Isaiah 66:14

Isa 66:14 And when ye see [this], your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and [his] indignation toward his enemies.

Ver. 14. And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice.] Videbitis, gaudebitis; you shall see that I do not give you good words only, but that I am in good earnest; ye shall know it within yourselves, in the workings of your own hearts. {as Heb 10:34}

And your bones shall flourish like an herb,] i.e., They shall be filled again with moisture and marrow. See Eze 37:10-11. You shall be fair liking and reflourish.

And the hand of the Lord,] i.e., His infinite power; tantorum beneficiorum in piis operatrix, the efficient cause of all these comforts.

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_66:14

The hand of the Lord shall be known toward His servants

The Lords hand revealed

I.

SOME OF THE WAYS THE HAND OF THE LORD MAKES ITSELF KNOWN TOWARDS HIS SERVANTS.

1. In the character they bear.

2. In the work they do.

3. In the sufferings they endure.

4. In all the triumphs of their faith and patience.

II. THE CONDITION OF THIS VISIBLE DISPLAY OF GODS POWER. Simply to let it operate upon us and through us. We can, and often do, prevent His hand from being known. There must be humble recptiveness, believing prayer.

III. THE EFFECTS OF THIS MANIFESTATION OF THE LORDS HAND.

1. It encourages the Lords servants.

2. It rebukes the unbelief of the ungodly. Conclusion: Unconverted sinner I the Lord desires to show forth the power of His grace in you. Will you not allow Him to work upon you this miracle of His saving power? (W. Guthrie, M. A.)

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

Isa 66:14. And when ye see this — To what a happy state the church is restored; your heart shall rejoice — The peace of the church, and the extension of the kingdom of Christ, are always causes of real joy to such as fear God. And your bones shall flourish like an herb — The bones that were dried and withered, the marrow of them being quite exhausted, shall recover a youthful strength and vigour, and shall flourish like an herb in the spring, whose verdure and beauty in the winter were concealed in the root hid in the earth. In other words, you Jews shall recover your ancient strength and glory, and be renewed in as wonderful a manner as if dry, withered bones should recover their youth and moisture: or, as if the dead bones in a charnel-house should be united with sinews, clothed again with flesh and skin, and should have life and vigour infused into them. Then shall be effected that resurrection of the dry bones spoken of by Eze 37:1, &c., for that vision relates to the restoration of the Jewish nation, after it had lain for many ages in a dead, hopeless condition. In like manner St. Paul calls the receiving of the Jews into the church, life from the dead, Rom 11:15. And the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants — The power, protection, and influence of God shall be made manifest for, and upon, all such as truly serve and obey him. And his indignation toward his enemies — But the wicked shall experience a quite contrary dispensation, Psa 1:4. As God’s hand shall be upon and toward such as fear him, to cover, bless, and influence them, so his indignation shall in that day be showed toward those of your nation who have manifested themselves to be his enemies.

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

THE LORD’S HAND REVEALED

Isa_66:14. The hand of the LORD shall be known toward His servants.

I. Some of the ways the hand of the Lord makes itself known toward His servants.

1. In the character they bear.

2. In the work they do.

3. In the sufferings they endure.

4. In all the triumphs of their faith and patience.

II. The condition of this visible display of God’s power. Simply to let it operate upon us and through us. We can, and often do, prevent His hand from being known. There must be humble receptiveness, believing prayer.

III. The effects of this manifestation of the Lord’s hand.

1. It encourages the Lord’s servants.

2. It rebukes the unbelief of the ungodly. Conclusion. Unconverted sinner, the Lord desires to show forth the power of His grace in you. Will you not allow Him to work upon you His miracle of saving power? (See outlines on Isa_1:2; Isa_59:1).—W. Guthrie, M.A.

Isa_66:18-24. The ultimate issue of God’s judgments. I. The revelation of the Divine glory in the sight of all nations. II. The universal proclamation of truth. III. The enlargement and perpetuation of the Church. IV. The constant and universal celebration of the Divine praise. V. The everlasting shame and misery of the wicked.

Isa_66:23. I. God is the only true object of worship. Spiritual. Regular. II. His worship shall become universal. III. Shall be constantly perpetuated. What a great work the Church has before it!

Isa_66:24. I. The wickedness of the wicked. II. Its punishment. Certain. Terrible. Without alleviation or hope. III. The perpetuation of its moral lessons. (See also “Gatherings from a Ministry”: John Milne, pp. 229–236).—Dr. Lyth.

The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.

66:14 flourish like the grass: Contrast 40:7; 64:6. • God’s enemies included the disobedient from the foreign nations and from within Israel (see 61:2; 66:6).

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

Ye shall have new strength and new beauty.

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

bones--which once were "dried up" by the "fire" of God's wrath (Lam 1:13), shall live again (Pro 3:8; Pro 15:30; Eze 37:1, &c.).

flourish . . . herb-- (Rom 11:15-24).

known toward--manifested in behalf of.

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

(14) Your bones shall flourish . . .—“Heart” and “bones” stand respectively as symbols of the inner and outer life. The “bones,” the branches, so to speak, of the body, which had been dry and sere, should revive as with the sap of a new life, and be as the succulent herbage. His “hand,” i.e., His manifested power, will show itself in love to His people, in indignation to their enemies.

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

14. R.V. And ye shall see (it) and your heart &c.; recalling ch. Isa_60:5. your bones shall flourish like the tender grass (R.V.)] i.e. shall be fresh and full of sap (cf. Job_21:24; Pro_15:30). So when the strength is exhausted by sickness, the bones are said to be consumed or burn (Psa_31:10; Psa_32:3; Psa_102:3; Lam_1:13).

and his indignation] Strictly: and he will have indignation (as R.V.). A.V. would be a better construction if we might supply the suffix for “his” (so Duhm).

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.

And when ye see this,.... All the above things prophesied of come to pass; the conversion of the Jews; the peaceable and prosperous condition of the church of Christ; and perceive, feel, and enjoy the comforts of God in an experimental manner:

your heart shall rejoice; for nothing can be matter of greater joy than these; these cause an inward, hearty, and sincere joy, and not mere outward expressions of it:

and your bones shall flourish like an herb; in a well watered garden, or on which the dew lies; which revives, lifts up its head, and is green and flourishing: so the hearts of God's people are comforted and filled with joy, it renews their spiritual strength; the bones that were dried up with sorrow become fat and flourishing and like a garden of herbs, whose springs fail not; see Pro 17:22. The people of the Jews, in their present state, are like dry hones; but these dry bones shall live at the word of God, and through the power of his grace, and stand upon their feet, and which will cause great joy to others, and be is life from the dead. This passage Abarbinel and other Jewish writers interpret of the resurrection of the dead; for they believe the same body will rise, and the same bones revive. They have indeed a fabulous notion of the bone "luz", which they say is never consumed, and from which the rest will be restored; but, letting this pass, it may be observed that they use these words with others at the funeral of their dead, and when they return from the grave, thereby expressing their faith in this article. The ceremony used by them is this,

"as they return from the grave, everyone of them plucks up grass from off the ground twice or thrice, and casts it over his head behind him, saying those words of the psalmist, "and they of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth", Psa 72:16 and this they do, to signify their hopes of the resurrection of the dead, who shall flourish as the grass, as the prophet says, "your bones shall flourish as the herb" (b),''

or tender grass; as that springs up after it is cut down, so will the bones of the dead revive again, after they have been reduced to dust in the grave; and if that experiment is fact, said to be made by chemists, that herbs may be caused to grow up out of their ashes, it will serve very much to illustrate the words taken in this sense; which is done in the following manner,

"they take a rose, gillyflower, or any other plant, in the spring, in its full consistence, and beat the whole of it in a mortar to a paste, and extract a kind of ashes or salt out of it, which they put up in glasses, stopped and sealed; and, by applying a candle or a soft fire to them, the herbs or plants are perceived, by little and little, to rise up again out of their salt or ashes, in their several proper forms, as they did in the field (c).''

And the hand of the Lord shall be known towards his servants: in making them thus joyful, prosperous, and fruitful; in protecting and preserving them, and, in supplying all their wants; his hand of power, which is not shortened that he cannot save; and his hand of grace, which is opened to distribute to the necessities of his people:

and his indignation towards his enemies; the worshipper, of the beast, the followers of antichrist, who will drink deep of the wine of the wrath of God, poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation, he will put into their hands; whose indignation is such as is intolerable, there is no standing before it, or sustaining it, or abiding under it; see Rev 14:9. Kimchi says this will be fulfilled in the war of Gog and Magog.

(b) Vid. Buxtorf. Jud. Synagog. c. 49. p. 702, 703. Leo Modena, History of the Rites, &c. of the present Jews, part 5. c. 8. sect. 6. p. 237, 238. (c) See Gregory's Notes and Observations, &c. c. 26. p. 122, 123. and his Posthumua, p. 70. (This sounds like a wild fable to me. Editor.)

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

And when ye see this - This great accession to the church from the Gentile world.

Your bones shall flourish like an herb - This is an image which is often employed in the Scriptures. When the vigor of the body fails, or when it is much afflicted, the bones are said to be feeble or weakened, or to be dried Psa 6:2; Psa 51:8; Psa 22:14, Psa 22:17; Psa 38:3; Lam 1:13; Pro 14:30; Pro 17:22. like manner, prosperity, health, vigor, are denoted by making the bones fat (see the notes at Isa 58:11; Pro 15:20), or by imparting health, marrow, or strength to them Pro 3:8; Pro 16:24. The sense here is, that their vigor would be greatly increased.

The hand of the Lord shall be known - That is, it shall be seen that he is powerful to defend his people, and to punish their enemies.

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

Herb, in baptism and the resurrection. --- Enemies, the Chaldeans, infidel Jews, and all the reprobate, ver 15. How many miracles were wrought by Christian preachers! Persecutors have come to an untimely end. (Calmet) --- Before judgment, the world shall be consumed. (Worthington)

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).

The peace and tranquillity of the church, and the propagation of the kingdom of Christ, is always the cause of a heart-rejoicing to such as fear God, Psa 105:3; the reason is, because it is the greatest object of their desires, which are then satisfied, and their thoughts are then at rest; and besides they are members of the same body, so as their own bones, which before are dry and withered, Eze 37:1,2, and the sinews, and the flesh, come again upon them, and the skin covers them above, so as they

flourish like an herb in the spring, all whose verdure and beauty in the winter was concealed in the root hid in the earth.

And the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants; and in this the power, protection, and influence of God for, of, and upon such as truly serve and obey him shall be made manifest and known.

And his indignation toward his enemies; but the wicked shall be under a quite contrary dispensation, Psa 1:4. As they have had a day which hath been to you the power of darkness, so you shall have a day which shall be to them the power of darkness; as God’s hand shall be upon and towards such as fear me, to cover, and bless, and influence them, so his indignation shall in that day be showed towards those of your nation who have declared themselves the enemies of the Lord.

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

Your bones shall flourish like a herb. (comp. Isa_58:11) In the time of calamity, Israel"s "bones" have been "consumed", (Psa_31:10) and "waxed old", (Psa_32:3) and "burned with". (Job_30:30) Now they shall enjoy a time of refreshing from the Lord. New life shall enter them, and health and growth shall follow. The nation shall be rejuvenated, and "flourish" in more than its pristine strength. The hand of the Lord shall be known; or recognized, both in this merciful treatment of his servants, and also in the indignation with which he will visit his enemies. This last clause conveniently introduces the following "theophany" (vers. 15-18).

The Lord"s indignation; or, the Divine goodness and severity.

"The hand of the Lord shall be known towards his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies." Here two sides of the Divine nature are declared, which we find it difficult to conceive as harmonious in one person. It is not only true that God is gracious toward his people, and angry with the wicked; it is also true that in dealing with his people he is both gracious and severe.

I IN THE GOD OF REVELATION WE FIND BOTH MERCY AND INDIGNATION. Nature blends rains and storms, sunshine and hurricanes, spring breath and volcanoes. The revelation to the Jews provides illustration.

1. See the early traditions of the world preserved by the Jews Eden the Flood Sodom.

2. See the story of the great Patriarchs of Jacob, of the Israelites in the wilderness.

3. See the records of the Jews as a nation. Raised to heaven with privileges, crushed into the deep with judgments.

4. See the condition of the Jewish nation, as now scattered over the earth. Every scattered, landless, homeless Jew, against whom the world"s byword is east, is set forth before men to plead with them and say, "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God.

5. See the last revelation made to men in Christ Jesus.

(1) Note how the Messiah was described beforehand in prophecy. (Isa_63:3, Isa_63:4)

(2) Note the exclamations of those who saw the babe Messiah.

(3) Note the outbursts of righteous indignation during the ministry of Christ.

(4) Note some sentences used in his public teaching (Matthew 25). The following words were characteristic of Christ"s teachings: "everlasting punishment;" "destruction:" "death;" "fire;" "worm that never dies;" "gnashing of teeth;" "thirst;" "torment;" "outer darkness.

(5) Note the apostolic doctrine of Christ. In it there is a place for the "wrath of the Lamb.

II IN THE GOD OF OUR APPREHENSION WE FIND BOTH MERCY AND INDIGNATION.

1. Give the testimony of man"s reason. It recognizes that the good man will be sure to blaze into indignation at wrong-doing.

2. Give the testimony of mans fear. What is man afraid of if he has no notion of God as able to, and bound to, punish transgressors? Men do not tremble before a God who is all mercy. We fear the God of indignations, who can cast body and soul into hell. How wicked it is for any of us to go on in sin, presuming upon God"s mercifulness! What sinners have to do with is Gods indignation. 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.

Rejoice - The peace of the church and the propagation of the kingdom of Christ, is always the cause of an heart rejoicing to such as fear God, so that they flourish like an herb in the spring. The hand - The power, protection, and influence of God.

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

Wherever they look, joy now meets their eye. "And ye will see, and your heart will be joyful, and your bones will flourish like young herbage; and thus does the hand of Jehovah make itself known in His servants, and fiercely does He treat His enemies." They will see, and their heart will rejoice, i.e., (cf., Isa 53:11; Isa 60:5) they will enjoy a heart-cheering prospect, and revive again with such smiling scenery all around. The body is like a tree The bones are its branches. These will move and extend themselves in the fulness of rejuvenated strength (compare Isa 58:11, et ossa tua expedita faciet); and thus will the hand of Jehovah practically become known (venwde‛âh, perf. cons.) in His servants - that hand under whose gracious touch all vernal life awakens, whether in body or in mind. And thus is it with the surviving remnant of Israel, whereas Jehovah is fiercely angry with His foes. The first את is used in a prepositional sense, as in Psa 67:2, viz., "in His servants, so that they come to be acquainted with it"; the second in an accusative sense, for zâ'am is either connected with על, or as in Zac 1:12; Mal 1:4, with the accusative of the object. It is quite contrary to the usage of the language to take both את according to the phrase (עס) את (רעה) מובה עשׂה.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

“And ye shall see, and your heart shall leap (with joy), and your bones like grass shall sprout, and the hand of Jehovah shall be known to His servants, and He shall be indignant at His enemies.” The object of address still continues to be those who had loved Zion, and had mourned for her, and whom God had promised to comfort in Jerusalem. They are here assured that they shall see for themselves the fulfillment of these promises. The hand of God is known when His power is recognized as the cause of any given effect. This clause is important as affording a transition from the promise to the threatening, in accordance with the Prophet’s constant practice of presenting the salvation of God’s people as coincident and simultaneous with the destruction of his enemies.

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

General Information:

Isaiah is speaking to God's faithful people.

your bones will sprout

"Bones" refers to the whole body. (See: Synecdoche)

will sprout like the tender grass

"Tender grass" grows fast and strong and compares to the health and vigor of God's faithful people. (See: Simile)

The hand of Yahweh will be made known to his servants

Here "hand" refers to his power. This can be stated in active form. AT: "Yahweh will reveal his power to his servants" (See: Active or Passive and Metonymy)

translationWords

heart

joy

Yahweh

hand

reveal

servant

anger

adversary

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

and the hand of the Lord shall be known When He wreaks His vengeance and His awesome acts, His servants shall know the strength of the might of His hand.

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.

Your heart The soul is meant, which has its principal seat in the heart.

And your bones. The principal constituents of the human frame.

וזעם And He will be indignant. It is a verb; it has the accent on the last syllable, and a Kamez in the first, while the noun זעם has the accent on the last syllable but one, and in both syllables a Pathah (זַעַם)

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.