Bible Commentaries
Isaiah 66

Verse 1

Thus saith the LORD, The heaven [is] my throne, and the earth [is] my footstool: where [is] the house that ye build unto me? and where [is] the place of my rest?

Thus saith the Lard. — The same he saith in effect here in this last chapter that he had done in the first, rejecting the Jews’ vain confidence in their temple and sacrifices, and showing that he was neither confined to their temple nor contented with their sacrifices, so long as the hidden man of the heart and the spiritual worship was wanting - so long as they neglected his laws and served their own lusts. Isaiah 66:3

Heaven is my throne. — Coelum est solium meum; there do I manifest the most glorious and visible signs of my presence; there I am in a special manner worshipped according to mine excellent greatness; and there my courtiers have a more ardent zeal for me than those flatterers had for Darius. Daniel 6:7

The earth is my footstool. — So it should be ours, since God hath in Christ "put all things under our feet." Psalms 8:6 The earth hath its name in Hebrew from treading upon; and terra a terendo, these earthly things should be trampled on as base and bootless.

Where is the house that ye build unto me? — q.d., A house indeed I commanded to be built for me, but not to hold me, or there to keep me cooped up as in a cell, that, you should therehence conclude, The temple, God’s house, shall never perish; therefore neither shall we. You must know that I am intra, et extra, et supra, et circa, et infra omnia, within and without, and above and about, and beneath all things.

“ Enter praesenter Deus hic et ubique potenter. ”

This the heathens knew. Empedocles said that God was a circle, the centre whereof is everywhere, the circumference nowhere. This the Turks acknowledge, by building their mosques or temples open at the top, to show that God is nowhere circumscriptively and definitively, but repletively everywhere. He is higher than heaven, saith Bernard, deeper than hell, larger than earth, broader than the sea: he is nowhere, and yet everywhere, yet he is everywhere all-present. The heavens have a large place, but they have one part here and another there; but the Lord is totally present wheresoever present, not commensurable by any place whatsoever.

Verse 2

For all those [things] hath mine hand made, and all those [things] have been, saith the LORD: but to this [man] will I look, [even] to [him that is] poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

For all those things hath my hand made. — And could not I, then, have made myself a house without your help if I had listed or needed? Required I a temple for any other use or purpose but for the furtherance of your faith in Christ and love one to another? "These things have I made," yet these all I regard not in comparison. But

To this man will I look, — viz., With special intimation of my care and kindness - q.d., To thee be it spoken, I have an eye to thee.

Even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit. — Sept., Humble and quiet, ηουχον . Vera Sabbata agens, that being poor in spirit hath a Sabbath of spirit, comforting himself in the Lord his God: to such God looketh. He cannot look upwards, saith one, because he hath none above him; nor on either side, because he hath none equal unto him: therefore he is said to look down, and that also upon the humble and broken-hearted, with singular delight and complacence. Humilitas est thronus sapphirinus in quo Deus cum maiestate residet.

And trembleth at my word, — viz., With a filial fear flowing from faith in Christ, trembling at the threatenings before they come into execution. This is a point of singular prudence, for God therefore threateneth that he may not inflict punishment: but ‘they that tremble not in hearing, shall be crushed to pieces in feeling,’ said that martyr. What, then, will be the end of such as hear the menaces of God’s mouth no otherwise than they do the stories of foreign wars or the predictions of a prognostication, which they think may come to pass, and it may be not?

Verse 3

He that killeth an ox [is as if] he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, [as if] he cut off a dog’s neck; he that offereth an oblation, [as if he offered] swine’s blood; he that burneth incense, [as if] he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations.

He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man. — Unless, together with his ox, he kill his corruptions, and lay fast hold upon Christ (who himself was sacrificed for us, 1 Corinthians 5:7 ) by a lively faith. Heathens sacrificed men to Saturn; dogs also, and swine, and other unclean creatures, to their other dunghill deities. Mass priests do the like by their cruelty, hypocrisy, idolatry, impudence, luxury: their prayers, therefore, fastings, penances, pilgrimages, …, are not accepted.

He that sacrificeth a lamb. — Unless with it he sacrifice his lusts, and look to "the Lamb of God, slain from the beginning of the world."

As if he cut off a dog’s neck. — Heb., As if he necked a dog, Excerebraret. - Vulg. that is, decolled him, beheaded him for sacrifice: this was absolutely forbidden. Deuteronomy 23:18 The Athenians also suffered not a dog to enter into their tower dedicated to Minerva, for his heat in venery and ill savour, saith Plutarch. Plut., Eλληνικ .

He that offereth an oblation. — Unless with it he present his body for a sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God. as Romans 12:1

Is as if he offered swine’s blood. — Blood was not to be offered at all in an oblation or meat offering, but meal, oil, wine; Leviticus 2:1-16 much less swine’s blood. See Leviticus 11:7 .

He that burneth incense. — In honour of me, unless his heart ascend up withal in those pillars of sweet smoke, as Manoah’s angel did in the smoke of the sacrifice.

Is as if he blessed an idol, — i.e., Gave thanks to an idol (called here by a name that signifieth vanity or vexation) as if he were a god: in doing whereof God holdeth himself less dishonoured than by their hypocritical services performed to himself. Ezekiel 20:39

Yea, they have chosen their own ways. — Which must needs be naught: Nemo sibi de suo palpet. Bernard. Are ye not carnal and walk as men, saith Paul that is, as naughty men. Horreo quicquid de meo est, ut meus sim.

Verse 4

I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose [that] in which I delighted not.

I also will choose their delusions. — As they have had their will, so will I have mine another while. I will make them to perish by their mockeries, idque ex lege talionis. See Isaiah 65:11-12 . They thought to dupe me by an outside service; but it shall appear that they have duped themselves when I bring upon them mercedem multiplicis petulantiae eorum, as Piscator rendereth it, the reward of their manifold petulancies and illusions.

And will bring their fear upon them. — Inducam nivem super eos qui timuerunt a pruina. They have feared the coming of the Chaldees, and come they shall. So their posterity feared the Romans, John 11:48 and they felt their fury. See Proverbs 10:24 . See Trapp on " Proverbs 10:24 "

Because when I called, … — See Isaiah 65:12 .

Verse 5

Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble, … — Here is a word of comfort for you, who, being lowly and meek spirited, are more apt to be trampled on and abused by the fat bulls of Bashan: where the hedge is lowest, those beasts will leap over; and every crow will be pulling off wool from a sheep’s sides.

Your brethren. — By race and place, but not by grace.

That hated you. — For like cause as Cain hated Abel, 1 John 3:12 for trembling at God’s judgments while they do yet hang in the threatenings.

And cast you out. — Either out of their company, as not fit to be conversed with, Isaiah 65:5 or out of their synagogue by excommunications, as fit to be cut off: see 1 Thessalonians 2:14 . Papists at this day do the like; whence that proverb, In nomine Domini incipit omne malum. Ye begin in a wrong name, said that martyr, when they began the sentence of death against him with "In the name of God. Amen."

Let the Lord be glorified. — With suchlike goodly words and specious pretences did those odious hypocrites palliate and varnish over their abominations: they would persecute godly men, and molest them with Church censures, and say, "Let the Lord be glorified." So do Papists and other sectaries deal by the orthodox. Becket offered, but subdolously, to submit to his sovereign salvo honore Dei, so far as might stand with God’s glory. Speed, 508, A.D. 1386. The conspirators in King Richard II’s time endorsed all their letters with "Glory be to God on high, on earth peace, good-will towards men." The Swenckfeldians styled themselves, The Confessors of the glory of Christ; and Gentiles, the Anti-Trinitarian, when he was called to answer, said that he was drawn to maintain his cause through touch of conscience and when he was to die for his blasphemy, he said that he did suffer for the glory of the most high God; so easy a matter it is to draw a fair glove upon a foul hand. Some for "Let the Lord be glorified," render it, Gravis est Dominus, The Lord is burdensome, or heavy; and they parallel it with those sayings in the Gospel, "This is a hard saying": "Thou art an austere man"; "We will not have this man to reign over us," …

But he shall appear to your joy. — Parallel to that, "Your sorrow shall be turned into joy." How did some of the martyrs rejoice when excommunicated, degraded, …

Verse 6

voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies.

A voice of noise from the city. — This is a prophetic description of the last destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Romans. Diod.

A voice from the temple. — Wherein they so much gloried, where they had oft heard Christ and his apostles preaching repentance unto life; but now have their ears filled with hideous and horrid outcries of such as were slain even in the very temple, which they defended as long as they were able, and till it was fired. That which Josephus Lib. vii. Belli., cap. 12. reporteth of Jesus, the son of Ananis, a plain country fellow, is very remarkable, viz., that for four years together before the last devastation, he went about the city day and night, crying as he went, in the words of this text almost, A voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the temple, a voice against all the people, Woe, woe, woe to Jerusalem; and thus he continued to do, till at length, roaring out louder than ordinary, Woe to Jerusalem and to me also, he was slain upon the wall with a stone shot out of an engine, as Josephus reporteth.

That rendereth recompense to his enemies. — So they are here called who pretended so much to the glorifying of God. Isaiah 66:5 False friends are true enemies.

Verse 7

Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.

Before she travailed, she brought forth. — Quum nondum parturiret peperit; understand it of Zion, or of the Church Christian, which receiveth her children, that is, converts, suddenly on a cluster before she thought to have done, and in far greater numbers than she could ever have believed. Subito ac simul. Suddenly and at the same time. That lady that brought forth as many at a birth as are days in the year Margaret, Countess of Henneburg. was nothing to her: nor those Hebrew women. Exodus 1:10

She was delivered of a man child. — For the which there is so great joy, John 16:21 and which is usually more able and active than a woman child. So, good and bold Christians, strong in faith; unless he meaneth Christ himself, saith Diodat, who is formed by faith in every believer’s heart. Galatians 4:19

Verse 8

Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? [or] shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? — The birth of a man would seem a miracle, were it not so ordinary, miracula assiduitate vilescunt; but the birth of a whole nation at once, how much more!

Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? — Yes, if the day be long enough, as among the Hyperboreans, of whom it is written that they sow shortly after the sun rising, and reap before the sunset; because the whole half year is one continual day with them. Heresbach. de re rust. But the words here should be rather read, Can a land or a country be brought forth in one day? a nation be born at once? Cardinal Pool abused this scripture in a letter to Pope Julius III, applying it to the bringing in of Popery again here so universally and suddenly in Queen Mary’s days. So he did also another, when at his first return hither from beyond sea, he blasphemously saluted the same Queen Mary with those words of the angel, "Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee."

Verse 9

Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut [the womb]? saith thy God.

Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? — i.e., Shall I set upon a work and not go through with it? God began and finished his work of creation. Christ is both "author and finisher" of his people’s faith. Hebrews 12:2 The Holy Ghost will sanctify the elect wholly, "and keep them blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Nescit tarda molimina Spiritus Sancti gratia, saith Ambrose. Otherwise his power and mercy would not equally appear to his people in regeneration, as the power and mercy of the Father and the Son in creation and redemption.

Verse 10

Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:

Rejoice ye with Jerusalem. — As friends use to do with her that is newly made a mother. Luke 1:58

Rejoice for joy with her. — Out of the Church there is no solid joy. See Hosea 9:1 . See Trapp on " Hosea 9:1 " Others may revel, the godly only rejoice; their joy is not that of the mouth, but of the heart - nec in labris nascitur sed fibris; it doth not only smooth the brow, but fills the breast; wet the mouth, but warm the heart, …

Verse 11

That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory.

That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations. — Zion is not only a fruitful mother, but a joyful nurse. God giveth her the blessings both of the belly and of the breasts; and these breasts of hers are full strutting with the sincere milk of the word, that rational milk, 1 Peter 2:2 the sweet and precious promises of the gospel. These "breasts of consolation" we must suck, as the babe doth the mother’s dug, as long as he can get a drop out of it, and then sucks still till more cometh. Let us suck the blood of the promises, saith one, as a dog that hath got the blood of the bear - he hangs on, and will hardly be beaten off. Let us extort and oppress the promises, saith another, descanting upon this text, as a rich man oppresseth a poor man, and getteth out of him all that he hath; so deal thou with the promises, for they are rich - there is a price in them; consider it to the utmost, wring it out. The world layeth forth her two breasts, or botches rather, of profit and pleasure, and hath enough to suck them, though they can never thereby be satisfied. And shall alma mater Ecclesia, the nourishing mother of thye Church want those that shall milk out and be delighted with the abundance of her glory?

Verse 12

For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon [her] sides, and be dandled upon [her] knees.

Behold, I will extend peace to her. — This and the following promises are the delicious milk spoken of before - scil., pax copiosa et perennis, peace as a river, as the waters cover the sea; joy unspeakable and full of glory, God’s fatherly care, motherly affection, …, all that heart can wish, or need require.

Like a river. — As Euphrates, saith the Chaldee.

Like a flowing stream. — Or, Overflowing as Nile -

“ Qui cunctis amnibus extat

Utilior. ” - Claudian.

Ye shall be borne upon her side. — Humanissime et suavissime tractabimini, ye shall be borne in the Church’s arms, laid to her breasts, set in her lap, dandled on her knees, … Hac similitudine nihil fieri potest suavius. See Numbers 11:12 .

Verse 13

As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

And as one whom his mother comforteth. — Her darling and dandling, especially when she perceiveth it to make a lip and to be displeased: mothers also are very kind to, and careful of, their children when they are grown to be men: A. Lapide in Isaiah 54:13 . as Monica was to Augustine, and as Matres Hollandicae, the mothers in Holland, of whom it is reported, Quod prae aliis matribus mire filios suos etiam grandaevos ament, ideoque eos vocant et tractant ut pueros. See Isaiah 46:4 . See Trapp on " Isaiah 46:6 "

Verse 14

And when ye see [this], your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and [his] indignation toward his enemies.

And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice. — Videbitis, gaudebitis; you shall see that I do not give you good words only, but that I am in good earnest; ye shall know it within yourselves, in the workings of your own hearts. as Hebrews 10:34

And your bones shall flourish like an herb, — i.e., They shall be filled again with moisture and marrow. See Ezekiel 37:10-11 . You shall be fair liking and reflourish.

And the hand of the Lord, — i.e., His infinite power; tantorum beneficiorum in piis operatrix, the efficient cause of all these comforts.

Verse 15

For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.

For, behold, the Lord will come with fire. — With hell fire, say the Rabbis here; with the fire of the last day, say we, whereof his particular judgments are as pledges and preludes.

And with his chariots like a whirlwind. — As he did, when he sent forth his armies, the Romans, and destroyed those murderers, the Jews, and burnt up their city. Matthew 22:7 And when they would have rebuilt their city and temple under Julian the apostate, who, in hatred to Christians, animated them thereunto, balls of fire broke forth from the earth, which marred their work, and destroyed many thousands of them.

Verse 16

For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.

For with fire. — Than which nothing is more formidable.

And with his sword. — Which is no ordinary one. Isaiah 27:1

Verse 17

They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one [tree] in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.

In the gardens. — Where these idolaters had set up altars, offered sacrifices, and had their ponds, wherein, when they were about to sacrifice, heathen like, they washed and purified themselves one after another, and not together, which they held to be the best way of purifying. This they did also, not apart and in private, but in the midst, ut hoc mode oculos in nudis lavantium, praesertim muliercularum, corporibus pascerent, that they might feed their eyes with the sight of those parts which nature would have hid; for your pagan superstitions were ofttimes contrary to natural honesty. Donec me flumine vivo Abluero. - Virg. Qui noctem in flumine purgas. - Pers.; i.e., nocturnam Venerem.

Behind one tree in the midst. — Or, as others render it, After; or, Behind Ahad, which was the name of a Syrian idol, representing the sun, as Macrobius telleth us, calling him Adad. Saturnal., lib. i. cap. 23.

Verse 18

For I [know] their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

For I know (or, I will punish) their works and their thoughts. — Or, Yea, their thoughts which they may think to be free. See Jeremiah 6:19 .

It shall come to pass that I will gather. — It is easy to observe that this chapter consisteth of various passages interwoven the one within the other; of judgments to the wicked, of mercies and comforts to the godly, …

All nations and tongues. — A plain prophecy of the calling of the Gentiles to the kingdom of Christ; for which purpose the miraculous gift of tongues was bestowed upon the apostles.

And they shall come and see my glory, — i.e., In Christ, who is the brightness of his Father’s glory; and in sending of whom the glory of his truth, wisdom, power, justice, and goodness shone forth as the sun at noon.

Verse 19

And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, [to] Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, [to] Tubal, and Javan, [to] the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.

And I will set a sign among them. — This sign may very well be that visible pouring out of the gifts of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, under the symbol of wind and fire, Acts 2:2-4 Scultet. together with the signs and wonders whereby the apostle’s doctrine was confirmed. Others make this sign to be the profession of the Christian faith. Some also, the doctrine of the gospel, and especially the sacraments.

And I will send those that escape of them, — i.e., The apostles and their fellow helpers, such as were Barnabas, Silas, Luke, …

To Tarshish, Pul. — To all parts of the world, east, west, north, and south.

That draw the bow. — The Mosches or Muscovites, say the Septuagint; the Turks, saith one of the Rabbis. See Trapp on " Revelation 9:15 " See Trapp on " Revelation 9:16 " See Trapp on " Revelation 9:17 "

Verse 20

And they shall bring all your brethren [for] an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.

And they shall bring all your brethren. — Now become all your brethren in Christ: Sanctior est copula cordis quam corporis, Religion is the strongest tie.

Upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, — i.e., With much swiftness and sweetness; though sick, weakly, and unfit for travel, yet rather in litters than not at all. The apostles "became all things to all men, that they might gain them to Christ."

Verse 21

And I will also take of them for priests [and] for Levites, saith the LORD.

And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites. — For evangelical pastors and teachers, who have a distinct function and employment in the Church of the New Testament, as the priests and Levites had in that of the Old, to teach, instruct, and edify God’s people.

Verse 22

For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

For as the new heavens. — So shall there be a true Church and a ministry for the good of my people to the world’s end. It shall not be taken away, as is the Jewish polity and hierarchy.

Verse 23

And it shall come to pass, [that] from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.

And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another. — God shall be served with all diligence and delight. In the kingdom of Christ here, but especially in heaven, it shall be holiday all the week, as we say; a constant solemnity, a perpetual Sabbath. King Edgar ordained that the Lord’s day should be kept here in England from Saturday nine of the clock till Monday morning. Acts and Mon. The Ebionites kept the Saturday with the Jews, and the Sunday with the Christians. But here it is foretold - and we see it fulfilled - that all flesh, i.e., all the faithful, whether Jews or Gentiles, shall not only keep every day holiday, 1 Corinthians 5:8 by resting from sin and rejoicing in God, but shall also, both "in season and out of season," have their Church meetings for holy services, worshipping God - from day to day, and from month to month, as the phrase is Esther 3:7 - in spirit and in truth, and having the continual feast of a good conscience.

Verse 24

And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

And they shall go forth and look upon the carcases. — Rhetoricians tell us that in the introduction to a discourse τα ηθη milder affections, suit best to insinuate; but in the conclusion τα παθη , passionate passages, such as may leave a sting behind them and stick by the hearers. This art the prophet here useth, for being now to period his prophecy, he giveth all sorts to know what they shall trust to. The godly shall go forth, i.e., salvi evadent, liberi abibunt; they shall have safety here, and salvation hereafter. "They shall also look upon the carcases," …; they shall be eye-witnesses of God’s exemplary judgments executed on the wicked, that would not have Christ to reign over them, Revelation 19:21 who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the glory of the Lord and from the presence of his power. 2 Thessalonians 1:9 This the righteous shall "see, and fear, and laugh at them," Psalms 52:6 giving God the glory of his justice and goodness. Some think they shall have at the last day a real sight of hell, and the damned there, Revelation 14:10 and this may very well be. Oh that wicked men would in their daily meditations take a turn or two in hell, and so be forewarned to flee from the wrath to come! Is it nothing to have the worm of conscience ever grabbing upon their entrails, and the fire of God’s vengeance feeding upon their souls and flesh throughout all eternity? Oh that sternity of extremity! Think of it seasonably and seriously, that ye never suffer it. The Jewish masters a have, in some copies, wholly left out this last verse, as in other copies they repeat - both here and in the end of Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Malachi - the last verse save one, which is more sweet and fuller of comfort; and that for this reason, that the reader may not be sent away sad, and so fall into desperation. But of that there is no such danger, since most people are over slight in their thoughts of hell torments, regarding them no more than they do a fire painted on the wall, or a serpent wrought in arras. And besides, non sinit in Gehennam incidere, Gehennae meminisse, saith Chrysostom: to remember hell, is a good means to preserve us from it. This verse hath sufficient authority from our Saviour’s citing of it. Mark 9:44 See Trapp on " Mark 9:44 " Plato In Phaed. p. 400. also - if that be anything - in his description of hell, which be calleth πυριφλεγετων , a fiery lake, saith the same as here - that their worm dieth not, neither is their fire quenched. He might possibly have read Isaiah as he had done Moses. It is thought, Laertius telleth us, that he travelled into Egypt, where he conversed with some Hebrews, and learned much of them. Inde dictus este, Moses Atticus.

And they shall be an abhorring to all flesh, — i.e., All good men abominate them now as so many living ghosts, walking carcases, Ephesians 2:2 Proverbs 29:27 and shall much more at the last day, when they shall arise again to everlasting shame and contempt. Daniel 12:2

“ Scribendo haec studui bene de pietate mereri;

Sed quicquid potui, Gratia, Christe, tua est. ”

a Amama in Antibarb.