Isaiah 52:11

“Depart ye, depart ye, &c.] Not from Jerusalem, as some, for that is now said to be redeemed, and its waste places made joyful; but Babylon, even mystical Babylon. The Targum is, “be ye separated, be ye separated”: and so the apostle, (<470617>2 Corinthians 6:17). It denotes a separation from the idolatrous church of Rome; and the exhortation is repeated, to hasten the thing, to urge the necessity of it, and point at the danger of delaying it; and it may be it may respect a two fold separation, one that has been already at the time of the Reformation, and another that will be just before the destruction of Babylon, (<661804>Revelation 18:4): go ye out from thence: not only protest against the…”

“(Isa 48:20; Zac 2:6-7). Long residence in Babylon made many loath to leave it: so as to mystical Babylon (Rev 18:4). ye . . . that bear . . . vessels of the Lord--the priests and Levites, whose office it was to carry the vessels of the temple (Jer 27:18). Nebuchadnezzar had carried them to Babylon (Ch2 36:18). Cyrus restored them (Ezr 1:7-11). be . . . clean--by separating yourselves wholly from Babylonian idolaters, mystical and literal.”

“Depart ye, depart ye - This is a direct address to the exiles in their captivity. The same command occurs in Isaiah 48:20 (see the notes on that place). It is repeated here for the sake of emphasis; and the urgency of the command implies that there was some delay likely to be apprehended on the part of the exiles themselves. The fact seems to have been, that though the captivity was at first attended with every circumstance suited to give pain, and though they were subjected to many privations and sorrows in Babylon (see Psalms 137:1-9), yet that many of them became strongly attached to a residence there, and were strongly indisposed to return. They were there seventy years. Most of those…”

“Depart - Out of Babylon. Touch - Carry not along with you any of their superstitions or idolatries. Ye - And especially your priests and Levites, who minister in holy things, and carry the holy vessels of the temple, keep yourselves from all pollution. Isaiah 52:12”

“52:11-12 This is an exhortation to leave the captivity of sin (see 48:20 on leaving physical captivity in Babylon). See also 2 Cor 6:17; 2 Tim 2:19. 52:11 Here the imagery of leaving the unclean enemy city encourages the people to purify themselves by turning away from all known sin. Those who carry home the sacred objects of the Lord need to be pure.”

“depart ye: Isa 48:20; Jer 50:8, Jer 51:6, Jer 51:45; Zac 2:6, Zac 2:7; Co2 6:17; Rev 18:4 touch: Lev 5:2, Lev 5:3, Lev 11:26, Lev 11:27, Lev 11:45, Lev 11:47, 15:5-33; Eze 44:23; Hag 2:13, Hag 2:14; Act 10:14, Act 10:28; Rom 14:14; Eph 5:11; Pe1 1:14-16, Pe1 2:5, Pe1 2:11 be: Lev 10:3, 22:2-33; Ezr 1:7-11, Ezr 8:25-30 Isaiah 52:12”

“This salvation in its immediate manifestation is the liberation of the exiles; and on the ground of what the prophet sees in spirit, he exclaims to them (as in Isa 48:20), in Isa 52:11, Isa 52:12 : "Go ye forth, go ye forth, go out from thence, lay hold of no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her, cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Jehovah. For ye shall not go out in confusion, and ye shall not go forth in flight: for Jehovah goeth before you, and the God of Israel is your rear-guard." When they go out from thence, i.e., from Babylon, they are not to touch anything unclean, i.e., they are not to enrich themselves with the property of their now subjugated oppressors, as…”