Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 42:9

Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

9. the former things] the things formerly predicted. The reference probably is to prophecies just fulfilled in the successes of Cyrus. The new things are the substance of the present prophecy, the exaltation of the Servant, the redemption of Israel, and the conversion of the heathen. (see Introd., p. xxi.)

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Behold, the former things are come to pass – That is, the former things which he had foretold. This is the evidence to which he appeals in proof that he alone was God, and this is the basis on which he calls upon them to believe that what he had predicted in regard to future things would also come to pass. He had by his prophets foretold events which had now been fulfilled, and this should lead them to confide in him alone as the true God.

And new things do I declare – Things pertaining to future events, relating to the coming of the Messiah, and to the universal prevalence of his religion in the world.

Before they spring forth – There is here a beautiful image. The metaphor is taken from plants and flowers, the word tsamach properly referring to the springing up of plants, or to their sending out shoots, buds, or flowers. The phrase literally means, before they begin to germinate, that is, before there are any indications of life, or growth in the plant. The sense is, that God predicted the future events before there was anything by which it might be inferred that such occurrences would take place. It was not done by mere sagacity – as men like Burke and Canning may sometimes predict future events with great probability by marking certain political indications or developments. God did this when there were no such indications, and when it must have been done by mere omniscience. In this respect, all his predictions differ from the conjectures of man, and from all the reasonings which are founded on mere sagacity.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Isa 42:9

Behold, the former things are come to pass

The philosophy of promise

One may observe, in reading Scripture, the general principle that God usually gives a promise of that which He means to bestow.

Before Christ came, the Father was continually speaking of His coming. Love meets man as a heralding fragrance before the actual bestowal of blessing. Why are covenant blessings the subject of promises?

I. IN ORDER TO DISPLAY GODS GRACE.

1. The freeness of His grace. The promise to which the text specially alludes is to open the blind eyes, etc. The blind referred to were not born in the days of Isaiah. God promises before we know our need or seek His face. There are many conditional promises in Scripture; but all Gods promises rest on an unconditioned covenant of grace (Rom 9:25).

2. The fulness of His grace. It is unmerited; Christ died for the ungodly.

3. The power of it. He will open the blind eyes, etc. God is great in nature, but greater in grace.

II. TO AROUSE OUR HOPES. Religious inquirers should find the promises of God unspeakably precious. There are promises enough in the Scriptures to stimulate hope in all. Christian believers even need to be told of what God will do, in order to encourage their hope.

III. TO EXERCISE OUR FAITH. God desires to exercise our confidence in Him.

IV. TO EXCITE OUR PRAYER. Prayer is sure to follow hope and faith. All Gods promises which are not fulfilled are meant to stimulate prayer.

V. TO FOSTER GRATITUDE AND ASSURANCE WHEN THE MERCY HAS BEEN RECEIVED. Man is made glad when he sees that Gods Word has not returned to Him void; then comes the inference, if He has done all this for me in the past, He will do as much for me in the future. In the next chapter the argument is, I will do, because I have done. This is the firm foundation of our hope,–our past experience of the faithfulness of God; and strong faith is Gods due. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Former things and new things

Former things, i.e things formerly predicted. These predictions do not belong to the present prophet, but to others. The new things are the redemption of Israel from Babylon, and, through it, the revelation of the true God to all nations. (Prof. A. B. Davidson, D. D.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

The former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: as all things which I have formerly promised or foretold have exactly come to pass in their proper seasons, and not one of them failed, as was noted, Jos 23:14; so you have great reason to believe that what I now promise, though it be new and strange to you, shall infallibly be accomplished.

Before they spring forth I tell you of them, that when they come to pass, you may know that I am God, and that this is my work. Compare Joh 13:19.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

9. former thingsFormerpredictions of God, which were now fulfilled, are here adduced asproof that they ought to trust in Him alone as God; namely, thepredictions as to Israel’s restoration from Babylon.

newnamely, predictionsas to Messiah, who is to bring all nations to the worship of Jehovah(Isa 42:1; Isa 42:4;Isa 42:6).

spring forthThe sameimage from plants just beginning to germinate occurs inIsa 43:19; Isa 58:8.Before there is the slightest indication to enable a sagaciousobserver to infer the coming event, God foretells it.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Behold, the former things are come to pass,…. Which the Lord had foretold in former times, as to Abraham, concerning the affliction of his posterity in Egypt, the bringing them out from thence, and settling them in the land of Canaan; and other things by Moses and Joshua, and other prophets; and by Isaiah; and particularly the captivity of the ten tribes, which was now come to pass in the times of Hezekiah:

and new things do I declare; as the captivity of Judah and Benjamin, and their restoration by Cyrus; and more especially the mission and incarnation of Christ, his sufferings and death, and redemption and salvation by him; which were not only things to come, but new things, famous and excellent ones:

before they spring up I tell you of them or “before they bud forth” r; while the seeds of them were under ground, sown in the purposes and decrees of God, he spoke of them in prophecy; and now former prophecies being fulfilled, and new ones delivered out, concerning things of which there was no appearance, and yet there was the greatest reason to believe their accomplishment, from the fulfilment of the former; this must be a strong proof and confirmation of the Lord being the true God, and the only one.

r “antequam pullulent”, Montanus, Cocceius; “germinent”, Vatablus; “antequam propullulent vel efflorescant”, Vitringa.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

First the overthrow of idolatry, then the restoration of Israel and conversion of the Gentiles: this is the double work of Jehovah’s zeal which is already in progress. “The first, behold, is come to pass, and new things am I proclaiming; before it springs up, I let you hear it.” The “first” is the rise of Cyrus, and the agitation of the nations which it occasioned – events which not only formed the starting-point of the prophecy in these addresses, whether the captivity was the prophet’s historical or ideal standpoint, but which had no less force in themselves, as the connection between the first and second halves of the v. before us imply, as events both foreknown and distinctly foretold by Jehovah. The “new things” which Jehovah now foretells before their visible development (Isa 43:19), are the restoration of Israel, for which the defeat of their oppressors prepares the say, and the conversion of the heathen, to which an impulse is given by the fact that God thus glorifies Himself in His people.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

9. The former things. He now recalls to remembrance the former predictions, by the fulfillment of which he shews that confidence ought to be placed in him for the future; for what we have known by actual experience ought to tend greatly to confirm our belief. It is as if he had said, “I have spoken so frequently to your fathers, and you have found me to be true in all things; and yet you cannot place confidence in me about future events: the experience of past transactions produces no effect upon you, and does not excite you to do better.” God’s favors, therefore, ought to be mentioned by us in such a manner that, whenever our salvation lies concealed in hope, we may rest on the word of God, and be confirmed by it during the whole course of our life.

Behold! they came. (155) By the adverb behold, he points out, as with the finger, that they had learned by experience, that God is not false, and did not; speak in vain by the prophets; because clear proofs openly testified and proclaimed the truth of God.

Before they spring forth. (156) He distinguishes God from idols by this mark, that he alone knows and predicts future events, but idols do not; know them. As to the greater part of the responses which were given by the gods of the Gentiles, we have formerly seen that they were either false or ambiguous; for they who relied on them were often shamefully deceived, and this is the reward which they richly deserved. And if at first sight the event corresponded, this plunged them deeper in eternal perdition; and by the righteous judgment of God it was brought about that Satan imposed upon them by such delusions. Far otherwise was it with the sacred oracles, by which the Church, for her own advantage and salvation, was at one time brought to repentance, and at another time encouraged to entertain favorable hope, that she might not sink under the burden of punishments. It remains a settled principle, that all that God has foretold is verified by the event; for he rules and directs all things by his providence.

(155) “By the former things he means those things which had been done in order to protect and deliver the Hebrew nation from the power of barbarians; and those things which Jehovah had foretold by his prophets came, that is, they happened.” — Rosenmiiller.

(156) “That is, before they took place, as in Isa 43:12. The metaphor is taken from plants, which put forth the buds and flowers before their fruits are visible. (Gen 2:5; Exo 10:5.) The meaning is, that God does not foretell those things which have already begun to be accomplished, and which sagacious men may conjecture to be future; but before anything has happened, from which a conjecture may be formed as to future events.” — Rosenmuller.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

THE PHILOSOPHY OF PROMISE

Isa. 42:9. Behold, the former things are come to pass, &c.

One may observe, in reading Scripture, the general principle that God usually gives a promise of that which He means to bestow. Before Christ came the Father was continually speaking of His coming. Love meets man as a heralding fragrance before the actual bestowal of blessing.
Why are covenant blessings the subject of promises?
I. IN ORDER TO DISPLAY GODS GRACE.
To display

1. The freeness of His grace. The promise to which the text specially alludes is to open the blind eyes, &c. The blind referred to were not born in the days of Isaiah. God promises before we know our need or seek His face. There are many conditional promises in Scripture; but all Gods promises rest on an unconditioned covenant of grace (Rom. 9:25).

2. The fulness of His grace. It is unmerited; Christ died for the ungodly.

3. The power of it. He will open the blind eyes, &c. God is great in nature, but greater in grace. Man is a free agent, but he is not, and cannot be, more powerful in any respect than the Lord of all.

II. TO AROUSE OUR HOPES.

Religious inquirers should find the promises of God unspeakably precious. Some come to Christ easily, others with great difficulty; but there are promises enough in the Scriptures to call forth and stimulate hope in all (Heb. 7:25). Christian believers, even, need to be told of what God will do, in order, at times, to encourage their hope (1Co. 2:9-10).

III. TO EXERCISE OUR FAITH.
God desires to educate our confidence in Him. If Christian truth had been made so clear that we could make an axiom of it, there would have been no room for faith. Faith could not then have been the all-important thing it is in the manward aspect of salvation. Faith is the pivot upon which Christian character turns. It is neither a hard nor a wrong thing that God requires from us.
The Lord has told us what great things He is going to do for sinners. Do we believe that He can do what He says? Do we believe in His willingness to do it? Then it is ours to cast ourselves upon His power and will.

IV. TO EXCITE OUR PRAYER.
Prayer is sure to follow hope and faith. Note the orderfirst, grace, then hope, faith, prayer. Faith soon brings a man to his knees; and while he is pleading, God is hearing. All Gods promises which are not fulfilled are meant to stimulate to prayer.
V. TO FOSTER GRATITUDE AND ASSURANCE WHEN THE MERCY HAS BEEN RECEIVED.

Man is made glad when he sees and feels that Gods Word has not returned to Him void; then comes the inference,If He has done all this for me in the past, He will do as much for me in the future. In the next chapter the argument is, I will do because I have done. I have redeemed thee; when thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee. This is the firm foundation for our hope, our past experience of the faithfulness of God; and strong faith is Gods due.C. H. Spurgeon: Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, vol. xxv. pp. 685696.

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

9. The former things “Former” prophecies, respecting which some suppose earlier predictions are meant. This breaks the continuity of the present course of thought in these chapters, to preserve which the sense must be that the rise of Cyrus is here intended, with the agitation of the nations it is to occasion. The events, though yet future, are prophetically accomplished. As God sees them in historical succession they are essentially past, and the prophet so treats them; since, having once announced them, that they will occur is, in his mind, certain. The new things now foretold before visible development, concern the restoration of God’s people and the great gospel blessings which are bound up with that event. The simple return is, to what is visible; but springing out of this are also unseen spiritual effects.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Here are the joyful consequences induced by the Redeemer’s acts of grace and mercy, as before described. Surely all must sing the new song, which God puts into their mouths, when their souls are new-strung with chords of grace in Jesus! And when the Lord goeth forth conquering and to conquer, souls will be born to Christ, to be the travail of Jesus’s labouring pains, in bringing forth to his satisfaction; Isa 53:11 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

Isa 42:9 Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.

Ver. 9. Behold, the former things are come to pass. ] The prophecies are fulfilled.

Before they spring forth, I tell you of them. ] Therefore I am the true God undoubtedly, and the doctrine of my prophets is true assuredly, veriora quam quae ex tripode. Siquidem Satan etsi semel videatur verax, millies est mendax, et semper fallax.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)