Isaiah 63:8

Isa 63:8 For he said, Surely they [are] my people, children [that] will not lie: so he was their Saviour.

Ver. 8. For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie,] q.d., I presume they will not; it were a foul shame for them if they should deceive my expectation, deal disloyally, show themselves deceitful in the covenant. The officers of Merindol, in France, answered the Popish bishop that moved them to abjure, that they marvelled much that he would offer to persuade them to lie to God and the world. And albeit that all men by nature are liars; yet they had learned by the Word of God that they ought diligently to take heed of lying in any matter, be it never so small. Also that they ought diligently to take heed that their children did not accustom or use themselves to lie, and therefore punish them very sharply when they took them with any lie, even as if they had committed a robbery; for the devil is a liar, &c. Here the bishop rose up in a great anger, and so departed. {a}

{a} Acts and Mon., 866.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Isa_63:8

Children that will not lie

Sincerity toward God

The Christian exemplifying the power of truth in his renewed nature, and in all the engagements and relations of life, is a phenomenon--a miracle of grace.

A Christian Church, consisting of believers adorning, in all things, the doctrine of God our Saviour, are men wondered at. Yet, peculiar or eccentric as the course of such men may be deemed in the world, it is evident, from Scripture, that the people of God are expected to render practical homage to the truth no less habitual and profound.

I. THEIR REGARD FOR TRUTH. Children that will not lie.

1. They estimate truth at its proper value. Buy the truth, but sell it not. Divine truth--the truth as it is in Jesus--is the greatest treasure our world contains. The full possession of this treasure cannot be secured with diligence and care. Search the Scriptures. Prove all things. So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding. Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures, then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. Yet no man ever reached a full and abiding conviction of Divine truth by a mere process of investigation. No one will ever come to the light until he feels that he is walking in darkness. No one will ever find the truth until he feels that he has everything to learn in order to life and salvation, and that Christ alone can teach him. All Thy children shall be taught of the Lord.

2. When truth is sought from this Divine source it will be cordially welcomed.

3. They are concerned for the preservation of the truth in themselves. Not in the letter only, but in its spirit and power. The truth may be held in unrighteousness. The Gospel itself may become the savour of death unto death. What solemn words are those of Christ, If, therefore, the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

4. They bear a distinct and consistent testimony for the truth. What we feel deeply we shall speak freely. We believe, said the apostle, and therefore speak.

5. If the truth be so valued, received, obeyed, and testified, it will exert a practical influence in all the relative duties and circumstances of life.

II. HOW FAR IS THIS THOROUGH TRUTHFULNESS DISTINCTIVE OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD?

1. Sincerity toward God--faith unfeigned--brings with it the conviction that the subjects of it are His people. They have the witness within themselves. They are the children of light. They that have known the truth in its power can say, The truth dwelleth in us, and shall be in us for ever.

2. Their relation to God is made manifest to others.

3. Such sincere and faithful men have the strength of the people of God. If you would find the strongest men in the worlds history you must not look for them in camps, in senates, or in palaces, but in dungeons, in exile, or at the stake. It was not Caesar, Alexander, Napoleon, or Wellington that affected the greatest changes in the world, but men who were made witnesses for the truth. Ye are strong, for the Word of God abideth in you; and ye have overcome the wicked one. The spirit of faith alone is invincible.

4. Those who are faithful to the truth have the freedom of Gods people. I will walk at liberty, for I seek Thy precepts.

5. They have the peace of the people of God and the honour sure to arise from fidelity. (J. Waddington, D. D.)

Fidelity between God and His people

God deals fairly and faithfully with them, and therefore expects they should deal so with Him. (M. Henry.)

Children that will not lie

Gods people are children that will not lie, for those that will are not His children, but the devil s. (M. Henry.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Isa 63:8-9. For he said — Namely, within himself, of old, when he made a covenant with our fathers, and brought them out of Egypt; Surely they are my people — In covenant with me: though they are unworthy of me, yet I cannot but look upon them as my people. Children that will not lie — That will keep my covenant; that will not deal falsely with me, to whom they are under such unspeakable obligations. This is spoken by God, after the manner of men, who are always apt to hope the best concerning their children, even though, in times past, they may have been refractory and disobedient. So he was their Saviour — Namely, on these hopes and conditions he undertook to be their Saviour: or, he alone was their Saviour. When there was none to save, none to uphold, then he saved them. In all their affliction he was afflicted — When there was a necessity of correcting them, in order to their amendment, he had a compassionate sense of the evils which they suffered: see Deu 32:36; Jdg 10:16; Psa 106:44-45. And the angel of his presence saved them — From the house of bondage, through the Red sea, and in the wilderness. The same angel that conducted them in all their journeys, and brought them into Canaan, as Captain of the Lord’s host, (Jos 5:15,) even the Lord Jesus Christ, who appeared to Moses in the bush, (Exo 3:2-6, compared with Act 7:35,) in whom God’s name was, Exo 23:20-21. Whom the Jews tempted in the wilderness, for they tempted Christ, 1Co 10:9; and who was the spiritual rock that followed them, typified by the natural rock cleft to afford them water: who was before Abraham, Joh 8:58, and before all things, Col 1:17 : see note on Exo 23:20-21 : called the angel, messenger, or mediator of the covenant, Mal 3:1; and here the angel of his presence; and his presence, Exo 33:14, as appearing continually before his face to intercede for his church. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them — This shows the ground of his kindness: they were a stubborn, superstitious, idolatrous people, yet Christ’s love and pity saved them notwithstanding. And he bore them, and carried them — As a father his child, or an eagle her young ones; he carried them in the arms of his power, and on the wings of his providence: see notes on Deu 1:31; and Deu 32:10-12; and Isa 46:4. And this he did all the days of old, for many ages past; from the days of Abraham or Moses; from their bondage in Egypt to their settlement in Canaan, and through their succeeding generations. And this his ancient kindness is thus mentioned to induce him to continue it, and still to uphold, protect, and preserve his church till he should bring her to his Father.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

63:8 They are my very own people: God’s possession of and commitment to his people was central to the covenant (see 43:1). • they will not betray me: The Lord expected his own people to honor their relationship with him, unlike the nations, whose story is a history of treachery (Gen 3–11). But Israel, too, betrayed their God (Isa 63:10). • their Savior: God rescued and protected his people (see 43:3).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

For I did choose them to be mine, that they should be holy, and not deceive mine expectation.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

he--Jehovah "said," that is, thought, in choosing them as His covenant-people; so "said" (Psa 95:10). Not that God was ignorant that the Jews would not keep faith with Him; but God is here said, according to human modes of thought to say within Himself what He might naturally have expected, as the result of His goodness to the Jews; thus the enormity of their unnatural perversity is the more vividly set forth.

lie--prove false to Me (compare Psa 44:17).

so--in virtue of His having chosen them, He became their Saviour. So the "therefore" (Jer 31:33). His eternal choice is the ground of His actually saving men (Eph 1:3-4).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 8. - 9. So he was their Saviour. In all their affliction - "And he became their Saviour in all their distress"] I have followed the translation of the Septuagint in the latter part of the eighth, and the former part of the ninth verse; which agrees with the present text, a little differently divided as to thee members of the sentence. They read מכל miccol, out of all, instead of בכל bechol, in all, which makes no difference in the sense; and צר tsar they understand as ציר tsir. Και εγενετο αυτοις εις σωτηριαν εκ πασης θλιψεως αυτων· ου πρεσβυς, ουδε αγγελος· "And he was salvation to them in all their tribulation; neither an ambassador nor an angel, but himself saved them." An angel of his presence means an angel of superior order, in immediate attendance upon God. So the angel of the Lord says to Zacharias, "I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God," Lu 1:19. The presence of JEHOVAH, Ex 33:14-15, and the angel, Ex 33:20-21, is JEHOVAH himself; here an angel of his presence is opposed to JEHOVAH himself, as an angel is in the following passages of the same book of Exodus. After their idolatrous worshipping of the golden calf, "when God had said to Moses, I will send an angel before thee - I will not go up in the midst of thee - the people mourned," Ex 33:2-4. God afterwards comforts Moses, by saying, "My presence (that is I myself in person, and not by an angel) will go with thee," Ex 33:14. Αυτος προπορευσομαι σου, "I myself will go before thee," as the Septuagint render it.

The MSS. and editions are much divided between the two readings of the text and margin in the common copies, לא lo, not, and לו lo, to him. All the ancient Versions express the chetib reading, lo, not.

And he bare them and carried them all the days of old - "And he took them up, and he bore them, all the days of old."] See Clarke on Isa 46:3. - L.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(8) For he said . . .—The words throw us back to the starting-point of God’s covenant with His people, based, so to speak, on the assumption that they would not fail utterly in the fulfilment of their promises. (Comp. Exo_19:3-6.)

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. The retrospect goes back to the beginning of the nation’s history, when Jehovah’s affection for His people was still unimpaired. Cf. Hos_11:1, “When Israel was a child then I loved him.”

children (sons) that will not lie] Contrast ch. Isa_1:2, Isa_30:9.

so he was their Saviour] and he became to them a saviour. LXX. adds from the following verse: in all their distress. On metrical grounds the addition is an obvious improvement; and it leads to an interesting explanation of the first part of Isa_63:9 (see below).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For he said, surely they are my people,.... Not in common with the rest of mankind, being his creatures, and the care of his providence; but his special people, whom he had chosen to be such, and had made a covenant with; he had avouched them for his people, and they had avouched him to be the Lord their God; and this covenant interest was the ground and foundation of the actual donation and application of all the blessings of grace and goodness to them before mentioned. These are the words of Jehovah himself, related by the prophet; and are applicable to all the elect of God, whom he has chosen in Christ; taken into the covenant of grace made with him; and who appear manifestly to be his peculiar people by their effectual calling; when it is a sure and certain thing, that they, who were not known by themselves or others to be the people of God, are evidently so; and the Lord himself makes no scruple of acknowledging them as such, even though their conduct and behaviour towards him is not altogether as it should be, and which was the case of the people of Israel; however, he is willing to hope well of them, as parents do of their children, speaking after the manner of men, and that they will behave better for the future, being by fresh mercies laid under obligation to him, as he did of Israel of old:

children that will not lie; not the children of Satan, as liars are, who was a liar from the beginning, and the father of lies; as wicked men are, who go astray from the womb, speaking lies; but children of God by adopting grace, and through faith in Christ; and therefore should not lie to God, nor to men, nor to one another, as being unbecoming their relation as children: this opinion the Lord entertains of his children, speaking after the manner of men, that they will not deal deceitfully and hypocritically with him, but serve him in sincerity, and worship him in spirit and in truth; that their hearts will be right with him, and they steadfast in his covenant: thus he hoped well of Israel of old, and so he does of all his spiritual Israel, his special people, and dear children:

so he was their Saviour; in this view and expectation of things, as he is of all men in a providential way, and especially of them that believe; he was the Saviour of literal Israel in a temporal manner, in Egypt, the Red sea, and wilderness; and of his chosen people among them, in a spiritual manner, as he is of all his elect in Christ Jesus; and even though they do not entirely answer the just expectations expressed concerning them.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

For he said - Yahweh had said. That is, he said this when he chose them as his unique people, and entered into solemn covenant with them.

Surely they are my people - The reference here is to the fact that he entered into covenant with them to be their God.

Children that will not lie - That will not prove false to me - indicating the reasonable expectation which Yahweh might have, when he chose them, that they would be faithful to him.

So he was their Saviour - Lowth renders this, ‘And he became their Saviour in all their distress;’ connecting this with the first member of the following verse, and translating that, ‘it was not an envoy, nor an angel of his presence that saved them.’ So the Septuagint renders it, ‘And he was to them for salvation εἰς σωτηρίαν eis sōtērian) from all their affliction.’ The Chaldee render it, ‘And his word was redemption (פריק pâriyq) unto them.’ But the true idea probably is, that he chose them, and in virtue of his thus choosing them he became their deliverer.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Deny, or prove degenerate. (Calmet) --- God approves the conduct of the Machabees. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

For he said, viz. within himself of old, when he made a covenant with our fathers, and brought them out of Egypt,

Surely they are my people, in covenant; though they are unworthy of me, yet I cannot but look upon them as my people. Their enemies would persuade themselves, O they are not God’s people, but cast-outs, that none cared for or looked after; but God will own them.

Children that will not lie; that will keep my covenant; they will not deal falsely with me, that are under such obligations: or, I presume they will not; though they did go after their idols, and prove unfaithful to me in serving Baal and Ashteroth, &c., now I presume they will do so no more. Thus parents are apt tenderly to think of those children that they have been indulgent to, that they will not offer to abuse their kindness; thus God thinks the best of them. Or, he intimates here what they are obliged to do, though he knew they would do otherwise. Or, they will not degenerate after I have renewed them.

So he was their Saviour, viz. on these hopes and on these conditions he undertook the charge of them, Exo 19:5,6; Psa 81:8-10; or, he; so he alone was their Saviour; when none to save, none to uphold, then he saved them; not Cyrus, Zerubbabel, Nehemiah, &c., but Christ himself.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. He said — Jehovah said, in the exercise of his great mercy.

Surely — Without possible ground for doubt.

They are my people — They only are the people.

That will not lie — That is, that are true to the covenant with me. The body of Israel had not so proved: but these are they whose characters have been proved.

He was their Saviour — Namely, of the few who, out of severe trial, proved genuine, and deserving to be saved.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He said, Surely they are my people. Israel was first recognized as "a people" in Egypt, when the creel Pharaoh, probably Sethos I, said, "The people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we". (Exo_1:9) Soon afterwards God acknowledged them as his people". (Exo_3:7) The exiles probably go back in their thoughts to this time. Children that will not lie; or, deal falsely, as the same word is translated in Psa_44:17. The meaning is, that surely they will be faithful to God, and not fall away from him into idolatry or irreligion.

God the Saviour.

The Apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, uses this figure for God, but expresses it more comprehensively and suggestively. "The living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe". (1Ti_4:10)

I WHAT IS IT TO SAVE A MAN? What does the word "save" mean when we apply it to a man? A while ago five heavy boat-loads of saved ones from midnight wreck were landed at Dover. The poor, ragged city waif is taken from the streets into the kindly refuge, and saved from vice and degradation. The man who has embezzled money, and is in peril of the judgment, finds a friend who pays the claim, and he is saved from prison. But these are cases of saving men in only an imperfect and limited sense. What is it to save a moral being; one who has will and affections; the sense of right and wrong, and the possibility of gracious relations with God? That depends upon what disabilities and perils men may have fallen into. If we may read other men by ourselves, then they are wrong in life-principle heart-wrong; wrong in conduct bodily wrong; wrong in relations socially wrong; and wrong in life-issues under Divine penalties. To save a man must be to save him from all this. Too often salvation is represented as saving from hell. That is but a part of it. It is saving me, and saving me now. To change the ruling principle of the life is the hopeful beginning of salvation; but the work must be carried on. There must be the regeneration of the life and conduct, the purifying of all motive, and sanctifying of all thought, and touching of all the relationships with tender grace. So to save a man is a very large and comprehensive thing. A bit of it is saving man from overhanging penalty; most of it is saving him from sin and from self.

Self-willed men arc only saved when they are brought to God in trust and love.

II WHAT IS IT FOR GOD TO SAVE A MAN? Three points.

1. God"s salvation must go to the central necessity of man, cleansing hisheart-wrong.

2. God"s salvation must be a gracious persuasion of man"s mind and willand heart.

3. In this gracious persuasion the Trinity is now engaged. God"s salvationfor man is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, gaining entrance with regenerating power into a man"s heart and life.

III WHAT IS IT FOR GOD TO SAVE ALL MEN? The full and final salvation of all men seems to be declared in Scripture to be the Divine purpose. All men were placed under disability by Adam"s sin; no man has any standing before God. Now, in the second Adam"s righteousness and acceptance, that state of disability is removed for the whole race, and all men stand in restored relations. Humanity is relieved from its curse by Christ"s perfect obedience, and all men are in that sense saved. But this is only such a salvation as there can be apart from man"s will, and it is but the beginning of God"s salvation. A nation may be pardoned for its rebellion as a nation, but the king may very properly require the oath of allegiance to be taken by each individual.

IV WHAT IS IT FOR GOD SPECIALLY TO SAVE SOME? It is to have some coming voluntarily into gracious relations with him; and to make such his agents for the winning and persuasion of others. We may all of us be sons, but some of us may be sons at home, in the full joy of accepted and gracious relations. And sons at home are ever ready, waiting to do their Father"s will. R.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He said - When he made a covenant with our fathers, and brought them out of Egypt. Not lie - That will keep my covenant. So he - Not Cyrus, Zerubbabel, or Nehemiah, but Christ himself.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

“And He said, Only they are my people, (my) children shall not lie (or deceive); and He became a savior for them.” To the general acknowledgment of God’s goodness to His people, there is now added a specification of His favors, beginning with the great distinguishing favor by which they became what they were. This verse is commonly explained as an expression of unfounded confidence and hope on God’s part, ‘surely they are my people, children that will not lie.’ This must then be accounted for as anthropopathy; but although the occurrence of this figure in the Scriptures is indisputable, it is comparatively rare, and not to be assumed without necessity. Besides, the explanation just referred to rests almost entirely on the sense attached to ’ach as a mere particle of asseveration. Now in every other case where Isaiah uses it, the restrictive sense of only is not admissible merely, but necessary to the full force of the sentence. It is surely not the true mode of interpretation, to assume a doubtful definition for the sake of obtaining an unsatisfactory and offensive sense. Another advantage of the strict translation is, that it makes the Prophet go back to the beginning of their course, and instead of setting out from the hopes which God expressed after the choice of Israel, records the choice itself. Thus understood, the first clause is a solemn declaration of His having chosen Israel, to the exclusion of all other nations. ‘Only they (and no others) are my people.’ The second clause may possibly mean, ‘(their) sons shall not deal falsely’ (i.e., degenerate from their fathers’ faith). In either case, the future is the future of command, as in the Decalogue, not that of mere prediction. The English Version, so He was their savior, is a needless departure from the simplicity of the original, and aggravates the misinterpretation of the first clause, by suggesting that He was their savior because He believed they would be faithful. The verse in Hebrew simply states two facts, without intimating any causal relation between them. He chose them and He saved them.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Prophecies of Isaiah (1846–1847; New York: Scribner, 1870–1878) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

They are but My people Although it is revealed before Me that they would betray Me, they are, nevertheless, My people, and they are to Me like children who will not deal falsely.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

For he said. This is an anthropomorphism. He thought they would become faithful children, and therefore he helped them.

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.