1 Listen, O yles, vnto me, and hearken yee people from farre. The Lord hath called mee from the wombe, from the bowels of my mother hath he made mention of my name.
2 And he hath made my mouth like a sharpe sword, in the shadow of his hand hath he hid me, and made mee a polished shaft; in his quiuer hath hee hid me,
3 And sayd vnto me; Thou art my seruant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
4 Then I said; I haue laboured in vaine, I haue spent my strength for nought, and in vaine, yet surely my iudgement is with the Lord, and my worke with my God.
5 ¶ And now, saith the Lord that formed me from the wombe to be his seruant, to bring Iacob againe to him; Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall bee my strength.
6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my seruant to raise vp the tribes of Iacob, and to restore the preserued of Israel: I will also giue thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my saluation, vnto the end of the earth.
7 Thus saith the Lord the redeemer of Israel, and his holy one, to him whom man dispiseth, to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a seruant of rulers; Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord, that is faithfull, and the holy one of Israel, and he shall choose thee.
8 Thus saith the Lord, In an acceptable time haue I heard thee, and in a day of saluation haue I helped thee: and I will preserue thee, and giue thee for a couenant of the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherite the desolate heritages:
9 That thou mayest say to the prisoners, Goe forth; to them that are in darkenesse, Shewe your selues: they shall feede in the wayes, and their pastures shalbe in all high places.
10 They shall not hunger nor thirst, neither shall the heate nor sunne smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, euen by the springs of water shall he guide them.
11 And I will make all my mountaines a way, and my high wayes shall be exalted.
12 Behold, these shall come from far: and loe, these from the North and from the West, and these from the land of Sinim.
13 ¶ Sing, O heauen, and be ioyfull, O earth, and breake forth into singing, O mountaines: for God hath comforted his people, and will haue mercy vpon his afflicted.
14 But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not haue compassion on the sonne of her wombe? yea they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
16 Behold, I haue grauen thee vpon the palmes of my hands: thy walles are continually before mee.
17 Thy children shal make haste, thy destroyers, and they that made thee waste, shall goe forth of thee.
18 ¶ Lift vp thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselues together and come to thee: as I liue, saith the Lord, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee as a bride doeth.
19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction shall euen now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee vp, shall bee farre away.
20 The children which thou shalt haue, after thou hast lost the other, shall say againe in thine eares, The place is too straight for me: giue place to mee that I may dwell.
21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I haue lost my children and am desolate, a captiue and remouing to and fro? and who hath brought vp these? Beholde, I was left alone, these where had they beene?
22 Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I will lift vp mine hand to the Gentiles, and set vp my standerd to the people: and they shall bring thy sonnes in their armes: and thy daughters shal be caried vpon their shoulders.
23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queenes thy nursing mothers: they shall bow downe to thee with their face toward the earth, and licke vp the dust of thy feete, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that waite for me.
24 ¶ Shall the pray be taken from the mightie, or the lawfull captiue deliuered?
25 But thus saith the Lord, Euen the captiues of the mightie shall be taken away, and the pray of the terrible shall be deliuered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will saue thy children.
26 And I will feede them that oppresse thee, with their owne flesh, and they shall be drunken with their owne blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy Sauiour and thy Redeemer, the mightie One of Iacob.
The unbelief and rejection of the Jews. (1-6) Gracious promise to the Gentiles. (7-12) God's love to the church. (13-17) Its increase. (18-23) And deliverance. (24-26)1-6 The great Author of redemption shows the authority for his work. The sword of his word slays the lusts of his people, and all at enmity with them. His sharp arrows wound the conscience; but all these wounds will be healed, when the sinner prays to him for mercy. But even the Redeemer, who spake as never man spake in his personal ministry, often seemed to labour in vain. And if Jacob will not be brought back to God, and Israel will not be gathered, still Christ will be glorious. This promise is in part fulfilled in the calling of the Gentiles. Men perish in darkness. But Christ enlightens men, and so makes them holy and happy.
7-12 The Father is the Lord, the Redeemer, and Holy One of Israel, as sending the Son to be the Redeemer. Man, whom he came to save, put contempt upon him. To this he submitted for our salvation. He is a pledge for all the blessings of the covenant; in him God was reconciling the world to himself. Pardoning mercy is a release from the curse of the law; renewing grace is a release from the dominion of sin: both are from Christ. He saith to those in darkness, Show yourselves. Not only see, but be seen, to the glory of God, and your own comforts. Though there are difficulties in the way to heaven, yet the grace of God will carry us over them, and make even the mountains a way. This denotes the free invitations and the encouraging promises of the gospel, and the outpouring of the Spirit.
13-17 Let there be universal joy, for God will have mercy upon the afflicted, because of his compassion; upon his afflicted, because of his covenant. We have no more reason to question his promise and grace, than we have to question his providence and justice. Be assured that God has a tender affection for his church and people; he would not have them to be discouraged. Some mothers do neglect their children; but God's compassions to his people, infinitely exceed those of the tenderest parents toward their children. His setting them as a mark on his hand, or a seal upon his arm, denotes his being ever mindful of them. As far as we have scriptural evidence that we belong to his ransomed flock, we may be sure that he will never forsake us. Let us then give diligence to make our calling and election sure, and rejoice in the hope and glory of God.
18-23 Zion is addressed as an afflicted widow, bereaved of her children. Numbers flock to her, and she is assured that they come to be a comfort to her. There are times when the church is desolate and few in number; yet its desolations shall not last for ever, and God will repair them. God can raise up friends for returning Israelites, even among Gentiles. They shall bring their children, and make them thy children. Let all deal tenderly and carefully with young converts and beginners in religion. Princes shall protect the church. It shall appear that God is the sovereign Lord of all. And those who in the exercise of faith, hope, and patience, wait on God for the fulfilment of his promises, shall never be confounded.
24-26 We were lawful captives to the justice of God, yet delivered by a price of unspeakable value. Here is an express promise: Even the prey of the terrible shall be delivered. We may here view Satan deprived of his prey, bound and cast into the pit; and all the powers that have combined to enslave, persecute, or corrupt the church, are destroyed; that all the earth may know that our Saviour and Redeemer is Jehovah, the mighty One of Jacob. And every effort we make to rescue our fellow-sinners from the bondage of Satan, is, in some degree, helping forward that great change.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.