Isaiah 41:2

Who raised up the righteous man from the east,.... The Targum interprets this of Abraham; and so the Talmud (h); and this way go most Jewish and Christian commentators, and to him the characters

Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow.

Who? what man or god? Was it not my alone work? The idols were so far from assisting me, that they did their utmost to oppose me in it. Raised up into being and power, stirring up his spirit, and strengthening him to the work. The righteous man, Heb. righteousness, which is put for a man of righteousness, as pride is put for a proud man, , and deceit for a deceitful man, ; for it is evident from the following words that he spake here of a person. But who this person is, is much disputed by interpreters. Some understand it of Christ. And doubtless the person here spoken of was an eminent type of Christ, and so in a mystical sense it may belong to him. But the things here said to be done by this righteous man, seem to agree much better unto a man of war than unto the Prince of peace. And therefore this place is immediately understood either, 1. Of Abraham, who was a person eminently righteous, and came out of Chaldea, which sometimes seems to be called the east, as , who did the things here mentioned; partly in his own person, conquering five kings, and the nations with them, Genesis 14, and following God he knew not whither; and partly by his posterity, whose exploits may well be ascribed to him, not only because they came out of his loins, but also and especially because all their successes and victories were given to them for Abraham’ s sake, and by the virtue of God’ s promise and covenant made with Abraham, for the giving of Canaan to him and to his seed for ever. And this interpretation may seem to receive some countenance from ,6, which agrees well to the practice of the Canaanites and neighbouring nations; who upon Israel’ s march towards them were filled with great consternation, and used all possible diligence in seeking both to their idols and to men for help against them, as we read in that sacred history. And thus God’ s argument against idolatry is taken from an illustrious example of God’ s infinite power, put forth in saving his people, and destroying their enemies before them; and of the impotency of idols to hinder him in that work. Or, 2. Of Cyrus, who might be called a righteous man; or, as it is in the Hebrew, a man of righteousness; because he was raised up in righteousness, as it is said of him, , and was God’ s great instrument to manifest his righteousness; both his faithfulness, in fulfilling his promise of delivering his people out of Babylon after seventy years (righteousness being often put for faithfulness); and his justice, in punishing the enemies and oppressors of his people, the wicked Babylonians; upon which account the Medes, who served under Cyrus in his expedition against the Babylonians, are called God’ s sanctified ones, . And all the other expressions here used are very applicable to him, and were verified in him.

Isaiah 41:2 Who raised up the righteous [man] from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made [him] rule over kings? he gave [them] as the dust to his sword, [and] as driven stubble to his bow.Ver. 2. Who raised up the righteous man from the east?] Who but myself? Which of your idols can boast of such a man as Abraham was, like as I can? Called him to his foot.] Making him follow his call with a blind obedience, for he winked and put himself into God’ s holy hand, to be led at his pleasure. He "knew not whither he went," nor much cared, so long as he had God by the hand, or might follow him as a guide, step after step. He gave the nations before him.] Genesis 14:14. His posterity also prevailed exceedingly. And thus God stoppeth the mouths of those idolaters who insulted over the Israelites, because afflicted and subdued by other nations, as Cicero doth in his oration for Quintus Flaccus, extolling therefore their idols above the true God.

(2) Who raised up . . .—More accurately, Who hath raised up from the East the man whom Righteousness calls (or, whom He calls in righteousness) to tread in His steps. (Comp. Isaiah 45:2.) The man so raised up to rule over the “islands” and the “peoples” is none other than Koresh (Cyrus), the future restorer of Israel. The thought of Cyrus as working out the righteousness of God is dominant in these chapters (Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 45:13). In the rapidity of his conquest, the prophet bids men see the proof that he is doing God’s work. So Jeremiah speaks of Nebuchadnezzar as the servant of Jehovah (Jeremiah 27:6). One may notice, if only to reject, the exposition of the Targum, followed by some commentators, which refers the verse to the call of Abraham and the victory of Genesis 14. He gave them.—Better, He giveth them, the future seen as present. The LXX. and some modern critics follow a reading which gives, he maketh them as dust, their sword as stubble.

Verse 2. The righteous man] The Chaldee and Vulgate seem to have read צדיק tsaddik. But Jerome, though his translation has justum, appears to have read צדק tsedek; for in his comment he expresses it by justum, sive justitiam. However, I think all interpreters understand it of a person. So the Septuagint in MS. Pachom. εκαλεσεναυτον, "he hath called him;" but the other copies have αυτην, her. They are divided in ascertaining this person; some explain it of Abraham, others of Cyrus. I rather think that the former is meant; because the character of the righteous man, or righteousness, agrees better with Abraham than with Cyrus. Besides, immediately after the description of the success given by God to Abraham and his posterity, (who, I presume, are to be taken into the account,) the idolaters are introduced as greatly alarmed at this event. Abraham was called out of the east; and his posterity were introduced into the land of Canaan, in order to destroy the idolaters of that country, and they were established there on purpose to stand as a barrier against the idolatry then prevailing, and threatening to overrun the whole face of the earth. Cyrus, though not properly an idolater or worshipper of images, yet had nothing in his character to cause such an alarm among the idolaters, Isaiah 41:5-7. Farther, after having just touched upon that circumstance, the prophet with great ease returns to his former subject, and resumes Abraham and the Israelites; and assures them that as God had called them, and chosen them for this purpose, he would uphold and support them to the utmost, and at length give them victory over all the heathen nations, their enemies; Isaiah 41:8-16. Kimchi is of the same mind and gives the same reasons. He gave them as the dust to his sword - "Hath made them like the dust before his sword"] The image is strong and beautiful; it is often made use of by the sacred poets; see Psalms 1:4; Psalms 35:6; Job 21:18, and by Isaiah himself in other places, Isaiah 17:13; Isaiah 29:5. But there is great difficulty in making out the construction. The Septuagint read קשתם חרבם kashtam, charbam, their sword, their bow, understanding it of the sword and bow of the conquered kings: but this is not so agreeable to the analogy of the image, as employed in other places. The Chaldee paraphrast and Kimchi solve the difficulty by supposing an ellipsis of לפני liphney before those words. It must be owned that the ellipsis is hard and unusual: but I choose rather to submit to this, than, by adhering with Vitringa to the more obvious construction, to destroy entirely both the image and the sense. But the Vulgate by gladio ejus, to his sword, and arcui ejus, to his bow, seems to express לחרבו lecharbo, to his sword, and לקשתו lekashto, to his bow, the admission of which reading may perhaps be thought preferable to Kimchi's ellipsis.

2, 3. The marvellous career of Cyrus is vividly described in highly poetical language. That the reference is to Cyrus (who is first named in ch. Isaiah 44:28) is unquestionable; although the Jewish exegetes (with the exception of Aben Ezra), and even Calvin, follow the Targ. in applying the verses to Abraham, and his victory over the four kings (Genesis 14).

Who raised up - This word (העיר hē‛yr) is usually applied to the act of arousing one from sleep Son 2:7; Son 3:5; Son 8:4; Zechariah 4:1; then to awake, arouse, or stir up to any enterprise.

2, 3. Ideally, the parties in controversy are now together, and Jehovah opens. Who raised up the righteous — The verb is in the prophetic past tense — not as actually past, but actually certain to take place.