Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
The former were local and temporary in their reference. These belong to the distant future, and are world-wide in their interest. The deliverance from Babylon under Cyrus, which he here foretells, by prophetic suggestion, carries him on to the greater deliverance under Messiah, the Saviour of Jews and Gentiles in the present eclectic Church, and the restorer of Israel and Head of the world-wide kingdom, literal and spiritual ultimately. As Assyria was the hostile world-power in the former part, which refers to Isaiah's own time, so Babylon is so in the latter part, which refers to a period long subsequent. The connecting link, however, is furnished (Isaiah 39:6) at the close of the former part. Even in the former part also, Babylon's downfall through Elamite and Persian assailants is foretold in Isaiah 21:1-17. The latter part was written in the old age of Isaiah, as appears from the greater mellowness of style and tone which pervades it. It is less fiery, and more tender and gentle than the former part. Compare Introduction. The second part is divided into three books by the twice-recurring sentence, "There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked" (Isaiah 48:22; Isaiah 57:21). The first of these three books concerns the outward deliverance from Babylon through Cyrus. The second book, Messiah's advent prefigured by the deliverance through Cyrus. The third book, the coming glory of God's kingdom on earth, along with judgments on the ungodly. The historical section (Isaiah 36:1-22; Isaiah 37:1-38; Isaiah 38:1-22; Isaiah 39:1-8) is the basis for understanding the important prophecies of the second part.
Comfort ye - twice repeated, to give double assurance. Having announced the coming captivity of the Jews in Babylon, God now desires His servants, the prophets (Isaiah 52:7), to comfort them. The scene is laid in Babylon, whereto in imagination the prophet transports himself; the time, near the close of the captivity. The ground of comfort is the speedy ending of the captivity, the Lord Himself being their leader.
My people ... your God - correlatives (Jeremiah 31:33; Hosea 1:9-10). It is God's covenant relation with His people, and His "word" of promise (Isaiah 40:8) to their forefathers, which is the ground of His interposition in their behalf, after having for a time chastised them (Isaiah 54:8).