Isaiah 40:10

Behold, the Lord God will come with a strong hand,.... Some understand this of the second coming of Christ, which coming is certain, such assurances being given of it by promise and prophecy; and

Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

With strong hand; with invincible strength, conquering all his enemies. The word hand or arm may very well be understood out of the following clause. His arm shall rule for him; he shall need no succours, for his own power shall be sufficient to govern his people, and to destroy his adversaries. His reward is with him; he comes furnished with recompences, as well of mercy and blessings for his friends and followers, as of justice and vengeance for his enemies. His work before him; he carrieth on his work or design effectually, so as none can hinder him; for that is said in Scripture to be before a man which is in his power, as 24:51, &c. Or work is here put for the reward of the work, as it Isaiah 65:7, and elsewhere. And so the same thing is repeated in other words, as is very usual.

Isaiah 40:10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong [hand], and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward [is] with him, and his work before him.Ver. 10. Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand.] Or, The Lord God will come against the mighty - i.e., Christ against the devil and his agents, whom he shall vanquish, and give them their due. See 1 John 3:6 Matthew 12:29 John 12:31 Colossians 2:15 Hebrews 2:14). And his arm shall rule for him.] Or, His arm shall rule over him - i.e., over Satan. Piscat., Diod.

(10) The Lord God.—Adonai Jehovah; each word commonly translated Lord. The combination is characteristic both of 1 and 2 Isaiah (Isaiah 3:15; Isaiah 28:16; Isaiah 30:15). With strong hand.—Literally, with, or in strength of hand, as the essence of His being. The “arm” of the Lord is a favourite phrase of Isaiah (Isaiah 51:5; Isaiah 51:9; Isaiah 52:10) for His power. His reward is with him . . .—The noun “work” has also the sense of recompense for the faithful worker (Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:15, and is rightly taken in that sense here and in Isaiah 62:11).

Verse 10. His reward is with him, and his work before him. - "His reward is with him, and the recompense of his work before him."] That is, the reward and the recompense which he bestows, and which he will pay to his faithful servants; this he has ready at hand with him, and holds it out before him, to encourage those who trust in him and wait for him.

Ch. Isaiah 40:1-11. The PrologueThis first proclamation of glad tidings to Zion (see ch. Isaiah 41:27) is a passage of singular beauty, breathing the spirit of new-born hope and enthusiasm with which the prophet enters on his work. The announcement of a miraculous restoration of the exiles to their own land is the central theme of his prophecy, and the point around which all the ideas of the book crystallize. As yet the historical fact is but dimly outlined, the writer’s mind being occupied with its ideal significance as a revelation of the glory and the gracious character of Jehovah (Isaiah 40:5; Isaiah 40:10 f.). His state of mind borders on ecstasy; his ears are filled with the music of heavenly voices telling him that the night is far spent and the day is at hand; and although his home is with the exiles in Babylon, his gaze is fixed throughout on Jerusalem and the great Divine event which is the consummation of Israel’s redemption.—The prologue consists of two parts: i. Isaiah 40:1-2.—Proclamation of forgiveness and promise of deliverance to the exiled nation. ii. Isaiah 40:3-11. An imaginative description of the process by which the promise is to be fulfilled,—Jehovah’s return with His people to their ancient abode. This second division contains three sections:— (1) Isaiah 40:3-5. A voice is heard calling on un seen agencies to prepare a way for Jehovah through the desert. The idea expressed is that already the spiritual and supernatural forces are in motion which will bring about the return of the captives and a revelation of the Divine glory to all the world. (2) Isaiah 40:6-8. A second voice calls on the prophet to proclaim the fundamental truth on which the realisation of his hope depends,—the perishableness of all human power, and the enduring stability of the word of the Lord. (3) Isaiah 40:9-11. The prophet himself now takes up the strain; he summons a company of ideal messengers to announce to Zion and the cities of Judah the advent of Jehovah with His ransomed people.

Behold, the Lord God will come - (See the note at Isaiah 40:3) Applied to the condition of the Jews in exile, this means that God would come to deliver them.

10, 11. Behold — Serious attention is again challenged. Amplification of last words in preceding verse.