Commentari biblici

Ch. Isaiah 43:1 to Isaiah 44:5. Israel, in spite of its sin and blindness, is comforted with gracious promises of Redemption

(i) Isaiah 43:1-7. This section is very closely connected in thought with Isaiah 43:18-25 of the previous chapter. The contrast, however, is no longer between the ideal Israel and the actual, but between Israel in the misery of exile and Israel in the glory of its coming salvation. The prophet has just reminded the captives that the author of their calamities is Jehovah, against whom they have sinned; now he assures them that in spite of these sins God has not finally cast them off, and directs their thoughts to the bright future about to dawn on them. Jehovah is about to redeem Israel, which He has formed and chosen for His own (Isaiah 43:1-2); He will ransom it at the cost of powerful and wealthy nations which must take its place as servants of the world-power, because it is precious in His sight (Isaiah 43:3-4); He will gather together its scattered members from the remotest quarters of the world (Isaiah 43:5-7).

(ii) Isaiah 43:8-13. The argument from prophecy is here repeated, and again in the dramatic form of a judicial process between Jehovah and the assembled nations. These are challenged to bring forward their witnesses to prove that their gods have foretold this wonderful event, or that any past prediction of theirs has been verified (Isaiah 43:9). Jehovah on His part brings forward His servant Israel, a people blind and deaf, but able at least to bear witness to the fact that He has given incontestable proof of Divinity by predicting this great deliverance (Isaiah 43:8; Isaiah 43:10 ff.).

(iii) Isaiah 43:14-21. The fall of Babylon is here for the first time explicitly announced (Isaiah 43:14-15), as the preliminary to Israel’s restoration. The glory of this “new thing” shall eclipse all “former things,” even the wonders of the exodus from Egypt and the marching through the wilderness (Isaiah 43:16 ff.). The prophet’s imagination again fixes on the concrete image of the miraculous way through the desert as the emblem of Jehovah’s saving power (Isaiah 43:19 ff.).

(iv) Isaiah 43:22-28. A renewed remonstrance with Israel, similar in tone to ch. Isaiah 42:18-25. The general idea of the section seems to be that while Israel has been utterly careless of Jehovah (Isaiah 43:22), burdening Him not with lavish offerings but merely with its sins and iniquities (Isaiah 43:23-24), He, for His own sake, forgives its trespasses (Isaiah 43:25), although the people have forfeited all claim on His mercy (Isaiah 43:26-28). (But see the Notes below, pp. 42 f.)

(v) Ch. Isaiah 44:1-5. By the outpouring of His Spirit, Jehovah shall so bless and prosper His people, that proselytes from among the heathen shall voluntarily attach themselves to the restored nation. This promise stands in contrast to the severity of the preceding verses, exactly as Isaiah 43:1-7 follow upon the last strophe of ch. 42.

1–7. Israel, though blind and deaf (ch. Isaiah 42:18 ff.), is precious in the sight of Jehovah its Creator, who is now about to shew Himself as its Redeemer.

But now] Introducing the contrast to Isaiah 42:25.

that created thee … that formed thee] Three verbs which express Jehovah’s creative activity are applied in this prophecy to His special relations to Israel: “create” (Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 43:7; Isaiah 43:15); “form” (Isaiah 43:1; Isaiah 43:21, Isaiah 44:2; Isaiah 44:21; Isaiah 44:24, Isaiah 45:11, Isaiah 49:5 (Isaiah 64:8); “make” (Isaiah 44:2, Isaiah 51:13, Isaiah 54:5).

I have redeemed thee] Rather, I redeem thee (perf. of certainty). see on ch. Isaiah 41:14. I have called (I call) thee by thy name] i.e. I address thee as one who is familiar and dear (Isaiah 45:3 f., cf. Exodus 31:2); stronger than the simple “call” (Isaiah 42:6, Isaiah 49:1).

2. When Jehovah was angry the fire burned Israel (ch. Isaiah 42:25), but now with Jehovah on its side, it is invulnerable in the severest trials. “Water” and “fire” are common images of extreme peril; the former in Psalm 32:6; Psalm 42:7; Psalm 124:4 f.; the latter in ch. Isaiah 42:25 (cf. Daniel 3:17; Daniel 3:27); both together Psalm 66:12. For burned render scorched (Proverbs 6:28).

3. thy Saviour] or, “Deliverer”; a favourite designation of Jehovah with this prophet; Isaiah 43:11, ch. Isaiah 45:15; Isaiah 45:21, Isaiah 49:26 (Isaiah 60:16, Isaiah 63:8). The second half of the verse shews on how large a scale this deliverance is to be executed.

I give Egypt as thy ransom …] The meaning appears to be that Cyrus will be compensated for the emancipation of Israel by the conquest of these African nations, which did not belong to the Babylonian Empire. As a matter of fact the conquest of Egypt was effected by Cambyses, the son and successor of Cyrus, although it is said to have been contemplated by Cyrus himself (Herod. 1:153) and is actually (though wrongly) attributed to him by Xenophon (Cyrop. VIII. 6. 20).

Seba (Genesis 10:7; Psalm 72:10; ch. Isaiah 45:14) was, according to Josephus, Meroë, the northern province of Ethiopia, lying between the Blue and the White Nile.

ransom is strictly a money payment by which a man escapes the forfeit of his life (see Exodus 21:30; Numbers 35:31 f.; Proverbs 6:35 &c.).

4. Since thou wast … thou hast been …] Rather, Because thou art precious in my sight, art honourable, and I love thee (three coordinate clauses). The A.V. seems to take the conjunction in a temporal sense, a view which has been defended by some commentators on grammatical grounds, but is quite unsuitable.

men] in contrast to a money payment. For people read peoples (as R.V.).

5–7. The ingathering of the Dispersion (cf. ch. Isaiah 49:12).

6. my sons … my daughters] see ch. Isaiah 1:1. The individual Israelites are the children of the marriage between Jehovah and the nation (Hosea 2:2; Hosea 2:5; Ezekiel 16:20, &c.).

7. that is called by my name] i.e. who belongs to the community in which Jehovah is worshipped.

for I have created him] Render with R.V. and whom I have created.

for my glory] Although it is only the restored nation that can fully manifest Jehovah’s glory to the world, each of its scattered units shares the dignity which belongs to Israel as a whole.