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Author: Eduardo Freire Canosa
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1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.
3 A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
6 A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass.
8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
9 You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!"
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
11 He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?
13 Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor?
14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?
15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
16 Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
17 Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.
18 To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to?
19 As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple.
21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
25 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God"?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
This canonical chapter is a mishmash of seven scripts. A spaghetti ball of thirteen verses depicts a contest between the Lord and the mute idols of the "islands" or nations; it is exported to Revised Chapter 41.
Revised Chapter 40 chooses seven verses of the canonical chapter, imports three more from three chapters and assumes the title, "Comfort Zion."
6-8. A voice says, "Cry out." And I said, "What shall I cry?" "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. 8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever."
Analysis: This proverb elaborates on Isaiah 2:22, "Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?"
Destination: Revised Chapter 19, "Egypt."
11. He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
Analysis: Repetition of the pronoun, "he," use of the present tense and the subject-matter match Isaiah 25:6, "He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust."
Destination: Revised Chapter 26, "The Lord Is The Rock Eternal."
12-14. Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? 13 Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor? 14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?
Reason: The verses confront a segment of the wavering population with the avowed supremacy of the Lord. The harsh rhetorical tone glues these verses to vs 18-26 and v 28 below. All thirteen fit well in Revised Chapter 41, "The Lord Versus The Idols,"
25 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. 42:8 "I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols. 43:15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel's Creator, your King."21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? 22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? 13 Who has understood the mind of the Lord, or instructed him as his counselor? 14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. 23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. 24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
18 To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to?
15. Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
Destination: Revised Chapter 24, "The Day of The Lord,"
14:26 This is the plan determined for the whole world; this is the hand stretched out over all nations. 14:27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back? 17 Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing. 15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket; they are regarded as dust on the scales; he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.
16. Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.
Explanation: All burnt offerings gave off "an aroma pleasing to the Lord" (Leviticus 1:9). Some were fellowship offerings (Leviticus 3:1-5) others were atonement for various sins (Leviticus 4:22-31). This verse states that even if all the animals of Lebanon were sacrificed as burnt offerings, they would not be enough to satisfy the Lord either as a fellowship offering or as an atonement for sin. The reasonable pick is "an atonement for sin," implying that the sin behind verse 16 is unpardonable.
Destination: Revised Chapter 5, "The Vineyard of The Lord,"
5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. 22:14 The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing: "Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned for," says the Lord, the Lord Almighty, 16 "Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings."
17. Before him all the nations are as nothing; they are regarded by him as worthless and less than nothing.
Destination: Revised Chapter 24, "The Day of The Lord." See verse 15 for the placement of this verse.
18-26. To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to? 19 As for an idol, a craftsman casts it, and a goldsmith overlays it with gold and fashions silver chains for it. 20 A man too poor to present such an offering selects wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled craftsman to set up an idol that will not topple. 21 Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the earth was founded? 22 He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. 23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing. 24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff. 25 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. 26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.
Reason: These nine verses prolong the discourse of verses 12-14. Verses 19-20 reprove those who would turn or have turned to idolatry. Verse 23, "He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing," suggests that the people being addressed were under the yoke of a powerful emperor ("ruler of this world") or of his successors ("princes").
Destination: Revised Chapter 41, "The Lord Versus The Idols." See verses 12-14 for the placement of verses 18, 21-26.
27. Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God"?
Explanation: This verse initiates the Lord's response to his devout yet disobedient people.
Destination: Revised Chapter 58, "Come Now, Let Us Reason Together, Says The Lord."
28. Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
Analysis: The rhetorical device, "Do you not know? Have you not heard?," is found also in verse 21 and thus hints that verse 28 and verses 18-26 belong to the same discourse.
Destination: Revised Chapter 41, "The Lord Versus The Idols." See verses 12-14 for the placement of verse 28.
29-31. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. 30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; 31 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
Analysis: These three verses soothe rather than confront the reader. Consequently they are not part of the discourse running through verses 12-14, 18-26, 28, but they accord with the mood of verse 11.
Destination: Revised Chapter 26, "The Lord Is The Rock Eternal."
51:3. The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
52:7. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
62:11. The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.'"
62:11 The Lord has made proclamation to the ends of the earth: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, 'See, your Savior comes! See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.'"
1 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the Lord's hand double for all her sins.
52:7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!" 9 You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!"
51:3 The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
3 A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. 5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken."
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him. See, his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him.
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