11 Our holy H6944 and our beautiful H8597 house, H1004 where our fathers H1 praised H1984 thee, is burned up H8316 with fire: H784 and all our pleasant things H4261 are laid waste. H2723
A man was famous H3045 according as he had lifted up H935 H4605 axes H7134 upon the thick H5442 trees. H6086 But now they break down H1986 the carved work H6603 thereof at once H3162 with axes H3781 and hammers. H3597 They have cast H7971 fire H784 into thy sanctuary, H4720 they have defiled H2490 by casting down the dwelling place H4908 of thy name H8034 to the ground. H776
The adversary H6862 hath spread out H6566 his hand H3027 upon all her pleasant things: H4261 for she hath seen H7200 that the heathen H1471 entered H935 into her sanctuary, H4720 whom thou didst command H6680 that they should not enter H935 into thy congregation. H6951 All her people H5971 sigh, H584 they seek H1245 bread; H3899 they have given H5414 their pleasant things H4261 H4262 for meat H400 to relieve H7725 the soul: H5315 see, H7200 O LORD, H3068 and consider; H5027 for I am become vile. H2151
As for the beauty H6643 of his ornament, H5716 he set H7760 it in majesty: H1347 but they made H6213 the images H6754 of their abominations H8441 and of their detestable things H8251 therein: therefore have I set H5414 it far H5079 from them. And I will give H5414 it into the hands H3027 of the strangers H2114 for a prey, H957 and to the wicked H7563 of the earth H776 for a spoil; H7998 and they shall pollute H2490 it.
And he set H5975 the Levites H3881 in the house H1004 of the LORD H3068 with cymbals, H4700 with psalteries, H5035 and with harps, H3658 according to the commandment H4687 of David, H1732 and of Gad H1410 the king's H4428 seer, H2374 and Nathan H5416 the prophet: H5030 for so was the commandment H4687 of H3027 the LORD H3068 by H3027 his prophets. H5030 And the Levites H3881 stood H5975 with the instruments H3627 of David, H1732 and the priests H3548 with the trumpets. H2689 And Hezekiah H2396 commanded H559 to offer H5927 the burnt offering H5930 upon the altar. H4196 And when H6256 the burnt offering H5930 began, H2490 the song H7892 of the LORD H3068 began H2490 also with the trumpets, H2689 and with the instruments H3627 ordained by H3027 David H1732 king H4428 of Israel. H3478 And all the congregation H6951 worshipped, H7812 and the singers H7892 sang, H7891 and the trumpeters H2689 sounded: H2690 H2690 and all this continued until the burnt offering H5930 was finished. H3615 And when they had made an end H3615 of offering, H5927 the king H4428 and all that were present H4672 with him bowed H3766 themselves, and worshipped. H7812 Moreover Hezekiah H3169 the king H4428 and the princes H8269 commanded H559 the Levites H3881 to sing praise H1984 unto the LORD H3068 with the words H1697 of David, H1732 and of Asaph H623 the seer. H2374 And they sang praises H1984 with gladness, H8057 and they bowed their heads H6915 and worshipped. H7812
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Isaiah 64
Commentary on Isaiah 64 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 64
Isa 64:1-12. Transition from Complaint to Prayer.
1. rend … heavens—bursting forth to execute vengeance, suddenly descending on Thy people's foe (Ps 18:9; 144:5; Hab 3:5, 6).
flow down—(Jud 5:5; Mic 1:4).
2. Oh, that Thy wrath would consume Thy foes as the fire. Rather, "as the fire burneth the dry brushwood" [Gesenius].
3. When—Supply from Isa 64:2, "As when."
terrible things—(Ps 65:5).
we looked not for—far exceeding the expectation of any of our nation; unparalleled before (Ex 34:10; Ps 68:8).
camest down—on Mount Sinai.
mountains flowed—Repeated from Isa 64:1; they pray God to do the very same things for Israel now as in former ages. Gesenius, instead of "flowed" here, and "flow" in Isa 64:1, translates from a different Hebrew root, "quake … quaked"; but "fire" melts and causes to flow, rather than to quake (Isa 64:2).
4. perceived by the ear—Paul (1Co 2:9) has for this, "nor have entered into the heart of man"; the virtual sense, sanctioned by his inspired authority; men might hear with the outward ear, but they could only by the Spirit "perceive" with the "heart" the spiritual significancy of God's acts, both those in relation to Israel, primarily referred to here, and those relating to the Gospel secondarily, which Paul refers to.
O God … what he … prepared—rather, "nor hath eye seen a god beside thee who doeth such things." They refer to God's past marvellous acts in behalf of Israel as a plea for His now interposing for His people; but the Spirit, as Paul by inspiration shows, contemplated further God's revelation in the Gospel, which abounds in marvellous paradoxes never before heard of by carnal ear, not to be understood by mere human sagacity, and when foretold by the prophets not fully perceived or credited; and even after the manifestation of Christ not to be understood save through the inward teaching of the Holy Ghost. These are partly past and present, and partly future; therefore Paul substitutes "prepared" for "doeth," though his context shows he includes all three. For "waiteth" he has "love Him"; godly waiting on Him must flow from love, and not mere fear.
5. meetest—that is, Thou makest peace, or enterest into covenant with him (see on Isa 47:3).
rejoiceth and worketh—that is, who with joyful willingness worketh [Gesenius] (Ac 10:35; Joh 7:17).
those—Thou meetest "those," in apposition to "him" who represents a class whose characteristics "those that," &c., more fully describes.
remember thee in thy ways—(Isa 26:8).
sinned—literally, "tripped," carrying on the figure in "ways."
in those is continuance—a plea to deprecate the continuance of God's wrath; it is not in Thy wrath that there is continuance (Isa 54:7, 8; Ps 30:5; 103:9), but in Thy ways ("those"), namely, of covenant mercy to Thy people (Mic 7:18-20; Mal 3:6); on the strength of the everlasting continuance of His covenant they infer by faith, "we shall be saved." God "remembered" for them His covenant (Ps 106:45), though they often "remembered not" Him (Ps 78:42). Castellio translates, "we have sinned for long in them ('thy ways'), and could we then be saved?" But they hardly would use such a plea when their very object was to be saved.
6. unclean thing—legally unclean, as a leper. True of Israel, everywhere now cut off by unbelief and by God's judgments from the congregation of the saints.
righteousness—plural, "uncleanness" extended to every particular act of theirs, even to their prayers and praises. True of the best doings of the unregenerate (Php 3:6-8; Tit 1:15; Heb 11:6).
filthy rags—literally, a "menstruous rag" (Le 15:33; 20:18; La 1:17).
fade … leaf—(Ps 90:5, 6).
7. stirreth—rouseth himself from spiritual drowsiness.
take hold—(Isa 27:5).
8. father—(Isa 63:16).
clay … potter—(Isa 29:16; 45:9). Unable to mould themselves aright, they beg the sovereign will of God to mould them unto salvation, even as He made them at the first, and is their "Father."
9. (Ps 74:1, 2).
we are … thy people—(Jer 14:9, 21).
10. holy cities—No city but Jerusalem is called "the holy city" (Isa 48:2; 52:1); the plural, therefore, refers to the upper and the lower parts of the same city Jerusalem [Vitringa]; or all Judea was holy to God, so its cities were deemed "holy" [Maurer]. But the parallelism favors Vitringa. Zion and Jerusalem (the one city) answering to "holy cities."
11. house—the temple.
beautiful—includes the idea of glorious (Mr 13:1; Ac 3:2).
burned—(Ps 74:7; La 2:7; 2Ch 36:19). Its destruction under Nebuchadnezzar prefigured that under Titus.
pleasant things—Hebrew, "objects of desire"; our homes, our city, and all its dear associations.
12. for these things—Wilt Thou, notwithstanding these calamities of Thy people, still refuse Thy aid (Isa 42:14)?