God Sings
God singing over us.
17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty;
He will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy;
He will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
17 For the LORD your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee … he will rejoice over thee with joy—even “as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride” (Isa. 62:5); so will the Lord “rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in His people” (Isa. 65:19). he will rest in his love—content with it as His supreme delight, even as “there is joy in heaven … in the presence of the angels of God … over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:7, 10). (Calvin.) Or, He shall be silent [from חָרַשׁ, to be silent]—namely, as to thy faults, not “imputing” them to thee (Maurer). (Ps. 32:2; Exod. 33:16.) I prefer explaining it of that calm silent joy, in the possession of the object of one’s love, too great for words to express; just as God, after the six days of creation, rested with silent satisfaction in His work, for “behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31; 2:2). So the parallel clause, by contrast, expresses the joy, not kept silent, as this, but uttered in “singing.”
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee … he will rejoice over thee with joy—even “as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride” (Isa. 62:5);
4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken;
Neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate:
But thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah,
And thy land Beulah:
For the LORD delighteth in thee,
And thy land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin,
So shall thy sons marry thee:
And as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride,
So shall thy God rejoice over thee.
Hephzibah, meaning delight, or in whom is My delight. The name of Hezekiah’s wife (2Ki. 21:1) and a symbolic name of Jerusalem.
Beulah, meaning married—a symbolic name of Palestine.
so will the Lord “rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in His people” (Isa. 65:19).
18 But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create:
For, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19 And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people:
And the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
he will rest in his love—content with it as His supreme delight, even as “there is joy in heaven … in the presence of the angels of God … over one sinner that repenteth” (Luke 15:7, 10).
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance
The joy over one sinner repenting more than over 99 that have already repented might seem unfair, but not so, for each of the 99 has already had such rejoicing over him when he repented.
He shall be silent [from חָרַשׁ, to be silent]—namely, as to thy faults, not “imputing” them to thee (Maurer). (Ps. 32:2;
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity,
And in whose spirit there is no guile.
So the parallel clause, by contrast, expresses the joy, not kept silent, as this, but uttered in “singing.”
17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty;
He will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy;
He will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion;
shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 For the LORD will remove his hand of judgment
and will disperse the armies of your enemy.
And the LORD himself, the King of Israel,
will live among you!
At last your troubles will be over,
and you will never again fear disaster.
16 On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be,
“Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid!
17 For the LORD your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”
18 “I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals;
you will be disgraced no more.
19 And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you.
I will save the weak and helpless ones;
I will bring together
those who were chased away.
I will give glory and fame to my former exiles,
wherever they have been mocked and shamed.
20 On that day I will gather you together
and bring you home again.
I will give you a good name, a name of distinction,
among all the nations of the earth,
as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes.
I, the LORD, have spoken!”
