Isaiah 30:11

Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(11) Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.—It would seem as if the iterated utterance of this Divine name by Isaiah caused a bitterness of irritation which was not roused by the more familiar “Lord,” or even by “Jehovah.” It made men feel that they stood face to face with an infinite holiness, and this they could not bear.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

30:8-18 The Jews were the only professing people God then had in the world, yet many among them were rebellious. They had the light, but they loved darkness rather. The prophets checked them in their sinful pursuits, so that they could not proceed without fear; this they took amiss. But faithful ministers will not be driven from seeking to awaken sinners. God is the Holy One of Israel, and so they shall find him. They did not like to hear of his holy commandments and his hatred of sin; they desired that they might no more be reminded of these things. But as they despised the word of God, their sins undermined their safety. Their state would be dashed in pieces like a potter's vessel. Let us return from our evil ways, and settle in the way of duty; that is the way to be saved. Would we be strengthened, it must be in quietness and in confidence, keeping peace in our own minds, and relying upon God. They think themselves wiser than God; but the project by which they thought to save themselves was their ruin. Only here and there one shall escape, as a warning to others. If men will not repent, turn to God, and seek happiness in his favour and service, their desires will but hasten their ruin. Those who make God alone their confidence, will have comfort. God ever waits to be gracious to all that come to him by faith in Christ, and happy are those who wait for him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Get ye out of the way - Or, rather, 'Recede from the way;' or 'Turn aside from the way.' The words "way" and "path" are used to denote the true religion, or the true doctrines of God Matthew 7:14; Matthew 22:16; John 14:4; Acts 18:26; Acts 19:9, Acts 19:23; 2 Peter 2:15. The request here was that the true prophets would recede from the stern and true precepts of religion, and turn to the ways of falsehood and deceit.

Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us - The sense of this is, 'Let us hear no more of this name. We are weary of constantly hearing it, as if there was nothing else but the ceaseless repetition of the name "The Holy One of Israel.'" It is to be remembered that the prophets spoke in this name, and often commenced their prophecies with the announcement, 'thus saith the Holy One of Israel.' No one more frequently used this than Isaiah (see Isaiah 30:12, Isaiah 30:15; compare Isaiah 1:4; Isaiah 5:19, Isaiah 5:24; Isaiah 10:20; Isaiah 12:6; Isaiah 17:7; Isaiah 29:19; Isaiah 31:1; Isaiah 41:14). It is probable that a reference constantly to the fact that he was holy, was that which most troubled them. How descriptive of the feelings of sinners! How striking an illustration of the fact that they do not wish to hear of the name or laws of the Holy Lord God! And what a melancholy proof of depravity is it when people pursue such a course that they do not wish to hear of Him, and desire no more to be troubled with His name and laws!

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

11. Depart from the true "way" (so in Ac 19:9, 23) of religion.

cause … to cease—Let us hear no more of His name. God's holiness is what troubles sinners most.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Out of the way in which you now walk, out of you present course of preaching unsavoury and frightful things to us.

Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us; do not trouble us with harsh and repeated messages from God, as you used to do.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Get ye out of the way: turn aside out of the path,.... These two expressions mean one and the same thing; either that the prophets would go out of their usual way of threatening ruin and destruction; or that they would go out of the way of the people, and not stand in it to hinder them pursuing their own lusts and pleasures; or that they would go out of the right way, as the Targum, which is God's way, and join with them; or, at least, connive at, and indulge them, in their ways:

cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us; do not so often make mention of his name, or come to us with a "thus saith the Lord"; let us hear no more of him, or messages from him; and especially under this character of "the Holy One of Israel", who is by nature holy, loves holiness, and requires it, and hates sin. The Targum is,

"remove far from us the word of the Holy One of Israel;''

let us hear no more of that.

Geneva Study Bible

Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

11. Get ye out of the way, turn aside …] i.e. “Discontinue your hackneyed methods: adopt a more conciliatory tone, and do not seek to influence us by reiterated prophecies of evil.”

cause the Holy One of Israel to cease] The meaning is not, of course, that the people disown Jehovah as the national deity, but that they repudiate Isaiah’s conception of Him as the Holy One of Israel, and the teaching based on that conception.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 11. - Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. "The Holy One of Israel" was one of Isaiah's most frequent names for the Almighty. He used it especially when rebuking Israel's unholiness (Isaiah 1:4; Isaiah 5:24, etc.). The irreligious Jews were weary of this constant iteration, and wished to hear no more concerning this "Holy One," whose very holiness was a reproach to them. Isaiah 30:11

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

It was necessary that the worthlessness of the help of Egypt should be placed in this way before the eyes of the people. "For it is a refractory people, lying children, children who do not like to hear the instruction of Jehovah, who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things! Speak flatteries to us! Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, remove from our face the Holy One of Israel." On the expression ‛am merı̄ (a people of stubbornness), see at Isaiah 3:8. The vowel-pointing of כחשׁהים follows the same rule as that of החכם. The prophet traces back their words to an unvarnished expression of their true meaning, just as he does in Isaiah 28:15. They forbid the prophets of Jehovah to prophesy, more especially nekhōchōth, straight or true things (things not agreeable to their own wishes), but would rather hear chălâqōth, i.e., smooth, insinuating, and flattering things, and even mahăthallōth (from hâthal, Talm. tal, ludere), i.e., illusions or deceits. Their desire was to be entertained and lauded, not repelled and instructed. The prophets are to adopt another course (מנּי only occurs here, and that twice, instead of the more usual מנּי equals מן, after the form אלי, עלי), and not trouble them any more with the Holy One of Israel, whom they (at least Isaiah, who is most fond of calling Jehovah by this name) have always in their mouths.