Isaiah 55:13 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Isaiah 55:13
Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
probably a brier · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
up
יַעֲלֶ֣הya.'a.Leh
H5927
to ascend · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
tree
בְר֔וֹשׁve.Ro.osh
H1265
a cypress (?) tree · noun, common masculine singular absolute
brier
הַסִּרְפַּ֖דha.sir.Pad
H5636
a nettle (as stinging like a burn) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
up
יַעֲלֶ֣הya.'a.Leh
H5927
to ascend · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
tree
הֲדַ֑סha.Das
H1918
the myrtle · noun, common masculine singular absolute
LORD
לַֽיהוָה֙la.Yah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · preposition + proper noun, a title
name
לְשֵׁ֔םle.Shem
H8034
an appellation · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
everlasting
עוֹלָ֖םo.Lam
H5769
properly · noun, common masculine singular absolute
sign
לְא֥וֹתle.'ot
H226
a signal (literally or figuratively) · preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct
off
יִכָּרֵֽתyi.ka.Ret
H3772
to cut (off · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
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 3:20-21 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
1 Peter 2:9-10 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath…
Isaiah 41:19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the…
Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spir…
Jeremiah 33:9 And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unt…
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Isaiah 60:13 The glory of Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box together, to beautify the place of my sanctuary; and I w…
Jeremiah 50:5 They shall ask the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the LORD in a perpetual covenant tha…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Isaiah 55:6–end
We have here a further account of that covenant of grace which is made with us in Jesus Christ, both what is required and what is promised in the covenant, and of those considerations that are sufficient abundantly to confirm our believing compliance with and reliance on that covenant. This gracious discovery of God's good-will to the children of men is not to be confined either to the Jew or to the Gentile, to the Old Testament or to the New, much less to the captives in Babylon. No, both the precepts and the promises are here given to all, to every one that thirsts after happiness, Isa 55:1. And who does not? Hear this, and live.
I. Here is a gracious offer made of pardon, and peace, and a…
thorn--emblem of the wicked (Sa2 23:6; Mic 7:4).
fir tree--the godly (Isa 60:13; Psa 92:12). Compare as to the change wrought, Rom 6:19.
brier--emblem of uncultivation (Isa 5:6).
myrtle--Hebrew, Hedes, from which comes Hedassah, the original name of Esther. Type of the Christian Church; for it is a lowly, though beautiful, fragrant, and evergreen shrub (Psa 92:13-14).
for a name . . . everlasting sign--a perpetual memorial to the glory of Jehovah (Jer 13:11; Jer 33:9).
Next: Isaiah Chapter 56
Adam Clarke on Isaiah 55:13
Instead of the thorn "Instead of the thorny bushes" - These likewise (see note on Isa 55:12, and on Isa 54:11 (note)) are general poetical images, expressing a great and happy change for the better. The wilderness turned into a paradise, Lebanon into Carmel: the desert of the Gentiles watered with the heavenly snow and rain, which fail not to have their due effect, and becoming fruitful in piety and righteousness: or, as the Chaldee gives the moral sense of the emblem, "instead of the wicked shall arise the just; and instead of sinners, such as fear to sin." Compare Isa 35:1, Isa 35:2; Isa 41:19.
And instead of - The conjunction ו vau is added, ותחת vetachath, in forty-five MSS. of Kennicott…
"Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle." The spiritual meaning of these words refers to the change of customs, which sprouted and rose up in the advent of Christ among those nations who embraced his faith. Instead of thorns, which represent the sins, and instead of the brier, which is devoid of fruits, the sweet-smelling cypress and the myrtle have risen, which are figures of the actions of virtue, purity and holiness and … are pleasing to God and delight him.
And as for the nature of proper names, it must be said that evil things are turned into good things, and virtues are born from vices, that is, justice from injustice, fortitude from temerity, temperance from luxury, and prudence from foolishness.… Therefore, what is said in the Gospel: "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit," does not refer at all to the nature of things, as the heretics want it to, but to the choice of the mind. Finally, it is inferred: "Either make a good tree and its fruits good." From this it is clear, each one by their own will makes their soul a good or bad tree, whose fruits are varied.
Of the abatement of this heat it is said to her by Isaiah, by promise of the Lord, "Instead of the ground willow shall come up the fir-tree, and instead of the nettle shall come up the myrtle tree." For 'instead of the ground willow there comes up in her the fir-tree,' when in the heart of the Saints, instead of the sunkenness of earthly thought, the elevation of heavenly contemplation rises up. Now the nettle is altogether of a fiery nature. But the myrtle is said to be of cooling virtue, and therefore 'instead of the nettle there comes up the myrtle tree,' when the minds of the righteous are brought from the irritation and heat of bad habits to coolness and quietness of the thoughts, while they now no longer seek earthly things, while they extinguish the flames of the flesh by heavenly aspirations.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Brier — This word occurs frequently, and is the translation of several different terms. (1.) Micah 7:4, it denotes a species of thorn shrub used for hedges. In Prov. 15:19 the word is rendered “thorn” (Heb.…
Fir — The uniform rendering in the Authorized Version (marg. R.V., “cypress”) of berosh (2 Sam. 6:5; 1 Kings 5:8, 10; 6:15, 34; 9:11, etc.), a lofty tree (Isa. 55:13) growing on Lebanon (37:24). Its wood…
Isaiah, Book Of — I. Chapters 1-5 contain Isaiah’s prophecies in the reigns of Uzziah and Jotham, foretelling that the present prosperity of Judah should be destroyed, and that Israel should be brought to desolation.…
Myrtle — (Isa. 41:19; Neh. 8:15; Zech. 1:8), Hebrew hadas, known in the East by the name as, the Myrtus communis of the botanist. “Although no myrtles are now found on the mount (of Olives), excepting in the…
Thorn — (1.) Heb. hedek (Prov. 15:19), rendered “brier” in Micah 7:4. Some thorny plant, of the Solanum family, suitable for hedges. This is probably the so-called “apple of Sodom,” which grows very…
Brier · FIGURATIVE — FIGURATIVE
Myrtle · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Righteousness · FRUITS OF — FRUITS OF
Trees · Mentioned in scripture: Myrtle — Mentioned in scripture: Myrtle
Wicked, The, Are Compared To · Briars and thorns — Briars and thorns
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).
John Gill on Isaiah 55:13
Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree,.... The meaning of which either is, that instead of wicked men, comparable to briers and thorns for their being fruitless and useless, harmful and pernicious, under a curse, and their end to be burned, there good men, comparable to fruitful and beautiful trees, shall be; which was eminently true when the Gospel was preached in the Gentile world; see Isaiah 35:1 so the Targum,
"instead of the ungodly shall rise up righteous persons, and instead of sinners shall rise up such as are afraid to sin;''
or else the sense is, that such who are like briers and thorns in their nature state, being…
Instead of the bramble [91] shall come up the fir-tree. He still extols the power of God, which would be visible in the restoration of the people; for he shows that the change will be such that they shall have an easy road to return. Some explain it allegorically, and suppose that by "brambles" are meant men who wish to do injury, and who inflict wounds on others, and that these shall be "firtrees," that is, trees that bear fruit and that are useful to their neighbors; but in expositions of that kind ingenuity is carried to excess. When they say that these things relate to the kingdom of Christ, and on that account ought to be understood in a spiritual sense, I agree with them; for the Proph…
The true point of comparison, however, is the energy with which the word is realized. Assuredly and irresistibly will the word of redemption be fulfilled. "For ye will go out with joy, and be led forth in peace: the mountains and the hills will break out before you into shouting, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. Instead of the thorn will cypresses shoot up, and instead of the fleabane will myrtles shoot up: and it will be to Jehovah for a name, for an everlasting memorial that will not be swept away." "With joy," i.e., without the hurry of fear (Isa 52:12); "in peace," i.e., without having to fight their way through or flee. The idea of the sufferer falls back in הוּבל b…
Redemption is like the transformation from desert to forest (see also 35:1; 41:19; 60:13). • great honor to the Lord’s name: God’s glory will be more and more visible to humanity as his redemption takes effect.
Rashi on Isaiah 55:13
Instead of the briar, etc. Our Rabbis expounded [Targum Jonathan]: Instead of the wicked, righteous people shall arise.
briar...and...nettle They are species of thorns; i.e., to say that the wicked will be destroyed and the righteous will take their rule.
