Now will I sing to my well beloved
These are the words of the Prophet Isaiah, being about to
represent the state and condition of the people of Israel by way
of parable, which he calls a song, and which he determines to
sing to his beloved, and calls upon himself to do it; by whom he
means either God the Father, whom he loved with all his heart and
soul; or Christ, who is often called the beloved of his people,
especially in the book of Solomon's song; or else the people of
Israel, whom the prophet had a great affection for, being his own
people; but it seems best to understand it of God or Christ:
a song of my beloved;
which was inspired by him, or related to him, and was made for
his honour and glory; or "a song of my uncle" F17, for
another word is used here than what is in the preceding clause,
and is rendered "uncle" elsewhere, see ( Leviticus
25:49 ) and may design King Amaziah; for, according to
tradition, Amoz, the father of Isaiah, was brother to Amaziah
king of Judah, and so consequently Amaziah must be uncle to
Isaiah; and this might be a song of his composing, or in which he
was concerned, being king of Judah, the subject of this song, as
follows: touching his vineyard;
not his uncle's, though it is true of him, but his well
beloved's, God or Christ; the people of Israel, and house of
Judah, are meant, comparable to a vineyard, as appears from (
Isaiah 5:7 ) (
Psalms
80:14 Psalms 80:15
) being separated and distinguished from the rest of the nations
of the world, for the use, service, and glory of God. My
beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill;
or, "in a horn, the son of oil" F18; which designs the land of
Israel, which was higher than other lands; and was, as some
observe, in the form of a horn, longer than it was broad, and a
very fruitful country, a land of olive oil, a land flowing with
milk and honey, ( Deuteronomy
8:7 Deuteronomy
8:8 ) ( Exodus 3:8 ) . The
Targum is,
``the prophet said, I will sing now to Israel, who is like unto a vineyard, the seed of Abraham, my beloved, a song of my beloved, concerning his vineyard. My people, my beloved Israel, I gave to them an inheritance in a high mountain, in a fat land.''