John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 4. If [any] of thine be driven out unto the outmost [parts] of heaven , etc.] As many of them are in this remote island of ours, Great Britain, reckoned formerly the uttermost part of the earth, as Thule, supposed to be Schetland, an isle belonging to Scotland, is said to be f549 ; (see Gill on “ Deuteronomy 28:49”); and as some of them are thought to be in America, which Manasseh Ben Israel had a firm belief of: from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee ; whose eye is omniscient, and reaches every part of the world; and whose arm is omnipotent, and none can stay it, or turn it back. The Targum of Jonathan is, “from thence will he bring you near by the hands of the King Messiah.”
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-10 - In this chapter is a plain intimation of the mercy God has in store for Israel in the latter days. This passage refers to the propheti warnings of the last two chapters, which have been mainly fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans, and in their dispersion to the present day; and there can be no doubt that the prophetic promis contained in these verses yet remain to come to pass. The Jewish natio shall in some future period, perhaps not very distant, be converted to the faith of Christ; and, many think, again settled in the land of Canaan. The language here used is in a great measure absolute promises not merely a conditional engagement, but declaring an event assuredl to take place. For the Lord himself here engages to "circumcise their hearts;" and when regenerating grace has removed corrupt nature, an Divine love has supplanted the love of sin, they certainly wil reflect, repent, return to God, and obey him; and he will rejoice in doing them good. The change that will be wrought upon them will not be only outward, or consisting in mere opinions; it will reach to their souls. It will produce in them an utter hatred of all sin, and fervent love to God, as their reconciled God in Christ Jesus; they wil love him with all their hearts, and with all their soul. They are very far from this state of mind at present, but so were the murderers of the Lord Jesus, on the day of Pentecost; who yet in one hour wer converted unto God. So shall it be in the day of God's power; a natio shall be born in a day; the Lord will hasten it in his time. As conditional promise this passage belongs to all persons and all people not to Israel only; it assures us that the greatest sinners, if the repent and are converted, shall have their sins pardoned, and be restored to God's favour.
Original Hebrew אם518 יהיה1961 נדחך5080 בקצה7097 השׁמים8064 משׁם8033 יקבצך6908 יהוה3068 אלהיך430 ומשׁם8033 יקחך׃3947
