John Gill Commentary Isaiah 14

For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, will yet choose
Israel

While the Jews were in captivity, the Lord seemed to have no pity for them, or compassion on them, and it looked as if he had rejected them, and wholly cast them off; but by delivering them from there, he showed that he had a merciful regard to them, and made it to appear that they were his chosen people, and beloved by him: and this is a reason why Babylon should be destroyed, and her destruction be no longer deferred, because the Lord's heart of compassion yearned towards his own people, so that his mercy to them brought ruin upon others:

a choice of persons to everlasting salvation, though it is not made in time, but before the foundation of the world, yet is made to appear by the effectual calling, which therefore is sometimes expressed by choosing, (1 Corinthians 1:26 1 Corinthians 1:27) and is the fruit and effect of sovereign grace and mercy, and may be intended here; the words may be rendered, "and will yet choose in Israel" ^F20 , some from among them; that is, have mercy on them, and call them by his grace, and so show them to be a remnant, according to the election of grace; and such a chosen remnant there was among them in the times of Christ, and his apostles, by which it appeared that the Lord had not cast off the people whom he foreknew:

and set them in their own land :
or "cause them to rest upon their own land" ^F21 ; for the word not only denotes settlement and continuance, but rest, which they had not in Babylon; but now should have, when brought into their own land; and no doubt but reference is had to the original character of the land of Canaan, as a land of rest; and hither shall the Jews be brought again, and be settled when mystical Babylon is destroyed:

and the stranger shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave
to the house of Jacob ;
by which is meant, that proselytes should be made to the Jewish religion, who should be admitted into their church state, as well as into their commonwealth, and should abide faithful to the profession they made; which doubtless was fulfilled in part at the time of the Jews' return from the Babylonish captivity, when many, who had embraced their religion, cleaved to them, and would not leave them, but went along with them into their land, that they might join with them in religious worship there; but had a greater accomplishment in Gospel times, when Gentiles were incorporated into the same Gospel church state with the believing Jews, and became fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of the same promises and privileges; and so Kimchi and Ben Melech apply this to the times of the Messiah; and Jarchi to time to come, when Israel should be redeemed with a perfect redemption:

because from the word translated "cleave" is derived another, which signifies a scab; hence the Jews ^F23 have a saying,

``proselytes are grievous to Israel as a scab.''

FOOTNOTES:

• F20: (larvyb dwe rxbw) "et eliget adhuc in Israele", Pagninus, Montanus.
• F21: (Mxynhw) "et requiescere eos faciet", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus.
• F23: T. Bab. Yebamot, fol. 47. 2. & Kiddushin, fol. 70. 2.

And the people shall take them, and bring them to their
place

That is, the people among whom the Jews dwelt in Babylon, who has a kindness for them, and especially such of them as were proselyted to their religion should attend them in their journey home, and supply them with all necessaries for provision and carriage, as they were allowed to do by the edict of Cyrus, (Ezra 1:4). And this will have a further accomplishment in the latter day, when the Gentiles shall bring their sons and daughters in their arms, and on their shoulders, and on horses, and in chariots, to Jerusalem, (Isaiah 49:21) (Isaiah 66:20) which last passage Kimchi refers to, as explanative of this.

and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord,
for servants and handmaids ;

By the "land of the Lord" is meant the land of Israel, which was peculiarly his; for though the whole earth is his, yet he chose this above all others for the place of his worship, under the former dispensation; and where his son, in the fulness of time, should appear in human nature, preach the Gospel, perform miracles, and work out the salvation of his people; and where his feet shall stand at the latter day, when he comes to judge the world; this is the same with Immanuel's land, (Isaiah 8:8).

Hither many of the Chaldeans coming along with the Jews, and having embraced their religion, chose rather to be servants and handmaids to them, than to return to their own land, and who were a kind of inheritance or possession to the Jews; though some think that these were such as they bought of the Babylonians, that came with them to be their servants, and not they themselves.

It may be understood of Gentile converts in Gospel times, who would willingly and cheerfully engage in the service of the church of God, and by love serve his people, and one another. Kimchi explains this clause by (Isaiah 61:5).

and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and
they shall rule over their oppressors :

That is, the Babylonians, who had carried the Jews captive, should be taken captives by them, and made slaves of; which might be true of those they bought of them, when they returned to their own land; or, as some think, this had its accomplishment in the times of the Maccabees, when they conquered many people, who before had carried them captive, and oppressed them.

And in a spiritual and mystical sense has been fulfilled in the times of the Gospel, through the spread of it in the Gentile world, by the ministry of the apostles, who were Jews; by which means many of the nations of the world were brought to the obedience of Christ and his church.

And it shall come to pass in the day that the Lord shall give you rest from your sorrow In captivity, and on account of that, being out of their own land, deprived of the free exercise of their religion, and at a distance from the house of God, and continually hearing the reproaches and blaspheming of the enemy, and seeing their idolatrous practices, and their ungodly conversation; all which must create sorrow of heart to the sincere lovers and worshippers of God.

and from your fear of worse evils, most cruel usage, and death itself, under the terror of which they lived.

and from the hard bondage wherein you were made to serve as before in Egypt, so now in Babylon; but what that was is not particularly expressed anywhere, as the former is, see (Exodus 1:13Exodus 1:14) and when they had rest from all this in their own land, then they should do as follows:

That you shall take up this proverb against the king of
Babylon
Or "concerning" him, his fall, and the fall of the Babylonish monarchy with him; if we understand this of anyparticular king of Babylon, it seems best not to interpret it of Nebuchadnezzar, whom Jerom mentions, in whomthe empire was in its greatest glory: but of Belshazzar, in whom it ended; the king of Babylon may be hereconsidered as a type of antichrist, and what is said of the one may be applied to the other: the "proverb" or"parable" taken up into the mouth, and expressed concerning him, signifies a sharp and acute speech, ataunting one, full of ironies and sarcasms, and biting expressions, as the following one is. The Septuagintrender it, a "lamentation"; and the Arabic version, a "mournful song"; but as this was to be taken up by thechurch and people of God, concerning their great enemy, whose destruction is here described, it may rather becalled a triumphant song, rejoicing at his ruin, and insulting over him:

and say, how has the oppressor ceased !
he who oppressed us, and other nations, exacted tribute of us, and of others, and made us to serve with hardbondage, how is he come to nothing? by what means is he brought to ruin; by whom is this accomplished? whohas been the author of it, and by whom effected? this is said as wondering how it should be brought about,and rejoicing that so it was:

the golden city ceased !
the city of Babylon, full of gold, drawn thither from the various parts of the world, called a golden cup, (Jeremiah 51:7) and the Babylonish monarchy, in the times of Nebuchadnezzar, was signified by a golden head,(Daniel 2:32Daniel 2:38) so mystical Babylon, or the Romish antichrist, is represented as decked withgold, and having a golden cup in her hand; and as a city abounding with gold, (Revelation 17:4) (18:16) .

The word here used is a Chaldee or Syriac word ^F24 , and perhaps is what was used by themselves,and is the name by which they called this city, and is now tauntingly returned. The word city is not in thetext, but supplied.

Some render "tribute" {y}, a golden pension, a tribute of gold, which was exacted of the nations in subjection, but now ceased. And when that tyrant and oppressor, the Romish antichrist, shall cease that tribute which he exacts of the nations of the earth will cease also, as tithes, first fruits, annates, Peter's pence

FOOTNOTES:

• F24: (hbhdm) .
• F25: "Tributum", V. L. Cocceius; "aurea pensio", Montanus; "aurum tributarium", Munster.

The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked This is an answer to the above question, how the exactor and his tribute came to cease; this was not by man, but by the Lord himself; for though he made use of Cyrus, the work was his own, he broke the power of the wicked kings of Babylon:

[and] the sceptre of the rulers that were under the king of Babylon; or of the several kings themselves, Nebuchadnezzar, Evilmerodach, and Belshazzar; so Kimchi interprets it.

This may be applied to the kingdom of antichrist, and the antichristian states, which shall be broken to shivers as a potter's vessel by Christ, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, (Revelation 2:27) (Revelation 19:15Revelation 19:16) .

The "staff" and "sceptre" are emblems of power and government; and "breaking" them signifies the utter destruction and cessation of authority and dominion.