Isaiah 51 Study Notes
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51:13 God constructed the heavens and the earth like a person would build a tent (stretched out) or a house (laid the foundations).
51:14 The word prisoner refers to those who were exiled by the Babylonians. Some high-ranking officials were literally thrown into prisons (2Kg 25:27), but others were in a metaphorical prison by being removed from their land and forced to live in Babylon. The Israelites thought of the grave and the underworld as a large Pit.
51:15 God is in charge of the mighty waters. This shows metaphorically his ability to control the forces of evil.
51:16 According to Motyer (TOTC), this verse is about the servant who would be kept hidden until the proper time.
51:17-23 In this section Isaiah called on God’s people to wake up. They were slumbering under the influence of drinking God’s cup of wrath, an image already cited (see note at 19:14).
51:18 In the ancient Near East, it was the duty of the children to care for a drunk parent. Noah’s son Ham acted in a reprehensible manner when his father was drunk (Gn 9:18-29). Here Jerusalem’s children, God’s people, did not take hold of her hand when she was drunk after drinking the cup of God’s fury.
51:21-23 Once Jerusalem has experienced the full force of God’s judgment, once they have drunk of the cup of his fury, he will take it away and give it to their tormentors. Among the latter, Babylon is particularly in mind.