1 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.
3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
4 Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
5 For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.
6 The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
7 The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.
8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
10 Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.
11 LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.
12 LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.
13 O LORD our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
14 They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.
15 Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.
16 LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.
18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
1 In that day H3117 shall this song H7892 be sung H7891 in the land H776 of Judah; H3063 We have a strong H5797 city; H5892 salvation H3444 will God appoint H7896 for walls H2346 and bulwarks. H2426
2 Open H6605 ye the gates, H8179 that the righteous H6662 nation H1471 which keepeth H8104 the truth H529 may enter in. H935
3 Thou wilt keep H5341 him in perfect H7965 peace, H7965 whose mind H3336 is stayed H5564 on thee: because he trusteth H982 in thee.
4 Trust H982 ye in the LORD H3068 for ever: H5703 for in the LORD H3050 JEHOVAH H3068 is everlasting H5769 strength: H6697
5 For he bringeth down H7817 them that dwell H3427 on high; H4791 the lofty H7682 city, H7151 he layeth it low; H8213 he layeth it low, H8213 even to the ground; H776 he bringeth H5060 it even to the dust. H6083
6 The foot H7272 shall tread it down, H7429 even the feet H7272 of the poor, H6041 and the steps H6471 of the needy. H1800
7 The way H734 of the just H6662 is uprightness: H4339 thou, most upright, H3477 dost weigh H6424 the path H4570 of the just. H6662
8 Yea, in the way H734 of thy judgments, H4941 O LORD, H3068 have we waited H6960 for thee; the desire H8378 of our soul H5315 is to thy name, H8034 and to the remembrance H2143 of thee.
9 With my soul H5315 have I desired H183 thee in the night; H3915 yea, with my spirit H7307 within H7130 me will I seek thee early: H7836 for when thy judgments H4941 are in the earth, H776 the inhabitants H3427 of the world H8398 will learn H3925 righteousness. H6664
10 Let favour be shewed H2603 to the wicked, H7563 yet will he not H1077 learn H3925 righteousness: H6664 in the land H776 of uprightness H5229 will he deal unjustly, H5765 and will not H1077 behold H7200 the majesty H1348 of the LORD. H3068
11 LORD, H3068 when thy hand H3027 is lifted up, H7311 they will not see: H2372 but they shall see, H2372 and be ashamed H954 for their envy H7068 at the people; H5971 yea, the fire H784 of thine enemies H6862 shall devour H398 them.
12 LORD, H3068 thou wilt ordain H8239 peace H7965 for us: for thou also hast wrought H6466 all our works H4639 in us.
13 O LORD H3068 our God, H430 other lords H113 beside H2108 thee have had dominion H1166 over us: but by thee only will we make mention H2142 of thy name. H8034
14 They are dead, H4191 they shall not live; H2421 they are deceased, H7496 they shall not rise: H6965 therefore hast thou visited H6485 and destroyed H8045 them, and made all their memory H2143 to perish. H6
15 Thou hast increased H3254 the nation, H1471 O LORD, H3068 thou hast increased H3254 the nation: H1471 thou art glorified: H3513 thou hadst removed it far H7368 unto all the ends H7099 of the earth. H776
16 LORD, H3068 in trouble H6862 have they visited H6485 thee, they poured out H6694 a prayer H3908 when thy chastening H4148 was upon them.
17 Like H3644 as a woman with child, H2030 that draweth near H7126 the time of her delivery, H3205 is in pain, H2342 and crieth out H2199 in her pangs; H2256 so have we been in thy sight, H6440 O LORD. H3068
18 We have been with child, H2029 we have been in pain, H2342 we have as it were H3644 brought forth H3205 wind; H7307 we have not wrought H6213 any deliverance H3444 in the earth; H776 neither H1077 have the inhabitants H3427 of the world H8398 fallen. H5307
19 Thy dead H4191 men shall live, H2421 together with my dead body H5038 shall they arise. H6965 Awake H6974 and sing, H7442 ye that dwell H7931 in dust: H6083 for thy dew H2919 is as the dew H2919 of herbs, H219 and the earth H776 shall cast out H5307 the dead. H7496
20 Come, H3212 my people, H5971 enter H935 thou into thy chambers, H2315 and shut H5462 thy doors H1817 about thee: hide H2247 thyself as it were for a little H4592 moment, H7281 until the indignation H2195 be overpast. H5674
21 For, behold, the LORD H3068 cometh out H3318 of his place H4725 to punish H6485 the inhabitants H3427 of the earth H776 for their iniquity: H5771 the earth H776 also shall disclose H1540 her blood, H1818 and shall no more cover H3680 her slain. H2026
1 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: we have a strong city; salvation will he appoint for walls and bulwarks.
2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth faith may enter in.
3 Thou wilt keep `him' in perfect peace, `whose' mind `is' stayed `on thee'; because he trusteth in thee.
4 Trust ye in Jehovah for ever; for in Jehovah, `even' Jehovah, is an everlasting rock.
5 For he hath brought down them that dwell on high, the lofty city: he layeth it low, he layeth it low even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.
6 The foot shall tread it down; even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
7 The way of the just is uprightness: thou that art upright dost direct the path of the just.
8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Jehovah, have we waited for thee; to thy name, even to thy memorial `name', is the desire of our soul.
9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee earnestly: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of Jehovah.
11 Jehovah, thy hand is lifted up, yet they see not: but they shall see `thy' zeal for the people, and be put to shame; yea, fire shall devour thine adversaries.
12 Jehovah, thou wilt ordain peace for us; for thou hast also wrought all our works for us.
13 O Jehovah our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
14 `They are' dead, they shall not live; `they are' deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all remembrance of them to perish.
15 Thou hast increased the nation, O Jehovah, thou hast increased the nation; thou art glorified; thou hast enlarged all the borders of the land.
16 Jehovah, in trouble have they visited thee; they poured out a prayer `when' thy chastening was upon them.
17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain and crieth out in her pangs; so we have been before thee, O Jehovah.
18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
19 Thy dead shall live; my dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust; for thy dew is `as' the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the dead.
20 Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
21 For, behold, Jehovah cometh forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
1 In that day sung is this song in the land of Judah: `We have a strong city, Salvation He doth make walls and bulwark.
2 Open ye the gates, that enter may a righteous nation, Preserving stedfastness.
3 An imagination supported Thou fortifiest peace -- peace! For in Thee it is confident.
4 Trust ye in Jehovah for ever, For in Jah Jehovah `is' a rock of ages,
5 For He bowed down the dwellers on high, A city set on high He maketh low, He maketh it low unto the earth, He causeth it to come unto the dust,
6 Tread it down doth a foot, Feet of the poor -- steps of the weak.
7 The path for the righteous `is' uprightness, O upright One, The path of the righteous Thou dost ponder.
8 Also, `in' the path of Thy judgments, O Jehovah, we have waited `for' Thee, To Thy name and to Thy remembrance `Is' the desire of the soul.
9 `With' my soul I desired Thee in the night, Also, `with' my spirit within me I seek Thee earnestly, For when Thy judgments `are' on the earth, The inhabitants of the world have learned righteousness.
10 The wicked findeth favour, He hath not learned righteousness, In a land of straightforwardness he dealeth perversely, And seeth not the excellency of Jehovah.
11 O Jehovah, high `is' Thy hand -- they see not, They see the zeal of the people, and are ashamed, Also, the fire -- Thine adversaries, consumeth them.
12 O Jehovah, Thou appointest peace to us, For, all our works also Thou hast wrought for us.
13 O Jehovah our God, lords have ruled us besides Thee, Only, by Thee we make mention of Thy name.
14 Dead -- they live not, Rephaim, they rise not, Therefore Thou hast inspected and dost destroy them, Yea, thou destroyest all their memory.
15 Thou hast added to the nation, O Jehovah, Thou hast added to the nation, Thou hast been honoured, Thou hast put far off all the ends of earth.
16 O Jehovah, in distress they missed Thee, They have poured out a whisper, Thy chastisement `is' on them.
17 When a pregnant woman cometh near to the birth, She is pained -- she crieth in her pangs, So we have been from Thy face, O Jehovah.
18 We have conceived, we have been pained. We have brought forth as it were wind, Salvation we do not work in the earth, Nor do the inhabitants of the world fall.
19 `Thy dead live -- My dead body they rise. Awake and sing, ye dwellers in the dust, For the dew of herbs `is' thy dew, And the land of Rephaim thou causest to fall.
20 Come, My people, enter into thy inner chambers, And shut thy doors behind thee, Hide thyself shortly a moment till the indignation pass over.
21 For, lo, Jehovah is coming out of His place, To charge the iniquity of the inhabitant of the earth upon him, And revealed hath the earth her blood, Nor doth she cover any more her slain!'
1 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; salvation doth he appoint for walls and bulwarks.
2 Open ye the gates, and the righteous nation which keepeth faithfulness shall enter in.
3 Thou wilt keep in perfect peace the mind stayed [on thee], for he confideth in thee.
4 Confide ye in Jehovah for ever; for in Jah, Jehovah, is the rock of ages.
5 For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low, he layeth it low to the ground, he bringeth it even to the dust.
6 The foot shall tread it down, -- the feet of the afflicted, the steps of the poor.
7 The way of the just is uprightness: thou, the Upright, dost make the path of the just even.
8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Jehovah, have we waited for thee; the desire of [our] soul is to thy name, and to thy memorial.
9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 If favour be shewn to the wicked, he doth not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness he dealeth unjustly, and beholdeth not the majesty of Jehovah.
11 Jehovah, thy hand is lifted up, but they do not see: [yet] they shall see [thy] jealousy [for] the people, and be ashamed; yea, the fire which is for thine adversaries shall devour them.
12 Jehovah, thou wilt ordain peace for us; for thou also hast wrought all our works for us.
13 Jehovah our God, other lords than thee have had dominion over us; by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
14 [They are] dead, they shall not live; deceased, they shall not rise: for thou hast visited and destroyed them, and made all memory of them to perish.
15 Thou hast increased the nation, Jehovah, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified. Thou hadst removed [it] far [unto] all the ends of the earth.
16 Jehovah, in trouble they sought thee; they poured out [their] whispered prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
17 As a woman with child, that draweth near her delivery, is in travail, [and] crieth out in her pangs; so have we been before thee, Jehovah.
18 We have been with child, we have been in travail, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought the deliverance of the land, neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
19 Thy dead shall live, my dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing in triumph, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is the dew of the morning, and the earth shall cast forth the dead.
20 Come, my people, enter into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself just for a little moment, until the indignation be past.
21 For behold, Jehovah cometh out of his place to visit the iniquity of the inhabitants of the earth upon them; and the earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
1 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: we have a strong city; salvation will he appoint for walls and bulwarks.
2 Open you the gates, that the righteous nation which keeps faith may enter in.
3 You will keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on you]; because he trusts in you.
4 Trust in Yahweh forever; for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock.
5 For he has brought down those who dwell on high, the lofty city: he lays it low, he lays it low even to the ground; he brings it even to the dust.
6 The foot shall tread it down; even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
7 The way of the just is uprightness: you that are upright do direct the path of the just.
8 Yes, in the way of your judgments, Yahweh, have we waited for you; to your name, even to your memorial [name], is the desire of our soul.
9 With my soul have I desired you in the night; yes, with my spirit within me will I seek you earnestly: for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10 Let favor be shown to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not see the majesty of Yahweh.
11 Yahweh, your hand is lifted up, yet they don't see: but they shall see [your] zeal for the people, and be disappointed; yes, fire shall devour your adversaries.
12 Yahweh, you will ordain peace for us; for you have also worked all our works for us.
13 Yahweh our God, other lords besides you have had dominion over us; but by you only will we make mention of your name.
14 [They are] dead, they shall not live; [they are] deceased, they shall not rise: therefore have you visited and destroyed them, and made all memory of them to perish.
15 You have increased the nation, O Yahweh, you have increased the nation; you are glorified; you have enlarged all the borders of the land.
16 Yahweh, in trouble have they visited you; they poured out a prayer [when] your chastening was on them.
17 Like as a woman with child, who draws near the time of her delivery, is in pain and cries out in her pangs; so we have been before you, Yahweh.
18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not worked any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
19 Your dead shall live; my dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is [as] the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the dead.
20 Come, my people, enter you into your chambers, and shut your doors about you: hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation be past.
21 For, behold, Yahweh comes forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
1 In that day will this song be made in the land of Judah: We have a strong town; he will make salvation our walls and towers.
2 Let the doors be open, so that the upright nation which keeps faith may come in.
3 The man whose heart is unmoved you will keep in peace, because his hope is in you.
4 Let your hope be in the Lord for ever: for the Lord Jah is an unchanging Rock.
5 For he has made low those who are lifted up, all the people of the town of pride: he makes it low, crushing it down to the earth; he makes it low in the dust.
6 It will be crushed under the feet of the poor and the steps of those who are in need.
7 The way of the good man is straight; the road of the upright is made smooth by you.
8 We have been waiting for you, O Lord; the desire of our soul is for the memory of your name.
9 In the night the desire of my soul has been for you; early will my spirit be searching for you; for when your punishments come on the earth, the people of the world will get the knowledge of righteousness.
10 Even if you are kind to the evil-doer, he will not go after righteousness; even in the land of the upright he will still go on in his wrongdoing, and will not see the glory of the Lord.
11 Lord, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see: let them see ... yes, your haters will be burned up in the fire.
12 Lord, you will give us peace: for all our works are the outcome of your purpose.
13 O Lord, our God, other lords than you have had rule over us; but in you only is our salvation, and no other name will we take on our lips.
14 The dead will not come back to life: their spirits will not come back to earth; for this cause you have sent destruction on them, so that the memory of them is dead.
15 You have made the nation great, O Lord, you have made it great; glory is yours: you have made wide the limits of the land.
16 Lord, in trouble our eyes have been turned to you, we sent up a prayer when your punishment was on us.
17 As a woman with child, whose time is near, is troubled, crying out in her pain; so have we been before you, O Lord.
18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have given birth to wind; no salvation has come to the earth through us, and no children have come into the world.
19 Your dead will come back; their dead bodies will come to life again. Those in the dust, awaking from their sleep, will send out a song; for your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the shades.
20 Come, my people, into your secret places, and let your doors be shut: keep yourself safe for a short time, till his wrath is over.
21 For the Lord is coming out of his place to send punishment on the people of the earth for their evil-doing: the earth will let the blood drained out on her be seen, and will keep her dead covered no longer.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Isaiah 26
Commentary on Isaiah 26 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Thus the second hymnic echo has its confirmation in a prophecy against Moab, on the basis of which a third hymnic echo now arises. Whilst on the other side, in the land of Moab, the people are trodden down, and its lofty castles demolished, the people in the land of Judah can boast of an impregnable city. “In that day will this song be sung in the land of Judah: A city of defence is ours; salvation He sets for walls and bulwark.” According to the punctuation, this ought to be rendered, “A city is a shelter for us;” but עז עיר seem rather to be connected, according to Proverbs 17:19, “a city of strong, i.e., of impregnable offence and defence.” The subject of ישׁית is Jehovah. The figure indicates what He is constantly doing, and ever doing afresh; for the walls and bulwarks of Jerusalem ( chēl , as in Lamentations 2:8, the small outside wall which encloses all the fortifications) are not dead stone, but yeshuâh , ever living and never exhausted salvation (Isaiah 60:18). In just the same sense Jehovah is called elsewhere the wall of Jerusalem, and even a wall of fire in Zechariah 2:9 - parallels which show that yeshuâh is intended to be taken as the accusative of the object, and not as the accusative of the predicate, according to Isaiah 5:6; Psalms 21:7; Psalms 84:7; Jeremiah 22:6 (Luzzatto).
In Isaiah 26:1 this city is thought of as still empty: for, like paradise, in which man was placed, it is first of all a creation of God; and hence the exclamation in Isaiah 26:2 : “Open ye the gates, that a righteous people may enter, one keeping truthfulness.” The cry is a heavenly one; and those who open, if indeed we are at liberty to inquire who they are, must be angels. We recall to mind Psalms 24:1-10, but the scene is a different one. The author of Ps 118 has given individuality to this passage in Psalms 118:19, Psalms 118:20. Goi tzaddik (a righteous nation) is the church of the righteous, as in Isaiah 24:16. Goi (nation) is used here, as in Isaiah 26:15 and Isaiah 9:2, with reference to Israel, which has now by grace become a righteous nation, and has been established in covenant truth towards God, who keepeth truth ( 'emunim , from 'ēmūn , Psalms 31:24).
The relation of Israel and Jehovah to one another is now a permanent one. “Thou keepest the firmly-established mind in peace, peace; for his confidence rests on Thee.” A gnome (borrowed in Psalms 112:7-8), but in a lyrical connection, and with a distinct reference to the church of the last days. There is no necessity to take סמוּ יצר as standing for יצר סמוּ ך , as Knobel does. The state of mind is mentioned here as designating the person possessing it, according to his inmost nature. יצר (the mind) is the whole attitude and habit of a man as inwardly constituted, i.e., as a being capable of thought and will. סמוּ ך is the same, regarded as having a firm hold in itself, and this it has whenever it has a firm hold on God (Isaiah 10:20). This is the mind of the new Israel, and Jehovah keeps it, shâlom , shâlom (peace, peace; accusative predicates, used in the place of a consequential clause), i.e., so that deep and constant peace abides therein (Philippians 4:7). Such a mind is thus kept by Jehovah, because its trust is placed in Jehovah. בּטוּח refers to יצר , according to Ewald, §149, d , and is therefore equivalent to הוּא בּטוּח (cf., Psalms 7:10; Psalms 55:20), the passive participle, like the Latin confisus , fretus . To hang on God, or to be thoroughly devoted to Him, secures both stability and peace.
A cry goes forth again, as if from heaven, exhorting Israel to continue in this mind. “Hang confidently on Jehovah for ever: for in Jah, Jehovah, is an everlasting rock.” The combination Jah Jehovah is only met with here and in Isaiah 12:2. It is the proper name of God the Redeemer in the most emphatic form. The Beth essentiae frequently stands before the predicate (Ges.
He has already proved Himself to be such a rock, on which everything breaks that would attack the faithful whom He surrounds. “For He hath bent down them that dwell on high; the towering castle, He tore it down, tore it down to the earth, cast it into dust. The foot treads it to pieces, feet of the poor, steps of the lowly.” Passing beyond the fall of Moab, the fall of the imperial city is celebrated, to which Moab was only an annex (Isaiah 25:1-2; Isaiah 24:10-12). The futures are determined by the preterite; and the anadiplosis , which in other instances (e.g., Isaiah 25:1, cf., Psalms 118:11) links together derivatives or variations of form, is satisfied in this instance with changing the forms of the suffix. The second thought of Isaiah 26:6 is a more emphatic repetition of the first: it is trodden down; the oppression of those who have been hitherto oppressed is trodden down.
The righteous, who go astray according to the judgment of the world, thus arrive at a goal from which their way appears in a very different light. “The path that the righteous man takes is smoothness; Thou makest the course of the righteous smooth.” ישׁר is an accusative predicate: Thou rollest it, i.e., Thou smoothest it, so that it is just as if it had been bevelled with a rule, and leads quite straight (on the derivative peles , a level, see at Job 37:16) and without interruption to the desired end. The song has here fallen into the language of a mashal of Solomon (vid., Proverbs 4:26; Proverbs 5:6, Proverbs 5:21). It pauses here to reflect, as if at the close of a strophe.
It then commences again in a lyrical tone in Isaiah 26:8 and Isaiah 26:9 : “We have also waited for Thee, that Thou shouldest come in the path of Thy judgments; the desire of the soul went after Thy name, and after Thy remembrance. With my soul I desired Thee in the night; yea, with my spirit deep within me, I longed to have Thee here: for when Thy judgments strike the earth, the inhabitants of the earth learn righteousness.” In the opinion of Hitzig, Knobel, Drechsler, and others, the prophet here comes back from the ideal to the actual present. But this is not the case. The church of the last days, looking back to the past, declares with what longing it has waited for that manifestation of the righteousness of God which has now taken place. “The path of Thy judgments:” 'orach m ishpâtēkâ belongs to the te ; venientem (or venturum ) being understood. The clause follows the poetical construction ארח בּוא , after the analogy of דר ך הל ך . They longed for God to come as a Redeemer in the way of His judgments. The “name” and “remembrance” ad the nature of God, that has become nameable and memorable through self-assertion and self-manifestation (Exodus 3:15). They desired that God should present Himself again to the consciousness and memory of man, by such an act as should break through His concealment and silence. The prophet says this more especially of himself; for he feels himself “in spirit” to be a member of the perfected church. “My soul” and “my spirit” are accusatives giving a more precise definition (Ewald, §281, c ). “ The night ” is the night of affliction, as in Isaiah 21:11. In connection with this, the word shichēr (lit. to dig for a thing, to seek it eagerly) is employed here, with a play upon shachar . The dawning of the morning after a night of suffering was the object for which he longed, naphshi (my soul), i.e., with his entire personality ( Pyschol . p. 202), and ruchi b'kirbi (my spirit within me), i.e., with the spirit of his mind, πνεῦμα τοῦ νοός ( Psychol . p. 183). And why? Because, as often as God manifested Himself in judgment, this brought men to the knowledge, and possibly also to the recognition, of what was right (cf., Psalms 9:17). “ Will learn: ” lâmdu is a praet. gnomicum , giving the result of much practical experience.
Here again the shiir has struck the note of a m âshâl . And proceeding in this tone, it pauses here once more to reflect as at the close of a strophe. “If favour is shown to the wicked man, he does not learn righteousness; in the most upright land he acts wickedly, and has no eye for the majesty of Jehovah.” רשׁע יחן is a hypothetical clause, which is left to be indicated by the emphasis, like Nehemiah 1:8 (Ewald, §357, b ): granting that favour ( chēn = “goodness,” Romans 2:4) is constantly shown to the wicked man. “ The most upright land: ” 'eretz necochoth is a land in which everything is right, and all goes honourably. A worthless man, supposing he were in such a land, would still act knavishly; and of the majesty of Jehovah, showing itself in passing punishments of sin, though still sparing him, he would have no perception whatever. The prophet utters this with a painful feeling of indignation; the word bal indicating denial with emotion.
The situation still remains essentially the same as in Isaiah 26:11-13 : “Jehovah, Thy hand has been exalted, but they did not see: they will see the zeal for a people, being put to shame; yea, fire will devour Thine adversaries. Jehovah, Thou wilt establish peace for us: for Thou hast accomplished all our work for us. Jehovah our God, lords besides Thee had enslaved us; but through Thee we praise Thy name.” Here are three forms of address beginning with Jehovah, and rising in the third to “Jehovah our God.” The standpoint of the first is the time before the judgment; the standpoint of the other two is in the midst of the redemption that has been effected through judgment. Hence what the prophet states in Isaiah 26:11 will be a general truth, which has now received its most splendid confirmation through the overthrow of the empire. The complaint of the prophet here is the same as in Isaiah 53:1. We may also compare Exodus 14:8, not Psalms 10:5; ( rūm does not mean to remain beyond and unrecognised, but to prove one's self to be high.) The hand of Jehovah had already shown itself to be highly exalted ( râmâh , 3 pr .), by manifesting itself in the history of the nations, by sheltering His congregation, and preparing the way for its exaltation in the midst of its humiliation; but as they had no eye for this hand, they would be made to feel it upon themselves as the avenger of His nation. The “zeal for a people,” when reduced from this ideal expression into a concrete one, is the zeal of Jehovah of hosts (Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 37:32) for His own nation (as in Isaiah 49:8). Kin'ath ‛ âm (zeal for a people) is the object to yechezū (they shall see); v'yēbōshū (and be put to shame) being a parenthetical interpolation, which does not interfere with this connection. “ Thou wilt establish peace ” ( tishpōt shâlom , Isaiah 26:12) expresses the certain hope of a future and imperturbable state of peace ( pones , stabilies ); and this hope is founded upon the fact, that all which the church has hitherto accomplished ( ma‛aseh , the acting out of its calling, as in Psalms 90:17, see at Isaiah 5:12) has not been its own work, but the work of Jehovah for it . And the deliverance just obtained from the yoke of the imperial power is the work of Jehovah also. The meaning of the complaint, “other lords beside Thee had enslaved us,” is just the same as that in Isaiah 63:18; but there the standpoint is in the midst of the thing complained of, whereas here it is beyond it. Jehovah is Israel's King. He seemed indeed to have lost His rule, since the masters of the world had done as they liked with Israel. But it was very different now, and it was only through Jehovah (“through Thee”) that Israel could now once more gratefully celebrate Jehovah's name.
The tyrants who usurped the rule over Israel have now utterly disappeared. “Dead men live not again, shades do not rise again: so hast Thou visited and destroyed them, and caused all their memory to perish.” The meaning is not that Jehovah had put them to death because there was no resurrection at all after death; for, as we shall see further on, the prophet was acquainted with such a resurrection. In mēthim (dead men) and rephâ'im (shades) he had directly in mind the oppressors of Israel, who had been thrust down into the region of the shades (like the king of Babylon in chapter 14), so that there was no possibility of their being raised up or setting themselves up again. The לכן is not argumentative (which would be very freezing in this highly lyrical connection), but introduces what must have occurred eo ipso when the other had taken place (it corresponds to the Greek ἄρα , and is used here in the same way as in Isaiah 61:7; Jeremiah 5:2; Jeremiah 2:33; Zechariah 11:7; Job 34:25; Job 42:3). They had fallen irrevocably into Sheol (Psalms 49:15), and consequently God had swept them away, so that not even their name was perpetuated.
Israel, when it has such cause as this for praising Jehovah, will have become a numerous people once more. “Thou hast added to the nation, O Jehovah, hast added to the nation; glorified Thyself; moved out all the borders of the land.” The verb יסף , which is construed in other cases with על , אל , , here with ל , carried its object within itself: to add, i.e., to give an increase. The allusion is to the same thing as that which caused the prophet to rejoice in Isaiah 9:2 (compare Isaiah 49:19-20; Isaiah 54:1., Micah 2:12; Micah 4:7; Obadiah 1:19-20, and many other passages; and for richaktâ , more especially Micah 7:11). Just as Isaiah 26:13 recals the bondage in Egypt, and Isaiah 26:14 the destruction of Pharaoh in the Red Sea, so Isaiah 26:16 recals the numerical strength of the nation, and the extent of the country in the time of David and Solomon. At the same time, we cannot say that the prophet intended to recall these to mind. The antitypical relation, in which the last times stand to these events and circumstances of the past, is a fact in sacred history, though not particularly referred to here.
The tephillâh now returns to the retrospective glance already cast in Isaiah 26:8, Isaiah 26:9 into that night of affliction, which preceded the redemption that had come. “Jehovah, in trouble they missed Thee, poured out light supplication when Thy chastisement came upon them. As a woman with child, who draws near to her delivery, writhes and cries out in her pangs, so were we in Thy sight, O Jehovah. We went with child, we writhed; it was as if we brought forth wind. We brought no deliverance to the land, and the inhabitants of the world did not come to the light.” The substantive circumstantial clause in the parallel line, למו מוּסר , c astigatione tua eos affilgente ( ל as in Isaiah 26:9), corresponds to בּצּר ; and לחשׁ צקוּן , a preterite עצוּק etire = יצק , Job 28:2; Job 29:6, to be poured out and melt away) with Nun paragogic (which is only met with again in Deuteronomy 8:3, Deuteronomy 8:16, the yekōshūn in Isaiah 29:21 being, according to the syntax, the future of kōsh ), answers to pâkad , which is used here as in Isaiah 34:16; 1 Samuel 20:6; 1 Samuel 25:15, in the sense of lustrando desiderare . Lachash is a quiet, whispering prayer (like the whispering of forms of incantation in Isaiah 3:3); sorrow renders speechless in the long run; and a consciousness of sin crushes so completely, that a man does not dare to address God aloud (Isaiah 29:4). Pregnancy and pangs are symbols of a state of expectation strained to the utmost, the object of which appears all the closer the more the pains increase. Often, says the perfected church, as it looks back upon its past history, often did we regard the coming of salvation as certain; but again and again were our hopes deceived. The first כּמו is equivalent to כּ , “as a woman with child,” etc. (see at Isaiah 8:22); the second is equivalent to כּאשׁר , “as it were, we brought forth wind.” This is not an inverted expression, signifying we brought forth as it were wind; but כמו governs the whole sentence in the sense of “(it was) as if .” The issue of all their painful toil was like the result of a false pregnancy ( empneumatosis ), a delivery of wind. This state of things also proceeded from Jehovah, as the expression “before Thee” implies. It was a consequence of the sins of Israel, and of a continued want of true susceptibility to the blessings of salvation. Side by side with their disappointed hope, Isaiah 26:18 places the ineffectual character of their won efforts. Israel's own doings - no, they could never make the land into ישׁוּעת (i.e., bring it into a state of complete salvation); and (so might the final clause be understood) they waited in vain for the judgment of Jehovah upon the sinful world that was at enmity against them, or they made ineffectual efforts to overcome it. This explanation is favoured by the fact, that throughout the whole of this cycle of prophecies yōshbē tēbēl does not mean the inhabitants of the holy land, but of the globe at large in the sense of “the world” (Isaiah 26:21; Isaiah 24:5-6). Again, the relation of יפּלוּ to the תּפּיל in Isaiah 26:19, land the figure previously employed of the pains of child-birth, speak most strongly in favour of the conclusion, that nâphal is here used for the falling of the fruit of the womb (cf., Wis. 7:3, Il . xix. 110, καταπεσεῖν and πεσεῖν ). And yōshbē tēbēl (the inhabitants of the world) fits in with this sense (viz., that the expected increase of the population never came), from the fact that in this instance the reference is not to the inhabitants of the earth; but the words signify inhabitants generally, or, as we should say, young, new-born “mortals.” The punishment of the land under the weight of the empire still continued, and a new generation did not come to the light of day to populate the desolate land (cf., Psychol. p. 414).
But now all this had taken place. Instead of singing what has occurred, the tephillah places itself in the midst of the occurrence itself. “Thy dead will live, my corpses rise again. Awake and rejoice, ye that lie in the dust! For thy dew is dew of the lights, and the earth will bring shades to the day.” The prophet speaks thus out of the heart of the church of the last times. In consequence of the long-continued sufferings and chastisements, it has been melted down to a very small remnant; and many of those whom it could once truly reckon as its own, are now lying as corpses in the dust of the grave. The church, filled with hope which will not be put to shame, now calls to itself, “Thy dead will live” ( מתיך יחיוּ , reviviscent, as in המּתים תּסהיּת , the resurrection of the dead), and consoles itself with the working of divine grace ad power, which is even now setting itself in motion: “my corpses will rise again” ( יקמוּן נבלתי , nebēlah : a word without a plural, but frequently used in a plural sense, as in Isaiah 5:25, and therefore connected with יקמוּן , equivalent to תקמנה : here before a light suffix, with the ê retained, which is lost in other cases). It also cries out, in full assurance of the purpose of God, the believing word of command over the burial-ground of the dead, “Wake up and rejoice, ye that sleep in the dust,” and then justifies to itself this believing word of command by looking up to Jehovah, and confessing, “Thy dew is dew born out of (supernatural) lights,” as the dew of nature is born out of the womb of the morning dawn (Psalms 110:3). Others render it “dew upon herbs,” taking אורות as equivalent to ירקות , as in 2 Kings 4:39. We take it as from אורה (Psalms 139:12), in the sense of החיּים אור . The plural implies that there is a perfect fulness of the lights of life in God (“the Father of lights,” James 1:17). Out of these there is born the gentle dew, which gives new life to the bones that have been sown in the ground (Psalms 141:7) - a figure full of mystery, which is quite needlessly wiped away by Hofmann's explanation, viz., that it is equivalent to tal hōrōth , “dew of thorough saturating.” Luther, who renders it, “Thy dew is a dew of the green field,” stands alone among the earlier translators. The Targum, Syriac, Vulgate, and Saad. all render it, “Thy dew is light dew;” and with the uniform connection in which the Scriptures place 'or (light) and c hayyı̄m (life), this rendering is natural enough. We now translate still further, “and the earth ( vâ'âretz , as in Isaiah 65:17; Proverbs 25:3, whereas ואר ץ is almost always in the construct state) will bring shades to the day” ( hippil , as a causative of nâphal , Isaiah 26:18), i.e., bring forth again the dead that have sunken into it (like Luther's rendering, “and the land will cast out the dead” - the rendering of our English version also: Tr.). The dew from the glory of God falls like a heavenly seed into the bosom of the earth; and in consequence of this, the earth gives out from itself the shades which have hitherto been held fast beneath the ground, so that they appear alive again on the surface of the earth. Those who understand Isaiah 26:18 as relating to the earnestly descried overthrow of the lords of the world, interpret this passage accordingly, as meaning either, “and thou castest down shades to the earth” ( אר ץ , acc. loci , = עד־אר ץ , Isaiah 26:5, לאר ץ , Isaiah 25:12), or, “and the earth causeth shades to fall,” i.e., to fall into itself. This is Rosenmüller's explanation ( terra per prosopopaeiam , ut supra Isaiah 24:20, inducta , deturbare in orcum sistitur impios , eo ipso manes eos reddens ). But although rephaim , when so interpreted, agrees with Isaiah 26:14, where this name is given to the oppressors of the people of God, it would be out of place here, where it would necessarily mean, “those who are just becoming shades.” But, what is of greater importance still, if this concluding clause is understood as applying to the overthrow of the oppressors, it does not give any natural sequence to the words, “dew of the lights is thy dew;” whereas, according to our interpretation, it seals the faith, hope, and prayer of the church for what is to follow. When compared with the New Testament Apocalypse, it is “the first resurrection” which is here predicted by Isaiah. The confessors of Jehovah are awakened in their graves to form one glorious church with those who are still in the body. In the case of Ezekiel also (Ez. Ezekiel 37:1-14), the resurrection of the dead which he beholds is something more than a figurative representation of the people that were buried in captivity. The church of the period of glory on this side is a church of those who have been miraculously saved and wakened up from the dead. Their persecutors lie at their feet beneath the ground.
The judgment upon them is not mentioned, indeed, till after the completion of the church through those of its members that have died, although it must have actually preceded the latter. Thus the standpoint of the prophecy is incessantly oscillating backwards and forwards in these four chapters (Isaiah 24-27). This explains the exhortation in the next verses, and the reason assigned. “Go in, my people, into thy chambers, and shut the door behind thee; hide thyself a little moment, till the judgment of wrath passes by. For, behold, Jehovah goeth out from His place to visit the iniquity of the inhabitants of the earth upon them; and the earth discloses the blood that it has sucked up, and no more covers her slain.” The shı̄r is now at an end. The prophecy speaks once more as a prophet. Whilst the judgment of wrath ( za‛am ) is going forth, and until it shall have passed by (on the fut. exact. , see Isaiah 10:12; Isaiah 4:4; and on the fact itself, acharith hazza‛am , Daniel 8:19), the people of God are to continue in the solitude of prayer (Matthew 6:6, cf., Psalms 27:5; Psalms 31:21). They can do so, for the judgment by which they get rid of their foes is the act of Jehovah alone; and they are to do so because only he who is hidden in God by prayer can escape the wrath. The judgment only lasts a little while (Isaiah 10:24-25; Isaiah 54:7-8,. cf., Psalms 30:6), a short time which is shortened for the elect's sake. Instead of the dual דּלתי ך (as the house-door is called, though not the chamber-door), the word is pointed דּלת (from דּלה = דּלת ), just as the prophet intentionally chooses the feminine חבי instead of חבה . The nation is thought of as feminine in this particular instance (cf., Isaiah 54:7-8); because Jehovah, its avenger and protector, is acting on its behalf, whilst in a purely passive attitude it hides itself in Him. Just as Noah, behind whom Jehovah shut the door of the ark, was hidden in the ark whilst the water-floods of the judgment poured down without, so should the church be shut off from the world without in its life of prayer, because a judgment of Jehovah was at hand. “He goeth out of His place” (verbatim the same as in Micah 1:3), i.e., not out of His own divine life, as it rests within Himself, but out of the sphere of the manifested glory in which He presents Himself to the spirits. He goeth forth thence equipped for judgment, to visit the iniquity of the inhabitant of the earth upon him (the singular used collectively), and more especially their blood-guiltiness. The prohibition of murder was given to the sons of Noah, and therefore was one of the stipulations of “the covenant of old” (Isaiah 24:5). The earth supplies two witnesses: (1.) the innocent blood which has been violently shed (on dâmim , see Isaiah 1:15), which she has had to suck up, and which is now exposed, and cries for vengeance; and (2.) the persons themselves who have been murdered in their innocence, and who are slumbering within her. Streams of blood come to light and bear testimony, and martyrs arise to bear witness against their murderers.