Bible Commentaries
Isaiah 59

Introduction

CHAPTER 59

:-. THE PEOPLE'S SIN THE CAUSE OF JUDGMENTS: THEY AT LAST OWN IT THEMSELVES: THE REDEEMER'S FUTURE INTERPOSITION IN THEIR EXTREMITY.

The reason why Jehovah does not deliver His people, notwithstanding their religious services ( :-), is not want of power on His part, but because of their sins (Isaiah 59:1-8); Isaiah 59:1-23.59.8- : contain their confession; Isaiah 59:1-23.59.8- :, the consequent promise of the Messiah.

Verse 1

1. hand . . . shortened—(See on Isaiah 59:5).

ear heavy— (Isaiah 59:5- :).

Verse 2

2. hid—Hebrew, "caused Him to hide" (Lamentations 3:44).

Verse 3

3. (Isaiah 1:15; Romans 3:13-15).

hands . . . fingers—Not merely the "hands" perpetrate deeds of grosser enormity ("blood"), but the "fingers" commit more minute acts of "iniquity."

lips . . . tongue—The lips "speak" openly "lies," the tongue "mutters" malicious insinuations ("perverseness"; perverse misrepresentations of others) (Jeremiah 6:28; Jeremiah 9:4).

Verse 4

4. Rather, "No one calleth an adversary into court with justice," that is, None bringeth a just suit: "No one pleadeth with truth."

they trust . . . iniquity—(So Job 15:35; Psalms 7:14).

Verse 5

5. cockatrice—probably the basilisk serpent, cerastes. Instead of crushing evil in the egg, they foster it.

spider's web—This refers not to the spider's web being made to entrap, but to its thinness, as contrasted with substantial "garments," as Isaiah 59:6 shows. Their works are vain and transitory (Job 8:14; Proverbs 11:18).

eateth . . . their eggs—he who partakes in their plans, or has anything to do with them, finds them pestiferous.

that which is crushed—The egg, when it is broken, breaketh out as a viper; their plans, however specious in their undeveloped form like the egg, when developed, are found pernicious. Though the viper is viviparous (from which "vi-per" is derived), yet during gestation, the young are included in eggs, which break at the birth [BOCHART]; however, metaphors often combine things without representing everything to the life.

Verse 6

6. not . . . garments—like the "fig leaves" wherewith Adam and Eve vainly tried to cover their shame, as contrasted with "the coats of skins" which the Lord God made to clothe them with (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 13:14; Galatians 3:27; Philippians 3:9). The artificial self-deceiving sophisms of human philosophy (1 Timothy 6:5; 2 Timothy 2:16; 2 Timothy 2:23).

Verse 7

7. feet—All their members are active in evil; in :-, the "hands, fingers, lips, and tongue," are specified.

run . . . haste— ( :-). Contrast David's "running and hasting" in the ways of God (Psalms 119:32; Psalms 119:60).

thoughts—not merely their acts, but their whole thoughts.

Verse 8

8. peace—whether in relation to God, to their own conscience, or to their fellow men (Isaiah 57:20; Isaiah 57:21).

judgment—justice.

crooked—the opposite of "straightforward" (Proverbs 2:15; Proverbs 28:18).

Verse 9

9. judgment far—retribution in kind because they had shown "no judgment in their goings" (Isaiah 59:8). "The vindication of our just rights by God is withheld by Him from us."

us—In Isaiah 59:8- : and previous verses, it was "they," the third person; here, "us . . . we," the first person. The nation here speaks: God thus making them out of their own mouth condemn themselves; just as He by His prophet had condemned them before. Isaiah includes himself with his people and speaks in their name.

justice—God's justice bringing salvation (Isaiah 46:13).

light—the dawn of returning prosperity.

obscurity—adversity (Jeremiah 8:15).

Verse 10

10. grope—fulfilling Moses' threat (Deuteronomy 28:29).

stumble at noon . . . as . . . night—There is no relaxation of our evils; at the time when we might look for the noon of relief, there is still the night of our calamity.

in desolate places—rather, to suit the parallel words "at noonday," in fertile (literally, "fat"; Deuteronomy 28:29- :) fields [GESENIUS] (where all is promising) we are like the dead (who have no hope left them); or, where others are prosperous, we wander about as dead men; true of all unbelievers (Isaiah 26:10; Luke 15:17).

Verse 11

11. roar—moan plaintively, like a hungry bear which growls for food.

doves— (Isaiah 38:14; Ezekiel 7:16).

salvation—retribution in kind: because not salvation, but "destruction" was "in their paths" (Isaiah 59:7).

Verse 12

12. ( :-, c.).

thee . . . us—antithesis.

with us—that is, we are conscious of them (Job 12:3, Margin Job 15:9).

know—acknowledge they are our iniquities.

Verse 13

13. The particulars of the sins generally confessed in :- (Isaiah 48:8; Jeremiah 2:19; Jeremiah 2:20). The act, the word, and the thought of apostasy, are all here marked: transgression and departing, c. lying (compare Jeremiah 2:20- :), and speaking, c. conceiving and uttering from the heart.

Verse 14

14. Justice and righteousness are put away from our legal courts.

in the street—in the forum, the place of judicature, usually at the gate of the city ( :-).

cannot enter—is shut out from the forum, or courts of justice.

Verse 15

15. faileth—is not to be found.

he that departeth . . . prey—He that will not fall in with the prevailing iniquity exposes himself as a prey to the wicked (Psalms 10:8; Psalms 10:9).

Lord saw it—The iniquity of Israel, so desperate as to require nothing short of Jehovah's interposition to mend it, typifies the same necessity for a Divine Mediator existing in the deep corruption of man; Israel, the model nation, was chosen to illustrate his awful fact.

Verse 16

16. no man—namely, to atone by his righteousness for the unrighteousness of the people. "Man" is emphatic, as in 1 Kings 2:2; no representative man able to retrieve the cause of fallen men (Isaiah 41:28; Isaiah 63:5; Isaiah 63:6; Jeremiah 5:1; Ezekiel 22:30).

no intercessor—no one to interpose, "to help . . . uphold" (Ezekiel 22:30- :).

his arm— (Isaiah 40:10; Isaiah 51:5). Not man's arm, but His alone (Psalms 98:1; Psalms 44:3).

his righteousness—the "arm" of Messiah. He won the victory for us, not by mere might as God, but by His invincible righteousness, as man having "the Spirit without measure" (Isaiah 11:5; Isaiah 42:6; Isaiah 42:21; Isaiah 51:8; Isaiah 53:11; 1 John 2:1).

Verse 17

17. Messiah is represented as a warrior armed at all points, going forth to vindicate His people. Owing to the unity of Christ and His people, their armor is like His, except that they have no "garments of vengeance" (which is God's prerogative, :-), or "cloak of zeal" (in the sense of judicial fury punishing the wicked; this zeal belongs properly to God, 2 Kings 10:16; Romans 10:2; Philippians 3:6; "zeal," in the sense of anxiety for the Lord's honor, they have, Numbers 25:11; Numbers 25:13; Psalms 69:9; 2 Corinthians 7:11; 2 Corinthians 9:2); and for "salvation," which is of God alone (2 Corinthians 9:2- :), they have as their helmet, "the hope of salvation" (1 Thessalonians 5:8). The "helmet of salvation" is attributed to them (Ephesians 6:14; Ephesians 6:17) in a secondary sense; namely, derived from Him, and as yet only in hope, not fruition (Romans 8:24). The second coming here, as often, is included in this representation of Messiah. His "zeal" (Romans 8:24- :) at His first coming was but a type of His zeal and vengeance against the foes of God at His second coming (2 Thessalonians 1:8-10; Revelation 19:11-21).

Verse 18

18. deeds—Hebrew, "recompenses"; "according as their deeds demand" [MAURER]. This verse predicts the judgments at the Lord's second coming, which shall precede the final redemption of His people (Isaiah 66:18; Isaiah 66:15; Isaiah 66:16).

islands—(See on Isaiah 66:16- :). Distant countries.

Verse 19

19. (Isaiah 45:6; Malachi 1:11). The result of God's judgments (Isaiah 26:9; Isaiah 66:18-20).

like a flood— (Jeremiah 46:7; Jeremiah 46:8; Revelation 12:15).

lift up a standard—rather, from a different Hebrew root, "shall put him to flight," "drive him away" [MAURER]. LOWTH, giving a different sense to the Hebrew for "enemy" from that in Revelation 12:15- :, and a forced meaning to the Hebrew for "Spirit of the Lord," translates, "When He shall come as a river straitened in its course, which a mighty wind drives along."

Verse 20

20. to Zion— :- quotes it, "out of Zion." Thus Paul, by inspiration, supplements the sense from :-: He was, and is come to Zion, first with redemption, being sprung as man out of Zion. The Septuagint translates "for the sake of Zion." Paul applies this verse to the coming restoration of Israel spiritually.

them that turn from— (Romans 11:26). "shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob"; so the Septuagint, Paul herein gives the full sense under inspiration. They turn from transgression, because He first turns them from it, and it from them (Psalms 130:4; Lamentations 5:21).

Verse 21

21. covenant with them . . . thee—The covenant is with Christ, and with them only as united to Him (Hebrews 2:13). Jehovah addresses Messiah the representative and ideal Israel. The literal and spiritual Israel are His seed, to whom the promise is to be fulfilled (Psalms 22:30).

spirit . . . not depart . . . for ever— (Jeremiah 31:31-37; Matthew 28:20).