
Text -- Isaiah 59:10 (NET)




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collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)
Wesley -> Isa 59:10
He compares their captivity to men dead without hope of recovery.

JFB: Isa 59:10 - -- There is no relaxation of our evils; at the time when we might look for the noon of relief, there is still the night of our calamity.
There is no relaxation of our evils; at the time when we might look for the noon of relief, there is still the night of our calamity.

JFB: Isa 59:10 - -- Rather, to suit the parallel words "at noonday," in fertile (literally, "fat"; Gen 27:28) fields [GESENIUS] (where all is promising) we are like the d...
Clarke -> Isa 59:10
Clarke: Isa 59:10 - -- We stumble at noon day as in the night "We stumble at mid-day, as in the twilight"- I adopt here an emendation of Houbigant, נשגגה nishgegah ,...
We stumble at noon day as in the night "We stumble at mid-day, as in the twilight"- I adopt here an emendation of Houbigant,
Calvin -> Isa 59:10
Calvin: Isa 59:10 - -- 10.We grope for the wall like the blind He explains the same thing by different forms of expression; for, in consequence of the grievous complaints w...
10.We grope for the wall like the blind He explains the same thing by different forms of expression; for, in consequence of the grievous complaints which were heard among the people, he determined to omit nothing that was fitted to describe their calamities. It is perhaps by way of concession 139 that he mentions those things; as if he had said, “Our affairs are reduced to the deepest misery, but we ought chiefly to consider the cause, for we have deserved all this and far worse.” But it is not a probable interpretation, that stupid persons are aroused to think of their evil actions; for, although they are abundantly disposed to complain, yet the devil stupifies them, so that the tokens of God’s anger do not awaken them to repentance, he alludes to that metaphor which he employed in the preceding verse, when he said that the people were in darkness and obscurity, and found no escape; and. his meaning is, that they are destitute of counsel, and overwhelmed by so deep anguish that they have no solace or refuge. When a lighter evil presses upon us, we look around and hope to find some means of escape; but when we are overpowered by heavier distresses, despair takes from us all ability to see or to judge. For this reason the Prophet says that they have been thrown into a labyrinth, and are “groping.”
We stumble The same thing is expressed, and even in a still more aggravated form, by this mode of expression, that, if they stir a foot, various stumbling blocks meet them on every hand, and, indeed, that there is no alleviation to their distresses, as if day had been changed into night.
In solitary places as dead men By “solitary places” I understand either gulfs or ruinous and barren regions; for in this passage I willingly follow the version of Jerome, who derives the word
TSK -> Isa 59:10
TSK: Isa 59:10 - -- grope : Deu 28:29; Job 5:14; Pro 4:19; Jer 13:16; Lam 4:14; Amo 8:9; Joh 11:9, Joh 11:10, Joh 12:35, Joh 12:40; 1Jo 2:11
in desolate : Lam 3:6

collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)
Barnes -> Isa 59:10
Barnes: Isa 59:10 - -- We grope for the wall like the blind - A blind man, not being able to see his way, feels along by a wall, a fence, or any other object that wil...
We grope for the wall like the blind - A blind man, not being able to see his way, feels along by a wall, a fence, or any other object that will guide him. They were like the blind. They had no distinct views of truth, and they were endeavoring to feel their way along as well as they could. Probably the prophet here alludes to the threatening made by Moses in Deu 28:28-29, ‘ And the Lord shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart; and thou shalt grope at noon-day as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways.’
We stumble at noon-day as in the night - The idea here is, that they were in a state of utter disorder and confusion. Obstacles were in their way on all hands, and they could no more walk than people could who at noon-day found their path filled with obstructions. There was no remission, no relaxation of their evils. They were continued at all times, and they had no intervals of day. Travelers, though at night they wander and fall, may look for approaching day, and be relieved by the returning light. But not so with them. It was all night. There were no returning intervals of light, repose and peace. It was as if the sun was blotted out, and all was one long, uninterrupted, and gloomy night.
We are in desolate places - There has been great variety in the interpretation of this phrase. Noyes, after Gesenius. translates it, ‘ In the midst of fertile fields we are like the dead.’ One principal reason which Gesenius gives for this translation (Commentary in loc .) is, that this best agrees with the sense of the passage, and answers better to the previous member of the sentence, thus more perfectly preserving the parallelism:
At noon-day we stumble as in the night;
In fertile fields we are like the dead.
Thus, the idea would be, that even when all seemed like noon-day they were as in the night; and that though they were in places that seemed luxuriant, they were like the wandering spirits of the dead. Jerome renders it, Caliginosis quasi mortui . The Septuagint, ‘ They fall at mid-day as at midnight: they groan as the dying’ (
The word
Poole -> Isa 59:10
Poole: Isa 59:10 - -- We grope: as a blind man that hath no other eyes than his hands feels for the wall, from whence he expects either direction or a resting place to lea...
We grope: as a blind man that hath no other eyes than his hands feels for the wall, from whence he expects either direction or a resting place to lean on; so they expect salvation as it were blindfold, not taking direction from the prophets, but hoping to obtain it by their cries and fasts, though they continued in their sins, and therefore may well be said to grope after it. See Deu 28:28,29 Job 12:25 .
And we grope as if we had no eyes as if we were stark blind; and being here put for yea , thereby aggravating the misery in repeating the expression.
We stumble at noon-day: this notes their exceeding blindness, as it must needs be with one that can discern no more at noon-day than if it were midnight, Job 5:14 .
We are as dead men: he compares their captivity to men dead without hope of recovery; their bonds render them as free among the dead, Psa 88:5 . They can see the way, or get out of their captivity, no more than dead men can get out of their graves; thus a calamitous estate is set forth, Psa 44:19 , great calamity and despair oft going together: they are as men cast out, no more to be looked after. Compare Lam 3:6 . All darkness is uncomfortable, but that of the grave terrible.
Haydock -> Isa 59:10
Haydock: Isa 59:10 - -- Dead. The Jews will not recognize Christ, notwithstanding the prophecies and miracles.
Dead. The Jews will not recognize Christ, notwithstanding the prophecies and miracles.
Gill -> Isa 59:10
Gill: Isa 59:10 - -- We grope for the wall like the blind,.... Who either with their hands, or with a staff in them, feel for the wall to lean against, or to guide them in...
We grope for the wall like the blind,.... Who either with their hands, or with a staff in them, feel for the wall to lean against, or to guide them in the way, or into the house, that they may know whereabout they are, and how they should steer their course:
and we grope as if we had no eyes: which yet they had, the eyes of their reason and understanding; but which either were not opened, or they made no use of them in searching the Scriptures, to come at the light and knowledge of divine things; and therefore only at most groped after them by the dim light of nature, if thereby they might find them. This is to be understood not of them all, but of many, and of the greatest part:
we stumble at noonday as in the night; as many persons do now: for though it is noonday in some respects, and in some places, where the Gospel and the truths of it are clearly preached; yet men stumble and fall into the greatest errors, as in the night of the greatest darkness; as if it was either the night of Paganism or Popery with them:
we are in desolate places as dead men; or "in fatnesses" a; in fat places where the word and ordinances are administered, where is plenty of the means of grace, yet not quickened thereby; are as dead men, dead in trespasses and sin, and at most have only a name to live, but are dead. Some render it, "in the graves" b; and the Targum thus,
"it is shut before us, as the graves are shut before the dead;''
we have no more light, joy, and comfort, than those in the graves have.

expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

expand allCommentary -- Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis -> Isa 59:1-21
TSK Synopsis: Isa 59:1-21 - --1 The calamities of the Jews not owing to want of saving power in God, but to their own enormous sins.16 Salvation is only of God.20 The covenant of t...
MHCC -> Isa 59:9-15
MHCC: Isa 59:9-15 - --If we shut our eyes against the light of Divine truth, it is just with God to hide from our eyes the things that belong to our peace. The sins of thos...
Matthew Henry -> Isa 59:9-15
Matthew Henry: Isa 59:9-15 - -- The scope of this paragraph is the same with that of the last, to show that sin is the great mischief-maker; as it is that which keeps good things f...
Keil-Delitzsch -> Isa 59:9-11
Keil-Delitzsch: Isa 59:9-11 - --
In the second strophe the prophet includes himself when speaking of the people. They now mourn over that state of exhaustion into which they have be...
Constable: Isa 56:1--66:24 - --V. Israel's future transformation chs. 56--66
The last major section of Isaiah deals with the necessity of livin...

Constable: Isa 56:1--59:21 - --A. Recognition of human inability chs. 56-59
It is important that God's people demonstrate righteousness...

Constable: Isa 58:1--59:21 - --2. The relationship of righteousness and ritual chs. 58-59
The structure of this section is simi...

Constable: Isa 59:1-15 - --What Israel did 59:1-15a
As mentioned above, this second segment of the section dealing ...
