Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 62:8
The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn [to be] meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast labored:
8. The Lord hath sworn by his right hand &c. ] i.e. so surely as He has the power to help. Cf. ch. Isa 45:23, Isa 54:9.
the sons of the stranger ] R.V. strangers.
thy wine ] Lit. “new wine,” must.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
8, 9. Jehovah has sworn that the Israelites shall no longer be spoiled by their enemies, but shall be secured in the peaceful enjoyment of the fruits of the ground. The phrase “no longer” seems to imply that at the time of writing the community was exposed to the depredations of its hostile neighbours. This would be an additional indication of post-exilic authorship, which is confirmed by the mention of the Temple courts in the end of Isa 62:9.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The Lord hath sworn by his right hand – An oath was taken in various forms among the ancients. It was usually done by lifting up the hand toward beaten and appealing to God. As God could swear by no greater Heb 6:13, he is represented as swearing by himself (see the notes at Isa 45:23). Here he is represented as swearing by his right hand and by his arm – the strong instrument by which he would accomplish his purposes to defend and save his people. The sense is, that he solemnly pledged the strength of his arm to deliver them, and restore them to their own land.
Surely I will no more give – Margin, as in Hebrew, If I give. That is, I will not give.
Thy corn to be meat – The word corn in the Scriptures means all kinds of grain – especially wheat, barley, etc. The word meat was formerly used to denote all kinds of food, and was not restricted as it is now usually to animal food. The meaning is, that they should not be subjected to the evils of foreign invasion and conquest.
And the sons of the stranger – Foreigners, Isa 60:10.
Shall not drink thy wine – The productions of your toil shall be safe, and you shall enjoy them yourselves. All this denotes a state of safety and prosperity, such as there would be if they were allowed to cultivate the soil without interruption, and were permitted to enjoy the fruit of their labors.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
This and the next verse are much to the same purpose, wherein the prophet, to encourage them to their industrious endeavours, tells them that the Lord had
sworn to see to the prosperity of Jerusalem; and he names the
hand, to signify his faithfulness, as the giving of our hand notes our fidelity; and arm, to signify his power,
the arm of his strength, i.e. his strong arm: these being eminently to be engaged and put forth for his people, he swears by them.
Surely I will no more give; or, If I give; a usual aposiopesis; an abrupt form of swearing, implying something of an imprecation, as great as can be expressed: q.d. Never account me faithful or almighty, if I accomplish not this.
The sons of the stranger: see Isa 61:5.
Shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: the meaning is, That meat, and drink, and all necessaries that thou hast laboured for, the Babylonians took away from thee; but now it shall be so no more, he will not give thee up to the will of thine enemies.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. sworn by . . . right handHismighty instrument of accomplishing His will (compare Isa 45:23;Heb 6:13).
sons of . . .strangerForeigners shall no more rob thee of the fruitof thy labors (compare Isa 65:21;Isa 65:22).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength,…. By Christ, say some, who is the arm of the Lord, the power of God, by whom he made the world, and upholds all things; but though he sometimes is said to swear unto him, and concerning him, yet is never said to swear by him; rather the attribute of omnipotence is here designed; as God is sometimes said to swear by his holiness, so here by his almighty power; the consideration of which itself is a great encouragement to faith, to believe the fulfilment of promises, because God is able; but his swearing by it is a further confirmation of it; it is as if he had said, let me not be thought to be the omnipotent God I am, if I do not do so and so; or as sure as I have such a right hand, and arm of strength, what follows shall certainly be accomplished:
surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the strangers shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: this was threatened to the people of Israel, in case of sinning against God, and revolting from him; and was accomplished in the times of their captivity in Babylon, De 28:33 but here it is promised, and the strongest assurance given, it should be so no more; which cannot respect the deliverance of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity; for it is certain that after that their enemies did eat their corn, and drink their wine; the Romans came and took away their city and nation, as they feared, and all their good things; wherefore this must refer to future times, to times yet to come, when this people, being converted, shall be restored to their own land, and enjoy great plenty of good things, and never more be disturbed by their enemies: though all this may be understood in a spiritual sense of the “corn” and “wine” of the Gospel, and the ministration of it; which was first provided for them, and they were invited to partake of it; and in preparing which the apostles and first ministers of the word, being Jews, “laboured”; but they rejecting it, it was carried to the Gentiles, who had been their “enemies”, and were “aliens” from the commonwealth of Israel, which they gladly received and fed upon; but now it is promised, that the Gospel, being again brought unto them, should no more be taken from them, but ever continue with them; even all the means of grace, and ordinances of the Gospel, for the comfort and refreshment of their souls.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The following strophe expresses one side of the divine promise, on which the hope of that lofty and universally acknowledged glory of Jerusalem, for whose completion the watchers upon its walls so ceaselessly exert themselves, is founded. “Jehovah hath sworn by His right hand, and by His powerful arm, Surely I no more give thy corn for food to thine enemies; and foreigners will to drink thy must, for which thou hast laboured hard. No, they that gather it in shall eat it, and praise Jehovah; and they that store it, shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.” The church will no more succumb to the tyranny of a worldly power. Peace undisturbed, and unrestricted freedom, reign there. With praise to Jehovah are the fruits of the land enjoyed by those who raised and reaped them. (with an auxiliary pathach, as in Isa 47:12, Isa 47:15) is applied to the cultivation of the soil, and includes the service of the heathen who are incorporated in Israel (Isa 61:5); whilst (whence with raphatum ) or ( poel, whence the reading , cf., Psa 101:5, m e loshn ; Psa 109:10, v e – dorshu , for which in some codd. and editions we find , an intermediate form between piel and poel; see at Psa 62:4) and stand in the same relation to one another as condere ( horreo ) and colligere (cf., Isa 11:12). The expression b e chatsroth qodsh , in the courts of my sanctuary, cannot imply that the produce of the harvest will never be consumed anywhere else than there (which is inconceivable), but only that their enjoyment of the harvest-produce will be consecrated by festal meals of worship, with an allusion to the legal regulation that two-tenths ( m aaser shen ) should be eaten in a holy place ( liphne Jehovah ) by the original possessor and his family, with the addition of the Levites and the poor (Deu 14:22-27: see Saalschtz, Mosaisches Recht, cap. 42). Such thoughts, as that all Israel will then be a priestly nation, or that all Jerusalem will be holy, are not implied in this promise. All that it affirms is, that the enjoyment of the harvest-blessing will continue henceforth undisturbed, and be accompanied with the grateful worship of the giver, and therefore, because sanctified by thanksgiving, will become an act of worship in itself. This is what Jehovah has sworn “by His right hand,” which He only lifts up with truth, and “by His powerful arm,” which carries out what it promises without the possibility of resistance. The Talmud ( b. Nazir 3 b) understand by the left arm, after Dan 12:7; but the of is epexegetical.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
8. Jehovah hath sworn. He proceeds with the metaphors which he formerly used; for since, owing to the corruption of our nature, the kingdom of Christ cannot be described so as to be level to our capacity; it was necessary to represent it under figures. In the same manner as he promised, first, an abundance of all things, and next, faithful guardianship, that the condition of believers may be safe; so here he promises tranquillity and repose, that they may peacefully enjoy their blessings, and may not in future be defrauded of them. As if he had said, “Whatever thou hadst formerly in thy hands was exposed to plunder and robbery; but now thou shalt have everything well secured, and shall freely partake of thy corn and thy wine; and, in a word, thou shalt enjoy thy prosperity in peace.”
But since the depravity of our nature is such that we do not place trust in God, though he promise largely and bountifully, for this reason the Prophet represents him as swearing; for the Lord condescends to us so far as to make use of an oath, in order to correct still more our unbelief and obstinacy. Now, the Lord “sweareth by himself, because” (as an Apostle says) “he hath none greater than himself.” (Heb 6:13.)
By his right hand and by the arm of his strength. He mentions his “right arm,” that is, the power of God; because that was appropriate to the present discourse. As if he had said, “If I have any power, I will display it in your salvation; and lest, in an arduous affair, your minds should slumber, I swear by my hand, which is invincible and victorious over all, that, whatever difficulties may arise, you shall be safe under my protection.” Whenever therefore he promises salvation, let us think of his strength and power.
If I shall give. This is an elliptical form of expression; and we are taught by it the sacredness and solemnity of an oath. The import of this declaration is, as if he had said, that he wishes that henceforth he may not be believed, if these promises be not justified by the event. When he promises the peaceful enjoyment of wheat and wine, he means that it proceeded from his righteous judgment, and did not happen by chance, that the Church was deprived of corn and wine; for whenever enemies ravage and plunder, this is unquestionably done by God’s permission; as he threatens in the Law. (Deu 28:33.) On the other hand, it is his special blessing, that every one eats in safety
“
under his vine, and under his fig-tree.” (1Kg 4:25.)
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(8) The Lord hath sworn . . .The principle of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb. 6:13) is recognised here. Jehovah can swear by nothing less than that which is the symbol of His own greatness, identified with Himself.
I will no more give thy corn . . .The words throw us back upon the early history of Israel, subject at any time to the desolating attacks of Midianites (Jdg. 6:4; Jdg. 6:11), Assyrians (Isa. 16:9), and Philistines (2Ch. 28:18). The new blessing stands in special contrast with the curse of Deu. 28:33; Deu. 28:51.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
8, 9. Sworn by hand arm Possibly in answer to the foregoing provided-for intercessions, Jehovah swears by “hand” and “arm” symbols of strength pledging infinite power to fulfil his promise.
Possibly this wrought an effect which may be paraphrased as follows: “As I am the eternal Jehovah, I never more will suffer Zion’s enemies, near or far, home or foreign, within or without, to plunder or cut off her supplies of corn and wine, both of which herself alone shall forever enjoy in the spirit of praise in the courts of my holiness.” Enemies, abroad or near at hand, may here represent Zion’s moral foes or hinderances, within or without; and “corn” and “wine” are symbols of abounding spiritual sustenance and joy.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 62:8-9. The Lord hath sworn The prophetic chorus here returns to its office, and, renewing its discourse, assures the church, now for a long time exposed to the persecution of her enemies, that God would most certainly procure for her times of public peace and tranquillity, in which, delivered from her enemies, and having the command of all her rights and possessions, she would rejoice in the good things granted to her by God, without any fear of enemies, amidst grateful thanks and praises to her God. The passage is metaphorical, and is to be understood of the free and undisturbed enjoyment of the spiritual blessings of religion. See Joe 2:24; Joe 3:18. Jer 31:12. Zec 9:17.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
I beg the Reader to observe, how very sweet and frequent those promises are, scattered here and there, all over scripture which speak of God’s absolute engagement to bless his people; and let him not for a moment forget, that they are all yea and amen in Christ.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 62:8 The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn [to be] meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:
Ver. 8. The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, ] i.e., By his almighty power, or, as Oecolampadius holdeth, by his Son, “by whom he made the world,” and “upholdeth all things.” Heb 1:2-3
Surely, I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
sworn. Figure of speech Deesis. App-6.
right hand . . . arm. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6.
I will no more give, &c. Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 28:30, Deu 28:31, &c). App-92.
stranger = foreigner.
wine. Hebrew. tirosh. App-27.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
sworn: Deu 32:40, Eze 20:5
Surely I will no more give: Heb. if I give, etc. Isa 65:21-23, Lev 26:16, Deu 28:31, Deu 28:33, Jdg 6:3-6, Jer 5:17
Reciprocal: Deu 28:51 – the fruit Deu 28:52 – General Job 5:5 – harvest Psa 18:44 – strangers Psa 128:2 – thou shalt eat Son 5:1 – eat Son 7:9 – the best Isa 30:30 – the lighting Isa 48:1 – make mention Isa 51:9 – O arm Isa 51:22 – I have Isa 53:1 – the Jer 31:5 – yet Jer 44:26 – I have sworn Joe 1:16 – joy Joe 2:19 – I will send Joe 2:26 – ye shall Amo 9:14 – plant Mic 6:15 – General Hag 2:17 – in all Zec 9:17 – corn
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 62:8-9. The Lord hath sworn by his right hand Lifting up the hand was a ceremony used in swearing, Deu 32:40; Eze 20:5; Eze 20:15. And here God swears by that very hand which used to be held up at the taking of an oath; that is, he swears by his power and might, as it follows, that the enemies of his people should not interrupt that peace and plenty which he should give them, but that they should quietly enjoy his blessings with hearts full of thankfulness for them. This must relate to some happier condition than the Jews enjoyed after their return from captivity, when their enemies frequently invaded them, and, at last, the Romans destroyed both their temple and nation. Lowth. The passage is undoubtedly metaphorical; and is to be understood of the free and undisturbed enjoyment of the spiritual blessings of religion, which God will grant the Christian Church in the latter days: and the oath which ushers in this promise proves that it will be exactly and punctually performed. See Joe 2:24; and Joe 3:18; Jer 31:12; Zec 9:17. The expressions in the next verse, particularly in the latter part of it, allude to the ordinances of the law, which required the people to spend their first-fruits, and other hallowed things, at the temple, in a thankful acknowledgment to God for his blessings, Deu 12:11; and Deu 14:23; Deu 14:26.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Not only did the Lord promise that enemies would never again invade the Promised Land and rob His people of their hard-earned food and drink, but He confirmed His promise with an oath. He swore by Himself, the highest authority, specifically: by His right hand that would personally execute His will, and by His strong arm that would powerfully accomplish His plan.