1 Beholde, the Lords hand is not shortened, that it cannot saue: neither his eare heauie, that it cannot heare.
2 But your iniquities haue separated betweene you and your God, and your sinnes haue hid his face from you, that he will not heare.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquitie, your lippes haue spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered peruersnesse.
4 None calleth for iustice, nor any pleadeth for trueth: they trust in vanity and speake lies; they conceiue mischiefe, and bring forth iniquitie.
5 They hatch cockatrice egges, and weaue the spiders web: he that eateth of their egges dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
6 Their webbes shall not become garments, neither shall they couer themselues with their workes: their workes are workes of iniquitie, and the act of violence is in their hands.
7 Their feete runne to euill, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity, wasting & destruction are in their paths.
8 The way of peace they know not, and there is no iudgement in their goings: they haue made them crooked pathes; whosoeuer goeth therein, shall not know peace.
9 ¶ Therefore is iudgement farre from vs, neither doth iustice ouertake vs: we waite for light, but behold obscuritie, for brightnesse, but we walke in darknesse.
10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eies: we stumble at noone day as in the night, we are in desolate places as dead men.
11 We roare all like beares, and mourne sore like doues: we looke for iudgement, but there is none; for saluation, but it is farre off from vs.
12 For our transgressions are multiplied before thee, and our sinnes testifie against vs: for our transgressions are with vs, and as for our iniquities, we know them:
13 In transgressing and lying against the Lord, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and reuolt, conceiuing and vttering from the heart words of falshood.
14 And iudgement is turned away backward, and iustice standeth a farre off: for truth is fallen in the streete, and equitie cannot enter.
15 Yea truth faileth, and he that departeth from euill maketh himselfe a pray: and the Lord saw it, and it displeased him, that there was no iudgement.
16 ¶ And hee saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessour. Therefore his arme brought saluation vnto him, and his righteousnesse, it sustained him.
17 For he put on righteousnesse as a brestplate, and an helmet of saluation vpon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeale as a cloake.
18 According to their deedes accordingly he will repay, furie to his aduersaries, recompence to his enemies, to the ylands he will repay recompence.
19 So shall they feare the name of the Lord from the West, and his glory from the rising of the sunne: when the enemie shall come in like a flood, the spirit of the Lord shall lift vp a standard against him.
20 ¶ And the redeemer shall come to Zion, and vnto them that turne from transgression in Iacob, saith the Lord.
21 As for me, this is my couenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that is vpon thee, and my words which I haue put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of the seede, nor out of the mouth of thy seedes seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth, and for euer.
Reproofs of sin and wickedness. (1-8) Confession of sin, and lamentation for the consequences. (9-15) Promises of deliverance. (16-21)1-8 If our prayers are not answered, and the salvation we wait for is not wrought for us, it is not because God is weary of hearing prayer, but because we are weary of praying. See here sin in true colours, exceedingly sinful; and see sin in its consequences, exceedingly hurtful, separating from God, and so separating us, not only from all good, but to all evil. Yet numbers feed, to their own destruction, on infidel and wicked systems. Nor can their skill or craft, in devising schemes, as the spider weaves its web, deliver or save them. No schemes of self-wrought salvation shall avail those who despise the Redeemer's robe of righteousness. Every man who is destitute of the Spirit of Christ, runs swiftly to evil of some sort; but those regardless of Divine truth and justice, are strangers to peace.
9-15 If we shut our eyes against the light of Divine truth, it is just with God to hide from our eyes the things that belong to our peace. The sins of those who profess themselves God's people, are worse than the sins of others. And the sins of a nation bring public judgments, when not restrained by public justice. Men may murmur under calamities, but nothing will truly profit while they reject Christ and his gospel.
16-21 This passage is connected with the following chapters. It is generally thought to describe the coming of the Messiah, as the Avenger and Deliverer of his church. There was none to intercede with God to turn away his wrath; none to interpose for the support of justice and truth. Yet He engaged his own strength and righteousness for his people. God will make his justice upon the enemies of his church and people plainly appear. When the enemy threatens to bear down all without control, then the Spirit of the Lord shall stop him, put him to flight. He that has delivered, will still deliver. A far more glorious salvation is promised to be wrought out by the Messiah in the fulness of time, which all the prophets had in view. The Son of God shall come to us to be our Redeemer; the Spirit of God shall come to be our Sanctifier: thus the Comforter shall abide with the church for ever, #Joh 14:16|. The word of Christ will always continue in the mouths of the faithful; and whatever is pretended to be the mind of the Spirit, must be tried by the Scriptures. We must lament the progress of infidelity and impiety. But the cause of the Redeemer shall gain a complete victory even on earth, and the believer will be more than conqueror when the Lord receives him to his glory in heaven.
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.