Isaiah 54:5

5 For he that made thee, shall be lord of thee; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thine again-buyer, the Holy of Israel, shall be called God of all earth. (For he who made thee, shall be thy lord, or thy husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, shall be called the God of all the earth.)

Isaiah 54:5 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 54:5

For thy Maker [is] thine Husband
That is, Christ, the Husband of the church, and of every true believer; who secretly betrothed them to himself in eternity, having asked him of his father; and, being given to him, openly espouses them in conversion, one by one, as a chaste virgin; which he will do more publicly in a body at the last day, when the marriage of the Lamb will be come, when he will appear as the bridegroom of his people; and to which character he acts up, by loving them with a love of complacency and delight, most affectionately and constantly; by sympathizing with them in all their troubles; by nourishing and cherishing them as his own flesh, and interesting them in all he is and has. It is, in the Hebrew text F11 "thy Makers, thy Husbands", Father, Son, and Spirit; though the relation of a husband is more peculiar to Christ; and the words are a reason of the church's fruitfulness, and why she need not fear the performance of what was promised her; and which is wonderful and amazing; he who stands in such a near and endearing relation to his church and people, is the "Maker" of all things, yea, their Maker, both as creatures, and as new creatures:

the Lord of hosts is his name;
of armies above and below, in heaven, and in earth; how great therefore must this their Husband be! to what honour and dignity are they advanced! how safe must they be under his protection! nor need they fear any enemy:

thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel;
he who is the church's Husband is her Redeemer; and who so fit as he to redeem her from sin, Satan, and the law, and every enemy; who is of the same nature with her, so dearly loves her, and so able to save her? for which he is also abundantly qualified, being holy in both his natures, in his person and offices, in his birth, life, and death; for this seems greatly to respect him as man, as he was a descendant of the Israelitish nation, and of the seed of Abraham:

the God of the whole earth shall he be called:
not of Israel only, but of all the nations of the world, of the Gentiles as well as of the Jews; the earth was made by him; the world and all that are in it are his: he is the Governor among the nations; and in the latter day will appear to be the King over all the earth, and will be owned as such; so great and illustrious a Person is the church's Husband. These words are applied by the Jews to the times of the Messiah F12.


FOOTNOTES:

F11 (Kyvwe Kyleb) Heb. "mariti tui, factores tui", Piscator; "qui crearunt te, habent te in matrimonio", Cocceius.
F12 Shemot Rabba, sect. 15. fol. 102. 4.

Isaiah 54:5 In-Context

3 For thou shalt pierce to the right side and to the left side; and thy seed shall inherit heathen men, and shall dwell in forsaken cities. (For thou shalt break forth to the right and to the left; and thy children shall inherit the heathen, and shall live in abandoned cities.)
4 Do not thou dread, for thou shalt not be shamed, neither thou shalt be ashamed. For it shall not shame thee; for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and thou shalt no more think on the shame of thy widowhood. (Do not thou fear, for thou shalt not be shamed, nor shalt thou be ashamed. For it shall not shame thee; for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and thou shalt think no more about the shame of thy widowhood.)
5 For he that made thee, shall be lord of thee; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thine again-buyer, the Holy of Israel, shall be called God of all earth. (For he who made thee, shall be thy lord, or thy husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, shall be called the God of all the earth.)
6 For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and mourning in spirit, and (as) a wife, that is cast away from youth. Thy Lord God said, (For the Lord hath called thee like a deserted woman, mourning in spirit, and like a young wife who is cast away. The Lord thy God said,)
7 At a point in (a) little time, I forsook thee, and I shall gather thee together in great merciful doings. (At a point for a short time, I left thee; but now, with great merciful doings, I shall gather thee back.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.