1Kdo to přichází z Edómu, v rudém rouchu z Bosry? Kdo je ten velebný ve svém oděvu, který kráčí ve své velké síle? Já, který mluvím spravedlivě, mocný k záchraně. 2Proč je tvůj oděv krvavě rudý a tvé roucho jako toho, kdo šlape v lisu? 3V kádi vinného lisu jsem šlapal sám a nikdo z národů se mnou nebyl. Šlapal jsem je ve svém hněvu a pošlapal jsem je ve své zlobě. Jejich šťáva stříkala na mé roucho, celý oděv jsem si poskvrnil. 4Neboť v mém srdci byl den pomsty a přišel rok mého vykoupení. 5Ohlédl jsem se a nebylo pomocníka, užasl jsem, že není opory. Záchranu mi poskytla vlastní paže a má zloba, ta mne podepřela. 6Ve svém hněvu jsem pošlapal národy a opil jsem je svou zlobou. Jejich šťávu jsem vyléval na zem. 7Budu připomínat Hospodinovy milosrdné činy, Hospodinovy slavné skutky — za všechno, co nám Hospodin prokázal; prokázal domu Izraele mnoho dobrého, prokázal jim to podle svého slitování a podle svého hojného milosrdenství. 8I řekl: Zajisté jsou mým lidem, syny, kteří nebudou lhát. A stal se jejich zachráncem. 9V každém jejich soužení měl soužení i on. Anděl jeho přítomnosti je zachraňoval. On je ve své lásce a ve svém soucitu vykoupil. Zvedal je a nosil je po všechny dávné dny. 10Ale oni byli vzpurní a zarmucovali jeho svatého Ducha. Tedy se jim změnil v nepřítele a sám proti nim bojoval. 11Ale jeho lid si připomenul dávné dny Mojžíše: Kde je ten, kdo je vyvedl z moře s pastýři svého stáda? Kde je ten, kdo do jeho středu umístil svého svatého Ducha? 12Ten, který po pravici Mojžíšově nechal jít svou krásnou paži, kdo před nimi rozdělil vody a učinil si věčné jméno? 13Vodil je hlubinami jako koně v pustině, že neklopýtali, 14jako když dobytek sestupuje do údolí. Duch Hospodinův mu dává odpočinout, tak jsi vodil svůj lid a učinil sis slavné jméno. 15Shlédni z nebes a pohleď ze svého svatého a slavného obydlí. Kde je tvá horlivost a tvé udatné činy? Pohnutí tvého nitra a tvé slitování je mi zadrženo. 16Vždyť ty jsi náš otec, neboť Abraham nás nezná a Izrael si nás nevšímá. Ty, Hospodine, jsi náš otec, tvé jméno je od věčnosti: Náš vykupitel. 17Proč nás, Hospodine, necháváš bloudit od svých cest, zatvrzuješ naše srdce, abychom se tě nebáli? Navrať kvůli svým otrokům kmeny svého dědictví! 18Nakrátko ji vlastnil tvůj svatý lid, než tvou svatyni pošlapali naši protivníci. 19Jsme tvoji odedávna, nad nimi jsi nevládl, oni se nenazývali tvým jménem. Kéž bys roztrhl nebesa a sestoupil, aby se před tebou hory zapotácely!
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 (
Iz 63:2-
Iz 63:3;
Zj 19:13).
Bozrah--(See on
Iz 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 (
Iz 45:19;
Iz 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 (
Zj 14:19-
Zj 14:20;
Zj 19:15). The image was appropriate, as the country round Bozrah abounded in grapes. This final blow inflicted by Messiah and His armies (
Zj 19:13-
Zj 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
Pl 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 (
Sf 3:8).
my redeemed--My people to be redeemed.
day . . . year--here, as in
Iz 34:8;
Iz 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
Iz 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
Iz 51:17,
Iz 51:21-
Iz 51:23;
Ž 75:8;
Jr 25:26-
Jr 25:27.
will bring down . . . strength to . . . earth--rather, "I spilled their life-blood (the same Hebrew words as in
Iz 63:3) on the earth" [LOWTH and Septuagint].
7 Israel's penitential confession and prayer for restoration (
Ž 102:17,
Ž 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" (
Ž 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
Ž 44:17).
so--in virtue of His having chosen them, He became their Saviour. So the "therefore" (
Jr 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], (
Sd 10:16;
Mi 2:7;
2K 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;
Př 8:30), language applicable to no creature (
Ex 32:34;
Ex 33:2,
Ex 33:14;
Nu 20:16;
Mal 3:1).
bare them-- (
Iz 46:3-
Iz 46:4;
Iz 40:11;
Ex 19:4;
Dt 32:11-
Dt 32:12).
10 vexed--grieved (
Ž 78:40;
Ž 95:10;
Sk 7:51;
Ef 4:30;
Žd 3:10,
Žd 3:17).
he fought--rather, "He it was that fought," namely, the angel of His presence [HORSLEY], (
Pl 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;
Ž 106:45-
Ž 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
Ž 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" (
Nu 11:17,
Nu 11:25;
Neh 9:20;
Ag 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;
Ž 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" (
Ž 23:2); so God's Spirit "caused Israel to rest" in the promised land after their weary wanderings.
to make . . . name--(So
Iz 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-- (
Iz 57:15;
Dt 26:15;
2Pa 30:27;
Ž 33:14;
Ž 80:14).
zeal . . . strength--evinced formerly for Thy people.
sounding of . . . bowels--Thine emotions of compassion (
Iz 16:11;
Jr 31:20;
Jr 48:36;
Oz 11:8).
16 thou . . . father--of Israel, by right not merely of creation, but also of electing adoption (
Iz 64:8;
Dt 32:6;
1Pa 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;
J 8:39;
J 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 (
Iz 49:15;
Ž 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 (
Iz 6:9-
Iz 6:10;
Ž 119:10;
Ř 1:28).
Return-- (
Nu 10:36;
Ž 90:13).
18 people of . . . holiness--Israel dedicated as holy unto God (
Iz 62:12;
Dt 7:6).
possessed--namely, the Holy Land, or Thy "sanctuary," taken from the following clause, which is parallel to this (compare
Iz 64:10-
Iz 64:11;
Ž 74:6-
Ž 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" (
Iz 63:18). But the analogy of
Iz 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.