Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 41:25
I have raised up [one] from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as [upon] mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay.
25. raised up ] Strictly: stirred up (as in Isa 41:2) i.e. “impelled into activity” (Driver).
from the north from the rising of the sun (cf. Isa 41:2)] Scarcely: “from Media (in the north)” and “from Elam (in the east).” The terms are poetic; the north is the region of mystery, and the east the region of light (ch. Isa 24:15). In point of fact Cyrus came from the north-east.
shall he call upon my name ] Render with R.V. one that calleth (or, shall call) on my name. The clause is a relative one, and forms the obj. to “stirred up.” The expression can hardly mean less than that Cyrus shall acknowledge Jehovah as God; the meaning “make known everywhere, by his deeds” (Dillmann) is not to be defended. It is true that in ch. Isa 45:4 f. it is said that Cyrus had not known Jehovah; but it is also said ( Isa 41:3) that the effect of his remarkable successes will be “that thou mayest know that I am Jehovah that calleth thee by thy name, the God of Israel.” There is therefore no difficulty in the idea that Cyrus, who was at first the unconscious instrument of Jehovah’s purpose, shall at length recognise that Jehovah was the true author of his success. But the further explanation that Cyrus shall “become conscious of his original religious affinity to the Jews, and act upon that consciousness” (Cheyne) goes beyond the language of the prophet.
come upon princes ] is a possible construction; but it is better, with many comm. since Clericus, to read “tread” ( yb for yb’). The word for “princes” ( gn) is Assyrian ( shaknu) and occurs first in Ezekiel.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
25 29. The general argument is now brought to bear on the particular case of the raising up of Cyrus.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I have raised up one – In the previous verses God had shown that the idols had no power of predicting future events. He stakes, so to speak, the question of his divinity on that point, and the whole controversy between him and them is to be decided by the inquiry whether they had the power of foretelling what would come to pass. He here urges his claims to divinity on this ground, that he had power to foretell future events. In illustration of this, he appeals to the fact that he had raised up, that is, in purpose, or would afterward raise up Cyrus, in accordance with his predictions, and in such a way that it would be distinctly seen that he had this power of foretelling future events. To see the force of this argument, it must be remembered that the Jews are contemplated as in Babylon, and near the close of their captivity; that God by the prophets, and especially by Isaiah, distinctly foretold the fact that he would raise up Cyrus to be their deliverer; that these predictions were uttered at least a hundred and fifty years before the time of their fulfillment; and that they would then have abundant evidence that they were accomplished. To these recorded predictions and to their fulfillment, God here appeals, and designs that in that future time when they should be in exile, his people should have evidence that He was worthy of their entire confidence, and that even the pagan should see that Yahweh was the true God, and that the idols were nothing. The personage referred to here is undoubtedly Cyrus (see the notes at Isa 41:2; compare Isa 45:1).
From the north – In Isa 41:2, he is said to have been raised up from the east. Both were true. Cyrus was born in Persia, in the country called in the Scriptures the east, but he early went to Media, and came from Media under the direction of his uncle, Cyaxares, when he attacked and subdued Babylon. Media was situated on the north and northeast of Babylon.
From the rising of the sun – The east – the land of the birth of Cyrus.
Shall he call upon my name – This expression means, probably, that he should acknowledge Yahweh to be the true God, and recognize him as the source of all his success. This he did in his proclamation respecting the restoration of the Jews to their own land: Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, Yahweh, God of heaven, hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth Ezr 1:2. There is no decided evidence that Cyrus regarded himself as a worshipper of Yahweh, or that he was a pious man, but he was brought to make a public recognition of him as the true God, and to feel that he owed the success of his arms to him.
And he shall come upon princes – Upon the kings of the nations against whom he shall make war (see Isa 41:2-3). The word rendered here princes (from seggen or ro n sagan), denotes properly a deputy, a prefect, a governor, or one under another, and is usually applied to the governors of provinces, or the Babyionian princes, or magistrates Jer 51:23, Jer 51:28, Jer 51:57; Eze 23:6, Eze 23:12, Eze 23:33; Dan 3:2, Dan 3:27; Dan 6:8. It is sometimes applied, however, to the chiefs and rulers in Jerusalem in the times of Ezra and Nehemiah Ezr 9:2; Neh 2:16; Neh 4:8, Neh 4:13; Neh 5:7. Here it is used as a general term; and the sense is, that he would tread down and subdue the kings and princes of the nations that he invaded.
As upon mortar – (See the note at Isa 10:6).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 25. I have raised up one from the north] “That is,” says Kimchi, “the Messiah. The king of Assyria placed the ten tribes in Chalach and Chabar by the river Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes, 2Kg 17:6, which lands lie northerly and easterly.”
He shall come upon princes – “He shall trample on princes”] For yabo, Le Clerc reads yebes, from the Chaldee, who seems to read both words. “Forte legend. vaiyebes vel vaiyirmos: sequitur .” “This should perhaps be read vaiyebes, or vaiyirmos: a samech follows.” – Secker. See Na 3:14.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I have raised up; you neither foreknow nor can do any thing; but I do now foretell, and will certainly effect, great revolution and change in the world, which you shall not be able to hinder. One; which word, though not expressed in the Hebrew, must necessarily be understood, as being oft designed in the following words by the pronoun he. He understands one people; or rather one person, prince, or general, together with his people or forces, as appears from the latter part of the verse. Some conceive that the prophet in this place speaks of two several persons; in the first clause of Nebuchadnezzar, who in Scripture is commonly said to come
from the north, as Jer 1:13,15; 4:6; and the next clause of Cyrus, who came from the east, Isa 46:11. And then the words may be thus rendered, one
from the north, and he shall come; and one
from the rising of the sun, he shall call, &c. But it seems more natural and easy to understand the whole context of one and the same person, even of Cyrus, of whom he spake before, Isa 41:2, &c., who might well be said to come, both from the north and from the east: from the north rather, because he was a Mede by his mother, as he was a Persian by his father; or because a great part of his army was gathered out of Media, which was, and in Scripture is said to be, northward in reference to Judea, Jer 50:9,41; 51:48; and because Darius the Mede was joined with him in this expedition: and from the east, because Persia was directly eastward from Judea. And peradventure this work of
calling upon or proclaiming Gods name is here ascribed to him as he came from the east, rather than as he came from the north, because that work was not done by Darius the Mede, but by Cyrus the Persian.
Shall he call upon my name; or rather, as others render it, who shall call upon; or rather, proclaim my name, which Cyrus did in express and emphatical terms, Ezr 1:1-2.
He shall come upon princes as upon mortar; treading them down as easily as a man treadeth down mortar.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
25. raised upin purpose: notfulfilled till a hundred fifty years afterwards.
northIn Isa41:2, “from the East”; both are true: see the notethere.
call . . . mynameacknowledge Me as God, and attribute his success to Me;this he did in the proclamation (Ezr1:2). This does not necessarily imply that Cyrus renouncedidolatry, but hearing of Isaiah’s prophecy given a hundred fiftyyears before, so fully realized in his own acts, he recognized God asthe true God, but retained his idol (so Naaman, 2Ki5:1-27; compare 2Ki 17:33;2Ki 17:41; Dan 3:28;Dan 4:1-3; Dan 4:34-37).
princesthe Babyloniansatraps or governors of provinces.
mortar“mire”;He shall tread them under foot as dirt (Isa10:6).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I have raised up one from the north,…. Either one people, or one person; a mighty king, as the Targum; meaning either Cyrus, who might be said to come from the north, and from the rising of the sun, or the east, as in the next clause; since he was by birth a Medo-Persian, hence called a mule; by his mother a Mede, and the country of Media lay rather to the north of Babylon; and by his father a Persian, and Persia lay to the east of it; and the forces he brought with him against it were partly Medes, and partly Persians; though some, as Jarchi observes, think two persons are meant in this and the next clause; in this Nebuchadnezzar, who came from Babylon, which lay north of Judea, to invade it; and in the other Cyrus, who came from the east, and proclaimed the name of the Lord, and liberty to the captive Jews. Kimchi and his father both interpret it of the King Messiah, as do also more ancient Jewish writers c, of whom Cyrus was a type; but to me it seems best of all, as most agreeable to the scope and tenure of the prophecy, to understand it of Constantine, who, as reported, was born in Britain, in the northern part of the world; but, when called to the empire, was in the eastern parts of it; and so with great propriety it is expressed here, and in the following clause:
and from the rising of the sun he shall call upon my name; which those that apply the prophecy to Cyrus explain by Ezr 1:1, but is much more applicable to Constantine, who was a worshipper of the true God, which invocation of his name is expressive of; and who openly professed the name of Christ, and encouraged those that did, and spread his name and fame, his Gospel and his glory, throughout the empire, east and west:
and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay; that is, he shall come upon them with his army, and conquer them, and tread them down, and trample upon them, as morter is trodden upon, or mire in the streets; or as the clay is trodden by the potter, who does with it as he pleases; which those who interpret it of Cyrus understand of Astyages, Croesus, Belshazzar, and others; see
Isa 14:1, and is as true of Constantine, who subdued the emperors of Rome, trod them under his feet, as Maximius, Maxentius, Licinius, c. moreover, the word “saganin”, here used, is a word used by Jewish writers for priests, for such who were the deputies of the high priest; and it may design here the Pagan priests, and the destruction of them, and of Paganism in the Roman empire by Constantine.
c Vajikra Rabba, sect. 9. fol. 153. 1. Bemidbar Rabba, sect. 13. fol. 208. 1. Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 19. 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The more conclusively and incontrovertibly, therefore, does Jehovah keep the field as the moulder of history and foreteller of the future, and therefore as God above all gods. “I have raised up from the north, and he came: from the rising of the sun one who invokes my name; and he treads upon satraps as mud, and like a potter kneadeth clay.” The object of the verb haroth (I have wakened up) is he who came when wakened up by Jehovah from the north and east, i.e., from Media and Persia ( = for , with evasion of the auxiliary pathach , Ges. 76, 2, c), and, as the second clause affirms, who invokes or will invoke the name of Jehovah (at any rate, qui invocabit is the real meaning of qui invocat ). For although the Zarathustrian religion, which Cyrus followed, was nearest to the Jehovah religion of all the systems of heathenism, it was a heathen religion after all. The doctrine of a great God ( baga vazarka ), the Creator of heaven and earth, and at the same time of a great number of Bagas and Yazatas, behind whose working and worship the great God was thrown into the shade, is (apart from the dualism condemned in Isa 45:7) the substance of the sacred writings of the Magi in our possession, as confirmed by the inscriptions of the Achemenides.
(Note: Windischmann, Zoroastrische Studien, pp. 134, 135.)
But the awakened of Jehovah would, as is here predicted, “call with the name, or by means of the name, of Jehovah,” which may mean either call upon this name (Zep 3:9; Jer 10:25), or call out the name (compare Exo 33:19; Exo 34:5, with Exo 35:30) in the manner in which he does make use of it in the edict setting the exiles free (Ezr 1:2). The verb which follows (cf., Isa 41:2) designated him still further as a conqueror of nations; the verb construed with an accusative is used here, as is very frequently the case, in the sense of hostile attack. The word Sagan , which is met with first in Ezekiel – apart, that is to say, from the passage before us – may have owed its meaning in the Hebrew vocabulary to its similarity in sound to sokhen (Isa 22:15); at any rate, it is no doubt a Persian word, which became naturalized in the Hebrew ( in Athenaeus, and Neo-Pers. sichne , a governor: see Ges. Thes.), though this comparison is by no means so certain
(Note: Spiegel has the following remarks upon the subject: There is but very little probability in the etymologies which can be suggested for the word sagan through the help of the old Persian. The new Persian shihne cannot be traced beyond Neo-Persian, and even there it is somewhat suspicious on account of the h which it contains, and which is not Persian. The only real Persian word to which I could think of tracing it is shahr , a city (old Bactrian khshathra , or shoithra , a place of abode); or it might possibly have sprung from shoithraka , a supposititious word, in the sense of governor of a district, but with the r changed into n (a change which only occurs in Huzvaresh) and the h into h . There are also difficulties in the comparison of the old Bactrian canh , to say or express solemnly. An adjective canhana (expressing, commanding), formed from this verb, would be pronounced canhana or even cana in old Persian; and from this Sagan would have to be obtained, so that we should still want the n to take the place of the Gimel. At the same time, there is a still harsher form of the root canh in the Gatha dialect, namely cak (not the same as the Sanskrit cak , to be strong, as Haug supposes), though this comparison is by no means so certain, from which the Neo-Persian sachan , sachun , a word, is derived; so that it appears to have been also current in old Persian. Accordingly, the form cakana may also have been used in the place of canhana , and this might suit in some degree for sagan .)
as that is the same as the Ksatrapav of the inscriptions, i.e., protector of the kingdom.
(Note: See H. Rawlinson, Asiatic Journal, xi. 1, p. 116 ss.; and Spiegel, Keilinschriften, p. 194.)
Without at all overlooking the fact that this word s e ganm , so far as it can really be supposed to be a Persian word, favours the later composition of this portion of the book of Isaiah, we cannot admit that it has any decisive weight, inasmuch as the Persian word pardes occurs even in the Song of Solomon. And the indications which might be found in the word s e ganm unfavourable to Isaiah’s authorship are abundantly counterbalanced by what immediately follows.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
Vs. 25-29: THE SUPREMACY OF JEHOVAH
1. One hundred fifty years before the event, the Lord alluded to the coming of Cyrus, the Mede, (vs. 25; Isa 45:1-3; Isa 46:11).
a. He will raise him up in the north (from Babylon) – Media, (Jer 50:3; Jer 50:9; Jer 51:11; 1Sa 13:17-20).
b. Yet, his coming will be from the East (the rising of the sun); from Persia.
c. With the suddenness of a comet; he will come against Babylon to destroy it – something the idol makers have not anticipated.
d. Yet, this only pre-figures the coming of a Conqueror far greater than Cyrus.
2. The Lord has declared this beforehand that men may know His deity, righteousness and power, (Isa 44:7; Isa 45:21).
a. Idols show nothing, declare nothing and hear nothing! (Hab 2:18-19, Psa 115:5-9).
b. And Israel has become like her idols, (Isa 48:3-8).
3. With regard to the future, the Lord sends His messenger, with good tidings, to Jerusalem, (Isa 40:9; Isa 44:28; Nah 1:15; Ezr 1:2-3; comp. Num 24:14).
4. But, there is no word of comfort for those who bow before idols that their own hands have made (Isa 46:7; Isa 44:9); they are all vanity, nothingness, wind and confusion – an utter waste! (vs. 28-29).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
25. I have raised him from the north. He again returns to that argument; which he had briefly handled, respecting the foreknowledge and power of God, and shews that to him alone in whom these are found, the name of God belongs; and therefore that they are empty idols, which neither know nor can do anything. When he says that he “raised him from the north,” some explain this as relating to Cyrus, and others as relating to Christ. But I think that here the Prophet denotes two things; for when he says “from the north,” he means the Babylonians, and when he says “from the east,” he means the Medes and Persians; as if he had said, “Two changes shall happen that are worthy of remembrance; for I will raise up the Babylonians, whose empire I will exalt on high, and next shall come the Persians, who shall become their masters.”
Though these events happened afterwards, and after a long interval, he shews that they were already well known to him, and appointed by his decree, so that the accomplishment of them is a clear proof of his divinity. Yet, in the former clause, he threatens punishment for the purpose of terrifying the Jews; in the latter he commends his mercy; because he testifies that both the captivity and the deliverance of the people will be his work, so that it is evident that both foreknowledge and power belong to him. Heathens make a division of various offices among their gods: Apollo foretells what is to come, Jupiter executes it, and another god does something else. But it belongs to God, not only to foretell or declare what shall happen, but to arrange everything according to his pleasure; for every divine attribute belongs to God alone, and cannot be ascribed to another; and this is the reason why he claims for himself foreknowledge and execution as inseparable.
When he says that he calls him “from the north,” as I suggested a little before, he predicts the future captivity of which at that time there was no expectation, because the Jews were friends and allies of the Chaldeans, and at the same time he prophesies concerning the restoration of the people who were permitted by Cyrus to return into their native land. Who would have thought, when matters were in that state, that such things could be believed? Especially since it was after a long interval that they followed; for they happened two hundred years after having been predicted by the Prophet. The Lord testifies that he is the author of these events, that all may know that the Babylonians did not attack them by chance, but that the Lord raised them up as scourges for chastising the Jews, and that the Persians and Medes did not subdue the Babylonians by their own power, but because they were led and prompted by the hand of God. In these words, therefore, he describes the greatness and power of God, and so much the more plainly by declaring that kings and princes, with respect to him, are clay. Hence we see more clearly that the Prophet had regard not only to his own age, but to posterity; for these things could not be known to the men who lived at that time, but posterity, who had actual experience of their accomplishment, understood them better; so that none could doubt that it is God alone “to whom all things are naked and open,” (Heb 4:13,) and who directs everything according to his pleasure.
This is a remarkable passage for establishing the full and perfect certainty of the oracles of God; for the Jews did not forge these predictions while they were captive in Babylon, but long after the predictions had been delivered to their fathers, they at length recognised the righteous judgment of God, by whom they had been warned in due time, and then embraced his mercy, having learned that they would be at length delivered by the Lord, who wished to preserve his Church, and whom they had found to be faithful to his promises. Hence, therefore, we may conclude with certainty, that Isaiah did not speak at his own suggestion, but that his tongue was moved and guided by the Spirit of God.
And he has come. (148) When he says that “he has come,” the meaning is, that all that has been foretold by the command of God will infallibly be accomplished. He speaks of a future event, and thus illustrates the foreknowledge of God; and when he says that God is the author of these events, this relates to his power and might.
He shall call on my name. To call “on the name of God” means nothing else than to undertake anything in obedience to his authority. It is true, indeed, that nothing was farther kern the intention of Cyrus than to be employed in the service of the God of Israel, or to follow him as a leader; but the event shewed that God, in a secret manner, led the way, so as to conduct him by successive and incredible victories to Babylon.
And as a potter he shall tread the clay. This comparison is added, because the power of the Babylonians was so vast that it was universally believed that it could not be assailed, and they looked upon themselves as invincible. Since therefore the Babylonians, trusting to their resources, despised all their adversaries, and were elated with pride, the Prophet says, that not only they, but many others shall be subdued and “trodden down like the clay.” In short, he means that the wealth of the Babylonians shall not prevent this change from being made, or the Medes and Persians from becoming masters of the empire; and, indeed, the propriety of this metaphor was clearly proved by the event, when Cyrus, after having conquered so many nations, and gained so many brilliant victories, within a short period subdued the whole of the East.
(148) “And he shall come.” — Eng. Vet.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(25) I have raised up one from the north.The north points to Media, the east to Persia, both of them under the rule of the great Deliverer.
Shall he call upon my name.The word admits equally of the idea of invoking or proclaiming. It may almost be said, indeed, that the one implies the other. The words find a fulfilment in the proclamations of Cyrus cited in 2Ch. 36:22-23; Ezr. 1:2-4
He shall come upon princes.The Hebrew noun Sagan is a transitional form of a Persian (Delitzch) or Assyrian (Cheyne) title for a viceroy or satrap.
As the potter treadeth clay.Commonly the image describes the immediate action of Jehovah. (Jer. 18:6; Jer. 19:10). Here it is used for the supreme dominance of His instrument.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
25. I have raised up one Jehovah keeps the field as the moulder of history and foreteller of the future. In purpose he has “raised up one” from the north. In Isa 41:2 it is “from the east.” Both are true. The joint powers of Media and Persia lay in both directions from Babylon. See notes to Isa 41:2. This makes true God’s prediction of Cyrus, who is to come one hundred and fifty years after.
From the rising of the sun That is, from Persia, or even farther east, and may refer, not only to Cyrus, but concretely to the improved heathenism, but still heathen religion, which was to come to Babylon through Cyrus, namely, Zoroastrianism, a monotheistic religion, though crudely mixed, yet designed perhaps to play a part in palpably moulding the Hebrew religion in some additional items. (See RAWLINSON’S Five Great Monarchies, vol. iv, chap. 6.)
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 41:25-29
“I have raised up one from the north, and he is come,
From the rising of the sun one who calls on my name.
And he will come on rulers as on mortar,
And as the potter treads the clay.”
Who has declared it from the beginning, that we may know,
And beforetime that we may say, ‘He is in the right’.
Yes, there is no one who declares, there is no one who shows,
Yes, there is no one who hears your words.
First to Zion, behold them, behold them,
And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings,
And when I look there is no man,
Even among them there is no counsellor,
Who when I ask of them can answer a word.
Behold all of them are vanity
Their works are nothing,
Their molten images are wind and confusion.”
One has come from the north who has been raised by God. Abraham entered the land from the north and ‘went on southwards’ (strictly ‘towards the Negeb’), emphasising that he came from the north (Gen 12:5-9). So it was Abraham who came, and yet also those who came in Abraham. It was in essence a whole army of descendants. As Abraham advanced on the land he was Yahweh’s Servant, and Yahweh’s future Servant was in him, comprising all who would be servants of Yahweh in the fulfilling of His purposes. In him came Isaac and Jacob. In him came Moses and Joshua. In him came David. In him came Isaiah and Eliakim and Israel. But always having in mind the Servant of Yahweh par excellence Whom Yahweh had promised. He has been spoken of beforetime, even from ‘the beginning’ by Yahweh. But no one else has spoken of him, or has taken heed of Isaiah’s words about him. No one else has recognised Him. He is one who brings good tidings (Isa 61:1-2).
Thus he is a figure in the future, and yet he is in the past. When Abraham came into the land of God’s inheritance the future Servant came in him, One who was as it were in his loins (Gen 35:11). He came as God’s Servant. And no one recognised Him except Yahweh and Isaiah. But Isaiah has proclaimed Him. He will be Immanuel, God with us (Isa 7:14), coming in the name of Israel and representing Israel. Thus the Servant is Israel, and especially Immanuel as representing and summing up Israel, the final focal point of the call of Abraham. That is why sometimes we have the idea of a group and sometimes of an individual (50. 4-9; Isa 52:13 to Isa 53:12). He will fulfil Israel’s destiny.
‘I have raised up one from the north, and he is come, from the rising of the sun one who calls on my name.’ The sun rises in the east, so that this one came from the east and the north. As we have seen this was Scripturally true of Abraham. He was called by God from Ur of the Chaldees in the east, proceeded to Haran in the north, on which he entered the land from the north, and called on the name of Yahweh, and went on going towards the south (Gen 12:1-9).
‘And he will come on rulers as on mortar, and as the potter treads the clay.’ This is a remarkably picturesque description of the Bible’s account of Abraham’s victory over the four kings (Genesis 14), which included the kings of Babylon (Shinar) and Elam. They were trodden down by him as men tread down mortar, and as a potter treads the clay. To use a more modern idiom, they were as putty in his hands and as the dust beneath his feet. And in him has come his descendants.
So we may also see it as indicating also Abraham’s victories through his descendants, God’s servant Joshua (‘the servant of Yahweh’ – Jos 24:29; Jdg 2:8) when he conquered the land and God’s servant David (Isa 37:35) when he trod down the Philistines and all the nations round about. The one whom God had raised up was strong.
‘Who has declared it from the beginning, that we may know, and beforetime that we may say, ‘He is in the right’. Yes, there is no one who declares, there is no one who shows, yes, there is no one who hears your words.’ So Yahweh now issues a challenge as to who else has been able to speak of the significance of Abraham, and of his seed, and of the One Who is coming Who is the seed of Abraham. But there is no one. The so-called gods are unaware of either. They do not know what is happening. No one declares it, no one reveals it and there is even no one who has absorbed the words of Isaiah about Him. They manifest total ignorance.
‘First to Zion, behold them, behold them, and I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings.’ So now the attention is turned on Zion. Yahweh’s first words are concerning Zion. Let all ‘behold ‘them’. These are the ones whom God has raised up to fulfil His purposes. And it was to Jerusalem that He would give one who would bring good tidings (compare Isa 61:1-2). Jerusalem was to be the bearer of good news (Isa 2:2-4), and especially through the one whom He sent. But now, Isaiah asks, where is that one? (Isa 41:28). There is no one. Among them there is no Counsellor (compare Isa 9:6). The king has failed. The leaders have failed. There is no one who can reply to Isaiah’s searching words, and speak up. They are all show and pretence, and their idols are as bad as they are (Isa 41:29).
‘And when I look there is no man, even among them there is no counsellor, who when I ask of them can answer a word. Behold all of them are vanity, their works are nothing, their molten images are wind and confusion.’ So, sadly, among the people of Jerusalem there is as yet no one who can counsel on these matters, and who can speak to God about them. This comment may be in the words of Isaiah as he has sought to find those who will receive his prophecies and teach them. Or it may be God’s condemnation of the people. Either way the matter is summed up simply. They are vain and empty, what they do is worth nothing and accomplishes nothing, and their idols simply produce messages which are empty wind or total confusion. What is therefore required is a new Servant of God Who will be able to give counsel and fully reveal the truth of what Isaiah has been speaking about, acting on behalf of Israel (see Isa 50:2-9).
Note the parallel to this in Isa 50:2-9. Then too there is ‘no man’ and there too the idea introduces the Servant of Yahweh.
It is interesting to consider the significance of the word ‘behold’ in this passage.
1) Behold their enemies will fail and perish (Isa 41:11).
2) Behold Jacob will become a sharp threshing instrument with teeth (Isa 41:15).
3) Behold the gods are nothing (Isa 41:24).
4-5). Behold, behold them. Zion are to be doubly beheld as the ones who are the hope for the future, and who are to bring forth those who proclaim good tidings. But Zion has failed, as is evidence by the fact that there is no one (Isa 41:27).
6) Behold all of them, their words speak and are empty, as are their idols, which are merely wind and confusion (Isa 41:29)
7) Behold My Servant! (Isa 42:1). Here is God’s answer.
Note that at each point the enemies of Israel (Isa 41:11), their false gods (Isa 41:24) and the ‘gods of the nations’ (Isa 41:29) are contrasted with Jacob made mighty by God (Isa 41:15), the powerful words of those who were to arise from Zion (Isa 41:27), and finally with God’s Servant who will fulfil all His will (Isa 42:1). The seventh behold indicates the divine perfection of this Servant.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Coming One ( Isa 41:25 to Isa 42:9 ).
The theme of the failure of the idols to tell the past and the future continues. They do not know of ‘the one from the north’. Identity of the ‘one from the north’ has produced widely differing ideas. In context there are good grounds for arguing that he must be the servant of Isa 42:1, for the theme of the servant immediately follows.
Some see it as referring to Cyrus in the light of Isa 44:28 to Isa 45:1. But there Cyrus is God’s shepherd, not His servant, and it would be meaningless to the reader until he came to that chapter. For the idea here is that He is describing someone who is known, someone who is therefore evidence of what He has done. Far better is it to see it as Abraham in the light of Isa 41:2. Certainly Abraham came from both the north (Haran) and from the east (Ur of the Chaldees). And he is specifically described as one who called on the name of Yahweh (Gen 12:8; Gen 13:4 compare Gen 26:25). And he was certainly disastrous for rulers (Gen 12:10-20; Genesis 14 all; 20 all), including the king of Elam and the king of Shinar (Babylon) (Gen 14:1; Gen 14:9). He seems well represented in this description.
(Actually anyone who came from the east in Mesopotamia would come from the north through Syria. It was only Arabs like the Midianites coming across the Jordan who came only from the east).
Opting therefore for Abraham as being clearly described, we must, however, recognise that it is not just as simple as that. Strictly it is talking about Yahweh’s Servant, thus about Abraham and his seed who came into the land in him. It is summing up salvation history in Abraham. Abraham came, and all who came from Abraham were in Abraham when he came. Thus as he entered the land in him came Isaac and Jacob, His servants (Exo 32:13; Deu 9:27), and Moses and Joshua (both officially called ‘the servant of Yahweh’), and David his servant (Isa 37:35; Psa 89:3; Psa 89:20), and in him came the greater David yet to come. As he entered the land they all entered it in his loins. (This was Israel’s way of thinking).
We should note especially that the term ‘my servant’ is used regularly in Isaiah as depicting various descendants of Abraham, and is used of no others. Thus Isaiah is ‘my servant’ (Isa 20:3), Eliakim the viceroy is ‘my servant’ (Isa 22:20), David is ‘my servant’ (Isa 37:35), Israel is ‘my servant’ (Isa 41:8-9), all are His servants in Abraham. And included under the name of David is David’s greater son, Immanuel. For He is the fulfilment of the Davidic hope. (Nebuchadnezzar is called it by Jeremiah (Jer 27:6), but not by Isaiah, and then only as a temporary function, not as a permanent status. Thus application of the title to an outsider would be contrary to Isaiah’s whole usage).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Isa 41:25-28. I have raised up one from the north The prophet changes his general argument into a particular one; repeating and urging more strongly the example of Cyrus, which he produced at the beginning of this discourse. Cyrus is said to be raised up from the north, as he came with his army from Media, which was to the north of Babylon and Judaea; and from the east, Isa 41:2 or the rising of the sun, as he came from Persia, which was to the east of Judaea and Babylon. It was from that country he came into Media. We may just observe too, that his father was a Persian, and his mother a Mede. It is plain from his edict in behalf of the Jews, that he called upon the name, or acknowledged the truth, of the God of Israel: and there can be no doubt that from Daniel and others, who were celebrated in his times, he learned more respecting the God of Israel. See Dan 6:28. The 26th verse is a plain address to the pretended diviners and prophets among the heathen; none of whom had been able to foretel this event, which God by his prophet had foretold one hundred and seventy years at least before it happened. See Joseph. Antiq. lib. 2: cap. 1. Bishop Lowth renders this verse, Who hath declared this from the beginning, that we should know it? and beforehand, that we might say the prediction is true? There is a remarkable gradation in the end of the verse, wherein the prophet says, “There is none who clearly foretelleth, or setteth it before our eyes; nay, there is none who maketh it to be heard of; who spreads any fame or report of it: Yea, there is none that heareth your words; none that heareth the least sound or whisper from you concerning it.” The meaning of the 27th verse is, that, when this event came to its completion, God would raise up prophets and teachers, who should put his people in mind of what Isaiah and the other prophets had foretold; saying, Behold, behold, the things are come to pass; the good tidings, which Isaiah and others long since predicted. See chap. Isa 21:6. The verse should be rendered, To Zion first; Behold, behold them: and to Jerusalem will I give a messenger of good tidings. The meaning of the 28th verse is, that God, by his prophets and teachers, had looked diligently round, and inquired whether there was any one of the diviners and prophets of the nations who foreknew or could fortel any thing of this wonderful event; but no one could be found; there was among them a profound silence and perfect ignorance. Even amongst them, more particularly refers to the Chaldean astrologers: see chap. Isa 44:25.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
W hat a blessed view is here again given of Christ, and the glorious events of his coming! It seems as if our God and Father delighted to be forever calling upon the Church to notice him. The north is perhaps an allusion to our Lord’s being called out of Nazareth; for this lay north of Canaan. Some have thought that Cyrus, as a type of Christ, was alluded to; and it is true, indeed, that in a subsequent part of Isaiah’s prophecy, things are spoken of Cyrus by name, and many of them are, no doubt, typical of Christ. But we lose the beauty and glory of Scripture in all instances, wherein we make use of persons or things, which are typical, any farther than the mere type becomes necessary. When they are useful as mediums to convey to the mind the great objects to which they minister, I would very thankfully use them, as I would a carriage to convey me to a friend I longed to see, when, without this means I could not well, in my own strength, perform the journey. But when I arrived at the spot where my friend was, and I saw him, and embraced him, I would spring at once from the carriage, and leave it forever to fly into his arms. Reader! if you and I behold Christ in this and other scriptures, let us do by types as we would by carriages, and make Christ what the Father hath made him, so to love him, as to give all things into his hands: Joh 3:35 . I do not detain you to remark how much of Christ and his gospel are contained in this short but sweet passage, for the gospel is full of nothing else, but to show his person and righteousness, and the vanity of all beside. It is Jesus who first speaks to Zion, and bringeth good tidings to Jerusalem; and God the Spirit confirms the message in the hearts of his redeemed, that God is true; Isa 65:1 ; Joh 1:36 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 41:25 I have raised up [one] from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as [upon] morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.
Ver. 25. I have raised up one from the north. ] Here God beginneth to prove that he can do both those things, whereof the heathen vanities could do neither. This one in the text is Cyrus, say some; Christ, say others, by whom God here foretelleth that he will punish his enemies, but do good to his Church and chosen.
He shall call upon my name.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Isa 41:25-29
25I have aroused one from the north, and he has come;
From the rising of the sun he will call on My name;
And he will come upon rulers as upon mortar,
Even as the potter treads clay.
26Who has declared this from the beginning, that we might know?
Or from former times, that we may say, He is right!?
Surely there was no one who declared,
Surely there was no one who proclaimed,
Surely there was no one who heard your words.
27Formerly I said to Zion, ‘Behold, here they are.’
And to Jerusalem, ‘I will give a messenger of good news.’
28But when I look, there is no one,
And there is no counselor among them
Who, if I ask, can give an answer.
29Behold, all of them are false;
Their works are worthless,
Their molten images are wind and emptiness.
Isa 41:25 have aroused one from the north This again refers to Cyrus II (cf. Isa 41:2; Isa 44:28; Isa 45:1). The only direction that one could come into Palestine from the Fertile Crescent was from the north because the desert was directly to the east (i.e., from the rising of the sun).
he will call on My name This may refer to 2Ch 36:22-23 or Ezr 1:1-2. See Special Topic: The Name of YHWH .
NASBhe will come upon rulers
NKJVhe will come against princes
NRSV, TEV,
NJBhe shall trample on rulers
REBhe marches over rulers
JPSOAhe has trampled rulers
The MT has the common VERB come (BDB 97, KB 112, Qal IMPERFECT) which, translators assume from context, means step on. The UBS Textual Project suggests another possible root.
1. – he will come/step on
2. – he will tread upon
However, it put #1 in the text but gave it a C rating (considerable doubt). The NET Bible likes option #2 (p. 1251 #18).
Isa 41:26 YHWH shows His existence and power by His prophesied acts in history (cf. Isa 43:9; Isa 45:21).
Isa 41:27 here they are This seems to refer to true prophets, as Isa 41:28-29 refer to false prophets and the tragedy of people turning to helpless idols.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
raised up one from the north: i.e. Cyrus. See App-57. Compare Abraham (the other type was “from the east”, Isa 41:2). This prophecy was made 137 years before its fulfilment. Compare Isa 44:28; Isa 45:1.
come = speed.
shall he call upon My name. This is the counter part of Isa 45:3, Isa 45:4. Compare Ezr 1:2 and 2Ch 36:22, 2Ch 36:23.
My name = Me (emph.) See note on Psa 20:1.
princes. The title of Babylonian governors and prefects of provinces. Hebrew. seganim. Used once in Ezra (Isa 9:2, “rulers”); nine times in Nehemiah (Isa 2:16, Isa 2:16; Isa 4:14, &c.); three times in Jeremiah (Isa 51:23, Isa 51:28, Isa 51:57); three times in Ezekiel (Isa 23:6, Isa 23:12, Isa 23:23). Always rendered “rulers” except here, which is the only occurrence in Isaiah. Cyrus (the Medo-Persian) did fulfill this on the Babylonian “princes”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Isa 41:25-29
Isa 41:25-29
“I have raised up one from the north, and he is come; from the rising of the sun one that calleth upon my name: and he shall come upon rulers as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay. Who hath declared it from the beginning, that we may know? and beforetime, that we may say, he is right? yea, there is none that declareth, yea, there is none that showeth, yea, there is none that heareth your words. I am the first that saith unto Zion, Behold, behold them; and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings. And when I look, there is no man; even among them there is no counselor, that, when I ask of them, can answer a word. Behold, all of them, their works are vanity and naught; their molten images are wind and confusion.”
This passage applies to Cyrus, a fact inherent in the strong intimation just given that God is able to predict future events. Cyrus is the second of the three Great Servants of God to be introduced in this section. There is a common error here in the allegation that Cyrus is from the “rising of the sun,” usually understood as the “direction” from which Cyrus would come to destroy Babylon. However, that is incorrect. To construe that reference to sunrising as a reference to the direction (east) would contradict the statement just made that Cyrus would come from the “north.” On the other hand, it is a time-reference, meaning that the mighty ruler who would come and free Israel would call upon God’s name “from the sunrising,” that is, continually, all day, from “the sun rising.” See our Introduction to this entire Prophecy of Isaiah, where this prophecy of Cyrus is discussed more fully.
In the last two verses here, God again returns to his arraignment and his taunting of the idol goods. As the New Testament declares, “an idol is nothing at all.” An idol is a nonentity, less than nothing, vanity, and an abomination.
Isa 41:25-29 CONFUTATION: The one from the north . . . from the rising of the sun is the same one from the east in Isa 41:2, Cyrus, king of Persia (cf. comments Isa 41:2 ff). The massive armies of the great Mesopotamian empires (Assyria, Babylon, Persia) all swooped down on Palestine from the north. One only has to look at a map of the Near East to see that ancient armies could not march west over the Arabian desert since they had to sustain themselves by daily forage for food and water. So they marched north and came across the fertile crescent and entered Palestine from the north. Cyrus will be irresistible. He will do with the enemies of Gods people what a potter does with his clay. Now, says Jehovah, which pagan idol or pagan prophet foreknew any events to show they knew Israels destiny or the future history of Mesopotamian empires? Have any of their words ever been fulfilled so that men were obliged to say, That idol was right? Not a one! Not one word about Israels deliverance through the one from the east ever came from the heathen oracles. Jehovah, through His prophets, was first and only to make such a declaration. He announced that the Deliverer would come to Zion. Even in the midst of all His announcements of the future captivity He announces deliverance from it by the one from the east. This would be good news to Jerusalem. Of course, it would be good news only to those who believed. That was always a minority. The majority of the people never even recognized the promises of deliverance because they refused to believe the predictions of judgment in the first place. And when one looked toward the pagan gods and prophets one could find no intimation whatsoever of this great deliverance. There is only stupid silence. They do not know the future. So they are nothing. They are powerless. They are just wind. Finis! The contest is over-God is victor. Jehovah conquers all for His people.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
I have: Jehovah here, by the mouth of the prophet, predicts the victories of Cyrus over the Chaldeans and their allies, at least 150 years before the event, as one instance of his foreknowledge and invincible power. Media lay north of Babylon, and Persia eastward; and Cyrus commanded the forces of both these nations; and, by his wonderful success, he trampled down mighty monarchs as mortar, and as the potter treads the clay.
raised: Isa 21:2, Isa 44:28, Isa 45:1-6, Isa 45:13, Isa 46:10, Isa 46:11, Jer 51:27-29
shall he call: Ezr 1:2, Ezr 1:3
come upon: Isa 41:2, Isa 10:6, 2Sa 22:43, Mic 7:10, Zec 10:5
Reciprocal: Isa 13:17 – I will Jer 1:14 – Out of Jer 50:9 – I will raise Jer 50:35 – upon her princes Jer 50:44 – who is a Jer 51:11 – the Lord hath Jer 51:53 – from Hab 2:7 – they Rev 16:12 – that the
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 41:25. I have raised up, &c. You neither foreknow, nor can do any thing. But I do now fore-tel, and will certainly effect, a great revolution and change in the world, which you shall not be able to hinder; one from the north Cyrus might be said to come from the north, because he was a Mede by his mother, as he was a Persian by his father; or because a great part of his army was gathered out of Media, which was northward in reference to Judea, and because Darius the Mede was joined with him in this expedition. From the rising, &c., shall he call upon my name Or proclaim my name, as the words may be rendered, which Cyrus did in express and emphatical terms, Ezr 1:1-2. He shall come upon princes as upon mortar Treading them down as easily as a man treadeth down mortar.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
41:25 I have raised up [one] from the north, {t} and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he {u} call upon my name: and he shall come upon {x} princes as [upon] morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.
(t) Meaning, the Chaldeans.
(u) That is, Cyrus, who will do all things in my name and by my direction: by which he means that both their captivity and deliverance will be ordered by God’s providence and appointment.
(x) Both of the Chaldeans and others.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Lord, in contrast to the idols, claimed that He would do something in the future and predicted what it would be. He would arouse a conqueror from the north, one who was presently dormant, as if sleeping. This individual proved to be Cyrus the Persian (Isa 44:28; Isa 45:1), who originated in the East and the North in reference to Palestine. [Note: C. R. North, The Second Isaiah, p. 105.] He would call on the Lord’s name in that he would proclaim the reputation of the Lord by fulfilling His prophecy (cf. Ezr 1:2-4), not by worshipping Yahweh exclusively. He would thoroughly defeat his enemies.