No weapon that is prepared against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that riseth against thee in judgment, thou shalt condemn. This is the inheritance of the servants of Jehovah; and their righteousness is of me, saith Jehovah.
本节注释
Setting
Isaiah 54:17 closes a chapter of comfort to a barren, tempest-tossed Zion, sealing the promises of restoration with a guarantee of total preservation: no weapon will prosper, every accusing tongue will be silenced, and this is named the "heritage of the servants of the LORD." The verse looks forward to the millennial day when the nation, restored and adorned, stands secure under Jehovah's own righteousness.
The Setting in the Chapter
The verse caps a passage of dazzling promise to restored Israel. Kelly gives the full Darby reading and then draws the picture together:
William Kelly"No weapon that is prepared against thee shall prosper; and every tongue [that] rises against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This [is] the heritage of the servants of Jehovah, and their righteousness [is] of me, says Jehovah" (vv. 11-17). Thus the prophecy is not only of everlasting mercy reinstating the ancient people, but along with it are images of beauty and glory with which Jehovah will adorn them. Truth will be theirs, for they all shall be taught of Jehovah; peace too, great peace, will be enjoyed; and, established in righteousness, they shall be far from oppression and fear, though not from hostile intention.
Government Reversed: Opposition Recoils on the Opposer
In the day Isaiah looks toward, every weapon raised against the people falls back on the one who lifts it, because God Himself has prepared the instruments of judgment.
Hamilton SmithThere may be those who will gather together against the nation, but no longer, in the government of God will such be allowed to triumph over His People. On the contrary, their opposition to God's people will bring about their own downfall, for God has prepared instruments for dealing in judgment with the opposers. No weapon formed against the servants of the LORD will prosper. Every tongue that speaks against them will be silenced in judgment.
The previous verses had set the scene — a people taught of Jehovah, established in righteousness, freed from terror:
Hamilton SmithThe prophet then uses the figure of precious stones to set forth the moral beauty that will shine forth from restored Israel. The nation will be taught of the LORD, and great will be their peace, for they will be established in righteousness. No longer will they be oppressed, nor live in fear and terror.
A Warning Carried Through History — and Climaxing in Gog
The promise has had a moral echo through the centuries: nations that mistreat Israel never prosper. Its full and final demonstration belongs to the closing scene of Gentile pride, when Gog gathers against the land.
W. W. FeredayNo people have ever prospered that have ill-treated Israel, in strict accordance with the word: "No weapon formed against thee shall prosper" (Isa. 54:17). Jehovah will sanctify Himself before the eyes of the Gentile world at large by His terrible dealings with Gog and his army… Israel will not need to fight: Jehovah will fight for them, and, as on the shores of the Red Sea, they have but to stand still and see His salvation. He will dispose of their enemies in the coming day with the same ease as He disposed of Pharaoh's legions in the distant past.
"Their Righteousness Is of Me" — The Source of the Inheritance
The verse carefully traces both the security and the righteousness back to Jehovah Himself. The heritage is given; the righteousness is "of Me." This is the same principle the New Testament unfolds for believers — a righteousness wholly outside ourselves:
J. N. DarbyI learn that they have part in these privileges through faith in Christ Jesus, in virtue of which righteousness is imputed to them; that Christ, who has obeyed even unto death, and wrought a perfect work upon the cross for them, is now their righteousness, made such of God to them, and that we are made the righteousness of God in Him.
A Caution Against Misreading
Kelly warns that the chapter — including this closing pledge — must not be lifted out of its setting and bent to serve later religious systems. The "historical substratum" is plain:
William KellyWho can deny that in the first instance, however we may apply them afterwards, and whether this after-application be right or wrong, the prophet's words apply to the restored Zion?
Summary
- Primary scope. The verse looks ahead to restored Zion in the millennial day — adorned, taught of Jehovah, established in righteousness, secure from every hostile design.
- Government of God. Opposition will not be allowed to triumph; the very weapons raised against His people will turn back on the opposer, for God Himself has prepared the instruments of judgment.
- Tongues silenced. Every tongue that rises in accusation will be condemned in judgment — a complete vindication of the people Jehovah owns.
- Final demonstration. The fullest fulfilment is at the destruction of Gog: Israel will not need to fight; Jehovah will fight for them as at the Red Sea.
- Source of righteousness. The heritage is theirs as gift, and the righteousness is "of Me" — wholly from Jehovah, the same principle by which believers today are made the righteousness of God in Christ.