Isaiah 65:6

“Behold, it is written before me, &c.] This account of their sins; it was in his sight and constant remembrance, and punishment for them was determined by him, written in the book of his decrees: I will not keep silence; but threaten with destruction, and not only threaten, but execute; plead against them really, as well as verbally, with sore judgments: but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom; full and just recompence of punishment for all their transgressions, as it follows. The Targum is, “I will recompense to them the vengeance of their sins, and deliver their bodies to the second death.””

“written before me--"it is decreed by Me," namely, what follows (Job 13:26), [MAURER]; or, their guilt is recorded before Me (compare Dan 7:10; Rev 20:12; Mal 3:16). into . . . bosom-- (Psa 79:12; Jer 32:18; Luk 6:38). The Orientals used the loose fold of the garment falling on "the bosom" or lap, as a receptacle for carrying things. The sense thus is: I will repay their sin so abundantly that the hand will not be able to receive it; it will need the spacious fold on the bosom to contain it [ROSENMULLER]. Rather it is, "I will repay it to the very person from whom it has emanated." Compare "God did render the evil of the men of Shechem upon their heads" (Jdg 9:57; Psa 7:16) [GESENIUS].”

“Behold, it is written before me - That is, the crimes of which they had been guilty, or the sentence which would be consequent thereon. The allusion is to the custom of having the decrees of kings recorded in a volume or on a table, and kept in their presence, so that they might be seen and not forgotten. An allusion to this custom of opening the books containing a record of this kind on trials, occurs in Daniel 7:10, ‘The judgment was set, and the books were opened.’ So also Revelation 20:12, ‘And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were…”

“Behold - They may think I take no notice of these things; but I will as certainly remember them, as princes or great men that record things in writing which they would not forget. Isaiah 65:7”

“65:6 my decree is written out: God is fully committed to carry out his plan. • The godly had asked whether the Lord would stand silent forever (64:12). God answered that he would not but would deal with the wicked before restoring the righteous remnant.”

“it is: Exo 17:14; Deu 32:34; Psa 56:8; Mal 3:16; Rev 20:12 I will: Isa 42:14, Isa 64:12; Psa 50:3, Psa 50:21 but: Psa 79:12; Jer 16:18; Eze 11:21, Eze 22:31; Joe 3:4 Isaiah 65:7”

“The justice of God will not rest till it has procured for itself the fullest satisfaction. "Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence without having recompensed, and I will recompense into their bosom. Your offences, and the offences of your fathers together, saith Jehovah, that they have burned incense upon the mountains, and insulted me upon the hills, and I measure their reward first of all into their bosom." Vitringa has been misled by such passages as Isa 10:1; Job 13:26; Jer 22:30, in which kâthabh (kittēbh) is used to signify a written decree, and understands by khethūbhâh the sentence pronounced by God; but the reference really is to their idolatrous conduct and…”