1Wer ist das, der vom Rotland kommt bespritzt die Kleider von der Lese? Er, machtvoll im Gewand im Amtskleid, in der Fülle seiner Macht? Ich bins, der redet in Gerechtigkeit zu helfen mächtig. 2Warum ist Rot dir am Gewand sind deine Kleider wie des Keltertreters? 3Getreten hab ich Kelter, ich allein und von den Völkern war kein Mann mit mir da trat ich sie in meinem Zorn und stampfte sie in meinem Grimm da spritzt ihr Saft auf meine Kleider all mein Gewand hab ich besudelt. 4Denn Tag der Rache ist in meinem Herzen das Jahr für meine Bluterlösung ist gekommen. 5Da schaut ich - war kein Helfer ich starrte hin - und niemand stützt so half mein Arm mir mein Grimm, der stützte mich. 6Und ich zertrat in meinem Zorn die Völker berauschte sie mit meinem Grimm und ließ zur Erde rinnen ihr Gespritz. 7Des Ewgen Liebe will ich preisen des Ewgen Ruhmeswerke nach alledem, was uns der Ewige erwiesen das reiche Gute für Haus Jisraël das ihnen er erwies durch sein Erbarmen und nach der Fülle seiner Liebe. 8Da sprach er: Sind mein Volk sind Kinder, die man nicht verleugnet; so ward er ihnen Helfer. 9In aller ihrer Drängnis drängt es ihn durch seinen eignen Boten half er ihnen in seiner Liebe, seiner Güte löste er sie und nahm sie auf und höhte sie allewige Tage. 10Sie aber trotzten, kränkten seinen heiligen Geist; so wandelt er zum Feind sich ihnen bekämpft er sie. 11Und er gedacht der Urzeittage des Retters seines Volkes: Wo ist, der sie heraufgeführt vom Meer der Hirte seiner Herde wo, der ins Innre ihr gelegt seinen heiligen Geist 12der ziehen ließ zu Mosches Rechten seinen prangenden Arm die Wasser spaltete vor ihnen um ewgen Namen sich zu schaffen 13der sie durch Fluten schreiten ließ wie das Roß in der Steppe sie stürzten nicht. 14Gleich Vieh, das in das Tal hinabsteigt führt es des Ewgen Geist zur Ruh so führtest du dein Volk um stolzen Namen dir zu schaffen. 15Blick her vom Himmel, sieh von deinem heilig-herrlichen Palaste wo ist dein Eifern, deine Heldenkraft? Das Wallen deines Mutes, dein Erbarmen sind mir sie verhalten? 16Du bist ja unser Vater; denn Abraham weiß nicht von uns und Jisraël, er kennt uns nicht du, Ewiger, bist unser Vater ,Erlöser uns von Urzeit' ist dein Name. 17Warum, o Ewger, ließest du uns irren von deinen Wegen ließt abgehn unser Herz von deiner Furcht? Kehr um um deiner Knechte willen der Stämme deines Erbguts. 18Nur ein Geringes eignet' es dein heilges Volk geschändet haben unsre Dränger dir dein Heiligtum. 19Wir wurden, als ob nie du über uns geherrscht wie über die dein Name nie genannt. Ach, daß die Himmel du zerrissest herabstiegst, und vor deinem Antlitz die Berge zerflossen.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 MESSIAH COMING AS THE AVENGER, IN ANSWER TO HIS PEOPLE'S PRAYERS. (Isa. 63:1-19)
Who--the question of the prophet in prophetic vision.
dyed--scarlet with blood (
Isa 63:2-
Isa 63:3;
Rev 19:13).
Bozrah--(See on
Isa 34:6).
travelling--rather, stately; literally, "throwing back the head" [GESENIUS].
speak in righteousness--answer of Messiah. I, who have in faithfulness given a promise of deliverance, am now about to fulfil it. Rather, speak of righteousness (
Isa 45:19;
Isa 46:13); salvation being meant as the result of His "righteousness" [MAURER].
save--The same Messiah that destroys the unbeliever saves the believer.
2 The prophet asks why His garments are "dyed" and "red."
winefat--rather, the "wine-press," wherein the grapes were trodden with the feet; the juice would stain the garment of him who trod them (
Rev 14:19-
Rev 14:20;
Rev 19:15). The image was appropriate, as the country round Bozrah abounded in grapes. This final blow inflicted by Messiah and His armies (
Rev 19:13-
Rev 19:15) shall decide His claim to the kingdoms u surped by Satan, and by the "beast," to whom Satan delegates his power. It will be a day of judgment to the hostile Gentiles, as His first coming was a day of judgment to the unbelieving Jews.
3 Reply of Messiah. For the image, see
Lam 1:15. He "treads the wine-press" here not as a sufferer, but as an inflicter of vengeance.
will tread . . . shall be . . . will stain--rather preterites, "I trod . . . trampled . . . was sprinkled . . . I stained."
blood--literally, "spirited juice" of the grape, pressed out by treading [GESENIUS].
4 is--rather, "was." This assigns the reason why He has thus destroyed the foe (
Zeph 3:8).
my redeemed--My people to be redeemed.
day . . . year--here, as in
Isa 34:8;
Isa 61:2, the time of "vengeance" is described as a "day"; that of grace and of "recompense" to the "redeemed," as a "year."
5 The same words as in
Isa 59:16, except that there it is His "righteousness," here it is His "fury," which is said to have upheld Him.
6 Rather, preterites, "I trod down . . . made them drunk." The same image occurs
Isa 51:17,
Isa 51:21-
Isa 51:23;
Ps 75:8;
Jer 25:26-
Jer 25:27.
will bring down . . . strength to . . . earth--rather, "I spilled their life-blood (the same Hebrew words as in
Isa 63:3) on the earth" [LOWTH and Septuagint].
7 Israel's penitential confession and prayer for restoration (
Ps 102:17,
Ps 102:20), extending from Isa. 63:7-64:12.
loving-kindnesses . . . praises . . . mercies . . . loving-kindnesses--The plurals and the repetitions imply that language is inadequate to express the full extent of God's goodness.
us--the dispersed Jews at the time just preceding their final restoration.
house of Israel--of all ages; God was good not merely to the Jews now dispersed, but to Israel in every age of its history.
8 he--Jehovah "said," that is, thought, in choosing them as His covenant-people; so "said" (
Ps 95:10). Not that God was ignorant that the Jews would not keep faith with Him; but God is here said, according to human modes of thought to say within Himself what He might naturally have expected, as the result of His goodness to the Jews; thus the enormity of their unnatural perversity is the more vividly set forth.
lie--prove false to Me (compare
Ps 44:17).
so--in virtue of His having chosen them, He became their Saviour. So the "therefore" (
Jer 31:33). His eternal choice is the ground of His actually saving men (
Eph 1:3-
Eph 1:4).
9 he was afflicted--English Version reads the Hebrew as the Keri (Margin), does, "There was affliction to Him." But the Chetib (text) reads, "There was no affliction" (the change in Hebrew being only of one letter); that is, "In all their affliction there was no (utterly overwhelming) affliction" [GESENIUS]; or, for "Hardly had an affliction befallen them, when the angel of His presence saved them" [MAURER]; or, as best suits the parallelism, "In all their straits there was no straitness in His goodness to them" [HOUBIGANT], (
Judg 10:16;
Mic 2:7;
2Cor 6:12).
angel of his presence--literally, "of His face," that is, who stands before Him continually; Messiah (
Exod 14:19;
Exod 23:20-
Exod 23:21;
Pro 8:30), language applicable to no creature (
Exod 32:34;
Exod 33:2,
Exod 33:14;
Num 20:16;
Mal 3:1).
bare them-- (
Isa 46:3-
Isa 46:4;
Isa 40:11;
Exod 19:4;
Deut 32:11-
Deut 32:12).
10 vexed--grieved (
Ps 78:40;
Ps 95:10;
Acts 7:51;
Eph 4:30;
Heb 3:10,
Heb 3:17).
he fought--rather, "He it was that fought," namely, the angel of His presence [HORSLEY], (
Lam 2:5).
11 remembered--Notwithstanding their perversity, He forgot not His covenant of old; therefore He did not wholly forsake them (
Lev 26:40-
Lev 26:42,
Lev 26:44-
Lev 26:45;
Ps 106:45-
Ps 106:46); the Jews make this their plea with God, that He should not now forsake them.
saying--God is represented, in human language, mentally speaking of Himself and His former acts of love to Israel, as His ground for pitying them notwithstanding their rebellion.
sea--Red Sea.
shepherd--Moses; or if the Hebrew be read plural, "shepherds," Moses, Aaron, and the other leaders (so
Ps 77:20).
put . . . Spirit . . . within him--Hebrew, "in the inward parts of him," that is, Moses; or it refers to the flock, "in the midst of his people" (
Num 11:17,
Num 11:25;
Neh 9:20;
Hag 2:5).
12 The right hand of Moses was but the instrument; the arm of God was the real mover (
Exod 15:6;
Exod 14:21).
dividing the water-- (
Neh 9:11;
Ps 78:13).
13 deep--literally, "the tossing and roaring sea."
wilderness--rather, the "open plain" [HORSLEY], wherein there is no obstacle to cause a horse in its course the danger of stumbling.
14 As a beast . . . rest--image from a herd led "down" from the hills to a fertile and well-watered "valley" (
Ps 23:2); so God's Spirit "caused Israel to rest" in the promised land after their weary wanderings.
to make . . . name--(So
Isa 63:12;
2Sam 7:23).
15 Here begins a fervent appeal to God to pity Israel now on the ground of His former benefits.
habitation of . . . holiness-- (
Isa 57:15;
Deut 26:15;
2Chr 30:27;
Ps 33:14;
Ps 80:14).
zeal . . . strength--evinced formerly for Thy people.
sounding of . . . bowels--Thine emotions of compassion (
Isa 16:11;
Jer 31:20;
Jer 48:36;
Hos 11:8).
16 thou . . . father--of Israel, by right not merely of creation, but also of electing adoption (
Isa 64:8;
Deut 32:6;
1Chr 29:10).
though Abraham . . . Israel--It had been the besetting temptation of the Jews to rest on the mere privilege of their descent from faithful Abraham and Jacob (
Matt 3:9;
John 8:39;
John 4:12); now at last they renounce this, to trust in God alone as their Father, notwithstanding all appearances to the contrary. Even though Abraham, our earthly father, on whom we have prided ourselves, disown us, Thou wilt not (
Isa 49:15;
Ps 27:10). Isaac is not mentioned, because not all his posterity was admitted to the covenant, whereas all Jacob's was; Abraham is specified because he was the first father of the Jewish race.
everlasting--an argument why He should help them, namely, because of His everlasting immutability.
17 made us to err--that is, "suffer" us to err and to be hardened in our heart. They do not mean to deny their own blameworthiness, but confess that through their own fault God gave them over to a reprobate mind (
Isa 6:9-
Isa 6:10;
Ps 119:10;
Rom 1:28).
Return-- (
Num 10:36;
Ps 90:13).
18 people of . . . holiness--Israel dedicated as holy unto God (
Isa 62:12;
Deut 7:6).
possessed--namely, the Holy Land, or Thy "sanctuary," taken from the following clause, which is parallel to this (compare
Isa 64:10-
Isa 64:11;
Ps 74:6-
Ps 74:8).
thy--an argument why God should help them; their cause is His cause.
19 thine . . . never--rather, "We are Thine from of old; Thou barest not rule over them" [BARNES]. LOWTH translates, "We for long have been as those over whom Thou hast not ruled, who are not called by Thy name"; "for long" thus stands in contrast to "but a little while" (
Isa 63:18). But the analogy of
Isa 63:18 makes it likely that the first clause in this verse refers to the Jews, and the second to their foes, as English Version and BARNES translate it. The Jews' foes are aliens who have unjustly intruded into the Lord's heritage.