Isaiah 48:10

“Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver, &c.] But it is not usual to refine with silver; not silver with silver, nor any other metal with it; that itself is what is refined; this therefore cannot be the sense of the words; wherefore they are, by others, differently rendered; by some, “not in silver”f950; not in a furnace of silver, as Aben Ezra; “but in a furnace of poverty”, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Syriac versions render the next clause; and to the same sense the Targum; that is, I have tried, and purified, and refined thee, not by prosperity, but adversity; not with riches, which has its snares, temptations, trials, and exercises, but with poverty, which also has the…”

“(See on Isa 1:25). with silver--rather, "for silver." I sought by affliction to purify thee, but thou wast not as silver obtained by melting, but as dross [GESENIUS]. Thy repentance is not complete: thou art not yet as refined silver. ROSENMULLER explains, "not as silver," not with the intense heat needed to melt silver (it being harder to melt than gold), that is, not with the most extreme severity. The former view is better (Isa 1:25; Isa 42:25; Eze 22:18-20, Eze 22:22). chosen--or else [LOWTH], tried . . . proved: according to GESENIUS, literally, "to rub with the touchstone," or to cut in pieces so as to examine (Zac 13:9; Mal 3:3; Pe1 1:7).”

“Behold, I have refined thee - This refers to the Jews in their afflictions and captivity in Babylon. It states one design which he had in view in these afflictions - to purify them. The word used here, and rendered ‘refined’ (צרף tsâraph), means properly to melt; to smelt metals; to subject them to the action of fire, in order to remove the scoria or dross from them (see the notes at Isaiah 1:25). Then it means to purify in any manner. Here it means that God had used these afflictions for the same purpose for which fire is used in regard to metals, in order that every impurity in their moral and religious character might be removed. But not with silver - Margin, ‘For.’ Hebrew, בכסף…”

“Behold - Although I will not cut thee off, yet I will put thee into the furnace. Silver - Which is kept in the furnace so long 'till all the dross be purged away, I will not deal so rigorously with thee; for then I should wholly consume thee. I will chuse - God had in a manner rejected Israel, and therefore it was necessary he should chuse and try this people a second time. Isaiah 48:11”

“48:10 The Exile was a furnace of suffering (cp. Deut 4:20) through which God refined Israel.”

“I have refined: Isa 1:25, Isa 1:26; Job 23:10; Psa 66:10; Pro 17:3; Jer 9:7; Eze 20:38; Eze 22:18-22; Zac 13:8, Zac 13:9; Mal 3:2, Mal 3:3; Heb 12:10, Heb 12:11; Pe1 1:7, Pe1 4:12; Rev 3:19 with silver: or, for silver I have chosen: Deu 4:20 Isaiah 48:11”