Read & Study the Bible Online - Bible Portal
Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 35:1-4

In these verses we have, I. The desert land blooming. In the foregoing chapter we had a populous and fruitful country turned into a horrid wilderness; here we have in lieu of that, a wilderness turned into a good land. When the land of Judah was freed from the Assyrian army, those parts of the country that had been made as a wilderness by the ravages and outrages they committed began to recover themselves, and to look pleasantly again, and to blossom as the rose. When the Gentile nations, that... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 35:3

Strengthen ye the weak hands ,.... These are the words of the prophet, as the Targum, "the prophet said, strengthen the weak hands;' or rather of God, by the prophet, to the converted Gentiles, to those who saw the glory of the Lord; particularly to the ministers of the Gospel, who have to do with weak and feeble persons, who can scarcely lift up their hands, or stand upon their legs, under a sense of sin, in a view of wrath, and immediate ruin and destruction, ready to sink and faint,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 35:4

Say to them that are of a fearful heart ,.... Or, "hasty of heart" F23 נמהרי לב "festinis corde", Vatablus; "praecipitantibus corde", Cocceius; "inconsideratis", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. ; are at once for flying from the enemy; "hasty" in drawing black conclusions upon themselves and their state; "inconsiderate" of the promises made unto them; ready to doubt of, and call in question, the performance of the above things, respecting the fruitful and flourishing estate of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 35:1-7

Transformation by the truth. Accepting these words as Messianic in their scope, we may treat them as descriptive of that most blessed transformation which is effected, in the individual man and in the nation, by the gospel When the truth of Christ is made efficacious by the Spirit of God, and has had time to work out its true results, there will be found— I. ILLUMINATION OF THE UNDERSTANDING . " The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 35:1-10

THE GLORY OF THE LAST TIMES . On the punishment of God's enemies will follow the peace, prosperity, and glory of his Church. Previously, the Church is in affliction, waste, and desolate. Its enemies once removed, destroyed, swept out of the way, it rises instantly in all its beauty to a condition which words are poor to paint. The highest resources of the poetic art are called in to give some idea of the glory and happiness of the final Church of the redeemed. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 35:1-10

The glory of the Church not temporal greatness, but spiritual perfection Amid the wealth of metaphor which Isaiah employs to depict the final prosperity, glory, and happiness of the Church, it is remarkable how little use is made of any images drawn from the conditions or circumstances of earthly grandeur. Images of natural beauty are principally employed—the shady forest, the spreading cedar tree, the rich luxuriance of arable and pasture land, the choice beauty of the most lovely among... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 35:1-10

Glories of the Messianic age. This is a picture of the happy and glorious condition of Israel after the return from Captivity. Nature is beheld rejoicing with man; and the whole scene is suffused with the light of a universal spiritual joy. I. THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE NATURAL WORLD . The desert will rejoice "like the narcissus," the beautiful white flower found in abundance in spring-time in the Plain of Sharon. A ringing musical cry shall break out from those solitudes. The... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 35:3

Strengthen ye the weak hands . In the Church of the redeemed there will be "weak" brethren as well as strong, "feeble" as well as healthful (see 1 Corinthians 3:1 ; Galatians 6:1 ; Hebrews 5:12-14 ). God, by the mouth of his prophet, calls on the strong to impart of their strength to their weaker brethren, uplifting their "weak hands," as Aaron and Hur did those of Moses ( Exodus 17:12 ), and "confirming" or sustaining their "feeble knees." So St. Paul: "We that are strong ought to... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 35:3

Inspirations to energy. "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees." It is not enough to be sorry for the woes of others. Sympathy may be a sort of mental "minor," wherewith we simply soothe ourselves. We must be earnest and inspirational. Pity must be practical. "Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand!" We have plenty of critics and satirists; we want men who will help to save . I. WE MAY STRENGTHEN BY OUR WORDS . "Say to them that are of a... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 35:3

Cheer for the faint-hearted. This term may well be applied either to the small remnant left in Judaea, or to the small company that represented the exiled nation on the return to Jerusalem. The cheer comes through the assurance of God's direct and gracious relations with them. Faint-hearted ones can only be steadied by leaning on the Strong One for strength. The prayer of all such should be this, "O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake thou for me ." Introduction may include the reasons for... read more

Group of Brands