Isaiah 1:9

“Except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, &c.] This is an instance of the super abounding goodness of the Lord of hosts, as the Targum expresses it; that he should, in those very wicked and calamitous times, leave and reserve a few from being defiled with the sins of the age, and from being involved in the general calamity of it; which was true of the Christian Jews at the time of Jerusalem’s destruction; for that this prophecy belongs to these times is clear from the application of it by the Apostle Paul, (<450929>Romans 9:29) and which confirms the sense given of the above passages: “the very small remnant” are the remnant according to the election of grace, the…”

“Jehovah of Sabaoth, that is, God of the angelic and starry hosts (Psa 59:5; Psa 147:4; Psa 148:2). The latter were objects of idolatry, called hence Sabaism (Kg2 17:16). God is above even them (Ch1 16:26). "The groves" were symbols of these starry hosts; it was their worship of Sabaoth instead of the Lord of Sabaoth, which had caused the present desolation (Ch2 24:18). It needed no less a power than His, to preserve even a "remnant." Condescending grace for the elect's sake, since He has no need of us, seeing that He has countless hosts to serve Him.”

“Except ... - It is owing entirely to the mercy of God, that we are not like Sodom. The prophet traces this not to the goodness of the nation, not to any power or merit of theirs, but solely to the mercy of God. This passage the apostle Paul has used in an argument to establish the doctrine of divine sovereignty in the salvation of people; see the note at Romans 9:29. The Lord - Hebrew Yahweh. Note Isaiah 1:2. Of hosts - צבאות tsebâ'ôth - the word sometimes translated “Sabaoth”; Romans 9:29; James 5:4. The word means literally armies or military hosts. It is applied, however, to the angels which surround the throne of God; 1Ki 22:19; 2 Chronicles 18:18; Psalms 103:21; and to the stars or…”

“1:9 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies refers to the millions of angels that are at the Lord’s command (see 2 Kgs 6:16-17; Matt 26:53). At the Exodus, Moses described God as a warrior fighting for his people (Exod 15:1-21). Ironically, in Isaiah’s day, God fought against Judah because of their wickedness (Isa 1:24; 3:1-5).”

“left: Lam 3:22; Hab 3:2; Rom 9:29 a very: Isa 6:13, Isa 10:22, Isa 17:6, Isa 24:13, Isa 37:4, Isa 37:31, Isa 37:32; Kg1 19:18; Eze 6:8, Eze 14:22; Joe 2:32; Zac 13:8, Zac 13:9; Mat 7:14; Rom 9:27, Rom 11:4-6 we should: Gen 18:26, Gen 18:32, Gen 19:24; Deu 29:23; Lam 4:6; Amo 4:11; Zep 2:9; Luk 17:29, Luk 17:30; Pe2 2:6 Isaiah 1:10”

“For the present, however, Jerusalem was saved from this extremity. The omnipotence of God had mercifully preserved it: "Unless Jehovah of hosts had left us a little of what had escaped, we had become like Sodom, we were like Gomorrah." Sarid (which is rendered inaccurately σπέρμα in the Sept.; cf., Rom 9:29) was used, even in the early Mosaic usage of the language, to signify that which escaped the general destruction ( Deu 2:34, etc.); and כּמעט (which might very well be connected with the verbs which follow: "we were very nearly within a little like Sodom," etc.) is to be taken in connection with sarid, as the pausal form clearly shows: "a remnant which was but a mere trifle" (on this use…”