Isaiah 62:2

And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(2) Thou shalt be called by a new name . . .—So in Jeremiah 33:16, the name of the restored city is to be “Jehovah our Righteousness.” The root-thought is that the altered state is to be embodied, as in the case of Abraham and Israel, in a new name. Here, however, the effect of the promise is heightened, as in Revelation 2:17; Revelation 3:12, by the absence of the new ‘name, as something which is to transcend all experience.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

62:1-5 The Son of God here assures his church of his unfailing love, and his pleading for her under all trails and difficulties. She shall be called by a new name, a pleasant name, such as she was never called by before. The state of true religion in the world, before the preaching of the gospel, no man seemed to have any real concern for. God, by his grace, has wrought that in his church, which makes her his delight. Let us thence learn motives to holiness. If the Lord rejoices over us, we should rejoice in his service.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And the Gentiles shall see - (see Isaiah 11:10 : come a up I father me say Isaiah 49:22; Isaiah 60:3, Isaiah 60:5, Isaiah 60:16).

And all kings thy glory - (See the notes at Isaiah 49:7, Isaiah 49:23; Isaiah 52:15; Isaiah 60:3, Isaiah 60:10-11, Isaiah 60:16).

And thou shalt be called by a new name - A name which shall be significant and expressive of a greatly improved and favored condition (see Isaiah 62:4). The idea is, that they would not be in a condition in which a name denoting humiliation, poverty, and oppression would be appropriate, but in circumstances where a name expressive of prosperity would be adapted to express their condition. On the custom of giving significant names, see the notes at Isaiah 7:3; Isaiah 8:1.

Which the mouth of the Lord shall name - Which shall be the more valuable because Yahweh himself shall confer it, and which must therefore be appropriate (see the notes at Isaiah 62:4, Isaiah 62:12.)

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

2. (Isa 11:10; 42:1-6; 49:7, 22, 23; 60:3, 5, 16).

new name—expression of thy new and improved condition (Isa 62:4), the more valuable and lasting as being conferred by Jehovah Himself (Isa 62:12; Isa 65:15; Re 2:17; 3:12).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Thy righteousness: see what is said in the foregoing verse: some read, thy Just One, viz. Jesus Christ. Kings, those that were wont to scorn thee, shall now’ be taken with the admiration of thy glory.

Thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name; not the seed of Abraham, or the children of Israel, but of God; that whereas they were by nature the children of wrath, now by grace they shall be the children of God. Or, another name, as it is said of tongues. Compare Mark 16:17, with Acts 2:4. Or, a name, the honour whereof shall make them famous, as Genesis 11:4; they shall be called Christians. Or, the church shall be more renowned than ever, both in respect of her condition, and so called Hephzi-bah; and of her relation, and so called Beulah; and this new name the Lord gives them accordingly, Isaiah 62:4.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness,.... The innocence of her case, and the justness of her cause, and the vengeance took on her enemies, all being so clear as before declared; as well as her justifying righteousness, which being published in the Gospel to the Gentiles, they shall see it, embrace it, and shall be justified by it, Romans 1:17 or "thy righteous One", as the Vulgate Latin version, Christ:

and all kings thy glory; or, "thy glorious One", as the same version; her Lord in whom she glories, and who is a glory to her, whom kings shall fall down before and worship, Psalm 72:10 or the glorious state of the church, which shall draw the eyes of kings unto it, and who shall promote it by bringing their glory into it, Isaiah 60:1. Vitringa thinks all this refers to the times of Constantine, before which kings had not seen the glory of the church, nor had she seen kings subject to her; but now they began to see the glory of the kingdom of Christ: but it is better to interpret it of the latter day, when not only kings begin to see, not a few of them, but all in general shall see it:

and thou shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name; either "Jehovah Shammah", "The Lord is there"; his presence being among his church and people at this time in a remarkable manner, Ezekiel 48:35 or Jehovah our righteousness; this being most clearly revealed, as before observed, Jeremiah 33:16 or Christ, to whom she is so closely united, and so nearly allied, as to have his name on her, 1 Corinthians 12:12 or the church, and church of God, and of Christ, names only to be met with in the New Testament, and under the Gospel dispensation; or the name of Christians from Christ, Acts 11:26, or, as is more commonly received, the name of the sons of God, which the church of converted Jews shall have in the latter day, when the name of "Loammi" is taken off from them, Hosea 1:10, and to this passage there may be an allusion in Revelation 2:17. This name is a new name; a renewed one, at the time of regeneration and faith, which was anciently provided in predestination, and bestowed in the covenant of grace; a renowned one, better than that of sons and daughters of the greatest potentates, and attended with various privileges; a wonderful name, an instance of marvellous grace in God, who stood in no need of adopted ones, and to them so unworthy of it; and which is ever new, and will always continue; this blessing of grace is of God, and not of men, and is to be ascribed to the grace of God, Father, Son and Spirit. Kimchi makes this new name to be "Hephzibah", Isaiah 62:4, not amiss.

Geneva Study Bible

And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by {c} a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.

(c) You will have a more excellent fame than you have had till now.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

2. And the Gentiles &c.] Rather, And nations. Cf. ch. Isaiah 60:3.

a new name] the symbol both of a new character and a new relation to God. Cf. Revelation 2:17; Revelation 3:12, ch. Isaiah 65:15.

which the mouth of the Lord shall name] Rather, shall determine (as Genesis 30:28). This new name is a mystery (see Revelation 2:17) yet to be disclosed, and is not to be brought into connexion with the names of Isaiah 62:4 and Isaiah 62:12.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 2. - The Gentiles shall see, etc. A continuation of the account of Israel's final glory, as given in Isaiah 61:6-9. What the Gentiles are especially to see and admire is Israel's righteousness. This may point to those acknowledgments of the purity and excellence of the early Church which were made by the heathen (Plin., 'Epist.,' 10:97), and which culminated in the saying, "See how these Christians love one another!" The sceptic Gibbon acknowledges, among the causes of the success of Christianity, "the virtues of the early Christians." All kings (comp. Isaiah 49:7, 23; Isaiah 60:3; Psalm 50:22:11). Thou shalt be called by a new name (comp. vers. 4 and 12; and see also Isaiah 65:15). It is not altogether clear what the "new name" is, since in the remainder of the present chapter more than one name is suggested. Rosenmuller supposes" Hephzibah" to be meant. Dr. Kay suggests "the holy people," and notes that the title of "holy ones," or "saints," is given by St. Paul to all Christians (Acts 26:10; Romans 1:7; Romans 16:15; 1 Corinthians 1:2, etc.). Mr. Cheyne thinks that it is some unknown title of honour, akin to that mentioned by Jeremiah "Jehovah our Righteousness" (Jeremiah 33:16). "New names" will be given to individual saints in the heavenly kingdom (Revelation 2:17; Revelation 3:12). Isaiah 62:2

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Nearly all the more recent commentators regard the prophet himself as speaking here. Having given himself up to praying to Jehovah and preaching to the people, he will not rest or hold his peace till the salvation, which has begun to be realized, has been brought fully out to the light of day. It is, however, really Jehovah who commences thus: "For Zion's sake I shall not be silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I shall not rest, till her righteousness breaks forth like morning brightness, and her salvation like a blazing torch. And nations will see they righteousness, and all kings thy glory; and men will call thee by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah will determine. And thou wilt be an adorning coronet in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the lap of thy God." It is evident that Jehovah is the speaker here, both from Isaiah 62:6 and also from the expression used; for châshâh is the word commonly employed in such utterances of Jehovah concerning Himself, to denote His leaving things in their existing state without interposing (Isaiah 65:6; Isaiah 57:11; Isaiah 64:11). Moreover, the arguments which may be adduced to prove that the author of chapters 40-66 is not the speaker in Isaiah 61:1-11, also prove that it is not he who is continuing to speak of himself in Isaiah 62:1-12 Jehovah, having now begun to speak and move on behalf of Zion, will "for Zion's sake," i.e., just because it is Zion, His own church, neither be silent nor give Himself rest, till He has gloriously executed His work of grace. Zion is now in the shade, but the time will come when her righteousness will go forth as nōgah, the light which bursts through the night (Isaiah 60:19; Isaiah 59:9; here the morning sunlight, Proverbs 4:18; compare shachar, the morning red, Isaiah 58:8); or till her salvation is like a torch which blazes. יבער belongs to כלפּיד (mercha) in the form of an attributive clause equals בּער, although it might also be assumed that יבער stands by attraction for תבער (cf., Isaiah 2:11; Ewald, 317, c). The verb בּער, which is generally applied to wrath (e.g., Isaiah 30:27), is here used in connection with salvation, which has wrath towards the enemies of Zion as its obverse side: Zion's tsedeq (righteousness) shall become like the morning sunlight, before which even the last twilight has vanished; and Zion's yeshū‛âh is like a nightly torch, which sets fire to its own material, and everything that comes near it. The force of the conjunction עד (until) does not extend beyond Isaiah 62:1. From Isaiah 62:2 onwards, the condition of things in the object indicated by עד is more fully described. The eyes of the nations will be directed to the righteousness of Zion, the impress of which is now their common property; the eyes of all kings to her glory, with which the glory of none of them, nor even of all together, can possibly compare. And because this state of Zion is a new one, which has never existed before, her old name is not sufficient to indicate her nature. She is called by a new name; and who could determine this new name? He who makes the church righteous and glorious, He, and He alone, is able to utter a name answering to her new nature, just as it was He who called Abram Abraham, and Jacob Israel. The mouth of Jehovah will determine it (נקב, to pierce, to mark, to designate in a signal and distinguishing manner, nuncupare; cf., Amos 6:1; Numbers 1:17). It is only in imagery that prophecy here sees what Zion will be in the future: she will be "a crown of glory," "a diadem," or rather a tiara (tsenı̄ph; Chethib tsenūph equals mitsnepheth, the head-dress of the high priest, Exodus 28:4; Zechariah 3:5; and that of the king, Ezekiel 21:31) "of regal dignity," in the hand of her God (for want of a synonym of "hand," we have adopted the rendering "in the lap" the second time that it occurs). Meier renders יהוה בּיד (בּכף) Jovae sub praesidio, as though it did not form part of the figure. But it is a main feature in the figure, that Jehovah holds the crown in His hand. Zion is not the ancient crown which the Eternal wears upon His head, but the crown wrought out in time, which He holds in His hand, because He is seen in Zion by all creation. The whole history of salvation is the history of the taking of the kingdom, and the perfecting of the kingdom by Jehovah; in other words, the history of the working out of this crown.