Isaiah 66

12. extend--I will turn peace (prosperity) upon her, like a river turned in its course [GESENIUS]. Or, "I will spread peace over her as an overflowing river" [BARNES], ( Isaiah 48:18 ).
flowing stream--as the Nile by its overflow fertilizes the whole of Egypt.
borne upon . . .
her . . . her--If "ye" refers to the Jews, translate, "ye shall be borne upon their sides . . . their knees," namely, those of the Gentiles, as in Isaiah 49:22 ; and as "suck" ( Isaiah 60:16 ) refers to the Jews sucking the Gentile wealth. However, English Version gives a good sense: The Jews, and all who love Jehovah ( Isaiah 66:10 ), "shall suck, and be borne" by her as a mother.

13. mother--( Isaiah 49:15 ).
comforteth--( Isaiah 40:1 Isaiah 40:2 ).

14. bones--which once were "dried up" by the "fire" of God's wrath ( Lamentations 1:13 ), shall live again ( Proverbs 3:8 , 15:30 , Ezekiel 37:1 , &c.).
flourish . . . herb--( Romans 11:15-24 ).
known toward--manifested in behalf of.

15. ( Isaiah 9:5 , Psalms 50:3 , Habakkuk 3:5 , 2 Thessalonians 1:8 , 2 Peter 3:7 ).
chariots . . . whirlwind--( Jeremiah 4:13 ).
render--as the Hebrew elsewhere ( Job 9:13 , Psalms 78:38 ) means to "allay" or "stay wrath." MAURER translates it so here: He stays His anger with nothing but fury," &c.; nothing short of pouring out all His fiery fury will satisfy His wrath.
fury--"burning heat" [LOWTH], to which the parallel, "flames of fire," answers.

16. Rather, "With fire will Jehovah judge, and with His sword (He will judge) all flesh." The parallelism and collocation of the Hebrew words favor this ( Isaiah 65:12 ).
all flesh--that is, all who are the objects of His wrath. The godly shall be hidden by the Lord in a place of safety away from the scene of judgment ( Isaiah 26:20 Isaiah 26:21 , Psalms 31:20 , 1 Thessalonians 4:16 1 Thessalonians 4:17 ).

17. in . . . gardens--Hebrew and the Septuagint rather require, "for (entering into) gardens," namely, to sacrifice there [MAURER].
behind one tree--rather, "following one," that is, some idol or other, which, from contempt, he does not name [MAURER]. VITRINGA, &c., think the Hebrew for "one," Ahhadh, to be the name of the god; called Adad (meaning One) in Syria (compare Acts 17:23 ). The idol's power was represented by inclined rays, as of the sun shining on the earth. GESENIUS translates, "following one," namely, Hierophant ("priest"), who led the rest in performing the sacred rites.
in . . . midst--namely, of the garden
mouse--legally unclean ( Leviticus 11:29 ) because it was an idol to the 1 Samuel 6:4 ). Translate, "the field mouse," or "dormouse" [BOCHART]. The Pharisees with their self-righteous purifications, and all mere formalists, are included in the same condemnation, described in language taken from the idolatries prevalent in Isaiah's times.

18. know--not in the Hebrew. Rather, understand the words by aposiopesis; it is usual in threats to leave the persons threatened to supply the hiatus from their own fears, owing to conscious guilt: "For I . . . their works and thoughts," &c.; namely, will punish [MAURER].
it shall come--the time is come that I will, &c. [MAURER].
gather . . . nations--against Jerusalem, where the ungodly Jews shall perish; and then the Lord at last shall fight for Jerusalem against those nations: and the survivors ( Isaiah 66:19 ) shall "see God's glory" ( Zechariah 12:8 Zechariah 12:9 , Zechariah 14:1-3 Zechariah 14:9 ).
tongues--which have been many owing to sin, being confounded at Babel, but which shall again be one in Christ ( Daniel 7:14 , Zephaniah 3:9 , Revelation 7:9 Revelation 7:10 ).

19. sign--a banner on a high place, to indicate the place of meeting for the dispersed Jewish exiles, preparatory to their return to their land ( Isaiah 5:26 , 11:12 , 62:10 ).
those that escape of them--the Gentile survivors spared by God Zechariah 14:16 ). Isaiah 2:2 Isaiah 2:3 , Micah 5:7 ; and Zechariah 14:16-19 represent it, not that the Jews go as missionaries to the Gentiles, but that the Gentiles come up to Jerusalem to learn the Lord's ways there.
Tarshish--Tartessus in Spain, in the west.
Pul--east and north of Africa: probably the same as Philoe, an island in the Nile, called by the Egyptians Pilak, that is, the border country, being between Egypt and Ethiopia [BOCHART].
Lud--the Libyans of Africa ( Genesis 10:13 ), Ludim being son of Mizraim (Egypt): an Ethiopian people famous as bowmen ( Jeremiah 46:9 ): employed as mercenaries by Tyre and Egypt ( Ezekiel 27:10 , 30:5 ).
Tubal--Tibarenians, in Asia Minor, south of the Caucasus, between the Black Sea and Araxes. Or, the Iberians [JOSEPHUS]. Italy [JEROME].
Javan--the Greeks; called Ionians, including all the descendants of Javan, both in Greece and in Asia Minor ( Genesis 10:2-4 ).
my glory . . . Gentiles--( Malachi 1:11 ).

20. they--the Gentiles ( Isaiah 66:19 ).
bring . . . your brethren--the Jews, back to the Holy Land ( Isaiah 49:22 ). It cannot mean the mere entrance of the Jews into the Christian Church; for such an entrance would be by faith, not upon "horses, litters, and mules" [HOUBIGANT]. "Offering" is metaphorical, as in Romans 15:16 .
horses--not much used by the Jews. The Gentiles are here represented as using their modes of conveyance to "bring" the Jews to Jerusalem.
chariots--as these are not found in Oriental caravans, translate, "vehicles," namely, borne, not drawn on wheels.
litters--covered sedans for the rich.
upon swift beasts--dromedaries: from Hebrew root, "to dance," from their bounding motion, often accelerated by music [BOCHART]. Panniers were thrown across the dromedaries' back for poorer women [HORSLEY].

21. of them--the Gentiles.
priests . . . Levites--for spiritual worship: enjoying the direct access to God which was formerly enjoyed by the ministers of the temple alone ( 1 Peter 2:9 , Revelation 1:6 ).

22. ( Isaiah 65:17 , 2 Peter 3:13 , Revelation 21:1 ).

23. Literally, "As often as the new moon (shall be) in its own new moon," that is, every month ( Zechariah 14:16 ).
sabbath--which is therefore perpetually obligatory on earth.
all flesh--( Psalms 65:2 , 72:11 ).
before me--at Jerusalem ( Jeremiah 3:16 Jeremiah 3:17 ).

24. go forth, and look--as the Israelites looked at the carcasses of the Egyptians destroyed at the Red Sea ( Exodus 14:30 ; compare Isaiah 26:14-19 , Psalms 58:10 , 49:14 , Malachi 4:1-3 ).
carcasses, &c.--( Isaiah 66:16 ), those slain by the Lord in the last great battle near Jerusalem ( Zechariah 12:2-9 , 14:2-4 ); type of the final destruction of all sinners.
worm . . . not die--( mark 9:44 mark 9:46 mark 9:48 ). Image of hell, from bodies left unburied in the valley of Hinnom (whence comes Gehenna, or "hell"), south of Jerusalem, where a perpetual fire was kept to consume the refuse thrown there ( Isaiah 30:33 ). It shall not be inconsistent with true love for the godly to look with satisfaction on God's vengeance on the wicked ( Revelation 14:10 ). May God bless this Commentary, and especially its solemn close, to His glory, and to the edification of the writer and the readers of it, for Jesus' sake!