Isaiah 54:11 - Exposition

O thou afflicted (comp. Isaiah 49:14-17 ). Jerusalem is seen as she was during the Captivity—"afflicted" by God's hand, vexed with all his storms, and not yet comforted (Comp. Isaiah 64:10 , Isaiah 64:11 ). Then a fresh vision obliterates the mournful sight. I will lay thy stones with fair colours ; literally, I will lay thy stones in antimony; i.e. I will give them a setting and adornment like that which beautiful women were in the habit of giving to their eyes when they wished to attract admiration (see 2 Kings 9:30 ). Puk , or antimony, was used to stain both the upper and the under eyelid, in order to increase the apparent lustre of the eye, and so impart to it greater beauty. The passage is not to be understood as implying that coloured marbles were ever really set in antimony. And lay thy foundations with sapphires ; or, make thy foundations of sapphires. In Revelation the first foundation is "jasper," the second "sapphire" ( Revelation 21:19 ). Sapphire was the foundation on which the throne of God appeared to be set, when it was seen by Moses, Aaron, and the seventy elders ( Exodus 24:10 ). The throne itself had the appearance of sapphire, as seen by Ezekiel ( Ezekiel 1:26 ; Ezekiel 10:1 ). Sapphire is the hue of heaven.