Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 49:17
Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.
17, 18. Already in vision the prophet sees the return of the exiles and calls on Zion to welcome her sons.
Instead of Thy children the chief ancient Versions, and the important Babylonian Codex have “Thy builders” ( for ), a sense which is recommended both by the antithesis to “thy destroyers” &c., and the connexion with the previous verse. Yet it is doubtful if the reading on the whole is preferable to that of the received text. The latter at least is true to the fundamental image of the passage, which appears again in Isa 49:20 f.
For shall make haste read in the present tense (as R.V.) make haste.
thy destroyers &c. ] The expressions almost suggest that Jerusalem was still occupied by Chaldan troops.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thy children – The children of Zion – the true people of God. But there is here considerable variety in the interpretation. The Hebrew of the present text is banayk (thy sons). But Jerome reads it, Structores tui – Thy builders; as if it were . The Septuagint renders it, Thou shalt be speedily built ( tachu oikodomethese) by those by whom thou hast been destroyed. The Chaldee renders it, Those that rebuild thy waste places shall hasten. The Syriac reads it, Thy sons; and the Arabic, Thou shalt be rebuilt by those by whom thou hast been destroyed. But there is no good authority for changing the present Hebrew text. nor is it necessary. The sense probably is, the descendants of those who dwelt in Zion, who are now in exile, shall hasten to rebuild the wastes of the desolate capital, and restore its ruins. And may it not mean, that in the great work under the Messiah, of restoring the nation to the worship of God, and of spreading the true religion, God would make use of those who dwelt in Zion; that is, of the Jews, as his ambassadors?
They that made thee waste – Language drawn from the destruction of Jerusalen. The sense is, that they would seek no longer to retain possession, but would permit its former inhabitants to return, and engage in repairing its ruins.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 17. Thy children shall make haste – “They that destroyed thee shall soon become thy builders”] Auctor Vulgatae pro banayich, videtur legisse bonayich, unde vertit, structores tui; cui et Septuaginta fere consentiunt, qui verterunt , aedificata es, prout in Plantiniana editione habetur; in Vaticana sive Romana legitur, , aedificaberis. Hisce etiam Targum Jonathanis aliquatenus consentit, ubi, et aedificabunt. Confer infra Esai. liv. 13, ad quem locum rabbini quoque notarunt en tractatu Talmudico Berachot, c. ix., quod non legendum sit banayich, id est, filii tui; sed bonayich, aedificatores tui. Confer not. ad librum Prec. Jud. part ii., p. 226, ut et D Wagenseil Sot. p. 253, n. 9. “The author of the Vulgate appears to have read bonayich for banayich, as he translates it by structures tui, ‘thy builders.’ The Septuagint is almost the same with the Vulgate, having , art built, as in the Plantin edition: but the Vatican or Roman copy reads , thou shalt be built. To these readings the Targum of Jonathan has some sort of correspondence, translating et aedificabunt, ‘and they shall build.’ See chap. liv. 13; on which place the rabbins also remark, in the Talmudic tract Berachoth, c. 9, that we should not read banayich, thy sons, but bonayich, thy builders. See the note in Prae. Jud. part ii., p. 226, and also D. Wagenseil, Sot. p. 253, n. 9.” See also Breithaupt. not. ad Jarchi in loc.; and the note on this place in De Sac. Poes. Hebr. Praelect. xxxi. Instead of or bonayich, thy builders, several MSS. read baneycha, thy sons. So also the Syriac: see the above note.
Shall go forth of thee – “Shall become thine offspring.”] mimmech yetseu, shall proceed, spring, issue, from thee, as thy children. The phrase is frequently used in this sense: see Isa 11:1; Mic 5:2; Na 1:11. The accession of the Gentiles to the Church of God is considered as an addition made to the number of the family and children of Sion: see Isa 49:21-22, and Isa 60:4. The common rendering, “shall go forth of thee, or depart from thee,” is very flat, after their zeal had been expressed by “shall become thy builders:” and as the opposition is kept up in one part of the sentence, one has reason to expect it in the other, which should be parallel to it.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thy children; or, as others render it, thy builders; which is favoured by the next clause, where the destroyers are opposed to them. Howsoever, the sense is the same; for her children were her builders, as we read in Ezra and Nehemiah.
Shall go forth of thee; shall be separated and driven from among thee, and so shall neither hinder nor annoy thee.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. Thy childrenIsrael(Isa 49:20; Isa 49:21;Isa 43:6). JEROMEreads, for “Thy children,” “Thy builders”; theythat destroyed thee shall hasten to build thee.
hasteto rebuild thydesolate capital.
shall go forthThydestroyers shall leave Judea to Israel in undisturbed possession.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thy children shall make haste,…. Regenerate persons, young converts, such as are born again of incorruptible seed by the word; these shall flock to the church,
as doves to the windows; join themselves to her, and submit to Gospel ordinances, and
make haste, and delay not, to keep the Lord’s commandments; which is no small pleasure, joy, and comfort to the church of God. Some render it, “thy builders” m “shall make haste”; Gospel ministers, who are wise masterbuilders under Christ; these shall come with all readiness and cheerfulness, and build in the temple, the church of God, and rebuild her walls, and repair her breaches:
thy destroyers and they that made thee waste, shall go forth of thee; tyrants and persecutors of the church shall cease, and be no more; and false teachers, that corrupt the minds of men, subvert their faith, and destroy their souls, as antichrist and his ministers, shall be drove out of the church, and destroyed by Christ, the Head of it; see
Re 11:18.
m “structores vel aedificatores tui”, Munster, Montanus, Calvin, Tigurine version.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
It is this fact of a renewed glorification which presents itself afresh to the prophet’s mind. “Thy children make haste, thy destroyers and masters draw out from thee. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all these assemble themselves together, and come to thee. As truly as I live, saith Jehovah, thou wilt put them all on like jewellery, and gird them round thee like a bride.” The pointing adopted by the lxx, Targ., Jer. and Saad., is . The antithesis favours this reading; but suits Isa 49:18, Isa 49:19 better; and the thought that Zion’s children come and restore her fallen walls, follows of itself from the very antithesis: her children come; and those who destroyed their maternal home, and made it a desolate ruin, have to depart from both city and land. Zion is to lift up her eyes, that have been cast down till now, yea, to lift them up round about; for on all sides those whom she thought she had lost are coming in dense crowds (cf., = with , Isa 49:5), to her, i.e., henceforth to belong to her again. Jehovah pledges His life ( chai ‘an , , Ewald, 329, a) that a time of glory is coming for Zion and her children. in the affirmative sense, springing out of the confirmative after an affirming oath, equivalent to elsewhere (e.g., Isa 5:9). The population which Zion recovers once more, will be to her like the ornaments which a woman puts on, like the ornamental girdle (Isa 3:20) which a bride fastens round her wedding dress.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
17. Thy builders hasten. He affirms what had been briefly stated in the former verse; for it might have been thought that there was no ground for what he had now asserted about the unceasing care which God takes of his Church and of her walls, which he permits to be razed to their foundations, and therefore he adds the explanation, that it will indeed be thrown down, but will afterwards be built anew. Builders. From this word we may learn what is the true method of restoring the Church, namely, if the Lord send “builders, (7) to rear it, and next if he drive far away the destroyers who demolish it. Though God could, by himself, and without the aid of men, rebuild the Church, yet he deigns to employ their hands; and although he alone, by the secret influence of his Spirit, completes this whole building, yet he blesses their labor, that it may not be useless. From him, therefore, we ought to ask and look for builders; for it belongs to him to render them “sufficient,” as Paul also informs us, (2Co 3:5,) and to assign to each his department.
We ought also to pray not only that he may “send forth laborers into his harvest,” (Mat 9:38,) but that he may recruit their strength and efficaciously direct them, so that they may not labor in vain; for, when the doctrine of the Gospel is preached with any advantage, it arises from his extraordinary goodness. But even this would not be enough, if he did not “drive destroyers far away;” for Satan, by innumerable arts, invades and assails the Church, and is in no want of servants and attendants, who direct their whole energy to destroy, or spoil, or hinder the Lord’s building. We ought, therefore, constantly to entreat that he would ward off their attacks; and if the result be not entirely according to our expectations, let us blame our own sins and ingratitude; for the Lord was ready to bestow those blessings abundantly upon us.
(7) “ Maistres charpentiers et massons.” “Master carpenters and masons.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(17) Thy children shall make haste.A various reading adopted by the LXX., Targum, and Vulg., gives thy builders. They rush to their work of restoration; the destroyers and ravagers go forth.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17, 18. Thy children shall make haste, etc. The glorious renewal of Zion, by the return of her children to God and his worship, bursts on the prophet’s vision, filling him with gladness, while her enemies flee with as much of haste as repentant Israel returns.
Clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament Behold! from all around backsliding members are returning! and, God’s oath for it, they all of them shall be as “an ornament,” or as beautiful clothing, which Zion shall put on in token of her reconciliation and her joy. So is the Church always, when pure, spiritually bedecked.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 49:17-23. Thy children shall make haste General promises comfort the afflicted less than particular ones: the prophet therefore proceeds to these, which are drawn from the future benefits to be conferred by God upon the church; four of which are here more especially enumerated: first, a deliverance from internal enemies, hurtful to its state, in Isa 49:17; which, according to Bishop Lowth, and after the LXX should be rendered, They shall soon become thy builders, who have overthrown thee; and they who have destroyed thee shall come out of thee; that is, “There shall be no more within thee persecutors, enemies, and destroyers.” Secondly, a wonderful increase of this community, exceeding all belief; Isa 49:18-19. Thirdly, the destruction of external enemies afflicting the church, Isa 49:20-21 in which verses the prophet sets forth more at large what he had just before said respecting the increase of the church, after it had struggled through the great afflictions which it was to suffer. Fourthly, the earnest and solicitous regard of the kings and princes of the world towards the church, together with their conversion, Isa 49:22-23. See chap. Isa 60:14 and Vitringa. The author of the Observations, upon the latter clause of the 22nd verse, remarks from Pitts, that the Algerines never take either apprentices or hired servants; but “such as have occasion for servants buy slaves, and bring them up to their household-work, as our servant-maids here in England; who, as soon as they have done up all their work in the house, are usually allowed the liberty to go abroad, and visit their countrymen, commonly bearing each a child with them; and if the child be a boy, it rides on the slaves’ shoulders.” Sandys makes a like remark, as to the manner of carrying children in the east, observing, that as we bear ours in our arms, they carry theirs astride on their shoulders. Concerning the phrase, licking the dust, &c. see Psa 72:9 and the Observations, p. 255.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Isa 49:17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.
Ver. 17. Thy children shall make haste. ] People shall come in amain to the Church. Nescit tarda molimina Spiritus Sancti gratia. God can make a nation to conceive and bring forth in a day. Isa 66:8 How quickly was the gospel divulged and darted all the world over, as the beams of the sun! so in the late blessed Reformation begun by Luther.
And they that made thee waste.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
children = sons.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
children: Isa 51:18-20, Isa 62:5, Ezr 1:5, Neh 2:4-9, Neh 2:17, Eze 28:24
haste: Or, by a slight change of the points, “Thy builders shall make haste:” those appointed to build the city and walls of Zion, shall speedily begin and accomplish the work.
thy destroyers: Isa 49:19, Isa 51:13, Isa 51:22, Isa 51:23
Reciprocal: 1Ch 17:9 – waste Hos 1:10 – it was said Zec 10:6 – as
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 49:17. Thy children Or, as some, with equal propriety, render , thy builders; which rendering is favoured by the next clause, where the destroyers are opposed to them, but the following verse favours the former interpretation: the sense, however, is the same, for the churchs children are her builders; shall make haste To repair thy ruins and desolations, and build thee up. Thy destroyers, &c., shall go forth of thee Shall be separated and driven from thee, and so shall neither hinder nor annoy thee. But this rendering, shall go forth of thee, says Bishop Lowth, is very flat, after their zeal had been expressed by their being her builders: and as the opposition is kept up in one part of the sentence, one has reason to expect it in the other. He, therefore, renders , shall proceed, spring, or issue, from thee; namely, as thy children, and reads the whole verse thus: They that destroy thee shall soon become thy builders; and they that laid thee waste shall become thine offspring: the accession of the Gentiles to the church of God being properly considered as an addition made to the number of the family and children of Zion.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
49:17 Thy children shall make {y} haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth from thee.
(y) I have continual care to build you up again and to destroy your enemies.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Isaiah saw the builders of Jerusalem’s breached walls hurrying to rebuild them after their destroyers had departed. In other words, Jerusalem would not be in a vulnerable condition for very long, relatively speaking. The builders were the sons that Zion thought had been denied her. The Hebrew word translated "builders," bonayik, is almost identical to the word translated "sons," banayik, and may have been deliberately ambiguous to communicate both ideas. Originally only the consonants, which are identical, appeared in the text.