Chapter 62
62:1 For Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace, and for the sake of Jerusalem, I will not rest till her just one come forth as brightness, and her savior be lighted as a lamp.
62:2 And the Gentiles shall see your just one, and all kings your glorious one: and you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.
62:3 And you shall be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
62:4 You shall no more be called Forsaken: and your land shall no more be called Desolate: but you shall be called My pleasure in her, and your land inhabited. Because the Lord has been well pleased with you: and your land shall be inhabited.
62:5 For the young man shall dwell with the virgin, and your sons shall dwell in you. And the bridegroom shall rejoice over the bride, and your God shall rejoice over you.
62:6 Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen all the day, and all the night, they shall never hold their peace. You that are mindful of the Lord, hold not your peace,
62:7 and give him no silence till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
62:8 The Lord has sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength: if I will give your corn to be meat for your enemies: and the sons of the strangers shall drink your wine, for which you have labored.
62:9 For they that gather it, shall eat it, and shall praise the Lord: and they that bring it together, shall drink it in my holy courts.
62:10 Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people, make the road plain, pick out the stones, and lift up the sign to the people.
62:11 Behold the Lord has made it to be heard in the ends of the earth, tell the daughter of Zion: behold your Savior comes: behold his reward is with him, and his work before him.
62:12 And they shall call them, The holy people, the redeemed of the Lord. But you shall be called: a city sought after, and not forsaken.
1086 . For Zion’s sake . Here he promises the honor of glory to the people.
And first, the petition of the prophet is set out;
second, the promise of the Lord: the Lord has sworn (Isa 62:8).
Concerning the first, he does two things:
first, he himself asks;
second, he leads others to ask: you that are mindful of the Lord (Isa 62:6).
1087 . Concerning the first, he does two things.
First, he himself asks for the birth of a savior: for Zion’s sake , namely, for her advantage, or for love of her, I will not hold my peace , from prayers before God; her savior , Cyrus; as brightness , in the glory of his kingdom. Mystically: I will not hold my peace , from the preaching of Christ because of contradiction; Zion , of the king; Jerusalem , of the priests; her savior , Christ: his face as the appearance of lightning (Dan 10:6).
1088 . Second, he shows the fruit of the coming of the Savior.
First, as to the glory of the city, promising this glory in three things.
In the dignity of the king: and the Gentiles shall see , admiring and revering, your just one , Christ or Cyrus: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God (Ps 97[98]:3).
In the newness of its name, and you shall be called by a new name , according to the custom of the ancients, who gave new names from new events, and afterwards he will pronounce this name. Mystically, the Church, which was formerly the Synagogue: I will give him a white counter: and in the counter, a new name (Rev 2:17).
In the defense of divine protection: and you shall be a crown of glory , because your God will glory in you, as a king glories in the crown of his kingdom; in the hand of the Lord , that is, in his protection: they shall receive a kingdom of glory, and a crown of beauty at the hand of the Lord (Wis 5:17). Mystically: the Church is like a crown, with which the Son of God is crowned by the Father.
And he excludes disgrace, and in so doing again pronounces a new name, you shall no more be called Forsaken : because they say of you (Ezek 36:13).
1089 . Second, as to the joy of the inhabitants of the city; both as to boys: for the young man shall dwell with the virgin ; and as to grown men: and your sons shall dwell in you ; and as to married men: and the bridegroom shall rejoice over the bride : there shall be heard again in this place (Jer 33:10). Mystically: the young man shall dwell with the virgin , chastely, as Mary dwelled with Joseph; the bridegroom , Christ; the bride , the Church.
1090 . Third, as to the diligent guarding of the city’s buildings, which is expressed in Nehemiah 4:17: with one hand they built, and with the other they fought. Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen all the day, and all the night, they shall never hold their peace . This is spoken according to the likeness of watchmen who guard the city; or by a metaphor it indicates the diligence of the princes, who governed the people, or of preachers in the Church: and they rested not day and night, saying: holy, holy, holy (Rev 4:8).
1091 . You that are mindful of the Lord . Here he leads others to make a similar petition: hold not your peace , from prayer; and give him , God, no silence : always rejoice. Pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:16–18).
1092 . The Lord has sworn by his right hand . Here the Lord promises to fulfill the petition.
And first, as to driving back their enemies: if , supply: you do not trust in me, I will give your corn to be meat for your enemies : he that tills his ground (Prov 28:19), and eats not the fruit from it.
Second, as to the liberation of captives, as to the preparation of the way: go through , you messengers of Cyrus and Darius; pick out the stones , impediments: take the stones out of the way (Jer 50:26); or you, watchmen of the walls: preachers. As to the granting of joy: lift up the sign , the decree of Cyrus that all the captives could return, or the sign , of the cross, above: he shall set up a sign unto the nations (Isa 11:12). And as to the retribution of justice: tell the daughter of Zion , the people of the Jews, behold your Savior , God, or Cyrus; behold his reward is with him , that he might repay good things to you and evil things to your enemies. Mystically, this refers to the coming of Christ to judge, above (Isa 40:9–10) has the same thing.
Third, where it says, and they shall call them , he sets out the honor of the liberated people, who had a great reputation of holiness, because of the benefits given to them, above: after this you shall be called the city of the just, a faithful city (Isa 1:26). Mystically, this refers to the Church and the Christian people.
1093 . Note on the words, for Zion’s sake I will not hold my peace (Isa 62:1), that the saints hold not their peace
first, because of the desire inflamed in them: there came in my heart the word of the Lord as a burning fire (Jer 20:9);
second, because of the truth evident to them: for we cannot but speak the things which we have seen (Acts 4:20);
third, because of the office enjoined on them: for a necessity lies upon me. For woe is unto me if I preach not the gospel (1 Cor 9:16);
fourth, because of the reward expected by them: in doing good, let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap, not failing (Gal 6:9).
1094 . Note also on the words, till her just one come forth as brightness (Isa 62:1), that Christ shines
first, in the image of the Father: being the brightness of his glory and the figure of his substance (Heb 1:3);
second, in the light of the saints: in the brightness of the saints: from the womb before the day star I begot you (Ps 109[110]:3);
third, in the fullness of glory: his face did shine as the sun (Matt 17:2);
fourth, in rightness of doctrine, above: the Gentiles shall walk in your light, and kings in the brightness of your rising (Isa 60:3).