Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 65:23
They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they [are] the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
23. They shall not weary themselves for vanity ] ch. Isa 49:4; Hab 2:13; because God’s blessing rests on them.
nor bring forth (sc. children) for sudden destruction ] Jer 15:8; Psa 78:33.
and their offspring with them ] Better perhaps as a complete sentence: and their offspring shall be with them (R.V. marg.); many generations living together. Cf. Job 21:8.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
They shall not labor in vain – That is, either because their land shall be unfruitful, or because others shall plunder them.
Nor bring forth for trouble – Lowth renders this, Neither shall they generate a short-lived race. Noyes, Nor bring forth children for an early death. The Septuagint renders it, Oude teknopoiesousin eis kataran – Nor shall they bring forth children for a curse. The Chaldee, Nor shall they nourish them for death. There can be no doubt that this refers to their posterity, and that the sense is, that they should not be the parents of children who would be subject to an early death or to a curse. The word rendered here bring forth ( yeledu) is a word that uniformly means to bear, to bring forth as a mother, or to beget as a father. And the promise here is, that which would be so grateful to parental feelings, that their posterity would be long-lived and respected. The word rendered here trouble ( behalah) means properly terror, and then the effect of terror, or that which causes terror, sudden destruction. It is derived from bahal, to trouble, to shake, to be in trepidation, to flee, and then to punish suddenly; and the connection here seems to require the sense that their children should not be devoted to sudden destruction.
For they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord – (See the notes at Isa 59:21).
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 23. They shall not labour in vain – “My chosen shall not labour in vain”] I remove bechirai, my elect, from the end of the twenty-second to the beginning of the twenty-third verse, on the authority of the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, and a MS.; contrary to the division in the Masoretic text. – L. The Septuagint is beautiful: My chosen shall not labour in vain, neither shall they beget children for the curse; for the seed is blessed of the Lord, and their posterity with them.”
Nor bring forth for trouble – “Neither shall they generate a short-lived race”] labbehalah, in festinationem, “what shall soon hasten away.” for a curse, Sept. They seem to have read lealah. – Grotius. But Ps 78:33 both justifies and explains the word here: –
yemeyhem bahebel vayechal
babbehalah ushenotham
“And he consumed their days in vanity;
And their years in haste.”
, say the Septuagint. Jerome on this place of Isaiah explains it to the same purpose: ” , hoc est, ut esse desistant.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And not only a blessing to them, but also to their offspring. But what is here promised which wicked men do not ofttimes enjoy, and Gods people ofttimes want?
Answ. 1. Wicked men may have them for their good parents sake, and good men may sometimes want them for evil parents sake.
2. Bad men may have some of these things, but they cannot expect them; good men may at present want them, but they may expect them from the hand of God if they be good for them.
3. Bad men may have them in wrath; the blessing of God gives them to good men, and adds no sorrow therewith.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
23. bring forth fortroubleliterally, “for terror,” that is, “Theyshall not bring forth children for a sudden death“(Lev 26:16; Jer 15:8).
seed . . . blessed(Isa 61:9).
offspring with them(Ho 9:12). “Theiroffspring shall be with themselves” [MAURER];not “brought forth” only to be cut off by “suddendeath” (see the parallel clause).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
They shall not labour in vain,…. As they do, who build houses, and enemies come and turn them out of them, and dwell in them themselves; or who plant vineyards, and sow their fields, and strangers come and devour them; or they are smitten with blasting and mildew:
nor bring forth for trouble; for death, as the Targum; or for a curse, as the Septuagint: the tense is, they shall not beget and bring forth children, that shall immediately die by some distemper or another, or be taken off by famine, sword, or pestilence, to the great grief and trouble of their parents; but these shall live, and outlive their parents, so that their death will never be a trouble to them:
for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them; or, “they are a seed, the blessed of the Lord” i; or, “they are the seed blessed of God”, or “the Lord”, as the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions; or, as the Targum,
“a seed whom the Lord hath blessed;”
a spiritual seed of the church, a seed raised up to serve the Lord, whom he blesses with temporal and spiritual blessings; and their offspring also, being made a spiritual seed by the grace of God, and succeeding them in the church, and treading in their steps.
i “quia [sunt] semens, benedicti Domini ipsi”; which tension is most agreeable to the accents.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
23. They shall not toil in vain. He enumerates other kinds of blessings which God promises to the kingdom of Christ; for, although God always blessed his people, yet the blessings were in some measure suspended till the coming of Christ, in whom was displayed full and complete happiness. In a word, both Jews and Gentiles shall be happy, in all respects, under the reign of Christ. Now, as it is a token of God’s wrath and curse when we obtain no advantage front our labor, so, on the other hand, it is a token of blessing when we clearly see the fruit of our labor. For this reason he says that they who shall have returned from captivity, in order that they may obtain a true and complete deliverance, shall not spend their labor in vain or lose their pains. The Law threatens the death of relatives, destructive wars, losses of property, and terror in their hearts. (Lev 26:22; Deu 28:48.) Here, on the contrary, are promised fertility, peace, the fruit of labor, and repose. And blessings of this kind ought to be carefully observed; for there are few who, amidst their labors, think of the blessing of God, so as to ascribe everything to him alone, and to be fully convinced that they will accomplish nothing whatever unless the Lord grant to them a prosperous result. Wherefore, as every blessing should be sought from God, so, when it has been received, thanksgiving should be rendered for it to God alone.
And they shall not bring forth in terror. When it is said that women “shall not bring forth in terror,” some explain it to mean, that they shall have no uneasiness or dread of childbirth, because they shall be free from pain. We know that this punishment was inflicted on the woman on account of sin, to bring forth with difficulty, and to be in danger of death. Children are brought into the world with fear and trembling, when there is any expectation of war; and it is probable that the Prophet rather looks to this, that there shall be such settled peace that neither women nor men shall have any reason to fear; for this must be viewed as relating to both parents, who will have no dread about their children, as commonly happens when any danger is threatened.
For they shall be the seed of the blessed of Jehovah. This reason is highly appropriate; for whence come fears and terrors, whence come alarms, but from the curse of God? When the curse has been removed, the Prophet therefore says justly that parents, together with their offspring, shall be free from dread and anxious solicitude; because they shall be convinced that they shall always be safe and sound through the favor of God.
And their offspring with them. This is contrasted with childlessness, which is reckoned in the number of the curses of God; and therefore it is the same as if he had said, “I will no longer deprive them of their children, but will cause them to enjoy them, along with the rest of the blessings which I shall bestow upon them.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(23) Their offspring with them . . .The picture presented is that of a patriarchal family, including many generations, fathers no longer outliving their children and mourning for their death, as Jacob did (Gen. 37:35; Gen. 42:38), and as men had often done in the times of war, famine, and pestilence, through which Isaiah had lived.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
23. They shall not labour in vain Another figure denoting permanent enjoyment. No certain wearying for an uncertain good. They shall be blessed of the Lord with prosperity temporal and spiritual, and their offspring with them.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 65:23 They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they [are] the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.
Ver. 23. They shall not labour in vain. ] As wicked men shall. Lev 26:14-20 Deu 28:15-68 Hag 1:6 ; See Trapp on “ Hag 1:6 “
Nor bring forth for trouble.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
They shall not labour in vain. Reference to Pentateuch (Deu 28:41, reversed). Compare Lev 26:16. App-92.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
shall: Isa 49:4, Isa 55:2, Isa 61:9, Lev 26:3-10, Lev 26:20, Lev 26:22, Lev 26:29, Deu 28:3-12, Deu 28:38-42, Hos 9:11-14, Hag 1:6, Hag 2:19, Mal 3:10, 1Co 15:58
for: Isa 61:9, Gen 12:2, Gen 17:7, Psa 115:14, Psa 115:15, Jer 32:38, Jer 32:39, Zec 10:8, Zec 10:9, Act 2:39, Act 3:25, Act 3:26, Rom 4:16, Rom 9:7, Rom 9:8, Gal 3:29
Reciprocal: Psa 25:13 – his seed Isa 19:25 – the Lord Isa 45:25 – the seed Jer 51:58 – the people Zec 13:9 – they shall call Mar 10:14 – Suffer 1Th 2:1 – in vain
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Life will not be futile or frustrating, labor will amount to something, and children will be born for productive lives rather than for tragedy. This is true in one sense for the Christian now (cf. Rom 8:28; 1Co 15:58), but it will be true in a larger sense for all the redeemed in the future. Isaiah identified three generations of the blessed of the Lord in this glorious future state. This reflects the truth that the basic unit of society is the male and female couple, not the individual (cf. Gen 2:18; Gen 2:23-24).