the Week of Proper 22 / Ordinary 27
Click here to join the effort!
Read the Bible
King James Version
Isaiah 45:14
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- InternationalParallel Translations
Thus says Yahweh,"The fruit of the labor of Egypt and the profit of EthiopiaAnd the Sabeans, men of stature,Will come over to you and will be yours;They will walk behind you; they will come over in chainsAnd will bow down to you;They will make supplication to you:‘Surely, God is with you, and there is none else,No other God.'"
Thus says the LORD, "The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush And the Sabeans, men of stature, Will come over to you and will be yours; They will walk behind you, they will come over in chains And will bow down to you; They will make supplication to you: 'Surely, God is with you, and there is none else, No other God.'"
Thus saith the Lorde, The occupiers of Egypt, the marchauntes of the Ethiopians and Sabees, shall come vnto thee with tribute, they shalbe thyne, they shall folowe thee, and go with chaines vpon their feete, they shall fall downe before thee, and make supplication vnto thee: for God without whom there is none other God, shalbe with thee.
Thus saith Jehovah: The wealth of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall walk after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall bow down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, [saying,] Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, no other God. …
Thus says the LORD: "The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush And of the Sabeans, men of stature, Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours; They shall walk behind you, They shall come over in chains; And they shall bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying, "Surely God is in you, And there is no other; There is no other God."'
So says Jehovah, The labor of Egypt, and the goods of Ethiopia, and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come to you; and they shall be yours. They shall come after you; they shall cross in chains; and they shall bow to you; they shall pleadto you. Surely God is in you, and there is none else, no other God.
The Lord says, "Egypt and Ethiopia are rich, but, Israel, you will get those riches. The tall people from Seba will be yours. They will walk behind you with chains around their necks. They will bow down before you and ask you to pray for them and say, ‘The true God really is with you, and there is no other God.'"
Thus says Yahweh: "The labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours. They shall go after you. In chains they shall come over; and they shall fall down to you. They shall make supplication to you: 'Surely God is in you; and there is none else, there is no other god.
Thus saith the Lord, The labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia, and of the Sabeans, men of stature shall come ouer vnto thee, and they shall be thine, they shall come after thee, in chaines they shall come ouer: and they shal fall downe vnto thee, they shal make supplication vnto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee, and there is none else, there is no god.
The LORDE hath sayde morouer: The occupiers of Egipte, the marchauntes of the Moryans and Sabees, shal come vnto the with tribute, they shalbe thine, they shal folowe the, and go with cheynes vpon their fete. They shal fall downe before the, and make supplicacion vnto the. For God (wt out who there is none other God) shal be with the.
God says: "The workers of Egypt, the merchants of Ethiopia, and those statuesque Sabeans Will all come over to you—all yours. Docile in chains, they'll follow you, Hands folded in reverence, praying before you: ‘Amazing! God is with you! There is no other God—none.'"
For this is what the LORD says, "The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush (ancient Ethiopia) And the Sabeans, men of stature, Will come over to you and they will be yours; They will walk behind you, in chains [of subjection to you] they will come over, And they will bow down before you; They will make supplication to you, [humbly and earnestly] saying, 'Most certainly God is with you, and there is no other, No other God [besides Him].'"
Thus saith Jehovah, The labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall go after thee, in chains they shall come over; and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.
The Lord says, The workmen of Egypt, and the traders of Ethiopia, and the tall Sabaeans, will come over the sea to you, and they will be yours; they will go after you; in chains they will come over: and they will go down on their faces before you, and will make prayer to you, saying, Truly, God is among you; and there is no other God.
Thus says Yahweh, The labor of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours: they shall go after you, in chains they shall come over; and they shall fall down to you, they shall make supplication to you, [saying], Surely God is in you; and there is no other, no [other] God.
Thus saith the LORD, The labor of Egypt, and merchandise of Cush and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to thee, and they shall be thine: they shall come after thee; in chains they shall come over, and they shall fall down to thee, they shall make supplication to thee, [saying], Surely God [is] in thee; and [there is] none else, [there is] no God.
The Lord says, "The goods made in Egypt and Cush and the tall people of Seba will come to you and will become yours. The Sabeans will walk behind you, coming along in chains. They will bow down before you and pray to you, saying, ‘God is with you, and there is no other God.'"
This is what the Lord says: "The profit of Egypt and the revenue of Ethiopia, along with the Sabeans, those tall men, will be brought to you and become yours. They will walk behind you, coming along in chains. They will bow down to you and pray to you: ‘Truly God is with you; he has no peer; there is no other God!'"
My people, I, the Lord , promise that the riches of Egypt and the treasures of Ethiopia will belong to you. You will force into slavery those tall people of Seba. They will bow down and say, "The only true God is with you; there are no other gods."
Here is what Adonai says: "The earnings of Egypt, the commerce of Ethiopia, and men of stature from S'va will come over to you and become yours; they will come in chains and follow you. They will prostrate themselves before you; they will pray to you: ‘Surely God is with you; there is no other, other gods are nothing.'"
Thus sayth the Lorde, The labour of Egypt, and the marchandise of Ethiopia, and of the Sabeans, men of stature shall come vnto thee, and they shall be thine: they shall followe thee, and shall goe in chaines: they shall fall downe before thee, and make supplication vnto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee, and there is none other God besides.
Thus says the LORD: The labor of Egypt and the merchants of Ethiopia and of Sheba, men of stature, shall come over to you and shall be yours; they shall come after you; in chains shall they come over, and they shall fall down before you, and shall make supplication to you, saying, Surely God is in you, and there is no other God.
Thus says the LORD: "The labor of Mitzrayim, and the merchandise of Kush, and the Seva'im, men of stature, shall come over to you, and they shall be yours. They shall go after you. In chains they shall come over; and they shall fall down to you. They shall make supplication to you: 'Surely God is in you; and there is none else, there is no other god.
Thus saith the LORD: The labour of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine; they shall go after thee, in chains they shall come over; and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee: Surely God is in thee, and there is none else, there is no other God.
This is what the Lord says: "You will rule the Egyptians, the Ethiopians, and the Sabeans. They will come to you with all their merchandise, and it will all be yours. They will follow you as prisoners in chains. They will fall to their knees in front of you and say, ‘God is with you, and he is the only God. There is no other.'"
The Lord says, "The riches of Egypt and the good things of Cush and the tall Sabeans will come over to you and be yours. They will walk behind you in chains and bow down to you. They will beg you, saying, ‘For sure God is with you, and there is no other God. There is none other.'"
Thus saith the Lord of hosts, Egypt has laboured for thee; and the merchandise of the Ethiopians, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall pass over to thee, and shall be thy servants; and they shall follow after thee bound in fetters, and shall pass over to thee, and shall do obeisance to thee, and make supplication to thee: because God is in thee; and there is no God beside thee, O Lord.
Thus saith the LORD, The labour of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee, and they shall be thine; they shall go after thee; in chains they shall come over: and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee, saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.
This is what the LORD says: "The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, along with the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you; they will come over in chains and bow down to you. They will confess to you: 'God is indeed with you, and there is no other; there is no other God.'"
Thus says the Lord : The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, tall of stature, shall come over to you and be yours, they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying, "God is with you alone, and there is no other; there is no god besides him."
Thus, saith Yahweh - The produce of Egypt and the gain of Ethiopia, and the Sabeans, men of great stature, Unto thee, shall come over, And thine, shall they become, After thee, shall they journey, In chains, shall they come over, - And unto thee, shall they bow down Unto thee, shall they pray saying , - Surely, in thee, is a GOD And there is none else - no, God!
Thus saith the Lord: The labour of Egypt, and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and of Sabaim, men of stature shall come over to thee, and shall be thine: they shall walk after thee, they shall go bound with manacles: and they shall worship thee, and shall make supplication to thee: only in thee is God, and there is no God besides thee.
Thus says Yahweh: "The acquisition of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush and the Sabeans, tall men, shall pass over to you; they shall be yours, and they shall walk behind you. They shall pass over in chains, and they shall bow down to you; they will pray to you: ‘Surely God is with you, and there is no other. Besides him there is no God.'"
Thus says the Lord : "The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, and the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours; they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will plead with you, saying: ‘Surely God is in you, and there is no other, no god besides him.'"
This is what the LORD says: "The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush And the Sabeans, men of stature, Will come over to you and will be yours; They will walk behind you, they will come over in chains And will bow down to you; They will plead with you: 'God certainly is with you, and there is no one else, No other God.'"
The Lord says to Israel, "The wealth of Egypt and Ethiopia will be yours, and the tall men of Seba will be your slaves; they will follow you in chains. They will bow down to you and confess, ‘God is with you—he alone is God.
This is what the Lord says: The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush and the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you and will be yours; they will follow you, they will come over in chains and bow down to you. They will confess to you: God is indeed with you, and there is no other; there is no other God.
The Lord God seith these thingis, The trauel of Egipt, and the marchaundie of Ethiopie, and of Sabaym; hiy men schulen go to thee, and schulen be thine; thei schulen go aftir thee, thei schulen go boundun in manyclis, and schulen worschipe thee, and schulen biseche thee. God is oneli in thee, and with out thee is no God.
Thus says the LORD: "The wealth of Egypt and the merchandise of Ethiopia, and the Sabe'ans, men of stature, shall come over to you and be yours, they shall follow you; they shall come over in chains and bow down to you. They will make supplication to you, saying: 'God is with you only, and there is no other, no god besides him.'"
Thus said Jehovah, `The labour of Egypt, And the merchandise of Cush, And of the Sebaim -- men of measure, Unto thee pass over, and thine they are, After thee they go, in fetters they pass over, And unto thee they bow themselves, Unto thee they pray: Only in thee [is] God, And there is none else, no [other] God.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
The labour: Isaiah 18:7, Isaiah 19:23-25, Isaiah 23:18, Isaiah 49:23, Isaiah 60:5-16, Isaiah 61:5, Isaiah 61:6, Isaiah 66:19, Isaiah 66:20, Psalms 68:30, Psalms 68:31, Psalms 72:10-15, Zechariah 8:22, Zechariah 8:23
the Sabeans: That the Sabeans were of a most majestic appearance is particularly remarked by Agatharchides, an ancient Greek historian quoted by Bochart. Job 1:15, Ezekiel 23:42, Joel 3:8
men of stature: Isaiah 10:33, Numbers 13:32, 2 Samuel 21:20, Ezekiel 31:3
in chains: Isaiah 14:2, Isaiah 49:23, Psalms 149:6, Psalms 149:8
they shall fall: Isaiah 60:14, Isaiah 61:5, Isaiah 61:9, Exodus 11:8, Esther 8:17, Acts 10:25, Acts 10:26, Revelation 3:9
Surely: Isaiah 45:24, Jeremiah 16:19, Zechariah 8:20-23, 1 Corinthians 8:4-6, 1 Corinthians 14:25, 1 Thessalonians 1:9
and there: Isaiah 45:5, Isaiah 45:6, Isaiah 44:8
Reciprocal: Genesis 21:22 - God Genesis 23:6 - a mighty prince Genesis 26:28 - was with Psalms 18:39 - subdued Isaiah 11:11 - Cush Isaiah 45:21 - and there is Isaiah 46:9 - I am God Isaiah 60:3 - the Gentiles Isaiah 60:6 - all Isaiah 66:12 - the glory Zechariah 2:11 - many Mark 12:32 - for Luke 4:7 - worship me Acts 8:27 - a man Acts 16:39 - came 1 John 5:20 - This is
Cross-References
And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.
And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Thus saith the Lord,.... The following words are said not to Cyrus, nor to Christ, but to the church, as the feminine pronouns show; and Kimchi observes, they are directed to Jerusalem:
the labour of Egypt, and merchandise of Ethiopia, and of the Sabeans, men of stature, shall come over unto thee; a prophecy of the conversion of many in these nations, who should join themselves to the churches of Christ, formed among them, and make use of their riches, got by merchandise, labour, and industry, for the support of the interest of religion; and had its accomplishment in part, in the first times of the Gospel, which was brought into Egypt, as it is said, by the Evangelist Mark; and by which, no doubt, many were converted and formed into a church state, and others joined them. The Ethiopian eunuch, baptized by Philip, carried it into his country, where it also met with success, was embraced and professed; as it will be more so in the latter day, when the kings of Seba and Sheba shall offer gifts to Christ, and bring their riches into the church, the same with the Sabeans here; see
Psalms 72:10, who are said to be "men of stature"; that is, of a large and tall stature, as the men of Seba are said to be by other w authors; or, "men of measure" x. The Targum renders it, "men of merchandise"; who used measures in trade and business: "and they shall be thine": give up themselves to the church, become members of it, and submit to its rule and discipline:
they shall come after thee; follow the church and its pastors, as they have them, for examples. The Targum is,
"they shall walk after thy word;''
be directed, guided, and governed by the church:
in chains they shall come over; being subdued and conquered by the grace of God, shall come in the chains of efficacious grace, drawn with the cords of love, and bands of a man; and yet shall come willingly, being made willing in the day of the power of divine grace upon their souls:
and they shall fall down unto thee, they shall make supplication unto thee; this is not to be understood of religious worship and invocation, such as is made to God, who only is the object of adoration and prayer in that sense; but is only expressive of their profound veneration and respect for the church of God, beseeching that it would receive them into, though unworthy of, its communion; see Isaiah 49:23:
saying, surely God is in thee, and there is none else, there is no god; induced thus to come to the church, and show all this respect unto her, from this consideration, that God is in the midst of her, of a truth, her name being "Jehovah Shammah", the Lord is there; here he grants his presence, here his word is preached, and ordinances administered; and hither converts flock, in hope of enjoying the same blessing also, being fully satisfied there is no other God but in Zion, Zechariah 8:23
Ezekiel 48:35. This passage of Scripture is thus explained in the Jewish Chronicles y: "the labour of Egypt", that is, Pharaoh king of Egypt: "and the merchandise of Ethiopia", that is, Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia: "and the Sabeans, men of stature", these are their armies:
they shall come over to thee, this is Jerusalem:
they shall be thine, peace being now made with thee:
they shall come after thee, that is, Hezekiah:
in chains they shall come over, in chains and bracelets:
they shall bow down to thee, and make supplication to thee, they shall give praise to God in the midst of thee, and say,
surely God is in thee.
w As by Agatharcides, l. 5. c. 50. in Gataker. x אנשי מדה "viri mensurae", Vatablus, Cocceius, Pagninus, Montanus; i.e. of a large measure, as Ben Melech interprets it
ανδρες υψηλοι, Sept. "viri sublimes", V. L. y Seder Olam Rabba, c. 23. p. 64, 65.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Thus saith the Lord - This verse is designed to denote the favors which in subsequent times would be conferred on Jerusalem, the city which Isaiah 45:13 was to be rebuilt. It bas reference, according to Lowth, to the conversion of the Gentiles, and their admission into the church of God. Grotius, however, understands it as addressed to Cyrus, and as meaning that, because he had released the Jews without reward, therefore God would give him the wealth of Egypt, Ethiopia, Sabaea, and that those nations should be subject to him. But in this opinion probably he stands alone, and the objections to it are so obvious that they need not be specified. Some of the Jewish interpreters suppose that it refers to the same events as those recorded in Isaiah 43:3, and that it relates to the fact that God had formerly given those nations for the deliverance and protection of his people. They suppose that particular reference is had to the slaughter and destruction of the army of Sennacherib. Vitringa regards it as referring to the fact that proselytes should be made from all these nations to the true religion, and finds, as he supposes, a fulfillment of it in the times of the Saviour and the apostles. In regard to the true meaning of the passage; we may observe:
1. That it refers to the times that would succeed their return from their exile; and not to events that were then past. This is apparent on the face of the passage.
2. It relates to Jerusalem, or to the people of God, and not to Cyrus. This is evident, because it was not true that these nations became subject to Cyrus after his taking Babylon, for it was not Cyrus, but his son Cambyses that invaded and subdued Egypt, and because the whole phraseology has reference to a conversion to religion, and not to the subjection involved in the conquests of war.
3. It appropriately relates to a conversion to the true God, and an embracing of the true religion. This is implied in the language in the close of the verse, ‘saying, Surely God is in thee; and there is none else, there is no God.’
4. The passage, therefore, means, that subsequent to their return from Babylon, there would be the conversion of those nations; or that they - perhaps mentioned here as the representatives of great and mighty nations in general - would be converted to the true faith, and that their wealth and power would be consecrated to the cause of Yahweh. The time when this was to be, is not fixed in the prophecy itself. It is only determined that it was to be subsequent to the return from the exile, and to be one of the consequences of that return. The fulfillment, therefore, may be sought either under the first preaching of the gospel, or in times still more remote. A more full explanation will occur in the examination of the different parts of the verse.
The labor of Egypt - That is, the fruit, or result of the labor of Egypt; the wealth of Egypt (see the word thus used in Job 10:3; Psalms 78:46; Isaiah 55:2; Jeremiah 3:24; Jeremiah 20:5; Ezekiel 23:9). The idea is, that Egypt would be converted to the true religion, and its wealth consecrated to the service of the true God. The conversion of Egypt is not unfrequently foretold Psalms 68:31 :
Princes shall come out of Egypt.
Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.
See the notes at Isaiah 19:18-22 - where the conversion of Egypt is introduced and discussed at length.
And merchandise of Ethiopia - On the situation of Ethiopia, see the notes at Isaiah 18:1. The word ‘merchandise’ here means the same as wealth, since their wealth consisted in their traffic. That Cush or Ethiopia would be converted to the true religion and be united to the people of God, is declared in the passage above quoted from Psalms 68:31; and also in various other places. Thus in Psalms 67:4 : ‘Behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there;’ Zephaniah 3:10 : ‘From beyond the ruins of Ethiopia, my suppliants, even the daughters of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering.’
And of the Sabeans, men of stature - (סבאים sebâ'ı̂ym). The inhabitants of Seba (סבא sebâ', not שׁבא shebâ'). Sheba and the Sabeans of that name were a country and people of Arabia Felix - comprising a considerable part of the country now known as Yemen, lying in the southwest part of Arabia Joel 3:8; Job 1:15. That country abounded in frankincense, myrrh, spices, gold, and precious stones 1 Kings 10:1; Isaiah 60:6; Jeremiah 6:20. Seba, here referred to, was a different country. It was inhabited by a descendant of Cush Genesis 10:7, and was probably the same as Meroe in Upper Egypt (see the notes at Isaiah 43:3). That this people was distinguished for height of stature is expressly affirmed by Herodotus (iii. 20), who says of the Ethiopians, among whom the Sabeans are to be reckoned, that they were ‘the tallest of men’ (λέγονται εἶναι μέγιστοι ἀνθρώπων legontai einai megistoi anthrōpōn); and Solinus affirms that the Ethiopians are ‘twelve feet high.’ Agatharchides, an ancient Greek poet, quoted by Bochart (Phaleg. ii. 26), says of the Sabeans, τὰ σώματά ἐστι τῶν κατοικούντων ἀξιολογωτερα ta sōmata esti tōn katoikountōn achiologōtera - ‘the bodies of those who dwell there are worthy of special remark.’ This shows at least a coincidence between the accounts of Scripture and of profane writers. This country is alluded to by Solomon in Psalms 72:10 :
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
They are connected here with the Egyptians, and with the inhabitants of Ethiopia or Cush; and their conversion to the true religion would occur probably about the same time. Doubtless the Christian religion was early introduced into these countries, for among those converted on the day of Pentecost, were foreigners from Egypt, and the adjacent countries Acts 2:10-11, who would carry the gospel with them on their return. See also the ease of the eunuch of Ethiopia Acts 8:26-39, by whom, undoubtedly, the gospel was conveyed to that region The first bishop of Ethiopia was Frumentius, who was made bishop of that country about 330 a.d. There is a current tradition among the Ethiopians that the Queen of Sheba, who visited Solomon, was called Maqueda, and that she was not from Arabia, but was a queen of their own country. They say that she adopted the Jewish religion, and introduced it among her people; and the eunuch, who was treasurer under Queen Candace, was probably a Jew by religion if not by birth. Yet there will be in future times a more signal fulfillment of this prophecy, when the inhabitants of these countries, and the people of all other nations, shall be converted to the true religion, and shall give themselves to God (compare the notes at Isaiah 60:3-14). That prophecy has a remarkable similarity to this, and indeed is little more than a beautiful expansion of it.
Shall come over unto thee - To thy religion; or shall be united to thee in the worship of the true God. It denotes a change not of place, but of character, and of religion.
And they shall be thine - A part of thy people; united to thee. The whole language of this description, however, is taken from the custom in the conquests of war, where one nation is made subject to another, and is led along in chains. It is here figurative, denoting that the true religion would make rapid and extensive conquests among the pagan; that is, that the true religion would everywhere triumph over all others. The phrase ‘shall come over,’ denotes that their subjection would be voluntary, and that they should freely abandon their own systems; while the phrases ‘shall be thine,’ ‘in chains,’ denote the triumphant and mighty power of the truth.
They shall come after thee - You shall precede them in the honor of having conveyed to them the true religion, and in that priority of rank which always belongs to those who are first blessed with intelligence, and with the revelation of God.
In chains shall they come over - Language taken from conquests, when subjugated nations are led along as captives; and here denoting the power of that truth which would subdue their false systems, and bring them into complete and entire subjection to the true religion. This does not mean that it would be against their will, or that they could not have resisted it; but merely that they would be in fact as entirely subject to the true religion as are prisoners of war, in chains, to the will of their conquerors (see the notes at Isaiah 14:1-2).
And they shall fall down unto thee - Recognizing thee as having the knowledge of the true God. To fall down is indicative of reverence; and it means here that Jerusalem would be honored as being the source from where the true religion should emanate (compare Luke 24:47). An expression similar to that used here occurs in Isaiah 49:23 : ‘And kings - and queens - shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet.’
They shall make supplication unto thee - Lowth renders this, ‘And in suppliant guise address thee.’ The Hebrew properly means, they shall pray unto thee; but the idea is, that they should come as suppliants to Jerusalem, confessing that there was the knowledge of the only true God, and praying her inhabitants to impart to them an acquaintance with the true religion (see the notes at Isaiah 2:3). The idea indicated by this is, that there would be a condition of anxious solicitude among pagan nations on the subject of the true religion, and that they would seek counsel and direction from those who were in possession of it. Such a state has already existed to some extent among the pagan; and the Scriptures, I think, lead us to suppose that the final spread and triumph of the gospel will be preceded by such an inquiry prevailing extensively in the pagan world. God will show them the folly of idolatry; he will raise up reformers among themselves; the extension of commercial contact will acquaint them with the comparative happiness and prosperity of Christian nations; and the growing consciousness of their own inferiority will lead them to desire that which has conferred so extensive benefits on other lands, and lead them to come as suppliants, and ask that teachers and the ministers of religious may be sent to them. One of the most remarkable characteristics of the present time is, that pagan nations are becoming increasingly sensible of their ignorance and comparative degradation; that they welcome the ministers and teachers sent out from Christian lands; and the increased commerce of the world is thus preparing the world for the final spread of the gospel.
God is in thee - In Jerusalem; or thou art in possession of the only true system of religion, and art the worshipper of the only true God (see Isaiah 49:7; Isaiah 60:14).
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Isaiah 45:14. The labour of Egypt - "The wealth of Egypt"] This seems to relate to the future admission of the Gentiles into the Church of God. Compare Psalms 68:32; Psalms 72:10; Psalms 60:6-9. And perhaps these particular nations may be named, by a metonymy common in all poetry, for powerful and wealthy nations in general. Isaiah 60:1.
The Sabeans, men of stature - "The Sabeans, tall of stature"] That the Sabeans were of a more majestic appearance than common, is particularly remarked by Agatharchides, an ancient Greek historian quoted by Bochart, Phaleg, ii. 26, τα σωματα εστι των κατοικουντων αξιολογωτερα. So also the Septuagint understand it, rendering it ανδρες υψηλοι, "tall men." And the same phrase, אנשי מדה anshey middah, is used for persons of extraordinary stature, Numbers 13:32, and 1 Chronicles 20:6.
They shall make supplication unto thee - "They shall in suppliant guise address thee"] The conjunction ו vau is supplied by the ancient Versions, and confirmed by fifteen MSS. of Kennicott's, (seven ancient,) thirteen of De Rossi's, and six editions, ואליך veelayich. Three MSS. (two ancient) omit the ו vau before אליך elayich at the beginning of the line.
