John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 40

Comfort ye. The Prophet introduces a new subject. For, leaving the people on whom no favorable impression was made either by threats or by admonitions due to their desperate wickedness, he turns to posterity.

He does this to declare that the people who will be humbled under the cross will experience no lack of consolation, even amid the severest distresses.

And it is probable that he wrote this prophecy when the time of the captivity was near, so that he might not, at his departure from life, leave the Church of God overwhelmed by very severe calamities without the hope of restoration.

Though he formerly mingled his predictions with threats and terrors for this purpose, yet he appears to have primarily contemplated the benefit of those who lived at that time.

What will follow later will relate to the future Church, the revival of which was brought about long after his death. For he will next set forth a perpetual doctrine, which must not be limited to a single period, especially when he discusses the commencement and progress of the reign of Christ.

And this prophecy must be of all the more importance to us because it addresses us in direct terms. For, although it may be a spiritual application of what came before, making it a doctrine common to both the Jews and to us, yet, as he leaves the Jews of that age and addresses future generations down to the end of the world, it appears to belong especially to us.

By this exhortation, therefore, the Lord intended to stir up the hearts of the godly, so that they would not lose heart amid heavy calamities. First, he addresses the Jews, who were soon to be carried into that hard captivity in which they would have neither sacrifices nor prophets, and would have been lacking all consolation, if the Lord had not relieved their miseries by these predictions.

Next, he addresses all the godly who would live later, or who are yet to live, to encourage their hearts, even when they appear to be brought very low and to be utterly ruined.

So that this discourse might have greater weight and more powerfully affect their minds, he represents God as raising up new prophets, whom he commands to soothe the sorrows of the people by friendly consolation.

The general meaning is that, when God seems to have forsaken the wretched captives for a time, the testimony of his grace will again burst forth from the darkness. And, when joyful prophecies have ceased, their proper time will come again.

To show more strongly the basis for joy, he uses the plural phrase, Comfort ye; thereby intimating that he will send not just one or two, but a vast multitude of prophets. This he actually accomplished, through which we see more clearly his infinite goodness and mercy.

Will say. First, it should be observed that the verb is in the future tense; and those commentators who translate it in the present or past tense both change the words and distort the meaning.

Indirectly, he points out an intermediate period during which the people would be severely afflicted, as if God had been silent.

Though even at that time God did not cease to offer the hope of salvation through some prophets, the consolation was less abundant because he had rejected them for a long period when they were miserably distressed and almost ruined.

This continued until it was clearly indicated, as if pointing with a finger, that they were free to return.

For this reason, the word comfort must be viewed as relating to a present favor. The repetition of the word not only confirms the certainty of the prediction but also praises its power and success, as if he had said that in this message there will be abundant, full, and unceasing cause for joy.

Above all, we must adhere to the future tense of this verb, because there is an implied contrast between that melancholy silence I have spoken of and the doctrine of consolation which later followed.

And with this prediction agrees the complaint of the Church:

We do not see our signs; there is no longer among us a prophet or any one that knows how long (Psalms 74:9).

We see how she laments that she has been deprived of the best kind of comfort, because no promise is brought forward to soothe her distresses.

It is as if the Prophet had said, “The Lord will not allow you to be deprived of prophets, to comfort you amid your severest distresses. At that time he will raise up men through whom he will send you the long-desired message, and at that time also he will show that he cares for you.”

I consider the future tense, will say, as relating not only to the captivity in Babylon but also to the whole period of deliverance, which includes the reign of Christ.

To the verb will say, we must supply the words “to the prophets,” whom he will appoint for that purpose. For they would have spoken in vain if the Lord had not told them and even put into their mouths what they should make known to others. Thus, there is a mutual relation between God and the prophets.

In short, the Lord promises that the hope of salvation will remain, even though human ingratitude deserves that this voice should be perpetually silenced and completely extinguished.

These words, I have said, should not be limited to the captivity in Babylon, for they have a very extensive meaning and include the doctrine of the gospel, in which the power of comforting chiefly lies.

It belongs to the gospel to comfort those who are distressed and cast down, to give life to those who are slain and actually dead, to cheer the mourners, and, in short, to bring all joy and gladness; and this is also the reason why it is called “the Gospel,” that is, good news.

Nor did it begin at the time when Christ appeared in the world, but long before, from the time when God’s favor was clearly revealed. Daniel might be said to have first raised his banner, so that believers might hold themselves in readiness for returning (Daniel 9:2).

Later, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Nehemiah, Ezra, and others, down to the coming of Christ, exhorted believers to cherish better and better hopes. Malachi, the last of them that wrote, knowing that there would be few prophets, directs the people to the law of Moses, to learn from it the will of God and its threats and promises (Malachi 4:4).

Your God. From this passage we learn what we should chiefly seek in the prophets: namely, to encourage the hopes of godly people by displaying the sweetness of divine grace, so that they may not lose heart under the weight of afflictions but may boldly persevere in calling on God.

But since this was difficult to believe, he reminds them of the covenant, as if he had said that it was impossible for God ever to forget what he previously promised to Abraham (Genesis 17:7).

Although, therefore, the Jews by their sins had fallen from grace, yet he affirms that he is their God, and that they are his peculiar people, both of which depended on election. But, as even in that nation there were many reprobates, the statement implies that this discourse is strictly directed only to believers, because he silently permits unbelievers, through constant decline, to be utterly wasted away and destroyed.

But to believers an invaluable comfort is offered: that, although for a time they are oppressed by grief and mourning, yet because they hope in God, who is the Father of consolation, they will know by experience that the promises of grace, like a hidden treasure, are stored up for them to cheer their hearts at the proper time.

This is also a very high commendation of the prophetic office: that it supports believers in adversity, so that they may not lose heart or be discouraged. On the other hand, this passage shows that it is a very terrible display of God’s vengeance when there are no faithful teachers from whose mouths the consolation suited to raise up those who are cast down and to strengthen the weak may be heard in the Church of God.

Speak ye according to the heart of Jerusalem. Here God commands His servants the prophets, and lays down the message that He wants them to deliver publicly, when believers will be called to change their tone from mourning to joy. And yet He does not exhort and encourage them to the cheerful and courageous discharge of their office so much as He conveys to the minds of believers an assured hope that they may patiently endure the irksomeness of delay, until the prophets appear with this glad and delightful message.

To speak to the heart is simply “to speak according to the wish or sentiment of the mind,” for our heart abhors or recoils if any sad news is communicated, but eagerly receives, or rather runs to meet, whatever is agreeable. Now, because the people had been apparently rejected, nothing could be more agreeable than a reconciliation that would blot out all offenses. By a figure of speech in which a part is taken for the whole, Jerusalem, as is well known, denotes the Church.

And cry to her. The word cry means that the promise of this grace will be open and manifest, so that it resounds in the ears of all and is understood. For if prophets only muttered or spoke indistinctly, belief in this consolation would be doubtful or weak; but now that they publish it boldly and with open mouth, all doubts are removed.

That her warfare is accomplished. This is the desirable message: that the Lord determines to put an end to the warfare of His people. I consider כי (ki) to be used for introducing an explanation. Some think that צבאה (tzebaahh), which we have translated “her warfare,” simply denotes “time,” as if it had been said, “her time is accomplished.” Others think that it expresses the time of visitation, but this is incorrect, for among the Hebrews it literally denotes a time previously appointed and set apart for lawful work or labor (Numbers 4:23).

But here unquestionably the metaphor is taken from the discharge of soldiers, for it means that the end and outcome of their vexations is near, and that God does not wish to harass His people continually, but to set a limit to their afflictions. He therefore compares the time of the captivity in Babylon to a righteous warfare, at the end of which the soldiers, having obtained an honorable discharge, will return home to enjoy peace and quietness.

That her iniquity is pardoned. This means that God is so gracious to them that He is unwilling to treat them with the utmost severity. These words, therefore, assign a reason; for, just as physicians, in curing diseases, first remove the causes from which diseases arise, so the Lord deals with us.

The scourges by which He chastises us proceed from our sins; and therefore, so that He may cease to strike, He must first pardon us. Consequently, He says that there will be an end of punishments, because He no longer imputes sin.

Others think that עונה (gnavonahh) means “her misery,” and that it denotes that her misery is ended. This meaning also is highly appropriate, and thus the Prophet will make the same announcement in two ways, for to finish her warfare and to put an end to her miseries mean the same thing.

Yet we must hold this principle: that God ceases from inflicting punishment when He is appeased, so that pardon and the forgiveness of sins always come first in order, as the cause. But the word נרצה (nirtzah) demands, in my opinion, the former meaning, as if He had said that God has been appeased in such a manner that, having pardoned and forgiven their sins, He is ready to enter again into a state of favor with His people.

Double for all her sins. This passage is explained in two ways. Some say that the people, having deserved a double punishment, have obtained a double favor; and others, that they have received enough punishment, because God is unwilling to exact more. The former interpretation, though it contains an excellent and profitable doctrine, does not agree with the text and must therefore be set aside. It is evident that the Prophet means nothing other than that God is abundantly satisfied with the miseries that have befallen His Church.

I could have wished, therefore, that those who have attacked Jerome and other supporters of this interpretation had been more moderate, for the natural meaning belongs to this interpretation, and not to the more ingenious one that the Lord repays double favor for their sins. The general meaning is that God is unwilling to inflict more severe or more lengthy punishment on His people because, through His fatherly kindness, He is in some sense displeased with the severity.

Here the word double denotes “large and abundant.” It must not be imagined that the punishments were greater than the offenses, or equal to them; for we ought to abhor the blasphemy of those who accuse God of cruelty, as if He inflicted on men excessively severe punishment. For what punishment could be inflicted that was sufficiently severe even for the smallest offense?

This must therefore relate to the mercy of God, who, by setting a limit to the chastisements, testifies that He is unwilling to punish them any more or longer, as if He were abundantly satisfied with what had gone before, though that nation deserved far more severe chastisements. God sustains the character of a Father who, while He compassionates His children, is led, not without reluctance, to exercise severity, and thus willingly bends His mind to grant forgiveness.

A voice crying in the wilderness. He develops the subject that he had begun and declares more explicitly that he will send to the people, though apparently ruined, ministers of consolation. At the same time, he anticipates an objection that might have been raised: “You do indeed promise consolation, but where are the prophets? For we shall be ‘in a wilderness,’ and from where shall this consolation come to us?” He therefore testifies that “the wilderness” shall not hinder them from enjoying that consolation.

The wilderness is used metaphorically to denote the desolation that then existed; though I do not deny that the Prophet alludes to the intermediate journey, for the roughness of the wilderness seemed to forbid their return. He promises, therefore, that although every road were shut up, and not a chink were open, the Lord will easily cleave a path through the most impassable tracts for himself and his people.

Prepare the way of Jehovah. Some connect the words “in the wilderness” with this clause and explain it this way: “Prepare the way of Jehovah in the wilderness.” But the Prophet seems rather to represent a voice that shall gather together those who had wandered and had, as it were, been banished from the habitable globe. “Though you see nothing but a frightful desert, yet this voice of consolation shall be heard from the mouth of the prophets.” These words relate to the hard bondage that they would undergo in Babylon.

But to whom is that voice addressed? Is it to believers? No, but to Cyrus, to the Persians, and to the Medes, who held that people in captivity. Being alienated from obedience to God, they are constrained to deliver the people. Therefore, they are commanded to “prepare and pave the way,” so that the people of God may be brought back to Judea, as if he had said, “Make passable what was impassable.”

The power and efficacy of this prediction is thus presented for our admiration. For when God invests his servants with authority to command men who were cruel and addicted to plunder, and who at that time were the conquerors of Babylon, to “prepare the way” for the return of his people, he means that nothing shall hinder the fulfillment of his promise, because he will employ them all as hired servants. From this we obtain an excellent consolation, when we see that God makes use of irreligious men for our salvation and employs all the creatures, when the case demands it, for that end.

A highway for our God. When it is said that the way shall be prepared not for the Jews, but for God himself, we have here a remarkable proof of his love towards us, for he applies to himself what related to the salvation of his chosen people. The Lord had nothing to do with walking and had no need of a road; but he shows that we are so closely united to him that what is done on our account he reckons to be done to himself. This mode of expression is frequently used elsewhere, as when it is said that God went forth into battle with his anointed (Habakkuk 3:13), and that he rode through the midst of Egypt (Exodus 11:4), and that he lifted up his standard and led his people through the wilderness (Isaiah 63:13).

This passage is quoted by the Evangelists (Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4), and applied to John the Baptist, as if these things had been foretold concerning him, and not unjustly; for he held the highest rank among the messengers and heralds of our redemption, of which the deliverance from Babylon was only a type.

And, indeed, at the time when the Church arose out of her wretched and miserable condition, her humble appearance bore a stronger resemblance than the Babylonian captivity to a “wilderness;” but God wished that they should see plainly, in the wilderness in which John taught, the image and likeness of that miserably ruinous condition by which the whole beauty of the Church was injured and almost destroyed.

What is here described metaphorically by the Prophet was at that time actually fulfilled, for at an exceedingly disordered and ruinous crisis John lifted up the banner of joy. True, indeed, the same voice had been previously uttered by Daniel, Zechariah, and others; but the nearer the redemption approached, the more impressively could it be proclaimed by John, who also pointed out Christ with his finger (John 1:29).

But because, in the midst of a nation that was ignorant and almost sunk in stupidity, there were few who sincerely grieved for their ruinous condition, John sought a wilderness, so that the very sight of the place might arouse careless persons to hope for and desire the promised deliverance.

As to his denying that he was a Prophet (John 1:21), this depends on the purpose of his calling and the substance of his doctrine. For he was not sent to discharge a separate and continuing office but, as a herald, to gain an audience for Christ his Master and Lord. What is said here about removing obstructions, he skilfully applies to individuals, on the grounds that the depravity of our nature, the windings of a crooked mind, and obstinacy of heart, shut up the way of the Lord and hinder them from preparing, by true self-denial, to yield obedience.

Every valley shall be exalted. He confirms and asserts the preceding statement, for He shows that no difficulties can prevent the Lord from delivering and restoring His Church whenever He sees fit. These words might properly be rendered in the imperative mood, “Let every valley be exalted,” so as to be placed in immediate connection with the command which God gives by His prophets to prepare and level the way for Himself; but it makes little difference in the meaning. Let us be satisfied with understanding the Prophet’s design: “that, although many and formidable difficulties arise to hinder the salvation of the Church, still the hand of God will be victorious and will prevail.”

And every mountain and hill shall be laid low. It should be observed that many obstructions always arise whenever God makes provision for our deliverance or wishes to aid the afflicted; and although His glory is more fully displayed by these obstructions, yet we suffer no loss, for we see more clearly His wonderful power when no strength, efforts, or schemes of men can prevent Him from achieving His purpose.

He conducts His people through “mountains” and steep places in such a manner as if the road were perfectly level; and by the words mountains and hills, the Prophet undoubtedly intends to metaphorically denote obstructions of every kind, for Satan attempts in every way to hinder our salvation. When we come, therefore, to spiritual redemption, these words undoubtedly include both internal and external obstacles—lusts and wicked desires, ambition, foolish confidence, and impatience, which greatly retard us—but the Lord will break them all down. For when He stretches out His hand, nothing can restrain or drive Him back.

And the glory of Jehovah shall be revealed. He means that this work of redemption will be splendid, so that the Lord will show that he is the Author of it, and will gloriously display his majesty and power. This, indeed, is very openly manifested in all places and in all events, but he promises that he will do this especially in protecting and delivering his Church, and not without good reason; for the deliverance of the Church, from its commencement until the coming of Christ, might be called a renewal of the world.

And because the power of God, which he had previously been accustomed to display, was almost extinguished, so that scarcely the slightest traces were discernible, as it is said in the Psalm, We do not see our signs, (Psalms 74:9), this was a very timely warning that a new and striking demonstration is promised, by which they may perceive that God has in his power various methods of giving relief, even when he conceals them for a time.

And all flesh shall see. He now heightens the miracle by an additional circumstance: that it will be known not only in Judea, but in foreign and distant countries. For by these words, All flesh shall see, he means that there will be no nations that do not see clearly that the return of the people is a heavenly work, and that God did not speak in vain by the Prophet. Thus he censures the unbelief of men, who never rely on the promises of God and who treat as fables whatever is said by the prophets, until by beholding the actual fact they are compelled to yield.

That the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken. Here we are taught what is the true method of correcting our unbelief; that is, to be engaged in meditating on the promises of God, and to have our faith strengthened by all the proofs of them which he exhibits. Thus it is proper to join doctrine with experience; for since the sight of God’s works would produce little impression on us, he first enlightens us by the torch of his word, and next seals its truth by the actual accomplishment.