Isaiah 49:13

13 Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth! And break forth into singing, O mountains! For the LORD hath comforted His people, and will have mercy upon His afflicted.

Isaiah 49:13 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 49:13

Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth
Which may be understood of the heavens, and the earth by a personification, a figure usual in Scripture, to express the greatness of the benefit received, and to raise thankfulness and admiration in the hearts of God's people; see ( Psalms 90:11 Psalms 90:12 ) ( Isaiah 55:12 ) or by the heavens may be meant the angels in heaven, who, as they rejoice at the conversion of a single sinner, will much more rejoice at such numerous conversions among Jews and Gentiles, here prophesied of, ( Luke 15:10 ) and, by the "earth", the saints on earth, the excellent in it, who have a more immediate concern in, and must be affected with, the case here represented: and break forth into singing, O mountains;
such as are in high office either in the state, as Christian kings and princes, ( Isaiah 49:23 ) or in the church, as prophets and apostles, ( Revelation 18:20 ) . The reason of all this is, for the Lord hath comforted his people;
with the discoveries of his love and grace; by his gracious presence among them; by the coming of Christ unto them in a spiritual way; by sending his Spirit, and renewing the face of things, and reviving his work in the midst of them; by the pure and powerful preaching of the Gospel, and comfortable administration of Gospel ordinances; and by large additions of converts made unto them: and will have mercy upon his afflicted,
or "poor", or "meek" and "humble" ones, as the words ^F12 may be rendered: the Lord's people is a poor and afflicted people, poor in a temporal and spiritual sense; the church and interest of Christ is in a poor and low condition: the Lord's people are afflicted outwardly and inwardly, and so become meek, and are kept humble; these the Lord, in the latter day, will raise from a low and distressed condition to a more exalted and comfortable one; which will be an instance of his mercy and compassion, and be matter of joy unto them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F12 (wyyne) "pauperum suorum", V. L. "pauperes suos", Forerius; "inopes suos", Vitringa; (tapeinouv) "humiles", Sept. "mansuetorum", Targum.

Isaiah 49:13 In-Context

11 And I will make all My mountains a way, and My highways shall be exalted.

12 Behold, these shall come from far--and lo, these from the north and from the west, and these from the land of Sinim."

13 Sing, O heavens, and be joyful, O earth! And break forth into singing, O mountains! For the LORD hath comforted His people, and will have mercy upon His afflicted.

14 But Zion said, "The LORD hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me."

15 "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.