Isaiah 49:17

“Thy children shall make haste, &c.] Regenerate persons, young converts, such as are born again of incorruptible seed by the word; these shall flock to the church, as doves to the windows; join themselves to her, and submit to Gospel ordinances, and make haste, and delay not, to keep the Lord’s commandments; which is no small pleasure, joy, and comfort to the church of God. Some render it, “thy builders”f982 “shall make haste”; Gospel ministers, who are wise masterbuilders under Christ; these shall come with all readiness and cheerfulness, and build in the temple, the church of God, and rebuild her walls, and repair her breaches: thy destroyers and they that made thee waste, shall go forth of…”

“Thy children--Israel (Isa 49:20-21; Isa 43:6). JEROME reads, for "Thy children," "Thy builders"; they that destroyed thee shall hasten to build thee. haste--to rebuild thy desolate capital. shall go forth--Thy destroyers shall leave Judea to Israel in undisturbed possession.”

“Thy children - The children of Zion - the true people of God. But there is here considerable variety in the interpretation. The Hebrew of the present text is בניך bânâyı̂k (“thy sons”). But Jerome reads it, Structores tui - ‘Thy builders;’ as if it were בונין. The Septuagint renders it, ‘Thou shalt be speedily built (ταχὺ οἰκοδομηθήσῃ tachu oikodomēthēsē) by those by whom thou hast been destroyed.’ The Chaldee renders it, ‘Those that rebuild thy waste places shall hasten.’ The Syriac reads it, ‘Thy sons;’ and the Arabic, ‘Thou shalt be rebuilt by those by whom thou hast been destroyed.’ But there is no good authority for changing the present Hebrew text. nor is it necessary. The…”

“children: Isa 51:18-20, Isa 62:5; Ezr 1:5; Neh 2:4-9, Neh 2:17; Eze 28:24 haste: Or, by a slight change of the points, "Thy builders shall make haste:" those appointed to build the city and walls of Zion, shall speedily begin and accomplish the work. thy destroyers: Isa 49:19, Isa 51:13, Isa 51:22, Isa 51:23 Isaiah 49:18”

“It is this fact of a renewed glorification which presents itself afresh to the prophet's mind. "Thy children make haste, thy destroyers and masters draw out from thee. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all these assemble themselves together, and come to thee. As truly as I live, saith Jehovah, thou wilt put them all on like jewellery, and gird them round thee like a bride." The pointing adopted by the lxx, Targ., Jer. and Saad., is בּניך. The antithesis favours this reading; but בּניך suits Isa 49:18, Isa 49:19 better; and the thought that Zion's children come and restore her fallen walls, follows of itself from the very antithesis: her children come; and those who destroyed their…”