Isaiah 59:19 - Exposition

So shall they fear ; rather, and they shall fear. The result of the triumphant exhibition of God's might will be a conversion of the Gentiles, who will flock in both from the west—the quarter of "the islands"— and from the east, to do reverence to the name and to the glory of the Lord. When the enemy shall come in (rather, come on ) like a flood; literally, like the river; i.e. the Euphrates (comp. Isaiah 8:7 , "The Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river , strong and many, even the King of Assyria and all his glory," etc.). When this shall be the case, then the Spirit of the Lord —hypostasized or nearly so— shall lift up a standard against him (comp. Isaiah 10:18 ; Zechariah 9:16 ), and easily vanquish him. The metaphor of "lifting a standard" for making an armed resistance is common in Isaiah ( Isaiah 5:26 ; Isaiah 13:2 ; Isaiah 18:3 ; Isaiah 31:9 , etc.).