1Kdo to přichází z Edomu, z Bosry v rouchu rudě zbarveném? Kdo to v hávu svého majestátu kráčí vpřed v ohromné síle své? Já, který spravedlnost vyhlašuji, já, mocný k vítězství! 2Proč jsou tvé šaty rudé krví jak roucho toho, kdo šlape lis? 3Já sám jsem šlapal vinnou káď a nikdo z národů se ke mně nepřidal. Ve svém hněvu jsem je pošlapal, ve své prchlivosti rozdupal, až mi jejich krev na šaty stříkala, všechna má roucha jsou nasáklá. 4V srdci jsem toužil po dni pomsty; konečně přišlo mé léto odplaty. 5Když jsem viděl, že není žádný pomocník, zhrozil jsem se, že v nikom není opory. Svou vlastní paží jsem proto spásu způsobil, vlastní prchlivostí jsem se posílil. 6Ve svém hněvu jsem šlapal národy, svou prchlivostí jsem je opojil, jejich krev jsem nechal crčet na zemi. 7Hospodinovu lásku připomínat chci a činy, za které chválu zaslouží – za všechno, co pro nás Hospodin učinil, za to, jak velmi byl k domu Izraele laskavý, za veliké slitování, které jim projevil, za jeho velikou lásku k nim. 8Prohlásil: „Vždyť jsou můj lid, moji synové, ti mě nezradí,“ a přinesl jim spasení. 9Sám trpěl každým jejich trápením, posílal svého anděla, aby je zachránil. Ve své lásce a smilování je sám vykoupil, zvedal a nosil je po všechny dávné dny. 10Oni se ale bouřili a jeho svatého Ducha trápili; a proto se jim v nepřítele obrátil a sám bojoval proti nim. 11Potom vzpomínali na dávné dny, na Mojžíše a jeho lid: Kde je Ten, který je vedl mořem spolu s pastýřem svých stád? Kde je Ten, který jim vložil do nitra svého svatého Ducha; 12který je vedl svou slavnou paží po Mojžíšově pravici; který před nimi vody rozdělil, aby si získal jméno navěky; 13který je vedl skrze hlubiny bez klopýtnutí jak koně na pláni? 14Jako když dobytek schází do údolí, tak je Hospodinův Duch vedl k odpočinutí. Takto jsi doprovázel svůj lid, abys své jméno proslavil. 15Pohlédni z nebe, jen se podívej z příbytku svatosti a slávy své: Kde je tvá horlivost a síla tvá? Tvé hluboké slitování se nám vyhýbá! 16Vždyť ty jsi přece Otec náš; i kdyby nás neznal Abraham a Izrael se o nás nestaral, ty, Hospodine, jsi Otec náš, od věků máš jméno Vykupitel náš. 17Proč jsi nás, Hospodine, nechal z tvé cesty zabloudit? Zatvrdil jsi naše srdce, abychom tě nectili? Vrať se už zpátky kvůli služebníkům svým, kvůli kmenům svého dědictví! 18Nakrátko tvůj lid vlastnil tvou svatyni, než ji naši nepřátelé celou zdupali. 19Jsme jako ti, kterým nevládneš už věky, jako ti, kteří už tvé jméno nenosí. Kéž bys tak roztrhl nebe a sestoupil, aby se před tebou hory roztřásly!
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.