1Wendet euch schweigend zu mir, ihr Inseln; und die Völkerschaften mögen neue Kraft gewinnen; sie mögen herannahen, dann mögen sie reden; laßt uns miteinander vor Gericht treten! 2Wer hat vom Aufgang her den erweckt, welchem Gerechtigkeit auf Schritt und Tritt begegnet? Er gab Nationen vor ihm dahin und ließ ihn Könige unterjochen, machte sie wie Staub vor seinem Schwerte, wie fortgetriebene Stoppeln vor seinem Bogen. 3Er verfolgte sie, zog hin in Frieden einen Weg, den er mit seinen Füßen nie gegangen war. 4Wer hat es gewirkt und getan? Der die Geschlechter ruft von Anbeginn. Ich, Jehova, bin der Erste, und bei den Letzten bin ich derselbe. 5Die Inseln sahen es und fürchteten sich, es erbebten die Enden der Erde; sie näherten sich und kamen herbei: 6Einer half dem anderen und sprach zu seinem Bruder: Sei mutig! 7Und der Künstler ermutigte den Schmelzer, der mit dem Hammer glättet ermutigte den, der auf den Amboß schlägt, und sprach von der Lötung: sie ist gut; und er befestigte es mit Nägeln, daß es nicht wanke. 8Du aber, Israel, mein Knecht, Jakob, den ich erwählt habe, Same Abrahams, meines Freundes; 9du, den ich ergriffen von den Enden der Erde und von ihren fernsten Gegenden her gerufen habe, und zu welchem ich sprach: Du bist mein Knecht, ich habe dich erwählt und nicht verschmäht - 10fürchte dich nicht, denn ich bin mit dir; schaue nicht ängstlich umher, denn ich bin dein Gott; ich stärke dich, ja, ich helfe dir, ja, ich stütze dich mit der Rechten meiner Gerechtigkeit. 11Siehe, es sollen beschämt und zu Schanden werden alle, die wider dich entbrannt sind; es sollen wie nichts werden und umkommen deine Widersacher. 12Du wirst sie suchen und nicht finden, die Männer, die mit dir hadern; wie nichts und wie Nichtigkeit sollen die Männer werden, die dich bekriegen. 13Denn ich, Jehova, dein Gott, ergreife deine Rechte, der ich zu dir spreche: Fürchte dich nicht, ich helfe dir! - 14Fürchte dich nicht, du Wurm Jakob, du Häuflein Israel; ich helfe dir, spricht Jehova, und dein Erlöser ist der Heilige Israels. 15Siehe, ich habe dich zu einem scharfen, neuen Dreschschlitten gemacht, mit Doppelschneiden versehen: du wirst Berge dreschen und zermalmen, und Hügel der Spreu gleich machen; 16du wirst sie worfeln, daß der Wind sie entführt und der Sturm sie zerstreut. Du aber, du wirst in Jehova frohlocken und in dem Heiligen Israels dich rühmen. - 17Die Elenden und die Armen, welche nach Wasser suchen, und keines ist da, deren Zunge vor Durst vertrocknet: ich, Jehova, werde sie erhören, ich, der Gott Israels, werde sie nicht verlassen. 18Ich werde Ströme hervorbrechen lassen auf den kahlen Höhen, und Quellen inmitten der Talebenen; ich werde die Wüste zum Wasserteich machen, und das dürre Land zu Wasserquellen. 19Ich werde Cedern in die Wüste setzen, Akazien und Myrten und Olivenbäume, werde in die Steppe pflanzen Cypressen, Platanen und Scherbincedern miteinander; 20damit sie sehen und erkennen und zu Herzen nehmen und verstehen allzumal, daß die Hand Jehovas dieses getan und der Heilige Israels es geschaffen hat. 21Bringet eure Rechtssache vor, spricht Jehova; bringet eure Beweisgründe herbei, spricht der König Jakobs. 22Sie mögen herbeibringen und uns verkünden, was sich ereignen wird: das Zunächstkommende, was es sein wird, verkündet, damit wir es zu Herzen nehmen und dessen Ausgang wissen; oder laßt uns das Künftige hören, 23verkündet das späterhin Kommende, damit wir erkennen, daß ihr Götter seid! Ja, tut Gutes oder tut Böses, damit wir uns gegenseitig anblicken und miteinander es sehen. 24Siehe, ihr seid nichts, und euer Tun ist Nichtigkeit; ein Greuel ist, wer euch erwählt. 25Ich habe ihn von Norden her erweckt, und er kam herbei - von Sonnenaufgang her den, der meinen Namen anruft. Und er tritt auf Fürsten wie auf Lehm, und wie ein Töpfer, welcher Ton zerknetet. 26Wer hat es verkündet von Anbeginn, daß wir es wüßten? und von ehedem, daß wir sagen könnten: Es ist recht! Ja, da war keiner, der es verkündete, ja, keiner, der es hören ließ, ja, keiner, der eure Worte gehört hätte. 27Als Erster habe ich zu Zion gesagt: Siehe, siehe, da ist es! Und Jerusalem will ich einen Freudenboten geben! 28Und ich sah hin: und da war niemand, und unter diesen war kein Bescheidgeber, daß ich sie hätte fragen können, und sie mir Antwort gegeben hätten. 29Siehe, sie allesamt - Eitelkeit, Nichtigkeit sind ihre Machwerke, Wind und Leere ihre gegossenen Bilder.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 ADDITIONAL REASONS WHY THE JEWS SHOULD PLACE CONFIDENCE IN GOD'S PROMISES OF DELIVERING THEM; HE WILL RAISE UP A PRINCE AS THEIR DELIVERER, WHEREAS THE IDOLS COULD NOT DELIVER THE HEATHEN NATIONS FROM THAT PRINCE. (Isa. 41:1-29)
(
Zech 2:13). God is about to argue the case; therefore let the nations listen in reverential silence. Compare
Gen 28:16-
Gen 28:17, as to the spirit in which we ought to behave before God.
before me--rather (turning), "towards me" [MAURER].
islands--including all regions beyond sea (
Jer 25:22), maritime regions, not merely isles in the strict sense.
renew . . . strength--Let them gather their strength for the argument; let them adduce their strongest arguments (compare
Isa 1:18;
Job 9:32). "Judgment" means here, to decide the point at issue between us.
2 Who--else but God? The fact that God "raiseth up" Cyrus and qualifies him for becoming the conqueror of the nations and deliverer of God's people, is a strong argument why they should trust in Him. The future is here prophetically represented as present or past.
the righteous man--Cyrus; as
Isa 44:28;
Isa 45:1-
Isa 45:4,
Isa 45:13;
Isa 46:11, "from the East," prove. Called "righteous," not so much on account of his own equity [HERODOTUS, 3.89], as because he fulfilled God's righteous will in restoring the Jews from their unjust captivity. Raised him up in righteousness. The Septuagint takes the Hebrew as a noun "righteousness." MAURER translates, "Who raised up him whom salvation (national and temporal, the gift of God's 'righteousness' to the good,
Isa 32:17; compare
Isa 45:8;
Isa 51:5) meets at his foot" (that is, wherever he goes). Cyrus is said to come from the East, because Persia is east of Babylon; but in
Isa 41:25, from the north, in reference to Media. At the same time the full sense of righteousness, or righteous, and of the whole passage, is realized only in Messiah, Cyrus' antitype (Cyrus knew not God,
Isa 45:4). He goes forth as the Universal Conqueror of the "nations," in righteousness making war (
Ps 2:8-
Ps 2:9;
Rev 19:11-
Rev 19:15;
Rev 6:2;
Rev 2:26-
Rev 2:27). "The idols He shall utterly abolish" (compare
Isa 7:23, with
Isa 2:18). Righteousness was always raised up from the East. Paradise was east of Eden. The cherubim were at the east of the garden. Abraham was called from the East. Judea, the birthplace of Messiah, was in the East.
called . . . to . . . foot--called him to attend His (God's) steps, that is, follow His guidance. In
Ezra 1:2, Cyrus acknowledges Jehovah as the Giver of his victories. He subdued the nations from the Euxine to the Red Sea, and even Egypt (says XENOPHON).
dust-- (
Isa 17:13;
Isa 29:5;
Ps 18:42). Persia, Cyrus' country, was famed for the use of the "bow" (
Isa 22:6). "Before him" means "gave them into his power" (
Josh 10:12). MAURER translates, "Gave his (the enemy's) sword to be dust, and his (the enemy's) bow to be as stubble" (
Job 41:26,
Job 41:29).
3 Cyrus had not visited the regions of the Euphrates and westward until he visited them for conquest. So the gospel conquests penetrated regions where the name of God was unknown before.
4 Who--else but God?
calling . . . generations from . . . beginning--The origin and position of all nations are from God (
Deut 32:8;
Acts 17:26); what is true of Cyrus and his conquests is true of all the movements of history from the first; all are from God.
with the last--that is, the last (
Isa 44:6;
Isa 48:12).
5 feared--that they would be subdued.
drew near, and came--together, for mutual defense.
6 Be of good courage--Be not alarmed because of Cyrus, but make new images to secure the favor of the gods against him.
7 One workman encourages the other to be quick in finishing the idol, so as to avert the impending danger.
nails--to keep it steady in its place. Wisdom 13:15, 16, gives a similar picture of the folly of idolatry.
8 Contrast between the idolatrous nations whom God will destroy by Cyrus, and Israel whom God will deliver by the same man for their forefathers' sake.
servant--so termed as being chosen by God to worship Him themselves, and to lead other peoples to do the same (
Isa 45:4).
Jacob . . . chosen-- (
Ps 135:4).
my friend--literally, "loving me."
9 Abraham, the father of the Jews, taken from the remote Ur of the Chaldees. Others take it of Israel, called out of Egypt (
Deut 4:37;
Hos 11:1).
from the chief men--literally, "the elbows"; so the joints; hence the root which joins the tree to the earth; figuratively, those of ancient and noble stock. But the parallel clause "ends of the earth" favors GESENIUS, who translates, "the extremities of the earth"; so JEROME.
10 be not dismayed--literally, anxiously to look at one another in dismay.
right hand of my righteousness--that is, My right hand prepared in accordance with My righteousness (faithfulness to My promises) to uphold thee.
11 ashamed--put to the shame of defeat (compare
Isa 54:17;
Rom 9:33).
12 seek . . . and . . . not find--said of one so utterly put out of the way that not a trace of him can be found (
Ps 37:36).
thing of naught--shall utterly perish.
13 (
Deut 33:26,
Deut 33:29).
14 worm--in a state of contempt and affliction, whom all loathe and tread on, the very expression which Messiah, on the cross, applies to Himself (
Ps 22:6), so completely are the Lord and His people identified and assimilated. God's people are as 'worms' in humble thoughts of themselves, and in their enemies' haughty thoughts of them; worms, but not vipers, or of the serpent's seed." [HENRY].
men--The parallelism requires the word "men" here to have associated with it the idea of fewness or feebleness. LOWTH translates, "Ye mortals of Israel." The Septuagint, "altogether diminutive." MAURER supports English Version, which the Hebrew text best accord with.
the Lord--in general.
and thy redeemer--in particular; a still stronger reason why He should "help" them.
15 God will make Israel to destroy their enemies as the Eastern corn-drag (
Isa 28:27-
Isa 28:28) bruises out the grain with its teeth, and gives the chaff to the winds to scatter.
teeth--serrated, so as to cut up the straw for fodder and separate the grain from the chaff.
mountains . . . hills--kingdoms more or less powerful that were hostile to Israel (
Isa 2:14).
16 fan--winnowed (compare
Matt 3:12).
whirlwind . . . scatter them-- (
Job 27:21;
Job 30:22).
17 poor and needy--primarily, the exiles in Babylon.
water--figuratively, refreshment, prosperity after their affliction. The language is so constructed as only very partially to apply to the local and temporary event of the restoration from Babylon; but fully to be realized in the waters of life and of the Spirit, under the Gospel (
Isa 30:25;
Isa 44:3;
John 7:37-
John 7:39;
John 4:14). God wrought no miracles that we read of, in any wilderness, during the return from Babylon.
faileth--rather, "is rigid" or parched [HORSLEY].
18 Alluding to the waters with which Israel was miraculously supplied in the desert after having come out of Egypt.
high places--bare of trees, barren, and unwatered (
Jer 4:11;
Jer 14:6). "High places . . . valleys" spiritually express that in all circumstances, whether elevated or depressed, God's people will have refreshment for their souls, however little to be expected it might seem.
19 (
Isa 32:15;
Isa 55:13).
shittah--rather, the "acacia," or Egyptian thorn, from which the gum Arabic is obtained [LOWTH].
oil tree--the olive.
fir tree--rather, the "cypress": grateful by its shade.
pine--GESENIUS translates, "the holm."
box tree--not the shrub used for bordering flower beds, but [GESENIUS] a kind of cedar, remarkable for the smallness of its cones, and the upward direction of its branches.
20 consider--literally, "lay it (to hear)"; turn (their attention) to it. "They" refers to all lands (
Isa 41:1;
Ps 64:9;
Ps 40:3). The effect on the Gentiles of God's open interposition hereafter in behalf of Israel shall be, they shall seek Israel's God (
Isa 2:3;
Zech 8:21-
Zech 8:23).
21 A new challenge to the idolaters (see
Isa 41:1,
Isa 41:7) to say, can their idols predict future events as Jehovah can (
Isa 41:22-
Isa 41:25, &c.)?
your strong reasons--the reasons for idol-worship which you think especially strong.
22 what shall happen--"Let them bring near and declare future contingencies" [HORSLEY].
former things . . . the latter end of them--show what former predictions the idols have given, that we may compare the event ("latter end") with them; or give new prophecies ("declare things to come") (
Isa 42:9), [MAURER]. BARNES explains it more reconditely, "Let them foretell the entire series of events, showing, in their order, the things which shall first occur, as well as those which shall finally happen"; the false prophets tried to predict isolated events, having no mutual dependency; not a long series of events mutually and orderly connected, and stretching far into futurity. They did not even try to do this. None but God can do it (
Isa 46:10;
Isa 44:7-
Isa 44:8). "Or . . . things to come" will, in this view, mean, Let them, if they cannot predict the series, even predict plainly any detached events.
23 do good . . . evil--give any proof at all of your power, either to reward your friends or punish your enemies (
Ps 115:2-
Ps 115:8).
that we may be dismayed, and behold it together--MAURER translates, "That we (Jehovah and the idols) may look one another in the face (that is, encounter one another,
2Kgs 14:8,
2Kgs 14:11), and see" our respective powers by a trial. HORSLEY translates, "Then the moment we behold, we shall be dismayed." "We" thus, and in English Version, refers to Jehovah and His worshippers.
24 of nothing--(See on
Isa 40:17). The Hebrew text is here corrupt; so English Version treats it.
abomination--abstract for concrete: not merely abominable, but the essence of whatever is so (
Deut 18:12).
chooseth you--as an object of worship.
25 raised up--in purpose: not fulfilled till a hundred fifty years afterwards.
north--In
Isa 41:2, "from the East"; both are true: see the note there.
call . . . my name--acknowledge Me as God, and attribute his success to Me; this he did in the proclamation (
Ezra 1:2). This does not necessarily imply that Cyrus renounced idolatry, but hearing of Isaiah's prophecy given a hundred fifty years before, so fully realized in his own acts, he recognized God as the true God, but retained his idol (so Naaman, 2Ki. 5:1-27; compare
2Kgs 17:33,
2Kgs 17:41;
Dan 3:28;
Dan 4:1-
Dan 4:3,
Dan 4:34-
Dan 4:37).
princes--the Babylonian satraps or governors of provinces.
mortar--"mire"; He shall tread them under foot as dirt (
Isa 10:6).
26 Who--of the idolatrous soothsayers? When this prophecy shall be fulfilled, all shall see that God foretold as to Cyrus, which none of the soothsayers have.
beforetime--before the event occurred.
He is righteous--rather, "It is true"; it was a true prophecy, as the event shows. "He is righteous," in English Version, must be interpreted, The fulfilment of the idol's words proves that he is faithful.
showeth, &c.--rather, "there was none (of the soothsayers) that showed . . . declared--no one has heard your words" foretelling the event.
27 Rather, "I first will give to Zion and to Jerusalem the messenger of good tidings, Behold, behold them!" The clause, "Behold . . . them" (the wished-for event is now present) is inserted in the middle of the sentence as a detached exclamation, by an elegant transposition, the language being framed abruptly, as one would speak in putting vividly as it were, before the eyes of others, some joyous event which he had just learned [LUDOVICUS DE DIEU] (compare
Isa 40:9). None of the idols had foretold these events. Jehovah was the "first" to do so (see
Isa 41:4).
28 no counsellor--no one of the idolatrous soothsayers who could inform (
Num 24:14) those who consulted them what would take place. Compare "counsel of His messenger" (
Isa 44:26).
when I asked--that is, challenged them, in this chapter.
29 confusion--"emptiness" [BARNES].
God's description of His character (
Isa 42:1-
Isa 42:4). God addresses Him directly (
Isa 42:5-
Isa 42:7). Address to the people to attend to the subject (
Isa 42:8-
Isa 42:9). Call to all, and especially the exile Jews to rejoice in the coming deliverance (Isa. 42:10-25).