Unto the end of the world - הארץ קצה אל el ketseh haarets - Instead of אל el, to, עד ad, Unto, is the reading of two of Kennicott's MSS.; and one of mine has מקצה mikketseh, "From the end of the earth."
Behold, thy salvation cometh "Lo, thy Savior cometh" - So all the ancient Versions render the word ישעך yishech .
Behold, his reward - See note on Isaiah 40:10, Isaiah 40:11. This reward he carries as it were in his hand. His work is before him - he perfectly knows what is to be done; and is perfectly able to do it. He will do what God should do, and what man cannot do; and men should be workers with him. Let no man fear that the promise shall not be fulfilled on account of its difficulty, its greatness, the hinderances in the way, or the unworthiness of the person to whom it is made. It is God's work; he is able to do it, and as willing as he is able.
Behold the Lord hath proclaimed - Proclamation is made to all nations that Yahweh is about to come and rescue his people.
Say ye to the daughter of Zion - To Jerusalem (see the notes at Isaiah 1:8).
Thy salvation cometh - Lowth renders this, ‹Lo!, thy Saviour cometh.‘ So the Vulgate, the Septuagint, the Chaldee, and the Syriac. The Hebrew word properly means salvation, but the reference is to God as the Deliverer or Saviour. The immediate allusion is probably to the return from Babylon, but the remote and more important reference is to the coming of the Redeemer (see the notes at Isaiah 40:1-10).
Behold, his reward is with him - See these words explained in the notes at Isaiah 40:10.
Those who have bracelets, and wear gold and ornaments, had better take these idols from their persons and sell them, even if it should be for much less than they gave for them, and thus practice self-denial. Time is too short to adorn the body with gold or silver or costly apparel. I know a good work can be done in this line. Jesus, the Commander in the heavenly courts, laid aside His crown of royalty and His royal robe and stepped down from His royal throne, and clothed His divinity with the habiliments of humanity, and for our sakes became poor, that we through His poverty might come into possession of eternal riches, and yet the very ones for whom Christ has done everything that was possible to do to save perishing souls from eternal ruin feel so little disposition to deny themselves anything that they have money to buy. 3SM 248.1
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