John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 59:1

"Behold, Jehovah`s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:" — Isaiah 59:1 (ASV)

Behold, the hand of Jehovah is not shortened. This discourse closely resembles the preceding one; for, after having torn off the mask from hypocrites, who vainly boasted of themselves, and after having shown that the punishment inflicted on them was just, he now replies to other objections. Hypocrites are accustomed to accuse God either of weakness or of excessive severity. He shows, therefore, that He lacks neither the power nor the will to save His people, but that He is prevented by their wickedness from exercising His kindness towards them. Therefore, they do wrong in blaming God and in uttering those slanders against Him, when they ought, on the contrary, to accuse themselves.

The word הן (hen) “behold,” is emphatic, as if the Prophet spoke of something actually present and pointed it out with his finger for the sake of expressing certainty, in order to remove any pretext from hypocrites, so that they could no longer practice evasion. We must also supply the contrasts to the words “shortened” and “benumbed.” It is as if He had said that formerly there were abundant resources in the hand of God to render assistance to His people, and that He always was ready to be reconciled and lent a willing ear to prayers. And now, He is not unlike Himself, as if His hand were broken or His ears had grown dull, so that He did not hear distinctly.