Thus far we have the words of the servant. The prophecy opened with words of Jehovah (Isaiah 50:1-3), and with such words it closes, as we may see from the expression, "this shall ye have at my hand," in Isaiah 50:11. The first word of Jehovah is addressed to those who fear Him, and hearken to the voice of His servant. Isaiah 50:10"Who among you is fearing Jehovah, hearkening to the voice of His servant? He that walketh in darkness, and without a ray of light, let him trust in the name of Jehovah, and stay himself upon his God." The question is asked for the purpose of showing to any one who could reply, "I am one, or wish to be such an one," what his duty and his privileges are. In the midst of the apparent hopelessness of his situation (chăshēkhı̄m the accusative of the object, and plural to chăshēkhâh, Isaiah 8:22), and of his consequent despondency of mind, he is to trust in the name of Jehovah, that firmest and surest of all grounds of trust, and to stay himself upon his God, who cannot forsake or deceive him. He is to believe (Isaiah 7:9; Isaiah 28:16; Habakkuk 2:4) in God and the word of salvation, for בטח and נשׁען are terms applied to that fiducia fidei which is the essence of faith. The second word of Jehovah is addressed to the despisers of His word, of which His servant is the bearer. Isaiah 50:11 "Behold, all ye that kindle fire, that equip yourselves with burning darts, away into the glow of your fire, and into the burning darts that ye have kindled! This comes to you from my hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow." The fire is not the fire of divine wrath (Jeremiah 17:4), but the fire of wickedness (rish‛âh, Isaiah 9:17), more especially that hellish fire with which an evil tongue is set on fire (James 3:6); for the zı̄qōth (equivalent to ziqqōth, from zēq equals zinq, from zânaq, to spring, to let fly, Syr. to shoot or hurl), i.e., shots, and indeed burning arrows (Psalm 7:14), are figurative, and stand for the blasphemies and anathemas which they cast at the servant of Jehovah. It is quite unnecessary to read מאירי instead of מאזּרי, as Hitzig, Ewald, and Knobel propose, or even, contrary to all usage of speech, מאורי. The former is the more pictorial: they gird burning darts, accingunt malleolos, i.e., they equip or arm themselves with them for the purpose of attack (Isaiah 45:5). But the destruction which they prepare for the servant of Jehovah becomes their own. They themselves have to go into the midst of the burning fire and the burning darts, that they have set on fire. The hand of Jehovah suddenly inverts the position; the fire of wrath becomes the fire of divine judgment, and this fire becomes their bed of torment. The lxx has it correctly, ἐν λύπῃ κοιμηθήσεσθε. The Lamed indicates the situation (Ewald, 217, d). תּשׁכּבוּן with the tone upon the last syllable gives a dictatorial conclusion. It has a terrible sound, but still more terrible (apart from the future state) is the historical fulfilment that presents itself to the eye.

Isaiah 51:6 Parallel Commentaries

lift up

Isaiah 40:26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who has created these things, that brings out their host by number...

Deuteronomy 4:19 And lest you lift up your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven...

Psalm 8:3,4 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained...

the heavens

Isaiah 34:4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down...

Isaiah 50:9 Behold, the Lord GOD will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? see, they all shall wax old as a garment...

Psalm 102:26 They shall perish, but you shall endure: yes, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a clothing shall you change them...

Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Hebrews 1:11,12 They shall perish; but you remain; and they all shall wax old as does a garment...

2 Peter 3:10-12 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise...

Revelation 6:12-14 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, see, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair...

Revelation 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away...

my salvation

Isaiah 51:8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever...

Isaiah 45:17 But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: you shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.

Psalm 103:17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on them that fear him, and his righteousness to children's children;

Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined on your people and on your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins...

John 3:15,16 That whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life...

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, He that hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life...

John 10:27-29 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me...

2 Thessalonians 2:16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which has loved us...

Hebrews 5:9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him;

Hebrews 9:12,15 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place...