“Hear this, house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, and have come out of the waters of Judah. You swear by Yahweh’s name, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness—
Parallel Translations
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“Hear this, house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, and have come out of the waters of Judah. You swear by Yahweh’s name, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness—
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Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.
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Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the fountain of Judah; who swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness.
Cross-references (39)
Passages linked to Isaiah 48:1 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Jeremiah 4:2 and you will swear, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness. The nations will bless themselves in him, and they will glory in him.”
- Psalms 68:26 “Bless God in the congregations, even the Lord in the assembly of Israel!”
- Genesis 32:28 He said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
- Deuteronomy 6:13 You shall fear Yahweh your God; and you shall serve him, and shall swear by his name.
- Isaiah 1:10-14 Hear Yahweh’s word, you rulers of Sodom! Listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah! “What are the multitude of your sacrifices to me?”, says Yahweh. “I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed animals. I don’t delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of male goats. When you come to appear before me, who has required this at your hand, to trample my courts? Bring no more vain offerings. Incense is an abomination to me. New moons, Sabbaths, and convocations: I can’t stand evil assemblies. My soul hates your New Moons and your appointed feasts. They are a burden to me. I am weary of bearing them.
- Isaiah 65:16 so that he who blesses himself in the earth will bless himself in the God of truth; and he who swears in the earth will swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hidden from my eyes.
- Jeremiah 5:2 Though they say, ‘As Yahweh lives,’ surely they swear falsely.”
- Jeremiah 7:9-10 Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known, then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, ‘We are delivered,’ that you may do all these abominations?
- Matthew 15:8-9 ‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. And in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrine rules made by men.’ ”
- Genesis 35:10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel.” He named him Israel.
- Exodus 23:13 “Be careful to do all things that I have said to you; and don’t invoke the name of other gods or even let them be heard out of your mouth.
- Leviticus 19:12 “ ‘You shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh.
- Numbers 24:7 Water shall flow from his buckets. His seed shall be in many waters. His king shall be higher than Agag. His kingdom shall be exalted.
- Deuteronomy 5:28 Yahweh heard the voice of your words when you spoke to me; and Yahweh said to me, “I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken to you. They have well said all that they have spoken.
- Deuteronomy 10:20 You shall fear Yahweh your God. You shall serve him. You shall cling to him, and you shall swear by his name.
- Deuteronomy 33:28 Israel dwells in safety, the fountain of Jacob alone, In a land of grain and new wine. Yes, his heavens drop down dew.
- 2 Kings 17:34 To this day they do what they did before. They don’t fear Yahweh, and they do not follow the statutes, or the ordinances, or the law, or the commandment which Yahweh commanded the children of Jacob, whom he named Israel;
- Psalms 50:16-20 But to the wicked God says, “What right do you have to declare my statutes, that you have taken my covenant on your lips, since you hate instruction, and throw my words behind you? When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have participated with adulterers. “You give your mouth to evil. Your tongue frames deceit. You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother’s son.
- Psalms 63:11 But the king shall rejoice in God. Everyone who swears by him will praise him, for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be silenced.
- Psalms 66:3 Tell God, “How awesome are your deeds! Through the greatness of your power, your enemies submit themselves to you.
- Proverbs 5:16 Should your springs overflow in the streets, streams of water in the public squares?
- Isaiah 26:13 Yahweh our God, other lords besides you have had dominion over us, but we will only acknowledge your name.
- Isaiah 44:5 One will say, ‘I am Yahweh’s;’ and another will be called by the name of Jacob; and another will write with his hand ‘to Yahweh,’ and honor the name of Israel.”
- Isaiah 45:23 I have sworn by myself. The word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and will not be revoked, that to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.
- Isaiah 58:2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways. As a nation that did righteousness, and didn’t forsake the ordinance of their God, they ask of me righteous judgments. They delight to draw near to God.
- Isaiah 62:8 Yahweh has sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, “Surely I will no more give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners will not drink your new wine, for which you have labored,
- Zephaniah 1:5 those who worship the army of the sky on the housetops, those who worship and swear by Yahweh and also swear by Malcam,
- Malachi 3:5 I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the perjurers, and against those who oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and who deprive the foreigner of justice, and don’t fear me,” says Yahweh of Armies.
- Matthew 23:13 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
- John 1:47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!”
- John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
- Romans 2:17 Indeed you bear the name of a Jew, rest on the law, glory in God,
- Romans 2:28-29 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not from men, but from God.
- Romans 9:6 But it is not as though the word of God has come to nothing. For they are not all Israel that are of Israel.
- Romans 9:8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as heirs.
- 1 Timothy 4:2 through the hypocrisy of men who speak lies, branded in their own conscience as with a hot iron,
- 2 Timothy 3:2-5 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, not lovers of good, traitors, headstrong, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding a form of godliness, but having denied its power. Turn away from these, also.
- Revelation 2:9 “I know your works, oppression, and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
- Revelation 3:9 Behold, I give some of the synagogue of Satan, of those who say they are Jews, and they are not, but lie—behold, I will make them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (24 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Meaning, the fountain and stock.
Meaning, the fountain and stock.
He detecteth their hypocrisy which vaunteth themselves to be Israelites, and were not so indeed.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Isa 48:1 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob,…
Isa 48:1 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, which are called by the name of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which swear by the name of the LORD, and make mention of the God of Israel, [but] not in truth, nor in righteousness.
Ver. 1. Hear ye this, O house of Jacob.] Ye stiffnecked of Israel, and "uncircumcised in heart and ears, who do always resist the Holy Ghost," {Act 7:51} to you be it spoken; for to the "Israelites indeed" enough hath been said of this subject already.
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Which are called by the name of Israel] {a} Sed nomen inane crimen immane. Ye are "called Jews, and make your boast of God," {Rom 2:17} having a form of knowledge, {Rom 2:20} and of godliness, {2Ti 3:5} and that is all; the voice of Jacob, but the hands of Esau. Let such fear Jacob’s fear, "My father perhaps will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing." {Gen 27:12} It is sure enough.
And are come forth out of the waters {b} of Judah,] i.e., Out of the bowels, {as Gen 15:4} as waters out of a spring. {Deu 33:28 Psa 68:26} Judah was the tribe royal: hence they so gloried, and remained "ruling with God, and faithful with the saints," when other tribes revolted.
Which swear by the name of the Lord.] And not of Baal.
And make mention of the God of Israel.] Who was near in their mouths, but far from their reins. {Jer 12:2 Psa 50:16} Religionem simulabant, cum in cute essent nequissimi. Arrant hypocrites.
But not in truth, nor in righteousness,] i.e., Without faith and sound conversion.
{a} Picti estis Israelitae, estis hypocritae.
{b} Pro ממי videtur hic legendum ממעי
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Hear ye this, what I am now going to…
Hear ye this, what I am now going to say against thee, that thou mayst be assured that that great deliverance which I have determined and declared to give time is not for thy own sake, but for my name’s sake.
Which are called by the name of Israel; which are Israelites in name, but not in truth, as it follows.
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Out of the waters of Judah; from the lineage of your progenitor, Judah, as waters flow from a fountain, and as the Israelites are said to be
of the fountain of Israel, Psa 68:26. Compare also Deu 33:28; Pro 5:15, &c.
Which swear; which profess the true religion; one act of religion being put for all.
Make mention of the God of Israel; either in oaths or otherwise; that own him and seek to glory in him as their God, and call themselves by his name.
But not in truth, nor in righteousness; which are the two chief ingredients of a lawful oath, Jer 4:2. They are guilty of falsehood and injustice, both in oaths, and in their whole conversation.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain We may observe here,
We may observe here,
I. The hypocritical profession which many of the Jews made of religion and relation to God. To those who made such a profession the prophet is here ordered to address himself, for their conviction and humiliation, that they might own God's justice in what he had brought upon them. Now observe here,
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1. How high their profession of religion soared, what a fair show they made in the flesh and how far they went towards heaven, what a good livery they wore and what a good face they put upon a very bad heart. (1.) They were the house of Jacob; they had a place and a name in the visible church. Jacob have I loved. Jacob is God's chosen; and they are not only retainers to his family, but descendants from him. (2.) They were called by the name of Israel, an honourable name; they were of that people to whom pertained both the giving of the law and the promises. Israel signifies a prince with God; and they prided themselves in being of that princely race. (3.) They came forth out of the waters of Judah, and thence were called Jews; they were of the royal tribe, the tribe of which Shiloh was to come, the tribe that adhered to God when the rest revolted. (4.) They swore by the name of the Lord, and thereby owned him to be the true God, and their God, and gave glory to him as the righteous Judge of all. They swore to the name of the Lord (so it may be read); they took an oath of allegiance to him as their King and joined themselves to him in covenant. (5.) They made mention of the God of Israel in their prayers and praises; they often spoke of him, observed his memorials, and pretended to be very mindful of him. (6.) They called themselves of the holy city, and, when they were captives in Babylon, purely from a principle of honour, and jealousy for their native country, they valued themselves upon their interest in it. Many, who are themselves unholy, are proud of their relation to the church, the holy city. (7.) They stayed themselves upon the God of Israel, and boasted of his promises and his covenant with them; they leaned on the Lord, Mic 3:11. And, if they were asked concerning their God, they could say, "The Lord of hosts is his name, the Lord of all;" happy are we therefore, and very great, who have relation to him!
2. How low their profession of religion sunk, notwithstanding all this. It was all in vain; for it was all a jest; it was not in truth and righteousness. Their hearts were not true nor right in these professions. Note, All our religious professions avail nothing further than they are made in truth and righteousness. If we be not sincere in them, we do but take the name of the Lord our God in vain.
II. The means God used, and the method he took, to keep them close to himself, and to prevent their turning aside to idolatry. The many excellent laws he gave them, with their sanctions, and the hedges about them, it seems, would not serve to restrain them from that sin which did most easily beset them, and therefore to those God added remarkable prophecies, and remarkable providences in pursuance of those prophecies, which were all designed to convince them that their God was the only true God and that it was therefore both their duty and interest to adhere to him. 1. He both dignified and favoured them with remarkable prophecies (Isa 48:3): I have declared the former things from the beginning. Nothing material happened to their nation from its original which was not prophesied of before - their bondage in Egypt, their deliverance thence, the situation of their tribes in Canaan, etc. All these things went forth out of God's mouth and he showed them. Herein they were honoured above any nation, and even their curiosity was gratified. Their prophecies were such as they could rely upon, and such as concerned themselves and their own nation; and they were all verified by the accomplishment of them. I did them suddenly, when they were least expected by themselves or others, and therefore could not be foreseen by any but a divine prescience. I did them and they came to pass; for what God does he does effectually. The very calamities they were now groaning under in Babylon God did from the beginning declare to them by Moses, as the certain consequences of their apostasy from God, Lev 26:31, etc.; Deu 28:36, etc.; Deu 29:28. He also declared to them their return to God, and to their own land again, Deu 30:4, etc.; Lev 26:44, Lev 26:45. Thus he showed them how he would deal with them long before it came to pass. Let them compare their present state together with the deliverance they had now in prospect with what was written in the law, and they would find the scripture exactly fulfilled. 2. He both dignified and favoured them with remarkable providence (Isa 48:6): I have shown thee new things from this time. Besides the general view given from the beginning of God's proceedings with them, he showed them new things by the prophets of their own day, and created them. They were hidden things, which they could not otherwise know, as the prophecy concerning Cyrus and the exact time of their release out of Babylon. These things God created now, Isa 48:7. Their restoration was in effect their creation, and they had a promise of it not from the beginning, but of late; for to prevent their apostasy from God, or to recover them, prophecy was kept up among them. Yet it was told them when they could not come to the knowledge of it in any other way than by divine revelation. "Consider," says God, "how much soever it is talked of now among you and expected, it was told you by the prophets, when it was the furthest thing from your thoughts, when you had not heard it, when you had not known it, nor had any reason to expect it, and when your ear was not opened concerning it (Isa 48:7, Isa 48:8), when the thing seemed utterly impossible, and you would scarcely have given any one the hearing who should have told you of it." God had shown them hidden things which were out of the reach of their knowledge, and done for them great things, out of the reach of their power: "Now," says he (Isa 48:6), "thou hast heard; see all this. Thou hast heard the prophecy; see the accomplishment of it, and observe whether the word and works of God do not exactly agree; and will you not declare it, that as you have heard so you have seen? Will you not own that the Lord is the true God, the only true God, that he has the knowledge and power which no creature has and which none of the gods of the nations can pretend to? Will you not own that your God has been a good God to you? Declare this to his honour, and your own shame, who have dealt so deceitfully with him and preferred others before him."
III. The reasons why God would take this method with them.
1. Because he would anticipate their boastings of themselves and their idols. (1.) God by his prophets told them beforehand of their deliverance, lest they should attribute the accomplishment of it to their idols. Thus he saw it necessary to secure the glory of it to himself, which otherwise would have been given by some of them to their graven images: "I spoke of it," says God, "lest thou shouldst say, My idol has done it or has commanded it to be done," Isa 48:5. There were those that would be apt to say so, and so would be confirmed in their idolatry by that which was intended to cure them of it. But they would now be for ever precluded from saying this; for, if the idols had done it, the prophets of the idols would have foretold it; but, the prophets of the Lord having foretold it, it was no doubt the power of the Lord that effected it. (2.) God foretold it by his prophets, lest they should assume the foresight of it to themselves. Those that were not so profane as to have ascribed the thing itself to an idol were yet so proud as to have pretended that by their own sagacity they foresaw it, if God had not been beforehand with them and spoken first: Lest thou shouldst say, Behold, I knew them, Isa 48:7. Thus vain men, who would be thought wise, commonly undervalue a thing which is really great and surprising with this suggestion, that it was no more than they expected and they knew it would come to this. To anticipate this, and that this boasting might for ever be excluded, God told them of it before the day, when as yet they dreamed not of it. God has said and done enough to prevent men's boastings of themselves, and that no flesh may glory in his presence, and, if it have not the intended effect, it will aggravate the sin and ruin of the proud; and, sooner, or later, every mouth shall be stopped, and all flesh shall become silent before God.
2. Because he would leave them inexcusable in their obstinacy. Therefore he took this pains with them, because he knew they were obstinate, Isa 48:4. He knew they were so obstinate and perverse that, if he had not supported the doctrine of providence by prophecy, they would have had the impudence to deny it, and would have said that their idol had done that which God did. He knew very well, (1.) How wilful they would be, and how fully bent they would be upon that which is evil: I knew that thou wast hard; so the word is. There were prophecies as well as precepts which God gave them because of the hardness of their hearts: "Thy neck is an iron sinew, unapt to yield and submit to the yoke of God' commandments, unapt to turn and look back upon his dealings with thee or look up to his displeasure against thee; not flexible to the will of God, nor pliable to his intentions, nor manageable by his word or providence. Thy brow is brass; thou art impudent and canst not blush, insolent and wilt not fear or give back, but wilt thrust on in the way of thy heart." God uses means to bring sinners to comply with him, though he knows they are obstinate. (2.) How deceitful they would be and how insincere in that which is good, Isa 48:8. God sent his prophets to them, but they did not hear, they would not know, and it was no more than was expected, considering what they had been. Thou wast called, and not miscalled, a transgressor from the womb. Ever since they were first formed into a people they were prone to idolatry; they brought with them out of Egypt a strange addictedness to that sin; and they were murmurers as soon as ever they began their march to Canaan. They were justly upbraided with it then, Deu 9:7, Deu 9:24. Therefore I knew that thou wouldst deal very treacherously. God foresaw their apostasy, and gave this reason for it, that he had always found them false and fickle, Deu 31:16, Deu 31:27, Deu 31:29. This is applicable to particular persons. We are all born children of disobedience; we were called transgressors from the womb, and therefore it is easy to foresee that we shall deal treacherously, very treacherously. Where original sin is actual sin will follow of course. God knows it, and yet deals not with us according to our deserts.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Hear ye this, O house of Jacob,.... Who were…
Hear ye this, O house of Jacob,.... Who were of the house and family of Jacob, his descendants and posterity; and who were of the house of the God of Jacob, had a name and a place there, at least in profession:
which are called by the name of Israel; a name given to Jacob, because of his prevalence with God in prayer; but these had only the name, not the thing, however not as yet; they were neither praying Jacobs, nor prevailing Israels; they were not Israelites indeed:
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and are come forth out of the waters of Judah; that is, were of the seed of Judah, as the Targum, Aben Ezra, and Kimchi interpret it; these were waters out of his buckets, as Jarchi observes from Num 24:7, so we read of the fountain of Jacob, Deu 33:28. These were streams from thence; they were of the tribe of Judah, to whom the kingdom belonged; from whence was the chief ruler, the Shiloh, the King Messiah; they were of these waters, though not born again of water and of the Spirit:
which swear by the name of the Lord God; own him for their God, acknowledge him their Lord and King, and solemnly promise to serve him, and yield obedience to him:
and make mention of the God of Israel; or "remember" him (z) in their religious exercises; invoke his name, sing his praises, ask of him the ordinances of righteousness, honour him with their lips, speak honourably of him, and profess to remember his works of old at their solemn feasts:
but not in truth, nor in righteousness; not according to the will of God, nor truth of things; nor in the integrity of their hearts, but in an hypocritical way, and not in sincerity and uprightness; in word and tongue only, not in deed and in truth; worshippers of God they were externally, but not in spirit and truth.
(z) "recordantur", Munster, Vatablus.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain God reproves their hypocrisy and obstinacy by his prophecies,…
God reproves their hypocrisy and obstinacy by his prophecies, ver. 1-8. He spares them for his name's sake, and that they may learn to know him aright, ver. 9-11. God's powerful salvation a motive to obedience, ver. 12-17. God laments their backwardness, ver. 18, 19. Deliverance out of Babylon, ver. 20, 21. No peace to the wicked, ver. 22.
Called - Who are Israelites in name, but not in truth. Are come - From the lineage of your progenitor, Judah, as waters flow from a fountain. Swear - Who profess the true religion; (one act of religion being put for all) and call themselves by his name.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain The Jews reproved for their obstinate attachment to idols,
CHAPTER XLVIII
The Jews reproved for their obstinate attachment to idols,
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notwithstanding their experience of the Divine providence over
them; and of the Divine prescience that revealed by the
prophets the most remarkable events which concerned them, that
they should not have the least pretext for ascribing any
portion of their success to their idols, 1-8.
The Almighty, after bringing them to the furnace for their
perverseness, asserts his glorious sovereignty, and repeats his
gracious promises of deliverance and consolation, 9-11.
Prophecy concerning that individual (Cyrus) who shall be an
instrument in the hand of God of executing his will on Babylon,
and his power on the Chaldeans; and the idols of the people are
again challenged to give a like proof of their foreknowledge,
12-16.
Tender and passionate exclamation of Jehovah respecting the
hardened condition of the Jewish nation, to which the very
pathetic exclamation of the Divine Saviour when he wept over
Jerusalem may be considered a striking parallel, 17-19.
Notwithstanding the repeated provocations of the house of
Israel, Jehovah will again be merciful to them. They are
commanded to escape from Babylon; and God's gracious favour
towards them is beautifully represented by images borrowed from
the exodus from Egypt, 20, 21.
Certain perdition of the finally impenitent, 22.
It will be proper here to remark that many passages in this
chapter, and indeed the general strain of these prophecies,
have a plain aspect to a restoration of the Church in the
latter days upon a scale much greater than the world has yet
witnessed, when the very violent fall of Babylon the Great,
mentioned in the Revelation, of which the Chaldean capital was
an expressive type, shall introduce by a most tremendous
political convulsion, (Re 16:17-21,)
that glorious epoch of the Gospel, which forms so conspicuous
a part of the prophecies of the Old Testament, and has been a
subject of the prayers of all saints in all ages.
NOTES ON CHAP. XLVIII
Verse 1. Are come forth out of the waters of Judah - "Ye that flow from the fountain of Judah"] ממי mimmey, "from the waters." Perhaps ממעי mimmeey, "from the bowels," SO many others have conjectured, or מני יהודה meni yehudah, or מיהודה meyhudah, "from Judah." - Secker. But see Michaelis in Praelect, not. 22. And we have עין יעקב eyn yaakob, "the fountain of Jacob," De 33:28, and ממקור ישראל mimmekor yishrael, "from the fountain of Israel," Ps 68:27. Twenty-seven MSS. of Kennicott's, six of De Rossi's and two of my own, with six editions, have מימי meymey, "from the days;" which makes no good sense.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Isa 48:1-2. Hear ye this, O house of Jacob…
Isa 48:1-2. Hear ye this, O house of Jacob — For your conviction and humiliation; that, acknowledging God to be just, and even merciful, in what he has brought upon you, you may give glory to him, and take shame to yourselves; which are called by the name of Israel — Who are Israelites in name, but not in truth; and are come out of the waters of Judah — From the lineage of your progenitor, Judah, as waters flow from a fountain; which swear by the name of the Lord — Who profess the true religion, one act thereof being put for all; that own him to be the true God and your God, and give glory to him as the righteous judge of all. Or, that swear to the name of the Lord, as the words may be rendered; that take an oath of allegiance to him as your king, and join yourselves to him in covenant. And make mention of the God of Israel — In your prayers and praises, who often speak of, seem to glory in, and call yourselves by his name; but not in truth nor in righteousness — Which are the two chief ingredients of a lawful oath, and of a sincere profession of religion. Observe, reader, our religious professions avail nothing unless they be made in truth and righteousness. If we be not sincere in them, we do but take the name of the Lord our God in vain. For — Or, as the Hebrew particle often signifies, Though, they call themselves the holy city — Though they glory in this, that they are citizens of Jerusalem, a city sanctified by God himself to be the only place of his true worship and gracious presence, which, as it was a great privilege, so it laid a great obligation upon them to walk more holily than they did. And stay themselves upon the God of Israel — Not by a true and well-grounded faith, but by a vain and presumptuous confidence, flattering themselves, as that people commonly did, that they should enjoy peace and safety, notwithstanding all their wickedness, because they were the Lord’s people, and had his temple and ordinances among them; which disposition the prophets frequently notice, and sharply censure in them.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Hear ye this - This is an address to…
Hear ye this - This is an address to the Jews regarded as in Babylon, and is designed to remind them of their origin, and of their privileges as the descendants of Jacob, and having the name of Israel (compare the notes at Isa 43:1).
And are come forth out of the waters of Judah - This metaphor is taken from a fountain which sends forth its streams of water, and the idea is, that they owed their origin to Judah, as the streams flowed from a fountain. A similar figure is used by Balaam in describing the vast increase of the Jews: Num. 34 ‘He shall pour the waters out of his buckets, and his seed shall be in many waters.’ So in Deu 33:28 : ‘The fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine.’ So Psa 68:26 :
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Bless ye God in the congregations,
Jehovah, ye that are of the fountain of Israel.
Margin
The idea is, that Judah was the fountain, or origin of the people who were then exiled in Babylon. The ten tribes had revolted, and had been carried away, and the name of Benjamin had been absorbed in that of Judah, and this had become the common name of the nation. Perhaps Judah is mentioned here with honor as the fountain of the nation, because it was from him that the Messiah was to descend Gen 49:10 : and this mention of his name would serve to bring that promise to view, and would be an assurance that the nation would not be destroyed, nor the power finally depart until He should come.
Which swear by the name - Who worship Yahweh, and acknowledge him as the only true God (see the notes at Isa 19:18; Isa 45:23; compare Isa 48:1; Isa 65:16).
And make mention - That is, in your prayers and praises. You acknowledge him, and profess to worship him.
But not in truth - In a hypocritical manner; not in sincerity. Compare Jer 5:2 : ‘And though they say, The Lord liveth, surely they swear falsely.’
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Waters; people, (Apocalypse xvii. 15.; Haydock) or from the…
Waters; people, (Apocalypse xvii. 15.; Haydock) or from the stock of Juda, Proverbs v. 15. (Calmet) --- He claimed the sovereign power, but had not the fortitude or wisdom for Israel. (Worthington)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures 1864 · Public Domain Recapitulation and Conclusion
IX.—THE NINTH DISCOURSE
Recapitulation and Conclusion
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Isaiah 48
This chapter reproduces the chief ingredients of the foregoing discourses from chap. 40. on. By this brief recapitulation, it aims at a mighty effect on the spirits of the hearers by means of a total impression. A glorious redemption, analogous to that wrought by Moses, is presented to the view of the people of the Exile, from whose blessings, of course, the wicked are excluded. The last-named thought recurs like a refrain after nine more chapters, at the close of chap. 57. All this shows that in chap. 48. we have before us the concluding discourse of the first third.
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1. THE ADDRESS GIVING THE MOTIVE
Isa_48:1-2
1 Hear ye this, O house of Jacob,
Which are called by the name of Israel,
And are come forth out of the waters of Judah,
Which swear by the name of the Lord,
And make mention of the God of Israel,
But not in truth, nor in righteousness.
2 For they call themselves of the holy city,
And stay themselves upon the God of Israel;
The Lord of hosts is his name.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
1. The Prophet begins his recapitulation by designating the object of his address which he describes as that nation which descended from Jacob-Israel, more nearly from Judah, but in respect to religion officially confessed Jehovah as its God (Isa_48:1), for it is the nation that has the holy city of Jehovah for its central point, and all whose permanence is objectively founded on Jehovah (Isa_48:2). With this the Prophet has designated all the particulars that explain the unique interest of Jehovah in precisely this people.
2. Hear ye this——his name.
Isa_48:1-2. שׁמעו זאת comp. Isa_48:16; Isa_47:8; Isa_51:21. Jacob was the natural name of the second son of Isaac, Israel was his spiritual name, according to Gen_32:2 sq.; Isa_35:10. In the same manner, too, house of Jacob will designate the nation according to its natural descent, whereas the same nation bears the name Israel as heir of the spiritual significance of its ancestor. But when the Prophet so addressed the nation it was no longer entire. The Ten Tribes were become the prey of an exile of immeasurable duration, with no hope of immediate deliverance. The promise of deliverance by Cyrus relates only to the people of the kingdom of Judah, thus chiefly only to those who are come forth out of the waters of Judah. The expression is a designation of the semen virile as in מוֹאָב (Gen_19:37 comp. on Isa_15:2 and Isa_25:10). In the same sense מַיִםis used Num_24:7; מָקוֹרPsa_68:27; Pro_5:16; Pro_5:18. This people, descended from Jacob and Judah, and thus dear to the Lord “for the fathers’ sakes” (Rom_11:28) was bound to Him by still another tie: Israel swore by the name of Jehovah (Deu_6:13; Deu_10:20). That was continually a confession to Jehovah and an acknowledgment of His godhead (Isa_45:23), but it was not necessarily an act of true living faith. Knowledge and approval sufficed for that, to speak dogmatically. The case was similar with making mention of God, i.e., making זֶכֶר by means of God (comp. קָרָא בְשֵׁם). Whoever performs an act of remembrance (in praise and acknowledgment), by naming Jehovah (comp. Jos_23:7; Psa_20:8; Amo_6:10), lays down, indeed, a praiseworthy confession to Jehovah, but this may happen in a very outward and lifeless way. Israel ought not to take the names of idols in its mouth even (Exo_23:13). In contrast with this, every honorable mention of Jehovah, indeed every naming of His name that was joined with suitable reverence was a confession to Him, hence it is not necessary to understand by הזכיר בא׳ a solemn ascription of praise, though such is not to be excluded. Just because this swearing and mention could and did happen without living faith, the Prophet adds: “not in truth and not in righteousness.” But how could the people of Judah, though inwardly fallen away, still outwardly confess the name of Jehovah, except they were in a manner stamped with the name of the city in which is the sanctuary of Jehovah? As long as Jerusalem is accounted the worthy dwelling of Jehovah—and it is so accounted even in the worst times, as that הֵיכַלי׳Jer_7:4 proves—so long He is still recognized as God. Hence the Prophet can say, that Israel swears by Jehovah because it calls itself by the name of the city of its sanctuary. It seems to me that the expression common in Jeremiah אִישׁ יְּהוּדָה וְישְׁבֵי יִרוּשָׁלַיִם has its roots in this view. Moreover the expression עִיר הַקֹּדֶשׁ occurs here for the first time. It occurs beside only Isa_52:1; Neh_11:1; Neh_11:18; Dan_9:24. The Prophet assigns as a second reason for what is said Isa_48:1 b, that those there named are stayed or grounded upon the God of Israel. For נסמכו may not be taken subjectively=“to stay oneself, niti, confidere,” for “not in truth and not in righteousness “directly denies that Israel has the proper confidence. It is Jehovah that objectively raises and bears Israel by His election, and continued protection and support.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. On Isa_48:2. Innitebantur Israelitae urbi Hierosolymae et templo, cui Deus se sua cum praesentia gratiosa addixerat (Psa_132:13-14). Huic autem fiduciae propheta opponit ejus vanitatem. Nos inde petimus ἒλεγχον adversus pontificios, qui papas suos continua successione ex apostolo Petro tanquam fonte perenni profluxisse, Romaeque in cathedra Petri sedisse et adhuc sedere gloriosissime jactitant. Sed hanc jactationem hoc loco confutat propheta. Nos addimus hasce patrum sententias. Nazianzenus in orat. de laudibus Athan.: “Qui in pietate succedit, in cathedra vera succedit; qui autem contrariam tenet sententiam, in contraria sedet cathedra.” Hieronymus referente Gratiano in jure pontifico part. 1 decr. dist. 40 Song of Solomon 2 : “Non est facile stare loco Pauli et tenere gratiam Petri cum Christo in coelis regnantium. Hinc dicitur. sancti non sunt qui tenent loca sanctorum, sed qui faciunt opera sanctorum.” Foerster.
2. On Isa_48:7. “Create means here to reveal something; what hitherto, so to speak, was still a nothing, or something unconjectured and unknown to all men, but was on the other hand shut up and concealed in God’s knowledge. Starke. “Tunc res dicitur fieri, quando incipit manifestius patefieri.” Augustinus, referente Lombardo, I. 3, dist. 18. Foerster.
3. On Isa_48:8. “Fiunt, non nascuntur Christiani said that same Tertullian, that designates the soul of a man as a naturalitur christiana. There is no contradiction. For one would neither become a Christian, did he not bear in himself the possibility of it, nor would the possibility alone suffice for the becoming. From the grain of corn alone without the fruit-bearing ground, rain and sunshine, there will come no ears; and just as little from the ground, rain and sunshine alone without the grain of corn.
4. On Isa_48:17-18. “Est insignis locus, qui nobis verbum commendat et minatur impiis verbi contemtoribus omnia mala.” Luther.
5. On Isa_48:20. “Babylon has a double meaning: 1) the world; 2) the anti-Christian kingdom. We should go out of the world by not having our walk according to it (1Jn_2:15; 1Pe_4:3; Jam_4:4). So, too, we ought to flee the anti-Christian Babylon according to the voice from heaven, Rev_18:5.” Cramer.
Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical), ed. John Peter Lange, English translation edited by Philip Schaff (1864–1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 1, 2. Hear ye this — Not something new,…
1, 2. Hear ye this — Not something new, but already reiterated truths.
House of Jacob — “Jacob” is the natural name of Isaac’s second son.
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Called… Israel — “Israel” is the spiritual name of the same person. See Gen_32:2; Gen_35:10. Both together is a circumlocution for Israelites or members of the ancient Church.
Waters of Judah — After the revolt of the ten tribes there were, as the result of labours by the prophets in the kingdom of Israel, doubtless not a few there who constituted the remnant of the true Israel. (Elijah thought it was not so till it was divinely told him there were seven thousand of them. 1Ki_19:18.) From among these, large numbers must have mingled with the people of Judah, so that in the exile the whole twelve tribes were more or less represented. Though the main body were of Judah, yet all vied with each on their comparative reform in Babylon and in countries thereto belonging.
Which swear by the name of the Lord — Because this “swearing” did happen without living faith, such as represents the standard of life called for by Jehovah through his prophet, and explains the words, not in truth, nor in righteousness, herein his people deserved rebuke and warning.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 1. Hear ye this] refers to the following oracle,…
1. Hear ye this] refers to the following oracle, which commences with Isa_48:3 (cf. Isa_46:3 and Isa_48:12). The rest of Isa_48:1 f. is an editorial insertion, in the view of Duhm and Cheyne (see above).
which are called] Or, which call themselves, as in Isa_48:2 (cf. ch. Isa_44:5). For the remnant of the tribe of Judah, whom the author has in his view, the name “Israel” was really a title of honour.
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out of the waters of Judah] The metaphor can be explained from Psa_68:26 (R.V.), where the ancestor of the nation is compared to a fountain or cistern. It is perhaps better, however, to read (with Secker) mimm‘ê for mimmê, rendering from the bowels (as Isa_48:19) of Judah.
To swear by the name of the Lord is a profession of allegiance to Him, and as such is enjoined as a religious duty (Deu_6:13; Deu_10:20).
make mention of] i.e. celebrate; Psa_20:7. The words not in truth, nor in righteousness do not refer specially to false swearing, but mean that the profession is formal and insincere.
1–11. These verses present some peculiar features, both of thought and style, which have been felt by scholars representing widely diverging critical tendencies. The severe judgement on the people goes beyond anything else in the prophecy; and, as has been pointed seems to breathe the spirit of Ezekiel rather than of the second Isaiah. Israel is addressed as a nation of hypocrites, of apostates, and of persistent idolaters. Then the argument of the passage as a whole is very remarkable. The “former things” (i.e. the events that have just taken place) were announced long beforehand, lest Israel should be led to ascribe them to some false god (Isa_48:3-6 a); but the “new things” (the subject of the present prophecy) have been “hidden” till the last moment, lest the people in their perversity should say they had known of them all along (6 b–8). Duhm and Cheyne agree in assigning these peculiarities to an editor, who has supplied a running commentary on the words of the original author, in the shape of annotations. There is much in the section which would be more intelligible if inserted by a later writer; but the method attributed to the editor is peculiar, and no motive suggests itself for his systematic attempt to correct the tendency of this isolated passage. The difficulties are perhaps exaggerated; the stern attitude towards the nation is not without parallels (see ch. Isa_45:9 ff., and on ch. Isa_46:8), and the special development of the argument from prophecy cannot be shown to involve a radical inconsistency with the prophet’s general conceptions.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (1) Are come forth out of the waters of…
XLVIII.
(1) Are come forth out of the waters of Judah.—The words limit the wider terms of Jacob and Israel to the Judæan exiles. For the phrase, comp. “ye that are of the fountains of Israel” (Psa_68:26). The ideal attributes of Israel, “swearing by the name of Jehovah . . .” are pressed in contrast with their actual state of hypocrisy and unrighteousness.
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The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain The present chapter, which terminates the second section of…
The present chapter, which terminates the second section of Isaiah"s later prophecies, consists of a long address by God to his people, partly in the way of complaint, partly of combined premise and exhortation. The address is divided into three portions, each commencing with a call on Israel to pay attention:
Vers. 1-11, "Hear ye this," etc.; vers. 12-15, "Hearken unto me," etc.; vers. 16-22, "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this," etc.
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Vers. 1-11. THE FIRST ADDRESS consists mainly of expostulation and complaint. Israel has not called on God "in truth and righteousness" (ver. 1). They have had "necks of iron" and "brows of brass" (ver. 4). God has given them prophecies of different kinds (vers. 3-7); yet they have neither "heard" nor "known;" they have "dealt treacherously" and been "transgressors from the womb" (ver. 8). God might justly have "cut them off" for their rebellion, but he has "deferred his anger," and "refrained" himself not, however, for Israel"s sake, but for his own honour.
Jacob... Israel. (comp. Isa_40:27 Isa_41:8, 14 43:1, 22 44:1, etc.) "Jacob" is the natural and secular designation; "Israel" is a spiritual or covenant name (Cheyne). Both terms being appropriate to the ten tribes no less than to the two, and the present address being intended especially for the Jewish captives, a further designation is appendedwhich are come forth out of the waters of Judah. (comp. Psa_68:26, "Ye that are of the fountain of Israel," marginal rendering) Which swear by the Name of the Lord. Swearing "by the Name of the Lord" is an evidence of true religion, to a certain extent. (Deu_6:13 Deu_10:20) It indicates that there has been, at any rate, no open apostasy. Still, it does not necessarily prove more than this; and, in the present case, it scarcely showed anything beyond mere outward formal conformity. The bulk of the captives "swore by the Name of Jehovah, and made mention of the God of Israel", (comp. Jos_23:7) but did so not in truth, nor in righteousness; i.e. "without their state of mind or mode of action corresponding to their confession, so as to prove that it was sincerely and seriously meant" (Delitzsch). The condition of the majority of the exiles was that expressed in the words, "This people honoureth me with their lips, but in their hearts are far from me". (Mat_15:8)
Ver. 1. Swearing by the Name of God.
Our Lord"s injunction to his disciples is "Swear not at all;" and in a community where all were true Christians, swearing would be superfluous, and the injunction might be carried out to the letter. But in imperfect conditions of society, such as the old covenant contemplated, and such as alone exist under the new, "swearing by the Name of God" cannot be dispensed with. Life and property would be greatly endangered were courts of justice to decide causes on the unsworn evidence of witnesses, the majority of whom might have a very slight regard for truth. "Swearing by the Name of God" is thus lawful
I WHEN A WITNESS IS CALLED.UPON TO DO SO IN A COURT OF JUSTICE. The Christian Church in all its branches has always allowed and approved of oaths being taken in courts of justice. Only a few sectaries have from time to time so strained our Lord"s words as to consider them prohibitive of oaths of this kind. Such persons "have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge". (Rom_10:2) It is clear from the context that our Lord"s injunction was levelled, not against judicial oaths, but against the habit of strengthening asseverations by oaths in familiar discourse. (Mat_5:34-37) And he himself, when adjured, or put upon his oath, did not rebuke the man by whom he was adjured, but gave an answer to his questioner, though previously he had refused to give one. (Mat_26:63, Mat_26:64)
II WHEN THE CIVIL GOVERNOR CALLS UPON US FOR AN OATH OF ALLEGIANCE, OR THE LIKE. The practice of Christian countries in this respect has varied; but where oaths of allegiance are required there would seem to be no reasonable ground for objecting to them. The state is entitled to assure itself of the good will and fidelity of the citizens; and, unless it can be sufficiently assured by a mere affirmation, would seem to be entitled to the better security of an oath.
III WHEN IN ANY VERY SERIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES A VERY SOLEMN ASSURANCE IS REQUISITE, Bandits have captured two friends. One of them is allowed to leave the bandits" stronghold in order to obtain the ransom for both, but is required to swear that in any case he will return, otherwise both will be put to a lingering death. There would seem to be no sufficient grounds for refusing to make oath in such a case. The bandits will not accept a promise. The oath is a concession to their incredulity. It is given solemnly, seriously, almost judicially; since those who tender it possess, under the circumstances, the power of life and death. It cannot be thought the injunction "Swear not at all," was given with reference to such a case any more than with reference to oaths in courts of justice.
The great end is to avoid light swearing, unnecessary swearing, profane swearing. Let these forms of swearing be carefully eschewed, and a Christian man"s conscience need not be greatly exercised in respect of the oaths which he is called upon to take as witness, as subject, as friend, as husband, as citizen.
HOMILIES BY E. JOHNSON Vers. 1-11. Lessons from the past to the future.
Those addressed are the people "named from Israel and sprung from Judah"s spring;" who swear by Jehovah"s Name and render homage to Israel"s God not, alas! so sincerely as they should. Still, they have learned to find their true reliance in Zion and in Jahveh. Let them, then, hear the exhortation of Jehovah.
I THE ORACLE OF THE PAST. Jehovah has in former times predicted events by the mouth of his prophets which came to pass. Those predictions were disbelieved; the fulfilment was delayed; and yet suddenly the ideal was translated into fact; and the unexpected had come to pass. In general, history is the oracle of the Eternal. An empire founded on force or fraud cannot stand; the kingdom which subsists by righteousness and for righteousness carries with it vitality and enduring dominion. It was said by a great statesman, "The unexpected always happens." And in truth the purposes of God are not seldom known by their fulfilment in sudden and surprising events. He thinks long, but acts promptly. As in Northern climates, the winter of human discontent breaks as if by magic into spring. Such experiences should tend to subdue the obstinacy of incredulity. God knew that the Israelites were prone to unbelief and hardness of heart, and therefore had plied them with so many proofs of his providence. George Herbert mentions, "Bibles laid open, millions of surprises," among the means which God employs to bring the soul to himself. The "iron sinew and the brow of brass" are significant of the state of mind which he had to encounter in the people. "Some are so obstinately bad and confirmed in their vice, that judgments and afflictions are but thrown away upon them; and God"s shooting at them is but shooting at a mark, which indeed receives the arrow, but does not at all feel it.
II NEW PREDICTIONS. Again, things hidden from human penetration shall be made known by the Divine oracles. The events could no more be anticipated than could an act of creation from the operation of natural causes. And so the taking of Babylon by Cyrus, and the deliverance of the exiles from bondage, could be known by no human foresight or sagacity. But "their ears were not open." They were infidel and rebellious at heart. The open ear means the affected heart, the awakened understanding, the cherishing memory, the steady, fruitful perseverance in action. If there be defect of these, the soul is no better than if it had not heard at all. Nay, it may be worse. (cf. Joh_5:25 Joh_6:45 Act_2:37)
III THE GREAT DIVINE MOTIVE. Not because the people have deserved it will Jehovah act thus, but for his honour"s sake, because he is not yet known among the Gentiles. And it is through Israel that his purposes to the heathen must be carried out. Yet this people had not been found pure metal after their trial in the furnace of affliction. They were wicked, sinful, and unbelieving. It is his glory, then, in the spread of true religion and justice in the earth, that is the principle and the end of the procedure of Jehovah. As he can swear by no higher, so he can work for no more majestic object, than himself. But he must have instruments, he must have men, however imperfect, to work out his purposes. "God"s glory is the motto inscribed upon every created being; and wheresoever God reads, he owns this superscription. It is all the creature has, under God"s hand and seal, to show for its life. Wherever we are, we are not our own, but his. All men are by nature servants to the interest of his glory. J.
HOMILIES BY W. CLARKSON Vers. 1-9. Things worth heeding concerning God and man.
Hear ye this:" this is something well worth the earnest attention of men; their truest worth and their lasting interests are bound up in the knowledge and regard of it.
I MAN"S CRIMINAL INCONSISTENCY WITH HIMSELF. (Vers. 1, 2.) Men may go very far in conduct which is quite at variance with "the spirit which is in them:" they may say or do one thing, and be the very opposite. One might think that though this were so in their dealings with one another, it would never be true in their attitude toward the heart-searching God. Yet in nothing is there more insincerity, more hypocrisy, than in religion. Men "swear by the Name of the Lord... but not in truth." To pretend before God, to affect a piety which is not felt, is not only useless and worthless; it is in the last degree offensive and perilous. (see Mt 23)
II MAN"S HARDENING OF HIMSELF. (Ver. 4.) Men are obstinate, or hard (marginal reading): they harden their heart before God and against him, so that their neck is "an iron sinew, their brow brass.
1. They will not be what God requires that they should become his children, his servants, his friends, his followers.
2. They will not do what he charges them to do will not work righteousness, justice, equity; will not refrain from impurity, from intemperance, from dishonesty, etc.
3. They will not hear what he summons them to heed; they turn a deaf ear to his entreaties and his warnings (Proverbs 1). They go so far in obduracy, in hardness, that, though they know that their Divine Father, their gracious Saviour, is speaking to them, they close their souls to his message of truth and love.
III GOD"S EVIDENCE CONCERNING HIMSELF. (Vers. 3, 5-8.) God adduces proof from his foreknowledge and revelation that he is unquestionably the true and living God that One in whom and in whom alone they should put their trust. It is not only by such proof as this, but by many evidences, that God establishes his claims upon us. He "leaves not himself without witness;" he abundantly confirms his truth: the material universe, with its beauty, its bounty, its order, its magnificence; the spiritual nature of man, including his conscience; the life, the works, the truth of Jesus Christ; the character and design of the gospel of peace and righteousness; its glorious achievements, etc.
IV GOD"S REASONS IN HIMSELF. (Ver. 9.)
1. Ample reasons for Divine beneficence are to be found in the Divinenature that God is what he is accounts for all the grace and mercy which abound in the earth.
2. In the interests of the universe God must act so that his children shallrevere and praise him. Otherwise the most disastrous disbelief would prevail. C.
HOMILIES BY R. TUCK Vers. 1, 2. The offence of insincerity.
"Not in truth, nor in righteousness." The prophet mentions the usual outward marks of the true Israelite; but, in the case of those whom he addressed, these were mere formalities, they were disconnected from a personal and living faith in God. These people said they were Jews, but they were not. Their professions could not stand the examinations of the Heart-searcher. To the good man and how much more to the great and holy God! insincerity is absolutely offensive; we have scarcely even pity for the man who has no reality of life and feeling to match his professions, whose words do not represent his heart. Unspeakably painful to the prophet must have been the condition of the many Jews in his day, and in his pleading the ideal attributes of Israel are pressed in contrast with their actual state of hypocrisy and unrighteousness. "How high their profession soared! what a fair show they made in the flesh! and how far they went towards heaven! what a good livery they wore! and what a good face they put upon a very bad heart!" (Matthew Henry). On the subjects of insincerity and hypocrisy there is much familiar teaching, which needs constant repetition. We only suggest two points.
I INSINCERITY IS SOMETIMES A DRIFT. We get into it, and it becomes a confirmed condition we scarcely know how; we are not conscious of having exercised any will in the matter. With some there is a great idea of "keeping up appearances," and the effort to do this tends to nourish insincere habits and ways. And sometimes we are carried into expressions of religious feeling and experience that are quite beyond us, by surroundings of religious excitement; and the pleasure of the insincere fascinates us. We drift into this evil by the use of sensational hymns, and by listening to ecstatic religious experiences; and there is no graver danger besetting the Church of our day than this tendency to nourish the insincere in the expressions of religious life. God"s reproaches fall on many who think themselves very holy, but whose professions are not really matched by heart and life.
II INSINCERITY IS SOMETIMES A SCHEME. Then it is a shame and disgrace, and brings us under the overwhelming judgments of God. Illustrate by Judas Iscariot. For selfish ends men determine to keep up before the world all the appearances of piety, when they know that the life of piety has died out of their souls. Christ"s sternest words were spoken to conscious and purposed hypocrites, those "whited sepulchres, fall of dead men"s bones." In view, then, of the danger of drifting into insincerity, and of the sin of scheming to be insincere, every good man will watch and strive and pray against the evil, lest, in some subtle form, it should assail and overcome him. R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Hear ye this, O house of Jacob
Isa_48:1-2
Hear ye this, O house of Jacob
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Gods appeal to Israel
The lessons of Gods method of prophetic revelation which Israel is to lay to heart.
(A. B. Davidson, D. D.)
The waters of Judah
The people, by natural figure, are described as streams from the fountain of Judah (Psa_68:26). (J. A. Alexander.)
Hollow profession
Here is--
I. PRIVILEGE.
II. FORM.
III. PROFESSION.
IV. YET NO REAL RELIGION. (J. Lyth, D. D.)
Hear ye this
I. How? Place yourselves in a hearing posture, that the intense application of your minds may be discovered in your attitude and gestures. Listen with diligence and candour.
II. WHAT?
1. To the reproofs I administer.
2. To the arguments I adduce.
3. To the duties I inculcate.
4. To the assurances I give you.
III. WHY ?
1. That your obdurate hearts may be mollified.
2. Your consciences convinced.
3. Your conversion from your evil ways effected. (R. Macculloch.)
A two fold charge against Israel
God chargeth them with hypocrisy in that which is good, and obstinacy in that which is evil (Isa_48:1-8). (M. Henry.)
Religious profession
Observe--
I. HOW HIGH THEIR PROFESSION OF RELIGION SOARED.
II. HOW LOW THEIR PROFESSION OF RELIGION SANK FOR ALL THIS. (M. Henry.)
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The Expositor's Bible 1887 · Public Domain Isaiah 48
CHAPTER XIII
THE CALL TO GO FORTH
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Isaiah 48
On the substance of chapter 48, we have already encroached, and now it is necessary only to summarise its argument, and to give some attention to the call to go forth from Babylon, with which it concludes.
Chapter 48 is addressed, as its first verse declares, to the exiles from Judah: "Hear this, Oh House of Jacob, that call yourselves by the name of Israel, and from the waters of Judah have come forth": that is, you so-called Israelites, who spring from Judah. But their worship of Jehovah is only nominal and unreal: "They who swear by the name of Jehovah, and celebrate the God of Israel, not in truth and not in righteousness; although by the Holy City they name themselves, and upon the God of Israel they lean-Jehovah of Hosts is His Name!"
"The former things I published long ago; from My mouth they went forth, and I let them be heard-suddenly I did them, and they came to pass. Because I knew how hard thou wert, and a sinew of iron thy neck, and thy brow brass. And I published to thee long ago; before it came to pass I let thee hear it, lest thou shouldest say: Mine idol hath wrought them, and my Image and my Casting hath commanded them. Thou didst hear it: look at it whole," (now that it is fulfilled), "and you I should ye not publish it?"
All the past lies as a unity, prediction and fulfilment together complete; all of it the doing of Jehovah, and surely enough of it to provide the text of confession of Him by His people. But now, -
"I let thee hear new things" (in contrast with former things) "from now, and hidden things, and thou knewest them not. Now are they created, and not long ago; and before today thou hadst not heard them, lest thou shouldest say, Behold I knew them. Verily, thou hadst not heard, verily thou hadst not known, verily, long since thine ear was not open; because I knew thou art thoroughly treacherous, and Transgressor-from-the-womb do they call thee."
The meaning of all this is sufficiently clear. It is a reproach addressed to the formal Israelites. It divides into two parts, each containing an explanation "Because I knew that," etc.: Isa_48:3-6 a, -and Isa_48:6-9. In the first part Jehovah treats of history already finished, both in its prediction and fulfilment. Many Of the wonderful things of old Jehovah predicted long before they happened, and so left His stubborn people no excuse for an idolatry to which otherwise they would have given themselves (Isa_48:5). Now that they see that wonderful past complete, and all the predictions fulfilled, they may well publish Jehovahs renown to the world. In the first part of His reproach, then, Jehovah is dealing with stages of Israels history that were closed before the Exile. The former things are wonderful events, foretold and come to pass before the present generation. But in the second part of His reproach (Isa_48:6-9) Jehovah mentions new things. These new things are being created while His prophet speaks, and they have not been foretold (in contradistinction to the former things of Isa_48:3). What events fulfil these two conditions? Well, Cyrus was on his way, the destruction of Babylon was imminent, Israels new destiny was beginning to shape itself under Gods hands: these are evidently the things that are in process of creation while the prophet speaks. But could it also be said of them, that they had not been foretold? This could be said, at least, of Cyrus, the Gentile Messiah. A Gentile Messiah was something so new to Israel, that many, clinging to the letter of the old prophecies, denied, as we have seen, that Cyrus could possibly be Gods instrument for the redemption of Israel. Cyrus, then, as a Gentile, and at the same time the Anointed of Jehovah, is the new thing which is being created while the prophet speaks, and which has not been announced beforehand.
How is it possible, some may now ask, that Cyrus should be one of the unpredicted new things that are happening while the prophet speaks, when the prophet has already pointed to Cyrus and his advance on Babylon as a fulfilment of ancient predictions? The answer to this question is very simple. There were ancient predictions of a deliverance and a deliverer from Babylon. To name no more, there were Jeremiahs and Habakkuks; and Cyrus, in so far as he accomplished the deliverance, was the fulfilment of these ancient rishonoth. But in so far as Cyrus sprang from a quarter of the world not hinted at in former prophecies of Jehovah - in so far as he was a Gentile and yet the Annointed of the Lord, a combination not provided for by any tradition in Israel-Cyrus and his career were the "new things not predicted beforehand, the new things" which caused such offence to certain tradition-bound parties in Israel.
We cannot overestimate the importance of this passage. It supplies us with the solution of the problem, how the presently-happening deliverance of Israel from Babylon could be both a thing foretold from long ago, and yet so new as to surprise those Israelites who were most devoted to the ancient prophecies. And at the same time such of us as are content to follow our prophets own evidence, and to place him in the Exile, have an answer put into our mouths, to render to those, who say that we destroy a proof of the Divinity of prophecy by denying to Isaiah or to any other prophet, so long before Cyrus was born, the mention of Cyrus by name. Let such objectors, who imagine that they are more careful of the honour of God and of the Divinity of Scripture, because they maintain that Cyrus was named two hundred years before he was born, look at Isa_48:7. There God Himself says, that there are some things, which, for a very good reason, he does not foretell before they come to pass. We believe, and have shown strong grounds for believing, that the selection of Cyrus, the mention of his name, and the furtherance of his arms against Babylon, were among those new things, which God says He purposely did not reveal till the day of their happening, and which by their novel and unpredicted character, offended so many of the traditional and stupid party in Israel. Must there always be among Gods people, today as in the day of our prophet, some who cannot conceive a thing to be Divine unless it has been predicted long before?
In Isa_48:3-8, then, God claims to have changed His treatment of His people, in order to meet and to prevent the various faults of their character. Some things He told to them, long before, so that they might not attribute the occurrence of these to their idols. But other things He sprang upon them, without predictions, and in an altogether novel shape, so that they might not say of these things, in their familiarity with them, We knew of them ourselves. A people who were at one time so stubborn, and at another so slippery, were evidently a people who deserved nothing at Gods hand. Yet He goes on to say, Isa_48:9-11, that He will treat them with forbearance, if not for their sake, yet for His own: "For the sake of My Name I defer Mine anger, and for My praise" (or renown, or reputation, as we would say of a man) "I will refrain for thee that I cut thee not off. Behold I have smelted thee, but not as silver: I have tested thee in the furnace of affliction. For Mine own sake, for Mine own sake, I am working; -for how was My Name being profaned!-and My glory to another I will not give."
Then He gathers up the sum of what He has been saying in a final appeal.
"Hearken unto Me, O Jacob, and Israel My Called:
I am He; I am First, yea, I am Last.
Yea, My hand hath founded Earth, and My right hand hath spread Heaven; when I call unto them they stand together."
"Be gathered, all of you, and hearken, Who among them" (that is, the Gentiles) "hath published these things?" that is, such things as the following, the prophecy given in the next clause of the verse: "Whom Jehovah loveth shall perform His pleasure on Babylon, and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans." This was the sum of what Jehovah promised long ago; not Cyrus name, not that a Gentile, a Persian, should deliver Gods people, for these are among the new things which were not published beforehand, at which the traditional Israelites were offended, -but this general fiat of Gods sovereignty, "that whomever Jehovah loves, or likes, he shall perform His pleasure on Babylon. I, even I, have spoken" - this, in Isa_48:14 b, was My speaking. "Yea, I have called him; I have brought him, and he will make his way to prosper." Again emphasise the change of tense. Cyrus is already called, but, while the prophet speaks, he has not yet reached his goal in the capture of Babylon.
Some ambassador from the Lord, whether the prophet or the Servant of Jehovah, now takes up the parable, and, after presenting himself, addresses a final exhortation to Israel, summing up the moral meaning of the Exile. "Draw near to me, hear this; not from aforetime in secret have I spoken; from the time that it was, there am I: and now my Lord, Jehovah, hath sent me with His Spirit."
"Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer, Holy of Israel, I am Jehovah thy God, thy Teacher to profit, thy Guide in the way thou shouldest go;
Would that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments, then were like the River thy peace, and thy righteousness like the waves of the sea!
Then were like the sand thy seed, and the offspring of thy bowels like its grains!
He shall not be cut off, nor shall perish his name from before Me."
And now at last it is time to be up. Our salvation is nearer than when first we believed. Day has dawned, the gates are opening, the Word has been sufficiently spoken.
Go forth from Babel: fly from the Chaldeans;
With a ringing voice publish and let this be heard,
Send ye it out to the end of the earth,
Say, Redeemed hath Jehovah His Servant Jacob.
And they thirsted not in the deserts He caused them to walk;
Waters from a rock He let drop for them,
Clave a rock and there flowed forth waters!
No peace, saith Jehovah, for the wicked.
We have arrived at the most distinct stage of which our prophecy gives trace. Not that a new start is made with the next passage. Chapter 49 is the answer of the Servant himself to the appeal made to him in Isa_48:20; and chapter 49 does not introduce the Servant for the first time, but simply carries further the substance of the opening verses of chapter 42. Nor is this urgent appeal to "Go forth from Babylon," which has come to Israel, the only one, or the last, of its kind. It is renewed in Isa_52:11-12 so that we cannot think that our prophet has even yet got the Fall of Babylon behind him. Nevertheless, the end of chapter 48 is the end of the first and chief stage of the prophecy. The fundamental truths about God and salvation have been laid down; the idols have been thoroughly exposed; Cyrus has been explained; Babylon is practically done with. Neither Babylon, nor Cyrus, nor, except for a moment, the idols, are mentioned in the rest of the prophecy. The Deliverance of Israel is certain. And what now interests the prophet is first, how the Holy Nation will accomplish the destiny for which it has been set free, and next, how the Holy City shall be prepared for the Nation to inhabit. These are the two themes of chapters 49 to 66. The latter of them, the Restoration of Jerusalem, has scarcely been touched by our prophet as yet. But he has already spoken much of the Nations Destiny as the Servant of the Lord; and now that we have exhausted the subject of the deliverance from Babylon, we will take up his prophecies on the Servant, both those which we have passed over in chapters 40-48 and those which still lie ahead of us.
Before we do this, however, let us devote a chapter to a study of our prophets use of the word righteousness, for which this seems to be as convenient a place as any other.
William Robertson Nicoll, ed., The Expositor's Bible (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1887–1910) — public domain. 65 of 66 books (1 Corinthians is not separately keyed, as that volume carries no machine-parseable verse references); section-level commentary keyed to the opening verse. Introductory and overview sections not keyed to a specific passage are excluded.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain Isa_48:1-2. Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, &c.
A SAD CONTRAST
Isa_48:1-2. Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, &c.
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Here is, I. Privilege. II. Form. III. Profession. IV. Yet no religion.—J. Lyth, D.D.: The Homiletical Treasury, Isaiah, p. 65.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Sermon Bible 1900 · Public Domain It is not only the commercial world which has…
Isa 48:17
It is not only the commercial world which has to make its calculations of profit and loss. All life is made up of profit and loss. And if there is not profit, there is loss; and if there is not loss, there is profit.
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I. I understand the text to mean, not that God teaches us in a profitable way, but that He instructs us how to get the profit in all things; that He gives that faculty—the power to take the good and refuse the evil; to imbibe the honey and reject the poison.
II. Consider how God does "teach to profit." (1) The first thing which God will probably teach and which we must receive is a general confidence that there is a profit, however imperceptible it may be at the time to us, in the thing which He is sending to us. (2) This faith given, the next thing that God puts into our hearts is to seek that good; eternal profit, profit both to ourselves and to Him, in that He is glorified in His own work. We are to look for that profit, not on the surface, but in certain deeper, hidden meanings and intentions which lie underneath. Into those deeper meanings God will lead and admit you. But not without three things: a reverent acceptance of His teaching, hard work, and a good life. These are God’s three conditions in all His teaching, from which He never departs. You must love the teaching; you must work the teaching out with great pains and at any cost; and you must do His will.
J. Vaughan, Sermons, 13th series, p. 21.
References: Isa 48:17.—W. J. Mayers, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xvii., p. 228. Isa 48:17, Isa 48:18.—Preacher’s Monthly, vol. ix., p. 47. Isa 48:18.—A. Raleigh, Christian World Pulpit, vol. xiv., p. 369 (see also Old Testament Outlines, p. 208); Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xi., No. 610; W. Steadman, Christian World Pulpit, vol. iv., p. 152; Homiletic Quarterly, vol. i., p. 553; J. Keble, Sermons from Advent to Christmas Eve, p. 414; J. N. Norton, Every Sunday, p. 401.
The Sermon Bible, ed. William Robertson Nicoll (1888–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. R. Dummelow 1909 · Public Domain Let the Exiles trust in Jehovah, and come out…
Let the Exiles trust in Jehovah, and come out of Babylon
1-11. Jehovah's purpose will be executed, but not for Israel's merit.
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12-22. Let Israel recognise His leading in the course of history, and learn to obey Him.
1. The prophet here addresses those whose professions of allegiance to Jehovah are hollow (Isa_46:8), and who in the land of exile had in their hearts apostatised: cp. Isa_42:17. Come.. waters] i.e. are descended from Judah (Psa_68:26).
3-5. Events of their history had been foretold by Jehovah long before they happened, lest in their perversity they should attribute them to their false gods.
6-8. But now the things Jehovah purposes are declared on the eve of the event, lest in their presumption they should say that they knew them before.
6. I have shewed] RM 'Ishew.'
7. Before, etc.] RV 'and before this day thou heardest them not.'
8. Yea, from, etc.] RV 'yea, from of old thine ear,' etc.
10. Read, 'not as silver '(RV). So severe a refining (Psa_12:6) would have meant the destruction of Israel. Chosen] RM 'tried.'
11. Do it] i.e. execute My purpose.
13. Spanned] RV 'stretched out.'
14. A challenge to the heathen, as in Isa_43:9.
14, 15. Loved him.. called him] i.e. Cyrus: cp. Isa_44:28; Isa_45:1.
16. Jehovah, unlike the idols (Isa_48:14), declared the future unambiguously. And now] i.e. now that the crisis is at hand the Lord has sent His prophet with the message of deliverance.
18, 19. Hadst hearkened.. had been as] This is the literal rendering, but the passage may be a promise for the future, 'O that thou wouldst hearken.. shall be.'
19. Thy seed, etc.] Old promises would have been realised (Gen_22:17).
20. The exiles are bidden to prepare to leave Babylon.
21. The imagery is from the former exodus from Egypt.
22. Those who are unfaithful cannot share the promised peace. The words are repeated almost exactly at Isa_57:21.
J. R. Dummelow, A Commentary on the Holy Bible (Macmillan, 1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Arno C. Gaebelein 1922 · Public Domain The Divine Restatement Concerning His People, Their Condition and…
CHAPTER 48
The Divine Restatement Concerning His People, Their Condition and Future
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1. Their condition and Jehovah’s predictions (Isa 48:1-8) 2. Jehovah acts for His Name’s sake (Isa 48:9-11) 3. I am He” (Isa 48:12-16) 4. Israel’s future blessing (Isa 48:17-21) 5. No peace for the wicked (Isa 48:22) This chapter touches once more upon the different phases of Jehovah’s messages from chapters 40-47. Israel’s apostate condition, Jehovah’s sovereign grace and mercy towards them, Cyrus (Isa 48:14-15), the blessings of the future for a converted remnant of His people, are all mentioned again. Solemn is the declaration that whatever Jehovah does, whatever comfort and peace He bestows, however grand and glorious the blessings of the future are, the wicked are forever excluded. There is no peace unto the wicked.
This chapter closes the first section of the second part of Isaiah. Babylon, Cyrus and Jehovah’s majesty and glory, revealed in predicting future things, the helplessness of idols and Jehovah’s mercy and power manifested in the restoration and blessing of His people are the leading features of this section.
Arno C. Gaebelein, The Annotated Bible (1913–1922) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain A Testimony Concerning the House of Jacob
A Testimony Concerning the House of Jacob
v. 1. Hear ye this, O house of Jacob, the form of address purposely being cold and distant, which are called by the name of Israel, presuming upon this right, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, being physical descendants of the patriarchs, indeed, but lacking in spirituality and faith, which swear by the name of the Lord, the gracious God of the covenant, and make mention of the God of Israel, who intended to make Israel His true, peculiar people, His children indeed, their attitude, however, being such as to make the prophet add, but not in truth nor in righteousness, that is, not in the faithfulness demanded by the covenant, but with a false and lying heart. This hypocrisy of the people is further characterized:
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v. 2. For they call themselves of the Holy City, boasting of their outward connection with Jerusalem, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is His name. They defiantly claimed the assistance of the almighty God for themselves, merely on account of their outward relation to the Lord’s people, forgetting that God is also the Holy One and a devouring fire upon all hypocrites. Jehovah Himself now takes up the message:
v. 3. I have declared the former things from the beginning, making known the miracles of His deliverance before they came to pass; and they went forth out of My mouth, and I showed them, brought them about; I did them suddenly, and they came to pass, so unexpectedly, so entirely at variance with the results of human planning, that men were bound to recognize the hand of God.
v. 4. Because I knew that thou art obstinate, hard of head and of heart, and thy neck is an iron sinew, inflexible, and thy brow brass, insisting upon going forward on its own sinful way, refusing to be guided by the Lord’s will,
v. 5. I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I showed it thee, the argument being that He who can both foretell the future and then bring His prophecy to pass must be divine; lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image and my molten image hath commanded them, ascribing to these false gods an interference with the affairs of the world which was excluded by the Lord’s proof of prophecy and fulfillment.
v. 6. Thou hast heard, Israel having had plenty of opportunity to investigate. See all this, convincing themselves by personal observation; and will not ye declare it? Are men, in view of the fact that prophecy and fulfillment harmonize so perfectly, not hound to acknowledge the true God? The answer implied is that they certainly ought to agree to this if they would but speak the truth. Not only, however, has Israel sinned in this respect, but they are hardening their hearts also against further proclamations of truth. I have showed thee new things from this time, imparting this information at this time, namely, the revelation concerning the deliverance by Cyrus, even hidden things, and thou didst not know them, for the uncovering of the future is a matter pertaining to the omniscient God alone.
v. 7. They are created now, brought into being, and not from the beginning; even before the day when thou heardest them not, having no information concerning them by themselves, lest thou shouldest say, Behold, I knew them, thus discounting the statements now made as not out of the ordinary.
v. 8. Yea, thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened, their ears being as little opened now as ever, their hardness of heart continuing as bad as ever; for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, full of perfidy and iniquity, and wast called a transgressor from the womb, the allusion being to the strategy of Jacob, of which even Esau complained, Genesis 27. The descendants of Jacob had inherited the bad qualities of their ancestor without assuming those attributes which made Jacob the servant of God.
v. 9. For My name’s sake will I defer Mine anger, not letting the judgment of wrath descend upon the apostate people, and for My praise, on account of His jealousy for His own honor, will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off. Because of His promise and covenant Jehovah did not exterminate the disobedient people at this time, but gave them another opportunity for repentance.
v. 10. Behold, I have refined thee, with the heat of tribulation, but not with silver, they had not yet assayed well; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction, proving them out, trying them, to find their worth.
v. 11. For Mine own sake, even for Mine own sake, will I do it, lest His name be desecrated; for how should My name be polluted? The heathen would ascribe the extermination of Israel to the inability of their God to protect them. And I will not give My glory unto another, this honor depending upon His deliverance of His people in accordance with His selection and the promises given to the patriarchs.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Hear this
Hear this
"Listen to my message." Yahweh is speaking.
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house of Jacob
Here "house" refers to the descendants of Jacob. AT: "descendants of Jacob" (See: Metonymy)
who are called by the name Israel
This can be stated in active form. AT: "whom everyone calls the people of Israel" (See: Active or Passive)
have come from the sperm of Judah
This phrase emphasizes that they are the direct, physical descendants of Judah. AT: "are the descendants of Judah" (See: Metaphor)
invoke the God of Israel
"call on the God of Israel"
they call themselves
This refers to the people of Israel. AT: "you call yourselves" (See: First, Second, or Third Person)
the holy city
This refers to Jerusalem.
Yahweh of hosts
See how you translated this phrase in Isaiah 1:9.
translationWords
house
Jacob
Israel
descend
Judah
oath
name
Yahweh
God
righteous
people group
holy
trust
Yahweh of hosts
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 48:1-22 The Lord here calls on Israel to forsake…
48:1-22 The Lord here calls on Israel to forsake her historic rebelliousness and listen to what he says. The Hebrew word translated listening is often synonymous with obeying or acting upon what is heard.
48:1-11 This prophecy is a disputation, a speech in which the prophet argues a set of points against his audience.
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48:1-2 Israel was religious but not truly committed to the Lord.
48:1 Jacob . . . Judah: Although Isaiah’s normal focus was on Judah, here he addressed all the tribes of Israel.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.