Isaiah 26:11

11 Lord, thine hand be enhanced (Lord, let thy hand be lifted up), (so) that they see not; (but let) peoples having envy see, and be shamed, and (let) fire devour thine enemies.

Isaiah 26:11 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 26:11

Lord, [when] thy hand is lifted up, they will not see,
&c.] Or, "thy high hand they will not see" ^F25; when it is exalted, and become glorious in power, in punishing wicked men; though the punishment is visible, yet they will not consider that it comes from the hand of God, but attribute it to chance, misfortune, or second causes, ( Psalms 28:5 ) or when the hand the Lord is manifest in doing good to his own people, in delivering them out of their oppressions, and the hands of their oppressors; in reviving his cause and interest, and enlarging the kingdom of his Son; they will not see, own, and acknowledge the power and glory of it. The Targum favours this latter sense,

``Lord, when thou shall be revealed in thy power to do good to them that fear thee, there will be no light to the enemies of thy people:''

[but] they shall see;
whether they will or not; the judgments of God will be manifest, both in his vengeance on antichrist, and in glorifying his own people: and be ashamed for [their] envy at the people;
their envy at the happiness and prosperity of the Lord's people; their malice towards them, and persecution of them: or, "for the zeal of thy people" ^F26; not for the zeal of the people to God, but for the zeal of the Lord to them; when they shall see him zealously affected to them, and concerned for them; as they shall see it, whether they will or not; they will then be confounded and ashamed, when he will vindicate his own people, and right their wrongs, and avenge their enemies; so the Targum,

``the revenge of thy people shall cover them:''

yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them:
or, "fire shall devour them, thine enemies" ^F1; the wrath of God, which is like unto fire; or, fire out of the mouth of the witnesses, ( Revelation 11:5 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 (Nwyzxy lb Kdy hmr) "elatam tuam manum non cernunt", Castalio; "celsitudinem manuum tuarum nequaquam vident", Syriac version.
F26 (Me tanq) "zelum populi tui"; so some in Vatablus; "zelum erga populum", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
F1 (Mlkat Kyru va) "ignis hostes tuos consumet eos", Pagninus, Vatablus, "comedet eos", Montanus.

Isaiah 26:11 In-Context

9 My soul shall desire thee in the night, but also with my spirit in mine entrails; from the morrowtide I shall wake to thee. When thou shalt make thy dooms in [the] earth, all (the) dwellers of the world shall learn rightfulness. (My soul shall desire thee in the night, yea, my spirit in my bowels, or deep within; and early in the morning I shall look for thee. When thou shalt make thy judgements upon the earth, all the inhabitants of the world shall learn righteousness.)

10 Do we mercy to the wicked man, and he shall not learn to do rightwiseness; in the land of saints he did wicked things, and he shall not see the glory of the Lord. (Even if we give mercy to a wicked person, he shall still not learn to do justice, or what is right; yea, even in the land of the saints he did wicked things, and he shall not see the glory of the Lord.)

11 Lord, thine hand be enhanced (Lord, let thy hand be lifted up), (so) that they see not; (but let) peoples having envy see, and be shamed, and (let) fire devour thine enemies.

12 Lord, thou shalt give peace to us, for thou hast (also) wrought all our works in us.

13 Our Lord God, (other) lords had us in possession, without thee; only in thee have we mind of thy name. (Lord our God, other lords have had us in possession besides thee; but only thee do we call on by name.)