John Gill Commentary Isaiah 26:11

"Jehovah, thy hand is lifted up, yet they see not: but they shall see [thy] zeal for the people, and be put to shame; yea, fire shall devour thine adversaries." — Isaiah 26:11 (ASV)

Lord, [when] your hand is lifted up, they will not see , &c.] Or, "your high hand they will not see" ^F25 ; when it is exalted, and become glorious in power, in punishing wicked men; though the punishment is visible, yet they will not consider that it comes from the hand of God, but attribute it to chance, misfortune, or second causes, (Psalms 28:5) or when the hand the Lord is manifest in doing good to his own people, in delivering them out of their oppressions, and the hands of their oppressors; in reviving his cause and interest, and enlarging the kingdom of his Son; they will not see, own, and acknowledge the power and glory of it. The Targum favours this latter sense, ``Lord, when thou shall be revealed in thy power to do good to them that fear thee, there will be no light to the enemies of thy people:''

[but] they shall see ; whether they will or not; the judgments of God will be manifest, both in his vengeance on antichrist, and in glorifying his own people:

and be ashamed for [their] envy at the people ; their envy at the happiness and prosperity of the Lord's people; their malice towards them, and persecution of them: or, "for the zeal of your people" ^F26 ; not for the zeal of the people to God, but for the zeal of the Lord to them; when they shall see him zealously affected to them, and concerned for them; as they shall see it, whether they will or not; they will then be confounded and ashamed, when he will vindicate his own people, and right their wrongs, and avenge their enemies; so the Targum, ``the revenge of thy people shall cover them:''

yea, the fire of your enemies shall devour them : or, "fire shall devour them, your enemies" ^F1 ; the wrath of God, which is like unto fire; or, fire out of the mouth of the witnesses, (Revelation 11:5) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F25: (Nwyzxy lb Kdy hmr) "elatam tuam manum non cernunt", Castalio; "celsitudinem manuum tuarum nequaquam vident", Syriac version.
• F26: (Me tanq) "zelum populi tui"; so some in Vatablus; "zelum erga populum", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
• F1: (Mlkat Kyru va) "ignis hostes tuos consumet eos", Pagninus, Vatablus, "comedet eos", Montanus.