Isaiah 58:12 Kommentar

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 58 From the wicked and antichristian party the prophet is bid to turn to the professors of the true religion, and openly, boldly, and sharply, reprove them for their sins, particularly their hypocrisy and formality in worship, Isa 58:1, who yet were angry, and complained that the Lord took no notice of their religious services, particularly their fasting, which is put for the whole; the reason of which was, because they did not fast aright; it was attended with much cruelty, strife, and wickedness, and only lay in external appearances, Isa 58:3, when they are directed how to keep a fast, and are shown what a true fast is, and what works and services are acceptable to God, Isa 58:6 on doing of which, light, health, prosperity, and hearing of their prayers, are promised, provided the yoke of oppression is taken away, and compassion shown to the poor, Isa 58:8, yea, a very fruitful and flourishing estate of the soul is promised, and a rebuilding of waste places, delight in the Lord, and great honour and dignity; so be it that the sabbath of the Lord, or public worship, is attended to in a proper manner, Isa 58:11.

And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places,.... As the cities in Israel and Judea, which had been long laid waste by the Assyrians and Chaldeans, were rebuilt by those of the Jewish nation, who returned from the captivity of Babylon, to which there is at least an allusion; and as the church of God, the tabernacle of David, which was fallen down, and had lain long in ruins, through corruptions in doctrine and worship, to the times of Christ, when the apostles, who were of the Jews, those wise masterbuilders, were instruments of raising it up again, and repairing its ruins: so, in the latter day, "the waste places of the world" (n), as the words may be rendered, shall be built by a set of men, that shall be of the church of God, who shall be instruments in his hand of converting many souls, and so of peopling it with Christians; such places as before were desolate, where before there was no preaching of the word, no administration of ordinances, nor any Gospel churches: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; either such foundations as have been razed up, and lay so for ages past; or raise up such as shall continue for generations to come. It may allude to the raising the foundations of the city and temple of Jerusalem; but rather refers to the founding of churches in Gospel times, which, as it was done in the first times of it by the apostles in the Gentile world, so shall be again in the latter day, which will continue for many ages: and thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, and the restorer of paths to dwell in; that is, the church and her builders, that shall be of her, shall be so called; the Jews and Gentiles will be converted in great numbers, and coalesce in the same Gospel church state, and so the breach between them will be repaired. Christians of various denominations, who now break off and separate one from another, will be of the same sentiment and judgment in doctrine and discipline; they shall see eye to eye, and cement together, and all breaches will be made up, and there will be no schism in the body; and they shall dwell together in unity, and walk in the same paths of faith and duty, of truth and holiness; and such who will be the happy instruments of all this will have much honour, and be called by these names. The Targum is, "they shall call thee one that confirms the right way, and converts, the ungodly to the law.'' (n) "desolata seculi", Munster, Vatablus, Vitringa; "deserta seculi", Pagninus, Montanus.

(Verse 12.) And the deserts of the ages will be built in you: you will raise the foundations of generation after generation: and you will be called the builder of walls, turning paths into peace. LXX: And the deserts will be built for you from the age and your foundations will be everlasting for generations and generations: and you will be called the builder of walls, and you will make paths rest in the middle. Not only, he says, will your light arise in the darkness, and your darkness will be like midday, and the Lord will give you rest always, and you will be like a well-watered garden, and so on; but what has long been deserted will be rebuilt in you, and the foundations of your buildings will remain for many generations: so that either you yourself will be called the builder of walls and ramparts, or someone will arise in you who will be the builder of walls, and he will turn the paths into peace, or according to the Septuagint, he will make the roads in the middle to rest. These Jews and their friends in the western provinces are referring to the restoration of the cities of Palestine. They argue that either these things were done under Zorobabel and Ezra, and Nehemiah, or they will happen in the future: the highest foundations must be laid for the restoration of Jerusalem and the surrounding cities, and such high walls must be built that no enemy can enter, and the entrance of all enemies into them must be prohibited. But we, following the order of the explanation that has been begun, say that what was deserted among the Jews is being built in the Church, not for a short time, but forever, and its foundations must be raised from both peoples, that is, in two generations. Where the Apostle says: Like a wise architect, I laid the foundation; another builds upon it. But let each one see how he builds upon it (1 Corinthians 3:10). And in another place: We are God's field, God's building (Ephesians 2:20). And it is to be called, or when someone is born in it, the builder of fences. About this we read in the psalm: Man is born in it, and the Most High has founded it (Psalm 87:5). The Scripture mentions that fields and vineyards are surrounded by hedgerows and walls, which is signified by the Greek term φραγμοῦς. You have transferred a vineyard from Egypt: you have uprooted the nations and planted it. And a little later: Why have you destroyed its walls? And let all who pass by pluck its grapes (Ps. LXXXIX, 9 and 13). And in the same Prophet: A vineyard has been made for the beloved; describing it in beautiful language, he says: I have built a tower and surrounded it with a wall (Eccles. II, 4). According to Ecclesiastes, whoever destroys her will be bitten by a snake. She is surrounded so that the access of all animals to the vineyard of God is prohibited. This snake is the crafty one who deceived Eve in paradise. Because she had destroyed God's commandments, she was exposed to his bites, and she heard from the Lord: You will watch his head, and he will watch your heel (Genesis 3:15). In that place where we have translated according to the Septuagint, so as not to seem to be innovating anything, because the testimony is well-known, and you will be called the builder of fences, in Hebrew it is written, and you will be called Goder Pheres, which Aquila interpreted as περιφράκτης διακοπῆς, which, according to the meaning, we can say opposes God's fierce anger. Finally, Symmachus translated, opposing a wall to the one who was killing (1 Kings 7), like Moses and Aaron, and Samuel, who resisted the anger of the Lord, and as if by building a wall, they set a limit to his indignation. This is also said to Jeremiah: Do not meet the Lord, do not want to resist His anger, and block the indignation with prayers as if with a wall (Jeremiah 7): and to Moses, as if the Lord was holding him: Let me go, he said, and I will strike down this people (Exodus 32, 10). Therefore, this builder of walls, fences, and hedges will transform paths into tranquility, so that the anger of God may not rage, but the Lord may be appeased and all the pathways of indignation may find rest.

The prophetic word comes to us through two further metaphors, and the beautiful form of hidden ideas is displayed. For it is about a deserted town and its defenseless state that a form of words is molded. It declares, your deserts will be lived in perpetually, that is, you will not be naked of good thoughts indwelling your heart, nor will you be defenseless or unguarded and insecure. For Christ will be your enduring foundation and support, and like a city you will have countless people dwelling there. For the souls of the saints are full of holy words and thoughts. And many will come to it as the level of perfection, running up and down, declaring it to be full of good things. And you will be called a builder of walls.… You must know that there are evil and contrary powers invading the vulnerable soul, giving rise to awful desires and in a despotic way carrying off whatever they want and strolling round the barren garden. But they will stop this interference when a wall is erected, that is, the divine fear set up within [the soul].

1031. Second, as to the rebuilding of their homeland: and the places that have been desolate for ages, that is, namely, the cities of the desert in former times, shall be built, after their return from captivity; you shall raise up, rebuilding upon the old foundations, above: who say to Jerusalem: you shall be inhabited: and to the cities of Judah: you shall be built (Isa 44:26). 1032. Third, as to the restoration of their reputation: and you shall be called the repairer of the fences, that is, impediments to sin; iniquity or into rest, namely, turning the paths of sin into rest: I will hedge up your way with thorns (Hos 2:6).

This elegant chapter contains a severe reproof of the Jews on account of their vices, particularly their hypocrisy in practising and relying on outward ceremonies, such as fasting and bodily humiliation, without true repentance, Isa 58:1-5. It then lays down a clear and comprehensive summary of the duties they owed to their fellow creatures, Isa 58:6, Isa 58:7. Large promises of happiness and prosperity are likewise annexed to the performance of these duties in a variety of the most beautiful and striking images, Isa 58:8-12. Great temporal and spiritual blessedness of those who keep holy the Sabbath day, Isa 58:13, Isa 58:14.

The restorer of paths to dwell in "The restorer of paths to be frequented by inhabitants" - To this purpose it is rendered by the Syriac, Symmachus, and Theodotion.

REPROOF OF THE JEWS FOR THEIR DEPENDENCE ON MERE OUTWARD FORMS OF WORSHIP. (Isa 58:1-14) aloud--Hebrew, "with the throat," that is, with full voice, not merely from the lips (Sa1 1:13). Speak loud enough to arrest attention. my people--the Jews in Isaiah's time, and again in the time of our Lord, more zealous for externals than for inward holiness. ROSENMULLER thinks the reference to be to the Jews in the captivity practising their rites to gain God's favor and a release; and that hence, sacrifices are not mentioned, but only fasting and Sabbath observance, which they could keep though far away from the temple in Jerusalem. The same also applies to their present dispersion, in which they cannot offer sacrifices, but can only show their zeal in fastings, &c. Compare as to our Lord's time, Mat 6:16, Mat 6:23; Luk 18:12.

they . . . of thee--thy people, the Israelites. old waste places--the old ruins of Jerusalem (Isa 61:4; Eze 36:33-36). foundations of many generations--that is, the buildings which had lain in ruins, even to their foundations, for many ages; called in the parallel passage (Isa 61:4), "the former desolations"; and in the preceding clause here, "the old waste places." The literal and spiritual restoration of Israel is meant, which shall produce like blessed results on the Gentile world (Amo 9:11-12; Act 15:16-17). be called--appropriately: the name truly designating what thou shalt do. breach--the calamity wherewith God visited Israel for their sin (Isa 30:26; Ch1 15:13). paths to dwell in--not that the paths were to be dwelt in, but the paths leading to their dwellings were to be restored; "paths, so as to dwell in the land" [MAURER].

As the last prophecy of the second book contained all the three elements of prophetic addresses - reproach, threat, and promise - so this, the first prophecy of the third book, cannot open in any other way than with a rehearsal of one of these. The prophet receives the commission to appear as the preacher of condemnation; and whilst Jehovah is giving the reason for this commission, the preaching itself commences. "Cry with full throat, hold not back; lift up thy voice like a bugle, and proclaim to my people their apostasy, and to the house of Jacob their sins. And they seek me day by day, and desire to learn my ways, like a nation which has done righteousness, and has not forsaken the right of their God: they ask of me judgments of righteousness; they desire the drawing near of Elohim." As the second prophecy of the first part takes as its basis a text from Micah (Mic 2:1-4), so have we here in Isa 58:1 the echo of Mic 3:8. Not only with lisping lips (Sa1 1:13), but with the throat (Psa 115:7; Psa 149:6); that is to say, with all the strength of the voice, lifting up the voice like the shōphâr (not a trumpet, which is called חצצרה, nor in fact any metallic instrument, but a bugle or signal horn, like that blown on new year's day: see at Psa 81:4), i.e., in a shrill shouting tone. With a loud voice that must be heard, with the most unsparing publicity, the prophet is to point out to the people their deep moral wounds, which they may indeed hide from themselves with hypocritical opus operatum, but cannot conceal from the all-seeing God. The ו of ואותי does not stand for an explanatory particle, but for an adversative one: "their apostasy ... their sins; and yet (although they are to be punished for these) they approach Jehovah every day" (יום יום with mahpach under the first יום, and pasek after it, as is the general rule between two like-sounding words), "that He would now speedily interpose." They also desire to know the ways which He intends to take for their deliverance, and by which He desires to lead them. This reminds us of the occurrence between Ezekiel and the elders of Gola (Eze 20:1.; compare also Eze 33:30.). As if they had been a people whose rectitude of action and fidelity to the commands of God warranted them in expecting nothing but what was good in the future, they ask God (viz., in prayer and by inquiring of the prophet) for mishpetē tsedeq, "righteous manifestations of judgment" i.e., such as will save them and destroy their foes, and desire qirbath 'Elōhı̄m, the coming of God, i.e., His saving parousia. The energetic futures, with the tone upon the last syllable, answer to their self-righteous presumption; and יחפצוּן is repeated, according to Isaiah's most favourite oratorical figure, at the close of the verse.