Isaiah 52:11 - Exposition

Go ye out from thence ; i.e. "from Babylon"—the standpoint of the prophet in the present chapter being Jerusalem. When the time came, earnest exhortations to depart would be found not superfluous, for there would be an indisposition on the part of some to quit their possessions, and of others to affront the perils of the way. Touch no unclean thing. Bring with you none of the Babylonian idols, none of the Babylonian charms, spells, and the like (see the comment on Isaiah 47:9 ). Be ye clean ; rather, purify yourselves. The departing captives generally are called upon to avoid polluting themselves with the unclean things of Babylon; but for those who bear the vessels of the Lord this negative purity is insufficient. They are for-really to purify themselves ( 2 Chronicles 29:34 ) before undertaking their sacred office. By " the vessels of the Lord" we must understand those which Nebuchadnezzar carried off from the temple ( 2 Kings 25:14-16 ; Daniel 1:2 ), and which, on the return of the Jews from captivity, were restored by Cyrus ( Ezra 1:7-11 ) and Artaxerxes ( Ezra 8:25-34 ).