1For Zion's sake I will not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until its righteousness goes forth as brightness, and her salvation as a burning lamp. 2And the nations shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory; and you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah will name. 3You also shall be a crown of glory in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God. 4You shall no more be called Forsaken; nor shall your land any more be called Desolate; but you shall be called My Delight Is In Her, and your land, Married; for Jehovah delights in you, and your land is married. 5For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so will your God rejoice over you. 6I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem, who shall never be silent day or night; you who remember Jehovah, do not keep silent. 7And give Him no rest until He establishes and makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth. 8Jehovah has sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength: Surely I will no more give your grain as food for your enemies; and the children of foreigners shall not drink your wine for which you have labored. 9But those who gathered it shall eat it, and praise Jehovah; and those who brought it together shall drink it in My holy courts. 10Pass! Pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Raise up! Raise up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a banner for the people. 11Behold, Jehovah has proclaimed to the ends of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your salvation comes. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. 12And they shall call them, The Holy People, The Redeemed Of Jehovah; and you shall be called, Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 INTERCESSORY PRAYERS FOR ZION'S RESTORATION, ACCOMPANYING GOD'S PROMISES OF IT, AS THE APPOINTED MEANS OF ACCOMPLISHING IT. (
Isa 62:1-
Isa 62:12)
I--the prophet, as representative of all the praying people of God who love and intercede for Zion (compare
Isa 62:6-
Isa 62:7;
Ps 102:13-
Ps 102:17), or else Messiah (compare
Isa 62:6). So Messiah is represented as unfainting in His efforts for His people (
Isa 42:4;
Isa 50:7).
righteousness thereof--not its own inherently, but imputed to it, for its restoration to God's favor: hence "salvation" answers to it in the parallelism. "Judah" is to be "saved" through "the Lord our (Judah's and the Church's) righteousness" (
Jer 23:6).
as brightness--properly the bright shining of the rising sun (
Isa 60:19;
Isa 4:5;
2Sam 23:4;
Pro 4:18).
lamp--blazing torch.
2 (
Isa 11:10;
Isa 42:1-
Isa 42:6;
Isa 49:7,
Isa 49:22-
Isa 49:23;
Isa 60:3,
Isa 60:5,
Isa 60:16).
new name--expression of thy new and improved condition (
Isa 62:4), the more valuable and lasting as being conferred by Jehovah Himself (
Isa 62:12;
Isa 65:15;
Rev 2:17;
Rev 3:12).
3 (
Zech 9:16)
in . . . hand of . . . Lord--As a crown is worn on the head, not "in the hand," hand must here be figurative for "under the Lord's protection" (compare
Deut 33:3). "All His saints are in thy hand." His people are in His hand at the same time that they are "a crown of glory" to Him (
Rev 6:2;
Rev 19:12); reciprocally, He is "a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty" to them (
Isa 28:5; compare
Mal 3:17).
4 be termed--be "forsaken," so as that that term could be applicable to thee.
Hephzi-bah-- (
2Kgs 21:1), the name of Hezekiah's wife, a type of Jerusalem, as Hezekiah was of Messiah (
Isa 32:1): "my delight is in her."
Beulah--"Thou art married." See the same contrast of Zion's past and future state under the same figure (
Isa 54:4-
Isa 54:6;
Rev 21:2,
Rev 21:4).
land . . . married--to Jehovah as its Lord and Husband: implying not only ownership, but protection on the part of the Owner [HORSLEY].
5 thy sons--rather, changing the points, which are of no authority in Hebrew, "thy builder" or "restorer," that is, God; for in the parallel clause, and in
Isa 62:4, God is implied as being "married" to her; whereas her "sons" could hardly be said to marry their mother; and in
Isa 49:18, they are said to be her bridal ornaments, not her husband. The plural form, builders, is used of God in reverence as "husbands" (see on
Isa 54:5).
over the bride--in the possession of the bride (
Isa 65:19;
Jer 32:41;
Zeph 3:17).
6 I--Isaiah speaking in the person of the Messiah.
watchmen upon . . . walls--image from the watches set upon a city's wall to look out for the approach of a messenger with good tidings (
Isa 52:7-
Isa 52:8); the good tidings of the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon, prefiguring the return from the present dispersion (compare
Isa 21:6-
Isa 21:11;
Isa 56:10;
Ezek 3:17;
Ezek 33:7). The watches in the East are announced by a loud cry to mark the vigilance of the watchmen.
ye that . . . mention . . . Lord--Hebrew, "ye that are the Lord's remembrancers"; God's servants who by their prayers "put God in remembrance" of His promises (
Isa 43:26); we are required to remind God, as if God could, which He cannot, forget His promises (
Ps 119:49;
Jer 14:21).
7 no rest--Hebrew, "silence"; keep not silence yourselves, nor let Him rest in silence. Compare as to Messiah Himself, "I will not hold . . . peace . . . not rest" (
Isa 62:1); Messiah's watchmen (
Isa 62:6-
Isa 62:7) imitate Him (
Isa 62:1) in intercessory "prayer without ceasing" for Jerusalem (
Ps 122:6;
Ps 51:18); also for the spiritual Jerusalem, the Church (
Luke 18:1,
Luke 18:7;
Rom 1:9).
a praise--(See on
Isa 61:11;
Zeph 3:20).
8 sworn by . . . right hand--His mighty instrument of accomplishing His will (compare
Isa 45:23;
Heb 6:13).
sons of . . . stranger--Foreigners shall no more rob thee of the fruit of thy labors (compare
Isa 65:21-
Isa 65:22).
9 eat . . . and praise--not consume it on their own lusts, and without thanksgiving.
drink it in . . . courts--They who have gathered the vintage shall drink it at the feasts held in the courts surrounding the temple (
Deut 12:17-
Deut 12:18;
Deut 14:23, &c.).
10 What Isaiah in the person of Messiah had engaged in (
Isa 62:1) unrestingly to seek, and what the watchmen were unrestingly to pray for (
Isa 62:7), and what Jehovah solemnly promised (
Isa 62:8-
Isa 62:9), is now to be fulfilled; the Gentile nations are commanded to "go through the gates" (either of their own cities [ROSENMULLER] or of Jerusalem [MAURER]), in order to remove all obstacles out of "the way of the people (Israel)" (see on
Isa 7:14;
Isa 40:3;
Isa 52:10-
Isa 52:12).
standard--for the dispersed Jews to rally round, with a view to their return (
Isa 49:22;
Isa 11:12).
11 salvation--embodied in the Saviour (see
Zech 9:9).
his work--rather, recompense (
Isa 40:10).
12 Sought out--Sought after and highly prized by Jehovah; answering to "not forsaken" in the parallel clause; no longer abandoned, but loved; image from a wife (
Isa 62:4;
Jer 30:14).
Messiah, approaching Jerusalem after having avenged His people on His and their enemies, is represented under imagery taken from the destruction of "Edom," the type of the last and most bitter foes of God and His people (see
Isa 34:5, &c.).