The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending
unto thee
The posterity of the Jews, who persecuted the first Christian churches, even those who say they are Jews and are not; these shall be convinced of the truth of the Christian religion, and be converted to it, and shall come and worship before the church, and in fellowship with it, and own it to be the true church of God; which is what is foretold shall be in the Philadelphian state, which is the same with the spiritual reign here described; see ( Revelation 3:9 ) or the children of the Roman Heathens, their remote descendants, who formerly greatly distressed the Christians; or rather the posterity of Rome Papal, many of whom shall be called out of her at the time of her destruction, and be humble suppliants to the church of Christ, and be subject to the doctrines, rules, and laws of it, whose ancestors cruelly persecuted it: and all they that despised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles
of thy feet;
a phrase expressive of great respect, veneration, and submission; see ( Isaiah 49:23 ) : and they shall call thee the city of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One
of Israel;
instead of calling them heretics, schismatics, and fanatics, as their fathers did, they shall own them to be the true church of Christ; a city of his building, and where he dwells; the object of his choice, delight, and love, as Zion was; a holy people made meet to be the habitation of the God of Israel; which are so many names for the church under the Gospel dispensation; see ( Hebrews 12:22 ) ( Revelation 14:1 ) .