Isaiah 52:11-12

Isaiah 52:11-12. Depart ye, &c.— They who compose the true church are set forth in this apostrophe, as in the communion of a certain polluted people and state. They are commanded to separate themselves from this people and its communion, and, being properly purified, to depart thence upon a certain expedition, to be undertaken with mature and deliberate counsel, under the care and protection of the divine providence. This office is especially imposed upon the sacred persons, who are here called those that bear the vessels of the Lord. The highest hope of success in their expedition is given them from their leader, Jehovah. The apostles and evangelists are here addressed, who were to depart from spiritual servitude, from every defilement of the world and the flesh, and to go forth and preach the glad tidings of salvation through Christ. The expressions seem to allude to the departure from Egypt. The meaning of the passage in the 12th verse, For ye shall not go out with haste, &c. is, that they should not undertake this expedition in an inconsiderate, tumultuous, and fearful manner. See Deu 16:3 and Vitringa.