Isaiah 52 · The Lantern

Rise up, Rise up! Clothe yourself in strength, O Zion! Put on the garments of your glory, O Jerusalem, the city of the Holy One! For the uncircumcised and the unclean will no longer pass through you.

(Chapter 52, Verse 1) Arise, arise, put on your strength, O Zion; put on your garments of glory, O Jerusalem, holy city; for the uncircumcised and the unclean will no longer pass through you. (Verse 1 according to the Septuagint) Rise up, rise up, O Zion; put on your strength, O Zion, and put on your glory, O Jerusalem, holy city.

He calls the lower city "Jerusalem," and the city on high "Zion," but both together are one city. This is why he promises restoration to both; and, since foreign nations crossed through it without fear when its inhabitants had been taken captive, he is promising deliverance from these foreigners.… It is due to their sins that they have been sold, but it is by the benevolence of…

Arise, arise. Here he excludes the third impediment to their liberation, which could be doubted from their poverty of goods, promising them gratuitous liberation. And this is divided into two parts: for first, he foretells the liberation of the Jews from the Babylonians; second, the liberation of the gentiles from their sins: behold my servant shall understand (Isa 52:13).

Shake yourself from the dust! Arise and sit up, O Jerusalem! Loose the chains from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!

The creation, then, after being restored to a better and more fitting state, remains, rejoicing and exulting over the children of God at the resurrection.

(Verse 2, 3.) Shake off the dust; arise, Jerusalem! Loose the bonds of your neck, captive daughter Zion. For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money. LXX: Shake off the dust; arise, Jerusalem! Loose the bonds of your neck, captive daughter Zion.

Second, he promises liberation from the baseness of her inhabitants, for some of the poor of the land were left behind, as it says in 2 Kings 25:12 and Jeremiah 52:16; shake yourself from the dust, of baseness, arise, resisting your adversaries, and then next, sit, at rest: he raises up the needy from the dust (1 Sam 2:8).

For thus says the Lord: You were sold for nothing, and you will be redeemed without money.

For thus says the Lord God: My people descended into Egypt, in the beginning, in order to sojourn there. But the Assyrian oppressed them, without any cause at all.

And now, what is left for me here, says the Lord? For my people have been taken away without cause. Their lords treat them unjustly, says the Lord. And my name is being continually blasphemed all day long.

Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of…

The name of God is in its nature holy, whether we say so or not; but since it is sometimes profaned among sinners, according to the words, "Through you my name is continually blasphemed among the Gentiles," we pray that in us God's name may be hallowed; not that it comes to be holy from our being holy but because it becomes holy in us, when we are made holy and do things worthy…

Second, he pronounces the sentence: for my people is taken away, from their own land; they that rule over them, who have usurped dominion to themselves, namely, the Chaldeans; and, because, my name is continually blasphemed, as though I could not free my people: I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the Gentiles (Ezek 36:23).

Because of this, my people will know my name, in that day. For it is I myself who is speaking. Behold, I am here.

That is, he extended his hands to a people who did not believe and contradicted: not seeking an ambassador or messenger, but desiring to save his own people, the Lord himself: 'I, who spoke, behold I am here,' he said. And so, openly, I appear to those who do not seek me, and I am visible to those who do not ask me.

[Christ] was not speaking as a teacher but as the Lord. He was not speaking in reference to a greater authority, but he was teaching that which was his very own. Particularly, he was speaking in this manner because he who had spoken by the prophets was speaking now in person. "It is I who have foretold it, Here I am!"

Therefore my people shall know my name in that day, of liberation, for I myself that spoke, promising, I am here, to fulfill my promise: afterwards he was seen upon earth, and conversed with men (Bar 3:38); God, who, at sundry times and in diverse manners, spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all, in these days, has spoken to us by his Son (Heb 1:1–2) if…

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger and the preacher of peace! Announcing good and preaching peace, they are saying to Zion, “Your God will reign!”

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

(Verses 7, 8.) How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger of good news, who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, 'Your God reigns.' The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice; together they sing for joy; for eye to eye they see the return of the Lord to Zion.

How beautiful. Here he proclaims joy to the liberated. And first, he describes their joy as to the reception of messengers, who, coming from Chaldea, announced it to them: beautiful, for it was beautiful and pleasant to the people to hear them announcing such things; upon the mountains, so that many would hear them; that preaches, publicly, peace, restored by Cyrus, good, of pr…

It is the voice of your watchmen. They have lifted up their voice. They will praise together. For they will see eye to eye, when the Lord converts Zion.

Be glad and rejoice together, O deserts of Jerusalem! For the Lord has consoled his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem.

The Lord has prepared his holy arm, in the sight of all the Gentiles. And all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.

Depart, depart, get out of here! Do not be willing to touch what is polluted. Go out from her midst! Be cleansed, you who bear the vessels of the Lord.

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?

(Vers. 11-12.) Step back, step back, go out from there, do not touch the impure: go out from its midst, you who carry the vessels of the Lord. For you will not go out in tumult, nor will you hurry in flight. For the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will gather you together.

Second, he enjoins the captives to flee: depart, namely, from Babylonia; touch no unclean thing, do not live among these unclean people: go out from her, my people (Rev 18:4).

For you will not go out in a tumult, nor will you take flight in a hurry. For the Lord will precede you, and the God of Israel will gather you.

Behold, my servant will understand; he will be exalted and lifted up, and he will be very sublime.

Just as they were stupefied over you, so will his countenance be without glory among men, and his appearance, among the sons of men.

Similarly the Father addressed the Son, "Even as many will be astounded at you, so your appearance will be without glory from people." For though, as David has it, he is timely in beauty even above the children of human beings, yet this is in that allegorical state of spiritual grace, when he girds himself with the sword of the Word, which is in truth his very own form and come…

(Verse 14.) As many were astonished at him; so his appearance was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men. LXX: Just as many were astonished at you, so your appearance will be marvelous among people, and your glory among the children of men.

And as to the ignominy of his passion: for as many have been astonished at you, by your example, miracles and teachings: and all the multitudes were amazed (Matt 12:23) at his teaching and the miracles which he did, so shall his visage be inglorious, in suffering, and his form, his appearance or beauty: I am a worm, and no man: the reproach of men, and the outcast of the people…

He will sprinkle many nations; kings will close their mouth because of him. And those to whom he was not described, have seen. And those who have not heard, have considered.

And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.

The Word, joined to human flesh, came forth from the virgin womb and has now strode forth like a giant and has run his course, and his exit was from the highest heaven and his return to the height of heaven. Now he has been exalted and honored, and many nations now marvel at him, and the kings stop their mouths because they have passed the cruelest laws against Christians.

Second, he foretells liberation as to the remission of sins: he shall sprinkle, with the sprinkling of his blood (1 Pet 1:2), and the water of baptism: having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with clean water (Heb 10:22); as to the veneration of him: kings shall shut their mouth at him, silent, to listen, not presuming to discuss his secrets: t…

Isaiah52