Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 57:1

"The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil [to come]." — Isaiah 57:1 (ASV)

The righteous perishes – This refers, I suppose, to the time of Manasseh (see the Introduction, Section 3). Grotius supposes that it refers to King Josiah; Vitringa, that it refers to martyrs in general. But it seems probable to me that the prophet intends to describe the state of apathy that prevailed in his own time. He appears to urge, as one proof of this, that the pious part of the nation was taken away by violent death, and yet the nation was not affected by it.

Such was the guilt of Manasseh; so violent was the persecution he instigated against the righteous, that it is said of him that he shed innocent blood very much, until he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another (2 Kings 22:16). There is evidence (see the Introduction, Section 2) that Isaiah lived until Manasseh's time, and it is probable that he himself ultimately fell victim to Manasseh's reign. Although, due to his great age, he had retired from the public functions of the prophetic office, he could not have been insensible to the existence of these evils. His spirit would not allow him to be silent, even though bowed down by age, when the land was filled with abominations and when the best blood of the nation was poured out like water. The word rendered ‘perishes’ (אבד 'ābad) as well as the word rendered ‘taken away’ (אסף 'âsaph) denotes violence and indicates that they were removed by a premature death.

And no one lays it to heart – No one is aroused by it, or is concerned about it. The sentiment of the passage is that it is proof of great spiritual dullness and guilt when people see the righteous die without concern. If the pious die by persecution and others are not aroused, it shows that they acquiesce in it, or have no confidence in God, and no desire that His people should be preserved. If they die in the ordinary way and the people are unaffected, it shows their spiritual dullness. The removal of a pious person from the earth is a public calamity. Their prayers, example, and life were among the richest blessings of the world, and people should be deeply affected when they are withdrawn. It shows their guilt and spiritual dullness when they see this with indifference.

It increases the evidence of this guilt when, as is sometimes the case, the removal of the righteous by death is an occasion of joy. The wicked hate the silent rebuke furnished by a holy life, and they often feel a secret exultation when such people die.

And merciful men – The margin offers ‘men of kindness’ or ‘godliness’ as alternative renderings. Lowth and Noyes translate it as ‘pious men.’ The Septuagint translates it as Ἄνδρες δίκαιοι (Andres dikaioi) – ‘just men.’ The Hebrew word here (חסד chesed) signifies mercy or kindness. It likely refers to ‘men of mercy’—that is, people who are recipients of God's mercy, those who are pious or devoted to Him.

Are taken away – In Hebrew, this phrase means ‘are gathered.’ That is, they are gathered to their ancestors by death.

None considering – They were not concerned to understand the purpose of Divine Providence in permitting it.

From the evil to come – This means 'from the evil that is to come' (or, as the margin puts it, 'from that which is evil'). The idea here is evidently that severe calamities were coming upon the nation. God was about to give them up to foreign invasion (Isaiah 56:9 and following), and the true reason the righteous were removed was so that they might not be subject to the divine wrath that would come upon the nation. They would not be required to witness the painful state of things when an enemy would set fire to the cities, the palaces, and the temple, and cause the sacred services of religion to cease. It was a lesser evil for them to be removed by death—even by the painful death of persecution—than to be compelled to experience these coming sorrows. At the same time, this passage may be regarded as teaching a more general truth.

This truth is that the pious are often removed so that they may not be exposed to evils they would experience if they were to live longer. These evils could include the pains and sorrows of persecution, long and lingering disease, poverty and want, or the prevalence of iniquity and unbelief over which their hearts would bleed. There might also be long and painful conflicts with their own evil hearts, or the danger that they would fall into sin and dishonor their high calling. For some or all these reasons, the righteous may be withdrawn from the world. If we could see these reasons as God does, nothing more would be necessary to lead us to acquiesce entirely in the justice of His dealings.