4 Attend unto Me, O My people, And, O My nation, unto Me give ear. For a law from Me goeth out, And My judgment to the light, Peoples I do cause to rest. 5 Near 'is' My righteousness, Gone out hath My salvation and Mine arms, Peoples they judge, on Me isles do wait, Yea, on Mine arm they do wait with hope. 6 Lift ye up to the heavens your eyes, And look attentively unto the earth beneath, For the heavens as smoke have vanished, And the earth as a garment weareth out, And its inhabitants as gnats do die, And My salvation is to the age, And My righteousness is not broken. 7 Hearken unto Me, ye who know righteousness, A people, in whose heart 'is' My law, Fear ye not the reproach of men, And for their reviling be not affrighted, 8 For as a garment eat them doth a moth, And as wool eat them doth a worm, And My righteousness is to the age, And My salvation to all generations.
9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of Jehovah, Awake, as 'in' days of old, generations of the ages, Art not Thou it that is hewing down Rahab, Piercing a dragon! 10 Art not Thou it that is drying up a sea, Waters of a great deep? That hath made deep places of a sea A way for the passing of the redeemed? 11 And the ransomed of Jehovah turn back, And they have come to Zion with singing, And joy age-during 'is' on their head, Gladness and joy they attain, Fled away have sorrow and sighing, 12 I—I 'am' He—your comforter, Who 'art' thou—and thou art afraid of man? he dieth! And of the son of man—grass he is made! 13 And thou dost forget Jehovah thy maker, Who is stretching out the heavens, and founding earth, And thou dost fear continually all the day, Because of the fury of the oppressor, As he hath prepared to destroy. And where 'is' the fury of the oppressor? 14 Hastened hath a wanderer to be loosed, And he doth not die at the pit, And his bread is not lacking.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Isaiah 51:4-14
Commentary on Isaiah 51:4-8
(Read Isaiah 51:4-8)
The gospel of Christ shall be preached and published. How shall we escape if we neglect it? There is no salvation without righteousness. The soul shall, as to this world, vanish like smoke, and the body be thrown by like a worn-out garment. But those whose happiness is in Christ's righteousness and salvation, will have the comfort of it when time and days shall be no more. Clouds darken the sun, but do not stop its course. The believer will enjoy his portion, while revilers of Christ are in darkness
Commentary on Isaiah 51:9-16
(Read Isaiah 51:9-16)
The people whom Christ has redeemed with his blood, as well as by his power, will obtain joyful deliverance from every enemy. He that designs such joy for us at last, will he not work such deliverance in the mean time, as our cases require? In this world of changes, it is a short step from joy to sorrow, but in that world, sorrow shall never come in view. They prayed for the display of God's power; he answers them with consolations of his grace. Did we dread to sin against God, we should not fear the frowns of men. Happy is the man that fears God always. And Christ's church shall enjoy security by the power and providence of the Almighty.