The second half is uttered in the prospect, that the judgment which Cyrus brings upon the nations will prepare the way for the overthrow of heathenism, and the universal acknowledgment of the God of Israel. The heathen submit, as the first strophe or group of vv. (Isaiah 45:14-17) affirms, to the congregation and its God; the idolatrous are converted, whilst Israel is for ever redeemed. With the prospect of the release of the exiles, there is associated in the prophet's perspective the prospect of an expansion of the restored church, through the entrance of "the fulness of the Gentiles." "Thus saith Jehovah, The productions of Egypt, and gain of Ethiopia, and the Sabaeans, men of tall stature, will come over to thee, and belong to thee: they will come after thee; in chains they will come over, and cast themselves down to thee; they pray to thee, Surely God is in thee, and there is none else; no Deity at all." Assuming that יעברוּ has the same meaning in both cases, the prophet's meaning appears to be, that the Egyptians, Ethiopians, and Meroites (see Isaiah 43:3), who had been enslaved by the imperial power of Persia, would enter the miraculously emancipated congregation of Israel (Ewald). But if they were thought of as in a state of subjugation to the imperial power of Asia, who could the promise be at the same time held out that their riches would pass over into the possession of the church? And yet, on the other hand, the chains in which they come over cannot be regarded, at least in this connection, where such emphasis is laid upon the voluntary character of the surrender, as placed upon them by Israel itself (as in Isaiah 60:11 and Psalm 149:8). We must therefore suppose that they put chains upon themselves voluntarily, and of their own accord, and thus offer themselves spontaneously to the church, to be henceforth its subjects and slaves. Egypt, Ethiopia, and Saba are the nations that we meet with in other passages, where the haereditas gentium is promised to the church, and generally in connection with Tyre (vid., Psalm 68:32; Psalm 72:10; compare Isaiah 18:7; Isaiah 19:16., Isaiah 23:18). Whilst the labour of Egypt (i.e., the productions of its labour) and the trade of Ethiopia (i.e., the riches acquired by trade) are mentioned; in the case of Saba the prophecy looks at the tall and handsome tribe itself, a tribe which Agatharchides describes as having σώματα ἀξιολογώτερα. These would place themselves at the service of the church with their invincible strength. The voluntary character of the surrender is pointed out, not only in the expression "they will come over," but also in the confession with which this is accompanied. In other cases the words hithpallēl 'el are only used of prayer to God and idols; but here it is to the church that prayer is offered. In the prophet's view, Jehovah and His church are inseparably one (compare 1 Corinthians 12:12, where "Christ" stands for the church as one body, consisting of both head and members; also the use of the word "worship" in Revelation 3:9, which has all the ring of a passage taken from Isaiah). אך is used here in its primary affirmative sense, as in Psalm 58:11. There can be no doubt that Paul had this passage of Isaiah in his mind when writing 1 Corinthians 14:24-25, ἀπαγγέλλων ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ὄντως ἐν ὑμῖν ἐστί, or, according to a better arrangement of the words, ὅτι ὄντως ( equals אך) ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ὑμῖν ἐστίν. 'Ephes does not signify praeter (as a synonym of בּלעדי, זוּלתי) either here or anywhere else, but is a substantive used with a verbal force, which stands in the same relation to אין as "there is not at all (absolutely not)" to "there is not;" compare Isaiah 5:8; Isaiah 45:6; Isaiah 46:9, also Deuteronomy 32:36 (derivative passage, 2 Kings 14:26), and Amos 6:10; 2 Samuel 9:3; vid., Isaiah 47:8.

Isaiah 45:20 Parallel Commentaries

yourself

Isaiah 41:5,6,21 The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came...

Isaiah 43:9 Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and show us former things?...

escaped

Isaiah 4:2 In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious...

Jeremiah 25:15-29 For thus said the LORD God of Israel to me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send you...

Jeremiah 50:28 The voice of them that flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to declare in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God...

Jeremiah 51:6-9 Flee out of the middle of Babylon, and deliver every man his soul: be not cut off in her iniquity...

Ephesians 2:12,16 That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise...

Revelation 18:3-18 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her...

they

Isaiah 42:17,18 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, You are our gods...

Isaiah 44:17-20 And the residue thereof he makes a god, even his graven image: he falls down to it, and worships it, and prays to it, and said...

Isaiah 46:7 They bear him on the shoulder, they carry him, and set him in his place, and he stands; from his place shall he not remove: yes...

Isaiah 48:7 They are created now, and not from the beginning; even before the day when you heard them not; lest you should say, Behold...

1 Kings 18:26-29 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying...

Psalm 115:8 They that make them are like to them; so is every one that trusts in them.

Jeremiah 2:27,28 Saying to a stock, You are my father; and to a stone, You have brought me forth: for they have turned their back to me...

Jeremiah 10:8,14 But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities...

Jeremiah 51:17,18 Every man is brutish by his knowledge; every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood...

Habakkuk 2:18-20 What profits the graven image that the maker thereof has graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies...

Romans 1:21-23 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations...