John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 1:24

"Therefore saith the Lord, Jehovah of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies;" — Isaiah 1:24 (ASV)

Therefore says the Lord, the LORD of hosts. He first uses the word האדון, (haadon) which literally means lord, and expresses the relationship to a servant. Next is added the word יהוה (Jehovah,) which denotes the eternal essence and majesty of God. After having exposed some kinds of crimes, which made it clear that in that nation everything was corrupted, Isaiah, now wishing to threaten and to present to them the judgment of God, not only represents God as invested with the power and authority of a Judge, but at the same time reminds them that the children of Abraham are his own special people, and for this reason he immediately adds, the mighty One of Israel. An irony may also be implied in it, by which he stings the Jews, as if he had said that it was foolishness for them to boast of the name of God, since they were worthless and unprincipled servants, and that it was vain for them to rely on his strength, which would immediately break out against them. After this preface, he adds—

Ah! I will take consolation on my adversaries. By these words he indicates that God will not be pacified until he has satisfied himself by inflicting punishment. He uses the word consolation in a human way; for as anger is nothing other than the desire of revenge, so revenge gives relief to the mind, and he who has taken vengeance congratulates himself and is satisfied. By this course, which may be regarded as a kind of compensation, the Lord says that he will satisfy himself by inflicting punishment on his adversaries.

There are various ways, indeed, of interpreting this passage; and I shall not undertake the task of examining all the interpretations and refuting those which I do not approve: it will be enough if we determine the true meaning. He does not here speak of Chaldeans or Assyrians, as some imagine, but of Jews, to whom, in the character of a herald, he proclaims war in the name of the Lord.

This threatening sounded harsh in their ears, for they supposed that they were joined in such an alliance with God that he was an adversary to their adversaries. He declares, on the other hand, that he is their enemy because he had so often been provoked by their crimes. In this manner we must shake off the complacency of hypocrites, who are continually waging war with God, and yet do not hesitate to claim that they enjoy his protection. We need not wonder, therefore, if the Prophet sternly pronounces them to be adversaries of God, who had broken the covenant and had thus carried on war against him.

And yet, to show that he is, as it were, reluctantly compelled to inflict punishment on his people, God utters his threatening with a kind of groan. For as nothing is more consistent with his nature than to do good, so whenever he is angry with us and treats us harshly, it is certain that our wickedness has compelled him to do so, because we do not allow his goodness to take its free course. Particularly, he is inclined to treat his own people with gentleness, and when he sees that there is no longer any room for his forbearance, he takes measures, as it were in sorrow, for inflicting punishment.

Some, perhaps, would prefer to explain the particle הוי (hoi) as an exclamation God made when aroused by anger. Personally, I rather consider it, in this passage, to be an expression of grief, because God, being mindful of his covenant, would willingly spare his chosen people, were it not that their obstinacy entirely prevented pardon.

And avenge me of mine enemies. In this second clause there is a reduplication, (ἀναδίπλωσις) a figure of speech customary with the Hebrews, who frequently express the same thing twice in one verse. From this we also learn that the point of the statement is that God cannot rest until he has taken vengeance on a wicked and treacherous people.