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. 15 And I 'am' Jehovah thy God, Quieting the sea, when its billows roar, Jehovah of Hosts 'is' His name. 16 And I put My words in thy mouth, And with the shadow of My hand have covered thee, To plant the heavens, and to found earth, And to say to Zion, 'My people 'art' thou.'
17 Stir thyself, stir thyself, rise, Jerusalem, Who hast drunk from the hand of Jehovah The cup of His fury, The goblet, the cup of trembling, thou hast drunk, Thou hast wrung out. 18 There is not a leader to her Out of all the sons she hath borne, And there is none laying hold on her hand Out of all the sons she hath nourished. 19 These two are meeting thee, who is moved for thee? Spoiling and destruction—Famine and sword, who—I comfort thee? 20 Thy sons have been wrapt up, they have lain down, At the head of all out places, as a wild ox 'in' a net, They are full of the fury of Jehovah, The rebuke of Thy God. 21 Therefore, hear, I pray thee, this, O afflicted and drunken one, and not with wine, 22 Thus said thy Lord Jehovah, and thy God, He pleadeth 'for' his people: 'Lo, I have taken out of thy hand the cup of trembling, The goblet, the cup of My fury, Thou dost not add to drink it any more. 23 And I have put it into the hand of those afflicting thee, Who have said to thy soul, Bow down, and we pass over, And thou makest as the earth thy body, And as the street to those passing by!'
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Isaiah 51:9-52
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.
Commentary on Isaiah 51:17-23
(Read Isaiah 51:17-23)
God calls upon his people to mind the things that belong to their everlasting peace. Jerusalem had provoked God, and was made to taste the bitter fruits. Those who should have been her comforters, were their own tormentors. They have no patience by which to keep possesion of their own souls, nor any confidence in God's promise, by which to keep possession of its comfort. Thou art drunken, not as formerly, with the intoxicating cup of Babylon's idolatries, but with the cup of affliction. Know, then, the cause of God's people may for a time seem as lost, but God will protect it, by convincing the conscience, or confounding the projects, of those that strive against it. The oppressors required souls to be subjected to them, that every man should believe and worship as they would have them. But all they could gain by violence was, that people were brought to outward hypocritical conformity, for consciences cannot be forced.