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Isaiah 63

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The Divine Warrior and Vengeance 1–6

1
Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. ​
2
Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat?
3
I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. ​
4
For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. ​
5
And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. ​
6
And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.

A Historical Review of God's Mercy 7–14

7
I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the LORD, and the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. ​
8
For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.
9
In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. ​
10
But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them. ​
11
Then he remembered the days of old, Moses, and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea with the shepherd of his flock? where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? ​
12
That led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?
13
That led them through the deep, as an horse in the wilderness, that they should not stumble?
14
As a beast goeth down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD caused him to rest: so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name.

A Prayer for Restoration and Mercy 15–19

15
Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained? ​
16
Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting. ​
17
O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. ​
18
The people of thy holiness have possessed it but a little while: our adversaries have trodden down thy sanctuary. ​
19
We are thine: thou never barest rule over them; they were not called by thy name.

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Isaiah 63

Verse 1

from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah — Edom (‘red’, Gen 25:30) and its city Bozrah are where ‘the LORD hath a sacrifice… and a great slaughter’ (34:6). The answer to ‘Who is this?’ comes from the speaker: ‘I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save’ (rab, great, and yasha, to save). Rev 19:13 shows a rider ‘clothed with a vesture dipped in blood’.

Verse 3

I have trodden the winepress alone — Purah, the treading-trough, is found only here and Hag 2:16. The blood sprinkled on his garments explains the red of v.1. ‘Alone’ is taken up in v.5, ‘there was none to help’. Rev 19:15 says of the rider, ‘he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God’ (see also Rev 14:19–20).

Verse 4

the day of vengeance — The two halves of 61:2, ‘the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God’, both appear here: vengeance (naqam) in his heart, and ‘the year of my redeemed’ come. At Nazareth Christ read 61:2 and closed the book after ‘the acceptable year of the Lord’ (Luke 4:19–20).

Verse 5

none to uphold — The verse nearly repeats 59:16: ‘he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.’ ‘Uphold’ is camak, used twice here; the one upholding him is ‘my fury’, where 59:16 has ‘his righteousness’.

Verse 7

the lovingkindnesses of the LORD — Chesed, covenant love, is plural here and stands at the start and the end of the verse, with ‘mercies’ (rachamim) between. ‘Mention’ (zakar) is the verb of ‘remembered’ in v.11. This is the opening of a prayer that runs through chapter 64, recounting what the LORD did for ‘the house of Israel’.

Verse 9

the angel of his presence — Literally the angel of his face (panim). It is the Angel of Ex 23:20–21, ‘my name is in him’, and the ‘presence’ of Ex 33:14, ‘My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest’. The LORD ‘carried’ them (nasa), as Deut 1:31 says: ‘the LORD thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son’.

Verse 10

vexed his holy Spirit — Atsab, to pain or grieve, is said of Israel in the wilderness in Ps 78:40, ‘grieve him in the desert’, and Eph 4:30 has ‘grieve not the holy Spirit of God’. ‘Holy Spirit’ as a name occurs in the Old Testament only here, in v.11 (‘his holy Spirit’), and in Ps 51:11 (‘thy holy spirit’). The people’s rebellion (marah) turns the LORD ‘to be their enemy’.

Verse 11

Where is he that put his holy Spirit within him? — The people remember ‘the days of old, Moses’. The question ‘Where is he…?’ is asked twice: of the one who brought them ‘up out of the sea’, and of the one who put his Spirit ‘within’ Moses. ‘The shepherd of his flock’ is Moses, as in Ps 77:20: ‘Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.’

Verse 15

Look down from heaven — The prayer asks from ‘the habitation of thy holiness’, as Moses taught Israel to pray: ‘Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven’ (Deut 26:15). ‘Zeal’ (qinah) is the word of ‘The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this’ (9:7; cf. 37:32). ‘Are they restrained?’ uses the verb of 64:12, ‘Wilt thou refrain thyself?’

Verse 16

thou art our father — Though ‘Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not’, the people appeal only to the LORD. He is ‘our father’ and ‘our redeemer’ (go’el), and his name ‘is from everlasting’. The title looks back to ‘is not he thy father that hath bought thee?’ (Deut 32:6) and returns in 64:8.

Verse 17

hardened our heart — Qashach, to make hard, occurs only here and in Job 39:16. ‘Err’ is ta’ah, the verb of ‘all we like sheep have gone astray’ (53:6) and Ps 119:176. The prayer asks the LORD to ‘Return’ (shub), the verb of repentance, for the sake of ‘the tribes of thine inheritance’ (Deut 32:9, ‘Jacob is the lot of his inheritance’).

Verse 18

have trodden down thy sanctuary — Miqdash is the holy place, and ‘trodden down’ (bus) is the word of 14:25, ‘tread him under foot’. Ps 74:3–7 tells the same loss: ‘They have cast fire into thy sanctuary.’ 64:10–11 names the burning, ‘Our holy and our beautiful house… is burned up with fire.’