Thy children shall make haste— General promises comfort the afflicted less than particular ones: the prophet therefore proceeds to these, which are drawn from the future benefits to be conferred by God upon the church; four of which are here more especially enumerated: first, a deliverance from internal enemies, hurtful to its state, in Isaiah 49:17; which, according to Bishop Lowth, and after the LXX should be rendered, They shall soon become thy builders, who have overthrown thee; and they who have destroyed thee shall come out of thee; that is, "There shall be no more within thee persecutors, enemies, and destroyers." Secondly, a wonderful increase of this community, exceeding all belief; Isaiah 49:18-19. Thirdly, the destruction of external enemies afflicting the church, Isaiah 49:20-21 in which verses the prophet sets forth more at large what he had just before said respecting the increase of the church, after it had struggled through the great afflictions which it was to suffer. Fourthly, the earnest and solicitous regard of the kings and princes of the world towards the church, together with their conversion, Isaiah 49:22-23. See chap. Isaiah 60:14 and Vitringa. The author of the Observations, upon the latter clause of the 22nd verse, remarks from Pitts, that the Algerines never take either apprentices or hired servants; but "such as have occasion for servants buy slaves, and bring them up to their household-work, as our servant-maids here in England; who, as soon as they have done up all their work in the house, are usually allowed the liberty to go abroad, and visit their countrymen, commonly bearing each a child with them; and if the child be a boy, it rides on the slaves' shoulders." Sandys makes a like remark, as to the manner of carrying children in the east, observing, that as we bear ours in our arms, they carry theirs astride on their shoulders. Concerning the phrase, licking the dust, &c. see Psalms 72:9 and the Observations, p. 255.
Isaiah 49:17-23
17 Thy children shall make haste; thy destroyers and they that made thee waste shall go forth of thee.
18 Lift up thine eyes round about, and behold: all these gather themselves together, and come to thee. As I live, saith the LORD, thou shalt surely clothe thee with them all, as with an ornament, and bind them on thee, as a bride doeth.
19 For thy waste and thy desolate places, and the land of thy destruction, shall even now be too narrow by reason of the inhabitants, and they that swallowed thee up shall be far away.
20 The children which thou shalt have, after thou hast lost the other, shall say again in thine ears, The place is too strait for me: give place to me that I may dwell.
21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?
22 Thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people: and they shall bring thy sons in their arms,d and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.
23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers,e and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.