And all those things have been "And all these things are mine" - A word absolutely necessary to the sense is here lost out of the text: לי li , mine. It is preserved by the Septuagint and Syriac. read more
He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man "He that slayeth an ox killeth a man" - These are instances of wickedness joined with hypocrisy; of the most flagitious crimes committed by those who at the same time affected great strictness in the performance of all the external services of religion. God, by the Prophet Ezekiel, upbraids the Jews with the same practices: "When they had slain their children to their idols, then they came the same day into my sanctuary to profane it," Ezekiel... read more
Your brethren that hated you - said "Say ye to your brethren that hate you" - The Syriac reads לאחיכם אמרו imru laacheychem ; and so the Septuagint, Edit. Comp. ειπατε αδελφοις ὑμων· and MS. Marchal. has αδελφοις· and so Cyril and Procopius read and explain it. It is not easy to make sense of the reading of the Septuagint in the other editions; ειπατε αδελφοι ἡμων τοις μισουσιν ὑμας· but for ἡμων , our, MS. 1. D. 2 also has ὑμων , your. read more
A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord - It is very remarkable that similar words were spoken by Jesus, son of Ananias, previously to the destruction of Jerusalem. See his very affecting history related by Josephus, War, B. vi., chap. v. read more
Who hath seen "And who hath seen" - Twenty MSS., (four ancient), of Kennicott's, and twenty-nine of De Rossi's, and two ancient of my own, and the two oldest editions, with two others, have ומי umi , adding the conjunction ו vau ; and so read all the ancient versions. And who hath seen? read more
Shall I bring to the birth - אשביר האני haani ashbir , num ego matricem frangam ; Montanus. The word means that which immediately precedes the appearance of the fetus - the breaking forth of the liquor amnii . This also is an expression that should be studiously avoided in prayers and sermons. read more
Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool (comp. Psalms 11:4 ; Psalms 103:19 ). The Hebrews, while they earnestly desired to have a material emblem of the presence of God in their midst, were deeply impressed with the feeling that no temple could be worthy of him, or other than most unworthy. "Will God," said Solomon, "indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heavens of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" ( 1 Kings 8:27 ). And... read more
God to be worshipped in buildings, though no building can be worthy of him. Of a surety, God "dwelleth not in temples made with hands" ( Acts 7:48 ) in any such sense as to be accessible in such places exclusively. There is truth, as well as grandeur, in the words— ''My altars are the mountains, and the ocean, Earth, air, sea, all that springs from the Great Whole, Who hath produced, and will receive, the soul." And it is always to be borne in mind that we are in his presence... read more
( Vide homily on Isaiah 57:15 , Isaiah 57:16 .)—C. read more
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John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 66:9
Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth, saith the Lord ?.... Or, "to the place of breaking" forth of children, as in Hosea 13:13 , the womb, and the mouth of it: or, "shall I break or open" that, so some F19 האני אשביר "matricem frangam?" Montanus; "an ego aperirem os matricis?" Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. render it; lest too much should or seem to be attributed to the Church, she being said to travail in birth, and bring forth children, this is said by... read more