--- title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible" author: "Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown" languages: [en] shelf: "Commentaries" section: 372 of 927 url: https://scriptura.si/works/jamieson-fausset-brown-commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/372/ cite: "Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, section 372. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/jamieson-fausset-brown-commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/372/" --- # Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible *Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown* The Victorian standard commentary, critical and practical, from Genesis to Revelation. ## 372. Isaiah · 75 of 79 Source: https://scriptura.si/works/jamieson-fausset-brown-commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/372/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/jamieson-fausset-brown-commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/372/#p-N [¶0] to make ... name--(So [Is 63:12]; [2Sa 7:23]). [¶1] 15. Here begins a fervent appeal to God to pity Israel now on the ground of His former benefits. [¶2] habitation of ... holiness--([Is 57:15]; [De 26:15]; [2Ch 30:27]; [Psa 33:14]; ). [¶3] zeal ... strength--evinced formerly for Thy people. [¶4] sounding of ... bowels--Thine emotions of compassion ([Is 16:11]; [Jr 31:20]; ; [Ho 11:8]). [¶5] 16. thou ... father--of Israel, by right not merely of creation, but also of electing adoption ([Is 64:8]; [De 32:6]; [1Ch 29:10]). [¶6] though Abraham ... Israel--It had been the besetting temptation of the Jews to rest on the mere privilege of their descent from faithful Abraham and Jacob ([Mt 3:9]; [Joh 8:39]; ); now at last they renounce this, to trust in God alone as their Father, notwithstanding all appearances to the contrary. Even though Abraham, our earthly father, on whom we have prided ourselves, disown us, Thou wilt not ([Is 49:15]; [Psa 27:10]). Isaac is not mentioned, because not all his posterity was admitted to the covenant, whereas all Jacob's was; Abraham is specified because he was the first father of the Jewish race. [¶7] everlasting--an argument why He should help them, namely, because of His everlasting immutability. [¶8] 17. made us to err--that is, "suffer" us to err and to be hardened in our heart. They do not mean to deny their own blameworthiness, but confess that through their own fault God gave them over to a reprobate mind ([Is 6:9], ; [Psa 119:10]; [Ro 1:28]). [¶9] Return--([Nu 10:36]; [Psa 90:13]). [¶10] 18. people of ... holiness--Israel dedicated as holy unto God ([Is 62:12]; [De 7:6]). [¶11] possessed--namely, the Holy Land, or Thy "sanctuary," taken from the following clause, which is parallel to this (compare [Is 64:10], ; [Psa 74:6-8]). [¶12] thy--an argument why God should help them; their cause is His cause. [¶13] 19. thine ... never--rather, "We are Thine from of old; Thou barest not rule over them" [Barnes]. Lowth translates, "We for long have been as those over whom Thou hast not ruled, who are not called by Thy name"; "for long" thus stands in contrast to "but a little while" ([Is 63:18]). But the analogy of [Is 63:18] makes it likely that the first clause in this verse refers to the Jews, and the second to their foes, as English Version and Barnes translate it. The Jews' foes are aliens who have unjustly intruded into the Lord's heritage. ### Chapter 64 ### Is 64:1-12. Transition from Complaint to Prayer [¶16] 1. rend ... heavens--bursting forth to execute vengeance, suddenly descending on Thy people's foe ([Psa 18:9]; ; [Ha 3:5], ). [¶17] flow down--([Jud 5:5]; [Mi 1:4]). [¶18] 2. Oh, that Thy wrath would consume Thy foes as the fire. Rather, "as the fire burneth the dry brushwood" [Gesenius]. [¶19] 3. When--Supply from [Is 64:2], "As when." [¶20] terrible things--([Psa 65:5]). [¶21] we looked not for--far exceeding the expectation of any of our nation; unparalleled before ([Ex 34:10]; [Psa 68:8]). [¶22] camest down--on Mount Sinai. [¶23] mountains flowed--Repeated from [Is 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 [Is 64:1], translates from a different Hebrew root, "quake ... quaked"; but "fire" melts and causes to flow, rather than to quake ([Is 64:2]). [¶24] 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. [¶25] 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. [¶26] 5. meetest--that is, Thou makest peace, or enterest into covenant with him (see on [Is 47:3]). [¶27] rejoiceth and worketh--that is, who with joyful willingness worketh [Gesenius] ([Ac 10:35]; [Joh 7:17]). [¶28] those--Thou meetest "those," in apposition to "him" who represents a class whose characteristics "those that," &c., more fully describes. [¶29] remember thee in thy ways--([Is 26:8]). [¶30] sinned--literally, "tripped," carrying on the figure in "ways." [¶31] in those is continuance--a plea to deprecate the continuance of God's wrath; it is not in Thy wrath that there is continuance ([Is 54:7], ; [Psa 30:5]; ), but in Thy ways ("those"), namely, of covenant mercy to Thy people ([Mi 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 ([Psa 106:45]), though they often "remembered not" Him ([Psa 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. [¶32] 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. [¶33] 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]; [He 11:6]). [¶34] filthy rags--literally, a "menstruous rag" ([Le 15:33]; ; [La 1:17]). [¶35] fade ... leaf--([Psa 90:5], ). [¶36] 7. stirreth--rouseth himself from spiritual drowsiness. [¶37] take hold--([Is 27:5]). [¶38] 8. father--([Is 63:16]). [¶39] clay ... potter--([Is 29:16]; ). 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." [¶40] 9. ([Psa 74:1], 2). [¶41] we are ... thy people--([Jr 14:9], ). [¶42] 10. holy cities--No city but Jerusalem is called "the holy city" ([Is 48:2]; ); 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." [¶43] 11. house--the temple. [¶44] beautiful--includes the idea of glorious ([Mr 13:1]; [Ac 3:2]).