Isa 42:4, 49:6, 51:4 | JFB | STEP | 4. fail —faint; man in religion may become as the almost expiring flax-wick ( ), but not so He in His purposes of grace. discouraged —literally, "broken," that is, checked in zeal by discouragements (compare ). ROSENMULLER not so well translates, "He shall not be too slow on the one hand, nor run too hastily on the other." judgment —His true religion, the canon of His judgments and righteous reign. isles . . . wait, &c.—The distant lands beyond sea shall put their trust in His gospel way of salvation. virtually gives the sense, with the inspired addition of another aspect of the same thing, "In his name shall the Gentiles trust " (as "wait for" here means, ). "His law" is not something distinct from Himself, but is indeed Himself, the manifestation of God's character ("name") in Christ, who is the embodiment of the law ( ). "Isles" here, and in , may refer to the fact that the populations of which the Church was primarily formed were Gentiles of the countries bordering on the Mediterranean.

Isaiah 42:4

4. fail—faint; man in religion may become as the almost expiring flax-wick (Isa 42:3), but not so He in His purposes of grace.

discouraged—literally, "broken," that is, checked in zeal by discouragements (compare Isa 49:4, 5). ROSENMULLER not so well translates, "He shall not be too slow on the one hand, nor run too hastily on the other."

judgment—His true religion, the canon of His judgments and righteous reign.

isles . . . wait, &c.—The distant lands beyond sea shall put their trust in His gospel way of salvation. Mt 12:21 virtually gives the sense, with the inspired addition of another aspect of the same thing, "In his name shall the Gentiles trust" (as "wait for" here means, Isa 30:18). "His law" is not something distinct from Himself, but is indeed Himself, the manifestation of God's character ("name") in Christ, who is the embodiment of the law (Isa 42:21; Jer 23:6; Ro 10:4). "Isles" here, and in Isa 42:12, may refer to the fact that the populations of which the Church was primarily formed were Gentiles of the countries bordering on the Mediterranean.

Isaiah 49:6

6. It is a light thing—"It is too little that Thou shouldest," [HENGSTENBERG], that is, It is not enough honor to Thee to raise up Jacob and Israel, but I design for Thee more, namely, that Thou shouldest be the means of enlightening the Gentiles (Isa 42:6, 7; 60:3).

the preserved—namely, those remaining after the judgments of God on the nation—the elect remnant of Israel reserved for mercy. LOWTH, with a slight but needless change of the Hebrew, translates for "tribes" and "preserved," the "scions"—the "branches."

Isaiah 51:4

4. my people—the Jews. This reading is better than that of GESENIUS: "O peoples . . . nations," namely, the Gentiles. The Jews are called on to hear and rejoice in the extension of the true religion to the nations; for, at the first preaching of the Gospel, as in the final age to come, it was from Jerusalem that the gospel law was, and is, to go forth (Isa 2:3).

law . . . judgment—the gospel dispensation and institutions (Isa 42:1, "judgment").

make . . . to rest—establish firmly; found.

light, &c.— (Isa 42:6).