worship.] See ver. 23; chap. lii. 15; Ps. lxxii. 10, 11.

learned, &c.] God the Father hath given to me, the Messiah, his eternal Word and Son, power to express Him fully unto his people; that I should be able to speak comfortably to the weary and distressed souls: He doth not intermit to furnish me continually with his good Spirit. Bp. Hall.

&c.] The Prophet, by an elegant figure, addresses himself to God, to stir up his strength, and exert it in behalf of his oppressed people, as He delivered them in former time out of Egyptian bondage. “Rahab” is another name for Egypt; see note at Ps. lxxxvii. 4. The “dragon” stands for Pharaoh. W. Louth.

Isaiah 49:5

5. — Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious &c.] If we follow the reading given here in the text of our translation, the sense is, That although Christ’s ministry be unsuccessful in gathering the Jews into the Church, yet the preaching of his Apostles should meet with better success among the Gentiles: if we follow the reading of the margin, this verse and the next import, that God hath ordained Christ to be a light to the Gentiles, as well as the glory of his people Israel. W. Lowth.

Isaiah 49:6

6.—and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair:] See Bp. Louth’s note on chap. vii. 20. —I hid not my face from shame and spitting.] Another instance of the utmost contempt and detestation. It was ordered by the law of Moses, as a severe punishment, carrying with it a lasting disgrace, Deut. xxv. 9. In the year 1744, when a rebel prisoner was Before CHRIST about 712. a Numb. 11. 23. ch. 59. 1. b Exod. 14. 21. c Josh. 3. 16. d Matt. 11. 28. e John 14. 31. Hebr. 10. 5. &c. Phil. 2. 8. f Matt. 26. 67. & 27. 26. An exhortation CHAP. L. LI. to trust in God. Before CHRIST about 712. g Rom. 8. 32, 33. t Heb. the master of my cause? h John 9. 39.

brought before Nadir Shah’s general, Mr. Hanway says, “the soldiers were ordered to ‘spit in his face,’ an indignity of great antiquity in the East.” Among the Medes it was highly offensive to spit in any one’s presence; and so likewise among the Persians. Concerning modern notions, see the note on Numb. xii. 14. If spitting in a person’s presence was such an indignity as in those countries it appears to have been, how much more spitting in his face? See Mark xiv. 65; xv. 19. Bp. Lowth, Parkhurst. This portion of Scripture contains an exact description of the barbarous indignities our blessed Saviour suffered, and looks more like an historical narration of facts already past, than a prediction of events several hundred years before they happened. We can have no doubt that the Prophet here personates the Messiah; nor, if we compare this account with that of our Lord’s passion in the New Testament, that Jesus of Nazareth was that Messiah. Dean Stanhope.

Isaiah 49:7

7. — to him whom man despiseth, &c.] See notes on chap. liii. 1. 3. — Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall

8. — therefore have I set my face like a flint.] Our blessed Saviour, having fixed his end, pursued it resolutely, upon all occasions bearing up against all temptation and opposition; becoming thereby to us an example of a true sedate courage, and unshaken constancy of mind. Bp. Bradford. Our Lord was an example of holiness and obedience set before us, and his sufferings make the pattern perfect: had He lived in worldly prosperity, the poor and unfortunate would perhaps have upbraided the rich and prosperous for not following the copy, but would have thought their own hard circumstances a sufficient excuse for not attempting it. But what pretence is now left for any mortal? are we more wretched than our Master? are we poor and therefore discontented? Let us look to Him who had not where to lay his head, and yet paid a cheerful obedience to his God! Bp. Sherlock.

Isaiah 49:8

8. — In an acceptable time have I heard thee, &c.] These words, which are spoken to Christ in the person of God the Father, are applied by St Paul, in the passage cited in the margin, to his members of the church in Corinth; Thus, says he, when the Gospel is imparted to you, is your time; which ye are concerned not to let slip. The argument drawn from hence is, that when the grace of God is offered, we must be very diligent to lay hold of and improve it; knowing, as we must, that this life is the utmost period of the day of grace; that the continuance of life is most uncertain; and that we cannot be sure that God will extend to us the opportunities of grace so long as life does continue. Dean Stonhope.

9. He is near that justifieth me;] My God is with me, yea. He is in me, and one with me, and I with Him, so that I cannot but be borne out against all that shall stubbornly contend with me. Bp. Hall.

CHAP. LI.

Isaiah 49:9

9. That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go forth; &c.] The “prisoners” here mentioned may be perhaps more particularly applied to the Jews, referring to the “heavy burden” of the Mosaic Law; “they that are in darkness” to the Gentiles, who are described, Ephes. 1. 8, to have been “darkness” itself: both expressions however may well suit either; the phrase seems to be taken from the custom of liberating captives at the inauguration of kings. Those, whom the Prophet has thus represented as captives rescued from bondage and darkness into the glorious light and liberty of the Gospel, he next exhibits under the emblem of a flock, feeding at its leisure in secure pastures, guarded by its shepherd from the ill effects of the heat, and plentifully supplied with all necessary food; an emblem not infrequently used (see chap. xxx. 24, 25; xi. 11.) to shadow out the future situation of the Church of Christ, safe under the protection and watchful care of the great Shepherd of souls, and blessed with the ample opportunities of grace, which God shall afford her; the Apostle St. John (as referred to in the margin) applies the passage in this manner. Vitrinus.

Before CHRIST about 712. Or, ratio sp. Chap. 42. 7. Rev. 7. 10.

God’s love is perpetual to his church. CHAP. XLIX. The ample restoration of the church.

Before CHRIST about 712. having compassion. e Chap. 60. 4.

Isaiah 49:10

10. — that obeyeth the voice of his servant.] The Septuagint and Syriack have a rendering here, (merely pointing the Hebrew a little differently,) which gives a much more elegant turn and distribution to the sentence; “Who is among you that feareth the Lord? Let him obey the voice of his servant. That walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord,” &c. Bp. Lowth.

10.—made bare his holy arm] See note at Ps. lxxiv. 11. 11. Depart ye,—touch no unclean thing: This admonition not to linger in Babylon is given chap. xlvii. 20, and repeated here, and by Jeremiah, chap. 1. 8; li. 6. God’s people, and the priests especially, are, with allusion to the legal pollutions contracted by touching any thing unclean, commanded to keep themselves free from all manner of pollution. The mystical sense of the command is extended by St. Paul to all Christians, and the passage applied by St. John to the mystical Babylon: see the margin. W. Louth.

Isaiah 49:11

11. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, &c.] The fire of their own kindling, by the light of which they walk with satisfaction, is an image designed to express, in general, human devices, and more worldly policy, exclusive of faith and trust in God; which, though they flatter the authors for a while with pleasing expectations, and some appearance of success, shall in the end turn to their confusion. Bp. Lowth.

Chap. LI. ver. 3. For the Lord shall comfort Zion: &c.] When the Prophets have occasion to foretell the marvellous change to be effected in the moral world, under the evangelical dispensation, they frequently borrow their ideas from the history of that garden, in which innocence and felicity once dwelt together, and which they represent as again springing up and blooming in the wilderness: such joy and gladness, such thanksgiving and melody are described as taking place at the restitution of all things, as were at their first creation, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Compare chap. xli. 19; xxxv. 1. Bp. Horne.

The first completion of this prophecy was in the restoration of the Jews from their Babylonish captivity: but the promise ultimately and chiefly respects the Christian Church, which in this world sojourns in a wilderness, as the Israelites had done before they entered their promised land. But this wilderness is not without its comforts: the righteous even in this world participate in that peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, which no man nor sufferings can take from them. In the

Before CHRIST about 712. Christ by his sanctified arm defendeth his from the fear of man. Before CHRIST about 712.

11. — the redeemed of the Lord shall return, &c.] See notes on chap. xxxv. 10.

Isaiah 49:12

12. — and these from the land of Sinim.] We have the same scene here as is laid before us chap. xliii. 5, 6, the restoration of the Jewish nation, and gathering of God’s elect from all parts. The Latin Vulgate, instead of “land of Sinim,” renders “the south country,” which answers to the north before mentioned. W. Lowth. By “from far,” may possibly be meant from Babylon; which, being to the east, would answer to the west. Abp. Secker. See chap. xxxix. 3; Jer. v. 15.

As our translation gives it, “Sinin” may mean Pelusium in Egypt, called “Sin,” Ezek. xxx. 15; or the wilderness of Sin, Exod. xvi. 1; both which lay southward of Judea. W. Lowth.

12. I, even I, am he that comforteth you: &c.] If God be for us, who is he that can harm us? The first incursions of violence and oppression may surprise; but the longest continuance of it ought not to dishearten or deject: the infirmity of our flesh may excuse all sudden fears, but a continued and incessant fear (ver. 13.) Isaiah 12. For ye shall not go out with haste, &c.] Your fathers were thrust out of Egypt in haste, Exod. xii. 33; but now ye shall have sufficient notice, so as to purify and prepare yourselves; and God shall be your guide and defence, like the pillar of the cloud, Exod. xiv. 19, 20. W. Louth. 13. The subject of Isaiah’s prophecy, from the fortieth chapter inclusive, has hitherto been in general, the deliverance of the people of God. This includes in it three distinct parts; the deliverance of the Jews from the captivity of Babylon; the deliverance of the Gentiles from their miserable state of ignorance and idolatry; the deliverance of mankind from the captivity of sin and death. These subjects, however, have a close connexion with one another; Isaiah has handled them as a Prophet and a poet: he has allegorized the former, and under the image of it has shadowed out the two latter; he has thrown them all together, has mixed one with another, has passed from this to that with rapid transitions, and has painted the whole with the strongest and boldest imagery. Hitherto they have been handled interchangeably and alternately: Babylon has been kept pretty much in sight; but here it is at once dropped, and hardly ever comes into sight again; the Prophet’s views are almost wholly engrossed by the superior part of his subject. Bp. Louth

Isaiah 49:13

13. Sing, O heavens; &c.] See note on chap. xliv. 23.

14. Behold, my servant shall deal prudently.] Or, “shall prosper,” as the margin reads, more agreeably to what follows. W. Louth. The state of Christ’s exaltation is first mentioned here; but the next words show that his suffering state was to precede in order of time, and the other to follow as the remonpence and reward of his abasement, ver. 14, 15. Dr. Beirman. The solemn administration of Christ’s kingly office could not take place, till the prophetick and priestly were discharged: the one by teaching his people, and raising their affections and desires by the clearest revelation of happiness in a future state; the other, by making intercession for them, by the atonement of bloody sacrifice, the sacrifice of Himself. This is plainly told us in the ensuing chapter, the twentysecond Psalm, and other prophecies of the Old Testament which St. Paul does in effect but expound in Heb. ii. 10; x. 12, 13; Phil. ii. 7—11. Dean Stanhage. How gracious was it in God to forewarn the world by the spirit of prophecy of the mean appearance of their Redeemer; that their faith might be armed against the reproach and contempt which attended his poverty, and the great scandal of his cross! In human reckoning, a mean condition bespeaks a mean man; but here the case was otherwise; for when God had foretold the mean appearance of his Son, his poverty became a proof of his authority, and the lowness of his condition shewed the excellency of his person. Bp. Sherlock.

Isaiah 49:14

14. The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed.] Will quickly be delivered. Bp. Wilson. Rather render, “He hasteneth (marcheth on with speed) who cometh to set free the captive;” that is, Cyrus, if understood of the temporal redemption from Babylon; in the spiritual sense, the Messiah. Bp. Louth. The connexion of the next verse with this will better appear if we render there, “For I am the Lord thy God,” &c. W. Louth.

Isaiah 49:15

15. So shall he sprinkle many nations:] He shall purify whole nations by his blood, and present them holy to God; the expression alludes to the legal sprink-

Isaiah 49:16

16. — I here graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.] An allusion to some practice, common among the Jews at that time, of making marks on their hands or arms by punctures on the skin, with some sort of representation of the city or temple, to shew their zeal and affection for it. The pilgrims at the Holy Sepulchre, as Maundrell tells us, get themselves marked in this manner, with what they call ensigns of Jerusalem; and this art is practised by travelling Jews all over the world at this day. Bp. Lowth. See note on chap. xliv. 5.

17. — I have put my words in thy mouth, &c.] I have made thee my oracle. This may be understood in a lower sense of Isaiah, but is chiefly meant of Christ. Compare chap. lix. 21. and the passage referred to in the margin. W. Louth. See notes at those places. “Planting” or “stretching out the heavens,” as we read at ver. 13, (Bp. Louth.) “and laying the foundations of the earth,” are expressions to be understood of God’s intention of building and making Israel into a Before CHRIST about 718. e Exod. 14. 21. f Chap. 35. 10. g Ps. 118. 6. h Chap. 40. 6. i Pet. 1. 24. j Or, made himself ready. l Jer. 31. 35. k Chap. 49. 2, 3. Christ persuadeth the church to free themselves from bondage. Before CHRIST about 712. d Nab. 1. 15. Rom. 10. 15.

Isaiah 49:17

17. — shall go forth of thee.] Shall become thy offspring, shall proceed, spring, issue from thee, as thy children. The accession of the Gentiles to the Church of God is considered as an addition made to the number of the family and children of Zion; see ver. 21, 22; and chap. lx. 4. Bp. Lowth. As the true religion had long been professed only by the Jews, and when explained to greater perfection, was to be propagated from them through the earth; the conversion of the Gentiles is very deservedly reputed an accession to the

and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.

Isaiah 49:20

20, 21. The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, &c.] The Church is represented as lamenting the loss of her children, and wondering at a new and numerous offspring settled in their room. The greatest part of the Jewish people were to fall by a deplorable apostasy; (see chap. x. 20;) but their defection was to be abundantly supplied by the accession of the Gentiles. Dr. Berriman.

Isaiah 49:22

22. — and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.] This custom is practised in the East to a great extent. Dandini, in his voyage to mount Libanus, tells us, that “being on horseback they carry their young children upon their shoulders with great dexterity. These children hold by the head of him who carries them, whether he be on horseback or on foot; and do not hinder him from walking, or doing what he pleases.” Fragments to Calmet.

Isaiah 49:23

23. — shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, &c.] It is well known that expressions of submission, homage, and reverence, always have been, and are still, carried to a great degree of extravagance in the Eastern countries. The kings of Persia never admitted any one to their presence without exacting this act of adoration, for that was the proper term for it. Bp. Lowth. The whole passage here imports the assistance, submission, deference, and veneration, that the Gentiles

Before CHRIST about 712. monothers. princeurs. The powerful deliverance out of captivity. ISAIAH. The cause of the Jews’ dereliction. Before CHRIST about 712. captivity of the just. captivity. g Rev. 14. 20. N. 16. 6. I Or, new wine. thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

Isaiah 49:24

24. — thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, &c.] As the Church is represented as Christ’s bride, so this conversion, both of Jews and Gentiles, may fitly be represented by the bride’s being adorned with all sorts of fine clothing or precious jewels, in order to her marriage; (Rev. xiv. 7, 8;) or entering upon her triumphant state. Dr. Wells.

25. Shall the prey be taken from the mighty.] This is an objection urging the seeming impossibility of rescuing the Jews from so powerful an enemy as the Babylonish empire. God answers it in the next verse. W. Louth. 26. And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; &c.] Those that are allied to us, by country or kindred, or any other relation, are called “our own flesh,” see Judg. ix. 2; 2 Sam. v. 1; Nehem. v. 5. So the phrase here imports, that God will set these enemies of his people one against another, and make them kill and destroy each other. (See note on chap. ix. 20.) Cyrus conquered a great many of the allies of the Babylonians, and made them serviceable in reducing Babylon itself. W. Louth. Chap. L. ver. 1.—Where is the bill of your mother’s divorcement, &c.] Husbands, through moroseness or levity of temper, often sent bills of divorcement to their wives on slight occasions, as they were permitted to do by the law of Moses, Deut. xxiv. 1. And fathers, being oppressed with debt, often sold their children; which they might do, for a time, till the year of release, Exod. xxi. 7. That this was frequently practised, appears from many passages in Scripture; the persons and liberty of the children too were answerable for the debts of the father; see 2 Kings iv. 1; Matt. xviii. 25. “They pay their debts in the East with their slaves, and in many places with their children,” says Sir J. Chardin. Bp. Louth. The covenant which God made with his which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.