1Ostrovy, slyšte mě, dávejte pozor, daleké národy! Jahve mě povolal od mateřského lůna, od klínu mé matky vyslovil mé jméno. 2Z mých úst udělal břitký meč, ve stínu své ruky mě ukryl, udělal ze mne ostrý šíp, ve svém toulci mě skryl. 3Řekl mi: „Ty jsi můj služebník, Izraeli, ty, v němž se oslavím.“ 4A já jsem řekl: „Nadarmo jsem se lopotil, pro nic, do větru jsem vyčerpával své síly.“ A přesto mé právo bylo s Jahvem a má mzda s mým Bohem. 5A nyní Jahve promluvil, on, jenž mě utvářel od lůna mé matky, abych byl jeho služebníkem, abych k němu opět přivedl Jakuba a aby mu byl shromážděn Izrael; - v Jahvových očích budu oslaven a můj Bůh byl mou silou; 6řekl: „Je to příliš málo, že jsi mým služebníkem, aby se tak opět pozvedly Jakubovy kmeny a přivedli se nazpět, kdo přežili z Izraele. Dělám z tebe světlo národů, aby má spása dosáhla do končin země.“ 7Takto mluví Jahve, vykupitel, Izraelův Svatý, k tomu, jehož duší se pohrdá, jehož duši národ tupí, k otroku krutovládců: Králové uvidí a povstanou, knížata uvidí a budou se klanět kvůli Jahvovi, jenž je věrný, Izraelovu Svatému, jenž tě vyvolil. 8Takto mluví Jahve: V čase přízně jsem tě vyslyšel, v den spásy jsem tě podpořil. Utvořil jsem tě a udělal z tebe smlouvu lidu, aby se země opět pozvedla, aby se obnovila zpustošená dědictví, 9aby se zajatým řeklo: „Vyjděte,“ těm, kdo jsou v temnotách: „Ukažte se.“ Budou se pást podél cest, na všech holých horách budou mít pastvinu. 10Nebudou už hladovět ani žíznit, nebudou strádat žhavým větrem ani sluncem, vždyť je povede ten, jenž se nad nimi slitovává, přivede je k prýštícím vodám. 11Ze všech svých hor udělám cestu a mé cesty budou vyvýšeny. 12Tady jsou, přicházejí zdaleka, jedni od severu a od západu a jiní ze země Sinitů. 13Nebesa, křičte radostí, země jásej, ať hory zakřičí, vždyť Jahve utěšil svůj lid, slitovává se nad svými zarmoucenými. 14Sion říkal: „Jahve mě opustil; Pán na mne zapomněl.“ 15Což zapomene žena na své děťátko, nemá slitování se synem svého lůna? I kdyby ženy zapomínaly, já na tebe nezapomenu. 16Hleď, vyryl jsem si tě na dlaně svých rukou, tvé hradby jsou stále přede mnou. 17Tví stavitelé pospíchají, kdo tě ničí a plení, brzy odejdou. 18Pozdvihni oči a hleď kolem dokola, všichni jsou shromážděni, přicházejí k tobě. Jako že žiji, Jahvův výrok, všichni jsou jako šperk, který si vezmeš na sebe, připneš si je jako nevěsta. 19Vždyť tvé zříceniny, tvé trosky, tvá zpustošená země, jsou napříště pro tvé obyvatele příliš těsné, a kdo tě pohlcovali, odtáhnou. 20Znovu ti budou říkat do uší synové, jichž se ti nedostalo: „To prostranství je pro mne příliš těsné, udělej mi místo, ať se usídlím.“ 21A ty si v srdci řekneš: „Kdo mi tyto syny porodil? Neměla jsem děti, byla jsem neplodná, vyhnaná a odvržená, a oni? Kdo je vychoval? Když jsem byla zanechána o samotě, kde byli oni?“ 22Takto mluví Pán Jahve: Hle, pozdvihuji ruku k pohanům, dávám znamení národům: ony ti přinesou tvé syny v náručí a tvé dcery se ponesou na ramenou. 23Králové budou tvými pěstouny a jejich kněžny tvými chůvami. Budou se ti klanět tváří k zemi, budou lízat prach tvých nohou. A ty poznáš, že já jsem Jahve, kdo ve mne doufají, nebudou zklamáni. 24Což někdo vyrve válečníkovi jeho kořist? Bude osvobozen krutovládcův vězeň? - 25Ale Jahve mluví takto: Nuže, válečníkovi vyrvou jeho vězně a krutovládcova kořist bude osvobozena. Já sám povedu spor s tím, kdo vede spor s tebou, tvé děti zachráním já. 26Tvé utlačovatele nakrmím jejich vlastním masem, opojí se vlastní krví jako novým vínem. A veškeré tělo pozná, že já Jahve jsem tvůj zachránce, že tvým vykupitelem je Jakubův Mocný.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 SIMILAR TO CHAPTER 42 (
Isa 49:1-
Isa 49:9). (Isa. 49:1-26)
O isles--Messiah is here regarded as having been rejected by the Jews (
Isa 49:4-
Isa 49:5), and as now turning to the Gentiles, to whom the Father hath given Him "for a light and salvation." "Isles" mean all regions beyond sea.
from the womb-- (
Isa 44:2;
Luke 1:31;
John 10:36).
from . . . bowels . . . mention of my name--His name "Jesus" (that is, God-Saviour) was designated by God before His birth (
Matt 1:21).
2 my mouth . . . sword-- (
Isa 11:4;
Rev 19:15). The double office of the Word of God, saving and damnatory, is implied (
Isa 50:4;
John 12:48;
Heb 4:12).
shaft-- (
Ps 45:5). "Polished," that is, free from all rust, implies His unsullied purity.
in . . . quiver . . . hid me--Like a sword in its scabbard, or a shaft in the quiver, Messiah, before His appearing, was hid with God, ready to be drawn forth at the moment God saw fit [HENGSTENBERG]; also always protected by God, as the arrow by the quiver (
Isa 51:16).
3 Israel--applied to Messiah, according to the true import of the name, the Prince who had power with God in wrestling in behalf of man, and who prevails (
Gen 32:28;
Hos 12:3-
Hos 12:4). He is also the ideal Israel, the representative man of the nation (compare
Matt 2:15 with
Hos 11:1).
in whom . . . glorified-- (
John 14:13;
John 17:1-
John 17:5).
4 I--Messiah.
in vain--comparatively in the case of the greater number of His own countrymen. "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not" (
Isa 53:1-
Isa 53:3;
Luke 19:14;
John 1:11;
John 7:5). Only a hundred twenty disciples met after His personal ministry was ended (
Acts 1:15).
yet . . . my judgment . . . with the Lord--Ultimately, God will do justice to My cause, and reward (Margin for "work," compare
Isa 40:10;
Isa 62:11) My labors and sufferings. He was never "discouraged" (
Isa 42:4;
Isa 50:7,
Isa 50:10). He calmly, in spite of seeming ill success for the time, left the result with God, confident of final triumph (
Isa 53:10-
Isa 53:12;
1Pet 2:23). So the ministers of Christ (
1Cor 4:1-5;
1Pet 4:19).
5 The reason why He was confident that His work would be accepted and rewarded, namely, because He is "glorious in the eyes of Jehovah," &c.
to bring Jacob again to him-- (
Matt 15:24;
Acts 3:26).
Though Israel be not gathered--metaphor from a scattered flock which the shepherd gathers together again; or a hen and her chickens (
Matt 23:37). Instead of the text "not," the Keri has the similar Hebrew word, "to Him," which the parallelism favors: "And that Israel may be gathered to Him."
yet--rather, parenthetically. "For I am glorious, &c., and My God is My strength." Then (
Isa 49:6) resuming the words from the beginning of
Isa 49:5, "He saith" (I repeat), &c. HORSLEY explains, "Notwithstanding the incredulity of the Jews, Messiah shall be glorified in the conversion of the Gentiles," reading as English Version: but if the Keri be read, "Israel shall at one time or other be gathered, notwithstanding their incredulity during Messiah's sojourn on earth."
6 It is a light thing--"It is too little that Thou shouldest," [HENGSTENBERG], that is, It is not enough honor to Thee to raise up Jacob and Israel, but I design for Thee more, namely, that Thou shouldest be the means of enlightening the Gentiles (
Isa 42:6-
Isa 42:7;
Isa 60:3).
the preserved--namely, those remaining after the judgments of God on the nation--the elect remnant of Israel reserved for mercy. LOWTH, with a slight but needless change of the Hebrew, translates for "tribes" and "preserved," the "scions"--the "branches."
7 whom man despiseth--Hebrew, "the despised of soul," that is, by every soul, by all men (
Isa 52:14-
Isa 52:15;
Isa 53:3;
Isa 50:6-
Isa 50:9;
Ps 22:6). LOWTH translates, "whose person is despised."
abhorreth--literally, "who is an abomination to the nation" (
Luke 23:18-
Luke 23:23). The Jews contemptuously call Him always Tolvi, "the crucified." I prefer, on account of Goi, the Hebrew term for nation being usually applied to the Gentiles, and that for people to the Jews (
Hos 1:9; so the Greek terms respectively also Laos and Ethne,
Rom 9:25), to take "nation" here collectively for the Gentile world, which also spurned Him (
Ps 2:1-
Ps 2:3;
Acts 4:25-
Acts 4:27).
servant of rulers-- (
Matt 17:27). He who would not exert His power against the rulers (
Matt 26:52-
Matt 26:53).
shall see--namely the fulfilment of God's promises (
Isa 49:3,
Isa 49:6), "when He (shall be) a light to the Gentiles."
arise--to reverence Thee (
Ps 72:10-
Ps 72:11;
Phil 2:10).
princes also--rather, for the parallelism, supply the ellipsis, thus, "Princes shall see and shall worship."
faithful--namely, to His promises.
choose thee--as God's elect (
Isa 42:1).
8 Messiah is represented as having asked for the grace of God in behalf of sinners; this verse contains God the Father's favorable answer.
an acceptable time--"In a time of grace" [HENGSTENBERG]. A limited time (
Isa 61:2;
2Cor 6:2). The time judged by God to be the best fitted for effecting the purposes of His grace by Messiah.
heard thee-- (
Ps 2:8;
Heb 5:7).
day of salvation--when "the fulness of time" (
Gal 4:4) shall have come. The day of salvation is "to-day" (
Heb 4:7).
helped--given Thee the help needed to enable Thee, as man, to accomplish man's salvation.
preserve--from the assaults and efforts of Satan, to divert Thee from Thy voluntary death to save man.
covenant of the people--(See on
Isa 42:6). "The people," in the singular, is always applied exclusively to Israel.
establish the earth--rather, "to restore the land," namely, Canaan to Israel. Spiritually, the restoration of the Church (the spiritual Israel) to the heavenly land forfeited by man's sin is also included.
cause to inherit . . . desolate heritages--image from the desolate state of Judea during the Babylonish captivity. Spiritually, the Gentile world, a moral waste, shall become a garden of the Lord. Literally, Judea lying desolate for ages shall be possessed again by Israel (compare
Isa 61:7, "in their land"). Jesus, the antitype of, and bearing the same name as Joshua (
Heb 4:8), shall, like him, divide the land among its true heirs (
Isa 54:3;
Isa 61:4).
9 (
Isa 42:7;
Zech 9:12).
prisoners--the Jews bound in legal bondage.
them . . . in darkness--the Gentiles having no light as to the one true God [VITRINGA].
Show yourselves--not only see but be seen (
Matt 5:16;
Mark 5:19). Come forth from the darkness of your prison into the light of the Sun of righteousness.
in the ways, &c.--In a desert there are no "ways," nor "high places," with "pastures"; thus the sense is: "They shall have their pastures, not in deserts, but in cultivated and inhabited places." Laying aside the figure, the churches of Christ at the first shall be gathered, not in obscure and unknown regions, but in the most populous parts of the Roman empire, Antioch, Alexandria, Rome, &c. [VITRINGA]. Another sense probably is the right one. Israel, on its way back to the Holy Land, shall not have to turn aside to devious paths in search of necessaries, but shall find them in all places wherever their route lies; so ROSENMULLER. God will supply them as if He should make the grass grow in the trodden ways and on the barren high places.
10 Messiah will abundantly satisfy all the wants, both of literal Israel on their way to Palestine, and of the spiritual on their way to heaven, as their Shepherd (
Isa 65:13;
Matt 5:6), also in heaven (
Rev 7:16-
Rev 7:17).
11 my--All things are God's.
mountains a way--I will remove all obstructions out of the way (
Isa 40:4).
exalted--that is, cast up (
Isa 57:14;
Isa 62:10); for instance, over valleys. VITRINGA explains "mountains" as great kingdoms, Egypt, Syria, &c., subjected to Rome, to facilitate the spreading of the Gospel; "highways," the Christian doctrine wherein those who join the Church walk, and which, at the time of Constantine, was to be raised into prominence before all, and publicly protected (
Isa 35:8-
Isa 35:9).
12 Sinim--The Arabians and other Asiatics called China Sin, or Tchin; the Chinese had no special name for themselves, but either adopted that of the reigning dynasty or some high-sounding titles. This view of "Sinim" suits the context which requires a people to be meant "from far," and distinct from those "from the north and from the west" [GESENIUS].
13 So
Rev 12:12. God will have mercy on the afflicted, because of His compassion; on His afflicted, because of His covenant.
14 Zion--the literal Israel's complaint, as if God had forsaken her in the Babylonian captivity; also in their dispersion previous to their future restoration; thereby God's mercy shall be called forth (
Isa 63:15-
Isa 63:19;
Ps 77:9-
Ps 77:10;
Ps 102:17).
15 (
Isa 44:21;
Ps 103:13;
Matt 7:11).
16 Alluding to the Jews' custom (perhaps drawn from
Exod 13:9) of puncturing on their hands a representation of their city and temple, in token of zeal for them [LOWTH], (
Song 8:6).
17 Thy children--Israel (
Isa 49:20-
Isa 49:21;
Isa 43:6). JEROME reads, for "Thy children," "Thy builders"; they that destroyed thee shall hasten to build thee.
haste--to rebuild thy desolate capital.
shall go forth--Thy destroyers shall leave Judea to Israel in undisturbed possession.
18 As Zion is often compared to a bride (
Isa 54:5), so the accession of converts is like bridal ornaments ("jewels,"
Isa 62:3;
Mal 3:17). Her literal children are, however, more immediately meant, as the context refers to their restoration; and only secondarily to her spiritual children by conversion to Christ. Israel shall be the means of the final complete conversion of the nations (
Mic 5:7;
Rom 11:12,
Rom 11:15).
as a bride--namely, binds on her ornaments.
19 land of thy destruction--thy land once the scene of destruction.
too narrow-- (
Isa 54:1-
Isa 54:2;
Zech 10:10).
20 children . . . after . . . other--rather, "the children of thy widowhood," that is, the children of whom thou hast been bereft during their dispersion in other lands (see on
Isa 47:8) [MAURER].
again--rather, "yet."
give place--rather, "stand close to me," namely, in order that we may be the more able to dwell in in the narrow place [HORSLEY]. Compare as to Israel's spiritual children, and the extension of the gospel sphere,
Rom 15:19,
Rom 15:24;
2Cor 10:14-16. But
Isa 49:22 (compare
Isa 66:20) shows that her literal children are primarily meant. GESENIUS translates, "Make room."
21 Who, &c.--Zion's joyful wonder at the unexpected restoration of the ten tribes. Secondarily, the accession of spiritual Israelites to the mother church of Jerusalem from the Gentiles is meant. This created surprise at first (
Acts 10:45;
Acts 14:27;
Acts 15:3-
Acts 15:4).
lost . . . am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro--rather, "bereaved of . . . have been barren, an exile and outcast" [HORSLEY]. She had been "put away" by Jehovah, her husband (
Isa 50:1); hence her wonder at the children begotten to her.
22 lift . . . hand--that is, beckon to (see on
Isa 13:2).
standard-- (
Isa 11:12).
bring . . . sons in . . . arms--The Gentiles shall aid in restoring Israel to its own land (
Isa 60:4;
Isa 66:20). Children able to support themselves are carried on the shoulders in the East; but infants, in the arms, or astride on one haunch (
Isa 60:12). "Thy sons" must be distinct from "the Gentiles," who carry them; and therefore cannot primarily refer to converts among the Gentiles.
23 lick . . . dust--that is, kiss thy feet in token of humble submission.
for they . . . not . . . ashamed . . . wait for me--The restoration of Israel shall be in answer to their prayerful waiting on the Lord (
Isa 30:18-
Isa 30:19;
Ps 102:16-
Ps 102:17;
Zech 12:10;
Zech 14:3).
24 the prey--Israel, long a prey to mighty Gentile nations, whose oppression of her shall reach its highest point under Antichrist (
Dan 11:36-
Dan 11:37,
Dan 11:41,
Dan 11:45).
lawful captive--the Jews justly consigned for their sins (
Isa 50:1) as captives to the foe. Secondarily, Satan and Death are "the mighty" conquerors of man, upon whom his sin give them their "lawful" claim. Christ answers that claim for the sinners, and so the captive is set free (
Job 19:25;
Job 14:14;
Matt 12:29;
Hos 6:2, where
Isa 49:4 shows the primary reference is to Israel's restoration, to which the resurrection corresponds;
Isa 26:19;
Eph 4:8;
Heb 2:14-
Heb 2:15). Others not so well translate, "the captives taken from among the just Israelites."
25 (
Isa 53:12;
Ps 68:18;
Col 2:15).
contend with him, &c.-- (
Isa 54:17).
26 feed . . . own flesh--a phrase for internal strifes (
Isa 9:20).
own blood--a just retribution for their having shed the blood of God's servants (
Rev 16:6).
sweet wine--that is must, or new wine, the pure juice which flows from the heap of grapes before they are pressed; the ancients could preserve it for a long time, so as to retain its flavor. It was so mild that it required a large quantity to intoxicate; thus the idea here is that very much blood would be shed (
Rev 14:10,
Rev 14:20).
all flesh shall, &c.--the effect on the world of God's judgments (
Isa 66:15-
Isa 66:16,
Isa 66:18-
Isa 66:19;
Rev 15:3-
Rev 15:4).
