5 The Lord is lifted up; his place is on high: he has made Zion full of righteousness and true religion.
Till the spirit comes on us from on high, and the waste land becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field is changed into a wood. Then in the waste land there will be an upright rule, and righteousness will have its place in the fertile field. And the work of righteousness will be peace; and the effect of an upright rule will be to take away fear for ever. And my people will be living in peace, in houses where there is no fear, and in quiet resting-places.
O troubled one, storm-crushed, uncomforted! see, your stones will be framed in fair colours, and your bases will be sapphires. I will make your towers of rubies, and your doors of carbuncles, and the wall round you will be of all sorts of beautiful stones. And all your builders will be made wise by the Lord; and great will be the peace of your children. All your rights will be made certain to you: have no fear of evil, and destruction will not come near you.
For true and upright are his decisions; for by him has the evil woman been judged, who made the earth unclean with the sins of her body; and he has given her punishment for the blood of his servants. And again they said, Praise to the Lord. And her smoke went up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty rulers and the four beasts went down on their faces and gave worship to God who was seated on the high seat, saying, Even so, praise to the Lord. And a voice came from the high seat, saying, Give praise to our God, all you his servants, small and great, in whom is the fear of him. And there came to my ears the voice of a great army, like the sound of waters, and the sound of loud thunders, saying, Praise to the Lord: for the Lord our God, Ruler of all, is King.
Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, Looking down on the heavens, and on the earth?
This Hezekiah did through all Judah; he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. And for everything he undertook, in connection with the work of the house of God and his law and orders, he got directions from God and did it with serious purpose; and things went well for him.
Then I will give praise to you, saying that your right hand is able to give you salvation. See now the Great Beast, whom I made, even as I made you; he takes grass for food, like the ox. His strength is in his body, and his force in the muscles of his stomach. His tail is curving like a cedar; the muscles of his legs are joined together. His bones are pipes of brass, his legs are like rods of iron. He is the chief of the ways of God, made by him for his pleasure.
For their thoughts were bitter against you: they had an evil design in their minds, which they were not able to put into effect. Their backs will be turned when you make ready the cords of your bow against their faces. Be lifted up, O Lord, in your strength; so will we make songs in praise of your power.
He puts an end to wars over all the earth; by him the bow is broken, and the spear cut in two, and the carriage burned in the fire. Be at peace in the knowledge that I am God: I will be lifted up among the nations, I will be honoured through all the earth.
Zion gave ear and was glad; and the daughters of Judah were full of joy, because of your decisions, O Lord. For you, Lord, are most high over the earth; you are lifted up over all other gods.
But, for this very reason, I have kept you from destruction, to make clear to you my power, and so that my name may be honoured through all the earth. Are you still uplifted in pride against my people so that you will not let them go?
And I will give you judges again as at the first, and wise guides as in the past; then you will be named, The Town of Righteousness, the true town. Upright acts will be the price of Zion's forgiveness, and by righteousness will men be living there.
In that day will the young growth of the Lord be beautiful in glory, and the fruit of the earth will be the pride of those who are still living in Israel. And it will come about that the rest of the living in Zion, and of those who have been kept from destruction in Jerusalem, will be named holy, even everyone who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem: When Zion has been washed from her sin by the Lord, and Jerusalem made clean from her blood by a judging and a burning wind.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Isaiah 33
Commentary on Isaiah 33 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 33
This chapter relates to the same events as the foregoing chapter, the distress of Judah and Jerusalem by Sennacherib's invasion and their deliverance out of that distress by the destruction of the Assyrian army. These are intermixed in the prophecy, in the way of a Pindaric. Observe,
This was soon fulfilled, but is written for our learning.
Isa 33:1-12
Here we have,
Isa 33:13-24
Here is a preface that commands attention; and it is fit that all should attend, both near and afar off, to what God says and does (v. 13): Hear, you that are afar off, whether in place or time. Let distant regions and future ages hear what God has done. They do so; they will do so from the scripture, with as much assurance as those that were near, the neighbouring nations and those that lived at that time. But whoever hears what God has done, whether near or afar off, let them acknowledge his might, that it is irresistible, and that he can do every thing. Those are very stupid who hear what God has done and yet will not acknowledge his might. Now what is it that God has done which we must take notice of, and in which we must acknowledge his might?