
Text -- Isaiah 40:9 (NET)




Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics



collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)
Zion or Jerusalem is the publisher, and the cities of Judah the hearers.

Lest thou shouldest be found a false prophet.

To all my people in the several places of their abode.

Take notice of this wonderful work, and glorious appearance of your God.
JFB: Isa 40:9 - -- Rather, "Oh, thou that bringest good things to Zion; thou that bringest good tidings to Jerusalem." "Thou" is thus the collective personification of t...
Rather, "Oh, thou that bringest good things to Zion; thou that bringest good tidings to Jerusalem." "Thou" is thus the collective personification of the messengers who announce God's gracious purpose to Zion (see on Isa 40:1); Isa 52:7 confirms this [Vulgate and GESENIUS]. If English Version be retained, the sense will be the glad message was first to be proclaimed to Jerusalem, and then from it as the center to all "Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the earth" (Luk 24:47, Luk 24:49; Act 1:8) [VITRINGA and HENGSTENBERG].

JFB: Isa 40:9 - -- It was customary for those who were about to promulgate any great thing, to ascend a hill from which they could be seen and heard by all (Jdg 9:7; Mat...

JFB: Isa 40:9 - -- To announce to the exiles that their coming return home is attended with danger in the midst of the Babylonians. The gospel minister must "open his mo...
Clarke -> Isa 40:9
Clarke: Isa 40:9 - -- O Zion, that bringest good tidings "O daughter, that bringest glad tidings to Zion"- That the true construction of the sentence is this, which makes...
O Zion, that bringest good tidings "O daughter, that bringest glad tidings to Zion"- That the true construction of the sentence is this, which makes Zion the receiver, not the publisher, of the glad tidings, which latter has been the most prevailing interpretation, will, I think, very clearly appear, if we rightly consider the image itself, and the custom and common practice from which it is taken. I have added the word daughter to express the feminine gender of the Hebrew participle, which I know not how to do otherwise in our language; and this is absolutely necessary in order to ascertain the image. For the office of announcing and celebrating such glad tidings as are here spoken of, belongs peculiarly to the women. On occasion of any great public success, a signal victory, or any other joyful event, it was usual for the women to gather together, and with music, dances, and songs, to publish and celebrate the happy news. Thus after the passage of the Red Sea, Miriam, and all the women, with timbrels in their hands, formed a chorus, and joined the men in their triumphant song, dancing, and throwing in alternately the refrain or burden of the song: -
"Sing ye to Jehovah, for he is greatly exalted
The horse and his rider hath he cast into the sea.
So Jephthah’ s daughter collected a chorus or virgins, and with dances and songs came out to meet her father, and to celebrate his victory, Jdg 11:34. After David’ s conquest of Goliath, "all the women came out of the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music;"and, forming themselves into two choruses, they sang alternately: -
"Saul has slain his thousands
And David his ten thousands.
And this gives us the true sense of a passage in the sixty-eighth Psalm, which has frequently been misunderstood: -
"Jehovah gave the word, (that is, the joyful news)
The women, who published the glad tidings, were a great company
The kings of mighty armies did flee, did flee
And even the matron, who stayed at home, shared the spoil.
The word signifying the publishers of glad tidings is the same, and expressed in the same form by the feminine participle, as in this place, and the last distich is the song which they sang. So in this place, Jehovah having given the word by his prophet, the joyful tidings of the restoration of Zion, and of God’ s returning to Jerusalem, (see Isa 52:8), the women are exhorted by the prophet to publish the joyful news with a loud voice from eminences, whence they might best be heard all over the country; and the matter and burden of their song was to be, "Behold your God!"See on Psa 68:11 (note).
Calvin -> Isa 40:9
Calvin: Isa 40:9 - -- 9.Ascend on the high mountain He proceeds with the same subject; for the Lord, having formerly promised that he would give prophets who should soothe...
9.Ascend on the high mountain He proceeds with the same subject; for the Lord, having formerly promised that he would give prophets who should soothe the grief and fear of the people by promises, now commands that this consolation shall be more widely spread; because it is his pleasure to diffuse his grace throughout the whole of Judea.
Lift up thy voice aloud, O Jerusalem Formerly he had given to Jerusalem, and Zion the hope of this joyful message; now he commands that the same voice shall be spread and shall be heard through other cities, and, for this reason, gives orders that the loud voice shall be lifted up, and proclaimed from a lofty place. Although by the words “Zion” and “Jerusalem” he means the same thing, yet the repetition is emphatic; for he shews that one city excels all other cities, for no other reason than because God hath chosen it to be his sanctuary.
That bringest tidings He gives to the city this appellation, because there the priests and Levites were instructed according to the injunctions of the Law, that they might be the teachers of the whole people, and by their labors might spread the doctrine of salvation. (Mal 2:7.) Yet we ought carefully to observe this commendation which God bestows on his Church, that it may not be without a clear mark of distinction; for an assembly in which the preaching of heavenly doctrine is not heard does not deserve to be reckoned a Church. In this sense also, Paul calls it (1Ti 3:15) “the pillar and foundation of the truth;” for although God might have governed us by himself, and without the agency of men, yet he has assigned this office to his Church, and has committed to it the invaluable treasure of his Word. For the same reason it will be called in another passage, “the mother of all believers.” (Isa 54:1; Gal 4:26.) Hence it follows that nothing is more absurd and wicked than for dumb idols to boast of the name of the Church, as is done in Popery.
We are likewise taught, that the Church has not been instructed by God, in order that she may keep her knowledge hidden within herself, but that she may publish what she has learned. Besides, he commands that grace shall be freely and boldly proclaimed, that prophets and teachers may not speak with timidity, as if it were a doubtful matter, but may shew that they are fully convinced of the certainty of those things which they promise, because they know well that “God, who cannot lie,” ( Titus 1:2,) is the Author of them. He enjoins the witnesses of his grace to proceed from Zion, that they may fill with joy the whole of Judea.
Behold your God! This expression includes the sum of our happiness, which consists solely in the presence of God. It brings along with it an abundance of all blessings; and if we are destitute of it, we must be utterly miserable and wretched; and although blessings of every kind are richly enjoyed by us, yet if we are estranged from God, everything must tend to our destruction. From this circumstance it ought also to be remarked, that nothing is more opposite to faith than to estimate by the present appearances of things what God declares by his prophets, who at that time must have been struck dumb, had they not raised their views above the world, and thus, through the power of unshaken boldness and perseverance, dared to draw others along with them, that they might cherish good hopes when matters were at the worst. And indeed when wicked men and wickedness prevail, the greater the terror that is spread all around, and the greater the seeming wretchedness of the Church, the more ought we to extol the grace of God, and to point out his presence to believers. 113
TSK -> Isa 40:9
TSK: Isa 40:9 - -- O Zion, that bringest good tidings : or, O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, Isa 41:27, Isa 52:7; Ezr 1:1, Ezr 1:2; Luk 24:47; Rom 10:18
get : J...
O Zion, that bringest good tidings : or, O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, Isa 41:27, Isa 52:7; Ezr 1:1, Ezr 1:2; Luk 24:47; Rom 10:18
get : Jdg 9:7; 1Sa 26:13, 1Sa 26:14; 2Ch 13:4
O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings : or, O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem
lift up : Isa 52:8, Isa 58:4; Jer 22:20; Act 2:14
be not : Isa 35:3, Isa 35:4, Isa 51:7, Isa 51:12; Act 4:13, Act 4:29, Act 5:41, Act 5:42; Eph 6:19; Phi 1:28, Phi 1:29; 1Pe 3:14

collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)
Barnes -> Isa 40:9
Barnes: Isa 40:9 - -- O Zion, that bringest good tidings - This is evidently the continuance of what the ‘ voice’ said, or of the annunciation which was t...
O Zion, that bringest good tidings - This is evidently the continuance of what the ‘ voice’ said, or of the annunciation which was to give joy to an afflicted and oppressed people. There has been, however, much diversity of opinion in regard to the meaning of the passage. The margin renders it, ‘ Thou that tellest good tidings to Zion,’ making Zion the receiver, and not the publisher of the message that was to convey joy. The Vulgate, in a similar way, renders it, ‘ Ascend a high mountain, thou who bringest good tidings to Zion’ (qui evangelizas Zion). So the Chaldee, understanding this as an address to the prophet, as in Isa 40:1, ‘ Ascend a high mountain, ye prophets, who bring glad tidings to Zion.’ So Lowth, Noyes, Gesenius. Grotius, and others. The word
It is a participle in the feminine gender; and is appropriately applicable to some one that bears good tidings to Zion, and not to Zion as appointed to bear glad titlings. Lowth supposes that it is applicable to some female whose office it was to announce glad tidings, and says that it was the common practice for females to engage in the office of proclaiming good news. On an occasion of a public victory or rejoicing, it was customary, says he, for females to assemble together, and to celebrate it with songs, and dances, and rejoicings; and he appeals to the instance of Miriam and the chorus of women Exo 15:20-21, and to the instance where, after the victory of David over Goliath, ‘ all the women came out of the cities of Israel singing and dancing to meet Saul’ 1Sa 18:7. But there are objections to this interpretation; first, if this was the sense, the word would bare been in the plural number, since there is no instance in which a female is employed alone in this service; and, secondly, it was not, according to this, the office of the female to announce good tidings, or to communicate a joyful message, but to celebrate some occasion of triumph or victory.
Grotius supposes that the word is ‘ feminine in its sound, but common in its signification;’ and thus denotes any whose office it was to communicate glad tidings. Gesenius (Commentary in loc .) says, that the feminine form here is used in a collective sense for
1. It is that which is the obvious and most correct construction of the Hebrew.
2. It is that which is found in the ancient versions.
3. It accords with the design of the passage.
The main scope of the passage is not to call upon Jerusalem to make known the glad tidings, but it is to convey the good news to Jerusalem; to announce to her, lying desolate and waste, that her hard service was at an end, and that she was to be blessed with the return of happier and better times (see Isa 40:2). It would be a departure from this, to suppose that the subject was diverted in order to give Jerusalem a command to make the proclamation to the other cities of the land to say nothing of the impropriety of calling on a city to go up into a high mountain, and to lift up its voice. On the meaning of the word ‘ Zion,’ see the note at Isa 1:8.
Get thee up into a high mountain - You who make this proclamation to Zion. It was not uncommon in ancient times, when a multitude were to be addressed, or a proclamation to be made, for the crier to go into a mountain, where he could be seen and heard. Thus Jotham, addressing the men of Shechem, is said to have gone and ‘ stood on the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice’ (Jdg 9:7; compare Mat 5:1). The sense is, that the messengers of the joyful news to Zion were to make themselves distinctly heard by all the inhabitants of the city, and of the land.
Lift up thy voice - As with a glad and important message. Do not deliver the message as if you were afraid that it should be heard. It is one of joy; and it should be delivered in a clear, decided, animated manner, as if it were important that it should be heard.
With strength - Aloud; with effort; with power (compare Isa 35:3-4).
Lift it up - Lift up the voice. The command is repeated, to denote emphasis. The mind is full of the subject, and the prophet repeats the command, as a man often does when his mind is full of an idea. The command to deliver the message of God with animation, earnestness, and zeal is one that is not unusual in Isaiah. It should be delivered as if it were true, and as if it were believed to be true. This will not justify, however, boisterous preaching, or a loud and unnatural tone of voice - alike offensive to good taste, injurious to the health, and destructive of the life of the preacher. It is to be remarked, also, that this command to lift up the voice, pertains to the glad tidings of the gospel, and not to the terrors of wrath; to the proclamation of mercy, and not to the denunciation of woe. The glad tidings of salvation should be delivered in an animated and ardent manner; the future punishment of the wicked in a tone serious, solemn, subdued.
Say unto the cities of Judah - Not to Jerusalem only, but to all the cities of the land. They were alike to be blessed on the return from the captivity - Mike in the preaching of the gospel.
Behold your God! - Lo! your God returns to the city, the temple, and the land! Lo! he comes (note, Isa 40:3), conducting his people as a king to their land! Lo! he will come - under the Messiah in future times - to redeem and save! What a glad announcement was this to the desolate and forsaken cities of Judah! What a glad announcement to the wide world, ‘ Lo! God has come to redeem and save; and the desolate world shall be visited with his salvation and smile, in his mercy through the Messiah!’
Poole -> Isa 40:9
Poole: Isa 40:9 - -- O Zion, that bringest good tidings O Zion, to whom the glad tidings of the coming of Christ into the world, and of the salvation of mankind by him, w...
O Zion, that bringest good tidings O Zion, to whom the glad tidings of the coming of Christ into the world, and of the salvation of mankind by him, were first published by Christ and his apostles, and by whom they were published to all nations. But the words are otherwise rendered in the margin, and by others, O thou (whosoever thou art, prophet or apostle)
that bringest good tidings to Zion So Zion is not the deliverer, but the receiver, of these good tidings, as she is in the parallel place, Isa 52:7 . But our translation seems to agree better with the Hebrew text, in which the particle unto is not here expressed, as it is in the latter part of the verse; by comparing which part with the former, it seems most probable that Zion or Jerusalem is the speaker or publisher, and
the cities of Judah the hearers.
Get thee up into the high mountain that thy voice may be better heard, as appears from the next branch of the verse: see Jud 9:7 1Sa 26:13,14 .
Be not afraid lest thou shouldst be found a false prophet; for it shall certainly be fulfilled.
Say unto the cities of Judah to all my people in the several places of their abode, whether cities or countries. Only he names cities , to intimate that they also, though they should be destroyed, yet should afterwards be rebuilt, and inhabited again.
Behold your God! take notice of this wonderful work and glorious appearance of your God, who will be visibly present with you, so that men may point at him, and say, Behold, here he is.
Haydock -> Isa 40:9
Haydock: Isa 40:9 - -- Thou, female. How beautiful are the feet of those who announce good tidings! (Romans x. 15.) (Haydock) ---
Thus a feminine noun is applied to Sol...
Thou, female. How beautiful are the feet of those who announce good tidings! (Romans x. 15.) (Haydock) ---
Thus a feminine noun is applied to Solomon, Ecclesiastes i. Prophets make known to all the coming of the Saviour. (Calmet) ---
Christ preaches from the mountain, and his apostles over the world. (Worthington)
Gill -> Isa 40:9
Gill: Isa 40:9 - -- O Zion, that bringest good tidings,.... Or, "O thou that bringest good tidings to Zion n"; which rendering of the words is more agreeable to the latte...
O Zion, that bringest good tidings,.... Or, "O thou that bringest good tidings to Zion n"; which rendering of the words is more agreeable to the latter part of the verse,
say unto the cities of Judah, &c. and to some parallel places, Isa 41:27 and to the type, the deliverance of the Jews from Babylon; the tidings of which came from Babylon to Zion, or Jerusalem; and to the Targum which paraphrases the words thus,
"O ye prophets, that bring good tidings to Zion;''
and so may be applied to Gospel ministers, who bring the good tidings of the good will, grace, and favour of God, to men, through Christ; of the grace of Christ, in his suretyship engagements and performances; in his incarnation, sufferings, and death, and in his advocacy and intercession; and of the good things that come by him, as peace, pardon, righteousness, salvation, and eternal life:
get thee up into the high mountain; to declare these good tidings, in the most open and public manner, that all might hear and receive them, and rejoice at them; it may also point at the place, the church of God, comparable to a high mountain for its visibility and immovableness, where the Gospel is to be published:
O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings: the church of God so called, to whom the faith of the Gospel is delivered, which is the pillar and ground of truth; which receives, retains, and maintains it, and sends forth ministers to proclaim it; particularly the first church at Jerusalem, where it was first preached, and from whence it went forth into other parts of Judea, and into all the world; here the apostles of Christ were, and from hence they set out, and published the Gospel all the world over, and who seem to be chiefly meant; for the words may be rendered, as the other clause, "O thou that bringest good tidings to Jerusalem o"; so the Targum: "lift up thy voice with strength"; or preach the Gospel with a strong voice, speak it out; do not mutter it over, or whisper it in a corner; proclaim it on the housetops, cry aloud that all may hear; lift up thy voice like a trumpet; blow the trumpet of the Gospel with all the strength thou hast; cause the joyful sound to be heard far and near:
lift it up, and be not afraid; of the reproaches and revilings of men on account of it, or of their persecutions for it; or lest it should not be welcome, or be received as truth:
say unto the cities of Judah; the inhabitants of them literally understood, and to the several churches and congregations of the saints everywhere:
behold your God! that divine Person is come, that was promised, prophesied of, and expected; even Immanuel, God with us, God in our nature, God manifest in the flesh, God your Saviour, and who being God, truly God, is able to save to the uttermost; look to him with an eye of faith, and be saved; behold the Son of God, the Lamb of God, that has bore your sins, and took them away; behold him now, as your King and your God, on the throne, made and declared, Lord and Christ, crowned with glory and honour, on the same throne with his divine Father, having all power in heaven and earth; and let the echo of your faith be,
my Lord and my God. The Targum is,
"the kingdom of your God is revealed; see Mat 3:2.''

expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Isa 40:9
NET Notes: Isa 40:9 The second feminine singular imperatives are addressed to personified Zion/Jerusalem, who is here told to ascend a high hill and proclaim the good new...
Geneva Bible -> Isa 40:9
Geneva Bible: Isa 40:9 O Zion, that bringest good tidings, go up upon the high ( n ) mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift...

expand allCommentary -- Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis -> Isa 40:1-31
TSK Synopsis: Isa 40:1-31 - --1 The promulgation of the Gospel.3 The preaching of John Baptist.9 The preaching of the apostles.12 The prophet, by the omnipotency of God,18 and his ...
Maclaren -> Isa 40:1-10; Isa 40:9
Maclaren: Isa 40:1-10 - --Great Voices From Heaven
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. 2. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare i...

Maclaren: Isa 40:9 - --O Thou That Bringest Good Tidings
O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up Into the high mountain: O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, li...
MHCC -> Isa 40:1-11
MHCC: Isa 40:1-11 - --All human life is a warfare; the Christian life is the most so; but the struggle will not last always. Troubles are removed in love, when sin is pardo...
Matthew Henry -> Isa 40:9-11
Matthew Henry: Isa 40:9-11 - -- It was promised (Isa 40:5) that the glory of the Lord shall be revealed; that is it with the hopes of which God's people must be comforted. Now he...
Keil-Delitzsch -> Isa 40:9
Keil-Delitzsch: Isa 40:9 - --
The prophet accordingly now takes, as his standpoint, the time when Jehovah will already have come. "Upon a high mountain get thee up, O evangelist...
Constable: Isa 40:1--55:13 - --IV. Israel's calling in the world chs. 40--55
This part of Isaiah picks up a theme from chapters 1-39 and develo...

Constable: Isa 40:1--48:22 - --A. God's grace to Israel chs. 40-48
These chapters particularly address the questions of whether God cou...

Constable: Isa 40:1-31 - --1. The Lord of the servant ch. 40
Would the coming Babylonian exile prove that God could not del...
