Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 43:3
For I [am] the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior: I gave Egypt [for] thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
3. thy Saviour ] or, “Deliverer”; a favourite designation of Jehovah with this prophet; Isa 43:11, ch. Isa 45:15; Isa 45:21, Isa 49:26 (Isa 60:16, Isa 63:8). The second half of the verse shews on how large a scale this deliverance is to be executed.
I give Egypt as thy ransom ] The meaning appears to be that Cyrus will be compensated for the emancipation of Israel by the conquest of these African nations, which did not belong to the Babylonian Empire. As a matter of fact the conquest of Egypt was effected by Cambyses, the son and successor of Cyrus, although it is said to have been contemplated by Cyrus himself (Herod. 1:153) and is actually (though wrongly) attributed to him by Xenophon ( Cyrop. VIII. 6. 20).
Seba (Gen 10:7; Psa 72:10; ch. Isa 45:14) was, according to Josephus, Mero, the northern province of Ethiopia, lying between the Blue and the White Nile.
ransom is strictly a money payment by which a man escapes the forfeit of his life (see Exo 21:30; Num 35:31 f.; Pro 6:35 &c.).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For I am the Lord thy God – This verse continues the statement of the reasons why he would protect them. He was Yahweh their God. He was not only the true God, but he was the God who had entered into solemn covenant with them, and who would therefore protect and defend them.
The Holy One of Israel – It was one of his characteristics that he was the God of Israel. Other nations worshipped other gods. He was the God of Israel; and as it was presumed that a god would protect his own people, so he bound himself to deliver them.
Thy Saviour – This was another characteristic. He had saved them in days of peril; and he had assumed toward them the relation of a Saviour; and he would maintain that character.
I gave Egypt for thy ransom – This is a very important passage in regard to the meaning of the word ransom. The word nathatty – I gave is rendered by Gesenius (Commentary in loc.), and by Noyes, in the future, I will give. Gesenius supposes that it refers to the fact that the countries specified would be made desolate, in order to effect the deliverance of the Jews. He observes that although Cyrus did not conquer them, yet that it was done by his successors. In particular, he refers to the fact that Cambyses invaded and subdued Egypt (Herod. iii. 15); and that he then entered into, and subdued Ethiopia and Meroe (Strabo xvii.; Jos. Ant. ii. 10. 2). But the word properly refers to the past time, and the scope of the passage requires us to understand it of past events. For God is giving a reason why his people might expect protection, and the reason here is, that he had been their deliverer, and that his purpose to protect them was so fixed and determined, that he had even brought ruin on nations more mighty and numerous than themselves, in order to effect their deliverance.
The argument is, that if he had suffered Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba to be desolated and ruined instead of them, or in order to effect their deliverance, they had nothing to fear from Babylon or any other hostile nation, but that he would effect their deliverance even at the expense of the overthrow of the most mighty kingdoms. The word rendered ransom here is kopher. It is derived from kaphar – whence the Latin cooperio; the Italian coprire, the French couvrir; the Norman coverer, and converer; and the English cover, and means literally to cover; to cover over; to overlay with anything, as pitch, as in Gen 6:14. Hence, to cover over sins; to overlook; to forgive; and hence, to make an expiation for sins, or to atone for transgression so that it may be forgiven Gen 32:21; Exo 30:15; Lev 4:20; 5:26; Lev 11:24; Lev 16:6; Psa 65:4; Psa 78:38; Pro 16:14; Jer. 18:25; Eze 45:20; Dan 9:24. The noun ( kopher) means:
1. A village or hamlet, as beans a cover or shelter to the inhabitants (1Sa 6:18; compare the word kaphar in 1Ch 27:25; Neh 6:2; Son 6:12).
2. Pitch, as a material for overlaying Gen 6:14.
3. The cypressflower, the alhenna of the Arabs, so called because the powder of the leaves was used to cover over or besmear the nails in order to produce the reddish color which Oriental femmes regarded as an ornament (Simonis; Son 1:14; Son 4:13, margin.)
4. A ransom; a price of redemption, or an expiation; so called because by it sins were covered over, concealed, or removed Exo 29:36; Exo 30:10, Exo 30:16. In such an expiation, that which was offered as the ransom was supposed to take the place of that for which the expiation was made, and this idea is distinctly retained in the versions of this passage.
Thus the Septuagint, , … Epoiesa allagma sou Aigupton, etc. – I made Egypt, etc., thy allagma – a commutation for thee; a change for thee; I put it in thy place, and it was destroyed instead of thee. So the Chaldee, I gave the Egyptians as a commutation for thee ( chalypak). So the Syriac, I gave Egypt in thy place. The true interpretation, therefore, is, that Egypt was regarded as having been given up to desolation and destruction instead of the Israelites. One of them must perish; and God chose that Egypt, though so much more mighty and powerful, should be reduced to desolation in order to deliver his people. They took their place, and were destroyed instead of the Hebrews, in order that they might be delivered from the bondage under which they groaned. This may be used as a striking illustration of the atonement made for sin, when the Lord Jesus, the expiatory offering, was made to suffer in the stead – allagma – of his people, and in order that sinners might live.
And if Gods giving up the Egyptians to destruction – themselves so guilty and deserving of death – in order to save his people, was a proof of his love for them, how much greater is the demonstration of his love when he gives his own holy Son to the bitter pains of death on a cross, in order that his church may be redeemed! There has been much variety, as has already been intimated, in the interpretation of this, and in regard to the time and events referred to. It has, by many, been supposed to refer to the invasion by Sennacherib, who, when he was about to fall upon Jerusalem, turned his arms against the Egyptians and their allies, by which means Jerusalem was saved by devoting those nations to desolation. Vitringa explains it of Shalmanesers design upon the kingdom of Judah, after he had destroyed that of Samaria, from which he was diverted by carrying the war against the Egyptians, Cusheans, and Sabeans. But of this, Lowth says, there is no clear proof in history.
Seeker supposes that it refers to the fact that Cyrus overcame those nations, and that they were given him for releasing the Jews. Lowth says, perhaps it may mean, generally, that God had often saved his people at the expense of other nations, whom he had as it were in their stead given up to destruction. The exact historical facts in the case cannot be clearly made out; nor is this to be wondered at, that many things of this nature should remain obscure for want of the light of history, which in regard to those times is extremely deficient. In regard to Egypt, however, I think the case is clear. Nothing is more manifest than that the prophet refers to that great and wonderful fact – the commonplace illustration of the sacred writers – that the Egyptians were destroyed in order to effect the deliverance of the Jews, and were thus given as a ransom for them.
Ethiopia – Hebrew, Cush. In regard to this country, see the note at Isa 18:1. It is not improbable that the prophet here refers to the facts referred to in that chapter, and the destruction which it is there said would come upon that land.
And Seba – This was the name of a people descended from Cush Gen 10:7; and hence, the name of the country which they occupied. According to Josephus (Ant. ii. 10. 2), it seems to have been Meroe, a province of Ethiopia, distinguished for its wealth and commerce, surrounded by the two arms or branches of the Nile. There still remain the ruins of a metropolis of the same name, not far from the town of Shandy (Keppels Travels in Nubia and Arabia, 1829). Meroe is a great island or peninsula in the north of Ethiopia, and is formed by the Nile, and the Astaboras, which unites with the Nile. It was probably anciently called Seba, and was conquered by Cambyses, the successor of Cyrus, and by him called Meroe, after his sister. That it was near to Ethiopia is apparent from the fact that it is mentioned in connection with it (compare Psa 72:10; Isa 45:14 : Herod. iii. 20). They would naturally ally themselves to the Ethiopians. and share the same fate.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Isa 43:3
For I am the Lord thy God
Jehovahs valuation of His people
I.
THE LORDS DECLARATION OF HIS OWN NAME. I am Jehovah thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. He gives His name thus to distinguish Himself from false gods. He also sets forth His name at large, for the comfort of His people. There is something in every name of God which may breed faith in our souls. I think He also does it to excite our wonder mad gratitude. Let us devoutly think of each of these names separately.
I. Jehovah, thy God. Jehovah, the glorious I AM, signifies self-existence. He borrows nothing from others; indeed, all live by His permit and power. He is as complete without His creatures as with them. Jehovah, again, is a name of immutability. I AM THAT I AM was His name to Moses. Furthermore, Jehovah means sovereignty. Jehovah reigneth, let the people tremble.
2. The Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. What a New Testament combination this is–The Holy One, thy Saviour! It reminds us of the words–Just, and the justifier of him that believeth. Here we have one so holy as to be separate from sinners and yet the Saviour of sinners. Since the Holy One of Israel is our Saviour, we are confident that He will save us from all sin. The glorious Lord, who here styles Himself Jehovah thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour, the Creator of all things, and their Preserver, is come very near to you. In the next verse He saith, Since thou wast precious in My sight thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee. Mark, I have loved thee. It is not enough that He thinks kindly, and deals tenderly; but He loves! Remember also that this Holy Lord is working upon you still, that you may reflect His glory. I have created him for My glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him (verse 7). He has begun our new creation, He is carrying it on, and He is completing it.
II. THE LORDS ESTIMATE OF HIS PEOPLE. Whatever we may think of the Israel of God, the Lord thinks more of it than words can express. I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. When the Lord chose a nation to be the depository of His sacred oracles, He might have selected Egypt if He had willed to do so. Egypt was in the known world the oldest nation. Egypt contained the wisest and most civilised people of early times. Its very ruins are the wonder of the ages. Its records show an extraordinary progress in literature, architecture, and the arts and sciences. Egypt was also the most powerful of empires in the olden times. Before the banners of Assyria and, Babylon and Medo-Persia came to the front, the dragon of Egypt was a mighty ensign. Yet the Lord did not choose the sons of Ham, but passed by Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba. The Lord chose the seed of Abraham, and the family of Jacob: He multiplied them, and instructed them, and made them to be His own peculiar people. In the course of history the claims of various countries came into collision with those of Israel, and Egypt proudly oppressed Israel. What did God do? Did He hesitate as to which of the two peoples should be preserved? No; the Lord brought out Israel, and turned His artillery upon Egypt. In the days of King Asa, the Ethiopians came up against Judah to the number of a million of men; but they were destroyed before the Lord, and before His host: thus was Ethiopia given for Israel. Cambyses conquered Egypt, and destroyed many of its cities, and never since has there been a native prince sitting upon the throne of Pharaoh. God gave to the King of Persia, Egypt and the neighbouring cities as the ransom price of His people. Thus the Lord did of old on the behalf of His literal Israel, and what does this fact say to us? It means this–Gods chosen are immeasurably precious in His sight. They are the centre of Gods design. Gods intent was to produce a race that should be honourable in His sight, and well-beloved of His soul. This design would be costly, even to Jehovah Himself. To carry out this purpose, men, having fallen, must be redeemed by blood. To carry out His Divine resolve He spared not His own Son, but freely delivered Him up for us all. But even then men could not be saved unless the Holy Ghost should condescend to come and live in their bodies. Henceforth everything shall be sacrificed for us. God will give all that He has to save His beloved ones. He will make the whole o nature and providence subservient to the complete salvation of His chosen. Kings shall be born and buried; empires shall rise and fall; republics and systems shall come and go; and all shall be the scaffold for the building of the house of God, which is His Church. It is Gods grandest, highest purpose to gather together in one the whole company of His redeemed in Christ Jesus their Lord and to make them like their Head.
III. THE OUTCOME OF THIS.
1. If it be so, that the glorious God has really and of a truth loved us, His people, and valued us at a mighty price, then see how secure His people are!
2. Note, next, the honour which God puts upon them. God has put us poor sinners among His honourables. I know one who, in her unconverted state, had fallen into sad sin, and the remembrance thereof was painful; but the Lord removed the shame by laying home to her soul these gracious words, Since thou wast precious in My sight, thou hast been honourable.
3. The certainty of the Lords gathering together all His people. I will bring thy seed, etc. (verses 5-7). If God has determined to glorify Himself by us and in us, let us be in accord with Him. What love we ought to bear to God! (C. H. Spurgeon.)
I gave Egypt for thy ransom
Gods redemption of Israel
An amplification of the phrase, I have redeemed thee (Isa 43:1). (J. A. Alexander.)
Egypt, Ethiopia, Seba
I give Egypt as thy ransom. The meaning appears to be that Cyrus will be compensated for the emancipation of Israel by the conquest of these African nations which did not belong to the Babylonian Empire. As a matter of fact, the conquest of Egypt was effected by Cambyses, the son and successor of Cyrus, although it is said to have been contemplated by Cyrus himself (Herod. 1:153), and it is actually (though wrongly) attributed to him by Xenophon. (Prof J. Skinner, D. D.)
Gen 10:7; Psa 72:10; Isa 45:14) was, according to Josephus, Merge, the northern province of Ethiopia, lying between the Blue and the White Nile. (Prof J. Skinner, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 3. I gave Egypt for thy ransom] This is commonly supposed to refer to the time of Sennacherib’s invasion; who, when he was just ready to fall upon Jerusalem, soon after his entering Judea, was providentially diverted from that design, and turned his arms against the Egyptians, and their allies the Cushean Arabians, with their neighbours the Sabeans, probably joined with them under Tirhakah. See Isa 20:1-6 and Isa 37:9. Or as there are some reasonable objections to this opinion, perhaps it may mean more generally that God has often saved his people at the expense of other nations, whom he had, as it were in their stead, given up to destruction. Vitringa explains this of Shalmaneser’s designs upon the kingdom of Judea after he had destroyed that of Samaria, from which he was diverted by carrying the war against the Egyptians, Cusheans, and Sabeans; but of this I think he has no clear proof in history. It is not to be wondered at that many things of this kind should remain very obscure for the want of the light of history, which in regard to these times is extremely deficient.
“Did not Cyrus overcome these nations? and might they not be given for releasing the Jews? It seems to have been so from Isa 45:14.” – Secker.
Kimchi refers all this to the deliverance of Jerusalem from the invasion of Sennacherib. Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia, had come out to war against the king of Assyria, who was there – upon obliged to raise the siege of Jerusalem. Thus the Ethiopians, Egyptians, and Sabeans were delivered into the hands of the Assyrians as a ransom for Israel. – Kimchi. I cannot help thinking this to be a very rational solution of the text.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I gave Egypt for thy ransom: this was fulfilled either,
1. When God smote the Egyptians, both first-born and others, in Egypt, and drowned Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, for the safety and benefit of his people; or,
2. When the king of Assyria, either Sennacherib, as many think, or rather Esar-haddon, who designed to revenge his fathers disgrace and loss before Jerusalem upon the Jews, but was diverted and directed by God to employ his forces against Egypt, and Ethiopia, and Seba, as it follows. See Poole “Isa 20:1“, &c. Ethiopia and Seba; the Sabeans, who were confederate with the Ethiopians or Cushites.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. Egypt for thy ransomEitherEgypt or Israel must perish; God chose that Egypt, though so muchmore mighty, should be destroyed, in order that His people might bedelivered; thus Egypt stood, instead of Israel, as a kind of”ransom.” The Hebrew, kopher, means properly “thatwith which anything is overlaid,” as the pitch with which theark was overlaid; hence that which covers over sins, anatonement. Nebuchadnezzar had subdued Egypt, Ethiopia (Hebrew,Cush), and Saba (descended from Cush, Ge10:7, probably Meroe of Ethiopia, a great island formed by theAstaboras and the Nile, conquered by Cambyses, successor of Cyrus).Cyrus received these from God with the rest of the Babyloniandominions, in consideration of his being about to deliver Israel.However, the reference may be to the three years’ war in which Sargonovercame these countries, and so had his attention diverted fromIsrael (see on Isa 20:1)[VITRINGA]. But thereference is probably more general, namely, to all theinstances in which Jehovah sacrificed mighty heathen nations, whenthe safety of Israel required it.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour,…. The Lord is the covenant God of his people, holy in himself, and the sanctifier of them, and their Saviour in time of trouble; and therefore need no doubt of his presence and support amidst all their afflictions; and besides they should call to mind past experiences of his goodness, to encourage their faith in him, as to present help and assistance:
I gave Egypt for thy ransom; he sacrificed the Egyptians instead of the Israelites; he destroyed the firstborn of Egypt, and saved Israel his firstborn; he drowned the Egyptians in the Red sea, when the Israelites passed safely through it; and the destruction of the former was to make way for the salvation of the latter, and so said to be a ransom for them; see Pr 11:8:
Ethiopia and Seba for thee; this refers either to the rumour brought to Sennacherib of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia coming against him to war, which diverted him from the siege of Jerusalem for a time, and caused him to turn his forces upon the Ethiopians and Sabeans, whereby the Jews had a respite, 2Ki 19:9 or rather to the overthrow of the Ethiopians in the time of Asa, 2Ch 14:9 or to the king of Assyria, perhaps Shalmaneser’s being diverted from Palestine and Judea, and turning his forces upon Egypt and Ethiopia, as in Isa 20:1 and the Lord, by putting his people in mind of these instances, suggests hereby that he will sacrifice all their enemies, rather than they shall be destroyed, and therefore they need not fear.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Just as in Isa 43:1, k (for), with all that follows, assigns the reason for the encouraging “Fear not;” so here a second k introduces the reason for the promise which ensures them against the dangers arising from either water or fire. “For I Jehovah am thy God; ( I) the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I give up Egypt as a ransom for thee, Ethiopia and Seba in thy stead. Because thou art dear in my eyes, highly esteemed, and I loved thee; I give up men in thy stead, and peoples for thy life.” Both “Jehovah” and “the Holy One of Israel” are in apposition to “I” ( ‘ an ), the force of which is continued in the second clause. The preterite nathatt (I have given), as the words “I will give” in Isa 43:4 clearly show, states a fact which as yet is only completed so far as the purpose is concerned. “ A ransom: ” kopher ( ) is literally the covering – the person making the payment. is the land of Mero, which is enclosed between the White and Blue Nile, the present Dr Sennr, district of Sennr ( Sen-rti, i.e., island of Sen), or the ancient Meriotic priestly state settled about this enclosed land, probably included in the Mudrya (Egypt) of the Achaemenidian arrowheaded inscriptions; though it is uncertain whether the Kusiya (Heb. Kushm ) mentioned there are the predatory tribe of archers called (Strabo, xi. 13, 6), whose name has been preserved in the present Chuzistan, the eastern Ethiopians of the Greeks (as Lassen and Rawlinson suppose), or the African Ethiopians of the Bible, as Oppert imagines. The fact that Egypt was only conquered by Cambyses, and not by Cyrus, who merely planned it (Herod. i. 153), and to whom it is only attributed by a legend (Xen. Cyr. viii. 6, 20, ), does no violence to the truth of the promise. It is quite enough that Egypt and the neighbouring kingdoms were subjugated by the new imperial power of Persia, and that through that empire the Jewish people recovered their long-lost liberty. The free love of God was the reason for His treating Israel according to the principle laid down in Pro 11:8; Pro 21:18. does not signify ex quo tempore here, but is equivalent to in Exo 19:18; Jer 44:23; for if it indicated the terminus a quo , it would be followed by a more distinct statement of the fact of their election. The personal pronoun “and I” ( va’an ) is introduced in consequence of the change of persons. In the place of ( perf. cons.), commended itself, as the former had already been used in a somewhat different function. All that composed the chosen nation are here designated as “man” ( adam ), because there was nothing in them but what was derived from Adam. has here a strictly substitutionary meaning throughout.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
3. For I am Jehovah thy God. He confirms the preceding statement by the experience of the past; for the Lord had formerly assisted his people in such a manner that it was reasonable and proper that believers should safely rely on his grace. We must always remember what we had in the former verse, — “Fear not, for I have redeemed thee; I am thy Lord.” These ought to be read unitedly and in immediate connection, because they have the same object; for if the Lord is our God, it follows that he is on our side, and therefore we shall find that he is our Savior. But if we wish to know by experience that he is our Savior, we must be a part of Israel, not in name only, but so as to give true evidences of godliness during the whole course of our life. This is therefore the foundation of our confidence, that “Jehovah is our God;” and hence it follows that they who do not acknowledge God to be their Father, and who do not rely on his kindness, are wretched, and tremble continually. Wicked men, indeed, indulge in mirth, and even act disdainfully towards God; but their indifference is intoxication and madness of mind, by which they are the more rapidly carried headlong to their destruction. To believers alone this brings the assurance, that he who hath chosen them wishes to be continually their God, and to preserve them; and therefore hath separated them to be his inheritance.
In this sense he calls himself The Holy One of Israel, because while the whole human race is by nature estranged from him, he hath chosen his people that he might set them apart to be his own. Now, though external separation is of little moment, unless God sanctify the elect by the power of his Spirit, yet, because Israel had. openly polluted himself, God declares that still his covenant shall not be made void, because he is always like himself. Besides, it is well known that the word holy is used in an active sense for “him who sanctifies;” and therefore if we wish to be certain of God’s love towards us, let us always remember the testimony of our adoption, by which we are confirmed in our hearts, as by a sure pledge, and let us with all earnestness ask it from God.
I have given the price of thy redemption. I make no remarks on those repetitions which are frequently used by the Prophet, and are customary in the Hebrew language; for the two phrases in this verse, I have given the price, and I have given instead of thee, are used by him in the same sense. We have said that the Prophet confirms believers by bringing forward earlier proofs of the grace of God; as if he had said, “You have already known by experience that God cares for your salvation; for how could it have happened that Sennacherib turned his forces against Egypt, Ethiopia, and other nations, but because the Lord spared you, and directed the attack of your enemy to another quarter? Since therefore he has hitherto manifested so great anxiety on your behalf, you have no need to be anxious about the future.” Thus if at any time doubts arise in our minds about the providence of God, or about his promises, we ought to bring to remembrance the benefits which he has already bestowed upon us; for we shall be chargeable with extreme ingratitude if, after having received from God so many benefits, we doubt of his kindness for the future.
But a question arises. In what sense does he call “Egypt and Ethiopia the price of the redemption” of the Church? for heathen men are not of so high value as to redeem the children of God. But the Prophet borrowed this mode of expression from the ordinary language of men; as if he had said, “The Egyptians, the Ethiopians, and the Sabeans came in thy room, and, as if an exchange had been made, were constrained to suffer the destruction to which thou wast exposed; for, in order to preserve thee, I destroyed them, and delivered them instead of thee into the hand of the enemy.” But we must attend to the history. While Sennacherib was rushing on with his whole might against Judea, the Lord, by throwing over him a bridle, suddenly checked him, and entangled him by other wars, so that he was constrained to withdraw his army; and thus the Egyptians and Ethiopians were signally defeated, while the people of God were allowed to breathe. (2Kg 19:28; Isa 37:8.)
We too may readily acknowledge, if we are not worse than stupid, that the same providence and infinite mercy of God have been manifested toward us, when tyrants who would have wished to destroy us, and who joined in opening their mouths with eagerness to devour us, are made by him to engage in wars against each other, and when the rage with which they burned against us is directed by him to another quarter; for by doing so he preserves us, so as to give them as the price of our redemption. When we see irreligious men, amidst the uproar and confusion of mutual wars, pause in their efforts to destroy us, while it is manifest that they do not pause of their own accord, let us lift up our eyes to heaven, and learn that God, in order to spare us, miraculously substitutes others in our room; for we were “like sheep appointed for slaughter,” (Psa 44:22😉 swords were drawn on every hand, if he had not snatched them from the hands of wicked men, or given them a different direction.
Hence we ought to draw a general doctrine, that the Lord takes such care of all believers (1Pe 5:7) that he values them more highly than the whole world. Although, therefore, we are of no value, yet let us rejoice in this, that the Lord sets so high a value upon us, and prefers us to the whole world, rescues us from dangers, and thus preserves us in the midst of death. If everything were at peace with us, and if we had no troubles, we should not see this grace of God; for when a thousand deaths appear to hang over us, and when there appears no way of escape, and when he suddenly drives back the tyrants, or turns them in another direction, we then know by experience what the Prophet says, and perceive his invaluable kindness toward us.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) I gave Egypt for thy ransom . . .Speaking after the manner of men, the prophet paints Jehovah as surrendering Egypt and other kingdoms to the arms of Cyrus, as if they were a price paid to him for liberating the Jews of Babylon. Ethiopia (Heb., Csh) may be taken of either the Asiatic or African people that bore that nameSeba as Meroe, between the Blue and White Nile, the modern Dr Sennr. Historically, the words find a fulfilment in the conquest of Egypt by Cambyses, who carried into effect his fathers plans. For the thought of the ransom comp. Pro. 11:8; Pro. 21:18, and the next verse. As a man would sacrifice any number of slaves to ransom a son, so was it in Jehovahs dealings with His people.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3, 4. I gave Prophetic preterit for I will give.
Egypt for thy ransom Ransom from exile in Babylon through Cyrus. At a later time Cambyses took Egypt and made her subject, along with Ethiopia and Seba, on the upper Nile. Seba being, according to Josephus, between the Black and the White Nile branches. For the value Jehovah set on his recovered Israel he gave the restoring world-power those peoples who, for deserved judgment, received humiliation. This is simple amplification of meaning to the words, “I have redeemed thee,” etc., in Isa 43:1.
Ransom An idea from a law of Moses requiring the firstborn to be ransomed. Israel was Jehovah’s firstborn. “Egypt,” rather than others who also became subject, from her connexion with the first slavery of Israel. See Exo 1:11.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 43:3. For I am the Lord thy God The Almighty by his prophet proceeds to assure his church of his particular affection towards her, by a remarkable proof of that affection; which is, that the evils and calamities threatening the destruction of the Jewish nation, had by his providence been averted from them, and turned upon the Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Sabeans. The prophet alludes to what is foretold in the 20th chapter.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Isa 43:3 For I [am] the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt [for] thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee.
Ver. 3. I gave Egypt for thy ransom. ] Quasi victimam piacularem a Sennacheribo mactandam loco Iudcea, in exchange for thee; so the Septuagint render it. This was done when Tirhakah, king of Egypt and Ethiopia, was beaten by Sennacherib, who was then making towards Jerusalem, which he had already devoured in his hopes. Isa 37:9 Thus, “The righteous is delivered out of trouble, and the wicked cometh in his stead.” Pro 11:8 Saul and his people were afflicted by the Philistines, that David might escape. 1Sa 23:27-28 The Canaanites were rooted out, to make room for the Israelites. Charles V, and Francis, the French king, after a mutual agreement to root out Lutheranism, fall together by the ears, and the Church all the while hath her halcyons. So the Turks and Persians are at deadly feud, to the great safeguard of Christendom; and the Popish party are as a bulwark between those Mohammedans and the Protestants.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
I am the LORD thy God = I Jehovah am thy God (Hebrew. Elohim. App-4). Note the three titles. He was Israel’s God by covenant (note the others in the next clause):
the Holy One of Israel, in contrast with all false gods. See note on Isa 1:4, and Psa 71:22.
thy Saviour. This is the third title.
Egypt. Ethiopia and Seba = Egypt. Nubia (Cush), and Ethiopia. These were given to Persia as ransommoney (as it were) for the release of Israel by Persia through the successors of Cyrus. In the time of Isaiah these three were united under one dynasty.
ransom = atonement price. Hebrew. kopher. See note on Exo 29:33.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the Holy One: Isa 30:11, Isa 41:14, Isa 45:15, Isa 45:21, Isa 49:26, Isa 60:16, Hos 13:4, Tit 2:10-14, Tit 3:4-6, Jud 1:25
I gave: Exo 10:7, 2Ch 14:9-14, Pro 11:8, Pro 21:18
Reciprocal: Lev 25:55 – my servants Deu 32:6 – hath bought 2Ch 12:3 – Ethiopians Psa 71:22 – O thou Psa 89:18 – Holy Isa 37:23 – the Holy One Isa 43:11 – General Isa 43:14 – For Isa 43:15 – the Lord Isa 45:4 – Jacob Isa 45:11 – the Holy One Isa 47:4 – our redeemer Isa 54:15 – shall fall Isa 63:8 – so he Jer 14:8 – saviour Jer 16:21 – and they Eze 34:24 – I the Lord will Eze 39:7 – the Holy Dan 2:30 – but Zep 2:12 – Ethiopians Luk 12:7 – ye are Act 5:31 – a Saviour 1Ti 1:1 – God 2Ti 1:10 – our 1Jo 2:20 – the Holy
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 43:3-4. I gave Egypt for thy ransom Some think this was fulfilled when God smote the firstborn and others in Egypt, and afterward drowned Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea, for the safety and benefit of his people. But it is more commonly referred to the time of Sennacheribs invasion; who, when he was just ready to fall upon Jerusalem, soon after his entering Judea, was providentially diverted from that design, and turned his arms against the Egyptians; and their allies the Cushean Arabians, with their neighbours the Sabeans, probably joined with them, under Tirhakah: see chap. 20., and 37:9. Or, as there are some reasonable objections to this opinion, perhaps it may mean, more generally, that God had often saved his people at the expense of other nations, whom he had, as it were, in their stead, given up to destruction. Bishop Lowth. Since thou wast precious, &c., thou hast been honourable That is, from the time that I chose thee for my precious and peculiar treasure and people, I have had a great esteem and affection for thee. Bishop Lowth translates the clause, Because thou hast been precious in my sight, thou hast been honoured, &c. Vitringa thinks the prophet refers to the deliverance from Sennacherib, whereby God abundantly showed that the Jewish nation was precious and honourable in his sight; and the men, in the last clause, refers to the Assyrians, and the people to the Chaldeans. The Assyrians suffered a fearful slaughter (chap. 37:36) for the sake of the Jews, and the empire of the Chaldees was to be overturned by the Medes and Persians to procure their deliverance. In both which instances God abundantly testified that his church was precious, and honourable in his sight, and much beloved by him.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
43:3 For I [am] the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave {d} Egypt [for] thy ransom, Cush and Seba for thee.
(d) I turned Sennacherib’s power against these countries, and made them suffer the affliction which you would have done, and so were as the payment of our ransom, Isa 37:9 .
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Three names heighten God’s unique relationship to Israel, and the Exodus and Sinai experiences had taught their meaning to the people. God would even sacrifice other nations to preserve Israel for Himself. Perhaps the Lord meant that He would give Persia rulership over Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba-as rewards for allowing the Israelites to return to their homeland. [Note: J. Martin, p. 1097.] I tend to favor this view. Another option is that He meant that He had given over Egypt and its southern extremities to redeem Israel at the Exodus. [Note: Motyer, pp. 331-32.] A third view is that these nations represent the heathen nations in general, whom God did not favor when He redeemed Israel. [Note: Young, 3:143.] In another larger sense, God sacrificed His Son as a ransom in the place of many whom He had called (cf. Isa 53:8-12; Mat 20:28; 2Co 5:21).