isaiah-40:1-5,-mark-1:1-15

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:3

The voice of him that crieth ; rather, the voice of one that crieth. A voice sounds in the prophet's ear, crying to repentance. For God to come down on earth, for his glory to be revealed in any signal way, by the restoration of a nation, or the revelation of himself in Christ, or the final establishment of his kingdom, the "way" must be first "prepared" for him. The hearts of the disobedient must be turned to the wisdom of the just. In the wilderness; either, "the wilderness of this... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:3

Needed preparations for Christ. "Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord." The figure used by the prophet is one whose forte could only be fully apprehended in that country to which he belonged. Until recent years there were no roads, at least no roads on which vehicles might be drawn; only such paths, often very rough, and steep, and dangerous, as would be made by the passing to and fro of cattle and of men. But a few years ago, when Ibrahim Pasha proposed to visit certain places... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:3-5

The golden age. " Every valley shall be exalted ," etc. Everything depends upon how we view the future, whether with the horoscope of history or prophecy. History says the old evils return—war, strife, wrong, selfishness. Then the heart sinks, and inspiration to duty is weakened. But when we go with the prophet to the mountain-tops, we see— I. PATHS OF PREPARATION . "Prepare ye the way of the Lord." There are the ruins of the old military roads of the Caesars, but the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:3-6

Human preparation for the Divine advent. We shall find, with very little seeking, a threefold application for these words: I. THE MANIFESTED GLORY OF GOD . This was to be displayed and has been shown in two illustrations which are now historical. 1 . The faithfulness and the power of Jehovah in the accomplishment of his people's redemption from exile. 2 . A more striking instance of Divine faithfulness, wisdom, and power, in the giving of the gospel of his grace, in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:4

Every valley shall be exalted, etc.; rather, let every valley be exalted. The prophets are to see that the poor and lowly are raised up; the proud and self-righteous depressed; the crooked and dishonest induced to change their ways for those of simplicity and integrity; the rude, rough, and harsh rendered courteous and mild. "In general, the meaning is that Israel is to [be made] take care that the God who is coming to deliver it shall find it in such an inward and outward state as befits... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:4-8

God's promises sure. With Isaiah it is enough that "the month of the Lord has spoken" a thing ( Isaiah 1:20 ; Isaiah 40:5 ). "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent" ( Numbers 23:19 ). What he has promised, he will perform; what he has said, he will do, in the sense in which he said it. It is true, his promises are of two kinds I. GOD 'S UNCONDITIONAL PROMISES ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN OF ACCOMPLISHMENT . God has promised that he... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:5

And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed . Then, when the preparation is complete, there shall be a revelation of the glory and might of Jehovah. The nature of the revelation is for the present shrouded in darkness; but it is a revelation which is not confined to Israel . All flesh shall see it together . It shall draw to it the attention of the human race at large. While the restoration of Israel to Palestine is the primary fulfilment of the prophecy, that restoration clearly does not... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:5

Christ, as the Lord's Glory. The glory of God is his forgiving and redeeming. And it is this glory that was dimly revealed in the raising up of Cyrus to deliver Israel from the bondage of Babylon, and brightly revealed in "raising up his Son Jesus, to bless men, by turning them from their iniquities." It may be shown that God, as the great Spirit, never can be seen or known by any creature, because all creatures are put under limitations of the senses. No creature can apprehend... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 40:1

Comfort ye, comfort ye my people - This is the exordium, or the general subject of this and the following chapters. The commencement is abrupt, as often happens in Isaiah and the other prophets. The scene where this vision is laid is in Babylon; the time near the close of the captivity. The topic, or main subject of the consolation, is stated in the following verse - that that captivity was about to end, and that brighter and happier days were to succeed their calamities and their exile. The... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 40:2

Speak ye comfortably - Hebrew, על־לב ‛al-lēb as in the margin, ‘To the heart.’ The heart is the seat of the affections. It is there that sorrow and joy are felt. We are oppressed there with grief, and we speak familiarly of being pained at the heart and of being of a glad or merry heart. To speak ‘to the heart,’ is to speak in such a way as to remove the troubles of the heart; to furnish consolation, and joy. It means that they were not merely to urge such topics as should convince the... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:3

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:3-5

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:3-6

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:4

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:4-8

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 40:5

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 40:1

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 40:2

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