Isa 66:18-20 | JFB | STEP | 18. know-- not in the Hebrew. Rather, understand the words by aposiopesis; it is usual in threats to leave the persons threatened to supply the hiatus from their own fears, owing to conscious guilt: "For I ... their works and thoughts," &c.; namely, will punish [Maurer]. it shall come-- the time is come that I will, &c. [Maurer]. gather ... nations-- against Jerusalem, where the ungodly Jews shall perish; and then the Lord at last shall fight for Jerusalem against those nations: and the survivors ( ) shall "see God's glory" ( , ; , ). tongues-- which have been many owing to sin, being confounded at Babel, but which shall again be one in Christ ( ; ; , ).

‏ Isaiah 66:18-20

18. know--not in the Hebrew. Rather, understand the words by aposiopesis; it is usual in threats to leave the persons threatened to supply the hiatus from their own fears, owing to conscious guilt: "For I ... their works and thoughts," &c.; namely, will punish [Maurer].

it shall come--the time is come that I will, &c. [Maurer].

gather ... nations--against Jerusalem, where the ungodly Jews shall perish; and then the Lord at last shall fight for Jerusalem against those nations: and the survivors (Is 66:19) shall "see God's glory" (Zec 12:8, 9; 14:1-3, 9).

tongues--which have been many owing to sin, being confounded at Babel, but which shall again be one in Christ (Da 7:14; Zep 3:9; Re 7:9, 10).

19. sign--a banner on a high place, to indicate the place of meeting for the dispersed Jewish exiles, preparatory to their return to their land (Is 5:26; 11:12; 62:10).

those that escape of them--the Gentile survivors spared by God (see on Is 66:18; Zec 14:16). Is 2:2, 3; Mi 5:7; and Zec 14:16-19 represent it, not that the Jews go as missionaries to the Gentiles, but that the Gentiles come up to Jerusalem to learn the Lord's ways there.

Tarshish--Tartessus in Spain, in the west.

Pul--east and north of Africa: probably the same as Philoe, an island in the Nile, called by the Egyptians Pilak, that is, the border country, being between Egypt and Ethiopia [Bochart].

Lud--the Libyans of Africa (Ge 10:13), Ludim being son of Mizraim (Egypt): an Ethiopian people famous as bowmen (Jr 46:9): employed as mercenaries by Tyre and Egypt (Eze 27:10; 30:5).

Tubal--Tibarenians, in Asia Minor, south of the Caucasus, between the Black Sea and Araxes. Or, the Iberians [Josephus]. Italy [Jerome].

Javan--the Greeks; called Ionians, including all the descendants of Javan, both in Greece and in Asia Minor (Ge 10:2-4).

my glory ... Gentiles--(Mal 1:11).

20. they--the Gentiles (Is 66:19).

bring ... your brethren--the Jews, back to the Holy Land (Is 49:22). It cannot mean the mere entrance of the Jews into the Christian Church; for such an entrance would be by faith, not upon "horses, litters, and mules" [Houbigant]. "Offering" is metaphorical, as in Ro 15:16.

horses--not much used by the Jews. The Gentiles are here represented as using their modes of conveyance to "bring" the Jews to Jerusalem.

chariots--as these are not found in Oriental caravans, translate, "vehicles," namely, borne, not drawn on wheels.

litters--covered sedans for the rich.

upon swift beasts--dromedaries: from Hebrew root, "to dance," from their bounding motion, often accelerated by music [Bochart]. Panniers were thrown across the dromedaries' back for poorer women [Horsley].