Isaiah 62

Isaiah 62:1

Isaiah: God controls the nations God’s promises to his special people An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Isaiah chapters 58 to 66 www.easyenglish.info Norman Hillyer This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 62 *Jerusalem’s new name v1 I will not be silent about *Jerusalem. Nor will I rest until *Jerusalem’s goodness shines as clearly as a bright sunrise. And until *Jerusalem’s rescue by God is as plain to see as a great fire on a dark night. v2 Foreign nations will see your goodness. And their kings will see your beauty and honour. You will have a new name, which the *Lord will choose for you. v3 The *Lord will hold you high in his hands for all to see. You will be as a beautiful crown for the King of all kings. v4 You will never again be called ‘Alone’.

Nor will your land be called ‘Empty’. But you will be called ‘Hephzibah’ (‘My delight is in her’) and your land will be called ‘Beulah’ (‘Married’). Because you are a joy to the *Lord. And your land will be married to him. v5 As a young man marries a girl, so will you be married. He who rebuilds you will marry you. As a bridegroom is delighted to have his bride, so will the *Lord be delighted to have you.

Verses 1-9

In this passage, ‘you’ means the city called Jerusalem and its inhabitants.

Verse 1

Both ‘not be silent’ and ‘nor rest’ are forms of words to express the firm intention to complete a task.

 God has made similar promises before about the wonderful future for *Jerusalem and its inhabitants. But that wonderful future never seems to come. So the Servant continues to urge the *Lord to act as he has promised.

 For ‘shines … sunrise’, see my notes on Isaiah 60:1-2.

Verse 2

Foreign nations will think seriously about God’s actions on behalf of the people from Judah.

 In the Bible, a ‘name’ refers to a person’s character. But a ‘new name’ means that the *Lord will bring about a change in the character of the inhabitants of Judah. Such a change will also mean a new relationship with the *Lord (see verse 4, below; see also Isaiah 60:14 and 60:18).

Verse 3

*Jerusalem is to be like a ‘crown’ in the *Lord’s hand. This is picture language, to mean that the *Lord will make *Jerusalem a royal city.

 *Jerusalem is very important in God’s great plans. Those plans are not only for the benefit of God’s special people. The plans refer to all nations. That is why God is sometimes called ‘King of all kings’.

Verses 4-5

The two names ‘Alone’ and ‘Empty’ express what the inhabitants of Judah thought about themselves. In Isaiah 49:14-23 and 54:6-7, the inhabitants of Judah complained that the *Lord had left them ‘alone’. And that enemies had ruined the land. They had left it ‘empty’ of crops and fruit trees.

 But the *Lord has completely changed that situation. The *Lord uses new names in picture language to describe a new relationship between him and his people. ‘Hephzibah’ and ‘Beulah’ are words in the people’s *Hebrew language. Pray for *Jerusalem v6-7 I have appointed *look-outs to stand on your walls, *Jerusalem. They will never be silent in the daytime or in the night. They will cry continuously to God to do what he has promised to do. God promised to make *Jerusalem a city that the whole world will admire again.

Verses 6-7

In ancient times, official *look-outs stood on city walls. Their duty was vital. It was to warn the inhabitants when any danger approached. Or to signal urgent messages to another city. In this verse, ‘*look-outs’ is picture language for people who send urgent messages to God by prayer. They want him to carry out his promises for *Jerusalem’s wonderful future (see verse 1, above; see also Isaiah 60:3).

 God’s intention is that people will know his power. It is only God’s work that makes it possible for people to rebuild *Jerusalem. But many inhabitants of *Jerusalem had a more selfish attitude. They wanted other nations to see what a splendid city they themselves had built. God’s promise about *Jerusalem v8 The *Lord has made a serious promise to you. And by his power he will carry it out. He will never again give your crops to your enemies to eat. And foreigners will not drink the wine for which you have worked so hard. v9 Those who harvest the grain will eat it. And they will praise the *Lord for it. And those who gather the *grapes will themselves drink the wine in my *Temple.

Verses 8-9

No foreign enemy will control the land ever again.

Verse 9

In the original language, ‘praise’ in this verse means more than the use of words. It includes a gift to God (see Leviticus 19:24).

 When the people returned from *exile, they would probably not be able to repair the *Temple immediately. But God promised that they would ‘drink the wine in my *Temple’. This would encourage everyone to believe that the repair of the *Temple would definitely happen. God will save *Jerusalem v10 Inhabitants of *Jerusalem, get out of your city. Build a road for your people that are returning from distant countries. Prepare a good road for them. Clear away the stones and make the road smooth. And put up a flag to attract all nations to see what God is doing. v11 Listen! The *Lord is sending a message to all the nations in the world. ‘I am telling the inhabitants of *Jerusalem that I am coming to save them. And I am bringing home the people that I have rescued from *exile.’ v12 Other people will call God’s people the ‘Holy Nation’. Because they are the people that the holy *Lord God has rescued. They are inhabitants of the city that God greatly cares about. He will never leave them to be alone.

Verse 10

This is not an instruction to prepare an actual road. The words provide a word picture. The meaning is that the citizens of *Jerusalem must give a very warm welcome to the *exiles on their arrival. And nothing should prevent this welcome.

Verse 12

The name ‘Holy Nation’ means that the people in Judah will be different from other people. The holy *Lord God has chosen them in particular to serve him in a special way.

© 2007, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

October 2007

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