrifice being offered up; and therefore to offer sacrifice, which, notwithstanding the
unbelieving Jews continued daily, till it was made to cease by the destruction of their temple,
was a great offence to God; it was as grievous to him as offering their children to Moloch; or as
the murder of a man; and was indeed a trampling under foot the Son of God, and accounting his
blood and sacrifice as nothing, which was highly displeasing to God:
he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; the lamb for the daily sacrifice,
morning and evening, or the passover lamb, or any other: this now is no more acceptable to
God, than if a dog, a very impure creature, was slain, his head cut off, and offered on the altar;
which was so abominable to the Lord, that the price of one might not be brought into his house,
Deu_23:18,
he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; the meat offering, made of
fine flour, on which oil was poured, and frankincense put, Lev_2:1, however rightly composed it
might be, and offered according to law, yet now of no more esteem with God than blood, which
was forbidden by the same law; nay, than the blood of swine, which creature itself, according to
the ceremonial law, was unclean, and might not be eaten, and much less be offered up, and still
less its blood, Lev_11:7,
and he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol; or that "remembers incense" (p);
that offers it as a memorial of mercies, and by way of thankfulness for them, as if he gave thanks
to an idol, which is nothing, and vanity and vexation in the world; sacrifices of such kind, be they
what they will, are reckoned no other than as idolatry and will worship:
yea, they have chosen their own ways: which were evil, and opposite to the ways of God,
especially to the way of salvation by Christ; they gave heed to the traditions of the elders;
continued the service of the ceremonial law; and set up their own righteousness, in opposition to
the doctrines, ordinances, sacrifice, and righteousness of Christ:
and their soul delighteth in their abominations: things which were abominable unto
God; as were their traditions, which were preferred to the word of God, and by which they made
it void; and their sacrifices being offered up contrary to his will, and with a wicked mind; and
their righteousness being imperfect, and trusted in, to the neglect and contempt of the
righteousness of his Son.
4. HENRY, “Sacrifices are slighted when they come from ungracious hands. The sacrifice of
the wicked is not only unacceptable, but it is an abomination to the Lord (Pro_15:8); this is
largely shown here, v. 3, 4. Observe, 1. How detestable their sacrifices were to God. The carnal
Jews, after their return out of captivity, though they relapsed not to idolatry, grew very careless
and loose in the service of God; they brought the torn, and the lame, and the sick for sacrifice
(Mal_1:8, Mal_1:13), and this made their services abominable to God; they had no regard to

29. their sacrifices, and therefore how could they think God would have any regard to them? The
unbelieving Jews, after the gospel was preached and in it notice given of the offering up of the
great sacrifice, which put an end to all the ceremonial services, continued to offer sacrifices, as if
the law of Moses had been still in force and could make the comers thereunto perfect: this was
an abomination. He that kills an ox for his own table is welcome to do it; but he that now kills it,
that thus kills it, for God's altar, is as if he slew a man; it is as great an offence to God as murder
itself; he that does it does in effect set aside Christ's sacrifice, treads under foot the blood of the
covenant, and makes himself accessory to the guilt of the body and blood of the Lord, setting up
what Christ died to abolish. He that sacrifices a lamb, if it be a corrupt thing, and not the male
in his flock, the best he has, if he think to put God off with any thing, he affronts him, instead of
pleasing him; it is as if he cut off a dog's neck, a creature in the eye of the law so vile that,
whereas an ass might be redeemed, the price of a dog was never to be brought into the treasury,
Deu_23:18. He that offers an oblation, a meat offering or drink-offering, is as if he thought to
make atonement with swine's blood, a creature that must not be eaten nor touched, the broth of
it was abominable (Isa_65:4), much more the blood of it. He that burns incense to God, and so
puts contempt upon the incense of Christ's intercession, is as if he blessed an idol; it was as
great an affront to God as if they had paid their devotions to a false god. Hypocrisy and
profaneness are as provoking as idolatry. 2. What their wickedness was which made their
sacrifices thus detestable. It was because they had chosen their own ways, the ways of their own
wicked hearts, and not only their hands did but their souls delighted in their abominations.
They were vicious and immoral in their conversations, chose the way of sin rather than the way
of God's commandments, and took pleasure in that which was provoking to God; this made their
sacrifices so offensive to God, Isa_1:11-15. Those that pretend to honour God by a profession of
religion, and yet live wicked lives, put an affront upon him, as if he were the patron of sin. And
that which was an aggravation of their wickedness was that they persisted in it, notwithstanding
the frequent calls given them to repent and reform; they turned a deaf ear to all the warnings of
divine justice and all the offers of divine grace: When I called, none did answer, as before,
Isa_65:12. And the same follows here that did there: They did evil before my eyes. Being deaf to
what he said, they cared not what he saw, but chose that in which they knew he delighted not.
How could those expect to please him in their devotions who took no care to please him in their
conversations, but, on the contrary, designed to provoke him? 3. The doom passed upon them
for this. Theychose their own ways, therefore, says God, I also will choose their delusions. They
have made their choice (as Mr. Gataker paraphrases it), and now I will make mine; they have
taken what course they pleased with me, and I will take what course I please with them. I will
choose their illusions, or mockeries (so some); as they have mocked God and dishonoured him
by their wickedness, so God will give them up to their enemies, to be trampled upon and
insulted by them. Or they shall be deceived by those vain confidences with which they have
deceived themselves. God will make their sin their punishment; they shall be beaten with their
own rod and hurried into ruin by their own delusions. God will bring their fears upon them, that
is, will bring upon them that which shall be a great terror to them, or that which they themselves
have been afraid of and thought to escape by sinful shifts. Unbelieving hearts, and unpurified
unpacified consciences, need no more to make them miserable than to have their own fears
brought upon them.
5. JAMISON, “God loathes even the sacrifices of the wicked (Isa_1:11; Pro_15:8; Pro_28:9).
is as if — Lowth not so well omits these words: “He that killeth an ox (presently after)
murders a man” (as in Eze_23:39). But the omission in the Hebrew of “is as if” - increases the
force of the comparison. Human victims were often offered by the heathen.

30. dog’s neck — an abomination according to the Jewish law (Deu_23:18); perhaps made so,
because dogs were venerated in Egypt. He does not honor this abomination by using the word
“sacrifice,” but uses the degrading term, “cut off a dog’s neck” (Exo_13:13; Exo_34:20). Dogs as
unclean are associated with swine (Mat_7:6; 2Pe_2:22).
oblation — unbloody: in antithesis to “swine’s blood” (Isa_65:4).
burneth — Hebrew, “he who offereth as a memorial oblation” (Lev_2:2).
they have chosen — opposed to the two first clauses of Isa_66:4 : “as they have chosen their
own ways, etc., so I will choose their delusions.
6. BI, “Worship and wickedness
Our prophet affirms, that the sacrifices offered by the wicked and hypocritical among the Jews,
being attended with enormous crimes and profane rites, and not presented with pure hearts,
according to the Divine appointment, were an abomination to the Lord.
They intermixed impious ceremonies and odious superstitions with the sacrifices which they
offered to the Most High. (R. Macculloch.)
Hateful sacrifices
The first part of the verse runs literally thus: “The slaughterer of the ox, a slayer of a man; the
sacrificer of the sheep, a breaker of a dog’s neck; the offerer of an oblation, swine’s blood; the
maker of a memorial of incense, one that blesseth vanity (i.e an idol);” four legitimate sacrificial
acts being bracketed with four detestable idolatrous rites. The first member of each pair is
probably to be taken as subject, the second as predicate, of a sentence. But this leaves open a
choice between two interpretations.
1. That the legal sacrificial action is as hateful in the sight of God as the idolatrous rite, so
long as it is performed by unspiritual worshippers.
2. That he who does the first series of actions does also the second, i.e combines the service
of Jehovah with the most hateful idolatries. It is extremely difficult to decide which is the
true sense. The words “as if” in
E.V. are, of course, supplied by the translators, but the rendering is aperfectly fair one. The one
fact that favours the second explanation is that the latter part of the verse speaks of those who
“delight in their abominations. Unless there be a complete break in the middle of the verse,
which is unlikely, this would seem to imply that the abominations enumerated were actually
practised by certain persons, who at the same time claimed to be worshippers of Jehovah (cf
Isa_66:17, Isa_65:3-5; Isa_57:3-9). (Prof. J. Skinner, D. D.)
Unacceptable sacrifices
I regard Vitringa’s exposition as the most exact, profound and satisfactory. He agrees with
Gesenius in making the text the general doctrine that sacrifice is hateful in the sight of God if
offered in a wicked spirit, but with a special reference to those who still adhered to the old
sacrifices after the great Sacrifice for sin was come and had been offered once for all. Thus
understood, this verse extends to sacrifices that which the foregoing verse said of the temple,
after the change of dispensation. (J. A. Alexander.)

31. As if he slew a man
The reference may be either to murder merely or to human sacrifice; most probably the latter,
since every other member of the sentence expresses a religious act. That human sacrifice was
actually perpetrated by those spoken of may be safely inferred from Isa_57:5.(Prof. J. Skinner,
D. D.)
“As if he cut off (breaketh) a dog’s neck”
This sacrifice . . . seems . . . to be alluded to as a Punic rite in Justin 18. I. 10, where we read that
Darius sent a message to the Carthaginians forbidding them to sacrifice human victims and to
eat the flesh of dogs. In the connection a religious meal must be understood. (W. Robertson
Smith.)
Formal worship
I. ITS FEATURES.
II. ITS OFFENSIVENESS TO GOD.
III. ITS UTTER WORTHLESSNESS. (Homiletic Commentary.)
7. CALVIN, “3.He that killeth an ox, as if he slew a man. There are two clauses in this verse. In the
former, Isaiah plainly declares that all the sacrifices of his nation are of no value in the sight of God, but
are held by him in abomination; in the latter, he describes the dreadful corruption by which they mingled
the ceremonies of the Gentiles with the sacrifices of the Law, and in this way corrupted and perverted
everything. The greater part of commentators think that these words repeal the sacrifices of the Law, but
this is a mistake; for Isaiah, in this passage, treats of the same subject of which he had formerly treated in
the first and fifty-eighth chapters, and does not absolutely condemn sacrifices, but rather the blemishes
and corruptions of them, because the Jews thought that God was satisfied with a deceitful and empty
appearance, and at the same time cared not about the true fear of God and a pure conscience. He does
not speak, therefore, of the thing itself, but censures men who abused sacrifices; because this was as
much as to offer to God the shell of an empty nut. In a word, no sacrifices are acceptable to God but
those which proceed from a pure heart and an upright will.
Yet it is probable that the Prophet alludes to the sacrifices of the Gentiles, which were shocking and
monstrous; for they killed men, or buried them alive. Neither the Romans, (who reckoned themselves to
be more religious than other nations,) nor even the Jews, abstained from this crime. Nay more,

32. ( κακόζηλοι) wicked imitators polluted themselves by many child-murders, thinking that they followed their
father Abraham. Isaiah says that, “ they kill an ox, they do the same thing as if they slew a man;” (219) and
thus he shews that the Jews, though they had a religion which was peculiar and which God had
appointed, yet were in no respect better than the Gentiles, among whom everything was polluted and
profane, and were not more highly approved by God; because the name of God is profaned by hypocrisy
of religion not less than by corrupted and false worship. How necessary this admonition was, we have
formerly seen; for, while the Jews were convicted of all crimes, yet, so long as they concealed themselves
under this shadow, they thought that they were safe. Justly therefore does the Prophet meet them by
saying, that they gain nothing more by their attempts to appease God than if they sought to offer
sacrifices from the abominable sacrileges of the Gentiles.
And truly they have chosen their own ways. There are two interpretations of this passage; for the
antecedent to the pronoun may either be the Gentiles or the Jews; that is, either that the Jews mingled
and entangled themselves with the wicked ceremonies of the Gentiles, or that they followed their own
inventions. The former exposition would not be inappropriate, were it not that it is unnatural, because the
word “” has not been formerly expressed. It was the most aggravated part of the wickedness of the Jews,
that they not only abused the pure worship of God, but likewise, through their contempt of the Law,
defiled the temple and every other place by wicked and abominable superstitions. They built altars on
high places, planted and reared groves, took delight in games and public entertainments, and copied
everything else that was appointed by public authority for the purpose of corrupting the hearts of men.
Thus there was produced among them a confused medley of superstitions, such as we now behold in
Popery, in which we see various patches sewed together, taken out of every kind of superstitions, not
only heathen and Jewish, but likewise such as have been recently contrived by Satan, that he might more
easily, and with greater plausibility, impose on the world. These and similar practices the Prophet would
justly pronounce to be doubly worthy of condemnation, because, while they boast of the name of God,
and make profession of his worship, still they are not ashamed to stain and pollute that worship by the
sacrileges of idolatrous nations.
The other interpretation is not obscure, and is equally appropriate, that the Jews were devoted to their
own inventions, and followed their own abominations, He affirms that they do not worship God sincerely,
who despise him according to their own caprice, not only because they are full of avarice, hatred,
ambition, dishonesty, cruelty, and extortion, but because they corrupt the worship of God by their own
contrivances. Although the pronoun refers to the Jews, yet the Prophet condemns all superstitions which
they had borrowed from the heathen nations. Consequently, there is little difference between the two
interpretations; for he merely teaches that, because they have insolently and rebelliously shaken off the
yoke of God, because wickedness openly prevails among them, everything that proceeds from them is

33. polluted and detestable. Streams that bring down dirty and offensive matter from a muddy and polluted
fountain cannot be clean or pure. Choice and desire reveal their obstinacy more clearly; that is, because,
knowingly and willingly, they despised God’ commandments, and devoted their heart to everything that
was opposed to them, as if they wished intentionally to disdain everything that proceeded from God, that
they might obey their depraved lust.
(219) “Qu’ en sacrifiant un boeuf, e’ autant que s’ coupoyent la gorge a un homme.” “ in sacrificing an ox,
it is the same as if they were cutting a man’ throat.”
4
so I also will choose harsh treatment for them
and will bring on them what they dread.
For when I called, no one answered,
when I spoke, no one listened.
They did evil in my sight
and chose what displeases me.”
1.BARNES, “I also will choose their delusions - Margin, ‘Devices.’ The Hebrew word
rendered here ‘delusions’ and ‘devices’ (‫תעלוּלים‬ ta‛alulı ym) properly denotes petulance,
sauciness; and then vexation, adverse destiny, from ‫עלל‬ ‛alal, to do, to accomplish, to do evil, to
maltreat. It is not used in the sense of delusions, or devices; and evidently here means the same
as calamity or punishment. Compare the Hebrew in Lam_1:22. Lowth and Noyes render it,
Calamities; though Jerome and the Septuagint understand it in the sense of illusions or
delusions; the former rendering it, ‘Illusiones, and the latter ᅚµπαίγµατα empaigmata -
‘delusions.’ The parallelism requires us to understand it of calamity, or something answering to
‘fear,’ or that which was dreaded; and the sense undoubtedly is, that God would choose out for
them the kind of punishment which would be expressive of his sense of the evil of their conduct.
And will bring their fears upon them - That is, the punishment which they have so much
dreaded, or which they had so much reason to apprehend.
Because when I called - (See the notes at Isa_65:12).
But they did evil before mine eyes - (See the notes at Isa_65:3).

34. 2. WESLEY, “Forsaken - As a woman forsaken by her husband. Thy land - The inhabitants of the land.
Hephzi - bah - My delight is in her; a new name agreeing with her new condition. Beulah - Married;
agreeing to her new relation. Married - Thou shalt see the increase of thy children again in the land, as
the fruit of thy married condition, which by reason of thy being forsaken of thy husband, were in a manner
wasted and decayed: and this refers to the great enlargement of the church in the gospel days.
3. GILL, “I also will choose their delusions,.... Suffer them to approve and make choice of
such persons that should delude and deceive them; as the Scribes and Pharisees, who were
wolves in sheep's clothing, and through their appearance of sanctity deceived many, and by their
long prayers devoured widows' houses; and as these false prophets, so likewise false Christs,
many of which arose after the true Messiah was come, and was rejected by them, whom they
embraced, and, by whom they were deluded and ruined, Mat_7:15.
and will bring their fears upon them; the things they feared; such as the sword, famine,
and pestilence; and especially the Romans, who, they feared, would come and take away their
place and nation, Joh_11:48,
because, when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear; that is,
when Christ called unto the Jews, in the external ministry of the word, to come and hear him,
they refused to come, nor would they suffer others to answer to this call, and hear him, and
attend on his ministry; which rejection of him and his Gospel was the cause of their ruin:
but they did evil before mine eyes; openly and publicly to his face; blasphemed and
contradicted his word, and despised his ordinances: and chose that in which I delighted not;
their oral law, their legal sacrifices, and their own self-righteousness, as well as their
immoralities.
4. HENRY, “The prophet, having denounced God's judgments against a hypocritical nation,
that made a jest of God's word and would not answer him when he called to them, here turns his
speech to those that trembled at his word, to comfort and encourage them; they shall not be
involved in the judgments that are coming upon their unbelieving nation. Ministers must
distinguish thus, that, when they speak terror to the wicked, they may not make the hearts of the
righteous sad. Bone Christiane, hoc nihil ad te - Good Christian, this is nothing to thee. The
prophet, having assured those that tremble at God's word of a gracious look from him
(Isa_66:2), here brings them a gracious message from him. The word of God has comforts in
store for those that by true humiliation for sin are prepared to receive them. There were those
(Isa_66:4) who, when God spoke, would not hear; but, if some will not, others sill. If the heart
tremble at the word, the ear will be open to it. Now what is here said to them?

35. 5. JAMISON, “delusions — (2Th_2:11), answering to “their own ways” (Isa_66:3; so
Pro_1:31). However, the Hebrew means rather “vexations,” “calamities,” which also the
parallelism to “fears” requires; “choose their calamities” means, “choose the calamities which
they thought to escape by their own ways.”
their fears — the things they feared, to avert which their idolatrous “abominations”
(Isa_66:3) were practiced.
I called ... none ... answer — (See on Isa_65:12; see on Isa_65:24; see on Jer_7:13).
did ... chose — not only did the evil deed, but did it deliberately as a matter of choice
(Rom_1:32). “They chose that in which I delighted not”; therefore, “I will choose” that in which
they delight not, the “calamities” and “fears” which they were most anxious to avert.
before mine eyes — (See on Isa_65:3).
6. CALVIN, “4.I also will choose their delusions. (220) The Prophet means that the Jews gain nothing
by holding out various and plausible pretences and by searching for excuses; because God does not care
for the cunning or fine speeches of men. And indeed it is not proper to measure God by our own capacity,
and we ought not to depend on human judgment; but it is our duty to judge of the works of God from his
word. I will choose; that is, “ will scatter the clouds which they endeavor to spread over themselves, so
that their delusions shall be manifest and visible to all; for now they appear to be hidden, but one day they
shall be dragged forth to public view.” The meaning may be thus summed up. “ the Jews have indulged
so freely in sinning that everything which they chose was preferred by them to the command ments of
God, so also, in his turn, God will lay open their delusions at his pleasure.”
And will bring upon them their terror. (221) Under the word “” he repeats the same thing, according to the
custom of Hebrew writers. “ will cause them to know that they have fallen into a mistake, and that the
terrors which they indulged shall fall on their own heads. (222) Thus their excuses or hypocritical
pretences will be of no avail for confounding truth and falsehood and veiling superstitions; because the
Lord will clearly distinguish between them.
Because I called. The Prophet again condemns the Jews for obstinacy, in not having suffered the Lord to
correct them. This is the only remedy that remains for correcting our vices, that we hear the Lord
speaking, when he endeavors to bring us back into the right way; but when we sear and harden our
hearts, it is the worst of all evils. Whenever therefore men prefer their own inventions to the ordinances
and commandments of God, they openly despise God, to whose will they ought to have yielded. This is
especially the case when there is added such obstinate hardness of heart as shuts the door against holy
warnings, and it is vain for them to allege that they cannot displease God by doing that which they
undertake for the purpose of worshipping him; for all that men, by neglecting the word, choose and follow,
the Lord rejects and abhors.

36. Before mine eyes. He repeats what he had formerly said, that the Jews sinned in the sight of God, as if
they had resolved to provoke him to anger. At length he adds their manner of doing so, that, with
perverse desire, they sought what God had forbidden; nor is it without good reason that he so frequently
censures the wicked insolence of men, in defrauding God of his right, by treating contemptuously what he
approves.
(220) “‘ I may mock them.’ Here the word ‫תעלוליהם‬ (tagnalulehem) means ‫להתעולל‬ ‫,בם‬ (lehithgnolel
bam,), that I may mock them,’ in the same sense as the words used in another passage, ‫כי‬ ‫התעללת‬ ‫,בי‬
(kihith-gnallalt bi) ‘ thou hast mocked me.’ (Num_22:29.)” — Jarchi.
(221) “Et leur feray venir les choses qu’ craignoyent.” “ will bring (or cause to come) upon them the things
which they dreaded.”
(222) “Je feray qu ils cognoistront avoir failli, tellement que ce qu ils craignoyent leur tombera dessus la
teste.” “ will cause them to know that they have been mistaken, and that what they dreaded has fallen on
their own head.”
5
Hear the word of the LORD,
you who tremble at his word:
“Your own people who hate you,
and exclude you because of my name, have said,
‘Let the LORD be glorified,
that we may see your joy!’
Yet they will be put to shame.
1.BARNES, “Hear the word of the Lord - This is an address to the pious and persecuted
portion of the nation. It is designed for their consolation, and contains the assurance that

37. Yahweh would appear in their behalf, and that they should be under his protecting care though
they were cast out by their brethren. To whom this refers has been a question with expositors,
and it is perhaps not possible to determine with certainty. Rosenmuller supposes that it refers to
the pious whom the ‘Jews and Benjaminites repelled from the worship of the temple.’ Grotius
supposes that it refers to those ‘who favored Onias;’ that is, in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes.
Vitringa supposes that the address is to the apostles, disciples, and followers of the Lord Jesus;
and that it refers to the persecution which would be excited against them by the Jewish people.
This seems to me to be the most probable opinion:
1. Because the whole structure of the chapter (see the analysis) seems to refer to the period
when the Messiah should appear.
2. Because the state of things described in this verse exactly accords with what occurred on the
introduction of Christianity. They who embraced the Messiah were excommunicated and
persecuted; and they who did it believed, or professed to believe, that they were doing it for the
glory of God.
3. The promise that Yahweh would appear for their joy, and for the confusion of their foes, is
one that had a clear fulfillment in his interposition in behalf of the persecuted church.
Your brethren that hated you - No hatred of others was ever more bitter than was that
evinced by the Jews for those of their nation who embraced Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah. If
this refers to his time, then the language is plain. But to whatever time it refers, it describes a
state of things where the pious part of the nation was persecuted and opposed by those who
were their kinsmen according to the flesh.
That cast you out - The word used here is one that is commonly employed to denote
excommunication or exclusion from the privileges connected with the public worship of God. It
is language which will accurately describe the treatment which the apostles and the early
diciples of the Redeemer received at the hand of the Jewish people (see Joh_16:2, and the Acts
of the Apostles generally).
For my name’s sake - This language closely resembles that which the Saviour used
respecting his own disciples and the persecutions to which they would be exposed: ‘But all these
things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me’
(Joh_15:21; compare Mat_10:22; Mat_24:9). I have no doubt that this refers to that period, and
to those scenes.
Said, Let the Lord be glorified - That is, they profess to do it to honor God; or because
they suppose that he requires it. Or it means, that even while they were engaged in this cruel
persecution, and these acts of excommunicating their brethren, they professed to be serving
God, and manifested great zeal in his cause. This has commonly been the case with persecutors.
The most malignant and cruel persecutions of the friends of God have been originated under the
pretext of great zeal in his service, and with a professed desire to honor his name. So it was with
the Jews when they crucified the Lord Jesus. So it is expressly said it would be when his
disciples would be excommunicated and put to death Joh_16:2. So it was in fact in the
persecutions excited by the Jews against the apostles and early Christians (see Act_6:13-14;
Act_21:28-31). So it was in all the persecutions of the Waldenses by the Papists; in all the
horrors of the Inquisition; in all the crimes of the Duke of Alva. So it was in the bloody reign of
Mary; and so it has ever been in all ages and in all countries where Christians have been
persecuted. The people of God have suffered most from those who have been conscientious
persecutors; and the most malignant foes of the church have been found in the church,
persecuting true Christians under great pretence of zeal for the purity of religion. It is no
evidence of piety that a man is full of conscientious zeal against those whom he chooses to
regard as heretics. And it should always be regarded as proof of a bad heart, and a bad cause,
when a man endeavors to inflict pain and disgrace on others, on account of their religious
opinions, under pretence of great regard for the honor of God.

38. But he shall appear to your joy - The sense is, that God would manifest himself to his
people as their vindicator, and would ultimately rescue them from their persecuting foes. If this
is applied to Christians, it means that the cause in which they were engaged would triumph. This
has been the case in all persecutions. The effect has always been the permanent triumph and
estalishment of the cause that was persecuted.
And they shall be ashamed - How true this has been of the Jews that persecuted the early
Christians! How entirely were they confounded and overwhelmed! God established permanently
the persecuted; he scattered the persecutors to the ends of the earth!
2. CLARKE, “Your brethren that hated you - said “Say ye to your brethren that
hate you” - The Syriac reads ‫אמרו‬‫לאחיכם‬ imru laacheychem; and so the Septuagint, Edit. Comp.
ειπατε αδελφοις ᆓµων· and MS. Marchal. has αδελφοις· and so Cyril and Procopius read and
explain it. It is not easy to make sense of the reading of the Septuagint in the other editions; ειπα
τε αδελφοι ᅧµων τοις µισουσιν ᆓµας· but for ᅧµων, our, MS. 1. D. 2 also has ᆓµων, your.
3. GILL, “Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word,.... This is said to the
comfort of the believing Jews, who are thus described; See Gill on Isa_66:2,
your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake; as the
unbelieving Jews, the Pharisees; and so Jarchi interprets it of the children of the Pharisee, that
say, Depart, ye defiled; who were brethren to them that believed in Christ, by blood, by birth, by
country, yet hated them, though without cause; as they did Christ, in whom they believed; and
cast them out of their affections, and company, and conversation; out of their own houses, and
out of the synagogues; excommunicated them from fellowship with them, and that for the sake
of their believing in Christ, and professing his name; having made a law, that whoever confessed
him should be put out of the synagogue, or excommunicated; and the word here used signifies
that excommunication among the Jews called "niddui"; see Joh_15:19 these said,
let the Lord be glorified; that is, they pretended, by all this hatred of and aversion to those of
their brethren that believed in Christ, and by their persecution of them, that all their desire and
design were the glory of God, imagining that, in so doing, they did God good service; see
Joh_16:2. R. Moses the priest (not the Egyptian, or Maimonides, as some commentators
suggest) thinks the sense is, that these unbelievers complained, as if the Lord was "heavy" unto
them, and imposed burdensome precepts and commands upon them they were not able to
perform; and which, he says, is always the sense of the word when in this form; but Aben Ezra
observes, that he forgot the passage in Job_14:21, where it is used in the sense of honour and
glory. This sense Kimchi also takes notice of; but seems not to be the sense of the passage; and,
were it so, it was a false suggestion of those unbelievers; for Christ's "yoke is easy, and his
burden light", Mat_11:30, see Joh_6:60,
but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed: that is, the Lord shall
appear, either in a providential way, as he did for the Christians at Jerusalem, before the
destruction of it; directing them to go out from thence, as they did, to a place called Pella, where
they were safe, and had a sufficiency of good things; while the unbelieving Jews were closely

39. besieged, and reduced to the greatest straits and miseries, and so to shame and confusion: or
else this may respect the second coming, the glorious appearance of Christ, which will be to the
joy of those believing Jews, and of all his people; since he will appear to their salvation, and they
shall appear with him in glory, and see him as he is, Heb_9:28, and to the shame, confusion,
and destruction of those that have pierced him, despised and rejected him, and persecuted his
people, Rev_1:7.
4. HENRY, “Let them know that God will plead their just but injured cause against their
persecutors (Isa_66:5): Your brethren that hated you said, Let the Lord be glorified. But he
shall appear to your joy. This perhaps might have reference to the case of some of the Jews at
their return out of captivity; but nothing like it appears in the history, and therefore it is rather
to be referred to the first preachers and professors of the gospel among the Jews, to whose case
it is very applicable. Observe, 1. How the faithful servants of God were persecuted: Their
brethren hated them. The apostles were Jews by birth, and yet even in the cities of the Gentiles
the Jews they met with there were their most bitter and implacable enemies and stirred up the
Gentiles against them. The spouse complains (Son_1:6) that her mother's children were angry
with her. Pilate upbraided our Lord Jesus with this, Thy own nation have delivered thee unto
me, Joh_18:35. Their brethren, who should have loved them and encouraged them for their
work's sake hated them, and cast them out of their synagogues, excommunicated them as if they
had been the greatest blemishes, when they were really the greatest blessings, of their church
and nation. This was a fruit of the old enmity in the seed of the serpent against the seed of the
woman. Those that hated Christ hated his disciples, because they supported his kingdom and
interest (Joh_15:18), and they cast them out for his name's sake, because they were called by his
name, and called upon his name, and laid out themselves to advance his name. Note, It is no
new thing for church censures to be misapplied, and for her artillery, which was intended for her
defence, to be turned against her best friends, by the treachery of her governors. And those that
did this said, Let the Lord be glorified; they pretended conscience and a zeal for the honour of
God and the church in it, and did it with all the formalities of devotion. Our Saviour explains
this, and seems to have reference to it, Joh_16:2. They shall put you out of their synagogues,
and whosoever kills you will think that he does God service. In nomine Domini incipit omne
malum - In the name of the Lord commences evil of every kind. Or we may understand it as
spoken in defiance of God: “You say God will be glorified in your deliverance; let him be
glorified then; let him make speed and hasten his work (Isa_5:19); let him deliver him, seeing
he delighted in him.” Some take it to be the language of the profane Jews in captivity, bantering
their brethren that hoped for deliverance, and ridiculing the expectations they often comforted
themselves with, that God would shortly be glorified in it. They thus did what they could to
shame the counsel of the poor, Psa_14:6. 2. How they were encouraged under these
persecutions: “Let your faith and patience hold out yet a little while; your enemies hate you and
oppress you, your brethren hate you and cast you out, but your Father in heaven loves you, and
will appear for you when no one else will or dare. His providence shall order things so as shall be
for comfort to you; he shall appear for your joy and for the confusion of those that abuse you
and trample on you; they shall be ashamed of their enmity to you.” This was fulfilled when,
upon the signals given of Jerusalem's approaching ruin, the Jews' hearts failed them for fear;
but the disciples of Christ, whom they had hated and persecuted, lifted up their heads with joy,
knowing that their redemption drew nigh, Luk_21:26, Luk_21:28. Though God seem to hide
himself, he will in due time show himself.
5. JAMISON, “tremble at ... word — the same persons as in Isa_66:2, the believing few
among the Jews.

40. cast you out for my name’s sake — excommunicate, as if too polluted to worship with
them (Isa_65:5). So in Christ’s first sojourn on earth (Mat_10:22; Joh_9:22, Joh_9:34;
Joh_16:2; Joh_15:21). So it shall be again in the last times, when the believing shall be few
(Luk_18:8).
Let the Lord be glorified — the mocking challenge of the persecutors, as if their violence
towards you was from zeal for God. “Let the Lord show Himself glorious,” namely, by
manifesting Himself in your behalf; as the parallelism to, “He shall appear to your joy,”
requires (as in Isa_5:19; compare Isa_28:15; Isa_57:4). So again Christ on the cross
(Mat_27:42, Mat_27:43).
appear to your joy — giving you “joy” instead of your “rebuke” (Isa_25:8, Isa_25:9).
6. K&D, “From the heathenish majority, with their ungodly hearts, the prophet now turns to
the minority, consisting of those who tremble with reverential awe when they hear the word of
God. They are called to hear how Jehovah will accept them in defiance of their persecutors.
“Hear ye the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at His word: your brethren that hate you, that
thrust you from them for my name's sake, say, 'Let Jehovah get honour, that we may see your
joy:' they will be put to shame.” They that hate them are their own brethren, and (what makes
the sin still greater) the name of Jehovah is the reason why they are hated by them. According to
the accents, indeed (‫מנדיכם‬ rebia, ‫סמי‬ pashta), the meaning would be, “your brethren say ... 'for
my name's sake (i.e., for me = out of goodness and love to us) will Jehovah glorify Himself,' -
then we shall see your joy, but - they will be put to shame.” Rashi and other Jewish expositors
interpret it in this or some similar way; but Rosenmüller, Stier, and Hahn are the only modern
Christian expositors, who have done so, following the precedent of earlier commentators, who
regarded the accents as binding. Luther, however, very properly disregarded them. If ‫סמי‬ ‫למען‬ be
taken in connection with ‫,יכבד‬ it gives only a forced sense, which disturbs the relation of all the
clauses; whereas this is preserved in all respects in the most natural and connected manner if we
combine ‫שמי‬ ‫למען‬ with ‫ם‬ ֶ‫יכ‬ ֵ ַ‫נ‬ ְ‫מ‬ ‫ם‬ ֶ‫יכ‬ ֵ‫א‬ְ‫,שׂנ‬ as we must do, according to such parallels as Mat_24:9. ‫ה‬ ָ ִ‫נ‬
from ‫,נר‬ to scare away or thrust away (Amo_6:3, with the object in the dative), corresponds to ᅊφ
ρίζειν in Luk_6:22 (compare Joh_16:22, “to put out of the synagogue”). The practice of
excommunication, or putting under the ban (niddui), reaches beyond the period of the
Herodians (see Eduyoth v. 6),
(Note: Compare Wiesner: Der Bann in seiner gesch. Entwickelung auf dem Boden des
Judenthums, 1864.)
at any rate as far back as the times succeeding the captivity; but in the passage before us it is
quite sufficient to understand niddah in the sense of a defamatory renunciation of fellowship. To
the accentuators this ‫שמי‬ ‫למען‬ ‫מנדיכם‬ appeared quite unintelligible. They never considered that it
had a confessional sense here, which certainly does not occur anywhere else: viz., “for my
name's sake, which ye confess in word and deed.” With unbelieving scorn they say to those who
confess Jehovah, and believe in the word of the true redemption: Let Jehovah glorify Himself
(lit. let Him be, i.e., show Himself, glorious = yikkabed, cf., Job_14:21), that we may thoroughly
satisfy ourselves with looking at your joy. They regard their hope as deceptive, and the word of
the prophet as fanaticism. These are they, who, when permission to return is suddenly given,
will desire to accompany them, but will be disappointed, because they did not rejoice in faith

41. before, and because, although they do now rejoice in that which is self-evident, they do this in a
wrong way.
6B. BI, “A godly minority
From the majority of the whole body, godless and heathen in character, the prophet now turns
to the minority, who tremble with reverence when they hear God’s word.
Let them hear how Jehovah will help them against their persecutors. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)
Hatred of the godly
They who hate them are their own brethren and, what aggravates the sin still more, Jehovah’s
name is the ground (cf. Luk_21:12) on which they are hated by them. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)
“Let the Lord be glorified”
“Be glorified” means, Show His glory. They speak in incredulous mockery. (A. B. Davidson, D.
D.)
Acceptable worship
I. THE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTER OF ACCEPTABLE WORSHIPPERS. They “tremble at
His word.” This fear arises from—
1. Their tender love and reverence for the Author of the Word.
2. A settled delight in the holiness of that Word.
3. Produced alike by the terror of the threatenings and the sweetness of the promises.
II. THE SPIRITUAL REGARD WHICH GOD PAYS TO THEM.
1. He looks upon them.
2. He dwells with them.
3. He vindicates their cause from the rebuke of enemies.
4. He brings them for ever to dwell with Him. (S. Thodey.)
7. KELLY, “The English Bible follows the Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, and Arabic, as well as the
Chaldee paraphrase. Houbigant, Bishop Lowth, Horsley, De Wette, etc., omit the terms of comparison
(inserted in italics in the A. 5), which in their judgement mar the true sense. Their translation makes
the verse to intimate the combination of ritual observance with open wickedness and Gentile
abominations. Otherwise the statement is that their impiety made their acts of worship to be so many
horrors.
In either view the people of Israel had chosen their own path of self-will and disregard of God for the

42. evils they loved; but God's retribution would not be wanting. No delusions among the nations were
more complete than Israel's have been and are yet to be; and the evils they dreaded, and sacrificed all
to avoid, were just what befell them, and must till the end come. Did they refuse the Messiah? They
have been a prey to false Messiahs, and shall yet bow down to the Antichrist. Did they own no king
but Caesar? In Caesar they found a destroyer. Did they fear the Romans would come and take away
their place and nation? All the world knows how punctually their fear was accomplished; and yet the
end is not. Greater abominations shall be seen in them; greater delusions, greater fears, and a greater
fulfilment. The abomination of desolation of which the Saviour spoke in Mat_24:15 (citing
not Dan_11:31, which was then past, but Dan_12:11, which is still future) must yet be set where it
ought not, in the sanctuary at Jerusalem; and then there shall be great tribulation, such as was not
since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
It is impossible to interpret of the past Roman siege either Matthew 24, or Daniel 12, or our chapter;
but the days for the due fulfilment of all these prophecies are at hand, and the effect of every vision.
"Hear the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at his word, Your brethren that hated you, that cast you
out for my name's sake, said, Let Jehovah be glorified; but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall
be ashamed" (v. 5).
8. CALVIN, “5.Hear the word of Jehovah. He directs his discourse to the true worshippers of God, and
promises to them what they could scarcely have expected during those terrible calamities; and he
expressly addresses them, because at that time there were many who falsely boasted of the name of
God. Nay more, leaving the undistinguished multitude, he directs his discourse separately to a small
number, as he formerly said,
“ the law, bind the testimony among my disciples.”
(Isa_8:16.)
Ye who tremble at my word. He points out the true and sincere children of God, by this mark, that they “
at the word of the Lord.” This indeed is an uncommon virtue; and therefore he contrasts it with the false
profession of those who, by bearing the outward mark of circumcision, wished to be reckoned among the
people of God, and made a great profession and show of holiness; that we may know that they alone
reverence and fear God who reverence and fear his holy word; that is, who, in consequence of being
powerfully impressed by hearing the voice of God, constrain all their senses to obey; for this is a
remarkable proof of godliness.

43. Your brethren said. Because it is customary with hypocritical worshippers of God to make loud boasting
of their pompous ritual, the design of the Prophet is, to arm and fortify believers for enduring their attacks,
that they may not give way when they are mocked and insulted. As if he had said, “ have to contend not
only with foreign nations, but with domestic foes, who hold a place in the Church, and who are bound by
the tie of brotherhood on account of the covenant of God which is common to you all. If they mock at your
simplicity in the same manner as they haughtily despise God himself, you must boldly and fearlessly
resist that temptation.” He therefore calls them “” although they were enemies of believers and of the
word of God, for it is by way of concession that he gives to them that name which they falsely usurped.
Hence we infer that this is not a new evil, that enemies, who bear the name of brethren, are nourished in
the bosom of the Church. This internal war must be incessantly carried on with hypocrites, who cannot
patiently endure that we shall worship God with an honest and upright conscience.
Casting you out for the sake of my name. Literally, “ you begone.” As we see the Pope thundering
dreadfully against us, as if we had been base and worthless persons; so hypocrites were casting out the
small number of believers; for, being superior in number, authority, and wealth, they likewise exercise that
tyranny in such a manner that they approve or disapprove of everything according to their own caprice,
and cause that believers may be reckoned as of no value, whom they not only overwhelm by their vast
numbers, as the chaff does the wheat, but also trample proudly under their feet.
Let Jehovah be glorified. Or, in the future tense, “ will be glorified.” Others translate it, “ is severe;” but let
us see which is the preferable meaning. They who translate it, “ is severe,” think that wicked men
complain of God’ excessive severity, in not sparing his people and in acting severely toward them; and
they think that by this word the people were tempted to despair; for, when wicked men endeavor to turn
us aside from God, they take away all hope and confidence of salvation. But I give the preference to
either of the other two expositions. That which is most generally approved is the following. Wicked men
laughed at the prophecies and promises, because that glory which the Prophets had so frequently
mentioned was nowhere to be seen; as if they had said, “ the Lord display some testimony of his glory,
that we may safely rely on it;” and therefore the Prophet wishes to arm believers against such blasphemy,
that they may not allow their faith to be overturned by the sneers of wicked men. But this passage might
be appropriately and perhaps more correctly interpreted to mean, that wicked men have promised very
great things for themselves, as if by their good deeds they had deserved God’ favor, as Amo_5:18 also
reproaches them, that, while they fearlessly provoke God, they confidently trust that he will be gracious to
them. Since, therefore, relying on their sacrifices, they scorned all threatenings, and boasted that God
would assist them, he replies that they shall see the glory of God in a very different manner. (223)

44. But he will be seen to your joy. As if he had said, “ by his coming, will cause believers to know that they
have not hoped in vain; for he will appear for the advantage of believers, and for the destruction of those
who maintain that he will appear as the defender of wickedness, of which he will be the severe avenger.
The former shall enjoy gladness and consolation, while the latter shall be ashamed and shall blush, for
they shall quickly feel that the judgment of God, which they now laugh at, is at hand.”
(223) “His verront la gloire de Dieu autrement qu’ ne pensent.” “ shall see the glory of God in a different
manner from what they think.”
6
Hear that uproar from the city,
hear that noise from the temple!
It is the sound of the LORD
repaying his enemies all they deserve.
1.BARNES, “A voice of noise from the city - That is, from the city of Jerusalem. The
prophet sees in a vision a tumult in the city. He hears a voice that issues from the temple. His
manner and language are rapid and hurried - such as a man would evince who should suddenly
see a vast tumultuous assemblage, and hear a confused sound of many voices. There is also a
remarkable abruptness in the whole description here. The preceding verse was calm and solemn.
It was full of affectionate assurance of the divine favor to those whom the prophet saw to be
persecuted. Here the scene suddenly changes. The vision passes to the agitating events which
were occurring in the city and the temple, and to the great and sudden change which would be
produced in the condition of the church of God. But to whom or what this refers has been a
subject of considerable difference of opinion. Grotius understands it of the sound of triumph of
Judas Maccabeus, and of his soldiers, rejoicing that the city was forsaken by Antiochus, and by
the party of the Jews who adhered to him.
Rosenmuller understands it of the voice of God, who is seen by the prophet taking vengeance
on his foes. There can be no doubt that the prophet, in vision, sees Yahweh taking recompence
on his enemies - for that is expressly specified. Still it is not easy to determine the exact time
referred to, or the exact scene which passes before the mind of the prophet. To me it seems
probable that it is a scene that immediately preceded the rapid extension of the gospel, and the
great and sudden increase of the church by the accession of the pagan world (see the following
verses); and I would suggest, whether it is not a vision of the deeply affecting and agitating
scenes when the temple and city were about to be destroyed by the Romans; when the voice of
Yahweh would be heard in the city and at the temple, declaring the punishment which he would

45. bring on those who had cast out and rejected the followers of the Messiah Isa_66:5; and when,
as a result of this, the news of Salvation was to be rapidly spread throughout the pagan world.
This is the opinion, also, of Vitringa. The phrase rendered here ‘a voice of noise’ (‫שׁאון‬ ‫קול‬ qol
sha'on), means properly the voice of a tumultuous assemblage; the voice of a multitude. The
word ‘noise’ (‫שׁאון‬ sha'on) is applied to a noise or roaring, as of waters Psa_65:8; or of a crowd or
multitude of people Isa_5:14; Isa_42:4; Isa_24:8; and of war Amo_2:2; Hos_10:14. Here it
seems probable that it refers to the confused clamor of war, the battle cry raised by soldiers
attacking an army or a city; and the scene described is probably that when the Roman soldiers
burst into the city, scaled the walls, and poured desolation through the capital.
A voice from the temple - That is, either the tumultous sound of war already having
reached the temple; or the voice of Yahweh speaking from the temple, and commanding
destruction on his foes. Vitringa supposes that it may mean the voice of Yahweh breaking forth
from the temple, and commanding his foes to be slain. But to whichever it refers, it doubtless
means that the sound of the tumult was not only around the city, but in it; not merely in the
distant parts, but in the very midst, and even at the temple.
A voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence - Here we may observe:
1. That it is recompence taken on those who had cast out their brethren Isa_66:5.
2. It is vengeance taken within the city, and on the internal, not the external enemies.
3. It is vengeance taken in the midst of this tumult.
All this is a striking description of the scene when the city and temple were taken by the
Roman armies. It was the vengeance taken on those who had cast out their brethren; it was the
vengeance which was to precede the glorious triumph of truth and of the cause of the true
religion.
2. CLARKE, “A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the
Lord - It is very remarkable that similar words were spoken by Jesus, son of Ananias,
previously to the destruction of Jerusalem. See his very affecting history related by Josephus,
War, B. vi., chap. v.
3. GILL, “A voice of noise from the city,.... From the city of Jerusalem, as the Targum; so
Kimchi, who says, that in the days of the Messiah shall go out of Jerusalem the voice of noise
concerning Gog and Magog: this indeed respects the days of the Messiah, but such as are now
past, and a voice of crying in the city of Jerusalem, at, the taking and destruction of it by the
Romans; when were heard from it the noisy voices of the Roman soldiers, triumphing and
rejoicing at it, and the shrieks of the inhabitants, running about from place to place for shelter;
so when destruction and desolation are come upon any place, a voice or a cry is said to come
from it; see Jer_48:3,
a voice from the temple; either from heaven, as Aben Ezra; or rather from the temple at
Jerusalem, of the priests there hindered from doing their service, and starving for want of
sustenance; or of the people that fled thither for security, but forced from thence by the soldiers;
and especially a voice of crying and lamentation was heard, when set on fire. Some illustrate this
by what the priests heard in the temple a little before the destruction of it, a rustling and a noise

46. like persons shifting and moving, and a voice in the holy of holies, saying, "let us go hence"; as
also the words of Jesus the son of Ananus, a countryman, who went about uttering these words,
"a voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against
Jerusalem and against the temple, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, a voice
against all the people:''
this he did before the war began, nor could he be persuaded to desist from it, but continued it
afterwards; going on the walls of the city, saying,
"woe, woe to the city, and to the temple, and to the people, woe to myself also;''
and while he was speaking the last words, a stone, cast from a Roman engine, killed him, as
Josephus (q) relates:
a voice of the Lord, that rendereth recompence to his enemies; for the Lord's voice
was in all this, and his hand in the destruction of those people; it was according to his
appointment, direction, and order, in righteous judgment for their sins, they being his
implacable enemies, that would not have him to rule over them, Luk_19:14.
4. HENRY, “Let them know that God's appearances for them will be such as will make a great
noise in the world (Isa_66:6): There shall be a voice of noise from the city, from the temple.
Some make it the joyful and triumphant voice of the church's friends, others the frightful
lamenting voice of her enemies, surprised in the city, and fleeing in vain to the temple for
shelter. These voices do but echo to the voice of the Lord, who is now rendering a recompence to
his enemies; and those that will not hear him speaking this terror shall hear them returning the
alarms of it in doleful shrieks. We may well think what a confused noise there was in the city and
temple when Jerusalem, after a long siege, was at last taken by the Romans. Some think this
prophecy was fulfilled in the prodigies that went before that destruction of Jerusalem, related by
Josephus in his History of the Wars of the Jews (4.388 and 6.311), that the temple-doors flew
open suddenly of their own accord, and the priests heard a noise of motion or shifting in the
most holy place, and presently a voice, saying, Let us depart hence. And, some time after, one
Jesus Bar-Annas went up and down the city, at the feast of tabernacles, continually crying, A
voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against
Jerusalem and the temple, a voice against all this people.
5. JAMISON, “3:1-8; Zec_12:2, Zec_12:3; Zec_14:3, Zec_14:19-21). The abrupt language of
this verse marks the suddenness with which God destroys the hostile Gentile host outside: as
Isa_66:5 refers to the confounding of the unbelieving Jews.
voice of noise — that is, the Lord’s loud-sounding voice (Psa_68:33; Psa_29:3-9;
1Th_4:16).
6. K&D, “The city and temple, to which they desire to go, are nothing more, so far as they are
concerned, than the places from which just judgment will issue. “Sound of tumult from the city!
Sound from the Temple! Sound of Jehovah, who repays His enemies with punishment.” All

47. three ‫,קול‬ to the second of which ‫אוֹן‬ ָ‫שׁ‬ must be supplied in thought, are in the form of
interjectional exclamations (as in Isa_52:8). In the third, however, we have omitted the note of
admiration, because here the interjectional clause approximates very nearly to a substantive
clause (“it is the sound of Jehovah”), as the person shouting announces here who is the
originator and cause of the noise which was so enigmatical at first. The city and temple are
indeed still lying in ruins as the prophet is speaking; but even in this state they both preserve the
holiness conferred upon them. They are the places where Jehovah will take up His abode once
more; and even now, at the point at which promise and fulfilment coincide, they are in the very
process of rising again. A loud noise (like the tumult of war) proceeds from it. It is Jehovah, He
who is enthroned in Zion and rules from thence (Isa_31:9), who makes Himself heard in this
loud noise (compare Joe_3:16 with the derivative passage in Amo_1:2); it is He who awards
punishment or reckons retribution to His foes. In other cases ‫מוּל‬ְ (‫שׁהיב‬ ֵ‫)ה‬ ‫ם‬ ֵ ִ‫שׁ‬ generally means to
repay that which has been worked out (what has been deserved; e.g., Psa_137:8, compare
Isa_3:11); but in Isa_59:18 ge
mul was the parallel word to chemah, and therefore, as in Isa_35:4,
it did not apply to the works of men, but to the retribution of the judge, just as in Jer_51:6,
where it is used quite as absolutely. We have therefore rendered it “punishment;” “merited
punishment” would express both sides of this double-sided word. By “His enemies,” according
to the context, we are to understand primarily the mass of the exiles, who were so estranged
from God, and yet withal so full of demands and expectations.
7. KELLY 6-14, “But hark, what is this that breaks on the ear? "A voice of noise from the city, a
voice from the temple, a voice of Jehovah that rendereth recompense to his enemies. Before she
travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child. Who hath heard
such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall a land be made to bring forth in one day? shall a
nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to
the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith Jehovah: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut [the
womb]? saith thy God. Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her; rejoice for
joy with her, all ye that mourn over her; because ye shall suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her
consolations, because ye shall drink out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus
saith Jehovah, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the nations like a flowing
stream and ye shall suck, ye shall be borne upon the side, and be dandled upon the knees. As one
whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. And ye
shall see [this], and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the grass: and the hand
of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants, and indignation toward his enemies" (vv. 6-14).
Thus no longer by testimony to the heart, but by manifest judgement will Jehovah decide between
cattle and cattle. The infidel scoff, which so long harassed the heavenly people, will then be put to
shame before the poor in spirit of the earthly people. It is not the gospel that is here described, but
the effect of the Lord's taking His great power and reigning, according toRev. 11: 15 18. It is the world-

48. kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ actually come. Hence judgement is executed on the living
destroyers of the earth. Jehovah will be glorified to the joy of such as trembled at His word before He
appears and to the eternal infamy of those who knew Him not and doubted His interest in His
despised confessors here below. For Christ and for the church, they were raised or changed and taken
on high, leaving the world without a blow or even a notice. But it will not be so for the Jew by-and-by:
"A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Jehovah that rendereth
recompense to his enemies." The Roman destruction of Jerusalem was no adequate fulfilment of this:
but it shall be fulfilled to the letter of many prophecies. (Cp. Isa_9:3-5; Isa_18:3-7; Isa. 29; Zec_14:1-4)
And then shall follow the new birth or ingathering of Zion's children, no longer to be Abraham's seed
nominally but his children in deed and in truth. As nothing of the kind followed the capture by
Nebuchadnezzar, no more did it ensue when Titus took Jerusalem. No outpouring of vengeance on the
guilty city followed by blessing unexampled for fullness and without sorrow has as yet appeared to
satisfy the terms of the prediction. Sudden as it will be, it will also be permanent.
8. CALVIN, “6.A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple. He confirms the preceding
statement; namely, that God hath not threatened in vain, that he will speedily come to take vengeance on
hypocrites, in order that what has been promised concerning gladness may be more eagerly expected by
believers. It is uncertain what are the enemies whom he describes; for this passage may be explained as
relating to the Babylonians, whose destruction was the deliverance of his Church. It may also be
explained as relating to other enemies, who were nourished in the bosom of the Church; and I am more
favorable to this opinion, though I do not deny that it may be viewed in reference to any kind of enemies.
But he has in his eye domestic foes, of whom he had formerly spoken, who disdained the voice of God
continually addressing them by the mouth of the prophets. He therefore threatens that they shall speedily
hear another and more terrible voice; but there is immediately added a mitigation, that the same terror
may not discourage the believing servants of God.
The meaning may be thus summed up. “ vain do wicked men boast and set their own obstinacy in
opposition to the judgments of God, for they shall not escape his hand, and even ‘ the temple,’ which was
their lurking-place of false confidence, his voice shall come forth, and believers will then receive the fruit
of their patience.” Would that we did not at the present day experience similar contempt in hypocrites,
who set at nought all remonstrances and threatenings, and have no respect for the word of God! To them,
therefore, instead of the mild and gentle voice which they now hear, we are compelled to threaten “
tumultuous voice,” which they shall one day hear from other and very different masters; for since the
world, with irreligious scorn, disdains the word of God, it shall be constrained not only to hear, but likewise
to experience, an armed voice, that is, fire and sword.

49. 7
“Before she goes into labor,
she gives birth;
before the pains come upon her,
she delivers a son.
1.BARNES, “Before she travailed, she brought forth - That is, Zion. The idea here is,
that there would be a great and sudden increase of her numbers. Zion is here represented, as it
often is, as a female (see Isa_1:8), and as the mother of spiritual children (compare Isa_54:1;
Isa_49:20-21). The particular idea here is, that the increase would be sudden - as if a child were
born without the usual delay and pain of parturition. If the interpretation given of Isa_66:6 be
correct, then this refers probably to the sudden increase of the church when the Messiah came,
and to the great revivals of religion which attended the first preaching of the gospel. Three
thousand were converted on a single day Acts 2, and the gospel was speedily propagated almost
all over the known world. Vitringa supposes that it refers to the sudden conversion of the
Gentiles, and their accession to the church.
She was delivered of a man child - Jerome understands this of the Messiah. who was
descended from the Jewish church. Grotius supposes that the whole verse refers to Judas
Maccabeus, and to the liberation of Judea under him before anyone could have hoped for it!
Calvin (Commentary in loc.) supposes that the word male here, or manchild, denotes the manly
or generous nature of those who should be converted to the church; that they would be vigorous
and active, not effeminate and delicate (generosam prolem, non mollem aut effeminatam).
Vitringa refers it to the character and rank of those who should be converted, and applies it
particularly to Constantine, and to the illustrious philosophers, orators, and senators, who were
early brought under the influence of the gospel. The Hebrew word probably denotes a male, or a
man-child, and it seems to me that it is applied here to denote the character of the early converts
to the Christian faith. They would not be feeble and effeminate; but vigorous, active, energetic. It
may, perhaps, also be suggested, that, among the Orientals, the birth of a son was deemed of
much more importance, and was regarded as much more a subject of congratulation than the
birth of a female. If an allusion be had to that fact, then the idea is, that the increase of the
church would be such as would be altogether a subject of exultation and joy.
2. WHEDON, “6, 7. Watchmen — This alludes to the practice of stationing on city walls men who
served as criers when news good or bad was to be announced. As applied to the spiritual Jerusalem or
Zion, they mean instructors of the people — priests and prophets, ministers of the true religion. Ezekiel
3:17; Ezekiel 33:7.
Never hold their peace — Constant warning and instruction was their duty.

50. Make mention of the Lord — The Lord’s reminders as watchmen of Israel’s highest interests were
enjoined to fail not in diligence and fidelity.
Give him no rest — Literally, no silence. “Ye that are set as Jehovah’s reminders give to yourselves no
rest, no silence, in your assigned work; and give him (Jehovah) no rest, no silence, till he establish the
newly restored Jerusalem, his holy Zion.
A praise in the earth — Or, a permanent spiritual power for the salvation of the world.
3. GILL, “Before she travailed, she brought forth,.... That is, Zion, as appears from the
following verse: lest it should be thought that the interest of Christ would be swallowed up and
lost in the destruction of the Jews, this, and what follows, are said concerning the conversion of
many of that people, both in the first times of the Gospel, and in the latter day, as well as
concerning the calling of the Gentiles, and the uniting of both in one church state. Zion, or the
church of God, is here compared to a pregnant woman, that brings forth suddenly and easily,
without feeling any pain, or going through any travail, or having any birth throes; at least,
feeling very little pain and travail, and having very few pangs, and those, as soon as they come,
are gone, and an immediate delivery ensues:
before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child; like a woman before she is
scarcely sensible of any pain; as soon as ever she perceives the least uneasiness of this kind, is
delivered of a son, to her great joy, and the joy of all about her. This is to be understood, not of
the sudden and easy deliverance of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity, by the proclamation
of Cyrus, which occasioned great joy; much less of the birth of Christ, of the Virgin Mary at the
inn, and in the stable, which is the sense of some Popish interpreters; much better do some
Jewish writers interpret it of the birth and appearance of Christ, before the troubles of their
nation came on; so the Targum,
"before distress comes to her, she shall be redeemed; and before trembling comes upon her, her
King shall be revealed;''
that is, the King Messiah; and so some copies have it, according to Galatinus (r); who also makes
mention of another exposition of this passage, by R. Moses Haddarsan, if it may be depended
on,
"before he should be born that should bring Israel into the last captivity, the Redeemer should
be born;''
that is, as he explains it, before the birth of Titus, who destroyed the temple and city of
Jerusalem, the Messiah should be born; but the passage refers not to his natural but mystical
birth, or the regeneration of a spiritual seed in his church; or of the conversion of the first
Christians both in Judea and in the Gentile world; who were like a man child, strong and robust,
able to bear and did endure great hardships for the sake of Christ, and do him much work and
service, in which they persevered to the end; see Gal_4:26, as the first Christians did through
various persecutions, until the times of Constantine, by whom they were delivered from them,
and who is prophesied of as the church's man child, as in Rev_12:2.

51. 4. HENRY, “Let them know that God will set up a church for himself in the world, which
shall be abundantly replenished in a little time (Isa_66:7): Before she travailed she brought
forth. This is to be applied in the type to the deliverance of the Jews out of their captivity in
Babylon, which was brought about very easily and silently, without any pain or struggle, such as
was when they were brought out of Egypt; that was done by might and power (Deu_4:34), but
this by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, Zec_4:6. The man-child of the deliverance is rejoiced in,
and yet the mother was never in labour for it; before her pain came she was delivered. This is
altogether surprising, uncommon, and without precedent, unless in the story which the
Egyptian midwives told of the Hebrew women (Exo_1:19), that they were lively and were
delivered ere the midwives came in unto them. But shall the earth be made to bring forth her
fruits in one day? No, it is the work of some weeks in the spring to renew the face of the earth
and cover it with its products. Some read this to the same purport with the next clause, Shall a
land be brought forth in one day, or shall a nation be born at once? Is it to be imagined that a
woman at one birth should bring children sufficient to people a country and that they should in
an instant grow up to maturity? No; something like this was done in the creation; but God has
since rested from all such works, and leaves second causes to produce their effects gradually.
Nihil facit per saltum - He does nothing abruptly. Yet, in this case, as soon as Zion travailed
she brought forth. Cyrus's proclamation was no sooner issued out than the captives were formed
into a body and were ready to make the best of their way to their own land. And the reason is
given (Isa_66:9), because it is the Lord's doing; he undertakes it whose work is perfect. If he
bring to the birth in preparing his people for deliverance, he will cause to bring forth in the
accomplishment of the deliverance. When every thing is ripe and ready for their release, and the
number of their months is accomplished, so that the children are brought to the birth, shall not
I then give strength to bring forth, but leave mother and babe to perish together in the most
miserable case? How will this agree with the divine pity? Shall I begin a work and not go
through with it? How will that agree with the divine power and perfection? Am I he that causes
to bring forth (so the following clause may be read) and shall I restrain her? Does God cause
mankind, and all the species of living creatures, to propagate, and replenish the earth, and will
he restrain Zion? Will he not make her fruitful in a blessed offspring to replenish the church?
Or, Am I he that begat, and should I restrain from bringing forth? Did God beget the
deliverance in his purpose and promise, and will he not bring it forth in the accomplishment and
performance of it? But this was a figure of the setting up of the Christian church in the world,
and the replenishing of that family with children which was to be named from Jesus Christ.
When the Spirit was poured out, and the gospel went forth from Zion, multitudes were
converted in a little time and with little pains compared with the vast product. The apostles,
even before they travailed, brought forth, and the children born to Christ were so numerous, and
so suddenly and easily produced, that they were rather like the dew from the morning's womb
than like the son from the mother's womb, Psa_110:3. The success of the gospel was
astonishing; that light, like the morning, strangely diffused itself till it took hold even of the ends
of the earth. Cities and nations were born at once to Christ. The same day that the Spirit was
poured out there were 3000 souls added to the church. And, when this glorious work was once
begun, it was carried on wonderfully, beyond what could be imagined, so mightily grew the
word of God and prevailed. He that brought to the birth in conviction of sin caused to bring
forth in a thorough conversion to God.
5. JAMISON, “she — Zion.
Before ... travailed ... brought forth — The accession of numbers, and of prosperity to
her, shall be sudden beyond all expectation and unattended with painful effort (Isa_54:1,
Isa_54:4, Isa_54:5). Contrast with this case of the future Jewish Church the travail-pains of the
Christian Church in bringing forth “a man child” (Rev_12:2, Rev_12:5). A man child’s birth is in

52. the East a matter of special joy, while that of a female is not so; therefore, it here means the
manly sons of the restored Jewish Church, the singular being used collectively for the plural: or
the many sons being regarded as one under Messiah, who shall then be manifested as their one
representative Head.
6. K&D 7-9, “All of these fall victims to the judgment; and yet Zion is not left either childless
or without population. “Before she travailed she brought forth; before pains came upon her,
she was delivered of a boy. Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen anything like it? Are
men delivered of a land in one day? or is a nation begotten at once? For Zion hath travailed,
yea, hath brought forth her children. Should I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth?
saith Jehovah: or should I, who cause to bring forth, shut it? saith thy God.” Before Zion
travaileth, before any labour pains come upon her (chebhel with tzere), she has already given
birth, or brought with ease into the world a male child (hı̄mlit like millet, in Isa_34:15, to cause to
glide out). This boy, of whom she is delivered with such marvellous rapidity, is a whole land full
of men, an entire nation. The seer exclaims with amazement, like Zion herself in Isa_49:21,
“who hath heard such a thing, or seen anything like it? is a land brought to the birth (hayuchal
followed by 'erets for hathuchal, as in Gen_13:6; Isa_9:18; Ges. §147), i.e., the population of a
whole land (as in Jdg_18:30), and that in one day, or a nation born all at once (yivvaled, with
munach attached to the kametz, and metheg to the tzere)? This unheard-of event has taken
place now, for Zion has travailed, yea, has also brought forth her children,” - not one child, but
her children, a whole people that calls her mother.
(Note: There is a certain similarity in the saying, with which a talmudic teacher roused up
the sleepy scholars of the Beth ha-Midrash: “There was once a woman, who was delivered of
600,000 children in one day,” viz., Jochebed, who, when she gave birth to Moses, brought
600,000 to the light of freedom (Exo_12:37).)
“For” (kı̄) presupposes the suppressed thought, that this unexampled event has now occurred: ya
le
dah follows chalah with gam, because chı̄l signifies strictly parturire; yal, parere. Zion, the
mother, is no other than the woman of the sun in Rev 12; but the child born of her there is the
shepherd of the nations, who proceeds from her at the end of the days, whereas here it is the
new Israel of the last days; for the church, which is saved through all her tribulations, is both the
mother of the Lord, by whom Babel is overthrown, and the mother of that Israel which inherits
the promises, that the unbelieving mass have failed to obtain. Isa_66:9 follows with an emphatic
confirmation of the things promised. Jehovah inquires: “Should I create the delivery (cause the
child to break through the matrix) and not the birth (both hiphil, causative), so that although the
child makes an effort to pass the opening of the womb, it never comes to the light of day? Or
should I be one to bring it to the birth, and then to have closed, viz., the womb, so that the word
of bringing forth should remain ineffectual, when all that is required is the last effort to bring to
the light the fruit of the womb?” From the expression “thy God,” we see that the questions are
addressed to Zion, whose faith they are intended to strengthen. According to Hofmann
(Schriftbeweis, ii. 1, 149, 150), the future ‫ר‬ ַ‫ּאמ‬‫י‬ affirms what Jehovah will say, when the time for
bringing forth arrives, and the perfect ‫ר‬ ַ‫מ‬ፎ what He is saying now: “Should I who create the
bringing forth have shut up?” And He comforts the now barren daughter Zion (Isa_54:1) with
the assurance, that her barrenness is not meant to continue for ever. “The prediction,” says

53. Hofmann, “which is contained in ‫ה‬ ‫,יאמר‬ of the ultimate issue of the fate of Zion, is so far
connected with the consolation administered for the time present, that she who is barren now is
exhorted to anticipate the time when the former promise shall be fulfilled.” But this change in
the standpoint is artificial, and contrary to the general use of the expression ‫ה‬ ‫יאמר‬ elsewhere
(see at Isa_40:1). Moreover, the meaning of the two clauses, which constitute here as elsewhere
a disjunctive double question in form more than in sense, really runs into one. The first member
affirms that Jehovah will complete the bringing to the birth; the second, that He will not
ultimately frustrate what He has almost brought to completion: an ego sum is qui parere faciat
et (uterum) occluserim (occludam)? There is no other difference between ‫יאמר‬ and ‫,אמר‬ than
that the former signifies the word of God which is sounding at the present moment, the latter
the word that has been uttered and is resounding still. The prophetic announcement of our
prophet has advanced so far, that the promised future is before the door. The church of the
future is already like the fruit of the body ripe for the birth, and about to separate itself from the
womb of Zion, which has been barren until now. The God by whom everything has been already
so far prepared, will suddenly cause Zion to become a mother - a boy, viz., a whole people after
Jehovah's own heart, will suddenly lie in her lap, and this new-born Israel, not the corrupt mass,
will build a temple for Jehovah.
7. BI, “The new Israel
The predictive message of our prophet is now so far advanced that the future promised is at the
door; the Church of the future is already like a child ripe for birth, and about to separate from
the womb of Zion hitherto barren.
The God, who has already prepared everything so far, will suddenly make Zion a mother; a man-
child, i.e a whole nation after Jehovah’s heart, will suddenly lie in her lap; and this new-born
Israel, not the corrupt mass, will build Jehovah a Temple. (F. Delitzsch, D. D.)
The birth of the Gentile Church
It is perfectly sufficient to understand the parturition as a figure for the whole eventful crisis of
the change of dispensations, and the consequent change in the condition of the Church. This
indestructible ideal person, when she might have seemed to be reduced to nothing by the
defection of the natural Israel, is vastly and suddenly augmented by the introduction of the
Gentiles, a succession of events which is here most appropriately represented as the birth of a
male child without the pains of child-birth. (J. A. Alexander.)
The birth of the Christian Church
The children born to Christ were so numerous, and so suddenly and easily produced, that they
were rather like the dew from the morning’s womb than like the son from the mother’s womb
(Psalm Exo_3:1-22). (M. Henry.)

54. 8. CALVIN, “7.Before she travailed, she brought forth. Having formerly comforted believers, that they
might not be discouraged by the insolence and contempt of brethren, whom he would at length punish,
and having thus commanded them to wait for the coming of the Lord with a steady and resolute heart, the
Lord at the same time adds, that he will punish them in such a manner that, by their destruction, he will
provide for the safety of believers. Nor does he speak of one or two men, but of the whole Church, which
he compares to a woman. The same metaphor has already been sometimes employed by him; for God
chiefly aims at gathering us into one body, that we may have in it a testimony of our adoption, and may
acknowledge him to be a father, and may be nourished in the womb of the Church as our mother. This
metaphor of a mother is therefore highly appropriate. It means that the Church shall be restored in such a
manner that she shall obtain a large and numerous offspring, though she appear for a time to be childless
and barren.
Before her pain came upon her. He repeats the same statement which he has already employed on other
occasions; but he expresses something more, namely, that this work of God shall be sudden and
unexpected; for he guards believers against carnal views, that they may not judge of the restoration of the
Church according to their own opinion. Women carry a child in the womb for nine months, and at length
give birth to it with great pain. But the Lord has a very different manner of bringing forth children; for he
says that he will cause the child to see the light, before it be possible to perceive or discern it by any
feeling of pain. On this account he likewise claims the whole praise for himself, because a miracle sets
aside the industry of men.
She brought forth a male. He expressly mentions “ male,” in order to describe the manly and courageous
heart of these children; for he means that they shall be a noble offspring, and not soft or effeminate. In
like manner we know that believers are regenerated by the Spirit of Christ, that they may finish, with
unshaken fortitude, the course of their warfare; and in this sense Paul says that they “ not the spirit of
timidity.” (Rom_8:15.)
8
Who has ever heard of such things?
Who has ever seen things like this?
Can a country be born in a day
or a nation be brought forth in a moment?

55. Yet no sooner is Zion in labor
than she gives birth to her children.
1.BARNES, “Who hath heard such a thing? - Of a birth so sudden. Usually in childbirth
there are the pains of protracted parturition. The earth brings forth its productions gradually
and slowly. Nations rise by degrees, and are long in coming to maturity. But here is such an
event as if the earth should in a day be covered with a luxurious vegetation, or as if a nation
should spring at once into being. The increase in the church would be as great and wonderful as
if these changes were to occur in a moment.
Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? - That is, to produce its grass, and
flowers, and fruit, and trees. The idea is, that it usually requires much longer time for it to
mature its productions. The germ does not start forth at once; the flower, the fruit, the yellow
harvest, and the lofty tree are not produced in a moment. Months and years are required before
the earth would be covered with its luxuriant and beautiful productions But here would be an
event as remarkable as if the earth should bring forth its productions in a single day.
Or shall a nation be born at once? - Such an event never has occurred. A nation is
brought into existence by degrees. Its institutions are matured gradually, and usually by the long
process of years. But here is an event as remarkable as if a whole nation should be born at once,
and stand before the world, mature in its laws, its civil institutions, and in all that constitutes
greatness. In looking for the fulfillment of this, we naturally turn the attention to the rapid
progress of the gospel in the times of the apostles, when events occurred as sudden and as
remarkable as if the earth, after the desolation of winter or of a drought, should be covered with
rich luxuriance in a day, or as if a whole nation should start into existence, mature in all its
institutions, in a moment. But there is no reason for limiting it to that time. Similar sudden
changes are to be expected still on the earth; and I see no reason why this should not be applied
to the spread of the gospel in pagan lands, and why we should not yet look for the rapid
propagation of Christianity in a manner as surprising and wonderful as would be such an
instantaneous change in the appearance of the earth, or such a sudden birth of a kingdom.
2. CLARKE, “Who hath seen “And who hath seen” - Twenty MSS., (four ancient), of
Kennicott’s, and twenty-nine of De Rossi’s, and two ancient of my own, and the two oldest
editions, with two others, have ‫ומי‬ umi, adding the conjunction ‫ו‬ vau; and so read all the ancient
versions. And who hath seen?
3. GILL, “Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things?.... Such
numerous conversions, as after related; suggesting that they were wonderful and surprising,
unheard of, what had never been seen in the world before, and which were amazing and
astonishing to the church herself; see Isa_49:21,
shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? as if it was said the thing about to be
related was as wonderful as if all the women in the world should bring forth their children in one
day, or bring forth as many at once as would fill the whole earth; or as surprising as if the earth

56. should all at once send out its herbs, plants, and trees, as it did on the third day of the creation,
Gen_1:11 which now gradually spring up, some in one month, and some in another, and some
are months in their production:
or shall a nation be born at once? was ever such a thing heard of? yet this will be the case of
the Jews in the latter day, when they shall be all converted and saved; and which shall be done
suddenly and at once; see Hos_1:10, of which the conversion of them, in the first times of the
Gospel, was an earnest and pledge, when three thousand were convinced, converted, and
regenerated, in one day, under one sermon; and at another time, under the word, two thousand,
if not five thousand: thus Christ had,
from the womb of the morning, or at the first break of the Gospel day, "the dew of his
youth", or numbers of souls born again to him, like the drops of the morning dew; see Act_2:41,
for as soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her children; this shows that the
preceding verse must be understood of some travail and pain, though comparatively little, and
so soon over, that it was as if none; and this is to be understood of the pains which Gospel
ministers take in preaching the word, which is the means of regeneration, and they the
instruments of it; and so are called fathers, who through the Gospel beget souls to Christ; and of
their anxious concern for the conversion of sinners, and the formation of Christ in them, which
is called a travailing in birth; see 1Pe_1:23, Rom_8:22 and it may also design the earnest
prayers of the church and its members, striving and wrestling with God, being importunate with
him, that the word preached might be useful for the good of souls; and particularly their earnest
and fervent prayers for the conversion of the Jews, which will soon be brought about, when a
spirit of grace and supplication is not only poured on them, but upon the saints in general, to
pray fervently and earnestly for it.
4. HENRY , “Let them know that God will set up a church for himself in the world, which
shall be abundantly replenished in a little time (Isa_66:7): Before she travailed she brought
forth. This is to be applied in the type to the deliverance of the Jews out of their captivity in
Babylon, which was brought about very easily and silently, without any pain or struggle, such as
was when they were brought out of Egypt; that was done by might and power (Deu_4:34), but
this by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, Zec_4:6. The man-child of the deliverance is rejoiced in,
and yet the mother was never in labour for it; before her pain came she was delivered. This is
altogether surprising, uncommon, and without precedent, unless in the story which the
Egyptian midwives told of the Hebrew women (Exo_1:19), that they were lively and were
delivered ere the midwives came in unto them. But shall the earth be made to bring forth her
fruits in one day? No, it is the work of some weeks in the spring to renew the face of the earth
and cover it with its products. Some read this to the same purport with the next clause, Shall a
land be brought forth in one day, or shall a nation be born at once? Is it to be imagined that a
woman at one birth should bring children sufficient to people a country and that they should in
an instant grow up to maturity? No; something like this was done in the creation; but God has
since rested from all such works, and leaves second causes to produce their effects gradually.
Nihil facit per saltum - He does nothing abruptly. Yet, in this case, as soon as Zion travailed
she brought forth. Cyrus's proclamation was no sooner issued out than the captives were formed
into a body and were ready to make the best of their way to their own land. And the reason is
given (Isa_66:9), because it is the Lord's doing; he undertakes it whose work is perfect. If he
bring to the birth in preparing his people for deliverance, he will cause to bring forth in the
accomplishment of the deliverance. When every thing is ripe and ready for their release, and the
number of their months is accomplished, so that the children are brought to the birth, shall not

57. I then give strength to bring forth, but leave mother and babe to perish together in the most
miserable case? How will this agree with the divine pity? Shall I begin a work and not go
through with it? How will that agree with the divine power and perfection? Am I he that causes
to bring forth (so the following clause may be read) and shall I restrain her? Does God cause
mankind, and all the species of living creatures, to propagate, and replenish the earth, and will
he restrain Zion? Will he not make her fruitful in a blessed offspring to replenish the church?
Or, Am I he that begat, and should I restrain from bringing forth? Did God beget the
deliverance in his purpose and promise, and will he not bring it forth in the accomplishment and
performance of it? But this was a figure of the setting up of the Christian church in the world,
and the replenishing of that family with children which was to be named from Jesus Christ.
When the Spirit was poured out, and the gospel went forth from Zion, multitudes were
converted in a little time and with little pains compared with the vast product. The apostles,
even before they travailed, brought forth, and the children born to Christ were so numerous, and
so suddenly and easily produced, that they were rather like the dew from the morning's womb
than like the son from the mother's womb, Psa_110:3. The success of the gospel was
astonishing; that light, like the morning, strangely diffused itself till it took hold even of the ends
of the earth. Cities and nations were born at once to Christ. The same day that the Spirit was
poured out there were 3000 souls added to the church. And, when this glorious work was once
begun, it was carried on wonderfully, beyond what could be imagined, so mightily grew the
word of God and prevailed. He that brought to the birth in conviction of sin caused to bring
forth in a thorough conversion to God.
5. JAMISON, “earth — rather, to suit the parallelism, “is a country (put for the people in it)
brought forth in one day?” [Lowth]. In English Version it means, The earth brings forth its
productions gradually, not in one day (Mar_4:28).
at once — In this case, contrary to the usual growth of the nations by degrees, Israel starts
into maturity at once.
for — rather, “is a nation born at once, that Zion has, so soon as she travailed, brought forth?”
[Maurer].
6. K&D, “All of these fall victims to the judgment; and yet Zion is not left either childless or
without population. “Before she travailed she brought forth; before pains came upon her, she
was delivered of a boy. Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen anything like it? Are men
delivered of a land in one day? or is a nation begotten at once? For Zion hath travailed, yea,
hath brought forth her children. Should I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith
Jehovah: or should I, who cause to bring forth, shut it? saith thy God.” Before Zion travaileth,
before any labour pains come upon her (chebhel with tzere), she has already given birth, or
brought with ease into the world a male child (hı̄mlit like millet, in Isa_34:15, to cause to glide
out). This boy, of whom she is delivered with such marvellous rapidity, is a whole land full of
men, an entire nation. The seer exclaims with amazement, like Zion herself in Isa_49:21, “who
hath heard such a thing, or seen anything like it? is a land brought to the birth (hayuchal
followed by 'erets for hathuchal, as in Gen_13:6; Isa_9:18; Ges. §147), i.e., the population of a
whole land (as in Jdg_18:30), and that in one day, or a nation born all at once (yivvaled, with
munach attached to the kametz, and metheg to the tzere)? This unheard-of event has taken

58. place now, for Zion has travailed, yea, has also brought forth her children,” - not one child, but
her children, a whole people that calls her mother.
(Note: There is a certain similarity in the saying, with which a talmudic teacher roused up
the sleepy scholars of the Beth ha-Midrash: “There was once a woman, who was delivered of
600,000 children in one day,” viz., Jochebed, who, when she gave birth to Moses, brought
600,000 to the light of freedom (Exo_12:37).)
“For” (kı̄) presupposes the suppressed thought, that this unexampled event has now occurred: ya
le
dah follows chalah with gam, because chı̄l signifies strictly parturire; yal, parere. Zion, the
mother, is no other than the woman of the sun in Rev 12; but the child born of her there is the
shepherd of the nations, who proceeds from her at the end of the days, whereas here it is the
new Israel of the last days; for the church, which is saved through all her tribulations, is both the
mother of the Lord, by whom Babel is overthrown, and the mother of that Israel which inherits
the promises, that the unbelieving mass have failed to obtain. Isa_66:9 follows with an emphatic
confirmation of the things promised. Jehovah inquires: “Should I create the delivery (cause the
child to break through the matrix) and not the birth (both hiphil, causative), so that although the
child makes an effort to pass the opening of the womb, it never comes to the light of day? Or
should I be one to bring it to the birth, and then to have closed, viz., the womb, so that the word
of bringing forth should remain ineffectual, when all that is required is the last effort to bring to
the light the fruit of the womb?” From the expression “thy God,” we see that the questions are
addressed to Zion, whose faith they are intended to strengthen. According to Hofmann
(Schriftbeweis, ii. 1, 149, 150), the future ‫ר‬ ַ‫ּאמ‬‫י‬ affirms what Jehovah will say, when the time for
bringing forth arrives, and the perfect ‫ר‬ ַ‫מ‬ፎ what He is saying now: “Should I who create the
bringing forth have shut up?” And He comforts the now barren daughter Zion (Isa_54:1) with
the assurance, that her barrenness is not meant to continue for ever. “The prediction,” says
Hofmann, “which is contained in ‫ה‬ ‫,יאמר‬ of the ultimate issue of the fate of Zion, is so far
connected with the consolation administered for the time present, that she who is barren now is
exhorted to anticipate the time when the former promise shall be fulfilled.” But this change in
the standpoint is artificial, and contrary to the general use of the expression ‫ה‬ ‫יאמר‬ elsewhere
(see at Isa_40:1). Moreover, the meaning of the two clauses, which constitute here as elsewhere
a disjunctive double question in form more than in sense, really runs into one. The first member
affirms that Jehovah will complete the bringing to the birth; the second, that He will not
ultimately frustrate what He has almost brought to completion: an ego sum is qui parere faciat
et (uterum) occluserim (occludam)? There is no other difference between ‫יאמר‬ and ‫,אמר‬ than
that the former signifies the word of God which is sounding at the present moment, the latter
the word that has been uttered and is resounding still. The prophetic announcement of our
prophet has advanced so far, that the promised future is before the door. The church of the
future is already like the fruit of the body ripe for the birth, and about to separate itself from the
womb of Zion, which has been barren until now. The God by whom everything has been already
so far prepared, will suddenly cause Zion to become a mother - a boy, viz., a whole people after
Jehovah's own heart, will suddenly lie in her lap, and this new-born Israel, not the corrupt mass,
will build a temple for Jehovah.
7. CALVIN, “8.Who hath heard such a thing? He extols the greatness of the thing of which he has
spoken; for he means that there shall be a wonderful and “ of” restoration of the Church; so that believers

59. shall not judge of it from the order of nature, but from the grace of God; for when men reflect upon it: they
think that it is like a dream, as the Psalmist says. (Psa_126:1.) He does not mean that the Church shall
be restored perfectly and in a moment; for the advancement of this restoration is great and long-
continued, and is even slow in the estimation of the flesh; but he shews that even the beginning of it
exceeds all the capacity of the human understanding. And yet he does not speak hyperbolically; for we
often see that the Church brings forth, which previously did not appear to be pregnant. Nay more, when
she is thought to be barren, she is rendered fruitful by the preaching of the gospel; so that we greatly
admire the event, when it has happened, which formerly we reckoned to be altogether incredible.
These things were fulfilled in some measure, when the people returned from Babylon; but a far brighter
testimony was given in the gospel, by the publication of which a diversified and numerous offspring was
immediately brought forth. In our own times, have we not seen the fulfillment of this prophecy? How many
children has the Church brought forth during the last thirty years, in which the gospel has been preached?
Has not the Lord his people, at the present day, in vast numbers, throughout the whole world? Nothing,
therefore, has been here foretold that is not clearly seen.
Shall a nation be born at once? He illustrates the glory of the miracle by a metaphor. No “” ever came into
the world in an instant; for it is by degrees that men assemble, and grow in number, and spread their
nation. But the case is very different with the Church, which all at once, and in more than one place,
brings forth a vast number of children. It amounts to this, that God, in a wonderful manner, will cause
innumerable children of the Church, in an extraordinary manner, to be born all at once and suddenly.
Shall a land be brought forth in one day? The word ‫,ארף‬ (eretz,) “ land,” may be taken either for any
country, or for its inhabitants.
9
Do I bring to the moment of birth
and not give delivery?” says the LORD.
“Do I close up the womb
when I bring to delivery?” says your God.

60. 1.BARNES, “Shall I bring to the birth? - The sense of this verse is plain. It is, that God
would certainly accomplish what he had here predicted, and for which he had made ample
arrangements and preparations. He would not commence the work, and then abandon it. The
figure which is used here is obvious; but one which does not render very ample illustration
proper. Jarchi has well expressed it: ‘Num ego adducerem uxorem meam ad sellam partus, sc.
ad partitudinem, et non aperirem uterum ejus, ut foetum suum in lucem produceret? Quasi
diceret; an ego incipiam rem nec possim eam perficere?’
Shall I cause to bring forth? - Lowth and Noyes render this, ‘Shall I, who begat, restrain
the birth?’ This accurately expresses the idea. The meaning of the whole is, that God designed
the great and sudden increase of his church; that the plan was long laid; and that, having done
this, he would not abandon it, but would certainly effect his designs.
2. CLARKE, “Shall I bring to the birth - ‫האני‬‫אשביר‬ haani ashbir, num ego matricem
frangam; Montanus. The word means that which immediately precedes the appearance of the
fetus - the breaking forth of the liquor amnii. This also is an expression that should be
studiously avoided in prayers and sermons.
3. GILL, “Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth, saith the Lord?....
Or, "to the place of breaking" forth of children, as in Hos_13:13, the womb, and the mouth of it:
or, "shall I break or open" that, so some (s) render it; lest too much should or seem to be
attributed to the Church, she being said to travail in birth, and bring forth children, this is said
by the Lord. The church may pray, and her ministers preach, and both be said to travail in birth,
but it is the Lord that brings to it; regeneration is not the work of man, but of God; it is he that
beget, again, quickens, renews, and sanctifies; it is he that begins the work of grace in
regeneration, in real and thorough convictions of sin; which are right when men are convinced
of the impurity of their nature, the exceeding sinfulness of sin, have a godly sorrow for it, and
forsake it: the work is begun when souls feel the burden of sin; the inward struggling, of grace
and corruption; a want of spiritual food, and hunger after it; desires after spiritual things, and a
glowing love and affection for them; and when light is infused, faith, fear, and love produced,
and every other grace implanted; and he that has begun the good work will perform it; as Jarchi
rightly gives the sense of the clause,
"shall I begin a thing, and not be able to finish it?''
no, he is a rock, and his work is perfect, as in creation and redemption, so in regeneration and
conversion; as may be concluded, from his power to effect it, and his promise to do it; the grace
of Christ, and the indwelling of the Spirit; the impotency of everything to hinder it, and the glory
of the three divine Persons concerned in it. As in the natural birth it is he that gives strength to
conceive, forms the embryo in the womb, ripens it for the birth, and takes the child out of its
mother's womb; so he does all that answers hereunto in the spiritual birth.
Shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb, saith thy God? no, I will not. As God
has regenerated many souls in the first times of the Gospel, and many more since, in various
nations, in each of the ages and periods of time; so he has not ceased, nor will he cease from this
work, until all his elect are born again; for everyone that is chosen of the Father, given to the

61. Son, taken into covenant, and redeemed by his blood, shall be begotten again to a lively hope of
a glorious inheritance; God will not shut the womb of conversion until they are all brought to
faith in Christ, and repentance towards God. He will beget many more sons and daughters; and
he will cause the fulness of the Gentiles to be brought forth and brought in, and convert his
ancient people the Jews; all his promises shall be performed, and all prophecies relating to these
things shall be accomplished.
4. WHEDON, “8, 9. Sworn by hand arm — Possibly in answer to the foregoing provided-for
intercessions, Jehovah swears by “hand” and “arm” — symbols of strength — pledging infinite power to
fulfil his promise.
Possibly this wrought an effect which may be paraphrased as follows: “As I am the eternal Jehovah, I
never more will suffer Zion’s enemies, near or far, home or foreign, within or without, to plunder or cut off
her supplies of corn and wine, both of which herself alone shall forever enjoy in the spirit of praise in
the courts of my holiness.” Enemies, abroad or near at hand, may here represent Zion’s moral foes or
hinderances, within or without; and “corn” and “wine” are symbols of abounding spiritual sustenance and
joy.
5. JAMISON, “cause to bring forth, and shut — rather, “Shall I who beget, restrain the
birth?” [Lowth], (Isa_37:3; Hos_13:13); that is, Shall I who have begun, not finish My work of
restoring Israel? (1Sa_3:12; Rom_11:1; Phi_1:6).
shut — (compare Rev_3:7, Rev_3:8).
6. CALVIN, “9.Do I bring to the birth? As in the preceding verse he extolled in lofty terms the work of
God, so he now shews that it ought not to be thought incredible, and that we ought not to doubt of his
power, which surpasses all the order of nature; for, if we consider who it is that speaks, and how easy it is
for him to perform what he has promised, we shall not remain in such uncertainty as not instantly to
recollect that the renewal of the world is in the hand of him, who would have no difficulty in creating a
hundred worlds in a moment. A little before, by a burst of astonishment, he intended to magnify the
greatness of the work. But now, lest the minds of good men should be perplexed or embarrassed, he
exhorts them to consider his strength; and, in order that he may more fully convince them that nothing is
so difficult in the eyes of men as not to be in his power and easily performed by him, he brings forward
those things which we see every day; for in a woman’ bringing forth a child we see clearly his wonderful
power. Shall not the Lord manifest himself to be far more wonderful in enlarging and multiplying the
Church, which is the principal theater of his glory? It is therefore exceedingly wicked to limit his strength,
by believing that he is less powerful, when he shall choose to act directly and by openly stretching out his
hand, than when he acts by natural means.

62. 10
“Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice greatly with her,
all you who mourn over her.
1.BARNES, “Rejoice ye with Jerusalem - The idea which is presented in this verse is,
that it is the duty of all who love Zion to sympathize in her joys. It is one evidence of piety to
rejoice in her joy; and they who have no true joy when God pours down his Spirit, and, in a
revival of religion, produces changes as sudden and transforming as if the earth were suddenly
to pass from the desolation of winter to the verdure and bloom of summer; or when the gospel
makes rapid advances in the pagan world, have no true evidence that they love God or his cause.
Such scenes awaken deep interest in the bosoms of angels, and in the bosom of God the Saviour;
and they who love that God and Saviour will rejoice in such scenes, and will mingle their joys
and thanksgivings with the joys and thanksgivings of those who are thus converted and saved.
All ye that mourn for her - That sympathize in her sorrows, and that mourn over her
desolations.
2. CHARLES SIMEON, “GOD DELIGHTS TO COMFORT HIS PEOPLE
Isa_66:10-13. Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with
her, all ye that mourn for her: that ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that
ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will
extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye
shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. As one whom his mother comforteth, so
will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
IT is the peculiar character of the Lord’s people, that they enter into the concerns of the Church, rejoicing
in her prosperity, and lamenting whatever tends to her dishonour. For both these exercises of mind there
is occasion in every place and in every age. If but one soul be added to the Church, it is a ground of joy
even to the angels in heaven, and much more to those whose hands are strengthened by every such
accession: on the other hand, the low state of the Church must of necessity fill every pious soul with grief
and shame. But there is a time approaching, when the grounds of joy will greatly preponderate, when
there will be a vast increase of glory to the Church, when innumerable multitudes both of Jews and
Gentiles shall flock to her standard, and “her peace shall flow down like a river.” It is of this period that the

63. prophet is speaking, both in this and the preceding chapter: and so sudden will be its arrival, that it will
seem as if “a nation were born in a day.” To this period we should look forward with joy: and whatever
occasions there may be for sorrow, on account of existing circumstances, the prospect of such a glorious
event should fill us with heavenly consolation.
That we may enter more fully into the exhortation in our text, we shall set before you,
I. A general view of the consolations which God has prepared for his people—
God delights in the character of a comforter: he calls himself “The Comforter of all them that are cast
down:” yea, each person of the ever-blessed Trinity is expressly designated by this title: “The God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort [Note: 2Co_1:3.]:” The
Lord Jesus is “the Consolation of Israel [Note: Luk_2:25.]:” and the Holy Spirit is yet more particularly
made known to us as “The Comforter, (that other Comforter,) whom the Father will send to us in Christ’s
name [Note: Joh_14:16; Joh_14:26.].” And well is God set forth under this character, since he has
prepared most abundant and “everlasting consolation” for us,
1. In the work and offices of his Son—
[What is there which fallen man can want, that is not treasured up for us in the Lord Jesus Christ? Are we
ignorant, guilty, polluted, and enslaved? “Christ is of God made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption [Note: 1Co_1:30.]:” he is a Priest, on purpose to make atonement for us;
a Prophet, on purpose to teach us by his word and Spirit; a King, on purpose that he may rule over us
and in us. In a word, there is “all fulness treasured up in Him [Note: Col_1:19.],” in order that we may
“receive out of His fulness grace for grace [Note: Joh_1:16.].” Hence the Apostle, assuming it as an
obvious and acknowledged truth, urges it as a motive to universal love; “If there be any consolation in
Christ, fulfil ye my joy,” being all in perfect unity with each other [Note: Php_2:1-2.].]
2. In the fulness and stability of his covenant—
[The “everlasting covenant,” which from all eternity was made between the Father and the Son, was
“ordered in all things and sure [Note: 2Sa_23:5.].” There is not any thing we desire, but there is the most
abundant provision made for it by many and repeated promises, all of which he has confirmed to us by
the most solemn oath. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth! Jehovah covenants; Jehovah swears!
And wherefore does he so condescend to the infirmities of men? Is it to guard against a versatility of mind
on his part? No; but to comfort us under our fears of his displeasure: “being willing more abundantly to

64. shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, he confirmed it with an oath, that by two
immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have
fled for refuge, to lay hold of the hope set before us [Note: Heb_6:17-18.].”]
3. In the richness and variety of his ordinances—
[God does not merely permit us to approach him, but has commanded us to come to his footstool, and to
make known to him our requests in every possible situation and circumstance of life. He has appointed
ordinances, public, private, social, assuring us, that, if we “draw nigh to him, he will draw nigh to us,” and
“do exceeding abundantly for us above all that we can ask or think.” These ordinances are beautifully
represented in our text as “breasts of consolation, which we may suck and be satisfied with, yea, from
which we may milk out and be delighted with an abundance of glory.” And here let me ask the people of
the Lord, Whether God has not “spread for them, as for his people of old, a table in the wilderness;” and
abundantly blessed to them the provisions of his house? whether “their weary souls have not been
satiated, and their sorrowful souls replenished?” whether in these seasons “light has not often arisen to
them in obscurity, and their darkness been made as the noon day?” and especially, whether at the table
of the Lord, when they have been feeding on the body and blood of their crucified Saviour, they have not
often found “his body to be bread indeed, and his blood to be drink indeed?” Yes; in reading his word, and
in communion with him, the soul enjoys a feast of fat things, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the
lees well refined [Note: Isa_25:6.];” and those who have most frequented “his banqueting house,” have
most found “his banner over them to be love [Note: Son_2:3-4.].”]
4. In the gifts and trials of his Ministers—
[Various are the gifts with which the Lord endows his servants [Note: 1Co_12:8-11.], that he may thereby
adapt his word to the necessities of all [Note: Eph_4:11-13.]: and the particular commission which he
gives to every one of them is, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people; speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem
[Note: Isa_40:1-2.]: “Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees, and say to them that
are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not; your God will come and save you [Note: Isa_35:3-4. See also,
particularly in this view, Isa_61:1-3.].” He chooses to apeak to us by men, rather than by angels; because
they, by their own experience of the bitterness of sin and of the consolations of the Gospel, are able to
testily of “the things which they have heard, and seen, and handled [Note: 1Jn_1:1.];” and can speak with
tenderness and compassion to others, from a sense of their own great and manifold infirmities
[Note: Heb_5:1-2.]. It usually happens, too, that those ministers who are made most useful to the Church
of God have themselves been brought into deep waters, and been subjected to many trials; God “giving
them thereby the tongue of the learned,” and qualifying them to “speak a word in season” to persons in all

65. the varied circumstances of life [Note: Isa_50:4.]. To this St. Paul ascribes both the trials and consolations
which had so greatly abounded in his experience: “God,” says he, “comforteth us in all our tribulations,
that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble with the same comfort wherewith we
ourselves are comforted of God. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; or
whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation [Note: 2Co_1:4-6. This passage is
worthy of very particular attention, specially in the view in which it is here adduced.].”]
But, if we would justly appreciate the consolations prepared for us, let us take,
II. A more particular view of them, as represented in the image before us—
The images in the Holy Scriptures have this distinguished excellence, that they bring home to the
comprehension and the feelings of every man truths which are at once the most exalted and most
interesting that can be presented to our view. It is quite erroneous to suppose, that, because an image is
common, it is therefore unfit to be a vehicle of Divine truth; we should rather say, it is therefore the most
proper for illustrating such things as are analogous to it. The idea of a little infant sucking at his mother’s
breast, and borne in her arms, on her side, or dandled on her knees, may seem unworthy to express the
love of Jehovah towards his people; yet will we assert, that the whole creation does not present an image
that will more adequately convey this sentiment to our minds. It suggests to us,
1. His attention to our wants—
[How great and manifold are the wants of a little child; no one of which he himself is able to supply! but
his mother provides for every one of them, and anticipates them even before he is brought into the world.
In like manner, the number of our wants is only equalled by the extent of our helplenness: we are not of
ourselves able to do any thing good, nor “to speak a good word,” no, nor even “to think a good thought.”
But our God has promised “to supply all our wants, according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus
[Note: Php_4:19.].” “He knoweth what things we have need of before we ask him;” and he has engaged,
that, “though the lions may lack and suffer hunger, they who fear him shall want no manner of thing that is
good:” he will give them “grace to help them in every time of need,” and “his grace shall be sufficient for
them.”]
2. His sympathy with us in our troubles—
[Through diseases of various kinds, and accidents almost innumerable, the days of infancy afford much
scope fur the exercise of parental tenderness and affection. And where is the mother whose bowels have

66. not frequently yearned over her afflicted offspring? How has the sudden cry of her infant pierced her soul,
even as with a sword! Yet is this but a very faint image of the tenderness and compassion of our God. In
reference to his people of old, it is said, “His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel [Note: Jdg_10:16.];”
and “in all their afflictions he was afflicted [Note: Isa_63:9.].” So now, if any presume to injure them, God
says, “He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of mine eye [Note: Zec_2:8.].” Our Divine Master
identifies himself with his people, and regards every thing that is done to them, whether good or evil, as
done unto himself: if they be persecuted, it is he that is smitten [Note: Act_9:4.]; or if they have kindness
ministered unto them, it is he that is relieved [Note: Mat_25:45.]. One member of the body does not more
participate the feelings of the rest, than he does the trials and troubles of his redeemed people: indeed,
he submitted to be “made in all things like unto them, on purpose that he might, as our faithful and
compassionate High Priest,” be stimulated, as it were, from his own experience, to pity and relieve his
tempted people [Note: Heb_2:17-18; Heb_4:15.].]
3. His forbearance towards us in our perverseness—
[Few things perhaps are more trying to the temper than the untowardness of a perverse child: it requires
all the love of a parent to support it, when it is great and of long continuance. But what parent ever had to
endure a thousandth part of the perverseness which our God has seen in us; seen too in the midst of all
his kindness? No one can read the history of Israel in the wilderness without being amazed at the
multitude of their provocations, and at the patience with which “God suffered their manners forty years:”
yet this is a just representation of human nature, in every place, and every age. Of the very best amongst
us it may he said, that “he falleth seven times a day:” yea, “in many things we offend all.” But God “does
not deal with us after our sins, nor reward us according to our iniquities:” on the contrary, “he spareth,
when we deserve punishment;” “he keepeth mercy for thousands,” who, alas! would soon cast it away;
“he forgiveth iniquity, transgression, and sin;” and, if constrained to chasten us with the rod, he “does not
suffer his whole displeasure to arise,” but chastises in mercy only, and “does not utterly take away his
loving-kindness from us.”]
4. His affectionate endearments—
[It is well known with what delight a mother will “bear her” infant in her arms, and “dandle him on her
knees:” and it should seem as if this were an extravagant representation of the Saviour’s love to us: but
he “bare his people, and carried them all the days of old:” even “as an eagle beareth on her wings” her
unfledged offspring, so does he now “carry the lambs in his bosom, and gently lead them that are with
young.” It is, if we may so speak, a delight to him to “manifest himself to them” in the most endearing
manner; to “lift up the light of his countenance upon them;” to “kiss them with the kisses of his lips,” and to

67. “shed abroad his love in their hearts by the Holy Ghost.” He accounts them “his jewels,” and “his peculiar
treasure;” and “rejoices over them, to do them good” in every possible way. Not all the endearments of
the tenderest mother can exceed the exercises of his mind towards us, as described by an inspired
prophet: “The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty: he will save: he will rejoice over thee with joy:he
will rest in his love: he will joy over thee with singing [Note: Zep_3:17.].”]
Address—
1. Those who are strangers to our Jerusalem—
[It is generally thought amongst you, that there is no happiness in religion. But, I would ask, Where else is
it to be found? You may go and watch for it through the whole creation in vain: “The depth saith, It is not
in me; and the sea saith, It is not in me. It cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the
price thereof [Note: Job_28:14-15.]:” it is in Christ only that the nations of the earth either are, or can be,
blessed. If it be said, that religion has its peculiar trials; we acknowledge readily, that it has: but if it bring
trials, it affords comforts also to counterbalance them: indeed the very word “comfort” necessarily implies
in it somewhat of previous pain or trouble. Sorrow for sin, the mortification of our in-dwelling corruptions,
the enduring of contempt and reproach for Christ’s sake, may all be considered as painful in themselves;
but none ever took “this yoke” upon them, without finding it, after a season, both “light and easy;” and
being enabled at last to take pleasure, and to glory, in those very trials, which appear so formidable to
unenlightened men [Note: 2Co_12:9-10.]. But if you wish to be happy and yet hold fast your sins, that is
impossible: as the tenderest mother in the universe cannot make her child happy, whilst he is under the
influence of perverse and wicked dispositions, so neither can God himself make you happy, whilst you
are living in disobedience to any one of his commands. There must of necessity be a difference between
a duteous and a disobedient child: to the one a wise mother will impart many testimonies of her regard,
which she is constrained to withhold from the other. So it is with God: he manifests himself to his faithful
people as he does not unto the world: and if we would but walk before him as obedient children, he would
give us a foretaste of heaven itself, in the light of his countenance, and in the tokens of his love. Were this
duly considered, we should no longer be content to live as “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,” but
should seek to become “fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.”]
2. Those who love and mourn for her—
[Your concern for the welfare of the Church is a hopeful evidence that you have received the word of God
in truth; for it is the characteristic mark of all true saints, that “they prefer Jerusalem above their chief joy.”
But, whilst you are concerned about the Church at large, you must not forget, that you yourselves

68. constitute a part of that Church, and that the other members of this great family will rejoice or mourn,
according as you walk worthy, or unworthy, of your high calling. The comfort of God’s children depends,
not only on the manifestations of his favour, but on the state of the Church around them. What tears did
David shed on account of those who kept not God’s law! and how did Paul feel, as it were, all the pangs
of travail renewed in his soul, when the misconduct of some in the Galatian Church caused him to stand
in doubt of them! On the other hand, no words could express the joy which John, the beloved disciple,
felt, “when he saw his children walk in truth.” Be watchful then over your whole spirit and conduct; and
see that they be such as become the Gospel of Christ. On this the honour of your heavenly Parent
depends: on this also depend the manifestations of his love to your souls. Only seek that God may be
glorified in you; and then shall thanksgivings abound towards him on your account: your own “peace also
shall flow down like a river,” und the prosperity of Zion be greatly increased.]
3. GILL, “Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her,.... The church; she bringing
forth so many spiritual children to Christ; just as, when a woman is delivered of a child, her
friends and neighbours congratulate her upon it, and rejoice with her on that account; as
Elisabeth's neighbours and relations did, at the birth of John the Baptist, Luk_1:57, so the
church's friends here are called together to rejoice with her, at the numerous birth and
conversion of souls in her, than which nothing is more joyful to the saints; see Luk_15:6,
all ye that love her; wish her well, and pray for her peace and prosperity; all that love God
love his church, the habitation of his house, the place where his honour dwells; all that love
Christ love her who is his spouse and bride, and purchased by his blood; all that love the word
and ordinances love the church where they are administered:
rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her; that had mourned for her, when
things went ill with her; these are they that mourn in Zion, and for Zion, because of the sins of
her professors; corruptions in doctrine, discipline, and worship; declensions in grace; want of
love to one another, and few instances of conversion: but now things being the reverse, and it
going well with her, they are called upon to rejoice exceedingly with her; for such is the
sympathizing spirit of the saints, that they rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them
that weep, Rom_12:15.
4. HENRY, “Let them know that their present sorrows shall shortly be turned into abundant
joys, Isa_66:10, Isa_66:11. Observe, 1. How the church's friends are described; they are such as
love her, and mourn with her and for her. Note, All that love God love Jerusalem; they love the
church of God, and lay its interest very near their heart. They admire the beauty of the church,
take pleasure in communion with it, and heartily espouse its cause. And those that have a
sincere affection for the church have a cordial sympathy with her in all the cares and sorrows of
her militant state. They mourn for her; all her grievances are their griefs; if Jerusalem be in
distress, their harps are hung on the willow-trees. 2. How they are encouraged: Rejoice with her,
and again and again I say, Rejoice. This intimates that Jerusalem shall have cause to rejoice; the
days of her mourning shall be at an end, and she shall be comforted according to the time that
she has been afflicted. It is the will of God that all her friends should join with her in her joys, for

69. they shall share with her in those blessings that will be the matter of her joy. If we suffer with
Christ and sorrow with his church, we shall reign with him and rejoice with her. We are here
called, (1.) To bear our part in the church's praises: “Come, rejoice with her, rejoice for joy with
her, rejoice greatly, rejoice and know why you rejoice, rejoice on the days appointed for public
thanksgiving. You that mourned for her in her sorrows cannot but from the same principle
rejoice with her in her joys.” (2.) To take our part in the church's comforts. We must suck and be
satisfied with the breasts of her consolation. The word of God, the covenant of grace (especially
the promises of that covenant), the ordinances of God, and all the opportunities of attending on
him and conversing with him, are the breasts, which the church calls and counts the breasts of
her consolations, where her comforts are laid up, and whence by faith and prayer they are
drawn. With her therefore we must suck from these breasts, by an application of the promises of
God to ourselves and a diligent attendance on his ordinances; and with the consolations which
are drawn hence we must be satisfied, and not be dissatisfied though we have ever so little of
earthly comforts. It is the glory of the church that she has the Lord for her God, that to her
pertain the adoption and the service of God; and with the abundance of this glory we must be
delighted. We must take more pleasure in our relation to God and communion with him than in
all the delights of the sons and daughters of men. Whatever is the glory of the church must be
our glory and joy, particularly her purity, unity, and increase.
5. JAMISON, “love ... mourn for her — (Psa_102:14, Psa_102:17, Psa_102:20;
Psa_122:6).
6. K&D, “In the anticipation of such a future, those who inwardly participate in the present
sufferings of Zion are to rejoice beforehand in the change of all their suffering into glory.
“Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and exult over her, all ye that love her; be ye delightfully glad with
her, all ye that mourn over her, that he may suck and be satisfied with the breast of her
consolations, that ye may sip and delight yourselves in the abundance of her glory.” Those who
love Jerusalem (the abode of the church, and the church itself), who mourn over her (hith'abbel,
inwardly mourn, 1Sa_15:35, prove and show themselves to be mourners and go into mourning,
b. Moëd katan 20b, the word generally used in prose, whereas ‫ל‬ ֵ‫ב‬ፎ, to be thrown into mourning,
to mourn, only occurs in the higher style; compare ‫וֹן‬ ִ‫צ‬ ‫י‬ ֵ‫ל‬ ֵ‫ב‬ ֲ‫,א‬ Isa_57:18; Isa_61:2-3; Isa_60:20),
these are even now to rejoice in spirit with Jerusalem and exult on her account (bah), and share
her ecstatic delight with her ('ittah), in order that when that in which they now rejoice in spirit
shall be fulfilled, they may suck and be satisfied, etc. Jerusalem is regarded as a mother, and the
rich actual consolation, which she receives (Isa_51:3), as the milk that enters her breasts (shod
as in Isa_60:16), and from which she now supplies her children with plentiful nourishment. ‫ז‬ִ‫,זי‬
which is parallel to ‫ּד‬‫שׁ‬ (not ‫ו‬ִ‫,זי‬ a reading which none of the ancients adopted), signifies a moving,
shaking abundance, which oscillates to and fro like a great mass of water, from ‫א‬ֵ‫אז‬ִ‫,ז‬ to move by
fits and starts, for pellere movere is the radical meaning common in such combinations of
letters as ‫,זא‬ ‫,זע‬ ‫,רא‬ Psa_42:5, to which Bernstein and Knobel have correctly traced the word;
whereas the meaning emicans fluxus (Schröder), or radians copia (Kocher), to pour out in the
form of rays, has nothing to sustain it in the usage of the language.

70. 7. CALVIN, “10.Rejoice ye with Jerusalem. He promises that they who formerly were sad and
melancholy shall have a joyful condition; for Isaiah has in view not his own age, but the time of the
captivity, during which believers continually groaned, and, overwhelmed with grief, almost despaired; and
therefore he exhorts and stimulates to joy all believers, who are moved by strong affection toward the
Church, and reckon nothing more desirable than her prosperity. In this way he instructs them that none
shall have a share in so valuable a blessing but they who are prompted by a godly love of the Church,
and desire to seek her deliverance, and that too when she is contemptible in the eyes of the world; as the
Psalmist says,
“ thy meek ones love her stones, and will have compassion on her dust.”
(Psa_102:14.)
And therefore he adds, —
All ye that mourn for her; for, since in the captivity there was frightful and shocking desolation, and there
appeared to be no longer any hope of safety, he arouses believers, and bids them be of good cheer, or at
least prepare themselves for joy. And this exhortation contains also a promise and something more, for a
bare promise would not have carried so much weight. But those statements must not be limited
exclusively to a single period; for we ought to abide by the general rule, of which we have often spoken
already, namely, that those promises must be extended from the return of the people down to the reign of
Christ, and to the full perfection of that reign.
11
For you will nurse and be satisfied
at her comforting breasts;
you will drink deeply
and delight in her overflowing abundance.”
1.BARNES, “That ye may suck - The same figure occurs in Isa_60:16; and substantidally
in Isa_49:23. See the note at those places.

71. That ye may milk out - The image is an obvious one. It means that they who sympathized
with Zion would be nourished by the same truth, and comforted with the same sources of
consolation.
And be delighted with the abundance of her glory - Margin, ‘Brightness.’ Lowth
renders this, ‘From her abundant stores.’ Noyes, ‘From the fullness of her glory.’ Jerome (the
Vulgate), ‘And that you may abound with delights from every kind of her glory.’ The Septuagint,
‘That sucking ye may be nourished from the commencement’ (Thompson); ‘or the entrance of
her glory’ (ᅊπᆵ εᅶσόδου δόξης αᆒτᇿς apo eisodou doxes autes). This variety of interpretation has
arisen from the uncertain meaning of the word ‫זיז‬ zı yz, rendered ‘abundance.’ Gesenius
supposes that it is derived from ‫זוּז‬ zuz, meaning:
1. To move;
2. To glance, to sparkle, to radiate, from the idea of rapid motion; hence, to flow out like rays,
to spout like milk; and hence, the noun ‫זיז‬ zı yz, means a breast.
This derivation may be regarded as somewhat fanciful; but it will show why the word
‘brightness’ was inserted in the margin, since one of the usual significations of the verb relates to
brightness, or to sparkling rays. Aquila renders it, ᅒπᆵ παντοδαπίας Apo pantodapias - ‘From
every kind of abundance.’ Symmachus, ᅒπᆵ πλήθους Apo plethou - ‘From the multitude.’ The
word probably refers to the abundance of the consolations which Zion possessed. Lowth
proposes to change the text; but without any authority. The Chaldee renders it, ‘That ye may
drink of the wine of her glory;’ where they probably read ‫יין‬ yayin (“wine”), instead of the present
reading.
Of her glory - The abundant favors or blessings conferred on Zion. The glory that should be
manifested to her would be the knowledge of divine truth, and the provisions made for the
salvation of people.
2. CLARKE, “With the abundance of her glory “From her abundant stores” - For
‫מזיז‬ mizziz, from the splendor, two MSS. and the old edition of 1488, have ‫מזיו‬ mizziv; and the
latter ‫ז‬ zain is upon a rasure in three other MSS. It is remarkable that Kimchi and Sal. ben
Melec, not being able to make any thing of the word as it stands in the text, say it means the
same with ‫מזיו‬ mizziv; that is, in effect, they admit of a various reading, or an error in the text.
But as Vitringa observes, what sense is there in sucking nourishment from the splendor of her
glory? He therefore endeavors to deduce another sense of the word ‫זיז‬ ziz; but, as far as it
appears to me, without any authority. I am more inclined to accede to the opinion of those
learned rabbins, and to think that there is some mistake in the word; for that in truth is their
opinion, though they disguise it by saying that the corrupted word means the very same with
that which they believe to be genuine. So in Isa_41:24 they say that ‫אפע‬ apha, a viper, means the
same with ‫אפס‬ ephes, nothing; instead of acknowledging that one is written by mistake instead
of the other. I would propose to read in this place ‫מזין‬ mizzin or ‫מזן‬ mizzen, which is the reading
of one of De Rossi’s MS., (instead of ‫מזיז‬ meziz), from the stores, from ‫זון‬ zun, to nourish, to feed;
see Gen_45:23;2Ch_11:23; Psa_144:13. And this perhaps may be meant by Aquila, who renders

72. the word by απο παντοδαπιας· with which that of the Vulgate, ab omnimoda gloria, and of
Symmachus and Theodotion, nearly agree. The Chaldee follows a different reading, without
improving the sense; ‫מיין‬ meyin, from the wine. - L.
3. GILL, “That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breast of her consolations,....
This, according to our version, expresses the end of the church's friends being called together to
rejoice with her, that they might partake of her joys and comforts, delights and pleasures: but
the words may be better rendered, either, according to Kimchi's sense, "therefore shall ye suck"
(t), &c.; because ye have mourned for her, and because ye have rejoiced with her; or rather, as
Noldius (u), "because ye suck", &c.; partake of her privileges and ordinances, so give a reason
why they should rejoice with her. "Breast" is put for "breasts", as Jarchi observes; for as the
church is represented as a woman, and as a teeming woman, she has two breasts as such, grown
and fashioned, and full of milk of consolation; for "breast of her consolations" is the same as
"her breasts of consolation"; see Son_4:5, these are either Christ and his Spirit. Christ is a full
breast of comfort to his people, in the greatness of his person, and the riches of his grace; in his
precious blood, perfect righteousness, atoning sacrifice, and great salvation; if there be any
comfort it is in him, and abounds by him. The Holy Spirit is another breast of consolation,
another Comforter, by giving knowledge of the free grace gifts of God; by showing the things of
Christ; by opening and applying the precious promises of the Gospel; by shedding the love of
God in the heart; by witnessing to the saints their adoption, and by sealing them up unto the day
of redemption. Or the covenant, and its blessings and promises: the covenant is a full breast of
comfort, yields much both in life and at death; its blessings are sure mercies, blessings indeed,
spiritual ones, and he that has an interest in them has enough, has all things; the promises of it
are great, precious, sure, and unconditional, and afford strong consolation to the heirs of them.
Or the Holy Scripture, and its two Testaments, the Old and New, which are exactly alike as two
breasts; agree in the person and offices of Christ, and in all the doctrines of grace, and are full of
the sincere milk of the word, and of spiritual consolation. Or the two ordinances of baptism and
the Lord's supper; which agree with each other; come from the same author; relate to the same
things, the sufferings and death of Christ; and to be partook of by the same persons: baptism
leads to the blood of Christ for cleansing and pardon; to the burial of Christ it represents, there
to behold all sins buried with him; and to the resurrection of Christ for justification, and so is a
means of much spiritual comfort; as it was to the eunuch, who from thence went on his way
rejoicing: the Lord's supper is another breast of consolation, it is a feast of fat things; it
represents the broken body and bloodshed of Christ, whose flesh is meat indeed, and his blood
drink indeed, and so is a means of spiritual nourishment and comfort. These breasts are to be
"sucked"; the mouth of faith is to be laid unto them; Christ is to be applied unto for fresh
supplies of grace and comfort; the covenant and its promises are to be laid hold upon, and all
the goodness in them to be pressed and got out; the Scriptures are to be diligently read and
searched, and the ordinances to be frequently attended on, and fervent prayer to be incessantly
used, and not restrained till the blessing is given; and such who do so are sooner or later
"satisfied", filled to the full. How satisfying are Christ and his grace! the covenant of grace, its
blessing and promises! the doctrine of the Gospel, and the ordinances of it! these are the
goodness of God's house, with which his people are satisfied, even as with marrow and fatness,
Psa_36:8,
that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory; or, "for" or
"because ye milk out", "may" or "shall milk out" (w); that is, press with the hand of faith the

73. above breasts of consolation, and get out from them all the comfort that is laid up in them: and
so
be delighted with the abundance of her glory; or, "the brightness of it" (x); Christ is the
glory of his church; it is his presence with her, his grace and righteousness bestowed on her,
which give her abundance of glory; and he it is in whom she glories: the Spirit of God, as a spirit
of glory, rests upon her, and his grace makes her all glorious within; it is her glory to be
interested in the covenant of grace, its promises and blessings, and to have the word and
ordinances; her breasts are her glory, and she will have abundance of it in the latter day; see
Isa_66:12, all which greatly "delight" the lovers and friends of Zion; a sight of Christ and his
fulness, and a view of God as their Covenant God, are exceeding delightful; the doctrines of the
Gospel are pleasant words, and the ways or ordinances of Christ are ways of pleasantness; and
particularly the church in the latter day, enjoying all these to the full, and having the glory of
God upon her, will be very delightful to behold.
4. WHEDON, “11. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed — Better, Jehovah proclaimeth. The message
is to go to the ends of the earth. Remote nations must know that Jehovah alone is the true God, and that
in a high sense his people are the only truly favoured ones of the earth. Some think the long caravan
trains of returning Israel from Babylon to be the occasion for announcements such as this, here and
elsewhere. Partly so, it may be; but the prophet’s ken has come to reach far above and beyond this once
most important event.
Daughter of Zion — Primarily, Jerusalem and its people; but the far-extending Zion of God is the larger
meaning.
Thy salvation cometh — Better, thy Saviour cometh. However, it matters little which terms are used; yet
the latter takes precedence from what follows. His reward (Psalms 2:7) is with him — Which is now
coming to be a realized possession
5. JAMISON, “suck — (Isa_60:5, Isa_60:16; Isa_61:6; Isa_49:23).
abundance — Hebrew, “the ray-like flow of her opulence,” that is, with the milk spouting
out from her full breasts (answering to the parallel, “breast of her consolations”) in ray-like
streams [Gesenius].
6. CALVIN, “11.That ye may suck. This verse ought to be joined with the preceding verse; for the
Prophet explains what shall be the occasion of joy, namely, because the wretched and miserable
condition of the Church shall be changed into a happy and prosperous condition. By the word “” he makes
an allusion to young infants; as if he had said, “ you may enjoy your mother with every advantage, and
may hang on her breasts.” Here all believers, whatever may be their age, are compared by him to
children, that they may remember their infirmity and may be confirmed by the strength of the Lord; and
therefore this metaphor of “” and “” ought to be carefully observed.

74. From the breast of her consolations. Some take the word “” in an active, and others in a passive sense;
but I prefer to adopt the passive signification; for he means the consolations which the Church has
received, and of which he makes his children partakers. And indeed none can be greater or more
abundant, none can be more excellent, than that ground of joy; and this appears more clearly from the
following clause, “ ye may be delighted with the brightness of her glory.”
12
For this is what the LORD says:
“I will extend peace to her like a river,
and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream;
you will nurse and be carried on her arm
and dandled on her knees.
1.BARNES, “For thus saith the Lord - This verse contains a promise of the conversion of
the Gentiles, and the fact that what constituted their glory would be brought and consecrated to
the church of God.
I will extend - The word rendered, I will extend ( ‫נטה‬ natʖah) means properly to stretch out,
as the hand or a measure; then to spread out or expand, as a tent is spread out, to which it is
often applied Gen_12:8; Gen_26:5; or to the heavens spread out over our heads like a tent or a
curtain Isa_40:22. Here it may mean either that peace would be spread out over the country like
the Nile or Euphrates spread out over a vast region in an inundation; or it may mean, as
Gesenius supposes, ‘I will turn peace upon her like a river; that is, as a stream is turned in its
course.’ To me it seems that the former is the correct interpretation; and that the idea is, that
God would bring prosperity upon Zion like a broad majestic river overflowing all its banks, and
producing abundant fertility.
Peace - A general word denoting prosperity of all kinds - a favorite word with Isaiah to
describe the future happiness of the church of God (see Isa_9:6-7; Isa_26:12; Isa_32:17;
Isa_45:7; Isa_48:18; Isa_52:7; Isa_54:13; Isa_55:12; Isa_57:19).
Like a river - That is, says Lowth like the Euphrates. So the Chaldee interprets it. But there
is no evidence that the prophet refers particularly to the Euphrates. The image is that suggested
above - of a river that flows full, and spreads over the banks - at once an image of sublimity, and
a striking emblem of great prosperity. This same image occurs in Isa_48:18. See the note at that
place.
And the glory of the Gentiles - (See the notes at Isa_60:5, Isa_60:11).

75. Like a flowing stream - Like the Nile, says Vitringa. But the word ‫נחל‬ nachal is not
commonly applied to a river like the Nile; but to a torrent, a brook, a rivulet - either as flowing
from a perennial fountain, or more commonly a stream running in a valley that is swelled often
by rain, or by the melting of snows in the mountain (see Reland’s Palestine, chapter xlv.) Such is
the idea here. The peace or prosperity of Zion would be like such a swollen stream - a stream
overflowing (‫שׁוטף‬ shotʖeph) its banks.
Then shall ye suck - Isa_66:11.
Ye shall be borne upon her sides - See this phrase explained in the notes at Isa_60:4.
And be dandled upon her knees - As a child is by its nurse or mother. The idea is, that the
tenderest care would be exercised for the church; the same care which an affectionate mother
evinces for her children. The insertion of the word ‘her’ here by our translators weakens the
sense. The meaning is, not that they should be borne upon the sides and dandled upon the knees
of Zion or of the church; but that God would manifest to them the feelings of a parent, and treat
them with the tenderness which a mother evinces for her children. As a mother nurses her
children at her side (compare the notes at Isa_60:4), so would God tenderly provide for the
church; as she affectionately dandles her children on her knees, so tenderly and affectionately
would he regard Zion.
2. CLARKE, “Like a river, and - like a flowing stream “Like the great river, and
like the overflowing stream” - That is, the Euphrates, (it ought to have been pointed ‫כנהר‬
cannahar, ut fluvius ille, as the river), and the Nile.
Then shall ye suck “And ye shall suck at the breast” - These two words ‫על‬‫שד‬ al shad, at
the breast, seem to have been omitted in the present text, from their likeness to the two words
following; ‫על‬‫צד‬ al tsad, at the side. A very probable conjecture of Houbigant. The Chaldee and
Vulgate have omitted the two latter words instead of the two former. See note on Isa_60:4
(note).
3. GILL, “For thus saith the Lord, behold, I will extend peace to her like a river,....
As the river Euphrates, so the Targum; or as the Nile, which overflowed Egypt, and made it
fruitful; or as any flowing river, large and spreading, continuing to flow, and brings blessings
with it where it comes; and so denotes the abundance of this peace, the perpetuity of it, and its
blessed effects. This respects not the first times of the Gospel; for though Christ the peacemaker
came and made peace by his blood, and went and preached peace to Jews and Gentiles, and
many enjoyed spiritual peace in believing, flowing from his blood and righteousness, yet there
was very little outward peace to the churches of Christ; and when at any time had, did not last
long: but, in the latter day, not only spiritual peace, which passeth all understanding, and joy
unspeakable and full of glory, will be extended unto and possessed by the saints; but outward
peace in great abundance, and of lasting continuance, with all kind of prosperity, temporal and
spiritual, Psa_72:7, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream; like the Nile, that
overflows; meaning either the vast number of converts, from among the Gentiles, that shall flow
into the church, and especially many of their great men, princes, nobles, even kings and queens,
who shall be nursing fathers and nursing mothers to her; see Isa_60:3, or their riches, which are

76. the honour and glory they shall bring with them to the church in great abundance, and shall
cheerfully and freely expend them in the service and worship of God, Isa_60:6 so Kimchi
interprets it of their wealth and substance:
then shall ye suck; the milk of the Gentiles, and the breasts of kings; that is, partake of their
good things, Isa_60:16 or the church's breasts of consolation, the sincere milk of the word and
ordinances, Isa_60:11, this is spoken to the friends of Zion, and lovers of Jerusalem, newly
converted persons, Isa_66:10,
ye shall be borne upon her sides, or "side" (y); children being carried by parents or nurses
on one side of them in their arms; it denotes the affectionate care and regard the church has to
young converts, who are said to be nursed at her side, Isa_60:4 she supporting and supplying
them with everything in her power, by means of the word and ordinances:
and be dandled upon her knees: as darling children are, who are taken into the lap, and
played with, and are the delight, the exceeding great delight, of their parents; and where they
delight to be, as the word (z) used signifies. All shows that young converts are and should be
made much of, and tenderly used; the day of small things should not be despised, or the bruised
reed broken, or the smoking flax quenched; but these lambs should be gathered into the arms,
and carried in the bosom, like sucking children.
4. HENRY, “Let them know that he who gives them this call to rejoice will give them cause to
do so and hearts to do so, Isa_66:12-14.
1. He will give them cause to do so. For, (1.) They shall enjoy a long uninterrupted course of
prosperity: I will extend, or am extending, peace to her (that is, all good to her) like a river that
runs in a constant stream, still increasing till it be swallowed up in the ocean. The gospel brings
with it, wherever it is received in its power, such peace as this, which shall go on like a river,
supplying souls with all good and making them fruitful, as a river does the lands it passes
through, such a river of peace as the springs of the world's comforts cannot send forth and the
dams of the world's troubles cannot stop nor drive back nor its sand rack up, such a river of
peace as will carry us to the ocean of boundless and endless bliss. (2.) There shall be large and
advantageous additions made to them: The glory of the Gentiles shall come to them like a
flowing stream. Gentiles converts shall come pouring into the church, and swell the river of her
peace and prosperity; for they shall bring their glory with them; their wealth and honour, their
power and interest, shall all be devoted to the service of God and employed for the good of the
church: “Then shall you suck from the breasts of her consolations. When you see such crowding
for a share in those comforts you shall be the more solicitous and the more vigorous to secure
your share, not for fear of having the less for others coming in to partake of Christ” (there is no
danger of that; he has enough for all and enough for each), “but their zeal shall provoke you to a
holy jealousy.” It is well when it does so, Rom_11:14; 2Co_9:2. (3.) God shall be glorified in all,
and that ought to be more the matter of our joy than any thing else (Isa_66:14): The hand of the
Lord shall be known towards his servants, the protecting supporting hand of his almighty
power, the supplying enriching hand of his inexhaustible goodness; the benefit which his
servants have by both these shall be known to his glory as well as theirs. And, to make this the
more illustrious, he will at the same time make known his indignation towards his enemies.
God's mercy and justice shall both be manifested and for ever magnified
2. God will not only give them cause to rejoice, but will speak comfort to them, will speak it to
their hearts; and it is he only that can do that, and make it fasten there. See what he will do for
the comfort of all the sons of Zion. (1.) Their country shall be their tender nurse: You shall be

77. carried on her sides, under her arms, as little children are, and shall be dangled upon her knees,
as darlings are, especially when they are weary and out of humour, and must be got to sleep.
Those that are joined to the church must be treated thus affectionately. The great Shepherd
gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in his bosom, and so must the under-
shepherds, that they may not be discouraged. Proselytes should be favourites. (2.) God will
himself be their powerful comforter: As one whom his mother comforts, when he is sick or sore,
or upon any account in sorrow, so will I comfort you; not only with the rational arguments
which a prudent father uses, but with the tender affections and compassions of a loving mother,
that bemoans her afflicted child when it has fallen and hurt itself, that she may quiet it and make
it easy, or endeavours to pacify it after she has chidden it and fallen out with it (Jer_31:20):
Since I spoke against him, my bowels are troubled for him; he is a dear son, he is a pleasant
child. Thus the mother comforts. Thus you shall be comforted in Jerusalem, in the favours
bestowed on the church, which you shall partake of, and in the thanksgivings offered by the
church, which you shall concur with. (3.) They shall feel the blessed effects of this comfort in
their own souls (Isa_66:13): When you see this, what a happy state the church is restored to, not
only your tongues and your countenances, but your hearts shall rejoice. This was fulfilled in the
wonderful satisfaction which Christ's disciples had in the success of their ministry. Christ, with
an eye to that, tells them (Joh_16:22), Your heart shall rejoice and your joy no man taketh
from you. Then your bones, that were dried and withered (the marrow of them quite
exhausted), shall recover a youthful strength and vigour and shall flourish like a herb. Divine
comforts reach the inward man; they are marrow and moistening to the bones, Pro_3:8. The
bones are the strength of the body; those shall be made to flourish with these comforts. The joy
of the Lord will be your strength, Neh_8:10.
5. JAMISON, “extend — I will turn peace (prosperity) upon her, like a river turned in its
course [Gesenius]. Or, “I will spread peace over her as an overflowing river” [Barnes],
(Isa_48:18).
flowing stream — as the Nile by its overflow fertilizes the whole of Egypt.
borne upon ... sides — (See on Isa_60:4).
her ... her — If “ye” refers to the Jews, translate, “ye shall be borne upon their sides ... their
knees,” namely, those of the Gentiles, as in Isa_49:22; and as “suck” (Isa_60:16) refers to the
Jews sucking the Gentile wealth. However, English Version gives a good sense: The Jews, and
all who love Jehovah (Isa_66:10), “shall suck, and be borne” by her as a mother.
6. K&D, “The reason is now given, why the church of the future promises such abundant
enjoyment to those who have suffered with her. “For thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I guide peace
to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like an overflowing stream, that ye may suck;
ye shall be borne upon arms, and fondled upon knees.” Jehovah guides or turns (Gen_39:21)
peace to Jerusalem, the greatest of all inward blessings, and at the same time the most glorious
of all the outward blessings, that are in the possession of the Gentile world (kabhod as in
Isa_56:6), both of them in the richest superabundance (“like a river,” as in Isa_48:18), so that
(perf. cons.) “ye may be able to suck yourselves full according to your heart's desire”
(Isa_60:16). The figure of the new maternity of Zion, and of her children as quasimodogeniti, is
still preserved. The members of the church can then revel in peace and wealth, like a child at its
mother's breasts. The world is now altogether in the possession of the church, because the

78. church is altogether God's. The allusion to the heathen leads on to the thought, which was
already expressed in a similar manner in Isa_49:22 and Isa_60:4 : “on the side (arm or
shoulder) will ye be carried, and fondled (‫ע‬ ַ‫שׁ‬ ָ‫ע‬ ָ‫,שׁ‬ pulpal of the pilpel ַ‫שׁע‬ ֲ‫ע‬ ִ‫,שׁ‬ Isa_11:8) upon the
knees,” viz., by the heathen, who will vie with one another in the effort to show you tenderness
and care (Isa_49:23).
7. CALVIN, “12.I cause peace to flow on her like a river. He continues his metaphor, and compares
the children of God to infants, that are carried in the arms, and warmed in the bosom of their mothers,
who even play with them. And in order that he may express more strongly his affection toward us, he
compares himself to a mother, whose love, as we have formerly seen, ( page 30,) exceeds every other by
a wide interval. (Isa_49:15.) The Lord wishes to be to us in the room of a mother, that, instead of the
annoyances, reproaches, distresses, and anxieties, which we have endured, he may treat us gently, and,
as it were, fondle us in his bosom. By the word “” he means prosperity.
And the glory of the Gentiles as an overflowing torrent. The word “” contains a repetition, by which he
denotes every kind of riches, so that nothing is wanting to full and perfect peace; for, since the Gentiles
had formerly lived luxuriously, and had enjoyed a vast abundance of everything desirable, he affirms that
all riches, and everything that belongs to a happy life, shall be possessed by believers, as the rivers run
into the sea. By “ flowing” he denotes continuance; for, since God is an inexhaustible fountain, his peace
differs widely from the peace of the world, which quickly passes away and is dried up. Whenever
therefore we behold the sad and melancholy condition of the Church, let us remember that these
promises relate to us not less than to that people. Seeing that the Lord has rivers of peace which he
wishes to cause to flow into his Church, let us not despair even amidst the fiercest wars; but, in our
distresses and straits, let us cheer our hearts and rejoice. When he takes pleasure in us as infants, and
not as men of mature age, we ought to acknowledge our condition, that we may be satisfied with such
consolations. And indeed it is a token of remarkable condescension that he thus bears with our
weakness.
13
As a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you;
and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”

79. 1.BARNES, “As one whom his mother comforteth - See the notes at Isa_49:15, where the
same image occurs.
2. GILL, “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you,.... Though
ordinances are means, and ministers are instruments of comfort, God is the sole efficient cause
of it; and very wonderful it is that he should condescend to administer it, since he is an immense
and infinite Being, the high and lofty One, possessed of all perfections, and yet deigns to revive
the spirit of the humble and contrite; since he is the Maker of heaven and earth, and all things,
and those he comforts are dust and ashes; and especially since they have sinned against him,
and rendered themselves abominable to him; and moreover, seeing he is so strictly just and
righteous, and they also continually guilty of backslidings and revoltings from him: and yet there
are many things which confirm that he will comfort them, as he here declares; since he has loved
them with an everlasting love, insomuch as to give his Son for them, and to quicken them when
dead in sin; and seeing he has taken them into covenant with himself, and is their covenant God
and Father; and, besides, has promised to do it, who never fails, and who is able, being God all
sufficient. The Targum is,
"my Word shall comfort you;''
his essential Word Christ, the consolation of Israel, from whom all true and solid comforts flow;
or the written word, read or heard, and especially as applied by the Spirit of God, who is another
Comforter, and whose consolations the people of God walk in, nor are they small. Now the
manner in which the Lord comforts the saints, especially young converts, is the most kind,
tender, and affectionate; as a tender hearted mother comforts her child; when it has fallen and
hurt itself, and cries, she takes it up in her arms, hugs it in her bosom, and speaks comfortably to
it, to still and quiet it. The children of God often fall into sin, and hurt themselves, their peace
and joy, break their bones, and lose the enjoyment of God; when, being sensible of their evils,
they roar as David did, and weep bitterly as Peter; then the Lord speaks comfortably unto them,
and bids them be of good cheer, for their sins are forgiven them. Or as, when a mother has an
afflicted child more so than the rest, her heart yearns most after it, and she does all she can to
comfort it. The people of God are an afflicted people, and their afflictions are grievous and
painful; and they cry to God in their distress, who pities them, visits them, looks upon their
afflictions, grants them his presence, supplies them with his grace, supports with his everlasting
arms, makes their bed for them, and comforts them in all their tribulations. Or as, when a child
behaves ill, the mother looks shy at it, and carries herself at a distance; which being observed,
the child takes it to heart, and then that affects her, and she returns to it, and comforts it: thus,
for faults committed, the Lord hides himself from his people, which grieves and troubles them;
and then he gathers them to himself with great mercies, and with lovingkindness has mercy on
them; and having also chastised them for their sins; and hearing them bemoaning themselves,
his heart is moved towards them, and he restores comforts to them, to their mourning souls; see

80. Isa_49:14, it is in the original, "as a man whom his mother comforteth" (a); for mothers have a
tender regard to their sons when grown up to men's estate; and all the things above mentioned
may befall the people of God, when they are become young men, yea, fathers: and ye shall be
comforted in Jerusalem; nothing shall hinder comfort when God speaks it, or resolves to give it;
not Satan, and all his temptations; the world, and all its afflictions; nor all their sins and
transgressions, and the sense they have of them; nor all their unbelief, by reason of which
sometimes they refuse to be comforted; but when it is the will of God they should, a tide of
comfort flows in, that overpowers all: and this is often done in Jerusalem, in the church, where
the Lord grants his presence, and commands his blessings; where his word is preached unto
consolation, and the ordinances, those breasts of consolation, are ministered and held forth;
though this is said not to the exclusion of other places, where the Lord may meet his people and
comfort them, in their own houses, in their closets, in their shops, in rising up and lying down,
in going out and coming in.
3. HENRY, “Let them know that he who gives them this call to rejoice will give them cause to
do so and hearts to do so, Isa_66:12-14.
1. He will give them cause to do so. For, (1.) They shall enjoy a long uninterrupted course of
prosperity: I will extend, or am extending, peace to her (that is, all good to her) like a river that
runs in a constant stream, still increasing till it be swallowed up in the ocean. The gospel brings
with it, wherever it is received in its power, such peace as this, which shall go on like a river,
supplying souls with all good and making them fruitful, as a river does the lands it passes
through, such a river of peace as the springs of the world's comforts cannot send forth and the
dams of the world's troubles cannot stop nor drive back nor its sand rack up, such a river of
peace as will carry us to the ocean of boundless and endless bliss. (2.) There shall be large and
advantageous additions made to them: The glory of the Gentiles shall come to them like a
flowing stream. Gentiles converts shall come pouring into the church, and swell the river of her
peace and prosperity; for they shall bring their glory with them; their wealth and honour, their
power and interest, shall all be devoted to the service of God and employed for the good of the
church: “Then shall you suck from the breasts of her consolations. When you see such crowding
for a share in those comforts you shall be the more solicitous and the more vigorous to secure
your share, not for fear of having the less for others coming in to partake of Christ” (there is no
danger of that; he has enough for all and enough for each), “but their zeal shall provoke you to a
holy jealousy.” It is well when it does so, Rom_11:14; 2Co_9:2. (3.) God shall be glorified in all,
and that ought to be more the matter of our joy than any thing else (Isa_66:14): The hand of the
Lord shall be known towards his servants, the protecting supporting hand of his almighty
power, the supplying enriching hand of his inexhaustible goodness; the benefit which his
servants have by both these shall be known to his glory as well as theirs. And, to make this the
more illustrious, he will at the same time make known his indignation towards his enemies.
God's mercy and justice shall both be manifested and for ever magnified
2. God will not only give them cause to rejoice, but will speak comfort to them, will speak it to
their hearts; and it is he only that can do that, and make it fasten there. See what he will do for
the comfort of all the sons of Zion. (1.) Their country shall be their tender nurse: You shall be
carried on her sides, under her arms, as little children are, and shall be dangled upon her knees,
as darlings are, especially when they are weary and out of humour, and must be got to sleep.
Those that are joined to the church must be treated thus affectionately. The great Shepherd
gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in his bosom, and so must the under-
shepherds, that they may not be discouraged. Proselytes should be favourites. (2.) God will
himself be their powerful comforter: As one whom his mother comforts, when he is sick or sore,
or upon any account in sorrow, so will I comfort you; not only with the rational arguments

81. which a prudent father uses, but with the tender affections and compassions of a loving mother,
that bemoans her afflicted child when it has fallen and hurt itself, that she may quiet it and make
it easy, or endeavours to pacify it after she has chidden it and fallen out with it (Jer_31:20):
Since I spoke against him, my bowels are troubled for him; he is a dear son, he is a pleasant
child. Thus the mother comforts. Thus you shall be comforted in Jerusalem, in the favours
bestowed on the church, which you shall partake of, and in the thanksgivings offered by the
church, which you shall concur with. (3.) They shall feel the blessed effects of this comfort in
their own souls (Isa_66:13): When you see this, what a happy state the church is restored to, not
only your tongues and your countenances, but your hearts shall rejoice. This was fulfilled in the
wonderful satisfaction which Christ's disciples had in the success of their ministry. Christ, with
an eye to that, tells them (Joh_16:22), Your heart shall rejoice and your joy no man taketh
from you. Then your bones, that were dried and withered (the marrow of them quite
exhausted), shall recover a youthful strength and vigour and shall flourish like a herb. Divine
comforts reach the inward man; they are marrow and moistening to the bones, Pro_3:8. The
bones are the strength of the body; those shall be made to flourish with these comforts. The joy
of the Lord will be your strength, Neh_8:10.
4. JAMISON, “mother — (Isa_49:15).
comforteth — (Isa_40:1, Isa_40:2).
5. K&D, “The prophet now looks upon the members of the church as having grown up, as it
were, from childhood to maturity: they suck like a child, and are comforted like a grown-up son.
“Like a man whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you, and ye shall be comforted in
Jerusalem.” Hitzig says that 'ı̄sh is not well chosen; but how easily could the prophet have
written ben (son), as in Isa_49:15! He writes 'ı̄sh, however, not indeed in the unmeaning sense in
which the lxx has taken it, viz., ᆞς εᅺ τινα µήτηρ παρακαλέσει, but looking upon the people, whom
he had previously thought of as children, as standing before him as one man. Israel is now like a
man who has escaped from bondage and returned home from a foreign land, full of mournful
recollections, the echoing sounds of which entirely disappear in the maternal arms of divine love
there in Jerusalem, the beloved home, which was the home of its thoughts even in the strange
land.
6. CALVIN, “13.As a man (224) whom his mother comforteth. It is wonderful that the Prophet, who
appeared to have already spoken enough about this renewal, dwells on it so largely. But, because he can
neither express the greatness and warmth of the love which God bears toward us, nor satisfy himself with
speaking about it, for that reason he mentions and repeats it frequently.
And you shall have consolation in Jerusalem. There are two ways in which this may be explained. It may
be said that believers shall have joyful hearts, when they shall behold the Church restored; or, that the
Church, after having been restored, shall discharge her duty by gladdening her children. I prefer the latter

82. interpretation, though either of them is admissible. The former appears to be a richer interpretation; but
we must consider what the Prophet meant, and not what we think the most beautiful. In the first place,
indeed, he makes God the author of the joy, and justly; but, in the second place, he adds that Jerusalem
is his handmaid. But this is not addressed to irreligious scorners, who are not moved by any solicitude
about the Church, but to those who, with holy zeal, declare that they are her children.
(224) “ English version, which in multitudes of cases inserts ‘’ where the original expression is indefinite,
(translating οὐδείς, for example, always ‘ man’ here reverses the process, and dilutes ‘ man’ to ‘’ The
same liberty is taken by many other versions, old and new, occasioned no doubt by a feeling of the
incongruity of making a full-grown man the subject of maternal consolations. The difficulty might, if it were
necessary, be avoided by explaining ‫איש‬ (ish) to mean a man-child, as it does in Gen_4:1; 1Sa_1:11; and
in many other cases. But the truth is, that the solecism, which has been so carefully expunged by these
translators, is an exquisite trait of patriarchal manners, in their primitive simplicity.
Compare Gen_24:67; Jud_17:2; 1Kg_2:19, and the affecting scenes between Thetis and Achilles in the
Iliad.” —Alexander.
14
When you see this, your heart will rejoice
and you will flourish like grass;
the hand of the LORD will be made known to his
servants,
but his fury will be shown to his foes.
1.BARNES, “And when ye see this - This great accession to the church from the Gentile
world.
Your bones shall flourish like an herb - This is an image which is often employed in the
Scriptures. When the vigor of the body fails, or when it is much afflicted, the bones are said to be
feeble or weakened, or to be dried Psa_6:2; Psa_51:8; Psa_22:14, Psa_22:17; Psa_38:3;
Lam_1:13; Pro_14:30; Pro_17:22. like manner, prosperity, health, vigor, are denoted by making
the bones fat (see the notes at Isa_58:11; Pro_15:20), or by imparting health, marrow, or
strength to them Pro_3:8; Pro_16:24. The sense here is, that their vigor would be greatly
increased.

83. The hand of the Lord shall be known - That is, it shall be seen that he is powerful to
defend his people, and to punish their enemies.
2. GILL, “And when ye see this,.... All the above things prophesied of come to pass; the
conversion of the Jews; the peaceable and prosperous condition of the church of Christ; and
perceive, feel, and enjoy the comforts of God in an experimental manner:
your heart shall rejoice; for nothing can be matter of greater joy than these; these cause an
inward, hearty, and sincere joy, and not mere outward expressions of it:
and your bones shall flourish like an herb; in a well watered garden, or on which the dew
lies; which revives, lifts up its head, and is green and flourishing: so the hearts of God's people
are comforted and filled with joy, it renews their spiritual strength; the bones that were dried up
with sorrow become fat and flourishing and like a garden of herbs, whose springs fail not; see
Pro_17:22. The people of the Jews, in their present state, are like dry hones; but these dry bones
shall live at the word of God, and through the power of his grace, and stand upon their feet, and
which will cause great joy to others, and be is life from the dead. This passage Abarbinel and
other Jewish writers interpret of the resurrection of the dead; for they believe the same body will
rise, and the same bones revive. They have indeed a fabulous notion of the bone "luz", which
they say is never consumed, and from which the rest will be restored; but, letting this pass, it
may be observed that they use these words with others at the funeral of their dead, and when
they return from the grave, thereby expressing their faith in this article. The ceremony used by
them is this,
"as they return from the grave, everyone of them plucks up grass from off the ground twice or
thrice, and casts it over his head behind him, saying those words of the psalmist, "and they of
the city shall flourish like grass of the earth", Psa_72:16 and this they do, to signify their hopes
of the resurrection of the dead, who shall flourish as the grass, as the prophet says, "your bones
shall flourish as the herb" (b),''
or tender grass; as that springs up after it is cut down, so will the bones of the dead revive again,
after they have been reduced to dust in the grave; and if that experiment is fact, said to be made
by chemists, that herbs may be caused to grow up out of their ashes, it will serve very much to
illustrate the words taken in this sense; which is done in the following manner,
"they take a rose, gillyflower, or any other plant, in the spring, in its full consistence, and beat
the whole of it in a mortar to a paste, and extract a kind of ashes or salt out of it, which they put
up in glasses, stopped and sealed; and, by applying a candle or a soft fire to them, the herbs or
plants are perceived, by little and little, to rise up again out of their salt or ashes, in their several
proper forms, as they did in the field (c).''
And the hand of the Lord shall be known towards his servants: in making them thus
joyful, prosperous, and fruitful; in protecting and preserving them, and, in supplying all their
wants; his hand of power, which is not shortened that he cannot save; and his hand of grace,
which is opened to distribute to the necessities of his people:

84. and his indignation towards his enemies; the worshipper, of the beast, the followers of
antichrist, who will drink deep of the wine of the wrath of God, poured out without mixture into
the cup of his indignation, he will put into their hands; whose indignation is such as is
intolerable, there is no standing before it, or sustaining it, or abiding under it; see Rev_14:9.
Kimchi says this will be fulfilled in the war of Gog and Magog.
3. KELLY, “It will be the day of Jehovah when man's and Israel's sad history is to be reversed; and
those who loved and mourned for Jerusalem shall rejoice for her and share the rich results of her
blessedness. Yet is it in no way the character of gospel joy which blends inward comfort by the Spirit's
power with shame and sorrow and rejection in the world. Here contrariwise, "And ye shall see this,
and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of Jehovah shall
be known toward his servants, and indignation toward his enemies" (ver. 14). It is the future day, not
of grace and salvation only as it is to-day, but of vengeance also, when Jehovah will not stop short as
once He did on earth (Luk_4:20). Then He was proclaiming the acceptable year of Jehovah, and this
only. By-and-by He will proclaim and accomplish both that year and the day of vengeance. For this is
in His heart, and the year of His redeemed is come. Both will be fulfilled then without let or delay. It
will be the introduction of His day, and of the millennial reign.
4. JAMISON, “bones — which once were “dried up” by the “fire” of God’s wrath (Lam_1:13),
shall live again (Pro_3:8; Pro_15:30; Eze_37:1, etc.).
flourish ... herb — (Rom_11:15-24).
known toward — manifested in behalf of.
5. K&D, “Wherever they look, joy now meets their eye. “And ye will see, and your heart will be
joyful, and your bones will flourish like young herbage; and thus does the hand of Jehovah
make itself known in His servants, and fiercely does He treat His enemies.” They will see, and
their heart will rejoice, i.e., (cf., Isa_53:11; Isa_60:5) they will enjoy a heart-cheering prospect,
and revive again with such smiling scenery all around. The body is like a tree The bones are its
branches. These will move and extend themselves in the fulness of rejuvenated strength
(compare Isa_58:11, et ossa tua expedita faciet); and thus will the hand of Jehovah practically
become known (ve
nwde
‛ah, perf. cons.) in His servants - that hand under whose gracious touch
all vernal life awakens, whether in body or in mind. And thus is it with the surviving remnant of
Israel, whereas Jehovah is fiercely angry with His foes. The first ‫ת‬ ֶ‫א‬ is used in a prepositional
sense, as in Psa_67:2, viz., “in His servants, so that they come to be acquainted with it”; the
second in an accusative sense, for za'am is either connected with ‫ל‬ ַ‫,ע‬ or as in Zec_1:12; Mal_1:4,
with the accusative of the object. It is quite contrary to the usage of the language to take both ‫את‬
according to the phrase (‫)עס‬ ‫את‬ (‫)רעה‬ ‫מובה‬ ‫.עשׂה‬

85. 6. CALVIN, “14.And ye shall see. By the word “” he expresses undoubted experience, that believers
may not doubt as to the result, but, embracing this prediction with full belief, may patiently endure for a
time the barrenness of the Church.
And your bones shall flourish as grass. He illustrates his former statement by a metaphor, saying that “
bones” shall regain their former vigor, as faded “” becomes fresh and green again. He mentions the “”
which are commonly dried up by a melancholy spirit, (Pro_17:22,) and, on the other hand, are
replenished and invigorated by a happy and cheerful disposition. Thus he describes an ardent and
invaluable joy, and seems to allude to the sadness by which believers had been almost dried up during
the captivity, and had become like dead men. The Lord therefore comforts them, and promises that the
Church shall flourish, and shall abound in everything that is desirable; as if bones, that wanted moisture,
should regain their former vigor, or as grass, which appears to be dead during the winter, recovers its
freshness every year.
And the hand of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants. That they may cherish confidence, he nexts
bids them rise to God, who will then reveal his assistance. It follows from this, that the hand of God has
not always been known, but has sometimes remained concealed, as if he had no care about his people.
At first sight, he appeared to have cast them off; for Daniel, and other good men, (Dan_1:6,) not less than
Zedekiah, (Jer_52:9,) were carried into captivity. He says, that when the fine weather shall smile upon
them, there shall be such a distinction between the good and the bad, as to make manifest this hand,
which formerly was in some measure hidden; because he will no longer conceal himself, or permit the
wicked to ravage without control, but will openly shew how great is his solicitude about his people. If
therefore for a time the enemies have the superiority, and pursue their lawless course without being
punished, if we appear to be overlooked and destitute of all assistance, let us not despair; for the time will
come when the Lord will reveal himself, and will rescue us from their assaults and tyranny.
15
See, the LORD is coming with fire,
and his chariots are like a whirlwind;

86. he will bring down his anger with fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire.
1.BARNES, “For behold, the Lord will come with fire - The Septuagint reads this ‘As
fire’ (ᆞς πύρ hos pur). Fire is a common emblem to denote the coming of the Lord to judge and
punish his enemies Psa_50:3 :
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence;
A fire shall devour before him,
And it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
So Hab_2:5 :
Before him went the pestilence,
And burning coals went forth at his feet.
So Psa_97:3 :
A fire goeth before him,
And burneth up his enemies round about.
So it is said 2Th_1:8, that the Lord Jesus will be revealed ‘in flaming fire, taking vengeance on
them that know not God’ (compare Heb_10:27; 2Pe_3:7). So Yahweh is said to breathe out fire
when he comes to destroy his foes:
There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,
And fire out of his mouth devoured;
Coals were kindled by it.
Psa_18:8
Compare the notes at Isa_29:6; Isa_30:30. This is a general promise that God would defend
his church, and destroy his foes. To what this particularly applies, it may not be possible to
determine, and instead of attempting that, I am disposed to regard it as a promise of a general
nature, that God, in those future times, would destroy his foes, and would thus extend
protection to his people. So far as the language is concerned, it may be applied either to the
destruction of Jerusalem, to any mighty overthrow of his enemies, or to the day of judgment.
The single truth is, that all his enemies would be destroyed as if Yahweh should come amidst
flames of fire. That truth is enough for his church to know; that truth should be sufficient to fill a
wicked world with alarm.
And with his chariots like a whirlwind - The principal idea here is, that he would come
with immense rapidity, like a chariot that was borne forward as on the whirlwind, to destroy his
foes. God is often represented as coming in a chariot - a chariot of the clouds, or of a whirlwind.
Psa_104:3 :
Who maketh the clouds his chariot,
Who walketh upon the wings of the wind.
Compare Psa_18:10; see the note at Isa_19:1. See also Jer_4:13 :

87. Behold, he shall come up as clouds,
And his chariots shall be as a whirlwind.
Chariots were commonly made with two wheels, though sometimes they had four wheels, to
which two horses, fiery and impetuous, were attached; and the rapid movement, the swift
revolving wheels, and the dust which they raised, had no slight resemblance to a whirlwind
(compare the notes at Isa_21:7, Isa_21:9). They usually had strong and sharp iron scythes
affixed to the extremities of their axles, and were driven into the midst of the army of an enemy,
cutting down all before them. Warriors sometimes fought standing on them, or leaping from
them on the enemy. The chariots in the army of Cyrus are said to have been capacious enough to
permit twenty men to fight from them.
To render his anger with fury - Lowth renders this, ‘To breathe forth his anger.’ Jerome
translates it, Reddere, that is, to render. The Septuagint, ᅒποδοሞναι Apodounai, to give, or to
render. Lowth proposes, instead of the present text, as pointed by the Masorites, ‫להשׁיב‬ le
ha
shı yb, to read it ‫להשׁיב‬ le
hashı yb, as if it were derived from ‫נשׁב‬ nashab. But there is no necessity
of a change. The idea is, that God would recompense his fury; or would cause his hand to turn
upon them in fury.
With fury - Lowth renders this, ‘In a burning heat.’ The word used (‫חמה‬ chemah) properly
means “heat,” then anger, wrath; and the Hebrew here might be properly rendered, ‘heat of his
anger;’ that is, glowing or burning wrath, wrath that consumes like fire.
With flames of fire - His rebuke shall consume like fiery flames; or it shall be manifested
amidst such flame.
2. CLARKE, “The Lord will come with fire “Jehovah shall come as a fire” - For ‫באש‬
baesh, in fire, the Septuagint had in their copy ‫קאש‬ kaesh, as a fire; ᆞς πυρ.
To render his anger with fury “To breathe forth his anger in a burning heat” -
Instead of ‫להשב‬ lehashib, as pointed by the Masoretes, to render, I understand it as ‫להשב‬
lehashshib, to breathe, from ‫נשב‬ nashab.
3. GILL, “For, behold, the Lord will come with fire,.... Either with material fire, with
which mystical Babylon or Rome shall be burnt, Rev_18:8, or with indignation and wrath, which
shall be poured out like fire, and be as intolerable and consuming as that:
and with his chariots like a whirlwind; making a great noise, and striking great terror;
alluding to chariots in which men used formerly to fight:
to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire; a heap of words, to
show the fierceness of his wrath, and how severe his rebuke of enemies will be; which will be not
a rebuke in love, as of his own people, but in a way of vindictive wrath.

88. 4. HENRY, “These verses, like the pillar of cloud and fire, have a dark side towards the enemies
of God's kingdom and all that are rebels against his crown, and a bright side towards his faithful
loyal subjects. Probably they refer to the Jews in captivity in Babylon, of whom some are said to
have been sent thither for their hurt, and with them God here threatens to proceed in his
controversy; they hated to be reformed, and therefore should be ruined by the calamity
(Jer_24:9); others were sent thither for their good, and they should have the trouble sanctified
to them, should in due time get well through it and see many a good day after it. Many of the
expressions here used are accommodated to that glorious dispensation; but doubtless the
prophecy looks further, to the judgment for which Christ did come once, and will come again,
into this world, and to the distinction which his word in both makes between the precious and
the vile.
5. JAMISON, “(Isa_9:5; Psa_50:3; Hab_3:5; 2Th_1:8; 2Pe_3:7).
chariots ... whirlwind — (Jer_4:13).
render — as the Hebrew elsewhere (Job_9:13; Psa_78:38) means to “allay” or “stay wrath.”
Maurer translates it so here: He stays His anger with nothing but fury,” etc.; nothing short of
pouring out all His fiery fury will satisfy His wrath.
fury — “burning heat” [Lowth], to which the parallel, “flames of fire,” answers.
6. K&D, “The prophecy now takes a new turn with the thought expressed in the words, “and
fiercely does He treat His enemies.” The judgment of wrath, which prepares the way for the
redemption and ensures its continuance, is described more minutely in Isa_66:15 : “For behold
Jehovah, in the fire will He come, and His chariots are like the whirlwind, to pay out His
wrath in burning heat, and His threatening passeth into flames of fire.” Jehovah comes ba'esh,
in igne (Jerome; the lxx, on the contrary, render it arbitrarily ᆞς πሞρ ka'esh), since it is the fiery
side of His glory, in which He appears, and fire pours from Him, which is primarily the intense
excitement of the powers of destruction within God Himself (Isa_10:17; Isa_30:27; Psa_18:9),
and in these is transformed into cosmical powers of destruction (Isa_29:6; Isa_30:30;
Psa_18:13). He is compared to a warrior, driving along upon war-chariots resembling stormy
wind, which force everything out of their way, and crush to pieces whatever comes under their
wheels. The plural ‫יו‬ ָ‫ּת‬‫ב‬ ְⅴ ְ‫ר‬ ַ‫מ‬ (His chariots) is probably not merely amplifying, but a strict plural;
for Jehovah, the One, can manifest Himself in love or wrath in different places at the same time.
The very same substantive clause ‫מרכבתיו‬ ‫וכסופה‬ occurs in Jer_4:13, where it is not used of
Jehovah, however, but of the Chaldeans. Observe also that Jeremiah there proceeds
immediately with a derivative passage from Hab_1:8. In the following clause denoting the
object, ‫וֹ‬ ፍ ‫ה‬ ָ‫מ‬ ֵ‫ח‬ ְ ‫יב‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ ָ‫ה‬ ְ‫,ל‬ we must not adopt the rendering, “to breathe out His wrath in burning
heat” (Hitzig), for heshı̄bh may mean respirare, but not exspirare (if this were the meaning, it
would be better to read ‫יב‬ ִ ַ‫ה‬ ְ‫ל‬ from ‫ב‬ ַ‫שׁ‬ָ‫,נ‬ as Lowth does); nor “ut iram suam furore sedet”
(Meier), for even in Job_9:13; Psa_78:38, ‫עפו‬ ‫השיב‬ does not mean to still or cool His wrath, but

89. to turn it away or take it back; not even “to direct His wrath in burning heat” (Ges., Kn.), for in
this sense heshı̄bh would be connected with an object with ‫,ל‬ ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ (Job_15:13), ַ‫ע‬‫ל‬ (Isa_1:25). It has
rather the meaning reddere in the sense of retribuere (Arab. athaba, syn. shillem), and “to pay
back, or pay out, His wrath” is equivalent to heshı̄bh naqam (Deu_32:41, Deu_32:43), Hence ‫עפו‬
‫בחמה‬ does not stand in a permutative relation instead of a genitive one (viz., in fervore, ria sua =
irae suae), but is an adverbial definition, just as in Isa_42:25. That the payment of the wrath
deserved takes place in burning heat, and His rebuke (ge
‛arah) in flames of fire, are thoughts that
answer to one another.
7. MEYER, ALL FLESH SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD
Isa_66:15-24
The prophet makes it clear that, whatever blessings accrue in the golden future, they will be
apportioned to those alone, who are the Israel of God, not merely by descent but in heart and
life. They must be what the Apostle describes in Php_3:3. Those who were bent on practicing
idolatrous rites, such as passing in procession, with priests as teachers, through gardens and
groves devoted to impurity; or who, by partaking of the flesh of animals forbidden in the
Levitical law, had become as Gentiles, must suffer with the heathen.
Isa_66:19 suggests that the restored Jewish remnant are to become the future missionaries of
the world; and the book closes with a vision of the Holy City as the focus and center of the
religious life of mankind. It is as though, like John, Isaiah beheld her descending from God out
of heaven, with wide-open gates, through which the kings of the earth bring their glory and
honor, Isa_66:20. The lot of all enemies of goodness is depicted in the everburning fires of
Tophet-the rubbish heaps of which are significant of uselessness, Isa_66:24.
For Review Questions, see the e-Sword Book Comments.
8. CALVIN, “15.For, lo, Jehovah will come in fire. The object of this ( ὑποτύπωσις) lively description is,
that believers, when they see worthless men laughing at their distresses, and growing more and more
insolent, may not on that account turn aside from the right path, or lose courage; for he intended not only
to smite wicked men, who are moved by no threatenings, and scorn all instruction, (225) but to comfort
good men, that they may feel that they are happy, because they are under God’ protection; and may not
attach themselves to the wicked on account of the prosperity of all their undertakings. Their advantage is,
therefore, what he has chiefly in view, that they may be satisfied with God’ protection and grace. But it

90. may admit of doubt whether or not he includes the last judgment, along with the temporal punishments
with which he now begins to chastise the wicked. For my own part, I have no doubt that he intends to
include that judgment also, along with those which were only the forerunners of eternal destruction.
Will come. This began to be accomplished, when, by carrying away the people to Babylon, God took
vengeance on domestic foes. Next, when the time of the deliverance was accomplished, he attacked
more severely the wicked Gentiles by an armed force, and ceased not to give other and various proofs of
his approach, by which he shewed himself to be present with the elect people, and came in fire to judge
their enemies. Lastly, we know that he will come in fire at the last day, to take vengeance on all the
wicked. But this passage ought not to be limited to the last judgment, so as to include all the rest. Yet
these threatenings, as we shall see soon afterwards, are especially directed by the Prophet against
hypocritical Jews.
These metaphorical expressions are very customary in Scripture; for we could not comprehend this
dreadful judgment of God in any other way than by the Prophets employing metaphors drawn from known
and familiar objects. (2Th_1:8; 2Pe_3:7.) By means of them the prophets endeavor to make a deep
impression on our senses, that, struck with the true fear of God, we may not envy the wicked, for whom
such dreadful vengeance is prepared. Hence we see how trivial and useless are the speculations of the
Sophists, who dispute about the refined nature and qualities of that fire; for the design of Scripture is to
point out to us under figures the dreadful judgment of God, which otherwise we could not imagine or
understand. This is still more evident from the word “” in the following verse; for it conveys the same
meaning.
(225) “Et se moquent de tout ce qu’ leur dit.” “ mock at everything that is said to them.”
16
For with fire and with his sword
the LORD will execute judgment on all people,
and many will be those slain by the LORD.

91. 1.BARNES, “For by fire and by his sword - The sword is an instrument by which
punishment is executed (see the notes at Isa_34:5; compare Rom_13:4).
Will he plead with all flesh - Or rather, he will judge (‫נשׁפט‬ nı she
phatʖ), that is, he will
execute his purposes of vengeance on all the human race. Of course, only that part is intended
who ought to be subject to punishment; that is, all his foes.
And the slain of the Lord shall be many - The number of those who shall be consigned
to woe shall be immense - though in the winding up of the great drama at the close of the world,
there is reason to hopethat a large proportion of the race, taken as a whole, will be saved. Of past
generations, indeed, there is no just ground of such hope; of the present generation there is no
such prospect. But brighter and happier times are to come. The true religion is to spread over all
the world, and for a long period is to prevail; and the hope is, that during that long period the
multitude of true converts will be so great as to leave the whole number who are lost, compared
with those who are saved, much less than is commonly supposed. Still the aggregate of those
who are lost, ‘the slain of the Lord,’ will be vast. This description I regard as having reference to
the coming of the Lord to judgment (compare 2Th_1:8); or if it refer to any other manifestation
of Yahweh for judgment, like the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, it has a strong
resemblance to the final judgment; and, like the description of that by the Saviour Matt. 24, the
language is such as naturally to suggest, and to be applicable to, the final judgment of mankind.
2. KELLY, “"For, behold, Jehovah will come with fire, and his chariots like a whirlwind, to render
his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will Jehovah plead
with all flesh: and the slain of Jehovah shall be many. They that sanctify themselves, and purify
themselves in the gardens behind one in the midst, eating swine's flesh and the abomination and the
mouse, shall perish together, saith Jehovah. And I [know] their works and their thoughts: it cometh,
that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory. And I will set a sign
among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, [to] Tarshish, Pul, and Lud,
that draw the bow, [to] Tubal, and Javan, [to] the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither
have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your
brethren [for] an offering unto Jehovah out of all the nations upon horses and in chariots, and in
covered wagons, and upon mules, and upon dromedaries, to my holy mountain, to Jerusalem, saith
Jehovah, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of Jehovah. And of
them also will I take for priests, for Levites, saith Jehovah" (vv.15-21). The efforts of ancient and
modern commentators to apply this passage, like the rest, to gospel times are desperate but vain.
How unequivocally is it a day of judgement, not the glad tidings of salvation by His grace, but His
revelation from heaven in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and on them
that obey not the gospel! Evidently the Jews in that day will not only set up their ritual again, but be
addicted to heathen abominations. The day of divine recompense shall be when old evils revive and
amalgamate with novel iniquities, that all may come before Jehovah in judgement, and a new era
dawn on both Jew and Gentile over the earth now purged. It will be a question then not of believing

92. the grace of God, but of seeing the glory of Jehovah that is to be revealed. Jewish worship with its
priests and Levites is restored in that day.
3. GILL, “For by fire, and by his sword, will the Lord plead with all flesh,.... With the
Mahometans, the Turks, the Ottoman empire, against whom he will call for a sword, and will
rain upon them fire and brimstone, signified by Gog and Magog, Eze_38:22 and with the other
antichristian powers at the battle of Armageddon; and when the fourth vial will be poured upon
the sun, and men will be scorched with fire; see Rev_16:8,
and the slain of the Lord shall be many; that is, those that will be slain by the Lord, both in
the attempt of the Turks to recover the land of Canaan out of the hands of the Jews, possessed of
it; whose numbers of slain will be so many, that the burying of them will last seven months,
Eze_39:12 and in the battle between the Christian princes, Christ at the head of them, and the
antichristian armies, led on by the beast and the kings of the earth; when the fowls of the air will
be invited to the great supper of the Lord, to eat the flesh of kings, captains, and mighty men, so
great will the slaughter be, Rev_19:17, see also Isa_11:13.
4. JAMISON, “Rather, “With fire will Jehovah judge, and with His sword (He will judge) all
flesh.” The parallelism and collocation of the Hebrew words favor this (Isa_65:12).
all flesh — that is, all who are the objects of His wrath. The godly shall be hidden by the Lord
in a place of safety away from the scene of judgment (Isa_26:20, Isa_26:21; Psa_31:20;
1Th_4:16, 1Th_4:17).
5. K&D, “Jehovah appears with these warlike terrors because He is coming for a great
judgment. “For in the midst of fire Jehovah holds judgment, and in the midst of His sword with
all flesh; and great will be the multitude of those pierced through by Jehovah.” The fire, which
is here introduced as the medium of judgment, points to destructive occurrences of nature, and
the sword to destructive occurrences of history. At the same time all the emphasis is laid here, as
in Isa_34:5-6 (cf., Isa_27:1), upon the direct action of Jehovah Himself. The parallelism in
Isa_66:16 is progressive. Nishpat 'eth, “to go into judgment with a person,” as in Eze_38:22 (cf.,
‫ם‬ ִ‫ע‬ in Isa_3:14, Joe_3:2; 2Ch_22:8; µετά, Luk_11:31-32). We find a resemblance to Isa_66:16 in
Zep_2:12, and this is not the only resemblance to our prophecy in that strongly reproductive
prophet.
6. CALVIN, “16.For Jehovah will judge in fire. Here he brings forward nothing new, but merely
confirms the former statement, and shews that this judgment will be dreadful; that none may think that it is
a matter of small importance. Accordingly, he describes that horror in strong language, that the wicked
may fear, and that believers, on the other hand, may keep themselves holy and chaste, and may

93. withdraw from the society of the wicked. Yet let them endure patiently the unjust and cruel attacks of
enemies, till the armed avenger come forth front heaven. (226)
And many shall be the slain of Jehovah. He threatens the destruction of all men, so that there may be a
prodigious mass of corpses. And he expressly added this, because ungodliness reigned everywhere, and
believers were subjected to a dangerous temptation on account of the prosperity of the wicked; for such is
the fickleness of our minds, that we allow ourselves to be led away by a bad custom, and are alarmed by
a multitude, as if it were sufficient for restraining the hand of God. This sinful fear the Prophet corrects by
reminding’ them, that the more ungodliness shall abound, and the greater the number of wicked men, so
much the more will the wrath of the Lord be kindled, that he may make a greater and more extensive
slaughter; and the multitude and conspiracy of the ungodly shall not hinder him from carrying them away
by the same ruin.
(226) “Jusques a tant que Dieu vienne du ciel a main armee pour en faire vengeance.” “ God come from
heaven with an armed force, to take vengeance on them.”
17
“Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go
into the gardens,following one who is among those
who eat the flesh of pigs, rats and other unclean
things—they will meet their end together with the one
they follow,” declares the LORD.
1.BARNES, “They that sanctify themselves - That is, who attempt to purify themselves
by idolatrous rites, by ablutions, and lustrations. The design here is, to describe those who will
be exposed to the wrath of God when he shall come to execute vengeance.
And purify themselves in the gardens - (See the notes at Isa_65:3).
Behind one tree in the midst - This passage has not a little exercised the ingenuity of
commentators. It is quite evident that our translators were not able to satisfy themselves with
regard to its meaning. In the margin they have rendered it, ‘one after another,’ supposing that it
may mean that the idolaters engaged in their sacrifices in a solemn procession, walking one after
another around their groves, their shrines, or their altars. In the translation in the text, they

94. seem to have supposed that the religious rites referred to were celebrated behind one particular
selected tree in the garden. Lowth renders it, ‘After the rites of Achad.’ Jerome renders it, In
hortis post januam intrinsecus - ‘In the gardens they sanctify themselves behind the gate within.’
The Septuagint, ‘Who consecrate and purify themselves (εᅶς τοᆷς κήπους, καᆳ ᅚν τοሏς προθύροις ᅟσθ
τες, κ.τ.λ. eis tous kepous, kai en tois prothurois hesthontes, etc.) for the gardens, and they who, in
the outer courts, eat swine’s flesh,’ etc. The Chaldee renders the phrase ‫סיעא‬ ‫בחר‬ ‫סיעא‬ siy‛a' bachar
siy‛a' - ‘Multitude after multitude.’ The vexed Hebrew phrase used here, ‫אחד‬ ‫אחר‬ 'achar 'achad, it is
very difficult to explain. The word ‫אחר‬ 'achar means properly after; the after part; the extremity;
behind - in the sense of following after, or going after anyone. The word ‫אחד‬ 'achad, means
properly one; someone; anyone. Gesenius (Commentary at the place) says that the phrase may
be used in one of the three following senses:
1. In the sense of one after another. So Sym. and Theo. render it - ᆆπίσω ᅊλλήλων opiso allelon.
Luther renders it, Einer hier, der andere da - ‘one here, another there.’
2. The word ‫אחד‬ 'achad, may be understood as the name of a god who was worshipped in
Syria, by the name of Adad. This god is that described by Macrobius, Sat., i. 23: ‘Understand
what the Assyrians think about the power of the sun. For to the God whom they worship as
Supreme they give the name Adad, and the signification of this name is One.’ That the passage
before us refers to this divinity is the opinion of Lowth, Grotius, Bochart, Vitringa, Dathe, and
others. ‘The image of Adad,’ Macrobius adds, ‘was designated by inclined rays, by which it was
shown that the power of heaven was in the rays of the sun which were sent down to the earth.’
The same god is referred to by Pliny (Hist. Nat. xxxvii. 71), where he mentions three gems which
received their names from three parts of the body, and were called ‘The veins of Adad, the eye of
Adad, the finger of Adad;’ and he adds, ‘This god was worshipped by the Syrians.’ There can be
no doubt that such a god was worshipped; but it is by no means certain that this idol is here
referred to. It is not improbable, Vitringa remarks, that the name Adad should be written for
Achadh, for the ease of pronunciation - as a slight change in letters was common for the purpose
of euphony. But it is still not quite clear that this refers to any particular idol.
3. The third opinion is that of Gesenius and accords substantially with that which our
translators have expressed it the text. According to that, it should be rendered ‘Those who
sanctify and purify themselves in the (idol) groves after one in the midst;’ that is, following and
imitating the one priest who directed the sacred ceremonies. It may mean that a solemn
procession was formed in the midst of the grove, which was led on by the priest, whom all
followed; or it may mean that they imitated him in the sacred rites. It seems tome probable that
this refers to some sacred procession in honor of an idol, where the idol or the altar was
encompassed by the worshippers, and where they were led on by the officiating priest. Such
processions we know were common in pagan worship.
In the midst - In the midst of the sacred grove; that is, in the darkest and obscurest recess.
Groves were selected for such worship on account of the sacred awe which it was supposed their
dark shades would produce and cherish. For the same reason, therefore, the darkest retreat - the
very middle of the grove - would be selected as the place where their religious ceremonies would
be performed. I see no evidence that there is any allusion to any tree here, as our translators
seem to have supposed; still less, that there was, as Burder supposes, any allusion to the tree of
life in the midst of the garden of Eden, and their attempts to cultivate and preserve the memory
of it; but there is reason to believe that their religious rites would be performed in the center, or
most shady part of the grove.

95. Eating swine’s flesh - That is, in connection with their public worship (see the notes at
Isa_65:4).
And the abomination - The thing which is held as abominable or detestable in the law of
God. Thus the creeping thing and the reptile were regarded as abominations Lev_11:41-42. They
were not to be eaten; still less were they to be offered in sacrifice (compare Exo_8:26;
Deu_20:16; Deu_29:17; see the notes at Isa_65:3).
And the mouse - The Hebrew word used here means the dormouse - a small field-mouse.
Jerome understands it as meaning the glis, a small mouse that was regarded as a great delicacy
by the Romans. They were carefully kept and fattened for food (see Varro, De Rust., iii. 15).
Bochart (Hieroz., i. 3, 34) supposes that the name used here is of Chaldaic origin, and that it
denotes a field-mouse. Mice abounded in the East, and were often exceedingly destructive in
Syria (see Bochart; compare 1Sa_5:4). Strabo mentions that so vast a multitude of mice
sometimes invaded Spain as to produce a pestilence; and in some parts of Italy, the number of
field-mice was so great that the inhabitants were forced to abandon the country. It was partly on
account of its destructive character that it was held in abomination by the Hebrews. Yet it would
seem that it was eaten by idolaters; and was, perhaps, used either in their sacrifices or in their
incantations (see the notes at Isa_65:4). Vitringa supposes that the description in this verse is
applicable to the time of Herod, and that it refers to the number of pagan customs and
institutions which were introduced under his auspices. But this is by no means certain. It may be
possible that it is a general description of idolatry, and of idolaters as the enemies of God, and
that the idea is, that God would come with vengeance to cut off all his foes.
2. CLARKE, “Behind one tree “After the rites of Achad” - The Syrians worshipped a
god called Adad, Plin. Nat. Hist. 37:11; Macrob. Sat. 1:23. They held him to be the highest and
greatest of the gods, and to be the same with Jupiter and the sun; and the name Adad, says
Macrobius, signifies one; as likewise does the word Achad in Isaiah. Many learned men
therefore have supposed, and with some probability, that the prophet means the same
pretended deity. ‫אחד‬ achad, in the Syrian and Chaldean dialects, is ‫חד‬ chad; and perhaps by
reduplication of the last letter to express perfect unity, it may have become ‫חדד‬ chadad, not
improperly expressed by Macrobius Adad, without the aspirate. It was also pronounced by the
Syrians themselves, with a weaker aspirate, ‫הדד‬ hadad, as in Benhadad, Hadadezer, names of
their kings, which were certainly taken from their chief object of worship. This seems to me to be
a probable account of this name.
But the Masoretes correct the text in this place. Their marginal reading is ‫אחת‬ achath which is
the same word, only in the feminine form; and so read thirty MSS. (six ancient) and the two
oldest editions. This Le Clerc approves, and supposes it to mean Hecate, or the moon; and he
supports his hypothesis by arguments not at all improbable. See his note on the place.
Whatever the particular mode of idolatry which the prophet refers to might be, the general
sense of the place is perfectly clear. But the Chaldee and Syriac, and after them Symmachus and
Theodotion, cut off at once all these difficulties, by taking the word ‫אחד‬ achad in its common
meaning, not as a proper name; the two latter rendering the sentence thus: Οπισω αλληλων εν µε
σሩ εσθιοντων το κρεας το χοιρειον; “One after another, in the midst of those that eat swine’s
flesh.” I suppose they all read in their copies ‫אחד‬‫אחד‬ achad achad, one by one, or perhaps ‫אחד‬‫אחר‬

96. ‫אחד‬ achad achar achad, one after another. See a large dissertation on this subject in Davidis Millii
Dissertationes Selectae, Dissert. vi. - L.
I know not what to make of this place; it is certain that our translation makes no sense, and
that of the learned prelate seems to me too refined. Kimchi interprets this of the Turks, who are
remarkable for ablutions. “Behind one in the midst” he understands of a large fish-pond placed
in the middle of their gardens. Others make ‫אחד‬ achad a deity, as above; and a deity of various
names it is supposed to be, for it is Achad, and Chad, and Hadad, and Achath, and Hecat, an
Assyrian idol. Behynd the fyrst tree or the gate withine forth. - Old MS. Bible.
3. GILL, “They that sanctify themselves,.... This is a description of the enemies of the Lord,
and of his people, who shall be slain at this time; not who are sanctified by the Spirit and grace
of God, but who sanctify themselves, pretend to make themselves holy, and give out that they
are holier than others; professing great outward sanctity, as the Papists do, but destitute of real
inward holiness: or, "that prepare themselves", as the Targum; to go and worship such an idol,
on such a day, as Jarchi and Aben Ezra interpret it, and as the above followers of the man of sin
do, Rev_9:20.
that purify themselves in the gardens; in pools or ponds of water in gardens. This Kimchi
understands of the Persians, by whom he means the Mahometans, who bathe and purify
themselves daily, but yet are unclean in their lives and actions; and it is true also of the Papists,
who pretend to purify themselves with their holy water in their churches. "Behind one tree in the
midst": so Aben Ezra supplies it. Some take Achad, rendered "one", to be the name of an idol.
Macrobius (d) says, the Assyrians worshipped the sun under the name of Adad, which signifies
"one"; him they adore as a most powerful deity; the same perhaps, with the Adodus of
Sanchoniatho (e), whom he calls the king of the gods; and the Adadus of Pliny (f), the god of the
Syrians, from whom the gem "adadunephros" has its name. The Targum paraphrases it,
"company after company"; to which agrees the Syriac version, "that purify themselves--one after
another"; as the Papists go to Mass company after company, when they make use of their holy
water purification. The phrase, "after one in the midst" (g), as it may be rendered, may signify,
after some middle person or mediator; and the note of Cocceius is not amiss, after the false vicar
and head, that is, the pope, the pretended vicar of Christ, and head of the church the above
things the Papists do after his orders and injunctions. So R. Bechai (h) interprets all of this of
the Mahometans and Papists; his words are, as Buxtorf (i) has cited them,
"that sanctify themselves; these are the sons of Edom (that is, the Christians), whose custom it is
to move their fingers here and there (that is, to sanctify themselves with the sign of the cross):
that purify, themselves; these are the sons of Ishmael (that is, the Turks), whose custom is to
wash their hands and their feet; which custom of washing they had from Esau and the Jews:
"after one in the midst"; this signifies the cross of the Edomites (that is, the Christians), by
which they sanctify, themselves;''
the Papists he means. Ben Melech understands it of one pool in the midst of the garden; and
observes, that others interpret it of one of the groves in the midst of it.
Eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse; the eating of swine's flesh,
and the mouse, were forbidden by the law of Moses, Lev_11:7 and some think by the
"abomination" is meant the "weasel", since that is mentioned in the above law with the "mouse";

97. though it may be rather things offered to idols, or blood, are designed. Mice have been eaten, at
least some sort of them, as the dormouse, by some people, particularly the Romans, and counted
delicious food, as Sanctius upon the place, from various authors, has showed; and Bochart (k)
also observes, that there is a kind of field mice, called by the Arabians "jarbuo", which are eaten
by them, and had in great esteem, and is the very word the Arabic interpreter renders this by in
the text. Now, though the ceremonial law is abolished, and all distinction of meats ceased, and
will continue so in the times referred to; yet the description of these unclean people, pretending
to so much sanctity and purity, is taken from such persons who were reckoned impure in the
times the prophet wrote; and may particularly point at such who abstain from meats at certain
times, to be eaten lawfully; and yet are as unclean as those under the law were, who ate things
forbidden; they being such who are abominable, and make an abomination, and a lie, Rev_21:8,
"these shall be consumed together, saith the Lord"; in the above mentioned battles, or in the
lake which burns with fire and brimstone.
4. HENRY, “Christ will appear to the confusion and terror of all those that stand it out
against him. Sometimes he will appear in temporal judgments. The Jews that persisted in
infidelity were cut off by fire and by his sword. The ruin was very extensive; the Lord then
pleaded with all flesh; and, it being his sword with which they are cut off, they are called his
slain, sacrificed to his justice, and they shall be many. In the great day the wrath of God will be
his fire and sword, with which he will cut off and consume all the impenitent; and his word,
when it takes hold of sinners' consciences, burns like fire, and is sharper than any two-edged
sword. Idolaters will especially be contended with in the day of wrath, Isa_66:17. Perhaps some
of those who returned out of Babylon retained such instances of idolatry and superstition as are
here mentioned, had their idols in their gardens (not daring to set them up publicly in the high
places) and there purified themselves (as the worshippers of the true God used to do) when they
went about their idolatrous rites, one after another, or, as we read it, behind one tree in the
midst, behind Ahad or Ehad, some idol that they worshipped by that name and in honour of
which they ate swine's flesh (which was expressly forbidden by the law of God), and other
abominations, as the mouse, or some other like animal. But the prophecy may refer to all those
judgments which the wrath of God, according to the word of God, will bring upon provoking
sinners, that live in contempt of God and are devoted to the world and the flesh: They shall be
consumed together. From the happiness of heaven we find expressly excluded all idolaters, and
whosoever worketh abomination, Rev_21:27; Rev_22:15. In the day of vengeance secret
wickedness will be brought to light and brought to the account; for (Isa_66:18), I know their
works and their thoughts. God knows both what men do and from what principle and with what
design they do it; and therefore is fit to judge the world, because he can judge the secrets of men,
Rom_2:16.
5. JAMISON, “in ... gardens — Hebrew and the Septuagint rather require, “for (entering
into) gardens,” namely, to sacrifice there [Maurer].
behind one tree — rather, “following one,” that is, some idol or other, which, from
contempt, he does not name [Maurer]. Vitringa, etc., think the Hebrew for “one,” Ahhadh, to be
the name of the god; called Adad (meaning One) in Syria (compare Act_17:23). The idol’s power
was represented by inclined rays, as of the sun shining on the earth. Gesenius translates,
“following one,” namely, Hierophant (“priest”), who led the rest in performing the sacred rites.
in ... midst — namely, of the garden (see on Isa_65:3, Isa_65:4).

98. mouse — legally unclean (Lev_11:29) because it was an idol to the heathen (see on
Isa_37:36; 1Sa_6:4). Translate, “the field mouse,” or “dormouse” [Bochart]. The Pharisees with
their self-righteous purifications, and all mere formalists, are included in the same
condemnation, described in language taken from the idolatries prevalent in Isaiah’s times.
6. K&D, “The judgment predicted here is a judgment upon nations, and falls not only upon
the heathen, but upon the great mass of Israel, who have fallen away from their election of grace
and become like the heathen. “They that consecrate themselves and purify themselves for the
gardens behind one in the midst, who eat swine's flesh and abomination and the field-mouse-
they will come to an end together, saith Jehovah.” The persons are first of all described; and
then follows the judgment pronounced, as the predicate of the sentence. They subject
themselves to the heathen rites of lustration, and that with truly bigoted thoroughness, as is
clearly implied by the combination of the two synonyms hammithqadde
shı̄m and hammittaharı̄m
(hithpael with an assimilated tav), which, like the Arabic qadusa and tahura, are both traceable to
the radical idea ᅊφορίζειν. The ‫ל‬ ֶ‫א‬ of ֶ‫־לא‬ ַ‫ה‬ַ ‫תוֹ‬ is to be understood as relating to the object or
behoof: their intention being directed to the gardens as places of worship (Isa_1:29; Isa_65:3),
ad sacra in lucis obeunda, as Shelling correctly explains. In the chethib ֶ‫ו‬ ָ ְַ‫ך‬ ‫אחד‬ ‫ר‬ ַ‫ח‬ፍ, the ‫ד‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫א‬ (for
which we may also read ‫ד‬ ַ‫ח‬ፍ, the form of connection, although the two pathachs of the text
belong to the keri) is in all probability the hierophant, who leads the people in the performances
of the rites of religious worship and as he is represented as standing in the midst ( ֶ‫ו‬ ָ ְַ‫ך‬ ) of the
worshipping crowd that surrounds him, 'achar (behind, after) cannot be understood locally, as if
they formed his train or tail, but temporally or in the way of imitation. He who stands in their
midst performs the ceremonies before them, and they follow him, i.e., perform them after him.
This explanation leaves nothing to be desired. The keri, 'achath, is based upon the assumption
that 'achad must refer to the idol, and substitutes therefore the feminine, no doubt with an
allusion to 'asherah, so that battavekh (in the midst) is to be taken as referring not to the midst of
the worshipping congregation, but to the midst of the gardens. This would be quite as suitable;
for even if it were not expressly stated, we should have to assume that the sacred tree of Astarte,
or her statue, occupied the post of honour in the midst of the garden, and 'achar would
correspond to the phrase in the Pentateuch, ‫ים‬ ִ‫ר‬ ֵ‫ח‬ፍ ‫ים‬ ִ‫ּה‬‫ל‬ ֱ‫א‬ ‫י‬ ֵ‫ר‬ ֲ‫ח‬ፍ ‫ה‬ָ‫נ‬ָ‫.ז‬ But the foregoing expression,
sanctificantes et mundantes se (consecrating and purifying), does not favour this sense of the
word 'achar (why not ‫ל‬ = ‫בוֹד‬ ְ‫כ‬ ִ‫,)?ל‬ nor do we see why the name of the goddess should be
suppressed, or why she should be simply hinted at in the word ‫ת‬ ַ‫ח‬ፍ (one). ‫ד‬ ָ‫ח‬ ֶ‫א‬ (‫ד‬ ַ‫ח‬ፍ) has its
sufficient explanation in the antithesis between the one choir-leader and the many followers; but
if we take 'achath as referring to the goddess, we can find no intelligible reason or object.
Some again have taken both 'achad and 'achath to be the proper name of the idol. Ever since
the time of Scaliger and Groitus, 'achad has been associated with the Phoenician ʆ́Αδωδος βασιλεᆷ
ς θεራν mentioned by Sanchuniathon in Euseb. praep. ev. 1, 10, 21, or with the Assyrian sun-god
Adad, of whom Macrobius says (Saturn. 1, 23), Ejus nominis interpretatio significat unus; but

99. we should expect the name of a Babylonian god here, and not of a Phoenician or Assyrian
(Syrian) deity. Moreover, Macrobius' combination of the Syrian Hadad with 'achad was a mere
fancy, arising from an imperfect knowledge of the language. Clericus' combination of 'achath
with Hecate, who certainly appears to have been worshipped by the Harranians as a monster,
though not under this name, and not in gardens (which would not have suited her character), is
also untenable. Now as 'achath cannot be explained as a proper name, and the form of the
statement does not favour the idea that 'achar 'achath or 'achar 'achad refers to an idol, we adopt
the reading 'achad, and understand it to refer to the hierophant or mystagogue. Jerome follows
the keri, and renders it post unam intrinsecus. The reading post januam is an ancient
correction, which is not worth tracing to the Aramaean interpretation of 'achar 'achad, “behind a
closed door,” and merely rests upon some rectification of the unintelligible post unam. The
Targum renders it, “one division after another,” and omits battavekh. The lxx, on the other hand,
omits 'achar 'achad, reads ubhattavekh, and renders it καᆳ ᅚν τοሏς προθύροις (in the inner court).
Symmachus and Theodoret follow the Targum and Syriac, and render it ᆆπίσω ᅊλλήλων, and then
pointing the next word ‫תוֹ‬ ְְ‫ך‬ (which Schelling and Böttcher approve), render the rest ᅚν µέσω ᅚσθ
όντων τᆵ κρέας τᆵ χοιρεሏον (in the midst of those who eat, etc.). But ‫י‬ ֵ‫ל‬ ְ‫ּכ‬‫א‬ commences the further
description of those who were indicated first of all by their zealous adoption of heathen customs.
Whilst, on the one hand, they readily adopt the heathen ritual; they set themselves on the other
hand, in the most daring way, altogether above the law of Jehovah, by eating swine's flesh
(Isa_65:4) and reptiles (sheqets, abomination, used for disgusting animals, such as lizards,
snails, etc., Lev_7:21; Lev_11:11),
(Note: See Levysohn, Zoologie des Talmuds, pp. 218-9.)
and more especially the mouse (Lev_11:29), or according to Jerome and Zwingli the dormouse
(glis esculentus), which the Talmud also mentions under the name ‫דברא‬ ‫עכברא‬ (wild mouse) as a
dainty bit with epicures, and which was fattened, as is well known, by the Romans in their
gliraria.
(Note: See Levysohn, id. pp. 108-9. A special delicacy was glires isicio porcino, dormice
with pork stuffing; see Brillat-Savarin's Physiologie des Geschmacks, by C. Vogt, p. 253.)
However inward and spiritual may be the interpretation given to the law in these prophecies,
yet, as we see here, the whole of it, even the laws of food, were regarded as inviolable. So long as
God Himself had not taken away the hedges set about His church, every wilful attempt to break
through them was a sin, which brought down His wrath and indignation.
7. CALVIN, “17.They who sanctify themselves. He now describes those enemies of whom he said,
that God’ anger would be kindled against them; for it might have been doubtful whether he spoke of
foreign and avowed enemies, or directed his discourse to the despisers of God, although they had been
mixed with those who were elect and holy; and therefore he plainly addresses the false and degenerate
Jews. Nor have I any doubt that, in the first place, he rebukes hypocrites, and, in the second place, when
he says, “ eat swine’ flesh,” he describes men of immoral lives, that is, those who were openly wicked and

100. grossly licentious. Hypocrites sanctified themselves, that is, assumed false disguises of holiness, and
deceived many under this pretense.
They purified themselves in the gardens; that is, they polluted themselves with various superstitions,
although they imagined that, by means of those superstitions, they rendered themselves pure in the sight
of God. Others, without any reserve, despised God and all religion. It is therefore a general statement, in
which he includes all the ungodly, to whatever class they may belong; that is, both those who openly
display their wickedness, and those who hide and cover it by various disguises.
Behind one in the midst. (227) Some commentators supply the word “” or “” as if holy water had been
placed “ the midst” of the garden for ablutions. But another meaning would be equally appropriate; that
every one chose a God for himself exclusively, and therefore every one out of many trees had his own
tree.
(227) “ attaches to it here (as he does in 2Sa_4:6) the sense of the interior or court of an oriental house,
and applies it to the edifice in which the lustrations were performed before entering the gardens; which
may also be the meaning of the Septuagint version, εἰς τοὺς κήπους ἐν τοῖς προθύροις. Maurer and
others follow Scaliger, who makes it mean the midst of the grove or garden, where the idol was commonly
erected. But Knobel, by ingeniously combining Gen_42:5; Psa_42:5; Psa_68:26, makes it not improbable
that “ the midst,” means in the crowd or procession of worshippers.” —Alexander.
18
“And I, because of what they have planned and
done, am about to come[a]
and gather the people of all
nations and languages, and they will come and see my
glory.
1.BARNES, “For I know their works - The word ‘know,’ says Lowth, is here evidently left
out of the Hebrew text, leaving the sense quite imperfect. It is found in the Syriac; the Chaldee
evidently had that word in the copy of the Hebrew which was used; and the Aldine and
Complutensian editions of the Septuagint have the word. Its insertion is necessary in order to

101. complete the sense; though the proof is not clear that the word was ever in the Hebrew text. The
sense is, that though their abominable rites were celebrated in the deepest recesses of the
groves, yet they were not concealed from God.
That I will gather all nations and tongues - They who speak all languages (compare
Rev_7:9; Rev_10:11; Rev_11:9). The sense is, that the period would come when Yahweh would
collect all nations to witness the execution of his vengeance on his foes.
And see my glory - That is, the manifestation of my perfections in the great events referred
to here - the destruction of his enemies, and the deliverance of his people. To what particular
period this refers has been a point on which expositors are by no means agreed. Grotius says it
means, that such shall be the glory of the Jewish people that all nations shall desire to come and
make a covenant with them. The Jewish interpreters, and among them Abarbanel (see Vitringa),
suppose that it refers to a hostile and warlike assembling of all nations in the time of the
Messiah, who, say they, shall attack Jerusalem with the Messiah in it, and shall be defeated.
They mention particularly that the Turks and Christians shall make war on Jerusalem and on
the true Messiah, but that they shall be overthrown. Vitringa supposes that it refers to the
assembling of the nations when the gospel should be at first proclaimed, and when they should
be called into the kingdom of God. Many of the fathers referred it to the final judgment. It is
difficult to determine, amidst this variety of opinion, what is the true meaning. Opinions are
easily given, and conjectures are easily made; and the opinions referred to above are entitled to
little more than the appellation of conjecture. It seems to me, that there is involved here the idea
of the judgment or punishment on the enemies of God, and at about the same time a collecting
of the nations not only to witness the punishment, but also to become participants of his favor.
In some future time, Yahweh would manifest himself as the punisher of his enemies, and all the
nations also would be permitted to behold his glory, as if they were assembled together.
2. CLARKE, “For I know their works - A word is here lost out of the present text, leaving
the text quite imperfect. The word is ‫יודע‬ yodea, knowing, supplied from the Syriac. The Chaldee
had the same word in the copy before him, which he paraphrases by ‫קדמי‬‫גלן‬ kedemi gelon, their
deeds are manifest before me; and the Aldine and Complutensian editions of the Septuagint
acknowledge the same word επισταµαι, which is verified by MS. Pachom. and the Arabic version.
I think there can be little doubt of its being genuine. The concluding verses of this chapter refer
to the complete restoration of the Jews, and to the destruction of all the enemies of the Gospel of
Christ, so that the earth shall be filled with the knowledge and glory of the Lord. Talia saecla
currite! Lord, hasten the time!
It shall come “And I come” - For ‫באה‬ baah, which will not accord with any thing in the
sentence, I read ‫בא‬ ba, with a MS.; the participle answering to ‫יודע‬ yodea, with which agree the
Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate. Perhaps it ought to be ‫ובא‬ veba, when I shall come, Syr.; and so
the Septuagint, according to Edit. Ald. and Complut., and Cod. Marchal.
3. GILL, “For I know their works, and their thoughts,.... That is, of the persons before
described; their evil works and thoughts, which are known to Christ the discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart, whose eyes are as a flame of fire to pierce and penetrate into

102. them, Rev_2:18 or, "as for me (l), their works and their thoughts"; as I know them, and abhor
them, I will take vengeance on them for them, for what they have devised and done against me
and mine: "and it shall come"; that is, it shall come to pass, or the time shall come:
that I will gather all nations and tongues; not against Jerusalem in the war of Gog and
Magog, as the Jewish commentators, Aben Ezra, Jarchi, and Kimchi, interpret it, illustrating it
by Zec_14:2 but to Christ and his church, by the preaching of the Gospel; which in the latter day
will be published to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, and that immediately upon the
destruction of both the western and eastern antichrists; and particularly, by the means of the
latter, way will be made for it into the kingdoms of the east, which thereby will become the
kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, Rev_14:6,
and they shall come and see my glory; the glory of Christ's person, offices, and grace; the
glory of his Gospel, worship, and ordinances; the glory that will be upon Zion the church, and on
all which there will be a defence, and a glorious sight it will be; see Isa_4:5.
4. HENRY, “. He will appear to the comfort and joy of all that are faithful to him in the setting
up of his kingdom in this world, the kingdom of grace, the earnest and first-fruits of the
kingdom of glory. The time shall come that he will gather all nations and tongues to himself,
that they may come and see his glory as it shines in the face of Jesus Christ, Isa_66:18. This was
fulfilled when all nations were to be discipled and the gift of tongues was bestowed in order
thereunto. The church had hitherto been confined to one nation and in one tongue only God was
worshipped; but in the days of the Messiah the partition-wall should be taken down, and those
that had been strangers to God should be brought acquainted with him and should see his glory
in the gospel, as the Jews had seen it in the sanctuary. As to this, it is here promised,
5. JAMISON, “know — not in the Hebrew. Rather, understand the words by aposiopesis; it
is usual in threats to leave the persons threatened to supply the hiatus from their own fears,
owing to conscious guilt: “For I ... their works and thoughts,” etc.; namely, will punish [Maurer].
it shall come — the time is come that I will, etc. [Maurer].
gather ... nations — against Jerusalem, where the ungodly Jews shall perish; and then the
Lord at last shall fight for Jerusalem against those nations: and the survivors (Isa_66:19) shall
“see God’s glory” (Zec_12:8, Zec_12:9; Zec_14:1-3, Zec_14:9).
tongues — which have been many owing to sin, being confounded at Babel, but which shall
again be one in Christ (Dan_7:14; Zep_3:9; Rev_7:9, Rev_7:10).
6. K&D, “The prophecy now marks out clearly the way which the history of Israel will take. It
is the same as that set forth by Paul, the prophetic apostle, in Rom 9-11 as the winding but
memorable path by which the compassion of God will reach its all-embracing end. A universal
judgment is the turning-point. “And I, their works and their thoughts - it comes to pass that all
nations and tongues are gathered together, that they come and see my glory.” This v.
commences in any case with a harsh ellipsis. Hofmann, who regards Isa_66:17 as referring not
to idolatrous Israelites, but to the idolatrous world outside Israel, tries to meet the difficulty by

103. adopting this rendering: “And I, saith Jehovah, when their thoughts and actions succeed in
bringing together all nations and tongues (to march against Jerusalem), they come and see my
glory (i.e., the alarming manifestation of my power).” But what is the meaning of the opening
ִ‫ּכי‬‫נ‬ፎְ‫ו‬ (and I), which cannot possibly strengthen the distant ִ‫בוֹדי‬ ְⅴ, as we should be obliged to
assume? Or what rule of syntax would warrant our taking ‫ה‬ፎ ָ ‫ם‬ ֶ‫יה‬ ֵ‫ּת‬‫ב‬ ְ‫שׁ‬ ְ‫ח‬ ַ‫וּמ‬ ‫ם‬ ֶ‫יה‬ ֵ‫שׂ‬ ֲ‫ע‬ ַ‫מ‬ as a participial
clause in opposition to the accents? Again, it is impossible that ‫ואנכי‬ should mean “et contra
me;” or ‫ומחשׁבתיהם‬ ‫,מעשׂיהם‬ “in spite of their works and thoughts,” as Hahn supposes, which leaves
‫ואנכי‬ sevael hc quite unexplained; not to mention other impossibilities which Ewald, Knobel, and
others have persuaded themselves to adopt. If we wanted to get rid of the ellipsis, the
explanation adopted by Hitzig would recommend itself the most strongly, viz., “and as for me,
their works and thoughts have come, i.e., have become manifest (ᅫκασιν, Susanna v. 52), so that
I shall gather together.” But this separation of ֵ ַ‫ק‬ ְ‫ל‬‫ץ‬ ‫ה‬ፎ ָ (it is going to gather together) is
improbable: moreover, according to the accents, the first clause reaches as far as ‫ומחסבתיהם‬ (with
the twin-accent zakeph-munach instead of zakeph and metheg); whereupon the second clause
commences with ‫,באה‬ which could not have any other disjunctive accent than zakeph gadol
according to the well-defined rules (see, for example, Num_13:27). But if we admit the elliptical
character of the expression, we have not to supply ‫י‬ ִ ְ‫ע‬ ַ‫ד‬ָ‫י‬ (I know), as the Targ., Syr., Saad., Ges.,
and others do, but, what answers much better to the strength of the emotion which explains the
ellipsis, ‫ּד‬‫ק‬ ְ‫פ‬ ֶ‫א‬ (I will punish). The ellipsis is similar in character to that of the “Quos ego” of Virgil
(Aen. i. 139), and comes under the rhetorical figure aposiopesis: “and I, their works and
thoughts (I shall now how to punish).” The thoughts are placed after the works, because the
reference is more especially to their plans against Jerusalem, that work of theirs, which has still
to be carried out, and which Jehovah turns into a judgment upon them. The passage might have
been continued with kı̄ mishpatı̄ (for my judgment), like the derivative passage in Zep_3:8; but
the emotional hurry of the address is still preserved: ‫ה‬ፎ ָ (properly accented as a participle) is
equivalent to ‫ת‬ ֵ‫ע‬ ָ‫א(ה‬ ָ ) ‫ה‬ፎ ָ in Jer_51:33; Eze_7:7, Eze_7:12 (cf., ‫א‬ ָ ַ‫ה‬‫ם‬ִ‫י‬ , Isa_27:6). At the same
time there is no necessity to supply anything, since ‫באה‬ by itself may also be taken in a neuter
sense, and signify venturum (futurum) est (Eze_39:8). The expression “peoples and tongues”
(as in the genealogy of the nations in Gen. 10) is not tautological, since, although the distinctions
of tongues and nationalities coincided at first, yet in the course of history they diverged from one
another in many ways. All nations and all communities of men speaking the same language does
Jehovah bring together (including the apostates of Israel, cf., Zec_14:14): these will come, viz.,
as Joel describes it in Joe_3:9., impelled by enmity towards Jerusalem, but not without the
direction of Jehovah, who makes even what is evil subservient to His plans, and will see His
glory - not the glory manifest in grace (Ewald, Umbreit, Stier, Hahn), but His majestic
manifestation of judgment, by which they, viz., those who have been encoiled by sinful conduct,
are completely overthrown.
7. BI, “The conversion of the world
I. FUTURE PROSPECTS OF PROVIDENCE RESPECTING THE GLORIOUS WORK OF THE
CONVERSION OF THE WORLD TO CHRIST.

104. II. THE MEANS BY WHICH IT SHALL BE ACCOMPLISHED.
III. THE EXTENT TO WHICH IT SHALL REACH.
IV. THE HOLY AND BLESSED EFFECTS WHICH SHALL BE PRODUCED BY IT. (J.
Snodgrass, D. D.)
The Gospel to be preached to the uncivilized
No regard seems here to be paid to that favourite maxim with many, that the Gospel can only be
successfully preached to a people already in a civilized state. It is certain that the first preaching
of the Gospel to the nations of the world was not conducted upon any such narrow principle. On
the contrary, it is mentioned by some of the early apologists for Christianity, as one of its
honourable achievements, that it has turned even the most cruel and barbarous people into
mildness and docility. If any intimation is given, in prophecy, upon this point, it seems rather to
reverse the above-mentioned maxim. Were Pul and Lud, and Tubal and Tarshish, civilized
countries in the days of this prophet T yet God is represented as sending messengers to them, to
declare His glory among the Gentiles. Is there a more unfavourable manner of life for receiving
instruction than that of a people wandering about, without any fixed residence? or is there any
state of society more base than that of men living in eaves and rocks of the earth? yet the glad
tidings of the Gospel will make the villages, or clustered tents, of Kedar to rejoice, and the
inhabitants of the rock to sing. (J. Snodgrass, D. D.)
8. CHARLES SIMEON, “THE JEWS TO CONVERT THE GENTILES
Isa_66:18-24. It shall come, that I will gather all nations and longues; and they shall come, and see my
glory. And I will set a sign among them; and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to
Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard
my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. And then shall
bring all your brethren for an offering unto the Lord, out of all nations, upon horses, and in chariots, and in
litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, at the
children of Israel bring an offering in a clean ressel into the House of the Lord.
WHEN we look upon the world around us, and consider how utterly God is neglected and despised by the
great mass of his intelligent creatures, and that successive generations of immortal beings are swept
away without any knowledge of a Saviour, or any hope of beholding the face of God in peace, we are
ready to say with the prophet, “Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I
might weep night and day [Note: Jer_9:1.],” for the dishonour done to my God, and for the miseries which,
like a relentless deluge, are overwhelming the whole earth! It is however a consolation to know, that this
state of things is drawing to a close, and that a new era is about to appear, when the darkness which now
covers the earth shall be dispelled, and righteousness reign, where sin hath hitherto maintained an
undisputed sway. The prospect of this period, which is now fast approaching, and speedily to commence,

105. was the great support of the Church under the distresses to which she was reduced in the Babylonish
captivity; and it still forms the richest source of consolation to all who have any zeal for God, or any
concern for the welfare of mankind. So impressed was the prophet Isaiah with his views of this mighty
change, that he could scarcely speak of any thing else: or, if he did speak of the restoration of the Jews
from Babylon, or of the blessings treasured up for them by the introduction of the Messiah’s kingdom, he
constantly interwove in his statements such grand and glorious expressions, as could not fail of carrying
forward the minds of his readers to this blessed time, when “new heavens and a new earth were to be
created [Note: ver. 22.],” and the universal empire of righteousness to be established throughout the
earth. Of this period he speaks in the words before us; which will lead me to set before you,
I. God’s purpose respecting the Gentile world—
“It shall come to pass, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.”
This is the fixed purpose of Jehovah; a purpose,
1. Proclaimed by all the prophets—
[Respecting “the gathering of the nation” to Christ, there is but one voice, from the time of Abraham to the
close of the sacred canon. Christ is that “Seed in whom all the nations of the earth are to be blessed
[Note: Gen_18:18.];” that “Shiloh, to whom the gathering of all people shall be [Note: Gen_49:10.].” “The
utmost ends of the earth are promised to Him for his possession [Note: Psa_2:8.]:” “all kings shall fall
down before him, all nations shall do him service [Note: Psa_72:11.]:” “from the rising of the sun unto the
going down thereof shall his name be great among the Gentiles [Note: Mal_1:11.];” and all the kingdoms
of the world shall become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ [Note: Rev_11:15.].”
But there is a peculiarity in this prophecy which must not be overlooked. God has in the great work of
redemption revealed his glory to mankind. In that he he shewn how “mercy and truth could meet together,
and righteousness and peace could kiss each other [Note: Psa_85:10.].” There he has proclaimed his
name as “merciful and gracious, and yet as not by any means clearing the guilty [Note:Exo_34:6-7.].” It is
this harmony of his perfections that chiefly constitutes his glory. Previous to the revelation of his Gospel,
the highest archangel could not have conceived how God could be “a just God, and yet a Saviour
[Note: Isa_45:21.].” But in Christ Jesus the whole difficulty is solved. By sending him into the world, and
laying our iniquities on him, the fullest demands of justice are satisfied, and a way is opened for the
richest exercise of mercy towards a guilty world: the truth of God which was pledged for the execution of
all his threatening, is preserved; and yet may the sinner, who was obnoxious to them, be absolved, and
be restored to the enjoyment of his forfeited inheritance. This is the mystery in which all the glory of the

106. Godhead shines; and which all the nations of the earth shall in due time have revealed to them in its
meridian splendour. This is fully declared by the prophet in a preceding chapter: “Arise, shine! for thy light
is come; and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and
gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And
the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising [Note: Isa_60:1-3; Isa_62:2.].”
And the prophet Habakkuk also marks it with peculiar precision: “The earth,” says he, “shall be filled
with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”]
2. Assuredly to be fulfilled in its season—
[Were we to judge by present appearances, we should say, that such an event could never be
accomplished. But so we should have thought respecting the deliverance of the Jews from Egypt, and
from Babylon; and of the establishment of Christianity by the ministry of a few poor fishermen. But it is not
in this way that we are to form our judgment or our expectations. We have only to ask ourselves; “Has
God promised these things? and, Is he able to perform them?” These points being ascertained, we are as
sure of the event, as if we already saw it before our eyes: for “God is not a man that he should lie, or a
son of man, that he should repent.” In fact, the prophet did, as it were, behold it actually accomplishing in
his day: he saw the Gentile world “flying to Christ, as doves to their windows;” and he called upon the
Church to rejoice in it: “Break forth into joy; sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath
comforted his people; he hath redeemed Jerusalem: the Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of
all the nations: and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God [Note: Isa_52:9-10. with
60:4, 8.].”]
If the purpose itself fill us with wonder, we shall be no less amazed when we are informed of,
II. The instruments by whom he will effect it—
It was by the ministry of Jews that God was pleased to bring in the first fruits of the Gentiles; and by the
ministry of the Jews will he gather in the whole harvest. In this passage the prophet distinctly states who
are,
1. The persons ordained to this work—
[They are here designated as “those who have escaped unto the nations:” and who these are there can
be no doubt. They are the remnant of the Jewish nation dispersed throughout the world [Note:
SeeIsa_4:2.]. What the particular places are amongst which they are scattered, it is not necessary to

107. determine: it is sufficient to know, that they are countries widely distant from each other, and countries
“which have not heard of the Redeemer’s fame, or seen his glory.” Amongst these nations shall “an
ensign be raised” by the Jews, whom “God has sent to them” for this express purpose: and it is by their
ministry that God will diffuse the knowledge of salvation amongst them. The language here used is clear
and decisive: “I will send those that escape of them,” that is, the Jews; “I will send them unto the
nations; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.” How little has the Christian world adverted
to this prophecy! How little have any of us, when perhaps we have been pouring contempt upon the
Jews, recollected for what glorious purposes they are reserved, and what a blessing they are ordained to
be to the whole world! Be it known unto you, Brethren, that the jews are the persons ordained of God to
“declare his glory among the Gentiles.” They themselves are at present as unconscious of the end for
which they are so dispersed, as the Gentiles are amongst whom they are scattered: but they shall
nevertheless infallibly execute the office for which they are designed. The prophet Micah says of them,
“The remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the Lord, as the showers upon
the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men [Note: Mic_5:7.].” Now the clouds
know not the end for which God sends them over the face of the earth; nor is the dew aware of the
purpose which God has designed it to effect: but both the one and the other infallibly and effectually
execute the purposes of heaven, and cause the parched ground to send forth its fruits. So shall the Jews
do, when once the light has burst in upon their minds; and “the receiving of them into the Christian
Church shall be as life from the dead” to the whole world [Note: Rom_11:15.].]
2. The success that shall attend their labours—
[As the effects of rain are rapid on the whole vegetable creation, so shall the fruits of their ministry among
the Gentiles be rapid and abundant; “They shall bring all their Gentile brethren for an offering unto the
Lord, out of all nations, saith the Lord; as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the
house of the Lord.” The meat-offering consisted of fine flour unleavened, and mingled with oil: oil also
was poured upon it, and frankincense put thereon [Note: Lev_2:1-6.]. Of how many myriads of particles
an handful of flour consisted, we know not: but it very fitly represents the congregated masses of
believers that shall then be presented to the Lord, all of them pure and unleavened, and all of them
sanctified by the Holy Ghost. This is the very construction which St. Paul himself puts upon the text, which
he represents as in part fulfilled in himself, who was, in a more peculiar manner than any other of the
Apostles, “the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the Gospel of God, that the offering up
of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost [Note: Rom_15:16.].” Nor let it be
thought that this is a fanciful interpretation: for the prophet himself, in a foregoing chapter, represents the
converts as “a cloud [Note: Isa_60:8.],” which, whether it be understood of dust, or of rain, conveys
precisely the same idea as we have just suggested from the meat-offering: and the Psalmist also places

108. the matter in exactly the same view, when he says, that “the handful of corn cast by them upon the tops
of the mountains shall grow up as the woods of Lebanon, and as the piles of grass upon the earth
[Note: Psa_72:16.].” Indeed the prophet himself uses in another place a still stronger figure: for he
represents the Gentile world at that period as “flowing (contrary to nature), like a mighty river, up to the
Lord’s House, when established upon the top of the highest mountains [Note: Isa_2:2.];” so powerful, so
harmonious, so universal shall be the concourse of the Gentiles to Mount Zion, in consequence of God’s
blessing on the labours of their Jewish instructors.]
See then,
1. Of what importance the conversion of the Jews is to the whole world!
[Many individuals may be, and are, converted from among the Gentiles by the labours of Gentile
teachers; and we do well to exert ourselves in every possible way for the diffusion of Christian knowledge
amongst them. But though we may reap the first-fruits, the gathering in of the harvest is reserved for
labourers of the Jewish community. There is a passage which is supposed to establish a directly opposite
opinion: but the passage itself is quite misunderstood. It is said, that “blindness in part is happened to
Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in [Note: Rom_11:25.]:” and from thence it is supposed,
that the whole of the Gentiles must be converted, before that blindness is removed from the Jewish
people. But in another part of the same chapter it is said, that, as the diminishing of the Jews was the
means of enriching the Gentile world, much more shall their fulness be so; the receiving of the Jews into
the Church being the signal for, and the means of, a spiritual resurrection to the whole Gentile world
[Note: Rom_11:12; Rom_11:15.]. The “fulness” in both places imports, not the complete ingathering of all,
but the commencement of that mighty work. It will begin among the Gentiles (as it has indeed already
begun); and then it will proceed among the Jews, who shall carry it on, and perfect it, among the
Gentiles. As soon as the Jews determinately rejected the Gospel, it was preached unto the Gentiles
[Note: Act_13:45-47.]: and as soon as the Gentiles begin in any considerable numbers to embrace the
faith of Christ, we hope and believe, that God will make known himself unto the Jews, and make them the
instruments of converting the whole world. If then we have any concern for the Gentile world, we should
labour with all our might (in prayer, and in the use of all suitable means) to impart the Gospel to the Jews;
that so they may be ready to execute the work to which they are ordained, and for which they are fitted
beyond any other people upon the face of the earth. As having their own Scriptures (upon which ours are
founded) with them, and as understanding the languages of the different countries wherein they dwell,
they are ready at any moment to preach the Gospel to those around them, as soon as ever “the veil shall
be taken from their own hearts.” Being acquainted with their own Scriptures, they will unlock the mysteries
contained in ours, the very instant that “the key of knowledge” is put into their hands. And their conversion

109. will itself be such a confirmation of prophecy, that all will be ready to receive their word, and to obey the
Gospel delivered by them. Let us therefore arise to our long-neglected duty; and “neither rest ourselves,
nor give rest unto our God,” till he call in his banished children, and make Jerusalem once more a praise
in the earth [Note: Isa_62:6-7.].]
2. What are those points to which we must particularly attend in our own conversion—
[The Jews are to “declare God’s glory among the Gentiles,” and to “offer them up as an holy offering unto
the Lord.” These are the two essential points of conversion; and if either be wanting in us, we can never
behold the face of God in peace. We must have light in our understandings, and holiness in our hearts.
The first thing in the old creation was light; and that also is the first in the new: “God, who created light out
of darkness, must shine into our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Jesus Christ [Note: 2Co_4:6.].” This is not a mere speculative knowledge; but such a view of
God’s glory, as leads immediately to a willing surrender of our souls to him, “as a living sacrifice
[Note: Rom_12:1. 2Co_8:5.].” The two must go together, as the root and the fruit. They are absolutely
inseparable. We never can devote ourselves unreservedly to God, till we feel our obligations to him for all
the wonders of redeeming love: but if once we have right views of Christ, “we shall immediately purify
ourselves, even as he is pure [Note: 1Jn_3:3.].” Let us then never be satisfied, till “Christ is fully revealed
in our hearts [Note: Gal_1:16.],” and till we so “behold his glory as to be changed by it into the same
image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord [Note: 2Co_3:18.].”]
9. CALVIN, “18.For I —their works, and their thoughts. (228) He confirms what he said in the preceding
verse; namely, that punishment shall be executed on all the ungodly, in order that, although the Lord
permit them for a time to sin with impunity, yet believers, being convinced that they shall one day be
punished, may guard against following their example. The Lord here testifies that he sees and observes
their works, and that one day he will actually manifest that none can be concealed from his eyes. Others
understand by it that the ungodly can accomplish nothing without God’ permission. That statement is
indeed true, but is not applicable to this passage; for everybody sees that it is unnatural, and at variance
with the context of the Prophet, who merely confirms what he formerly said, that hypocrites and wicked
men shall not finally escape with impunity, because God perceives all their actions, and schemes, and
thoughts; and that they gain nothing by their evasions, as if they were never to be dragged to the
judgment.
Because the time is come. These words confirm still more what has been already said, for he says that
the time is at hand when he shall assemble all the nations, that he may cast off the hypocrites and

110. ungodly, and gather and adopt a people to himself from among them. The Jews were puffed up with
pride, and despised all other nations as unholy. But the Lord declares that he will adopt those nations,
that they may be partakers of his glory, of which the Jews prove themselves to be unworthy.
This is a remarkable passage, which teaches us that God is not confined to any people, so as not to
choose whomsoever he pleases, by casting off unbelievers whom he formerly called to himself. This is
abundantly explained by Paul, (Rom_10:19,) where he shews that we have come into a possession which
was left empty, after the Jews were cast off through their unbelief. Isaiah now threatens them in this
manner. “ not that God is in want of peoples when you have revolted and have rendered yourselves
unworthy of his grace, for he will have others; but he will shew that he is the judge, and will not finally
permit you to abuse so great forbearance.”
And they shall come. He says that “ shall come,” because, being ingrafted by unity of faith, they shall be
united in the Church with the true Jews, who have not swerved from the adoption; for, in consequence of
the Jews being near to God, the Gentiles, who were at a distance, must be joined to them, that, by the
removal of disagreement, they might become one body.
And shall see my glory. To “ the glory” of the Lord, is nothing else than to enjoy that grace which he had
bestowed on the Jews; for the special privilege of that nation was, that they beheld the glory of God, and
had tokens of his presence, he says that now the Gentiles, who had not enjoyed these benefits, shall see
and behold that glory, for the Lord will reveal himself to all without exception.
(228) “Car je voy leurs oeuvres et leurs pensees.” “ I see their works and their thoughts.”
19
“I will set a sign among them, and I will send some
of those who survive to the nations—to Tarshish, to
the Libyans[b]
and Lydians (famous as archers), to
Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have

111. not heard of my fame or seen my glory. They will
proclaim my glory among the nations.
1.BARNES, “And I will set a sign among them - (See the notes at Isa_11:12; Isa_18:3).
On the meaning of the word ‘sign’ (‫אות‬ 'oth), see the notes at Isa_7:11. What is its meaning here
is to be determined by the connection. That would seem to me to require some such
interpretation as this: That when God should come Isa_66:17-18 to take vengeance on his foes,
and to manifest his glory, he would establish some mark or memorial; would erect some
standard, or give some signal, by which his true friends would escape, and that he would send
them to distant nations to proclaim his truth and gather together those who had not seen his
glory. What that sign should be, he does not here say. Whether a standard, a secret
communication, or some intimation beforehand, by which they should know the approaching
danger and make their escape, is not declared. It is by no means easy to determine with certainty
on this passage; and it certainly becomes no one to speak dogmatically or very confidently.
But it seems to me that the whole passage may have been intended, by the Holy Spirit, to refer
to the propagation of the gospel by the apostles. The heavy judgments referred to may have been
the impending calamities over Jerusalem. The glory of God referred to, may have been the signal
manifestation of his perfections at that period in the approaching destruction of the city, and in
the wonders that attended the coming of the Messiah. The gathering of the nations Isa_66:18
may possibly refer to the collecting together of numerous people from all parts of the earth
about that time; that is, either the assembled people at the time of the Saviour’s death Act_2:8,
Act_2:11, or the gathering of the armies of the Romans - a commingled multitude from all
nations - to inflict punishment on the Jewish nation, and to behold the manifestation of the
divine justice in the destruction of the guilty Jewish capital.
The ‘sign’ here referred to, may denote the intimations which the Redeemer gave to his
disciples to discern these approaching calamities, and to secure their safety by flight when they
should be about to appear Mat_24:15-18. By these warnings and previous intimations they were
to be preserved. The sign was ‘among them,’ that is, in the very midst of the nation; and the
object of the intimation was, to secure their safety, and the speedy propagation of the true
religion among all nations. Deeply sensible that there is great danger of erring here, and that the
above view may be viewed as mere conjecture, I cannot, however, help regarding it as the true
exposition. If there is error in it, it may be pardoned, for it will probably be felt by most readers
of these notes that there has not been a too frequent reference in the interpretation proposed to
the times of the Christian dispensation.
And I will send those that escape of them - According to the interpretation suggested
above, this refers to the portion of the Jewish nation that should escape from the tokens of the
divine displeasure; that is, to the apostles and the early disciples of the Redeemer. The great
mass of the nation would be abandoned and devoted to destruction. But a remnant would be
saved (compare Isa_1:9; Isa_11:11, Isa_11:16). Of that remnant, God would send a portion to
make his name known to those who had not heard it, and they would lead distant nations to the
knowledge of his truth. The whole passage is so accurately descriptive of what occurred in the
times when the gospel was first preached to the pagan world, that there can be little danger of
error in referring it to those times. Compare Vitringa on the passage for a more full view of the
reasons of this interpretation. The names of the places which follow are designed to specify the
principal places where the message would be sent, and stand here as representatives of the
whole pagan world.

112. To Tarshish - (See the notes at Isa_2:16; Isa_23:1; Isa_60:19). Tarshish was one of the most
distant seaports known to the Hebrews; and whether it be regarded as situated in Spain, or in
the East Indies, or south of Abyssinia (see the notes above) it equally denotes a distant place,
and the passage means that the message would be borne to the most remote regions.
Pul - This is supposed to denote some region in Africa. Jerome renders it, ‘Africa.’ The
Septuagint, Φοᆷδ Foud - ‘Phud.’ Bochart, Phaleg. iv. 26, supposes that it means Philae, a large
island in the Nile, between Egypt and Ethiopia; called by the Egyptians Pilak, i e., the border, or
far country (see Champollion, l’Egypte, i. 158). There are still on that island remains of some
very noble and extensive temples built by the ancient Egyptians.
And Lud - Jerome renders this, ‘Lydia.’ The Septuagint ‘Lud.’ There was a Lydia in Asia
Minor - the kingdom of the celebrated Croesus; but it is generally supposed that this place was
in Africa. Ludim was a son of Mizraim Gen_10:13, and the name Ludim, or Lybians, referring to
a people, several times occurs in the Bible Jer_46:9; Eze_27:10; Eze_30:5. These African
Lybians are commonly mentioned in connection with Pul, Ethiopia, and Phut. Bochart supposes
that Abyssinia is intended, but it is by no means certain that this is the place referred to.
Josephus affirms that the descendants of Ludim are long since extinct, having been destroyed in
the Ethiopian wars. It is clear that some part of Egypt is intended, says Calmer, but it is not easy
to show exactly where they dwelt.
That draw the bow - (‫קשׁת‬ ‫משׁכי‬ moshe
key qeshet). The Septuagint here renders the Hebrew
phrase simply by Μοσᆵχ Mosoch,’ understanding it of a place. Lowth supposes that the Hebrew
phrase is a corruption of the word Moschi, the name of a nation situated between the Euxine
and the Caspian seas. But there is no authority for supposing, as he does, that the word ‘bow’ has
been interpolated. The Chaldee renders it, ‘Drawing and smiting with the bow.’ The idea is, that
the nations here referred to were distinguished for the use of thw bow. The bow was in common
use in wars; and it is by no means improbable that at that time they had acquired special fame in
the use of this weapon.
To Tubal - Tubal was the fifth son of Japhet, and is here joined with Javan because they were
among the settlers of Europe. The names before mentioned together relate to Africa, and the
sense there is, that the message should be sent to Africa; here the idea is, that it should be sent
to Europe. Tubal is commonly united with Meshech, and it is supposed that they populated
countries bordering on each other. Bochart labors to prove that by Meshech and Tubal are
intended the Muscovites and the Tibarenians. The Tibarenians of the Greeks were the people
inhabiting the country south of the Caucasus, between the Black Sea and the Araxes. Josephus
says, that ‘Tubal obtained the Thobelians (Θωβήλους Thobelous) who are reckoned among the
Iberians.’ Jerome renders it, ‘Italy.’ It is not possible to determine with certainty the country
that is referred to, though some part of Europe is doubtless intended.
And Javan - Jerome renders this, ‘Greece.’ So the Septuagint, Εᅶς τήν ᅡλλάδα Eis ten Hellada
- ‘To Greece.’ Javan was the fourth son of Japhet, and was the father of the Ionians and the
Greeks Gen_10:2-4. The word ‘Ionia,’ Greek ᅾων Ion, ᅾωνία Ionia, is evidently derived from the
word rendered here ‘Javan’ (‫יון‬ yavan), and in the Scriptures the word comprehends all the
countries inhabited by the descendants of Javan, as well in Greece as in Asia Minor. Ionia
properly was the beautiful province on the western part of Asia Minor - a country much
celebrated in the Greek classics for its fertility and the salubrity of its climate - but the word used
here includes all of Greece. Thus Daniel Dan_11:2, speaking of Xerxes, says, ‘He shall stir up all
against the realm of Javan.’ Alexander the Great is descried by the same prophet as ‘king of
Javan’ Dan_8:21; Dan_10:20. The Hindus call the Greeks Yavanas - the ancient Hebrew
appellation. It is needless to say, on the supposition that this refers to the propagation of the

113. gospel by the apostles, that it was fulfilled. They went to Greece and to Asia Minor in the very
commencement of their labors, and seme of the earliest and most flourishing churches were
founded in the lands that were settled by the descendants of Javan.
To the isles afar off - (See the notes at Isa_41:1).
That have not heard my fame - Hebrew, ‘Who have not heard my report,’ that is, who
were ignorant of the true God.
Neither have seen my glory - The glory which he had manifested to the Hebrews in giving
his law, and in the various exhibitions of his character and perfections among them.
2. CLARKE, “That draw the bow - I much suspect that the words ‫משכי‬‫קשת‬ moshechey
kesheth, who draw the bow, are a corruption of the word ‫משך‬ meshek, Moschi, the name of a
nation situated between the Euxine and Caspian seas; and properly joined with ‫תבל‬ tubal, the
Tibareni. See Bochart, Phaleg. Isa_3:12. The Septuagint have µοσοχ, without any thing of the
drawers of the bow: the word being once taken for a participle, the bow was added to make
sense of it ‫קשת‬ kesheth, the bow, is omitted in a MS. and by the Septuagint.
That have not heard my fame “Who never heard my name” - For ‫שמעי‬ shimi, my
fame, I read, with the Septuagint and Syriac, ‫שמי‬ shemi, my name.
3. GILL, “And I will set a sign among them,.... Either a miraculous sign, something
wonderful, as the word is often used, Exo_4:8, not the effusion of the Spirit on the day of
Pentecost, in the presence of men of all nations; or the miracles wrought in the Gentile world by
the apostles, in confirmation of the Gospel; but rather the wonderful conversion of the Jews,
Isa_66:8, or those wonders, the time of the end of which is inquired, Dan_12:6 or else some
distinguishing sign or mark is meant; such an one as was set on Cain, and on those that sighed
and mourned for the sins of Jerusalem, Eze_9:4, and may intend the seal or mark of Christ's
Father's name, in the foreheads of his people, to distinguish and preserve them from being hurt
with others, Rev_7:3, or, best of all, a sign or ensign to gather persons together; which, though
not the usual word for an ensign, is sometimes so used, as in Psa_74:4, and so may intend
Christ, who is a sign that has been spoken against, Luk_2:34 and is set up in the ministration of
the Gospel, to gather souls unto him, Isa_10:10, and which, as it was attended with great success
in the first times of the Gospel, will also in the latter day, Isa_2:2,
and I will send those that escape of them; meaning, not the apostles and first preachers of
the word, that escaped the perverseness and frowardness of the Jewish nation, their rage and
persecution, and the wrath that came upon them to the uttermost; but those that shall escape at
the defeat of the Turks, and at the ruin of mystical Babylon, and at the fall of the tenth part of
the city, Rev_11:13 and who also, in a spiritual sense, will escape the pollutions of the world,
through the grace of God, and knowledge of Christ; the vengeance of divine justice; the curses of
the law, and wrath to come; hell and eternal damnation, by fleeing to Christ; these, some of
them, will be made preachers of the Gospel; as who so fit as those to warn sinners of their
danger, to show men the way of salvation, and publish the good tidings of the Gospel, and will
be sent of God with a commission from him "unto the nations"; in order to gather them to Christ

114. and his church, and behold his glory: particularly to "Tarshish", a word sometimes used for the
sea; and the Vulgate Latin version renders it "the nations in the sea"; or, as the Targum, the
province of the sea, the maritime provinces, those that lie nearest the sea; the Persian and
Arabian seas; or Tartessus in Spain; and may be put for the whole country:
Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow; which some take to be the same with Put and Lud, or
Lybia and Lydia, which go together, Jer_46:9 both countries in Africa, famous for archery; and
the Vulgate Latin version renders it Africa and Lydia; though Bochart, and after him Vitringa,
take Pul to be the same with Philas, an island upon the Nile, above Syene, between Ethiopia and
Egypt, of which Diodorus Siculus (m) and Strabo (n) make mention; or Elephantine, the same
with Phil, near the other. Kimchi interprets those that draw the bow of the Turks:
to Tubal and Javan; which the same version renders Italy and Greece:
and the isles afar off; even as far as the West Indies: what places and countries are exactly
and precisely meant cannot be determined; only, in general, that into various parts of the world,
east, west, north, and south, even the most distant, the Gospel and Gospel ministers shall be
sent:
even to those that have not heard my fame; or, "my report" (o); the Gospel, which is a
good and true report of Christ; this the nations, covered with gross darkness, the Pagan ones,
have not so much as heard of, but now shall, through these men being sent unto them:
neither have seen my glory; in the glass of the Gospel, that having never been set before
them; and so have never seen the glory of Christ, as the only begotten of the Father; his
comeliness and beauty, the fulness of grace in him, nor any of the excellencies of him, either of
his person or offices:
and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles; this, those that are escaped, or the
preachers sent to the nations, shall do; they shall declare publicly, plainly, and clearly, that
Christ is the brightness of the divine Glory; shall declare the glory of his deity; of his rich grace
and love to sinners, in suffering and dying for them; of his salvation, how great, complete,
suitable, and glorious it is; with all the glorious truths of the Gospel, peace, pardon,
righteousness, and eternal life, by Christ.
4. HENRY, “That many converts shall hereby be made, Isa_66:20.
(1.) They shall bring all your brethren (for proselytes ought to be owned and embraced as
brethren) for an offering unto the Lord. God's glory shall not be in vain declared to them, but
they shall be both invited and directed to join themselves to the Lord. Those that are sent to
them shall succeed so well in their negotiation that thereupon there shall be as great flocking to
Jerusalem as used to be at the time of a solemn feast, when all the males from all parts of the
country were to attend there, and not to appear empty. Observe, [1.] The conveniences that they
shall be furnished with for their coming. Some shall come upon horses, because they came from
far and the journey was too long to travel on foot, as the Jews usually did to their feasts. Persons
of quality shall come in chariots, and the aged, and sickly, and little children, shall be brought in
litters or covered wagons, and the young men on mules and swift beasts. This intimates their
zeal and forwardness to come. They shall spare no trouble nor charge to get to Jerusalem. Those
that cannot ride on horseback shall come in litters; and in such haste shall they be, and so
impatient of delay, that those that can shall ride upon mules and swift beasts. These expressions
are figurative, and these various means of conveyance are heaped up to intimate (says the

115. learned Mr. Gataker) the abundant provision of all those gracious helps requisite for the
bringing of God's elect home to Christ. All shall be welcome, and nothing shall be wanting for
their assistance and encouragement. [2.] The character under which they shall be brought. They
shall come, not as formerly they used to come to Jerusalem, to be offerers, but to be themselves
an offering unto the Lord, which must be understood spiritually, of their being presented to God
as living sacrifices, Rom_12:1. The apostle explains this, and perhaps refers to it, Rom_15:16,
where he speaks of his ministering the gospel to the Gentiles, that the offering up, or
sacrificing, of the Gentiles might be acceptable. They shall offer themselves, and those who are
the instruments of their conversion shall offer them, as the spoils which they have taken for
Christ and which are devoted to his service and honour. They shall be brought as the children of
Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel, with great care that they be holy, purified from sin,
and sanctified to God. It is said of the converted Gentiles (Act_15:9) that their hearts were
purified by faith. Whatever was brought to God was brought in a clean vessel, a vessel
appropriated to religious uses. God will be served and honoured in the way that he has
appointed, in the ordinances of his own institution, which are the proper vehicles for these
spiritual offerings. When the soul is offered up to God the body must be a clean vessel for it,
possessed in sanctification and honour, and not in the lusts of uncleanness (1Th_4:4, 1Th_4:5);
and converts to Christ are not only purged from an evil conscience, but have their bodies also
washed with pure water, Heb_10:22. Now,
(2.) This may refer, [1.] To the Jews, devout men, and proselytes out of every nation under
heaven, that flocked together to Jerusalem, expecting the kingdom of the Messiah to appear,
Act_2:5, Act_2:6, Act_2:10. They came from all parts to the holy mountain of Jerusalem, as an
offering to the Lord, and there many of them were brought to the faith of Christ by the gift of
tongues poured out on the apostles. Methinks there is some correspondence between that
history and this prophecy. The eunuch some time after came to worship at Jerusalem in his
chariot and took home with him the knowledge of Christ and his holy religion. [2.] To the
Gentiles, some of all nations, that should be converted to Christ, and so added to his church,
which, though a spiritual accession, is often in prophecy represented by a local motion. The
apostle says of all true Christians that they have come to Mount Zion, and the heavenly
Jerusalem (Heb_12:22), which explains this passage, and shows that the meaning of all this
parade is only that they shall be brought into the church by the grace of God, and in the use of
the means of that grace, as carefully, safely, and comfortably, as if they were carried in chariots
and litters. Thus God shall persuade Japhet and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, Gen_9:27.
5. JAMISON, “sign — a banner on a high place, to indicate the place of meeting for the
dispersed Jewish exiles, preparatory to their return to their land (Isa_5:26; Isa_11:12;
Isa_62:10).
those that escape of them — the Gentile survivors spared by God (see on Isa_66:18;
Zec_14:16). Isa_2:2, Isa_2:3; Mic_5:7; and Zec_14:16-19 represent it, not that the Jews go as
missionaries to the Gentiles, but that the Gentiles come up to Jerusalem to learn the Lord’s ways
there.
Tarshish — Tartessus in Spain, in the west.
Pul — east and north of Africa: probably the same as Philoe, an island in the Nile, called by
the Egyptians Pilak, that is, the border country, being between Egypt and Ethiopia [Bochart].

116. Lud — the Libyans of Africa (Gen_10:13), Ludim being son of Mizraim (Egypt): an Ethiopian
people famous as bowmen (Jer_46:9): employed as mercenaries by Tyre and Egypt (Eze_27:10;
Eze_30:5).
Tubal — Tibarenians, in Asia Minor, south of the Caucasus, between the Black Sea and
Araxes. Or, the Iberians [Josephus]. Italy [Jerome].
Javan — the Greeks; called Ionians, including all the descendants of Javan, both in Greece
and in Asia Minor (Gen_10:2-4).
my glory ... Gentiles — (Mal_1:11).
6. K&D 19-20, “But a remnant escapes; and this remnant is employed by Jehovah to
promote the conversion of the Gentile world and the restoration of Israel. “And I set a sign upon
them, and send away those that have escaped from them to the Gentiles to Tarshiish, Phûl, and
Lûd, to the stretchers of the bow, Tûbal and Javan - the distant islands that have not heard my
fame and have not seen my glory, and they will proclaim my glory among the Gentiles. And
they will bring your brethren out of all heathen nations, a sacrifice for Jehovah, upon horses
and upon chariots, and upon litters and upon mules and upon dromedaries, to my holy
mountain, to Jerusalem, saith Jehovah, as the children of Israel bring the meat-offering in a
clear vessel to the house of Jehovah.” The majority of commentators understand ve
samtı̄ bahem
'oth (and I set a sign upon them) as signifying, according to Exo_10:2, that Jehovah will perform
such a miraculous sign upon the assembled nations as He formerly performed upon Egypt
(Hofmann), and one which will outweigh the ten Egyptian 'othoth and complete the destruction
commenced by them. Hitzig supposes the 'oth to refer directly to the horrible wonder connected
with the battle, in which Jehovah fights against them with fire and sword (compare the parallels
so far as the substance is concerned in Joe_3:14-16, Zep_3:8, Eze_38:18., Zec_14:12.). But
since, according to the foregoing threat, the expression “they shall see my glory” signifies that
they will be brought to experience the judicial revelation of the glory of Jehovah, if ve
samtı̄ bahem
'oth (and I set a sign upon them) were to be understood in this judicial sense, it would be more
appropriate for it to precede than to follow. Moreover, this ve
samtı̄ bahem 'oth would be a very
colourless description of what takes place in connection with the assembled army of nations. It
is like a frame without a picture; and consequently Ewald and Umbreit are right in maintaining
that what follows directly after is to be taken as the picture for this framework. The 'oth (or sign)
consists in the unexpected and, with this universal slaughter, the surprising fact, that a remnant
is still spared, and survives this judicial revelation of glory. This marvellous rescue of individuals
out of the mass is made subservient in the midst of judgment to the divine plan of salvation.
those who have escaped are to bring to the far distant heathen world the tidings of Jehovah, the
God who has been manifested in judgment and grace, tidings founded upon their own
experience. It is evident from this, that notwithstanding the expression “all nations and
tongues,” the nations that crowd together against Jerusalem and are overthrown in the attempt,
are not to be understood as embracing all nations without exception, since the prophet is able to
mention the names of many nations which were beyond the circle of these great events, and had
been hitherto quite unaffected by the positive historical revelation, which was concentrated in
Israel. By Tarshish Knobel understand the nation of the Tyrsenes, Tuscans, or Etruscans; but
there is far greater propriety in looking for Tarshish, as the opposite point to 'Ophir, in the
extreme west, where the name of the Spanish colony Tartessus resembles it in sound. In the

117. middle ages Tunis was combined with this. Instead of ‫לוּד‬ְ‫ו‬ ‫וּל‬ we should probably read with the
lxx ‫ולוּד‬ ‫וּט‬ , as in Eze_27:10; Eze_30:5. Stier decides in favour of this, whilst Hitzig and Ewald
regard ‫פול‬ as another form of ‫.פוט‬ The epithet ‫ת‬ ֶ‫שׁ‬ ֶ‫ק‬ ‫י‬ ֵ‫כ‬ ְ‫ּשׁ‬‫מ‬ (drawers of the bow) is admirably
adapted to the inhabitants of Put, since this people of the early Egyptian Phet (Phaiat) is
represented ideographically upon the monuments by nine bows. According to Josephus, Ant. i.
6, 2, a river of Mauritania was called Phout, and the adjoining country Phoute; and this is
confirmed by other testimonies. As Lud is by no means to be understood as referring to the
Lydians of Asia Minor here, if only because they could not well be included among the nations of
the farthest historico-geographical horizon in a book which traces prophetically the victorious
career of Cyrus, but signifies rather the undoubtedly African tribe, the ‫לוד‬ which Ezekiel
mentions in Isa_30:5 among the nations under Egyptian rule, and in Isa_27:10 among the
auxiliaries of the Tyrians, and which Jeremiah notices in Jer_46:9 along with Put as armed with
bows; Put and Lud form a fitting pair in this relation also, whereas Pul is never met with again.
The Targum renders it by ‫י‬ ֵ‫א‬ ָ‫וּל‬ , i.e., (according to Bochart) inhabitants of Φιλαί, a Nile island of
Upper Egypt, which Strabo (xvii. 1, 49) calls “a common abode of Ethiopians and Egyptians”
(see Parthey's work, De Philis insula); and this is at any rate better than Knobel's supposition,
that either Apulia (which was certainly called Pul by the Jews of the middle ages) or Lower Italy
is intended here. Tubal stands for the Tibarenes on the south-east coast of the Black Sea, the
neighbours of the Moschi ( ֶ‫שׁ‬ ֶ‫מ‬ְ‫ך‬ ), with whom they are frequently associated by Ezekiel
(Eze_27:13; Eze_38:2-3; Eze_39:1); according to Josephus (Ant. i. 6, 1), the (Caucasian)
Iberians. Javan is a name given to the Greeks, from the aboriginal tribe of the Bawones. The eye
is now directed towards the west: the “isles afar off” are the islands standing out of the great
western sea (the Mediterranean), and the coastlands that project into it. To all these nations,
which have hitherto known nothing of the God of revelation, either through the hearing of the
word or through their own experience, Jehovah sends those who have escaped; and they make
known His glory there, that glory the judicial manifestation of which they have just seen for
themselves.
The prophet is speaking here of the ultimate completion of the conversion of the Gentiles; for
elsewhere this appeared to him as the work of the Servant of Jehovah, for which Cyrus the
oppressor of the nations prepared the soil. His standpoint here resembles that of the apostle in
Rom_11:25, who describes the conversion of the heathen world and the rescue of all Israel as
facts belonging to the future; although at the time when he wrote this, the evangelization of the
heathen foretold by our prophet in Isa_42:1. was already progressing most rapidly. A direct
judicial act of God Himself will ultimately determine the entrance of the Pleroma of the Gentiles
into the kingdom of God, and this entrance of the fulness of the Gentiles will then lead to the
recovery of the diaspora of Israel, since the heathen, when won by the testimony borne to
Jehovah by those who have been saved, “bring your brethren out of all nations.” On the means
employed to carry this into effect, including kirkaroth, a species of camels (female camels), which
derives its name from its rapid swaying motion, see the Lexicons.
(Note: The lxx render it σκιαδίων, i.e., probably palanquins. Jerome observes on this, quae
nos dormitoria interpretari possumus vel basternas. (On this word, with which the name of
the Bastarnians as ʇΑµαξόβιοι is connected, see Hahnel's Bedeutung der Bastarner für das
german. Alterthum, 1865, p. 34.))
The words are addressed, as in Isa_66:5, to the exiles of Babylonia. The prophet presupposes
that his countrymen are dispersed among all nations to the farthest extremity of the
geographical horizon. In fact, the commerce of the Israelites, which had extended as far as India

118. and Spain ever since the time of Solomon, the sale of Jewish prisoners as slaves to Phoenicians,
Edomites, and Greeks in the time of king Joram (Oba_1:20; Joe_3:6; Amo_1:6), the Assyrian
captivities, the free emigrations - for example, of those who stayed behind in the land after the
destruction of Jerusalem and then went down to Egypt - had already scattered the Israelites over
the whole of the known world (see at Isa_49:12). Umbreit is of opinion that the prophet calls all
the nations who had turned to Jehovah “brethren of Israel,” and represents them as marching in
the most motley grouping to the holy city. In that case those who were brought upon horses,
chariots, etc., would be proselytes; but who would bring them? This explanation is opposed not
only to numerous parallels in Isaiah, such as Isa_60:4, but also to the abridgment of the passage
in Zep_3:10 : “From the other side of the rivers of Ethiopia (taken from Isa_18:1-7) will they
offer my worshippers, the daughters of my dispersed ones, to me for a holy offering.” It is the
diaspora of Israel to which the significant name “my worshippers, the daughters of my
dispersed ones,” is there applied. The figure hinted at in minchatı̄ (my holy offering) is given
more elaborately here in the book of Isaiah, viz., “as the children of Israel are accustomed (fut.
as in Isa_6:2) to offer the meat-offering” (i.e., that which was to be placed upon the altar as
such, viz., wheaten flour, incense, oil, the grains of the first-fruits of wheat, etc.) “in a pure vessel
to the house of Jehovah,” not in the house of Jehovah, for the point of comparison is not the
presentation in the temple, but the bringing to the temple. The minchah is the diaspora of
Israel, and the heathen who have become vessels of honour correspond to the clean vessels.
7. KELLY, “Vitringa's argument on verse 19 that no future call of Gentiles can be here intended,
because those named have long since known the God of Israel, seems to be of no real force. For even
Christendom will then be in a state of apostasy (2 Thess. 2); and, besides, the hearing of Jehovah's
fame and seeing His glory refers to the manifestation of Himself that will then be made here below.
How little is the future looked for according to God's word!
Thus an unsparing divine judgement will be executed on all the gathered nations when the Jews are
dealt with in their pollutions; and those that "escape of them" will be sent of God to the distant
nations ignorant of what He has wrought, and Gentiles will bring back all the Jews remaining outside
the Holy Land. It appears to be the detail of the prediction in Isa_18:7. From all nations shall this
offering to Jehovah be brought, and by every means of conveyance. Before this, it will have been only
the Jews and not all Israel.
All this is evidently not the same as the gospel or its effects, but in the most certain and evident
contrast with it. The offering now is characteristically of the Gentiles, as we see inRom_15:16, and as
experience shows. Jews are no doubt now as ever converted, but they are comparatively rare. The
prophet contemplates the day when "all Israel shall be saved," the apostates having been surprised
by the divine judgement.
And any supposed difficulty of reconciling with Joh_4:21 Jerusalem becoming a centre for all nations is

119. imaginary, or rather arises from the confusion of "the hour that now is" with the day that shall be.
Our Lord was contemplating the time of His rejection and His approaching absence in heaven; the
prophet had in view the day of His glory for the earth, which is still future. Distinguish the times, and
the objection vanishes. Jerusalem has no place in the Christian system; in the coming day of Jehovah it
will have a greater and holier place than it ever had of old; and no wonder with the name of Jehovah
Shammah!
8. CALVIN, “19.And I will place in them a sign. This may be understood in two ways; either that God
holds out a sign, or that by some symbol or mark he seals his own people, that they may be placed in
safety. The former exposition is more generally approved, but some reason childishly about it as relating
to the sign of the cross, while others refer it to the preaching of the Gospel. In my opinion both are
mistaken; for he seems rather to allude to what, Moses tells us, happened at the departure and
deliverance of the people. It is also declared (Rev_7:3) that “ many as the Lord hath sealed” shall be safe,
even when his anger shall be fiercely kindled throughout the whole world; just as they whose door-posts
were marked in Egypt escaped safely. (Exo_12:13.) And thus he shews that none can escape God’
wrath, except the elect, on whom the Lord has impressed his mark and seal.
And will send some of them, being reserved. In a word, the Prophet heightens the description of what has
been already said about the grievous and terrible vengeance which the Lord will execute on the ungodly;
for all would have perished without distinction if the Lord had not marked some of them with his seal.
From the general destruction of the whole nation, therefore, he says that he will reserve a small number.
And this is the true meaning of the Prophet; just as he had said, in other passages, that he would rescue “
remnant” from the general conflagration. (Isa_1:9.) Of this band, which had been reserved, he says that
some shall be his heralds to celebrate his name among the Gentiles; just as we see that the doctrine of
salvation, by the agency of a few, was spread far and wide.
To the nations of Tarshish, Pul, and Lud. By the name “” he denotes Cilicia, and includes the whole coast
of the Mediterranean Sea opposite to Judea. Others think that it denotes Africa and Cappadocia; but I
rather adopt the former view. By Lud, some suppose Lydia to be meant; and others, Asia Minor. By “ who
draw the bow” are meant the Parthians, because they were skillful in archery. By Tubal and Javan he
denotes Italy and Greece, and by the Islands he denotes unknown countries; for by the name “” as we
have seen on many former occasions, the Jews denoted all that lay beyond the sea.
Which have not heard my name. He means that the knowledge of God shall be spread throughout the
whole world; for the Greeks, Italians, Parthians, Cilicians, and other nations had heard nothing about pure

120. religion and the true worship of God; and the whole world was plunged in the deepest darkness of
ignorance. He therefore promises that the glory of God shall be known in every part of the world. The
word “” is emphatic; for at that time the Lord was known to not more than one people, but now he has
revealed himself to all.
20
And they will bring all your people, from all the
nations, to my holy mountain in Jerusalem as an
offering to the LORD—on horses, in chariots and
wagons, and on mules and camels,” says the LORD.
“They will bring them, as the Israelites bring their
grain offerings, to the temple of the LORD in
ceremonially clean vessels.
1.BARNES, “And they shall bring all your brethren - That is, as great success shall
attend them as if they should bring back all who had gone there when scattered abroad, and
should present them as an offering to Yahweh. The image here is taken from the scene which
would be presented, should the distant nations be seen bringing the scattered exiles in all lands
on horses, and on palanquins, and on dromedaries, again to Jerusalem, and presenting them
before Yahweh in the city where they formerly dwelt. It is the image of a vast caravan, conducted
by the pagan world when they had become tributary to the people of God, and when they united
to return them to their own land. The spiritual signification is, that all they who should be
appropriately called, brethren,’ all who should be the true friends of God, should be brought and
offered to Yahweh; that is, there should be a great accession to the people of God from the pagan
world.
For an offering unto the Lord. - Hebrew, ‫מנחה‬ minchah - not a bloody offering or sacrifice:
but an offering such as was made by flour, oil, etc. (see the notes at Isa_1:13.)
Out of all nations - The truth shall be proclaimed in all lands, and a vast accession shall be
made from all parts of the world to the true church of God. To understand this description, we
must form an idea of immense caravans proceeding from distant parts of the world to
Jerusalem, bearing along the converts to the true religion to be dedicated to the service of
Yahweh.
Upon horses - Horses were little used by the Hebrews (see the notes at Isa_2:7), but they
are much used by the Arabs, and form an important part of the caravan that goes to distant
places.
And in chariots - (Compare the notes at Isa_66:15). It is, however, by no means certain that
the word used here refers to a wheeled vehicle, Such vehicles were not used in caravans. The

121. editor of the Ruins of Palmyra tells us that the caravan they formed to go to that place, consisted
of about two hundred persons, and about the same number of beasts of carriage, which were an
odd mixture of horses, camels, mules, and asses; but there is no account of any vehicle drawn on
wheels in that expedition, nor do we find an account of such things in other eastern journeys
(Harmer). Coaches, Dr. Russel assures us, are not in use in Aleppo, nor are they commonly used
in any of the countries of the East. The Hebrew word used here (‫רכב‬ rekeb), means properly
riding - riders, cavalry (see it explained in the notes at Isa_21:7); then any vehicle for riding -
whether a wagon, chariot, or litter. Lowth renders it, ‘In litters.’ Pitts, in his account of the
return from Mecca, describes a species of litter which was borne by two camels, one before and
another behind, which was all covered over with searcloth, and that again with green
broadcloth, and which was elegantly adorned. It is not improbable that some such vehicle is
intended here, as it is certain that such things as wagons or chariots are not found in oriental
caravans.
And in litters - Margin, ‘Coaches.’ But the word litters more properly expresses the idea.
Lowth renders it, ‘Counes.’ Thevenot tells us that counes are hampers, or cradles, carried upon
the backs of camels, one on each side, having a back, head, and sides, like great chairs. A
covering is commonly laid over them to protect the rider from wind and rain. This is a common
mode of traveling in the East. The coune, or hamper, is thrown across the back of the camel,
somewhat in the manner of saddle-bags with us. Sometimes a person sits on each side, and they
thus balance each other, and sometimes the end in which the person is placed is balanced by
provisions, or articles of furniture in the other. ‘At Aleppo,’ says Dr. Russel, ‘women of inferior
condition in long journeys are commonly stowed, one on each side of a mule, in a sort of covered
cradles.’ The Hebrew word used here (‫צב‬ tsab), means properly a litter, a sedan coach - what can
be lightly or gently borne.
The Septuagint renders it, ᅠν λαµπήναις ᅧµιόνων µετᆭ σκιαδίων En lampenais hemionon meta
skiadion - ‘In litters of mules, with shades or umbrellas.’ Perhaps the following description of a
scene in the khan at Acre, will afford an apt illustration of this passage. ‘The bustle was
increased this morning by the departure of the wives of the governor of Jaffa. They set off in two
coaches of a curious description, common in this country. The body of the coach was raised on
two parallel poles, somewhat similar to those used for sedan chairs only that in these the poles
were attached to the lower par; of the coach - throwing consequently the center of gravity much
higher, and apparently exposing the vehicle, with its veiled tenant, to an easy overthrow, or at
least to a very active jolt. Between the poles strong mules were harnessed, one before and one
behind; who, if they should prove capricious, or have very uneven or mountainous ground to
pass, would render the situation of the ladies still more critical.’ (Jowett’s Christian Researches
in Syria, pp. 115, 116, Amos Ed.)
And upon swift beasts - Dromedaries. So Lowth and Noyes render it; and so the word used
here - ‫כרכרות‬ kire
karot - properly denotes. The word is derived from ‫כיר‬ karar, to dance; and the
name is given to them for their bounding or dancing motion, their speed being also sometimes
accelerated by musical instruments (Bochart, Hieroz. i. 2, 4). For a description of the
dromedary, see the notes at Isa_60:6.
As the children of Israel - As the Jews bear an offering to Yahweh in a vessel that is pure,
The utmost attention was paid to the cleanliness of their vessels in their public worship.

122. 2. CLARKE, “And in chariots “And in counes” - There is a sort of vehicle much used in
the east, consisting of a pair of hampers or cradles, thrown across a camel’s back, one on each
side; in each of which a person is carried. They have a covering to defend them from the rain and
the sun. Thevenot calls them counes, 1 p. 356. Maillet describes them as covered cages hanging
on both sides of a camel. “At Aleppo,” says Dr. Russell, “women of inferior condition in longer
journeys are commonly stowed, one on each side of a mule, in a sort of covered cradles.” Nat.
Hist. of Aleppo, p. 89. These seem to be what the prophet means by the word ‫צבים‬ tsabbim.
Harmer’s Observations, 1 p. 445.
3. GILL, “And they shall bring all your brethren, for an offering unto the Lord, out
of all nations,.... This is not said of the Jews, either with respect to the first times of the
Gospel; not of the devout men of all nations that heard the apostles on the day of Pentecost; nor
of those the Gospel met with in the Gentile world, by the ministry of the apostles, to whom Peter
and James write their epistles; or, in the latter day, such who remain in the several nations after
the general conversion of that people; but this is to be understood of the Gentiles, and of the
bringing in the fulness of them, by means of those who shall escape the calamities of those
times, the destruction of the eastern and western antichrist; some of which will become
preachers of the word, and be the instruments of doing this work: here the Gentiles are called
the brethren of the converted Jews, as all the Lord's people are brethren one of another, be they
of what nation they will; they are all in a spiritual sense the seed and children of Abraham, who
is the father of all that believe; and so all believers are brethren, Jews and Gentiles; yea, they are
all the children of God, who is the one God and Father of all, in the covenant of grace, which is
common to them all; and by adoption, and through regeneration, the evidence of it. Christ
stands in the relation of an elder brother to them all; and the church universal, the Jerusalem
above, is the mother of them all; they are mother's children, and so brethren; they are partakers
of the same blessings and privileges, and heirs of the same promises, grace, and glory: now all
those that are predestinated to the adoption of sons, that are the children of God scattered
abroad, and whom God has promised to call by his grace, shall be brought in; not one shall be
left behind; such is the will of God, which cannot be resisted; such their election of grace, which
stands firm on the sovereign will of God, and, always obtains; such the suretyship of Christ, and
the purchase of his blood, which make the bringing of them absolutely necessary; and the Lord
knows where they are, and will send his Gospel and ministers to them, to fetch them in, let them
be in ever such distant and obscure places: and these shall be brought,
for an offering to the Lord; which shall be offered to him, either by the persons that bring
them, the ministers of the Gospel, who are the priests of the Lord, Isa_66:21 and who offer, not
slain beasts, as under the law, but living persons, men and women, converted under their
ministry; whom they bring to the Lord, and to his house, as trophies of his victorious grace, to
serve and glorify him. The Apostle Paul seems to allude to this passage, and to give the sense of
it, Rom_15:16 or else by themselves that are brought; who shall present their souls and bodies a
living, holy, and acceptable sacrifice unto God, as their reasonable service; not to atone for their
sins, but in gratitude to the Lord, as being his, and not their own, Rom_12:1 the means by which
they shall be brought follows:
upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift
beasts; which Kimchi and Aben Ezra interpret of camels, the better sort of them; but the
Targum renders it, with praises; and so Jarchi understands it of the songs of those that skip and
dance for joy; see 1Sa_6:16, which carriages are not to be understood literally, but figuratively,

123. expressive of the Gospel ministry, which is the vehicle of salvation, and in which souls are
brought to Christ, and to his church; and various sorts being mentioned, may signify the
multitudes that shall be gathered in, and the different accommodations made, according to
different circumstances; some that are strong and eager, and impatient of church communion,
are brought on more speedily, on horses, and swift beasts; and others more weakly, and can
move but slowly, in chariots and litters; and all denote the safe and honourable way and manner
in which they are conducted, as well as the welcome they may expect to have in the churches of
Christ; since all manner of help is afforded to them. The horse is an emblem of the Gospel
ministry, and so is the chariot, Rev_6:2 the place they will be brought unto is,
to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord; not Jerusalem literally taken, though it
is highly probable it will be at this time a place of great resort of all Christians; but the church,
often called by this name in this prophecy, and in this chapter; a "mountain", for height,
visibility, and especially for firmness and immovableness; a "holy" one, where holy things,
words, and ordinances are ministered, holy persons meet, and none else should be members of
it; hither converted persons are brought, to partake of those holy things, and have communion
with holy persons, by means of the ministers of the Gospel, who invite, exhort, encourage, and
persuade, and use the most forcible arguments they can, but after all are but instruments, God is
the cause; it is he that brings souls to Zion, Jer_3:14 the manner follows:
as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the
Lord; just as the "minchah", or meat offering, was brought in a pure and clean vessel into the
sanctuary of the Lord, and there presented before him; as all the vessels there were Holy Ones,
Ezr_8:28 denoting who those should be that should be brought and offered; persons whose
hearts were purified by faith in the blood of Christ; called with a holy calling; sanctified by the
Holy Ghost; and appearing in the beauties of holiness of heart and life. The Septuagint version
renders it, "with psalms"; and the Arabic version, "with a jubilee"; suggesting they should be
brought with joy and gladness; see Psa_45:15. The ancient Jews (p) interpret all this of the gifts
brought to the King Messiah in his days.
4. HENRY, “That many converts shall hereby be made, Isa_66:20.
(1.) They shall bring all your brethren (for proselytes ought to be owned and embraced as
brethren) for an offering unto the Lord. God's glory shall not be in vain declared to them, but
they shall be both invited and directed to join themselves to the Lord. Those that are sent to
them shall succeed so well in their negotiation that thereupon there shall be as great flocking to
Jerusalem as used to be at the time of a solemn feast, when all the males from all parts of the
country were to attend there, and not to appear empty. Observe, [1.] The conveniences that they
shall be furnished with for their coming. Some shall come upon horses, because they came from
far and the journey was too long to travel on foot, as the Jews usually did to their feasts. Persons
of quality shall come in chariots, and the aged, and sickly, and little children, shall be brought in
litters or covered wagons, and the young men on mules and swift beasts. This intimates their
zeal and forwardness to come. They shall spare no trouble nor charge to get to Jerusalem. Those
that cannot ride on horseback shall come in litters; and in such haste shall they be, and so
impatient of delay, that those that can shall ride upon mules and swift beasts. These expressions
are figurative, and these various means of conveyance are heaped up to intimate (says the
learned Mr. Gataker) the abundant provision of all those gracious helps requisite for the
bringing of God's elect home to Christ. All shall be welcome, and nothing shall be wanting for
their assistance and encouragement. [2.] The character under which they shall be brought. They
shall come, not as formerly they used to come to Jerusalem, to be offerers, but to be themselves

124. an offering unto the Lord, which must be understood spiritually, of their being presented to God
as living sacrifices, Rom_12:1. The apostle explains this, and perhaps refers to it, Rom_15:16,
where he speaks of his ministering the gospel to the Gentiles, that the offering up, or
sacrificing, of the Gentiles might be acceptable. They shall offer themselves, and those who are
the instruments of their conversion shall offer them, as the spoils which they have taken for
Christ and which are devoted to his service and honour. They shall be brought as the children of
Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel, with great care that they be holy, purified from sin,
and sanctified to God. It is said of the converted Gentiles (Act_15:9) that their hearts were
purified by faith. Whatever was brought to God was brought in a clean vessel, a vessel
appropriated to religious uses. God will be served and honoured in the way that he has
appointed, in the ordinances of his own institution, which are the proper vehicles for these
spiritual offerings. When the soul is offered up to God the body must be a clean vessel for it,
possessed in sanctification and honour, and not in the lusts of uncleanness (1Th_4:4, 1Th_4:5);
and converts to Christ are not only purged from an evil conscience, but have their bodies also
washed with pure water, Heb_10:22. Now,
(2.) This may refer, [1.] To the Jews, devout men, and proselytes out of every nation under
heaven, that flocked together to Jerusalem, expecting the kingdom of the Messiah to appear,
Act_2:5, Act_2:6, Act_2:10. They came from all parts to the holy mountain of Jerusalem, as an
offering to the Lord, and there many of them were brought to the faith of Christ by the gift of
tongues poured out on the apostles. Methinks there is some correspondence between that
history and this prophecy. The eunuch some time after came to worship at Jerusalem in his
chariot and took home with him the knowledge of Christ and his holy religion. [2.] To the
Gentiles, some of all nations, that should be converted to Christ, and so added to his church,
which, though a spiritual accession, is often in prophecy represented by a local motion. The
apostle says of all true Christians that they have come to Mount Zion, and the heavenly
Jerusalem (Heb_12:22), which explains this passage, and shows that the meaning of all this
parade is only that they shall be brought into the church by the grace of God, and in the use of
the means of that grace, as carefully, safely, and comfortably, as if they were carried in chariots
and litters. Thus God shall persuade Japhet and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem, Gen_9:27.
5. JAMISON, “they — the Gentiles (Isa_66:19).
bring ... your brethren — the Jews, back to the Holy Land (Isa_49:22). It cannot mean the
mere entrance of the Jews into the Christian Church; for such an entrance would be by faith, not
upon “horses, litters, and mules” [Houbigant]. “Offering” is metaphorical, as in Rom_15:16.
horses — not much used by the Jews. The Gentiles are here represented as using their modes
of conveyance to “bring” the Jews to Jerusalem.
chariots — as these are not found in Oriental caravans, translate, “vehicles,” namely, borne,
not drawn on wheels.
litters — covered sedans for the rich.
upon swift beasts — dromedaries: from Hebrew root, “to dance,” from their bounding
motion, often accelerated by music [Bochart]. Panniers were thrown across the dromedaries’
back for poorer women [Horsley].
6. CALVIN, “20.And they shall bring. Here he clearly explains what was formerly said, namely, that all
who shall escape and survive, though they be few in number, shall nevertheless be priests, who shall

125. bring sacrifices to God from all places. He alludes to the ancient ceremony of the Law, though he points
out the difference that will be between those oblations and the sacrifices of the ancient Law; for he
appoints a new kind of punishment and new sacrifices. As he had said that he would gather all the
nations, so he now shews that the priests, whom he had appointed, shall not labor in vain; for God will
grant prosperity to their undertakings.
All your brethren. He gives the name of “” to those who formerly were strangers; for he has in his eye the
new relation which arises from faith. We know that foreign nations were ingrafted by faith into the family of
Abraham. Yet others bring out a different meaning, which I do not absolutely reject. “ God shall gather a
new people to himself out of foreign nations, the Jews, who had been scattered in all directions, shall be
brought into one place.” This was also accomplished; but it seems more appropriate to refer it to the
calling of the Gentiles, because at that time, by the removal of the difference, a brotherly relation began to
be established among all whom God wished to adopt to be his children. Abraham was the father of one
nation, and yet not all who were descended from him according to the flesh are accounted his children;
for the Ishmaelites and the Edomites were rejected. (Rom_9:7.) The time when he became “ father of
many nations” (Gen_17:5; Rom_4:17) was when God adopted the Gentiles, and joined them to himself by
a covenant, that they might follow the faith of Abraham. And thus we see the reason why the Prophet
gives the name of “” of the Jews to us, who formerly were aliens from the Church of God. It is because he
had previously cast out of their place false and reprobate brethren.
It is our duty to observe this fruit which is produced by the godly labors of those who faithfully serve the
Lord, namely, that they “ their brethren” from deadly errors to God, the fountain of life. By this consolation
they ought to cheer their hearts, and to support them amidst the distresses and tribulations which they
endure. The Lord does not suffer any of his own people to perish. Thus it is a high enjoyment and
privilege, when he wishes to make use of our labors for delivering our “”
Out of all nations. He means that there shall no longer be any difference between Jews and Gentiles;
because God will throw down “ partition-wall,” (Eph_2:14,) and will form a Church “ of all nations.” And
thus was fulfilled the saying of David concerning Christ,
“ of me; I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for thy possession.”
(Psa_2:8.)
When he speaks of the “ mountain,” he accommodates himself to the customs and usages of that period;
for at Jerusalem God was worshipped in the temple. But now the temple is everywhere diffused; for
everywhere we are at liberty to “ up holy hands to God,” (1Ti_2:8,) and there is no longer any distinction

126. of places. He likewise mentions oblations and sacrifices, which were offered in the temple; although the
sacrifices which are now to be offered differ widely from the ancient sacrifices. But the prophets, as we
have frequently remarked, were under a necessity of borrowing comparisons from known and familiar
objects. Formerly the sacrifices were taken from the flocks and herds; but the Apostles and other priests
of Christ slew men themselves, and offered them as a living sacrifice to God by the Gospel. Paul testifies
that he discharged the office of the priesthood, when he slew men by the sword of the Gospel, “ they
might be an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (Rom_15:1.)
It is not therefore a legal priesthood, and does not resemble that of the Papists, who say that they
sacrifice Christ; (229) but it is the priesthood of the Gospel, by which men are slain, in order that, being
renewed by the Spirit, they may be offered to the Lord. Thus, whomsoever we can gain to Christ, we offer
in sacrifice, that they may be wholly consecrated to God. Moreover, every person sacrifices when he
devotes and dedicates himself to God, and offers to him unreserved obedience; and this is the sacrifice
which Paul calls “” (Rom_12:1.) The end of our calling is here pointed out to be, that, washing away our
pollutions, and being dead to ourselves, we may learn to devote ourselves to the cultivation of holiness.
With horses and chariots. There are some who endeavor to find an allegory here, and who think that the
Prophet made use of the word “” on this account, that the Gospel does not constrain men by fear, but
rather draws them gently, so that of their own accord they betake themselves to God, and run with
cheerfulness and joy. But for my own part, I take a simpler view of this passage. Because this doubt
might arise in the minds of many persons, “ is it possible that men shall come to us from countries so
distant?” he replies, “ chariots, and carriages shall not be wanting; for the Lord has at his command all
that can be of service for assisting his people and conducting them to the end which he has in view.” Yet I
do not deny that the Gospel may be called a “” because it conveys us to the hope of eternal life; but I
think that the Prophet simply declares that nothing shall hinder God from gathering his Church, and that
he will have at his command all the necessary means, that none of the elect whom he has called may fail
in the middle of the course.
21
And I will select some of them also to be priests and
Levites,” says the LORD.

127. 1.BARNES, “And I will also take of them for priests - I will give to them an honorable
place in my public service; that is, I will make them ministers of religion as if they were priests
and Levites. This cannot be taken literally - because the priests and Levites among the Jews were
determined by law, and by regular genealogical descent, and there was no provision for
substituting any in their place. But it must mean that under the condition of things described
here, those who should be brought from the distant pagan world would perform the same offices
in the service of God which had been performed formerly by the priests and Levites that is, they
would be ministers of religion. The services of God would no longer be performed by the
descendants of Aaron, or be limited to them, but would be performed by others who should be
called to this office from the pagan world.
2. CLARKE, “And for Levites - For ‫ללוים‬ laleviyim, fifty-nine MSS., (eight ancient), have
‫וללוים‬ velaleviyim, adding the conjunction ‫ו‬ vau, which the sense seems necessarily to require:
and so read all the ancient versions. See Jos_3:3, and the various readings on that place in
Kennicott’s Bible.
3. GILL, “And I will also take of them for priests,.... That is, of the Gentiles, the brethren
brought as an offering to the Lord; and therefore must respect Gospel times, when the Aaronic
priesthood would be changed and cease, which admitted not of Gentiles, nor any of any other
tribe in Israel, but the tribe of Levi; nor is this to be understood of the spiritual priesthood
common to all believers, 1Pe_2:5 since of those converted Gentiles brought, not all, but only
some of them, would be taken for priests; and therefore can only be interpreted of the ministers
of the word, who, in Old Testament language, are called priests, though never in the New
Testament; but elders, bishops, overseers, pastors, and teachers. The first preachers of the
Gospel were Jews, as the twelve apostles, the seventy disciples, Paul and Barnabas, and others;
but when the Gospel was preached, and churches planted in the Gentile world, then priests, or
pastors, or elders, were taken out from among them, and ordained over the churches
everywhere; and which have continued, more or less, ever since; and will be more abundant in
the latter day; whose work and office is not to offer up slain beasts, as the priests of old; but to
point to the sacrifice of Christ, to the Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of men; and to teach
the knowledge of crucified Christ, and the several doctrines and duties of the Christian religion,
as the priests formerly taught the knowledge of the law, Mal_2:7,
and for Levites, saith the Lord; this still more clearly shows that the prophecy belongs to
the Gospel dispensation, and is to be understood figuratively and spiritually; for none but those
of the tribe of Levi could be taken for Levites in a literal sense; but here Gentiles are said to be
taken for such, and design men in Gospel churches. The Levites, as their name signifies, were
such as were "joined" to others; they ministered to the priests, and assisted them, and had the
charge of the temple, and the vessels of it, to whom deacons now answer; who are helps and
assistants to the ministers of the word: their business is to serve tables, and to take care of the
secular affairs of the church; so that this is a prophecy of the churches in the latter day being
truly organized, and filled with proper officers, as well as with numerous members.

128. 4. HENRY, “That a gospel ministry shall be set up in the church, it being thus enlarged by the
addition of such a multitude of members to it (Isa_66:21): I will take of them (of the proselytes,
of the Gentile converts) for priests and for Levites, to minister in holy things and to preside in
their religious assemblies, which is very necessary for doctrine, worship, and discipline. Hitherto
the priests and Levites were all taken from among the Jews and were all of one tribe; but in
gospel times God will take of the converted Gentiles to minister to him in holy things, to teach
the people, to bless them in the name of the Lord, to be the stewards of the mysteries of God as
the priests and Levites were under the law, to be pastors and teachers (or bishops), to give
themselves to the word and prayer, and deacons to serve tables, and, as the Levites, to take care
of the outward business of the house of God, Phi_1:1; Act_6:2-4. The apostles were all Jews,
and so were the seventy disciples; the great apostle of the Gentiles was himself a Hebrew of the
Hebrews; but, when churches were planted among the Gentiles, they had ministers settled who
were of themselves, elders in every church (Act_14:23, Tit_1:5), which made the ministry to
spread the more easily, and to be the more familiar, and, if not the more venerable, yet the more
acceptable; gospel grace, it might be hoped, would cure people of those corruptions which kept a
prophet from having honour in his own country. God says, I will take, not all of them, though
they are all in a spiritual sense made to our God kings and priests, but of them, some of them. It
is God's work originally to choose ministers by qualifying them for and inclining them to the
service, as well as to make ministers by giving them their commission. I will take them, that is, I
will admit them, though Gentiles, and will accept of them and their ministrations. This is a great
honour and advantage to the Gentile church, as it was to the Jewish church that God raised up
of their sons for prophets and their young men for Nazarites, Amo_2:11.
5. JAMISON, “of them — the Gentiles.
priests ... Levites — for spiritual worship: enjoying the direct access to God which was
formerly enjoyed by the ministers of the temple alone (1Pe_2:9; Rev_1:6).
6. K&D, “The latter, having been incorporated into the priestly congregation of Jehovah
(Isa_61:6), are not even excluded from the priestly and Levitical service of the sanctuary. “And I
will also add some of them to the priests, to the Levites, saith Jehovah.” Hitzig and Knobel
suppose mehem to refer to the Israelites thus brought home. But in this case something would be
promised, which needed no promise at all, since the right of the native cohen and Levites to take
part in the priesthood and temple service was by no means neutralized by their sojourn in a
foreign land. And even if the meaning were that Jehovah would take those who were brought
home for priests and Levites, without regard to their Aaronic or priestly descent, or (as Jewish
commentators explain it) without regard to the apostasy, of which through weakness they had
made themselves guilty among the heathen; this ought to be expressly stated. But as there is
nothing said about any such disregard of priestly descent or apostasy, and what is here promised

129. must be something extraordinary, and not self-evident, meehem must refer to the converted
heathen, by whom the Israelites had been brought home. Many Jewish commentators even are
unable to throw off the impression thus made by the expression mehem (of them); but they
attempt to get rid of the apparent discrepancy between this statement and the Mosaic law, by
understanding by the Gentiles those who had been originally Israelites of Levitical and Aaronic
descent, and whom Jehovah would single out again. David Friedländer and David Ottensosser
interpret it quite correctly thus: “Mehem, i.e., of those heathen who bring them home, will He
take for priests and Levites, for all will be saints of Jehovah; and therefore He has just compared
them to a clean vessel, and the Israelites offered by their hand to a minchah.” The majority of
commentators do not even ask the question, in what sense the prophet uses lakkohanı̄m
lale
vayyim (to the priests, to the Levites) with the article. Joseph Kimchi, however, explains it
thus: “‫הכהנים‬ ‫,לצורך‬ to the service of the priests, the Levites, so that they (the converted heathen)
take the place of the Gibeonites (cf., Zec_14:21), and therefore of the former Cananaean
ne
thı̄nı̄m” (see Köhler, Nach-exil. Proph. iii. p. 39). But so interpreted, the substance of the
promise falls behind the expectation aroused by ‫מהם‬ ‫.וגם‬ Hofmann has adopted a more correct
explanation, viz.: “God rewards them for this offering, by taking priests to Himself out of the
number of the offering priests, who are added as such to the Levitical priests.” Apart, however,
from the fact that ‫ללוים‬ ‫לכהנים‬ cannot well signify “for Levitical priests” according to the
Deuteronomic ‫,הכהנים‬ since this would require ‫הלוים‬ ‫לכהנים‬ (inasmuch as such permutative and
more precisely defining expressions as Gen_19:9; Jos_8:24 cannot be brought into
comparison); the idea “in addition to the priests, to the Levites,” is really implied in the
expression (cf., Isa_56:8), as they would say ‫ה‬ ָ ִ‫א‬ ְ‫ל‬ ‫לקח‬ and not ‫ּשׁה‬‫א‬ ָ‫,ל‬ and would only use ‫ים‬ ִ‫שׁ‬ָ ַ‫ל‬
‫לקח‬ in the sense of adding to those already there. The article presupposes the existence of
priests, Levites (asyndeton, as in Isa_38:14; Isa_41:29; Isa_66:5), to whom Jehovah adds some
taken from the heathen. When the heathen shall be converted, and Israel brought back, the
temple service will demand a more numerous priesthood and Levitehood than ever before; and
Jehovah will then increase the number of those already existing, not only from the ‫,מובאים‬ but
from the ‫מביאים‬ also. The very same spirit, which broke through all the restraints of the law in
Isa_56:1-12, is to be seen at work here as well. Those who suppose mehem to refer to the
Israelites are wrong in saying that there is no other way, in which the connection with Isa_66:22
can be made intelligible. Friedländer had a certain feeling of what was right, when he took
Isa_66:21 to be a parenthesis and connected Isa_66:22 with Isa_66:20. There is no necessity
for any parenthesis, however. The reason which follows, relates to the whole of the previous
promise, including Isa_66:21; the election of Israel, as Hofmann observes, being equally
confirmed by the fact that the heathen exert themselves to bring back the diaspora of Israel to
their sacred home, and also by the fact that the highest reward granted to them is, that some of
them are permitted to take part in the priestly and Levitical service of the sanctuary.
7. CALVIN, “21.And I will even take some of them for priests and Levites. The Prophet heightens the
description of that which he had already declared about the extraordinary grace of God. He had made

130. known that the Church of God should be collected out of all nations, so that, in spite of every difficulty and
obstruction, even distant nations should draw near to them. But now he proceeds further, and instructs
them that the Gentiles shall not only be adopted by God, but shall also be elevated by him to the highest
honor. Already it was a great honor, that unclean and polluted nations were reckoned to be a holy people;
but now here is something far more wonderful, that they are elevated to the highest pinnacle of rank.
Hence we see that the priesthood under Christ is very different from what it was under the Law; for under
the Law one tribe exclusively was admitted to the priesthood, and the Gentiles, as unclean, were so far
from having it in their power to discharge that priesthood, that they were even forbidden to enter into the
temple; but now all are admitted without distinction. Some expound this passage in a general manner,
that the Gentiles shall be priests; that is, shall offer themselves to God, as Scripture frequently
denominates all believers “ royal priesthood.” (1Pe_2:9; Rev_1:6.) But he appears to describe in an
especial manner ministers and teachers whom the Lord also chose from among the Gentiles, and
appointed to execute this distinguished office; that is, to preach the Gospel; such as Luke, Timothy, and
others of the same class, who offered spiritual sacrifices to God by the Gospel.
22
“As the new heavens and the new earth that I make
will endure before me,” declares the LORD, “so will
your name and descendants endure.
1.BARNES, “For as the new heavens and the new earth - (See the notes at Isa_65:17).
Shall remain before me - They shall not pass away and be succeeded by others. The idea
is, that the state of things here described would be permanent and abiding.
So shall your seed and your name remain - (See the notes at Isa_65:15).
2. KELLY, “Hence it is obvious that the ordinary strain of argument and interpretation, popular
from the days of Origen and Jerome down to the present, is founded on a total confusion of things
that differ. Christianity no doubt is very distinct; but that the new age must be a repetition of the
same aims, principles, and ways, is an error quite as great as that which fancies the gospel to be only a
continuation of the law with a great accession of better privileges. Israel shall be established for ever
before Jehovah. "For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before me,
saith Jehovah, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, [that] from new

131. moon to new moon, and from sabbath to sabbath, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith
Jehovah" (vv. 22, 23). There is no solid reason for doubting the literal bearing of the prediction. New
moons and sabbaths shall once more figure in the worship of Jehovah; but it will be no more in the
letter so hiding Christ or in its range so contracted as of old. For "all flesh" shall share in it, though
(from other scriptures we may gather) on no such exalted ground or such dispensed nearness to the
King as His chosen people. He is Sovereign, and disposes as He pleases; and our eye should not be evil,
because He is good, alike in what is special and in what is common. His house shall be literally a house
of prayer for all the peoples, which will in no way hinder the greatness of His name among the
nations, or the offering of incense to it or a pure offering in every place.
3. GILL, “For as the new heavens, and the new earth, which I will make,.... Not "have
made"; for this is not to be understood of the heavens and the earth made new in the beginning,
and which continue so without any change or alteration; though sometimes the perpetuity of the
church, which is here predicted, is set forth by the duration of those, Psa_89:36 but either of the
new state of things under the Gospel dispensation, which still continues, promised Isa_65:15, or
rather, since that would be an illustration of it by the same thing in different words, it may be
interpreted literally of the new heavens and the new earth, which will be made when the present
ones shall wax old and perish, and be no more, as in the New Jerusalem state, 2Pe_3:10,
shall remain before me, saith the Lord; these shall continue, not only throughout the
Millennium, or thousand years' reign, but for ever:
so shall your seed and your name remain; not the natural seed of believers; all have not
such seed, and they that have, they are not all converted persons; but the spiritual "seed" of the
church, born in her, and brought up by her; which shall continue in successive generations to
the end of time, notwithstanding the persecutions of men, and the craft of false teachers, and the
reproaches and banters of a vain world, Psa_22:30, and their "name" also; the name of Christ
they name and confess, and that is called upon them, and from whence they are called
Christians; this shall endure as long as the sun, Psa_72:17 or the new name of sons and
daughters of the Almighty; or their fame and glory, the memory of them; they shall be had in
everlasting remembrance, Psa_112:6.
4. HENRY, “That the church and ministry, being thus settled, shall continue and be kept up in
a succession from one generation to another, Isa_66:22. The change that will be made by the
setting up of the kingdom of the Messiah is here described to be, (1.) A very great and universal
change; it shall be a new world, the new heavens and the new earth promised before, Isa_65:17.
Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new (2Co_5:17), the old covenant
of peculiarity is set aside, and a new covenant, a covenant of grace, established, Heb_8:13. We
are now to serve in newness of the spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter, Rom_7:6. New
commandments are given relating both to heaven and earth, and new promises relating to both,
and both together make a New Testament; so that they are new heavens and a new earth that

132. God will create, and these a preparative for the new heavens and new earth designed at the end
of time, 2Pe_3:13. (2.) A change of God's own making; he will create the new heavens and the
new earth. The change was made by him that had authority to make new ordinances, as well as
power to make new worlds. (3.) It will be an abiding lasting change, a change never to be
changed, a new world that will be always new, and never wax old, as that does which is ready to
vanish away: It shall remain before me unalterable; for the gospel dispensation is to continue to
the end of time and not to be succeeded by any other. The kingdom of Christ is a kingdom that
cannot be moved; the laws and privileges of it are things that cannot be shaken, but shall for
ever remain, Heb_12:27, Heb_12:28. It shall therefore remain, because it is before God; it is
under his eye, and care, and special protection. (4.) It will be maintained in a seed that shall
serve Christ: Your seed, and in them your name, shall remain - a seed of ministers, a seed of
Christians; as one generation of both passes away, another generation shall come; and thus the
name of Christ, with that of Christians, shall continue on earth while the earth remains, and his
throne as the days of heaven. The gates of hell, though they fight against the church, shall not
prevail, nor wear out the saints of the Most High.
5. JAMISON, “(Isa_65:17; 2Pe_3:13; Rev_21:1).
6. K&D, ““For as the new heaven and the new earth, which I am about to make, continue
before me, saith Jehovah, so will your family and your name continue.” The great mass of the
world of nations and of Israel also perish; but the seed and name of Israel, i.e., Israel as a people
with the same ancestors and an independent name, continues for ever, like the new heaven and
the new earth; and because the calling of Israel towards the world of nations is now fulfilled and
everything has become new, the former fencing off of Israel from other nations comes to an end,
and the qualification for priesthood and Levitical office in the temple of God is no longer merely
natural descent, but inward nobility. The new heaven and the new earth, God's approaching
creation (quae facturus sum), continue eternally before Him (le
phanai as in Isa_49:16), for the
old ones pass away because they do not please God; but these are pleasing to Him, and are
eternally like His love, whose work and image they are. The prophet here thinks of the church of
the future as being upon a new earth and under a new heaven. But he cannot conceive of the
eternal in the form of eternity; all that he can do is to conceive of it as the endless continuance of
the history of time.
7. CALVIN, “22.For as the new heavens. Here he promises that the restoration of the Church shall be
of such a nature that it shall last for ever. Many might be afraid that it would be ruined a second time; and
therefore he declares that henceforth, after having been restored by God, its condition shall be
permanent. Accordingly, he mentions here two benefits of surpassing excellence, restoration and eternity.

133. When he speaks of “ heavens” and a “ earth,” he looks to the reign of Christ, by whom all things have
been renewed, as the Apostle teaches in the Epistle to the Hebrews. Now the design of this newness is,
that the condition of the Church may always continue to be prosperous and happy. What is old tends to
decay; what is restored and renewed must be of longer continuance. (Heb_8:13.)
So shall your seed and your name remain. God had promised that “ sun and moon,” so long as they
remained in heaven, should be witnesses of the eternal succession, that the posterity of David might not
be cut off. But because some interruption arose from the treachery and ingratitude of the people, the
restoration effected by Christ actually confirmed that prediction. Justly, therefore, does Isaiah say, “ sons
shall succeed to you, and your grandsons shall succeed to your sons;” and as God will establish the
world, that it may never perish, so the succession of the Church shall be perpetual, that it may be
prolonged through all ages.
In a word, he explains what he had formerly said about renewing the world, that none may think that this
relates to trees, or beasts, or the order of the stars; for it must be referred to the inward renewal of man.
The ancients were mistaken when they thought that these things related absolutely to the last judgment;
and they had not sufficiently weighed the context of the Prophet or the authority of the Apostle. Yet I do
not deny that they extend as far as to that judgment, because we must not hope for a perfect restoration
before Christ, who is the life of the world, shall appear; but we must begin higher, even with that
deliverance by which Christ regenerates his people, that they may be new creatures. (2Co_7:1.)
23
From one New Moon to another and from one
Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow
down before me,” says the LORD.
1.BARNES, “And it shall come to pass - As the prophet closes the book and winds up his
whole prophecy, he directs the attention to that future period which had occupied so much of his
attention in vision, when the whole world should be acquainted with the true religion, and all
nations should worship Yahweh. Of such a book there could be no more appropriate close; and
such a contemplation especially became the last prophetic moments of the ‘evangelical prophet’
Isaiah.
From one new moon to another - Margin, ‘New moon to his new moon.’ The Hebrew
literally is, ‘As often as the month cometh in its month;’ that is, in its time, every month, every

134. new moon (Gesenius, Lexicon, on the word ‫מדי‬ midey). The Hebrews held a festival on the
return of each month, or at every new moon (see the notes at Isa_1:14). A similar prophecy
occurs in Zec_14:16 : ‘And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations
which came up against Jerusalem, shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the
Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.’ In regard to the meaning of this, it is evident
that it cannot be taken literally. In the nature of things it would be impossible for all nations to
go literally before Yahweh in Jerusalem once a month, or once a year, to worship. It must then
be meant that at periodical seasons, all the human family would worship Yahweh. The festivals
of the new moon, the feast of tabernacles, and the sabbaths, were the set time among the
Hebrews for the worship of God; and the idea is, that on set times, or at regularly recurring
intervals, the worship of God would yet be celebrated in all lands. I see no evidence, therefore,
that this means that there should be established on the earth the habit of meeting for prayer, or
for the worship of God once a month - anymore than the passage above quoted from Zechariah
proves that a feast like that of tabernacles would be celebrated once a year. But the idea is clear,
that the time would come when Yahweh would be worshipped regularly and periodically
everywhere; that in all nations his worship would be established in a manner similar in some
respects to that which prevailed among his people in ancient times.
And from one Sabbath to another - (Compare the notes at Isa_58:13-14). There can be
no permanent worship of God, and no permanent religion on earth, without a Sabbath; and
hence it was, that while the observance of the feasts of tabernacles, and of the Passover, and of
the new moons, made a part of the ceremonial law, the law respecting the sabbaths was
incorporated with the ten commandments as of moral and perpetual obligation; and it will be
literally true that all the race shall yet be brought to worship God on the return of that holy day.
It was instituted in paradise; and as one design of the plan of redemption is to bring man back to
the state in which he was in paradise, so one effect of the true religion everywhere will be, and is,
to make people reverence the Sabbath of the Lord. No man becomes truly pious who does not
love the holy Sabbath. No nation ever has been, or ever can be converted which will not, and
which does not, love and observe that day. Every successful effort to propagate the true religion
is a successful effort to extend the practice of observing it; and just as certain as it is that
Christianity will be spread around the world, so cerrain will it be that the Sabbath will be
observed in all lands. The period is, therefore, yet to arrive when the delightful spectacle will be
presented of all the nations of the earth bowing on the return of that day before the living God.
The plans of this life will be suspended; toil and care will be laid aside; and the sun, as he rolls
around the world, will rouse nation after nation to the worship of the true God; and the peace
and order and loveliness of the Christian Sabbath will spread over all the hills and vales of the
world. Who that loves the race will not desire that such a period may soon come? Who can
wonder that Isaiah should have fixed his eye in the close of his prophetic labors on a scene so
full of loveliness, and so replete with honor to God, and with goodwill to people?
Shall all flesh - All the human family, all nations - a most unequivocal promise that the true
religion shall yet prevail around the world.
Come to worship before me - That is, they shall assemble for the worship of God in their
respective places of devotion.
2. GILL, “And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another,.... Or, "from
month in its months" (q),
The Targum is,

135. "in the time of the beginning of the "month in its month";''
that is, in every day of the month; or rather every month:
and from one sabbath to another; the form of expressions the same as before; and in like
manner paraphrased in the Targum; and signifies either every day in the week; or rather every
sabbath, or first day in the week; for we are not to imagine that new moons and Jewish
sabbaths, that is, seventh day sabbaths, shall now be observed, which have been long abolished,
Col_2:16 but, as New Testament officers of churches are, in the preceding verses, called by Old
Testament names; so here the times and seasons of Gospel worship are expressed in Old
Testament language; and the sense is, that the people of Christ and members of churches, in the
latter day, shall constantly attend church meetings; shall assemble together every month to
celebrate the Lord's supper; and every Lord's day, to hear the word, pray and sing praises
together; hereby enjoying much spiritual peace and rest, and increasing in evangelical light,
signified by the new moons and sabbaths; and especially this will have a fuller accomplishment
in the New Jerusalem state, when there will be a perfect sabbatism, which now remains for the
people of God, and when their light will be exceeding great and glorious; and so the Jews (r)
interpret this of the world to come, which is all sabbath or rest; that is, from all toil and labour,
from sin and sorrow, from Satan's temptations, and the world's persecutions; but not from the
worship and service of God; though that will be in a different and more perfect manner than
now it is; as follows:
all flesh shall come to worship before me, saith the Lord; that is, men of all nations,
and persons of each sex; not Jews only, and their males, as formerly, but men and women; not
every individual, but all that will be converted, which will be many, shall come to the places of
public worship, where the saints meet together for that purpose, and join together in it; and this
they shall do continually and without intermission, as the first Christians did, Act_2:42. The
Talmud (s) interprets this of such whose heart is become as flesh; see Eze_36:26 these shall not
only worship in the presence of God, and in the view of him the omniscient God, and by his
assistance, and to his glory; but him himself, Father, Son, and Spirit, with reverence and
devotion, in spirit and in truth, and that constantly, in the New Jerusalem, and ultimate glory, in
the utmost perfection and purity.
3. HENRY, “That the public worship of God in religious assemblies shall be carefully and
constantly attended upon by all that are thus brought as an offering to the Lord, Isa_66:23.
This is described in expressions suited to the Old Testament dispensation, to show that though
the ceremonial law should be abolished, and the temple service should come to an end, yet God
should be still as regularly, constantly, and acceptably worshipped as ever. Heretofore only Jews
went up to appear before God, and they were bound to attend only three times a year, and the
males only; but now all flesh, Gentiles as well as Jews, women as well as men, shall come and
worship before God, in his presence, though not in his temple at Jerusalem, but in religious
assemblies dispersed all the world over, which shall be to them as the tabernacle of meeting was
to the Jews. God will in them record his name, and, though but two or three come together, he
will be among them, will meet them, and bless them. And they shall have the benefit of these
holy convocations frequently, every new moon and every sabbath, not, as formerly, at the three

136. annual feasts only. There is no necessity of one certain place, as the temple was of old. Christ is
our temple, in whom by faith all believers meet, and now that the church is so far extended it is
impossible that all should meet at one place; but it is fit that there should be a certain time
appointed, that the service may be done certainly and frequently, and a token thereby given of
the spiritual communion which all Christian assemblies have with each other by faith, hope, and
holy love. The new moons and the sabbaths are mentioned because, under the law, though the
yearly feasts were to be celebrated at Jerusalem, yet the new moons and the sabbaths were
religiously observed all the country over, in the schools of the prophets first and afterwards in
the synagogues (2Ki_4:23, Amo_8:5, Act_15:21), according to the model of which Christian
assemblies seem to be formed. Where the Lord's day is weekly sanctified, and the Lord's supper
monthly celebrated, and both are duly attended on, there this promise is fulfilled, there the
Christian new moons and sabbaths are observed. See, here, (1.) That God is to be worshipped in
solemn assemblies, and that it is the duty of all, as they have opportunity, to wait upon God in
those assemblies: All flesh must come; though flesh, weak, corrupt, and sinful, let them come
that the flesh may be mortified. (2.) In worshipping God we present ourselves before him, and
are in a special manner in his presence. (3.) For doing this there ought to be stated times, and
are so; and we must see that it is our interest as well as our duty constantly and conscientiously
to observe these times.
4. JAMISON, “Literally, “As often as the new moon (shall be) in its own new moon,” that is,
every month (Zec_14:16).
sabbath — which is therefore perpetually obligatory on earth.
all flesh — (Psa_65:2; Psa_72:11).
before me — at Jerusalem (Jer_3:16, Jer_3:17).
5. K&D, ““And it will come to pass: from new moon to new moon, and from Sabbath to
Sabbath, all flesh will come, to worship before me, saith Jehovah.” New moons and Sabbaths
will still be celebrated therefore; and the difference is simply this, that just as all Israel once
assembled in Jerusalem at the three great feasts, all flesh now journey to Jerusalem every new
moon and every Sabbath. ‫י‬ ַ (construct ‫י‬ ֵ ) signifies that which suffices, then that which is
plentiful (see Isa_40:16), that which is due or fitting, so that (‫ת‬ ָ‫ב‬ ַ‫)שׁ‬ ‫שׁ‬ ֶ‫ּד‬‫ח‬ ‫י‬ ֵ ִ‫מ‬ (with a temporal, not
an explanatory min, as Gesenius supposes) signifies “from the time when, or as often as what is
befitting to the new moon (or Sabbath) occurs” (cf., Isa_28:19). If (‫)בשׁבת‬ ‫בחדשׁ‬ be added, ְ is that
of exchange: as often as new moon (Sabbath) for new moon (Sabbath) is befitting, i.e., ought to
occur: 1Sa_7:16; Zec_14:16 (cf., 1Sa_1:7; 1Ki_10:25; 1Ch_27:1 : “year by year,” “month by
month”). When we find (‫וֹ‬ ַ ַ‫שׁ‬ ְ ) ‫שׁוֹ‬ ְ‫ד‬ ָ‫ח‬ ְ as we do here, the meaning is, “as often as it has to occur
on one new moon (or Sabbath) after the other,” i.e., in the periodical succession of one after

137. another. At the same time it might be interpreted in accordance with 1Ki_8:59, ‫יוֹמוֹ‬ ְ ‫יוֹם‬ ‫ר‬ ַ‫ב‬ ְ ,
which does not mean the obligation of one day after the other, but rather “of a day on the fitting
day” (cf., Num_28:10, Num_28:14), although the meaning of change and not of a series might
be sustained in the passage before us by the suffixless mode of expression which occurs in
connection with it.
6. CALVIN, “23.From a month to his month, and from a Sabbath to his Sabbath. (230) The Prophet
again points out what shall be the difference between the nature of the spiritual worship of God which
shall be under the reign of Christ and of the carnal worship which was under the Law. Sacrifices were
offered every month at the new moon. There were Sabbaths, and other festivals, and solemn days, which
they carefully observed. But under the reign of Christ there shall be a constant and uninterrupted
solemnity; for there are not fixed and stated days of sacrifices on which we must go to Jerusalem, or offer
anything in one place or in another; but our oblations, festivals, and rejoicings are continued from day to
day in unbroken succession. Yet he alludes to the ancient custom of sacrifices as we have already said
that the prophets are frequently accustomed to do.
So then the Lord wishes to have “ sacrifices” offered to him daily, (1Pe_2:5,) not such as were formerly
offered under the Law or are now offered by Papists, who either rely foolishly on their ceremonies, as if
they were expiations of crime, or basely venture to sacrifice Christ, (231) but spiritual sacrifices, that we
may reverence and adore God with a pure and sincere worship. (Joh_4:24.) As to the opinion held by
some, that this passage proves the abrogation of the Law and of ancient ceremonies, it does not appear
to me to rest on sufficient grounds, it is indeed certain that those legal ceremonies have been set aside,
and that may be gathered from this passage; but in proof of that point I would choose to employ other
passages which contain stronger evidence. There is only here a contrast between the Sabbath and
festivals which were celebrated under the Law, and the perpetual Sabbath which we have at the present
day. (Heb_4:9.)
(230) “Depuis un mois jusques a un autre mois, et depuis un Sabbat jusques a son autre Sabbat.” “ one
month till another month, and from one Sabbath till his other Sabbath.”
(231) “Ou mesmes d’ audace desesperee osent se vanter qu’ sacrifient Jesus Christ.” “ even with
desperate audacity dare to boast that they sacrifice Jesus Christ.”

138. 24
“And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of
those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat
them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be
quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”
1.BARNES, “And they shall go forth - The sense of this verse evidently is, that the pious
and happy worshippers of God shall see the punishment which he will execute on his and their
foes, or shall see them finally destroyed. It refers to the time when the kingdom of God shall be
finally and perpetually established, and when all the mighty enemies of that kingdom shall be
subdued and punished. The image is probably taken from a scene where a people whose lands
have been desolated by mighty armies are permitted to go forth after a decisive battle to walk
over the fields of the slain, and to see the dead and the putrifying bodies of their once formidable
enemies.
And look upon the carcasses of the men - The dead bodies of the foes of God (see
Isa_66:15-16).
For their worm shall not die - This image is evidently taken from the condition of
unburied bodies, and especially on a battlefield. The Hebrew word (‫תולע‬ tola‛) properly refers to
the worms which are generated in such corrupting bodies (see Exo_16:20; the notes at
Isa_14:11). It is sometimes applied to the worm from which the crimson or deep scarlet color
was obtained (the notes at Isa_1:18); but it more properly denotes that which is produced in
putrid substances. This entire passage is applied by the Saviour to future punishment; and is the
fearful image which he employs to denote the final suffering of the wicked in hell. My views on
its meaning may be seen in the notes at Mar_9:44, Mar_9:46.
Neither shall their fire be quenched - The fire that shall consume them shall burn
perpetually. This image is taken evidently from the fires kindled, especially in the valley of
Hinnom, to consume puffed and decaying substances. That was a valley on the south side of
Jerusalem, into which the filth of the city was thrown. It was the place where, formerly, an
image of brass was raised to Moloch, and where children were offered in sacrifice 2Ki_16:3;
2Ch_28:3. See a description of this in the notes at Mat_5:22. This place was subsequently
regarded as a place of special abomination by the Jews. The filth of the city was thrown there,
and it became extremely offensive. The air was polluted and pestilential; the sight was terrific;
and to preserve it in any manner pure, it was necessary to keep fires continually burning there.
The extreme loathsomeness of the place, the filth and putrefaction, the corruption of the
atmosphere, and the lurid fires blazing by day and by night, made it subsequently one of the
most appalling and loathsome objects with which a Jew was acquainted.
It was called the gehenna of fire, and was the image which the Saviour often employed to
denote the future punishment of the wicked. In that deep and loathsome vale it seems to have
been the common expectation of the Jews that some great battle would be fought which would
establish the supremacy of their nation over all others. Hence, the Chaldee renders this, ‘They

139. shall go forth, and shall look upon the dead bodies of the sinners who have rebelled against my
word; because their souls shall not die, and their fire shall not be extinguished; and the wicked
shall be judged in Gehenna (‫בגיהנם‬ be
geyhı nam from ‫גי‬ gay and ‫הנם‬ hinnom, hence coming down
into Greek as γέεννα geenna), until the righteous shall say, We have seen enough.’ It is, however,
by no means certain that Isaiah refers here especially to the valley of Hinnom. The image in his
mind is evidently that of a vast army slain, and left to putrify on the field unburied, and where
fires would be kindled in part to consume the heaps of the slain, and in part to save the air from
pestilential influences, All the enemies of God and his church would be like such a vast host
strewed on the plains, and the perpetuity of his kingdom would be finally established.
And they shall be an abhorring - An object of loathing. So the Hebrew word ‫דראון‬ dera'on,
means. It is derived from ‫דרא‬ dara', an obsolete root, signifying, in Arabic, to thrust away, to
repel. Jerome renders it, Ad satietatem visionis - understanding by it, that all flesh should look
upon those dead bodies Until they were satisfied. The Septuagint, Εᅶς ᆋρασιν Eis horasin - ‘For a
vision;’ or that all flesh might look upon them. It is evident that the Septuagint reads the word as
if it were derived from the verb ‫ראה‬ ra'ah), “to see.”
Unto all flesh - (See Isa_66:23). The sense is, that so entire would be their overthrow, and
such objects of loathing would they become, that all the friends of God would turn from them in
abhorrence. All the enemies of God would be destroyed; the pure religion would triumph, and
the people of God would be secure.
It may be made a question, perhaps, to what period this refers. The Saviour Mar_9:44,
Mar_9:46, applied the language to the future punishment of the wicked, and no one, I think, can
doubt that in Isaiah it includes that consummation of worldly affairs. The radical and essential
idea in the prophet is, as it seems to me, that such would be the entire overthrow and
punishment of the enemies of God; so condign their punishment; so deep their sufferings; so
loathsome and hateful would they be when visited with the divine vengeance for their sins, that
they would be an object of loathing and abhorrence. They would be swept off as unworthy to live
with God, and they would be consigned to punishment - loathsome like that of ever gnawing
worms on the carcasses of the slain, and interminable and dreadful like everconsuming and
extinguishable fires.
This is the consummation of the series of bright visions that passed before the mind of Isaiah,
and is an appropriate termination of this succession of wonderful revelations. Where could it
more appropriately close than in the final triumph of the true religion, and in the complete and
final destruction of all the enemies of Gods. The vision stretches on to the judgment, and is
closed by a contemplation of those scenes which commence there, but which never end. The
church is triumphant. Its conflicts cease. Its foes are slain. Its Redeemer is revealed; and its
everlasting happiness is founded on a basis which can never be shaken.
Here I close my labors in endeavoring to elucidate the visions of this wonderful prophet. I
thank God - the source of every right feeling and every holy desire, and the suggester of every
plan that will in any way elucidate his word or promote his glory - that he ever inclined my heart
to these studies. I thank him for the preservation of my life, and the continuance of my health,
until I am permitted to bring this work to a close. I record, with grateful emotions, my deep
conviction, that if in any way I have been enabled to explain that which was before dark; to
illustrate that which was obscure; or to present any views which have not before occurred to
those who may peruse this work, it is owing to the gracious influences of his Holy Spirit. And I
desire to render thanks to the Great Source of light and truth, if I have been enabled to throw
any light on the prophecies recorded here more than 2500 years ago; or to confirm the faith of

140. any in the truth of the inspiration of the Bible by tracing the evidences of the fulfillment of those
predictions.
And I now commend the work to the blessing of God, and devote it to the glory of his name
and to the advancement of the Redeemer’s kingdom, with a humble prayer that it may be useful
to other minds; but with the deep conviction, that whatever may be its effect on other minds, I
have been abundantly compensated for all my labor in the contemplation of the inimitable
beauties, and the sublime visions of Isaiah. thanks to God for this book; thanks for all its
beauties, its consolations, its promises, its views of the Messiah, its predictions of the certain
triumph of truth, and its glowing descriptions of the future conquest of the church, when God
shall extend to it ‘peace like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream.’ Come
soon that blessed day, when ‘the ransomed of the Lord shall return to Zion, with songs and
everlasting joy upon their heads’ Isa_35:10; when ‘the wilderness and the solitary place shall be
glad, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose’ Isa_35:1; and when it shall be
announced to the church, ‘thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw
itself, for Yahweh shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended’
Isa_60:20.
May I be permitted to close my labors on this book in the beautiful language of Vitringa?
‘These words Isa_66:23-24 express the final doom of the two opposite classes of people, the
righteous and the wicked, when, after various preparatory judgments of God, the fates of all
ages, and our own also, shall be determined; with which also this divine book of Isaiah itself is
terminated.
Be it our lot, with those who are holy; with those who fear God and love the truth; with the
humble, meek, and merciful, and with those who persevere in every good work to the end of life,
from the gracious sentence of our great Lord, Saviour, and Judge, Jesus Christ, to obtain, by the
will of the Father, the same portion with them. In which hope, I also, now deeply affected, and
prostrate before his throne, give humble thanks to God the Father, and his Son Christ Jesus,
through the Spirit, for the grace and light with which he has endowed me, his unworthy servant,
in commencing and completing the commentary on this book; entreating, with earnest prayer,
of his grace and mercy, that, pardoning those errors into which erroneously I may have fallen, he
will employ this work, such as it is, to the glory of his name, the use of the church, and the
consolation of his people; and to Him be the glory throughout all ages.’
2. CLARKE, “For their worm shall not die - These words of the prophet are applied by
our blessed Savior, Mar_9:44, to express the everlasting punishment of the wicked in Gehenna,
or in hell. Gehenna, or the valley of Hinnom, was very near to Jerusalem to the south-east: it
was the place where the idolatrous Jews celebrated that horrible rite of making their children
pass through the fire, that is, of burning them in sacrifice to Moloch. To put a stop to this
abominable practice, Josiah defiled, or desecrated, the place, by filling it with human bones,
2Ki_23:10, 2Ki_23:14; and probably it was the custom afterwards to throw out the carcasses of
animals there, when it also became the common burying place for the poorer people of
Jerusalem. Our Savior expressed the state of the blessed by sensible images; such as paradise,
Abraham’s bosom, or, which is the same thing, a place to recline next to Abraham at table in the
kingdom of heaven. See Mat_8:11. Coenabat Nerva cum paucis. Veiento proxies, atque etiam in
sinu recumbebat. “The Emperor Nerva supped with few. Veiento was the first in his estimation,
and even reclined in his bosom.” Plin. Epist. 4:22. Compare Joh_13:23; for we could not
possibly have any conception of it but by analogy from worldly objects. In like manner he

141. expressed the place of torment under the image of Gehenna; and the punishment of the wicked
by the worm which there preyed on the carcasses, and the fire that consumed the wretched
victims. Marking however, in the strongest manner, the difference between Gehenna and the
invisible place of torment; namely, that in the former the suffering is transient: - the worm itself
which preys upon the body, dies; and the fire which totally consumes it, is soon extinguished: -
whereas in the figurative Gehenna the instruments of punishment shall be everlasting, and the
suffering without end; “for there the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.”
These emblematical images, expressing heaven and hell, were in use among the Jews before
our Savior’s time; and in using them he complied with their notions. “Blessed is he that shall eat
bread in the kingdom of God,” says the Jew to our Savior, Luk_14:15. And in regard to Gehenna,
the Chaldee paraphrase as I observed before on Isa_30:33, renders everlasting or continual
burnings by “the Gehenna of everlasting fire.” And before his time the son of Sirach, 7:17, had
said, “The vengeance of the ungodly is fire and worms.” So likewise the author of the book of
Judith, chap. 16:17: “Wo to the nations rising up against my kindred: the Lord Almighty will take
vengeance of them in the day of judgment, in putting fire and worms in their flesh;” manifestly
referring to the same emblem. - L.
Kimchi’s conclusion of his notes on this book is remarkable: -
“Blessed be God who hath created the mountains and the hills,
And hath endued me with strength to finish the book of salvation:
He shall rejoice us with good tidings and reports;
He shall show us a token for good: -
And the end of his miracles he shall cause to approach us.”
Several of the Versions have a peculiarity in their terminations: -
And they shall be to a satiety of sight to all flesh.
Vulgate.
And thei schul ben into fyllyng of sigt to all fleshe.
Old MS. Bible.
And they shall be as a vision to all flesh.
Septuagint.
And the wicked shall be punished in hell till the righteous shall say, - It is enough.
Chaldee.
They shall be an astonishment to all flesh; So that they shall be a spectacle to all beings.
Syriac.
The end of the prophecy of Isaiah the prophet.
Praise to God who is truly praiseworthy.
Arabic.
One of my old Hebrew MSS. after the twenty-first verse repeats the twenty-third: “And it shall
come to pass that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all
flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord.”
3. GILL, “And they shall go forth,.... That is, those constant and spiritual worshippers shall
go forth from the holy mountain Jerusalem, the church of God, whither they are brought as an

142. offering to the Lord, and where they worship him; for this is not to be understood of going out of
Jerusalem literally, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi; or of their going out of their graves after the
resurrection, as others; but either out of the Christian assemblies, or out of the houses of the
saints, and the beloved city, when fire shall come down from heaven, and destroy the wicked,
Rev_20:9,
and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me. The
Targum is,
"against my Word;''
against Christ, whose person they blasphemed, denying him to be God; whose office, as a
Mediator and Saviour, they rejected; whose doctrines they contradicted; and whose ordinances
they despised: these are not the carcasses of the camp of Gog and Magog, the Jews so call, as
Kimchi interprets it; though it may have reference to the carcasses of Gog's army, the Turks, that
will be slain in their attempt to recover Judea, Eze_38:1 or else the carcasses of those that will
be slain at the battle at Armageddon, Rev_16:16 or the army of Gog and Magog, at the end of the
thousand years, Rev_20:8. The Talmudists (t) observe from hence, that the wicked, even at the
gate of hell, return not by repentance; for it is not said, that "have transgressed", but "that
transgress"; for they transgress, and go on for ever; and so indeed the word may be rendered,
"that transgress", or "are transgressing" (u); for they interpret it of the damned in hell, as many
do; and of whom the following clauses may be understood:
for their worm shall not die; with which their carcasses shall be covered, they lying rotting
above ground; or figuratively their consciences, and the horrors and terrors that shall seize
them, which they will never get rid of. The Targum is,
"their souls shall not die;''
as they will not, though their bodies may; but will remain to suffer the wrath of God to all
eternity: neither shall their fire be quenched; in hell, as Jarchi interprets it; those wicked men,
the followers and worshippers of antichrist, will be cast into the lake which burns with fire and
brimstone; they will for ever suffer the vengeance of eternal fire; and the smoke of their torment
shall ascend for ever and ever, Rev_14:10,
and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh; the true worshippers of God, Isa_66:23 to
whom their carcasses will be loathsome, when they look upon them; and their souls abominable,
because of their wicked actions; and who cannot but applaud the justice of God in their
condemnation; and admire distinguishing grace and mercy, that has preserved them from the
like ruin and destruction. The Targum is,
"and the ungodly shall be judged in hell, till the righteous shall say concerning them, we have
seen enough;''
see Mar_9:44, where our Lord mentions and repeats some of the clauses of this, text, and
applies them to the torments of hell.
4. HENRY, “That their thankful sense of God's distinguishing favour to them should be very
much increased by the consideration of the fearful doom and destruction of those that persist
and perish in their infidelity and impiety, Isa_66:24. Those that have been worshipping the

143. Lord of hosts, and rejoicing before him in the goodness of his house, shall, in order to affect
themselves the more with their own happiness, take a view of the misery of the wicked. Observe,
(1.) Who they are whose misery is here described. They are men that have transgressed against
God, not only broken his laws, but broken covenant with him, and thought themselves able to
contend with him. It may be meant especially of the unbelieving Jews that rejected the gospel of
Christ. (2.) What their misery is. It is here represented by the frightful spectacle of a field of
battle, covered with the carcases of the slain, that lie rotting above ground, full of worms
crawling about them and feeding on them; and, if you go to burn them, they are so scattered,
and it is such a noisome piece of work to get them together, that it would be endless, and the fire
would never be quenched; so that they are an abhorring to all flesh, nobody cares to come near
them. Now this is sometimes accomplished in temporal judgments, and perhaps never nearer
the letter than in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation by the Romans, in which
destruction it is computed that above two millions, first and last, were cut off by the sword,
besides what perished by famine and pestilence. It may refer likewise to the spiritual judgments
that came upon the unbelieving Jews, which St. Paul looks upon, and shows us, Rom_11:8, etc.
They became dead in sins, twice dead. The church of the Jews was a carcase of a church; all its
members were putrid carcases; their worm died not, their own consciences made them
continually uneasy, and the fire of their rage against the gospel was not quenched, which was
their punishment as well as their sin; and they became, more than ever any nation under the
sun, an abhorring to all flesh. But our Saviour applies it to the everlasting misery and torment
of impenitent sinners in the future state, where their worm dies not, and their fire is not
quenched (Mar_9:44); for the soul, whose conscience is its constant tormentor, is immortal, and
God, whose wrath is its constant terror, is eternal. (3.) What notice shall be taken of it. Those
that worship God shall go forth and look upon them, to affect their own hearts with the love of
their Redeemer, when they see what misery they are redeemed from. As it will aggravate the
miseries of the damned to see others in the kingdom of heaven and themselves thrust out
(Luk_13:28), so it will illustrate the joys and glories of the blessed to see what becomes of those
that died in their transgression, and it will elevate their praises to think that they were
themselves as brands plucked out of that burning. To the honour of that free grace which thus
distinguished them let the redeemed of the Lord with all humility, and not without a holy
trembling, sing their triumphant songs.
5. JAMISON, “go forth, and look — as the Israelites looked at the carcasses of the
Egyptians destroyed at the Red Sea (Exo_14:30; compare Isa_26:14-19; Psa_58:10; Psa_49:14;
Mal_4:1-3).
carcasses, etc. — (Isa_66:16), those slain by the Lord in the last great battle near Jerusalem
(Zec_12:2-9; Zec_14:2-4); type of the final destruction of all sinners.
worm ... not die — (Mar_9:44, Mar_9:46, Mar_9:48). Image of hell, from bodies left
unburied in the valley of Hinnom (whence comes Gehenna, or “hell”), south of Jerusalem, where
a perpetual fire was kept to consume the refuse thrown there (Isa_30:33). It shall not be
inconsistent with true love for the godly to look with satisfaction on God’s vengeance on the
wicked (Rev_14:10). May God bless this Commentary, and especially its solemn close, to His
glory, and to the edification of the writer and the readers of it, for Jesus’ sake!
6. K&D, “They who go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem every new moon and Sabbath, see there
with their own eyes the terrible punishment of the rebellious. “And they go out and look at the

144. corpses of the men that have rebelled against me, for their worm will not die and their fire will
not be quenched, and they become an abomination to all flesh.” They perfects are perf. cons.
regulated by the foregoing ‫בוֹא‬ָ‫.י‬ ‫אוּ‬ ְ‫צ‬ָ‫י‬ְ‫ו‬ (accented with pashta in our editions, but more correctly
with munach) refers to their going out of the holy city. The prophet had predicted in Isa_66:18,
that in the last times the whole multitude of the enemies of Jerusalem would be crowded
together against it, in the hope of getting possession of it. This accounts for the fact that the
neighbourhood of Jerusalem becomes such a scene of divine judgment. ְ ‫ה‬ፎ ָ‫ר‬ always denotes a
fixed, lingering look directed to any object; here it is connected with the grateful feeling of
satisfaction at the righteous acts of God and their own gracious deliverance. ‫אוֹן‬ ָ‫ר‬ ֵ‫,ד‬ which only
occurs again in Dan_12:2, is the strongest word for “abomination.” It is very difficult to imagine
the picture which floated before the prophet's mind. How is it possible that all flesh, i.e., all men
of all nations, should find room in Jerusalem and the temple? Even if the city and temple should
be enlarged, as Ezekiel and Zechariah predict, the thing itself still remains inconceivable. And
again, how can corpses be eaten by worms at the same time as they are being burned, or how can
they be the endless prey of worms and fire without disappearing altogether from the sight of
man? It is perfectly obvious, that the thing itself, as here described, must appear monstrous and
inconceivable, however we may suppose it to be realized. The prophet, by the very mode of
description adopted by him, precludes the possibility of our conceiving of the thing here set
forth as realized in any material form in this present state. He is speaking of the future state, but
in figures drawn from the present world. The object of his prediction is no other than the new
Jerusalem of the world to come, and the eternal torment of the damned; but the way in which he
pictures it, forces us to translate it out of the figures drawn from this life into the realities of the
life to come; as has already been done in the apocryphal books of Judith (16:17) and Wisdom
(7:17), as well as in the New Testament, e.g., Mar_9:43., with evident reference to this passage.
This is just the distinction between the Old Testament and the New, that the Old Testament
brings down the life to come to the level of this life, whilst the New Testament lifts up this life to
the level of the life to come; that the Old Testament depicts both this life and the life to come as
an endless extension of this life, whilst the New Testament depicts is as a continuous line in two
halves, the last point in this finite state being the first point of the infinite state beyond; that the
Old Testament preserves the continuity of this life and the life to come by transferring the outer
side, the form, the appearance of this life to the life to come, the New Testament by making the
inner side, the nature, the reality of the life to come, the δυνάµεις µε λλοντος αᅶራνος, immanent in
this life. The new Jerusalem of our prophet has indeed a new heaven above it and a new earth
under it, but it is only the old Jerusalem of earth lifted up to its highest glory and happiness;
whereas the new Jerusalem of the Apocalypse comes down from heaven, and is therefore of
heavenly nature. In the former dwells the Israel that has been brought back from captivity; in
the latter, the risen church of those who are written in the book of life. And whilst our prophet
transfers the place in which the rebellious are judged to the neighbourhood of Jerusalem itself;
in the Apocalypse, the lake of fire in which the life of the ungodly is consumed, and the abode of
God with men, are for ever separated. The Hinnom-valley outside Jerusalem has become
Gehenna, and this is no longer within the precincts of the new Jerusalem, because there is no
need of any such example to the righteous who are for ever perfect.
In the lessons prepared for the synagogue Isa_66:23 is repeated after Isa_66:24, on account
of the terrible character of the latter, “so as to close with words of consolation.”
(Note: Isaiah is therefore regarded as an exception to the rule, that the prophets close their
orations ‫ותנחומים‬ ‫שבח‬ ‫בדברי‬ (b. Berachoth 31a), although, on the other hand, this exception is
denied by some, on the ground that the words “they shall be an abhorring” apply to the
Gentiles (j. Berachoth c. V. Anf. Midras Tillim on Psa_4:8).)

145. But the prophet, who has sealed the first two sections of these prophetic orations with the
words, “there is no peace to the wicked,” intentionally closes the third section with this terrible
picture of their want of peace. The promises have gradually soared into the clear light of the
eternal glory, to the new creation in eternity; and the threatenings have sunk down to the depth
of eternal torment, which is the eternal foil of the eternal light. More than this we could not
expect from our prophet. His threefold book is now concluded. It consists of twenty-seven
orations. The central one of the whole, i.e., the fourteenth, is Isaiah 52:13-53:12; so that the
cross forms the centre of this prophetic trilogy. Per crucem ad lucem is its watchword. The self-
sacrifice of the Servant of Jehovah lays the foundation for a new Israel, a new human race, a new
heaven and a new earth.
7. KELLY, “And as His honour is thus maintained, so is His fear. Not only shall there be an awful
outpouring of wrath on His adversaries at the end of this age, but Jehovah will keep up, nigh the very
spot where His glory dwells, a salutary warning against transgressors. "And they shall go forth, and
look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die,
neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorrence unto all flesh" (v. 24). There is
nothing really obscure in this, save to those who, from regarding the passage only in a Christian point
of view, deny its full accomplishment in judgement at the end of the age. In its own connection it is
most simple, solemn, and expressive. No doubt by Rev_20:11 - Rev_21:8 we are shown the still more
awful sight of eternal punishment for all the wicked in its full force, when they shall be raised up from
death for the second death. Annihilation is a wicked imposture, and an impossibility for all but God,
Who, far from intimating any such end, declares that He will judge by His Son Jesus Christ the Lord
those that shall come forth from their graves. Universalism is the still more audacious lie of the
enemy.
8. CALVIN, “24.And they shall go forth. We must not here attempt to obtain subtle and ingenious
interpretations; for he simply informs those who shall be adopted into the Church that they shall see, all
around them, the dreadful vengeance of God. Yet there is an implied contrast between the straits of the
calamity and the free departure; as if he had said, “ of the dark prison in which they had been confined
they shall again come forth to the light.”
And shall see the dead bodies of men. He does not mean that this slaughter shall take place in the
assembly of believers; for this would greatly diminish the happiness of the Church, in which God displays
all testimonies of joy and gladness. But as he formerly spoke of the perpetual glory by which he shall
dignify his people, so he now threatens the punishment which he shall inflict on the reprobate, that the
godly may be more careful to keep themselves in the fear of God.

146. And their fire shall not be extinguished. When he says that they shall be tormented by “” this mode of
expression, as I have formerly remarked, (232) is metaphorical. And this is clearly evident from the
succeeding clause; for worms will not be formed out of the earth to gnaw the hearts of unbelievers. The
plain meaning, therefore, is, that the wicked shall have a bad conscience as an executioner, to torment
them without end, and that torment awaits them greater than all other torments; and finally, that they shall
tremble and be agitated in a dreadful and shocking manner, as if a worm were gnawing the heart of a
man, or a fire were consuming it, and yet thus consumed, he did not die.
And they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh. Because the wicked are now held in the highest honor, and
from their lofty position look down with contempt on good men, the Prophet threatens a shocking change;
for, along with unutterable torments, they shall also endure the deepest disgrace; as it is just and right
that they who despised and reproached the glory of God shall be loaded with every reproach, and shall
be the objects of abhorrence to angels and to the whole world.
(232) Commentary on Isaiah, vol. 2 p. 387.
Footnotes:
a. Isaiah 66:18 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
b. Isaiah 66:19 Some Septuagint manuscripts Put (Libyans); Hebrew Pul