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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 44:1-8

Two great truths are abundantly made out in these verses:? I. That the people of God are a happy people, especially upon account of the covenant that is between them and God. The people of Israel were so as a figure of the gospel Israel. Three things complete their happiness:? 1. The covenant-relations wherein they stand to God, Isa. 44:1, 2. Israel is here called Jeshurun?the upright one; for those only, like Nathanael, are Israelites indeed, in whom is no guile, and those only shall have the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 44:4

And they shall spring up as among the grass ,.... That is, such on whom the Spirit of the Lord shall be poured with his gifts and grace, and with the blessings of it: by the "grass" may be meant common believers, comparable to green grass, for their numbers, being many; for their weakness in themselves; for their flourishing condition; like grass for its greenness, and verdure, and its springing up by clear shining after rain; see Psalm 72:6 and by those that "spring up among them" are... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 44:4

They shall spring up as among the grass "They shall spring up as the grass among the waters" - חציר בבין bebeyn chatsir , "They shall spring up to the midst of, or rather, in among, the grass. "This cannot be right: eleven MSS., and thirteen editions, have כבין kebeyn , or כבן keben . Twenty-four MSS. read it without the י yod , בבן beben , in the son of the grass; and so reads the Chaldee; בבן beben , in the son of the grass. Twenty-four MSS. of Dr. Kennicott's,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:1-5

A PROPHECY OF ISRAEL 'S SPIRITUAL RECOVERY AND REGENERATION . This section is closely connected with Isaiah 43:1-28 ; of which it ought to form the conclusion. The prophet cannot bear to leave Israel under a ban—its spiritual guides "profaned," and itself given over to "reproaches." He must end with a brighter prospect. Accordingly, he holds out, in the present passage, the double hope read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:1-5

The offspring of Israel. Judgments are coming upon the world. And the sacred seed shall be scattered abroad through all nations. There shall be deliverance of Israel from all those calamities and much more; the heathen nations shall be brought into the light of Jehovah. I. ADDRESS OF JEHOVAH TO THE PEOPLE . There are three names for the people—Jacob, Israel, Jesurun—and each represents a separate phase of moral progress. 1. Jacob , my servant. This itself is a title... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:2-5

Revival promised in the power of the Spirit. The history of the Church reminds us of the tides that rise and fall upon our shores—ebb and flow, ebb and flow. Sometimes the waters rise with an unusual strength, and flood all the land around, but soon they fall back into the old limits and quiet movements. No doubt the kingdom of Christ is steadily advancing, widening its reach, enlarging its influence. But as we can only see a little, one little bay of the great shore-line, as it were, we can... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:3-4

Water a symbol of Divine grace. It has been shown (in the comment on Isaiah 44:3 ) An analogy thus recommended seems entitled to be viewed as something more than poetic imagery, and may properly be made the subject of our serious thought. In what respects, then, we may ask, does the symbolism hold? I. WATER IS COMMON , ABUNDANT , FREELY GIVEN TO MANKIND AT LARGE . So is it with Divine grace. Christ, the Light of the world, lighteth every man that cometh into it... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:3-5

The indispensable blessing. We may well speak of water in the natural realm and of its antitype in the spiritual as— I. THE INDISPENSABLE BLESSING . There may be abundance of earth, and it may be of the most valuable quality; there may be the utmost diligence in the field, and the latest agricultural science; but if the rain be withheld, if no water can be obtained to nourish the sown seed, there can be no harvest,—the indispensable blessing is not bestowed. So is it in the sphere... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 44:4

They shall spring up as among the grass . The LXX . have, "As grass among the waters;" and this reading is followed by Bishop Lowth, Ewald, and Mr. Cheyne. But there does not seem to be any necessity for departing from the existing Hebrew text. As willows . There is some doubt whether the Hebrew word used ( 'ereb ) is rightly translated "willows." The modern yarab seems certainly not to be a "willow," but rather a species of Viburnum . It is, however, most strictly a water-plant,... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 44:4

And they shall spring up - The idea is, that as plants and trees planted by water-courses, and in well-watered fields, grow and flourish, so should their children grow in virtue, hope, piety, and zeal.As among the grass - They shall spring up and flourish as the grass does when abundantly watered from heaven. On the meaning of the unusual form of the word בבים bebēyn, in the Hebrew (“in among”), see Vitringa and Rosenmuller. The ב (b) here is undoubtedly an error of the transcriber for כ (k)... read more

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