*H Who a hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?
Ver. 1. Revealed. Who could have believed such things? The apostles complain how few were converted. Jo. xii. 38. Rom. x. 16. C. — These would not submit, though the gospel was not against reason. W.
* Footnote * John 12 : 38
That the saying of Isaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he said: Lord, who hath believed our hearing? And to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed?* Footnote * Romans 10 : 16
But all do not obey the gospel. For Isaias saith: Lord, who hath believed our report?*H And he shall grow up as a tender plant before him, and as a root out of a thirsty ground: there is no beauty in him, nor comeliness: and we have seen him, and there was no sightliness, that we should be desirous of him:
Ver. 2. Plant. Heb. also, "suckling child." Sept. &c. — Ground. The blessed Virgin. C. — Was. Sept. "he had no appearance nor beauty. But his appearance was abject and deficient above all men; a," &c. — That we. Lit. "and we have desired him." Notwithstanding his abject condition, He was the desired of all nations, and by his wounds we are healed. H. — Some assert that the person of Christ was not beautiful, while others think that his wounds prevented it from being discerned. Salmeron would supply a negation from the first number: "We have not desired him."
*H Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity: and his look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not.
Ver. 3. Not. The whole life of Christ was spent in the midst of poverty, and contradictions. Heb. iv. 15. He has thus taught us to despise ourselves.
* Footnote * Mark 9 : 11
Who answering, said to then: Elias, when he shall come first, shall restore all things; and as it is written of the Son of man that he must suffer many things and be despised.*H Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted.
Ver. 4. Sorrows. Healing them by his own afflictions. Mat. viii. 15. Sickness is an effect of sin, which Jesus came to destroy. 1 Pet. ii. 24 — Leper, who was bound to have his face covered. v. 3. Lev. xiii. 45. — God. Payva (Def. Trin. iv.) assures us that many Jews were converted by the perusal of this chapter, and particularly of this verse, which may be rendered "as a God wounded and afflicted." C.
* Footnote * Matthew 8 : 17
That it might be fulfilled, which was spoken by the prophet Isaias, saying: He took our infirmities, and bore our diseases.*H But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed.
Ver. 5. Healed. He inculcates this important truth repeatedly. Christ nailed the hand-writing that was against us to the cross. Col. ii. 14. H.
* Footnote * 1_Corinthians 15 : 3
For I delivered unto you first of all, which I also received: how that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures:*H All we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned aside into his own way: and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Ver. 6. Astray. We belong to his fold. C. xl. 11. Jo. x. 11. Lu. xv. 4.— Laid. Sept. "abandoned him to our sins," as to so many executioners; (C.) "and he, because he had been abused, opened," &c. H.
*H He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth.
Ver. 7. Will. The pagans were very attentive that the victim should not make much resistance. Macrob. iii. 5. — God loves a cheerful giver. H. — Our Saviour offers himself willingly, knowing the inefficacy of legal victims. Ps. xxxix. 7. C.
* Footnote * Matthew 26 : 63
But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest said to him: I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us if thou be the Christ the Son of God.* Footnote * Acts 8 : 32
And the place of the scripture which he was reading was this: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter: and like a lamb without voice before his shearer, so openeth he not his mouth.*H He was taken away from distress, and from judgment: who shall declare his generation? because he is cut off out of the land of the living: for the wickedness of my people have I struck him.
Ver. 8. Judgment, or by an unjust and cruel judgment. H. — Heb. "from prison and judgment." C. — Sept. "in humiliation, (H.) or humility, his judgment was taken away," or rescinded, by his glorious resurrection. S. Philip follows this version in explaining this passage to the eunuch. Acts viii. 33. — Generation, from his eternal Father or from the Virgin, his incarnation, life, resurrection, or posterity in the Church. All these may be meant, and are inexplicable. C.
*H And he shall give the ungodly for his burial, and the rich for his death: because he hath done no iniquity, neither was there deceit in his mouth.
Ver. 9. Death. Heb. "and he made his grave with the wicked men, and with the rich man, in his death." H. — Grave and death seem to be transposed; and we might better read, "He was taken up with wicked men in his death, and with a rich man was his sepulchre." This indeed is only a conjecture, but well grounded in the context. See Jos. xxiv. 19. Kennicott. — Sept. "and I will give the wicked for his grave, and the rich men for his death." H. — The rich man may denote the small number of Jews who embraced the faith. C. — They esteemed themselves rich, and were highly favoured by God; yet they were blinded, (H.) and given up to the Romans, in punishment of their deicide. Mat. xxvii. 25. The Church is gathered both from Jews and Gentiles. v. 10. C. S. Jer. — "He will send to hell the wicked," (Chal.) who slew him. M. — Christ was buried where malefactors were generally, yet honourably, in the tomb of Joseph. W. Mat. xxvii. 57.
* Footnote * 1_Peter 2 : 22
Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.* Footnote * 1_John 3 : 5
And you know that he appeared to take away our sins: and in him there is no sin.*H And the Lord was pleased to bruise him in infirmity: if he shall lay down his life for sin, he shall see a longlived seed, and the will of the Lord shall be prosperous in his hand.
Ver. 10. Bruise. Sept. "to cleanse him from the wound." H. — God was pleased that he should satisfy for our crimes. — Hand. Christ has died for all, and established a Church which shall not perish.
*H Therefore will I distribute to him very many, and he shall divide the spoils of the strong, because he hath delivered his soul unto death, and was reputed with the wicked: and he hath borne the sins of many, and hath prayed for the transgressors.
Ver. 12. Many. Even to the ends of the earth. Ps. ii. 8. — Strong. Demons, Jews, &c. Heb. "with the strong" apostles. — Wicked thieves. Barabbas, &c. — Transgressors. His executioners. The gospel could not speak plainer. C.