What does Isaiah chapter 51 mean?

Answer 1

Isa 55:10-11 KJV For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: [v. 11] So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

In their "Commentary on the Old Testament" Keil & Delitzsch say:-

Isa 55:10-11 -

This is set forth under a figure drawn from the rain and the snow. "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, till it has moistened the earth, and fertilized it, and made it green, and offered seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so will my word be which goeth forth out of my mouth: it will not return to me fruitless, till it has accomplished that which I willed, and prosperously carried out that for which I sent it." The rain and snow come down from the sky, and return not thither till they have .... . Rain and snow return as vapour to the sky, but not without having first of all accomplished the purpose of their descent. And so with the word of Jehovah, which goeth forth out of His mouth ... : it will not return without having effected its object, i.e., without having accomplished what was Jehovah's counsel, or "good pleasure" - without having attained the end for which it was sent by Jehovah ... The word is represented in other places as the messenger of God (Isa_9:8; Psa_107:20; Psa_147:15.). The personification presupposes that it is not a mere sound or letter. As it goeth forth out of the mouth of God it acquires shape, and in this shape is hidden a divine life, because of its divine origin; and so it runs, with life from God, endowed with divine power, supplied with divine commissions, like a swift messenger through nature and the world of man, there to melt the ice, as it were, and here to heal and to save; and does not return from its course till it has given effect to the will of the sender. This return of the word to God also presupposes its divine nature. The will of God, which becomes concrete and audible in the word, is the utterance of His nature, and is resolved into that nature again as soon as it is fulfilled. The figures chosen are rich in analogies. As snow and rain are the mediating causes of growth, and therefore the enjoyment of what is reaped; so is the soil of the human heart softened, refreshed, and rendered productive or prolific by the word out of the mouth of Jehovah; and this word furnishes the prophet, who resembles the sower, with the seed which he scatters, and brings with it bread which feeds the souls: for every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God is bread (Deu_8:3).

Answer 2

Isaiah chapters 40-55 were not written by Isaiah, son of Amoz, who wrote in the eighth century BCE, but record the words of a sixth century prophet living in exile in Babylon and was probably written as a separate book that was later combined into the Book of Isaiah. Chapter 51 is therefore to be read in the context of the late period of the Babylonian Exile.

The Jews of the Exile believed that their loss of land was the result of their disobedience to God, and that they could only ever return to Jerusalem if they repented and through 'righteousness' ( a word used repeatedly in chapter 51) became worthy of the restoriation of their land.

A graphic image of the suffering of the Jews is in verse 17, which talks of the Jews having 'drunk at the hand of the Lord his cup of fury' and tells them, "Awake and stand up (be righteous)." Verse 19 asks who should be sorry for the Jews and talks of of the desolation and destruction, and the famine and the sword by which they had suffered.

Verse 3 says that the Lord will comfort Zion (Jerusalem; the people of Jerusalem), a message of hope. Verse 11 says that the redeemed of the Lord shall return. This could indicate that Second Isaiah already knew of the Persian king's plans to release the Jews, or just a pious hope and justification for preaching to the people to follow his instructions for righteousness. Verse 14 continues the theme, saying that the captive exile must listen to him if he wants to be allowed to return.

Jewish Answer

Isaiah 51 is contrasting the situation of Israel while in exile with how life will be at the end of exile, when Israel is redeemed. Ultimately, Israel's oppressors will be punished. The overall theme is justice.