Isaiah 61:9

61:4-9 Promises are here made to the Jews returned out of captivity, which extend to all those who, through grace, are delivered out of spiritual thraldom. An unholy soul is like a city that is broken down, and has no walls, like a house in ruins; but by the power of Christ's gospel and grace, it is fitted to be a habitation of God, through the Spirit. When, by the grace of God, we attain to holy indifference as to the affairs of this world; when, though our hands are employed about them, our hearts are not entangled with them, but preserved entire for God and his service, then the sons of the alien are our ploughmen and vine-dressers. Those whom He sets at liberty, he sets to work. His service is perfect freedom; it is the greatest honour. All believers are made, to our God, kings and priests; and always ought to conduct themselves as such. Those who have the Lord for their portion, have reason to say, that they have worthy portion, and to rejoice in it. In the fulness of heaven's joys we shall receive more than double for all our services and sufferings. God desires truth, and therefore hates all injustice. Nor will it justify any man's robbery to say, it was for burnt-offerings; and that robbery is most hateful which is under this pretence. Let the children of godly parents be such, that all may see the fruits of a good education; an answer to the prayers for them, in the fruit of God's blessing.

And their seed shall be known among the Gentiles, and their offspring among the people,.... Not only the Jews will be converted as a body in the latter day, but there will be a succession of converts among them in later ages, and will be known among Christian Gentiles by their faith and love, and good works and holy conversation; and will be taken notice of and acknowledged by them as brethren, and will be famous among them for religion and godliness: all that see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the seed which the Lord hath blessed; that they are the spiritual seed of Abraham, as well as his carnal seed, and are blessed with him; blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ, with faith in him, and with every other grace.

Their seed shall be known among the Gentiles i.e. eminently; a promise of the increase of the church; such shall be their prosperity and multiplying, that they shall be known abroad by their great increase. Or else the meaning is, The church shall have a seed of the Gentiles, the borders of the church shall be enlarged; whereas it hath been confined as it were to one corner of the world, now it shall remain in one nation alone no more, but shall fill all the nations of the earth. They are the seed which the Lord hath blessed; they shall be known to be the seed of Abraham, partly by their holy conversation, and partly by their exceeding blessings, it being the seed that the Lord had so often promised to bless. There shall be such visible characters of God’s love to them, and of God’s grace in them.

Verse 9. - Their seed shall be known ; or, shall be illustrious (Lowth), renowned (Cheyne). A halo of renown still, in the eyes of many, attaches to Jewish descent. Among the people; rather, among the peoples. The seed which the Lord hath blessed; rather, a seed. The blessing has passed in the main to "the Israel of God" ( Galatians 6:16 ). Isaiah 61:9

And their seed - The figure here is taken from the feelings of a parent who desires his children to be esteemed, and who regards it as an honor that they become so distinguished that their fame extends to distant lands. Shall be known - Shall be distinguished or honored. For this use of the word 'known,' see Psalm 67:2; Psalm 76:1; Psalm 79:10. And their offspring - (See the notes at Isaiah 48:19). The Chaldee and the Syriac render this, 'Their children's children.' The sense is, that the true friends of the church shall be everywhere honored. Distant lands shall be acquainted with them, and shall be disposed to show them distinguished respect. Among the people - The people of distant lands. All that see them shall acknowledge them - The time shall come when the true friends of the Redeemer will be universally honored. They shall be regarded as the favored of the Lord; and instead of being persecuted and despised, the nations of the earth will regard them as worthy of their confidence and esteem.

The shame of banishment will then be changed into an excess of joy, and honourable distinction. "Instead of shame ye will have double, and (instead) of insult they rejoice at their portion: thus in their land they will possess double; everlasting joy will they have. For I Jehovah love right, hate robbery in wickedness; and give them their reward in faithfulness, and conclude an everlasting covenant with them. And their family will be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the nations: all who see them will recognise them, for they are a family that Jehovah hath blessed." The enigmatical first half of Isaiah 61:7 is explained in Isaiah 61:2 , where mishneh is shown to consist of double possession in the land of their inheritance, which has not only been restored to them, but extended far beyond the borders of their former possession; and yârōnnū chelqâm (cf., Isaiah 65:14 ) denotes excessive rejoicing in the ground and soil belonging to them (according to the appointment of Jehovah): chelqâm as in Micah 2:4 ; and mishneh as equivalent not to כבוד משׁנה, but to ירשּׁה משׁנה.

Taking this to be the relation between Isaiah 61:7 and Isaiah 61:7 , the meaning of lâkhēn is not, "therefore, because they have hitherto suffered shame and reproach;" but what is promised in Isaiah 61:7 is unfolded according to its practical results, the effects consequent upon its fulfilment being placed in the foreground; so that there is less to astonish us in the elliptically brief form of Isaiah 61:7 which needed explanation. The transition from the form of address to that of declaration is the same as in Isaiah 1:29 ; Isaiah 31:6 ; Isaiah 52:14-15 . וּכלמּה is a concise expression for כלמה ותחת, just as וּתהלּתי in Isaiah 48:9 is for תהלתי וּלמען. Chelqâm is either the accusative of the object, according to the construction of רנּן, which occurs in Psalm 51:16 ; or what I prefer, looking at חמה in Isaiah 42:25 , and וּזבחיך in Isaiah 43:23 , an adverbial accusative equals בחלקם. The lxx, Jerome, and Saad. render the clause, in opposition to the accents, "instead of your double shame and reproach;" but in that case the principal words of the clause would read הלקכם תּרנּוּ. The explanation adopted by the Targum, Saad., and Jerome, "shame on the part of those who rejoice in their portion," is absolutely impossible. The great majority of the modern commentators adopt essentially the same explanation of Isaiah 61:7 as we have done, and even A. E. Kimchi does the same.