Albert Barnes Commentary Isaiah 59:19

"So shall they fear the name of Jehovah from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come as a rushing stream, which the breath of Jehovah driveth." — Isaiah 59:19 (ASV)

So shall they fear—That is, the result of the divine intervention to punish His enemies will be to secure the acknowledgment of the existence and perfections of Yahweh in every part of the world. See especially the notes at Isaiah 45:6.

When the enemy shall come in—There has been great variety in the interpretation of this passage, and it is remarkable that our translators have departed from all the ancient versions, and that the present translation differs from nearly all the modern expositions of the place. Lowth renders it:

When he shall come like a river narrowed in his course,
Which a strong wind drives along.

Jerome (the Vulgate) renders it, ‘When he shall come as a violent river which the Spirit of the Lord (spiritus Domini, or the wind of the Lord, that is, a strong wind) drives along.’ The Septuagint, ‘For the wrath of the Lord will come like an impetuous stream; it will come with fury.’ The Chaldee, ‘When they shall come who oppress, like an overflowing of the river Euphrates.’ The Syriac, ‘Because when the oppressor shall come as a river, the Spirit of the Lord shall humble him.’ The reason for this variety of interpretation is the ambiguity of the Hebrew words which occur in the verse. The word which in our common version is rendered ‘the enemy’ (צר (tsâr)—from צרר (tsârar)—to press, compress, bind up together; intransitive, to be straitened, or compressed), may mean either:

1. “An adversary, enemy, persecutor,” synonymous with אויב ('ôyēb)—as in Numbers 10:9; Deuteronomy 32:27; Job 16:9; or,
2. “Straits, affliction” (Psalms 4:2; Psalms 18:7; Psalms 44:11); or,
3. “Strait, narrow” (Numbers 22:26; Job 41:7).

‘It may be, therefore, here either a noun meaning an enemy, or it may be an adjective qualifying the word ‘river.’ If it is an adjective, it will then denote a river that is closely confined within its banks and is urged forward by a mass of accumulating waters or by a mighty wind.

According to this interpretation, it will mean that Yahweh will come to take vengeance with the impetuosity of a river that swells, foams, and is borne forward with violence in its course. The comparison of a warrior or hero with such a mighty and impetuous torrent is exceedingly forcible and beautiful, and is not uncommon (see the notes at Isaiah 8:7).

The phrase rendered ‘the Spirit of the Lord’ (יהוה רוח (rûach y^ehovâh)) may denote ‘the wind of Yahweh,’ or a strong, violent, mighty wind.

The appropriate meaning of the word רוח (rûach) is wind or breath. It is well known that the name of God is often in the Scriptures used to denote that which is mighty or vast, as in the phrases ‘mountains of God,’ ‘cedars of God,’ etc.

There is no reason why it should be regarded here as denoting ‘the Spirit of God’—the great agent of enlightening and reforming the world. It may be understood, as Lowth and others have applied it, to denote a strong and violent wind—a wind urging on a mass of waters through a compressed and narrowed place, thus increasing their impetuosity and violence.

The phrase ‘Spirit of God’ (אלהים רוח (rûach 'ĕlōhîm)) is used to denote a strong wind in 1 Kings 18:12; 2 Kings 2:16; Isaiah 40:7; Ezekiel 12:14; and Ezekiel 13:13.

The word rendered in our version ‘shall lift up a standard’ (נססה (nos^esâh)), and in the margin ‘put him to flight,’ if derived from נסס (nāsas)—and if written with the points נססה (nāsesâh)—would denote to lift up or elevate, as a standard or banner, or anything to oppose and retard a foe.

But the word is probably derived from נוּס (nûs)—to flee; in the Piel, נוסס (nôsēs) means “to impel, to cause to flee.”

Here it means, then, that the mighty wind impels or drives on the compressed waters of the stream. The whole passage means that Yahweh would come to deliver His people and to prostrate His foes with the impetuosity of a violent river compressed between narrow banks and driven on by a mighty wind.

Therefore, true as it is that when a violent enemy attacks the church—when he comes in with error, violence, and allies, like a flood—Yahweh will raise a standard against him, and the influences of the Spirit of God may be expected to intervene to arrest the evil. Yet, this passage does not teach that doctrine, nor should it be so applied.

It does teach that Yahweh will go forth with energy and power to defend His people and to prostrate His foes.