Bible Commentaries
Isaiah 25

Verse 1

O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.

O Lord — The prophet reflecting upon those great and glorious prophecies which he had delivered, interrupts the course of his prophecies, and breaks forth into a solemn celebration of God’s wonderful works.

Thy counsels — From which all thy works proceed, and which thou hast from time to time revealed to thy prophets and people, which were of old, being conceived from all eternity, are true and firm, and shall certainly be accomplished.

Verse 2

For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.

A city — Which is put for cities: or of enemies of God and his people. And under the name cities he comprehends their countries and kingdoms.

Strangers — The royal cities, in which were the palaces of strangers, of Gentiles.

No city — Their cities and palaces have been or shall be utterly and irrecoverably destroyed.

Verse 3

Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.

Shall fear — Thy stoutest enemies observing thy wonderful works, shall be converted, or at least forced to tremble before thee.

Verse 4

For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

For — For thou hast defended thy poor and helpless people.

As a storm — Makes a great noise, but without any effect.

Verse 5

Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.

The noise — The tumultuous noise, as the word properly signifies; the rage and furious attempts of those Heathen nations that fought against God’s people.

As the heat — With as much ease as thou dost allay the heat of a dry place, by the shadow of thy clouds, or by the rain which falls from black and shadowy clouds.

The branch — The arm or power, as a branch is the arm of a tree.

Verse 6

And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.

And — In mount Zion, in God’s church.

All people — Both Jews and Gentiles.

A feast — A feast made up of the most delicate provisions, which is manifestly meant of the ordinances, graces, and comforts given by God in his church.

Of wines — Which have continued upon the lees a competent time, whereby they gain strength, and are afterwards drawn off, and refined.

Verse 7

And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.

The face — The covering of the face.

The veil — The ignorance of God, and of the true religion, which then was upon the Gentiles, and now is upon the Jews.

Verse 8

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

He — Christ will by his death destroy the power of death, take away the sting of the first death, and prevent the second.

In victory — Heb. unto victory; so as to overcome it perfectly; which complete victory Christ hath already purchased for, and will in due time actually confer upon his people.

Rebuke — The reproach and contempt cast upon his faithful people by the ungodly world.

Verse 9

And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Our God — Our Messiah, long since promised, and for whom we have waited long, is come into the world, bringing salvation with him.

Verse 10

For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.

Rest — The powerful and gracious presence, of God shall have its constant and settled abode.

Moab — The Moabites are put for all the enemies of God’s church.

Verse 11

And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.

He — The Lord, whose power they shall be no more able to resist, than the waters can resist a man that swims.

Spread — To smite and destroy them.

The spoils — With all their wealth which they have gained by rapine, and spoiling of God’s people.

Verse 12

And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.

And — All thy fortifications, in which thou trustest.