Bible Commentaries

Isa 66:1-24.

THE HUMBLE COMFORTED, THE UNGODLY CONDEMNED, AT THE LORD'S APPEARING: JERUSALEM MADE A JOY ON EARTH.

This closing chapter is the summary of Isaiah's prophecies as to the last days, hence the similarity of its sentiments with what went before.

1. heaven . . . throne . . . where is . . . house . . . ye build--The same sentiment is expressed, as a precautionary proviso for the majesty of God in deigning to own any earthly temple as His, as if He could be circumscribed by space

(1Ki 8:27)

in inaugurating the temple of stone; next, as to the temple of the Holy Ghost

(Ac 7:48, 49);

lastly here, as to "the tabernacle of God with men"

(Isa 2:2, 3; Eze 43:4, 7; Re 21:3).

where--rather, "what is this house that ye are building, &c.--what place is this for My rest?" [VITRINGA].

2. have been--namely, made by Me. Or, absolutely, were things made; and therefore belong to Me, the Creator [JEROME].

look--have regard.

poor--humble

(Isa 57:15).

trembleth at . . . word--

(2Ki 22:11, 19; Ezr 9:4).

The spiritual temple of the heart, though not superseding the outward place of worship, is God's favorite dwelling

(Joh 14:23).

In the final state in heaven there shall be "no temple," but "the Lord God" Himself

(Re 21:22).

3. God loathes even the sacrifices of the wicked

(Isa 1:11; Pr 15:8; 28:9).

is as if--LOWTH not so well omits these words: "He that killeth an ox (presently after) murders a man" (as in

Eze 23:39).

But the omission in the Hebrew of "is as if"--increases the force of the comparison. Human victims were often offered by the heathen.

dog's neck--an abomination according to the Jewish law

(De 23:18);

perhaps made so, because dogs were venerated in Egypt. He does not honor this abomination by using the word "sacrifice," but uses the degrading term, "cut off a dog's neck"

(Ex 13:13; 34:20).

Dogs as unclean are associated with swine

(Mt 7:6; 2Pe 2:22).

oblation--unbloody: in antithesis to "swine's blood"

(Isa 65:4).

burneth--Hebrew, "he who offereth as a memorial oblation"

(Le 2:2).

they have chosen--opposed to the two first clauses of

Isa 66:4:

"as they have chosen their own ways, &c., so I will choose their delusions.

4. delusions--

(2Th 2:11),

answering to "their own ways"

(Isa 66:3;

so

Pr 1:31).

However, the Hebrew means rather "vexations," "calamities," which also the parallelism to "fears" requires; "choose their calamities" means, "choose the calamities which they thought to escape by their own ways."

their fears--the things they feared, to avert which their idolatrous "abominations"

(Isa 66:3)

were practised.

I called . . . none . . . answer--(See on

Isa 65:12;

Isa 65:24;

Jer 7:13).

did . . . chose--not only did the evil deed, but did it deliberately as a matter of choice

(Ro 1:32).

"They chose that in which I delighted not"; therefore, "I will choose" that in which they delight not, the "calamities" and "fears" which they were most anxious to avert.

before mine eyes--(See on

Isa 65:3).

5. tremble at . . . word--the same persons as in

Isa 66:2,

the believing few among the Jews.

cast you out for my name's sake--excommunicate, as if too polluted to worship with them

(Isa 65:5).

So in Christ's first sojourn on earth

(Mt 10:22; Joh 9:22, 34; 16:2; 15:21).

So it shall be again in the last times, when the believing shall be few

(Lu 18:8).

Let the Lord be glorified--the mocking challenge of the persecutors, as if their violence towards you was from zeal for God. "Let the Lord show Himself glorious," namely, by manifesting Himself in your behalf; as the parallelism to, "He shall appear to your joy," requires (as in

Isa 5:19;

compare

Isa 28:15; 57:4).

So again Christ on the cross

(Mt 27:42, 43).

appear to your joy--giving you "joy" instead of your "rebuke"

(Isa 25:8, 9).

6. God, from Jerusalem and His "temple," shall take vengeance on the enemy

(Eze 43:1-8; Zec 12:2, 3; 14:3, 19-21).

The abrupt language of this verse marks the suddenness with which God destroys the hostile Gentile host outside: as

Isa 66:5

refers to the confounding of the unbelieving Jews.

voice of noise--that is, the Lord's loud-sounding voice

(Ps 68:33; 29:3-9; 1Th 4:16).

7. she--Zion.

Before . . . travailed . . . brought forth--The accession of numbers, and of prosperity to her, shall be sudden beyond all expectation and unattended with painful effort

(Isa 54:1, 4, 5).

Contrast with this case of the future Jewish Church the travail-pains of the Christian Church in bringing forth "a man child"

(Re 12:2, 5).

A man child's birth is in the East a matter of special joy, while that of a female is not so; therefore, it here means the manly sons of the restored Jewish Church, the singular being used collectively for the plural: or the many sons being regarded as one under Messiah, who shall then be manifested as their one representative Head.

8. earth--rather, to suit the parallelism, "is a country (put for the people in it) brought forth in one day?" [LOWTH]. In English Version it means, The earth brings forth its productions gradually, not in one day

(Mr 4:28).

at once--In this case, contrary to the usual growth of the nations by degrees, Israel starts into maturity at once.

for--rather, "is a nation born at once, that Zion has, so soon as she travailed, brought forth?" [MAURER].