Isaiah 48:14 - Exposition

All ye, assemble yourselves. "Once more the nations are challenged to say which of their deities has foretold the work that the Lord has willed to perform on Babylon" (Kay) (see above, Isaiah 43:9 ). If none has done so, will not Israel see and acknowledge the superiority of Jehovah to such blind deities? The Lord hath loved him . It had not been previously declared in so many words that Jehovah "loved" Cyrus; but it had been sufficiently indicated by the way in which he was spoken of in Isaiah 44:28 and Isaiah 45:1-5 . God "loves" all who "in an honest and good heart" seek according to their lights to do his will and serve him faithfully. Nebuchadnezzar is called his "servant" ( Isaiah 25:9 ; Isaiah 27:6 ; Ezekiel 29:18 , Ezekiel 29:20 ), Cyrus (in Isaiah 45:1 ) his "anointed . " It is but going one step further to call the latter his "loved one." He will do his pleasure; i.e. "God's pleasure," not his own (see Isaiah 44:28 ). His arm shall be on the Chaldeans . The Hebrew is very harsh, and perhaps requires emendation; but the meaning can scarcely be other than that expressed in our version.