1Kdo to přichází z Edomu, z Bosry, v zářivém šatě, nádherně zahalený ve svém plášti, a jde kupředu v plnosti své síly? „Jsem to já, jenž mluvím spravedlivě a mám moc, abych zachraňoval.“ 2- Proč ta červeň na tvém plášti, proč jsi oblečený jako ten, kdo šlape v lisu? 3- Sám jsem šlapal v kádi a z mužů mého lidu se mnou nebyl ani jeden. A tak jsem je pošlapal ve svém hněvu, dupal jsem po nich ve svém rozlícení, jejich krev vystřikovala na můj šat a potřísnil jsem si celý oděv. 4Neboť mám v srdci den hněvu, přichází rok mé odplaty. 5Dívám se: není nikdo, kdo by mi pomohl! Ukazuji svou úzkost: není nikdo, kdo by mě podpořil! Tu mi přišla na pomoc má paže, podpořila mě má rozlícenost. 6Rozdrtil jsem ve svém hněvu národy, roztříštil jsem je ve své rozlícenosti a způsobil jsem, že na zem crčela jejich krev. 7Jahvovy milosti budu oslavovat, Jahvovy chvály, za všechno, co pro nás Jahve vykonal, za jeho velkou dobrotu vůči Izraelovu domu, za všechno, co vykonal ve svém milosrdenství, za hojnost jeho milostí. 8Vždyť on řekl: „Zajisté, je to můj lid, synové, kteří mě nezklamou“; a byl pro ně zachráncem. 9Ve všech jejich úzkostech, ne snad posel nebo anděl, nýbrž jeho tvář je zachránila. Ve své lásce a svém slitování je vykoupil on, ujal se jich a nesl je po všechny minulé dny. 10Ale oni se bouřili a hněvali jeho svatého Ducha. Proto si je zošklivil a dokonce proti nim sám bojoval. 11Rozpomenul se však na minulé dny, na svého služebníka Mojžíše. Kde je ten, jenž je zachránil z moře, pastýř svého stáda? Kde je ten, jenž vkládal do jejich středu svého svatého Ducha? 12Ten, jenž provázel Mojžíšovu pravici svou proslavenou paží, jenž před nimi rozpoltil vody, aby si získal věčnou proslulost; 13jenž je provedl propastmi, jako když probíhá kůň pouští; oni neklopýtali o nic víc 14než zvíře, jež schází do údolí; Jahvův Duch je vedl k odpočinku. Tak jsi vodil svůj lid, aby sis získal slavné jméno. 15Shlédni z nebe a viz, ze svého svatého a slavného příbytku. Kde je tvá žárlivost a tvá moc? Chvění tvých útrob a tvé slitování nade mnou jsou potlačeny? 16Přece jsi náš otec. I když nás nepoznal Abrahám, i když si na nás už nevzpomíná Izrael, ty, Jahve, jsi náš otec, náš vykupitel, to je tvé jméno odevždy. 17Proč jen nás, Jahve, necháváš bloudit daleko od svých cest a zatvrzuješ naše srdce, že odmítáme bázeň před tebou? Vrať se kvůli svým služebníkům a kmenům svého dědictví. 18Velmi krátce se tvůj svatý lid těšil ze svého dědictví, naši nepřátelé podupali tvou svatyni. 19Jsme již dlouho lidé, nad nimiž už nevládneš a kteří už nenosí tvé jméno. Ach! Kdybys tak roztrhl nebesa a sestoupil - před tvou tváří by se otřásly hory;
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 (
Is 63:2-
Is 63:3;
Ap 19:13).
Bozrah--(See on
Is 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 (
Is 45:19;
Is 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 (
Ap 14:19-
Ap 14:20;
Ap 19:15). The image was appropriate, as the country round Bozrah abounded in grapes. This final blow inflicted by Messiah and His armies (
Ap 19:13-
Ap 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
Lm 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 (
Sof 3:8).
my redeemed--My people to be redeemed.
day . . . year--here, as in
Is 34:8;
Is 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
Is 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
Is 51:17,
Is 51:21-
Is 51:23;
Sal 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
Is 63:3) on the earth" [LOWTH and Septuagint].
7 Israel's penitential confession and prayer for restoration (
Sal 102:17,
Sal 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" (
Sal 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
Sal 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 (
Ef 1:3-
Ef 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], (
Jue 10:16;
Mi 2:7;
2Co 6:12).
angel of his presence--literally, "of His face," that is, who stands before Him continually; Messiah (
Ex 14:19;
Ex 23:20-
Ex 23:21;
Pr 8:30), language applicable to no creature (
Ex 32:34;
Ex 33:2,
Ex 33:14;
Nm 20:16;
Mal 3:1).
bare them-- (
Is 46:3-
Is 46:4;
Is 40:11;
Ex 19:4;
Dt 32:11-
Dt 32:12).
10 vexed--grieved (
Sal 78:40;
Sal 95:10;
Hch 7:51;
Ef 4:30;
He 3:10,
He 3:17).
he fought--rather, "He it was that fought," namely, the angel of His presence [HORSLEY], (
Lm 2:5).
11 remembered--Notwithstanding their perversity, He forgot not His covenant of old; therefore He did not wholly forsake them (
Lv 26:40-
Lv 26:42,
Lv 26:44-
Lv 26:45;
Sal 106:45-
Sal 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
Sal 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" (
Nm 11:17,
Nm 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 (
Ex 15:6;
Ex 14:21).
dividing the water-- (
Neh 9:11;
Sal 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" (
Sal 23:2); so God's Spirit "caused Israel to rest" in the promised land after their weary wanderings.
to make . . . name--(So
Is 63:12;
2S 7:23).
15 Here begins a fervent appeal to God to pity Israel now on the ground of His former benefits.
habitation of . . . holiness-- (
Is 57:15;
Dt 26:15;
2Cr 30:27;
Sal 33:14;
Sal 80:14).
zeal . . . strength--evinced formerly for Thy people.
sounding of . . . bowels--Thine emotions of compassion (
Is 16:11;
Jer 31:20;
Jer 48:36;
Os 11:8).
16 thou . . . father--of Israel, by right not merely of creation, but also of electing adoption (
Is 64:8;
Dt 32:6;
1Cr 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 (
Mt 3:9;
Jn 8:39;
Jn 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 (
Is 49:15;
Sal 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 (
Is 6:9-
Is 6:10;
Sal 119:10;
Rm 1:28).
Return-- (
Nm 10:36;
Sal 90:13).
18 people of . . . holiness--Israel dedicated as holy unto God (
Is 62:12;
Dt 7:6).
possessed--namely, the Holy Land, or Thy "sanctuary," taken from the following clause, which is parallel to this (compare
Is 64:10-
Is 64:11;
Sal 74:6-
Sal 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" (
Is 63:18). But the analogy of
Is 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.