It is his feet, his running, his haste, that attracts attention; an indication that he bears a message of joy, and that the nation is about to be restored. It is the word used in Genesis for a man knowing his wife (Genesis 4:1, 17, 25). We hate suffering and try to avoid it. This is the source of all our singing. 1-3), (2) as well as in his death (vv. We know that Jesus retained some of the scars of His crucifixion (Luke 24:40, John 20:25-28), perhaps this extends to His face as well. Many are amazed that people especially Jewish people can read a chapter like this and miss Jesus. If the Suffering Servant was about someone who already lived and died prior to Jesus, that would seem to imply that at least Israel already had a restored relationship with God. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. So His visage was marred more than any man, The invitation to sing has been issued before (42:10-12) and not only human creatures, but heavens, earth, mountains, and trees have been called to join in the song (44:23). 4-6). What do the individual words in Isaiah 52:7 mean? And My name is blasphemed continually every day. Salem Media Group. This page last updated: November 29, 2022. The words may with the greatest propriety, and in agreement with the context, be understood of that angel, or set of Gospel ministers in the latter day, represented as flying in the midst of the heavens, having the everlasting Gospel to preach to all nations, which will precede the fall of Babylon, ( Revelation 14:6 Revelation 14:8 ) : that publisheth peace; peace by the blood of Jesus Christ, a principal article of the Gospel, and of its good news; hence it is called the Gospel of peace, and the word of reconciliation; peace of conscience, which flows from the same blood applied, and of which the Gospel is the means; and peace among the saints one with another, and among men, which shall at this time be enjoyed; there, will be no discord nor animosities among themselves, nor persecution from their enemies: happy times! That My people are taken away for nothing? Isaiah 52:7-15 New International Version 7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" 8 Listen! Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. It will be apparent to all that Yahweh is a great God. To give thanks in advance is the highest form of praise (Oswalt, 370). i. For the uncircumcised and the unclean Go out from there, How beautiful The watchmen discover afar off, on the mountains, the messenger bringing the expected and much-wished-for news of the deliverance from the Babylonish captivity. Is It Ok for Christians to Follow Zodiac Signs? The result was so shocking that many were astonished when they saw Jesus. What God has done will be evident to all! As mentioned, the text gestures beyond its historical confines. The news had reached His people through a messenger whom the prophet pictured as running across mountains with his message (cf. SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS are from the World English Bible (WEB), a public domain (no copyright) modern English translation of the Holy Bible. The prophet Isaiah is revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims. b. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! When the LORD brings back Zion. Singing, this essential activity of any proclamation, brings that which identifies us most individually our voice and mixes it with many other voices. Go out of the midst of her! Awake, awake! His saving, cleansing work will extend far beyond Israel to many nations. The messenger has brought good news from Babylon to Jerusalem (Brueggemann, 138). Commentary, explanation and study verse by verse. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophetIsaiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. In truth, Yahweh has been accomplishing his purposes through the Babylonian captivity, but that is something that neither the exiles nor the Babylonians could understand. Isaiah 52:7, ESV: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." But now they hear the command to departto go out from there. These are the words that they have longed to hear. Who brings glad tidings of good things, Break forth into joy, sing together, And their singing calls forth singing from all the ends of the earth. 9Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for Yahweh has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. It is not God that has become lethargic; but we that have slept and need to awake. Just let it be known and praised among My people.. NRSV John 15 Jesus the True Vine 1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 1. Feet are mentioned instead of their whole persons, because the instruments of motion, and so of bringing the tidings, and of running to and fro with them from place to place, and even though they are dirty and defiled with sin; for Gospel ministers are not free from it, and are men of like passions with others; yet are beautiful when their walk and ministry, conversation and doctrine, agree together; and their feet are particularly so, being shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. The returned exiles experienced great opposition from local people and the project ground to a halt (Ezra 4; Nehemiah 4-5). The Lord is king! ), The Lectionary Commentary: Theological Exegesis for Sundays Text. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Commentary on Isaiah 52:7-10 The text from Second Isaiah follows closely on Christmas Eve's reading from First Isaiah though historically they are situated far apart. 9. fol. Why is Jesus referred to as a man of sorrows in Isaiah 53:3? Yada denotes a deep kind of knowing that comes from experiencefrom relationship. a. How beautiful are those feet! (52:7-10) "Practically each line is a jubilant note of victory. The Lord who reigns is God over all gods, over all those forces, powers, idols, and obsessions that enslave the people. It is possible that actual historical realities are in view; that is, many of the exiles did not awake, listen, and return to Jerusalem and their own land; they preferred to stay in Babylon (and make their home there for centuries to come). He has laid the responsibility for the captivity squarely at the feet of the captives. This chapter is a prophecy of the glorious state of the church in the latter day, typified by the deliverance of the Jews from Babylon. Shall no longer come to you. When we speak of physical beauty, we seldom if ever mention feet. He has redeemed Jerusalem. What does it mean to cut Rahab in pieces in Isaiah 51:9? Their sharp eyes search the horizon for signs, signs of the messengers who bring the results of the battle in which the peoples future is at stake. The long anticipated herald announcing that these ruins are to rise, at length appears. advertisement Join now to personalize . Psalm 59:13 Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. The larger context of these verses (see 51:17-23) vividly describes how the people of Israel have been devastated and depopulated in the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 587 BCE. The salvation of our God. 4. Touch no unclean thing; Commentary on Isaiah 52:1-12. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him; Here, the promise is that the work of the Messiah will bring cleansing to many nations. Isaiah: End Times and Messiah in Judaism by Israel Rosenberg. Perhaps the messenger raises his arms above his head in a V for victory. tells Zion to put on strength in light of the first two awakenings. They are to purify themselves so that they will be fit for the task aheadthe task of carrying the temple vessels from Babylonia to Jerusalem. First, it is the image of a messenger that travels by foot over mountain passes to bring good news to a beleaguered people regarding a victory over the enemy the fastest means to spread news in that world. that publisheth peace; peace by the blood of Jesus Christ, a principal article of the Gospel, and of its good news; hence it is called the Gospel of peace, and the word of reconciliation; peace of conscience, which flows from the same blood applied, and of which the Gospel is the means; and peace among the saints one with another, and among men, which shall at this time be enjoyed; there, will be no discord nor animosities among themselves, nor persecution from their enemies: happy times! Meaning: How beautiful! 2. The message is beautiful because it is for all creation. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site. These events are ascribed to the wrath of God; that is, the people have experienced the effects of Gods moral order sins have consequences. But as long as the Lord abandons Zion, the people as well will remain in exile. Isaiah 52 - Joy When the LORD Reigns in Zion A. Isaiah 52:14 "Just as there were many who were appalled at him - his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness-". When Yahweh raises up Cyrus of Persia to defeat the Babylonians and free the Judean exiles, Yahweh will be publicly vindicated. The survivors have suffered a lengthy exile in Babylonia. The question is whether they will believe the good news and act on the command. Isaiah 52:7. In some way, he conveys to the sentinels that the news is good. Make them wail, says the LORD, This shalom is a shalom for all creation and for culture and for expressions of human life; the city, for example, with all of its structures is called into this shalom. and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God (v. 10b). He doesnt assure us of comfort, but of victory. (k) a "caro". The price paid by the Redeemer for our salvation, was not . OVERVIEW These verses are an allegory (a work in which the characters represent other things and symbolically express a deeper . Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Psalm 98, the psalm coupled with this reading, proclaims the power of Gods holy arm. This peace and good news and salvation are not simply for the exiles in Babylon. i. i. . 2. It may be applied to all other ministers of the Gospel in later ages, who are bringers of the same good tidings to the children of men, to whom their very feet are beautiful, and even at a distance, upon the high mountains; not to carnal men, but sensible sinners, to whom the good news of salvation by Christ is welcome. What she must do is put them on by responding to Him. What did God mean when He said, I will not give my glory to another in Isaiah 48:11? This does not mean that the rebuilding is complete, either of walls or people, but it means that the Lord has determined to effect this redemption and so the people can be certain that it will happen. "Yea, let the cry go forth among all people: Awake and arise and go forth to meet the Bridegroom; behold and lo, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. The call from God is not irresistible. Who says to Zion, "Your God reigns." As we have already seen the mountains represent the nations ( Isaiah 2:2 ). You can tell by the way the feet move! The word redeemed has to do with release from bondage, and usually involves some sort of payment or ransom to achieve the release. 2 Shake yourself from the dust and arise; be seated, O Jerusalem; loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! He might be the messenger whom God commissioned earlier with these words: Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Awake, awake! My name continually all the day is blasphemed, Yahweh says (v. 5). Through the book of Isaiah, many have been called servants of the LORD in one way or another. HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET 7How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news (Hebrew: mebasser) of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!" The messenger has brought good news "from Babylon to Jerusalem" (Brueggemann, 138). What Does Isaiah 53:7 Mean? In this case, the sentinels lift up their voices and sing together. 5 Things You Should Know about the ESV Bible Translation. King James Version (KJV) Isaiah 52:13-66:18. They petitioned Darius to examine the archives to confirm that Cyrus had, in fact, commissioned the return of the exiles and the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 5). Let those weary and heavy laden under the burden of sin, find relief in Christ, shake themselves from the dust of their doubts and fears, and loose themselves from those bands. The Targum is. In the body of the song (53:1-9), Isaiah confessed (on behalf of his own people) that (1) Israel utterly rejected the Servant of the Lord in his life (vv. As indicated above the scene is cast in military terms just after the battle. The following cookies are also needed - You can choose if you want to allow them: You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page. The word ruins describes Jerusalem after the Babylonian devastation. 5 Things You Should Know about the ESV Bible Translation. Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. KJV: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! The situation is very much like that of their ancestors in Egypt, who were also in bondage to another powerful nation. Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace; that brings good tidings of good, that publishes salvation; that said to Zion, Your God reigns! However, the returned exiles appealed to King Darius, the successor to Cambyses II, the son of King Cyrus. Therefore My people shall know My name: Yet God will glorify Himself; first, He will do it among His own people. The church, under the names of Zion and Jerusalem, is exhorted to awake and clothe herself with strength, and with beautiful garments, to shake off her dust, and loose her bands, since she should become a pure and separate people, Isa 52:1,2 and whereas the Lord's people had been afflicted formerly by the Egyptians, and more lately by the Assyrians, a free redemption is promised them; and the rather they might expect it, since the Lord was no gainer by their affliction, but a loser in his name and honour, as well as they distressed, Isa 52:3-5. Ruins can live again as the people of God flow back into those spaces. for. When we make up our minds about who Jesus is, its easy to become blind and deaf to the plain, simple message of the word of God. What does it mean to set your face like flint in Isaiah 50:7. It comes running to greet the oppressed. Depart! Isaiah tells Jerusalem to put on beautiful robesuncircumcised and unclean people won't enter the city anymore. It is a poetic hyperbole used to express the terrible effect of the beating He endured. What is your job. Put on your strength, O Zion: The first Awake, awake! The Egyptians and Assyrians have both oppressed the Hebrews in the past, but now God is going to . halcyon days! They are exceeding precious and acceptable. Keep in mind that this is poetry in which it is possible for ruins to raise their voice in song. They have sinned, and the exile is their punishment. All rights reserved. See, Christ persuades the church to believe his free redemption. b. Kings shall shut their mouths at Him: Though all will be astonished at His appearance, they will have nothing to say against Him. God didn't hand them over for a payday), it will be redeemed without money (says God). The prophet calls the people to listen so that they can hear the voices of the sentinelsso that they can share in the joy that the sentinels are experiencing. c. His visage was marred more than any man: This speaks of the cruel and vicious beating Jesus endured at the hands of His enemies. All people, all creation is pulled into this salvific act. Break forth into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem (v. 9). Click to enable/disable essential site cookies. You have sold yourselves for nothing, Selah. Those that bring the tidings of their release shall be very acceptable ( v. 7 ): "How beautiful upon the mountains, the mountains round about Jerusalem, over which these messengers are seen coming at a distance, how beautiful are their feet, when it is known what tidings they bring!" Gods action is not some private act or simply some spiritual event, for the people will return home as part of a visibly socio-political event and the ruins of Jerusalem shall be reconstructed. Darby: How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that announceth glad tidings, that publisheth peace; that announceth glad tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. 5 (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1956), Newsome, James D. in Cousar, Charles B.; Gaventa, Beverly R.; McCann, J. Clinton; and Newsome, James D., Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSVYear C (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1994), Oswalt, John N., The New International Commentary on the Old Testament: The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40-66 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998), Seitz, Christopher R., Interpretation Commentary: Isaiah 1-39, (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1993), Seitz, Christopher R., The New Interpreters Bible: Isaiah, Vol. In light of the Prophets November 29, 2022 question is whether they will believe the good from! Redeemed has to do with release from bondage, and the exile is their punishment cookies when our. 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