Isaiah 44:23 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Isaiah 44:23
Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.
properly · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
heavens
שָׁמַ֜יִםsha.Ma.yim
H8064
the sky (as aloft · noun, common masculine plural absolute
LORD
יְהוָ֗הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
done
עָשָׂ֣ה'a.Sah
H6213
to do or make · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
shout
הָרִ֙יעוּ֙ha.Ri.'u
H7321
to mar (especially by breaking) · verb, hiphil imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
parts
תַּחְתִּיּ֣וֹתtach.ti.Yot
H8482
lowermost · adjective, feminine plural construct
earth
אָ֔רֶץ'A.retz
H776
the earth (at large · noun, common feminine singular absolute
forth
פִּצְח֤וּpitz.Chu
H6476
to break out (in joyful sound) · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
singing
רִנָּ֔הri.Nah
H7440
properly · noun, common feminine singular absolute
mountains
הָרִים֙ha.Rim
H2022
a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figurative… · noun, common masculine plural absolute
forest
יַ֖עַרYa.'ar
H3293
a copse of bushes · noun, common masculine singular absolute
tree
עֵ֣ץ'etz
H6086
a tree (from its firmness) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
LORD
יְהוָה֙Yah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
redeemed
גָאַ֤לga.'Al
H1350
to be the next of kin (and as such to buy back a relati… · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Jacob
יַֽעֲקֹ֔בya.'a.Ko
H3290
Jaakob · proper noun, a man's name
glorified
יִתְפָּאָֽרyit.pa.'Ar
H6286
to gleam · verb, hithpael imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Israel
וּבְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖לu.ve.Yis.ra.'El
H3478
Jisrael · conjunction + preposition + proper noun, a place name
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Ephesians 1:6-7 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Revelation 5:8-14 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and go…
Psalms 69:34 Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein.
Psalms 96:11-12 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
Psalms 98:7-8 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
Isaiah 49:3 And said unto me, Thou art my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.
Jeremiah 51:48 Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith t…
Revelation 19:1-6 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto t…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Isaiah 44:21–end
In these verses we have,
I. The duty which Jacob and Israel, now in captivity, were called to, that they might be qualified and prepared for the deliverance designed them. Our first care must be to get good by our afflictions, and then we may hope to get out of them. The duty is expressed in two words: Remember and return, as in the counsel to Ephesus, Rev 2:4, Rev 2:5. 1. "Remember these, O Jacob! Remember what thou hast been told of the folly of idolatry, and let the convictions thou art now under be ready to thee whenever thou art tempted to that sin. Remember that thou art my servant, and therefore must not serve other masters." 2. Return unto me, Isa 44:22. It is the great concern of th…
Call to inanimate nature to praise God; for it also shall share in the coming deliverance from "the bondage of corruption" (Rom 8:20-21).
done it--effected redemption for both the literal and spiritual Israel.
lower parts, &c.--antithetical to "heavens"; "mountains," "forest," and "tree," are the intermediate objects in a descending gradation (see Psa 96:11-12).
John Gill on Isaiah 44:23
Sing, O ye heavens, for the Lord hath done it,.... Done what he promised, the forgiveness of the sins of his people, and the redemption of them. So the Targum,
"because the Lord hath wrought redemption for his people.''
The Vulgate Latin version adds, "mercy" (o); and so the Septuagint version, "because God hath had mercy on Israel" (p); and therefore the heavens are called upon to sing on this occasion, as the angels of heaven did when the Redeemer was born, and who rejoice at the salvation of God's elect, Luke 2:13,
shout, ye lower parts of the earth; the earth, which is low in comparison of the heavens; the inhabitants of it, especially the Gentiles, which dwelt in the lower parts of t…
Praise, O ye heavens. He now exhorts the Jews to render thanksgiving, not only that they may testify their gratitude, but that their own expectation of deliverance may be strengthened; and, therefore, he enjoins believers to look upon it as an event already accomplished, as if the Lord had already delivered them. Such modes of address make a deeper impression on our hearts than if the promises had been presented in a naked form. Since, therefore, believers might doubt of their salvation, because they still languished amidst their miseries and were almost dead, the Prophet arouses them, and not only dictates to them a song, that they may fulfill their vows, but shews that the word of God will…
The Church Fathers
He calls "depths" what he once called "mountains." They excel in works and words.… For there is a great difference between grace and the law, since the law threatens punishments to those who transgress and calls out a command for repentance. Yet these heralds of grace, rejoicing, cry out proclaiming to the world the forgiveness of sins and justification by faith and the imparting of the Holy Spirit and the radiance of sonship [adoption], as well as the kingdom of heaven and the hope which will not pass away—good things beyond imagining.…The heralds of grace rejoice because Israel has been redeemed and the Son of God glorified. He is their kinsman by nature yet truly God. This moves the earth and its parts to praise. God, who has redeemed Jacob and Israel, will be glorified, or, as in the other translations, "He will be glorified in Israel."
Again, the prophetic text has made use of a personification. Just as when [Isaiah] accuses Israel, he has invited the heavens and the earth to serve as witness, so also when he announces benefits, he invites creation anew to partake in the joy; it is not as though the elements are animate, but when we are depressed, they seem somber to us, and when we are happy, they naturally seem more radiant. It is not the elements that have changed, but it is to us that they present this appearance. If, however, one desires to apprehend the celestial powers by the phrase "the heavens" and the holy prophets by "the foundations of the earth," with the thought that they are the ones who sustain [the benefits], one will not be far from the truth. For the Lord has said, "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." One can understand the mountains, hills and the woods in a similar fashion. After the return of Israel, they flourished again because they were cultivated and were the source of rejoicing on the mountains.
(Vers. 23) Praise, O heavens, for the Lord has shown mercy: rejoice, O ends of the earth, let the mountains resound with praise, the forests and every tree in it: for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and Israel will be glorified. LXX: Rejoice, heavens, for the God of Israel has shown mercy. Sound the trumpet, foundations of the earth, cry out, mountains, with joy: hills and all the trees in them, for God has redeemed Jacob: and Israel will be glorious. If you do this, know that in your salvation, the heavens and the earth will rejoice, and all the elements will harmonize. Whether it be the angels who reside in the heavens, and other powers that support the foundations of the earth. Or certainly the Apostles and Prophets, of whom the Apostle spoke: 'Built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets' (Ephes. II, 20). The mountains and forests, or hills, which, for the variety of their virtues, possessed the first and middle and last places, are commanded to rejoice and sound the trumpet, knowing that the Lord has redeemed Jacob, and in Israel there is joy in the conversion, or that Israel himself, having turned from error, may become illustrious.
Dictionary and topics
Forests · Called on to rejoice at God’s mercy — Called on to rejoice at God’s mercy
Jews, The · Promises respecting: Joy occasioned by conversion of — Promises respecting: Joy occasioned by conversion of
Joy · 2:11;4:7;5:11;9:2,14;13:5;14:7;16:5,6,8,9,11;17:15;19:8;20:5;21:1,6;28:7;30:5,11,12;32:1,2,11;33:21;35:9;36:8;40:16;42:4;43:4;45:15;46:4;51:8,12;53:6;63:5-7,11;64:10;68:3;69:32;70:4;71:23;85:6;89:15,16;97:11,12;100:1,2;104:34;105:3,43;119:1,2,14,16,55,111,162,165;126:5,6;132:16;138:5;149:2,5; — 2:11;4:7;5:11;9:2,14;13:5;14:7;16:5,6,8,9,11;17:15;19:8;20:5;21:1,6;28:7;30:5,11,12;32:1,2,11;33:21;35:9;36:8;40:16;42:4;43:4;45:15;46:4;51:8,12;53:6;63:5-7,11;64:10;68:3;69:32;70:4;71:23;85:6;89:15,16;97:11,12;100:1,2;104:34;105:3,43;119:1,2,14,16,55,111,162,165;126:5,6;132:16;138:5;149:2,5;
Mountains · Illustrative: Of persons in authority — Illustrative: Of persons in authority
Redemption · Is of God — Is of God
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
There is already good ground, therefore, for exuberant rejoicing; and the reply of the church to these words of divine consolation is as follows: "Exult, O heavens; for Jehovah hath accomplished it: shout, ye depths of the earth; break out, ye mountains, into exulting; thou forest, and all the wood therein: for Jehovah hath redeemed Jacob, and He showeth Himself glorious upon Israel." All creation is to rejoice in the fact that Jehovah has completed what He purposed, that He has redeemed His people, and henceforth will show Himself glorious in them. The heavens on high are to exult; also the depths of the earth, i.e., not Hades, which would be opposed to the prevailing view of the Old Testam…
