Isa 9:6, 52:7, 53:5-6, 59:20 | Clarke | e4.org | Verse 6. The government shall be upon his shoulder ] That is, the ensign of government; the sceptre, the sword, the key, or the like, which was borne upon or hung from the shoulder. . And his name shall be called ] El gibbor , the prevailing or conquering God. The everlasting Father -"The Father of the everlasting age"] Or Abi ad , the Father of eternity. The Septuagint have μεγαληςβουληςαγγελος, "the Messenger of the Great Counsel." But instead of Abi ad , a MS. of De Rossi has Abezer , the helping Father ; evidently the corruption of some Jew, who did not like such an evidence in favour of the Christian Messiah. Prince of Peace ] sar shalom , the Prince of prosperity, the Giver of all blessings. A MS. of the thirteenth century in Kennicott's collection has a remarkable addition here. "He shall be a stumbling-block , ; the government is on his shoulder." This reading is nowhere else acknowledged, as far as I know.

‏ Isaiah 9:6

Verse 6. The government shall be upon his shoulder] That is, the ensign of government; the sceptre, the sword, the key, or the like, which was borne upon or hung from the shoulder. See Clarke on Isa 22:22.

And his name shall be called] El gibbor, the prevailing or conquering God.

The everlasting Father-"The Father of the everlasting age"] Or Abi ad, the Father of eternity. The Septuagint have μεγαληςβουληςαγγελος, "the Messenger of the Great Counsel." But instead of Abi ad, a MS. of De Rossi has Abezer, the helping Father; evidently the corruption of some Jew, who did not like such an evidence in favour of the Christian Messiah.

Prince of Peace] sar shalom, the Prince of prosperity, the Giver of all blessings.

A MS. of the thirteenth century in Kennicott's collection has a remarkable addition here. "He shall be a stumbling-block, ; the government is on his shoulder." This reading is nowhere else acknowledged, as far as I know.

‏ Isaiah 52:7

Verse 7. 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. They immediately spread the joyful tidings, Isa 52:8, and with a loud voice proclaim that JEHOVAH is returning to Zion, to resume his residence on his holy mountain, which for some time he seemed to have deserted. This is the literal sense of the place.

"How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the joyful messenger," is an expression highly poetical: for, how welcome is his arrival! how agreeable are the tidings which he brings!

Nahum, Na 1:15, who is generally supposed to have lived after Isaiah, has manifestly taken from him this very pleasing image; but the imitation does not equal the beauty of the original:-

"Behold upon the mountain the feet of the joyful messenger,

Of him that announceth peace!

Celebrate, O Judah, thy festivals; perform thy vows:

For no more shall pass through thee the wicked one;

He is utterly cut off."

But it must at the same time be observed that Isaiah's subject is infinitely more interesting and more sublime than that of Nahum; the latter denounces the destruction of the capital of the Assyrian empire, the most formidable enemy of Judah; the ideas of the former are in their full extent evangelical; and accordingly St. Paul has, with the utmost propriety, applied this passage to the preaching of the Gospel, Ro 10:15. The joyful tidings here to be proclaimed, "Thy God, O Zion, reigneth," are the same that John the Baptist, the messenger of Christ, and Christ himself, published: "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."

From the use made of this by our Lord and the apostles, we may rest assured that the preachers of the Gospel are particularly intended. Mountains are put for the whole land of Judea, where the Gospel was first preached. There seems to be an allusion to a battle fought, and the messengers coming to announce the victory, which was so decisive that a peace was the consequence, and the king's throne established in the land.

There appear to have been two sorts of messengers among the Jews: one sort always employed to bring evil tidings; the other to bring good. The names also and persons of these different messengers appear to have been well known; so that at a distance they could tell, from seeing the messenger, what sort of tidings he was bringing. See a case in point, 2Sa 18:19-27. Ahimaaz and Cushi running to bring tidings of the defeat of Absalom and his rebel army. Ahimaaz is a GOOD man, and bringeth GOOD tidings.

‏ Isaiah 53:5-6

Verse 5. The chastisement of our peace-"The chastisement by which our peace is effected"] Twenty-one MSS. and six editions have the word fully and regularly expressed, shelomeynu; pacificationum nostrarum, "our pacification;" that by which we are brought into a state of peace and favour with God. Ar. Montan.

Verse 6. The iniquity of us all.] For avon, "iniquity," the ancient interpreters read avonoth, "iniquities," plural; and so the Vulgate in MS. Blanchini. And the Lord hath hiphgia bo, caused to meet in him the iniquities of us all. He was the subject on which all the rays collected on the focal point fell. These fiery rays, which should have fallen on all mankind, diverged from Divine justice to the east, west, north, and south, were deflected from them, and converged in him. So the Lord hath caused to meet in him the punishment due to the iniquities of ALL.

‏ Isaiah 59:20

Verse 20. Unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob-"And shall turn away iniquity from Jacob"] So the Septuagint and St. Paul, Ro 11:26, reading instead of leshabey and beyaacob, veheshib and meyaacob. The Syriac likewise reads veheshib; and the Chaldee, to the same sense, ulehashib. Our translators have expressed the sense of the present reading of the Hebrew text: "And unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob."