Jehovah hath sworn by his right hand and by the arm of his strength, I will indeed no more give thy corn [to be] food for thine enemies; and the sons of the alien shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast laboured;
God backs this promise with an oath, and He swears by nothing outside Himself. But what does the oath undo, who eats the harvest, and are the corn and wine real food or a picture of something else?
God swears by His right hand and by His arm. One writer traces that arm back to Christ. (Older translations render "mighty arm" as "the arm of His strength.")
God Himself has sworn that He will do it, and He swears by Himself, as Hebrews 6:13 reminds us. He connects His oath in verse 8 with "His right hand and by the Arm of His strength." So here again the Arm of the Lord comes in. He is the one who will do it, and the Arm is marked by strength. For Christ is the power of God, as well as the wisdom of God, as 1 Corinthians 1:24 tells us.
The same arm appears again and again in Isaiah, and it works in two directions at once.
The Arm of the LORD is a symbol of the power of God. He has used that power again and again to overthrow His enemies and to save those who trust in Him (see Isaiah 51:9; 52:10; 53:1; 59:16; 62:8; 63:5 for uses of this title).
An oath does more than repeat a promise. It settles the matter, and here what is settled is a nation's future in a place.
Certainly this oath infallibly secures Israel on the earth.
Some have argued that the Hebrew word for the wine here means only the solid fruit of the vine. One writer answers that this very verse settles the question of what the word means.
The word tirosh occurs thirty-eight times in Scripture. It comes from a root that means to obtain, and so to inherit, and from this one scholar draws the sense of something gained, an acquisition. … A few have argued a strange theory: that the word everywhere means the solid produce of the vine. But Isaiah 62:8, Proverbs 3:10 and Joel 2:24 fully refute this. These texts clearly show that it means a liquid.
Scripture names these two together often, and the promise reaches past the harvest itself.
Corn and wine are often mentioned together in Scripture as the food man needs, both solid and liquid. Only here we see more. God will not only make all this sure to Israel; they will also enjoy it in His presence — as it is put here, "in the courts of My holiness."
Where does the oath place Israel? One writer answers in a line.
This oath secures Israel on the earth, and it cannot fail.
Others then answer those who read the passage as a picture of the church.
To take this magnificent and glorious passage away from its proper object, and apply it to the Christian church, on earth or in heaven, does real violence to the word of God. It brings in a way of reading Scripture that destroys the integrity of God's word. We have just copied this passage out with intense spiritual delight, and it applies only to the literal Zion, the literal Jerusalem, the literal land of Israel. … As for the church, her position on earth is that of a promised bride, not a married wife. Her marriage will take place in heaven (Revelation 19:7-8). To apply passages like this one to her falsifies her position entirely. It denies the plainest statements of Scripture about her calling, her portion, and her hope, which are purely heavenly.
The chapter itself supplies the geography, and one writer uses it to answer the claim that these promises describe a heavenly bride.
We have here not a heavenly but an earthly sphere. "Zion" and "Jerusalem" in verse 1 locate the promised blessings, and "righteousness" and "salvation" are for the saints in the "land." "Your land shall be married," we read; and there Israel shall enjoy the corn and the wine (verses 8-9).
The scale of the promise matches a coming age of plenty rather than a good season.
There was plenty for all. In the coming age of Christ's reign, "There shall be abundance of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains (surely a most unlikely place); the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon" (Ps. 72:16).
- Oath — God swears by Himself, since there is no one greater. The promise is sealed, not just spoken.
- Arm — He swears by the arm of the LORD. Across Isaiah that arm puts down enemies and saves those who trust Him.
- Harvest — corn and wine are the solid and liquid food man needs. They mean real grain and real wine, not pictures of something else.
- Praise — Israel will not only keep the harvest. They will enjoy it before God, in the courts of His holiness.
- Place — the oath fixes Israel on the earth: literal Zion, literal Jerusalem, literal land. The church's hope is a different one, and heavenly.
for they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise Jehovah; and they that have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.
In the verses just before this one, God swears an oath. Verse 9 says what that oath secures. The people who do the harvesting will be the people who eat it, and their meal ends in praise inside God's own courts. Ordinary food and holy ground meet here: the promise of bread and wine finishes in a temple court.
The promise does not rest on Israel's performance but on God binding Himself. Writers point to the way He swears — not by a witness above Him, but by His own right hand and strength.
God Himself has sworn that He will do it, and He swears by Himself, as Hebrews 6:13 reminds us. He connects His oath in verse 8 with "His right hand and by the Arm of His strength." So here again we meet the Arm of the Lord, because He is the one who will do it. The Arm stands for strength, for Christ is the power of God, as well as the wisdom of God, as we are told in 1 Corinthians 1:24.
Because God Himself stands behind it, the harvest of verse 9 is certain. One writer puts it in a single sentence:
This oath secures Israel's place on the earth, and it cannot fail.
Verse 9 comes right after the call for watchmen on Jerusalem's walls who give God no rest. In this chapter their job is not mainly to warn of danger.
It is of great interest to observe the place of watchmen here. And blessed is the day when their work is not so much warning people against treachery or violence. It will be reminding Jehovah, out loud, of the mercy that lasts, and of the undoing of all past sin and shame, when Jerusalem is established and made a praise in the earth.
The harvest eaten in safety is the answer to that persistent asking.
Grain and wine cover the body's basic needs, solid and liquid. But the verse adds where they will be enjoyed.
Scripture often mentions corn and wine together as the food a man needs, both solid and liquid. Only here we see that it will not only be secured to Israel; they will enjoy it in the presence of their God, or as it is put here, "in the courts of My holiness."
These writers used an older translation. It says "corn" where the ESV says "grain," and "the courts of my holiness" where the ESV says "the courts of my sanctuary."
This verse joins eating to praising, and that pattern is old in Israel's life. One writer traces it back to a command given in the law.
"And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you." Filled with the fruit of Jehovah's goodness, they were to bless and praise His holy Name. He delights to surround Himself with hearts that overflow with the sweet sense of His goodness, and that pour out songs of praise and thanksgiving. He inhabits the praises of His people. He says, "Whoever offers praise glorifies me." The faintest note of praise from a grateful heart rises like sweet incense to the throne and to the heart of God.
That is the scene of verse 9: courts full of harvesters eating, drinking and praising.
So when does this happen? One writer marks out the stretch of time these chapters cover.
Isaiah 61 and 62 show the part of Christ, come in blessing, from His first to His second coming — His interest in Jerusalem.
Another writer looks to the day when every need is met, and says it has not come yet.
How blessed when all the woes of Israel and the nations are healed, and when all men's wants are fully met! "According to the Word of the Lord" — so it shall be. But this waits for the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Sworn. The whole promise rests on God's oath, sworn by His own right hand and strength. It depends on His power, not on Israel's.
- Asked. The watchmen of this chapter give God no rest, reminding Him of His mercy. The harvest of verse 9 is what their asking reaches for.
- Kept. The harvest goes to the people who worked for it. Those who gather it are the ones who eat and drink it.
- Enjoyed. Grain and wine are the ordinary supports of life. The promise is not just that Israel will have them, but that they will have them in God's presence.
- Praised. The meal ends where God wanted it all along: a full people blessing His name. He delights to surround Himself with grateful hearts. That scene waits for the appearing of Christ.