FURTHER ADDRESS OF THE PROPHET TO JERUSALEM . Zion is exhorted to rise from the dust, throw off her bonds, and assert her freedom ( Isaiah 52:1 , Isaiah 52:2 ). God will deliver her from this third captivity for his Name's sake, which her oppressors blaspheme ( Isaiah 52:3-6 ). read more
The redemption of Jerusalem. I. THE SUMMONS . It comes from the Divine representatives. She had been called upon to arise and to stand up, and now she is to put on her strength and her robes. "Strength returns to Zion when the arm of Jehovah is mighty within her." It is useless to counterfeit the semblance of strength which does not exist. Nor is strength merely a matter of the will; but there ever is a secret fund of strength in the hearts of those who know that God has not forsaken... read more
Shake thyself from the dust (compare the opposite command given to Babylon, "Come down, sit in the dust" Isaiah 47:1 ). Zion was to arise, shake from her all trace of the dust in which she had been so long lying, and then calmly seat herself upon a seat of dignity. Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck. The Hebrew text has. "The bands of thy neck are unloosened;" i.e. I have caused thy chains to fall from thee—thou hast only to "rise," and thou wilt find thyself free. Captives in... read more
The dignity of the Church. Jerusalem was to arise from the dust of humiliation, and to sit down "with dignity and composure" on a seat of honour, taking her true position among the nations of the earth. The Church of Christ is called to rise from any undignified position into which she may have fallen, and to assume One that is in keeping with her origin and her estate. But the question is, in what the dignity of the Church consists. It is clear that dignity has various applications,... read more
The liberty of the Church. "Loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion." I. THE RIGHT OF THE CHURCH TO LIBERTY . The sight of the daughter of Zion in chains was very pitiable in the prophet's eye. How much more grievous the spectacle of a Christian Church in bondage, enslaved and oppressed! The Christian Church, being composed of those who have received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, and being called into existence for the purpose of... read more
Ye have sold yourselves for nought ; rather, for nought were ye sold. God received nothing when he allowed his people to become the slaves of the Babylonians. He took no price for them (see Isaiah 50:1 ), and therefore is free to claim them back without payment (comp. Isaiah 45:13 ). He has but to say the word; and he is about to say it. read more
A priceless redemption. "Ye shall be redeemed without money." This truth is more fully stated in Isaiah 55:1 . Here we only note two senses in which God's redemption of Israel from the captivity of Babylon, and of us from the captivity of sin, may be called a priceless redemption. I. BECAUSE ITS VALUE IS BEYOND ANY PRICE MAN CAN FIND . A man may hear of a "pearl of great price," and be willing to sell all else that he may have in order to get possession of it. But... read more
Awake, awake - (See the notes at Isaiah 51:9). This address to Jerusalem is intimately connected with the closing verses of the preceding chapter. Jerusalem is there represented as down-trodden in the dust before her enemies. Here she is described under the image of a female that had been clad in the habiliments of mourning, and she is now called on to arise from this condition, and to put on the garments that would be indicative of gladness and of joy. The idea is, that the time had come now... read more
Shake thyself from the dust - To sit on the ground, to sit in the dust, is an expression descriptive of mourning Job 2:13. Jerusalem is here called on to arise and shake off the dust, as indicating that the days of her grief were ended, and that she was about to be restored to her former beauty and splendor.Arise and sit down - There is an incongruity in this expression in our translation, which does not occur in the original. The idea in the Hebrew is not that which seems to be implied in this... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 52:1-2
The restored castaway. "Arise, and sit down … O captive daughter of Zion." "The verses are a poetical description of the liberation of a female captive from degrading slavery, and it is designed to represent the complete emancipation of the Church from tyranny and persecution." The call is peculiar as judged by Western associations, but quite natural in view of Eastern habits. The female is pictured as crouching on the ground, huddled in the dust, in the depressed and miserable attitude of... read more