John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 41:25

"I have raised up one from the north, and he is come; from the rising of the sun one that calleth upon my name: and he shall come upon rulers as upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay." — Isaiah 41:25 (ASV)

I have raised him from the north. He again returns to the argument he had briefly handled concerning the foreknowledge and power of God. He shows that the name of God belongs to Him alone in whom these are found. Therefore, idols are empty, as they neither know nor can do anything. When he says that He “raised him from the north,” some explain this as relating to Cyrus, and others as relating to Christ. But I think that here the Prophet denotes two things. For when he says “from the north,” he means the Babylonians, and when he says “from the east,” he means the Medes and Persians. It is as if he had said, “Two changes will happen that are worthy of remembrance: for I will raise up the Babylonians, whose empire I will exalt on high, and next will come the Persians, who will become their masters.”

Though these events happened afterwards, and after a long interval, he shows that they were already well known to Him and appointed by His decree, so that their accomplishment is a clear proof of His divinity. Yet, in the former clause, he threatens punishment to terrify the Jews; in the latter, he commends His mercy. He testifies that both the captivity and the deliverance of the people will be His work, so that it is evident that both foreknowledge and power belong to Him. Heathens make a division of various offices among their gods: Apollo foretells what is to come, Jupiter executes it, and another god does something else. But it belongs to God not only to foretell or declare what will happen, but also to arrange everything according to His pleasure. For every divine attribute belongs to God alone and cannot be ascribed to another. This is the reason why He claims for Himself foreknowledge and execution as inseparable.

When he says that He calls him “from the north,” as I suggested a little before, he predicts the future captivity. This captivity was not expected at that time because the Jews were friends and allies of the Chaldeans. At the same time, he prophesies concerning the restoration of the people, who were permitted by Cyrus to return to their native land.

Who would have thought, when matters were in that state, that such things could be believed? This is especially true since they followed after a long interval, for they happened two hundred years after being predicted by the Prophet. The Lord testifies that He is the author of these events. This is so that all may know that the Babylonians did not attack them by chance, but that the Lord raised them up as scourges to chastise the Jews. Furthermore, all may know that the Persians and Medes did not subdue the Babylonians by their own power, but because they were led and prompted by the hand of God.

In these words, therefore, he describes the greatness and power of God, and all the more plainly by declaring that kings and princes, before Him, are clay. Hence we see more clearly that the Prophet considered not only his own age but also posterity. For these things could not be known to those who lived at that time. However, posterity, who had actual experience of their accomplishment, understood them better. Consequently, none could doubt that it is God alone to whom all things are naked and open (Hebrews 4:13), and who directs everything according to His pleasure.

This is a remarkable passage for establishing the full and perfect certainty of the oracles of God. For the Jews did not forge these predictions while they were captive in Babylon. Rather, long after the predictions had been delivered to their fathers, they finally recognized the righteous judgment of God, by whom they had been warned in due time. They then embraced His mercy, having learned that they would finally be delivered by the Lord, who wished to preserve His Church and whom they had found to be faithful to His promises. Therefore, we may conclude with certainty that Isaiah did not speak at his own suggestion, but that his tongue was moved and guided by the Spirit of God.

And he has come. When he says that “he has come,” the meaning is that all that has been foretold by the command of God will infallibly be accomplished. He speaks of a future event and thus illustrates the foreknowledge of God. When he says that God is the author of these events, this relates to His power and might.

He shall call on my name. To call “on the name of God” means nothing else than to undertake anything in obedience to His authority. It is true, indeed, that nothing was further from the intention of Cyrus than to be employed in the service of the God of Israel or to follow Him as a leader. But the event showed that God, in a secret manner, led the way, conducting him by successive and incredible victories to Babylon.

And as a potter he shall tread the clay. This comparison is added because the power of the Babylonians was so vast that it was universally believed it could not be assailed, and they looked upon themselves as invincible. Therefore, since the Babylonians, trusting to their resources, despised all their adversaries and were elated with pride, the Prophet says that not only they but many others will be subdued and “trodden down like the clay.” In short, he means that the wealth of the Babylonians will not prevent this change from being made, or the Medes and Persians from becoming masters of the empire. Indeed, the appropriateness of this metaphor was clearly proved by the event when Cyrus, after conquering so many nations and gaining so many brilliant victories, subdued the whole of the East within a short period.