Isaiah 62:10 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Isaiah 62:10
Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.
to cross over · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
through
עִבְרוּ֙'iv.Ru
H5674
to cross over · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
gates
בַּשְּׁעָרִ֔יםba.she.'a.Rim
H8179
an opening · preposition with the article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
prepare
פַּנּ֖וּpa.Nu
H6437
to turn · verb, piel imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
way
דֶּ֣רֶךְDe.rekh
H1870
a road (as trodden) · noun, common both genders singular construct
people
הָעָ֑םha.'Am
H5971
a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine singular absolute
up
סֹ֣לּוּSo.lu
H5549
to mound up (especially a turnpike) · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
up
סֹ֤לּוּSo.lu
H5549
to mound up (especially a turnpike) · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
highway
הַֽמְסִלָּה֙ham.si.Lah
H4546
a thoroughfare (as turnpiked) · definite article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
out
סַקְּל֣וּsa.ke.Lu
H5619
properly · verb, piel imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
stones
מֵאֶ֔בֶןme.'E.ven
H68
a stone · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute
up
הָרִ֥ימוּha.Ri.mu
H7311
to be high actively · verb, hiphil imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
standard
נֵ֖סnes
H5251
a flag · noun, common masculine singular absolute
people
הָעַמִּֽיםha.'a.Mim
H5971
a people (as a congregated unit) · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
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
Isaiah 57:14 And shall say, Cast ye up, cast ye up, prepare the way, take up the stumblingblock out of the way of my people.
Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Hebrews 12:13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
Isaiah 49:22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy so…
Isaiah 11:10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest s…
Matthew 22:9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Exodus 17:15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi:
Isaiah 11:12 And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from th…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Isaiah 62:10–end
This, as many like passages before, refers to the deliverance of the Jews out of Babylon, and, under the type and figure of that, to the great redemption wrought out by Jesus Christ, and the proclaiming of gospel grace and liberty through him. 1. Way shall be made for this salvation; all difficulties shall be removed, and whatever might obstruct it shall be taken out of the way, Isa 62:10. The gates of Babylon shall be thrown open, that they may with freedom go through them; the way from Babylon to the land of Israel shall be prepared; causeways shall be made and cast up through wet and miry places, and the stones gathered out from places rough and rocky; in the convenient places appointed f…
What Isaiah in the person of Messiah had engaged in (Isa 62:1) unrestingly to seek, and what the watchmen were unrestingly to pray for (Isa 62:7), and what Jehovah solemnly promised (Isa 62:8-9), is now to be fulfilled; the Gentile nations are commanded to "go through the gates" (either of their own cities [ROSENMULLER] or of Jerusalem [MAURER]), in order to remove all obstacles out of "the way of the people (Israel)" (see on Isa 7:14; Isa 40:3; Isa 52:10-12).
standard--for the dispersed Jews to rally round, with a view to their return (Isa 49:22; Isa 11:12).
Adam Clarke on Isaiah 62:10
Of the people "For the people" - Before the word העם haam, the people, two MSS. insert יהוה Yehovah; one MS. adds the same word after; and eight MSS., three ancient, instead of העם haam, have יהוה Yehovah, and so likewise one edition. But though it makes a good sense either way, I believe it to be an interpolation, as the ancient Versions do not favor it. The Septuagint indeed read עמי ammi, my people. - L.
John Gill on Isaiah 62:10
Go through, go through the gates,.... Open them, and keep them open for persons to enter in; meaning not the gates of Jerusalem, which those in it should open for the reception of the Jews returning from Babylon, though there may be an allusion to it; but the gates of the church in the latter day, which shall stand open night and day, that converts, who shall flock unto it, may enter in thereat, whether Jews or Gentiles; see Isaiah 26:1,
prepare you the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; for the people of the Jews, or the Gentiles, by the destruction of the eastern and western antichrist, and by the preaching of the Gospel; by which means way will be made for the kings of the…
The Church Fathers
"And salvation, along the way of his steps." Note the exact words, "his steps," where there are no rocks, where there are no thorns or thistles, where the path is even, where he may walk, where he cannot stumble. Let us, therefore, make way for the Lord in our heart, that way for which John [the Baptist] was giving his life's effort.… Although formerly we faced obstacles of thorns and thistles, although we had stones, he declares to us in Isaiah, "clear the highway of stones." He proclaims this, furthermore, lest he stumble on them when he is ready to walk in the way of our heart. Now the stones that he bids us to throw out from our way are our sins. Christ does not walk in our heart if there is any sin there. He stumbles at once against these stones. "And salvation along the way of his steps." Let us prepare the way, and Jesus will set his steps in it.
(Vers. 10-12.) Go through, go through the gates, prepare the way for the people, make the road smooth, and choose stones, raise a signal for the people. Behold, the Lord has made his message heard to the ends of the earth: say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, your Savior comes: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. And they shall call them the holy people, redeemed by the Lord. But you shall be called a sought-after city, and not forsaken. LXX: Go through my gates and make a way for my people. Cast stones out of the way. Lift up a sign among the nations. For behold, the Lord has made his hearing reach to the ends of the earth. Say to the daughters of Zion: Behold, your Savior comes, having his reward with him, and his work before his face. And he will call them a holy people, redeemed by the Lord. But you will be called a sought-after city, and not forsaken. He commanded the keepers of the walls of Jerusalem, to whom he had previously commanded not to keep silent, not to cease praying, so that they may pass through the gates of Jerusalem and make a way for the people. The statement argues that in the last days, when Israel is to be saved after the fullness of the Gentiles, the semi-Jews believe that they will return to the Lord. However, others think that it will be fulfilled in the kingdom of heaven, when there will be true joy and each person will receive according to their merit. They will not see the Lord in humility, but will feel His judgment when He comes on the clouds with a multitude of angels to render to each person according to their works. But according to the explanation given, we can understand these things at the first coming, so that we may say that the Apostles and the men who succeeded them, should enter and pass through the gates which hell cannot prevail against, and remove all obstacles from the path, so that the people may enter the Church of the Savior without any stumbling block. Therefore, John cried out in the wilderness: I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, as Isaiah said: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths: every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be brought low (John 1:23, Isaiah 40:3-4). And in other words, the man of the Church has chosen stones that soften the hardness of the hearts of the believers. Of these stones, John the Baptist said: God is able to…
Dictionary and topics
Ensign — (1.) Heb. ‘oth, a military standard, especially of a single tribe (Num. 2:2). Each separate tribe had its own “sign” or “ensign.” (2.) Heb. nes, a lofty signal, as a column or high pole (Num. 21:8,…
Highway — A raised road for public use. Such roads were not found in Palestine; hence the force of the language used to describe the return of the captives and the advent of the Messiah (Isa. 11:16; 35:8;…
Cities Of Refuge · Required to be: Easy of access — Required to be: Easy of access
Gates · Design of — Design of
Highways · Illustrative: Of facilities for the restoration of the Jews — Illustrative: Of facilities for the restoration of the Jews
Standard · FIGURATIVE — FIGURATIVE
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).
Pass through, pass through the gates. From the preceding statement he draws the conclusion, that there shall be a free passage through the gates of the city, which formerly were shut or in a ruinous state; shut when it was besieged by enemies; in a ruinous state, when the city was thrown down and levelled with the ground. He means that there shall be such a restoration of the city, that its inhabitants shall be numerous, and there shall be frequent passing to and from it.
Some think that these words are addressed to the pastors, that they may enter in at the gates, and go before others as their conductors. But it is a general and figurative statement, by which he compares the Church to a po…
The concluding strophe goes back to the standpoint of the captivity. "Go forth, go forth through the gates, clear the way of the people. Cast up, cast up the road, clear it of stones; lift up a banner above the nations! Behold, Jehovah hath caused tidings to sound to the end of the earth. Say to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. And men will call them the holy people, the redeemed of Jehovah; and men will call thee, Striven after, A city that will not be forsaken." We cannot adopt the rendering proposed by Gesenius, "Go ye into the gates," whether of Jerusalem or of the temple, since the reading would then be שׁ…
This call to prepare for God’s coming salvation combines elements from all parts of Isaiah: the proclamation (the signal or banner, see 5:26), the preparation of the road (40:3; 57:14), the coming of God with his reward (40:5, 9-10), and the holy and redeemed citizenry (35:8-10).
62:10 highway: See also 40:3; 57:14. • A flag for all the nations to see is a signal that directs foreigners to come to Zion for God’s salvation. Earlier, a similar signal was used to call for the nations to attack Judah (5:26).
Rashi on Isaiah 62:10
Pass, pass through the portals Said the prophet, “Pass and return in the portals; turn the heart of the people to the proper path” [after Jonathan].
pave, pave the highway Heb. סֹלּוּ. Pave the road, batec lokemin in O.F., beat down the road. סֹלּוּ is the same root as מְסִלָּה.
clear it of stones Clear the highway of stones and cast the stumbling blocks to the sides. clear it of stones Heb. סַקְּלוּ, espedrec in O.F., to rid of stones.
of stones of there being there a stone, and he is alluding to the evil inclination. It may also be interpreted as referring to the repairs of the road for the ingathering of the exiles.
lift up a banner A staff, perche in French. That is a sign, that they…
