Isaia 65:18

18 Rallegratevi, sì, festeggiate in perpetuo per quanto io sto per creare; poiché, ecco, io creo Gerusalemme per il gaudio, e il suo popolo per la gioia.

Isaia 65:18 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 65:18

But be you glad, and rejoice for ever in that which I create,
&c.] This may refer either to persons converted, both at the beginning of the Gospel, and in the latter day, whether Jews or Gentiles; who are the Lord's creation, or new creatures, being made new men; having new hearts and spirits given them, or created within them; new principles of life, light, grace, and holiness, wrought in them, which are the produce of almighty and creating power; and all such instances are matter of joy, as to the angels in heaven, so to the saints on earth, and especially to the ministers of the Gospel; because of the grace bestowed on men, the glory brought to God, and their own ministry blessed and succeeded, and so their hands and hearts strengthened: or else this refers to the state of things under the Gospel dispensation, in every age of it, and especially in some periods of it, particularly the first and last; and the whole indeed is a new world or state of God's creating, and is matter of joy to all the people of God. The Targum renders it,

``rejoice in the world of worlds, which I create:''

agreeably to which is the version of Bishop Chandler ^F7,

``rejoice for the age to come, that I create;''

the world to come, ( Hebrews 2:5 ) , which Christ is said to be the father of, in the Septuagint version of ( Isaiah 9:6 ) , the Gospel dispensation, the Messiah's future world, as opposed to the legal dispensation. For, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy;
that is, do that for them, through the mighty power of his grace, as will justly occasion joy to them, and to all others well affected to them; the conversion of the Jews will be matter of joy to the Gentiles; and that, and the bringing in of the fulness of the Gentiles, as well as the destruction of antichrist, which will occasion a new face of things in the world, will be matter of joy to the whole church; see ( Revelation 18:20 ) ( 19:1-8 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 Defence of Christianity, c. 2. sect. 2.

Isaia 65:18 In-Context

16 in guisa che chi s’augurerà d’esser benedetto nel paese, lo farà per l’Iddio di verità, e colui che giurerà nel paese, giurerà per l’Iddio di verità; perché le afflizioni di prima saran dimenticate, e saranno nascoste agli occhi miei.

17 Poiché, ecco, io creo de’ nuovi cieli e una nuova terra; non ci si ricorderà più delle cose di prima; esse non torneranno più in memoria.

18 Rallegratevi, sì, festeggiate in perpetuo per quanto io sto per creare; poiché, ecco, io creo Gerusalemme per il gaudio, e il suo popolo per la gioia.

19 Ed io festeggerò a motivo di Gerusalemme, e gioirò del mio popolo; quivi non si udran più voci di pianto né gridi d’angoscia;

20 non vi sarà più, in avvenire, bimbo nato per pochi giorni, né vecchio che non compia il numero de’ suoi anni; chi morrà a cent’anni morrà giovane, e il peccatore sarà colpito dalla maledizione a cent’anni.