Isaiah 33:17

17 Your eyes will see 1the King in His beauty; They will behold 2a far-distant land.

Isaiah 33:17 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 33:17

Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty
Not merely Hezekiah in his royal robes, and with a cheerful countenance, having put off his sackcloth and his sadness, upon the breaking up of the siege; but a greater than he, even the King Messiah, in the glory of his person and office, especially as a King reigning gloriously before his ancients in Jerusalem: the apostles saw him in his glory, in the days of his flesh, corporeally and spiritually; believers now see him by faith, crowded with glory and honour, as well as see his beauty, fulness, and suitableness, as a Saviour; and, before long, their eyes shall see him personally in his own and his Father's glory. This is to be understood of the eyes of good men, before described. The Targum is,

``thine eyes shall see the glory of the Majesty of the King of worlds in his praise;''
and Jarchi interprets it of the glory of the Majesty of God; so, according to both, a divine Person is meant, and indeed no other than Christ: they shall behold the land that is very far off;
not the land of hell, as the Targum, which paraphrases it thus;
``thou shalt behold and see those that go down into the land of hell;''
but rather the heavenly country, the better one, the land of uprightness, typified by the land of Canaan; and may be said to be "a land afar off", with respect to the earth on which the saints now are, and with regard to the present sight of it, which is a distant one, and will be always afar off to wicked men; this now the saints have at times a view of by faith, which is very delightful, and greatly supports them under their present trials: though it may be that an enlargement of Christ's kingdom all over the world, to the distant parts of it, may be here meant; which may be called, as the words may be rendered, "a land of distances", or "of far distances" F4; that reaches far and near, from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth; which will be the case when the kingdoms of this world shall become Christ's, and the kingdom, and the greatness of it under the whole heaven, shall be given to the saints of the most High; a glorious sight this will be. And this sense agrees with the context, and declares what will be after the destruction of antichrist.
FOOTNOTES:

F4 (Myqxrm Ura) "terram distantiarum", Vatablus, Montanus, Gataker.

Isaiah 33:17 In-Context

15 He who walks righteously and speaks with sincerity, He who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; He who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking upon evil;
16 He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the impregnable rock; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure.
17 Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will behold a far-distant land.
18 Your heart will meditate on terror: "Where is he who counts? Where is he who weighs? Where is he who counts the towers?"
19 You will no longer see a fierce people, A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends, Of a stammering tongue which no one understands.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Isaiah 6:5; Isaiah 24:23; Isaiah 33:21, 22
  • 2. Isaiah 26:15
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