Isaiah 54:11

11 Thou little and poor (one), drawn out by tempest, without any comfort, lo! I shall strew thy stones by order, and I shall found thee in sapphires; (O poor little one, drawn out by the tempest, without any comfort, lo! I shall set thy stones in order, and I shall lay thy foundations with sapphires;)

Isaiah 54:11 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 54:11

O thou afflicted, tossed with tempests, and not comforted,
&c.] Or, "O thou poor" F19 church; for the first Christian churches chiefly consisted of poor persons, not many mighty and noble being called; and which were greatly "afflicted" with false teachers, who broached errors and heresies, and made schisms among them; and "tossed with tempests" like a ship at sea; or "stormed" F20 with the rage and fury of violent persecutors, such as the Roman emperors were; and not "comforted", having none to administer any external comfort or relief to them; none of the kings or princes of the earth, or any civil magistrate to protect and defend them; what comfort they had was internal and spiritual; what they had from Christ and his Spirit, and by the word and ordinances; or rather this may describe the state of the church under Papal tyranny and persecution, which brings it nearer to the times of peace and prosperity after promised: behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours;
or, "with paint" F21; such as women used to paint their faces or eyes with, ( 2 Kings 9:30 ) ( Jeremiah 4:30 ) . The Targum is,

``behold, I will lay with paint the stones of thy pavement;''
and the words seem plainly to design the stones of a pavement, and perhaps by an hypallage or transposition may be rendered, I will lay thy pavement with glistering stones;
so the word is translated ( 1 Chronicles 29:2 ) or, "with stones of paint" F23; which are of the colour of the "stibium", or paint before mentioned, and which was of a black colour; and Aben Ezra says the word here signifies a precious stone of a black colour; perhaps black marble is meant, a stone fit for pavements; but, be these stones what they will, they design in the spiritual sense the materials of a Gospel church, those "lively stones" which are built up a spiritual house,
and which are beautified with the gifts and graces of the Spirit of God; and may also denote that the lowest and meanest of the Lord's people, pointed out by stones of the pavement, should be thus adorned: and lay thy foundations with sapphires;
a precious stone of a white colour, according to R. Saadiah Gaon; but, according to Aben Ezra, of a red colour; though the sapphire is usually said to be of a sky colour, shining with specks of gold. The Targum renders it, "with precious stones"; and so the foundation of the wall of the New Jerusalem is said to be garnished with all manner of precious stones, ( Revelation 21:19 Revelation 21:20 ) , this may respect Christ, the sure foundation God has laid in Zion, the foundation of the apostles and prophets; the one and only foundation of the church of Christ, and all true believers, who is more precious than sapphires, or all the most precious stones; he always has been the foundation of his church in all ages; but the meaning is, that he shall now appear most clearly and manifestly to be the foundation, and to be a firm, rich, and glorious one; see ( Exodus 24:10 ) .
FOOTNOTES:

F19 (hyne) V. L. Munster, Pagninus; "O paupercula", Tigurine version; "inops", Cocceius.
F20 (hrewo) "tempestate obruta"; Munster, Vatablus, Forerius.
F21 (Kwpb) "in fuco", Tigurine version; "in stibio", Sanctius.
F23 "Stibinis lapidibus", Forerius.

Isaiah 54:11 In-Context

9 As in the days of Noe, this thing is to me, to whom I swore, that I should no more bring waters of the great flood on the earth; so I swore, that I shall be no more wroth to thee, and that I blame not thee. (This is to me, like in the days of Noah, to whom I swore, that never again would I bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth; so now I swear to thee, that never again shall I be angry with thee, and never again shall I rebuke thee.)
10 Forsooth hills shall be moved together, and little hills shall tremble together; but my mercy shall not go away from thee, and the bond of my peace shall not be moved, saith the merciful doer, the Lord. (Yea, though the mountains be removed, and the little hills shall tremble; but my mercy shall not go away from thee, and my covenant shall not be moved, or shaken, saith the merciful doer, the Lord.)
11 Thou little and poor (one), drawn out by tempest, without any comfort, lo! I shall strew thy stones by order, and I shall found thee in sapphires; (O poor little one, drawn out by the tempest, without any comfort, lo! I shall set thy stones in order, and I shall lay thy foundations with sapphires;)
12 and I shall set jasper thy towers, and thy gates into graven stones, and all thine ends into desirable stones. (and I shall build thy towers out of jasper, and thy gates out of firestones, and all thy boundary stones shall be jewels.)
13 And I shall set all thy sons taught of the Lord; and the multitude of peace to thy sons, (And all thy children shall be taught by the Lord; and thy children shall have great peace,)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.