“Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.”
Barren Jews in captivity, or Church of the Gentiles, to which alone many of the expressions can be applied. (Calmet) — The Gentiles were before unfruitful, as the Jews will be till towards the latter times. (Worthington)
“Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;”
Stakes, to receive so great a family. All the Israelites did not return, and it does not appear that many embraced their religion, as they have done that of Christ.
“For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.”
Left. To the north and south. Jerusalem increased. But what was it compared with the Christian establishment!
“Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.”
Widowhood. Thy former excesses shall be forgotten. (Calmet)
“For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.”
Thee. Hebrew, “Bohalaic (Haydock) shall be your Baalim,” or husband, who was styled Lord, 1 Peter iii. 6. Perhaps he may allude to the two wives, the synagogue and the Church, or to the idols, which should be adored no more.
“For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.”
Youth. This enhances her fault. God is pleased to overlook it, in the captives (chap. l. 1.) and Gentiles.
“For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.”
Earth. Giving him the rainbow for a sign. My covenant with the Church is equally irrevocable: she is founded on a rock, Matthew xvi. 18. (Calmet) — Christ will no more abandon her than he will drown the world. Some mountains shall be moved out of their place, but she shall not. (Worthington)
“O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.”
Sapphires. Hebrew, “antimony,” a mineral shining like silver, 4 Kings ix. 30.
“And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles , and all thy borders of pleasant stones.”
Bulwarks. Hebrew, windows of crystal; (Ezechiel xxvii. 1[].; Calmet) Protestants, “of agate.” (Haydock) — All this is allegorical, like the redemption of the new Jerusalem, Apocalypse. xxi.
“And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.”
Lord, Christ, Jeremias xxxi. 33., and John vi. 45.
“In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.”
Thee. The Cutheans rendered the Jews suspected, 1 Esdras iv. 2., and vi. 1
“Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.”
To thee, in the inheritance. This was verified in the Church. We have no accout of many being converted before.
“Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.”
Destroy. I can give peace or war. (Calmet) — Septuagint, “but I have created thee not for utter destruction.” (Haydock)