Thou worm Jacob. Though in thyself the weakest of the weak, grovelling in the dust, a mere worm (Job 25:6; Psalms 22:6), yet thou hast no cause to fear, since God sustains thee. Ye men of Israel; rather, ye handful, Israel (Delitzsch).
The term used is one of disparagement, corresponding to the "worm" of the parallel clause. Few and weak though they be, God's people need not fear. Thy Redeemer. The word goel, here used for the first time by Isaiah, is frequent throughout the later chapters (Isaiah 43:14; Isaiah 44:6, Isaiah 44:24; Isaiah 47:4; Isaiah 48:17; Isaiah 49:7, Isaiah 49:26; Isaiah 54:5, Isaiah 54:8; Isaiah 59:20; Isaiah 60:16; Isaiah 63:16).
It is used for the "nearest of kin," and "avenger of blood," in the Levitical Law, but has a sense similar to that of the present passage in Job 19:25; Psalms 19:14: Psalms 78:35: Psalms 103:4; Proverbs 23:11; and Jeremiah I.
34. The sense "redeem" belongs to the verb of which goal is the participle, in Exodus 6:6; Exodus 15:13; Le Exodus 25:25, Exodus 25:33, 48, 49; Exodus 27:13, Exodus 27:19, Exodus 27:21, etc. The Holy One of Israel Isaiah's favourite designation of the Almighty in his covenant relationship to Israel, used eleven times in the earlier chapters (Isaiah 1:1-31:35.
), once in the middle or historical portion, and thirteen times in the later chapters (Isaiah 40:1-31:66.); only used elsewhere in Psalms 71:22; Psalms 78:41; Psalms 89:18; Jeremiah 1:1-19:29; and Jeremiah 51:5.