Isaiah 41

Cyrus is here described as typically representing Christ; (see the note on xlv. J.) being first of all styled Righteousness (the righteous man our English renders it), which is one of the titles of Christ; (see Jer. xxiii. 5, 6.) and then is said to come from the east, by which name Christ is also described, Zech. iii. 8. where the word Tsemah, which our interpreters translate Branch, does properly signify the east, and is accordingly rendered’AvaroA?) by the LXX.: which very.word is applied to Christ, in allusion to that prophecy of Zechary, by St. Luke, i. 78. where our English translate it the day-spring, but the margin reads the sun-rising. Called him to his foot.] i. e. Called him to follow him, as the phrase is elsewhere rendered. (See Exod. xi. 8. Judg. iv. 10. viii. 5. 1 Kings xx. 10. 2 Kings iii. 9.) Gave the nations before him, and made him ride over kings, &c] The same things are said of Cyrus, ver. 25. of this chapter, and xlv. 1, &c. Baruchv.8.) Nothing is more refreshing in hot countries, than a shade or covert from the scorching beams of the sun. (Compare xxv. 4, 5. xxxii.2. Psal. cxxi. 6.) ♦ The shittah-tree.] Called Shittim-wood, Exod. v. and elsewhere.

Isaiah 41:3

He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet.". He shall be a successful conqueror, even when he pursues his enemies • through strange and unknown countries. The preter-perfect tense is here put for the future; a way of speaking common in the prophets. (See note on xxi. 9.)

Isaiah 41:4

Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning?. By calling the generations from the beginning, is meant God’s disposing and ordering the several successions of ages, and allotting the proper seasons for the bringing his own designs to pass. (Compare xliv. 7.) God is represented in Scripture as doing every thing by his bare word and command, the creatures immediately answering his call as dutiful servants. (See Job xxviii. 34, 35.)

Isaiah 41:5

The isles saw it and feared; the ends qf the earth were afraid, drew near, and came, &c. Remote countries were astonished at the sudden rise of the conqueror Cyrus, and joined in an alliance together to check his growing greatness; just as several artificers that are concerned in the trade of idol-making, assist one another in carrying on their common interest, and stir up the zeal of others in the defence of image-worship. (See Actsxix. 25.) This passage may fitly be applied to the heathen powers combining together to support their idolatry, and suppress the Christian religion.

Isaiah 41:8

But thou, Israel, art my servant, &c. The expressions are very endearing: it is honourable to be God’s servant, still more so to be his chosen servant, and to be descended from one to whom he vouchsafed the title of friend, as God did to Abraham, (2 Chron. xx. 7.) the greatest honour that any man is capable of: which glorious privilege Christ was pleased to communicate to his disciples, (Johnxv. 13.)

Isaiah 41:9

Tliou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof. As I have taken your forefathers out of Egypt, so will I take you out of Chaldea, as I did likewise your father Abraham, (Gen. xi. 31.) The prcter-perfect tense may betaken here for the future as before, ver. 3. Assyria and Egypt are usually joined together, as the most remarkable countries from whence the Jewish captivity should return. • (Sec the note on xi. 1G.) In like manner, at the end of the world, Christ will gather his elect from the four winds, (Matt. xxiv. 31.). and of them whom God hath given him, he will lose noue, (John vi. 38.)

Isaiah 41:10

I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. I will support thee with my power, and thereby make my fidelity, in fulfilling my promises, appear to the world.

Isaiah 41:11

They shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. God’s truth shall at last prevail against all opposition, and the kingdom of Christ shall subdue and break in pieces all its adversaries. (See Dan. ii. 44. compare Isa. liv. 17. lx. 12.)

Isaiah 41:12

Thou shall seek them, but shall not find them. i.e. If thou shbuldest go about to seek them, thou shouldest not be able to find them. The expression denotes utter destruction. (See Psal. x. 15.’ xxxvii. 3G.).

Isaiah 41:13

For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand. The joining of right hands hath in all nations been looked upon as a token of friendship, or of entering into a mutual league and covenant. « " Heus ubi pacta fides, commissaque dextera dextree?" Where is the plighted faith and right hands join’d? Ovid. Epist. So God saith here, that he will take Israel by his right hand, and support him with his own right hand, (ver. 10.)

Isaiah 41:14

Fear not, thou worm Jacob. Though thou art despicable and trampled upon by every body. (See Psal. xxii.G.) •

Isaiah 41:15

Behold, I will make thee a new sharp thrashing instrument, having teeth. Concerning the manner of thrashing or beating out their corn in Judea, see the note onxxi. 10. xxviii. 28. From thence the word is applied to the crushing or subduing an enemy. (See Jer.li. 33. Habak. iii. 12.) Thou shall thrash the mountains, and beat them small, and make the hills as chaff.] By the mountains and hills, are probably meant t the greater and lesser kingdoms or countries which were enemies to God’s truth and people: so the phrase signifies, ii. 14. Psal. lxxii. 3. The expressions in this and the following verse allude to the custom of the eastern countries, of having their thrashing-floors upon the tops of hills. (See xvii.13.)

Isaiah 41:17

When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none — J the Lord will hear them — I ivill open rivers in high places, See. God promises his people that he will furnish them with all sorts of accommodations for their return home; that they should neither be afflicted with hefrt nor thirst, two calamities.that are very incident to travellers in hot countries. (Compare xlix. 10. Jer. xxxi. 9.) And the latter of these was particularly grievous to the Israelites in their passage through the wilderness, to which this place alludes; as also to God’s miraculous supplying them with water there out of the rock: (compare xlviii. 21.) which ran in a stream like a river, and followed them a great part of their journey: see Psal. cv.41. 1 Cor. x.4. and was, as the apostle there tells us, a mystical representation of Christ and the benefits of the •gospel. (See note on xxx.24.)

Isaiah 41:19

I tvillplant in the ivilderness the cedar, &c. As it were on purpose to shelter my people in their return h6me from the scorching heat of the sun. (Compare

Isaiah 41:20

That they may see, and know— that the hand of the Lord hath done, this. The many Avonderful steps by which the restoration of the Jewish nation shall be brought about, will convince all considering persons that it is the work of God: and his power will still more undeniably discover itself in the propagation of the gospel, and the enlightening those that sit in darkness with the saving truth of it. (See the notes on xliv. 3.) t

Isaiah 41:21

Produce your cause, saith the Lord, &c. He. challenges the idolaters to plead the cause of their idols, and give convincing proofs of theirdivinity. (See ver. 1.) •

Isaiah 41:22

Let them shew the former things, what they be, &c. Let the idols plead their own cause, or do you their worshippers do it for them, and prove they ever gave any true oracles or prophecies relating to former times, and that the event hath exactly answered the prediction, and this will give credit to any predictions they shall make relating to things future.

Isaiah 41:23

Shew the things that are to come, that we may know that ye are gods. God only can certainly foreknow future events, especially.such as depend upon contingent causes, and the determinations of men’s free-will. But this does not hinder, but that some of the predictions of the heathen idols or oracles might be true, or else they would hardly have been able to have kept up their credit..But the event answered their predictions in such cases chiefly, where prudent conjecture might go a great way; such might be the prediction of Saul’s death by the evil spirit at Endor, (1 Sam. xxviii. 19.) Evil spirits, being very nimble and active, may likewise foretell in one place what they see in another. This acceunt Athanasius gives of the oracle, which foretold the overflowing of the Nile; which he sup* poses the evil spirit might do, by having seen the rains which fall in Ethiopia some time before, and cause that inundation. (See Athanas. Life of Anthony the Hermit, p. 456. torn. ii. edit. Commcl.) But there is no comparison between such predictions and the prophecies recorded id Scripture, where there is a series of remarkable events foretold, reaching from the beginning of the world to the end of it: together with a punctual prediction of names and other circumstances several ages before the event. (Secxlvi. 10.) Yea, do good, or do evil.] The heathens worshipped some of their gods, in hopes to receive good from them, and others for fear they should do them a mischief, who were, for that reason/called, by the Greeks and Romans, L>ii Averrunci, and’ AirorQoitaioi. The prophet, alluding to this opinion, saith, that the evil spirits the heathens worshipped can neither do good nor hurt: they cannot do good, because they are naturally evil; neither can they do hurt any farther than God is pleased to permit them: beside that the image’s, to whom their exterior worship is paid, are dead and insensible things, that cannot help themselves, much less any body else. (See Jcr. x. 5.) And, therefore, as it is God only that can make peace and create evil, (Isa. xlv. 7.) all worship, is due to him alone.

Isaiah 41:24

Behold, ye are ofjiolhing. Of no use or value: so the phrase is used Job xiii. 6. where we read physicians of nothing in the Hebrew; but our translation rightly renders the words, physicians of no value. Idols are often called in the Old Testament ellilitn, i.e. nothings, and vanities and lies, to shew that they are not what they pretend to be, but are only senseless images, and the representations of dead men. (Sec 1 Cor. viii. 4.) And your work of nought.] Whatever oracles or predictions you pretend to give out are cheats and lies. (See ver. 29.)

Isaiah 41:25

, I have raised tip one from the north, and he shall come:from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name. Cyrus is described as coming from the east, ver. 2. and here he is represented as coming from the north and the east too, because his father was a Persian, and his mother a Median. (See the note on xxi. 7.) Media lay northward of Babylon; accordingly the army which Cyrus led against Babylon is described as coming out of the north, (Jer. 1. 9. 41.) because it chiefly consisted of Medes. (See note on xiii. 17.) Shall he call upon my name.] Cyrus made public profession of his belief in the great God of heaven and earth, (Ezra i. 2.) And he shall come upon princes as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay.] The words may better be rendered, He shall come and tread down princes like mortar, * and as a potter treadeth clay. (See ver. 2. xlv. 1, &c. compare Psal. xviii. 42.)

Isaiah 41:26

IVIio hath declared from the beginning, that we may know?. Upon such an evident prediction of an event that was notto be fulfilled till near two hundred years afterward, God, in a triumphant manner, demands which of the idols could shew any such token of his divinity. And before time, that we may say, He is righteous?] i. e. His claim to divinity is just. (See xliii. 9.) Yea, there is none that sheweth; yea, there is none that declareth; yea, there is none that heareth your words.] None of the idols can give you an answer, or seems to regard what you say: just as Baal gave no answer to the importunate clamours of his priests. (See 1 Kings xviii. 29.)

Isaiah 41:27

The first shall say to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give untoJerusalemone that bringeth good tidings. . The verse may better be translated thus, I that am the first [i.e. the Author and Disposer of all things: see ver. 4.] will give unto Zion and unto Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings, saying, Behold, behold them: i. e. Behold the wonderful works which God hath wrought for you: or, Behold thy people returning to their ancient habitations. (Compare xl. 9.)

Isaiah 41:28

For I beheld, and there was no man, &c. If one were to look about and make the strictest inquiry,.there would not be found a man among the idol-priests or pro-, phets, that was able to return an answer to any question that is asked him. Images are elsewhere called dumb idols.. (See Habak. ii. 18. 1 Cor. xii. 2.)

Isaiah 41:29

Behold, they are all vanity; their works are no- thing.* See ver. 24. The Septuagint render the latter part of the sentence, They that make you are vain: for the true reading in the Greek is not ItXavtovrBg, as the commonedi-. tions have it; but nXaacxovrtg, as the learned Dr. Grabe hath observed in his dissertation, de Vitiis LXX. Interpr. p. 55. •'