Chapter 59
59:1 Behold the hand of the Lord is not shortened that it cannot save, neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear.
59:2 But your iniquities have divided between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that he should not hear.
59:3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity: your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue utters iniquity.
59:4 There is none that calls upon justice, neither is there any one that judges truly: but they trust in a mere nothing, and speak vanities: they have conceived labor, and brought forth iniquity.
59:5 They have broken the eggs of asps, and have woven the webs of spiders: he that shall eat of their eggs, shall die: and that which is nurtured, shall be hatched into a basilisk.
59:6 Their webs shall not be for clothing, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are unprofitable works, and the work of iniquity is in their hands.
59:7 Their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are unprofitable thoughts: wasting and destruction are in their ways.
59:8 They have not known the way of peace, and there is no judgment in their steps: their paths are become crooked to them, every one that treads in them knows no peace.
59:9 Therefore is judgment far from us, and justice shall not overtake us. We looked for light, and behold darkness: brightness, and we have walked in the dark.
59:10 We have groped for the wall, and like the blind we have groped as if we had no eyes: we have stumbled at noonday as in darkness, we are in dark places, as dead men.
59:11 We shall roar all of us like bears, and shall lament as mournful doves. We have looked for judgment, and there is none: for salvation, and it is far from us.
59:12 For our iniquities are multiplied before you, and our sins have answered us: for our wicked doings are with us, and have known our iniquities:
59:13 In sinning and lying against the Lord: and we have turned away so that we went not after our God, but spoke calumny and transgression: we have conceived, and uttered from the heart, words of falsehood.
59:14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice has stood far off: because truth has fallen down in the street, and equity could not come in.
59:15 And truth has been forgotten: and he that departed from evil, lay open to be a prey: and the Lord saw, and it appeared evil in his eyes, because there is no judgment.
59:16 And he saw that there is not a man: and he stood astonished, because there is none to oppose himself: and his own arm brought salvation to him, and his own justice supported him.
59:17 He put on justice as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation upon his head: he put on the garments of vengeance, and was clad with zeal as with a cloak.
59:18 As unto revenge, as it were to repay wrath to his adversaries, and a reward to his enemies: he will repay the like to the islands.
59:19 And they from the west, shall fear the name of the Lord: and they from the rising of the sun, his glory, when he shall come as a violent stream, which the spirit of the Lord drives on:
59:20 and there shall come a redeemer to Zion, and to them that return from iniquity in Jacob, says the Lord.
59:21 This is my covenant with them, says the Lord: my spirit that is in you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your seed, says the Lord, from henceforth and for ever.
1036 . Behold the hand of the Lord is not shortened . Here he sets out the preparation for receiving salvation on the part of the Savior himself.
And first, he sets out the necessity of salvation;
second, the preparation: and the Lord saw (Isa 59:15).
Concerning the first, he does two things:
first, in the person of the Lord, he shows the necessity of salvation, showing the misery of the people;
in the second, the people respond, recalling their misery: therefore is judgment far from us (Isa 59:9).
Concerning the first, he does two things:
first, he shows the cause of their misery;
second, the misery itself: wasting and destruction (Isa 59:7).
1037 . Concerning the first, he does two things.
First, he excludes a false cause, from lack of God’s power or understanding, because he would not rush to hear: neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear , above: is my hand shortened? (Isa 50:2).
Second, he adds the true cause, namely, their own fault, first touching upon their fault in general: but your iniquities , as to great sins, have divided , like a wall or clouds might be interposed, and your sins , as to common sins: he said: I will hide my face from them (Deut 32:20).
Second, he describes their fault in particular: for your hands . And he touches in particular upon their sins against their neighbor: for he touched upon their sins against God above (Isa 57:3–11), and their sins against themselves, above (Isa 56:11–12).
1038 . And he first touches upon the injustice by which they were oppressing others as to action: for your hands are defiled with blood , of the innocent, whom you have killed, and your fingers , as to lesser injustices, or as to the diligence of their action, above: for your hands are full of blood (Isa 1:15); as to speech: your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue utters iniquity , so that the ugliness of injustice is added to the ugliness of lying: and you shall not find iniquity in my tongue (Job 6:30). And as to omission of justice: there is none that judges , as to superiors, to whom it belongs to judge: seek in the broad places thereof, if you can find a man that executes judgment (Jer 5:1).
1039 . Second, he touches upon the cunning by which they deceived others.
And first, he touches upon the cunning itself, inasmuch as they intended their own advantage by it: but they trust in a mere nothing , in vain counsels, or in idols, and speak , expressing the vanity of their hearts with words: you that rejoice in a thing of naught (Amos 6:14); and inasmuch as they intended the oppression of others by it: they have conceived labor , that is, they have devised so to labor at ways of harming; or to bring about labor for others; and brought forth iniquity , in the completion of their work: he has conceived sorrow, and brought forth iniquity (Ps 7:15[14]).
1040 . Second, he applies a certain metaphor to this.
And first, he sets out the metaphor itself as to their cunning, both as to their oppression of others: eggs of asps , that is, counsels full of poison, they have broken , namely, bringing their works in public: their wine is the gall of dragons, and the venom of asps, which is incurable (Deut 32:33); and as to their own advantage: and have woven the webs , that is, thoughts useless for their own advantage: for the calf of Samaria shall be turned to spiders’ webs (Hos 8:6). He sets out the metaphor again as to the effect of their cunning, as to the first: he that shall eat , sharing in their deeds, of their eggs , their counsels, and that which is nurtured , carefully prepared for a long time, shall be hatched into a basilisk , as if to say, it will kill even from afar, flying in a certain manner, above: out of the root of the serpent shall come forth a basilisk (Isa 14:29). And as to the second: their webs shall not be for clothing ; that is, as spider webs do not avail for clothing, so their counsels avail nothing for them, if they gain no advantage, above: they shall be confounded that wrought in flax, combing and weaving fine linen (Isa 19:9).
1041 . Second, he explains the metaphor.
And first, as to action: their works are unprofitable , as to one part, the work of iniquity , as to the other, above: their works shall not profit them (Isa 57:12).
Second, as to thoughts: their feet , that is, their affections, as to one part: their feet run to evil (Prov 1:16); their thoughts , as to the other: woe to you that devise that which is unprofitable (Mic 2:1).
1042 . Wasting . Here he shows them their misery.
And first, he sets out the magnitude of their misery: wasting , as to injury to things, and destruction , as to injury to persons, are in their ways , that is, wasting and destruction by their enemies threaten them because of their evil ways.
Second, the fairness of their misery, namely that they suffer the kinds of things that they do to others: the way of peace , by which they might have set others in peace; there is no right judgment , and therefore, their paths , that is, the things they devise, are become crooked , that is, they are made curved to them, because what they prepared for others, they themselves will suffer; every one that treads , following them, knows no peace , with the knowledge of experience: destruction and unhappiness in their ways; and the way of peace they have not known (Ps 13[14]:3).
1043 . Therefore is judgment far from us . Here the people confess.
And first, they confess their misery as to the injustice of the enemies oppressing them: judgment is far from us , because God does not judge us from our adversaries: the contrary is found above: I have brought my justice near (Isa 46:13[12]); as to the distress of their tribulations, setting out the obscurity of tribulation under the metaphor of darkness: we looked for light , divine consolation, and behold darknes s , of tribulation, above: we shall look towards the land, and behold darkness of tribulation (Isa 5:30). And the difficulty of deliberations: we have groped , as though not knowing what to do, above: who is blind, but my servant? (Isa 42:19); and injury from dangers: we have stumbled at noonday , on these things where there was a clear way for us to avoid them, we are in dark places , that is, in doubts: they shall meet with darkness in the day (Job 5:14).
1044 . They also confess their misery as to sadness of heart: we shall roar all of us like bears , on account of their cruelty; as mournful doves , on account of their lewdness: mourning as doves (Nah 2:7); and as to the absence of salvation: we have looked for judgment , for ourselves: we looked for peace and no good came (Jer 8:15).
1045 . Second, they confess their fault.
And first, the manifestation of their fault as to God: for our iniquities are multiplied before you , in your sight: all things are naked and open to his eyes (Heb 4:13); and as to the people themselves: and our sins have answered us , in punishments, for our wicked doings are with us , because we do not make satisfaction or correct our ways, above: the show of their countenance has answered them (Isa 3:9).
Second, the variety of their sins, against God: in sinning , in deed, and lying , in speech, we have turned away , in omission; and against their neighbor, in speech: but spoke calumny , against our neighbor; and against the law: and transgression : from the heart come forth evil thoughts (Matt 15:19). And as to action, and judgment is turned away backward , that is, the judgment of God for saving us; in the street , they carried out their injustices in public. He that departed from evil, lay open to be a prey , for not only did they do wicked deeds, but they plundered those who would not: there is no mercy (Hos 4:1); let us lie in wait for the just, because he is contrary to our doings (Wis 2:12).
1046 . And the Lord saw . Here he sets out the preparation of salvation on the part of the Savior.
And first, he sets out the manner of preparation, speaking of God according to a human manner. He sets out his compassion: and the Lord saw , with the eye of mercy, there is no judgment , of anyone to save. And he saw that there is not a man , saving the Jews, and he stood astonished , saddened or distressed: and I sought among them for a man (Ezek 22:30). And he sets out the taking up of armor: and his own arm brought salvation to him , that is, his power, that he should suffer nothing contrary, or the people to the worship of him; his own justice supported him , that his vengeance be executed firmly; he put on justice as a breastplate : for as a soldier is strengthened by armor, so his work is strengthened by justice and his intention to save: his arm has wrought for him salvation (Ps 97[98]:1); he will put on justice as a breastplate (Wis 5:19). And he sets out the execution of vengeance: to the islands , the various peoples, the like , for the wicked things which they did to the Jews: let all men dread and fear the God of Daniel (Dan 6:26).
1047 . Second, he sets out the minister of salvation or vengeance: when he shall come as a violent stream , because of the magnitude of his power and strength, or Christ, the minister: the stream of the river makes the city of God joyful (Ps 45:5[46:4]).
Third, his pact of strength: this is my covenant with them, says the Lord: my spirit that is in you , the spirit of prophecy; your seed , as to the other prophets and the apostles upon whom his Spirit came like an inheritance through a succession of descendants: I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy (Joel 2:28).
1048 . Note on the words, your iniquities have divided between you and your God (Isa 59:2), that sin divides
first, from one’s neighbor through dissension: every kingdom divided against itself shall be brought to desolation (Luke 11:17);
second, from oneself, through contrary affection: their heart is divided: now they shall perish (Hos 10:2);
third, from God, through aversion: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have dug to themselves broken cisterns (Jer 2:13);
fourth, from the kingdom, through disinheritance: he shall separate him (Luke 12:46);
fifth, from the assembly of the saints through dissimilarity, above: the Lord will divide and separate me from his people (Isa 56:3).
1049 . Note also on the words, their paths are become crooked (Isa 59:8), that there is the crookedness
first, of guilt, above: bow down, that we may go over (Isa 51:23);
second, of misery: I am become miserable, and am bowed down even to the end (Ps 37:7[38:6]);
third, of sadness: the soul that is sorrowful for the greatness of evil she has done, and goes bowed down (Bar 2:18);
fourth, of fraud: though he humble himself and go crouching, yet take good heed and beware of him (Sir 12:11);
fifth, of justice: God, whose wrath no man can resist, and under whom they stoop that bear up the world (Job 9:13).
1050 . Note also on the words, as a violent stream (Isa 59:19), that Christ is a violent stream:
first, because of the multitude of water: the river of God is filled with water (Ps 64:10[65:9]);
second, because of the fervor of love: a swift stream of fire issued forth from before him (Dan 7:10);
third, because of the swiftness of its course: the stream of the river makes the city of God joyful (Ps 45:5[46:4]);
fourth, because of the height of its source: and he showed me a river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the lamb (Rev 22:1).