Therefore fear thou not, O my servant Jacob, saith the
Lord,
&c.] Since the Messiah, who is the Lord God, should be raised
up to thorn, whom they should serve, and he should save them; and
so had nothing to fear from their enemies; and had no reason to
doubt of salvation and deliverance, seeing so great a person was
engaged for them. The language is very much like the Prophet
Isaiah's: neither be dismayed, O Israel:
the same thing in other words; for Jacob and Israel are the same;
and to fear and be dismayed are much alike: for, lo, I will
save thee from afar;
from a far country; not from Babylon only, but from all distant
countries where they are dispersed, east, west, north, or south;
distance of place should be no hinderance to their salvation, and
so need be no objection in their minds to it: and thy seed
from the land of their captivity;
their children should come forth with them: it seems to respect
future times; that though this should not be accomplished in the
persons of the Israelites then living, yet should be in their
posterity: and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest,
and be quiet, and none
shall make [him] afraid;
which was not fulfilled upon the Jews' return from the Babylonish
captivity; for they quickly met with much opposition and
disturbance in the rebuilding of their city and temple; and
afterwards from Antiochus, in the times of the Maccabees, by whom
they were greatly disquieted; and at last by the Romans, by whom
their nation was subdued and ruined; wherefore this respects the
quiet and peaceable times they shall have when they are
converted, and have embraced the Christian religion.