19u“I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish and 3Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. vAnd they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles.
20“Then they shall wbring all your brethren xfor an offering to the LORD out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.
21“And I will also take some of them for ypriests and Levites,” says the LORD.
22“For as zthe new heavens and the new earth
Which I will make shall remain before Me,” says the LORD,
“So shall your descendants and your name remain.
23And ait shall come to pass
That from one New Moon to another,
And from one Sabbath to another,
b All flesh shall come to worship before Me,” says the LORD.
24“And they shall go forth and look
Upon the corpses of the men
Who have transgressed against Me.
For their cworm does not die,
And their fire is not quenched.
They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
Isaiah Commentaries
Isaiah 1
1:1 See Introduction: Title; Author and Date.
1:2–9 This is a courtroom scene in which the LORD is the plaintiff and the nation of Israel is the defendant. Instead of responding to God’s ultimate care and provision for them, these people have failed to give Him the loving obedience that is His due.
1:2 heavens…earth. God intended Israel to be a channel of blessing to the nations (19:24, 25; 42:6; Gen. 12:2, 3), but instead He must call the nations to look on Israel’s shame. children. The physical descendants of Abraham are God’s chosen people, in spite of their disobedience (cf. Gen. 18:18, 19).
1:3 ox…donkey. Animals appear to have more powers of reason than God’s people who break fellowship with Him.
1:4 The Holy One of Israel. This is Isaiah’s special title for God, found 25 times in this book (1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19; 30:11, 12, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3, 14; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9, 14), but only 6 times in the rest of the OT (2 Kin. 19:22; Pss. 71:22; 78:41; 89:18; Jer. 50:29; 51:5). Isaiah also uses “Holy One” as a title 4 times (10:17; 40:25; 43:15; 49:7) and “Holy One of Jacob” once (29:23). In many contexts the name contrasts the holiness of God with the sinfulness of Israel.
1:5 Why…stricken again? Already in ruins because of rebellion against God (vv. 7, 8), the nation behaved irrationally by continuing their rebellion.
1:8 daughter of Zion. The phrase occurs 28 times in the OT, 6 of which are in Isaiah (1:8; 10:32; 16:1; 37:22; 52:2; 62:11). It is a personification of Jerusalem, standing in this case for all of Judah.
1:9 LORD of hosts. Isaiah used this title or the similar “LORD God of hosts” 60 times. It pictured God as a mighty warrior, a leader of armies, capable of conquering all of Israel’s enemies and providing for her survival. remnant. Sometimes rendered “survivors,” this term designated the faithful among the Israelites. Paul cited this verse to prove the ongoing existence of faithful Israelites even in his day (Rom. 9:29). Such a remnant will constitute the nucleus of returning Israelites in the nation’s regathering when the Messiah returns to earth. See 10:20, 22; Hos. 1:10, 11. Sodom…Gomorrah. In destroying them, God rained brimstone and fire on these two Canaanite cities because of their aggravated sinfulness (Gen. 18:20; 19:24, 25, 28). The two thereby became a proverbial expression for the ultimate in God’s temporal judgment against any people (e.g., 13:19; Deut. 29:23; Jer. 23:14; 49:18; 50:40; Amos 4:11; Zeph. 2:9; Matt. 10:15; 2 Pet. 2:6; Jude 7). Had God’s grace not intervened, He would have judged Israel in the same way.
1:10–17 The prophet applied the names of the sinful cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, to Judah and Jerusalem in decrying their empty formalism in worship. God found their activities utterly repulsive when they engaged in the rituals prescribed by Moses, because when doing so they persisted in iniquity.
1:11 I have had enough…I do not delight. Cf. 1 Sam. 15:22, 23. God found all sacrifices meaningless and even abhorrent if the offerer failed in obedience to His laws. Rebellion is equated to the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness to iniquity and idolatry.
1:13, 14 The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies…appointed feasts. These were all occasions prescribed by the law of Moses (cf. Ex. 12:16; Lev. 23; Num. 10:10; 28:11—29:40; Deut. 16:1–17).
1:14 My soul hates. It is impossible to doubt the Lord’s total aversion toward hypocritical religion. Other practices God hates include robbery for burnt offering (61:8), serving other gods (Jer. 44:4), harboring evil against a neighbor and love for a false oath (Zech. 8:16), divorce (Mal. 2:16), and the one who loves violence (Ps. 11:5).
1:16, 17 Put away the evil…Seek justice. The outward evidence of the emptiness of Jerusalem’s ritualism was the presence of evil works and the absence of good works.
1:17 the fatherless…the widow. Illustrative of good works are deeds done on behalf of those in need (v. 23; Deut. 10:17, 18; 14:29; 24:17, 19, 20, 21; 26:12, 13; 27:19; James 1:27).
1:18–20 In developing His call for cleanliness in v. 16, the Lord pardoned the guilty who desire forgiveness and obedience. This section previews the last 27 chapters of Isaiah, which focus more on grace and forgiveness than on judgment.
1:18 scarlet…crimson. The two colors speak of the guilt of those whose hands were “full of blood” (v. 15). Fullness of blood speaks of extreme iniquity and perversity (cf. 59:3; Ezek. 9:9, 10; 23:37, 45). white as snow…as wool. Snow and wool are substances that are naturally white, and therefore portray what is clean, the blood-guilt (v. 15) having been removed (cf. Ps. 51:7). Isaiah was a prophet of grace, but forgiveness is not unconditional. It comes through repentance as v. 19 indicates.
1:19, 20 willing and obedient…refuse and rebel. The prophet offered his readers the same choice God gave Moses in Deut. 28, a choice between a blessing and a curse. They may choose repentance and obedience and reap the benefits of the Land or refuse to do so and become victims of foreign oppressors. eat…be devoured. To accentuate the opposite outcomes, the Lord used the same Heb. word to depict both destinies. On one hand, they may eat the fruit of the Land; on the other, they may be eaten by conquering powers.
1:21–31 Verses 21–23 recount Jerusalem’s current disobedience, with an account of God’s actions to purge her in vv. 24–31.
1:21 harlot. Often in the OT, spiritual harlotry pictured the idolatry of God’s people (e.g., Jer. 2:20; 3:1; Hos 2:2; 3:1; Ezek. 16:22–37). In this instance, however, Jerusalem’s unfaithfulness incorporated a wider range of wrongs, including murders and general corruption (vv. 21, 23). justice; righteousness. As Isaiah prophesied, ethical depravity had replaced the city’s former virtues.
1:24 the LORD…the LORD of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel. The 3-fold title of God emphasized His role as the rightful judge of His sinful people. “The Mighty One of Israel” occurs only here in the Bible, though “the Mighty One of Jacob” appears 5 times (49:26; 60:16; Gen. 49:24; Ps. 132:2, 5).
1:25, 26 I will…thoroughly purge…I will restore. God’s judgment of His people has future restoration as its goal. They were subsequently restored from the Babylonian captivity (Jer. 29:10), but this promise has in view a greater and more lasting restoration. It anticipates a complete and permanent restoration, which will make Jerusalem supreme among the nations (Jer. 3:17; Ezek. 5:5; Mic. 4:2; Zech. 8:22; 14:16). The only such purging and restoration in Scripture is that spoken of in conjunction with the yet-future “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer. 30:6, 7; i.e., Daniel’s 70th week, cf. Dan. 9:24–27) and the second advent of the Messiah (Zech. 14:4).
1:27 Zion. Originally a designation for the hill Ophel, this name beca
me a synonym for the entire city of Jerusalem. Isaiah always uses it that way. be redeemed…penitents. That remnant of the city who repented of their sins would find redemption in conjunction with God’s future restoration of Israel’s prosperity (cf. 59:20).
1:28 transgressors…sinners…those who forsake. Concurrent with the future blessing of the faithful remnant, the Lord will relegate the unrepentant to destruction. This is the only way Zion can become pure.
1:29 terebinth trees…gardens. These were settings where Israel practiced idolatrous worship. It is ironic that the Lord had chosen Israel while some citizens of Jerusalem have chosen the “gardens.” When God calls them to account for their rebellious choice, they will be ashamed and embarrassed.
1:31 will burn…no one shall quench. Both the rebel and his works will perish. This is final judgment, not merely another captivity.
Isaiah 2
2:1—5:30 Chapters 2–5 comprise a single connected discourse.
2:1–5 The first of 3 pictures of Zion (Jerusalem) in this discourse that depicts her future exaltation.
2:2–4 The book of Micah contains this portion of Isaiah’s prophecy almost word for word (Mic. 4:1–3), indicating that the younger contemporary of Isaiah may have obtained the words from him. Both passages present a prophetic picture of Zion in the future messianic kingdom when all people will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of the world.
2:2 in the latter days. The “latter (or last) days” is a time designation looking forward to the messianic era (Ezek. 38:16; Hos. 3:5; Mic. 4:1). The NT applied the expression to the period beginning with the first advent of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:17; 2 Tim. 3:1; Heb. 1:2; James 5:3; 2 Pet. 3:3). Old Testament prophets, being without a clear word regarding the time between the Messiah’s two advents, linked the expression to the Messiah’s return to establish His earthly kingdom, i.e., the millennial kingdom spoken about in Rev. 20:1–10. the mountain of the LORD’s house. The reference is to Mt. Zion, the location of the temple in Jerusalem. The expression occurs two other times in the OT (2 Chr. 33:15; Mic. 4:1).
2:3 mountain of the LORD. Isaiah frequently calls Mt. Zion the “holy mountain” (11:9; 27:13; 56:7; 57:13; 65:11, 25; 66:20).
2:4 swords into plowshares…spears into pruning hooks. With the Messiah on His throne in Jerusalem, the world will enjoy uninterrupted peaceful conditions. Warfare will continue to characterize human history until the Prince of Peace (9:6) returns to earth to put an end to it.
2:6—4:1 After a glimpse of Judah’s glorious future (2:1–5), the prophet returned to the present for a scathing rebuke of her idolatry and the judgment of God it evokes.
2:6–9 Isaiah stated the Lord’s formal charge against the people of Jerusalem.
2:6 eastern ways. Through caravans from the E, an influx of religious superstitions had filled Jerusalem and its environs.
2:8 full of idols. Jotham and Ahaz, two of the kings under whom Isaiah prophesied, failed to remove the idolatrous high places from the Land (2 Kin. 15:35; 16:4).
2:10–22 This section pictures conditions during the future day of the Lord. Though some elements of the description could fit what Judah experienced in the Babylonian captivity, the intensity of judgment predicted here could not have found fulfillment at that time. The tribulation period before Christ’s return will be the time for these judgmental horrors.
2:12 the day of the LORD. The phrase “day of the LORD,” (DOL) appears 19 times in the OT (Obad. 15; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18, 20; Is. 2:12; 13:6, 9; Zeph. 1:7, 14; Ezek. 13:5; 30:3; Zech. 14:1; Mal. 4:5) and 4 times in the NT (Acts 2:20; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:10) to express the time of God’s extreme wrath. The DOL can refer to a near future judgment (Ezek. 13:5; 30:3) or a far future judgment (Zech. 14:1; 2 Thess. 2:2). Two DOL expressions yet remain to be fulfilled: 1) at the end of Daniel’s 70th week (see Joel 3:14; Mal. 4:5; 1 Thess. 5:2) and 2) at the end of the Millennium (see 2 Pet. 3:10). The DOL can occur through providential means (Ezek. 30:3) or directly at the hand of God (2 Pet. 3:10). At times, the near fulfillment (Joel 1:15) prefigures the far fulfillment (Joel 3:14); on other occasions, both kinds of fulfillment are included in one passage (13:6, 9; Zeph 1:7, 14). Here Isaiah looks to the far fulfillment at the end of the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer. 30:7).
2:13 cedars of Lebanon…oaks of Bashan. The cedars and oaks were objects of great admiration to people of OT times (Pss. 92:12; 104:16; Ezek. 27:6; 31:3). Yet even these impressive created objects would face destruction because of human rebellion.
2:19 holes of the rocks…caves of the earth. Revelation 6:12, 15, 16 uses this passage and 2:21 to describe man’s flight from the terrors of tribulation during the period before Christ’s personal return to earth. This shows that the final fulfillment of this prophecy will be during Daniel’s 70th week.
2:22 Sever yourselves. This calls readers to stop depending on other humans and to trust only in God, who alone is worthy.
Isaiah 3
3:1—4:1 The Lord’s indictment against and judgment of Jerusalem and Judah continued.
3:1 the LORD, the LORD of hosts. Emphasizing His ultimate authority, God refers to Himself by the title Adonai (“the LORD”), the sovereign Lord of all, and by the mighty and warlike “LORD of hosts.”
3:1–3 Takes away…expert enchanter. God’s judgment was to include a removal of the people’s leadership.
3:4, 5 children…honorable. Inexperience in government was to lead to degeneration and irresponsibility at every level of national life.
3:6, 7 let these ruins…ruler of the people. Conditions of anarchy were to be so bad that no one would accept a position of authority over the people.
3:8 Jerusalem…Judah. The fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. was only a partial fulfillment of this prophecy. The final fulfillment awaits the times just prior to Christ’s second coming. against the LORD. The root of Zion’s problem surfaces: overt rebellion against the Lord. The people sinned shamelessly; they made no effort to conceal it (3:9).
3:12 children…women. Children and women were considered ill-suited for governmental leadership, so they figuratively depicted the incompetent rulers.
3:14 vineyard. The spoiling of the vineyard by the leaders amounts to their inequities in ruling the nation. Isaiah gave a more detailed comparison of God’s people to a vineyard in 5:1–7.
3:16 daughters of Zion. When women cultivate beauty for beauty’s sake, they thereby reflect the moral decay of the nations and detract from the glory of God. Rather than emphasizing outward apparel and activities (vv. 16–24), ladies should cultivate the beauty of the inner person (1 Tim. 2:9, 10; 1 Pet. 3:3, 4). mincing as they go. Ornamental chains about the ankles necessitated shorter steps and produced tinkling sounds to attract attention.
Isaiah 4
4:1 seven women…one man. In the day of the Lord (see note on 2:12), He will judge wicked women indirectly by allowing a slaughtering of males, thereby producing a shortage of husbands.
4:2–6 The third picture of Zion resembles the first (2:1–5): an eventual purification and prosperity in the Land.
4:2 Branch. This messianic title occurs also in Jer. 23:5; 33:15; Zech. 3:8; 6:12. The thought behind the title relates to 2 Sam. 23:5, that of growth. The life of the Branch will bear spiritual fruit (cf. John 15:4, 5).
4:3 he who is left…holy. “Holy” or “set apart” is another way of describing the remnant who will inherit God’s prosperity in that day (cf. 1:9, 27; 3:10).
4:4 spirit of burning. For other instances of purging by burning, see 1:25; 6:6, 7.
4:5, 6 covering…tabernacle. The future inhabitants of Jerusalem will enjoy the Lord’s protective covering over the glory on Mt. Zion. This recalls Ezekiel’s prophecy of the return of the Shekinah to the temple (Ezek. 43:2–5).
Isaiah 5
5:1–30 The conclusion of the extended discourse begun at 2:1 comes by way of a comparison of God’s people to a vineyard which He cultivated, but which did not bear fruit.
5:1 Well-belov
ed. The Lord is the friend who is well-beloved by Isaiah. The vineyard belongs to Him (5:7).
5:2 good grapes…wild grapes. The owner made every conceivable provision for the vine’s productivity and protection, illustrating the Lord’s purely gracious choice of Israel. Justifiably, He expected a good yield from His investment, but the vine’s produce was “sour berries,” inedible and fit only for dumping.
5:5 burned…trampled down. As punishment for her unfruitfulness, Israel became desolate and accessible to any nation wishing to invade her, such as happened in the Babylonian invasion of 586 B.C., and will happen repeatedly until her national repentance at the second coming of the Messiah.
5:7 justice…oppression…righteousness…a cry. The Eng. words “equity…iniquity…right…riot” illustrate the effective play on words in the underlying Heb. behind v. 7.
5:8–23 The prophet pronounced 6 woes (judgments) against the unresponsive people of Israel.
5:8–10 The first woe was against real estate owners because of their greedy materialism.
5:8 house to house…field to field. God gave the land to the Israelites with the intention that the original allocation remain with each family (Lev. 25:23–25). By Isaiah’s time, land speculators had begun putting together huge estates (Mic. 2:2, 9), and the powerful rich used legal processes to deprive the poor of what was rightfully theirs (Amos 2:6, 7).
5:10 one bath…one ephah. God judged the greedy rich by reducing the productivity of their land to a small fraction of what it would have been normally. One bath was roughly equivalent to 6 gallons (cf. marginal note). About one-half bushel would be produced from about 6 bushels of planted seed. Such amounts indicate famine conditions.
5:11, 12 The second woe addressed the drunkards for their neglect of the Lord’s work of judgment and redemption, and their devotion to pleasure.
5:14 Sheol. This term in this context pictures death as a great monster with wide-open jaws, ready to receive its victims. Such was to be the fate of those who perish in the captivity God will send to punish the people’s sinfulness.
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 332
