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ISA 56:2
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ISA 56:8
Isaiah 56:8. The Lord God which gathereth the out-casts, &c.— In this verse a three-fold act of God is mentioned; first, his gathering together the out-casts of Israel; and then two gatherings of proselytes or strangers to be made to Israel; wherein the prophet alludes to the grand collection of the Gentiles to Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of his flock.
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ISA 56:9
Isaiah 56:9. All ye beasts of the field— Interpreters are generally of opinion, that the beasts of the field and forest are here called upon to devour the nominal people of God, corrupted in their religion and manners; that is to say, to execute the judgments of God upon them: by which, Vitringa thinks, are pointed out the enemies of the Christian church; the Goths, Vandals, Turks, and others, who committed great devastations upon it, after it deviated from its first faith, and became extremely corrupt; as is particularly specified in the next verses,
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Isaiah 56:2. That keepeth the sabbath— By keeping the sabbath, which was particularly ordained for the worship of God, is meant all that which pertains to the divine worship under the Gospel; and by keeping the hand from doing evil, is meant, the abstinence from all evil and immoral works. It cannot possibly be supposed that the prophet here speaks merely of the external or legal sabbath.
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