1.
Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
Awake. Same form as in Isaiah 51:9 ; not the same as in Isaiah 51:17 . Figure of speech Epizeuxis. App-6 .
the holy city. Hebrew "the city of the Sanctuary". See note on Exodus 3:5 .
2.
Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
Shake. See note on Isaiah 33:9 .
sit: i.e. sit as queen. Compare Revelation 18:7 , for usage.
3.
For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4 .
redeemed. Hebrew. ga'al. See note on Exodus 6:6 .
without money = not with silver. Compare 1 Peter 1:18 .
4.
For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
My People went down aforetime. Reference to Pentateuch (Genesis 46:6 ). See App-92 .
the Assyrian. This was "another king" (Acts 7:18 ), the first of a new dynasty, the "new king" of Exodus 1:8 , who (of course) "knew not Joseph". See notes on the above passages.
oppressed them . This refers to Exodus 1 , and has nothing to do with the later Assyrian carrying away.
without cause = for nothing, groundlessly. This is a Divine comment. See John 15:25 . Hebrew. 'ephes. See note on Isaiah 5:8 .
5.
Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
what have I here . . . ? = what do I here? What He did in the circumstances of Isaiah 52:4 we know. What He will do in these new circumstances we are about to be told.
is = hath been.
My name, &c. Quoted in Romans 2:24 .
6.
Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.
7.
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
How beautiful, &c. Quoted in Romans 10:15 .
the feet. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of Part), for the whole person of the messenger, that we may not think of him, but of his coming as sent by Jehovah (compare Nahum 1:15 ). Fulfilled partially in John and Christ, both of whom were rejected and slain. There will be other messengers of the future coming, even Elijah and others (Malachi 4:5 ).
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4 .
8.
Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
sing = shout.
see eye to eye = see face to face, and will be face to face with the coming heralds of the King, yea, with the King Himself. This oft misapplied expression ha? nothing whatever to do with agreement in opinion.
9.
Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
comforted. Compare Isaiah 40:1 .
10.
The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
holy. See note on Exodus 3:5 .
arm. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), for the wonders wrought by it. Also Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6 .
eyes, &c. = sight, or view. Compare Isaiah 40:5 ; Isaiah 49:26 .
11.
Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.
Depart ye. Note the Figure of speech Epizeuxis . Compare Revelation 18:4 . Quoted (in application for us to-day) in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 .
12.
For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.
ye shall not go out with haste. Reference to Pentateuch, where it was otherwise (only here, Exodus 12:33 , Exodus 12:39 , and Deuteronomy 16:3 ).
the God of Israel. See note on Isaiah 29:23 .
rereward = rear-guard. Compare Isaiah 58:8 .
13.
Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
My Servant. The Messiah. See note on Isaiah 37:35 .
humbled .
exalted. extrolled. be very high. Figure of speech Anabasis , for great emphasis = riseth. is lifted up. becometh very high (compare Philippians 1:2 , Philippians 1:9-11 ).
deal prudently = prosper. Compare 1 Samuel 18:14 .
14.
As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
As = According as. This corresponds with the "so" of Isaiah 52:15 (not with the "so" in the next clause, which is parenthetic).
astonied: corresponding with the word rendered "sprinkle" in Isaiah 52:15 . From Old English estonner . Nine times so spelled, from Wycliff and Geneva Bible. Chaucer spells it "astoned"; Spenser, "astownd".
so marred: pointing to the depth of the humiliation, as set forth in detail in Isaiah 53:4-10 . Compare Matthew 26:67 , Matthew 26:68 ; Matthew 27:27-30 .
any man. Hebrew. 'ish . Compare Psalms 22:6 , "I am a worm, and no man".
men. Hebrew. 'adam. App-14 .
15.
So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
SO. Corresponding with the "As" of Isaiah 52:14 .
sprinkle = cause to leap or spring up for joy. Hebrew. nazah . When used of liquids it means to spurt out, as in Isaiah 63:3 , the only other occurrence in Isaiah, and that in judgment (compare 2 Kings 9:33 ). The usual word for ceremonial sprinkling is zrak , not nazah . The astonishment and the joy of many nations is set in contrast with the astonishment of the many people of Isaiah 52:14 . The Septuagint reads "shall admire". Moreover, the verb is in the Hiphil conjugation, and we can say "cause to leap up for joy", but not "cause to sprinkle". With this, Gesenius, Fuerst, Lowth, Parkhurst, and others agree.
shut their mouths: i.e. be dumb with the astonishment.
that which had, &c. = they to whom it had been told shall see.
that which they, &c. = they which had not heard shall consider. Quoted in Romans 15:21 .