Isaiah 62:4 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Isaiah 62:4
Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
to say (used with great latitude) · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Forsaken
עֲזוּבָ֗ה'a.zu.Vah
H5800
to loosen · verb, qal passive participle, feminine singular absolute
land
וּלְאַרְצֵךְ֙u.le.'ar.tzeKh
H776
the earth (at large · conjunction + preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
termed
יֵאָמֵ֥רye.'a.Mer
H559
to say (used with great latitude) · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Desolate
שְׁמָמָ֔הshe.ma.Mah
H8077
devastation · noun, common feminine singular absolute
called
יִקָּרֵא֙yi.ka.Re'
H7121
to call out to (i.e. properly · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Hephzi-bah
חֶפְצִיchef.tzi-
H2657
Cheptsi-bah · proper noun, a place name
land
וּלְאַרְצֵ֖ךְu.le.'ar.Tzekh
H776
the earth (at large · conjunction + preposition + noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
Beulah
בְּעוּלָ֑הbe.'u.Lah
H1166
to be master · verb, qal passive participle, feminine singular absolute
LORD
יְהוָה֙Yah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
delighteth
חָפֵ֤ץcha.Fetz
H2654
properly · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
land
וְאַרְצֵ֖ךְve.'ar.Tzekh
H776
the earth (at large · conjunction + noun, common feminine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
married
תִּבָּעֵֽלti.ba.'El
H1166
to be master · verb, niphal imperfect, 3rd person feminine 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
Zephaniah 3:17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy ove…
Hosea 2:19-20 And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in…
Isaiah 62:12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.
Isaiah 54:5-7 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he…
Jeremiah 32:41 Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covere…
1 Peter 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
Psalms 149:4 For the LORD taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Isaiah 62:1-5
The prophet here tells us,
I. What he will do for the church. A prophet, as he is a seer, so he is a spokesman. This prophet resolves to perform that office faithfully, Isa 62:1. He will not hold his peace; he will not rest; he will mind his business, will take pains, and never desire to take his ease; and herein he was a type of Christ, who was indefatigable in executing the office of a prophet and made it his meat and drink till he had finished his work. Observe here, 1. What the prophet's resolution is: He will not hold his peace. He will continue instant in preaching, will not only faithfully deliver, but frequently repeat, the messages he has received from the Lord. If people receive no…
be termed--be "forsaken," so as that that term could be applicable to thee.
Hephzi-bah-- (Kg2 21:1), the name of Hezekiah's wife, a type of Jerusalem, as Hezekiah was of Messiah (Isa 32:1): "my delight is in her."
Beulah--"Thou art married." See the same contrast of Zion's past and future state under the same figure (Isa 54:4-6; Rev 21:2, Rev 21:4).
land . . . married--to Jehovah as its Lord and Husband: implying not only ownership, but protection on the part of the Owner [HORSLEY].
Adam Clarke on Isaiah 62:4
Thy land Beulah - בעולה beulah, married. In the prophets, a desolate land is represented under the notion of a widow; an inhabited land, under that of a married woman, who has both a husband and children.
John Gill on Isaiah 62:4
Thou shall no more be termed Forsaken,.... That is, of the Lord her God, as she had seemed to be to others, and thought to be so by herself, Isaiah 49:14, not having so much of his gracious presence as is desirable; sensible communion with him being withheld; the word and ordinances not owned and blessed, or very little; and few souls converted; and the interest of Christ, labouring under many difficulties and discouragements, under the reproaches and persecutions of men, and so looked as if forsaken of God; but in the latter day all these complaints shall be removed; and the presence of God will be very manifest in his churches, and among his people; and they will appear to be his care and…
The Church Fathers
Those who believe in the Lord received a new title; they are not called after Abraham or Israel or Judah but are named after the master, Christ. For they are called Christians by everyone, since they have put on Christ through the most holy baptism.
"Married," since on the days of the captivity [your land] had become a widow, without kings or children; now, on the contrary, because of the return, it will be a married woman and a mother of children. "Your land shall be married," that is, it will be sowed and made fertile, or it will now cooperate in its tilling and germination.
Because she will be adorned and established in incomparable beauty, he adds, "You will be a beautiful garland." For every holy soul and the whole church must be compared with a garland put together from many flowers and a royal jewel. For David says that the church is adorned in gold-embroidered and multicolored clothing similar to what is said in our text. "In the hand of God" means "under his shelter." For he says, "Under my hand I will shelter you." And Christ concerning his own sheep said, "No one can steal them from the Father's hand." Some say that the garland of Christ are those corrected by him. And the jewel of his kingdom are those martyrs for his sake, whom in his hand the Father had chosen to put round the Son, garlanding him and placing as a royal jewel, with the fullness of those who have been saved through him and by him. Among these taking a new name, she will no longer be called "she who is left deserted" but "my will," that is, according to my will. This means that she who was previously deserted will be saved and placed with him, rather than deserted.…He says "will," meaning those doing his will, those who love him, as a young man loves a virgin.… For he protects and keeps her as virgin, according to the mystery mentioned by Paul when he discusses Christ and the church. He shows the present state of the churches under the guidance of the priests day and night. While the people are unconscious of God, the priests become their defending wall, unconquered and placing a faithful guard against any approach of the devil.
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
Beulah — Married, is used in Isa. 62:4 metaphorically as the name of Judea: “Thy land shall be married,” i.e., favoured and blessed of the Lord.
Hephzibah — My delight is in her. (1.) The wife of Hezekiah and mother of king Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1). (2.) A symbolical name of Zion, as representing the Lord’s favour toward her (Isa. 62:4).
Solomon, Song of — Called also, after the Vulgate, the “Canticles.” It is the “song of songs” (1:1), as being the finest and most precious of its kind; the noblest song, “das Hohelied,” as Luther calls it. The…
Beulah · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Canaan · . — .
Excellency And Glory Of The Church, The · God delights in — God delights in
Hephzi-Bah · 2. A prophetic name of — 2. A prophetic name of
Jews, The · Promises respecting: Future glory of — Promises respecting: Future glory of
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).
Thou shalt no more be called forsaken. He meets a difficulty which might occur to the minds of believers, seeing that they were forsaken and abandoned, while at the same time they were called a "diadem" and a "crown." Seeing that they were hated and abhorred by all nations, and sometimes even lay prostrate at the feet of their enemies, and no assistance of any kind was seen, it might appear ridiculous that they should receive these names, and thus be elevated to heaven and placed in the hand of God. He therefore means that the people, though for a time they resemble a divorced and forsaken woman, shall yet be restored so as to change their condition and name; as if he had said, "This divorce…
Zion will be once more the beloved of God, and her home the bride of her children. "Men will no more call thee 'Forsaken one;' and thy land they will no more call 'Desert:' but men will name thee 'My delight in her,' and thy home 'Married one:' for Jehovah hath delight in thee, and thy land is married. For the young man marrieth the maiden, thy children will marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth in the bride, thy God will rejoice in thee." The prophecy mentions new names, which will now take the place of the old ones; but these names indicate what Zion appears to be, not her true nature which is brought to the light. In the explanatory clause לך stands at the head, because the name of…
The Forsaken City: In the Exile, the Lord abandoned his people to the judgment they deserved (54:7). • The Bride of God: The people will be “married” to the Lord—an appropriate image for the close covenant relationship (54:5; Hos 1–3).
