Commentari biblici

Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:

Yet now hear. — Hear a word of comfort after so terrible a thunder crack. Isaiah 43:28 But there it is bare "Jacob" and "Israel" who are threatened; here it is "Jacob my servant," and "Israel whom I have chosen"; it is "Jeshurun," or the "righteous nation," who are comforted. And because we forget nothing so soon as the consolations of God, as is to be seen in Christ’s disciples, and those believing Hebrews; Isaiah 12:5 therefore doth the prophet so oft repeat and inculcate them, like as men use to rub and chafe in ointments into the flesh, that they may enter and give ease.

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Thus saith the LORD that made thee, and formed thee from the womb, [which] will help thee; Fear not, O Jacob, my servant; and thou, Jesurun, whom I have chosen.

Thus saith the Lord that made thee. — See on Isaiah 43:1 ; Isaiah 43:7 ; Isaiah 43:21 , and observe how this chapter runneth parallel with the former; yea, how the prophet, from Isaiah 40:1-31 to Isaiah 66:1-24 , doth one and the same thing almost, labouring to comfort his people against the Babylonian captivity, and to arm them against the sin of idolatry, whereunto, as of themselves they were overly prone, so they should be sure to be strongly tempted among those idolaters.

And thou, Jeshurun. — Thou who art upright or righteous, with a twofold righteousness, viz., imputed and imparted. The Septuagint renders it Dilecte or Dilectule, my dearly beloved.

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For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:

For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty. — Or, Upon the thirsty place; hearts that hunger and thirst after righteousness. Matthew 5:6 See Trapp on " Matthew 5:6 "

I will pour my spirit and my blessing. — When God giveth a man his Holy Spirit, he giveth him blessing in abundance; even all good things at once, as appeareth by Matthew 7:11 Luke 11:13 . Here are three special operations of the Spirit instanced: 1. Comfort; 2. Fruitfulness; 3. Courage for Christ. Isaiah 44:5

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And they shall spring up [as] among the grass, as willows by the water courses.

As willows by the water courses. — Not only as the grass, but by a further growth, as the willows, which are often looped, sed ab ipso vulnere vires sumunt, but soon thrust forth new branches; and though cut down to the bottom, yet will grow up again; Uberius resurgunt, altiusque excrescunt. so will the Church and her children.

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One shall say, I [am] the LORD’S; and another shall call [himself] by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe [with] his hand unto the LORD, and surname [himself] by the name of Israel.

One shall say, I am the Lord’s. — When God seemeth to cry out, Who is on my side? who? then the true Christian, by a bold and wise profession of the truth, answereth as here. After the way that they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, said that great apostle. We are Christians, said those primitive professors; and some of them wrote apologies for their religion to the persecuting emperors, as did Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Arnobius, Tertullian, Minutius Felix, and others. The recent famous reformers Zuinglius, Luther, Musculus, …, had been Franciscans, Augustinians, Dominicans; but relinquished those superstitious titles and gave up their names to Christ and his truth. I knew a nobleman, saith Mr Burroughs, On Hosea. who, when he came into jeering company of great ones, would begin and own himself one of those they call Puritans - a nickname then put upon the godly party, and so odious to the profaner sort, that the same author elsewhere telleth us of a scholar in Queen’s College, who professed he had rather suffer the torments of hell, than endure the contempt and scorn of the Puritans.

Subscribe with his hand. — Or, Write on his hand, I am the Lord’s.

And surname himself. — So Christian is my name, said an ancient, and Catholic my surname.

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Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I [am] the first, and I [am] the last; and beside me [there is] no God.

Thus saith the Lord. — Here and in the subsequent verses we have an evident and excellent testimony of the unity of the true God, and vanity of idols.

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And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.

And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it? — These are alleged by God as arguments or demonstrations of his deity, praedicare, et indicare et ordinare, to call his elect (styled here his ancient people, populum aeternum ) to foretell them things to come, and to order all occurrences for their eternal good.

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Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared [it]? ye [are] even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, [there is] no God; I know not [any].

Have I not told thee from that time? — Ever since I made thee mine ancient people, well affected to old truths, and distasting novel opinions.

Is there a God besides me? — Vehementi spiritu hoc quaerit, et gravitate magna respondet, There is no God, no other God: I know not any. This was spoken by the prophet, say some, in the days of Ahaz, that notorious idolater.

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