Isaiah 62

62:1-12 The servant here commits himself to proclaiming the good news continuously until the glory of Zion is realized.

62:2 The real beauty and glory of God’s people would not be seen in earthly treasures or a rebuilt city but would shine forth from their righteousness. Others would be drawn by this divine gift. • A new name reflects the change in Zion’s status (see 62:4).

62:4 The Forsaken City: In the Exile, the Lord abandoned his people to the judgment they deserved (54:7). • The Bride of God: The people will be “married” to the Lord—an appropriate image for the close covenant relationship (54:5; Hos 1–3).

62:6-7 The watchmen probably represent the prophets. • they will pray day and night: They will continually seek the full restoration and blessing of Zion, unlike the destructive watchmen of 56:10.

62:8 The Lord swore an oath just as he did when he had sworn an oath to Noah (Gen 8:20–9:17), to Abraham (Gen 22:16; see also Luke 1:73; Heb 6:13), and to David (Ps 89:3). • I will never again hand you over: In order to punish and purge a remnant from his people, God had intentionally brought in the Assyrians and Babylonians to decimate them (see Isa 6:12-13). He would never do this again.

62:9 The people would eat and drink the fruit of their labor (65:13, 22; see Lev 23:39-40; Deut 14:22-26). This is the opposite of what happened when God judged them (see Deut 28:38-40; Amos 5:11; Mic 6:14-15).

62:10-12 This call to prepare for God’s coming salvation combines elements from all parts of Isaiah: the proclamation (the signal or banner, see 5:26), the preparation of the road (40:3; 57:14), the coming of God with his reward (40:5, 9-10), and the holy and redeemed citizenry (35:8-10).62:10 highway: See also 40:3; 57:14. • A flag for all the nations to see is a signal that directs foreigners to come to Zion for God’s salvation. Earlier, a similar signal was used to call for the nations to attack Judah (5:26).