Isaiah 62:8

Verse

The LORD has sworn by His right hand and by His mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain to your enemies for food, nor will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled.

American Standard Version (1901)

Jehovah hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies; and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored:

Bible in Basic English

The Lord has taken an oath by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Truly, I will no longer give your grain to be food for your haters; and men of strange countries will not take the wine for which your work has been done:

Free Bible Version

The Lord has made a solemn promise, swearing by his power and might: I won't ever again let your enemies have your grain to eat, or let foreigners drink the new wine you worked hard for.

Geneva Bible 1599

The Lord hath sworne by his right hand and by his strong arme, Surely I wil no more giue thy corne to be meate for thine enemies, and surely the sonnes of the strangers shall not drinke thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured.

King James (Authorized) Version

The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:

One Unity Resource Bible

Adonai has sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, “Surely I will no more give your grain to be food for your enemies; and foreigners will not drink your new wine, for which you have labored;

Translation for Translators

Yahweh has raised his right hand to solemnly promise to the people of Jerusalem, “I will use my power [MTY] and never again allow your enemies to defeat you; soldiers from other nations will never come again to take away your grain and the wine that you worked hard to produce.

Unlocked Literal Bible

Yahweh has sworn by his right hand and by the arm of his strength, “Surely I will no longer give your grain as food for your enemies. Foreigners will not drink your new wine, for which you have worked.

Noah Webster Bible

The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be food for thy enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for which thou hast labored:

World English Bible

Yahweh has sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, “Surely I will no more give your grain to be food for your enemies, and foreigners will not drink your new wine, for which you have labored,

Young's Literal Translation

Sworn hath Jehovah by His right hand, Even by the arm of His strength: 'I give not thy corn any more [as] food for thine enemies, Nor do sons of a stranger drink thy new wine, For which thou hast laboured.

Context

Zion’s Salvation and New Name

⁷nor give Him any rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth. ⁸The LORD has sworn by His right hand and by His mighty arm: “Never again will I give your grain to your enemies for food, nor will foreigners drink the new wine for which you have toiled. ⁹For those who harvest grain will eat it and praise the LORD, and those who gather grapes will drink the wine in My holy courts.”

Sermons

The Hope of Revival

Vernon Higham

590

Summary

Isaiah 62:8 speaks of the Lord's unwavering commitment to His people and His promise to never remain silent until their righteousness shines brightly like the dawn. This verse conveys God's faithfulness in upholding His covenant with His chosen ones, ensuring that their vindication and salvation will be evident to all nations. It reflects the divine zeal and passion of the Lord in establishing His kingdom on earth and bringing about ultimate justice and restoration. The imagery of a shining light symbolizes the glory and honor that God bestows upon His people as a testimony to His faithfulness and love. Overall, Isaiah 62:8 underscores the divine intervention and sovereignty of God in fulfilling His redemptive purposes for His beloved children.

Commentary

Keil-Delitzsch
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary

The following strophe expresses one side of the divine promise, on which the hope of that lofty and universally acknowledged glory of Jerusalem, for whose completion the watchers upon its walls so ceaselessly exert themselves, is founded. "Jehovah hath sworn by His right hand, and by His powerful arm, Surely I no more give thy corn for food to thine enemies; and foreigners will to drink thy must, for which thou hast laboured hard. No, they that gather it in shall eat it, and praise Jehovah; and they that store it, shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary." The church will no more succumb to the tyranny of a worldly power. Peace undisturbed, and unrestricted freedom, reign there. With praise to Jehovah are the fruits of the land enjoyed by those who raised and reaped them. יגעתּ (with an auxiliary pathach, as in Isa 47:12, Isa 47:15) is applied to the cultivation of the soil, and includes the service of the heathen who are incorporated in Israel (Isa 61:5); whilst אסּף (whence מאספיו with ס raphatum) or אסף (poel, whence the reading מאספיו, cf., Psa 101:5, meloshnı̄; Psa 109:10, ve-dorshū, for which in some codd. and editions we find מאספיו, an intermediate form between piel and poel; see at Psa 62:4) and קבּץ stand in the same relation to one another as condere (horreo) and colligere (cf., Isa 11:12). The expression bechatsrōth qodshı̄, in the courts of my sanctuary, cannot imply that the produce of the harvest will never be consumed anywhere else than there (which is inconceivable), but only that their enjoyment of the harvest-produce will be consecrated by festal meals of worship, with an allusion to the legal regulation that two-tenths (ma‛ăsēr shēnı̄) should be eaten in a holy place (liphnē Jehovah) by the original possessor and his family, with the addition of the Levites and the poor (Deu 14:22-27 : see Saalschtz, Mosaisches Recht, cap. 42). Such thoughts, as that all Israel will then be a priestly nation, or that all Jerusalem will be holy, are not implied in this promise. All that it affirms is, that the enjoyment of the harvest-blessing will continue henceforth undisturbed, and be accompanied with the grateful worship of the giver, and therefore, because sanctified by thanksgiving, will become an act of worship in itself. This is what Jehovah has sworn "by His right hand," which He only lifts up with truth, and "by His powerful arm," which carries out what it promises without the possibility of resistance. The Talmud (b. Nazir 3b) understand by עזו זרוע the left arm, after Dan 12:7; but the ו of ובזרוע is epexegetical.

John Gill Bible Commentary

The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength,.... By Christ, say some, who is the arm of the Lord, the power of God, by whom he made the world, and upholds all things; but though he sometimes is said to swear unto him, and concerning him, yet is never said to swear by him; rather the attribute of omnipotence is here designed; as God is sometimes said to swear by his holiness, so here by his almighty power; the consideration of which itself is a great encouragement to faith, to believe the fulfilment of promises, because God is able; but his swearing by it is a further confirmation of it; it is as if he had said, let me not be thought to be the omnipotent God I am, if I do not do so and so; or as sure as I have such a right hand, and arm of strength, what follows shall certainly be accomplished: surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the strangers shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured: this was threatened to the people of Israel, in case of sinning against God, and revolting from him; and was accomplished in the times of their captivity in Babylon, Deu 28:33 but here it is promised, and the strongest assurance given, it should be so no more; which cannot respect the deliverance of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity; for it is certain that after that their enemies did eat their corn, and drink their wine; the Romans came and took away their city and nation, as they feared, and all their good things; wherefore this must refer to future times, to times yet to come, when this people, being converted, shall be restored to their own land, and enjoy great plenty of good things, and never more be disturbed by their enemies: though all this may be understood in a spiritual sense of the "corn" and "wine" of the Gospel, and the ministration of it; which was first provided for them, and they were invited to partake of it; and in preparing which the apostles and first ministers of the word, being Jews, "laboured"; but they rejecting it, it was carried to the Gentiles, who had been their "enemies", and were "aliens" from the commonwealth of Israel, which they gladly received and fed upon; but now it is promised, that the Gospel, being again brought unto them, should no more be taken from them, but ever continue with them; even all the means of grace, and ordinances of the Gospel, for the comfort and refreshment of their souls.