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Isaiah 45-48

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Isaiah 45

¹This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut:

²“I will go before you and level the mountains; I will break down the gates of bronze and cut through the bars of iron.

³I will give you the treasures of darkness and the riches hidden in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by name.

⁴For the sake of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one, I call you by name; I have given you a title of honor, though you have not known Me.

⁵I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me,

⁶so that all may know, from where the sun rises to where it sets, that there is none but Me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.

⁷I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things.

⁸Drip down, O heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open up that salvation may sprout and righteousness spring up with it; I, the LORD, have created it.

⁹Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker—one clay pot among many. Does the clay ask the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’?

¹⁰Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What have you begotten?’ or to his mother, ‘What have you brought forth?’”

¹¹Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: “Concerning things to come, do you question Me about My sons, or instruct Me in the work of My hands?

¹²It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.

¹³I will raise up Cyrus in righteousness, and I will make all his ways straight. He will rebuild My city and set My exiles free, but not for payment or reward, says the LORD of Hosts.”

¹⁴This is what the LORD says: “The products of Egypt and the merchandise of Cush, along with the Sabeans, men of stature, will come over to you and will be yours; they will trudge behind you; they will come over in chains and bow down to you. They will confess to you: ‘God is indeed with you, and there is no other; there is no other God.’”

¹⁵Truly You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, the Savior.

¹⁶They will all be put to shame and humiliated; the makers of idols will depart together in disgrace.

¹⁷But Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you will not be put to shame or humiliated, to ages everlasting.

¹⁸For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.

¹⁹I have not spoken in secret, from a place in a land of darkness. I did not say to the descendants of Jacob, ‘Seek Me in a wasteland.’ I, the LORD, speak the truth; I say what is right.

²⁰Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry idols of wood and pray to a god that cannot save.

²¹Speak up and present your case—yes, let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago? Who announced it from ancient times? Was it not I, the LORD? There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me.

²²Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.

²³By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.

²⁴Surely they will say of Me, ‘In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.’” All who rage against Him will come to Him and be put to shame.

²⁵In the LORD all descendants of Israel will be justified and will exult.

Isaiah 46

¹Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal.

²The gods cower; they crouch together, unable to relieve the burden; but they themselves go into captivity.

³“Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been sustained from the womb, carried along since birth.

⁴Even to your old age, I will be the same, and I will bear you up when you turn gray. I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and deliver you.

⁵To whom will you liken Me or count Me equal? To whom will you compare Me, that we should be alike?

⁶They pour out their bags of gold and weigh out silver on scales; they hire a goldsmith to fashion it into a god, so they can bow down and worship.

⁷They lift it to their shoulder and carry it along; they set it in its place, and there it stands, not budging from that spot. They cry out to it, but it does not answer; it saves no one from his troubles.

⁸Remember this and be brave; take it to heart, you transgressors!

⁹Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.

¹⁰I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’

¹¹I summon a bird of prey from the east, a man for My purpose from a far-off land. Truly I have spoken, and truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, and I will surely do it.

¹²Listen to Me, you stubborn people, far removed from righteousness:

¹³I am bringing My righteousness near; it is not far away, and My salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion and adorn Israel with My splendor.

Isaiah 47

¹“Go down and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O Daughter of the Chaldeans! For you will no longer be called tender or delicate.

²Take millstones and grind flour; remove your veil; strip off your skirt, bare your thigh, and wade through the streams.

³Your nakedness will be uncovered and your shame will be exposed. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.”

⁴Our Redeemer—the LORD of Hosts is His name—is the Holy One of Israel.

⁵“Sit in silence and go into darkness, O Daughter of the Chaldeans. For you will no longer be called the queen of kingdoms.

⁶I was angry with My people; I profaned My heritage, and I placed them under your control. You showed them no mercy; even on the elderly you laid a most heavy yoke.

⁷You said, ‘I will be queen forever.’ You did not take these things to heart or consider their outcome.

⁸So now hear this, O lover of luxury who sits securely, who says to herself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me. I will never be a widow or know the loss of children.’

⁹These two things will overtake you in a moment, in a single day: loss of children, and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the potency of your spells.

¹⁰You were secure in your wickedness; you said, ‘No one sees me.’ Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray; you told yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’

¹¹But disaster will come upon you; you will not know how to charm it away. A calamity will befall you that you will be unable to ward off. Devastation will happen to you suddenly and unexpectedly.

¹²So take your stand with your spells and with your many sorceries, with which you have wearied yourself from your youth. Perhaps you will succeed; perhaps you will inspire terror!

¹³You are wearied by your many counselors; let them come forward now and save you—your astrologers who observe the stars, who monthly predict your fate.

¹⁴Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. There will be no coals to warm them or fire to sit beside.

¹⁵This is what they are to you—those with whom you have labored and traded from youth—each one strays in his own direction; not one of them can save you.

Isaiah 48

¹“Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, who have descended from the line of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD, who invoke the God of Israel—but not in truth or righteousness—

²who indeed call yourselves after the holy city and lean on the God of Israel; the LORD of Hosts is His name.

³I foretold the former things long ago; they came out of My mouth and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass.

⁴For I knew that you are stubborn; your neck is iron and your forehead is bronze.

⁵Therefore I declared it to you long ago; I announced it before it came to pass, so that you could not claim, ‘My idol has done this; my carved image and molten god has ordained it.’

⁶You have heard these things; look at them all. Will you not acknowledge them? From now on I will tell you of new things, hidden things unknown to you.

⁷They are created now, and not long ago; you have not heard of them before today. So you cannot claim, ‘I already knew them!’

⁸You have never heard; you have never understood; for a long time your ears have not been open. For I knew how deceitful you are; you have been called a rebel from birth.

⁹For the sake of My name I will delay My wrath; for the sake of My praise I will restrain it, so that you will not be cut off.

¹⁰See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

¹¹For My own sake, My very own sake, I will act; for how can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another.

¹²Listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I have called: I am He; I am the first, and I am the last.

¹³Surely My own hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they stand up together.

¹⁴Come together, all of you, and listen: Which of the idols has foretold these things? The LORD’s chosen ally will carry out His desire against Babylon, and His arm will be against the Chaldeans.

¹⁵I, even I, have spoken; yes, I have called him. I have brought him, and he will succeed in his mission.

¹⁶Come near to Me and listen to this: From the beginning I have not spoken in secret; from the time it happened, I was there.” And now the Lord GOD has sent me, accompanied by His Spirit.

¹⁷Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who directs you in the way you should go.

¹⁸If only you had paid attention to My commandments, your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like waves of the sea.

¹⁹Your descendants would have been as countless as the sand, and your offspring as numerous as its grains; their name would never be cut off or eliminated from My presence.”

²⁰Leave Babylon! Flee from the Chaldeans! Declare it with a shout of joy, proclaim it, let it go out to the ends of the earth, saying, “The LORD has redeemed His servant Jacob!”

²¹They did not thirst when He led them through the deserts; He made water flow for them from the rock; He split the rock, and water gushed out.

²²“There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”

Commentary Insights

Study and Reflection

Explore devotional and study commentary connected to this passage.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary

Historical, contextual, and verse-level study notes for deeper biblical exploration.

Isaiah 45:1-7 These seven verses should have been appended to previous

chapter, and the new chapter should begin with Isa 45:8, "Drop down," &c. [Horsley]. Reference to the deliverance by Messiah often breaks out from amidst the local and temporary details of the deliverance from Babylon, as the great ultimate end of the prophecy.

Isaiah 45:1 Verse 1

his anointed--Cyrus is so called as being set apart as king, by God's providence, to fulfil His special purpose. Though kings were not anointed in Persia, the expression is applied to him in reference to the Jewish custom of setting apart kings to the regal office by anointing. right hand ... holden--image from sustaining a feeble person by holding his right hand (Isa 42:6). subdue nations--namely, the Cilicians, Syrians, Babylonians, Lydians, Bactrians, &c.; his empire extended from Egypt and the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean, and from Ethiopia to the Euxine Sea. loose ... girdle loins--that is, the girdle off the loins; and so enfeeble them. The loose outer robe of the Orientals, when girt fast round the loins, was the emblem of strength and preparedness for action; ungirt, was indicative of feebleness (Job 38:3; 12:21); "weakeneth the strength of the mighty" (Margin), "looseth the girdle of the strong." The joints of (Belshazzar's) loins, we read in Da 5:6, were loosed during the siege by Cyrus, at the sight of the mysterious handwriting on the palace walls. His being taken by surprise, unaccoutred, is here foretold. to open ... gates--In the revelry in Babylon on the night of its capture, the inner gates, leading from the streets to the river, were left open; for there were walls along each side of the Euphrates with gates, which, had they been kept shut, would have hemmed the invading hosts in the bed of the river, where the Babylonians could have easily destroyed them. Also, the gates of the palace were left open, so that there was access to every part of the city; and such was its extent, that they who lived in the extremities were taken prisoners before the alarm reached the center of the palace. [Herodotus, 1.191].

Isaiah 45:2 Verse 2

crooked ... straight--(Isa 40:4), rather, "maketh mountains plain" [Lowth], that is, clear out of thy way all opposing persons and things. The Keri reads as in Isa 45:13, "make straight" (Margin). gates of brass--(Ps 107:16). Herodotus (1.179) says, Babylon had a hundred massive gates, twenty-five on each of the four sides of the city, all, as well as their posts, of brass. bars of iron--with which the gates were fastened.

Isaiah 45:3 Verse 3

treasures of darkness--that is, hidden in subterranean places; a common Oriental practice. Sorcerers pretended to be able to show where such treasures were to be found; in opposition to their pretensions, God says, He will really give hidden treasures to Cyrus (Jer 50:37; 51:13). Pliny (Natural History,, 33:3) says that Cyrus obtained from the conquest of Asia thirty-four thousand pounds weight of gold, besides golden vases, and five hundred thousand talents of silver, and the goblet of Semiramis, weighing fifteen talents. that thou mayest know--namely, not merely that He was "the God of Israel," but that He was Jehovah, the true God. Ezr 1:1, 2 shows that the correspondence of the event with the prediction had the desired effect on Cyrus. which call ... thy name--so long before designate thee by name (Isa 43:1).

Isaiah 45:4 Verse 4

(See on Isa 41:8; Isa 43:14). surnamed--that is, designated to carry out My design of restoring Judah (see on Isa 44:5; Isa 44:28; Isa 45:1). Maurer here, as in Isa 44:5, translates, "I have addressed thee by an honorable name." hast not known me--previous to My calling thee to this office; after God's call, Cyrus did know Him in some degree (Ezr 1:1-3).

Isaiah 45:5 Verse 5

(Isa 42:8; 43:3, 11; 44:8; 46:9). girded thee--whereas "I will loose (the girdle off) the loins of kings" (Isa 45:1), strengthening thee, but enfeebling them before thee. though ... not known me--(Isa 45:4). God knows His elect before they are made to know Him (Ga 4:9; Joh 15:16).

Isaiah 45:6 Verse 6

From the rising to the setting of the sun, that is, from east to west, the whole habitable world. It is not said, "from north to south," for that would not imply the habitable world, as, "from east to west" does (Ezr 1:1, &c.). The conquest of Jerusalem by Babylon, the capital of the world, and the overthrow of Babylon and restoration of the Jews by Cyrus, who expressly acknowledged himself to be but the instrument in God's hands, were admirably suited to secure, throughout the world, the acknowledgment of Jehovah as the only true God.

Isaiah 45:7 Verse 7

form ... create--yatzar, to give "form" to previously existing matter. Bara, to "create" from nothing the chaotic dark material. light ... darkness--literally (Ge 1:1-3), emblematical also, prosperity to Cyrus, calamity to Babylon and the nations to be vanquished [Grotius] ... Isaiah refers also to the Oriental belief in two coexistent, eternal principles, ever struggling with each other, light or good, and darkness or evil, Oromasden and Ahrimanen. God, here, in opposition, asserts His sovereignty over both [Vitringa]. create evil--not moral evil (Jas 1:13), but in contrast to "peace" in the parallel clause, war, disaster (compare Ps 65:7; Am 3:6).

Isaiah 45:8 Verse 8

Drop--namely, the fertilizing rain (Ps 65:12). skies--clouds; lower than the "heavens." righteousness--that is, the dews of the Holy Spirit, whereby "righteousness" shall "spring up." (See latter end of the verse). earth--figuratively for the hearts of men on it, opened for receiving the truth by the Holy Ghost (Ac 16:14). them--the earth and the heavens. Horsley prefers: "Let the earth open, and let salvation and justice grow forth; let it bring them forth together; I the Lord have created him" (Isa 45:13). Maurer translates, "Let all kinds of salvation (prosperity) be fruitful" (Ps 72:3, 6, 7). The revival of religion after the return from Babylon suggests to the prophet the diffusion of Messiah's Gospel, especially in days still future; hence the elevation of the language to a pitch above what is applicable to the state of religion after the return.

Isaiah 45:9 Verse 9

Anticipating the objections which the Jews might raise as to why God permitted their captivity, and when He did restore them, why He did so by a foreign prince, Cyrus, not a Jew (Isa 40:27, &c.), but mainly and ultimately, the objections about to be raised by the Jews against God's sovereign act in adopting the whole Gentile world as His spiritual Israel (Isa 45:8, referring to this catholic diffusion of the Gospel), as if it were an infringement of their nation's privileges; so Paul expressly quotes it (Ro 9:4-8, 11-21). Let ... strive--Not in the Hebrew; rather, in apposition with "him," "A potsherd among the potsherds of the earth!" A creature fragile and worthless as the fragment of an earthen vessel, among others equally so, and yet presuming to strive with his Maker! English Version implies, it is appropriate for man to strive with man, in opposition to 2Ti 2:24 [Gesenius]. thy ... He--shall thy work say of thee, He ... ?

Isaiah 45:10 Verse 10

If it be wrong for a child, born in less favorable circumstances, to upbraid his parents with having given him birth, a fortiori, it is, to upbraid God for His dealings with us. Rather translate, "a father ... a woman." The Jews considered themselves exclusively God's children and were angry that God should adopt the Gentiles besides. Woe to him who says to one already a father, Why dost thou beget other children? [Horsley].

Isaiah 45:11 Verse 11

Ask ... command--Instead of striving with Me in regard to My purposes, your wisdom is in prayer to ask, and even command Me, in so far as it is for My glory, and for your real good (Mr 11:24; Joh 16:23, 13, latter part of the verse; 1Jo 3:22). sons--(Isa 54:13; Ga 3:26). work of my hands--spiritually (Eph 2:10); also literal Israel (Isa 60:21). Maurer translates, instead of "command," Leave it to Me, in My dealings concerning My sons and concerning the work of My hands, to do what I will with My own. Lowth reads it interrogatively, Do ye presume to question Me and dictate to Me (see Isa 45:9, 10)? The same sense is given, if the words be taken in irony. But English Version is best.

Isaiah 45:12 Verse 12

The same argument for prayer, drawn from God's omnipotence and consequent power, to grant any request, occurs in Isa 40:26-31. I, even my hands--so Hebrew (Ps 41:2), "Thou ... thy hand" (both nominatives, in apposition).

Isaiah 45:13 Verse 13

him--Cyrus, type of Messiah, who redeems the captives of Satan "without money and without price" (Isa 55:1), "freely" (gratuitously) (Isa 52:3; 61:1; Zec 9:11; Ro 3:24). in righteousness--to fulfil My righteous purpose (see on Isa 41:2; Isa 42:6; Jer 23:6).

Isaiah 45:14 Verse 14

The language but cursorily alludes to Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba, being given to Cyrus as a ransom in lieu of Israel whom he restored (Isa 43:3), but mainly and fully describes the gathering in of the Gentiles to Israel (Ac 2:10, 11; 8:27-38), especially at Israel's future restoration (Isa 2:2; 14:1, 2; 19:18-22; 60:3-14; 49:23; Ps 68:31; 72:10, 11). labour--wealth acquired by labor (Jer 3:24). Sabeans ... of stature--the men of Meroe, in Upper Egypt. Herodotus (3.30) calls the Ethiopians "the tallest of men" (see on Isa 18:2; 1Ch 11:23). thee--Jerusalem ("my city," Isa 45:13). in chains--(Ps 149:8). "The saints shall judge the world" (1Co 6:2) and "rule the nations with a rod of iron" (Zec 14:12-19; Re 2:26, 27). The "chains," in the case of the obedient, shall be the easy yoke of Messiah; as "the sword of the Spirit" also is saving to the believer, condemnatory to the unbeliever (Joh 12:48; Heb 4:12; Re 19:15). God is in thee--(Jer 3:19).

Isaiah 45:15 Verse 15

God that hidest thyself--Horsley, after Jerome, explains this as the confession of Egypt, &c., that God is concealed in human form in the person of Jesus. Rather, connected with Isa 45:9, 10, the prophet, contemplating the wonderful issue of the seemingly dark counsels of God, implies a censure on those who presume to question God's dealings (Isa 55:8, 9; De 29:29). Faith still discerns, even under the veil, the covenant-keeping "God of Israel, the Saviour" (Isa 8:17).

Isaiah 45:16 Verse 16

ashamed--"disappointed" in their expectation of help from their idols (see on Isa 42:17; Psalm 97. 7).

Isaiah 45:17 Verse 17

in the Lord--(Isa 45:24, 25), contrasted with the idols which cannot give even temporary help (Isa 45:16); in Jehovah there is everlasting salvation (Isa 26:4). not ... ashamed--opposed to the doom of the idolaters, who, in the hour of need, shall be "ashamed" (see on Isa 45:16).

Isaiah 45:18 Verse 18

(See on Isa 45:12). not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited--Therefore, Judah, lying waste during the Babylonish captivity, shall be peopled again by the exiles. The Jews, from this passage, infer that, after the resurrection, the earth shall be inhabited, for there can be no reason why the earth should then exist in vain any more than now (2Pe 3:13).

Isaiah 45:19 Verse 19

not ... secret--not like the heathen oracles which gave their responses from dark caverns, with studied obscurity (Isa 48:16). Christ plainly quotes these words, thereby identifying Himself with Jehovah (Joh 18:20). I said not ... Seek ... in vain--When I commanded you to seek Me (Jehovah did so, Isa 45:11, "Ask Me," &c.), it was not in order that ye might be sent empty away (De 32:47). Especially in Israel's time of trial, God's interposition, in behalf of Zion hereafter, is expressly stated as about to be the answer to prayer (Isa 62:6, 7-10; Ps 102:13-17, 19-21). So in the case of all believers, the spiritual Israel. righteousness--that which is veracious: not in the equivocal terms of heathen responses, fitly symbolized by the "dark places" from which they were uttered. right--true (see on Isa 41:26).

Isaiah 45:20 Verse 20

escaped of the nations--those of the nations who shall have escaped the slaughter inflicted by Cyrus. Now, at last, ye shall see the folly of "praying to a god that cannot save" (Isa 45:16). Ultimately, those that shall be "left of all the nations which shall come against Jerusalem" are meant (Zec 14:16). They shall then all be converted to the Lord (Isa 66:23, 24; Jer 3:17; Zec 8:20-23).

Isaiah 45:21 Verse 21

Challenge the worshippers of idols (Isa 41:1). take counsel together--as to the best arguments wherewith to defend the cause of idolatry. who ... from that time--(Isa 41:22, 23; see on Isa 44:8). Which of the idols has done what God hath, namely, foretold, primarily as to Cyrus; ultimately as to the final restoration of Israel hereafter? The idolatry of Israel before Cyrus' time will have its counterpart in the Antichrist and the apostasy, which shall precede Christ's manifestation. just ... and ... Saviour--righteous in keeping His promises, and therefore a Saviour to His people. Not only is it not inconsistent with, but it is the result of, His righteousness, or justice, that He should save His redeemed (Isa 42:6, 21; Ps 85:10, 11; Ro 3:26).

Isaiah 45:22 Verse 22

Look ... and be ye saved--The second imperative expresses the result which will follow obedience to the first (Ge 42:18); ye shall be saved (Joh 3:14, 15). Nu 21:9: "If a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass he lived." What so simple as a look? Not do something, but look to the Saviour (Ac 16:30, 31). Believers look by faith, the eye of the soul. The look is that of one turning (see Margin) to God, as at once "Just and the Saviour" (Isa 45:21), that is, the look of conversion (Ps 22:27).

Isaiah 45:23 Verse 23

sworn by myself--equivalent to, "As I live," as Ro 14:11 quotes it. So Nu 14:21. God could swear by no greater, therefore He swears by Himself (Heb 6:13, 16). word ... in righteousness--rather, "the truth (see on Isa 45:19) is gone forth from My mouth, the word (of promise), and it shall not return (that is, which shall not be revoked)" [Lowth]. But the accents favor English Version. tongue ... swear--namely, an oath of allegiance to God as their true King (see on Isa 19:18; Isa 65:16). Yet to be fulfilled (Zec 14:9).

Isaiah 45:24 Verse 24

Rather, "Only in Jehovah shall men say of me (this clause is parenthetical), is there righteousness" (which includes salvation, Isa 45:21, "a just God and a Saviour," Isa 46:13), &c. [Maurer]. strength--namely, to save. shall men come--Those who have set themselves up against God shall come to Him in penitence for the past (Isa 19:22). ashamed--(Isa 45:16; Isa 54:17; 41:11).

Isaiah 45:25 Verse 25

all ... Israel--the spiritual Israel (Ro 2:29) and the literal Israel, that is, the final remnant which shall all be saved (Isa 45:17; Ro 11:26). justified--treated as if they were just, through Christ's righteousness and death (Jer 23:5). glory--literally, "sing" in His praise (Jer 9:24; 1Co 1:31).

Isaiah 46:1-13 Babylon's Idols Could Not Save Themselves, Much Less Her.

But God Can and Will Save Israel: Cyrus Is His Instrument.

Isaiah 46:1 Verse 1

Bel--the same as the Phoenician Baal, that is, lord, the chief god of Babylon; to it was dedicated the celebrated tower of Babylon, in the center of one of the two parts into which the city was divided, the palace being in the center of the other. Identical with the sun, worshipped on turrets, housetops, and other high places, so as to be nearer the heavenly hosts (Saba) (Jer 19:13; 32:29; Zep 1:5). Gesenius identifies Bel with the planet Jupiter, which, with the planet Venus (under the name Astarte or Astaroth), was worshipped in the East as the god of fortune, the most propitious star to be born under (see on Isa 65:11). According to the Apocryphal book, Bel and the Dragon, Bel was cast down by Cyrus. boweth ... stoopeth--falleth prostrate (Isa 10:4; 1Sa 5:3, 4; Ps 20:8). Nebo--the planet Mercury or Hermes, in astrology. The scribe of heaven, answering to the Egyptian Anubis. The extensive worship of it is shown by the many proper names compounded of it: Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuzar-adan, Nabonassar, &c. were upon--that is, were a burden (supplied from the following clause) upon. It was customary to transport the gods of the vanquished to the land of the conquerors, who thought thereby the more effectually to keep down the subject people (1Sa 5:1, &c.; Jer 48:7; 49:3; Da 11:8). carriages--in the Old English sense of the things carried, the images borne by you: the lading (Ac 21:15), "carriages," not the vehicles, but the baggage. Or, the images which used to be carried by you formerly in your solemn processions [Maurer]. were heavy loaden--rather, are put as a load on the beasts of burden [Maurer]. Horsley translates, "They who should have been your carriers (as Jehovah is to His people, Isa 46:3, 4) are become burdens" (see on Isa 46:4).

Isaiah 46:2 Verse 2

deliver--from the enemies' hands. burden--their images laid on the beasts (Isa 46:1). themselves--the gods, here also distinguished from their images.

Isaiah 46:3 Verse 3

in contrast to what precedes: Babylon's idols, so far from bearing its people safely are themselves borne off, a burden to the laden beast; but Jehovah bears His people in safety even from the womb to old age (Isa 63:9; De 32:11; Ps 71:6, 18). God compares Himself to a nurse tenderly carrying a child; contrast Moses' language (Nu 11:12).

Isaiah 46:4 Verse 4

old age--As "your"--"you"--"you," are not in the Hebrew, the sentiment is more general than English Version, though of course it includes the Jews from the infancy to the more advanced age of their history (Isa 47:6). I am he--that is, the same (Ps 102:27; Joh 8:24; Heb 13:8). I will bear ... carry--Not only do I not need to be borne and carried Myself, as the idols (Isa 46:1).

Isaiah 46:5 Verse 5

(Isa 40:18, 25).

Isaiah 46:6 Verse 6

(Isa 40:19, 20; 41:7.) They lavish gold out of their purses and spare no expense for their idol. Their profuseness shames the niggardliness of professors who worship God with what cost them nothing. Sin is always a costly service.

Isaiah 46:7 Verse 7

cry ... can ... not ... save--(Isa 45:20, with which contrast Isa 45:19).

Isaiah 46:8 Verse 8

show yourselves men--Renounce the childishness of idolatry as shown in what precedes (1Co 14:20; 16:13; Eph 4:14). In order to be manly we must be godly; for man was made "in the image of God," and only rises to his true dignity when joined to God; virtue is derived from the Latin vir, "a man." bring ... to mind--rather, "lay it to heart." transgressors--addressed to the idolaters among the Jews.

Isaiah 46:9 Verse 9

former--namely, proofs of the sole Godship of Jehovah, from predictions fulfilled, and interpositions of God in behalf of Israel (Isa 45:5).

Isaiah 46:10 Verse 10

(Isa 45:21; 41:22, 23; 44:26). yet--not in the Hebrew. Translate, "What had not been done" [Horsley]. do all my pleasure--(Isa 53:10; Ro 9:19).

Isaiah 46:11 Verse 11

ravenous bird--Cyrus so called on account of the rapidity of his marches from the distant regions of Persia to pounce on his prey (see on Isa 41:2; Isa 41:25; Jer 49:22; Eze 17:3). The standard of Cyrus, too, was a golden eagle on a spear (see the heathen historian, Xenophon, 7, where almost the same word is used, aetos, as here, ayit). executeth my counsel--(Isa 44:28; 45:13). Babylon represents, mystically, the apostate faction: the destruction of its idols symbolizes the future general extirpation of all idolatry and unbelief. purposed ... also do it--(Isa 43:13).

Isaiah 46:12 Verse 12

stout-hearted--stubborn in resisting God (Ps 76:5; Ac 7:51). far from righteousness--(Isa 59:9; Hab 2:4).

Isaiah 46:13 Verse 13

near--antithetical to "far" (Isa 46:12; Isa 51:5; 56:1; 61:10, 11; Ro 10:6-8). righteousness--answering to "salvation" in the parallel clause; therefore it means here, "my righteous deliverance"; righteous, because proving the truth of God's promises, and so contrived as to not compromise, but vindicate, His righteousness (Isa 42:21; Ro 3:26). Zion ... my glory--rather, "I will give salvation in Zion; to Israel (I will give) my glory" [Horsley]. (Isa 63:11; Ps 14:7; Lu 2:32).

Isaiah 47:1-15 The Destruction of Babylon Is Represented under the Image

of a Royal Virgin Brought Down in a Moment from Her Magnificent Throne to the Extreme of Degradation.

Isaiah 47:1 Verse 1

in the dust--(See on Isa 3:26; Job 2:13; La 2:10). virgin--that is, heretofore uncaptured [Herodotus, 1.191]. daughter of Babylon--Babylon and its inhabitants (see on Isa 1:8; Isa 37:22). no throne--The seat of empire was transferred to Shushan. Alexander intended to have made Babylon his seat of empire, but Providence defeated his design. He soon died; and Seleucia, being built near, robbed it of its inhabitants, and even of its name, which was applied to Seleucia. delicate--alluding to the effeminate debauchery and prostitution of all classes at banquets and religious rites [Curtius, 5.1; Herodotus,

Isaiah 47:1 Verse 1

199; Baruch, 6.43].

Isaiah 47:2 Verse 2

millstones--like the querns or hand-mills, found in this country, before the invention of water mills and windmills: a convex stone, made by the hand to turn in a concave stone, fitted to receive it, the corn being ground between them: the office of a female slave in the East; most degrading (Job 31:10; Mt 24:41). uncover thy locks--rather, "take off thy veil" [Horsley]: perhaps the removal of the plaited hair worn round the women's temples is included; it, too, is a covering (1Co 11:15); to remove it and the veil is the badge of the lowest female degradation; in the East the head is the seat of female modesty; the face of a woman is seldom, the whole head almost never, seen bare (see on Isa 22:8). make bare the leg--rather "lift up (literally, 'uncover'; as in lifting up the train the leg is uncovered) thy flowing train." In Mesopotamia, women of low rank, as occasion requires, wade across the rivers with stript legs, or else entirely put off their garments and swim across. "Exchange thy rich, loose, queenly robe, for the most abject condition, that of one going to and fro through rivers as a slave, to draw water," &c. uncover ... thigh--gather up the robe, so as to wade across.

Isaiah 47:3 Verse 3

not meet ... as a man--rather, "I will not meet a man," that is, suffer man to intercede with me--give man an audience [Horsley]. Or, "I will not make peace with any man," before all are destroyed. Literally, "strike a league with"; a phrase arising from the custom of striking hands together in making a compact [Maurer], (see on Pr 17:18; Pr 22:26; 11:15, Margin). Or else from striking the victims sacrificed in making treaties.

Isaiah 47:4 Verse 4

As for--rather supply, "Thus saith our Redeemer" [Maurer]. Lowth supposes this verse to be the exclamation of a chorus breaking in with praises, "Our Redeemer! Jehovah of hosts," &c. (Jer 50:34).

Isaiah 47:5 Verse 5

Sit--the posture of mourning (Ezr 9:4; Job 2:13; La 2:10). darkness--mourning and misery (La 3:2; Mic 7:8). lady of kingdoms--mistress of the world (Isa 13:19).

Isaiah 47:6 Verse 6

reason for God's vengeance on Babylon: in executing God's will against His people, she had done so with wanton cruelty (Isa 10:5, &c.; Jer 50:17; 51:33; Zec 1:15). polluted my inheritance--(Isa 43:28). the ancient--Even old age was disregarded by the Chaldeans, who treated all alike with cruelty (La 4:16; 5:12) [Rosenmuller]. Or, "the ancient" means Israel, worn out with calamities in the latter period of its history (Isa 46:4), as its earlier stage of history is called its "youth" (Isa 54:6; Eze 16:60).

Isaiah 47:7 Verse 7

so that--Through thy vain expectation of being a queen for ever, thou didst advance to such a pitch of insolence as not to believe "these things" (namely, as to thy overthrow, Isa 47:1-5) possible. end of it--namely, of thy insolence, implied in her words, "I shall be a lady for ever."

Isaiah 47:8 Verse 8

given to pleasures--(See on Isa 47:1). In no city were there so many incentives to licentiousness. I am ... none ... beside me--(Isa 47:10). Language of arrogance in man's mouth; fitting for God alone (Isa 45:6). See Isa 5:8, latter part. widow ... loss of children--A state, represented as a female, when it has fallen is called a widow, because its king is no more; and childless, because it has no inhabitants; they having been carried off as captives (Isa 23:4; 54:1, 4, 5; Re 18:7, 8).

Isaiah 47:9 Verse 9

in a moment--It should not decay slowly, but be suddenly and unexpectedly destroyed; in a single night it was taken by Cyrus. The prophecy was again literally fulfilled when Babylon revolted against Darius; and, in order to hold out to the last, each man chose one woman of his family, and strangled the rest, to save provisions. Darius impaled three thousand of the revolters. in ... perfection--that is, "in full measure." for ... for--rather, "notwithstanding the ... notwithstanding"; "in spite of" [Lowth]. So "for" (Nu 14:11). Babylon was famous for "expiations or sacrifices, and other incantations, whereby they tried to avert evil and obtain good" [Diodorus Siculus].

Isaiah 47:10 Verse 10

wickedness--as in Isa 13:11, the cruelty with which Babylon treated its subject states. None seeth me--(Ps 10:11; 94:7). "There is none to exact punishment from me." Sinners are not safe, though seeming secret. Thy wisdom--astrological and political (Isa 19:11, &c., as to Egypt). perverted--turns thee aside from the right and safe path.

Isaiah 47:11 Verse 11

from whence it riseth--Hebrew, "the dawn thereof," that is, its first rising. Evil shall come on thee without the least previous intimation [Rosenmuller]. But dawn is not applied to "evil," but to prosperity shining out after misery (Isa 21:12). Translate, "Thou shall not see any dawn" (of alleviation) [Maurer]. put ... off--rather, as Margin, "remove by expiation"; it shall be never ending. not know--unawares: which thou dost not apprehend. Proving the fallacy of thy divinations and astrology (Job 9:5; Ps 35:8).

Isaiah 47:12 Verse 12

Stand--forth: a scornful challenge to Babylon's magicians to show whether they can defend their city. laboured--The devil's service is a laborious yet fruitless one (Isa 55:2).

Isaiah 47:13 Verse 13

wearied--(compare Isa 57:10; Eze 24:12). astrologers--literally, those who form combinations of the heavens; who watch conjunctions and oppositions of the stars. "Casters of the configurations of the sky" [Horsley]. Gesenius explains it: the dividers of the heavens. In casting a nativity they observed four signs:--the horoscope, or sign which arose at the time one was born; the mid-heaven; the sign opposite the horoscope towards the west; and the hypogee. monthly prognosticators--those who at each new moon profess to tell thereby what is about to happen. Join, not as English Version, "save ... from those things," &c.; but, "They that at new moons make known from (by means of) them the things that shall come upon thee" [Maurer].

Isaiah 47:14 Verse 14

(Isa 29:6; 30:30). not ... a coal--Like stubble, they shall burn to a dead ash, without leaving a live coal or cinder (compare Isa 30:14), so utterly shall they be destroyed.

Isaiah 47:15 Verse 15

Thus, &c.--Such shall be the fate of those astrologers who cost thee such an amount of trouble and money. thy merchants, from thy youth--that is, with whom thou hast trafficked from thy earliest history, the foreigners sojourning in Babylon for the sake of commerce (Isa 13:14; Jer 51:6, 9; Na 3:16, 17) [Barnes]. Rather, the astrologers, with whom Babylon had so many dealings (Isa 47:12-14) [Horsley]. to his quarter--literally, "straight before him" (Eze 1:9, 12). The foreigners, whether soothsayers or merchants, shall flee home out of Babylon (Jer 50:16).

Isaiah 48:1-22 The Things That Befall Babylon Jehovah Predicted Long

before, lest Israel Should Attribute Them, in Its "Obstinate" Perversity, to Strange Gods (Isa 48:1-5).

Isaiah 48:1 Verse 1

the waters of Judah--spring from the fountain of Judah (Nu 24:7; De 33:28; Ps 68:26; Margin). Judah has the "fountain" attributed to it, because it survived the ten tribes, and from it Messiah was to spring. swear by ... Lord--(Isa 19:18; 45:23; 65:16). mention--in prayers and praises. not in truth--(Jer 5:2; Joh 4:24).

Isaiah 48:2 Verse 2

For--Ye deserve these reproofs; "for" ye call yourselves citizens of "the holy city" (Isa 52:1), but not in truth (Isa 48:1; Ne 11:1; Da 9:24); so the inscription on their coins of the time of the Maccabees. "Jerusalem the Holy."

Isaiah 48:3 Verse 3

former--things which have happened in time past to Israel (Isa 42:9; 44:7, 8; 45:21; 46:10). suddenly--They came to pass so unexpectedly that the prophecy could not have resulted from mere human sagacity.

Isaiah 48:4 Verse 4

obstinate--Hebrew, "hard" (De 9:27; Eze 3:7, Margin). iron sinew--inflexible (Ac 7:51). brow brass--shameless as a harlot (see Jer 6:28; 3:3; Eze 3:7, Margin).

Isaiah 48:5 Verse 5

(See on Isa 48:1; Isa 48:3).

Isaiah 48:6 Verse 6

Thou, &c.--So "ye are my witnesses" (Isa 43:10). Thou canst testify the prediction was uttered long before the fulfilment: "see all this," namely, that the event answers to the prophecy. declare--make the fact known as a proof that Jehovah alone is God (Isa 44:8). new things--namely, the deliverance from Babylon by Cyrus, new in contradistinction from former predictions that had been fulfilled (Isa 42:9; 43:19). Antitypically, the prophecy has in view the "new things" of the gospel treasury (So 7:13; Mt 13:52; 2Co 5:17; Re 21:5). From this point forward, the prophecies as to Messiah's first and second advents and the restoration of Israel, have a new circumstantial distinctness, such as did not characterize the previous ones, even of Isaiah. Babylon, in this view, answers to the mystical Babylon of

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Righteousness See [535]JUSTIFICATION. Everlasting Eternal, applied to God (Gen. 21:33; Deut. 33:27; Ps. 41:13;… Salvation This word is used of the deliverance of the Israelites… Captivity (1.) Of Israel. The kingdom of the ten tribes was… Goldsmith (Neh. 3:8, 32; Isa. 40:19; 41:7; 46:6). The word so… Redeemer Heb. goel; i.e., one charged with the duty of restoring… Forehead The practice common among Oriental nations of colouring the forehead… Darkness The plague (the ninth) of darkness in Egypt (Ex. 10:21)… Daughter This word, besides its natural and proper sense, is used… Sabeans Descendants of Seba (Gen. 10:7); Africans (Isa. 43:3). They were… Furnace (1.) Chald. attun, a large furnace with a wide open… Measure Several words are so rendered in the Authorized Version. (1.)… Babylon The Greek form of BABEL; Semitic form Babilu, meaning "The… Worship Homage rendered to God which it is sinful (idolatry) to… Father A name applied (1) to any ancestor (Deut. 1:11; 1… Chosen Spoken of warriors (Ex. 15:4; Judg. 20:16), of the Hebrew… Throne (Heb. kiss'e), a royal chair or seat of dignity (Deut.… Silver Used for a great variety of purposes, as may be…

Isaiah 45-48

Isaiah 45

Isaiah 46

Isaiah 47

Isaiah 48

Study and Reflection

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary

Key Words and Topics

Key Words in This Passage

Related Topics

Afflictions and Adversities: Dispensation of God Isaiah 45:7

Afflictions and Adversities: Unclassified Scriptures Relating To Isaiah 48:10

Afflictions Made Beneficial in Purifying Us Isaiah 48:10

Afflictions: God Dispenses, As he Will Isaiah 45:7

Africa Isaiah 45:14

Age Isaiah 46:4

Aging Isaiah 46:3, 4

Alpha: Compare Isaiah 48:12

Amusements and Worldly Pleasures: A Characteristic of the Wicked Isaiah 47:8

Anger: Anger of God Isaiah 48:9

Anointing in Consecration: Cyrus Isaiah 45:1

Astrology: General Scriptures Concerning Isaiah 47:13

Astronomy: General Scriptures Concerning Isaiah 47:13

Awesome God Isaiah 45:7

Babylon was Called: Lady of Kingdoms Isaiah 47:5

Babylon: As a Power Was: An Instrument of God's Vengeance on Other Nations Isaiah 47:6

Babylon: As a Power Was: Cruel and Destructive Isaiah 47:6

Babylon: As a Power Was: Grand and Stately Isaiah 47:1, 5

Babylon: As a Power Was: Secure and Self-Confident Isaiah 47:7, 8

Babylon: City of Gates of Isaiah 45:1, 2

Babylon: City of Prophecies Concerning Isaiah 46:1, 2

Babylon: Empire of Prophetic Denunciations Against Isaiah 47:1

Babylon: Inhabitants of Addicted to Magic Isaiah 47:9, 12, 13

Babylon: Inhabitants of Wicked Isaiah 47:10

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