Isaiah 26:19 - Exposition

Thy dead men shall live . A universal resurrection of" some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" ( Daniel 12:2 ), is not yet announced; but only a resurrection of the just, perhaps only of the just Israelites. The object is encouragement, especially encouragement of those whom the prophet directly addresses—the religious Israelites of his own day. It is enough for them at the present time to know that, whether the day of the Lord comes in their time or no, when it comes , they will have a part in it. The assurance is given, and is made doubly sure by repetition. The prophet does not say, Together with my dead body they will arise; for there is nothing in the Hebrew corresponding to "together," and the ellipse of 'im , "with," though suggested by Kimchi, is impossible; nor is it likely that he intends to speak of his own dead body at all. He may, perhaps, call the past generations of just Israelites "my dead," i.e. the dead with whom he is in sympathy; or the supposed personal suffix may be merely paragogic, as Rosenmüller argues. In any case the two clauses must be regarded as identical in meaning—an instance of "synonymous parallelism …. Thy dead men shall live; my dead shall arise." Awake and sing ; rather, awake and shout for joy (comp. Psalms 35:27 ; Psalms 67:4 , etc.). Ye that dwell in dust (comp. Daniel 12:2 , "Many that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake"). Thy dew is as the dew of herbs ; i.e. refreshing, vivifying, potent to make even dead bones live. "Thy dew" may be said with reference to Jehovah, for changes in the person addressed are frequent in Isaiah; or with reference to the people of Israel, meaning, "the dew which Jehovah will shed on thee," i.e. on thy dead.