Isaiah 5:19

“That say, let him make speed, [and] hasten his work, &c.] Either the punishment of their sins, threatened by the prophets; which, because not speedily and immediately executed, therefore they did not believe it ever would; and in a daring and insolent manner call upon God to inflict it: that we may see [it], or feel it; for, as for words or threatenings, they regarded them not; thus deriding God and his judgments, and disbelieving both, like the mockers in the last days, described in (<610303>2 Peter 3:3,4) and, in contempt of him, do not so much as mention his name; though the Syriac version expresses the word “Lord”, and the Arabic version “God”: or rather the great work of redemption and…”

“work--vengeance (Isa 5:12). Language of defiance to God. So Lamech's boast of impunity (Gen 4:23-24; compare Jer 17:15; Pe2 3:3-4). counsel--God's threatened purpose to punish.”

“That say ... - They add one sin to another for “the purpose of defying” God, and provoking him to anger. They pretend that he will not punish sin; and hence, they plunge deeply into it, and defy him to punish them. Let him make speed - Let him come quick to punish. And hasten his work - His punishment. That we may see it - An expression of defiance. We would like to see him undertake it. The counsel of the Holy One ... - His threatened purpose to punish. This is the language of all sinners. They plunge deep into sin; they mock at the threatenings of God; they defy him to do his utmost; they do not believe his declarations. It is difficult to conceive more dreadful and high-handed iniquity…”

“Let him - God, in whose name thou and other prophets are always threatening us. This was the plain language of their actions; they lived as if they were of this opinion. The Holy One - They scornfully repeated the title usually given by the prophets to God. Isaiah 5:20”

“5:19 The people challenged God to hurry up and do something to prove that he really exists and is in control of this world. The verb hurry up translates two Hebrew verbs: maher (“be quick”) and khush (“be speedy”). The same Hebrew words are used in the name Maher-shalal-hash-baz (Isa 8:1). • God’s plan was revealed to Isaiah. Little did the people know that God’s purposes would turn against them.”

“Let him: Isa 66:5; Jer 5:12, Jer 5:13, Jer 17:15; Eze 12:22, Eze 12:27; Amo 5:18, Amo 5:19; Pe2 3:3, Pe2 3:4 let the: Isa 30:11; Jer 23:18, Jer 23:36 Isaiah 5:20”

“Isa 5:19 shows very clearly that the prophet referred to the free-thinkers of his time, the persons who are called fools (nabal) and scorners (lētz) in the Psalms and Proverbs. "Who say, Let Him hasten, accelerate His work, that we may see; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may experience it." They doubted whether the day of Jehovah would ever come ( Eze 12:22; Jer 5:12-13), and went so far in their unbelief as to call out for what they could not and would not believe, and desired it to come that they might see it with their own eyes and experience it for themselves ( Jer 17:15; it is different in Amo 5:18 and Mal 2:17-3:1, where this desire does not…”