The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:1-11
"Hear ye this," etc.; Isaiah 48:12-15 , "Hearken unto me," etc.; Isaiah 48:16-22 , "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this," etc. read more
Isaiah 48:2-8
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:1-11
THE FIRST ADDRESS consists mainly of expostulation and complaint. Israel has not called on God "in truth and righteousness" ( Isaiah 48:1 ). They have had "necks of iron" and "brows of brass" ( Isaiah 48:4 ). God has given them prophecies of different kinds ( Isaiah 48:3-7 ); yet they have neither "heard" nor "known;" they have "dealt treacherously" and been "transgressors from the womb" ( Isaiah 48:8 ). God might justly have "cut them off" for their rebellion, but he has... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:1-11
Lessons from the past to the future. Those addressed are the people "named from Israel and sprung from Judah's spring;" who swear by Jehovah's Name and render homage to Israel's God—not, alas! so sincerely as they should. Still, they have learned to find their true reliance in Zion and in Jahveh. Let them, then, hear the exhortation of Jehovah. I. THE ORACLE OF THE PAST . Jehovah has in former times predicted events by the mouth of his prophets which came to pass. Those... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:2
For they call themselves of the holy city . It is an indication of their real want of truth and righteousness, that they lay such stress upon what is so entirely outward and formal, as the fact of their belonging to" the holy city," Jerusalem. Compare the boast of the Jews in our Lord's time, "We be Abraham's seed" ( John 8:33 ). Stay themselves upon the God of Israel. Not resting upon him in real faith and true humble dependence, as those Israelites who are mentioned in Isaiah 10:20 .... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:3
I have declared the former things from the beginning (comp. Isaiah 41:26 ; Isaiah 43:9 , Isaiah 43:10 ; Isaiah 44:7 , Isaiah 44:8 , etc.). "Former things" are here contrasted with the "new things" of Isaiah 48:6 . Two cycles of prophecy seem to be intended—one of comparatively ancient date, the other quite fresh—both equally showing forth the power of God and his infinite superiority to the idols. It is difficult to determine what the two cycles of prophecy are. Delitzsch... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:4
I knew that thou art obstinate; literally, hard , or stiff—the adjective used in the phrase translated in our version "stiff-necked." The idea is still more forcibly expressed in the following clause— thy neck is an iron sinew; or rather, a band of iron , as stiff as if it were made-of the hardest metal. And thy brow brass . The exact simile here used does not occur elsewhere in Scripture. It seems to be the origin of our expressions, "brazen, … brazen-faced," "to brazen a... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:4
The revealing truth. "I knew that thou art obstinate." We blame this in a child. We sometimes falsely call it firmness in a man. This is a mistake. Firmness is only in a Moral sense such, when it is infused by faith, governed by reason, approved by conscience, and consecrated to some noble and godlike end. I. HERE IS A REVELATION OF HUMAN POWER . Man can stand out against God. This is marvellous, but it is at the basis of all moral freedom and responsibility. The original... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:4
Obstinacy. The figures used are the stiff, unbending neck, that will yield to no persuasions; and the hard brow that can resist, as does the brow of the butting animal. The point which may be variously illustrated and enforced is that such obstinacy is a result of previous conduct. The obstinacy that is only a stubbornness of natural disposition can be dealt with efficiently by educational methods. The obstinacy which results from prolonged moral conditions is well-nigh irremediable, and... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 48:1-9
Things worth heeding concerning God and man. "Hear ye this:" this is something well worth the earnest attention of men; their truest worth and their lasting interests are bound up in the knowledge and regard of it. I. MAN 'S CRIMINAL INCONSISTENCY WITH HIMSELF . ( Isaiah 48:1 , Isaiah 48:2 .) Men may go very far in conduct which is quite at variance with "the spirit which is in them:" they may say or do one thing, and be the very opposite. One might think that though... read more