Isaiah 48:16

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 48:16-22

Here, as before, Jacob and Israel are summoned to hearken to the prophet speaking in God's name, or rather to God speaking in and by the prophet, and that as a type of the great prophet by whom God has in these last days spoken unto us, and that is sufficient: Come near therefore, and hear this. Note, Those that would hear and understand what God says must come near, and approach to him; let them come as near as they can. Let those that have hearkened to the tempter now come near, and hear... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 48:16

Come ye near unto me, hear ye this ,.... An address to the Jews, to attend the ministry of Christ, and hear the doctrine he had delivered to them: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning ; from the beginning of his ministry; which be exercised not in private houses, but in the synagogues of the Jews, and in the temple, whither a large concourse of people resorted, John 18:20 , from the time that it was, there am I ; from the time that his ministry began there, he was in the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Isaiah 48:16

Come ye near unto me - After the word קרבו kirbu , "draw near," a MS. adds גוים goyim , "O ye nations;" which, as this and the two preceding verses are plainly addressed to the idolatrous nations, reproaching their gods as unable to predict future events, is probably genuine. Hear ye this "And hear ye this" - A MS. adds the conjunction, ושמעו vashimu ; and so the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate. I have not spoken in secret - The Alexandrine copy of the Septuagint adds... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:1-22

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:12-22

The new revelation. The verses contain a summary of the contents of Isaiah 40-47. God is the First and the Last—the sole Creator. Prophecy is an evidence of his claims; and so is the mission of Cyrus. I. THE REVELATION CONCERNING GOD . First Jacob and Israel, the chosen people, are called to listen. Jehovah is the Alpha and the Omega of the universe. The First Cause and Reason of things; he gave the first impulse to their course, the goal of which will still be himself. Before... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:16

I have not spoken in secret from the beginning . God, "from the beginning," i.e. from his first dealings with Israel, had raised up a succession of prophets, who had declared his will, not "in secret," or ambiguously, but openly and plainly, so that all who heard might understand (comp. Isaiah 45:19 , and see the comment ad loc .). From the time that it was, there am I ; i.e. "from the time that the earth was, there (in the succession of my prophetic messengers) was I." It was I... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:16

The separate personality and Divine authority of the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity, like most of the other great and mysterious doctrines of true religion, was gradually revealed to mankind. In one sense we may call it an exclusively Christian doctrine; but in another we must assign it an antiquity far higher than that of the Christian era. God, in his several revelations to mankind, gradually paved the way for its acceptance. In the revelations which he made to Noah and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:16-22

THE THIRD ADDRESS . Israel is reminded of God's merciful teaching and leading in the past ( Isaiah 48:16 , Isaiah 48:17 ); expostulated with on their disobedience ( Isaiah 48:18 , Isaiah 48:19 ); exhorted to go forth boldly and joyfully from Babylon ( Isaiah 48:20 , Isaiah 48:21 ); and finally warned that God's blessings—even such a blessing as deliverance—are no blessings to any but the righteous ( Isaiah 48:22 ). read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 48:16

Come ye near unto me - (see Isaiah 48:14).I have not spoken in secret - (See the notes at Isaiah 45:19). The idea here is, that he had foretold the raising up of Cyrus, and his agency in delivering his people, in terms so plain that it could not be pretended that it was conjectured, and so clear that there was no ambiguity.From the time that it was, there am I - From the moment when the purpose was formed, and when it began to be accomplished, I was present. The meaning is, that everything in... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Isaiah 48:16

Isaiah 48:16. Come ye near unto me, &c. That you may the better hear me. Here, as in Isaiah 48:14, Jacob and Israel are summoned to hearken to the prophet speaking in God’s name, and as a type of the great prophet, by whom God has in these last days spoken unto us. I have not spoken in secret I have not suppressed, concealed, or kept back the counsel and word of God, or any part thereof, but have declared it openly and publicly. See note on Isaiah 45:19, where these very words are... read more

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