Isa 52:8, 62:6 | JFB | STEP | 8. watchmen —set on towers separated by intervals to give the earliest notice of the approach of any messenger with tidings (compare ). The Hebrew is more forcible than English Version, "The voice of thy watchmen" (exclamatory as in ). "They lift up their voice! together they sing." eye to eye —that is, close at hand, and so clearly [GESENIUS ]; , "face to face"; , "mouth to mouth." Compare , of which Simeon's sight of the Saviour was a prefiguration ( ). The watchmen, spiritually, are ministers and others who pray for the peace of Jerusalem ( ), bring again —that is, restore. Or else, "return to" [MAURER ].

Isaiah 52:8

8. watchmen—set on towers separated by intervals to give the earliest notice of the approach of any messenger with tidings (compare Isa 21:6-8). The Hebrew is more forcible than English Version, "The voice of thy watchmen" (exclamatory as in So 2:8). "They lift up their voice! together they sing."

eye to eye—that is, close at hand, and so clearly [GESENIUS]; Nu 14:14, "face to face"; Nu 12:8, "mouth to mouth." Compare 1Co 13:12; Re 22:4, of which Simeon's sight of the Saviour was a prefiguration (Lu 2:30). The watchmen, spiritually, are ministers and others who pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Isa 62:6, 7),

bring again—that is, restore. Or else, "return to" [MAURER].

Isaiah 62:6

6. I—Isaiah speaking in the person of the Messiah.

watchmen upon . . . walls—image from the watches set upon a city's wall to look out for the approach of a messenger with good tidings (Isa 52:7, 8); the good tidings of the return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon, prefiguring the return from the present dispersion (compare Isa 21:6-11; 56:10; Eze 3:17; 33:7). The watches in the East are announced by a loud cry to mark the vigilance of the watchmen.

ye that . . . mention . . . Lord—Hebrew, "ye that are the Lord's remembrancers"; God's servants who by their prayers "put God in remembrance" of His promises (Isa 43:26); we are required to remind God, as if God could, which He cannot, forget His promises (Ps 119:49; Jer 14:21).