Yeshayah 57:13

13 When thou criest for help, let thy [idol] kibutzim (heaps, collections) save thee; but the ruach shall carry them all away; hevel shall take them; but he that putteth his trust in Me shall inherit eretz, and shall inherit My Har Kodesh;

Yeshayah 57:13 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 57:13

When thou criest, let thy companies deliver thee
From distress and impending ruin, if they can; meaning not the allies and auxiliaries of the Jews, the Egyptians and Assyrians, they sent to for help, as Kimchi, and others; rather, as Jarchi, their idols and graven images they worshipped, angels and saints departed, the Papists pray unto; let them now, in the time of Rome's ruin, renew their addresses to them for help and deliverance, if they can give it: or, "thy gathered ones" F26; the kings of the earth the whore of Rome has gathered unto her to commit fornication with her: and who, by her emissaries, will be gathered together to the battle of the Lord God Almighty, and to make war with the Lamb, but will be overcome; as also her many religious societies and convents of Jesuits, friars, priests, &c.; these will stand afar off, and lament her in her distress; even the kings and merchants of the earth, ship masters, and all company in ships, but will not be able to relieve her, ( Revelation 18:9-19 ) : but the wind shall carry them all away; vanity shall take them;
so far will they be from helping her in the time of her calamity, that the wind of God's power and wrath shall carry them away as chaff; a puff of his "breath", or the least breath of air F1, shall dissipate them, and bring them to nothing; they will be no more able to stand before him than the lightest thing that can be thought of can stand before a blustering wind or tempest. The phrase denotes an utter and easy destruction of the whole jurisdiction and hierarchy of the church of Rome: but he that putteth his trust in me shall possess the land, and shall
inherit my holy mountain;
such of God's people as will be in Babylon a little before its fall, and will be called out of it, who shall betake themselves to the Lord as their only refuge, and put their trust and confidence in him, rejecting all idolatry and superstitious worship, shall enjoy the communion of the true church of Christ, and partake of all the ordinances of it: it may be this may have also a particular respect unto the Jews, who will be called about this time; who, upon their believing in Christ, will return to their own land, and dwell in Jerusalem, God's holy mountain, as it used to be called. Hence it follows:


FOOTNOTES:

F26 (Kyuwbq) "collectitii tui", Tigurine version; "congregati a te", Vatablus; "copiae tuae collectae", Vitringa.
F1 (lbh) "halitus" Cocceius; "aura" V. L. "aura levisima" Vitringa.

Yeshayah 57:13 In-Context

11 And of whom hast thou dreaded or feared, that thou hast lived a lie, and hast not remembered Me, nor laid it to thy lev (i.e., pondered it)? Have not I held My peace me’olam (even from of old), and thou fearest Me not?
12 I will preach thy tzedakah, and thy ma’asim, that they shall not profit thee.
13 When thou criest for help, let thy [idol] kibutzim (heaps, collections) save thee; but the ruach shall carry them all away; hevel shall take them; but he that putteth his trust in Me shall inherit eretz, and shall inherit My Har Kodesh;
14 And shall say, Build ye [a road], build ye [a road], prepare the Derech, remove the michshol (stumblingblock, obstacle) from the Derech Ami (the Way, Road of My People).
15 For thus saith the High and Exalted, Shokhen Ad (the One Who abideth forever, i.e., the Shekhinah) Kadosh Shmo; I dwell in marom v’kadosh (the high and holy place), with him also that is of a contrite and lowly ruach, to revive the ruach of the shefalim (humble, lowly ones) and to revive the lev nidka’im (contrite of heart).
The Orthodox Jewish Bible fourth edition, OJB. Copyright 2002,2003,2008,2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International. All rights reserved.