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Isaiah 51:1
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Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
Listen to me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the LORD: look to the rock whence you were hewn, and to the hold of the pit whence you were dug.
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord : look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord : look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.
"Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness, Who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut, And to the quarry from which you were dug.
The Lord says, "Listen to me, those of you who try to live right and follow the Lord . Look at the rock from which you were cut; look at the stone quarry from which you were dug.
Listen to me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek Yahweh: look to the rock whence you were hewn, and to the hold of the pit whence you were dug.
Heare me, ye that followe after righteousnes, and ye that seeke the Lorde: looke vnto the rocke, whence ye are hewen, and to the hole of the pit, whence ye are digged.
"Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness,Who seek Yahweh:Look to the rock from which you were hewnAnd to the quarry from which you were dug.
Listen to Me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were cut, and to the quarry from which you were hewn.
If you want to do right and obey the Lord , follow Abraham's example. He was the rock from which you were chipped.
"Listen to me, you pursuers of justice, you who seek Adonai : consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were dug —
Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek Jehovah: look unto the rock [whence] ye were hewn, and to the hole of the pit [whence] ye were digged.
"Some of you people try hard to live good lives. You go to the Lord for help. Listen to me. You should look at Abraham your father. He is the rock you were cut from.
LISTEN to me, you who follow after righteousness, you who seek the LORD; look to the mountain from which you were hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you were digged.
The Lord says, "Listen to me, you that want to be saved, you that come to me for help. Think of the rock from which you came, the quarry from which you were cut.
"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, who seek Yahweh. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the excavation of the pit from which you were quarried.
Hear Me, pursuers of righteousness, seekers of Jehovah: Look to the rock from which you were cut, and to the hollow of the pit from which you were dug.
Herken vnto me, ye that holde of rightuousnes, ye that seke the LORDE. Take hede vnto the stone, wherout ye are hewen, and to the graue wherout ye are digged.
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek Jehovah: look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged.
Give ear to me, you who are searching for righteousness, who are looking for the Lord: see the rock from which you were cut out, and the hole out of which you were taken.
Hearken to Me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD; look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged.
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousnesse, ye that seeke the Lord: looke vnto the rocke whence yee are hewen, and to the hole of the pitte whence ye are digged.
Hearken vnto me ye that holde of ryghteousnesse, and ye that seeke the Lorde: take heede to ye stone wherout ye are hewen, and to the graue wherout ye are digged.
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, and seek the Lord: look to the solid rock, which ye have hewn, and to the hole of the pit which ye have dug.
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye were hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye were digged.
Here ye me, that suen that that is iust, and seken the Lord. Take ye hede to the stoon, fro whennys ye ben hewun doun, and to the caue of the lake, fro which ye ben kit doun.
Listen to me, you that follow after righteousness, you that seek Yahweh: look to the rock from where you were cut, and to the hole of the pit from where you were dug.
Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look to the rock [whence] ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit [whence] ye are digged.
"Listen to me, you who pursue godliness, who seek the Lord ! Look at the rock from which you were chiseled, at the quarry from which you were dug!
Genesis 12:1-3">[xr] "Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness, You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn, And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.
"Listen to me, all who hope for deliverance— all who seek the Lord ! Consider the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were mined.
"Listen to me, you who are following what is right and good, and who are looking for the Lord. Look to the rock from which you were cut out, and to the hole from which you were dug.
Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness, you that seek the Lord . Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug.
Hearken unto me, Ye that pursue righteousness, Ye that seek Yahweh, - Look well unto the rock whence ye were hewn, And unto the quarry whence ye were digged:
Give ear to me, you that follow that which is just, and you that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence you are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you are dug out.
"Hearken to me, you who pursue deliverance, you who seek the LORD; look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were digged.
Hearken unto Me, ye pursuing righteousness, Seeking Jehovah, Look attentively unto the rock -- ye have been hewn, And unto the hole of the pit -- ye have been digged.
"Listen to me, all you who are serious about right living and committed to seeking God . Ponder the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were dug. Yes, ponder Abraham, your father, and Sarah, who bore you. Think of it! One solitary man when I called him, but once I blessed him, he multiplied. Likewise I, God , will comfort Zion, comfort all her mounds of ruins. I'll transform her dead ground into Eden, her moonscape into the garden of God , A place filled with exuberance and laughter, thankful voices and melodic songs.
"Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, Who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn And to the quarry from which you were dug.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Hearken: Isaiah 51:4, Isaiah 51:7, Isaiah 46:3, Isaiah 46:4, Isaiah 48:12, Isaiah 55:2, Isaiah 55:3
ye that follow: Isaiah 51:7, Psalms 94:15, Proverbs 15:9, Proverbs 21:21, Matthew 5:6, Matthew 6:33, Romans 9:30-32, Romans 14:19, Philippians 3:13, 1 Timothy 6:11, 2 Timothy 2:22, Hebrews 12:14
ye that seek: Isaiah 45:19, Isaiah 55:6, Psalms 24:6, Psalms 105:3, Psalms 105:4, Amos 5:6, Zephaniah 2:3
look: Genesis 17:15-17, Ephesians 2:11, Ephesians 2:12
Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 5:15 - remember Deuteronomy 6:21 - General Deuteronomy 15:15 - General Deuteronomy 24:22 - General Deuteronomy 26:5 - ready Jeremiah 2:4 - Hear ye Ezekiel 16:3 - Thy birth Acts 2:14 - hearken Acts 13:26 - children 1 Corinthians 14:1 - Follow Philippians 3:12 - I follow
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Hearken unto me, ye that follow after righteousness,.... After having declared the doom of the wicked, and those that trust to their own righteousness, the Lord returns to them that fear him, whom he describes as such that "follow after righteousness"; not the righteousness of the law, it is the character of carnal Israel to follow after that; nor is that attainable in the way it is pursued by such; nor is there any justification by it; nor is following that consistent with seeking the Lord, in the next clause: but the righteousness of Christ is meant; not his essential righteousness as God; nor the righteousness of his office as Mediator; but that which consists of his active and passive obedience; of which he is the author and giver, and is in him as its subject: this is what is commonly called imputed righteousness, an evangelical one, the righteousness of faith, and is justifying: "following after" this supposes a want of one; a sense of that want; a view of this as out of themselves, and in another; a love and liking of it, and a vehement desire for it; and what determines to an eager pursuit of it are its perfection, suitableness, and use: now such persons are called to hearken to the Lord; to the Word of the Lord, as the Targum; to Christ, to his Gospel, and to his ordinances, particularly to what is after said:
ye that seek the Lord: the Lord Christ, for life and salvation; for righteousness and strength; for more grace from him; a greater knowledge of him, and of doctrine from him, as the Targum; and more communion with him; that seek his honour and glory in the world, and to be for ever with him; who seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; that seek him where he may be found, affectionately and sincerely, carefully, diligently, constantly, and for everything they want:
look unto the rock whence ye are hewn; which is in the next verse interpreted of Abraham; so called, not so much for the strength of his faith, as for his old age; when he looked like a hard dry rock, from whom no issue could be expected; and yet from hence a large number of stones were hewn, or a race of men sprung:
and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged; that is, to Sarah, who was for a long time barren, whose womb was shut up, but afterwards opened; and from whom, as from a cistern, (to which a wife is sometimes compared, Proverbs 5:15) flowed the waters of Judah, Isaiah 48:1 or the Jewish nation. Jerom thinks Christ is meant by both, the Rock of ages, in whom is everlasting strength; to whom men are to look for salvation, righteousness, and strength; and out of whose pierced side flowed blood and water: and in this sense he is followed by Cocceius, who interprets the rock of Christ, the Rock of salvation; out of whose side flowed the church, as out of the hole of a pit or cistern.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Hearken unto me - That is, to the God of their fathers, who now addresses them. They are regarded as in exile and bondage, and as desponding in regard to their prospects. In this situation, God, or perhaps more properly the Messiah (compare the notes at Isaiah 1:0), is introduced as addressing them with the assurances of deliverance.
Ye that follow after righteousness - This is addressed evidently to those who sought to be righteous, and who truly feared the Lord. There was a portion of the nation that continued faithful to Yahweh. They still loved and worshipped him in exile, and they were anxiously looking for deliverance and for a return to their own land.
Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn - To Abraham the founder of the nation. The figure is taken from the act of quarrying stone for the purposes of building; and the essential idea here is, that God had formed the nation from the beginning, as a mason constructs a building; that he had, so to speak, taken the materials rough and unhewn from the very quarry; that he had shaped, and fitted them, and moulded them into an edifice. The idea is not that their origin was dishonorable or obscure. It is not that Abraham was not an honored ancestor, or that they should be ashamed of the founder of their nation. But the idea is, that God had had the entire moulding of the nation; that he had taken Abraham and Sarah from a distant land, and bad formed them into a great people and nation for his own purpose. The argument is, that he who had done this was able to raise them up from captivity, and make them again a great people. Probably allusion is made to this passage by the Saviour in Matthew 3:9, where he says, ‘For I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.’
The hole of the pit - The word rendered ‘hole’ means such an excavation as men make who are taking stones from a quarry. It expresses substantially the same idea as the previous member of the verse. This language is sometimes addressed to Christians, with a view to produce humility by reminding them that they have been taken by God from a state of sin, and raised up, as it were, from a deep and dark pit of pollution. But this is not the sense of the passage, nor will it bear such an application. It may be used to denote that God has taken them, as stone is taken from the quarry; that he found them in their natural state as unhewn blocks of marble are; that he has moulded and formed them by his own agency, and fitted them into his spiritual temple; and that they owe all the beauty and grace of their Christian deportment to him; that this is an argument to prove that he who had done so much for them as to transform them, so to speak, from rough and unsightly blocks to polished stones, fitted for his spiritual temple on earth, is able to keep them still, and to fit them for his temple above. Such is the argument in the passage before us; and such a use of it is, of course, perfectly legitimate and fair.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
CHAPTER LI
The prophet exhorts the children of Abraham to trust in the
Lord; and briefly, but beautifully, describes the great
blessedness which should be the consequence, 1-3.
Then, turning to the Gentiles, encourages them to look for a
portion in the same salvation, 4, 5;
the everlasting duration of which is majestically described, 6.
And as it is everlasting, so is it sure to the righteous,
notwithstanding all the machinations of their enemies, 7, 8.
The faithful, then, with exultation and joy, lift their voices,
reminding God of his wondrous works of old, which encourage
them to look now for the like glorious accomplishment of these
promises, 9-11.
In answer to this the Divinity is introduced comforting them
under their trials, and telling them that the deliverer was
already on his way to save and to establish them, 12-16.
On this the prophet turns to Jerusalem to comfort and
congratulate her on so joyful a prospect. She is represented,
by a bold image, as a person lying in the streets, under the
intoxicating effects of the cup of the Divine wrath, without a
single person from among her own people appointed to give her
consolation, and trodden under the feet of her enemies; but, in
the time allotted by the Divine providence, the cup of
trembling shall be taken out of her hand, and put into that of
her oppressors; and she shall drink it no more again for ever,
17-22.
NOTES ON CHAP. LI
Verse Isaiah 51:1. Ye that follow after righteousness — The people who, feeling the want of salvation, seek the Lord in order to be justified.
The rock — Abraham.
The hole of the pit — Sarah; as explained in Isaiah 51:2.
