Assemble yourselves, and come, and draw near together, ye that are saved of the Gentiles: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven work, and pray to a god that cannot save.

“approach Heb. הִתְנַגְּשׁוּ, an expression of approaching (הַגָּשָׁה) and the ‘nun’ is attached to it, as one says “they were struck (הִתְנַגְּפוּ)”; “they will be struck (יִתְנַגְּפוּ).” you survivors of the nations who survived the sword of Nebuchadnezzar. who carry their graven wooden image...do not know to understand knowledge.”

“Thus says the Lord to my Christ, etc. After he had strengthened them to a firm expectation of the divine promises, in this part he begins to pursue the divine promises, for their consolation: and it is divided into two. In the first he promises liberation from evils; in the second he promises salvation in goods, chapter 56: Thus says the Lord: keep judgment, etc. The first is divided into two. In the first he promises them the benefit of liberation; in the second he excludes every impediment to liberation, chapter 50: Thus says the Lord: who is this bill, etc. The first is divided into three. In the first he signifies beforehand for them a liberator; in the second he foretells the destruction of those who capture and detain them, chapter 46, Bel is broken, etc.; in the third he promises the liberation of the Jews, chapter 48: Hear this, house, etc. The first is divided into two. In the first he announces beforehand the liberator; in the second he shows the resulting benefit, Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, etc. The first is divided into three. In the first he foretells the power of the liberator; in the second he describes his nativity, Drop down dew, you heavens, etc.; in the third he refutes the contradiction of unbelievers, there, Woe to him who contradicts, etc. Concerning the first, two things. First he sets down the summit of power to which he was exalted, against three things which are wont to escape the hand of a king: either on account of multitude; and as to this he says, to my Christ, that is, to the king, not on account of anointing, but on account of royal dignity: because among them kings were anointed. I have taken his right hand, as a helper of his works, nations, diverse, etc., Deuteronomy 28: the Lord will give enemies, etc. Or on account of strength; and as to this he says: I will go before you, preparing a place for your victory, sending your terror into the adversaries: the glorious ones, powerful above others, like the Babylonians: the brazen gates, the most powerful cities. Psalm 106: who broke the brazen gates, etc. Or on account of concealment; and as to this he says: and I will give you treasures, of diverse kings, whose cities he took. Job 12: he reveals deep things out of darkness, etc. Second, he sets down the fruit of this benefit: and first in himself; second in others, that they may know, those who from the rising, etc. Concerning the first, two things. First he sets down the fruit of power required by God in Cyrus, namely of his own knowledge: that you may know that I, etc., Romans 4: who calls the things that are not, etc.; and of the liberation of the people, for the sake of my servant, etc., namely so that you may liberate him from captivity, Esther 3: who knows whether for this reason to the kingdom, etc. Second he shows that this benefit, on the part of Cyrus himself, is in part frustrated: and I called, foretelling your name: I have likened you, in this to my other saints, whose names were foretold beforehand by the Lord: you have not known me, to be the only true God, remaining in idolatry. I have girded you, with strength, etc., Proverbs 1: I called and you refused, etc. That they may know. Here he shows the fruit in others: and first he shows that in others he seeks the fruit of the knowledge of himself. Who from the rising, that is, those dwelling through the whole world. This was fulfilled in that Cyrus wrote the praise of God everywhere in his letters; or because all praised God together, seeing the liberation of the Jews. Psalm 82: let them know that your name, etc. Second he proposes an argument for his divinity, by which he can be known in this, that he is able to afflict and to liberate, I am the Lord, etc. Light, the day or consolation: evil, of punishment. Amos 3: if there is evil in a city, etc., Ecclesiasticus 42: God has made all things double, etc. Drop down dew. Here he describes the nativity of Cyrus under the metaphor of the fruit of a tree, for whose generation the moisture of the earth and rain and dew from heaven are required; so in the nativity of Cyrus the divine mercy concurs, intending to liberate its people through him; and the lower nature, which is signified. Hence he does three things. He describes the rising, drop down dew: the fruit of the nativity, and let justice arise: and the first principle of the nativity, I the Lord, etc. Let them rain the just one, neuter or masculine: or by heaven and clouds, the prophets and other just men who, by foretelling him, and by asking for him from God with tears, in a certain way rained him down. Psalm 71: he shall come down like rain, etc. Woe to him who contradicts. Here he excludes the contradiction of unbelievers: and first under the metaphor of a craftsman shaping clay: because just as clay does not contradict the potter, so neither should the Jews contradict God, not believing that anyone could arise who would overcome the Babylonians. Of the Samian, earthen vessels, because this art was invented in the city of Samos, without hands, as if without the proper working of a hand, or as flagons have hands. Above, 29: as if the clay against the potter, etc., Romans 9: shall the thing formed say, etc. Second, under the metaphor of a father begetting, woe to him who says, as if: I am the father procreating Cyrus, and like a mother conceiving him in purpose; and therefore you ought not to contradict me in this, just as neither should one contradict a mother who is begetting. Below, 66: shall I who cause others to bring forth, etc.; or he speaks against those diviners who, from the birth of Cyrus, pronounced many future evils, saying it would be better if he were not born. Or against those among the Jews who said: why do we beget sons, that they should be born into captivity? Thus says the Lord, etc. Here he sets down the benefit of the liberator: and first as to the liberation of the Jews; second as to the conversion of the Gentiles, for thus says the Lord, etc. Concerning the first, three things. First he shows his authority for foretelling future things: his, namely Cyrus's, maker, the fashioner, concerning the sons, the Jews, to be liberated, or whatever others I will to be born, and not the idols. Above, 8: shall not a people, etc.; but the Gloss reads it ironically. Second he foretells the liberation, showing his own power, he who promises, I have made. Their host, namely of the heavens, I have commanded, prefixing to each its office and nature. Above, 40: who brings out their host by number, etc.; and the direction of the one executing it: I have raised up, to dignity, him, Cyrus, (the past for the future) unto justice, to be done concerning the Chaldeans. Proverbs 3: in all your ways think, etc.; and he promises liberation: he himself, namely Cyrus, shall build, promising, and giving expenses for the building. Below, 52: you were sold for nothing, etc. Third, there Thus says the Lord, etc., he promises the exaltation of the liberated as to three things. First as to the adherence of strangers, setting down the adherence: the labor of Egypt, their riches, and they themselves, as to the many who followed them, Zechariah 8: ten men shall take hold, etc., or he speaks of those who clung to Christ, the labor, in idols, shall cease. The trade, earthly. And the subjection of those adhering: they shall walk after you, subject to you, bound in chains, that is, in bonds of the hands, as if so humbled before you as those who are bound in such a way, or in the bonds of the precepts of Christ. Below, 40: they shall come bent to you, etc.; and setting down also the confession of the truth, only in you, namely saying these things. Hidden, not visible like our gods; savior, not weak. Psalm 17: he made darkness his hiding place, etc. Second he shows their exaltation as to the confusion of enemies, they are confounded, etc., Micah, last chapter: the nations shall see, etc. Third as to the perpetual salvation of the Jews: Israel is saved forever. Unless he shall have sinned, or concerning the spiritual Israel. Zephaniah 3: the king of Israel, the Lord, etc. For thus says the Lord. Here he sets down another benefit as to the conversion of the Gentiles: and concerning this he does three things. First he brings forward five reasons leading to conversion; of which the first is taken from the creation of things, he himself, God, forming, etc., Psalm 145: who made heaven and earth, etc.; the second from the love of men, because he gave them the earth as a habitation, not in vain, etc., (Psalm 113): the heaven of heaven to the Lord, etc.; the third from the manifestation of the truth preached, not in secret, as those things which natural reason dictates are to be done; or concerning the preaching of the Christian faith. John 18: I have spoken openly, etc.; the fourth from the usefulness of the precepts, I have not said to the seed, etc., Psalm 18: in keeping them, etc.; the fifth from the equity of the precepts, I the Lord, etc., below, 63: I who speak justice, etc. Second, there assemble yourselves, he enjoins upon the Jews the calling of the Gentiles, recalling their own salvation: assemble yourselves, as it were to hear my command, you who are saved, liberated from the captivity of the nations. Below, the last chapter: I will send from those who are saved, etc.; setting down also the necessity of calling, the error, namely of the Gentiles, they have not known who lift up, Baruch, last chapter: you shall see in Babylon gods, etc.; enjoining the announcement of his praise, announce; in which he enjoins the office, take counsel, how you ought to convert others. Psalm 95: announce among the nations, etc., who has caused to be heard, in which he teaches them an argument for his divinity, for converting others, namely from the foreknowledge of future things: and he sets down the reason, and the conclusion there, is it not, therefore, etc., Ecclesiasticus 42: declaring the things that have passed, etc. Third he invites the Gentiles to conversion: and first the invitation is set down, be converted, etc., Zechariah 1: turn to me, etc. Second he foretells their conversion, setting down the sign of adoration, by myself: because I have no greater one by whom to swear. Hebrews 6; it shall not return, without effect. Below, 55: so shall the word be, etc. Shall be bent, by Christians, which is the manner of adoring the Redeemer, according to Damascene, Philippians 2: in the name of Jesus, etc.; setting down also the sign of swearing, and shall swear: because each one swears by his own god. Psalm 62: all shall be praised who swear, etc.; setting down also the sign of true confession: therefore in the Lord, that is, in the person of the Lord, my, namely God's: Apocalypse 1: to him be glory and dominion, or my, namely the Church's, justice, the figure of the law of the Jews. Third he foretells the confusion of unbelievers: to him shall come, as it were to be judged, those who do not come as believers, on the day of judgment. Fourth, the salvation of believers: in the Lord shall all the seed be justified, not only according to the flesh, but according to faith. Psalm 108: let those who rise up against me be confounded, etc. Mystically, drop down dew, concerning the nativity of Christ. In which three things: the principle of the nativity, the rising of the one being born, and the fruit of the nativity. The principle is threefold. The first is the heaven dropping dew, as it were the effective principle, namely the operation of the three persons, on account of which heavens is plural. The Father by sending the Son. Galatians 4: when the fullness came, etc., the Son by assuming flesh. Philippians 2: he humbled himself, etc., the Holy Spirit by bringing about the conception. Matthew 1: for that which is born in her, etc. The second principle is the cloud raining, which is the preparatory principle; in which is taken the office of the Angel announcing. Job 37: the clouds scatter, etc., Luke 1, the prophecy of the prophets. Psalm 17: dark water, etc., Romans 1: he had promised before through the prophets, etc., the desire of the just. Psalm 103: you make the cloud an ascent, Malachi 3: presently he shall come, etc. The third principle is the earth budding forth, which is the receptive principle, namely the blessed Virgin; concerning whom in Psalm 84: our earth shall yield, etc.; whose affection is opened for finding the privilege of grace. Luke 1: fear not, Mary, etc., Proverbs, last chapter: many daughters have gathered together, etc., the understanding, for believing the word of the Angel. Luke 1: blessed are you who have believed, etc., the womb, for conceiving the Son of God. Behold you shall conceive in the womb, etc., Luke 1: but the rising is compared to dew, to rain, and to the sprout. Because Christ is dew for refreshing. Above, 18: like a cloud of dew, etc., rain for fructifying. Psalm 71: he shall come down like rain, etc., below, 55: as the shower and the snow, etc., a sprout for bearing fruit. Jeremiah 23: I will raise up David, etc. The fruit is justice, which arises with him, threefold: which he fulfilled in deed: Matthew 3: thus it becomes us, etc., which he taught in word: below, 63: I who speak, etc., which he gave as a gift. 1 Corinthians 1: he was made unto us wisdom, and sanctification, and justice, etc.”

“What here is said is intended, as before, I. For the conviction of idolators, to show them their folly in worshipping gods that cannot help them, and neglecting a God that can. Let all that have escaped of the nations, not only the people of the Jews, but those of other nations that were by Cyrus released out of captivity in Babylon, let them come, and hear what is to be said against the worshipping of idols, that they may be cured of it as well as the Jews, that Babylon, which had of old been the womb of idolatry, might now become the grave of it. Let the refugees assemble themselves and come together; God has something to say to them for their own good, and it is this, that idolatry is a foolish sottish thing, upon two accounts: - 1. It is setting up a refuge of lies for themselves: They set up the wood of their graven image; for that is the substratum. Though they overlay it with gold, deck it with ornaments, and make a god of it, yet still it is but wood. They pray to a god that cannot save; for he cannot hear, he cannot help, he can do nothing. How do those disparage themselves who give honour to that as a god which cannot, as a god, give good to them! How do those deceive themselves who pray for relief to that which is in no capacity at all to relieve them! Certainly those have no knowledge, or are brutish in their knowledge, who take so much pains, and do so much penance, in seeking the favour of a god that has no power. 2. It is setting up a rival with God, the only living and true God (Isa 45:21): "Summon them all; tell them that the great cause shall again be tried, though once adjudged, between God and Baal. Bring them near, and let them take counsel together what to say in defence of themselves and their idols. It shall, as before, be put upon this issue: let them show when any of their gods did with any certainty foretel future events, as the God of Israel has done, and it shall be acknowledged that they have some colour for their pretensions. But None of them ever did; their prophets were lying prophets; but I the Lord have told it from that time, long before it came to pass; therefore you must own thee is no other God besides me." (1.) None besides is fit to rule. He is a just God, and rules in justice, and will execute justice for those that are oppressed. (2.) None besides is able to help. As he is a just God, so he is the Saviour, who can save without the assistance of any, but without whom none can save. Those therefore have no sense of truth and falsehood, good and evil, no, nor of their own interest, that set up any in competition with him. II. For the comfort and encouragement of all God's faithful worshippers, whoever they are, Isa 45:22. Those that worship idols pray to gods that cannot save; but the God of Israel says it to all the ends of the earth, to his people, though they are scattered into the utmost corners of the world and seem to be lost and forgotten in their dispersion, "Let them but look to me by faith and prayer, look above instruments and second causes, look off from all pretenders, and look up to me, and they shall be saved." It seems to refer further to the conversion of the Gentiles that live in the ends of the earth, the most distant nations, when the standard of the gospel is set up. To it shall the Gentiles seek. When Christ is lifted up from the earth, as the brazen serpent upon the pole, he shall draw the eyes of all men to him. They shall all be invited to look unto him, as the stung Israelites did to the brazen serpent; and so strong is the eye of faith that by divine grace it will reach the Saviour and fetch in salvation by him even from the ends of the earth; for he is God, and the is none else. Two things are here promised, for the abundant satisfaction of all that by faith look to the Saviour: - 1. That the glory of the God they serve shall be greatly advanced; and this will be good news to all the Lord's people, that, how much soever they and their names are depressed, God will be exalted, Isa 45:23. This is confirmed by an oath, that we might have strong consolation: I have sworn by myself (and God can swear by no greater, Heb 6:13); the word has gone out of my mouth, and shall neither be recalled nor return empty; it has gone forth in righteousness, for it is the most reasonable equitable thing in the world that he who made all should be Lord of all, that, since all beings are derived from him, they should all be devoted to him. He has said it, and it shall be made good, I will be exalted, Psa 46:10. He has assured us, (1.) That he will be universally submitted to, that the kingdoms of the world shall become his kingdom. They shall do him homage - Unto me every knee shall bow; and they shall bind themselves by an oath of allegiance to him - Unto me every tongue shall swear. This is applied to the dominion of our Lord Jesus, Rom 14:10, Rom 14:11. We shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ and give account to him, for it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me and every tongue shall confess to God; and it seems to be referred to, Psa 2:9, Psa 2:10. If the heart be brought into obedience to Christ, and made willing in the day of his power, the knee will bow to him in humble adorations and addresses, and in cheerful obedience to his commands, submission to his disposals, and compliance with his will in both; and the tongue will swear to him, will lay a bond upon the soul to engage it for ever to him; for he that bears an honest mind never startles at assurances. (2.) That he will be universally sought unto, and application shall be made to him from all parts of the world: Unto him shall men of distant countries come, to implore his favour. Unto thee shall all flesh come with their request, Psa 65:2. And, when Christ was lifted up from the earth, he drew all men to him. (3.) That it will be to no purpose to make opposition to him. All that are incensed against him, that rage at his bonds and cords - the nations that are angry because he has taken to himself his great power and has reigned, that have been incensed at the strictness of his laws, the success of his gospel, and the spiritual nature of his kingdom - they shall be ashamed; some shall be brought to a penitential shame for it, others to a remediless ruin. One way or other, sooner or later, all that are uneasy at Christ's government and victories will be made ashamed of their folly and obstinacy. Blessed be God for the assurance here given us that, whatever becomes of us and our interests, the Lord will reign for ever! 2. That the welfare of the souls they are concerned for shall be effectually secured: Surely shall one say, and another shall learn by his example to say the same, so that all the seed of Israel, according to the Spirit, shall say, and stand to it, (1.) That God has a sufficiency for them and that in Christ there is enough to supply all their needs: In the Lord is all righteousness and strength (so the margin reads it); he is himself righteous and strong. He can do every thing, and yet will do nothing but what is unquestionably just and equitable. He has also wherewithal to supply the needs of those that seek to him and depend upon him, upon the equity of his providence and the treasures of his grace; nay, we may say, not only "He has it," but, "In him we have it," because he has said that he will be to us a God. In the Lord the captive Jews had righteousness (that is, grace both to sanctify their afflictions to them and to qualify them for deliverance) and strength for their support and escape. In the Lord Jesus we have righteousness to recommend us to the good-will of God towards us, and strength to begin and carry on the good work of God in us. He is the fountain of both, and on him we must depend for both, must go forth in his strength, and make mention of his righteousness, Psa 71:16. (2.) That they shall have an abundant bliss and satisfaction in this. [1.] The people of the Jews shall in the Lord be justified before men and openly glory in their God. The oppressors reproached them, loaded them with calumny, and boasted even of a right to oppress them, as abandoned by their God; but, when God shall work out their deliverance, that shall be their justification from these hard censures, and therefore they shall glory in it. [2.] All true Christians, that depend upon Christ for strength and righteousness, in him shall be justified and shall glory in that. Observe, First, All believers are the seed of Israel, an upright praying seed. Secondly, The great privilege they enjoy by Jesus Christ is that in him, and for his sake, they are justified before God, Christ being made of God to them righteousness. All that are justified will own it is in Christ that they are justified, nor could they be justified by any other; and those who are justified shall be glorified. And therefore, Thirdly, The great duty believers owe to Christ is to glory in him, and to make their boast of him. Therefore he is made all in all to us, that whose glories may glory in the Lord; and let us comply with this intention.”

“Assemble yourselves, and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations,.... Not that escaped the sword of Cyrus's army, the Chaldeans; nor the Jews that escaped out of Babylon and other countries, by his means; but the remnant, according to the election of grace among the Gentiles; such who were called out of Heathenish darkness into the marvellous light of the Gospel, and escaped the idolatries that others continued in; these are called and summoned together, as to observe the grace of God to themselves, so to labour to convince others of their gross ignorance and stupidity in worshipping idols, and to judge and pass sentence on the obstinate among them: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image; or that "lift up" or "carry the wood of their graven image" (d); the inside of whose graven image is wood, though covered with some metal which is graved; and for a man to carry such an image on his shoulders, either in procession or in order to fix it in some proper place for adoration, argues great ignorance and stupidity; such persons can have no knowledge of deity, that can believe that a log of wood, covered with gold or silver, graved by art and man's device, and which they are obliged to carry upon their shoulders, can be a god, or a fit object of worship: and pray to a god that cannot save; itself, nor them; cannot hear their prayers, nor return an answer to them; cannot help and assist them in distress, nor deliver them out of their troubles; and therefore it must be the height of madness and folly to pray unto it. (d) , Sept. "qui efferunt", Pagninus; "extollentes", Montanus; "qui gestant", Piscator; "gestantes lignum sculptilis sui", Junius & Tremellius; "qui portant", Cocceius, Vitringa.”

“escaped of the nations--those of the nations who shall have escaped the slaughter inflicted by Cyrus. Now, at last, ye shall see the folly of "praying to a god that cannot save" (Isa 45:16). Ultimately, those that shall be "left of all the nations which shall come against Jerusalem" are meant (Zac 14:16). They shall then all be converted to the Lord (Isa 66:23-24; Jer 3:17; Zac 8:20-23).”

“The salvation of Israel, foretold and realized by Jehovah, becomes at the same time the salvation of the heathen world. "Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye escaped of the heathen! Irrational are they who burden themselves with the wood of their idol, and pray to a god that bringeth no salvation. Make known, and cause to draw near; yea, let them take counsel together: Who has made such things known from the olden time, proclaimed it long ago? have not I, Jehovah? and there is no Deity beside me; a God just, and bringing salvation: there is not without me!" The fulness of the Gentiles, which enters into the kingdom of God, is a remnant of the whole mass of the heathen: for salvation comes through judgment; and it is in the midst of great calamities that the work of that heathen mission is accomplished, which is represented in these prophecies on the one hand as the mission of Cyrus, and on the other hand as the mission of Jehovah and His servant. Hence this summons to listen to the self-assertion of the God of revelation, is addressed to the escaped of the heathen, who are not therefore the converted, but those who are susceptible of salvation, and therefore spared. By "the heathen" (haggōyı̄m) Knobel understands the allies and auxiliaries of the Babylonians, whom Cyrus put to flight (according to the Cyropaedia) before his Lydian campaign. But this is only an example of that exaggerated desire to turn everything into history, which not only prevented his seeing the poetry of the form, but obscured the fact that prophecy is both human and divine. For the future was foreshortened to the telescopic glance of the prophet, so that he could not see it in all its length and breadth. He saw in one mass what history afterwards unrolled; and then behind the present he could just see as it were the summit of the end, although a long eventful way still lay between the two. Accordingly, our prophet here takes his stand not at the close of any particular victory of Cyrus, but at the close of all his victories; and, in his view, these terminate the whole series of catastrophes, which are outlived by a remnant of the heathen, who are converted to Jehovah, and thus complete the final glory of the restored people of God. Throughout the whole of these prophecies we see immediately behind the historical foreground this eschatological background lifting up its head. The heathen who have been preserved will assemble together; and from the fact that Jehovah proves Himself the sole foreteller of the events that are now unfolding themselves, they will be brought to the conviction that He is the only God. The hithpael hithnaggēsh does not occur anywhere else. On the absolute ידע לא, see at Isa 44:9 (cf., Isa 1:3). To the verb haggı̄shū we must supply, as in Isa 41:22, according to the same expression in Isa 45:21, עצּמתיכם (your proofs). "This" refers to the fall of Babylon and redemption of Israel - salvation breaking through judgment. On mē'âz, from the olden time, compare Isa 44:8. God is "a just God and a Saviour," as a being who acts most stringently according to the demands of His holiness, and wherever His wrath is not wickedly provoked, sets in motion His loving will, which is ever concerned to secure the salvation of men.”