Isaiah 43:14

“Thus saith the Lord, your Redeemer, &c.] That redeemed Israel out of Egypt, and would redeem the Jews from Babylon in a short time, and be the author of a greater redemption to his people than either of these, even a spiritual and eternal one: the Holy One of Israel; (see <234303>Isaiah 43:3), holy in himself, holiness to Israel, and faithful to his promises: for your sake I have sent to Babylon: Cyrus and his army to take it, in order to deliver the Jews from their captivity in it. The Targum wrongly paraphrases it to the sense quite contrary, “for your sins have I carried you captive unto Babylon:” and have brought down all their nobles; from their seats of honour and glory, stripped them…”

“sent--namely, the Medes and Persians (Isa 10:5-6; Isa 13:3). brought down--"made to go down" to the sea (Isa 42:10), in order to escape the impending destruction of Babylon. nobles--rather, "fugitives," namely, the foreigners who sojourned in populous Babylon (Isa 13:14), distinct from the Chaldeans [MAURER]. whose cry is in the ships--exulting in their ships with the joyous sailors--cry, boastingly; their joy heretofore in their ships contrasts sadly with their present panic in fleeing to them (Isa 22:2; Zep 2:15). Babylon was on the Euphrates, which was joined to the Tigris by a canal, and flowed into the Persian Gulf. Thus it was famed for ships and commerce until the Persian monarchs, to…”

“Thus saith the Lord your Redeemer - This verse commences another argument for the safety of his people. It is the assurance to the Jews in Babylon that he had sent to them a deliverer, and would bring down the pride of the Chaldeans, and demolish their city. Your Redeemer - (See the note at Isaiah 43:1). I have sent to Babylon - That is, the Persians and Medes, under the command of Cyrus (compare the note at Isaiah 13:3). This implies that God had command over all their armies and had the power of sending them where he pleased (compare the notes at Isaiah 10:5-6). This is to be understood as seen by the prophet in vision. He sees the armies of Cyrus encompass Babylon and the haughty city…”

“Sent - I have sent Cyrus against Babylon, to this very end, that he might deliver you out of captivity. Chaldeans - The common people of Chaldea, who make fearful outcries, as they flee away from the Persians in ships. Isaiah 43:17”

“43:14-21 The Lord assured Israel of its coming redemption from Babylon; the redemption would be modeled on Israel’s past redemption from Egypt and would be greater in some ways (43:18).”

“the Lord: Isa 43:1, Isa 44:6, Isa 54:5-8; Psa 19:14; Rev 5:9 For: Isa 43:3, Isa 43:4, Isa 44:24-28, Isa 45:1-5; Jer 50:2-11, Jer 50:17, Jer 50:18, Jer 50:27-34, Jer 51:1-11, Jer 51:24, Jer 51:34-37; Rev 18:20, Rev 18:21 nobles: Heb. bars, Isa 45:2 whose cry: Eze 27:29-36; Rev 18:11-19 Isaiah 43:15”

“In close connection with the foregoing prophecy, the present one commences with the dissolution of the Chaldean empire. "Thus saith Jehovah, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, For your sake I have sent to Babel, and will hurl them all down as fugitives, and the Chaldeans into the ships of their rejoicing. I, Jehovah, am your Holy One; (I) Israel's Creator, your King." Hitzig reads באניות, and adopts the rendering, "and drowned the shouting of the Chaldeans in groaning." Ewald also corrects Isa 43:14 thus: "And plunge their guitars into groanings, and the rejoicing of the Chaldeans into sighs." We cannot see any good taste in this un-Hebraic bombast. Nor is there any more reason for…”