1BeholdH2005, the LORD'SH3068 handH3027 is not shortenedH7114, that it cannot saveH3467 ; neither his earH241 heavyH3513, that it cannot hearH8085 : 2But your iniquitiesH5771 have separatedH914 betweenH996 you and your GodH430, and your sinsH2403 have hidH5641 his faceH6440 from you, that he will not hearH8085 . 3For your handsH3709 are defiledH1351 with bloodH1818, and your fingersH676 with iniquityH5771; your lipsH8193 have spokenH1696 liesH8267, your tongueH3956 hath mutteredH1897 perversenessH5766. 4None callethH7121 for justiceH6664, nor any pleadethH8199 for truthH530: they trustH982 in vanityH8414, and speakH1696 liesH7723; they conceiveH2029 mischiefH5999, and bring forthH3205 iniquityH205. 5They hatchH1234 cockatrice'H6848 eggsH1000, and weaveH707 the spider'sH5908 webH6980: he that eatethH398 of their eggsH1000 diethH4191, and that which is crushedH2116 breaketh outH1234 into a viperH660. 6Their websH6980 shall not become garmentsH899, neither shall they coverH3680 themselves with their worksH4639: their worksH4639 are worksH4639 of iniquityH205, and the actH6467 of violenceH2555 is in their handsH3709. 7Their feetH7272 runH7323 to evilH7451, and they make hasteH4116 to shedH8210 innocentH5355 bloodH1818: their thoughtsH4284 are thoughtsH4284 of iniquityH205; wastingH7701 and destructionH7667 are in their pathsH4546. 8The wayH1870 of peaceH7965 they knowH3045 not; and there is no judgmentH4941 in their goingsH4570: they have made them crookedH6140 pathsH5410: whosoever goethH1869 therein shall not knowH3045 peaceH7965. 9Therefore is judgmentH4941 farH7368 from us, neither doth justiceH6666 overtakeH5381 us: we waitH6960 for lightH216, but behold obscurityH2822; for brightnessH5054, but we walkH1980 in darknessH653. 10We gropeH1659 for the wallH7023 like the blindH5787, and we gropeH1659 as if we had no eyesH5869: we stumbleH3782 at noondayH6672 as in the nightH5399; we are in desolateH820 places as deadH4191 men. 11We roarH1993 all like bearsH1677, and mournH1897 soreH1897 like dovesH3123: we lookH6960 for judgmentH4941, but there is none; for salvationH3444, but it is far offH7368 from us. 12For our transgressionsH6588 are multipliedH7231 before thee, and our sinsH2403 testifyH6030 against us: for our transgressionsH6588 are with us; and as for our iniquitiesH5771, we knowH3045 them; 13In transgressingH6586 and lyingH3584 against the LORDH3068, and departing awayH5253 fromH310 our GodH430, speakingH1696 oppressionH6233 and revoltH5627, conceivingH2029 and utteringH1897 from the heartH3820 wordsH1697 of falsehoodH8267. 14And judgmentH4941 is turned awayH5253 backwardH268, and justiceH6666 standethH5975 afar offH7350: for truthH571 is fallenH3782 in the streetH7339, and equityH5229 cannotH3201 enterH935 . 15Yea, truthH571 failethH5737 ; and he that departethH5493 from evilH7451 maketh himself a preyH7997 : and the LORDH3068 sawH7200 it, and it displeasedH3415 H5869 him that there was no judgmentH4941. 16And he sawH7200 that there was no manH376, and wonderedH8074 that there was no intercessorH6293 : therefore his armH2220 brought salvationH3467 unto him; and his righteousnessH6666, it sustainedH5564 him. 17For he put onH3847 righteousnessH6666 as a breastplateH8302, and an helmetH3553 of salvationH3444 upon his headH7218; and he put onH3847 the garmentsH899 of vengeanceH5359 for clothingH8516, and was cladH5844 with zealH7068 as a clokeH4598. 18According toH5921 their deedsH1578, accordingly he will repayH7999, furyH2534 to his adversariesH6862, recompenceH1576 to his enemiesH341 ; to the islandsH339 he will repayH7999 recompenceH1576. 19So shall they fearH3372 the nameH8034 of the LORDH3068 from the westH4628, and his gloryH3519 from the risingH4217 of the sunH8121. When the enemyH6862 shall come inH935 like a floodH5104, the SpiritH7307 of the LORDH3068 shall lift up a standardH5127 against him. 20And the RedeemerH1350 shall comeH935 to ZionH6726, and unto them that turnH7725 from transgressionH6588 in JacobH3290, saithH5002 the LORDH3068. 21As for me, this is my covenantH1285 with them, saithH559 the LORDH3068; My spiritH7307 that is upon thee, and my wordsH1697 which I have putH7760 in thy mouthH6310, shall not departH4185 out of thy mouthH6310, nor out of the mouthH6310 of thy seedH2233, nor out of the mouthH6310 of thy seed'sH2233 seedH2233, saithH559 the LORDH3068, from henceforth and forH5704 everH5769.
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.