1Hle, není krátká Hospodinova ruka, aby nemohla pomoci, ani nedoslýchavé jeho ucho, aby neslyšelo. 2Ale vaše nepravosti jsou přehradou mezi vámi a vaším Bohem. Vaše hříchy vám skryly jeho tvář, proto nyní nechce slyšet. 3Vaše ruce jsou totiž potřísněné krví, vaše prsty vinou. Vaše rty hovoří lež, váš jazyk mluví nepravost. 4Nikdo nežaluje podle práva, nikdo nevede spor podle poctivosti; spoléhají na faleš a slibují klam; jsou těhotní týráním a rodí zločin. 5Vysedávají hadí vejce, tkají pavučinová vlákna. Kdo jejich vejce pozře, umírá, z rozmáčklého vejce se vyplazí zmije. 6Jejich pavučiny se nehodí za šat, jejich tkanivem se nelze odít; jejich dílo je zločin a na rukou jim lpí násilnictví. 7Jejich nohy se honí za zlem, chvátají prolít nevinnou krev; jejich myšlenky jsou zhoubné, zpustošení a zkáza je na jejich cestách. 8Cestu pokoje neznají, není právo v jejich stopách, stezky si kroutí ve svůj prospěch, kdo po nich chodí, nezná pokoj. 9Proto se právo od nás vzdálilo, neproniká k nám spravedlnost; čekáme na světlo, a hle – temnoty, čekáme na úsvit – a chodíme v temnu. 10Hmatáme jak slepí po stěně a tápeme jako bez očí; v poledne klopýtáme jako za soumraku, v plném zdraví jsme jako mrtví. 11Všichni bručíme jako medvědi, vrkáme jako holubi; čekáme na právo, ale nepřichází, na spásu, ale vzdálila se od nás. 12Ano, mnoho je našich nevěrností vůči tobě a žalují na nás naše hříchy. S námi jsou naše nevěrnosti a své nepravosti známe: 13Hřešili jsme a lhali před Hospodinem, odpadli jsme od svého Boha, zvráceně a vzpurné jsme mluvili, v srdci i v slovech jsme měli lež. 14Tak je potlačováno právo a spravedlnost stojí v dáli, neboť na veřejnosti klopýtá upřímnost a poctivost nemůže vejít. 15A tak se zapomnělo na pravdu a olupován je ten, kdo se straní zla. Hospodin to viděl a nelíbilo se jeho očím, že zmizelo právo. 16Když viděl, že se nikdo nehýbe, když užasl, že nikdo nezakročí, jeho rámě mu pomohlo, přispěla mu jeho spravedlnost. 17Oblékl si spravedlnost jako pancíř, na hlavu si vzal přílbu spásy, oblékl si šat pomsty a zahalil se bojovým zápalem jak pláštěm. 18Odplatí podle skutků: svým protivníkům hněvem, potupou svým nepřátelům, odplatí ostrovům. 19Obyvatelé západu se budou bát Hospodinova jména, obyvatelé Východu jeho slávy, až přijde jako dravá řeka, kterou žene Hospodinův dech. 20Tu přijde na Sión jako vykupitel i pro ty z Jakuba, kteří se vzdalují hříchu – pravil Hospodin. 21To je má smlouva s nimi, pravil Hospodin: „Můj duch, který je na tobě, a má slova, která jsem vložil do tvých úst, nezmizí z tvých úst, ani z úst tvého potomstva, ani z úst potomstva tvého potomstva – pravil Hospodin – od tohoto času až navěky.“
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 THE PEOPLE'S SIN THE CAUSE OF JUDGMENTS: THEY AT LAST OWN IT THEMSELVES: THE REDEEMER'S FUTURE INTERPOSITION IN THEIR EXTREMITY. (Isa. 59:1-21)
hand . . . shortened--(See on
Isa 50:2).
ear heavy-- (
Isa 6:10).
2 hid--Hebrew, "caused Him to hide" (
Lam 3:44).
3 (
Isa 1:15;
Rom 3:13-
Rom 3:15).
hands . . . fingers--Not merely the "hands" perpetrate deeds of grosser enormity ("blood"), but the "fingers" commit more minute acts of "iniquity."
lips . . . tongue--The lips "speak" openly "lies," the tongue "mutters" malicious insinuations ("perverseness"; perverse misrepresentations of others) (
Jer 6:28;
Jer 9:4).
4 Rather, "No one calleth an adversary into court with justice," that is, None bringeth a just suit: "No one pleadeth with truth."
they trust . . . iniquity--(So
Job 15:35;
Ps 7:14).
5 cockatrice--probably the basilisk serpent, cerastes. Instead of crushing evil in the egg, they foster it.
spider's web--This refers not to the spider's web being made to entrap, but to its thinness, as contrasted with substantial "garments," as
Isa 59:6 shows. Their works are vain and transitory (
Job 8:14;
Pro 11:18).
eateth . . . their eggs--he who partakes in their plans, or has anything to do with them, finds them pestiferous.
that which is crushed--The egg, when it is broken, breaketh out as a viper; their plans, however specious in their undeveloped form like the egg, when developed, are found pernicious. Though the viper is viviparous (from which "vi-per" is derived), yet during gestation, the young are included in eggs, which break at the birth [BOCHART]; however, metaphors often combine things without representing everything to the life.
6 not . . . garments--like the "fig leaves" wherewith Adam and Eve vainly tried to cover their shame, as contrasted with "the coats of skins" which the Lord God made to clothe them with (
Isa 64:6;
Rom 13:14;
Gal 3:27;
Phil 3:9). The artificial self-deceiving sophisms of human philosophy (
1Tim 6:5;
2Tim 2:16,
2Tim 2:23).
7 feet--All their members are active in evil; in
Isa 59:3, the "hands, fingers, lips, and tongue," are specified.
run . . . haste-- (
Rom 3:15). Contrast David's "running and hasting" in the ways of God (
Ps 119:32,
Ps 119:60).
thoughts--not merely their acts, but their whole thoughts.
8 peace--whether in relation to God, to their own conscience, or to their fellow men (
Isa 57:20-
Isa 57:21).
judgment--justice.
crooked--the opposite of "straightforward" (
Pro 2:15;
Pro 28:18).
9 judgment far--retribution in kind because they had shown "no judgment in their goings" (
Isa 59:8). "The vindication of our just rights by God is withheld by Him from us."
us--In
Isa 59:8 and previous verses, it was "they," the third person; here, "us . . . we," the first person. The nation here speaks: God thus making them out of their own mouth condemn themselves; just as He by His prophet had condemned them before. Isaiah includes himself with his people and speaks in their name.
justice--God's justice bringing salvation (
Isa 46:13).
light--the dawn of returning prosperity.
obscurity--adversity (
Jer 8:15).
10 grope--fulfilling Moses' threat (
Deut 28:29).
stumble at noon . . . as . . . night--There is no relaxation of our evils; at the time when we might look for the noon of relief, there is still the night of our calamity.
in desolate places--rather, to suit the parallel words "at noonday," in fertile (literally, "fat";
Gen 27:28) fields [GESENIUS] (where all is promising) we are like the dead (who have no hope left them); or, where others are prosperous, we wander about as dead men; true of all unbelievers (
Isa 26:10;
Luke 15:17).
11 roar--moan plaintively, like a hungry bear which growls for food.
doves-- (
Isa 38:14;
Ezek 7:16).
salvation--retribution in kind: because not salvation, but "destruction" was "in their paths" (
Isa 59:7).
12 (
Dan 9:5, &c.).
thee . . . us--antithesis.
with us--that is, we are conscious of them (
Job 12:3, Margin;
Job 15:9).
know--acknowledge they are our iniquities.
13 The particulars of the sins generally confessed in
Isa 59:12 (
Isa 48:8;
Jer 2:19-
Jer 2:20). The act, the word, and the thought of apostasy, are all here marked: transgression and departing, &c.; lying (compare
Isa 59:4), and speaking, &c.; conceiving and uttering from the heart.
14 Justice and righteousness are put away from our legal courts.
in the street--in the forum, the place of judicature, usually at the gate of the city (
Zech 8:16).
cannot enter--is shut out from the forum, or courts of justice.
15 faileth--is not to be found.
he that departeth . . . prey--He that will not fall in with the prevailing iniquity exposes himself as a prey to the wicked (
Ps 10:8-
Ps 10:9).
Lord saw it--The iniquity of Israel, so desperate as to require nothing short of Jehovah's interposition to mend it, typifies the same necessity for a Divine Mediator existing in the deep corruption of man; Israel, the model nation, was chosen to illustrate his awful fact.
16 no man--namely, to atone by his righteousness for the unrighteousness of the people. "Man" is emphatic, as in
1Kgs 2:2; no representative man able to retrieve the cause of fallen men (
Isa 41:28;
Isa 63:5-
Isa 63:6;
Jer 5:1;
Ezek 22:30).
no intercessor--no one to interpose, "to help . . . uphold" (
Isa 63:5).
his arm-- (
Isa 40:10;
Isa 51:5). Not man's arm, but His alone (
Ps 98:1;
Ps 44:3).
his righteousness--the "arm" of Messiah. He won the victory for us, not by mere might as God, but by His invincible righteousness, as man having "the Spirit without measure" (
Isa 11:5;
Isa 42:6,
Isa 42:21;
Isa 51:8;
Isa 53:11;
1John 2:1).
17 Messiah is represented as a warrior armed at all points, going forth to vindicate His people. Owing to the unity of Christ and His people, their armor is like His, except that they have no "garments of vengeance" (which is God's prerogative,
Rom 12:19), or "cloak of zeal" (in the sense of judicial fury punishing the wicked; this zeal belongs properly to God,
2Kgs 10:16;
Rom 10:2;
Phil 3:6; "zeal," in the sense of anxiety for the Lord's honor, they have,
Num 25:11,
Num 25:13;
Ps 69:9;
2Cor 7:11;
2Cor 9:2); and for "salvation," which is of God alone (
Ps 3:8), they have as their helmet, "the hope of salvation" (
1Thess 5:8). The "helmet of salvation" is attributed to them (
Eph 6:14,
Eph 6:17) in a secondary sense; namely, derived from Him, and as yet only in hope, not fruition (
Rom 8:24). The second coming here, as often, is included in this representation of Messiah. His "zeal" (
John 2:15-
John 2:17) at His first coming was but a type of His zeal and vengeance against the foes of God at His second coming (
2Thess 1:8-10;
Rev 19:11-
Rev 19:21).
18 deeds--Hebrew, "recompenses"; "according as their deeds demand" [MAURER]. This verse predicts the judgments at the Lord's second coming, which shall precede the final redemption of His people (
Isa 66:18,
Isa 66:15-
Isa 66:16).
islands--(See on
Isa 41:1). Distant countries.
19 (
Isa 45:6;
Mal 1:11). The result of God's judgments (
Isa 26:9;
Isa 66:18-
Isa 66:20).
like a flood-- (
Jer 46:7-
Jer 46:8;
Rev 12:15).
lift up a standard--rather, from a different Hebrew root, "shall put him to flight," "drive him away" [MAURER]. LOWTH, giving a different sense to the Hebrew for "enemy" from that in
Isa 59:18, and a forced meaning to the Hebrew for "Spirit of the Lord," translates, "When He shall come as a river straitened in its course, which a mighty wind drives along."
20 to Zion--
Rom 11:26 quotes it, "out of Zion." Thus Paul, by inspiration, supplements the sense from
Ps 14:7 : He was, and is come to Zion, first with redemption, being sprung as man out of Zion. The Septuagint translates "for the sake of Zion." Paul applies this verse to the coming restoration of Israel spiritually.
them that turn from-- (
Rom 11:26). "shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob"; so the Septuagint, Paul herein gives the full sense under inspiration. They turn from transgression, because He first turns them from it, and it from them (
Ps 130:4;
Lam 5:21).
21 covenant with them . . . thee--The covenant is with Christ, and with them only as united to Him (
Heb 2:13). Jehovah addresses Messiah the representative and ideal Israel. The literal and spiritual Israel are His seed, to whom the promise is to be fulfilled (
Ps 22:30).
spirit . . . not depart . . . for ever-- (
Jer 31:31-
Jer 31:37;
Matt 28:20).
An ode of congratulation to Zion on her restoration at the Lord's second advent to her true position as the mother church from which the Gospel is to be diffused to the whole Gentile world; the first promulgation of the Gospel among the Gentiles, beginning at Jerusalem [
Luke 24:47], is an earnest of this. The language is too glorious to apply to anything that as yet has happened.