John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 8:13

"Jehovah of hosts, him shall ye sanctify; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread." — Isaiah 8:13 (ASV)

Sanctify Jehovah of hosts himself. We have said that the reason why dangers lead to immoderate alarm is that wretched men do not raise their eyes and minds to heaven. The Prophet now, therefore, proposes a suitable remedy for calming terrors, so that those who dread the evils that threaten them may learn to give to God the honor due to Him.

To sanctify the God of armies means to exalt His power highly, so as to remember that He holds the government of the world, and that the beginning and the end of good and evil actions are at His disposal. Hence it follows that, in some respects, God is robbed of His holiness when we do not immediately turn to Him in cases of perplexity.

This mode of expression, therefore, is highly emphatic, for it shows us that no higher affront can be offered to God than to give way to fear, as if He were not exalted above all creatures, so as to control all events. On the other hand, when we rely on His aid, and, through victorious steadfastness of faith, despise dangers, then do we actually ascribe to Him lawful government; for if we are not convinced that innumerable methods, though unknown to us, are in His power for our deliverance, we conceive of Him as a dead idol.

And let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. He properly adds that God Himself should be the fear and the dread of the people, in order to inform them that a just and lawful reward for their crimes and their contempt of God awaits them when they thus tremble at dangers in wretchedness and alarm.

Though he speaks not only of fear but of dread, yet he does not mean that the Jews should be filled with horror at the name of God, so as to desire to flee from Him, but merely demands from them reverence for God, and uses both words in order to express continuance.

He therefore means that they will be free and exempted from anxiety of mind if a sincere fear of God is deeply engraved on their hearts and never passes away from them. Indeed, every person who freely devotes himself to God and undertakes to fear Him alone, thereby laying this restraint on himself, will find that no haven is safer than His protection.

But as the ungodly do not cease to provoke His anger by shameless transgression, He harasses their minds with continual uneasiness and thus inflicts the most appropriate revenge for their careless indifference.