Isaiah 63:1

Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?.... These are not the words of the angels at the time of Christ's ascension to heaven; or of the people of Israel; but rather of the

Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.

ISAIAH CHAPTER 63 Christ’ s victory over his enemies, , and mercy towards his church; in judgment remembering mercy, . The church’ s prayer and complaint in faith, . In these two verses either the prophet, as in some vision or ecstasy, is put probably upon inquiry by God himself, rather than by Christ, or Michael, or Judas Maccabeeus, as some have thought; and the rather, because this place doth thus suit best with ,17. Or the church makes inquiry, and that with admiration, who it is that appears in such a habit or posture, , and why, . Edom; that is, the country of Idumea, where Esau dwelt, and Esau himself was sometimes called by this name, ; and it is put synecdochically for all the enemies of the church, as Moab is, : See Poole "". With dyed garments; or, stained: thus Christ is described, , and so also : LXX., the redness of garments. Bozrah; the capital city of Idumea; see further , a parallel text; and Edom and Bozrah here are mentioned, either, 1. Not as relating to the places so called, but by way of allusion to the garments of this conqueror, Edom signifying red, and Bozrah a vintage; the one relating to his treading the winepress, and the other to the blood sprinkled upon his garments, : the like manner of speaking you have . Or rather, 2. Put synecdochically for all the enemies of the church, among whom, though antichrist be not particularly designed, yet may be reckoned, being one of the chief of them; thus typifying Christ’ s victories over all the enemies of the church, ; and this is usual. Babylon is put for any detestable city, and Moab for all that are vile and abominable, ; so Edom here for all God’ s enemies. And he mentions these Idumeans rather than the Chaldeans, who were the Jews’ chief and particular enemies, 2. Partly to set forth the greatness of the enmity, being of old standing, and an inbred malignity, ,23, and irreconcilable, and perpetual, , and particularly put forth when the Babylonians took Jerusalem, 2. Partly to comfort the Jews, both because God would take particular revenge upon Edom, as he had threatened, and prophesied by Obadiah, which is the substance of that whole prophecy; and also these being their near neighbours, God doth give them security, that they shall not only be delivered frons the Chaldeans, those remoter enemies, but from the Idumeans also, whose vicinity and neighbourhood might have been troublesome to them. Glorious in his apparel; such as generals are wont to march before their armies in, or great conquerors, that walk in state and gallantry from their conquests.

Isaiah 63:1 Who [is] this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this [that is] glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.Ver. 1. Who is this that cometh from Edom?] It had been said, in Isaiah 62:11, "Behold, thy salvation (thy Saviour) cometh." Here, therefore, by an elegant hypotyposis, the Sionidae, or saints, are brought in wondering at his coming in such a garb, and asking, Who is this? What gallant conqueror have we here? Edom, or Idumaea, signifieth red; Bozrah, (the chief city of Idumaea), a vintage. It may very well be also that this prophecy was uttered in vintage time, and therehence haply might grow the comparison here used. John the divine, representing to us Christ’ s coming to judgment, useth the same simile. Some also of good note, do understand this prophecy of Christ’ s triumphing over all his and our enemies (the Romish Edomites especially), at the last day. With dyed garments.] Heb., Leavened, i.e., drenched, besmeared. This that is glorious in his apparel.] Which is the more glorious, because laced or embroidered with the blood of his enemies. Walking in the greatness of his strength.] Fortiter grassans, walking and stalking, going in state, gressu grallatorio, emperor like, so as Epaminondas marched before his army; which, when Agesilaus, king of Spartans beheld, he cried out, O virum magnificum! O that is a gallant man! "Ye shall see the Son of man coming with great power!" saith Christ. I that speak in righteousness.] Christ’ s answer, q.d., " Fear not, little flock"; this strange garb and gait of mine portendeth no hurt but good to you; to whom whatsoever I have faithfully promised, I will powerfully perform. As King of Zion, I will “ Parcere subiectis et debellare superbos. ” At the last day also I will "come to be glorified in my saints, and to be admired in all them that believe." See Revelation 19:11. Mighty to save.] Suficiens ad salvandum, sive Magister ad salvandum, a Master to save. This those lepers had learned, and therefore cried, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." Vivid description of a scene, event, or situation, bringing it, as it were, before the eyes of the hearer or reader. Metaph. a massa conspersa. Plutarch. in Epam.

LXIII. (1) Who is this that cometh from Edom? . . .—There is no apparent connection between Isaiah 63:1-6 and what precedes and follows. They must be dealt with, accordingly, as a separate section, though not, as some critics have suggested, by a different writer. To understand its relation to the prophet’s mind, we must remember the part which Edom had taken during the history of which Isaiah was cognisant, perhaps also that which he foresaw they would take in the period that was to follow. That part had been one of persistent hostility. They had been allied with the Tyrians against Judah, and had been guilty of ruthless atrocities (Amos 1:9-11). They had carried off Jewish prisoners as slaves (Obadiah 1:10-11). They had been allies of the Assyrian invaders (Psalms 83:6), and had smitten Judah in the days of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:17). If we think of the prophet as seeing in spirit the working of the old enmity at a later period, we may extend the induction to their exultation at the capture of Jerusalem (Psalms 137:7; Lamentations 4:21). The memory of these things sank deep into the nation, and the first words of the last of the prophets echo the old hatred (Malachi 1:2-4). In the later days of Judaism, where Rabbis uttered their curses against their oppressors, Edom was substituted for Rome, as St. John substitutes Babylon (Revelation 18:2). Isaiah, possibly starting from the memory of some recent outrages in the reign of Hezekiah, and taking Edom as the representative of all the nearer hereditary enemies of Israel, into an ecstacy of jubilation, and sees the conquering king returning from his work of vengeance. The form is that of a warrior coming from the Idumsean Bozrah (as distinct from that in the Haurân, Jeremiah 48:24) in bright-red garments. And the colour (as in Revelation 19:13) is not that of the scarlet dress worn by soldiers (Nahum 2:3), but that of blood just shed. Travelling.—The Hebrew verb (bending, or tossing the head) indicates the movement and gestures of a conqueror exulting in his victory. I that speak . . .—The hero-avenger, the righteous king who represents Jehovah, hears the wondering question, and makes answer for himself. “Righteousness” and “salvation,” which he claims as his attributes, show that he is none other than the ideal Servant of the Lord of Hosts, sharing His attributes.

CHAPTER LXIII The prophet, (or rather the Church he represents,) sees the great Deliverer, long promised and expected, making his appearance, after having crushed his enemies, like grapes in the wine-vat. The comparison suggests a lively idea of the wrath of Omnipotence, which its unhappy objects can no more resist than the grapes can resist the treader. Indeed, there is so much pathos, energy, and sublimity in this remarkable passage, as hardly any thing can be conceived to exceed. The period to which it refers must be the same with that predicted in the nineteenth chapter of the Revelation, some parts of which are expressed in the same terms with this, and plainly enough refer to the very sudden and total overthrow of Antichrist, and of all his adherents and auxiliaries, of which the destruction of Babylon, the capital of Chaldea, and of Bozra, the chief city of the Edomites, was the prototype, 1-6. At the seventh verse commences a penitential confession and supplication of the Jews, as uttered in their present dispersion, 7-19. The very remarkable passage with which this chapter begins seems to me to be, in a manner, detached from the rest, and to stand singly by itself; having no immediate connexion with what goes before, or with what follows, otherwise than as it may pursue the general design, and stand in its proper place in the order of prophecy. It is by many learned interpreters supposed that Judas Maccabeus and his victories make the subject of it. What claim Judas can have to so great an honour will, I think, be very difficult to make out; or how the attributes of the great person introduced can possibly suit him. Could Judas call himself the announcer of righteousness, mighty to save? Could he talk of the day of vengeance being in his heart, and the year of his redeemed being come? or that his own arm wrought salvation for him? Besides, what were the great exploits of Judas in regard to the Idumeans? He overcame them in battle, and slew twenty thousand of them. And John Hyrcanus, his brother Simon's son and successor, who is called in to help out the accomplishment of the prophecy, gave them another defeat some time afterward, and compelled them by force to become proselytes to the Jewish religion, and to submit to circumcision: after which they were incorporated with the Jews, and became one people with them. Are these events adequate to the prophet's lofty prediction? Was it so great an action to win a battle with considerable slaughter of the enemy or to force a whole nation by dint of the sword into Judaism? or was the conversion of the Idumeans, however effected, and their admission into the Church of God, equivalent to a most grievous judgment and destruction, threatened in the severest terms? But here is another very material circumstance to be considered, which, I presume, entirely excludes Judas Maccabeus, and even the Idumeans, properly so called.

1. On Bozrah, a city of Edom, see on ch. Isaiah 34:6. with dyed garments] Better, with bright coloured garments. The word for “dyed” means literally “sharp,” “piercing.” The mention of Edom as the scene of a judgement which is obviously universal (see Isaiah 63:3; Isaiah 63:6), including all the enemies of Jehovah and Israel, is a feature common to this prophecy and that of ch. 34. It is partly accounted for by the embittered relations between the two peoples, of which traces are found in post-exilic writings (see the note on ch. 34); and partly perhaps by the ancient conception that Jehovah marches from Edom to the succour of His people (Judges 5:4). There can hardly be a reference to anticipated resistance on the part of the Edomites to the re-establishment of the Jewish State, for the judgement is not on Edom alone but on all nations; and moreover the prophecy in all probability belongs to a date subsequent to the first return of the exiles from Babylon. glorious in his apparel] The word for glorious is lit. “swelling,” being identical with that which is wrongly rendered “crooked” in ch. Isaiah 45:2 (see the note). It is doubtful what is the exact sense of the expression “swelling in his raiment.” Duhm’s suggestion of loose robes inflated by the wind seems a little fanciful. On the other hand “glorious” or “splendid” (LXX. ὡραῖος) conveys an impression hardly consistent with the image, since the garments of the divine champion are said to be “defiled” by the blood of His enemies (Isaiah 63:3). travelling] R.V. marching; Vulg. gradiens. This however may represent a variant reading (ητ‘ηd, cf. Judges 5:4) which is perhaps preferable to the Massoretic text (ητ‘eh). The Hebr. word occurs in the difficult passage Isaiah 51:14 with the sense of “crouching.” Those who retain it here explain it in various ways with the help of the Arabic as a “gesture of proud self-consciousness” (Del.); “swaying to and fro”; “with head thrown back,” &c. I that speak in righteousness &c.] i.e. “speak righteously” (cf. Isaiah 45:19). Jehovah declares Himself to be true in speech, faithfully fulfilling His prophecies, and powerful in deed (mighty to save).

Who is this - The language of the people who see Yahweh returning as a triumphant conqueror from Idumea.

1. The scene here introduced is as if Jehovah, in a broken dramatic picture, is returning with the tread of a triumphant conqueror from a complete victory over foes.