Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 7 · Isaiah · Chapter 51
CHAP. LI.
LOok to the rock whence ye are hewen, and to the hole of the pit, &c. Having Vers. 1.stirred up the faithfull to trust in God Chap. 50. 10. although they should lie long in misery, here he seeks to confirm them by the example of Abraham, who was, as it were the rock out of which they were hewed, and he is so called for his firm faith. Of the like to which when Christ heard from Peter, he said, Ʋpon this rock I will build my Church, which although I do not expound of Peter, but of Christ, as the main foundation and the corner Stone, yet neither he, nor the rest of the Apostles are to be excluded, for we are built upon the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ being the chief Stone of the corner, Eph. 2. 20. and Abraham and Peter may as well be said to be rocks for their admirable faith, wherein they began to others, the one in the Old Testament after the floud, the other under the new by a communication of the name from Christ the rock of us all, as other believers Christi, or anointed from him, the anointed above his fellows. And by the hole or cavern of the pit, out of which they were digged, Sarah is set forth, who was also famous for her faith Heb. 11. and so had power in her old age to conceive and bring forth a son, of whom Israel, and all Israelites descended. Some think that it is alluded here to the water coming of the rock Numb. 20. but this cannot be, because hewing is here spoken of. They render a better reason, who, because a family is like unto a building, think Abraham to be compared to a rock, and Sarah to a pit, for the materials of which a building is made stone out of a rock, and cement out of a pit. The difficulty also of their being begotten and brought forth is intimated, as it is hard to hew stone out of a rock, and to dig stuff for buildings out of a pit that is deep, for so Isaac was brought forth, when it was thought by reason of Abrahams and Sarahs age impossible. Now to these he bids them look, that their faith might be stayed, because to Abraham the promise of inheriting Canaan was made four hundred years before the accomplishment, and therefore although many years passed before the Messiah came, in whom the comfort of all that feared God lay, they might well be comforted, even untill the accomplishment of that most blessed Promise. Touching the rock here spoken of and the pit, excellent is the saying of Cyril, As it is a most hard thing out of a solid rock to Cyril. Sicut dissicillimum est ex petra solida & immani lapides exscindere, & puteum profundum exhaurire; sic ex sene viro & sterili muliere nasci silium; verùm hoc effectum est supra opinionem jussu & nutu Dei.cut stones, and to draw out of a deep pit; so, that a sonne should be born of an old man, and a barren old woman; but this was done beyond all mens opinions by the command and beck of God. Calvin thinks all this is spoken in respect Calvin.of the encrease of the Jews again after their diminution, and that they were brought to so few by the Babylonish Captivity. For God could as easily multiply them again, as he did Abrahams posterity formerly. This I deny not to be true, but cannot understand it of the encrease of Israel according to the flesh, because in shewing how they should be so greatly encreased, he saith vers. 5. The Isles shall wait upon me; and Chap. 49. 22. I will lift up an ensign to the Gentiles; upon which see what hath been written.
For the encrease of Abrahams seed, that it is meant is plainly shewed v. 2. I called Vers. 2.him alone, and blessed, and encreased him. Whereby he intimates that he could do so again in respect of spiritual children, who only are his true seed, Gal. 4.
For the Lord will comfort Zion. That is, spiritual Zion, the Church, re-erecting Vers. 3.her decaied buildings, by the conversion of many in all Countries to the true faith, of which the Church shall have great joy.
For a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgement to rest for a light Vers. 4. Lyra.of the people. This law, saith Lyra, is the Gospel, which went out as a light to all peoples, as also the words following declare. Yet some Christian Expositours do herein more Judaize then the Hebrews themselves, expounding it of the Decree going out from Cyrus, for even their rare Rabbins do not so understand it, but of the Messiah. Judgement is the same with the Law, the same being sometime called by one of these names, sometime by another; and by this that it was a light to peoples or Gentiles, the preaching of the Gospel is often celebrated.
My righteousnesse, or righteous one, that is, Christ, is near, Mine arms shall Vers. 5.judge the people; that is, by my strength overcoming the devil they shall be delivered out of his power; according to that, Now is the judgement of the world, now is the prince of this world cast out.
My salvation shall be for ever. Here is a comparison made betwixt this world Vers. 6.consisting of heaven and earth, and salvation to come by Christ, these shall wax old and vanish, but that is everlasting. Jerom takes occasion here to speak of these creatures, as not quite to vanish, but to be burnt unto a change into better. But of this I have said enough upon 2 Pet. 3. 10. and upon Rom. 8. 21.
Unto this taken from the heavens, &c. he addeth another from men, the Vers. 7, 8.enemies of his people, whom he biddeth them not to fear, for the moth shall eat them as a garment; of which before, chap. 50. 9.
Awake, put on strength thou arm of the Lord, &c. Because the Lord had made Vers. 9.such gracious promises, vers. 6, 7, 8. here the faithfull are brought in, saith Jerom, stirring up the Lord by his Almighty power to do as he had promised, Hieron.recounting his ancient mighty acts, Art not thou it that cut Rahab, or as he reades it, The proud one, expounding it of Pharaoh the King of Egypt, called also the Dragon, both here, and chap. 27. 1. See a like place, Psal. 74. 13. and of proud Egypt set forth by Rahab, Psal. 87. 4. and Pharaoh again by a Dragon, Ezek. 29. 3. and the word Rahab signifieth strength or pride. And that Egypt is meant hereby in this place appears, because the mighty acts done of old recounted here, were in drying the sea to make a way through it, and the bringing it upon the Egyptians, and the striking of Egypt with divers plagues before that, for then that proud Nation was cut, and their King being terrible before as a Dragon near the river Nilus destroyed. As for the words, Awake, awake, it may be taken either for the Prophets prayer, teaching us how we Note. ought to seek the accomplishment of Gods gracious promises by prayer, and not to say, He that hath promised will perform, whether we seek to him or no; or for the Churches prayer, not calling upon the Lord here set forth by his arm, sometime by his eyes, ears, or his name to awake, as if he slept at any time, for he that keepeth Israel neither slumbereth nor sleepeth: But because as when the Champion sleepeth, they that should be defended by him are indangered by the enemies coming, he must be awaked to save them; so the Church is brought in calling upon the Lord when she is in danger, and so continueth long and no help yet appeareth, and that after the manner of men. By the arm of the Lord, some understand Christ, who destroyeth our proudest and stoutest spiritual enemies, because, vers. 6. he speaketh of the salvation for ever, and that is by Christ: and of this Zachary speaking saith, He hath raised up for us a mighty salvation; and what is this but the arm of the Lord? And indeed both, I take it, are here meant, the power of God, whereby, as by his mighty hand and stretched out arm he brought his people out of Egypt, and his Son by as great power delivering from sin, death and the devil. And to shew this, it is added, The Redeemed of the Lord shall come, with singing to Zion, Vers. 11.and everlasting joy upon their heads, as before, chap. 35. 10. intimating the redeemed by Christ, and not only from the Babylonish Captivity, for their joy was but temporany, neither was it ever so full.
I, even I am he, who art thou that thou shouldst be afraid of a man. The Church Vers. 12.having called upon the arm of the Lord to awake, vers. 9. now the Lord answereth; I am he that comforteth thee, &c. That is, by promising deliverance from all enemies, yet thou art afraid of the least of them all, Of a man that shall die; that is, Thou (O my Church) of men stirring up persecution against thee, and he challengeth the Church for fearing not a brunt for a little time, Vers. 13.but daily and continually because of the fury of the oppressour: And as if this were a thing not to be feared, he saith, Where is the fury of the oppressour? As if he had said, it is a thing of naught, sith his power is but over the body, and this shall soon have an end also; see the like Matth. 10. 28. and how much they forget the confidence that David had in God against all men that sought his destruction, I trust in God and will not fear what man can do to me. Vers. 14. Psal. 56. Vers. 14.He shall soon come that goeth to open, and he shall not slay to death, neither shall his bread fail; Thus Jerom. N. Tr. The captive exile hasteneth, that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor his bread fail. Junius, He will hastily bring forth his bound one afar off, who is to be loosed, he shall not die in the pit, neither shall he be failed of his bread. And Jerom accordingly expounds it of the Hieron.Son of God, as if it had been said, My Son shall soon come and open thee the way of victory; when thine enemies rage most, and yet he will not slay them to death, but save such of them as shall be converted; and his bread of heavenly doctrine feeding the souls of them that are saved, shall never fail, but be in his Church plentifully. Vers. 15. But I am the Lord thy God, which trouble the sea, and the waves thereof arise. Here by an apostrophe, God the Father turns from speaking to the Church, to his Son, telling him that the troubles of his Church, as of the sea, did not arise without him, and therefore he could easily appease them again: And he addeth, I have put my words into thy mouth; according to which Christ saith, that he spake only what the father bad him speak: That thou shouldst plant heaven and earth, and say to Zion, Thou art my Vers. 16.people; that is, that new heaven and the new earth. Hitherto for the most part Jerom. For the divers readings of vers. 14. the Hebrew will bear any of them; but forsomuch as vers. 13. speaking of the fury of the oppressour, he saith, lastly, Where is it? This verse seems to me to answer it better, being understood of the Son of God hastening the opening of the prison to the bound. For it is, as if he had said by way of answer, His fury is nothing, because his oppression shall not continue, forsomuch as the opening of the prison to the bound there shall speedily be, so that he shall not die there; and untill this time he shall want no bread, as poor prisoners in bands use to do. And that this sense may be more apparent, we may render it thus verbatim, The bound is hastened to the opening, he shall not make him die in the pit, and his bread shall not fail.
For Which trouble the sea. N. Tr. Which divide the sea, for so the word signifieth; Vers. 15.and he meaneth the red sea, of which he often speaks, as most remarkable, that they might not be unbeleeving; and this verse is to be read as coupled to the other by the word and, not but; another act of the person, who is said there to open to the prisoners, &c. being here mentioned to make that the more credible, That thou mightest plant the heavens and found the earth. This is by Lyra expounded, the heavens of contemplative men, and the earth of Lyra.active. By Sasbont, of the Apostles and other Preachers addicted only to heavenly things, and of other Christians, who although they be conversant about Ad. Sasbont.earthly things, yet their hearts are lifted up to heaven. But the best Exposition is by Musculus made thus, I will send you forth to preach my word, the Muscul.power whereof shall be so great, through the Spirit accompanying the same, that the world shall hereby be renewed; and because the world consists of heaven and earth, he cals this renovation the planting of the heavens and earth. For the Evangelical Church is often called the Kingdom of heaven: And in respect of this, saith Augustine, that we have souls from heaven and bodies August. lib. 2. contr. Julian.from the earth, we may be called both heaven and earth. Therefore purge out the earth, that is, earthly affections, from thy heart, and thou shalt be heaven; In Psal. 96.thou bearest flesh indeed, and so art earth, but in thy heart thou art heaven. Again, God dwels in heaven, and he dwels in all the righteous and holy, Therefore the Apostles, though they were in the earth in the flesh, were heaven, and God sitting in them walked all over the world; in Psalm. 122. 2. The faithfull are called heaven, because of an heavenly life, and earth, because firmly founded by faith, as the earth that cannot be removed. 3. That they are called heaven there is another reason from the name of heaven, Lat. Coelum, quasi coelatum, carved or adorned with stars; so the faithfull with graces that shine more brightly: so Varro etymologizeth heaven; or as Isidor, a celando from hiding, because in them much more virtue is hidden then appears. Graecè foreign ab foreign to see, because it was the first of visible things; or foreign a boundary, because it is the utmost bound of all things visible, according to Philo; so the faithfull are, as it were, the bound or end of Gods creating all things in this world. 4. Bernard likeneth the faithfull to heaven, Bernard. Serm. 27. iu Cant.in whom virtues shine as the stars there, yet as the stars are not seen in the day, but in the night, so their virtues shine most in adversity. 5. Chrysostom saith, We are made heaven, when we are alwaies clear by virtue as the heavens; for Chrysost. Hom. 16. in Hebr.when it looks dark, it is not through any change, but because the clearnesse is hid from our sight by clouds. 2. When we are so high lifted up in our minds, that as the heavens are not corrupted by rain or tempests, because they are above them, so our faith and grace is not impaired by Persecution. To conclude this verse, there is no need with Junius to, going from the native signification of the words, to turn them, that I will plant, but to render it, I will put my words into thy mouth, to plant heaven, &c. as they properly signifie; for it is foreign ad plantandum.
Awake, awake, stand up (O Jerusalem.) As vers. 9. the faithfull stir up the Vers. 17.arm of the Lord to awake, so the Lord doth the Church or company of the faithfull here, recounting what they had suffered to vers. 21. and he thenceforth comforteth them to the end of the Chapter: Thus Junius, Calvin and Calvin. Junius.our other new Writers generally. But Jerom and others following him expound the first words of awaking, and rising up by repentance, as if old Ierusalem were meant, hardening her self in sin and infidelity, but moved earnestly under the Gospel to turn therefrom; which because she did not, the Prophet Hieron. Ad. Sasbont.sheweth what miseries should befall her, both temporally by the Romans, and spiritually by the enemies of their souls carrying them on in blindness and hardness to everlasting destruction. And Sasbont argueth from vers. 18. There is none of her sons to guide her. That it must needs be meant of Ierusalem suffering by the Romans, and not by Nebuchadnezzar, because then she had Prophets meant by these sons to guide and instruct her, sundry Prophets; but in the time of the Romans not one Prophet more. And vers. 21. a conditionall deliverance only is promised, saith Ierom, viz. if the Jews would turn. Dionys. Carthu. that they should turn towards the end of the world is here prophesied. Sasbont, that it is spoken of a remnant of them only who imbraced the Gospel, the rest being hardened. But I prefer the first, expounding it as a stirring up to be comforted against the miseries shortly to be suffered by the faithfull in that common destruction of the Jews by Nebuchadnezzar; because the fame afflicted City is spoken to, vers. 21. as having been drunken, and now promised that she should be so more, but the enemy should after this have his turn of drinking of this cup of Gods wrath. As for that which is said v. 18. that she should have no sons to guide her, it may well agree in the sense before spoken of; if by sons to guide or govern, we understand Kings to rule her, for the Jews were alwaies after their Captivity under the rule of others, although by the permission of the Persians they had Princes to rule amongst them of their own Nation, yet not in that absolute power, which they had formerly had in the time of David, Solomon, Asa, &c. For which he saith, they had no sons to rule, that is, but only permissu superiorum. The scope of the place being thus cleared, that it is to comfort the faithfull by the promise of a full and finall deliverance from all evils by which they should first be grievously pressed, that they might in all extremities stay themselves, upon this as a sure anchor-hold. The sense of particular passages will now be easie to be understood. Thou hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury, &c. That is, thou hast suffered grievous things; but although he speaks of them as past, it is in a Propheticall manner, whereby things to come are spoken of as present or past, and this cup was drunk when Ierusalem was so cruelly destroyed by the Caldeans, and afterwards by the Romans. For such a great judgement is often called a Cup, because as a cup of wine mingled with intoxicating things, operates strongly upon the brain, making such as drink sometimes very sick, so that the power of nature is overcome and sudden death follows; so the Lords judgements stupifie and trouble the heads of the judged, that they cannot devise any good counsel to escape, but perish under them. Vers. 18. hath been expounded already, Vers. 18.only the misery of Ierusalem is here aggravated by a comparison from a mother in distress, which had sons able to help her, but now none, when she hath most need. Vers. 19. These two things shall happen to thee in one day, desolation Vers 19.and contrition, famine and sword. That is, famine bringing desolation, and the sword contrition; there be four things named, but they are only two coming by the other two, and in this misery he saith there should be none to pity her, but contrariwise insulting over her and deriding her; as is also shewed, Psal. 137.
They be at the head of every street, as a wilde Bull in a net: Or, as Jerom, Oryx Vers. 20.a kinde of Goat, taken by hunters, so the Jews by their enemies.
Thou drunken, but not with wine. Musculus here noteth that there be two Vers. 21. Muscul.sorts of cups that make drunken; the one of sin, when the head is intoxicated with infidelity, errour, pride and corrupt affections; and the other of Gods judgements, making such to staggar and fall and to be taken, as being without all power to help themselves against their enemies, as Belshazzar and his Babylonians that night in which they were taken by the Persians and destroyed. And this cup of Gods fury is offered, and men are made to drink it by God, as a punishment for their other drunkenness in sin and errour.
I will put it into the hand of thy oppressours, which say to thy soul, Bow, &c. Vers. 23.Here, and vers. 22. and end of the Jews miseries by the Babylonians, is prophecied of, and their coming into the like, as was fulfilled at the destruction of Babylon; and the condition wherein the Jews were when they were under them, their souls, by which word yet their bodies are meant, as the next words declare, lay as the way in the street, upon which men tread and go, not being moved with any compassion hereat, so without all mercy had they been under their enemies feet. But now the Lord promiseth a blessed alteration, and this may well be extended to the Church under the Gospel, which after many miseries long suffered at the hands of Persecutors, had their case likewise altered by Constantine the Great, to their great joy and comfort; and so shall it be with all the faithfull and their Persecutors, that now tread Gods people Note. under foot, and despise them as most base, they shall be brought down in like manner, and these despised ones shall be had in honour, as is promised to the Church of Philadelphia, Revel. 3. 9.