Isaiah A Messianic Study 2020
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deiagoshaw23Isaiah A Messianic Study 2020
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deiagoshaw23ISAIAH
A MESSIANIC STUDY
Raymond Miller
ServantsPlace.org
ISAIAH: A MESSIANIC STUDY
Copyright © Raymond Miller, 2020
All rights reserved.
Electronic Version (E-Book)
Bible Version used in this Study:
Unless otherwise stated, the Bible version used throughout this study is the Digital American Standard
Version, © DASV Bible, Ted Hildebrandt, 2011.
Others Bible Versions cited as stated in the Study:
King James Version (KJV)
King James Version, also known as the Authorized Version
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scriptures taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
“Scriptures taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972,
1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.”
New International Version (NIV)
Scriptures taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®, Copyright © 1973, 1978,
1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV)
“Scriptural quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ® (ESV ®), copyright © 2001 by
Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
The NET Bible (NET)
“Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from The NET Bible® Copyright © 2005
by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.”
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, digital, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without
the prior permission in writing by the author. Short excepts only may be used by a reviewer for purposes of a
review of this publication.
ISBN-10:
ISBN-13:
1…..Contents
Contents
Page
(Electronic Version)
Preface …………………………………………………………………………. 2
Introduction …………………………………………………………………………. 3
Outline of Isaiah …………………………………………………………………... 21
Study of Isaiah
Chapters 1-6: Introduction and Call of Isaiah …………………………………… 26
Chapters 7-12: Messiah and the Remnant …………………………………… 91
Chapters 13-23: The Nations Judged …………………………………………………… 150
Chapters 24-27: Worldwide Judgment and Protection of Israel …………………… 211
Chapters 28-35: Woes, Warnings and Wrath and Future Blessings …………………… 243
Chapters 36-39: The Protection of God and the Foolishness of Hezekiah …………….. 306
Chapters 40-48: God’s Promises to Provide Protection for His People …………….. 332
Chapters 49-57: Israel’s Redemption Through the Suffering Servant …………….. 465
Chapters 58-66: The Promises of the Future Messianic Kingdom …………………….. 594
Appendices
Appendix 1: The Kingdom of God ……………………………………………………… 711
Appendix 2: The Covenants of God ……………………………………………………… 721
Appendix 3: The Presence of God ……………………………………………………… 743
Index of Hebrew Words ……………………………………………………………… 747
Index of English Words ……………………………………………………………… 784
Suggested Resources (Bibliography) ……………………………………………………… 824
2…..Preface
ISAIAH: A MESSIANIC STUDY
PREFACE
The “work” of writing a study on Isaiah is both daunting and humbling. It is daunting because of the amount
of content that is in the prophecy that needs to be properly understood and accurately explained so that
students of the Scriptures will have a right understanding of the message of this “prince of prophets.” It is
humbling because no person, neither scholar nor student, has the ability to grasp the meaning of all that
Isaiah has written. Most importantly, it is humbling because those who would seek to write a study or
commentary on Isaiah or any other biblical book stand in sinful shoes on holy ground. In reading the text and
in writing study notes on the text, it is most apparent that the Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, calls each one
of us to repent of trusting in ourselves, or others or something else and begin wholeheartedly to trust in the
One who Isaiah calls with deep worship, the Holy One of Israel. We are to be holy because God is holy, and
God most emphatically calls all who read the writings of His servant Isaiah to a life of holiness by “wholly”
trusting in Him and seeking Him with their whole heart.
This study is not a commentary in the typical way or approach that Biblical scholars take when writing their
commentaries. Scholars often write their commentaries with the intent of interacting with other scholarly
works with which they agree, debate or refute. Many commentaries are written for use by the seminary
student or for reference by other scholars. Other commentaries that are not directed to the academy are often
called devotional or pastoral. This study of Isaiah is not intended to be a scholarly work and may not be so
accurately defined as devotional or pastoral. It is prominently dispensational and somewhat exegetical and
most certainly Biblical and stands as a beacon proclaiming that the Servant of the Lord is the Messiah of
whom all the Scriptures confirm. It contains a great amount of Scriptural passages fully stated, rather than
just having their reference noted. It also is unique in that the words of only a few Biblical scholars are quoted
in a length, some with extended quotations cited, which is not common in other publications. These lengthy
excerpts are used by the kind permission of the publishers of the works cited by these scholars.
The Suggested Resources (bibliography) is provided as a guide for those who would like to and have the
means to acquire trusted volumes for their church or home library. Stated within the pages of the study are
references to the works that are of the highest recommendation for students of Isaiah to acquire. Building a
Biblical library takes many years, but trusted volumes provide a lifetime of valued resources that will aid in
the proper understanding of the Scriptures. It is the prayer of this author that this study of Isaiah will be
worthy enough to stand alongside those resources that are recommended and that this study will spur those
who prayerfully read it and study Isaiah to trust whole heartedly in the Messiah who will most certainly come
to deliver His people and establish His kingdom which will last for a thousand years on earth and then
forever in the newly created heavens and earth.
3…..Introduction
ISAIAH: A MESSIANIC STUDY
INTRODUCTION
The Bible version used throughout this study is the Digital American Standard Version, © DASV Bible, Ted
Hildebrandt, 2011. Used by permission.
This version was selected because of the copyright limitations from other versions that restrict the total
amount of Biblical text that can be reproduced in a single published work. It is with thanks and gratitude to
Dr. Ted Hildebrandt that the DASV could be used extensively in this study of Isaiah.
Studying Isaiah is one of the most uplifting, encouraging and inspiring activities a student of God’s word will
ever undertake. Isaiah is the premier prophet of the Old Testament who was led by God to reveal wonderful
truths about the Messiah who we come to know in the New Testament as our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,
the eternal Son of God. Isaiah unfolds the plan of God for the Jewish nation and for all peoples. This plan
eternally conceived and marvelous in scope, involves an amazing rescue of sinful and rebellious humans who
have no hope and are under the judgment of a holy and sovereign God who has decreed eternal punishment
on those who have turned away from Him by worshipping worthless and false gods and have trusted in
mortal man rather in the Eternal God. This plan of God involves the willing sacrifice of His humble Servant
who takes upon Himself the sins of all mankind and redeems for Himself a people who will live eternally
praising their Redeemer/Messiah.
This study is called messianic because it emphasizes the messianic content of the prophecy of Isaiah. All
chapters and verses of Isaiah will be carefully studied and the passages of the prophecy that are messianic in
content will be covered in more detail than non-messianic content. This is not to say that the non-messianic
content is not important. All Scripture is inspired by God, 2 Timothy 3:16 and every word of Isaiah is
important for the student to consider. This study is designed to give emphasis on the messianic content
because this emphasis is sadly overlooked by many studies and commentaries on Isaiah.
Messianic and Messiah
For the purposes of this study, “messianic” is understood as the statements of Scripture that have to do with
the Messiah. Who is the Messiah? In the Old Testament, the word used for Messiah, is mashiach, which has
the meaning of “anointed.” Not all of the thirty-nine occurrences of mashiach in the Old Testament refer to
the Messiah but some certainly do refer to Him. For example, a commonly understood reference to the
Messiah occurs in Psalm 2:2: “The kings of the earth take their battle positions and the rulers take counsel
together, against the LORD, and against his anointed.” The context of the second psalm is royal and the
King who is God’s anointed, is also called God’s Son who is to be given the nations as His inheritance and
the earth as His possession. All kings are to “kiss the son” which is to honor Him; “lest he become angry, and
you perish in the way, for his wrath can quickly ignite. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” This could
not refer to any king of Israel who would have the power to put the kings of the world to death, although
some, who do not see any messianic references in the Old Testament, without any proof assign this Son as
David’s son Solomon.
Michael Rydelnik, a Jewish scholar and professor of Jewish Studies at Moody Bible Institute has written an
excellent book on the issue of the messianic content on the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). He rightly
comments on the Old Testament’s use of the word anointed as referring to the Messiah in contrast to those
who do not recognize this connection. He also acknowledges the contribution to this field of study by Walter
C. Kaiser and finds additional references to the Messiah, beyond that listed by Dr. Kaiser:
4…..Introduction
“Alternatively, Walter C. Kaiser Hr. correctly asserts that the Old Testament does indeed use the
word “anointed” in its technical sense of “Messiah” at least nine times out if its thirty-nine usages,
citing 1 Sam 2:10, 35; Ps 2:2; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; Hab 3:13; Dan 9:25, 26. I would also add 2 Sam
22:51; 23:1; and Ps 89:51 to Kaiser’s list. Moreover, “Messiah” is not the only or most common
designation for this future royal figure. Some of the other terms used for this king include “the
Branch,” “the Holy One,” and “the Servant of the Lord.” In this work, I am not limiting the
discussion of the Messiah only to those passages that use the exact Hebrew term masiah, but I include
all terms and passages relating to that royal figure as “messianic.” (note: Rydelnik cites the above
excerpt from Walter C. Kaiser Jr. from The Messiah in the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
1995), 16. (Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic? B & H
Publishing Group, Nashville, 2010. Page 2)
See also, John H. Sailhamer, Messiah and the Hebrew Bible, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy,
pages 41-60.
The New Testament convincingly settles the matter of this Son’s identity. Luke quotes from the second
psalm as recorded in Acts 4:23-28 and reveals that the Holy Spirit spoke these words through the mouth of
David and these words from Psalm 2 speak of God’s holy servant Jesus. There are many other words which
refer to the Messiah including those listed below as the titles for Messiah recorded in the Book of Isaiah.
Each of these titles will be studied in detail in the context of the passage where these titles occur.
The One who is the Lord’s anointed, the Messiah was born as a son to a virgin young woman Mary, as
recorded in Matthew 1:18-25, thus confirming Isaiah’s prophecy about Him recorded in Isaiah 7:14. The
human lineage of the Messiah is recorded in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38. The name ascribed to this
Son in the New Testament is Jesus Christ. Jesus (the Lord is salvation) and Christ (the anointed One).
Matthew wrote his gospel with the purpose of explaining that this virgin born Son was the promised Messiah
spoken about in the Old Testament. Just after His resurrection, Jesus explained who He was, to two men
whom He met walking on the road to Emmaus, Luke 24:13-45. Jesus answered their doubt about Him and
explained, “O foolish and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary
for the Messiah to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory?" Then beginning from Moses and from all
the prophets, he explained to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25-27).
Therefore, we can confidently and boldly declare that the Messiah spoken about in the Old Testament is the
Lord Jesus Christ, the One whom God sent to be the savior of the world, (John 3:16).
In addition to the publication noted above, see also The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, Michael
Rydelnik and Edwin Blum, General Editors. Moody Publishers, Chicago, 2019. This excellent and highly
recommended publication identifies and explains the major messianic prophecies of the Old Testament which
includes for Isaiah a detailed study of Isaiah 2:1-4 (and Micah 4:1-5); 4:2; 7:1-16; 9:1-7; 11:1-16; 16:5;
24:21-23; 28:16; 30:19-26; 32:1-8; 33:17-24; 35:1-10; 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12; 55:3-5; 61:1-6;
and 63:1-6.
This study will emphasize the Scriptural texts in Isaiah that relate to all Messianic content in Isaiah including
the Messiah’s first and second comings and all the particulars of the Messiah’s kingdom: land, blessings,
peoples, government, spiritual and physical elements, promises about and all other aspects of this coming
earthly kingdom. This study will also highlight the role the chosen people of God, the Jews have in the long
years of their scattering among the nations while they wait for their Messiah to come. This study will also
extensively cover the eschatological (end times) statements including the prophecies of the tribulation period,
the millennial rule of the Messiah and the eternal state.
5…..Introduction
This study is best suited for an individual study or a study group wanting to consult a non-technical but
comprehensive resource on this prophetic book. The resources stated in the Suggested Resources
(Bibliography) are stated for those individuals or churches, who, if they have the available funds, to consider
acquiring as many of these resources as is practical. They should provide a lifetime benefit as reference
materials for their study of Isaiah and other Biblical books.
A helpful addition to this outline study is the teaching outlines that will be presented following the verse
notes for each chapter and sometimes sections within a chapter. These teaching outlines will be useful for
those who are leading a class or small group study on Isaiah. Pastors may want to expand and improve on
them if they use these outlines when preparing sermons on the prophecy of Isaiah.
References to works cited within this study are noted as: Author, Title of Resource, Publisher, date published
and page number. These references are listed directly after the content cited in brackets instead of footnotes
or endnotes. For a full reference to the works cited, refer to the Suggested Resources (Bibliography).
1. The Prominence of The Prophecy of Isaiah
Isaiah is arguably the highest regarded prophet in the Old Testament. His writings embrace the status of
Judah and Israel during the time period of 740-685 B.C. (approximate dates) and include prophecies of the
first and second advents of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Isaiah by name is mentioned 54 times in the Bible, 32
times in the Old Testament and 22 times in the New Testament.
Isaiah is mentioned 14 times in the Gospel books, 3 times in Acts and 5 times in Romans. Jesus Christ makes
reference to Isaiah as recorded in Matthew 13:14 and 15:7; Mark 7:6 and Luke 4:17-21. The Apostle Paul
references Isaiah six times, Acts 28: 25-27; Romans 9:27; 9:29; 10:16; 10:20 and 15:12. One of the most
significant references to Isaiah occurs in the Gospel of John. In the 12th chapter, John is discussing the
disbelief of the Jews in Jesus as their Messiah. In 12:37-41, John cites Isaiah’s words from Isaiah chapters 6
and 53 thus authenticating Isaiah as the author of the entire book of Isaiah but most importantly in 12:41,
John is clearly stating that Isaiah, who saw the Lord (Adonay, alternate transliteration: Adonai), as recorded
in Isaiah chapter 6, actually saw Jesus Christ thus giving direct Scriptural evidence that Messiah, Jesus Christ
is God.
Isaiah makes prophetical mention of both the first and second appearances on earth of Jesus Christ. The first
concern His birth, His life, death and resurrection. The second appearance encompasses His return and
millennial and then eternal reign on earth. No other prophetical book in Scripture is as proficient in detail as
Isaiah in providing direct and clear references to both advents of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah did not just make prophetic statements of such great importance from his own thought and ideas. In
Acts 28:25 the Apostle Paul commented that it was the Holy Spirit who spoke through Isaiah. In this
statement, Paul is declaring that Isaiah was writing the very words of the Holy Spirit and that the Holy Spirit
is the author of Scripture. The second verse of Isaiah 1 states, for the Lord speaks, (NASB).
God often called his prophetical spokesmen as “My servants the prophets.” References: 2 Kings 9:7 and
17:13; Jeremiah 7:25, 26:5, 29:19, 35:15; 44:4; Ezekiel 38:17; and Zechariah 1:6 and “his servants the
prophets” in Revelation 10:7. These prophets spoke the very words of God as God’s Spirit breathed into
them the words that He wanted to be recorded as Scripture, as 2 Peter 1: 19-21 and 2 Timothy 3:16 affirm.
6…..Introduction
2. The Author of The Prophecy of Isaiah
Isaiah identifies himself, Isaiah 1:1 as one who had a vision which he wrote and that this vision covered the
reigns of four kings of Judah, beginning in the year that king Uzziah died and that he was the son of Amoz.
Other Scriptures also state that Isaiah was the son of Amoz. This is recorded 13 times, 7 times in Isaiah, 3
times in 2 Kings and 3 times in 2 Chronicles. This undoubtedly was to authenticate the prophet as a true
historical figure and to remove any doubt of his stature within the ranks of Judah’s prophets. Isaiah knew
the kings of Judah during his lifetime. He met with Ahaz, Isaiah 7:3-25. He met more often with Hezekiah
and was likely that king’s trusted confidant. See Isaiah chapters 36 to 39. Some scholars suggest that Isaiah
was related to the kingly line of Judah and may explain why he had access to kings such as Ahaz and
Hezekiah. But, as significant of his lineage and of his acquaintances with the kings of Judah were and as the
utmost importance of the words of Jesus Christ were in authenticating Isaiah as the writer of the earlier and
later chapters of his prophecy, it is hard to conceive why critical Biblical scholars attest that the prophecy of
Isaiah was not the work of just one individual but likely two or more different persons writing over long time
periods.
It is the viewpoint of this study, that the prophet Isaiah, as he is known in Scripture, was indeed the single
author under the Holy Spirit of the entire sixty-six chapters of his prophecy. It is not the intent of this study to
engage in a scholarly debate of the authorship of Isaiah. For an in-depth discussion on this issue, it is best to
consult the commentaries listed in the Suggested Resources (Bibliography). It should also be stated that the
great scroll of Isaiah as discovered in a cave near the Dead Sea was just one continual scroll without any
column break (start of new column) between what is known as chapters 39 and 40. If chapters 1-39 and 40-
66 were different books the ancient scroll dated to 150 BC would surely have indicated it. But as no such
break occurs in the scroll, it should be a key indicator that indeed Isaiah wrote the entire prophecy.
The New Testament writers affirm that Isaiah was the author of the prophecy bearing his name and
mentioned him by name while quoting from his book, Matthew 3:3-4; 4:14-16; 8:17; 12:17-21; 13:14-15;
15:7-9; Mark 1:2-3; 7:6-7; Luke 3:4-6; 4:17-19; John 1:23; 12:37-41; Acts 8:26-35; 28:25-27; Romans 9:27-
29;’ 10:16, 20-21; and 15:12. One very significant quotation regarding Isaiah in the New Testament is
John12:41, “Isaiah said these things, because he saw his glory and spoke about him.” Not only does John
affirm that Isaiah was the author of his prophecy but that when Isaiah saw the Lord in the temple, he saw the
glory of Christ (his glory) which meant that it was the second person of the trinity that Isaiah saw in the
temple. If Jesus Christ believed Isaiah was the sole author of his prophecy, see verses above, then by what
authority do men who are critical of the Bible have in publishing that he did not? Who do we trust, Jesus
Christ or the schemes of men? This question could also be used as a statement of the theme of the prophecy
of Isaiah.
Regarding the prophet, a little is revealed to us in his writings. As stated above, Isaiah was the son of Amoz
and lived most likely within the walls of Jerusalem. Isaiah’s name had the meaning of “the Lord is salvation”
which sets the title for his prophetic writings. Isaiah was married and called his wife “the prophetess” in
Isaiah 8:3. It is not known if Isaiah’s wife also held the office of a prophet or if this was a designated name
with the meaning that she was married to a prophet. Isaiah and his wife had at least two sons. The first was
named “Shear-jashub” which had the meaning of “a remnant will return,” Isaiah 7:3. This name had great
significance for it spoke of the great care of God in preserving the lineage of His chosen people and in
particular of those who are faithful to Him.
7…..Introduction
The second child was named “Maher-shalal-hash-baz” which was a name given to this boy by the Lord,
Isaiah 8:1-4. The name had the meaning of “swift to the booty-speedy is the prey” which related to the
destruction by Assyria of the Syria-Israel alliance which was threatening to defeat Judah and remove king
Ahaz from the Davidic throne. Isaiah recognized the special significance of the names of his family, “Look, I
and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and harbingers in Israel from the LORD of
hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion,” Isaiah 8:18.
Specific details of Isaiah’s life are recorded in chapter 6, in which it is described where he met the Lord, the
Messiah. Chapter 7 describes Isaiah’s meeting with king Ahaz. In Isaiah, 20:1-6, the prophet was requested
to be “naked and barefoot” for three years as a sign against Egypt and Ethiopia (Cush). Isaiah sent a written
note to king Hezekiah, Chapter 37, to inform the king of the Lord’s answer to the king’s prayer for
preservation in the face of the impending assault by the Assyrians. In chapter 38, (chapters 38-39
chronologically occurred before chapters 36-37), Isaiah met with king Hezekiah during the king’s illness.
Finally, in chapter 39, (in Isaiah’s chapter renderings but not chronologically) Isaiah met with king Hezekiah
again regarding the king’s most unfortunate meeting with the envoys from Babylon.
3. Themes of The Prophecy of Isaiah
One of the questions someone may ask is: what is Isaiah’s prophecy all about? From a detailed study of
Isaiah, it is suggested that: Isaiah is about the judgment of God on the sinful rebellion of the Jews and the
Gentiles and God’s graceful provision of a Savior and great King to all peoples, so that all who repent and
trust in this Savior will live in His earthly messianic kingdom and then eternally with Him.
Isaiah could rightfully be entitled, the Gospel according to Isaiah. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy these
words, “from early childhood (you) have known the Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation
through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:15. Paul is referring to the Old Testament writings and no more
clearer statement of salvation can be found in the Old Testament than in the prophecies of Isaiah. One of the
great delights of studying Isaiah is to be introduced to the beloved Servant of God and sense the care and
concern that the Father has for His Son.
A secondary name for this study could be entitled “Behold My Servant” because in Isaiah, God the Father
reveals to the world the person and ministry of His Son, the Messiah, whom God calls His Servant. Four
significant passages in Isaiah speak specifically about the person and ministry of the Servant: Isaiah 42:1-13;
49:1-13; 50:4-11 and 52:13-53:12. Many other passages and verses also contain prophetic details about the
Servant, the Messiah, including His role, His ministry and His kingdom.
Selected Suggested Comparative and Contrasting Themes of Isaiah
The holiness of God (vs.) The sinfulness of God’s covenant people
(and all peoples)
The sovereignty of God (vs.) The impotency of mankind
God the only God to be worshiped (vs.) The idolatry of God’s covenant people
(and all peoples)
God alone to be trusted for safety and (vs.) Judah and Israel seeking pagan nations for
salvation help
The blessings of God on the faithful (vs.) The judgment of God on the wicked
The first exodus (from Egypt) (vs.) the second exodus (from all nations)
8…..Introduction
The calling and ministry of the Servant (and)The calling and ministry of the prophet
Messiah Isaiah
The promised blessings from the sacrifice of (and) The promised blessings in the
the Messiah kingdom of the Messiah
A few selected major theological themes are discussed briefly below. This discussion is not intended to
highlight all the significant themes of Isaiah. For a comprehensive discussion, refer to Gary V. Smith, Isaiah,
Vol. 1, pages 77-87, Theology of Isaiah 1-39 and Vol. 2, pages 70-79, Theology of (Isaiah) 40-66. Refer also
to John N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah, Vol. 1, pages 31-44, VIII. Theology. The few selected themes
discussed below are intended as an introduction to the greatness of the theological content of Isaiah. Further
discussion on all major themes will be provided as the study proceeds from chapter 1 to chapter 66 of the
prophecy of Isaiah.
Sin
The word sin can be understood as representing the evil thoughts and acts of those who are not faithful to
God. There are several Hebrew words for sin in the Old Testament and if distilled into a few words they have
the meaning of “missing the mark,” “rebellion,” “disobedience,” and “corruption.” Isaiah describes the
sinfulness of God’s covenant people with numerous words that portray just how far they have wondered
away from the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah begins and ends his prophetical writings with the theme of
sinfulness. In the first chapter the prophet provides a listing of several sins of God’s people and in the last
verse of the last chapter, the final solution to those who never repent from their sins is described. In the first
chapter alone at least nineteen descriptive words are given to describe the sinfulness of the children of Israel.
This first chapter acts as a catalog of the evil thoughts and actions of God’s covenant people.
Their sinfulness causes God to lament that He had had enough of their sacrifices, offerings, attendance for
worship in the temple courts and observances of feasts and festivals and the calling of assemblies. The first
chapter also describes God’s judgment on those who do not repent and turn to Him and His merciful purpose
in redeeming His people, so they will walk in righteousness.
Throughout the remainder of the book, Isaiah repeats this grand contrast. A passage of judgment and
retribution for sinfulness is often followed by a beautiful description of salvation. Although sinful and
disobedient to Him, God does not forsake or reject His chosen people. He denounces their actions with
righteous indignation and tells them these actions will have the most severe consequences, but He does not
leave them without hope. The hope He gives them is another of the great theological themes of the book of
Isaiah: salvation.
Salvation
Beginning with the name of Isaiah, meaning: The Lord is Salvation, the great theme of salvation is
interwoven throughout the Book of Isaiah. The theme of salvation in Isaiah is expressed with several words:
salvation, save, saved, Savior, redeemed, Redeemer, redemption, ransom, ransomed, rescue, rescued, protect,
protection, deliver, deliverance, delivered, delivers, trust, trusts, believe, believed. Other related words are
faithful, faithfully, faithfulness, and truth. While many words refer to God’s protection from the enemies of
His people, a great many references are clearly salvific in the eternal sense of salvation as fully developed in
the New Testament. The Apostle Paul was likely referring to the Book of Isaiah when he reminded his young
protégé Timothy: “that from early childhood have known the Scriptures which are able to make you wise for
salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:15.
9…..Introduction
The word “Redeemer” ga-al is a precious word referring to the saving acts of the Messiah as a kinsmen-
redeemer (family redeemer) to His people. This word occurs in 41:14; 43:14; 44:6, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26;
54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16 and 63:16. The word “redeemed,” also translated from ga-al is closely related and
occurs in 35:9; 43:1; 44:22, 23; 48:20; 51:10; 52:3, 9; 62:12 and 63:9. All words referring to the salvific
works of the Messiah occurring in Isaiah will be discussed in their context within this study.
The Holy One of Israel
One of the most noted themes of Isaiah is the title of the Lord as “the Holy One of Israel.” This name that
God ascribes to Himself points to His holiness as being descriptive of God Himself. It is almost impossible to
describe God for no one can see Him for He is a Spirit but if there is one descriptive term that is allowed,
holiness would most likely be chosen as the most appropriate choice. In designating this title for Himself,
God thereby sets a standard for His people to follow as Leviticus 11:44-45 states, “For I am the LORD your
God. Consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy because I am holy. You must not defile yourselves with
any manner of swarming thing that creeps on the ground. 45 For I am the LORD who brought you up out of
the land of Egypt, to be your God. Therefore you are to be holy, because I am holy.” This great theme of the
holiness of God is most pronounced in Isaiah 6, where the meeting between the Lord (Messiah) and Isaiah
took place. Isaiah witnessed a life-changing event. Standing above the Lord were Seraphim (angelic beings),
crying out to each other, "Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" (Isaiah
6:3).
This descriptive title for the Lord, The Holy One of Israel is first recorded in Isaiah 1:4 and occurs 25 times
in the prophetic writing of Isaiah: 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19; 30:11, 12, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 41:14,
16, 20; 43:3, 14; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9, 14. God is also described as the “Holy One of
Jacob” in 29:23; the “Holy One” in 10:17; 40:25; 43:15 and 49:7; and “whose name is holy” in 57:15.
The Sovereignty of God
The reader who carefully studies Isaiah is overwhelmed with the absolute sovereignty of God as juxtaposed
with the impotency and futility of the thoughts and actions of God’s created beings. The majestic heights of
God’s sovereignty, described in chapters 40 and 41, compares with God’s self-revelation in Job chapters 38
to 41. God’s power and sovereignty in Isaiah is also demonstrated in 37:36; 42:9; 43:9-10; 44:6-8; 45:21;
46:9-11; 48:3; 55:8-9 and numerous other passages. The simple message Isaiah unfolds is that God’s
covenant people and all peoples are to willingly trust in God for guidance, protection and eternal salvation.
Who else can they possibly trust or place their faith in? The sad commentary of the people of Judah during
Isaiah’s day is that, even though they clearly heard the oracles and messages of Isaiah, they most often
rejected the appeals from their sovereign Lord.
The Remnant
It is critically important for those who study Isaiah to understand the importance Isaiah gives to the faithful
remnant who are those who remain loyal to their Messiah and who have faith in Him. The remnant can be
understood as those, like their father Abraham who “believed the LORD; and he reckoned it to him as
righteousness” (Genesis 15:6), and those whom the Prophet Habakkuk described in Habakkuk 2:4 as
righteous: “the righteous will live by his faithfulness” (or “live by his faith”).
The first mention of the remnant in Isaiah occurs in 1:9: “Unless the LORD of hosts had left us a few
survivors” The word “survivors” in Isaiah 1:9 is discussed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 9:29 where he
expresses it as “descendants” with the implication that these people are the faithful remnant that the Lord has
preserved for Himself. The first mention in the Scriptures of these faithful people occurs in 1 Kings 19:18. In
Isaiah, the word “remnant” occurs in 10:20, 21 (twice), 22; 11:11, 16; 28:5; 37:31, 32; and 46:3. One of the
most significant occurrences of the word “remnant” is recorded in Isaiah 10:20-22 in which Isaiah explains
10…..Introduction
that although the people of Israel may be numerous, only a remnant within them will return to God. The
Apostle Paul explains within the context of saving faith, “Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel, "If the
number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, only a remnant will be saved,” Romans 9:27.
The Kingdom of the Messiah
More is revealed about the coming Messianic kingdom in Isaiah than in any other book in the Bible. Isaiah
could rightfully be called the “Book of the Kingdom.” Many aspects of the Messianic kingdom are revealed
in Isaiah that are not recorded in any other Scriptural book. Isaiah, throughout his prophecy, reveals grand
themes and minute details about Messiah’s kingdom. Beginning as early as the second chapter, Isaiah
seemingly was eager to tell his audience about their glorious future in the last days.
Entire chapters and significant parts of other chapters of Isaiah’s prophecy are devoted to describing the
details of the kingdom. These descriptions of the kingdom include: the gathering of the faithful remnant from
the nations of the world to live and worship in the kingdom; the peacefulness and safety of the kingdom
including the taming of wild beasts, the righteous government of the kingdom; the place of Gentiles within
the kingdom; the absence of any sorrow or mourning by kingdom residents; the giving of long life to those
who are faithful kingdom citizens; the place of Jerusalem and Mount Zion as the capital of the kingdom;
everyone in the kingdom will know their Messiah; and there are many other descriptions. But, the most
important description by Isaiah of this kingdom is that the Head of the kingdom is the Messiah. Isaiah
presents the Messiah throughout His book so that all who read or study his prophecy will be presented with a
most profound truth which is, the need to trust and have faith in the Messiah for salvation.
Covenant
Dispensational Bible scholars usually identify five or six covenants: Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, (Priestly),
Davidic, and New. Some understand that the priestly covenant is incorporated in the mosaic covenant and
others attest that it should be understood as a separate covenant. The word covenant, Hebrew berit, occurs 12
times in the prophecy of Isaiah, 24:5; 28:15; 28:18; 33:8; 42:6; 49:8; 54:10; 55:3; 56:4; 56:6; 59:21; and
61:8. Nine of these occurrences can be identified with the covenants stated above, while three, 28:15, 18 and
33:8 have nothing to do with God’s covenants. It is important for the student of the Scriptures to understand
that God framed His relationship with His people based upon the covenants He made with them. That is why
throughout this study, the chosen people of God, the Hebrews, often referred to in the Old Testament as
Israel or Jacob, are referred to as God’s covenant people. Thus, the covenants are God’s foundational
“documents” which state first, His relationship with His people; second, the promises made to them and
blessings for them, third, what is required of them; and fourth, a covenant formula, “they shall be my people
and I shall be their God.” The Noahic, Abrahamic, Priestly, Davidic and New covenants are understood as
“unconditional” in the sense that God will be faithful to fulfill His covenant promise even though His
covenant people would be unfaithful to Him. The Mosaic Covenant was “conditional” and God’s covenant
people were unable to faithfully adhere to its provisions and regulations. The Mosaic covenant was
“replaced” by the New Covenant which is eternal in its duration. Specific mention of each covenant and its
importance will be discussed throughout this study and specifically in appendix 2.
Of importance to understanding the theology of Scripture is God’s promise of the New Covenant. God stated
in Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8, in speaking to His Servant, the Messiah that “I will give you as a covenant for the
people.” The central teaching of the New Covenant in the Old Testament is recorded in Jeremiah 31:31-34.
During His first advent, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ declared, as recorded in Luke
22:20, that “This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.” The apostle Paul also
referenced this saying of Christ in 1 Corinthians 11:25. See also 2 Corinthians 3:6. The writer of Hebrews
also discussed the new covenant and called Christ as the believer’s High Priest the “Mediator of a better
covenant.” (NKJV). The only possible way for humans to have an eternal relationship with the triune God
11…..Introduction
and have their sins forgiven and have a righteous standing before God, is for them to participate in the New
Covenant is by believing (having faith) in Christ as the Son of God who shed His blood as an atoning
sacrifice for their sins, Isaiah 52:13-53:12.
God’s Glory
As discussed often in this study the reason why God created the heavens and the earth was so that His glory
would be displayed and declared in the heavens and the earth. Some people may conclude from this
statement, that God is totally self-absorbed and self-glorifying. When a contemplative study of the Scriptures
is conducted, the fact of God’s desire to have His glory displayed and declared becomes apparent. For
example, see John 8:50. God seeks to glorify the highest and most exalted One and the One most worthy of
praise who has ever lived. Since God is absolutely holy and righteous and does not sin and cannot sin, it is
not wrong or sinful for God to glorify the One who is most exalted and worthy of praise, Himself. To achieve
this purpose, God spread out the heavens above to declare His glory, Psalm 19:1. Humans were also created
for His glory, Isaiah 43:7. Humans were created as God’s image bearers to subdue and rule over the earth,
Genesis 1:27-28. God desired that His image bearers would willingly trust in Him for guidance in all aspects
of their lives and would willingly and passionately obey, worship, praise and glorify Him. The fall of man
into sin, Genesis 3 was not a surprise to God. Sinful humanity could not righteously do all that God desired
from His image bearers including the righteous display and declaration of God’s glory. God’s eternal plan
involved a kingdom from which He would be glorified in all aspects of His creation including the actions of
His image bearers. God’s eternal plan involved the provision of eternal spiritual salvation for His image
bearers, so they could be declared righteous and thus righteously fulfill all God desired for them. God’s
eternal plan also involved an eternal state, (often referred to as heaven) in which God would live with His
image bearers forever and in which His image bearers could forever display and declare His glory.
Some may attest that salvation is the grandest and most exalted purpose of God’s creative acts. Although
salvation is absolutely critical and necessary for humans to enjoy God’s presence forever, its purpose serves
God’s greater plan for creation. One way to look at this is to ask “why?” for several aspects of God’s
creation. For example, why did God create humans? Why did God provide salvation, sufficient for eternal
life for fallen humanity? Why did God create an eternal state in which redeemed humanity could exist with
Him forever? The ultimate and most God honoring answer to these “why” questions is that God created them
so that His glory could be righteously displayed and declared to all creation by His image bearers, forever.
Another important question is “what?” What did it “cost” God to accomplish this plan? The Scriptures are
full of the answer to this question. It cost God the giving and sacrificing of His only and unique Son. God’s
Son needed to be born in the humble form of a human and live a short life during which He was put to death
(slaughtered) as an atoning sacrifice, carrying upon Himself the sins of all humans forever, as a just and
righteous appeasement of God’s wrath upon those who commit sin. This sacrificial atoning sacrifice of God’s
Son was necessary so that all of God’s image bearers, who have faith in the Son’s atoning sacrifice on their
behalf, would be declared righteous by God, so they will live with God forever and fulfill their role of
righteously displaying and declaring God’s glory to all creation forever.
Included with this display of God’s glory is the desire of God to meet with His image bearers. God walked in
the Garden of Eden and conversed with Adam and Eve, Genesis 3:8-9. He often met with Abraham and
Moses. God gave instructions to Moses regarding the Tabernacle of Meeting stating that He desired to meet
and speak with the children of Israel, Exodus 29:42-43. One of the unique names of God’s Son was
“Immanuel,” Isaiah 7:14, which had the meaning of “God with us,” Matthew 1:23. During the first advent of
the Son, He walked among and conversed with His people. When the Son returns at His second advent He
will reign over the earth and meet with the inhabitants of the earth on a regular basis, including the
observation of the feast of tabernacles, Zechariah 14:16. In the eternal state God will “tabernacle” (dwell)
with the redeemed and they shall be His people and He will be their God, Revelation 21:3. These words in
12…..Introduction
Revelation 21:3 conclude the “covenant formula” statements of Scripture which is a reminder not only of
why God made covenants with His image bearers but also why He created them.
Comprehensive and Unifying Theme: God Himself
Complementing the theme of God’s glory in Isaiah, discussed above, is the revelation of God Himself who is
described in a great variety of majestic names and acts on behalf of His chosen people and all humanity. God
elected to select one people from all the peoples of the earth, to be the people through whom He would reveal
His glory, His name and His loving salvific purposes to all peoples of the earth. The names for God, as
recorded in Isaiah, reveal much about His characteristics (attributes). One of the most sacred names, as
described above is “the Holy One of Israel” which both is a descriptive name for who He is (His holy nature)
and a calling for His people to be holy. The sad reality of the people of Judah in Isaiah’s day is that they were
most unholy and had rebelled against God and scorned His loving care for them. Other descriptive names for
God are listed below and each of these names will be studied in detail as this study of Isaiah proceeds from
the first chapter to the last. The most exalted name for God is undoubtedly “Yahweh” translated as LORD in
English versions of Isaiah. This most sacred name depicts God as Israel’s covenant keeping Sovereign who
will never forsake His people nor forget to keep all His promises to them. Many of the promises (of all the
Scriptures) are recorded in Isaiah to the praise of God the Messiah.
4. Messianic Prophecies in Isaiah
The Book of Isaiah is rich in prophecies regarding the first and second advents of the Messiah.
A. Major Prophecies fulfilled at the First Advent of the Messiah:
Applied and Fulfilled Prophecies:
When considering what prophetic statements in Isaiah were fulfilled at the time of Messiah’s birth, His first
earthly ministry, His death, resurrection and ascension, it is necessary to determine if the New Testament
writers gave an actual fulfillment of the prophecy or applied the prophecy to the subject they were
discussing. Some authors see a “double fulfillment” of an Old Testament prophecy relating both to the first
and second advents of the Messiah. Others would not necessarily agree with the hermeneutical understanding
of a “double fulfillment” but would describe some citations in the New Testament as applying to a specific
event such as a sermon, speech or a discussion but realizing the fulfillment of the prophecy would come at a
far future time, or last days, in what many scholars describe as the eschaton.
Isaiah Description of the Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
6:1-5 Isaiah saw the glory of God John 12:41
6:10 Hardening of the hearts of Israel John 12:40
7:14 Virgin birth of the Messiah Matthew 1:23-25
9:1-2 Light brought to Zebulun and Naphtali Matthew 4:12-16
9:6 A Son to be born Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31-33; 2:7,11
11:1 A shoot from Jesse (David’s lineage) Luke 1:31-33
11:2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him Matthew 3:16; 12:18; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22, John
(Also, during the Messianic Kingdom, the 1:32-34
Spirit will rest upon the Messiah)
28:16 The Corner Stone rejected Matthew 21:42-44
29:18 The deaf to hear, the blind to see (this will Matthew 11:5
also occur in the Messianic Kingdom:
Isaiah 35:5)
13…..Introduction
40:3-5 Preaching: Prepare the way for Messiah. Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4-6; John 1:23
Pertaining to Elijah: Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6
42:1-4 The Messiah’s calling and Ministry Applied by Matthew 12:18-21 but will be
completely fulfilled in the Messianic Kingdom.
42:1 The delight of the Father for the Son Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22;
9:35
42:1 I have put my Spirit upon Him Matthew 3:16; 12:18.
42:3 He will not cry out, or hurt the weak Matthew 12:19; 26:57-68; 27:11-14; Mark 15:16-
21; Luke 23:9-11; John 19:1-16; 26-34; Hebrews
12:3; 1 Peter 2:23.
50:6 Beaten, beard pulled out, spat upon Matthew 26:67-68; 27:26-31: Mark 14:65; 15:16-
20; Luke 22:63-65; John 18:22
50:7 Set His face light flint (determined) Luke 9:51
53:1 Message about Messiah not believed John 1:11; 12:38; Romans 10:16
53:3 Messiah despised, forsaken, sorrowful, and Matthew 23:37; 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke
experienced grief 13:34
53:4 He carried our griefs and sorrows Applied by Matthew for healing: Matthew 8:16-17
53:4-6 He was put to death for the world’s sins John 1:29; 2 Corinthians 5:21
53:5 By His stripes, we are healed. (salvation 1 Peter 2:21-25
from sin, not physical healing)
53:6 The world’s iniquities upon the Messiah 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 1 John 2:2
53:7-8 Messiah, oppressed and afflicted Acts 8:32-33
53:7 Messiah silent before accusers (See also Matthew 26:63; 27:12; Mark 14:61; 15:5; Luke
42:3: did not cry out) 23:9; John 19:9; 1 Peter 2:22-25
53:8 Messiah cut off from life (put to death) Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; John
19:18
53:8 Messiah bore the sins of His people. Acts 5:30-31
53:9 Messiah buried in a rich man’s grave. Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-
55; John 19:38-42
53:9 No deceit in Messiah 1 Peter 2:22
53:10 It was the Father’s will to put His Son to Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:42; John 12:27-28; Acts
death. 2:23
53:10 Messiah’s death a guilt offering. John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7
53:10 Messiah will see His seed (believers) Resurrection appearances: Matthew 28:9-10; 16-
20; Mark 16:9-14; Luke chapter 24 John chapters
20-21; Acts 1:1-9, 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
53:10 Messiah will prolong His days Mark 16;19; Luke 24:51; Acts 1:11; 5:31; 1
Corinthians 15:20-28
53:11 The satisfaction of the Messiah Hebrews 1:1-4; 12:1-2
53:11 The Servant (Messiah) to justify the many Romans 3:21-26; 5:17-21; 2 Corinthians 5:21
by bearing their sins.
53:12 Messiah’s glorious future Hebrews 1:1-4
53:12 Messiah’s willing death Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; John 10:11-18
53:12 Messiah among the transgressors Luke 22:37; 23:32-43
53:12 Messiah interceded for sinners On the cross: Luke 23:34 and in heaven: Acts
5:31; Hebrews 7:25; 9:24
14…..Introduction
55:3 Messiah to be resurrected Acts 13:34
61:1-2a Messiah anointed to preach good Luke 4:16-21
news, to heal the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty, to free those who
are bound and to proclaim the
acceptable year of the Lord.
B. Major Prophecies Relating to the Second Advent of the Messiah
The prophecies in the Book of Isaiah regarding the events just prior to, and regarding the return of the
Messiah, and all that follow that event are very numerous. Often there is no corresponding reference in the
New Testament as Isaiah was given prophetic truth about these events that was not repeated in the New
Testament. Prophecies in Isaiah regarding the “last days” cover many topics including: the tribulation period,
the events surrounding the return to the earth of the Messiah, the destruction of the enemies of Israel, the
procession of the liberated Jews to Mount Zion, the gathering of the Jews (the faithful remnant) from all
nations to go to Jerusalem, the establishment of the government of the Messianic kingdom, life and worship
in the Messianic kingdom, and descriptions of the eternal heavenly state. Instead of describing every minute
detail about these yet-to-be fulfilled prophecies a general description will be provided as this short study
proceeds through the Book of Isaiah. It should be noted that not all scholars or students of Scripture agree
with the following future Messianic description of Isaiah’s prophecy. Many apply the “returning” passages of
the remnant to the return to Jerusalem of the exiles in Babylon. The context of each passage must be studied
to discern the intent of the prophetic message that was given to Isaiah by the Lord.
Isaiah Description of the “last days” Prophecy
1:9 Survivors (first mention of the remnant in Isaiah)
1:24-27 Zion to have righteous rulers and judges and a faithful people
2:1-4 The Messiah to rule in His peaceful kingdom from Zion, the mountain of the Lord
2:5-3:26 God will purge Judah the earth of the wicked and He will be exalted “in that day”
4:2-4 The Branch of the Lord, the holy remnant and the glory over Mount Zion
6:11-13 Desolation of the cities and a promise of a remaining “holy seed”
8:9-22 Destruction of Israel’s enemies and a sanctuary for the remnant of Israel
9:1-7 The righteous everlasting reign of the Son (the Messiah)
10:20-22 A remnant will return to Israel
11:1-10 The Messiah and His peaceful and righteous kingdom
11:11-16 The return of the faithful remnant
12:1-6 The remnant praise God for His salvation and comfort
13:6-16 Judgement of God of the earth during the “day of the Lord”
14:1-3 God’s people to be settled in their own land
14:4-2 Death of the king of Babylon (and Antichrist) and destruction of his kingdom
17:7-8 All will have regard for the Holy One of Israel
18:4-7 Peoples of Cush to bring gifts to Mount Zion
19:1-17 Destruction of Egypt
19:18-24 Egypt to be saved and will (with Assyria and Israel) worship the Lord of hosts
21:1-10 The fall of Babylon
24:1-23 God’s judgement on the earth
25:1-12 Praise for the Lord’s salvation
15…..Introduction
26:1-21 Protection of God’s people during the tribulation and promises of resurrection
27:1-13 Restoration of Israel and gathering of the remnant
28:14-29 The righteous rule of the Messiah and the gathering of the remnant
30:19-26 Removal of idols and Restoration of the land
32:1-20 The righteous and peaceful reign of the King (Messiah)
33:1-24 God’s future judgement and blessings to Zion
34:1-15 The day of the Lord’s vengeance for the cause of Zion
34:16-17 Those who will live forever in the land
35:1-1 The joyful future of Zion
40:1-2 Comfort for all in Messiah’s kingdom
40:3-5 A way cleared for God – His glory to be revealed (Malachi 3:1; 4:5-6)
40:9-11 Preaching the Gospel to the Jews, God will come with might, as a shepherd, the Messiah will
gather His people and care for them (in His kingdom)
40:31 Those who wait – for the Lord’s return – will be strong
41:1 The nations will be judged
41:2-5 The coming of Messiah (Many scholars ascribe these verses to Cyrus)
41:8-1 The Jews called by God will defeat their enemies by His strength
41:17-20 The blessing of God on the natural world in the Messianic kingdom
42:1-4 The Messiah will establish justice in His future kingdom
42:5-7 The Messiah will be a light and a covenant to the people
42:10-13 Praise to the Lord who will come as a warrior and defeat His enemies
43:1-2 The remnant will be protected when they return to Zion
43:3-4 Other nations given as a ransom for the remnant
43:5-7 The remnant will be gathered from the nations
43:14 Babylon to be defeated
43:19-21 The desert and barren places will be watered, the remnant to praise God’s praise
44:1-5 Nature to be refreshed and the remnant will belong to the Lord
44:21-23 The redemption of the remnant
45:8 The earth to receive righteousness
45:22-25 The remnant to be justified and will glory in the Messiah
46:13 The Messiah’s salvation for Zion and glory for Israel
49:2 The Messiah’s mouth like a sharp sword
49:5-6 The Messiah to gather the remnant, to restore them
49:6 The Messiah to be a light to the nations so that His salvation reaches to the all the earth
49:7 The Messiah will receive the worship of kings and princes
49:8 The Messiah to be a covenant to His people, to restore the land for the remnant
49:9-13 The remnant will safely come to Zion
49:14-26 Zion to be populated; the land crowded; Gentiles to bring the remnant to Zion; the Messiah will
protect the remnant from their enemies.
51:1-5 Blessings of the Messianic kingdom
51:6 The earth and sky to be removed but Messiah’s salvation and righteousness to last forever
51:7-1 Promises of God’s protection, the remnant to return to Zion
51:12-23 The remnant set free from the horrors of the tribulation. Zion to be the people of God.
52:1-3 The holy to inhabit Zion
16…..Introduction
52:7-12 The Messiah to restore and will reign in Zion
52:13 The exaltation and honor of the Messiah
52:15 The rulers of the world will understand God’s purposes and be silent before the Messiah
53:10 The rewards of Messiah’s sacrificial work
53:12 The rewards of Messiah’s sacrificial work
54:1-6 The expansion of the land of Israel in the Messianic kingdom
54:7-17 The Messiah’s love and protection for His people during the Messianic kingdom
55:1-1 Blessings of the Messianic kingdom and the accomplishment of God’s Word
56:1-9 Blessings in the Messianic Kingdom to all who love and obey the Messiah
59:17b-21 The Messiah to come in vengeance. The Messiah as Redeemer will come to Zion.
60:1-9 Blessings in the Messianic kingdom, the sons of the remnant to be taken to Zion.
60:10-22 Peace and security in the Messianic kingdom, the remnant to be righteous
61:2-3 The Messiah to proclaim the day of vengeance of the Lord, to comfort those who mourn
61:4-9 The remnant to have a double portion in the land and have everlasting joy
61:10-11 The remnant to rejoice in their Messiah and exult in Him
62:1-5 Zion to be a delight to the Lord
62:6-12 Blessings of the Messianic kingdom. The remnant to be called the holy people.
63:1-6 The return of the Messiah as a victorious warrior in the day of vengeance.
65:9-1 The remnant to inherit the Messianic kingdom
65:11-16 The remnant to be blessed but the wicked to be destroyed
65:17-18 The new heavens and the new earth
65:19-25 Blessings: gladness, long life and peace in the Messianic kingdom
66:10-14a Blessings in the Messianic kingdom: joy, comfort, peace, gladness
66:14b-17 The Messiah to execute judgment on His enemies
66:18-21 The remnant to declare the Messiah’s glory and worship on the holy mountain
66:22-24 The remnant and name of Israel to endure forever and all will bow before the Messiah.
5. Names for God in Isaiah
One of the most beloved and notable characteristics of the prophecy of Isaiah are the names that are
descriptive of God. Each name has a specific meaning. Some describe God’s attributes while others describe
his acts on behalf of His people and all peoples of the earth. Of these names, perhaps the most exalted is
“Holy” for it designates His essential being. Other distinctive names are Creator, Redeemer (kinsmen to
Israel), Savior and King. The meanings for the names listed below are provided in the notes.
Names for God include (not an exhaustive list):
Creator of Israel your King; Creator of the ends of the earth; Everlasting God; God; (the) God of David your
father; Holy One of Israel; Judge; King; King of Israel, King of Jacob; Lawgiver; LORD of hosts; (the)
LORD your God; LORD your Maker; LORD your Redeemer; Maker; Mighty God; Mighty One of Israel;
Mighty One of Jacob; Redeemer; Rock ; Rock of Israel; Savior; Sovereign LORD. (An Exhaustive
Concordance will readily reveal the verses where these names for God are recorded by Isaiah). See also
Word Index.
17…..Introduction
Names for the Messiah the Son of God in Isaiah include:
Branch of the Lord: 4:2 Light of Israel: 10:17
The King: 6:5 His Holy One: 10:17
The Lord of hosts: 6:5 Holy One of Israel: 10:20
Immanuel: 7:14; 8:8 Redeemer: 41:14
Wonderful Counselor: 9:6 My Servant: 42:1
Mighty God: Isaiah 9:6, 10:21 Savior: 43:3
Eternal Father: 9:6 Servant: 49:5-7; 50:10; 52:13; 53:11
Prince of Peace: 9:6 Mighty to save: 63:2
Other descriptive terms and phrases for the Messiah
(not an exhaustive list):
The God of Jacob: 2:3 Sustainer of the weary: 50:4
A great light: 9:2 High and lifted up and greatly exalted: 52:13
A righteous judge: 11:4 To sprinkle (startle) many nations: 52:15
Righteous and faithful: 11:5 Despised and forsaken by men: 53:3
The root of Jesse: 11:10 A man of sorrows: 53:3
A signal for the peoples: 11:10 He bore our griefs: 53:4
A righteous king: 32:1 He carried our sorrows: 53:4
The first and the last: 44:6 Smitten of God and afflicted: 53:4
The maker of all things: 44:24 Pierced through for our transgressions: 53:5
His mouth like a sharp sword: 49:2 Crushed for our iniquities: 53:5
A select arrow: 49:2 By His scourging, we are healed: 53:5
God’s glory: 49:3 Oppressed and afflicted: 53:7
Honored in the sight of the Lord: 49:5 Cut off from the land of the living: 53:8
My God is my strength: 49:5 No deceit in His mouth: 53:9
A light to the nations: 49:5 A guilt offering: 53:10
The despised One: 49:7 Will justify many: 53:11
The One abhorred by the nation: 49:7 Will bear their iniquities: 53:11
The Servant of rulers: 49:7 Interceded for the transgressors: 53:13
A covenant to the people: 49:8 The anointed One: 61:1
A comfort to His people: 49:13 The One who is majestic in His apparel: 63:1
A compassion to His afflicted: 49:13 His own arm brought salvation: 63:5
He bore the sin of many: 53:12
Names for the Spirit include:
His Spirit: 34:16; 48:16
Holy Spirit: 63:10-11
My Spirit: 30:1; 42:1; 44:3; 59:21
Spirit of the Lord: 11:2; 40:13; 61:1; 63:14
the Spirit: 32:15
For an essay on the titles of the Messiah in the Old Testament see, Michael A. Rydelnik, The Messiah and
His Titles, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, pages 29-39.
18…..Introduction
6. Isaiah Quoted in The New Testament
Many New Testament writers quoted from the Book of Isaiah. The list below contains the direct quotes from
Isaiah that are found in the New Testament and there are many others (not listed below) where the writers of
the New Testament have alluded to Isaiah without a direct quote. The letters LXX refer to the Old Greek
Version of the Old Testament, often known as the Septuagint from which some quotes in the New Testament
were derived. The New Testament writers often applied the text from Isaiah which is why the translation
from the O.T. in Hebrew does not always appear to be the exact same when it is written in the N.T. Greek.
Isaiah New Testament
1:9 Romans 9:29
6:3 Revelation 4:8
6:9 Luke 8:10
6:9-10 Matthew 13:14-15; Mark 4:12; Luke 8:10; Acts 28:26-27
6:10 John 12:40
7:14 (LXX) Matthew 1:23
8:12-13 1 Peter 3: 14-15
8:14 Romans 9: 32-33; 1 Peter 2:8
8:17-18 Hebrews 2:13
9:1-2 Matthew 4:15-16
10:22-23 Romans 9:27-28
11:10 Romans 15:12
13:10 Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24-25
22:13 1 Corinthians 15:32
25:8 1 Corinthians 15:54
25:8 Revelation 7:17; 21:4
26:20 Hebrews 10:37
27:9 Romans 11:27
28:11-12 1 Corinthians 14:21
28:16 Romans 9:33; 10:11; 1 Peter 2:6
29:10 Romans 11:8
29:13 (LXX) Matthew 15:8-9; Mark 7:6-7
29:14 1 Corinthians 1:19
29:16 Romans 9:20
34:4 Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24-25
40:3-5 Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4-6; John 1:23
40:6-8 1 Peter 1:24-25
40:13 Romans 11:34; 1 Corinthians 2: 16
42:1-4 Matthew 12:18-21
43:21 1 Peter 2: 9
45:9 Romans 9:20
45:21 Mark 12:32
45:23 Romans 14:11
49:6 Acts 13:47
49: 8 2 Corinthians 6:2
19…..Introduction
49:10 Revelation 7:16
52:5 Romans 2:24
52:7 Romans 10:15
52:11 2 Corinthians 6:17
52:15 Romans 15:21
53:1 John 12:38; Romans 10:16
53:4 Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24
53:6 1 Peter 2:25
53:7-8 (LXX) Acts 8:32-33
53:9 1 Peter 2:22
53:12 Luke 22:37
54:1 Galatians 4:27
54:13 John 6:45
55:3 (LXX) Acts 13:34
56:7 Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46
59:7-8 Romans 3:15-17
59:20-21 Romans 11: 26-27
61:1-2 Luke 4:18-19
64:4 1 Corinthians 2:9
65:1 Romans 10:20
65: 2 Romans 10:21
65:17 2 Peter 3:13
66:1-2 Acts 7:49-50
66:24 Mark 9:48
7. Historical
Isaiah’s prophetic ministry began during the reign of Judean king Uzziah, (in the year king Uzziah died, 740
B.C.) and continued during the reigns of Judean kings Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. By recording the incident
of the death of king Sennacherib of Assyria, in 681 B.C. it is evident that he lived into the days of the
Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah. Manasseh ruled from 695-642 B.C and it is quite likely that Isaiah met his
death during Manasseh’s reign. Tradition asserts that Isaiah was killed by being sawn in two while hiding in
a hollow tree. It may be possible that Hebrews 11:37 is a reference to the manner of Isaiah’s death but this is
uncertain.
Isaiah received his call to a prophetic ministry in the year, king Uzziah died in 740 B.C. He may have
continued this ministry up until the death of king Hezekiah in 686 B.C. Isaiah’s prophecy contains reference
to Persian king Cyrus (44:28; 45:1) whose army defeated Babylon in 539 B.C. and to the release of the exiles
from Babylon, who were allowed to return to Jerusalem, following the decree from Cyrus in 538 B.C. See
also the dating for major events connected to the life and prophecies of Isaiah and for timelines for Assyrian,
Babylonian, Judean and Samaritan (Israel) Kings under heading of Historical Background for Chapters 7-12.
Isaiah was not alone as God’s spokesman to His people during the eventful times of the eighth century B.C.
In Judah, Micah ministered from (approximately) 735-710 B.C. Some of Micah’s prophetic words were very
similar to that of Isaiah as a comparison between Isaiah 2:2-4 and Micah 4:1-3 reveal. Two other prophets
were God’s voice to the northern kingdom during this period. Amos ministered to Israel (approximately)
from 763 to 755 B.C. and Hosea (approximately) from 755 to 710 B.C. When studying Isaiah, it is helpful to
20…..Introduction
also read these three other prophets to discern God’s concern for and His message to His people. God spoke
to His chosen people through His servants the prophets with a unified message: Turn from your sinful
practices including worshiping idols and trusting in men to worshiping the One true God and trusting only in
Him.
The days of Isaiah were ripe for imperialistic designs by neighboring kingdoms. The power of Egypt was
waning while Assyria was ascending. Assyria was the dominant threat to Israel and Judah. The Assyrian
army defeated the early Babylonian empire in 729 B.C. The Assyrians conquered Syria in 732 B.C. which
effectively brought an end to the Syria-Israel coalition. After a three-year campaign, Assyria also conquered
the northern kingdom of Israel in 722-721 B.C. Earlier the Syria-Israel alliance had wanted king Ahaz to
join them in their rebellion against Assyria. (734-732 B.C.) When Ahaz refused their request, the coalition
armies attacked Judah in an attempt to remove the Davidic king, Ahaz from his rule of Judah. (Isaiah 7:1-6).
2 Chronicles 28:6-8 records the significant loss of life from this attack (120,000 Judean soldiers).
Instead of calling on the Lord in faith for His help, (Isaiah 7:1-25) king Ahaz called upon the king of Assyria,
Tiglath-pileser III which brought relief from the Syria-Israel threat but disaster to Judah. King Ahaz was
thereafter an underling to the king of Assyria and was required to pay a massive payment to him. (2
Chronicles 28:20-21). During this same period, an Edomite and Philistine advance on Judah was troublesome
to the king Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:17-18). The Assyrians also sought to destroy Judah and Jerusalem. They
conquered Egypt and much of Judah (Isaiah 36:1) in 701 B.C. and threatened to demolish Jerusalem. It was
only the miraculous intervention by God that saved Jerusalem from certain defeat. (Isaiah 37:36).
But even the strongest earthly kingdoms do not last forever. Following the defeat of the Assyrian army by the
angel of the Lord, the emphasis of Isaiah turns to the rise of the Babylonian empire. (Isaiah 39:5-7). Although
the Assyrians under king Sennacherib defeated Babylon in 689 B.C. the Assyrian empire was on the wane.
Seventy-seven years later a rising Babylonian empire under king Nabopolassar, conquered the Assyrian
capital of Nineveh and then in 612 B.C. the Assyrian empire was brought to complete defeat in 609 B.C.
again under the leadership of king Nabopolassar. A few years later, in 605 B.C. under the new king of
Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar began his campaign against Jerusalem. In 586 Nebuchadnezzar’s assault on
Jerusalem was complete and Jerusalem lay in ruins.
But even the mighty Babylonians did not keep this status forever or even for a few generations. The Medo-
Persian alliance was on the rise during this period. In 539 B.C., only 47 years after its defeat of Jerusalem,
the Babylonians were defeated by the army of Persian king Cyrus. In 538 B.C., King Cyrus issued his decree
to allow the Jewish people who were exiled in Babylon, to return to their homeland, so they could rebuild the
temple in Jerusalem. Babylon continued to be nuisance for a few more years until the army of Darius
Hystaspes of Persia convincingly destroyed the city in 518 B.C. Only a partial number of Jewish exiles
decided to return to Jerusalem and Judah. Many decided to stay in Babylon. The return of the Jewish exiles to
Jerusalem was accomplished in three occurrences, the second being led by Ezra in 458 B.C and the third
taking place in in 445 B.C. under the direction of Nehemiah.
The prophetic writings of Isaiah encompassed the ancient historical period from 740 B.C. to 445 B.C. but
also contained prophecies relating to the first advent of the Messiah (approximately,.5 B.C. to 30 A.D. and
also relating to the second advent of the Messiah, His victorious defeat of Israel’s enemies, the establishment
and rule of His Messianic kingdom and then His rule with His father in the eternal state. During all this time
and into the timeless infinity of the eternal state, there has been and there always will be a prominent place
and position for God’s chosen people to whom He has not and will never forsake nor fail to keep His
promises. The Messiah has a Jewish heritage that will never fade or disappear.
21…..Suggested Outline of Isaiah
A SUGGESTED OUTLINE OF ISAIAH
A. Basic Outline:
1. The Judgment and Blessings of God: Chapters 1-35
2. The Protection of God and the Foolishness of Hezekiah: Chapter 36-39
3. The Comfort of God: God’s Servant and Salvation: Chapters 40-66
The basic outline of the prophecy of Isaiah may seem simplistic but it is suggested as a method of picturing
the overall content of the book. As a study of Isaiah is undertaken it does appear that Isaiah may have had
this three-part outline in mind when he compiled the written record under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
When studying Isaiah, look for sections of blessings mixed among the strong words of warning and
judgment. During the period of Isaiah’s ministry God called other prophets to be His spokesmen to both
Judah and Israel. Amos, Hosea, Jonah, and Micah were God’s prophets during the turmoil of the Eighth
century. They were called to warn Judah and Israel and other nations and peoples including Nineveh (capital
of Assyria) about God’s impending judgment for their failure to consider and worship Him and His gracious
promise of mercy and salvation if they repent and trust in Him.
1. The Judgment and Blessings of God: Chapters 1-35
As recorded in chapters 1-35, Isaiah is dealing with a sinful people who have rebelled against the Lord.
Warnings of impending judgment are the main message of these chapters, yet sprinkled among the
indictments, are wonderful promises of redemption in the future when a child, who will be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace will sit on the throne of David in His eternal
kingdom. Isaiah offers hope for those who repent of their sins and turn to the Lord so that they can live with
their Lord in this kingdom. Additional information about this kingdom unfolds to the reader as each chapter
progresses to the end of the first section of the book. The historical background of this first section is the
threat and then invasion of Judah by the armies of Aram (Syria) and Ephraim (Israel) and call by the king of
Judah, Ahaz, to Assyria for assistance against these two invading nations. This call by Ahaz demonstrates his
disbelief in God by rebelling against Him by not trusting in Him for the protection of the people of Judah.
Instead of saving Judah, Assyria, as God’s instrument of judgment, invades Judah and threatens to destroy
Jerusalem. A critical theme of this section is the prophecy of the demise and destruction of the northern
kingdom of Israel for their continual rejection of God and their vile practice of idol worship.
2. The Protection of God and the Foolishness of Hezekiah: Chapter 36-39
The middle section of Isaiah’s prophecy, chapters 36-39 is where the lessons the Lord is teaching the Jewish
nation through Isaiah are applied. A terrifying threat against Jerusalem has arrived on the city’s doorstep by
means of the Assyrian Army who through their spokesman, Rabshakeh, mocks the ability of the Lord and
their king Hezekiah to save them. The drama as events unfold is unforgettable.
The king seeks the Lord’s prophet and prays to the Lord for help. The Lord answers this prayer through the
words of the prophet and without any intervention by human means, the Assyrian army is destroyed and the
threat to Jerusalem is abolished. The great question Hezekiah faced is still relevant today: Who will you trust,
the Lord or the schemes of men?
3. The Comfort of God: God’s Servant and Salvation: Chapters 40-66
The third section, chapters 40-66 contain words of comfort and hope to the Jewish nation as well as the
introduction of an individual who will be their means of salvation by being crushed for their iniquities and by
having all the iniquity of the people to fall upon this individual. The section chapter 52:13 to 53:12 is the
core passage to the message of salvation. Later revelation in the New Testament makes it clear that this
individual, called His Servant in Isaiah, is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Following the Servant
22…..Suggested Outline of Isaiah
passages, contained within specific parts of chapters 42 to 53, Isaiah concentrates on the future kingdom of
the Lord where His people will live on the earth in peace with Him as King. As was noted in the first great
section of Isaiah, chapters 1-39, the latter section, chapters 40-66 also contain warnings and judgments mixed
with blessings and promises of hope and comfort. This combination of judgments and blessings is the
method Isaiah has chosen to bring impact to his message and it keeps the reader alert to the holiness, love and
justice of the Lord. The writer of Hebrews has captured this aspect of the Lord’s message to mankind well in
the last two verses of chapter 12: “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give
thanks, so that we may offer worship pleasing to God with reverence and awe. For our God is a consuming
fire.” Hebrews 12: 28-29.
These chapters have a clearly divisible outline of three sections of nine chapters each: 40-48, 49-57 and 58-
66. The main theme of chapters 40-48 is the sovereignty of God who demonstrates that He alone is the One
who controls the destiny of the nations. God chooses whomever He solely decrees will accomplish His
purposes for Israel and the nations. The nation Israel is declared to be God’s servant and an unnamed
individual is also introduced as God’s Servant whom God has put His Spirit upon and who will bring justice
to the nations. (This servant will have a prominent position in chapters 49-57). God also reveals the name of
Cyrus who will be used of God as His servant to release the captives of Judah from their exile so they can
return to the land of their forefathers. The main theme of chapters 49-57 is the Servant of the Lord who
although is not named is a messianic figure who takes upon Himself the sins of the world to bring salvation.
This messianic figure, rightly known as the Messiah, is introduced in the first section of the great prophecy of
Isaiah: see 7:14; 9:1-7; and 11:1-10. The main theme of chapters 58-66 is the return of the Messiah and
establishment of His reign on the earth and finally the creation of a new heavens and new earth. This period
is superintended by the Holy Spirit whom is in the midst of the peoples of God: 63:7-14. It is significant that
Isaiah uses the words: “There is no peace, says the LORD, for the wicked.” as a dividing statement between
each of these sections. See 48:22 and 57:21. For an expanded description of each of these three sections see
Walter C. Kaiser Jr., The Promise Plan of God, Zondervan, 2008, pages 182-188.
B. Extended Outline of the Prophecy of Isaiah
I The Judgment and Blessings of God: Chapters 1-39
A. The Sinful Nation: Chapters 1-5
1. The Lord’s Charge Against the Nation: Chapter 1
2. Zion to be Messiah’s Governing Capital in the Last Days: 2:1-4
3. Call for Zion’s People (Judah) to Walk in the Light of the Lord: 2:5-9
4. The Humbling of Zion’s Residents and the Exaltation of Zion’s Regent: 2:10-22
5. Zion’s Oppressive Rulers to be Removed: 3:1-15
6. Judgment on the Haughtiness of the Daughters of Zion: 3:16-4:1
7. The Branch and the Messianic Covering of Zion: 4:2-6
8. Parable of the Vineyard: 5:1-7
9. Woes on the Wicked 5:8-30
B. Isaiah’s Vision of the Lord: Chapter 6
1. The Contrition of the Prophet: 6:1-7
2. The Commissioning of the Prophet: 6:8-13
23…..Suggested Outline of Isaiah
C. Messiah and the Remnant: Chapters 7-12
1. The Threat to the Nation: 7:1-9
2. The Sign of Immanuel: 7:10-16
3. The Plunder of the Nation: 7:17-25
4. The Fall of the Nation’s Enemies: 8:1-8
5. The Future of the Remnant: 8:9-22
6. The Promise of Messiah: The Kingly Child: 9:1-7
7. The Anger of the Lord: 9:8-10:4
8. Assyria: God’s Choice for Punishing the Nation: 10:5-19
9. The Return of the Remnant: 10:20-34
10. The Kingdom of the Righteous Branch: 11:1-10
11. The Victory of the Remnant: 11:11-16
12. The Praise of the Remnant: Chapter 12
D. The Nations Judged: Chapters 13-23
1. Judgment against Babylon: 13:1 – 14:23
2. Judgment against Assyria: 14:24-27
3. Judgment against Philistia: 14:28-32
4. Judgment against Moab: 15:1 – 16:14
5. Judgment against Damascus and Ephraim: 17:1-14
6. Judgment against Ethiopia: 18:1-7
7. Judgment against Egypt: 19:1-15
8. Egypt, Assyria and Israel to Worship the Lord: 19:16-25
9. No escape for Egypt and Ethiopia: 20:1-6
10. Prophecy of Babylon’s Fall: 21:1-10
11. Judgment against Edom: 21:11-12
12. Judgment against Arabia: 21:13-17
13. Valley of Vision and Weeping over Israel: 22:1-14
14. Replacement of the Disgraced Servant: 22:15-19
15. Prophecy of David’s Key and the Peg: 22:20-25
16. Prophecy of Tyre’s Fall: 23:1-18
E. Worldwide Judgment and Protection for Israel: Chapters 24-27
1. Judgment on the Earth’s Peoples: 24:1-23
2. Praise for Israel’s Salvation: 25:1 – 26:21
3. The Restoration of Israel: 27:1-13
F: Warnings, Woes and Wrath: Chapters 28-33
1. Woe to Wicked Leaders: 28:1-29
2. Warnings and Woes to Jerusalem 29:1-16
3. Rejoicing and Blessings to Jacob: 29: 17-24
4. Warnings to Judah: No safety in Egypt: 30:1-17
5. God’s Graciousness to Jerusalem: 30:18-33
6. The Sons of Israel Need to Return to the Lord: 31:1-9
7. Future Blessings on the Nation: 32:1-20
8. Prayer for Zion to take Refuge in the Lord: 33:1-24
24…..Suggested Outline of Isaiah
G: The Wrath and Blessings of God: Chapters 34-35
1. The Wrath of God on the Nations: 34:1-17
2. The Blessing of the Future Kingdom: 35:1-10
II The Protection of God and the Foolishness of Hezekiah: Chapter 36-39
(An historical application of God’s promised blessings to Judah)
A: God Protects Judah from Assyria: Chapters 36-37
1. The Invasion of Judah by Assyria: 36:1-22
2. The Prophet is Summoned: 37:1-13
3. The King’s Prayer: 37:14-20
4. The Response of God: 37:21-35
5. The Assyrian Army Destroyed: 37:36-38
B: The Illness and Healing of Hezekiah: Chapter 38
C: The Foolishness of Hezekiah: Chapter 39
III The Comfort of God: God’s Servant and Salvation: Chapters 40-66
A: God’s Promises to Provide Protection for His People: Chapters 40-48
1. The Comfort and Greatness of God: 40: 1-31
2. God is With the People of Israel: 41:1-29
3. The Introduction of Messiah: The Chosen Servant of God: 42:1-13
4. Contrast of Israel who is The Blind Servant of God: 42:14-25
5. God’s Promise to Redeem Jacob: 43:1-7
6. Israel: The Blind and Deaf Witness of God: 43:8-28
7. Further Blessings to Israel: 44:1-8
8. The Futility of Idolatry and the Forgiveness of God: 44:9-22
9. God’s Calling of Cyrus and the Glory of God: 44:23-45:25
10. Babylon’s Final Destruction: 46:1 - 47:15
11. Israel’s Future Deliverance: 48:1-22
B: Israel’s Redemption Through the Suffering Servant: Chapters 49-57
1. God’s Calling of the Servant: 49:1-13
2. God Promises Blessings to Zion: 49:14-26
3. God’s Compassion on the Servant: 50:1-11
4. God’s Comfort for His People: 51:1-23
5. God Promises Good News to His People: 52:1-12
6. God’s Crushing of the Servant to Provide Salvation for His People: 52:13 -53:12
7. God’s Everlasting Compassion for His People 54:1-17
8. God calls His People to Seek Him: 55:1-13
9. God’s Promises of Salvation and Blessings to His People and Others: 56:1-8
10. God judgment and ultimate forgiveness for iniquity: 56:9-57:21
C. The Promises of the Future Messianic Kingdom: Chapters 58-66
1. God’s Blessings for Observing Righteous Fasts and Sabbaths 58:1-14
2. God to Bring Salvation through His Own Arm: 59:1-21
3. The Glory of the Future Kingdom: 60:1-22
4. The Messiah to Heal and Comfort the Afflicted: 61:1-11
5. The Beautiful Land of the Messiah: 62:1-12
25…..Suggested Outline of Isaiah
6. The Return of the Messiah Who is Mighty to Save: 63:1-6
7. The Past Remembered: The Role of the Spirit: 63:7-14
8. Isaiah’s Prayer for Mercy from God: 63:15-64:12
9. The Idolatrous People of God: 65:1-7
10. Future Blessings on the Remnant: 65:8-12
11. God’s Judgment on the Wicked: 65:13-16
12. God’s Promise of a New Heavens and a New Earth: 65:17-25
13. Contrast Between True and False Worship: 66:1-6
14. God’s Blessings on Millennial Israel: 66:7-14
15. Destinies of the Faithful and the Wicked: 66:15-24
Note 1: The Suggested Outline for a study of Isaiah:
Bible Scholars have suggested many outlines for a study of Isaiah. The above outline will be used for the
purposes of this study but is certainly not proposed as the only or best available.
Note 2: Scholarly opinions on the background issues of Isaiah chapters 40-66:
Many evangelical and conservative scholars understand that the major historical background to Isaiah
chapters 40-66 is the return of the exiles from their captivity in Babylon. The Babylonians, under the
direction of King Nebuchadnezzar, had captured and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C. A great many Jewish
captives were taken to Babylon. Following an edict by King Cyrus of the Medo-Persian alliance which had
captured Babylon, the Jews were allowed to return to Jerusalem. Less than 40,000 Jews returned to their
homeland, although some claim the number is higher, and many others decided to stay in Babylon. While it
is certain, that some of the laments and promises contained in Isaiah chapters 40-66, refer to the Jews
captivity in Babylon and their return to Judah, not all the material in these chapters could or should be
understood as referring to these events. When the context of each section and chapter in Isaiah chapters 40-
66 is carefully examined, there is undoubtedly a great deal of reference in them to the far future messianic
kingdom. This is particularly evident when many of these chapters refer to those being gathered by God from
the nations of the earth, to a Messiah ruled peaceful kingdom. Those who accompany God’s people from
these nations are often described as the leaders of these nations who bring their wealth to Zion where a
righteous leader reigns. Thus, this study of Isaiah recognizes that the grand theme of Isaiah chapters 40-66 is
the gathering of God’s people to Zion following the end of the future tribulation period. These people will
leave nations that have held them captive and have oppressed them. They will come to Zion, to meet and
worship their Messiah, who will rule over them from the Davidic throne. The new kingdom will be glorious,
prosperous and peaceful and many inhabitants of the kingdom will live long lives well beyond one hundred
years in length. This kingdom will transition into the eternal state as God will create a new heavens and earth.
26…..Chapters 1-6 Introduction
ISAIAH STUDY: CHAPTERS 1-6
Unless otherwise stated, the Bible version used throughout this study is: The Digital American Standard
Version, © DASV Bible, Ted Hildebrandt, 2011.
There are about as many suggested outlines of the book of Isaiah as there are commentators and scholars who
have written a study or commentary on Isaiah. The outline stated below is provided, not to improve upon
existing outlines, but as a guide for this study and as a quick snapshot of the content of this section of Isaiah’s
prophecy.
A. The Sinful Nation: Chapters 1-5
1. The Lord’s Charge Against the Nation: Chapter 1
2. Zion to be Messiah’s Governing Capital in the Last Days: 2:1-4
3. Call for Zion’s People (Judah) to Walk in the Light of the Lord: 2:5-9
4. The Humbling of Zion’s Residents and the Exaltation of Zion’s Regent: 2:10-22
5. Zion’s Oppressive Rulers to be Removed: 3:1-15
6. Judgment on the Haughtiness of the Daughters of Zion: 3:16-4:1
7. The Branch and the Messianic Covering of Zion: 4:2-6
8. Parable of the Vineyard: 5:1-7
9. Woes on the Wicked 5:8-30
B. Isaiah’s Vision of the Lord: Chapter 6
1. The Contrition of the Prophet: 6:1-7
2. The Commissioning of the Prophet: 6:8-13
Word Studies and Listings
Some scholars may not approve of listings of word occurrences for the purposes of word studies. However,
they are included in this study so the student can examine them in their context and garner insights as to why
a particular Hebrew word was translated by different English words. By this examination, the student can
appreciate the work accomplished by the translation teams for each major English Version. The English
Versions most cited in this study of Isaiah are the DASV, KJV, NKJV, NASB, NIV and ESV. The context of
each usage must be examined as an aid in the determination of the appropriate English word. Although this
study of Isaiah is not “academic” or within the scope of scholarly commentaries, it is somewhat exegetical in
that the occurrences of significant Hebrew words will be noted in each of their occurrences in the text of
Isaiah. As the text of the DASV is an “updated” revision of the old ASV, it often agrees with the other major
English Versions. However, where significant differences occur, they will be described in the verse text
notes. It should be noted that the DASV does contain many instances of gender-neutral language and other
translation decisions which are not endorsed by the author of this study.
Introduction to Chapters 1-6
Chapters 1 to 6 can be understood as an introduction to the entire prophetic book of Isaiah. To better
understand these introductory chapters, they are divided in this study into two greater sections, Chapters 1-5
entitled, “The Sinful Nation” and Chapter 6 entitled, “Isaiah’s Vision of the Lord”. Each of these greater
sections are further sub-divided into passages that seem to best reflect the thought of the prophet as he wrote
about the sinful state of the nation of Judah and its capital city, Jerusalem. Most of the content of these
chapters are proclamations by Isaiah that express God’s righteous indignation against His sinful people and
remarkably, His wonderful offer of mercy and grace to restore them if they would only repent of their sins
and turn to Him in faith and obedience. In many instances, this restoration would be in the far future, during
27…..Chapters 1-6 Introduction
the coming Messianic kingdom, which is still future in our day. To understand God’s perspective on the
sinfulness of the chosen people, it is important to grasp the full impact of what it meant for God and the Jews
to function within the most unique relationship ever imagined or put into place.
First, for His own purposes and plans for His creation, God chose a people to have a unique relationship with
Himself. God chose them, not because this people were more numerous than any others on the earth or had
made an outstanding contribution to the welfare of the earth’s peoples, or because they were worthy in any
way of God’s special attention, but His choice began with one man. This man Abram who lived, not in what
became known as the land of Israel, but within a pagan culture, in Ur of the Chaldeans and later in Haran,
Genesis 11:31, far from the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. God had called Abram to leave his people
and his father’s household to settle in a land of God’s choice, Genesis 12:1. God had preserved the ancestral
lineage of Abraham, through Noah and going as far back as Adam. There should be no doubt that when God
created Adam and Eve, He knew that they would eventually become parents to His chosen man who would
become the father of His chosen people and through whom, He would bless the nations through Abram’s
(later Abraham’s) greater seed, the One who is the Messiah.
Second, God revealed some of the reasons why He chose Abraham and his descendants to be His people.
Through the prayer of king David, one of these reasons is described, “What other nation on the earth is like
your people Israel? Is there another nation whom God redeemed as a people for himself, to make a name for
himself, by performing great wonders and awesome deeds and by driving out nations and gods for those
whom you redeemed from Egypt? You established your people Israel to be your people forever, and you, O
LORD, became their God,” 2 Samuel 7:23-24. The core reason God chose this particular people was to
“make a name for Himself.” This is in complete agreement with the great purpose of God in creating the
heavens and the earth. This study of Isaiah unfolds this purpose as being the display of His glory in creation
itself, the heavens, Psalm 19:1, and the display and declaration of His glory by His redeemed image bearers.
Moses earlier had observed, “The LORD did not set his love on you or choose you because you were more
numerous than any other people, for you were the fewest of all peoples. Rather it was because the LORD
loved you and was keeping the oath he promised to your forefathers when the LORD brought you out with a
mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of slavery from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 7:6-8. See also Deuteronomy 33:26-29. Also, the prophet Samuel explained: “For the LORD
will not abandon his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you his very
own people,” 1 Samuel 12:22. Isaiah declared that God performed the miracle of dividing the waters of the
Red Sea “to gain for Himself everlasting renown,” Isaiah 63:12. God, through the prophet Ezekiel declared,
“Therefore, tell the house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign LORD says: I did not do this for your sake, O
house of Israel, but for my holy name…. I will sanctify my great name….then the nations will know that I am
the LORD, says the sovereign LORD, when I am sanctified in you right before their eyes…..It is not for your
sake that I am doing it.” (Excerpts from Ezekiel 36: 22-38). See also Jeremiah 32:20-21.
Third, what advantage was it to be God’s chosen people? The Apostle Paul lists nine advantages: “Who
are Israelites. To them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple
worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from whom Christ came according to the
flesh, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” Romans 9:4-5. A brief explanation of these advantages
will help in gleaning Paul’s meaning.
28…..Chapters 1-6 Introduction
(1) Israelites: God’s chosen people, to whom God chose, have a unique relationship among all peoples of
the earth.
(2) Adoption: God chose them to be adopted as His children, to become members of His family and for
whom, they would have a Father, who would love and protect them.
(3) Glory: The Israelites were recipients of the divine shekinah glory which was evidenced in visible
clouds by day and night during their wilderness wonderings and at other times and will again be seen
in the messianic kingdom as revealed in Isaiah 4:5.
(4) Covenants: The unique relationship between God and the Jews had a legal framework in the form of
covenants He initiated. All but one of the covenants were unconditional. Many scholars identify six
covenants: first: Noahic: promise to not destroy the world again by water: Genesis 8:20-22 and 9:8-
17; second: Abrahamic: God’s promise to make from Abraham a great nation, to bless him and give
him a great name, to bless all the peoples of the earth through him, to give him a land, to have kings
proceed from him, to be his God and the God of his descendants and to establish this covenant
through the child of promise, Isaac. Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21; 17:1-21; 26:2-5 and 28:10-17; third:
Mosaic (Law: a conditional covenant): God dictated to Moses, an extensive code which governed the
Israelites worship and social relationships. There is no other written code from God given to any
other people except Israel in all the earth. Exodus chapter 20: the ten commandments (known as ten
words), and the complete Pentateuch: Genesis to Deuteronomy; fourth: Priestly: This is described in
Numbers 25:10-13. This covenant was described as a “covenant of peace” in which God promised a
covenant of a perpetual priesthood. This was a covenant God made with Phinehas, a grandson of
Aaron. As it is considered a perpetual covenant, the priestly ministry in Aaron’s line (through
Phinehas) will last into the Messianic kingdom; fifth: Davidic: to king David, God made a promise to
establish an everlasting kingdom ruled by a descendant of David who will rule on David’s throne,
forever. 2 Samuel 7:8-17; sixth: New Covenant: God promised to His chosen people that He would
establish a new covenant in which God will put His law within them which will be written on their
hearts. He will be their God and they will be His people. All of them will know Him and He will
forgive their sins and will not remember these sins. Jeremiah 3:31-34; Ezekiel 31:31-37; 36:25-27;
37:26-28. The New Testament reveals that Jesus Christ is the mediator of the new covenant, Hebrews
8:6. The new covenant is also represented in His shed blood. See: Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25.
Some also identify a Land Covenant: God promised to restore to the land, that their fathers
possessed, to the Israelites that have been scattered to all nations because of their unbelief. God also
promised to renew their heart and prosper them in the land. Deuteronomy 30: 1-10.
The Mosaic covenant was conditional upon the obedience of the Israelites to God’s prescribed
written code. Some may argue that the land covenant was also conditional but as understood in the
new covenant, it is God who will create a new heart in His people so that they will trust in Him and
love Him with all their hearts and God will restore the land to them. It is God’s intended purpose to
fulfil all these wonderful promises made through His covenants with His people. It is very important
to understand that He is a covenant keeping God and it is the covenants that define God’s
relationship with His people. In this study the Jews are called God’s covenant people. For an
extended discussion on Covenants see Appendix 2.
(5) Giving of the Law: God, through Moses, gave written requirements that governed the worship and
social life of the Israelites. No other people in all of history had such a unique and specific written
code dictated from God.
29…..Chapters 1-6 Introduction
(6) Temple Worship: God graciously allowed the Israelites to have a temple in which so many of the
objects and furniture contained in it pointed to the coming to the ministry of the coming Messiah.
The temple was originally filled with the glory of God who blessed it with His presence specifically
over the “mercy seat,” the covering of the Ark of the Covenant (known also the Ark of the
testimony). In the days of the first advent of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, He called the temple, His
House, Matthew 21:13 (Mark 11:17; Luke 19:45) quoting from Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.
(7) The Promises: This is a vast advantage for the Jew. Contained within the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh:
or TNK: Torah (the law); Nebi’im (the prophets); and Kethubim (the writings), were many hundreds
of promises relating to their Messiah. Some of these promises were fulfilled accurately during the
first coming of the Messiah and the others will be fulfilled just as accurately upon the second advent
of the Messiah to establish His kingdom on the earth and during the eternal state.
(8) The Patriarchs: The Jews were rightly proud of their lineage which originated with “their” father
Abraham and included Isaac and Jacob. It was Jacob whom God changed his name to Israel and
Jacob’s sons became the “fathers” of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Scriptures reveal however, that
the true sons of Abraham are those who believe in the Messiah, who is now in heaven and will return
again.
(9) The line of Christ: Jesus the Messiah was born a Jew and this point Paul leaves to the last as it is
the most significant. The Israelites have a most blessed family member in their Messiah. The world
should take notice of this for any who would disparage the Jews are bringing shame to the entire
family of Jews including the Messiah, Jesus Christ whom Paul affirms is “God over all, blessed
forever, Amen”. (Romans 9:5). The greatest advantage of being a Jew is that the Savior of the world,
their blessed Messiah belongs to them as a family member. The Jews, not only can boast in this but
must trust in their “family” Messiah for their salvation, for: “There is salvation in no one else, for
there is no other name under heaven, given among humans, by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
30…..Isaiah 1:1
1. The Lord’s Charge Against the Nation: Chapter 1
In one sense, the first chapter of Isaiah could be entitled “Salvation in the Manger.” Following the
introduction of the prophet and the time frame he prophesied, the chapter opens with an indictment against
his people from the Lord before a heavenly and earthly audience that even animals in a manger know their
master, yet His people do not know Him and have revolted against Him. In this context, the chapter
progresses to a listing of the sins of the nation and then a most remarkable proclamation, these same sins,
now like scarlet will be white as snow and though these sins are red like crimson they shall be like wool. The
sins of the people are like scarlet and red like crimson because of the nature of their sins. The end of vs. 15
states: “your hands are covered with blood.” The Lord requires repentance in vss. 16 and 17 so that the
people can have a right relationship with the Him and so that they can again “eat the best of the land”, vs. 19.
It may not be coincidence that Isaiah opens with the theme of salvation in the manager just as the New
Testament opens with the same theme. The salvation offered in chapter 1 of Isaiah will later be revealed to
be made possible to the people of Israel through the crushing of the promised Suffering Servant who will
have the sins of the people fall on Him.
In the second section of chapter 1, vss. 21 to 31, Isaiah reveals how the Lord will deal with the sinful people
of Jerusalem and after the purge of the evil doers, the Lord will restore the city so that it will be called, “the
City of Righteousness,” vs. 26. The chapter ends with a terrifying judgment against wickedness.
Transgressors and sinners will “both burn together, with no one able to extinguish the fire,” vs. 31.
1:1-9 Rebellion Revealed
1:1 The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of
Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
Isaiah opens his book of prophecy with an introduction of himself and the historical scope of his prophetic
ministry. He states that his father’s name was Amoz. One scholar notes that, “According to Jewish tradition
Isaiah’s father, Amoz (not the prophet Amos), was the brother of King Amaziah, Uzziah’s father, which
would have made Isaiah, King Uzziah’s cousin.” Names have a very significant place in this prophecy. The
name Isaiah has the meaning of “The Lord is salvation.” Two sons of Isaiah are mentioned, Shear-jashub
meaning “a remnant shall return” and Maher-shalal-hash-baz meaning “hasten to the spoil, hurrying to the
prey.” Isaiah states the significance of himself and his sons to Israel, “Look, I and the children whom the
LORD has given me are for signs and harbingers in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount
Zion.” Isaiah 8:18.
One portion of the prophecy of Isaiah can be understood by Isaiah’s introduction of the word “vision” which
is the Hebrew hazon. Isaiah also uses the word vision in 21:1; 22:1, 5; 29:7 and 11. A similar word, “oracle”,
Hebrew: massa, is used by Isaiah in 13:1; 14:28; 15:1; 17:1; 19:1; 21:1, 11, 13; 22:1; 23:1; 30:6 and has the
meaning of “burden” or “utterance.” Isaiah often introduces a distinct prophetic message from God with
either the words vision or oracle.
The historical timeline of Isaiah’s prophetic ministry is introduced in vs. 1. His prophecies are about Judah
and Jerusalem (and often their relationships with the surrounding nations) and the vision Isaiah saw occurred
during the reigns of Uzziah, (in the year of his death in 740 B.C.); Jotham: (750-731 B.C. Jotham co-reigned
with Uzziah for about 10 years); Ahaz: (735-715 B.C. Ahaz co-reigned with Jotham for about 4 years); and
Hezekiah: (715-686 B.C.). A Jewish tradition suggests that Isaiah was martyred during the reign of King
Manasseh. A possible reference to the way Isaiah was killed (sawn in two) is mentioned in Hebrews 11:37.
31…..Isaiah 1:2-3
1:2 Listen, O heavens, hear, O earth,
for the LORD has spoken:
"I have reared children and brought them up,
but they have rebelled against me.
Isaiah begins his vision with a call from God for the heavens and earth to listen to His words. God wants the
entire cosmos to know about His rebellious children (sons) whom He has reared, which is the Hebrew word
gadal which has the meaning to bring up to become great. God is referring to His chosen people who are the
children of Israel being the descendants of Abraham, Genesis 12:2; 18:18-19. Refer to Romans 4:11, 16 and
Galatians 3:6-8 and 29 for the application of God’s intention to bless all those who have faith in Him and
their connection to Abraham. Compare also Genesis 22:18. Isaiah in 42:6 speaks about the role of God’s
Servant, Abraham’s descendant, whom He has called to be a blessing and a light to the nations.
The rebellion, Hebrew word pasha, of God’s people included their sins against God, (listed in detail in
chapter 1) and their refusal to be witness to the nations on God’s behalf. The “Song of Moses”, Deuteronomy
32:1-43, has a similar lament about the children of Israel’s rebellion against God. In Isaiah pasha occurs
eight times: rebelled: 1:2; rebellious: 1:28; rebelled: 43:27; rebels: 46:8; rebel: 48:8; transgressors: 53:12
(twice); and rebelling: 59:13. Isaiah 53:12 is very significant as Isaiah prophecies about the Messiah,
“Therefore I will assign him a portion with the great, and he will divide the spoil with the strong, because he
poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors. Yet he bore the sin of many, and
made intercession for the transgressors.” Even though the Jewish religious leaders and the Romans counted
or numbered the Messiah with the transgressors (by hanging Him on a cross with convicted thieves hanging
on either side of Him), the love and mercy of the Messiah was such that He made intercession for those
whose sins He bore. There is both a past sense and present sense to His ministry of intercession. See notes
on Isaiah 53:12. The LORD, Hebrew YHWH is Israel’s proper name for God. See notes for 1:9.
1:3 The ox knows its owner,
and the donkey its master's feeding trough,
but Israel does not know,
my people do not consider.
God compares His rebellious children with animals who know their master and the manger of their master.
God’s sons, His covenant people, have no understanding of Him or His blessings. God’s lament could be
likened to children who have been raised in a home full of love and nurturing who have walked away and
have forgotten both their parents and their home life. These children are estranged from their parental care
and treat their past lives as if it did not exist. The use of irony by Isaiah, suggesting dumb animals know more
than the children of Israel, is a strong statement about the woeful spiritual condition of the people of Judah. A
confession of the sins of the people of God is recorded by Isaiah in 59:9-15a following another listing of their
sins by God in 59:1-8.
It is certainly not coincidence that in the same context of God’s description of His people as not knowing
Him as their master in contrast to an ox and donkey who know both their master and their master’s feeding
trough (manger), that an offer of salvation is made to these ignorant people. Those who contemplate the
mysteries of God and consider the birth place of the Messiah who is the savior of the world, would not miss
the connection with Isaiah 1:3 and 1:18. The Messiah was born in the very place where an ox and a donkey
would take refuge from the weather and where they would be fed by their master. The fact that the world’s
Savior was born in a manger should have directed many to consider the offer of salvation recorded in the
eighteenth verse of Isaiah chapter 1.
32…..Isaiah 1:4
1:4 O sinful nation,
a people loaded down with iniquity,
an offspring of evildoers,
children who act corruptly!
They have forsaken the LORD;
they have despised the Holy One of Israel;
they have turned their backs on him.
The word “O’ (ah, alas) may also be understood as “woe” depicting judgment. Thus, if understood as a
judgement term, it acts as an introduction to the description of the sins of the people in this verse and those
which follow. God diagnosed the spiritual state of His chosen people and described them with many words
depicting their evil and rebellious nature. The first descriptive term describing God’s people, stated in 1:4, is
sinful, which is the Hebrew word chata which has the meaning of missing the mark. The mark of being holy,
which God has declared (Leviticus 11:44-45) was missed, but they did not “miss the mark” of being sinful.
The word chata occurs six times in Isaiah: sinful: 1:4; convict: 29:21; sinned: 42:24; 43:27 and 64:5; and the
phrase “who does not live out their full days” in 65:20. The KJV for 65:20 states “but the sinner (being) an
hundred years old shall be accursed.” See notes on Isaiah 65:20.
The second descriptive term in 1:4 is “loaded down with iniquity.” Iniquity is the Hebrew word avon which
has the meaning of both guilt and sinfulness. It is the word Isaiah used in Isaiah 53:6: “the LORD has laid on
him, the sin of us all.” Other occurrences of avon in Isaiah in the DASV are iniquity in 5:18; 6:7; 13:11;
22:14; 27:9; 30:13; 40:2; 59:3; and 64:9; iniquities in 53:5; 59:2; 59:12; and 64:7; sin in 26:21; and 33:24;
sins in 14:21; 50:1; 53:11; 64:6 and 65:7 (twice). In the KJV and NASB in Isaiah 1:4, avon is translated as
iniquity, and in the NIV it is translated as sinful.
The third descriptive term in 1:4 is “offspring of evildoers” Evildoers is the Hebrew word ra’a which has
the meaning in the Old Testament of breaking up, ruin, spoil, calamity or wicked. Several English words are
used as translations of ra’a in Isaiah, 1:16: evil; 8:9: be broken; 9:17: evildoer; 11:9: will not hurt; 14:20:
evildoers; 24:19: broken up; 31:2: evildoers; 41:23: do evil; 59:15: displeased; and 65:25: not hurt. An often-
misunderstood usage in Isaiah of a related word ra (evil) is recorded in 45:7: “I form the light and create
darkness; I make peace and create calamity.” The word “calamity” can be translated as evil (ra) but in the
context of 45:7 it is best to translate ra as “disaster” or “calamity” as a direct contrast to the word “peace” in
the same sentence.
The fourth descriptive term in 1:4 is “children who act corruptly.” Not only are they descendants of evil
doers but they themselves continue in the same evil behavior. The English word “corruptly” is the Hebrew
shachath and has the meaning of “to go to ruin” or “destroy”. In Isaiah, it is most often translated as
“destroy.” Other occurrences of shachath are found in 11:9: destroy; 14:20: destroyed; 36:10 destroy (twice);
37:12 delivered; 51:13: destroy; 54:16: destroyer; 65:8: destroy (twice); and 65:25 destroy.
The fifth descriptive term in 1:4 is “abandoned the LORD.” Abandoned is the Hebrew word azab and has
the meaning in the Old Testament of forsaken also forsake, forsakes, forsaking, forsook (123 times in the
O.T.); leave, leaves, leaving, left (56 times in the O.T.) and abandon, abandons, abandoned (15 times in the
O.T.) and other words such as loose, neglect, free, failed and deserted. In Isaiah azab translated as 1:4:
abandoned; 1:28: forsake; 7:16: deserted (NASB: forsaken); 10:3: leave; 10:14: abandoned; 17:2: forsaken;
17:9: abandoned; 18:6: left; 27:10: forsaken; 32:14: deserted (or: forsaken); 41:17: abandon; 42:16: forsake;
49:14: forsaken; 54:7: abandoned; 55:7: forsake; 58:2: rejected (or: forsaken); 62:12: forsaken; and 65:11:
forsake. A related Hebrew word natash (to forsake, leave, abandon) which can be translated as “abandoned,”
is translated in the DASV as “rejected’ in Isaiah 2:6 and as “forsaken” in 32:14.
33…..Isaiah 1:4
The sixth descriptive term in 1:4 is “despised the Holy One of Israel.” The English words despise(s) and
despised in Isaiah translates a few Hebrew words. The word “despised in 1:4 is the Hebrew word naats (to
spurn, treat with contempt, to blaspheme) also occurs in 5:24 as “despised” in 52:5 as blasphemed; and in
60:14 as “despised.” Other Hebrew words: In 16:14, the DASV translates qalah (dishonored, lightly
esteemed) as “despised.” The Hebrew word qalal (cursed, contempt) can be translated as “despise.” In 23:9,
it is translated in the DASV as “bring to shame.” The Hebrew word maas (to reject and to cast off) is
translated as “despise” in 30:12, as “despised” in 33:8 and as “despises” in 33:15. The Hebrew word bazah
(despise, distain, contempt) is translated in the DASV as “despises” in 37:22 and as “despised” in 53:3
(twice). Finally, the Hebrew word bazoh (scorned) is translated as “despised” in 49:7.
From the various usages in Isaiah of these Hebrew words to describe “despised,” the student can ascertain its
primary meaning of to reject, treat with contempt and to spurn “the Holy One of Israel.” It is a scathing
indictment against the people of God who have known Him as their creator, Lord, provider, the mighty One,
caregiver and many other descriptive terms. However, knowing all this, they have without shame, rejected
Him and treated Him with contempt.
Isaiah’s name for God in 1:4 is “the Holy One of Israel” which is a most revered and sacred descriptive title
for the nation’s sovereign Lord and one of Isaiah’s favorite names of God. This sacred name both exalts the
Lord as a being who is: absolutely holy, totally other, transcendent and unlike any other being and whom in
Himself, is a stunning contrast to the sinfulness of His chosen people. Not only have the people of God
defiled themselves in sin but what is far worse, they have “turned their backs on Him,” by returning to the
vile worship of pagan idols. They have rejected and treated with scorn the very One who loved them and
among all other peoples of the world, chose them to be His unique covenant people, to whom He desires to
have an eternal relationship and from whom, His beloved, unique Son would be born to become their
Messiah.
The sacred name for God, the Holy One of Israel, occurs several times in Isaiah and is often coupled with
other beautiful names for Israel’s Creator and Redeemer. In Isaiah see: 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7;
29:19; 30:11, 12, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3, 14; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9, 14. This
name occurs only 6 times in the rest of the OT: 2Ki 19:22; Ps 71:22; 78:41; 89:18; Jer 50:29; 51:5. Isaiah
also uses “Holy One” as a title 4 times: 10:17; 40:25; 43:15; 49:7; and “Holy One of Jacob” once: 29:23.
The seventh descriptive term in 1:4 is “turned their backs on Him.” The words “turned their backs” is the
translation of the Hebrew word zur which has the meaning of “to be a stranger”, or “foreigner.” This Hebrew
word in the Old Testament is also translated as estranged, alien, an adulteress and a few other words. It is
only translated in the O.T. as “turned their backs,” or “turned away.” In other verses in Isaiah the DASV
translates zur as: 1:7: foreigners (twice); 17:10: foreign; 25:2: strangers; 25:5: foreigners; 28:21: unusual;
29:5: foes; 43:12: foreign; and 61:5 foreigners.
The eighth descriptive term describing the spiritual condition of the people of God (vs. 5a) is “rebel”. It is
the translation of the Hebrew word sarah which has the meaning of defection, revolt and turning aside. Sarah
also occurs in Isaiah, translated in 31:6 as rebelled and 59:13 as rebelling. Isaiah uses many other Hebrew
words to describe rebellion including pasha to denote rebellion (see notes on 1:2 above). Isaiah uses marah
(rebel, rebellious, defying) in 1:20; 3:8; 50:5 and 63:10. Sarar (rebellious, stubborn) is used in 1:23, 30:1 and
65:2 translated as rebellious). In 30:9, the prophet uses the Hebrew word meri and the word marad in 36:5
translated as rebellious. Isaiah also uses pesha, usually translated as “transgression,” but the DASV translates
the word in 53:8 as “rebellion” and in 57:4 and 59:20 as “sin.”
34…..Isaiah 1:5-6
Results of their sins: 1:5-9
The Lord turns from addressing the heavens and the earth, 1:2-4 and directs His attention to His people. He
states that there is no place remaining within their physical bodies that does not bear the consequences of
their sin. The immediate consequences come from the invasion of their land. The invasion of Judah and the
capture of most of its towns and cities is best understood as the campaign of the Assyrians under Sennacherib
whom Isaiah later describes in detail in chapters 36-37. Because of the Assyrian invasion, the people are
physically suffering, 1:5-6; and their land is desolate, and their crops have been devoured, 1:7-9. The prophet
directly warned the people of Judah about the Assyrians in Isaiah 10:1-11, who would trample their land as a
judgment from the Lord and destroy their idols just as God, through the Assyrians, had done to Samaria,
10:11. In 1:5-6, the Lord rhetorically asks, Why should you be beaten anymore?
1:5 Why should you be beaten anymore?
Why do you just rebel more and more?
The whole head is sick,
and the whole heart faint.
Because of their continual and persistent sinfulness, 1:2-4, God has brought judgment upon His covenant
people in the form of foreign nations who have destroyed their land and burned their cities, 1:7. As the
opening chapters, 1-6 of Isaiah are an introduction to his prophetic writings, this destruction of Judah is likely
a reference to the invasion of Judah by Assyria which is described later in chapters 36-37, and a more distant
invasion and complete destruction, including Jerusalem by the Babylonians which happened in a few initial
incursions and completed in 586 B.C. Another earlier but brief invasion of Judah by Aram and Israel is
described in 2 Chronicles 28 which came about because of the wickedness of king Ahaz of Judah.
In addition to the description of the destruction of the land of Judah, the prophet declares God’s depiction of
the people’s sinful nature as “the whole head is sick and the whole heart is faint.” There is nothing
wholesome, sound or healthy about them. When they confess their national sin of rejecting the Messiah
during His first advent, and plead for Him to return, the Messiah will return and establish His kingdom and
heal the land and the people. Isaiah will later describe this in 33:24: “The resident of Zion will not say, ‘I am
sick.’ The people who live there will have their sin forgiven.” See also Ezekiel 34:11-16. But until that far
future time, the condition of God’s people remains as Isaiah describes it in this first chapter of his prophecy.
1:6 From the sole of the foot to the top of the head
there is nowhere that is undamaged in it.
There are wounds, welts, and open sores;
they have not been cleansed,
or bandaged up,
or softened with olive oil.
Isaiah 1:6 describes God’s viewpoint of the condition of His covenant people. Not only has their land been
destroyed because of their continual wickedness and rebellion against God, but they bear in themselves the
judgment of God which the prophet had introduced in 1:5. God is describing their spiritual condition which is
depicted as having physical characteristics. Their entire spiritual “bodies” are ravaged with unwholesome
“wounds, welts, and open sores.” See Jeremiah 8:14-22. Jeremiah laments that his people have not been
healed, Jeremiah 8:21-22, “For I am broken because of the brokenness of my people; I mourn; dismay has
taken hold of me. 22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why has the wound of my
people not been healed?” King David had described a similar situation in Psalm 38:3-8
35…..Isaiah 1:6-8
3
There is no soundness in my flesh because of your anger;
there is no health in my bones because of my sin.
4
For my sins overwhelm my head,
as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
5
My wounds are infected and stink,
because of my foolish sins.
6
I am bent over and totally bowed down;
I go around crying all day long.
7
For my sides are filled with fever;
there is no soundness in my flesh.
8
I am faint and severely bruised;
I groan because of the moaning of my heart.
1:7 Your country is desolate;
your cities are burned with fire;
foreigners are devouring your land right in front of you,
and it is desolate, as when overthrown by foreigners.
The spiritual condition of God’s covenant people, 1:6 is similar to the physical condition of their land which
is described as a desolation. The word “desolate” is the Hebrew shemamah, a noun similar in meaning to the
Hebrew verb shamem. The noun shemamah occurs in Isaiah translated in the DASV in 1:7 twice as
“desolate’” in 6:11 as “devastated;” in 17:9 as “desolation;” and in 62:4 as “desolate.” The related verb
shamem occurs in Isaiah translated in the DASV in 33:8 as “vacant; in 49:8 as “desolate;” in 49:19 as
“desolate;” 52:14 as “astonished;” in 54:1 as “desolate;” in 54:3 as “deserted;” in 59:16 as “amazed;” in 61:4
as “destroyed” and “wrecked;” and in 63:5 as “shocked.” It is a valuable exercise for the student to review
the various English versions for their translations of the verb shamem in Isaiah 52:14; 59:16 and 63:5 and if
time permits for the other occurrences of this verb in the references stated above.
1:8 The daughter of Zion is left like a hut in a vineyard,
like a watchman's shelter in a field of cucumbers,
like a besieged city.
Because of the desolation of their land, 1:7, in which their cities had been burned with fire and the (produce
of their) fields have been devoured by foreigners (perhaps the invading Assyrians), the people of Judah are
suffering from hunger and its accompanying harm to their bodies. The armed campaign by these foreigners
have also left them unprotected and open to abuse and death just as an unprotected shelter in a vineyard or
like a vegetable (cucumber) garden during an invasion. In a later passage, 5:1-7, Isaiah described God’s care
for His covenant people in what could be called the parable of the vineyard. Due to their wickedness which
led to a lack of justice and righteousness in the land, God described His judgment upon the vineyard which
God describes as “the house of Israel,” Isaiah 5:7. God also declared that the elders and princes of the people
of Judah, had “ruined the vineyard,” Isaiah 3:14. God’s judgment upon the people would result in a very poor
harvest from the vineyard, 5:10. However, days will come when God will bring blessings to His people and
He will sing about the delightful vineyard in Zion, and the land will take root and with bud and blossom a to
fill the entire world with fruit, 27:2-6. See also 38:30-31. Foreigners will even tend to the vineyards of the
faithful remnant who have been gathered to Zion at the beginning of the Messianic kingdom, 61:5 and during
the days of this kingdom, God’s covenant people will eat the fruit of their own vineyards, 65:21.
36…..Isaiah 1:8-10
The descriptive term, “daughter of Zion,” Hebrew bath Tsiyyon, 1:8 is a common reference by Isaiah to
God’s beloved people of Jerusalem who need His protective care. See also 10:32; 16:1; 37:22; 52:2; and
62:11. Because of their wickedness the people of Zion, (Jerusalem) will also be “like a besieged city.” They
faced the unsuccessful attempt by the Assyrians to seize Jerusalem in 701 B.C. during the days of Isaiah’s
prophetic ministry. Later the Babylonians besieged the city and eventually destroyed it in 586 B.C. due to the
continual and persistent acts of God’s covenant people who refused to repent of their rebellion against Him
by worshipping idols and practicing pagan religious rites that God abhorred.
1:9 Unless the LORD of hosts had left us a few survivors,
we would have been like Sodom,
we would have become like Gomorrah.
In 1:9, Isaiah describes God’s merciful provision for His people. In spite of the scorn the people had for God
in rejecting Him as their Sovereign Lord and gracious care giver, the Lord remembers His unconditional
covenant with them and will preserve to Himself a “few survivors” (faithful remnant) so that His promise to
Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21; 17:1-21; and to Isaac, Genesis 26:2-5; and to Jacob, Genesis 28:10-17,
will be fulfilled. For a detailed study on the remnant of Israel, refer to Ariel Ministries’ Study MBS191: The
Remnant of Israel: Past, Present and Future, by Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum. Other references in Isaiah to this
remnant include, 1:27 (repentant ones); 4:1-2; 7:3 (Isaiah’s son Shear-jashub meaning: “a remnant will
return”); 10:20-22; 11:11, 16; 28:5; 37:31-32; 46:3 and 66:19. God’s verdict upon them is condemnation for
they would have been left just like Sodom and Gomorrah (also Isaiah 1:10) if He had not intervened and
mercifully granted that a few survivors would be left to proclaim His glorious name and be a light for Him to
the nations. For the story of Sodom and Gomorrah see Genesis 18:16-19:29. The Apostle Paul quotes this
verse in Romans 9:29. Other Biblical references to the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah also include,
Deuteronomy 29:23; 32:32; Isaiah 13:19; Jeremiah 23:14; 49:18; 50:40; Amos 4:11; Zephaniah 2:9; Matthew
10:15; 2 Peter 2:6 and Jude vs. 7.
Also, in 1:9, Isaiah introduces a significant title for God. Isaiah refers to God as “LORD of hosts.” This title
refers to God as, LORD (YHWH) of armies, a conquering warrior who will never be defeated in whom the
people of God can put their complete trust. Isaiah, in his prophecy, contrasts the trustworthy character of
their God who is a mighty warrior to Judah’s rebellious trust in the surrounding nations who are powerless to
help them. The divine name, “LORD of hosts” is recorded in Isaiah (DASV), 62 times, 1:9; 1:24; 2:12; 3:1;
3:15; 5:7, 9, 16, 24; 6:3, 5; 8:13, 18; 9:7, 13, 19; 10:16, 23, 24, 26, 33; 13:4, 13; 14:22, 23, 24, 27; 17:3; 18:7
(twice); 19:4, 12, 16, 17, 18, 20, 25; 21:10; 22:5, 12, 14 (twice), 25; 23:9; 24:23; 25:6; 28:5, 22, 29; 29:6;
31:4, 5; 37:16, 32; 39:5; 44:6; 45:13; 47:4; 48:2; 51:15; and 54:5. This is a favorite term for the Lord in
Isaiah. The prophet also uses a related term, Lord GOD of hosts which has two significant titles for God:
Lord, the Hebrew word Adonay which has the primary meaning of Sovereign; and GOD (Hebrew YHWH)
often transliterated as Yahweh which has the primary meaning of “I am who I am,” Exodus 3:14.
Excellent resources for the study of the names of God are Theological Studies such as, Biblical Doctrine: A
Systematic Summary of Bible Truth, by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue, Crossway, 2017; The Moody
Handbook of Theology, Revised and Expanded, by Paul I. Enns, Moody Publishers, Chicago, 2014; and
Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth, by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody
Press, Chicago, 1999.
1:10-15 Worthless Worship Condemned
1:10 Listen to the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom;
hear the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah.
37…..Isaiah 1:10-15
The Lord, through the prophet Isaiah emphatically calls His people to listen to His word. After describing
their woeful condition brought about because of their evil rebellion against Him, God calls them rulers of
Sodom and people of Gomorrah. This double reference, also 1:9, to the cities He long ago obliterated
because of loathsome sin is a startling warning to Judah that judgment not only has arrived due to the
invasion of a foreign army, but their plight could be far worse in that they could possibly suffer the same
punishment as these cities of old.
1:11 "What do your many sacrifices mean to me?" says the LORD.
"I have had enough of the burnt offerings of rams,
and the fat of well fed cattle;
I delight not in the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats.
God declares to His people that their rituals of worship described as sacrifices, burnt offerings of rams, the
fat of cattle and the blood from bulls, lambs or goats, do not bring Him any pleasure for He has had enough
of them. God is not casting aside the worship requirements of the law which He had prescribed for His
people. He is however refusing to accept the worship of those who have committed the catalog of sins He has
just denounced, 1:2-5. God’s indictment of King Saul, after his disobedience, 1 Samuel 15, is a similar
incident where obedience to God is better than sacrificing to God. See 1 Samuel 15:22-23. God’s judgment
upon Saul was to reject him as king. Isaiah declared that God will judge the people of Judah and Jerusalem
because of their detestable sins. God’s judgment would result in the destruction of their nation and their
removal from it. See also Isaiah 3:1-26; 5:1-30; and 22:1-14.
1:12-14 When you come to appear before me,
who has required this from your hand,
this trampling of my courts?
13 Do not bring any more worthless offerings;
your incense is detestable to me.
New moons and Sabbaths, the calling of assemblies,
-- I cannot stand such sinful assemblies.
14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts I hate;
they have become a burden to me;
I am tired of putting up with them.
God calls the attendance of worshipers at the temple a trampling of His courts for they are not welcome.
Their offerings are called worthless and even the fragrant odor of incense, the unique recipe of the Lord’s
choosing, Exodus 30:34-38, is now an abomination to Him. Their observance of solemn assemblies,
consecrated days, new moon festivals, appointed feasts and Sabbaths had become a burden for God to endure
and recognize because of their evil hearts. God was not abolishing these observances that He had designed
for them. See Exodus 12:14-20; 23:14-19; 29:10-30:38; 31:12-17; 34:18-26; Leviticus chapters 1-7 and 23-
27; Numbers 9:1-14; 10:10; 28:1-29:40; and Deuteronomy 16:1-17. He was, however, declaring His
righteous indignation against the evilness in their hearts and their wicked actions of which they did not repent
when they came to worship Him. God would not and still does not accept worship from those whose inward
thoughts and outward actions are full of sinfulness.
1:15 When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you.
Yes, when you make many prayers,
I will not listen,
for your hands are full of blood.
38…..Isaiah 1:15-17
As a result of their evilness in worship, God declares that when they spread out their hands in prayer, and
when they multiply their prayers, He will refuse to listen to them because their hands are covered in blood.
Victor Buksbazen comments:
“The usual stance of the Israelite at prayer was to spread forth his hands, palms upward. However
when these praying hands were covered with blood, God could not hearken to their prayers, but only
see innocent blood dripping from their palms. Their very display of piety with blood-stained hands,
was itself blasphemy. By their “pious activities,” they were unconsciously seeking to reduce Jehovah
to the level of the deities of their pagan neighbors, who were as immoral and unconcerned about
righteousness as their devotees. All these gods expected of their worshipers was bloody sacrifices and
homage. Not so the God of Israel. He who would approach Him must do so with clean hands and a
pure heart.” (Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 105).
1:16-20 Repentance Required and Redemption Realized
1:16-17: Wash yourselves,
make yourselves clean;
put away the evil deeds from before my eyes;
stop doing evil.
17
Learn to do good.
Seek justice,
rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
plead for the widow."
Having denounced the worship of the evil hearted who have blood dripping from their upraised hands in
hypocritical prayer, God demands a change. God desires to keep His covenant relationship with His chosen
nation. There is only one possible way for this to happen. The hearts of the people must be made clean. God
starts the process with a list of demands for repentance that would have been rapidly and dramatically spoken
by the prophet. There are three sets of three demands in 1:16-17. The first set (trio) of demands call for the
cleansing and removal of evil. It is an internal activity in which impurity of heart is and willfulness is
decidedly removed from their consciousness. It is an act of the will to no longer contemplate and consider
wicked behavior. Thomas Constable depicts washing as indicative to repenting. See Thomas Constable,
Isaiah, page 20.
By “washing away” their sinfulness they can stand before God ready for the next set of commands. God
demands that they cease their evil actions, learn good (acceptable to God) behavior and seek justice. These
are external activities which are self-related. They have to do with personal actions that can only be realized
after having an inward cleansing. The third set of demands (if obeyed) proves that internal and external
changes have occurred in the repentant ones. God calls them to outward righteous actions in the community,
reproving (correcting) the ruthless, defending the orphan and pleading for the widow. James in his epistle
pleads for the same actions to follow inward faith. The central teaching of James’ letter is that works must
accompany faith. Those who obey God’s word by righteous actions will be blessed. James 1:27 states, “Pure
and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,
and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
39…..Isaiah 1:18-19
1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall be like wool.
This is an often quoted and beloved verse by those who have put their trust in God. It is God’s explanation of
how He views the transformation of the penitent from acts of blood-stained hands to a soul who has been
washed and cleansed by the intervention of God. Later revelation by Isaiah, chapter 53, will explain how God
accomplishes this intervention. God calls His people to listen to Him (come now) and hear His declaration
(reason together). It was not a call for a conference of peers collaborating on a considered action. It was a
gracious and caring demonstration of sacrificial love by God to His beloved people. Although they
repeatedly spurned Him by rebellious deeds, He repeatedly reached out His arm to comfort them and offer
His salvation. He did this at the greatest of all costs to Himself. God’s intervening action to restore His
people to godliness cost the life of His beloved Son who was put to death following excruciating suffering
and abuse by the very people He came to rescue from an eternity of torment.
It wasn’t as if this was a reactionary move by God following an unforeseen fall into sin by those whom He
had created. God’s provision of salvation with the crucified Son being mankind’s kinsmen redeemer was
planned in eternity past before the creation of the heavens and the earth. A careful study of Ephesians 1:3-14;
2 Timothy 1:9; Revelation 5:9-12; and 13:8 reveals God’s eternal purpose in creation which is for His glory
and to have His image bearers righteously praise Him for the glory of His grace (Ephesians 1:6,12 and 14).
God brought salvation to those who will righteously display and declare His glory to all creation.
God describes their sins as being like scarlet and red like crimson, 1:18, for their hands, 1:15, were “full of
blood.” By God’s intervention, their sins would be seen to be as white as snow and like wool. This was also
the description of what David, in repentant and humble contrition following his rebuke by the prophet
Nathan, due to David’s sin with Bathsheba, called God to perform in him as recorded in Psalm 51:7,
“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.”
This verse and chapter 53 of Isaiah may have been on the mind of the Apostle Paul when he wrote to his
young protégé, Timothy, “But as for you, continue in the things which you have learned and are convinced
of, knowing from whom you learned them. And that from early childhood have known the Scriptures which
are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:14-15. Hebrews chapter
11 discusses the faith of many Old Testament saints including Abraham. Also, Paul in Galatians 3:1-9
discusses the faith of Abraham as an example of how those who lived before Christ had faith. Paul, quoting
Genesis 15:6, states in Galatians 3:6, “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
So, it is quite reasonable from the witness of Scripture to understand Isaiah 1:18 as a message from God
explaining how someone who has been lost in their sins could have their lives transformed to be clean and
righteous before Him.
1:19-20 If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good of the land.
20
But if you refuse and rebel,
you will be devoured with the sword,"
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.
40…..Isaiah 1:19-23
To have sins cleansed to be white as snow and as wool required an act of consent and obedience by the
sinner. It is not that people must perform a work to earn their righteous standing before God. As stated above,
Genesis 15:6 records the action of belief by Abraham by which God reckoned (put to his account) to him as
righteousness. God in Isaiah 1:19 states the sinner must first consent to God’s word regarding the
transformation of the sinner from unrighteous to righteous. In 1:19, the word “willing” (consent) is the
Hebrew abah, literally meaning to “breathe after” or “to acquiesce”. It has a passive sense not having the
same force as volition but when coupled with “obedient,” which is the Hebrew word shama, which has the
meaning of hearing with the intent to obey. The meaning, therefore, is clear that God intended the people to
hear, listen to His word and obey Him. By their obedience they demonstrate their faith in Him. Obedience is
a consequence of their internal decision to listen to God. The reward for their obedience to God was that they
would “eat the best of the land” implying God’s protection and provision for them. The consequence of
disobedience was that their land would be conquered, and the people would be devoured (eaten) by the
sword of their conquerors. God would send a powerful nation to destroy them. See also Deuteronomy 28:1-
68 and 30:15-20.
1: 21-31 Evil Removed and Righteousness Restored
1:21 How the faithful city has become a whore!
She was once full of justice,
righteousness inhabited her,
but now only murderers.
The Lord describes the woeful condition of His beloved city. The word “How” according to Victor
Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 108, sounds like a sigh in the Hebrew and it is the first word of the book of
Lamentations. God is lamenting that the city, which was once a place of justice, has sunk so low as to be
described as a harlot. The city which also was the residence for righteousness was now the home for
murderers. Victor Buksbazen also notes (ibid) that the Hebrew word for “murderers” is merachetzim having
the meaning of “professional murderers” – killers for hire.
1:22 Your silver has become dross,
your wine diluted with water.
The Lord also described the city as a precious metal (silver) that has become diluted with pollution and
therefore has lost its value and usefulness. The city was also likened to drink, fine wine or other fermented
liquid, that had been diluted with water to cheapen it and make it unpalatable and worthless for its intended
use. This description of the corruption of silver and wine is a metaphor for the rulers of Jerusalem, 1:23, who
have become so corrupt, as 1:21 so graphically avows, that the once faithful city has become a whore!
1:23 Your princes are rebellious,
and companions of thieves.
Everyone loves bribes,
and chases after payoffs.
They refuse to defend the orphan,
and the widow's cause does not come before them.
The Lord next describes the leaders of the city. They are rebels who love a bribe and who prefer the
companionship of thieves to fellowship with their Creator. They prove they have not repented and have not
removed their evil deeds from God’s sight for they have not, as required by God, 1:17, defended the orphan
nor have they plead (as in court) for the widows. Their internal consciousness and will and their external
41…..Isaiah 1:24-26
behavior are thoroughly corrupt and without hope of restoration nor can they have a righteous relationship
with God unless He takes drastic action to discipline them, by punitive action, and cleanse them. And this is
exactly what God now states He will do for His people.
1:24 Therefore the Lord, the LORD of hosts,
the Mighty One of Israel, says,
"I will take vengeance on my enemies,
and avenge myself on my foes.
The Lord announces His intention to be relieved of His adversaries and He will avenge Himself of His foes.
His intentions are introduced by His self-declarative titles. God describes Himself as “the LORD of hosts”
(see study notes on 1:9 above) and “the Mighty One of Israel.” This later name occurs only in this verse. The
title “Mighty One of Jacob” occurs in Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2, 5; Isaiah 49:26 and 60:16. Both of the
Isaiah references have the full title of, “your savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” These
descriptive titles of the Lord are His announcement by sacred decree that He alone has the authority and
ability to accomplish His will. He alone is the Lord of the universe who is absolutely free to do what he
wants without any obstruction by those who would oppose Him. For God’s opinion of His enemies, see
Psalm 2. Note: the word “Lord” is the Hebrew adon often translated as sovereign or master in the DASV.
1:25 I will turn my hand on you,
and skim off your dross,
and will remove all your impurities.
God announces His intention to deal with the obstinate and sinful people of Jerusalem. The dross and dilution
(that which pollutes the spiritual condition of His people) that God mentioned in 1:22 would now be
skimmed (smelted) away implying a cleansing purpose. The process of refining or smelting metal requires
intense heat. As applied to God’s people it would mean hardship and suffering. The fourth stanza of a
beloved hymn, How Firm a Foundation, by an anonymous author speaks to this work of God:
“When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
my grace all sufficient, shall be your supply;
the flame shall not hurt you; I only design
your dross to consume and your gold to refine.”
A thoughtful study on this hymn is given by David Powlison in chapter 7 of the book, Suffering and the
Sovereignty of God. John Piper, Justin Taylor, General Editors, Crossway Books, Wheaton, 2006. See notes
on Isaiah 41:10. The intent of this old hymn and more importantly of the word of God in Isaiah 1:25, is that
God refines His beloved children so that they will be purified and prepared to undertake the work God has
intended them to accomplish. Proverbs 3:11-12, also quoted in Hebrews 12:5-6, describes a similar action of
God for the purposes of correction and restoration.
1:26 I will restore your judges as at the first,
and your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward you will be called,
'the City of Righteousness,'
'a Faithful Town.'
42…..Isaiah 1:26-28
Following the refining process, which will include suffering by His children, God will restore Jerusalem’s
judges and counselors, who by implication will be faithful to Him and treat fairly His people. The city will
also be called “the city of righteousness, a faithful city.” This promise of restoration and revival of the
spiritual leaders of Jerusalem is very typical of Isaiah’s writing style. Consistently throughout his prophecy,
Isaiah depicts judgment on the people of God from their holy and just Sovereign Lord, followed by a promise
of a future kingdom where peace, justice and righteousness will exist, and this kingdom will be ruled by the
Messiah.
1:27 Zion will be redeemed with justice,
and her repentant ones with righteousness.
The city of Jerusalem, often called “Zion” by Isaiah, will experience redemption by means of justice. This
certainly is a reference to God’s work of redemption through His Servant, the Messiah, whom Isaiah will
later describe in 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11 and 52:13-53:12. This is God’s righteous and holy work of
redemption by God’s appointed Redeemer who is the holy Judge who will administer righteous judgment.
Redemption is a major theme is Isaiah. In the DASV, the word “redeemed” Hebrew padah, occurs in 1:27
and 29:22; and as the Hebrew ga’al in 35:9; 43:1; 44:22; 44:23; 48:20; 51:10; 52:3; 53:9; 62:12; 63:4; and
63:9. The One who secures redemption, is called the “Redeemer” also occurring thirteen times in Isaiah,
41:14; 43:14; 44:6; 44:24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 49:26; 54:5; 54:8; 59:20; 60:16 and 63:16.
The people of God’s beloved city, Zion will experience redemption by the righteous work of their coming
Messiah. These ones, the faithful remnant, are described in Isaiah 1:27 as “repentant ones.” See comments on
1:9. Zion, the Hebrew word Tsiyyon, is first mentioned in 1:8, is the beloved hill of God. It was one of the
mountains in the land of Moriah to which God had directed Abraham to perform the test of sacrificing Isaac
as described in Genesis 22. David later purchased this mountain, 2 Samuel 24:18-25 and the temple was built
upon it by Solomon, 2 Chronicles 3:1. It was and still is, a sacred place for the Lord and His people. Zion
will have a very prominent place in the future messianic kingdom. See, Isaiah chapter 2:1-11; 4:1-6; 24:23;
35:10; 51:11; 59:20; Joel chapter 2; 3:18-21; Micah 4:1-13; and Zechariah 8:1-8.
1:28 But the rebellious and sinners will be crushed,
and those who forsake the LORD will be consumed.
In stark contrast to the redeemed people of God, who were repentant and obeyed Him and had their future
assured by their Redeemer, the Messiah, those who refused to repent and remained rebellious and sinful will
be crushed together and will come to an end. They will have no glorious future with their God nor will they
have any hope of restoration. For most of the people of Judah and Jerusalem who were the recipients of
Isaiah’s prophetic messages, this verse is a sad commentary on their lives. God had foretold Isaiah that his
audience would have hard hearts, deaf ears and blind eyes, not just for a short time but until the land is
“absolutely devastated,” Isaiah 6:8-13.
Woven throughout his prophecy is Isaiah’s many discussions on the judgment of God on those who have
rebelled against Him and have scorned His loving care for them. In vivid detail, Isaiah describes the final end
of these sinful people such as “crushed” and “consumed” in 1:28, and “burn” in 1:31. Among a multitude of
other depictions of the retribution God will enact on His people for despising Him, chapter 5:25, is a
representative sample, “Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against his people; he has stretched out his
hand against them, and has struck them. The mountains tremble, and their corpses are strewn like garbage in
the streets.” When studying Isaiah, one must keep in mind that, even though God often talks of judgment, He
also talks of comfort, salvation and of a future peaceable kingdom which will be ruled by His beloved Son,
the Messiah to come.
43…..Isaiah 1:29-30
1:29-30 For you will be ashamed of the sacred oaks
in which you delighted,
and you will be embarrassed for the gardens
that you have chosen.
30
For you will be like an oak whose leaf withers,
and like a garden that has no water.
31
The strong will be like tinder,
and his work like a spark.
They will both burn together,
with no one able to extinguish the fire.
One of the most detestable practices of the people of God in Judah was participating in pagan Canaanite
fertility rites which included lewd and profane acts under the cover of trees (oaks or terebinth) and gardens
specifically selected for these purposes. These rites included prostitution committed next to Asherah poles
and incense altars and the despicable action of sacrificing children to the pagan god Molech. They also ate
pig’s flesh which was cooked in broth that included many things that were an abomination to God. The
Israelites were told by God to tear down the pagan altars, sacred pillars and the Asherim of the inhabitants of
Canaan when they took possession of the promised land. They were not to make any covenant with the pagan
peoples of this land nor to unite with any of them in marriage, Exodus 34:12-17. See also Deuteronomy 12:2-
4 and 16:21-22.
However, the Israelites disobeyed God and began to worship Baal and his female consort, Asherah. This
worship involved the carving of a wooden pole (called Asherah) and planting it in selected groves (gardens
with oak and terebinth trees). In these groves, the hideous practices described above took place. Some leaders
(Gideon) and kings (Hezekiah and Josiah) removed the Asherah poles. King Ahab, however had built an
Asherah and worshipped Baal, 1Kings 16:29-33, and king Manasseh brought a carved image of Asherah into
the temple, 2 Kings 21:2-9. Selected additional references to this pagan worship include, Judges 3:7; 6:25-
32; 1Kings 18:19; Isaiah 27:9; 57:3-13; 65:2-7; Jeremiah 17:1-4; Ezekiel 6:11-14 and Micah 5:13-14.
But, their devotion to pagan religious practices and their worship of false gods would prove to be of no
benefit or profit. These worthless deities could not comfort them or save them when the One true God brings
upon them their destruction. This destruction will devour both the pagan idol and those who worship it.
Many depictions of judgment in Isaiah involves burning. See also: 4:4; 10:17; 26:11; 34:9-10; and 66:24.
This descriptive portrayal of their final doom is no more vividly displayed than in the last verse of the
prophecy of Isaiah in which the righteous ones will look upon the never-ending punishment of the wicked,
“They will go out, and look on the corpses of those who have rebelled against me; for their worms will not
die, neither will their fire be extinguished. They will be abhorred by all humanity.” Isaiah 66:24.
As is evident from a study of this first chapter, many of the issues introduced by Isaiah are discussed in
greater detail as his prophecy proceeds to its conclusion. Isaiah organized his writings into the format that has
been preserved by God and placed in its prominent position in the Old Testament. Isaiah did not write
haphazardly but compiled his writings in such a way as to present thematically and logically the vision he
received from God. The remaining chapters 2-6 of the lengthy introduction to his prophetical writings also
introduce issues that will be discussed in greater detail in later sections of his book.
44…..Chapters 2-4 Introduction
Teaching Outline of Isaiah 1:1-31
1:1-9 Rebellion Revealed
1:10-15 Worthless Worship Condemned
1:16-20 Repentance Required and Redemption Realized
1:21-31 Rebellion Removed and Righteousness Restored
Isaiah Chapters 2-4
This portion of Isaiah contains an indictment from the Lord on the wickedness of the nation’s rulers, its men,
its women and inclusively all who have committed idolatry and have been influenced by other nations which
resulted in open rebellion against God. Specific verses from this section are prophetically linked to the time
of tribulation as revealed in the book of Revelation. The wickedness of humanity and notably for the Jewish
nation will not gradually turn to righteousness, nor will mankind’s morals or ethics evolve from evil
mindedness to purity over a long period of time. Just as Isaiah witnessed the iniquities practiced by the
Jewish people during his life, so will the angels of God witness the iniquities of mankind unfold unabated
and unrepentant until the time of the great white throne judgment recorded in Revelation chapter 20. The
long sad history of the Jewish nation is marked with episodes of open rebellion against their covenant
keeping God who desired that they repent of their sins and return whole heartedly to Him. At the end of the
tribulation in the future, and just prior to the establishment of the messianic kingdom, a remnant of faithful
Jews will repent and turn to God.
Chapters 2-4 form a cohesive unit in which Isaiah speaks of the glories of the days when the Messiah will
rule on the earth with Jerusalem as His capital. The message of the Prophet in this unit is that the Lord will
prepare His people and His land for His presence when He will rule over His kingdom on earth with His
capital being Zion (Jerusalem). The preparation of His people will involve purging sin from them through
judgment and the removal of ungodly leaders from their midst. The preparation of His land will involve the
removal of hostilities, hatred warfare, and idols and anything that will impede the implementation of His
kingdom of peace. Zion will be blessed with the glory of its Messiah including shelter from heat and storms.
A suggested outline of these chapters is provided in the chart below.
Preparation of Zion for Messiah’s Rule: 2:1-4:6
Zion to be Messiah’s Governing Capital in the Last Days 2:1-4
Call for Zion’s people (Jacob) to Walk in the Light of the Lord 2:5-9
The Humbling of Zion’s Residents and the Exaltation of Zion’s Regent 2:10-22
Zion’s Oppressive Rulers to be Removed 3:1-15
Judgment on the Haughtiness of the Daughters of Zion 3:16-4:1
The Branch and the Messianic Covering of Zion 4:2-6
2. Zion to be Messiah’s Governing Capital in the Last Days: 2:1-4
The first four verses of chapter 2 of Isaiah provide a prophetic vision of the future kingdom of God in which
the Lord Himself will be a judge over and be a teacher to the nations. The vision concerns Judah and
Jerusalem, vs.1; and the specific location is called the mountain of the LORD’s house which will be
established as the highest of the earth’s mountains and all nations will flow (stream) to it, vs. 2. The Lord will
issue His word and law from Zion and many peoples will desire to go up to the mountain of the LORD to be
taught by Him, so they can walk in His paths, vs. 3. The LORD will be the judge between the nations in this
45…..Isaiah 2:1-2
kingdom which will be peaceful and in which the nations on earth will never again learn war or rise up
against each other, vs. 4.
There is no indication whatsoever that this is a parable or a literary interlude within the prophecy of Isaiah. If
Isaiah is to be understood clearly, the words must be taken as they are stated. The vision concerns Judah and
Jerusalem in the last days. So, it is in the far future from Isaiah’s time. The last days must mean a future
time when nations never again will learn war. Even a cursory study of history will reveal that so far this has
not taken place, so the last days must still be in the future in our time. Therefore, Isaiah is stating clearly that
Judah, Jerusalem and Mount Zion will be inhabited, and the Lord will be in residence and that there will be
other nations on the earth whose citizens will go to Zion for teaching, so they can walk in His paths.
There is also no indication from this passage or from any other passage in all of Scripture that these verses
are a prophecy of a future church age. To render it so would be an indication that any passage in Isaiah or in
the Old Testament cannot be taken at face value. To read “church” into this passage is purely allegorical
speculation. What we can know for certain is that in the future, in the last days, the Lord Himself will be
resident on Mount Zion in the City of Jerusalem in the nation of Judah. If the Lord is present, it will be as
ruler of His kingdom. No other person would be suitable or worthy.
Micah 4:1-4 is a parallel passage to Isaiah 2:1-4. It may be that Micah incorporated the words of Isaiah into
his prophecy or that he received the same message from the Holy Spirit. It is significant however that when
the same words from God are proclaimed a second time, it cannot be ignored as just coincidence. Every
word of God in the Scriptures has its purpose as Isaiah would later record, “So will My word be which goes
forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without
succeeding in the matter for which I sent it,” Isaiah 55:11.
2:1 The message that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
Isaiah begins another major declaration of prophetic truth with the words, “The word Isaiah, the son of Amoz
saw.” He uses a similar phrase in 1:1 and 13:1. How Isaiah “saw” the word (2:1), vision (1:1), and oracle
(13:1) from God is not revealed to us. It does however indicate that the prophet was allowed by God to “see”
the future as if it had already happened. The Apostle John was given the same prophetic sight regarding the
end times and his record of it is preserved for us in the last book of the Scriptures. The “message” Isaiah saw
concerns the future glory for the covenant people of God, who are his main audience, those who will be the
faithful residents of Judah and Jerusalem.
2:2 In the latter days,
the mountain of the LORD's house will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
and all nations will flow unto it.
The message (word) or vision Isaiah saw, concerns the last days. This is a literal reference to the days that
concern the “days’ of second coming of the Lord. David M Levy, in his commentary on the Prophet Joel,
comments (extended quotation):
“Joel described this awesome day as the day of the Lord (Jehovah). The phrase day of the Lord is
used some five times in Joel (1:15; 2:1; 2:11; 2:31; 3:14). Although it has reference to the local
judgment God would bring on Judah through this plague, it speaks of a future day when God will
intervene in judgment upon the world. For example, Joel 2:31 must be speaking of a future day of
46…..Isaiah 2:2
judgment, because the sun was not darkened, nor the moon turned into blood during Joel’s day.
Again, Joel 3:14 does not speak of Joel’s day but a future day of judgment upon the enemies of Israel.
The plague in Joel’s day was a prototype of an awesome day of the Lord yet future.
To understand what is meant by the day of the Lord, one must understand the difference between
man’s day and the Lord’s day. There are four key days mentioned in Scripture. First is man’s day.
This phrase is used in 1 Corinthians 4:3 in reference to “man’s judgment.” Paul said: “But with me it
is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment ....” This “man’s judgment”
is literally man’s day, having reference to the day which now is, when men have control over human
government.
Second is the day of Christ, mentioned six times in Scripture (1 Cor. 1:8; 5:5; 2 Cor. 1:14; Phil. 1:6,
10; 2:16). It refers to the time when Christ will come to rapture the Church (1 Th. 4:13–18) out of the
earth, taking Christians to be with Him (Jn. 14:1–3) forever.
Third is the day of the Lord, which speaks of a dark gloomy day (2:1)—a time of judgment. The day
of the Lord refers to the direct intervention of God in the affairs of man after the Rapture of the
Church. It covers the Tribulation (Rev. 6–19), Millennial Kingdom (Rev. 20:1–10), and the Great
White Throne Judgment (Rev. 20:11–15). It is not only a time of judgment on the wicked, but a time
of great blessing for the redeemed of Israel and the Church.
Fourth is the day of God, mentioned in 2 Peter 3:12, which has reference to the heavens passing away,
the elements melting, the earth being renovated by fire, and the establishment of a new heaven and
earth, ushering in the eternal state.” (Notes on Joel 1:15 by David M Levy, Joel: The Day of the Lord:
A Chronology of Israel’s Prophetic History, Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1987, Logos Edition).
The first important detail Isaiah mentions about these latter (last) days regards the mountain upon which the
house of the Lord will reside. This mountain, Zion will be, at that time, the “highest,” Hebrew rosh, which
has the meaning of “head” “top” or “first.” The word occurs 598 times in the O.T. and is translated as “head”
349 times, as “chief” 91 times and as “top” 73 times.
The second detail about this mountain is that it will be “exalted above the hills,” giving it the most esteemed
status among all the mountains and hills of the earth. One possible understanding of this mountain that is
exalted (raised) above the hills is that, due to the cataclysm described in Revelation 16:17-21 near the end of
the great tribulation, all other mountains and hills have been leveled and according to Isaiah 2:2, it is Zion
alone which will be raised and be the exalted mountain of God. Another possibility is that due to its exalted
and majestic ruler who resides upon it, Zion is described as the chief of mountains and raised above the hills.
See also, Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, page 129, and Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 23.
The God who lives on this mountain will have the greatest supremacy over any other so-called gods or pagan
deities. In fact, there is no comparison whatsoever among the world’s so-called deities to God, as there is
only one true God as Isaiah so emphatically declares, Isaiah 43:10; 44:8; 45:5, 14, 18, 21, 22; 46:9. In the
ancient world, mythical pagan deities were said to have resided on high mountains.
Isaiah dispels any doubts about the pre-eminence, supremacy and exaltation of the existence and dominance
of the One true God over any of those that mankind could invent or imagine. There really is no competition
or any real comparison. How can the only true God compare with imagined and non-existent gods? Isaiah
will make this point with scorning irony later when he discusses the complete folly of those who craft idols
from perishable materials.
47…..Isaiah 2:2-4
The third detail in Isaiah 2:2 about these latter (last) days is that all nations (peoples) will flow (stream) to it
(the “mountain of the LORD, 2:3). The identification of the mountain is Zion, the Lord’s beloved dwelling
place on earth. Its location is in His capital city, Jerusalem. The time frame is at the beginning of the Lord’s
messianic earthly kingdom when all rebellion against God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ has been
destroyed. The Son, who is the Suffering Servant described by Isaiah, and is the long-awaited Messiah will
be preparing His administration to rule the earth in justice and peace.
Peoples from all nations who have survived the great tribulation and who will not worship the beast (the
antichrist) but will remain faithful to the Lord, will come to Zion to worship their Lord in person. Among
them will be the scattered remnant, the faithful Jews, who will have believed in their Messiah for salvation,
and who will also come from all the nations to worship their Messiah. This is one of the marvelous themes of
the prophetical books of the Old Testament, Isaiah 11:11-12; 14:1-2; 27:12; 43:1-7; 49:1-26; 54:7; 56:6-7;
60:1-14; 66:18-21; Jeremiah 3:11-18; 12:15; 23:1-8; 24:6; 31:1-14; 32:37-44; Ezekiel 11:14-20; 20:33-44;
28:25-26; 34:11-31; 36:22-38; 37:11-28; 39:25-29; Hosea 12:9; Joel 3:1; Amos 9:11-15; Micah 2:12-13; 4:1-
8; Zephaniah 3:12-20; and Zechariah 10:1-12. For an extended discussion on Isaiah 2:2-4, see J. Randall
Price, Isaiah 2:2-4/Micah 4:1-5: The Restoration of Israel in the Messianic Age, The Moody Handbook of
Messianic Prophecy, pages 785-802.
2:3 Many peoples will come and say,
"Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us of his ways,
and we will walk in his paths."
For out of Zion the law will go forth,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
During this time, the messianic reign of Christ, the peoples of the earth who have survived the horrors of the
great tribulation will be those who seek the Lord. They will have a desire to travel to Mount Zion to learn
from the Messiah, who is described in Isaiah 2:3, as the God of Jacob. Not only will they receive instruction
from the Lord, but they will heed His word and walk in His ways. As Mount Zion will be the residence
(house) of the Lord, He will make decrees and His word will be dispensed as law to all the nations of the
earth. Often, Zion as the holy mountain is recorded in the Scriptures. See Psalm 2:6; 3:4; 48:1; 87:1; Isaiah
11:9; 27:13; 56:7; 57:13; 65:11, 25 and 66:20; Ezekiel 20:40; 43:12; Daniel 9:16, 20; 11:45; Joel 2:1; 3:17;
Obadiah vs. 16; Zephaniah 3:11 and Zechariah 8:3.
2:4 He will judge between the nations,
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation;
they will not train for war anymore.
During the millennial kingdom, the Messiah, will rule the earth and will be the supreme judge between the
nations rendering righteous judgment. Isaiah refers to this righteous Judge in 11:14; 16:5; 33:22 and 51:5.
The Lord is concerned with justice as Isaiah reveals in 1:27; 9:7; 16:5; 28:17; 30:18; 32:16; 33:5; 42:1, 3, 4;
51:4 and 61:8. The Messiah will rule in peace and nations will no longer arm themselves for war. One of the
great titles for the Messiah is Prince of Peace, Isaiah 9:6. The establishment of peace and the Lord’s desire to
bring peace to His people is another of the grand themes of Isaiah, 9:7; 26:3, 12; 27:5; 32:17, 18; 52:7; 54:10;
48…..Isaiah 2:4-5
55:12; 57:2, 19; 60:17 and 66:12. See also Ezekiel 37:26; Haggai 2:9 and Zechariah 9:10. In contrast the
wicked will not be recipients of peace: 48:22 and 57:21.
Michael Rydelnik, and James Spencer comment on verses 1-5 of Isaiah chapter 2:
“Verse 1 is not described as a “vision,” but as a word (“message”) depicting the glorious eschatological
future for Israel and Jerusalem. The prophet announced what he had seen concerning Jerusalem and
Judah. The picture of Israel in chap. 2 inspires hope that God will bring about His promised blessing by
making the temple mount, or the mountain of the house of the LORD (v. 2, cf. v. 3), the highest of the
mountains. The height of the mountain was a significant factor because of the ancient Near Eastern
perspective suggesting that the peaks of the mountains were associated with the presence of the gods.
Mountains, in particular the temple mount, were viewed as the junction between heaven and earth. That
the mountain of the house of the Lord will be higher than any other mountain speaks to its prominence
and, in this context, the glory of the temple and truthfulness of the worship that occurs there.
As the law is proclaimed from Zion (v. 3), the mountain of the Lord, the nations will call one another to
worship at the temple so that they may learn God’s ways and live obediently (v. 3). Although God’s law
is eternal, it has various expressions. This likely does not indicate that the law of Moses will be reinstated
in the messianic kingdom. More likely, the word law should be translated “instruction” (HCSB) and refer
to the laws God establishes for the future eschatological kingdom. The nations will finally recognize God
as the true God who will judge the world with righteousness and bring peace to the nations, signified by
turning their implements of war into agricultural tools. While the first four verses of the chapter present
the glorious future of Zion without reference to the sin and rebellion of Israel, v. 5 appears to be a call for
the house of Jacob to return to Zion. The depiction of the nations streaming to Zion in vv. S-4 is utilized
to motivate Judah to walk obediently in the light of the LORD (v.5).” (Michael Rydelnik and James
Spencer, Isaiah, The Moody Bible Commentary, Moody Publishers, Chicago, 2014, page 1013).
Teaching Outline of Isaiah Chapter 2:1-4
2:1-2 Where The Location of the Prophecy
2:1-4 Who The Peoples of the Prophecy
2:2 When The Time of the Prophecy
2:3-4 What The Teaching and Judgment of the Lord
2:4 Why The Promised Peace of the Prophecy
3. Call for Zion’s People (Jacob) to Walk in the Light of the Lord: 2:5-9
In this brief passage, Isaiah 2:5-9, the prophet exhorts his nation to walk in the light of the LORD, vs. 5; for
God has rejected His covenant people because they have practiced the pagan religious rites (that are an
abomination to Him), vs. 6. The land of Judah was prosperous, full of silver, gold and treasures, horses and
chariots, vs. 7. The land was also full of idols which the people had made, and they worshipped the work of
their hands, vs. 8. Because of this attention to wealth and idol worship, the prophet asks God not to forgive
them, vs. 9.
2:5 O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD.
Following the declaration of a glorious vision of the Kingdom of the Messiah, Isaiah calls upon the people of
God, “house of Jacob” to walk in the light of the LORD. In the New Testament, a similar exhortation is
pronounced by Paul in Ephesians 5:8-20. Paul states in verses 8-10 of Ephesians 5, “for you were formerly
49…..Isaiah 2:5-7
darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in
all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” John chapter 1:4-5
identifies Jesus Christ as the source of the light. In the verses that follow 2:6-9, the prophet explains why the
people of God need to walk in the light of the Lord.
2:6 For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob,
because they are filled with fortunetellers from the east,
and soothsayers like the Philistines,
and they shake hands in agreement with foreigners.
Isaiah states that the judgment of God is upon His people. God had rejected (or abandoned) His people
because, first, they have allowed themselves to be deluded from eastern influences by filling the land with
“fortunetellers” or filled with the customs of these eastern countries. This indictment likely included
influences from nations to the north-east, Assyria and Babylonia. Second, they also have become
“soothsayers like the Philistines” which is pagan superstitious divination which was expressly forbidden by
God as stated in the Torah: Leviticus 19:26 and Deuteronomy 18:9-14. Third, God’s abandonment also came
as a result of the bargains (covenants, pacts, agreements, treaties) they made with foreigners for “they shake
hands in agreement with foreigners”. To this God had also forbidden, as stated in Deuteronomy chapter 7.
2:7 Their land is full of silver and gold;
there is no end to their treasures.
Their land is full of horses;
there is no end of their chariots.
Isaiah continues with his listing of why God had rejected (abandoned) the people of Judah. Fourth, the
people, during prosperous times, had accumulated wealth “silver and gold” and they had devoted themselves
to the development of their own personal treasuries. The Lord, as recorded in Matthew 6:19-21, warns
against this accumulation of earthly wealth which was still a persistent problem with the Israelites in the first
century A.D. The irony of all this accumulation of wealth by the kings of Judah during Isaiah’s times was
that it was soon to be removed. Payment to Assyria for an agreement for Judah’s protection was made by
Ahaz, 2 Kings 16: 8 and later the Babylonians completely stripped the temple, the house of the Lord, of all its
valuable metals during the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, 2 Kings 25:8-17. Fifth, as well as accumulated
wealth, the people had great resources in livestock including horses which they depended upon for military
strength. Isaiah explains in later passages the futility of trusting in them, 30:16 and 31:1. However, in the
later days they will be put to much better use as Isaiah states in 66:20. Sixth, not only were they amassing
horses but also chariots which was a sign of military superiority. Under king Uzziah, Judah had an elite army
which was ready for battle as described in 2 Chronicles 26: 6-15. The Lord had abandoned His people for
they had ignored His word and placed their trust in possessions that could not save them. In contrast to the
trust the people of Judah placed in their horses and chariots, was the declaration by the Psalmist in Psalm
33:16-22:
16
No king is saved by his great army;
no warrior is delivered by his great strength.
17
It is false to trust a horse for victory,
for it cannot deliver even by its great strength.
18
Look, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his loyal love,
19
to deliver their soul from death,
and keep them alive in famine.
50…..Isaiah 2:7-9
20
Our soul expectantly waits for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
21
For our heart rejoices in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22
Let your loyal love, O LORD, be upon us,
just as we expectantly wait for you.
2:8 Their land also is full of idols;
they worship the work of their own hands,
that which their own fingers have made.
Seventh, the final reason in this passage why the Lord had rejected (abandoned) the people of Judah, was the
most blasphemous. If trusting in covenants with pagans and in their own wealth and possessions was reason
enough for God to judge them, their crafting and worship of idols was a practice that would guarantee God’s
strongest retribution. Making and worshiping idols was condemned from the beginning of God’s relationship
with His people whom He brought out of Egypt. It was while God was speaking with Moses on Mount Sinai
and dictating to him the laws that would define God’s relationship with His people, that these very people
were engaging in the casting and worship of a pagan idol. Refer to Exodus chapter 32. Idol worship was not
new. The first mention in the Scriptures of idols was the household idols of Laban that his daughter Rachel
who was married to Jacob, had stolen from Laban’s home. When the people of God had close association
with pagans, idol worship was certain to result as many passages in the Old Testament sadly testify. Isaiah
mentions idol worship nineteen times in his prophecy. The Lord did not tolerate idol worship. Isaiah would
later state the judgment of God on His people because of their resistance to eliminate this pagan practice.
Isaiah 10:10-11. Geoffrey W. Grogan suggests a link exists between verses Isaiah 2: 6-9 and Micah 5:10-14.
See Geoffrey W. Grogan, Isaiah, page 37.
The word idol, elil in Hebrew, means worthless, vain, or nothing. Its implication is stunning. The people of
God turned from worshiping the One true God to the worship of nothing, thus replacing the inestimable
worth and glory of God with something that was worthless. This insult to God was and remains to this day
the cause of a great chasm between the Creator and His created peoples. God cannot and will not leave it
without consequence. The great problem for humans is that they are incapable of mending this rift between
God and themselves. The greater praise is that God alone has made reconciliation between Himself and His
created people by providing a righteous, once for all, substitutionary atonement for the sins of mankind
through the death and resurrection of His Son whom He had eternally decreed to be the sin-bearer on behalf
of mankind. Those who trust in the provision of salvation through the sin-bearer, the Messiah, the Son of
God, would have their relationship with their Creator restored. Those who rebel and refuse to trust in the Son,
will live forever in judgment separated from God’s gracious presence.
2:9 So the people are humbled,
each one is brought low.
Do not forgive them.
Those who have trusted in worthless idols and in their own possessions and in covenants with pagan nations
rather than trusting in God, will be abased and humbled whatever their earthly status has been. God is not a
respecter of persons but will judge all people equally. The attainment of earthly wealth, great power or high
position is of no importance to one’s eternal destiny. Trusting in anyone or anything rather than in God is
absolute folly and will result in tragic and horrific eternal consequences. Some scholars such as Victor
Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 118, understand the words “do not forgive them” as being as harsh as it sounds.
Others such as Gary V. Smith have another understanding:
51…..Isaiah 2:9-10
“An alternative approach that seems more consistent with the surrounding statement about humbling the
proud would not understand these words as an abrupt prayer by Isaiah, but a simple concluding statement
that “you (God) should not lift up/exalt them.” In light of what was said about the sinfulness of these
people, it is logical to reach the conclusion that the sinful person should not be exalted This interpretation
avoids the difficulty of having a one-line, fragmentary prayer and removes the theological idea that
Isaiah did not want God to forgive these people. It also fits the contextual emphasis that God has
humbled the proud and will not lift them up again. Isaiah indicates that there is no hope for restoration or
an eventual healing for proud people like Uzziah. People can avoid this fate only (a) by not trusting in
mankind and all their earthly achievements (2:7–8, 13–16, 22), and (b) by exalting God alone (2:11, 12,
17).” (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, page 138).
In a footnote to this excerpt, Smith explains some of the alternate meanings of the Hebrew word nasa, which
may have been added to bolster his suggestion that the words in many English versions, “do not forgive
them” or “forgive them not” have a possible alternative interpretation that these people are not to be exalted.
4. The Humbling of Zion’s Residents and the Exaltation of Zion’s Regent: 2:10-22
Isaiah in these verses declares that because of the sins of the people of Judah that have been identified in
chapter 1 and up to verse 9 of chapter 2, God will not allow their sinful actions to continue forever without a
holy and just recompense. The prophet begins this section with a call for his people to hide from the terror of
the LORD and from the glory of His majesty, vs. 10. Human arrogance and haughtiness will be humbled, but
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, vs. 11. The Lord will have a day of reckoning, against all that is
exalted upon the earth, and He alone will be exalted, on that day, vss. 12-17. Eventually all the idols will
vanish, vs. 18. Men will hide from the LORD and will throw their idols to the “moles and bats,” when God
arises to make the earth tremble, vss. 19-21. In conclusion, the prophet declares, that God’s people are to stop
trusting in mere humans, vs. 22.
Also in these verses, the prophet declares that the Lord will have His day of reckoning in which all who are
proud, lofty and lifted up will be abased. The specific time period for this day of reckoning is the tribulation
described in Revelation chapters 6-19. One of the most pernicious evils of God’s chosen people was their
continual practice of worshiping idols. This practice was eliminated somewhat when the Jewish people who
had been taken captive to Babylon returned to their land of promise. Yet it was not removed forever. In the
last days, during the time period of the “day of the Lord” this practice will still be a rebellious activity of
man. In Revelation 9:20-21 following several months of judgment by the Lord resulting in great turmoil on
the earth and perhaps billions killed it is recorded that, “The rest of humankind, who were not killed with
these plagues, refused to repent of the works of their hands or to give up worshipping demons, and idols of
gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood; which cannot see, hear, or walk. 21 They refused to repent of their
murders, or their sorceries, or their sexual immorality, or their thefts.”
2:10 Enter into the rock,
and hide in the dust
from the terror of the LORD
and from the glory of his majesty.
The Lord will humble those who have spurned Him by turning to idols. He will do so by appearing in “the
glory (splendor) of His majesty” and the terror that will seize His created beings at His appearance. Mankind
will seek caves and the dust of the earth when the Lord arises “to make the earth tremble” Isaiah 2:19-21. A
similar description is recorded by the Apostle John in Revelation 6:12-17 regarding these events that will
occur during the days of the sixth seal of the tribulation period. The phrase, “the glory of His majesty” can be
52…..Isaiah 2:10-13
understood at the revealed visible display of God’s brilliant splendor. Isaiah repeats the phrase, “glory of His
majesty” in Isaiah 2:19 and 21. This tri-fold repetition, 2:10, 19, 21; is not incidental. When describing the
wondrous portrayal of the Lord, Isaiah recorded the words describing the Lord as “holy, holy, holy in 6:3.
The emphatic repetition of the glory of the Lord’s majesty is set in stunning contrast to the humble position
of mankind whose arrogant looks will be abased or brought low, 2:11, and who will be driven to holes of the
ground, 2:19 and into the caverns of the rocks, 2:.21. Isaiah 2:22 aptly summarizes prophet’s message, “Stop
trusting in human beings, whose breath is in their nostrils.” See also 2:17.
Glory is the Hebrew word hadar, which has the meaning of glorious brilliance, magnificence and honor. The
Old Testament occurrences of glory (splendor) and majesty describing the Lord are, 1 Chronicles 16:27; Job
37:22; Psalm 8:1; 96:6; 104:1; 145:5 and in Isaiah 2:10, 19 and 21. The word hadar, also occurs in Isaiah
35:2 translated in the DASV as “splendor.” Majesty, Hebrew gaon, has the meaning of pride, majesty, and
excellence. It occurs also in Isaiah 24:14. Also the word Majesty, Hebrew geuth, meaning excellence and
lifted up occurs in Isaiah 26:10. More comment on these words will be made within the notes for the verses.
In the New Testament, the majestic glory of God is described in Hebrews 1:3; and 8:12. This majesty
referring to Christ’s transfiguration is described in 2 Peter 1:16-17. See also Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-13;
and Luke 9:28-36. Other references of the glory of God occur Jude vs. 25 and Revelation 4:11 and 5:12-13.
Another Hebrew word for glory is kabod, which has the meaning of weight and worthiness and is often
translated in the O.T. as abundance and honor.
2:11-12 The arrogant looks of humans will be brought low,
and the haughtiness of people will be humbled,
and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
12
For there will be a day of the LORD of hosts
against all the proud and haughty,
and against all that is lifted up,
and they will be brought low,
The Lord will have a day when mankind will be humbled, and their proud look will be brought low. The
Hebrew word for “brought low” is shaphel which is stated as “abased” in the NASB. It occurs also in the
DASV translated in Isaiah 2:9 as “brought low;” in 2:12 as “brought low;” in 2:17 as “brought low;” in 5:15
as “brought down” and “humbled;” and in 10:33 as “brought low.” “Humbled” in 2:11 is the Hebrew
shachach, translated as “bowed down” in the KJV. The phrase in 2:11, “in that day” is of vital importance in
understanding how far reaching the prophecy of Isaiah extends. This “day” has not yet occurred but will
certainly arrive in a time of great calamity for the earth and its inhabitants including the Jewish people who
have not repented of their sins of worshiping idols and rejecting their Messiah. In the New Testament, this
time is referred to as the time of testing, Revelation 3:10, which is the tribulation described in Revelation
chapters 6 to 19.
The phrase “in that day” is an oft repeated warning in the Old Testament referring to the “day of the Lord.”
Old Testament references to this day are recorded in, Isaiah 2:12, 13:6 and 13:9; Ezekiel 13:5 and 30:3;
Joel 1:15, 2:1, 2:11, 2:31 and 3:14; Amos 5:18 and 5:20; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:7 and 1:14;
Zechariah 14:1 and Malachi 4:5. New Testament references are Acts 2:20; 1Thessalonians 5:2; 2
Thessalonians 2:2 and 2 Peter 3:10. See also the notes of this study for Isaiah 4:2-6.
2:13 against all the cedars of Lebanon,
that are high and lifted up,
against all the oaks of Bashan,
53…..Isaiah 2:13-17
The prophet continues the declaration of how widely distributed will be the abasement of created things
when the Lord has His day of reckoning, 2:12. In the list of created things that shall be abased, 2:13, the great
trees are first mentioned. The cedars of Lebanon were of great value as building materials for Solomon’s
temple, I Kings chapters 5-7. They were compared to the growth of the righteous, Psalm 92:12. They were
planted by the Lord, Psalm 104:6 and often mentioned in judgment, Isaiah 14:8, 37:24; Jeremiah 22:23;
Ezekiel 27:5, 31:3; and Zechariah 11:1. These trees were depicted as a description of blessing in the future
for Israel, Hosea 14:6. The oaks of Bashan are mentioned next. These oaks are mentioned along with the
cypress and cedars of Lebanon as “the majestic ones are destroyed,” in Zechariah 11:1-2, which may be
understood as a parallel passage with Isaiah 2:13-16.
2:14 against all the high mountains,
against all the high hills,
The second created things mentioned are the high mountains and the high hills. These obvious symbols of
height and grandeur will be brought low and leveled when the Lord arises to make the earth tremble, 2:19.
This may have a reference to the great earthquake described in Revelation 16:18-20. The pagan peoples of
the ancient world concocted myths regarding false “gods” and the worship of these “gods” and idols on high
mountains. See Deuteronomy 12:2, 1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 16:4; 17:10-11; 2 Chronicles 21:11; Isaiah 57:7,
65:7; Ezekiel 6:3, 13; 18: 6, 11, 15; 22:9; and Hosea 4:13. Scripture also declares God’s judgment on the
mountains, Deuteronomy 32:22; Psalm 18:7, 97:5; Isaiah 41:15, 42:15, Jeremiah 4:24; Ezekiel 38:20; Micah
1:4; Habakkuk 3:6; and Revelation 6:14-16;
2:15 against every lofty tower,
against every fortified wall,
The third created things mentioned are lofty (high) towers and walls built by mankind which also shall be
destroyed and brought low in the day the Lord arises to make the earth tremble. There is no structure, tower,
wall, building, or anything crafted by mankind that will be able to withstand the great humbling of the earth
when God decides to bring His judgment upon all His creation. The people of the earth had an early reminder
of this when they were building the tower and city of Babel, Genesis 11:1-9. See also Isaiah 30:25. When the
Lord brings His judgment in His great wrath, the people of the earth will not seek to hide from Him in their
buildings and grand structures they have built, but in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. See
Revelation 6:12-17.
2:16 against all the ships of Tarshish,
and against every beautiful boat.
The fourth things mentioned are the ships and watercraft mankind has built to conduct trade. Like the sixth
item, 2:18, these things are created by man and not by God. These also will be destroyed in God’s day of
wrath. The “ships of Tarshish” refer to trading vessels likely going to or returning from Tarshish and
representing trade between the ancient nations of Isaiah’s day. Tarshish may have been a trading port in
Spain.
2:17 People's pride will be humbled,
and human haughtiness will be brought low;
the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
For emphasis, Isaiah 2:17 repeats the thought of 2:11. The fifth created thing mentioned that will be humbled
and abased is the pride and lofty self-elevation (pride and haughtiness) of mankind. It is indicative of
54…..Isaiah 2:17-20
mankind’s fallen condition that humans are placed near the end of this list rather than in first place. Yet the
overall emphasis of the longer passage, Isaiah 2:5-22, is the judgment of God on mankind’s elevated and
self-centered pride and position after they have rejected the rule of the Lord and have thrown off any
obedience to Him.
2:18 Idols will completely vanish.
The sixth and final “thing’ mentioned is not something created by God but by man, see also Isaiah 2:16. The
placement of idols at the end of the list is perhaps for dramatic intent and may be a literary device by the
prophet to emphasize God’s wrath in ascending order. God will have a day of reckoning on His created order
and it appears from Scripture that the forming and worshipping of idols is a most persistent plague on God’s
creation which had been “subjected to futility” since the fall of humans from their innocence in the Garden of
Eden. See Romans 8:20-22. Isaiah states in 2:18 that “the idols will completely vanish” when the Lord has
His day of reckoning. The fact of idol worship was one of the main reasons the Lord caused the people of
Judah to be taken captive to Babylon for seventy years and the people of the northern nation of Israel to be
purged from the land by the Assyrians. Yet in the New Testament those who are followers of Christ are
admonished by the Apostle John: “My dear children, guard yourselves from idols.” 1 John 5:21. Idol worship
has not diminished and will not until the Lord has His day of reckoning. See also Revelation 9:20. The
prophet had commented on idols in 2:8 and continues his prophetic declaration against them in the verses that
follow Isaiah 2:18.
2:19 They will enter the caves of the rocks
and into the holes in the ground
from the terror of LORD
and from the glory of his majesty,
when he arises to terrify the earth.
When God’s day of reckoning finally comes, when He arises to make the earth tremble, humans will seek
refuge against His wrath. Instead of running to Him in repentance and humility, they will run into “caves of
the rocks and into holes in the ground.” See also Isaiah 2:21. Their prideful self-exaltation will finally be
brought low, even to beneath the surface of the earth. The Lord will rise up with terror but yet with the glory
of His majesty, as also stated in 2:10. The timing of this event is during the great tribulation as described in
similar words in Revelation 6:12-17. This is not an allegorical prophetic utterance by the prophet nor is it a
type of representative judgment. Isaiah uses plain language to describe a coming historical event that will
happen literally just as he described it. These words, which the Lord gave Isaiah to proclaim, are meant to
bring humans to repentance from their rejection of the majestic and magnificent God of creation. They are to
turn to Him in humble worship and praise. God is extending an opportunity for His chosen people to repent
and turn to Him in faith. God still extends this opportunity to all humans today if they will only listen and
obey Him.
2:20 In that day people will throw away their idols of silver,
and their idols of gold,
which they made for themselves to worship,
to the moles and to the bats.
As a direct result of “the day,” when the Lord arises “to terrify the earth,” 2:19 and 21, humans will finally
be in great dread and fear of the Lord. They will throw away their idols which they have made by themselves
and which they had worshipped. Some may wonder why the worship of idols crafted from costly metals,
silver and gold would be so prevalent in the tribulation period, just before the return of the Lord. It is popular
55…..Isaiah 2:20-22
to explain away the worship of hand-crafted idols by describing anything that would replace man’s devotion
and attention to the Lord as an idol of worship. Yet Scripture is very clear that in the last days the worship of
hand crafted idols will be widespread, Revelation 9:20. As the world descends into paganism as the last days
quickly approach, the so-called sophistication and liberation of humans, in rejecting any influence of God in
their lives, will result in the most blasphemous activity humans can conceive. The worship of the true God
will be rejected. The Apostle Paul comments, “For even though they knew God, they did not glorify him as
God, or give thanks to him; but became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for images
resembling corruptible man, birds, four-footed animals and creeping things.” (Romans 1:22-23). The idols
man will craft will look like images of humans, birds, animals and insects which they will worship.
2:21 They will enter the caverns of the rocks,
and into the crevices of the rocky cliffs,
from the terror of the LORD
and from the glory of his majesty,
when he arises to terrify the earth.
Isaiah 2:21 is a re-emphasis of Isaiah’s previous declaration stated in 2:19-20. Not only will humans “cast
away” their worthless idols which they have been worshiping to the creatures that inhabit caves and holes but
they themselves will seek refuge from the dread of the Lord’s appearance in these dark places. These things
will occur during the latter part of the tribulation period when mankind will flee from the Lord’s presence
and from His great wrath. See Revelation 6:12-17.
2:22 Stop trusting in human beings,
whose breath is in their nostrils.
For why would you even give them a thought?
This final verse of chapter 2 is one of the great thematic verses summing up the teaching of the entire book of
Isaiah: “Stop trusting in human beings, whose breath is in their nostrils. For why would you even give them a
thought? Refer to Isaiah 17:7-8, “In that day a person will look to their Maker, and turn their eyes to the
Holy One of Israel. They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands; neither will they look to what
their fingers have made, the Asherah poles or incense altars.” Also consider, Isaiah 50:10, “Who among you
fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of his servant? Anyone who walks in darkness, and has no light, let
them trust in the name of the LORD, and rely upon his God.” Another verse to consider with this theme is,
“I, even I, am he who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere mortals, and of the son of man who is as
fleeting as grass”? Isaiah 51:12
Isaiah repeatedly warned the people of Judah to trust in God rather than in man. When a national crisis
occurred, and the nation was threatened by military force from a much larger kingdom, the kings of Judah
(and Israel) would turn to seek military aid from the surrounding pagan nations. Isaiah recorded a single
incident, when Jerusalem was facing certain doom from the army of the Assyrians, king Hezekiah finally
turned in faith to the Lord. See Isaiah chapters 36-37. Isaiah’s message of trusting alone in the One true
God was for all people in Judah and applies to all peoples today. In what some consider to be the very middle
verses of the Bible, Psalm 118:8-9, the Psalmist declares: “It is better to take refuge in the LORD, than to
trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the LORD, than to trust in princes.”
56…..Isaiah 3:1
5. Zion’s Oppressive Rulers to be Removed: 3:1-15
Introduction: 3:1-15
The prophet warns that along with the bread and water, the leaders of the people will be removed from the
land. Without adult leadership, capricious children will rule over them and no adult will desire to be a leader.
This passage, 3:1-7, and the remainder of chapter 3 is a far future prophecy of the anarchy that will be
prevalent in Israel during the tribulation period of the last days. The context of the extended passage of
Isaiah, from chapter 2:5 to 3:26, most certainly applies to the tribulation period when the Lord will have His
day of reckoning and when He will arise to terrify the earth. This passage is positioned within two beautiful
depictions of the kingdom of Messiah, Isaiah 2:1-4 and 4:1-6. The Messianic kingdom will follow the
tribulation period. An extended discussion of both the tribulation period and the kingdom of the Messiah will
be provided in the specific passages in Isaiah relating to these two periods. For example, see notes on Isaiah
2:1-4 for the first great section of Isaiah on the kingdom of the Messiah.
As declared by the prophet in 3:1-7; the LORD, in judgment will remove food and water from Judah and will
also remove its army, community, legal and religious leaders, and all honorable people and skillful workers
vss. 1-3. The very young will rule over them, vs. 4. Everyone will oppress their neighbor with no one willing
to take leadership responsibility as the land descends into poverty and despair, vss.5-7.
The prophet states the reason for this terrifying judgment upon Jerusalem and Judah. They have fallen. This
indictment on His people by the Lord extends to all of the people and specifically to the elders and princes of
the land who the Lord says have devoured the vineyard, plundered the poor, crushed His people and have
grinded the face of the poor. The people and their leaders have nothing with which to respond to God. Their
time is up. Judgment awaits them, and it is a bitter future that they will have to endure. The prophet declares
that Jerusalem and Judah have fallen because of they have rebelled against the LORD, vs. 8. They flaunt and
display their sin before God like Sodom bringing disaster upon themselves, vs. 9. The righteous will be
rewarded but the wicked will face disaster, vss. 10-11. The people of God will be oppressed by their leaders
who will bring confusion and mislead them, vs. 12. The LORD will rise to bring judgment on the people and
upon their leaders who have ruined the land and have plundered the poor among them, vss. 13-15.
3:1 For look, the sovereign LORD of hosts,
is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah
support and supply,
every piece of bread and drop of water,
The introductory words of 3:1 are translated “For look.” These words link the message of the prophet
recorded in chapter 2 and continues the narrative so that the reader understands that God is continuing His
declaration of judgment on the people of Judah and specifically Jerusalem. The message of judgment in
chapter 3 and chapter 2:5-22, is proclaimed by “the sovereign LORD of hosts”. It is the same title of God that
Isaiah will state again in 3:15, 10:16, 23, 24, 33; 19:4; and 28:22. The notes on Isaiah 1:9 contain a brief
explanation of the meaning of these titles.
The first thing to be taken away from Jerusalem and Judah, as a result of God’s judgment upon his people
during the days of tribulation, will be “supply and support.” This is likely a reference to the removal of
military support and leadership for Israel during the horrific days of the great tribulation when any nations
who had previously supported Israel will have withdrawn their support and promised protection. Those who
have leadership of the military forces of Israel will also be removed leaving the Jewish people vulnerable and
without protection from their enemies who will unite to assault them. These enemies will descend upon Israel
57…..Isaiah 3:1-4
during the tribulation period with the evil intent to annihilate the Jewish people from the earth. These
enemies will be gathered together “to the place which is called in Hebrew Armageddon” during the days of
the pouring out of the sixth bowl judgment, Revelation 16:12-16. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum explains:
“While the term “Battle of Armageddon” has been commonly used, it is really a misnomer, for more than
one battle will be taking place. For this reason, many prophetic teachers have stopped employing that
term and are using the term “Campaign of Armageddon,”…. But this too is a misnomer because there
will be no fighting in Armageddon itself; all of the fighting will take place elsewhere. A more biblical
name for this final conflict is found in the closing words of verse 14: the war of the great day of God, the
Almighty. This is a more accurate description of the nature and extent of this final conflict.” (Arnold G.
Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah, page 311).
The second thing to be taken away from Jerusalem and Judah will be “every piece of bread and every drop of
water.” While many scholars may want to reduce the significance of these words by alluding to a time of
want where food and water will be scarce, there is nothing in the context of 3:1 that would indicate that
Isaiah was overstating the extent of the complete removal of these essential needs for sustaining life. In
Revelation 16:19-20, it is recorded that the judgment of God against the earth, including Babylon will be so
great that the cities of the nations will be destroyed along with islands and mountains of the earth. It is within
this context that Isaiah could prophesy that no life sustaining source would survive.
3:2-3 the mighty man and the warrior,
the judge and the prophet,
the diviner and the elder,
3
the captain of fifty and the honorable person,
the counselor and the expert craftsman,
and the skilful enchanter.
Not only will the land be bereft of its food supply, but the Lord will also remove many aspects of its human
leadership: mighty man, warrior, judge, prophet, diviner, elder, army captain, honorable person, counselor,
expert craftsman and skillful enchanter. In providing this list it is helpful to consider the intent of the Lord’s
meaning. It is obvious that not every possible leader is mentioned yet a wide spectrum of society is stated so
the meaning of the Lord is clearly understood.
3:4 I will make the young to be their princes,
and infants will rule over them.
Because of the removal by God of the leaders of society in all respects, there will only be capricious children
left to rule them. Some attest that the more immediate context of this prophecy was the conquering of
Jerusalem and Judah by the Babylonians which started in 605 B.C and was completed in 586 B.C. However,
it is best to understand that this prophecy concerns the time of “Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7) which will
be the period of tribulation just prior to the return of the Messiah to rescue the remnant of His people. The
Assyrians had conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. Isaiah and the people of Jerusalem and
Judah had knowledge of what it was like for a foreign nation to devastate the land and remove by death and
deportation, its leaders and influential citizens. As the words of chapter 3 are addressed to Jerusalem and
Judah, the people of the southern kingdom would be in dread of what God has proclaimed would happen to
them as it had already happened to their northern kinsmen. God will, because of the sin of the people, leave
them without mature leadership and chaos would result. With only children and the young left to lead them,
they would be at the mercy of their enemies who will have no mercy and only design to completely remove
them from the earth.
58…..Isaiah 3:5-8
3:5 The people will be oppressed,
everyone by another,
and everyone by his neighbor.
The young will behave proudly against the old,
and the base against the honorable.
The chaotic nature of society ruled by capricious children, 3: 4, is described by Isaiah. The people left alive
in Jerusalem and Judah will be oppressed by each other, within their homes and by their neighbors. The
young will oppress the elderly and those who are the “inferior” of society will oppress those who are
considered “honorable”. When God is rejected as the rightful ruler of His people, sinful, unholy and
unrighteous people, like those described in Isaiah 1:4-8, will dominate society and as will be the situation in
Jerusalem and Judah, no one will assume responsible leadership as verses 6 and7 affirm.
3:6-7 A person will even grab hold of his brother
in his father's house, saying,
"You have clothing,
come you be our ruler,
and let this ruin be under your rule."
7
In that day he will cry out,
"I cannot cure this;
for there is neither bread or clothing in my house,
you must not make me ruler of the people.
The complete destruction of Jerusalem and Judah is seen in the deplorable situation of the home life of those
living during these terrifying times. Without food for sustenance and clothing for covering the body, the
people will cry out in desperation, “I cannot cure this” as they seek someone who at least has clothes to
assume leadership of the people. The KJV has “I will not be a healer,” which is similar to the NASB, “I will
not be your healer,” and the ESV, “I will not be a healer.” The NIV translates this phrase as “I have no
remedy.” The NKJV is closest to the DASV, “I cannot cure your ills.” The word “cure” in the DASV, and
“healer” in the KJV, ESV and NASB, is the Hebrew habas which is often translated as “to firmly bind or
wrap,” a turban for a person or a saddle for a donkey. It also has the meaning as in Isaiah 3:7, of binding or
wrapping a bandage thus providing the intended meaning of healing or curing.
3:8 For Jerusalem has stumbled,
and Judah has fallen;
because their words and their deeds are against the LORD,
defying his glorious watchfulness.
In 3:8, Isaiah explains the root reason why the judgment will fall upon His people, “Because their words and
their deeds are against the LORD, defying his glorious watchfulness.” In the DASV in 3:8, “watchfulness” is
the translation of the Hebrew word ayin, which is translated most often in the Old Testament including by
Isaiah, as “eyes.” However, the DASV translation of “defying his glorious watchfulness” is a suitable
rendering. The KJV has, “to provoke the eyes of his glory.” The ESV has: “defying his glorious presence.”
These translations help to capture the shocking wickedness of God ‘s people, who although they were aware
of God’s presence, chose to mock and scorn their Creator and as Isaiah 3:9 reveals, they unashamedly
performed their evilness in rebellious defiance before His glorious eyes (His presence).
59…..Isaiah 3:9-11
3:9 The look on their face witnesses against them;
they flaunt their sin like Sodom;
they do not hide it.
Woe to their soul!
They have brought disaster on themselves.
This verse is one of the most stunning indictments of sinful behavior in the Scriptures. See also Isaiah 30:11
and particularly 65:5 for other statements of the complete rejection of God by His covenant people including
their abhorrent blasphemy against the LORD. The Jewish people will be boldly and defiantly practicing their
evil behavior during the days of tribulation when God is judging them and others on the earth, for continuing
to rebel against Him. Isaiah 3:8-9 reveals that sinful humanity is solely responsible for the consequences of
their sin that they arrogantly and with hubris debauchery openly flaunt it in the face of their Creator. The
NIV for Isaiah 3:9, states this indictment with arresting clarity, “The look on their faces testifies against
them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon
themselves.”
Modern society has so fallen into the depths of depravity that they proudly openly display their lascivious
and abominable lifestyles in parades in the cities of the world with many elected officials giving their support
by participating in and some even leading the parade. God will not leave this situation unopposed. He will
judge those nations that promote and participate in this evil behavior for those who so “parade their sin” and
show openly that they have defied God’s commands and have rebelled against His glorious presence. For
comment on the word “woe” see notes on Isaiah 3:11.
3:10 Tell the righteous, that it will go well with them,
for they will eat the fruit of their labors.
The words of Isaiah 3:10-11 are similar to the wisdom literature in Scripture which describe “well” for the
righteous and “woe” to the wicked. Those who are righteous will reap the benefits of their obedience, their
love and their commitment to God. The ultimate benefit will be their living forever in the presence of God’s
glorious presence. Many righteous followers of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, will not see the “fruit of
their actions,” compare Galatians 6:7-8, during their sojourn upon the earth. But for now, in the oppressive
atmosphere of this sin-exalting and God-rejecting world, many Christians are persecuted, and many are
executed because of their faithful allegiance and obedience to their Lord. The days described in Revelation
chapters 6-19 are fast approaching.
3:11 Woe to the wicked! Disaster!
For exactly what their hands have done
will be done back to them.
Isaiah declares a prophetic “woe,” Hebrew oy, on the wicked. The word “woe” oy, occurs in Isaiah 3:9, 3:11,
6:5 and 24:16. Other occurrences of woe in Isaiah are the Hebrew hoy. The most remembered is likely
Isaiah’s exclamation of “woe” when He saw the Lord, lofty and exalted in the Temple, Isaiah 6:5. Woe (oy)
has the meaning of a cry of lamentation, or a lament of impending judgment. In English, it can be understood
as a lament of certain grief. It was a word frequently used by Jesus Christ in judgment upon those, often the
religious leaders of Israel, who failed to fulfill their obligations to the people of Israel. The wicked, Isaiah
states in 3:11 will receive what they deserve. The word “wicked,” Hebrew rasha, also has the meaning of
being guilty and deserving of punishment. The famous phrase stated by Isaiah, “There is no peace for the
wicked” occurs in Isaiah 48:22 and 57:21, and this phrase completes important divisions within Isaiah
chapters 40 to 66.
60…..Isaiah 3:12-14
The word “Disaster!” in 3:11 is a translation of the Hebrew word ra, which has the meaning of bad or evil.
This word stands alone in 3:11 and some modern versions have added words to explain its meaning. The
DASV and NIV translate ra as “Disaster!” which conveys the thought that the wicked will reap to themselves
what they have sown as the rest of the verse explains.
3:12 As for my people, children oppress them,
women rule over them.
O my people, those leading you mislead you,
and confuse the direction of your paths.
Isaiah 3:12 is an emphatic précis of 3:4-7. It is evident that the period of time that Isaiah is prophesying about
cannot be the during the days of Isaiah, for they had a king and leaders that rule over them. The time Isaiah is
indicating is in the far future as the context of the greater passage reveals. The people will be oppressed by
children. Male leadership will vanish, and women will lead those who are left in the land during the rule of
Antichrist in the terrifying days of the tribulation. The result of this oppression and of those who will lead
them astray is that the people will be confused in seeking a direction. The KJV is very pointed in its
statement of judgment on these people: “they which lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy
paths.” Isaiah 28:14-15 is another stinging indictment on these people whose leaders lead them to
destruction.
Isaiah 3:13-15 comprises a small section declaring that the Lord will rise up to judge His people for their
selfish actions.
3:13 The LORD rises to make the accusation;
he stands to judge the peoples.
The righteous LORD will not allow sinful and rebellious actions to continue without consequence. God will
rise up to contend or to make an accusation against His people. “Accusation” in the DASV is the Hebrew
word rib, which has the meaning to strive or contend. It is used in the sense of an indictment or plea in a legal
setting such as a court. The Lord will therefore “stand to judge” His people. He alone will act as the One
bringing the charge, as prosecutor, as judge and as One delivering punishment. Not only will God act as the
sole judge of His people during the days of tribulation but also in the Millennial kingdom as Isaiah will state
later, Isaiah 11:3-4; 16:5; 33:22 and 51:5.
3:14 The LORD comes to pronounce judgment on the elders
and on the princes of his people.
"It is you who have ruined the vineyard;
the plunder stolen from the poor is in your houses.
God brings His judgment on the leaders (elders and princes) of the people who have neglected their duty of
faithfulness and oversight of the people and have acted corruptly and selfishly. These leaders have
“devoured” the vineyard which is a word depicted by Isaiah to represent the people. The picture of the
vineyard is a common theme throughout Isaiah. It is first introduced in 1:8, “The daughter of Zion is left like
a hut in a vineyard” and it next mentioned in 3:14. The prophet’s main description of the vineyard is as a
parable in 5:1-7 and also in 5:10. Other references are 16:10; 27:2; 36:17; 37:30 and 65:21. An expanded
description on the meaning of the vineyard is provided in the notes on chapter 5:1-7. These leaders have also
added to the misery of the poor by plundering the weak and helpless and accumulating the confiscated goods
within their own houses.
61…..Isaiah 3:15-16
3:15 Why do you crush my people,
and grind the faces of the poor?"
says the sovereign LORD of hosts.
The Lord directs His wrath on the leaders of His people for their evil mistreatment of the people. One scholar
provides an explanation:
“The prophet speaking for the Lord, seems to be almost livid with outrage and indignation. He cries:
“Mahlahem?” – “By what right? “What do you mean that you crush my people and grind the faces of
the poor?
Here we have a very striking metaphor, tellingly employed by the prophet. Just as the stones of a mill
crush grain and then grind it fine flour, later to be baked and eaten as bread, so the leadership of
Jerusalem and Judah crush and grind the faces of the people in order to devour them completely.”
(Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 122).
6. Judgment on the Haughtiness of the Daughters of Zion: 3:16-4:1
The Lord, through the prophet, denounces the pride and self-exaltation of the women of Zion whom the
prophet states as the “daughters of Zion,” vs. 16. The coming judgment on the Jewish nation will result in
their shameful defilement with plucked out scalps, they will smell like putrefaction and will wear sackcloth
instead of fine cloths, vss. 17-24. A further shame for the women will be that the coming battle against the
nation’s enemies will result in a lack of marriageable men, as the men of the nation will be killed during the
days of tribulation. Like the leaders, elders and princes of the land, the women also will face the
consequences of their sinful pride and evil actions, 3:25-4:1. Isaiah 4:2 has the definitive phrase “in that day”
that begins the messianic kingdom passage of chapter 4:2-6. Thus, the entire section Isaiah 2:5 to 4:1 refers
to the judgment of the Jewish peoples, and the inhabitants of the earth, during the horrifying days of the
tribulation.
3:16 The LORD says, The daughters of Zion are haughty,
and walk with outstretched necks and seductive eyes,
walking with dainty little steps as they go,
and jingling with their feet.
The prophet continues to announce the judgment of God on His people with a message directed to the proud
and prosperous women who are called the ‘daughters of Zion.” All females in Jerusalem would be
represented by this title which occurs in the DASV in Isaiah 3:16-17, and 4:4. The words “daughter of Zion”
(singular) occur in 10:32; 16:1; 37:22; 52:2 and 62:11. The phrase “daughter of my people” occurs in 22:4
and “daughter of Jerusalem” occurs in 37:22. Other references to the daughters (of God’s covenant people)
occur in 43:6, 49:22; 56:5 and 60:4. The phrase “daughters of Zion” occurs in Song of Solomon 3:11 and a
similar title, “daughters of Judah” occurs in Psalm 97:8. The declaration of judgment in 3:16 to 4:1 is likely
upon the women who were married to husbands belonging to the king’s court and other rich members of
society. The reign of Uzziah was very prosperous and the king had cities built and a large army well
equipped for battle, 2 Chronicles 26:1-15. The main indictment against these prosperous women, during
Isaiah’s day and as also will be in the last days, is that in their vanity and pride, they flaunted their wealth
with their haughty walk with their heads held high and their noses in the air. They also had seductive
(flirtatious) eyes and walked with mincing (small and quick) steps and had bangles or tinkling ornaments
around their ankles that would announce their coming, so everyone could observe them.
62…..Isaiah 3:17-25
3:17 Therefore the Lord will strike with scabs
the top of the head of the daughters of Zion,
and the LORD will make them bald.
As a result of this vain display, the Lord will take direct judgmental action against them by inflicting their
heads with ugly scabs and a loss of hair on their foreheads which would render them ugly and repulsive to
look upon.
3:18-23 In that day the Lord will take away their beautiful anklets,
the headbands, and the crescent necklaces,
19
the earrings, bracelets, and veils,
20
the headdresses, the ankle bracelets, the sashes,
the perfume boxes, and amulets,
21
the rings and nose rings,
22
the party dresses, robes, shawls and purses,
23
the hand mirrors, fine linen garments,
the turbans and shawls.
Isaiah states the time frame, “in that day” in 3:18 which connects this judgment on the women with the
preceding larger passage beginning in 2:5 and continuing to 4:1 with reminders of the time in which these
judgments will occur. The words “that day,” also occur in 2:11, 12, 17, 20; and 3:7. Following the time of
judgment in the day the Lord has appointed, will also be a period of blessing indicated by the phrase “in the
latter days” 2:2-4. The coming period of judgment on the proud women of Jerusalem (Zion) will be during
the tribulation period. The Lord, according to 3:18-23, will remove the vain display of wealth from the
women which includes a long list of jewelry and other items they have worn to flaunt their wealthy status.
3:24 Instead of sweet perfumes there will be a rotten stench;
and instead of a sash, a rope;
instead of a beautiful hairdo, baldness;
instead of a rich robe, sackcloth;
a slave branding instead of beauty.
The Lord next describes with what He will replace the items of luxury. Sweet perfume will be replaced with
putrefaction (a melting stinking rottenness). Belts (sash) will be replaced by rough ropes. A “beautiful
hairdo” will be replaced with baldness that have the hairs plucked out. Sackcloth, a rough and scratchy ugly
garment of disgrace, will be worn instead of fine cloths. The armies of Antichrist will brand the women
causing great pain and they will bear an ugly mark removing any previous beauty they had.
3:25 Your men will fall by the sword,
and your warriors in the war.
The women will be humiliated in this way, 3:24, because there will be no men left to protect them and
preserve their vain lifestyle. The mighty men and warriors will be put to death in a future time of warfare
which is described in the notes for Isaiah 3:1.
63…..Isaiah 3:26-4:1and Introduction 4:2-6
3:26 Her gates will lament and mourn;
deserted she will sit on the ground.
Because of the destruction caused by the forces of Antichrist during the tribulation period, the gates of Zion
now referred to as belonging to the women who are left, and within these gates, these women will lament and
mourn the devastation that they will face. Dejected, disgraced, defiled and disfigured, the women will sit on
the ground within the lonely and desolate gates, mourning this tragedy that has come upon them.
4:1 Seven women will take hold of one man in that day, saying, "We will eat our own food, and wear our own
clothes, just let us be called by your name; take away our shame.”
With the great men and warriors defeated and dead, these women who have been marked by the judgment of
God, will seek to obtain some semblance of self-worth by clinging on to any willing man who will marry
them. Even if it means that a man will have at least seven wives, these women will use their own resources
instead of relying on the provisions of the man. They will do this so that the “reproach” of being left
unmarried and alone will be removed.
Teaching Outline of Isaiah Chapter 2:5 to 4:1
2:5-11 Removal of Foreign Influences
2:12-22 Removal of Useless Idols
3:1-7 Removal of Evil Leaders
3:8-15 Removal of the Place of Zion’s Men
3:16-4:1 Removal of the Pride of Zion’s Daughters
7. The Branch and the Messianic Covering of Zion: 4:2-6
Introduction to Isaiah 4:2-6
This is one of the most beautiful promises of the coming kingdom of the Lord contained in all of Scripture. It
is an addition to the glories of the Messianic kingdom the prophet declares for example, in 2:1-4 and 28:5-8,
15-17, 65:18 and in other passages in Isaiah. In this section 4:2-6, the reader of Isaiah is introduced to the
“branch of the LORD” and will discover that this metaphor refers to a Person who will come in the future to
restore the relationship between God and His chosen nation Israel. Yet there is much more that the “Branch”
will do among the people and within the land of Israel and in particular, what the Branch will accomplish on
Mount Zion.
This section begins with the words, “in that day”. The student must consider what day is Isaiah writing
about. References in Isaiah (DASV) to this day, the far future day of the Lord, is recorded in the previous
verse, 4:1) and also in 2:11, 17, 20; 3:7,18; 10:20; 11:10, 11; 12:1, 4; 17:4, 7, 9; 19:16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24;
24:21; 25:9; 26:1; 27:1, 2, 12, 13; 28:5; 29:18; and 30:23. It refers to a time when the Lord will bring
righteous and holy justice and also great blessings to the people of Israel. In the broader context of the
opening chapters of Isaiah it includes the description of chapter 2:2, “in the latter days.” Therefore, “in that
day” refers to the time when the Lord will finally deal with the sins of the people of Israel and when He will
set up His throne to rule from Mount Zion. It is also called the “day of the Lord,” in Isaiah in 2:12; 13:6, and
9. Other O.T. references to the phrase “day of the Lord” include, Ezekiel 13:5, 30:3; Joel 1:15, 2:1, 2:11,
2:31, 3:14; Amos 5:18, 5:20; Obadiah 1:15; Zephaniah 1:7, 1:14; and Malachi 4:5. N.T. references include,
Acts 2:20; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; and 2 Peter 3:10.
64…..Isaiah 4:2
It also is referred to many times as simply “that day”. The meaning of these shorter phrases must be
understood in the context of the passage as is obvious, for example, Zechariah chapter 14 in which Zechariah
is describing the terrifying beginnings and glorious results of this future day of the Lord. However, not every
passage containing these shorter phrases is a direct reference to the future day of the Lord.
4:2 In that day the branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the
pride and beauty of the survivors of Israel.
Isaiah 4:2 provides the context of what will happen in this future “day.” Isaiah begins with a designation,
“the Branch (capitalized in some versions) of the LORD.” It is critical to the understanding of these events to
determine from Scripture exactly who is the “Branch of the Lord”
In Isaiah 11:1-2, the branch is referred to as a person whom the Spirit of the LORD will rest, “The Spirit of
the LORD will rest upon him.” The prophet Jeremiah declares that this person will be righteous and will reign
as a King; and will act with wisdom, justice and righteousness. His name will be called, “The LORD is our
righteousness:”
5
"The days are coming," says the LORD,
"that I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
and he will reign as king
and will act with wisdom,
justice and righteousness in the land.
6
In his days Judah will be saved,
and Israel will dwell in safety;
and this is his name by which he will be called:
'The LORD is our righteousness.'"
(Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
Jeremiah provides more information about this Branch, as recorded in Jeremiah 33:14-16:
14
“Look, the days are coming,” says the LORD,
“that I will perform the good promise that I have spoken
concerning the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
15
In those days, and at that time,
I will cause a righteous Branch to sprout up for David;
he will execute justice and righteousness in the land.
16
In those days Judah will be saved,
and Jerusalem will dwell in safety.
She will be called by this name:
'the LORD our righteousness.”
Michael L. Brown provides a detailed discussion of the meaning of the “branch” in Jeremiah 23:5-6 with
reference also to Jeremiah 33:15, in Jeremiah 23:5-6, The Divine Branch of the Lord, The Moody Handbook
of Messianic Prophecy, Moody Publishers, pages 1011-1019. See also discussions of the Branch of the Lord
as referring to the Messiah in this publication in pages 36-37; 803-813, and 1057.
The prophet Zechariah in 3:8, stated, “Now listen, Joshua the high priest, you and your companions who sit
before you; for they are a portend of things to come for I am going to introduce my servant, the Branch.” As
a result of the introduction of the Branch, in Zechariah 3:9, the Lord declared, “I will remove the iniquity of
65…..Isaiah 4:2
this land in one day.” Zechariah also stated in 6:12-13, “This is what the LORD of hosts says, Look, here is
the man whose name is the Branch. He will branch out of his place and will build the temple of the LORD.
13
Yes, he will be the one to build the temple of the LORD, and he will bear the honor, and will sit on his
throne and rule. There will be a priest with him on his throne and there will be perfect harmony between the
two of them.”
From the above Scriptural references, it is abundantly clear that the “Branch” of Isaiah 4:2 refers to a man
and that this man will come in the future to reign as king and He will execute justice and righteousness in the
land (of Israel) and on the earth and in His days, Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. He will
also build a new temple in which He will reign as King, restoring the fallen house of David, and serve as
Priest. There should be no doubt that this person is the future Messiah who will come as the King of Kings
and Lord of Lords as is recorded in Revelation 19:16.
The word “Branch” in Isaiah 4:2, in the Hebrew is semah, which literally means branch or sprout. King
David, hundreds of years prior to Isaiah’s day, during what is recorded as his last words, in 2 Samuel 23:5
stated, “Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in
all thing and secure. For this is all my salvation and my desire; Will He not make it increase?” (NKJV). In
the context of the everlasting covenant that God made with David, the word “desire,” the last word of 2
Samuel 23:5, can also be translated as “grow” which literally means to spring forth or bring it to fruition.
It is likely this is a prophetic reference to the ultimate role of the Messiah as the Branch who will sprout or
spring forth to bring to fruition God’s plans for a future kingdom, in which the Messiah will rule from
Jerusalem sitting on the throne of David. The “everlasting covenant” that David mentioned in 2 Samuel
23:5, refers to an earlier promise God gave David, as recorded in 2 Samuel 7:12-13, “When your days are
completed and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will come
from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He will build a house for my name, and I will establish
the throne of his kingdom forever.” Also, 2 Samuel 7:16 states, “Your house and your kingdom will be made
secure forever before me. Your throne will be established forever.”
Another prior reference to the coming of the Branch is found in Psalm 132:17, “There (Zion as stated in
Psalm 132:13), I will make the horn of David sprout; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.” The horn of
David, a reference to God’s Anointed, will “sprout”. The word “sprout” the Hebrew samah, is related to the
word Branch in Isaiah 4:2 and has the meaning that God’s Anointed, the Messiah, will bring fruition to
God’s plan for the future glory of Zion which is the context of the entire Psalm. Some may be tempted to
accuse pre-millennialists of finding references to the Messiah behind every tree in the Old Testament
Scriptures. To that the answer must be no, but certainly the Messiah is found behind every branch!
In that day the branch of the LORD will be beautiful and glorious: (Isaiah 4:2)
Isaiah 52:7 and Romans 10:15 describe the feet of those who bring good news as beautiful. The most
beautiful feet of all who bring good news, are those of the Messiah who not only brought good news but was
the cause and reason for the good news. He Himself is the person of good news and is beautiful in all His
attributes, works and in His divine being. Isaiah describes the beauty and glory of the Lord in 28:5, “In that
day the LORD of hosts will be a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty to the remnant of his people” (ESV).
See notes on Isaiah 28:5 of this study. Other references to the beauty and loveliness of God’s land and name
include, Psalm 27:4, 96:6, 135:3; Isaiah 33:17 and in Daniel 8:9, 11:16, 11:41, and 11:45. Selected references
to the glorious nature of the Lord, His throne and name include, 1 Chronicles 29:13; Nehemiah 9:5; Psalm
72:19, 87:3, 145:5; Isaiah 3:8; 11:10, 63:14; Matthew 19:28, 25:31 and James 2:1. A study of the glory of
the person, name and possessions of the Lord would be a wonderful undertaking for the student of God’s
Word and this study of Isaiah is just too brief to give it the full value it deserves. For an extended discussion
66…..Isaiah 4:2
on the branch of the Lord, see J. Randall Price, Isaiah 4:2: The Branch of the Lord in the Messianic Age, The
Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, Pages 803-814.
For example, many have understood the depictions of the “branch” as represented by the four faces of the
cherubim, the four living creatures of Ezekiel 1:10: that of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle. In Jeremiah
23:5-6 the branch is described as “a king.” The representation of a king was in ancient times often seen in
the image of a lion. In Zechariah 3:8, the branch is described as “a servant.” The representation of a servant is
depicted by the role of the ox. In Zechariah 6:12, the branch is described as “a man.” The face of the “man”
on the Cherubim depicts humanity. In Isaiah 4:2, the branch is described as “the LORD.” The representation
of the LORD is depicted by the face of “an eagle” which depicts the lofty reaches of this majestic bird.
These four images on the four faces of the Cherubim also are understood as representing the four gospel
accounts. Matthew is the gospel of King Messiah; Mark is the gospel of the lowly servant; Luke is the gospel
of the son of man; and John is the gospel of the son of God. For an extensive discussion on these glorious
aspects of the depictions of the “branch,” see Tony Garland, A Testimony of Jesus Christ, volume 2, pages
271-278.
Isaiah 4:2 concludes with the description: and the fruit of the land will be the pride and beauty of the
survivors of Israel. Regarding the phrase “fruit of the land”, David Cooper comments:
“Isaiah's prediction (of the Branch) is a Hebrew parallelism. A recognition of this fact gives us the
proper clue to the correct interpretation. The phrase, the Branch of the Lord, therefore, refers to the
divine nature of this coming ruler, whereas the parallel expression fruit of the land calls attention to
His human nature. The prediction, therefore, foretells the time when the remnant of Israel which
survives the purging judgments given in chapter two shall unanimously and enthusiastically accept its
divine-human Ruler, Messiah.” (David L. Cooper, Messianic Series: Messiah: His Nature and
Person, Page 216).
Isaiah’s statement of “the pride and beauty (adornment, honor, excellence) of the survivors of Israel” would
have been a stinging indictment against the people of Israel. Isaiah has just reminded these people that the
Lord will remove their self-adorned “beauty” and their pride of place for their mighty ones will fall in battle
and the women in Zion’s gates, will lament and mourn as they sit on the ground, deserted. Isaiah 3:24-26.
Isaiah tells these prideful and self-exalting people that the Messiah, the Branch of the Lord will be coming
“in that day” and He will be the pride and the adornment of the survivors of Israel. This is a stark reminder
to all who hear this message that the followers of the Messiah will exalt Him alone. Those who repent and
follow the Lord will not be in the spotlight. They will not be the ones receiving accolades of glory nor will
they be exalted on pedestals of importance. It will simply not be about them. It will be all about the
exaltation, praise and worship of the Lord!
It is evident that God is preparing his people in the future for a dual blessing. First, the people and land will
be transformed by the future actions of the anointed Servant of God who will gloriously restore and fit Zion
for His role as the messianic ruler on the earth. Second, this ruler will have both a divine and human nature
which points prophetically to the good news of the healing of salvation and justification that Isaiah will
discuss later in his book in Isaiah 52:13-53:12.
Following the phrase “fruit of the land,” Isaiah adds “will be the pride and beauty of the survivors of Israel”.
The presence of the person and the accomplishments of the Messiah during the messianic kingdom will be a
source of pride for the remnant of Israel who have survived the horrors of the great tribulation and have
returned to Zion to live in peace. They shall be in the very center of the place of worship of the Lord on the
earth.
67…..Isaiah 4:2-4
Their beauty, (adornment, honor, excellence), will be their attachment to the Lord of Glory who reigns in
splendor and wonder. It will be the same for these believing and born-again survivors in the far future as it is
now for those who are believers and followers of Jesus Christ, as the Apostle Paul states in 2 Corinthians
3:18, “But we all, with unveiled faces reflecting as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed
into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which comes from the Lord, who is Spirit.” Paul
continues this thought in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For it is God who said, "Let there be light shining out of
darkness," who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ.”
4:3 Anyone who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, everyone who is recorded as
among those living in Jerusalem.
Those in Zion and Jerusalem who enter into the messianic kingdom will be called holy. For the chosen
people, this is a realization of God’s statement recorded in Exodus 19:6, “You will be for me a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation.” Leviticus 11:44 states, “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves
therefore, and be holy because I am holy.” The Apostle Peter referenced these verses in his first Letter, in 1
Peter 1:16 (Lev. 11:44) and 1 Peter 2:9 (Ex. 19:6). Those who are called holy in the messianic kingdom will
not need, as required in Exodus and Leviticus, to keep the Mosaic law with perfect obedience, but will be
called holy because they will be believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and will bear the Lord’s
imputed righteousness upon them, and will be living together with Him.
The phrase: “everyone who is recorded as among those living in Jerusalem” must refer to the book of life
that is mentioned several times in Scripture. Moses, when contenting with God over the sins of the people of
Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai, spoke of the book God had written. God responded by saying, "Whoever
has sinned against me, that person alone will I blot out of my book.” Exod. 32:32-33. This may be a
reference to an actual book or a metaphor for God who keeps an accurate account of all deeds performed by
all people on the earth. The fact that God’s book is mentioned throughout the Bible from Exodus to
Revelation is not to be taken lightly and if the Bible is understood in its plain sense, then it is not
unreasonable to understand that God indeed has “books” which are spiritual records that He alone keeps.
Ultimately, those who will appear before the great white throne for judgment will be judged from the things
which were written in the books, “according to their deeds,” Rev. 20:12. One of the books mentioned in
Revelation chapter 20 is the “book of life.” This is likely the same book as Isaiah mentions as “recorded for
life” in Isaiah 4:3. References to the “book of life” in Scripture include, Psalm 69:28; Philippians 4:3;
Revelation 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12, 20:15 and the “Lamb’s book of life” Revelation 21:27. Other likely
references to the same book are, Psalm 56:8, 139:16; Daniel 7:10, 12:1 and Malachi 3:16.
4:4 Then the Lord will wash away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and will purge the bloodstains of
Jerusalem from its midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of fire.
The prophet in Isaiah 4:4 states the time when the survivors of Israel will be called holy. It will be following
the washing away by the Lord of the filth of the daughters of Zion and after Jerusalem has been purged of its
bloodshed by “the spirit of judgment and the spirit of fire.” This undoubtedly refers to “the time of Jacob's
trouble; but he will be saved out of it,” Jeremiah 30:7. This time is called the “great tribulation” in Matthew
24:21 and Revelation 7:14. Isaiah is announcing a prophecy regarding the period of time just prior to the
commencement of the messianic kingdom which will be a time of judgment on the wicked of the world and a
time of trial for Israel. During this time, God will remove the wicked from the earth and prepare the survivors
or remnant of the people of Israel for service during the coming millennial kingdom. The events of the
tribulation period will be governed and ordered by God who is sovereign over His world. The Old Testament
68…..Isaiah 4:4-5
prophets, as they were given inspiration to write from God, spoke about this time. The New Testament
writers, also inspired from God, provided further information and it is in the last book of the Bible, the
Revelation of Jesus Christ, that the most details regarding these days are provided. However, all of God’s
Word must be studied to fully understand the events and outcomes of this period of time. A highly
recommended resource for a study of this period of time is, The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the
Sequence of Prophetic Events. Author: Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Publisher: Ariel Ministries, 2004.
Burl Haynie comments on the three-fold purpose of the tribulation:
“Multitudes of the earth's inhabitants will be touched and influenced by the judgments of the Tribulation
to seek the Lord. This is shown in Isaiah 26:9 "With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with
my spirit within me will I seek thee earnestly: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of
the world learn
righteousness." Isaiah 26:9 teaches that God's judgments poured out upon the world will cause the
inhabitants of the earth to learn righteousness. This is the first purpose of the Tribulation.
….
Although a great host will turn to God during the Tribulation, the time of Jacob's trouble, some will have
hearts so callused by sin that the terrible judgments of that day will only harden them more. Instead of
repenting of their sin, they will grow increasingly wicked. They will hate God, curse Him, and openly
defy Him.
These wicked ones will come up under a certain wicked and godless leader, during the Tribulation. He
will claim to be God and will demand that all the peoples of the world worship him. The Bible calls this
wicked one antichrist.
God will destroy all the wicked ones of the world and will rid the world of wickedness during the seven
years of the Time of Jacobs Trouble. This is the second purpose of the Tribulation.
….
God has yet another purpose in pouring out upon the world one judgment after another during the Time
of Jacob's Trouble. A messenger from heaven informed Daniel that the tribulation judgments will
continue till they break the power (will) of the holy people. The messenger said, "and when they have
made an end of breaking in pieces the power [will] of the holy people, all these things [tribulation
judgments] shall be finished" (Daniel 12:7). This is the third purpose of the Tribulation.”
(Excerpts from: Chapter 3: The Three-Fold Purpose of the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, in the online
publication: Time of Jacob’s Trouble Approaching: Israel – God’s Timepiece, author, Burl Haynie,
Biblical Research Studies Group, (http://www.biblicalresearch.info/index.html at time of publication of
this study of Isaiah).
4:5-6 The LORD will create over the entirety of Mount Zion, and over her sites of assembly, a cloud and
smoke by day, and a glowing flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy.6 There will be a
shelter for shade in the day from the heat, and a refuge and a shelter from the storm and rain.
Following the terrible days of the tribulation period the Lord will create over the whole area of Mount Zion.
The NKJV translates these verses as: “Then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion
and above her assemblies, a cloud of smoke by day and the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the
69…..Isaiah 4:5-6
glory there will be a covering. And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, for
place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.”
This prophecy of the millennial kingdom is reminiscent of the Shekinah glory which is promised to fill the
house (temple of God), which will exist during the messianic kingdom as stated in Ezekiel 43:2-5. It is also
reminiscent of the protection God gave to the Israelites during their wilderness wanderings after God rescued
them from their captivity in Egypt. It seems that the Messiah, during the duration of the messianic kingdom,
will constantly remind His people about His miraculous actions in the past which were designed by Him to
evoke praise and worship to the glory of His great name.
The words “dwelling place” (NKJV), Isaiah 4:5, is the Hebrew word makon, which has the meaning of “an
established place.” See also “dwelling place” in Isaiah 18:4. It is first mentioned in the Scriptures in the
Song of Moses, Exodus 15:17, “You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance,
in the place, O LORD, which You have made for Your own dwelling, the sanctuary, O LORD, which Your
hands have established.” (NKJV). (bold added). This prophecy by Moses is a majestic description of the
promised kingdom of the Messiah in which the dwelling place of God’s own creation will be a sanctuary
among His people. This “sanctuary” will be the tabernacle of God, Isaiah 4:6, in which He will dwell with
His people. The word “shelter,” (NKJV “tabernacle”) in Isaiah 4:6 is the Hebrew word sukka and is the word
for the feast of Tabernacles in Leviticus 23: 33-43 which will be celebrated during the millennial reign of the
Messiah as described in Zechariah 14:16-19. The re-establishment of the tabernacle (or temple) during the
messianic kingdom is prophesized in Amos 9:11, “On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which
has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old.”
(NKJV). The portrayal of God dwelling with the saints forever is recorded in Revelation 21:3, “Then I heard
a loud voice from the throne saying, Look, the dwelling place of God is among humankind. He will live with
them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them.” The words “dwelling place” in
Revelation 21:3 is the Greek word skene, which is often translated in the New Testament as “tabernacle.”
Note: The Hebrew word mishkan is the most commonly used word for the Tabernacle (tent of meeting) in the
Old Testament.
For the people who heard Isaiah proclaim this message, it would be news of hope that would be dependent
upon their repentance from their pride and self-exaltation. If they repented and chose their true pride and
adornment in their Messiah (the Branch of the Lord), rather than exalt themselves in their self-pride and
useless trinkets of adornment, they would look forward in joyous anticipation to the coming day when their
Lord would rule among them on Mount Zion. Gary V. Smith comments on verses 5-6:
“After Zion is purified, God will create something new in Zion. The use of “create” (bārāʾ) suggests that
this activity is parallel to Isaiah’s later elaborations on God’s special act of re-creating the new heaven
and the new earth (65:17; 66:22) at some point in the eschatological era. One of the primary new factors
in that kingdom will be the glorious presence of God himself. The cloud by day and the fire by night
symbolize his presence in Zion. Isaiah draws these images from the Exodus tradition, where God’s
presence was known through the cloud and fire that led the Israelites out of Egypt and eventually dwelt
in the tabernacle and temple (Exod 13:21–22; 14:19, 24; 40:34; Deut 1:33; 31:15; 1 Kgs 8:10–11). The
divine presence demonstrates God’s acceptance and nearness to his holy people. The surprising
difference is that God’s presence will not be limited to a temple building; it will be like a canopy over the
whole of Zion (cf. 60:1–2; 62:2; Ezek 39:25–29), because all of Zion and its people will be holy. The
canopy (4:5 sukkâ) is sometimes associated with weddings in Hebrew culture (Ps 19:6; Joel 2:16), but its
function here seems to point to the divine protection of all the holy people in Zion. God’s glory is
imaginatively pictured as a shelter or refuge from the harshness of the weather. These symbols represent
70…..Isaiah 5:1
any danger that might threaten the people of God. God is there to care for and to protect his people.”
(Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, pages 158-159).
Teaching Outline: Isaiah 4:2-6
4:2 The Beautiful and Glorious Person who will rule the Kingdom
4:3 The Holy Survivors of the People who will enter the Kingdom
4:4 The Sins of the Kingdom’s People Purged
4:5-6 The Security of the Kingdom’s Palace Provided
8. The Parable of the Vineyard: 5:1-7
Although being in the form of a song, 5:1, which is also a parable or teaching story, it is a portrait of God’s
care and protection for His chosen people. God laments that His care for His people did not result in their
fruitfulness that He expected. The people did not respond with joy, holiness, justice and righteousness. They
instead rebelled against God and continually committed acts of bloodshed and unrighteousness. As told in
this parable about a vineyard, God expected a yield of good grapes but received only worthless grapes. The
result of Israel’s failure to yield “good grapes” would be the removal of God’s care and protection for them
resulting in their land being trampled and consumed by their enemies. In and of itself, the parable offers no
hope of redemption to Israel but only judgment. Such hope will only come in later proclamations by the
prophet.
Isaiah in these verses, declares a song sung by God about His beloved, for whom He carefully cultivated a
vineyard, building a tower in its midst, and a winepress, expecting the vineyard to produce (good) grapes but
it only produced sour grapes, vss. 1-2. God asks what more could be done for His vineyard that He had
already done, and yet it produced only sour grapes, vss. 3-4. Because of its failure to produce good grapes,
God describes His judgment upon it and its destruction and reveals that His vineyard is the house of Israel
and the people of Judah, of whom God expected justice and righteousness, but received only oppression and
cries for help, vss. 5-7.
5:1 Let me sing for my beloved
a song about his vineyard.
My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.
The prophet begins his “song” by declaring that it is about his “beloved” or well-beloved without revealing
who this one is. The revelation of who this one is comes at the end of the song or parable as recorded in 5:7.
The revelation of the owner of the vineyard is a dramatic literary and theatrical devise designed to have the
greatest impact on those who first heard this song or on those who first read it. The use of a vineyard as a
metaphor would have been commonly understood in the agriculturally dependent economy of ancient Judah.
Noah was the first recorded person to plant a vineyard, Genesis 9:20. Moses often made mention of a
vineyard and used the vineyard as a symbol of judgment on the people of Israel if they were disobedient to
God, Deuteronomy 28:30 and 39. Moses declares the severe consequences of their disobedience in
Deuteronomy 28:45-46, “Then all these curses will come on, pursue and overtake you, till you are destroyed,
because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes that
he has given you. These curses will be a sign and a wonder against you and your descendants forever.”
Isaiah mentions the vineyard as a very important sign of God’s judgment or blessing of His people in 1:8;
3:14; 5:1-7; 5:10; 16:10; 27:2; 36:17; 37:30 and 65:21. In 27:2 Isaiah again mentions singing about a
vineyard in another metaphor about God’s care and blessings of His people in the portrayal of His people as
71…..Isaiah 5:1-2
His vineyard, Isaiah 27:2-6. In the parable recorded in Isaiah chapter 27, God’s people, “in that day” (27:2),
will take root, blossom, sprout and fill the whole world with fruit, 27:6.
Other prophets also use the vineyard in terms of judgment or blessing, Jeremiah 12:10; 31:5; 32:15; 35:7, 9;
39:10; Ezekiel 19:10; 28:26; Hosea 2;15; Amos 4:9; 5:11, 17; 9:14; Micah 1:6 and Zephaniah 1:13. Solomon
used the vineyard as a metaphor to represent his love as recorded in Song of Solomon, 1:6, 14; 2:15; 7:12 and
8:11-12. Solomon also mentions a vineyard in Ecclesiastes 2:4 and in Proverbs 24:30 as does Lemuel in
Proverbs 31:16. The psalmist mentions the planting of a vineyard with results similar to Isaiah 5:1-7 as
recorded in Psalm 80:8-13 and a blessing in Psalm 107:37. Jesus recognized the importance of the vineyard
in the lives of the people of Israel and may have had Isaiah’s song in mind when he spoke the parable of the
owner (God) of the vineyard and his son (Jesus Christ) as recorded in Matthew 21:33-46. See also Mark
12:1-12 and Luke 20:9-19.
Isaiah, further in 5:1, stated the soil conditions or context of the planting of the vineyard by his “beloved.”
The NKJV has “Well-beloved” in Isaiah 5:1. The vineyard was located on a fertile hill. As an obvious song-
parable about how the Lord prepared for the development of His chosen people to produce fruit for Him,
Isaiah leaves no doubt as to the care God took in this development. As 5:77 will reveal, the people had no
one to blame but themselves for their unproductiveness in fulfilling God’s intended plans for them.
5:2 He cultivated it, cleared out its stones,
and planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in the midst of it,
and also hewed out a winepress in it.
He expected that it would produce grapes,
but it yielded only sour grapes.
In 5:2, Isaiah continues the song-parable about the vineyard of his “beloved” by declaring the great care this
one took in digging the soil for preparation of planting; by removing the stones from the ground; by planting
the choicest or best of vines; by building a tower (for protection from animal and human enemies) in the
midst of the vineyard; and by hewing (cutting) out a vine vat (wine press) in expectation that the vineyard
would produce good grapes. Isaiah then reveals the tragic result that instead of good grapes it only produced
worthless ones. The Hebrew word for “sour” is beushim which literally means “stinking.” See also Isaiah
5:4. God would be offended by the stench of these stinking grapes.
Although this is a song-parable it does raise an interesting issue of tension between God’s omniscience (all
knowing) and His consequent actions of performing a work even if He knew beforehand how this work will
turn out. It is similar to God’s work in creating the world. He knew beforehand how His creation would be
defiled by the sin of man although He pronounced the results of His creative activity as being “very good,”
Genesis 1:31. Throughout the Scriptures this tension exists between God’s sovereign work, His elective
decrees, His purposes in predestination and choosing those who will have an everlasting relationship with
Him in heaven and between humans who bear the responsibility for their own actions and choices, even their
choice to honor God. The Apostle Paul declares that humans are “without excuse,” Romans 1:20-21, for even
though they knew Him, they refused to honor Him. For an extended discussion on the issue of the
sovereignty of God versus the responsibility of man, consult the theology texts mentioned in the Suggested
Resources (Bibliography) for this study.
The tension in Isaiah’s song-parable is that, students of the Scriptures understand that God knew just how the
Jewish people would respond to all His work in preparing them for His service to produce “fruit” described
as justice and righteousness in 5:7 for Him. God also knew that His people would fail in their responsibilities
72…..Isaiah 5:2-5
to Him. Yet God with His prior knowledge began and completed His work and preparation of His chosen
people. One response to this tension is that, in a future day, God’s work and preparation will yield the results
He intended as Isaiah 27:2-6 demonstrates. For Isaiah’s day, the results of God’s work and preparation had
not yet yielded the results He desired. One of the major themes of Isaiah is that God has been and continues
to cultivate and prepare a remnant of the people who will respond to Him in faith and obedience. The sad
reality of humanity is that, so many of God’s created beings will not respond to Him in trust for their eternal
salvation but will suffer the consequences of their own evil choices and actions. Yet we must rejoice in that
there will be uncounted numbers of human beings who will choose God in faith and will enjoy His presence
forever. God makes specific and detailed knowledge about Him evident to everyone, Romans 1:19-20, so
they can choose to have faith in Him and honor Him as God. However, a vast number of humans who have
this specific and detailed knowledge about God, will choose to not honor Him or have faith in Him.
5:3 Now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem
and people of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
God calls upon His people living in Jerusalem and Judah to be a judge (to discern) the truth between Himself
and His vineyard. Students of Scripture will notice that the speaker in 5:3 is no longer Isaiah but the Lord.
The Lord continues the narrative of the parable in order to explain its intended meaning and to guide His
people into comprehending their responsibility for their own failure to produce the fruit of justice and
righteousness. For a discussion of the likely time frame when Isaiah delivered this song-parable to the people
of Judah and Jerusalem refer to, Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, volume 1, pages 159-164.
5:4 What more could I have done to my vineyard
than I have not already done for it?
When I expected that it would produce grapes,
why did it yield only sour grapes?
God next requests that His people answer His question about His work and preparation in preparing His
vineyard for its expected harvest of good grapes. God asks: What more could He have done? It is a rhetorical
question for the obvious answer is that God could not have done any more to His vineyard nor could He have
cared for it any better than He has already done. Up to this point those hearing this song-parable for the first
time would have been wondering why a vineyard so carefully prepared would have failed to produce good
grapes
and only produced stinking grapes. Refer to notes on 5:22. What was the reason? Perhaps the prophet will
reveal it to them. In the meantime, God declares in 5:5-6, what He will do because of the failure of His
vineyard to produce good grapes. The prophet Nathan delivered a story- message to king David, 2 Samuel
12:1-15, following the tragic results of David’s sin with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, resulting in the death
of Uriah. The story-message from Nathan prompted a judgmental response from David without David
realizing that the story in the message was really about himself. Isaiah presents a similar song-parable for the
people of Judah who to this point do not yet realize the message of the story of the vineyard is really about
their relationship with God.
5:5 Now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge,
and it will be eaten up;
I will break down its wall,
and it will be trampled down.
73…..Isaiah 5:5-6
God startles His audience with His decision of what He will do with His vineyard. It must be remembered
that this “vineyard” and everything in creation belongs to God. The created order is for God to do whatever
He deems or desires to with it, for it and to it. It is created for Him. God’s sovereignty, regarding His people
Israel, is expressed powerfully in Romans chapters 9-11. In summing up the great theological teachings about
God’s sole right and choice to do and accomplish only what He desires in Romans chapters 9-11, the Apostle
Paul declares in one of the most glorious doxologies in Scripture, Romans 11:33-36,
33
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments,
and how unfathomable are his ways!
34
For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?
35
Or who has first given to God,
so that he is obligated to repay him?
36
For from him, and through him, and to him, are all things.
To him be the glory forever. Amen.
God does not ask permission from anyone regarding His vineyard. He simply declares, which is His
sovereign right, what He will do with this mass of worthless stinking grapes. First, He states He will remove
its hedge with the result that it will be consumed. The Hebrew word for “eaten” (consumed) is baar, which
has the primary meaning of burning, kindling and to completely sweep away. The judgment of God on His
people which is likened to a tongue of fire consuming stubble is mentioned in Isaiah 5:24.
Second, God declares in His judgment on His vineyard that He will break down the protective wall He had
built around it, likely from the stones and rocks He had removed from the ground. The result of this action is
that the entire vineyard will be open and vulnerable, and God declares that it will be trampled. The meaning
here is that God will remove His protection from His chosen people and their nation so that they will be left
to be over-run and destroyed by a foreign nation, as the prophet declared will happen to them in judgment as
recorded in Isaiah 5:26-30. God will use a “distant nation” to be His instrument to bring this judgment upon
His people. See notes on Isaiah 5:26 for an expanded discussion on God’s methods and the instruments He
uses to accomplish His actions of judgment.
5:6 I will make it a wasteland;
it will not be pruned or hoed;
instead, briers and thorns will come up.
I will also command the clouds
that they not shower any rain on it.
In His third statement of judgment on His vineyard, God states that He will lay it waste. It is God’s
prerogative to make the work of His hands a wasteland. The Hebrew word for “wasteland” (waste) is bathah
meaning an end or destruction. God has previously warned that He would lay waste the land of His chosen
people if they forsook His covenant and served other gods, Deuteronomy 29:22-29. See also Leviticus 26:14-
33. Isaiah also mentions this land will be laid waste in 5:17; and the earth will be made waste, 24:1, 3; and
42:15. However in a future time God will restore the waste places, Hebrew horbah, 49:19; 51:3 and 52:9.
Fourth, God will no longer cultivate the land and remove its weeds (pruned and hoed). As a result, briers and
thorns will arise. The metaphor of comparing the judgment of God to briers is a common literary device of
Isaiah. See 7:23-24; 9:18; and 10:17. Briers are mentioned in the sense of blessing in 27:4 and 32:13
(thistles). Fifth, God will withhold the rain, so the vineyard will receive no water and therefore it will dry up.
74…..Isaiah 5:6-7 and Introduction 5:8-30
God had previously warned His people not to turn away and serve other gods for if they did, “Then the anger
of the LORD will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the
land will not produce its fruit; and you will quickly perish from the good land that the LORD is giving you,”
Deuteronomy 11:17. See also 1 Kings 8:35-36; 1 Kings chapter 17; 2 Chronicles 6:26-27; 7:13-14; Jeremiah
3:3; 14:4; Ezekiel 22:24; Amos 4:7; Zechariah 14:17-18; and James 5:17-18.
5:7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah is his cherished plant.
He expected justice,
but got only oppression;
hoped for righteousness,
but heard only cries for help.
At the end of the song-parable, Isaiah reveals that the vineyard is a metaphor for God’s chosen people, the
house of Israel and the people of Judah. They were intended to be His delightful plant, but the song-parable
reveals that they instead turned out to be stinking and worthless. Students of the Scriptures should note the
impact of Isaiah’s choice of words being two pairs of alliterations. In the English NASB version, the last half
of 5:7 states, “Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold a cry of
distress.” The first pair of this alliteration is, justice versus bloodshed. In the Hebrew, justice is mishpat and
bloodshed is mispach (mishpat – mispach). The second pair of this alliteration is, righteousness versus a cry
of distress. In the Hebrew, righteousness is tsedaqah and “cries for help” (cry of distress) is tseaqah
(tsedaqah –tseaqah). When these words are spoken in Hebrew, the powerful effect of their obvious
alliteration becomes evident to those hearing the message.
Teaching Outline: Isaiah 5:1-7
5:1-2 The Rationale of God’s Care and Protection
5:3-4 The Results of God’s Care and Protection
5:5-6 The Removal of God’s Care and Protection
5:7 The Repudiation of God’s Care and Protection
9. Woes on the Wicked: 5:8-30
Following the parable of the vineyard, Isaiah continues his scathing message, that due to their horrific sins,
their remains no hope of safety or longevity in the land for the Jewish people. The section 5:8-30 is a
pronouncement of several woes that are coming. Woe is pronounced upon the rich who accumulate buildings
and land to the detriment of the poor. These buildings (homes), will be uninhabited and the lands will not
produce sustainable yields, vss. 8-10. Woe is pronounced upon drunkards and party goers who have no
respect for the deeds of the LORD. They will face exile and death, but the LORD will be exalted by justice as
He demonstrates His holiness by righteousness. Also, animals will graze among the ruins of the land, vss. 11-
17. Woe is pronounced on those who are quick to sin and have no patience for the LORD, vss. 18-19. Woe is
also pronounced on those who call evil good and turn light into darkness, vs. 20; and those who are wise in
their own eyes, vs. 21; and those who are captivated by strong drinks, vs. 21; and who accept bribes to acquit
the guilty and deny justice to the innocent, vs. 23. God declares His judgment upon all of His people who
practice wickedness and therefore, God will recruit a foreign nation to come and destroy them, vss. 24-30.
The theme of this section is the obvious contrast between the demise of the sinful people and the exaltation of
their holy God. A suggested outline of this section, provided below, highlights God’s solemn statement of
woes and the resulting judgments. A parallel to this section in Isaiah is declared by the prophet Hosea who
spoke about the plight of the Jewish nation as recorded in Hosea 8:7:
75…..Isaiah 5:8-9
For they sow the wind,
and they will reap the whirlwind.
The stalks do not have heads of grain;
it will not yield meal;
even if it did yield grain,
foreigners would swallow it up.
There is much literary evidence to connect 5:1-7 with 5:8-30. Isaiah uses similar themes and repeats several
verbal roots. See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, page 170. Isaiah, in 5:8-30, reveals why God is justified in
condemning the Jewish people for their failure to produce the fruit God expected. Isaiah states six woes are
laments for specific sins that have been continually committed. A most egregious set of sins is stated in
5:18-19. The people are so tied to iniquity and falsehood that they sin as if they are dragging their evil ways
with them with strong cords like cart ropes. If this is not wicked enough, they taunt God to show them the
judgment Isaiah has been speaking about. They are saying, they will believe it only when they see it. The
apostle Paul aptly summaries their attitude, “Be not deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever a person
sows, that will he also reap,” Galatians 6:7. The warnings of Scripture do not stand alone. As in Hosea 8:7
and Galatians 6:7 so in Isaiah chapter 5, the harvest of sowing evil is to reap ruin and destruction.
A suggested outline for Isaiah 5:8-30:
5:8-12 Woes: (1) material self-indulgence: 5:8-10;
(2) drunken self-indulgence: 5:11-12.
5:13-15 Judgment announced
5:16-17 The Lord exalted in judgment / The land exploited in judgment
5:18-23 Woes: (3) mocking God: 5:18-19;
(4) calling evil good: 5:20;
(5) declaring themselves wise: 5:21
(6) corrupt drunkards: 5:22-23
5:24-30 Judgment announced
5:8 Woe to those who accumulate house after house,
that acquire field after field
until there is no room left,
until you are left to dwell alone in the midst of the land!
The first lament of woe, Isaiah 5:8-10, regards the sin of the self-indulgent rich who buy up houses and land
for their own selfish desires and thus leave no land for the poor to use. God had decreed that the land
belonged solely to Him and it was not to be sold permanently. Also, God had set rules for poor relatives
(kinsmen) who, because of poverty, had sold their land and their nearest kinsman was required to buy the
land back for this poorer relative. There were also rules regarding the sale of a residence within a walled city
and those in villages without walls. Houses in villages had redemption rights and were required to revert to
the original owner in jubilee years. Levites enjoyed a permanent right of redemption for their houses, but the
land used for pastures were not to be sold, for God gave it to them as their permanent possession. See
Leviticus 25:23-34 for these redemption laws. Laws of inheritance are declared in Numbers 27:1-11. An
example of coveting land and its consequences is recorded in 1 Kings chapter 21, regarding evil king Ahab
coveting the land belonging to his neighbor Naboth. The prophet Micah, as recorded in Micah 2:2, declared
an oracle of woe on those who covet and seize fields and houses. See the greater context in Micah 2:1-11.
The prophet Amos also declared God’s judgment on similar circumstances in Amos 2:6-8.
76…..Isaiah 5:9-13
5:9-10 In my ears the LORD of hosts said,
"Of a truth many houses will be desolate,
even large and beautiful mansions
will be left without inhabitant."
10
For ten acres of vineyard will produce only six gallons of wine,
and six bushels of seed will produce less than a bushel of grain.
God spoke directly to Isaiah, “in my ears,” regarding the judgment on the rich who had acquired houses and
land in violation of His laws. First, their houses will be left desolate and without occupants. Second, their
land would not yield its expected harvest. God said ten acres of vineyard would only yield six gallons (a
bath) of wine and six bushels (a homer) of seed would only produce about half a bushel (an ephah) of grain.
Not only would the houses of the rich be empty, but their lands would produce an empty harvest. This
judgment coincides with the song-parable of the vineyard, 5:1-7 and Isaiah in these later verses of chapter 5,
is giving the details of why God’s vineyard did not produce its expected good fruit but only rotten stinking
and worthless fruit.
5:11-12 Woe to those who rise up early in the morning
so that they may pursue strong drink;
who stay up late into the night,
until they are inflamed with wine!
12
Their parties have the harp and lute,
the tambourine, flute, and wine.
They have no respect for the deeds of the LORD,
or consider the work of his hands.
The second lament of woe, 5:11-12 is against those who are self-indulgent by continually becoming so
inflamed with alcohol that they rose early to pursue strong drink and stay up late in the evening to consume
wine. They also held lavish banquets including many musical instruments and wine, but they did not
remember and honor God’s many deeds (accomplishments) or consider the works of God hands on their
behalf. They had forgotten one of the most solemn confessions of faith, the Shema, recorded in Deuteronomy
6:4-9. They also had forgotten that Deuteronomy chapter 6 contains this awful reminder in vs. 15, “For the
LORD your God in your midst is a jealous God and the anger of the LORD your God may be sparked
against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.”
5:13-17 Therefore my people will go into exile
for lack of knowledge;
their nobles will lack food,
and their crowds parched with thirst.
14
Therefore Sheol has enlarged its throat
and opened its mouth without limit.
Their famous ones and their multitude,
with their boisterous revelers will descend into it.
15
Each person will be on their face,
each one brought down,
and the haughty eyes humbled.
16
But the LORD of hosts will be exalted by justice,
and God the Holy One will demonstrate his holiness
by righteousness.
77…..Isaiah 5:13-17
17
Then will the lambs feed as in their own pasture,
and the fatlings graze among the ruins.
Because of these sins, Isaiah 5:8-12, God announces a particularly stinging and horrendous set of
punishments in 5:13-17. First, the people will go into exile meaning banishment from the land. This is a
direct prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, in which the city will lie in ruins, 5:17,
and the inhabitants will be taken as captives and exiles to Babylon. If this message was delivered by Isaiah in
740 B.C., it stands as a most significant prophecy, for it was fulfilled in 586 B.C. An earlier deportation of
Jews from Judah to Babylon occurred in 605 and 597 B.C. but the complete destruction of Jerusalem and the
removal of most of its inhabitants occurred in 586 B.C. Daniel and his three friends, were among the
prominent young men who were taken captive to Babylon in 605 B.C. The prophet Ezekiel was also one of
the prominent young men to be taken into exile in 597 B.C.
Earlier than these most significant dates for the destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of her citizens was the
events of the Syro-Ephramite war, 734-732 B.C. King Ahaz of Judah had refused to join king Rezin of
Damascus and king Pekah of Israel in a proposed three-nation alliance to repel the advancing Assyrian threat
against their nations. Following the refusal of Ahaz to join forces with Damascus (Syria) and Israel
(Ephraim), these kings led their armies to invade Judah and as recorded in 2 Chronicles 28:5-15, this invasion
resulted in the deaths of 120,000 soldiers of Judah. Also, 200,000 women and children were taken captive
into Samaria. Later they were returned to Judah through the intervention of the prophet Obed. One of the
goals of the Syro-Ephramite alliance was to remove king Ahaz and replace him with a king of their choice,
Isaiah 7:1-6, thus threatening to end the lineage of Davidic kings upon the throne of Judah. 2 Chronicles 28:5
also reveals God’s judgment on king Ahaz, “Therefore the LORD his God delivered him into the hand of the
king of Aram, and they defeated him, and carried away captive many of his people and brought them to
Damascus. He was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with heavy
casualties.”
One outcome of this devastating war was the fear of evil king Ahaz of the complete destruction of the land of
Judah and the City of Jerusalem. The evilness of Ahaz is described in 2 Chronicles 28:1-4. Instead of turning
to God for aid against the Syro-Ephramite alliance, king Ahaz requested help from Assyria, 2 Chronicles
28:16-21. This rebellion against God, by seeking help from a pagan nation, resulted in further disaster for
King Ahaz and Judah. See also 2 Kings 16: 1-20 for additional details of the evil life of King Ahaz and its
consequences.
Another earlier event was the conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim) by Assyria and the
removal of its people into exile into lands controlled by Assyria in 722-721 B.C. The Biblical account of this
conquest and exile is stated in 2 Kings 17:1-18. King Hoshea of Israel had rebelled against the king of
Assyria, Shalmaneser, by seeking aid from Egypt and by refusing to pay tribute to the Assyrian king. King
Shalmaneser, as a result of Hoshea’s actions, brought his armies to besiege the northern kingdom of Israel
and after a three-year period of assault, the armies of Assyria completely conquered Israel and took captive
its people and transported them to various parts of the Assyrian empire. As with the assault by Syria and
Ephraim and later Assyria on Judah, God was the divine mover of the events that led to the complete
destruction of Israel, 2 Kings 17:18. Refer to 2 Kings 17:19-41 regarding the events that followed the
destruction of the nation of Israel.
The people of Judah were not ignorant of these events. They brought great fear and dread to them. But they
were not moved by these events to repent of their evilness and rebellion against God. They constantly
mocked God by worshipping idols and seeking the help of pagan nations instead of humbly repenting of their
sinfulness and seeking God for protection. Finally, God was to do something that the people of Judah would
78…..Isaiah 5:13-20
not believe. God was to use Babylon as His agent to demolish Jerusalem and its temple and to take its people
into exile, as Isaiah 5:13 predicts.
As stated in Isaiah 5:13-17, the second set of punishments recorded by Isaiah in 5:8-30 is that they will suffer
from famine and thirst which was punishment for their abuse of the land. Third, many, including the famous
ones and those who are boisterous revelers will descend to Sheol, which may be a double reference to the
grave and to hell. This is permanent banishment from the earth as punishment for their rebellion against God.
Fourth, the common, the important and the proud will all suffer the same fate of being humbled and abased
as punishment for exalting themselves before God. Fifth, the land will be used for food only by grazing
animals as punishment for their selfish acquisition of land and properties. The vulnerable and defenseless
lambs will graze in these pastures that the rich had so coveted for their own use. The NKJV adds in vs. 17,
that strangers will eat in the waste places (literally “the fat”) of the land. Therefore, the rich would not eat of
the harvest of the land they had cultivated.
The central and most critical message in this section is the contrast between 5:15 and 16. The people,
because of their unrelenting sinfulness, will be brought down, 5:15, but the Lord of hosts will be exalted in
judgment, 5:16. The ultimate result of this contrast is stated in the latter half of 5:16, “God the Holy One will
demonstrate his holiness by righteousness”. The people had brought upon themselves God’s judgment
because of their unrighteousness. The repeated usage of “holy” in this verse points to its double meaning.
God who in Himself is holy, also shows that His righteous acts demonstrate that He is holy. He is altogether
holy, and all his actions are holy.
5:18-19 Woe to those who drag iniquity with cords of falsehood,
and sin along like with a cart rope.
19
Who say, "Make him hurry up,
let him do his work quickly,
so that we may see it.
Let the plan of the Holy One of Israel happen soon,
so that we may experience it!"
The third lament of woe resulted from two very vile actions. The first was that they had been so captivated
by their self-centeredness in thinking only of themselves and choosing to forget and then reject God, which is
described by the prophet, as they “drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood.” “Falsehood” in Isaiah 5:18 is
the Hebrew word shav, which has the meaning of emptiness, vanity and deceitfulness. The picture the
prophet reveals here is that the people of Judah and Jerusalem have so immersed themselves with their
deceitful and worthless vanity that they are bound to their sin with strong cords just as with the same type of
cords with which they use for their animals to pull their carts. God has given them up to be bound by their
own cords of sin.
The second sinful action recorded in Isaiah 5:18-19 is far worse. The people had removed any influence of
God on their lives and solely relied on their own corrupt immoral consciousness. They had no concept of
holiness which God had demanded, “be holy because I am holy.” Leviticus 11:44. They mockingly
demanded of Isaiah that God quickly show His works to them, so they could “see it” or discern it. They
would not believe in God and His works (His plans and purposes) on behalf of His people, unless they could
see it with their own eyes and then decide if they, would even then, believe in God.
5:20 Woe to those who call evil good,
and good evil;
who turn darkness to light,
79…..Isaiah 5:20-24
and light to darkness;
who swap bitter for sweet,
and sweet for bitter!
The fourth lament of woe was very contemptuous in the eyes of God. Those in Israel who called evil good
and called good evil were a preview of the evilness of the Pharisees who blasphemed the Holy Spirit as
recorded in Matthew 12:22-37. The Pharisees declared that the works of Jesus were the actions of the devil
(Beelzebul), the ruler of demons. Jesus declared their words to be a sin for which there is no forgiveness for
they spoke against the Holy Spirit. Jesus ended His warning to these hypocritical religious leaders by stating,
“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned,” Matthew 12:37. These
certainly would have been applicable words of warning for the people of Judah in Isaiah’s day.
5:21 Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
And shrewd in their own site!
The fifth lament of woe speaks against those who “are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight.”
They were conceited in their view of what they know but, in reality, they were fools. Proverbs 26:12 is
applicable to this situation, “Do you see a person wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than
for him.” The first sin of humans was due to Adam and Eve falling to the temptation to be wise and be like
God knowing good and evil, Genesis 3:1-7. The words of Solomon in Proverbs contain many warnings about
the folly of being wise in one’s own eyes. See Proverbs 3:7, 12:15, 26:5, 26:16 and 28:11.
5:22-23 Woe to those who are champions at drinking wine,
and valiant at mixing strong drinks,
23
who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
and deny the innocent justice!
The sixth and final lament of woe is about a set of sinful actions that lead to serious consequences. The first
action concerns those who are “heroes in drinking wine” and valiant in “mixing strong drink”. Isaiah is not
commending these people but sarcastically calling them heroes and valiant, as an obvious rebuke for their
corrupted habits. The result of this corruption is that they give a bribe to the wicked to justify their wicked
actions and this set of sins led to the taking away of the “righteousness of the righteous” (KJV). The result of
this set of sins is stated in Psalm 34:21, “Evil will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be
condemned.” King David as recorded in Psalm 69, prayed for protection from his enemies and asked, “Let
them be blotted out of the book of life, and not be listed with the righteous.” Psalm 69:28.
Introduction: Isaiah 5:24-30
Following the six oracles or laments of woe against his people, Isaiah begins a declaration of God’s judgment
on them with the connecting word “therefore.” God’s judgment is decisive, deliberate and devastating. There
will be no escape. They will be destroyed as fire destroys stubble and dry grass, vs. 24. God’s anger had
burned against His people and He has struck them down with the power that makes the mountains shake, vs.
25. Finally, God will bring a great military force from a distant nation to complete their destruction, vss. 26-
30. The reason for God’s judgement upon them is stated by God in vs. 24, “they have rejected the law of the
LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.”
5:24 Therefore, just as the tongue of fire devours straw,
and as the dry grass shrivels in the flame,
so their root will become rotten
80…..Isaiah 5:24-25
and their blossom will blow away like dust,
because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts,
and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
The declaration of judgment on God’s people begins with “therefore” which includes the whole collection of
evil actions in 5:8-23 that prove that the people have rebelled against God and have mocked Him and have
treated righteousness with contempt leading in 5:24-30 to God’s just and holy punishment against them. The
judgment mentioned in 5:24 is the first of three God has decreed. Just as God had stated earlier in the
vineyard song-parable, Isaiah 5:7, that He will remove the hedge and it will be consumed (burned, kindled),
so 5:24 connects His judgment with the vineyard song-parable and expands on this fiery consummation. The
people will themselves be consumed in like manner as God’s hedge and become like fragile and helpless
plants that will be completely destroyed.
God gives an immediate reason for this judgment. The people have “rejected the law of the LORD of hosts
and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” The word “law” in the Hebrew is torah, which refers to the
entire law of God recorded in the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses. Their action of also despising God’s
word is a parallel evil to rejecting the law. It is highly significant that God’s titles, the LORD of hosts and the
Holy One of Israel are stated in this context. It is not just the law and word of God, recorded by Moses that is
being maligned. God’s people have rejected and despised the law and word of the Most High God who is
almighty who leads the armies of heaven and earth. He also is the Holy God who is holy in His relationship
to Israel as well as to the entirety of His creation. To shun and neglect His word and law is to reject and
despise the great Creator of the heavens and the earth. There is no One higher, or more exalted, or more
mighty, or more holy than God who has chosen Israel not because they were more numerous than other
peoples, but because He first loved them, and He remembers His oath (covenant) that He had sworn to their
forefathers. See expanded explanation in Deuteronomy 7:6-11. God told Moses that His people would rebel
against Him and turn to idols and forsake Him and break His covenant. As a result, God said His anger
would be kindled against them…and they will be consumed. See greater context of this amazing revelation
from God in Deuteronomy 31:14-22 and the Song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:1-43.
5:25 Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against his people;
he has stretched out his hand against them,
and has struck them.
The mountains tremble,
and their corpses are strewn like garbage in the streets.
After all this, his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is still stretched out.
The second of three judgments declared by God against His people is stated in 5:25. God’s burning anger
against His people and He has struck them, and their corpses lie like refuge in the streets. His anger caused
the very mountains to shake Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, page 180, notes that this judgment is given in the
past tense and may refer to a great earthquake that occurred in approximately 765-760 B.C. that is mentioned
by the prophet Amos in his prophecy, Amos 1:1, 6:11; 8:8 and 9:1. Smith’s commentary on Amos is
suggested as a recommended resource to understand the background to this event, Gary V. Smith, Amos, A
Mentor Commentary, 1989; Christian Focus/Mentor Publications. The prophet, as recorded in Isaiah 5:25,
concludes that God is still angry with His people and His hand of judgement is still stretched out against
them. God, in His holy and just judgment, has decreed that these people will face elimination by fire and
earthquake, but He is not through. God has another stunning announcement for His anger is not yet spent.
God will do something these sinful and rebellious people would not expect. An overwhelming scourge
81…..Isaiah 5:26
(“overflowing whip” in the DASV), will come to finish His punishment upon them. Compare this with Isaiah
28:15,18.
5:26 He will send the signal to a distant nation,
and will whistle for them to come from the ends of the earth.
Look, they come with speed and swiftness.
The third of three judgments is declared by God against His people, in 5:26-30. This specific judgment was
something that the people of God would not have expected. Because of God’s covenants, which he swore
with their forefathers (He reminded them of this in Deuteronomy 7:6-11), and because they were God’s
chosen people because of His love for them, the people of Judah and Jerusalem had the expectation that God
would always protect them from being destroyed and keep their land safe from foreign invasion. God’s
comment in 5:6. “I will lay it waste” (NKJV), within the context of the song-parable of the vineyard, may
have caused some to ponder seriously what He meant. But now there is no wondering. God will do
something that will gut their land of its resources including its people. Isaiah may have written this section of
his prophecy, chapters 1-6 during the year in which king Uzziah died, c. 739 B.C. The northern kingdom of
Israel had not yet been destroyed and its people had not yet been taken into captivity by the Assyrians. This
would occur in 722 B.C. So, the people of Judah and Jerusalem may have had no immediate reference to just
how serious God’s intentions were regarding their removal from the land.
In a later time, approximately 609 B.C., the prophet Habakkuk was lamenting to God about the violence,
wickedness and iniquity of the people of Judah. The prophet cried, “How long, O LORD, must I cry, and you
not listen? I cry out to you "Violence," but you do not save,” Habakkuk 1:2. Just as in Isaiah’s time, the
people had ignored God’s law and perverted justice. God responded to Habakkuk that, indeed He has heard
and will do something about the situation in Judah. God stated in Habakkuk 1:5:
Look at the nations, and see.
Be absolutely amazed.
For I am doing a deed in your days
which you will not believe,
even if you were told about it.
God told Habakkuk that He was raising up the Chaldeans to destroy nations and take captives, Habakkuk
1:6-11. After this shocking revelation, Habakkuk appeals to God and states “we will not die,” 1:12 (NKJV),
and reminds God that His eyes were too pure to gaze on (approve) evil;” 1:13. The Lord again responded to
the prophet that the vision He gave would not delay, 2:3. Habakkuk then acknowledges the Lord’s report
and that he was in fear. He replied to the Lord, “In wrath remember mercy,” 3:2. He later stated, “I must wait
quietly for the day of distress, for the people to arise who will invade us,” (NASB) 3:16. In the end of his
prophecy, Habakkuk gives a testimony of praise and rejoicing in the Lord, even though calamity will come,
3:17-19. The lament and prophecy of Habakkuk is the counterpoint to the prophecy of Isaiah recorded in
Isaiah 5:26-30. God would be patient and would wait from 739 B.C. to 586 B.C., before the final destruction
of the temple and Jerusalem would be completed by the Chaldeans (Babylonians) under the direction of
Nebuchadnezzar. The beginning of the Babylonian siege and captivity of Judah and Jerusalem was in 605
B.C which was just four years after Habakkuk recorded his prophecy. He would have witnessed this
judgment by God on his people. Isaiah would certainly have known about the overthrow of the northern
kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C., but he was spared the complete destruction of his own nation.
Isaiah begins this third statement of judgment by the words, 5:26, “He will send” indicating that this is an
additional judgment to the two preceding ones declared in 5:24-25. The Lord makes it clear that this
82…..Isaiah 5:26-29
judgment is what He will accomplish. Two descriptive phrases are used to describe how He will call a distant
nation to quickly come and destroy Judah and Jerusalem. First, God will send (lift up) a signal to a distant
nation. The signal was a flag or banner used to call for the assembling of an army. Second, God will
“whistle,” 5:26, for this nation to come “from the ends of the earth.” In the context of the judgment on
Jerusalem, the specific nation would have been Babylon. But as God mentions “nations” (NIV & NKJV), this
prophecy would also include the Assyrians who advanced against the northern nation of Israel and conquered
it in 722 B.C. They later also captured most cities of Judah in 701 B.C. See Isaiah chapters 36-37. The armies
of these nations are prompted into swift action by God’s whistling for them as if they had been prepared and
ready for battle and were waiting for His call. These nations, although they would not understand nor
acknowledge it, were being prepared for God’s purposes and plans in dealing with His wicked and rebellious
people. They would have understood that they were masters of their own destiny and the expansion of
territory was their sovereign right. However, they were but God’s instruments in his outworking of His
dealings with His covenant people (and themselves). Secular history has recorded the movement of the
people in the ancient near east in the rise and fall of great nations. The history (His-story) of God reveals His
movements behind the scenes to accomplish His purposes.
Many years later, God gave this message to the prophet Jeremiah regarding the army that would destroy
Judah and Jerusalem, “Therefore, this is what the LORD of hosts says: "Because you have not listened to my
words,9 I will send and gather all the tribes of the north, says the LORD, led by Nebuchadnezzar the king of
Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all the
surrounding nations. I will utterly destroy them and make them an object of horror, a hissing ridicule, and a
perpetual ruin.10 Moreover I will remove from them the voice of laughter and gladness, the voice of the
bridegroom and the bride, the sound of the millstones and the night lights of the lamps in their homes.11 This
whole land will become a desolate wasteland and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy
years.” Jeremiah 25: 8-11.
5:27-28 None of them are tired or stumble;
none will slumber or sleep;
not a belt will be loosed,
not a thong of their sandals will be broken.
28
Their arrows are sharp,
and all their bows bent.
Their horses' hoofs are like flint,
and their wheels like a whirlwind.
The army the Lord calls will be alert and ready for battle with no encumbrances to slow it down. Its
armaments will be ready for action and its equipment and conveyances will be swift for direct confrontation
with its enemies. The portrayal of this foreign army was designed to instill fear into the people of Judah and
Jerusalem who had become complacent with their position as the Lord’s chosen people. They had assumed
no one would be able to overthrow them. But, with their unchecked moral freedom, they had flaunted their
vile lifestyle before God, and He would swiftly deal with their pompous immorality. See Isaiah 3:8-9.
5:29 Their roaring is like a lion,
they roar like young lions.
They growl, seize their prey,
and haul it off,
and there is no one to rescue.
83…..Isaiah 5:29 and Chapter 26 Introduction
The foreign troops to be summoned by God would terrify Judah and Jerusalem just as a lioness and young
lions would roar over the prey it has seized for devouring. In the distant past, a pagan seer had declared a
similar statement about the people of Israel who were journeying to their promised land. Balaam was
prompted by God to state, “Behold, a people rises like a lioness, and as a lion it lifts itself; It will not lie
down until it devours the prey, And drinks the blood of the slain,” Numbers 23:24. In Isaiah’s day, the Lord
brought a similar word not to describe His people, but to announce how His people will be devoured by an
ungodly military force. David had also worried that his enemy would overpower him and prayed to God for
protection lest his pursuer would, “tear my soul like a lion, dragging me away while there is none to deliver,”
Psalm 7:2. David was protected by God from his enemy, but the vile people who had paraded their sin before
God would not be so delivered for their God had now become their enemy.
5:30 They will roar over them in that day
like the roaring of the sea.
If one looks at the land,
there is darkness and distress;
even the light is darkened by clouds.
The growling noise as of lion of the army that the Lord will send to destroy Judah and Jerusalem will sound
like the roaring of the sea. The noise of this oncoming army will terrorize the people before the troops arrive
at the city walls to break them down and kill the people inside. This prophecy certainly pointed to Assyria’s
armies which conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722-721 B.C. and most of Judah in 702-701 B.C.
and pointed also to the military forces of Babylon, who first assaulted Jerusalem in 605 B.C. and then
demolished the city and the temple in 586 B.C. Yet, there is also a hint of a far fulfillment of this prophecy.
With the words of vs. 30: “darkness” and “distress” and “even the light is darkened by clouds” there is an
ominous pointing to a distant time, during the last days, when the light of the sun will be darkened, and
God’s wrath will be poured out upon the earth. Selected references only: Isaiah 13:10; Joel 2:2, 2:10, 2:30-
31, 3:15; Amos 5:18, 5:20; and Revelation 6:12-17. Many other portions of Scripture give details of the “day
of the Lord” to which this prophecy in Isaiah 5:30 likely alludes.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 5:8-30
5:8-12 Woes for Sins of Self Indulgence
5:13-15 Lord’s Righteous Judgment Declared
5:16-17 The Lord exalted in judgment / The land exploited in judgment
5:18-23 Woes for Sins of Self Corruption
5:24-30 The Lord’s Righteous Judgment Declared
B. Isaiah’s Vision of the Lord: Chapter 6
1. The Contrition of the Prophet: 6:1-7
2. The Commissioning of the Prophet: 6:8-13
Following what many see as a lengthy introduction, in chapters 1 to 5, to the entire prophecy of Isaiah, is one
of the most glorious visions of God recorded in Scripture. Some may wonder why chapter 6 was not placed
at the beginning of the book. Upon a careful study of chapter 6 and the chapters preceding and following it, a
solution as to the position of chapter 6 in the prophecy of Isaiah is suggested. As recorded in chapters 1 to 5,
Isaiah is pronouncing the righteous and holy judgment of God on sinful, rebellious and unrepentant Israel.
Hope lies in the distant future but only destruction and banishment will be the lot of the Jewish people for the
decades ahead. As stated in chapter 6, Isaiah is commissioned to be God’s faithful spokesman to a doomed
people who will not repent. Yet hope remains for the “stump” that is a holy seed which will be a tenth
84…..Isaiah 6:1
portion of the people who will grow in the future to an obedient and prosperous nation under God. In
chapters 7 to 12, many prophecies are declared regarding a singular holy seed, One who is called the
“Branch.” This One is the ultimate hope for Israel and the world. Chapter 6 is a pivot between devastating
destruction and divine deliverance. Isaiah is commissioned to declare God’s message to a deaf, blind and
heartless people for whom God, in amazing grace and love, is preparing One to come who will open their
ears and eyes and turn their stony hearts into fountains of obedience and worship.
1: The Contrition of the Prophet: 6:1-7
The opening verse of chapter 6 provides an historical reference for Isaiah’s most remarkable meeting with
the Lord. King Uzziah had a lengthy and prosperous 52-year reign in Judah and was able to achieve much
for the Jewish people as recorded in 2 Chronicles chapter 26 and 2 Kings 15:1-8. However, 2 Chronicles
26:16 records that, “But when he became powerful, his heart became proud which destroyed him. He was
unfaithful to the LORD his God, and he entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of
incense.” God immediately punished Uzziah for his sin. God struck Uzziah with leprosy from which he never
recovered. He lived in a separate house and was cut off from the house of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 26:16-23.
The year Uzziah died was approximately 740 B.C. There is a stunning contrast between Uzziah and Isaiah in
their experiences within the temple and the altar of incense. Also, the irony of this description of “two kings”,
one human and sinful, and the other divine and holy, is emphasized by the prophet so his audience will
immediately understand the impact of Isaiah’s meeting with the exalted Lord of the universe. Isaiah chapter 6
opens with the historical time frame, the year king Uzziah died and the prophet’s amazing vision of the Lord,
vs. 1. Angelic seraphim are next introduced in this vision including their unforgettable calling to each other
which when uttered, the very door frames of the temples shook as it filled with smoke, vss. 2-4. Isaiah
realized the sinfulness of himself and his people and one of the seraphim touched his mouth with a burning
coal from the altar and stated that his iniquity had been taken away and his sins forgiven, vss. 5-7.
6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of
his robe filled the temple.
Isaiah does more than just provide an historical context. He brings into stark contrast the perished body of a
human king in the grave and the high, exalted and eternally living King of kings. Human kings are fallible,
prone to corruption, and all of them face death. They all have the same earthly destiny in that their bodies
decay in a grave. Isaiah saw the Lord, the eternal King of kings who is infallible, completely holy and will
never die. The eternal One was sitting on a throne in the temple because the temple belonged to Him. The
ultimate purpose of the temple was for God’s covenant people to worship Him including exalting and
glorifying Him above every name or thing. The train of Lord’s robe filled the temple. There was no place for
anything or anyone else that would compare or compete for pre-imminence in His temple.
“I saw the Lord.” This famous and wondrous event was certainly the apex of Isaiah’s life. To have a personal
encounter with the One who is the Creator, the God of all eternity dramatically changes one’s life as Moses
also experienced at Mount Horeb when He met God in the midst of a burning bush and as Abraham
experienced by the trees of Mamre. The One Abraham met was “a man” described as the Lord, Genesis
chapter 18. The One Moses met was “the Angel of the Lord,” Exodus 3:2. The One Isaiah met was explained
in John 12:41 as being the glory of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. These events are evidence of the pre-incarnate
ministry among humans of the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ. God the Father is Spirit, John 4:24
and no one has seen Him, 1 John 4:12. Yet the Son is the image of the invisible God, Colossians 1:15, and
the express image of the Father, Hebrews 1:3. Therefore the One whom Isaiah saw and talked with was no
other than His Redeemer, the One who would be the atoning sacrifice for Isaiah’s sins. At this encounter
85…..Isaiah 6:1-3
Isaiah received a divine calling to be the spokesman for the Lord to bring God’s message of judgment and
reconciliation to His covenant people.
The Hebrew word for “Lord” in 6:1 is Adonay which is always depicted in the Old Testament as a name
reserved for God only. It first appears in Scripture in Genesis 15:2. God had just promised Abram, before his
name was changed to Abraham, that he would receive a great reward. Abram responds, “O Sovereign LORD,
what will you give me, since I am still childless?” Abram called God by the name of “Adonay Yahweh” which
has the meaning of Adonay (who is Lord supreme and Lord over all the earth, the Lord of Lords) and Yahweh
(a most holy name for God who is eternal and self-existent). The name Adoany occurs often in the O. T. It is
used by Isaiah as a proper name for God 47 times. Selected verses where Isaiah refers to God as Adonay
include, 7:14; 11:11; 25:8; 40:10; 48:16; 61:1, 11. Note: all occurrences of Adonay in the Scriptures are
significant.
The throne of the Lord was “high and lifted up,” or “lofty and exalted” as in the NASB. This meant Isaiah
had to look up to see the Lord who, as Isaiah was to later state, was “the high and lofty One,” Isaiah 57:15.
Another significant occurrence of the meaning of lofty and exalted is in Isaiah 2:2, in which the prophet
states, the mountain of the Lord will, in the last days, be “exalted” (raised) above the hills. The earthly king,
Uzziah had died and his body was now buried and decomposing in the ground. The eternal King is always
living, and He is exalted above all else in the universe. Even the adornments of the Lord are larger than life,
for Isaiah saw that the train of His robe filled the temple. For Isaiah, the presence of the Lord in the temple
was startling, of magnificent grandeur, awe inspiring and overpowering. For a comparison see 1 Kings 22:19
where the prophet Micaiah spoke of seeing the Lord, “I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host
of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.” The other occasions (selected only, not an
exhaustive listing), where the Scriptures record the meeting and visions of humans with God (or the Angel of
God) include, Genesis 16:7-13 (Hagar); 18:1-33 (Abraham); 28:10-16 (Jacob); Exodus 24:9-11 (Elders of
Israel); 33:17-23 (and many other occasions where Moses met with God), Joshua 5:13-15 (Joshua); Job 38:1-
42:9 (Job and Eliphaz); Jeremiah 1:4-10 (Jeremiah); Ezekiel 1:1-2:10 (Ezekiel); Daniel 7:9-14 (Daniel);
Zechariah 1:7-21 (Zechariah); Acts 9:3-7 (Paul); and Revelation 1:9-20 (John). The N.T. also records several
occasions where humans met with the resurrected Christ before His return to be with the Father.
6:2 Above him stood the seraphim, each one had six wings: with two they covered their faces, with two they
covered their feet, and with two they flew.
Isaiah next saw at least two six-winged Seraphim standing above the Lord. Seraphim is a plural form of the
word “seraph” meaning “fiery ones”. There are not many instances in the Scriptures were winged beings are
seen. Ezekiel saw Cherubim, Isaiah saw Seraphim and the Apostle John saw living creatures similar to those
whom Ezekiel saw. These creatures appear to be either a separate created order than Angels or a different
(higher?) form of Angel. Angels themselves are not described in Scripture as having wings. Although in
Daniel 9:21, regarding the angel Gabriel, the KJV states: “being caused to fly swiftly” and the NIV states:
“came to me in swift flight.” The NASB translates this phrase as “came to me in my extreme weariness.”
Refer to Stephen R. Miller, Daniel, New American Commentary, pages 250-251, for a discussion as to why
the NASB translation is preferred.
Isaiah saw that the Seraphim used two of their wings to cover their faces, two to cover their feet and used the
remaining two wings for flight. It is just speculation to give definitive reasons why the Seraphim covered
their eyes and feet. Perhaps they did so to show their complete humility before the exalted Lord and also to
be continually worshipping the Lord.
86…..Isaiah 6:3-4
6:3 They called out to each other,
"Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory!"
The prophet hears one of the Seraphim calling out to another, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, the
whole earth is full of His glory.” The thrice repeated attribute of God as holy is a powerful emphasis on the
character of God. God in His holiness is set apart completely from the sinfulness of humanity. As the holy
and eternal King of the Jewish nation, the world and the universe, God in His holiness is perfect and
absolutely pure, blameless, true, and without any trace of sin or evil. The three-part announcement of God’s
holiness also by six winged creatures, is recorded in Revelation 4:8. No other attribute of God is so
emphasized in Scripture. Without being dogmatic or overstating the case, it may be said that if one had to
describe God in one word, that word would be holy, Hebrew, qadosh.
The other statement of the Seraphim regarding God is that “the whole earth is full of His glory.” This
statement is also found in Numbers 14:21 and Psalm 72.19. The word glory, the Hebrew word kabod, has the
meaning of great weight or quantity and with God it also has other possibilities of meaning. For example, one
scholar states, “God’s glory refers to the outshining of His person.” Thomas L. Constable, Isaiah, page 43. It
is extremely significant that the phrase does not say, the whole earth is filled with His holiness, but does say,
“the whole earth is full of his glory!” God’s creation communicates His glory, Psalm 19:1-4a; and 97:6.
God’s glory has been set above the heavens and the earth, Psalm 8:1; 57:5, 11; 108:5; 113:4;148:13. The
glory of God and the Lamb is the praise of heaven, Revelation 4:8-11; 5:9-14; 7:11-12 and their glory will
fill heaven forever, Revelation 21:23.
As the Lord Himself fills the earth just as He filled the temple, there is no place on earth where His glory is
not present. God’s glorious light is victorious over darkness, John 1:5, even the darkness of our hearts as the
Apostle Paul declared, “For it is God who said, "Let there be light shining out of darkness," who shined in
our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,” 2 Corinthians
4:6. Thus, the most intimate shining of God’s glory on the earth is within the hearts of those who have
believed in His Son, Jesus Christ. The Apostle John wrote: “Isaiah said these things, because he saw his
glory and spoke about him.” John 14: 41. The “Him” John is writing about is Jesus Christ.
6:4 At the sound of their cry the door frames shook, and the temple was filled with smoke.
The words of the Seraphim were so powerful that the “foundations of the thresholds shook…and the house
was filled with smoke.” (ESV). This indicates that this was not a heavenly vision and that Isaiah was in the
actual temple in Jerusalem. In the vision of heaven that the Apostle John saw, at the giving of the seven
golden bowls of God’s wrath, representing the third series of judgments of the tribulation period, John
records that, “The temple was filled with smoke from the glory and power of God; and no one was able to
enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished,” Revelation 15:8. The filling of
both the earthly and heavenly temples with smoke depict the glory and power of God. Isaiah had just heard
from the Seraphim that the earth is full of God’s glory and this was visually displayed to the prophet by the
filling of the temple with smoke.
Although there may be other possible sources, the smoke was likely from the altar of incense. God gave
specific instructions to Moses regarding the making of fragrant incense which was only to be used for the
purposes God directed, Exodus 30:34-38. Incense was used in an atonement activity by Aaron upon
directions from Moses on behalf of the people of Israel. David, many years later, prayed, “Let my prayer be
accepted, as incense before you, my lifted hands, as an evening sacrifice,” Psalm 141:2. Thus, the proper use
of incense was counted by God as a holy activity by His people. The improper use of incense brought very
87…..Isaiah 6:4-7 and 6:8-13 Introduction
prompt judgment by God, resulting in God’s wrath upon the perpetrator and for some, instant death. For
example, refer to Leviticus 10:1-3 and 2 Chronicles 26:16-21. God abhorred the burning of incense by those
who trampled His courts and were very wicked in worshipping Him and as recorded in Isaiah 1:13, God
declared, “Your Incense is detestable to Me.” However, in the meeting between God and Isaiah, incense was
used for its rightful and holy activity of atonement. In John’s vision of heaven, the incense altar has an
important role in the activities immediately following the opening of the seventh seal and just prior to the
giving of the seven trumpet judgments, Revelation 8:1-6.
6:5 Then said I, "Woe is me! For I am doomed; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live in the midst of a
people of unclean lips. My eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."
Isaiah, upon seeing the LORD, realized his awful sinful condition and the rebellious position of the Jewish
people. Isaiah pronounced woe upon himself. He knew that no one could see the living Lord and live. See
Genesis 32:30; Exodus 33:20 and Judges 13:22. Yet he was not consumed. God is merciful to those who are
truly repentant. Isaiah, in the very first words that he spoke about himself after seeing the LORD, were words
from a contrite heart realizing his sinfulness and guilt for he said, “I am a man of unclean lips.”
He also was repentant on behalf of the nation whom he knew were also a people of unclean lips. Seeing God
in His glory has brought others to acknowledge that they were unable to stand before Him, Job 42:5-6 and
Revelation 1:17. To see God in His holiness and majesty is to instantly recognize one’s own abhorrent
sinfulness. Sinners have no standing place in the presence of God. Only by faith, in the Messiah, who is
God’s Son, will anyone “stand” in God’s presence for they will be declared righteous because of their faith.
6:6-7 Then a seraphim flew to me, having a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from
the altar.
7
He touched my mouth with it, and said,
"Look, this has touched your lips;
your iniquity is taken away,
and your sin forgiven."
These verses record a truly remarkable event in the life of Isaiah. One of the Seraphim flew to Isaiah with a
burning coal which he had taken from the altar with tongs and touched Isaiah’s mouth with the coal and the
Seraphim declared, “Look (or behold), this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin
forgiven.” Recognition of one’s sins is the first step in true repentance. It is acknowledging what God
already knows, that sin is present in one’s life and has not been confessed. When Isaiah confessed his sin,
the Lord immediately forgave him.
Some may want to describe this as the conversion of Isaiah. Others may see this as a re-dedication of the
prophet to the ministry of the Lord. Whatever view is understood, Isaiah was now ready to receive a
commission from God to serve Him in a most unpleasant and difficult task. J. Alec Motyer suggests:
“The live coal thus encapsulates the ideas of atonement, propitiation, satisfaction, forgiveness, cleansing
and reconciliation, and of these spiritual realities Isaiah, the erstwhile doomed sinner, is left in no doubt
when the seraph explains: ‘Behold, as soon as this touched your lips your iniquity went, and, as for your
sin—paid by ransom!” (J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, page 72).
88…..Isaiah 6:8-9
2. The Commissioning of the Prophet: 6:8-13
This second part of Isaiah 6 deals with the commission God gave Isaiah upon Isaiah’s willingness and
request to be used by God. God gave His commission only after Isaiah asked to be sent by God. Some see a
three-point teaching within chapter 6 using the KJV as a reference. In 6:5, Isaiah states Woe (is me for I am
ruined). In 6:7 the Seraphim states, Lo (behold) and in 6:8 God asks, who will go (for us). Preachers often
have used this three-point message of “Woe, Lo and Go” to explain the need for Christians to confess their
sins, trust God for the forgiveness of their sins and then be obedient to go and serve God wherever he will
send them. In this passage, Isaiah 6:8-13 the prophet records that He heard the actual voice of the LORD
asking who would go for Us and whom will I send, to which Isaiah, in one of the most famous phrases of all
the Scriptures, replies in vs. 8, “Here am I! Send Me” (NKJV). The LORD gives Isaiah his commission to go
to “this people,” God’s covenant people, and tell them that they are to continue in their current sinful
condition so that they will not hear, understand and repent, vss. 9-10. Isaiah asks how long his commission
was to last, and the LORD replies until the land has become absolutely devastated and uninhabited, vss. 11-
12. However, the LORD offers some hope that a tenth part of the people will remain and even if these are
destroyed, there will be holy seed who will survive, vs. 13.
6:8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying,
"Whom will I send,
and who will go for us?"
I replied, "I am here. Send me."
Isaiah hears a request for service from the triune God: “who will go for us?” and Isaiah responds to the
request by stating one of the most beloved pleas to God in all of Scripture: “Here am I! Send me.” (NKJV).
Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord: “Whom will I send, and who will go for us?” This is a very significant
combination of the oneness of the Lord explained in a plural sense. See also: Genesis 1:26 (at creation), and
1l:7 (scattering of peoples at Babel). The New Testament is very clear on the plurality of the Godhead
ascribing works of God to the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit: to the Father, Matthew 3:17; to the Son, John
1:1; and to the Spirit, Acts 28:25-27. For a full treatment of the plurality of the Godhead, see David L.
Cooper, Messianic Series: Chapter 2: The Plurality of the Divine Personalities, of Volume 1: The God of
Israel, Biblical Research Society, 1945.
Only after Isaiah has recognized and was contrite about his sinfulness and then after he had received
atonement for his sin, was he ready to meet and receive a commission from God. This is where the stunning
contrast between Isaiah and Uzziah is most evident. Uzziah went into the temple without permission full of
pride, hubris and self-importance. Isaiah entered the temple rightfully, (some claim he may have been a
priest), with a humble spirit. Uzziah committed an act of sinful rebellion against the Lord’s stated commands
regarding the incense altar. Isaiah stood obedient confessing his and the sins of the people of Judah before the
Lord.
Uzziah received immediate condemnation from the priests and immediate punishment from the Lord. Isaiah
received forgiveness for his sins, represented by having his lips touched by a burning coal from the altar of
incense, and a commission from the Lord. Uzziah entered the temple full of pride and self-exaltation and left
the temple humbled, punished and banned from being with his people. Isaiah entered the temple humbled and
contrite and met the true exalted King and was forgiven, cleansed and commissioned to go among his people
with the message of the Lord.
89…..Isaiah 6:9-12
6:9-10 He said, "Go, and tell this people:
Keep on listening, but do not understand;
keep on looking, but do not perceive.
10
Make the heart of this people insensitive,
and make their ears deaf,
and shut their eyes;
so that they may not see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
and repent and be healed."
Immediately following Isaiah’s response to God’s call by exclaiming, “Here am I, Send Me,” God gave him
a very difficult commission as recorded in 6:9-13. It was a commission to proclaim (tell) the Lord’s message
to a people who would be hard of hearing to the point of being deaf, with poor eyesight to the point of being
blind and with selfish hearts to the point of being hardened and insensitive. Within the commission was the
message of condemnation that God was giving to the Jewish people. The proclamation that Isaiah was to
give would be the source of the people’s hardness of hearing, seeing and understanding. God was giving the
people over to their sins. See also Ezekiel’s experience as recorded in Ezekiel chapters 2 and 3. The Apostle
Paul explains this method of God regarding the people in Paul’s day as recorded in Romans 1:18-32. God in
both instances was giving them over to their sinful rebellion and allowing sin to have its destructive and
deadly consequences. God also hardened Pharaoh’s heart as recorded in Exodus 9:12.
The New Testament often cites Isaiah 6:9-10. Isaiah 6:9 is referenced in Luke 8:10. Isaiah 6:9-10 is
referenced in Matthew 13:14-15; Mark 4:12; and Acts 28:26-27. Isaiah 6:10 is referenced in John 12:40. The
Apostle John, quoted Isaiah 6:9 in John 12:40 and immediately followed up, in John 12:41, with the amazing
revelation: “These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him.” The “His and “Him”
John is describing in context of chapter 12 of his gospel is the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a startling statement
of the pre-incarnate appearance of Christ in the Old Testament. Isaiah saw the Son of God in the temple.
Michael Vlach summarizes a discussion on the significance of Isaiah 6:9-10 in the New Testament:
“The five references to Isaiah 6:9-10 concern national Israel’s unbelief in Jesus the Messiah and a
rejection of the kingdom of God. Even though some Israelites believed in Jesus and thus comprised the
remnant of Israel (see Rom. 11:1-6), the lack of corporate belief by Israel brings a stinging rebuke in
which both Jesus and Paul draw upon the words of Isaiah 6:9-10 for their current Jewish audiences. This
situation will be reversed one day when national Israel believes in Jesus as Messiah as passages like
Zechariah 12:10 and Romans 11:26 indicate.” (Michael J. Vlach, “The Significance of the Five
Quotations of Isaiah 6:9-10 in the New Testament,” http://mikevlach.blogspot.ca/2017/07/the-
significance-of-five-quotations-of.html. Accessed March 6, 2018.)
6:11-12 Then I asked, "Lord, how long?" He answered,
"Until cities are destroyed without inhabitant,
and houses uninhabited,
and the land become absolutely devastated,
12
and the LORD has sent everyone far away,
and the midst of the land is abandoned.
Isaiah, as recorded in 6:11, asked how long? How long was he to keep proclaiming judgment on the people
of Judah and Jerusalem? The Lord’s response, 6:11-12, was chilling. Isaiah was to keep proclaiming the
word of the Lord until no one was left in the land and until the land itself was abandoned (utterly desolate).
90…..Isaiah 6:13
There would be no escaping the judgement of God for the people of Judah. Their rebelliousness and blatant
defiance of God and His word had reached a point where God, in His righteous indignation could not allow it
to continue without a just punishment. Isaiah was to keep these stunning words in mind for the remainder of
his prophetic ministry. Any hope for the immediate fulfillment of God’s covenantal promises would not
come upon these people. Isaiah was to minister to a doomed people who would face the full wrath of God.
6:13 Even if a tenth remains in it,
it will be destroyed again.
Just like a terebinth and an oak whose stump remains
when they are cut down;
so the holy seed will be its stump.
Yet there was hope. God states “Yet there will be a tenth portion in it.” (NASB). This tenth portion, likely a
tenth of the people who will survive, will undergo trouble. They will be “like a terebinth and an oak whose
stump remains when they are cut down; so the holy seed will be its stump.” The reference to the “holy seed”
has both a national (ethnic) and singular fulfillment. The national fulfillment is seen in several passages of
Scripture. These verses speak of the remnant God has chosen from the Jewish people, both from Judah and
Israel. Selected references to the remnant of God: 1 Kings 19:18 (the first statement in Scripture to a remnant
the Lord has kept for Himself); Isaiah 11:11-16 (a remnant to be saved); Isaiah 41:8-16 (Israel called God’s
chosen servant whom He has not rejected); Isaiah 43:1-13 (God’s promise of redemption to His people);
Isaiah 45:25 (all the offspring of Israel will be justified and will glory in the Lord), Isaiah 53:10-11(the many
to be justified); Isaiah 59:15-21(God’s salvation and covenant with the redeemed); Isaiah 65:8-10 (God’s
chosen ones to inherit the land); Isaiah 65:23 (he offspring will not labor in vain or bear children for
calamity), and Isaiah 66:22 (eternal endurance of the offspring and name of the sons of Israel). Many other
references in Isaiah to the remnant will be discussed in later sections of this study. A reference to the remnant
in the New Testament is found in Romans 11:5.
The singular fulfillment to the “holy seed” is the coming and ministry of the Messiah, whom Isaiah called the
“Branch”, “Prince of Peace”, “Servant” and other names describing the person and role of the Messiah. The
book of Isaiah has several passages which prophesy of this One to come, both in His first advent and the
events of His second advent including the Messianic Kingdom. The John MacArthur NASB (Updated) Study
Bible provides a comprehensive listing of references in the book of Isaiah regarding the Messiah’s first
advent (page 946) and events leading to and during the Messianic Kingdom (page 1032). Of great
significance to the understanding of Isaiah, is that this singular holy seed, the Messiah will restore the fallen
house of David and be the One who will sit on David’s throne forever.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 6:1-13
6:1-7: The Contrition of the Prophet
6:1 The Earthly King and the Eternal King
6:2 The Servants of the King
6:3-4 The Holiness of the King
6:5 Isaiah’s Contrition before the King
6:6-7 Isaiah’s Atonement from the King
6:8-13 The Commissioning of the Prophet
6:8 The Request of the King and the Response of the Prophet
6:9-10 The Response of Those who Refuse the Message
6:11-12 The Removal of Those who Refuse the Message
6:13 The Remnant to be Restored
91…..Isaiah Chapters 7-12 Introduction
ISAIAH STUDY: CHAPTERS 7-12
C. The Prophecies of Immanuel: Chapters 7-12
1. The Threat to the Nation: 7:1-9
2. The Sign of Immanuel: 7:10-16
3. The Plunder of the Nation: 7:17-25
4. The fall of the Nations Enemies: 8:1-8
5. The future of the Nation’s Remnant: 8:9-22
6. The Promise of the Kingly Child: 9:1-7
7. The Anger of the Lord: 9:8-10:4
8. Assyria: God’s Choice for Punishing the Nation: 10:5-19
9. The Return of the Remnant: 10:20-34
10. The Kingdom of the Righteous Branch: 11:1-10
11. The Victory of the Remnant: 11:11-16
12. The Praise of the Remnant: Chapter 12
Following the commissioning of the prophet by the Lord, the section 7:1 to 12:6 presents further revelation
regarding the “holy seed” (singular). Details are given regarding His birth, His titles, His redemption of the
remnant, His personal attributes, and His kingdom. The Lord will not relent in pouring out His righteous
judgment on His rebellious and sinful people. Yet He also, in the midst of wrath, gives mercy and the hope of
future redemption through a Messianic figure whom various titles are given: Immanuel, Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace and to whom descriptive words are ascribed: “shoot
from the stem of Jesse”, “root of Jesse” and “a branch”.
The great question of this section and arguably to the entire prophecy of Isaiah is: Who do you trust, God or
yourself? The early chapters of Isaiah provide ample proof of the folly and deadly consequences of the
Jewish people’s self-trust, self-indulgence and the selfish worship of idols. In response God sends a prophet
to proclaim the Lord’s message of judgment and mercy. God also is patient and specifically offers the King
of Judah, an opportunity to trust Him during a time of warfare and invasion by Aram and Israel. To whom
will the King of Judah look to for help and protection? Will the King look to an evil and regionally powerful
nation or to the Eternal, Holy and all-powerful God? The response is predictable, and the results are
catastrophic.
Historical Background
The historical background to Isaiah chapters 7-12 is recorded in 2 Kings 16: 1 -20 and 2 Chronicles 27:9 -
28:27. King Ahaz of Judah, grandson of King Uzziah, was just twenty years of age when he became King of
Judah. His reign lasted about 21 years (including co-reigning with his father Jotham) and was one of evilness
and rebellion against the Lord. Ahaz was so vile that he made molten images for the Baals, he burned incense
in the valley of Ben-hinnom and sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills and under
every green tree.
His most rebellious act against God he committed was in burning his own sons in fire according to the
abominations of the nations whom the Lord had driven out before the sons of Israel. (2 Chronicles 28:1-4).
Because of the sins of Ahaz, the Lord brought swift judgment against the nation of Judah. 120,000 people of
Judah were slain in one day by the armies of king Pekah of Israel. The armies of the northern kingdom of
Israel under command of king Pekah also carried off 200,000 captives from Judah and brought them to
Samaria. However, these captives whom the northern kingdom wished to enslave, were very quickly escorted
92…..Chapters 7-12 Introduction
back to Jericho in Judah because of the intervention of the Lord through His prophet Obed. (2 Chronicles 28:
5-15).
Following a further invasion by the Edomites and the Philistines who also took captives from Judah, King
Ahaz sought help from the king of Assyria. Ahaz offered to pay tribute to Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria in
payment for seeking Assyria’s aid to fight against Judah’s enemies. This act of rebellion by Ahaz resulted in
further affliction against Judah due to Assyria’s abuse of this small nation. In spite of all the disaster facing
Judah by its enemies, king Ahaz became more rebellious and unfaithful to the Lord by offering sacrifices and
burning incense to pagan gods and using temple implements, devoted to the worship of the Lord, to make
altars for worshipping these pagan gods. There is no record that Ahaz ever repented of his sins against God.
See also, 2 Chronicles 28: 16-27. For further historical details regarding the reign of Ahaz, see article on
“Ahaz” by R. D. Culver, in the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, 1975, Vol. 1.
It is also important to the understanding of chapters 7-12 to know the historical timeline of the events Isaiah
describes from the viewpoint of his location in Jerusalem. Much was happening in the Fertile Crescent area
of the Ancient Near East region. The smaller nations were in turmoil and fear, as both Egypt and Assyria
were asserting their imperialistic plans for expanding their empires. A smaller nation, Babylon was just
emerging which was to have an over-powering presence several years in the future from the days of Isaiah.
The duration of the reigns of the kings of the various nations and some of the most important historical dates
and events for the Book of Isaiah are indicated in the following list:
Note: all dates are approximate only.
Approximate time of Isaiah’s prophetic ministry: 740 – 681 B.C.
Kings of Judah and Israel:
Death of King Uzziah, king of Judah: 740 B.C.
Rule of Jotham, king of Judah: 750 -731 B.C. Jotham co-ruled with Uzziah from 750 – 739 B.C.
Rule of Ahaz, king of Judah: 735-715 B.C. Ahaz co-ruled with Jotham from 735-731 B.C.
Rule of Pekah, king of Israel: 752-732 B.C.
Rule of Hoshea, king of Israel: 732-722 B.C
Rule of Hezekiah, king of Judah: 729-686 B.C. Hezekiah co-ruled with Ahaz from 729-715 B.C.
Rule of Manasseh: king of Judah: 695-642 B.C. Manasseh co-ruled with Hezekiah from 695-686 B.C.
The Assyrian kings:
Rule of Tiglath-Pileser III king of Assyria (also known as “Pul”): 745-727 B.C.
Rule of Shalmaneser V king of Assyria: 726-722 B.C.
Rule of Sargon II king of Assyria: 721-705 B.C.
Rule of Sennacherib, king of Assyria: 705 – 681 B.C.
The Babylonian kings:
Rule of Merodach-Baladan king of City of Babylon: 721-703 B.C.
Babylon under Assyrian control: 701-626 B.C.
Rule of Nabopolasar, king of renewed Babylon 626-605 B.C.
Rule of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon: 605 – 562 B.C.
Major Events:
Isaiah’s vision of the Lord in the temple: 740 B.C.
Isaiah’s meeting with king Ahaz: 735 B.C.
93…..Isaiah Chapters 7-12 Introduction and 7:1-9 Introduction
Invasion of Judah by Aram and Israel: 734-732 B.C.
Assyria conquered Damascus: 732 B.C.
First invasion of Israel by Assyria: 732 B.C.
Destruction of Israel by Assyria: 722-21 B.C.
Complete obliteration of Israel’s people (Isaiah 7:9): 669 B.C.
Sickness and healing of Hezekiah: 703-702 B.C.
Hezekiah receives ambassadors from Babylon: 703-702 B.C
Conquest of Judah by Assyria: 701 B.C.
Threatened siege of Jerusalem by Assyria and destruction of the Assyrian army: 701 B.C.
Prophesized destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon:
First conquest and exile of Daniel and his friends to Babylon: 605 B.C.
Second conquest and exile of 10,000 captives including Ezekiel to Babylon: 597 B.C.
Third conquest and complete destruction of the city, the temple and the walls: 586 B.C.
1. The Threat to the Nation: 7:1-9
Before the events described in 2 Chronicles chapter 28, Isaiah records some background details about the
plans to invade Judah by Aram and Israel. The armies of the Arameans had advanced against Judah and were
camped just north of Judah in Israel (Ephraim). It was just prior to the invasion of Judah by Aram and Israel
that Isaiah was instructed by the Lord to take his son Shear-jashub (“a remnant will return’) and meet king
Ahaz and bring the king a message from the Lord. The message was for Ahaz to be calm and have no fear
and not to be fainthearted because of the impending invasion by the kings of Aram and Israel. These two
kings planned to invade Judah, breach its walls (likely the walls of Jerusalem) and set up a puppet king who
would be in their service. The Lord stated regarding the plans of the kings of Aram and Israel, “It will not
stand and it will not happen.” Isaiah 7:7. The Lord also gave words to Isaiah of a stunning prophecy, “Within
sixty-five years, Ephraim will be shattered in pieces, so that it will not be a people”. Isaiah 7:8. The Lord
through the prophet then stated: “if you will not faithfully stand firm, then you will not stand at all”. Isaiah
7:9.
The words of the Lord to remain calm and be without fear in the midst of impending doom were hard for
Ahaz to bear as the armies of his enemies whom he could see appeared more menacing than the armies of the
Lord whom he could not see. Ahaz, if he considered the records in Scripture of the kings of Judah and Israel,
would have remembered the story of Elisha’s servant, who was in a similar situation, when an army from
Aram had encircled the city. The servant was in distress and said to Elisha, “Oh no, my master! What can we
do now?” Elisha replied, “Do not be afraid, for there are more with us than there are with them.” Elisha
prayed that his servant’s eyes would be opened, and God responded by allowing the servant to see that “the
mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:11-17. The remarkable issue
in Isaiah 7 is that God was willing to provide help, not to an obedient and believing prophet, but to a
faithless, evil and rebellious king who never ceased to perform abominable acts in the very face of God.
It is also remarkable that Isaiah was told by the Lord to take his son, Shear-jashub with him when he went to
meet with king Ahaz. In the midst of impending doom, Isaiah was to bring with him a living message of
hope. Isaiah’s son, Shear-jashub whose name means “a remnant will return”, was a sign to Ahaz that God
would bring a future restoration to the nation. Isaiah recognized that he and his sons were “signs and
harbingers in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion”. Isaiah 8:18. It is very unlikely
that Ahaz took any notice, yet God gave him hope both in the prophet’s message and in the presence of
Isaiah’s son. It could be concluded that due to the grace given to him, Ahaz was without excuse before the
Lord.
94…..Isaiah 7:1-3
As recorded by Isaiah in Isaiah 7:1-9, an unsuccessful attack against Jerusalem was made by Aram and Israel
in the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, vs. 1. The king of Judah also heard that Syria had allied itself with Israel
(described as Ephraim), causing the king and his people great fear, vs. 2. The LORD requested that Isaiah,
accompanied by his young son, meet king Ahaz in a specific place, “at the end of the conduit of the upper
pool, on the road to the Laundry Washing Field,” vs. 3. The LORD’s message to king Ahaz through Isaiah
was not to fear about the kings who had planned to overthrow Judah and replace king Ahaz with a king of
their choice, vss. 4-6. The LORD stated that the plans of these oppressing kings would not stand and within
sixty-five years, Ephraim (Israel) would be so shattered in pieces that it would no longer be a people and
commanded king Ahaz to stand firm in faith, vss. 7-9.
7:1 In the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, King Rezin of Aram, and Pekah
the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to attack Jerusalem, but could not prevail against it.
Isaiah 7:1 contains much historical information that is an important background to the message that the
prophet delivered to king Ahaz. Ahaz had an impressive family lineage. His grandfather Uzziah and father
Jotham were God-followers and the land and its people prospered under their leadership. Ahaz’s son,
Hezekiah was also sought the Lord and the Lord brought deliverance to the city of Jerusalem in response to
the prayers of Hezekiah. But Ahaz would have nothing to do with following or worshiping the Holy One of
Israel. During the first year of Ahaz’s reign (735 B.C.), Rezin, king of Aram and Pekah, king of Israel incited
war against Judah and Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 28:5-15 describes this war. See also, brief details regarding it
above. The nation of Judah and its cities were devastated by this war, yet the capital city of Jerusalem was
not conquered. 2 Chronicles 28:5 and 2 Kings 15:37 state that it was God who delivered Ahaz into the hands
of the king or Aram and king of Israel due to the sins Ahaz had committed. See also to 2 Kings 16:1-4 and 2
Chronicles 28:1-4. 2 Kings 16:1-20 provides a brief account of the life and times of King Ahaz.
7:2 It was reported to the house of David, "Syria has allied itself with Ephraim." His heart and the heart of
his people were shaken, as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.
News of the coalition between Aram and Israel had brought terror into the hearts of the king Ahaz and his
people in Jerusalem. Due to the evilness of Ahaz, the Lord had brought an end to the influence and strength
of the nation of Judah. Its sphere of influence and control was diminishing, and its armies were no longer
blessed by the Lord. They were in great fear of the nations around them. They knew they were vulnerable to
being conquered and Ahaz had two options for help. He could seek the assistance of men, in this case the
powerful king of Assyria or seek the divine aid of the true King of the Jewish people who Isaiah had seen in
the temple, the high and exalted Lord. The following verses sadly reveal to whom the heart of king Ahaz
would trust.
The mention in Isaiah 7: 2 of the “house of David” is due to the threat of the removal of the (dynasty) the line
of David. God moves to assure the current member of this line, Ahaz that the threat will not result in the total
collapse of the house of David, for God will keep His covenant with David. Refer to notes on 7:3). Isaiah
will also refer to the “house of David” in 7:13 in the same context of preserving the lineage.
7:3 Then the LORD said to Isaiah, "Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and your son Shear-jashub [a remnant
will return], at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, on the road to the Laundry Washing Field.
At this precise time, when Ahaz was in despair for his life and for the lives of the people of Jerusalem, God
sent Isaiah to meet the king. God told the prophet to bring along with him his young son, Shear-jashub. God
never does things haphazardly or on a whim. The presence of Isaiah’s son was intended to bring Ahaz a
crucial message from God. The meaning of the name Shear-jashub was “a remnant will return”. The
95…..Isaiah 7:3-5
presence of Isaiah’s son and the meaning of his name, Shear-jashub, was a three-fold object lesson to king
Ahaz. First, God was not sugar-coating the realities of the sins of Ahaz. For the king of Judah must bear the
responsibility for the ravages of war upon his nation and the great number of his people who had been and
who were going to be killed. God was judging Ahaz and the message “a remnant shall return” was a
stunning prophecy that exile for his people was decreed by God. The land was to be conquered and most of
its people were to be killed or taken into captivity. Ahaz would live to witness this happen to the northern
kingdom of Israel within a few-years. Yet this message of judgment was for him and for his nation of Judah.
Second, God was sending a message of hope to the king who was born into the royal line of David. It was to
David that God had made covenant promises that David’s house (lineage) and kingdom would endure before
the Lord forever. For further Scriptural background, see 2 Samuel 7:8-17 and 1 Chronicles 17:7-14. Refer
also to the Master’s Seminary Journal, (MSJ) Volume 10, Number 2, Fall, 1999, devoted to the Biblical
Covenants. This edition of the MSJ provides an excellent study of the promises of God through His covenant
with the people of Israel. Ahaz was confronted with a reminder of God’s covenant promise in the person of a
small boy. Another young son would soon be announced to him that would change history forever. Third, the
presence of Shear-jashub would also have significance in understanding “the boy” in 7:16.
The location of the meeting place between Isaiah and Ahaz was also not inconsequential. Ahaz had likely
gone out to inspect the water supply that led into the city. This location was also to play an important part in
later years when the Assyrian spokesman, Rabshakeh, stood on this spot, Isaiah 36:2, to taunt King Hezekiah,
the son of Ahaz, and the people of Jerusalem with threats of destruction if Jerusalem did not surrender to the
king of Assyria and his army. Rabshakeh challenged Hezekiah’s trust in God; a challenge he and the
Assyrian army would soon discover, when king Hezekiah and his people did just that, was to bring doom to
the Assyrians.
7:4 Tell him, 'Be careful, be quiet, and don't be afraid. Do not be timid, because of these two stubs of
smoldering sticks, because of the fierce anger of Rezin, Aram, and the son of Remaliah.
God’s message to Ahaz through the prophet was reassuring to someone who placed their faith and trust in
God. Ahaz was not that someone! The first part of Isaiah’s message was for Ahaz to not fear and be quiet
within himself so as not to panic because of the actions of the kings of Syria and Israel. Isaiah was putting
into practice the commission God had given him, Isaiah 6:8-13, to proclaim the word of the Lord to a people
who would be insensitive to the message. Isaiah’s commission was primarily one of announcing judgment to
those who were rebellious to God. Isaiah’s words to Ahaz would result in sealing the fate of the Judean king
for although He had an opportunity to respond positively to God, his refusal, Isaiah 7:12, brought judgment
upon him. He could blame no one except himself for the great calamity to come upon the people of Judah
during his lifetime and upon Jerusalem many years later.
In God’s opinion, the threat of the two kings, Rezin and Pekah (son of Remaliah) were but the stub ends of a
smoldering (dying) piece of wood in a fire pit. They were not to be feared nor should Ahaz worry himself
about them. God’s call for the king to adopt a calm attitude about the threat of siege for God was in control
and as Ahaz was about to hear, God would soon remove forever any more threats from these two kings.
7:5-6 Aram, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah, have planned evil against you, saying,
6
"Let us go up against Judah, terrorize it, and rip it apart and divide it up for ourselves. Let us set up a
king, the son of Tabeel, over it."'
Isaiah, as recorded in 7:5-6, explains why Ahaz was in dread over the threats of Rezin, the king of Aram and
Pekah, the king of Israel. These two kings had plotted together to breach the walls of Jerusalem and set up a
puppet king, one who is called the son of Tabeel, who would join them in their resistance to the imperialistic
96…..Isaiah 7:5-9
designs of the king of Assyria. This was no idle threat. As the historical background, stated above, revealed,
these two kings had the means and the motivation to destroy Jerusalem as they had earlier devastated Judah.
Not only did Ahaz remain full of fear but he had likely already considered, but had not yet taken any action,
to seek the aid of Assyria against these two menacing kings.
7:7-9 This is what the sovereign LORD says:
"It will not stand,
and it will not happen,
8
for the head of Aram is Damascus,
and the head of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be shattered in pieces,
so that it will not be a people.
9
The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
and the head of Samaria is Remaliah's son.
If you will not faithfully stand firm,
then you will not stand at all."
Isaiah emphatically declares the intention of God in 7:7, “It will not stand, and it will not happen.” God was
demonstrating that He was the One in sovereign control of world affairs and Ahaz was not to worry about
other kings who had but limited power and resources in comparison to almighty God. But God had used
these two nations as His agent of judgment upon the evil acts of King Ahaz. See 2 Kings 16:1-4 and 2
Chronicles 28:1-4. The judgment of God upon King Ahaz was most severe as the account in 2 Chronicles
28:5-15 demonstrates.
The Lord, through the prophet, next reveals some startling news for Ahaz to consider. God reminds Ahaz that
these two kings, Rezin and Pekah are just minor players in the greater scheme of things but the stunning
announcement is that the northern kingdom, Israel, in 7:8, called Ephraim, will not even exist as a people in
65 years. “Ephraim will be shattered in pieces, so that it will not be a people,” Isaiah 7:8. Why would God
allow the complete destruction of Israel? As recorded in Isaiah 9:8 to 10:4, the prophet proclaims God’s
judgment on the northern kingdom. Also, almost the entire prophecy of Hosea is about God’s judgment on
Israel. In 13:15-16, Hosea declares Israel’s (Samaria) final demise for, “Samaria will bear her guilt, for she
rebelled against her God,” Hosea 13:16.
However, even in the midst of calamity and destruction, God offers hope as Hosea reveals in chapter 14 of
his prophecy and the prophet’s final recorded words, Hosea 14:9, have an application for all peoples for all
time:
Who is wise, that he may understand these things?
Prudent, that he may know them?
For the ways of the LORD are right,
and the just will walk in them,
but rebels will stumble in them.
Isaiah completes this first part of his discussion with Ahaz with the warning: “If you will not faithfully stand
firm, then you will not stand at all,” Isaiah 7:9. Ahaz was issued an ultimatum by God to trust solely in Him
in faith. To put his trust in anyone or anything else would prove disastrous for him and his people. Isaiah had
earlier warned the people of Judah, including the king’s house, that destruction would come upon them
because they had “despised the word of the Holy One of Israel,” Isaiah 5:24. In chapter 8, Isaiah would again
warn them of their impending doom, 8:6-8. Later, another warning would be given as recorded in 30:12-17.
97…..Isaiah 7:10-11
Ahaz certainly heard the warning from Isaiah but with dull ears. He listened but did not perceive nor
acknowledge the gravity of these words.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 7:1-9
7:1-2 The Problem Described
7:3 The Prophet Dispatched
7:4-9 The Prophecy Delivered
2. The Sign of Immanuel: 7:10-16
These verses contain some of the most controversial issues of interpretation in all of Scripture. The crux of
the issue is the understanding of the sign and the word “virgin” in Isaiah 7:14 and whether there are one or
two sons are indicated in 7:14-16. Discussions involving these issues will be given within the notes on these
verses. The lead up to and reason for the declaration by Isaiah that the Lord will give the house of David a
sign is explained in the notes for 7:10-13. This section, Isaiah 7:10-17 and specifically 7:14 are of critical
importance to the doctrine of Christology and specifically to the biblical support of the virgin birth of the
Messiah. A careful study of these verses must be undertaken by the student of Scripture in order to
understand God’s intended purpose of His revelation of the announcement of the virgin who would bear a
son. More information about this “Son” is recorded by Isaiah in the chapters immediately following,
specifically in Isaiah 8:8; 9:1-7; and 11:1-10. Isaiah will record much more information about this Son as his
prophecy unfolds. The apex of this revelation is stated by Isaiah in 52:13-53:12 and 63:1-6 but it does not
diminish in any way the importance of the other prophecies regarding the Messiah interspaced throughout the
book of Isaiah.
7:10-11 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying,
11
"Request a sign from the LORD your God; ask it either in the depths of Sheol, or in the height of heaven."
“Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz.” Isaiah 7:10. The Lord would have certainly spoke to Ahaz through the
prophet Isaiah. It is not recorded if this was immediately following Isaiah’s warning as recorded in Isaiah 7:9,
but it is likely, as no other meeting between Isaiah, accompanied with his son and king Ahaz is stated in
the Scriptures. The first part of God’s message though the prophet is directed to Ahaz, “Request a sign form
the LORD your God; ask it either in the depths of Sheol or in the heights of heaven,” Isaiah 7:11. There are
important issues to be discussed in this request. First, the Lord had just revealed to Ahaz that the two kings
he had feared would not conquer Jerusalem and the dynasty of the line of David would be preserved. Also,
God had given him the most stunning news that the northern kingdom of Israel would cease to be a people in
65 years. Prior to these announcements, God had told Ahaz to be calm, and have no fear nor be fainthearted
because of the threat posed by the kings of Aram and Israel. Second, as the current representative of the
house of David and the living recipient of the covenant God gave to David, 2 Samuel 7:8-17 and 1
Chronicles 17:7-14, Ahaz needed to have faith in His God and trust Him for keeping His covenant promises.
Third, although Ahaz was an evil king who did not seek God, he was being offered something far beyond
what he deserved. His evil activities were well documented, for example as recorded in 2 Kings 16:2-4.
Nonetheless, up to this point, God was willing to extend a sign to Ahaz which would demonstrate God’s
faithful commitment to His covenant. Fourth, by requesting a sign from God at God’s request, Ahaz did not
need to exercise extraordinary faith, because the fulfillment of such a sign, by God’s sole act, would be proof
of God’s intention and faithfulness to His word. No unusual act or work was required by Ahaz. Fifth, God’s
offer of a sign was not a suggested minor change to the immediate situation or a small miracle. God opened
the possibilities to have Ahaz ask for a sign that could have possibly been the greatest of all miraculous acts
God had undertaken short of creation itself. It could possibly have been more spectacular than the parting of
98…..Isaiah 7:11-13
the Red Sea or any other miraculous things God had done up to this point in history. The vault of God’s
divine acts was open to Ahaz to consider.
7:12 But Ahaz said, "I will not ask. I will not test the LORD."
The response of Ahaz to the request by God of a sign was short and momentous in its tragic significance.
Ahaz responded, “I will not ask, I will not test the LORD.” His response was not only hypocritically pious but
full of hubris as Ahaz displayed his great contempt for and open rebellion of God. It was unlikely that Ahaz
had a pure mind or heart when he responded to the command of God. Deuteronomy 6:16 states, “Do not put
the LORD your God to the test.” Ahaz had shown no previous concern for any command of God. Also, his
sinful and repulsive actions were an indication of the evil intentions of his heart. This was not a mere
response to a whim to ask the Lord for a sign. The One asking was God Himself. It was a direct request with
the demand of a response. By his seeming pious attitude, Ahaz was in fact throwing his sinfulness into the
face of God and demonstrating, as Isaiah had earlier recorded in Isaiah 3:9, his blatant wickedness and
rebellion against God. He was therefore bringing judgment upon himself and his nation.
Ahaz had placed himself and the royal line of David in grave danger. God’s patience with Ahaz’s wickedness
and rebellion had finally come to its full conclusion. The Scriptures state that the Lord is slow to anger. Yet
when His anger is aroused, no one, not even the king of Judah can stand before God. The prophet Nahum
stated as recorded in Nahum 1:3: “The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no
means leave the guilty unpunished.” Isaiah would later state as recorded in 51:17:
Wake up, wake up, stand up, O Jerusalem,
you who drunk at the hand of the LORD
the cup of his wrath;
you have drunk dry the bowl that causes staggering.
Ahaz had taken the cup of the Lord’s anger and completed drank it. There would be no further offer from
God for the king to consider. God would act alone.
7:13 Then Isaiah said, "Listen now, O house of David. Is it too small a thing for you try the patience of
humans, that you want to try the patience of my God too?
Isaiah responded to the hypocritical and self-pious response of Ahaz. At least two very significant issues are
addressed by Isaiah. First, he responds by addressing the “house of David.” It is no longer a direct response
to Ahaz as a representative of the line of David. Isaiah addresses the entire covenantal dynastic lineage of
David with whom God has made a covenant described as the Davidic Covenant. See for example 2 Samuel
7:12-16. Ahaz has been judged and found guilty of rejecting God’s offer of defense on behalf of Judah and
Jerusalem. Ahaz effectively had been cast aside for consideration as a representative of the Davidic dynasty
and Isaiah rhetorically addresses the entire lineage of David. Second, Isaiah had previously, 7:11, referenced
God to Ahaz as “the LORD your God”; now Isaiah states that the Lord is “my God”. This change in
reference is not coincidental. It is a deliberate statement of Isaiah’s faithfulness to God and Ahaz’s
disobedience and unfaithfulness to God. (Bold intentional). See also Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 52.
7:14-16: Introduction
Isaiah 7:14-16 is absolutely vital to a proper understanding of the great sign God gave to the “house of
David” which was a prophetic announcement of the virgin birth of a Son, Jesus Christ 730 years in the future.
The fulfillment of this sign would have world changing significance and would be of critical importance to
99…..Isaiah 7:14-16 Introduction
God in keeping His covenantal promises with David. Also, within these verses, God gave a promise of
immediate historical importance to the people of Judah which was to be through the illustration of Isaiah’s
son. Isaiah 7:14-15 address the future great sign of the divine Son, Immanuel. Isaiah 7:16 addresses the
current political crisis with reference to a son standing literally at the feet of king Ahaz.
There has been a great deal of debate and controversy regarding the correct interpretation of these verses.
Even among conservative, evangelical and pre-millennial scholars, a friendly debate ensues to this day
regarding the meaning of the sign and how should this sign address both the far distant application as
recorded by Matthew in his gospel, (Matthew 1:22-23) and how it addresses the immediate crisis faced by
the people of Judah. (Bold intentional). At least four major “interpretations” have been suggested:
First interpretation: The sign of Immanuel was for the day of Ahaz and addressed the immediate historical
crisis only without a certain meaning for a future application in the New Testament.
Second interpretation: The sign of Immanuel was intended for the day of Ahaz but was applied by Matthew
to refer to the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
Third interpretation: The sign of Immanuel is a double reference referring both to the immediate context in
the days of Ahaz and also to the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
Fourth interpretation: The sign of Immanuel itself, verses 14-15, was for the future and was literally fulfilled
by the birth of Jesus Christ from a virgin named Mary. Vs. 16 referred to Isaiah’s son and was an object
lesson for the people of Judah regarding the crisis they were facing.
The following brief critiques of these three interpretations are not intended to fully engage scholarly debate
or provide technical and language-based reasons for any stated conclusions. References to scholarly
publications regarding this issue will be provided to give Bible students helpful resources in order to delve
deeper into this most critical passage of God’s word.
Regarding the first interpretation: Proponents of this suggested “solution” usually do not interpret the
Hebrew word almah as “virgin”, (as stated in most English versions), as being an unmarried woman who has
had no sexual relations with a man. These proponents suggest almah means a young woman. Thus, Isaiah,
according to this understanding of “virgin,” is simply referring to a son, soon to be born to a young woman,
who will be given the name of Immanuel. The identification of the son’s father is further suggested as Isaiah,
Ahaz or some other person with connections to the unfolding drama faced by Judah. The three major
problems with this interpretation is that (1) as will be indicated below, almah indeed does mean “virgin” in
the sense that it refers to a woman of marriageable age who will have a son although she has had no sexual
relations with a man. (2) This interpretation robs any sense of the meaning of a “sign” by God. Ahaz could
have simply shrugged his shoulders and said, “so what,” young women are having sons born to them every
day. (3) As well, this interpretation makes Matthew’s reference to Isaiah’s prophecy in 7:14 of no importance
as it robs the Old Testament of having specific Messianic content regarding this “sign.” It also removes from
Scripture, the vital importance of the virgin birth of Christ and brings into question the deity of Christ.
Regarding the second interpretation: Proponents of this suggested “solution” suggest that Matthew drew his
story of the virgin birth of Christ from an Old Testament story that had no direct prophetic relevance.
Matthew simply “applied” the Isaiah 7:14-16 as an illustration to accent his record of the birth of Christ. This
so called “solution” is similar to the first proposed solution and the objections to the first proposed solution
apply to this second proposal. The most important objection to this second interpretation that it makes
Isaiah’s prophetic message to Ahaz, without a purpose or a solution and denies that the Old Testament has a
100…..Isaiah 7:14
specific messianic content regarding the “sign.” Also, by applying an Old Testament story to an event current
in Matthew’s day, it gives affirmation to those who seek to allegorize the content of the Old Testament to fit
any desired interpretation they intend to apply to a New Testament text.
Regarding the third interpretation: Proponents of this suggested “solution” hold that the sign of Immanuel
has a double reference both to the immediate historical context of the crisis facing Judah and to the future
reference to the virgin birth of Christ as Matthew records the quotation from Isaiah 7:14. Two major
problems (among others) are evident regarding this viewpoint. (1) There is no evidence that a virgin during
the days of Isaiah and Ahaz gave birth supernaturally to a son which would literally fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy.
Some may point to Isaiah 8:8 and 10 as evidence that a son named Immanuel had been born but a close study
of these verses reveals they refer to a far future day when indeed the land of Judah will be rightly called
Immanuel’s land. (2) There is also no internal direct warrant for imposing a law of “double reference” on
certain prophecies of Scripture. Many conservative, godly and highly regarded scholars have held to this
view and it is not the intention of this study to cast aside or deride their opinion. It is with respect of their
great contribution to the understanding of Scripture that this study suggests another possibility for
understanding the sign of Immanuel.
Regarding the fourth interpretation: There appears that there are not many proponents of this suggested
solution. Michael Rydelnik is one such scholar who holds this view and he suggests that Wm. Kelly and H.
Bultema also proposed this solution. See Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really
Messianic? Note: pages 159-160. Gary V. Smith also hints at this solution, Isaiah, Vol. 1, pages 214-216.
Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope, pages 146-163 devotes a chapter to explaining why the Hebrew
language of Isaiah 7:14-16 strongly supports the literal future prophecy of a virgin who will give birth to a
son in vss. 14 and 15 and the literal reference in vs. 16 to Isaiah’s son, Shear-jashub, as an object lesson
pointing to the soon demise of the two kings who were threatening Judah and Jerusalem. For additional study
refer to W. Kelly, An Exposition of the Book of Isaiah, London: Paternaster, 1987; and H. Bultema,
Commentary on Isaiah, trans. D. Bultema, Grand Rapids, Kregel, 1981. The following notes on Isaiah 7:14-
16, expands upon the reason for supporting this fourth interpretation.
7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, a virgin will conceive, and give birth to a son,
and you will call him Immanuel [God with us].
Isaiah directly speaks to the “house of David” (see above notes on 7:13) and announces that the LORD
Himself will give “you” a sign. The word “you” in the Hebrew is plural and refers to the house of David,
Isaiah 7:13. This sign was offered to the entire “house of David” since the offer of a sign was rejected by the
current representative of this “house” who has brought God’s judgment upon himself (king Ahaz) for his
unbelief and evil rebellion against God. The sign was of the greatest importance to the house of David. The
prophet declared, “Look (Behold), a virgin will conceive, and give birth to a son, and you will call him
Immanuel [God with us]. Several points of discussion will be provided to help in the understanding of this
sign.
The DASV, among many other English versions, translates the Hebrew word almah, as virgin. Whenever the
word almah appears in the Hebrew, it always refers to a virgin. In the New Testament, Matthew quotes from
Isaiah 7:14 and uses the Greek word “parthenos” which also clearly means virgin., Matthew 1:23. The reason
this word has received so much critical attention is that liberal and Jewish scholars do not want to admit the
obvious, which is Isaiah was given a true prophetical word from God approximately 730 years before the
birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. It is for theological reasons and not exegetical reasons that many do not
translate the Hebrew word almah as virgin. For example, the Revised Standard Version (RSV) translates
almah as young woman, in Isaiah 7:14 which causes confusion because the RSV translates “parthenos” as
101…..Isaiah 7:14
virgin in Matthew 1:23. For an excellent treatment of this issue, refer to Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, pages
149-153 and Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope, pages 151-155. In another publication, Michael
Rydelnik and James Spencer comment on translation issues:
“The virgin of 7:14 would be with child. However, the Hebrew is even more emphatic, using the
feminine singular adjective harah (‘pregnant”). This should more accurately be translated “the virgin
is pregnant” or “the pregnant virgin.” Were it not for the context calling for a miraculous sign, such a
translation would seem impossible? However, the prophet, by a vision, saw a specific pregnant virgin
before him who would be the sign of hope for the house of David. Indeed, this would meet the
miraculous requirement of being deep as Sheol or high as heaven (v. 11).” (Michael Rydelnik, James
Spencer, Isaiah, The Moody Bible Commentary, page 1021).
God provided a sign for the Jewish people and for all humanity that would ultimately deal with their
wickedness. God demanded a righteous and just punishment for humanity’s sinful condition. The punishment
was that any sin committed by anyone without atonement resulted in death. Since God could not find anyone
worthy to bear the death penalty for all humanity due to their sinfulness, He alone gave the remedy. The first
action of this remedy was to give the world a sign which was unheard of or unimaginable to humanity’s finite
and fallible intelligence. The sign was that a virgin would be with child and bear a son, and she (the virgin)
will call His name Immanuel, Isaiah 7:14. See David L. Cooper, for a discussion on the significance of this
“sign”, Messianic Series Volume 2: Messiah: His Nature and Person, Biblical Research Society, 1933, pages
143-146.
The importance of this sign cannot be understated. The rebellious Ahaz certainly could not provide this
protection or salvation. No one at any time in history, past, present or future could be the means of salvation
from the penalty and punishment for the sins of the entire world – except for One Person. The nation of
Judah was in danger of being destroyed and the line of David was in danger of being obliterated. Who could
save them? It certainly would not be the king of Assyria who would later inflict the nation of Judah with
hardship and the nation of Israel with complete destruction. It also would not be any other nation or
powerful earthly king. God alone could save them.
Isaiah chapter 59 is a commentary on the failure of humanity to provide salvation for their wickedness. Isaiah
59:11 states, “we look for justice, but there is none, for salvation, but it is far from us.” A few verses later,
59:15b-16, Isaiah recorded:
“The LORD saw it,
and the fact that there was no justice displeased him.
16
He saw that there was no vindicator,
and was amazed that there was no one to intervene.
Therefore his own arm brought salvation to him;
his righteousness supported him.
In a truly wonderful passage regarding the second advent of the Messiah, Isaiah 63:1-6, Isaiah prophecies of
the Messiah’s provision of salvation. In verses 4-5 of Isaiah 63 the prophet states:
For the day of vengeance was in my heart,
and the year of my redeemed has come.
5
I looked, but there was no one to help;
I was shocked that there was no one to lend support.
Therefore my own arm brought me salvation,
102…..Isaiah 7:14-16
and my wrath sustained me.
The name of the son to be born of the virgin was to be Immanuel. The name is a blessed hope not only for the
nation of Judah but to the entire world. The name means “God is with us”. It is God who is with us who will
make right that which is evil and wrong, who will heal the nations, who will be a comfort to all who are
suffering, who will by His own arm bring eternal salvation to all those who will trust in the Son who was
born of the virgin. Although this is far from an original thought, it is among the great truths of Scripture that
God alone provides hope, present salvation and eternal joy in heaven with Him. He does this through three
easy to remember themes: God is with us: Immanuel, Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23; God is for us, Romans
8:31; and God is in us, Colossians 1:27. See also Appendix 3: The Presence of God.
7:15 He will eat curds and honey when he knows enough to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Continuing with the far future significance of the sign of Immanuel, Isaiah predicts that the Son to be born
will live his early years; “at the time He knows enough to refuse evil and choose good,” eating curds and
honey. Curds (butter) and honey can refer to desolate times when the ground is only suitable for the grazing
of animals who produce the less than desirable cheese curds and wildflowers flourish, instead of food crops,
resulting in the abundance of bees who produce honey. Such was the situation at the time of Christ’s birth.
The nation of Israel was in subjection to Rome, politically and militarily but the desolation of the land can be
traced back to the days of Ahaz who was responsible for the destruction of the land by foreign nations as
God’s judgment on the land was widespread and lasted for many centuries. Michael Rydelnik explains:
“The point then of the description of the coming virgin-born, Davidic king eating butter and honey is
to accentuate that he would be born during a time of political oppression. In other words, the
prophecy of Messiah concludes with a hint that He will be born and grow up (“Learn[ing] to reject
what is bad and choose what is good”) at a time when Judah is oppressed by a foreign power”.
(Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope, page 156).
7:16 For before the child knows to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread
will be deserted.
It is unlikely that Ahaz cared for or even gave much thought to the sign from God that Isaiah proclaimed to
him. He did not want to acknowledge the hope of God through faith in God. Yet if he listened to the prophet,
he would have reason to trust God. In 7:6, Isaiah refers to the boy, Shear-jashub his son, who is standing
next to him, which explains why God directed Isaiah to bring his son with him to meet with King Ahaz.
Isaiah had just proclaimed an amazing message of a future hope to the entire world in 7:13-15. He now
announces a message of an immediate hope to the nation of Judah, recorded in 7:16. The two kings, Rezin of
Aram and Pekah of Israel, whom Ahaz had feared (you dread) will have met their deaths (will be forsaken).
Isaiah had told Ahaz earlier, 7:4-7, that the king had nothing to fear from these two kings. Isaiah uses similar
words in 7:16, “to refuse the evil and choose the good,” regarding his son. The prophet had to describe the
divine Son, Immanuel, in order to provide a separation between the divine Son who was to be born of a
virgin, and Isaiah’s own son, Shear-jashub.
In 7:16, Isaiah uses his own son (the child) as an object lesson to describe that, in a short period of time, both
of these kings whom Ahaz dreaded would be dead and the threat to Judah from them would be removed. As
noted above, Michael Rydelnik provides an excellent discussion on the Hebrew text to support the difference
in meaning between Isaiah 7:13-15 and 7:16. Michael Rydelnik again explains:
103…..Isaiah 7:16 and 7:17-25 Introduction
“While many have considered v. 16 to be a continuation of the prophecy in 7:13-15, the grammar of
the passage suggests otherwise. The opening phrase in Hebrew can reflect an adversative nuance,
allowing for a disjunction between the child described in 7:13-15 and the one described in verse 16.
There is a different child in view in this verse.” (Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope, page 157).
One of the issues to be considered, is the audience to whom the prophet is addressing his message in Isaiah 7:
16. Michael Rydelnik offers this viewpoint:
“To whom does Isaiah make this prediction? What is not evident in the English text is plain in the
Hebrew. The prophet returned to using the second-person singular pronoun in 7:16 (“the land of the
two kings you [sg.] dread”). In 7:10-11 he used the singular to address King Ahaz. Then, when
addressing the house of David with the prophecy of Messiah, he shifted to the plural. But in 7:16, he
addressed King Ahaz, using the singular pronoun once again and giving him a near prophecy: before
Shear-Jashub would be able to discern good from evil, the northern confederacy attacking Judah
would fail. Within two years, Tiglath-Pileser defeated both Israel and Syria, just as the prophet had
predicted.” (Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope, page 158).
For an extended discussion of Isaiah 7:1-16, see Michael Rydelnik, Isaiah 7:1-16: The Virgin Birth in
Prophecy, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, pages 815-830.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 7:10-16
7:10-12 The Scorn of the Sinful: Ahaz
7:13-15 The Sign of the Savior: Immanuel
7:16 The Son of the Seer: Shear-jashub
3. The Plunder of the Nation: 7:17-25
The coming days for Judah and Israel (Ephraim) were to be terrifying due to the continual sinfulness of the
Jewish people. There are four “in that day” judgments: 7:18, 20, 21 and 23. These days were to be
judgments, in the form of the coming of the Assyria, from the Lord as they had never seen “since the day that
Ephraim separated from Judah”. God was to whistle for “the fly” from Egypt and “the bee” from Assyria to
descend upon the land and on all the watering places. God would use the King of Assyria to symbolically
shave the head, the hair of the legs and the beard of the Jewish men bringing disgrace upon them as the
outward symbols of their manhood would be removed. Also, the overwhelming armies of the Assyrians
would leave very little cattle or sheep which would mean the people would only have curds to eat and some
honey. God would still provide food for His people among the devastation to come. The vineyards and
cultivated lands would be trampled by the invading armies leaving only briars and thorns and a place where
only sheep and cattle could wander.
As declared by Isaiah in 7:17-25, the prophet reveals that the LORD will bring judgment upon Judah in the
person of the king of Assyria, who represents the Assyrian army, vs. 17. The LORD will call the Egyptians
and the Assyrians to bring His judgment upon Judah, vss. 18-20. Only milk producing curds and honey from
bees will be left for the people of Judah to eat, vss. 21-22. The agriculture produce of the land will be
destroyed leaving only briers and thorns, suitable only for cattle to graze and sheep to trample, vss. 23-25.
104…..Isaiah 7:17-19
7:17 The LORD will bring on you, your people, and your father's house days that have never been since the
day that Ephraim departed from Judah -- the king of Assyria.
Many scholars place Isaiah 7:17 in the previous section. However, upon a close inspection of the context it
seems best to start the new section with vs. 17 as it is an introduction to the new section which is about the
judgment of God on king Ahaz, his nation and upon the house of David. Isaiah reveals that God was to bring
judgment on Ahaz, his people and importantly on his “father’s house,” the house of David. The reason for
God’s punishment was due to Ahaz’s sinful rebellion against God and his evil acts, 2 Kings 16:1-4, 2
Chronicles 28:1-4, 16-27; and for his refusal to trust in God by calling upon the king of Assyria for assistance
against his enemies. Ahaz’s enemies were, Aram and Israel, 2 Kings 16:7-9; and the Edomites and the
Philistines, 2 Chronicles 28: 16-18.
The entire line of David would now suffer a great calamity. This judgment of God would be so severe that it
is described as days: “that have never been since the day that Ephraim departed from Judah.” This refers
first to the prophecy of Ahijah to Jeroboam, 1 Kings 11:29-39, which gives God’s reasons for splitting the
kingdom but preserving the tribe of Judah and the City of Jerusalem. Second it refers to the time when this
rendering of the kingdom actually happened, 1 Kings 12:12-20. The reason God gives for the sundering of
the kingdom into two, 1 Kings 11:33, was similar to the actions and disbelief of king Ahaz during the days of
his reign in Judah. The entire house of David would in the future suffer a separation which seemed on the
surface to put an end to the covenant God made with David. Jeremiah prophesized that Coniah (Jeconiah)
would not have any man of his descendants who would sit on the throne of David or who would rule again in
Judah, Jeremiah 22:28-30. The cities of Judah would also be made a desolation without inhabitant, Jeremiah
34:21-22. However, as Isaiah proclaimed in 7:14, God would fulfill His covenant promises with a Son who
would be born and be called Immanuel. Isaiah would later describe this Son with four, two-fold titles
describing Him as God. Isaiah would also declare that this Son would have a kingdom that would never end,
Isaiah 9:6-7. See also Jeremiah 33:14-26. The New Testament reveals that this Son would be from the line of
David, as recorded in Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-31.
The last phrase of Isaiah 7:17 is “the king of Assyria.” Here the prophet finally reveals, as he received the
prophecy from the Lord, that the punishment God has meted out to the people of Judah and its leadership,
due to the sinful actions of Ahaz, would be the coming of the armies of Assyria, under rule of its king. Isaiah
7:18-25 contain four oracles of judgment stating just what the Assyrians, and also the Egyptians, would do to
the people and land of Judah. The beginning of Isaiah 7:17 states that it was the LORD who was bringing this
calamity to Judah. The Lord would use foreign pagan nations to accomplish His acts of judgment. As a result
of this judgment, Judah would be disgraced as a people and their land would be in ruin.
7:18-19 In that day, the LORD will whistle for the flies from the remotest part of the rivers of Egypt and for
the bees from the land of Assyria.
19
They will come, and will settle in the ravines between cliffs and in the crevices of the rocks, and on all
thorn bushes and at all the watering holes.
The first of the four “in that day” oracles in this section, 7:17-25, are declared by Isaiah in verses 18-19. The
context of the words “in that day” is easily understood as a reference to an invasion that would soon come
upon Judah. It is not a latter day or end times prophecy. Assyria would first conquer the northern kingdom of
Israel and takes its people into exile. See notes on verses 7:8-9 above. In the days of Hezekiah, the son of
Ahaz, Assyria would come upon Judah and capture all its territory except for the city of Jerusalem. See
Isaiah chapters 36-37.
105…..Isaiah 7:19-25
The LORD will: “whistle for the flies” (from Egypt) “and for the bees” (from Assyria). Some scholars see an
historical significance in these two insects. See Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 55. The calling of the armies
of Egypt and Assyria would result in a massing of troops that will overwhelm the nation of Judah. The
armies would “settle in the ravines between cliffs and in the crevices of the rocks, and on all thorn bushes
and at all the watering holes,” 7:19. In other words, they would be literally everywhere and no place in the
land would be free from their presence. There would be no place for the people of Judah to take refuge. See
also Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, page 217, for comments on Isaiah 7:18-19 including the invasion of
Judah by Egypt.
7:20 In that day the Lord will shave with a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River-- with the king of
Assyria--the head and leg hair; along with the beard too.
The second “in that day” oracle declared by Isaiah regards the actions of the king of Assyria representing his
army who will shave off the hair of the Judean men from their head and legs and remove their beard. For the
male Israelite, the beard represented his value and dignity in society and the other areas of hair growth
represented the full value of his worth as a person. The Lord’s fulfillment of this prophecy was not long in
coming. The armies of King Sennacherib of Assyria demolished most of Judah in 701 B.C, destroying 46
cities (towns) and subjecting 200,000 Judeans to be led away as captives. 2 Kings 18:13 provides a brief
description of this event as well as the account given by King Sennacherib in his writings.
7:21-22 In that day, a man will keep alive a young cow and a couple goats.
22
From the abundance of milk they will produce he will eat curds; for everyone left in the land will eat curds
and honey.
In the third “in that day” oracle, Isaiah states that the livestock will be so few that a man (head of the family)
will only be able to keep alive “a heifer and a pair of sheep,” With all other sources of food (animals and
crops) destroyed because of the Assyrian invasion, only milk will be in enough abundance for the people to
survive on curds which is the poorest of milk products. There will also be honey available due to the
proliferation of wildflowers where edible crops used to grow. See Isaiah 7:23-25. The descriptive phrase
“curds and honey” is also used by Isaiah in 7:15 to describe the poor agricultural conditions of the land of
Judah during the time of the birth of Christ when Judah was under the control of the Romans.
7:23-25 In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels, it will be
overgrown with briers and thorns.
24
With bow and arrows one will hunt there, because all the land will be full of briers and thorns.
25
All the hills that used to be dug with a hoe, you will not go there for fear of briers and thorns. It will be a
place for cattle to graze and for sheep to trample.
The fourth “in that day” oracle describes the results of the Assyrian invasion. See also Isaiah 8:6-8. The land
will be so destroyed that the people of Judah will have to depend for food on animals they will hunt with
bows and arrows in lands full of briars and thorns. The crops from the fields will no longer produce any
edible yield and the value of their agricultural lands will now be virtually useless. The reason for these four-
fold “in that day” oracles is due to the unfaithfulness of Ahaz and his rebellious heart that was opposed to
God. Ahaz was so vile that he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him when the armies of
Aram and Israel had conquered most of the land of Judah. Ahaz reasoned that because of the success of the
gods of the kings of Aram, he would sacrifice to them with the thought that they would help him. Instead of
any help from a pagan worthless idol, Ahaz brought ruin and destruction to himself and to his people. A
further reason for the demise of Ahaz and his people was that instead of having faith in God for the
106…..Isaiah 8:1-2
protection of his people, he sought and purchased dearly for the aid of the king of Assyria. See 2 Chronicles
28:22-33 and wider context of all of chapter 28. See also 2 Kings 16:7-18.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 7:17-25
The four “in that day” Oracles of Judgment
7:17-19 The Settling of Foreign Armies
7:20 The Shaving of the Pride of Judah
7:21-22 The Shortage of Livestock
7:23-25 The Scourge of Food Crops
Chapter 8 Introduction
Chapter 8 continues the dialogue Isaiah began in chapter 7 regarding the incidents during the days of the
invasion of Judah by Aram (Syria) and Ephraim (Israel). Some scholars refer to this conflict as the Syro-
Ephraimite War. Details of this invasion are recorded in 2 Kings 16:5-6 and 2 Chronicles 28:5-15. As
recorded in chapter 7, Isaiah, accompanied with his young son Shear-jashub, met with king Ahaz and gave
the king a hopeful message from God that the two kings Ahaz feared, Rezin of Aram and Pekah of Israel
would not succeed in their planned siege of Jerusalem. Following Ahaz’s rejection of God’s message and His
offer of a sign to authenticate His message, Isaiah declared that God Himself would give a sign which was
the sign of Immanuel, the future virgin birth of the Messiah, Matthew 1:18-25. Following the repulsion of
God’s offer by the king of Judah, Isaiah began a series of prophetic judgment declarations on king Ahaz, his
people and upon the house of David, the kingly line of David.
In Chapter 8, Isaiah is directed by God to make a sign with the name on it of Maher-shalal-hash-baz and have
two well-known individuals witness the writing of the name on the sign. Shortly, after this, about a year,
Isaiah’s wife gave birth to a son to whom Isaiah called the same name as written on the sign. Isaiah would
later declare in 8:18, that he and his children “are for signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts
who dwells on Mount Zion.” (NKJV). In this chapter, Isaiah also declares more prophecy about the demise
of both Damascus (Aram) and Samaria (Israel) and the fate of Judah at the hands of the king of Assyria.
However, all is not lost and along with judgment, Isaiah announces mercy in that God will be with both the
houses of Israel, the southern and northern kingdoms. Isaiah was instructed to not fear what the people of
Judah fear, the king of Assyria, for Isaiah was only to fear (reverence) the LORD of hosts. Chapters 8-39 of
Isaiah primarily deal with the threat of the Assyrian advance on Judah and the threat to Jerusalem. Near the
end of chapter 8, Isaiah declares a message of despair on those who do not consult God, “should not a people
consult with their God?” 8:19. The fate of these people is that they will be driven into darkness. Thus chapter
8 ends in darkness but the great hope of chapter 9 is that “The people who walk in darkness will see a great
light,” Isaiah 9:2.
4. The fall of the Nation’s Enemies: 8:1-8
8:1-2 Then the LORD said to me, "Take a large tablet, and inscribe on it with an ordinary stylus: Belonging
to Maher-shalal-hash-baz [quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil].
2
I will have it verified by faithful witnesses, Uriah the priest, and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah."
The chapter opens with a message to Isaiah from God to take a large tablet. The Hebrew word gillayon is
translated “tablet” in 8:1 and “hand mirrors” in 3:23. It has the meaning of a shiny flat surface that can be
easily seen. Isaiah was instructed to write a name on this tablet, Maher-shalal-hash-baz, which in the Hebrew
is “Quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil”. The meaning of this name was that it spoke of the advance of the
107…..Isaiah 8:1-5
Assyrian army who in just a short time would gather, on behalf of the king of Assyria, the spoils of victory
from Damascus (Aram) and Samaria (Israel) as the LORD in Isaiah 8:4 declares.
The tablet written in ordinary letters for all to see, was a sign for the people of Judah. God saw to it that two
witnesses would testify that this name was written on the large tablet by His prophet Isaiah. The two
witnesses were called “faithful” however it was not necessarily because they were faithful to God or trusted
in Him. They were likely called “faithful” because they would testify to Judah the truth that Isaiah had
written the name on the tablet at a specified time which was before the Assyrian invasion upon Aram and
Israel and upon the land of Judah. These two witnesses were Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of
Jeberechiah. Uriah is known to students of Scripture as the priest who followed the wicked orders of Ahaz, 2
Kings 16:10-13. Zechariah may have been the one described in 2 Kings 18:2 as the father of Ahaz’s mother
Abi. Thus, these two witnesses, although faithful to testify that Isaiah wrote the name on the sign at a
specific date, were not likely friendly to Isaiah who spoke against the wickedness of King Ahaz.
8:3-4 So I had relations with the prophetess, and she conceived, and bore a son. Then the LORD said to me,
"Name him Maher-shalal-hash-baz."
4
For before the child knows to cry, 'My father,' and, 'My mother,' the riches of Damascus and the spoil of
Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria."
After these things and not necessarily as a direct consequence, as the word “so” in Isaiah 8:3 seems to
indicate, Isaiah had relations with the prophetess (his wife) and as a result she conceived and gave birth to a
son. The words “had relations with” should be understood as a descriptive term for sexual relations between
a man and woman, in this case the wife of Isaiah. The word “prophetess” may simply be a reference to the
wife of Isaiah and may not indicate that she also was a prophet as there are no Scriptural records that she was
a prophet of God. The wife of Isaiah gave birth to a son and Isaiah followed the LORD’s instruction and
named this boy the same name that was written in plain language on the sign, “Maher-shalal-hash-baz.”
God explained that the meaning of the boy’s name was a sign for Judah. God revealed that before Maher-
shalal-hash-baz knew how to cry out for his mother or father, the problem Judah faced with the threat from
Aram and Israel would be removed, as explained by the words, “the riches of Damascus and the spoil of
Samaria will be carried off by the king of Assyria,” Isaiah 8:4. This word from God was fulfilled in
approximately two years,732 B.C., by which time, both of the kings threatening Judah would be removed
from power and their lands would be overrun by the Assyrian armies and would become vassal states under
control of the king of Assyria. For the fate of king Pekah of Israel refer to 2 Kings 15:27-31. For the fate of
king Rezin of Aram refer to 2 Kings 16:9. See also the introductory notes on Isaiah 7 for a timeframe for the
complete destruction of Samaria, the northern kingdom of Israel.
8:5-6 Then the LORD spoke to me again, saying,
6
"Because this people has refused
the gently flowing waters of Shiloah,
and rejoices over what will happen
to Rezin and Remaliah's son,
As recorded in Isaiah 8:5-6, the Lord explains to the prophet why this judgment was brought upon the
northern kingdom of Israel. The core reason is recorded in 8:6: “Because this people has refused the gently
flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoices over what will happen to Rezin and Remaliah’s son.” The reference to
the gently flowing stream of Shiloah, which brought water into the City of Jerusalem to the pool of Siloam
from the exterior Gihon Spring, is very poetic and poignant and refers to God, who extended an offer of
safety to king Ahaz. The words, “rejoices over what will happen to Rezin and Remaliah’s son” is a reference
108…..Isaiah 8:6-8
to the trust that king Ahaz of Judah had placed in the king of Assyria, Tiglath-Pileser, 2 Kings 16:7-9. This
Assyrian king sent his army to conquer Rezin’s nation, Aram and also conquered the nation of Israel led by
the son of Remaliah, who was Pekah. Instead of accepting the offer of safety from the Lord of the Universe,
Ahaz turned to the king of Assyria, who was a temporary and treacherous ruler, who would only be on the
regional stage for a short time. Ahaz rejoiced in a brief raging torrent instead of an eternal and gentle
“stream”. The result of rejecting God’s offer is always disastrous as Ahaz should have known from the past
history of his forefathers. Ahaz and his people who were blinded by sin had now to face the wrath of God.
8:7 therefore the Lord will bring up against them
the strong floodwaters of the Euphrates River,
the king of Assyria and all his glory.
It will overflow all its channels,
and overrun all its banks.
As a result of the rejection of God by Ahaz, God was to bring on Judah the destruction of the king of Assyria
described as “the strong floodwaters of the Euphrates River.” The Lord further described this king with the
addition of “and all his glory” referring to the temporal earthly might of Assyria which at that time had no
equal among the nations within the “fertile crescent” area of the Middle East. The metaphor of the waters of
the Euphrates River also included the description that the river waters would flood and therefore fill all the
surrounding land. For Aram and Israel, the metaphor of the flooding waters was meant to indicate that these
nations would be totally over-run and conquered by Tiglath-Pileser, the king of Assyria.
8:8 It will sweep on into Judah,
flooding and pouring through.
It will reach even to the neck,
and the stretching out of its wings
filling the breadth of your land, O Immanuel.
These flood waters, representing the invasion by Assyria would also flow southward into Judah passing
through this nation and rise even to the neck of the Judean people. This surely is a prophecy that the
Assyrians would, at a later time, invade Judah but not completely conquer it. They would threaten to destroy
Jerusalem but would be prevented from doing so by God. See Isaiah chapters 36-37 for a fulfillment of this
prophecy. Isaiah in 8:8 changes the metaphor for the Assyrian advance to that of a bird spreading it wings to
cover the entire land which Isaiah adds is the land of Immanuel. This was a strong statement of the faith
Isaiah had in God for the prophet recognized that the land did not ultimately belong to the people of Judah
but to the God of the people whom the prophet called Immanuel.
The Lord states that among the judgment He has called, He will still be with them, depicted by the reference
to Immanuel which has the meaning of God with us. He has not forsaken them. He is inflicting them with
holy justice, yet they will have enough sustenance to survive, Isaiah 7:22. The Lord also reminds His people
that the land they live upon belongs to the Lord. It is Immanuel’s land. It is still Immanuel’s land. It has not
ceased to be and as long as the earth remains, it will always be His land. Any current conflict in Israel needs
to be understood in light of these truths. God stands with and among His people and His people need to be
constantly reminded that the land is His land. See notes on Isaiah 7:14 for discussion on “Immanuel.”
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 8:1-8
8:1-4 The Prophet’s Progeny and the Pursuer’s Plunder
8:5-8 The Lord’s Lament and the Lord’s Land
109…..Isaiah 8:9-10
5. The future of the Nation’s Remnant: 8:9-22
In these verses, Isaiah declares the message of the Lord for the nations, the prophet and his family and the
people of Judah. In vss. 9-10, the Lord warns any nation that would seek to by plan or action to destroy His
people that they themselves would be shattered (stated in vs. 9 three times for emphasis). In vss. 11-22, the
Lord speaks to Isaiah about: walking with God rather than in the way of the people of Judah and judgement
upon those who fail to walk with Him. This section has four main parts. First, in vss. 12-17, the prophet
speaks of trusting in the LORD only and fearing Him. Second, in vs. 18 Isaiah declares to the people of
Israel, that Isaiah and his children are signs and wonders from the Lord. Third, in vss. 19-20, God ‘s people
are to look to the Word of God rather than consulting mediums and spiritists. Fourth, Isaiah issues a message
of judgment on God’s people who fail to trust Him, vss. 21-22.
8:9-10 Be broken, O nations,
and be shattered in pieces.
Listen all you distant countries.
Gear up for battle,
but you will be shattered;
gear up for battle,
but you will be shattered.
10
Devise a plan,
but it will achieve nothing.
Issue orders,
but they will never happen,
for God is with us."
Isaiah, in these verses, declares a message to the nations of the earth regarding their plans concerning the
people of God. For dramatic emphasis, Isaiah states three times in 8:9 that those nations will be “shattered,”
which is the Hebrew word, chathath, which has the meaning to be dismayed. This word is also translated in
Isaiah 9:4 as “broken;” in 20:5 as “dismayed;” in 30:31 as “terrified;” in 31:4 as “frightened;” in 31:9 as
“panic;” in 37:27 as “dismayed;” in 51:6 as “never end;” and in 51:7 as “fear.” If they “devise a plan,” it will
“achieve nothing,” 8:10. “Achieve nothing” is a translation of the Hebrew word parar which has the meaning
of breaking, frustrated or annulled. If these nations issue “orders” dabar in the Hebrew, which has the
meaning of giving a word or a speech, these orders will never happen. The reason Isaiah can state this with
complete confidence is that “God is with us” (Immanuel). See also Isaiah 8:8 and 7:14. Not only is the land
of Judah and the land of Israel Immanuel’s land and belongs to the Messiah, so also is Immanuel with God’s
people. Any suggested, proposed or planned attack on the land and the people of God will be under the direct
superintendence of God. He has decreed that any such plan or proposal will achieve nothing. It also will
“never happen, for God is with us” 8:10.
This warning to the nations must be seen within the greater plan of God for His people. Isaiah has just
prophesized that Assyria would be used of God to overflow Immanuel’s land like the Euphrates river when it
floods its banks, 8:5-8. Also, in 7:17-25, the prophet had declared that the Lord will call (whistle) for the
armies (flies and bees) of both Egypt and Assyria to assault Judah as an act of God’s judgment because of the
sinfulness of God’s people. Only as directed by God and under His sovereign control will any planned attack
on God’s covenant people succeed because it is God’s judgment upon His people. Any planned attack against
God’s people that does not have His sanction will fail. See for example, Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. God
faithfully keeps His covenants with His people and His land. As Scripture indicates, the permanent
fulfillment of God’s covenants will need to wait until the days of the end when the Messiah will rule on the
earth from Mount Zion. Prior to the establishment of Messiah’s earthly reign and kingdom, however, there
110…..Isaiah 8:10-13
have been numerous times recorded in the past (from Isaiah’s time) and predicted for future days when this
fulfillment is postponed or delayed due to the sinfulness and rebelliousness of the people of God. See Amos
chapter 9 for God’s clear intentions for His people.
8:11-12 For the LORD told me this with a strong hand, and instructed me not to walk in the way of this
people, saying,
12
"Do not make allegation of a conspiracy;
concerning everything this people calls a conspiracy,
do not be afraid of what they fear,
or be in dread of it.
The Lord spoke to Isaiah “with a strong hand”, signifying the importance of the message that Isaiah was
given to address the people of Judah. The Lord’s first statement to Isaiah was for the prophet not to walk in
the way they have walked. This is a parallel message given to the psalmist as recorded in Psalm 1:1-3. The
righteous are those who delight in God’s law and mediate day and night upon it. The prophet, as recorded in
Isaiah, 8:12 was to avoid the gossip of those who talk about (allegation) a conspiracy, neither was he to be
afraid or in dread of that which caused the people of Judah to fear. The people feared and dreaded the
combined armies of Aram and Israel even though Isaiah had relayed God’s message to them, through king
Ahaz, to be calm and have no fear and to be quiet (in heart) because of the intentions of the kings of Aram
and Israel, Isaiah 7:4.
8:13 The LORD of hosts is the one you must recognize as holy,
and let him be your fear,
and let him be your dread.
Isaiah next declares a message from God that is full of wonderful theology and Biblical truth. It is a three-
part message: The first part is that God’s people are to regard as holy, the LORD of hosts, the great Lord of
armies who is the supreme commander and sovereign over all the hosts (armies) of heaven and earth. Isaiah
had heard the call of the Seraphim in the temple declaring the three-fold attribute of “Holy, Holy, Holy is the
LORD of hosts.” See notes on Isaiah 6:3. The people of God should have been acutely aware of the
command of God in the Torah as stated in Leviticus 11:44, “For I am the LORD your God, consecrate
yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” Also, the words written by the Apostle Peter, in 1 Peter
3:14-15 refer to Isaiah 8:13.
The second part of this critical message from God in 8:13 is about God “let him be your fear”. Fear in this
verse is the Hebrew word morah, which has the meaning of respect and reverence as well as the common
meaning of being afraid. The necessity of a reverent fear of God is one of the most emphatic themes of
Scripture as Proverbs 1:7 so perfectly illustrates, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge”.
The third part of this message from God in vs. 13 is also about God “let him be your dread.” Dread is the
Hebrew word arats and has the meaning of to cause to tremble. Although some may want to equate fear and
dread as synonymous terms, they are separated in this study to emphasize a seldom stated and perhaps
unpopular characteristic of those who would live a godly life. To tremble during times of worship of and
meditation upon God is to acknowledge the profound truth that God alone rules the universe and there is no
one else to whom anyone can rely upon and invest their trust. To dread God is to visibly demonstrate His
affect upon the believer. It is different than fear, which in the context of the Scriptures, is often an inward
calmness of absolute trust in Him. Dread gives the connotation of trembling with sweat that breaks out when
one comes face to face with the truth of whom God is and what that really means to the believer’s daily life.
Dread visibly moves the believer to holiness. Dread also moves believers to be intensely aware of any sinful
111…..Isaiah 8:13-17
act which separates them from a right relationship with God and spurs the believer to repent with the result of
restoring this relationship. Believers move to repentance, but God restores the relationship. Being in dread of
the Lord can also be the safest place for the believer, who knows that any other place is unsafe and
undesirable. (Bolding in above paragraphs is intentional).
8:14-15 He will be a sanctuary;
a rock one trips over
and a stone of stumbling
for both the houses of Israel.
He will be a trap
and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15
Many will stumble over them.
They will fall and be broken,
snared and taken captive."
Although some may want to interpret these verses as a prophecy of the Babylonian captivity, the message of
Isaiah 8:14-15 had an immediate application and a future prophetic fulfillment in the Messiah. To those who
heard Isaiah’s declaration, it would be a warning to either trust in God for safety as a sanctuary or to trust in
their evil king causing them to stumble and be snared and caught by their enemies. In the future, other
servants of God would apply this message to the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Refer to Matthew 21:44,
Luke 2:34, Romans 9:32-33 and 1 Peter 2:8. To those who trust in the Messiah, the stone of stumbling
would be their cornerstone, Psalm 118:22, but to those who reject Him, this stone will cause them to fall and
be broken. See notes on Isaiah 28:16.
8:16-17 Bind up the testimony,
seal the teaching among my disciples.
17
I will wait expectantly for the LORD,
who hides his face from the house of Jacob,
but I will put my hope in him.
Isaiah next turns to his disciples, and perhaps also to the faithful remnant of God, who are those who remain
true to the Lord. Isaiah and declares to them, that they are to “bind up the testimony” and “seal the teaching”
which likely refers to the necessity to committing themselves to the law of God and to the words that God
has given to the prophet. This is the only reference in Isaiah where the prophet refers to his disciples. Isaiah
repeats this call in 8:20 to: “consult the law and the testimony!” Even though, God presently “hides his face
from the house of Jacob,” 8:17; Isaiah will look eagerly for Him as should all of Isaiah’s disciples and those
who are the faithful remnant of the LORD. It is possible that Isaiah addresses his disciples because the court
of the king and the people of Judah had rejected his message, exactly as God had previously revealed would
be the response from the people. See Isaiah 6:9-13.
The disciples of Isaiah and the remnant who are faithful to God would be the “tenth” portion and the “holy
seed” that God had stated in Isaiah 6:13. Even so today, Christians are to eagerly look to the return of the
Lord, Romans 8:23, 8:25, Philippians 3:20, and Hebrews 9:28. The phrase “I will wait expectantly for the
LORD,” Isaiah 8:17, has a messianic application. In the New Testament, it is interpreted as “I will put my
trust in Him” as recorded in Hebrews 2:13 which cites this verse. The sense is similar. To expectantly wait
for Him is by implication to put one’s trust in Him. In the context of Hebrews chapter 2, it is Christ who has
put His trust in the Father.
112…..Isaiah 8:18-22
8:18 Look, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are for signs and harbingers in Israel from the
LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
As Isaiah waited expectantly for the Lord, Who, had hid His face from the house of Jacob, the people were
not without a sign from God. Isaiah understood his relationship to the people when the Lord was silent.
Isaiah reveals in 8:18, that he and his children were to be seen as “signs and wonders in Israel, from the
LORD of hosts.” (NKJV). The very presence of Isaiah, as the one proclaiming God’s word, was a sign.
Isaiah’s name means “Salvation is of the Lord”. When they spoke about Isaiah, the people in Judah
acknowledged this truth from God. Isaiah was a walking testimony of the saving grace of God to the Jewish
people. Isaiah’s first son was Shear-jashub, which means, “a remnant will return”. This name was also a
constant reminder to the people that the Lord, not only will save them, but will preserve to Himself a remnant
from among the people who will have a future in the land. The meaning of the name of Isaiah’s first son was
a message that was frequently repeated throughout Isaiah’s long career as a prophet. The name of Isaiah’s
second son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz means, “quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil” or “swift to the booty-
speedy to the prey.” This sign was first applied to the immediate situation that the king and people of Judah
found themselves as recorded in Isaiah 8, with the coming of the armies of Assyria to conquer Aram (Syria)
and Israel (Samaria). As time progressed, this second son’s name would act as a reminder that the Lord
keeps His promises and a warning, that if the Jewish people continued to rebel against God, this message
would apply to them.
The words “Look, I and the children whom the LORD has given me” was used by the author of Hebrews as
recorded in Hebrews 2:13, to indicate that to those who have put their trust in Him, Christ is not ashamed to
call them brethren. The words “children” and “brethren”, in the context of Hebrews Chapter 2, should be
understood as those who trust in Christ. It is not the only passage where believers in Christ are referred to as
children. For example, Isaiah states this in chapter 53:10, “He will see His offspring.”
8:19-22 When they say to you, "Consult with mediums and spiritists, who chirp and mutter,"
should not a people consult with their God? Should they really ask the dead on behalf of the living?
20
Rather consult the law and the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, surely there is no
dawn for them.
21
They will wander through the land distressed and hungry. When they get hungry, they will be enraged, and
curse their king and their God, as they turn their faces upward.
22
They will look to the earth, and see only distress and darkness, gloom and anguish; they will be driven
away into the darkness.
Isaiah next turns his attention to those who are not the offspring of the Messiah by trusting in Him but are
those who rejected Him, and instead of seeking the Lord, consulted mediums and spiritists. Isaiah asks these
iniquitous inquirers, “should not a people consult with their God? Should they really ask the dead on behalf
of the living?” Isaiah 8:19. Consulting mediums was condemned by God. See Leviticus 19:26 and
Deuteronomy 18:9-14. King Saul was an example of those who went against God’s command when he
consulted a medium (witch) at Endor. See 1 Samuel chapter 28. It is not surprising that the people Isaiah
spoke about who did consult mediums and spiritists would have no dawn, 8:20, and would “see only distress
and darkness, gloom and anguish,” 8:22. They would, due to the hardships placed upon them, “be enraged
and curse their king and their God as they turn their faces upward,” 8:21. The passage of time will not
change the sinfulness of people and their rebellious acts towards God. During the great tribulation, the people
who will have the mark of the beast upon them will curse God and blaspheme his name when they face the
wrath of God which will be represented by the seven bowl judgments as recorded in Revelation chapter 16.
113…..Isaiah 9:1-7 Introduction
Isaiah chapter 8 ends with a message of despair, “they will be driven away into the darkness.” Isaiah had
earlier warned king Ahaz, “if you will not faithfully stand firm, then you will not stand at all,” 7:9. It was a
message that the king blatantly ignored, and his and Judah’s future destiny was firmly set in destruction
because of Ahaz’s failure to trust God. As recorded in Isaiah 8:22, the prophet reminds the people of Judah
that their destiny will be the same as their king because they also have refused to consult God and trust in
Him for their salvation. If the message of Isaiah had ended in this place, we would have to despair with these
ancient participants in the great covenants of God. But all is not lost to darkness. The very next verse, Isaiah
9:1 begins with “But there will be no gloom to her who was in anguish.” Also, the great news of 9:2 blazes
into the darkness and beams hope, “The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light.” A few verses
later, Isaiah reveals the astounding messages that this great light will be seen in the person of a child. These
messages begin with, “for unto us a child is born, unto us a son given,” Isaiah 9:6. This blazing light that
defeats the darkness, is revealed in chapter 9 of Isaiah, as the promised Messiah, with titles given to Him that
are only applicable to God. This child is the virgin born Son, Isaiah 7:14, and later will be revealed by Isaiah
as the great suffering Servant of the Lord upon whom “the LORD has laid on him the sin of us all,” Isaiah
53:6.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 8:9-22
8:9-10 God’s Safety for His People: Immanuel
8:11-15 God’s Sanctuary for His People: Instruction
8:16-22 God’s Sign for His People: Isaiah and his sons
6. The Promise of the Kingly Child: 9:1-7
This short passage of just seven verses, Isaiah 9:1-7 is enormous in scope to the significance of Biblical
prophecy and specifically to Messianic studies. It would be difficult to find so much information about the
coming Messiah in any other Scriptural passage of the same length. Portions of these verses are sung as high
praise to God the Father and to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ each Christmas season. Of all the titles
ascribed to Christ in Scripture, the names in Isaiah 9:6 are perhaps the most memorized and cited by
Christians throughout the world. But there is much more to this small passage than these four titles. Nearly
all the verbs in this section, except for vs. 7, are written in the past tense to indicate Isaiah’s confidence that
the predictive words given to him from God are considered as events that already have taken place. It is
critical to understand that the names given to this child, this Son given to us, are not for “signs” as were the
names of Isaiah and his children. This Son to come is not a sign of a future hope for He Himself is the future
hope, the Messiah, not only for Judah and Israel but for all the nations of the earth.
With the prophecy of the coming of this Son, see also 7:14; 8:8,10, Isaiah completes the narrative of using
sons, including two of his own, to illustrate significant truths for his people. Isaiah’s first son, Shear-jashub
meaning “a remnant shall return” was a constant reminder that God, although exacting judgment on the
rebellious people of Judah and Israel, promised that all would not be lost, and a faithful remnant would return
to the glorious land in the future. Isaiah’s second son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz meaning “quick to the plunder,
swift to the spoil” was a sign of a specific historical event, in which the Assyrian armies would quickly gather
up the spoils of victory over Aram (Syria) and Israel. Isaiah’s name has the meaning of “the Lord is
salvation” and his name was a constant reminder to his people all through his ministry that, even though
judgment would fall on Israel and Judah, the people must look to the Lord for their salvation, for there is no
hope in any other God, person or nation. The names of the greater Son, first called Immanuel in 7:14
meaning “God with us” are given in this section, Isaiah 9:1-7, to declare a most amazing message to the
people of Judah and Israel. This message is that God is sending His very own unique Son to finally bring
peace to His people and to establish a kingdom which will be ruled by this Son and will last forever. The
114…..Isaiah 9:1-3
people of God must, as must all peoples, trust in God for their future salvation and glorious eternal existence
when this greater Son will forever be Immanuel.
The prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-7 begins with a most amazing prophecy about Zebulun and Naphtali, which in
times past had been treated with contempt, but in the future to Isaiah’s day, during the Messiah’s first advent,
would be made glorious, vs. 1. Those who once walked in darkness and have lived in the land of the shadow
of death have seen a great light, vs. 2. The nation has been multiplied by you (the Messiah), who have
increased their joy, vs. 3. The nation’s oppression has been broken by you (the Messiah), and the oppressor’s
have been defeated, vss. 4-5. A child, a Son has been born to the nation (us), who will have the government
upon His shoulders. He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of
Peace, vs. 6. There will be no end to the increase and peace of His government, and He will rule over His
kingdom upon the Davidic throne. He will establish this kingdom with justice and righteousness forever for
the zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish (all) this, vs. 7
9:1-2 But there will be no gloom to her who was in anguish. In the former times he treated the land of
Zebulun and Naphtali with contempt, but in the latter time he will make glorious Galilee of the nations, from
the way of the sea to the region beyond the Jordan.
2
The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
on them the light has shined.
In the Hebrew text, verse 1 of chapter 9 in the English versions, is placed as vs. 23 of chapter 8. Thus, this
verse serves as a bridge between the despair due to the judgment upon the people in the latter verses of
chapter 8 and the great promise to the people of the coming Prince of Peace. The NSAB translates the first
clause of this verse as: “But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish”. Isaiah speaks about
earlier times when the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, areas to the north of Galilee, were treated by God with
contempt. As these times are not specifically mentioned, and in the context of the preceding chapters in the
prophecy of Isaiah, these times may be a reference to the areas in northern Israel (Ephraim) conquered by the
Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III. In contrast to these devastating earlier times, God in later times, “will make
glorious Galilee of the nations, from the way of the sea, to the region beyond the Jordan.” Isaiah 9:1.
This verse, Isaiah 9:1 implies a question: what is going to happen in later times within the area known as
Galilee of the Gentiles? An historical response to this question is recorded in Matthew chapter 4:12-17.
Matthew states that, when Christ had heard that John (the Baptist) was taken into custody, He left Nazareth
and withdrew into Galilee, settling in Capernaum, which is by the sea (of Galilee), in the region of Zebulun
and Napthali and Matthew adds that this fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 9:1-2. When Jesus was in this
northern area of Galilee He from that time, “began to preach, and to say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven
is near" Matthew 4:17. It was the presence of Christ and His teaching in this northern area of Galilee that
was the great light that would shine upon them. This often neglected, and Gentile influenced area of Israel
would be blessed with the Messiah and His message. In application, it could be suggested that the entire
nation would be blessed by the presence of the Lord, Jesus Christ, for the message that the Lord preached
during Matthews’s time was that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, implying that the kingdom was at hand
due to the presence of the King of the kingdom. However, the kingdom was not yet a present reality and was
later postponed due to the rejection by the Jews of Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
9:3 You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased their joy;
they joy before you like the joy during harvest,
like warriors rejoice when they split up the spoil.
115…..Isaiah 9:3-6
In Isaiah 9:3, the prophet records another great blessing upon the nation, but it is for another time. The result
of having the Messianic light shine upon them was one of great blessing to the people who would, in the far
future, be living in Israel during the time of the Messianic kingdom. This event can fit no other period. They
do not refer to Isaiah’s time, nor do they adequately apply to the first century. But they must refer to a later
time when the nation shall be multiplied, and the people’s gladness will be increased for the people will be
joyful in the presence of the Messiah. The work of God in multiplying the nation naturally implies the
expansion of the borders of the land and an increase in population. The expansion of the land during the
Messianic kingdom is described in detail in Ezekiel chapter 47. The increase or multiplication in population
is further discussed by Isaiah in Isaiah 66:7-9. This promise of multiplication of people and land is a
fulfillment of the covenant of God with Abraham. For the promise of a multiplied people, see Genesis 12:2;
13:16; and 17:6. For the land promise see, Genesis 12:7; 13:15; 15:18; and 17:7-8. See also Isaiah 60:21. For
further study see “The Kingdom of God in the Old Testament” pages 181 to 184, by William D. Barrick as
published in The Master’s Seminary Journal, TMSJ 23/2, Fall 2012. Refer also to the Master’s Seminary
Journal study on the Covenants: TMSJ 10/2, Fall 1999. For full book length studies on the Kingdom of God,
see Michael J. Vlach, “He Will Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God,” Lampion Press,
2017; and Andrew M. Woods, “The Coming Kingdom: What is the Kingdom and How is Kingdom Now
Theology Changing the Focus of the Church?” Grace Gospel Press, 2016; and Alva J. McClain, “The
Greatness of the Kingdom: An Inductive Study of the Kingdom of God,” BMH Books, 1959.
9:4-5 For the yoke of their oppression,
and the bar on their shoulder,
the rod of their oppressor,
you have broken as in the day of Midian's defeat.
5
For every boot of the marching warriors,
and every garment drenched in blood,
will be for burning, fuel for the fire.
These two verses affirm the likelihood that these blessings could only refer to a time when the Messiah
would be among them ruling over His kingdom. The people would finally be at peace with their enemies and
battle clothing would only be used as fuel for the fire. Isaiah predicts that the people of God will break or
remove the yoke, staff and burden from those who oppress them. This could have an application (but not
prophetically fulfilled) to Assyria and in the eighth century B.C. and to Babylon in the seventh century B.C.
Many Biblical scholars suggest that within Isaiah 1-39, Assyria is referenced as the dominant aggressor to the
Jewish people and in a few chapters within Isaiah 40-66, Babylon assumes this role. The good news for
God’s people is that, eventually, in a far future time, they will be victorious over all nations who oppose them
and seek their destruction. They will be reminded of the victory God brought them over the armies of Midian
under the leadership of Gideon as recorded in Judges Chapter 7. Refer also to Isaiah’s further discussion on
the removal of the burden placed upon them by their enemies, for example, see 10:24-27; and 14:24-27.
Chapters 13-23 of Isaiah deal mostly with God’s judgment on the nations which have oppressed Judah and
Israel, but they also include judgment on Israel.
9:6-7 For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given,
and the government will be upon his shoulders:
and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7
Of the increase of his government
and of peace there will be no end.
He will rule on the throne of David,
116…..Isaiah 9:6-7
and over his kingdom,
to establish it,
and to uphold it with justice
and with righteousness from this time forth forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
The prophet gives details about the Messiah who will be present during this blessed future time, and He will
be the cause of the peace of the land. Isaiah, in 9:6, stated this reason: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a
son is given.” Certainly, this must in the context of the preceding chapters, refer to the son who was to be
born of a virgin and who would be called Immanuel, Isaiah 7:14. Also Isaiah would have known the
prophetic words of Psalm 2:6-7 regarding the Son who was to be installed on Mount Zion as a King. Isaiah
would have pondered the meaning of the words God had given him to proclaim as recorded in Isaiah chapter
9, and he may have wondered about their fulfillment. We have the advantage of the completed Scriptures to
inform us of the full impact of these prophetic words. See Matthew 1:23; 13:17; Luke 1:31-33; 2:7, 11;
10:24 and Acts 3:17-26.
Another detail given in Isaiah 9:6 regarding this Son is that, “the government will rest on His shoulders”.
This certainly amplifies Psalm 2:6-9 and looks forward to Zechariah 14:9; Matthew 2:6; Revelation 1:5,
2:26-27, 12:5, 19:15-16 and 20:4. There is no doubt that one of the highest offices of the King to come, the
Messiah, is that of a Ruler. This Ruler will first come as a Son and will later reign over the nations. All
peoples will acknowledge His rule and not only obey Him as Ruler but worship Him as the King of King and
Lord of Lords. For this title, see Revelation 19:16.
The Ruler, the child to come as a Son, will have four two-fold names or titles ascribed to Him. These two-
fold names/titles are not an exhaustive description, but it is specifically given to emphasize His eternal,
exalted, holy, majestic and royal person. The first two-fold name is “Wonderful Counselor,” Pele Yoetz in the
Hebrew, is literally, “wonder of a counselor” See Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 62. He is to be a
counselor both in the sense of the instruction He is to give and the life He is to live. His word and His
sacrificial life would give irrefutable counsel regarding salvation for mankind. Luke states as recorded in
Acts 4:12, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven, given among humans,
by which we must be saved." (bold intentional). One scholar gives an extended explanation:
“Pele Yoetz – Wonderful Counsellor – Actually the word “pele” is not an adjective but a noun,
literally translated this means Wonder Counsellor. This word first occurs in connection with the
appearance of the Angel of the God to Manoah, the father of Samson:
And Manoah said to the angel of the LORD What is your name? And the angel of the LORD said to
him: Why do you ask my name seeing that it is secret [Peti]…
And Manoah said to his wife, we will surely die because we saw God (Jud. 13:17-18, 22).
For their fathers he did wonders [pele] in the land of Egypt, in the field of Zoan (Psa. 78:12, also Psa.
88:12.
The word “pele” therefore indicates a wonder, a mysterious act of God, beyond human grasp. Pele
wonderful or mysterious is an attribute of God, like holiness. Pele Yotz therefore means a wonderful
counselor and partakes of the very nature of God.
Elsewhere Isaiah wrote:
This also cometh from the LORD of hosts who is wonderful in counsel and great in deliverance (Isa.
28:29)” (Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 164).
117…..Isaiah 9:6-7
The second two-fold name is “Mighty God,” El Gibbor in the Hebrew. In Isaiah 10:21, the prophet records
that “A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.” Since this title would naturally refer
to the “Lord, the Holy One of Israel” in the preceding verse, it is an extremely important reference in Isaiah
9:6, that the Son to be born would also be called “Mighty God”. Thus, the Son to be born would be God. No
other person or spiritual being in all of Scripture was given this name. In the New Testament, passages such
as John 1:1-14 and Hebrews 1:1-3 give further revelation that this Son to be born would be more than just a
human son, He was also God in the flesh. Victor Buksbazen again explains:
“Elsewhere Isaiah calls God El Gibbor (10:21): “A remnant shall return, a remnant of Jacob, to the
mighty God [El Gibbor]”
Jeremiah refers to God: “The God who is great and mighty [Ha-El Ha-gibbor] his name is the LORD
of hosts” (Jer. 32:18).
Here the Messiah is called the mighty God, the same name as God, thus clearly bearing witness to the
divinity of the Messiah. Some translate El Gibbor, God-like hero, but in view of Isaiah 10:21 this is
not satisfactory.” (Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 165).
The third two-fold name is “Everlasting Father,” Abhi ad in the Hebrew. This is a title combining two
concepts which could be stated as “my father is eternal” or “father of eternity” See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 1-
39, NAC, page 241. There are only a few references in the Old Testament to God as Father, Deuteronomy
32:6, Isaiah 63:16; 64:8; Jeremiah 3:4, 19; and Malachi 2:10. There are many other Scriptural references
where the Jewish people are called God’s sons. This two-fold name is another clear statement that this Son to
come is declared to be God. In the New Testament, as recorded in John 10:30, Jesus stated, “I and the Father
are one”. The Jews immediately understood that Jesus was claiming to be God because they picked up stones
to stone Him. Jesus asked them," I have showed you many good works from the Father; for which of those
works are you stoning me?" John 10:32. The Jews answered, “We are not stoning you for a good work, but
for blasphemy; because you who are just a man, claim to be God.” As the Davidic King, the Messiah is the
father of His people, and will eternally act as a kind and gentle father.
The second aspect of this title is “eternal.” This is a clear statement of the eternality of the Son. He always
existed and there never was any time when the Son did not exist for He is God who lives forever. The tri-
unity of God is also clearly stated in this phrase. The Son is God as the Father is God and the Holy Spirit is
God. As God, the Son will rule over his kingdom forever. In the next verse, Isaiah 9:7, Isaiah records that the
son would sit on the throne of David, forever. The prophetic reference in 2 Samuel 7:16 to the eternal
duration of David’s throne points forward to the birth of this Son and to His place on the throne of David as
stated in Luke 1:32-33, “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will
give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom
there will be no end.”
The fourth two-fold name is “Prince of Peace,” which is Sar Shalom in the Hebrew. In the eleventh chapter
of Isaiah, the prophet expands upon the reign of this Prince, whom Isaiah refers to as a shoot and a branch
that will spring from the stem of Jesse. It is this “shoot/branch” who will restore the fallen house of David by
sitting as a king on David’s throne. The reign of peace is described and the reason for this peace is given in
Isaiah 11:9, “For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.” Not only
will the earth be at peace during the reign of its divine Prince, but God and man will be reconciled and be at
peace forever through this Prince’s reconciliation work on the cross. Colossians 1:19-20 states, “For the
Father was pleased that all his fullness should dwell in him; and through him to reconcile to himself all
118…..Isaiah 9:6-7 and 9:8-10:4 Introduction
things, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross, whether things on earth or things in heaven.”
See also Romans 5:10, and 2 Corinthians 5:18-21.
Isaiah, as recorded in 9:7 gives more detail about the eternal kingdom of the Son. First, the increase of His
government and peace will never end, indicating that it will be limitless. This comment should be seen as
referring to the eternal kingdom and not just to the millennial kingdom of Christ. Second, the Son will reign
on the throne of David over His kingdom for a limitless period of time. This is a very important statement of
Scripture verifying the prophecy of 2 Samuel 7:12-17, Psalm 89:4, and all of Psalm 89 in context, and in the
future at the birth of Christ, Luke 1:32-33. Third, the kingdom of the Son will be established and upheld with
justice and righteousness forever. The Holy King will reign over a Holy kingdom. Fourth, these promises
will be fulfilled because they will be accomplished by the zeal of the LORD of hosts. There need not be any
doubt as to their fulfillment, for the LORD Himself has a great burning desire (zeal) to ensure that they will
be put into place just as Isaiah has prophesized. As a concluding note, it is important to understand that the
above details regarding the kingdom of the Son will begin with His millennial kingdom on earth and proceed
without end into the eternal state.
Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer comment:
“The child will fulfill the promise of the Davidic covenant (cf. 2 Sm 7:12-16), and establish the
messianic kingdom through justice and righteousness. This kingdom will not be the outworking of a
king with human wisdom and power. The child will rule with the wisdom, power, and peace of God.
The final statement in v. 7 notes that the Lord will accomplish all that has been described. Isaiah
again underscores that trust in the Lord is the key to receiving the promised blessing.” (Michael
Rydelnik, James Spencer, Isaiah in the Moody Bible Commentary, page 1025).
For an extended discussion on Isaiah 9:1-7, see Edward E. Hindson, Isaiah 9:1-7: The Deity of Messiah, The
Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, pages 831-843. Also, for a thorough treatment on the Messiah as
King with an eternal rule, see The Government of the Messianic Kingdom, (chapter 18), The Footsteps of the
Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, Revised Edition, Ariel Ministries, 2004, pages 387-
401.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 9:1-7
9:1 Place and Proclamation of the Promised King
9:2-5 Prosperity and Peace of the Promised Kingdom
9:6 Preeminence and Power of the Promised King
9:7 Perpetuity and Piety of the Promised Kingdom
7. The Anger of the Lord: 9:8 –10:4
Following the glorious announcement of the birth and everlasting rule of the promised Son, Isaiah turns his
attention to the northern kingdom of Israel (Ephraim). The last section of Isaiah chapter 9 and first four
verses of chapter 10 are a burning indictment against the arrogance, pride, false teaching, godlessness,
evilness, foolishness, and wickedness of the people of the northern kingdom. As stunning as is the list of the
sins of the people, so is the list of the punishments by the Lord. This section is distinctively marked by the
phrase: “Even after all this, His anger is not turned away but his hand is still stretched out still.” This phrase
is stated in 9:12, 17, 21 and 10:4. See also Isaiah 5:25. This phrase marks the divisions of this declarative
statement of the anger of God upon His disobedient and rebellious people. An outline of this section resulting
from these divisions is suggested:
119…..Isaiah 9:8-9
9:8-12 The Proud Confronted
9:13-17 The Populace Cleaved
9:18-21 The People Consumed
10:1-4 The Prosecutors Condemned
9:8-12: The Proud Confronted
In the section Isaiah 9:8-12, the prophet declares that the word of the Lord is against the northern kingdom of
Israel which is described as Ephraim and Samaria who are proud and arrogant, vss. 8-9. They boastfully
claim they alone (without the Lord) can rebuild their cities and forests following their destruction, vs. 10.
Therefore, the LORD has brought enemies against them which will further destroy Israel, vss. 11-12.
9:8 The Lord sent a word against Jacob,
and it has fallen on Israel.
Isaiah begins this section with a declaration that Lord is delivering a message (of judgment) against Jacob
which is for or will fall upon Israel. Isaiah often described the people of God as “Jacob” meaning the entire
twelve tribes of Israel named after the sons of Jacob. In the context of this section Isaiah states that the
message of judgment will fall upon the northern kingdom, Israel containing ten of the twelve tribes of Jacob.
It is unlikely that Isaiah travelled to Israel to deliver this message during a time of warfare. See Gary V.
Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, page 243. The message was about Israel but spoken to Judah to confront the southern
kingdom with their need to consider their failure to seek God and take action by repenting and turning to
God. Isaiah was not the only eighth century B.C. prophet to declare a message of judgment upon Israel.
Hosea, who may have been a native of Israel, primarily had his prophetic ministry to that nation although his
message was also for Judah. The prophet Amos, although from Tekoa in Judah, ministered mostly to Israel,
Amos 7:15. Micah had his prophetic ministry mostly among the people of Judah although some of his
messages were for Israel, Micah 1:5-7. Jonah, another eighth century prophet, may have had an unrecorded
prophetic ministry to Israel. He was sent by God to bring a message of judgment (unless repentance came) to
Nineveh, the capital of Assyria.
9:9-10 All the people will know it,
Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria,
who in pride and in arrogance of heart, say,
10
"The bricks have fallen,
but we will rebuild with carefully crafted stone;
the sycamores are cut down,
but we will replace them with cedars."
The message of judgment Isaiah brought from God was not hidden or obscure. All of the people of Israel,
signified by the words Ephraim, one of the largest tribes (7:2, 17) and Samaria, the capital city of Israel,
knew or were to know the content of the judgment declaration of God. The first indictment of God against
the northern kingdom in this specific message is that even though the people of Israel knew the message of
God, they responded to it with pride and arrogance in their heart. They like king Ahaz of Judah, refused to
humble themselves before God and repent of their stubborn willfulness. They would not acknowledge nor
trust in God for protection nor worship Him as their sovereign Ruler and Holy God.
The people of Israel mocked God in their arrogance, by stating that they will just rebuild with smooth stones
because the bricks have been knocked down and will replant with cedars because the sycamores have been
cut down. This is more than just stating that they will rebuild in times of calamity. It is a statement that no
120…..Isaiah 9:9-12
matter what God can throw at them, they will simply just work around it and get things back to normal. This
response may have referred to the first assault on their land by the Assyrians (733-732 B.C.), in which many
of their cities were destroyed. But as the later verses declare there will be no more normal in their land.
Students of the Bible must be discerning about the proper interpretation and application of this verse. In its
historical and grammatical context, this verse is only stating the response of the sinful and hard-heartened
people of the northern nation of Israel to the attack of a foreign nation on their land and their failure to seek
God in repentance and trust. Those who would lift the words of 9:10 from the book of Isaiah and apply it to
any far future event are miss-applying the words of Scripture.
9:11-12 Therefore the LORD has raised their adversaries against them,
And has stirred up his enemies,
12 Aram on the east,
and the Philistines on the west;
they will gobble up Israel with an open mouth.
Even after all this, his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.
The Lord will raise up adversaries against them consisting of the Arameans from the northeast and the
Philistines from the southwest. These local enemies however are just irritants in contrast to Assyria who will
come against them to totally destroy them, Isaiah10:1-11. The NKJV in 9:11 has “the adversaries of Rezin”
thus it is not Rezin and his army that is indicated but the foes of Rezin who are the Assyrians. The main point
of these verses is that Israel is not to think they have been attacked just by the imperialistic designs of these
nations, but these nations have been stirred into action by God who is sending them on His behalf to punish
the nation for their repetitive and unrelenting sins against Him.
Isaiah 9:12 ends with the refrain, “Even after all this, his anger is not turned away, but his hand is still
stretched out.” This is the same phrase Isaiah has employed before in 5:25 and again in chapter 9 in verses 17
and 21 and chapter 10 vs. 4. Gary V. Smith comments:
“This oracle ends with a refrain that characterizes this whole unit. The refrain has three parts: (a) even
though God has already brought all these judgments to pass; (b) his anger has not stopped; and (c) his
sovereign hand is still outstretched and ready to punish more. Although it would have been wise to
turn to God as soon as the first punishment came (Exod 7–11; Amos 4:6–11), the people did not
repent. Consequently, God will continue to exert more and more pressure to convince his people in
Israel to turn to him, rather than to rely on themselves. The continued work of God’s wrath parallels
Amos’s repeated reminder to the Israelites that because of three sins and even four, God will not turn
back his wrath against any sinful nation (Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13). Either punishment for sin must be
exacted before God’s wrath is satisfied and removed (Deut 13:17; Josh 7:26) or else one must seek to
atone for these sins (Exod 32:12, 20, 31–32; Lev 4–5). The image of the “outstretched hand” (yādô
nĕṭ ûyâ) of God is a symbol of power ready to act, either for good, as in the exodus (Exod 15:12; Deut
4:34; 5:15; 7:19), or for punishment of sin (Jer 21:5; Ezek 6:14; Zeph 2:13). God’s outstretched hand
demonstrates his power to carry out his plans for all the nations of the earth (Isa 14:26–27). In this
case God’s outstretched hand still has plans to enact more punishment against Israel.” (Gary V.
Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, pages 246-247).
121…..9:13-17
9:13-17: The Populace Cleaved
9:13: Yet the people have not turned to him who struck them,
neither have they sought the LORD of hosts.
The Lord sent judgment upon the northern kingdom of Israel because they continually refused to
acknowledge Him. They also failed to repent of their wickedness and seek Him in trust and faith. The people
did not discern that the invasion of their land was punishment sent from God. God sent this judgment so that
they could turn back to Him. This verse is a dramatic insight into the thoughts and intents of God. He brings
a rod of correction, which damages and is destructive, in order that the ones being disciplined will repent of
their evilness and return in faith to Him. Refer also to Psalm 119:75 Proverbs 3:11-12; Jeremiah 5:3, Hosea
7:7-10, Amos 4:1-11 and Hebrews 12:5-6 for similar insights from God as to the reason why He inflicts
those who are called His people with such corrective discipline.
9:14 Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel
head and tail,
palm branch and reed in just one day.
Because of Samaria’s refusal to repent and return to God. He will, in a single day, cut off the “head” which
represents the elders and dignitaries, and God will also, in the same day, cut off the “tail” which represents
the false prophets, Isaiah 9:15. The “palm branch and reed” are most likely descriptive terms for the same
two groups. That day was soon forthcoming for Israel, in about 10 years, in 722 B.C. when the Assyrian
armies swept in like a flood and captured the people of Israel and took most of them away as captives. The
northern kingdom came to an end. See a similar expression using head/tail and palm branch/bulrush in Isaiah
19:5 in the context of the Lord’s judgment on Egypt.
9:15-16 The elder and the dignitaries, are the head;
the prophets who teach lies, are the tail.
16
For those who lead this people have led them astray;
those who are led by them are destroyed.
The meaning of the words “head and tail” from Isaiah 9:14 are explained. The head were the elders and
dignitaries, representing the religious and government heads of Israel who, as false guides were causing the
people to be led astray. The tail represents the false prophets who spread lies among the people. The people
therefore were confused for they were not taught to trust in the Lord but to put their confidence and trust in
evil kings and the leaders of the kingdom. Isaiah had previously mentioned this issue in 3:12 and would
address it again in 28:7 and 32:5-7. See also Jeremiah 23:13-21, 32; 50:6; Hosea 4:12; Amos 2:4; and Micah
3:1-12. In the New Testament, similar warnings are found in 2 Peter 2:1-22 and Revelation 2:20-23.
9:17 Therefore the Lord is not pleased with their young men,
nor will he have compassion on their orphans and widows;
for everyone is godless and an evildoer,
and every mouth speaks folly.
Even after all this, his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.
The whole nation of Israel had become godless and everyone from the highest in society to the lowest in rank
were evil continually, provoking the Lord to remove His pleasure from even the orphans and widows who
were counted among the evildoers. The Lord as recorded in Scripture, took special care of orphans and
122…..Isaiah 9:17-21
widows. Isaiah, for example had already mentioned this need in 1:17, 23 and would again in 10:2. It is first
mentioned in Exodus 22:22 and often in Deuteronomy, see chapters 10, 14, 16, 24, 26 and 27. Jeremiah
spoke of it in 7:6; 22:3 and 49:11. See also Hosea 14:3; Zechariah 7:10 and Malachi 3:5. A well-known
admonition of the Lord is stated in James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and
Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.”
However, in this rare occurrence, Isaiah 9:17, the Lord will not defend them because they also have become
evil and godless. Isaiah in 9:17, repeats the phrase stated in 9:12, “Even after all this, his anger is not turned
away, but his hand is stretched out still.” It is repeated again in 9:21 and also in 10:4. For an enhanced
comment on this repetitive phrase see notes on 9:12 above. The word “godless” in 9:17 is translated
“hypocrite” in the KJV.
9:18-21: The People Consumed
In this short section, Isaiah describes the wickedness of people and the judgment of the LORD in similar
terms. The people’s wickedness “burns like fire” and devours the land, vs. 18. The wrath of the LORD also
causes the land and its people, to be “burnt up,” vs. 19. The people devour each other, and in their evilness,
fight against Judah, vss. 20-21.
9:18 For wickedness burns like fire;
it devours the briers and thorns;
it also burns the thickets of the forest,
so that they go up in smoke.
The wickedness of the people of Israel burns as quickly and intensely as a fire would consume briars, thorns
and thickets of the forest with smoke rising upward in a column as a sign of the fire. Evil consumes a people
and spreads as fiercely as a raging fire devouring all in its path. This nation of wicked people, 9:17 will
become the source of their own desolation as they all become engulfed as a fire that would ravage them.
They will reap what they have sown.
9:19 Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts the land is burnt up
and the people are like the fuel for the fire;
no one spares even his brother.
A second fire is consuming the nation. This fire is the “wrath” or fierce anger, or fury of the Lord who in
fiery judgment upon them, burns up their land and it is the people who are the fuel for the fire. The anger of
the Lord is often depicted in Scripture as a consuming fire. Isaiah mentions the fire of the anger of the Lord
in 5:25; 13:9; 24:6; 30:27; and 33:10-14. See also Lamentations 2:3; Ezekiel 20:47; Nahum 1:6; Zephaniah
2:2; 3:8; and Malachi 4:1. In the New Testament see John 15:6 and Hebrews 12:29. The last phrase of 9:19
states: “no one spares even his brother.” This is explained in 9:20-21 and provides justification for the Lord’s
fury which devours the people like fire.
9:20-21 They devoured on the right, but were still hungry;
he ate on the left, but they were not be satisfied.
They will all eat the flesh of their own children.
21
Manasseh devours Ephraim,
and Ephraim, Manasseh;
both will fight against Judah.
Even after all this, his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.
123…..Isaiah 9:21-10:2
The depraved peoples of Israel snatched and devoured whatever they could grab from both the right and the
left, and yet they were never satisfied. These greedy, ungrateful, and self-absorbed people were always
discontent with everything around them. The phrase, “They will all eat the flesh of their own children,” is
translated in the NKJV as “Every man shall eat of the flesh of his own arm” and points to 9:21 where it is
described that inter-tribal warfare has been an ongoing plague upon Israel for many years. They have been
devouring or killing their own brothers as if they were eating the flesh of their own arms or children. Two of
the larger tribes of the northern kingdom, Ephraim and Manasseh had been involved in civil war as they had
been in the past, as recorded in Judges 12: 1-6. These two tribes were descendants from the sons of Joseph
and thus were part of the same family roots as was Judah whom they also attacked in the current war, which
many scholars describe as the Syro-Ephraimite war. See 2 Kings 16:5 and 2 Chronicles 28:5-15.
10:1-4: The Prosecutors Condemned
The larger section of this series of messages covers Isaiah 9:8–10:4 and comprises of four parts or stanzas
each with the same refrain. See notes on Isaiah 9:12 above. The first three stanzas, 9:8-12; 9:13-17 and 9:18-
21 are judgments against the northern kingdom of Israel but Isaiah addresses these messages to his own
nation of Judah. Isaiah was describing the sinful condition of the people of Israel and the judgment from God
that would come upon these northern kinsmen. Isaiah’s audience would certainly have listened with interest
and they would have derived some pleasure in learning about the judgment that is to come upon the people of
Israel because of Israel’s vicious attack upon the land of Judah. Now in this last stanza, Isaiah suddenly turns
his attention to the people of Judah and declares an oracle of woe upon them, attempting to persuade them
that the same judgment from God that is decreed upon Israel because of the wickedness of that nation will be
coming upon Judah. The people of Judah needed to repent and turn to God, yet they still refused to listen to
Him. See Isaiah 6:9-12.
In this short section Isaiah describes an oracle of woe upon those who make unjust decrees and write
oppressive laws and who turn the needy away from justice and rob the poor of their rights and make prey of
widows and orphans, vss. 1-2. The prophet asks to whom will these evil doers turn in the day of their
punishment and where will they leave their wealth, vs. 3. They will fall among the prisoners and the slain but
even after all this, the Lord’s anger is not turned away, and He still stretches out His hand, vs. 4.
10:1-2 Woe to those who make unjust decrees,
and to the writers who write oppressive laws;
2
to turn aside the needy from justice,
and to rob the poor of my people of their rights,
that widows may be their spoil,
and that they may make the orphans their prey!
In Isaiah 10:1, an oracle of woe is declared. Although Isaiah does not state that this woe is directed to his
own country there are a few indications that the last stanza of the four-fold message of judgment is for Judah.
The “woe” is against those who are in places of political and judicial authority in Judah. They are corrupt and
wicked for they enact laws that have an evil intent. The judges of the land declare judgments that are
“unjust.” These unjust judgments (decrees) protect the criminals and further punish the victims, who are in
need of an honest judgment. The people of Judah are stripped of their “rights,” 10:2, and in contrast to the
plight of orphans and widows in Israel, Isaiah 9:17, those in Judah are under God’s care and He speaks out
against their unjust treatment. The widows and orphans are plundered and what resources they have, however
limited, are taken as spoil by the wickedness of those responsible for the care and protection of the nation.
Geoffrey W. Grogan, Isaiah, page 78, notes that this section is similar to the judgment declarations of the
prophet Amos. See Amos 2:6-7; 5:11-12; and 8:4-6.
124…..Isaiah 10:3-4 and 10:5-19 Introduction
10:3-4 What will you do in the day of punishment,
when devastation comes from far away?
To whom will you flee for help?
Where will you leave your wealth?
4
Nothing is left but to huddle down with the prisoners,
or fall among the slain.
Even after all this, his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is stretched out still.
The prophet asks these leaders of Judah, as recorded in Isaiah 10:3, what would they do in their day of
punishment and to whom will they flee for help and where would they leave their wealth? The answer Isaiah
gives in 10:4 is a just response from God, stating that they will have no help from the Assyrians who will kill
them and all who are not slain will be taken into captivity. Also, God Himself will not help them. Their
plight is hopeless. It appears from Isaiah’s declaration that, even though God has offered an object lesson in
the plight of the people of Israel, the people of Judah will not repent and trust in God. Isaiah does not wait for
their answer but drives to his conclusion that these leaders of Judah will receive God’s just and righteous
punishment for their wickedness. Just as God will cause the destruction of Israel, He will also be the source
of Judah’s ruin. See extended notes on 9:12 above regarding the last phrase of 10:4, “Even after all this, his
anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.”
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 9:8-10:4
9:8-12 God’s Indictment Against Flippant Temerity
9:12 Refrain
9:13-17 God’s Indictment Against False Teaching
9:17 Refrain
9:18-21 God’s Indictment Against Family Treachery
9:21 Refrain
10:1-4 God’s Indictment Against Fraudulent Tyrants
10:4 Refrain
Refrain: “In spite of this, His anger does not turn away and His hand is still stretched out.”
8. Assyria: God’s Choice for Punishing the Nation: 10:5-19
Assyria was chosen by God to be the rod of His anger against the people of Judah whom the Lord describes
as a “godless nation.” They have become the people of His wrath. God was sending the Assyrians to seize
plunder and spoil from His people. However, a woe is pronounced on the Assyrians and their king because
they were not content to be God’s instrument of judgment. They failed to acknowledge God as the One
whom had sent them and had their own evil plans to destroy and remove nations for their own imperialistic
designs. By assigning to themselves wisdom and understanding and refusing to give God His proper honor,
the Assyrians would themselves be subject to the judgment of God. There doom is declared, and it will be
certain.
In this section, Isaiah 10:5-19, the prophet declares an oracle of woe against Assyria, who is God’s
instrument of judgment upon a “godless nation,” who are the people of His wrath. The Assyrians were to
take the spoil and seize the plunder as a reward for their assault upon Judah, vss.5-6. Yet they intended far
more than just punishing Judah. They planned to destroy and cut off the nations and to boast of their
conquest of kings and worse, they planned to destroy Jerusalem in the same manner in which they had
destroyed Samaria, vss. 7-11. The Lord, when Judah has been punished, will punish Assyria for their
125…..Isaiah 10:5-6
arrogance and boasting that their victories over the nations of Israel and Judah were due to their own strength
and they were like instruments or tools boasting over the One who wields the tools, vss. 12-15. Therefore, the
sovereign LORD will bring a disease, emaciation, upon Assyria’s warriors and Assyria’s glory will be
incinerated and He will burn them in a single day, so there will be few survivors, vss. 16-19.
10:5 Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger,
the club in their hands is my rage!
The second “woe” oracle of chapter 10 is directed to Assyria whom God calls” “the rod of My anger, the
club in their hands is my rage!” The prophet Isaiah has used the portrait of the rod and the bar (staff) as
instruments of warfare in 9:4 and would again in 10:24. This is in stark contrast to King David’s portrayal of
the rod and staff of the Lord as a source of comfort as written in Psalm 23:4. See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol.
1, page 256 for an extended discussion on the Scriptural use of God’s rod and staff. God describes His
emotions against His people as that of anger and rage (indignation). The Hebrew word for “anger” is aph and
usually has the meaning of nose or nostrils indicating the face. In this context, in the DASV, it is interpreted
as anger having the meaning that God has turned his face against His people in His just and righteous wrath
against them. The Hebrew word for “rage” (or indignation) is zaam which has the meaning of such fury that
one literally froths or foams at the mouth. The combination of these two words, anger and rage therefore
gives a vivid picture of just how full of fury God was with the wickedness of His people. God’s fury was so
intense that His face demonstrated outwardly what He was feeling inside. This of course is an
anthropological description as God is a Spirit and does not have a “face,” but God often expresses Himself in
these ‘human like” terms to express His emotions.
10:6 I am sending him against a godless nation,
and against the people of my wrath.
I will give him an order,
to take the spoil,
to seize the plunder,
and to stomp them down
like the mud in the streets.
Assyria was God’s rod and club (staff) and as implements of His judgment, Assyria was sent against a
godless nation, Judah who were and the people of His wrath. The word “wrath” is the Hebrew ebrah which
occurs 34 times in the Old Testament often with the meaning of wrath, anger, rage or fury. God often
expresses His wrath against His enemies including His own covenant people when they have relentlessly
rebelled against Him by wicked behavior which often included worshipping idols and practicing pagan
religious ceremonies that God abhorred. The Hebrew word ebrah occurs in Isaiah, translated in the DASV as
“wrath” in 9:19; 10:6; 13:9,13; 14:6 and as “insolence” in 16:6. Assyria, as stated in Isaiah 10:6, was sent by
God to “take the spoil” and “to seize the plunder.” This specific commissioning of Assyria by God was
demonstrated by the meaning of Isaiah’s second son, Maher-shalal-hash-baz as a sign against Judah. See
notes on Isaiah 8:1-4. Isaiah 10:5-34 is a declaration of God’s intention to (1) punish Judah for that nation’s
refusal to trust Him and for calling upon Assyria for help and (2) to reserve to Himself a faithful remnant is
graphically displayed by the names of Isaiah’s two sons: Maher-shalal-hash-baz (quick to the plunder, swift
to the spoil), Isaiah 8:2; and Shear-jashub (a remnant shall return), Isaiah 7:3, 10:21.
This section, Isaiah 10:5-34, also describes God’s righteous judgment against Assyria whom He used to
punish His people. But the Assyrians went too far in their assigned role, 10:7-11, and were arrogant and
boastful failing to acknowledge God as the sovereign Lord over His creation and all of the nations of the
earth. The last phrase of 10:6 is descriptive of God’s intended judgment on Judah. God had commissioned
126…..Isaiah 10:6-8
Assyria to trample down the people of Judah like mud in the streets. They were to be trod upon so heavily
that they would be completely humbled and have no option but to look up to God in repentance. Isaiah’s
declaration of woe on Judah, 10:1-4, is also a descriptive portrait of this humbling of God’s people due to
their inciting of God to wrath. See also Isaiah 3:8-9, 30:11 and 65:5 as examples of the way God’s covenant
people had so blatantly displayed their sinfulness in the very face of God.
10:7 Yet this is not what he intends,
nor is this what his heart is planning;
it is in his heart to destroy,
and to cut off many nations.
Assyria, however, rather than humbling God’s people as God intended, set out to completely destroy Judah
and other nations for its own imperialistic purposes. The nations of earth seldom have acknowledged God’s
directive purposes for them. They exist to fulfill God’s plans and purposes, yet they act as though God has no
control or affect upon them. Assyria was one of the ancient world’s most brutal and cruel aggressors. Victor
Buksbazen comments:
“Of all the nations which inhabited ancient Mesopotamia, the Assyrians were the most warlike and
ruthless. They lived for war and gloried in their military exploits and cruelty. They developed a
highly advanced war machine and used naked terror as a means of conquest and as a method of
holding their defeated enemies in abject fear and submission.
They Assyrians were apparently among the first in history to apply psychological warfare.
Approaching the walls of a city which they were about to attack, they would address the defenders in
their native tongue, demanding their surrender. Just such an incident is vividly described in Isaiah
36:4-21. If the defenders refused to surrender, the Assyrians would then lay siege to the city and
attack the walls with battering rams, or dig tunnels underneath or kindle huge fires under the city
gates and walls until they collapsed. After the capture of the city, the Assyrian king would sit upon
his throne at the gate of the city, surrounded by his resplendent court.
The conquered population was marched before him, headed by their king or ruler. Most of the
captives, young and old, would then be killed, or burned alive as a sacrifice to the national god of
Assyria, Assur. Sometimes the captives would be flayed alive, or blinded, or would have their heads
impaled on sharp stakes, sometimes with hooks in their noses. The city itself would be plundered and
its accumulated wealth carried away into Assyria.” (Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, pages 171-172).
10:8-9 For he boasts, "Are not my princes all kings?"
9
Is not Calno like Carchemish?
Is not Hamath like Arpad?
Is not Samaria like Damascus?
Assyria, as recorded in Isaiah 10:8, is described as “he” which reveals that the words spoken are from
Tiglath-Pileser III who was the king of Assyria at the time of Isaiah’s declaration of this woe oracle. The
word “he” also applies to other Assyrian kings, following Tiglath-Pileser III, up to the time of the disastrous
(for Assyria) siege upon Jerusalem in 701 B.C. See also the proud and arrogant boasting of king Sennacherib
as recorded in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37. The boastful words of the Assyrian king is that his princes
(commanders in the NIV) are as powerful as kings of smaller nations the Assyrians had conquered. The
king’s boast also lists six cities Assyria had already captured or planned in the future to capture. (1) Calno
(Calneh) was located in the plains of Shinar (Genesis 10:10) although by its association to Carchemish in
127…..Isaiah 10:8-12
Isaiah 10:9, it may have been located more to the north. See also Ezekiel 27:23 and Amos 6:2. (2)
Carchemish (modern city of Jerablus) was located in northern Aram (Syria) and was captured by the
Assyrian king Sargon II in 717 B.C. It was subsequently conquered by Pharaoh Neco II of Egypt in 609 B.C.
and by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 605 B.C. in a famous battle, Jeremiah 46:2. (3) Hamath was a city of
ancient Syria located along the Orontes River 125 miles north of Damascus. It was first captured by the
Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III, but completely destroyed by Sargon II in 720 B.C. After the conquest of
Samaria in 721 B.C., the Assyrians transported people from other parts of their empire, including Hamath
and re-settled them in Samaria, 2 Kings 17:24, and Isaiah 11:11. Arpad was located in northern Syria, near to
the city of Hamath. (4) Arpad was conquered first by Tiglath-Pileser III in 740 B.C. and in 720 B.C. by
Sargon II. See references to this city as a proverb for a conquered city in 2 Kings 18:34; 19:13; Isaiah 36:19
and 37:13. (5) Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel and is often referred to as
representing the entire kingdom of Israel. Much of the history of the failure and downfall of Samaria is
recorded in 2 Kings. Following a siege of three years by the Assyrians under two kings, the city was finally
conquered by king Sargon II in 721 B.C. (6) Damascus, capital of Syria, has a long history, both in Biblical
and modern times. In the context of the boast by the king(s) of Assyria, the city was captured by Tiglath-
Pileser III in 733 B.C. See 2 Kings 16:7-9. For a detailed historical description of the conquest of cities
mentioned in Isaiah 10:9, refer to The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, 1975, General Editor,
Merrill C. Tenney.
10:10-11 As my hand has reached the kingdoms of the idols,
whose images excel those of Jerusalem and of Samaria,
11
shall I not do to Jerusalem and her idols,
exactly as I have done to Samaria and her idols?
The boast of the king(s) of Assyria continues in Isaiah 10:10-11 to include kingdoms (including city-states)
which the king(s) claimed had greater idols than either Jerusalem or Samaria. The king(s) claim that they will
do to (Jerusalem and her idols just as they had done to Samaria and her idols. It is obvious from this boast
that: (1) Jerusalem was not yet under siege by the Assyrians and therefore the timeframe for Isaiah’s message
was prior to 701 B.C. and more likely just after 721 B.C. The Assyrian invasion of Samaria was certainly a
most immediate event. (2) It is also obvious that the Assyrians either did not know about or recognize the
God of the people of Israel who was sovereign over His created world and was the One who called Assyria to
trample the people of Samaria, 10:6 because of the wickedness and unrepentant hearts of the people of the
nation of Israel. The Assyrians were but instruments in God’s hands, 10:5-6; 15 and who were now to learn
of God’s judgment upon them, 10:12 and following verses. There was truth however to the claims of the
king(s) of Assyria that both Jerusalem and Samaria were cities where idols were worshiped. The Assyrians
assumed wrongly that these idols alone were the only God that the Israelites had to contend with. The Mighty
God, the Lord of hosts, the Holy One of Israel and the light of Israel would soon rise to make His name
known to the nations whom He described as less than nothing and meaningless before Him, Isaiah 40:17.
10:12 When the Lord has finished his whole work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem,
he will say,
"I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria,
and the haughty look of his eyes.
The Lord next describes His planned judgment on the king of Assyria. In the context of Isaiah 10:12-19 and
22b-34, God is describing His judgment upon the Assyrian king Sennacherib who approached Jerusalem to
lay siege to it. The Assyrian army was prevented from its planned siege and destruction of Jerusalem. Instead
of Jerusalem being destroyed, it was the army of Assyria that was annihilated, and later king Sennacherib
was assassinated, Isaiah 37:36-38. Before God would deal with Assyria, He would first complete all His
128…..Isaiah 10:12-15
work He had planned, up to that time, for Mount Zion and Jerusalem. Isaiah later addressed this work in
28:21, The Lord will be stirred up to: “perform his deed, his extraordinary deed, and bring to pass his work,
His unusual work.” This deed (task or work) was such that God was stirred up to work against His own
people by bringing devastating judgment upon them. Instead of working for them, God was working against
them. Instead of working to bring safety and comfort to His people, He was working to bring them death and
exile. When this work was decreed upon His people, God would also turn do “work” against the “fruit of the
arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the haughty look of his eyes.” The “fruit” of the king of Assyria was
that he was destroying instead of punishing God’s people and ascribing this destruction to his own abilities
and pompously praising himself for these deeds.
10:13-14 For he says, “By the strength of my hand I have done it,
and by my wisdom;
for I have understanding.
I have removed the boundaries of the peoples,
and have robbed their treasures,
and like a powerful conqueror I have brought down
those who sat on thrones.
14
My hand has found the riches of the peoples
like a bird's nest;
like one gathers eggs that are abandoned,
I have gathered all the earth.
There was not one that flapped a wing,
or that opened its mouth, or chirped.'”
The Prophet lists the proud and arrogant words of the Assyrian king which is a reminder of King
Nebuchadnezzar’s similar words of hubris, as recorded in Daniel 4:28-30. The Assyrian king ascribes to
himself strength, wisdom, understanding, and most deserving of God’s judgment, he called himself “a
powerful conqueror,” Isaiah 10:13 (NIV: like a mighty one). This self-ascribed exaltation would be similar to
stating that he was like a god. There is only One mighty God as Isaiah would soon state in 10:21. This
mighty God would bring His just and righteous judgment upon the proud human head of the self-exalted king
of Assyria.
The king of Assyria boasted of his accomplishments as conquering nations and removing their borders,
plundering the nations his armies had conquered, and destroying the peoples. The king’s arrogant boast
reaches the pompous height of hyperbole declaring in 10:14 that he had “gathered all the earth” and no one
resisted. The king used the metaphor of gathering eggs from an abandoned nest without any resistance from
the birds of the nest. For another passage about boasting by a king of Assyria see Isaiah chapter 36. This
proud self-exalting declaration by the king of Assyria demanded an answer and God was quick to respond as
recorded in Isaiah 10:15-19.
10:15 Does the axe boast against the one who wields it?
Does the saw extol itself over the one who saws with it?
As if a rod should wave the one who lifts it up,
or as if a staff should lift up the one not made of wood.
God commences His response to the insolence of the king of Assyria by rhetorically asking, are the tools of
men, (the axe, the saw, the rod and the staff), to exalt themselves over those who wield them? God was
stating that He was the One who used Assyria and its might just like a craftsman would wield an instrument
to accomplish his purposes. The tools being used have nothing to say or boast about as if they were mightier
129…..Isaiah 10:15-16
than their employer. In Isaiah 10:5, God calls Assyria, “the rod of my anger and the club in their hands is My
rage!” In 10:6 God states that He sent it, Assyria as the rod and club (staff), against a godless nation, Judah.
See also Isaiah 10:24 where God applies this analogy:
O my people who live in Zion,
do not be afraid of the Assyrian,
though he strikes you with the rod,
and lifts up his club against you,
just as Egypt did.
There is much to think about in these verses in Isaiah chapter 10. God is the sovereign One who claims to use
a cruel pagan aggressive nation as an axe, saw, club, rod and staff as His instruments of punishment against
His own people. God initiates the action and applies judgment. Yet, God righteously and with true justice
condemns the “instruments” used (the Assyrians) due to their wicked intension to completely destroy instead
of punishing God’s people. The people being targeted, Judah and Israel, although they deserve to be judged
and punished by a holy God are told in 10:24, not to fear the fierce Assyrian who strikes them, for God has
told them, it is really He who is striking them. There is in Scripture a tension between God’s sovereign acts
and the responsibility of humans, whom God has created, to be responsible for their acts. Humans
individually and nationally cannot claim that because God did this or that, it therefore absolves them of any
blame or of any responsibility for what has happened to them. God knows the heart of everyone who has ever
lived or will ever live, and His just appraisal of all humans is that none are righteous, none who seek God,
none who have done good as recorded in Psalm 14:1-3 and 53:1-3. The Apostle Paul cites these Scriptures
and under the inspiration of God states in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of
God.”
The great issue here is that God alone created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. All that exists
and everything in creation, belongs to God. He has the sole right to do with His creation as He deems
desirable. Those who are created have no rights, no voice, no power, no standing or no ability to demand of
God anything, including an explanation of why God created the universe and why He acts in any capacity.
Further, God has declared that no one has any righteous standing before Him for everyone has sinned and has
fallen short of His glory. Yet and solely on the basis of God’s most boundless grace, He has provided a way
for humans to come into a “right” relationship with Him. Humans did nothing to deserve this grace or indeed
can do nothing to benefit from it. It is God’s sole work or act to provide this grace which Paul explained in
his letters and Jesus described in the four Gospel accounts. The only thing humans can do is respond to the
offer of grace by faith. Isaiah also describes the act of God in providing this grace in 1:18 and 52:13-53:12.
Therefore, God has, in His holiness righteousness and justice, brought His judgment upon both His people
(Judah and Israel) and upon the instrument of His fury, the nation of Assyria. However, even in the midst of
God’s wrath, He remembers mercy, Habakkuk 3:2, and in Isaiah 19:23-25, it is recorded that God indeed will
bestow mercy on Assyria, Egypt and His people. See also Isaiah 30:18.
10:16-19 Therefore the sovereign LORD of hosts
will send among his burly warriors emaciation;
his glory will be incinerated like the burning of fire.
17
The light of Israel will be for a fire,
and his Holy One for a flame.
It will burn and devour in just one day
his thorns and his briers.
18
He will consume the grandeur of his forest,
and his fruitful field,
130…..Isaiah 10:16-19 and 10:20-34 Introduction
both body and soul.
It will be like when a sick person wastes away.
19
There will be so few surviving trees in his forest,
that even a child could write them down.
Isaiah declares in 10:16-19 what God will do to the Assyrians: first, a wasting disease (emaciation) will be
sent among the stout Assyrian warriors; second, God Himself will kindle a fire and He, Israel’s Holy One
will be a flame to burn and devour the Assyrians, called thorns and briers, in a single day; and third, the glory
of the Assyrians described as the grandeur of his forest and his fruitful field, both body and soul, will be
consumed like someone who is sick wastes away. The fulfillment of this prophecy of destruction against
Assyria came in three historical events. The first was the defeat of the Assyrians by Babylon in 609 B.C.; the
second was the capture of the Assyrian capital Nineveh in 612 B.C by the Babylonians; and the third was the
final defeat of the Assyrians by the Babylonians in the battle of Carchemish in 605 B.C. Prior to these events,
an earlier Assyrian army was destroyed by God in 701 B. C. See Isaiah 37:36.
God uses the metaphor in 10:17 of Himself as “the light of Israel” who will become a fire and his Holy One
will become a flame. The picture here is of God holding a torch that provides both light and fire. The torch
provides light to guide His people in the darkness, but it also is a fire that burns and consumes. The first
picture of God as light to Israel is seen in Exodus 14:20 when a cloud separated the camps of Egypt and
Israel just prior to God opening a walkway in the Red Sea for His people to cross to the other side and escape
from the pursuing Egyptians. During the wilderness wanderings of the people of Israel, God appeared to
them as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night as a light, Exodus 13:21-22, 40:38; Numbers
14:14 and Nehemiah 9:12, 19. Second, God is described as a light, providing salvation, Psalm 27:1. He
Himself is described as light, 1 John 1:5. God shines His light into our hearts to reveal the glory of Jesus
Christ, 2 Corinthians 4:4-6. God’s Son, Jesus Christ is the light that shines in the darkness for all to see, John
1:4-5 and Christ is the light of the world, John 8:12 and 12:46. God is also a fire that consumes, Isaiah 33:14
and Hebrews 12:29. The Servant of the Lord has the ministry of being a light to the nations, Isaiah 42:6 and
49:6. See also Luke 2:32; Acts 13:47 and 26:23 which ascribe this ministry of light to the nations to Jesus
Christ.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 10:5-19
10:5-14 The Evil Design of the Assyrians
10:16-19 The Eventual Destruction of the Assyrians
9. The Return of the Remnant: 10:20-34
As recorded in Isaiah 10:20-34, the prophet declares a prophecy of hope for those who will escape the
scourge of the Assyrians and he also states a further word on the certain destruction of the Assyrians. The
hope is found in the concept of a remnant of the Jewish people that will truly rely on the Lord instead of
relying on a pagan foreign nation. This message by the prophet however is a double-edged sword. On one
side, the hope is given that those who will follow the Lord will survive. On the other side, the majority of the
people who will not trust completely in the Lord, will not survive. The Lord will execute His judgment both
upon pagan Assyria and apostate Israel. Only those faithful to God will escape His judgment.
In this section, Isaiah 10:20-34, the LORD declares that the remnant of Israel, and those who survive from
the house of Jacob, those faithful to God, will rely only on the LORD, vs. 20. This remnant will return to the
“mighty God” and by implication to the land following God’s decreed righteous destruction that is to come
upon them, vss. 21-23. Those living in Zion are encouraged by the LORD to not be afraid of the Assyrians
although they would strike God’s people, just as Egypt had, vs. 24. God’s fury will be directed to the
131…..Isaiah 10:20-23
destruction of the Assyrians and the burden of the Assyrian threat against Jerusalem will be lifted from God’s
people, vss. 25-27. Although the Assyrians will advance through Judah, they will not be successful against
Jerusalem for the LORD will cut them down like one who cuts down a tall tree from Lebanon, vss. 28-34.
10:20-23 In that day the remnant of Israel,
and those who survive from the house of Jacob,
will no longer depend on the one who struck them,
but they will rely on the LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21
A remnant will return,
the remnant of Jacob to the mighty God.
22
For though your people, Israel,
be as the sand of the sea,
only a remnant of them will return;
a destruction is decreed,
overflowing with righteousness.
23
For the sovereign LORD of hosts
will execute complete destruction,
in the midst of the whole land.
Isaiah identifies the hope of a surviving number of people with the word “remnant.” This hope has been
previously declared in Isaiah chapter 4 and in 8:9-15. The hope of the survival of a remnant was first
recorded in Scripture in Genesis 45:7 where Joseph in responding to his brother’s grief for previously selling
him into slavery, declared: “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep
you alive by a great deliverance.” In 2 Kings 19:30-31, which is a parallel passage to the events recorded in
Isaiah 37, Isaiah states, “Then the surviving remnant of the house of Judah will again take root downward,
and produce fruit upward. A remnant will go out of Jerusalem, and from Mount Zion survivors will escape.
The zeal of the LORD will do this.” God was often angry with His chosen people for their rebellious acts
against Him and often threatened to destroy them. Yet his anger would not abide forever, and He later gave a
promise of hope and forgiveness. In Micah 7:18, the prophet states:
Who is a God like you, that pardons iniquity,
and passes over the transgression
of the remnant of his possession?
He does not remain angry forever,
because he delights in loyal love.
Isaiah discusses the hope of the remnant again in 11:11, 11:16, 28:5, 37:4, 37:31, 37:32 and 46:3. Other
references to the hope of the remnant in the Old Testament are found in Jeremiah 23:3, 31:7, 42:2 and 50:20;
Ezekiel 6:8; Amos 5:15; Micah 2:12, 4:7, 5:7, 5:8 and 7:18; Zephaniah 2:7, 2:9 and 3:12-13; Haggai 1:12,
1:14 and 2:2; Zechariah 8:6, 8:11, 8:12 and 9:7. In the New Testament the hope of the remnant is found in
Romans 9:27 and 11:5. The Lord is still preserving a remnant to Himself to this very day who “will rely on
the Lord, the Holy One of Israel,” Isaiah 10:20. The Lord is still the Holy One of Israel and Israel will
survive so that the Lord can fulfill all of His promises to His chosen people. For a more detailed study on the
remnant of Israel, see Ariel Messianic Bible Study MBS191, The Remnant of Israel: Past, Present and
Future, Ariel Ministries.
As recorded in Isaiah 10:20, the prophet begins the message of hope with the words, “In that day.” In the
immediate context, the phrase “in that day” must certainly refer to those who will escape the destroying
132…..Isaiah 10:20-25
armies of the Assyrians. Yet, in many Scriptural passages, this phrase also has a future reference to the “day
of the Lord” where God will establish a kingdom of peace on the earth ruled by His Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ who is the Messianic hope to all who trust in Him. See discussion on this day in the notes on Isaiah
chapters 2 and 4.
This remnant of Jacob will return to the “mighty God,” Isaiah 10:21. In one sense this referred to the
repentance of the few in Judah, who during Isaiah’s time, fully trusted in God and had faith in Him. In
another sense it is a definite prophecy of those in the future who will trust in their Messiah, the Lord Jesus
Christ who is called “Mighty God” in Isaiah’s earlier prophetic declaration, in chapter 9:6. One scholar
suggests that, the central meaning of Isaiah 10:20-21 is that the remnant refers to a relatively small number of
the people of Israel, who in a spiritual sense, will return to God who is their Messiah, for the term for mighty
God, “El Gibbor” applies to both God, the Holy One of Israel and the Messiah.
The prophet continues his discussion on the remnant in 10:22 by reminding the people of God’s promise to
Abraham in Genesis 22:17, “I will surely bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the
heavens, and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will possess the gate of their enemies.” Yet this
promise of great numbers of people is not a guarantee that all of them would be spiritually saved, as Isaiah in
10:22 reminds them, “only a remnant of them will return.” The Apostle Paul also referred to Isaiah 10:22 in
his Epistle to the Romans, “Isaiah also cries out concerning Israel, if the number of the children of Israel are
as the sand of the sea, only a remnant will be saved.” Romans 9:27
In the second half of 10:22 and in 10:23, Isaiah reminds the Jewish people of the other blade of the double
edge sword of the promise of the remnant, “A destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. For the
sovereign LORD of hosts will execute complete destruction in the midst of the whole land.” Yet a remnant of
the people will survive who will trust in the Lord, however the greater number will not survive because they
turned away from the Lord to put their ill-fated trust in Assyria.
10:24-27 Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD of hosts says,
"O my people who live in Zion,
do not be afraid of the Assyrian,
though he strikes you with the rod,
and lifts up his club against you,
just as Egypt did.
25
For in a few moments my fury will be over,
then my anger will be directed to their destruction.
26
The LORD of hosts will beat them with a whip,
just like he struck Midian at the rock of Oreb.
He will lift his rod over the sea,
just as he did in Egypt.
27
In that day his burden will be removed from off your shoulder,
and his yoke from off your neck,
and the yoke will be broken because you will be so brawny.
The prophet exhorts the Jewish people who trust in God, to not fear the Assyrian threat for God will turn His
indignation away from His people and He will spend His anger on the destruction of the Assyrians. In 10:25,
the DASV has “For in a few moments my fury will be over;” while the NASB has “For in a very little while
My indignation against you will be spent.” This time frame could refer to the time of the issuance of this
prophecy by Isaiah until the destruction of the Assyrian army in 701 B.C. as recorded in Isaiah 37:36 which
would certainly fit the words of a “few moments” or a “very little while.” The final and complete destruction
133…..Isaiah 10:25-28
of the Assyrians occurred in 612 B.C. which would not be considered a few moments by man’s reckoning
but may fit God’s viewpoint. However, one commentator has suggested that the period of God’s
fury/indignation against His covenant people includes the time of the exiles of Israel and Judah until the
return of their Messiah. See John MacArthur, NASB Study Bible, page 952.
In 10:26, God reminds them of His previous actions when He, “struck Midian at the rock of Oreb,” Judges
7:24-25, and of His destruction of the Egyptian armies in the midst of the Red Sea and the salvation of the
fleeing Israelites, Exodus chapter 14. In Isaiah 10:27, God promises to remove the burden from their
shoulders and to remove the yoke from their neck and to break the yoke of the Assyrian threat, because of
Assyrian’s prosperity or fatness. The DASV “because you will be so brawny” seems to miss the point as does
the NKJV “because of the anointing oil”. The reference to the fatness of the Assyrians most likely refers to
the fact that they have become wealthy from the tribute exacted from the people of Judah for “promising” to
protect them from Aram and Ephraim, the northern country of Israel. The Assyrian promise was broken, and
the people of Judah would receive no help from Assyria. Indeed, they would receive only destruction. The
“fat” Assyrians who were rich from the tribute of the nation of Judah were soon to receive a righteous
judgment from God and the destroyer who is fat, (Assyria) would soon be destroyed. For a discussion on this
issue, refer to Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, pages 264-265.
10:28-34 He has come to Aiath;
he has passed through Migron;
at Michmash he stores his baggage.
29
They are gone over the pass;
they have taken up their lodging at Geba;
Ramah trembles;
Gibeah of Saul has fled.
30
Shriek, O daughter of Gallim!
Listen, O Laishah!
O poor Anathoth!
31
Madmenah flees;
the inhabitants of Gebim run for cover.
32
This very day he will halt at Nob;
he shakes his fist at the mount of the daughter of Zion,
the hill of Jerusalem.
33
Look, the sovereign LORD of hosts,
will lop off the boughs with an awful crash.
The tallest trees will be cut down,
and the lofty brought low.
34
He will cut down the thickets of the forest with an iron axe,
and Lebanon in its majesty will fall.
Isaiah declares a message describing a typical southward journey of an invading army advancing towards
Jerusalem. This geographic portrait includes locations in close proximity to Jerusalem. From the context of
the section 10:23-34, and from the link word “He” in 10:28, students of Scripture would most likely conclude
that the “He” is the advancing army of the Assyrians. The first location mentioned, Aiath, may be a reference
to Ai at which Israel under the command of Joshua failed to conquer at their first attempt due to the sin of
Achan, but were successful in their second attempt, Joshua chapters 7 and 8. For a description of the modern
names of many of the locations stated in 10:28-32 see John N. Oswald, Isaiah, Vol. 1, pages 274-275. See
also J. Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction & Commentary, IVP Academic, pages 119-
120.
134…..Isaiah 10:32-34 and 11:1-10 Introduction
Yet, the advancing army will get no closer to Jerusalem. Although “he” 10:32 referring to the Assyrians, will
shake their fists at the inhabitants of Mount Zion they themselves will feel the wrath of God. It will be “the
sovereign LORD of hosts,” 10:33 who will act against them. This name for the Lord is a favorite of Isaiah’s.
See also 3:15, 10:16, 23, 24; 19:4; and 28:22. Other Bible Versions have variations of this extended title. The
NASB has “the Lord, the GOD of hosts.” The KJV and the NKJV have “the Lord, the LORD of hosts.” The
NIV has “the Lord, the LORD Almighty.” The ESV has “the Lord GOD of hosts.” These varying descriptive
titles reflect the different translation decisions made by the team of scholars who translated the Hebrew text
into English. The phrase, “the Lord, Yahweh of armies” is also a reasonable English translation. This
extended title for God is derived from three Hebrew words, adon (Strong’s H0113 and TWOT 27b); YHWH
(Strong’s H3068 and TWOT 484a); and tsaba (Strong’s H6635 and TWOT 1865a). Refer also to Index of
Hebrew words. Students of Scripture may use these references for a valuable study on the many faceted and
wondrous titles for God in the Old Testament. TWOT refers to The Theological Wordbook of the Old
Testament, see under Bibliography.
The advancing Assyrian army will be completely cut off as Isaiah describes in 10:33-34. The army is likened
to the lofty trees of the forest of Lebanon of which the sovereign LORD of hosts will cut down with an iron
axe. The prophet Ezekiel also refers to the forests of Lebanon as a metaphor for Assyria in 31:1-14. Refer
specifically to 31:3, “Consider Assyria, like a cedar in Lebanon, with fair branches and forest-like shade,
and of towering height, with its top among the clouds.”
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 10: 20-34
10:20-27 The Remnant (Faithful Israel) Restored
10:20 Rescue of the Restorer
10:21 Return of the Remnant
10:22-23 Retribution of the Restorer
10:24-27 Removal of the Restrainer
10:28-34 The Destroyer (Faithless Assyria) Destroyed
10:28-32 The Drive of the Destroyer
10:33-34 The Destruction of the Destroyer
10. The Kingdom of the Righteous Branch: 11:1-10
Chapter 11 of Isaiah is a high peak of enlightenment for those studying the Scriptural evidence for the rule of
the Messiah in the coming Messianic kingdom. The chapter reveals a great deal about the ruler Himself and
His righteous reign. It gives hope for the nations who will benefit from living in a golden age where God
Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ will be visibly present to preside in righteous judgment and gracious
governance over them. The kingdom will be one characterized by unparalleled peace where the animals will
live in peace with one another and with humans who will not harm them, nor will they harm even a small
child. It will be the restoration of the earth as God first intended when He placed Adam and Eve in the
Garden of Eden. It will also be a time when God’s numerous promises of restoration and peace to His
chosen people will be fulfilled. Revelation chapter 20 provides the duration of this peaceful kingdom, which
will be 1,000 years. Other passages of Scripture including Isaiah chapter 11, gives details about this
kingdom. The first five verses of Isaiah 11 discuss the Ruler of the Kingdom and verses six to ten discuss the
Kingdom of the Ruler. The remaining verses of Isaiah 11 discuss the remnant peoples who will live in the
future restored kingdom.
135…..Isaiah 11:1
The Ruler of the Kingdom: 11:1-5
Isaiah, in 11:1-5 describes the ruler of the messianic kingdom who will come from the line or “stump” of
Jesse, King David’s father. From this stump a “branch” will bear fruit, vs. 1. Upon this “branch,” who is
described as ‘him,” the Spirit of the LORD will rest and impart wisdom, understanding, counsel, might,
knowledge and the fear of the LORD, vs. 2. This “branch” will delight in the fear of the LORD and will not
judge others based only upon the sight of his eyes or the hearing of his ears, vs. 3. He will judge the poor
with righteousness and decide for the oppressed with equity. He will, at a later time, strike the earth in
judgement and bring death to the wicked, vs. 4. His belt will be called righteousness and faithfulness, vs. 5.
11:1 There will grow up a shoot out of the stump of Jesse,
and a branch out of his roots will bear fruit.
This chapter begins with “then” in the NASB. It is a reminder that Lord will cut down the Assyrians who are
described as tall trees like the forests of Lebanon. Following this descriptive picture of the felling of the
proud Assyrians, the Lord announces that a humble shoot will spring from a stem or a stump of a tree. The
shoot from Jesse is a person who is from the line of Jesse, the father of David. This person is described as a
“branch” which will bear fruit from the roots of the tree of Jesse. Isaiah 11:10 provides additional details
about the root of Jesse (the line of David), who is the “branch.”
The “shoot”, which is the lineage stemming from Jesse, was a slender and vulnerable offshoot from the
stump or stem which has fallen due to sinful condition of the line of Jesse. Successive kings from this lineage
had rejected the Lord’s direction and they had sought refuge in vain idols and in the disastrous pursuit of
seeking aid from powerful but evil kings of pagan nations. Even though the kingly line would not survive, a
branch was to come which would bear fruit. This branch was first introduced by Isaiah in the second verse of
the fourth chapter. Refer also to the study notes on Isaiah 4:2. Additional details about this branch are given
in Jeremiah 23:5, 33:15; Zechariah 3:8 and 6:12. The branch, in light of the Scriptural evidence, could only
refer to the coming Messiah, who will bear fruit by giving His life as a ransom, Matthew 20:28, and
guarantee salvation by rising from the dead. This “shoot” of Jesse would also bear fruit by rescuing a
remnant of His people, restoring them to their land, and bringing to life again the kingly line of David by
ruling them in person from Mount Zion during the time of the future Messianic kingdom. See also Luke
1:31-33.
The word “shoot” is the Hebrew choter which has the meaning of “twig, sprig, or tender branch. The only
other occurrence in the Old Testament of “choter” is in Proverbs 14:3, where it is translated as “rod.” See
comment below on Isaiah 11:1 with reference to “choter” and Matthew 2:23. The word “stump” is the
Hebrew “geza” and has the meaning to cut trees down with only the stump remaining. “Geza” only occurs
three times in the Old Testament, translated as “stem” in Isaiah 40:24; and translated as “stump” Job 14:8.
Job 14-7-9 gives a very instructive description of the tender shoots that will sprout again after it is cut down,
“7 For there is hope for a tree, if it is cut down, that it will sprout again, and that its tender shoots will not
stop growing. 8 Though its root grows old in the ground, and its stump dies in the dust; 9 yet at the scent of
water it will bud and put forth branches like a new plant.” The following verses in Job 14 contrast the re-
growth of a tree that has been cut down with the finality of the death of a human, “10 But man dies and is
laid low. a human expires and where is he? 11 As water evaporates from the sea, and a river drains and
dries up; 12 so man lies down and does not rise again. Until the heavens are no more, they will not awake,
or be roused out of their sleep.” Job 14:10-12. The Davidic line will be cut down, but unlike the typical
result for humans who die, the line of David will sprout again sending a “shoot” or “branch” who will be the
coming Messiah to restore David’s fallen house and as a king in the lineage of David, sit forever on David’s
throne.
136…..Isaiah 11:1-2
The word “branch” in 11:1 is the Hebrew “nester,” which also occurs in Isaiah 14:19; 60:21 and Daniel
11:17. Although the English word “branch” is the same as in Isaiah 4:2 the Hebrew word for “branch” in 4:2
is “semah.” See the discussion in 4:2 for the importance of the “Branch” in Messianic prophecy. The people
of Judah would have understood the picture of a shoot out of a stump and a branch out of roots. This picture
would have come from the olive tree which has numerous small shoots stemming from its roots. The word
“roots” in 11:1 is the Hebrew “sheresh” which has the meaning of “roots” in most translations. Even if cut
down, shoots from lower roots would emerge and the olive tree would grow again. Olive trees that have
endured fire often grow again from shoots that spring up from lower roots. The metaphor of the “shoot from
the roots” is an apt picture of the stump or roots from the lineage of Jesse, David’s house represented by the
kings who have in succession sat upon his throne. God had made a covenant with David stating that the
throne of David’s kingdom would be established forever, 2 Samuel 7:12-13. Due to the excessive wickedness
of God’s covenant people, the priests, magistrates, rulers and the kings that would later sit on David’s throne,
the Lord cut down the “tree” of David’s kingly seed and scattered His covenant people among the nations.
But all was not completely lost. Jeremiah proclaimed God’s word of hope for the future, including being
fairly disciplined by Israel’s Creator:
27 "O Jacob my servant, do not be afraid
or troubled, O Israel;
for I will save you from distance lands,
and your descendants from the land of their captivity.
Jacob will return and will be quiet and relaxed,
and no one will make them afraid.
28 Do not be afraid, O Jacob my servant," says the LORD;
"for I am with you.
For I will totally destroy all the nations
where I have driven you.
But I will not totally destroy you,
but I will discipline you fairly,
and I will by no means let you go unpunished."
(Jeremiah 46:27-28)
The Apostle Matthew, speaking about the Messiah, Jesus Christ, quoted from Isaiah 11:1 in Matthew 2:23,
“He went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the
prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.” It may be that Matthew was referencing the word “shoot,”
which is choter in the Hebrew, and has the meaning of being insignificant. The town of Nazareth was a small
and lesser known town in the northern area of Galilee. Residents of Nazareth were despised by the residents
of the other towns of Galilee as Galilee itself were despised by those from the southern area of Judea.
Nathanael, who came from Cana of Galilee, John 21:2, when he heard that Jesus had come from Nazareth,
spoke these famous words, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? John 1:46.
11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
The prophet in Isaiah 11:2 provides some descriptive detail of the person who is the branch. In this verse,
Isaiah introduces the Holy Spirit. Isaiah speaks of the Holy Spirit more than any other writer in the Old
Testament. References to the Holy Spirit in Isaiah’s prophecy following this verse, occur in, 30:1, 32:15,
34:16, 40:13, 42:1, 44:3, 48:16, 59:21, 61:1, 63:10-11 and 63:14. Isaiah 11:2 begins with the statement: “The
137…..Isaiah 11:2
Spirit of the LORD will rest upon him.” The “him” is a person who is described as a “branch” in the
preceding verse. The following verses in Isaiah chapter 11 provide sufficient detail about Him for the student
of Scripture to discern the identification of this person. He will have the Holy Spirit rest on Him. In Matthew
3:13-17, the Apostle describes the baptism of Jesus Christ. Matthew records in verses 16-17, “After Jesus
was baptized, when he came up out of the water, suddenly, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the
Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him. A voice from of heaven, said, "This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased." The very next verse in the Matthew’s gospel, Matthew 4:1 begins: “Then
Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.” It was the Holy Spirit who Isaiah prophesized about Who
would rest on Christ the Messiah, who is the branch. When the Spirit “rested” on Him, the Spirit would
endow the Messiah’s human nature with spiritual “fruit” or characteristics which are described in the
remainder of Isaiah 11:2. In the New Testament see also Matthew 12:18; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22 and John
1:32-34.
The branch (His human nature) would be endowed with the spirit of wisdom, understanding, counsel,
strength, knowledge and the fear of the Lord. Much could be written about the character qualities of each
word and a Biblical word study on each word would be a beneficial undertaking. A few brief comments
regarding these character qualities are given in this study to provide a basic understanding of them. These
character qualities were those chosen by God for the earthly ministry of the “branch,” who is the Messiah.
They were endowed on Him to enable His specific ministry which the Father gave Him. This is not an
exhaustive listing as Jesus Christ certainly had many other divine characteristics while He faithfully
completed His ministry on the earth. The prophecy of the endowment of the character qualities by the Spirit
on the “branch” enabled the Messiah, as fully human (He was also fully God), to carry out His assigned
ministry.
The first character quality 11:2, imparted by the Spirit to the Messiah (the branch) is “wisdom” which is the
Hebrew word hokmah, which has the meaning of skill or ability. Hokmah comes from the root work hakam
which means to be wise. In the Old Testament wisdom was imparted on conferred upon certain individuals to
accomplish specific tasks such as the building of the tabernacle or temple. See Exodus 28:3; 31:3; 35:31;
36:1-2; 1 Kings 7:14; and 1 Chronicles 28:20-21. King Solomon was imparted with wisdom from God, 1
Kings 4:29; 5:12; and 2 Chronicles 9:23. Joshua was full of the spirit of wisdom after Moses had laid his
hands upon Joshua, Deuteronomy 34:9. Wisdom comes from the LORD, Proverbs 2:6; Daniel 1:14 and 2:23
and it begins from having a fear of the LORD, Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; and 15:33. In the New
Testament, Jesus is described as a child, becoming strong in spirit and being filled with wisdom, Luke 2:40
and 52. Stephen who was appointed as one of the first servants of the young Church was described as being
full of the Holy Spirit, wisdom and faith, Acts 6:3-6.
Wisdom is a characteristic of God that was evidenced in the creation of the earth, Proverbs 3:19. Wisdom is
personified as a person, “her” in Proverbs chapter 8 who was active in creation and was established from
everlasting, Proverbs 8:23. The works of wisdom are again depicted as a person in Proverbs 9:1-6. These
personified depictions describe the multi-varied aspects of God’s wisdom, for only true wisdom comes from
God, James 3:13-18. The NKJV describes the wisdom of God as, “the wisdom from above is first pure, then
peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy,” James 3:17.
This is the Spirit of wisdom that was imparted to the Messiah at His first advent and it is with this wisdom
that He will reign on the earth when He comes at His second advent to establish the messianic kingdom.
The second character quality, Isaiah 11:2, imparted by the Spirit to the Messiah (the branch) is
“understanding.” Many understand that wisdom and understanding are interchangeable synonyms. However,
it is best to describe them as different characteristics that are related. It could be said that wisdom is the
righteous and godly application of understanding. It is one thing to possess understanding but understanding
138…..Isaiah 11:2
in itself has no value unless it is applied. The imparting of understanding by the Spirit upon the Messiah
competes the relationship, in that the Messiah will be endowed with proper and divine understanding of all
things and will apply this understanding with righteous and godly wisdom. Isaiah 11:3 describes this
application in a negative sense but the reader/hearer of Isaiah comprehends that the Messiah will only judge
and make decisions based upon His understanding applied by His godly and righteous wisdom.
The word “understanding” in Isaiah 11:2 is the Hebrew word “binah,” which stems from the root word “bin,”
which has the meaning to discern and perceive. A closely related Hebrew word is tebunah, which has the
meaning of skill, reasoning and understanding. The psalmist as recorded in Psalm 147:5, stated, “Great is
our Lord, and mighty in power; his understanding (tebunah)is limitless.” As it was with wisdom, it was also
with understanding (tebunah) that the LORD created the heavens and the earth, Proverbs 3:19. See also
Jeremiah 10:12 and 51:15. God also endued others with understanding, Exodus 31:3; 35:31; 36:1-2; 1 Kings
7:14; 2 Chronicles 2:12-13; and Daniel 1:17. To those who are believers in Christ, He has given them
understanding so that they may know Him, 1 John 5:20. The Spirit imparted understanding to the Messiah,
not only to make righteous and godly decisions, Isaiah 11:4, but also to rule with righteousness and peace,
Isaiah 9:7 and 32:1.
The third character quality, Isaiah 11:2, imparted by the Spirit to the Messiah (the branch) is “counsel.” This
is depicted in one of the Messiah’s great two-fold titles in Isaiah 9:6, “Wonderful Counselor.” This is also
seen in Isaiah 28:29, “This also comes from the LORD of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in
wisdom.” The word “counsel” in Isaiah 11:2 is the Hebrew word esah, which has the meaning of to advise, to
plan, to purpose as well as to counsel. It is a related word to ya’as, which has a similar meaning to that of
esah. God’s counsel esah, is translated often as His plans and purposes. See Job 12:13; Proverbs 8:14; Isaiah
19:17; 46:10; Jeremiah 49:20; 50:45 and Micah 4:12. God does not need nor receive any counsel from any
other, Isaiah 40:13. See also Romans 11:34. God as counsellor (ya’as), who plans and purposes in
accordance with His own divine will, is declared in Isaiah 14:24, 19:12 and 23:8-9. In the New Testament,
one of the great theological themes of the Bible is revealed in Ephesians 1:7-12: “7 In him we have our
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
8
that he lavished on us along with all wisdom and prudence. 9 He did this when he made known to us the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he set forth in Christ, 10 as a plan for the fullness of
the time, to unite all things in Christ, everything in heaven and on earth. 11 In him also we obtained an
inheritance, being chosen beforehand according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the
counsel of his will. 12 To the end that we who had before hoped in Christ, should live for the praise of his
glory.” (bold intentional). The Spirit imparted “counsel” to the Messiah so that God’s purposes and plans
would be perfectly carried out. The advice and counsel that the Messiah declares works in perfect unity with
the plans of God so that God’s immeasurable and splendorous glory will be declared and displayed.
The fourth character quality, Isaiah 11:2, imparted by the Spirit to the Messiah (the branch) is “might.” The
Messiah will demonstrate this might and strength, at His second coming to earth, when He will defeat His
enemies, Psalm 2:9; Isaiah 11:4; 30:30; 63:1-6 and Revelation 19:11-21 and when He will rule the earth with
a mighty rod (scepter), Psalm 110:2; Revelation 12:5; and 19:15. The word “might” is geburah in the
Hebrew which is translated as strength, power and acts. God’s might is declared in the Old Testament in His
redemptive and powerful acts. See Deuteronomy 3:24, 1 Chronicles 29:11; Job 12:13; Psalm 20:6; 21:13;
65:6; 66:7; 89:13;106:2, 8; 145:4, 11, 12; 150:2; and Jeremiah 10:6. Strength is coupled with wisdom in
Proverbs 8:14. In the New Testament, Mary called God the Mighty One in Luke 1:49, who has done mighty
deeds, Luke 1:51. Paul declares in Ephesian 1:19, that believers may know, “what is the incomparable
greatness of his power toward us who believe. This working of his tremendous strength.” Later in this same
letter Paul exhorts believers to “be strong in the Lord, and in his mighty strength,” Ephesians 6:10. The
Apostle Peter encourages believers to “humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he
139…..Isaiah 11:2-3
may exalt you in due time,” 1 Peter 5:6. The Spirit imparted might to the Messiah so that He could fulfill the
plans God had for Him, including enduring the suffering and offering Himself as an atoning sacrifice during
His first advent and then to defeat His enemies, establish His kingdom and rule the earth at His second
advent.
The fifth character quality, Isaiah 11:2, imparted by the Spirit to the Messiah (the branch) is “knowledge.”
The word knowledge is the Hebrew word daat (daath), which is related to the word yada, to know. These
words have the general meaning of understanding, discernment and wisdom. Certain individuals in the Old
Testament were endued with knowledge from God, Exodus 31:3; 35:31 and 1 Kings 7:14. Knowledge is
related to the fear of the LORD, Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10 which may be the reason the next character quality
imparted by the Spirit to the Messiah in Isaiah 11:2 is the fear of the LORD. It is the LORD who gives
wisdom, knowledge and understanding, Proverbs 2:6. God created the heavens and the earth by His wisdom,
understanding and knowledge, Proverbs 3:19-20. Wisdom itself is related to knowledge, Proverbs 8:9.
Knowledge belongs to God who knows everything about His creation and humans, Job 10:7; Psalm 94:11;
139:1-6; Isaiah 48:4 and God does not need to be taught knowledge from anyone, Isaiah 40:14. The Apostle
Paul, in his magnificent doxology which concluded the theological part of his letter to the Romans
proclaimed, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are
his judgments, and how unfathomable are his ways!” Romans 11:33. In another letter Paul, proclaimed, “it is
God who said, "Let there be light shining out of darkness," who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6. The Spirit imparted knowledge
to the Messiah so that He would not only know the thoughts and intents of everyone’s heart, Matthew 9:4;
12:25; Luke 11:17; and John 2:24-25; but so He would also justify many by bearing their iniquities, Isaiah
53:11.
The sixth character quality, Isaiah 11:2, imparted by the Spirit to the Messiah (the branch) is “the fear of the
LORD.” Isaiah 11:3 continues with, “His delight will be in the fear of the LORD.” Not only will the Messiah
be imbued with the fear of the LORD, but He will find delight in doing so. The result of delighting in the fear
of the LORD is that the Messiah will perfectly obey His Father in everything and thus bring glory to Him.
This obedience to the Father is dramatically portrayed in John 12:27-28, “Now is my soul troubled. What
should I say? Father, save me from this hour. But this is the very reason I have come to this hour. 28 Father,
glorify your name. Then a voice out of heaven said, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The
obedience of the Messiah, because of His righteous reverence (fear) of the Father, brings glory to the name
of the Father. The “fear of the LORD” is described in Deuteronomy 10:12-13, “Now, then, Israel, what does
the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to
serve the LORD your God with all your heart and soul, 13 to keep the command of the LORD, and his
statutes, that I am commanding you this day for your good?” It is also described in Psalm 19:9, “The fear of
the LORD is pure, enduring forever.” As noted above, the fear of the LORD it is the beginning of wisdom,
Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 1:7; 9:10. The Scriptures contain many other instructions and exhortations regarding
the fear of the LORD, see for example, Deuteronomy 31:12; Joshua 4:24; 1 Chronicles 16:25; 2 Chronicles
19:7; 26:5; Job 28:28 Psalm 22:23; 33:18; 40:3; 128:1; Proverbs 2:5; 10:27; 14:27; 15:16: 16:6; 19:23; 22:4;
23:17; Isaiah 33:6; Acts 9:31; and 2 Corinthians 5:11. The Spirit imparted the Messiah with the fear of the
LORD so that He could not only delight in this fear (by delighting in the Father) , but also so He would
perfectly obey His Father to ensure the Father’s plans and purposes would succeed and thus bring glory to
the Father. (bold intentional).
11:3-4 His delight will be in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge after the sight of his eyes,
neither decide after the hearing of his ears.
4
But he will judge the poor with righteousness,
140…..Isaiah 11:3-5
and decide for the oppressed of the earth with equity.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips, he will kill the wicked.
The prophet continues his description of the character qualities of the “branch”. The One to come will delight
in the fear of the Lord. This delight will be a characteristic of this One who is intimately acquainted with
God His Father and He will show His “fear” in obeying His Father. The “fear” is a profound reverence
perhaps so deep that no one else who has ever lived could possibly comprehend. It is a reverence that stems
from eternity and is far beyond the experience of a created being. Isaiah 11:3-4 continues with what may be
an outcome of the future Messiah’s delight in the fear of the Lord, for He will judge and make decisions not
with what His eyes see, or His ears hear, but He will judge with righteousness. These words may be
misunderstood. It is not that there will be anything wrong with the Messiah’s hearing or eyesight. He will
simply not just react when reports come to Him regarding some issue needing His judgment. Nor will He
make a hasty decision based upon what He sees immediately in front of Him for even visual events can be
orchestrated by others to convey a meaning that hides the truth. The Messiah will be completely righteous
and just in all of His decisions for He knows intimately the thoughts and intents of the hearts of all people
and therefore He will make fair decisions regarding the afflicted of the earth.
Isaiah 11:3-4 gives the clear understanding, as well as the rest of the chapter, that these actions of the
Messiah happen during the return of the Lord to the earth as a Warrior King and during the millennial
kingdom that He will establish. The latter half of the 11:4 is very conclusive on the time frame of the actions
of the Messiah. The prophecy that “He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth” and with “the breath of
his lips he will kill the wicked”, can only have proper understanding if applied to the time of the second
coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Revelation 19:15 makes this certain: “Out of his mouth
comes a sharp sword, so that with it he might strike the nations. He will rule them with a rod of iron.” When
He returns to the earth, the Messiah will not take much time to subdue His enemies, for He will slay the
wicked with the breath of His Lips. Isaiah 11:4. As the Messianic King over the kingdom He will establish,
He will rule over the earth with a rod of iron. Psalm 2 is a prophecy of this time when the Messiah will be
installed as a King upon Zion, God’s holy mountain, to rule the nations which are His inheritance from His
Father.
11:5 Righteousness will be the belt around his hips,
and faithfulness the belt around his waist.
Isaiah gives further details about the character qualities of the Messiah as ruler over His kingdom. The
Messiah will wear righteousness and faithfulness like a belt. These characteristics are definitely a portrayal of
One who is Divine as Isaiah earlier recorded, “But the LORD of hosts will be exalted by justice, and God
Holy One will demonstrate his holiness by righteousness.” Isaiah 5:16. See also Isaiah 65:16. King David
extols these same virtues of God in Psalm 40:10. Another writer of the Psalms does so again in Psalm
119:75, as does another prophet, see Zechariah 8:8.
David L. Cooper comments on verses 3-5:
“THE BLOCK of scripture consisting of Isaiah 11:3-5 foretells Christ's judgment of the living nations
when He returns to earth. This scene is set forth graphically in Matthew 25:31-46. When these two
passages are studied carefully and compared, it will be seen that they are not speaking of a general
judgment as we frequently hear mentioned. On the contrary these passages speak of the judgment of
the living nations--those persons who survive the Tribulation and who are upon the earth when the
Lord returns. In neither passage is there anything said about a resurrection, nor is there anything
141…..Isaiah 11:5 and 11:6-10 Introduction
suggested concerning the necessity for the new birth. The basis of that judgment is the attitude and
conduct of these toward our Lord's brethren according to the flesh--the Jews. He will separate these
people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. Some will be put on the right hand and
others upon the left. Those upon the right hand will be placed there because of their kindly feeling
toward Christ as manifested in their attitude and actions toward the least of His brethren during the
time of their national sorrow and distress. From Psalm 24 we see that these people will receive a
blessing from the Lord, even righteousness from the God of Jacob. They will be clothed in the
righteousness of Christ when they see the facts regarding Him and receive Him. They will accept Him
with their whole hearts at that time and thus be clothed with His righteousness. On the other hand,
those placed upon the left side will be consigned to everlasting punishment because of their hatred
toward our Lord, which feeling manifests itself in their refusal to be kind and gentle to His brethren,
the Jews, during their national crisis throughout the Tribulation.” (D. L. Cooper, Commentary on
Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly-December 1943).
The Kingdom of the Ruler: 11:6-10
Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer comment on Isaiah 11:6-10:
“The descriptions of the kingdom found in vv. 6-9 paint an idyllic picture of the King’s reign. These
descriptions speak to the uniqueness of this King’s reign and the restorative regime that He will bring
with Him. The King’s capacity to bring forth peace moves beyond the kings of the past. Isaiah is not
simply looking forward to the installation of the next Davidic monarch but to the installation of the
Davidic monarch, the supreme Son of David, who will live in full obedience to God and rule with
God’s wisdom, strength, and justice (v. 5). Not only will the root of Jesse bring the peace and
harmony described in 10:6-9, but His reign will also initiate God’s gathering of the remnant from the
four corners of the earth (v. 11). This new King’s wise rule will attract even the nations and serve as a
banner around which the nations will rally to hear His counsel (v. 10).” (Michael Rydelnik, James
Spencer, Isaiah in the Moody Bible Commentary, page 1027).
The messianic kingdom be a unique place, unlike any except Adam and Eve would have experienced. It is a
restored Eden where the animals will be at peace with one another and with humans. Infant children will be
safe from any harm from the beasts of the earth and even a small child will lead these domesticated animals.
It is also a place where the entire earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, “as the waters cover the
sea,” 11:9. At no other time since the placement of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, will the earth
witness such peacefulness and unhindered knowledge of the Lord. No one will need to search for the source
of true knowledge, for the earth’s residents will know where to find it. As earlier recorded by Isaiah in 2:3:
Many peoples will come and say,
"Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us of his ways,
and we will walk in his paths."
For out of Zion the law will go forth,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
The prophet Jeremiah also spoke of this time, Jeremiah 31:33-34
"But this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel
142…..Isaiah 11:6-9
after those days," says the LORD.
"I will put my law within them;
I will write it in their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34
Each person will no longer have to teach his neighbor,
or each one his brother, saying,
'Know the LORD.'
For they will all know me,
from the least to the greatest of them," says the LORD.
"For I will forgive their iniquity,
and remember their sin no more."
11:6-9 The wolf will dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the young goat;
the calf, the young lion, and the fattened cow
will lie down together;
and a little child will lead them.
7
The cow and the bear will graze together;
their young ones will lie down together;
the lion will eat straw like an ox.
8
The nursing child will play near the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child will put his hand into the viper's hole.
9
They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
These verses describe the peace and security of Messiah’s future kingdom. To accentuate the extent of the
pervading peace, Isaiah in 11:6-7 described this time as one in which the animals will be in perfect harmony
with each other and with humans. Carnivorous animals will no longer hunt and kill other animals for food.
Lions will eat straw and likely other grains. Wolves will co-exist in peace with lambs which were once a
preferred food source. Other fierce predators such as the leopard and the lion, representatives of the
magnificent large animals, will live peacefully along-side of other animals who were once their prey.
Domestic animals such as cows will graze with wild animals such as the bear and even their young will share
the same pasture lying down together. Isaiah 11:8-9 portray the human-animal relationship which has been
restored to a pre-curse existence. Isaiah describes a remarkable scene in which a very young child, one who
is nursing, is playing beside the hole of a cobra and a weaned child would be able to put his hand on (or in) a
viper’s den without fear of any harm.
The expression of the extent of this peaceful co-existence in Isaiah 11:9, “in all My holy mountain” may lead
some to believe that it will only be upon Mount Zion where such peaceful co-existence occurs. However, this
is not the case. For example, see J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, page 105. Other portions of Scripture provide
similar details regarding this time when David’s throne is re-established and David’s greater Son, the
Messiah will rule His Kingdom with righteousness and judgment and all who live upon the earth, including
the animals will be free from the harm and destruction of the curse of God upon the earth. Refer also to
Ezekiel 34:23-31; Hosea 2:18-23; and Romans 8:19-23.
143…..Isaiah 11:10-11
11:10 In that day the root of Jesse will be raised for a sign of the peoples;
the nations will seek guidance from him;
his resting place will be glorious.
Isaiah 11:10 concludes this short vignette of the messianic kingdom. The words, “in that day” in this verse is
a plain reference to a future time for in no other time or place has the Lord stood on the earth as a signal (or a
banner) for the nations to come to worship Him as ruler of a restored kingdom. Also, in no other time or
place on the earth has the Lord’s “resting place” (place of residence) has yet been described as glorious. It
will only happen when He returns to establish His kingdom after all nations of the earth have been subdued
and will acknowledge Him as the rightful King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Apostle Paul in Romans
15:12 cites this verse: And again, Isaiah says, "There will be the root of Jesse, and he who rises to rule over
the Gentiles, in him will the Gentiles hope." See also Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 74 for comments on vs.
10.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 11:1-10
11:1-5 The Ruler of the Kingdom
11:1 The Ruler’s Heritage
11:2 The Ruler’s Anointing
11:3 The Ruler’s Delight
11:4-5a The Ruler’s Righteousness
11:5b The Ruler’s Faithfulness
11:6-10 The Kingdom of the Ruler
11:6-9a The Kingdom of Peace
11:9b The Kingdom of Knowledge
11:10a The Kingdom of Obedience
11:10b The Kingdom of Glory
11. The Victory of the Remnant: 11:11-16
The section, Isaiah 11:11-16 shifts its focus to the remnant who will be gathered by the Lord from the ends of
the earth to come and live with Him in his glorious kingdom. The themes of peace and prosperity are again
prominent in this prophecy which again begins with “on that day” which in the context of the entire chapter,
must refer to a time which has not yet come but is promised for those who remain faithful to the Lord. Thus,
all of chapter 11 of Isaiah is a prophecy of the coming Messianic kingdom and there is no place for attempts
to allegorize it to describe it as anything other than its plain meaning. In this section, 11:11-16, Isaiah
declares that the Lord will set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people who
remain in the earth, vs. 11. He will set up a signal for the nations and He will assemble His remnant people,
called the outcasts of Israel from every part of the earth, vs. 12. There will be harmony and peace between
Judah and Ephraim (Israel), vs. 13. The returning remnant will take plunder from nations, both in the east and
west and the nations will obey them, vs. 14. The Nile and Euphrates rivers will be easily forded by the
returning remnant and a highway for them will be created, so they can easily travel to Jerusalem, vs. 16.
11:11 In that day the Lord will set his hand again the second time
to recover the remnant of his people that remains,
from Assyria and from Egypt,
from Pathros and from Cush,
from Elam, and from Shinar,
from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.
144…..Isaiah 11:11-13
The prophet as recorded in Isaiah 11:11 provides details of the nations from where the Lord will recover the
faithful remnant of His people and a setting the gathering of His people to Jerusalem. As noted above the
words, “in that day” in the context of this chapter plainly refers to a time in the future that has not yet come.
It belongs to a wider understanding of the “day of the Lord,” previously discussed in these study notes. It will
occur in connection with the future messianic kingdom and from the details of the verses to follow, it must
refer to the time when the kingdom will be in the beginning of its foundation. The Lord will recover the
second time with His hand the remnant of His people who will remain. It is the mention of the “second time”
that has generated much discussion among scholars who have published works on Isaiah. It is best to
understand that this reference is to a time in the future as the prior phrase, “on that day” indicates. The first
restoration of the Jewish people occurred following the Babylonian captivity which was still future for the
time of the prophet Isaiah. The locations, stated in the latter half of Isaiah 11:11, from where the remnant,
were to be recovered, this second time, do not fit any other historical event since the days of the return of the
Jews to Judah. Also, the re-uniting of Ephraim (Israel) and Judah has not yet occurred.
The Jewish nation under the Roman oversight did not have harmony between these two peoples as the Jews
of the southern nation of Judah were antagonistic at best with the blended peoples of Samaria. Also, the
locations from where the remnant would originate according to 11:11 included “the islands of the sea” which
would indicate locations from a much wider geographical area than the countries surrounding the nation of
Israel. Thus, with all these details provided by Isaiah, it is evident that this restoration is yet to come and will
originate from nations from afar, from which the “people who remain” will migrate to Israel. The reference
to the “of his people that remains” is also set in a future context, just prior to the establishment of the
Messianic kingdom. These are the faithful Jewish remnant who have survived the terrors of the great
tribulation. A specific reference to Ezekiel chapter 37 is suggested also to be read as background to Isaiah
11:11.
11:12 Then he will set up a signal flag for the nations,
and will assemble the outcasts of Israel,
and gather together the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
The prophet as recorded in Isaiah 11:12 refers again to the Messiah who will be a “signal flag,” or a banner
for those who are to be assembled from the banished and dispersed peoples of Israel (Ephraim) and Judah,
from the “four corners of the earth”. From this description, it is very plain that this restoration of the remnant
11:11, will be world-wide in its scope and certainly has not yet occurred. Also, all tribes of Israel will be
involved in this assembling of the dispersed and outcasts of His people. A confirmation of this is in
Revelation 7:4-5 where it is revealed that 144,000 people, who will be selected for a special sealing, will be
taken from every tribe of Israel.
11:13 The jealousy of Ephraim will depart;
those hostile to Judah will be cut off.
Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
and Judah will not be hostile to Ephraim.
Isaiah 11:13 gives additional details about the peace of the newly formed kingdom. The Jewish people for the
first time in their history will be at peace with each other. Compare this with Isaiah 9:21. In the Messianic
kingdom, there will be no divisive religious factions between the Jews and no political enmity between those
whom the Messiah chooses to assist Him in ruling His kingdom, and those who have been chosen to perform
other tasks. There will only be One Ruler. All the Jewish people who remain and have survived the period
145…..Isaiah 11:14-16 and Chapter 12 Introduction
just prior to the foundation of the kingdom will be at peace with this Ruler and with each other. See also
Jeremiah 3:18; Ezekiel 37:15-28; and Hosea 1:11.
11:14 They will swoop down on the shoulder of the Philistines on the west;
together they will plunder the people of the east.
They will put forth their hand on Edom and Moab,
and the Ammonites will obey them.
The events recorded in Isaiah11:14, must certainly occur before the regathered tribes of Israel set up their
habitation in the messianic kingdom. These events may occur during their journey to the kingdom from the
nations of the earth. Isaiah describes how the Jewish people will have the funds to begin a new life in this
kingdom and have the prosperity to change the bleak and desolate landscape into a garden of green where
vegetable and animal life can flourish abundantly. Israel’s long-time enemies will be subdued, and their
plunder will be the basis for Israel’s new wealth. Those they have plundered will also be in subjection to
them and will serve them. Their previous enemies will also willingly give of their wealth to the returning
remnant of Israel as these nations will then have witnessed the horrors of the tribulation and will themselves
be waiting in expectation for the blessings of the kingdom that will be ruled in peace by the triumphant
Messiah. See Isaiah 60:5, 11; and 61:6.
11: 15-16 The LORD will divide the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with his scorching wind he will wave his hand
over the Euphrates River.
He will split it up into seven streams,
and enable people to cross over in sandals.
16
There will be a highway for the remnant of his people
that remain from Assyria,
like there was for Israel in the day
that they came up out of the land of Egypt.
The prophet describes what the Lord will do with the geographical features of the surrounding countries so
that the Jewish remnant can walk unencumbered from these nations to the Israel. The statement of a
“highway” for the remnant to use to travel to Israel is a common subject of Isaiah’s prophecy. See also
Isaiah: 35:8-10, 43:19-21, 49:10-13, 57:14, and 62:10-12. See Thomas Constable, Isaiah, pages 74-75 for
comments on the final verses of chapter 11. For an extended discussion on Isaiah 1:1-16, see Edward E.
Hindson, Isaiah 11:1-16: The Reign of the Righteous Messianic King, The Moody Handbook of Messianic
Prophecy, pages 845-858.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 11:11-16
11:11-12 The Remaining Remnant Restored
11:13-14 The People’s Peace and Prosperity
11:15-16 The Remnant’s Royal Roadway
12. The Praise of the Remnant: Chapter 12
Chapter 12 is the culmination of the events recorded in Chapter 7 of Isaiah. The people of Judah faced an
invasion from the kingdoms of Aram and Israel. The Lord gave Isaiah a message of safety and protection to
king Ahaz if Ahaz and the people would simply trust in the Lord. But this message was rejected, and Ahaz
wickedly rejected the Lord’s offer and sought military assistance from the evil nation Assyria against the two
nations threatening Judah. Later, after invading both Aram and Israel, the Assyrian king turned against Judah
146…..Isaiah 12:1-2
and sought to destroy Jerusalem just as the Assyrian army had destroyed many Judean towns and cities. But
the Lord would not let this happen and Isaiah recorded the complete destruction of the army of Assyria,
Isaiah 37:36. Chapter 12 of Isaiah is a prophecy of the thanksgiving and praise that the remnant of the future
will give to the Lord for His promised rescue of them and the Lord’s restoration of the promised land. In this
section, Isaiah 12:16, the prophet declares, as in the words of a song, that the people will give the LORD
thanks for although He was one angry with them, He now comforts them, vs. 1. They will also proclaim that
God is their salvation and they will trust in Him and not be afraid, vs. 2. They will joyfully proclaim that they
will “draw water from the wells of salvation, vs. 3. They will, in that day, call upon the name of the LORD
and declare His deeds and proclaim that His name is exalted among the peoples (nations of the world), vs. 4.
They will sing to the LORD because of His wonderful deeds and proclaim it to the world, vs. 5. They will
shout and cheer for they will know the greatness of Holy One of Israel who is among them, vs. 6.
12:1 In that day you will say,
"I will give thanks to you, O LORD;
for though you were angry with me,
but now your anger is turned away
and you comfort me.
The chapter, which is likely the song of Isaiah, begins in 12:1 with “In that day you will say”. As with many
passages in this section, chapters 7 to 12, the context of “that day” is a reference to the Messianic kingdom to
come. In that day, the remnant who have been called from the “four corners of the earth”, Isaiah 11:12, will
give thanks to God for comforting them. God had been angry with the people of Judah, but His anger had
been “turned away.” See also Isaiah 10:24-25 and 60:10. The anger (also fury, wrath and indignation) of God
is one of the great yet terrifying themes of Isaiah’s prophecy. Selected verses in Isaiah describing the anger of
the Lord include, 5:25; 9:9, 12, 17, 21; 10:4-6, 25; 12:1; 13: 5, 9, 13; 14:6; 26:20; 30:27, 30; 34:2; 42:25;
48:9; 51:17, 20, 22; 54:8; 59:18; 60:10; 63:3, 5, 6; and 66:15.
After His anger had been turned away or spent, God was now a source of comfort to His people. See Isaiah
40:1-2 for another declaration of the comfort of God. Refer, for example to these selected verses in Isaiah,
49:13; 51:3, 12, 19; 52:9; 57:18; 61:2; and 66:13. Isaiah 12:1 projects forward to the second great division of
the book of Isaiah, chapters 40-66, which can be characterized as the section of comfort. The first great
division of Isaiah’s book, chapters 1-39 can be understood as the section of judgment.
12:2 God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid;
for the LORD, yes the LORD,
is my strength and song;
he has become my salvation.
The prophet records that God is being praised for He is the people’s salvation, strength and song and the
people say, they will trust in God and will not be afraid (of any circumstance or situation).
There are three main parts to Isaiah 12:2:
(1) God is my salvation (repeated at end of verse: he has become my salvation).
Salvation could be understood to be the “message” of the entire prophecy of Isaiah. Isaiah’s name has the
meaning of “the Lord is salvation”. The prophet summarizes chapters 1-12 in this verse with the exclamation
that “God is my salvation”. Salvation is such an important and critical theme to the message of Isaiah, that
every mention of this word and its word group in Isaiah is worthy of a careful study by the student of
147…..Isaiah 12:2
Scripture. Some of the verses listed below speak of salvation from harm and from enemies and some
definitely speak of eternal salvation. For example, Isaiah states in 45:17:
But Israel will be saved by the LORD
with an everlasting salvation;
you will never be put to shame
or humiliated.
The student of Scripture must examine each occurrence of the salvation word group in its context to
determine the intent of God’s message regarding salvation. Refer to the notes in this study of Isaiah on the
verses listed below for a brief description of the context and meaning of the salvation word group.
The major verses where Isaiah employs the word salvation Hebrew, Yeshuah, are, 12:2 (twice), 12:3; 25:9;
33:2, 6; 45:8, 17; 49:6, 8; 51:6, 8; 52:7, 10; 56:1; 59:17; 60:18; and 62:1. Major occurrences of the words
save, and saved Hebrew yasha, in Isaiah are, 25:9; 30:15; 33:22; 35:4; 37:35; 38:20; 43:12; 45:17, 22; 49:25;
59:1; 63:1 and 9. A precious part of the salvation word group is Savior which refers to the Messiah, the Lord
Jesus Christ (in the N.T.). All occurrences of the word Savior, Hebrew yasha, in Isaiah are, 19:20; 43:3,11;
45:15, 21; 49:26; 60:16 and 63:8. A more extensive discussion will be provided in the notes for the verses
which include the word “Savior”.
A closely related word to salvation is “redeemed” (and redeemer). Refer to the notes on the verses where the
redeemed word group is recorded for a brief discussion on its importance to the overall message of salvation
in Isaiah. Major occurrences of the word “redeemed” in Isaiah are, 1:27; 29:22; 35:9; 43:1; 44:22, 23; 48:20;
51:10; 52:3,9; 62:12; and 63:9. Most occurrences of the word “redeemed” are a translation of the Hebrew
word, ga’al, except for Isaiah 1:27 and 29:22 which are a translation of the Hebrew word padah, which often
occurs in the O. T. as a synonym for ga’al. Padah is also translated as “ransomed” in Isaiah 35:10 and 51:11.
The occurrences of the word “redeemer” are worthy of a very detailed study. All occurrences of the word
“redeemer” Hebrew ga’al, in Isaiah are, 41:14; 43:14; 44:6, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16;
and 63:16. As with the word “Savior” an extensive discussion will be provided for these verses in the notes
for this study. Special attention in this study will be given to the meaning of “redeemer” which in Isaiah, all
occurrences of this word are translated from the Hebrew word, ga’al, which implies that the Lord is Israel’s
“kinsmen redeemer” See notes on the verses for “redeemer” for this discussion.
Isaiah has already described a portrait of salvation in chapter 1: 18 in terms of having one’s sins become
white like snow or wool. He also had the personal experience of having his iniquity taken away and having
God’s forgiveness for his sins in 6:4-7. He will later in 53:6 describe a Servant whom “the LORD has laid on
him the sin of us all.” Also, in 53:11, this Servant will “justify many as he will bear their sins.” Some
scholars tend to point to Isaiah’s understanding of God’s salvation in 12:2 as saving from something that
would destroy them rather than salvation based upon faith that leads to an eternal destination. For example,
refer to a discussion on this point from Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol.1, pages 282-283 and Geoffrey W.
Grogan, Isaiah, page 93. However, Isaiah’s understanding of God’s salvation seems to point to both a saving
from external dangers and to an eternal salvation as Isaiah 45:17 clearly states. How otherwise could the
Apostle Paul declare to Timothy that “from early childhood have known the Scriptures which are able to
make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:15. King David had an
understanding of this salvation as being eternal as the last words of Psalm 23 testify. Also, the writer of
Hebrews in chapter 11 clearly describes the faith of the Old Testament saints who looked forward to an
eternal destination with God even though they did not arrive at this destination while they lived on the earth.
148…..Isaiah 12:2-4
(2) I will trust and not be afraid.
Isaiah adds to his deep understanding that God is his salvation with the practical declaration of how he
should respond to this great truth (salvation). Because Isaiah knew assuredly beyond any doubt or confusion
that God is his salvation, the prophet can positively and confidently avow that he will trust God (for
everything) and he will not be afraid (of anything). The word “trust” is the Hebrew word batach, which has
the meaning of “taking refuge in” and “being confident and sure,” and to be “reliant upon”. The word batach
is translated in the DASV as “trust” in 12:2; 26:3, 4; 30:12; 31:1; 36:6, 7, and 9; 37:10; 42:17; 50:10; and
59:4. It is translated as “confidence: in 36:4. Batach is translated as “trusting” in 36:5, 6 and 15; and is
translated as “trusted” in 47:10. It is also translated as “complacent” in 32:9, 10 and 11.
(3) the LORD is my strength and song.
Isaiah can have confidence in God and have no fear of anything or anyone “for” or because the LORD GOD
is his strength and song. See J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, pages 108-109. The acknowledgement that God is
“strength” to the believer is a common theme in Scripture. Isaiah for example makes frequent reference to
God being his strength, (selected verses only), 28:6; 30:15; 33:2 (strong arm); 35:3 (strengthen); 40:29, 31:
41:1, 10 (strengthen); 45:24: 49:5; and 58:11 (strong). A close parallel to 12:2 is the words of Moses in his
song to God following the miraculous escape from the pursuing Egyptians through the Red Sea, Exodus
15:2:
The LORD is my strength and song,
and he has become my salvation.
This One is my God, and I will praise him;
my father's God, and I will exalt him.
This is a common praise in many of the Psalms. Psalms 37:39; 46:1, and 118:14 are but a few excellent
examples. Other prophets also delighted in the strength of the Lord. See Jeremiah 16:19 and Habakkuk 3:19.
In the New Testament, the authors often praised God for providing strength. Examples include Paul in
Ephesians 3:16; 6:10; Philippians 4:13; and Colossians 1:11; the writer of Hebrews, 12:12 and Peter in 1
Peter 4:11 and 5:10. Isaiah also stated that God is his “song.” When a believer meditates on his creator as the
Lord of the heavens and the earth, this meditation often results in praising God in song. Isaiah does more than
offer praises to God in song. Isaiah proclaims that God Himself is his song. Isaiah here is expressing the
greatest joy possible in declaring this truth. See also Psalm 40:3; 118:14 and Colossians 3:16.
12:3 Joyfully you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
The prophet records, the words of the people who are rejoicing over the Lord who will “joyously… draw
water from the wells of salvation.” These words may have been in the mind of Jesus as being prophetic for
his message to the Samaritan women, whom came to a well to draw water as recorded in the fourth chapter of
the gospel of John. Also, these words from Isaiah 12:3, may be prophetic for the message of Jesus
proclaimed during the feast of Tabernacles (Booths) as recorded in John 7:37-39. See also Psalm 116:13. As
this praise to the Lord in the context of Isaiah 12:3 is for a future kingdom, it nonetheless is a recurring theme
of the Lord in being the One who provides salvation, like freely flowing waters to the thirsty.
12:4 In that day you will say,
"Give thanks to the LORD,
call on his name;
declare his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
149…..Isaiah 12:4-6
Isaiah 12:4-6 form the second stanza of Isaiah’s song to the Lord. See above notes on this two-stanza
(strophe) song in the introduction to chapter 12. In this second stanza (strophe) Isaiah prophesizes that the
redeemed remnant will give thanks to God for His excellent deeds and make His name known among the
nations. In 12:4, the prophet records a call for the rescued and restored remnant, “in that day” to give thanks
to the Lord and call on His name and to make known the deeds of the Lord among the peoples. These are all
the peoples of the newly established messianic kingdom. The message of the Lord’s wondrous deeds and of
His exalted name and of His Holy presence in Zion is to be made known to all who will be alive at this time.
It is a message that the people will both seek, Isaiah 2:3 and know, Isaiah 11:9; Jeremiah 31:33-34.
12:5 Sing to the LORD,
for he has done wonderful things;
let this be known in all the earth.
Isaiah emphasizes that because the Lord has accomplished “wonderful” things, the people in the millennial
kingdom of the Messiah are to praise Him in song. The word “wonderful” is ge’uwth in the Hebrew. This
word is translated as “glorious” in the NIV and “gloriously” in the ESV. Isaiah recorded ge’uwth five times.
In the DASV it is translated as “wonderful” in 12:5. It is translated as “go up” in 9:18; as “majesty” in 26:10;
as “glorious” in 28:1; and as “proud” in 28:3. It also occurs three times in the psalms. In Psalm 17:10 it is
translated as “arrogantly;” in Psalm 89:9 as “swelling;” and in Psalm 93:1 as “majesty.”
One of the most beautiful and majestic aspects of the eschatological messianic kingdom is that the wonderful
(excellent and glorious) things that the Lord has accomplished will be known throughout the earth. Isaiah in
this song, 12:1-6, echoes many of the same praises to God as does the psalmist in Psalm 98. This Psalm is
also a song about the majesty of the Lord which will be displayed in His millennial kingdom. See also Isaiah
24:14-16a; 42:10-12; and 44:23.
12:6 Shout out and cheer, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah ends this very brief song of praise with a call for people who will live in Zion during the messianic
kingdom to loudly exclaim a joyous shout for the great One in their midst who is proclaimed by Isaiah as
“the Holy One of Israel.” This title of the Lord is one of the most common names that Isaiah gives to the
Lord as it describes His intrinsic characteristic, “holiness”. This title occurs 25 times in Isaiah, twice in
Jeremiah, three times in the Psalms and once in 2 Kings. For an extended discussion on this exalted title of
the Lord, “the Holy one of Israel,” see notes on Isaiah 1:4.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 12:1-6
12:1-3 The Comfort and Salvation of the Lord Praised
12:1 Praise for the Lord’s Comfort
12:2 Praise for the Lord’s Salvation
12:3 Praise for the Joy of Salvation
12:4-6 The Name and Deeds of the Lord Proclaimed
12:4 Proclaiming the Name and Deeds of the Lord
12:5 Proclaiming the Wonderful Things of the Lord
12:6 Proclaiming the Greatness of the Lord
150…..Chapters 13-23 Introduction
ISAIAH STUDY: CHAPTERS 13-23
D. The Nations Judged: Chapters 13-23
1. Judgment against Babylon: 13:1 – 14:23
2. Judgment against Assyria: 14:24-27
3. Judgment against Philistia: 14:28-32
4. Judgment against Moab: 15:1 – 16:14
5. Judgment against Damascus and Ephraim: 17:1-14
6. Judgment against Ethiopia: 18:1-7
7. Judgment against Egypt: 19:1-15
8. Egypt, Assyria and Israel to Worship the Lord: 19:16-25
9. No escape for Egypt and Ethiopia: 20:1-6
10. Prophecy of Babylon’s Fall: 21:1-10
11. Judgment against Edom: 21:11-12
12. Judgment against Arabia: 21:13-17
13. Valley of Vision and Weeping over Israel: 22:1-14
14. Replacement of the Disgraced Servant: 22:15-19
15. Prophecy of David’s Key and the Peg: 22:20-25
16. Prophecy of Tyre’s Fall: 23:1-18
Isaiah 13:1 to 23:18 is the first major part of the greater section chapters 13 to 35 which one scholar has
entitled “God’s Sovereignty Over the Nations,” Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 76. Within chapters 13:1 to
23:18 are ten passages beginning with the words “the oracle” or “this oracle”. The Hebrew word for oracle is
massa, which has the meaning of a message that is a weight or a burden to be proclaimed. It is a message
from the Lord containing His judgment or will upon its recipients. The ten occurrences of “oracle” in this
section are, 13:1; 14:28; 15:1; 17:1; 19:1; 21:1, 11, 13; 22:1 and 23:1. Each of these oracle references begin a
separate message or burden from God proclaimed by the prophet Isaiah to a specific nation or people. As
these proclamations announce destruction to the nations, they also contain promises of hope for the Jewish
people. Comments on these promises of hope will be stated as they occur within this section. Similar oracles
are recorded in Jeremiah chapters 46 to 51; Ezekiel chapters 25 to 32 and Amos chapters 1 to 2. For other
oracle messages see Nahum 1:1; Zechariah 9:1; 12:1; and Malachi 1:1.
Another significant part of these chapters is the repetitive declarations, “the day of the Lord” and “in that
day”. These are announcements of God’s judgment on specific nations resulting in their doom and
destruction. Each of these specifically named nations would receive their own “day of the Lord” judgment.
Some of these “day of the Lord” prophecies of doom have a near future historical fulfillment while others
have an end times, or latter-day emphasis in which the entire world will be judged and have its punishment
declared. Each “day of the Lord” passage will be studied in its context to determine its time of fulfillment.
The day of the Lord declarations in this section are stated in, 13:6, 9, 13; 19:16, 18, 19, 21; 22:5, 12, and 25.
The reasons for God’s declaration of judgment on these nations can basically be stated as first, their evil and
cruel treatment of the Jewish people; second, their pride and arrogance in placing their trust in their own
power rather than in the Lord; and third, their worship of idols. These chapters stand as an indictment on any
nation that would seek to destroy the Jewish people for their own evil reasons and for any nation that rejects
the “Holy One of Israel” as being the only true God. Even though nations such as, Assyria and Babylon, were
used by God to bring judgment on the Israel and Judah, they did not escape God’s judgment on themselves
for the reasons stated above. Included in these oracles to the nations in chapters 13-23 are indictments against
Israel (Ephraim), 17:3-14 and Jerusalem (Valley of Vision) 22:1-25.
151…..Isaiah 13:1-14:23 Introduction
See also Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1 pages 286-295 for an extensive introduction on this section of
judgment oracles (or burdens) on the nations and how they relate to the overall message of Isaiah. See also J.
Alec Motyer, The Prophecy of Isaiah, IVP Academic, page 133 for a chart that diagrams the structure of the
greater section of chapters 13-27.
1. Judgment against Babylon: 13:1 – 14:23
At the time of Isaiah’s pronouncement of judgment against Babylon, it had not yet risen to its full power and
prominence and had not yet invaded Judah. This invasion would occur about a century later and thus these
words of Isaiah are a remarkable statement of God’s omniscience. Isaiah most certainly would have known
about the city of Babylon on the Euphrates River and its rebellious movements against the power and
geographical dominance of the Assyrian empire. Isaiah, by his own understanding, however, may not have
predicted that Babylon would eventually overtake the mighty realm of Assyria. As with the prophecies Isaiah
was given regarding the Messiah, these judgments on a nation that had not yet risen to dominant power. They
can only be attributable to an all-knowing God with whom the world must acknowledge and worship.
Another very significant truth to remember when studying these passages, is that it was, and it remains the
divine prerogative of God to raise up or to bring down nations and leaders for His own purposes to
accomplish His will on earth. No nations, nor peoples nor individuals, stand on their own strength and
ability. They exist solely for God’s greater glory and to fulfill His plans for His creation. God is completely
and victoriously sovereign over the works of His hands.
The most important lesson coming from Isaiah’s prophecy regarding Babylon is that Judah and specifically
its king, Hezekiah, must not turn away from God while in dread of the assault by Assyria on their nation.
They must not look to rebellious Babylon for their safety as is implied by the reception that king Hezekiah
gave to the visitors (ambassadors) from Babylon as recorded in Isaiah chapter 39. Trusting in Babylon will
lead to the exile of the people of Judah including some of the Hezekiah’s direct descendants to Babylon and
the looting of all the treasures of the king’s house by the Babylonians, Isaiah 39:5-7. The Lord gave Isaiah
the oracle of the judgment on Babylon prior to the events described in Isaiah 39 as a warning not to invite the
aid of the Babylonians in Judah’s helpless plight before the seemingly unstoppable advance of the Assyrians.
In Isaiah’s account, Hezekiah turned to the Lord in faith and prayer, Isaiah 37:1-4. Hezekiah, who at times
exhibited selfish motives later in his life, was one of the few kings of Judah who devoted himself to the Lord.
The Scriptures point to him as one who: “did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that
David his forefather had done,” 2 Chronicles 29:2. Refer to 2 Chronicles 29-32 and 2 Kings 18-29 for a short
history of the life of Hezekiah. Isaiah chapters 36-39 add to the Biblical biography of this renowned king.
For the student attempting to understand the tension between what is a near-prophecy, and a far-prophecy of
Babylon, it must be kept in mind that Old Testament prophets often presented their prophetic content through
the lens of a telescope rather than through the lens of an eye-glass. Within these prophetic messages of
Babylon, Isaiah depicted judgment that would come at the hands of the Medes, Isaiah 13:17, and also
judgment that would be for a far future eschatological day as is evident from Isaiah 13:1-16. It is critical for
the student to examine the context of each verse before determining which time frame is intended. As was
seen in the “virgin birth” passage of Isaiah 7:13-16, there are verses that apply to the present political
situation and others that apply to the future. It is the same with the prophetic judgment passages on Babylon.
To simply lump the entire judgment as pertaining to the conquest of Babylon by the Medes, as many scholars
do, is not being consistent with a literal interpretation of the text. In doing so, these scholars must, for
example, either allegorize Isaiah 13:1-16 or assume these verses are merely hyperbole which leads to the
conclusion that God is exaggerating thus, not being honest with His people. If God exaggerates with these
verses, then what other passages does He do the same and what passages can be trusted as being exactly what
God intends to say?
152…..Isaiah 13:1-2
The Final Destruction of Babylon: 13:1-16
In the section, Isaiah 13:1-16, the prophet again states that he is the son of Amoz and that he is declaring an
oracle regarding Babylon, that he had seen, vs. 1. The LORD is preparing His special forces, His warriors to
execute His anger. They are likened to troops from a far country to destroy the whole land in “the day of the
LORD.” The LORD’s destruction will come upon those who will wail and be terrified and agony will seize
hold of them, vss. 2-8. This “day of the LORD” will come with fierce anger. The land will be made desolate
and sinners will be destroyed. On this day, the stars will fail to give light, the sun will be darkened, and the
moon will not shine. The LORD will punish the world and the wicked because of their evil and iniquity.
Humanity will be destroyed and only a few will survive because of the wrath of the LORD of hosts in the day
of His fierce anger, vss. 9-13. Awful destruction will come upon humanity including women and children,
vss. 14-16.
13:1 The oracle about Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.
Isaiah begins this major section of his prophecy with the word “oracle,” (massa), which has the meaning of
“burden” or a “message.” Isaiah also begins this section with a third introduction (see also Isaiah 1:1 and 2:1)
of himself as “Isaiah, the son of Amoz.” This must certainly mark this section as an intended separate part of
the writing of Isaiah which addresses material different from that of the previous twelve chapters.
Isaiah 13:1 contains the first reference in Isaiah to Babylon and it occurs a total of 13 times within the
prophecy of Isaiah: 13:1; 13:19; 14:4; 14:22; 21:9; 39:1; 39:3; 39:6; 39:7; 43:14; 47:1; 48:14; and 48:20.
Babylon (“Babel” in Greek), is a very prominent name within Scripture. Babylon as a city was founded by
Nimrod who was a “mighty one on the earth” (Genesis 10:8-10). It was at Babylon on the plain of Shinar,
that the peoples of the earth were influenced to build a city and a tower to reach into heaven and to make a
name for themselves. Genesis 11:1-9. The inference was that the peoples were dominated by pride to defy
God and seek to raise themselves above His dominance over them. The intent of mankind to rebel against
God is an old story, as old as Adam and Eve. People possessed by willful pride seek to throw off God’s rule
as they design to rule over their own lives. The created ones seek to overthrow their Creator. The result, then
as now, is always disastrous for them. From the very beginning Babylon was doomed for destruction. In the
Genesis account, God confused the language of the people, and as a result, the people were dispersed over
the face of the earth. In the last days, described in Isaiah 13:6 and 9, as “the day of the LORD,” God will
finally crush the influence of Babylon and its fall will be complete and utterly without hope of resurrection.
See also, Revelation chapters 17 and 18.
13:2 Set up a signal flag on the bare mountain top.
Shout out to them,
wave your hand
for them to enter into the gates of the nobles.
God calls for a “signal flag,” which could be a standard or a banner, to be raised high so that the warriors
God has chosen will rally to it. This may be the intent of the words, “enter into the gates of the nobles” or
this phrase may be a reference to Babylon, since Isaiah mentions in 13:1, that his oracle concerns Babylon
that many Bible Scholars understand as the future Babylon in the times of the end, as the text of Isaiah 13:1-
16 seem to imply. However, there is also a closer historical fulfillment to the judgment upon Babylon at the
hands of the Medes, as is evident from Isaiah 13:17-22. This earlier fulfillment of the judgment upon
Babylon may be understood as the first of two distinct phases of God’s wrath upon this nation.
153…..Isaiah 13:2-5
The call for a standard to be lifted up, 13:2, also occurs, for various reasons in Isaiah 5:26; 11:12; 18:3; 49:22
and 62:10. See also Psalm 74:4. The prophet Jeremiah in his prophecy 50:1-3 declares a similar message to
that of Isaiah in 13:2. In the section 13:1-16, Isaiah concerns himself with the time of the end and specifically
the days of the great tribulation when Babylon will be completely overthrown, never to rise again. The
description of the Lord’s fury and burning anger in this section makes the end-times interpretation the only
logical choice, for it fits no other historical period. As stated above, Isaiah directs his prophecy to the near
future application or first phase of Babylon’s judgment in Isaiah 13:17-22, where it is revealed that God will
stir up the Medes against them.
13:3 I have commanded my special forces;
I have called my warriors to execute my anger,
those who rejoice in my victorious exaltation.
The warriors in the conquering army will be called God’s “special forces” (consecrated ones) who “rejoice in
my victorious exaltation.” They will be inducted into His service to carry out His will to destroy the future
nation of Babylon during the tribulation period. It is solely God’s prerogative to call on any of His created
beings to enact His sovereign will in judgment and punishment on any other(s) of His created beings. It is
also God’s inalienable right to call those He has called His consecrated ones, mighty warriors and proudly
exulting ones. It may be that the heavenly host itself may be called upon. The prophet Elisha and his servant
were witnesses of such an event as described in 2 Kings 6:15-17. See also Zechariah 1:7-11. The purpose of
God calling His warriors is to “execute” or carry out, His “anger,” which is also called His wrath, in 13:9.
God’s anger, previously directed to His people, is now turned against those nations who will destroy Judah.
See Isaiah 10:24-27 and Joel 3:1-2. It may be popular for those who write devotional books about God to
emphasize only His love and care for the people of the world. However, to ignore His emotions of anger and
wrath against all forms of wickedness and ungodliness depicts an unbalanced picture of the earth’s mighty
Sovereign Lord. In many passages of Isaiah, the prophet does not hold back his portrayal of God as One who
decisively deals with sinfulness in displays of His righteous anger. Isaiah’s great name for God is “the Holy
One of Israel” who desires all nations to worship Him in holiness and righteousness.
13:4-5 The tumult resounds on the mountains,
like that of a great many people!
There is an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations assembling together!
The LORD of hosts is mustering the troops for the battle.
5
They come from a far country,
as far as the distant horizons.
It is the LORD and the weapons of his anger,
to destroy the whole land.
The prophet depicts this God-called army as causing such a noisy tumult on the mountains that it sounds as if
kingdoms and nations are being mustered for war. God is calling these nations and kingdoms to be gathered
or assembled together. This may be a reference to the great battle or campaign of Armageddon of which God
will gather the armies of the world’s nations for the purposes of facing the destruction of the Lord, Isaiah 13:
6. Other Scriptures depicting the gathering of the nations for a battle include Psalm 2:1-6; Ezekiel chapters
38-39; Joel 3:9-17; and Revelation 16:12-16. The destruction of Babylon within the greater “day of the Lord”
is prophesized in Jeremiah chapters 50 and 51 and Revelation chapter 18. For an extensive discussion on the
campaign of Armageddon and its climax, the return of the Messiah, see Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The
Footsteps of the Messiah, Chapter 14, pages 309-357.
154…..Isaiah 13:6
Introduction to Isaiah 13:6-13:
In Isaiah 13:6-16, the prophet extends the coming destruction of Babylon to the time of the “day of the
Lord.” In 13:6, this coming day of the LORD is “near”, yet in the context of these verses it is evident that this
is an end times event as 13:11-12 make abundantly clear. The claim that the day of the Lord will be near for
Babylon can be understood in many ways but three are suggested as most probable. First, for the city of
Babylon when it was at its zenith of power and influence, it was also at its apex of pride and arrogance and
this is when it was captured by the Medes in 539 B.C. under its famous leader Cyrus but the city itself was
not destroyed. The city had earlier been destroyed by the Assyrians in 689 B.C. but was later rebuilt. So, the
“near” day of the Lord prophecy, could have been partially fulfilled by the armies of the Medes and the
Assyrians, but most likely by the Medes as is stated in 13:17. Second, the reference to “near” in 13:6 is a
time-constant warning similar to the warning in the New Testament that the events accompanying the return
of Jesus Christ is “near” as stated in Revelation 1:3. God’s retributive judgment should always be understood
as near for any nation who chooses to rebel against Him and reject His rule over them.
Third, as the complete destruction of Babylon did not occur under the Medes but is promised for a far future
time in Revelation chapters 17 and 18, the prophecies regarding the destruction of Babylon in chapter 13 of
Isaiah can be understood as a time-compressed event with two terminus points. It began with the overthrow
of the city by the Medes and it will be fully complete just prior to the return of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus
Christ. With all three of these suggested fulfillments being understood as being complementary to each
other, Isaiah 13:1-6 can be seen as describing the complete destruction of Babylon and Isaiah 13:17-22 can
be seen as describing the beginnings of this destruction.
Isaiah 13:6-13 is a prediction of the judgment of God on the entire world that will take place in the future
time of the tribulation described in Revelation chapters 6 to 19. God states, as recorded in these verses, that
this time of destruction will be upon all the earth. The removal of the light from the stars, the sun and the
moon, 13:10, are Scriptural signs that these terrifying days will have arrived. Scriptures such as Isaiah 24:23,
Ezekiel 32:7-8; Joel 2:10; Joel 2:30-31; Amos 8:9; Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24-25; Luke 21:25 and
Revelation 6:12-14 all attest that these signs in the heavens will be God’s unmistakable declaration to the
world that its destruction has come.
13:6 Wail for the day of the LORD is near.
It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
Isaiah calls this coming destruction “the day of the LORD.” For a detailed discussion on the “day of the
Lord” see the notes in this study on Isaiah 2:11-12 and 4:2-6. Isaiah describes the day of the Lord as
destruction from the “Almighty”. The Biblical use of the name Almighty, (Shaddai: almighty and El
Shaddai: God Almighty), suggests that this name for God depicts His sovereign rule, power and might in
ruling His creation with all authority. It also depicts God as bringing destruction on nations and individuals
as punishment for their sin. Joel 1:15 for example, contains similar words of God’s coming destruction: “Alas
for the day! For the day of the LORD is near; It will come as destruction from the Almighty.” Revelation
16:14 and 19:15 are other examples.
The importance of the name “Almighty” in Isaiah 13:6 is that the destruction decreed by God on the earth is
certain and unchangeable and it will be a time of terrifying dread as the following verses attest. God makes
this decree based upon the integrity and glory of His Name. He can make this decree on no other name as no
other name, in heaven above or on earth below, has the absolute authority to bring to pass what is spoken
beforehand by God. Isaiah employs a word play in the final phrase of 13:6, “destruction from the Almighty”.
It has the meaning of “the destroyer destroys.” For an extended discussion of the “day of the LORD” see J.
155…..Isaiah 13:6-10
Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come; A Study in Biblical Eschatology, Zondervan, 1958, Chapter XV, pages
229-232. Refer also to notes on Isaiah 2:2 above.
13:7-8 Therefore all hands will hang limp,
and every human heart will melt.
8
They will be terrified.
Pangs and agony will seize hold of them;
they will be in pain like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at each other;
their faces will be aflame.
Because of the destruction and devastation God will unleash during the coming “day of the LORD”, mankind
will be unable to bear it. People of the earth will be terrified resulting in limp hands and melting hearts. They
will be in great anguish and pain such as a woman in labor. That day will be so horrifying that people will
look at each other in utter astonishment with faces aflame for they will not have witnessed anything like it
nor will they be prepared for it. Even though the prophets, the apostles and the Son of God have told them, as
written in the Scriptures, about this day to come, the people of earth will be woefully ignorant of its coming
and will be totally unprepared to deal with it. Isaiah will further describe these days in chapters 24-27.
13:9 The day of the LORD comes,
cruel, with wrath and fierce anger;
to make the land desolate,
and to destroy its sinners out of it.
This “day of the LORD” is explained as being first, “cruel, with wrath and fierce anger.” It cannot be
stressed enough that the Lord is preparing a time when His fury, wrath and burning anger will be fully
displayed to all peoples on the earth. Isaiah does not “sugar coat” the judgment of God on all who continue in
wickedness and rebellion against Him. See notes on Isaiah 9:19; 10:5 and 12:1 for a discussion on the anger
of the Lord. This anger is vividly described by Isaiah in 30:27:
Look, the name of the LORD comes from far away,
burning with his anger,
and in thick rising smoke.
His lips are full of fury,
and his tongue is like a consuming fire.
Isaiah further explains second, that the “day of the LORD” is a time for the Lord to make the land (earth) a
desolation. The Lord intends to violently shake the earth, Job 38:13; Psalm 82:5; Isaiah 13:13; 24:18-23;
Jeremiah 50:46; Ezekiel 38:20; Haggai 2:6, 21; Hebrews 12:26; and Revelation 6:12-17. God will also cause
the earth to be burnt up during the “day of the Lord,”2 Peter 3:10. See also Revelation 21:1. Finally, third,
the Lord intends to remove sinners from the earth. See Revelation chapter 20. Babylon in the end times will
fall and will not rise again, and the wickedness of the earth, caused by the corruption of Babylon, will be
judged. See Revelation chapters 17 and 18. The Lord will finally remove sinners from the earth and then
begin His eternal reign upon a new earth and within a new heaven. See Isaiah 65:17; 66:22 and Revelation
21:1-8.
13:10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations
will not give their light.
The sun will be darkened as it rises,
156…..Isaiah 13:10-13
and the moon will not shine.
A significant cosmic sign will be made in the heavens as a declaration to the events of the “day of the
LORD.” The LORD is making a bold statement about the timing of the “day of the LORD.” It will be
accompanied by dramatic events in the heavens. No other time in all the earth has yet witnessed this
“signature of the Lord” on His day. This sign in the celestial sphere accompanying the greater day of the
Lord (the tribulation and Christ’s second coming) is declared in several Scripture passages, Isaiah 24:23;
34:4; Joel 2:10, 30-31; 3:14-15; Amos 8:9; Zechariah 14:6-7; Matthew 24:29; Mark 13:24-25; Luke 21:25;
Acts 2:20; Revelation 6:12-14; and 8:12.
13:11 I will punish the world for its evil,
and the wicked for their iniquity.
I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease,
and bring down the haughtiness of the ruthless.
One of the most ominous reasons for the “day of the Lord” 13:9, and it accompanying cosmic sign is the
Lord’s intent to bring punishment upon the wicked and evil doers of the world. The arrogance of the proud
and the haughtiness of the ruthless will be decisively dealt with by the Lord. The standard by which the Lord
judges the ungodliness of the world’s inhabitants is His own holiness, Leviticus 11:44; 19:2; and 1 Peter
1:15-16. The face of God is against those who do evil, Psalm 34:15-16, and 1 Peter 3:12. The Hebrew word
for “ruthless” is arits, which has the meaning of tyrannical, powerful and oppressor. This verse stands as a
witness against all who are consumed by pride and arrogance and against those who abuse God through their
position of power by their ruthlessness and oppressiveness. A day is coming when the Lord will finally deal
with all the sinfulness of mankind. None will escape including those who arrogantly think they have power
and can stand against God. God’s response to these proud rebellious rulers is recorded in Psalm 2.
13:12 I will make human beings more rare than fine gold,
people than the gold of Ophir.
The result of the judgment upon the wickedness of the world’s peoples is stunningly declared by Isaiah. God
will render mankind as scarce as pure gold and specifically as scarce as the gold from Ophir. Some scholars
are uncertain as to the exact location of ancient Ophir. Victor Buksbazen suggests that it was located in
southern Arabia, Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 193. Ophir and its gold, most often in reference to king
Solomon, is also mentioned in 1 Kings 9:28; 10:11; 22:48; 1 Chronicles 29:4; 2 Chronicles 8:18; 9:10; Job
22:24; 28:16 and Psalm 45:9.
13:13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
at the wrath of the LORD of hosts,
and in the day of his fierce anger.
The day of the Lord will witness the judgment of God with the trembling of the heavens and the shaking of
the earth “out of its place.” Just how God will accomplish this without the complete destruction of the earth
is not stated but God can certainly shake up His created order at any time He so desires with the result He
alone has planned. During the latter part of the tribulation, in a judgment described as the pouring out of the
seventh bowl, and which specifically mentions Babylon, God will cause a great earthquake to cause such
devastation that islands and mountains will be removed, Revelation 16:17-21.
157…..Isaiah 13:13-16
Haggai 2:6-7 is another commentary on this time and its conclusion, “For this is what the LORD of hosts
says. Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will
shake all nations, and all nations will come with their treasures. I will fill this house with glory,' says the
LORD of hosts.” At the conclusion of God’s judgment on the earth, during the period of Tribulation, God
will cause the wealth of the nations to be brought to the capital of the Messianic kingdom and it will also be a
time of peace for this coming kingdom as Haggai chapter 2:8-9 reveals.
Again, as recorded in 13:9, Isaiah reveals that this day will witness the outcome of God’s wrath and fierce
anger. If the wicked of the world have any doubts as to what the “day of the Lord” will reveal, let them be
forewarned. It is not a day they will welcome. It will be a day of terror and retribution for them. God is
giving the wicked advance notice, so they will have no excuse it they enter this “day” unprepared. The only
way to be prepared for the coming “day of the Lord” is to be counted among the righteous. This inclusion
amongst the righteous can only come as a result of those who repent of their sins, Matthew 3:2, and call upon
the Lord for salvation, John 14:6 and Acts 4:12. See also (selected passages only): Isaiah 1:27; 30:15; Ezekiel
14:6; 18:30-32; Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:4, 15; 6:12; Luke 5:32; 13:3, 5; 24:47; Acts 3:19; 5:31; 11:18; 17:30;
and 2 Peter 3:9. The sad result however is that even in the midst of the tribulation. during the day of the Lord,
the wicked of the world will not repent. See Revelation 9:20-21; 16:9 and 11.
13:14-16 Like a startled gazelle,
and like sheep with no one to gather them,
they will return each one to their own people,
and will flee to their own land.
15
Everyone who is caught will be thrust through;
everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.
16
Their infants also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be plundered,
and their wives raped.
The first phrase of Isaiah 13:14 is perhaps better translated in the NIV as, “Like a hunted gazelle, like a sheep
without a shepherd.” The word “gather,” stated in the DASV, is the Hebrew qabats and has the meaning of
collecting, gathering and assembling,” and in the context of Isaiah 13:14, it is appropriate to render the
translation as “a shepherd,” thus making the phrase to state, “with no one to shepherd them.” See Gary V.
Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, page 302. In the writings of Isaiah, qabats is translated as “gather,” “gathers,” or
“gathered” (or similar), in 11:12; 13:14; 34:15, 16; 40:11; 43:5, 9; 45:20. It is translated as “come together”
in 49:18; 54:7, and as “regather” in 56:8; 60:4, 7; 62:9; and 66:18. Its usage is a major theme in Isaiah. It is
depicted as God gathering His people from the nations of the world and bringing them to Zion, when the
Messiah, Jesus Christ, establishes His kingdom, following His return, and after rescuing His people and
setting up a just and peaceful reign.
The intent of Isaiah 13:14 is that, during the destruction that God will bring on the earth in the end-times
“day of the Lord,” people will scatter and flee like hunted animals with no one to guide or gather (shepherd)
them. Those who have been displaced from their homelands will seek desperately to return to their own
kindred. In 13:15, the prophet declares that any who are found (fleeing from God’s wrath), will not reach
safety for they will be killed and in 13:16, Isaiah even more graphically describes the plight of children and
wives who will find no protection in their homes. See also 13:18. This time of judgment will even come upon
Jerusalem as stated in Zechariah 14:3. The Scriptures do not sugar coat the horrors of the judgment of God
upon the wicked people of the earth.
158…..Isaiah 13:17-18
The First Destruction of Babylon: 13:17-22
As recorded in Isaiah 13:17-22, it will be the Medes who will be called upon by God to begin the first phase
of the destruction of Babylon. The Medes were not influenced or tempted by monetary gain to retreat from
their appointed task of conquering Babylon. They were incited to capture Babylon for imperialistic reasons
and to remove Babylon as a world power. The Lord used the Medes and the Persians to accomplish His
judgment against the Babylonians for they never ceased to worship idols, and they had rejected God who had
called them into His service for their appointed task of bringing judgment upon Judah and Jerusalem. But the
Babylonians, like the Assyrians before them, abused their commission from God and sought to destroy and
cut off the people of Judah and Jerusalem rather than just punish them as God had intended. In this section,
Isaiah 13:17-22, the prophet declares God’s words that He will stir up the Medes against them (Babylon), for
the Medes were not interested by silver or gold, vs. 17. The cruel Medes will not spare the young men,
women or their children, vs. 18. The demise of Babylon will be like Sodom and Gomorrah whom God
destroyed, for it will not be inhabited by humans from generation to generation, only wild animals will roam
in its ruins, vss. 19-22.
13:17 Look, I will stir up the Medes against them,
who do not care about silver
and have no pleasure in gold.
Isaiah reveals that it will be the Medes who God will stir up to bring destruction upon Babylon. Assyria was
God’s chosen nation for punishment against Israel and Judah, Isaiah 10:5. Babylon was the nation God
elected to punish Judah, Jeremiah 25:1-11 and Habakkuk 1:1-17. Isaiah now declares that Babylon itself will
be destroyed by another of His chosen nations, the Medes. There has been much debate on the understanding
of the historical destruction of Babylon as a city and as a nation. The city of Babylon was first “destroyed” by
the Assyrian army under king Sennacherib in 689 B.C., but it soon was rebuilt. The first phase of the
complete end to the dominance of Babylon in the ancient world came in 539 B.C., when the armies of the
Medes and Persians, under king Cyrus defeated Babylon. Daniel 5:30-31 states: “That same night
Belshazzar, the Chaldean King, was assassinated. Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about 62
years old.” It is not exactly clear as to the role that Darius performed in the capture of Babylon. Some believe
him to be the successor of Cyrus. For excellent discussions on “Darius” refer to Stephen R. Miller, Daniel,
The New American Commentary, Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1994; and John F. Walvoord, Daniel:
The Key to Prophetic Revelation, Moody Press, 1971.
The second phase of Babylon’s demise came in 518 B.C. when Babylon was destroyed by the armies led by
Darius Hystaspes and then later by the armies led by Xeres. Babylon has a history of survival and was a
small outpost during the days of the first century. Some understand Peter’s reference to Babylon as recorded
in 1 Peter 5:13 as a literal place while others understand it as coded reference for the church in Rome in the
later first century. The ruins of Babylon lay undisturbed for centuries until “discovered” in 1899. For an
expanded history of Babylon see Leon J. Wood, A Survey of Israel’s History, Zondervan, Revised Edition,
1986, chapters 14 and 15. Isaiah 13:17 also states that the Medes: “do not care about silver and have no
pleasure in gold.” Isaiah was given a prophetic look into the motives of the Medes who captured Babylon not
for loot or treasure but because of their imperialistic motives to replace Babylon as the major world power.
13:18 Their bows will cut the young men to pieces;
they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb;
their eyes will not spare even the children.
159…..Isaiah 13:18-19
The opening phrase of Isaiah 13:18: “their bows will cut the young men to pieces” could also be translated as
the bows of the young men will be dashed to pieces. The second part of 13:18, which describes the ferocity
of the Medes in not having compassion on the most vulnerable of the Babylonians, is similar to the times of
the last days when future Babylon will be forever destroyed and all of the wicked will be brutally murdered.
See also, Isaiah 13:16. Some understand that the prophecy in 13:18 was completely fulfilled in the conquest
of Babylon by king Cyrus in 539 B.C. but this does not fit the historical accounts of this incident as very few
lives were actually lost.
Thomas Constable comments:
“Has this prophecy been fulfilled? Babylon suffered defeat in 689 B.C. when Assyria (including the
Medes), under Sennacherib, devastated it (cf.23:13), but the city was rebuilt. Many interpreters
believe that the fall of Babylon in 539 B.C. to Cyrus fulfilled this prophecy,191 but Cyrus left the city
intact. Others believe the destruction—that Darius Hystaspes began in 518 B.C., and that Xerxes later
completed—was the fulfillment.192 Some scholars believe that what Isaiah predicted here never took
place literally, at least completely, so the fulfillment lies in the future.193
Many conservatives argue for a near and a far fulfillment. I think the destruction in 689 B.C. that
resulted in Babylon's temporary desolation fulfilled this prophecy (cf. v. 22b), and I believe there will
also be an eschatological judgment of Babylon (Rev. 17—18), though not necessarily one that
requires the rebuilding of the city. Destruction terminology, such as appears in this passage, is
common in the annals of ancient Near Eastern nations. It speaks generally and hyperbolically of
devastating defeat and destruction, but it did not always involve exact or detailed fulfillment.194”
[Note 191: E.g., Archer, p.621; the NET Bible note on 13:22. Note 192: E.g., Delitzsch, 1:304. Note
193: E.g.; G. H. Lang, Histories and Prophecies of Daniel, pp. 33-34; Kenneth W. Allen, “The
Rebuilding and Destruction of Babylon,” Bibliotheca Sacra 133:529 (January 1976): 19-27; and
Charles H. Dyer, The Rise of Babylon: Sign of the End Times; J. Martin, p.1060. Note: 194: See
Homer Heater Jr., “Do the Prophets Teach that Babylon Will Be Rebuilt in the Eschaton?” Journal of
the Evangelical Theological Society 41:1 (March 1998): 36, for further specifics.] (Thomas
Constable, Isaiah, pages 81-82).
13:19 Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
the splendor of the Chaldeans' pride,
will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
Isaiah records God’s view of the fall of Babylon. The once proud and beautiful city described as “the glory of
kingdoms, the splendor of the Chaldean’s pride,” will be completely destroyed and its fate will be like that of
ancient Sodom and Gomorrah. For Isaiah to mention Babylon’s fate as compared to the destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah, reveals the intense hatred of God upon the sinfulness and wickedness of the Babylonians.
They refused to acknowledge the Holy One of Israel as the Creator and only true God, even though king
Nebuchadnezzar was brought to recognize God’s greatness and sovereignty after seven years of wandering
like a beast of the field, Daniel 4:28-35. However, there is no record of king Nebuchadnezzar truly repenting
and serving God only. The worship of idols and false gods by the Babylonians continued right up until their
capture by the Medes. Even Cyrus who was chosen to be God’s instrument in the eventual release of the
Israelite captives, Isaiah 44:28 -45:4, did not know, acknowledge nor worship God. This is further evidence
that God will use any person or nation, regardless of their devotion to Him to accomplish His purposes and
establish His will upon His creation.
160…..Isaiah 13:20-14:1-2
13:20-22 It will never be inhabited,
from generation to generation.
Not even the bedouins will pitch their tent there;
nor will shepherds make their flocks to lie down there.
21
But wild beasts of the desert will lie down there,
and their houses will be the haunts of howling creatures.
Ostriches will dwell there,
and wild goats will frolic there.
22
Wolves will cry in their former fortresses,
and jackals in the luxurious palaces.
Its time is near,
and its days will not be prolonged.
The city will “never be inhabited from generation to generation.” Long before the birth of Christ, the site of
ancient Babylon was a great mound in the midst of a desert. Earlier, the armies of Alexander had begun to
excavate the mound in an attempt by the Greeks to establish the site as an eastern capital, but Alexander died
suddenly, and the excavation work was halted.
Isaiah states that the site of Babylon will be a place for habitation only by desert creatures such as the owls,
goats, hyenas and jackals. The Hebrew words for the creatures stated in 13:21 are very obscure and difficult
to translate. For example, the NKJV and NASB translation of yaanah in 13:21 is “ostriches.” See also Isaiah
34:13; 43:20. The KJV has “doleful creatures,” and the NIV has “jackals.” J. Alec Motyer comments, Isaiah,
page 116, that “Desert creatures should probably be “desert wraiths” and wild goats, goat-demons (Lv.17:7).
In Revelation 18:2, the Apostle John proclaims, “Fallen, fallen in Babylon the great! She has become a
dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful
bird.” As it was foretold for the first destruction of Babylon, so it will be for its final destiny. God has and
will again make Babylon unfit for human habitation.
See end of section 14:23 for Teaching Outline that includes chapter 13.
Introduction to Isaiah 14:1-23:
The beginning two verses of chapter 14 set the context for this section. Although many may understand them
as referring to the return of the exiles to Jerusalem following the Babylonian captivity the words of Isaiah in
these verses do not fit the historical record of this return. Isaiah describes a far future time when the people of
Israel will “take captive those who were their captors and they will rule over their oppressors,” vs. 2. This
best fits the days following the second coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, when He will defeat the enemies
of His people Israel and lead them to Zion to live in peace. Also, the taunt against the king of Babylon verses
4-23, is set within this end-times period as described in vs. 3. The taunt against the king of Babylon therefore
is directed against the Antichrist who will rule the world system called Babylon during the great tribulation
period. Alternately, some Biblical scholars attest that there will be a literal city or nation of Babylon which
will have a dominant and world-wide sphere of influence over the political, religious, cultural and economic
realms during the days of the tribulation.
14:1-2 But the LORD will have compassion on Jacob,
and will again choose Israel,
and set them in their own land.
The foreigners will join with them,
and they will attach themselves to the house of Jacob.
161…..Isaiah 14:2-3 and 14:4-23 Introduction
2
The nations will take them,
and bring them to their place;
the house of Israel will possess them
for servants and for handmaids
in the land of the LORD.
They will take captive those who were their captors,
and they will rule over their oppressors.
Isaiah 14:1-2 should have been a source of great comfort for the people of Israel in Isaiah’s day and should
remain so for our day. The prophet declares that the LORD will not forsake His people but have compassion
upon them. They will settle (have peaceful rest) in their own land free of oppression and fear of their
enemies. As stated above this event has not yet occurred. They will take their captors captive and will rule
over their oppressors, not as cruel masters, but as co-worshippers of the Messiah.
14:3 On the day the LORD will give relief from your sorrow,
and from your trouble,
and from the hard labor you were forced to serve,
Isaiah 14: 3 is the key to the understanding of the timing of the “taunt” against the king of Babylon. The
prophetic words of 14:4-23 regard events that will occur on the day, which could be a shortened reference to
the “day of the Lord.” These events will occur when the LORD will give His people “rest” from their pain,
turmoil, harsh service due to their enslavement. God’s covenant people will be scattered among the nations
and will again in the end-times live under the dominance of a cruel master which the Book of Revelation
calls Babylon. Isaiah 14:3 therefore links the eschatological timeframe of 14:1-2 with 14:4-23 and places
these events at the time when Israel will be rescued by the returning Messiah and brought to Mount Zion,
where they will live in peace and rest. When they are safely settled in their promised land, they will speak out
against the Antichrist who will be the king or ruler of the world political and economic system which will be
called Babylon, or as some believe, upon the literal city and nation of Babylon of the last days.
14:4-23 The Taunt Against the King of Babylon
Those who interpret Isaiah chapter 14:1-23 as a contemporary event during Isaiah’s day or referring to the
return of the Jewish exiles from Babylon speculate on the identity of this Babylonian king. Some suggests it
was Sennacherib who was king of Assyria and Babylon because Babylon during his day was a vassal of
Assyria. Others point to Merodach-baladan as the king being referenced by Isaiah. Other kings of Assyria
also were known as kings of Babylon, such as Tiglath-Pileser and Sargon II. Others suggest that the king of
Babylon was not any particular historical figure, but one who is representative of all the wickedness,
arrogance and cruelty of the Babylonian empire. Also, there is also a popular viewpoint that at least some of
the content of these verses are attributed to Satan as the diabolical motivator of any wicked king of Babylon.
As mentioned in the notes of 14:3 above, the time frame for this taunt best fits the context of chapter 14, is
the return of the Messiah, Jesus Christ who will defeat the final “king” of Babylon, the Antichrist and it is the
Messiah who will cause the remnant of His people to settle peacefully and safely in His land, which Isaiah
had earlier called Immanuel’s land, 8:8. This movement of the remnant to this land of peace and safety is
described in Isaiah chapter 35 and also often in chapters 40-66. In the section, Isaiah 14:4-23, the prophet
declares that “you,” referring to those of Jacob and Israel, vs. 1, should take up a taunt against the king of
Babylon, saying, “How the oppressor has ended! How his fury has ceased! vs. 4. The LORD has broken the
scepter of rulers and stuck down people in His wrath, those who have ruled the nations with unrestrained
aggression, vs. 6. The earth, including the cedars of Lebanon, rejoices because “you” (the king of Babylon),
162…..Isaiah 14:4
have been laid low, vss. 7-8. Sheol is excited to meet “you,” and the dead spirits of previous kings of the
world’s nations will exclaim that “you” have become as weak as they are, vss. 9-10. “Your” pomp is brought
down to Sheol and “you” have maggots and worms as a bed, vs. 11. “You,” who were called a “shining star”
and “son of the morning,” and “you” who laid the nations low, have been cut down to the ground, vs. 12.
“You” had said in your heart that I will ascend into heaven and raise my throne above the stars of God, and
that I will make myself like the Most High. “You” will be brought down to Sheol and those who will see you
in the pit, will ponder over “you” and say, “is this the one who made the earth to tremble, and shook
kingdoms, and made the earth like a desert and overthrew its cities and would not release his prisoners, vss.
13-17. All the kings of the nations have their own tomb, but “you” have no sepulcher and have been trampled
underfoot, like a corpse, because “you” have destroyed your land and killed your people and “you” a
descendant of evildoers will never be mentioned again, vss. 18-20. “Your” children will be slaughtered for
they must never rise up and possess the earth. The LORD will rise up against them and cut off the memory of
Babylon and its survivors and it will be destroyed, vss. 21-23. Note: the “you” in the above verses refer to
the king of Babylon, who many understand to be a reference to the Antichrist in the days of the tribulation.
For example, one such scholar who understands that the “king of Babylon” in this section refers to the
Antichrist is Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum who explains:
“The one who has claimed to be god, the one who has been able to perform all kinds of miracles,
signs and wonders, the one who exercised all the authority of Satan as he ruled the world, will be
quickly dispensed with by the Word of the Lord Jesus. For the second time, the Antichrist will die.
The arrival of the soul of the Antichrist into Hell is described in Isaiah 14:3-11.
At the time of the redemption of Israel, the Jews whom the king of Babylon sought to destroy will
taunt him with a new parable (vv.3-4) commemorating the greater strength of the power of God (v.
5). The Antichrist ruled the nations of the world (v. 6), but then the whole world will rejoice his
demise (vv.7-8). As the spirit of the Antichrist enters into the gates of Hell, the previous great ones of
the earth already there will suddenly rise up off their thrones (v. 9) in utter shock that he, too, has
entered the abode of Hell (v. 10). Yet it will be so, and all the pomp of his worldwide reign will suffer
the demise of Hell (v. 11).
Having described the spirit of the Antichrist in Hell, Isaiah later describes the fate of his dead body on
earth in 14:16-21. Many will be able to view the body of the Antichrist and will stare in utter disbelief
that he died so suddenly and easily, considering he had shaken the kingdoms of the world and the
earth trembled in his presence (vv. 16-17). While lesser kings are buried in pompous sepulchers (v.
18), not so the Antichrist, whose body will be trampled by the fleeting feet of his own armies (v. 19).
In fact, his body will never be buried at all (v. 20) ….. His entire family will be destroyed so that they
can not try to follow in their father’s footsteps and attempt to rule the world (v. 21).” (Arnold G.
Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah, pages 352-353).
14:4 you should take up this taunt
against the king of Babylon,
and say, 'How the oppressor has ended!
How his fury has ceased!'
The word “taunt” is the Hebrew mashal which has the meaning of “parable” or “proverb”. It is a discourse
directed against the “king of Babylon” who is not specifically identified in the text of Isaiah chapter 14.
Because of the context of the previous three verses, these notes will indicate that this taunt will take place in
the far future during the day when Israel’s Messiah will return to defeat the Antichrist, whom many
163…..Isaiah 14:4-8
understand will be the final king of Babylon. After defeating the Antichrist, the Messiah will establish the
Messianic kingdom. Isaiah 14:4b records the beginning words of this taunt. The people of God, whom the
Messiah has returned to rescue, will remark that finally their cruel oppressor has ended (has been put to
death) and they will also say that his fury has ceased.
14:5-6 The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked,
the scepter of the rulers,
6
that struck down the peoples in wrath
with relentless blows,
that ruled the nations in anger,
with unrestrained aggression.
The people who will be with their Messiah at the beginning of the millennial kingdom will rejoice because
the LORD has removed the wicked power of the Antichrist and has destroyed the symbol of his rule
represented by the breaking of his staff and scepter. The staff and scepter in 14:5 represent the awful tyranny
of Antichrist in his unrelenting assault and persecution upon the nations of the world during the future
tribulation period. See Revelation 13:1-10 for a description of the wicked power of the Antichrist. In
Revelation 13:5 it is revealed that the duration of the brutality will last for forty-two months. This intense
time of world-wide destruction and persecution is also known as the great tribulation which begins after
Antichrist breaks his seven-year covenant or agreement with Israel at the end of the first three and half years
or the middle of the “seven” (some English versions have “week”), as prophesized by Daniel: “Then he will
make a firm covenant with many for one week. In the midst of the week, he will cause the sacrifice and the
offering to cease; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes devastation, until the decreed
end will be poured out on the one making the devastation.” (Daniel 9:27 DASV).
As Daniel makes clear, there is a complete destruction (to come upon Antichrist) that is decreed (from the
Lord), which will come at the end of forty-two months of unrelenting destruction and death caused by
Antichrist. See also Daniel chapter 7 for a description of these future days involving the Antichrist and the
return of the Messiah, the “Son of Man.” At the end of this intense time of persecution and wicked slaughter,
Daniel records in 7:21-22: “While I was watching, this horn made war with the holy ones and prevailed
against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was rendered for the holy ones of the Most High.
Then the time came for the holy ones to gain possession of the kingdom.” When the saints take (gain)
possession of the kingdom, following the great tribulation, and the victory of the Messiah over the Antichrist,
they will proclaim the words Isaiah has recorded in 14:4-21.
14:7-8 The whole earth is at rest and quiet;
they break forth into singing.
8
The cypress trees rejoice over you,
the cedars of Lebanon, saying,
“Since you were laid low,
no woodcutter comes up against us.”
When the Antichrist is put to death by the returning Messiah the earth will enjoy rest and quiet and will
rejoice with shouts of joy. Even the cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon will celebrate because they will
no longer have to endure the cutting down of the trees of the forest by the forces of the Antichrist.
164…..Isaiah 14:9-11
14:9-11 Sheol from beneath is excited to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the dead to greet you,
all the leaders of the earth.
It raises up from their thrones
all the kings of the nations.
10
They all will respond and say,
"You too have become weak as we are!
You have become like us!"
11
Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,
so also the sound of your harps,
the maggots spread like a bed under you,
and worms cover you.
The taunt against Antichrist (the king of Babylon) in Isaiah 14:9-11 addresses the reception that the human
soul of Antichrist will receive when he (the soul) descends into Sheol. Sheol is a place where the souls of the
dead wait for resurrection. It is also translated as the “grave”, “hell” and “the pit.” Several Old Testament
passages refer to this place: Numbers 16:30; Job 10:21-22; 26:5-6; 14:21; Psalm 6:5; 88:10-12; 94:17;
115:17; 139:8; 143:3; Proverbs 15:11; 27:20; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; and Isaiah 38:10. For an extended article
on Sheol, refer to “The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible”, 1975. Vol. 5, page 395.
The Scriptures are clear that humans do not simply cease to exist upon death. Humans possess a soul,
Matthew 22:37, and this soul will not die with the body but will exist forever with attributes of existence and
knowledge. The final destination of the soul is established while humans live upon the earth as a composite
creation of body and soul. It is only during this living stage where humans can decide to either reject or
accept the gospel and either believe in or reject Christ, thus determining themselves upon the destination of
their eternal souls. Many will reject the message of the gospel and live in perpetual torment while others will
accept the gospel by faith in Christ and will live forever in heaven with their Lord. Many believe that, both
in OT times and NT times, the souls of those who believe in faith, the good news of God’s provision for
them, thus becoming justified (declared righteous), will immediately, upon death, go to be with the Lord and
not languish in what the O.T. calls Sheol. A proof of this understanding is found in the account of the mount
of transfiguration where Moses, who died and Elijah, who went directly to heaven, both as living souls met
with the transfigured Christ. See Matthew 17:1-8. If this understanding is correct, then the souls described as
in Sheol when the soul of the Antichrist descends into it, are souls of those who did not believe or have faith
in God. If they had believed, their faith in God would have been “reckoned” (put to their account) to them as
righteousness, Galatians 3:6-9. See also Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:16-17 and 5:1.
The un-regenerated souls of the kings of the earth who await the final resurrection at the Great White Throne
judgment, Revelation 20:11-15, will be aroused when the soul of Antichrist descends into Sheol (hell). These
souls, especially those who had been kings and leaders of the nations, will rise up and meet the solitary soul
of the earth’s most brutal tyrant. They will be amazed that this one has become as weak, without any power
or influence, just as they are. They will comment on the fact that the pomp and music of the musical
instruments that once accompanied the Antichrist upon earth has been exchanged for the dismal situation and
location of Sheol where “maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you and worms are your covering,”
Isaiah 14:11. Not only is the decay of the body in the grave demeaning to these souls, but also the realization
that their existence is one of misery and dismay. There is no escape or return to their previous earthly
existence.
165…..Isaiah 14:12-14
14:12-14 How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star,
son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
13
You said in your heart,
"I will ascend into heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God.
I will sit on the mount of the assembly,
on the distant slopes of Mount Zaphon.
14
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High."
As recorded in Isaiah 14:12, the prophet speaks of someone who “has fallen from heaven” and is called,
“shining star, son of the morning.” In Luke 10:18, Jesus may have used this prophecy by Isaiah to refer to
the fall of Satan, “He said to them, I saw Satan falling like lightning from heaven.” The King James Version
translates this verse, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut
down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations.” It is only a conjecture or speculation to make this verse
refer absolutely to Satan. The word Lucifer in the KJV is the Hebrew helel, meaning “shining one” or “day
star.” The DASV translates this word as “shining star.” Because of the KJV translation of helel as Lucifer,
many Biblical scholars of past generations, stated that Isaiah 14:12-14 referred directly to Satan.
Another popular viewpoint is that Isaiah was using “Canaanite mythology” as the background to his picture
of the pride of the king of Babylon. Many critical O.T. scholars claim that the writers of the Old Testament
often used contemporary pagan beliefs and social, religious and legal practices as background texts for their
writings. However, this claim does not have to mean that the OT Scriptures originate from pagan sources.
God is the author of Scripture and if God allowed the human writers of the O.T. to reference contemporary
practices and texts, it was done entirely under the superintendence of His divine care and protection of His
Word. One should be very careful in discerning as to what is the proper hermeneutical approach to
interpreting Scripture before coming to any conclusion that the human authors of the Scriptures were
influenced by pagan beliefs and practices or endorsed them.
Those who suggest that 14:12-14 may likely refer to Satan directly, may conclude that the words of 14:13-14
refer to the person mentioned in 14:12 as these words seem to fit the sin of conceit or pride for which Satan
was condemned, 1 Timothy 3:6. There are five occurrences of “I will” in Isaiah 14:13-14: (1) I will ascend to
heaven; (2) I will raise my throne above the stars of God; (3) I will sit on the mount of assembly; (4) I will
ascend above the heights of the clouds; and (5) I will make myself like the Most High. The similarities with
the evil intentions of Satan as stated throughout Scripture seem to contradict claims by some scholars that
these five occurrences of “I will” could only apply to a king or to all the kings of Babylon. A similar
statement of pride attributed to an earthly king is described in Ezekiel chapter 28. Contained in Ezekiel
chapter 28 are words of pride and arrogance, 28:11-19, that many scholars apply to Satan. However, in the
wider context of Isaiah chapters 13 and 14, this taunt or parable seems to best fit the man of sin whom Satan
will empower during the tribulation to come. It is within the period of tribulation to come that Babylon will
finally and completely fall.
In dramatic contrast and irony to the hubris statements to be made by the future Antichrist as recorded in
Isaiah 14:13-14, the next section in this chapter,14:15-21, reveal the actual destination of the soul of this
satanically empowered individual. Instead of ascending above the clouds, this soul will descend down into
Sheol. Instead of any attempt to make himself like the Most High, this soul will be powerless and unable to
make any impact upon or have any influence in the earth or in the heavens. Instead of boastful statements of
166…..Isaiah 14:15-19
pride once made by this once ruthless ruler, this soul will hear the taunts of the dead who will deride him
because of his great fall into disgrace without pomp of burial or descendants to follow him.
14:15 Yet you will be brought down to Sheol,
to the depths of the pit.
The word “Yet” begins this next section of the taunt against Antichrist. It is a fitting and jarring reminder of
the divine One who actually rules history, even history yet to be experienced. Isaiah reveals the words of God
in judgment against this future tyrant. As stated above, the retributive judgment of God is in startling contrast
to what this tyrant thought would be his destiny. The impact of the fall of Antichrist into Sheol is expressed
in the word “thrust.” The Hebrew word yarad means to be “brought down” as translated in the DASV.
Antichrist will be without any power to prevent his descent into the dismal place of the dead. Isaiah
accentuates the deepness of this descent by adding, “to the depths of the pit.”
14:16-19 Those who see you will gape at you;
they will ponder over you, saying,
"Is this the one who made the earth tremble,
and shook kingdoms,
17
who made the world like a desert,
and overthrew its cities,
who would not release his prisoners to go home?"
18
All the kings of the nations,
all of them rest in glory,
each one in his own tomb.
19
But you are thrown out of your own sepulcher
like a deplorable branch,
clothed with the slain who were thrust through with the sword,
who go down to the stones of the pit;
like a corpse trampled underfoot.
The words of the prophet recorded in Isaiah 14:16-19 emphatically restate the taunt of the “dead” kings,
14:9-11 who are roused up to meet the soul of Antichrist when he descends into Sheol. The sarcastic taunt of
souls of the “dead’ kings are a stinging indictment upon this future brutal dictator and murderer of his own
people. In 14:16-17, the “dead” kings ask: “Is this the one who made the earth tremble, who shook
kingdoms, who made the world like a desert and overthrew its cities, who would not release his prisoners to
go home?” In this descriptive taunt, these “dead” kings emphasize the horror of the brief days of the future
time of Antichrist. It is little wonder that God will shorten the duration of these days for if not, no life would
have been saved. “For in those days there will be tribulation, like there has never been before from the
beginning of the creation which God created until now, or ever will be. Except the Lord had shortened those
days, no one would be saved; but for the elect's sake, whom he chose, he will shorten those days. Mark
13:19-20.
In Isaiah 14:18-19, the prophet reveals that the human remains of the future Antichrist will not be honored by
a burial place or tomb. Without a tomb or place of remembrance, the body of Antichrist will be like a
trampled corpse. The body of Antichrist will be thrown unceremoniously into a pit, 14:19 and lie among the
stones at the very bottom of this dark and dismal hole. Some biblical scholars understand that Ezekiel 39:1-
16 also describes the death and burial of Antichrist.
167…..Isaiah 14:20-23 and 14:24-27 Introduction
14:20-21 You will not be joined with them in burial,
because you have destroyed your land,
you have killed your people.
The descendants of evildoers
will never be mentioned again.
21
Get ready to slaughter his children
for the sins of their fathers.
They must never rise up, and possess the earth,
and fill the face of the world with cities.
A final judgment upon Antichrist is stated in 14:20-21. Because of the murderous actions of this cruel tyrant
who ruined his own country and had slain his own people, his descendants will be eliminated. His sons will
also face death and the line of Antichrist will forever be extinct so that his sons will not be able to rise up and
possess the earth nor fill the face of the earth with cities. The intent of the Lord will be to remove from
the earth any living memory of this despotic world ruler, who even though his days of terror are to be short,
they were foretold as the cruelest and most catastrophic days the earth will ever have to endure.
14:22-23 "I will rise up against them," says the LORD of hosts,
"and cut off the memory of Babylon and its survivors,
its offspring and posterity," says the LORD.
23
"I will turn it into a possession of owls,
and pools of marshy water;
I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,"
declares the LORD of hosts.
The words of God, as recorded by Isaiah are now directed in judgment against future Babylon. The presence
and influence of Babylon on the earth is to be completely and finally removed. All of Babylon: “its survivors,
its offspring and posterity,” 14:22 will be eliminated. The geographical location of Babylon, 14:23 will no
longer be a place for human habitation for the Lord concludes: “I will sweep it with the broom of
destruction.” The Apostle John further details this destruction of Babylon as recorded in Revelation chapters
17:1-19:2.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 13:1-14:23
13:1-5 The Lord’s chosen Destiny for Babylon
13:6-16 The Lord’s chosen Day for Babylon
13:17-22 The Lord’s chosen Destroyers of Babylon
14:1-3 The Lord’s chosen Deliverance of Jacob
14:4-23 The Lord’s chosen Devastation of Babylon
2. Judgment against Assyria: 14:24-27
The previous declaration of judgment on Babylon was for a nation just emerging on the world’s stage who as
yet had not risen to its terrifying dominance of its local neighbors and of the nations in the wider area of the
ancient near east. In 14:24-27, Isaiah announces the judgment of God on a nation posing an immediate threat
to Judah and to its neighbors. In this section, God makes a significant declaration regarding His sovereign
intention. The declaration is so determinative that God uses language similar to that of His covenants in
which the thing promised will for certain happen just as God said it will happen. As declared by Isaiah in this
section, the LORD of hosts has sworn that what He has planned will happen, vs. 24. God will destroy the
Assyrians in His land and the yoke of the Assyrians will be removed from the shoulders of His people, vs.
168…..Isaiah 14:24-26
25. It is a plan devised against all the nations of the earth for the LORD has planned it and who can annul it
or turn back His out stretched hand? vss. 26-27.
14:24 The LORD of hosts has sworn,
"Surely, just as I have intended, so it will be;
just as I have planned, it will happen.
Using covenant-like language, “the LORD of hosts has sworn.” God makes His intention plain to all who will
hear or read the declaration of judgment on Assyria. It is not often that God elevates His promises to that of
an oath and when He does, it almost always refers to the covenants He has made with His chosen people.
These covenants are confirmed with an oath. References to the covenant oaths include: Genesis 26:3,
Genesis 50:24, Deuteronomy 9:5, 1 Chronicles 16:15-16, Psalm 105:8-11, Jeremiah 11:5, Acts 2:30 and
Hebrews 6:13-17. If the premise that God uses an oath to confirm His covenants is valid, then in Isaiah
14:28, the usage of “sworn” may be said to represent His covenant keeping promise to His chosen people. In
this instance, God is protecting His people, His Land, and His choice of the Davidic throne upon which His
Son will one day rule the earth from Mount Zion.
14:25 I will break the Assyrian in my land,
and on my mountains trample him under foot.
Then his yoke will be removed from off my people,
and his burden pulled off their shoulders.
God declares that Assyria will be the nation that will be broken in His land and will be trampled on God’s
mountains. The yoke imposed by Assyria upon His people, who live in the land and on the mountains of
God, will be removed from their shoulders. In very certain and clear language, God declares that the land and
mountains of Judah and by implication all of Israel, are God’s land and God’s mountains. Students of
Scripture would be wise to remember the implications of the covenants of God regarding His land. God
intends to keep His promises. He will accomplish exactly what He has set out to do. These promises are not
hyperbole and high-sounding exclamations to make God appear to be in control of the world He has created.
God is sovereign and is absolutely in control of the earth and the universe!
14:26 This is the plan devised against the whole earth;
this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations.
God extends his declaration to include the whole earth. God’s hand is stretched out against all nations. His
plans and purposes for His chosen people and the land He has promised them will not be frustrated nor
thwarted by any actions of any nation on the earth, past, present or future. In a later passage in Isaiah, God
states the status of all nations before Him as described in 40:15-17:
15
Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket,
and are regarded like dust on the scales;
he picks up the islands like fine dust.
16
Lebanon is not enough to burn for sacrificial fire,
nor are its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.
17
All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and worthless.
169…..Isaiah 14:27-28
14:27 For the LORD of hosts has planned,
who can annul it?
His hand is stretched out,
who can turn it back?
As recorded in Isaiah 14:27, The prophet reinforces the intentions and plans that God has for His land and
His people. Isaiah would later bring emphasis to these comments in 40:23 by stating that it is God who:
“reduces rulers to nothing, and makes the judges of the earth worthless.”. The Apostle Paul expressed a
similar declaration of God’s power, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31. The answer to
God’s questions in Isaiah 14:27 and to Paul’s question in Romans 8:31 is a resounding “no one can stand
against God.” The hostile plans of the nations, bring God to laughter, Psalm 2:4. With all the Scriptural
evidence for God’s absolute control of the world and its nations so plainly stated, students of the Scriptures
should have the utmost confidence that God will do exactly as He has planned, and those who oppose God
should shudder in terror at what will happen to them if they continue in their unbelief and rebellion against
Him.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 14:24-27
14:24 The Certainty of God’s Plan
14:25 The Contents of God’s Plan
14:26 The Comprehensiveness of God’s Plan
14:27 The Confidence of God’s Plan
3. Judgment against Philistia: 14:28-32
In the passage, Isaiah 14:28-32, the prophet states that an oracle was given to him (from God), in the year
that kind Ahaz died, vs. 28. The oracle concerned the Philistines and commanded them not to rejoice because
the rod that struck them, (Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III) was broken (died) because the next king of
Assyria, (likely Sargon II) would inflict them more severely, like a poisonous viper. The fruit of this
poisonous viper would likely be Sargon II’s son, Sargon III, who is described as being like a fiery serpent, vs.
29. The Philistines may assume they are now safe, but they will face famine and the remnant of their race
will not survive, vs. 30. The cities and gates of the Philistines are to wail because their destruction comes
from (a nation), from the north, vs. 31. If an answer could be given to the messengers of the advancing
Assyrians (the northern nation), it is that God will only protect His oppressed people who will find refuge in
Zion, (and not the Philistines), vs. 32.
14:28 In the year that King Ahaz died this oracle was given.
Isaiah provides a time frame for the issuance of the judgment against Philistia. Isaiah stated that it was “in the
year king Ahaz died.” Historically this would have been c.715 BC. Isaiah begins this separate judgment
regarding Philistia with the introduction that it is an oracle, which is the Hebrew word massa, meaning
burden or message from God. Isaiah often began his judgment messages with the title of “oracle.” See Isaiah
13:1, 14:28, 15:1, 17:1, 19:1, 21:1, 21:11, 21:13, 22:1, 23:1 and 30:6. The introduction of prophetic
messages with the title of “oracle” is first introduced in Scripture in relation to the evil intentions of Balaam,
the son of Beor, against the people of Israel as recorded several times in Numbers chapter 24. Although
Jeremiah uses this title, it is always in reference to God’s derisive indictment against His rebellious people
who look to oracles for their evil intensions. See Jeremiah 23:33, 23:34, 23:36, 23:38, 50:36 and
Lamentations 2:14. Other miscellaneous usages of oracle are found in 2 Kings 9:25, 2 Chronicles 24:27,
Proverbs 30:1 and Proverbs 31:1.
170…..Isaiah 14:29-32
14:29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,
because the rod that struck you is broken;
for out of that serpent's root will come a more poisonous viper,
and his fruit will be a fiery serpent.
As recorded in 14:29, Isaiah cautions the people of Philistia not to rejoice because of the rod that had struck
them was now broken. Even though this oracle of judgment was dated by Isaiah as the year King Ahaz died,
it is most unlikely that Ahaz was the person identified as the “rod” that struck Philistia. King Ahaz never led
an attack on Philistia, instead it was the Philistines who invaded Judah, 2 Chronicles 28:18. It is most
probable that the “rod” and the “serpent” which struck Philistia was the Assyrian king, Tiglath-Pileser III
who had earlier invaded Philistia. The viper or venomous serpent who is described as the serpent’s root is
most likely king Sargon II and his “fruit” (son) described as a flying serpent was king Sargon III. These
kings were very aggressive in their dominance of the nations of the ancient near east. For an extended
discussion, refer to Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, pages 324-325. John Oswalt also provides some additional
historical background to this prophecy of Isaiah, See John Oswalt, Isaiah, Vol. 1, pages 331-332
14:30-32 The firstborn of the poor will graze in pasture,
and the needy will lie down in safety.
But I will kill your root with famine,
it will slay even your remnant which survived.
31
Wail, O gate!
Cry, O city!
You are melted away, O Philistia, all of you;
for out of the north comes smoke,
and there is not a single straggler in its ranks.
32
What will one answer the messengers of this nation?
"The LORD has founded Zion,
and in her the oppressed of his people will find refuge."
Even though some people of Philistia would have felt secure and safe enough that even the most helpless
would be without fear at the news of the broken rod, God promises, Isaiah 14:30, that the root of the
Philistines would be destroyed by famine. As the people of Philistia watched the smoke from the destruction
of many cities in Judah just to the north, they would wail and become demoralized (melt away) by the terror
of the approaching Assyrian armies, 14:31. Isaiah asks a rhetorical question in 14:32, How will someone
answer the messengers who had sought an alliance with Judah against Assyria, while watching the
destruction of the cities in Judah? Isaiah, in the latter half of 14:32, reminds the people of Philistia that it was
the Lord who had founded Zion and those of His people who are afflicted will seek refuge in Zion. God will
protect His beloved city which He has founded, and His people will find refuge in His city. A soon to be
realized prophetical fulfillment of this statement is recorded later in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37 when the
Assyrian armies who were threatening Jerusalem with destruction were themselves destroyed by the angel of
the Lord. See Isaiah 37:36.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 14:28-32
14:29 No Comfort for Philistia
14:30 No Security for Philistia
14:31 No Future for Philistia
14:32 No Alliance for Philistia
171…..Isaiah 15:1
4. Judgment against Moab: 15:1 - 16:14
Moab was a small nation located between the Arnon and Zered rivers on the east side of the Dead sea. The
first mention of Moab in the Scriptures is found in Genesis 19:30-38. Following the destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah, Lot and his daughters fled to the mountains of Zoar and stayed for a while in a cave. The
daughters, convinced they and their father were alone in the world, contrived together to get Lot drunk with
wine and then to have incestuous relations with him to produce offspring to preserve their family lineage.
The child born to the firstborn daughter was a son whom was named Moab who became the father of the
Moabites.
The Moabites and Israelites had a very contentious history, some of which is recorded in Numbers, chapters
22 to 25. One of the greatest sins committed by the Israelites during this time is recorded in Numbers 25:1-5.
The men of Israel had sexual relations with the women of Moab and sacrificed to the pagan gods of Moab.
This evil action was attributed to the counsel of Balaam, Numbers 31:16, who had earlier been used of God
to bring blessings upon Israel instead of a curse as requested by Balak, king of the Moabites, Numbers 22 to
24. Other significant incidents of warfare between Israel and Moab are recorded in Judges chapter 3; 2
Samuel chapter 8; 2 Kings chapter 3 and 2 Chronicles chapter 20. Major prophecies against Moab other than
in Isaiah chapters 15 and 16 are recorded in Jeremiah chapter 48; Ezekiel chapter 25; Amos 2:1-2 and
Zephaniah 2:8-9.
The major complaint of the Lord against Moab was that even though the peoples of Moab and Israel were
related through Lot, the Moabites became arrogant and taunted and reviled Israel, Zephaniah 2:8-9, and
because they scorned Israel during its days of failure and said the “house of Judah was like all the nations”
thus claiming the Israelites were not led by God. Ezekiel 25:8-11. However, the Lord is gracious and
forgiving to the people of Moab and as stated in Jeremiah 48:47, God will restore the fortunes of Moab in the
latter days. This is likely a reference to the days of the future Messianic Kingdom.
In this passage, Isaiah 15:1-9, the prophet declares an oracle about Moab. He states that in a single night the
cities Ar and Kir of Moab are devastated and destroyed, vs. 1. The people of Dibon grieve in the temple in
the high places and Moab also wails over the cities of Nebo and Medeba, vs. 2. Everyone wears sackcloth
and are falling down as they are weeping, vs. 3. Other cities also cry out, including Heshbon, Elealeh and
Jahaz as do the warriors of Moab, vs. 4. Isaiah states God’s intense feelings for the people of Moab, (the
cousins of the Israelites), for His heart cries out to them. The nobles of Moab flee to far-away places and
raise up a cry of destruction, vs. 5. Water and greenery are laid waste, and as the people flee, they bring with
them any abundance they have saved up, vss. 6-7. The cry of the people of Moab echo throughout their land
and the LORD promises to destroy, (a lion will attack) those who escape their land, vss. 8-9.
15:1 An oracle about Moab.
In a single night Ar of Moab is devastated and destroyed;
in a single night Kir of Moab is devastated and destroyed.
Isaiah, in 15:1, records an “oracle,” the Hebrew word massa, meaning a burden or message from God
concerning Moab. Occurrences of “oracle” within Isaiah chapters 13-23 occur in 13:1, 14:28, 15:1, 17:1,
19:1, 21:1, 21:11, 21:13, 22:1 and 23:1. The lengthy section 15:1 -16:14 contains the burden. See
introduction to this section directly above. Isaiah begins his oracle with a statement of the swiftness of the
judgment on two of the cities of Moab, Ar and Kir for they will be devastated and ruined “in a night”.
“Destroyed” is the Hebrew word damah, meaning “ruined” and “silenced” which signifies the total
destruction that will happen to these cities of Moab. “Devasted” is the Hebrew word shadad.
172…..Isaiah 15:1-9
The timing of this destruction will be in three years according to Isaiah’s statement in 16:14. Ar was located
on Moab’s border with Ammon near the Arnon River. It is also mentioned in Numbers 21:15, 28 and in
Deuteronomy 2:9, 18, 29. Kir may be a shortened form of Kir-Hareseth which was located in the central
section of Moab. Isaiah mentions Kir-Hareseth in 16:7, 11. See also 2 Kings 3:25. The shortened form of Kir
occurs in Isaiah 15:1 and 22:6. See also 2 Kings 16:9; Amos 1:5 and 9:7.
15:2-4 Dibon goes up to the temple,
to the high places to grieve.
Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba;
all their heads are shaved,
every beard is cut off.
3
In their streets they wear sackcloth;
on their housetops and in town squares,
every one wails falling down with weeping.
4
Heshbon and Elealeh cry out,
their voice is heard even to Jahaz.
Therefore the armed warriors of Moab cry aloud;
their souls tremble.
Dibon once belonged to Gad but was captured by Moab. Jeremiah also brings a message of judgment against
Moab, recorded in Jeremiah chapter 48 and mentions Dibon in 48:18 and 22. The reason they are grieving
and wailing, Hebrew yalal, in their temple, is because of the failure of their god Chemosh to save them from
the sudden catastrophe that has come upon them and their land. The people have clothed themselves with
sackcloth and have shaved their heads and cut off their beards in their grief. This removing of their hair was a
sign of great humiliation and mourning. See also Isaiah 22:12; Ezekiel 7:18; Amos 8:10 and Micah 1:16.
Their warriors also cry aloud because of the destruction of their land. Nebo, Medeba, Heshbon, Elealeh and
Jahaz, like Dibon were cities in Moab where complete destruction has been decreed as judgment from the
Lord. Jeremiah declares that: “Then Moab will be ashamed of their god Chemosh, as the house of Israel was
ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.” Jeremiah 48:13. It is not started which country or army was responsible
for the defeat of Moab. The Assyrians may have been the invaders for they certainly were the most powerful
nation who were seeking physical and political control of the eastern Mediterranean countries during the time
of the prophetic ministry of Isaiah.
15:5-9 My heart cries out for Moab;
her nobles flee to Zoar, even to Eglath-shelishiyah.
They weep as they go up the Ascent of Luhith;
in the way of Horonaim they raise a cry of destruction.
6
For the waters of Nimrim are gone;
the grass is withered,
the new shoots fail,
there is nothing green.
7
Therefore the abundance they have acquired,
and that which they have saved up,
they will carry away over the Wadi of the Willows.
8
The cry echoes around the territory of Moab;
their wailing reaches to Eglaim,
their wailing reaches to Beer Elim.
9
For the waters of Dimon are full of blood;
yet I will bring even more on Dimon,
173…..Isaiah 15:9 and Chapter 16 Introduction
a lion will attack those of Moab who escape,
even the remnant, those left in the land.
Isaiah expresses God’s heart-felt grief over the coming destruction of Moab. He also expresses God’s deep
feelings for Moab, as stated in Isaaih16:9 and 11. Isaiah records that the LORD is very concerned for the
plight of the Moabites who are fleeing from desolate conditions as stated in 15:6. The Moabites are suffering
greatly, and the prophet records God’s genuine anguish for those who are the cousins of the Israelites. Isaiah
also speaks for God, who, even when expressing deep feeling for the Moabites, cannot let their sin go
unpunished. In 15:9 Isaiah records God’s words, stating “yet I will bring even more on Dimon a lion will
attack those of Moab who escape.” The motif of a lion portrays a destroying army which has been sent by
God to bring terrifying judgment on those who have sinned against Him. See also Isaiah 5:29; Jeremiah
50:17; Ezekiel 22:25 and Joel 1:16. It is this horrific future that the Moabites will face that causes God to
weep over these people, even if their destruction was due to their own sins and evil actions. Isaiah, in the
midst of prophesying doom, records God’s deeply held feelings and emotions for those who will face His
judgment. Although, some may understand that it is Isaiah, and not God, who is expressing these deep
feelings of grief and sadness for the cousins of Israel. However, many understand that Isaiah is expressing
God’s feelings for these people. See Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, pages 203-204 for an extended discussion on
Moab and the so-called “Stone of Mesha” which gives some historical background to the relationship
between Israel and Moab.
See end of section 16:14 which includes Teaching Outline for chapter 15.
Isaiah chapter 16: Introduction
In chapter 16 of his prophecy against Moab, Isaiah gives further details of one of the responses of the
Moabites to their impending destruction. Since the Moabites were closely related to the Israelites they were
aware of the sacrificial system God had decreed the Israelites use for dealing with sin. In a dynamic contrast,
which certainly is more than just coincidence, Isaiah mentions a lion in chapter 15:9 and then in the very next
verse, chapter 16:1, the prophet mentions a lamb. Although the context of these passage deals with God’s
judgment on a pagan nation, the mention of a lion as a conquering symbol, immediately followed by the
mention of a lamb as a salvation symbol is a juxtaposition of terms, without overstating the case, that points
to the person and work of the coming Messiah. The connection between the lion and the lamb in this passage
points to the incredible richness of Scripture. This may seem to be reading too much into the words of
Scripture, but it is certainly interesting that the lion and lamb motif is mentioned in the same context of Isaiah
16:5, which is a very clear reference to the future reign of the Messiah.
Also, in this chapter the prophet Isaiah, records the words of God for the Moabites who gives them words of
comfort in the face of their peril. Isaiah also records God’s words to the Israelites, exhorting them to provide
protection for the fleeing peoples as they seek shelter from the advancing enemy. The direction of their flight
seems to be southward as the invaders are coming from the north. It is possible that the invaders were the
Assyrians and the time frame is not known exactly but could fit the Assyrian southern advance in the years of
715-713 B.C. or during the destruction caused by the Assyrian armies under King Sennacherib in 701 B.C.
As stated in Isaiah 16:1-14, the prophet declares that (tribute) lambs are to be brought by the Moabites
through the desert to the mount Zion, vs. 1. The Moabites have been removed from the land like birds that
have been pushed from their nest, vs. 2. The people of Israel are to provide shelter for the fleeing Moabites,
vss. 3-4. A throne will be established, and One will sit upon it, seeking justice and executing righteousness in
the tent of David, vs. 5. Because of their pride, the Moabites will wail for each other and because their land
has been devastated, vss. 6-8. The prophet records that God weeps for the people of Moab, and His heart
174…..Isaiah 16:1-5
groans for them. The Moabites have no joy in their harvest nor in their worship, vss. 9-12. The LORD has
declared that, in three years, the glory of Moab will be despised. Only a few survivors will be left, vss. 13-14.
16:1: Send lambs for the ruler of the land from Selah,
through the desert to the mount of the daughter of Zion.
The words in the NASB, “Send the tribute lamb,” Isaiah 16:1, may be understood as a gift from the king of
Moab to the king of Judah requesting the aid of the Israelites to provide shelter for the peoples of Moab. It
was the practice of an earlier king of Moab, Mesha, who was a sheep breeder, to send payment (tribute) to
the king of Israel in the amount of 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. This practice continued
until the death of Ahab in 853 B.C. Mesha rebelled against Israel and refused to pay the tribute. This
incident and the resulting war between Moab and the Israel-Judean alliance is recorded in 2 Kings chapter 3.
The tribute lamb was sent to “the ruler of the land” to the “mount of the daughter of Zion” which is a
reference to the king in Judah who reigns from Mount Zion. It is interesting that the peoples of Judah and
Moab are both called daughters in the first and second verses of this chapter.
16:2-5 Like birds hovering around,
after being pushed from the nest,
so are the daughters of Moab at the fords of the Arnon.
3
"Give counsel, make a decision;
make your shade like night at noon;
hide the outcasts;
do not betray the fugitive.
4
Let the fugitives of Moab settle with you;
be a hiding place for them from the destroyer."
For the oppressor has ended,
destruction has ceased,
those trampling others have vanished from the land.
5
The throne will be established by loyal love;
he will sit on it in truth in the tent of David,
judging, seeking justice,
and quick to execute righteousness.
The Moabites had fled south, like frightened birds, to the “fords of the Arnon” and also to Sela, which is
present day Petra in Jordon, which is further south. From Sela the Moabites sent a plea of desperately needed
help. They would be at the fords of the Arnon awaiting a response from Judah. In 6:3-5 Isaiah either records
the words of the Moabites or makes an impassioned plea on their behalf to the king and people of
Judah to “hide the outcasts” and “do not betray the fugitive” and also to “let the fugitives of Moab settle with
you” and “be a hiding place for them from the destroyer.”
In Isaiah 16: 4 the words of the prophet take the reader to a time in the future when the “destroyer”, and the
“oppressor” who are the armies invading Moab, have “vanished from the land.” The word “destroyer” is the
Hebrew word shadad which has the meaning of powerful, ravage, spoil and devastate. It is usually translated
as destroyed or destroyer in Isaiah: 15:1; 16:4; 21:2; 23:1, 14; and 33:1. “Oppressor” is the Hebrew word
muts which occurs only in 16:4 and has the meaning of threshed. It is translated as “extortioner” in the KJV
and NASB with the margin note of “wringer”. The action of the destroyer “trampling” is the Hebrew word
ramas which also occurs in Isaiah in 1:12; 26:6; 28:3; 41:25 and 63:3.
175…..Isaiah 16:5 and 6-12
This may be a prophetic reference to the complete destruction of the Assyrian army during the reign of
Hezekiah, Isaiah chapters 36-37. It could also be a far future reference to the period just prior to the
establishment of the millennial kingdom when the returning Messiah will conquer all who oppose the
remnant of chosen people. This far future reference is possible due to the prophetic words of 16:5, in which
a clear statement of the ruler of the millennial kingdom is made within the context of the plea from Moab and
Isaiah for help for the oppressed Moabites.
In Isaiah 16:5 a clear messianic prophetic message is stated, “The throne will be established by loyal love; he
will sit on it in truth in the tent of David.” The NKJV translates this verse as, “In mercy the throne will be
established; And One will sit on it in truth, in the tabernacle of David.” The ESV translates 16:5 as: “then a
throne will be established in steadfast love, and on it will sit in faithfulness in the tent of David one who
judges and seeks justice and is swift to do righteousness.” This one who will sit on the throne, “judging,
seeking justice and quick to execute righteousness,” DASV, can only rightly refer to the Messiah who will sit
on David’s throne during the future millennial kingdom. To ascribe these words to any Judean king, present
or in the times leading up to the Babylonian conquest of Judah, would do injustice to the words of Scripture
regarding the promised faithful judge, the Messiah, who will reign on David’s throne on Mount Zion in
righteousness. Refer to: 2 Samuel 7:8-17, Psalm 89:1-37, Psalm 132:11, Isaiah 2:1-4, Isaiah 9:7, Luke 1:32.
For an extended discussion on Isaiah 16:5, see Kevin D. Zuber, Isaiah 16:5: The Context of the Promise, The
Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, pages 859-864.
16:6-12 We have heard about the pride of Moab,
how proud;
his arrogance, pride, and insolence;
his boastings are bogus.
7
Therefore let Moab wail for Moab,
everyone of them will wail.
Absolutely devastated,
mourn for the raisin cakes of Kir-hareseth.
8
For the fields of Heshbon waste away,
even the vines of Sibmah.
The lords of the nations have broken off its choice branches,
which reached even to Jazer,
which spread into the wilderness.
Its shoots were spread abroad,
they crossed over the sea.
9
Therefore I will weep with those weeping from Jazer
for the vine of Sibmah.
I will water you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh;
for on your summer fruits and on your harvest
the shouts of joy have ceased.
10
Gladness and joy are removed from the fruitful field;
there is no more singing in the vineyards,
or shouts of joy.
No treader treads out wine in the presses;
I have put an end to those shouts.
11
Therefore my heart groans like a harp for Moab,
and my inner being for Kir Hareseth.
176…..Isaiah 16:6-12 and 13-14
12
When Moab presents himself for worship,
when he wearies himself on the high place,
and comes to his sanctuary to pray,
it will not be effective.
As recorded in Isaiah 16:6-12, the prophet makes a declaration of a previous judgment of God on Moab,
according to the summary stated in 16:13, “This is the word that the LORD spoke about Moab in the past.” In
these verses, God shows deep compassion for the people of Moab. Just as the Moabites will “wail” 16:7, so
God Himself will weep bitterly and drench the Moabites with His tears, 16:9, and His heart “intones like harp
for Moab,”16:11. One of the reasons the Moabites will wail is for the destruction of their crops and
particularly for the “raisin cakes of Kir-Hareseth, 16:7. These cakes were also a favorite delicacy of the
Israelites: 2 Samuel 6:19, Song of Solomon 2:5 and Hosea 3:1. The Moabites suffered the loss of their
vineyards as the nations who suppressed them trampled down their choice clusters, Isaiah 16:8 -10.
Even the destruction of their fruitful fields did not cause the Moabites to seek the one true God. They instead
went to their “high place” and their “sanctuary” to pray, 16:12. Their prayers to their pagan god Chemosh
would be useless. The history of the Moabites and their devotion to Chemosh is recorded in Numbers 21:29;
Judges 11:24; 1 Kings 11:7, 33; 2 Kings 23:13; Jeremiah 48:7, 13 and 46. Jeremiah chapter 48 gives the
final outcome of this history, 48:13 “Then Moab will be ashamed of their god Chemosh” and 48:46 “The
people of Chemosh have perished”. Yet God is not finished with the Moabites and will have mercy on them
in the future. Following the judgment stated for Moab in Jeremiah 48:46, God graciously extends
compassion and in 48:47 states: “Yet I will bring back the exiles of Moab in the latter days," says the LORD.”
16:13-14 This is the word that the LORD spoke about Moab in the past.
14
But now the LORD has spoken, saying, "Within three years, as the years of a hired worker, the glory of
Moab will be despised, with his entire population; and the survivors will be few and insignificant."
These summary verses state more details as to the timing of this despising of the glory of Moab and the
reduction of the people of Moab to be a very small and the survivors (remnant), will be few and insignificant.
This timing is stated as “within three years as the years of a hired worker.” Isaiah 16:14. Thomas Constable
comments:
“Isaiah concluded this oracle by announcing Moab's imminent ruin (cf.15:1). The preceding verses
describe an earlier revelation that the prophet received, but now he learned that Moab's invasion
would be within three years. A hired man would count down the three years day by day, and the
Judeans would do the same as they anticipated the degrading of Moab's glory and population. Only a
remnant would survive.
The fulfillment came when Assyria invaded Moab sometime between 715 and 713 B.C. or, perhaps,
when Sennacherib destroyed it in 701 B.C.” (Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 89).
Therefore, it is likely Isaiah wrote this prophecy of the destruction and degrading of Moab either between the
years 718-716 B.C. or in 704 B.C. which gives three years in advance for each of these possible time frames.
177…..Isaiah 17:1-3
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 15:1 – 16:14
(1) The Emotional Issue
15:1-15, 16:7 The Wailing of Moab for its destruction
16:9 and 11 The Weeping of the Lord for the Moabites
(2) The Central Issue
6:12 The false worship of the Moabites
16:5 The true worship of the Israelites
5. Judgment against Damascus and Ephraim: 17:1-14
The judgment of God on the nations including Israel continues in Isaiah chapter 17 with an “oracle”
concerning Damascus in vss. 1-3. Vss. 4-11 concern God’s judgment on “Jacob,” (Israel) and vss. 12-14 are
about God’s rebuke of the nations. As noted previously the word “oracle” is a translation of the Hebrew word
massa meaning oracle or burden. The use by Isaiah of the word “oracle” helps to form an internal outline of
this large section of his prophecy, chapters 13-23 which can be entitled, “The Nations Judged”. In these
chapters, Isaiah begins a new section regarding the judgment of God on these nations in Isaiah 13:1, 14:28,
15:1, 17:1, 19:1, 21:1, 21:11, 21:13, 22:1 and 23:1.
Chapter 17:1-3 of Isaiah contains the message of God’s judgment on the cities of Aram (Syria): Damascus
and Aroer. The spiritual background of God’s judgment on Damascus and Israel may be, among other
things, the actions of King Ahaz recorded in Isaiah 7 and 8 and in 2 Kings 16 and 2 Chronicles 28. Ahaz,
who was one of the wickedest of the Judean kings, made sacrifices to the gods of Damascus and arranged for
an altar to be made in the temple in Jerusalem patterned after the pagan altar in Damascus. God is not
mocked and the evil of pagan worship no matter where it is located will eventually have its due reward, the
wrath of God.
The text of Isaiah does not indicate when this oracle of judgment was delivered by Isaiah, but it certainly
would have been before the destruction of Damascus in 732 B.C. and of Samaria “the fortified city,” 17:3 in
722 B.C. by the armies of Assyria. The political reason for the fall of the cities of Aram and Ephraim was
the rebellion of Syria (Aram) against Assyria and the attempt by the Syrian king Rezin to have Israel and
Judah join in a coalition to fight the dominance of Assyria. Refer to Isaiah chapters 7 and 8; 2 Kings 16 and 2
Chronicles 28.
17:1-3 An oracle about Damascus.
"Look, Damascus will cease to be a city,
it will be a heap of ruins.
2
The cities of Aroer are forsaken;
they will be places for flocks to lie down,
and no one will make them afraid.
3
The fortified town of Ephraim will disappear,
along with the kingdom of Damascus.
The remnant of Syria:
they will end up like the glory of the children of Israel,"
says the LORD of hosts.
The prophet’s oracle (burden, message) concerns the coming demise of Damascus, 17:1, Aroer, 17:2, and the
cities of Ephraim which is the northern kingdom of Israel, 17:3. Regarding Damascus, Isaiah states that it
will “cease to be a city, it will be a heap of ruins.” The cities of Damascus and Aroer or Aram fell to the
178…..Isaiah 17:4-6 and 7-11
Assyrians under king Tiglath-Pileser III in 732 B.C. Ephraim (Israel) was conquered by the Assyrians in 722
B.C. and most of its citizens were deported and dispersed among the nations under the dominion of Assyria.
The latter part of 17:3: “They will end up like the glory of the children of Israel” refers to the cities and
territory mentioned in 17:1-3. Isaiah 17:4 states that: “in that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low.”
The two statements are most likely related thus indicating that both Aram and Israel will face a future of
misfortune, yet they will have a remnant. Their glory will fade but will not entirely be extinguished.
17:4-6 "In that day the glory of Jacob will be brought low,
and the fatness of his flesh will become thin.
5
It will be as when harvesters gather the standing grain,
and his arm reaps the ears of grain;
like one gleaning ears of grain in the valley of Rephaim.
6
Yet there will be some leftover gleanings in it,
like when an olive tree is harvested by beating,
two or three olives remain in the top branches,
four or five in the most fruitful branches,"
says the LORD, the God of Israel.
Isaiah predicted that “in that day” there will be a remnant of people left for both nations following the
Assyrian assault, but the numbers of people and their plight will be meager. The reference to “in that day” in
17: 4 refers to the overthrow of both Syria and Israel by the Assyrians and also predicts a future
eschatological day. See notes on 17:7-11. The reference to the glory of Jacob, 17: 4 is to the northern
kingdom of Israel containing ten tribes, who along with the two tribes in the southern kingdom of Judah,
were the descendants of Jacob. Following the destruction of Israel by the Assyrians in 722 B.C., the northern
kingdom no longer held a position of power as a sovereign state. This part of the “promised land” existed as
Samaria in the days of Jesus under Roman control and its inhabitants were often despised by the people of
Judah for being polluted with the taint of interbreeding with Gentiles. The Assyrians took most of the
population into exile and re-populated Israel with non-Jewish peoples who later married those of pure Jewish
descent in Samaria and thus produced descendants who were racially impure according to their cousins to the
south. See John 4:9. This is also the background implication for the parable of the good Samaritan, Luke
10:30-37 and Christ’s healing of ten lepers, Luke 17:11-19.
Isaiah’s comments in 17:4-6 regarding the thinness or leanness of the flesh, could refer to scrawny flocks that
are unfit for profitable slaughter, and the almost complete striping of the harvest, leaving very little for the
gleaning. See Leviticus 19:9-10. This leanness describes just how far was the glory of Israel to fade. It was to
diminish into almost complete obscurity. Yet, there remains something for the remnant to gather, the remnant
who will return of Israel and of the house of Jacob, Isaiah 10:21.
17:7-11 In that day a person will look to their Maker,
and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.
8
They will not look to the altars,
the work of their hands;
neither will they look to what their fingers have made,
the Asherah poles or incense altars.
9
In that day their refuge cities will be
like the forsaken forests of the Amorites,
which were abandoned because of the children of Israel.
179…..Isaiah 17:7-11 and 12-14
There will be desolation.
10
For you have forgotten the God of your salvation,
and have not been mindful of the Rock, your refuge.
So you plant beautiful plants,
and plant special foreign vines.
11
In the day you plant it, you fence it in,
and in the morning you cause your seed to germinate;
but the harvest vanishes
in the day of disease and incurable pain.
Isaiah next turns his attention to a far future time. The words “in that day,” 17:7, 9 and 11 and the context of
17:12-14 can be understood as the days of the great tribulation. See D. L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah,
Biblical Research Monthly-March 1944).
As recorded in Isaiah 17:7-11, the prophet declares the words of God who describes the mindset of those who
remain after the horrors of the tribulation This weak remnant will look to their Maker the Holy one of Israel,
17:7. They will distain their previous pagan objects of worship 17:8, as these objects failed to protect them
from their enemies. The main reason why their strong cities are forsaken, and their land is desolate, 17:9 is
because they have forgotten the God of their salvation and the rock of their refuge, 17:10 which certainly is
directed solely to the people of Israel. The words of 17:11 reinforce the demise of their agricultural resources
as previously stated in 17:5-6, which result from the people’s rejection of worshiping the God of Israel and
replacing this true worship with worshiping worthless idols that their hands had made.
17:12-14 Woe, the uproar of many peoples,
that roar like the roaring of the sea,
and the roar of nations,
like the roar of the crashing of mighty waves!
13
Though the nations roar like the roar of many waters,
he will rebuke them,
and they will flee far away,
chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind,
and like the whirling dust before the storm.
14
In the evening, look, terror!
Before the morning, they are gone.
This is the plight of those who plunder us,
and the lot of those who loot us.
As recorded in 17:12-14, Isaiah declares a prophecy against the nations God has chosen to deliver judgment
on the peoples of the northern kingdom of Israel and because of the inclusion of the word “us” in 17:14 also
includes the peoples of the southern kingdom of Judah. Thus, Isaiah is delivering a message of rebuke and
certain judgment on Assyria in the near future and Babylon in a more distant time and to Babylon in the
eschatological days of the tribulation. Even though, both of these powerful nations were used by God to bring
about discipline and judgment on His chosen people, these nations would not escape judgment themselves
due to their treachery, pagan worship and failure to acknowledge the one true God of not only Israel, but of
all the peoples of the earth. The prophecy of the sudden and overnight removal of the oppressive army who
“plunder us” and “loot us,” 17:14, was to be first fulfilled during the days of King Hezekiah of Judah. The
Assyrian warriors. who were at the very doorstep of Jerusalem, and were on the verge of destroying the city,
were themselves destroyed in a single night. See Isaiah 37:36-37. There was also to be another fulfillment in
180…..Isaiah 18:1-2
the destruction of Babylon by the Medes and Persians and still to be a far future fulfillment of the destruction
of Babylon at the end of the tribulation period. See Revelation chapters 17-18.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 17:1-14
17:1-3 The Revelation of Judgment The Places Involved
17:4, 9, 11 The Result of Judgment The Plight Involved
17:10 The Reason for Judgment The Purpose Involved
17:12-14 The Retribution of Judgment The Punishment Involved
6. Judgment against Ethiopia: 18:1-7
This short chapter in Isaiah does not begin with an “oracle” yet it has an extremely important message as it
ties together events during Isaiah’s time with the far future when the nations who were historically enemies
of Israel and Judah would one day be worshipping the Lord together with the Jewish remnant as people of the
Lord. Chapter 19 continues this theme with the nations of Egypt and Assyria. Chapter 18 concerns a near and
far prophecy of the ancient nation of Cush. The historical background for chapter 18 is still within the context
of the greater threat of Assyria which threatened the nations around Judah and Israel with destruction during
the ministry career of Isaiah. Egypt was weakened with internal strife between its upper and lower Nile
regions. The nation of Cush was understood to be located south of Egypt in the area of modern Ethiopia, and
perhaps extending to Sudan.
As recorded in Isaiah 18:1-7, the prophet proclaims a “woe” to the land of buzzing wings which is beyond
the rivers of Ethiopia (Cush), vs. 1. This land sends ambassadors, called swift messengers, in papyrus vessels
on the waters to a nation of tall and smooth people who are strong and conquering and whose land is divided
by rivers, vs. 2. The LORD declares to the inhabitants of the world, listen when a signal flag is lifted upon
the mountains and when a trumpet is blown, vs. 3. For the LORD waits from His dwelling place, and before
the harvest is over, He will devastate the harvest and leave the cuttings for birds and animals to consume, vss.
4-6. Those who are tall and smooth who are from a nation which is strong and conquering and who’s land is
divided by rivers will bring present to the LORD of hosts upon Mount Zion, vs. 7.
18:1 Woe to the land of buzzing wings
beyond the rivers of Ethiopia;
As stated in Isaiah 18:1, the prophet brings a message of woe or judgment against Cush, described as the
“land of buzzing wings” which may be a reference to the deadly tsetse fly which plagued this area or to swift
sailing ships that plied the inland rivers. The land is described in as being “beyond the rivers of Ethiopia”
(Cush), which would be an indication of the Nubian-Cush sphere of influence extending both north and south
of its borders.
18:2 that sends ambassadors by the sea,
even in papyrus vessels on the waters.
Go, you swift messengers,
to a nation tall and smooth,
to a people feared far and wide,
a nation strong and conquering,
whose land is divided by rivers.
Isaiah states, this land (the rulers of the land) send envoys by the sea. The sea is most likely a reference to the
waters of the Nile which flowed north towards its very wide delta area. These envoys travelled swiftly in
181…..Isaiah 18:2-4
“papyrus vessels” to seek aid from the provinces of Egypt and likely to the nations of Judah and Israel
although the text does not state this possibility. It may be inferred that Judah and Israel have this connection,
for the last verse of chapter 18 mentions the future connection between the southern nations and Mount Zion.
The message of the prophet in 18:2 is to these envoys and they are instructed to go “to a nation tall and
smooth, to a people feared far and wide,” a powerful and oppressive nation whose land the rivers divide.
This nation could be the tall and smooth skinned Nubians or to the peoples who resided in the northern
sections of Egypt. J. Alec Motyer suggests another possibility:
“2. Envoys go out. Tall and smooth is usually interpreted as referring to Ethiopians, a proverbially tall
people in the ancient world. But √māšak, ‘to draw out, prolong’, is never found meaning ‘tall’.
‘Drawn out’ could mean ‘long-standing’ (Jer. 31:3), i.e. having a long record in history, and therefore
well-established. Smooth (môrāt) means polished, as of a sword sharpened and gleaming, ready for
action (Ezek. 21:9); maybe, therefore, ‘in battle trim’, well-armed. This understanding makes the
people in question exactly the sort to seek out for an alliance.” (J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, page 135).
The exact destination of these envoys is not as important as the message God has for them which the prophet
declares in 18:3 and following. However, for an extended discussion on the identification of this land and the
ambassadors, see Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, pages 348-351.
18:3 All you inhabitants of the world,
and you dwellers on the earth,
when a signal flag is lifted on the mountains, look;
when the trumpet is blown, listen.
The prophet’s message, recorded in Isaiah 18:3, now extends to “All you inhabitants of the world”. Isaiah is
not just pointing to a local event of one nation seeking aid from another but is introducing a message from
God to the world at large. The import of this message is for the peoples of the world to pay attention. God is
at work and significant signs and events are to take place in which the peoples will both see and hear. A
signal flag (banner or marker), will be raised on the mountains indicating more than just one banner or
marker will be raised. Also, a trumpet will be blown that the peoples of the world will hear. This certainly is
a reference to an event to occur in the far future. Isaiah gives more details of this event in the following
verses.
18:4 For this is what the LORD said to me,
"I will quietly watch from my dwelling place,
like heat shimmers in sunshine,
like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest."
Isaiah introduces these next events with the words, “For this is what the LORD, said to me.” It must have
been highly significant in the eyes of the prophet to emphasize the authority of the LORD in the declaration
of this message. Connecting the message of 18:3-7, this authoritative declaration is of paramount importance.
God is speaking! The peoples of the world are to pay attention to what God will be doing and where the
message is leading. God, as stated in 18:4, is allowing the world’s inhabitants the privilege of being ushered
into His chambers where they are witnesses to His pronouncement of judgment on the nations of the world.
Not all is lost however for following these days of judgment, there will be peoples who will bring gifts to the
Lord as their act of worship to the Messianic ruler of His earthly kingdom as 18:7 reveals.
182…..Isaiah 18:5-7
18:5-6 For before the harvest,
when the blossom is over,
and the flower becomes a ripening grape,
he will prune off the shoots with pruning shears,
and cut off and remove the spreading branches.
6
They will be left together for the mountain vultures,
and for the beasts of the earth;
the birds of prey will spend summer feeding on them,
and all the beasts of the earth will spend winter eating them.
The judgment of God, declared in Isaiah 18:5-6, involves the destruction of the agricultural resources of
these people who are likely the Assyrians who brought complete destruction and exile upon the northern
kingdom of Israel and the same to all but the city of Jerusalem in the southern kingdom of Judah. The Lord
would not allow the Assyrian’s sinful self-determination, pride and their failure to acknowledge His plans
and purposes to go unpunished. For God to announce the destruction of this nation’s (Assyria) harvest meant
complete devastation and famine which would force the peoples of the nation to abandon their homeland in
search of food. The political and social structure of the nation would collapse.
18:7 In that time a present will be brought to the LORD of hosts
from a people tall and smooth,
to people feared far and wide,
a nation strong and conquering,
whose land is divided by rivers.
to the place of the name of LORD of hosts,
to Mount Zion.
God, through the prophet, declares that in the time of the Messiah’s kingdom, “in that time” the people who
were tall and smooth, Isaiah 18:2, and were once were feared far and wide and were a strong nation of war
and lived in a land divided by rivers (the Ethiopians and perhaps also referring to the Assyrians) will bring a
gift of homage to the Lord of Hosts, to the place of the name of the Lord of Hosts, Mount Zion.
The introductory words of 18:7, “In that time”, must therefore refer to a time in the far future when the Lord
of Hosts will be in residence on Mount Zion. This prophecy will be for a time when all the people of the
world would witness when the Lord establishes His kingdom on the earth and will rule in righteousness and
holiness from David’s throne on Mount Zion. For a discussion regarding this glorious time, see Geoffrey W.
Grogan, Isaiah, page 123.
As recorded in Isaiah 19:23-25, the prophet makes an astonishing revelation that other nations will also
worship the Lord, together with the people of Israel, God’s inheritance. The message in Isaiah’s day for the
people of Judah was certainly that they were not to put their hope and trust in the temporary might of the
surrounding nations to save them from the Assyrian armies. The Lord of hosts will save them, and they must
put their faith, hope and trust solely in Him. This message is the same today for all who read the words of
the prophet Isaiah. The Lord calls upon all peoples of the earth to pay attention to His word and obey it!
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 18:1-7
18:1-3 The Revelation of Judgment Woe Declared
18:4-6 The Realization of Judgment Wreckage Described
18:7 The Result of Judgment Worship Delivered
183…..Isaiah 19:1
7. Judgment against Egypt: 19:1-15
In chapter 19, Isaiah proclaims an oracle or burden of judgment against Egypt which in the first section,
19:1-15, is similar to declarations of judgment against other nations but in the second section, 19:16 -25, is
one of the most profound prophetic statements of God’s world-wide intent for all nations in the future when
the Messiah returns to rule over His kingdom. The background of Isaiah chapter 19 is the conflict within
Egypt which has led to internal strife and to a weak and divided leadership. During the years 720 to 721 B.C.,
Egypt was attacked by the Assyrians and the Ethiopians. The Ethiopian king, Shabaka, became the eventual
ruler of Egypt. The reference to Egypt being delivered into the hands of a cruel master and mighty king,
Isaiah 19:4 could refer to king Shabaka from Ethiopia or perhaps to king Sargon of Assyria. The Assyrians
defeated the Egyptians in war, but it was king Shabaka of Ethiopia who actually ruled the Egyptians with
cruelty and brutality.
As recorded in Isaiah chapter 19, the prophet declares an oracle about Egypt, stating that the LORD swiftly
comes to Egypt and the Egyptian idols tremble at His presence and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within
them, vs. 1. The LORD will stir up the Egyptians, so they will fight against each other. The spirit of the
Egyptians will be demoralized, and their plans will be ineffective. They seek guidance from idols, spirits of
the dead, mediums and sorcerers, vss. 2-3. The LORD will hand the Egyptians over to a cruel master and a
fierce king who will rule over them, vs. 5. The waters from the sea, the Nile river and the streams will be dry,
and the rivers will also become foul. The reeds and rushes will wither away. Egypt’s fishermen will lament
and mourn. The weavers and all who work for wages will be grieved, vss. 6-10. Egypt’s princes and
counselors have become foolish and stupid and lead Egypt astray. None of the wise of Egypt can make
known what the LORD has planned for them, for the LORD has poured upon Egypt a spirit of distortion and
Egypt can do nothing about it, vss. 11-15. In that day, the Egyptians will tremble and fear for the LORD is
against them, vs. 16. The land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt because of what the LORD advises
against them, vs. 17. In that day five cities of Egypt will swear allegiance to the LORD of hosts, and an altar
to the LORD will exist in the midst of the land of Egypt and a pillar dedicated to the LORD will exist at its
border. These will be a sign and witness to the LORD within Egypt. When the Egyptians cry out to the
LORD because of oppressors, He will send them a savior and defender who will deliver them, vss. 18-20. In
that day, the LORD will reveal Himself to the Egyptians who will know Him and worship Him with
sacrifices and offerings and will make and keep a vow to the LORD, vs. 21. The LORD will strike the
Egyptians and then heal them, and they will return to the LORD, vs. 22. In that day, there will be a highway
from Egypt to Assyria and these nations will worship (the LORD), together, vs. 23. In that day, Israel will be
a third member with Egypt and Assyria as a blessing in the earth, vs. 24. The LORD has blessed them,
saying, blessed be Egypt, my people, Assyria, the work of My hands, and Israel, my inheritance, vs. 25.
19:1 An oracle about Egypt.
Look, the LORD rides on a swift cloud
and comes to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble at his presence;
the hearts of Egyptians melt within them.
As recorded in Isaiah 19:1, the prophet proclaims an “oracle,” a message of judgment, on Egypt in the form
of a picture of God riding on a swift cloud to come to Egypt. See also Deuteronomy 33:26; Psalm 18:10,
68:33 and 104:3-4. It is not that God needs to ride on the clouds to get from place to place but Isaiah is
describing the rapid advance of God to bring His judgment to this evil nation. God is a sovereign King over
the His created world. This will not be the first lesson the Lord would teach the nation of Egypt. The days of
God’s dealing with a stubborn Pharaoh and his people, Exodus chapters 6-14, was a reminder to all peoples
of the foolishness of trusting in idols and false gods. Sadly, Egypt would need to have a repeat lesson.
184…..Isaiah 19:1-4 and 5-10
However, the lesson for the people of Isaiah’s day was more than learning of the judgment of God upon
Egypt. The people of God were only to trust in the true God who had a covenant relationship with them and
not to trust in any nation for help in times of crisis or at any other time.
19:2-4 "I will stir up the Egyptians against the Egyptians;
each one will fight against his brother,
each person against his neighbor,
city against city,
and kingdom against kingdom.
3
The spirit of Egypt will be demoralized within them;
I will make their plans ineffective.
They will seek guidance from idols,
and from spirits of the dead,
along with mediums and sorcerers.
4
I will hand the Egyptians over to the hand of a cruel master,
and a fierce king will rule over them,"
says the sovereign LORD of hosts.
As recorded in Isaiah 19:2-4, the prophet declares that it is God who is behind the civil strife which will soon
come upon the Egyptians. God will incite the Egyptians to fight against each other including city against city
and kingdom against kingdom. The strategy of the Egyptians to resist God’s plans for this nation will be
defeated by God. The word “plans,” 19:3 is the Hebrew esah meaning strategy, purposes, counsel or advice.
The Egyptians will consult their idols and spirits, but they will be of no help. God will also bring a cruel
master and a mighty king to rule over them, 19:4. Many suggestions have been made as to the identity of this
“fierce king.” These suggestions include the Assyrian kings Sargon II, Sennacherib or Esarhaddon or the
Ethiopian king Shabaka. Since this fierce king or his country was not mentioned it is best to let Isaiah’s
prophecy stand as a warning to Egypt that they will face God’s judgment upon them in the person of His
choosing. This was God’s judgment on Egypt which as a nation had continually refused to acknowledge Him
as the one true God and Creator and Lord of the Earth. Even the past history lesson of the plagues many
years before was not heeded by these heathen people who lived in close proximity to a land whose legitimate
ruler was God.
19:5-10 The waters from the sea will be dried up,
and the Nile river will be waterless and dry.
6
The rivers will become foul;
the streams of Egypt will be depleted and dried up;
the reeds and rushes will wither away.
7
The bulrushes by the Nile,
by the mouth of the Nile,
and all the sown fields by the Nile,
will wither, be blown away and gone.
8
The fishermen will lament,
all those who cast hooks into the Nile will mourn,
and those who spread nets on the waters will waste away.
9
Those who work in combed flax will despair
and those who weave white cloth will grow pale.
10
The weavers will be crushed;
all those who work for wages will be grieved.
185…..Isaiah 19:5-10 and 11-13
As recorded in Isaiah in 19:5-10, the prophet describes the physical outcome of God’s judgment. The Nile
river, described in vs. 5 as “the waters from the sea” will dry up along with all other rivers, canals and
streams. Those who earn their living by the sea including farmers who need irrigation for their crops,
fishermen who will have no catch and those who make linen from combed flax and the weavers of fine linen,
these will have no livelihood. The leaders of Egypt to the hired laborers will be “crushed” and “grieved in
soul”. Although some may interpret these verses as an allegory referring to the collapse of the economic,
social and government structure of Egypt, there is no reason to change from a literal historical-grammatical
interpretation which is used throughout this messianic study of Isaiah.
If no history of the Nile since Isaiah’s day exists for such a drying up of its waters, then this must be a
prophecy yet to be fulfilled. This is in concert with Isaiah 19:16-25 which describe events during the coming
day of the Lord. The reference to the river drying up, see also Isaiah 44:27 and 50:2, is consistent to another
future day prophecy recorded in Isaiah 11:15:
The LORD will divide the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
with his scorching wind he will wave his hand
over the Euphrates River.
He will split it up into seven streams,
and enable people to cross over in sandals.
19:11-13 The princes of Zoan are absolutely foolish;
the Pharaoh's wise counselors give stupid advice.
How do you dare say to Pharaoh,
"I am a sage,
a student of the ancient kings?"
12
Where now are your wise men?
Let them tell you now
and make known what the LORD of hosts
has planned concerning Egypt.
13
The officials of Zoan have become fools,
the officials of Memphis are deceived;
they have caused Egypt to go astray,
those who were the cornerstones of her tribes.
The prophet turns his attention to those who bring advice to Pharaoh and to his court. The wisdom of these
advisors will be seen as stupidity for they could not have foreseen the actions of God against their nation.
The drying up of the Nile, 19:5 would be a devastating blow to the Egyptians who worshipped the river as a
god. “Zoan” 19:11, also known as Tanis, was a major city in the Nile delta area of northern Egypt.
“Memphis” 19:13, also known as Noph was also a major city and was once the capital of northern Egypt.
In Isaiah 19:13, the word “deceived” is the Hebrew nasha. It occurs first in Scripture in Genesis 3:13 where
Eve responded to God about her disobedience by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Other notable occurrences of nasha are found in Jeremiah 4:10;
29:8; 37:9; 49:16; Obadiah 1:3 and 7. Also in Isaiah 19:13, the word “cornerstones” (cornerstone) is the
Hebrew word pinnah. It has a significant meaning in the Scriptures. The word “cornerstone” (stone) refers to
the Messiah in Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 8:14-15; 28:16 and Zechariah 10:4. In the New Testament, this prophecy
of the Messiah is stated in Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20;17; Acts 4:11; Romans 9:33; Ephesians
2:20; and 1 Peter 2:6-8.
186…..Isaiah 19:14-15
19:14 The LORD has poured a spirit of distortion into her;
they have caused Egypt to go astray in everything she does,
like a drunkard staggering around in his own vomit.
Isaiah sums up the actions of the foolish advisors and wise men, “they have caused Egypt to go astray in
everything she does.” The nation has been judged by God who has mixed or poured within her a spirit of
distortion. “Distortion” is the Hebrew word ivim and has the meaning of perversity and warping. In the Old
Testament, it only occurs in this verse. Because of repeated sins and rebellion against God, the Lord had
given the so-called wise men of Egypt over to the consequences of their actions. Like the famous Pharaoh of
the time of the exodus, they had hardened their own hearts, and did not acknowledge the wisdom of God nor
seek Him, who is the only One who could save them from the consequences of their sins. Therefore, God
poured upon them the perversity of their evilness and let their sins lead them to its ultimate end, death.
19: 15 Egypt can do nothing about it,
head or tail,
palm branch or reed.
Isaiah declares the physical condition of the people of Egypt, “Egypt can do nothing about it.” The leaders,
wise men, and all peoples of Egypt have been completely demoralized, defeated and distraught. This was the
condition of the Egyptians when king Shabaka from Ethiopia overcame the nation with his forces and ruled
them for several years. It was not that Shabaka was insightful and powerful enough by his own wisdom and
power to walk into Egypt and conquer it, but it was God who delivered the Egyptians into the hand of this
cruel master. See also Isaiah 19:4. God is the One who rules the earth with His power, purposes and plans.
God raises up rulers and deposes them to accomplish His will on the earth, Daniel 2:21. The words “head or
tail, palm branch or reed” were also used by Isaiah to describe the judgment upon Israel for its refusal to
seek the Lord, Isaiah 9:13-16. The elders, dignitaries and prophets of Israel were leading the people of God
astray just as the wise men of Egypt, through their foolish (stupid) advice, were leading Pharaoh and the
people of Egypt astray.
A brief summary of Isaiah 19:1-15: The rulers of the earth are reduced to nothing and will last but a moment
in time. See also Isaiah 40:23-24. Proud and powerful nations and leaders need to heed the word of God.
They have their position only because it is a part of God’s will for His earth and suits His plans and purposes
to accomplish what He wishes. Any nation or ruler should humbly submit in worship and adoration to God
for the place and position He has established them in order to carry out His will for all peoples on the earth.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 19:1-15
19:1-4 The Demoralization of Egypt’s People
19:5-10 The Destruction of Egypt’s Prosperity
19:11-15 The Deflation of Egypt’s Princes
8. Egypt, Assyria and Israel to Worship the Lord: 19:16-25
The latter section of chapter 19 of Isaiah is punctuated with six “in that day” prophecies: 19:16, 18, 19, 21,
23 and 24. These prophecies move the narrative from the time of Isaiah to the time when the Lord will send a
Savior and Champion to deliver Egypt from their oppressors. Then, in that day, Egypt, Assyria and Israel will
together worship the Lord.
187…..Isaiah 19:16-19
19:16-17 In that day the Egyptians will be like fearful women; they will tremble and fear
because the LORD of hosts waves his fist; he shakes it against them.
17
The land of Judah will become a terror to Egypt; everyone who hears mention of it will be terrified,
because of what the counsel of the LORD of hosts advises against it.
Isaiah states that “in that day” the Egyptians will tremble and fear because of what the Lord will bring to
them, due to the action of the Lord who “waves his fist” and “shakes it against them.” The Lord made a
similar statement, as recorded in Zechariah 2:8-12, which in many ways is a parallel passage to these verses
in Isaiah. “For this is what the LORD of hosts says: "After his glory sent me against the nations that
plundered you--for the one who touches you, touches the apple of his eye. 9 For, look, I will shake my fist
against them, and they will be plundered by their own slaves. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has
sent me. 10 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion; for look, I will come and I will live in your midst," says the
LORD. 11 "Many nations will join themselves to the LORD on that day, and will be my people, and I will
dwell in your midst, and you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. 12 The LORD will inherit
Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.”
Even tiny Judah, according to 19:17, (in that day implied), will be a terror to the Egyptians due to God’s
purpose against Egypt. Since 1948, Egypt has fought four wars with Israel and has lost each one. It is not
difficult to see how Egypt, in the days leading up to the Messianic kingdom, will be in dread of the small
nation of Israel due to the works of God on behalf of Israel.
19:18 In that day there will be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language of Canaan, and swear
allegiance to LORD of hosts. One will be called the City of Sun.
Isaiah speaks of a number of cities in Egypt which, “in that day” will speak the language of Canaan or Israel
which will be the Hebrew language. These cities will also be loyal to the Lord of hosts and swear allegiance
to Him. One of the five cities will be called the “City of Sun” which can be understood as the “City of
Destruction” which could be a reference to the Egyptian City of On and known as Heliopolis (Greek). The
city of On was known for its worship of the Sun as a god. In the Millennial kingdom, this city will worship
the Lord of hosts as God.
19:19 In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar dedicated
to the LORD at its border.
Not only will there be cities in Egypt that speak Hebrew and are loyal to God, but an altar to the Lord will be
erected in the midst (perhaps middle) of Egypt. Also, a pillar will be raised to the Lord in Egypt near its
border. In ages past, Abraham built an altar to God as an indication of his commitment to God. Genesis 12:8
and Jacob erected a pillar to express his allegiance to God because of the Lord’s covenant which He had
made with Abraham and later with Isaac and then with Jacob. Genesis 28:22. One of the important aspects of
Jacob’s erection of the pillar was that he named the place where the pillar stood Bethel, which means the
“house of God”. In 19:20 the purpose of the altar and pillar are stated as, “a sign and a witness to the LORD
of hosts in the land of Egypt”. Within Egypt, in the Millennial kingdom, the altar and a pillar in Egypt will
represent the fulfillment of the covenant God made with Abraham and also signify that the house of God will
be recognized in that former pagan nation. A further reason for the erecting of the altar and pillar is that they
will be a witness of the response of God who, will send them a “Savior and a Champion” in response to their
crying out to God because of those (nations) who will oppress them. It is not known which nations will
oppress the Egyptians in the days prior to the coming of the Lord to set up His kingdom. When Christ, the
Savior and Champion, returns to deliver Israel from their enemies, He will also deliver Egypt from their
enemies.
188…..Isaiah 19:20-23
19:20 It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. They will cry out to the
LORD because of oppressors, and he will send them a savior and a defender who will deliver them.
The prophet in 19:20 records a reminder to Egypt of the mercies of God. When the people of Israel cried out
to God when they were slaves in Egypt, God sent a champion to deliver them and set them free. When Egypt
will also face oppression and circumstances from which they cannot escape, they also will cry out to God
who will save them from their enemies. The pillar which will be erected at the border of Egypt which will be
dedicated to the Lord will act as both a sign and a witness to the people of Egypt that they can “look” to the
Lord to be their savior who will defend them against and deliver them from their oppressors.
19:21 The LORD will reveal himself to Egypt, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day. They will
worship with sacrifices and offerings, and will make a vow to the LORD and keep it.
“Isaiah provides just how intimate the people of Egypt will be with their God, the Lord of hosts. The
Egyptians of this later day will know the Lord as God makes Himself known to them. The Egyptian people
will worship the Lord with sacrifices and offering just as the Israelites will be doing in the Millennial temple,
Ezekiel chapters 45 and 46. The Egyptians will also, in that day, “make a vow to the Lord and keep it.” David
L. Cooper suggests a Jewish background to Isaiah 19:20-21:
“It is quite likely that Jews will yet colonize in Egypt and will set up some kind of special worship
similar to that of the temple service in Jerusalem and there attempt to worship God. Moreover they
will probably erect an obelisk or an altar similar to the one which was made by the two and a half
tribes of Israel at the time of their settlement in Canaan (see John 22:10-12).
These Jews who will yet settle in Egypt will have a certain amount of influence on the Egyptians in
pointing them to the worship of the true God. This seems to be intimated in 19:21,22.” (D. L. Cooper,
Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly – April 1944).
19:22 The LORD will strike Egypt, striking and then healing them. They will return to the LORD, and he
will listen to their prayers and heal them.
The prophet adds more detail of the workings of the Lord. For some reason, which is not stated in Isaiah
chapter 19, the Lord will strike Egypt and then heal the people so that the Egyptians will “return to the Lord”.
When the Egyptians return to the Lord, God will respond to them and will heal them. This striking of Egypt
could refer to a further action needed to completely bring Egypt to be obedient to God as referenced in
Zechariah 14: 16-19 or to another incident not mentioned elsewhere in the Scriptures.
19:23-25 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. Assyrians will come to Egypt, and the
Egyptians will go to Assyria. Egyptians will worship with Assyrians.
24
In that day Israel will be a third member with Egypt and with Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth.
25
For the LORD of hosts has blessed them, saying,
"Blessed be Egypt my people,
Assyria the work of my hands,
and Israel my inheritance."
Isaiah, in 19:23-25 brings to a climax the prophecy of the events of that day. A highway will exist connecting
Egypt with Assyria (and successor nations). The highway will be used for travel and communication between
these nations and most importantly this highway will facilitate worship as these nations will worship God
189…..Isaiah 19:23-25
together. Once fierce and powerful enemies will now peacefully worship God as God executes His perfect
plan for the nations of the earth.
Isaiah punctuates this stunning relationship with God’s viewpoint as to the relationship of these nations and
Israel with Him. In 19:24, Isaiah states, “In that day Israel will be a third member with Egypt and with
Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth.” This is one fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham, stated
in Genesis 12:1-3 ending with the words, “Through you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” This
blessing includes the Israelites as well as the Gentiles.
The last sentence of this prophecy is unique in the Scriptures as it ascribes intimate affection to the Gentile
nations of Egypt and to Assyria (and successor nations) that otherwise was only between God and His chosen
people Israel. God calls Egypt, “my people” which was a phrase He often used for Israel, Exodus 5:1, 6:7;
Leviticus 26:12; 1 Samuel 9:17; 2 Samuel 7:8; 1 Chronicles 17:9; 2 Chronicles 6:6; Psalm 81:13, Isaiah
10:24; Jeremiah 7:12, 12:4 30:3; Ezekiel 36:8; Daniel 9:20; Joel 2:27; Amos 7:15, and 9:14). However, the
prophet Zechariah proclaims regarding “that day”: “Many nations will join themselves to the LORD on that
day, and will be my people, and I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent
me to you.” Zechariah 2:11. In this last verse of Isaiah chapter 19, God calls Assyria, “the work of my hands”
a phrase that also was used by God to refer to Israel, Isaiah 60:21. However, the Lord reserves solely to
Israel, the term, “Israel my inheritance”. Deuteronomy 32:9 and Joel 3:2.
The lessons of Isaiah 19:16-25 are important for Israel and all who believers in Christ, the Messiah. These
lessons include: First, God will honor and not forget His covenants with His people. Second, God will shape
or direct the events of history to fulfill His plans and purposes for the peoples of the earth. Third, God will
not leave helpless and provide a Savior to those who cry out to Him in true repentance. Fourth, God desires
all peoples to come to Him in worship and He will call these people, whether Jew or Gentile, His people who
are the work of His hands to bring about His perfect purposes for mankind. Fifth, God will cause former
enemies, whom the Lord has blessed, to be the source of blessings in the midst of the earth. Sixth, these
events will take place in “that day”, a day the Lord has established when the peoples of the earth will worship
the Lord and they will know the Lord personally for He will reign among them.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 19:16-25
In that Day:
19:16-17 The Egyptians will be terrified of the land of Judah
19:18 Five Egyptian cites will speak the language of the Hebrews.
19:19-20 An altar and a pillar “to the Lord” will be erected in Egypt.
19:21-22 The Egyptians will know the Lord.
19:23 A highway will exist between Egypt and Assyria.
19:24-25 Egypt, Assyria and Israel will be together as a blessing in the earth.
9. No escape for Egypt and Ethiopia: 20:1-6
The short chapter of Isaiah 20 is a summary of the lessons God wanted the Israelites to know regarding
trusting other nations for safety when facing their enemies. These few verses also act as the conclusion to the
prophecies regarding Egypt and Cush (Ethiopia) in the Judgment of the Nations section, chapters 13 to 23.
As stated in chapter 20, Isaiah, as he had previously done in 6:1 and 7:1 of his prophecy, indicates an exact
time when the Lord gave him the words regarding Egypt and Cush. This time is the year when the Assyrians
captured Ashdod, vs. 1. The LORD, at that time, commanded Isaiah to walk naked and with bear feet, vs. 2.
This removal of Isaiah’s apparel for a three-year period was a sign from the LORD against Egypt and
190…..Isaiah 20:1-4
Ethiopia, vs. 3. The sign meant that the Assyrians would lead away captives of Egypt and exiles of Ethiopia,
in the same manner of undress of the prophet Isaiah, vs. 4. These captives will be ashamed because Ethiopia
was their hope and Egypt their boast. The people of Judah will say, look what happened to our hope
(Ethiopia and Egypt), how show we ever escape? vs. 6.
20:1 In the year when Sargon the king of Assyria sent his commander-in-chief to Ashdod, he fought against
Ashdod and took it.
The year indicated in Isaiah 20:1 can be established as 711 B.C. Sargon II of Assyria sent his military
commander, or Tartan which is a title for the chief of staff for the Assyrian forces, according to Victor
Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 220. Ashdod was the northernmost city of Philistia about 35 miles south west of
Jerusalem. The people of Ashdod had rebelled against paying tribute to Assyria. The Assyrians in response
replaced the king of Ashdod, Ahimiti, with another ruler, Yamani who would be more favorable to Assyria.
However, Yamani was forced by the people of Ashdod to also withhold tribute from Assyria and it was then
that King Sargon II sent his military commander to conquer Ashdod. Yamani realizing the immediate danger
fled to Egypt for protection. When the Assyrians also threatened Egypt, the Egyptians handed over Yamani
to the Assyrian forces. See Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 97.
20:2 At that time the LORD spoke through Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, "Go, and take off the sackcloth
from your waist, and remove your sandals from your feet." So he did it, walking naked and barefoot.
The identifying phrase “at that time”, would have been the time of the conquest of Ashdod by the Assyrian
king Sargon II, 711 B.C. See vs. 1 above. God requested that Isaiah to do a most unusual thing. Isaiah was to
remove his sackcloth, which indicated that he had been in mourning, from his waist and remove his sandals
from his feet, so that he would be walking both naked and with bare feet. Isaiah obeyed this command and
went “naked and barefoot”. The reference to naked is acknowledged my many commentators to be without
his outer garment. He would have still worn his undergarment. To be completely naked would have been
seen as a shameful way to walk about where people could see him. Thus, Isaiah was a visual portrait as an
object lesson for the end of a period of mourning and the transition to a portrait of judgment as a sign to
Egypt and Cush as verses 3-4 explain. Both Jeremiah and Ezekiel were requested by God to be visual
portraits as object lessons of His judgment. See Jeremiah 13:1-11; 19:1-15; 27:1-2; 32:6-16; 43:8-13; and
Ezekiel 2:8-3:3; 4:1-17; 5:1-4; 12:1-16, 17-20; 21:18-23; 37:15-23,
20:3-4 Then the LORD said, "Just like my servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot for three years as a
sign and a harbinger against Egypt and Ethiopia,
4
so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Ethiopia, both young and old,
naked and barefoot, and with buttocks bared, to the shame of Egypt.
The Lord gave the reason for this shameful appearance of Isaiah. It was to be a sign and token against Egypt
and Cush. In 20:4, the Lord continues, “so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the
exiles of Ethiopia, both young and old, naked and barefoot, and with buttocks bared to the shame of Egypt.”
Isaiah’s appearance for three years was a portrait sign-act to the nations of Egypt and Cush that they would
also walk in this same manner, as captives to Assyria. The historical timeframe for the fulfillment of this
prophecy most likely came in 701 B.C. when the Assyrians defeated the Egyptians at Eltekeh.
Also, in 20:3 the Lord addressed Isaiah as “My servant”. This is a very significant title that the Lord gave to
the prophet. It signifies that the prophet was acting on the Lord’s behalf to bring a specific message to certain
peoples and nations. Many individuals and the nation of Israel were called God’s servant. Abraham is the
first to be called God’s servant, Genesis 26:24. Others include Moses: Numbers 12:7-8; Joshua 1:2,7; 2
191…..Isaiah 19:4-6 and 21:1-10 Introduction
Kings 21:8 and Malachi 4:4. Caleb: Numbers 14:24. David: 2 Samuel 3:18 and numerous other verses. Job:
1:8 and other verses; Eliakim: 22:20; The Son of God, Messiah as Servant of the Lord: Isaiah 42:1; 49:5-7;
52:13; 53:11; Zechariah 3:8; Matthew 12:18. The nation Israel was also called God’s servant in Isaiah 41:8-9
and numerous other verses. Nebuchadnezzar: Jeremiah 25:9; 27:6 and 43:10. Zerubbabel: Haggai 2:23. God
called His faithful proclaimers, My servants the prophets:2 Kings 9:7; 17:13; Jeremiah 7:25; 26:5; 29:19;
35:15; 44:4; Ezekiel 28:17 and Zechariah 1:6. In the New Testament, believers are called the servants of the
Lord. This catalog of verses contains some very prominent names including that of king David but most
importantly the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah, of whom Isaiah will have much more to say in the later
chapters of his prophecy.
20:5-6 They will be dismayed and ashamed because Ethiopia was their hope, and Egypt their boast. 6 In that
day the inhabitants of this coastland will say, 'Look at what happened to our hope, to those we fled to for
help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How will we ever escape?'"
Isaiah describes the sign-act and its meaning to Egypt and Cush and was further intended to be a dramatic
message to the people of Judah who were now “dismayed and ashamed” because they realized that the
nations of Egypt and Cush, whom they were trusting in to protect them from the advance of the Assyrian
armies, would be of no help. The people of Judah who looked away from the Lord to these pagan nations
now were in distress and exclaimed, “How shall we ever escape?” The purpose of the proclamations of
Isaiah, as recorded in this chapter and others, specifically chapters 36-37 was to answer this question. The
only way of escape from the Assyrian advance to destroy Jerusalem was for Judah, from its lowest member
of society to the king, to trust in the Lord. The Lord alone could be trusted. No other nation or peoples could
accomplish their salvation.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 20:1-6
20:1 The Destruction of Ashdod
20:2-3 The Drama-Act of the Prophet
20:4-5 The Doom of Egypt and Cush
20:6 The Despair of Judah’s Hope
10. Prophecy of Babylon’s Fall: 21:1-10
Chapters 21 to 23 of Isaiah contain the second set of five oracles in the wider section of chapters 13 to 23.
The oracles in this second set are: the Prophecy of Babylon’s Fall 21:1-10; the Judgment against Edom
21:11-12; the Judgment against Arabia 21:13-17; the Valley of Vision and Weeping over Israel including the
prophecy of David’s Key and the Peg 22:1-25; and the Prophecy of Tyre’s fall 23:1-18.
An introduction to Babylon is contained in the study of the Judgment against Babylon, Isaiah 13:1 – 14:23.
The second oracle against Babylon, Isaiah 21:1-10, is a prophecy most likely about the complete destruction
of Babylon by the Assyrians in 689 B.C. during a time when Babylon was an ally of Judah. The destruction
of Babylon described in these verses was probably not the “capturing” of the city of Babylon by Cyrus in 539
B.C., because Elam 21:2, did not exist after 646 B.C. and could not have been a party to the capture of
Babylon by Cyrus. Also, Cyrus the Persian did not lead a destructive attack against Babylon but led his
forces to walk into the city almost unopposed. As well, it would be unlikely that Isaiah would show so much
anguish, 21:3-4 over Babylon’s fall if it was during a time when Babylon was the terrifying enemy of Judah
instead of being Judah’s ally. See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, page 369 for an expanded discussion.
The purpose of this prophecy, 21:1-10, in its local setting is to warn the people of Judah not to trust in
Babylon as an ally against Assyria. This best fits the context of the previous chapters of Isaiah in which the
192…..Isaiah 21:1-2
prophet brought a message to Judah not to trust the nations near Judah to be of any help against the ravaging
forces of Assyria. As with many passages of Isaiah, the prophecy in 21:1-10 also has a connection with the
latter days, in this case during the tribulation period, in which the final destruction of Babylon is described:
Revelation chapters 17 and 18. As stated in Isaiah 21:1-10, the prophet declares an oracle about the
“Wilderness by the Sea, which is also described as “a terrifying land,” vs. 1. Isaiah calls the vision “harsh”
regarding one who is treacherous and a destroyer who deals treacherously and destroys. The cities of Elam
and Media are to go up against this one, vs. 2. Isaiah felt in anguish about the vision he heard for it frightened
him as a horror, vss. 3-4. Commanders who had been at ease are to arise and prepare for battle, vs. 5. Isaiah
was to post a lookout who would report what he has seen, and the lookout was to be vigilant upon sighting
advancing troops, vss. 6-7. The lookout reported that someone advancing toward him announced that
Babylon had fallen, and all its images of its gods had been smashed into the ground, vss. 8-9. The people of
Judah were described as “threshed and beaten” because of this report of Babylon’s fall, vs. 10.
21:1 An oracle about the Wilderness by the Sea.
Like whirlwinds in the Negev sweep through,
it comes from the wilderness,
from a terrifying land.
The prophet describes an oracle or “burden” concerning the “wilderness of the sea”. In the context of verses
1-10, this oracle is against Babylon, 21:9. The identification of the “wilderness of the sea” as Babylon can be
verified by a comparison with Jeremiah 51:12-13.
“Raise the flag signaling the attack of the walls of Babylon, reinforce the watchmen, post the guards, prepare
the ambushes. For the LORD has planned and done what he has spoken concerning the inhabitants of
Babylon.13 O you who dwell along many waters, abundant in treasures, your end is come, the thread of your
life is cut.”
Babylon was built on the marshes and over the many streams which made up that part of the Euphrates
River. When the river was in its flood mode, the walls of Babylon loomed above what could be described as
a city floating on the sea. Against this “floating city” came windstorms from the Negev which was a barren
and hot desert area. These hot and dry desert windstorms created a deserted and unbearable wilderness. Thus,
the prophet could state at the end of 21:1, “It comes from the wilderness, from a terrifying land.” This
description is an introduction to the definition of the peoples or nation which is coming against Babylon.
21:2 A harsh vision was told to me;
the treacherous man deals treacherously,
and the destroyer destroys.
Go up, O Elam;
lay siege, O Media;
all the sighing she has caused
I will bring to an end.
Isaiah describes the vision of which he has been shown to him as “harsh” for “the treacherous man deals
treacherously, and the destroyer destroys.” Elam and Media are called upon to rise up against the assault of
the Assyrians who were advancing upon Babylon, likely in 689 B.C. The assault by Assyria would put an
end to all the “groaning” of the nations which had been caused by the brutality of the Babylonians. The
words treacherous and treacherously are bagad in the Hebrew. The ESV translate these words as “The traitor
betrays.” Isaiah will use bagad again in 24:16 (twice); 33:1 (twice) and 48:8. The words destroyer and
destroys are shadad in the Hebrew. The NIV translates these words as: “The looter takes loot.” The NKJV
193…..Isaiah 21:2-7
translates them as: “The plunderer plunders”. Isaiah had used shadad previously in 15:1 and 16:4 and will
use this word again in 23:1; 23:14 and 33:1. Isaiah 33:1 is an emphatic usage of these words by the prophet
referring to Assyria:
Woe to you who destroy,
but you have not been destroyed;
and you traitor, but they have not betrayed you!
When you finish destroying,
you yourself will be destroyed.
When you have finished betraying,
they will betray you. (Isaiah 33:1)
21:3-4 Therefore my loins are filled with anguish;
pangs have seized hold of me,
like the pangs of a woman in labor.
I am so bewildered by what I hear,
troubled by what I see.
4
My heart flutters,
horror has frightened me;
the twilight that I desired has brought me only trembling.
Since Babylon was an ally of Judah, Isaiah 39:1-8, the prophecy of the destruction of Babylon, whom the
people of Judah were hoping would help them against Assyria, would have caused Isaiah much anguish and
terror as the prophet describes in 21:3-4. The prophet felt compassionate and empathetic for his fellow Jews
in Judah, who were now without any help from any nation who could stand against the fierce armies of the
Assyrians. This very human response to a helpless situation demonstrates how Isaiah identifies with his
people. The prophecy Isaiah has been given from God meant Judah was now defenseless and helpless and
facing certain destruction.
21:5 They prepare the table,
they lay the carpet,
they eat, they drink.
Get up, you commanders,
oil the shields.
While there is no direct reference to any specific nation or situation, Isaiah seems to describe a banquet by a
visiting delegation, perhaps the envoys of Babylon, who visited Judah as recorded in chapter 39:1-8. While
feasting with the leaders of Judah, the visitors were plotting to overthrow this tiny country and steal its
treasures. It is also possible that the words of 21:5 refer to the Babylonians who were feasting and drinking
and unprepared for the coming assault upon them. The Assyrians were described as the “treacherous one”
and the “destroyer” in 21:2 and 5. It is possible that the allies of Judah, the Babylonians were also seen as just
as treacherous and destructive to this small nation of Judah.
21:6-7 For this is what the Lord says to me,
"Go, post a lookout,
let him report what he observes.
7
When he sees chariots
with pairs of horses,
riders on donkeys,
194…..Isaiah 21:6-9
riders on camels,
let him be vigilant, very vigilant.
In light of the treachery of Assyria and perhaps also of Babylon, the Lord requests the prophet to “station the
lookout” and let the lookout report what he sees. The Lord in 21:7 cautions Isaiah to tell the lookout to pay
close attention if he sees “chariots, with pairs of horses, riders on donkeys, riders on camels.” This was
likely an indication that an invading army, the Assyrians, were on the move and the lookout was to keep
watching carefully for other developments that would arise from the advance of this invading army.
21:8-9 Then he cried out,
"O Lord, I stand constantly on the watchtower in the day,
and am stationed at my post every night.
9
Look, here comes a man on a chariot with a pair of horses."
He announces,
"Babylon is fallen, fallen;
and all the carved images of her gods
are smashed into the ground."
The lookout reports that he is continually watching and suddenly reports that he sees a “troop of riders,
horsemen in pairs” and he hears the message, “Babylon is fallen, fallen; and all the carved images of her
gods are smashed into the ground.” Thus, the prophet hears the tragic news that, Judah’s ally, who were
treacherously plotting the destruction of Judah, were themselves destroyed by the overwhelming force of the
Assyrian armies. Babylon would fall and yet rise again. However, the final defeat of Babylon would need to
wait until the days of the great tribulation in the future and these very words, “Fallen, Babylon the great is
fallen.” would once again ring out, this time by an angel from heaven. Revelation 18:1-3 (DASV): “After
these things I saw another angel coming down out of heaven, having great authority; and the earth was
brightened by his glory 2 He shouted out with a mighty voice: "Fallen, Babylon the great is fallen, and is
become a dwelling place for demons, and a haunt for every unclean spirit and every unclean and disgusting
beast. 3 All the nations have fallen because of the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the
earth have had sex with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich from her extravagant luxury."
For a very extensive discussion on the fall of Babylon in the future see Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The
Footsteps of the Messiah, Chapter 14, pages 309-357. John F. Walvoord comments on the fall of Babylon in
Revelation 18:1-3:
“The announcement by the angel given in verses 2 and 3 declares that Babylon the great is fallen. The
repetition of the verb “is fallen” found in the aorist tense, indicates a sudden event viewed as
completed, though the context would indicate a future event. Seiss believes that the repetition of the
phrase “is fallen” is intended to describe “two separate parts or stages to the fall, answering to the two
aspects in which Babylon is contemplated, referring first to Babylon in mystery, as a system or spirit
of false worship, and second to Babylon as a city, in which this system or spirit is embodied.1
In chapter 18, the context seems to indicate that Babylon here is viewed in its political and economic
character rather than in in its religious aspect…..It seems that chapter 17 deals with the religious
aspect and chapter 18 with the political and economic aspects of Babylon.” [Note 1: Joseph A. Seiss,
The Apocalypse, p. 407] (John F. Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ: A Commentary, Moody
Press, 1966, pages 258-259).
195…..Isaiah 21:10-12
21:10 O my people, threshed and beaten on my threshing floor!
I have reported to you what I have heard
from the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel.
The message of the destruction of Babylon was news of devastation to the people of Judah and a cause of
affliction as recorded by Isaiah who called his people “threshed” and “beaten’. Isaiah faithfully relayed the
message he had from the Lord to the people of Judah. It was a message from the mighty Lord of hosts, who
has an army that is invincible. It therefore is by implication, that the Lord’s people needed to stop trusting in
foreign pagan nations for their salvation and put their trust and hope solely in the Lord of hosts whom alone
could save them from their enemies. Isaiah made it clear who is the saving One of the people of God. Refer
also to 2 Samuel 22:2-4. King David earlier had written a song which the people should have remembered as
recorded in Psalm 18:1-3:
I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge;
my shield and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold.
3 I called on the LORD, who is worthy to be praised,
so I was saved from my enemies.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 21:1-10
21:1-2 The Assault of the Enemy
21:3-4 The Anguish of the Prophet
21:5 The Ambush of the Envoys
21:6-9 The Announcement of the Lookout
21:10 The Afflicted of the Lord
11. Judgment against Edom: 21:11-12
21:11-12 An oracle about Dumah.
Someone calls to me from Seir,
"Watchman, what of the night?
Watchman, what of the night?"
12
The watchman replied,
"The morning is coming, then also the night.
If you want to ask, then ask; come back again."
Edom was a small country located to the southeast of the Dead Sea. It was named after Esau, the brother of
Jacob. Esau was hated by God. See Malachi 1:3 and Romans 9:6-13. Edom was also another name for Esau,
Genesis 25:30 and 36:1, 8. Esau’s home was in the land of Seir, called in Genesis 32:3 as the country of
Edom and described in Genesis 36:8 as the “hill country of Seir.” The listing of the descendants of Esau,
called Edom is given in Genesis chapter 36. The names Esau and Edom have the meaning of “red” because
of Esau’s desire to eat the red stew that Jacob had cooked, Genesis 25:29-30.
Among other events concerning Esau and Edom, three significant ones stand out. In the first event, recorded
in Genesis 25:27-34, Esau, the older brother of Jacob, was willing to sell his birthright to Jacob for a meal of
red stew. God’s comment on this action is recorded in Genesis 25:34, “Thus Esau despised his birthright.”
This act was no little thing in God’s eyes. The author of the book of Hebrews in the New Testament
196…..Isaiah 21:12
comments on this act, Hebrews 12:15-17: “Make sure no one falls short of the grace of God; so that no bitter
root springs up causing trouble, and by it many become defiled.16 Make sure that no one becomes like Esau
who was an immoral and godless person, who for just one meal sold his own birthright.17 For you know that
later when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no opportunity to repent, even
though he sought it with tears.”
The second event, recorded in Obadiah 1:1-11; Psalm 83:4-6 and 137:7, was the reaction by the Edomites to
the destruction of Israel by the Babylonians. The Edomites stood back and gloated over the misfortune of
their “brothers”. They also took part in the looting of the possessions of the Israelites. The third event had
foreshadowed this reaction by Edom. In Numbers chapter 20 and referenced in Judges 11:17, the Edomites
did not allow the Israelites, led by their leader Moses, to pass through their land during the time of the
wanderings of the Israelites between the time they left Egypt and when they finally entered into Canaan.
God’s reaction in judgment because of the actions of the people of Edom is recorded several times in the Old
Testament, Isaiah 11:14, 34:5-6, 63:1; Jeremiah 9:26, 27:3, 49:7-22; Lamentations 4:21-22; Ezekiel 25:12-
14, 32:29, 36:5; Amos 1:11, and Malachi 1:1-5 in addition to the passages in Obadiah and the Psalms
mentioned above. Ultimately God brings judgment on Edom because of their refusal to repent of their actions
against Israel and most importantly for their refusal to acknowledge and worship God as the Sovereign Lord,
the God of Judah and the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
In the passage recorded in Isaiah 21:11-12, the prophet describes a night scene in which someone from Seir,
representing Edom calls out to Isaiah who is portrayed as a watchman, and asks, “Watchman, how far gone is
the night?” The word Edom in 21:11 is Dumah in the Hebrew which has a meaning of “silence” or “place of
silence”. Dumah was also one of the sons of Ishmael, Genesis 25:13-14. The significance of the name
Dumah could be twofold, first, it could refer to the judgment of God on Edom rendering Edom to silence and
second, it was where news could be gleaned about the coming of the Assyrian and later the Babylonian
armies in their fury and destructive conquest.
The question in 21:11, “Watchman, what of the night?” may have the meaning of: “how long until the
morning of rescue from our oppressors appears” In 21:12, Isaiah first responds, “The Morning is coming,
then also the night.” This is likely to have the meaning that the assault from the Assyrians will soon be
eliminated, Isaiah 37:36-37 which represents the morning. However, another conquering army, the
Babylonians, is coming in the future which represents the night. The second response by Isaiah in 21:22 is
best understood from the meaning of the words, “come back again”. These words, according to Victor
Buksbazen, are stated not in the Hebrew, but in the Aramaic: “atha” - come - (as in Maran-atha – Lord come)
and “Thibayun,” – “inquire.” It is related to the Hebrew “shuv”- to return. (Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, pages
223-223).
The message of these two verses, Isaiah 21:11-12, therefore is that the Assyrians will not destroy the
Edomites but later the Babylonians will conquer them with brutal force. The Edomites must therefore come
to the Lord and repent of their sins. It is also a somber message to the Israelites and is given in the wider
context of Judah looking to its neighbors for assistance against the onslaught of the advancing Assyrian
armies. Just as Babylon will not be of help to Judah, neither should Judah look to its relations who live in
Edom. They will be soon left helpless and must come to the Lord in repentance as must the people of Judah.
Isaiah’s most significant audience who need to heed the message of this short oracle is his own people in
Judah, even though it is written as a prophetic picture of what will soon be facing the people of Edom.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 21:11-12
21:11 The People’s Request: (A Call for Reprieve)
21;12 The Prophet’s Response: (A Call for Repentance)
197…..Isaiah 21:13-15 and 16-17
12. Judgment against Arabia: 21:13-17
The location of this oracle or burden is the lands of the Arabians which is a vast desert area to the east and
southeast of Judah. Dedan, where the caravans originate, was located about 290 miles southeast of Dumah in
the northwestern part of the Arabian desert and Tema was located about 200 miles southeast of Duma, also in
the northwestern part of the Arabian Desert. Kedar covers the area in the northwestern part of the Arabian
desert. (See notes from MacArthur Study Bible, Updated NASB, page 966). Other Old Testament
references: Dedan, Tema, and Arabia are mentioned, regarding God’s judgment in Jeremiah 25:23-24 and
Dedan, Arabia and Kedar are mentioned as the trading partners of Judah in Ezekiel 27:20-21.
In this section, Isaiah 21:13-17, the prophet declares an oracle regarding Arabia, stating that the caravans of
the Dedanites will lodge in the thickets of Arabia, vs. 13. The people of Tema are too bring water and bread
to the caravans of the Dedanites who have fled from the battle against them, vss. 14-15. Isaiah declares God’s
words, stating that within one year, the glory of Kedar will come to an end and their survivors will be few,
vss. 16-17.
21:13-15 An oracle about Arabia.
In the thickets in Arabia you will lodge,
O caravans of Dedanites.
14
Bring water for the thirsty;
O inhabitants of the land of Tema
meet the fugitives with bread.
15
For they have fled from the swords,
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow,
and from the pressure of the battle.
Isaiah records that the caravans from Dedan must spend the night in the “thickets” of Arabia. The Arabian
desert does not have forests as some versions state. The caravans need to seek shelter from an unidentified
enemy pursuing them in during an assault in a battle. The members of the caravans are suffering from hunger
and thirst and the inhabitants of the land of Tema are called by the prophet to bring them water and bread.
The most likely identification of the enemy is the Assyrians who were destroying the neighboring countries
to Judah and many of the cities of Judah during the days when Isaiah wrote this oracle.
21:16-17 For this is what the Lord said to me, "Within a year, according to the years counted by a hired
hand, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end.
17
The surviving archers, and warriors of Kedar, will be few," for the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.
Isaiah declares a very specific prophecy which he has received from the Lord. In a year’s time, “counted by a
hired man”, the splendor of Kedar will come to end and the men of Kedar, who were their “mighty men”,
their warriors would be few. The statement “as a hired man would count it” has the same meaning as in
Isaiah 16:14. This is a definite time period decreed by the Lord with no less time and no more time allotted.
The judgment and its timing are assured, “for the Lord God of Israel has spoken,” Isaiah 21:17.
This oracle concerning Arabia, Isaiah 21:13-17, and those that have just preceded it: Babylon, Isaiah 21:1-10,
and Edom, Isaiah 21:11-12, are not just three random declarations of judgment from God on nations
surrounding Judah. They have a common meaning: First, God is bringing a fierce and pagan nation, Assyria,
upon them in an act of punishment for their ungodliness and rebellion against Him, and for their failure to
acknowledge and worship Him. Second, Isaiah, in delivering these burdens of judgment, is also bringing a
198…..Isaiah 22:1-2
message to Judah. It is useless for Judah to seek help from her close neighbors against the oncoming
Assyrian armies. These neighbors, themselves cannot provide any assistance for they will be destroyed by the
Assyrian advance. Judah’s only defense is in total reliance on the Lord God of Israel who has just spoken to
the prophet Isaiah. Judah needs to heed the voice of the Lord!
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 21:13-17
21:13-15 The Pursuit of the Distressed of Arabia
21:16-17 The Prediction of the Demise of Kedar
13. Valley of Vision and Weeping over Israel: 22:1-14
There is not a consensus among Biblical scholars regarding the exact circumstances that the prophet is
“burdened” about as recorded in Isaiah 22:1-14. Some understand it to be regarding the attack on Jerusalem
by the Babylonian armies under Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. Others cite the possibility of the Assyrian
southern campaign in 711 B.C. under Sargon, while some date it in 701 B.C., during the Assyrian siege of
Jerusalem under Sennacherib. After considering the evidence that these verses themselves declare and
considering the greater context of the preceding chapters, it seems that place of priority should be given to
the 701 B.C. event. Gary V. Smith provides a very persuasive argument for this date in his commentary:
Isaiah, Volume 1, Vol. 1, pages 379-381.
The oracle concerning the Valley of Vision, Isaiah 22:1-14 is a fourth declaration of judgment by God in this
second set of five oracles beginning with chapter 21:1. The first three oracles, chapter 21, dealt with Babylon,
Edom and Arabia. As recorded in Isaiah chapter 22, the prophet turns his attention to Jerusalem and
specifically to its people and its servants. Just as the neighboring countries to Judah would not escape God’s
judgment, the capital of Judah must also reap what it has sown and face the consequences of its self-trust and
its failure to completely trust in God for protection from the enemy surrounding Jerusalem.
The wider portrait the prophet describes in these verses, 1-14, is that the people of Jerusalem have done
everything in their own strength to prepare the city for the defense of the city from the siege against it by the
armies of Assyria that have surrounded the city. The historical details of this event are described in greater
detail in 2 Chronicles chapter 32 and in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37. Jerusalem’s proud and partying people
were praising themselves for their preparation against the Assyrians. They had forgotten their Sovereign
Protector whom the prophet Isaiah had so faithfully declared unto them on many occasions. Due to the
iniquity of their self-exaltation, God refused to forgive them. The city walls and structures were saved but
the people within them were condemned to face eternity separated from God.
In this section, Isaiah 22:1-14, the prophet declares an oracle regarding the “Valley of Vision” asking what is
their problem that has cause the inhabitants to go up to their rooftops for the city is full of pandemonium and
revelry. Those who have been slain were not killed by sword nor did they die in battle, vss. 1-2. Their rulers
have been captured, even though they fled far away, without being shot at, vs. 3. Isaiah expresses deep grief
over this prophecy about his people, for it is a prophecy of destruction for Jerusalem, vss. 4-5. The enemies
of the people of God came against Jerusalem and the city’s inhabitants attempted to fortify the city, vss. 6-
11a. But, the people of God did not look to Him nor respect Him and in that day, God called for weeping and
mourning, vss. 11b-12. But instead of remorse for their sins, God’s people celebrated, and said, “let’s eat and
drink, for tomorrow we die.” vs. 13. The LORD told Isaiah that the iniquity of the people would not be
forgiven them. vs. 14.
22:1-2 An oracle about the Valley of Vision.
What is the problem now,
causing all of you to go up to the rooftops?
199…..Isaiah 22:1-4
2
The city is full of pandemonium,
the town full of revelry.
Your slain are not killed by the sword,
nor do they die in battle.
The oracle (or burden) of Isaiah concerns the “valley of vision.” Most conservative scholars understand this
as a reference to Jerusalem. See, for example, Geoffrey W. Grogan, Isaiah, page 40 for a discussion on the
Valley of Vision. Isaiah seems distressed with his own people by exclaiming: “What is the problem now,
causing all of you to go up to the rooftops?” The NKJV English translation of “what ails you know,” and the
DASV translation of “What is the problem now,”, is literally, “what’s with you?” The people have taken to
their rooftops and as 22:2 indicates, and they were boisterous and full of noise and exaltation as if in
celebration. This is in contrast to the people of Moab who went up to the high places to weep, Isaiah 15:2.
The reason for the jubilation of the people of Jerusalem may have been that so far, they in the city have been
spared conquest and death that had come to many cities and towns in Judah by the invading armies of
Assyria, Isaiah 36:1. There is no historical verification of this claim by the Assyrians who also conveniently
omitted to admit the defeat of the Assyrian forces as recorded in Isaiah 37:36. Isaiah, as recorded in verses 1-
2 therefore was challenging the morality of the people of Judah for loudly celebrating their freedom from
capture while seemingly failing to lament the deaths and deportation of so many people of their own country.
The reference in 22:2 to “your slain” being those who were not slain by the sword or died in battle may be
understood as those who have died because of starvation from famine caused by the destruction of the crops
in the fields outside of the city of Jerusalem. Even though the people within the walls of Jerusalem had not
faced death by the swords of the Assyrians, many of them had died by the direct cause of the destruction of
the agricultural resources the city depended upon for their food. Isaiah is distraught that the people could
ascend to their rooftops to loudly rejoice that they had escaped death while so many people within Jerusalem
had died along with thousands more that had died or were taken captive in the cities and towns of the small
nation of Judah.
22:3-4 All your rulers together have fled;
they were captured without even a bow shot.
All who were found were captured together,
even though they fled far away.
4
Therefore I said, "Don't look at me,
while I weep bitterly;
don't try to comfort me
concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people."
Isaiah also berates his own people because they were exultant about the city’s escape from capture while
their leaders were captured while they were fleeing the onslaught of the Assyrian advance even if these
leaders had fled a long distance. The prophet is in deep distress over the death and deportation of so many of
his people. He seeks to weep bitterly and does not desire the people of Jerusalem to look upon him or try to
comfort him. Isaiah in 22:4 laments the destruction of the “daughter of my people.” This phrase of
endearment to his people only occurs in 22:4 in the prophecy of Isaiah. See Jeremiah 8:19 for a similar
expression.
200…..Isaiah 22:5-7 and 8-11
22:5 For it is a day of panic, defeat, and confusion,
from the Lord, the LORD of hosts,
in the Valley of Vision.
It is a day of battering down of the walls,
and cries for help to the mountains.
As the people of Jerusalem were engaging in ungodly rejoicing Isaiah brought a prophecy from the Lord of
the coming doom of the City of Jerusalem. It is the Lord GOD of hosts who has (or is preparing) a day of
panic, subjugation and confusion for His people. The day of panic will occur in Jerusalem (the valley of
vision) where there will be a breaking down of walls and a crying to (or against) the mountains. This
prophecy of Isaiah is likely referring to the coming destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon (586 B.C.) with
assistance from its ally, Elam which is mentioned in 22:6.
22:6-7 Elam picked up the quiver,
coming with chariots and horsemen;
Kir uncovered its shield.
7
Your key valleys were full of chariots,
and the horsemen took up fixed positions at the city gate.
Isaiah further describes this coming day of destruction for Jerusalem as involving Elam and Kir along with
the unmentioned army of Babylon. The valleys surrounding Jerusalem and the area up to the very gate of the
city will be filled with the chariots and horsemen of the enemy. The enemy would lay siege to the gate of the
Jerusalem. See John Oswalt, Isaiah, Vol. 1, pages 410-411 for a discussion on the mention of Elam and Kir
and their relationship with the army of Babylon.
22:8-11 He stripped back the defenses of Judah.
In that day you looked for the weapons
in the House of the Forest armory.
9
You saw the many breaches
in the walls of the city of David.
You collected water in the lower pool.
10
You numbered the houses of Jerusalem,
and tore down houses in order to fortify the wall.
11
You also made a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the old pool.
But you did not look to him who had done this,
or respect him who planned it long ago.
Isaiah declares that it is not just Babylon and its allies who will be fighting against the people of Jerusalem,
but it is God Himself, “He” in 22:8, who will be the main mover in this judgment upon the city. God will
remove the defense of Judah and allow the destruction of Jerusalem because they would rely not upon God
but upon their own resources and preparation of their defense against their enemies. The people of Judah had
first depended on the weapons of the house of the forest armory. This armory, also called “the house of the
forest of Lebanon”, was constructed from cedar wood during Solomon’s reign and was used for the storage
of weapons and valuable items. Refer to 1 Kings 7:1-5; 10:17, 21; 2 Chronicles 9:20 and Isaiah 39:2.
Hezekiah when confronted by the impending siege of Jerusalem by Sennacherib of Assyria, first, had
weapons and shields made in “great number,” 2 Chronicles 32:5. Second, they saw that the breaches of the
wall of the City of David were many and they used the materials from selected houses within Jerusalem to
201…..Isaiah 22:12-14
repair (fortify) these breaches, Isaiah 22:9-10. Refer also to 2 Chronicles 32:5. Third, they collected the
waters of the lower pool and made a reservoir between the two walls for the waters of the old pool, 22:9 and
11. See also 2 Chronicles 32:1-5. The great indictment against the people for these seemingly worthwhile
and prudent defensive actions was they did not depend upon Him who made the old pool or planned it long
ago, 22:11. It was God who gave the water pool for the needs of the people of Jerusalem. For an extended
discussion, see J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, pages 155-156.
22:12-14 In that day the Lord, the LORD of hosts called
for weeping and mourning,
for heads to be shaved,
and for sackcloth to be put on.
13
But instead there was joy and gladness,
celebratory slaying of oxen and slaughtering of sheep,
eating meat and drinking wine.
"Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die," you exclaim.
14
The LORD of hosts revealed himself in my ears,
"Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven until you die,"
says the Lord, the LORD of hosts.
Because of the self-sufficient attitude of the people of Jerusalem and their failure to consider or rely on God,
22:8-11, and due to their ungodly rejoicing over their own safety despite the great loss of life of those around
them, 22:1-3, God was preparing a day, 22:12, when they would be called by Him to wail and weep and to
shave their heads and to wear sackcloth because of the coming days of destruction of their city, 22:5-8.
Instead of days of seeking God and mourning for their great loss, the people were expressing “gaiety and
gladness” and killing cattle, slaughtering sheep for banquets of meat and wine. Their attitude was so aptly
described by Isaiah as “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die,” 22:13. This is one of the most well-
known statements in the Scriptures. The Apostle Paul references Isaiah 22:13 in his first letter to the church
at Corinth, 1 Corinthians 15:32. The people were demonstrating their complete lack of trust and faith in their
God with whom they had received so many blessings and were the recipients and benefactors of the great
covenants God had made with His chosen people.
The words of God, in response to the wickedness of these, people are chilling: “Surely this iniquity shall not
be forgiven until you die, says the Lord, the LORD of hosts.” 22:14. God’s spirit will not always strive with
mankind because they are but flesh, Genesis 6:3. There has and will come again, times when the actions of
humans including God’s chosen people will lead many to their earthly demise and others to their eternal
destruction. See also Numbers 14:20-24; Matthew 25:31-46; Revelation 20:11-15; 22:14-15.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 22:1-14
22:1 Retreat to their Rooftops
22:2 Remarks of their Removal (Death)
22:3 Restraint of their Rulers
22:4-5 Remorse of their Recorder
22:6-11a Rebuff of their Reasoning
22:11b-14 Revelation of their Retribution
202…..Isaiah 22:15-19
14. Replacement of the Disgraced Servant: 22:15-19
Isaiah 22:15-19 form a sub-section to 22:15-25 and also to the Valley of Vision oracle which comprises all of
chapter 22. As stated in 22:15-19, Isaiah declares that God told him to go to the palace manager, Shebna and
ask him, what right does he have by making a tomb for himself in this high place? vss. 15-16. The Lord will
remove him from his position and he will die, for he is a disgrace to his master’s house, vss. 17-19.
22:15-16 This is what the Lord says, the LORD of hosts,
"Go to Shebna, the palace manager, and say,
16
What are you doing here?
What relatives of yours are buried here?
Why have you hewed out a sepulcher here for yourself?
He cut out a sepulcher on this high place,
craving a tomb for himself in the rock.
Isaiah is told to go to the steward Shebna who is in charge of the royal household, Shebna is an Aramaic
name and it is likely that he was a foreigner who did not have a family burial plot nor a family tradition
within Jerusalem. The Scriptures do not reveal how this person came to have such a high position within the
courts of the king. Isaiah is told to confront Shebna and ask, (NASB): “What right do you have here, and
whom do you have here, that you have hewn a tomb for yourself here, you who hew a tomb on the height, you
who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock?” Isaiah 22:16. Shebna was not part of the royal family
nor of the aristocracy of Judah. He had no lineage rights to make a tomb for himself, which would enshrine
his memory among the tombs of kings of Judah and their families. What he could not do in life, which was to
become a member of the royal line, Shebna schemed to accomplish in his burial plot.
22:17-19 Look, the LORD, will hurl you away violently; O warrior.
Yes, he will seize hold of you firmly.
18
He will roll you up tightly like a ball
tossing you into a large country.
There you will die,
and there your marvelous chariots will lie.
You are a disgrace to your master's house.
19
I will drive you out of your office;
and you will be pulled down from your exalted position.
The message given to Isaiah for Shebna is described in 22:17-19. Instead of having a lofty and exalted
memorial tomb, he was to be cast down into a large country, likely the wilderness, where he would die along-
side of his “marvelous chariots,” which were his prized possessions. He would die an infamous death as a
shame to his master’s house. Isaiah, with great boldness confronted Shebna with these words from the Lord,
“I will drive you out of your office; and you will be pulled down from your exalted position.” 22:19. It is not
stated how Shebna was removed from being the Steward to the king of Judah’s court (household). It may
have been a wasting disease that drove him from royal society or some other action that caused him to be
removed from office. However, it occurred, one thing was certain, when the LORD of hosts, 22:15, makes a
decree, it will happen just as God says it will happen. Prior to his final demise, Shebna was demoted to the
lesser office of scribe under the superintendence of Eliakim, Isaiah 36:3 and 37:2.
There are a couple of lessons that one should take from this short portion of this prophecy. First, God is not
mocked: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”
Galatians 6:7. Shebna contrived to elevate himself to a position he did not have by the right of birth. Second,
203…..Isaiah 22:20-25
God appoints officials as well as rulers and kings. No one who holds a high position must think they hold this
position due to their own strength, wisdom or ability. The only right response to having any high position is
to humbly praise God for His divine working within the situation and yourself. This was one lesson king
Nebuchadnezzar was to learn personally as he was driven from power immediately after claiming that the
nation, Babylon and the royal residence were built by himself. Daniel 4:30 states regarding Nebuchadnezzar:
“The king said, "Is not this the great Babylon that I have built for the royal residence, by the strength of my
power and for my glorious majesty?" The voice from heaven, Nebuchadnezzar heard, stated his punishment
would be certain. While the words were still in the king's mouth, a voice came from heaven, "O King
Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is proclaimed: The kingdom is removed from you.32 You will be driven from
human community and you will live with the animals of the field. You will be fed grass like oxen and seven
times will pass over you until you realize that the Most High rules over the kingdom of human beings, and
gives it to whomever he pleases." Daniel 4:31-32.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 22:15-19
22:15-16 The Steward’s Doom Pronounced
22:17-19 The Steward’s Demise Portrayed
15. Prophecy of the David’s Key and the Peg: 22:20-25
Isaiah states a follow up prophecy as recorded in 22:20-25. In these verses, the prophet declares that God will
call as His servant, Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah and will clothe him with the robes and sash that Shebna had
worn and Shebna’s authority would be transferred to Eliakim who will be as a father to the people of
Jerusalem and to the house (court) of the king, vss. 20-21. God will give to Eliakim, the key to the house of
David and whatever he opens no one will shut and what he shuts no one will open, vs. 22. Eliakim will be
securely fastened like a peg in a secure place and he will become like a glorious throne to the king’s house,
vs. 23. All the glory of this house will be upon Eliakim, but in a day to come, the glory upon him and upon
the king’s house will be cut down and fall, vss. 24-25.
22:20-25 In that day, I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah.
21
I will cloth him with your robe, and lash your sash on him. I will transfer your authority into his hand. He
will be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
22
The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder. What he opens, no one will be able to shut; what
he shuts, and no one will be able to open.
23
I will fasten him like a peg in a secure place; he will become a throne of glory to his father's house.
24
They will hang on him all the glory of his father's house, the descendants and offspring, every small vessel,
from the cups to all the jugs.
25
In that day," says the LORD of hosts, "the peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way. It will be
cut down and fall. The load that was hanging on it will fall down," for the LORD has spoken.
The story of the disgrace of Shebna is immediately followed up with the announcement of the Shebna’s
replacement in the office of Steward over the house of Judah. Eliakim, son of Hilkiah was appointed to this
office when Shebna was removed from this office. The words “in that day” Isaiah 22:20 may refer to the
days of King Hezekiah from the siege of Jerusalem to the death of the king. Eliakim was to wear Shebna’s
tunic and his sash. God entrusted him with Shebna’s authority and declared that Eliakim was to become “a
father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.” 22: 20-21. Perhaps the most significant
title given to Eliakim by God is that of “my servant,” 22:20. God does not bestow the office of “servant” to
just anyone. It is a position of great responsibility to be called the servant of the great King of creation. Refer
to the notes on Isaiah 20:3 where another who was called the servant of God was the great prophet Isaiah.
204…..Isaiah 22:20-25
The prophet Isaiah records nine significant things about God’s appointment of Eliakim as Steward over the
house of Judah in 22:20-25. First, Eliakim was called “My servant”. Second, Eliakim was to wear the official
clothing of the office of Steward. Similar to Elijah’s mantle (cloak) being worn by his successor, Elisha, 1
Kings 19:19. Third, Eliakim was to be entrusted with the authority of the office of Steward. Fourth, He was
to become a “father’ to all who lived in Jerusalem including the royal house of Judah: the king and his
family. Fifth, God would set the “key of the house of David” on Eliakim’s shoulder. When Eliakim used this
key to open (a door) no one will close it and when he uses this key to shut (a door) no one will open it. Sixth,
God would “fasten him like a peg in a secure place”. Seventh, God stated Eliakim would “become a throne of
glory to his father’s house.” Eighth, Upon Eliakim, (the peg) would be hung “all the glory of his father’s
house, the descendants and the offspring.” (posterity) and including small things like the cups and jugs (the
royal household’s furnishings and implements). Ninth, Sadly, even Eliakim’s Stewardship would not last
long, for “in that day” (the days of the rule of king Hezekiah), “the peg that was fastened in a secure place
will give way. It will be cut down and fall. The load that was hanging on it will down.” Isaiah 22:25.
Some points to consider regarding these nine declarations of the Lord regarding Eliakim:
First, to whom the Lord call as His servant, great authority and responsibility is bestowed and great results
are expected. The Lord, as recorded in the Scriptures, called the following persons His servant: Abraham,
Jacob, Moses, Caleb, David, Isaiah, Eliakim, Israel, Messiah: the Servant and the Branch, Nebuchadnezzar,
Zerubbabel, also: “my servants the prophets” and the followers of Christ, John 12:26. This is an impressive
list. That Eliakim was included among them is to be seen as an indication of God’s plan for him to fulfill
God’s purposes. It is not that any pride of place or position should be considered or even imagined by a
servant of God, however it is a glorious privilege to be humbly received that God would trust His plans to
one He has chosen as a servant.
Second, the wearing of the official clothing, robe and sash of the office of Steward over the house of the line
of David is a symbolic portrait of the high position this servant has in the purposes of God and responsibility
to carry out these purposes.
Third, everyone seeing the Steward would recognize his lofty and trusted position and would acknowledge
the authority of the Steward to perform kingdom duties and speak for the king.
Fourth, Eliakim was to fulfill a role of fatherhood to everyone in the kingdom, including the king. This
would include the role of mentor, elder, comforter, leader and many other superior roles. It was similar to the
role that Daniel had as one of just three commissioners to king Darius the Mede (Daniel chapter 6).
Fifth, the key of the house of David may have been an actual key that was used to open and close doors to
official kingdom rooms, storehouses, the treasury and perhaps the armory, stated as the “House of the Forest
armory” in Isaiah 22:8. The reference to “the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens
and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens.” in Revelation 3:7 is very dramatic and forceful as the
reference in Revelation is a quote from this key that was laid on the “shoulder” of Eliakim. Thus, the key
represents the authority of the one carrying it in the house of David. Eliakim therefore can be seen as a type
of Christ in that Eliakim, as God’s servant, is entrusted with the literal keys of the kingdom. The “key” that
the Lord laid on the shoulder of Eliakim thus represents the government of the house of David which was
then ruled by Hezekiah. In the future, the greater servant, the Messiah, will be given charge of the “key of
David” to use. In Isaiah 9:6, the prophet stated that “the government will be upon his shoulders.” The
Messiah therefore can be seen as not only the greater King, Prophet, Priest, Ruler and Servant but also as the
greater Steward of His own house.
205…..Isaiah 22:20-25
Sixth, the peg was a prominent fixture in ancient houses and tents, for upon it, household goods, clothing and
valuable items where hung. The peg had to be solid and sturdy enough to carry the most treasured things of
the household and be firmly positioned into a wall or the main pole of the tent. Eliakim was depicted as
representing this peg. He was one who was trustworthy enough to carry precious possessions of the kingdom
and be firmly established to ensure these possessions would not be lost or “fall off the peg”. The peg also
represents the role of the Messiah: “From him will come the cornerstone, from him the tent peg, from him the
battle bow, from him every ruler.” Zechariah 10:4. This is another majestic reference to Eliakim being a type
of Christ representing another significant role that the Messiah will have in His future kingdom.
Seventh, is the reference to Eliakim becoming “a throne of glory to his father’s house.” Within his family
Eliakim, by being trusted to carry out the duties of the Steward of the kingdom, would bring glory to his
father Hilkiah. However, this is not the most important meaning of this metaphor. The reference to Eliakim’s
father’s house surely represents the house of the lineage of David and the throne of glory is that belonging to
the greater Servant and Steward of this house, the Messiah. Thus again, Eliakim is a type of Christ
representing the glorious throne of the great kingdom to come. This is the throne of David upon which the
Messiah will sit, Isaiah 9:7:
Of the increase of his government
and of peace there will be no end.
He will rule on the throne of David,
and over his kingdom,
to establish it,
and to uphold it with justice
and with righteousness from this time forth forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
Also, the gospel of Luke States: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God
will give him the throne of his father David.”
Eighth, are the things hung on the peg. As mentioned in the sixth point, the peg was the object in the
household trusted to carry the precious things of the house. Included with the household objects, such as, the
vessels and bowls that the peg carried, are: “descendants and offspring.” These are a reference to the family
lineage and the generations to follow. Also, as with the comment in the seventh point, regarding Eliakim’s
father and family, the immediate family of Eliakim is a possible meaning to the “descendants and offspring.”
However, it also has a more significant and royal meaning. The peg has a future reference to the Messiah
during the Millennial reign. The Messiah, as the peg, will carry or bear the offspring and descendants of the
elect people, the remnant of Israel, who will enter into the Millennial kingdom with their Messiah.
Ninth, some scholars understand that the words of Isaiah 22:25 are an indictment against Eliakim who will
not continue as the faithful Steward due to his moral failure or the ungodly acts of his children for the reason
the peg representing Eliakim’s responsibilities will be cut off and not continue. The context of this prophecy
seems to indicate otherwise. The words beginning 22:25, “In that day” as mentioned above most likely refer
to the days of the Hezekiah from the time of the siege against Jerusalem by the Assyrians to the death of
Hezekiah and its aftermath. The words of Isaiah 39:5-8 bring light on this day: “Then Isaiah said to
Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: 6 'Look, the days are coming, when all that is in your house,
and everything that your fathers have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be
left,' says the LORD. 7 Some of your sons that will be born to you, will be taken away and they will be
eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon."8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD that
you have spoken is good." For he thought, "There will be peace and security in my days."
206…..Isaiah 22:20-25 and 23:1
In light of the importance of the nine things the Lord has ascribed to Eliakim and their future prophetical
meaning it seems unlikely that Eliakim was to be removed from the scene due to his own or his immediate
children’s iniquities. Why would God depose one evil Steward of the royal house of David just to appoint
another one who will also cause his own demise and not last long to fulfill the things God had appointed him
to do. It seems better to understand “in that day” of Isaiah 22:20 to refer to the actions of King Hezekiah and
their aftermath as predicted by Isaiah in chapter 39:5-8. When the days of Hezekiah were finished, he and
his royal court and those with him would be removed. It seems best to understand Isaiah 22:25 as a reference
to the actions of king Hezekiah as the reason why the “peg that was fastened in a secure place will give way.
It will be cut down and fall. The load that was hanging on it will fall down.”
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 22:20-25
22:20 The Summons of the Servant
22:21-24 The Significance of the Servant
22:25 The Severing of the Servant
16. Prophecy of Tyre’s Fall: 23:1-18
The last oracle or burden of this great section of the prophecy of Isaiah, chapters 13-23, is about the judgment
of God on the Phoenician mercantile city of Tyre. In this chapter, the prophet declares an oracle about or
against Tyre for this city is to be destroyed which news will be reported as far away as Cyprus, vs. 1. God
commands the inhabitants, merchants and messengers of Sidon to be still (silent). The merchants of Sidon
(Tyre), had traded with many nations and they are to be ashamed because Tyre has been destroyed, vss. 2-4.
The people of Egypt will be sorely pained about the destruction of Tyre as would those of Tyre who had
travelled to Tarshish, vss. 5-6. The once glorious city of Tyre, of ancient origin (has been destroyed), vs. 7.
The LORD of hosts has planned the downfall of Tyre to defile its pride and to bring to shame all the honored
of the earth, vss. 8-9. The “daughter of Tarshish’ are to bemoan the destruction of any harbor (in the great
sea) for purposes of trading, vs. 10. God also will destroy the fortresses of Canaan, vs. 11. There will be no
celebration in Sidon nor rest in Cypress, vs. 12. The people of Tyre are to look to land of the Chaldeans
which is also in ruins. The ships of Tarshish are to wail for their fortress is destroyed, vs. 13. In the day of
their destruction, Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years and ten it will be re-established, and it will once
again “prostitute” itself with all the kingdoms of the earth, vss. 14-17. Yet in a time to come, the wealth of
Tyre will be consecrated to the LORD and used for those who live in His presence, vs. 18.
23:1 An oracle about Tyre.
Wail, you ships of Tarshish.
Tyre is destroyed without house and harbor;
from the land of Cyrpus it is reported to them.
The prophet calls the ships of Tarshish to wail for “Tyre is destroyed without house and harbor.” The
location of Tarshish is a much debated by scholars of the history of the ancient near east. Tarshish may have
been located in Spain. If so, this location would have made the Mediterranean Sea a Phoenician waterway
with boats plying its waves over its full length. Tarshish seems to have been a major trading port with Tyre.
Goods from the far west, as the residents of Phoenicia would have understood it, and grain from the Nile
delta, Isaiah 23:3, would be brought into the port of Tyre which had a close proximity to Judah. The ancient
Phoenicians were able seafarers and controlled much of the trade on the Mediterranean Sea. One of their
colonies, Cyprus is also mentioned later in this prophecy, 23:12.
The reason that the ships of Tarshish are to wail, is that the center of commerce for the entire eastern region
of the Mediterranean Sea was destroyed without house or harbor. The sailors and merchants who relied on
207…..Isaiah 23:1-7
Tyre for the buying and selling of goods would have lost their major trading port with all the profits that they
could have gained. Within the context of the preceding chapters of Isaiah, the great enemy of Tyre who
destroyed it would have been the Assyrians under Sennacherib. The Assyrians defeated Babylon in 703 B.C,
23:13 and thus it is most likely to understand the historical setting of this prophecy was the conquest of the
Assyrians of the entire eastern part of the Mediterranean coast in 702-701 B.C. Only Jerusalem was spared
the destruction brought by the armies of Assyria. The message of the destruction of Tyre was brought first to
the east bound ships from Tarshish who had anchored in Cyprus.
23:2-3 Be still, you inhabitants of the coast,
you merchants of Sidon,
your messengers sail through the sea.
3
Over the great waters
they come with grain of the Shihor,
the harvest of the Nile was her revenue.
She was the market of the nations.
Isaiah commands that the merchants of Phoenicia including the other major trading port of Sidon were to “be
silent” or to mourn for the loss of the revenue they once enjoyed including revenue from transporting grain
from Egypt (the harvest of the river Nile). Isaiah 23:3 closes with the statement that she (Tyre) was the
“market of the nations”.
23:4-7 Be ashamed, O Sidon;
for the sea has spoken,
the stronghold of the sea, saying,
"I have not been in labor,
or given birth,
I have not reared young men,
or brought up daughters."
5
When the news gets to Egypt,
they will be sorely pained at the report about Tyre.
6
Travel to Tarshish;
wail, you inhabitants of the coast.
7
Is this your joyous city,
whose origin is from ancient days,
whose feet have carried her to settle far away?
Isaiah calls for the Phoenicians (O Sidon) to be ashamed for the “sea has spoken the stronghold of the sea”
(Tyre) which now has no children to bring up because, it is implied that the men of Phoenicia have been
killed or taken captive by the Assyrian armies. Even Egypt will be “in anguish” upon hearing of the demise
of Tyre. The ships of Tarshish are to turn around and return to their home port without selling their goods.
The inhabitants of the coastlands of the Mediterranean Sea are also to wail due to the loss of this profitable
trading center. Even the ability of Tyre to colonize the coastlands has been removed. The reference in 23:4 to
the “stronghold of the sea” is most likely a metaphor for the island fortress of Tyre which had a proud and
defiant history resisting all who came against it. Even though the Assyrians defeated this “stronghold” and
later the Babylonians would bring it under their control, Tyre would in the future return to its former glory as
the great merchant city of the ancient near east.
208…..Isaiah 23:8-14
23:8-9 Who has planned this against Tyre,
the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants are princes,
whose traders are honored around the world?
9
The LORD of hosts has planned it,
to defile the pride of all glory,
to bring to shame all the honored of the earth.
Isaiah reveals that the Lord of hosts has planned the destruction of Tyre, who was once the “bestower of
crowns” and whose “merchants were princes” and whose “traders are honored around the world,” The
NKJV translates this better as: “Whose traders are the honorable of the earth.” The great pride of Tyre and
the Phoenicians was now defiled of all their beauty as was the earth itself for God planned to defile “the
pride of all glory, to bring to shame all the honored of the earth.” This message, 23:8-9, was most likely for
the people of Judah so they would understand that even great nations and peoples can be brought to
destruction by God who controls the world. As in the previous oracles by Isaiah, the prophet is declaring to
the people of Judah not to seek assistance from the Phoenicians against the advancing Assyrians armies. No
former great nation, Egypt, Ethiopia or Phoenicia, nor fledgling nation, Babylon, nor their immediate
neighbors, Syria (Damascus) nor Moab, Edom or Arabia or any other nation can be of any assistance against
Assyria. God has decreed that Assyria is his agent of destruction in his judgment against the nations. As
Isaiah, will later reveal, in chapters 36-37, even this agent of God, will itself suffer complete defeat from God
Himself without any aid from any nation.
23:10-12 Cross through your land like the Nile, O daughter of Tarshish;
there is no harbor any more.
11
He has stretched out his hand over the sea;
he has shaken the kingdoms.
The LORD has given commands concerning Canaan
to destroy its fortresses.
12
He said, "You will not celebrate any more,
O oppressed virgin daughter of Sidon.
Arise, pass over to Cyprus;
even there you will have no rest."
The prophet reveals the continuing work of God in making the nations tremble and the sea to be His means
of destruction. Canaan will also have its strongholds demolished. The Phoenicians are called upon to leave
their land and travel over the sea to its colony Cyprus but even in this small island nation, the Phoenicians
will find no rest. In these days, 702-701 B.C., God is using the Assyrians to bring about his punishment for
the sins of the countries of the ancient near east. No nation can resist or defeat the Assyrians as God’s agent
of judgment.
23:13-14 Look at the land of the Chaldeans;
this is a people who were not;
the Assyrians established it as a place for desert animals;
they set up their siege towers;
they stripped bare its palaces;
they reduced it to a ruin.
14
Wail, you ships of Tarshish;
your fortress is destroyed.
209…..Isaiah 23:13-18
Isaiah explains that the Assyrians would defeat Babylon (land of the Chaldeans) and cause the Babylonians
to be a people “which was not”. Babylon was reduced to a ruin and therefore could not be of any assistance
to Judah in its defense against the invasion of the Assyrians. The defeat of Babylon by Assyria was in 702
B.C. The Assyrian armies would be entirely destroyed by God in 701 B.C. However, Babylon would once
again rise to become the most dominant nation in the ancient near east and God would use this pagan nation
to bring about the destruction of Judah and His beloved city Jerusalem as future events unfold. In 23:14,
Isaiah repeats his command to the ships of Tarshish to wail for their fortress (Tyre) is destroyed. Isaiah 23:14
concludes this part of Isaiah’s oracle against the Phoenicians.
23:15 In that day Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, for the days of a single king. Then at the end of
seventy years, Tyre will come back as in the song about the prostitute.
A major change in Isaiah’s message is presented in 23:15-18. As recorded in Isaiah 23:15, the prophet states
that Tyre was to be forgotten for a period of seventy years, “the days of a single king” or the period of time of
a king’s lifespan. It is not stated when this period of seventy years will begin or end. One scholar suggests
that if the seventy years began in 702 B.C. and ended in approximately 630 B.C. it would coincide with the
complete collapse of the Assyrian empire following the death of its last king, Ashurbanipal. See, Gary V.
Smith, Isaiah 1-39, page 403.
23:16 “Take a harp, go about the city,
O forgotten whore;
make sweet melody,
sing many songs,
so that you may be remembered.”
At the end of this seventy-year period, Tyre will be like a forgotten harlot who walks about the city with a
harp and singing many songs with the implication that with its enemy now gone, it can once again play the
harlot with its trading partners and entice them to do business as before.
23:17 After the seventy years, the LORD will restore Tyre, and she will return to her hire, and will prostitute
herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of the earth.
There is a significant change to this prophecy introduced in 23:17. It is the Lord who will visit Tyre and bring
about the resurgence of Tyre, but she will “prostitute herself with all the kingdoms of the world on the face of
the earth.” After a period of seventy years of judgment, Tyre will once again regain her position as a major
trading center. But the city will not have learned from this period of judgment to trust in Him and
acknowledge Him. It seems that a shift has occurred in the prophecy from the times of the prophet Isaiah to
that of the end times. This is a feature of prophetic Scriptures that God gives a message to “his servants the
prophets” that at first speaks to the immediate historical events happening during the lives of the prophets
and then moves without break or introduction to the end times.
23:18 Her merchandise and her wages will be consecrated to the LORD. It will not be stored up or hoarded;
her merchandise will be for them who live in the LORD's presence, supplying plenty of food and beautiful
clothes.
Isaiah 23:18 is most assuredly is an end-times prophecy. God will use the profits of sinful nations who have
stored up or hoarded the profits (wages) from their trading of merchandise which will be “consecrated to the
LORD”. These “wages” or profits will become a supply of plentiful food and beautiful clothes for the
faithful remnant, the ones who live in the presence of the Lord. See Isaiah 18:7, 60:10-18 and 61:6. If we
210…..Isaiah 23:18
remember that God is in absolute control of the world and is sovereign in all of the dealings of the world, it
should not surprise us that He will use the monies of the world to ensure His people are looked after.
Isaiah 23:17-18, conclude and summarize the entire section of chapters 13-23 which are the judgment of God
on the world’s nations and specifically those who have a relationship or border the ancient small nation of
Judah. The primary message of these chapters is that Judah must not seek aid from any other nation or
peoples in their defense against the advancing Assyrian armies. God is using Assyria as His agent of
judgment and retribution against these nations. Judah must trust in God alone for salvation and security. The
secondary message of these chapters is that God controls every aspect of all nations including their
leadership and their financial resources. He will use the leaders of these nations and the wealth of these
nations to accomplish His plans and to bring about His decreed will for the peoples of the earth. Even
previous enemies of the nation of Judah will one day become like family and they will worship God together
in His glorious kingdom to come upon the earth.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah chapter 23
A loss from the Sea
24:1, 14 The Wailing of the Ships of Tarshish
24:2-7 The Wasting of the Strength of Tyre
A Lesson from the Sovereign
24:8-12 The Divine Power of God’s Administration
24:13 The Destructive Power of God’s Agent
A Levy from the Sea
24:15 The Wages of the Harlot Set Adrift
24:16-18 The Wages of the Harlot Set Apart
211…..Chapters 24-27 Introduction
ISAIAH STUDY: CHAPTERS 24-27
E. Worldwide Judgment and Protection for Israel: Chapters 24-27
1. Judgment on the Earth’s Peoples: 24:1-23
2. Praise for Israel’s Salvation: 25:1 – 26:21
3. The Restoration of Israel: 27:1-13
Chapters 24-27 contain prophetic declarations of world destruction and songs of praise to God in a manner
that is very similar to the prophecy of the Book of Revelation from chapters 6-20. Since the Scripture have
One divine author who moved the human scribes to write as He directed, 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21, it
should not surprise students of the Scriptures to see the consistency of the message of the Scriptures from
Genesis to Revelation. Some commentators of Scripture fall into the habit of stating that a particular human
author of a Bible book borrowed or took his message from a source outside of the pages of the Bible. This is
a dangerous viewpoint and may lead to the conclusion that the divine author, the Holy Spirit, was not
actively involved in the writing of the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit moved the human writers to inscribe
exactly as He planned so no human writer needed to borrow, repeat or take from any source any reference
that was not the full intention of the Holy Spirit. These four chapters of Isaiah are placed exactly where the
Holy Spirit intended them to be and are placed in this specific part of the prophecy God gave Isaiah for
God’s divine purposes.
Up to this point in the prophecy of the Book of Isaiah, the prophet has described in startling detail the plan of
God in His dealings of judgment upon the nation of Judah, its immediate neighbors and the most powerful
nations in the ancient near east during the days of Isaiah. All who oppose God or refuse to acknowledge Him
and worship Him as the One glorious creator of the heavens and the earth will face His divine wrath.
Chapters 24-27 are a dramatic climax to all 23 preceding chapters. The main message of these four chapters
is: God demands unfettered trust and faith in Him and any peoples including His chosen race who do not
trust Him whole-heartedly will face His judgment and destruction. A secondary message is also evident:
Even amid the wrath of God, He will show mercy, Habakkuk 3:2, and has decreed that a remnant of His
chosen race and Gentiles from the nations of the earth will survive to enjoy His glorious kingdom, which has
as its center-piece Mount Zion and has as its personal Ruler, the Messiah.
Gary V. Smith provides a very useful analysis of how chapters 24-27 are thematically related to chapters 13-
23:
“Chapters 24–27 are thematically connected to the messages against the foreign nations in chaps. 13–
23 (especially 13:1–16), to the eschatological ideas in 2:1–5, and to the praise of God in 12:1–6.
Specific theological ideas are recalled from earlier texts: (a) The positive “song of the vineyard” in
27:2–6 reverses the negative vineyard song in 5:1–7. (b) The establishment of God’s kingdom in 2:6–
21 will involve the humbling of the proud (cf. 25:11–12; 26:5) and the Lord reigning in Zion (cf.
24:23b). (c) The imagery of destruction in chaps. 24–27 is closely connected to images of God’s
judgment of the individual nations in chaps. 13–23, and particularly some of the phrases in the
eschatological introduction in 13:1–16. (d) Both 13:1–16 and 24:1–23 describe the destruction and
desolation of the earth (13:5, 9 and 24:1, 3,). (e) People will be in pain like a woman in labor (13:8
and 26:17–18). (f) God will come to the earth in power (13:9 and 24:23). (g) The sun and moon will
be darkened (13:10 and 24:23) and the earth will shake (13:13 and 24:18–20). (h) The proud will be
humbled (13:11 and 25:11–12; 26:5). And (i) few people will be left on earth (13:12 and 24:6)
because the people are sinful (13:11 and 24:5–6). Chapters 24–27 are not so much a summary but the
grand finale for 13–23. This repetition of ideas unfolds a high level of theological continuity with
212…..Isaiah 24:1
Isaiah’s earlier prophecies, but the meanings of these phrases in 24–27 are not limited to their
meaning in earlier paragraphs. Though earlier reference may provide a background from which to
draw meaning, the interpreter needs to evaluate carefully the new contexts in chaps. 24–27 to find out
if new meanings have developed to clarify God’s eschatological work.” (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol.
1, pages 406-407).
1. Judgment on the Earth’s Peoples: 24:1-23
If we understand that Holy Spirit intended these four chapters to naturally follow the preceding chapters on
the judgment of the nations and prior to the destruction of the Assyrian armies by the angel of the Lord, then
it is possible to determine the time when these prophecies were declared. It is likely that they were
proclaimed by Isaiah just prior to the final siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrians in 701 B.C. They are then
closely linked to chapter 22:1-14 and stand as a vivid picture of God’s intentions, not only for the nation of
Assyria in the near future but for all the nations of the world in a far future day.
Throughout chapter 24, Isaiah is declaring the destruction to come on the entire earth. But when is this
destruction to come? We know from history that this world-wide destruction did not happen during the days
of Isaiah nor any day since the times in which Isaiah lived. We also know from Scripture that the type of
destruction described by the prophet will happen in the future as stated by the Apostle John in Revelation
chapters 6 to 20. It cannot refer to the opening verses of Genesis for at that time no peoples yet lived on the
earth. There were no inhabitants during the first day of creation to be scattered.
As recorded in Isaiah chapter 24, the prophet proclaims that his audience is to Look (or Behold), for The
LORD makes the earth desolate, and twists its surface and scatters its inhabitants, vs. 1. This will affect all
the earth’s people, regardless of rank or wealth for the earth is to be absolutely devastated and completely
plundered, vss. 2-3. The earth is devastated, and few people remain, because its inhabitants have transgressed
laws and violated statutes and have broken the everlasting covenant, vss. 4-6. Grape vines dry up and
celebration ceases. Cities are ruined throughout the earth, vss. 7-13. However, in a far future day, the
inhabitants of the earth will glorify the LORD, vss. 14-16a. The prophet laments the judgments to come upon
the earth and the wickedness of its people, vss. 16b-20. In the day of the LORD, He will punish the kings of
the earth and He will reign in Mount Zion, in Jerusalem, vss. 21-23.
Gleason L. Archer, Jr. comments on verses 1-13:
“The judgment that has been particularized in chapters 13-23 for each of the nations involved with
Palestine now is represented as about to be poured out upon the earth as a whole. Verse 4 makes it
certain that earth here must mean “the whole inhabited world” and not simply the land (of Palestine),
as eres (v. 3) might otherwise be construed. There are just two classes of mankind in view here: the
wicked and corrupt society of this world; and the faithful people of God. Without distinction as to
class or condition, the wrath of the Almighty is to be poured out upon all the people of the world; and
all the delights of sinful pleasure will be snatched away from them. Only the smallest remnant of
them (vv. 6, 13) will survive the general destruction.” (Gleason L. Archer, Jr. Isaiah, The Wycliffe
Bible Commentary, page 626, Moody Press, 1962).
24:1 Look, the LORD lays waste to the earth,
makes it desolate,
twists its surface,
and scatters its inhabitants.
213…..Isaiah 24:1-2
There should be no doubt that the opening verse of chapter 24 clearly states that the cataclysmic days of the
end of the tribulation period, prior to the establishment of the Messianic kingdom are prophesized by Isaiah.
This opening verse is a fit declaratory introduction for chapters 24-27 of Isaiah’s prophecy. Some call these
chapters the little apocalypse of Isaiah for they describe events that are revealed in greater detail in the Book
of Revelation which is also known as the Apocalypse. This title for the Book of Revelation comes from the
word “revelation” which is the Greek word Apokalypsis, meaning revealing, unveiling or unfolding, which is
the very first word of John’s Revelation of Jesus Christ. Isaiah 24:1 not only is a capstone statement for all of
chapters 24-27 but is also the beginning statement of these four chapters which brings to dramatic conclusion
the judgment on the nations recorded in chapters 13 to 23 of Isaiah’s prophecy. Therefore, chapters 24-27
were not arbitrarily inserted into the book of Isaiah at this point but were carefully written by the prophet to
bring his words of judgment on the nations to a stunning conclusion. These words should provoke all who
read them to consider their relationship with the Lord who holds their future in His hands. If any who read or
hear the words of chapters 24-27, choose not to come to the Lord in faith and trust in Him for salvation, then
they will suffer the consequences that these chapters so terrifyingly reveal.
The very first word that Isaiah states in 24:1 is “Look” or better translated as “Behold.” Isaiah begins this
declaratory exclamation with a notice that the LORD has something dramatic to reveal and all who hear or
read the prophet’s words should sit up and take notice. This is not just the passing on of words received from
the Lord. Isaiah intends that his audience pay serious attention to the message he will next reveal.
The message concerns the earth. The word for “earth” is the Hebrew word eres which in the context of this
passage, as Gleason Archer Jr. has stated above, is best translated as “earth” and not simply land which some
may misunderstand as referring only to the land of Judah. The entire world is being addressed and God’s
judgment is to come upon it as the last book in the Bible so vividly declares.
The word “desolate” is also translated as ‘devastates” and is the Hebrew word balaq and has the meaning of
“to annihilate” or “lay waste” which is repetitive of the prior phrase: “lays waste to the earth.” The word
“twists” also translated as “distorts” is the Hebrew word avah which has the meaning of perversion, to do
iniquity, and bending or twisting. The sense of the Hebrew is that all of the earth will be twisted out of
recognition or distorted due to the activity of iniquity by its inhabitants. The Lord is therefore distorting the
entire surface of the earth as a judgment upon the earth’s inhabitants for their unending wickedness. See also
verses 5-6.
24:2 It will hit the priest just like the people,
the master just like the servant,
the mistress just like the maid,
the seller just like the buyer,
the borrower just like the lender,
the debtor just like the creditor.
The comparative words of who will be like each other: people-priest, servant-master, maid-mistress, buyer-
seller, lender-borrower, and creditor-debtor are indicative that in the last days when God will lay waste the
earth, everyone will equally face God’s wrath. There will be no exclusions. This prophecy is again seen in
Revelation 6:15-17:
“15 Then the kings of the earth, important people, commanders, the rich and powerful, and every slave and
free person, hid themselves in the caves and rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and to
the rocks, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of the one sitting on the throne, and from the wrath of the
Lamb, 17 for the great day of their wrath is come, and who is able to survive it?"
214…..Isaiah 24:3-4
24:3-4 The earth will be absolutely devastated,
and completely plundered;
the LORD has spoken this word.
4
The earth dries up and withers,
the world languishes and withers,
the people of prominence of the earth languish.
The destruction of the earth in these verses is described by many words which are very descriptive of the
kind of devastation that will come upon the world at the end of the tribulation period when God completes
that part of His judgment just prior to the second advent of the Messiah who will rescue the faithful remnant
of His people Israel and then establish His earthly kingdom that will endure for a thousand years.
The types of destruction mentioned describe a climatic time when God will deal with mankind for their
abominations and evil actions. John the Apostle states, "We thank you, O Lord God Almighty, who is and
who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign. 18 The nations raged, and your
wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged has arrived, as well as the time to reward your servants
the prophets and the saints, and those who fear your name, both the small and the great and to destroy those
who destroy the earth." Revelation 11:17-18.
Those who were responsible for destroying the earth would themselves be destroyed as Isaiah so clearly
proclaims in 24:5-6. The final destruction of the earth will come about at the time of the great white throne
judgment, Revelation 20:11 and just following the pronouncement of the judgment of the second death, the
lake of fire as described in Revelation 20:14 – 21:1. Some students of Scripture see this destruction as not
involving the complete destruction of the earth but more of a renovation where the earth is being prepared for
the eternal state. This view seems unlikely as the Apostle Peter states as recorded in 2 Peter 3:10, “But the
day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and
the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”
(NKJV)
At the time of the great white throne judgment, the Apostle John describes the demise of the earth and
heaven as recorded in Revelation 20:11, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it, from whose
presence the earth and heaven fled away and there was no place found for them.” The Apostle Matthew
records the words of Jesus regarding these climatic days in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass
away, but my words will not pass away.” Isaiah also adds more comment in 24:18-20. See the notes below
for these verses.
During the days of the tribulation as recorded in the book of Revelation, the Lord will bring disaster upon the
earth and its inhabitants. The Apostle John states various stages of destruction in Revelation 6:12-16, 8:7-12,
11:19, 16:1-21 which were all a prelude to the final removal of the earth and heaven as recorded in
Revelation 20:11. The reference to the heaven in Revelation 20:11 must be the atmospheric and cosmic
heaven, including the sun and the moon and all stars and galaxies. The new heaven and new earth, Revelation
21:1, will have no need for these celestial objects as stated in Revelation 21:23, “The city has no need of the
sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God illuminates it and the Lamb is its lamp.”
During the period of the tribulation, the earth will be subject to great turmoil, yet the entire earth will not be
destroyed. Jeremiah 4:27-31 is a similar passage regarding the days of the tribulation. Jeremiah 4:27 states,
“For this is what the LORD says, the whole land will be desolate, yet I will not totally destroy it.” The
complete destruction of the earth will happen at the time of the great white throne judgment.
215…..Isaiah 23:5-6
It is not just the earth and the cosmos that are under the judgment of God. Isaiah 24:1 as seen above includes
the scattering of the inhabitants of the earth. Isaiah 24:2 describes these people as including all peoples from
every walk of life. Isaiah 24:4 states that, “the people of prominence of the earth languish.” The Hebrew
word for languish is amal which has the meaning of languish, fades and withers. Isaiah uses this word in
16:8, waste away; 19:8, waste away; 24:7, languishes; and 33:9, withers. See also Jeremiah 14:2; Hosea 4:3;
Joel 1:10 and Nahum 1:4. Israel will not escape these days of judgment and devastation. Arnold G.
Fruchtenbaum suggests that there are several day of the Lord (Jehovah) passages that refer to the punishment
of Israel: Ezekiel 13:1-7; Zechariah 13:2-6; Joel 2:1-11; Joel 3:14-17; Amos 5:18-20; Zephaniah 1:7-13; and
Zechariah 13:8-9. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps of the Messiah, pages 281-285
24:5-6 The earth is defiled by its inhabitants;
because they have transgressed the laws,
violated the statutes
and broken the everlasting covenant.
6
Therefore a curse devours the earth,
and its inhabitants are found guilty.
Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned,
and few people are left.
As stated in Isaiah 24:5-6, the prophet expounds on the reasons for the demise of the people of the earth. The
peoples of the earth, since the creation of the first man and woman, have never stopped violating God’s
commands and rebelling against Him. God’s first catastrophic judgment on the peoples of the earth for their
continual evilness was the great flood recorded in Genesis chapters 6-9. God stated that He would not destroy
every living thing – while the earth remains.
Moses, as recorded in Genesis 8:20-22 stated, “Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took some of all
the clean beasts and clean birds, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And the LORD smelled the sweet
aroma. And the LORD said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of human beings, for
the imagination of the human heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again destroy every living thing
as I have done. 22 As long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and
winter, and day and night will not cease.”
The people of the earth have defiled the earth by transgressing “the laws.” The word “laws” is the Hebrew
torah. It may not be a reference to the Mosaic law. It can be understood as general laws of truth that God has
made evident to all human beings. The Apostle Paul stated in Romans 1:18-20, “For the wrath of God is
revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth by their
unrighteousness, 19 because what can be known about God is clear to them; for God has shown it to them. 20
For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen, even his everlasting power and
divinity, being seen through the things that are made. So they are without excuse.” However, as “laws”, the
Hebrew word torah is combined with “statutes”, the Hebrew word choq, it would also apply to the people of
God who will face the terrible days of the tribulation as Jeremiah 30:4-7 reveals.
Also, God stated, as recorded in Genesis 9:11, “I establish my covenant with you. Never again will all flesh
be cut off by the waters of the flood; and never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” It is
important to remember God made this promise to keep the seasons and the cycle of day and night, “as long
as the earth remains”. In Isaiah chapter 24 and Revelation chapter 20, God promises to completely destroy
the earth. The earth will not remain and therefore God can keep His covenant with Noah and also punish the
inhabitants of the earth for their continuing to transgress His laws and to violate His statutes and to break the
everlasting covenant, Isaiah 24:5.
216…..Isaiah 24:5-6
The reference to breaking the “everlasting covenant” Isaiah 24: 5, may lead to speculation by students of the
Scriptures as to the identification of this covenant. There are several covenants that God has made with
mankind and His covenant people that are stated in the Scriptures as “everlasting”: (1) Covenant with Noah:
Genesis 9:16 and the greater context: Genesis chapters 8 and 9; (2) Covenant with Abraham: Genesis 17:7
and the greater context: Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21; 17:1-21; 26:2-5 and 28:10-17; (3) Covenant with the
Priesthood: Numbers 25:10-13; (4) Covenant with David: 2 Samuel 23:5 and the greater context: 2 Samuel
7:12-16; Psalms 89; 110 and 132; and (5) the New Covenant: Jeremiah 32:40 and the greater context:
Jeremiah chapters 31-33; and Ezekiel 36:22-37. As Isaiah does not identify any specific “everlasting
covenant” it is perhaps best to let this statement stand on its own. For an excellent resource on the Biblical
Covenants see The Masters Seminary Journal TMSJ 10/2 (Fall 1999).
It is a worthwhile and important study for students of the Bible to understand the covenants God has made
with mankind. It is one of the great core issues of the Scriptures as the covenants give detail as to God’s
purposes and plans for the world and the peoples He has created. To understand the Bible correctly is to
understand the meaning and intent of these covenants. It is to be lamented that many Bible believing saints
do not know nor understand, even in a cursory way, the content and meaning of these covenants.
As recorded in Isaiah 24:6, the prophet records the results of those who have not kept the laws and statutes of
God and have broken the everlasting covenant God had made with them. There are two calamities to come
upon the earth. The first calamity is, “a curse devours the earth,” and the second is, “the inhabitants of the
earth are burned and few people are left.” The reference to the curse that devours the earth is as old as the
Garden of Eden. God cursed the ground because of the sin of Adam, Genesis 3:17. Later when Noah was
born, Lamech, his father called his name Noah, and he said, “He will bring us relief from our work and from
the toil of our hands, because of the ground that the LORD has cursed.” Genesis 5:29.
God has promised a curse on those who have been disobedient to his commandments and a blessing to those
who have been obedient to them. Near the end of Moses’ life, this great leader spoke to the Israelites and
urged them to be obedient to the Lord and follow all his commandments. Deuteronomy chapters 28 to 30
contain promises of both blessings and curses for the people of God depending upon their obedience or
disobedience to the words of God. Other passages of Scripture contain similar invocations: Joshua 8:34, 2
Chronicles 34:24, Proverbs 3:3, Isaiah 65:5, Jeremiah 11:1-5, 17:5, and Daniel 9:11 in the Old Testament. It
is not until the last chapter of the Bible that we read of the eternal state where, “There will no longer be any
curse.” Revelation 22:3. Jeremiah reminded the Israelites of the consequences of not heeding the words of
God’s covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 "Hear the
words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 3 Tell them, 'This
is what the LORD, the God of Israel says: "Cursed is the person who does not obey the words of this
covenant, 4 which I commanded your forefathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out
of the iron-smelting furnace,' saying, 'Obey my voice, and do everything that I command you then you will be
my people, and I will be your God, 5 so that I may keep the promise that I swore to your forefathers, to give
them a land flowing with milk and honey,'" the very land you have this day.'" Then I answered, and said,
"Amen, may it be so, LORD.” Jeremiah 11:1-5.
The words of Isaiah in 24:6, “its inhabitants are found guilty,” have a significant meaning. “Found guilty” in
the DASV, Hebrew asham, is translated “desolate” in the KJV. “Burned” is the Hebrew word harar, which
means to be burned or charred. See discussion by Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 237, and Edward E.
Hindson, Isaiah in the King James Bible Commentary, page 798. “Found guilty” is followed by “Therefore
the inhabitants of the earth are burned,” which delivers a powerful message to all who read Isaiah’s
prophecy. God’s final solution to the unrepentant sin of mankind is destruction by fire. First the burning of
Hell awaits those who go there and then Hell itself is cast into the eternal lake of fire. Revelation 20:14. This
217…..Isaiah 24:7-11
is not a popular message, and many try to dispel this horrible outcome by advocating the annihilation of
man’s souls upon death, but this is not what the Bible teaches. The message of both Isaiah 24 and Revelation
20 needs to be heeded by all of the world’s inhabitants. No one who continues to sin is exempt. No one can
escape the horrific consequences of God’s final solution for sin unless they repent of their sins and trust in
the Messiah of Isaiah who is the Savior of mankind. Isaiah had earlier commented on this time in 13:11-13.
24:7-9 The new wine dries up,
the vine languishes,
all the merry-hearted groan.
8
The celebration with tambourines ceases,
the revelry of those who rejoice stops,
the joy of the harp halts.
9
No longer will they drink wine with a song;
strong drink will be bitter to those who drink it.
Isaiah 24:7-9 is a sub-section within the greater section of 24:7-12 which continue the description of the woes
of the people who are living during the time of the tribulation. Those who would drink wine for celebrating
have no cause for merriment as the vine will decay. Isaiah in 24:7, describes the new wine as languishing
(mourning) as if the wine itself is aware of the calamity of the judgment of God upon the people. In 24:8,
Isaiah stated that musical instruments, tambourines and harps will no longer be used by revelers, those who
are joyous, exultant or by the jubilant. There will be no cause for joyous occasions. If and when singing takes
place, wine is not consumed, 24:9, and even strong drink offers no pleasure for it will be bitter to those who
drink it.
24:10 The wasted city is broken down;
every house is locked down
so that no one can enter.
The identification of the “wasted city” or city of chaos, Isaiah 24:10 and desolate city, in 24:12, may cause
some to speculate as to its specific identity. However, as the city is not identified, it seems best to let this
prophecy of the “city” in the future to be a representation of all the cities and their inhabitants that will suffer
unimaginable misery and ruin during the tribulation period to come. The city where the wicked inhabitants
have rebelled against God is “broken down.” The meaning here is that the city has been laid waste and is now
of no worth. There is no house open where people can enter or live. This is a prophecy of the final days of the
tribulation period during which the announcement of the fall of Babylon is described. See Revelation
chapters 17-18.
24:11 There is crying in the streets for wine;
all joy has turned to gloom,
the gladness of the land is banished.
Isaiah in 24:11, repeats the emphasis of 24:7-9 as the vine has decayed and there is no wine to drink and
there is no joyous occasion where wine would be consumed. There is no joy whatsoever in “the earth” as
only gloom remains for any gaiety has been banished. The wicked inhabitants have no place to turn and face
utter despair and the horror of the judgment of God upon them.
218…..Isaiah 24:12-16a
24:12 The city is left desolate,
and the gate is beaten into pieces.
As a fitting description of the worthlessness of the city, Isaiah states that the very gate of the “city” is “left
desolate” or “battered into ruins” (ESV). The city gate represents its defense in the keeping out of enemies
and protecting the people within the walls. There is now no defense and the enemy the people face is God
Almighty who will enact complete destruction on both the city and its inhabitants. There will be no escape
from the judgment of God as only desolation remains in the city.
24:13 This is how it will be throughout the earth
among the nations,
like when an olive tree is beaten in harvest,
like the gleanings left when the grape harvest is over.
Although contained within the message of destruction, Isaiah’s prophecy does offer a glimmer of hope for
those who will endure the days of tribulation. The residue from the shaking of an olive tree and the gleanings
when the grape harvest is over, seems to indicate that there will be a few people who can harvest the meager
fruit that is left. These people may be understood to be the “remnant” of the elect people of God which are
ethnic Jews who have come to a belief of their Messiah for salvation. They will have called on Him to come
and save them from their enemies who have surrounded them and threaten to completely destroy them.
Zechariah 9:11-17, 12:1-14:7. In that day they will, “look on me, the one whom they have pierced. They will
mourn for him, as one mourns for an only son, and will grieve bitterly for him, as one bitterly grieving over a
firstborn child.” Zechariah 12:10. The ones who glean the meager leftovers from the harvest would also
include surviving Gentiles who have come to trust in Jesus Christ, the Messiah, for salvation.
24:14-16a They will lift up their voices,
they will shout for joy;
the majesty of the LORD
they will proclaim from the west.
15
Therefore glorify the LORD in the east,
even the name of the LORD,
in the islands of the sea,
the God of Israel.
16
From the ends of the earth we hear songs:
"Glory to the Righteous One."
The remnant, both Jews and Gentiles who have trusted in their Messiah for salvation and are alive when the
Messiah returns to end the period of Tribulation will sing praises of glory to the name of the Lord. They will
sing His praises from the east and from the west, from the coastlands of the sea and from the ends of the
earth. The peoples from every place on the earth will glorify God and sing “Glory to the Righteous One.” vs.
16a. The reason for this rejoicing is that they will have seen the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who has
saved them from the calamity of destruction. This inclusion of songs of praises amid prophecies of
destruction is similar to the pattern of the Book of Revelation. Chapters 24-27 of Isaiah remind the reader of
Scripture of Revelation chapters 6-19 where the prophecies of world doom, introduced by Isaiah, are further
explained. For a discussion on the inclusion of the Gentiles in this world-wide chorus of praise, see Gary V.
Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, page 421.
The DASV, in Isaiah 24:16 states “Glory to the Righteous One.” The KJV states “glory to the righteous,”
which could imply that the faithful remnant of the Lord are the ones who are adorned with glory, but the
219…..Isaiah 24:16b-20
context of this passage, in particular vss 14-15, best describes that the songs being sung to the ends of the
earth are worship hymns praising God as the “Righteous One.”
24:16b-20 But I said, "I am wasting away,
I am wasting away, woe is me!
For the deceivers have acted deceitfully;
the deceivers have acted very deceitfully."
17
Terror, the pit, and the snare, are upon you,
O inhabitant of the earth.
18
Whoever flees from the sound of terror
will fall into the pit;
whoever comes up out of the midst of the pit
will be caught in the snare.
For the windows of heaven are opened,
and the foundations of the earth tremble.
19
The earth is totally broken up,
the earth is ripped apart,
the earth is violently shaken.
20
The earth will stagger like a drunkard,
it will sway like a hut in a storm;
its transgression will be heavy on it,
it will fall and not get up again.
As the Prophet Isaiah contemplates the vision of the doom of the world given to him by God, he realizes the
hopeless condition of all mankind including the nation of Judah. Not only is the situation of the world
hopeless it is further terrorized by the treacherous actions of the world’s inhabitants. Instead of seeking God
in repentance when faced with worldwide calamity, the peoples of the world resort to treachery. The prophet
cries out, “woe is me” similar to an earlier time when he saw the Lord, Isaiah 6:5, and he acknowledged that
he lived among a people of unclean lips. One scholar suggests:
“In verse 16b the prophet sighs and expresses a woe because "the treacherous have dealt
treacherously; yea, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously." When one recognizes that Isaiah,
chapter 24, is the abridged form of Revelation 6:1-20:10, and when one compares this brief outline
with the full details as given in the Book of Revelation, one comes to the conclusion that this
"treacherous one," or ones of whom the prophet here speaks, can be none other than the Antichrist
and his lieutenants who, in the middle of the Tribulation ban all religion and demand that everyone
worship him.” (D.L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly-June 1944).
Isaiah does not seem to be responding in woe to the current crisis facing Jerusalem by the armies from
Assyria amid the cavalier attitude of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Isaiah 22:1-14. The prophet states in
Isaiah 24:17-20, that it is the entire earth and all of its inhabitants that are facing destruction. From the
perspective of Isaiah, who is declaring this prophecy, the timing of the calamity of the complete destruction
of the earth would not be known. He would not have known how far it will be in the future that the earth
“will fall, and not get up again,” 24:20. Thus, Isaiah sees that due to the treachery of the world’s inhabitants,
he also is among the doomed and he cannot, at this time, sing the songs of praise, 24:14-16a, that those in the
future will sing who will have escaped the doom to come.
The tone of Isaiah 24:16b to 20 is one of complete dismay and helplessness for the inhabitants of the earth.
Those who are victimized by the treacherous dealings by the wicked of the earth will not escape terror if they
220…..Isaiah 24:16b-21
run away for the pit and the snare will entrap them, 24:16b-18a. If this is not enough to endure, the prophet
reveals that the windows above will be opened, 24:18b, which is likely a reference to the judgment God will
send from the heavens upon the peoples of the earth as described in Revelation 6:12-17, 8:3-13 and 16:1-21.
If the judgments of God sent from the heavens are endured, then worse is to follow.
The words in Isaiah 24:17-18, “the pit and the snare,” are descriptive terms that predict that humans will be
caught in traps just like those set for wild animals. Jeremiah uses these words when describing God’s
judgment on Moab, “Terror, the pit, and the snare, is your destiny, O inhabitant of Moab," says the LORD. 44
"The one who flees from fear will fall into the pit; the one who climbs out of the pit will be taken by the
snare.” Jeremiah 48: 43-44. The Prophet Amos describes these days in a well-known passage, “Woe to you
who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you want the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light.
19
It will be as if a man fled from a lion, only to meet a bear; then escaping into a house, rests his hand on the
wall, only to be bitten by a snake.” Amos 5:18-19.
The words in Isaiah 24:18, “For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth
tremble,” are descriptive of the destruction to come during the days of the tribulation. The phrase “the
windows of heaven are opened” is a reference to the destructive judgments God will cause to come from
heaven as John describes in Revelation 6:12-17; 8:5-12 and 16:1-21. The phrase “the foundations of the earth
tremble” is also a reference to these same horrifying days of judgment as John describes in Revelation as
earthquakes, 6:12; 8:5; 11:19; and 16:17-19.
Isaiah 24:19-20 reveals that the earth itself will be “broken up.” It will be “ripped apart” and will be
“violently shaken” and the earth will “stagger like a drunkard”. It will “sway like a hut in a storm,” and
finally, due to the transgressions of its inhabitants, “it will fall, and not get up again.” This descriptive
terminology of the last days is not confined to this specific prophecy of Isaiah. Isaiah mentioned a very
similar judgment on the earth as stated in 13:13-16. Those who understand this prophecy to be a literal
description of the last days will acknowledge that no matter how bad this period of calamity appears to be
during the great tribulation period, God is still in control and will not allow the earth to be finally destroyed
until after the days of the millennial kingdom are over and the world’s inhabitants come face to face with
God at the great white throne judgment. Revelation 20:11.
24:21 In that day the LORD will punish
the host of heaven in heaven,
and the kings of the earth on the earth.
The final three verses of Isaiah chapter 24 are an amazing prediction of the final days of the earth,
immediately following the great tribulation period. These three verses are directly connected with the
previous verses of chapter 24 with the opening words of 24:21, “In that day.” What day is meant by the
prophet? “In that day,” must refer in context to the period of the great tribulation and the days following
when God will have His final solution for the sinful inhabitants of both the “host of heaven on high and the
kings of the earth on the earth,” 24:21. The verses that precede these final three verses of chapter 24 deal
with the destruction of the earth and punishment of its inhabitants that can only be understood as the days
during the great tribulation. No other period in the history of the earth can rightly fit the days described in
Revelation chapters 6-19. Isaiah 24:21-23, completes the prophecy with a description of the rule by the Lord
of hosts in Jerusalem on Mount Zion.
The prophet records in 24:21 that, in that day, “the Lord will punish the host of heaven in heaven and the
kings of the earth on the earth.” The close connection of the words “hosts” and “kings” reveal the prophet’s
intention. For just as God is the Lord of hosts, 24:23, who is the sovereign of all the armies (angelic ones) of
221…..Isaiah 24:21-22
heaven, the word “host” in 24:21 should be rightly understood as those angelic beings who inhabit the
heavenly places. These “hosts” should not be interpreted as stars and other celestial bodies for what purpose
are they being punished? What have they done to deserve God’s judgment? The prophet Daniel was given a
vision of the activities of these angelic hosts as recorded in Daniel 10:13. Other Scriptural references to their
activity and their judgment are recorded in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Ephesians 6:12, Colossians 2:15, 1 Peter
3:22, and Revelation 12:7-9. Refer also to Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-7 for insights into Satan’s activities in the
heavenly realm.
It is sometimes a puzzle to students of Scripture why God, in His design and plan for His creation, allowed
for those angelic hosts to remain for so long in a state of rebellion before He finally brings His judgment
upon them. The student must remember that God’s ways are higher than our ways and His wisdom far
surpasses that of any human being, no matter how intelligent or knowledgeable. God ultimately has a
purpose for these angelic beings and when this purpose is fulfilled to God’s glory, He will bring on them the
punishment He alone has decreed. Not all angelic hosts will be so judged. Revelation 12:7-9 seems to
indicate that up to one third of these angelic hosts will come under the judgment of God for their rebellious
allegiance with Satan.
Not only will the angelic hosts who have rebelled be judged by God in the last days, but the kings of the earth
will also come under divine retribution for their sins. It is significant that in Isaiah 24:21, the prophet repeats
the phrase “on the earth”. This emphasizes the distinction between the heavenly realm and the earthly realm
and makes it clear that God’s judgment upon all beings is being described. While Isaiah limits this
punishment on earth to the kings as a counter point to those who are in the heavens on high, other Scriptures
certainly indicate that all the inhabitants of the earth will face God’s punishment in that day. Refer to
Zephaniah 1:2-3, Matthew 13:41-42, and Revelation 20:12. The earth’s rulers will certainly be at the
forefront of the ones receiving their due reward for their sinfulness and rebellion against God. Revelation
6:15.
24:22 They will be gathered together,
as prisoners gathered in a pit.
They will be locked up in the prison;
after many days they will be punished.
Isaiah records that “they”, likely both the angelic hosts and the wicked kings of the earth, will be gathered
together and confined in prison and “after many days they will be punished”. A description of the fate of the
angels and ungodly humans that have sinned is recorded in 2 Peter 2:4-5, “For if God did not spare the
angels when they sinned, but threw them down to hell, and held them in pits of darkness to be there until the
judgment; 5 and if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with
seven others, when he brought a flood upon the ungodly world.” and 2 Peter 2:9-10: “then the Lord knows
how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and reserve the unrighteous for punishment unto the day of
judgment, 10 especially those who indulge their flesh with defiling lust, and despise authority. Brash and
arrogant, they do not fear slandering heavenly beings.” Jude records in his letter, verse 6, “And angels that
kept not their proper positions, but left their appropriate dwelling place, he has kept in everlasting chains
under darkness until the judgment of the great day.” It is likely that the place where angelic hosts who have
sinned are being kept for their final judgment is the pit or abyss. Revelation 20:3. The ungodly people of the
earth who have died will be kept in Hades (Hell) until the day of the great white throne judgment. Matthew
23:33, James 3:6, and Revelation 20:14.
The next statement as recorded in Isaiah 24:22 “after many days they will be punished,” if taken in context
with the first part of this verse, describes a period of time that best fits the time that follows the millennial
222…..Isaiah 24:22-23
rule of Christ. See Revelation 20:1-6. This is a natural understanding of this verse. Revelatory prophecy in
Scripture is progressive from Genesis to Revelation with later prophetic truth often filling in details that was
not declared in an earlier passage. This is seen most readily in comparing prophetic and fulfillment passages
such as Isaiah 7:14 and Luke 1:26-38.
24:23 Then the moon will blush,
and the sun will be ashamed;
for the LORD of hosts will reign in Mount Zion,
in Jerusalem and before his elders with glory.
The prophet reveals the crowning and glorious truth of the apex of “in that day” of Isaiah 24:21. In that day,
“the moon will blush and the sun will be ashamed.” The Hebrew words Isaiah used was literally the white
and the hot referring to the white reflection of the moon and the hot blazing sun. The reason they would be
abased and ashamed is their brightness and glory cannot measure up to the glory of the LORD of hosts who
“will reign in Mount Zion” The Lord will reign in Jerusalem “before his elders with glory.” It is possible that
the words of the prophecy in this verse are condensed as early prophetic messages often are in Scripture.
Prophets of the Old Testament were often given prophetic truths from God that “telescoped” or condensed
the complete message. Later passages in Scripture expanded the message to provide full details as to the
Lord’s purposes and plans for His people and for the times of the end. Isaiah 24:23 appears to be one of
these condensed prophecies. The abashing of the sun and moon seems to fit with the eternal state according
to Revelation 22:5, “There will be no more night. They will not need any light from a lamp, nor light of the
sun, for the Lord God will give them light. They will reign forever and ever.”
However, the words in Isaiah 24:23, “for the LORD of hosts will reign in Mount Zion in Jerusalem,” best fit
the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. In the eternal state, there is no mention of Mount Zion and Jerusalem is
there called the New Jerusalem. The following selected passages describe the rule of the Messiah from
Mount Zion, Psalm 2:6; Isaiah 2:3, 4:5, and 8:18; Joel 3:16-21; Micah 4:1-13; Zechariah 8:3, and 9:9. The
last phrase of Isaiah 24:23, “before his elders with glory.” can be understood as fitting either the millennial
kingdom or the eternal state. The first Scriptural reference to elders beholding the glory of God is Exodus
24:9-11 and the last specific reference is John’s vision of heaven in Revelation 19:4 which comes just before
the establishment of the millennial rule of Christ.
Michael Vlach concludes a discussion on 24:21-23 by stating,
“The reign of the Lord in Isa 24:23 is not the invisible universal reign of God from heaven, but the
tangible mediatorial, earthly, kingdom rule of the Messiah from Jerusalem. The next chapter (Isa 25)
will explain the details of this reign. It will involve a lavish banquet for all peoples with the removal
of death (25:6-8).” (Michael Vlach, Isaiah 24:21-23: The Victory and Rule of the Messianic King,
The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, page 870).
Teaching Outline of Isaiah chapter 24
24:1-12 The Prophecy of the Ruin
24:13 The Plight of the Remnant
24:14-16a The Praise of the Remnant
24:16b-20 The Predicament of the Reprobates
24:21-23 The Proclamation of the Ruler
223…..Isaiah 25:1-2
2. Praise for Israel’s Salvation: 25:1 - 26:21
In Isaiah chapter 25, the prophet praises and exalts God because of His wonderful accomplishments and
faithfulness to His ancient plans, vs. 1. God has brought to ruin a fortress that will never be rebuilt, vs. 2.
Therefore, the strong will respect God for He has been a refuge, and a stronghold for the poor and needy, and
He has also been a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat, vss. 3-4. God will silence the ruthless
and the foreigners, vs. 5. God will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples, in this mountain (Mount Zion)
and will remove the veil and shroud that has covered all the nations and will swallow up death forever and
will remove forever the disgrace of His people, vss. 6-8. In that day, it will be said, here is God and He will
save us and let us be glad in His salvation, vs. 9. The hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain (Mount
Zion) but the people of Moab will be trampled down, and their walled fortress will be torn down to the
ground, vss. 10-12.
25:1 O LORD, you are my God;
I will exalt you,
I will praise your name;
for you have done wonderful things,
plans shaped of old in absolute faithfulness.
As recorded in Isaiah 25:1-5, the prophet proclaims another song of praise to God. Interspaced among the
prophecies of destruction on the earth are these praise hymns: 24:14-16a; 25:1-5; and 26:1-19 and 27:2-6.
Following the immediate context of Isaiah 24:21-23, the prophet proclaims this praise song, which will be
sung by the remnant of the earth as they march through a ruined city and onwards to Mount Zion to meet the
Lord of hosts who will, in that far future time, be ruling the world from the city of Jerusalem. The song of
praise begins in Isaiah 25:1, with exaltation and thanksgiving to the name of the Lord, for He has “done
wonderful things, plans shaped of old, in absolute faithfulness.”
This wonder working God is being praised for bringing to completion His plans which He had formed in the
countless ages of the past and He has brought them to fruition with a faithfulness that is perfect. The plans of
God are precious promises for those who trust in Him, “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the
thoughts of his heart to all generations.” Psalm 33:11. “For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD,
"plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11. Isaiah spoke
often of the plans of God, Isaiah 14: 24, 27; 22:11; 23:9; 37:26 and 46:11; as did Jeremiah 18:8; 49:20 and
50:45.
The plans of God are steadfast and certain, and in His faithfulness, He is completing in perfection all that He
has planned. Moses after a lifetime of witnessing first-hand the faithfulness of God proclaimed, “He is the
Rock, his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful God who does nothing wrong, Just and upright is
he.” Deuteronomy 32:4. Even amid the foreboding sadness of a sinful and rebellious generation, the prophet
Jeremiah could proclaim, “The loyal love of the LORD never fails, because his compassions never end. 23
They are fresh every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23. The perfect faithfulness of
God is sung about most gloriously in the Psalms, Psalm 33:4; 36:5; 40:10; 89:1, 2, 5, 8, 24, 33, 49; 91:4;
92:2; 96:13; 98:3; 100:5; 119:75, 90, 138; and 143:1 It is also a common praise from the prophet Isaiah. See
Isaiah 11:5, 16:5, 25:1 and 38:18-19.
25:2 For you have made a city a heap,
a fortified town a ruin,
a fortress for strangers is no longer a city;
it will never be rebuilt.
224…..Isaiah 25:2-4
One of the wonders mentioned in Isaiah 25:1 is declared in 25:2. It is that a city has been made into a ruin
and it is no longer a fortress or palace for strangers for it will never be rebuilt. No specific city is mentioned
by Isaiah his song of praise. Babylon may have been the intended city. Jeremiah proclaimed that, “Babylon
will fall for the slain of Israel who have fallen, just as the slain of all the earth have fallen because of
Babylon.” Jeremiah 51:49. The great city of Babylon will certainly meet its eventual doom just before the
return of the Lord Jesus Christ as stated in Revelation 14:8 and 18:1-2. This city may be intended as it best
fits the chronology of the last days if this praise hymn is sung by the remnant as they march through the
ruined city and on to Mount Zion in Jerusalem. David L. Cooper understands the city to be a reference to
Babylon. Others, however, are not so certain to name “the city” as Babylon and understand it to be
representative of a typical city which has been judged of God and overthrown completely.
25:3 Therefore strong peoples will respect you;
a city of ruthless nations will fear you.
The prophet records in Isaiah 25:3 that due to the destruction of “the city” as stated in 25:2, that “Therefore
the strong people will glorify You; the city of the terrible nations will fear You.” (NKJV). Who are these
strong people and in what context are we to understand the cities of ruthless nations who will “glorify”
(revere, respect) the Lord God? As Isaiah, had previously proclaimed in 19: 23-24, two of Judah’s greatest
enemies, Egypt and Assyria will one day worship the Lord. There likely could not be any stronger peoples
from any more ruthless nations than these nations and in days of the end times, there may be more Gentile
nations who will revere the Lord as Messiah and come to worship in when He reigns on Mount Zion in
Jerusalem during the Millennial kingdom. If the city that is destroyed completely is understood as
representing the ungodly cities of humanity, then the Gentile survivors of the wrath of God during the
tribulation will be the ones who will come and revere the Lord God.
25:4 For you have been a refuge for the poor,
a stronghold to the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the storm,
a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless is
like a storm battering against the wall,
The prophet’s song of praise concentrates on the helpless and the needy in distress. The helpless and needy
people described in Isaiah 25:4, are set in contrast to the strong and ruthless of 25:3. In that time, during the
terrifying days of tribulation, Revelation chapters 6-19, not everyone will be destroyed. The prophet, as
recorded in Isaiah 26: 20-21 of this united prophecy, urges his people, the faithful remnant of the Jews, to
hide in their rooms:
20
Go, my people, enter into your rooms.
Shut your doors behind you.
Hide yourself for a little while,
until his anger is passed.
21
For look, the LORD comes out of his dwelling place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their sin.
The earth also will reveal the bloodshed on her,
and will no longer cover her slain.
The prophet is now praising God in the past tense. As recorded in 25:4, Isaiah proclaims that God has been
for the poor and needy a refuge and a fortress. From the storm and the heat God has been s shelter and shade.
Those who would seek their harm, the ruthless, are likened to a storm that is battering against the wall of
225…..Isaiah 25:4-5
God’s fortress. The implication is that their attack will not succeed and all inside God’s protective shelter
will be safe. The praise of the prophet here is that these horrific days are now past, and God has been faithful
to protect His people from the storm of destruction being brought on the whole earth. It is in keeping with the
context of these verses that this protection by God refers to the safety He will give to the most helpless
during the days of the great tribulation.
25:5 like heat in a parched place.
You will silence the uproar of foreigners;
like the heat subsiding from the shade of clouds,
the song of the ruthless will be silenced.
Isaiah continues his praise to the Lord God who subdues or silences the uproar of the foreigners, which are
the Gentiles who belong to the army of Antichrist who will seek to destroy the people of God. Not only will
these ruthless invaders be silenced, but their song will be silenced “like heat in a parched place”. The poetic
language of the prophet here is used to dramatize the ways God will protect the helpless and needy. The
songs of praise as recorded in Isaiah 25:1-5 is leading up to an event, that the peoples who were listening to
the song would not likely have imagined. The proclamation of the next section, Isaiah 25:6-12 to the
prophet’s audience, must have been like listening to the “Hallelujah Chorus” for the first time for modern day
audiences. No wonder Kings and rulers stand in respect when the music and words of the composer Handel
are sung by a grand choir. It may have been the same for Isaiah when he proclaimed these next words. His
audience would have been overwhelmed in wonder.
Isaiah’s prophecy of the end times as recoded in chapters 24-27 has now arrived at the very center of the
prophet’s magnificent oration. Isaiah 25: 6-12 is like a grand introduction to the entire great section of
salvation and comfort that the prophet will present in chapters 40-66. It is almost if the prophet is invoking
the words of the psalmist David, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge
in him.” Psalm 34:8.
The center of attention is now shifted beginning in Isaiah 25:6 to what the prophet states as “in this
mountain.” What mountain is this? In Isaiah 24:23 the prophet indicates that it is Mount Zion where the
Lord of hosts will reign. Therefore, it is logical in context of Isaiah chapters 24-27, that the mountain
mentioned in Isaiah 25: 6, 7 and 10 is also Mount Zion. There should be no doubt that this prophecy is about
the day of the Lord where the returning Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ will defeat His enemies and rescue
the remnant of the Jews from imminent destruction and then set up a banquet “for all peoples” on Mount
Zion to celebrate His victory and the establishment of His kingdom on earth. There was no day like this on
Mount Zion from Isaiah’s day to today and it will not happen until the Lord returns. The Spirit of God, who
is the true author of Scripture, gave this magnificent prophetic word to Isaiah. It is one of the grandest
pictures of the days of the retuning Messiah that is recorded in all the Scriptures.
The history of Mount Zion is worthy of careful study by the student of the Scriptures. Abraham was told by
God to take Isaac: “your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love,” to be offered as a burnt offering, in the
land of Moriah, “on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” Genesis 22:1-3. This was Mount Moriah
where David went to erect an altar to the Lord and purchased this site, which was called “the threshing floor
of Araunah the Jebusite,” 2 Samuel 24:18-25. This very site was stated by God to be the place upon which
Solomon built the temple of the Lord 2 Chronicles 3:1. Abraham called this site, “The Lord Will Provide”
and Moses commented, “it is said even to this day, in the mount of the Lord it will be provided.” Genesis
22:14. Moses called this place the “mount of the Lord.” God, through the prophet and king David, later
stated, “I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain.” Psalm 2:6 (NASB). In the future from
David’s time to the time of the end, the day of the Lord, Mount Zion is the focal point of God’s dealing with
226…..Isaiah 25:5-8
his chosen people. For further study, students should consider all the Scripture passages where Zion and
Mount Zion are mentioned. The words “Mount Zion” occur 21 times and “Zion” 178 times in the DASV.
From this study, it will be marvelous to discover just how much the Lord loves His holy mountain and the
people who inhabit it.
25:6: In this mountain the LORD of hosts will
make a lavish banquet for all peoples,
a feast of well aged wines and choice meats,
of the finest wines well strained.
As will be discussed below, the occasion of this banquet will be the marriage supper of the Lamb. The
Messiah will return to the earth as a victorious warrior king, Isaiah 63:1-6, and will vanquish His enemies
and then lead His faithful remnant to “this mountain” which was previously Mount Moriah but is called
Mount Zion, the beloved mountain of the Lord. This banquet consisting of wine and choice pieces stands in
sharp contrast to the failed vineyards of Judah, Isaiah 1:7-9, 3:14, 5:1-12 and 7:23; and to the banquet the
Jews themselves selfishly enjoyed. Isaiah records in 5:12, “The harps and the strings, the tambourine and
flute, and wine are in their feasts; but they do not regard the work of the LORD, nor consider the operation
of His hands.” (NKJV).
Just as in Isaiah’s day, there were other banquets in the past when kings were crowned as recorded in 1
Samuel 11:15; 1 Kings 1:9, 19, 25; 1 Kings 8:62-65; and these banquets were also hosted by sinful men who
could not measure in any way in holiness to the Lord of hosts. The banquet, Isaiah references in 25: 6 is to be
unlike any other the world has seen before or will see, because its host is the Lord of Lords and the King of
Kings. The fulfillment of this predicted banquet must certainly be the marriage supper of the Lamb recorded
in Revelation 19:7-9 for no other banquet event recorded in all of the Scriptures could possibly be the event
predicted in Isaiah 25:6. This great banquet was alluded to by the Lord in the parable of the marriage feast in
Matthew 22:1-14. The wedding clothes necessary for attending the marriage feast, Matthew 22:11-14
certainly point to the “fine linen, bright and pure” which will be worn by the saints who will be the bride of
the Lamb who will attend the great marriage supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19:7-8.
25:7 He will swallow up on this mountain
the shroud that covers all peoples,
and the veil that is spread over all nations.
Isaiah 25:7 most likely refers to the final removal of the “shroud” and the “veil” that have covered all the
inhabitants of the world. When people are still in their sins and unsaved, the meaning of the Scriptures and
specifically the words of Moses, which is the law, appear as a veil over their hearts. Only when they turn to
the Lord for salvation is this veil removed. They then will understand the word of God. Satan, the one called
“the god of this world” has blinded unregenerate minds so that they cannot see “the light of the gospel of the
glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4. Refer to the greater context in 2 Corinthians
3:12 – 2 Corinthians 4:6. In contrast to this viewpoint, many scholars understand this shroud and veil to be a
reference to the action of God who will “swallow up” (remove) the curse of death that is upon all nations.
However, See David L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly – June 1944 for an
affirmation of the first interpretation given above:
25:8 He will swallow up death forever;
and the sovereign LORD will wipe away tears
from off all faces;
the disgrace of his people,
227…..Isaiah 25:8
he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken it.
Isaiah 25:8 is another dramatic statement of the many actions that will happen on Mount Zion during the
great banquet to be hosted by God as the beginning of the millennial reign of His Son. First, Isaiah states that
God “will swallow up death forever.” The Apostle Paul cited Isaiah 25:8, as recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:54,
to point out the truth of the victory over death that God will provide at the resurrection of all those who
believe in Christ for salvation. Isaiah in 25:8 makes an outstanding prophecy about the reality of life after
death. The prophet Isaiah commented on this in chapter 26:
Your dead will live;
your dead bodies will rise.
Wake up and sing, you who dwell in the dust.
For your dew is like the morning dew,
and the earth will give birth to those who were dead.
(Isaiah 26:19)
The Old Testament does contain references to the reality of life after death. Death as an outcome of
disobedience to God is first mentioned early in the Scriptures in Genesis 2:17 and Genesis 3:17-19.
However, the possibility of living after death is revealed in later days. Job, who may have lived during the
days of Abraham or shortly thereafter, believed in the reality of living with God following death. Job stated,
“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth in the end. 26 Even after
my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God. 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes, and not
another. My heart is overwhelmed by the thought.” Job 19:25-27. Job understood that he will have a
Redeemer who will save him, not from physical death but from eternal death. This passage in Job contains
the first mention of the word Redeemer. Students of Scripture understand that this Redeemer is the One who
was declared to be the seed of Eve who would “bruise Satan on the head” but Satan could only bruise Him
on the heel. Genesis 3:15. Isaiah, in 41:14 reveals who this Redeemer is:
Do not be afraid, O Jacob, you worm.
You men of Israel,
I will help you,"
says the LORD;
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah 25:9 states, this One, whom the people of God have been waiting for, during the dark devastating days
of the tribulation will be revealed as the LORD for He will save them. In the context of these verses in
chapter 25, there should be no doubt that Isaiah is not referring to just temporal physical salvation. Isaiah
states in 54:5:
For your Maker is your husband;
the LORD of hosts is his name.
The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer.
He will be called 'the God of the entire earth.
In Isaiah 54:5, the prophet also calls this Redeemer by other titles: “your Maker – your husband”. In the Old
Testament God calls Himself the husband of Israel. In the New Testament Jesus Christ is the bridegroom of
the saints –and that is also worthy of another study by the student to Scripture. Isaiah continues his
description of this Redeemer as recorded in 60:16:
228…..Isaiah 25:8
You will know that I, the LORD,
am your Savior, your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Jacob.
There certainly may have been many who understood this Mighty One of Jacob, the Lord of hosts, to be their
savior or redeemer in the sense of saving them from physical harm from their enemies. However, it is readily
evident that by comparing Job’s comment about eternal salvation wrought by the Redeemer with the
description by Isaiah of the One who is the Redeemer, that Isaiah must have had understood that this
Redeemer and Savior provides eternal rather than temporary physical salvation to those who trust in Him.
The prophet Daniel clearly understood the reality of everlasting life. Daniel 12:2.
The second great action in Isaiah 25:8 regards the events of the end time banquet hosted by the Lord of hosts.
It is stated as “the sovereign Lord will wipe away tears from all faces.” In this comment, Isaiah again brings
an early prophetic word about the wondrous works of God in the future. In Revelation 7:17, the Apostle John
states, “For the Lamb who is in the middle of the throne will be their shepherd, and will guide them to
springs of living water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” John repeats this comforting
word in Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, nor
will there be any more mourning, crying, or pain. The former things have passed away.”
It is evident from the references in Revelation that the eternal state is in view rather than the millennial reign
of Christ. Thus, we see again the telescoping of prophecy by the Old Testament prophets who were not given
all the details about the end times and how God would bring in two sequential reigns, the one being temporal,
for one thousand years on the existing earth and the other being eternal on a new earth. It is significant that
the Apostle John in Revelation 1:17, 21:4 and Isaiah in 25:8 both mention the removal of death and the
wiping of tears away from the eyes of the saints.
Isaiah continues with a third great action of the marvelous works of God as recorded in 25:8, “the disgrace of
his people, he will take away from all the earth.” At the time of the beginning of the millennial reign of the
Messiah, Jesus Christ upon Mount Zion, the remnant of the Jewish people, “his people” which is ammi in the
Hebrew, will finally have the stigma removed from them of being God’s outcasts and His scattered ones.
God will bring His people back to the land which He has promised them. This process has already started and
will increase dramatically when Christ returns. Then His people will have a new status and standing in the
world. Long ago, Moses stated the words of God as recorded in Deuteronomy 28:13, “The LORD will make
you the head and not the tail, and you will always be on top and never on the bottom, if you obey the
commandments of the LORD your God, that I am giving you today, to observe and to do them.”
The words of Moses again speak to this situation in the longer passage, Deuteronomy 30:1-10 which
promises that the Jews would return to God and be restored from captivity and would be gathered “again
from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you.” Deuteronomy 30:3. This second re-
gathering of the Lord’s people is also mentioned by Isaiah in chapter 11:11-12:6. Refer to the notes on that
section of this study. Other passages of Isaiah declaring this great re-gathering include, Isaiah 27:12-13 and
43:5-7. The major and minor prophets also made mention of this truth, Jeremiah 16:14-15, 23:3-4, 23:7-8 and
31:7-10; Ezekiel 11:14-18, 36:24 and all of Ezekiel chapter 37; Amos 9:14-15; Zephaniah 3:18-20; and
Zechariah 10:8-12.
It should be remembered that the basis of this re-gathering of God’s chosen and elect people to a place of
preeminence in the land God gave His people, was the covenant that God cut with Abraham as recorded in
Genesis 12:1-3; 12:7; 13:14-17; 15:12-21; 26:2-5 and 28:13-15. Other references in the Old Testament
include, Leviticus 26:40-45; Deuteronomy 30:1-14; Isaiah 27:12; 30:23-26; 35:1-10; 65:21-24; Jeremiah
229…..Isaiah 25:8-10
31:1-14; Ezekiel 20:42-44; 28:25-26; 34:25-31; 36:8-15; 28-38; Joel 2:18-27; 3:18; and Amos 9:13. These
Scriptures have to do specifically with the land promise God made to His people. For a further treatment of
the final restoration of Israel and many other subjects dealing with the Messianic Kingdom, see The
Footprints of the Messiah, Revised Edition 2004, published by Ariel Ministries, by Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum.
The prophet concludes this magnificent prophecy, recorded in Isaiah 25:8, with the authoritative “for the
LORD has spoken it.” This is a sure word of prophecy which has the stamp of the Lord’s sovereign
declaration. It will happen exactly as the Lord said it will. There should be no doubt as to the messianic
fulfillment of not only Isaiah 25:8, but of all the prophetic words that Isaiah has delivered. The words, “the
LORD has spoken” is a common phrase used by Isaiah to affirm the authority of God’s message. See also
Isaiah 1:20; 21:17; 22:25; 24:3; 37:22; 40:5; 46:11; 48:15; and 58:14.
25:9 It will be said in that day,
"Look, here is our God;
we have waited for him,
and he will save us.
This is the LORD;
we have waited for him,
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."
As mentioned above in the notes for Isaiah 25:8, the prophet would certainly have known that the great
Redeemer would bring everlasting salvation to the people of God. The occasion of the Lord’s banquet, Isaiah
25:6-12, would be a celebration of this eternal life that the Holy One of Israel has given to His people. It is
certainly not a coincidence, that the very words of Isaiah 25:9, “let us be gland and rejoice in his salvation”
are part of the praise of the saints at the great banquet, the marriage supper of the Lamb as recorded in
Revelation 19:7. These words also are part of the great praise of Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that the
LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Other Scriptural references which use similar words of
praise for the days when the Messiah will reign include, 1 Chronicles 16:31; Psalm 21:1; 31:7; 32:11; 40:16;
70:4; 96:11 and 97:1, 8; Isaiah 35:1; 65:18-19 and 66:10; Joel 2:21, 23; and Zechariah 10:7.
Isaiah expectantly waits for the salvation of the Lord and in his prophecy as recorded in 25:9, the prophet
states that, at this great banquet, the peoples will see the Lord for whom they have waited. Others have
expressed this sentiment, “But as for me, I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My
God will hear me.” Micah 7:7 See also Genesis 49:8; Psalm 25:5; 62:1 and 119:81 and Lamentations 3:26.
The prophet further records his desire to wait for the salvation of the Lord as recorded in Isaiah33:2 and 51:5.
See also Romans 11:25-26. An interesting and unique commentary on Micah about the long wait of Israel is
entitled Micah and the long, sad days before Israel's latter days by Bernard E. Northrup. This short
commentary of Micah was available online at the time of the publishing of this study of Isaiah.
25:10-12 For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain;
Moab will be trampled down in his place,
just like straw is trampled down in the water of a manure pit.
11
Moab will spread out its hands in the midst of it,
like one who swims spreads out his hands to swim;
but the LORD will lay low their pride together
with the spreading out of their hands.
12
Your impregnable walled fortress he will bring down,
laid low, torn down to the dusty ground.
230…..Isaiah 25:10-12
These verses contain comments about the people of Moab who live in close proximity to Mount Zion, “on
this mountain” Isaiah 25:10. The mountains of Moab can be seen from various parts of Jerusalem including
Mount Zion. The Lord includes, in His message to Isaiah regarding the last days, a lament about the people
of Moab who will not be a part of the glorious times mentioned in the first 9 verses of chapter 25. The legacy
of the Moabites was one of ill dealings with their close cousins the Israelites. Isaiah had earlier delivered a
message about the demise of this nation in chapters 15 and 16 of Isaiah’s prophecy. The last mention of
Moab in the Scriptures, Zephaniah 2:8-9, gives the reason for their demise:
8
I have heard the taunts of Moab,
and the ridicule of the Ammonites, by which they have mocked my people
and arrogantly threatened their border.
9
Therefore as surely as I live,
says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel,
Moab will become like Sodom,
and the Ammonites like Gomorrah.
They will be overrun by nettles,
and become salt pits and a permanent wasteland.
The remnant of my people will plunder them,
and the remnant of my nation will occupy their inheritance.
Isaiah states the Lord’s complete and utter distain for the people of Moab. In Isaiah 25:10-12, the prophet
states that the Moabites will be trodden down like straw in a manure pile and when they try to get out of the
pile, they will be prevented from escaping and their final plight will be to be ground to dust. It is of interest
to students of the Scriptures, that God adds the lament about Moab in the context of the great words of praise
for the works He will perform on Mount Zion. There seems to be an intentional contrast between the
Mountain of the Lord where blessings will be given to the faithful remnant and the mountains of Moab where
there will be judgment and absolute destruction. The prophet’s intent in these verses is to remind all who
will listen of the drastic consequences of their sinful actions contrasted with the delightful blessings of their
faithful actions.
Even among those who despise the God of Israel and His people, God can still work to fulfill His sovereign
plans and purposes. Could any good thing come out of Moab? God answers this question with the story of
Ruth. This is a story about a widowed Moabite widow named Ruth who, although in deep poverty, became
the wife of a wealthy landowner in Bethlehem named Boaz who happened to be a kinsman of Ruth’s late
husband’s father. Boaz and Ruth became the parents of a son named Obed. Obed had a son named Jesse and
Jesse had a son named David. The great story of Ruth from Moab is about her kinsmen redeemer, Boaz who
is a portrait of the greater kinsman redeemer, the Messiah.
Teaching Outline of Isaiah Chapter 25
25:1-5 The Rejoicing of the Remnant
25:6-9 The Reward of the Repentant
25:10-12 The Ruin of the Rebellious
Isaiah Chapter 26
Isaiah 26:1-19 contains a song of praise and a prayer of patience. This song and prayer will be proclaimed by
those who have been kept safe during the days of tribulation, Isaiah 26:20-21. These are the words of the
faithful remnant in the land of Judah who rejoice over their LORD who has brought them salvation, removed
their enemies and has enlarged the borders of their promised land. “In that day,” the future day of the LORD,
231…..Isaiah 26:1-2
these words will be proclaimed regarding what God has accomplished, giving them a strong city into which a
nation, the remnant, the faithful and righteous people may enter, vss. 1-2. God will keep His faithful people
who trust in Him, in perfect peace, vs. 3. His people are to trust in Him forever for He as an everlasting rock
has defeated His enemies who once lived on high but now have been trampled down to the dust of the
ground, vss. 4-6.
The LORD makes the way of the righteous straight and level. God’s people wait for Him in the path of His
judgments and the desire of their souls is for His name and His memory. God’s people desire Him. When
God’s judgments are seen on the earth, the inhabitants learn righteousness, but when favor is shown to the
wicked, the world will not learn righteousness, but will act unjustly and will not see the majesty of the
LORD, vss. 7-10. The prophet asks that the wicked will see the LORD’s zeal for His people, so they can be
put to shame, and the LORD’s fire will consume His enemies, vs. 11. But the LORD will establish peace for
His people and His name was kept in remembrance by them, vss. 12-13. Those the LORD destroys will not
arise and all memory of them will be erased, vs. 14. But the LORD has increased the nation and enlarged its
borders and His name is glorified, vs. 15. The people had searched for the LORD when they were in trouble
and did not accomplish any deliverance in themselves, vss. 16-18. Yet the LORD will cause the righteous to
live and they will arise and sing to Him, vs. 19. The people of the LORD are to hide themselves for a little
while until the LORD completes His punishment upon the wicked of the earth, vss. 20-21.
26:1-2 In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
God has set up salvation like walls and ramparts.
2
Open the gates,
so that the righteous nation
that keeps faith may enter.
Some may view the words of the prophet, “in that day,” Isaiah 26:1, as a return to the days just prior to the
culmination of the Assyrian attack on Jerusalem. Others may understand it to be a continuation of the
prophecy of the greater day of the Lord and in particular the beginning of the millennial kingdom. The song
of the strong city, Isaiah 26:1-6 is contrasted with the song of the ruined city, 25:1-5. There seems to be no
valid reason to understand the words, “in that day” Isaiah 26:1 to be anything other than a continuation of the
prophecy of the greater day of the Lord, which Isaiah began as recorded in 24:1 and continues until the end
of chapter 27. The words “in that day” are repeated often in chapter 27 to confirm the continuation of the
prophetic message of Isaiah in chapters 24-27 regarding the days of tribulation and entrance into the
millennial kingdom of the Messiah.
As recorded in Isaiah 26:1, the prophet recites the beginning of a song that the remnant will sing as they
march into Jerusalem, which will be the regal residence of the Messiah during the millennial kingdom. In the
context of this song, the people are singing about a strong city within the land of Judah. The word Judah,
Yehudah in the Hebrew, means “praise” and is a fitting statement for the song of praise that the remnant will
sing. This city is undoubtedly Jerusalem and one who sets up walls and ramparts is the Lord of the city, the
Messiah who will reign the earth from this “strong city”. Those who sing are calling for the gates of the city
to be opened, Isaiah 26:2, so that the faithful righteous nation may enter. The faithful nation is the remnant of
the Jewish people who have just been rescued from their enemies by their Messiah. The prophet calls for the
gates of the city to be opened. The city had just recently been overrun by the armies of the nations who were
bent on destroying the Jews. Zechariah 14:1-3. Now it stands ready for re-occupancy by a faithful and
righteous nation. Psalms 15, 24 and 118 describe this event. Psalm 118:19-20 is another description of this
day:
232…..Isaiah 26:1-5
“Open the gates of righteousness for me;
I will enter through them,
and I will give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD,
the righteous will enter in through it.”
Following the victory of the Lord over His enemies and His divine protection of the righteous remnant of His
chosen people, those who belong to this faithful righteous nation, will march from their secure place, in
Bozrah, where they have been in hiding during the most terrifying days of the great tribulation. The Lord will
have just rescued them from the armies of the world who had surrounded them. In their most desperate
moments, they had called on the Lord in repentance and in humble recognition of their prior rejection of Him
as their Messiah, they ask Him for protection. The Messiah responds to their plea and returns to the earth to
destroy these enemies, Isaiah 63:1-6 and then to lead His faithful remnant to the strong city and to Mount
Zion where a great banquet has been prepared, Isaiah 25:6.
The above narrative is a very concise prophetic description of the last days of the great tribulation and the
beginning days of the millennial kingdom. There is no single Scriptural passage that records the complete
depiction of this narrative. Students of Scripture must be diligent in their study to piece the story together
from a number of Old and New Testament passages. One student who has done this piecing-together is
Arnold Fruchtenbaum who has put this narrative together in precise order. Fruchtenbaum’s book, The
Footsteps of the Messiah, presents the plight of the Jewish people from the days of their scattering and
sojourning in the nations of the world until their re-gathering and settlement in their promised land during the
days of the millennial kingdom and then into the everlasting days of the eternal state.
26:3-4 You will keep in perfect peace,
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
4
Trust in the LORD forever;
for in the LORD, yes the LORD,
you have an everlasting rock.
Isaiah continues the song of the faithful remnant. The emphasis of these two verses in on trusting in God the
Lord who is an everlasting Rock. Because of this trust, those who are steadfast of mind will be kept in perfect
peace by the Lord. The words “perfect peace” are in the Hebrew, shalom shalom or “peace peace”. The
repetition of the word peace signifies the completeness and perfection of this peace which the Lord alone
gives to those whose “minds are steadfast” which has as its meaning, that these people have a mind-set of
completely leaning on and depending on the Lord.
26:5-6 For he has brought down those who dwell on high,
the lofty city;
he lays it low,
he lays it low even to the ground;
he throws it down into the dust.
6
Feet will trample it down;
even the feet of the poor,
the steps of the needy.
Isaiah completes the first segment of the song of praise by the faithful remnant as they enter the City of
Jerusalem to commence the millennial kingdom and to worship their retuning Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
233…..Isaiah 26:5-7
It is the Messiah who is the subject of these verses. It is He who is praised for bringing low “those who dwell
on high, the lofty city.” This is a reference to Isaiah 25:2 and 12, where the cities of the world including those
of Moab have been made into a ruin. It is the faithful remnant who, in Isaiah 26:6, are described as having,
“the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.” It is they who are singing these praises to the Lord. It is they
who will trample the remains of these cities into dust; when they walk victoriously from their hiding place up
to Mount Zion. The prophet, in Isaiah 51:11 records their journey as does Isaiah 35:10 which states,
Those ransomed by the LORD will return,
and come with singing to Zion;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
They will find joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
26:7 The way of the righteous is straight,
you level the path of the righteous.
The prophet changes the tone of the prophecy from a song of praise to a supplication of patience. The prayer
beginning in 26:7, reminds the reader of the Psalmists plea as recorded in Psalm 1:1,
Blessed is the one who
does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
or stand in the way with sinners,
or sit in the seat of mockers.
It also is similar to many of the instructions of Solomon as recorded in the book of Proverbs. The word
“straight” is meshar in the Hebrew and has the meaning of evenness, uprightness and equity. It also occurs in
Isaiah 33:15, “speaks straight” and 45:19, “speak righteousness.” In the context of this passage this word
could also be translated as “even” or “smooth” as the walkways and paths in Judah were upon rocky hillsides
which made progress slow and often dangerous. Yet during the walk of the faithful remnant up to Zion to
worship the Messiah, their paths would be made level and even. The word “way” is the Hebrew word orach.
Among the major prophets, Isaiah alone uses this word. It is translated in Isaiah as “path” or “paths” in 2:3;
3:12; 26:8; 30:11; 40:14; and 41:3. In 33:8 it is translated as “highways.” It also occurs in as path in Joel 2:7
and as paths in Micah 4:2. The word “path” in Isaiah 26:7 is the Hebrew magal, which is also translated as
“paths” in Isaiah 59:8. It is interesting that in many of these verses, the English version contains both the
words “way” and “path”, such as Isaiah 2:3 and Micah 4:2. In Isaiah 2:3 it is translated as “He will teach us
His ways, and we will walk in his paths,” and in Micah 4:2 it is translated as “He shall teach us His ways,
and we shall walk in His paths” (NKJV). Isaiah 26:7 states, “The way of the righteous is straight, you level
the path of the righteous.” In Isaiah 30:11 the people of Judah rebelliously state, “Get out of the way, turn
aside from the path.” Isaiah in 40:14, speaking of God, states “Who taught him the path of justice?.... or
showed him the way of understanding?” These references are all for the DASV except for the NKJV as
shown.
In the NKJV, the name of the Lord, “O Most Upright” is inserted between lines one and two of Isaiah 26:7.
The DASV and the ESV have only the word “you” as a reference to God. The NIV and NASB have “O
Upright One”; and the KJV has “Thou most upright.” This title for God, in these English versions, other than
the DASV and the ESV, is unique in the Old Testament, occurring only in this verse.
234…..Isaiah 26:8-9
26:8 Yes, in the path of your judgments, O LORD,
we wait for you;
the desire of our soul is for your name
for your memory.
Isaiah reminds the Lord that the people of God have waited eagerly for Him and have been following the
way, or path, of His judgments. They declare that the desire of their inner-being or souls is for the name of
the Lord and for His memory. That this is a prayer of the faithful remnant and not of the people of Judah
during Isaiah’s day, is obviously evident. Isaiah had previously delivered a message of condemnation to the
people of Jerusalem and reminded them that their iniquity would not be forgiven, Isaiah 22:14. The Jewish
people of Isaiah’s day were desirous of anything or anyone else other than the Lord. It is only after the
chaotic days of the great tribulation that the Jewish people will finally cast off all other desires and love the
Lord with all their hearts, souls, might (mind). Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Matthew 22:37.
The reverence and glory of the name of the Lord is a great theme of Scripture. For example, in Psalm 102:21
the psalmist writes, “So that the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem.”
Ezekiel writes in 39:25 that the Lord is jealous of His name, “Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD
says: ‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel. I will be
jealous for my holy name.”
Giving praise to the name of the Lord is also one of the majestic themes of the book of Isaiah. See 12:4;
24:15; 25:1; 26:8; 13; 47:4; 50:10; 56:6, 19; 60:9; 73:14, and 16. The Psalms, however, are the Scripture’s
grand storehouse of the glories of the name of the Lord with over fifty verses declaring praise to the name of
the Lord. Psalm 106:47, for example, is an example of a song the faithful remnant will sing, “Save us, O
LORD our God, and regather us from among the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, and to glory in
your praise.” Also, similar to Isaiah’s prayer in 26:8, is Psalm 119:55, “I have remembered your name in the
night, O LORD, and keep your law.”
26: 9 My soul longs for you in the night;
yes, my spirit within me desires you.
For when your judgments are seen in the earth,
the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
As recorded in Isaiah 26:9, the prophet continues the prayer of the faithful remnant proclaiming that their
soul and spirit longs for and desires the Lord in the night. The longing of the Lord during the night watches,
(see also Psalm 63:6), compliments the injunction of Psalm 1:2 which states that the righteous meditates on
God’s law, day and night. After the calamity of the great tribulation, all the faithful remnant will have left to
them is their memory of and longing for their Messiah. They will seek Him with diligence, and they will find
him after He re-gathers them from among all the nations where they have been scattered. See also, Ezekiel
34:11-31.
In the second half of 26:9, Isaiah reveals how God deals with the ungodly by stating, “For when your
judgments are seen in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” The prophet Jeremiah, in
36:3 comments, “It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster I plan on doing to them and turn
everyone from their evil way so that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.” The Apostle John expressed a
similar but negative comment on this truth in Revelation 9:20, “The rest of humankind, who were not killed
with these plagues, refused to repent of the works of their hands.” God brings judgment upon the earth as a
punishment for the sins of its inhabitants but also as an opportunity for the world’s peoples to repent of these
235…..Isaiah 26:10-12
sins and turn to Him in trust and worship. Refer also to 1 Kings 8:47; 2 Chronicles 6:37; Jeremiah 26:3; 2
Peter 3:9; Rev. 2:21, and 16:9.
26:10 When favor is shown to the wicked,
they will not learn righteousness;
in the land of uprightness they will act unjustly,
and will not see the majesty of the LORD.
As recorded in Isaiah 26:10, the other side of the issue is declared. Even though the wicked are shown favor,
with the meaning that they witness the word and works of God, they will not repent and “learn
righteousness.” The ungodly continue to “act unjustly” even in the midst of righteousness “and will not see
the majesty of the LORD.” The Lord, just prior to His crucifixion, recorded in Matthew 23: 37-39, lamented
over Jerusalem, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kills the prophets, and stone the ones who are sent to
you! How often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings,
but you would not! 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I say to you, you will not see me again,
until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” The Apostle Paul stated, in 2 Corinthians
4:4 that, “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of
the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
26:11 O LORD, your hand is lifted up,
yet they do not see it.
Let them see your zeal for your people,
and be put to shame;
yes, fire will consume your adversaries.
In Isaiah 26:11-19, the prophet prays for the future resurrection of God’s people, and also that they would be
careful to praise God. In 26:11, Isaiah asks God to allow His people to see His uplifted hand and see His zeal
that they may be “put to shame,” for God’s enemies will be consumed by fire. The prophet warns the wicked
of their final destiny because they fail to see the hand of the Lord raised and ready to bring judgment upon
them. Even though the wicked witness the zeal of the Lord for His people, they still remain unrepentant and
their shameful acts will lead them to be consumed by fire. Isaiah had previously warned his audience about
the destruction of the earth to come including the burning of the inhabitants of the earth, 24:1-6. The prophet
is casting his gaze far into the future where God will enact His ultimate solution for the unrepentant actions
of the earth’s inhabitants. The author of Hebrews reminds everyone of Him whom all will have to face, “for
our God is a consuming fire,” Hebrews 12:29.
26:12 O LORD, you will establish peace for us;
for all our works you have actually done for us.
The prophet’s tone changes to that of praise for the Lord who will establish peace (shalom) for His people.
This action of the Lord to establish ultimate peace best fits the period of the millennial kingdom when the
Prince of Peace will rule the world in peace and righteousness. Isaiah’s choice of words, “for all our works
you have actually done for us” is a remarkable statement that would be at home in Paul’s epistle to the
Philippians, “for it is God who works in you both to desire and to work, for the sake of his good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:13. It is statements like this in 26:12 that so endears the prophecy of Isaiah to the believer in
Jesus Christ, the Messiah. For example, chapters in Isaiah such as 49, 52, 53 and 60-66 are filled with
exhortations and promises that drive the believer to worship the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Messiah for
whom the earth desires.
236…..Isaiah 26:13-15
26:13 O LORD our God,
other lords besides you have ruled over us,
but your name alone we will keep in remembrance.
As recorded in Isaiah 26:13, the prophet speaks for the faithful remnant, those who will enter into the newly
established millennial kingdom. Although the chosen people of God have lived under the rule of many
foreign kings and masters, it is God alone whose name they have confessed. This statement certainly best
fits the context of the millennial kingdom since no other time in history, since the days of Isaiah, could this
statement be true.
26:14 The dead do not come back to life;
the spirits of the dead do not rise;
because you have punished and destroyed them,
and erased all memory of them.
Isaiah, in 26:14, describes the wicked who have been punished and have been destroyed. There is no hope for
them. Their departed spirits will not rise to enjoy the messianic blessings of the millennial kingdom. This
understanding of the non-resurrection of the wicked at the beginning of the millennial kingdom is the only
one that is in harmony with the unfolding of God’s word about the latter days as revealed in Scripture,
specifically Revelation 20:5, “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were
completed.” Attempts to generalize Isaiah’s words to claim that he was speaking figuratively or allegorically
about death has no validity. In chapters 24-27, Isaiah is declaring truth about the last days and these words
about the non-resurrection of the wicked (during the millennial kingdom), must be taken in this context.
26:15 You have increased the nation, O LORD;
you have increased the nation.
You are glorified;
you have enlarged all the borders of the land.
The prophet adds additional details about the millennial kingdom. The repeated declaration that God has
increased the nation can be understood as an increase in the number of people in the land and an increase in
the land area of the nation. This will happen in the kingdom ruled by the Messiah when he sets up His earthly
reign. Isaiah, in 49:19-20 and 54:1-3, describes this future time when the Lord will fulfill His promise to
expand the nation of Israel. The prophet Ezekiel in 47:13-23 provides a very detailed description of the land
of Israel with its widened borders. The nation of Israel currently does not have the land area described by
Ezekiel. For Israel to enjoy the increase in her population and land area, she much first, experience the
trauma of the tribulation, and then be liberated by her Lord from the horrifying threat of annihilation by the
forces of Antichrist. After these dramatic events, Israel will joyfully witness the expansion of her land area
and the increase of her people.
God will preserve His faithful remnant who will return to the land. Isaiah declares the protection of the Lord
for these faithful ones. See, for example, Isaiah 10:20-23; 41:8-20; 65:8-16; and Micah 2:1-2. When the Lord
gains victory over His enemies, Isaiah 63:1-6, He will lead those He has rescued, in glorious praise to Mount
Zion, Isaiah 35:10; 55:11 and establish His kingdom which He will rule in peace and prosperity. Prior to the
official start of this kingdom, the Lord will deal with certain items that need to be performed. This period is
defined in Daniel 12:11-12 as following the second half of the tribulation which will last for three and one-
half years or 1,260 days. There is first an additional 30 days mentioned that will total 1,290 days since the
start of the second half of the tribulation and then an additional 45 days bringing the total to 1,335 days.
237…..Isaiah 26:15-17
These additional 75 days (30 plus 45) mentioned in Daniel 12:11-12 likely allude to the necessity of
cleansing of the temple from the desecration of it by the Antichrist. Also, the Lord will finally deal with the
beast (the Antichrist) and the false prophet who will be cast alive in the lake of fire, Revelation 19:20. Satan
will then be cast into the abyss to be bound for a thousand years, Revelation 20:1-3. The Lord will also deal
with the Gentiles who have fought against He and His people, Joel 3:1-8; Matthew 25:1-46. The resurrection
of the Old Testament saints will also occur during these days, Isaiah 26:19 and Daniel 12:2. Also, the
resurrection of the saints who were martyred during the tribulation will occur during these days, Revelation
20:4-6. Finally, the Lord will host the marriage feast of the Lamb just prior to establishing His rule, Isaiah
25:6-8 and Revelation 19:9.
There would be many who would not agree with the events that will occur during these “extra days”
mentioned in Daniel 12:11-12. The above paragraph was adapted from Chapter 15, pages 361-372 of the
book, The Footsteps of the Messiah by Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum. This adaptation may not do proper justice
to Dr. Fruchtenbaum’s full description of these days. Students are encouraged to carefully study this period
and evaluate all passages of Scripture mentioned in the chapter of the book authored by Dr. Fruchtenbaum.
Following the events just described above which will occur during the interval of 75 days mentioned in
Daniel 12:11-12, the Lord will establish His messianic kingdom. As Isaiah states in 26:15, one of the
glorious acts of the Lord will be to expand the population and the area size of the land of Israel.
26:16 O LORD, in trouble they have searched for you;
they poured out a prayer when your discipline was on them.
Isaiah continues to unfold the details of the plight of the faithful remnant. It was in a time of trouble that they,
the faithful remnant, searched for Him, and prayed diligently and fervently when God’s discipline was upon
them. This is among the most remarkable prophecies regarding the predicament that the remnant will find
themselves in, immediately prior to the return of the Lord to redeem His people. Here Isaiah speaks for this
remnant as a prophetic description of what will have happened to them, in the far future day. The prophet
Hosea in 5:15 – 16:3 also prophesized of these days:
“5:15 I will return to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt, and seek my face; in their affliction they
will earnestly seek me 6:1 Come, and let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, but he will heal us, he has
injured us, but he will bandage us up.2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up,
and we will live before him. 3 Let us acknowledge him; let us pursue knowing the LORD; he will come forth
as sure as the morning dawns; he will come to us as sure as the rain, as the latter rain that waters the earth.”
This passage in Hosea which is one of the most important prophetic messages of the Old Testament
regarding the events immediately preceding the return of the Lord to rescue His beleaguered people. When
read in the context of the other prophetic Scriptures regarding the days just prior to the return of the Messiah
to rescue His people, it is evident that it must refer to the repentance of the people of Israel who find
themselves in an impossible place where their enemies have surrounded them, and they face annihilation.
They will then, acknowledge their national sin of rejecting the Messiah at his first appearance when He lived
among them in the days when Rome ruled them. Their acknowledgment of their guilt and their whole-hearted
seeking of Him will result in His return to rescue them. Refer also to Zechariah 12:10-13:1 and Matthew
23:39.
26:17-18 Like a woman with child,
who nears the time of her delivery,
with writhing and cries in her labor pains,
so we have been before you, O LORD.
238…..Isaiah 26:17-19
18
We were pregnant,
we were in pain,
but we gave birth only to the wind.
We have not accomplished any deliverance in the earth;
nor have the inhabitants of the world been born.
Isaiah foretells of the futility of the remnant, during the days just before the Lord redeemed them, who were
striving in their own strength to bring about their own rescue from their enemies. The history of the Jews
from Isaiah’s days to the end times would certainly fit the context here as it was and is a history of rebellion
and denial of the provision of the Lord in preserving them. The imagery of these verses is a woman in labor
who is unable to give birth. Thus, the people of God, in their own strength could not bring salvation to the
earth nor could they bring forth children. The lament here is a parallel to the prophecy of judgment delivered
by Isaiah as recorded in 13:6-8, in a clear “day of the Lord” context. But events will soon change for the
faithful remnant who will be confessing their sins to the Lord as recorded in Isaiah 66:7-9:
7
Before her labor pains began,
she gave birth;
before her pain came,
she delivered a boy.
8
Who has heard of such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Can a country be born in a single day?
Will a nation be born in a second?
Yet as soon as Zion went into labor,
she gave birth to her children.
9
Would I ever bring a baby to the point of birth
and not deliver it?" says the LORD.
Would I who deliver
ever force the womb shut?" says your God.
The Lord will bring about a great transformation to His land and His people. He will allow the wombs of the
wives of the remnant to be fruitful and quickly His millennial kingdom will flourish with people.
26:19 Your dead will live;
your dead bodies will rise.
Wake up and sing, you who dwell in the dust.
For your dew is like the morning dew,
and the earth will give birth to those who were dead.
Again, Isaiah delivers another outstanding prophetic message about the day of the Lord. The Old Testament
contains a few references to the resurrection of those who have died. The major references are, Job 19:25-27;
Isaiah 26:19 and Daniel 12:2. Other O.T. Scriptures regarding the resurrection which are quoted in the N.T.
are, Exodus 3:6 regarding Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Matthew 22:31-32, and Psalm 16:8-11 regarding
Christ, Acts 2:25-28, 31. Recommended resources which contain discussions regarding the resurrection of
both believers and non-believers include: Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, Moody Publishers,
2014; Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology, Moody Press, 1999; J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come,
Zondervan, 1958; and Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, Third Edition, Baker Books, 2013.
239…..Isaiah 26:19-21
David L. Cooper provides a proper context for Isaiah 26:19:
“Following the statement in verse 19 is the prophet's address to the righteous dead: "Awake and sing,
ye that dwell in the dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast forth the dead."
From the context we are certain that this prophecy refers to the righteous in Israel who are dead.
Let us recognize the fact that there two resurrections--one which precedes the Millennial Age and one
which follows it. The righteous are raised before the thousand years' reign of our Lord; but the
unrighteous never come to life until after the thousand years are finished. Some have thought,
however, that the passage in John 5:28,29 proves a general resurrection. The words cited as evidence
are these: "For the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, 29 and shall
come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto
the resurrection of judgment." There is no contradiction between our Lord's language in this passage
and that of John in Revelation, chapter 20. John says that one thousand years intervene between the
resurrection of the just and that of the unjust. The word "hour" which Jesus used, though it may refer
to a period of sixty minutes, has various connotations. For example, in John 4:23, our Lord said: "But
the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth."
Certainly "hour" in this passage does not mean sixty minutes, but connotes the entire Christian
Dispensation. Since our Lord used the term with this meaning and since there is no contradiction
between His statement and that of the Apostle John, we are to understand that the word "hour" in
John 5:28,29 is a long period of time and that His teaching agrees with that of John. So there are two
resurrections: one of the righteous before the thousand years of our Lord's literal reign and one of the
unrighteous after the thousand years.” (D. L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research
Monthly – July 1944).
26:20-21 Go, my people, enter into your rooms.
Shut your doors behind you.
Hide yourself for a little while,
until his anger is passed.
21
For look, the LORD comes out of his dwelling place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their sin.
The earth also will reveal the bloodshed on her,
and will no longer cover her slain.
Isaiah, in 26:20-21, records a message from the Lord about the latter days that have an impact on both the
people of God and the ungodly of the earth. God urges His people to hide in their rooms for a little while.
See Hebrews 10:37 for a New Testament application of Isaiah 26:20. The Lord will be coming “out of his
dwelling place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their sin.” In the context of chapters 24-27 and
specifically when references in Isaiah 26:20-21, to the earth are compared, it seems most likely that the Lord
is referring to the times of the day of the Lord and not to the days of the Prophet Isaiah. If this is a reasonable
understanding of 26:20-21, then the Lord’s message is about the days of the great tribulation when He will
punish the wicked inhabitants of the earth and yet provide protection for the faithful remnant who will
survive these days. Revelation 12:1-6 is a New Testament confirmation of these verses. Students of Scripture
should note that there is a great deal of debate regarding these verses and many scholars interpret the
message of the Lord differently than the one given immediately above.
240…..Isaiah 27:1
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 26
26:1-6 The Praise of the Remnant
26:7-19 The Prayer of the Remnant
26:20-21 The Protection of the Remnant
3. The Restoration of Israel: 27:1-13
In chapter 27, Isaiah concludes his short prophecy on the Day of the Lord. To emphasize the end times
meaning of his message, Isaiah begins each section in this chapter with the words, “In that day”: vs. 1, 2, 12
and 13. Also in vs. 6 the prophet states regarding this time, “In the days to come.” In the context of this
chapter and specifically the concluding verse, the “day” that is emphasized is the time of the millennial reign
of Christ the Messiah who will be worshiped in the holy mountain at Jerusalem. No other time before or after
the days of Isaiah fit these words of prophecy. Those who do not believe in a literal millennial kingdom ruled
by the Messiah are left with interpreting this chapter and the preceding three chapters either by figure or by
allegory. A plain literal sense of these chapters leads the student to an understanding that God is preparing a
time in the future where the Messiah will reign on the earth from Mount Zion. This Messiah will fulfill all
the promises contained in these four chapters and in all other passages of Scripture to His chosen people
during His messianic reign.
As declared by Isaiah in chapter 27, the prophet states that “in that day” the LORD will punish and slay
leviathan the swift serpent also described as the sea monster, vs. 1. Also “in that day,” the people of God are
to sing about the LORD’s delightful vineyard which is likened to Jacob and Israel who will “bud and bloom
and fill the entire world with fruit,” vss. 2-6. Although the LORD had struck His people and expulsed them
from the land, He will forgive them and cause their land to be cleansed from idols and from those who
worship false gods, vss. 7-11. Also, “in that day,” the LORD will gather the Israelites from the nations to
worship Him in “the holy mountain at Jerusalem,” vss. 12-13.
27:1 In that day the LORD with his terrible, great and strong sword
will punish leviathan the swift serpent,
leviathan the twisting serpent;
he will slay the sea monster.
The prophet gives a message about the destruction by the Lord of a beast called “leviathan the swift serpent,
leviathan the twisting serpent.” The NKJV translates this verse as, “In that day the LORD with His severe
sword, great and strong, will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; and He
will slay the reptile that is in the sea.” The KJV translates the last phrase as, “And he shall slay the dragon
that is in the sea.”
Scholars and students of the Scriptures have posited many and fanciful interpretations of the identification of
this beast. Yet those who understand that this prophecy regards the days of Messiah’s return and rule on the
earth, the descriptive words can readily be seen as referring to Satan as the Apostle John records in
Revelation 12:9, “So the great dragon was thrown down, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and
Satan, the one deceiving the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown
down with him.” The final destruction of this beast, who is Satan is recorded later in Revelation 20:10, “The
devil, who had deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet
were too. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” Not only does God have a final solution
for those who rebel against Him, He also has a final solution for the great deceiver of mankind.
241…..Isaiah 27:2-6
27:2-3 In that day sing about the delightful vineyard.
3
I, the LORD, am its keeper;
I will water it all the time.
I will guard it day and night
so that no one can harm it.
The Lord proclaims through the prophet of a vineyard, “in that day” which must refer to the day when the
Lord will punish Satan when Christ returns. It is a day when Christ will set up His messianic kingdom which
is described as a “vineyard” in which the LORD Himself is the keeper. Those who inhabit this future
vineyard will be “Jacob and Israel,” 27:6, who will prosper greatly. See notes on Isaiah 27:6 below. The
description and outcome of this future vineyard is portrayed in sharp contrast to the days of Isaiah which are
also described as a vineyard as recorded in Isaiah 5:1-7. Isaiah emphasizes the protective care of the Lord,
who is the keeper of His future vineyard. The Lord will water the vineyard, “all the time” and guard it “day
and night”.
27:4-5 I am not angry;
if it gives me briers and thorns
I will wage war on them!
I would burn them up.
5
Let them take hold of my protection,
that they may make peace with me;
yes, let them make peace with me.
The Lord’s message, “I am not angry” (I have no wrath), Isaiah 27:4, is significant because in the context of
the day of the Lord, His wrath has been released during the terrible days of the great tribulation. The Lord
now lovingly tends to His beloved vineyard and will not let anyone try to destroy it. In 27:5, the Lord
entreats all those who would be against His vineyard to make peace with Him. This call of the Lord for those
alive “in that day” is for them to “make peace with me” is so emphatic that it is repeated. He will rule the
world as the Master of His kingdom, and no one will be able to overthrow His government or His rule. Many
will try, specifically towards the end of this future period of one thousand years. But there will be no doubt as
to the outcome of their feeble attempts, Psalm 2:1-12 and Rev. 20:1-10. One of the great titles of the Son who
is to come, who is the keeper of the vineyard, is described in Isaiah 9 as “Prince of Peace” (9:6). Also,
Isaiah prophesized that: “Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end.” Isaiah 9:7.
The Lord will reach out to the residents of the earth in this future day, to those who seek His protection and
who desire to make peace with Him. To not do so will be futility and folly with fatal consequences for no one
will be able to stand against Him, Revelation 6:16-17.
27:6 In days to come Jacob will take root;
Israel will bud and blossom,
and fill the entire world with fruit.
The Lord, as recorded in Isaiah 27:6, gives the meaning of this short parable. It is Jacob and Israel, His
covenant people who are His vineyard. They will take root, blossom, sprout and “fill the entire world with
fruit.” These days can only be during the millennial kingdom of the Messiah who will rule the earth with
peace. The “root” can also be understood as a reference to the Messiah who will take root from the stump,
the fallen house of David and restore the kingly line of David by sitting of David’s throne and ruling from
Zion over the blossoming people of Judah and Israel. During these days, the chosen people of God, the Jews
described as Jacob and Israel, will multiply and fill the earth and the earth will be blessed by their presence.
Refer also to Isaiah 35:1-10; Isaiah chapters 60-66; Amos 9:11-15; and Zechariah 14:8-11.
242…..Isaiah 27:7-10
27:7 Has he struck them as he struck those who struck them?
Or have they been killed as those who killed them were killed?
As recorded in 27:7-11, Isaiah declares a prophecy about the purpose of the Lord in dealing with His people
during the days of the tribulation. The Lord asks His people in 27:7 a rhetorical question, has God struck His
people Israel as He has punished the enemies of the people of Israel? Also, have His people Israel been killed
as God has killed those who have assaulted and killed His people? The Lord did not deal with His people in
the same way as He has done with the enemies of Israel and Judah. The evil nations have been destroyed and
their peoples slaughtered yet God has had compassion on His people.
27:8-9 You contend with them by expulsion and exile;
he has blown them away with his fierce wind
as in the day of the east wind.
9
Therefore by this Jacob's iniquity will be forgiven,
and this will be the full fruit of taking away his sin:
When he makes all the stones of the altar like crushed limestone,
with no Asherah poles and incense altars left standing.
Isaiah declares the way God deals with his rebellious chosen people by sending them into exile and removing
them from their land and the benefits of their temple worship instead of destroying them. Also, God does
something amazing which is unlike anything the people of the earth could comprehend. Instead of punishing
them with death as they deserve for their continual sinfulness, as graphically described in many passages of
Isaiah’s prophecy, the Lord will forgive His people. The Apostle Paul acknowledges this truth by citing part
of Isaiah 27:9: “And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins,” Romans 11:27.
In the context of Isaiah 27:9, the proof of this forgiveness will be when their idols and incestuous practices
will be forever removed. God hates idols and idol worship and the long sad story of Israel and Judah had
been one of rebelling against God and turning to idols for worship and to other nations for safety and
protection. When God forgave them through the discipline of banishment and expulsion, they did not return
to their previous acts of rebellion by idol worship. In the more intermediate future from Isaiah’s day, God
banished His people to exile in Babylon and when they returned to the land, idol worship was a forgotten sin.
In the far future, during the great tribulation, however, God will once again discipline His people for idol
worship and the result will be permanent peace between God and His people.
27:10-11 For the fortified city is solitary,
a habitat deserted and forsaken, like the wilderness.
There the calf feeds,
and there it will lie down,
and consume its branches.
11
When its branches are withered,
they are broken off;
women come and make a fire with them.
For it is a people with no understanding,
therefore he who made them will not have compassion on them,
and he who formed them will show them no mercy.
The prophet describes the sad conditions of those who live in the “fortified city”. This city is not identified,
and it seems best to understand it as representing the cities of the world during the period of the great
tribulation. Some, however, may want to identify this city as the restored Babylon. This “city” will be left
243…..Isaiah 27:10-13
desolate and forlorn, for it is a home to a people who do not have discernment. The Lord will not be gracious
to them nor will He have compassion on them, as He will have on His chosen people. To His chosen people,
the Lord gives grace and forgiveness of their sins. To the ungodly peoples of the world who will not repent,
the Lord gives judgment and punishment for their sins. In 27:7-11, Isaiah gives a concise statement of the
purposes of the Lord for bringing the days of the tribulation to the earth.
27:12-13 In that day, the LORD will thresh grain, from the Euphrates River to the Brook of Egypt; you will
be gathered one by one, O Israelites.
13
In that day, a great trumpet will be blown; those lost in the land of Assyria will come, along with those
who were refugees in the land of Egypt; they will worship the LORD in the holy mountain at Jerusalem.
The message of the prophecy changes from judgment to redemption. God will “in that day” gather His
people, one by one, the from the nations where they have been perishing and scattered and He will bring
them to Zion, His holy mountain at Jerusalem. The purpose of this gathering of His people is for them to
worship Him as their Messiah who has returned to redeem His people. The message of the Lord’s gathering
of His people is one that is repeated often in the prophetic writings of the Old Testament prophets. It remains
a hope and a reality for the Jewish people today for this gathering is beginning, even though many are in
disbelief. But in a future day, it will be a gathering of the faithful remnant who have repented of their sin of
rejecting their Messiah and have asked Him to return and rescue them. See Hosea 5:15-6:3; Zechariah 10:8-
12 and 12:10-14; and Matthew 23:38-39.
Teaching Outline of Isaiah Chapter 27
27:1 The Predetermination of the Lord Final Destination of Satan
27:2-6 The People of the Lord His Vineyard
27:7-9 The Purposes of the Lord Forgive His People
27:10-11 The Punishment of the Lord On His Enemies
27:12-13 The Pleasure of the Lord Re-gather His Faithful Remnant
ISAIAH STUDY: CHAPTERS 28-35
Outline of Isaiah Chapters 28:1 – 35:10
F: Warnings, Woes and Wrath: Chapters 28-33
1. Woe to Wicked Leaders: 28:1-29
2. Warnings and Woes to Jerusalem: 29:1-16
3. Rejoicing and Blessings to Jacob: 29: 17-24
4. Warnings to Judah: No safety in Egypt: 30:1-17
5. God’s Graciousness to Jerusalem: 30:18-33
6. The Sons of Israel Need to Return to the Lord: 31:1-9
7. Future Blessings on the Nation: 32:1-20
8. Prayer for Zion to take Refuge in the Lord: 33:1-24
G: The Wrath and Blessings of God: Chapters 34-35
1. The Wrath of God on the Nations: 34:1-17
2. The Blessing of the Future Kingdom: 35:1-10
244…..Isaiah 28:1-29 Introduction and 28:1
Introduction to Isaiah Chapters 28-33
Chapters 28-33 of Isaiah’s prophecy is primarily noted for its structure which is focused on a series of six
“woe” sections, which are each completed by messages of hope, preservation and salvation (see chart below).
There are also four important messianic passages intertwined amongst these sections, 28:16 (the One who is
the cornerstone); 30:19-26 (the One who is the Teacher-King); and 32:1-8 and 33:17-24 (the One who is the
righteous and majestic King). All of these four passages describe specific aspects of the role of the Messiah
in His relationship with His covenant people and also to all nations.
The structure of these six “woe” sections is highlighted by Isaiah’s declaration of woe followed by a message
of hope, preservation and salvation.
Message of Woe Messages of Hope, Preservation and Salvation
One 28:1-4 28:5-6
Two 29:1-4 29:5-8
Three 29:15-16 29:17-24
Four 30:1-17 30:18-26
Five 31:1-5 31:6-9
Six 33:1-4 33:5-24
F: Warnings, Woes and Wrath: Chapters 28-33
1. Woe to Wicked Leaders: 28:1-29
Isaiah’s overall emphasis, as recorded in chapter 28, is the pronouncement of woe on the evil leaders of Israel
and Judah who have become drunk while boasting in their own designs and actions to save themselves from
impending doom. Judah is specifically warned of God’s judgment for their covenant with Egypt whom they
think will be a strong ally to prevent the Assyrian armies from destroying their small country. It is likely that
these messages of woe and wrath were declared by Isaiah just prior to the invasion of Israel by Assyria in
722 B.C. Both Israel and Judah refused to repent and seek God’s forgiveness for their rejection of His divine
leadership. Failure to trust in God completely for their protection led to their downfall. The leaders of Judah
were just as impertinent to God as were their northern neighbors.
A The moral failure of Israel’s Political Leaders: 28:1-13
As stated in Isaiah 28:1-13, the prophet declares a woe on the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim who
are overcome with wine, vs. 1. The Lord has directed one who is mighty and strong to trample the crown of
Ephraim underfoot and bring it to destruction, vss. 2-4. The LORD, “in that day,” will become a crown of
glory to the remnant of His people, a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment, and strength to those
who repel the attack upon them, vss. 5-6. The people (of Ephraim) stagger from strong drink, they teeter
from seeing visions, and stumble when offering judgments, vss. 7-8. The people of Ephraim complain against
and mock the prophet’s message from the LORD to them, vss. 9-10. Therefore, the LORD will bring
judgment upon them, vss. 12-13.
28:1 Woe to the proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim,
and to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
located at the head of the fertile valley
of those overcome with wine!
245…..Isaiah 28:1-5
Isaiah often used the word “woe” as an introductory term for a message of warning and judgment. For other
declarations of “woe” see Isaiah 3:9,11; 5:8, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22; 6:5; 10:1, 5; 24:16 (2x); 29:1, 15; 30:1; 31:1;
33:1; 45:9, 10. The prophet’s woe in 28:1 is directed at the pride of the people of Ephraim (Israel) described
as drunkards wearing a wreath or a crown which represents the fading and diminishing glory of its capital
city Samaria. See also Hosea 7:5 and Amos 4.1 and 6:6. This city sat on a hill and overlooked a fertile
valley. Many scholars suggest that Isaiah had made this prophecy prior to 722 B.C. when the Assyrians had
captured Israel and had taken many of its citizens captive. Isaiah may have inserted this prophetic message
here as a warning to his intended audience, Judah to whom he would soon direct his attention in 28:14 and
following. See also previous “woe” judgments on Israel: Isaiah 5:8-30.
28:2 Look, the Lord has one who is mighty and strong;
like a hail storm or a destroying windstorm,
like a torrential rainstorm flooding,
he will throw their crown down to the earth with his hand.
Isaiah declares that the Lord has one who is strong and mighty and is also described as a destructive storm
coming down to earth from the hands of the Lord. It is evident from the fulfillment of this prophecy in 722-
721 B.C. that it is the Assyrians who are God’s agent of destruction. The proud crown of the drunkards of
Ephraim will be thrown down to the ground when the strong and mighty Assyrian army invades the northern
kingdom of Israel. The people of Israel should not be surprised that the Lord is bringing judgment upon
them. Isaiah, Hosea and Amos had declared prophetic messages warning of God’s coming judgment upon
them. For example, Amos spoke about the Israelites who: “lay down beside every altar upon clothes
acquired from debt collateral, and drink wine in the house of their God funded by unjust fines.” Amos 2:8. In
2:11-12, Amos declared the indictment of God on Israel: “I raised up some of your sons to be prophets, and
some of your young men to be Nazirites. Isn't this true, O people of Israel?" says the LORD. 12 But you gave
the Nazirites wine to drink, and commanded the prophets, 'Do not prophesy.” Hosea in 4:10-11, spoke
against the sins of the northern kingdom including their harlotry and drinking: “They will eat, and not have
enough; they will play the harlot, and will not increase; because they have forsaken the LORD 11 to devote
themselves to prostitution with old wine and new that enslave the heart.”
28:3-4 The proud crown of the drunkards of Ephraim
will be trampled underfoot.
4
The fading flower of its glorious beauty,
which is at the head of the fertile valley,
will be like the first-ripe fig before the harvest;
whoever spots it,
gobbles it up soon as he can get his hand on it.
Isaiah, after declaring the one (the Assyrians) who will bring God’s judgment to Israel, 28:2, next reveals the
awful results of this action. The once proud crown of the leaders of Ephraim (Israel) is now trodden under
foot and what has been left of its agricultural bounty would soon be devoured by this agent of God (the
armies of Assyria). Isaiah uses a portrait of the ruin of Israel’s agricultural resources as a description of the
downfall of the people of the northern kingdom. The phrase “fertile valley” in 28:4 is literally “valley of
fatness.”
28:5-6 In that day the LORD of hosts will become a crown of glory,
and a beautiful diadem to the remnant of his people;
6
a spirit of justice to the one who sits in judgment,
and strength to those who repel the attack at the gate.
246…..Isaiah 28:5-6
Isaiah introduces a message of salvation in contrast to the oracle of woe declared in the first four verses of
chapter 28. The LORD of hosts, which can be understood as the Lord of armies, “in that day”, will become a
“a crown of glory, and a beautiful diadem to the remnant of his people,” 28:5. Isaiah has been given a
superlative prophecy about the latter days, “in that day”, in which the Lord will reign gloriously on another
hill, Zion in contrast to the hill of Samaria. Instead of drunken and depraved human leaders, the Lord Himself
will be to His faithful remnant, a crown of glory and beautiful diadem. The Lord will also describe this
faithful remnant with similar words as recorded in Isaiah 62:3: “You will also be a crown of beauty in the
hand of the LORD, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.” The reference to diadems points to the
returning Messiah who will come as a warrior King to rescue His people who have repented on their sin of
rejecting Him during His first advent and have called upon Him to return. See Hosea 5:15-6:3. When the
Messiah returns to the earth, He will be wearing many diadems on His head, Revelation 19:12, signifying,
not only that He is the LORD of Lords and KING of Kings, but also, He is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s
prophecy of 28:5. He will when He returns to rescue His people, in that day, be “a crown of glory and a
beautiful diadem to the remnant of his people.” Isaiah also in 28:5, returns to one of his favorite themes, the
salvation of the faithful remnant of the Lord. Isaiah had earlier mentioned this remnant in 1:9, 10:20-22 and
11:11, 16 and will mention them again in 37:31-32 and 46:3.
As recorded in 28:6, Isaiah states two characteristics of the One who will reign as a beautiful crown and
glorious diadem to the remnant of His people. First, the one who will sit in judgment will have a “spirit of
justice” (or judgment) upon him. Isaiah’s earlier prophecy, chapter 11:1-5, about the Spirit of the Lord
resting on King Messiah is in view here and specifically 11:4:
But he will judge the poor with righteousness,
and decide for the oppressed of the earth with equity.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips, he will kill the wicked.
The Lord as judge is a very common theme of Scripture and this role will be one in which the Messiah will
continue when He returns and when He reigns in the millennial kingdom. Refer to Isaiah 2:4; 11:3-4; 16:5;
Joel 3:12; Micah 4:3; 2 Timothy 4:1, 8; Revelation 11:18; 19:11, and 20:12-13. The second characteristic
stated in Isaiah 28:6, of the One who will reign, is that He will be a: “strength to those who repel the attack at
the gate.” This is a reference to the time of the return of the Messiah when He will empower the faithful
remnant to defeat their enemies. Isaiah explained this statement in more detail in chapter 41:8-16 and
specifically 48:15-16:
15 Look, I will make you to be a new sharp threshing instrument
having many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains,
crush them and make the hills like chaff.
16 You will winnow them and the wind will carry them away,
and the whirlwind will scatter them.
Then you will rejoice in the LORD;
you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
It is critical to understand that Isaiah, as recorded in chapter 28:5-6, has been given a wonderful prophetic
message about the ministry of the Lord when He returns to redeem His people who are called here, the
“remnant of His people.” An important aspect of this prophecy is that Isaiah 28:5 starts with the words, “in
that day,” which certainly must be understood as an end-times prophecy especially when coupled with the
works, “the remnant of His people.” Some scholars try to force these words to be a message about the
247…..Isaiah 28:7-11
impending assault by the armies of Assyria because the overall message of chapters 28 to 33 is about this
time period. However, interspaced in the dialogue Isaiah is having with the people of Israel and Judah, are
specific prophetic messages of the salvation of the Lord and His dealings with the faithful remnant who will
endure the days of the end-times tribulation and then enter victoriously into His millennial kingdom.
28:7-8 Even these reel from wine,
and stagger from strong drink;
the priest and the prophet reel from strong drink,
they are swallowed up because of wine,
they stagger with strong drink;
they teeter when seeing visions,
they stumble when offering judgments.
8
For all tables are full of filthy vomit,
there is nowhere that is clean.
In 28:7-13, Isaiah concentrates his warning of woe on the priests and prophets of Israel. Some scholars
suggest that Isaiah, beginning in 28:7 is describing events in the southern kingdom of Judah. However, as
there is no direct indication in the text of such a change of location, it seems best to consider that Isaiah, as
recorded in these verses, is completing his judgment declaration on the nation of Israel. The notes by John
MacArthur, in the NASB Study Bible, state that Isaiah 28:7-13 refers to the nation of Israel.
These religious leaders, as recorded in Isaiah 28:7-8, are so besotted with wine and strong drink they have
consumed, that they stagger and reel, and have no clean place to eat because of their vomit on the tables. In
this confused and depraved condition, these religious leaders of Israel refuse to hear the warnings of Isaiah
and scoff at his message. The Lord’s words to Aaron, Leviticus 10:8-10, were very clear that priests were not
to drink wine or strong drink while entering and prior to coming into the “tent of meeting.” This was to be a
perpetual statute throughout all of Aaron’s generations meaning all priests in Aaron’s lineage. See also Hosea
4 and 5 for further pronouncements of judgment against Israel.
28: 9-10 They complain,
"Who does he think he is trying to teach knowledge?
Who will he make to explain the message?
Those who are weaned from the milk,
those just taken from their mother's breasts?
10
For he repeats the same precept on precept,
precept on precept again and again;
line on line, line on line;
here a little, there a little."
In Isaiah 28:9-10, the prophet records the response of the priests and the prophets. They sarcastically respond
to Isaiah by ridiculing his words as being those of an infant with babbling speech. [CONTENT NEEDED]
28:11-13 So with stammering lips and with foreign tongues
he will speak to this people;
12
to whom he said,
"This is the rest, give rest to the one who is weary;"
and "This is a place of refreshment."
Yet they would not listen.
248…..Isaiah 28:11-14
13
Therefore the word of the LORD will be to them
precept repeated upon precept, precept upon precept;
line upon line, line upon line;
here a little, there a little;
so that they may go and fall over backward,
and be broken, snared, and taken captive.
God responds to these drunken leaders in Isaiah 28:11-13. The prophet declares that God will speak to them
through “stammering lips and with foreign tongues” 28:11, which is the language of the Assyrians whom
they cannot understand. The Apostle Paul used this verse in his first letter to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians
14:20-21, as a reference to emphasize that maturity is needed in the exercise of the gift of tongues. Isaiah
would later refer to the speech of people of a stammering tongue which no one understands in a prophecy
about the latter days during the millennial reign. In Isaiah 33:19 the prophet states:
You will not see these fierce people,
a people whose obscure language you cannot comprehend,
whose stammering tongue you cannot understand.
In Isaiah 28:12-13, the prophet’s words of mercy and rest for the weary for these religious leaders are
spurned and these leaders would not listen to Isaiah. Therefore, as stated in Isaiah 28:13 God responds to
them that their instruction would be as though they were infants with teaching meted out in small measure,
“here a little, there a little.” The result of their rejection of God’s warning is judgment as recorded at the end
of 28:13, they would: “go and fall over backward, and be broken, snared and taken captive.” The words of
Isaiah would soon become reality for the people of Israel. The Assyrians who were the strong and mighty
agent of God for this purpose, assaulted the nation and took away captive all of its leaders and many of its
inhabitants. Only defeat, demise and destruction remained. Those who scoff at God and His message will be
severely judged. The Apostle Paul, as recorded in Galatians 6:7 would many centuries later write in his letter
to the church in Galatia, “Be not deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever a person sows, that will he also
reap.”
B The moral failure of Judah’s Religious Leaders: 28:14-29
In the passage, Isaiah 28:14-29, the prophet turns his attention to the rulers of Judah in Jerusalem. They also
scoffed at the message of God, 28:22. They refused to trust in God for protection and made a covenant with
Egypt for protection against the invasion of the Assyrians. God, in response, would do a strange and unusual
work. He will turn against His chosen nation and bring upon them the destruction that He had promised to
the enemies of His people. Yet He still offers hope in His wonderful counsel and wisdom if they would but
listen to Him. Isaiah 28:14-29 can be further sub-divided into two parts: (1) The Offer of God’s Foundation
Stone: 28:14-22 and (2): The Wisdom of God’s Counsel: 28:23-29.
B1: The Offer of God’s Foundation Stone: 28:14-22
28:14 Therefore hear the word of the LORD
you scoffers, who rule this people in Jerusalem:
The prophet calls the rulers of Judah in Jerusalem “scoffers”. This is a very harsh term for those who sin
against God. God’s judgment against scoffers is most severe as the words of 2 Chronicles 36:15-17 testify:
“The LORD, the God of their forefathers, sent warnings to them by his messengers repeatedly, because he
had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. 16 But they mocked the messengers of God,
249…..Isaiah 28:14-15
despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD rose against his people, to the
point that there was no remedy.17 Therefore he brought against them the king of the Chaldeans, who slew
their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary. He did not spare a young man or virgin, old
man or the infirm; he gave them all into his hand.” For a selected study on this word in the Scriptures, refer
to: 2 Chronicles 36:15-17; Psalm 1:1, Proverbs 1:22, 9:12, 13:1, 14:6, 15:12, 19:29, 21:24, 22:10 and 24:9;
Isaiah 28:14, 22 and Acts 13:41. God, in His righteous divine temper, scoffs at the wicked of the earth who
mock Him. See Psalm 2:4, 59:8 and Proverbs 3:34.
28:15 because you have said,
“We have made a covenant with death,
and we have an agreement with Sheol;
when the overflowing whip passes through,
it will not come to us;
for we have made lies our refuge,
and hid ourselves under deception.”
Isaiah reveals the extent of the scoffing the rulers of Judah had committed. As recorded in Isaiah 28:15, they
bragged that they had made a legal agreement or covenant with the nether-world Sheol, and this covenant
would protect them from the attack of the Assyrians described as an overwhelming whip or scourge. Isaiah
28:15 does not state with whom these evil rulers made this covenant. However, in Isaiah 30:1-5, the prophet
states that the rulers of Judah, described as “rebellious children,” had made an agreement with Egypt. These
rulers would include king Hezekiah, who up to this point in time, was not listening to the warnings of Isaiah.
Judah looked to Egypt for protection against the invading armies of Assyria. This would have been a foolish
action as Isaiah has already warned of the folly of looking to Egypt as recorded in chapter 19 of his prophecy.
Also, the covenant people of God, had an everlasting covenant with their Creator promising among other
things, blessings on their land. See Genesis 12:1-3, 15:18-21, 17:1-21, 26:2-5 and 28:10-17. It was an
extremely vile sin for the rulers of Judah to seek assistance from a disgraced and pagan nation (Egypt) when
the God of the Universe had already cut a covenant with them to bless them and keep them in their land.
These rulers even mocked God by stating that they would be protected against the overwhelming scourge for
they had “made lies our refuge and hid ourselves under deception,” Isaiah 28:15. God’s sure and swift
punishment would come to them, but not in a way they would have expected. God, who is rich in mercy,
responds, in 28:16-17 to their wickedness with a stone!
Some scholars and students of the Scriptures may be tempted to interpret Isaiah 28:15 as a latter-day
prophecy regarding Israel’s trouble just prior to the period of tribulation. A covenant is mentioned in the
context of this period in Daniel 9:27 when, one who is to come, will make a covenant and then break it by
setting up an abomination. Jesus states, that this statement by Daniel the prophet, refers to this “abomination
of desolation” who will stand in the holy place at a time in the future. Matthew 24:15. The Apostle Paul in 2
Thessalonians 2:3-4 and the Apostle John in Revelation 13:14-15 wrote that this event would be for a time in
the future.
So, where does this leave the student of the Scriptures in determining the intent of Isaiah 28:15? Is it (1) a
prophecy only about the latter days, or is it (2) a poetic description of an agreement of protection the leaders
of Judah have made with Egypt, or is it (3) a combination of the two where both interpretations are possible?
In defense of the first option, F. C. Jennings states:
“The prophecy therefore must find its definite fulfilment in the future, when there shall again be a
Jewish State so organized that it can make an alliance, or covenant; and whilst such a condition may
250…..Isaiah 28:15-16
be seen as approaching, it certainly has not yet fully developed.” (F. C. Jennings, Studies in Isaiah:
Notes on chapter 28, vs. 15).
Many scholars defend the second option including the ones often referenced in this Messianic Study of
Isaiah. An example from one scholar:
“The rulers had made a covenant with some nation (probably Egypt) that involved deception and
falsehood (probably against Assyria). Israel had already made a covenant with Yahweh that
guaranteed her security (Exod. 19—Num. 10). Why did she need to make another? The rulers thought
that as a result of their covenant, the scourge of their dreaded enemy (Assyria) would not touch them.
But Isaiah sarcastically told them that
their covenant was really with Death and Sheol; death would be the outcome of their pact. They were
the naive ones, not he (cf. vv. 9-10).” (Thomas Constable, Isaiah, pages 131-132).
Regarding the third option, some evangelical and conservative scholars, understand that there is a law of
“double reference” in the Scriptures and some passages have a dual fulfillment. For purposes of this study, it
seems best to understand that Isaiah is first, discussing the current threat against Judah and the wicked
actions of the leaders of Judah which will result in God’s judgment against them. The reference by Isaiah to
a “covenant of death” in the context of chapters 28-33 is a depiction of their confidence in Egypt to protect
them. However, second, this historical event in Isaiah’s day can be used as an application of the actions of
the sinful people of God when future events are studied. In the case of the events leading up to the future
tribulation period where a similar covenant with death will be made, the student can refer to Isaiah 28:15 as
an example of how the Jewish people still have not learned to completely trust in God for protection. Refer
also to Daniel 9: 24-27; Matthew 24:15-28; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and Revelation 13:11-18.
28:16 Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says,
"Look, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone,
a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone,
a sure foundation.
One who believes will not panic.
There is a definite change to the prophetic message in Isaiah 28:16, wherein the first word, “therefore” relates
to the context of the preceding verses and also anticipates the response of God to those who have spurned His
covenant and scoffed at His word. The response of God to these wicked people is both one of hope and
judgment through a “tested stone.”
Isaiah 28:16, is clearly a prophecy about the first coming of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. God decrees
that He is laying for a foundation that is firmly placed: “a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious
cornerstone a sure foundation.” These three mentions of this stone are an emphatic declaration of the
certainty of God’s decree prefaced with the beautiful Look, or “Behold, I am.” That this is a definite
messianic prophecy is without doubt as later portions of Scripture testify including an earlier prophecy of
Isaiah, chapter 8:14-15 and Psalm 118:22-23. Later references in the Old Testament include Zechariah 3:9
and10:4. In the New Testament this reference to the Messiah as the cornerstone is recorded in: Matthew
21:42-44; Mark 12:10-11; Luke 20:17-18; Acts 4:11-12; Romans 9:30-33, 10:11(quoting Isaiah 28:16),
Ephesians 2:19-22 and 1 Peter 2:4-8. The great truth of this prophecy of the Messiah as the cornerstone is
explained in Acts 4:11-12: Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, he has become the chief
cornerstone. 12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven, given among
humans, by which we must be saved.
251…..Isaiah 28:16
J. Randall Price comments on the stone:
“The ‘stone’ is described as having three characteristics: ‘tested, tried’ (Hb. bochan), ‘costly, precious
corner[stone]’ (Hb. pinat yiqrat), and ‘sure, firm or fixed foundation’ (Hb. musar musar, lit. ‘a
founded foundation’). These two-word combinations (‘tested stone,’ ‘costly stone,’ ‘sure foundation’)
are unique to Isaiah and exclusive to this text.” (J. Randal Price, Isaiah 28:16: The Messianic
Cornerstone, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, Page 878.)
The costly cornerstone is a direct and emphatically clear reference to God’s Son who, at the expense of His
own life died for the sins of the world so that whoever believes in Him by faith will not perish but have
everlasting life. John 3:16. The historian Luke, in Acts 4:12, links the importance of believing in the Jesus
Christ by stating that: “There is salvation in no one else.” The prophecy of God as a stone came early in the
Scriptures. In Genesis 49:24, the patriarch Jacob stated: “But his bow remained firm, and his arms were
strengthened by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.” The word Rock
can also be translated as “Stone.” Moses in his final song of praise, as recorded in Deuteronomy 32:4 stated:
“He is the Rock, his work is perfect;
all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does nothing wrong,
Just and upright is he.”
The importance of this Rock is mentioned several times in this song of Moses in Deuteronomy chapter 32.
The songbook of the ancient Israelites, the Psalms, mention this Rock so many times that it is a compelling
argument for understanding the Psalms as a book of prophecy of the coming Messianic king. For an
expanded explanation of the importance of this “stone” refer to Geoffrey W. Grogan, Isaiah, in the
Expositors Bible Commentary, 1986, pages 180-182.
Isaiah 28:16 continues the decree by God: (the) one who believes will not panic.” The word “panic” is
literally to hasten, which has the meaning of patiently waiting on God. This sense of the meaning is
expressed in Isaiah 25:9:
It will be said in that day,
"Look, here is our God;
we have waited for him,
and he will save us.
This is the LORD;
we have waited for him,
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation."
The Apostle Paul cited Isaiah 28:16 in Romans 10:11 in the context of one of the most important Biblical
discussions on salvation. Paul had earlier quoted from Isaiah 28:16 as stated in Romans 9:33. The Apostle
Peter also quoted from Isaiah 28:16 as recorded in 1 Peter 2:6. The student of Scripture has every right to
understand the words of Isaiah 28:16 as a salvation message. This precious (costly) and tested stone that God
has established, is a metaphor for the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who trust in Him for salvation
will not be disappointed but receive eternal life. Those who refuse to trust in Him will be disappointed and
forever doomed to an eternity of torment without the comforting presence of God and His Son.
252…..Isaiah 28:17-21
28:17 I will make justice the measuring line,
and righteousness the plum line.
Hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
and the waters will overflow the hiding place.
Isaiah provides further details about the just and righteous reign of the Messiah who is described in 28:16 as
the tested and precious “cornerstone” Who, Himself, will be the sure foundation for His reign which will be
centered on Mount Zion. Continuing with the metaphor of construction, Isaiah describes this future reign as
having justice as its measuring line and righteousness as its level. Changing metaphors in the second half of
28:17, Isaiah describes the storm of hail and overflowing waters which will sweep away lies from their secret
place of refuge. No place, no matter how secret or remote, will be allowed to harbor lies or sinfulness. The
justice and righteousness of the Messiah’s reign will clean away all corruption. David L. Cooper in his
comments on Isaiah 28:16-17, affirms that Isaiah 28:17 is a reference to the second coming of the Messiah,
thus the entire church age is contained within the scope of 28:16-17.
28:18-19 Your covenant with death will be annulled,
and your agreement with Sheol will not last;
when the overflowing whip passes through,
you will be beaten down by it.
19 As often as it passes through, it will take you;
for morning by morning it will pass through,
by day and by night;"
when the message is understood,
it will cause sheer terror.
Isaiah, as recorded in 28:18 and following, returns to the immediate matter of the covenant that the rulers of
Jerusalem have made with Egypt, 28:15 for protection against the Assyrian armies. See notes above on Isaiah
28:15 and also 30:1-5. The prophet, in 28:18 records God’s decision that the legal agreement or covenant
they had made with Egypt will be cancelled (annulled) and their agreement with Sheol will also be
terminated. Trusting in an agreement with Egypt, called a covenant with death and a pact with Sheol, will
come to nothing. The nation of Judah, except for Jerusalem, would be trampled by the Assyrians in the near
future.
The Assyrians will continually and repeatedly destroy the people of Judah in repeated waves of assault. The
Assyrian armies will invade Judah in waves of destruction “morning after morning” and at any-time during
the day or evening. The prophet adds in Isaiah 28:19 that for those who understand what will happen to them,
the conquest by Assyria will be “sheer terror.”
28:20 For the bed is too short for one to stretch out on;
the blanket too narrow for one to wrap around oneself.
In 28:20, Isaiah records that no place will be safe, nor will there be any hiding place including one’s bed
which will not provide sufficient cover. This statement should be understood as being similar to a proverb
and can be applied to any situation where the plight of people is hopeless, and they are left without remedy.
28: 21-22 For the LORD will rise up as he did on Mount Perazim,
he will stir himself up as he did in the valley of Gibeon;
so that he may perform his deed,
his extraordinary deed,
253…..Isaiah 28:21-23
and bring to pass his work,
his unusual work.
22
Now therefore do not mock,
lest your bonds be made stronger;
for I have heard from the sovereign LORD of hosts
a decree of destruction against the whole earth.
The mention in Isaiah 28:21 of Mount Perazim and the valley of Gibeon are references of past victories by
the Lord over the Philistines at Mount Perazim. See 2 Samuel 5:17-21. 2 Samuel 5:20 states: “Then David
came to Baal-perazim, and defeated them there. He said, "The LORD has burst out on my enemies before
me, like the burst of a flood before me." Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim [the Lord
burst out].” The name given to Mount Perazim has the meaning of God being the “master of breakthrough”
and the picture of this action is of waters breaking through a dam overwhelming everything in its destructive
path. Isaiah also stated in 28:21, that God will “stir himself up as he did in the valley of Gibeon.” This is a
reference to the defeat of the Canaanites by the actions of God as recorded in Joshua 10:6-11. Joshua 10:11
ends by stating: “There were more who died from the hailstones than were killed by the Israelites' swords.”
The hailstones were sent from God. Just as God had done a strange work on behalf of Israel to defeat Israel’s
enemies, Isaiah declared that God will take action. He will stir Himself up to do his unusual (strange) work
and cause the defeat of His own chosen people who have scoffed at His word and turned away from His
protection, Isaiah 28:22.
Along with the declaration of coming judgment, Isaiah offered a hope of reprieve to the people of Judah
Isaiah 28:22, by requesting that they should not continue their sinful actions of scoffing at God. If they do
continue, God will make their situation even worse: “lest your bonds be made stronger.” Isaiah also
explained that these “bonds” (chains or shackles) would be a means of judgment on the entire earth. Not only
would the nation of Judah face destruction but God, in the future, will bring a similar destruction on all the
earth’s peoples who will scoff at His word and rebel against Him. This added prophetic word by Isaiah is a
reminder of God’s present (during Isaiah’s day) and future plan for the wicked of the earth.
B2: The Wisdom of God’s Counsel: 28:23-29
As recorded in the passage Isaiah 28:23-29, the prophet begins by declaring a call from God to the rulers of
Judah to listen to the wisdom of His counsel, vs 23. God describes His words of wisdom in an agricultural
setting. In the days of Isaiah almost all of the inhabitants of Judah were engaged in the raising of crops for
their sustenance. The Lord reminds these leaders of the work of the farmer who performs the work of
harrowing the ground, planting seed and harvesting the crop in methodical ways to produce the best results.
The farmer does not perform one task all the time but varies the work as necessary so that the harvest is
gained with the results that food is produced, vss. 24-25. The prophet states that it is God who instructs and
teaches the farmer how to properly perform these functions, vss. 26-28. Isaiah completes this portrait of the
works of the farmer who is guided by the great wisdom and wonderful counsel of God, vs. 29.
28:23-29 Listen, and hear my voice.
Pay attention and hear what I am saying.
24
Does one plowing in order to plant plow continually?
Does one continually cultivate and break up his ground?
25
When he has leveled its surface,
does he not spread the seed of caraway,
and scatter the cumin,
putting the wheat in rows,
254…..Isaiah 28:23-29
and the barley in its designated place,
and the spelt along its border?
26
For his God correctly instructs him,
and teaches him how.
27
For caraway is not threshed with a sledge,
nor is a cart wheel rolled over the cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a stick,
and the cumin with a rod.
28
Grain for bread must be ground;
one will not keep threshing it forever;
the wheel of one's cart rolls over it,
but one does not use horses to crush it.
29
This also comes from the LORD of hosts,
who is wonderful in counsel,
and excellent in wisdom.
The prophet as recorded in 28:23-25 asks a series of rhetorical questions that can be likened to a parable
regarding the method used by a farmer to cultivate the soil and plant different types of seeds that will yield
their intended crop. In 28:26-29 Isaiah reveals that it is God who correctly instructs the farmer how to
cultivate the land and plant his crop. A number of examples are used to illustrate this instruction including
caraway, cumin, wheat, barley and spelt. The implication of this parable is that, as a farmer would not
cultivate and plow the ground continuously, nor would a farmer use improper methods and instruments for
planting and threshing, God know how to properly tend and care for His chosen people whom the prophet
has described as God’s vineyard. In contrast to the ruinous results of the vineyard of God, Isaiah 5:1-7, the
planting and tending by God to the crop of His people, will result in a fruitful harvest.
As recorded in Isaiah 28:29, the prophet declares a statement about the greatness of God: “This also comes
from the LORD of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.” The student of Scripture will
immediately think of the descriptive words earlier declared by Isaiah regarding the name of the Messiah as
“Wonderful Counselor” recorded in Isaiah 9:6. The Lord is reminding the people of Judah to consider Him,
who is wonderful in counsel and great in wisdom. The people of Judah were asked to repent of their
rebellious actions and consult Him alone for protection. To do otherwise would be foolish and would result
in their destruction. In Isaiah’s day, the Lord spared the city of Jerusalem when He answered the prayer of
Hezekiah, Isaiah 37:14-38. Much later however, the people of Jerusalem including their kings had rebelled
against and had defied and scorned the Lord to an extent that God’s patience had finally run its course and
God brought the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the army of Babylon under the leadership of king
Nebuchadnezzar. See 2 Kings chapters 24-25; Jeremiah chapters 39 and 52. In the future, the prediction by
Isaiah of the complete destruction of the earth, Isaiah 28:22, will be realized during the days of the
tribulation. Refer to Revelation chapters 6-19. But, even in the future days as in the present day, God’s offer
of salvation is open to all who would repent of their sins and by faith believe in His Son and in His sacrificial
death and resurrection for atonement of their sins. God will declare righteous all who by faith believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ. Refer to Genesis 15:6, Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 3:21-26; 4:3-8.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 28
28:1-13 The Moral Failure of Israel’s Political Leaders
28:14-29 The Moral Failure of Judah’s Religious Leaders
28:14-22 The Offer of God’s Foundation Stone
28:23-29 The Wisdom of God’s Counsel
255…..Isaiah 29:1-16 Introduction and 29:1
2. Warnings and Woes to Jerusalem: 29:1-16
Declaration of Woe: 29:1-4
Message of Salvation: 29:5-8
God’s Explanation of Judgment: 29:9-14
Declaration of Woe: 29:15-16
In chapter 29, Isaiah declares a prophetic message from God that best fits the time at the end of the
tribulation period when Jerusalem will be besieged and destroyed by the armies of the world during the battle
of Armageddon and then into the millennial kingdom when the Messiah will reign from Mount Zion. Within
the context of these verses, it is evident that Isaiah is not discussing the immediate threat to the city from the
Assyrians. The Assyrians did not conquer the city or raze the city to the ground. The complete destruction of
Jerusalem in which the city is brought to the ground and when the people of the city will speak as they lay
prostrate in the dust will certainly be the days the prophet Zechariah prophesized about in chapters 12 to 14
of his prophecy. Other Scriptures that point to this latter-day destruction include Ezekiel chapter 38; Daniel
11:40-44; Revelation 9:13-21, 14:20 and 16:12-16.
As recorded by Isaiah in 29:1-16, the prophet declares an oracle of woe upon “Ariel,” (Jerusalem), the city
where David laid siege. Isaiah reminds his audience that year after year they celebrate the annual cycle of
feasts, vs. 1. God will bring distress on Ariel and in this city, there will be mourning and lamenting for it is
Ariel, God’s altar hearth, vs. 2. Just as David laid siege to the city, vs. 1, God will lay siege to it, with towers
and will raise siege works against it, with the result that the city will fall, and its people will lie in the dust,
vss. 3-4. The city’s enemies, including many tyrants, will be as plentiful as the dust and will be blown away
instantly, like chaff, vs. 5. The city’s enemies will be punished by the LORD of hosts with thunder,
earthquake, great noise, with whirlwind, storm and by the flame of a devouring fire, vs. 6. It will all be like a
vanishing dream or a night vision to the hordes of all the nations who fight against Mount Zion and its
stronghold, vs. 7. To these nations who assault Ariel, it will also be like a hungry or thirsty person who
dreams of eating and drinking but awakens still hungry and thirsty, vs. 8. Those who hear the LORD’s
message are to be shocked and awed, for the LORD has poured on them a spirit of deep sleep. The eyes of
the prophet have been closed, and the seers have had their heads covered by the LORD, vs. 9. The entire
vision is like the words on a scroll, given to one who can read but cannot be read because the scroll is sealed.
Also, one who cannot read is given the scroll but cannot read it, vss. 11-12. The LORD declares that these
people honor Him with words from their lips, but their heart is far from Him. Their fear of Him is just from
the teachings of humans, therefore, the LORD will do an astonishing and amazing work among His people.
Their wisdom of their wise will perish, and the understanding of their prudent will disappear, vss. 13-14. A
further woe is pronounced by the prophet on those who attempt to hide their plans from the LORD and upon
those whose deeds are done in the dark, and boast, who can see them or knows what they are up to, vs. 15.
These people turn things upside down as if the clay was stating that it was not made by the potter and
claiming that the potter has no understanding, vs. 16.
Declaration of Woe: Isaiah 29:1-4
In four short verses, 29:1-4, Isaiah delivers a prophecy about the complete destruction of Jerusalem by
enemies that God Himself will raise up.
29:1 Woe to Ariel, Ariel, the city where David laid siege!
Year after year you celebrate the annual cycle of feasts.
The prophet gives the city the name of Ariel which in the context of this passage has the meaning of “altar
hearth” as expressed in Leviticus 6:9 and Ezekiel 43:15-16. See notes on Isaiah 33:14. Another meaning of
256…..Isaiah 29:1-3
this word is “lion of God” as first mentioned in Genesis 49:9 but refers to the Messiah and not to the city of
Jerusalem. Ariel or Jerusalem is: “the city where David once laid siege!” “Laid siege” is a translation of the
Hebrew word chanah and can also be translated as “camped.” Chanah is translated as “lay siege” in Isaiah
29:3 in the DASV. Isaiah called Jerusalem the ‘city of David” in 22:9. The story of the capture of Jerusalem
by David and his men is recorded in 2 Samuel 5: 5-:9. Upon sieging Jerusalem, David lived or camped in it
and called Jerusalem the “city of David.” See also 2 Samuel 6:10, 12, 16 and many others where Jerusalem is
referred to as the ‘city of David.” It is this city of David where the Messiah to come would minister and from
where, in this same city, the returning Messiah will reign over the entire earth from Mount Zion.
The prophet also declared, in Isaiah 29:1, that the people of God would be continuing in their ritualistic
practices of the annual cycle of feasts and other religious observances. They would be continuing these
annual observances in form only as Isaiah notes in 29:13. These people draw near with their words and honor
God with their lips but not their hearts, for the fear or reverence of God consists only of human commands
which they have learned by rote. Because of their heartless worship of Him, God describes their judgment in
29:2-4.
29:2 I will bring distress on Ariel,
there will be mourning and lamenting;
she will be to me like Ariel [an altar hearth].
God declares through Isaiah, that the city will be a place of lamenting and mourning and will be “like an
Ariel” to Him, for it will be a place of death just as the altar hearth is a place of death for animals sacrificed
to the Lord. Lamenting and mourning are closely related in terms of meaning. The Hebrew word for
mourning is aniyyah and the Hebrew word for lamenting is taaniyyah. They both stem from the root word
anah meaning “to mourn.” A biblical commentary on Isaiah 29:1-4 occurs in Lamentations 2:5:
The Lord has become like an enemy,
he has swallowed up Israel.
He has swallowed up all her palaces;
he has destroyed her strongholds.
He has multiplied mourning and lamentation
in the daughter of Judah.
The people of Ariel will be mourning and lamenting because of the disaster that will come upon them during
the days of the tribulation. In Isaiah 29:1-4 the Lord declares that it is He who bring this disaster upon them
and they will be ones sacrificed on the “Ariel,” the Lord’s altar heath. The security the Israelites may feel in
the future because they are living in Zion, the city of David will not last because they have made a covenant
with death and Sheol, and they arrogantly declare that the “overwhelming scourge” will not affect them. See
Isaiah 28:15. There dependency on a pagan dictator, the Antichrist of the tribulation, to help them and their
heartless worship of God will bring on them the wrath and judgment of God. Living in “Ariel” will not
protect them from the God of “Ariel.”
29:3-4 I will lay siege against you all around.
I will besiege you with towers,
and I will raise siege works against you.
4
You will be brought down,
you will speak from the ground;
your speech will come from the dust where you lie.
Your voice will be like one who has a familiar spirit,
257…..Isaiah 29:3-5
coming out of the ground,
and your speech will whisper out of the dust.
In Isaiah 29:3, the prophet records God’s declaration that even though armies will be encamped about the
city and encircling it and will be laying siege-works and raising battle towers against it, it is really God who
is their enemy and foreign armies are His agents doing His work of judgment. The result of the judgment of
God, 29:4 will be total destruction, and the city will be ground to dust. From the dust, the people as they lay
prostrate, would speak to Him. Hosea 5:15- 6:3; Zechariah 12:10-14 and Matthew 23: 37-39 describe this
day when they will speak to the Lord. Leviticus 26:40-42; Isaiah 53:1-9 and Jeremiah 3:11-18 describe the
words they will speak as a confession of their national sin for the rejection of the Messiah when He first
came to be among them. Arnold Fruchtenbaum describes these days in much greater detail in Footsteps of
the Messiah, pages 331-339.
It should be noted that many very capable Biblical scholars understand Isaiah 29:1-4 as a reference to the
siege of Jerusalem by the army of Assyria. Some add that it could also refer to the conquest of Jerusalem by
Babylon and later Rome. But, as noted to the introduction to chapter 29, the Assyrians did not conquer
Jerusalem or raze it to the ground. Also, the aftermath of the destruction of Jerusalem, as recorded in Isaiah
29:5-8, does not fit either the Babylonian or Roman empires. Babylon and Rome continued for many
centuries following their conquest of Jerusalem and neither of them were ‘blown away” in an instant as 29:5
states. The context of Isaiah 29:1-8 best fit the days of the tribulation and the return of the Messiah who will
defeat His and Israel’s enemies in a sudden tumultuous victory.
Message of Salvation: 29:5-8
Isaiah often follows a message of judgment with words of comfort and salvation. In Isaiah 29:5-8, the
prophet brings a message of what the Lord will do to the enemies of Jerusalem, which is also called Ariel and
Mount Zion, describing the intensity of the destruction of these enemy nations. Even though the Lord admits
that He is the cause or the motivator for Jerusalem’s enemies to attack the city, He will not hold these
ruthless Gentile nations harmless. In other passages Isaiah delivers God’s response to those nations who
assault His beloved city Jerusalem. This is a message from the Lord in the immediate context of this chapter
in verses 7 and 8. It is also a major theme of the book of Isaiah: 2:12-16; 10:24-28; 14:26; 19:2, 12,17; 26:11;
34:1-2; 37:21-38; 42:13; 48:14; 54:17; 59:18; 66:6 and 14.
29:5 But your foes will be as plentiful as dust,
and your many tyrants will be blown away like chaff;
it will happen suddenly, in an instant.
As described in Isaiah 29:5, the destruction of the Lord upon the “plentiful” enemies, of Jerusalem will be
instant and sudden. This description of the destruction of the Lord’s enemies (tyrants) will be during the last
days of the tribulation when the Lord will come to rescue the remnant of His people who have found
themselves surrounded by the armies of the Gentile nations and who have pleaded for their Messiah to return.
The Lord will come and suddenly and instantly destroy these armies and liberate the faithful remnant. Their
pleading is stated in Psalm 79:1-13; 80:1-19; and Isaiah 64:1-12. This is not an exhaustive listing of all
passages relating to the pleading of the remnant for their Messiah to rescue them. Their rescue by the
Messiah is stated in the following passages. The location of the rescue is first, at Bozrah and continuing to
the Valley of Jehoshaphat and then to Jerusalem: First at Bozrah: Isaiah 34:1-7; 63:1-6; Habakkuk 3:3 and
Micah 2:12-13. The second location is at the Valley of Jehoshaphat: Joel 3:12-17 and the third location is at
the city of Jerusalem: Zechariah 14:1-15 and Revelation 14:19-20. The description of the Messiah’s rescue is
stated in many passages: Psalm 18:8-16; Ezekiel 39:21-29; Habakkuk 3:1-19 and Revelation 19:11-21. For a
258…..Isaiah 29:6-9
full treatment of the Scripture passages relating to the return of the Messiah to rescue the remnant, refer to
the publication by Arnold Fruchtenbaum, mentioned above.
29:6-8 She will be punished by the LORD of hosts with thunder,
with earthquake and great noise,
with whirlwind and storm,
and the flame of a devouring fire.
7
It will be like a vanishing dream,
or a vision in the night;
the horde of all the nations will fight against Ariel,
all those who fight against her and her stronghold,
and those who distress her.
8
It will be like when a hungry person dreams,
and he eats,
but then he wakes up with an empty stomach.
Or like when a thirsty person dreams,
and he drinks;
but then he wakes up he is still faint from thirst.
So it will be with the horde of all the nations,
that fight against Mount Zion.
The Lord will punish these nations with disasters of earthquakes, whirlwinds, storms, and fire accompanied
by thunder, Isaiah 29:6. The attackers will all vanish as if it all were a bad dream in the night for the
inhabitants of the city, 29:7. Ariel’s enemies will have nothing to show for their destructive intentions. It will
be as they dreamed of food and water but awoke still hungry and thirsty, 29:8. The intent of Isaiah’s warning
to these enemy nations is that their plans and actions to destroy Jerusalem will result in their own destruction.
Some understand Isaiah 29:6 as referring to God appearing in the midst of thunder, earthquake, whirlwind,
storm and fire. See Psalm 83:13-18 for a close parallel to God’s appearance to save His people and destroy
His enemies.
The Reason for and the Declaration of the Judgment of God: 29:9-16
After describing the judgment of God, in the latter days, to come upon Jerusalem, described as Ariel in Isaiah
29:1-4 and then the judgment upon those nations who have waged war against Jerusalem and Mount Zion, as
recorded in 29:5-8, the prophet next declares God explanations, in 29:9-16 of the reasons for His need to
bring judgment. This section includes two parts: (1) The Explanation of Judgment, 29:9-14, and (2) The
Declaration of Woe, 29:15-16.
The Explanation of Judgment: 29:9-14
29:9-10 Be shocked and awed.
Blind yourself and be blind.
They are drunk,
but not from wine;
they stagger,
but not from strong drink.
10
For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep,
and has closed your eyes, O prophets,
and covered your heads, O seers.
259…..Isaiah 29:9-13
God first describes the condition of the people of Jerusalem who have been the target of His judgment. They
have become blind and drunk, not with wine or strong drink but with their own rebellion against God and
therefore God has poured over them a spirit of deep sleep and has covered the eyes and the heads of the
prophets and seers. Isaiah has heard this before. When he was commissioned by the Lord to prophesy to
these people, the Lord told him, as recorded in Isaiah 6:9-10, to go and tell this people: "Go, and tell this
people:
Keep on listening, but do not understand;
keep on looking, but do not perceive.
10
Make the heart of this people insensitive,
and make their ears deaf,
and shut their eyes;
so that they may not see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
and repent and be healed."
Isaiah asked at the time of his commissioning, how long? (How long would he need to keep telling this
message to a people who will not listen, hear or understand?). The Lord told him until no one is left in the
land to hear the message. Yet the Lord gave Isaiah hope in that even among all these who will not respond,
there will be a tenth, a remnant who will remain faithful as a holy seed. Isaiah 6:11-13. The Apostle Paul, in
his great defense of God’s care and ultimate preservation of the people of Israel (Romans chapters 9-11),
quotes from Isaiah 29:10 in Romans 11:8.
29:11-12 To you this entire vision is like the words of a sealed scroll, which is given to one who can read,
saying, "Read this," but he replies, "I cannot, because it is sealed."
12
Then the scroll is given to one who cannot read, saying, "Read this," but he replies, "I can't read."
The prophet declares that his message described as the entire vision, would be to these people, like someone
who can read but refuses and to others they would be illiterate and cannot read the vision. It is possible that
Isaiah’s reference to a sealed scroll (book) in 29:11-12 is the extant Scriptures to Isaiah’s day including the
law or simply a reference to the words that Isaiah himself had written in a scroll. The point of 29:11-12
appears to be that those who are not faithful to God cannot discern the words of God for God has blinded
them to His truth and given them over to the results of their sinful rebellion against God. In the New
Testament, the Apostle Paul describes this same idea as God’s wrath against all ungodliness in Romans 1:18-
32. Paul also speaks against “a natural man” who cannot understand things of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians
2:14-15. See also Romans 11:8 where Paul quotes from Isaiah 29:10
29:13-14 The Lord says,
These people draw near to me with their mouth
and with their lips they honor me,
but their heart is removed far from me,
and their fear of me is merely human commands
which they have been taught.
14
Therefore I will again do an astonishing work among this people,
a truly amazing work;
the wisdom of their wise will perish,
and the understanding of their prudent will disappear.
260…..Isaiah 29:13-17
These people, the Lord declares come to worship Him by meaningless words and action which are merely
human commands likely taught to them by the priests. They are not whole heartedly devoted to Him and are
simply going through the motions of religious activities without being engaged in truly worshiping the Lord.
The Lord responds, 29:14, to this heartless worship of Him in a way that would make others marvel. Those
who were considered wise and discerning in Jerusalem will see their wisdom perish and their discernment
concealed as to no effect. God will put an end to the entire works of those considered wise and those
considered seers who have turned their hearts from God. The Apostle Paul describes a similar situation in 1
Corinthians1:18-25, quoting Isaiah 29:14 as a Scriptural reference. Isaiah 29:13 from the LXX (Old Greek
translation) is quoted by Matthew and Mark in the New Testament: Matthew 15:8-9 and Mark 7:6-7.
The Declaration of Woe: 29:15-16
29:15-16 Woe to those who attempt to hide their plans from the LORD,
and whose deeds are done in the dark,
and who boast,
"Who can see us?"
and "Who knows what we're up to?"
16
You turn things upside down!
Should the potter be thought of as no better than the clay.
Should the thing made say to him who made it,
"He didn't make me."
Should the thing formed say of him who formed it,
"He has no understanding"?
The prophet declares a separate message of woe on the people of his beloved city Jerusalem whom have
made secret plans in darkness as to keep their plans hidden from the Lord. God describes them as having
turned things around, Isaiah 29:16. They are described as being like clay pottery, “that which is made” which
speaks to the potter, as if the things formed are equal with the one who shapes them. The “clay” speaks evil
words saying, “He did not make me,” and “He has no understanding.” Isaiah would again mention this
relationship between the potter and the clay in 45:9-10 of his prophecy. The prophet Jeremiah in chapter 18
of his prophecy and the Apostle Paul in Romans 9:20-21 also refer to this relationship of the potter and the
clay where the thing created mocks and scoffs against the one who created it. The point of all of these
Scriptural references is that God is telling all who have been created by Him to worship, fear and reverence
Him but if they rebel against Him, they will face His fearful and deadly wrath. Their destruction is described
by Isaiah just a few verses later in 29:20.
3. Rejoicing and Blessings to Jacob: 29: 17-24
Following the warnings of the Lord in the preceding verses, Isaiah now turns his attention to the future
blessings of the Messiah during the days of the millennial kingdom. The pattern of judgment followed by
blessing continues in the last half of chapter 29 of Isaiah. The Lord often blends mercy with wrath as He
stands faithful to His covenant promises with His chosen people.
29:17 In just a little while will Lebanon not be turned into a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field will be thought of as a forest?
The promise that the forests of Lebanon will be in a short time (little while) turned in a fruitful filed that will
be considered as a forest is certainly a reference to the days of the coming messianic kingdom as best fits the
remaining verses of chapter 29. In God’s economy of time, a little while could be any period of years from
261…..Isaiah 29:17-22
just a few to a thousand or more. Lebanon, in the pages of Scripture is often described as a place in which
towering cedars and cypress trees grow. These trees are Lebanon’s glory, Psalm 72:16; 104:6, Isaiah 2:3;
35:2; 60:13 and Hosea 14:5-6. But, Lebanon also was to have its time of destruction when its glory would be
removed, Isaiah 10:34; 33:9; 37:24; Jeremiah 22:6, 23; Nahum 1:4 and Zechariah 11:1. In Isaiah 29:17, the
prophet predicts a time when Lebanon will be a fertile field that will be considered a forest. Its glory will be
restored. The time of this restoration is described in 29:18 as “on that day” which is assuredly a reference to
the great day of the Lord to come. For a discussion of the Scriptural passages regarding “in this day,” or “on
that day,” refer to the notes in this study on Isaiah chapter 2.
29:18-19 In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll,
and the eyes of the blind will see out of their gloom and darkness.
19
The oppressed also will again rejoice in the LORD,
and the poorest people will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah continues the blessings of the messianic kingdom beginning with the key words, “in that day,” 29:18.
Refer to notes on 29:17 above and to the notes on Isaiah chapter 2. In the glorious days of this kingdom, the
deaf will hear, the blind will see, the afflicted will be glad “and the poorest people (the most-needy of
mankind) will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” There was a fulfillment of Isaiah 29:18-19 during the days
when Jesus walked the soil of Israel, Matthew 11:5, and there will be a future world-wide meaning to these
words. The phrase in 29:19, “the poorest people” must mean a future time not yet realized. This future time
stated in 29:18 as “in that day,” would indicate a fulfillment during the time when there will be someone on
the earth capable of bringing world-wide healing and help to the poorest and most needy of all mankind. That
someone will be the Messiah who is described in Isaiah 29:19 as “the Holy One of Israel.”
This name for God, the Holy One of Israel, is a beloved description that Isaiah often uses in his prophecy,
1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19; 30:11, 12, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3, 14; 45:11; 47:4;
48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9 and 14. It is such a beloved and descriptive name Isaiah uses in so many
chapters, that it helps to confirm the fact that Isaiah wrote the entire prophecy as recorded in the Holy
Scriptures.
29:20-21 For the tyrant will vanish,
and the scoffer will be gone,
and all those who are keen on doing wrong will be cut off,
21
those who convict a person based on a false testimony,
and lay a snare for him who reproves in the gate,
and denies justice to the innocent.
Isaiah, in 29:20-21. describes more about the days of the messianic kingdom. There will not be any ruthless
ones nor scorners in this kingdom who will oppress or defraud those who are innocent with meaningless
arguments. The “tyrant” is most likely a reference to the Antichrist who be banished to the eternal lake of
fire. This kingdom will be blessed with those who have righteous intentions. The New Testament gives
evidence of the righteousness of the kingdom of God, Romans 14:17; and that the wicked and ungodly will
not be present in it, 1 Corinthians 6:9.
29:22-24 Therefore this is what the LORD, who redeemed Abraham, says about the house of Jacob:
Jacob will no longer be ashamed,
nor will his face grow pale.
23
But when he sees his children,
the work of my hands among them,
262…..Isaiah 29:22-24
they will sanctify my name;
yes, they will sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
and will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24
They also whose spirit goes astray will come to understanding,
and those who grumble will receive instruction.
Isaiah turns his attention to the ethnic Jewish nation, the house of Jacob. Isaiah begins this discussion with
the declaration that it was the Lord “who redeemed Abraham”. For an expanded discussion on the
justification of Abraham based upon his faith, see Romans 4:1-22. Some may understand the redemption of
Abraham as the work of God in calling Abraham from the pagan culture of the Chaldeans, Genesis 12:1-5,
but it is perhaps best to understand this redemption as justification (reckoned or counted as righteousness),
Genesis 15:6 and Romans 4:3, 9, 22; Galatians 3:26 and James 2:23.
According to Isaiah 29:22-24, in the messianic kingdom to come, the house of Jacob, the ethnic believing
remnant of the Jewish race, will have no cause for shame for they will be called the work of God’s hands and
they will sanctify God’s name, which is described as the “Holy one of Jacob.” Isaiah blends the names of
Israel and Jacob in his description of the beloved name of the Lord as the Holy One. Compare 29:19 with
29:23. The shame of Jacob’s family will finally be removed, and the faithful remnant of Jacob will, “on that
day,” 29:18, sanctify and stand in awe of the God of Israel. Isaiah is acknowledging the blessedness of
God’s name and His special family relationship with His chosen people. To the redeemed family of Jacob,
the Lord is the God of Israel, 29:23; the Holy One of Israel, 29:19; and the Holy One of Jacob, 29:23. In
Romans chapters 9-11, the Apostle Paul describes this special relationship between God and the
believing remnant of the Jews. In Romans 11:2, Paul states, that: “God has not cast away His people whom
He foreknew.” (NKJV) There yet remains a remnant of His people as Paul describes them, “at this present
time, there is a remnant chosen by grace.” Romans 11:5. In the future millennial kingdom, this remnant will
finally without shame from past failures and sins, freely worship and adore the God of Israel.
In Isaiah 29:24, the prophet concludes the magnificent prophecy of chapter 29 by declaring that the errant in
spirit (mind) will know God’s truth and those who grumble or criticize will receive or accept instruction. The
faithful remnant of Jacob “in that day,” 29:18, will be transformed by having their minds renewed and will
be able to discern spiritual matters and accept instruction from the Lord. They will finally reach the day
where the injunction against them as God told Isaiah, 6:8-13, will be removed. In that day, they will have
eyes to see and ears to hear and a heart of understanding.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 29
The Concern of the Lord: (warnings and woes) 29:1-16
29:1-4 The Downfall of Jerusalem’s People
29:5-8 The Defeat of Jerusalem’s Enemies
29:9-10 The Darkness of Jerusalem’s Prophets
29:11-16 The Decision of Jerusalem’s Lord
The Comfort of the Lord: (restoration and redemption) 29:17-24
29:17-21 Rejoicing in the Lord’s Restoration
29:22-24 Reverence for the Lord’s Redemption
Chapter 30 Introduction
The statement of “woe” that begins chapter 30 links it to the next two chapters, 31 and 32 which together
with chapter 30 comprise three messages or oracles of warning by the Lord. Although many outlines and
263…..Isaiah 30:1
section divisions are possible for chapter 30, this study will present two main sections for chapter 30: first,
verses 1-17: Warnings to Judah: No Safety in Egypt; second, verses 18-33: God’s Graciousness to Jerusalem.
In the first main section, 30:1-17, the Prophet records an oracle of woe against Judah for executing a plan that
excludes the Lord’s involvement. Judah’s plan to seek help from Egypt will lead to their shame for Egypt is
incapable of providing any help to them. The rebellion of the Lord’s people is so perverse that they demand
that Judah’s prophets no longer prophesy what is right, but to only speak pleasant words and prophesy
illusions to them, for they do not want to hear any more about the “Holy One of Israel.” The Lord responds to
them declaring pending judgment and destruction. In the second main section, 30:18-33, as in many passages
in Isaiah, the Lord follows words of judgment with those of comfort and hope for future salvation for His
covenant people and words of punishment for Judah’s enemies.
4. Warnings to Judah: No safety in Egypt: 30:1-17
30:1-7: The Rebellious who seek help from Egypt
Isaiah, in chapter 30 of his prophecy, is dealing with those who have made an alliance with Egypt seeking
safety and protection from the Egyptians, whom the Lord states, cannot help them or profit them. Verses 1-7
of this chapter are an oracle of woe on the folly of this alliance which is described in vs. 1 as compounding or
adding sin to sin for they have not sought to align themselves with the Lord to seek His guidance and
protection from the assault of the Assyrians.
30:1 "Woe to the rebellious children,"
declares the LORD,
"who execute plans that are not mine,
and who make alliances but not by my Spirit,
so compounding sin on sin;
Isaiah declares an oracle of woe on “the rebellious children,” which in the context of the preceding chapters,
must refer to the leaders of Judah who have made an alliance with Egypt, 29:2, which is called in Isaiah
28:18, a “covenant with death.” This reference to the “covenant with death” directly applies to the historical
days of Isaiah and his country, Judah. See notes on Isaiah 28:18. In Exodus 13:17 and Deuteronomy 17:16,
God warned His people not to return to Egypt. Earlier in his prophecy, in chapter 19, Isaiah had declared an
oracle of warning against Egypt as a deterrent for Judah to seek any help from the Egyptians. Isaiah again
warns Judah of the folly of trusting in Egypt for protection in chapter 30 and 31 and uses the message of the
Assyrian spokesman, Rabshakeh in chapter 37 verses 4-10 to once again remind the leaders of Judah of the
futility of seeking aid from Egypt.
These leaders had executed a plan with the leadership of Egypt without seeking direction from God’s Spirit.
This is one of many verses in the prophecy of Isaiah where God’s Spirit is mentioned. See also Isaiah 11:2;
32:15; 34:16; 40:13; 42:1; 44:3; 48:16; 59:21; 61:1 and 63:14. Isaiah mentions the Holy Spirit in 63:10 and
63:11. This mention of God’s Spirit in 30:1 is not by itself a proof of the Trinitarian doctrine of the Godhead.
However, the accumulation of references to God’s Spirit in Isaiah and in Ezekiel form a developmental
foundation for this doctrine as it is further unfolded in the Scriptures. It would not be out of place to say that
the disciples of Jesus and others around Him during His first advent, would have had a basic understanding
of the plurality of the Godhead from their study of the Old Testament. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 1:20,
points to creation itself as being enough evidence for knowledge about God. Paul also stated in Romans 1:19,
that God has revealed sufficient knowledge about Himself to every human. When Paul combines the work of
God in revealing Himself to mankind, His creation revealing details about His divine nature, and the
testimony of God’s Word about the plurality of the Godhead, it is little wonder that Paul can claim that
264…..Isaiah 30:1-4
mankind is without excuse for suppressing the truth about what they already know about God. Thus, those
who were students of the Scriptures, written before the first advent of Jesus Christ would certainly have had a
good understanding of the plurality of the Godhead.
God, as recorded in Isaiah 30:1, declares through the prophet that those who have made this alliance and
executed their plan without consulting Him have compounded or added sin to sin. It is an act of rebellion to
seek an alliance with a nation that God had previously denounced for their idolatry. But it is adding sin to sin
for making this evil alliance, by turning from seeking God, and not wanting to even hear from God as Isaiah,
in 30:11 of this chapter makes plain.
30:2-3 who set out to go down to Egypt,
and have not asked for my guidance;
to find refuge under Pharaoh's protection,
and seek safety under Egypt's shade!
3
Therefore Pharaoh’s protection will bring you shame,
and the safety of Egypt's shade will be your disgrace.
God emphatically declares His indictment against the sin of the leaders of Judah who were seeking shelter in
the shadow of Egypt without consulting Him for His guidance. God avows that this evil act of seeking the
protection of a pagan ruler will only bring shame and disgrace to the people of Judah. The Lord, through the
Psalmist as recorded in Psalm 91:1-2 states:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
will abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
All of Psalm 91 stands in stark contrast to the actions of the leaders of Jerusalem, who if they had sung this
Psalm in the temple, would have, with the testimony of their lips, understood the need to seek the LORD’s
counsel. They did, however, prove by their rebellious acts that mere words of understanding were far from
their hearts. It is only in Psalm 91:1 and Isaiah 30:2-3, that the words shelter, and shadow are found together.
In the Psalms, the godly person trusts in the Lord for shelter and shadow. As described in Isaiah 30:2-3, the
ungodly leaders of Judah trust in their deadly covenant with Egypt to seek a false sense of shelter and shadow
for they have become their shame and humiliation.
30:4-5 For their officials are at Zoan,
and their envoys have come to Hanes.
5
They will all be ashamed
because of a people who cannot benefit them,
who cannot give them help or profit,
but only shame and disgrace."
The prophet states in Isaiah 30:4, that the Judean princes and ambassadors had arrived at the Egyptian cities
of Zoan and Hanes. This action points conclusively to the role of king Hezekiah in the evil plot to ignore God
and seek aid from Egypt. In Isaiah 30:5, the prophet states that everyone and by implication, also the king of
Judah, will be ashamed for seeking help from a people who will only bring them shame and reproach. It was
only God’s gracious mercy and love for His people and His faithfulness in keeping His covenant that He
heard the words of king Hezekiah when the king requested prayer from God’s servant Isaiah in the face of
the assault by the armies of Assyria, Isaiah 37:1-4. Hezekiah’s alliance with Egypt was a complete failure. It
265…..Isaiah 30:4-8
was only when Hezekiah was faced with certain death, did he deem it necessary to seek help from the Lord.
God is a merciful Sovereign, who in spite of the sins of His people, will keep His promises to preserve to
Himself a faithful remnant and even in the events recorded in Isaiah chapters 36-37, keep His promises to
preserve a sinful and rebellious city safe from destruction.
30:6 -7 An oracle about the animals of the Negev.
Through the land of trouble and anguish,
of the lioness and roaring lion,
of the viper and fiery darting serpent,
they carry their riches on the backs of donkeys,
and their treasures upon the humps of camels,
to a people who cannot help.
7
For Egypt's help is worthless and futile.
Therefore have I called her "Rahab-who-just-sits-there."
Isaiah declares an oracle on the “beasts of the Negev.” This is a description of the route the princes and
ambassadors from Judah had taken when they travelled from Jerusalem to Egypt. It was a dangerous journey,
carrying rich treasure for the leaders of Egypt on the backs of donkeys and camels. They travelled “through a
land of trouble and anguish” where they faced wild animals including lions and vipers and darting snakes
and many other dangers which put their beasts of burden at risk. There is a two-fold irony in this story. First,
these ambassadors and princes had taken a similar route, in the opposite direction, from the promised land to
Egypt, as their ancestors had taken many centuries earlier when escaping from Egypt. This return to Egypt
was against the word of the Lord, Exodus 13:17 and Deuteronomy 17:16. Second, the risks of travel and the
costs of the gifts to Egypt were not worth the effort as the gifts were given to a people who could not help or
profit them.
Isaiah as recorded in 30:7 emphasizes the futility of taking this journey and the making of an agreement with
Egypt whom the profit calls “Rahab.” Other references in the Scriptures to Egypt be named Rahab are found
in Psalm 87:4, 89:10 and Isaiah 51:9. Rahab has the meaning of “arrogant turbulence.” Many Biblical
scholars understand this word as referring to a sea monster as this is clearly the description in Isaiah 51:9.
Isaiah as stated in the NKJV calls Egypt, “Rahab-Hem-Shebeth” which has the meaning of “Rahab who sits
idle.” The NIV renders this phrase as “Rahab the Do-Nothing,” and the KJV has “Their strength is to sit
still.” The point Isaiah makes about Egypt is a stinging rebuke to king Hezekiah and those he sent to Egypt.
Their time, money, dangerous journey and agreement were not only worthless but the whole exercise was
also an exercise in rebellion against God as the following verses make plain.
30:8-17: The Rebellious who do not seek help from the Lord
The People Refuse God’s Wisdom: 30:8-11
As stated in Isaiah 30:8-11, the prophet records the command of the LORD to write a message on a tablet and
inscribe it on a scroll as a perpetual witness, vs. 8. The reason for this perpetual witness is that God’s people
are rebellious and deceptive children who will not obey the law of the LORD, vs. 9. They tell the seers to
refrain from seeing visions and tell the prophets to stop prophesying to them what is right, and they only
want to hear illusions and pleasantries, vs. 10. With what is one of the evilest blasphemies recorded in the
writings of Isaiah, the people say, “let us hear no more of the Holy One of Israel,” vs. 11.
30:8 Now go, write it before them on a tablet,
and inscribe it on a scroll,
that it may be preserved as a witness for the future forever.
266…..Isaiah 30:8-11
The Lord requested that Isaiah write a message of warning against the people of Judah on both a tablet, for
public viewing as the words “before them” indicate and on a scroll, likely for private viewing and also as a
permanent record which would have formed this part of the book of Isaiah. The words on the tablet would
have been more concise than those written on a scroll, yet both of these writings were for an eternal witness
of God’s warning. The words that God wanted recorded may be the very words of Isaiah stated in 30:8-17.
Isaiah does not disclose the exact words he wrote on the tablet and the scroll, but he gives the reason for
these inscriptions in the verses 30:8.
30:9 For they are a rebellious people,
deceptive children,
children that will not obey the law of the LORD.
God, as Isaiah stated in 30:9 and following, gives His reason for requesting a permanent record of warning
and judgment against His people. God’s people are rebellious and deceptive children who will not obey His
law. This has been an all too familiar lament from the Lord about His chosen people. The word “law” in this
verse is literally torah meaning the law of the Lord. The prophet Jeremiah often lamented on the refusal of
God’s people to listen or obey the words of the Lord: Jeremiah 6:19; 9:13; 13:10; 26:4; 43:23 and 44:23.
Daniel also prayed for forgiveness for his people who had transgressed the law of God and did not obey His
voice. See Daniel 9:11.
30:10-11 They tell the seers, "Stop seeing visions,"
and to the prophets, "Stop prophesying to us about what is right,
tell us pleasantries, prophesy illusions.
11
Get out of the way,
turn aside from the path,
let us hear no more of the Holy One of Israel."
Isaiah continues the declaration of Lord’s rebuke of His people who have refused to listen to the seers and
prophets, including Isaiah, who speak the words of the Lord. The people refused to listen to what the Lord
wanted them to do and instead demand these prophets speak only pleasant words and words of illusion. The
people further push away the prophets and demand to hear no more about the Holy One of Israel. Amaziah,
the priest of Bethel, told Amos, "O seer, go, flee to the land of Judah. Earn your bread and prophesy there.13
Do not prophesy any more at Bethel, for it is the king's sanctuary, and it is a royal house." Amos 7:12-13. In
many passages of Scripture, the sad testimony of God’s people is recorded that they refused to listen to the
prophets whom God had sent to them. See 2 Chronicles 24:19; Jeremiah 25:4; 26:5; 29:19; 35:15; Ezekiel
2:5; Daniel 9:6; Zechariah 1:4 and Luke 16:31. The blasphemous words of the people, “let us hear no more
of the Holy One of Israel,” stands alongside other wicked actions of God’s covenant people as recorded in the
writings of Isaiah. An example of this are the words of Isaiah 3:9, “they flaunt (parade: NIV), their sin like
Sodom;” and the words of Isaiah recorded in 57:3-11 regarding the people’s practice of pagan religious rites.
The word way in 30:11 is the Hebrew word derek, which occurs often in Isaiah. Its meaning in the context of
Isaiah 30:11 is a command to stand aside and not block the way (or path) the people desire to proceed. The
Hebrew word derek, is also recorded in Isaiah 53:6 which is a very familiar verse in Isaiah and describes the
wickedness of the heart of the people of God, “All we like sheep have gone astray; and have turned everyone
to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him, the sin of us all.” By going in their own way, God’s covenant
people and all people, have turned to a path of destruction. The word “path” in Isaiah 30:11 is the Hebrew
word orach, which can be used interchangeably with derek, (way). Both Hebrew words orach and derek
occur together in Isaiah 30:11 and 40:14. In the context of Isaiah 30:11, God’s people are demanding that
Isaiah turn aside from the righteous “path” of declaring the words of the Holy One of Israel. Thus, the
267…..Isaiah 30:12-15
sinfulness of the people of Israel stands in profound contrast to the holiness of the Holy One of Israel. The
reaction of God to the wickedness of His covenant people is recorded in Isaiah 30:12-14.
The People Reject God’s Word: 30:12-14
As recorded in Isaiah 30:12-14, the prophet declares God’s retributive reaction to the sinfulness of His
covenant people, as stated in 30:1-11. Because they had despised God’s word and trusted in oppression and
deception, their iniquity will be upon them and they will be shattered instantly, like a cracked and bulging
wall which will fall and they will be smashed without mercy like a potter’s clay pot that has fallen to its
complete destruction.
30:12-14 Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says,
"Because you despise this word,
and trust and rely on oppression and deception;
13
therefore this iniquity will be to you
like a cracked and bulging wall ready to fall,
that topples suddenly, in an instant.
14
He will smash it like a potter's clay pot,
shattering it into pieces without mercy;
so that not a shard of it can be found among its pieces
for taking fire from the hearth,
or to dipping up water out of a cistern."
God’s response to the refusal of His people to listen to Him or to His prophet and their rebellious acts of
turning to a pagan nation for help instead of trusting in Him. The disaster, called by Isaiah, “this iniquity” to
fall on them would be like the sudden collapse of a wall, 30:13; or the smashing of a potter’s jar in which the
smashed shards of the vessel would be useless for any purpose, 30:14. The comparison of the smashing of a
potter’s jar was a stinging rebuke for the attitude of these people who although they were but a vessel of clay,
they considered themselves to be equal with the potter (God) and they spoke insolent words to their maker,
(vs. 16).
The People Reject God’s Will: 30:15-17
In Isaiah 30:15-17, the prophet records that although the sovereign LORD has offered to deliver His people if
they return to Him, rest upon Him and trust in Him, but they have rejected the offer of the LORD. Instead of
trusting in the LORD, they had trusted in their swift horses that could provide them no safety from even
swifter enemies who will overtake them.
30:15 For this is what the sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel says,
"In returning and rest you will be delivered;
quietness and trust will be your strength,
but you rejected it.
God offers them salvation from their impending doom which in the context of chapters 28-33 is the invasion
of Judah by the Assyrians. God asks them to simply repent. Resting quietly in the Lord and trusting in Him
alone is the only way for the people of Judah to experience God’s protection from their enemies. God’s
words to the people of Judah were the same as He delivered to King Ahaz a few years earlier: “Be careful, be
quiet, and don't be afraid,” Isaiah 7:4. Just prior to this offer to the people of Judah, Isaiah had recorded in
chapter 28:12:
268…..Isaiah 30:15-17 and 30:18-26 Introduction
"This is the rest, give rest to the one who is weary;"
and "This is a place of refreshment."
Yet they would not listen.
God also sums up this request, in 30:15, by stating: “but you rejected it.” The people rejected God’s offer of
protection and instead of coming in quiet respect to God and resting in Him, they sought refuge in fleeing on
horses from the Assyrian assault. Other passages in Isaiah speak of a day when God will provide rest for His
faithful remnant, 11:10; 14:3; 32:17.
30:16-17 You say, 'No, we will flee on horses;'
therefore you will flee.
and, 'We will ride on swift horses;'
therefore those who pursue you will be swift.
17
One thousand of you will flee at the threat of one of them;
at the threat of five all of you will flee,
until you are left as a lone flagpole on the top of a mountain,
and as a signal flag on a hill."
The rebellious and obstinate people of God had rejected His guidance and protection and sought protection
from the advancing Assyrians in the courts of Egypt. God rebuked His people and told them this strategy of
seeking aid from the Egyptians would only result in shame and disgrace. The people of Judah and by
implication, the court of Judah, including its leaders and king, refused to listen to God’s rebuke and
mockingly claimed that they would flee from the Assyrians on swift horses. God simply responds that this
would be a useless strategy because those who flee will be pursued by even swifter enemies who will over-
take them. The people of Judah would be so in fear that they would flee at the sight of five or even one of the
Assyrians and all that would be left of them would be an abandoned banner or flag on a lonely hill.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 30:1-17
30:1-7: The Rebellious who seek help from Egypt
30:1-2 The Sinful Plan
30:3-5 The Shameful People
30:6-7 The Sitting Protector
30:8-17: The Rebellious who do not seek help from the Lord
30:8-11 The People Refuse God’s Wisdom
30:12-14 The People Reject God’s Word
30:15-17 The People Reject God’s Will
5. God’s Graciousness to Jerusalem: 30:18-33
God’s Future Blessings: 30:18-26
The latter half of chapter 30 is a declaration by God of His gracious blessings on the people of Judah. This is
the fourth of a series in chapters 28 to 33 of a message of woe. Isaiah 30:1-17 is followed by a message of
salvation and blessing, 30:18-33. Isaiah 30:18-33 has two distinct parts: one in the future, where God
bestows His blessings in the millennial kingdom, 30:18-26, and the second in the present with God’s promise
of His immediate help to the city of Jerusalem, 30:27-33.
As recorded in Isaiah 30:18-26, the prophet states that the LORD waits patiently for His people so that He
may be gracious to them. He will rise up to have mercy upon them for He is a God of justice and blessed are
269…..Isaiah 30:18-19
all those who wait for Him, vs. 18. Those who live in Zion will receive help from the LORD for He is their
teacher whom they will see and receive instruction, and they will remove their carved images from their
midst, vss. 19-22. In that day, their crops will flourish, their animals will have abundant food, and land will
have brooks of flowing water, vss. 23-25. The light of the sun and moon will be much brighter and in that
day the LORD will heal His people, vs. 26.
30:18 Therefore the LORD patiently waits,
so that he may be gracious to you.
Therefore he will rise up,
so that he may have mercy on you.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
Blessed are all those who wait for him.
It is very significant that Isaiah 30: 8 contains a double “therefore” as they point to the ultimate response of
God to the sinfulness and rebelliousness of Judah. God is faithful and keeps His promise to His chosen
people. Therefore, in spite of their wickedness, and in spite of the fact that they have no patience to wait upon
God, He will wait for them in His desire to have compassion on them. He longs to be gracious to them. He
calls those who long for Him blessed, because He is a God of justice. God will not let their enemies go
unpunished and He will not forget His beloved city of where His holy mountain sits.
The word “gracious” is the Hebrew word chanan which is perhaps best known in the Scriptures in the
benediction or blessing of Aaron as recorded in Numbers 6:24-26:
24
"The LORD bless you and keep you;
25
the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you.
26
The LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace."
Other important occurrences include Exodus 33:19 and many of the Psalms. The Prophet Amos also used this
word in 5:14-15 of his prophecy, “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so the LORD, the God of hosts,
will be with you, just as you have claimed. 15 Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish justice in the
city gate. It may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.” See also:
Isaiah 26:10; 27:11; 30:19 and 33:2.
The word “mercy,” which is the Hebrew word racham, can also be translated as “compassion.” It often
occurs in Isaiah translated as mercy or compassion. See Isaiah 9:17; 13:18; 14:1; 27:11; 30:18; 49:10, 13, 15;
54:8, 10; 55:7 and 60:10. The phrase “God of justice” occurs only in Isaiah 30:18 and Malachi 2:17. The
word “justice,” which is the Hebrew word, mishpat, is often translated as “judgment.” It occurs 40 times in
Isaiah and is one of the major themes of the prophecy of Isaiah.
30:19 For the people will dwell in Zion at Jerusalem;
you will weep no more.
He will surely be gracious to you
at the sound of your cry for help;
when he hears, he will answer you.
Isaiah states that God will answer the cry of the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem. That this response by
God is in the future is evident by the content of 30:20-26. The weeping of the people of Jerusalem will be
met by God’s gracious response. In the last days, when Jerusalem is surrounded by its enemies and hope
seems lost, God will provide a way of escape for the faithful remnant who have cried out to Him. Zechariah
270…..Isaiah 30:20-23
14:3-5. See above notes on Isaiah 29:5 for a brief explanation of the return of the Lord and His rescue of His
people.
30:20 Though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity
and the water of affliction,
yet your Teacher will not be hidden anymore,
but your eyes will see your Teacher.
Isaiah explains that the Lord had punished them by giving them the “bread of adversity and water of
affliction.” The Lord’s punishment was meant to be restorative and not punitive. He longs for fellowship with
His people. As their Teacher, He will, in the blessed days to come, no longer hide Himself and their eyes will
behold their Teacher. This verse is the only place in the Old Testament where God is called their Teacher. It
will only be in the future when the people of Jerusalem will behold their Teacher with their eyes and worship
Him as their Messiah. During His first advent, the Messiah was called a Rabbi (meaning teacher): John 1:49,
6:25; 11:8 and 20:16, but the people of Israel of that day, rejected their teacher. It will only be during the
second advent of the Messiah, when the faithful remnant who have cried out to Him, will behold Him with
their eyes and will worship Him as their Protector, Savior and Lord on Mount Zion.
Michael Gabizon comments,
“Isaiah 30:20 is referring to the second coming of Jesus, when Messiah will return and reign on earth
after a period of tribulation. This view is supported by the correlation between Isa 30:20 and Isa 2:3
which is another eschatological passage portraying God’s universal reign in the Messianic Age.”
(Michael Gabizon, Isaiah 30:19-26: The Messianic Teacher King, The Moody Handbook of
Messianic Prophecy, page 892.)
30:21-22 Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying,
"This is the way, walk in it;"
when you turn to the right hand,
or when you turn to the left.
22
Then you will defile your silver-coated carved images,
and your gold-plated metal idols.
You will throw them away like a menstrual rag;
you will say to them, "Get out of here."
In the blessed days of the millennial kingdom, the people will respond to the lesson of the teacher, “This is
the way, walk in it”, Isaiah 30:21. God’s people will also, finally, throw away their carved images and their
idols, plated with silver and gold, 30:22. During the tribulation period, idol worship will be prevalent among
the ungodly and even in the midst of God’s judgment upon them, they will not repent of their sins of idolatry.
Revelation 9:20. It will only be after the people of God, who will be known as the faithful remnant, have
repented of their past sin of rejecting their Messiah and have turned from their worship of idols, that their
Messiah will return, and they will behold Him with their eyes.
30:23-26 Then he will give the rain for your seed,
which you sow in the ground.
Food from the produce of the ground
will be rich and plenteous.
In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures.
24
The oxen and the donkeys that till the ground
will eat savory fodder
271…..Isaiah 30:23-26
which has been winnowed with the shovel and pitchfork.
25
There on every lofty mountain,
and on every high hill,
there will be brooks of flowing water,
in the day of the great slaughter,
when the towers fall.
26
Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun,
and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter,
like the light of seven days,
in the day that the LORD binds up the injuries of his people
and heals the wound he has inflicted.
The prophet, as recorded in Isaiah 30:23-26, describes the bountiful blessings of the messianic kingdom.
Some may wish to explain away these words as describing only the benefits of salvation in Christ. However,
the plain reading of these words, lead to an obvious conclusion that the Lord is describing how life will be
like in the future days when the returning Teacher, the Messiah will reign over His kingdom on the earth. In
30:23-24, Isaiah records the word of the Lord, stating that, “on that day” there will be abundant rain and the
soil will yield a rich and plenteous harvest. The livestock will graze in wide pastures and the beasts of
burden, the oxen and donkeys will eat savory (salted) fodder. These verses indicate that not only will the
people of God be restored but nature itself will finally be free of its futility and corruption when the Lord
returns. See also Romans 8:19-21. In 30:25, Isaiah explains that streams will run from every high hill and
lofty mountain “in the day of the great slaughter when the towers fall.” This day of great slaughter is the day
when the Messiah will return and defeat the enemies of His people. The words “when the towers fall,” are
most likely a reference to the final fall of Babylon. Revelation 18:21-24.
“In that day,” when the Messiah will return and “binds up the injuries of his people and heals the wound he
has inflicted,” Isaiah 30:26, will be days of great brilliance when the glory of the Lord will shine as if seven
times brighter than the sun and will be like the light of seven days. See also Isaiah 60:19-20. The most
important theological truth of 30:26 is the fact that the Lord heals the bruise He has inflicted. The Lord will
establish days of tribulation in the future. They will be established for the purposes He desires. These days
are described in Jeremiah in 30:5-7:
5
For this is what the LORD says:
"We have heard cries of terror,
fear, and not peace.
6
Ask now, and see:
Can a man give birth to a child?
Why do I see every man with his hands holding his stomach,
like a woman in labor,
and all faces have turned pale?
7
Alas, that day is so great that there has never been one like it.
It is the time of Jacob's trouble;
but he will be saved out of it."
According to Revelation chapters 6-19, it is the Lord who sends the calamitous destruction on the earth
during the tribulation years. He does this so that the world will learn righteousness, to bring judgment on the
wicked who will not repent and to bring His faithful remnant to repentance and safety. See notes on Isaiah
4:4 for an extended discussion. As indicated above on the notes concerning Isaiah 29:5, the Old Testament
272…..Isaiah 30:27a-27b
contains a great amount of detail regarding the days of the tribulation period and the second coming of
Christ.
God’s Present Blessings: 30:27-33
God promises to act on behalf of the doomed people of Jerusalem. The mighty God comes in burning and
fierce anger, to destroy the Assyrians and to bring a final judgment on the Assyrian king. These verses are a
description of God and His actions that are among the most graphic in all of Scripture. Isaiah describes God
in an anthropomorphic (human like) sense ascribing to God actions from His lips, tongue, breath, voice and
arm. God is a spirit and He does not have the physical characteristics of a human. However, the Scriptures
often describe God with human like attributes so that the meaning of His actions can be understood. As
recorded in Isaiah 30:27-33, the prophet declares that the LORD will come with burning anger and He will
shake the nations and leads them to ruin, vss. 27-28. God’s people will have hearts full of gladness when they
keep the holy feast, vs. 29. The LORD will demonstrate His anger and the Assyrians will be terrified for He
will strike them down, vss. 30-32. The fires of Topheth have been prepared for the enemies of the LORD, vs.
33.
30:27a Look, the name of the LORD comes from far away,
In the opening words of 30:27, Isaiah declares that it is the “name” of the LORD that comes from a remote or
far-away location. God’s name has a holy and revered meaning in Scripture. God is jealous of His name and
responds in wrath when His name is profaned. God often acts for the sake of His name even when His people
rebel against Him. The student will derive much benefit from a study of what the Scriptures teach about the
name of the Lord and what God has done and will do for His name’s sake.
Students who desire to conduct a study on the name of the Lord should consider the following selected verses
in the Old Testament, Exodus 3:15; 6:3; 15:3; 20:7 and 34:14; Leviticus 24:16; Deuteronomy 28:58; 2
Samuel 6:2; Psalms 8:1, 9; 29:2; 34:3; 86:9; 103:1 and 145:1, 21; Proverbs 18:10; Nehemiah 1:11; Job 1:21;
Daniel 9:19; Micah 4:5; 5:4 and Zechariah 13:9 and 14:9. The importance of the name of the Lord and what
He does for His own name’s sake is stated often in the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Verses to
consider in Isaiah include, 12:4; 24:15; 25:1; 26:8; 42:8; 45:4; 47:4; 48:2, 9, 11; 50:10; 51:15; 54:5; 56:6;
59:19; 60:9 and 63:16.
The reference to “far away” in Isaiah 30:27 has the meaning of the heavenly realm, where God abides. It
would be pure speculation to attempt to specify exactly where God has His throne. It is a place simply called
from above. See Isaiah 40:22; John3:31, 8:23 and James 1:17. When Jesus was baptized by John and when
He was speaking to Moses and Elijah on the mount of transfiguration, God the Father spoke audibly from
above, from heaven, Matthew 3:16-17 and from a cloud, Luke 9:34-35. Many days after His resurrection,
Christ ascended up into heaven and it was said He will return from heaven, Acts 1:9-11. Isaiah calls heaven a
far-away place and it is best to understand it that way. However, God is not far from us: Acts 17:27.
30:27b-30 burning with his anger,
and in thick rising smoke.
His lips are full of fury,
and his tongue is like a consuming fire.
28
His breath is like a flooding river,
that reaches even to one's neck.
He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction.
He puts a bridle in the jaws of the peoples to lead them to ruin.
29
You will sing a song as in the night when the holy feast is kept;
273…..Isaiah 30:27b-31
have gladness of heart, as when one goes with a flute
to come to the mountain of the LORD,
to the Rock of Israel.
30
The LORD will cause his glorious voice to be heard,
and will show his arm swinging down,
with the fury of his anger,
and the flame of a consuming fire,
with a cloudburst, storm, and hailstones.
The latter half of Isaiah 30:27 and 30:28 and 30 are an anthropomorphic (human like) depiction of God by
Isaiah. God is described as having anger that burns; lips that are filled with fury (indignation); a tongue that
is like a consuming fire and His breath, 30:28 is like an overflowing river. In 30:30, Isaiah further describes
God as having a glorious voice and He will cause His arm to descend to be seen in fierce anger. These
depictions of God with human like characteristics are Scriptural portraits that define the attributes and actions
of God in ways that humans can understand them. God is a spiritual being who possess characteristics of a
person. Scripture defines God as One who exists in three persons, each having individual characteristics or
attributes. For an excellent study of the plurality of the Godhead see David L. Cooper, The Plurality of the
Divine Personalities, chapter 2 of The Messianic Series: Volume 1, The God of Israel. (Biblical Research
Studies Group). Other anthropomorphic (human like) Selected Scriptural references include Exodus 24:9-11;
Psalm 18:7-15; Ezekiel 1:26-28, Daniel 7:9-14; Nahum 1:1-8; and Habakkuk 3:3-15.
In Isaiah 30:29 the prophet describes the expected response of the people to whom God will rescue. They
will be glad in their hearts and sing festival songs like those who would march in a festive parade up to the
mountain of the Lord to Him who is called “the Rock of Israel”. Often in Scripture, God is defined as the
Rock of His People providing refuge, safety and salvation. A few of the many references to God as rock
include: Deuteronomy 32:4; 2 Samuel 22:2, 3, 32 and 37; Psalm 18:2, 46; 61:2; 89:26 and 95:1; Isaiah 17:10;
26:4; 30:29; and 44:8; and Habakkuk 1:12.
In the latter half of 30:30, Isaiah returns to the literary device of theophany to describe God who will show
Himself as a flame of a consuming fire and as a storm with a flooding rain and hailstones. The word
“cloudburst” is the Hebrew word nephets, which only occurs in Isaiah 30:30. Similar words in Isaiah occur
in: Isaiah 8:7, floodwaters; 17:12, mighty waves; 17:13, many waters; 28:2, flooding; and 28:17, overflow.
Other descriptive words for the fury of God in the tempest are “storm” occurring also in Isaiah 4:6, storm and
rain; 25:4, storm; 28:2, storm; 32:2, storm; 40:24, whirlwind; 41:16, whirlwind; and 54:11, storm. The word
“hail” occurs in Isaiah 28:2, 17 and 32:19. The passage in the Old Testament with the most occurrences of
hail is Exodus chapter 9 describing the plague of hail on the Egyptians.
30:31-33 The Assyrians will be terrified at the voice of the LORD;
when he strikes them down with his rod.
32
Every stroke of the rod of punishment
which the LORD will lay on him,
will be to the sound of tambourines and harps;
in battles with the waving of his arm,
he will fight with them.
33
For Topheth has been prepared for a long time;
yes, made ready for the king;
he has made its pyre deep and wide
with firewood piled high;
the breath of the LORD,
274…..Isaiah 30:31-33
like a stream of burning sulfur, sets it on fire.
In Isaiah 30:31-33, the target of the Lord’s fierce and burning anger is stated. The Assyrians will soon face
the wrath of God as Isaiah will later describe in detail in chapters 36 and 37. When God strikes Assyria, the
people of Jerusalem will rejoice with the music of tambourines and lyres. The blow of God’s rod of
punishment will strike Assyria and its king will be punished in a place called “Topheth,” 30:33, which
literally means “a burning place of abomination or shame” According to 2 Kings 23:10, Topheth was a valley
of the son of Hinnom. It was a place where child sacrifices, in the form of burning, to the pagan god Molech
were carried out. It was a most hideous act which God condemned. See Jeremiah 7:31-32; 19:6 and11. The
reference to this burning valley in Isaiah 30:33, is most likely a metaphor for Hell. The actual place of death
for Sennacherib, the king of Assyria was in the place where he worshipped his god Nisroch, Isaiah 37:38.
However, death is not the end of a human’s existence. Those who have faith in the Messiah will live eternally
with Him in peace. Those who rebel against God will be tormented in Hell and eventually forever in the lake
of Fire, Revelation 20:14-15. The destination of this king upon his death was in Hell, which Isaiah describes
as Topheth.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 30:18-33
30:18-21 The Desire of God to be Gracious
30:22 The Destruction of Graven Images
30:23-26 The Delight of God’s People
30:27-33 The Destruction of God’s Enemies
6. The Sons of Israel Need to Return to the Lord: 31:1-9
Isaiah chapter 31 introduces the fifth woe of chapters 28-33, (1) 28:1; (2) 29:1; (3) 29:15; (4) 30:1; (5) 31:1
and (6) 33:1. The imprecation of woe on those who oppose God is a major theme of Isaiah, 3:9, 11; 5:8, 11,
18, 20, 21, 22; 10:1, 5; 15:9; six woes of chapters 28-33; 45:9, and 10. Isaiah also pronounced “woe” on
himself twice when faced with overwhelming circumstances, 6:5 and 24:16. The declaration of woe was also
a major theme of the prophet Jeremiah and of the message of Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. The
final “woes” of Scripture are recorded in the book of Revelation as a statement of God’s judgment against
those who are ungodly during the days of the tribulation. Isaiah chapter 31 is also a summary of the previous
three chapters. It is a concise statement of God’s comparison of His wisdom and strength against that of the
nations who are central to the unfolding drama facing Isaiah and the people of Judah. The main theme of this
chapter and those preceding chapters is God’s lament over the failure of His people to trust in Him for
protection and their failure to accept His offer of salvation. They would be protected and have salvation if
they would just repent and return to Him.
As recorded in Isaiah 31:1-9, the prophet declares an oracle of “woe” on those who trust in the armed forces
of the Egyptians for help rather than looking to or seeking the LORD, vs. 1. The LORD will rise against the
house of evildoers and those who help them, for the Egyptians are merely human but LORD is spirit, and He
will accomplish His judgment upon those who help and those being helped, vss. 2-3. Like a lion who is not
afraid of human voices, the LORD will descend to fight on Mount Zion and will protect, deliver and protect
Jerusalem, vss. 4-5. The prophet calls God’s people to return to Him, against whom they have rebelled, and
to discard their silver and gold idols, vss. 6-7. The Assyrians will be defeated by God whose “fire is in Zion
and whose furnace is in Jerusalem,” vss. 8-9.
275…..Isaiah 31:1-3
31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
and rely on horses,
and trust in their many chariots,
and in horsemen because they are strong,
but they do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek the LORD!
The woe in 31:1 is directed to the leadership of Judah who had made an agreement with Egypt, called a
“covenant with death” in Isaiah 28:15, for protection against the Assyrians. The leadership of Judah had
rejected the counsel of the Lord, 30:9-11. Compare these verses with Isaiah 28:29. They had put their trust in
horses whom they saw as strong and chariots whom they see as many. “But they do not look to the Holy One
of Israel, or seek the LORD.” They also had ignored the warnings of the Scriptures not to seek protection in
Egypt against those who would war against them or trust in horses for victory over their enemies. See Exodus
13:17; Deuteronomy 17:16; Psalm 20:7, 33:17 and Proverbs 21:31. They had long ago separated themselves
from their once close relationship with the Lord. In the distant past, they consulted with God for His
instructions before engaging an enemy: 1 Samuel 23:1-14 and 2 Samuel 5:17-25.
31:2 Yet he too is wise, and will bring disaster,
and will not go back on his words.
He will rise against the house of the evildoers,
and against the helpers of those who do wrong.
In biting sarcasm, the prophet, in 31:2, declares that God “also is wise”. The leaders of Judah thought
themselves to be wiser than the words of counsel from the Lord that Isaiah had declared to them. Isaiah had
earlier pronounced a “woe” on these people, “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,” Isaiah 5:21. The
leaders of Judah should have heeded the words of Moses written in the Torah. See Deuteronomy 32:28-29.
See also: Isaiah 29:14 which is quoted by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:19. The Book of Proverbs is a
commentary on the need for God’s wisdom versus the folly of man’s wisdom. See specifically Proverbs
12:15 and 26:12. The Apostle Paul in Romans 1:21-22 rightly pronounced judgment on these leaders of
Judah and on all who would forsake the Lord, “For even though they knew God, they did not glorify him as
God, or give thanks to him; but became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22
Claiming to be wise, they became fools.”
Isaiah further declares in 31:2, that this wise God will bring disaster, for He will oppose those who commit
evil and do the work of iniquity. Isaiah had earlier, in his introductory address to the nation, spoke about the
people’s sinfulness, Isaiah 1:4: O sinful nation, a people loaded down with iniquity, an offspring of evildoers,
children who act corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel; they
have turned their backs on him.
The people of God ignored Isaiah’s words when He first began his prophetic ministry and they still ignored
his words even when faced with impending doom from the Assyrians. Following many declarations of woe
and warning, recorded in his prophetic messages, Isaiah offered the hope of salvation. In his first address,
Isaiah offered hope if the people would only listen to the reasonable words of God to obey Him, Isaiah 1:18-
19. As recorded in chapter 31, Isaiah again offers hope if the rulers of Judah would only return to God. 31:6-
7.
31:3 Now the Egyptians are merely human, and not God;
their horses only flesh, and not spirit.
When the LORD will stretch out his hand,
276…..Isaiah 31:3-5
both he who helps will stumble,
and he who is helped will fall.
They all will perish together.
Isaiah reminds the leaders of Judah of the folly of trusting in the men and horses of Egypt. Both the
Egyptians, those who are helping, and also those who are helped, the people of Judah, “will all perish
together” because they are no match for the Lord who has to just stretch out His hand to bring destruction
upon them. The world’s strongest armies and its technological might are useless before the strength of the
Lord. He simply laughs at the hubris of mankind who rebel against Him, Psalm 2:1-4. See also:
Deuteronomy 4:32-40, 7:17-19, 2 Chronicles 32:7-8: Psalm 107:40, Isaiah 40:21-26; Ezekiel 28:9. What
power has flesh over the Spirit of God? See Zechariah 4:6 and John 4:24. The work of the Lord, described as
His outstretched arm or hand, is a very common theme in the Old Testament. For example, Isaiah mentions it
also in 5:25; 14:26-27; 23:11 and 45:12.
31:4-5 For this is what the LORD says to me,
"When a lion or a young lion growls over its prey,
if a group of shepherds is called out against him,
will it not be frightened at their voice,
or intimidated from their noise.
So will the LORD of hosts come down to fight on Mount Zion,
and on its hill.
5
Like birds hovering overhead,
so the LORD of hosts will protect Jerusalem;
he will protect and deliver it,
he will pass over and rescue it.
The prophet in 31:4a, states that the Lord’s actions is likened to a lion who growls over his prey and is not
deterred by the presence or the voice of shepherds (defending the flock). The DASV has “will it not be
frightened” which has the implication that the lion will be afraid of the voices and noise of the shepherds.
The NKJV has “He will not be afraid of their voice,” which gives a better sense of the intention of the
prophet in comparing the lion to the LORD of hosts who has no fear of His enemies.
In 31: 4b, Isaiah states that “so will the LORD of hosts come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill.” In
31:5, this action of the Lord is likened to flying birds protecting (their nests). The Lord’s protection of
Jerusalem is declared by Isaiah, in words which remind the prophet’s audience of the past when the Lord
brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt and rescued them from the captivity of the Egyptians: “He will
protect and deliver it; He will pass over and rescue it.” The words “pass over” are both a reminder of the
rescue accomplished by the Lord of His people as recorded in Exodus chapters 12-14 and the inauguration of
the feast of Passover which forever commemorates this rescue. The people of the Lord in Isaiah’s day would
be reminded of the necessity to bring praises to the Lord when He came to rescue Jerusalem from the
Assyrian armies. See Isaiah 37:36. This rescue by the Lord also acts as a reminder of a future day when the
Lord will once again come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill during the terrible time
described in Scripture as the “day of the Lord.” Refer to the many notes on the day of the Lord in earlier
sections of this study. Also, Gary V. Smith provides an expanded discussion on the portrayal of the Lord as a
lion and a bird in his Isaiah Commentary, Vol. 1, on pages 532-534.
277…..Isaiah 31:6-9
31:6-7 Return to him from whom you have deeply rebelled,
O children of Israel.
7
For in that day each one of you will cast away your idols of silver,
and your idols of gold,
which your own hands have sinfully made for you.
The prophet declares hope for the besieged people of Jerusalem. In 31:6, Isaiah calls for repentance much
like that of later chapters. For example, refer to Isaiah 44:22 and 55:7. See also, Jeremiah 3:6-25 and Ezekiel
18:30-32. No matter how desperate the situation or how long the continuance in sin, God offers hope for His
people and for all peoples if they will but repent and turn in faith and trust to Him. In Isaiah 31:7, the prophet
turns his gaze far into the future. In one of many “in that day” prophecies contained in the book of Isaiah, the
children (sons) of Israel, as stated in 31:7, will finally cast away their idols which for them to have made is a
sin. God’s longsuffering for His people is seen in this verse. God has been patient with His people and has
repeatedly warned them about the worship of idols. From every pagan nation around them the sons of Israel
have adopted the sinful ritual of idol worship. It will continue right up to the end of the tribulation where they
will finally abandon this rebellious practice. The Lord will only return to His people following their
recognition of their great sin of rejecting their Messiah and in contrition and repentance ask the Lord to
return to them. See Hosea 5:15-6:3 and Zechariah 12:10. See also, above notes on Isaiah 29:2, 5.
31:8-9 Assyrians will fall by the sword, but not a human one;
the sword, but not of humankind, will devour them.
They will flee from the sword,
and their young men will be forced into hard labor.
9
Their rock will pass away in terror,
and their officers will panic when they see the signal flag,"
says the LORD, whose fire is in Zion,
and whose furnace is in Jerusalem.
The immediate circumstances of the attempted assault by Assyria on Jerusalem, is the topic of Isaiah 31:8-9.
God will cause the defeat of the Assyrian army. It will not be the sword of a man that brings about the
Assyrian defeat. God is the mighty warrior who brings victory to His people living in Jerusalem. Isaiah
frequently declared that this great victory is the work of the Lord. See Isaiah 14:24-27; 29:5-8; 30:27-33 and
37:36. The reference to forced labor in 31:8 is most assuredly the longer-term demise of the Assyrians after
the Babylonians defeated them and took many of their young men captive. In 31:9, Isaiah describes the
failure and death of the Assyrian rock which is a description of the defeat of their stronghold or city fortress
and the terror of seeing the standard or flag of their enemy, the Babylonians, being raised in victory. Some
understand the words “their rock” as a reference to the king of Assyria as a counterpoint to the Rock of Israel
in 32:9. Isaiah ends this passage with a reminder that the Lord is jealous for His City Jerusalem and His
mountain Zion because His fire and furnace which is His great zeal for them is present there.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 31
31:1-3 The Lord’s Wisdom and Power
31:4-5 The Lord’s Wrath and Protection
31:6-7 The Lord’s Waiting and Patience
31;8-9 The Lord’s Work and Passion
278…..Isaiah 32:1-2
7. Future Blessings on the Nation: 32:1-20
Chapter 32 of Isaiah does not begin with a “Woe” warning as did the previous four chapters. However,
chapter 33 does begin with an oracle of “woe”. Many understand that Isaiah intended to have a distinct
outline when he wrote the section we now know as chapters 28-33. Of course, when Isaiah wrote his
prophecy there were no chapters and verses to separate thoughts and subject matter. If it is understood that
Isaiah’s intention was to have a separate message for each section beginning with “woe”, then these chapters
can be seen as having six sections, (1) 28:1-29; (2) 29:1-14; (3) 29:15-24; (4) 30:1-33; (5) 31:1-32:20 and (6)
33:1-24. Some may want to include chapters 34 and 35 in this sixth section. However, it seems best to keep
these two chapters as a separate unit as will be further examined later in these notes.
Chapter 32 contains a prophecy of a righteous king. As there were no kings declared to be righteous over the
nations of Judah or Israel prior to Isaiah’s day and no kings so designated following this prophet, it seems
best to understand verses 1-8 and 15-20 of this chapter as relating to the millennial kingdom. This chapter has
three distinct sections. Verses 1-8 contain details about this future reign. Verses 9-14 contain a current
warning to the complacent women of Jerusalem and in verses 15-20, Isaiah again discusses matters of this
future peaceful reign of the righteous king. It was not unusual for Isaiah to interject a message of current
importance within a larger future prophetic passage.
32:1-8: The Future Reign of the Righteous King
As recorded in Isaiah 32:1-8, the prophet declares, “look” (behold), a king will reign in righteousness and
princes will rule in justice for each of them will be like a shelter to the people from wind and storm and like
streams in the desert and shade in a weary (parched) land, vss. 1-2. The people will both see and hear from
their righteous and just leaders and the people will have discernment and clarity of speech, vss. 3-4.
Righteousness will prevail against wickedness and those who are noble will stand secure in their plans, vss.
5-8.
32:1-2 Look, a king will reign in righteousness,
and princes will rule in justice.
2
Each of them will be like a hiding place from the wind,
and a shelter from the storm,
like streams in the desert,
like the shade of a great rock in a weary land.
Isaiah begins this message in 32:1 with “Look” in the DASV. Other English versions translate the opening
word as “behold” which is an emphatic declaration of astonishing news that will happen in the future. Isaiah
often employed this declaration. See Isaiah 12:2; 13:9; 17:1; 19:1; 21:9 and 24:1. See also: 1 Samuel 12:2;
18:22; 2 Samuel 19:9; 1 Kings 1:18 and Jeremiah 23:5. The important news that Isaiah is revealing is that “a
king will reign in righteousness and princes will rule in justice.” This is indeed astonishing news for a people
who have had a sad history of corrupt rulers. However, this righteous king will rule a kingdom far in the
future. Isaiah is describing a grand contrast between what the people of God endure at the present time with
what they will be blessed with in the future. The “king “can be no other than the promised Messianic ruler
who will reign on Zion and who God describes in Psalm 2 as “My Son,” Psalm 2:6-7. Isaiah declared that
this righteous king, who would be a son given to the people, would have the four two-fold names of:
“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father and Prince of Peace” for the “government will be upon
His shoulders.” Isaiah 9:6. It could rightly be stated that one of the grand themes of the prophecy of Isaiah is
the coming rule of the righteous king who is the Lord of Salvation. Isaiah has written much about the rule of
this King, who is the Messiah who will rule in righteousness and peace. See Isaiah 1:26; 5:16; 9:7; 11:4-5;
279…..Isaiah 32:2-5
16:5; 24:16; 26:2, 9-10; 32:16-18; 33:5; 45:23-25; 51:6-8;54:11-14; 58:8-12; 60:15-17; and 61:11. He will
also rule with justice. See Isaiah 1:27; 5:16; 9:7; 28:6, 17; 30:18; 33:5; 51:4; and 61:8-11.
The DASV beings 32:2 with the words, “Each of them” but the NKJV has “A man” which better translates
the Hebrew. Who is this man? He is the righteous King of 32:1, who will have the ministry that is described
in 32:2 as: first, a refuge or hiding place from the wind; second, a shelter from the storm; third, like streams
in the desert and fourth, like the shade of a great rock in a parched or weary land. The New Testament
provides a few details regarding the ministry of the Messiah during His millennial reign However, as is the
case for most of the “day of the Lord” prophecies, it is the Old Testament that fills in much detail of these
days to come. The Princes who will rule in justice during the millennial reign of Christ are not identified and
it would not be useful to speculate as to who they may be. They will, however, be much different than the
princes or leaders who have had roles of responsibility during the days of Isaiah’s prophetic ministry. The
leaders of Judah in the days of Isaiah’s prophetic ministry, were those who scoff at the Lord’s direction and
sought alliances with pagan nations, Isaiah 28:14-15; they attempted to hide their evil schemes from God,
Isaiah 29:15; and they corruptly deny justice to the innocent, Isaiah 29:21.
Study notes and comments about these days from recommended authors include, J. Dwight Pentecost, Things
to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology; John F. Walvoord, End Times: Understanding Today’s World
Events in Biblical Prophecy; Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom: An Inductive Study of the
Kingdom of God; Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of
Prophetic Events; Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical
Truth; Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology; Tony Garland, A Testimony of Jesus Christ: A
Commentary on the Book of Revelation.
32:3-4 The eyes of those who see will not be closed,
and the ears of those who hear will listen.
4
The heart of the rash will be able to discern knowledge,
and the tongue of those who stutter
will be articulate and speak clearly.
The results of and comments about the ministry of the righteous King and the ruling princes are declared by
Isaiah in 32:3-8. These will be days when no one will be blind or deaf. The minds of the people will be able
to discern truth and the tongues of the people will be able to speak without stammering. The mention in 32:
3-4, of eyes that will not be blinded and ears that will listen and minds that will discern and tongues that will
not stammer are a stunning contrast to Isaiah’s earlier indictment on the leaders of Judah. See Isaiah 3:8-10;
5:20-24; 6:9-10; 28:7-13; 29:9-12 and 30:9-11. It will only be when a righteous King rules them and just
princes oversee their government that their abilities to see, hear, discern and talk will be transformed to
participate morally right and in a holy manner in the society of the coming kingdom.
32:5-8 The fool will no longer be called noble,
nor the rascal considered honorable.
6
For a fool speaks folly,
and his heart plots wrongdoing,
They practice ungodliness
and speak error concerning the LORD,
to leave the soul of the hungry unsatisfied,
and to deprive the thirsty of water.
7
The rascal's schemes are evil;
he devises evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies,
280…..Isaiah 32:5-9
even when the plea of needy is right.
8
But the noble plans noble actions;
by noble actions he stands secure.
Isaiah provides editorial comment about this future kingdom. Fools will not be tolerated or called noble.
Those who were rascals (rogues) will have no standing. It is only those who are noble, literally: majestic or
glorious (KVJ: “liberal”), who will see their plans honored by the Messiah, and their plans will glorify Him.
The Messiah will protect the needy and they will speak just or righteous words. It is possible that the intent of
the latter half of 32:7 and also 32:8, is that the noble, by their righteous acts in the millennial kingdom, will
stand up for the needy and meet their needs. It should also be noted that the millennial kingdom will have
dishonest, scheming and foolish people living along-side those who are living righteous lives.
At the end of the millennial kingdom, we should not be surprised that there will be those who will align
themselves with Satan after he is released. See Revelation 20:7-10. How could people who have lived on the
earth, with full knowledge that Jesus the Messiah is ruling among them, rebel against Christ and see to
overthrow Him and His rule? The answer is as old as Moses and yet older, as old as Adam. Adam and Eve
knew God intimately yet rebelled against Him. The people of Israel spent 40 years in the wilderness with the
presence of God before them day and night and yet rebelled against Him. Psalms 2 speaks to the rebellion
which will occur in the last days when those who align themselves with Satan will seek to overthrow the Son
of God in Zion. Why will God allow such rebellion even to the end of the age? The answer is that God is
patient and loving and will wait even to the very end of days for those who will seek Him with their whole
hearts.
32:9-14: Warning to the Complacent Women of Jerusalem
As recorded in Isaiah 32:9-14, the prophet brings a warning to the women of Jerusalem who have become
complacent because of the anticipated protection of Judah by Egypt. Isaiah calls them to arise and pay
attention to his message, vs. 9. Isaiah declares that in a short time, about one year, the fruit harvest including
grapes will fail, vs. 10. The women are to adorn themselves in sackcloth and beat their breasts (in mourning),
for their land will be overgrown with thorns and thistles. Their once joyous city will be deserted, and their
fields of agriculture will be fit only as a pasture for wild donkeys and other animals, vss. 11-14.
32:9-14 Get up, you women who are at ease;
hear my voice, you complacent daughters;
give ear to my speech.
10
For in just about a year you will shudder,
you complacent ones;
for the grape harvest will fail,
the fruit harvest will not come.
11
Tremble, you women who are at ease;
shudder, you complacent ones;
strip down, and expose yourselves,
and put sackcloth on your waists.
12
Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,
for the fruitful vine.
13
For the land of my people will be overgrown
with thorns and thistles;
yes, over all the houses of joy in the city of carousing.
14
For the palace will be forsaken;
281…..Isaiah 32:9-14
the populous city deserted;
the Ophel and the watchtower will be caves forever,
the joy of wild donkeys,
and a pasture for flocks;
Isaiah directed his message to the women in Judah who have been living at ease and have become
complacent during times of fruitful harvests and a false hope of trusting in Egypt for their protection. Isaiah
tells them, in 32:10, that these days of prosperity and safety will be coming to an end, “for in just about a
year,” DASV or a better translation is: “in little more than a year,” ESV. This specific time reference most
likely pinpoints when Isaiah declared the prophetic words of chapter 32. Jerusalem was attacked by the
Assyrians in 701 BC. Thus, the time of Isaiah’s message to the women of Judah can be identified as 702 B.C.
and not later than 703 B.C. Isaiah instructs these complacent women to dress in sackcloth which is a symbol
of lament and mourning and to beat their breasts lamenting the end of their enjoyment of the fruit of the
harvest described in 32:12 as the fruitful vine. Again, Isaiah returns to a favorite theme of the relationship
between God and His people, both in Isaiah’s time and in the future, described as a vineyard, and wine, the
fruit of the vineyard. This common theme was certainly due to the fact, that the Judeans were people of
agriculture and they could easily understand why God would describe His relationship with them in this
manner. References in the book of Isaiah include, 1:8; 3:14; 5:1-30; 7:23-25; 22:13; 25:6; 27:2-6; 28:1-8;
37:30-32; 55:1; 56:12; 61:5; 62:8-9; 63:1-6; 65:8-11 and 21.
As recorded in Isaiah 32:13-14, the prophet further describes the calamity that will soon come upon these
women to their jubilant city and their joyful houses. Also, their palace will soon be abandoned. The hill and
watchtower will soon become caves and be suitable only for the enjoyment of donkeys and as pastures for
the flocks. This further description of destruction and ruin extends the timing of God’s judgment beyond the
siege in 701 B.C. of the City of Jerusalem by the Assyrians to the time of the complete devastation of the
nation of Judah in 586 B.C. by a nation they have not yet seen as their oppressors, the Babylonians. Isaiah
will direct his prophetic message to this menacing nation in the latter part of his writings. Isaiah had earlier
pronounced God’s judgment on the people of the city of Jerusalem for their indulgences, when they should
have been wearing sackcloth and lamenting over the coming assault of the Assyrians as recorded in 22:12-
14:
12
In that day the Lord, the LORD of hosts called
for weeping and mourning,
for heads to be shaved,
and for sackcloth to be put on.
13
But instead there was joy and gladness,
celebratory slaying of oxen and slaughtering of sheep,
eating meat and drinking wine.
"Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die," you exclaim.
14
The LORD of hosts revealed himself in my ears,
"Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven until you die,"
says the Lord, the LORD of hosts.
32:15-20: A Time of Future Blessing
As recorded in Isaiah 32:15-20, the prophet declares that the wilderness will become a fruitful field which
will be considered a forest and justice will reside in the wilderness and in the fruitful field when, in a further
day, God’s Spirit will be poured on His people, vss. 15-16. The product of the righteousness from the Spirit
282…..Isaiah 32:15-20
to come will be peace, quietness and confidence forever. God’s people will live in security even in times of
extreme weather, like hail that may destroy the city and the forest, vss. 17-20.
32:15-20 until the Spirit is poured on us from on high,
and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field considered a forest.
16
Then justice will dwell in the wilderness;
righteousness will reside in the fruitful field.
17
The produce of righteousness will be peace;
the result of righteousness,
quietness and confidence forever.
18
My people will live in peaceable dwellings,
in safe homes,
and in secure resting places.
19
Even if hail destroys the forest
and the city is totally leveled;
20
blessed are you who plant beside every stream,
who let the feet of the ox and the donkey graze freely.
After describing the destruction upon the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem in 32: 9-14, Isaiah
declares a message of future messianic blessings in the last section of chapter 32. The ultimate restoration of
the nation will not occur until the Lord will come and accomplish a mighty work of restoration among His
people. This restoration has not yet occurred in the history of Israel and will only occur, according to 32:15,
until “the Spirit is poured on us from on high.” Isaiah mentioned the Spirit of the Lord numerous times in his
prophetic writings. The prophet’s audience was not ignorant of the work of the Spirit in relation to God’s
creative work in the past, Genesis 1:2 and Psalm 104:30, and to His blessings for them in the future, Isaiah
11:1-10. The Spirit of God is mentioned in Isaiah 11:2; 30:1; 32:15; 34:16; 40:13; 42:1; 44:3; 48:16; 50:21;
61:1; 63:10 (Holy Spirit); 63:11 (Holy Spirit) and 63:14. The only other reference to the Holy Spirit in the
Old Testament is David’s plea in Psalm 51:11. In the context of Isaiah 32:15, it is the mention of the future
work of the Spirit that is being emphasized. See also Ezekiel 36:26-27; 39:29; Joel 2:28-28 and Zechariah
12:10.
The prophets of God were sent by the Spirit to declare the words and law of the Lord as Zechariah so
graphically stated, “They made their hearts as hard as rock, so they would not have to obey the law, and the
words which the LORD of hosts had sent by his Spirit through the former prophets. Therefore great wrath
came from the LORD of hosts.” Zechariah 7:12.
The people of Zechariah’s day refused to hear the words of the Lord just as they had done during the ministry
of Isaiah. Yet, in spite of the rebellious actions and attitudes of His people, God will, because of His great
love to His people and due to His faithfulness in keeping His covenant promises with them, restore them to
the land with bountiful blessings in the future. These future days and blessings have not yet occurred. Yet it
is these blessings that Isaiah declares to the people of God in the words recorded in Isaiah 32:15-20. But
before the arrival of these days of blessings, the Lord has and will again bring judgment on His people for
their refusal to listen to Him through the words of His servants the prophets and by the words, life, death and
resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.
When God pours out His Spirit in the future, several blessings to the people of God will be realized. Isaiah
stated, in 32:15 that the Spirit would be poured out, on us, referring to those who are the covenant people of
God. These blessings are stated in 32:15-20 as, (1) the wilderness will become a fruitful field; (2) the fruitful
283…..Isaiah 32:15-20
field will be considered a forest; (3) justice will dwell in the wilderness; (4) righteousness will reside in the
fruitful field; (5) the work or produce of righteousness will be peace; (6) the result of righteousness will be
quietness and confidence forever; (7) God’s people will live in safe homes; (8) they will live in secure resting
places; (9) they will live in resting places; (10) they will be blessed as they plant beside every stream; and
(11) they will be blessed when they let the feet of the ox and the donkey graze freely. An examination
of these Scriptures reveals that God is establishing a righteous and peaceful kingdom that will be ruled by
His righteous king. See Isaiah 32:1. These prophetic words of Isaiah, chapter 32:1-8 and 15-20 are certainly
one of the clearest statements in all of Scripture regarding the truth of the coming millennial kingdom which
will be ruled by the Prince of Peace, the One who is the King of righteousness. Isaiah 32:19-20 is a summary
of this message. In 32:19, however, Isaiah reminds his audience of the certain doom of the city which is
Jerusalem which he discussed in 32:9-14. In Isaiah 32:20, the prophet again declares how blessed the people
of God will be for they will live in the righteous kingdom to come which he discussed in 32:1-8 and 32:15-
20. It is this repetition that emphasizes the impact of Isaiah’s message. God will bring judgment on those
who refuse to repent of their sins against Him. He will also bring blessings in the future when they finally
repent and seek Him to rescue them from their enemies.
Eva Rydelnik comments on the outpouring of the Spirit Isaiah 32:15-20:
“This outpouring of the Spirit is one aspect of the initiating of the millennial kingdom. Often prophets
connect the establishment of the messianic kingdom with the coming of the Spirit upon His people
(Ezk 36:27; Jl 2:28-32; Zch 12:10).” Eva Rydelnik, Isaiah 32:1-8, 33:17-24: The Righteous and
Majestic King, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, page 901).
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 32
32:1 A Ruler of Righteousness
32:2 A Refuge of Regents
32:3-8 A Reign of Repute
32:9-14 A Recompense of Reproach
32:15-20 A Realm of Restoration
8. Prayer for Zion to take Refuge in the Lord: 33:1-24
Chapter 33 of Isaiah contains the sixth and last “woe” of Isaiah chapters 28-33 and it is the only one of these
woe oracles that is directed against a foreign nation. All of the other woes, (1) 28:1-29; (2) 29:1-14; (3)
29:15-24; (4) 30:1-33; and (5) 31:1-32:20, are addressed to the people and leaders of Judah. Chapter 33
contains messages from Isaiah that concern the immediate threat of the Assyrian siege and words of hope and
blessings for a future day when the majestic One, the Lord, will be present and the future people of God will
see the King in His beauty. The chapter has several possible divisions. For purposes of this study, an outline
that seems best to fit the context of chapter 33 is suggested:
The Hope of the Hopeless: 33:1-6
The Crying City and the Consuming Creator: 33:7-12
God’s Summary of His Work: 33:13-16
The Place and Prince of Peace: 33:17-24
284…..Isaiah 33:1
The Hope of the Hopeless: 33:1-6
As recorded in Isaiah 33:1-6, the prophet declares an oracle of woe on those who destroy and those who
betray for they will be destroyed and betrayed, vs. 1. The prophet prays for the LORD to be gracious to His
covenant people and bring them salvation, vs. 2. Those who oppose God will flee when He arises against
them, vss. 3-4. The LORD is exalted and will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, and He will be bring
stability, abundant salvation, wisdom and knowledge for the fear of the LORD produces these things, vss. 5-
6.
33:1 Woe to you who destroy,
but you have not been destroyed;
and you traitor,
but they have not betrayed you!
When you finish destroying,
you yourself will be destroyed.
When you have finished betraying,
they will betray you.
The woe in Isaiah 33:1 is addressed to a destroyer who also deals treacherously (betrays). The words “you
who destroy” is translated as “destroyer” in the NASB and is the Hebrew word shadad, which has the basic
meaning to spoil, destroy or ruin, and occurs four times in 33:1: “destroy,” “destroyed,” “destroying” and
“destroyed.” The word shadad. also occurs in Isaiah in 15:1 twice as “destroyed;” in 16:4, as “destroyer;” in
21:2 (twice) as “destroyer” and “destroys;” in 23:1 as “destroyed;” and in 23:14 as “destroyed.” The obvious
intent of this fourfold use of shadad in Isaiah 33:1 is to dramatically emphasize that the destroyer (Assyria)
will be destroyed by a far greater destroyer (God). The word traitor, translated as “who is treacherous” in the
NASB, is the Hebrew word bagad, which has the basic meaning of “deceitful,” “traitor” and “treacherously.”
As with shadad (destroy), bagad (betray) also occurs four times in Isaiah 33:1. The word bagad also occurs
in Isaiah in 21:2 (twice); 24:16 (four times); and once in 48:8. The obvious intent of this fourfold use of
bagad in Isaiah 33:1 is to dramatically emphasize that the betrayer (Assyria) will also be betrayed in a later
time by the agent of God, Babylon.
The context of the preceding chapters and the historical account of these days recorded in 2 Kings 18:13-
19:37 indicate that this treacherous, betraying destroyer is the Assyrian armies led by king Sennacherib who
are about to lay siege to Jerusalem. In the passage 2 kings 18:13-17, Hezekiah had paid the king of Assyria
three hundred talents (11 tons) of silver and thirty talents (1 ton) of gold for assurance that the Assyrians
would not attack Jerusalem. In today’s currency this amount would be an enormous fortune. Sennacherib,
however, took the silver and gold and did not honor his word with king Hezekiah of Judah. The Assyrians
kept to their strategy of destroying all in their path as their armies swept southward. 2 Kings 18:13 records
the time and event, Now in the fourteenth year of king Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up
against all the fortified cities of Judah, and captured them. Only Jerusalem was left unconquered and the
Assyrians, the destroyers and treacherous ones, began their preparations for destroying the capital city of
Judah. God’s oracle of woe on the Assyrians is blunt, “When you finish destroying, you yourself will be
destroyed. When you have finished betraying, they will betray you.” In a very short time, perhaps less than 1
year, the Assyrian armies would be destroyed by an angel of God as recorded in Isaiah 37:36 and 2 Kings
19:35. The complete and final destruction of the Assyrian nation came through the assault of the Babylonians
in 586 B.C.
285…..Isaiah 33:2-3
33:2 O LORD, be gracious to us;
we have waited for you.
Be our strong arm every morning,
our salvation in the time of trouble.
As recorded in Isaiah 33:2-6, the prophet called upon the Lord in words of supplication and praise, perhaps
as the Assyrians were at the doors of the City of Jerusalem. Hezekiah had asked the prophet to pray, Isaiah
37:4. Hezekiah himself also prayed to the Lord, 2 Kings 19:15-20. Isaiah’s prayer identified himself with the
people of Jerusalem, “O LORD, be gracious to us,” 33:2. Earlier, Isaiah had recorded words of repentance:
6:5; 25:9; and 26:8. The prophet Daniel in a later day included himself with his people, in a prayer of
repentance to the Lord, Daniel 9:5.
Isaiah’s prayer in 33:2 not only beseeches the Lord to be gracious to he and his people but declares that they
have waited for the Lord. It is significant that these words are included. Twice in the earlier words of the
prophet it is stated a waiting has or will occur. In chapter 8:17, Isaiah speaks for himself stating “I will wait
expectantly for the Lord.” In chapter 25:9, Isaiah declares that in a far future day, “It will be said in that day,
Look, here is our God; we have waited for him.” But nowhere in his prophecy up to this point, has Isaiah
recorded that the people have waited for the Lord. They did not during the days of kings Uzziah, Jotham and
Ahaz nor in the early days of the reign of Hezekiah. It was only when they could see the faces of the enemy,
when the Assyrian armies were at their door laying siege-works to breech the walls and destroy the city and
its inhabitants that they could now say, “we have waited for you.”
In past years, when the vineyard produced bountiful yields of grapes from which they could make wine and
during prosperous times the people saw no need to wait on the Lord. The prophet told them to trust in the
Lord, but they were not willing, Isaiah 30:12, 15. They did not heed the instruction of the Lord regarding
seeking aid from Egypt. See Isaiah 30:1-2 and Deuteronomy 17:16. They did not want to hear any more
about God, the Holy One of Israel, Isaiah 30:11. So how could Isaiah say the people of Jerusalem have
waited for God? In years past their time was not measured in milliseconds, but now when the enemy is just
about to break the walls down, days seemed like months, and hours like days and minutes like hours. It was
during the most intense hours of fear and terror that they could truthfully say we have prayed and waited for
you. It is also likely that these were the dreadful hours when most of the people in Jerusalem turned in
repentance to God. There schemes and alliances with foreign pagan nations were now useless and they had
no other hope except in turning to the Lord.
Isaiah in 33:2 stated that this was indeed the situation as He invoked the Lord to be the strength (strong arm)
of the people of God every morning and to be their salvation in the time of distress or trouble. Every morning
must have seemed like an eternity. When would God deliver them? Hezekiah was at the very end of his
dependency on diplomacy and the hope that paying ransom would bring a peaceful solution to this situation,
Isaiah 37:1-4 and 2 Kings 19:1-4. In desperation, king Hezekiah turns to the Lord in prayer, 2 Kings 19:15-
20 and he also seeks the prayer of Isaiah, Isaiah 37:4. Waiting for the Lord to act may seem like a
frustratingly long time, but all children of God must remember that His time of action does not need to nor
does not necessarily have to coincide with our sense of time. God will act when He deems best to accomplish
His plans and purposes. It is interesting that God responds to Hezekiah’s prayer with these words, “Because
you have prayed to me against Sennacherib, king of Assyria, I have heard.” 2 Kings 19:20, NKJV.
33:3-4 At the roar of a crowd, the peoples flee;
when you rise up the nations scatter.
4
Your spoil is gathered like the caterpillar gathers;
like locusts leaping so they will leap on the loot.
286…..Isaiah 33:3-6
Isaiah declares that it is the Lord who will cause nations to disperse and flee at the sound of tumult. When the
Lord growls the armies of the nations are dissolved into disarray and terror and are scattered. King David
prayed, “Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered.” Psalm 68:1. The words of Isaiah 33:3-4 are the answer
to the prayer of Isaiah in 33:2. In a short time the enemy of the nation of Judah will be scattered when the
Lord arises to destroy the army of Assyria and scatters its leaders. In a far future day the Lord will again
“come down to wage war on Mount Zion and on its hill.” Isaiah 31:4. As recorded in Isaiah 33:4, the prophet
praises the Lord’s complete victory over His enemies for the spoils of war will be gathered like the gathering
of caterpillars and locusts.
33:5 The LORD is exalted,
for he dwells on high.
He fills Zion with justice and righteousness.
As stated in Isaiah 33:5, The prophet offers praise to God for His person: “The LORD is exalted;” for His
place: “He dwells on high;” and for His Purpose: “He fills Zion with justice and righteousness.” Isaiah’s
praise telescopes the sense of meaning from the immediate terror of the invading Assyrians to a day far in the
future when He will reign on Mount Zion with justice and righteousness. This was a similar message that
Isaiah had frequently declared, 1:26-27; 2:2-5; 4:1-6; 11:1-10; 24:23; 27:12-13; 28:5-6 and 32:15-30 and
would again declare in this chapter 33:20 and in later times: 34:8; 35:10; 37:32; 46:13; 51:3, 11, 16; 52:1, 7;
59:20; 60:1, 14; 61:3; 62:1, 11; and 66:8.
33:6 He will be stability in your times,
abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge.
The fear of the LORD produces this treasure.
The praise of Isaiah to the Lord continues in 33:6, “He will be stability in your times.” (DASV). This phrase
may cause some confusion as stated in other versions. The NIV translates this phrase as, “He will be the sure
foundation of your times.” The ESV has “And he will be the stability of your times.” However, the KJV put
the emphasis on the people who need to trust the Lord’s wisdom and knowledge. The KJV states, “And
wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times and strength of salvation.” This is similar to the
NKJV. The intent of this phrase in 33:6 is not to repeat the truth of Isaiah 28:16, “I am laying in Zion a
foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.” It is, however, a statement by
Isaiah that only in the Lord is faithfulness, stability and security for the time at hand when the Assyria armies
are at the door of Jerusalem.
In Isaiah in 33:6, the prophet reminded the people that the Lord is “an abundance of salvation, wisdom and
knowledge.” This was a treasure of truth for the people of Isaiah’s day to grasp and perhaps it was the best
time for the prophet to tell them when the great dread of the enemy was before them. They were finally ready
to hear the wonderful truths of the Lord that Isaiah had been continually declaring to them for many years.
Isaiah does not hold back and gives them much to digest. Isaiah was teaching them deep theological truths
about the Lord, which if they had been listening to him and studying their Scriptures, they would have
already known. There is much to comment on about these wonderful truths. However, the space necessary
would be beyond the scope of this study. A word study on the word salvation in the writings of Isaiah would
be very profitable for it occurs 26 times. This theme will be discussed in more detail in the sections in Isaiah
on the Servant of the Lord and in particular Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12, where the actual word salvation does not
occur, but the acts of the Lord in providing salvation is this section’s great topic. The word wisdom occurs 5
times in Isaiah. Also of significance is the specific reference is to the Branch (the Messiah) in Isaiah 11:2
where it is stated a spirit of wisdom will rest on Him. The word knowledge occurs 11 times in Isaiah. A
specific reference is within the above-mentioned Servant of the Lord section, Isaiah 53:11, “As a result of the
287…..Isaiah 33:6-7
anguish of His soul, He will see and be satisfied. By His knowledge my righteous servant, will justify many,
and he will bear their sins.” There will be much to comment upon this verse and others in this great section
later in this study.
Finally, Isaiah concludes v33:6 with another significant truth, “The fear of the Lord produces this treasure.”
The NKJV translates this phrase as, “The fear to the Lord is His treasure.” For those who are now ready to
listen to Isaiah, this last comment would be of immense value. It should have reminded the people of the
great significance of their Scriptures and specifically the book of Proverbs from its first mention in the first
chapter, 1:7 to its final mention in the last chapter, 31:30. It also should have brought to their minds, Isaiah’s
earlier mention of this treasure to them, 8:3 and 11:2-3. Isaiah later remind them of this as recoded in 50:10
and 59:19. With this declaration of treasure of the Lord, Isaiah concludes his great theological lesson and
now proceeds to discuss the devastation to the land due to the invasion of the Assyrians and the Lord’s
response in verses 7-12.
The Crying City and the Consuming Creator: 33:7-12
The Assyrians were now at the very walls of Jerusalem and the once brave inhabitants of the city and the
ambassadors of the king who had made an agreement with Sennacherib were weeping bitterly because their
efforts to bring peace had failed. The neighboring lands were stripped of their crops and trees and no trade
could be conducted. It was time for the Lord to act. As recorded in Isaiah 33:7-12, the prophet declares that
the heroes and ambassadors of Jerusalem weep bitterly, vs. 7. The highways are empty without travelers and
their enemy has broken its treaties and respects no one, vs. 8. The land of Judah and its neighbors mourn and
withers and have become like a desert, vs. 9. But the LORD declares that He will arise and will be exalted for
the enemies of His people will be cut down like thorns and burned in the fire, vss. 10-12.
33:7-9 Look, their heroes cry in the streets;
the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8
The highways are vacant,
the travelers are gone.
The enemy has broken its treaties,
its witnesses are despised,
he respects no one.
9
The land mourns and withers;
Lebanon withers with shame.
The fertile plain of Sharon has become like a desert,
and Bashan and Carmel lose their rich foliage.
Isaiah records the reaction of those who had once been brave, their heroes, Hebrew erel, (meaning valiant
ones) and of those who were ambassadors of king Hezekiah who had made a covenant or agreement with
king Sennacherib of Assyria. The city had been stripped of its silver and gold as a payment of peace to the
king of Assyria. Diplomacy and costly agreements were of no avail. Victor Buksbazen comments on 33:7-9
and provides his own translation of 33:7:
“Behold the inhabitants of Ariel cry in the street, The messengers of peace weep bitterly.”
The Hebrew word “erelam” is translated in the KJV as “the valiant ones,” but it is apparently an
allusion to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, which Isaiah (29:10 has previously call Ariel – “the hearth”
or “the altar of God.”
288…..Isaiah 33:7-11
It would appear from our text that after Sennacherib captured Lachish and many fortified cities in
Judah – and according to Assyrian record, carried away over 200,000 prisoners – Hezekiah sent
“messengers of peace” to negotiate terms. However, Sennacherib with his customary brutality
insulted the ambassadors, who returned to Jerusalem humiliated and weeping (v. 7).
As a result of the Assyrian depredations, the whole land is desolate, the highways are deserted, the
most fertile regions of the land (Lebanon, Sharon, Bashan, and Carmel) lie idle and untilled. (Victor
Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 271).
The people of Jerusalem wept bitterly. In 33:8, Isaiah described the commercial devastation due to the
advance of the Assyrians. No one could conduct any business due to the danger on the roads now that the
Assyrian armies had conquered the lands surrounding Jerusalem. The words in 33:8, “The enemy has broken
its treaties, its witnesses are despised, he respects no one.” is a reference to king Sennacherib with whom the
ambassadors of Judah had made a covenant or agreement. The Assyrian king had demanded a staggering
amount of silver and gold as a result of the plea of peace made to him by Hezekiah, 2. Kings 18:13-16. But
Sennacherib had no intention of keeping this covenant with Hezekiah and all the cities of Judah except
Jerusalem had been conquered by the Assyrians. As described in 33:9, Isaiah describes the destruction of the
trees and foliage of the surrounding lands: Lebanon, Sharon, Bashan and Carmel. The besieged city of
Jerusalem was left defenseless and the only possible help to them was from the Lord.
33:10 "Now I will rise," says the LORD,
"now I will lift up myself,
now I will be exalted.
When no other means of escape from destruction was available, the Lord took action. In 33:10, the prophet
records the reaction of the Holy One of Israel, “Now, I will arise, now I will lift up myself, now I will be
exalted.” The repetition (three times) of “now”, Hebrew attah, is an emphatic and dynamic attestation by the
Lord that, in contrast to the weak and futile efforts of the leaders of Jerusalem, He will act decisively and
victoriously. These actions of the Lord are those He describes as arise, exalted and lifted up. Later Isaiah
will describe the Servant of the Lord in similar words, “Look, my servant will deal wisely; he will be exalted
and lifted up and will be greatly exalted.” Isaiah 52:13. In the New Testament this praise was also given to
the Servant, who is the humble Son, Jesus Christ and the believers great High Priest, Philippians 2:9 and
Hebrews 7:26. In the Old Testament this praise is attributed to the Lord, Exodus 15:1, 21; Numbers 24:7;
Psalm 47:9 and 97:9 and Isaiah 57:15. The praise to the king in Numbers 24:7 is very important to
understanding the messianic message of the Hebrews Scriptures. For a detailed explanation of the messianic
importance of Numbers 24:7, see Michael Rydelnik. The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really
Messianic? pages 38-39.
33:11-12 You will conceive chaff,
you will give birth to stubble;
your breath is a fire that will devour you.
12
The peoples will be completely burned to lime,
like thorns cut down, that are burned in the fire."
God compares the blasphemous words and self-proclaimed might of the Assyrians, 2 Kings 18:19-35 and
Isaiah 36:4-20; to works which will only conceive chaff and stubble. God’s works never fail, and He will
consume the Assyrians like fire from the breath (of His mouth). God describes the ultimate end of the
Assyrians as peoples who “will be burned to lime, like thorns cut down that are burned in the fire,” Isaiah
289…..Isaiah 33:11-15
33:12. This does not describe the means of their death but their ultimate destination. This was the Lord’s
previously stated ultimate destination of the king of Assyria. See notes on Isaiah 30:33.
God’s Summary of His Work: 33:13-16
As recorded In Isaiah 33:13, the prophet declares the words of God in which he calls the distant people of the
world and those in Judah itself (far away and near) as a witness to hear what He has to say about His mighty
works of protection for His beloved Zion. The prophet records the words of the LORD to those who are far
off and those who are near, to hear what He has accomplished, so they can acknowledge His might, vs. 13.
The sinners and godless people of Zion are afraid and are trembling because their God is a consuming fire,
vs. 14. However, those who act righteously, will live on high (with the Lord) with security, peace and
contentment, vss. 15-16.
33:13 Hear, you who are far off, what I have done;
you who are near, acknowledge my might.
The Lord calls those “who are far away” and those “who are near” to hear what He has done. The prophet
also made reference to those who are far away to listen to Him, Isaiah 1:2; 34:1; 41:1; 43:9; 49:1; and to
those are near (in Judah), 28:23; 44:1; 46:3; 48:1; 48:12; 51:4; 51:7; 55:3. This is not an exhaustive list of all
such references in Isaiah but is an indication of the Lord’s intent in calling both Judah and the Gentile nations
to listen to God’s message or to acknowledge His might, for He has saved His people from the assault of the
Assyrians.
33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid,
trembling has seized the godless, who say:
"Who among us can live with the consuming fire?
Who among us can live with everlasting burnings?"
Isaiah asks the godless and terrified sinners in Zion, “Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who
among us can live with continual burning?” This is not a picture of the terrors of Topheth, Isaiah 30:33 or the
valley of burning, 2 Kings 23:10, Jeremiah 19:6, which in later times was a reference to a fiery hell, Matthew
5:22: 18:9 James 3:6. The word “burning” is the Hebrew word moqed, which has the literal meaning of “altar
hearth.” This word also occurs in Psalm 102:3 translated as “hearth.” A similar use of “altar hearth,” occurs
in Isaiah 29:1 referring to the City of Jerusalem as “Ariel.” See notes on Isaiah 29:1. The meaning of altar
hearth originates in the law of the burnt offering as stated in Leviticus 6:9, “Command Aaron and his sons,
this is the law of the burnt offering. The burnt offering must be left on the hearth of the altar all night until
morning, and the fire of the altar must be kept burning.” The meaning of burning in Isaiah 33:14 is that God
Himself is a consuming fire. See Hebrews 12:29. The prophet asked, who among us (the people of Judah) or
any people can live with God for He is a consuming fire? The answer to this question is that only those who
are righteous can live with God, 33:15-16. See also Isaiah 4:4. For a similar set of questions by God and their
answers see Psalms 15 and 24.
33:15-16 The one who walks righteously and speaks straight;
who despises the profit from oppression,
whose hands wave away a bribe,
who plugs his ears from murderous plots,
and shuts his eyes from looking at evil.
16
This one will dwell on high,
his place of refuge will be the fortresses of rocks;
290…..Isaiah 33:15-17
his food will be provided;
his water guaranteed.
The question the prophet raises in Isaiah 33:14 is answered in 33:15-16. Although God is described as a
burning altar hearth, He will allow those that are righteous to draw near to Him. These are people who (1)
walk righteously; (2) speaks straight (with sincerity); (3) despise profit from oppression (reject unjust gain);
(4) have hands that wave away or hold no bribe; (5) will not listen to plots of murder; and (6) will not look on
evil. Isaiah also mentions the walk of the righteous in 32:3-8 and 58:5-12. The result of this righteous living
is the reward of living in a refuge that is likened to a “fortress of rocks” or stronghold on the heights where
his food source will be secure. This call to righteous living and its rewards was delivered in a very timely
manner when the people of Judah were left only with the hope of God and when they would have been most
likely to not only hear the message, but to obey it. See above notes on Isaiah 33:6. Isaiah 33:15-16 is a
glorious climax to the message of the Lord about who may live with Him, and is also a beautiful bridge to the
future during the reign of Messiah the King where there will be peace, and the righteous will live with the
Prince of Peace for their eyes will see Him in His beauty.
The Place and Prince of Peace: 33:17-24
Isaiah easily transitions the Lord’s message, from the present terrifying times, verses 1-16, to those of a “far
distant land” when those who live righteously will see “the king in His beauty,” verses 17-24. As mentioned
above, the timing of this message was acutely critical. The people of Judah had just recently rejected the
message of Isaiah and had wanted nothing to do with God, Isaiah 30:11. But, when faced with impending
doom, their only hope is to trust fully in God.
Their ears and eyes may have finally opened to the truth of God that the prophet had been so faithfully
declaring to them for several years. When they listen to God through the message of the prophet and they
respond to His call to repent of their sins, have faith in Him and live righteously, then they will be among
those who will personally live in a future place of wonderful peace and security. Verses 17-24 of Isaiah 33
are among the most poetic of all the descriptions in Scripture of the reign of the Messiah in the millennial
kingdom.
In this section, Isaiah again uses the imagery of eyes, vs. 17, 19, and 20; heart, vs. 18; and a reference to ears
(listening to speech) in vs. 19. The prophet often referred to the characteristics of his audience, “eyes, ears,
and understanding,” from the first meeting Isaiah had with the Lord, 6:9-10 to his last message: 66:18. God
often lamented that even though they had eyes, ears and a mind to understand Him, they refused to do so.
The righteous, however will use all their characteristics to live a holy life free from sin. In the future reign of
the messianic king, the eyes, ears and heart (mind) of the redeemed will see, hear and understand the glories
of this wondrous kingdom.
33:17 Your eyes will see the king in his beauty;
they will survey a land that stretches far away.
This section begins in Isaiah 33:17 with a most beloved phrase, “Your eyes will see the king in his beauty.”
Who is this beautiful King? The Scriptures give the emphatic answer, He is the king of glory, Psalm 24:7-10;
the Lord who is delightful, Psalm 27:4; a beautiful and glorious Branch, Isaiah 4:2; the Lord of hosts who is a
beautiful crown and a glorious diadem, Isaiah 28:5; and the Lord their God is great in beauty (KJV),
Zechariah 9:16-17. The first and greatest benefit stated by Isaiah of those who enter Zion in the future
kingdom will be to see the King who is described as beautiful. This is the Mighty One the psalmist describes
291…..Isaiah 33:17-20
as having splendor and majesty, Psalm 45:3. Many are the glorious titles ascribed to the Lord who will reign
in Zion in a future day and arguably, one of the loftiest is the word in 33:17, “beauty” (beautiful).
The DASV in 33:17, has the phrase “a land that stretches far away” for the place where the redeemed will
see the king in His beauty. The most likely interpretation of this phrase is that it is “a far-stretching land.”
The land of Judah was small in area when Isaiah declared these words and the Scriptures prophesy of a time
when the land during the millennial kingdom will have vastly wider boundaries, Ezekiel 47:13-23.
33:18-19 Your heart will obsess about former terrors:
"Where is the sage?
Where is the one who weighs the tribute?
Where is the one who counts the towers?"
19
You will not see these fierce people,
a people whose obscure language you cannot comprehend,
whose stammering tongue you cannot understand.
At first glance, the words of the first phrase in Isaiah 33:18 may seem difficult to understand, “Your heart
will obsess about former terrors:” The word “obsess” can be translated as “meditate” or “ponder.” However,
the remainder of 33:18-19 provides the solution. When the redeemed, the righteous remnant enter
Immanuel’s land, they will be in wonder and rejoice that there are no fierce people present in it. There will
no longer be according to 33:18, any stern and cruel overlords who crush the people in demanding military
service to a tyrant (the one who counts the towers) or demanding tribute payment (the one who weighs the
tributes) or using the Lord’s city as a military outpost (a further meaning of “he who counts the towers”).
There will be no longer be according to 33:19, a despotic Gentile ruler or a fierce people, who will rule over
them with speech, literally “a deepness of lip” that is described as a stammering tongue in Isaiah 28:11, that
no one comprehends. It is these things that will be absent in the kingdom that the people will meditate upon
when they enter the land.
33: 20 Look on Zion, the city of our festivals;
your eyes will see Jerusalem,
a peaceful home,
a tent that will not be removed;
its stakes will never be pulled up,
neither will any of its ropes be broken.
The prophet in Isaiah 33:20, declares that those who will enter the millennial kingdom, will have their
attention diverted from what is not there to what is to be seen. Isaiah emphatically calls them to “Look on
Zion”. Zion is the beloved mount of the Lord. It is the place He has chosen and where He desires to stay
forever. The Psalmist declared, in Psalm 132:13-14:
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion,
he has desired it for his home.
14 "This is my resting place forever;
I will dwell here,
for it's what I wanted.
The Lord’s love for Zion is so great that He calls His people, the faithful remnant to desire it for He will
build His future messianic kingdom around it. Zion, although a small mountain in size, is often referred to as
the city of Jerusalem. It is the place where the people of God celebrated their appointed feasts. Three times
292…..Isaiah 33:20-21
each year, the males of the Jewish people were required to go to Jerusalem to take part in the feasts of
Passover, Pentecost (Weeks) and Tabernacles (Booths). Deuteronomy 16:1-16. During the feast of
Tabernacles, the Lord required them to make booths for their habitation during the duration of the feast,
Leviticus 23:42. The latter half of Isaiah 33:20 alludes to this practice, but it will occur in the future
following the devastation of the tribulation. Jerusalem shall be “a peaceful home, a tent which will not be
removed.” The tent which will not be folded is a reference to both the Feast of Tabernacles and the
permanent dwelling (tabernacle, tent) of God among His people. The permanence of God’s dwelling is
reinforced by the remaining words of Isaiah 33:20, “Its stakes will never be pulled up, neither will any of its
ropes be broken.” The temporary and portable tabernacle of the wilderness had its stakes pulled up many
times resulting in the tearing of its cords. The future “tent” in the messianic kingdom of God will be as
permanent as God is, for He Himself will be the tent.
A study of the meaning of “tabernacle” in the Scriptures will yield many wonderful truths. In the Old
Testament, tabernacle has the meaning of a tent of meeting, a dwelling place and the tabernacle or tent of the
testimony. Its most basic meaning is that it was a place of God’s presence. During their wilderness journeys,
the Israelites were instructed by the Lord to build a structure called the tabernacle, a temporary place of
worship and the focal point of their community where God would live among them. See Exodus 25:8; and 1
Kings 8:27. In the New Testament, tabernacle is most often the translation of the Greek word skene and its
related words such as skenoo. The New Testament describes the dwelling place of God as the tabernacle and
not the temple. The believers in Christ are themselves called the temple of God, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.
Tabernacle in the New Testament has a great significance. In John 1:14, the Apostle John wrote, “And the
Word became flesh and dwelt (skenoo) among us.” Jesus lived with His people on the earth to accomplish
His great task of redemption. God has never abandoned His people and they will live with Him forever.
Revelation 21:3 contains two references to the word “tabernacle.” “Behold the tabernacle (skene) of God is
among men and He will dwell (skenoo) among them.” Hebrews chapter 9 contains a significant discussion
comparing the old earthly tabernacle and the “greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands”
through which Christ, as the believer’s High Priest, entered.
33:21 But there the LORD will be with us in splendor.
It will be a place of broad rivers and streams,
where no galley of warships with oars may enter,
nor will splendid ships sail through.
Isaiah, in 33:21, introduces more splendid truths about this future kingdom. “But there the LORD will be with
us in splendor.” God will no longer fight against His people. See notes on Isaiah 28:21. The LORD who is
the Majestic One will be on the side of His people and will belong to them. The context of Isaiah 63:1-6
identifies the returning Lord as the person coming from Edom with garments of glowing colors (crimson)
from Bozrah. The depiction in Isaiah 63:1 as the One who is wearing splendid (majestic) apparel, should
leave no doubt as to His identification. This is the same One who is described as “in splendor” or better the
majestic One, Isaiah 33:21, who will be among His people and will stand with them and for them forever.
The description of this future place in Isaiah 33:21 as a place of broad rivers and streams or wide canals, is a
beautiful portrayal of the difference between the Zion of Isaiah’s day and the Zion of the future messianic
kingdom. Judah and specifically Jerusalem was, and still remains as a place of hills and rugged terrain. It is
most unlike most capital cities of the world for it is not situated on or near any water course. The closest
water is the salt saturated and evaporating Dead Sea. However, in the future God will transform Zion, Isaiah
2:2, and it will have magnificent water courses upon which boats and ships will not be allowed to pass. Other
cities in the ancient near east were built on rivers and canals, such as Babylon. It was a place of great beauty,
293…..Isaiah 33:21-24
yet it was due to the proximity of the river that became the means for its downfall when the Medes and
Persians used its water courses to enter the city and conquer it. The future Zion will be safe from any attack.
33:22 For the LORD is our judge,
the LORD is our lawgiver,
the LORD is our king;
he will save us.
Isaiah 33:22 is a most poetic and glorious tribute to the Lord. When any significant word is stated twice in a
sentence it is often for emphasis. When such a word is stated three times, those who hear the sentence or read
it are called to attention! There is something extremely important being said. In Isaiah 6:3, the words: Holy,
Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts is a statement of this great attribute of the Lord. Isaiah had twice in the past
few verses, 33:10 and 18 repeated a significant word three times, “now” in 33:10 and ‘where’ in 33:18. These
were used for poetic emphasis. However, in 33:22, the repetition of “the LORD” is a major declarative
statement meant to attest how the LORD leads His people in the roles of judge, lawgiver and king, in past
days, in the days of Isaiah, and in the future. Isaiah 33:22 concludes with, “he will save us.” The Lord is the
savior both in Isaiah’s day from the Assyrian assault and in the future day where no enemy ship can attack
the stronghold of Zion. Therefore, the people of God can have absolute trust in their God.
33:23 Your rigging is loosed;
they could not secure their mast,
they could not spread the sail.
Then the prey of a great spoil will be divided;
even the lame will haul the plunder away.
The prophet, in Isaiah 33:23, may be making a reference to the Assyrians who are likened to a disabled
sailing craft and is a comparing this to the future kingdom when no ship or boat will assault the people of
God. The reference to the dividing of the spoil may point to the plundering of the Assyrian camp after the
angel of the Lord had brought about the death of the entire Assyrian army that had surrounded Jerusalem.
However, 33:23 is best understood as having a future fulfillment, (see note on vs. 24), referring to the days
just prior to the establishment of the messianic kingdom when Israel will plunder the spoils of the nations.
See also Isaiah 60:16; Ezekiel 39:9-10; and Zephaniah 2:9.
33:24 The resident of Zion will not say,
"I am sick."
The people who live there will have their sin forgiven.
In 33:24, Isaiah describes more of the benefits of the future messianic kingdom. The residents of Zion will
not suffer sickness and they will have their sins forgiven. As 33:24, in most English versions, starts with the
conjunction “and”, it is an indication that both 33:23 and 24 refer to the future kingdom. The days of this
future kingdom will witness a time of unprecedented health for its inhabitants. See Isaiah 65:20. It will also
be a kingdom which will begin with those who live righteously and have been forgiven of their sins. See also
Exodus 23:25. Even the cooking pots in Jerusalem in this future kingdom will be like bowls before the altar
and will be holy to the Lord. Zechariah 14:20-21. King David, as recorded in Psalm 103:2-3, declares:
2
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits--
3
who forgives all your iniquities;
who heals all your diseases;
294…..Isaiah 34:1-17 Introduction and 34:1-2
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 33
33:1-6 The Redemption of the Lord
33:7-12 The Response of the Lord
33:13-16 The Refuge of the Lord
33:17-24 The Reward of the Lord
G: The Wrath and Blessings of God: Chapters 34-35
Isaiah chapters 34-35 are a grand conclusion to the message of the prophet in the greater section, chapters 28-
35. They are a superlative contrast between the judgment of the Lord on ungodly nations, chapter 34, and the
blessing of the Lord on His future messianic kingdom, chapter 35. These two chapters are clearly latter-day
prophecies as their contents reveal. A suggested title for chapter 34 is: The wrath of God on the nations and a
suggested title for chapter 35 is: The blessing of the future kingdom.
1. The Wrath of God on the Nations: 34:1-17
Within this larger section of chapter 34, four shorter parts are evident from the context of the message. After
the introduction of vs. 1, the three remaining parts are introduced by the word “for” which introduce
cumulative actions of God against the nations and specifically against Edom, of which Isaiah may have
named as representing the evil nations of the world. As recorded in Isaiah chapter 34, the prophet declares a
call for all nations and peoples to listen and hear the message of the LORD, vs. 1. The message is that the
LORD is angry with all nations and their armies and He will totally destroy them with a great slaughter.
Also, the host of heaven will be dissolved, and the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll and their hosts
(stars, etc.), will fall, vss. 2-4. The Lord will bring His judgment upon Edom whose people are doomed to
destruction, for their land will be soaked with blood, vss. 5-7. The prophet declares that the LORD has a day
of vengeance upon Edom for the cause of Zion. The streams and land of Edom will become burning pitch
which will not be extinguished, and its smoke will forever rise up. Only wild birds and animals will live in
the waste of Edom, vss. 8-15. The prophet calls the nations to seek out and read the scroll of the LORD that
declares that the wild animals will possess the former lands of Edom forever, vss. 16-17.
Introduction: Verse 1
34:1 Come near, O nations, to hear;
listen, O peoples.
Let the earth and everything in it hear,
the world and all things that come from it.
The prophet calls upon the entire world including all nations and all peoples to hear the message of the Lord.
It is similar in tone to the opening of the book of Isaiah, 1:2, where the heavens and the earth are called to
listen to the indictment of the Lord against His people. In 34:1, the peoples of the world are called to listen to
the indignation of the Lord against the very people whom the Lord calls to listen to Him. See also Isaiah
28:23 and 33:13 for a similar indictment.
Against the Nations: Verses 2-4
34:2 For the LORD is angry against all the nations,
and furious against all their armies.
He will totally destroy them,
he has delivered them up to slaughter.
295…..Isaiah 34:2-4
Isaiah begins this message as recorded in 34:2, with a statement of the anger or indignation of the Lord
against all nations of the earth. In Isaiah 13:5 the nations themselves were the instruments of God’s
indignation against Babylon. Isaiah records in chapter 13:6-16, that the Lord turns His wrath against these
very nations and others in the coming “day of the Lord” for they were evil, wicked, sinful, arrogant, ruthless,
and full of pride. The sobering message of Lord in Isaiah chapter 13 is that even if the Lord uses a nation as a
means of judgment on another nation or upon His people, He does not hold them harmless for their own evil
actions and rebellion against Him. See also Isaiah 24:1-6. The nations had been warned by the prophet about
God’s impending judgment and now it is announced. The word “angry” in Isaiah 34:2 is qetseph in the
Hebrew and can also be translated as “indignation” which seems to give a nuanced perspective of the feelings
of God towards the unrepentant nations of the world.
The words regarding the armies of the nations, Isaiah 34:2, “He will totally destroy them, he has delivered
them up to slaughter.” are an announcement of the certainty of a future action. The army of a single nation
nor the amassed armies of all the nations can do nothing against the plan and will of God. His attitude
towards them is described in Psalm 2:4 and in Isaiah 40:15-17. The word slaughter in 34:2 has the meaning
of a brutal killing. It is also the word used in Isaiah 53:7, “He was oppressed yet when he was treated harshly
he did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep before its shearers is
silent.” God would not spare the armies of the world for they will be brutally killed in the latter days. God
also would not spare His Son. He was pleased to crush Him, Isaiah 53:10. See Isaiah 34:6 and 65:12 for other
contexts of this most descriptive word for death. Also, the notes on chapters 52 and 53 of Isaiah will contain
an expanded explanation of the brutal death of the Servant of the Lord.
34:3 Their slain will be cast out,
and the stench of their corpses will stink;
the mountains will flow with their blood.
The prophet in Isaiah 34:3 continues the description of the latter-day slaughter of the armies of the nations by
God. The corpses of the slain will be thrown out and will smell (stench) “and the mountains will flow with
their blood.” This is a graphic description of the brutal killing of the armies of the nations by God. The
following passages refer to a latter-day destruction of the armies of the nations. See Jeremiah 25:33-34;
Ezekiel 35:6; 38:22; 39:1-24; Joel 2:10; Revelation 16:16 and 19:19. The timing of God’s slaughter of the
armies of the world will most likely occur during the battle of Armageddon near the end of the tribulation.
Some scholars, however, view the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy as an attack on Israel prior to the tribulation
period. See Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah, Ariel Ministries, 2004, page 121.
34:4 All the host of heaven will be dissolved,
and the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll;
all their hosts will fall,
like a withered leaf from a vine,
or like a shriveled fig from a fig tree.
Isaiah in 34:4, expands his description of the days of God’s destruction of the armies of the nations to include
the upheaval in the cosmos. The celestial objects will be dissolved, and the heavens will be closed or perhaps
will vanish. Isaiah had earlier described such as day as recorded in 2:10-22 and 13:6-13. Other Scriptural
references to this cataclysmic day include, Joel 2:30-31; Matthew 24:29; Mark 13: 24-25; 2 Peter 3:10; and
Revelation 6:12-14. Some may ask, should Isaiah 34:1-4 be understood as a description of a single unified
event or a series of events over a period of time during the times known as the greater day of the Lord? The
answer the best fits the Scriptural accounts of these events is that they will occur during the seven-year
period (one week), described in Daniel 9:27. This period is described in detail in Revelation chapters 6-19.
296…..Isaiah 34:5-7
Against Edom (1): Verses 5-7
34:5-7 For my sword has drunk its fill in heaven;
look, it will come down on Edom,
and on the people doomed to destruction.
6
The sword of the LORD is filled with blood;
it is covered with fat,
with the blood of lambs and goats,
with the fat of the kidneys of rams.
For the LORD has made a sacrifice in Bozrah,
and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.
7
The wild oxen will fall with them,
and young bulls with the mighty bulls;
their land will be soaked with blood,
and their soil made fertile with fat.
Isaiah in 34:5-7, declares God’s judgment on the nation of Edom. Was this a specific addition to the passage
about the destruction of the armies of the nations to discuss the small nation Edom’s destruction or was
Isaiah’s mention of Edom intended as a representative of all the ungodly nations of the world? Against the
idea of Isaiah 34:5-7 being a literal reference to just Edom alone, see Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 158.
Edom was a unique nation among those that were neighbors of Judah and Israel. Its people were descendants
of Esau, the older brother of Jacob. Although very closely related to the Jewish people, the people of Edom
would not come to the aid of the people of Israel when they sought to pass through Edom on the way to the
promised land. Numbers 20:14-21. The Edomites were bitter enemies of Israel during the days of Saul. David
managed to subdue them, however they rebelled against Solomon and remained hostile to Israel and Judah
for centuries. They gloated over the downfall of Judah and Israel and plundered the city of Jerusalem after its
destruction by the Babylonians. Psalm 137:7 and Obadiah vs. 10-14. John MacArthur, NASB, page 1330,
has an extended note on the meaning that God loved Jacob; but hated Esau. (Malachi 1:2-3). See also J. Alec
Motyer, Isaiah, pages 215-16 for a Biblical study on the animosity between Edom and the people of Israel
(Jacob).
Because of this unique and bitter relationship over centuries between the people of Jacob and the people of
Esau, and the amount of Biblical attention to their conflicts, and God’s continual warnings of judgment on
Edom, it seems best to understand the reference to Edom in Isaiah 34 as literal Edom. However, it would not
be amiss to see how the destruction allotted to Edom is as an example of how God will deal in judgment on
the ungodly nations of the world prior to the days of the millennial kingdom. This is not to say that Isaiah
intended Edom to represent these nations, but all nations should learn a lesson from Edom’s judgment. Even
though Edom as a nation ceased to exist about 500 B.C., the lands once occupied by Edom, now modern
Jordan, will certainly face the devastation Isaiah declares in chapter 34. It is possible that for God, these lands
will always have the title of Edom no matter the name that humans will allot to them.
It is quite a subjective exercise to point to any passage of Scripture and state categorically that, even though a
person or nation is named, the passage should be understood as figurative and not a literal reference to that
person or nation. Unless the passage itself is an obvious simile or a metaphor or another grammatical format,
the student of the Scriptures should keep to a consistent standard of interpretation. Suggestions regarding the
literalness or figurativeness of a Scriptural passage based upon conjecture, subjective criteria, theological
leaning, etc. should be avoided even when the passage may point to a conclusion that seems on the surface to
297…..Isaiah 34:5-9
be difficult to understand if taken literally. For further reference, the following resource is recommended:
Roy B. Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, Published by, David C. Cook. 1991.
The judgment of God as recorded in Isaiah 34:5-7 is filled with graphic pictures of His sword filled with
blood not only of the people of Edom whom God had “devoted to destruction.” ESV 34:5, but also upon the
animals of the land of Edom. In 34:6, the Lord states His reason for including the slaughter of the animals,
“For the LORD has made a sacrifice in Bozrah and a great slaughter in the land of Edom.”
In a later message, Isaiah would again mention Edom and Bozrah in the context of a judgment with blood,
Isaiah 63:1-6. Along with the passage in Isaiah 63:1-6, Isaiah, in chapter 34, is definitely declaring a future
prophecy about the return of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is remarkable how Isaiah 34:5-7 and 63:1-
6 compare in its vivid portrayal of the judgment on Edom being brought about by the pouring out of blood
due to the slaughter of its people. Jesus Christ, the Messiah will return as a warrior King to exact judgment
on those who will desire to completely destroy the people of God. The returning King will destroy the
destroyers.
Arnold Fruchtenbaum links these verses with Isaiah 63:1-6. Under the title of: The Place of the Second
Coming, Fruchtenbaum states that there are four key passages and another possible passage that pinpoint the
place of the Second Coming at Bozrah: Isaiah 34:17; Isaiah 63:1-6; Habakkuk 3:3; Micah 2:12-13; and a
possible reference in Judges 5:4-5. (Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps of the Messiah, Ariel Ministries, 2004,
Pages 339-342.).
Against Edom (2): Vs. 8-15
34:8 For the LORD has a day of vengeance,
a year of pay back for the cause of Zion.
The slaughter of the people and animals of Edom is explained by the Lord in Isaiah 34:8. The Lord will take
vengeance against the evil actions of Edom as a retribution for His people described as Zion. Isaiah, in his
prophecy often declared a prophecy about the vengeance of the Lord. See Isaiah 35:4; 47:3; 59:17-18; 61:2
and 63:4. It is also a common theme of Scripture. See Deuteronomy 32:35, 41, 43; Psalm 58:10; 79:10 and
149:7; Jeremiah 46:10 and 50:15; Ezekiel 25:14, 17; Micah 5:15; Nahum 1:2; and Luke 21:22. The
tribulation period is the meaning of the time frame “day” and “year” in 34:8. The Lord exacts vengeance and
recompense on those nations who have opposed or attacked His beloved Zion and its people. The prophet
Ezekiel also records the words of the Lord regarding the vengeance to be wrought upon Edom for its actions
against the house of Judah. Ezekiel 25:12-14. Because the Lord is jealous for Zion, Zechariah 1:14 and 8:2,
He will act with wrath and take vengeance and recompense on His enemies. See also Genesis 12:3.
34:9 The streams of Edom will be turned into pitch,
and its dust into sulfur,
and its land will become burning pitch.
In Isaiah 34:9-15, the prophet describes the devastation of the land of Edom. The words “its” and “it” in
34:10-13 must certainly refer to the single nation Edom and not generally to many unnamed nations. The
land once occupied by Edom will be a place of burning pitch and brimstone, 34:9. This is a description also
of the type of judgment God had brought upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Isaiah had earlier discussed the
destruction of Babylon in similar terms, Isaiah 13:19-22. Many other Scriptures refer to the fiery destruction
that God brought on Sodom and Gomorrah in the past and upon the wicked nations in the future. See Genesis
298…..Isaiah 34:9-11
19:24-28; Deuteronomy 29:23; Psalm 11:6; Jeremiah 49:18; Luke 17:29-30; Jude vs. 7, and Revelation
14:10-11.
34:10 It will not be extinguished day or night;
its smoke will go up forever;
from generation to generation it will lie waste;
no one will pass through it forever and ever.
Isaiah declares in 34:10, that the burning pitch, (see 34:.9) “will not be extinguished day or night; its smoke
will go up forever.” This is on the surface a difficult verse to understand literally. However, it will do an
injustice to Scripture to attempt to allegorize the intent of Isaiah’s words to say it is meant only as a
figurative statement meaning a long time. Also, is should not be understood as a grammatical function of
hyperbole in which the writer uses inflated language to dramatically emphasize his intention. It is best to let
the statement stand as it is particularly in light of other Scriptural references such as Isaiah 66:24 and
Revelation 19:3.
A likely meaning of this passage is that the burning will be present all during the one thousand years of the
millennial kingdom and then continue forever in the burning lake of brimstone (sulfur), Revelation 14:10-11;
19: 3, 20; 20:10, 14-15; and 21:8. When faced with this much Scriptural evidence for the eternal burning
mentioned first by Isaiah in 34:10 and then in the passages listed above, the best method of interpretation is
to let Scripture explain itself.
34:11-15 But the desert owl and the screech owl will possess it;
the owl and the raven will live there.
He will stretch over it the measuring line of chaos,
and the plum line of emptiness.
12
Her nobles will have nothing to call a kingdom,
all its princes will be gone.
13
Thorns will come up in its palaces,
nettles and thistles in its fortresses.
It will become a home of jackals,
a haunt of owls.
14
The wild beasts of the desert will meet with the hyenas,
and the wild goats will bleat to one another;
yes, the night creatures will settle there,
and find there a place of rest.
15
There the owl will make her nest,
and lay eggs, hatch, and protect them;
yes, there the buzzards will be gathered,
each one with her mate.
Isaiah describes the complete ruin of the lands once occupied by the descendants of Esau. This land will only
be inhabited by wild animals and will be unfit for human occupation. The Hebrew words for many of the
animals listed in these verses are difficult to interpret and many suggestions are given by scholars. One of the
most difficult phrases is translated “night creatures” in vs. 14, which some scholars have described as
demons.
Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 159 and Herbert M. Wolf, Interpreting Isaiah, page 167, also mention this
possibility. Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1. page 575, however, does not see the need to understand these
299…..Isaiah 34:11-17
creatures as demonic beings. Whatever was meant by Isaiah, either animal or demonic, it will be a place no
human would want to live in or visit. Wedged between two descriptions of the creatures who will inhabitant
this desolate land, 34:11 and 13-15, Isaiah interjects a comment about the claim to the land by any person,
especially any of noble origin. Isaiah states in 34:12 that the land will be devoid of any nobles or princes and
specifically any of these who would be proclaimed king. It will be a land called “no one there.” This poetic
title for this land is reminiscent of the title that Isaiah had earlier ascribed to Egypt in Isaiah 30:7, where the
prophet called Egypt, “Rahab who has been exterminated.”
The Lord’s Instruction: His Validation: 34:16-17
34:16-17 Seek out and read of the scroll of the LORD:
Not one of these animals will be missing,
not one will lack a mate,
for the mouth of the LORD has commanded it,
and his Spirit has gathered them.
17
He has cast the lot for them,
and his hand has split it up to them with a measuring line.
They will possess it forever;
from generation to generation they will settle there.
Isaiah calls upon the nations in 34:16, to “Seek out and read from the scroll of the LORD:” What is the book
or scroll of the Lord that Isaiah has mentioned in 34:16? Many different books are mentioned in Scripture
but none of them have the words Isaiah has stated in 34: 16-17. Therefore it must be Isaiah’s own writing that
he entitles, “the book of the Lord.” Isaiah records that in this book, those who read it or hear it will know
that what God has stated about animals inhabiting the land of Edom will happen just as God said it would,
“for the mouth of the LORD has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them” 34:16. It is recorded in
Isaiah 34:17, that this book declares that God has assigned the place of the animals, “He has cast the lot for
them, and His hand has split it up to them with a measuring line” just as the apportionment of the promised
land was accomplished for the people of Israel. See Numbers 26:52-56; Deuteronomy 32:8 and Joshua 18:1-
10. The animals shall possess this land in accordance with God’s command forever, (as long as the land shall
last) from generation to generation.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah chapter 34
The Wrath of God on the nations
34:1-15 The Lords Indignation His Vengeance
34:16-17 The Lord’s Instruction His Validation
2. The Blessing of the Future Kingdom: 35:1-10
The verse outline of Isaiah chapter 35 is also the teaching outline (see below). This chapter contains three
sections consisting of: The Blossoming of the Desert: 35:1-2 and 6b-7; The Healing of the Remnant: 35:3-6a;
and The Return of the Ransomed: 35:8-10
In vivid contrast to devastation of the land of Edom and slaughter of the armies of the nations at the time of
the second coming of Jesus Christ in chapter 34, Isaiah in chapter 35 declares a glorious prophecy of the
healing both of the land and the remnant people of God and the return of the remnant (the ransomed of the
Lord) as they march joyfully to Zion at the beginning of the millennial kingdom. This is one of the loftiest
chapters not only in Isaiah but in the Old Testament. It is a portrayal of restoration, return and rejoicing for
the faithful remnant of the Lord who have endured the fiery trials of tribulation and enemy assault. The King
300…..Isaiah 35:1-2
has returned to rescue His people and lead them to glorious Zion, His holy hill. As recorded in Isaiah chapter
35, the prophet declares that the wilderness, dry land and desert will be glad and rejoice for the desert will
blossom abundantly like the crocus. Rejoicing with singing will be made and the glory of Lebanon, and the
splendor of Mount Carmel and the Plain of Sharon will be given to these desert places and they will also see
the glory and splendor of the LORD, vss. 1-2. The weak hands and shaky knees are to be strengthened and
the those who have a fearful heart are called to be strong and not afraid because the LORD is coming with
avenging recompense to save the people, vss. 3-4. Then the eyes of the blind and the ears of the deaf will be
opened, and the lame will leap like the deer and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy. Also, the wilderness
waters and desert streams will gush forth, vs. 5-6. The scorched land and thirsty ground will become like a
pool and springs of water and the lairs of jackals will be as a marsh with grass, weeds and papyrus, vs. 7. A
highway will be there, called “The Way of Holiness,” and nothing unclean nor fools nor lion nor ravenous
beast will travel on it. It will be reserved for the redeemed, those who “walk that way,” vss. 8-9. The
ransomed of the LORD will return (on this highway) and will coming singing to Zion. Everlasting joy will be
upon their heads, and they will find joy and gladness, vs. 10.
The Blossoming of the Desert: 35:1-2 and 6b-7
35:1-2 The wilderness and the dry land will be glad;
the desert will rejoice,
and blossom like the crocus.
2
It will blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing;
the glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Mount Carmel and the Sharon plain.
They will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Isaiah in 35:1-2, proclaims a prophecy on the condition of the wilderness and the desert. The wilderness and
the desert describe barren, desolate, parched and solitary places that will become devastated during the
tribulation period. The location of these places is not stated, and they may be in the general vicinity of Judah
and Israel as the geographical references to Lebanon, Carmel and Sharon in 35:2 seem to indicate. Only the
lands of Edom in the local area will be exempt. See Isaiah 34:5-17. The prophet states that these once desert
lands will be glad and rejoice and blossom like the crocus (rose in the KJV). A new world order will be the
foundation of the millennial kingdom and not only will the people of God be transformed but also the lands
of the kingdom will themselves be transformed. Isaiah’s use of anthropomorphism to describe a human
reaction: gladness and rejoicing and ascribing this reaction to a desert is a poetic device that emphasizes the
dramatic turn of events from the end of the tribulation to the beginning of the peaceful days and abundance of
life that will characterize the millennial kingdom. See also Psalm 89:5; 96:12; 97:1; 98:8; 148:3-4, 7; Isaiah
49:13; 52:9; 55:12; and Luke 19:40.
Isaiah states in 35:1, that the desert, “will rejoice.” In 35:2, he states the desert will “rejoice with joy.”
“Rejoice” in both verses is the Hebrew word gil. Isaiah in 35:1-2 repeats a word (word group) three times to
emphasize its impact. See also Isaiah 6:3; 33:10, 18 and 22. In 35:2, glory, Hebrew kabod; and splendor
(majesty), Hebrew hadar are repeated twice. The words rejoice, splendor (majesty) and glory are used by the
prophet to heighten the magnificence of the beauty of the transformed desert. The mention of Lebanon,
Mount Carmel and the Sharon plain are used by Isaiah as indicators of the glory and majesty to be given to
the desert is a striking counterpoint to their mention in Isaiah 33:9 where they are seen in disgrace. Once
bareness disfigured the landscape now beauty and majesty will be its hallmark. The point of this beauty is to
bring majesty and glory to God for it is His work and His creativity that is on display. See also Isaiah 29:17.
301…..Isaiah 35:3-4
The Healing of the Remnant: 35:3-6a
In 35:3-6a Isaiah directs his discussion of the beginnings of the millennial kingdom to its people. The faithful
remnant will have endured much suffering during the horrifying days of the tribulation. In Isaiah’s prophecy,
these future referenced days have now passed, and the people of God are still wary of what is ahead and
weary from what is now behind them. Isaiah declares a message of encouragement and hope to these faithful
saints.
35:3-4 Strengthen the weak hands,
and steady the shaky knees.
4
Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
"Be strong, do not be afraid.
Look, your God will come with vengeance,
and with the avenging recompense of God;
he will come and save you."
Isaiah in 35:3, calls for the exhausted and feeble to be encouraged and strengthened. In 35:4, he calls for
those who are anxious to have no fear and take courage for their God will be a savior to them and will come
with vengeance and recompense (on their enemies). This call by Isaiah repeats his earlier declaration as
recorded in 34:8, “For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of pay back for the cause of Zion.” The
words “pay back” can better be translated as “recompense.” The Lord is near unto His faithful remnant and
they will no longer fear their enemies. The timing of 35:4 may be positioned in step 5 of the following
sequence of events.
Arnold Fruchtenbaum explains the sequence of events during the time of the second coming of the Messiah,
the Lord Jesus Christ. The following briefly summarizes Fruchtenbaum’s chapter 14, in The Footsteps of the
Messiah. This chapter is entitled: The Campaign of Armageddon and The Second Coming of Jesus the
Messiah. In this chapter the campaign of Armageddon is described as an eight-stage event and not just one
battle. The Messiah will return after the faithful remnant have repented of the national sin of the Jewish
people of rejecting Him during His first coming to earth to live among His people. As stated, the remnant
will then call upon their Messiah to return and rescue them from their enemies who have surrounded them at
Bozrah.
The eight stages of the campaign of Armageddon are: (1) The world’s armies are assembled at the Valley of
Megiddo under the leadership of the Antichrist. (2) While the combined armies of the Antichrist are
assembling in the Valley of Megiddo, the Lord sends His forces comprised of those faithful to Him to destroy
Babylon, the stronghold of the Antichrist. (3) Antichrist and his combined armies fall upon Jerusalem and
conquer it. (4) After conquering Jerusalem, the armies of Antichrist then proceed to Bozrah where the
faithful remnant of God’s people have been sheltered. (5) It is just as the armies of Antichrist surround
Bozrah, that the faithful remnant, the covenant people of God, repent of the national sin of Israel and call
upon their Messiah to come back and rescue them. (6) The Messiah returns to earth with wrath and
vengeance. (7) The battle of Bozrah begins and proceeds from Bozrah to the Valley of Jehoshaphat where
Antichrist will be slain by the Messiah. (8) The Messiah then proceeds to Zion where He will stand upon the
Mount of Olives causing it to split into two parts and provide a way for escape for those people of God still
awaiting rescue. The great earthquake mentioned in Revelation 16:17-21 occurs at this time. Reference:
Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Footsteps of the Messiah, Ariel Ministries, 2004, Chapter 14, pages 308 – 357.
302…..Isaiah 35:5-8
35:5-6a: Then the eyes of the blind will be opened,
and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped.
6
Then the lame will leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy;
The prophet describes a later time than recorded in Isaiah 35:4. The victory has been won by the Messiah and
not only is the desert being transformed but the people of God are being healed. Isaiah states that blind eyes
will see; deaf ears will hear; lame legs will leap; and mute tongues will sing for joy. This transformation of
the people of God brings to an end God’s lament about His hardhearted, blind and deaf people recorded in
Isaiah 6:9-10. They will finally be healed. Isaiah had asked how long until they will be healed, Isaiah 6:11.
The Lord’s response, 6:11-13 is a summary of Isaiah chapters 34-35. It is the stump, the holy seed who will
finally be healed during the beginning days of the millennial kingdom. See also Isaiah 29:18-19.
35:6b-7 for in the wilderness waters will gush forth,
and streams in the desert.
7
The scorched land will become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water.
In the lairs of jackals,
will be a marsh with grass, reeds and papyrus.
Isaiah returns to the description of the restoration of the desert. The lands once scorched will be abundant
with water. Resting places will be provided for those traveling through the desert lands and where once there
was only grass, now reeds and rushes, which need a steady source of water, will be found. See also Isaiah
41:18; 43:19-20; 44:3-4; and Ezekiel 47:1-12.
The Return of the Ransomed: 35:8-10
35:8-10 A highway will be there,
and it will be called "The Way of Holiness;"
the unclean will not travel on it;
but it will be reserved for those who walk that way;
fools will never stray onto it.
9
No lion will be there,
nor will any ravenous beast go up on it;
they will not be found there;
but the redeemed will walk there.
10
Those ransomed by the LORD will return,
and come with singing to Zion;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
They will find joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Isaiah, in his glorious message of restoration during the beginning of the days of the millennial kingdom,
now discusses the highway in the desert. The location of the highway is the desert due to the word “there” in
the first phrase of 35:8, which points back to 35:6b-7 in which Isaiah is describing the transformation of the
desert. The purpose of the highway is for the faithful remnant, the ransomed of the Lord who will walk upon
it as they return to Zion, the glorious capital of the millennial kingdom.
303…..Isaiah 35:8-10
Isaiah concludes his prophecy about the transformation of the desert at the beginning of the millennial
kingdom by discussing a highway. In Isaiah 35:8a, the prophet states, “A highway will be there, and it will be
called the Way of Holiness.” Isaiah had earlier revealed details about this highway in 11:16 and 19:23. He
would continue to reveal more about it: 40:3; 49:11; 62:10. He alludes to it in 30:21 and 51:11 (a repeat of
35:10). The name of this highway is Highway of Holiness.
In 35:8b-9a, Isaiah contrasts those who will not and those who will walk on this highway. The unclean and
fools will not walk on it. The lion or any “vicious beast” will not go up on the highway. However, it will be a
way for those who “walks that way,” 35:8b. Who are those who “walk that way”? Isaiah declares that those
who will walk on this raised holy way will be the redeemed, 35:9. This is the first mention in the book of
Isaiah of the most precious word, redeemed, which is the Hebrew ga’al.
The redeemed, ga’al have a Redeemer, also the Hebrew word ga’al, which has the meaning of “kinsmen or
family redeemer,” and is the great theme of the book of Ruth where it is mentioned five times in two verses:
Ruth 4:4 (3 times) and Ruth 4:6 (2 times). Its meaning is explained in detail in Leviticus 25:23-55 and in
Leviticus 27:12-33. Other Old Testament references are Exodus 6:6; 15:13; Job 19:25; Psalms 19:14; 69:18;
72:14; 74:2; 77:15; 78:35; 103:4; 106:10; 107:2; Proverbs 23:11; Lamentations 3:58; Hosea 13:14 and Micah
4:10. It is a major theme in Isaiah. Following the first mention in 35:9, ga’al is found in 41:14; 43:1, 14;
44:6, 22, 23, 24; 47:4; 48:17, 20; 49:7, 26; 51:10; 52:3, 9; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16; 62:12; 63:4, 9; and 63:16.
In Isaiah 35:9 and the references mentioned above, the redeemed are people who have by faith trusted in their
Messiah who is their great kinsmen redeemer and has loosed them from their bondage to sin by paying a
price. The price paid was the agony of the cross where their Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ bore their sins as
a guilt offering and satisfied the great wrath of God on behalf of the people He loved. This act of redemption
is wondrously explained by Isaiah in 52:13-53:12.
In the New Testament, a few Greek words are used, (1) Redemption (apolutrosis) meaning to be loose (away)
from, Luke 21:28; Romans 3:24; 8:23; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 1:7, 14; Colossians 1:14; and Hebrews
9:12. (2) Redemption (lutrosis) meaning to be loosed from, Luke 2:38 and Hebrews 9:12. (3) Redeem
(agorazo) meaning to acquire at, Revelation 5:9; and 14: 3, 4. (4) Redeem (exagorazo) meaning to acquire
out of, Galatians 3:13; 4:5; Ephesians 5:16; and Colossians 4:5. (5) Redeemed (lutroo) meaning to be loosed
by a price, Luke 24:21; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:18 and (lutrosin) Luke 1:68. The NT Greek words lutroo and
lutrosin have the closest meaning to ga’al in the OT. A similar word in the NT is ransom, (lutron) Matthew
20:28 and Mark 10:45. Also (antilutron), 1Timothy 2:6.
Isaiah in 35:10 brings to a close the entire first section of his prophecy from 1:1 to 35:10. The redeemed of
35:9 are called the ransomed in 35:10. The Hebrew word is padah which has the meaning to set free or
ransom. Isaiah states in 35:10, “Those ransomed by the LORD will return and come with singing to Zion;
everlasting joy will crown their heads. They will find joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing will flee
away.” This climatic verse is repeated by Isaiah in 51:11. The entire message of the prophecy of Isaiah can
be seen in this one verse. The people of God in the past were laden with sin (chapters 1-6) and refused to
trust and obey the Lord (chapters 7-33). They will, in the future kingdom of the Messiah, be released from
the curse of the law and from the penalty of sin and walk joyfully to the capital of the Kingdom, Zion. The
lord has redeemed them and brought them great comfort and a reason to shout with joy (chapters 40-66). The
reason the redeemed are returning to Zion along the Highway of Holiness is because God is bringing them to
Himself. Isaiah 49:1-26 and Ezekiel 36:22-38. They had been scattered among the nations of the world and
had suffered greatly due to their unbelief and rebellion against God. In the millennial kingdom, they will be
free of past pain and sorrow and will walk righteously with their Messiah. Micah 2:12-13 is a wonderful
picture of this walk to Zion with the Lord leading them:
304…..Isaiah 35:8-10
12
I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob;
I will surely gather the remnant of Israel;
I will put them together as the sheep
in the midst of a pasture;
it will be noisy because there will be so many people.
13
The leader who breaks out will go up before them,
they will break out and pass on through the gate,
and leave.
Their king will pass on before them,
and the LORD will be at their head."
Gary V. Smith comments on the last three verses of chapter 35:
“The content of 35:8–10 is unified around the repeated reference to what will be “there” (šām, used
three times, drawing a contrast to the parallel in 34:15–16) and what will “not” (lō, used five times)
be there. A “highway” (maslul) is a major graded road, as opposed to a small path, and usually refers
to a state-constructed road that supports economic or military operations. Not every use of the
highway concept in Isaiah refers to the same road or event. There is the metaphorical highway God
uses to come to Jerusalem (40:1–11), which is different from the highway that the Assyrian exiles
will use (11:16). The highway in 35:8 is an eschatological highway used by the people of God as they
return to Zion to praise God in the distant future (cf. 62:9–12). This highway has the unique name,
“Way of Holiness” (derek haqqôdeš), a title based on the fact that only holy people will walk on it.
The unclean person, the fool, the lion, and the wild beast will not walk on this road, for it will be
reserved for God’s redeemed people. The unclean are not allowed to enter a holy place, and the fools
cannot travel there because they walk in ways that are contrary to the will of God. Neither group is
morally or ritually qualified to come before God when he comes in his glory. Those who joyfully
enter Zion to fellowship and praise God are the redeemed (gĕʾûlim) and ransomed (pĕdûʾyē). The
term “redeemed” is used when a person delivers a blood relative from some obligation (legal,
financial, social), thus those who come to Zion are pictured as the covenant relatives that God has
redeemed. “Ransom” comes from the legal practice of making a payment to deliver someone from a
debt, obligation, or punishment, though the payment idea is seldom emphasized when referring to
God’s theological ransoming of his people. Both terms emphasize that the people’s status as the
redeemed or ransomed is based on an act of divine grace to free them from the bondage of an earlier
obligation. This indebtedness is broader than the bondage to a personal sin; it includes all the effects
of sin on the world. These acts of God will remove the curse on man and the world and inaugurate the
holy kingdom of God. Those who “will return” (šām) to God will experience “everlasting joy,” (šām),
they will be overtaken with gladness, and all sorrow will end (cf. 25:8; 65:19). Certainly, these words
would have created hope in those who heard the prophet speak. They can put their trust in a God who
will do these things for his people.” (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 1, pages 580-581).
Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer add comments on 35:5-10:
“All these changes seem to culminate in the creation of the Highway of Holiness that will lead those
in need of help safely to Zion (vv. 8-10). All the Lord’s activities will result not only in the safety and
prosperity of Zion, but in the establishment of a sanctuary for those the Lord has rescued, likely
referring to His deliverance of the Jewish people from Bozrah (34:6). Under the reign of Messiah, the
Lord will provide much for Israel, specifically, holiness (35:8), safety (v. 9), and everlasting joy (v.
10). The ransomed of the nation will be welcomed with singing and experience the ongoing joy of
305…..Isaiah 35:8-10
living in the presence of the Lord.” (Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer, Isaiah, in the Moody
Bible Commentary, page 1054).
Chapter 35 is a fitting ending to all preceding chapters of Isaiah as it brings those who have listened to or
read the prophecies of Isaiah to a glorious roadway that leads to Mount Zion during the beginning of the
Messiah’s millennial kingdom. The terrors of the tribulation are not past and the faithful remnant of the
people of God are with their Redeemer who has rescued them from the threat of annihilation by their enemies
(Isaiah 63:1-6). Their Messianic Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel who is at the front of the procession as
they sing joyfully and with gladness during their journey up to Mount Zion. It is there where they will enjoy
the benefits of the just and peaceful reign of the Messiah and live with Him, first for a period of one thousand
years, where all of the yet unfulfilled prophecies of the Scriptures will gloriously be fulfilled and then will
live forever with the great triune God who will “tabernacle” with them. (Revelation 21:3).
Teaching Outline for Isaiah chapter 35
35:1-2, 6b-7 The Blossoming of the Desert
35:3-6a The Healing of the Remnant
35:8-10 The Return of the Ransomed
306…..Isaiah Chapters 36-39 Introduction
ISAIAH STUDY: CHAPTERS 36-39
Outline of Isaiah Chapters 36:1 – 39:8
II The Protection of God and the Foolishness of Hezekiah: Chapters 36-39
(An historical application of God’s promised blessings to Judah)
A: God Protects Judah from Assyria: Chapters 36-37
1. The Invasion of Judah by Assyria: 36:1-22
2. The Prophet is Summoned: 37:1-13
3. The King’s Prayer: 37:14-20
4. The Response of God: 37:21-35
5. The Assyrian Army Destroyed: 37:36-38
B: The Illness and Healing of Hezekiah: Chapter 38
C: The Foolishness of Hezekiah: Chapter 39
Introduction to Isaiah Chapters 36-39
Chapters 36-39 of Isaiah form a bridge between chapters 1-35 which contain repetitive patterns of declarative
messages of judgment followed by orations of salvation and chapters 40-66, which contain exhortations of
comfort including a redeeming King and resplendent kingdom. The great political concern of the people of
God in chapters 1-35 was the overwhelming dread of the nation of Assyria. The great political concern of the
people of God in chapters 40-66 are the prophecies of the rise of Babylon. The great spiritual burden of the
people of God in chapters 1-35 was the need to trust God alone for protection and safety. The great spiritual
blessing of the people of God in chapters 40-66 is the promise of the coming Servant of the Lord who will be
their redeemer and lead them as their Messiah in the future millennial kingdom.
Two important themes are emphasized in chapters 36-39. First, God can be completely trusted. The people of
God need to have faith in Him. Second, the nations who have no faith in God and seek to destroy God’s
people will themselves, be destroyed by Him. A number of minor themes will be discussed in the notes of
these chapters as the narrative proceeds.
Chapters 38 and 39 of Isaiah historically come before chapters 36 and 37. The reasons for Isaiah positioning
these chapters in this manner are not known but it can be suggested that the narrative culminating in the
destruction of the Assyrian army is a fitting end to chapters 1-35. Also, the health issues and actions of
Hezekiah resulting in the visit of the ambassadors from Babylon is a historically important introduction to
chapters 40-66. The reasons for the understanding that chapters 36 and 37 actually come chronologically
after chapters 38 and 39 are stated below.
1 Historical dating:
King Hezekiah co-reigned with his father Ahaz from 729-716 B.C. Hezekiah ruled as the sole monarch from
715 B.C. Isaiah 36:1 states that it was in the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah that Sennacherib, king of
Assyria seized all the fortified cities of Judah. The following verses record the planned assault by Assyria on
Jerusalem as a continuing event. The year of the planned assault by Assyria on Jerusalem was therefore 701
307…..Isaiah Chapters 36-39 Introduction
B.C. Ancient records of this period also confirm this date. The events of chapters 36 and 37 happened in 701
B.C. Isaiah 39:1-2 states that Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon had heard that
Hezekiah was sick and had recovered. The Babylonian prince send letters and a present to King Hezekiah
and the Judean king showed the ambassadors form Babylon all the treasures of the house of Hezekiah
including his treasure house, armories and all the other treasures of Hezekiah’s dominion. From historical
records, it is known that Merodach-baladan ruled Babylon from 722-710 B.C. and again for a brief period in
704-703 B.C. Therefore, the events of chapters 38 and 39 of Isaiah had to have happened at least a few years
prior to 701 B.C. See also Isaiah 38:6 which states that the deliverance of the city from the Assyrians by God
is a future event.
2 The gold and silver of Hezekiah:
When the ambassadors from Babylon visited Hezekiah, the King showed the Babylonians all of the treasures
of the kingdom including the silver and the gold. They were in place and not removed. Isaiah 39:1-2. As
recorded in 2 Kings 18:14-16, Sennacherib demanded three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold
from Hezekiah as a payment as Hezekiah thought would be for the Assyrians to withdraw from Jerusalem.
This unbelievable amount of payment would have equal to eleven tons of silver and one ton of god. To
complete this payment verse 16 of 2 Kings 18 states that Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors and
doorposts of the temple and emptied all the silver that was in the house of the Lord. In spite of this enormous
payment, Sennacherib did not withdraw from his assault on Jerusalem. This happened in 701 B.C. so
therefore Hezekiah showed the ambassadors from Babylon all his treasures including the silver and gold
before the treachery of Sennacherib occurred and before the events recorded in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37.
Gary V. Smith provides an extended discussion of the chronological dating of these chapters in his
commentary, Isaiah: Vol. 1, pages 583 to 657. This discussion by Smith is very helpful to the understanding
not only of the chronological issues, but also of the major political concerns and theological considerations of
these four chapters.
Chapters 36 and 37 of Isaiah have much in common with Isaiah chapters 7 and 8. In both narratives: First,
the people of Judah were threatened by an enemy that was on the verge of completely destroying them, but
the city of Jerusalem was not conquered: 7:1-2 and 36:1-2. Second, the place of the discussion was the
conduit of the upper pool on the highway to the fuller’s field: 7:3 and 36:2. Third, the king and people of
Judah were deathly afraid of the threat from an invading army: 7:2 and 37:3. Fourth, the message from the
prophet was the same: “do not be afraid:” 7:4 and 37:6. Fifth, the protection of God was offered to the King
of Judah: 7:7-9 and 36:7; 37:21-35. Sixth, a sign was offered by God as a trust of His faithfulness to His
word: 7:10-16 and 37:30-32. Seventh, the sign offered had elements of an immediate resolution and a
messianic promise: 7:10-16 and 37:30-32. Eighth, God faithfully delivered Jerusalem from its enemies (8:4
and 37:36).
There are at least two issues where these narratives differ: First, in chapter 7 King Ahaz refused to consider
God’s offer of a sign. In chapter 37 there is no discussion of Hezekiah refusing to consider the sign stated by
God. Second, in chapter 7, there is no discussion of king Ahaz presenting a prayer to God to ask for God’s
help. In chapter 36, Hezekiah goes into the temple and prays for God’s direct intervention and protection. If
Ahaz had heeded the call of the prophet and trusted in the Lord, there likely would not have been a need for
this second meeting at this place.
Isaiah’s account of the threatened destruction of Jerusalem and God’s supernatural intervention is
complimented by the narrative recorded in 2 Kings 18:13 to 20:19 and 2 Chronicles 32:1-26. Some content is
the account in 2 Kings is not recorded in Isaiah’s narrative in chapters 36 and 37: ie: Hezekiah’s payment of
308…..Isaiah Chapter 36 Introduction and 36:1
silver and gold to Sennacherib. This should not be a cause to doubt the historicity of Isaiah’s narrative for
Isaiah simply may have selected details of the story that were of importance to his accounting of the actions
of God and of King Hezekiah. In the English versions of the gospel accounts, Mark, for example, records
only two verses about the temptation of Jesus Christ while Matthew devotes eleven verses and Luke records
thirteen verses to this very important incident in the life of Christ. The synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and
Luke often relate the same incident in the life of Christ but provide different but collaborative details. The
accounts of the narrative of God’s protection of Jerusalem, as recorded in 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles and in Isaiah
should be understood in a similar manner.
A: God Protects Judah from Assyria: Chapters 36-37
1. The Invasion of Judah by Assyria: 36:1-22
Prior to this climatic chapter recording how God finally deals with the Assyrian threat, Isaiah had mentioned
Assyria 21 times. In chapters 36 and 37 Assyria is mentioned 18 times. Isaiah only mentions Assyria once
more after chapter 37 as an historical reference: Isaiah 52:4. Assyria is mentioned by Isaiah in 7:17, 18, 20;
8:4, 7; 10:5, 12, 24; 11:11, 16; 14: 25: 19:23, 24, 25: 20:1, 4, 6; 23:13; 27:13; 30:31; 31:8; 36:1, 2, 4, 8, 13,
15, 16, 18; 37:4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 18, 21, 33, 36, 37; 38:6 and 52:4. In contrast Babylon is mentioned by Isaiah
nine times up to and including chapter 39 and only four times in chapters 40-66. From the evidence of
occurrence of mention, it is clear that God intended to make a statement to the entire world about His direct
involvement in the protection of Jerusalem from the assault of the Assyrians.
Chapter 36
Three great deliverances of the people of God are recorded in the Old Testament. The first and greatest in
importance was the exodus of the Jews from Egypt culminating in the Passover and then the mosaic covenant
declared at Mount Sinai. The second is the protection of Jerusalem from the Assyrians and the third is the
return of the Jews to Jerusalem from Babylon. There are many others but arguably these three are the most
significant because they have the most content recorded about them. God protected His people from
destruction not because they had done anything to deserve His intervention, but because of the sake of His
great name. As it was in the past, so it will continue in the future as Ezekiel declared, “Therefore tell the
house of Israel, ‘This is what the sovereign LORD says: I did not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but
for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations, wherever you went.” Ezekiel 36:22. See also
Psalm 79:9; 106:8; 109:21; 143:11; Isaiah 48:9, 11; Jeremiah 14:21; Ezekiel 20:9, 14, 22, 44; and Daniel
9:19. As recorded in Isaiah chapter 36, the prophet declares a historical reference for the military assault of
Judah by the Assyrians under king Sennacherib, vs. 1. An account of the dialogue between the Assyrian
Rabshakeh, who did most of the speaking, and the representatives of king Hezekiah is recorded in vss. 2-20.
The representatives of king Hezekiah reported to him what the Assyrian commander has spoken, vss. 21-22.
36:1 In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified
cities of Judah and captured them.
The armies of Sennacherib, king of Assyria seized all of the fortified cities of Judah in the fourteenth year of
King Hezekiah’s rule, 701 B.C. See above note on the chronological significance of chapters 36-39. Now a
great army of Assyrians was amassing to lay siege to Jerusalem. The power and pride of the Assyrians was at
its zenith during these years. Neither Egypt nor Babylon were strong enough to defend themselves against the
military might of Sennacherib’s forces. What could King Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem hope to
accomplish by resisting the onslaught of Assyria? Not only did the situation appear hopeless, but in human
terms it actually was hopeless. However, this was not a matter for humans to decide. God had already
indicated His intentions in this matter. Isaiah 14:24-25; 31:8.
309…..Isaiah 36:2-4
36:2 The king of Assyria sent his chief commander from Lachish to Jerusalem to King Hezekiah with a large
army. He stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway to the Clothes Washer's field.
Isaiah states in 36:2, that the king of Assyria, Sennacherib sent “his chief commander” or Rabshakeh as
translated in many English versions. See vs. 4. The literal meaning of Rabshakeh is “chief cup bearer” but
this person likely had a more significant role as the king’s ambassador. He certainly would have been a
trusted servant of Sennacherib. In 2 Kings 18:17 it is recorded that Sennacherib also sent Tartan (army
commander) and Rab-saris (chief eunuch) along with Rabshakeh as the representatives of Assyria.
Rabshakeh however was the chief spokesman for the Assyrians. Isaiah stated in 36:2, “He stood by the
conduit of the upper pool in the highway to the Clothes Washer’s field.” This was the same location that
Isaiah had met with Hezekiah’s father Ahaz 23 years earlier. See Isaiah 7:3. For more comparisons between
this earlier meeting and the events in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37, see the above notes. It is likely that this
location was chosen for its proximity to the walls of Jerusalem where both the Assyrians and the Judeans
could easily talk to each other.
36:3 Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of
Asaph, the recorder came out to him.
Isaiah states the names of the Judean delegation. Eliakim, who was over the household, Shebna the scribe
and Joah the recorder came out to meet with Rabshakeh. In the notes of Isaiah 22: 15-25, a detailed
explanation is given why Shebna was stripped of his position of head of the household and why Eliakim was
elevated to this prestigious position in place of Shebna. The role of head of the household (of the king) may
have been that of prime minister and represented the one who would have been the most trusted of King
Hezekiah’s servants.
36:4-10 Then Rabshakeh said to them, "Tell Hezekiah, This is what the great king, the king of Assyria says,
'What is the basis of your confidence?
5
I tell you, your strategy and strength for the war are mere empty words. Now in whom are you trusting, that
you have rebelled against me?
6
Look, you are trusting in Egypt that staff is a broken reed, if someone leans on it, it will pierce his hand. So
is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
7
But if you tell me, "We trust in the LORD our God." Isn't he the one, whose high places and whose altars
Hezekiah has removed, and has said to Judah and to Jerusalem, 'You must worship before this altar?'
8
Now therefore, make a bet with my master the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses, if you
are able to find enough riders to put on them.
9
How then can you repulse even one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust on Egypt
for chariots and horsemen?
10
In fact, did I come up against this land to destroy it without the LORD? The LORD told me, 'Go up against
this land, and destroy it.'"
In Isaiah 36:4-10, the prophet records the first oration of Rabshakeh to the Judean delegation. It is a speech
filled with hubris boasting, misguided taunting and blasphemous lecturing. The main parts of his speech are:
(1) The king of Assyria is a great king. 36:4.
This title is an insult to King Hezekiah for nowhere in his speech or proclamation does Rabshakeh
call Hezekiah a king. It also is an insult to the royal line of David and to God the true King of Israel.
In the future, another king would have so much hubris to declare that he did things by the might of his
power and for the glory of his majesty and was immediately humbled by God. Daniel 4:28-37
310…..Isaiah 36:4-10
(2) What is this confidence (their strategy and strength) you have and upon whom are you trusting? 36:5
There was no recognition by the Assyrians that Israel and Judah were led by the only true God. By its
negative implication, Rabshakeh is declaring that the Judeans are fools to trust in anyone including
God for their salvation.
(3) It is folly to trust in Egypt for they can only hurt and not help Judah. 36:6
This statement was a stinging indictment of the foolishness of the Judeans to trust in Egypt for
protection. It also confirmed the earlier declarations of Isaiah who warned the Judean leadership
about their covenant with death in trusting the Egyptians. Isaiah 28:14-15.
(4) By removing the high places and altars (outside of Jerusalem) and insisting that God be worshipped
only in Jerusalem, Hezekiah has undermined the people’s access to worship God and has given no
reason to trust in God. 36:7.
The Assyrians evidently had some knowledge of the actions of king Hezekiah in his early days as
king when he removed the high places and altars (sacred pillars). 2 Kings 18:4; 2 Chronicles 31:1.
They assumed that all peoples worship idols that represented a god. They had no concept of how the
Lord, the Holy One of Israel was to be worshiped and therefore they perceived that Hezekiah was
destroying the Judeans access to God and insulting God in the process. Therefore, how could
Hezekiah rely on this God.
(5) The Assyrians are willing to bargain with Hezekiah will provide him with two thousand horses if he
could supply enough riders to sit upon them. 36:8
This was a taunt and an insult to the Judeans. The Assyrians had earlier proven they could not be
relied on to bargain with Hezekiah. 2 Kings 18:14-18. It was true that Hezekiah could not supply two
thousand men from his military to mount the horses, but the King knew the Assyrians were trying to
intimidate him.
(6) The folly of trusting in Egypt is repeated with a stunning statement that the Lord had told Rabshakeh
and by implication king Sennacherib to come up against Judah and destroy it. 36:9-10.
The blasphemous statement of the Assyrians would cut deep into the psyche of those in Jerusalem who were
not trusting nor had faith in God. They would wonder if this statement were indeed true and fill them with
even greater terror. However, for those who truly trusted in God within Jerusalem, it would be a sign that the
Assyrians had overplayed their hand. The majority of the Judeans may have pondered which spokesman for
God was to be trusted, the Assyrian pagan or the prophet Isaiah? God would soon provide the answer!
The Interruption:
36:11-12 Then Eliakim, Shebna and Joah said to the Assyrian commander, "Please speak, to your servants in
the Aramaic language, for we understand it. Do not speak to us in the Judean language, in the ears of the
people who are on the wall."
12
But the Assyrian commander replied, "Has my master sent me to your master, and to you, to speak these
words? Has he not sent me to those on the wall, who, like you, will end up eating their own excrement and
drinking their own urine?"
311…..Isaiah 36:11-12
In Isaiah 36:11-12, the prophet records that upon hearing the oration of Rabshakeh, the Judean delegation
requested that he speak in Aramaic instead of the Hebrew language for there were many inhabitants of
Jerusalem listening (implying that these listeners might spread fear among the people in the city). Rabshakeh
immediately reacted to this request by a taunt to all who were listening by stating in Hebrew, that all who
were listening to him including the Judean delegation, would soon be forced to eat their own dung and drink
their own urine. This was a threat that the food and water supplies to the city would be cut off and the
inhabitants of the city would die due to starvation and thirst.
The Continuation:
36:13-20 Then the Assyrian commander stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Judean language, "Hear
the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.
14
This is what the king says, 'Don't let Hezekiah deceive you; for he will not be able to rescue you.'
15
Do not let Hezekiah trick you into trusting in the LORD, saying, 'The LORD will surely rescue us. This city
will not fall into the hand of the king of Assyria.'
16
Do not listen to Hezekiah. For this is what the king of Assyria says, 'Make peace with me and come out to
me. Then everyone will eat from his own vine, and everyone from his own fig tree, and everyone will drink
waters from his own cistern,
17
until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread
and vineyards.
18
Do not let Hezekiah mislead you, saying, "The LORD will rescue us." Has any of the gods of the nations
been able to deliver his land from the hand of the king of Assyria?
19
Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Did any of them deliver
Samaria out of my hand?
20
Who among all the gods of these countries, were able to deliver their country out of my hand? So how can
the LORD deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?'"
As recorded in Isaiah 36:13 to 20, Rabshakeh continued his speech after the interruption by the delegation
from King Hezekiah. This speech was undoubtedly a prepared lecture designed to strike terror into the hearts
of all who were listening. Rabshakeh steps up the diatribe against Hezekiah. Rabshakeh still refused to call
Hezekiah a king. The main aspects of this continued lecture are:
(7) Rabshakeh called into question Hezekiah’s and the Lord’s ability to deliver the people of Jerusalem
from the Assyrian assault led by king Sennacherib. 36:13-15.
The Assyrian strategy was to drive doubt into the minds of the people of Jerusalem by stating that
neither their earthly king nor their eternal God could deliver them from the great king of Assyria. This
speech was in direct opposition to the teaching of Isaiah who for many years had toiled among the
people of the city and the court of the king proclaiming that the only true God, the Holy One of Israel
was their savior.
Now the impact of Isaiah’s teaching was placed in jeopardy. To whom would the people and the king
listen? To whom would they trust, the king of Assyria or the Lord of the Universe?
(8) Rabshakeh called upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem to come out of the city and be the recipients of a
promised blessing of eating safely from their own vine and fig tree and drink water from their own
cistern. Later they would be taken to a land (like their own land) which was a land of grain, new wine,
bread and vineyards. 36:16-17.
312…..Isaiah 36:13-20
It may have been tempting for many inside the walls of Jerusalem to heed the invitation of
Rabshakeh. Times were harsh and the Assyrian advance into Judah effectively cut off access to the
agricultural lands in the surrounding countryside. The fact of the Assyrian strategy of displacement of
captured peoples from their homeland to another land would have been common knowledge. They
had done so to the peoples of Samaria about twenty-one years before. Rabshakeh tried to smooth over
this reality by promising the people of Jerusalem another land which would be as rich in agriculture
as their own. The heart of the matter, however, is that God had promised the land of Israel to the
forefathers of the Jewish people. It was Immanuel’s land, Isaiah 8:8. God would not at this time allow
His great city of Jerusalem to be captured by a pagan enemy. The city would one day be given over to
foreign domination, but this was not yet that day.
(9) Rabshakeh completed his harangue against Hezekiah with a taunt that the God of the Judeans could
not possibly save them. Rabshakeh stated that the gods of Hamath, Arpad, Sepharvaim and Samaria
did not deliver them from the hand of the Assyrians (my hand) and why should the Lord deliver
Jerusalem from the Assyrians (my hand). 36:18-20.
With this last blasphemous blast, Rabshakeh concluded his oration. It was apparent that the Assyrians
thought that all of the gods of the western edges of their empire were the same, powerless and
impotent. They evidently did not understand that the true God, the Holy One of Israel could indeed
allow his people to be taken into captivity and dispersed among pagan nations due to their gross idol
worship and rebellion against Him. They likely did not have access to the writings of the prophets
such as Isaiah and Hosea that explained why God would allow a foreign power to conquer the nation
of Samaria. Isaiah 8:4 and Hosea 10:6. But there most glaring conceit was their assumption that the
God of Hezekiah was as powerless as any idol. They would soon learn otherwise. Rabshakeh’s own
conceit and pride was evident in his words “from my hand” which he repeated twice as recorded in
36:19-20.
As recorded in Isaiah 36:21-22, following the oration of Rabshakeh, the delegation from king Hezekiah,
Eliakim, Shebna and Joah left the meeting with the Assyrians without any words of response as Hezekiah
had ordered them and they came into the king’s presence with their clothes torn, as a symbol of mourning
and distress and told the king the words of Rabshakeh. Chapter 36 of Isaiah thus, ends with a very somber
and disheartening cloud hanging over the heads of all the people of the city of Jerusalem. There is no
indication in chapter 36 of how king Hezekiah and his people will respond to the threat of the Assyrians or
how God will respond. But Isaiah does not leave things in doubt or distress as chapter 37 will reveal.
Note: The Teaching Outline for chapter 36 is included with the outline for chapter 37.
Outline for Isaiah Chapter 37:
The Prophet is Summoned: 37:1-13
The King’s Prayer: 37:14-20
The Response of God: 37:21-35
The Assyrian Army Destroyed: 37:36-38
As recorded by Isaiah in chapter 37, the prophet describes the response of King Hezekiah to the report of the
delegation that had heard the taunt of the Assyrian commander, Rabshakeh. The king tore his clothes, put on
sackcloth and entered the temple, vs. 1. The King also sent Shebna and the elders, all clothed in sackcloth to
Isaiah requesting the prophet pray for the remnant of God’s people, vss. 2-5. Isaiah’s responded to these
servants by telling them to tell the king not to be afraid of the blasphemous words of the servants of the king
of Assyria because the LORD will cause the Assyrian king to return to his own land, where he will be put to
313…..Isaiah 37:1-4
death by the sword, vss. 6-7. The Assyrian commander, following his return to his king, and witnessing the
actions of the Assyrian who were then attacking Libnah and also after hearing of an impending attack upon
the Assyrians by the Ethiopian king Tirhakah, sent a letter to king Hezekiah. In this letter the Assyrian
commander declared that the God of Hezekiah was only deceiving the Judean king by promising to deliver
them from the might of the Assyrians, who had conquered all those they had faced, vss. 8-13. King Hezekiah
took the letter to the house of the LORD and spread it before the LORD and prayed for the protection of the
LORD, vss. 14-20. The LORD responded to Hezekiah’s prayer by sending Isaiah to the king with the
message that the LORD had heard the king’s prayer and would deliver His covenant people from the threat
of the Assyrians, vss. 21-35. The LORD’s decisive action against the Assyrians is recorded in vs. 36 with the
striking down of 185,000 Assyrians by the angel of the LORD. Sennacherib, the king of Assyria retreated to
his capital city Nineveh where he was later put to death by the sword at the hands of two of his sons, vss. 37-
38.
2. The Prophet is Summoned: 37:1-13
The next segment 37:1-13 of this dramatic narrative now involve the prophet Isaiah who faithfully recorded
the events and orations of chapter 36 but remained behind the scenes although it is certain he would have had
much to say in response to the Assyrian spokesman. In this segment, Hezekiah hears the words of the
Assyrian Rabshakeh and then humbles himself by tearing his clothes and covering himself with sackcloth.
He then proceeds into the temple and sends his servants to Isaiah with a message of great import. Isaiah
responds to the message with words of comfort for Hezekiah and words of distress for the Assyrian king.
King Sennacherib of Assyria sends a letter to Hezekiah with a final attempt at taunting the Judean king to not
depend on God.
The Response of Hezekiah: 37:1-4
37:1-4 When King Hezekiah heard it, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went into the house of the
LORD.
2
He sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, clothed
with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
3
They said to him, "This is what Hezekiah says, 'This day is a day of trouble, insults, and of disgrace. It is
like when children are at the point of birth, but there is no strength left to deliver them.
4
It may be the LORD your God will hear the words of the Assyrian commander, whom the king of Assyria
his master has sent to defy the living God, and will rebuke the words which the LORD your God has heard.
So lift up your prayer for the remnant that is still left here."
In 37:1-4, the response of King Hezekiah to the verbal threats of the Assyrians is recorded. His first response,
37:1, was to tear his clothes and cover himself with sackcloth as an outward demonstration of distress and
mourning. He then entered the house of the Lord (the temple). Isaiah does not reveal what part of the temple
was visited by Hezekiah. It is not often that the kings of Judah entered the temple. King Uzziah was likely
the last king to do so and the results were disastrous as Uzziah went into the holy place to burn incense on the
altar of incense. God punished Uzziah for his act of pride and disobedience by striking the king with leprosy
while the kings had the incense censer in his hand. Uzziah would later die of this disease. 2 Chronicles 26:16-
23. Uzziah’s son Jotham did not enter the temple. 2 Chronicles 27:2. Jotham’s grandson Hezekiah however
was very much interested in the temple. In the early days of his reign he had the doors of the temple repaired
and commanded the temple to be cleansed from past atrocities that had occurred there. He also reinstituted
the celebration of Passover including the Feast of Unleavened bread which brought great joy to the people of
Jerusalem. Hezekiah also had the people remove and destroy all the pillars, Asherim, high places and altars
314…..Isaiah 37:1-4
devoted to idol worship in Judah and in the territories of Benjamin, Ephraim and Manasseh. Refer to 2
Chronicles 29-31 for the Biblical account of the religious reforms completed by Hezekiah.
Hezekiah’s next act, recorded in Isaiah 37:2, was to send Eliakim, Shebna and the elders of the priests to
Isaiah the prophet. This was the first mention in his prophecy that Isaiah is called the prophet. Although in
8:3, he calls his wife a prophetess. Isaiah is called a prophet in 2 Kings 19:2; 20:1, 11, 14; 2 Chronicles
26:22; 32:20 and 32. In Isaiah the reference to Isaiah as the prophet occurs here in 37:2, in 38:1 and in 39:3.
In the New Testament Isaiah is often referred to as the prophet, Matthew 3:3; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; Mark 1:2;
Luke 3:4; 4:17; John 1:23; 12:38; Acts 8:28, 30; and 28:25. Many other New Testament references to Isaiah
just mention his name without the title of prophet.
The message from Hezekiah to Isaiah is recorded in 37: 3-4. Hezekiah rightly states in 37:3 that “this is a day
of trouble, insults and disgrace.” For Judah: (1) it was a day of trouble because of the threat of the Assyrians
poised to conquer Jerusalem; (2) it was a day of insults (rebuke) for the failure of King Hezekiah and his
court and the people of Jerusalem to listen to God’s promise that He would destroy the Assyrian threat:
(Isaiah10:12-19;14:24-27; 29:5-8; 30:27-33; 31:4-9); and (3) it was a day of disgrace (rejection): Hezekiah’s
payment of an exorbitant amount supposedly to guarantee that Assyria would not attack Jerusalem was a
sham, for Sennacherib took the money and did not offer any promise of safety for Jerusalem. See 2 Kings
18:14-17. For Assyria: (1) it was a day of trouble for their doom was earlier declared by God, Isaiah10:12-
19; 14:24-27; 29:5-8; 30:27-33; 31:4-9; (2) it was a day of insults (rebuke) for God would surely rebuke
Sennacherib and his leaders for blasphemy, Isaiah 37:6; and (3) it was a day of disgrace (rejection) for God
would reject any possible alleviation of the judgment to come on them.
It should be noted that the word translated “disgrace” in 37:3, can also be translated “rejection” It is
translated as “blasphemy” in the KJV and NKJV. The word “disgrace” is the Hebrew word neatsah can be
understood as either shame (disgrace) or spurn (blasphemy). Those who interpret Hebrew into English have
grammatical reasons for understanding the word within its context and one interpreter may disagree with
another as to its exact English translation. For example, in the DASV in the parallel account of this plea by
Hezekiah, 2 Kings 19:3 it states: “They said to him, "This is what Hezekiah says, 'This is a day of trouble,
insults and humiliation; like when children are ready to be born, but there is no strength to bring them out.”
The NKJV for 2 Kings 19:3 states: “And they said unto him, Thus says Hezekiah: This day is a day of
trouble, and rebuke and blasphemy; for the children have come to birth, but there is no strength to bring
them forth.”
The next words of Hezekiah, 37:3, “it is like when children are at the point of birth, but there is no strength
left to deliver them.” may better be applied to Jerusalem than Assyria. Hezekiah certainly had no doubt that
Assyria had the strength to deliver complete destruction upon Jerusalem. It was Jerusalem who was weak
and unable to defend itself from the fearsome Assyrians.
In 37:4, Hezekiah, through his delegation to Isaiah, asks the prophet to pray for the remnant of the people of
God who are left and held captive in their own city. Hezekiah had prefaced this request for prayer by stating
that it was likely (perhaps) that God had heard the reproachful words of Rabshakeh directed against God and
that God would rebuke the Assyrians. Hezekiah describes God as “the living God.” Hezekiah certainly
understood that the Holy One of Israel was a living God implying that He was the only living Divinity and
the gods of the pagan nations were nothing by worthless idols. The title of God as “the living God” would be
used again by Hezekiah in his prayer to God in the temple, Isaiah 37:17. It is a major theme of Scripture and
one so dramatically spoken of by Peter in response to Christ’s question, "But who do you say that I am?" 16
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Matthew 16:15-16.
315…..Isaiah 37:5-8
The Decision of the Lord: 37:5-7
37:5-7 So the servants of King Hezekiah came to Isaiah.
6
Then Isaiah said to them, "This is what you are to tell your master, 'This is what the LORD says, Do not be
afraid of the words that you have heard, by which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me.
7
Look, I will put a spirit in him, he will hear rumors, and will return to his own land. I will cause him to fall
by the sword in his own land.'"
In 37:5-7, Isaiah receives the delegation and responds to the plea of Hezekiah delivered by the delegation to
the prophet. Isaiah states in 35:6-7 that the Lord has said that they are not to be afraid of the blasphemous
words from the servants of the king of Assyria. For God will put within the Assyrian king a spirit from which
he will hear rumors and will return to Assyria where he will be put to death by the sword. When a prophet,
anointed by the Lord, uses the divine authoritative “This is what the LORD says,” not only should the
listeners pay immediate attention, but they should know that whatever the Lord says will happen, is an
absolute certainty to happen. Isaiah uses this expression 38 times in his prophecy and three times in chapter
37.
As in earlier declarations by God, He begins his response in 37:6 by the words, do not be afraid. See Isaiah
10:24 and 35:4. Isaiah would again address the people of Judah with these comforting words from God,
Isaiah 40:9; 41: 13, 14; 43:1, 5; 44:2, 8; 51:7; 54:4, and 14. God wants the people of Jerusalem to have no
fear because of the blasphemous words from the “servants” (literally: “lads, boys or underlings”) of the king
of Assyria.
The Lord declares in 37:7 that He will put a spirit in Sennacherib and the king will hear a rumor and return to
his own land where he will die “by the sword”. The fulfillment of this was soon to happen as Isaiah 37:37-38
reveal. It is not stated what is meant by God putting a spirit on Sennacherib so that he heard a rumor. The
rumor he heard was most likely the news of the mass death of his army, 37:36. Sennacherib, who was not
with the army outside of Jerusalem, did return to Nineveh upon hearing of the destruction of his army, 37:
37, and twenty years later he was killed with a sword by two of his sons, 37:38. The timing of the death of
Sennacherib is interesting to students of Scripture. Hezekiah did not live to hear about the death of his enemy
Sennacherib. It needs to be remembered that Sennacherib was really the enemy of God and He alone
determined the time for Sennacherib to die. It could be that God gave Sennacherib twenty years to
contemplate what really happened at Jerusalem and repent of his blasphemy against the living God.
However, Sennacherib was still worshiping a false god when he was killed, and it is apparent that he did not
repent.
The Letter from Sennacherib: 37:8-13
37:8-13 So the Assyrian commander returned, and found the king of Assyria attacking Libnah, for he heard
that he had left Lachish.
9
He heard concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, "He is come out to fight against you." When he heard it, he
sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
10
"This is what you will say to Hezekiah king of Judah, "Let not your God in whom you trust deceive you,
saying, 'Jerusalem will not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.'
11
Look, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by totally destroying them, and do
you really think that you will be rescued?
12
Have the gods of the nations delivered them, which my predecessors destroyed, Gozan, Haran, Rezeph,
and the children of Eden that were in Telassar?
316…..Isaiah 37:8-14
13
Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the kings of the cities of Sepharvaim, Hena, and
Iwah?"
Isaiah records in 37:8 that Rabshakeh, after receiving no response from the Judean delegation, left Jerusalem
and returned to his king who was now fighting against Libnah after his likely destruction of Lachish.
Sennacherib heard that Tirhakah, king of Ethiopia (Cush), had led his army (from Egypt) to fight against the
Assyrians, 37:9. There are some issues stated in 37:9 that need to be discussed. The term “king” as a title for
Tirhakrah has been debated among scholars of Old Testament History. Tirhakrah was about twenty years of
age when he led the Egyptian army against the Assyrians. He was not technically the king of Egypt but was
the crown-prince and the Hebrew word for king, melek can have both meanings of king and prince. The
reference to Tirhakrah as king of Ethiopia (Cush) also needs an explanation. Egypt was being ruled by an
Ethiopian dynasty and Tirhakrah was the next king in line to rule Egypt. He became the sole ruler of Egypt in
690 B.C.
Why would the army of Egypt be advancing at this time to fight the Assyrians? They may have been keeping
their part of an agreement they made with Hezekiah to provide protection for Jerusalem in the event of an
attack by Assyria. This agreement is called a “covenant of death” in Isaiah 28:15. However, it is most likely
that the Egyptians were not advancing at all and Sennacherib only heard gossip about the possibility. Egypt
was no match for Assyria and there is no record of a battle between these nations in 701 B.C. Sennacherib,
not wanting to begin a siege against Jerusalem at the same time as engaging an advancing army, sent a letter
to Hezekiah in an attempt to hasten Hezekiah’s surrender.
Sennacherib in his letter to Hezekiah, as stated in Isaiah 37:10-13, uses similar rhetoric to that recently
delivered by Rabshakeh to Hezekiah, Isaiah 36:4-20. In Sennacherib’s shorter written demand to Hezekiah,
he warns Hezekiah not to depend on his God who had told Hezekiah, “Jerusalem will not be delivered into
the hand of the king of Assyria,” 37:10. It may be that the Assyrians had heard of the proclamations of Isaiah
regarding the promises of God to protect the city of Jerusalem. Sennacherib, then listed a number of nations
and cities that the Assyrians had captured and asked Hezekiah of the whereabouts of the kings that ruled over
these places. Sennacherib demanded to know what made Hezekiah think he would be spared from the might
of the Assyrians. The gravest comment made by Sennacherib was the insult to God, Isaiah 37:11, insinuating
that just as the gods of the conquered nations were of no help so the God of Hezekiah would not protect
Jerusalem. It was one thing to send a delegation to orally deliver threats to the Judean King, but now
Hezekiah had a written threat from the king of Assyria. It was a letter Hezekiah could not afford to ignore.
3. The King’s Prayer: 37:14-20
37:14-20 After Hezekiah received the letter from the hand of the messengers, and read it; he went up to the
house of the LORD, and spread it out before the LORD.
15
Hezekiah prayed to the LORD,
16
"O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, who sits enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God of all
the kingdoms of the earth. You made heaven and earth.
17
Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear! Open your eyes, O LORD, and see! Hear all the words that
Sennacherib has sent to defy the living God.
18
It is true, O LORD, the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the countries and their land.
19
They have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were no gods at all but only the work of human hands,
merely wood and stone. Therefore the Assyrians have destroyed them.
20
Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know
that you alone are the LORD."
317…..Isaiah 37:14-22
Isaiah 37:14-20 record the prayer of Hezekiah in response to the letter he had received from king
Sennacherib of Assyria. Hezekiah praises God as ruler creator of all the earth He then rehearses the urgency
of the threat against Jerusalem by the Assyrians and asks God to deliver Jerusalem so that “all the kingdoms
of the earth may know that you alone are the LORD.” 37:20.
Hezekiah took the letter received from Sennacherib and went up to the house of the Lord and spread the letter
out as if to imply the Lord would read it Himself, 37:14. This action by Hezekiah came after the declaration
by Isaiah with the authoritative word of the Lord that Hezekiah was not to be afraid because the Lord would
put events into place that would see Sennacherib return to his land where he would fall by the sword, 37:7.
However, Hezekiah knowing all this, came directly to the Lord in prayer and pled for the direct intervention
of God to protect the city. Hezekiah was now humbled completely. The only way out of this situation was to
go to the One he should have consulted months before.
Hezekiah’s prayer, although not a model of a repentant petition as was Daniel’s prayer recorded in Daniel
chapter 9, was nonetheless noteworthy for, (1) its praise to God for His position as God alone of all the
kingdoms of the earth and His creative act of the maker of heaven and earth, 37:16; (2) its recognition of the
blasphemy of Sennacherib and his reproach of the living God; and (3) its plea to God for deliverance so that
all kingdoms of the earth may know that God alone is God. (the one true God of all the earth).
4. The Response of God: 37:21-35
Some may have been critical of Hezekiah for his direct petition of God for protection when the King already
had God’s authoritative word that He would not allow Sennacherib to approach Jerusalem but would soon
sent the king of Assyria back to his own land where he would face death by the sword, 37:7. However, this
was not God’s attitude.
37:21 Then Isaiah the son of Amoz sent to Hezekiah, saying, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says,
'Because you have prayed to me against Sennacherib king of Assyria,
God, as recorded in 37:21, began His response to Hezekiah’s petition by stating, “because you prayed.” God
thus acknowledges the value of the King’s prayer. God often works in response to the prayers of his people.
He often drives people to pray so He can respond to the praise of His great glory and act on behalf of the sake
of the renown of His name.
Isaiah, as recorded in 37:22-35 declares God’s lengthy response to the prayer of Hezekiah. It should be noted
that in 2 Chronicles 32:20 it is stated that “Because of this, King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah the son of
Amoz prayed and cried out to heaven.” However, in Isaiah chapter 37, it is stated that it was God’s response
of Hezekiah’s prayer that is given attention. It may be that Isaiah was humble enough not to mention his own
prayers of petition to God. The response of God to the prayer of Hezekiah is a master’s lesson in the methods
of the Lord in dealing with those who threaten His beloved City, and His chosen people. The inclusion of a
sign, 37:30-32 is an unsought blessing from God that has immediate and future kingdom consequences. God
completes this response with forceful and dramatic action, 37:36-38 He accomplishes what He said He would
do. The whole earth must acknowledge that He alone is God.
The Sentence of God: 37:22-29
37:22 this is the word which the LORD has spoken about him:
"The virgin daughter of Zion despises you and laughs at you.
The daughter of Jerusalem shakes her head as you flee.
318…..Isaiah 37:22-25
God began His message which was addressed to king Sennacherib with a taunt about how the surrounded
city will despise and mock the prideful Assyrian monarch. The word “virgin” is the Hebrew betula which is
different than the word for “virgin” (almah) in Isaiah 7:14. In the context of 7:14, the word “virgin”
definitely references a young unmarried woman who has never known a man sexually. See notes on this
verse. The word virgin (betula), has several meanings in the Old Testament. It can mean a virgin in the sense
of a young woman who has not known a man sexually, such as described in Leviticus 21:13-14;
Deuteronomy 22:17-19 and Ezekiel 44:22. It can refer to an unmarried young woman without reference to
any carnal knowledge, Jeremiah 31:4, 21. It can also simply refer to a young woman as described in Isaiah
23:4 and 62:5 and several other texts. In Isaiah 23:12, betula refers to other nations without any textual
evidence of virginity such as in Deuteronomy 22:17-19. In Isaiah 47:1 the words “virgin daughter of
Babylon” have a similar meaning to that of 37:22, “virgin daughter of Zion.” In both instances the
inhabitants have not experienced the horrors of warfare within their city walls. In 37:22, the daughters of
Zion “laughs at” (mocks) Sennacherib not because of any confidence in their city’s defences or armed forces
but only because it is God who defends the city and will bring the judgment of death upon the army of the
pompous Assyrian king.
37:23 Whom have you defied and insulted?
Against whom have you lifted your voice
and arrogantly lifted up your eyes?
Against the Holy One of Israel.
The Lord asks from Sennacherib, against whom had he reproached and blasphemed and against whom had he
raised his eyes and haughtily (see Isaiah 10:12) lifted his voice? The answer comes immediately “Against the
Holy One of Israel?” Isaiah had earlier recorded that He saw the Lord, lofty and exalted (high and lifted up in
the KJV and NKJV). It was the Lord’s sole right to be praised as the high and holy One. See Motyer, Isaiah,
page 228. Who did Sennacherib think he was demeaning and blaspheming by his statements that Isaiah had
earlier recorded? Isaiah 36:4-20; 37:10-13.
37:24-25 By your servants have you defied the Lord, and have said,
"With my many chariots I have climbed to the mountains tops,
to the remote parts of Lebanon.
I cut down its tall cedars,
and its choice cypresses.
I have penetrated its remotest heights,
its thickest forests.
25
I dug and drank water,
and with the sole of my feet
I dried up all the rivers of Egypt.
The Lord continues His address to Sennacherib by announcing that the Lord knew everything that the
Assyrian king did and said. God repeated Sennacherib’s words of boasting about conquering the heights of
Lebanon, digging wells and drinking waters and most outrageously his claim that he dried up the rivers of
Egypt with his feet. These words are a reminder to anyone about the omniscience of the Lord who knows all
things even the thoughts and intentions of the heart, Genesis 6:5; Matthew 9:4; Hebrews 4:12. Nothing is
hidden from God and everyone is accountable to him, Hebrews 4:13. The judgment of the Lord eventually
came upon Sennacherib as described in Isaiah 37:38.
319…..Isaiah 37:26-30
37:26-29 Have you not heard how I have determined it long ago?
I planned it from ancient times.
Now I have brought it to pass,
that you should crush fortified cities into piles of ruins.
27
Therefore their inhabitants were powerless,
they were dismayed and put to shame.
They were like the grass of the field,
and like green plants,
like the grass on the rooftops,
scorched before it is grown up.
28
But I know your sitting down,
and your going out,
and your coming in,
and your raging against me.
29
Because of your raging against me
and your arrogance has reached my ears,
therefore I will put my hook in your nose,
and my bit in your mouth,
and I will turn you back by the way that you came.
God reveals that even the actions of Sennacherib were planned by God Himself. The word “planned” is a
potter’s verb meaning to mold or shape. See Motyer, Isaiah, page 229. God had from ancient times, prepared
Sennacherib to be His instrument of divine retribution on the nations, cities, and agricultural lands that the
Assyrian forces had destroyed. The places the Assyrians had so boastfully destroyed was accomplished
without any acknowledgement of God’s direct participation and prior determination. In Isaiah 37:28, God
revealed that He knew everything about Sennacherib even his sitting down, coming out and in and most
importantly, Sennacherib’s rage against Him.
The Lord completes His direct message to Sennacherib, 37:29 with a description of what He will do to the
arrogant and raging king. Isaiah states that God has said that because of the raging words of Sennacherib and
because his arrogance has filled God’s ears, God will put His hook into the nose of Sennacherib and His bit
in the Assyrian king’s mouth and God will return this pagan king back by the way he came. God uses the
language of the hunter of wild beasts who uses a cruel hook sunk into the nose to lead the captive animal at
His will.
The Sign of God: 37:30-32
37:30-32 This will be a sign for you, Hezekiah:
This year you will eat whatever grows by itself,
and in the second year whatever springs up from that.
In the third year you will sow,
reap, plant vineyards,
and eat its fruit.
31
The remnant that escaped from the house of Judah
will again take root below and bear fruit above.
32
For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant,
and out of Mount Zion a group of survivors.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
320…..Isaiah 37:30-33
God, following His message to Sennacherib, gives a proclamation of hope to king Hezekiah and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem. God introduces a sign to authenticate His word and to show that God will
accomplish what He has proclaimed to His people. The first great sign in the prophecy of Isaiah is the sign
given to the wicked king Ahaz, the father of Hezekiah. This first great sign, Isaiah 7:10-16 had an immediate
fulfillment in the protection of Jerusalem from its enemies and a future messianic fulfillment concerning the
virgin birth of the Messiah. The second great sign, Isaiah 19:19-24, is set entirely in the far future during the
coming messianic kingdom. The third great sign, Isaiah 20:1-6 has its setting during the days of Isaiah’s
ministry and refers to the punishment of Cush and Egypt. The fourth great sign, Isaiah 37:30-32 has an
immediate fulfillment in the return of the agricultural bounty to the people of Jerusalem and a future
fulfillment in the messianic kingdom when the remnant of the Lord will rise up. The Lord will preserve
those He has chosen and will restore the fallen line of Davidic kings by sitting on David’s throne on Mount
Zion. The words, ‘The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this,” relates this sign to the prophecy of the coming
King in Isaiah 9:6-7 and to the Lord’s provision of salvation in Isaiah 59:17.
Chronologically, the fifth great sign, appears before the sign of Isaiah 37:30-32. In Isaiah 38:7-8, and also in
2 Kings 20:8-11. This fifth great sign is the supernatural work of the Lord in causing the shadow of the
stairway of Ahaz to go back ten steps. This sign had an immediate fulfillment to show to Hezekiah that he
would be healed of his sickness. The sixth great sign, Isaiah 55:12-13, will have its fulfillment in the future
messianic reign as will the seventh great sign, Isaiah 66:18-24. This short survey of the signs of God in
Isaiah would not be complete without the marvelous comment from Isaiah in Isaiah 8:18, “Here am I and the
children whom the LORD has given me! We are signs and wonders in Israel from the LORD of hosts, Who
dwells in Mount Zion.” NKJV. God, as stated above in this survey, uses people, circumstances, future events
and the movement of the sun to demonstrate His faithfulness to His word regarding His promises to His
people.
The Solution of God: Isaiah 37:33-35
37:33-35 "Therefore this is what the LORD says about the king of Assyria:
He will not come to this city,
or shoot an arrow here.
He will not come before it with shield,
or cast up a siege ramp against it.
34
By the same way that he came, he will leave,
and he will not come into this city,"
says the LORD.
35
"For I will defend this city to save it,
for my own sake,
and for the sake of my servant David."
As a follow-up to God’s word about the sign He will provide to fulfill the promises He has made to His
people, God emphatically states His solution to the threat posed by Sennacherib and his army against the city
of Jerusalem. God states concerning the king of Assyria, that he will not come to wage warfare against
Jerusalem and he will leave the same way that he came. See also Isaiah 37:29. Sennacherib was not in the
immediate vicinity of Jerusalem, Isaiah 37:8. He would not come to the city nor take any military action
against the city. The Lord then explains, 37:35, why this will happen, “For I will defend this city to save it,
for my own sake, and for the sake of my servant David.” The Lord had made a covenant with His people
involving the everlasting endurance of David’s house (throne) and kingdom. 2 Samuel 7:8-17.
321…..Isaiah 37:33-36
The work of God for the sake of His name is one of the most revealing aspects of God’s motivation to
perform His plans and purposes for the earth and particularly for His people. God states in 37:35 that He will
defend and save the city of Jerusalem for His own sake and for the sake of His servant David. A similar
statement is seen in 2 Kings 19:34 and 20:6. Isaiah again records the statement of God regarding the reason
for His actions in 48:11
For my own sake,
for my own sake, I will do it.
For how can I allow my name to be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another.
Isaiah makes similar statements in 42:8; 43:7; 43:25; 48:9 and 59:19. See similar statements in the Old
Testament in 2 Chronicles 6:32; Psalm 23:3; 25:11; 31:3; 79:9; 106:8; 109:21; 143:11; Jeremiah 14:7, 21;
20:9, 14, 22, 44; Ezekiel 36:22; and Daniel 9:19. In the New Testament see Matthew 19:29; Luke 6:22;
21:12; John 15:21; Acts 9:16; Romans 1:5; 1 John 2:12; 3 John vs. 7 and Revelation 2:3. A similar statement
by God concerns the motivation for His works due to the glory of His name. In the Old Testament, see Psalm
79:9; 148:13; Isaiah 42:8; 43:7; 48:11, 59:19; and Jeremiah 14:21. In the New Testament see Luke 19:38.
5. The Assyrian Army Destroyed: 37:36-38
37:36-38 Then the angel of LORD went out, and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. When
they got up early in the morning, there were all dead bodies.
37
So Sennacherib king of Assyria left, and went and returned home, and lived in Nineveh.
38
As he was worshipping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, killed him
with the sword. They escaped into the land of Ararat. Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place.
In the short section 37:36-38, Isaiah records the destruction of the Assyrian army and the death of the king of
Assyria. See also 2 Kings 19:35-37 and 2 Chronicles 32:20-21. The slaying of the Assyrian army by the
angel of the Lord happened in 701 B.C. and the death of Sennacherib, the king of Assyria happened twenty
years later. Isaiah had predicted the judgment of the Lord on Assyria many times as recorded in 10:12-19;
14:24-27; 29:5-8; 30:27-33; and 31:4-9. The means of the death of 185,000 in the Assyrian camp came
supernaturally by the angel of the Lord.
There are many passages in the Old Testament describing actions by the angel of the Lord, including (1)
Genesis 16:1-15, Hagar and the birth of Ishmael; (2) Genesis 22:1-19, Abraham and the test of the sacrifice
of Isaac; (3) Exodus 3:1-6, Moses and the burning bush; (4) Exodus 12:23-30, The death of the firstborn of
Egypt; (5) Numbers 22:22-35, Balaam and his donkey; (6) Judges 2:1-5, The indictment against the sons of
Israel; (7) Judges 6:11-24, Gideon challenged; (8) Judges 13:2-15, Encouragement of Samson’s parents; (9)
2 Samuel 24:15-17 and 1 Chronicles 21:7-30, The slaying of 70,000 Israelites due to the census ordered by
David; (10) 1 Kings 19:1-8, Elijah brought food and water; (11) 2 Kings 1-1-16, Elijah calls down fire from
heaven; (12) Zechariah 1:7-21, The Rider among the Myrtle trees; and (13) Zechariah 3:1-10, The cleansing
of Joshua the high priest. Other references include Psalm 34:7; 35:5-6 and 103:20. In the New Testament the
phrase “angel of the Lord” occurs in Matthew 1:20, 24; 2:13, 19; 28:2; Luke 1:11; 2:9; John 5:4; Acts 5:19;
8:26; 12:7, 11, 23; and Revelation 22:6.
The death of king Sennacherib is described in Isaiah 37:36-37. Following the destruction of his army, the
king left Judah and returned to Nineveh. Sennacherib did not bring any military action against Judah after
this event. Twenty years after returning to his capital city, he was killed by two of his sons, Adrammelech
and Sharezer. These sons put Sennacherib to death with a sword while he was worshiping his god, Nisroch.
322…..Chapter 38 Introduction
These sons escaped into the land of Ararat after killing their father. The death of the Assyrian army and of
Sennacherib fulfilled the prophecies of Isaiah 10:12-19; 14:24-27; 29:5-8; 30:27-33; and 31:4-9.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah chapters 36-37
God Protects His City and His Name
36:1-22 The People of God Threatened
37:1-13 The Promise of God Revealed
37:14-20 The Prayer of a Humble King
37:21-35 The Promise of God Revealed
37:36-38 The People of God Saved
B: The Illness and Healing of Hezekiah: Chapter 38
Chapters 38 and 39 chronologically come before chapters 36 and 37. Refer to the notes on the introduction to
chapters 36-39 for an explanation of the possible reasons why Isaiah may have put chapters 38 and 39 at the
end of this great section of his prophetical writings. These two chapters close out Isaiah’s account of
Hezekiah’s life and deal with two major events, (1) the illness and healing of the king, chapter 38 and (2) the
foolishness of Hezekiah when entertaining the Babylonian ambassadors, chapter 39.
Chapter 38 of Isaiah should be read in conjunction with 2 Kings 20: 1-11 and 2 Chronicles 32:24-26. 2
Kings: 1-11 is a chronological record of these events and should be followed for a step by step account while
the events as written by Isaiah are thematic. The account in 2 Chronicles 32:24-26 is a brief overview of
these days. Some may question the accuracy of Isaiah’s version of these events in comparison to the account
recorded in 2 Kings. It should be understood that these two written accounts are not contradictory but
complimentary to each other. How the Isaiah account fits with that of 2 Kings will be stated in the notes for
the relevant verses for Isaiah chapter 38.
As recorded in Isaiah chapter 38, the prophet states that in those days, prior to the Assyrian direct threat
against Jerusalem, Hezekiah became sick and Isaiah told the king that he was to prepare himself for death, vs.
1. Upon hearing this, Hezekiah prayed for The LORD to remember the king’s faithfulness to Him, vss. 2-3.
The LORD responded to this prayer by telling Isaiah to declare to Hezekiah that the LORD had heard the
king’s prayer and would add fifteen years to his lifespan and that the LORD would deliver the king and the
city of Jerusalem from the hand of the king of Assyria, vss. 4-6. Isaiah calls to have an ointment of figs
applied to the boil affecting Hezekiah which would bring about the healing of the king, vs. 21. Hezekiah in
vs. 22, asks for a sign from the LORD to confirm the LORD’s promise to him. The LORD gave a sign to
Hezekiah as an indication He would do what He had promised. The sign was that sun’s shadow on the steps
next to the sundial of Ahaz would go backward ten steps, vss. 7-8. In Vss. 9-20, Isaiah records the thoughts
of Hezekiah regarding the promise of the LORD to extend his life. Hezekiah laments that he so soon must
face death but acknowledges the LORD’s faithfulness to him. Note insertion of vss. 21-22 before vs. 7.
Outline of Chapter 38
38:1 The King’s Illness
38:2-3 The King’s Prayer
38:4-6, 21 The Lord’s Promise
38:7-8, 22 The Lord’s Sign
38:9-20 The King’s Response
323…..Isaiah 38:1-3
The King’s Illness: 38:1
38:1 In those days Hezekiah became sick almost to death. Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him,
and said to him, "This is what the LORD says, 'Set your house in order; for you will die, and will not live.'"
Prior to the threat by the Assyrians to destroy Jerusalem, chapters 36-37, Hezekiah became mortally ill. The
timing of these days was likely 702 B.C. See J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, TOTC, page 233, note 2. Isaiah visited
Hezekiah, 38:1 and told him: “This is what the LORD says, set your house in order; for you will die, and not
live.” The statement of the authoritative “this is what the LORD says,” would have been a devastating blow
to Hezekiah. He knew it was a certainty and not just the opinion of the prophet. It is the sole prerogative of
God to intervene with a life-threatening event just prior to a promised significant happening in the lives of
those who serve Him. The command of God to Abraham to sacrifice the promised son, Genesis 22 is one
example. Another is the attempt on the life of Moses’ son by the Lord while Moses was on his way back to
Egypt, Exodus 4:21-26 and another is the shipwreck of Paul while on his way to Rome following God’s
promise that Paul would witness at Rome, Acts 23:11 and 27:13-44.
God had promised that He would not allow the Assyrians to destroy Jerusalem: Isaiah: 31:4-9. Hezekiah was
the ruling Davidic king and who was in the prime of his life and yet without an heir. Was God going to cut
his life off so that he would not witness the miraculous work of God in the protection of Jerusalem and was
there now to be no heir to continue the royal line of David on the throne of Judah? The authoritative “thus
says the Lord” had been spoken. What hope did Hezekiah have of any future?
God desires complete trust, faithfulness and obedience from His servants. From the context of Isaiah chapter
38, it appears that God was giving Hezekiah an unspoken ultimatum. Hezekiah who had started his reign
with faithful actions, 2 Kings 14:1-6, later failed to trust God when Jerusalem was threatened by the
Assyrians. Hezekiah sent a delegation to Egypt, Isaiah 28:14-15; 30:1-17 seeking their help instead of going
directly to the Lord in prayer. The Lord had given Hezekiah the proper course of action, “In returning
(repentance) and rest you will be delivered (saved), quietness and trust will be your strength, but you rejected
it.” Isaiah 30:15. Isaiah had repeatedly warned the leadership of Jerusalem (Isaiah chapters 13-33) not to trust
in other nations for protection against the Assyrians but Hezekiah did not listen. Now was Hezekiah’s time to
listen!
The command of the Lord recorded in 38:1 for Hezekiah to “set your house in order” could be understood in
many ways but the two most likely were (1) get your official business and political affairs and records ready
for your removal and replacement and (2) prepare whatever may be necessary for a succession plan. This
latter need would be most grievous to Hezekiah as he had no heir to succeed him. What was he to do?
The King’s Prayer: 38:2-3
38:2-3 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed to the LORD.
3
"Remember now, O LORD, I beg you, how I have walked before you faithfully and with a whole heart, and
have done what is good in your sight." Then Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Hezekiah faced with death finally took the Lord’s advice, Isaiah 30:15and prayed to the Lord with tears of
bitterness. His prayer was short but to the point. He pleaded with the Lord to remember his faithful and
wholehearted walk with God and obedience to Him by doing good. Isaiah who had delivered the grim news
to Hezekiah had walked away before Hezekiah prayed.
324…..Isaiah 38:4-6 and 21-22
The Lord’s Promise: 38:4-6, 21-22
38:4-6 and 21-22:
4
Then the word of the LORD came to Isaiah,
5
"Go, and say to Hezekiah, 'This is what the LORD, the God of David your father says, I have heard your
prayer, I have seen your tears. Look, I will add fifteen years to your life.
6
I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria, and I will defend this city.'
21
Now Isaiah had said, "Let them take an ointment of figs, and apply it to the boil, and he will recover."
22
Hezekiah also had asked, "What sign will confirm that I will go up to the house of the LORD?"
Before Isaiah had walked out of the middle court of the King’s house, 2 Kings 20:4-5, the Lord instructed the
prophet to return to the bedside of Hezekiah with a new message recorded in 38:5-6. The Lord’s unspoken
ultimatum had been met by Hezekiah. The prayer of Hezekiah may seem to be all too brief and without any
obvious words of repentance. He may have had passages from the Law such as Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy
5:33; 7:12-15; and 30:16 in mind when he reminded the Lord of his truthful walk and his good works. The
parallel account in 2 Kings 20:3-6 adds more details to the response of God when He instructed Isaiah:
3
"Remember, O LORD, I entreat you, how I have walked before you in truth with a perfect heart, and have
done what was good in your sight." Then Hezekiah wept bitterly.
4
Before Isaiah had left the middle courtyard, the word of the LORD came to him, saying,
5
"Go back, and tell Hezekiah the leader of my people, 'This is what the LORD says, the God of David your
father, "I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. I will heal you. In three days you will go up to the
temple of the LORD.
6
I will add fifteen years to your life and will rescue you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. I
will defend this city for my own sake, and for my servant David's sake."'" (2 Kings 20:3-6).
God promises Hezekiah, whom He calls “the leader of My people” that the King would go up to the house of
the Lord in three days thus indicating he would be healed in as little as three days. Also, God stated that He
would add fifteen years to the life of Hezekiah. Historical records indicate that Hezekiah died in (about) 687
B.C. which suggests that the date of Isaiah chapter 38 was (about) 702 B.C. See also Geoffrey W. Grogan,
Isaiah, page 238, note 5.
The Lord answered more than Hezekiah’s plea to live. God added that He would deliver the King and
Jerusalem from the hand of the king of Assyria. 2 Kings 20: 6; Isaiah 38:6. In the account stated in 2 Kings
20:6, God gives the reason for the protection of Jerusalem. He stated, “I will defend this city for My own
sake and for my servant David’s sake.” It was not for any good works performed by Hezekiah nor was it for
the king’s faith in God that motivated God to protect the city. God in His own righteous prerogative and
purpose acted on behalf of His own sake (Psalm 79:9; 106:8; 109:21; 143:11; Isaiah 48:9, 11; Jeremiah
14:21; Ezekiel 20:9, 14, 22, 44; Daniel 9:19) and for the sake of David his servant. God is a covenant
keeping Sovereign who remembers His promises. He will keep his promise to David (2 Samuel 7:8-17). God
still keeps this promise. David’s greater son, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, will return to earth to reign on
David’s throne for a thousand years and then He will reign with His Father in heaven forever.
It is most certain that Isaiah 38:21-22 starting with “now Isaiah had said” should be inserted in between
38:6-7. Isaiah in vs. 21, gives instruction for the healing of Hezekiah. Also, 2 Kings 20:7 states, "Bring here
a fig poultice." So they took and spread it on the boil, and he recovered. Both Isaiah 38:21 and 2 Kings 20:7
do not reveal the nature of the boil or why applying the cake of figs would heal the king from his sickness.
The figs may or may not have had any natural healing qualities. Perhaps the application of obedience on the
325…..Isaiah 38:7-9
part of Isaiah and the attendants to the King in following God’s instructions was intended. See also the
healing of the blind man by Jesus with an application of clay made by the spittle of Jesus. John 9:1-12.
The Lord’s Sign: 38:7-8
38:7-8 "This will be the sign to you from the LORD, that the LORD will do this thing that he has spoken:
8
I will cause the shadow on the steps, which is gone down on the dial of Ahaz from the sun, to go backwards
ten steps." So the sun went back ten steps on the dial on which it had gone down.
Isaiah had declared the word of God to Hezekiah, that the king would go up to the house of the Lord on the
third day, 2 Kings 20:5. Hezekiah requested a sign from God to confirm his healing, 2 Kings 20:8. Isaiah
answered by giving Hezekiah a choice of the nature of the sign. "This will be your sign from the LORD, that
the LORD will in fact do the thing that he has promised. Do you want the shadow to go forward ten steps, or
to go backward ten steps?"2 Kings 20:9. Hezekiah replied to Isaiah’s question, in 2 Kings 20:10, "It is simple
for the shadow to lengthen ten steps (its natural progression during the day). Rather, let the shadow move
backward ten steps." The place for the movement of the shadow was stated in 2 Kings 20:11. The sign to
confirm the healing of Hezekiah was that the shadow of the sun would reverse itself (go back up) by the
measurement of ten steps on the stairway of Ahaz. 2 Kings 20:11. It is not a coincidence that Ahaz’s name is
mentioned in connection with this sign. Ahaz, Hezekiah’s father had been offered a sign by the Lord, also
through Isaiah, to confirm the protection of Judah from its enemies. The sign offered was vast in its extent,
either in the depths of Sheol or in the heights of heaven. Ahaz, however, in his pompous piety refused to ask
for a sign and the Lord Himself gave the wondrous sign of the virgin birth of the coming Messiah. Isaiah
7:10-16.
In the Isaiah 38:7-8 account of this incident, Isaiah briefly states the outcome of his conversation with
Hezekiah regarding the sign. The sign from the Lord, to confirm the healing of Hezekiah, was then
completed and the sun did return ten steps on the sun dial. It is not revealed how God performed this reversal
of the sun’s shadow on these steps which may have been used as a type of sundial to record the passage of
time during the daylight hours. God, who is the creator and ruler of the earth and the cosmos, can use His
created spheres in any way He deems necessary to accomplish His purposes. Those who deny God as the
great Intelligent One, who designed the universe, would scoff at the idea that the motion of the sun could be
reversed, or the movement of its shadow could be reversed (or whatever God did to perform this sign). See
also Joshua 10:12-14 for a similar incident where God overruled the motion of the sun.
The King’s Response: 38:9-20
38:9 The writing of Hezekiah king of Judah, when he had been sick, but had recovered from his sickness.
Isaiah records the writings of king Hezekiah regarding the events of his fatal illness and healing. It has the
form of a psalm or a song written after a dramatic and climatic event such as the first Song of Moses, Exodus
15:1-18 and Miriam’s response, Exodus 15:21, following the escape from Egypt. But it cannot be favorably
compared to this song by Moses. Hezekiah’s psalm or song describes his feelings about his mortal illness and
his plea to God to allow him to be healed and live and his thankfulness to God for healing him. It is similar to
a lament psalm full of emotion and self-centeredness. Hezekiah writes mostly about himself and how he felt
about his sickness. Hezekiah spends far too little time in thanking God for his healing and too much time
rehearsing his bitterness about being ill. 2 Chronicles 32:25 aptly sums up Hezekiah’s heart after receiving
the sign from the Lord. “But Hezekiah was not grateful for the benefit done to him, for his heart became
arrogant. Therefore, wrath came on him, Judah and Jerusalem.” This could also refer to Hezekiah’s pride in
showing all the wealth of the temple and the court to the ambassadors from Babylon.
326…..Isaiah 38:10-17
38:10-14 I said, "In the prime of my days I must enter the gates of Sheol,
I am deprived of the rest of my years."
11
I said, "I will no longer see the LORD in the land of the living.
I will no longer see human beings among the inhabitants of the world.
12
My dwelling place is removed,
and is carried away from me like a shepherd's tent.
I have rolled up my life like a weaver,
when he cuts me off like cloth from the loom.
Day and night you make an end of me.
13
I cry out until morning;
he breaks all my bones like a lion.
Day and night you make an end of me.
14
Like a swallow or a crane, I squawk;
I moan like a dove;
my eyes are weary from looking upward.
O Lord, I am oppressed, help me!
Hezekiah discusses his feelings about being mortally ill. In 38:15 he bemoans that he is about to enter Sheol
when he was in the middle of his years. In 38:16 he decries that he will no longer see the Lord in the land of
the living nor will he see those who are living in his midst. In 38:12, Hezekiah complains that his living is
like a shepherd’s tent that has been pulled up and removed (literally taken captive). Also in 38:12 Hezekiah
laments that his life was like a weaver who has been cut off from the loom and he bitterly added, “day and
night you make an end of me.” In 38:13 Hezekiah continues his rant about God’s intrusion into his life. God
is said to be like that of a lion who breaks all of Hezekiah’s bones. The king then repeats his refrain, “day
and night you make an end of me.” In 38:14, Hezekiah likens his condition to the twittering of a swallow or
a crane and the moaning of a dove. Finally, after looking up to God (to the heights), the king states, “O Lord,
I am oppressed, help me!” The tone of Hezekiah’s lament, with his plea to the Lord to be his security, now
becomes more positive and in the following verses he begins to acknowledge that the Lord’s working in his
life has had a positive and restorative purpose.
38:15-16 What can I say?
For he has spoken to me,
and he himself has done it.
I will walk slowly all my years
because of the bitterness of my soul.
16
O Lord, by these things people live;
the life of my spirit is wholly bound up in these.
Restore me, and let me live.
Hezekiah asks, how should he spend the rest of his years, now that the Lord has healed him? The NKJV
translates Isaiah 38:15, “What shall I say? He has both spoken to me, And He Himself has done it. I shall
walk carefully (humbly) all my years in the (because of) bitterness of my soul.” The NKJV translation leads
more smoothly into the next sentence as recorded in 38:16 (NKJV), “O Lord, by these things men live; and in
all these things is the life of my spirit; so you will restore me and make me live.”
38:17 Look, this great bitterness was for my welfare,
but in love you have rescued my soul
from the pit of corruption;
you have thrown all my sins behind you.
327…..Isaiah 38:17-20
Hezekiah, as recorded in Isaiah 38:17, is very honest with the Lord. He recognizes the work of the Lord in
bringing this great bitterness to him for it was a benefit to him. The Lord was working for his welfare in
rescuing his sole. Hezekiah implies that this corrective action of the Lord in bringing his near fatal sickness
resulted in the rescue of his soul from the “pit of corruption.” It is true that power corrupts and Hezekiah was
agreeing with the Lord that he had become corrupt in his relationship with others and the Lord. The words,
“you have thrown all my sins behind you,” lead to the climax in 38:18-20. Hezekiah recognizes rightly that
God has not only healed him and added years to his life, but God also has forgiven him of his sins.
38:18-19 For Sheol cannot thank you,
death cannot praise you.
Those who go down into the pit
cannot hope for your faithfulness.
19
The living, yes, the living,
they are the ones who praise you,
even as I do this day.
The father of children will make known your faithfulness.
Therefore, as stated in Isaiah38:18, the king has been spared the dread of Sheol (contrast the lament of
Hezekiah, 38:10), also called the pit where no one can thank or praise God or hope to see the Lord’s
faithfulness. Hezekiah continues this line of reasoning in 38:19 by stating, “the living are the ones who praise
you, even as I do this day.” As a living and ruling king in the line of David, Hezekiah acknowledges a higher
and greater sovereign and gives Him thanks for preserving his life. Hezekiah now looks forward to having
sons to whom the king will tell them about the faithfulness of the Lord.
38:20 The LORD is ready to save me.
Therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments
all the days of our life in the house of the LORD.
Hezekiah likens his song to a joyful psalm where songs will be played on stringed instruments every day in
the house of the Lord, because God will save (had preserved) his life. There is no record of whether or not
Hezekiah kept this promise. In light of the words of 2 Chronicles 32:25 and his display of pride, recorded in
Isaiah chapter 39, he may have forgotten this specific promise to God.
The contents and comments on verses 21-22 are included with the notes on verses 4-6 above.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 38
38:1 The King’s Plight Sickness
38:2-3 The King’s Prayer Supplication
38:4-6, 21 The Lord’s Promise Survival
38:7-8, 22 The Lord’s Prophecy Sign
38:9-20 The King’s Psalm Song
C: The Foolishness of Hezekiah: Chapter 39
Introduction: Isaiah Chapter 39
Chapter 39 describes an event that happened before the dramatic days of the siege of Jerusalem by the
Assyrians recorded in chapters 36 and 37 and soon after the sickness of Hezekiah recorded in chapter 38.
328…..Isaiah 39:1
God had just healed Hezekiah from a sickness that would have led to his death and He now was to test the
king to as to his faithfulness and whether Hezekiah would really depend wholly on the Lord. The words of 2
Chronicles 32:31 provide an understanding of God’s perspective, “However when the envoys of the officials
of Babylon sent to him to inquire of the incredible wonder that had been done in the land, God left him to test
him in order to know all that was in his heart.” After all that had recently happened to Hezekiah, Isaiah
chapter 38, and following all that the prophet Isaiah had declared about trusting God rather than powerful
nations for protection, Isaiah chapters 13-35, had Hezekiah learned to completely trust in God? The visit by
the ambassadors to Hezekiah would soon answer this vital question. See also 2 Kings 20:12-19.
As recorded in Isaiah chapter 39, the prophet states that, “at that time,” the days of Hezekiah’s illness and
healing, Merodach-baladan, the son of Baladan, the king of Babylon sent representatives with a letter and a
gift to Hezekiah, vs. 1. Hezekiah welcomed the envoys from Babylon and showed them everything in his
palace and his kingdom revealing the wealth of the kingdom, vs. 2. Isaiah, soon after, asked Hezekiah about
the country of origin of these envoys and what they had said to Hezekiah, vs. 3. Following Hezekiah’s
response, Isaiah then asked, what these men had seen in the king’s palace, to which question Hezekiah
revealed that there was nothing among the king’s treasuries that he had not shown to these men, vs. 4. Isaiah,
then declared the word of the LORD to Hezekiah that in days to come, everything in the king’s house and
storerooms would be carried off to Babylon including some of the king’s sons that were to be born to him
and these sons would be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon, vss. 5-7. Hezekiah responded that the
word from the LORD was good for he thought, “there will be peace and security in my days,” vs. 8.
Hezekiah (is) Flattered: 39:1
39:1 At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah,
for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered.
Isaiah 39:1 begins with, “as that time” which places the events of chapter 39 just after chapter 38 and before
chapters 36-37. See introduction to Chapters 36-39 for an explanation of the chronological order of these
chapters. Hezekiah had recently been healed of a mortal illness, see Isaiah chapter 38, and had humbled his
great pride and had petitioned God for healing. Many others in the surrounding kingdoms had heard of the
healing of Hezekiah and one of those was a powerful pagan monarch. The king of Babylon sent envoys to
Hezekiah with letters and a gift.
The contents of the letters sent to Hezekiah are not known but they may have contained an intriguing
temptation for Hezekiah to consider. These were fateful days for both the king of Babylon and the king of
Judah. Assyria was advancing in conquest and both nations were threatened. One nation was expanding and
growing in power and influence and the other was diminishing and becoming weaker. The letters may have
contained an invitation to Hezekiah to join Merodach-Baladan in resisting the advance of the Assyrians.
Hezekiah would have been greatly flattered to be asked for assistance from Babylon. See J. Alec Motyer,
Isaiah, TOTC, page 240. Along with the letters, the Babylonian ambassadors had sent a gift. It is not known
what the gift was but along with the letters the gift may have been immediately tempted to join Babylon in
their resistance against Assyria and more importantly, the alliance with Babylon would provide protection for
Judah if the Assyrians attacked this tiny nation. Perhaps this was the test that is mentioned in 2 Chronicles
32:31. How would Hezekiah respond to this test?
329…..Isaiah 39:2-5
Hezekiah’s Folly 39:2
39:2 Hezekiah welcomed the envoys, and showed them the treasury, including the silver, gold, spices, and the
precious oil, along with the whole armory, and everything found in his treasuries. There was nothing in his
palace, or in his entire kingdom, that Hezekiah did not show them.
Hezekiah’s response to this test is recorded in 39:2. Why would Hezekiah show the Babylonian ambassadors
all of the treasures and armaments of his kingdom? Was it not to impress them that he, king of Judah, had
great resources and he would be a worthy ally to support them in their resistance against the Assyrian armies.
Hezekiah’s great pride had surfaced and his humility, which was evident just a short time before this, chapter
38, was pushed to the background. 2 Chronicles 32:25 states this well, “But Hezekiah was not grateful for the
benefit done to him, for his heart became arrogant.” The king should also have remembered Isaiah’s warning
about putting any hope in Babylon. Isaiah 13:1-22; 14:1-23 and 21:1-10.
Hezekiah’s Future 39:3-8
39:3 Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah, and asked him, "What did these men say?" Where did
they come from?" Hezekiah replied, "They came from a far country to me, from Babylon."
The news of the visit of the ambassadors from Babylon may not have been known by many in the kingdom
of Judah but God also was aware and most certainly urged Isaiah to visit the king. It was not often that Isaiah
personally visited Hezekiah. His first recorded visit to Hezekiah was when the king was ill and now, just a
short time later the prophet directly confronts Hezekiah. Previously Isaiah had sent a message to the king, 2
Kings 19:20; Isaiah 37:6, 21. In 39:3, Isaiah asked Hezekiah, “What did these men say? Where did they come
from?” Isaiah evidently either did not know the home country of these visitors or he was testing Hezekiah to
see if the king would tell the truth. The answer to this question is important because if Isaiah really did not
know, then God must have given the prophet an immediate revelation in response to the king’s account of
what he had shown to the Babylonians. If Isaiah had come prepared with a message from the Lord, then he
was testing the king to discern his truthfulness. This latter suggestion may be implied from 2 Chronicles
32:21. However, the king did reply truthfully to Isaiah, 39:3, “They came from a far country to me, from
Babylon.”
39:4 Then Isaiah asked, "What have they seen in your palace?" Hezekiah answered, "They have seen
everything that is in my palace. There is nothing among my treasuries that I have not showed them."
The king had no official reason to reveal his actions to Isaiah. The prophet did not hold any political position
of authority in the kingdom or in the kings’ court. Perhaps the reason Hezekiah did respond to Isaiah was that
the king recognized that Isaiah was a true prophet and the only spokesman for God who was a much greater
king than any earthly ruler. Hezekiah would also have had the recent events of his healing and Isaiah’s role in
this incident in mind when he replied to the prophet. However, Isaiah’s earlier declarations would have been
an irritant to Hezekiah and the king may have had a great personal dislike for Isaiah as did many of the kings
of Israel and Judah towards the prophets of God.
39:5-7: Isaiah delivers a stunning prophecy and rebuke to Hezekiah. Isaiah declared: “Hear the word of the
Lord of hosts, Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have laid
up in store to this day will be carried to Babylon; nothing will be left, says the Lord. And some of your sons
who will issue from you, whom you will beget, will be taken away, and they will become officials in the
palace of the king of Babylon.”
330…..Isaiah 39:5-8
The prophecy is a remarkable declaration of God’s knowledge of future events. Many, who deny God’s
miraculous powers and foreknowledge, place the writing of these words far in the future, thus robbing them
of any prophetic importance. However, there is nothing in the text that would obviously lead to such a
conclusion. Isaiah had delivered many prophetic messages about Assyria’s failure to conquer Jerusalem and
other messages about the birth and ministry of the Messiah. To deny the foreknowledge of God would be to
completely discredit the inspired Word of God and hold in distain any prophetic writings of the Scripture.
The student of Scripture must allow the words of God to stand for itself and let Scripture interpret Scripture.
These questions must be asked, (1) under what authority, do those who are critics of God’s word, and deny
his supernatural powers, claim to make such allegations? (2) Who is the judge of God? (3) Shall God be put
to the test? Isaiah answers these questions so dramatically in chapter 40:12-31. God also gives His great
response recorded in Job chapters 38-41 and 42:7-9.
The prophetic declaration by Isaiah to Hezekiah, 39:5-7, has three major statements. The first was the coming
destruction of the kingdom of Judah by the Babylonians. This occurred in 586 B.C when Nebuchadnezzar
and his Babylonian army conquered Jerusalem and removed from it, its wealth and many prominent
inhabitants including a young man with the Hebrew name of Daniel. Daniel 1:1-7. See also: 2 Kings 24:10-
16; 25:1-21; 2 Chronicles 36:15-21 and Jeremiah 39:1-10. The prophecy of Isaiah declared to Hezekiah was
most likely in 702 B.C. and its fulfillment came in 586 B.C. which was 116 years later. This was only a short
time in comparison to Isaiah’s earlier prophecy regarding the virgin birth of Jesus Christ which as declared
by Isaiah in 735 B.C. The second major statement was the announcement that Hezekiah, would have male
descendants. At this point, Hezekiah, who knew he only had fifteen years to live, Isaiah 38:5, must have
worried about the possibility of having an heir to assume the role of king on David’s throne. Isaiah provides
divine assurance that he indeed will have male descendants who will be kings over the nation of Judah. The
third major statement is that Hezekiah’s descendants who would be among those taken to Babylon and would
become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon. Daniel 1:1-10; 1:18-21; and 2:46-49.
39:8 Then Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good." For he thought,
"There will be peace and security in my days."
Hezekiah responded to the prophecy of Isaiah, “The word of the Lord which you have spoken is good.” The
spoken response from Hezekiah rightly acknowledged that the authority and prerogative of God was good.
Also, it was good in the sense that the king was promised to have heirs who would reign as kings in Judah.
However, the prophetic words were anything but good in respect to the future of Jerusalem. Because of the
actions of Hezekiah, Jerusalem would be conquered, the reign of the kings of Judah on the throne of David
would appear to come to an end and many would die a brutal death at the hands of the Babylonians.
However, Hezekiah’s thoughts, revealed by the inspiration of God, gives the underlying reason why the king
could call this prophecy “good”. Hezekiah reasoned, “There will be peace and security in my days.”
The king’s thoughts are certainly open to many interpretations. (1) Was he being self-centered and prideful in
thinking that his remaining days would be peaceful? (2) Was he righteously concerned for the present safety
of Jerusalem knowing that it would be spared from the assault of the Assyrians? (3) Was he thankful to God
for sparing his life and promising that he would have sons to sit on the throne of David, ruling over Judah?
We do not know Hezekiah’s heart like God did. It appears at least on the outside that Hezekiah, failed the test
God had given him. The closing verses of 2 Chronicles 32, verses 27-33 provide some insight into the overall
impact of Hezekiah on the kingdom of Judah:
27
Hezekiah was very rich and highly honor. He built treasuries for his silver, gold, precious stones, spices,
shields, and for all kinds of valuable possessions.
331…..Isaiah 39:8
28
He also built store-houses for the harvest of grain, new wine and olive oil; as well as stalls for all kinds of
cattle, and flocks in pens.
29
He built cities and acquired flocks and herds in abundance; for God had given him great wealth.
30
This Hezekiah also stopped up the upper spring of the waters of the Gihon spring, and brought them
straight down on the west side of the city of David. Hezekiah prospered in all his endeavors.
31
However when the envoys of the officials of Babylon sent to him to inquire of the incredible wonder that
had been done in the land, God left him to test him in order to know all that was in his heart.
32
Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and his good deeds, they are written in the vision of the prophet
Isaiah the son of Amoz, in The Annals of the Kings of Judah and Israel.
33
Hezekiah slept with his forefathers, and they buried him on the ascent of the tombs of the sons of David.
All Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem honored him at his death. Then Manasseh his son succeeded him
as king.
However, we decide about the account of Hezekiah and the ambassadors from Babylon, it would be
worthwhile if we pondered what our response would have been had we been in his position and how would
we have acted. Would we have passed the test of God?
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 39
39:1 Hezekiah (is) Flattered
39:2 Hezekiah’s Folly
39:3-8 Hezekiah’s Future
332…..Isaiah Chapters 40-66 Introduction
ISAIAH STUDY: CHAPTERS 40-48
III God’s Servant and Salvation: Chapters 40-66
The prophet Isaiah presents a dramatic shift in emphasis in chapters 40-66 compared to the preceding 39
chapters. This shift was so striking that many scholars have concluded that the author of chapters 40-66 was
someone either than the author of the first 39 chapters. The question of the authorship of the prophecy of
Isaiah has been discussed by many conservative scholars such as Bryan E. Beyer, Victor Buksbazen,
Geoffrey W. Grogan, John Oswalt, Herbert M. Wolf and E. J. Young who have concluded that the prophet
identified as Isaiah chapter 1 vs. 1 is the sole author of all sixty-six chapters of this prophetic book. The
understanding that Isaiah was the sole author of all sixty-six chapters is the position taken in this series of
studies. For those who wish to examine the evidence for the single authorship of Isaiah, it is recommended
that the writings on Isaiah by the above noted authors be consulted.
The first thirty-nine chapters of Isaiah’s prophecy consisted of warnings and judgments on the people of
Judah for their rebellion against God during the looming threat of the expansionist movement by the
Assyrians who were growing in power and influence during the early years of Isaiah’s public ministry. The
fierce Assyrian armies had captured much of the territory to the north of Judah including the nation of Israel
which was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 B.C. and most of its people were taken into captivity. The later
chapters of the first great section of Isaiah dealt with the impending threat of the destruction of Jerusalem by
the Assyrians who had already captured most of the smaller cities of Judah. The final four chapters of this
section give details of the great victory of God over the Assyrians who although they threatened to destroy
Jerusalem never successfully laid siege to the City. Chapters one to thirty-nine, are not just about the
Assyrian threat. In these chapters, Isaiah declared many wonderful messianic prophecies about a coming
Messiah who would rule the nations of the world in the latter days from Mount Zion.
Chapters forty to sixty-six of Isaiah also contain many additional prophecies about the Messiah to come.
Details regarding His first coming, including His suffering and death and His second coming including His
victorious and dramatic appearance and the establishment of His messianic kingdom are highlights of this
great second section of Isaiah. The external threat to Jerusalem in this section deals not exclusively but
mostly with the rise of the kingdom of Babylon which would not only threaten the city but actually conquer
and destroy it and take many of its prominent citizens into captivity and transport them to the city Babylon,
the capital of the kingdom. Isaiah speaks of these events which would happen many years in the future. One
of the most amazing prophecies of these chapters is the name of a foreign king, Cyrus, who will issue an
edict allowing the exiled Israelites to return to their homeland. One of the great themes of this section of
Isaiah is comfort for those who have just experienced the wrath of the Assyrians and for these returning
exiles who will be making the return journey from Babylon to Jerusalem. The final chapters of the prophecy
of Isaiah deal with the messianic and eternal kingdoms. These chapters provide many details about these
kingdoms that are not discussed in such detail in New Testament passages.
Chapters forty to sixty-six are sub-divided into three sections by many, but not all, scholars and students of
Isaiah. The first section covers chapters 40 to 48 which deal in a large degree with the return of the exiles
from their Babylonian captivity. This first section ends with the 22 verse of chapter 48 which states, “There
is no peace, “says the LORD, for the wicked.”
The second section, chapters 49-57, deal with the magnificent prophecies of the Servant of the Lord and
specifically with the atoning death of the Messiah which is highlighted in the passage 52:13 to 53:12. This
section of Isaiah is arguably the pinnacle of Old Testament teaching on the salvation of the Lord. It may have
been the passage Paul referred to when discussing salvation learned from the Scriptures (the sacred writings)
333…..Isaiah Chapters 40-48 Introduction
as it applied to Timothy. (2 Timothy 3:15). Similar to the ending of the first section, Isaiah states in verse 21
of chapter 57, “There is no peace,” says My God, “for the wicked.”
The third and final section, comprising of chapters 58-66, deal mostly with the future Messianic Kingdom to
be ruled by Jesus Christ, the Messiah from Mount Zion. Many wonderful prophecies about the Messiah are
contained in this final section including the first six verses of chapter 63 which provide rich detail about the
dramatic return of Jesus Christ, not as a humble Servant, but as a conquering warrior who has stained His
garments with the blood of those whom He has defeated. As with the first two sections, this final section
concludes in verse 24 of chapter 66, with details about the eternal destiny of the wicked who will find neither
rest nor peace.
A: God’s Promises to Provide Protection for His People: Chapters 40-48
It is within these nine chapters that Isaiah lays the foundation for the future ministry of the Messiah as the
Servant of the Lord and the comfort and hope of Israel who can look confidently to a time when God will
ransom and redeem His people. God will destroy the future enemy Babylon in a prescribed time after the
Babylonian armies will have conquered and destroyed Jerusalem. Those who had been taken captive to be
exiled in the capital Babylon will one day be released to return to Jerusalem. The name of the king who
issues the edict for the Jews to return to Jerusalem is named by Isaiah as Cyrus. The time of the release of the
Jews to return to Jerusalem was about 190 years in the future from when Isaiah declared this prophecy. Even
though God will comfort and redeem His people, they will still need to repent and turn to God and
completely trust Him. However not all of chapters 40-48 nor all of chapters 40-66 refer to the days of the
return of the exiles from Babylon. See notes on 41:9 and 41:15-16. John A Martin comments on Chapters 40-
48:
"In these chapters the prophet reminded the people of their coming deliverance because of the Lord's
greatness and their unique relationship with Him. He is majestic (chap. 40), and He protects Israel and
not the world's pagan nations (chap. 41). Though Israel had been unworthy (chap. 42) the Lord had
promised to regather her (43:1-44:5). Because He, the only God (44:6-45:25), was superior to
Babylon He would make Babylon fall (chaps. 46-47). Therefore Isaiah exhorted the Israelites to live
righteously and to flee away from Babylon (chap. 48). Judah’s people are viewed as being in Babylon
(43:14; 47:1; 48:20) and Jerusalem in ruins (44:26).” (John A. Martin, Isaiah, page 1091, © 1985
John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament is published
by David C Cook. All rights reserved).
Outline of Chapters 40-48:
God’s Promises to Provide Protection for His People
1. The Comfort and Greatness of God: 40: 1-31
2. God is With the People of Israel: 41:1-29
3. The Introduction of Messiah: The Chosen Servant of God: 42:1-13
4. Contrast of Israel who is The Blind Servant of God: 42:14-25
5. God’s Promise to Redeem Jacob: 43:1-7
6. Israel: The Blind and Deaf Witness of God: 43:8-28
7. Further Blessings to Israel: 44:1-8
8. The Futility of Idolatry and the Forgiveness of God: 44:9-22
9. God’s Calling of Cyrus and the Glory of God: 44:23-45:25
10. Babylon’s Final Destruction: 46:1 - 47:15
11. Israel’s Future Deliverance: 48:1-22
334…..Isaiah 40:1-2
1. The Comfort and Greatness of God: 40: 1-31
Basic Outline of Isaiah Chapter 40
1. 40:1-11: The Comforting God
2. 40:12-31: The Incomparable God
40:1-11: The Comforting God
In Isaiah chapter 40:1-11, the prophet declares a call from God for comfort to his people and for the prophet
to speak kindly to them for their warfare had ended and their sins have been pardoned for they have received
from the LORD, double for all their sins, vss. 1-2. A voice is heard crying out to prepare the way of the
LORD in the wilderness and in the desert, with the lifting up of valleys and lowering of mountains and the
smoothing of rough places for then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and everyone will see it, vss. 3-
5. Another voice cries out, that all people are like grass which fades like the flowers of the field because the
breath of the LORD blows on it, but the word of our God stand forever, vss. 6-8. The messenger of good
tidings, Zion, is to with uplifted voice, to announce good news to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah,
announcing, “Here is your God!” vs. 9. The sovereign LORD will come with might and He will rule. His
reward and prizes are with him. He will feed and care for the flock like a shepherd, vss. 10-11.
Isaiah 40:1-2: The Call of Comfort from the Lord
40:1-2 Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
2
Speak kindly to Jerusalem;
announce to her
that her warfare is over,
that her iniquity is pardoned,
that she has received from the LORD's hand
double for all her sins.
Students of God’s Word must remember that the prophecy of Isaiah and specifically the great scroll of Isaiah
found in the caves of Qumran near the Dead Sea did not have chapters and verses like the modern versions of
the Scriptures. The great scroll of Isaiah has no discernable break between what we know as chapter 39 and
chapter 40. Isaiah, as recorded in 39:5-7, proclaimed a prophetic message to king Hezekiah regarding the
future destruction of the house of the king (implying the city itself) by (forces from) Babylon. Even King’s
Hezekiah’s sons (grandson’s etc.) would be taken captive to this pagan capital. The news that Jerusalem
would be destroyed, and its leaders taken captive must have been devastating to the people of God. The
people of God may have cried out in anguish after hearing the doom of Isaiah’s prophecy. They may have
called out to God: Would there be no Jewish nation left on the earth? Would the kingly line of David fail?
Would all of God’s promises and specifically His covenants with the Jewish people come to nothing? Is there
any hope for the chosen people of God?
God, through his prophet and servant Isaiah, gives a ready answer to the cries of His people who were left
with no hope of a future for their nation. Isaiah in the first words of the first verse of chapter 40, declares
God’s words: “Comfort, O comfort my people.” God is offering hope for the future through someone who
will bring comfort. It may be that it was Isaiah the prophet who was being called upon to bring comfort to the
people of God.
335…..Isaiah 40:1-2
Even though the words “comfort, comfort” are plural imperatives implying that the Lord is requesting others
(plural) to obey His request it is ultimately the Lord who brings comfort to His people. He may indeed do this
through the ministry of His servants, but it is His loving care for His chosen people that moves Him to bring
hope to the hopeless and comfort to those who mourn. See also, J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, page 243 for a
discussion on Isaiah 40:1-2. Victor Buksbazen comments on the role of the Lord and the Holy Spirit in
bringing comfort to the people of God:
“It is significant that in rabbinic literature, one of the Messiah’s names is “Menachem” – the
Comforter. This is reflected in the words of Jesus: “And I will pray to the Father and he shall give you
another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” (John 14:16).” (Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah,
page 332).
A few passages on comfort from Isaiah and other Scriptures are worthy of contemplation and study. See
Psalm 23:4; 86:15-17; 119:81-82; Isaiah 49:13; 51:3, 12; 52:9; 61:2; 66:13; Zechariah 1:17; Matthew 5:4; 2
Corinthians 1:3-7; and 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17.
In Isaiah 40:2, the prophet continues the message of the Lord by requesting that Isaiah speak kindly to
Jerusalem and tell her that, (1) her warfare has ended; (2) her iniquity is pardoned and (3) she has received
from the Lord, double for all her sins. Do the words “her warfare is over” apply to the recent threat of
destruction by the Assyrian army? The Assyrian army did not actually attack the city. Therefore, the words of
40:1-2 must apply to another time and circumstances that Isaiah has just recently, 39:6-7, declared to
Hezekiah. These words refer to the dreadful and chaotic experience Jerusalem and its inhabitants will have
with Babylon in the future.
The prophet and others are to speak kindly to Jerusalem delivering a fourfold message. It is (1) a message of
comfort; (2) a message that her warfare has ended; (3) a message that her iniquity is pardoned; and (4) a
message that Jerusalem has received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.
It is a message of comfort because of the great turmoil and upheaval the people of God in defeat, captivity
and exile have endured. It is a message of comfort because they are reminded many years before it will
happen that the Lord will not forget them when they will suffer the atrocities of the Babylonians who will
conquer their city, put many thousands to death, remove their king, destroy their temple, displace their
priesthood, put an end to their sacrificial system of repentance and worship, carry away their valued
treasures, demolish their homes and way of life, remove the elite and educated among them to a foreign,
brutal and pagan environment and keep these exiles in captivity for seventy years. It is little wonder the
psalmist remembered these years in sadness, Psalm 137.
Only the very young who were taken captive would have endured to return to Jerusalem and it is to these
retuning captives that this message of comfort is most applicable. All of the Lord’s children can take comfort
in the nurturing care of the Lord yet this specific message is addressed to those who will return to Jerusalem
following the decree of Cyrus the Persian king in approximately 539 B.C.
It is a message that Jerusalem’s warfare has ended. This does not mean her days of distress have ended or any
future warfare will not occur for they certainly will: against Rome and other nations and finally against the
armies of Antichrist. The Lord’s message is that their warfare with the Babylonians has come to an end and
the exiles can return to rebuild the ancient city. At another time in the far future, it will be true that warfare
for Jerusalem will finally be ended. At that time the city will enjoy an extended time of peace when King
Messiah rules the world from His capital city Jerusalem.
336…..Isaiah 40:3
It is a message that the iniquity of the inhabitants of Jerusalem who rebelled against the Lord has now been
removed. The most insidious evil continually practiced by the people of Jerusalem was idol worship. It is to
this persistent and intolerable practice that the Lord, through the prophet Isaiah, repeatedly warned His
people to stop and repent of their sin and return to Him. See Isaiah 2:6-8, 18-22; 10:10-11; 31:7; 40:19-20;
42:17; 44:9-20; 48:5; 57:13; and 66:3-4. The people of God had been warned by the Lord many generations
in the past that they would forsake the Lord and turn to other gods and God would hide His face from them.
(Deuteronomy 31:14-18). The Lord had also warned them through the writings of Jeremiah, 13:12-27; 15:1-
14; 16:1-13; 22:1-12; and 25:1-11. See also Habakkuk 1:5-11; and 2:2-20; and Zephaniah 1:2-13. It is in
Jeremiah 25:11-12 that the length of the captivity (70 years) is revealed. The iniquity of idol worship had
been removed during the 70 years of captivity. Yet there is more implied in this message and Isaiah reveals
details about the removal of the iniquities of the people in chapters 52:13-53:12 which describe that the
Lord’s Servant will have the iniquities of all (people) fall upon Him. Isaiah 53:6.
It is a message that Jerusalem had received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. Some may understand
this as a double judgment of God on the people of Jerusalem for all their sins and the time of judgment is
now over. However, this does not fit the overall message of comfort that God wants to convey to His people.
It seems best to understand this as a future reference to a time when: “Instead of your shame you will receive
a double portion, and instead of dishonor, they will rejoice in their land inheritance.” Isaiah 61:7. For a more
extended discussion see Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, Page 95.
Isaiah 40:3-5: The Call of Preparation for the Lord
Isaiah 40:3-5 contain a significant prophecy regarding the future revealing of the glory of the Lord following
the preparation of a way for the Lord, a highway to be built that will require valleys to be lifted up,
mountains to be lowered and the rough ground and the rugged terrain to be made smooth. It is certain that
this is a prophetic message and the discernment of its meaning needs careful consideration.
40:3 The voice of one crying out,
"Prepare in the wilderness the way of the LORD;
make level in the desert a highway for our God.
Isaiah announces that a voice is calling. Isaiah as a true prophet of the Lord receives his messages directly
from the Lord. For example, see Isaiah 8:1; 18:4; 28:14; 29:13; 30:12; 31:4; 40:1 and many other passages. It
should be plain that this voice who is calling also comes from the Lord, 40:5 and is a direct command for
action, likely by the people of God, to be performed in a future time. The command of the “voice” 40:3, is for
a way (an unobstructed passage way) to be prepared in the desert (wilderness) for use by the Lord and to
make a level highway in the desert for use by God, the Holy One of Israel who is their redeemer and
Messiah. A question would naturally arise, why does God need a highway to travel on? Another question
may be asked, do the references to this passage from Isaiah by John the Baptist, in the Gospels completely
fulfill this prophecy? For example, see Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4-6; and John 1:21-23.
Isaiah declares in 35:8-10 and 51:11 that a highway will be prepared for the ransomed of the Lord, the
remnant, to walk on as they proceed joyfully to Zion. This is a very clear reference to the days of the second
coming of the Messiah who will rescue His people who have escaped into the desert to flee the armies of the
Antichrist. The highway mentioned by Isaiah in 40:3 is within the context of the comfort to be brought by
God to His people. Not all Biblical scholars agree, but students of Scriptures have every confidence to
understand that the highway of 40:3 is the same as 35:8-10 and 51:11. The reason Isaiah declares that this
way is for the Lord and is a highway for our God, is that Messiah, the returning Lord, will Himself walk
upon it leading the faithful remnant. Zephaniah 3:15 is a message to the remnant:
337…..Isaiah 40:3-4
The LORD has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, even the LORD,
is in your midst;
you will never again fear disaster.
And Micah 2:12-13 is also a message to the remnant:
I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob;
I will surely gather the remnant of Israel;
I will put them together as the sheep
in the midst of a pasture;
it will be noisy because there will be so many people.
13
The leader who breaks out will go up before them,
they will break out and pass on through the gate,
and leave.
Their king will pass on before them,
and the LORD will be at their head."
John the Baptist was the one who prepared the way for the Lord at His first coming. The Gospel writers
applied the words of Isaiah 40:3 to John and his mission, however John denied that he was the prophet Elijah,
John 1:21, who was predicted to be sent by God, “before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.”
Malachi 4:5. The Malachi prophecy is clearly about the far future times of the “day of the LORD” which
refers to the second coming of the Messiah and not His first coming. The angel of the Lord clarified John’s
role, “He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their
children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke
1:17. Thus, even though the Gospel writers applied Isaiah 40:3 to John the Baptist, its complete fulfillment
would be in the far future days, yet to come, when Elijah will be sent to “turn the heart of the fathers to the
children, and the heart of the children to their fathers.” Malachi 4:6.
40: 4 Every valley will be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill will be made low;
the uneven ground will be leveled,
and the rough places made smooth.
In the preparation for the highway that will be ready for the coming of the Lord during His second coming,
Isaiah states that every valley will be lifted up and every mountain will be lowered and by implication all
uneven places will be levelled and made smooth. Some scholars understand that Isaiah 40:3-4 also refers to
the return of the exiles from captivity in Babylon which may be implied from 40:2. However, 40:3-4 refer to
a far future time. It is not unusual for Isaiah to telescope both near and far future events within the same
prophetic message as was seen in Isaiah 7:14-16. See notes on chapter 7. Some, who do not see this
telescoping of near and far prophetic events, seem to ignore the obvious response to the question, who will
prepare this highway and raise valleys and level mountains and hills for those who are returning? It certainly
would not be the freed exiles from Babylon. The answer to the question of who will prepare this highway is
not directly given in 40:1-4. However, if it is the remnant themselves, or those Gentiles who support the
remnant, Isaiah 60:10, or the Lord Himself, the result is the most important point that Isaiah is making. A
highway will certainly be made ready for the exalted Messiah, the King of the Universe who will lead His
faithful remnant on a victory march to Mount Zion where He will reign on the throne of David for a thousand
338…..Isaiah 40:5-6
years. He will restore God’s plan of a peaceful Eden on the earth in which His loyal subjects will both see
Him and worship Him “face to face.”
40:5 Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed,
and all flesh will see it together;
the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.
The reason for the preparation of the highway is revealed in 40:5. Everyone in the world will see the
revelation of the glory of the Lord. It is certain for the prophet authoritatively avows that this is the spoken
word of the Lord. Isaiah 40:5 gives both the reason and the timing of the events revealed in 40:3-4. The
reason is that highway, prepared by God Himself and to be walked upon by the Messiah as He leads the
faithful remnant to Zion will be the means for all flesh to see God’s glory. It will happen when the Messiah
returns to rescue the remnant from pending destruction from the armies of the Antichrist and by doing so the
majestic glory of the Lord will be seen by everyone on the earth. Isaiah in 52:10 states:
The LORD has bared his holy arm
in the eyes of all the nations.
All the ends of the earth
will see the salvation of our God.
The certainty of this event is ensured by Isaiah’s concluding comment that: “the mouth of the LORD has
spoken.” See also Isaiah 1:20; 58:14 and 62:2. It has the same divine authority as the prophet Zechariah’s
often stated, “Thus says the LORD.” The meaning of the words “all flesh” are repeated in 40:6 as “all
people” for they pertain to the necessity that the return of the Lord will be revealed to everyone on the earth
40:5, and that everyone on the earth will live but a moment in time compared to the eternal word of God,
40:6.
Verses 6-8: The Call of God’s Eternal Word
40:6 A voice said, "Cry out."
So I asked, "What should I cry out?"
"All people are like grass,
and all their beauty fades like the flowers of the field.
Isaiah states in 40:6 that another voice speaks and states “Cry out.” It is a message from God (implied) for
the prophet to “cry out” the message of comfort to God’s people. The question Isaiah asks in response to the
command to call out is “What shall I call out?” 40:6. The answer is immediate, “All people are like grass,
and all their beauty fades like the flowers of the field.” The word “beauty” is the Hebrew word hesed which
can be translated as “goodness” or “kindness.” The KJV has “goodliness,” while the NKJV has “loveliness.”
The ESV translates hesed as “beauty” and the ESV marginal note has “constancy”. The NIV translates hesed
as “glory.” Hesed in the Old Testament is most often translated as lovingkindness.
The obvious meaning is that humans will not have lives that are considered long in duration while living on
the earth. They are compared to grass and flowers which last but a season. Isaiah 40:7-8 provides God’s
intended meaning for humans who are like grass and flowers and live for a brief time, but the word of God is
eternal. The Apostle Peter quotes from these verses in1 Peter 24-25, following his comment, “You have been
born again, not from perishable seed, but from imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
1 Peter 1:23. See also James 1:10-11 for a similar discussion on the short lives of those who are rich.
339…..Isaiah 40:7-8
40:7 The grass withers,
the flower fades,
because the breath of the LORD blows on it;
surely people are like grass.
It is not just that humans will not endure long on the earth. God explains the cause of their demise, “because
the breath of the LORD blows on it.” The word breath is ruah in the Hebrew and can be translated as spirit,
wind or breath. In the book of Isaiah, the word ruah occurs several times. It is translated breath in the DASV
in 25:4; 30:28; 33:11; 40:7; 42:5; and 57:16. In Isaiah 33:11, God, in declaring judgment on the enemies of
Israel, states “My breath will consume you like a fire.” (NASB). In the New Testament, James discusses the
humbling of the rich in similar terms, “But the rich should take pride in God’s humbling, because as the
flower of the field, he will pass away. 11 For the sun rises with the scorching heat, and the grass withers, and
the flower drops off and its beauty fades. So also will the rich fade away.” James 1:10-11.
Isaiah also often translates ruah as the Spirit, meaning the Holy Spirit, in 11:2 (4 times); 30:1; 32:15; 34:16;
40:13; 42:1; 44:3; 48:16; 59:21; and 61:1. Isaiah translates ruah as the Holy Spirit in 63:10 and 11and
records the phrase “Spirit of the LORD” in 63:14. See the notes on these verses for a discussion on the Spirit
and the Holy Spirit.
40:8 The grass withers,
the flower fades,
but the word of our God will stand forever.
Isaiah provides God’s reason for comparing the lives of created humanity to grass and wildflowers. Isaiah
states “But the word of our God will stand forever.” Taken in context of the call to comfort His people, God
is assuring them that they can wholeheartedly trust in the endurance of God’s word. When everything else is
failing or perishing, there exists the certainty that like God Himself, His word is eternal and will not fail or
fade away. The prophet will later in 55:11, state on the reliability of God’s word:
So will my word be that goes forth out of my mouth;
it will not return to me empty,
but it will accomplish what I desire it to,
and it will succeed in the matter for which I sent it.
See also Psalm 105:8; Psalm 119:89, 160; Isaiah 59:21; Matthew 5:18; 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 16:17 and
21:33.
Isaiah 40:9-11: The Call of God’s Coming
The prophet proclaims a third call of comfort from God to His people as recorded in Isaiah 40:9-11.
Following His marvelous statement that His word will stand forever, 40:8, God calls for good news to be
proclaimed. But who is to proclaim the good news and to whom is it to be proclaimed? Isaiah 40:9 in the
DASV is translated, “Get up on a high mountain, O Zion, messenger of good tidings. You who announce
good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with strength; do not be afraid. Announce to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!" The NASB, updated edition translates 40:9 as “Get yourself up on a high mountain, O
Zion, bearer of good news, Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; lift it up, do not
fear. Say to the cities of Judah, Here is your God.” The KJV, NKJV, and ESV translate this verse similar to
the NASB, however the NIV translates 40:9 as “You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high
mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be
340…..Isaiah 40:9-10
afraid; say to the towns of Judah, Here is your God.” The DASV, KJV, NKJV, NASB and ESV state that
the good news is to be proclaimed at least to the cities (towns) of Judah, while the NIV states this news is
also to be proclaimed to Zion / Jerusalem. The other versions mentioned above, state that it is Zion and
Jerusalem, by implication its people, who are to proclaim this good news to the cities of Judah. Scholars also
have differing opinions on which version provides the best translation. The weight of evidence seems to
favor the DASV and the NASB rendering of these words. It is interesting that Luke, recording the words of
Jesus, addressed to the disciples, states in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power, when the Holy Spirit has
come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.” God’s words, addressed to His people, as recorded in Isaiah 40:9, have a similar intent. It is the
Jewish people themselves who are to be evangelists to their own people first and then to the nations. See also
Psalm 98:2; Isaiah 42:1, 6; and 49:6 (the work of the Servant) and Acts 26:23.
40:9 Get up on a high mountain, O Zion,
messenger of good tidings.
You who announce good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with strength;
do not be afraid.
Announce to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!"
The message of the good news, begins with the last phrase of 40:9. It is first, “Here is your God.” It is a
reminder of the meaning of the name for the coming Messiah, Immanuel, “God with us.” See Isaiah 7:14, and
8:8-10. It is also a reminder of one of the most treasured words in all of Scriptures, “tabernacle,” which from
the earliest days of the sojourn of the people of Israel in the wilderness to the eternal state, is a word rich with
intent, which is, God is dwelling (living) with His created people. For example, see Leviticus 26:11-12 and
Revelation 21:3. Isaiah later declared a similar message of “good news” that is also proclaimed on the
mountains, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings, who announces
peace and brings good news, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7. The
good news in Isaiah 40:9 and 52:7 will ultimately be fulfilled at a future day when God will deliver His
people and bring them joyously and triumphantly to Zion and yet by having faith in the God of good news,
those who trust in Him for salvation can rest assured that they will enjoy the benefits of His presence
immediately. This is what God wants them to do. One purpose of His proclamation of good news is so they
can be comforted and trust confidently and completely in the One who is the Shepherd and Guardian of their
souls, 1Peter 2:25. For other examples of “good news,” see Isaiah 41:27; 52:7; 60:6; 61:1 (the Messiah is the
preacher of good news); Nahum 1:5; Luke 1:19; 7:22; 8:1; Acts 8: 4,12; 10:36; 13:32 15:35; Romans 1:15;
10:15-16; and 1 Corinthians 15:2. This good news is the message that a loving God has rescued, ransomed
and redeemed all who would trust in His Son, the Messiah who was sent by God the Father in His great love
to be the perfect atoning sacrifice which God righteously and justly demanded to remove the guilt of sins
from all mankind. No one is exempt from needing to respond to this good news by having faith in the
Messiah who is the bearer of this good news. Referencing Isaiah 40:9-11, David L. Cooper, in his
Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly – January 1945 suggests that these words are a directive
for Christian workers to evangelize the Jews.
40:10-11 Look, the sovereign LORD will come with might,
he will rule with his strong arm;
his reward is with him,
and his prize goes before him.
11
He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
341…..Isaiah 40:10-11
and carry them in his bosom,
he will gently lead those sheep with young.
In 40:10-11, Isaiah records the rest of the message to be proclaimed. The second part of this message is that
the Sovereign LORD will come with might, He will rule with his strong arm.” Isaiah 40:10. This statement
identifies the time of the Lord’s coming. These are great words of comfort for His people from Isaiah’s day
to this day. The Lord Messiah will come with power and authority to rule the nations. This was not fulfilled
during Messiah’s first coming. Both the Jews and the Gentile nations await a day to come in the future when
all will witness the coming of the Lord as a great warrior, conquering the rebellious people who oppose Him
and also as the King of kings to rule the earth from Mount Zion, in His capital city Jerusalem. The words
“He will rule with his strong arm,” are an anthropomorphism for the often-stated portrait of God who
demonstrates His great power and salvation by means of His hand and arm. See for example, Exodus 6:6;
Psalm 44:3, 89:10, 21; 98:1; Isaiah 30:30; 51:5; 52:10; 59:16; 63:5; Jeremiah 27:5; 32:17; Ezekiel 20:33-34
and Luke 1:51.
Isaiah continues with the content of this message. It is third, “His reward is with him and his prize goes
before him,” 40:10. The words reward and prize (recompense) seem to be synonyms suggesting that the Lord
will deliver righteous justice to those living on the earth when He returns. He will punish those who rebel
against Him and reward those who are faithful to Him. All of His actions when He returns, can be understood
as being defined by these two words which are rightfully His to dispense which He alone determines
according to His good pleasure.
Isaiah uses another metaphor for the Lord in 40:11 in continuing the content of the great message of comfort
to be proclaimed to the faithful remnant of God who await His coming. The fourth part of the content of the
message of good news is “He will feed his flock like a shepherd.” This fourth part of God’s comforting
message itself contains four portraits of a “gentle shepherd”. The first portrait in 40:11 is, like a shepherd He
will “feed” or tend to His flock. One of the most enduring portraits of God in the Scriptures is that of a
Shepherd who lovingly and gently cares for His sheep, which is a very apt and suitable metaphor for the
people of God. The following selected verses remind the student of God’s word, of the precious ways the
Messiah cares and tends His flock. See Genesis 48:15; 49:24; Psalm 23:1; 28:9; 80:1; Isaiah 63:11-14;
Ezekiel 34:11-24; 37:24-28; Micah 5:4; 7:14; Matthew 2:6; 18:10-14; John 10:11-18; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter
2:25; 5:4 and Revelation 7:17. This portrait of God as Shepherd is one that is found starting in Genesis and
continuing to Revelation. It is similar to the portrait of God as Saviour which also is found early in Genesis
and continues through to the end of Revelation.
The second portrait of the Lord as Shepherd stated in 40:11 is, “He will gather the lambs in his arms.” This
portrayal of God’s arm is vastly different than the image given in 40:10. God who demonstrates His mighty
power and ruling authority by His arm also uses (anthropomorphically) His arm to gather His lambs. The
picture here is that of a loving and gentle shepherd shielding a vulnerable lamb from any harm. In the Gospel
of John, Jesus states that He fulfills this role and goes beyond just shielding His lambs from danger. Jesus
stated, “I lay down my life for the sheep,” John 10:15
The third portrait of the Lord as Shepherd stated in 40:11 is, “and carry them in His bosom.” This is a
portrait of loving and tender care for His sheep who are His faithful people. It is more than just picking up a
scared and perhaps sickly lamb in His arms. The Messiah carries (embraces) them close to His heart. It is a
scene of loving protection and devotion by the great creator of the universe who so beautifully elects to leave
the glories of Heaven to provide salvation for those who are but helpless sheep. Philippians 2:5-11.
342…..Isaiah 40:11
The fourth portrait of the Lord as Shepherd stated in 40:11 is, “He will gently lead those sheep with young.”
King David as recorded in Psalm 23:2 stated that the Lord as his shepherd, “leads me beside still waters.”
Still waters can also be translated as “waters of quietness or rest”. It is a comfort to all the people of God that
He like a gentle shepherd leads those who are most vulnerable and in need of care such as those nursing ewes
who are caring for their own little ones. The God of comfort is also a Shepherd who carefully tends,
protectively gathers, lovingly carries and gently leads His sheep who have placed their complete trust in Him.
Two important Old Testament passages regarding the Lord as shepherd are stated in Ezekiel 34:11-24 and
37:24-28. The longer passage in Ezekiel 34:11-24 comes immediately after the Lord’s declaration of woe
against the shepherds of Israel who have failed to feed the hungry, strengthen the sick, heal those with
diseases, restored the broken, recovered the scattered, nor have they searched for the lost. The stricken of
Israel were scattered throughout the earth for lack of a shepherd and no one sought after them. The Lord
Himself would deliver the flock from the mouths of the shepherds who were devouring them. Ezekiel 34:1-
10. In Ezekiel 34:11-24, the Lord promises to seek out the scattered flock of Israel and will judge between
those who are fat (those with no concern for the hungry and ailing) and the lean (those who are needy). The
Lord proclaims an outstanding promise which refers to a time in the future, which in the context of the
following verses, refers most certainly to the messianic kingdom. “I will set up one shepherd over them, and
he will feed them, even my servant David; he will feed them, and he will be their shepherd. 24 I, the LORD,
will be their God, and my servant David prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.” Ezekiel 34:23-24.
This one shepherd who is David, the servant of the Lord, refers to the greater son of David, the Messiah. See
also Jeremiah 30:9; Hosea 3:5 and Zechariah 14:9. The Messiah is also described as a prince which can be
understood as a regal title. Ezekiel 37:24-28 is stated below.
24
My servant David will be king over them; and they will all have one shepherd. They will also walk in my
regulations, and observe my statutes, and do them.
25
They will live in the land that I have given to Jacob my servant, in which your forefathers dwelt. They will
live there, they, and their children, and their children's children forever, and David my servant will be their
prince forever.
26
I will make a covenant of peace with them, it will be an everlasting covenant with them. I will settle them,
and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forever.
27
My dwelling also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.
28
Then the nations will know that I am the LORD who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary will be in their
midst forever.”
The above Scriptural references regarding the Shepherd remind the Christian of a beloved hymn, “Saviour
Like A Shepherd Lead Us” attributed to Dorothy A. Thrupp (1836) and composed by William B. Bradbury
(1838).
From a study of Isaiah 40:1-11, the student of the Scriptures is prepared to understand the remainder of
Isaiah’s prophecy with anticipation of the glories that are to come both in the text of the prophecy and in the
realization that what Isaiah declares, that this is not an ancient writing buried in the past, but the living word
of God which proclaims the message of salvation by a God who loves His creation. The second half of Isaiah
chapter 40 compels the student to contemplate the majesty and incomparable wonder of this God who
decrees in His wisdom to bring comfort to His people. In a later section of Isaiah, the suffering Servant is
emphasized which also anticipates the glories that will follow. The Apostle Peter stated, “Concerning this
salvation the prophets, who prophesied of the grace that should come to you, sought and searched diligently.
11
They searched for what person and time the Spirit of Christ which was in them was pointing to when it
testified beforehand about the sufferings of Christ and the glories that should follow.” 1 Peter 1:10-11.
343…..Isaiah 40:12-31 Introduction
40:12-31: The Incomparable God
In verses 12-31 of Isaiah chapter 40, the prophet describes the splendors, majesty and incomparable
uniqueness of the one declared in 40:9 as “here is your God!” Isaiah is expanding on the revelation of the
Lord that he witnessed and recorded in Isaiah chapter 6. The Lord who is lifted up (exalted), completely holy
and fills the whole earth with His glory is described in this passage as a being with no equal anywhere in the
universe. There is no one like Him. There is no one wiser, no one greater, no one more powerful, no one
more enduring, no one as creator, no one who sustains all things, no one who redeems His creation and no
one worthy of the world’s praise than the great triune God, the Holy One of Israel, the Sovereign Lord, the
Maker, the Creator, the Redeemer, the Saviour, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Wonderful
Counsellor, the Prince of Peace, and the Holy Spirit. Isaiah later declares, “There is no other God besides
me, a righteous God and a Saviour; there is no one besides me.” Isaiah 45:21. The student of the Scriptures
should compare Isaiah 40:12-31 with Job chapters 38-41 to begin to grasp the significance of this
incomparable God who is revealed in the pages of the Bible. From this foundation, the student will marvel at
the revelation of God’s supreme greatness as it is unfolded throughout the entire Word of God.
Those who read the revelation of God in Isaiah 40:12-31 should meditate on these inspired words and then
unreservedly worship their Creator and humble themselves before His majesty and glory in reverent fear. It is
to the shame of the modern church that God’s character and attributes are not widely proclaimed, preached
and taught as they were generations ago. Theology, the study of God, was once the greatest educational
pursuit of universities and it is now abandoned, shunned and vilified by those who would deem to call
themselves academics. Many in this present day who profess to be Christians and disciples of the Lord are
arguably not familiar with nor seem to have the patience and desire to enter into a deep contemplative study
of the character and attributes of God. This study should include (selected only – not exhaustive) God’s:
eternity, infinity, holiness, omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, sovereignty, love, patience, and
wisdom. One wonders at the outcome, if those who attend the modern Christian worship service could be
given a blank sheet of paper and be challenged with providing a Biblical definition of these few
characteristics of God just mentioned. The student of God’s Word should attend most carefully and
meditatively to the words of the Lord that are recorded in the second section of Isaiah chapter 40.
The second section of Isaiah chapter 40 comprise a series of rhetorical questions of which the answer for
each is “no one” for they all point to the obvious conclusion that there is no one like God, anywhere or at any
time. These questions and their response are designed to bring hope and comfort to those first in Judah, 40:9
and to all who would read the messages of the prophet Isaiah. The people of Judah including Jerusalem had
just witnessed a very stressful period of threats to the capital city and actual capture of many Judean cities by
the armies of Assyria. Many scholars suggest that the words of Isaiah chapter 40 were written for those either
in captivity in Babylon or just returning to Jerusalem following the 70 years of this captivity. While these
words may fit that situation, specifically 40:1-2, there is no actual reference to the Babylonian captivity in
this chapter. See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah 40-66, pages 103-105 for an expanded discussion of the historical
setting of chapter 40.
The rhetorical questions in this passage are:
40:12: Who has measured the waters; marked off the heavens, calculated the earth’s dust, or weighed the
mountains or hills of the earth?
40:13: Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD or has been His mentor or counsellor to inform Him?
40:14: Who was God’s consultant, or gave Him understanding, or taught Him justice, knowledge and
understanding?
344…..Isaiah 40:12
40:18: To whom will you liken God or what likeness or image will you compare with Him?
40:25: To whom will you compare him or who is His equal?
There are other questions to which the people of God must respond which stated in Isaiah 40:21, 27 and 28.
To these non-rhetorical questions, a much more in-depth response in required. For it is in their response that
the true heart condition of the people is revealed. The purpose of the rhetorical and non-rhetorical questions
is to invoke trust in the Lord alone for wisdom, guidance, purpose, safety and salvation and for those who
wait for Him, the Lord grants new strength to achieve great things for Him. For an extended discussion on
Isaiah 40:12-31 see J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, page 246.
Isaiah 40:12-17: None equal to God
40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
and measured out heaven with the span of his hand,
and measured out the dust of the earth by the basketful,
and weighed the mountains in scales,
and the hills on a balance?
The prophet begins his rhetorical questions with comments similar to those He had when he encountered Job
with the beginning question, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” Job 38:4. Like Job,
the people of Judah would have no response but to acknowledge God’s divine right to create the world
without any assistance or permission from anyone. In the beginning, there was only God, who exists forever
without any beginning in Himself. He existed as a triunity as we understand from Scripture, God exists
eternally as One God yet having three distinct personalities, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God (the Creator
Elohim) asks a series of questions in 40:12 that must have as their answer, no one but God. The four
questions in Isaiah 40:12 relate to the creation of the earth.
(1) “Who measured the waters in the hollow of His hand?” The earth’s entire expanse of water totally
unknown to even the wisest scholar in Isaiah’s day was known to the Creator and considered so small that its
volume could be measured in the hollow of God’s hand. The anthropomorphic portraits, such as God’s hand,
help the human reader/listener to grasp the insignificance of the amount/volume of created matter from God’s
point of view. A measure of liquid in the hollow of a human’s hand would be a trifle, almost nothing in
comparison to all that is known by humans of the amount (volume, weight, mass etc.) of matter contained in
the created heavens and the earth. How much more insignificant is the volume of water in the entire earth
compared to what God’s knows about what He has created in the universe? No one else but God who is
indescribably infinite could make such a claim. The question could God create something larger than
Himself? is answered with a resounding “no”; for all of created matter including the immensity of the
universe is something God can easily measure with something, humans can relate to, the size of the hand.
(2) “And (who) measured out heaven with the span of his hand?” The second question is also related
anthropomorphically to the hand of God. The span is the distance between the tip of the thumb and the little
finger when the hand is stretched out. God is describing that to Him the distance scale of the universe can be
measured by Him simply by stretching out “His hand”. It is an insignificant distance to an infinite God but to
humans it is immeasurable and beyond comprehension for it appears limitless. The Scriptures attest that God
made the heavens (stretched them out) with his hands, Psalm 102:25; Isaiah 45:12; 48:13 and Hebrews 1:10.
(3) “And (who) measured out the dust of the earth by basketful?” The word interpreted as “measured” in the
DASV is the Hebrew word kul which has the meaning of “to keep in,” “to measure,” “to contain,” or “to
345…..Isaiah 40:12-14
comprehend.” This question can be re-phrased as: Who had the ability to contain and measure the amount of
the dust on the earth when the earth was created? The Lord in 40:12 describes the materials of the earth
which He alone could produce and measure.
(4) “And (who) weighed the mountains in scales and the hills on a balance?” Who is large enough (larger
than the earth) to be able to weigh the hills and the mountains? Like the first three rhetorical questions, this
one has only one possible answer. God by asking these questions is not satisfied with a response by His
people of “we don’t know”. He demands they face the reality of His creative works and His ability to
maintain and superintend His creation. If God can create and maintain the heavens and the earth He certainly
can look after His people whom He also created for His glory, Isaiah 43:7.
40:13 Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD,
or instructed him as his mentor?
The prophet continues with the Lord’s rhetorical questions about His actions and the reasons for His actions.
“Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD? The NIV translates this phrase as “Who has understood the mind
of the LORD? The word “directed” is the Hebrew word takan, which has several meanings in the Old
Testament. It can be translated as to regulate; to balance; to measure; to test; or to prove. The word “Spirit”
is translated as “mind” in the NIV. It is the Hebrew word ruah, which is often translated in the Old
Testament as spirit, wind, or “breath. See notes on Isaiah 40:7 above. Scholars have struggled as to how best
to translate ruah. For example, see Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 186 and also Geoffrey W. Grogan,
Isaiah, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, page 245.
Isaiah continues the rhetorical question as recorded in 40:13 with the second part of this question: “Or (who)
instructed him as his mentor? The word “mentor” is the Hebrew word esah, which can be translated as
counselor, advice or plan. The word esah occurs several times in Isaiah and is most often translated as
counsel in English versions. See Isaiah 5:19; 8:10; 11:2; 14:26; 16:3; 19:3, 11, 17; 25:1; 28;29; 29:15; 30:1;
36:5; 40:13; 44:26; 46:10, 11; and 47:13.
The implication here as with Isaiah 40:12 is that there was no one present with the Lord when He created the
heavens and the earth nor was there anyone capable of informing Him of anything regarding His actions at
the time of creation or at any time. There is no one that any person could bring forward as a witness to the
creative actions of God nor is there anyone who could claim to have been God’s counsellor or consultant to
bring Him knowledge or to inform Him about anything. The Apostle Paul cites Isaiah 40:13 in his letter to
the Christians in Rome, Romans 11:34 and in his first letter to the church in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 2:16.
The rhetorical question stated in 40:13 is re-stated in 40:14 so as to emphasize the obvious point that God
acts completely alone and is responsible to no one. God has no need of anyone to consult Him or for anyone
to give Him understanding in anything. No one has been His teacher to instruct Him in any course of
knowledge or justice. In 40:14 the words enlighten (or understanding) and understanding are closely related
to knowledge which is also stated in this verse. These words are linked to wisdom in describing the attributes
of the Messiah in Isaiah 11:2. The attributes of wisdom and understanding are ascribed to God in Job 12:13;
Proverbs 3:9; Isaiah 11:2; Jeremiah 10:12 and 51:15; as are the attributes of wisdom and knowledge in Isaiah
11:2; 33:6; Romans 11:33 and Colossians 2:3.
40:14 With whom did he consult to enlighten him?
Who taught him the path of justice?
Who taught him knowledge,
or showed to him the way of understanding?
346…..Isaiah 40:14-16
A very important characteristic of God, stated in 40:14 is “justice.” The concept of God’s justice, the Hebrew
word mishpat, is often discussed by Isaiah. For example, in Isaiah 30:18, the prophet stated, “For the LORD
is a God of justice.” God is righteous and holy and rules His kingdom with justice that He Himself has
determined is the benchmark for discerning what is right and just. There is no other being, teacher, consultant
or counsellor that makes this determination of deciding what is absolutely just as God sees fit to both define
and administer it. To who else can the people of God cry out or appeal to for justice to be meted out? Every
action thought and deed by every person on the earth will be justly examined by God. Those who trust in
God will have no cause to be afraid of His righteous justice. God can be depended upon to dispense this
justice in every situation and circumstance in which His people find themselves seeking God’s intervention.
He will remain true to His word and to Himself. God’s people are to take great comfort for they can
completely trust God to dispense His justice even if, for the moment, it seems that life’s circumstances seem
unfair and unjust. One day, God will leave no unjust act unresolved or not treated with holy and righteous
justice. For a word study of justice in the prophecy of Isaiah examine these verses, 1:17; 1:21; 1:27; 5:7; 9:7;
10:2; 16:5; 28:6; 28:17; 30:18; 32:16; 33:5; 40:14; 40:27; 42:1; 42:3; 42:4; 49:4; 51:4; 56:1; 59:8; 59:9;
59:11; 59:14; 59:15; and 61:8.
As recorded in Isaiah 40:15-17, the prophet gives God’s answer to His own rhetorical questions. If the
answer seemed obvious in that no one is equal to Him, God explains that not only are there not any who are
equal to Him, there are none that can even compare to Him in any way. It is not that any being cannot
compare to Him, it is stated by God that all nations are less than nothing in comparison to Him. Because He
is the infinite omnipotent Creator who cannot be affected by His creation including the beings He has
created, of what value or use are the nations of the earth to God.
40:15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket,
and are regarded like dust on the scales;
he picks up the islands like fine dust.
Isaiah states that the nations are considered as a “drop in a bucket” or “like dust on the scales”. Compared to
God, they are so insignificant as to be not worthy of consideration. That is why when the nations, at the end
of the millennial kingdom era, conspire to assault His anointed king, the Messiah when He will reign on
Mount Zion, God will scoff at them and laugh, Psalm 2:4, for they will be reduced to the ashes in an instant
Revelation 20:9. Isaiah further states in 40:15, “he picks up the islands like fine dust.” In comparison to the
insignificant and meaningless dust on the scales, God lifts up or considers the ends of the earth (the islands)
as if they were merely fine dust. They will blow away with the slightest breath of wind. The prophet next
turns his attention to what offering will be sufficient for God from the entire earth before returning to the
hopeless might of the nations in comparison to God. See also Isaiah 17:13 and 29:5.
40:16 Lebanon is not enough to burn for sacrificial fire,
nor are its animals sufficient for a burnt offering.
The prophet considers what resources are available on the earth to provide a suitable and adequate burnt
offering to God. Even prior to the dictation by God to Moses of the requirements of the sacrificial system,
burnt offerings were made to God. For example, by Noah as recorded in Genesis 8:20. Also they were
requested by God. Refer to the story of Abraham Isaac on the mountains of Moriah, Genesis 22:2-13. They
were important to the Israelites, for example, Moses before Pharaoh, Exodus 10:25; and were important to
Jethro, the father in law of Moses, Exodus 18:12. As significant as this pre-law practice of sacrifices being
offered to and requested by God, in His relationship with mankind, there really was no burnt offering (“burn
for sacrificial fire” Hebrew: baar), large enough in the entire earth adequate to satisfy the full demands of
God’s holy justice. God is so immense and magnificent above and beyond anything He has created, that
347…..Isaiah 40:17-18
nothing within the confines of this created order can have any impact upon Him or satisfy Him in any way.
See for example, Acts 17:25.
40:17 All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and worthless.
Isaiah sums up God’s response to the first set of rhetorical questions by stating that not only are the nations
considered to be like dust on the scales or like a drop of water in a bucket, 40:15, they are actually less than
that in God’s view. In 40:17, God bluntly declares that the nations, the peoples of the world who defy Him
and rebel against Him, are counted as less than nothing and are considered as worthless. It is significant that
the pagan peoples of the world who have rejected God and worship idols, actually worship nothing for the
meaning of the word idol is “worthless.” What else can be said that would, in the slightest instance from any
person or nation on earth, be of any consequence to God? The earth’s greatest conqueror or its most powerful
nation or a combined army of all the nations on the earth conspiring against God would not influence Him in
any way. Psalm 2 provides God’s response to an attempt by the kings of the earth to overthrow the Messiah’s
rule. The words of Isaiah 40: 15-17, are meant to instill reverent fear within the nations of the world and to
the people of God. To the nations of the world who seek to rebel against God, they should know the folly of
their intent and their sure defeat even before they begin any action against God. However, this incomparable
God who transcends His created order and the beings He has created is also a God of immeasurable grace.
Even though the nations are considered by God as less than nothing in might or power, He still loves them
and sent His Son to die for them. See John 3:16 and 17:23-26.
To the people of God, this message brings great comfort. They should know that only by putting their
complete trust and faith in God will they have eternal protection from any worldly conflict or affliction. God
is bigger than any problem or enemy. He is able to defend His people and to rescue them from any harm and
to redeem them, so they will live forever with Him in his heavenly kingdom.
Isaiah 40:18-20: None comparable to God
The prophet next turns his attention to the detestable practice of idol worship and how it is no comparison in
any way to the true worship of God. God’s reaction to the rebellious and wicked practice by the nations of
idol worship is a common discussion in the prophecy of Isaiah. One of the less known results of the exile of
the people of Jerusalem during the Babylonian captivity was, that upon their return to Jerusalem, idol
worship by the people of God is not mentioned. One of the reasons God caused His people to be exiled, was
to cure them from many sinful practices including the rebellious act of worshipping idols instead of the One
true God.
40:18 To whom then will you compare God?
What image will you equate him to?
Isaiah asks two most thought-provoking rhetorical questions: “To whom then will you liken God? Or what
likeness will you compare with Him?” These questions sum up the preceding section, 40:12-17, and prepare
Isaiah’s audience for the discussion about God in 40:21-31. The obvious answer to both of these questions is:
no one or no idol. There is no one who has ever lived or who will ever live that can be compared with God or
whom any idol crafted by man could compare with God. Hannah, when giving praise to God for the birth of
her son, Samuel, declared, “No one is as holy as the LORD, for there is no one besides you, there is no Rock
like our God.” 1 Samuel 2:2. See also Exodus 8:10; 15:11; Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; Psalm 86:8; Isaiah 40:25;
44:8; 45:5, 14, 21, 22; 46:5, 9; Daniel 3:29; Joel 2:27; Micah 7:18; and Acts 17:29.
348…..Isaiah 40:19-22
40:19-20 An idol? A workman casts it in a mold,
and the goldsmith overlays it with gold,
and fashions silver chains for it.
20
Or if someone is too poor for such a sacrifice
they may choose wood that will not rot and
then find a skillful craftsman to set up a carved idol
that will not topple.
Isaiah next discusses the practice of making an idol. The word “idol” in 40:19-20 is the Hebrew word pesel
which is a carved image. In other passages in the Book of Isaiah, (eg. chapter 2), Isaiah uses the Hebrew
word elil which has the deeper meaning of “worthless.” Isaiah discusses idols in verses 40:19-20 and in 2:8,
18, 20; 10:10-11; 19:1, 3; 31:7; 42:17; 44:9-20; 45:16, 20; 48:5; 57:13 and 66:3. Related words are image
and images which are discussed by Isaiah in 10:10-11; 21:9; 30:22; 41:29; 42:8, 17; 44:9-20; 44:17; 46:1
and 48:5. Isaiah discusses the craft of idol making in 40:19-20 as a contrast with the one true God. As in
other passages, Isaiah makes clear that there is no comparison whether the idol maker is rich or poor, for as
Isaiah had stated in 40:18 “what image will you equate him to?” The vile and rebellious activity of making
idols was often addressed by Isaiah as that which deeply offended God and was abhorrent to Him. This
activity was directly in opposition to the second commandment, Exodus 20:4-6 and continued persistently up
until the days of the Babylonian captivity. However, in the far future it would again be a practice condemned
by God, Revelation 9:20-21. Those who were poor “for such a sacrifice” (Hebrew: terumah), would choose
non-rotting wood instead of more expensive decorated metal. It did not matter what the idol was made from.
The fact that it was a worthless idol which was an abhorrence to God was Isaiah’s point.
Isaiah 40:21-24: None eternal like God
40:21 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Have you not been told from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
The prophet records God’s rhetorical questions regarding their knowledge and understanding of Him that
was declared to the people of Judah, and all earth’s inhabitants from the foundation of the earth. They were
made known in the written text of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament and were made
known by creation itself. Psalm 8:1-9 and Psalm19:1-6 would have been known to the people of Judah and
they should have listened to the message God had written in His Word and in His creation. In a far future
time, the Apostle Paul would record in Romans 1:18:31 a further testimony of what is known about God
within each person on the earth. Romans 1:18-20 states, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness,
because what can be known about God is clear to them; for God has shown it to them. For since the creation
of the world, his invisible attributes are clearly seen, even his everlasting power and divinity, being seen
through the things that are made. So they are without excuse.”
40:22 He sits above the circle of the earth;
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
God’s perspective is described as “He sits above the circle of the earth.” This is not a statement about
Isaiah’s knowledge that the earth was round and not flat. The “circle of the earth” most likely refers to the
349…..Isaiah 40:22-24
visible horizon where the stars “circled” each night. It has the meaning that God resides above the earth and
is knowledgeable about every person as the next phrase describes in a most graphic comparison, “its
inhabitants are like grasshoppers”. This descriptive term for humanity fits the preceding verses regarding the
miniscule or zero might of the nations of the world. God is next described as One “who stretches out the
heavens like a curtain.” The descriptive phrase “stretching out the heavens” is often used by Isaiah and other
writers of Scripture to describe God’s creative powers and His infinity. See also Exodus 15:12; Job 9:8; 26:7;
38:5; Psalm 104:2; Isaiah 42:5; 44:24; 45:12; 51:13; Jeremiah 10:12; 51:15; and Zechariah 12:1. The last
phrase of Isaiah 40:22, “and spreads them out like a tent to live in” reminds the student of Scripture, of
God’s living or dwelling place which is often described as a tent (or tabernacle) within which God has
elected to live with His people. See also Leviticus 26:11-12; Deuteronomy 12:5; and Revelation 21:3.
40:23 He reduces rulers to nothing,
and makes the judges of the earth worthless.
The prophet reminds the people of Judah that their God is the One who “brings the princes to nothing and
makes the judges of the earth as vanity” KJV (language updated). This re-emphasizes Isaiah’s comments
about the insignificance of the nations in 40:15 who are described as being, like a drop in a bucket, or as a
speck of dust on the scales and in 40:17, as less than nothing. The rulers of so-called mighty nations who
boasted of their might and glory (Isaiah 36:4-10 and 13-20 and Daniel 4:30), have been reduced to nothing as
have the judges of the earth before the almighty Creator.
40:24 Scarcely are they planted,
scarcely are they sown,
scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows on them,
and they wither,
and the whirlwind blows them away like stubble.
Isaiah describes the comparison of the rulers and judges of the earth as being like fragile flora which wither
and are blown away by God’s slightest breath as soon as they are planted. Even the most powerful and
mighty of the earth live but a moment in comparison to God who lives eternally. The message of the prophet
in 40:21-24 was meant to instill confidence in God’s people in Judah who were terrified by recent events
during the crisis of the threat of conquest by the Assyrians. Where are the Assyrian warriors now? Where is
the great and mighty king of Assyria? God alone stands forever with His people and lives with them under
the tent He has spread for their protection.
The word “planted” is the Hebrew nata which has the meaning “to plant” or “to strike.” It also occurs in
Isaiah in 5:24; 17:10; 37:30; 44:14; 51:16; 65:21; and 65:22. In Isaiah 51:16, nata occurs in the sentence in
the DASV, “I am the one who establishes (nata), the heavens.” The NKJV in 51:16 states “That I may plant
the heavens.” The word “stem” is the Hebrew geza which is translated as stump in Isaiah 11:1.
The words “taken root” are translated from the Hebrew saras which has the meaning of “roots,” either
planted or torn up. Saras also occurs in Isaiah 27:6 translated in the DASV as “will take root.” It also occurs
in the Old Testament in Job 5:3; 31:8, 12; Psalm 52:5; 80:9 and Jeremiah 12:2.
Isaiah 40:25-26: None mighty as God
350…..Isaiah 40:25-27
40:25-26 "To whom then will you compare me,
or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
26
Lift up your eyes on high and see.
Who has created these?
He brings them out in ranks by number;
he calls each one of them by name.
Because of the greatness of his might,
and because of his strong power,
not one of them is missing.
In comparison to the impotent and short-lived rulers and judges of the earth who are no match for God in any
category, God, the Holy One, asks the people of Judah in Isaiah 40:25, “To whom then will you compare me,
or who is my equal?” This is a repetition of the question asked by Isaiah as recorded in 40:18 and
summarizes the thoughts stated in 40:12-24. This is an emphatic rhetorical question that has only one
possible reply: No One is God’s equal. God next requests, as recorded in 40:26 that the people of Judah look
to the heavens and ponder who created the stars and who directs and names each one. Psalms 147:4-5 states:
4
He counts the number of the stars;
he calls all of them by name.
5
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
his understanding is limitless.
God accomplishes His mighty works due to the greatness of His might and powerful strength and because of
this not one of the stars under His guidance is missing. The obvious meaning of these statements by God is
that if God has the power and might to create and superintend the stars (by implication the entire universe),
then who is equal to Him? This question was meant to be answered by the people of Judah and by the
nations. By acknowledging the mighty power of God in creation and in overseeing His creative works,
humans can have complete confidence and trust in God, that He will comfort and look after them. It is the
height of folly for anyone to imagine they can manage or even take the reins of their own destiny for even a
moment.
Isaiah 40:27-31: None enduring as God
In Isaiah 40:27-31, the prophet concludes this magnificent proclamation of the Lord’s eternal power and His
comfort and care for His people. As recorded in 40:27, the Lord confronts the people of Judah because of
their assertion that God does not notice them nor gives them the justice they feel is their due. After all God
has just proclaimed about His presence with them, 40:9 and His tender mercy towards them, 40:11 and His
great power, 40:12-17 and His Creative majesty, 40:18-26 and particularly His protection of the City of
Jerusalem, Isaiah chapter 37, how can these people complain that the Lord does not know them or provide
justice to them? The Lord answers this spurious claim in 40:28-31.
Isaiah 40:27: The Complaint.
40:27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
and claim, O Israel,
"My way is hid from the LORD,
and the justice due me is ignored by my God?"
351…..Isaiah 40:27-28
The prophet records the complaint of the people of Judah against the Holy One of Israel. These ungrateful
and untrusting members of the covenant people of God, complain that God does not notice them, for their
ways seem hidden from Him. This is a stark contrast to an earlier claim by the people recorded in Isaiah 26:8,
15; but is similar to the way God sees them, as the prophet stated the words of the Lord in Isaiah 29:13. The
additional complaint that the justice due to them escapes God’s notice is also a sign of their blind eyes, deaf
ears and hard heart that God told Isaiah would characterize these people, Isaiah 6:8-13.
Isaiah 28-31: God’s Response.
40:28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
the Creator of the ends of the earth,
He does not faint or get tired;
his understanding is unfathomable.
God again asks rhetorical questions about His eternality, His role as creator, His ever-present strength and
vitality, and His unfathomable (inscrutable) understanding. The two-fold question “Have you not knows?
Have you not heard?” is answered by God in four declarative statements:
First, God is everlasting or eternal (olam in the Hebrew). The Old Testament speaks about the eternal
existence of God, for example in Genesis 21:33; Deuteronomy 33:27; 1 Chronicles 16:36; Psalm 41:13; 90:2;
93:2; 106:48; Isaiah 9:6; 43:13; Jeremiah 10:10; Micah 5:2; and Habakkuk 1:12. Moses in Psalm 90:2,
expressed God’s eternity very succinctly, “from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.”
Second, God is the Creator, Hebrew bara, of all the earth. The Scriptures open with the plain statement, “In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. It is surprising that God would have to
ask His people: have you not known, or have you not heard that He was the Creator of the ends of the earth?
Yet the people of God had forsaken Him and forgot His creative works and abilities on their behalf. The
word Creator is a title for God as well as a descriptive term for his creative activities. Many Old Testament
verses ascribe the creation of the world and its inhabitants to God. In Isaiah God’s activity of creation is
mentioned in 4:5; 40:26, 28; 41:20; 42:5; 43:1, 7, 15; 45:7, 8, 12, 18; 48:7; 54:16; 57:19; 65:17, and 18. See
comment on these verses in this study of Isaiah. Not only do the Scriptures declare that God created the
heavens and the earth, but He will re-create them in the future, Isaiah 65:17, although some understand this
as a renewal rather than a new creative act of God. It is best to take God at His word and if the word of God
states plainly that He will create new heavens and a new earth, then this is exactly what he will do!
Third, God never tires nor faints from exertion. A few of the many magnificent compound names for God
describe His everlasting strength, power, and might. For example, Elohim means the powerful and mighty
God. El-Shaddai has the meaning of God almighty. El-Olam means the everlasting God and El-Roi means
the God who sees. God, in the context of Isaiah 40:18-31, has described His creative and superintendence
works including knowing and naming all the stars of heaven and declares in 40:26, “because of the greatness
of his might, and because of his strong power, not one of them is missing.” In God’s work of sustaining His
creation, He never grows weary, tires or faints from exhaustion. God hears the prayers of the people of the
world. He establishes and disposes rulers, leaders, kings and presidents. He never stops in working out His
perfect plans for His world. He comforts the sorrowful, heals the sick, protects the weak and vulnerable,
gives hope to the despondent, and most importantly redeems the lost. He ceaselessly governs His universal
kingdom both in heaven and on earth. In all this He never lacks for strength and power. In contrast to God’s
352…..Isaiah 40:28-31
divine strength is the youth of the world who will faint and grow weary and with not much exertion will fall
exhausted, 40:30.
Fourth, God’s understanding is unfathomable (or inscrutable). The word “unfathomable” in the DASV is a
translation of two Hebrew words ayin cheqer and can be also translated as unsearchable or inscrutable. The
basic meaning is that God’s understanding is “beyond comprehension” to humans. Isaiah states it another
way with the same meaning in 55:9, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways higher than
your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” The people of Judah in Isaiah’s day and all God’s people in
any time can trust God without reservation or doubt for He will look after His world and His people because
of the unfathomable depth of His knowledge and wisdom. He has never failed and will never fail in His
marvelous plans for His creation. Isaiah in 46:10 declares the words of God, “I declare the end from the
beginning, and from ancient times things that have not yet happened; saying, My purpose will stand, and I
will fulfill what I have planned.”
40:29-31 He gives strength to the weary;
to the weak he increases strength.
30
Even youths will faint and grow weary,
and vigorous young men fall exhausted,
31
but those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength;
they will mount up with wings like eagles;
they will run, and not grow weary;
they will walk, and not faint.
Isaiah declares that God strengthens the weary and increases power to those who lack might. Those including
the youth and young men who tire, grow weary and stumble, if they and any others wait upon the LORD,
they will be strengthen by God for the task God has assigned them. The lesson to those who need the strength
of God is that they must “wait for the LORD.” 40:31.
As a patient and compassionate Shepherd to His people, God again extends an invitation to wait upon Him.
To wait upon Him is first to trust that He has the ability to accomplish what He promises and second to act
upon that trust by stepping out in faith and obedience to complete the task that God has purposed. This was
the message of Isaiah, 700 years before the birth of Christ and it is the message of the New Testament in the
present day. It is an eternal message that all who are called the children of God must understand and by faith
undertake.
Many scholars see, in these verses, a reference to the return of the exiles from the Babylonian captivity in
which during the long return journey from Babylon to Jerusalem, God will be working in the midst of His
people to strengthen them to be able to complete this journey and complete the task of rebuilding the walls of
Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the temple. Others understand that these promises are applicable to every
situation the people of God find themselves in that requires the help and strength of God to endure. A few
scholars apply these promises to the time of the return of the Messiah when the faithful remnant will need the
supernatural help of God to endure the perilous times they are encountering. For example, one who adheres
to this third understanding of these verses is David L. Cooper who writes:
“THE message to be delivered to Israel ends with an appeal in verses 27-31. Herein the prophet calls
Israel's attention to the fact that this God is omniscient and omnipresent. She must believe Him. She
must trust Him, even though she cannot understand and comprehend His existence and being. All of
them must yield their lives to Him; they must give Him their hearts; they must follow Him. It is He
who gives power to the faint; it is He who gives increased strength; it is He who, coming to Israel in
353…..Isaiah Chapter 41 Introduction
her last great struggle, will, as she waits for His appearing, renew her strength, so that she shall mount
up with wings as eagles; so that she shall run and not be weary; and may walk and not faint.” (D. L.
Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly – January 1945).
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 40
1-11: The Comforting God
40:1-2 The Call of Comfort from the Lord
40:3-5 The Call of Preparation for the Lord
40:6-8 The Call of God’s Eternal Word
40:9-11 The Call of God’s Coming
12-31: The Incomparable God
40:12-17 None Equal to God
40:18-20 None Comparable to God
40:21-24 None Eternal like God
40:25-26 None Mighty as God
40:27-31 None Enduring as God
2. God is With the People of Israel: 41:1-29
Outline of Isaiah Chapter 41: (Similar to the Teaching Outline)
41:1-20: The True God of Israel
The Rule of God: Verses 1-7
The Strength of God: Verses 8-16
The Blessings of God: Verses 17-20
41:21-29: The False gods of the Nations
Many scholars suggest that chapters 40-41 of Isaiah were written by the prophet to bring comfort and
encouragement to the exiles returning to Jerusalem following the seventy-year Babylonian captivity and that
chapter 41 speaks prophetically of Cyrus the Persian leader who will be God’s chosen one to fulfil God’s
plans for the destruction of Babylon and the one who would issue the decree allowing the exiled Jews to
return to Jerusalem. The main message of chapter 41 is that God is stronger than any nation and their idols
(their so-called gods) and the people of God can completely depend of Him for protection and help.
Isaiah 41:1-7: The Rule of God
In verses 1-7 God calls the ends of the earth (the islands) to listen in silence as His witness as He declares His
just decree as the one and only ruler of the world. God will bring someone to subdue kings and conqueror
nations and the nations in response will rely on worthless idols for their help. In verses 2-7, God asks two
rhetorical questions (vs. 2 and 4) about someone to come who will accomplish His purposes by subduing
nations and causing the ends of the earth to tremble. The person who God calls is not mentioned as it seems
that the intent of Isaiah is to just introduce him in this declaration and then later provide more revelation from
God about him. The initial purpose of verses 2-7 is to declare that it is God alone who decrees the outcome of
history and only God can do this. Isaiah returns to this declaration in verses 21-29 of this chapter.
41:1 Be silent before me, O islands.
Let the peoples renew their strength;
let them come near; let them speak;
let us come together for judgment.
354…..Isaiah 41:1-4
Isaiah records that God calls the nations (the islands) and all peoples to listen to Him in silence as He
declares His justice upon them. See Habakkuk 2:20 and Zechariah 2:13. These nations by obeying God’s
call, will gain new strength as will the people of Judah in a future time. See Isaiah 40:28-31. These nations
are invited to speak in God’s presence as if before a judge who brings judgment. In 41:21, the prophet
records God’s command to these nations to state their case before Him and declare their strong arguments.
The purpose of God is to allow the nations to see for themselves their folly in trusting idols instead of the
One true God. If they trust in Him alone, they will gain new strength. The far nations will in the end times
finally acknowledge that the Holy One of Israel is their God and they will come and worship Him along with
the people of Israel. See Isaiah 19:18-25 and 27:12-13.
41:2-3 Who has roused up one from the east?
Who calls him in righteousness into his service?
He gives nations to him,
and enables him to subdue kings.
He makes them like the dust by his sword,
like the windblown stubble by his bow.
3
He pursues them,
passing on in safety,
by a path that his feet have never traveled.
God describes one He calls from the east and who is called in righteousness to the feet of God and who will
deliver up nations, subdue kings and makes nations and their kings like dust with his sword and like chaff
with his bow. This one will also pursue kings, passing them by in safety while travelling in a way he had not
been before. The identity of this one is not stated by Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 40. The majority of scholars link
this passage with Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1 in which the prophet states the name of Cyrus as being God’s
shepherd who will perform the desire of God and is also called the LORD’s “anointed” which in the Hebrew
is “messiah”.
41:4 Who has performed and done it,
summoning each generation from the beginning?
I, the LORD, am the first,
and will be with the last of them, I am the one.
The prophet records God’s question and His own response. God asks the assembled nations, 41:1 and 21,
who it was that performs and accomplishes the great things He has just announced? And who it was that has
called forth (created) the peoples of the earth from the beginning (when they were created)? God continues
to address the nations with questions, 41:2, of which the nations must acknowledge that the great Creator, the
Self-existent One, the Eternal God is exactly who God declares, in response to His own claim, “I the LORD,
am the first and will be with the last of them, I am the one.” 41:4. This is one of the greatest declarations in
Scripture of God regarding His eternality. The statement that He is the first and will be with the last is again
recorded by Isaiah in 44:6 and 48:12. This statement is repeated by Jesus Christ as recorded in Revelation
1:17; 2:8 and 22:13 as pertaining to Himself as the risen Lord. In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John
records the Greek alphabetic rendering of “alpha and omega,” in 1:8; 21:6 and 22:13, as descriptive of God’s
eternality. The great triune God proclaims that He is the Eternal One always existing and the One who
creates, controls and directs all things including the peoples of all the nations. The last phrase of 41:4, “I am
the one” is an emphatic statement of identification so Judah and all nations would clearly understand that He
alone is God, there is no other and that His name can be stated with the deepest of reverence as “I am.” See
also Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 42:8; 43:10, 13; and 46:4.
355…..Isaiah 41:5-8
41:5 The coastlands have seen, and fear;
the ends of the earth tremble;
they draw near and come.
The result of God’s existence and His creative power is explained by God. Those who see Him will tremble
and will be afraid of Him. Isaiah often stated that the world and its inhabitants will tremble at the presence of
the Lord, 2:19, 21; 13:13; 14:16; 19:1, 16; 23:11; 64:2 and 66:5. See also 1 Chronicles 16:30; Psalms 96:9;
97:4; 99:1; 114:7; 119:20; Jeremiah 33:9; Ezekiel 7:27; Joel 2:1 and 3:16. Isaiah the prophet expressed his
great fear of seeing God by exclaiming “Woe is me! For I am doomed; for I am a man of unclean lips and I
live in the midst of a people of unclean lips. My eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.” Isaiah 6:5.
Isaiah also stated in 8:13, “The LORD of hosts is the one you must recognize as holy. and let him be your
fear, and let him be your dread.” See notes on Isaiah 8:13. It is to the great and terrifying God that the
nations of the earth have been called to face. How they react to this summons is stated in 41:6-7.
41:6-7 They help each other;
each says to his brother, "Be strong."
7
So the craftsman encourages the goldsmith,
the one who smoothes with the hammer
encourages him who strikes the anvil,
saying of the welding, "It is good."
Then he fastens it down with nails
so that it will not tip over.
The nations react to the summons of facing their Creator, the almighty God. Instead of humbling themselves
before Him in reverent fear the nations sought courage and strength from the presence of their neighbors.
King Ahaz rejected the plea of Isaiah to trust in God and not to seek the aid of Assyria, Isaiah 7:1-16. The
consequences of Ahaz’s refusal to trust in God is stated in 2 Chronicles 28:16-27. Isaiah had to warn the
people of Judah not to seek protection from the threat of Assyria from neighboring countries that God
declared would be useless and too weak to help them nor to count on their own defenses. See Isaiah chapters
18-23 and 28-31. The Gentile nations were just like Judah in that they sought help from others, and they
depended on idols instead of trusting in God. The judgement of God against the idolatrous practices of the
nations and Judah is a major theme of the book of Isaiah. See notes on Isaiah 40:19-21.
Isaiah 41:8-16: The Strength of God
This section of Isaiah chapter 41 is a beautiful statement of God’s promises to lovingly care and strengthen
His people. Although they had failed to trust Him many times in the past and had sought the help of
neighboring countries and had trusted in idols, God remembered His unconditional covenant with Abraham
and offered to once again come to the aid of those He calls “My servant,” 41:8. For an extended discussion
on God’s covenant with Abraham, refer to Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Genesis Commentary, Ariel Ministries,
2008, pages 239-343.
41:8-9 But you, Israel, my servant,
Jacob whom I have chosen,
the seed of Abraham my friend,
9
you whom I am bringing back from the ends of the earth,
and summoned you from its remotest corners,
and told you, 'You are my servant,
I have chosen you and not cast you away.'
356…..Isaiah 41:8-9
God, through the prophet, made the declaration in 41:8a: “But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have
chosen.” The description of Israel and Jacob, the chosen people of God, as the servant of God is found often
in the Old Testament. This description of servant occurs often in Isaiah beginning with Isaiah 41:8. Other
references in Isaiah are 41:9; 42:19 (2x) ; 43:10; 44:1, 2, 21 (2x) 26; 45:4; 48:20; 49:3 (reference to the
Messiah); 54:17; 56:6; 63:17; 64:14; 65:8, 9, 13 (3x); 14 and 15. But in which sense is Israel/Jacob the
servant of God? Each reference must be taken in its context. In 41:9, God described His servants as those
“whom I am bringing back from the ends of the earth, and summoned you from its remotest corners.”.
In Isaiah 41:9, the prophet declares “you whom I am bringing back from the ends of the earth, and summoned
you from its remotest corners.” The word “you” in these two phrases must refer to the remnant whom Isaiah
had earlier discussed within the context of the beginning of the millennial kingdom of the Messiah as
recorded in Isaiah 11:12:
Then he will set up a signal flag for the nations,
and will assemble the outcasts of Israel,
and gather together the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.
The faithful remnant of Israel, described by many words such as “outcasts” and “dispersed” in Isaiah 11:12,
are those whom God will gather from all parts (corners) of the earth to populate the millennial kingdom of
the Messiah. They will be those who have come out of the horrible days of the tribulation and will rejoice
when they meet their Messiah for whom they have sought in repentance for the great sin of their ancestors
whom rejected their Messiah when He first walked among them. For further Biblical evidence of the
gathering of the remnant, see for example, Isaiah 14:2; 27:13; 43:5; 49:8-23; 54:7; 56:8; 62:10-12; 66:20-21;
Jeremiah 16:14-15; 31:10-14; and 32:37:41. For an extended discussion of the faithful remnant of Israel,
refer to The Remnant of Israel: Past, Present and Future, Messianic Bible Study, MBS 191, Ariel Ministries,
by Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum.
Some scholars attempt to combine a near fulfillment, the return of the captives from Babylon to Jerusalem,
and the far-future calling of God for His people, the faithful remnant of Israel, to travel from the far reaches
of the earth to Israel. This combination or “two fulfillments” would at first glance seem to contradict the
“single meaning” hermeneutical approach to understanding a Biblical text. Many conservative, evangelical
authors of previous generations, who held to a strong pre-millennial viewpoint of the OT and NT, often saw
two or more fulfillments from a single text. They also saw many types and antitypes in the Scriptures that
modern scholars do not necessarily endorse. Does this mean that these godly scholars of a previous
generation were wrong in how they interpreted and applied Scripture? Not in the least! These scholars held
to the highest possible belief in the inspiration, sufficiency, inerrancy, clarity and authority of all Scripture.
They would have agreed to the “single meaning” hermeneutical approach to Biblical interpretation. However,
they would differentiate between a “single meaning” in which the Biblical text needs to be interpreted as it is
written in its context, and a dual application, in which the text can apply to the then present day, the historical
period in which the author wrote the text, and to a future day. For example, many commentators understand
Peter’s use of Joel 2:28-32 on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:16-21, as being “applied” to the day of Pentecost
and also to be completely fulfilled in the days just prior to the second advent of Christ. For example, refer to
the section, Joel 2 in Acts 2 in The Coming Kingdom, Andrew M. Woods, Grace Gospel Press, 2016.
Another issue that needs further discussion is the comparison in the writings of Isaiah of “Israel/Jacob” as
God’s servant with another (an individual) who is called God’s servant. This issue has great implications for
the understanding that Isaiah reveals in his Book, that a person who is called God’s servant is the promised
Messiah and that He will rule over a future messianic kingdom. Many who deny that the Old Testament
357…..Isaiah 41:8-9
contains direct and clear revelation of the person and work of the Messiah assign the individual/servant
passages to Israel as a singular corporate identity. An excellent study of this topic is presented by Michael
Rydelnik in his book: The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic? Reference to this
resource has been previously made in the notes on Isaiah 7:14-16. This issue will be addressed throughout
the remainder of the study of the Book of Isaiah. One of the major themes of this study of Isaiah is that the
prophet proves quite convincingly that the birth, life, death, resurrection and significance of the Messiah’s
first coming and many aspects of His second coming and kingdom has been revealed in the prophet’s
writings. There is so much detail about the first and second appearances of the Messiah, who is later revealed
in Scripture as Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that any comprehensive study of the revelation of Jesus in the
Scripture that ignores the writings of Isaiah would need to be declared as deficient.
The words of Isaiah 41:8-9 and the following verses would have been in Isaiah’s day and continue to day to
be a great source of comfort, for those who are the faithful remnant of the people of Israel. Those who have
faith in the Messiah know from the Scriptures, that their faith has been counted as righteousness, Genesis
15:6 and Habakkuk 2:4. They have the very promise of God that they have been accepted and declared
righteous by Him.
The words of Isaiah 41:9 “I have chosen you and not cast you away” are a precious promise to the faithful
remnant of God. A study of why God chose the people of Israel and why He has not rejected them will be of
tremendous benefit for the student of the Scriptures. God chose a small (in numbers), weak and sinful people
from among all the nations of the earth to be called “His chosen people.” The Scriptures explains why God
had chosen them. First, He chose them because of His love for them and because He kept the oath He had
sworn to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and therefore He redeemed them with a mighty hand
from Egypt; from the house of slavery and from the hand of Pharaoh. “For you are a holy people to the
LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special people, above all peoples on
the face of the earth. 7 The LORD did not set his love on you or choose you because you were more
numerous than any other people, for you were the fewest of all peoples.8 Rather it was because the LORD
loved you and was keeping the oath he promised to your forefathers when the LORD brought you out with a
mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of slavery from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 7:6-8.
Second, He chose them to spread the fame of His great name. “For the LORD will not abandon his people,
for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you his very own people.” 1 Samuel
12:22. Also it is stated, “What other nation on the earth is like your people Israel? Is there another nation
whom God redeemed as a people for himself, to make a name for himself, by performing great wonders and
awesome deeds and by driving out nations and gods for those whom you redeemed from Egypt?24 You
established your people Israel to be your people forever, and you, O LORD, became their God.” 2 Samuel
7:23-24. God also protects His people and will not ultimately reject them so that His name will be proclaimed
throughout the earth. “But for this reason I have raised you up, to show you my power and that my name may
be declared throughout all the earth.” Exodus 9:16. See also Romans 9:14-18.
The Scriptures declare that God has not rejected His people, Romans 11:1-32. God’s word in Isaiah 41:9, “I
have chosen you and not cast you away,” is as true today for the Jew as it was during Isaiah’s day. The truth
that God has chosen and not rejected His people for His great name’s sake has also not changed, for God has
bound the fame of His name with the people He has chosen. One of the grand conclusions of this study of
Isaiah is that God created the heavens and the earth for the purpose of the display of His glory, Psalm 19:1,
and to have His image bearers righteously display and declare His glory to all creation. This will be
accomplished by the faithful remnant of God and by all those who are redeemed by their faith in the Messiah
who brought salvation to the earth. Those who have been redeemed, have the glorious responsibility and
358…..Isaiah 41:10
privilege to display and declare the great and incomparable glory of God to all of God’s creation. This is their
responsibility while living on the earth and will be during the endless days of the eternal state when they pass
from earth’s work and toil to heaven’s reward and glory.
41:10: Do not be afraid,
for I am with you;
do not be troubled,
for I am your God.
I will strengthen you;
yes, I will help you;
yes, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
In keeping with the above brief discussion on the “single meaning” of a Biblical text, do the words of 41:10
apply only to the faithful remnant of Israel? Can they also apply to all who have faith in Christ? The Apostle
Paul’s gave the world a wonderful explanation of justification (declared righteous) through faith in Christ as
applying to Abraham and to all, even Gentiles, who have faith, Romans 3:21-4:25. Paul also declared, “For
whatever things were written in former times were written for our instruction, so that through the endurance
and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” Romans 15:4. A proper understanding of the
words of Paul make it clear that all believers can apply the promise of Isaiah 41:10 to their lives.
By claiming that all Christians can apply the truth of Isaiah 41:10 and other parts of the Old Testament to
their lives is not in any way saying that the “Church” has replaced the true Israel (the faithful remnant of
Israel) in God’s current and future plans for Israel as a nation. God has not rejected His people as Isaiah 41:9
clearly states. He is working out His perfect plan for them today and will continue to perfect His plan for
them for all eternity. Chapters 9-11 of Romans reveal that God has not rejected His chosen people. Paul
stated “For I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you become conceited: a
partial hardening has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel
will be saved, just as it is written, "There will come out of Zion the Deliverer; he will remove ungodliness
from Jacob. 27 And this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins." Romans 11:25-27. Paul
in these verses, quoted from Isaiah 59:20-21. More discussion on God’s preservation of His people will be
provided in the notes on Isaiah chapter 59.
The words of Isaiah 41:10 are very precious therefore to all who believe in Christ. Isaiah wrote these words
for the encouragement of the people of Judah. The prophet wrote these words to the people of Judah many
years before the Babylonian captivity. Isaiah’s message in chapters 40-66 therefore would have been a source
of great comfort to his countrymen. The people in Judah would have immediately applied Isaiah’s message to
their lives and would not have understood them to apply to a future time. See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2,
pages 42-48 for an excellent defense of the fact that the audience of Isaiah for his messages in chapters 40-66
were Jews living in Judah and not in Babylon.
Many still have fond memories of this verse in the KJV and for its inclusion (adaptation) as a verse in the old
hymn, How Firm a Foundation. David Powlison has written a thought-provoking discourse on this hymn in
Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, Crossway Books, 2006, chapter 7: God’s Grace and Your Sufferings,
pages 145-173.
God gives the believer much to consider in Isaiah 41:10:
“Do not be afraid.”
359…..Isaiah 41:10
Often God and His holy angels have spoken these words to those who have faith in God. When a messenger
from God approached or God spoke directly to someone in Scripture, it was not uncommon for the first
words spoken to be “fear not” or “do not be afraid.” This applied to Abraham, Genesis 15:1; to Isaac,
Genesis 26:24; to Joshua, Joshua 8:1; to Gideon, Judges 6:23; to Daniel, Daniel 10:12; to Joseph, Matthew
1:20; to Zacharias, Luke 1:13; to Mary, Luke 1:30; to the shepherds on the night Christ was born, Luke 2:10;
and to John, Revelation 1:17. The words in Isaiah 41:10 “do not fear” were comforting words that Isaiah
would often repeat in his prophecy. See 7:4, 25; 8:12; 10:24; 35:4; 40:9; 41:10, 13, 14; 43:1, 5; 44:2; 51:7;
54:4, and 14. The intent of the message from God “do not fear” is that, in God, believers have nothing to fear
for the reason God gives is the next phrase of Isaiah 41:10.
“for I am with you.”
This is a source of the greatest comfort for all believers. No one can replace, compare to, or have in any way,
the protective power of the Lord of the universe. The wonderful promise God gave through Isaiah to king
Ahaz was of the Son to come who would be given the name “Immanuel,” (God with us), Isaiah 7:14. This
promised name was for the Messiah, Jesus Christ: Matthew 1:23. Isaiah would again bring the great news
about God’s presence in Isaiah 43:5. The blessing of God’s presence (to be with us) is a recurring theme of
Scripture. See Genesis 26:24; 28:15; 48:21; 1 Chronicles 22:18; 2 Chronicles 13:12; Isaiah 8:10; Jeremiah
1:8, 19; 15:20; 30:11; 42:11; 46:28; Haggai 1:3; 2:4; Matthew 28:20; and Acts 18:10.
One of the most precious portraits of the Scriptures is that of God as a “tabernacle” (a dwelling) among His
people. This picture of the tabernacle portrays God’s awesome and comforting presence with those who
believe in Him. Psalm 27:5. In John’s vision of heaven, he heard a voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the
tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will
be with them and be their God.” Revelation 21:3 (NKJV). Those who trust in God have a precious promise
from Him that He will live among them. He will never forsake them or leave them. Not only is God with
them, but He also stands for them and will live in them. The Scriptures state, God is with us: Immanuel
(Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23); God is for us (Romans 8:31); and God is in us, “Christ in you, the hope of
glory.” (Colossians 1:27).
“Do not be troubled.”
The believer has no need to be anxious or troubled for any reason. An anxious look is to show worry as if
everything is not under control. Those who are anxious are to look to God for comfort and peace, Psalm
94:19; 139:23; and Isaiah 35:4. The Apostle Paul stated that believers are to be “anxious for nothing.” There
is no need to be anxious. It should be noted that the NASB has the word “anxious” in a few texts which has
the meaning of fervently looking as in Daniel 2:3; Luke 2:48; Romans 8:19 and Jude 1:21. This is not the
same as sinful anxiousness. The New Testament has much to say about anxiousness as worry, Matthew 6:31,
34; 10:19; 13:22; Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11, 22, 25, 26, 29; and 1 Corinthians 7:21.
“for I am your God.”
This great statement should cure all worry and anxiety of the believer. This is one of the greatest statements
of comfort in all of Scripture. The only true God, the all-powerful Ruler of all things, the awesome, majestic,
glorious and fearsome God who alone created, upholds and lovingly cares for the people of this world is the
God of the believer. God often reminded His people (throughout the Old Testament) that He was their God.
It is also part of the covenant formula, which states that “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
See for example, Jeremiah 24:7; 30:22; 31:33; 32:38; Ezekiel 36:28; 37:23; and Zechariah 13:9. Isaiah
frequently declares the truth from the Lord, that He is their God. See 41:10; 41:13; 43:3; 48:17 and 51:15.
The prophet Joel declared in 2:27:
360…..Isaiah 41:10
You will know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I am the LORD your God,
there is no other.
My people will never be put to shame.
“I will strengthen you.”
God promises to give strength to those who believe in Him. God strengthens the believer in many ways. He
gives confidence when a believer’s self-esteem is low. He fortifies the believer to meet seemingly
overwhelming challenges. He provides strength during times of loss, bereavement, and calamity. He gently
supports and comforts the believer during the storms of life. He comes along-side the believer during
times of loneliness, doubt and during the dark times when all seems to be in confusion. The words of Psalm
23 are an apt commentary on the words of God in Isaiah 41:10, “I will strengthen you”. Isaiah often spoke of
the strength the Lord has given and will give to His people. See 12:2; 28:6; 33:2; 35:3; 40:29, 31; 41:1, 10;
45:24 and 58:11.
“yes, I will help you.”
The significance of the promise of the Lord’s help to the believer is stunning. Those who trust in God have
this beautiful promise that God Himself is present at all times to aide and help them. There is no greater,
better, perfect, or timely help that could ever be provided to the believer than the help God promises. Any
help God gives is in His perfect and holy will to accomplish His plans and is always for the best interests of
and for the best good of the believer. The psalmist in Psalm 46:1 proclaimed: God is our refuge and
strength, always there to help in trouble. The Scriptures assure the believer of the availability of the help of
God. Selected references in Isaiah include 25:4; 41:10, 13, 14; and 44:2. The Psalms are full of pleas for
God’s help and praises when God provides help. The New Testament speaks often of God’s help. See Luke
1:54; Romans 8:26; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 2:16; 4:16 and 13:6.
“yes, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
One of the most assuring anthropomorphisms in Scripture is that of God’s sustaining and keeping power
described as being provided by God’s “right hand.” The portrait of God’s right hand is that of being powerful
for many people are right-handed and their right hand has more exercise and strength than their left hand. So,
with His righteous and powerful right hand, God describes Himself as upholding (holding fast, keeping for
God’s own use) the believer with His full strength. This is not to say God’s left hand is weak. This
anthropomorphism must be seen as a picture of God’s provision in a manner that those who heard Isaiah, and
those who read Isaiah’s words would easily understand. See also Psalm 63:8. The right hand of Jacob was
used for blessing, Genesis 48:8-22. The right hand of God is a source of righteousness as declared by the
psalmist in Psalm 48:10:
Like your name, O God,
your praise extends to the ends of the earth;
your right hand is full of righteousness.
Also, another psalmist declares in Psalm 89:13:
You have a mighty arm;
strong is your hand,
and high is your right hand.
361…..Isaiah 41:10 and 11-13
Several Old Testament texts declare the power and righteousness of God’s right hand. For example, see
Exodus 15:6, 12; Psalms 16:11; 17:7; 18:35; 20:6; 48:10; 60:5; 63:8; 89:13; 98:1; 108:6; 118:15-16; and
138:7. Isaiah also declared this truth in 41:10, 13; 48:13 and 62:8. God’s right hand is not just powerful, it is
also righteous. Charles Ryrie provides a description of righteousness:
“Though related to holiness, righteousness is nevertheless a distinct attribute of God. Holiness relates
to God’s separateness; righteousness to His justice. Righteousness has to do with law, morality and
justice. In relation to Himself, God is righteous; i.e., there is no law, either within His own being or of
His own making, that is violated by anything in His nature. In relation to His creatures, he is also
righteous; i.e., there is no action He takes that violates any code of morality or justice. Sometimes
these two aspects of righteousness are called absolute (in relation to Himself) and relative (in relation
to His Creation).” (Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology, page 48).
41:11-13 Look, all those who are angry with you
will be put to shame and disgrace.
Those who dispute with you
will come to nothing and perish.
12
You will look for your opponents,
but not find them.
Those who attack you
will come to nothing at all.
13
For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,
saying to you,
"Don't be afraid;
I will help you.
Following the precious promises of 41:10, Isaiah described the effect that these promises have on the believer
in God. Endued with God’s presence, help, strength and being upheld by God, believers have the assurance
that any enemy, 41:11, who are angry (burning, or kindled with anger) with them, will be put to shame and
be dishonored. Also, any who disputes (contends with strife) with them will be considered as nothing and
will ultimately perish (to become as nothing). In 41:12, Isaiah repeats the intention of 41:11. Those who
quarrel or dispute with God’s people will not be found and those who war (fight against) them will be as
nothing and will be non-existent. Many would understand these verses as applying to any enemies of God’s
people in Isaiah’s day and also applying to a far future day. However, Gary V. Smith suggests a possible
historical setting for these verses:
“41:11–13 God’s presence and strengthening will result in the defeat of Judah’s enemies (41:11–12).
The identification of these enemies is very important if one desires to discover the setting of the
prophet and his audience, but relatively few commentators labor to discover the impact of these
words. J. D. W. Watts believes these words “point to Israel’s opponents in all the conflicts of the
past,” but the imperfect verbs in these verses most likely point to a defeat of Israel’s enemies at some
point in the future. It also is difficult to suggest that this is God’s promise to the exiles about the
imminent fall of Babylon, for the prophetic books referring to the exile never refer to the Babylonians
or the Persians being enraged with or at war against the Jewish people while they were in exile. A.
Schoors admits that it is very difficult to fit this chapter into an exilic setting in Babylon for “it is hard
to accept that Israel was at war (milḥāmâ) with any nation” during those days. But if the text does not
fit a peaceful exilic context in Babylon, then this literary unit must be set in a different historical
setting where a major conqueror from the east defeated many nations and made war against God’s
362…..Isaiah 41:13-14
chosen people (41:2–3). The most natural setting is during the Assyrian attack on Judah (701 BC) or
the Babylonian attack on Jerusalem in 587 BC.” (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 135-136).
Isaiah 41:13 is similar to 41:10 and may be overlooked as a repetition for the sake of emphasis. However, the
reader should note that Isaiah records in 41:13 that God holds (upholds) their right hand whereas in 41:10
God declares “I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” The difference is very important. In 41:10 it
is God who takes direct action to uphold (sustain, hold fast, keep) the believer. In 41:13, Isaiah states that
God stands with the believer to strengthen the works and actions of the believer through times of difficulty
which, in the context of chapter 41, it is most often applicable when enemies afflict and assault them. For
comparison see Isaiah 42:6; 45:1; 48:13; 62:8 and 63:12.
41:14 Do not be afraid, O Jacob, you worm.
You men of Israel,
I will help you,"
says the LORD;
your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
God again, as in 41:10 and 13, addresses His people with the comforting words, “do not be afraid.” For an
extended note on God’s command for them: “do not be afraid”, see notes on 41:10 above. God’s description
of His chosen people as “O Jacob, you worm” is fitting within the context of chapters 40 and 41 of Isaiah.
Isaiah, in 40:17, declares that “all nations are as nothing before him, they are accounted by him as less than
nothing and worthless.” From among all these “worthless nations,” God in His sovereign choice (election),
selected a people whom He called Jacob/Israel. He chose them not because they were large in number or had
done anything that would impress God, but because of His great name, 1 Samuel 12:22. This great truth of
God acting to make a name for Himself is most clearly seen in 2 Samuel 7:23, “What other nation on the
earth is like your people Israel? Is there another nation whom God redeemed as a people for himself, to
make a name for himself, by performing great wonders and awesome deeds and by driving out nations and
gods for those whom you redeemed from Egypt?” Also, Isaiah would later declare that God led His people to
make for Himself a glorious name, Isaiah 63:14. Therefore, it is not that God is intentionally disparaging His
people, but He is declaring a wonderful message of help, hope and Godly care to those whom He has chosen
so that His name would be great in all the earth. This truth is certainly most pronounced in the prayer of Jesus
to His Father, recorded in Matthew 6, often called the “Lord’s prayer.” Jesus begins His model prayer with
the request, “hallowed be your name.” Matthew 6:9. See also Luke 11:2. It is the prayer of the Son that the
name of the Father be hallowed (glorified, known, revered, worshiped, exalted, uplifted) throughout all the
earth.
God, as recorded in Isaiah 41:14, reveals some parts of His name that He holds most high over all names.
First, He calls Himself their “Redeemer.” The Hebrew word is go’al which has the meaning of kinsmen
redeemer. The Biblical book of Ruth is a beautiful story of a man, Boaz who acts as a kinsmen redeemer for
his relative, Ruth.
God as Israel’s (Judah’s) Redeemer is a major theme of the book of Isaiah. God is described as the
Redeemer (go’al) in Isaiah 43:14; 44:6, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16; and 63:16. The
action of God in redeeming His people (go’al) is declared in Isaiah 35:9; 43:1; 44:22; 44:23; 48:20; 51:10;
52:3, 9; 62:12; and 63:9. Not only was this description of God as a Redeemer (go’al) a source of great eternal
comfort for His people in the Old Testament but it is also the believer’s great hope for an eternal destination
with God through the great accomplished word of God’s Son, the believer’s Saviour as described so clearly
in the New Testament. See extended comment on “go’al” on the notes for Isaiah 35:9 in this study.
363…..Isaiah 41:14-16
Second, God in Isaiah 41:14 describes Himself as the “Holy One of Israel”. This is a very special name for
God, that occurs 28 times in Isaiah. See 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:17, 20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19, 23: 30:11, 12, 15; 31:1;
37:23; 41: 14, 16, 20; 43: 3, 14, 15; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9 and 14. Isaiah also uses “Holy
One” as a title 4 times in 10:17; 40:25; 43:15; and 49:7 and “Holy One of Jacob” once in 29:23. The
repetition of this title in Isaiah must not be overlooked as just a common title. It is a most sacred name for
God. He declares Himself to be the “Holy One.” The word “holy” as applied to God is a description of His
essential nature. It has a variety of meanings but its most basic meaning is glory, honour, abundance
(literally: weight) and is the opposite of anything evil, profane or common. Hosea 11:9 states, “For I am God
and not a man, the Holy One in the midst of you.” The spectacular revelation of the Scriptures is that the
Most High God, whose holiness is Himself, (and not just one of His attributes), has elected to live among His
chosen people. There is none like Him, none holy like Him, and there is no other God, anywhere, at any time
Who has come to live among mankind. He therefore is not far from anyone but close to all. The New
Testament reveals a divine mystery. This Holy One comes even closer to those who profess faith in His Son
by entering into residence within the believer through the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 3:16 and Colossians
1:27. For an extended article on the holiness of God, refer to the Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the
Bible, Vol. 3; Holiness: pages 173-183.
41:15-16 Look, I will make you to be a new sharp threshing instrument
having many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains,
crush them and make the hills like chaff.
16
You will winnow them and the wind will carry them away,
and the whirlwind will scatter them.
Then you will rejoice in the LORD;
you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
In the context of chapter 41, and specifically with reference to 41:9, the message of Isaiah in 41:15-16 would
not easily apply to the returning exiles from Babylon. Many Biblical scholars claim the message of Isaiah
chapters 40-66 are mostly directed to these returning exiles. However, this claim needs to be examined
closely. Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 41-51 has provided an excellent discussion on this issue. There
are certainly specific references to Babylon within chapters 40-66: 43:14; 44:24 - 45:7; 45:11-13; 46:1-13;
47:1-15; and 48:12-22, but it would be unwise and not exegetically sustainable to consider that these
references indicate that all of chapters 40-66 are about the return of the exiles from Babylon. Isaiah 41:15-16
certainly does not fit the days of the return of the Babylonian exiles to Jerusalem. The question then must be
asked, to what days or time do these verses apply? As was discussed in the notes on 41:9, these verses must
apply to some day or period in the future that has yet to be fulfilled. The days that best apply to these verses,
therefore, would be at the second coming of Jesus Christ, when He, as a warrior King, will defeat the
enemies of the faithful remnant and then He will establish His Messianic kingdom. For example, Micah 4:11-
13 refers to the future days when Israel will arise and thresh and pulverize many nations (through the strength
the Messiah will instill in them). This prophecy comes immediately after a reference to Babylon, Micah 4:10.
When the time arrives, Isaiah 41:15-16, God will make His people like a threshing sledge to pulverize the
mountains so that nothing remains and then His people will rejoice in Him and glory in “the Holy One of
Israel.” J. Alec Motyer comments on these two verses:
“15–16. Note the balance between I will make and you will winnow. The Lord’s transforming power
is not meant to immobilize but to enable his people. A threshing-sledge was a heavy wooden platform
with sharp cutting edges fitted underneath. Thresh the mountains: i.e. tackle the seemingly
impossible, remove the seemingly impenetrable (Zech. 4:7). Wind … gale: the ‘forces of nature’ are
often used as symbols of divine action (Pss 18:7–15; 104:4). So, here, the Lord who transforms (15a)
364…..Isaiah 41:17-18
and mobilizes (16a) his people leaps in powerfully on their side to scatter and remove what stood in
their way. The LORD … the Holy One of Israel occurs here as the end ‘bracket’ matching verse 14.
Rejoice … glory: joy, here (cf. the singing of 54:1) symbolizes glad entrance into what the Lord has
done for us; he is the Agent, we the beneficiaries; his the work, ours the joy.” (J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah,
page 255).
Isaiah 41:17-20: The Blessings of God
These verses are a declaration of God’s care and saving acts on behalf of His people. These words from God
as recorded by Isaiah were addressed to the people of Judah. Isaiah delivers a message of hope and comfort
for a future time when God will restore the natural world that has been under the curse of God since the fall
of earth’s first parents. The location of this restoration will undoubtedly be the kingdom of Messiah where
His people Israel will live in harmony with nature and under the rule and nurture of their divine King. The
description of God’s restorative work complements similar promises found in the writings of the prophets.
See Isaiah 11:6-10; 30:19-26; 32:15-18; 35:1-10; 43:19-21; 44:1-5; 55:13; 65:17-25; Ezekiel 34:23-31;
Hosea 2:18-23; and Amos 9:11-15.
41:17 The poor and needy seek water,
but there is none.
Their tongue fails for thirst;
I, the LORD, will answer them,
I, the God of Israel, will not abandon them.
At the end of the chaotic and terrifying days of tribulation, the remnant of God’s people (the afflicted and
needy) will be seeking relief from their thirst but they will not be able to find water in the desert lands where
they have fled. But God will nourish them. Revelation 12:13-14. See also Zechariah 14:1-8. God will take
upon Himself the care of His afflicted people. As the God of Israel, He will not forsake them. This is one of
the most comforting promises for the people of God. In 41:9, Isaiah declared a similar promise, “I have
chosen you and not rejected you.” See also Isaiah 43:1-7. The Apostle Paul wrote, “I ask then, has God
rejected his people? Certainly not!” Romans 11:1. The writer of Hebrews, quoting Deuteronomy
31:6, stated, “for he has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5. One of the reasons for
God’s care for His people is stated in Isaiah 41:20. God jealously guards His reputation and accomplishes
great things so that the whole earth will know of Him and glorify His name. See notes on 41:14 above.
41:18 I will open rivers on the bare heights,
and springs in the midst of the valleys.
I will make the wilderness a pool of water,
and the dry land springs of water.
God promises that His care for his thirsty people will involve a supernatural transformation of areas known to
be devoid of water: the bare heights, barren valleys, wilderness areas, and dry land. To these areas, God will
cause water to flow like rivers, springs to rise up, pools and fountains of water to emerge. Isaiah gives a
dramatic picture of this transformation as recorded in 43:19-21.
19
Look, I will do a new thing.
Now it springs forth.
Can't you see it?
I will even make a way in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert.
365…..Isaiah 41:18-20
20
The wild animals of the fields will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches;
because I provided waters in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21
the people I formed for myself,
that they might declare my praise.
God will create waters in the desert to give drink to His chosen people.” Isaiah 43:20. The result of God’s life
preserving work in these dry and arid places will be for the people whom He had formed for Himself and
they will declare His praise. Isaiah 43:21.
41:19 I will grow in the wilderness the cedar,
acacia, myrtle, and olive trees.
I will set in the desert the cypress,
fir, and pine tree together.
God not only will provide a supernatural water supply to dry and waterless places, but He will also grow (set)
trees in the wilderness and desert. The supply of water will be necessary for the trees to survive. Not only
does God miraculously care for His people but He transforms the natural world by the supply of trees that
support animal life, provide shade and shelter for people and create beauty from bareness. As in many other
passages in Isaiah, 41:19 demonstrates God’s care for His created world. For example, in 32:15 Isaiah
predicts:
Until the Spirit is poured on us from on high,
and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field,
and the fruitful field considered a forest.
Refer also to the greater context of Isaiah 32:15-20. There are seven trees described in 41:19: cedar, acacia,
myrtle, olive, cypress, fir and pine. These are all native to Judah and its immediate surrounding areas but not
to other parts of the Near Eastern geographical area. The cedar will once again be the glory of Lebanon and
the myrtle will have much significance. In the future days of the Messianic kingdom, God will restore a
specific feast to honour His presence. The Feast of Tabernacles (or booths) will be celebrated. See Zechariah
14:16. In preparation for the feast of Tabernacles, the Israelites gathered branches from leafy trees including
the myrtle to use in the construction of booths, Nehemiah 8:15. The requirements for the Feast of
Tabernacles are described most specifically in Leviticus 23:33-44 and Deuteronomy 16:13-17. Peter, the
disciple of Christ, was overwhelmed by Christ’s transfiguration and, as he understood it, desired to make
booths, Matthew 17:4, Mark 9:5; Luke 9:33. Peter may have had a sense of the reason for the Feast of
Tabernacles for it celebrates the truth of God’s dwelling among His people. The Lord will provide abundant
leafy trees including the myrtle so that every year, in the Messianic kingdom, everyone will participate in this
glorious feast to celebrate the presence of the Lord among them. The significance of God’s usage of
“tabernacle” in Revelation 21:3 should not be missed!
41:20 This is done so they may see, know, consider,
and understand together,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
and the Holy One of Israel has created it.
366…..Isaiah 41:20-21
The ultimate reason the Lord will supernaturally give water and trees to dry and arid places during the future
Messianic kingdom is revealed in Isaiah 41:20. It is true that He will do this so that His people will have
water to survive and trees to provide shelter and shade and for the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles, but
the core reason is that His people and all peoples on the earth will see, recognize and give glory to God
because it is God Himself who has done these works. God above all else, desires that His name be hallowed
in all the earth. Matthew 6:9. He has an intense desire for the recognition of His great name. 1 Samuel 12:22;
and that His name would be magnified forever, 2 Samuel 7:26. He does miraculous things, such as parting
the waters of the Red Sea, to make for Himself an everlasting name, Isaiah 63:12. A study of the name of the
Lord in Scripture will reveal many such passages that declare the truth that the Lord could not accomplish
His marvelous works in the name of any other being, human or spiritual. Luke, the author of the Book of
Acts declared, “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven, given among
humans, by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. According to the Scriptures, there is “no other name.” There
is no name greater, more exalted, more worthy to be praised, none higher, none to be worshiped forever than
the name of the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. God could not accomplish what He does in any other name or
exalt any other name. It is entirely holy and righteous for God to exalt His own name. No one could think or
suggest a higher more worthy name to praise, so God exalts and glorifies His name as the ultimate reason for
His works among mankind.
Isaiah 41:21-29: The False gods of the Nations
41:21-24: The Challenge to the Idols
This Messianic study of Isaiah suggests that chapter 41 contains a prophetic message from Isaiah that has its
fulfillment at the end of the tribulation period and the beginning of the messianic kingdom and yet would be
an applicable lesson for Isaiah’s immediate audience. Many scholars, however, suggest that this chapter is a
prediction of the return of the exiles from Babylon following the edict from the Persian king Cyrus, yet there
is no Biblical evidence that the returning exiles from Babylon brought with them idols from this nation or
any other nation. However, idols will be present in the end times, Revelation 9:20, and will be an
abomination to the Lord then as they were during the days of Isaiah. Therefore, Isaiah’s audience regarding
God’s taunt regarding idols (gods: Isaiah 41:23), would understand the message as they would have
understood Isaiah previous messages. See Isaiah 2:8-24; 10:10-11; 19:1-3; 31:6-7; and 40:18-20. They would
have also understood God’s wrathful judgment regarding idols in Isaiah’s coming messages recorded in
42:17; 44:9-20; 45:16-25; 48:1-11; 57:13 and 66:3-4. The prophet in 41:21-24 is declaring that worthless
idols have no ability to either predict what is going to happen in the future or to explain what has happened in
the past with the conclusion that anyone who would choose to worship an idol is an abomination to the Lord.
41:21 "Present your case,"
says the LORD.
"Put forth your best arguments,"
says the King of Jacob.
In contrast to Isaiah 41:1, where God calls His audience to be silent, the prophet declares God’s command in
41:21 to present their case. Isaiah 41:21 and the following verses, are presented in a courtroom setting where
God is both the divine prosecutor and judge. God’s demand for the nations to speak up stem from His claim
of His sovereign works recorded in the previous verses of this chapter. The charge directed to these nations is
presented in 41:22. The words “the King of Jacob” are very significant for they are God’s self-declaration
that He is their King. As King, He righteously reigns over His people and demands that they not only
worship Him as their one true God but obey Him as their divine King. The words “King of Jacob” occur only
367…..Isaiah 41:21-23
in this verse. The words, “King of Israel” referring to God alone occur in Isaiah 44:6 and Zephaniah 3:15 in
the Old Testament. In the New Testament, the words “King of Israel” are ascribed to the Messiah in John
1:49 and 12:13. As King, God is exalted and rules with righteousness. Selected verses in the Old Testament
for reference for God as King, the One who reigns include, 1 Chronicles 29:12; Psalm 22:28; 47:8; 59:13;
66:7; 72:8; 93:1; 95:3; 96:10; 97:1; 98:6; 99:1; 103:19; 110:2; 146:10; Isaiah 19:4; 24:23; 32:1; 40:10;
Jeremiah 23:5; Lamentations 5:19; and Micah 5:2. In the New Testament see Matthew 2:6; Romans 15:12; 1
Corinthians 15:24; Revelation 1:5; 2:27; 12:5; and 19:15. Specific references in the Old Testament to God as
a King ruling over His Kingdom include Psalm 22:28; 45:6; 145:11-13; 148:11; Isaiah 9:7; 24:21; 49:7, 23;
52:15; Daniel 4:3, 34; and 7:27. In the New Testament there are numerous references to God’s Kingdom
either stated as the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven. Many of these occur in the four Gospel
accounts. See also Revelation 11:15 and 12:10. Another expression of the rule of the King in the New
Testament is “King of kings and Lord of lords.” See; 1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 17:14 and 19:16. The term
Lord of lords is also found in Deuteronomy 10:17. A highly recommended resource for understanding the
Kingdom of God and God as ruler of His Kingdom is, He Will Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology of the
Kingdom of God, Lampion Press, 2017, author: Michael Vlach.
41:22 Let them bring in their idols.
Tell us what is going to happen.
Declare what things happened in the past,
what they were,
so that we may consider them,
and check whether they actually happened
or tell us what things are to come.
The initial charges against the nations are recorded in Isaiah 41:22. First, God calls upon them to declare
what is going to take place in the future. Second, God calls upon them to reveal what where previous events,
which may have reference to God’s work among His people. They are to reveal these events, if they knew
them so God, speaking in the plural, can consider or weigh them and know their outcome. Third, in the last
line of 41:22, is a repeat of the first: “tell us what things are to come.” There is no doubt that this is a taunt
from God, for it is obvious from earlier messages by Isaiah that idols are worthless. See references within the
Book of Isaiah to idols in the notes on the introduction to 41:21-24.
41:23 Predict the things that are to come in the future,
that we may prove that you are gods.
Yes, do good, or do evil,
so that we may be frightened and be in awe.
In Isaiah 41:23, God continues his taunt against the idols of the nations. Again, He charges these worthless
idols to declare future things and now God adds, “that we may prove that you are gods.” One certain sign of
divinity as God explains is the supernatural ability to declare with accuracy future events. This is similar to
God’s judgment upon false prophets as recorded in Deuteronomy 13:1-5; 18:15-22; and Jeremiah 23:15-40.
God’s taunt is next directed at the very core of the inability of any idol to perform any task or to accomplish
anything at all. God demands these idols “do good or do evil that we may be frightened and be in awe.” If
they could perform any task, either good or evil, then there would be cause for concern, but God is neither
fearful nor ignorant of the abilities of these idols. Refer to J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, page 257 for a discussion
on the impotency of idols.
368…..Isaiah 41:24-25
41:24 Look, you are nothing,
and your work is nothing at all.
The one who chooses you is an abomination.
God declares His judgment in this courtroom setting. The first judgment is upon the idols. There are two
aspects to this judgment. First God states, “you are nothing.” A common Hebrew word in the Scriptures for
idol is elil which has the meaning of “worthless.” In 41:24 in the NIV, God declares these idols to be “less
than nothing.” The second aspect of the first judgment of God upon the idols is that “your work is nothing at
all.” The NIV has “utterly worthless.” Idols as described by God have no value, nor can they accomplish
anything whatsoever. The second judgment declared by God regards those who chooses idols to be their
gods. God stated, “He who chooses you (an idol) is an abomination.” Those who choose to carve, fashion
and worship idols have this condemnation from God upon them. This condemnation was as dramatic and
eventful in the long days before Isaiah’s ministry and continues in the millennia following the days of Isaiah.
God’s judgment upon those who choose idols has not changed and will not change, Revelation 9:20-21. The
Apostle Paul stated, “We know that an idol doesn't exist in the real world, and that there is no God but one.”
1 Corinthians 8:4.
41:25-29: God’s Prediction of One to Come
(God alone and not any idol can accurately and perfectly predict the future)
41:25 I have stirred up one from the north,
and he is coming,
from the rising of the sun one who calls on my name.
He will trample on rulers like mud,
and like the potter treads clay.
In keeping with the context of the preceding verses, God makes a declaration of great prophetic importance
to prove that He alone can perfectly and accurately declare the things that are going to come in the future.
God is proclaiming to all the earth that, because He can do this, His name therefore is above every name and
He alone is the God of creation and the universe and that the words of 41:20 apply only to Him. God words
in 41:25 must apply to someone and the majority of evangelical conservative scholars are of the opinion that
this someone is Cyrus whom Isaiah speaks more about in 45:1. Not everyone is convinced however, that king
Cyrus is the identity of the one that God has “stirred up (aroused) from the north and he is coming.” The
NASB states in 41:25, that “he has come.” Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 148-149 provides a detailed
discussion on the possibility that the one referenced as the “one from the north” is king Sennacherib of
Assyria. For a discussion in support of the view that Cyrus is intended as the identity of this “one from the
north,” see Robert B. Chisholm Jr., Handbook of the Prophets, Baker Academic, 2002, pages 98-99. Refer
also to Herbert M. Wolf, Interpreting Isaiah: The Suffering and Glory of the Messiah, Zondervan Publishing
House, 1985, page 190.
If it is understood that Cyrus is the identification of this “one from the north,” then the words regarding this
coming one in Isaiah 41:25, “he will trample on rulers like mud, and like the potter treads clay.” describe the
way in which Cyrus, in the future (to Isaiah’s day), will go about his conquest of nations. Historical records
confirm that Cyrus faced little opposition in his military campaigns and no more so than in the conquest of
Babylon. See comments in the notes of this study on Isaiah 45:1-7. The student of Scriptures should take
careful notice of the English grammatical tenses of 41:25. The verse begins with the past tense “I have stirred
up” and the present tense “he is coming” and then proceeds to the future tense ‘he will trample.” The NIV
translation contains all present tense actions while the KJV has two tenses, the present and the future. The
point here is not to engage into an exacting study of the Hebrew verbs but to understand that God sees the
369…..Isaiah 41:26-27
past, present and future unlike humans see or perceive time. God experiences time and eternity as a constant
experience. He does not simply know about the past, present and future as a constant but experiences them in
the “eternal now.” By doing so, God can with precision declare a far future event with divine confidence so
that the believer can have absolute assurance that what God declares about the future will take place exactly
as He says it will. In 41:26-29, Isaiah expounds on this supernatural ability of God to proclaim the future.
41:26 Who has declared it from the beginning, that we may know?
Who has announced ahead of time,
that we may say, "This one is right"?
Yes, none of them has predicted it,
yes, there is none of them who have proclaimed it,
yes, there is none of them who heard your words.
God stands alone in foretelling the future. He asks, “Who has declared it from the beginning, that we might
know?” He asks this question to the assembled nations accompanied with their idols in a court room setting,
41:21 and following verses. The Lord asks those in the courtroom if they could identify who declares the
choice of a specific person “from the beginning?” Perhaps the meaning here is that it is from the beginning
of human history. This rhetorical question continues with, “who has announced ahead of time” with the
response that God (plural “we”) would state in His decision that “This one is right!” The implication of the
rhetorical question is that only one positive response is possible. Only the Holy One of Israel is right for He
alone accurately and with precision foretells the future. The words “This one” in the third line of 41:26, may
refer to king Cyrus, whom God has stirred up, 41:25; or perhaps more accurately, it refers to one who from
the beginning could announce ahead of time the declaration of prophecy of the person from the north who is
to come.
The second part of 41:26 answers the question in a negative sense with God stating that with the thrice
repeated “none of them” who predicted, proclaimed or heard God’s words. There were no words to hear
because the worthless idols of the nations could not declare or proclaim anything. See a similar
question/response in 41:4 and a similar demand in 41:22-23.
41:27 I first declared to Zion,
'Look, here they are,'
I gave Jerusalem a messenger bringing good tidings.
God verbally strikes out against the worthless idols of the nations by stating that He had indeed declared
good news to Zion and Jerusalem (His people); See also 40:9 and 52:7. The words in 41:27, “Look here they
are” and “I gave Jerusalem a messenger bringing good tidings” possibly refer to the prophet Isaiah. See
Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 150. Also, Gleason L. Archer commenting on the KJV, considers this
possibility:
“27. Behold them: ie., behold the fulfillments of my predictions. Render the verse thus: “(As) the first
(to say) to Zion, ‘lo and behold them,’ I was giving to Jerusalem a messenger of good news” (i.e.,
Isaiah himself).” (Gleason L. Archer, Isaiah, page 638).
Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 197, suggests that this messenger was Cyrus. However, another possibility
for the identification of this messenger is suggested. If the words in Isaiah 41:27, “I gave Jerusalem a
messenger bringing good news,” refers to the Lord’s message in Isaiah 40:9 and looks forward to Isaiah 52:7,
it is possible that the messenger is the Messiah who brings good news to Jerusalem. See notes on Isaiah 52:7
for an extended discussion.
370…..Isaiah 41:28-29
41:28-29 I look but there is no one.
There is no sage among them,
that I might ask them and receive an answer.
29
Look, all of them are nothing.
Their deeds are empty.
Their metal images are nothing but an empty wind.
The last two verses of chapter 41 of Isaiah conclude God’s courtroom drama and His final judgment on the
idols of the nation. God has declared in 41:25-27 that He alone delivers to His people a true prediction of
coming events and it is He who gives them a messenger of good news. God looks among the nations and
finds no one, no counsellor who can give an answer to any question God (or anyone else) could ask of them.
God’s final statement of judgment is recorded in 41:29, “Look, all of them (the nations of the world) are
nothing. Their deeds are empty,” (they can perform no works worthy of God’s standard). Isaiah 41:29
concludes with, “Their metal images are nothing but an empty wind.” Their idols are absolutely worthless
and of no value to themselves or to anyone else.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 41
41:1-20: The True God of Israel
41:1-7 The Rule of God
41:8-16 The Strength of God
41:17-20 The Blessings of God
41:21-29: The False gods of the Nations
41:21-24 The Challenges to the Idols
41;25-29 God’s Protection of One to Come
3. The Introduction of Messiah: The Chosen Servant of God: 42:1-13
Isaiah, beginning with chapter 42 introduces a magnificent series of prophecies on the Messianic Servant of
the Lord. Scholars often refer to these series of prophetic messages as the Servant Songs. They are not really
songs but divine declarations regarding One who is to come who will later in Isaiah be revealed as the One
upon whom “the LORD has laid on him the sin of us all.” Isaiah 53:6. This Servant will therefore be revealed
as the coming Messiah whom the New Testament ascribes the name of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Four Messianic Servant messages are usually understood to be recorded in Isaiah 42:1-13; 49:1-13; 50:4-11;
and 52:13-53:12. Chapter 42 is easily divided into two sections regarding the servants of God. The first 13
verses refer to the great Messianic Servant of God (vs. 1: Behold My Servant). This Servant is the Son of
God, the Messiah who is revealed in the New Testament as the Lord Jesus Christ. This Servant brings light to
His people and to the nations of the world. The second section, verses 14-25 refer to the people of God as the
blind and deaf servant of God. The blind and deaf people of God cannot bring light to the nations (or to
themselves) and they need, as do all nations to be enlightened by the great Messianic Servant of God.
As recorded in the first section, vss. 1-13 of Isaiah chapter 42, the prophet declares, look (or behold) my
servant, whom I (God) support, my chosen, in whom my (God) soul delights. I (God) will put my Spirit upon
him; and he will bring forth justice to the nations, vs. 1. This servant will be meek and humble and will not
grow faint or be discouraged. He will establish justice on the earth and the distant nations will wait for his
teaching, vss. 2-4. The LORD who is the creator of the heavens and the earth and who gives breath to the
people of the earth, has called His servant in righteousness and protects him. God makes the servant a
covenant for the people and a light for the nations to open blind eyes and release captives from the prison of
371…..Isaiah 42:1-13 Introduction
darkness, vss. 5-7. God will not give His glory to another or His praise to idols. The things God has
predicted have happened, vss. 8-9. The peoples of the earth are therefore to sing praises to God and give Him
glory, vss. 10-13.
In the second section, vss. 14-25 of Isaiah chapter 42, the prophet declares that God had held His peace for a
long time but now will act forcefully for He will demolish mountains and dry up waters. He will lead the
blind and turn darkness into light and make smooth the rough places and will not forsake them, vss. 14-17.
Those who are called His servant (His covenant people), are declared to be blind and deaf and cannot
comprehend what God is doing. They are people who have been robbed and plundered and no one rescues
them, vss. 18-22. Who will listen to God’s message? God has given up Jacob and Israel to be plundered for
they had sinned against Him. Therefore, He has poured on them His fierce anger and punished them with
burning but they did not listen to Him, vss. 23-25.
Much scholarly debate has arisen over the identity of the Servant in the four prophetic messages, commonly
called the “Servant Songs,” Isaiah 42:1-13; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12. This study intentionally does
not review the volumes of literature regarding this debate. Many excellent scholarly works are available for
those who seek to engage in a study of this topic. A few suggested sources are listed below for this purpose.
As has been observed, this study stands solidly for a Messianic understanding of the content of Isaiah
including the four Messianic Servant messages listed above. Three suggested sources for a deeper
engagement in the study of the Messianic Servant Messages are:
1. Baron, David. The Servant of Jehovah: The Sufferings of the Messiah and the Glory That Should Follow,
Marshall, Morgan & Scott. An Internet version is available.
2. Culver, Robert Duncan. The Sufferings and the Glory of the Lord's Righteous Servant. Christian Service
Foundation. An Internet version is available at: http://www.rediscoveringthebible.com
3. Lindsey, F. Duane. The Servant Songs: A Study in Isaiah. Moody Publishers. An Internet version is
available at: (faculty.gordon.edu/hu/bi/ted_hildebrandt)
John A. Martin, comments:
“42:1–4. Some Bible students say My Servant here refers to Israel, which is clearly the case in verse
19. True, Israel was upheld and chosen by the Lord, and was His delight. However, the statements in
verses 1b–4 suggest that here the Servant is the Messiah. This One has the Spirit of God on Him (cf.
11:2), and He will bring justice to the nations (cf. 9:7; 11:3–4; 16:5). He will be gentle (42:2–3a)—
most people would break a weak, useless reed, but He will not do so-and He will be faithful (v. 3b)
and not … discouraged (v. 4). He gave the Law in which the islands (i.e., people in remote parts; cf.
41:1) will … hope. Matthew 12:18–21 quotes Isaiah 42:1–4 with some minor variations, relating it to
Jesus and His ministry in Israel. As God’s Servant, Jesus did what Israel could never do. He perfectly
carried out the will of the father so that people everywhere may believe in the Holy One of Israel.”
(John A. Martin, Isaiah, page 1095, © 1985 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible
Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament is published by David C Cook. All rights reserved).
Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer add:
“Despite the potential options, it appears best to identify the servant in the Servant Songs of the book
of Isaiah as a prediction of the Messiah. As such the NT identifies Jesus of Nazareth as the referent to
these passages. The NT’s acknowledgement of Jesus as Messiah and, thus, as the Servant of the Lord,
372…..Isaiah 42:1
makes clear that He is the true referent of the Servant Songs (cf. Mt 8:14-17; Lk 22:37; Ac 8:30-35; 1
Pt 2:21-25).” (Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer, Isaiah, The Moody Bible Commentary, page
1065).
See also Elliott E. Johnson, The Message of the Servant Songs, The Moody Handbook of Messianic
Prophecy, pages 921-929.
42:1 Behold My Servant, whom I uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations. (NASB)
Isaiah begins the first Messianic servant message with these most beautiful and affectionate words from God:
“Behold My Servant” (NASB)
The NASB rightly interprets the Hebrew word hen in 41:29 and the next verse 42:1 as a call to seriously
consider the contrast between the worthless works and worship of the heathen nations and the One who is
God’s Servant. There is a divine reason for this call of God to seriously consider His Servant. God is
heralding the future ministry of this Servant to all nations. The nations have just been found totally unable to
give counsel regarding past or future events or to pronounce any good news. The idols of these nations have
also been declared in God’s court of justice to be nothing but an empty wind, 41:29. God was looking for a
counsellor, who was not to be found among the nations, so He now abruptly announces to these same nations
that they behold His Servant. This is strikingly similar to the words of the returning warrior king (the
Messiah) as recorded in Isaiah 63:5:
I looked, but there was no one to help;
I was shocked that there was no one to lend support.
Therefore my own arm brought me salvation,
and my wrath sustained me.
The words of Isaiah 42:1 describe an earlier portion of the earthly work of the Servant of God while the
words of Isaiah 63:5 describe a much later earthly work of this same Servant. Both of these prophetic
passages were still far in the future for Isaiah and his contemporaries. The Isaiah 63:5 passage may refer to a
time that is perhaps close in the future for the modern reader of the book of Isaiah.
The words “Behold My Servant” could be considered a theme or secondary title for the entire book of Isaiah.
The following passages in Isaiah refer to the Messiah as the Servant of God, 42:1-13; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and
52:13-53:12. Other major passages in Isaiah (selected only) which refer to the Messiah, including His titles
and His kingdom include 2:1-4; 4:1-6; 7:14; 9:1-7; 11:1-16; 12:1-6; 25:1-12; 26:1-21; 27:1-12; 29:17-24;
30:19-26; 32:1-9, 15-20; 35:1-10; 40:1-11; 41:17-20; 43:1-7, 16-21; 44:1-8; 45:14-25; 49:14-26; 51:1-14;
52:6-12; 54:1-17; 55:1-13; 56:1-12; 57:13b-19; 58:6-12; 59:15b-21; 60:1-22; 61:1-11; 62:1-12; 63:1-6; 65:8-
16, 17-25; and 66:5-24. The John MacArthur NASB Study Bible has two charts which give an extensive
listing of passages in Isaiah which reference the Messiah and His Kingdom. Chart 1: Prophecies regarding
the Messiah which were fulfilled at Christ’s first advent (page 946). Chart 2: Isaiah’s Description of Israel’s
Future Kingdom (page 1032).
The word “Servant” is the Hebrew ebed, which primarily has the meaning of “bondage,” “slave,”
“household or other servant,” “attendant,” “official,” and in a wider sense all who reside within a kingdom
are the King’s servants. In all occurrences in Isaiah, ebed is translated as “servant” or “servants.” However,
the “Servant” described in Isaiah 42:1 is no ordinary subject or official as the following discussion confirms.
373…..Isaiah 42:1
“Whom I support”
God promises to support (uphold or hold fast) His Servant. God had previously stated that he would uphold
(hold fast, keep for Himself) His people (41:10). The idea is similar in meaning to the psalmist’s words in
Psalm 41:12, “As for me, you uphold me because of my integrity; you set me in your presence forever.” There
will be no release or relaxing of God’s hold on His Servant (the Messiah, the Son of God). God keeps a
“grip” on His Son so that everything God has required of His Servant will be accomplished. No one can or
will ever thwart or ambush God’s divine plans for His Servant because God keeps Him held fast to Himself.
See also the words of Jesus recorded in John 5:36 and 14:10. J Alec Motyer, comments on the intent of
God’s “holding fast” of His Servant in Isaiah 42:1:
“Uphold: literally ‘grip fast’. The idea is not so much of imparting strength as of the Lord’s rights
over his Servant and his determination to keep his Servant for himself.” (J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah,
pages 259-260).
“My chosen one” (NASB)
The Messiah, the Servant, is also God’s Son. There is a unique eternal relationship between the Father and
the Son. When God declares that the Servant is His chosen one, it has a deeper and greater significance than
God stating that He has chosen any other servant (ie. Moses, Psalm 106:23; or David, 2 Chronicles 6:6; or
Solomon, 1 Chronicles 29:1; or Israel/Jacob, Isaiah 44:1). The plan of God from all eternity was to have His
chosen One, who is His Son, the Messiah, to accomplish His great act of love for the world, John 3:16, so
that whosoever would believe in His Son would have eternal life with the triune God, Father Son and Spirit.
The Servant, who is the Messiah, was chosen by the Father to accomplish an act of grace (by His atoning and
sacrificial death) that was so infinitely superior and eternally significant than what had been or could be
accomplished by any other servant of God. The intimate relationship between God as Father and as Son is of
such glorious magnificence in its holiness and beauty, that for God to describe the Servant (His Son) as His
“chosen one” is for God to say “We have by our divine decree and holiness of design elected to perform a
work of love beyond that which anyone else, spirit or flesh, could ever imagine, devise or accomplish.” God
the Father chose to have God the Son accomplish this work as His chosen Servant. What it cost the Son to
complete His work as a Servant of the Father is revealed in the New Testament. See Philippians 2:5-11 and
Hebrews 12:3. A glimpse of this cost was prophesied in the Old Testament. See Psalm 22; and Isaiah 52:13 -
53:12. See also Luke 9:35 which record the words of the Father from heaven regarding His Son: “This is My
Son, My Chosen One; listen to him!” (ESV)
“in whom my soul delights”
God is speaking about His unique relationship between Himself and the chosen Servant whom He upholds.
There is no greater, no holier, more intimate relationship than between the individual members of the
Godhead. Indeed they, the plural singularity that defines the Triune God, can never be separated nor have any
disagreement. God states that His soul delights in the Servant, who is the Messiah, His Son, Jesus Christ.
God is declaring that he delights (favors, accepts, approves, has pleasure) in the Servant with His whole
being, for in reality He is delighting in Himself as the triune God. This special relationship is witnessed in the
New Testament. At the baptism of Jesus Christ, the words of the Father are heard from heaven as recorded in
Matthew 3:17, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The words of the Father are heard again
from heaven on the mount of transfiguration as recorded in Matthew 17:5, “This is my beloved Son, in whom
I am well pleased. Listen to him.” Matthew 17:5 See also Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22 and 9:35.
“I have put My Spirit upon Him”
Isaiah earlier had declared this blessed prophesy in 11:1-2 and would later state it in 61:1. See notes on these
verses. The purpose of the placement (anointing) of the Spirit upon this Servant is for the purposes of
accomplishing the mission and task assigned to the Son by the Father. At the beginning of the Messiah’s
374…..Isaiah 42:1 and 2-4
public ministry, at His baptism, this placement of the Spirit on the Son was witnessed by those present.
Matthew declares, “After Jesus was baptized, when he came up out of the water, suddenly, the heavens were
opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him.” Matthew 3:16.
See also Matthew 12:18; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22 and John 1:32-34. The Servant, Jesus Christ, the Messiah,
was anointed by the Spirit to carry out His divine work, perform miracles, endure earthly temptations and
sufferings and to rise from death.
“He will bring forth justice to the nations.”
One of these tasks of the Servant (after having the Spirit descend upon Him) that Isaiah highlights is the
establishing of justice Hebrew mishpat, to the world. This work of establishing justice is mentioned three
times in this passage, 42:1, 3 and 4 which is highly significant. That God is One who righteously dispenses
justice is a major theme of the Scriptures. The first mention of justice occurs in Genesis 18:19 in the context
of a discussion God holds with Himself regarding Abraham, “For I have chosen him, so that he may instruct
his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and
justice; so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what he has promised him. During another conversation,
Abraham challenges God to be just, as recorded in Genesis 18:25, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do
right?” The justice of God is an important theological theme of the Psalms: 25:9; 33:5; 37:28; 89:14; 97:2;
99:4; 101:1; 111:7; 140:12 and 146:7. God’s justice is also a significant theological theme of Isaiah: 1:27;
9:7; 16:5; 28:6, 17; 30:18; 32:1, 16; 33:5; 40:14; 42:1, 3, 4; 51:4; 58:2 and 61:8. The prophet Jeremiah
considers the justice of God worthy of boasting about in 9:24. Jeremiah also declares the justice of the
Messiah during His millennial reign in 23:5 and 33:15. The justice of God is declared in Daniel 4:37 and in
the Minor Prophets: Hosea 2:19; Micah 7:9 and Zephaniah 3:5. In the New Testament see Matthew 12:18-21
(quoting from Isaiah 42:1-4) and Luke 7:29. Refer also to Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 161-162 for
an extended discussion.
42:2-4 He will not cry out,
or raise his voice,
or make his voice heard in the street.
3
A bruised reed he will not break,
and a faintly burning wick will he not extinguish.
He will bring forth justice with faithfulness.
4
He will not grow faint or be discouraged
until he has established justice on earth;
the coastlands will expectantly wait for his teaching.
Following the great introductory verse, Isaiah 42:1 describing the person and role of God’s unique Servant,
the Messiah, Isaiah provides more personal details about the Servant’s character when He will carry out the
work of establishing justice to the nations (see also Isaiah 32:1) by the literary device of seven negative
phrases in 42:2-4. The Servant (1) will not cry out; (2) nor raise His voice; (3) will not make His voice heard
in the street; (4) will not break a bruised reed; (5) will not extinguish a faintly burning wick; (6) will not grow
faint (be disheartened); and (7) nor will He be discouraged (crushed), until He has established justice in the
earth. There are also two similar positive statements in these verses. He will bring forth justice with
faithfulness and until he has established justice on the earth which refer to the second advent of the Messiah.
(1) He will not cry out (2) or raise his voice (3) or make his voice heard in the street
The Servant will not be seeking personal attention and fame, 42:2 by loudly crying out or proclaiming
Himself in public. The words “cry out,” Hebrew tsaaq, depict a cry of anguish during a time of distress.
Isaiah uses this Hebrew word in similar situations as recorded in 19:20; 33:7; 46:7; and 65:14. A related
Hebrew word is zaaq, occurring in Isaiah 14:31, 15:4, 15:5, 26:17 and 57:13. The prophecy that God’s
375…..Isaiah 42:2-5
Servant will not cry out was fulfilled in Messiah’s first advent when He suffered indignity before Roman
rulers Luke 23:9 and at the hands of cruel Roman soldiers who beat him severely. See Matthew 12:19; 26:57-
68; 27:11-14, 26-34; Mark 15:16-21; Luke 23:9-11; John 19:1-16; Hebrews 12:3 and 1 Peter 2:23.
(4) A bruised reed he will not break (5) and a faintly burning wick will he not extinguish
(6) He will not grow faint and (7) He will not be discouraged
The Messiah emphatically declared that he came down from heaven not to do His own will but the will of
Him who sent Him, John 6:38. See also John 4:34 and 5:30. The Servant will tenderly care for the weak and
broken (the bruised reed and dimly burning wick, vs. 3). He will be a gentle shepherd to those whom He
came to save. Matthew describes the ministry of Jesus and particularly the healing and caring aspect of this
ministry without public fame by quoting from this passage in Isaiah. Matthew 12:15-21. See also Isaiah
40:11; 50:4; 61:1 and John 10:11. The two positive statements in 42:3-4 have to do with establishing justice
on the earth by bringing forth justice with faithfulness (or by faithfully establishing justice on the earth). The
farthest part of the earth, described by Isaiah are the coastlands which “will expectantly wait for His
teaching,” 42:4 or as Matthew states it, “until he brings justice to victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles
hope.” Matthew 12:20-21. One of the most significant works of the Servant will be to bring justice not only
to His people Israel but to the Gentiles from all nations of the earth. Justice will only be accomplished in the
earth when the Messiah returns at His second advent, to demolish the rebellion of the nations against Israel.
See Isaiah 42:13, Psalm 2; Joel 3:2-4; Zechariah 14:1-3; and Revelation 16:14-16 – the battle of
Armageddon, and by the establishment of the His earthly kingdom.
42:5 This is what the sovereign LORD says,
he who created the heavens,
and stretched them out;
who spread out the earth
and everything that lives on it;
who gives breath to the people upon it,
and spirit to those who walk in it.
In Isaiah 42:1-4 the Lord talks about His Servant and in 42:5-7, He talks to His Servant. To begin His
declaration to His Servant the Lord describes His name and creative and sustaining power to underscore His
sovereign authority over His creation. There is no doubt Who is speaking and what He has accomplished.
This is a statement to the nations and to His people that there is a supreme being who is the true God who has
unimaginable powers in comparison to the idols of Israel and the nations who are worthless and can
accomplish nothing. These worthless images (carved idols) are mentioned in 42:8. They can predict nothing.
But God can declare new things as He has proved that the former things He has predicted have occurred.
Isaiah introduces this passage in 42:5 with a description of God as “the sovereign LORD” as or literally God
YHWH. See also Psalm 85:8. “God” is the Hebrew word el meaning mighty or almighty denoting in the
context of 42:5 His power in creation. Coupled with el, is the word LORD which is the Hebrew word YHWH
or with the vowels added, Yahweh. YHWH is the Jewish national name for God. God described His name to
Moses, Exodus 3:14 as “I AM WHO I AM” which has the meaning of being self-existent and eternal.
With this introduction of Himself, God declares that He is the great transcendent One who was the creator of
the heavens and stretched them out and spread out the earth. Along with His creative powers, God declares it
is He who gives breath, Hebrew neshamah and spirit, Hebrew ruah, to the people of the earth. To the first
person created, Adam, God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Adam became a living being,
Genesis 2:7. Along with breath God gave each of His created human beings a spirit (or soul) which
differentiated them from all other living creatures. Upon the death of a human, their spirit returns to God who
376…..Isaiah 42:6
gave it (their spirit) to them, Ecclesiastes 12:7. God alone gives, maintains and takes life. He is in absolute
control of His created universe, including the earth and those who live on the earth. It is this God, this
supreme Creator, that is introduced as having all authority who talks to His Servant in the following verses.
42:6 I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand
and protect you.
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
and a light for the nations.
The LORD reiterates His self-identification as “I the LORD” or “I am the Lord” in some English versions.
See also Isaiah 41:13; 42:8; 43:3, 11, 15; 45:5, 6, 7, 18; 48:17; 49:23; and 51:15. There should be no doubt as
to the identification of the One who has done the calling (the LORD), and no doubt to the identification of
who is called (His Servant). See 42:1, “my chosen one” (NASB). The calling of this Servant, who is His
chosen one, was much different than the calling of other servants. From all eternity and within the divine
counsels of the intimacy of the Godhead, the LORD has elected (chosen) by His decree to select One whom
will complete the greatest mission ever conceived to be undertaken in all creation. No other servant can
compare, nor is there any scale of comparison, between this Servant and His divine task. As the prophecy of
Isaiah now unfolds, more details regarding this marvelous mission is provided. This first and the other great
messages (songs) of the Servant, Isaiah 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12, are the key disclosures by God
regarding this divine mission. This mission had to be completed perfectly and in complete accordance with
God’s will. Without its completion, humanity would not have an opportunity, by faith in the Messiah and His
atoning sacrifice, to escape the penalty of death which all humanity deserves for their sinful thoughts and
actions.
I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness
This calling in righteousness has at least two major meanings, (1) the One that does the calling is righteous
and has a righteous work or mission and (2) the One being called is righteous and has a calling to a righteous
work or mission. Both meanings are correct, and they should be taken together to be understood as one
combined righteous calling. The righteousness of God and the Son has deep Biblical roots. See notes on
Isaiah 41:10 for a definition of righteousness as related to the nature of God. See also the definition of God’s
righteousness and justice by Henry Clarence Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, Revised Edition, 1979, page 85.
Among many wonderful passages which speak of the righteousness of God throughout the Scriptures the
following selected verses in Isaiah are worthy of the student’s attention and study. For the righteousness of
God (Yahweh) and His works see, Isaiah 5:16; 24:16; 33:5; 41:10; 42:21; 45:19, 21, 23, 24; 46:13; 48:18; 51:
5, 6, 8; 54:14; 56:1; 59:16 and 17. For the righteousness of the Son (the Servant) and His works see Isaiah
9:7; 11:4, 5; 16:5; 32:1, 16, 17; 53:11 and 63:1. See also Jeremiah 23:1-6; 33:14-18 and Zechariah 8:1-8. In
the New Testament, Paul explained that the righteous of God (the Son) is imputed (credited, reckoned) to the
believer through faith in the Son, Jesus Christ. See Romans 3:21-26 and 4:1-25. This crediting of
righteousness is also seen in Old Testament in the case of Abraham as recorded in Genesis 15:6, “and Abram
believed the LORD; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness.” It is also mentioned in Habakkuk, “the
righteous will live by his faithfulness.” Habakkuk 2:4. This verse is the theme of Romans, see Romans 1:16-
17.
I will take you by the hand and protect you
(and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee) KJV
377…..Isaiah 42:6
This is a tender promise of the Father to the Son. The Father promises to hold the Servant “by the hand”
during the Servant’s earthly ministry. This is a most precious complement to the Father’s earlier promise,
42:1, that He upholds (grips firmly) the Servant. By holding the Servant by the hand, the Father promises
never to leave Him or desert Him. The Servant has the assurance of His Father’s continual presence, support
and strength. Nothing can prevent the Servant from accomplishing His ministry and great mission while
being held by the hand by His Father. The Father also promises to watch over the Servant. His gaze will
never leave Him, nor will His caring love ever be absent from the Servant. As students of Scripture will
discover, this great care and love from the Father to the Servant, His Son, is also promised to those who
believe in the Son. Wonderful passages of Scripture such as Ephesians chapter 1 are replete with precious
promises to the Christian who have been adopted as sons. Believers are also called fellow heirs with Christ,
Romans 8:17. See notes by John MacArthur, NASB, on Romans 8:17. For those wanting a more extensive
discussion, see Douglas Moo, The Epistle to the Romans, NICNT, William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Company, 1996, commentary on Romans 8:17, pages 504-506
Isaiah had previously declared that the people of God had the assurance that they also would be upheld by
God’s righteous hand, 41:10 and that He would uphold their hand, 41:13. By this assurance God was saying
to His people, just as He had said to His chosen Servant, that He would help and strengthen them and never
forsake them.
I will give you as a covenant for the people
Many suggestions have been made by scholars as to the identification of this “covenant.” Michael Rydelnik
and James Spencer suggest:
“The phrase a covenant to the people is a figure of speech, a metonymy of effect (covenant) for cause
(mediator), and means a “covenant mediator for the people.” Like Moses, the Servant will mediate a
covenant for Israel’s benefit, specifically the “new covenant” for the messianic age (cf. Jr 31:31-34).
Since the Servant is the mediator of the covenant for Israel, the Servant clearly cannot be Israel.”
(Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer, Isaiah, The Moody Bible Commentary, page 1066). (bold
added for emphasis).
Robert B. Chisholm Jr. summarizes his comments on “covenant” in Isaiah 42:6:
“In light of the evidence, it is best to understand ‘covenant’ in Isa 42:6 as referring to one who
mediates a covenant with people on the Lord’s behalf. In this case, the phrase ‘covenant of people is
most naturally understood as meaning ‘covenant with people’ or ‘covenant-mediator for the people.”
(Robert B. Chisholm Jr. Isaiah 42:1-9: The Commission of the Servant of the Lord, The Moody
Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, page 935).
It is helpful to understand the concept of the Messiah as the “covenant” from the viewpoint of the complete
Scriptures. When the Old and New Testaments are examined, it becomes apparent that the statement in Isaiah
42:6 that the Servant will be given as a covenant for the people is a direct reference to the new covenant. For
example, for those who understand that the Servant is the Messiah, Jesus Christ will know that Jesus as
recorded in 1 Corinthians 11:25 stated, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” Jesus, the author of
salvation (Hebrews 2:10), is the mediator of the new covenant (Hebrews 8:6-13; 9:15-22; 12:24). Does this
mean that the other unilateral covenants, specifically the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants, have been
replaced by the new covenant? Not in the least! The new covenant replaces only the old conditional Mosaic
covenant. The other covenants God made with Israel are unconditional and God will keep His promises to
Israel made by His oath by these covenants. It is through the new covenant, specifically by faith in Christ and
that it is “in Christ” that all who believe participate presently in the unilateral Abrahamic and Davidic
378…..Isaiah 42:6-7
covenants. However, the Abrahamic, Davidic and new covenants will be completely fulfilled during the
glorious days of the millennial kingdom to come. For an excellent discussion on the new covenant and its
complete fulfillment in the millennial kingdom, see R. Bruce Compton, Dispensationalism, The Church, and
The New Covenant, Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal, DBSJ 8 (Fall 2003): 3–48. See also notes on Isaiah
49:8 for a listing of resources related to a study of the covenants. (bold added for emphasis).
Isaiah would later state, regarding this same chosen Servant, in 49:8:
I will give you as a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to re-establish their desolate inheritances.
As a light for the nations
In Isaiah 42:6, the Lord promises to uphold the Servant as He undertakes two identified tasks, (1) as a
covenant to the people and (2) as a light to the nations. Only this Servant, the Messiah, could accomplish
both of these tasks. The other “servant” (Israel) identified in Isaiah 42:14-25 is blind and deaf and Israel itself
is in need of the mediatorial and light bearing work of the Messiah. The word “light” in Isaiah 42:6 is the
Hebrew word “or” and is the word for light first introduced in Scriptures in Genesis 1:3, “Let there be light.”
Isaiah often referred to the significance of light in his prophecy. See 2:5; 5:20, 30, 9:2; 10:17; 13:10; 30:26;
42:6, 16; 45:7; 49:6; 51:4; 58:8, 10; 59:9; 60: 1, 3, 19, and 20. Isaiah would again reference this ministry of
the Messiah as a light to the nations in 49:6. The New Testament reveals that the Messiah would be a light to
the Gentiles (nations) in Luke 2:32 and Acts 26:23. He referred to Himself as the light of the world in John
8:12; 9:5; and 12:46. The people of God are also to be a light to the nations, as Isaiah declared in 60:3 and as
the New Testament confirms as recorded in Matthew 5:14; Acts 13:47 and Philippians 2:15.
The Messiah as light is a beautiful metaphor of His ministry to the world. See Luke 2:32; John 1:4-5; and 1
John 1:5-7. In contrast to the darkness of sin and its grasp on the world, Jesus, as a light to the nations,
overcomes (exposes, overwhelms, conquerors) the darkness so that the people of the world can see the
glorious light of the gospel of Christ. Paul eloquently describes this contrast in what undoubtedly is one of
the most hope-filled passages in the Scriptures as recorded in 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, “1 Therefore seeing we
have this ministry, by God's mercy, we do not lose heart. 2 We have renounced the hidden shameful deeds
and underhanded practices, and handling God's word deceitfully, but by the open declaration of the truth we
commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled
only to those who are perishing. 4 In whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the
unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5
For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6
For it is God who said, "Let there be light shining out of darkness," who shined in our hearts, to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
42:7 to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
and those who sit in darkness out of the prison.
More specifics of the task that God has given His Servant are revealed in Isaiah 42:7, specifically (1) to open
blind eyes and (2) to release prisoners from prisons who sit in darkness.
To open the eyes of the blind
If there was any inclination to understand the identity of the Servant in Isaiah 42:1-13 as being Israel, this
phrase, “to open the eyes of the blind” should remove any consideration of the identification of God’s chosen
people Israel, as this Servant. The people of God are declared a few verses later, 42:19 to be both blind and
deaf and it would be impossible for those who are blind and deaf to open blind eyes. Indeed, they are the
ones who need to have their blind eyes opened. The only One who could possibly open their eyes is God who
379…..Isaiah 42:7-8
will do so through the ministry of the Servant (the Messiah) who He has chosen, Isaiah 42:1. The opening of
blind eyes certainly has to be understood as a spiritual opening for the people of Israel and the nations would
have physical eyes that are open, but they would be blind to the spiritual truths God is declaring to them
through His Servant. It is Satan who is blinding the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot “see” the light of
the gospel, 2 Corinthians 4:4. The Messianic Servant, who will be a light to the nations, Isaiah 42:6, will
enlighten the people of the earth by shining His light in their hearts so that their eyes will be open “to give the
light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians 4:6.
During His first earthly ministry, Jesus opened physical eyes, made the lame walk, cleansed (cured) lepers,
gave hearing to the deaf, raised some who were dead and preached the gospel to those who were poor,
Matthew 11:4-5. Jesus declared His spiritual ministry regarding “seeing” Him as recorded in John 12:46, “I
have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in the darkness.” Isaiah had
earlier referred to the ministry of God (God as Messiah) as opening blind eyes and deaf ears. See notes on
Isaiah 9:2 and 35:5. It is only the Messiah as the Servant as introduced in these verses, Isaiah 42:1-13, who
could perform both a physical healing of opening blind eyes and of opening blind spiritual eyes. Those who
have had their physical eyes opened have only a temporary healing (perhaps until death). But those who
have had their spiritual eyes opened have an eternal healing, so they can see Christ as their savior and believe
in Him.
To bring out the prisoners from the dungeon
and those who sit in darkness out of the prison
These words could refer to a physical release of certain individuals from dungeons and from the darkness of
prisons but there is no evidence that the Servant during His first advent, had such a widespread ministry of
releasing captives. Peter’s release from prison, Acts 12:6-19, and the earthquake that resulted in the release of
Paul and Silas from a jail in Philippi, Acts 16:16-36, were isolated incidents that happened after Jesus Christ
had completed His first earthly ministry. Indeed, if physical release from prisons is the intent of the latter part
of Isaiah 42:7, why would Christ not have caused His cousin John to be released from prison before Herod
had ordered John to be killed. Refer to Matthew 14:3-12; Mark 6:14-29; and Luke 9:7-9. The best sense of
releasing prisoners from dark dungeons and prisons is to understand this as referring to the ministry of the
Servant, as the Messiah, who, during His earthly ministry, opened blinded eyes and released people from
spiritual dungeons of darkness so that the glorious light of the gospel could be seen. The Apostle Paul also
had this ministry which he received directly from Christ, Acts 26:12-18. This spiritual ministry has not
ceased to this day and will continue until Christ returns, for it is implicit in the great commission that Christ
has given this ministry to all who believe in Him and are His disciples, Matthew 28:16-20. The salvific
ministry of Christ’s faithful followers, results in those being held in spiritual prisons, being released to
freedom and new lives when they trust in Christ for salvation.
42:8 I am the LORD, that is my name;
and my glory I will not give to another,
or my praise to carved idols.
Following the message of God about the Servant, Isaiah 42:1-4, and His message to the Servant, 42:5-7, God
again makes a great declaration about Himself. See also 42:5. God surrounds His message to His Servant
(His Son) with a statement of His (the Father) authority and glory. God declares his great name as the
covenant keeping LORD who is faithful and true to His covenants with Israel. He is the only God and there is
no other god and therefore He will not allow His glory to be given to another. There is no other! It is
righteous and holy for God to both glorify Himself and expect that His creatures will glorify Him. It is the
same with the praise He gives to Himself and with the praise His creatures give to Him. God can glorify and
380…..Isaiah 42:8-9
praise Himself for there is no one higher, or more worthy, or more excellent, deserving of this glory and
praise. The song of heaven is one of praise and glory for both the Father and the Son. See Revelation 4:11;
and 5:9-14.
The LORD will not allow any glory and praise rightfully belonging to Him to be given to carved or graven
images. This statement by God emphasizes by repetition, Isaiah’s most recent message regarding idols in
chapter 40:15-20 and chapter 41. Also, in 42:17 the prophet declared God’s message regarding His people’s
trust in idols and molten images as a summary of His hatred for idol worship. See notes on Isaiah 2:8, 18-20;
10:10-11; 19:1-3; 21:9; 30:22; 31:7; 40:15-20; 41:7-8, 23-29; 42:17; 44:9-20; 45:16, 20-21; 46:1-7; 48:5;
57:13 and 66:3.
The zeal of God in jealously guarding His glory and praise is boldly emphasized in 42:8. See also 48:11. God
demands that His created beings recognize His greatness and power by devoting their worship to Him alone.
To give any of this worship of praise and glory due to God to another is rebellion and anarchy. It is a
statement that there is someone else more worthy of human’s devotion. God will not long endure this
rebellion. The Scriptures declare that God alone is to be worshiped. This is evidenced from the earliest record
of man’s existence, from the worship of Cain and Abel in bringing offerings to God, Genesis 4:4-5; to the
worship of God in heaven, Revelation 4:11, 5:9-14; and 22:9. Paul gives a brief explanation as recorded in 1
Timothy 6:15-16, “which he, who is the blessed and only ruler, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, will
reveal at just the right time. 16 He alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light; whom no human
has seen, nor can see. To him be honor and power, forever! Amen.” Also, Paul in Romans 11:33-36,
summarizes his doctrinal teaching to the church at Rome by this magnificent statement of worship:
33
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments,
and how unfathomable are his ways!
34
For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?
35
Or who has first given to God,
so that he is obligated to repay him?
36
For from him, and through him, and to him, are all things.
To him be the glory forever. Amen.
For an excellent overview of worship, refer to, Understanding Christian Theology, Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 2003, General Editors Charles R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck, Part II: God, Section 16,
Responding to God, pages 244-251, by author J. Carl Laney.
42:9 Look, the earlier predictions have come to pass,
and now I prophesy new things;
before they spring forth I tell you about them.
God declares a second “Behold” (“Look” in the DASV) to serve as a maker between the first and last parts of
the narrative of this first Messianic Servant Message recorded in Isaiah. Isaiah 42:10-13 is a praise song to
God that the prophet requests his people sing in worship of Israel’s great covenant LORD and Creator. In
42:9 God declares to His people and to the nations that what He had promised in times past have come to
pass. They happened just as God said they would. These “earlier predictions” that God had promised are not
stated and it would be pure speculation to try to identify exactly what God was referencing. The point of the
first part of 42:9 is that God alone can predict the future with absolute accuracy because He sees and
experiences the future just as He sees and experiences the past and present. God’s chosen people and the
381…..Isaiah 42:9 and 10-13
nations can have assurance that whatever God declares to happen will happen. This is in contrast with the
earlier discussion regarding idols in chapters 40 and 41 and specifically 41:21-24. Idols can predict nothing
for they see nothing because they are nothing. In the latter half of 42:9 God advances the narrative in
contrast to the worthless idols by stating that He will declare and proclaim new things to His audience, before
they “spring forth.” Thomas Constable comments:
“This is the first of six times, God claimed to predict the future in Isaiah (cf. 44:7-8; 45:1-4, 21;
46:10; 48:3-6).” (Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 201).
The choice of words “spring forth” is highly significant as Gary v. Smith observes:
“The new events surrounding the coming of the servant of God are presented as another new way for
God to demonstrate his divinity, for God states “I” (implying no one else) “am declaring” to the
people on the earth what will spring forth in the future. The idea of “springing up” (ṣmḥ) is used of
plants growing (55:10), of people springing up like grass (44:4), the sudden appearance of
righteousness/salvation in God’s people (45:8; 58:8), and the surprising springing up of the praise
from the nations (61:11). In each case the idea is associated with the sudden introduction of
something new (43:19) that is connected to God’s eschatological work of transforming humanity and
nature. The use of “spring forth” in association with this servant’s role suggests that his work is
connected with these future events. It may not be accidental that the noun form derived from this root
(ṣmḥ) refers to the “Branch” of the Lord (4:2; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 3:8), a messianic term for the
Davidic Messiah. The “new things” refer to what God will do through his servant, but the ultimate
purpose in sending this servant is not just to open people’s eyes and free them from the darkness of
their ignorance. The ultimate purpose is for these enlightened people to glorify God, for now they
know for certain that he alone has the power to accomplish what he has foretold. These factors
demonstrate to every reader that all praise and honor should be lifted up to honor this glorious God.
He can open the eyes of the blind to experience the reality of his power by transforming the hearts
and minds of all people through the revelation and accomplishment of his words and through the
work of his servant.” (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 170-171).
42:10-13 Sing to the LORD a new song,
and his praise from the end of the earth.
You who go down to the sea,
and all that is in it,
the distant coastlands and those who live there.
11
Let the desert and its towns lift up their voices,
the villages that Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing;
let them shout from the mountain tops.
12
Let them give glory to the LORD,
and declare his praise in the coastal regions.
13
The LORD goes out like a war hero;
he will stir up his zeal like a warrior.
He gives the battle cry, yes, he shouts out loud;
he shows his might against his enemies.
Isaiah 42:10-13 is a song of praise proclaimed by the prophet in response to the revelation of the future
ministry of God’s Messianic Servant. It is not unusual that Isaiah completes a dramatic passage of his
writings with a song of praise. See also Isaiah 12:1-6; 44:23; 49:13; 55:12-13; Psalm 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; and
382…..Isaiah 42:10-14
98:1. In the New Testament see Revelation 5:9; and 14:3. Because this revelation from God about His
Messianic Servant is new and spectacular to Isaiah and his audience, the prophet declares that a new song of
praise needs to be sung, not just in Jerusalem but also is to be sung in all of the earth. Isaiah defines the “end
of the earth,” as those who traverse the sea, all creatures of the sea, all those who live in distant coastlands
(or islands) in 42:10. This definition includes all who live in the desert, the villages of Kedar and inhabitants
of Sela and it is to be shouted from the mountain tops in 42:11. Also, the peoples of the earth are to give God
glory and declare His praise in the coastal regions which would include all areas of the world, 42:12.
Isaiah, as recorded in 42:13 extends the song of praise with a prophecy of the future that Israel’s covenant
making and covenant keeping God (the LORD) will go forth as a zealous “war hero” and a warrior who will
raise His voice with a shout as a cry of battle and He will be victorious over His enemies. This is
undoubtedly a prophecy of the second coming of the Messiah when He returns as a warrior to defeat the
enemies of His people. See Isaiah 63:1-6; Zephaniah 3:17; Zechariah 9:11-17; 12:6-9; 14:3-5; and Revelation
19:11-21. Isaiah, therefore, exhorts the people of Israel/Judah to sing a joyful song of praise for not only what
the Lord has done in the past but what He will accomplish for them in the far future. This is not a song of
praise which the returning exiles from Babylon would be expected to sing. But it is a song of the great day of
the Lord when the Messiah will return to conqueror the armies of those nations who have set out to destroy
God’s chosen people and then the Messiah establish His millennial kingdom of justice and peace.
4. Contrast of Israel who is The Blind Servant of God: 42:14-25
Included in the greater section of Isaiah 42:14-25, verses 14-17 are placed as a bridge between the first
Servant Message, including Isaiah’s song of praise, 42:1-13 and the prophet’s discussion of Israel as the
blind and deaf servant of God in 42:18-25 and continuing into chapter 43. Some scholars suggest that 42:14-
17 describe God’s provision for the Jewish travelers who are returning to Jerusalem after their long exile in
Babylon, but there is no indication in the text that this is the intended meaning of God’s words. These verses
are set within the greater context of chapter 42 are better understood to fit the time of the future ministry of
God’s great Servant (Messiah). The message of 42:14-17 is about God’s wonderful care for His people who
are obedient to Him and His contempt for those who reject Him and trust in worthless idols. God’s
description of leading the blind and making darkness into light, 42:16, serves as a vivid introduction of the
message regarding God’s blind and deaf servant, His people Israel.
42:14 I have held my peace for a long time;
I have been still, and restrained myself.
Now I will cry out like a woman in labor;
I will gasp and pant.
The transition between the two messages of God’s servants in chapter 42 is dramatically introduced in 42:14.
God states that He has kept silent (held his peace) for a long time. There is no discernable marker in the verse
to indicate the historical period of His silence. If it is correct to understand this period of silence as pertaining
to the future ministry of God’s greater Servant, then this period could be either the years of silence between
the writings of Malachi and Matthew, preceding the first advent of Christ, or the period of the tribulation in
the last days, preceding the second advent of Christ, as David L. Cooper suggests in the note above. The
years preceding the first advent of Christ, were certainly fraught with much upheaval and distress including
the days of the Maccabean revolt. However, as there is no prophetic reference to any specific geographic
upheaval described in 42:15 to the period preceding the first advent of Christ, it is more likely that this period
pertains to the period preceding the second advent of Christ. God states that He will break His silence not
with words of a stately and dignified discourse but with groaning, gasping and panting, like a woman who is
in labor, and with climatic actions as 42:15 graphically details. The reference to a woman in labor may be
383…..Isaiah 42:15-16
understood as describing a new era birthed by God which will mark a great transition for God’s covenant
people of which Isaiah will later describe in 66:7-9.
42:15 I will lay waste mountains and hills,
and dry up all their vegetation.
I will turn rivers into islands,
and dry up the pools.
The actions of God, crying out, gasping and panting, 42:14 include catastrophic upheaval to unidentified
geographic locations. Although unidentified, it may be best to understand these locations within the context
of His purposes with His people. It could refer to the area surrounding Israel that is being so dramatically
affected or lands from which the scattered remnant will be gathered. Some may suggest that the words of
Isaiah 42:15 should not to be taken literally but there is nothing in the text that would support such a
conclusion. When God says, He will lay waste (reduce in height) the mountains and hills and wither the
vegetation upon them and make coastlands of rivers and dry up waters such as ponds, it is best to take these
things literally. He will do these things for the purpose of leading and guiding His people, 42:16. Isaiah will
later expand on this work of God in the second Servant Message, Isaiah 49:1-13. See also Isaiah 11:11-16;
19:23; 35:8-10; 40:1-5; and 62:10-12.
42:16 I will lead the blind by a way they do not know;
in unknown paths I will guide them.
I will turn the darkness into light before them,
and level the rough places.
These things I will do,
and I will not forsake them.
The reasons for God’s dramatic works of upheaval are explained in 42:16. God states that He will lead the
blind by a way that is not known to them. This reference to the blind in the context of this passage most
likely refers to His blind servants of whom the prophet will discuss in 42:18-25. Isaiah 42:14-17 acts as a
transition between His greater Servant, the Messiah, 42:1-13 and His lesser servants, the Israelites. It is these
blind servants that God will guide on paths they as yet, do not know. Refer also to Isaiah chapter 35:1-10 and
51:4-11. This will occur in the period known as the day of the Lord when He will gather the faithful remnant
from all parts of the earth and guide them to Jerusalem and Mount Zion. See notes on chapter 35 for an
extended discussion on these days.
God further states in 42:16 that He will make darkness into light before “them,” who are His faithful
remnant. The description of God changing darkness into light and bringing His people from the darkness into
light is one of the great themes of the Scriptures. See for example, Psalm 18:28; 112:4; Isaiah 9:2; 58:10;
Micah 7:8; Matthew 4:16; John 1:1-14; 8:12; 12:46; Acts 26:18; 2 Corinthians 4:1-6; Ephesians 5:8; 1
Thessalonians 5:5; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 John 1:5 and 2:8.
Also, in Isaiah 42:16, God states that He will “level the rough places.” This is a further elaboration of 42:15
and of the first part of 42:16 in which God states He will lead the blind. By levelling the rough places, likely
implying making them into plains, it will be easier for God’s faithful remnant to make the journey from the
remote parts of the earth, Isaiah 41:8-9, to God’s beloved Jerusalem (Ariel: the hearth of God). God adds,
“These things I will do and I will not forsake them.” The word “forsake,” is the Hebrew azab, meaning to
forsake, leave or desert. This word first occurs in Genesis 2:24 depicting the time when a man leaves his
parents to be joined to his wife. Although it often occurs regarding those who forsake God and for the times
God temporarily forsakes His people, it is most emphatic occurrence is the promise that God will not forever
384…..Isaiah 42:16-17
forsake His covenant people. See Genesis 28:15, Deuteronomy 31:6, 8: Joshua 1:5; 1 Kings 6:13; 1
Chronicles 28:20; Ezra 9:9; Psalm 9:10; 37:28; 94:14; Isaiah 41:17; 42:16; and 62:12. A related Hebrew
word is natash, occurring in this context in 1 Samuel 12:22 and Psalm 94:14. The words azab and natash
occur in Psalm 94:14 “For the LORD will not forsake (natash) his people, nor will he desert (azab) his
inheritance.” The occurrence of natash in 1 Samuel 12:22 is significant theologically, as Samuel declares to
the Jewish people, “the LORD will not abandon his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased
the LORD to make you his very own people.” It is for the sake of the LORD’s great name that He will not
forsake His chosen, covenant people. In the New Testament the truth of God not forsaking His people is
stated in Hebrews 13:5 with the Greek word, enkataleipo, translated as forsake.
This last phrase of 42:16 concludes what God will do for His people who have been scattered to the remote
parts of the earth. This prophetic message would have been a source of comfort for all who heard or read
Isaiah’s declarations in his day and for all who are the faithful remnant of God today who await their call to
be restored to their God in His holy city. This day will come in the midst of great turmoil when all seems lost
and when God seems to have forgotten them. But as God states in 42:14-16, He will break His long silence
and prepare the earth for the calling of His people to be guided in their journey to Israel.
42:17 Those who trust in carved idols,
will be turned back,
and be utterly put to shame;
those who say to metal images,
"You are our gods."
In contrast to the faithful remnant, who trust solely in God, those who reject God and put their trust in idols
will not be guided by Him and they will not make the journey to God’s beloved city. God will ensure that
these rebellious people will be put to shame because they have rejected Him and replaced their knowledge
about God with trust in worthless things. Paul, in Romans 1: 18-32, discusses humanity’s descent into total
depravity, where this is no escape. See also Psalm 97:7; Isaiah 1:28; 44:9-20; and 45:16.
Isaiah 42:18-25 Israel: The Blind Servant
In Isaiah 42:1-13, God reveals His beloved Servant and in 42:18-25 God discusses His blind servant. Isaiah
42:14-17 act as a bridge between these two segments. In 42:18-25, God issues a declaration of judgment
against His blind servant if they will not obey His word. Yet there is hope. Following God’s threat of
judgment against His blind servant, He offers a message of hope and salvation for them in 43:1-7. The blind
servant of 42:18-25 cannot be the same Servant as God reveals in 42:1-13. Later revelation in the Scriptures
leave no doubt as to the identification of God’s beloved Servant who is the Messiah, who is called Jesus is
the New Testament. The blind servant of 42:18-25 is called a people in 42:22 and must refer to the people of
Israel whom God has called to serve Him.
How were God’s chosen people to serve Him? The following is a very brief discussion with selected O.T.
Scriptures as suggested partial responses to this question. God’s covenant with Abraham contained a blessing
to the nations as recorded in Genesis 12:3: “Through you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” The
nations would be blessed as the descendants of Abraham, the chosen people of God served God by declaring
His name to all peoples of the earth. See also Genesis 18:18-19; 22:18; 26:2-4; and 28:14. Israel was also to
serve God by being a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, Exodus 19:4-6. During Solomon’s prayer at the
dedication of the temple, he expressed an understanding of Israel’s role as the servant of God. 1 Kings 8:41-
43. A very clear understanding of Israel as God’s servant is recorded in Psalm 67:1-2:
385…..Isaiah 42:18-21
1
May God be gracious to us, and bless us,
and cause his face to shine upon us;
2
then your way will be known on earth,
your salvation among all nations.
See also Psalms 96 and 117. Although Israel, as the people of God, knew all this from the writings of Moses
and others, they did not fulfil God’s purposes for them and later profaned His name among the nations where
they had been sent, Ezekiel 36:20-23. God, therefore, gave the mission of proclaiming His name as a light to
the nations to His beloved Servant, the Messiah, Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6. Note: This is not to be understood as
the definitive response to this question. For an extended discussion refer to Walter C. Kaiser Jr. Mission in
the Old Testament: Israel as a Light to the Nations. Baker Academic: 2nd Edition, 2012
42:18-20 Listen, you who are deaf;
look, you who are blind,
that you may see.
19
Who is blind but my servant?
Who is deaf but my messenger who I send?
Who is blind as my covenant partner,
and blind like the LORD's servant?
20
You see many things,
but you do not comprehend them;
your ears are open,
but you do not hear.
God demands that His blind and deaf servant look and see and hear Him. God had previously told Isaiah that
his mission to God’s people would result in their eyes being dim; their ears dull; and their hearts insensitive
to God’s desire for them, Isaiah 6:8-13. It is not that God’s people could not see or hear but that they refused
to look upon His great and glorious law, 42:21. They also refused to hear, and heed God’s word as delivered
by His messengers including His prophet Isaiah. Although the people had witnessed (seen) God’s marvelous
works among them they failed to observe them in a way that brought them to trust in Him. The people had
been sent by God to be His servant as a messenger to the nations. Refer to above discussion. Although His
people were “positionally” at peace with Him because of His covenants with them, they willingly became
blind and deaf to His calls to serve Him in truth and trust. This “positional” peace with God was not the same
as those who had faith in Him and were counted (reckoned, declared) to be righteous, Romans 3:21-26. It
was not enough for Jewish people, to have a position of peace with God, because of God’s unilateral
covenants with His them. These covenants will not fail, but individuals within God’s covenant community
can forsake God and fail to benefit from these covenants with the result of being declared wicked as those
who have no peace, Isaiah 48:22 and 57:21
42:21 It pleased the LORD for his righteousness' sake,
to magnify the law and make it glorious.
Among the declarations of God regarding Israel as His blind and deaf servant who failed to serve or trust
Him is a beautiful declaration by the prophet regarding God’s word. Isaiah states that it the Lord was pleased
for the sake of His righteousness to magnify, Hebrew gadal, the law. Isaiah often used the word gadal in
several contexts such as, 1:2 (to bring up); 9:3 (increased); 10:15 (extol); 23:4 (brought up); 28:29
(excellent); 44:14 (nourish) 49:21 (raise up); and 51:18 (brought up). See also Psalm 34:3; 35:27; 40:16;
55:12; 69:30; 70:4; 92:5; 104:1; and 126:2-3. The Lord will also make the law glorious, Hebrew adar. The
386…..Isaiah 42:21-22
word adar, only occurs in Isaiah 42:21 and in Exodus 15:6 and 11. The KJV translates this word as
“honorable.” Victor Buksbazen’s comments are very appropriate:
“In spite of Israel’s blindness and unfaithfulness, the Lord is determined to accomplish His purpose to
make His law glorious and supreme in the eyes of all mankind. What Israel, as a people, has failed to
accomplish, the faithful Servant, the Messiah will. In this very chapter (v. 18-21) where the servant
Israel is portrayed as blind, deaf and disobedient to God, the personal Servant of God is portrayed as
completely obedient and well pleasing to Jehovah (v. 1-6). The distinction between the two servants
is clear and beyond the possibility of confusion.
And yet there is an umbilical cord between both types of “the servant.” Both are rooted in God’s
choice of Israel as His people, and in His covenant with them. In the final analysis Christ, the Servant
of Jehovah, is the perfect representative of Israel who restores the broken covenant relationship
between Jehovah and His people. In this sense Israel and her Messiah are one.” (Victor Buksbazen,
Isaiah, page 348).
42:22 But this is a people robbed and plundered;
they are all trapped in holes,
and hid in prisons.
They have become plunder with no one to rescue them,
carried off as spoil with no one to say, "Bring them back."
In spite of the wondrous revelation of God’s word, 42:21, and God’s works on their behalf, 42:20, and in
spite of God’s covenant with His people through their Messiah, 42:6, the blind and deaf servant find
themselves robbed and plundered, trapped in holes (caves) and hidden in prisons. They also find themselves
a victim of those who prey upon them and a spoil of war and most importantly they find themselves without
a defender or champion who will cry “bring them back”. Why are they in this dire predicament? Isaiah in
42:23-25 records the answer and it is not an answer the people would expect. The Lord paid out upon His
people His anger because of the reprehensible sins of His people.
Many scholars suggest that Isaiah’s message is directed to those who have endured a seventy-year exile in
Babylon. While this explanation may seem plausible, there is no record of the Jews hiding in caves during
their sojourn in Babylon. It was the Lord’s intention to preserve His people during this period and for His
people who were sent to Babylon it was arguably the safest place on earth for them. Another possible setting
for this declaration of judgment upon His people was the Assyrian assault on the towns and cities of Israel
and Judah. The destruction and suffering inflicted by the Assyrians would, at the time of Isaiah’s message
recorded in chapter 42, be acutely felt by the people of Judah, who were living outside of Jerusalem. Many
were taken captive with no one to rescue them. Many were carried away to prisons and many possibly hid in
caves. The Lord spared the city of Jerusalem but allowed the nation of Judah to be plundered and despoiled
by the Assyrian army. Isaiah had earlier prophesized about the infliction of God’s anger upon His people by
Assyria, His selected agent. See Isaiah 10:1-11. The judgment of God was also upon the northern kingdom of
Israel which was completely overrun by the Assyrians with no help or defense from God.
This verse begins in the present tense, “But this is a people robbed and plundered,” which could be
understood as a “prophetic perfect” tense, in that it is stated in the present but refers to a future time as if it
had occurred or is occurring. If this is a correct understanding of Isaiah’s intention, then the timeframe for
this prophecy is most likely during the days of the tribulation just prior to the establishment of the messianic
kingdom, which fits within the context of Isaiah 42:14 and following verses. These days are called the time
of Jacob’s trouble (or distress), Jeremiah 30:7. During these days, the people of Israel will suffer with a great
387…..Isaiah 42:23-25
loss of property, freedom, jobs, and many will be put to death. Because of their rejection of the Lord during
His first advent, Israel has in the past and still faces God’s judgment upon them. This judgment is seen in His
fierce anger and the fierceness of the battle from their enemies who will surround them, with the result that
they will be burned up, 42:25. Only upon their repentance and calling on their Messiah to return and save
them will He descend to rescue His people and lead them in triumph to Zion where He will reign as their
righteous, just and peaceful Sovereign. See also Isaiah 2:2-4; 4:2-6; Hosea 5:15-6:3; Micah 2:12-13; 4:1-7;
Zechariah 9:11-17; 10:6-12; 12:1-14; and 14:1-21.
42:23-25 Who is there among you who will listen to this?
Who will pay attention and hear in the time to come?
24
Who gave Jacob up for spoil,
and Israel to the robbers?
Was it not the LORD
against whom we have sinned?
In whose ways they refused to walk,
and whose law they would not obey.
25
Therefore he poured on them his fierce anger,
and the fierceness of battle.
It surrounded them with fire,
yet they did not understand;
it burned them up,
yet they did not take it to heart.
Isaiah states in 42:23, that the LORD demands a response from His covenant people. Who was able among
His blind and deaf servants to give an ear to His judgments? Who among these sinful and rebellious people
would be able to heed God’s words and listen to Him? The obvious answer to these rhetorical questions is no
one! Isaiah in 42:24 continues to declare the LORD’s questions, which are a devastating blow to the pride of
His people. Who gave Jacob and Israel, God’s chosen people, to suffer plundering and despoilment at the
hands of those who were assaulting them? This time the answer is not rhetorical. Isaiah promptly gives the
response: “Was it not the LORD against whom we have sinned? Two additional questions in 42:24 are then
stated, (1) “In whose ways they refused to walk;” and (2) “and whose law they would not obey.” These last
two questions did not need a response for the guilty party was obvious.
As a result of the people’s rebellion against God in refusing to obey Him, and also walking in their own way
in defiance of His law, Isaiah records God’s judgment upon them, 42:25. His judgment was poured out upon
them, which is described as His fierce anger which resulted in His people being conquered by their enemies
in the fierceness of battle and in being “surrounded by fire.” Even though this message to God’s people of
the future reality of being afflicted with the burning of God’s judgment, they did not recognize it as His
judgment, and they paid no attention. The words “he” and “his” in 42:25 refer to God who will bring
judgment upon the unrepentant people of Israel in the terrifying days of the tribulation. The words “them”
and “they” in 42:25 refer to Israel as the blind and deaf and rebellious servant of God. All of God’s people
are depicted as one servant in receiving the fierceness of God’s wrath.
388……Isaiah 43:1
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 42
42:1-13 The Beloved Servant
42:1-4 God Talks About His Servant
42:5-9 God Talks To His Servant
42:10-13 Praising God for His Servant
42:14-17 The Blessed Savior
42:14 The Moan of the Savior
42:15-17 The Ministry of the Savior
42:18-25 The Blind Servant
42:18-20 The Blind Servant Described
42:21 The Beauty of God’s Word
42:22-25 The Blind Servant Defeated
5. God’s Promise to Redeem Jacob: 43:1-7
Biblical scholars have understood these verses from several different viewpoints. Many scholars including
Gleason L. Archer and Thomas L. Constable, suggest that chapter 43 is a continuation of Isaiah’s prophetic
message in chapters 40-42 to the returning Jewish exiles who are travelling from Babylon to Jerusalem. Gary
V. Smith suggests that the context of these verses may best fit the Assyrian invasion of Judah. Geoffrey W.
Grogan and J. Alec Motyer suggest that these verses point to the historical past where God delivered His
people from bondage in Egypt. While others posit a viewpoint that these verses are prophetic of the far future
when God will rescue His faithful remnant during the days just before the second advent of Christ. For
example, see David L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly – April 1945.
This Messianic study of Isaiah suggests that in Isaiah 43:4-7, the prophet is prophesying about the days of the
far future when He will gather His people, the faithful remnant, from all nations of the earth and bring them
safely to the Jewish national homeland. In making this prophetic declaration, Isaiah is bringing a message of
hope and comfort to the people of Judah who have just faced the devastating assault on the cities and towns
of Judah and the unsuccessful siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrians. This message was also written in the great
scroll of Isaiah so that future generations of God’s people could face with confidence that God will still be
with them even during national tragedies such as the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, Romans
and the attempted annihilations of the Jewish people in more modern times. Isaiah 43:1-3 are words of
comfort that alternate between the past (“I have”) and the present and near future (“I will”).
43:1 But now this is what the LORD says,
the one who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
you are mine.
The link to the previous message in chapter 42 is made with the emphatic “But now.” Even though God has
declared that He will bring judgment on His chosen people who are blind and deaf to His instructions and
teachings, He will not desert them. God addresses His people as the LORD, Israel’s covenant God, and as
their Creator. As their Covenant-God and Creator, He will not desert them but provide His redemptive care
for them and He states that He has redeemed them and called them by His name for they are His possession.
The historical setting of this verse is in the past. God has already “formed them” as their Creator. He also has
389…..Isaiah 43:1 and 3-4
redeemed them as their covenant God. This redemption points to past glorious miraculous acts of God such
as the exodus from Egypt in the distant past and more recently the sparing of Jerusalem from the Assyrian
army. By calling them by name, God asserts that they are his possession for it is the right of parents to name
their offspring. This verse ends with the emphatic declaration by God: you are mine!
As noted above, some scholars suggest that the first seven verses of chapter 43 as well as many passages
from the early chapters of the greater section of Isaiah 40-66 refer to the return of the exiles from Babylon,
however there is no direct evidence of this from these verses. So, students of Scripture must look at Isaiah
43:1 within the context of the verses that follow and precede it, to understand the correct interpretation of
God’s declaration.
43:2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and cross through the rivers,
they will not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned,
nor will the flame consume you.
God promises to be with His people in the present, and foreseeable future, when trials and suffering come
upon them. He does not prevent these incidents of testing but assures them that He will be with them so that
these occasions will not destroy them. See notes on Isaiah 41:10 for a discussion on the implications of
God’s promises to be with them. God promises to be with His people when they pass through waters and
rivers as they will not overflow them. This may have reminded Isaiah’s audience of events long ago such as
the parting of the Red Sea at the beginning of the exodus experience and the crossing of the Jordan River
when entering Canaan. However, the promise is for the future and God’s people are not to fear troublesome
times for their God is with them. The same applies for the picture of walking through fire which will not
burn or scorch them. J. Alec Motyer has a brief but important observation about the mention of fire in vs. 2:
“With great drama, Isaiah moves from the Lord’s people in the Lord’s fire (42:25) to the Lord who
will not allow the fire to burn them (43:2).” (J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, page 267).
43:3-4 For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in return for you.
4
Since you have been precious and special in my sight,
and I love you,
therefore I will give other people in return for you,
and nations instead of your life.
God, as He has often done and will do again, as recorded in the writings of Isaiah, asserts His great name and
reminds His people of Who He is. The titles or names God ascribes to Himself are significant reminders of
God’s covenant promises, His power, holiness and redemptive work. “LORD” is Yahweh, Israel’s covenant
making and keeping God. “God” is Elohim, Israel’s great and powerful God Who is above all other gods.
The name Elohim is plural suggesting singularity within a plurality, ie. the great Triune God. The “Holy One
of Israel” is a compound name indicating God’s unique relationship with His chosen people Israel as “their
God” who is described as and should be understood as “holy.” This is descriptive of God being set apart or
being “wholly other” from His creation. There is no comparative description or level of comparison that His
390…..Isaiah 43:3-4
creatures can conceive, that would adequately explain the fullness of meaning for this name as the Holy One.
“Savior” is a beloved title describing His past, present and future work of redemption on behalf of His
people. A similar title is “Redeemer” which often describes His work of redemption as the “kinsmen
redeemer” of His people, to whom as a “Father,” He has loved and chosen them.” However, the saving work
of God in the Old Testament is not always spiritual or eternal and often relates to saving or preserving His
people from danger and harm as God states in 43:2.
These rich compound names for God are found often in Isaiah’s prophecy. For example, the compound
names for God including the word “Redeemer” are found in Isaiah 41:14, 43:14; 44:6, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7,
26; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16; and 63:16. See notes on these verses. This Messianic study of Isaiah will provide
comment on other compound names, including “the Holy One of Israel” and “Lord God of Hosts” and many
others in the context of the verses in which these names occur. It is these wonderful compound names in
which God has chosen to reveal Himself that makes a study of Isaiah so inspiring for the student of God’s
Word. Refer also to notes on Isaiah 9:6-7 for a short discussion of some of the most beautiful names for the
Messiah, the Son of God, recorded in all of Scripture. When God refers to Himself with these names, He is
allowing His people to understand great truths and is revealing glorious attributes about Himself. He also is
assuring His people that they can completely trust in Him and have faith in His plans and purposes for them.
The action of God in having gave “Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in return for you” has been the
source of much speculation by Biblical scholars. Many suggest that God is referring to an event in the future
for Isaiah and his contemporaries in which God will hand over Egypt, Cush and Seba to Cyrus to conquer.
However, the verb tense is a past reference, and it is something God has already done and also there is no
historical record of Cyrus conquering these nations. This past event may refer to the defeat of Egypt at the
time of the exodus, although neither Cush nor Seba is mentioned in the Biblical record for the exodus event.
Also, it may refer to a more recent event, in Isaiah’s time, of Egypt’s defeat at the hands of the Assyrian
army. As God, through the writing of the prophet Isaiah, did not reveal any historical details, Biblical
scholars can only suggest some possible events, past or future that may apply to these words. Refer to J. Alec
Motyer, Isaiah, page 268 for a discussion on the ransom in 43:4 as applying to ancient Egypt. Micah 6:4 is
also helpful in understanding Egypt as a ransom:
“For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt,
redeemed you out of the house of bondage;
I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before you.”
The word “ransom” in 43:3 is the Hebrew word kopher and it refers to the price of a life and can also refer to
a bribe. Selected verses where this word is found in the Old Testament include Exodus 21:30 (ransom, KJV:
sum of money); Exodus 30:12 (ransom); Numbers 35:31 and 32 (ransom, KJV: satisfaction); 1 Samuel 12:3
(bribe, KJV margin note: ransom); Job 33:24 (ransom, KJV margin note: atonement); Job 36:18 (ransom);
Psalm 49:7 (ransom); Proverbs 6:35 (ransom); Proverbs 13:8 (ransom); Proverbs 21:18 (ransom); and Amos
5:12 (bribes, KJV margin note: ransom). The English word “ransom” in Isaiah 50:2 is the Hebrew word
peduth which is also found Exodus 8:23 (put a division or set a ransom); Psalm 111:9 (redemption); and
Psalm 130:7 (redemption). The past tense “ransomed” is the Hebrew word padah and is found more
frequently in the Old Testament and is most often translated as redeemed. Padah is found in Isaiah 1:27
(redeemed) 29:22 (redeemed); 35:10 (ransomed); and 51:11 (ransomed). Refer to notes on Isaiah 35:10 and
51:11 in this study of Isaiah. The above notes are not an exhaustive listing of the occurrences of the word
“ransom” in the Old Testament but is representative of the importance of this word. See also Psalm 31:5;
69:18; Jeremiah 31:11, Hosea 13:14 and Micah 6:4. A Biblical explanation of the use of the word ransom in
Isaiah 43:3 is found in Proverbs 21:18, “The wicked is a ransom for the righteous, and the treacherous is in
the place of the upright.” (NASB). See also the KJV, NKJV, NIV, and the ESV. The DASV for Proverbs
391…..Isaiah 43:3-4 and 5-6
21:18 states, “The wicked is punished in place of the righteous, and the traitor instead of the upright.” As
stated above, the word “ransom” in Proverbs 21:18 is the Hebrew word kopher, which is the same Hebrew
word for ransom in Isaiah 43:3.
The salvific significance of the word “ransom” is also implied in Isaiah 52:13-53:1-12 regarding the
redeeming/ransoming role that God’s beloved Servant, the Messiah, will have for God’s people and all
mankind. This salvific work is fully developed, or completed, as revealed in the New Testament, as it applies
to the cross-work of the Messiah on behalf of those who trust in Him. See Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; 2
Corinthians 5:21 and 1 Timothy 2:6. See Thomas Constable’s Matthew Commentary on Matthew 20:28 for
an expanded discussion on the meaning of “ransom” in the New Testament. See also, Stanley D. Toussaint,
Behold the King: A Study of Matthew, Kregel Publications, 1980, pages 234-235.
Isaiah 43:4 re-emphasizes the main idea of “ransom” stated in 43:3 and adds the significant words, “Since
you have been precious and special in my sight, and I love you, therefore I will give other people in return
for you.” This reads like an affectionate letter from a loving Father to His children for this is exactly what it
is! The word “precious” in 43:4 is the Hebrew word yaqar which has the meaning of valuable, precious,
prized, and costly. The word yaqar occurs 11 times in the Old Testament, 1 Samuel 18:30; 26:21; 2 Kings
1:13, 14; Psalm 49:8; 72:14; 139:17; Proverbs 25:17; Isaiah 13:12; 43:4; and Zechariah 11:13. Psalm 72 is a
recognized as messianic and vs. 14 of this Psalm states, “He shall redeem their soul from deceit and
violence; and precious shall their blood be in His sight.” (KJV) The word “He” in Psalm 72:14 is the
Messiah.
The word “special” in Isaiah 43:4 is the Hebrew word kabed which has the meaning of honored, heavy,
weighty or burdensome. It occurs several times in Isaiah, translated with different English words in the
DASV: 3:5 (honorable); 6:10 (deaf); 9:1 (glorious); 23:8 (honored); 23:9 (honored); 24:15 (glorify); 24:20
(heavy); 25:3 (respect); 26:15 (glorified); 29:13 (honor); 43:4 (special); 43:20 (honor); 43:23 (honored); 47:6
(heavy); 49:5 (honored) 58:13 (honorable); 58:13 (honor); 59:1 (deaf); 60:13 (glorious); and 66:5 (glorified).
Isaiah will later state in 49:5, regarding God’s beloved Servant, “For I will be honoured in the eyes of the
LORD.” Many verses in the Old Testament speak of honor to God, for example, Leviticus 10:3 and
Deuteronomy 28:58. Also one of the most beloved commandments is stated in Exodus 20:12, “Honor your
father and mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you.” It is a
very loving God who desires honor from His creation, to say to His chosen people that they are honored by
Him.
43:5-6 Do not be afraid,
for I am with you.
I will bring your descendants from the east,
and gather you from the west.
6
I will tell the north, 'Give them up,'
and to the south, 'Do not keep any of them back;'
bring my sons from afar,
and my daughters from the end of the earth,
Moving from past and present considerations of God’s protective and loving care for His people to a future
calling of His people from all points of the earth, God links these considerations in 43:5 with a reminder to
His covenant people that He is with them and they should have no fear of whatever issues or danger they
face. God had just encouraged them not to fear for He has redeemed them, 43:1. The comforting message of
“do not be afraid” is often spoken by God in the writings of Isaiah. See 10:24; 40:9; 41:10, 13, 14; 43:1, 5;
44:2; and 51:7. The bringing of the offspring of His people from all points of the earth is best understood as a
392…..Isaiah 43:7
reference to the days just preceding the millennial kingdom and thus this message of having no fear would be
just as relevant today as it was in Isaiah’s day for all of God’s people who await the fulfillment of God’s
kingdom promises to them. The gathering of His people from the far reaches of the earth is also expressed in
Isaiah 2:1-4; 11:11-12; 27:12-13; 35:1-10; 49:5-26; 54:1-17; 56:8; 60:1-22; 62:10-12; and 66:18-21. This
final gathering of God’s people is closely related to His land promise. See Deuteronomy 30:1-10; Isaiah
11:11-12; 27:12-13; 49:8-26; 60:10-22; Jeremiah 30:10-11, 18-24; and Ezekiel chapter 37.
43:7 everyone who is called by my name,
and whom I have created for my glory,
whom I have formed,
yes, whom I have made.
Isaiah 43:7 is linked closely with 43:5-6. In the DASV and NASB there is no period at the end of the verse
signifying that the “everyone,” at the beginning of vs. 7, refers to God’s people whom He will call from all
areas of the earth to gather in Zion to begin the messianic kingdom of the Messiah. God declares that it is His
own people whom He has created, who have been formed and made for His glory. See also Isaiah 44:23.
Someone may ask, what is the meaning of God’s glory? The word “glory” in 43:7 is the Hebrew word kabod
which is the most used Hebrew word for glory among many others in the Old Testament. The meaning of
glory is “weight,” “heaviness,” “worthiness,” “reputation,” and “honor.” Therefore, when God states that He
has created His people for his glory, He is saying that His reputation, honor and worthiness is “heavy” upon
Him. God cannot ascribe, give or exalt anyone or anything’s glory above His own glory. To do so would be
idolatry for God’s glory is the highest, most exalted and most praise-worthy glory of the universe. To say that
God, in seeking His own glory and praise, is selfishness or egotistical is entirely in error. God cannot seek
any glory or praise or honor or reputation above that which rightfully belongs to Him. To whom could God
give glory and praise other than Himself? There is no one greater, more exalted, more worthy of praise and
glory than God Himself. It is entirely within His holiness and righteousness for Him to seek the highest
source of glory to ascribe, praise, and honor – His own worthiness.
Glory in one sense is an abstract concept and not physical. To understand glory one must transcend the
physical and sense the spiritual and eternal essence of God. That is why when Jesus was transfigured before
Peter, James and John, Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36, the words used to describe Him are full
of superlatives, “His face shone like the sun and His garments became as white as light.” Matthew 17:2. It
would not be wrong to also understand glory as “luminous brilliance” for glory attracts the eye and the
attention of all around it. In the eternal state, there will be no need of the sun or the moon for God will
illuminate the people who inhabit eternity. Revelation 22:5. God’s glory can also be understood as His name
or reputation which He jealously guards and protects. See Isaiah 48:11 and 52:5 as representative examples
of many in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, as mentioned often in this study of Isaiah, one of the
greatest texts revealing God’s glory is stated by Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:4-6.
Allen P. Ross comments on Isaiah 43:7:
In verse 7 we discover that with the repetition of the creation theme that God’s purpose for Israel was
“for my glory.” Likewise, in the New Testament do we read that Christ always did things that the
Father might be glorified. We shall see later in the book, and in Ezekiel, that the regathering is not
because Israel deserved it, but because God’s reputation (=name) was at stake. And He will not let
the sins of the people rob Him of His name and steal His glory. At the risk of making it too simple,
we could say that the verse means that God’s establishment of a covenant people has as its purpose
that God might be seen throughout the world, for “glory” means an enhanced reputation for the
LORD, honor to Him. Everything He does is for that purpose, for all glory given to Him will attract
393…..Isaiah 43:8-10
many more to the Kingdom. Likewise when we glorify the LORD, it is meant in part to draw people
to His love. (Allen P. Ross, The Book of Isaiah, Biblical Studies Foundation, Online: Bible.Org)
6. Israel: The Blind and Deaf Witness of God: 43:8-28
In this passage, God calls upon those who are blind and deaf to be His witnesses. He calls upon the nations to
assemble together to give account to Him if any could have foretold things to come. God gives a defense that
He is the only God that has ever existed and that no one can defeat His nor undo anything He has done. He
reminds His people, whom He calls His chosen servant, that He is their Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel,
their Creator and King. God states He will force the Chaldeans to become fugitives and that He will make a
way in the wilderness and streams in the desert so that the people He had formed for Himself will declare His
praise. In the last verses of this section, God reminds His people that they have neglected to call upon Him
and have wearied Him with their sins and iniquities. He reminds them that He blots out their sins and will not
remember their sins and calls them to prove they are innocent. As there is no response to God’s request, He
reminds them that their forefathers had rebelled against Him so in judgment He gave Judah over for
destruction.
The Witness of God’s Blind Servants: 43:8-13
43:8 Bring out the people who have blind eyes,
and those deaf who have ears.
God calls for the people who are blind and deaf to be brought out. The identification of these people in the
context of chapters 42 and 43 must be the people of God who are called His blind servant and His deaf
messenger even though they have eyes and ears, 42:16-20. The blindness and deafness of God’s people is a
common theme in the prophecy of Isaiah. See 6:9-10; 29:9; 42:16-20; 56:10 and 59:10. The purpose for these
blind and deaf people to be brought out is to witness that God is the one true God before the nations and to
witness that God is also the world’s only savior, 43:10-13. It is ironic that only God can call those who are
“blind” and “deaf” to be a witness of His greatness to the nations of the earth.
43:9 Let all the nations be gathered together,
and let the peoples assemble.
Who among them reported this?
Who foretold us earlier things?
Let them bring in their witnesses,
so that they may be proven right.
and let them hear and confirm, “It is truth.”
God states that Let all the nations be gathered together and assembled. The reason that this gathering of the
nations has been called is for them to give account to God regarding their ability to declare beforehand what
will take place. This charge to the nations is a re-emphasis of the former charge against them and their
worthless idols, 41:1-7, 21-24. God has called His witnesses, 43:8, 10, who are His blind and deaf servant
Israel and now God is calling the nations to present their witnesses, who are blind and deaf idols, 41:21-14 to
determine if they can accurately state what past events they have accurately predicted.
43:10 "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD,
my servant whom I have chosen,
that you may know and believe me,
and understand that I am he.
394…..Isaiah 43:10-13
Before me there was no other God formed,
neither will there be after me.
In the presence of the assembled nations, God declares that His chosen servant, His blind and deaf people,
are witnesses to His greatness for the purpose that they will believe Him and know and understand that God
is unique, and that no God has ever existed besides Him. He alone is God for He states, “I am he.” God
announces to the assembled nations and to His own people that He is the One who made His great name
known to Moses (and to His captive people in Egypt). His great name is “I AM WHO I AM” or shortened as
“I AM.” God declared that this was His eternal and memorial name which is to be known to all generations.
See Exodus 3:13-16. As God’s servants, His people are called to be His witness before the nations. See
Exodus 19:4-6; 1 Chronicles 16:23-24; Psalm 67:1-7; 96:1-13. Since they have failed to do this, God has
assembled the nations to make this declaration before them in the presence of His servant nation as His
witness. These verses 43:10-13, point to the ministry of God’s beloved Servant, His Son, the Messiah. What
His chosen blind and deaf servants, His covenant people, have failed to do in proclaiming God’s greatness
and His great name to the world, God Himself will accomplish, through the ministry of His beloved Servant,
the Messiah. Near the end of the first earthly ministry of God’s beloved Servant, this Servant Himself will
call another group of servants, who are indwelt by His Spirit, to be His witnesses to all the earth. See
Matthew 28:18-20; and Acts 1:8.
43:11-13 I, even I, am the LORD,
besides me there is no savior.
12
I have declared, delivered, and proclaimed;
and there was no foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses," says the LORD,
"that I am God.
13
Yes, from eternity I am he.
There is no one who can deliver out of my hand.
I act and who can undo it?"
In the final three verses of this summoning by God of the nations and His people to be witnesses of His
greatness, the LORD emphasizes that He alone is the world’s savior. He alone is the only God who can, with
divine authority, make declarations and proclamations that He is their savior. The assembled peoples are
witnesses that He is God and He has existed from eternity. They are also witnesses to God’s sovereign and
omnipotent power for none can defeat Him or remove anything from out of His hand, and when He acts or
performs anything, there is no one who can reverse His works. These declarations by God are likened to a
classroom where God is teaching theology, the great truths about God, to those who have been called to
attend these divine lectures.
The Lord to Redeem God’s Servants: 43:14-21
Following the Lord’s declaration of His uniqueness and eternality as the earth’s only God and the declaration
of His omnipotent power and the earth’s only savior, verses 8-13, God illustrates His abilities to save His
people in verses 14-21. God uses Babylon, as a near future reference, as an illustration to save His beloved
people, verses 14-15, and He then points to the far future where He will once again redeem His chosen
people, vs. 20, by providing safe passage for them so that they will declare His praise, verses 15-21. There
are as many suggestions as to the interpretation of these verses as there are interpreters or scholars. Some see
only a reference to the return of the Jews to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon. Others see a blended
portrait of God redeeming His people from Babylon and a reference to the days just prior to the second
advent of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Others see only a far future reference where God saves His people from
395…..Isaiah 43:14-15
a future restored Babylon and brings His people from all parts of the earth to participate in the beginnings of
the messianic kingdom. This study sees merit in a blended view of verses 14-21, where God uses an
historical incident such as a near future event of the return of the exiles from Babylon, as an illustration of
what He will do, redeem His people, in the far future just prior to the establishment of the messianic
kingdom.
43:14-15 This is what the LORD says,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
"For your sake I will send to Babylon,
and I will force them to become as fugitives;
the Chaldean's shouts of celebration
will be turned to mourning.
15
I am the LORD, your Holy One,
the Creator of Israel, your King."
Isaiah 43:14-21 begins with the imperative, “This is what the LORD says,” as a declaration of the authority of
God to proclaim truth to His people and as an imperative decree for them to listen to Him. Isaiah once again
describes God with majestic compound names. See notes on 43:1 and 3 above. The LORD, 43:14 is Yahweh,
Israel’s covenant making and keeping God. He is also their “Redeemer,” ga’al, who is their great kinsman.
He redeems His “family” people as they are His beloved ones. He is also the “Holy One of Israel” who is
intrinsically holy. To say God is holy is to describe who He is. See notes on Isaiah 6:3. Israel’s holy,
sovereign and incomparable God, who as their savior describes, in 43:14, what He will do for the sake of His
beloved people. It must be kept in mind that God had previously described His people as His blind servant
and deaf messenger, 42:19. See also Isaiah 6:8-13. It is not because they had done anything to deserve His
saving works on their behalf, but He accomplishes this work for the sake of His great name. For further
study, refer to the following selected verses, Psalm 79:9; 106:8; Isaiah 48:9, 11; Jeremiah 14:7, 21; Ezekiel 9:
9, 14, 22, 44; and Ezekiel 36:22; 1 John 2:12.
The redemptive work of God on behalf of His chosen and beloved people on this occasion is described as
“for your sake.” God works on behalf of His covenant people. It is for their sake, because His work for them
advances and protects the glory of His great name, which as described in 43:14-15, will result in the downfall
of their enemy, the Babylonians. God will bring the Chaldeans, the people of the kingdom of Babylon, down
as fugitives “in ships” as the KJV and other English versions state. The Babylonians had a great love for their
ships, and it is in these ships that they will flee as fugitives from their conquerors. Just as God’s people
would be “brought down” as fugitives and exiles from Jerusalem to Babylon, so God will also make their
captives, the Babylonians, fugitives fleeing from an enemy who is conquering them. This may refer to the
destruction of Babylon by the army of the Assyrians under Sennacherib in 689 B.C. which was in the near
future to Isaiah’s day. See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 206. It alternatively may refer to the defeat of
the Babylonians by the Persians under King Cyrus in 539 B.C. as many scholars suggest. It must be noted
that this was not the first mention of Babylon by Isaiah in the DASV and NKJV. Refer to 13:1, 19; 14:4, 22;
21:9; 39:1, 3, 6, and 7 and it would not be the last, see 47:1; 48:14 and 20. Because of Isaiah’s frequent
mention of Babylon in his prophecy, some scholars suggest that many passages in chapters 40-66 have
Babylon as the background to Isaiah’s messages. However, Babylon is only mentioned in the DASV and
NKJV four times in chapters 40-66 and nine times in chapters 1-39. References to the Chaldeans occur twice
in chapters 1-39 and five times in chapters 40-66. Combing these references, Babylon and Chaldean are
mentioned eleven times in chapters 1-39 and nine times in chapters 40-66.
396…..Isaiah 43:14-15 and 16-17
Based on the evidence of the number of references to Babylon and Chaldean in chapters 40-66, it appears
puzzling that many scholars state that it is from Babylon that God is gathering His people, specifically within
passages that mention God’s gathering of His people from various points of the earth. This Messianic study
of Isaiah does not describe or apply many of these passages in this way. Each passage must be understood
within its context and if Isaiah describes God’s people as being gathered from several points of the earth, this
must not be a reference to Babylon but to a future time, not yet realized when God will gather His people
from all nations to populate the coming messianic kingdom. Many conservative Biblical scholars, teachers
and students, however, do not agree with this position. It is not the scope or intent of this study to engage,
interact or refute with the positions held by others. Complex and intricate debates involving differing
opinions on exegetical issues are best left to technical commentaries on Isaiah which are intended for the
seminary classroom and scholarly review. See the Introduction section for additional comment.
In Isaiah 43:15 the prophet again authenticates the message by another declaration by God of a glorious set
of His compound names This message is from the One who is the “LORD”, Yahweh, the great I AM. He is
also Israel’s “Holy One” to emphasize His innate holiness and “rightness” and to indicate His desire that His
people also be holy. See Leviticus 11:44-45. God is also Israel’s “Creator,” a title of which He often reminds
His people so that they will know they have been created for His glory. See, for example, Isaiah 43:7. In this
set of compound names, Isaiah declares that Israel’s God is also their “King.” Isaiah had previously seen this
King when he was commissioned by God to proclaim His message to His obstinate people, Isaiah 6:1-13.
Other references in Isaiah to this glorious King, Israel’s Messiah, who is the beloved Servant of God are
found in 32:1; 33:17, 22; and 44:6. In a later day, some would make a great journey bearing presents fit for
royalty and ask, “Where is he who is born King of the Jews? for we saw his star rising in the eastern sky, and
are come to worship him,” Matthew 2:2. Those in Isaiah’s day, and in the day of the first earthly ministry of
Jesus Christ, and in our day, must seek the Messiah in order to worship Him. Worship is the joyous
occupation of the citizens of heaven, Revelation 4:9-11 and 5:9-14 and should be for those on earth who
belong to God’s holy family, having believed by faith in His Son, who is God’s beloved Servant, the
Messiah. In saying that we must seek the Messiah is not to say that His kingdom is currently established on
the earth, for it is not. For a defense of the truth that the earthly messianic kingdom is yet in the future refer
to: Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom, BMH Books, 1959; Andrew M. Woods, The Coming
Kingdom: What is the Kingdom and How is Kingdom Now Theology Changing the Focus of the Church,
Grace Gospel Press, 2016; and Michael J. Vlach, He Will Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology of the
Kingdom of God, Lampion Press, 2017.
43:16-17 This is what the LORD says,
who makes a way in the sea,
and a path in the mighty waters,
17
who brings forth the chariot and horse,
the army and the warrior.
They lie down,
they cannot rise.
They are extinguished,
snuffed out like a wick.
In Isaiah 43:6-17, the prophet declares God’s reminder to His people of His past miraculous works. This
reference to these past works begins with the authoritative declaration in the DASV, “This is what the LORD
says” or as other English versions state, “Thus says the LORD.” God, often in the Scriptures, begins an
important declaration with these words with which He demands the attention of His people to listen and obey
what He has to tell them. This authoritative declaration of the LORD is recorded 38 times in Isaiah but even
more frequently in Jeremiah, 151 times and in Ezekiel, 126 times. Before stating the words that need to be
397…..Isaiah 43:16-19
obeyed in Isaiah 43:18, God reminds His people of His credentials. He is the One who “makes a way in the
sea and a path in the mighty waters,” 43:16. He also is the One who brings forth the chariots, the horse, the
army and the warrior, to be snuffed out like a wick in the mighty waters, 43:17. Most students of Scripture
would understand these words to be a reminder of God’s great work on behalf of His people during the
escape (exodus) from Egypt in which the waters of the Red Sea parted safely for the people of Israel to
escape the pursuing Egyptian army. The Egyptian army, however, was led or brought forth by God into these
same waters only to be engulfed by them and to become their burial place, Exodus 14:23-30. The mention of
the “mighty waters” in 43:16 as a description of the Red Sea in important for students to understand, that the
crossing of these waters was not in some reedy and shallow wetlands, as some scholars claim. These waters
were deep enough to completely engulf and drown the ensuing Egyptian army with their horses and chariots.
The miraculous parting of the waters of the Red Sea to provide a safe escape for the people of Israel from the
Egyptian army is often cited by the writers of the Old Testament as a reminder of God’s divine care for His
people as these few examples attest, Exodus 15:19; Psalm 77:19-20; Isaiah 51:10; and 63:11-14. The
prophet Isaiah uses this historical record of this miracle of God as a pictorial backdrop to predict what God
will do in the future with a similar picture of God’s protective care as Isaiah 43:19-22 indicates. Isaiah had
previously discussed the creation of a roadway that God will provide for a safe return of the faithful remnant,
who will journey from all nations to Zion, the capital of the coming messianic kingdom. See Isaiah 11:16;
19:23; and 35:8-10. Isaiah will also later discuss this roadway in 49:10-13; and 51:10-11.
43:18 Do not remember the former things,
or focus on the past.
In what at first may seem incongruous or out of place, for God to state that His people are not to remember,
call to mind, the former things, or ponder or focus on the things of the past. God is saying that they must not
cling or hold fast to these former things as a means of present or future salvation. What God has done in the
past was certainly miraculous and wonderful, but to look upon them as one would look upon an idol is
abhorrent to God. For an example of this, refer to the story of the bronze serpent, which in the past was a
device used by God for healing, Numbers 21:4-9. But it had been kept for generations as a religious icon and
the people had turned it into an idol, 2 Kings 18:4. The reason God does not want them to cling to the past is
revealed in Isaiah 43:19-21. The prophet Jeremiah also makes a similar point regarding the contrast between
God’s past work and His far future work, Jeremiah 23:7-8.
43:19-21 Look, I will do a new thing.
Now it springs forth.
Can't you see it?
I will even make a way in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert.
20
The wild animals of the fields will honor me,
the jackals and the ostriches;
because I provided waters in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21
the people I formed for myself,
that they might declare my praise.
God reveals, that in contrast to what has happened in the past which He has requested that His people not
ponder or call to mind, 43:18, He will now do something new. God delights in declaring something new to
His people as the context of Isaiah 42:9; 65:17; Jeremiah 31:31; Ezekiel 36:26; John 13:34; and Revelation
398…..Isaiah 43:19-22
21:5 attest. The something “new” in Isaiah 43:19 will be God’s making of a way, (roadway) in the wilderness
and streams (rivers) in the desert. Both the new roadways and rivers are for the benefit of the faithful remnant
of Israel who will be gathered from all nations of the world, in the far future following the terrifying days of
the great tribulation. They will be brought to Immanuel’s land to populate the messianic kingdom in the
presence of their Messiah who will be reigning on the physical throne of David. Most commentators
understand Isaiah 43:19-21 as a reference to the return of the exiles to Jerusalem from Babylon, but there is
nothing in the context of this passage to confirm this viewpoint.
The reason, stated in Isaiah 43:20, that God “provided” (a prophetic perfect term), “waters in the wilderness
and streams in the desert” is so that the animals will glorify Him, by their enjoyment of this sustenance, and
that God’s chosen people, whom God has formed for Himself (see Isaiah 43:7), will have water to drink and
will verbally declare His praise, 43:21. The Apostle Peter quotes from Isaiah 43:21 in 1 Peter 2:9. Following
the awful days of the tribulation in which the earth will be almost totally ruined, the establishment of the
millennial kingdom will witness a refreshing re-creation of the earth’s bountiful resources to become as a
new Eden. See also Jeremiah 16:14-15; 32: 37-44. For an extended discussion on the gathering of the faithful
remnant from the nations of the earth to participate in the millennial kingdom, see Alva J. McClain, The
Greatness of the Kingdom, chapter XVI: The Establishment of the Prophetic Kingdom, pages 178-205.
David L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly-May 1945 also understands these
verses as applying to the far future:
The Sinful Condition of God’s Servants: 43:22-28
As is so common in the prophetic writings of Isaiah, promises of salvation follow declarations of judgment
and judgment passages follow directly after salvation promises. Verses 22-28 are no exception. After
declaring that His people, whom He had formed for Himself, will declare His praise, vs. 21, God proceeds to
pronounce judgment upon His people for their unfaithful worship. He berates them for their failure to honor
Him with the sacrifices that His law had required and for wearying Him with their iniquities, vss. 22-24. See
also Isaiah chapter 1. The words of God recorded in these verses are not addressed to exiles in Babylon as
some would indicate. God is speaking to Isaiah’s audience in Jerusalem where the temple was the center of
their worship. Not only had this generation continued in their sin but they had followed in the sinful footsteps
of their forefathers and past spokesmen. The consequence of the never-ending sinfulness of these people is
that God will cause the pollution of the princes of the sanctuary (by implication polluting the temple itself)
and God will consign His people (Jacob/Israel) to be destroyed and reviled, vss. 25-28. These stunning words
of judgment are then followed by comforting words of future restoration and blessing, 44:1-8. Although, God
will punish His people for their sins, He never completely forsakes them and will ultimately establish a
majestic peaceful kingdom upon the earth, ruled by their Messiah, which Revelation 20:1-6 states will endure
for a thousand years.
43:22 But you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
you have grown tired of me, O Israel.
God laments that His people have failed to call on Him, which could be understood as their lack of prayer in
seeking forgiveness and guidance from their LORD who is their Creator, Holy One and King, Isaiah 43:15.
They also have become weary of God indicating that their worship of God was a mere formality without any
heartfelt devotion to Him as the following verses testify. The problem of stale lifeless worship by those
whose hearts are full of sin was common among the people of God during Old Testament days and continues
to this day. Isaiah addressed this issue at the beginning of his prophecy, Isaiah 1:11-14. See also Isaiah 66:1-
4; Jeremiah 7:1-15; Hosea 6:4-11; Amos 4:1-13; and Micah 6:1-16. These are selected verses only as the lack
399…..Isaiah 43:23-26
of heartfelt worship to God by His people is an all too common complaint of God which leads to His just
punishment and retribution.
43:23-24 You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings,
or honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with offerings,
or wearied you demanding frankincense.
24
You have bought me no sweet cane with money,
nor have you satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins,
you have wearied me with your iniquities.
God claims that His people’s failure to worship Him with all their heart has led to their slackness in obeying
the law by not bringing the required sheep for burnt offerings. Nor have they brought sacrifices which would
honor Him. God has been gentle to His people by not overly demanding offerings and incense. This
gentleness on God’s part may have been due to the destruction of the agricultural lands in Judah by the army
of Assyria which would have destroyed crops and vegetation. God further laments that His people have not
offered Him sweet cane (calamus) or money offerings, Exodus 30:22-33, nor have they sent up to Him the
sweet smell of the fat which ascended from their required burnt offerings, Exodus 29:10-25. Instead they
have only “offered” God the stench of their sins and iniquities. Refer to Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages
214-215 for a discussion of the purpose of the sacrificial system:
43:25 I, am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake;
I will not remember your sins.
Following His lament about the heartless worship of His people in neglecting the requirements of the law
regarding sacrifices and offerings, God delivers an astounding message of salvation. It is not that ritual
worship in itself is the key to having sins forgiven but it is because God will forgive sins (wipes out your
transgressions) and does not remember them for His own sake. The words “blots out” in the DASV are
mahah in the Hebrew which has the meaning of wiping away or blotting out. The first occurrence of mahah
in the Scriptures is recorded in Exodus 32:32-33. Moses was discussing with God, Israel’s sin of making and
worshiping a calf made of gold. Moses pleaded with God to forgive this great act of rebellion by the
Israelites and said, “please forgive their sin, but if not, then blot me out of your book that you have written, "
Exodus 32:33. The LORD responded by stating, "Whoever has sinned against me, that person alone will I
blot out of my book.” Exodus 32:33. If it is incorrect to assume God has a physical book, it certainly would
be correct to understand He keeps a permanent record of the acts of those He has created. This “book” is also
mentioned in Psalm 69:28; 139:16; Daniel 7:10; 10:21; 12:11; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8;
20:12; 20:15 and 21:27. The action of blotting out or erasing a name from this book may indicate that this
name was originally stated in the book. However due to the unregenerate condition of the person, the name
of the person is wiped out of the book, thus eliminating that person from entering the eternal state, heaven.
In Isaiah 43:25, the action by God is not blotting a person’s name from the book of life, but God is blotting or
wiping away any record of transgressions, Hebrew pesha, thus God states, “I will not remember your sins.”
See also notes on Isaiah 44:22.
43:26-27 Remind me;
let us argue this out in court;
present your case,
so that you may prove your innocence.
400…..Isaiah 43:26-28
27
Your first father sinned,
and your spokespersons have rebelled against me.
In a courtroom setting, see also 41:21, God demands that His people remind Him by their argument
(presentation of their witness) regarding their worthiness and righteousness and why they have seen fit not to
honor God with the required offerings and sacrifices. This verse is reminiscent of the beginning of Isaiah’s
prophecy where God called His people to reason together with Him: 1:18. In 43:26, God calls upon His
people to “argue this out in court; present your case,” (DASV). This is a paraphrase. The KJV has “let us
plead together, declare thou,” and the NIV has “let us argue the matter together; state the case.” One scholar
translates these words as “let us judge this together, declare thy case.” See Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page
353. This should not be understood as a discussion between equals nor an opportunity for sinful Israel to use
persuasive arguments to free them from the consequences of their sinfulness. God is simply giving them
opportunity to acknowledge and state that they have rebelled against Him. It is best to see this as a gracious
invitation by the LORD to His covenant people to recognize and admit their sinfulness and to repent and
return to obedience and true heartfelt worship of God. In 43:27, God states His position as the prosecutor of
the case. God bluntly states that their “first father” (forefather or literally father) sinned. This could be a
reference to Adam, Abraham or Jacob but it is not stated to whom God is referencing. God next avows that
their spokesmen, literally interpreters, have rebelled against Him. These interpreters could have been false
prophets, ungodly priests or rebellious princes or kings. The Scriptures do not hide the sins of the forefathers
nor those of other leaders of the Hebrew people. God has been dealing with these sins since calling them as
His chosen people and continues to deal with them today. Mankind’s sinful inclinations have not changed,
and God, in His divine grace, offers to forgive these sins and remember them no more as 43:25 states. God
continues to forgive sins today to any who will call upon Him in confession of their sins. The Apostle John
stated, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.
43:28 Therefore I defiled your princes of the sanctuary;
I delivered Jacob over to destruction,
and Israel to insults.
The KJV translates the second sentence in 43:28 as “and have given Jacob to the curse.” The NASB has the
word “ban” instead of “destruction” (DASV). The climax of this short courtroom like drama is stated in
43:28. God, now as the Judge, declares His verdict. Since there can be no defense to the people’s sinfulness
in rebelling against Him, God declares His righteous judgment. He will pollute (pierce through) the princes
(holy princes or priests) of the sanctuary and consign His people to the ban (complete destruction) and to
revilement. The word “destruction” is the Hebrew word herem, which has the meaning of things devoted to
destruction. Among its many occurrences in the Scriptures is that of Deuteronomy 7:26 where it is translated
as “a cursed thing” in the KJV and “set apart for destruction” in the NIV. It occurs also in Isaiah 34:5
translated as “doomed to destruction” in the DASV and “of my curse” in the KJV and “devoted to
destruction” in the NASB.
J. Alec Motyer discusses the meaning of the ban as destruction:
“Destruction (ḥērem) is not ‘destruction’ pure and simple but the utter ‘separation’ from the face of
the earth of that which the Lord abhors (Josh. 6:17; 8:26). What a verdict!—not pardon (26) but the
divine curse (28).” (J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, page 275).
401…..Isaiah 43:28 – 44:1
The final phrase of 43:28 is “and (have delivered) Israel to insults” The word “insults” in the DASV is the
Hebrew word “gidduph” literally meaning to be reviled as translated in the NASB. It occurs only in two other
verses in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 51:7, it is translated as “mocking” in the DASV and “revilings” in the
KJV and NASB. In Zephaniah 2:8 it is also translated as “revilings” in the KJV and NASB but as “ridicule”
in the DASV.
But as terrifying and final as this judgement appears, all is not lost. Isaiah frequently in his prophecy, follows
a message of judgment and punishment with a declaration of salvation and hope. The passage, 44:1-8 is an
excellent example of this pattern. In this next section, God tells His people to not fear for He has made
wonderful provision for them for He is the LORD of hosts, their King, and their Redeemer who is the first
and the last. He is also their Rock and there is no One like Him for He alone is God.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 43
43:1-7: The Redemption of God’s People
43:1-4 God Will Ransom His People
43:5-7 God Will Restore His People
43:8-13: The Reminder to God’s People
43:8-9 The Sightless Servants
43:10-13 The Singular Sovereign
43:14-21: The Restoration of God’s People
43:14-17 The Purge of God’s Provokers
43:18-21 The Praise of God’s People
43:22-28: The Rebellion of God’s People
4:22-24 God’s People Weary of God
4:25-28 God’s People Warned by God
7. Further Blessings to Israel: 44:1-8
Chapter 44 of Isaiah is another beautiful declaration of God’s love, salvation and protective care for His
people. Verses 1-8 contain promises of the blessings of God during the far future messianic kingdom. These
verses also contain majestic compound names for God, vs. 6 and many terms describing His work on their
behalf. The middles section of this chapter, vss. 9-20, contain a lengthy discussion on the foolishness of
crafting and then worshipping idols. Isaiah often inserts excurses on idolatry as it was such an impediment to
the true worship of God as the Holy One of Israel and a practice in which God hated and would not tolerate.
The final section of chapter 44, vss. 21-28 contains two distinct sections. Verses. 21-23 are a wonderful
statement of God’s salvation and a call for His people to return to Him, likely referencing their previous evil
practice of idol worship. Verses 24-28 contain a specific reference to Cyrus, vs. 28 and to the re-inhabitation
of the cities of Judah including Jerusalem, vs. 26 and to the rebuilding of Jerusalem and its temple, vs. 28.
As vss. 26-28 of chapter 44 do contain specific references to the return of the exiles from Babylon and to
Cyrus, it is fitting for students to interpret these verses literally and understand that only God could identify a
person by name, Cyrus, over 160 years (701 – 538 B.C.) before this king would fulfil the role given to him
by God.
44:1 Now listen, O Jacob my servant,
and Israel, whom I have chosen.
Isaiah 44:1 begins with an emphatic “Now listen” (“But now listen” in the NIV and NASB) linking it to the
previous message in 43:22-28. This ominous and devastating pronouncement of judgment by God on His
402…..Isaiah 44:1-2
people includes destruction, 43:28. In the previous section, 43:22-28, God’s judgment seems to be final, but
it is immediately followed by a comforting message of God’s future salvation, 44:1-5. A survey of the
messages of Isaiah contained in his prophecy will reveal that Isaiah often followed a declaration of judgment
with a blessing of salvation. For example, the judgment of God upon His people in chapter 1 is followed with
a declaration of hope and salvation in a future day as recorded in chapter 2:1-4. See also the contrast between
judgment in 42:19-25 and future salvation in 43:1-7.
God calls his servant “Jacob/Israel” whom he has calls to listen to him. The combination of Jacob and Israel
is often used by Isaiah to refer collectively to God’s people. See 9:8; 10:20; 14:1; 27:6; 29:23; 40:27; 41:8,
14; 42:24; 43:1, 22, 28; 44:1, 5, 21, 23; 45:4; 46:3; 48:1, 2; 49: 5, and 6. A close parallel to Isaiah 44:1-2
occurs in 41:8; 43:1 and 44:21. God’s people are often designated in the Scriptures as the “sons of Israel”
and “My people Israel.” The reference to Jacob as a synonym of Israel is also appropriate for Jacob was the
father and patriarchal head of the tribes of Israel. At his birth, he was given the name Jacob, but God later
decreed that his name was to be Israel, Genesis 35:10. God at that time declared that the covenant He had
made with Abraham and Isaac was to be made with Jacob and his descendants, Genesis 35:11-12.
As recorded in Isaiah’s prophecy, God often refers to Israel as His servant See 41:8, 9; 42:19 (2x); 43:10;
44:1, 2, 21 (2x); 45:4; 48:20; 63:17; 65:8, 9, 13 (3x), 14, 15 and 66:14. See notes on the previous verses,
41:8-9; 42:19; and 43:10, for further comment on the role of Israel as God’s servant. Another common
expression of God for His people is “chosen.” See Isaiah 41:8, 9; 43:10, 20; 44:1, 2; 45:4; 49:7; 65:15, and
22. God’s choice of the Jewish people was not because they were mighty in numbers or because of anything
they had accomplished or because they were in any way deserving to be His chosen people. He chose them
for His own name’s sake to declare His glory to the nations of the earth. See 2 Samuel 7:23; Isaiah 43:7 and
44:23.
44:2 This is what the LORD says who made you,
and formed you from the womb, who will help you:
Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant,
Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.
Isaiah authenticates God’s message with the imperative “This is what the LORD says” which is intended for
God’s people to listen and take notice of what He is about to declare to them. See note on Isaiah 43:16-17.
He reminds His people that it was He who had formed them from the womb. See also 43:1, 7, 21; 44:21, and
24. God is stating that these sinful, obstinate, rebellious, blind and deaf people are His family whom He, in
holy love, intimately cares for and protects. It is extremely exceptional that God makes a similar statement
about His most beloved Servant, His Son, the Messiah in Isaiah 49:5. This family relationship, Exodus 4:22,
is further developed in the New Testament, not only between the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ, John 6:40,
but also between the Father and all believers whom are called the children of God and fellow heirs with
Christ, Romans 8:16-17.
God again, (see Isaiah 44:1), calls His people His servant and the ones He has chosen. This repetitive
description of the special relationship between God and these people is to assure them that He has not
forsaken them, and He has a plan and purpose for them. Following the statement of coming destruction upon
them, 43:28 and the connecting “now listen” of 44:1 these chosen servants of God can rest in the knowledge
that it is not God’s intention to annihilate them, but to discipline them and following this chastisement, He
will restore them. God calls Israel, “Jeshurun” which has the meaning of “upright” and “righteous.” See also
Deuteronomy 32:15; 33:5 and 26. By calling His people “upright” or “righteous”, God is not stating that they
have this characteristic as an intrinsic attribute but that this is His purpose for them. He calls them to be holy
in Exodus 19:5-6 and 22:31.
403…..Isaiah 44:3-5
44:3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
and streams on the dry ground.
I will pour my Spirit upon your descendants,
and my blessing upon your offspring.
The restorative work of God as stated in Isaiah 44:3, on behalf of his chosen servants is announced for a far
future time when God will bring refreshment to the earth for He will, “pour water on the thirsty land and
streams on the dry ground.” This work of God is a repeated promise in the prophecy of Isaiah. See 12:3;
30:23-25; 32:1-2; 35:1-7; 41:17-20; 43:19-21; 44:4; 49:10; and 58:11. The earth will be restored and
refreshed during the days of the messianic kingdom where nature, animals and humans will all benefit from
the work and presence of God who is the Messiah who will reign in righteousness from Mount Zion, Isaiah
61:11.
But there is more to this verse than the physical restoration of the earth and its inhabitants. God promised
that, He will also “pour” His Spirit upon the descendants of His people and (pour out) His blessing on their
offspring. This is a future promise that the generation of Isaiah’s day could invest their trust. The generation
of our current day also patiently hopes for its fulfillment.
44:4 They will spring up among the grass,
like willows by flowing streams.
God adds to the marvelous promise of the outpouring of the Spirit upon the future descendants of the Jews
who were the recipients of Isaiah’s message. In a far future day these descendants will occupy the land in
such numbers that they will “spring up” like grass or like popular trees by the water side. Isaiah will later
declare the words of God, as recorded in 66:7-8 stating: Before her labor pains began, she gave birth;
before her pain came, she delivered a boy. 8 Who has heard of such a thing? Who has seen such things?
Can a country be born in a single day? Will a nation be born in a second? Yet as soon as Zion went into
labor, she gave birth to her children.
The faithful Jewish remnant who enter the messianic kingdom will rapidly populate the land and witness the
replacement of the effects of devastation that were evident during the dreadful days of the great tribulation,
with a land of restored nature, peace and longevity ruled by their Messiah.
44:5 One will say, 'I am the LORD's;
another will call himself by the name of Jacob;
yet another will write on his hand 'The LORD's,'
and take the name 'Israel' as his own.
In that great messianic day described in 44:3-4, those who populate the land will belong to the Lord. They
will call themselves by the name of Jacob and give honor to the name of Israel. Some will even write on their
hand as a visual display, “The LORD’s” (“Belonging to the LORD.” NASB). The prophet Zechariah spoke of
that day as recorded in Zechariah 14:20-21, “On that day, there will be inscribed on horses' bells, "Holy to
the LORD." The pots in the LORD's house will be like the bowls in front of the altar. 21 Yes, every pot in
Jerusalem and in Judah will be holy to the LORD of hosts, so that everyone who sacrifices can come and
take of them, and use them to boil their sacrifices in. On that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the
house of the LORD of hosts.” See David L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly-May
1945 for an extended discussion on these glorious days:
404…..Isaiah 44:6
44:6 This is what the LORD, the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts says,
I am the first,
and I am the last;
besides me there is no other God.
The repetitive, “This is what the LORD…..says,” (compare 44:2), is declared by God to assert His divine
authoritative right to demand attention from His people. The magnificent compound names for God in 44:6
are similar to many others within the prophecy of Isaiah. See, for example notes on Isaiah 19:20; 37:16, 21;
43:3, 11, and 14-15; 44:24; 45:21; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8; 60:16; and 63:16 (selected verses only). See also
the Introduction for a listing of all the names for God in Isaiah.
There are four designated names for God in 44:6 and two descriptive phrases. First, the title “LORD” is
Israel’s covenant making and keeping God, translated LORD from YHWH. Older commentaries and studies
translated YHWH as Jehovah, but this practice is mostly obsolete and has been replaced in more recent years
with Yahweh with the vowels a and e added. Second, “King of Israel” is God’s designated title for His role as
the theocratic ruler of Israel even though the people of Israel refused Him as King, hundreds of years earlier
and demanded a human king, 1 Samuel 8:1-22. See also God’s prediction of Israel’s demand for a human
king to rule over them, Deuteronomy 17:14-20; and 28:36-37. Third, “Redeemer” is a beloved title for God
who acts as their kinsmen to redeem them from disaster both physical and spiritual. See also Isaiah 41:14,
43:14; 44:24; 47:4; 48;17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8; 69:20; 60:16 and 63:16. Fourth, “LORD of hosts” is a name
designating YHWH as the commander of armies (on earth and in heaven) and the Lord of the hosts of
heaven. As commander of armies, God is completely sovereign in all dealings with corrupt mankind who can
do nothing to thwart God’s purposes for His creation.
In in 44:6, God also describes Himself as the “first and the last.” Gary V. Smith comments on this this
descriptive phrase for God:
“God announces that “I am the first and I am the last,” a phrase that is not just a title but also a
description of his unique sovereignty over all events. He knows what happened in the past and has
planned and revealed to his people some of the things that will happen in the future. This is not an
abstract philosophical statement of his eternality but a reminder that his works span the whole scope
of history from the beginning to the very end of time. This claim would give assurance to the
audience that God knows all about their past problems and will be around to help them in the future.
This point anticipates the argument that will be presented later in the narrative where a craftsman
brings an idol-god into existence many years after he planted a seedling. When God claims to be the
first (41:4; 48:12), it indicates that he preceded the first events of creation and will continue as the
sovereign Ruler over creation until the very last events.” (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 225-
226).
In the final descriptive phrase in 44:6, God states that “besides me there is no other God.” This description of
Himself sets up the following discussion on the futility of crafting and worshipping idols. God repeats this
claim in 44:8 and in 45:5, 6, 14, 21, 22; and 46:9. See also Isaiah 43:11where God states, “besides me there is
no savior”. The plain truth of Scripture is that God alone is the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens and the
earth, Genesis 1:1; and Isaiah 42:5. He alone is the only Savior of mankind, Acts 4:12.
Those who refer to any other God are making a patently false claim. The only true God, as revealed in the
Scriptures, has called the nations to make any claim that their so-called gods can do anything at all, Isaiah
41:22-24. The result of this claim is the same as that which Elijah encountered, 1 Kings 18:20-40. False gods
405…..Isaiah 44:7-8
cannot make any response or do anything. The most hideous and grievous sin of mankind has been the
rejection of the One true God and the replacement worship of something mankind has created to become
their God. Therefore, God has given mankind over to the futility and deadly consequence of their rebellion
against God who allowed this sin to have its full impact. See Romans 1: 18-32.
44:7 Who is like me?
Let them announce it,
and let them declare it and set it before me,
since I established an ancient people.
Let them predict future things to come,
and let them explain what will come to pass.
God, in 44:7 is challenging those who are described in 44:9 as “All those who make idols are nothing.” Not
only are their idols worthless and accounted as nothing but they are seen in God’s eyes, as recorded in Isaiah
40:17, “All the nations are as nothing before him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing and
worthless.” The subject of the pagan practice of making and worshiping idols and the worthlessness of idols
is a common theme in Isaiah. See 2:8, 18, 20; 10:10-11; 19:1, 3; 21:9; 30:22; 31:7; 40:18-20; 41:21-29; 42:8,
17; 44:9-20; 45:16, 20; 48:5; 57:13 and 66:3. In 44:7, God challenges the makers of these worthless idols to
have these idols announce declare, predict or explain anything that would compare them to God or to do
anything that God can do. God had previously asked in 40:18, “To whom then will you compare God? What
image will you equate him to? See also Isaiah 40:25 and 41:26.
There are three issues of challenge in 44:7 that God is addressing with the words “let them” as the basis of
these challenges. First, God asks, “Who is like me? Let them announce it.” This rhetorical question can only
be answered with a resounding, No one is like God! The Scriptures often proclaim that there is no one like
God nor is there anyone who can compare with God. For example see, Exodus 8:10; 9:14; 15:11;
Deuteronomy 33:26; 1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 7:22; 1 Kings 8:23; 1 Chronicles 17:20; 2 Chronicles 6:14; Job
36;22; Psalm 40:5; 71:19; 77:13; 86:8; 89:8; 113:5; Isaiah 40:18; 46:9; Micah 7:10 and 18. A similar
declaration is that God is described as a rock and is incomparable. See 1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 22:32; Psalm
18:31; Isaiah 17:10; 26:4; 44:8; and Habakkuk 1:12.
Second, God requests that let them declare things in the past. The NIV states in 44:7: “Let him declare and
lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people.” This question was asked
previously of those who were called to present their case for trusting in idols as stated in 41:22, “Declare
what things happened in the past, what they were, so that we may consider them, and check whether they
actually happened.” The only answer possible to this request is that only God can declare what has happened
in the past as He was the only One who made and arranged past events. They did not happen by chance.
Third, God requests: “Let them predict future things to come and let them explain things that will come to
pass.” God had also requested previously, as recorded in 41:22, “tell us what things are to come.” There is
no one but God who can perfectly predict or declare the future. Some may predict some things that may
happen in a general sense. But no one but God can with precision and accuracy foretell what the future holds.
44:8 Do not tremble, or be afraid.
Have I not announced and foretold long ago?
You are my witnesses.
Is there any God besides me?
There is no other Rock;
I know of none.
406…..Isaiah 44:8 and 44:9-22 Introduction
Before starting a lengthy discussion on the folly of idol making and worship, Isaiah completes the three-verse
declaration by God of His uniqueness as recorded in 44:6-8. God lovingly requests that His people are not to
be afraid or tremble as what the future holds for He has announced and foretold this future in days long past.
See also Isaiah 45:21 and 48:5-7. Even though God has declared that His people as His servants are blind
and deaf, Isaiah 42:18, 19 and 43:8, they are called His witnesses to what He has done in the past, what He is
doing in the present and what He will accomplish in the future. God asks again, “Is there any God besides
me?” The word for “God” in 44:8 is Eloah in the Hebrew with the meaning of being the single or sole God.
There is no other God. This is the only occurrence of Eloah in the book of Isaiah. God also declares that for
His people, “there is no other Rock.” The comparison of God to a rock is often seen in Scripture. For
example, see 1 Samuel 2:2; 2 Samuel 22:32; Psalm 18:31; Isaiah 17:10; 26:4; 44:8; and Habakkuk 1:12. God
is also described as an unmovable, enduring and strong rock that can be compared to a fortress. See 2 Samuel
22:2; Psalm 18:2; 31:3 and 71:3. As the sole and only God of the universe, He is a protective refuge for His
people. They can with confidence and assurance depend on Him to provide safety even amid the storms and
conflicts to come and more importantly, He gracefully gives salvation to them so that they will be eternally
safe and live with Him in peace and righteousness. See notes on 44:11 for a very brief discussion on the
word “tremble,” Hebrew pachad, which occurs in the first phrase of 44:8.
8. The Futility of Idolatry and the Forgiveness of God: 44:9-22
Verses 9-20: The Folly of Idol Making and Worship
In Isaiah 44:9-20, the prophet describes the worthless activity of making and crafting a worthless object.
Those who craft idols will be put to shame, vs. 9, for there is no benefit derived from a god that is a cast
metal object, vs. 10. All the companions of the idol craftsman will also be put to shame for those who make
such a god are mere humans, vs. 11. Those who with human skill make an idol become weary and they
make their god just like themselves, a weak human with no divine power, vss. 12-13. With the same wood
that is used for fuel for heat for warmth and fuel for cooking, idols are crafted to become an object of
worship, vss. 14-17. Idol worshippers have no understanding of the folly of their false hope in a man-made
object that can offer them nothing but a lie, vss. 18-20.
The discussion of the folly of making and trusting in idols follows Isaiah’s magnificent recording of the
dialog by God, 44:1-8, which exalts the One true God. Isaiah 44:1-8 is set in sharp contrast to 44:9-20. There
are several contrasts between the Lord and lowly worthless idols from this passage and from chapters 40-43.
First, instead of a weak and pagan human who chooses a piece of wood that is to be fashioned into an idol,
44:14, God has chosen a people to Himself: Jacob/Israel, 44: 1.
Second, instead of a corruptible heathen who makes an idol, 44:9-20, God has formed and made people 44:1,
who have been made in His image, Genesis 1:27.
Third, instead of a man-made god who can be of no help to those who craft it, 44:18-20, God will give His
people divine help, 44:1.
Fourth, instead of a useless crafted god that cannot affect the natural or spiritual realms, God can re-shape
nature to pour out soothing and healing waters and pour out His Spirit on His chosen people, 44:3-4.
Fifth, instead of a man-made mark on a worthless idol, the people of God will write the name of the One true
God on their hands, 44:5.
407…..Isaiah 44:9-10
Sixth, instead of a crafted idol that had a beginning and an ending and can offer no help or salvation, God
exists eternally as the only One, their divine King who can redeem His kindred people, 44:6.
Seventh, instead of a useless piece of crafted wood or a shaped molten metal who can offer no counsel or
advice, God can declare the things that have come from ages ago and predict the future with precision and
accuracy, 44:7.
Eighth, instead of an idol that needs to be fastened by nails, so it will not tip over, Isaiah 41:7, God is a
secure and strong Rock and therefore His people are not to tremble or be afraid, 44:8.
44:9 All those who make idols are nothing;
the things that they delight in are worthless;
their own witnesses cannot see or know,
so they are put to shame.
Not only are idols, the things that are delighted in are worthless, so are those who make them. Those who
make blind and senseless idols are witnesses who themselves are ignorant and blind and therefore put to
shame both by their creating of a useless object of worship and by being woefully without any knowledge of
their acts. The word “nothing” is often translated as futile. It is the Hebrew word tohu which has the meaning
of “emptiness,” “formless,” and “vain.” It is translated as “worthless” in 1 Samuel 12:21, “Do not turn aside
after worthless idols which cannot profit or deliver, for they are worthless.” The word tohu first occurs in
Scripture translated as “formless” in Genesis 1:2, “And the earth was formless and empty.” It occurs most
often in Isaiah in the DASV in 24:10 (wasted); 29:21 (false); 34:11(chaos); 40:17 (worthless); 40:23
(worthless); 41:29 (nothing); 44:9 (worthless); 45:18 (chaotic); 45:19 (vain); 49:4 (nothing); and 59:4
(empty). The witnesses, Hebrew ed, to the crafting and delighting in idols are blind and without knowledge.
This description of these pagan witnesses is certainly a purposeful contrast by Isaiah to the nations who are
called to be witnesses who are blind and deaf, Isaiah 43:8-9, and to God’s chosen people, His servants who
are also blind and deaf, Isaiah 42:19, and are His witnesses, Isaiah 43:10. These blind and unknowing
witnesses are put to shame, Hebrew bosh. The Hebrew word bosh occurs often in Isaiah. See 1:29; 19:9;
20:5; 23:4; 24:23; 26:11; 29:22; 37:27; 41:11; 42:17; 44:9, 11; 45:16, 17, 24; 49:23; 50:7; 54:4; 65:13; and
66:5. It is repeated as “shame” for emphasis in 44:11. Those who make and trust in worthless idols are put to
shame by the One who is the only true God.
44:10 Who has fashioned a god,
or cast a metal idol that is of any benefit?
God asks a rhetorical question that can only be answered by the words “no one.” There has never been a god
who has been formed or fashioned by a human that can have any benefit. The prophet Habakkuk, 2:18-19
declared that idols are good for nothing for they are without benefit and have no breath in them:
18
What benefit is an idol when a craftsman carved it?
What good is a metal image, a teacher of lies?
Why does even the one who makes them
trust in speechless idols?
19
Woe to him that says to wood, 'Wake up,'
To speechless stone, 'Arise!'
Can it instruct?
Look, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
and there is absolutely no breath in it.
408…..Isaiah 44:11-12
The word benefit in Isaiah 44:10 is the Hebrew word yaal, which is often translated as “profit” in the Old
Testament. It also occurs in Isaiah in the DASV in 30:5 (benefit) 30:6 (help); 44:9 (worthless); 47:12
(succeed); 48:17 (good); and 57:12 (help).
44:11 Look, all his companions will be put to shame;
its craftsmen are mere humans.
Let them all be gathered together,
let them stand up.
They will be terrified and put to shame.
All who fashion an idol and all who worship them (their companions) will be “put to shame.” These
craftsmen are “mere humans” who Isaiah had earlier described in 40:17 as “all nations are as nothing before
him; they are accounted by him as less than nothing and worthless.” The Apostle Paul, as recorded in
Romans 1:21-25 also spoke of those who had rejected God and worshipped the things they had made. “For
even though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, or give thanks to him; but became futile in their
thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged
the glory of the incorruptible God for images resembling corruptible man, birds, four-footed animals and
creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to dishonor their own
bodies among themselves.25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served the
creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” God “gave them up,” Romans 1:24,
meaning that God allowed the natural result of their rebellion against Him to be their utter demise which
would ultimately lead to their complete separation from God and to their spending an eternity in God’s
ultimate solution for sinfulness, the lake of fire, Revelation 20:11-15. This ultimate solution by God for
sinfulness is described by Isaiah in 44:11 as “they will be terrified and put to shame.” Just like fashioned
wooden idols that are not secured by nails, those who fashion idols and worship them will not be able to
stand up when summoned by God. The word “terrified” in the DASV is the Hebrew word pachad, which has
the primary meaning to be in dread of or to fear. It also occurs in Isaiah in the DASV in 12:2 (afraid); 19:16
(fearful); 19:17 (terrified); 33:14 (afraid); 44:8 (tremble); 51:13 (afraid); and 60:5 (thrill).
44:12 The blacksmith makes it with his tools,
and shapes it in the coals.
He fashions it with hammers,
and forges it with his strong arm.
He gets hungry and his strength weakens;
he drinks no water and he becomes faint.
In contrast to God who has made and formed His people from the womb, Isaiah 44:2, and will never tire nor
grow weary for He is a strong and enduring Rock, Isaiah 44:8, worthless idols are made by humans such as
blacksmiths who spends all their efforts, making, shaping, fashioning and forging metal idols. The
blacksmith becomes hungry and his strength weakens and because he works without stopping for a drink of
water, becomes faint. Isaiah is describing a scenario that his audience could not fail to understand. Why
would anyone trust in an idol made by weak and fallible human beings? Why would anyone exchange the
true worship of the eternal steadfast God for bowing down to an image that a blacksmith has fashioned? The
answer should be obvious, but the reality is that the “god” of this world has blinded the eyes of those who are
perishing, 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, so that they will worship created things rather than the Creator of all things.
409…..Isaiah 44:13-14
44:13 The carpenter stretches out a line;
he traces out its form with a pencil.
He shapes it with planes,
and he marks its outline with a compass.
He shapes it in the form of a human,
according to human beauty,
to dwell in a shrine.
Isaiah next, in 44:13 describes another craftsman, a carpenter, who expends his energies in marking and
shaping an idol (in wood) in the form of a human and the result of his handiwork will then reside in a shrine.
The NKJV for Isaiah 44:13 translates these words as:
“The craftsman stretches out his rule,
He marks one out with a chalk;
He fashions it with a plane,
He marks it out with the compass,
And makes it like the figure of a man,
According to the beauty of a man,
That it may remain in the house.”
Isaiah must have had some knowledge of how a blacksmith and a carpenter perform their works. For the
details of the process of shaping and forming their works indicate Isaiah’s familiarity with the skill necessary
to produce a crafted image. The great sin Isaiah describes in 44:9-20, is that the human form is to be
worshipped in contrast to the only One deserving of worship who is the creator. It would have been just as
sinful for the craftsmen to form an idol or image of God as prohibited by the second commandment, Exodus
20:4-6. The finished work of the human shaped idol will reside in a “house” (NKJV) or a “shrine” (DASV),
where it will be worshipped in a place where it will not face the elements because those who shaped it know
how fragile it was and that it would not last long without protection of a shelter. The idol, shaped by a
craftsman, is vulnerable and will deteriorate if not covered by another man-made structure. Only those
blinded by their sin and by Satan will not recognize the futility of worshipping a fragile idol that cannot hear,
see, reason or speak and can be of no benefit. See also Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 231-232 for a
comparison between Isaiah 44:13 and 40:12 and 22.
44:14 He cuts down cedars,
or chooses a cypress and an oak.
He let it grow strong among the trees of the forest.
He plants a cedar,
and the rain nourishes it.
Prior to fashioning an idol, the carpenter (craftsman), 44:13, had taken the time to plant a cedar, or a cypress
or an oak, and lets the rain nourish it. When it is grown sufficiently, the carpenter cuts these trees down for
multiple uses that Isaiah describes in 44:15-17. The care and time taken to prepare a tree should not be
quickly glossed over by the student of Scripture. Why would a seemingly otherwise sensible but pagan
human being take such care for these trees. However, the carpenter places more value and treasure in created
things such as trees and nature than in the care and development of a life of devotion and faith in the Creator
of these trees. Having considered the worship of something his hands has formed to be of great worth, he
consciously rejects that which is of far greater worth, far beyond any comparison. The easily seen and made
idol requires no faith but only requires blind devotion to a worthless object. Isaiah had earlier, in 40:18-20,
commented on the selection of a tree for use as an idol.
410…..Isaiah 44:15-17
18
To whom then will you compare God?
What image will you equate him to?
19
An idol? A workman casts it in a mold,
and the goldsmith overlays it with gold,
and fashions silver chains for it.
20
Or if someone is too poor for such a sacrifice
they may choose wood that will not rot and
then find a skillful craftsman to set up a carved idol
that will not topple.
44:15-17 Then he uses it to make a fire;
he takes some of it and warms himself;
yes, he kindles a fire with it and bakes bread.
Then he makes a god and worships it;
he makes it into a carved idol
and falls down in worship before it.
16
Half of it he burns in the fire;
with this half he cooks meat;
he roasts it and is satisfied.
He also warms himself, and says,
'Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire.'
17
With the rest he makes a god,
even his carved idol;
he falls down in worship before it,
and prays to it, and says,
'Rescue me, for you are my god.'
The carpenter, having taken care to plant trees and then ensuring that these trees will be well nourished by
the rain that God alone provides, then harvests the trees for many uses. In 44:15, Isaiah describes four things
that the carpenter does with the tree he has chopped down. First, he uses the wood of the tree to make a fire
for warmth. Second, he uses the fuel from the burning tree to bake bread, so he can eat to nourish himself.
Third, the carpenter fashions an idol, a false god from the part of the tree that has not been used for warmth
and for baking bread and for cooking meat. Fourth, the carpenter falls or bows down before this carved piece
of wood and worships before it. It seems incredulous that any sane person would not know that wood that
has been used for fire for warmth and for baking and cooking could not also be a god that is worthy of
worship and a god that one would expect to answer prayers and provide rescue, safety and security.
Isaiah seems so intent in making this rather obvious point that he repeats the details of the story of the pagan
carpenter in 44:16-17. It seems that Isaiah is repeating the story because it is so incredible, yet it depicts what
actually happens. Isaiah may have repeated this story so that his audience could not possibly miss the point of
the hopelessness of trusting in man-made idols that are made from wood that has a greater value in being
burned than in being worshipped. Yet, as Isaiah has described in several passages in his book, the people who
have been chosen and cared for by God, willingly reject Him and bow before worthless idols to seek rescue
and salvation. To those who may miss the point for today, idols have not disappeared but have merely
changed in their shape and content. Humans, as the Apostle Paul has so strikingly written in Romans 1:18-
32, are still desirous to worship created things. Modern society is no different from Isaiah’s or Paul’s day.
Idols may have changed from carved or crafted objects to other types of manufactured items or to humans
that are put on pedestals or to intangible objects such as wealth, fame or any other desired thing that is placed
higher in human hearts for affection than the worship of the true God. Isaiah may have been amazed at the
411…..Isaiah 44:18-19
level of idol worship in his day. What would he say if he could comment on the idolatry of this modern age?
Thomas Constable cites a quotation from Calvin that is just as valid today as when Calvin wrote:
“…man’s nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols.” 517
[Note 517: Calvin, Institutes…,1.11.8] (Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 213)
44:18-19 They do not know or understand,
for their eyes are shut,
so that they cannot see;
their hearts closed,
so that they cannot understand.
19
No one calls to mind,
nor is there knowledge or understanding to say,
'I have burned half of it in the fire;
with its coals I have baked bread
and roasted meat and ate it.
Should I make an abomination with the rest of it?
Should I fall down and worship a block of wood?
Those who fashion, and worship idols have no knowledge or understanding for their eyes are shut and their
hearts are closed with the result that they cannot see with their eyes or comprehend with their hearts. The
words in the DASV: “for their eyes are shut” are translated in the NKJV and the ESV as: “for He has shut
their eyes,” which is similar to the KJV. The NIV has “their eyes are plastered over,” while the NASB has
“for He has smeared over their eyes.” The differences in the translations reflect some of the difficulties in
translating the Hebrew. The following translation may be closer to the intent of the Hebrew: “for their eyes
are glued together.” See Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 357. As it is not clear to the exact meaning of this
phrase, it is best to understand that Isaiah is simply stating that these pagan idol worshippers have their eyes
shut either by their own sinfulness or as a judgment of God upon them for their sinful behavior. They
certainly would be those, described in 6:9-10 to whom Isaiah was to proclaim the message of God. God’s
judgment will fall upon them as it would for a future generation as described in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11.
See also 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 for the influence of Satan on those who are perishing in their sins.
Those who craft, and worship idols do not know or understand and cannot comprehend that their actions are
just blind ignorance, for they fail to perceive that they worship a worthless image made of wood as Isaiah
44:19 very clearly explains. In 44:18, the word “know” is yada in the Hebrew. It is a very common word in
the Old Testament and used quite often by Isaiah in the general sense of knowing and is a companion word to
understand or understanding. The word “understand,” in the first line of 44:18 is the Hebrew word bin which
can be also translated as “consider,” “realize,” or “perceive” which also occurs often in Isaiah’s writings. The
word “understand,” which is the final word of 44:18 in the DASV, is sakal in the Hebrew. It can also be
translated as “comprehend” or “discern.” In 44:19, the word “knowledge” in the second line, is daat in the
Hebrew and is derived from the common word for “know,” which is yada in the Hebrew. The word daat is
also translated as knowledge in Isaiah 5:13: “Therefore, my people will go into exile for lack of knowledge.”
Isaiah also used the word daat in 44:25 which speaks of an action of God which makes the knowledge of the
wise foolish. Also, in 44:19, the word “understanding” in the second line, is tebunah in the Hebrew, and is
most often translated as “understanding” in the Old Testament. Isaiah used tebunah in a positive sense in
40:14 and 28, and in a negative sense in 44:19. Moses, as recorded in Deuteronomy 32:28, stated, “For they
are a nation without sense, and there is no understanding in them.”
412…..Isaiah 44:20
44:20 He feeds on ashes;
a deceived mind has led him astray.
He cannot save himself,
or say, 'Is not this idol I hold in my right hand a lie?'
Isaiah concludes his discussion in this passage on the folly of crafting and worshipping idols in 44:20. Those
who fashion an idol are like those who foolishly would use ashes from a fire for food. They would be
considered less than stable in mind to eat ashes for it contains no nourishment or any value for food. They
have a “deceived” mind which has led them astray. They also cannot save themselves or even comprehend
that the idol they hold in their hand is nothing but a lie which cannot see, hear, reason, speak or do anything
at all. The word “deceived” in 44:20 is talal in the Hebrew. It occurs a few times in the Old Testament,
Genesis 31:7; Exodus 8:29; Judges 16:10, 13, 15; Job 13:9; Isaiah 44:20; Jeremiah 9:5 and Ezekiel 17:22.
The word “astray” is natah in the Hebrew and occurs frequently in the Old Testament often translated as
aside or astray. It occurs often with the word “turn” which is also translated from natah. Isaiah uses these
words in 30:11 in which he records the derisive words of the people of Judah to those who are God’s
spokesmen: “Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more of the Holy One of Israel.”
Jeremiah 10:6-16 is an excellent summary of the comparison between false idols and the One true God:
6
There is no one like you, O LORD;
you are great,
and your name is great in power.
7
Who should not fear you, O King of the nations?
This is what you deserve.
For among all the wise men of the nations,
and in all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.
8
But they are both stupid and foolish;
the instruction of wooden idols is worthless.
9
They bring finely hammered silver for plating from Tarshish,
and gold from Uphaz,
the work of an artisan and the hands of a goldsmith;
blue and purple for their clothing,
they are all the work of a skilled craftsmen.
10
But the LORD is the true God;
he is the living God and everlasting King.
The earth trembles at his wrath,
and the nations cannot withstand his fury.
11
This is what you should say to them,
"The gods who have not made the heavens and the earth,
these will perish from the earth,
and from under the heavens.
12
The LORD made the earth by his power;
he has established the world by his wisdom,
and by his understanding he has stretched out the heavens.
13
When his voice thunders,
the rain roars from the heavens.
He causes the clouds to ascend
from the ends of the earth;
413…..Isaiah 44:21-22
he makes lightning in the rain,
and brings the wind out of his storehouses.
14
Everyone is ignorant and without knowledge.
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
for his image is bogus;
there is no breath in them.
15
They are worthless,
a work of delusion;
in the time of their punishment, they will perish.
16
He who is the portion of Jacob is not like these,
for he is the creator of all things.
Israel is the tribe of his inheritance:
the LORD of hosts is his name.
(Jeremiah 10:6-16)
Isaiah 44: 21-22: Summary of “Remember These Things”
Isaiah 44:21-22 is often understood as the conclusion of a large section 42:10-44:22. These two verses
summarize the message from the Lord, (“remember these things,” vs. 21), that He alone is the only God and
He has formed His people which is opposed to the pagan idea that mankind fashions a god. The people of
God are also to remember that they are His servant and that He will not forget them. God reminds them, vs.
22, that their sins have been blotted out or swept away. God’s final statement for this section is a plea for His
people to return to their Redeemer.
44:21-22 Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel,
for you are my servant.
I have formed you;
you are my servant, O Israel,
I will not forget you.
22
I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud,
and your sins like a mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.
“Remember these things,” (44:21)
God calls upon His people to remember that He is the One who has chosen them to be His servant. He is their
covenant-keeping, Sovereign who has created and formed them. He is the Holy One of Israel who demands
that His people have no other gods before Him. He is their Rock they can trust for safety and refuge. He
loves them and will not forsake them, and He has redeemed them by causing their transgressions to be
blotted out, so they can have a right relationship with Him. See also 1 Chronicles 16: 8-36; Isaiah 46:8-9.
“for you are my servant.” (44:21)
God reminds His people of their unique relationship with Him. He has deemed that they are to be His
servant. They are very poor servants for God has called them blind and deaf, Isaiah 42:18-19, yet in this
condition they have been called to be witnesses, 43:10-12; 44:8 of His glorious works for He has proclaimed
the things that have happened in the past for He has ordained them, and He has with accuracy and precision
declared what will happen in the future. However, there is another Servant whom God has called. This
Servant is not blind nor deaf and He will fulfill what God has requested, which His blind and deaf servants
failed to do. God declares in Isaiah 49:6:
414…..Isaiah 44:21-22
“It is too insignificant that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and to restore the survivors of Israel.
I will also make you a light to the nations,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
“I have formed you.” (44:21)
God reminds His people that it is He who has formed them. He is the One who is the Potter who formed
them, Isaiah 29:16. He Has created and formed His people, 43:1, for purposes of His glory, 43:7; they were
formed for Himself to declare His praise, 43:21; who as their Redeemer has formed them from the womb, 44:
2, 24. See also Psalm 139:13 and Jeremiah 1:5.
“I will not forget you.” (44:21)
God promises not to forget His people whom He has created and formed to be His servant. He will not
abandon His people, 41:17 and in the future, they will no longer be called “forsaken”, 62:4, 12. This promise
by God is made to a people who have a history of forgetting the covenant relationship that God has
established between Himself and His chosen people. They have rebelled against Him and have crafted
worthless idols to worship which replaced their worship of the One true God. Their sins have ruined the
relationship with their Holy God who calls upon them to be Holy. Yet in spite of their failure to trust in Him
and obey Him, He will remember His covenant with them and never abandon nor forget them.
“I have blotted out your transgression like a cloud and your sins like a mist.” (44: 22)
This declaration by God was also stated in Isaiah 43:25, is one of the most precious promises of God
recorded in the Old Testament. The word “blotted out” is the Hebrew word mahah, which has the meaning to
wipe away. [CONTENT NEEDED]
“return to me, for I have redeemed you.” (44: 22)
God completes this summary of the section 42:10-44:22, by His call to return to Him. Although they have
forsaken Him, He will never abandon or forget His covenant people. They had repeatedly walked away from
Him and had engaged in detestable pagan practices of the Canaanites, including inter-marriage with these
pagans, that He had warned them not to commit, Exodus 34:10-17; and Deuteronomy 7:1-6. The people of
God would also need future reminders, for following the return to Jerusalem after their long exile in Babylon,
they again reverted to this evilness. See Ezra 9:1-4; Nehemiah 13:23-27 and Malachi 2:13-16. It will only be
in the millennial reign of the Messiah when all Canaanite influences will be finally removed: Zechariah
14:21.
God calls upon His people to return to Him, which is a clear call for repentance, for God states that He has
redeemed them. They belong to Him in a divinely established covenant relationship. They also have been
redeemed, for In His blotting out or wiping away of their sins, God has accepted their faith in Him as being
counted as righteousness. See Genesis 15:6; and Habakkuk 2:4. These who have been redeemed still needed
to repent and return to God. Even Christians who have been redeemed by having faith in the shed blood of
Christ on the cross still need to return to Him in repentance, 1 John 1:8-9.
9. God’s Calling of Cyrus and the Glory of God: 44:23-45:25
Some scholars understand 44:23 either as the ending of a section beginning in 43:8 or the beginning of a
section ending in 45:25. Whatever way it is understood in relation to a larger unified section of Isaiah, it is a
wonderful hymn of praise to God for what God has done for His people resulting in His glory being revealed.
415…..Isaiah 44:23
This study will position 44:23 as the beginning of a section, 44:23 to 45:25 which is a description of two
periods of restoration for the people of God.
This unit of Scripture, 44:23-45:25, contains many authoritative declarations by God, “This is what the Lord
says” or in some versions “Thus says the Lord.” These declarations occur in 44: 24; 45:3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 18, 19
and 21. These repetitive statements are recorded by Isaiah to demonstrate the Lord’s grand purpose for His
people whom He created for His glory. These declarations also highlight other repetitive statement of who
God is and what He has done and will do for His people. He is the One who has and will redeem His people,
44:23, 24 including salvation, 45:8, 15, 17, 21 and 22. He declares to His people that He is the only God and
there is no other, 45:5, 6, 14, 18, 21, and 22. He is the creator who formed the heavens and the earth and the
people upon it, 44:24; 45:8, 9, 11, 12, and 18. He frustrates false prophecy and makes foolish the advice of
the wise, 44:25; and puts idol makers to shame 45:16. He fulfills the prophetic word of His prophets
(messengers), 44:26; and 45:21. He declares that Jerusalem and the towns of Judah will again be inhabited
44:26, 28; and 45:13 and the temple will be rebuilt, 44:28. He is the maker of light and darkness and peace
and calamity, 45:7. He declares that every knee will bow before Him and every tongue will swear loyalty to
Him 45:24; and all descendants of Israel will be vindicated Him and will boast in Him 45:25.
44:23 Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it;
shout, you lower parts of the earth.
Break forth into singing, O mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it.
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob,
and will reveal his glory in Israel.
Because the Lord will restore His people to the land in the days of King Cyrus whom He will reveal by name
in 44:28 and will again restore them following the terrifying days of the tribulation, God calls upon His
creation to sing and shout of His accomplishments. God states that He “has done it.” which is a “prophetic
perfect tense verb that speaks of things in the future as though they had already happened in the past.” The
calling of God for His creation to praise Him occurs often in the Psalms and in Isaiah. See Psalm 69:34;
96:11-12; 98:7-8; 148:7-13; Isaiah 42:10, 49:13; and 55:12. One reason that creation is rejoicing in what God
has done is recorded by the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:19-22, “For the creation eagerly awaits the revealing
of the children of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but by the will of him
who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into
the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans with labor pains
until now.” The other reason for the rejoicing of creation is revealed in the second half of Isaiah 44:23, “For
the Lord has redeemed Jacob and will his glory in Israel.” The redemption of God’s people, Jacob is stated
as a completed action and He is announcing it to the people of Isaiah’s day so that the faithful will have
comfort and confidence in Him. In another generation, their descendants will face the destruction of
Jerusalem including the temple and those who trust Him will look on these very words for comfort as they
lean on Him for help.
It is obvious from Scripture that the reason the Lord will accomplish His great works in the earth and on
behalf of His people is so that He will be glorified. The word “glory” in Isaiah 44:23 is the Hebrew paar
which occurs more often in Isaiah than in the rest of the Old Testament. See Isaiah 10:15; 44:23; 49:3; 55:5;
60:7, 9, 13, 21; and 61:3. The word for glory that is the most common in Isaiah and in the Old Testament is
the Hebrew word kabod. One of the most beautiful expressions of “glory” occurs in Isaiah 46:13, which
translates the Hebrew word tipharah, which has the meaning of royal splendor:
416…..Isaiah 44:24-28
I will put salvation in Zion,
for Israel my glory.
The final five verses in Isaiah chapter 44 are marked by ten occurrences of the word “who” which introduce
the acts of the Lord which He has accomplished or will accomplish to “reveal his glory in Israel,” 44:23. The
final “who” 44:28, introduces God’s act of calling by name, Cyrus, a person who will be His shepherd who
will carry out God’s plans. See notes on 44:28.
44:24-28 This is what the LORD says, your Redeemer,
he who formed you from the womb:
"I am the LORD, who makes all things,
who stretches forth the heavens alone,
who by myself spread out the earth,
25
who frustrates the omens of the liars,
and makes fools of fortune-tellers,
who reverses the advice of the wise,
and makes their knowledge foolish;
26
who fulfills the prophetic word of his servant,
and performs the prediction of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem,
'She will be inhabited,'
and of the towns of Judah,
'They will be rebuilt,
and I will raise up her ruins,'
27
who says to the deep,
'Be dry, and I will dry up your rivers,'
28
who says of Cyrus,
'He is my shepherd, and will carry out all my plans,'
even saying of Jerusalem, 'She will be rebuilt;'
and of the temple, 'Your foundation will be laid.'"
These five verses begin with the divine authoritative declaration, “This is what the LORD says,” or as other
English versions state, “Thus says the Lord.” These declarations also occur in 45:3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 18, 19 and 21
of the section 44:23-45:25. The Lord has something important to declare as recorded in Isaiah 44:24-28, and
He wants His audience to pay attention to Him. Before stating several actions that He has accomplished or
will accomplish that begin with the identifying “who,” the Lord reminds his audience that He is their
Redeemer. In chapter 44, Isaiah states that the Lord is the Redeemer 44:6, and 24 who has redeemed His
people, 44:22-23.
The Hebrew word for “Redeemer” is ga’al, which has the meaning of a “kinsmen or family redeemer” and is
so prominent in the book of Ruth. The Lord is stating that the people of Judah are His chosen family and He
has decided to redeem them spiritually. This is the work of God in salvation in which He ransomed those
who have faith in Him, from the punishment of His wrath. He also saves them physically. This is the work of
God in providing safety. The faithful remnant will live in a future righteous and peaceful kingdom. The
Hebrew word ga’al is translated as Redeemer in Isaiah 41:14; 43:14; 44:6, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8;
59:20; 60:16; and 63:16. This word ga’al is also translated as redeemed in Isaiah 35:9; 43:1; 44:22, 23;
48:20; 51:10; 52:3, 9; 62:12; 63:4 and 9. See notes on these verses.
417…..Isaiah 44:24-28
In 44:24-28, Isaiah states several actions depicting the redeeming work of the LORD who is the Redeemer of
the covenant people of God. Each of these actions begin with the word “who.” They stand high in Scripture
as an exalted description of the work of the LORD on behalf of those whom He has redeemed.
“who formed you from the womb” (44:24)
In 44:2, Isaiah had recorded this magnificent truth that God is their Creator who fashions or forms humans
from the womb. They are not just thought of or considered once they are born but have great significance and
worth from the time of conception. Since life begins at conception and not at birth, God states the
involvement He has with life in the womb where He forms, fashions and shapes humans for their role in the
world that He has ordained. Therefore, those who are faithful to God and His word should never condone
abortion as an option by a parent who by doing so, decides to act like God determining who should be born
into this world and who should not be born.
“who makes all things” (44:24)
In Isaiah’s day, as is true today, there were and are competing religious and scientific beliefs about how the
universe was formed and questions about if the universe even had a beginning. The Lord reminds Isaiah’s
audience, the people of Judah by the proclamation of Isaiah and God reminds future generations, by the
printed Scriptures that contain this verse, that He alone made “all things.” God was not a part of some
mythical council that decided who would “create” various parts of the created order. He boldly states He was
the One who made all things. The Apostle Paul stated this in a concluding benediction to the first eleven
chapters of the letter to the Romans, “For from him, and through him, and to him, are all things. To him be
the glory forever. Amen.” Romans 11:36.
“who stretches forth the heavens alone” (44:24)
God further explains His creative works as it pertains to the cosmos, the heavens. The word “stretches” is the
very common Hebrew word natah, which is translated by several different words in the English versions of
the Old Testament. Isaiah uses natah to describe God creating the heavens by stretching them out as He
states in 40:22; 42:5; 44:24; 45:12 and 51:13. See also Job 9:8; Psalm 104:2; Jeremiah 51:15 and Zechariah
12:1. The action of stretching out the heavens speaks of God’s infiniteness for the heavens are, as understood
from human reasoning, to be limitless. God states He stretches the heavens out by Himself. This is an action
He has done without any assistance or guidance by anyone or anything. Refer to the notes for the verses in
Isaiah where natah has been used to describe God’s action in creating the cosmos.
“who by myself spread out the earth” (44:24)
This phrase, while similar to the preceding phrase, has some subtle differences. The words “spread out” is the
Hebrew word raqa and has the meaning of to “beat out,” “to spread out,” or “to stamp.” Isaiah used very
similar words in 42:5 to describe the creative act of stretching out the heavens and spreading out the earth.
Isaiah in 40:19, used raqa in the phrase, “and the goldsmith overlays it with gold.” The words “spread out”
thus, can be understood as the creative act of God where He has beaten or fashioned the earth or stamped it
with His “signature.” See also Job 37:18 and Psalm 136:6. Again, God states that His creative act of forming
the earth was accomplished by Himself. God had no connection with any other so-called gods nor needed
their help nor sought the assistance or guidance from anyone or anything for the simple reasons that first,
anyone or anything did not exist before God created the heavens and the earth and second, anything or
anyone is completely useless to God and could not offer Him anything of help in any way.
“who frustrates the omens of liars, and makes fools of fortune-tellers” (44:25)
The NKJV of this phrase is, “Who frustrates the signs of the babblers, and drives diviners mad.” God alone
knows the end from the beginning. He knows perfectly what has happened in the past, what is happening in
the present and what will happen in the future. Those who speak in terms of omens or signs which they claim
418…..Isaiah 44:24-28
predict the future, or explain a current or past event, are called babblers and liars. Those who claim to know
the future and speak about it are called fools and are driven to insanity for they have no power to predict
anything with accuracy.
“who reverses the advice of the wise, and makes their knowledge foolish.” (44:25)
Those who are considered “wise” in the ways of worldly wisdom will see that their counsel is turned
backward, and their understanding and knowledge will be proven to be only foolishness. How utterly foolish
has the modern world, like the ancient world, clung to the words of those who are considered wise and by
doing so have spurned the counsel and guidance of the One who truly knows the future and can offer
absolutely true and divine wisdom. In 47:10, Isaiah speaks of the so-called wisdom of the Chaldeans and tells
them that their wisdom and knowledge have misled them. Ancient kings had so-called wise counsellors to
offer advice, Exodus 7:11 and Daniel 2:27; and modern world leaders assemble a cabinet of learned and
experienced people to assist them with decision making. Only God can provide true wisdom and guidance.
“who fulfills the prophetic word of his servant, and performs the prediction of his messengers.” (44:26)
In contrast to those who seek the advice of finite humans or useless idols, God accurately and with precision,
fulfills the prophetic words of those who are His servant and His messengers. Many different suggestions
have been given for the identification of His “servant” and His “messengers.” Instead of speculating on
suggestions it is best to let Scripture explain itself. In many passages of the Scriptures, God refers to those
He has called to be His prophets as “my servants the prophets.” See 2 Kings 9:7; 17:13; Jeremiah 7:25; 26:5;
29;19; 35:15; 44:4; Ezekiel 38:17; Zechariah 1:6 and Revelation 10:7. See also Hebrews 1:1. In this regard
Isaiah would certainly be considered as one of his servants, yet as the word “servant” is singular, its ultimate
meaning can be understood as referring to the Messiah, Jesus Christ who is God’s Son who is so majestically
described in Hebrews 1:2-3.
“who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be inhabited,’ and of the towns of Judah, “They will be rebuilt, and I will
raise up her ruins.” (44:26)
God, who had been mainly addressing those who rely on human wisdom and useless idols, by speaking of
His creative works and the truth of the prophetic words from His prophets, now turns His attention to a
specific future event and prepares His audience for a most unique announcement. It is most likely that Isaiah
was delivering this prophetic message to those in Jerusalem who were inhabiting the city and those from the
towns of Judah who had survived the Assyrian assault. To those within the secure walls of Jerusalem, this
prophecy would have been difficult to understand. It would have more certainty to those in the towns of
Judah who survived the advance of the Assyrians for it would seem as a near future promise that God would
cause their towns and their ruins to be rebuilt. However, God was not declaring a near-future prophecy.
Those in Jerusalem who heard this message, may have been puzzled by the words “she will be inhabited;”
and Isaiah’s words as recorded in 44:28, “even saying of Jerusalem, she will be rebuilt.” They were living
securely in the walled city and had recently witnessed the miraculous act of God who destroyed the Assyrian
army that was threatening the city. It is far easier for a modern audience to understand the meaning of this
message and its implications. But for Isaiah’s audience, it would not have made much sense, unless some
were perceptive enough to think that Isaiah was declaring a message from God about a future time when
Jerusalem would not have been inhabited and would be in ruins. For those who were perceptive enough to
understand the message, it would be unthinkable that God’s beloved City would or could be destroyed. Yet
that was exactly the message the prophet was declaring to them.
This prophecy, combined with the naming of a future chosen figure in Isaiah 44:28, has led many liberal
commentators to state that this message was not delivered by Isaiah in his lifetime but by some other prophet
who lived after the days of the exile of the Jewish people in Babylon. Those who say such things have no
419…..Isaiah 44:24-28
regard for God who created the universe without any assistance or guidance and had repeatedly stated His
ability to perform His creative works. For, If God can create the universe, it would be a small thing for Him
to predict with accuracy and precision the events of the future. This is the same issue that these commentators
had to face with the prophecy recorded in Isaiah 7:14. The issue is, does God perform supernatural works?
Did He actually create the universe? Can He infallibly predict the future? The answer anyone gives to these
questions determines their belief or non- belief, not only in the first verse of the Scriptures, but in all of the
verses of the Scriptures. This study of Isaiah confirms that God can do all that He claims. He has done so in
the past, is continuing to do so in the present and will perform all He promises and claims without fail in the
future. In short, God is a someone we can absolutely depend upon. This issue was the same that the audience
of Isaiah had to face, and God had told Isaiah of the outcome of His messages to his people, as Isaiah 6:9-13
so graphically illustrates.
“who says to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up your rivers.” (44:27)
At first glance, it may be difficult to understand how 44:27 fits into the context of Isaiah 44:24-28. Yet, upon
some reflection, its purpose will be made plain. God had just declared a stunning announcement of a future
rebuilding of Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. He then reminded His people, that in the past He had
performed the supernatural acts of drying up the deep (sea) which would have reminded His people of the
escape of the ancient Israelites from the Egyptians by waking on dry ground through the backed-up waters of
the Red Sea led by God’s servant Moses. Also, the reference of the rivers being dried up would have
reminded them of the way the ancient Israelites marched into the promised land when the waters of the
Jordan river were parted so they could walk on dry land. If God could perform these miraculous acts in the
past, He could be relied upon to perform the works of restoration to Jerusalem and to the towns of Judah in
the future.
“who says of Cyrus, ‘He is my shepherd, and will carry out my plans,’ even saying of Jerusalem, ‘She will be
rebuilt;’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’” (44:28)
God completes this stunning announcement by declaring by name, Cyrus, the one who will be His shepherd
and who will carry out God’s plans for Jerusalem and its temple. As perplexing as the naming of a certain
individual was to Isaiah’s audience, it would have been inconceivable to them to understand that not only
would Jerusalem need to be rebuilt, but their precious temple would also need to have its foundation laid,
implying that it too would be destroyed in the future. There is much confusion among scholars both of an
older generation and those of today who have difficulty with believing that God could so accurately predict
the future. For an extended discussion on the decree of Cyrus for both the temple and the city of Jerusalem to
be rebuilt see David L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, chapters 44:24-45:25, Biblical Research Monthly,
July 1945. See also, Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 249-252, and Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 360.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 44
44:1-5: God’s Chosen Servant - Israel
44:1-2 God’s Chosen People Aided
44:3 God’s Chosen People Anointed
44:4 God’s Chosen People Added
44:5 God’s Chosen People Acknowledged
420…..Isaiah 45:1-8 Introduction and 45:1
44:6-23: God Condemns Sinful Idolatry
44:6-8 Incomparableness of God
44:9-20 Idols are Useless
44:21-22 Invitation to Return to God
44:23 Invitation to Praise God
44:24-28: God’s Chosen Shepherd - Cyrus
44:24 God’s Creative Acts
44:25 God Causes Words of False Prophets to Fail
44:26 God Causes Words of True Prophets to Flourish
44:27 God’s Consideration of Past Miracles
44:28 God’s Choice of a Future Shepherd
Isaiah 45:1-8
For an introduction and summary of the contents of Isaiah 45, see above comments on section 44:23 – 45:25.
In the first eight verses, Isaiah continues his introduction to the stunning announcement that God has chosen
a pagan future king, whom He has named Cyrus to be His shepherd. It would not be the only time God would
call a Gentile leader, His servant (shepherd). In Jeremiah 25:9, 27:6 and 43:10, God calls Nebuchadnezzar,
the king of Babylon His servant because He will be used of God to accomplish His divine purposes for His
chosen people. God has and will call upon any person or nation to accomplish His will and, in that regard,
both Assyria and Babylon were “servants” of God because He selected them for a specific purpose to bring
judgment upon His people who had constantly rebelled against Him. In vs. 1, God calls this selected future
person, His anointed indicating that He has divinely appointed Cyrus to carry out His purposes. In verses 2-5,
God speaks directly to Cyrus and reveals God’s plan for him, even though Cyrus will not know God (by
acknowledging or worshiping God). In verses 6-7, God reveals why He has chosen Cyrus, by stating that His
purpose is so that everyone in the world would know God (even though Cyrus will not know God). In vs. 8,
God summarizes His calling of Cyrus by calling upon the heavens and the skies to “pour down
righteousness” so that “salvation and righteousness may sprout up.”
45:1 This is what the LORD says to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held,
to subdue nations before him,
and to strip kings of their war belts;
to open the doors before him,
and the gates will not be shut.
As is recorded 35 times in the prophecy of Isaiah, God introduces His declarations with the authoritative
“This is what the LORD says.” In Isaiah 45:1, God introduces His revealed plan for a future pagan king. The
time frame will be 190 years in the future. Cyrus ruled his kingdom from 559-530 B.C. The Lord calls Cyrus,
Hebrew “Koresh”, His anointed. The word “anointed” is the Hebrew word mashiah (mashiah is the noun
and mashah is the verb form) which has a rich meaning in the Old Testament. It applies to a person who has
been specifically selected by God to accomplish His purpose. A related word, mishhah, refers to the use of
oil for anointing. Those who were selected to be anointed were usually limited to prophets, priests and kings
of Israel and Judah. An exception is recorded in 1 Kings 19:15-16, where Elijah was told by God to anoint
Hazael king over Aram. Elijah was also to anoint Jehu king over Israel and Elisha was to be anointed to be a
prophet replacing Elijah as God’s appointed prophet. Anointing was performed by the rubbing of grease or
the pouring of oil upon an object or person. Olive oil was the most common oil used for these purposes. The
421…..Isaiah 45:1-2
anointing of Cyrus was non-typical in that this Gentile king would not have been ceremonially anointed by
an official representative of God. It was God Himself who enacted this anointing by His sovereign decree.
The word “anointed” (mashiah) has a messianic meaning when it is applied to a future King who is
understood as Israel’s Messiah. The direct English translation of mashiah is messiah. Although, the word
messiah is not mentioned in 2 Samuel 7:13, the promise to David, points to this promised king whom God
will forever establish the throne of His kingdom. The one who is God’s anointed (mashiah) is stated in Psalm
2:2 which many understand as a direct reference to the Son of God as the Messiah. For an extended treatment
of the Messiah in the Old Testament, see Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really
Messianic? NAC Studies in Bible & Theology. B & H Publishing Group, Nashville, 2010.
The Lord states of Cyrus, “whose right hand I have held.” The Lord had previously declared, as recorded in
Isaiah 41:10, that He would uphold His people with His “righteous right hand.” Also, like Cyrus, God’s
people would have their right hand held by God, Isaiah 41:13. God also promised to take His people’s hand
to protect them, Isaiah 42:6. See also Isaiah 62:8 and 63:12. As the right hand is often seen as the hand of
strength, God promises to uphold the strength of those whom he chooses to accomplish His purposes. What
is different in the prophecy concerning Cyrus is that this Gentile king will not know God, 45:4-5.
The reason that God will hold the hand of Cyrus is so that this king will subdue kings, strip kings of their war
belts and have doors and gates open before him that will not be shut. In a future reference, relating to the
kingdom of Heaven, it is the Messiah who holds the keys to doors that He alone can open that no one can
shut, and He alone can shut that no one can open, Revelation 3:7-8. The success of the armies of Cyrus is
well attested by the writings of historians, of which the most popularly known record is The Histories by
Herodotus. As impressive as the acts of Cyrus were, it must be remembered that it is God who was the divine
One who actually performed these acts on behalf of Cyrus. The word “I” referring to God is so prominent in
Isaiah 45:2-7 indicating that the audience who is listening to God’s declaration in 45:1 and His dialogue with
Cyrus in 45:2-7, should clearly understand that the LORD is the One who molds and controls history.
45:2 I will go before you,
and level the rough places.
I will break the doors of bronze in pieces,
and cut through the bars of iron.
In Isaiah 45:2-7 God holds a one-way dialogue with Cyrus, speaking directly to him, while Isaiah’s audience
and those who read the prophecy of Isaiah witness the dialogue. Cyrus, when this passage was brought to his
attention, promptly decreed that the Jews should return to Jerusalem with his permission to rebuild the
temple. See Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 360.
The first sentence of 45:2 is a reminder of the status of Cyrus as a “messianic figure.” God promises to go
before Cyrus to “level the rough places.” The work of smoothing out or levelling rough places was an action
that was given to the people of God and specifically to God’s prophet to prepare for the coming of the
Messiah as stated by Isaiah in 40:3-4. See also Malachi 3:1. See also Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4 and
John 1:23. In this first sentence of 45:2, God is positioning Cyrus as a pre-figure of Christ although taking
the “type” too far and identifying Cyrus with the promised Messiah must be cautioned against. God’s
promise that He will “break the doors of bronze in pieces and cut through the bars of iron,” likely refer to the
doors and barred gates of Babylon when the army of Cyrus entered the city in 539 B.C.
422…..Isaiah 45:3-5
45:3 I will give you the treasures of darkness,
and riches hidden in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the LORD,
who call you by your name, even the God of Israel.
The repetition of the word ‘I” in Isaiah 45:1-7 is a reminder that God is the primary actor in carrying out His
plans for the end of the exile. God has selected a Gentile king to do His bidding and no one should exalt this
pagan king to any higher place than God permits. It is not that Cyrus was such a brilliant king and noble
commander, but that He was being led by God and carried out his responsibilities as God had directed. One
of the benefits God gave this king was the discovery of treasures and riches which had been hidden in vaults
and secret strongholds. These may have been in the dark recesses of Babylon and in other cities that the army
of Cyrus had conquered. These riches may also have been a “payment” made to Cyrus from God for
releasing the Jewish exiles and permitting them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the city,
although there is no Scriptural proof for this gesture. See notes on Isaiah 43:3 and compare with Jeremiah
31:11. What is likely, is that God had allowed the discovery of these riches so that Cyrus would know that it
was the Lord, the God of Israel who had done this and had called Cyrus by name many years before this king
was born.
45:4 For Jacob my servant's sake,
and Israel my chosen,
I call you by your name.
I am giving you a special title,
though you do not know me.
God has called Cyrus by name many years before his birth for the sake of Jacob His servant and Israel His
chosen. This dual reference to His people was a reminder that they had come from their father Jacob and
were called by Jacob’s new name “Israel.” They were given the title and responsibility of servants even
though earlier they were referred to as deaf and blind servants Isaiah, 42:19 and would not respond to
Isaiah’s messages, Isaiah 6:9-13. They were referred to as God’s chosen people in Deuteronomy 7:6, 14:2; 1
Chronicles 16:13; Psalm 105:6; 135:4; Isaiah 41:8-9; 43:10; 44:1-2; 49:7; 65:9, 15; 22; Ezekiel 20:5; and
Amos 3:2. Because God always keeps His promises to His chosen people, He had called Cyrus by name with
special titles, “shepherd” in Isaiah 44:28 and “anointed” in Isaiah 45:1. Cyrus was chosen to accomplish
God’s plans for the release of the Jewish exiles from Babylon so the temple and Jerusalem could be rebuilt as
God had promised, Isaiah 44:26-28. God would do these things for the sake of His chosen people and smooth
the way for the success of Cyrus, even though Cyrus would not know God. It is the prerogative of a
sovereign God, who has created the cosmos and all that is in it, who rules over all that He has created, and
who has created all things for Himself, to use a pagan Gentile ruler to accomplish any purpose God has
solely intended. This must have been a shock to Isaiah’s audience for them to realize first, that the City of
Jerusalem and its temple would one day be destroyed and second, that their covenant keeping God would use
a pagan Gentile to be pre-chosen to be instrumental in the release of their future exiled descendants, so the
city and temple could be rebuilt. Some have likened this to a “second exodus” with a leader whom God has
selected to lead the exodus. This analogy is somewhat contrived, however, because first, only a few
thousand, not the entire number of exiles, returned to Jerusalem and second, Cyrus issued a decree allowing
the exiles to return. He did not personally lead “his” people to the land once promised to their forefathers.
45:5 I am the LORD, and there is no one else;
besides me there is no God.
I will prepare you for battle,
though you do not know me;
423…..Isaiah 45:5-7
In Isaiah 45:5, the Lord reminds His people who are listening to this prophetic dialogue between God and
Cyrus, that there is no God besides Him. He is the LORD, and there is no one else. The statement that the
LORD alone is God and there is no other occurs often in the context of chapters 44-46. See 44:8; 45:5, 6, 14,
21, 22; and 46:9. Earlier Hezekiah, when faced with the pending destruction of Jerusalem by the Assyrians,
also acknowledged that there was no other God but the Lord, Isaiah 37:20. God promised to prepare Cyrus
for battle by signifying that Cyrus will be successful even though this Persian king will not know and by
implication, not acknowledge God. See also notes on 45:4 above.
45:6 so that they may know from the rising of the eastern sun,
to its setting in the west,
that there is no one besides me,
I am the LORD, there is no other.
Even though Cyrus who will be God’s chosen shepherd whom He has called His anointed will not know
God, the success he will have in battle, will cause the peoples of the world to know God. In this verse, God’s
intended purpose for all that He does is made plain. He has chosen and formed a people for Himself and
appointed others to accomplish His plans so that all peoples may know that He alone is God and there is no
other. See notes on 44:6 and 45:5.
The importance of this knowledge of God is seen in God’s repetitive statements such as Jeremiah 9:23-24:
“This is what the LORD says, "Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the mighty boast in their might;
do not let the rich boast in their riches, 24 but let the one who boasts boast in this; that they understand and
know me, that I am the LORD who acts with loyal love, justice, and righteousness, in the earth, for these are
the things I delight in," says the LORD.” (bolding intentional). God’s desire is that all His image bearers will
know Him and declare His glory. As the statements of God’s plans are unfolded throughout Scripture,
another significant intention of God is revealed in 1 Timothy 2:4, (God) “wants all people to be saved, and
come to the knowledge of the truth.” Those who are saved will be those image bearers who will praise God
and declare His glory for all eternity.
45:7 I form the light and create darkness;
I make peace and create calamity.
I am the LORD who does all these things.
In 45:7 Isaiah records one of God’s most misunderstood declarations of His creative powers. To accomplish
His perfect will for the world, light and darkness along with peace and calamity all have their divine
purposes. Darkness is contrasted with light not only in the physical sense of night and day but in the spiritual
sense of the victory of light over the oppression of darkness. Isaiah in 9:2, had written: “The people who
walk in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, on them the
light has shined.”
Isaiah 9:2 is quoted in Matthew 4:16 referring to the light bearing ministry of the Messiah. Luke, in Acts
26:18, states the words of the Apostle Paul regarding God’s mission for him to those whom he will bring the
message of the gospel, “To open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of
Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified
by faith in me.” Paul elaborates on the spiritual significance of light and darkness in 2 Corinthians 4:6: “For
it is God who said, “Let there be light shining out of darkness," who shined in our hearts, to give the light of
the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” There seems to be a correspondence between
darkness and light. The glories of the light of the Messiah beams most brightly when contrasted with the
gloom of darkness. His brilliant light is seen and understood most dramatically when compared to the
424…..Isaiah 45:7-8
darkness. The Apostle John in John 1:4-5 stated, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” As scholars differ on the possible
meaning of these words, it is best to understand God’s comments in Isaiah 45:7 as referring to both the
physical and spiritual dimensions of light and darkness and the role of the Messiah in overcoming the
darkness when He defeated the powers of darkness on the cross. See Colossians 2:8-15.
God also declares in 45:7 that He created both peace and calamity. The word calamity is the Hebrew word ra
which is translated in the Old Testament as evil (per the KJV), distress, misery and calamity. Biblical
scholars have suggested differing interpretations as to why God stated that He created calamity, or evil as the
KJV translates the Hebrew word ra. God must be understood as absolutely sovereign in His creation and He
will act within the world He created according to His purposes. The first two chapters of Job are illustrative
of God’s divine right to do with His created people as He deems appropriate. Like darkness, evil or calamity
have a purpose in God’s perfect plans for His world. The greater goodness of God seems to appear most
awesome when seen against the backdrop of its opposite. God had considered this before the world was
created as Revelation 13:8 reveals. God ends this stunning revelation with a reminder that He is the
sovereign Lord who has done these things. Who are the created to argue with the Creator?
45:8 Rain, O heavens, from above,
and let the skies pour down righteousness;
let the earth open,
so that salvation and righteousness may sprout up;
I, the LORD, have created it.
Isaiah 45:8 could be understood either as a hymn of praise as some have suggested or a summarizing
statement by God which reveals His ultimate purpose in selecting Cyrus to accomplish His will for the
release of those who will be exiled in Babylon in the future. God calls upon the heavens and the skies to rain
or pour down righteousness and then calls upon the earth to open to accept the rain of righteousness so that
both salvation and righteousness will sprout up. God’s statement in 45:8 is a magnificent transitional
statement between two restoring works of God revealed in chapter 45. The first, in 45:1-13 refers to the
future return of the Jewish exiles to Jerusalem from Babylon where they have been “held captive.” The
second, 45:14-25, refers to the world-wide return of the Jews following the great tribulation where they will
journey to live in the millennial kingdom of the Messiah.
The words “righteousness and salvation” are often paired together. See Psalm 24:5; 40:10; 51:14; 65:5;
71:15; 98:2; Isaiah 45:8; 46:13; 51: 5, 6, 8; 56:1; 59:16; 17; 61:10; 62:1; Romans 10:10 and Hebrews 11:17.
Psalm 98:2 beautifully expresses this correlation:
The LORD has made known his salvation;
his righteousness he has revealed in the sight of the nations.
Isaiah 45:9-13: Introduction
Isaiah 9-13, which summarizes God’s message to His people regarding His calling of Cyrus in the future,
consists of two sections, vss. 9-10, the presumptuous people and vss. 11-13, the Sovereign Creator. In the
previous verses, it is stated that God wonderfully declared that the purpose for calling and enabling Cyrus to
accomplish God’s will for him would result in righteousness falling from heaven like rain so that salvation
and righteousness may sprout up. When the exiles in Babylon returned to Jerusalem they would establish a
Jewish nation from whom would “spring” the Messiah who, by His death and resurrection, would bring
righteousness and salvation to the earth. This most glorious result, would, however stem from a prior action
425…..Isaiah 45:9-10
that the people of Jerusalem and Judah in Isaiah’s day would not rejoice over. Their habitation and temple
would be destroyed, with many being killed and many others being exiled against their will to Babylon. The
realization of this terrifying future event may have prompted many to question God’s love for them. They
also may have questioned how Israel’s covenant keeping Lord could abandon them to such a fate. They
needed to be reminded, as do all peoples of all generations, that the future belongs to God’s righteous and
“rightful” prerogative. Who are they to argue against their Maker? To do so would bring God’s judgment
upon them as is evident from Isaiah’s declaration of a message of woe in vss. 9-13. God would again declare
His purposes for raising up and enabling Cyrus to accomplish His will in vs. 13 as a final response to His
disobedient and rebellious people.
45:9 Woe to him who argues with his Maker!
He who is a mere potsherd among the potsherds of the earth!
Does the clay say to the one who shapes it,
'What do you think you are doing?'
or the work of your hands complain,
'He has no skill in his hands?'
Isaiah often introduced a statement of God’s judgment and purposes by the word “woe which is the Hebrew
word hoy in 45: 9. For occurrences of “woe” in Isaiah see 3:9,11; 5:8, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22; 6:5, 10:1, 5; 24:16;
28:1; 29:1, 15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1; 45:9, and10. Woe has the meaning of “alas” which introduces, in this
instance, a strong rebuke from God. God rebukes those, whom He has created for His own divine purposes,
for arguing against Him. The exact reason for this arguing, and by implication grumbling against, is not
stated. However, it can be surmised from the context, that when Isaiah’s audience heard and comprehended
the message that their city and temple would need to be rebuilt, Isaiah 44:26-28, they questioned God and
complained about His future plans for them.
God’s response was to state that, by their complaints against Him, they were in peril of judgment coming
upon them. God says in essence, “Who do you think you are arguing with your Maker?” or “What right have
you do question anything that your Creator does?” The response of God to their insolence against Him is
stunning. God’s opinion of them is that they are merely common clay pots (potsherds) among all the other
peoples (clay pots) of the earth. They have no voice or rights to speak against their Maker. God is their maker
or shaper, like a potter who fashions clay. It is an act of hubris effrontery for “clay” to speak up and say to
the potter, “what do you think you are doing?” It is even worse, and an act of vile blasphemy to say to God,
“He has no skill in his hands.”
Isaiah had previously discussed the relationship between the potter and clay in Isaiah 29:16; 30:14; 41:25;
and would again in 64:8 where in this final reference, Isaiah would confess, “But now, O LORD, you are our
Father; we are the clay, and you are the potter; and we all are the work of your hand.” See also Jeremiah
18:1-12; Lamentations 4:2; Romans 9:19-21; and Revelation 2:27.
45:10 Woe to him who says to a father,
'What is it you are trying to father?'
or to a woman,
'What is it you are in labor for?'
God uses another analogy in 45:10 to describe His abhorrence for the evilness of His people who were
complaining because He had stated the future plans He has for them. It should be remembered that these
future plans would result in the coming of the Messiah who would bring righteousness, peace and salvation
to the earth. God’s rebuke of His people in 45:10 is the declaration of another “woe” of judgement against
426…..Isaiah 45:11-12
them. In their complaint against God, they are saying in effect: “What are you doing in giving birth?” or
“What are you creating in giving birth?” Their complaint is an insolent rebellion against their creator. It is
implied that they have a “right” to determine what kind of person they will be before they are born. This
complaint goes beyond the physical birth of children to parents. It is an attack on God’s prerogative in
creating humans on the earth. In doing so, they have set themselves as God’s judge to question Him on His
purposes in creating them. Isaiah is pointing out the sinfulness of God’s people as was stated by God as
recorded in the first chapter of his prophecy, “I have reared children and brought them up, but they have
rebelled against me,” Isaiah 1:2. The people had not changed or repented of their evil acts. Their minds still
had no understanding; their ears were still deaf; and their eyes were still blind, and they would remain in this
state “until (their) cities are destroyed without inhabitant, and houses uninhabited, and the land becomes
absolutely devastated, and the LORD has sent everyone far away,” Isaiah 6:11-12. The people’s rebellious
response to God for His stated plans for them had brought upon them God’s judgement. They will face the
destruction of their cities and they will be removed from their land.
45:11 This is what the LORD says,
the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker.
"Ask me about things to come!
Will you really question me concerning my sons,
and concerning the work of my hands?
In response to the complaints of His people, 45:9-10, the Lord, as He often had, as stated in the context of
chapters 44 and 45, begins a declaration with the authoritative, “This is what the LORD says” or as in other
versions, “Thus says the Lord.” God declares that He is the Holy One of Israel and Israel’s Maker. Refer to
notes on Isaiah 1:4. See also Isaiah 17:7; 27:11; 29:16; 44:24; 45:9; 51:13. The psalmist in Psalm 149:2
declared, “Let Israel rejoice in its Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.” The proper response
of God’s people Israel was to rejoice in their Maker, yet these people blasphemed Him with their rebellious
complaints and arguments. God responded to them with what appears to be sarcasm, “Ask me about things to
come!” The NKJV translates the second part of this verse as: “Ask Me of things to come concerning My
sons; and concerning the work of My hand, you command Me.” The Lord is saying, who do you think you
are to command Me regarding My sons (whom He has created) and concerning My works? The sons of God
refer specifically to the people of Israel and His work of His hands refer not only to His creative acts but to
His future plans concerning Cyrus and the return of the exiles to Jerusalem. The Lord’s judgment on His
people for their rebellion against Him and His plans was all the more severe because of the glorious results of
these plans. They will result in the coming of God’s Son, the Messiah who will bring salvation and
righteousness to the earth, Isaiah 45:8. God is most protective of His beloved Son, and those who oppose the
coming and ministry of the Son, will face the fiery wrath of the Father. In the not-to-distant future, in Isaiah’s
time, the people of Jerusalem and Judah will face the heat of this wrath when a pagan king from Babylon will
send his army to completely destroy Judah and the city of Jerusalem and demolish the temple. It was evident
that Isaiah’s audience and their descendants did not heed the word of the Lord and therefore God brought
upon them all the acts of His judgment He had warned them about.
45:12 I made the earth,
and created people on it.
My own hands stretched out the heavens,
and to all their host I gave orders.
The Holy One of Israel, 45:11 is the One who “made the earth and created people on it.” The deaf ears of
His people needed to hear repetitively that their God alone made the earth. See also 45:8 and18 and 42.5.
God also had often reminded them that He was their Maker, Isaiah 17:7; 27:11; 29:16; 44:24; 45:9; and
427…..Isaiah 45:12-13
51:13; and their Creator, Isaiah 27:11; 40:28; 43:1 and 43:15. Not only did the Lord create the earth and its
people but He stretched out the heavens, Isaiah 40:22; 42:5; 44:24 and 51:13; and gave the host of heavens
their orders, for “He calls each one them by name,” Isaiah 40:26. The Lord’s reminder of His creative works
stands opposed to the insolence of those whom He created (pots of clay 45:9) who dare question Him about
His divine plans. Although the repeated reminders of His glorious creative acts are necessary for the
enlightenment of all who heard Isaiah’s message or who have or will read it in the Scriptures, the message in
Isaiah’s day fell on deaf ears of people who had no understanding. The results were disastrous for them and
their descendants. God’s message is still relevant to all who read the prophecy of Isaiah. God still seeks those
who will repent and turn to Him for salvation and righteousness.
45:13 I raised him up in righteousness,
and I will make all his ways straight.
He will rebuild my city,
and he will let my exiles go free,
not for price or reward," says the LORD of hosts.
God completes this specific message about His plans for Jerusalem to be rebuilt with a declaration that “I
raised him up in righteousness.” While not mentioned by name, it is obvious from the context of 44:24-45:13
that God is describing Cyrus. See Isaiah 44:18 and 45:1. God does not call Cyrus righteous but says that He
God, has acted in righteousness by selecting one not yet born to be raised up to accomplish God’s purposes.
God will also prepare the way for Cyrus to fulfil God’s plan by making his ways straight. See notes on 45:2
on the words, “I will go before you and level the rough places.” God’s specific plans for Cyrus was the
release of His people whom He calls “My exiles” from Babylon and the rebuilding of the temple and the city
of Jerusalem. These exiles will have been in captivity in Babylon and will in the future be released by a
decree of Cyrus to return to rebuild the temple and by implication the City of Jerusalem. See Ezra 1:1-4 and
4:1-4. Cyrus as king, did not literally rebuild the temple. He did, however, issue a decree which is inscribed
on the Cyrus Cylinder, to allow exiles from many nations to return to their homelands. Cyrus also provided
funds for the rebuilding of cities and sanctuaries such as temples. The inscription on the “Cyrus Cylinder”
indicates that Cyrus decreed that those whom he released to their own lands would have the authority to
rebuild their cities (dwelling places) and their sanctuaries. See James B. Pritchard, Ed., Ancient Near Eastern
Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 3rd edition, with Supplement. Princeton: Princeton University Press,
1969, pages 315-316.
God stated that he (Cyrus) would let His exiles “go free, not for price or reward.” God did not need to bribe
or provide payment to Cyrus to issue his decree to free the exiles from Babylon. Cyrus was obedient to the
divine call of God. Although no payment or reward was called for or provided, God was gracious to Cyrus
and allowed his forces to uncover vaults where treasures and riches were hidden. See notes on 45:3. This
declaration by the Lord completes the stated plans of God in this section of Isaiah’s writings, regarding the
return of the exiles to Jerusalem by the decree of Cyrus. The next section of Isaiah, chapter 45:14-25, refers
to another return to the beloved City in the far future at the time of the beginning of the millennial reign of
the Messiah.
Isaiah 45:14-25: Introduction
Isaiah 45:14-25 is a separate section of Isaiah’s prophecy dealing with the return of the faithful remnant of
the Lord, from the nations where they have been scattered, to Jerusalem, by implication because it is not
directly stated where “the fugitives of the nations” vs. 20, are to return. This section is further divided into
two components, vss.14-19 and vss. 20-25. This section, Isaiah 45:14-25, is clearly eschatological in context
as recorded first, in vs. 17, “Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation.” Second in vs.
20, “Assemble yourselves and come; come together, you fugitives of the nations.” Third in vs. 23, “Every
428…..Isaiah 45:14
knee will bow before me, every tongue will swear loyalty to me.” Fourth, in vs. 24, All who are angry against
him will come to him and be put to shame.” Finally, Fifth, in vs. 25, In the LORD, will all the descendants of
Israel be vindicated and will boast in him.”
45:14 This is what the LORD says,
"The labor of Egypt,
and the commerce of Cush,
and the Sabeans who are tall of stature,
will come over to you, and they will be yours;
they will follow you,
in chains they will come over,
and they will bow down to you.
They will plead with you,
"Surely God is with you; and there is no other,
there is no God besides him."
To authenticate this new message, Isaiah again as in several other verses, declares the authoritative in the
DASV, “This is what the LORD says.” Other English versions state, “Thus says the Lord.” See notes on
Isaiah 43:16-17 for a brief discussion on this phrase. Many scholars interpret 45:14 and following verses to
the days of the return of the Babylonian exiles to Jerusalem. However, as there is no direct or implied
reference to Cyrus and his decree and as indicated in the introduction to vss. 14-25, the intention of these
verses including 45:14 are clearly eschatological.
The return of the scattered fugitives, the faithful remnant of the Lord, from the nations of the world to Israel
is a topic much beloved by Isaiah as he often wrote about it. See Isaiah 14:1-2; 43:1-6; 49:22-26; and 60:1-
22. Isaiah of course did not know what the Scriptures would later reveal that the gathering of the covenant
people of God would occur at the end of the great tribulation and the beginning of the Messianic kingdom.
The Scriptures would later reveal that the Lord will protect His faithful remnant during the tribulation,
Revelation 12:13-17. At the end of this terrible period, the faithful remnant will stream from the nations
where they have found refuge. They will not be left to their own resources as they travel to Jerusalem and
Mount Zion to meet the Messiah. As recorded in Isaiah 18:7, 45:14 and 60:5-9, the proceeds from the labor
of Egypt and the commerce of Cush (Ethiopia) will be given to the faithful remnant to finance both their
travel and their establishment of their residences in the kingdom of their Messiah. Not only will the Gentile
nations bring them their wealth, but they will also assist them in their travels, 49:22-23; 60:4 and once
reaching Israel, the Gentiles who accompanied the faithful Jewish remnant will become servants to them,
14:2, and will rebuild the walls of Jerusalem 60:10, and they will minister to the faithful remnant who have
taken up residence in the kingdom, 60:10.
Isaiah 45:14 also states that the Gentile Sabeans will not only come to the financial aid of the faithful
remnant but will bow down to them, as will other Gentile peoples. See Isaiah 60:14. Many of the Gentiles
will have survived the horrors of the great tribulation will still be in chains, 45:14 and will seek out the
faithful remnant whom God will esteem, and the Gentiles will be totally subservient to them. The Gentiles
will beg them to allow them, the Gentiles, to accompany the faithful remnant as they journey to Jerusalem.
Following the judgment of God on the world, during the great tribulation, those who remain alive will
become believers of God and acknowledge that, “Surely God is with you” (the faithful remnant), and they
will avow that “there is no God besides him.” There will be no unbelievers among those who come to take
residence in the Messianic kingdom, Zechariah 14:21. Some of the Gentile nations that will come to worship
in Jerusalem are mentioned in Isaiah, 19:18-24.
429…..Isaiah 45:15-16
The Apostle Paul quotes part of Isaiah 45:14 in his first letter to the Corinthians, 14:25, “After the secrets of
his heart are exposed, and so falling on his face he will worship God, declaring, God is really among you.”
Although the context of Paul’s remarks to the believers in Corinth is not about the return of the faithful
remnant to Jerusalem, Paul applies Isaiah’s words to suit his teaching that those who are faithfully
proclaiming the word of God will witness unbelievers coming to faith in the Messiah and acknowledging that
God is with them.
45:15 Truly you are a God who hides himself,
O God of Israel, Savior.
In contrast to idols, Isaiah 45:16, that can be seen but have no ability to do anything, God is invisible and
transcendent He is also called “Spirit” in John 4:24. Yet Israel’s God who cannot be seen, is a Savior who
provides salvation for Israel, 45:17. Isaiah had earlier in 8:17, stated God’s hiding, “I will wait expectantly
for the LORD, who hides his face from the house of Jacob, but I will put my hope in him.” Isaiah had
confidence in the Lord who “hides himself” because Isaiah had seen and talked with Him in a vision in the
temple. See Isaiah chapter 6. God also had revealed Himself to Isaiah many times by giving the prophet His
words to declare to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. Isaiah states in a positive way that God hides Himself
so that, even though people cannot see Him, they can have faith in Him for He is their God who is their
Savior. See also John 20:29. Although, people cannot physically see God, the evidence of His works and
voice are everywhere. Refer also to Psalm 8:1-9; 19:1-6; Romans 1:18-20; and Hebrews 1:1-3.
Isaiah’s hymn of praise to God comes after God’s revelation of the glories to come to Israel in the far future
when God will finally restore Israel. He will also cause the wealth of the nations to be brought to the faithful
remnant who will be brought from the nations to reside in the kingdom ruled by Israel’s and the world’s
Messiah. In the brief hymn of praise, 45:17, Isaiah mentions that the God of Israel is their Savior. He could
have also added many other descriptive titles for God which he has done in many places in his prophetic
writings. Isaiah also describes God as a Savior in 43:3; 11; 45:21; 49:26; 60:16; and 63:8. In Isaiah 19:20, the
reference to Saviour and defender (or champion) is a clear prophecy of the Messiah who will rescue those in
Egypt, in the far future who have faith in God and will cry to the Lord for deliverance from their enemies.
45:16 They will all be put to shame,
and humiliated;
they who make idols
will go away disgraced.
Isaiah discusses the folly of making and worshiping idols throughout his prophecy. See 2:8, 18-20; 10:10-11;
19:1-3; 31:7; 40:19-20; 21:9; 30:22; 41:29; 42:8, 17; 44:9-17; 45:20; 46:1; 48:5; 57:13; and 66:3. It was such
an evil and detestable practice that the prophet had to continually speak out against those who had rejected
the worship of the true God and replace devotion to Him with the inconceivable and blasphemous practice of
attributing deity to an image made of wood or metal and trusting in the worthless image for protection from
enemies and for eternal salvation. Isaiah in 45:16 states that those who make idols (and by implication
worship them) will all be put to shame. They will all be humiliated, and they will all go away disgraced. Idol
worship by God’s people was one of the major reasons that God would bring forces from a pagan Gentile
nation, Babylon, to destroy Judah, Jerusalem and the temple, in 586 B.C., just as He had brought Assyria
against the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C.
The act of not attributing to God the worthiness He deserves is most heinous to God. When anyone or any
people choose to make and worship idols, they are stating that the One who made the heavens and the earth
and sustains all life and who is the only true God, is not worthy of their worship. They degrade and disgrace
430…..Isaiah 45:17-18
themselves by giving their praise (worship of worthiness) to a useless object. The people of the earth are to
worship God because there is no One more esteemed, no One more worthy, no One greater than the God who
has identified Himself as the Holy One of Israel, the Lord. When Jesus, the Messiah walked among His
people He constantly gave praise to God, for there was no One greater to praise or worthy of praise.
45:17 But Israel will be saved by the LORD
with an everlasting salvation;
you will never be put to shame
or humiliated.
In contrast to worthless idols who cannot save anyone, Israel will be saved by the Lord. It is not just a
temporal salvation from enemies or harm. It is an everlasting salvation. This is a very clear statement of
God’s eternal purposes for His chosen people. It is not a universal claim that all peoples of Israel will
automatically receive eternal salvation. Other statements by God help to clarify the prophet’s meaning in
45:17. Beginning from chapter 1:18-20, Isaiah lays a foundation for understanding that those who trust in the
Lord, (“willing” 1:19) and obey Him will have their sins forgiven. Isaiah makes clear, as he stated in 12:2,
that trusting in God is the response that is necessary for salvation
God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid;
for the LORD, yes the LORD,
is my strength and song;
he has become my salvation.
Those who trust in the Lord, will never be put to shame or humiliated, as will those who spurn God and put
their trust in worthless idols, 45:16. Eternal or everlasting salvation was understood from the writings of the
Old Testament as Paul reminded young Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16. Isaiah certainly understood that
salvation was more than an earthly refuge from harm. He proclaimed the message of salvation from the
beginning to the end of his prophecy. Those who read and study the prophecy of Isaiah are invited to respond
to God’s offer of eternal salvation by trusting in Him by faith.
45:18 For this is what the LORD says
who created the heavens,
the God who formed the earth and made it,
who established it and created it not chaotic,
who formed it to be inhabited.
"I am the LORD; there is no other.
To emphasize His purposes of salvation for all the earth, God reminds those who hear the message from the
proclamation of Isaiah or read Isaiah’s writings, that he is the Lord who has the authority to deliver His
message, “This is what the LORD says,” and He has the divine power to accomplish creative acts that no one
has or could have done for He states, “I am the LORD; there is no other.” The authoritative statement, “For
this is what the LORD says,” is repeated often by Isaiah in chapters 44 and 45. See 44:1, 6, 24; 45:1, 11, 14,
and 18. The statement at the end of 45:18, “I am the LORD; there is no other,” is also repeated often by
Isaiah in these two chapters. See 44:6, 8; 45:5, 6, 14, 18, 21, and 22. The frequency of these two statements
underscores the importance of what God is saying to His people and to the peoples of the world. God is
speaking, and His message must be heeded.
431…..Isaiah 45:18-19
The statements of the Lord in 45:18 reinforce His actions of Creator of the cosmos including the earth and all
that is in it. Four action words are used by God to describe His creative activities so that there will be no
misunderstanding as to His power and authority and to emphasize that trusting in anyone else, especially
idols, 45:16 and 20, is disgraceful, shameful and worthless and those who trust in idols will be humiliated.
The first action of God described in 45:18 is that He, “created” the heavens. The word ‘created” is the
Hebrew word bara which occurs in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
(KJV). It also occurs in Genesis 1:27 describing the creation of humans, male and female. This word occurs
twice in 45:18 and often in Isaiah, 40:26; 41:20; 42:5; 43:7; 45:8, 12, 18; 48:7; 54:16; 65:17 and 18.
The second action of God in 45:18 is that He “formed” the earth and He “formed” it to be inhabited. The
word, “formed” occurring twice in vs. 18 is the Hebrew word yasar, which also occurs frequently in Isaiah,
25:1; 29:16; 43:1, 7, 10, 21; 44:2, 21, 24; 45:18; 49:5 and 54:17. Like the other similar words in 45:18, yasar
also occurs in the creation account of Genesis: 2:7-8. See also Psalm 95:5; Jeremiah 1:5 and 33:2.
The third action of God described in 45:18 is that He “made” the earth. The word “made” is the Hebrew
word asah which also occurs often in Isaiah, (selected verses only): 2:8, 20; 17:8; 22:11; 28:15; 31:7; 37:16;
43:7; 44:2; 45:12, 18; 57:16 and 66:2. See also Jeremiah 10:12 and 51;15. It occurs in the creation account of
Genesis chapters 1-3, Genesis 1:7, 16, 25, 31; 2:3, 4 and 3:1. It occurs frequently in the Psalms, 86:9; 95:5;
96:5; 100:3; 104:19, 24; 106;19; 111:4; 118:24; 119:73; 121:2; 124:8; 134:3; 136: 5, 7; and 146:6.
The fourth action of God described in 45:18 is that He “established” the earth. The word “established” is the
Hebrew word kun, which occurs less frequently in Isaiah: 2:2; 16:5; 54:14. See also Jeremiah 10:12 and
51:15. It occurs often in the Psalms, 9:7; 24:2; 37:23; 89:21, 37; 93:1, 2; 96:10; 99;4; 102:28; 103:19; 119:5,
90; and 140:11.
Another important word in 45:18 is the Hebrew word tohu which is interpreted as “chaotic” in the DASV and
“vain” in the KJV. The NIV may have the best translation as “empty,” due to the next sentence in
45:18, “who formed it to be inhabited.” This word occurs in Genesis 1:2, “And the earth was formless and
empty; and darkness covered the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the
waters.” The word tohu is translated as “empty” in Genesis 1:2 (DASV). This word also occurs often in
Isaiah, 24:10; 29:21; 34:11; 40:17, 23; 41:29; 44:9; 45:18, 19; 49:4 and 59:4. See also Jeremiah 4:23.
The purpose of forming the earth is that it is to be inhabited, which is a confirmation of Genesis 1:28, in
which God states that the people, male and female He had created were to fill the earth. It was and is God’s
wonderful purpose for the earth He created to be enjoyed by those who inhabit it. God’s original purpose of
fruitful inhabitation, Genesis 1:28, has been affected by the entrance of sin into the world. The original two
inhabitants, Adam and Eve sinned against God and because of that action, God cursed the ground, Genesis
3:17. This curse still exists, and it will be the role of the King to come, the Messiah to rule in righteousness
and “reverse the curse.” During the Messianic age, the earth will blossom in righteousness both physical and
spiritually, so that God’s beautiful plan for the inhabitation of the earth will be realized.
45:19 I have not spoken in secret,
in the land of darkness;
I did not tell Jacob's descendants,
'Seek me in vain.'
I, the LORD, speak righteousness,
I declare things that are right.
432…..Isaiah 45:19
There are at least four ways that God has spoken as revealed in Scripture. First, in His created order, God
“speaks” through what is seen in nature. King David, in Psalm 19:1-4 has stated:
1
The heavens declare the glory of God;
the sky proclaims his handiwork.
2
Day to day utters speech,
night to night reveals knowledge.
3
There is no speech nor are there words,
their voice is not heard,
4
yet their voice is gone out through all the earth,
their words to the end of the world.
In them he has pitched a tent for the sun,
5
which is like a bridegroom coming out of his wedding chamber.
Although there is no audible speech, Psalm 19:4, from the sky and heavens, yet a voice goes out to all the
earth which declares the glory of God. Second, God has audibly spoken to His servants from time to time,
(not an exhaustive list), to Adam and Eve and to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to Moses and the elders of Israel,
to Joshua, to David, to His servants, the prophets, to His Son, Jesus Christ, to the disciples, to Saul, later
Paul, and to John on the island of Patmos. At times this speech was through a vision and at other times,
humans directly heard the voice of God. Third, God, in these last days, has spoken to us in His Son, Hebrews
1:1-3. Fourth, God continually speaks to the people of the earth through the pages of Scripture. The words of
Scripture are “God-breathed,” 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21, and through the reading of God’s word or
hearing it being read, God speaks plainly for as Isaiah 45:19 states, God has not “spoken in secret.”
Some have understood that the words in Isaiah 45:19, “the land of darkness” refer to Babylon but there is
nothing in the context of 45:18-19 that would indicate that Babylon is the place of darkness. The “land of
darkness” is best seen within the greater context of 45:14-25 where the far future time of the days of the great
tribulation and its aftermath are in view and during the time, when as 45:23 states, every knee will bow
before God.
God also declares, as recorded in 45:19, that Jacob’s descendants were not told to seek God in vain, meaning
that they were to seek Him with the clear intention of finding Him. This is another reference to God
speaking. Isaiah records that God is near. “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is
near.” Isaiah 55:6. Moses stated in Deuteronomy 4:7, “For what other great nation is there that has a god so
near them, as the LORD our God is whenever we call on him?” See also Psalm 73:28 and Jeremiah 23:23.
Jacob’s descendants who will live during the terrifying days of Jacob’s trouble (distress) Jeremiah 30:7, will
call upon God, who is near them, for refuge and strength.
The final sentence of Isaiah 45:19 states, “I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.”
Those who draw near to Him, have the confidence that God always “speaks” righteously and “declares”
things that are right. Moses stated, as recorded in Deuteronomy 32:3-4, “For I will proclaim the name of the
LORD, ascribe greatness to our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect; all his ways are just. A faithful
God who does nothing wrong, Just and upright is he.” See also (not an exhaustive list), Psalm 65:5; 71:19;
Isaiah 5:16; 41:10; 45:8, 21; 56:1; 61:11; 63:1; Daniel 9:14; Zechariah 8:8; 2 Peter 1:1 and Revelation 15:3.
In the context of Isaiah chapters 44 and 45 and specifically vss. 20-21 of chapter 45, God speaks
righteousness and declares things that are right (true) in comparison to worthless idols who have no voice and
cannot speak anything. God in 45:19, is stating that His people and the people of the earth need to trust in
Him for there is no other in whom anyone can confidently place their trust. God emphatically states in 45:21,
“there is no one besides me.”
433…..Isaiah 45:20-22
Isaiah 45:20-25
45:20-21 Assemble yourselves and come;
come together, you fugitives of the nations.
They have no knowledge
those who carry the wood of their carved idols,
and pray to a god who cannot save.
21
Declare and present your evidence;
let them take counsel together.
Who predicted this long ago?
Who has declared this in the past?
Have not I, the LORD?
There is no other God besides me,
a righteous God and a Savior;
there is no one besides me.
As He had done previously to others, as stated in Isaiah 41:1, 21-29; and 43:8-9, God commands that the
fugitive of the nations, those who will have endured the terrors of the tribulation, to declare and present their
evidence that their idols had predicted anything of the future. This is a purely rhetorical request for God,
knowing that idols made of wood or any other substance could not speak, think, give counsel, let alone
predict the future. God declares that He alone is the only God who can predict things that will surely happen,
long before the predictions become reality. God again states that there is no other God besides Him, who is a
righteous God and a Savior. See also Isaiah 43:11; 44:6, 8; 45:6,14, and 22. The peoples of the world will
still craft and worship idols in the future days of the great tribulation, Revelation 9:20-21. Those who have
rejected God by suppressing the truth they have known about Him, have exchanged God’s glory for vile
images, and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie for they worship something created instead of
worshiping the Creator, Romans 1:18-32. There is only one true God who is righteous and a Savior. Even
one of the scribes in Jesus day recognized that there is only one God and there is no other but God, Mark
12:32.
The Apostle Peter reveals that the one who is this Savior is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter
addresses his second letter “to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our
God and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:1 NKJV). Isaiah often declared that God is the Savior, 19:20; 43:3,
11; 45:15, 21; 49:26; 60:16 and 63:8. One of the most significant New Testament verses regarding the
present role of the Savior, to Israel is Acts 5:31, “God exalted him at his right hand to be a Prince and
Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” God reminded those, whom He called to give
account of their worthless worship of idols, that He alone is a righteous God, who can truthfully and
accurately predict things to come, and that He is a Savior not only to Israel but to all nations of the earth.
45:22 Look to me, and be saved,
all the ends of the earth;
for I am God, and there is no other.
There is perhaps no clearer call for salvation in the Old Testament than is recorded in Isaiah 45:22. The ESV,
NIV and NASB versions have translated the first three words of Isaiah 45:22 as “Turn to me.” The word
translated as look or turn is the Hebrew panah, which occurs often in the Old Testament including Isaiah. In
Isaiah it also occurs in, 8:21; 13:14; 40:3; 53:6; 56:11; 57:14; and 62:10. It is an imperative verb which
occurs in the Psalms as a request for God to look upon the penitent, Psalm 25:16; 69:16; 86:16; and 119:132.
However, in Isaiah 45:22 it is God who is requesting that the peoples of the world look upon Him.
434…..Isaiah 45:22-23
In turning to God, there is a look of faith, implying that all who look to God in faith will be saved. In a
remarkable event recorded in Numbers 21:6-9, God sent fiery serpents among the people as an act of
judgment for their rebellious grumbling against Moses and God. When Moses interceded for them after they
had recognized their sin, God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it upon a pole and God
said all who have been bitten who will look upon the bronze serpent will live. The Apostle John makes
reference of this incident in John 3:14-15 as a type or symbol of those, who will look upon and believe in the
Son of Man (the Messiah) when He is “lifted up.” Those who do this will have eternal life. God in 45:22, is
calling, “Look to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth.” It is a call not just to the people of Judah and
Jerusalem but to all peoples of the earth. God has repeatedly declared that He alone is God of all the earth
and the worthless idols of the peoples can do nothing to guide or counsel them or to accurately declare future
events before they happen. He now makes a most startling announcement that if all peoples of the earth look
to Him (faith is implied), they will be saved. This is a major theme of the Book of Isaiah, from chapter 1:18,
(a call to reason together with God for salvation) to chapter 66:18, (people from all nations and tongues will
come to Him).
It was God’s original plan, Genesis 12:3, that through Abram, all nations of the earth would be blessed.
This is also expressed in Genesis 18:18; 22:18; 26:4 and Galatians 3:8. The Israelites were to be a kingdom
of priests, Exodus 19:6. The plan of God was that the nations would derive a blessing though the ministry of
this priestly kingdom of Israel and come into a relationship with God. But this depended upon Israel’s
faithfulness to God. In Jeremiah 4:1-2 the prophet stated, "If you will return, O Israel," says the LORD, "if
you will return to me, if you will put away your detestable idols out of my sight, and no longer be so fickle, 2
and if you will swear, 'As the LORD lives,' in truth, justice, and righteousness; then the nations will be
blessed by him, and they will boast about him." However, the covenant people of God did not fulfil their
appointed role and the nations, during the long history of Israel, were not “blessed.” God’s ultimate plan for
the nations to be blessed, however, was not defeated. God had someone through whom He would fulfil the
covenant promise of Abraham to bless the nations. Isaiah spoke of this one in 42:6 who would be given as “a
covenant for the people and a light to the nations.” Also, God stated in Isaiah 49:6 that this one, His servant
would be “a light to the nations, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” This Servant was
the promised Messiah, who was of the seed of Abraham, would accomplish God’s plans of bringing salvation
to the ends of the earth through His sacrificial death as Isaiah prophesized in 53:5-12. The Messiah, the Lord
Jesus Christ, would be crushed for the world’s sins, have the iniquities of the world to fall on Him and He
would bear their sins and all who believe in Him will be saved, John 3:16 and Acts 16:31. Thomas
Constable, Isaiah, page 224, notes that God used Isaiah 45:22 to bring this light of salvation to the great
English preacher Charles Spurgeon.
45:23 I have solemnly sworn by myself,
the word gone forth from my mouth is righteous,
and cannot be revoked.
Every knee will bow before me,
every tongue will swear loyalty to me.
God, who has called for all the ends of the earth to look or turn to Him and be saved, 45:22, authenticates His
call by a solemn oath sworn to Himself. See also Genesis 22:16, Psalm 89:35, Isaiah 62:8; Jeremiah 44:26;
49:13; 51:14; Amos 4:2; and 6:8. Because there is no One who is greater, more worthy, more important, or
more exalted that Himself, God can with holiness and righteousness swear by His own name, that is Himself.
God avows that the very word of His mouth is righteous. Every word that proceeds out of His mouth is
righteous for He is holy in His essence and cannot do or say anything that is not true to His own holiness. See
also Isaiah 5:16; 45:21; and 56:1. Isaiah prophesizes, that the Messiah when He returns will state “I that
435…..Isaiah 45:23 and 24-25
speak in righteousness, mighty to save,” Isaiah 63:1 KJV. The righteous words that God speaks can never be
revoked as Isaiah will later record in 55:9-11:
9
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10
For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven,
and does not return there without watering the earth,
making it produce and sprout,
giving seed to the sower,
and bread to the eater;
11
so will my word be that goes forth out of my mouth;
it will not return to me empty,
but it will accomplish what I desire it to,
and it will succeed in the matter for which I sent it.
God, in 45:23 declares that every knee will bow before Him and every tongue will swear allegiance or
loyalty to Him. The contrast between God swearing an oath to Himself and everyone in all the earth swearing
loyalty to Him is deliberate. God desires that everyone will call upon Him for salvation, Isaiah 45:22 and 1
Timothy 2:4 and acknowledge Him as the sovereign Lord of all created things. The Apostle Paul applied
Isaiah 45:23 in Romans 14:10-11, stating that all believers will one day stand before the judgment (bema)
seat of God and will bow before their Messiah and give Him praise. Paul also applied Isaiah 45:23 in
Philippians 2:10-11, stating that Jesus Christ, following His death and resurrection, will be highly exalted and
before Him, (His exalted name) “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those in heaven, and of
those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.” (NKJV). The New Testament application of God’s words in Isaiah 45:23
makes it plain that all peoples will acknowledge His Son as Lord. The N.T. does not imply that, by this
acknowledgment, all peoples will be saved. Only those who look to the Savior in faith will be saved but they
and all others, those who will not be saved, will bow before the Savior and confess that He is the Lord. The
implication for Isaiah’s audience and those who read the prophetic writings of Isaiah is obvious. Do not wait
to turn to God in faith for salvation. The call of God to come to Him for salvation is for all peoples of every
tongue and nation. It is of the greatest importance. How much better to acknowledge the Messiah, Jesus
Christ as Lord as a believer with great rejoicing, then to do so as an unbeliever with everlasting mourning
and regret as Isaiah 45:24 so clearly states.
45:24-25 'Only in the LORD,' it is said of me,
'is righteousness and strength.'"
All who were angry against him will
come to him and be put to shame.
25
In the LORD will all the descendants of Israel
be vindicated and will boast in him.
The first sentence of Isaiah 45:24 is a statement of praise that righteousness and strength is found only in the
LORD. Because of His great works of creation and salvation, all peoples of the earth will acknowledge that
His Son is Lord by bowing before Him and confessing loyalty to Him, 45:23. The second sentence of 45:24
describes the final destination of those who “are angry against him.”. There will be no escape from God.
Everyone will eventually appear before Him. Those who trust in Him for salvation will appear before the
Messiah at the judgment (bema) seat, Romans 14:10-11; 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, 4:1-5; and 2 Corinthians
5:10. Those who have refused to trust in Him for salvation will appear before Him at the great white throne
436…..Isaiah Chapters 46-47 Introduction
judgment where there will be only punishment declared, Revelation, 20:11-15. This great section of salvation
concludes, Isaiah 45:25, with an encouraging word for the descendants of Israel. They will be vindicated for
all that they have suffered and will boast (exalt) in Him. This will be when the Messiah returns to set up His
millennial kingdom. The faithful remnant of God, those Jews who have remained true to Him, will be
gathered from all nations of the earth and will come rejoicing to Zion to live peacefully and securely under
the sovereign rule of their great King. Isaiah has often spoke about these days. See Chart of Israel’s Future
Kingdom, by John MacArthur, NASB Study Bible, page 1032. The Apostle Paul in summation of his great
defense of his people Israel, concludes in Romans 11:26-27, “And so all Israel will be saved, just as it is
written, "There will come out of Zion the Deliverer; he will remove ungodliness from Jacob. And this is my
covenant with them, when I take away their sins."
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 45
45:1-7: The Selection of God
45:1a, 4 The Revelation of the Anointed
45: 1b-4b The Role of the Anointed
45:5-7 The Ruler of the Anointed
45:8-13: The Sovereignty of God
45:8 The Righteousness of God’s Creation
45:9-10 The Rightness of God’s Creation
45:11-12 The Renown of God’s Creation
45:13 The Result of God’s Causation
45:14-25: The Salvation of God
45:14-17 The Opportunity of Salvation
45:18-22 The Offer of Salvation
45:23-25 The Outcome of Salvation
10. Babylon’s Final Destruction: 46:1 - 47:15
Some scholars group chapters 46-48 as one literary unit within Isaiah, but for purposes of this study, it is best
to view chapters 46 and 47 as a unit which depicts the folly of Babylon’s people who worship worthless idols
and the defeat of Babylon. Many scholars and students of the Scriptures see only the past historical
destruction of Babylon which occurred in 539 B.C., while others see both an historical defeat of Babylon in
539 B.C. and a far future reference to the final destruction of Babylon as described in Revelation 18:1-19:6.
For example, see David L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly – August 1945.Each
passage must be studied within its context and with this intent, it becomes apparent that many of the passages
of chapters 40-48 have as their background, the far future tribulation period, the downfall of the far-future
Babylon, and the Messianic kingdom. In many instances, Cooper would have agreed with this assessment.
Chapters 46 and 47 can easily be understood from an outline of its contents.
46:1-7 Pagan peoples carry their false gods vs. the true God who carries His people
46:8-13 The only real God who fulfills His purposes and brings salvation to His people
47:1-15 Proud and Arrogant Babylon will fall with none to save it
Isaiah in 46:1-7 states that the false gods of Babylon stoop and bow down and need to be carried which are a
burden to weary animals, vs. 1. These false gods cannot save themselves and they are taken into captivity, vs.
2. God calls upon His covenant people, the house of Israel and the remnant of the house of Israel to listen to
Him. God has supported them from their conception and will support them to their old age, vss. 3-4. God
437…..Isaiah 46:1
asks to whom will they compare to Him and, who do they think is like Him? vs. 5. Idols who have been
crafted by men are set and remain in their places and cannot answer or save anyone from trouble, vss. 6-7.
46:1 Bel bows down,
Nebo stoops;
their idols are carried on beasts and cattle.
The images you carry around are
a burden to the weary animals.
The discussion of idols by Isaiah, in 46:1-7, is an addition to previous discussions in his prophecy. See 2:8,
18-20; 10:10-11; 19:1-3; 31:7; 40:19-20; 21:9; 30:22; 40:18-24; 41:5-10, 21-24, 29; 42:8,14-17; 44:6-20; and
45:16-20. Isaiah also discussed the folly of idol worship in 48:5; 57:13; and 66:3. Isaiah, throughout his
writings, declares that idols cannot think, do, or say anything, nor can they save or protect their worshippers.
These idols also cannot predict anything. It is only the one true God who can do all these things. He is the
one who is the Creator of the cosmos and the world and He alone can accurately predict the future for the
future is the outworking of His plans and purposes. In 46:1-2, Isaiah adds another comparison. Idols that are
fashioned by humans, cannot move themselves or do anything. These idols have to be carried by the people
who have made them. The heavier the idol, the greater the burden it is to carry them. God, however, does not
need to be carried, but in great contrast to idols, He carries those who believe in and worship Him.
Bel and Nebo were names of false gods of ancient Babylon. Victor Buksbazen comments about their status
and influence in Babylonian religion:
“Bel, the equivalent of the Hebrew baal (lord) was the generic name for any god. When uses as a
proper name, it refers to Marduk, the supreme deity of Babylon. In Babylonian mythology he appears
as the creator. The Greeks called him Zeus or Jupiter.
The magnificent and enormous temple of Bel stood on the banks of the Euphrates and is described by
Herodotus:
The temple is a square building, two furlongs each way with bronze gates, which was still in
existence in my time. It has a solid central tower on furlong square, with a second erected on top of it,
then a third, and so on up to eight...On the summit stands a great temple…In the temple there is a
second shrine lower down in which there is a great figure of Bel, all of gold on a golden throne,
supported on a base of gold, with a golden table
standing beside it. I was told by the Chaldeans that to make all this, more than twenty-two tons of
gold were used. Outside the temple is a golden altar…The golden altar is reserved for sucklings only.
(note:1).
Nebo comes from the same root as the Hebrew word for prophet, nabi. In Babylonian mythology
Nebo was the son of the supreme god Marduk and is presented as the spokesman of the gods, just like
Mercury, mentioned in Acts 14:12. Nebo was also the supreme god of Nineveh and was supposed to
be the god of learning and wisdom. At the approach of the victorious Persians, the worshippers of
these gods sought to save them by loading them on beasts of burden (camels and elephants) and on
cattle (horses, asses and oxen). [Note 1: Herodotus, Op. cit. 179-183].” (Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah,
pages 367-368).
438…..Isaiah 46:2 and 3-4
46:2 They stoop,
they bow down together.
They could not save these burdens,
but they themselves are taken into captivity.
The idols of Babylon stooped low and bowed down when they were carried by the Babylonians in an attempt
to save their worthless false gods from the advancing Persian army. The result was obvious. Neither the
Babylonians nor their idols were saved. The Persians took the people and their idols captive when they
became the new lords of Babylon. The Persians however, under the leadership of Cyrus did not destroy these
idols or those who worshipped them. Cyrus incorporated the idols into the pagan worship rituals of the
Persians who added their own false worship to that already existing in Babylon. However, Gary V. Smith
comments on the difficulty of precisely defining the historical context of these verses.
“Hypothetically, the defeat of Babylon that the prophet announced could relate to: (a) the Assyrian
king Tiglath-pileser III who defeated the Babylonian king Nabu-shuma-ukin around 729 BC; (b)
Sargon II taking control of Babylon around 710 BC when Merodach-baladan ruled Babylon; (c)
Sennacherib’s defeat of Merodach-baladan around 703 BC and again in 689 BC when the city of
Babylon was decimated; (d) Cyrus’s taking control of Babylon in 539 BC; or (e) Xerxes’ defeat of
Babylon around 400 BC. Since Cyrus (Hb. Koresh) was mentioned in 44:28–45:1, many
commentators believe this prophecy predicts this conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Persian. This
hypothesis is strengthened by the reference to God’s summoning a bird of prey from the east to carry
out his purposes in 46:11, but almost any of the foreign kings mentioned above could fit this broad
descriptive metaphor (10:5; 41:2). Although every piece of information is helpful, two major
problems have developed because many interpreters have read later fulfillments into these prophecies.
These are the problems of (a) the historicization of the prophecy and (b) the falsification of the
prophecy.” (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 284).
46:3-4 Listen to me, O house of Jacob,
and all the remnant of the house of Israel,
you who have been borne by me since birth,
I have supported you from your conception.
4
Even to your old age, I am he;
even when your hair turns grey I will carry you.
I have made you,
and I will support you;
I will carry you,
and will deliver you.
God calls upon His people to listen to Him regarding the contrast between idols who have to be carried by
their makers and the true God who carries, bears, supports and delivers His people. This declaration to listen
is made to those of the “house of Jacob” and “all the remnant of the house of Israel”. This could be a
reference to the audience of Isaiah who were living in Judah and Jerusalem just after the defeat of the
Assyrian army by God in 701 B.C. Isaiah 37:36, and to the remnant, those remaining, of the northern nation
of Israel which had been defeated and had most of the people taken captive and deported by Assyria in 722
B.C. God punctuates His care for His people by six declarations of the word “I” in 46:3-4. Prior to these six
“I” statements, He declares that they had been “upheld by Me from birth” (NKJV). This can be understood as
a reference to their individual births as Jews into the covenant people of God and to the corporate birth of the
nation of Israel particularly from the days of the Exodus when God rescued His people from captivity in
Egypt.
439…..Isaiah 46:5-7
The six statements with “I” describing God’s actions are similar in meaning. First, God has “supported”
(carried) them from their conception. Second, He has been with them continually from their birth to their old
age. Third, He promises to keep carrying (bearing) them to old age, “even when your hair turns grey.”
Fourth, He reminds them that He has made them, which is in contrast to the evil practice of making and
worshipping idols which are worthless and can make nothing. Fifth, He will support them. They will have no
need to support Him as if He were an idol that needed to be held in position so as not to fall and they will
also have no need to carry Him around like they do with their idols and carved images. Sixth, God will
deliver, (save, rescue) them from all harm and from their enemies. God will keep His covenant with them and
preserve them. They must in response trust in Him and turn to Him for salvation, Isaiah 45:22. For similar
statements regarding God’s support for them by bearing them and carrying them see, Isaiah 40:11 and 63:9.
See also Exodus 19:4; Deuteronomy 1:31; 32:11; Psalm 28:9, 71:6; and Hosea 11:3. Another way that God
will carry them is through the death of the suffering Servant the Messiah, who will bear their griefs and carry
their sorrows, Isaiah 53:4.
46:5-7 To whom will you compare me or make my equal?
Who do you think is like me?
6
Those who pour gold out of the bag,
and weigh silver on the balance scales.
They hire a goldsmith,
and he makes it into a god.
Then they fall down,
and worship it.
7
They haul it on their shoulders;
they carry it.
They set it in its place,
and there it stays;
it does not move from its place.
If someone cries out to it,
it cannot answer,
nor is it able to save anyone out of their trouble.
God, as recorded in 46:5, is speaking to His people directly, see also 46:3 and to all peoples indirectly
through the writings of the prophet. God challenges His listeners with three questions that are rhetorical.
First, to whom will you compare me? Second, to whom will you make my equal? Third, who do you think is
like me? The answers to these questions are similar, no one can compare with God, no one can be “made”
His equal, and there is no one whom anyone could think of who is like God. God had addressed these and
similar questions as recorded by Isaiah in 45:5-7; 14; 18, and 21. See also: Exodus 8:10; 9:14; 1 Samuel 2:2
and Psalm 86:8.
In Isaiah 46:6-7, God describes the practice of pagans who use valuable resources, gold and silver, and hire a
goldsmith who fashions these riches into a worthless god. See also Isaiah 40:18-20; 41:7; 44:9-20; and
Jeremiah 10:14-15; and 51:17-18. After the idol is formed, these pagans fall down and worship it and then
they need to carry it on their shoulders and then set it in its place where it cannot move itself. When anyone
cries out to it, the worthless, deaf, dumb and mindless idol cannot respond. It is not capable of helping or
saving anyone from their troubles. Just as the massive Babylonian idols Bel and Nebo, 46:1 have to be
carried, for they cannot move themselves, the personal idols that have been made by humans also have to be
carried. In contrast, 46:3-4, God who has created the earth and its people, hears all who cry out to Him. God
can respond, and He can help and save those who trust in Him. He also carries those who put their faith in
Him. He does not need anyone to carry Him and there is no place where He can be set into position. As in
440…..Isaiah 46:5-7 and 8-9
many passages where idols are mentioned, the implication is clear. Why would anyone continue to worship a
worthless idol or image? God desires that all people put their faith and trust in Him and worship only Him.
The repetitive passages in Isaiah regarding the useless worship of idols compared to the worship of the one
true God, highlights the words of God to the prophet as stated in Isaiah 6:9-13. The preaching of Isaiah
would serve only to harden the minds, make deaf the ears and blind the eyes of the people of Judah and
Jerusalem. God’s repeated call to them to turn from their evil practices of idol worship and worship Him only
continually is ignored by His people. Isaiah would later state in 48:4:
I know how obstinate you are;
and your neck muscles are like iron,
and your forehead like bronze.
The good news, however, is that, although God called His people deaf and blind, Isaiah 42:18-19, there
would be some who would respond as implied from the words “holy seed” in Isaiah 6:13 and “remnant” in
10:20-22; 11:11, 16; 28:5; 37:31 and 46:3. God’s word will eventually come to fruition in the response and
obedience of the remnant, for His word will accomplish all that He desires, Isaiah 55:10-11.
46:8-13: The only real God who fulfills His purposes and brings salvation to His people
Isaiah in 46:8-13 states that God calls upon His covenant people whom He calls rebels to remember and
bring to mind His previous works on their behalf, for He states again that He is God and there is no other and
no one is like Him, vss. 8-9. God declares from the beginning what will happen in the end. He has declared
from times long past, things that have not yet happened. His purpose will stand, and He will fulfil what He
has planned, vs. 10. He will call upon a person from a far country to fulfil His plan for it assuredly will be
accomplished, vs. 11. God calls His people stubborn hearted who are far from righteousness to listen to Him,
vs. 12. God brings near His righteousness and His salvation will not be delayed. God will put salvation in
Zion, for Israel His glory, vs. 13.
46:8-9 Remember this and be assured;
bring it again to mind, O rebels.
9
Remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like me.
In Isaiah 46:8, God calls for His people to remember what He had just declared regarding the foolishness of
forming, carrying and trusting in worthless idols and the benefit of trusting in the one true God who has
created humans and can carry them even to their old age and can deliver them from harm. He also wants
them to remember what He will say which He states in 46:9-13. He calls His people rebels for they have on
many occasions rebelled against Him and exchanged the worship due God for worship of idols which they
have fashioned to resemble created things.
The first phrase of 36:8 is translated in the DASV and NASB as “Remember this and be assured.” It is
translated in the KJV as “Remember this, and shew yourselves men.” It is translated as “Remember this, fit it
in mind,” in the NIV. The Hebrew word for “and be assured” occurs only in this verse and scholars have
difficulty in discerning its original meaning as spoken by Isaiah. One scholar suggests that the word, a verb
may have at its root, the meaning of guilt. See Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 370.
441…..Isaiah 46:8-10
The word “rebels” 46:8 in the DASV is translated as “transgressors” in the KJV, NKJV, NASB, and ESV
and as “rebels” in the NIV. It is the Hebrew word pasha which can be translated either as rebels or
transgressors. Pasha also occurs in Isaiah, as translated in the DASV, in 1:2 (rebelled); 1:28 (rebellious);
43:27 (rebelled); 48:8 (rebel); 53:12 (twice: transgressors); 59:13 (rebelling); and 66:24 (rebelled). Similar
Hebrew words in Isaiah are, (1) marah, which has the meaning of rebel or disobedience, and occurs in Isaiah
in the DASV as 1:20 (rebel); 3:8 (defying); 50:5 (rebellious); and 63:10 (rebelled); (2) sarar, which has the
meaning rebel or stubborn, and occurs in Isaiah in the DASV as 1:23 (rebellious); 30:1 (rebellious); and 65:2
(rebellious); (3) sarah, which has the meaning of rebel and occurs in Isaiah in the DASV as 1:5 (rebel); 31:6
(rebelled); and 59:13 (revolt); (4) marad, which has the meaning of rebelled and occurs once in the DASV as
36:5 (rebelled); (5) pesha, which has the meaning of transgress and occurs in the DASV as 24:20
(transgression); 43:25 (transgressions); 44:22 (transgressions); 50:1 (transgressions); 53:5 (transgressions);
53:8 (rebellion); 57:4 (sin); 58:1 (transgression); 59:12 (twice: transgression); and 59:20 (sin); and (6) meri,
which has the meaning of rebel or disobedience and occurs once in Isaiah in the DASV as 30:9 (rebellious).
God again repeats his call to “remember” in 46:9 and His rebellious people are commanded to remember “the
former things of old;” which is in contrast to an earlier command recorded in 43:18 (see notes on this verse).
This time, God commands them to recall by memory the things He had done for them so that they will
acknowledge that He alone is God and there is no other and there is no one like Him. J. Alec Motyer
comments on the two occurrences of God in 46:9:
“God … God: the former is ’ēl, God in his transcendent deity; the latter ’elōhîm, God in the fullness
of his divine attributes. He is the only (no other) and unique (none like) God.” (J. Alec Motyer,
Isaiah, page 294).
The reminder by God (Elohim) that there is no other occurs also in Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; Isaiah 44:8; 45:5,
14, 21, 22 and Joel 2:27. The corresponding statement that God states that “there is no one like me” occurs
also in Exodus 8:10; 9:14; 1 Samuel 2:2 and Psalm 86:8. These repeated reminders in the Old Testament
Scriptures and specifically in Isaiah were necessary for God to remind His audience of His unique existence,
power, sovereignty, and His loving care for His creation, not only over the nations but particularly His
chosen people. This is another call by God to His people to trust in Him for guidance, safety and salvation.
No other god could provide any care. The idols that people create as their “gods” are completely worthless to
provide anything that the one true God can provide.
46:10 I declare the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times things that have not yet happened;
saying, "My purpose will stand,
and I will fulfill what I have planned."
God’s omniscience is evident in His statement that “I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient
times things that have not yet happened.” Only the Holy One of Israel, the Creator of the heavens and the
earth, the One who is Elohim, 46:9 can know how things will work out and unfold and then with divine
confidence declare them long before they occur. The idols that the people of Judah and Jerusalem have
crafted and then worshipped have no ability to talk, think, hear or do anything. The Lord of hosts, who alone
rules the universe He has created, is absolutely trustworthy so that whatever He says can be counted on to be
true. God had previously reminded His people in Isaiah 41:4, that “I, the LORD, am the first, and will be
with the last of them, I am the one.” The ESV for 41:4 states, “I, the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am
he.” Refer also to Revelation 1:8; 21:6; and 22:13.
442…..Isaiah 46:11 and 12-13
God continues by stating, “My purpose will stand, and I will fulfill what I have planned.” Not only does God
declare the end from the beginning but He plans (decrees) what will happen in the future and what He has
decreed to happen will be fulfilled according to His good pleasure. The NASB translates 46:10 as,
“Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, My
purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure.” For other occurrences of the
accomplishment of God’s “good pleasure” see Isaiah 48:14; 53:10; Philippians 2:13 and Colossians 1:19. In
Lamentations 2;17, Jeremiah declares, “The LORD has done what he purposed; he has fulfilled his word that
he commanded in the days of old.” The declaration of the Lord’s fulfilling what He has planned in Isaiah
46:10 sets the context for one of these plans that is revealed in 46:11: the calling of someone “from the east”
to accomplish His plan.
46:11 I call a bird of prey from the east,
a person to carry out my plan from a far country.
Yes, I have spoken,
I will also bring it to pass.
I have planned it;
I will also accomplish it.
Most Biblical scholars suggest that the person who is called the “bird of prey from the east,” is Cyrus who is
mentioned by name in 44:28 and 45:1. Cyrus was called by God to conquer Babylon and release the captives
of Judah, so they could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the city. See notes on Isaiah 45:13. God
can use anyone He desires to fulfill His purposes, even a pagan king who would not know Him, Isaiah 45:5.
Cyrus ruled a combined Medo-Persian empire from 559-530 B.C. Upon assuming the throne of his father
Cambyses 1, who ruled Anshan, which was a region of eastern Elam, he quickly established the dominance
of his empire and captured all he faced including the Lydians who were ruled by its wealthy king, Croesus. In
539 B.C., the army of Cyrus captured Babylon and slew its king, Belshazzar. See Daniel chapter 5 for a
description of this event from the inside the walls of Babylon.
God repeats what He had stated in 46:10, that whatever He plans will be accomplished. No one can thwart
God’s purposes and plans. There is no other deity who can declare the end from the beginning or accurately
predict the future because He is the One who plans the future and His plans will succeed perfectly.
46:12-13 Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted,
you who are far from righteousness.
13
I bring near my righteousness,
it is not far off.
My salvation will not delay.
I will put salvation in Zion,
for Israel my glory.
God calls upon His people to listen to Him. They were far from righteous as much of the writings of Isaiah,
beginning from chapter 1 demonstrate. They were also stubborn hearted as Isaiah was told at the time he was
commissioned as a prophet as recorded in Isaiah chapter 6. God called them obstinate, with neck muscles like
iron and with a forehead like bronze, Isaiah 48:4. To those who rebelled against Him and were continually
disobeying Him, God promised to bring His righteousness and salvation to them. One scholar comments on
Isaiah 46:12-13:
443…..Isaiah 46:12-13
“Isaiah, in the two closing verses of chapter 46, declared, "Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are
far from righteousness: 13 I bring near my righteousness, it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall
not tarry; and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory" (vss. 12,13).
Again addressing the transgressors, or the stouthearted, who were far from righteousness, the prophet
announced that God would bring near His salvation, that it would not tarry, and that "... I will place
salvation in Zion for Israel my glory." The marginal rendering of this passage in the Revised Version
is give salvation in Zion, and my glory unto Israel. Both translations are grammatically correct and
both convey the thought that was intended by the prophet. When this passage is viewed in the light of
related ones, one immediately sees that the salvation of which the Lord was speaking and the glory
which He foretold are those which will be brought to Israel at the second coming of our Lord. When
the time arrives for Him to take the situation of Israel in hand, He will not tarry. He will speed the
tempo of events and accomplish His purposes in short order. Malachi was speaking of the same
event--the second coming of the Messiah--in 3:1-6 of his prophecy. When the Lord thus comes, all
Israel living at the time will be saved and glory will be placed in Zion for Israel His glory. Then the
Chosen People will no longer be the tail of the nations as they are now; but, on the contrary, they will
be the head.” (D. L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly – August 1945).
“I will put salvation in Zion, for Israel my glory” (46:13)
God promises a future time when salvation will reside in Zion. This is a clear reference to the days of the
kingdom of the Messiah who will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and
Prince of Peace, Isaiah 9:6, who will reign in eternal and immaculate glory, Isaiah 9:7. The Messiah will be
put to death for the sins of all peoples, Isaiah 52:13-53:12. He will bring salvation to the world by being
gloriously resurrected so that all who believe in Him will be saved. At the appointed time of God’s own
choosing, the Messiah will return to earth to rescue the faithful remnant and lead them to Zion where He will
establish His kingdom. Israel will be seen by all peoples as the glory of the Lord. For specific Scriptural
references, see Isaiah 2:1-4; 4:2-6; 11:1-16; 25:6-9; 35:1-10; 40:9-11; 41:8-20; 42:1-13; 43:1-7; 44:1-8; 49:1-
26; 51:11; 52:7-12; 54:1-17; 55:1-13; 56:1-12; 60:1-22; 61:1-11; 62:1-12; 63:1-6; 65:17-25; Hosea 5:15-6:3;
Joel 3:9-21; Amos 9:11-15; Micah 4:1-8; Obadiah vss. 17-21; Zechariah 12:1-14:21; Romans 11:25-27 and
Revelation 20:1-6. (These are not an exhaustive list of Scriptural references).
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 46
46:1-7 The wantonness of worshipping idols
46:8-13 The wisdom of worshipping God
47:1-15 Proud and Arrogant Babylon will fall with none to save it
Many biblical scholars place the prophecy of Babylon’s demise in chapter 47 in the near future, about 539
B.C. which was approximately 170-180 years after Isaiah proclaimed the prophecy. A few scholars, while
acknowledging that chapter 47 could loosely fit the conquest of Babylon under Cyrus in 539 B.C., see a far
future fulfillment during the tribulation period. See commentary on Isaiah by David L. Cooper for Isaiah
chapters 46-48. Gary V. Smith also has reservations about placing the setting for Isaiah’s prophecy in the 539
B.C. conquest of Babylon by the Medes-Persians under Cyrus. See Smith’s commentary on Isaiah for chapter
47 for a more detailed discussion.
Isaiah chapter 47 has a simple outline: 47:1-7: Babylon’s Ruling Leaders to be destroyed and 47:8-15:
Babylon’s Religious Leaders to be destroyed. In this chapter Isaiah states that the virgin daughter of Babylon
and the daughter of the Chaldeans are commanded to sit in the dust for their time of tenderness and
444…..Isaiah 47:1
delicateness is over, vs. 1. These women, (depicting the elite ruling class of Babylon) will be put to work
grinding grain and they will be forced to wade through waters of rivers where their nakedness will be
uncovered, and their shame will be exposed. The LORD will take vengeance upon them and He will not
spare any of them, vss. 1-3. Isaiah reminds his audience that the LORD of hosts, the Holy One of Israel is
their Redeemer, vs. 4. No longer will the “daughter of the Chaldeans,” (the kingdom of Babylon) be called
“the Queen of Kingdoms,” vs. 5. God explains that He was angry with His people and gave then into the
hands of the kingdom of Babylon, but they did not show mercy to God’s people, even to the elderly, vs. 6.
The Babylonians claimed to be the Queen (of kingdoms) forever and did not consider the consequences of
their treatment of God’s people, vs. 7. The Babylonians were full of pride and thought they would never
experience their demise, described as never becoming a widow and never suffering the loss of children, vs. 8.
Yet both of these calamities will come upon them “in a moment,” with full force. Their many sorceries and
spells cast by their pagan religious leaders will not save them, vs. 9. Their trust in their wickedness and
wisdom will be of no avail and evil will come upon them. Their charms (pagan spells) and money will not
prevent the calamity coming upon them, of which they will be totally ignorant, vss. 10-11. God taunts them
to stand firm in their trusting of their enchantments and sorceries and calls them to let their astrologers,
stargazers and monthly prognosticators stand up and save them from the things to come upon them (God’s
judgment), vss. 12-13. Their pagan religious leaders will not save them, and the people and these leaders will
both face the flames of God’s judgment. Everyone will wander off in confusion because no one can save
them, vss. 14-15.
Some repetition of key words in chapter 47 help in the understanding of the theme of this prophetic message
by Isaiah. For example, the word “sit,” the very common Hebrew word yasab, occurs in 47:1 (twice); 47:5;
47:8 (twice) and in 47:14. This word highlights that the once high and haughty Babylonians will be forced to
“sit low,” even to the dust, 47:1, as an outcome of God’s judgement upon them. The short phrase, “come on
you” occurs in the DASV, in 47:9 (twice); 47:11 (twice); and 47:13, emphasizing the things that will happen
to them as God executes His judgment. See Gary V. Smith’s discussion of other repetitive words in chapter
47 in his commentary, that serve as useful markers of the cohesive message of God’s judgment upon the
Babylonians.
47:1 Come down, and sit in the dust,
O virgin daughter of Babylon;
sit on the ground without a throne,
O daughter of the Chaldeans.
For you will no more be called tender and delicate.
As punishment for its mistreatment of the Jewish exiles, the Lord will bring judgment upon Babylon. The
people of Babylon had become proud, arrogant and they had put their blind trust in the massive walls of the
capital city to shield them from any harm. They had thought of themselves as above all other peoples and
declared that they were the “Queen of Kingdoms,” 47:5; and even above God, 47:8. Their evil hubris had
reached its end and God was about to bring them low, even to the dust of the earth. To sit, Hebrew yashab, in
the dust in the Scriptures represents mourning for loss of someone or something. Job’s “so-called” friends
threw dust over their heads and sat down on the dusty ground next to Job and did not speak any words to Job
for seven days and nights in a silent vigil of mourning, Job 2:12-13. The residents of Jerusalem would also be
brought low to the dust as God’s judgment comes upon them, Isaiah 29:4. The far future depiction of the fall
of Babylon includes the throwing of dust on the heads of those who mourn for Babylon, Revelation 18:19.
The elite but very spoiled inhabitants of Babylon would not enjoy the benefits of being close to the throne
and the soft and luxuriant life of the kingly court. They were to be put into hard, manual labor, working in the
dust of the fields. They were called “virgin daughter of Babylon” because they had not tasted the scars of
445…..Isaiah 47:2-3
warfare within the city’s walls. They would be cast out of their comfortable homes, where they lived in
luxury (tender and delicate) and would be forced to live as slaves.
47:2 Take the millstones,
and grind grain;
remove your veil,
strip off your robe;
uncover your legs,
pass through the rivers.
The women (daughters) of Babylon, who had lived in luxury and self-exaltation will be forced to work as
slaves grinding grain with millstones. They had been used to having meals prepared for them within the walls
of the city and after its defeat, these women will know the hard and exhausting work of preparing meals for
those who now rule over them. The reference to removing veils and robes and uncovering their legs is likely
a necessity in their grain-grinding work and may also indicate that as slaves they were being deported to
other countries where, during their journey, it was necessary to ford rivers. The daily tasks would also
“grind” them down and remove any pride and arrogance they once exhibited in their previous life of luxury.
Another possible meaning of the words, “pass through the rivers,” is that the women would have to ford a
river or rivers to get to the fields where they would grind grain as slaves of a conquering nation.
47:3 Your nakedness will be uncovered,
yes, your shame will be exposed.
I will take vengeance,
and I will spare no one.
The Lord speaks indicating that it is His work of vengeance that has brought the women of Babylon to be put
to shame for having their nakedness uncovered. This could be a scene of salves being forced to disrobe to
perform their tasks or perhaps their disrobing was due to being ravished by conquering soldiers who often
forced themselves on the women of the city or nation that had been defeated. The word “vengeance” is the
Hebrew word naqam (noun) which has the meaning of avenging for the wrongful actions of others. It is
God’s righteous and “right” indignation to take vengeance upon those who have brought harm to His people
or have sinned against Him. Isaiah often used naqam to describe the vengeance of the Lord. See Isaiah 34:8;
35:4; 47:3; 59:17; 61:2 and 63:4. See also Deuteronomy 32:35, 41; 43; Psalm 58:10; Ezekiel 24:8; 25:12, 15;
and Micah 5:15. Earlier Isaiah had declared in 34:8, regarding the punishment of Edom, that, “For it is the
day of the LORD’s vengeance, the year of recompense for the cause of Zion. (NKJV). When the Messiah
returns to defeat His enemies, He will exclaim, as recorded in Isaiah 63:4, “For the day of vengeance was in
my heart.” The righteous will rejoice when they see the vengeance of the Lord. An interesting parallel exists
between the vengeance described in Isaiah 63:3-4 and Psalm 58:10-11.
Isaiah 63:3-4
3
I have stomped in the winepress alone;
and none of the peoples joined with me.
I stomped them in my anger,
and trampled them in my wrath.
Their juice splattered on my garments,
and all my clothes are stained.
4
For the day of vengeance was in my heart,
and the year of my redeemed has come.
446…..Isaiah 47:4-5
Psalm 58:10-11
10
The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11
So that people will say,
"Surely, there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God that judges on earth."
The last phrase of Isaiah 47:3 is translated in the DASV, NIV, ESV and the HCSB as “I will spare no one.”
THE NASB has “and will not spare a man.” The KJV translates this phrase as “I will not meet thee as a
man.” The NKJV has “And I will not arbitrate with a man.” The context of this phrase suggests that God
will neither spare anyone, nor consider anyone’s argument to be spared His judgment upon them. The sinful
rebellion of the Babylonians against God has come to an end and they will reap what they have sowed.
47:4 Our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name,
the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah, after declaring the words of God for the demise of proud Babylon, pauses to give an exclamation of
the God who will make this happen. Isaiah calls God, “Our Redeemer,” The word “Redeemer” is the
Hebrew, ga’al, which refers to Israel’s kinsmen (family) redeemer. It is the word for redeemer in Ruth 4:14
(DASV), “Praise the LORD, who has not left you this day without a family redeemer. May his name be
famous in Israel.” Isaiah describes the Lord as Israel’s kinsmen Redeemer in 41:14; 43:14; 44:6, 24; 47:4;
48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60;16 and 63:16. See also Job 19:25; Psalm 19;14; 78:35; Proverbs 23:11 and
Jeremiah 50:34.
Isaiah continues his declaration with, “the LORD of hosts is his name.” The word LORD is Yahweh which
has the meaning of the One who is changeless and self-existent, Exodus 3:14, John 8:58, who is present with
His people as their covenant keeping God. The additive “of hosts,” Hebrew, tsaba in Isaiah 47:4, is also
coupled with Yahweh in the Old Testament as the compound name, Yahweh Sabbaoth, 1 Samuel 1:3; and
17:45. The word “hosts” refers to the Lord’s armies in heaven and when He deems necessary, human armies
that are amassed to fulfil His plans.
Isaiah completes this brief exclamation with his often-used description of God as “the Holy One of Israel,”
Hebrew qadosh Yisra’el, which occurs 25 times in Isaiah. See notes on Isaiah 1:4. This compound name for
God reminds Isaiah’s audience and those who read his prophecy, that God is holy and has commanded His
people to also be holy, Leviticus 11:44-45. The Apostle Peter would much later reference this command in
Leviticus to exhort the Christian readers of his epistle to be holy, 1 Peter 1:15-16.
47:5 Sit silent, and hide in the darkness,
O daughter of the Chaldeans.
For you will no longer be called
"The Queen of Kingdoms."
Isaiah, in 47:5, returns to the Lord’s declaration of judgment upon Babylon. Keeping with the theme of
describing the Babylonians as a daughter, 47:1 (twice). Isaiah records God’s stinging words that Babylon,
described as the “daughter of the Chaldeans”, would no longer be called, “the Queen of kingdoms” and a
“Queen forever,” in 47:7, for she is commanded by God to sit in silence and to hide in darkness. Victor
Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 373, suggests that the reference to sitting in silence and darkness, in the Hebrew
mind is associated with deep mourning. These descriptive words for Babylon begin to formulate the final
statement of judgment by God on the far future kingdom of Babylon whose complete demise is described by
447…..Isaiah 47:6 and 7-9
the Apostle John in Revelation chapters 17 and 18. The verses that follow in Isaiah chapter 47 best fit the
eschatological judgment upon Babylon just prior to the return of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. The
origin of the title for Babylon as the Queen of Kingdoms is not stated by Isaiah but it may have been a title
assigned to Babylon by those nations that she had conquered and from who received tribute payment. See
notes on 47:5 by Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 303.
47:6 I was angry with my people,
I defiled my inheritance,
and gave them into your hand.
You showed them no mercy;
even on the elderly you laid your heavy yoke.
The Lord explains, in 47:6, why His people had been taken captive by Babylon. It was not that Babylon
destroyed Jerusalem and Judah because it was stronger than the LORD of hosts who was the Holy One of
Israel. But it was that the people of God, His people and His inheritance were willingly given by God to the
Babylonians as judgment upon His own people for God was angry with them for their continual rebellion
against Him. God was the divine power behind the movement of the Babylonians to conquer Jerusalem and
Judah. They were not to think they had done this solely on their own but were instruments in the hand of
God.
God had chosen Israel as his possession, (inheritance in the DASV). See Deuteronomy 4:20-21, 38; 1 Samuel
10:1; 1 Kings 8:51-53; Isaiah 19:25; Jeremiah 2:7; and 12:7-13. Even though the people of God were
declared to be His heritage, they had repeatedly sinned against Him and rejected His repeated calls for their
repentance and for them to return to Him. See Isaiah 6:10; and 44:22. Therefore, God explains in 47:6 that
He has defiled or profaned, Hebrew word halal, His inheritance (His possession) by allowing Babylon, a
pagan evil nation, to conquer His people and destroy the temple and the city of Jerusalem. However, Babylon
had not treated God’s people with mercy and were particularly cruel on the elderly, upon whom they “laid
your heavy yoke.”
47:7-9 You claimed, "I will be Queen forever."
So you did not think about these things in your heart,
nor did you reflect on the consequences.
8
Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures,
who sit securely,
who says in your heart,
'I am, and there is no one else besides me.
I will never sit as a widow,
nor will I experience the loss of children.'
9
But these two things will come on you in a moment
in one day:
the loss of children and widowhood.
They will come on you with full force,
in spite of your many sorceries,
and your numerous spells.
In their evil hubris, Babylon, who was given freedom by God to conquer His covenant people and destroy
God’s beloved possession, claimed that she would be a Queen (of kingdoms) for all time. See also 47:5, and
Revelation 18:7-8. God, knowing the intents of all hearts, even the prideful leaders of Babylon, brings an
448…..Isaiah 47:7-9 and 10
indictment against them. These leaders did not give any consideration for mercy to God’s people, nor did
they think about (reflect on), what would be the consequences for their cruelty to their Jewish captives.
The leaders of Babylon had not considered the wellbeing of God’s people and did not extend any mercy to
them, 47:6. They boasted that Babylon would be an eternal Queen of all nations, thereby ignoring God’s
sovereign right to rule over His creation including the nations of the earth. God therefore calls them to
attention to hear his judgment, 47: 9. Prior to this statement of judgment, God brings another series of
indictments against them, 47:8. God calls them lovers of pleasure, (sensual) who think they are sitting
securely without concern for any outside influence. God states in 47:8, that they have said in their heart that
“I am, and there is no one else besides me.” This is a most stunning insult to God. See also Isaiah 14:13-14.
Assyria had made a similar claim, Zephaniah 2:15, as had the leader of Tyre, Ezekiel 28:2. It is evil enough
for any nation to sit in false security and love pleasure far more than justice and mercy, Isaiah 47:6, but it is
an entirely different matter for a nation’s leaders to avow that they are self-exalted above even God Himself.
Only God could state with truthfulness that “I am Whom I am” Exodus 3:14. Isaiah had declared many
statements of God’s uniqueness as the only God with no one equal to Him or like Him in any way, 44:8;
45:5, 6, 18, 22; and 46:9. See also Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; 1 Samuel 2:2; and Joel 2:27. Any persons or
nations that would exalt themselves above God are calling upon themselves God’s sure and swift judgment.
God will not share His glory, praise or “worth” with anyone. Those who rebel against Him face wrath and
scorn as Psalm 2 clearly indicates.
God also states, Isaiah 47:8, that the leaders of Babylon, who think of themselves as the eternal Queen of all
nations, arrogantly claim that they will never be a widow or face the loss of children. By stating this, the
leaders of Babylon boast that their kingdom is without any superior enemy and that they will continue
forever in their sensual lifestyle without a thought of defeat or destruction. They forget to consider the God
who had called them into His service and used them as His instrument of judgment upon His covenant
people. Now this proud and Godless instrument would face its own judgment.
God declares in 47:9, that these very things that the Babylonians had boasted about, never becoming a widow
nor experiencing the loss of children, would come upon them in one day. In that day, they would be left as
widows, without the strength of their husbands, the warriors and defenders of Babylon, and would also be
left without children, those who would continue in their luxuriant lifestyle. God further states that even the
sorceries and spells cast by their astrologers and sorcerers, will not save them. See also Daniel 1:20 and 2:2,
and 27. The impotence of the astrologers and sorcerers are described further in Isaiah 47:10-15. The “day”
that is referenced in 47:9, could not have been the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus as many commentators of
Isaiah suggest. The armies of Cyrus were actually welcomed by the people of Babylon who were
disillusioned by their pleasure-seeking leaders. A glimpse of the wantonness of these leaders is described in
Daniel chapter 5. The sudden and complete fall of Babylon, prophesized in 47:9, is described in Revelation
18:1-8 which specifically mentions the claim of Babylon that she sits as a Queen who will not be a widow or
will never see sorrow (mourning), which is predicted so accurately in Isaiah 47:7-8.
47:10 For you have trusted in your wickedness;
you thought, 'No one can see me.'
Your wisdom and knowledge have misled you,
and you have said in your heart,
'I am, and there is no one else besides me.'
God further explains in Isaiah 47:10 why Babylon will face sudden and catastrophic destruction. Not only did
the rulers of Babylon trust (feel secure) in their wickedness, but they also had exchanged their knowledge of
God’s existence, Psalm 19:1-3 and Romans 1:18-32, for the wickedness of self-importance and self-
449…..Isaiah 47:11
exaltation. They were convinced in their evil hearts that there was “no one” who could look within their thick
walls to witness their sinful rebellion against the God of the universe. They were proud of their so-called
wisdom and knowledge gained by their astrologers and sorcerers. This pride led them to proclaim, as also
recorded in 47:8, “I am and there is no one else besides me.” See notes on 47:8.
47:11 Therefore evil will come on you;
you will not know how to charm it away.
Disaster will fall on you;
you will not be able to get rid of it for a price.
Calamity will come on you suddenly,
which you know nothing about.
As in Isaiah 47:9, God in 47:11, declares judgment upon Babylon. Three descriptions of judgment are
decreed by God. First, evil will come upon them. The Hebrew word for evil is ra which also has the meaning
of misery, distress and disaster. In Isaiah ra is translated by various English words in the DASV. See index of
Hebrew words for all occurrences in Isaiah. This judgement of evil will not be “charmed away” by the
sorcerers of Babylon. The word “charm” is the Hebrew word shachar which has the base meaning of dawn
or morning. The KJV translates the first sentence of vs. 11 as “Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou
shalt not know from whence it riseth.” The marginal note in the KJV has “its morning.” This Hebrew word
shachar also occurs in Isaiah 8:20 translated as “dawn;” in 14:12 as “morning;” and in 58:8 as “dawn,” all
DASV translations. In Amos 4:13 shachar is translated in the DASV as “dawn, “For, look here, he who
forms the mountains, and creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to humans; who makes the morning
darkness, and treads on the high places of the earth -- the LORD, the God of hosts, is his name.” So, the
sense of the words “charm it away” in Isaiah 47:11 is that no spell or charm from any sorcerer of Babylon
will be effective for evil (disaster) will come and no one in Babylon will know where it came from, like the
dawn that rises in the morning.
Second, disaster will fall upon Babylon, Isaiah 47:11. The word “disaster” is the Hebrew hovah with the
meaning of ruin or disaster. It is translated as trouble in the NKJV and mischief in the KJV. It also is
translated as “disaster” twice in the DASV in Ezekiel 7:26, “Disaster upon disaster will come.” Once this
disaster comes, those in Babylon, “will not be able to get rid of it for a price.” These words are the English
translation of the Hebrew word kaphar which has the meaning of “to make atonement.” It also occurs in
Isaiah in 6:7, translated as “forgiven;” in 22:14 translated as “will not be forgiven;” in 27:9 translated as “will
be forgiven;” and in 28:18 translated as “will be annulled;” all DASV translations. The NKJV translates this
phrase in Isaiah 47:11 as: “You will not be able to put it off” with the marginal note “to cover it or atone for
it.” There is no price or atonement available to the Babylonians that will remove or avert the disaster that is
coming upon them.
Third, calamity will come suddenly upon the Babylonians, Isaiah 47:11. “Calamity” is the Hebrew word
shoah which has the meaning of devastation, destruction, and waste. It occurs also in Isaiah 10:3 translated in
the DASV as “devastation.” The Babylonians will have no prior knowledge, “which you know nothing
about.” The calamity (devastation) that will come upon the Babylonians as judgement from God will be
sudden and certain. There is no hope of atonement for their sins against God whom they had ignored and
refused to acknowledge as the only unique and sovereign deity. Isaiah stated often that is no one or anything
equal to God nor anyone or thing comparable to God, but the Babylonians thought they were exalted above
Him. They were also judged by God for their cruel treatment of the God’s covenant people, 47:6.
450…..Isaiah 47:12-13 and 14-15
47:12-13 Stand firm trusting your enchantments,
and the multitude of your sorceries,
in which you have labored from your youth.
Maybe you will succeed,
maybe you will scare someone.
13
You are tired out from all the advice;
let now the astrologers, the star-gazers,
the monthly prognosticators, stand up
and save you from the things that will come on you.
The words of Isaiah 47:12-13 are a taunt from God for the Babylonians to trust in their sorcerers, astrologers
and magicians who will keep on issuing sorceries and chants to disseminate wisdom and counsel. God was
sarcastically prodding them to keep trusting in their source of wisdom and guidance because they have
steadfastly refused to trust in God, who is the only one that can truly help and save them. The word
“enchantments” in 47:12 is the Hebrew word cheber, which has the meaning of spell and also can be
translated as company or association. The word also occurs in 47:9 above translated as spells. A related
word, in both 47:9 and 12 is “sorceries” which is the Hebrew word kesheph, which has the meaning of
sorceries. The KJV also translates kesheph in 47:9 and 12 as “sorceries” and as “witchcrafts” in the other
occurrences in the Old Testament, 2 Kings 9:22; Micah 5:12 and Nahum 3:4. The Babylonians had “labored”
in their spells and sorceries since their youth, which likely means from the beginning of Babylonian society.
God taunts them to continue in these evil practices and sarcastically suggests that their spells may even
succeed in their intent (be profitable) and may even cause other nations to be terrified of the magical arts of
the Babylonians.
In 47:13, the first sentence can be understood as a question, “are you tired from all this advice?” God calls
upon their astrologers and prognosticators, stargazers who predict the future, to arise and show they can
actually do anything to save Babylon from its certain destruction. The astrologers and sorcerers of ancient
Babylon kept their monthly astrological predictions, including the movement of the planets, in a series of
clay tablets called the Enuma Anu Enlil. A modern equivalent would be the printing of horoscopes in daily
newspapers. God’s taunt against the sorceries, enchantments and spells, is similar to His condemnation of
idol worship which is one of the main themes of the writings of Isaiah. Whether one trusts in worthless idols
or trusts in the enchantments of sorcerers, the result is the same. They cannot do anything to predict the
future provide counsel or save them from calamity. There is only one “Wonderful Counselor” Isaiah 9:6,
“who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in wisdom.” Isaiah 28:29.
47:14-15 Look, they will be as stubble;
the fire will burn them up.
They will not be able to save themselves
from the heat of the flames.
It will not be a mere coal to warm by,
or a bond fire to sit by.
15
Such will be those with whom you have labored,
and have dealt with you since your youth.
They will wander off everyone in his own direction;
there is no one who can save you.
Those who invoke spells and enchantments in Babylon will not be able to save themselves. Daniel 2:2, 10
describes them as “magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and Chaldean astrologers.” Their magic arts will be
useless to save them from the fiery destruction that is to come upon them and all of Babylon. This is a
451…..Isaiah 48:1-11 Introduction
reference to the final destruction of Babylon near the end of the tribulation period as declared in Revelation
18:8. When the armies of Cyrus conquered Babylon is was for the most part a merciful conquest. There is no
record of Babylon being burned by the Medio-Persian armies. The final destruction of Babylon in the future
will completely and accurately fulfill the predictions of chapter 47 of Isaiah. The modern world is still
fascinated with the occult and astrological predictions. They are as demonic now as they have been in the
past and Christians need to keep well clear of their influence and trust only in the infallible Word of God.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 47
47:1-7 Babylon’s Ruling Leaders to be destroyed
47:8-15 Babylon’s Religious Leaders to be destroyed
11. Israel’s Future Deliverance: 48:1-22
Chapter 48 of Isaiah concludes the first of the three major sections of Isaiah 40-66. See introduction to
chapters 40-48 for specific details regarding each major section, chapters 40-48; 49-57 and 58-66. Chapter 48
has two distinct parts. Verses 1-11 discuss the obstinacy, rebelliousness and treachery of God’s people who
even though they called themselves after the holy city Jerusalem, they were far from God in their hearts and
in their worship of Him. Verses 12-22 discuss the plea of God for His people to leave the influence of the
Babylonians and God’s planned redemption of His people. Although many see only the return of the exiles
from ancient Babylon in this chapter, it is best to understand it as a prophecy of a far future time, being the
days at the end of the tribulation period when Babylon will finally be destroyed as chapter 47 so clearly
describes.
48:1-11: The Rebellion of God’s People
In Isaiah 48:1-11, the prophet records the words of the LORD, who calls upon the house of Jacob to hear His
message. These are the people who are those called by the name of Israel, who were born from the loins of
Judah and swear by His name, but they do this not in truth or in righteousness, vs. 1. God also states that
these people call themselves after the holy city and they depend or lean on Him, the God of Israel whose
name is the LORD of hosts, vs. 2. God claims that He has from long ages ago predicted and proclaimed what
would happen and His predictions have suddenly occurred for He has done them, vs. 3. God states that He
knows the people are obstinate with their necks like iron and their foreheads like bronze, vs. 4. God had
predicted events to them long ago, so they could not claim these events were commanded nor brought into
being by their idols and carved images, vs. 5. God calls upon these people to acknowledge that He had
predicted these things, vs. 6a. He will now show them new things which they had not previously known, vs.
6b. These things are occurring now, of which they had no prior knowledge, so they could not boast that they
knew anything about them, vs. 7. Their ears were not open to these things for God knew how treacherously
they would act and that from birth they were called a rebel, vs. 8. Yet for His own sake, God will defer His
anger and for His praise, He will restrain His anger (wrath) upon them, so they would not be destroyed, vs. 9.
God will, however, refine them in the furnace of affliction for His own sake because He does not want His
name to be profaned nor will He give His glory to another, vss. 10-11.
48:1-2 Hear this, O house of Jacob,
who are called by the name of Israel,
and born from the waters of Judah,
who swear by the name of the LORD,
and invoke the God of Israel,
but not in truth or righteousness.
452…..Isaiah 48:1-2
2
For they call themselves after the holy city,
and depend on the God of Israel.
The LORD of hosts is his name.
God calls upon His people to “Hear this,” or “listen.” What God has to say is so vitally important. God
repeats this call to hear Him several times in chapter 48. Each of the two main sections of chapter 48 begin
with this call to hear Him, 48:1 and 48:12. Also, to emphasize how critical His message is to His people, God
calls His people to “now look at all this,” 48:6; “look,” 48:7 and 10; “Assemble yourselves all you, and
listen,” 48:14; “come near to me, listen to this,” 48:16; and “This is what the LORD says,” 48:17.
God describes His people with several descriptive terms that reveal their identity and their relationship with
Him. The first descriptive term is “house of Jacob.” The name Jacob means “supplanter” or “following
after.” See Genesis 25:19-34 for the context of the meaning of the name Jacob. This term, “house of Jacob,”
first occurs in Genesis 46:27, which describes the total number of those from the line of Jacob at that time. It
occurs frequently in Isaiah. See 2:5, 6; 8:17; 10:20; 14:1; 29:22; 46:3; 48:1; and 58:1. It also occurs in
Exodus 19:3; Psalm 114:1; Jeremiah 2:4; 5:20; Ezekiel 20:5; Amos 3:13; 9:8; Obadiah vss. 17-18; Micah 2:7
and 3:9. It also occurs once in the New Testament in Luke 1:33 which has significance for the future of the
house of Jacob, “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
The Messiah will forever rule over His elect and chosen people, who are called the “house of Jacob,” of
whom He will not forsake nor abandon.
The second descriptive term is, “who are called by the name of Israel.” Often in Scripture, the names of
Jacob and Israel are mentioned together. The origin of the name “Israel” is revealed in Genesis chapter 32.
Jacob was returning to his homeland and was concerned about meeting his brother Esau. At Peniel (meaning
the face of God), Jacob was met by an angel. See also Hosea 12:4. Jacob wrestled with this angel and
prevailed over him and the angel gave Jacob a new name, Israel. Genesis 32:28 states, “Then he said, Your
name shall no longer be called Jacob but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and
have prevailed.” See also Genesis 35:9-12. The name Israel means “ruling with God.” The significance of the
name Israel is that it defines the relationship between God and His chosen people. They were to rule over the
inheritance God had given them. Israel, as a people however chose to rebel against God and instead of
fulfilling His purposes for them, they scorned their Creator and crafted and worshipped worthless idols.
Isaiah in several sections of his prophecy, warns Israel against this vile practice and exhorts them to return to
the Holy One of Israel.
The third descriptive term is, “born from the waters of Judah.” Some versions translate “waters” as line or
loins, however the Hebrew word is mayim which literally means “water.” The use of the word water can be
understood as the biological line of Judah “flowing” from the loins of the Judah. See also Numbers 24:7;
Deuteronomy 33:28; and Psalm 68:26. It was Judah from whom the patriarch Jacob prophesized that the
ruling scepter would never depart, Genesis 49:9-12. The name Judah means “praise.” The combination of the
three names, Jacob, Israel and Judah indicate clearly that God is speaking to His chosen people whom He has
make several covenants, in which they are to be God’s people and He is to be their God. God will redeem
them. They are the praise of God, and He will give to them a permanent inheritance in the land which has for
its capital city, the holy city, Jerusalem.
The fourth descriptive term for identifying this people is, “who swear by the name of the LORD.” The word
“swear” is the Hebrew shaba, meaning to “swear” or “take an oath”. It also occurs in Isaiah in 14:24; 19:18;
45:23 (twice); 54:9; 62:8; and 65:16 (twice). The reference in Isaiah 48:1 to those who swear by the name of
the LORD may originate from Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20. See also Psalm 63:11; 119:106; and 132:2. The
453…..Isaiah 48:1-2 and 3
point of this statement is that it specifically identifies those who are called Jacob and Israel and are from the
line of Judah as those who would qualify as having sworn by the name of the Lord.
The fifth descriptive term for identifying this people is, “and invoke the God of Israel.” The word “invoke” is
the Hebrew zakar, which has the primary meaning of “remember” and “mention.” It also occurs in the Old
Testament in the sense of recalling or focusing the attention on what God has done on behalf of His people.
The usage of zakar in Isaiah 48:1 likely has the meaning of “make mention of,” as is the translation in the
KJV and the NKJV. Zakar also occurs in Isaiah (DASV) in 12:4 (proclaim); 17:10 (mindful); 19:17
(mention); 23:16 (remembered); 26:13 (remembrance); 36:3 (recorder), 22 (recorder); 38:3 (remember);
43:18 (remember), 25 (remember), 26 (remind); 44:21 (remember); 46:8 (remember), 46:9 (remember); 47:7
(reflect); 49:1 (mentioned); 54:4 (remember); 57:11 (remembered); 62:6 (remind) ; 63:7 (recall), 63:11
(remembered); 64:5 (remember), 64:9 (remember), 65:17 (remembered) ; and 66:3 (“burns” frankincense),
(KJV margin note: “a memorial of”). As with all the other descriptions of these people, God is reminding
them of their special relationship with Him and that God’s repeated call upon them to listen to Him is critical
because of this unique relationship. The next phrase in Isaiah 48:1, however, is a stinging indictment of
them.
The final phrase of Isaiah 48:1 is what God wants His unique covenant people to hear and take to heart. God
indicts them by stating they have sworn by His name, and have invoked or made mention of His name, but
they have done these things “not in truth or righteousness.” Although God has faithfully and righteously kept
His covenants with them, they have been untruthful and evil in their relationship with Him. God knows and
understands both the thoughts and utterances of his people along with their actions. No one can hide these
things from God and He will not abide sinfulness and rebellion in anyway, whether it be by inward thoughts
or outward deeds.
In Isaiah 48:2, God states that His people identify themselves with the holy city. The descriptive term “holy
city” for Jerusalem is found a few times in the Scriptures, Nehemiah 11:1, 18; Isaiah 48:2; 58:1; Daniel 8:24;
Matthew 4:5; 27:53; Revelation 11:2; 21:2, 10 and 22:19. It is perhaps surprising that it does not occur more
often. The intent of God’s declaration that His obstinate people, 48:4, call themselves after the holy city
seems to be that they identify more with the city of Jerusalem than with the God of the city. They had
thought that they were of a special status, protected from harm, because they were inhabitants of the city
where God’s temple was located. God also, in 48:2, states that His people “depend on the God of Israel.”
This dependence must be understood by the qualifying phrase in 48:1, “but not in truth or righteousness.”
They swore by and mentioned His name in their religious ceremonies but in reality, God was only a token
deity to them. God had previously spoke against their hypocrisy of honoring Him with their lips when their
hearts where far from Him, Isaiah 29:13. They had also burdened Him with their sins and wearied Him with
their iniquities but did not call upon Him, Isaiah 43:22-24. God, in the final phrase of 48:2, reminds them
of His name. He is called by several names in the Scriptures. In Isaiah 48:2, He declares that one of His
unique names is the LORD of hosts. God is Yahweh, the self-existent One, Exodus 3:13-14. He is also the
Lord of armies who commands the hosts of heaven and earth to do His bidding and accomplish His purposes,
Isaiah 5:25-30; 7:17-25; 46:10 and 48:14.
48:3 I have predicted things beforehand from long ago;
yes, they went out of my mouth,
and I proclaimed them.
Suddenly I did them,
and they came to pass.
454…..Isaiah 48:3 and 4-6a
God had previously mentioned “former things” in Isaiah 41:21-23; 42:9; 43:9, 16-17; 44:6-8; 45:18-25; and
46:8-13. In 48:3, God does not state a specific incident, but Isaiah’s audience may have remembered the
exodus from Egypt in ancient times and the protection of God from the Assyrians in more recent times.
God’s previous declaration, recorded in Isaiah 46:8-10 is worth comparing to His words in 48:3
8
Remember this and be assured;
bring it again to mind, O rebels.
9
Remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like me.
10 I declare the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times things that have not yet happened;
saying, "My purpose will stand,
and I will fulfill what I have planned."
(Isaiah 46:8-10)
As part of the message He wants His people to hear, 48:1, “Hear this.” God reminds them that only He can
predict things that will accurately occur. He has done this in the distant past with the patriarchs of the Jewish
nation. He was doing this during the days of Isaiah, Isaiah 46:11 and will do this in the future, Isaiah 62:1-12.
God will allow no comparison with idols who cannot hear, act, speak or predict anything, nor will He share
His glory with any other so-called god or with people or with anything created.
48:4-6a I know how obstinate you are;
and your neck muscles are like iron,
and your forehead like bronze.
5
Therefore I predicted it to you long ago;
I announced it to you before it came to pass;
so you could not say,
'My idol did this,
and my carved image,
and my metal idol commanded them.'
6
You have heard my predictions;
now look at all this.
Will you not acknowledge it?
God fully knows that the people of Judah and Jerusalem had been and continue to be obstinate and rebellious.
He had told Isaiah when He commissioned the prophet, as recorded in Isaiah 6:9-10:
9
He said, "Go, and tell this people:
Keep on listening, but do not understand;
keep on looking, but do not perceive.
10
Make the heart of this people insensitive,
and make their ears deaf,
and shut their eyes;
so that they may not see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
and repent and be healed."
455…..Isaiah 4-6a and 6b-7
Although God continued to remind His people of His protection, love and salvation that He offered to them,
they refused to listen to Him. See also Isaiah 28:12; 30:9 and 66:4. In 48:4 God states, “I know how obstinate
you are.” The word “you” in Isaiah 48:4 is singular and refers to the entire Jewish nation. The word
“obstinate” is the Hebrew qasheh, which has the meaning of hard, severe and stubborn. This word, which is
translated in the NIV as “stubborn,” also occurs in Exodus 32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9; Deuteronomy 9:6; 13; and
31:27 It also occurs in Isaiah in the DASV translated as 14:3 (hard); 19:4 (fierce); 21:2 (harsh); 27:1
(terrible); and 27:8 (fierce). God declares that their foreheads are like bronze. Like Isaiah, the prophet Ezekiel
was told to bring a message to the people of Israel, as recorded in Ezekiel 3:4-9: 4 Then he told me, “Son of
man, go to the house of Israel, and tell them my words. 5 For you are not sent to a people of an unintelligible
speech or a difficult language, but to the house of Israel– 6 not to many peoples of an unintelligible speech or
a difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to them, they would listen to
you. 7 But the house of Israel will not listen to you because they will not even listen to me. For the entire
house of Israel is hard-headed and stubborn hearted. 8 Look, I have made your face as hard as their faces,
and made you as hard-headed as they are. 9 I have made your head harder than flint. Do not be afraid of
them, or terrified by their looks, for they are a rebellious house.”
The things God had predicted long ago, Isaiah 48:5, include the events of the exodus from Egypt and then
onward up to the destruction of the Assyrian army as recorded in Isaiah 37:36. The reason God told them
long ago things that would happen and then did happen just as God had declared, was so that His people
could not say that their idols had commanded this. God was adamantly declaring that He alone is the only
God who can declare the end from the beginning, Isaiah 46:10. Only God can do this, and He will not share
His glory for His accomplishments with anyone or anything. In 48:6a, God announces to His people that they
have heard His predictions and emphatically states, “now look at all this.” God calls His people to abrupt
attention and then bluntly asks: “will you not acknowledge it?” The people of God need to answer Him.
They must admit that they had knowledge of His accurate foresight and that He did predict things long ago
that happened just as He declared. They must therefore acknowledge God’s greatness and His divine power
to themselves and to the nations, so that first, no one could claim that their idols could hear, speak, act or
make any predictive declaration and so that second, and most important, God alone would be glorified in all
the earth.
48: 6b-7 From now on I am showing you new things,
hidden things which you have not previously known.
7
They are happening now, not in the past;
before today you never heard of them;
so you cannot boast,
'Look, I knew them already.'
The statement by God in Isaiah 48:6b, “from now on I am showing you new things,” is in contrast with that of
48:3: “I have predicted things beforehand from long ago.” The things predicted from long ago were likely
the promises made to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and major events such as the exodus from
Egypt. The new things may refer to the role of Cyrus in releasing the exiles from Babylonian captivity and
the ministry of God’s unique Servant, Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12. These things had
been hidden, Hebrew natsar, which can also be translated as keep, guard or watch over. The word natsar also
occurs in Isaiah in the DASV translated as, 1:8 (besieged); 26:3 (keep); 27:3(keeper and guard); 42:6
(protect); 49:6 (survivors - KJV marginal note: desolations); 49:8 (protect); and 65:4 (sit). In Isaiah 48:6b,
the word “hidden” has the sense of things kept or protected by God until He is ready to reveal them. These
things were being revealed now, Isaiah 48:7. They were not previously known to His covenant people and
God kept these things from them, so they would not boast as if they had superior knowledge in themselves.
456…..Isaiah 48:8 and 9-11
These things were a new revelation to them of which they would have had no prior way of knowing about
them nor would they have even conceived of them.
God states, in Isaiah 48:9 and 11, His deeper reason for making these new things known. It was not only
because His covenant people were treacherous and rebellious, 48:8 and they would not have their ears open
to understanding these things. However, it was for His own sake, so that His name would not be profaned
and also so that His glory would not be given an any other (person or thing).
48:8 You never heard;
yes, you never knew;
yes, from long ago your ear was not opened to it;
for I knew that you would act treacherously,
and that from birth you were called a rebel.
The surface reason God did not reveal these “new things,” 48:6b to His covenant people was because their
ears were not ready to receive His truth. See also Isaiah 6:9-10, and that they were people who acted
treacherously and were rebellious against God from their birth. Isaiah recorded this indictment at the
beginning of his prophetic writings, 1:4:
O sinful nation,
a people loaded down with iniquity,
an offspring of evildoers,
children who act corruptly!
They have forsaken the LORD;
they have despised the Holy One of Israel;
they have turned their backs on him.
The word “treacherously” is the Hebrew bagad, which has the meaning of traitor or deceitful. God’s people
have acted treacherously, as rebellious traitors to Him. It also occurs in Isaiah in the DASV translated as
21:2 (treacherously); 24:16 (deceivers (twice) and deceitfully (twice) and 33:1 (traitor, betraying and betray).
See also Psalm 25:3; 59:5; 78:57; Jeremiah 3:8, 11; 5:11; 9:2; 12:1, 6; Lamentations 1:2; Hosea 5:7; 6:7 and
Malachi 2:10-16. The word “rebel” is the Hebrew pasha, which has the meaning of to rebel and to transgress.
It also occurs in Isaiah in the DASV translated as 1:2 (rebelled); 1:28 (rebellious); 43:27 (rebelled); 46:8
(rebels); 53:12 (transgressors, transgressors); 59:13 (rebelling); and 66:24 (rebelled). Isaiah in 59:12-13, aptly
explains how God’s people have acted treacherously and rebelliously against God:
12
For our transgressions are multiplied before you,
and our sins testify against us.
Our transgressions are with us,
and as for our iniquities,
we are well aware of them:
13
rebelling and denying the LORD,
turning away from following our God,
talking about oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering lies from the heart.
48:9-11 For my name's sake I will defer my anger,
and for my praise I will restrain it for you,
so that I do not destroy you.
457…..Isaiah 48:9-11
10
Look, I have refined you, but not like silver;
I chose to refine you in the furnace of affliction.
11
For my own sake,
for my own sake, I will do it.
For how can I allow my name to be profaned?
My glory I will not give to another.
Beyond the surface reason, stated in 48:6b-8 for not revealing “new things” until now, 48:6b to His covenant
people, God in 48:9-11, reveals His deeper meaning. First, God in 48:9, states He has deferred His anger
against them due to their treachery and rebellion, for the sake of His name and second, He has restrained his
anger so that He would not destroy them. God keeps His covenants with His chosen people. He has His name
to defend. His name is to be glorified in all the earth. God’s actions for the glory of His name often include
mercy and forgiveness of His people, 1 Chronicles 16:35; Psalm 79:9; 102:12-17; 106:44-47; and Isaiah
43:5-7. He jealously defends His great name and accomplishes marvelous things, including granting
forgiveness and extending mercy, for the sake of His name, 2 Chronicles 6:32; Psalm 23:3; 25:11; 31:3; 79:9;
106:8; 109:21; 143:11; Ezekiel 20:9-44; 36:22-38; Daniel 9:19; and Romans 1:5.
The Lord in 48:10 declares that He has refined them, not like silver, but in the furnace of affliction. The
reason for this refining was to purify them and change their stubbornness, rebellion and treachery into
compliancy, trust and obedience so that they would repent of their sins and turn to Him in faith.
In Isaiah 48:11, God re-emphasizes that He acts mercifully towards His covenant people for His own sake, so
that His name will not be profaned (among the nations of the world) and also so that His glory will not be
given to any other (person or thing). The prophet Ezekiel often declared God’s words regarding the profaning
of God’s name among the nation by His covenant people. See Ezekiel 20:9,14, 22; 36:20-23 and 39:7.
48:12-22: The Redemption of God’s People
In Isaiah 48:12-22, the prophet records the words of God calling upon His covenant people to listen to Him.
God’s covenant people are described as Jacob and Israel, God’s called ones. God describes Himself as I am,
the first and the last, vs. 12. God reveals that it was He who laid the foundation of the earth and by His right
hand, spread out the heavens. When God calls upon them, they stand up together, vs. 13. God calls His
people, and perhaps all peoples, to assemble themselves and listen to Him. He asks who among them had
predicted these things, specifically the one who is whom the LORD loves to perform the LORD’s pleasure
on Babylon and the Chaldeans, vs. 14. God states that He has spoken and called and brought this one and his
course of action will be successful, vs. 15. Another speaker now calls people to draw near and listen to Him.
He states that from the beginning He had not spoken in secret and when predicted things occur, He is present
when the occur. The speaker declares that the sovereign LORD had sent him along with his Spirit, vs. 16.
The LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel states that He is the LORD your God who teaches you
what is good and leads you in the way you should go, vs. 17. God laments that if only they had obeyed His
commandment, they their peace would have been like a river and their righteousness as the waves of the sea,
and their descendants would have been like the sand and their name would not be cut off or destroyed before
Him. vss. 18-19. God calls them to flee from the Chaldeans (Babylon) and to proclaim to the ends of the
earth that the LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob, vs. 20. God’s people were not thirsty when He led them
through the deserts for He caused water to flow out of the rock for them, vs. 21. In conclusion, God states
that there is no peace for the wicked, vs. 22.
458…..Isaiah 48:12-13
48:12-13 Listen to me, Jacob,
and Israel, my called ones:
I am he; I am the first, and I am the last.
13
Yes, my hands laid the foundation of the earth,
and my right hand spread out the heavens;
when I call to them,
they stand up together.
The second major section of chapter 48:12-22 begins in a similar way to the beginning of the first section,
48:1-11. Isaiah 48:1 begins with “Hear this, O house of Jacob who are called by the name of Israel.” 48:12
begins with “Listen to me, Jacob and Israel, my called ones.” As with the first section, God punctuates the
second with commands to listen to him, 48:12, 14, and 16. God again, as in 48:1, identifies His audience as
those who are Jacob and Israel, thus indicating that it is His covenant people whom He wants to pay attention
to His words for He has vitally important things to say to them. God’s statement in 48:12 is very similar to
that of Isaiah 41:4:
Who has performed and done it,
summoning each generation from the beginning?
I, the LORD, am the first,
and will be with the last of them, I am the one."
And Isaiah 44:6
This is what the LORD, the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts says,
"I am the first,
and I am the last;
besides me there is no other God.
In 48:12, God first declares that Jacob and Israel are His called ones. They are not like any other nation for
God had chosen them before they were even a family. He first called Abram to leave his father’s house and
journey to a country where he would have to settle without deeded land rights. When God called Abram, He
made promises and cut a covenant with him. The promises of the covenant are introduced in Genesis 12:1-3
and repeated in 17:1-21 with Abram, now Abraham, and with Isaac in Genesis 26:2-5 and with Jacob in
Genesis 28:10-17. The covenant cut with Abram is recorded in Genesis 15:17-21 with the larger context
including all of chapter 15. The lineage of Abraham flowed from the chosen son Isaac and then to Jacob and
then to Jacob’s sons who would be the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. It was the patriarch Jacob, whom
God changed his name to Israel, and from whom the entire race was named. God did not call this nation
because their first fathers were outstanding in righteousness, for they were sinners just like all humans, nor
because of the numbers of people included in this nation, for they were the smallest of nations. God called
them because He loved them and chose them to be people for His own possession. See Deuteronomy 7:6-7.
Second, God declares three sets of “I am.” The first of these is that He is the unique, self-existing One, “I am
He,” which should have reminded Isaiah’s audience of God’s self-identification to Moses, in Exodus 3:13-14
as Yahweh, “I AM.” The “I Am” statements in Isaiah include, 41:4, 10, 13; 42:6, 8; 43:3, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13,
15, 25; 44:6; 45:5, 6, 7, 18, 22; 46:9; 48:12, 17; 49:23; 51:12, 15; 52:6; 58:9; and 65:5. The second of these
three sets is God’s statement that, “I am the first,” which is coupled with the third set, “I am the last.” These
statements that God is the first and the last describe His eternality. He existed before the heavens and the
earth were created and He will continue to exist forever. He has no beginning and He has no end. He always
459…..Isaiah 48:12-13 and 14-15
existed. Revelation 1:17; 2:8 and 22:13 reveal that the One who is “the first and the last” is the Messiah, the
Lord Jesus Christ of whom, Isaiah has discussed as the Servant of God in 42:1-9 and will again declare more
about this unique Servant in 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12.
These three sets of declarations of are in opposition to the idols, Isaiah 48:5, that His covenant people have
formed and worshipped. The people of Israel, soon after being miraculously released from Egypt’s captivity,
were quick to rebel against God and fashioned a golden calf to worship, Exodus chapter 32. Their idol
worship continued from that day until the day of Isaiah and will continue up until the day the Messiah returns
to rescue them from their enemies and establish His millennial kingdom. Only those who faithfully trust in
the Lord for salvation will be citizens of the kingdom with the Messiah ruling them in righteousness. Those
who continue to worship worthless idols and fail to trust in the One true God, will never see this glorious
kingdom.
Third, in 48:13, God declares that He is the One who “laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand
spread out the heavens.” God, through the prophet Isaiah, often reminded His people of His creative acts,
Isaiah 40:22; 42:5; 44:24; 45:12. See also Psalm 24:2; 96:5; 102:25; and Hebrews 1:10-12. God reminds
them again that He had “spread out the heavens,” (or stretched out) as He had previously declared in Isaiah
40:22; 42:5; 44:24; 45:12; and would again in 51:13 God also stated that when He calls to them, they stand
up together, which is similar to His statement in Isaiah 40:22-26. The purpose of declaring to these creative
acts is to remind His people of His greatness and His worth so that they will trust Him completely and praise
and worship Him. This praise will continue in heaven as the Apostle John witnessed, Revelation 4:11, “You
are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive the glory, honor, and power; for you created all things, and
because of your will they exist and were created.” This praise will continue forever in heaven.
48:14-15 Assemble yourselves, all you, and listen.
Who among them has predicted these things?
He whom the LORD loves will perform his pleasure on Babylon,
and his arm will be against the Chaldeans.
15
I, even I, have spoken;
yes, I have called him.
I brought him,
and his course of action will be successful.
The Lord calls an assembly to listen to Him. Those called may have been all nations or just His covenant
people, compare Isaiah 48:1and 12. God asks a rhetorical question, “Who among them has predicted these
things?” The things predicted may refer to the new things, 48:6, or the predicted things of long ago, 48:3 and
5, or to God’s future actions against Babylon, 48:14. If the time of Isaiah’s message is approximately 720-
710 B.C, the future action against Babylon is about 180 -170 years in the future, as Babylon was captured by
Cyrus in 539 B.C. The point God is making, is that no one among His covenant people or among the nations
of the world could have or actually did, predict any previous things or any future things. God is again
reminding His audience that it is completely useless to trust in worthless idols who could create nothing or
predict anything. It is also an act of evil rebellion against God to trust something, such as a piece of wood,
and thus ascribe to it of more worth than God. God had just declared in 48:5, that the things predicted long
ago were announced to them, so they could not say their idols made a prediction or commanded predicted
things to happen.
Many scholars suggest that the latter part of Isaiah 48:14 and all of vs. 15 is God’s reference to Cyrus. For
example, see Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 378; Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 234, J. Alec Motyer,
Isaiah IVP Academic, page 380; and John N. Oswalt, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 276-277.
460…..Isaiah 48:15-16
However, David L. Cooper, suggests an alternative viewpoint:
“Messiah then, in verse 14, calls for an ideal assembly of the peoples of earth and asks, "Who among
them hath declared these things?" There is no one who can answer or take up the challenge thrown
out by this question.
Continuing the Messiah declares, "He whom Jehovah loveth shall perform his pleasure on Babylon,
and his arm shall be on the Chaldeans." He is the one whom Jehovah in heaven loves. Thus He states
that He will perform His pleasure on Babylon.
Verse 15 is somewhat difficult of interpretation: "I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him; I
have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous." Who is the speaker in this verse? Is it
Messiah? If so, who is referred to by the pronouns he and him? The most probable interpretation of
this difficult verse is the following: In the midst of Messiah's declaration regarding His performing
the pleasure of the Almighty against the Chaldeans, God the Father speaks from heaven, showing His
sanction and approval of all that Messiah does and says. Such a sudden and dramatic interruption in
the speech may be illustrated by the baptismal scene of the Lord Jesus Christ. After Jesus was
baptized and was coming up out of the water, the heavens were opened and a voice from God said,
"This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (See Matt. 3:13-17.) Anyone can understand
this dramatic interruption on the part of the Father. For one to understand that Isaiah 48:15 is a similar
situation is to unlock the door to the prophecy. When Messiah speaks in the latter part of verse 14,
stating that He has appeared to perform the Almighty's pleasure against the Babylonians, then the
voice from heaven chimes in saying, "I, even I, have spoken ..." The I in this passage therefore is
none other than God the Father, who assures the world that He has brought the Messiah forth and that
He, Messiah, shall make His own way prosperous--under the blessing and guidance of God the
Father.” (D. L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly – August 1945).
See also Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 327 and 328 for an excellent discussion on Isaiah 48:14b-15,
regarding whom God is speaking about and its relevance.
48:16 Come near to me, listen to this.
"From the beginning I have not spoken in secret;
when it happens I am there."
So now the sovereign LORD has sent me,
along with his Spirit.
There has been much debate among scholars and students of Scripture as to whom is speaking is Isaiah
48:16. This verse acts as a bridge between 48:12-15 and 17-22. It seems to be in place to both complete the
message of previous verses and introduce the message that God is declaring at the end of chapter 48 which
concludes the larger section of Isaiah chapters 40-48. As with previous verses, the speaker is calling His
audience to come and listen to Him. But who is speaking? Some have suggested that it is the prophet Isaiah
whom has been sent by the Lord, but Isaiah could not claim, in the context of chapter 48, of things predicted
long ago that “when it happens I am there.” Nor could Isaiah claim to have been “from the beginning” if it is
understood that the beginning in this context was the beginning mentioned in Genesis 1:1. Nor could the
speaker be any other human, including Cyrus, for this reason. The speaker also was not the same as the One
who had addressed His people from the beginning of chapter 48, because the speaker, in Isaiah 48:16 had
been sent by the “sovereign LORD.” So, who is left to consider? The evidence must lead to the One who is
the subject of the Isaiah’s prophecy which follows in just a few verses from 48:16. Isaiah 49:1-13 contains
the second great “Servant Song.” See Isaiah 42:1-9 for the first Servant Song. The Servant is the Messiah
461…..Isaiah 48:16-17
who will come to fulfil God’s purposes to bring Jacob and Israel back to Him, 49:5. The Servant who is the
Messiah, therefore must be the One who is speaking in 48:16. He has been sent from the sovereign LORD
and has been sent along with His Spirit. See also Isaiah 11: 1-2; 42:1 and 61:1.
If this identification is correct, as it must be for there is no viable alternative, then Isaiah 48:16 is one of the
clearest affirmations of the Trinity in the Old Testament. The “Holy Spirit” is mentioned by name in Isaiah
63:10-11. Other references to the Spirit (selected verses only) occur in Genesis 1:2; Numbers chapter 11; 1
Samuel 11:6; 16:14; Psalm 51:11; Isaiah 11:1-5; 30:1; 32:15; 34:16; 40:13; 42:1; 44:3; 59:21; 61:1; 63:14;
Ezekiel 36:26-27; Joel 2:28-29; and Zechariah 4:6. References to the Son of God occur in Psalm 2 and
Proverbs 30:4. See also Psalm 110:1. From the very beginning of the Scriptures, the divine trinitarian
plurality of God is made clear in the plural name Elohim (God) in Genesis 1:1. As recorded in Genesis 1:26
God states “Let us make man in Our image.” See also Genesis 3:22 and 11:7.
48:17 This is what the LORD says,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
"I am the LORD your God,
who teaches you what is good,
who leads you in the way you should go.
Isaiah 48:17-22 concludes the significant section of Isaiah 40-48. God begins His concluding statements with
the reminder that He is the LORD (Yahweh) who is the self-existing God who is to be known by this name,
Exodus 3:13-14. Thus, He is the great “I AM” who alone is God for there is no other. See also Isaiah 26:13;
43:11; 44:8; 45:5, 6, 14; 45:21, 22; 46:9; and 64:4. God describes Himself as their “Redeemer,” ga’al with
the rich meaning of their kinsmen or family savior. In Isaiah God is called their Redeemer in 41:14; 43;14;
44:6, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16; and 63:16. In the Old Testament, see also, Ruth 4:14;
Job 19:25; Psalm 19:14; 78:35; Proverbs 23:11; and Jeremiah 50:34. The Hebrew word ga’al also occurs in
the Old Testament, in various English versions translated as, redeem, redeemed, redeems, ransomed,
avenger, revenger, deliverer, and kinsmen. The New Testament equivalent is Savior which identifies the
Messiah as the One who is the “family redeemer” to the people of God and to all others who call upon Him
for salvation. The next name for God in 48:17 is “the Holy One of Israel.” This name for God identifies the
LORD as being holy in His being. The covenant people, Israel are to look upon Him primarily as holy and
He because He is holy, he demands that they also be holy, Leviticus 19:2. See also 1 Peter 1:16. When Isaiah
first saw the Lord, the Seraphim declared “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts,” Isaiah 6:3. See also
Revelation 4:8. The name the Holy One of Israel occurs often in Isaiah as a reminder that the God of Israel is
to be revered as holy. See Isaiah 1:4; 5:9, 24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7; 29;19; 30:11, 12, 15: 31:1; 37:23; 41:14, 16,
20; 43:3, 14; 45;11; 47:4; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9, and 14. Other occurrences in the Old Testament are 2 kings
19:22; Psalm 71:22; 78:41; 89:18; and Jeremiah 51:5.
The Lord reminds His covenant people in 48:17 that He is the One “who teaches you what is good, who leads
you in the way you should go.” The role of God as teacher is one that the people of Israel often forgot. They
did not look to the written Word of God for instruction and they ignored God repeated attempts to instruct
them to trust in Him for guidance and salvation. Isaiah also mentions this teaching role of God in 2:3; 28:9,
26; and 30:20. In the glorious days of the millennial kingdom, the Messiah will teach His people, instructing
them so that they will walk in His paths, Isaiah 2:2-5:
2
In the latter days,
the mountain of the LORD's house will be established
as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills,
462…..Isaiah 48:18-19
and all nations will flow unto it.
3
Many peoples will come and say,
"Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us of his ways,
and we will walk in his paths."
For out of Zion the law will go forth,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4
He will judge between the nations,
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not lift up sword against nation;
they will not train for war anymore.
5
O house of Jacob, come,
let us walk in the light of the LORD.
(Isaiah 2:2-5)
48:18-19 O that you had obeyed my commandments!
Then your peace would have been like a river,
and your righteousness as the waves of the sea.
19
Your descendants would have been like the sand,
and your offspring like grains of sand.
Their name would not be cut off
or destroyed from before me."
The Lord had started this final section of Chapters 40-48 with the self-identification of Israel’s Redeemer
who is their Holy One, the “Lord your God,” 48:17, who teaches them and leads them in the way they should
go. At the beginning of 48:18, the Lord laments, “O that you had obeyed my commandments!” This lament is
not only for the failure of God’s covenant people to obey just the commandments He gave Moses on Mount
Sinai but for all God’s commands to them since the exodus from Egypt to the time of Isaiah. If they had
obeyed God, they would have enjoyed peace that “would have been like a river,” and would have exhibited
“righteousness as the waves of the sea.” They would have fulfilled God’s purposes for them including the
present enjoyment of God’s covenant promises to Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21; 17:1-21; 26:2-5; and
28:10-17. God’s lament that if they had obeyed Him, Israel’s descendants would have been so numerous no
one could count them, “like grains of sand.” God had told Abraham, in Genesis 22:17, “I will surely bless
you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand on the seashore. Your
descendants will possess the gate of their enemies.” See also Genesis 28:14; 32:12, 1 Kings 4:20; Jeremiah
33:22; Hosea 1:10 and Hebrews 11:12. The Lord stated earlier in Isaiah 10:22, that “For though your people,
Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant will return.” See also Romans 9:27. By disobeying God, His
people would suffer loss in great numbers, in the generation of Isaiah’s time, but as other Scriptures confirm
they would still fulfill this promise in a future day. The promise of numerous people, however, would not
result in eternal life for all of them as confirmed by Isaiah 10:22 and Romans 9:27. God would keep to
Himself a remnant who will be faithful to Him. See comments on the “remnant” in the notes for Isaiah 10:20-
22; 11:11-16; 28:5; 37:31-32 and 46:3-4.
463…..Isaiah 48:20-22
God’s continues His lament, 48:19, by stating that if His people had obeyed Him, “their name would not be
cut off or destroyed from before me.” This is a statement of God’s judgment on His people which was
evidenced when the people of Judah and Jerusalem were exiled to Babylon and Jerusalem and its temple
were destroyed and centuries later when the Israelites were conquered by the Romans with thousands killed
and Jerusalem and its temple again destroyed and will happen in the far future when the armies of Antichrist
wreak their destruction upon Jerusalem, Zechariah 14:1-2. This does not mean that God’s covenant with
Abraham will be annulled for it is an irrevocable covenant that God will keep for the sake of His glorious
name. The people of God’s temporal blessings within the covenant will however be removed due to their
disobedience and rebellion against God. As the above referenced verses indicate, there will be a remnant of
God’s people that will enjoy the full benefits of His covenant with them.
48:20-21 Leave Babylon,
flee from the Chaldeans.
Announce it with a shout for joy,
proclaim it to the ends of the earth.
Say, "The LORD has redeemed his servant Jacob."
21
They were not thirsty when he led them through the deserts;
he caused waters to flow out of the rock for them;
he even split the rock and water gushed out.
To Isaiah’s audience in approximately 720-710 B.C., this message would have seemed confusing unless they
had been perceptive enough to connect all that Isaiah had previously declared about the role of Babylon in
the future. It is unlikely they would have understood the importance of this call from God as God had
previously called them blind and deaf, Isaiah 42:18-19 and 43:8. Although many see the command from God
to leave Babylon and flee from the Chaldeans as only relating to the end of the exile in ancient Babylon, a
few understand that there is a far future prophecy which will be fulfilled at the end of the great tribulation.
The reference in Isaiah 48:21, is most certainly a reminder that when the Israelites were rescued from
captivity in ancient Egypt and travelled through the wilderness and deserts of Sinai, God look after His
people by supplying water for them. In one instance God caused water to flow from a rock that had been split
open, Exodus 17:6. God promises to also be with His covenant people when they flee the wicked
environment of Babylon. God will make provision for them to meet their needs as they obey Him and return
to “Immanuel’s land”, the promised land, where their Messiah will one day rule them in peace and
righteousness. But not all will return, and they will not enjoy peace as the next verse emphatically declares.
48:22 "There is no peace," says the LORD, "for the wicked."
For those who remain in Babylon and do not return to Jerusalem, they will suffer the same punishment as the
wicked Babylonians. They will have no peace, either temporarily on the earth or eternally. The wicked will
suffer the consequences of their evil hearts and rebellion against God. Unfortunately, many Jews decided to
remain in Babylon after the decree of Cyrus to release them. They did not return to rebuild the city of
Jerusalem and its temple. Those who remained in Babylon were counted among the wicked who would suffer
the immediate consequences of being conquered, Isaiah 47:1-3, and the eternal consequences of God’s
judgment for their wickedness. The same destiny will meet those in the far future tribulation period for those
who refuse to leave the evil influences of Babylon, for they will face the full wrath of God when the future
Babylon is destroyed.
464…..Isaiah Chapter 48 Teaching Outline
This timeless phrase, “There is no peace for the wicked,” applies to all peoples of all time and aptly
concludes God’s call for obedience to His covenant people and to the peoples of the earth as recorded in the
great section of Isaiah, chapters 40-48. This phrase also concludes the following great section of Isaiah,
chapters 49-57 and acts as a divine warning, separating the latter half of Isaiah, chapters 40-66 into three
equal nine-chapter sections. See introduction to chapters 40-48 for a brief explanation of each of these three
major sections.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 48
48:1-11 The Rebellion of God’s People
48:1-2 Israel’s Sinful Legacy
48:3-6a Israel’s Stubborn Legacy
48:6b-8 Israel’s Revealing Lord
48:9-11 Israel’s Refining Lord
48:12-22 The Redemption of God’s People
48:12-15 God’s Pleasure About Babylon
48:16-19 God’s Protection: Avoid Babylon
48:20-22 God’s Plea: Abandon Babylon
465…..Isaiah Chapters 49-57 Introduction
ISAIAH STUDY: CHAPTERS 49-57
Introduction to Isaiah Chapters 49-57
Within the Old Testament as a whole and within the Book of Isaiah and specifically within chapters 40-66,
chapters 49-57 stand out as the pinnacle of the salvation message of the Lord. Three of the four Servant
Songs of Isaiah are found in these chapters: 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12. These Servant Songs reveal
the Success of the Servant, 49:1-13; the Submission of the Servant, 50:4-11; and the Suffering of the Servant,
52:13-53:12. The overarching theme of the Servant Songs in these chapters is salvation. In the opening
Servant Song of these chapters, the Servant proclaims the purpose of God for Him as recorded in 49:6b:
“I will also make you a light to the nations,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
In the middle Servant Song, the Servant exhorts his audience, as recorded in 50:10b:
“Let them trust in the name of the LORD,
and rely upon his God.”
In the final Servant Song, the prophet Isaiah describes the suffering of the Servant endured that resulted in
the sins of the world being placed upon Him, as recorded in Isaiah 53:4-6:
“4 Surely he has borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows;
yet we thought he was being punished,
smitten by God and afflicted.
5
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that made us whole was upon him,
and by his stripes we are healed.
6
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned everyone to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the sin of us all.”
These Servant Songs also reveal a wealth of detail about the Servant’s commissioning, ministry, rejection by
His own people of His mission and message, suffering and ultimate success. There is enough detail within
these passages to identify the Servant. There is no doubt about the identity as the New Testament reveals.
However, many liberal and non-Christian scholars including Jewish rabbinical teachers choose to ignore the
obvious truth and posit that the Servant could be the nation of Israel, the prophet Isaiah, the coming King
Cyrus, or any other person or people except what is made plain in the Scriptures. The Servant is an individual
who brings salvation to the ends of the earth and who has the sins of the world’s people laid upon Him, so
that all people, through faith in Him, would be spiritually healed, which is to be saved from their sins.
Students of Scripture will readily acknowledge that this Servant is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ whom
Isaiah had revealed regarding (selected only, not an exhaustive listing): His virgin birth ,7:14; His anointing
by the Holy Spirit, 11:1-2; His ministry during His first coming, 61:1-2a; His atoning death for the sins of the
world, 52:13-53:12; His second coming as a victorious warrior, 63:1-6; His future messianic kingdom, 2:1-4;
4:2-6; 25:6-9; 35:1-10 and chapters 60-66; and His glorious names which describe His majesty and role, 4:2;
7:14; and 9:6-7. See also, John MacArthur, NASB Study Bible, page 1032 for a chart of the content of Isaiah
regarding the millennial kingdom of the Messiah.
466…..Isaiah 49:1
Gary V. Smith has recognized a pattern within the scope of the Servant Songs in chapters 49-57 which
comprises of the details of the three Servant Songs which are each followed by a message of Salvation for
Zion. See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 337. The details of chapters 49-57 can be readily understood
by the following suggested outline.
B: Israel’s Redemption Through the Suffering Servant: Chapters 49-57
1. God’s Calling of the Servant: 49:1-13
2. God Promises Blessings to Zion: 49:14-26
3. God’s Compassion on the Servant: 50:1-11
4. God’s Comfort for His People: 51:1-23
5. God Promises Good News to His People: 52:1-12
6. God’s Crushing of the Servant to Provide Salvation for His People: 52:13 -53:12
7. God’s Everlasting Compassion for His People: 54:1-17
8. God calls His People to Seek Him: 55:1-13
9. God’s Promises of Salvation and Blessings to His People and Others: 56:1-8
10. God Judgment and Ultimate Forgiveness for Iniquity: 56:9-57:21
1. God’s Calling of the Servant (The Second Servant Song): 49:1-13
The major aspects of the Second Servant Song:
God has called His Servant from before His birth. (vss.1, 5)
God has empowered His Servant for the ministry intended for Him. (vs. 2)
God has called Him “His Servant.” (vs. 3)
God will ensure the success of the Servant even though the Servant views His ministry as a failure. (vs.4)
God will honor His Servant. (vs. 5)
God has given the Servant the task of restoring the survivors of Israel. (vs. 6)
God has called the Servant to be a light to the nations that He may bring God’s salvation to the ends of the
earth. (vs. 6)
The Servant who will be despised and abhorred by His own people and the nations, will be praised by kings
and princes of the earth. (vs. 7)
The Servant will be given as a covenant for His people to restore the land for the inhabitation of His people.
(vs. 8)
The Servant will be used by God to be a comfort for His people upon whom He has compassion. (vss. 9-13).
1.a: The Commissioning of the Servant: Verses 1-7
49:1 Listen to me, O coastlands,
and pay attention, O distant nations;
the LORD has called me from the womb;
from the belly of my mother he has mentioned my name.
As with previous messages, the Lord calls upon the nations to listen to Him. See Isaiah 41:1; 44:1; 46:3, 12;
48:1, 12, 14 and 16. In 49:1, it is the Servant who addresses the nations described as coastlands and distant
nations. From the very beginning of the second Servant Song, it is evident that the speaker assumes the
authority of God. No human would have the right of world supremacy to make such a demand, no matter
how self-important or powerful they imagined they had become. No human ruler has yet, until the very short
rule of Antichrist during the great tribulation, commanded the attention of all peoples of the earth.
467…..Isaiah 49:1-2
The first aspect of the second Servant Song is that the Servant was called by the LORD from the womb of
His mother. David L. Cooper comments:
“Messiah, in beginning His message, calls upon the isles, the peoples of earth, to listen and to hearken
to Him, declaring that the Lord Jehovah had called Him "from the womb; from the bowels of my
mother" had He made mention of His name. An examination of messianic prophecy reveals that,
whenever any mention is made of the Messiah's parentage, only the mother is spoken of. This fact in
and of itself does not prove the virgin birth of Messiah; nevertheless it is in perfect alignment with the
prediction of His unique entrance into the world. "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign:
behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isa. 7:14).
Scripture always harmonizes. Thus Isaiah 49:1 perfectly dovetails into the prediction regarding the
virgin birth.” (D. L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly – September 1945).
A collaborating passage is found in Psalm 22, which is a prophecy of the suffering of the Messiah on the
cross. In Psalm 22:9-10, the Messiah declares:
9
Yet you are the one who brought me out of the womb;
you made me trust when I was at my mother's breasts.
10
I was cast on you from birth;
you have been my God since my mother bore me.
Not only did the Messiah claim that the LORD had called Him from the womb but from this place the LORD
mentioned His name. This name, Immanuel, was first prophesized in Isaiah 7:14 and fulfilled with exact
accuracy while Mary was pregnant with Jesus as recorded in Matthew 1:18-25. This display of the
omniscience of God in knowing all things even before they occur is also evident in the calling of the prophet
Jeremiah as God reveals, in 1:4-5 of Jeremiah’s prophecy:
4
Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you came out of the womb I consecrated you;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
The Apostle Paul also made a similar declaration in Galatians 1:15-16a (NKJV):
“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to
reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles.”
49:2 He made my mouth like a sharp sword;
he hid me in the shadow of his hand.
He made me a polished arrow;
he has tucked me away in his quiver.
The second aspect of the Servant Song is that God has empowered His Servant for the ministry intended for
Him. His mouth was made by the LORD to be like a sharp sword, the first metaphor of 49:2 and He was
made to be like a polished arrow, the third metaphor of 49:2. Some scholars liken these metaphors of a sharp
sword and polished arrow to the powerful words the Servant will speak from His mouth. John A. Martin
comments:
468…..Isaiah 49:2-3
“The Servant’s ministry to the Gentiles (49:1-6). 49:1-3. God’s Servant (vv. 3, 5-6) is the speaker in
verses 1-5; God addressed Him in verse 6. Like the LORD, He called on the islands and the nations
to listen to Him because of His special “calling” from the Lord. His mouth was like a sharpened
sword, that is, it was a weapon to destroy the disobedient (cf. 1:20; also note Heb. 4:12; Rev. 1:16;
19:15). He was also likened to a sharp arrow. The Servant was to display God’s splendor (Isa. 49:3;
cf. 60:21; 61:3).” (John A. Martin, Isaiah, page 1103, © 1985 John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament is published by David C Cook. All rights
reserved).
Other scholars, however, understand the sharp sword and polished arrow to be a direct reference to the
second coming of the Messiah when he will return to the earth at the end of the tribulation period as a
conquering warrior, as stated in Revelation 1:16; 19:15. See David L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah,
Biblical Research Monthly – September 1945.
The declaration that God has hidden the Servant in the shadow of His hand, and tucked Him away in His
quiver, the second and fourth metaphors of 49:2 is most likely a prophecy that corresponds to the words of
Jesus Christ the Messiah as recorded in Mark 13:28-32 which state that no one knows, except the Father
when Christ will return. The hiding of the Servant in the shadow of the LORD’s hand and in His quiver, is
currently happening in the realm of heaven and will last as long as the Messiah is sitting at the right hand of
the Father, advocating on behalf of those who have faith in Him. But, the seating of the Messiah on His
Father’s throne will have its time of completion and at the command of the Father, the Servant, who is the
Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, will return to earth as a victorious warrior to conquer His enemies and to
establish His messianic kingdom and to sit upon the throne of David upon Mount Zion. Refer to J. Dwight
Pentecost, Things to Come for an extended discussion.
49:3 He said to me, "You are my servant, Israel,
through whom I will be glorified."
The third aspect of the Servant Song is that God has said to Him that He is God’s servant. Following the
comma, after the word Servant, as is the case in the major formal equivalence translations (but of course not
in the original Hebrew text where there is no punctuation marks) the verse continues as Israel through whom
I will be glorified. This interpretation of this verse has led to much debate. First, some conclude that the
Servant is called Israel and therefore the Servant must refer to the nation of Israel. A second viewpoint is
provided by Gary V. Smith who suggests that there are two distinct clauses, the first being that the person
identified as “me” is called God’s servant and the second being that God will be glorified in Israel. See Gary
V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 345-346. A third understanding is that the Servant is the “ideal Israel”
because the nation of Israel has failed to fulfill its role and purpose to be a light to the nations. For example,
see Thomas Constable, Isaiah, pages 238-239.
Of the three suggested interpretations of the Servants title in 49:3, the first viewpoint that the Servant is
literally the nation of Israel is not viable for the Servant in the context of chapter 49:1-13 is positively
identified as an individual who is born from a mother’s womb, 49:1, who has the calling of God to bring
Jacob back to Him and regather Israel to Him. Therefore, Israel as the nation 49:3, could not bring itself back
nor regather itself, let alone bring salvation to the ends of the earth, 49:6 which Israel had failed to
accomplish. This role is given to an individual, the promised Messiah, who would be born of a virgin, Isaiah
7:14, to accomplish. Regarding the other two viewpoints, the second has some has some positive elements
but the suggestion that God will be glorified “in” Israel is a weak and unprecise statement. It is better to state
that God will reveal His glory in Israel as recorded in Isaiah 44:23. The preferred understanding is the third
which identifies the Servant as the “ideal Israel” for God reveals His glory in Israel through the Servant who
469…..Isaiah 49:4
is the Messiah. The people of Israel were the rebellious, deaf and blind servant of God who failed to bring
glory to God. God’s glory was and is and will forever be most brilliantly displayed and most exalted and has
the greatest weight or worth through the life and ministry of the Messiah, who is the Servant revealed in
Isaiah 49:1-13. Perhaps the most passionate understanding of the glory of God in Christ as stated in the
Scriptures, is described in the literary works of John Piper, who weaves Christ’s glory, and how it relates to
the Father and the Holy Spirit, through the fabric of his collective writings.
49:4 But I said, "I have labored in vain;
I have spent my strength for nothing, only futility.
yet surely the justice due me is with the LORD,
and my reward is with my God."
The fourth aspect of the second Servant Song is that God will ensure the Servant’s success even though the
Servant views His ministry as a failure. The seemingly enigmatic first sentence in Isaiah 49:4 must be
understood within the context of the life and ministry of the Servant, the Messiah, Jesus Christ. How would
the Messiah understand that His work (labored, spent my strength), was in vain and only futility? In John,
1:10-11, the Apostle stated regarding Christ that, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, yet
the world did not know him. 11 He came unto his own things, and even his own people did not receive him.”
Jesus would later lament over Jerusalem as recorded in Matthew 23:37-39, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you
who kills the prophets, and stone the ones who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your
children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not! 38 Look, your house is
left to you desolate. 39 For I say to you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in
the name of the Lord.'" Following three and one-half years of ministry to His own nation, the religious
leaders and many Israelites rejected the Messiah and demanded that He be put to death, Matthew 27:22-26.
The people who screamed for the Messiah to be crucified, responded to the doubts of Pilate. They loudly
avowed the most remarkable statement recorded in Matthew 27:25 (NASB), “His blood shall be on us and
on our children!” Those to whom Jesus came to rescue and bring peace and salvation, rejected Him and
demanded that He be put to death. They did this with the chilling attestation, that even the blood of their
Messiah would be held to their account and to the account of their children. From these occurrences in the
life of the Messiah during His first advent, it is understandable that in the prophecy recorded in Isaiah 49:4,
the Messiah, the Servant of God would perceive His earthly ministry to His own people as a work of futility.
But, the Servant does not leave the summation or value of His ministry with those who rejected Him. The
next word, “yet” leads to a deeper understanding of the total effectiveness of His ministry.
The fifth aspect of this Servant Song is that God will honor the Servant. This is revealed in 49:4, “Yet surely
the justice due me is with the LORD” and in 49:5, “for I will be honored in the eyes of the LORD, my God is
my strength.” The Servant, after reflecting prophetically upon the rejection of the Israelites of His ministry
and Himself, understood that there was something behind His ministry to His people that was much deeper in
meaning and ultimately eternally rewarding for Him. From the perspective of human reasoning, it was His
own people who punctuated their hatred of Him by having Him put to death. But from the profound deepness
of divine reasoning, His rejection and brutal death was all in accordance with the good pleasure of God as
Isaiah would later explain as recorded in 53:4-10. The Servant, Jesus willingly suffered the rejection of
Himself and His ministry, and He willingly suffered the most humiliating and painful beating and mocking
by others and then willingly suffered an horrendous death for the reason recorded by the author of Hebrews
in 12:2, that it was Jesus, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding the
shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” The Servant Messiah, before He came to
the earth, knew that the righteous justice of God was due Him and that God would reward Him. This reward
was the joy that awaited Him upon His return to heaven where He would be received with honor and
exaltation by God. The Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:8-11 refers to this joy, honor and exaltation, “He
470…..Isaiah 49:5-6
humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross. 9 Consequently God highly exalted
him, and gave to him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, in heaven, on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
49:5-6 And now the LORD speaks
who formed me in the womb to be his servant,
to bring Jacob back to him,
that Israel might be regathered to him
for I will be honored in the eyes of the LORD,
my God is my strength.
6
He said, "It is too insignificant that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob,
and to restore the survivors of Israel.
I will also make you a light to the nations,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."
The sixth aspect of the second Servant Song is that God has given to the Servant the multi-faceted task of
bringing Jacob back to God, to regather Israel to the LORD, 49:5 to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore
the survivors of Israel, 49:6. The Servant declares in 49:5, that “now the LORD speaks.” The words that the
LORD (Yahweh) speaks is recorded in 49:6-13 but in 49:1-6, it is the Servant Himself who is prophetically
speaking about His future ministry. In 49:5, the Messiah identifies Himself as the LORD’s servant whom the
LORD had formed in the womb. This is a further confirmation that the Servant is an individual and cannot be
the nation of Israel. See also 49:1 for the declaration that the Servant was an individual who was called by
name by God while the Servant was yet in the womb.
It is revealed in 49:5-6 that this individual, the Messiah, came to be born into the world was to be God’s
Servant with the diverse tasks to bring Jacob and Israel back to God, to regather Israel to the LORD, to raise
up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the survivors of Israel. One of the significant themes of Isaiah is that the
covenant people of God had rebelled against and rejected the Holy One of Israel, their Creator and
Redeemer. They had crafted and worshipped worthless idols instead of admitting that they themselves had
been created for the glory of God and that they were to abandon their love for all other persons or things and
worship only the One true God. Isaiah was confronted with the rebellion of his own people when he was
commissioned by God to be a prophet. God told Isaiah, as recorded in Isaiah 6:9-10, that his ministry as a
prophet would be declaring a message (Go and tell):
"Go, and tell this people:
Keep on listening, but do not understand;
keep on looking, but do not perceive.
10
Make the heart of this people insensitive,
and make their ears deaf,
and shut their eyes;
so that they may not see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
and repent and be healed."
471…..Isaiah 49:5-6
Isaiah stated in 6:11-13,
11
Then I asked, "Lord, how long?" He answered,
"Until cities are destroyed without inhabitant,
and houses uninhabited,
and the land become absolutely devastated,
12
and the LORD has sent everyone far away,
and the midst of the land is abandoned.
13
Even if a tenth remains in it,
it will be destroyed again.
Just like a terebinth and an oak whose stump remains
when they are cut down;
so the holy seed will be its stump.
It was not for Isaiah to restore Jacob and Israel for his ministry was that of a prophet to declare the words of
the Lord so that the covenant people of God would have no excuse before God for their rebellion and
wickedness. The task of bringing back the people of God to their Lord was given to another servant, one who
is divine and is empowered by God to complete the assigned task. It was not that every person who was a
physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob would be restored, but only a holy seed, called in Isaiah
6:13 as a stump. This “stump” was to be the remnant whom God, through the ministry of the Servant, the
Messiah, was preserving for Himself. Isaiah often mentioned this remnant. See Isaiah 10:20, 21, 22; 11:11,
16; 15:9; 16:14; 17:3; 28:5; 37:4, 31, 32; and 46:3. The prophet Jeremiah also spoke often of this remnant.
For example, Jeremiah 23:3 states: “I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I
have driven them, and will bring them back again to their folds. There they will be fruitful and multiply.” The
Apostle Paul also spoke of this remnant, quoting Isaiah 10:22, as recorded in Romans 9:27: “Isaiah also cries
out concerning Israel, If the number of the children of Israel are as the sand of the sea, only a remnant will
be saved.” Paul also stated in Romans 11:25: “So in that same way, at this present time, there is a remnant
chosen by grace.” The ministry of the Servant in restoring Israel to God would not be one that would happen
quickly for it is still to this day being undertaken and will only be completed when the Servant, Lord Jesus
Christ returns to the earth to destroy the enemies of Israel and establish His messianic kingdom where this
remnant will receive all the blessings of the kingdom ruled by their Messiah. In summing up the performance
of this multi-faceted task, the Servant realizes that He will be honored in the eyes of the LORD (Yahweh)
and that He will accomplish this task for He also realizes that God is His strength, Isaiah 49:5.
The seventh aspect of the second Servant Song is that the Servant is to be a light to the nations that He may
bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth. As important as the task is “to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and
to restore the survivors of Israel.” Isaiah 49:6, God calls this ministry “insignificant.” Other English Bible
versions state it as “too small or to light a thing.” The Hebrew word for “insignificant” is qalal which has the
primary meaning of “to be slight,” or “trifling.” God sees this task of restoring the survivors of Israel as a
mere trifle for His Servant and adds to His ministry a task that is world-wide in scope. This more significant
task is that God will make the Servant, “a light to the nations, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of
the earth.” This is no small work and no other person would be qualified to complete it other than the One
who is called the Servant of God.
Gary V. Smith comments:
“The two tasks that make up the mission of the Servant are introduced by infinitives that define the
purposes of his life. In the first role God appointed him “in order to raise up, establish” (lĕhāqîm) and
“in order to restore, reestablish” (lĕhāšîb) Israel. No parameters are put on this restoration, so one
472…..Isaiah 49:5-6 and 7
might assume that the total restoration would include both spiritual and physical aspects. The means
of accomplishing the second task in 6b was for the Servant to function as a light to the nations (49:6).
The figure of light is connected in other passages where God is the light (Ps 27:1), God’s law is a
light that guides people (2:4–5; 42:16; 50:10; 51:4–5; Ps 119:105), and God’s righteous salvation is a
light (49:6; Ps 37:6; Mic 7:9). There is not much of an explanation of what the Servant would do so
that he would serve as this light. It is hypothetically possible to translate the last line in two distinct
ways. If “my salvation” functions as the subject of the infinitive construct verb, the phrase would be
describing the consequences of the Servant’s light on the world (“so that my salvation may exist to
the ends of the earth” NASB, NRSV, ESV). This translation affirms that the Servant’s role as a light
will allow God’s salvation to have a worldwide influence. On the other hand, it is grammatically
possible and actually preferable to view “my salvation” as the object of the infinitive, thus creating a
translation parallel to what is found in the previous line. This approach would make the Servant be “a
light to the nations and to be my salvation unto the ends of the earth.” This translation indicates that
the Servant is not just a means of getting God’s salvation to the ends of the earth (45:20–24);
somehow he himself will be God’s salvation. Just how the Servant “will be” (not “bring” as in NIV)
God’s salvation will be explained in later oracles about the Servant (52:13–53:12).” (Gary V. Smith,
Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 348-349).
The Servant does not accomplish the tasks of restoring the survivors of Israel and world-wide salvation in
isolation. Those who are faithful followers and disciples of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ are involved in
this process as the Messiah made clear in a passage that is known as the great commission as recorded in
Matthew 28:18-20. The Apostle Paul understood his role in bringing the light of the gospel to the Gentiles as
participating in the task of the Messiah. Paul, as recorded in Acts 13:46-49 explains from quoting Isaiah 49:6,
that it was a command of the Lord that he and Barnabas (among others) were to bring the good news
salvation to the Gentile: “46 Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, and said, "It was necessary that the word of
God should first be spoken to you. But seeing you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we
are turning to the Gentiles. 47 For so has the Lord commanded us, saying, 'I have set you for a light of the
Gentiles, so that you might bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" 48 When the Gentiles heard this, they
were glad, and glorified the word of God, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. 49 The
word of the Lord spread throughout all that region.” (Acts 13:46-49)
49:7 This is what the LORD says,
the Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One,
to one who is despised,
to one whom the nations abhor,
to one who is a servant of rulers:
"Kings will see and rise up in respect.
Princes will bow down
because of the LORD, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel,
has chosen you."
Another message from the LORD (see beginning of 49:5) is recorded in Isaiah 49:7. The LORD (Yahweh),
prior to speaking, is introduced by the Servant as the “Redeemer of Israel and his Holy One.” The LORD is
Israel’s family Redeemer, ga’al, who is often described by Isaiah in this role. See 41:14; 43:14; 44:6, 24;
47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16 and 63:16. The LORD as Israel’s Redeemer will protect and save
His “family” and they can absolutely trust in Him. The repeated reminders by the LORD that He is their
Redeemer serve to punctuate the fact that they most often forget about Him and rebel against Him. Yet as
Isaiah also reminds them, a remnant from their midst will be saved. See notes on 49:6 above. The LORD also
473…..Isaiah 49:7
reminds His covenant people that He is their “Holy One.” This shortened form of the “Holy One of Israel”
occurs also in 10:17; 40:25 and 43:15. The covenant people constantly needed reminding that their God is
holy in His very essence. They knew from the law, the Pentateuch, that they had been commanded by God to
be holy for He was holy, Leviticus 11:45. However, even though they knew this command, they needed to be
reminded of God’s holiness often as impetus for them to be holy.
The eighth aspect of the second Servant Song is that the Servant, who will be despised and abhorred by His
own people, will be praised by kings and princes of the earth. This testimony comes from the LORD who
speaks on behalf of the Servant. The Servant is one who is despised and whom the nations abhor. This
message from the LORD corroborates the testimony of the Servant as recorded in 49:4, in which the Servant
laments, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing, only futility.” During the Servant’s
first time of ministry on the earth, He was rejected and despised by His own people and during the years
following His earthly sojourn, He continues to be abhorred not only by His own covenant people but by
peoples from all nations. Isaiah will later, in 52:13-53:12 describe in vivid detail how this hatred for the
Servant by His own people resulted in Him being shamefully and brutally treated and then put to death by
those whom He had come to save and bring peace. Psalm 22 is a description of the hatred for the Servant
being portrayed while He hung on the cross, dying for the sins of those who despised Him. The testimony of
the LORD that the Servant is a “servant of rulers” could refer to His ministry of working on behalf of the
world’s people to bring them justice, peace, and to release them from darkness. For a discussion on this
possibility, see Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 352.
In the second part of Isaiah 49:7, the outlook for the Servant abruptly changes. Instead of being hated by His
own people and all nations, the Servant will be the recipient the honor and adoration of the rulers of the earth.
Kings will rise up in respect of Him and princes will bow down before Him. This is clearly a reference to the
second coming of the Servant (the Messiah) who will establish His kingdom and people including kings and
princes from all nations will come to Him and worship Him. The kings of the world will lead their nations in
assisting with the regathering of the remnant of Israel to the Messiah and will themselves bow before Him.
See Isaiah 49:23; 60:3, 10, 11, 16 and 62:2. Isaiah also declared in 52:13-15:
13
Look, my servant will deal wisely;
he will be exalted and lifted up,
and will be greatly exalted.
14
Just as many were astonished at him,
his disfigured face was marred more than any other,
and his form beyond other human beings.
15
So he will sprinkle many nations;
kings will shut their mouths before him.
For that which they had not been told,
they will see;
and that which they had not heard,
they will understand.
The latter part of Isaiah 49:7 gives the background to why the Servant will first suffer the hatred of the
nations (so that He can redeem them) and then receive the praise of the nations. The background is that the
faithful LORD who is the Holy One of Israel has chosen the Servant for this purpose. Whom the Lord
chooses He enables to perform the Lord’s purpose for the world. Chapter 11 of Isaiah is a beautiful example
of the enabling of the Servant by being anointed by the Holy Spirit to accomplish the task of recovering the
surviving remnant of His people and bringing justice and righteousness to the earth.
474…..Isaiah 49:8
1.b: The Caregiving of the Servant: Verses 8-13
49:8 This is what the LORD says,
"In the time of my favor, I answered you;
and in a day of salvation, I helped you.
I will protect you,
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
to restore the land,
to reestablish their desolate inheritances.
The ninth aspect of the second Servant Song, is that the Servant will be given as a covenant for His people to
restore the land for the inhabitation of His people. The parallel passage in Isaiah 42:6 adds “and a light for
the nations” The reason that the Servant will be given as a covenant for the people is not only to restore the
land so that it can be inhabited by God’s covenant people but the Servant will also more significantly be a
light to the nations so that salvation may be brought to the ends of the earth, see 49:6. The time spoken of by
the LORD is a future period when the Servant, the Messiah will be used of God to bring salvation to the
nations. It will be a time spoken of as His favor, 49:8 which is the time of God’s own choosing. Just as it was
a time of God’s choice to preserve a remnant to Himself in Paul’s day, Romans 11:5, God would, in a future
day, from the time of Isaiah, enable the Servant to complete His task so that the means of salvation for all
peoples would be accomplished. God promises to answer the request of the Servant to strengthen Him for the
task and protect Him until the task is finished. In a stunning prophecy of the time Jesus hung on the cross,
David fore-told through the inspiration of God, these compelling words of the Servant as recorded in Psalm
22:19-21:
19
But you, O LORD, do not stay far away!
O my help, come quickly to help me.
20
Deliver my soul from the sword,
my life from the power of the dog.
21
Save me from the lion's mouth;
rescue me from the horns of the wild oxen.
(Psalm 22:19-21)
Psalm 22 begins with the prophetic words that Christ spoke when in agony, and while being crushed by the
weight of His own body during the last moments of his physical life on earth, “My God, my God, why have
you forsaken me?” Psalm 22:1. These words were spoken by the Servant, Jesus Christ as recorded in
Matthew 27:46. In desperation and feeling utterly rejected, the Servant cried out to God who responded to
Him and enabled Him to endure the crushing pain and have the insight and boldness to say as He breathed
His last breath, that “It is finished,” John 19:30. With God’s gracious provision, the Servant completed His
task during His first advent. He will also, with God’s help complete the task of restoring the land of Israel for
His covenant people and re-establish them as they are gathered from all nations to take their promised place
within the kingdom of the Servant.
The Apostle Paul quoted from Isaiah 49:8 in his second letter to the Church in Corinth. Paul understood that
He was working along with the Lord as His servant, a co-worker, to accomplish the task of bringing salvation
to the nations and that to those to whom Paul was ministering, Paul stated that now was the day of salvation.
Paul stated in 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, “Now as God's co-workers we urge you not to receive the grace of God in
vain 2 For he says, "At an acceptable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I helped you." Look,
now is the acceptable time. Look, now is the day of salvation.” See also Isaiah 61:1-2; Galatians 4:4-5; and
Hebrews 4:7
475…..Isaiah 49:8
The words of the LORD “I will give you as a covenant to the people” has been interpreted in various ways by
scholars and Bible students. Without a tedious rendering of all the alternative viewpoints by various scholars,
this study posits that the references in Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8 speak of the Servant being given as the “new
covenant” as this best fits the context of these chapters in Isaiah and is confirmed most emphatically in the
New Testament. Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer comment:
“Despite Israel’s prophesied rejection of the Servant in vv. 4-6, this final part of the Servant’s call
looks to the more remote future when Israel will ultimately believe in Him and experience
redemption. At the appointed time, God will make the Servant a covenant to the people. This is the
same expression used in the first Servant Song, meaning that the Servant would be a covenant-
mediator for the people of Israel. The phrase is a figure of speech (metonymy of effect [covenant] for
cause [mediator]) for “covenant-mediator.” This refers to the “new covenant” which includes both
spiritual and material elements (Jr 31:31-34).” (Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer, Isaiah, The
Moody Bible Commentary, page 1082).
The result of the Servant being given by the LORD as a covenant for the people is that the land of Israel will
be restored and the people of Israel, to whom the land had been promised will be re-established in the land
which is called “their desolate inheritances.” Although some scholars suggest that this restoration to the land
was fulfilled by the command of Cyrus, there was relatively too few of those exiled in Babylon who actually
returned to Jerusalem. There also was no historical record that these exiles were kept as prisoners, hidden in
darkness within Babylon. The sad truth was that far too many of the sons of Israel felt more comfortable
within Babylon to take the long journey back to Jerusalem. The restoration of the land and the re-
establishment of the people in the land will yet be realized when the Servant, the Messiah returns to earth to
defeat the enemies of the people of Israel and establish His kingdom in a restored land of peace,
righteousness and justice.
That the Servant understood His appointment by God as being given as a covenant for the people is clear in
the account of the “last supper” in Luke 22: 20 where it is recorded, that Christ stated: “This cup is the new
covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.” See also Matthew 26:28 and Mark 14:24. The Apostle
Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, when discussing the importance of
remembering Christ, quoted the words of Jesus from Luke 22:20. Paul also understood his ministry as a
servant of the new covenant, 2 Corinthians 3:6. The central Old Testament text regarding the new covenant is
Jeremiah 31:31-34. The core of the new covenant is the provision of salvation through the shed blood of the
Servant who is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, which is appropriated by those who have faith in Christ.
The Old Testament description of the new covenant, given to Israel and Judah, Jeremiah 31:31-34 is that God
will put His law within them which will be written on their hearts and He will be their God and they will be
His people. There will be no need for any teaching regarding knowing God for all will know Him and He
will forgive and not remember their sins. See also Ezekiel 36:24-27 for a further description of new covenant
promises. It was most likely this passage from Ezekiel that the Messiah was referencing in His discussion
with Nicodemus as recorded in John 3:1-21. The author of Hebrews also understood that the Messiah (Jesus
Christ) was the mediator of the new covenant through His shed blood, See Hebrews 8:7-13; 9:15; 10:11-17;
12:24; and 13:20.
The Old Testament specifically states that the new covenant was to be made with the house of Israel and the
house of Jacob, Jeremiah 31:31. But the New Testament makes it clear that the new covenant was in the
blood of Jesus Christ, that is it was through the shed blood of Christ that the new covenant was made
manifest. All who believe in Christ and specifically in His blood which was shed as an atoning sacrifice for
their sins, participate in the new covenant. It was through or by means of His shed blood that Jesus Christ is
the mediator of the new covenant. Therefore all, whether Jew or Gentile can participate in the new covenant
476…..Isaiah 49:8 and 9-10
and appropriate its promises. By means of the new covenant, believers in Christ also participate in the
unilateral and unconditional Abrahamic and Davidic covenants.
What does that mean for the original promise by God that the new covenant was for the house of Israel and
Jacob? It does not mean that God somehow changed His mind and withdrew His promise to His covenant
people and gave it to the Gentiles. It also does not mean that because the new covenant was initiated by the
shed blood of Jesus Christ that this somehow meant that the promised earthly kingdom of Christ was being
inaugurated by the shedding of His blood. The New Testament nowhere makes this claim. The coming
millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ is still in the future and will only be established when the Messiah returns
to earth to defeat the enemies of His faithful remnant and then He will sit upon the Davidic throne which is
the throne of the promised kingdom.
However, those, both Jews and Gentiles who believe in Christ, specifically believing in His shed blood as an
atoning sacrifice for their sins, participate now in the new covenant but its full completion will await the days
of the coming messianic kingdom when the full promises of Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:26-38 and other
Old Testament texts will be realized. All the promises of the Old Testament regarding the new covenant have
not yet been realized or completed and it would be an injustice to the Scriptures to spiritualize these texts and
amend them to make them appear complete before the coming messianic kingdom. Recommended resources
for a study of the new covenant include:
Compton, R Bruce, Dispensationalism, The Church, and The New Covenant, Detroit Baptist Seminary
Journal, DBSJ 8 (Fall 2003): 3–48.
Garland, Anthony, Introduction to Biblical Covenants, Online Resource:
http://www.spiritandtruth.org/teaching/20.htm
Henebury, Paul Martin, Biblical Covenantalism, Online Resource: https://drreluctant.wordpress.com/
The Masters Seminary Journal, Biblical Covenants Issue, TMSJ 10/2 (Fall 1999).
49:9-10 I will say to the prisoners,
'You're free;'
to those hidden in the darkness,
'Show yourselves.'
They will feed along the road ways,
and all bare heights will be their pasture.
10
They will not hunger or thirst,
neither will the heat or sun strike them down;
for he who has mercy on them will lead them;
he will lead them beside springs of water.
The tenth aspect of the second servant song is The Servant will be used by God to be a comfort for His
people upon whom He has compassion, Isaiah 49:9-13. This caregiving ministry of the Servant will occur in
the far future days when He establishes His messianic kingdom will include releasing the faithful remnant
who are described as prisoners who have been hiding in darkness in faraway nations, 49:12. The Servant will
ensure they have sufficient food to eat and water to drink as they travel to meet Him in Zion. Later, Isaiah
will describe the Servant’s ministry in similar terms, in 61:1-2 which is quoted in Luke 4:18-19. See also
40:10-11; 41:17-20; and 43:19-21.
477…..Isaiah 49:9-10 and 11
The ministry of the Servant as described in Isaiah 49:8-9 is similar to that of the first Servant Song as
recorded in 42:6-7:
6
I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness;
I will take you by the hand
and protect you.
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
and a light for the nations,
7
to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
and those who sit in darkness out of the prison.
(Isaiah 42:6-7)
“The “roadways,” 49:9 refer to the “highway” that Isaiah had declared would be in place for the faithful
remnant who will be gathered from all nations as the way they will travel in safety and peace to Zion. Isaiah
states in 35:8-10:
8
A highway will be there,
and it will be called "The Way of Holiness;"
the unclean will not travel on it;
but it will be reserved for those who walk that way;
fools will never stray onto it.
9
No lion will be there,
nor will any ravenous beast go up on it;
they will not be found there;
but the redeemed will walk there.
10
Those ransomed by the LORD will return,
and come with singing to Zion;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
They will find joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
The “springs of water,” 49:10, by which the Servant will lead the faithful remnant reminds the student of the
Scriptures of the beautiful 23rd Psalm in which David wrote about His source of safety and peace being in the
Lord who is his comforting shepherd. See also Revelation 7:16-17 for a “heavenly” reference to springs of
water.
49:11 I will make all my mountains into roads,
and my highways will be raised up.
The Servant’s preparation of the roadways and highways will include levelling mountains and raising up
lowlands so that the faithful remnant will easily travel from the far countries to meet Him in Zion. Some
scholars interpret these words as figurative with the meaning that the Lord’s intent is for His people not to be
restricted by geographic barriers when they are gathered from the nations of the world. It should not be the
first choice of students of Scriptures to turn the plain words of God into a non-literal interpretative language.
The Lord is quite capable of reconstructing the landscape including lowering mountains and raising valleys.
Also, the timing of this regathering of His faithful remnant will be at the end of the great tribulation. This
period, described in many places in the Scriptures, will include the most violent upheaval of the earth ever to
be seen by man since the time of the world-wide flood in Noah’s time. This upheaval of the earth could quite
478…..Isaiah 49:12-13
easily result in the mountains being pulverized and the valleys filled with debris to make the landscape of the
earth to appear level. See also Isaiah 11:15-16; 19:23; 24:1-6, 19; 26:7; 40:3-4; 42:15-16; 51:10-11; and
62:10.
49:12 Look, these will come from far away.
Look, these come from the north
and from the west;
these from the southern land of Syene.
Those whom the Servant will regather to be the faithful inhabitants of His millennial kingdom will come
from the far nations of the world, including the nations from the north, the west and from what is called the
southern land of “Syene.” Some have suggested that this was a very early reference to China. Other scholars
suggest that Syene (Sinim in the KJV), refers to the Aswan - Elephantine area in southern Egypt. However, it
is interpreted, the clear intention of the text is that the Servant is the divine source of the regathering of His
faithful people from all nations of the earth. This is not a reference to the return of the exiles to Jerusalem
from Babylon as some suggest but an event that will happen at the end of the great tribulation when the Lord
will establish His messianic rule on the earth.
49:13 Sing, O heavens,
and be joyful, O earth.
Break out into singing, O mountains;
for the LORD has comforted his people,
and will have compassion upon his afflicted.
Just as Isaiah concluded the first Servant Song, Isaiah 42:10-13, he also concluded the second Servant Song
with a hymn or exhortation of praise. Thomas Constable comments on 49:13:
“Isaiah concluded by calling on the whole created universe to rejoice because the Lord had comforted His
people (cf. 40:1; 47:6) and had shown compassion on His formerly afflicted nation (cf. 42:10-13; 44:23;
45:8; 52:8-9; 55:12-13). This is rejoicing over deliverance from sin, not just exile. When the Servant
completes His work of salvation, the whole creation, not just humankind, will experience liberation from the
effects of the Fall (cf. Rom. 8:19-22).” (Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 242).
Isaiah calls for the heavens and the earth, including the mountains to be joyful and sing. He had earlier
declared God’s exhortation to His creation, as recorded in 44:23:
Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it;
shout, you lower parts of the earth.
Break forth into singing, O mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it.
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob,
and will reveal his glory in Israel.
Psalm 98:8-9 and Isaiah 55:12 also describe the acts of nature in anthropological terms. The rivers and trees
are depicted as clapping their hands and the mountains singing and shouting for joy because of the great
work of the Lord in redeeming, comforting and rescuing His people. This rejoicing of nature, God’s created
things, speaks of their release from the bondage of the corruption which came from the fall of earth’s first
couple, Romans 8:19-22. When the Servant establishes His kingdom, nature itself will also be restored. See
also Isaiah 30:23-26; 32:15-20; 35:1-7; 41:18-20; 43:19-21; and 44:3.
479…..Isaiah 49:14
For an extended discussion on Isaiah 49:1-13, see Robert B. Chisholm Jr., Isaiah 49:1-13: The Ministry of
the Servant of the Lord, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, pages 943-951.
2. God Promises Blessings to Zion: 49:14-26
Isaiah 49:14-26 are set within a longer section, 49:14-52:12 which describe God’s promises that He will not
forget nor forsake His people and He will restore Zion. This longer section has four main parts: (1) 49:14-26:
God will re-gather His people to Zion to establish the messianic kingdom. (2) 50:1-11 The Third Servant
Song: The Messiah is obedient to His calling and will be Helped by God. (3) 51:1-23: The Lord will bring
comfort and Salvation to His people. (4) 52:1-12: God will redeem and restore Zion.
The first main part, 49:14-26 entitled “God Promises Blessings to Zion,” is a description of the re-gathering
by God of His people to Zion to establish the messianic kingdom. This part begins with a lament by the
people of Zion, in the far future, who have been chastised by the Lord during the tribulation period. Zion
complains that the Lord has forsaken His people. The Lord responds by reassuring His people that He has not
forgotten them and has them inscribed (engraved) on the palms of His hands. The Lord reveals that Zion will
be built up by its sons who will be gathered from the nations. God will cause these mighty nations to release
His people from captivity. The sons, the children of Zion will receive assistance in their journey to Zion by
kings and princess of these nations who will bow before them. By this act, God will be known by all people
on the earth as the LORD (Yahweh) who is the Redeemer and Savior of Zion and the Mighty One of Jacob.
49:14 But Zion said,
The LORD has forsaken me,
the Lord has forgotten me.
Due to the unprecedented troubles and distress of the tribulation, Jeremiah 30:7, the inhabitants of Zion will
cry out that the LORD had forsaken and forgotten them. They had many promises from God regarding the
coming of the Servant, the Messiah and what He will accomplish for them. But in the years leading up to the
return of the Messiah, their affliction is so great that they will have either forgotten these promises or have
refused to believe in them. The Messiah will not return until they cry out to Him and acknowledge their sin
of rejecting Him when He first came to His own people to provide salvation. A study of Leviticus 26:40-42
and Jeremiah 3:11-18 reveals the necessity for Israel to confess the iniquity of their past sins when their
ancestors rejected God and slid into wickedness and rebellion. Zechariah 12:10 speaks to their need to mourn
for the one (an only son) whom they had pierced, for they must first recognize their sin:
“Then I will pour the spirit of grace and supplication on the house of David, and on the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, so they will look on me, the one whom they have pierced. They will mourn for him, as one
mourns for an only son, and will grieve bitterly for him, as one bitterly grieving over a firstborn child.”
(Zechariah 12:10)
Hosea 5:15-6:3 is a further prophecy of their need to acknowledge their sin and earnestly seek the Lord
whom they had rejected when He first came among them. When they confess their sin and seek their
Messiah, he will return to them:
5:15
I will return to my place,
until they acknowledge their guilt,
and seek my face;
in their affliction they will earnestly seek me.
480…..Isaiah 49:14
6:1
Come, and let us return to the LORD;
for he has torn us,
but he will heal us,
he has injured us,
but he will bandage us up.
6:2
After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
and we will live before him.
6:3
Let us acknowledge him;
let us pursue knowing the LORD;
he will come forth as sure as the morning dawns;
he will come to us as sure as the rain,
as the latter rain that waters the earth.
(Micah 5:15-6:3)
It is only then, that the faithful remnant of Zion, when they are surrounded by their enemies and have no
hope of escape, during the campaign of Armageddon, will acknowledge and repent of their past sins of
rejecting their Messiah and call out to Him. The Messiah will respond by returning to earth as a mighty
warrior and rescue them and then lead them victoriously back to Zion to establish His messianic kingdom.
For a comprehensive discussion of the events that will occur during this time, see Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum,
The Footsteps of the Messiah, Revised Edition, Ariel Ministries, 2004, chapter 14: The Campaign of
Armageddon and The Second Coming of Jesus the Messiah, pages 309-357. A study of these far future days
through the lens of many Scriptural passages will enhance the student’s understanding of the events that must
take place before and after the return of the Messiah.
Isaiah 49:14 can also be identified as a key text for understanding what is to follow from this point to the end
of Isaiah chapter 66. Isaiah, in all that is to follow in his writings, responds to the complaint of the people of
Zion that the LORD has forsaken and forgotten them. By direct response in the verses that immediately
follow 49:14 and by explanation of what is to unfold in the future, Isaiah beautifully expounds on God’s care,
concern and comfort for His covenant people whom He most certainly has not forsaken. The Apostle Paul
emphatically stated in Romans 11:1, “I ask then, has God rejected his people? Certainly not!” and in 11:2
Paul continues, “God did not reject his people whom he foreknew.” The teaching of Paul is that God has
prepared a remnant, Romans 9:27, quoting from Isaiah 10:22-23, and even in Paul’s days this remnant
remained, Romans 11:5. Paul in 11:11-12 (NKJV) explains the future role of the Israelites, “I say then, have
they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy,
salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the
Gentiles, how much more their fullness!” Paul follows up these statements by quoting from the Psalms and
Isaiah; and prefacing these quotes with the emphatic, “and so all Israel will be saved,” Romans 11:26. The
following commentaries for studying Paul’s Epistle to the Romans and specifically chapters 9-11 of Romans
are recommended as they are all dispensational and premillennial. These noted commentaries were available
at the time of the publication of this Study of Isaiah. Thomas Constable, Notes on Romans (Online); David L.
Cooper, Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Online); Alva J. McClain, Romans: The Gospel of God’s Grace,
BMH Books; Woodrow Kroll, The Book of Romans: Righteousness in Christ, AMG Publishers; William R.
Newell, Romans Verse by Verse, Kregel Publications.
481…..Isaiah 49:15-16
49:15 Can a woman forget her nursing child?
Will she have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even if these might forget,
I could never forget you.
As a first response to the lament of the people of Zion, in 49:14, God asks rhetorical questions of a mother
forgetting or having no compassion on her nursing child serve to remind the people of Zion of their special
relationship with their Lord. He pictures one of the most precious and personal relationships of humanity,
that of a mother and her nursing child. It is the closest of all relationships between humans, yet God responds
that even if a mother might forget her own child, He will never forget His covenant people. A closely related
passage is Jeremiah 31: 20:
Is Ephraim my dear son?
Is he a delightful child?
For as often as I rebuke him,
yet I still remember him.
Therefore my heart yearns for him;
I will surely have mercy on him," says the LORD.
Psalm 27:10 is another reminder of the Lord’s care for His children:
When my father and my mother abandon me,
then the LORD will take me in.
Isaiah will later declare the words of the Lord, in 66:13:
As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you;
and you will be comforted in Jerusalem.
49:16 Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
The Lord uses an anthropomorphism to describe His unique relationship with the people of Zion, whom He
will never forget. God is Spirit John 4:24 and does not have physical features such as hands. But He
describes His relationship with His people in terms they can easily understand. Isaiah had previously
discussed the writing on the hands by God’s people as a reminder of their special relationship to Him, Isaiah
44:5. The Lord’s anthropological depiction is that every time He looks as His hands, He is reminded of His
covenant people because they, their names perhaps, are inscribed or engraved on His palms.
He also states that the walls of His people are continually before Him which may have the meaning that the
walls of Zion are always present in His “mind.” God can never forget His people if their place of habitation is
constantly before Him to remind Him of His covenant and promises to them. He will keep these promises to
His people for the sake of His great name. See notes on Isaiah 48:9, 11. Isaiah spoke of the walls of Zion, in
26:1; and would again in 56:5 and 60:10 and in 60:18b the prophet records the words of God saying:
but you will call your walls 'Salvation,'
and your gates 'Praise.
482…..Isaiah 49:17-18
49:17 Your children hurry to return;
those who destroyed and laid you waste
will leave you.
As a further indication that He will not forget His covenant people, God declares two distinct promises in
Isaiah 49:17. The word translated as “children” in the DASV is ben (bonayik see below) in the Hebrew,
literally meaning “builders” which is very similar to the Hebrew word banayik which has the meaning of
“sons,” which the DASV and the KJV translate as “children” Because of the possibility that either bonayik as
“builders” (NASB) or banayik as “sons” (NIV) were in the original text, it must be left to the context to
determine what Isaiah intended as the meaning of the word.
Within the context of the larger passage in chapter 49 of Isaiah, sons or children are mentioned. See 49:15
(son); 18 (these); 20 (children); 22 (sons); and 25 (children). It may have been Isaiah’s intention to use the
word “sons” in 49:17 as those who return to Zion in the future. But the possibility of Zion’s sons being those
who will return as builders also may have been intended by Isaiah purposefully to contrast with the
remainder of the sentence where those who destroyed and laid waste Zion is mentioned.
Isaiah in 49:17b, states a second promise from God revealing that in the far future, those who had destroyed,
and laid waste Zion will have left them. This certainly could not fit the Babylonians who did not leave them.
In reality, in the near future, it was the people of God who left Babylon. Also, in the context of chapter 49,
those who return to Zion come from the far reaches of the earth as 49:12 and 22 clearly state, so it was not
the return of the exiled Jews from Babylon that is the topic of Isaiah’s prophecy. In keeping with the context
of chapters 49 and following, Isaiah is describing the far future, when the Messiah will regather the faithful
remnant of His covenant people from the nations of the world to come to Zion. The city of Zion, which will
be laid waste during the days of the great tribulation, Zechariah 14:1-2, will be rebuilt by these returning
“sons” at the establishment of the millennial kingdom of the Messiah.
49:18 Lift up your eyes and look around;
all these gather themselves together
and come home to you.
"As I live," says the LORD,
"you will surely wear all of them
like jewelry,
and adorn yourself with them,
like a bride.
Isaiah, in 49:18, is describing the wonderful promises from the LORD who continues to speak, 49:15 and
following, to His covenant people in Zion in response to their lament in 49:14. When the distressful days of
the great tribulation are over, the Messiah will return and regather the faithful remnant of His people from the
nations of the world. The people living in Zion are exhorted to lift their eyes to witness an incredible event.
Those who have remained faithful to the Lord will be coming home. They will be like precious gems
or jewelry to the inhabitants of Zion who have just been rescued by their Messiah from the assault upon them
by the wicked coalition of nations who were bent on annihilating them. They will be seen as so precious, that
Zion’s inhabitants will embrace them as jewelry which a bride would wear.
The Lord in 49:18, makes these promises with a sacred oath to Himself, “As I live.” The Lord could not
make an oath based upon anything greater except for Himself. This oath is a solemn and holy promise that
what the Lord says will happen. There is no conditional aspect to the oath. It is a sure and certain promise to
483…..Isaiah 49:18 and 19-21
His covenant people. See also Isaiah 5:9; 14:24; 54:9 and 62:8. An example of an oath sworn to Himself is
declared by the Lord as recorded in Isaiah 45:23a:
I have solemnly sworn by myself,
the word gone forth from my mouth is righteous,
and cannot be revoked.
49:19-21 For though your waste and your desolate places,
and your land has been destroyed,
but now you will be too crowded for your inhabitants,
and they who swallowed you up will be far away.
20
The children of your bereavement will yet say in your ears,
'This place is too cramped for me;
give me more room where I can live.'
21
Then you will say in your heart,
'Who has given birth to all these for me?
For I have been bereaved of my children and barren,
exiled and divorced,
so who has reared these children?
Look, I was left all alone,
so where did these come from?
Isaiah 49:19-21 continue the content of the oath the Lord as sworn to Himself, “As I live” 49:18. The Lord
describes the desolate condition of Zion following the destruction caused by its enemies during the campaign
of Armageddon near the end of the great tribulation, Joel 3:9-11; Zechariah 12:1-3; 14:1-2; and Revelation
16:12-16. Zion which is the city of Jerusalem, and the area surrounding it will be laid waste, made desolate
and destroyed. But this will be a temporary condition. The Lord, the Messiah will return and destroy the
enemies of His covenant people, who will take refuge in Bozrah, surrounded by these enemies. The Messiah
will lead them in a victorious and joyous march along a highway of holiness to Zion where He will establish
His messianic kingdom and regather His people from the nations of the world to populate Zion. See for
example, Psalm 79:1-13; 80:1-19; Isaiah 35:1-10; 63:1-6; 64;1-12; Jeremiah 49:13-14; 49:7-22; Ezekiel
chapters 38-39; Hosea 6:1-3; Joel 2:28-32; 3:1-21; Micah 2:12-13; Habakkuk 3:1-19; Zechariah 12:10-13:1;
13:7-9; 14:1-21; Revelation 14:19-20; and 19:11-21. These are Selected passages only, not an exhaustive list.
Zion will be freed from its enemies who are described in 49:18 as “they who swallowed you up will be far
away.” Their enemies will have been defeated by the returning Messiah and many of them will lie in death
upon the mountains of Israel, Ezekiel 39:1-24. After these momentous events, the Lord will regather those
who had remained faithful to Him from the nations of the earth. They will come in such numbers that Zion
will be over-crowed. The inhabitants of Zion, who will witness this great in-gathering of God’s covenant
peoples, will be so amazed that they will ask, “where did all these come from?” The re-gathering of the
faithful remnant of Israel is a marvelous theme that is often spoken of by Isaiah, 14:1-2; 43:1-6; 54:1-17;
55:12-13; 56:1-9; 58:8-14; 60:4-14; 61:2b-11; 62:1-12; 65:8-10; 66:6-9, and 20-21. A similar passage to
Isaiah 49:19-21 is found in 66:7-8:
7
Before her labor pains began,
she gave birth;
before her pain came,
she delivered a boy.
484…..Isaiah 49:22-23 and 24-26
8
Who has heard of such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Can a country be born in a single day?
Will a nation be born in a second?
Yet as soon as Zion went into labor,
she gave birth to her children.
49:22-23 This is what the sovereign LORD says,
"Look, I will raise up my hand to signal the nations,
and set up my signal flag to the peoples.
They will bring your sons in their arms,
and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
23
Kings will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
They will bow their faces to the ground before you,
and lick the dust of your feet.
You will know that I am the LORD,
and they who expectantly wait for me
will not be put to shame."
The Lord will cause the nations to not only release the faithful remnant of His covenant people, but these
nations will also provide the means for His people to travel to Zion. The leaders, kings and queens, of these
nations will assume the chief responsibility in ensuring that God’s people are brought safely to Zion. In their
service to God’s faithful remnant, these leaders will bow in humility before them even to the very ground
where their lips will taste the dust of the earth.
The last half of Isaiah 49:23 states “You will know that I am the LORD, and they who expectantly wait for me
will not be put to shame.” This prophecy from the sovereign LORD (Yahweh), was made over 2,700 years
ago and is still applicable today. The faithful remnant of God still wait expectantly for the return of their
Messiah to rescue them from their shame and from the brutal treatment they have received from the nations
of the world who are led by Satan and his demons to destroy them. These nations will go through the
tribulation period during which they will face the wrath of God’s judgment upon them. All who survive of
these nations will no longer be influenced by evil but will know the Lord and seek to serve Him. These
Gentile survivors will carry those who are the faithful remnant of God’s covenant people as they journey to
Zion to meet and worship the Messiah. These Gentiles will willingly do all they can to ensure the safety and
comfort of God’s people and will also bring their wealth to Zion. See Isaiah 60: 5, 11 and 61:6.
49:24-26 Can plunder be taken away from a warrior,
or captives be rescued from a tyrant?
25
But this is what the LORD says,
"Even the captives will be taken away from the mighty,
and the plunder of the tyrant will be rescued.
I will attack those who attack you,
and I will save your children.
26
I will force those who oppress you to eat their own flesh;
they will get drunk with their own blood, as with wine.
Then everyone will know that I am the LORD,
your Savior and your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Jacob."
485…..Isaiah 49:24-26
Isaiah in 49:24 declares the words of the Lord, who asks two difficult questions: “Can plunder be taken away
from a warrior, or (can) captives be rescued from a tyrant?” For humans, these questions would likely result
in a negative response. But those who wait expectantly for the Lord, 49:23, they will have the assurance that
both of these questions will be easily answered in the affirmative by the Lord. They will have witnessed all
that the Lord has done during the tribulation period and their confidence in Him will be strengthened because
He has kept them safe during this tumultuous time. The Lord promises, 49:25 that He will come to the rescue
of His faithful remnant and attack those who had attacked them. The Lord promises to save their children. In
rescuing them from their captives, the mighty and the tyrant, the Lord will release them. The words
“plunder” and “captives” are likely synonyms referring to those who have been taken captive by “mighty”
nations. Those who knew Israel’s past history would remember that the Lord had rescued His people,
including their children, from captivity in Egypt and punished Egypt with severe plagues that devastated the
nation. King David, many years before this prophecy of Isaiah prayed to God, Psalm 35:1-3:
1
Oppose, O LORD, those who oppose me;
fight against those who fight against me.
2
Take hold of shield and buckler;
rise up to help me.
3
Draw out the spear and javelin against those who pursue me.
Say to my soul, "I am your salvation."
Another psalmist also prayed as recorded in Psalm 43:1:
Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation;
deliver me from the one who is deceitful and unjust.
The Lord states in Isaiah 49:26, that those who oppress or contend with “you,” the faithful remnant, will be
dealt with very harshly. The implication is that the oppressors will fight against themselves and will “eat
their own flesh” and “they will get drunk with their own blood.” Ezekiel 38:17-23 is a description of what
some understand as referring to this time when those who oppose the people of God will fight among
themselves: 17 “This is what the sovereign LORD says: ‘Are you he of whom I spoke in former days by my
servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in that time for years that I would bring you against them? 18
On that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, says the sovereign LORD, my rage will be roused. 19
For in my jealousy and in the fury of my wrath have I spoken: Surely on that day there will be a great
earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the animals of the field, and all
creeping things that creep on the earth, and all people that are on the face of the earth, will quake at my
presence. The mountains will be thrown down, and the steep places collapse, and every wall will fall to the
ground. 21 I will call for a sword against Gog on all my mountains, says the sovereign LORD: every one's
sword will be against his brother. 22 With pestilence and with bloodshed I will judge him; and I will rain on
him, and on his troops, and on many peoples that are with him. It will be an torrential downpour, with great
hailstones, fire and brimstone. 23 This is how I will magnify myself and sanctify myself. I will make myself
known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”
The ultimate purpose for God’s actions, as stated in Isaiah 49:15-26 in response to the lament of His people
(49:14), is that “everyone will know that I am the LORD, your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of
Jacob,” 49:26. God acts so that His salvific purposes will be realized and that He will be known and
worshiped, not only by His covenant people but by peoples from all nations. One of God’s major roles for
His Servant is recorded in Isaiah 49:6b “I will also make you a light to the nations, that you may bring my
salvation to the ends of the earth.” In performing this task, God’s Servant, the Messiah would bring salvation
by making salvation available to the peoples of the earth through their faith in Him. The Servant would also
bring them the knowledge of glorious Lord of creation who is a savior, a redeemer and the Mighty One. See
486…..Isaiah 50:1
also Isaiah 11:9; 45:6; and Habakkuk 2:14. The plan of God included the Gentiles, who along with His own
people, will enjoy the benefits of the millennial rule of the Messiah.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 49
49:1-13 God’s Calling of the Servant
49:1-7 The Commissioning of the Servant
49:8-13 The Caregiving of the Servant
49:14-26 God Promises Blessings to Zion
49:14 The Complaint of God’s People
49:15-26 The Compassion of God for His People
3. God’s Compassion on the Servant: 50:1-11
The third Servant Song in Isaiah is declared in 50:4-11. The other Servant Songs are found in 42:1-9; 49:1-
13; and 52:13-53:12. The first three verses of chapter 50 are either a continuation of the response of God to
Israel’s complaint in 49:14 or an introduction to the Servant Song. The LORD, Yahweh has not put away His
people by divorce nor sold them to any creditor, vs.1. He has sought them and called them, but no one
responded to Him, 2a. The LORD reminded them that He has the power to redeem and deliver them for He
can dry up the sea and the rivers by a mere rebuke, 2b. He also is so powerful that He can cast the vast
heavens into darkness, vs. 3.
50:1 This is what the LORD says,
"Where is your mother's divorce certificate,
by which I have put her away?
Or to which of my creditors have I sold you?
Look, you were sold because of your sins,
and for your transgressions your mother was put away.
Within the context of chapters 49 and 50, it is best to understand 50:1-3 as a continuation of the Lord’s
response to the complaint of His people that He had forsaken and forgotten them, 49:14. The context of
chapter 49 is set in the far future days of the tribulation when the covenant people of God, in distress while
being held captive by tyrannical nations, complain that they have been abandoned by their Lord. The Lord
reassures them that He can never forget them for they are inscribed (engraved) on the palms of His hands and
their walls are continually before Him, 49:16. In this continued response to His people, 50:1-3, the Lord
reminds them that He has not put them away but is always present among them, although they did not
respond to Him. He also reminds them of His great power, so they have no need to have any doubts that He
has forsaken them.
In 50:1, the LORD asks two rhetorical questions. The first question concerns the existence of a divorce
certificate by which He has “put away” their mother. As this is a rhetorical question, it does not mean that
there was a literal mother, but it may refer to the people themselves as the “wife” of the Lord for they are His
covenant people, Isaiah 54:6, and 62:4-5. He has not issued a certificate of divorce. See Deuteronomy 24:1-4
for the laws regarding divorce. The Lord however, had symbolically written a “writ of divorce” to the
adulterous people of the northern kingdom of Israel, Jeremiah 3:8 but not to the people of Judah whom He
still, in Isaiah’s time, had not cast out because of their many sins. See Isaiah chapter 1 for a catalog of these
sins.
487…..Isaiah 50:1-2
The second question concerns the selling of His covenant people to a creditor. There is no one to whom the
Lord is in debt. He has no debts that would require selling any of His beloved possessions to cover any
amounts owed. Selling family members into slavery for debts owed was an unfortunate circumstance for
some in Israel’s history. See 2 Kings 4:1 and Nehemiah 5:1-5. The Lord has not done that to His people
whom He had just stated how much He cares for them, Isaiah 49:15-26. In the last sentence of 50:1, the Lord
states that in the past His people had been “sold” and “put away.” This could refer to situations described in
Judges 2:14; 3:8; 4:2; 10:7 and 1 Samuel 12:9. See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah Vol. 2, page 376. The past
“selling” and “putting away” of His people however was not permanent but was intended by God for them to
repent of their sins and return to Him in faith and obedience.
50:2 Why was no one there when I came?
Why did no one answer when I called?
Is my hand so weak that it cannot redeem?
Do I have no power to deliver?
Look, at my rebuke I can dry up the sea,
I can make the rivers into a desert;
their dead fish stink because there is no water,
and they die of thirst.
The Lord directs two sets of questions to His covenant people. The first two questions, 50:2a are similar and
directly address the complaint of His people recorded in 49:14. The people had complained that the Lord had
forsaken and forgotten them. The response of the Lord here is that He had come to them and called them, but
no one was present, and no one answered Him. In reality it was the people who had forsaken and forgotten
their sovereign LORD. The history of the people of Israel is unique because they are the only people to have
experienced God’s personal and visible presence when He accomplished many miraculous acts on their
behalf. For example, Isaiah had previously spoke of Egypt and God’s power, 43:16-17. They had forgotten
the plagues God had brought upon Egypt. They had forgotten the events of the first Passover, when the
firstborn of the Israelites were spared, but not those of the Egyptians. They had forgotten the parting of the
Red Sea saving their ancestors from re-capture by the Egyptian army. They had forgotten the giving of the
law at Sinai and the presence of the Lord, day and night during their sojourn in the desert wilderness and the
Lord’s provision of water and manna for them. They had forgotten the parting of the Jordan river upon their
entrance into the land of promise. So many other appearances of the Lord were also forgotten including the
most recent events, in Isaiah’s time, when the Lord’s angel destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers, thus saving
the city of Jerusalem and its inhabitants, Isaiah 37:36. In a later day, their own descendants would also not
heed the presence of the Servant, their Messiah during His first advent. Not only would they not listen to
Him, but they would reject Him and demand His death.
In the second half of Isaiah 50:2, the Lord asks the second set of two questions. He first, asks His covenant
people if His hand is so weak that it cannot redeem and second, does He have no power to deliver? God often
uses an anthropological example as a teaching lesson. He discusses His “hand” in Isaiah 1:25; 5:12, 25; 9:12,
17, 21; 10:4, 10, 13, 14; 11:11, 15; 14:26, 27; 19:16,25; 23:11; 25:10; 26:11; 28:2; 29:23; 31:3; 34:17; 40:2,
12; 41:10, 20; 43:13; 45:11, 12; 48:13; 49:2, 16, 22; 50:2, 11; 51:16, 17; 53:10; 59:1; 60:21; 62:3, 8; 64:8;
65:2; 66:2 and 14. Of these occurrences, a few stand out of examples of His mighty power, such as that of
41:10:
Do not be afraid,
for I am with you;
do not be troubled,
for I am your God.
488…..Isaiah 50:2-3
I will strengthen you;
yes, I will help you;
yes, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Also, similar to the words of Isaiah 50:2 is Isaiah’s declaration in 59:1:
Look, the LORD's hand is not too short, that it cannot save,
nor is his ear so deaf, that it cannot hear.
The Lord speaks of His mighty arm in Isaiah 30:30; 40:10, 11; 48:14; 51:5, 9; 52:10; 53:1; 59:16; 62:8; 63:5
and 12. Of these 40:10; 59:16 and 63:5 are powerful examples of what His arm has wrought. The Lord
speaks of His eyes in Isaiah 1:15; 11:3; 22:4 and 37:17; and of seeing in 37:17; 38:5; and 63:15. He speaks of
His ears in 37:17, 29; and 59:1; and of hearing in 30:19; 37;17; 38:5; 59:2 and 65:24. He speaks of His face
in Isaiah 8:17; 54:8; 57:17; 59:2; 64:7; and 65:3. Mention of the Lord’s heart is found in Isaiah 63:15. The
above verses are examples (not exhaustive) of the use of anthropological terminology in Isaiah to describe
the relationship between the Lord and humans. Without this terminology, it would be difficult to for humans
to understand the intentions of God as He deals with people.
In Isaiah 50:2, the intention of the Lord is very clear. The Lord is all-powerful and will accomplish all that
His “hand” has determined. He states in 50:2 that He has the power to “redeem”. The Hebrew word for
“redeem” is peduth which has the meaning of to redeem or to ransom. The Hebrew word peduth only occurs
in the Old Testament in Exodus 8:23; Psalm 111:9; 130:7; and Isaiah 50:2. It has a close meaning with padah
which is also closely associated with ga’al, which occurs often in Isaiah as referencing the redemption by the
Lord as Israel’s family or kinsmen Redeemer. The word “deliver” is the Hebrew natsal, which occurs often
in Isaiah, 5:29; 19:20; 20:6; 31:5; 36:18; 19, 20; 36:14, 15 (twice), 18, 20; 37:11; 38:6; 42:22; 43:13; 44:17,
20; 47:14; 50:2; and 57:13. It has the meaning of deliver and rescue. In Isaiah 50:2, it has the meaning of
God’s power to deliver His people from danger or from their enemies. God asks a negative rhetorical
question which has a positive answer: “Do I have no power to deliver?” The obvious positive response is,
yes God does have the power to deliver them. They could realize this deliverance if only they would
acknowledge Him and respond to Him in faith.
The Lord adds to these rhetorical questions, 50:2 with a statement of fact. He commands them to “look,”
(DASV) which is rightfully translated as “behold” in the KJV, NASB and ESV. The word “behold is also a
better translation for “look” in 50:1 in the DASV. What God’s covenant people are to “behold” is His ability
to make the sea and the rivers dry as He has done in the past by drying up the Red Sea as their ancestors were
leaving Egypt and the Jordan River as they were entering the land of promise. If God has the power to
control nature, He certainly can deliver His people from harm and redeem them. God had just stated, 49:25-
26, that He can release His people who have been held captives by the mighty and from tyrants. The Servant
of God, the Messiah also demonstrated this divine power over nature. See Matthew 8:23-27 and 14:22-33.
50:3 I clothe the heavens with blackness,
and I make sackcloth their covering.
The Lord continues His response to their complaint that He had forsaken and forgotten them, 49:14, by
another statement of His power over His creation. Not only does the Lord have ultimate power over the earth
and all it contains, He can also command the heavens, which are infinite, to be covered (clothed) with
blackness as if they had been covered with sackcloth. He had done than in the past, Exodus 10:21-28 (plague
of darkness). He will do this again in the future, in the day of the Lord, just preceding the return of the
Messiah, Isaiah 13:9-10; Joel 2:30-31; 3:15; Matthew 24:29-31; Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-28; Acts 2:17-
489…..Isaiah 50:4-11 Introduction
21; and Revelation 6:12-17. With such displays of God’s awesome power over His creation, God had
convincingly shown that He can deliver His people from any harm and bring redemption to them. They did
not acknowledge Him or respond to Him when He came to them, 50:2. This statement can be understood as a
prophetical future occurrence of the Messiah’s first advent. Would they acknowledge Him following the
events of the great tribulation? The Scriptures attest that, at the time of the coming of the terrifying “Day of
the Lord,” and when their situation is hopeless because they are completely surrounded by their enemies,
they will repent of their sins, acknowledge that they had rejected their Messiah and mourn for Him, and will
call upon Him to return and rescue them. Only then will their Messiah come and rescue them.
The Third Servant Song: 50:4-11
The Servant Songs in Isaiah, 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12, provide much detail about: the task
given to the Servant, by His heavenly Father; the enablement the Heavenly Father has given to the Servant to
complete the task; the mind-set of the Servant regarding the task including the suffering the Servant would
endure in completing the task; and the result of this task being completed. The first two Servant Songs, 42:1-
9 and 49:1-13 have been discussed in some detail in this Study of Isaiah. The following is a brief summary.
In the first Servant Song, the Father biographically, describes the Servant’s meekness by His not crying out
nor raising His voice 42:2; not breaking a bruised reed, nor extinguishing a faintly burning wick 42:3; and
not growing faint (being disheartened) nor discouraged 42:4. The first Servant Song also describes the task of
the Servant as bringing forth justice to the nations 42:3-4; bringing teaching to the coastlands (nations of the
earth) 42:4; being a covenant for the people 42:6; being a light for the nations 42:6; opening the eyes of the
bling 42:7; releasing the prisoners from dungeons 42:7; and releasing prisoners from darkness 42:7. The
Servant will be able to accomplish these tasks because the Father will put His spirit upon the Servant 42:1;
the Father will lead the Servant “by the hand” and protect the Servant 42:6, for He will call the Servant in
righteousness 42:6.
In the second Servant Song, the Servant speaks autobiographically, of His mind set, regarding the task, His
heavenly Father has given to Him. He laments that He has labored in vain, 49:4; and spent His strength for
nothing, resulting in futility, 49:4. The task given to the Servant is described by the Father biographically as
raising up the tribes of Judah 49:6; restoring the survivors of Israel, 49:6; and this is called “insignificant” by
the Father and He describes a more wide-ranging task of making the Servant a light to the nations, 49:6; and
bringing salvation to the ends of the earth, 49:6. The Servant was also to be a covenant for the people,49:8; to
restore their land, 49:8; and to re-establish the people’s desolate places which is their inheritance, 49:8. The
Servant would also free captive prisoners, 49:9 and release those who are hidden in dark places (prisons),
49:9. The Father of the Servant has enabled the Servant to accomplish these tasks by making His mouth like
a sharp sword, 49:2; hiding the Servant in the shadow of His hand, 49:2; making the Servant like a polished
arrow, 49:2; and has put Him into His quiver, 49:2. The Father has formed the Servant in the womb (of his
earthly mother) to be His Servant, 49:1 and 5; and Has given the Servant His strength, 49:5. The Father has
also responded to the Servant and has helped and protected Him, 49:8.
The result of the task being completed by the Servant is described by the Father, biographically as although
the Servant will be despised and abhorred by the nations, 49:7 and although the Servant will serve rulers,
49:7, Kings will see Him and rise up in respect to Him, 49:7; and Princes will bow down before the Servant
49:7. By completing these tasks, including the re-gathering of the faithful remnant from all nations, 49:9-12,
the LORD (Yahweh), will bring comfort and show compassion to His afflicted people 49:13. As a result, the
heavens will sing and the peoples of the earth will be joyful, 49:13. This will happen because the Father
explains that the faithful LORD, who is the Holy One of Israel has chosen the Servant, 49:7, (to accomplish
His purposes).
490…..Isaiah 50:4
Between the second and third Servant Song, 49:14–50:3, there is a connecting passage in which the Lord
responds to a complaint by His people stated in 49:14. God’s people claim that the Lord and forgotten and
forsaken them. The response to this complaint by the Lord, includes: first, a word of comfort that He has not
nor ever will forget or forsake His people, 49:15-18; second, a word of promise that He will repopulate their
land, 49:19-21; third, a word of hope that He will re-gather the faithful from powerful and tyrannical captors,
49:22-24; fourth, a word of salvation that He will redeem His people, 49:25-26; and fifth, a word of
permanence that He will not divorce or sell out His people for He is all powerful, 50:1-3.
The third Servant Song, Isaiah 50:4-11, describes the Servant’s autobiographical declaration of His
obedience to the sovereign LORD (His Father), 50:4-5; the sufferings He will endure in carrying out His
responsibilities, 50:6; and the help He will receive from the sovereign LORD, so He will not be disgraced or
condemned but vindicated, 50:7-9. The third Servant Song also includes an exhortation, (the words of the
Servant declared by Isaiah), to the covenant people to fear the LORD and obey the voice of the Servant,
50:10-11.
50:4 The sovereign LORD has given me the tongue of a teacher,
so that I may know how to sustain those who are weary with words.
Morning by morning he wakes me up,
he wakens my ear to hear like those who are taught.
The sovereign LORD has given me the tongue of a teacher, (first phrase of Isaiah 50:4)
The sovereign LORD (Adonay Yahweh) also translated as “Lord GOD”, is the One from whom the Servant
(me) receives an instructed tongue. “Sovereign LORD” occurs also in 50:5, 7 and 9 as an emphatic notice
that it is no other than Yahweh, the great “I AM” who is the self-sufficient, omnipresent God, who is also
Adonay, the sovereign and mighty Lord. There should be no doubt as to the authority from whom the Servant
receives His abilities, help and enacting right to perform His assigned tasks. Isaiah 50:4 states that the
sovereign LORD gives these things to “me.” The word “me” has the capital ‘M” in the NKJV and NASB, to
indicate the translator’s identification of “me” as being someone who is considered to be God. In 50:10, the
voice to be obeyed is that of the Servant, whom is the speaker of the words, “me,” “I,” and ‘my” recorded
throughout 50:4-11. Although there have been many who have attempted to identify this person as some
other historical person or even as the nation Israel, there can be no other person who best fits this Servant as
the Messiah, the One who is revealed in the New Testament as the Lord Jesus Christ. Taken cumulatively,
the four Servant Songs in Isaiah, 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12, pinpoint the identity of this
person as the Messiah with exact and convincing detail. The words of the Servant in this first phrase of 50:4,
as in most of the content of the four Servant Songs, describes the period of the Messiah’s first advent when
He was on the earth as the “God man.”
The words of the DASV in 50:4, “the tongue of a teacher” is translated as “the tongue of the learned” in the
KJV and NKJV, as “an instructed tongue” in the NIV and “the tongue of disciples” in the NASB. The word
translated as “teacher” in the DASV is the Hebrew word “limmud” which has the meaning of “disciple” or
“taught.” It also occurs later in vs. 4 translated in the DASV as “taught.” This word also occurs in Isaiah
8:16, 54:13; Jeremiah 2:24 and 13:23.
To enable the Servant to complete the task assigned to Him, the sovereign LORD equipped His Son, the
Messiah with instruction, as a master would teach a disciple. The Father sent the Spirit to “rest upon” His
Son, as prophesized in Isaiah 11:2 and as fulfilled in the New Testament in Matthew 3:16-17; Mark 1:9-11;
Luke 3:21-22; and John 1:29-34. Also, this instruction likely came during long periods of intimate fellowship
491…..Isaiah 50:4-5
between the Father and His Son, when Jesus withdrew Himself from others for prayer, Matthew 14:23;
26:36-46; Mark 6:45-46; Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:18, 28-29; 11:1; and 22:39-46.
so that I may know how to sustain those who are weary with words, (second phrase of Isaiah 50:4)
The Servant was given an instructed tongue to be able to proclaim the very words God intended. A brief
perusal of the Gospel of John reveals this relationship, John 5:36; 8:28, 38; 10:18, 37-38; 12:49-50; and
14:31. An example of this relationship is seen in John 12:49-50: 49 For I did not speak from myself; but the
Father who sent me, he has given me a commandment about what I should say and what I should speak. 50 I
know that his commandment is life eternal. The things therefore which I speak, are just what the Father has
told to me to say."
In the second Servant Song, the Servant proclaims that “He made my mouth like a sharp sword,” 49:2. The
sovereign LORD equipped the Servant, the Messiah to use the words of His mouth to accomplish the task the
LORD had ordained for His Son. In 50:4 a segment of this task is revealed. It is to use the Servant’s words
“to sustain those who are weary.” At times, the words of the Messiah at His first advent, were sharp with the
declaration of judgment, Matthew 18:7 and at other times, these words were gentle and sustaining as seen for
example in Matthew 11:28-30, 28 “Come to me, all you who labor (are weary) and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” This ministry of the Messiah,
in using His words to sustain the weary and the weak, was witnessed during His first advent and is present
now as He leads His church and this ministry will continue into His millennial kingdom as prophesized by
Isaiah in 40:29-31:
29
He gives strength to the weary;
to the weak he increases strength.
30
Even youths will faint and grow weary,
and vigorous young men fall exhausted,
31
but those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength;
they will mount up with wings like eagles;
they will run, and not grow weary;
they will walk, and not faint.
All who are discouraged, who are weak in heart and body, and who are in weariness due to their life
circumstances can seek the Lord directly and find help, strength and encouragement to overcome any
obstacle and difficulty. He lives eternally to intercede for those who draw near to Him (Hebrews 7:25).
Morning by morning he wakes me up,
he wakens my ear to hear like those who are taught. (third and fourth phrases of Isaiah 50:4)
The intimate relationship between the sovereign LORD and the Servant, the Messiah is described in terms of
a family relationship. The Father awakens His Son each morning so that the Son can receive fresh words of
instruction for the coming day. The word “taught” is the same Hebrew word limmud as “teacher” in the first
sentence of 50:4. The Son is a faithful recipient of the words of His Father. He not only listens but obeys His
Father’s instruction as He testifies, as recorded in the New Testament.
50:5 The sovereign LORD has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
nor did I turn back.
492…..Isaiah 50:5-6
As in Isaiah 50:4, the Servant states that it was the sovereign LORD who was the divine authority who spoke
to Him. His Father opened His ear, 50:5, to give Him instruction regarding His earthly task to which He was
obedient and was not rebellious. King David had written many hundreds of years earlier, as recorded in
Psalm 40:6-8:
6
You have no delight in sacrifice and offering;
you have opened my ears,
you have not required burnt offerings and sin offerings.
7
Then I said, "Look, I have come;
in the scroll of the book it is written about me,
8
'I delight to do your will, O my God;
your law is in my heart.'"
The author of Hebrews, in 10:5-7 applied these verses to the Messiah who was obedient by doing the will of
the Father. This obedience meant that salvation was accomplished on behalf of all people by the death of
Jesus Christ on the cross, as the Apostle Paul stated, as recorded in Philippians 2:8, “He humbled himself,
becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross.” The Apostle John records the words of the Messiah,
in John 8:28-29, regarding His obedience that led to His death on the cross: 28 Then Jesus said, "When you
have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but I speak
only the things that the Father has taught me. 29 The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,
for I always do the things that are pleasing to him." John also recorded the words of the Messiah, in John
14:31: “I am doing what the Father commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.” John
later recorded the words of the Messiah in 15:10, “If you obey my commandments, you will remain in my
love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commandments and remain in his love.” The author of Hebrews,
writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, revealed why the Messiah did not turn back from completing
His assigned task, even though it brought Him much suffering, “Looking to Jesus the leader and perfecter of
our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and has sat
down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such hostility from sinners against
himself, so that you do not grow weary and give up.” Hebrews 12:2-3.
As a result of His obedience “unto death, even death on a cross,” Philippians 2:8, the Servant was exalted by
God as Philippians 2:9-11 state: “Consequently God highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is
above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven, on earth and under the
earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The
obedience of the Servant led to a cruel death upon a Roman cross from which the Servant did not rebel
against nor turn away from. His obedience, however, was rewarded with the “joy that was set before Him,”
Hebrews 12:2; and to exaltation in heaven which ultimately was for the glory of His Father, Philippians 2:9-
11. Another purpose of the Servant’s obedience was that it served as an example to those who have faith in
Him, so they would have strength to endure and also to not turn back from their tasks that have been given to
them by the Messiah, “the race that is set before us,” Hebrews 12:1.
50:6 I gave my back to those who beat me,
and my cheeks to those who ripped out my beard;
I did not hide my face from insults and spitting.
The Servant explains some details of what He was to endure as a result of not turning back or rebelling
against the will of the sovereign LORD. He willingly (“I gave” and “I did not hide”) presented Himself to
physical abuse which is described as being beaten on His back; having His beard ripped from His cheeks and
493…..Isaiah 50:6-7
facing insults and spitting on His face. There can be no doubt that the cumulative evidence, revealed in the
Servant Songs, point to only one person who would fulfill at the prophecies about His calling, the tasks
assigned to Him, the enabling of the Servant by the sovereign LORD, His obedience in completing these
tasks and the suffering He endured in completing these tasks. This person, described in Isaiah as the Servant,
could only have been the One, who is revealed in the New Testament, as the Son of God, the Messiah, the
Lord Jesus Christ.
The abuse of the Servant in the manner spoken of in Isaiah 50:6 was fulfilled literally during the time of the
suffering of the Messiah just prior to His death on the cross. See: Matthew 26:67-68; 27:26-31; Mark 14:65;
15:16-20; Luke 22:63-65; John 18:22-23; and 19:1-3. These verses describe in graphic detail the beatings, the
mocking and the insults He patiently and willingly endured without complaint. Psalm 22 is another prophetic
passage describing the suffering and death of the Messiah which was accurately fulfilled as recorded in the
New Testament.
The Servant in the second Servant Song, 49:1-13, had introduced the suffering He would endure. In 49:4 the
Servant laments, “I have labored in vain; I have spent my strength for nothing, only futility.” In 49:7, the
LORD addresses the Servant: “to one who is despised, to one whom the nations abhor, to one who is a
servant of rulers.” There was only a hint of suffering or harm that may come to the Servant in the first
Servant Song in the promise the sovereign LORD gives to the Servant in 42:6, “I will take you by the hand
and protect you.” However, the suffering of the Servant and its purpose is extensively revealed in the fourth
Servant Song, 52:13-52:12. The progression of the revelation of the suffering of the Servant is seen as each
Servant Song is declared by Isaiah. The final Servant Song will not only describe this suffering in greater
detail but will also describe the salvific purposes that God has ordained that will result from the suffering of
the Servant. Isaiah 50:5-6 reveals the willingness of the Servant to suffer but the fourth Servant Song will
reveal the purpose and the pleasure of God in this suffering.
50:7 For the sovereign LORD will help me;
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore I have set my face like a flint,
and I know that I will not be put to shame.
For the sovereign LORD will help me; (first phrase of 50:7)
The Servant next reveals that the task giver, the sovereign LORD will help Him. This declaration of help is
repeated in 50:9. The LORD declares his support for the Servant in 42:1. In 42:6, the LORD states that He
will help the Servant by taking Him by the hand and protecting Him. In 49:5 the Servant states that God is
His strength. In 49:8, the LORD states, “In the time of my favor, I answered you; and in a day of salvation, I
helped you. I will protect you.” One aspect of this “help” is described in 50:4 as: “Morning by morning he
wakes me up, he wakens my ear to hear like those who are taught.” The intimacy between the sovereign
LORD and the Servant is prophesized by Isaiah and fulfilled in the New Testament. An example of this
intimacy is recorded in John 1:18 (NKJV), “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is
in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”
I will not be disgraced, (second phrase of 50:7)
The suffering of the Servant, described in 50:6, would have been understood by Isaiah’s audience as a sign of
deserved punishment, disgrace and disrespect. See for example Deuteronomy 25:2 describing beatings for
punishment as declared by a judge; spitting in the face, indicating shame, Numbers 12:14; and cursing and
494…..Isaiah 50:7-8
the pulling out of hair for acts of evilness, Nehemiah 13:25. These examples are suggested by Gary V. Smith,
Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 382. In spite of the afflictions, the Servant will receive, He declares that with the help of
the sovereign LORD, He will not be disgraced. Disgraced is the Hebrew word, kalam, which has the meaning
of being humiliated, being ashamed, or being confounded, because of one’s actions. The word kalam occurs
a few times in Isaiah, 41:11; 45:16, 17; 50:7; and 54:4. The beatings, ripping out of the beard, spitting in the
face and the insults afflicted upon the Servant, however would not lead to disgrace or humiliation as the
sovereign LORD would be the Servant’s help and strength. These sufferings have a divine salvific purpose
which is revealed in the fourth Servant Song, Isaiah 52:13-53:12. The Servant can endure them with
confidence and with the certainty that He will be vindicated, 50:8. See notes on 50:6 above.
Therefore I have set my face like a flint, (third phrase of 50:7)
With the help and strength that the Servant will receive from the sovereign LORD, the suffering He will
receive will not deter Him from completing the assigned tasks given to Him, 42:1, 6-7; 49:5-6, 8-13; 50:4.
He will willingly and resolutely face these sufferings for He describes that He has set His face like flint. The
word flint is the Hebrew challamish, which refers to a very hard silica rock which is harder than steel and
was used as an abrasive. Reference: The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, Vol. 2, page 548.
The word flint, challamish occurs a few times in the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 8:15; 32:13; Job 28:9
(marginal note); Psalm 114:8 and Isaiah 50:7. The likely fulfillment of this prophecy is found in Luke 9:51
(KJV): “when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to
Jerusalem.” The Servant would not be rebellious and would not turn back, 50:5 from facing the affliction He
knew was awaiting Him in Jerusalem.
And I know that I will not be put to shame. (fourth phrase of 50:7)
The Servant can face the suffering awaiting Him because He knew that the sovereign LORD was with Him
and would take His hand and would help and protect Him so that He could complete the tasks assigned to
Him. By steadfastly setting His face to the sufferings that awaited Him, Luke 9:51 the Servant knew that He
would not be put to shame and that these sufferings would accomplish the great plan of God, established
before the foundation of the world. This divine plan of God, although it meant suffering and death for the
Servant (and His resurrection to life), would accomplish the means of eternal salvation for all who will put
their faith in the Servant, John 3:14-16, 1 Corinthians 15:1-4.
50:8 The one who vindicates me is near.
Who will make accusations against me?
Let us confront each other.
Who is my adversary?
Let him come near to challenge me.
The one who vindicates me is near, (first phrase of 50:8)
The Servant could face the sufferings to come because of the nearness of the sovereign LORD who will help
Him, and He will not be put to shame nor be disgraced, 50:7. See notes on 50:4- 7 for a brief discussion on
the relationship between the Servant and the sovereign LORD and how it relates to the willingness of the
Servant to face the coming sufferings. In 50:8 the confidence of the Servant is evident in His statement that
the one who vindicates Him is near. Bracketing 50:8 is the statement in 50:7 and 9 that the sovereign LORD
will help Him. This helps to identify the “one” who is near who vindicates the Servant. The word vindicates
is the Hebrew sadeq, which has the meaning of, to be just or righteous and to be acquitted. Elliot E. Johnson
comments on the meaning of “vindicates.”
495…..Isaiah 50:8
“Vindicates” is a forensic term meaning ‘brings a verdict of innocent: He who vindicates me is the
one who accounts me righteous.’ (Elliot E. Johnson, Isaiah 50:4-11: The Mission of the Servant in a
Darkened World, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, page 958.)
The word sadeq occurs in Isaiah (DASV) in 5:23 (acquit); 43:9 (proven right); 43:26 (innocence); 45:25
(vindicated); 50:8 (vindicates); and 53:11 (justify). In all occurrences of sadeq in the KJV it is translated as
justify or justified. The word sadeq occurs in the fourth Servant Song in a highly significant verse 53:11:
As a result of the anguish of his soul,
he will see and be satisfied.
By his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their sins. (bold intentional)
The sovereign Lord will vindicate (sadeq) the Servant for the Servant will justify (sadeq) many. The
suffering of the Servant described as the anguish of His soul, is explained in detail in the fourth Servant Song
52:13-53:12. The Servant’s suffering will result in salvation being accomplished for the people of the world,
for all who believe in the Servant, the Lord Jesus Christ. By this suffering, the Servant will have satisfied the
sovereign Lord’s righteous demand for a propitiation which is an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world.
The sovereign LORD will accept the atoning sacrifice of the One who is called the Servant in Isaiah and is
revealed as the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament. His sacrifice, once for all, is sufficient
for all the sins of the world’s people and directly applicable for those who believe in Him. It is described in
Isaiah 53:11 as the Servant will “justify many and he will bear their sins.” Throughout all the days of the
Servant’s anguish and suffering, He will be comforted and strengthened by the sovereign LORD, the One
who is near.
Who will make accusations against me? (second phrase of 50:8)
Because the sovereign LORD vindicates Him, the Servant can boldly ask, who is qualified enough, or
righteous enough, or exalted enough to make any accusations against Him? The Servant calls upon anyone in
the world, living in the past, present or future, to state any case of accusation against Him. The words appear
to be in a courtroom setting. See also 41:1; 43:8-13. The word “accusations” is the Hebrew rib, which has the
meaning of to strive or contend against. In the DASV, rib is translated in Isaiah as 1:17 (plead); 3:13
(accusation); 27:8 (contend); 45:9 (argues); 49:25 (attack); 50:8 (accusations); 51:22 (pleads) and 57:16
(accusations). The Servant is asking who is supremely qualified enough to bring any charge or contention or
accusations against Him. This rhetorical question is coupled to a similar question later in 50:8: “who is my
adversary?” The answer to both of these questions is a resounding silence!
Let us confront each other. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to challenge me. (final phrases of 50:8)
No one has the authority to stand up to confront the Servant to bring any accusation or charge against Him.
He has been vindicated by being declared just and righteous by the sovereign LORD of the universe. He will
face suffering and affliction as one who has been punished, Isaiah 53:4-5. But this punishment, even to death,
will be in accordance with the good pleasure of the LORD, Isaiah 53:10 for it is the LORD who has smitten
and afflicted Him, Isaiah 53:4. Therefore, since the Servant’s “punishment” has been at the hand of the
sovereign LORD and the LORD has vindicated the Servant, who in all the universe can or could lay any
charge against the Servant. The Servant asks, if there is such a person, (and there is none), let this person
come forward to be confronted by One who is called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace,” Isaiah 9:6. There will be no confrontation.
496…..Isaiah 50:9-10
50:9 The sovereign LORD helps me.
Who is he who will condemn me?
Look, they all will wear out like a garment,
the moth will eat them up.
The Servant again, as in 50:7 declares that He receives help from the sovereign LORD. With this help, who
in all the universe has the ability, authority or the acumen to condemn the Servant. Like the rhetorical
questions in 50:8, this question in 50:9, “who is he who will condemn me?” also is answered with deafening
silence, for there is no one, not even one, who has any cause to lay any charge of condemnation against Him.
Those who are so full of hubris and evilness who think they can lay any charge against the Servant will not
last but face certain death, for they are but a created being and cannot stand against the One who is the
Almighty. Those who presume to condemn the Servant will “wear out like a garment” for as a garment, “the
moth will eat them up.” In Isaiah 51:7-8, the Servant proclaims:
7
Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
the people who have my law in their heart.
Do not be afraid of the insults of men,
nor fear their mocking.
8
For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,
and my salvation to all generations.
The Servant, the Messiah is truly eternal. He has no beginning nor end. He has everlasting righteousness,
and against Him no one can bring any charge or accusation. In Isaiah 50:4-9, the Servant proclaims that He is
vindicated by the sovereign LORD who helps Him and will not allow Him to be put to shame or disgraced.
His sufferings and afflictions will, as explained in the fourth Servant Song, Isaiah 52:13-53:12, result in the
completion of His task, that of being the One who will take upon Himself the sins of the world so that
salvation will be accomplished and sufficient all and applicable for those who will believe in Him. In this
task, He will be punished for sins He did not commit and bring salvation to those who did not deserve it, nor
could accomplish the work of salvation for themselves. His act of grace freely bestowed on the entire human
race, brought Him the vindication of His Father, the sovereign LORD who has declared Him to be righteous.
Therefore no one can bring any charge against Him. With the words of 50:9, the autobiographical testimony
of the work of the Servant is completed in the third Servant Song. In 50:10-11, the Servant turns His
attention to those who will hear or read the writings of the prophet. They are called to trust in and rely upon
the LORD.
50:10 Who among you fears the LORD?
Who obeys the voice of his servant?
Anyone who walks in darkness,
and has no light,
let them trust in the name of the LORD,
and rely upon his God.
The focus of this third Servant Song changes in 50:10-11 as the Servant (Messiah) addresses those who will
either hear or read the message of Isaiah. The prophet records the words of One who will suffer humiliation,
affliction and death to bring salvation to those who cannot save themselves and who will be condemned if
they attempt such folly. The Servant first asks two questions of those “among you” which is likely addressed
497…..Isaiah 50:10
to Isaiah’s audience in Judah who are God’s covenant people. The first question is, “Who among you fears
the LORD?” The word “fears” is the Hebrew yare, (Strong’s # 3373) which has the meaning of fear or being
terrified. It is similar to yare (Strong’s # 3372) with the meaning of fear, being in awe of God and acting in
holy reverence to Him. Those who are God’s covenant people who knew the books of Scripture would have
known from an early age the command of the Lord to fear Him, Leviticus, 19:14; 25:17; Deuteronomy 6:2,
13, 24; and 31:12. See also Psalm 33:8. In Isaiah 8:13, the prophet had declared the words of God:
The LORD of hosts is the one you must recognize as holy,
and let him be your fear,
and let him be your dread.
Isaiah also declared in Isaiah 59:19:
So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west,
and revere his glory from the rising of the sun.
There is also another dimension to “fear” which may prevent the worshipper of God from coming to Him or
cause the worshipper to be afraid in His presence. Isaiah addresses this situation in several places in his
prophecy. These “fear not” admonitions are intended to give those seeking God a sense of comfort and trust
in their God. See Isaiah 35:4; 41:10, 13, 14; 43:1, 5 and 44:2. See also Jeremiah 30:10.
The second question of Isaiah 50:10 is, “Who obeys the voice of his servant?” These two questions are related
as the result of fearing the Lord is surely obeying Him (Messiah). The word “obeys” is the Hebrew shama,
which has the meaning of “to hear” (most often occurrence in the OT), “agrees with,” “discerns,” and
“obedience.” Of the many occurrences in Isaiah of shama, it is translated as obedience, or similar word in,
1:19; 30:9; 42:24; and 50:10.
In Isaiah 1:18-19, obedience and willingness are equated with trusting in the LORD:
18
"Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD.
"Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall be like wool.
19
If you are willing and obedient,
you will eat the good of the land.
A clear statement of not being obedient to the LORD is stated in Isaiah 42:24:
23
Who is there among you who will listen to this?
Who will pay attention and hear in the time to come?
24
Who gave Jacob up for spoil,
and Israel to the robbers?
Was it not the LORD
against whom we have sinned?
In whose ways they refused to walk,
and whose law they would not obey.
498…..Isaiah 50:10-11
The latter half of Isaiah 50:10 provides hope for those who walk in darkness:
Anyone who walks in darkness,
and has no light,
let them trust in the name of the LORD,
and rely upon his God.
This is not the darkness of sinfulness or of those who have been blinded by Satan, 2 Corinthians 4:4, but that
which Isaiah spoke about as recorded in 9:2; and which king David experienced and wrote about in Psalm
23: 4. Followers of the Lord who experience times of little or no light to guide them and face uncertainty in
the direction they should walk are to simply trust in and rely upon the Lord. The people of Judah will lament
in a future day that the Lord has forgotten and forsaken them, Isaiah 49:14. They will have Isaiah 50:10 and
many other Scripture passages to lead them in their darkness. For example, one such passage they should
know by heart is Psalm 119:105, Your word is a lamp to my feet, and light to my path. The ultimate reason
why the people of God should trust and rely upon Him is that their Messiah is the light of the world, John
1:9; 8:12, 9:5, 12:46; 2 Corinthians 4:4. Those who trust in the Servant, their Messiah, their Redeemer and
Savior, will no longer walk in darkness but will have the abiding divine light to guide them. Their obedience
to the word of the Lord will ensure they will not stumble or fall but walk with confidence and assurance that
they will complete their journey to the praise and glory of the Lord.
50:11 Look, all you who light a fire,
that equip yourselves with burning torches;
walk in the light of your fire,
and among the torches that you have ignited.
This is what you will have from my hand;
you will lie down in torment.
The result of not trusting in nor relying upon the Lord is explained by the Servant in 50:11. Instead of
looking to their Messiah who is the “light of the world” (see notes on vs. 10), those who choose to walk their
own way in their own strength and by their own “light” a burning torch, will end up being burned or torched
by this light source. In other words, they will reap what they sow. If they light their own fires they will be
consumed by them. They will “lie down in torment.” The word torment is the Hebrew, maatsebah, which
occurs only in this verse and has the meaning of “a place of pain” The last verse of the prophecy of Isaiah,
66:24, describes this place, “They will go out, and look on the corpses of those who have rebelled against me;
for their worms will not die, neither will their fire be extinguished. They will be abhorred by all humanity."
See also Jeremiah 19:6; Matthew 25:41; Mark 9:47-48; and Revelation 20:14-15.
For an extended discussion of Isaiah 50:4-11, see Elliott E. Johnson, Isaiah 50:4-11: The Mission of the
Servant in a Darkened World, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, pages 953-960.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 50
50:1-3 The Sovereign Redeems
50:4-5 The Obedience of the Servant
50:6 The Suffering of the Servant
50:7-9 The Vindication of the Servant
50:10-11 The Servant Redeems
499…..Isaiah 51:1
4. God’s Comfort for His People: 51:1-23
Following the third Servant Song, Isaiah brings messages of hope, comfort and redemption for the people of
God which leads directly to the fourth Servant Song. The section 51:1 to 52:12 can be understood as a single
prophetic unit which prepares the audience for the climax of great plan of God in willing His Servant to
suffer and die sacrificially for the sins of the world. This study of Isaiah will look at this section in two larger
units, first, God’s Comfort for His People, 51:1-23 and second, God Promises Good News to His People,
52:1-12 including smaller sections within these two larger units. The section 51:1-52:12, contains several
imperative commands such as listen: 51:1, 4, 7, and 21 (hear this); look: 51:1-2, 6 and 22; wake up: 51:9; 17
and 52:1; and depart: 52:11. These commands are connectors to the previous section, 50:1-11 and to the
following section 52:13-53:12 which makes Isaiah 51:1-52:12 an important bridge linking two units which
describe the suffering of the Servant and God’s plan for salvation for the people of the world.
A: The Redeeming Lord: 51:1-8
The first paragraph, 51:1-8 of the larger section 51:1-52:12 contain three imperative commands from the
LORD to listen to Him: vss. 1, 4 and 7; and three commands to look: vss. 1, 2 and 6. These six imperative
commands define this paragraph as God’s directive to His people to pay attention to what He is saying and to
consider the examples He is providing. The intent of God as recorded in these verses is to bring to their
attention the example of Abraham and Sarah to whom God blessed vss. 1-2, and thereby assuring His people
that He will comfort Zion, His people vs. 3; and make Zion like Eden and bring joy and gladness to Zion, vs.
3. This along with the other indicators in these verses point to a time just prior to the second advent of the
Messiah and His establishment of His kingdom. God will also ensure that His law will go forth from Zion as
well as His justice which will be a light for the world, vs. 4. God also assures them that His righteous is near
them and His salvation has been sent out, so the nations of the world will have hope in Him, vs. 5. God
contrasts the present heavens and the earth which will not last with His righteous and salvation which will
last forever, vs. 6. Finally, God implores His covenant people to not be afraid of the insults or mocking of
men for they will perish and again God states that His righteousness and salvation will last forever, vss. 7-8.
In this short paragraph, 51:1-8, the Lord reminds His audience of things that belong to Him:
My people (vs. 4); My nation (vs. 4); My righteousness (vss. 5, 6, 8); My salvation (vss. 5, 6, 8); My justice
(vs. 4); My arm (vs.5); and My law (vs. 7).
51:1 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
you who seek the LORD.
Look to the rock you were chiseled out of,
and to the quarry from which you were dug.
The setting of this prophetic section, 51:1-52:12 is most likely just prior to the second advent of the Messiah,
near the end of the tribulation period, when the comfort the Lord will give to Zion is near. The Lord states
that He will make Zion and its surrounding wilderness like Eden vs. 3, which has not yet happened and was
certainly not a promise about the post-exile days of Jerusalem when the exiles returned from Babylon. The
Lord also stated that the heavens and earth vs. 6, will not last, and He will judge the peoples of the earth, vs.
5. The Lord continues to respond to the question and lament of His people Zion, 49:14 who complain that the
Lord has forsaken and forgotten them. His response is recorded in the larger section 49:15 to 53:13 and
arguably continues to the end of the prophetic writings of Isaiah. In the paragraph, 51:1-8, the Lord beckons
those who pursue righteousness and seek Him and to listen to Him. These words must certainly apply to the
500…..Isaiah 51:1
faithful remnant who have endured the distress of the days of tribulation by being obedient to the Lord’s call
to hide themselves as recorded in Isaiah 26:20-21.
20
Go, my people, enter into your rooms.
Shut your doors behind you.
Hide yourself for a little while,
until his anger is passed.
21
For look, the LORD comes out of his dwelling place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their sin.
The earth also will reveal the bloodshed on her,
and will no longer cover her slain.
(Isaiah 26:20-21)
The word “righteousness” in vs. 51:1 is a common theme of Isaiah. It is the Hebrew word sedeq, a noun
which is closely related to the noun sedaqah. It is also related to the adjective saddiq and the verb sadeq.
Sedeq occurs 25 times in Isaiah including three times in this paragraph, 51:1, 5 and 7. The related word
sedaqah occurs 36 times in Isaiah and twice in this paragraph, 51:6 and 8. Each occurrence of sedeq and
sedaqah in these verses is translated as “righteousness” in the DASV. To pursue “righteousness” is to act like
God who is altogether righteous, Isaiah 41:10; 42:21; and who speaks righteousness, 45:19. It is a holy
characteristic of the Messiah (the Branch), Isaiah ll:4-5; who will reign in righteousness, Isaiah 32:1. To
pursue righteousness is to pursue holiness as they are identical in aspect. Just as the Lord calls His people to
be holy for He is holy, Leviticus 11:44). The LORD describes His faithful followers as those who pursue
righteousness.
The faithful remnant of Israel is also described as, “you who seek the LORD.” In the last days the people of
God will seek Him. Hosea 3:5 states, “Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God, and
David their king, and will tremble before the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.” Even those who
will leave their exile in Babylon will seek Him as recorded in Jeremiah 50:4. Isaiah had previously spoken
about seeking the Lord, Isaiah 14:32 and would later state as recorded in 55:6-7, “Seek the LORD while he
may be found; call upon him while he is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous his
thoughts. Let them return to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will
abundantly pardon.”
Those who seek the Lord will find Him. In a prophecy of the latter days, the Lord spoke through Moses,
Deuteronomy 4:25-31 and revealed what would happen to His covenant people. This lengthy passage is
worthy of our study and consideration:
25 When you have had children and grandchildren, and you have been in the land a long time, if you corrupt
yourselves and make a carved idol in the form of anything, and do what is evil in the sight of the LORD your
God, to provoke him to anger; 26 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that you will quickly
be removed from the land you are crossing the Jordan River to possess. You will not live there long but will
be utterly destroyed. 27 The LORD will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number
among the nations, where the LORD will exile you. 28 There you will serve gods of wood and stone made by
human hands that neither see, hear, eat or smell. 29 But if from there you will seek the LORD your God,
you will find him, when you search for him with all your heart and all your soul. 30 When you are in
distress and all these things happen to you in the latter days, you will return to the LORD your God, and
listen to his voice. 31 For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you, or
forget the covenant which he promised your fathers. (The bold words in Deuteronomy 4:29 are intentional).
501…..Isaiah 51:1-3
The Lord promises that those who seek Him with all their heart and soul will find Him. The Old Testament
has much to say about seeking the Lord. For a study on seeking the Lord, see (selected verses only),
Deuteronomy 4:25-31 (as stated above); 1 Chronicles 16:10, 11; 22:19; 28:9; 2 Chronicles 15:2; Psalm 14:2;
22:6; 27:4, 8; 34:10; 40:16; 105:3-4; Proverbs 28:5; Isaiah 14:32; 51:1; 55:6; Jeremiah 50:4;; Lamentations
3:25; Daniel 9:3; Hosea 3:5; 10:12; Amos 5:4, 6; Zephaniah 2:3; Zechariah 8:22 and Malachi 3:1. In the New
Testament, Acts 15:15-17 is a quotation of Amos 9:11-12 (see also Amos 9:13-15), which is a clear prophecy
of the messianic kingdom to come following the second return of the Messiah.
In the second half of Isaiah 51:1 the LORD states that the faithful remnant are to look back: “Look to the rock
you were chiseled out of, and to the quarry from which you were dug.” This is a reference to their lineage
from Abraham and Sarah, upon whom the Lord will discuss more as recorded in 51:2. The description of the
first parents of the Hebrew peoples as a rock and a quarry from which they were birthed is likely a depiction
of the inability of these first Hebrew parents to have children of their own and of their advanced ages which
would have normally made it impossible for them to bear children. It is as if God was saying, from an
impossible situation, life came from as it were from a rock. God, however, can bring miracles from any
impossible situation and this included the birth of Isaac. The line of the Hebrews was birthed from such a
situation. It took an act of God to do the impossible and He assures His covenant people that He has not
forsaken nor forgotten them, Isaiah 49:14. He will comfort His people and make Zion like Eden, Isaiah 51:3
and establish His justice as a light to the nations, 51:4; and sent forth His salvation, 51:5; which will last
forever as will His righteousness, 51:6, 8.
51:2 Look to Abraham your father,
and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was only one person when I called him,
but I blessed him, and made him many.
The Lord reminds His covenant people to look to their Hebrew first parents, Abraham and Sarah, who like a
rock or a quarry 51:1, when it seemed impossible for life to come from their inability to bear children,
enabled them to be the parents of the promised child Isaac. They also were promised that they would be the
parents of a multitude of descendants, Genesis 17:4-5. Abraham had no children when He was first called by
God, Genesis 12:1-3, but God blessed Him by making him the father of many, the Hebrew race. See also
Genesis 13:16; 15:1-6; and 22:17-18.
51:3 For the LORD will comfort Zion,
he will comfort all her ruins.
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
and her desert like the garden of the LORD.
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
thanksgiving and the sound of music.
Just as God had blessed Abraham, He would in a far future day, bring comfort to and bless Zion by making
her ruins and her wilderness and desert “like the garden of the LORD.” This statement is a major indicator
that this comfort and blessing upon Zion would come in the latter days, for this has not yet happened.
Isaiah 51:3 is one of many descriptive verses within the prophecy of Isaiah that foretells of the conditions
that will exist during the millennial kingdom of the Messiah. In Isaiah 51:3, the prophet describes that Zion
will experience both physical and spiritual blessings. The physical land will be transformed from a desert
wilderness to a garden that will be like Eden. The people living in this kingdom who reside in Zion, will
express joy, gladness and thanksgiving and they will by musical sounds, give joyous praise to the Messiah.
502…..Isaiah 51:4-5
The following passages, although not exhaustive are references to the millennial kingdom in Isaiah, 1:26-27;
2:2-5; 4:1-6; 9:7; 11:1-16; 16:4-5; 19:16-24; 24:23; 25:1-9; 26:1-3; 27:12-13; 28:5-6; 29:17-24; 32:1-2, 15-
20; 33:5-6, 20-24; 34:8; 35:1-10; 37:32; 41:17-20; 42:1-13; 43:1-7,19-21; 44:1-5, 21-23; 45:14-17, 22-25;
46:13; 49:6-26; 51:3-5, 11, 16, 22-23; 52:1-2,6-10; 54:1-17; 55:1-13; 56:1-9; 58:11-12; 59:20-21; 60:1-22;
61:1-11; 62:1-12; 65:8-25; and 66:7-21.
51:4 Listen to me, my people;
give ear to me, my nation;
for a law will be issued from me,
and I will establish my justice
as a light of the peoples.
The Lord, as in 51:1, calls upon His people and His nation to listen to Him. He promises two things to His
covenant people in the future. First, He will issue His law, Hebrew torah, which are His instructions and
directions. The place from where He will issue His torah is Zion, 51:3, when it is established as the capital of
the messianic kingdom. Second, He will establish His justice, “as a light of the peoples,” which is a refence
to the Gentile nations. The word justice in the DASV is the Hebrew mishpat, which occurs often in Isaiah
translated mostly as justice and sometimes as judgment. Occurrences in Isaiah where mishpat refers to the
justice of God in the days of the messianic kingdom include but not an exhaustive list, 1:27; 9:7; 16:5;
28:17; 32:16; 33:5; 42:1-4; 51:4; 54:17; 56:1; and 61:8. The Lord’s covenant people and the Gentile nations
of the earth, during the messianic reign of the Messiah, will benefit with righteousness and salvation from
both the Lord’s law and justice being issued from Zion.
51:5 My righteousness is near,
my salvation is gone out,
and my arms will judge the peoples.
The coastlands will expectantly wait for me,
and they will hope on my arm.
In the latter days, God’s righteousness will be near or close to all peoples of the earth. His salvation will also
go out to the world just as His law and His justice 51:4), will go out as a light of the peoples. The justice and
righteousness of God have a salvific purpose which is that the world’s peoples will respond in faith to God
and experience redemption and enter into a right relationship with Him. Along with His issuance of the
message of salvation, God will also judge the peoples of the world with His “arms” which indicates His
power and authority to judge them. The peoples of the world, the coastlands of 51:5, will wait expectantly for
God to accomplish His salvation purposes as they have hope in His power and authority described as His arm
to accomplish all of His plans. The days of the tribulation will result in both judgment upon the world’s
peoples and the accomplishment of salvation which will be fulfilled when the Messiah returns to establish
His kingdom. In the present age, in which the Messiah is the head of His church, His people are also looking
forward to the complete fulfillment of these promises when the Messiah will rule the world from the Davidic
throne on Mount Zion. The Church age is not the fulfillment of the promises of Isaiah 51: 1-11 but the people
of this present age look in eager expectation to God’s powerful and authoritative work when all nations will
witness His judgment and salvific works. God will comfort Zion and make her desolate places like the
Garden of Eden, 51:3. He will cause the present earth to be destroyed, 51:6 and bring the faithful remnant to
Zion, 51:11 with joyful shouting and they will experience everlasting joy. One scholar suggests that the
agent God will use to bring salvation to the nations will be the saved people of Israel, see D. L. Cooper,
Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly, November 1945
503…..Isaiah 51:6 and 7-8
51:6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
and look at the earth beneath;
the heavens will vanish away like smoke,
and the earth wear out like an old garment.
They who live there will die like gnats;
but my salvation will last forever;
and my righteousness will never end.
God calls upon His covenant people to consider the present heavens and the earth as temporal. The heavens
will “vanish away” and the earth will “wear out” and the inhabitants of the earth will perish. In comparison,
God’s salvation and righteousness will be eternal. The timing of this devastation upon the created order is not
given, instead it is stated as an event that is certain to occur. During the period of the tribulation, the heavens
and earth will witness great upheaval. This will occur during the days of the sixth seal judgment, Revelation
6:12-17, also during the days of the trumpet judgments, Revelation 8:7-9:21, and the bowl judgments,
Revelation 16:1-21. See also: Isaiah 13:13-16; 24:1-6, 19-23; 26:20-21; and 34:1-4. Following the days of
the millennial kingdom the heavens and the earth will be completely destroyed in preparation for the eternal
state which will have no corruption from the old created order, 2 Peter 3:10-13; Revelation 20:11 and 21:1.
The words spoken by the Messiah, Jesus Christ, during the days of His first advent were similar to the words
of Isaiah 51:6. These words are recorded in Luke 21:33: “Heaven and earth will pass away; but my words
will never pass away.” Refer to: Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:28 and Psalm 102:25-27. Also, the writer of
Hebrews quotes Isaiah 51:6 and Psalm 102:25-7 in Hebrews 1:10-12. The intent of these passages of
Scripture are the same. God, His word, righteousness and works, including salvation will endure forever. To
trust or depend upon the present world order or situation in a local geographical setting, like Jerusalem in
Isaiah’s days or in any current situation is folly. Times of peace and prosperity will not endure. Political
stability is fleeting, and chaos is certain to come. Personal wealth, stability and security will erode and
disappear but those who trust Him have the assured confidence in who God is and what He says and does.
The truth of God’s message in Isaiah 51:6 is just as relevant today as it was for those who heard or read the
writings of Isaiah.
51:7-8 Listen to me, you who know righteousness,
the people who have my law in their heart.
Do not be afraid of the insults of men,
nor fear their mocking.
8
For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
and the worm will devour them like wool.
But my righteousness will last forever,
and my salvation to all generations.
As in 51:1 and 4, God calls His people to listen to Him. This repeated command to listen to what He has to
say is highly significant. God had previously declared that His servants were blind and deaf, Isaiah 42:18-19,
and had told Isaiah the results of his prophetic ministry as recorded in Isaiah 6:9-10:
9 He said, "Go, and tell this people:
Keep on listening, but do not understand;
keep on looking, but do not perceive.
10 Make the heart of this people insensitive,
and make their ears deaf,
and shut their eyes;
504…..Isaiah 51:7-8
so that they may not see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears,
and understand with their heart,
and repent and be healed."
Knowing that His covenant people were so hard of hearing, God repeats the command to listen to Him, 51:1,
4, and 7, so that they will be obedient to him. The word “Listen” in 51:7 is the Hebrew shama, which often is
translated as listen, hear and obey. The meaning of “listen” in Isaiah 51: 1, 4 and 7 is the command by God to
obey Him. They are called to obey Him because they are those, “who know righteousness,” 51:7 and those
who “pursue righteousness,” 51:1. They know and pursue righteousness because they have God’s law, torah,
in their hearts. The setting of Isaiah 51:1-11 is certainly during the days of the tribulation when God’s
covenant people, the faithful remnant will need His assurance that their troubles will soon be over and they
will emerge from their distress with everlasting joy as they proceed with singing to Zion, 51:11. They will
have obeyed God’s command to enter their rooms and hide until God’s indignation against the wicked of the
world is completed during the tribulation, Isaiah 26:20-21. During these stressful days, many of the faithful
remnant will face persecution from wicked men who will mock and insult them. God tells them not to be
afraid of or fear these wicked individuals for they will perish “for the moth will eat them up like a garment
and the worm will devour them like wool,” 51:8. The Messiah, the great Servant of the Lord also was
reassured with similar words as recorded in 50:8-9:
8
The one who vindicates me is near.
Who will make accusations against me?
Let us confront each other.
Who is my adversary?
Let him come near to challenge me.
9
The sovereign LORD helps me.
Who is he who will condemn me?
Look, they all will wear out like a garment,
the moth will eat them up.
The Messiah received assurance from the sovereign LORD that He would be vindicated and that those who
oppose and condemn Him would perish. The faithful remnant would also have God’s protection and
assurance that their enemies would perish is a like manner. Those who will oppose His faithful remnant
during the days just preceding Messiah’s second advent will face, not an immediate death, but a more
prolonged period of “dying” as they experience the full wrath of God upon them.
As with the previous declaration from God regarding His righteousness and salvation lasting forever, 51:6,
God repeats this claim in 51:8. Those who oppose His Servant, and the faithful remnant will perish, but
God’s righteousness and salvation will last forever and will impact all generations of the world’s peoples.
The repeated declaration of His everlasting righteousness and salvation summarizes this most remarkable
paragraph, 51:1-8. God three times invokes His call for His people who know and pursue righteousness to
listen to Him, 51: 1, 4 and 7). He calls upon His covenant people to “look,” 51:1, 2 and to “lift up their eyes,”
51:6, to perceive the lessons He has for them to learn.
B. The Rescuing Lord: 51:9-16
The paragraph 51:9-16 is linked grammatically with 51:17-23 and 52:1-12 with the repeated calls to “wake
up, wake up” 51:10; 51:17 and 52:1. These paragraphs continue the emphasis of 51:1-8 which contains
God’s command to listen to Him. As recorded in 51:9-16, God speaks to His people to trust Him instead of
505…..Isaiah 51:9-10
“mere mortals” 51:12, which emphasizes the message of 51:7. God promises to soon release the captives,
51:14 and they will, in their liberty, come to Zion with singing and everlasting joy, 51:11. The people are
reminded of God’s past works of redemption 51:9-10, and a promise of future works of redemption, 51:11,
14. The paragraph ends with a reminder of God’s power over His created works and His protection for His
created people, 51:15-16.
51:9-10 Wake up, wake up, put on strength, O arm of the LORD.
Awake, as in the days of old,
the generations of ancient times.
Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces,
who pierced the sea monster?
10
Was it not you who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep,
who made the depths of the sea
a way for the redeemed to cross over?
As with the previous paragraph, 51:9-16 has as its setting the days of the tribulation in the far future. Many
scholars understand that these paragraphs apply to the return of the exiles from Babylon. But there is no
evidence from history that the Hebrew people were afraid or faced an oppressor in Babylon who was
determined to destroy them, 51:13. Neither did they face death or the fear of being put into a pit, or of
lacking food, 51:14. Instead, many of those who were exiled in Babylon, elected to stay there and not return
to Jerusalem. Those who did elect to return were relatively few in number and when they did return they did
not have “everlasting joy” 51:11. They faced many hard years of frustration and opposition as they toiled to
rebuild the city of Jerusalem and its temple. Therefore, the context of chapter 51 of Isaiah best fits a time,
which has yet come when they will be comforted by the Lord and have everlasting joy as they return to Zion
from worldwide captivity.
The speaker of the words recorded in 51:9-10 may be the prophet Isaiah as he refers to the past works of the
Lord, “ancient times,” 51:9 and a prophecy of future times in 51:11. The prophet calls for God’s covenant
people to “wake up” three times in 51:9. The people are to awaken to the fact of what God had done for them
“in the days of old, the generations of ancient times.” The people had complained to God that He had
forsaken and forgotten them, 49:14. The writings of Isaiah from 49:15 to the end of his book can be
understood as God’s response to this complaint. If it is correct, that the words of chapter 51 are set within the
future days of the tribulation period, then the words of the prophet, recorded in 51:9 are intended for the
faithful remnant of God’s people to awaken spiritually and remember what God had done for His people in
the past. They will be facing great persecution and death from cruel oppressors who are determined to
destroy them, and God’s intention is for them not to lose heart but remember His past deeds. God will rescue
them as He had redeemed their ancestors.
The statement of God’s cutting Rahab in pieces may be a reference to His destruction of Egypt during the
exodus as 51:9 seems to imply. Isaiah had previously referred to Rahab as Egypt in 30:7. See also Job 26:12
and Psalm 89:10. The act of God in piercing the sea monster may refer to Rahab, as the NIV seems to
indicate, or to the “dragon” as translated by the NASB, ESV, and the KJV; or the “serpent” as translated by
the NKJV. The words “sea monster” in the DASV is the Hebrew word tannin which refers to a Pharaoh of
Egypt, in the days of the prophet Ezekiel. See Ezekiel 29:3 and 32:2. A creation emphasis of the “sea
monster” may be intended in Psalm 74:13-14. See also notes on Isaiah 27:1 in which tannin is a reference to
Satan as the dragon. However, in the context of Isaiah 51:9-10, the statement to Rahab as the sea monster is
clearly a reference to the ancient days when God destroyed Egypt and brought His redeemed people through
the parted waters of the Red Sea. For the Scriptural record of the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea by the
506…..Isaiah 51:11-12
ancient Israelites as they were fleeing from the army of Pharaoh of Egypt see Exodus Chapter 14. Thomas
Constable posits an interesting understanding of Isaiah 51:10:
“Isaiah frequently used the image of God making a way, pathway, or highway for His people so they
could enter into the blessings that He had planned for them (cf. 9:1; 11:16; 19:23; 30:11, 21; 35:8;
40:3; 42:16; 43:16, 19; 48:17; 49:11; 57:14; 62:10). I wonder if this is the origin of the early Christian
use of "the way" as a title for Christianity.” (Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 253).
51:11 The ransomed of the LORD will return,
and come with singing to Zion.
Everlasting joy will be upon their heads.
They will obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
The prophet, after reflecting upon the past rescue of God’s redeemed people as they fled from Egypt, now
turns to the future to God’s rescue of the faithful remnant who have been in continual fear of death from a
oppressor will seek to destroy them, 51:13-14. Isaiah had previously described the joy that these who have
been rescued (ransomed) will express as the come with singing to Zion in 35:10. Isaiah 51:11 repeats the
words of 35:10 as the events described in chapter 35 are central to the prophetic message of the prophet.
Those ransomed by the LORD will return,
and come with singing to Zion;
everlasting joy will crown their heads.
They will find joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.
51:12 I, even I, am he who comforts you.
So why are you afraid of mere mortals,
and of the son of man who is as fleeting as grass?
In response to the reflection of the prophet on what God has done for His covenant people in the past, 51:9-
10 and what He will do in the future, 51:11, God responds with an emphatic, “I, even I, am he who comforts
you.” The word “comforts” is the Hebrew naham, which has the meaning of to console and to comfort, but
also to relent and repent. Naham occurs in Isaiah in the DASV in: 1:24 (vengeance), but as “relieved” in the
NASB; 12:1 (comfort); 22:4 (comfort); 40:1 (comfort) twice; 49:13 (comforted); 51:3 (comfort) twice; 51:12
(comforts); 51:19 (comfort); 52:9 (comforted); 54:11 (comforted); 57:6 (appeased), but as “shall I relent” in
the NASB; 61:2 (comfort); and three times in 66:3 (comforts, comfort and comforted). A very significant
occurrence of nacam occurs in Isaiah 61:2. The New Testament records in Luke 4:18-19; that the Messiah,
the Lord Jesus Christ, quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2, but only partially, ending His quotation of Isaiah 61:2 after
the words “to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor.” The Messiah did not quote the remainder of 61:2,
“and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort (naham) all who mourn,” for this second part of 61:2
referred to His second coming following the tribulation period when He will return to take vengeance on all
who oppose Him and comfort those, the faithful remnant of His covenant people who will mourn for Him,
Zechariah 12:10-14. The Lord in 51:12 tells His covenant people that He is the sovereign Lord, “I am he,”
and He will comfort them in their distress during the dark days of the tribulation, the period of Jacob’s
trouble as stated in Jeremiah 30:7: “Alas, that day is so great that there has never been one like it. It is the
time of Jacob's trouble; but he will be saved out of it.”
507…..Isaiah 51:12-13
The LORD asks His covenant people, as He is the One who comforts them, why are they afraid of mortals
who live on earth like grass that so quickly dies? He had reminded them, Isaiah 51:6, that His salvation and
righteousness would last forever but those on the earth, “will die like gnats.” The prophet had foretold of the
future days of the Servant, the Messiah, in 50:1-9. The Servant asks in 50:8, “who is my adversary?” and in
50:9, “who is he who will condemn me?” The response in 50:9 is that those who are against the Messiah will
perish, the will “wear out like a garment,” for “the moth will eat them up.” The prophet also used similar
words to describe those who oppose God’s covenant people, in 51:7-8. They too, 51:8 will perish, “for the
moth will eat them like a garment and the worm will devour them like wool.” God’s people, 51:7 were told,
“do not be afraid of the insults of men, nor fear their mocking.” The Lord repeats this admonition to His
people in 51:12 to not be afraid of mortal men for they will also perish. The intent of these passages is that
the people of God are to trust only in God. To fear mortal men is meaningless. Only God, His word and His
works will last forever. Only God is powerful and mighty to defeat any schemes of men. Safety, peace,
righteousness and salvation which lasts forever are found only in God.
51:13 You have forgotten the LORD your Maker,
who stretched out the heavens,
and laid the foundations of the earth.
Why are you continually afraid
because of the fury of the oppressor,
who is determined to destroy?
Where is the fury of the oppressor?
The LORD confronts His covenant people with a stinging accusation, “You have forgotten the LORD your
Maker.” This is an ironic response to their complaint, recorded in in 49:14: “But Zion said, the LORD has
forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” The truth of the matter is that the Lord could never forget or
forsake His people. It was His people who had forsaken and forgotten Him. The setting for the Lord’s
accusation against His people is during the distressful days of the tribulation. The Lord had promised to
protect them during these days, Jeremiah 30:7. He will also comfort them, Isaiah 51:3 and 12. He next
reminds them of His creative acts, “who stretched out the heavens,” as He had previously stated, Isaiah
40:22; 42:5; 44:24, and 45:12. The writer of the book of Job also states this claim: Job 9:8; 26:7; and 38:5.
The prophets who lived after the days of Isaiah would also state this great truth, Jeremiah 10:12; 51:15 and
Zechariah 12:1.
The Lord also reminded His people that it was He who “laid the foundations of the earth.” God had
previously reminded them of this creative act in Job 38:4; Psalm 102:25; 104:5; Proverbs 8;29. It was alluded
to earlier in Isaiah 40:21 and later in Zechariah 12:1. The writer of Hebrews reminded another audience of
this truth, as recorded in Hebrews 1:10, quoting Psalm 102:25. They needed to look no further than the
opening verses of the Torah, Genesis 1:1 and following to remind them that God was their Maker and is the
One who comforts them, Isaiah 51:3, 12. So why are they “continually afraid” of their present
circumstances? The answer lies in the moral fabric of mortals, even those who are called His chosen people.
They can surmise only what is directly facing them without regard to the past works of God nor to His
promises of future safety, comfort and peace. Even God’s covenant people, whom He has given the title of
His servants, are declared by God to be blind and deaf, Isaiah 42:18-19 and 43:8-13.
Those who are the faithful remnant of God, who will face the distressing days of the coming tribulation, will
have continual fear of cruel tyrants who, with the fury of human wrath, will oppress them, and will seek to
destroy them. During this short period of time in the far future, it will be Satan who will empower the fierce
tyrants of the earth to seek to destroy the faithful remnant of God, Revelation 12:13-17. It is human nature to
fear those who seek physical death, but God is reminding those who are declared to be His covenant people
508…..Isaiah 51:14-15
that they are to trust Him for safety and comfort for He has promised to save them from this torment,
Jeremiah 30:7. The promise to save them must be understood as preserving them as an ethnic nation who are
faithful to Him. Individual members of the faithful remnant will indeed face death, as revealed in Daniel
7:23-25; 9:27; Matthew 24:15-28 and Revelation 6:9-11; 11:7; 12:17; 13:7; and 17:6.
51:14 The captive exiles will soon be released;
he will not die and go down into the pit,
neither will he lack bread.
Many scholars understand this verse as referring to the release of the exiles from Babylonian captivity. To do
so completely ignores the context of chapter 51 which has the setting of the great tribulation and its
distressing days. There is no record of the exiled Hebrews who lived in Babylon of fearing death while in
captivity nor any who were facing being put into pits or any who were lacking food. These ancient exiles did
not live in Babylon in continual fear of oppression by fierce tyrants who sought to destroy them, 51:13. It
was just the opposite. Many Hebrews enjoyed their lives in Babylon, and they decided not to return to
Jerusalem. The words of 51:14, therefore must refer not to those who left ancient Babylon but to those who
will be kept as the captives of cruel tyrants during the future days of the tribulation. When these future
captives are released they will travel to Zion, singing and with everlasting joy upon them, Isaiah 35:10;
51:11, to meet their great Redeemer, the returning Messiah, for whom they had mourned, Zechariah 12:10-
14. Further details of this release and the journey to Zion and the glories of the kingdom of the Messiah are
declared by Isaiah in, 1:26-27; 2:1-4; 4:1-6; 9:1-7; 10:20-27; 11:1-16; 12:1-6; 14:1-3; 19:18-25; 25:6-9; 26:1-
4; 27:12-13; 35:1-10; 40:9-11; 41:8-16; 43:1-21; 44:1-8, 21-23; 45:14-25; 46:12-13; 49:8-13, 15-26; 51:11;
52:1-12; 54:1-17; 55:1-13;56:6-8; 60:1-22; 61:3-11; 62:1-12; 65:8-10, 17-25; and 66:7-24. These references
are not an exhaustive listing.
51:15 For I am the LORD your God,
who stirs up the sea,
so that its waves roar.
The LORD of hosts is his name.
There appears to be two speakers in 51:15. The first is the LORD who reminds His people, that He is the
LORD, Yahweh, who is eternal, transcendent, ever present and self-determinate. He is also your God, Elohim
who is supremely powerful and mighty, able to accomplish all He desires. The second speaker is most likely
Isaiah who adds to the narrative that the name of God is the LORD of hosts, Yahweh of armies. The first
words of 51:15, “For I am” are literally, “As for me, I am.” See J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, page 325. The Lord
repeatedly, throughout the writings of Isaiah, reminds His people and anyone else that He is the great I AM
(Exodus 3:14). They should not fear anyone who is trying to harm them, for God will comfort them, protect
them from persecutors, and release them from all who have imprisoned or have held them captive, 51:3, 7,
11, 12, 14, 16, 21-23.
The works of God are described in 51:15 as stirring up the seas so that it waves roar. God reminds His people
that He has control over His created world even over the mighty oceans as also declared in Psalm 107:25.
The prophet Jeremiah, in a parallel verse, confirms this so eloquently in Jeremiah 31:35:
This is what the LORD says,
who gives the sun for a light by day,
and orders the moon and the stars for lights by night,
who stirs up the sea, so that its waves roar.
the LORD of hosts is his name.
509…..Isaiah 51:15-16
Some also understand that the words in Isaiah 51:15, of God, “who stirs up the sea so that it waves roar,”
refers metaphorically to His actions of arousing foreign armies and controlling them for His purposes,
specifically to bring about judgment upon His people, for it is stated at the end of 51:15 that He is Yahweh of
armies. The Lord, as recorded in Isaiah 7:17-20, declared that He would bring the King of Assyria (and his
armies) against the King of Judah, Ahaz (and his people). In chapter 10 the Lord promises to punish Assyria
for its intention to destroy rather than just punish Judah. The Assyrians are described in Isaiah 10:5-6 as:
5
"Woe to Assyria, the rod of my anger,
the club in their hands is my rage!
6
I am sending him against a godless nation,
and against the people of my wrath.
I will give him an order,
to take the spoil,
to seize the plunder,
and to stomp them down
like the mud in the streets.
Although, the metaphorical understanding of God stirring up the sea, in Isaiah 51:15 as referring to His use
of foreign armies to punish His people is possible, it is best to take these words in 51:15 in their natural
grammatical setting as referring to God who controls the elements of His creation including the vastness of
the oceans and its roaring waves. If God can control the raging of the waves in the vastness of the seas, He
certainly can protect His people from any harm or danger. This understanding of 51:15 also best fits the
words of vs. 16 which has a similar meaning.
51:16 I have put my words in your mouth,
and have covered you in the shadow of my hand.
I am the one who established the heavens,
who laid the foundations of the earth,
and who says to Zion, "You are my people."
The Lord continues His promise of protection to His covenant people who are the faithful remnant who will
endure the distress of the tribulation just prior to the second return of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. This
verse is punctuated with the words of the Lord’s ownership of His creation. First, in clause one, He promises
to put my words into the mouths of His people. Second, in clause two, He states He has covered them in the
shadow of my hand. Third, in the last clause of vs. 16, He says to Zion, you are my people. Each clause of
this magnificent verse will be discussed separately to discover the beauty of its meaning. (Bolding is
intentional).
I have put my words in your mouth, (first clause of Isaiah 51:16)
In Isaiah, 59:20-21, the prophet records,
20
"A Redeemer will come to Zion,
and to those in Jacob who turn from their sin,"
says the LORD.
21
"As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD,
"my Spirit that is on you,
and my words which I have put in your mouth,
will not depart out of your mouth,
510…..Isaiah 51:16
nor out of the mouths of your children,
nor out of the mouth of your children's children,"
says the LORD, "from now to forever."
The setting for Isaiah 59:20-21 is just prior to the second advent of the Messiah when He will come to
establish His messianic kingdom. It is the same setting for the words of Isaiah 51:16. The duration of the
words to be put in the mouths of His covenant people will be “forever,” Isaiah 59:21. The purpose of the
words of God being put into the mouths of His covenant people, is for them to be a witness to the people of
the world during the devastation of the tribulation, Matthew 24:14. See notes on Isaiah 59:20-21 and also
refer to Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah, Ariel Ministries, 2004, pages 219-222.
As recorded in Deuteronomy 18:18, and specifically, in the context of 18:15-19, the Lord will also put words
into the mouth of a future prophet to come, which must refer to the Messiah as no other prophet has arisen
that would be applicable to this promise. See also Deuteronomy 34:10. The words of Luke in Acts 3:19-26,
and 7:37 confirm that the words of Deuteronomy 18:18 which refer to the Messiah. God will put His words
into the mouth of His Servant, the Messiah Jesus Christ, to accomplish His divine purposes for the salvation
of all who will believe in Jesus Christ. He will also put His words into the mouths of the faithful remnant for
the purposes of bringing the good news of salvation to the peoples of the earth during the days of the
tribulation just prior to the return of the Messiah to establish His kingdom.
The prophet Jeremiah testified that God’s words were put into his mouth to accomplish the plans of God,
Jeremiah 1:9. King David proclaimed that the words of God will cause the kings of earth to give thanks to
God and they will sing of the ways of the Lord, as recorded in Psalms 38:4-5:
4
All the kings of the earth will give thanks to you, O LORD,
for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5
They will sing of the ways of the LORD,
for great is the glory of the LORD.
and have covered you in the shadow of my hand. (second clause of Isaiah 51:16)
As a protection to the faithful remnant who will proclaim the words of God as a witness to His salvation
during the days of the tribulation, God promises them that he will cover them in the shadow of His hand. God
had protected Moses from death when Moses wanted to see His glory by covering Moses with His hand,
Exodus 33:22. The covering of God’s hand is an anthropomorphism for His divine protection. The Servant of
the Lord, the Messiah also stated that He has been hid in the shadow of God’s hand (as a means of protection
so that He could accomplish the will of God), Isaiah 49:2. Psalm 121 is another reminder of the protection of
the Lord:
1
I will lift up my eyes to the hills,
from where does my help come?
2
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
3
He will not allow your foot to stumble;
he who watches over you will not slumber.
4
Look, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
5
The LORD is the one watching over you;
the LORD is your shade on your right hand.
511…..Isaiah 51:16
6
The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
7
The LORD will protect you from all evil,
he will watch over you.
8
The LORD will watch over your going out
and your coming in
from now and forevermore.
Throughout the Scriptures, the promises of God’s protection to those who trust and have faith in Him are
recorded. A few examples: first, The Lord promises His protection to those who help the poor, Psalm 41:1-2.
Second, the Lord calls upon a future generation to make peace with Him and rely on His protection, Isaiah
27:5. Third, the Lord promises protection to Zion against its enemies in a future day, Isaiah 31:5. Fourth, the
Apostle Paul states that the Lord will protect His children from evil, 2 Thessalonians 3:3. Fifth, the Apostle
Peter writes about the protection of the Lord, even amid distressful times, as recorded in 1 Peter 1:3-9.
It is not that every believer will be kept safe from the attack of the enemy or will be saved from death. For
historians have recorded periods of martyrdom, where God’s saints have been killed and these have increased
in modern days and will increase until the day the Messiah returns. But God will preserve the nation of Israel
and protect the faithful remnant just as He will preserve His church, for the gates of Hell will not prevail
against or overcome it, Matthew 16:18. Those who have been slain due to their testimony for the Lord are
considered precious in the sight of the Lord, Psalm 72:14 and 116:15. Even those who are faithful to the Lord
and who will be slain as martyrs during the tribulation will not be forgotten and will be eventually avenged
by the Lord, Revelation 6:9-11.
I am the one who established the heavens, (third clause of Isaiah 51:16)
The third clause of Isaiah 51:16 is translated differently in the various Bible versions. The NASB differs
significantly from the DASV in the third clause. The DASV states, “I am the one who established the
heavens.” The NASB has, “to establish the heavens.” The NASB thus put the emphasis on the actions of the
Lord in putting His words in the peoples mouth and covering them with His hand as the means of
establishing the heavens.
The NIV is somewhat similar to the DASV. The third clause in the NIV states, “I who set the heavens in
place.” Gary V. Smith, using the NIV as a background text, discusses the issue of who God is speaking to in
51:16 for the words of God are similar to those made to the Servant of God in Isaiah 49:2 and 50:4. Smith
comments:
“The solution may lie in viewing this verse as another means of assuring the audience (similar to the
purpose of 51:15) that God will accomplish what he has promised his people and will answer their
prayer in 51:9–11. Initially the prophet quotes God’s past commissioning of the Servant (this is not a
direct address to the Servant at this time) and his past promise to protect the Servant by hiding him in
his hand (51:16a), thus assuring the audience that God’s arm was already active in the past. What he
called the Servant to do (49:2) will be accomplished; therefore the audience should trust God. If this
is correct, then the final three infinitive constructs probably function in a similar way. NIV translates
these verbs as participles (“who set,” “who laid,” “who say”) and implies the first person “I” from
16a, but the infinitive construct normally depends on an earlier verb by modifying its action in some
way. If God wanted to bring greater assurance to increase the faith of the audience, these infinitive
constructs probably function to introduce a purpose or result clause that refers to a future creation of
the new earth and the consummation of God’s plans to restore his people to their covenant status of
512…..Isaiah 51:16
being “my people.” With this approach, these words would demonstrate to the audience that God’s
arm was, is, and will be active. God’s plan for the Servant of the Lord would lead to a new creation of
the world for God will some day reestablish his relationship to his people, exactly what they were
praying for in 51:11 and what God already promised in 51:3–6.” (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2,
pages 409-410).
The KJV and NKJV translates the third clause as, “That I may plant the heavens.” The word “plant” is the
Hebrew nata which is also translated in the DASV as “plant” in Isaiah 5:2; 17:10; 37:30; 40:24; 44:14; and
65:21. In Amos 9:15 the DASV, KJV and NKJV also translate “nata” as “plant,” “I will plant them in their
land.”
Victor Buksbazen, using the KJV as his text, combines the third and fourth clauses in his comments.
KJV: That I may plant the heavens and the earth and lay the foundation of the earth.
“Some interpreters have considered this passage hopelessly confused and out of harmony with the
preceding thoughts (e.g. Skinner). This might be so, if the prophet had been referring to the original
creation previously mentioned in verse 13. However, if we regard this as a promise of a new creation,
of a new heaven and a new earth, filled with the righteousness of God, and where restored and
redeemed Israel is again the people of God, then the passage makes beautiful sense. This apparently
was what the prophet had in mind (cf. Isa. 65:17).” (Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 395).
who laid the foundations of the earth. (fourth clause of Isaiah 51:16)
In the context of Isaiah 51:16, and specifically the third clause, I am the one who established the heavens, the
laying of the foundations of the earth, the fourth clause is closely linked to God’s works through His
covenant people at the end of the tribulation and during the establishment of the messianic kingdom. God
will include the faithful remnant of Israel who survive the tribulation in His works to create a renewed earth.
In Isaiah’s writings, this reshaping of the foundations of the earth is mostly depicted as the movement of the
mountains as stated in 2:2; 41:15; 42:15; 49:11 and 54:10. The involvement of the people of God in this
process is graphically portrayed in 41:15-16:
15
Look, I will make you to be a new sharp threshing instrument
having many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains,
crush them and make the hills like chaff.
16
You will winnow them and the wind will carry them away,
and the whirlwind will scatter them.
Then you will rejoice in the LORD;
you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
The creation of a new heavens and earth, Isaiah, 65:17-25 is best understood as a restored earth that will be
made ready for the millennial kingdom of the Messiah and not the final heavens and earth. The final state
when an eternal re-created heaven and earth will be made by God will come after the culmination of the
millennial kingdom and directly following the judgment at the great white throne, Revelation 20:11-21:1. It
is not stated in Isaiah how the faithful remnant will “thresh the mountains and crush them,” Isaiah 41:15 in
preparation of the messianic kingdom. The Lord will use His people in the manner in which He alone deems
most appropriate to accomplish His purposes in the construction of the renovated heavens and earth. That He
would consider and employ His people in this process is a matter of great praise to Him, for He has not
513…..Isaiah 51;16
forgotten or forsaken His people and they will be mightily used by God to accomplish His purposes to make
the earth suitable for the reign of His glorious Servant, the Messiah.
and who says to Zion, “You are my people. (fifth clause of Isaiah 51:16)
Not only will the faithful remnant of the Lord be used to make ready the physical aspects of the messianic
kingdom, they will be the Lord’s own people as they live in the kingdom. Zion is a most precious name and a
cherished home for the covenant people of God. God has promised that He will defend Zion and make His
beloved city like Eden. Zion will be the capital of the messianic kingdom. The Messiah will be present and
will reign over the earth from Zion for a thousand years. The faithful remnant of the Jews who have been
held captive by cruel tyrants during the tribulation will be released by the Messiah and they will come to
Zion with singing with everlasting joy. Zion is spoken of as the people of God in Isaiah 1:8, 27; 3:16-17; 4:3-
4; 10:24, 32; 12:6; 16:1; 30:19; 33:14; 37:22, 32; 51:16; 52:2; 60;14; 61:3 and 62:11. Zion will also be the
blessed dwelling place of the Lord, Isaiah 2:3; 8:18; 12:6; 18:7; 24:23 and 59:20. (This is not an exhaustive
list).
The Lord has said to the faithful remnant that, “you are my people.” They belong to Him as His possession.
He had chosen them when they were the fewest of peoples, Deuteronomy 7:6-8. See also Deuteronomy
10:15, 14:2; 1 Kings 3:8; Psalm 33:12; 105:43; Isaiah 43:20; 65:22; Acts 13:17; and 1 Peter 2:9. Moses
declared long ago to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 14:2, “For you are a holy people to the LORD your
God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for his own special possession, above all peoples on the
face of the earth.” Isaiah often declared the words of the Lord regarding this people as being “my people” in
1:3; 3:12, 15; 5:13; 10:2, 24; 19:25 (my inheritance); 22:4; 26:20; 32:13, 18; 40:1; 47:6; 51:4, 16; 52:4, 5, 6,
14; 53:8; 57:14; 58:1; 63:8; 65:10, 19 and 22.
The Old Testament is a narrative about the great covenants and promises of God to His people and the
relationship between His chosen people and Himself. He knew that His chosen people would sin against
Him, Deuteronomy 31:14-30 and Isaiah 1:2-15. But God provided, through His incomparable grace, a way
for His people, prone to sin, to be redeemed, Isaiah 1:18-19; 52:13-53:12. The Lord in His mercy, became a
“kinsmen” (or family) Redeemer to His people whom He had chosen. He alone provided salvation to them
and made a new covenant with them, Jeremiah 31:31-34, and stated he would forgive them and no longer
remember their sins, Jeremiah 31:34. They would forever be a nation before Him, Jeremiah 31:35-37.
C. The Revenging Lord: 51:17-23
As with the previous paragraph, 51:9-16 and the following paragraph, 52:1-2, the prophet introduces the
paragraph, 51:17-23 with the double call to “wake up.” All of chapter 51 is call to God’s people in their
distress to wake up and listen to the Lord for He has not forsaken nor forgotten them, as the people of Zion
had complained, 49:14, but the truth was that they have forgotten Him, 51:13. God calls upon His blind and
deaf servants, 42:18-19, to listen to Him and look to what He had done on their behalf, 51:1-2. In the
paragraph, 51:17-23, God states that they need to awaken to the fact that their punishment has been from the
Lord who has exercised His wrath upon them, 51:17, 20. The people have no one to guide them, 51:18, (for
they have spurned the Lord as their leader and guide). As a result, they have suffered desolation, destruction,
famine and death by the sword with none of their own to grieve or comfort them, 51:19. Only God Himself
pleads for the cause of His people and He will remove His judgment and wrath from them, 51:21-22. God
will also pour out His wrath upon those who have tormented them. 51:23. The setting of this paragraph as
with all of chapter 51 is during the devastating days of the tribulation, just prior to the return of the Messiah
to rescue His people and set-up His messianic kingdom. The faithful remnant will be under oppression from
514…..Isaiah 51:17-19
those who sought to destroy them. But God will bring judgment upon these tormentors and they will drink
the cup of God’s wrath, 51:23.
51:17 Wake up, wake up, stand up, O Jerusalem,
you who drunk at the hand of the LORD
the cup of his wrath;
you have drunk dry the bowl that causes staggering.
The Lord calls upon His covenant people to “wake up” and “stand up” for the days of their distress will soon
be over. The Lord will, in the far future, bring days of judgment, distress and trouble upon His people,
Jeremiah 30:7, Daniel 12:1, Matthew 24:4-28; and Revelation chapters 6-19. The purpose of these days of
tribulation will be to purge His people of their sinfulness and to bring them to repent of their national sin of
rejecting the Messiah who had lived among them during His first advent. The Messiah will only return when
His chosen people repent and request that He return to them, Hosea 5:15-6:3 and Zechariah 12:10-13:1.
During these future days of tribulation, the covenant people of God will drink the cup of wrath from the hand
of the Lord and it will cause them to stagger.
51:18 There is no one to guide her among all the children she has borne;
neither is there any who takes her by the hand
among all the children she has brought up.
The covenant people of God had forgotten Him, 51:13. They had scoffed at the Lord’s rule over them and
“made a covenant with death,” Isaiah 28:14-15. They participated in religious rituals, but their hearts were
far from the Lord, Isaiah 29:13. They spurned and mocked God who made them, like clay thinking it was
equal with the potter and saying it (the clay) was not formed by the potter and saying the potter has no
understanding, Isaiah 29:16. God had promised to fight against His own people due to their rejection of Him,
Isaiah 29:1-4. God will perform His “unusual work”, His “extraordinary deed,” Isaiah 28:21-22 and bring
destruction on His own people.
Since they had walked away from the guidance and the fear of the Lord, they had no one to guide them. They
were without godly leadership and were left drifting in moral decay and help captive by those who were
seeking to destroy them, Isaiah 51:13. They will remain in this state of moral decline, estranged from the
Lord until they repent of their national sin of rejecting their Messiah.
51:19 These two things have happened to you:
desolation and destruction,
famine and the sword.
Who will grieve with you?
Who will comfort you?
Because of their sins, for example, Isaiah 1:2-31, and their rebellion against God and their rejection of the
His rightful leadership and guidance over them and due to their spurning and mocking of God who is their
sovereign LORD, 51:22, they will face “desolation, destruction, famine and the sword.” Although many
scholars point to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. by the Babylonians as the fulfilment of this
prophecy, there is nothing that directly ties this statement in 51:19 to that event. See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah,
Vol. 2, page 413 for a discussion on this point. In the context of chapter 51, the setting is the far future
Tribulation, where God will bring this type of judgment upon His people and upon the world. God states that
these two things “have happened” to them. The words “have happened” is a future perfect sense stating what
will happen as an accomplished event. The “two things” mentioned by God are given in pairs, “desolation
515…..Isaiah 51:19-20
and destruction,” and “famine and the sword.” Each pair of these words have similar spellings in the original
Hebrew and that may be the reason the pairs are linked together.
As recorded in the DASV, God asks two rhetorical questions, “who will grieve with you?” and “who will
comfort you?” the KJV has only one question, “By whom shall I comfort thee? which is similar to the NKJV.
The NIV has, “who can console you?” The NASB has “How shall I comfort you?” The ESV has “who will
comfort you?” John Oswalt, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 350, note 81 has a detailed discussion on the most likely
literal understanding of this question. It seems most appropriate to read this question as translated by the ESV
and the DASV, “who will comfort you?” as it best fits the context of 51:19-23. It is the action of the Lord to
bring judgment upon His people for their rebellion against and rejection of Him. Since the people have no
godly leadership to guide them, 51:18, they are left without anyone who is able to comfort them (in
righteousness). Therefore, in God’s great grace and tender mercy, He will remove the cup of His wrath from
His people, 51:22, and they will never drink it again.
51:20 Your children have fainted;
they lie at the head of every street,
like an antelope caught in a net;
they are full of the wrath of the LORD,
the rebuke of your God.
As recorded in 51:20, God continues His rebuke of His people for their scorning of His leadership and their
rebellion against Him. See notes on 51:18. Those who will live through the tribulation will face the judgment
of God described in 51:19. This will also include the children. There are at least three ways to understand this
reference to children. First, the words “your” and “children” both refer to the covenant people of God who
will endure God’s wrath upon them for all, both old and young have rebelled against Him. Second, the sins of
the parents are visited upon their children, Numbers 14:18. Third, their descendants also could not offer any
guidance or comfort. In Isaiah 5:25, the prophet had spoken of those who will lie in the streets as a result of
the judgment of the Lord:
Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against his people;
he has stretched out his hand against them,
and has struck them.
The mountains tremble,
and their corpses are strewn like garbage in the streets.
After all this, his anger is not turned away,
but his hand is still stretched out.
(Isaiah 5:25)
The prophet Jeremiah also described a similar outcome, when he declared the words of the Lord, regarding
false prophets who were saying that the people would not have famine or see the sword (cf. Isaiah 51:19).
This situation is recorded in Jeremiah 14:13-16: 13 Then I said, "Ah, sovereign LORD! The prophets tell
them, 'You will not see the sword, or experience a famine; but I will give you a guarantee of peace in this
place.'" 14 Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in my name. I did not send them, nor
have I commanded them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a phony vision, worthless
revelations, and the deceptions of their own hearts. 15 Therefore this is what the LORD says concerning the
prophets who prophesy in my name, who I have not sent, yet they say, 'Sword and famine will not come on
this land.' Those prophets themselves will be consumed by sword and famine. 16 The people to whom they
prophesy will be cast out into the streets of Jerusalem because of famine and the sword. They will have no
516…..Isaiah 51:21-22
one to bury them -- including their wives, their sons, and their daughters. I will pour their wickedness upon
them.
The final phrases of 51:20, “they are full of the wrath of the LORD, the rebuke of your God,” give a sense of
just how far the Lord intends to punish His covenant people for their sins against Him. They will drink the
full measure of the bowl (cup) of the Lord’ wrath. The NASB in 51:17 states that they will drain this bowl
(chalice) to the dregs. They have fully consumed the judgment and wrath of the Lord. There will not be any
further punishment afflicted upon them, for they “will never drink in again,” 51:22. It is not that God’s
judgment was minor nor short in duration. The Lord has not spared His people from calamities and
devastations since the time of the beginning of their founding as a nation under Jacob. They still face His
judgment and will do so until they repent of their sin of rejecting and rebelling against Him. They continued
this rebellion and made it worse by rejecting His Servant, the Son of God, the Messiah who came to them in
His first advent. They will continue to bear the brunt of His wrath until the end of the tribulation period when
they will call upon Him, whom they had pierced and mourn for Him, and plea for Him to return, Hosea 5:15-
6:3 and Zechariah 12:10-13:1.
51:21-22 Therefore hear this, you afflicted,
you who are drunk, but not from wine.
22
This is what your sovereign LORD says,
and your God who pleads the cause of his people,
"Look, I have taken out of your hand the cup of staggering,
the bowl of my wrath;
you will never drink it again.
The Lord in 51:21, again calls upon His people to hear Him, (51:1,4, 7). He calls them afflicted which is the
Hebrew word ani which often has the meaning of “poor” or “humble” but in a few occasions in the Old
Testament has the direct meaning of being “afflicted” as it is translated in Isaiah 51:21. The Hebrew word ani
also occurs as afflicted in relation to the suffering of the Messiah in Psalm 22:24. King David used this
word, in Psalm 25:16 to describe his plight as being “alone and afflicted.” It also occurs as afflicted as a
result of God’s judgment upon His people, in Isaiah 54:11. The sinful and rebellious people of God had been
drunk, not from wine, but from drinking the full measure of the cup of God’s wrath, 51:17.
In 51:22, the Lord describes Himself to His covenant people as “your Sovereign LORD,” and “your God,”
who pleads the cause for “his people.” (words in bold intentional). He reminds His people that He has chosen
them as His possession, as they should have remembered from their reading of the Torah, as Deuteronomy
26:18 states, “The LORD has declared today that you are his own treasured people, just as he has promised
you, so that you should keep all his commandments.” He is their LORD, Yahweh who is their personal God
who is eternally self-existing. He condescends to belong to a stubborn, willful and sinful people who
continually spurn His advances to govern them in justice and righteousness. He is also their covenant God
Elohim who alone, because no one else can, pleads the cause for His people. The KJV has, “Thus saith thy
Lord the LORD, and thy God.” The first name for God, in 51:22, in the KJV is “Lord” a translation of
Adonay who is their master and owner who has absolute authority over them and over all creation.
Bible students should note that God uses language suggestive of a court room, in which He pleads for the
cause of His people. To whom does God plead? He must defend His people against His own divine
righteousness and justice. God’s perfect righteousness cannot allow sin to go unpunished. It would stand
against all that He is, for He is holy and demands that His people be holy, Leviticus 11:44. Therefore since,
no one else is qualified or acceptable to Himself to stand in defense of His people, He pleads for their cause
as their kinsmen Redeemer to rescue them from His righteous wrath and save them from the judgment He
517…..Isaiah 51:21-22 and 23
must apply. To do this, however, will require a much greater work than merely standing to defend them. It
requires the greatest work of grace ever imagined. He will necessarily take upon Himself this act of grace by
sending His Son, the Suffering Servant, the Messiah to stand in the place of these underserving and wicked
people and also to stand in place for all mankind. The description of this act of grace is graphically declared
by Isaiah, beginning in just a few verses following 51:22. The great climax to the work of the Suffering
Servant is revealed in Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12 and the section immediately following 51:23 leads to this climax.
The final sentence of 51:22 clearly and definitely provides the setting for the words of chapter 51 of Isaiah.
The Lord will during the last days of the great tribulation to come, Jeremiah 30:7, Daniel 12:1, Matthew
24:4-28; and Revelation chapters 6-19, complete His judgment upon His covenant people, who will be the
faithful remnant who survive the devastation of the tribulation. See also Isaiah 26:20-21 and Jeremiah 30:7.
The Lord promises that he will remove from His people the judgment upon them described as the bowl (cup)
of His wrath and they will “never drink it again.” It is a promise for a far future day that has not yet happened
but as with all of God’s promises, His people can depend on the veracity of His word for His word is as
authoritative and true as He is Himself. There is no one more exalted or higher to whom His people could
appeal. Their judgment will end exactly as He has stated.
51:23 Instead I will put it into the hand of your tormentors,
who have told you, 'Bow down, that we may walk over you.'
You have laid your back like the ground,
and like the street for them to walk over.
As recorded in Isaiah 51:23, the Lord promises to take the cup of His wrath and give it to those who have
been tormenting His covenant people. The oppressors, (cf. 51:13) have sought to destroy God’s covenant
people and use them as slaves to imprison them and leave them without food. They are seen in 51:23 as
demoralizing God’s faithful remnant by walking over them as if they were nothing but dirt on the street to be
trodden down. But God will bring their days of tormenting His people to a decisive end. They will be
punished and will perish at God’s hand. See Isaiah 49:25-26; Jeremiah 25:15-38; Habakkuk 3:12-14; and
Zechariah 12:1-10.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 51
51:1-8 The Redeeming Lord
51:1-3 The Comfort of God for His People
51:4-6 The Conversion of God of His People
51:7-8 The Care of God for His People
51:9-16 The Rescuing Lord
51:9-13 The Return of the Ransomed
51:14-16 The Redeemer of the Ransomed
51:17-23 The Revenging Lord
51:17-20 God’s People Aroused
51:21-23 God’s People Avenged
5. God Promises Good News to His People: 52:1-12
This section of the writings of Isaiah, 52:1-12, is a glorious prelude to the revelation of the Messiah as the
great Suffering Servant of God who will be sent to be a sin offering for His covenant people and for all
peoples of the earth, past and present, Isaiah 52:13-53:12. In the section, 52:1-12, God’s covenant people,
the people of Zion, are to wake up and adorn themselves with beautiful garments, vs. 1; remove the dust from
518…..Isaiah 52:1
themselves, remove their chains of captivity and sit on their throne in Jerusalem, vs. 2, for they are to prepare
themselves to meet the LORD who is returning to Zion, vs. 8. They had lived under bondage in Egypt and
were recently oppressed by the Assyrians, vss. 4-5. But now they will be redeemed, vs. 3; and they will know
the Lord, vs. 6. Good tidings, of peace, salvation and the reign of God will be announced to them, vs. 7. They
will see the return of the LORD to Zion, vs. 8; and they will joyfully sing, for the LORD has comforted and
redeemed them, vs. 9; and all peoples of the earth will see the salvation of God, vs. 10. Therefore, God calls
them to depart from the nations that have held them captive, vs. 11; and He promises to be with them, when
they leave these nations, vs. 12. Isaiah states that this declaration from the Lord came to Him in the days
following the days of Assyria’s oppression, “recently Assyria has oppressed them,” vs. 4. The prophecy
given to Isaiah in 52:1-12, as in chapter 51, regards the far future days when the messianic kingdom will
begin to be established.
52:1 Wake up, wake up,
clothe yourself with strength, O Zion.
Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city;
no longer will the uncircumcised
and the unclean enter you.
The message from the Lord in 52:1-12 is a continuation of the declaration of the Lord, which began in 51:1
which concerns the removal of the Lord’s judgment upon His covenant people, during the terrifying days of
the tribulation, and the purification of the people as they prepare to meet their Redeemer as He returns to set
up His messianic kingdom. The double call in 52:1 to wake up is connected to the command of the Lord in
51:1 to listen to Him and other double calls to wake up in 51:9 and 17. The Lord in 52:1 is calling upon His
people, Zion, to awaken to the fact that He has rescued them from their oppressors, redeemed them from their
sins, and restored them to their rightful place in Jerusalem. The days of tribulation are now over, and they are
to prepare themselves to meet their Lord, the Messiah when He returns to Zion, 52:8.
The clothes they are to wear are symbolically called “strength,” for those who have oppressed them, 51:13,
have been cast aside by the Lord, and they will return to Zion with joyful singing, 35:10, 51:11 and as they
return they will be strengthened by the Lord. Isaiah had previously described these days and the new strength
that will be given them from the Lord as recorded in Isaiah 41:8-16. The newly establish messianic kingdom,
that the redeemed of the Lord will journey to from their captivity among the nations, will be cleansed from
any unclean or those who are uncircumcised. This refers to those evil nations who had been their oppressors,
51:13, for only those who the Lord calls and enables with His strength will make the journey to Zion to meet
their Messiah. Those who had oppressed them will no longer exist, 41:11-12. Along the way, they will be
aided by many including kings of nations, 49:22-23; 60:4. When they arrive the wealth of the nations will be
brought to them and others (foreigners) will rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and kings will serve them, 60:10-
11. See also the wider context of the details of this return to Zion and the involvement of the nations in 60:1-
22. Those of these nations who have turned to the Lord in faith will also be among the faithful remnant of
God’s people as they come to Zion at the inauguration of the Messiah’s millennial kingdom on the earth.
This kingdom has not yet come, nor has it been inaugurated as some claim (already-not yet). For a thorough
discussion on the kingdom to come, see Andrew M. Woods, The Coming Kingdom, Grace Gospel Press,
2016. See also the excellent exposition of the Kingdom of God in the Scriptures by Michael J. Vlach, He Will
Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God, Lampion Press, 2017. For an older but valuable
book length treatment on the Kingdom, see Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom, BMH Books,
1959.
519…..Isaiah 52:1
The clothing called “beautiful garments” in 52:1, are called “beautiful garments of salvation,” by Thomas
Constable in his notes on Isaiah 52:1:
“God called on Israel to awake and to be strong (in the strength that God provides). The Israelites did
not need to call on Him to awake and to be strong, as they had done (51:9). He was ready to save
them. But were they ready to trust Him for their salvation (cf. 40:27-31; 42:23-25; 43:22-24; 45:9-13,
15, 18-19; 46:8-13; 48:1-22; 49:14—50:3)? The Lord instructed the people of Zion to put on the
"beautiful garments" of salvation that God would provide for them.
How He would provide salvation for them is the subject of the next Servant Song (52:13—53:12).
God saw His people as comprising a holy city, and they needed to view themselves that way too, as
holy people (cf. 4:2-6; 1 Cor. 1:2). References to Jerusalem as "the holy city" appear in Neh. 11:1, 18;
Isa. 48:2; 52:1; Dan. 9:24; Matt. 4:5; 27:53; and Rev. 11:2. The Lord would forbid any uncommitted
and unclean people from having a part in His future for them.” (Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 256).
Jerusalem is called in Isaiah 52:1, “the holy city.” It is also called by this title in Nehemiah 11:1; Revelation
21:2 and 10. The mountain of Jerusalem is called “holy” in Daniel 9:16 and Zechariah 8:13. The references
to the holy mountain refer directly to Zion in Psalm 2:6; Joel 2:1; 3:17 and Zechariah 8:3. The holy mountain
as Zion is directly implied in Psalm 48:1 and 87:1. It is not insignificant that Zion is mentioned in Isaiah 52:1
in connection with Jerusalem the holy city. Jerusalem and Zion can be understood as interchangeable
references to the holy residence of the Messiah who will return in the future to establish His kingdom and sit
on throne of His father David, Luke 1:32.
Isaiah reveals much about this holy place called Zion. There is more detail about Zion in the writings of
Isaiah than in any other Scriptural book. The following is a summary of what Isaiah declares about this holy
mountain, also called Jerusalem.
It will be in the latter days the most exalted mountain on earth and from it (including Jerusalem) the law of
the LORD will be issued for He will teach the nations and judge between them, Isaiah 2:2-4. Also in these
days, all who reside in Zion and in Jerusalem will be called holy and the Lord will reside there and upon the
entirety of Mount Zion, the LORD will create a glorious canopy (the shekinah glory), Isaiah 4:2-6.The
dwelling place of the LORD of hosts is on Mount Zion, Isaiah 8:18. Zion is called the hill of Jerusalem in
Isaiah 10:32. The LORD is the founder of Zion, and his afflicted people will seek refuge in Zion, Isaiah
14:32. It is called the place of the name of LORD of hosts, Isaiah 18:7. The LORD of hosts will reign in
Mount Zion, Isaiah 24:23. In Zion a tested foundation stone will be laid which is called a precious
cornerstone, a sure foundation, Isaiah 28:16. The LORD will deliver Zion from its enemies, Isaiah 29:8,
30:19 and 31:4,9; 34:8. The LORD has filled Zion with justice and righteousness, Isaiah 33:5.In the future,
Zion will be established forever, Isaiah 33:20. To the future Zion, the ransomed of the LORD will return with
singing, joy and gladness and everlasting joy will crown their heads, Isaiah 35:10 and 51:11. In the future
survivors, the remnant will come out from Jerusalem, called Mount Zion, Isaiah 37:32. Good news, the
gospel of salvation will be proclaimed in Zion, Isaiah 40:9; 41:27; 46:13; 52:7; 62:1 and 11; The LORD will
comfort Zion, Isaiah 51:13; 52:9 and 61:13. God calls the people of Zion, His people, Isaiah 51:16. In the
future no unclean or uncircumcised will come into Zion, Isaiah 52:1. The LORD will return and restore Zion,
Isaiah 52:8. The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those who turn from their sin, Isaiah 59:20. Zion will be
called the city of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel, Isaiah 60:14. Zion will experience rapid growth
in population in the days of the messianic kingdom, Isaiah 66:7-11.
520…..Isaiah 52:2-3
52:2 Shake off the dust from yourself;
get up, sit on your throne, O Jerusalem.
Lose yourself from the chains on your neck,
O captive daughter of Zion.
There are four calls for action in 52:2: “shake off the dust”; “get up”; “sit on your throne”; and “lose the
chains on your neck.” These commands from God to the faithful remnant of His covenant people, whom God
calls, “captive daughter of Zion,” coveys the thought that they are still affected by the “staggering” they have
endured by consuming the contents of God’s cup of wrath, which He has just removed from them, 51:22. It
was not enough for them to have this cup of judgment removed. Now they would have to demonstrate that
they had actually repented of their national sin of rejecting the Messiah at His first advent, and plead for Him
to return, and have been truly in mourning for Him who they had pierced, Hosea 5:15-6:3 and Zechariah
12:10-14. Their actions speak of their faith in Him, not as a requirement of faith, but as outward
demonstration that their lives had been changed as a result of their faith.
God calls them to first, “shake off the dust” from themselves as they had been trodden down by their
oppressors, who had humiliated them by walking over them, 51:23. Second, God calls them to then “get up”
which can be understood in at least two ways. One: they are literally commanded to “arise” from the dirt and
dust where they have lain and two: they are to “go up” to Zion to the mountain of the Lord’s house, Isaiah
2:3 and Micah 4:2, where they will adorn their royal robes, their beautiful garments (vs. 1), of strength and
salvation in readiness for the next command from the Lord. Third, the people of God, called Jerusalem, are
commanded to sit on their throne. In the messianic kingdom, they will reign with Christ, their Messiah for a
thousand years, Revelation 20:4. Fourth, they are to lose (to remove) from their necks, the chains that had
kept them literally captive and spiritually oppressed during the days of the tribulation. The days of torment
were now over, and they must go up to Zion to meet their Messiah, 52:8. They will go from being captives of
those who oppress them by being “ground” into dust, to sitting and ruling on thrones, wearing beautiful
garments, and reigning alongside the King of kings and Lord of lords.
52:3 For this is what the LORD says,
"You were sold for nothing;
you will be redeemed without money."
In an earlier message, Isaiah had declared the word of the LORD of hosts, that the exiles from Babylon
would be released without any price or reward, Isaiah 45:13. In a passage closer to chapter 52, Isaiah declares
in 50:1, that:
This is what the LORD says,
"Where is your mother's divorce certificate,
by which I have put her away?
Or to which of my creditors have I sold you?
Look, you were sold because of your sins,
and for your transgressions your mother was put away.
The Lord had “sold” or allowed His covenant people to be held captive by Gentile nations due to their
sinfulness and rebellion against Him and rejection of Him, without the exchange of any money. This leads
naturally to the consideration of the Lord’s ownership of all things. For example, someone may ask, to whom
does the Lord “owe” anything? Or they may ask, to whom is the Lord in debt for any amount or for any
reason? The answer is a resounding “no.” The Lord does not need anything, Acts 17:25. The Apostle Paul
521…..Isaiah 52:3-4
expressed well the ownership of the Lord of all things in the great doxology which concluded the theological
teaching of his letter to the Romans as recorded in Romans 11:33-36:
33
O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments,
and how unfathomable are his ways!
34
For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counselor?
35
Or who has first given to God,
so that he is obligated to repay him?
36
For from him, and through him, and to him, are all things.
To him be the glory forever. Amen.
Therefore, since God neither needs to pay for anything or to receive payment from anyone, since all things
belong to Him, He can with infinite authority claim that He had “sold” His sinful covenant people for nothing
and He also redeemed them without money. The Lord with unmeasurable grace and love will redeem His
people and all mankind without money for no money transaction is required. But there is a great “cost” to the
Lord. He deemed that His people be “sold” and He deemed that they be redeemed. No one could during the
days of Isaiah, or before or after, have any claim to these people except the Lord Himself. The word
redeemed is the familiar Hebrew word ga’al which occurs often in the writings of Isaiah. It refers to the Lord
as His people’s family or kinsmen redeemer who rescues them from their helpless situation. For occurrences
of ga’al in Isaiah, see, 35:9; 41:14; 43:1, 14; 44:6, 22, 23, 24; 47:4; 48:17, 20; 49:7, 26; 51:10; 52:3, 9; 54:5,
8; 59:20; 60:16; 62:12; 63:4, 9 and 16. A similar term theologically is the Hebrew word padah which occurs
in 35:10 and 51:11 in the DASV as “ransomed” and in 1:27 and 29:22 as “redeemed.” See notes on 35:10. If
the word “redeemed” in 52:3 is understood as merely freeing His covenant people, the faithful remnant from
those who oppress them and hold them captive, then it could be argued that to the Lord there was no “cost.’
However, if the intention of the Lord was to just free His people, the prophet would most likely have used
another Hebrew word to covey this meaning. But, as the word ga’al was used, it does have a salvific
meaning and redemption, according to the Scriptures does require a payment. See J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah,
page 328. Although the Lord has said His people will be “redeemed” without money, it does not mean that
there is no “cost” personally to the Lord. To those who seek the Lord in faith, there is no “cost” for the
Lord’s gracious provision of salvation, Isaiah 55:1, Revelation 21:6 and 22:17. But this salvation came at a
great “cost” to God, Isaiah, 28:16. This “cost” is explained in detail in Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12.
52:4 For this is what the sovereign LORD says,
"At first my people went down into Egypt to live there,
recently Assyria has oppressed them for no reason."
Isaiah often uses the name “sovereign LORD” (Yahweh who is sovereign) to emphasize the importance of a
specific discussion. In 52:3, the prophet had introduced the discussion with “For this is what the LORD
says.” Isaiah’s audience, therefore, are compelled to pay attention to what the Lord has to tell them. In 52:3
the Lord makes the point that as His people had been “sold for nothing,” they would be “redeemed without
money.” In 52:4 the Lord makes the point that Egypt and Assyria had oppressed them “for no reason” or
literally “for nothing” which connects 52: 3,4 and 5 in the discussion. Egypt and Assyria had oppressed the
Lord’s people “for nothing” in the sense that the Lord did not allow His people to be permanently kept in the
state of oppression but would rescue them. Another possible understanding of the words “for no reason”
DASV, or “without cause” (for nothing), is explained by Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 398, as “without
any moral or legal right.” The discussion the Lord wants His people to grasp and understand is that He
522…..Isaiah 52:4-5
promises to bring His people out from their cruel oppressors in the future just as He had done in the ancient
past from captivity in Egypt and more recently from the assault by the Assyrians.
The words, “recently Assyria has oppressed them” sets the timing when Isaiah declared this message. It was
relatively close to the time following the defeat of the Assyrian army by an angel of the Lord, Isaiah 37:36.
Such historical references are helpful to understand when Isaiah was ministering the word of the Lord to the
people of Judah. This comment eliminates any possibility that Isaiah’s message was given by another
messenger in a later historical period, as some critical scholars claim. It also suggests that the context of
Isaiah’s message was not about the Babylonian captivity. Isaiah is declaring a message about the far future,
during the days at the end of the tribulation and during the time of the Lord’s second advent when He will
free His covenant people, the faithful remnant from the oppression of those who oppress them and “taunt
them,” 52:5. See also connected passages: Isaiah 49:22-26; 50:1-2; 51:7, 12-14, and 23.
52:5 Now therefore, what do I have here, says the LORD,
seeing that my people are taken away for nothing?
Those who rule over them shout a taunt at them," says the LORD,
and my name is continually blasphemed.
The phrase in the DASV “what do I have here,” is in agreement with most English versions. The meaning of
these words, however, is debated by Biblical scholars. For an extended discussion, see Gary V. Smith, Isaiah,
vol. 2, pages 420-422. In the context of the preceding chapters including 52:1-12, the prophetic setting is the
end of the tribulation period when God is completing His judgment upon His covenant people and the pagan
nations of the world. Many scholars however, without apparent textual support, suggest that the prophetic
setting is during the last days of the Babylonian captivity for the exiles from Judah. The timeframe when
Isaiah delivered this prophetic message is set in 52:4. The planned assault by the Assyrians on Jerusalem,
which was ended by God’s intervention, Isaiah 37:36, was still in recent memory and Jerusalem was safe
from attack by its enemies. The Lord is assessing the situation during the days in the far future when the
faithful remnant will be held captive by many nations and have been “taken away for nothing.” The pagan
nations who are oppressing God’s people had no legal right to hold God’s people captive, nor had they paid
anything to God for His people, nor had they any moral reason for their actions.
The cruel rulers of the nations who are holding God’s people captive, in the far future, will be taunting them,
52:5, and oppressing them and seeking to destroy them, 51:13-14. These rulers are also continually
blaspheming the great name of Yahweh. A recent example in Isaiah’s day of the taunting of God’s people
and the blaspheming of God’s name is recorded in Isaiah chapters 36 and 37. Sennacherib, the king of
Assyria had led his army to attack Judah and had captured many of the fortified cities of Judah. He then
turned his attention to Jerusalem with the intent of destroying the capital of Judah. Sennacherib had sent his
representative, Rabshakeh to taunt the people of Jerusalem by claiming their God had no power to save them
and even claiming that it was the Jewish Lord who told the pagan Assyrian to destroy Judah. This taunting
and blasphemy were answered decisively by God with the destruction of the Assyrian army as recorded in
37:36. The timing of the declaration of the far future prophecy was therefore within an appropriate setting
and Isaiah’s audience could well relate to what God was telling them. The Lord will again respond to the
taunting of His people and the blaspheming of His great name in the far future. See Isaiah 49:25-26; 51:7-8,
and 21-23.
The Apostle Paul quoted Isaiah 52:5 in Romans 2:24: “Just as it is written, the name of God is blasphemed
among the Gentiles because of you.” Paul’s application of this prophecy from Isaiah was to enhance his point
that the Jews were as guilty as the Gentiles in sinfulness and dishonoring God. The Jews could not boast in
their knowledge of God’s law as they, as self-proclaimed, guides and teachers of the law, were guilty of not
523…..Isaiah 52:5-6
keeping the law, which led to God’s name being blasphemed among the Gentiles. Paul’s citing of Isaiah 52:5
does not mean that his application of this verse was its fulfillment. Many Old Testament passages are quoted
in the New Testament as a means of application and not a final fulfillment of the O.T. reference. For
example, the quoting of Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2: 17-21, was an analogical application of the day of the Lord
prophecy by the prophet Joel, not a fulfillment of the prophecy. For an extended discussion of the use of Joel
2 in Act 2 see Andrew M. Woods, The Coming Kingdom, Grace Gospel Press, 2016, Chapter, 18, under
heading Joel 2 in Acts 2. See also Michael J. Vlach, How Does the New Testament Use the Old Testament: A
Survey of Major Views, Theological Studies Press, 2017, for a detailed discussion of how the New Testament
applies Old Testament texts. This publication reviews scholarly viewpoints but will be of interest to the Bible
student who desires a deeper theological understanding of this issue.
52:6 Therefore my people will know my name;
in that day then they will know
that I am the one who speaks; look, it is I.
The Lord had earlier promised to vindicate His people and protect them and gather them from the nations, so
they could with singing and joy journey to Zion with the aid of the nations who had previously held them
captive and oppressed them, Isaiah chapters 35, 40-48, and 50-52. The Lord promises in 52:6 that will be a
day in the future, “in that day,” when God, who is the Messiah will reign in Zion, 52:7. “In that day,” His
people will not only know His name but will know Him for who He is, the great “I am.” They are called to
look upon Him and acknowledge Him. It will be the “day” of the beginning of the messianic rule of the
Messiah when all people alive on the earth, following the tribulation, will know for certain that the Messiah,
the Lord Jesus Christ, has returned to vindicate His great name.
52:7-12 Introduction
Following the declaration of Isaiah regarding the Lord’s promises that He will not forsake or forget His
people (even though they will forsake and forget Him) and His promises to redeem His people from cruel
oppressors and bring them to Zion where He will be known by them, the prophet orates a great hymn of
praise regarding the works of restoration and salvation wrought by the Lord. Similar “hymns of praise” are
recorded in Isaiah 42:10-12; 44:23; and 49:13. The hymn of praise in 52:7-10 completes the long section
49:14 to 52:6. The words of Isaiah 52:11-12 are a prophetic call to God’s people to act upon His promises by
coming out of the nations that have held them in cruel captivity. It should be noted that some have suggested
that the fourth Servant Song actually begins with Isaiah 52:7, however this study of Isaiah will be in
agreement with the majority of scholars who state that the fourth Servant Song begins with Isaiah 52:13.
The hymn of praise by Isaiah, 52:7-10, announces the bringing of good news of peace, happiness, salvation
and the announcement that God reigns, to the people of Zion, vs. 7. Watchmen in Zion will witness the
restoration of their city by LORD and shout joyfully of what they have witnessed, vs. 8. Also, the ruined
places of Jerusalem will shout joyfully because the LORD has comforted and redeemed His covenant people,
vs 9. Finally, the hymn of praise, declares that the LORD has shown to all nations His great strength (has
barred His holy arm), so that His salvation will be seen by all the earth, vs. 10. Michael Rydelnik and James
Spencer comment on verses 7-10:
“The prophet next proclaims God’s kingship over Israel. The beautiful feet of the messenger and the
good news He proclaims to the people of Israel result in praise. The Septuagint and the NT translate
the Hebrew phrase rendered good news as “gospel.” Therefore, the term “gospel” carries with it a
royal nuance that is frequently overlooked. In the context of Isaiah, the royal nuance of the good news
524…..Isaiah 52:7
is certainly in mind as God is identified as the One who reigns.” (Michael Rydelnik and James
Spencer, Isaiah, Moody Bible Commentary, page 1086).
52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him that brings good tidings,
who announces peace,
who brings good news,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"
Isaiah 52:7 is one of the most beloved verses in all of Scripture and its words have been woven into Christian
songs of praise for the gracious and merciful acts of God in redeeming His covenant people and all peoples
who will put their faith in His Son. Notwithstanding the words of Christian hymns that make this verse
applicable to a universal message of salvation, it is specifically in the context of Isaiah 52:1-12 and the
chapters that precede it, a proclamation of praise for those who will bring the good news of God’s salvation
to the covenant people of God, who are His faithful remnant who have been held captive by oppressive
tyrants in many nations of the earth. The people of God will soon be released and freed from those who have
held them and have sought to destroy them, Isaiah 51:12-14. The historical setting will be in the far future, at
the end of the tribulation period, when God will gather His elect people from the nations and bring them in
victory and great joy to Zion, Isaiah 35:10, 51:11.
Who will be those who bring proclamations of good tidings and publishes (announces) salvation and who
will say to Zion, “Your God reigns?” There has been much speculation on the identity of these individuals.
Will it be those who have been saved during the tribulation who will go to these nations as Christian
missionaries to bring the gospel message to all peoples including the covenant people of God? Will it be the
144,000 Jews who will receive the seal of God upon their foreheads, Revelation 7:3-8; 14:1? Will it be an as
yet unidentified sole messenger who has been assigned by God to be this bringer of good tidings? Or will it
be the returning faithful remnant who announces these good tidings to Zion. Isaiah had earlier announced a
prophecy of announcing comfort and coming salvation to the people of Zion, Isaiah 40:1-11. He would
prophesy of the mission of the Messiah to bring good news and comfort those who mourn in Zion, 61:1-3.
The prophet Nahum may have quoted Isaiah as recorded in Nahum 1:15a or received the same message from
God who is the author of Scripture. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 10:15, made an application of Isaiah 52:7
in his discussion on the preaching of the gospel message and those who are sent to preach this message. It
must be remembered that a New Testament application of an Old Testament prophecy is not a final
fulfillment of that prophecy unless it is clearly evident that this is the case. From the context of Isaiah chapter
52:1-12 and the preceding chapters, the context of this proclamation of good tidings occurs during the days
just prior to the establishment of the messianic kingdom when God is gathering His elect people from the
nations of the world to come to Zion to meet and live under the gracious rule of their King, who is their
Messiah. The identity of the messenger(s) of good tidings is not made certain in the Scriptures.
Other passages in Isaiah state that the message of God’s comfort and salvation are proclaimed on the
mountains, Isaiah 40:9; 42:10-11; 44:23; 49:13; and 55:12. See also Psalm 72:3. A close parallel to Isaiah
52:7 is Isaiah 40:9:
Get up on a high mountain, O Zion,
messenger of good tidings.
You who announce good tidings to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with strength;
do not be afraid.
525…..Isaiah 52:7
Announce to the towns of Judah,
"Here is your God!"
The “good tidings “in the DASV and the KJV but “good news” in other English versions, are described by
four declarations described as “peace,” “good news of happiness” (ESV), “salvation” and the emphatic “Your
God reigns!”
“peace” (the first declaration)
The first of the four declarations is “peace” which shall be a major characteristic of the messianic rule of
King Messiah. Peace, shalom in the Hebrew, has several meanings in the Old Testament. In the context of
the messianic rule of the Messiah, shalom refers to an absence of hostility, harm, fear and worry about any
stressful condition. The One who will rule His kingdom is described in Isaiah 9:6 as the “Prince of Peace,”
and there will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, Isaiah 9:7. Isaiah describes this
kingdom in 26:1-3 as,
1
In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
We have a strong city;
God has set up salvation like walls and ramparts.
2
Open the gates,
so that the righteous nation
that keeps faith may enter.
3
You will keep in perfect peace,
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
Isaiah, in the same context as 26:1-3, describes the actions of the Lord in 26:12 as: “O LORD, you will
establish peace for us.” Isaiah describes the days of the messianic kingdom, in 32:16-18 as,
16
Then justice will dwell in the wilderness;
righteousness will reside in the fruitful field.
17
The produce of righteousness will be peace;
the result of righteousness,
quietness and confidence forever.
18
My people will live in peaceable dwellings,
in safe homes,
and in secure resting places.
(Isaiah 32:16-18)
Isaiah records the promise of God in 54:10 that “my loyal love will never leave you, nor will my covenant of
peace ever be broken, says the LORD who has compassion on you.”
In Isaiah 55:12, the prophet records, regarding the messianic kingdom, that,
For you will go out with joy,
and be led forth with peace;
the mountains and the hills will break out in singing before you,
and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands.
526…..Isaiah 52:7
The prophet records in 57:18-19, the promise of God for those entering His kingdom, that,
18
I have seen their ways,
but I will heal.
I will lead him,
and restore comfort to those who mourn,
19
creating praise on their lips.
Peace, peace, to those who are far off
and to those who are near,
says the LORD,
and I will heal them.
In the kingdom of the Messiah, God will, as recorded in Isaiah 60:17b-18,
17b
I will also make peace your overseer,
and righteousness your ruler.
18
Violence will no more be heard in your land,
devastation or destruction within your borders,
but you will call your walls 'Salvation,'
and your gates 'Praise.'
Finally, as recorded in Isaiah 66:12, God promises, “Look, I will extend prosperity (peace) to her like a
river.” The overwhelming evidence, from the prophetic writings of Isaiah, is that the kingdom of the Messiah
will be a time of unparalleled peace upon the earth during which time, the inhabitants of the kingdom will be
free to live their lives in contentment and have the freedom to openly worship their King who is their
Messiah.
“good news of happiness” NASB (the second declaration)
The second of the four declarations is “good news of happiness” in the NASB. Happiness,” is the Hebrew
word tob, which can also be translated as “well being” (marginal note in the NASB), or simply “good” or
“goodness.” In the context of Isaiah 52:7, the marginal note of the NASB, as translating tob as “well being”
aptly describes the physical and spiritual condition of the inhabitants of the messianic kingdom. The sense of
the well being of these inhabitants could be understood as being content, satisfied, and “at peace” with their
circumstances. They will have nothing lacking in their living conditions nor in their relationship with each
other or with their Messianic King or with those who will act as administrators of the kingdom. Each day will
bring contented happiness during which they can joyfully praise their Savior, the Messiah. Part of this
happiness will stem from extremely good physical health and a vibrant long lifespan without fear of diseases,
or fear of violent weather, or fear of enemies or fear of harm from wild animals who will also be at peace
with their environment and with others who inhabit the kingdom. (see Isaiah 11:6-9 and 65:25).
“salvation” (the third declaration)
The third of the four declarations is “salvation,” which is the Hebrew yeshuah. Salvation is one of the great
themes of the prophecy of Isaiah. The prophet’s name has the meaning of “The Lord is salvation,”
(“salvation of Yah”). Salvation in the writings of Isaiah has the meaning of rescue, deliverance, ransom, and
redemption both physically and spiritually. The One who brings salvation is Israel’s kinsmen Redeemer,
ga’al who is their Messiah and King. The Hebrew word yeshuah is the most common word for salvation in
Isaiah. Synonyms for this word in Isaiah are yesha and teshuah. The Hebrew word for salvation, yeshuah
occurs in Isaiah 12:2, 3 (twice), 25:9; 26:1, 18; 33:2, 6; 49:6, 8; 51:6, 8; 52:7, 10; 56:1; 59:11, 17; 60:18 and
62:1. See notes on these verses for an explanation of the meaning of salvation in the context of these verses.
527…..Isaiah 52:7
The short chapter 12 of Isaiah is an excellent example of the praise for God’s salvation by those who will
inhabit Zion “in that day” (12:1,4), which is the day of Messiah’s kingdom, Isaiah 12:1-6 states,
1
In that day you will say,
"I will give thanks to you, O LORD;
for though you were angry with me,
but now your anger is turned away
and you comfort me.
2
God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid;
for the LORD, yes the LORD,
is my strength and song;
he has become my salvation."
3
Joyfully you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
4
In that day you will say,
"Give thanks to the LORD,
call on his name;
declare his deeds among the peoples,
proclaim that his name is exalted.
5
Sing to the LORD,
for he has done wonderful things;
let this be known in all the earth.
6
Shout out and cheer, O inhabitant of Zion,
for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."
“Your God reigns!” (the fourth declaration)
The fourth of four declarations is “Your God reigns!” Although listed fourth, this declaration is of the utmost
in rank and importance. All of the other works and actions of God on behalf of His creation are secondary
and lead to this greatest and most exalted fact. Salvation, as important and as costly as it is to God to
accomplish, is in itself, a means to the most ultimate reality. This utmost reality is that God reigns over His
creation. One scholar suggests that the kingdom of God is the central theme of Scripture. See Michael J.
Vlach, He will Reign Forever, pages 21-26.
His creation and all its benefits and glories pale in comparison to the existence of God who delights to live
(tabernacle) among His created people as their King. The history of God’s creative purposes finds its climax
in the personal rule of God among those who have put their faith in Him. The setting for this personal rule of
God will be in the messianic kingdom when the Lord, the Messiah will return to earth to rescue His people
and personally establish and rule over His kingdom. The throne room for this rule will be in Zion. From
Zion, the Messiah will rule over all the earth. Those who are in Zion will joyfully hear the message that is
brought to them by the messenger, Isaiah 52:7, that “Your God reigns!” It will be the greatest message ever
delivered or heard by the ears of mankind.
When the Messiah, Jesus Christ will return to earth as a victorious warrior King, the words of a great
multitude will proclaim, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns,” Revelation 19:6. The
Messiah will reign in the far future, which many texts of Scripture speak of “in that day.” It is a day yet to
come. Someone may ask, “Does not the Messiah reign today?” Or they may ask, “Isn’t the kingdom of the
Lord Jesus Christ present on the earth now?” Many who hold to an “already-not yet” hermeneutic of the
528…..Isaiah 52:7-8
kingdom of Christ would advocate that when Christ came to earth at His first advent, He inaugurated His
kingdom which He rules on David’s throne from heaven. However, this understanding of the kingdom of
Christ has many flaws. Scripture clearly states that Christ is sitting at the right hand of His Father in heaven,
advocating on behalf of the saints who are called His body, the Church. Christ is not now sitting on the
throne of David ruling His kingdom. He will sit on this throne, one future day when He returns to earth to
establish His messianic kingdom. Even though the disciples of Christ where often dull in their understanding
of the kingdom of God, they at least knew that Christ’s kingdom was not yet present. When Christ was soon
to ascend into heaven, they asked, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). The
Lord did not correct them by stating that the kingdom was already present, but He said, “It is not for you to
know times or seasons that the Father has set by His own authority” Acts 1:7. There will be a time when the
Messiah will rule, while sitting on the throne of David. This time will come at the decree of the Father who
alone sets the timeframe of history. As mentioned above, see the publications by Alva J. McClain, Michael J.
Vlach and Andrew M. Woods, for a detailed defense of the coming rule of the Messiah on the earth.
Another question that someone may ask is, “Isn’t God always ruling His kingdom?” Those who ask this
question should be aware that there certainly is a universal kingdom of God over which God the Father
sovereignly rules. This universal rule is different from the coming messianic kingdom which will have a set
time frame, as stated in Revelation 20:1-6. The events leading to the establishment of this kingdom, its
Kingship, living conditions, those who will inhabit this kingdom and benefits to those who will inhabit this
kingdom are prophetically stated in the writings of Isaiah and by other writers of the Old and New
Testaments.
The words “Your God reigns!” can also be translated as “Your God is King.” See marginal note in the
NASB. The message of the Kingship and reign of God is similar to the previous declaration by Isaiah as
recorded in Isaiah 40:9-11. Other exclamations that God reigns are recorded in 1 Chronicles 16:31; Psalm
47:8; 93:1; 97:1; and 99:1. Also, many Psalms declare that God is King, 5:2; 10:16; 22:28; 24:8, 10; 29:10;
44:4; 45:6, 11; 47:2, 6, 7; 68:24; 74:12; 84:3, 93:1; 95:3; 98:6; and 145:1. See also Jeremiah 8:19; 10:10;
46:18; 48:15; 51:57; Ezekiel 20:33; Obadiah vs. 21; Zephaniah 3:15; Zechariah 14:9, 16, 17 and Malachi
1:14. The ancient Israelites had once recognized God as King over them but had sought a human king to rule
them, thus rejecting God as their sovereign ruler: 1 Samuel 8:7 and 12:12. The sad history of the Israelites
from that point on, with a fallible human ruler, is witness to the folly of rejecting God’s righteous and holy
rule over His covenant people. This sad history will turn to a joyful proclamation of praise to God, and a
peaceful prosperous life, when God’s people repent of their national sin of rejecting God and His Son. When
this happens, they will openly plea for their Messiah to return and rule them. Important passages proclaiming
God as King in Isaiah occur in 6:1, 5; 9:7; 24:23; 33:22; 37:16; 41:21; 43:15; and 44:6.
52:8 Your watchmen lift their voices,
together they shout for joy;
they will see with their own eyes,
when LORD returns to Zion.
Isaiah 52:8 continues the narrative of the glorious proclamation of 52:7. A messenger (or messengers) have
come to Zion to proclaim good news of peace, happiness, salvation and the most exalted declaration that their
God has come to them to reign. This will happen at the end of the tribulation period when the Messiah will
return as a mighty warrior King to defeat the enemies of His covenant people and come to Zion to establish
His messianic kingdom. The messenger(s) coming to Zion to proclaim the good tidings are first seen and
heard by the watchmen who keep watch over the beloved City of God. They hear the message and together
with the messenger(s) shout for joy for they gladly acknowledge that they will personally witness the return
of the Lord to Zion. The words “see with their own eyes” are literally “to see eye to eye.” It indicates that
529…..Isaiah 52:9-10
when they witness the return of the Lord to Zion, they will be so close to Him that they can look into His
eyes. Their years of travail and suffering are coming to an end. Their city will be liberated and purged from
sin and wickedness. A glorious new day of righteousness is about to dawn upon them. The watchmen’s
shouts of joy will arouse the people of God to awaken and clothe themselves with beautiful garments (52:1),
as they await the entrance of their King, the Messiah.
52:9-10 Break out into joyful singing,
you ruins of Jerusalem;
for the LORD has comforted his people,
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10
The LORD has bared his holy arm
in the eyes of all the nations.
All the ends of the earth
will see the salvation of our God.
Isaiah 52:9-10 may be understood as a hymn of praise by Isaiah upon contemplating the good tidings that
will be brought to Zion when the Lord comes to reign among His covenant people. The joyful shouts of the
watchmen over Zion will be joined by the inhabitants of the city who will fill all of the ruins of Jerusalem
with praise for their returning King who has redeemed and comforted them. This is certainly not a reference
to the return of the exiles from Babylon. It is the Lord who is returning to be King over His covenant people
and bring comfort, peace, happiness and salvation to them, following the distressful days of the tribulation.
The exiles in Babylon lived for the most part in comfort and peace and they may have been very happy in
their circumstances for most of them refused to return to Jerusalem to face the arduous task of rebuilding the
temple and the city. The Lord will return to earth to rescue His covenant people from the despair of being
held captive and the fear of being destroyed by those who have held them in many nations of the world. The
kings of the nations of the world will assist them as they leave these nations and travel to Zion, Isaiah 49:22-
23. Upon their arrival, the ruins of Jerusalem will be rebuilt, Isaiah 58:12, by foreigners, Isaiah 60:10, who
will also pasture their flocks and be their farmers and vinedressers, Isaiah 61:4-5.
The people of Jerusalem will be comforted by the returning Lord. See also, Isaiah 40: 1-11. The Lord, who is
their kinsmen Redeemer, will physically rescue His covenant people from their enemies and redeem them.
This redemption should be understood in a spiritual sense as salvation from sin and wickedness. If they had
not received the Lord’s salvation, by faith in their Messiah, they would not have been eligible to live with the
Messiah in His messianic kingdom. The reference in 52:10 to the Lord bearing His holy arm has a very
significant meaning. Bearing the arm is a symbol of strength and power. All nations of the earth will witness
the power and holiness of the Lord when He rescues and redeems His covenant people. The word “arm” in
52:10 is the Hebrew zeroa, which for example is described in Deuteronomy 26:8, “Then the LORD brought
us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with terrifying deeds and with signs and
wonders.” The word zeroa also occurs in Deuteronomy 33:27, “The eternal God is your refuge, and
underneath are his everlasting arms.” (bold intentional).
The word zeroa also occurs in Isaiah in 33:2, “be our strong arm every morning, our salvation in the time of
trouble;” in 40:10, “Look, the sovereign LORD will come with might, he will rule with his strong arm;” in
59:16, “Therefore his own arm brought salvation to him;” in 62:8, “The LORD has sworn by his right hand,
and by his mighty arm;” and in 63:5, “Therefore my own arm brought me salvation.” (bold intentional). It is
readily seen that the Lord’s arm, zeroa, is closely connected with salvation. Mitch Glaser in Messiah in the
Passover, Chosen People Ministries, licensed to Kregel Publications, 2017, page 242, emphatically links
zeroa in Isaiah 52:10 to the saving arm of God, which is fulfilled by the Lamb of God, the Messiah. In the
530…..Isaiah 52:9-10 and 11-12
Passover celebration, for certain Jewish participants, a part of the feast includes a shank bone of a lamb, the
arm, of which messianic Jews depict as representing the Messiah as the lamb who was slain.
The peoples of the earth who are alive at this time, “all the ends of the earth,” will also have salvation offered
to them. See Isaiah 45:22; and 49:6. All who respond in faith will reside in the kingdom with the Messiah as
their holy and righteous King. Later Isaiah would state in 59:20-21:
20
"A Redeemer will come to Zion,
and to those in Jacob who turn from their sin,"
says the LORD.
21
"As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD,
"my Spirit that is on you,
and my words which I have put in your mouth,
will not depart out of your mouth,
nor out of the mouths of your children,
nor out of the mouth of your children's children,"
says the LORD, "from now to forever."
52:11-12 Depart, depart, get out of here,
touch nothing unclean.
Get out of the midst of her;
purify yourselves,
you who bear the sacred vessels of the LORD.
12
For you will not leave quickly,
nor will you go fleeing for your lives;
for the LORD will go before you;
the God of Israel will watch your back.
Many Bible scholars suggest that these two verses have been added or inserted into chapter 52 at this point
because of the assumption that they apply to the return of the Judean exiles from Babylon. This assumption
may come from the words in 52:11, “you who bear the sacred vessels of the LORD.” While it is
understandable why this viewpoint is expressed, it does not however, fit the context of the first section of
chapter 52 nor of the chapters preceding this chapter. The context, as has been described in the study notes on
chapter 52 and the passages that precede it, is the timeframe at the end of the tribulation period when the
returning Messiah descends upon the earth as a warrior King to rescue His covenant people and establish His
messianic kingdom.
The Lord’s words in 52:11-12 are spoken to those who have been held in despair and were in fear of the
leaders of the nations who humiliated them and have sought to destroy them. See Isaiah 49:25; 51:14-16;
52:3-6. At the beginning of the seven-year period, the seventieth week of Daniel 9:24-27, also known as the
tribulation, the Antichrist will make a seven-year “covenant” with the Jews, of whom many will have
returned to a portion of the land, that was promised to them in ancient times. There is a temple in place,
according to Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:4-16; and Revelation 11:1-2. In the middle of this seven-year
“covenant,” the Antichrist will break his own covenant and cause the Jews and their sacred vessels and
implements to be removed from the temple and he will set up an abomination in the temple, Daniel 9:27 as
clarified by Jesus Christ in Matthew 24:15.
531…..Isaiah 52:11-12
Those Jews who are in Jerusalem during those terrifying days will need to flee for their lives, Matthew
24:16-22. The priests who had been ministering Jewish worship rituals such as sacrifices, and offerings will
be among those who will immediately leave the temple, taking the vessels of the Lord with them. Their flight
into the nations to avoid the wrath of the Antichrist and his forces will last for a short time, Matthew 24:22,
which can be understood as three and one-half years which completes the second part of the seven years
period, Daniel 9:27. See also the corresponding time periods stated in Revelation 11:2, forty-two months;
12:6, one thousand two hundred and sixty days; 12:14, a time, and times and half a time; 13:5, forty-two
months. For a detailed description of the end times including the tribulation period, see J. Dwight Pentecost,
Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology, Zondervan, 1964. See also, John F. Walvoord, End Times:
Understanding Today’s World Events in Biblical Prophecy, Word Publishing, 1998.
At the end of the days of their distress, called Jacob’s trouble in Jeremiah 30:7, the faithful Jews who will
plead for the return of their Messiah and have put their trust and faith in Him, will be called out of the nations
where they have been so cruelly mistreated. The Lord calls them to get out of these nations and touch nothing
unclean in them and purify themselves. The Apostle Paul quoted from Isaiah 52:11 in 2 Corinthians 6:17. As
with many other Old Testament quotations that appear in Paul’s letters, ie: Romans 10:15, this quotation
from Isaiah 52:11 is an application, not a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. There is abundant Scriptural
support for this prophecy of Isaiah to be fulfilled during the end days of the tribulation and just prior to the
establishment of the messianic kingdom by the returning Messiah. This divine call to the covenant people of
God to depart from the nations and to not touch anything unclean, will be generally applicable to all of the
faithful remnant and specifically for those priests who have held on to the sacred vessels of the Lord. Isaiah
52:1 states that no one unclean will come into Zion.
Though they will flee in imminent fear for their lives from Jerusalem, Matthew 24:16-22, they will return
three and one-half years later without fear for their lives nor will they need to travel back to Zion in haste.
The Lord promises to go before them and He will also watch over them from behind them, Isaiah 52:12. This
is similar to the Lord’s protection of the ancient Israelites as they walked for many years in the wilderness
after the Lord has rescued them from Egypt. Isaiah had earlier declared that during this journey in the far
future, the kings of princes of the nations of the earth will assist them as guardians and nurses and carry them
to their destination, Isaiah 49:22-23. See also Isaiah 14:2; 43:6; 60:4 and 66:20-21.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah chapter 52:1-12
52:1-2 Call for God’s People to Awake and Purify Themselves
52:3-6 God’s People will Know Him and His Name
52:7-10 God’s People Will Know the King Who Reigns
52:11-12 Call for God’s People to Leave the Nations and Purify Themselves
6. God’s Crushing of the Servant to Provide Salvation for His People: 52:13-53:12
If the prophecy of Isaiah can be understood as the highest and loftiest writing of the Old Testament, then
Isaiah chapter 52:13 to chapter 53:12 must be the very pinnacle, the highest point of the Old Testament and
arguably the entire Scriptures. There has been more scholarly literature written on this section of Isaiah than
on all of the rest of Isaiah and on any comparable length of verses for the entire Scriptures. It stands more
exalted and revered as no other part of Scripture can claim. It explains how salvation was wrought by God as
sufficient for all of the human race. It explains how the Servant, the Messiah, God’s Son, went from being
exalted in heaven to being slaughtered on earth, and rising from the dead to be again exalted in heaven. With
all that is said in this section of Isaiah about the Servant’s role in God’s gracious offer of salvation, one
would think everyone would be in agreement as to its interpretation and application. This, however, is not
what has unfolded.
532…..Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Introduction
There has been a sharp division between Christian and Jewish interpretation of Isaiah 52:13-53:12. This
section also has been the cause of much debate between conservative and liberal Christian scholars as to its
meaning and application. An excellent discussion on the debate between Christian and Jewish interpreters is
provided by Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, pages 400-409. Other suggested resources: F. Duane Lindsey, Isaiah’s
Songs of the Servant, Bibliotheca Sacra: part 1: January-March 1982, pages 12-31; part 2: April-June 1982,
pages 129-145; part 3: July-September 1982, pages 216-227; and part 4: October-December 1982, pages
312-329. Robert Duncan Culver, The Suffering and the Glory of the Lord’s Righteous Servant, Wipf and
Stock Publishers, 2001. David Baron, The Servant of Jehovah: The Sufferings of the Messiah and the Glory
That Should Follow. An Exposition of Isaiah LIII, reprint edition, James Family Publishing, 1978.
Gary V. Smith provides a brief introduction:
“Although this Servant poem is most closely related to the earlier Servant poems in 42:1–13; 49:1–
13; and 50:4–11, it also has connections with its immediate contextual setting of chap. 52. Isaiah
52:1–10 refers to a future time in which Zion will be a holy city (52:1). This will happen because God
will forgive their sins by washing away their filth and cleansing the blood stains from Jerusalem (4:3–
4). In 53:4–6, 8, 11–12 the good news is that forgiveness is attained through the death of the Servant,
thus explaining how the sins of the nations will be washed away. Isaiah 52:7 predicts a time to
proclaim the good news of peace, salvation, and the reign of God as King in Jerusalem, and 53:1–10
refers to an almost unbelievable “message, report” of good news about a Servant who would bear the
sins of many. Isaiah 52:10 refers to the Lord baring his arm in the sight of all the nations so that they
can see the salvation of God. These ideas are consistent with and elaborated in 53:1 when the arm of
the Lord reveals the Servant. Many nations and their kings will see, hear, and understand this message
(52:15) just as 49:7; 51:4–5; 52:10 predict. These interlinking connections suggest that this Servant
poem in 52:13–53:12 is the climactic message that fills out the unanswered questions raised in these
earlier oracles. It explains the personal action of God through the Servant that makes salvation
possible to many, and it plays a fundamental role in convincing the nations to understand and accept
the salvation that God offers.” (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 433-434).
The passages, 42:1-13; 49:1-13; 50:4-11 and 52:13-53:12, are often called “songs” or “poems” and have
many related themes. The first Servant Song, 42:1-13 describes the Servant as God’s chosen One of whom
God upholds, delights in and upon whom God has put His Spirit. The work of the Servant will be to bring
justice and His law to the nations. In this role, the Servant will not cry out or raise His voice but will be
gentle towards others. The Servant will not be discouraged or defeated and will be victorious in His mission.
God will watch over and protect His Servant, whom God has called in righteousness. God will appoint Him
to be a covenant to the people and a light to the nations to open blind eyes and free captives from
imprisonment (of sin).
The second Servant Song, 49:1-13 describes an autobiographical account of the work of the Servant. The
Servant describes His calling and protection from God who will display His glory in His Servant. The
Servant describes His frustration and apparent lack of success in His appointed task but acknowledges that
God will reward for His work and will give to Him the justice that He deserves. The work of the Servant is
explained as gathering and restoring Jacob and Israel to God and being a light to the nations so that God’s
salvation will reach to the ends of the earth. Although the Servant will be despised and abhorred by the
nations and be a servant to the earth’s rulers, the kings and princes of the nations will worship Him. The
Servant will be given as a covenant to the people and will restore the land of His covenant people and will
free captives and bring those in darkness into the light and comfort them. The Servant will have compassion
on His covenant people and will lead them from the nations where they have been held captive and restore
them to their inheritance in their promised land.
533…..Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Introduction
The third Servant Song, 50:4-11, is an autobiographical description of the work and suffering of the Servant.
The Servant describes the enabling of God upon Him to sustain those who are weary, and He will be
obedient to His calling. The Servant will suffer physical abuse including strikes upon His back, the pulling
out of His beard, humiliation and spitting into His face. Through all this He will be helped from God and He
will not be disgraced nor ashamed for God will vindicate and help Him. Those who oppose and condemn
Him will themselves face the wrath and judgment of God.
The fourth Servant Song, 52:13-53:12 describes in detail the suffering, death, resurrection and exaltation of
the Servant who accomplishes the work of salvation for sinful humanity that God had planned before the
foundation of the world. This Song has three component sections. Many scholars divide the fourth Servant
Song into five sections of three verses each, 52:13-15; 53:1-3; 53:4-6, 53:7-9 and 53:10-12 which has much
to be commended, but for the purposes of this study it will be simpler to adopt a three-partition examination
of the text.
The first section of the fourth Servant Song is an introductory declaration, 52:13-15, consisting of God’s
statement that His Servant will prosper (act wisely) and will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted. Many
will be appalled at the Servant who will be disfigured beyond that of anyone (while being punished and being
put to death). By this punishment and death, the Servant will bring salvation to the nations. Kings (leaders) of
the nations will be amazed at Him and they will understand His work of salvation although they had not
heard about or had not been told about it.
The second section, 53:1-9, describes a confession by repentant Israelites who will have faith in the Servant
(their Messiah). They confess that the Servant was a man of sorrows, who knew suffering, and whose
appearance did not attract them to Him. He was despised and forsaken by His own people, who did not
esteem Him. They further confess that the Servant bore their griefs and carried their sorrows although they
had before considered Him to be afflicted and smitten by God. They confess that the Servant was pierced,
crushed and punished for their sins and by doing so, the Servant brought peace and healing to them. They
also confess that they had gone astray like sheep and had turned to their own way, yet God had caused their
iniquities to fall on the Servant. They confess that although the Servant was oppressed and afflicted, He did
not complain but silent as He was led like a lamb to be slaughtered. They also confess that the Servant met
His death in oppression and judgment and was stricken for their transgression. Although the Servant had
neither done any violence nor had spoken any deceit, He was assigned a grave with the wicked yet was
buried in the grave of rich man. Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer comment on 53:1-9:
“The speaker changes from God to Israel in 53:1, and the nation continues speaking through the three
stanzas of the body of the poem (53:1-9). Israel speaks from the perspective of finally understanding
the identity of the Servant after many years of rejection. This is penitential Israel, finally recognizing
the long-rejected Messiah. In a parallel passage, Zechariah predicts that when Israel finally recognizes
the Messiah, the nation will repent with great mourning (Zch 12:10). The words in this section aptly
express that mourning and repentance. In the body of the song, penitent Israel gives three reasons for
failing to recognize the Messiah in the past.” (Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer, Isaiah, Moody
Bible Commentary, page 1088).
The third section, 53:10-12, describes God’s pleasure in the death of the Servant and the result of this death
and God’s exaltation of the Servant upon His resurrection. The prophet Isaiah speaks in vss. 10-11 and
records God’s words in vs. 12. The prophet explains that the Servant was actually put to death by God’s
pleasure which was His will and purpose. The Servant’s death was considered a guilt offering which
accomplished the bearing of the people’s iniquities and brought about the justification of many, which can be
understood as those who trust in Him. After His death, the Servant will live, by being resurrected to life. God
534…..Isaiah 52:13-15
declares in vs. 12 that He will reward the Servant who bore the sins of many and made intercession for the
transgressors.
52:13 Look, my servant will deal wisely;
he will be exalted and lifted up,
and will be greatly exalted.
Look, my servant will deal wisely (first phrase of 52:13)
Although the DASV has the word “look” as the first word in 52:13, the KJV, NKJV, NASB, and ESV have
“Behold” which corresponds with Isaiah 42:1. The NIV has “see” which is textually acceptable but “behold”
has a much stronger sense of paying attention to the Servant, than to merely look at or see.
The words, “will deal wisely”, describing the action of the Servant can also be translated as “will prosper.”
The Hebrew word is sakal (yaskil), which occurs in two other locations in Isaiah, 41:20 and 44:18.
He will be exalted and lifted up and will be greatly exalted (latter part of 52:13)
These three verbs can also be translated as “high, lifted up and greatly exalted.” They are used by Isaiah in
other passages: 6:1, high and lifted up; 33:10, “Now I will rise, says the LORD, now I will lift up myself, now
I will be exalted.”; and 57:15, “high and lofty One, high and holy place.”
52:14 Just as many were astonished at him,
his disfigured face was marred more than any other,
and his form beyond other human beings.
These words describe the scene when the Servant, Jesus Christ was brutally assaulted and then cruelly hung
on a Roman cross to die a most painful death. Those who witnessed this event were astonished by being
appalled or devastated at His appearance. As this event happened about 2000 years ago, we have no
photograph or eyewitness artist rendering to show the extent of the distortion and disfiguration of the person
and face of the Messiah as He bore the full brunt of the cruelty of the Roman soldiers upon Him. He had
done no wrong to anyone including the soldiers who seem to have taken sadistic delight in inflicting pain and
punishment to the Savior of the world. We can only surmise how much the Messiah’s face and person was
marred beyond recognition as a human form. Psalm 22:1-18 is another Old Testament prophecy of this event
and adds a narrative of the words and thoughts of the Messiah as He faced this horrendous death. See also
Matthew 26:67; 27:27-31; John 19:1-3.
Isaiah 53:7 describes the event of the assault upon the Messiah as “like a lamb that is led to the slaughter.” It
isn’t enough to say that Jesus was put to death for the sins of the world. He was slaughtered like an innocent
lamb who did not voice any objection to his human tormentors, but instead made intercession for them while
He hung upon the cross in unimaginable pain, Isaiah 53:12, Luke 23:34.
52:15 So he will sprinkle many nations;
kings will shut their mouths before him.
For that which they had not been told,
they will see;
and that which they had not heard,
they will understand.
535…..Isaiah 52:15
So he will sprinkle many nations; (first phrase of 52:15)
This words in this verse, “he will sprinkle many nations” have been debated by Bible scholars for
generations. It is evident that there is a difference of opinion even among messianic Bible Scholars who do
not often differ on important and vital doctrines of the role of the Messiah in accomplishing salvation on
behalf of sinful humanity. Thomas Constable suggests a harmonizing of these viewpoints:
“The interpretation of the Hebrew word yazzeh, translated "sprinkle" or "startle," has led students of
this verse to two different understandings of the prophet's line of thought. If "sprinkle" is correct,
Isaiah meant that even though the Servant was such an unlikely candidate as Yahweh's representative,
He would still perform the priestly function of cleansing the world of its sins (cf. Lev. 4:6; 8:11; 14:7;
1 Pet. 1:1-2; Heb. 10:22).
If "startle" is correct, the prophet meant that since the Servant was such an unlikely candidate as
Yahweh's representative, He would shock the world (when He made His claims and when God would
exalt Him). Both meanings are possible, and both harmonize with other revelation about the Servant.
Most English translations have "sprinkle," and this is probably the primary meaning. There are other
priestly allusions in the following verses (53:6, 7, 10, 11). I think Isaiah may have used a double
entendre at this point so his readers would see both truths. Isaiah was a master of multiple allusions,
as we have seen.” (Thomas Constable, Isaiah, pages 261-262).
Kings will shut their mouths before him. For that which they had not been told, they will see; and that which
they had not heard, they will understand. (latter part of 52:15)
The words of Isaiah 52:15, must be understood in the context of chapters 52 and 53. There is therefore a
direct relationship between the sprinkling of the nations by the Messiah and the reaction of the kings that
they will be silent before Him and they will see what they have not been told and they will understand what
they have not heard.
The Apostle Paul quoted from Isaiah 52:15 as an application of his task to preach the gospel where it had not
already been proclaimed, “20 I have made it my aim to preach the gospel where Christ has not already been
named, so that I might not build on someone else's foundation, 21 but, as it is written, "Those who were never
told about him will see him, and those who have never heard will understand." Romans 15:20-21.
The second section of the fourth Servant Song, consists of the passage, Isaiah 53:1-9. The first section,
52:13-15 provided an overview of the entire Servant Song proclaiming the death, resurrection and exaltation
of the Servant, the Messiah. The second or middle section of the Servant Song is an extended confession by
the covenant people of God who will in the far future be the faithful remnant whom God has preserved
during the days of the tribulation. These people will finally recognize their national sin of rejecting the
Messiah during His first coming. The will in repentance, realize that the extreme suffering and brutal
slaughter of the Servant was on their behalf, and upon the behalf all of sinful humanity. They will confess
that the Servant was put to death to bear their sins and was a guilt offering for them, although He had not
committed any wrong nor was there any deceit in Him. This confession is in the past tense. Isaiah is
prophetically writing of a far future day, just prior to the second advent of Jesus Christ, when the faithful
remnant will repent and make this confession.
536…..Isaiah 53:1
53:1 Who has believed our message?
To whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
The question that must first be addressed in properly understanding verses 1-9 of Isaiah chapter 53 is, who is
speaking these words? This study of Isaiah states that they were the faithful remnant of God’s covenant
people who are confessing the national sin of rejecting the Messiah during His first advent. Victor Buksbazen
comments:
“The majority of modern Jewish and some non-Jewish interpreters put the question is the mouth of
the Gentile nations who in the last days will see the exaltation of the once despised Jews.
Although most flattering to the national ego, this interpretation is inconsistent with the prophet’s
known views about his people and with the language of his prophecy.
Repeatedly the prophet denounced his people for being deaf and blind to the will of God (42:19-20,
43:24).
According to the prophet, they do not deserve the name Israel, and their allegiance to Jehovah is
insincere (48:1). He characterizes his nation as “an obstinate people with a neck like an iron sinew
and their forehead is like brass” (48:4).
The whole history and national character of Israel is completely out of harmony with the prophet’s
portrait of God’s obedient servant who takes upon himself the sins of his people to redeem all men. In
view of all this, the only reasonable answer to the question, “who has believed in the message we
have heard?” is that it is asked by repentant Israel or by their godly remnant when they will finally
recognize their past rebellion against God and against His servant, the Messiah. In reality the sense of
the question is a self-accusation by the people that so few of them have believed.” (Victor Buksbazen,
Isaiah, pages 412-413).
There are two questions to be discussed in Isaiah 53:1. The first is “Who has believed our message?” Isaiah,
prophesizing the words to be spoken in the far future by the faithful remnant of the Lord’s covenant people,
is stating that the message is so amazing that who would believe it. It is a message, stated in verses 1-9 of the
salvific work of the Servant, the Messiah on behalf of His people and all of sinful humanity. It is declared to
be “our message.” The message of Isaiah’s own people, spoken not in Isaiah’s time, but in a time when the
descendants of the Jews of Isaiah’s time will finally repent of their sin of rejecting the very Servant whom
will come to redeem them.
The second question to be discussed in Isaiah 53:1 is, “To whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?” The
anthropomorphism of the Lord having an “arm” occurs in Isaiah in 30:30; 40:10, 11; 48:14; 51:5, 9; 52:10;
53:1; 59:16; 62:8; 63:5, 12. The statements regarding the “arm” of the Lord can refer to His care for His
people like a shepherd, 40:11, but most often refers to His great strength as in 51:9 and his ability to save,
52:10. The great message of salvation is depicted in Isaiah 53:1 as a work of the arm of the Lord. See J. Alec
Motyer, Isaiah, page 333. The answer to the second question is same as the first. F. Duane Lindsey believes
the answer is that only a few people have either heard the message or witnessed the revealing of the strength
of the arm of the Lord. See F. Duane Lindsey, Isaiah’s Songs of the Servant, Part 4, Bibliotheca Sacra,
October - December 1982, pages 322-323. The message of salvation, Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is so amazing to be
almost beyond belief and the rhetorical questions seem to point to an answer of just a few people have or
would believe this message. As for the Jews, this was certainly the case as only a relatively few trusted in the
Lord for salvation during the days of Isaiah, continuing to the days of the first advent of the Messiah and
537…..Isaiah 53:1-2
even to today. As far as the Gentiles are concerned, a most revealing question was asked by the Lord as
recorded in Luke 18:8: “I tell you, that he will quickly give them justice. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man
comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
The Apostle John appropriately applies this verse in John 12:38 within the wider context of John 12:20-50. In
this passage John is recording the dialogue between Jesus Christ and those who were following Him. John
12:37-39a states, “37 Even though he had done so many signs in front of them, still they did not believe in
him. 38 This was so the word of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled when he said, "Lord, who has believed
our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" 39 For this reason they could not believe.”
See also, John 1:11. John, in 12:40 also quoted Isaiah 6:10 to indicate the unbelief of the Israelites during the
first advent of the Messiah. The Apostle Paul also quoted from Isaiah 53:1 in Romans 10:16. This passage in
Romans also points to the unbelief of the Israelites that continued for long centuries following the days of
Isaiah and continues to this day.
53:2 For he grew up before him like a tender plant,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no impressive form or beauty
to attract us to him;
there was nothing about his appearance
that we should desire him.
The section, Isaiah 53: 2-9 contains many occurrences of the personal pronouns “he,” “him,” and “his” and a
reference to “a man” in 53:3. The evidence for a singular male person is so overwhelming in these verses that
it is almost beyond imagination that many Jewish and liberal scholars would identify the one described as
Israel or some other group. Also, some scholars point to this person as being Isaiah, a king of Persia, or
another individual almost to spite the obvious identification that the Servant is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus
Christ for no other individual in all of history could fulfill the words of these verses. For a discussion of this
issue see Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, pages 400-410.
For he grew up before him like a tender plant, and like a root out of dry ground.
If it is the Messiah who is identified as the “he” in the first phrase of 53:2, then who is the “him” mentioned
in this same phrase. In 53:1, the one having the (strong) arm is the LORD, Yahweh. So, in the context of
these verses, two individuals are mentioned, the LORD, Yahweh and the Servant, the Messiah. The words of
king David in Psalm 110:1 are helpful in the identification of the first “him” of Isaiah 52:2. David stated, in
Psalm 110:1: “The LORD said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool."
The New Testament writers confirm the fulfillment of this O.T. statement, citing the words of Christ Himself
in Matthew 22:43-45. See also, Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-45; Acts 2:32-35 and Hebrews 1:5-13. Also,
Isaiah had earlier declared in 42:1-13; 49:1-13 and 50:4-9 that it was the LORD, Yahweh who called the
Servant and taught Him and cared for and protected Him and ultimately would exalt and reward Him. So, it
is with confidence and with solid Biblical support that the student of Scripture could rightly identify the
“him” in the first phrase of Isaiah 52:2 as the LORD, whom is further identified in the New Testament as the
Father of the Servant.
The first sentence of Isaiah 53:2 states that the He, the Servant grew up before Him, the LORD as a tender
plant, and like a root out of dry ground. The simple picture portrayed here is the vulnerability of the One who
is to grow up, needing the care and protection of others This refers to the young tender years of Jesus Christ
while he was maturing under the watchfulness of Joseph and Mary. The statement that “he grew up before
“him” points to the divine care and protection of the Father given to His unique and divine Son. However, the
538…..Isaiah 53:2-3
mention of the word “root” also points to the continuing references in Isaiah to the One who is the “root” of
the stem of Jesse, Isaiah 11:1, see notes on this verse.
He had no impressive form or beauty to attract us to him; there was nothing about his appearance
that we should desire him.
The second part of Isaiah 53:2 discusses another important aspect of the life of the Messiah during His first
advent. As the context of 53:2 describes the Messiah’s earthly life, it seems best to understand the prophetic
comments regarding His appearance as applicable to the years of His public ministry. Therefore, this
description of His appearance is not referring to the agony He suffered at the hands of the Roman soldiers
leading to His death on the cross which is described in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 52:14.
53:3 He was despised and rejected;
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
Like one from whom people hide their face
he was despised,
and we thought nothing of him.
Isaiah 53:3 continues the description of the Messiah from vs. 2. The confession of the covenant people of
God, the faithful remnant, who will be gathered from the nations at the end of the tribulation, adds more
detail about the Servant and the Jewish people’s rejection of Him. Isaiah is speaking of a future event in the
past tense as if this Servant had already experienced these sufferings. The despising of the Servant, the
Messiah was previously discussed by Isaiah in 49:7, “This is what the LORD says, the Redeemer of Israel
and his Holy One, to one who is despised, to one whom the nations abhor, to one who is a servant of rulers.”
See notes on 49:7 for an extended discussion. Psalm 22 is a very detailed account of the future suffering of
the Messiah while upon the cross and should be read along with the verses in Isaiah 53. The New Testament
confirms the fulfillment of the sufferings described in Isaiah 53:3 in Matthew 23:37; 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-
42; Luke 13:34. The words “like one from whom people hide their face” is a further description of the
Messiah that Isaiah began to describe in 52:14 and 53:2.
The last phrase of 53:3, “and we thought nothing of him,” is a reminder that the words of Isaiah, 53:1-9 are a
national confession of the guilt of God’s covenant people that they will state prior to the return of the
Messiah. Indeed, the Messiah will not return until they have made this confession as one scholar states, “The
national confession of Israel is given with its actual words in Isaiah 53:1-9.” Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The
Footsteps of the Messiah, page 331. Other Scriptural references to this confession include Leviticus 26:40-
42; Jeremiah 3:11-18; Hosea 5:15-6:3. This confession will also include a pleading by God’s covenant
people for their Messiah to return, Zechariah 12:10, see also Matthew 23:37-39.
The words of Isaiah 53:4-6 describe the vicarious death of the Servant on behalf of His covenant people and
all humanity. The verb tenses are in the past tense and indicate a “prophetic perfect” proclamation of
something that will happen in the future as already accomplished. The confession of the covenant people of
God, the Jewish faithful remnant of the tribulation focuses on the Servant bearing their griefs, Hebrew choli,
and sorrows 53:4, even though they had (erroneously) thought that He was being punished, smitten and
afflicted by God for His own deeds. 53:5-6 clearly present the truth that the Jewish people had for so long
failed to acknowledge. The Servant was wounded (pierced) and crushed (put to death) for their sins and
because of this crushing the Servant accomplished the work of spiritually healing them and making them
whole. The LORD, 53:6 brought this healing and wholeness to His people and all mankind because their
sins, for which they deserved death, was laid on the Servant, who was innocent 53:7-9, of any wrongdoing.
539…..Isaiah 53:4-5
53:4 Surely he has borne our griefs,
and carried our sorrows;
yet we thought he was being punished,
smitten by God and afflicted.
Isaiah 53:4, begins with “surely” which is the Hebrew word aken and has the meaning of an unexpected or
new thought or event. The whole thinking process of those confessing their sins turns on this unexpected
statement. It was not enough for the faithful remnant to confess that they had wrongly thought that the
Servant’s grief and sorrows was due to His own (sinful) deeds and that He was being punished by being
smitten, Hebrew nakah (nagua) and afflicted by God for these deeds. There was something much deeper and
intense in the working of God that they had to confess that they had entirely missed. Now was the time for
their confession that the Servant had actually bore their griefs and carried their sorrows, the rightful
punishment for their sins.
The Apostle Matthew cited Isaiah 53:4 in his gospel account in Matthew 8:16-17. Although Matthew applied
analogically, the healing effects of the work of atonement to the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law, the
complete fulfillment of the healing (physical and spiritual) would not be realized until believers are ushered
into the eternal state. Physical healing is one of many results of the atonement but is not an intrinsic
component of the atonement. The final physical healing from death, which is called an enemy in 1
Corinthians 15:26, will occur after the completion of the earthly kingdom of the Messiah when death will be
abolished. The Apostle Peter references the wounds (stripes) the Messiah bore, in 1 Peter 2:24 as spiritually
healing from sin. See more on this in the notes for Isaiah 53:5.
53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that made us whole was upon him,
and by his stripes we are healed.
The confession of the faithful remnant who survive the tribulation now takes direct aim at the vicarious and
penal accomplishment of the death of the Servant, the Messiah on behalf of the covenant people of God and
also for all humanity. The Messiah was “wounded,” Hebrew “halal” which is literally that He was pierced. It
has the meaning of someone being put to death. The Messiah was thus, put to death (pierced) for the
transgressions of His covenant people who confessing this truth and for all sinful humanity. The Messiah was
also “crushed,” Hebrew daka which has the meaning of being crushed painfully to death. The second
phrase of 53:5 states the same truth as the first phrase, the Messiah was painfully and without mercy crushed
to death as a substitutionary and vicarious atonement (penal offering) for the iniquities of others. The third
and fourth phrases of 53:5 gives the result. The Messiah bore in his body the punishment that was due to all
humanity for their sin against God. God not only accepted the vicarious offering of His Servant as being the
once for all atonement for the sins of the world’s people, but God was the One who put this Servant to death,
53:10. The Messiah bore in His body the sins of all mankind, 2 Corinthians 5:21. As a result of this
punishment upon the Servant, the covenant people of God and all sinful humanity are made whole by
believing in the Servant, John 3:16. It should be understood that the brutal slaughter of the Servant as a
atoning sacrifice for the sins of the covenant people of God and for all mankind is not a universal statement
that humanity will be saved from eternal condemnation. It is only by belief in the atoning cross work of Jesus
Christ that anyone is saved and declared by God to be justified which is to be considered righteous in His
sight.
Another result of this atoning sacrifice of the Servant in 53:5 is that “by his stripes we are healed.” The word
“stripes” in the DASV is the Hebrew word chabburah which has the meaning of wounds or scourging and by
540…..Isaiah 53:5-6
these wounds or scourging, God’s covenant people and sinful humanity who by faith alone in the atoning
cross work of Jesus Christ are healed. The sense of “healing” in the context of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 is spiritual
healing or wholeness. The Apostle Peter as recorded in 1 Peter 2:21-25 makes this abundantly clear. The
Messiah bore the sins of all humanity as a vicarious, penal and atoning sacrifice. He did not become sick or
unhealthy to make sinful humanity well or whole physically. Sinners will be “healed” completely when they
are given their resurrected bodies in the eternal state. Physical healing is not a guarantee for everyone who
becomes a child of God by believing in the Savior. The New Testament gives evidence of this in 1 Timothy
5:23 and 2 Timothy 4:20. All those who were raised from death beds or like Lazarus raised from the dead
would die later. The testimony of many saints is overwhelming in numbers that they were sick or had some
physical disability that was not healed and that rather than being accused of having lack of faith their
condition actually brought them closer to their Savior and increased their faith. They know that because of
the vicarious sacrifice of Jesus Christ for their sin, they will be perfectly healed when they meet their Savior
in heaven. For an excellent discussion on the question of whether healing is in the atonement, see Richard L.
Mayhue, “For what Did Christ Atone in Isa 53:4-5,” The Masters Seminary Journal, TMSJ 6 (1995): pages
121-141.
53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned everyone to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the sin of us all.
The confession of the penitent covenant people of God, the faithful remnant, now focuses on the recognition
of their personal failings. They acknowledge that each one of them have wandered astray like sheep and each
one has ventured or turned away from God to do what they have sinfully willed to do. As a result of this sin
of rebellion against God, the LORD, Yahweh, has placed on “him,” the Messiah, the sin of each one (all).
There is no clearer statement in the Old Testament than this of the cause and the need for a vicarious atoning
sacrifice by which the sins of the wicked have been laid or placed upon the innocent Messiah. The cause is
the willful wickedness of sinful humanity, “all we,” Hebrew kullanu including in this context, the covenant
people of God. The remedy is the moral righteousness and mercy of a holy God which demanded just
punishment for sins, but in His gracious and unexpected provision, God placed this punishment upon His Son
so that in the death of His Son, the Servant, the Messiah, only one would need to die as the just punishment
for the sins of humanity. See application in the New Testament in John 1:29, 2 Corinthians 5:21 , 1 Timothy
2:5-6 and 1 John 2:2.
For further comment on Isaiah 53:6 refer to Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 451-452. See also J. Alec
Motyer, Isaiah, pages 335-336 for an exegetical discussion on Isaiah 53:6 which includes an explanation of
the word “laid” and other significant words. Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 418, provides a brief discussion
on this verse. Edward E. Hindson, Isaiah, in the King James Bible Commentary, Thomas Nelson Publishers,
1999, page 839, as well provides a detailed discussion.
John A. Martin comments:
“The redeemed remnant (and others) will acknowledge that they were guilty and that the Lord made
the Servant the object of His wrath in order to take away their guilt. Sheep tend to travel together, so
if the leading sheep turns aside from the path for grass or some other purpose, usually all the sheep do
so. They tend to follow the lead sheep which is often dangerous. Similarly all Israel had turned aside
(cf. 1 Peter 2:25) from following the Lord, from keeping His commandments. The essence of sin is
going one’s own way, rather than God’s way. That iniquity has to be punished, so the Lord….laid the
punishment for that iniquity (cf. Isa. 53;11) not on the “sheep” (Israel and other sinners) that deserved
it, but on the Servant who died in their place.” (John A. Martin, Isaiah, page 1108, © 1985 John F.
541…..Isaiah 53:6-7
Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament is published by
David C Cook. All rights reserved).
Isaiah chapter 53:7-9 provides details on the humility and innocence of the Servant. Although He was
oppressed and afflicted 53:7, He did not raise any complaint and like a lamb that is led to be sheared and
slaughtered, He remained silent before His tormentors. He was put to death by oppression and judgment
53:8, which few of His generation thought it important to consider. His death was on behalf of the sins of the
covenant people of God, whom Isaiah calls “my people.” But the Servant’s atoning death was not exclusively
for them. Many Biblical scholars and more importantly the New Testament confirm that Messiah’s sacrificial
death was sufficient for all people as is clear from passages such as John 3:16 and Hebrews 7:27 and 9:12,
“once for all.” Those who put Him to death assigned his grave among the wicked but, upon God’s
intervention, He was laid in a rich man’s grave, to prove His innocence.
The apostle Peter makes a significant statement regarding being healed (saved) by the stipes (wounds) of the
Messiah, including the metaphor of sheep going astray and believers (sheep) returning to the One who is the
Shepherd of their souls, “24 He himself bore our sins in his body upon the tree, that we might die to sins, and
live to righteousness. By his wounds you were healed. 25 For you were going astray like sheep; but now
have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:24-25
53:7 He was oppressed,
yet when he was treated harshly he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
Isaiah 53:7 describes the humility of the Servant in not protesting or voicing opposition to the way in which
He was treated during His trials, punishment and then being put to death. Even though He knew beforehand
that He would be so violently abused and killed without cause, John 18:4; He willingly submitted Himself to
be slaughtered as a vicarious atoning sacrifice for the sins of humanity. Isaiah 53:7 picks up the portrait of a
sheep from 53:6. But instead of the penitent sinners being the sheep, 53:6, the Messiah, who is the Lamb of
God faces death as innocent lamb on behalf of these confessing sinners. The confirmation that the Servant,
the Messiah who is the Lord Jesus Christ is the lamb is stated in the New Testament: John 1:29, 36; Acts
8:32-33; 1 Peter 1:19; Revelation 5:6, 8, 12, 13; 6:1, 7, 9, 16; 7:9, 10, 14, 17; 8:1; 13:8, 11; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3;
17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:9, 14, 23; 22:1, 3. The Apostle Paul made this very clear as recorded in 1 Corinthians 5:7,
For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
The word “oppressed” is the Hebrew verb nagas, which has the meaning to cruelly mistreat in Isaiah 53:7.
The word nagas occurs often in Isaiah. In the DASV it is translated as, oppressed in 3:5; oppress in 3:12;
oppressor in 9:4; oppressors in 14:2; oppressor in 14:4; oppressed in 53:7; oppress (“drive hard” in the
NASB) in 58:3; and overseer in a positive sense in 60:17. The words “treated harshly” in the DASV is
translated as “afflicted” in most English versions. It is the Hebrew word anah which has the meaning of
mistreated, afflicted and bowed down. Anah occurs in 53:4: “smitten by God and afflicted.” It is translated in
the DASV as “oppressed” in 58:10 as does the NIV but the KJV, NKJV, NASB and the ESV translate anah
as “afflicted.” Other occurrences of anah in Isaiah include, 27:2; 31:4; 58:3, 5; 60:14 and 64:12. The
comments by Thomas Constable on Isaiah 53:7 are useful for the student’s understanding of this verse:
“In spite of God's punishment for sin, the Servant would bear it without defending Himself (cf. 42:2-
3; 49:4-9; 50:5-7; Jer. 11:18-20; 12:1-3; Matt. 26:63; 27:12-14; Mark 14:61; 15:5; Luke 23:9; John
19:9). He would allow others to "fleece" Him and even kill him without even protesting (cf. Acts
542…..Isaiah 53:7-8
8:32-33; 1 Pet. 1:18-19). Israel protested God's shearing of her (40:27; 49:14; 63:15). He would not
be a helpless victim, but one who knowingly and willingly submitted to death (cf. Luke 9:51).
Jeremiah used the same figure to describe himself—but as a naive person who did not know what
would happen to him (Jer. 11:19). The sheep metaphor is apt because the Israelites used lambs as
sacrificial animals to cover their sins (cf. Gen. 22:7-8; Exod. 12:3, 5; Lev. 5:7; John 1:29).” (Thomas
Constable, Isaiah, page 268).
To the listing of references in the New Testament provided by Thomas Constable above, 1 Peter 2:22-25 are
also very applicable, “22 he who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was
abused, he did not return the abuse; when he suffered he did not make threats but committed himself to God
who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body upon the tree, that we might die to sins, and live
to righteousness. By his wounds you were healed. 25 For you were going astray like sheep; but now have
returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.”
The writer Luke as recorded in Acts 8:26-40 tells the story of the evangelist Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch
who was a court official (perhaps a treasurer) of Candiace, who was the Ethiopian Queen. The eunuch must
have had some interest in the religion of the Jews but would not have been allowed access to the Temple
according to Jewish law, Deuteronomy 23:1. While reading the account of the sacrifice of the servant in
Isaiah chapter 53:7-8, as recorded in Acts 8:32-33, he was visited by the evangelist Philip, who was sent to
the eunuch by God’s direction. Philip explained to the eunuch the meaning of the text of Isaiah as applying to
Jesus Christ. Upon hearing this, the eunuch believed in Christ as the Son of God and was immediately
baptized by Philip as a believer. This New Testament account is a strong confirmation that the prophetic
words of Isaiah 53:7-8, apply to the Servant of God who is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
53:8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
But from his generation who even cared?
He was cut off out of the land of the living;
for the rebellion of my people he was struck down.
The word “oppression” in Isaiah 53:8 is the Hebrew noun otser which only occurs three times in the Old
Testament. In Psalm 107:39 it is translated as “oppression” and in Proverbs 30:16 it is translated as “barren”
in most English versions. The word otser has the literal meaning of restraint and coercion and implies that the
servant was restrained or arrested. The word “judgment,” Hebrew mishpat, when coupled with otser,
suggests that following the restraint and arrest of the Servant, He was led to face a sentence of judgment.
Mishpat occurs often in Isaiah, usually translated as justice or judgment. See word studies for mishpat in
notes for Isaiah 40:14; 42:1 and 51:4. For a discussion on otser and mishpat see Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol.
2, pages 453 and 454. The words “taken away” in the DASV, NIV, NASB and ESV is translated as “taken
from prison” in the KJV and NKJV. The implication of “taken away” is that the Servant was taken away to
be put to death, as the third phrase of 53:8 clearly states, “He was cut off out of the land of the living.” The
gospel writers of the New Testament confirm the prophesized death of the Messiah. See Matthew 27:50;
Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46; and John 19:18.
The second phrase, “But from his generation who even cared,” suggests that the people in Jerusalem alive at
the time of the Servant’s crucifixion, were too busy with their own lives to even consider the importance and
impact on their lives, and the lives of all people, of the death of Jesus Christ. The final phrase of Isaiah 53:8,
may be from the voice of the prophet who clearly lays the blame for the death of the Servant, he was struck
down, upon the rebellion of the covenant people of God, “my people.” The speaker could also be the singular
voice of the faithful remnant of the Jews who are confessing their national sin of rejecting the Messiah during
His first advent. Another possibility is that the speaker is God Himself as the words “my people” are often a
543…..Isaiah 53:9
reference recorded in Isaiah that He has made about His covenant people. The most likely source of the
speaker regarding “my people” is the singular voice of the faithful remnant who are also the voice for their
confession of the sins of their people committed against the Messiah, both past and present as recorded in
Isaiah chapter 53. See application in the New Testament in Acts 5:30-31, “30 The God of our forefathers
raised up Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. 31 God exalted him at his right hand to be a
Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” (words in bold letters intentional).
53:9 They made his grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death;
although he had done no violence,
nor was there any deceit in his mouth.
The words of Isaiah 53:7-8 are a prophecy of the vicarious sacrificial death of the Servant on behalf of His
rebellious covenant people and all sinful humanity. There was, and is and will be no one who was not
directly responsible for the need of the Servant to suffer death as an atoning sacrifice to satisfy the holy and
righteous wrath of God which demanded death as a result of sin, for all have sinned, Romans 3:23 and 5:12.
The death of the Servant was as a Passover lamb in which the penalty for sin, death, was laid on the Lamb
who was innocent of any sinfulness instead of upon all humanity whom was guilty of sinfulness.
When the Servant died (prophetic present tense for a future event), it was the intent of those who put Him to
death to assign Him a grave with the wicked, likely referring to the two criminals who were also crucified at
the same time as the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Luke 23:33. Yet God was not going to let that happen. The
Servant who is the Messiah, God’s Son, Jesus Christ had not done any violence nor was there any deceit in
His mouth directly implying that He was innocent of any sinfulness. His innocence would not be treated as
wickedness by sinful men. God provided a way that His Son would be buried in the grave of a rich man,
which was confirmed in the New Testament as Joseph of Arimathea, Matthew 27:57-61. See also Mark
15:42-47; Luke 23:50-55 and John 19:38-42.
It was not that the rich man was in himself also guiltless, but that in being buried in this rich man’s grave,
the Messiah would not have the stigma of wickedness assigned to him. The innocence of the Messiah is also
confirmed by the New Testament in 1 Peter 2:22 which quotes from Isaiah 53:9. See also Luke 23:4, 14, 22,
47; John 8:46; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26; 1 Peter 1:19; 3:18 and Revelation 5:2-10.
The words of Isaiah chapter 53:10-12 provide a conclusion to the passion prophecy of the Servant in the
fourth Servant Song of Isaiah. 53:10 explains that it was God who was behind the punishment and death of
the Servant. This death satisfied the will “good pleasure” of God in providing sinful humanity with salvation
they did not deserve through His Son who was put to death as a guilt offering although He was innocent of
any sin. The Servant, although suffering death would see “offspring” which can be understood as those who
believed in Him who would be adopted into God’s family. The Servant would “prolong His days” meaning
He would live eternally after He arose from the dead. God’s pleasure will prove to be successful for the
Servant demonstrated in the raising the Servant from the dead and extending his “line” with those who would
believe in the Servant, the Messiah. Isaiah 53:11 explains that as a result of the anguish of His soul, the
Servant would live to see what He had accomplished by His death and resurrection, which would be the
righteous justification of many, being those who would believe in Him, for He had their sins laid on Him to
provide this justification. 53:12 explains that the Servant’s reward from God will be His exaltation and His
receipt of what is rightfully due to Him. He will be exalted in this way because of what He had accomplished
in His death by bearing the sins of many, those who believe in Him, and through His ministry of intercession.
544…..Isaiah 53:10
53:10 Yet it was the LORD's good pleasure to bruise him
and to cause him grief.
When his life is made an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring.
He will prolong his days,
and the pleasure of the LORD will be successful in his hand.
Isaiah 53:10 confirms the startling declaration made by the prophet in 53:6 that it was the LORD, Yahweh,
who was the divine cause of the Servant bearing the sins of humanity. In this action, the LORD’s good
pleasure, His divine will, was accomplished which meant that the bearing of humanity’s sins was the cause of
the Servant being crushed and put to death. The Servant could not bear these sins without being personally
punished to the point of death which God’s holiness and justice demanded. The human agents who brought
about the Servants punishment and death cannot claim they were excused of any wrongdoing because they
were accomplishing God’s purposes in the death of His Son. They will receive the just reward for their own
actions as did the nations of Assyria and Babylon when they attacked and destroyed the northern kingdom of
Israel (by Assyria) and the southern kingdom of Judah including Jerusalem (by Babylon). Even though these
nations were being led by God to punish His covenant people, their sinful and cruel actions in carrying out
God’s plans caused them to receive the just and righteous punishment from God.
God’s pleasure, His divine will, to crush the Servant, to “cause him grief”, Hebrew chalah, was not an
afterthought or sudden impulsive action. The work of God to bring the offer of salvation to God’s covenant
people and all sinful humanity was planned before the creation of the world, Revelation 13:8. This means
that before God created the heavens and the earth, He had planned to redeem humanity, those He created in
His image, because God knew that they would rebel against Him. Their sinful and wicked behavior could not
be tolerated by a holy God. God’s righteousness and justice demanded that sin be punished by eternal death.
If no action was taken by God, who loved His created people, John 3:16, then all people on the earth whoever
lived would die eternally without any hope of reconciliation with God. The trinitarian God, the Father, Son
and the Holy Spirit, planned the method and exactly how salvation for all mankind would be enacted. The
Servant therefore knew before He came to earth just what would happen to Him to become the kinsmen
Redeemer for His covenant people and for all humanity. Thus, God’s will to crush the Servant by having
Him put to death for the sins of humanity can be called His “good pleasure.” See application in the New
Testament in Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:42; John 12:27-28; and Acts 2:23.
The death of the Servant was for the greater good of all humanity, yet it caused the Servant to endure an
unimaginable separation from His Father, prophesized in Psalm 22:1, and fulfilled in Matthew 27:46. The
innocent Servant, who had committed no sin, suffered intense and excruciating pain and a most horrible
death to die the death that all of humanity should have died for their sins. This was all necessary so all who
believed in the Servant, who is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ would not face the just punishment they
deserved but would experience everlasting life in perfect fellowship with their Creator.
Following the punishment and death of the Servant as a sin offering for all humanity, He would experience
the prospering by God (be successful in his hand). The New Testament confirms that the death of the
Messiah was a guilt offering for He would take away the sins of the world, John 1:29 and 1 Corinthians 5:7.
J. Alec Motyer so succinctly describes this as: “The Lord was the architect of His suffering; he lives to apply
its achievements.” (J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, page 338).
One of the “achievements” that was applied to the Servant was that of being made an eternal ruler of His
kingdom, 2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 9:6-7; and Daniel 2:44-45. The words in 53:10, “he will see his offspring”
literally: “seed,” does not mean the Servant had personal descendants, but that those who believe in Him
545…..Isaiah 53:10-12
would become His spiritual children, including the covenant people of God. The Messiah at the conclusion of
His first advent “saw” his offspring after His resurrection, Matthew 28:8-10, 16-20; Mark 16:9-14; Luke
chapter 24; John chapters 20-21; Acts 1:1-9; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. He “sees” His offspring everyday as He is
the head of the body, the Church. He “sees” His offspring when believers enter heaven. He will see His
offspring when He returns to the earth at His second advent. He will see them when He presides as the
divine, majestic and glorious King, sitting on the throne of David during the Messianic Kingdom and He will
forever see His offspring in the eternal state.
God had called His covenant people “Israel is My Son, My Firstborn,” in Exodus 4:22, and “sons,” in Isaiah
1:2, 4; 30:9; and 63:8. The words “He will prolong his days,” is a direct prophecy of the resurrection of the
Servant who will live after being put to death. This is also implied in the phrases, “he will see his offspring”
and “the pleasure of the LORD will be successful (prosper), in his hand.” See in the New Testament, Mark
16:19 (seated now at the right hand of God); Luke 24:51; Acts 1:11; 5:31 (in heaven); and 1 Corinthians
15:20-28 (His ultimate triumph).
For further discussion see, Edward E. Hindson, Isaiah, in the King James Bible Commentary, Thomas Nelson
Publishers, 1999, pages 840-841. As is usual for Gary V. Smith in his excellent commentary on Isaiah, an
extended discussion is provided. See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 457-460.
53:11 As a result of the anguish of his soul,
he will see and be satisfied.
By his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their sins.
Another implied reference to the resurrection of the Servant is contained in the first sentence of Isaiah 53:11.
As a result of the brutal punishment and horrendous death of the Servant described as “the anguish of his
soul,” the Servant will be alive to see the results of His vicarious sacrifice as a guilt offering on behalf of
sinful humanity. He will see these results and be satisfied. See Hebrews 1:1-4; 12:1-2. The satisfaction of the
Servant of His accomplished work on the cross and His resurrection to life meant that all those who believed
in Him would be reconciled to God. The awful effects of the fall on sinful humanity would be reversed as His
once for all sacrifice would be sufficient for all men and effective for those who believed in Him, which is
described in 53:11 as “will justify many.” The way in which the many are justified, described as “by his
knowledge” is the personal experience that the Servant endured by His punishment and death as a sacrificial
sin offering on behalf of sinful humanity. This “knowledge,” being His personal experiencing the
requirements of death, meant that He, the innocent and sinless Son of God will bear the sins of those who
deserved to face the holy and just punishment for their sins. See Romans 3:21-26; 5:17-21; 2 Corinthians
5:21.
53:12 Therefore I will assign him a portion with the great,
and he will divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
Yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.
Isaiah 53:12 completes the fourth Servant Song, 52:12-53:12. The verse begins with the word “Therefore”
which could be a summary of the previous few verses or of the entire Servant Song. As a result of the
successful work of justifying the many through the Servant’s vicarious sacrifice as a sin offering and having
sinful humanity’s iniquities laid on him, 53:6, the LORD, identified as “I,” will assign the Servant. “him,” “a
546…..Isaiah 53:12
portion with the great and he will divide the spoil with the strong.” There is much debate on the meaning of
the reward assigned to the Servant by the LORD, Yahweh. Many English Versions agree on the
interpretation of the words along with the DASV, but Bible scholars and students do not agree as to the
meaning of this interpretation. The meaning that Isaiah had in his prophetic writing remains somewhat
obscure and all Biblical scholars and students can do is suggest options that seem to best fit these words in
Isaiah 53:12. The testimony of the New Testament is that the Servant, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ,
had been exalted by God the Father. See Acts 5:31; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:1-4; and Revelation 5:11-
14. Isaiah alludes to this exaltation, the Servant’s reward in many passages that are prophetic insights into the
glorious reign of the Messiah.
The LORD Yahweh provides a summary of why the Servant will be exalted and rewarded. He states that is
was because He voluntarily offered Himself, poured out himself to death. Ultimately it was not the combined
evil intentions of the rebellious Jews and complicit Romans who put the Servant to death. He, as a humble
and innocent lamb, willingly gave Himself up to the human powers so that His death, the reason He came to
earth, could be made manifest. See Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45 and John 10:11-18. Also, The LORD
Yahweh, continues, that His exaltation and reward came as a result of the Servant being “numbered with the
transgressors.” The Lord Jesus Christ quotes this phrase, Luke 22:37, directly confirming its fulfillment in
Himself. To bear the sins of sinful humanity, the Servant identified with sinners (prophetic perfect tense),
although He had committed no sin, which should be understood that He was never a sinner. See also Luke
23:32-43. The LORD Yahweh further states that the Servant, “bore the sin of many” which has been
commented upon above, but it needs to be re-stated that the death of the Servant was sufficient in its scope
for all sinful humanity and directly applicable, effective for salvation to all those who put their faith in Him,
John 3:16. Finally, the LORD Yahweh states that the Servant “made” (literally He will – a future action)
“make” intercession for the transgressors. The Messiah interceded for sinners while He hung on the cross,
Luke 23:34 and He continues this ministry of intercession in heaven, Acts 5:31; Hebrews 7:25 and 9:24.
Gary V. Smith provides an extended discussion:
“There are four reasons for this exalted position of the Servant. (a) He was exalted “because” he
poured out his life (lit “his soul”) and died (53:8). His willingness to pay the ultimate penalty of
suffering and death exemplifies a humiliation and sacrifice far above all others. (b) Although the
Servant was not a sinful person (53:9), “he was numbered, listed, grouped; let himself be numbered”
(nimnâ) 426 with the rebellious. Rather than remaining a high exalted one who was totally separated
from sinners, the Servant allowed himself to be identified with the sorrows and sufferings of the
rebellious people of his day. The people of that time despised and rejected him, wrongly assuming
that God smote him because of his own sins (53:4). (c) He not only identified with the plight of sinful
people, “he bore the sins of many” as 53:4, 11 confirm. He accepted the load of their guilt so that he
could make reparations for that guilt (53:11). The “many” refers back to the many he justified in
53:11, the many who were his portion in 53:12, the many Israelites who were appalled at his
disfigured looks in 52:14, and the many kings who shut their mouths in 52:15. (d) He also “interceded
for the transgressors.” C. Westermann suggests that one should not conclude that this means that “he
made prayers of intercession for them, but that with his life, his suffering and his death, he took their
place.” The Servant’s “intervention” would certainly refer to what he did in 53:1–11, but since it is
placed at the end of the message when the Servant is exalted, one might suggest that it refers to
something done after his exaltation. This is especially implied by the change from perfect verbs (past
completed action) to a final imperfect verb yapgîʿă “he will intervene, intercede.” There is no
expanded description of his future intervention on behalf of the many, but the future orientation of
this activity implies that the Servant’s work on behalf of the many will continue on into the future.
This continued intervention/intercession might involve prayers for the many whose guilt he bore, or it
547…..Isaiah 53:12
might involve his intervention in the lives of many so that they will understand what he has done and
accept the justification that he achieved when he bore their sins (53:11).” [Note 426: Motyer, Isaiah,
443, argues that this is a tolerative use of the niphal verh “he let himself be numbered.” Note 427:
Westermann, Isaiah 40-66, 269, suggests that this word means “to intervene.”] (Gary V. Smith,
Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 463-464).
For an extended discussion of Isaiah 52:13-53:12 see Michael L. Brown, Isaiah 52:13-53:12: The
Substitution of the Servant of the Lord, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, pages 961-974.
The ultimate reason for the Servant’s sacrificial death.
In summary, the fourth Servant Song is a majestic and exalted portion of Scripture that provides the direct
reason for the slaughter of the Servant as an atoning sacrifice on behalf of the covenant people of God and
for all mankind. Without this sacrificial death by the innocent “lamb of God,” no one would have any
opportunity to be saved eternally so as to enter into the presence of God who desires to “tabernacle” with the
redeemed and fulfill the covenant formula of they, being His people and He, being their God, Revelation
21:3. The provision and execution of the means of salvation by God is a beautiful expression of God’s divine
love, grace, comfort and compassion for those whom He created. But the provision of salvation is not the
ultimate reason why God sent His Son to accomplish this salvation.
This ultimate reason is explained not in one passage of Scripture but in many passages that must be woven
together like a fine tapestry which depicts the most exalted reason why the heavens and the earth exists. The
first piece begins in Genesis chapter 1. Following the description of the events of the six days of creation,
God finished His creative acts by creating mankind in His image, Genesis 1:26-31, to bear His likeness and
to rule over the earth. As God’s image bearers, humans were to superintend the “life” of all living things God
had created. They also were to have perfect fellowship with God and enjoy His presence. Some have also
understood the first chapter of Genesis as explaining the beginning of the kingdom of God in which God as
King relates to His subjects who are assigned kingly tasks. See Michael J. Vlach, He will Reign Forever: A
Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God, Chapter 4, The Kingdom and Creation. For a theological
understanding of mankind as image bearers see Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth,
Crossway, 2017 by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue, under heading, Created in God’s Image, in
Chapter 6.
God, within the pages of the Old Testament, provided revelation as to why He created the heavens and the
earth and mankind in particular. One of the clearest passages is Isaiah 43:7, “everyone who is called by my
name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yes, whom I have made.” God, although
He could have done so, because of the sin of His covenant people, did not abandon them because of His great
name, 1 Samuel 12:22. God intention for His covenant people was that “they would have been a special
people to me, for my fame, honor, and glory,” Jeremiah 13:11. God’s purpose for the Pharaoh of Egypt who
refused to listen to the plea of Moses to let the Hebrews leave Egypt, was kept in power for the express
purpose of proclaiming God’s name in all the earth, Exodus 9:16. God’s purpose in dividing the waters of the
Red Sea when the Israelites were fleeing the army of Pharaoh is revealed in Isaiah 63:12, “to make himself an
everlasting name,” and 63:14 Isaiah states “This is the way you led your people to make your name
glorious.” King David in Psalm 8, declared, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the
earth; you have set your glory upon the heavens!”
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul ended the great theological section of Romans with a doxology of
praise with the declaration that to God be glory forever, Romans 11:36. Paul also stated in another letter,
“whatever you do, do all for the glory of God,” 1 Corinthians 10:31. In another letter, Paul states within in a
most magnificent passage, “For it is God who said, "Let there be light shining out of darkness," who shined
548…..Isaiah 53:12
in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Corinthians
4:6. Paul, in yet another letter declared, “3 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus
Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins, in order to deliver us from this evil world, according to the will of
our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever, Amen.” Galatians 1:3-5. In the first chapter of
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians the phrase, “to the praise of his glory”, or similar is stated three times. In
Philippians 4:20, Paul declared, “to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever.” In the future state,
giving glory to God is the praise of heaven, Revelation 4:11 and 5:12. There are a great many other examples
in the New Testament of the glory of God being righteously displayed and declared including the earthly
ministry of the Messiah during His first advent. The evidence for righteously displaying and declaring God’s
glory, both in the Old and the New Testaments is incontrovertible. The human authors of Scripture declared
God’s glory in their writings as they were “inspired” (God breathed) to do so by the Holy Spirit. They also
wrote about those who righteously displayed God’s glory and brought glory to God during their life on the
earth.
There is also a great volume of evidence from the Scriptures that God supremely values His glory above all
else. Perhaps the most passionate proclaimer of the incomparable glory of God revealed in the Scriptures is
John Piper. Piper’s books are magnificently filled with the truth of the supreme pleasure that God has in His
glory and mankind’s role in declaring God’s glory. A suggested book written by John Piper that explains this
is The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God’s delight in Being God, Multnomah Books, a division of
Random House, Inc. 2000.
If we can piece together the intent of the glory of God throughout Scriptures, we can conclude that those who
are the image bearers of God, are to righteously display and declare the incomparable glory of God to all
creation. In order for God to accomplish this several things were necessary. First, God created His kingdom
so that He would be in absolute and sovereign control over all aspects and over all created things of His
creation so that His purposes for creating the heavens and the earth would be completed exactly as He
purposed. The kingdom of God according to Michael J. Vlach is so important and central to the Scriptures
that it envelops all other themes, He will reign Forever, page 21. This is certainly true as to the great volume
of content in the Scriptures relating to the kingdom of God. However, as important as the kingdom of God is
within the Scriptures, the kingdom itself is the first and arguably the most important means or framework
God has chosen to accomplish His ultimate reason for creating the heavens and the earth. This ultimate
reason is the answer to the question, why did God create His kingdom? It is also the answer to the “why”
question for all other aspects of God’s creation.
Second, mankind had to be formed and made in His image to be suitable image bearers to display and
declare His glory. God had purposed that no others in the created order could possibly perform this task. The
reason for this is likely that God’s image bearers were given the opportunity to trust Him and put their faith
in Him. They willingly choose to obey and have faith in God in such a way that God accepts their faith and
obedience as a demonstration of His glory and by their faith they are declared “righteous.” There is no
evidence that angels, even though they give glory to God, were formed to be God’s image bearers in the
same way as humans nor were they given the tasks or roles that God reserved for humans to righteously
display and declare His glory. Third, mankind had to be preserved from worldwide disaster, so this task
could be completed, hence the Noahic covenant. Fourth, a family had to be formed from one race from
which God’s Son would come to be the perfect human, who could fulfill God’s righteous and just purposes
to be mankind’s sacrificial atoning sacrifice, hence the Abrahamic covenant. Fifth, the need for an earthly
kingdom and a throne and a righteous King to rule the kingdom on this throne was necessary to display and
declare God’s glory though the keeping of God’s promises to His chosen race, and all who believe in His
Son, hence, the Davidic covenant. Sixth, the need for God to supernaturally create a receptive heart in
mankind and a renewed mind in order for humans who respond in faith and receive eternal salvation and to
549…..Isaiah 53:12 and 54:1
“righteously” relate to Him in such a way so that these people could adequately, in the way He has solely
decreed, display and declare His glory, hence the new covenant. Seventh, this display and declaration of
God’s glory will not end with the great white throne judgment but will, as God had planned from eternity
past, continue forever so that those who inhabit the heavenly realm and fellowship with God will continually
righteously display and declare His glory. Therefore, along with having creation itself declare His glory,
Psalm 19:1, God also purposed, that those who are the image bearers of God, are to righteously display and
declare the incomparable glory of God to all creation, for all eternity.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 52:13-53:12
52:13-15 Starting Statements: The Servant’s Exaltation Following Suffering
53:1-3 The Rejection of the Servant
53:4-6 The Redemption by the Servant
53:7-9 The Resurrection of the Servant
53:10-12 Summation Statements: The Servant’s Exaltation Following Suffering
53:10 The Sacrifice of the Servant
53:11 The Satisfaction of the Servant
53:12 The Success of the Servant
7. God’s Everlasting Compassion for His People 54:1-17
Following the majestic revelation of the fourth Servant Song, Isaiah continues to discuss the conditions of the
covenant people of God, the faithful remnant who will be gathered from the nations and will be established in
Zion, where they will greatly increase in number and be comforted by their Redeemer. Although they will be
counted as barren during the distressful days of the tribulation, their population will increase dramatically in
the kingdom of the Messiah. There will be so many of them that their descendants will need to possess
nations and desolate cities that have been left empty as a result of God’s judgment upon them during the
tribulation, 54:1-3. They will not be ashamed nor disgraced, for their great Creator, the LORD of hosts, their
Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth will be as a husband to them and have compassion
on them, for His covenant of peace with them will not be shaken, 54:4-10. The Lord will establish them in
fortifications adorned with precious jewels and their children will be taught by the Lord and be at peace. He
will establish them in righteousness, and they will be free of oppression for no enemy will hurt them and He
will vindicate them, 54:11-17.
54:1 "Sing, O barren one who has never given birth.
Break out into singing and shouts of joy,
you who have never been in labor.
For there are more children from the desolate
than there are children from the married woman,"
says the LORD.
Isaiah 54:1-2 contain seven imperatives, 54:1: sing, break out; 54:2: enlarge, stretch out, spare nothing,
lengthen, and strengthen. These imperative verbs are directed from God to a “barren one” who has God as a
husband, 54:5. While some Biblical scholars suggest the term “barren one” is a description of Gentile
believers, there is nothing in the text that would imply or indicate this description is accurate. In the context
of the preceding chapters of Isaiah, it is clear that Isaiah is prophesizing about the covenant people of God,
the faithful remnant who will, in a far future day, survive the distressful days of the tribulation and then be
gathered by God to come to Zion to populate the earthly kingdom of the returning Messiah. The reference to
Zion, the people of God as a woman in Isaiah is not uncommon, 49:14-50:3; 51:17-52:12. Also God is
550…..Isaiah 54:1-2
depicted as the husband of His people in Isaiah 54:5; Jeremiah 31:32; Ezekiel 16:32; and His people as His
wife: Isaiah 54:6; and Ezekiel 16:32.
The intent of Isaiah 54:1 is that although God’s covenant people have been “barren,” like a woman without
children, during the tumultuous times of the tribulation, these desolate ones will bear more children in a
coming time and place, than the married women do at the present time. Isaiah had earlier discussed the rapid
growth of Zion in 49:18-23. Because of the promise that the mothers of Zion will bear children to populate
the earthly kingdom of the Messiah, they are called upon to “Break out into singing and shouts of joy.” It
may be that Isaiah is calling upon the women of his audience in Jerusalem, who will be the ancestors of the
women in the far future day of the beginning of the messianic kingdom, to praise their Messiah with songs
and joyful shouting. Even though the time of Isaiah were days of uncertainty for fear of their enemies, Isaiah
promises that in a coming day, they will have great cause to rejoice at what God will accomplish among
them. The audience of Isaiah, if they had been faithful in reading their Scriptures, specifically the five books
of Moses, they would have remembered that God had, in the past, given to a barren woman, Sarah, a great
innumerable number of descendants far greater than given to Hagar. That which God had accomplished in
Israel’s past, He will do again in super-abundance in their future. Isaiah proclaims that God’s covenant
people has a glorious future. See also Zephaniah 3:12-20.
The Apostle Paul cited Isaiah 54:1 in Galatians, 4:27 within the greater context of Galatians 4:21-31. John A.
Martin, Isaiah, pages 1109-1110, understands that Isaiah 54 applies to the people of Jerusalem in the
millennial kingdom, who have been regathered from the nations.
54:2 Enlarge the place of your tent,
and stretch out the tent curtains of your dwellings.
Spare nothing,
lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes.
According to Biblical Scholars, it was the responsibility of the wife in ancient Near Eastern cultures to erect
and to look after the family tent(s). If the tent needed repair or enlarging the wife would be responsible for
this task. Although in Isaiah’s days, the Jewish people no longer lived in tents, the prophet’s audience would
well understand the picture described to them by the inspiration of God. The barren woman would need to
expand the home because she soon will give birth to enlarge the family size. This would be happening to all
families who have left their captivity within all the nations of the earth and have travelled to Zion under the
guidance of their “husband” who is described by many majestic titles in 54:5. The reason the “wife” of
Yahweh was barren during the future days of the tribulation was because “she” was far from God in “her”
heart. Upon confessing the national sin of Israel, Isaiah 53:1-9, barren Israel would be restored to a right
relationship with her “husband” and become fertile to bear many children to repopulate the chosen land.
Although some understand this repopulation as spiritual, there is nothing in the text to suggest this. The
prophet Jeremiah prophetically described this same event in the far future as recorded in Jeremiah 30:18-22.
18
This is what the LORD says:
"I will bring back Jacob's tents from captivity,
and have compassion on his dwellings;
the city will be rebuilt on its own hill,
and the palace will be set in its rightful place.
19
Out of them will proceed thanksgiving
and the voice of those having fun.
I will multiply them,
and they will not be few.
551…..Isaiah 54:3
I will also honor them,
and they will not be despised.
20
Their children also will be just like it was long ago,
and their congregation will be established before me;
I will punish all who oppress them.
21
They will have their own prince,
and their ruler will come from the midst of them;
I will bring him near,
and he will approach me.
For who would dare to approach me otherwise?"
says the LORD.
22
"You will be my people,
and I will be your God."
(Jeremiah 30:18-22)
54:3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left;
your descendants will possess the nations
and resettle the deserted cities.
In the far future, after the distressful days of the tribulation, the covenant people of God who will be the
faithful remnant, will start to repopulate Zion under the righteous and just rule of the Messiah. The
population of the Jewish peoples will expand so rapidly that there will be no room for them within land of
restored Israel. They will soon spread out in numbers so great that they will settle in cities left deserted after
God’s judgment upon the world during the tribulation. In this way, they will possess the nations, not by
warfare but by childbirth. They will finally fulfill the promises of the Abrahamic covenant, Genesis 17:1-8.
When God re-affirmed this covenant with Jacob as recorded in Genesis 18:13-14, God said, "I am the LORD,
the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The ground on which you lie, I will give to you and to
your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west,
east, north and south. Through you and your offspring will all the families of the earth be blessed.”
One of the reasons God will cause the earth, during the Messianic Kingdom, to be populated with growing
numbers of Jewish people is that they will bring to the nations of the earth, the knowledge of their Creator,
who is the LORD of hosts, the Holy One of Israel, their Redeemer who is also called in the DASV “the God
of the entire earth,” Isaiah 54:5. All the nations of the earth will learn, by those who are the chosen people of
God, that all peoples of the earth have but One God who is also the Redeemer to the Gentiles as well as the
Jews. As a result of this knowledge, the nations of the earth will rejoice in their God and praise Him. Then
the prophetic words of King David, as recorded in 1 Chronicles 16:31 will be fulfilled: Let the heavens be
glad, and let the earth rejoice. Let them proclaim among the nations, “The LORD reigns.”
Isaiah would later declare in Isaiah 61:9-11:
9
Their descendants will be known among the nations,
and their offspring among the peoples;
all who see them will realize,
that they are the people the LORD has blessed."
10
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
my soul will be joyful in my God.
For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
552…..Isaiah 54:4
as a bridegroom wears a turban like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
11
For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
and as the garden causes things planted to sprout,
so the sovereign LORD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up
before all the nations.
54:4 Do not be afraid,
for you will not be put to shame.
Do not be embarrassed,
for you will not be humiliated.
You will forget the shame of your youth
and will no longer remember the disgrace of your widowhood.
Isaiah 54:4 contains two imperatives: “do not be afraid” and “do not be embarrassed”. Each of these
imperatives are followed by a result: “for you will not be put to shame” and “for you will not be humiliated.”
The last sentence of 54:4 is a statement of God’s promise for not being afraid or being embarrassed. The
once barren one, the wives of Zion who have been gathered from the nations will no longer remember the
shame of their youth when they were barren and desolate, and they will also no longer remember their
feelings of disgrace of being widows. Isaiah is most likely referring to the fact that upon their arrival in Zion
to populate the messianic kingdom, they who had been estranged from God and were as a spiritual widow
were now in a righteous relationship with God who describes Himself, in 54:5 as their Husband. With God as
their husband, they have no need to be afraid, or embarrassed for they will not be put to shame or be
humiliated. They are in the place God wants them to be and He will bless them with many children to quickly
populate not only Zion but also, they will populate the desolate cities which had been under God’s judgment
in the tribulation. See study notes on 54:3 above.
The Hebrew words for “shame, humiliated and disgraced” in 54:4 express a similar idea. The English word
“shame” occurs twice: “you will not be put to shame” Hebrew bosh, and “you will forget the shame”
bosheth, of your youth. The English word “humiliated” is the Hebrew kalam and the English word “disgrace”
is the Hebrew cherpah. Examining these Hebrew words help the student to understand the intent of God’s
message to His covenant people. They had been put to shame, humiliation and disgrace as a chastisement
from God because of their rejection of their LORD. But God is merciful and will deliver His people and
restore them to a right relationship with Him. See Isaiah 45:17; 49:23; Ezekiel 16:63; Joel 2:26 and
Zephaniah 3:11. The prophet Jeremiah also expresses this well as recorded in Jeremiah 31:16-19:
16 This is what the LORD says:
"Restrain your voice from weeping,
and your eyes from shedding tears,
for your work will be rewarded,"
says the LORD;
"and they will return from the land of the enemy."
17 "There is hope for your future," says the LORD;
"your children will come back to their own territory.
18 I have surely heard Ephraim grieving,
'You have disciplined me,
and I was disciplined,
like a calf untrained with a yoke.
Bring me back,
553…..Isaiah 54:4-5
and I will return;
for you are the LORD my God.
19 For after I had turned away, I repented;
after I was instructed, I slapped my thigh;
I was ashamed and humiliated,
when I realized the disgrace of my youth.'
Many Biblical Scholars suggest that the words in Isaiah 54:4, “the shame of your youth” refers to the
captivity of the ancient Israelites in Egypt and “the disgrace of your widowhood,” refers to the future, in
Isaiah’s day, of their descendants who will be exiled in Babylon. For an example of this understanding, see
Allen P. Ross, The Book of Isaiah, Chapter 20, Future Blessings for the People of God (Isaiah 54:1-17).
Bible.org, published, February 2, 2009. All such suggestions, however, even by the most qualified scholars,
are personal opinions and may or may not be what the prophet intended. This Study of Isaiah has consistently
held to the opinion that most of the prophetic writings of Isaiah from chapters 40-66 refer to the far future
times of the tribulation and the Messianic kingdom unless the context clearly states otherwise. The references
to Cyrus in Isaiah 44:28 and 45:1 and the near verses that are in context to these verses clearly refer to that
historical figure who lived long after the prophet Isaiah. But when the covenant people are called from God
from the nations of the earth, this is not a reference to the end of the Babylonian exile as many commentators
claim. The Jewish captives in Babylon were freed from just one nation Babylon, and not from the nations of
the earth. Also, only a relatively few of the exiles in Babylon returned to Jerusalem. As the descriptions of
the calling of the covenant people of God from the nations of the earth have not matched any historical
period, this event must still be future. The period best fitting this calling from the nations is that at the end of
the tribulation when King Messiah will establish His earthly millennial kingdom. This is true of Isaiah
chapter 54 particularly in verses 9-17 which prophetically can fit only the days of the messianic kingdom
which follow the tribulation.
54:5 For your Maker is your husband;
the LORD of hosts is his name.
The Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer.
He will be called 'the God of the entire earth.
The word “for” which begins Isaiah 54:5, can also be translated “because,” as it introduces the core reason
why God’s covenant people, especially the women, are to break out into singing, 54:1; and are also to enlarge
the place of their tents, 54: 2. They will have their descendants possess the nations, 54:3; and are not to be
afraid or embarrassed, 54:4. This core reason is the identity of the One who called them back to Himself as a
wife. The One who has called them back to Himself is identified as “your husband” who is “your Maker,”
“the LORD of hosts,” “the Holy One of Israel,” “your Redeemer,” and “He will be called the God of the
entire earth.” This is the only verse in Isaiah which has these names for God listed together and only this
verse combines five names with the descriptive “your husband.” See also Hosea 2:16-20. It is as if God is
providing His covenant people with no doubt as to His identity, power, and sovereignty, as He is their
Creator and the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the commander of the armies of heaven and controller
of all earthly armies, the One who is Holy One of Israel, the One who is their kinsmen redeemer, and the One
to be called the God of all the earth. God also condescends to call Himself their husband. God’s covenant
people will realize all of the promises of 54:1-4 because they have been restored to a righteous relationship
with their “husband” God. The days of chastisement and discipline, during the tribulation, which will lead
them to their national confession, Isaiah 53:1-9, are over (prophetically) and God is restoring them to
Himself as they begin to populate the Messianic kingdom.
554…..Isaiah 54:5-6
The title Maker, referring to God as Creator is the Hebrew word asah. It occurs also in Isaiah 17:7; 27:11;
44:24; and 51:13; The Hebrew word bara is similar in meaning and is translated as Creator in Isaiah 40:28;
43:1 and 15; as is the Hebrew word yasar, translated as Creator in Isaiah 27:11, and Maker in Isaiah 45:9 and
11. The title husband, Hebrew ba’al, refers to God’s family relationship with His covenant people and can
be translated as Lord (noun), or to marry (verb). It only occurs in the Old Testament here in the prophecy of
Isaiah, but the concept of God’s people being married to Him is clearly stated in Isaiah 62:4-5 which is very
similar in content to Isaiah 45:1-5. See also Jeremiah 31:32; Hosea 2:19-20 and Revelation 21:2. The name
for God, LORD of hosts, refers to God as Yahweh of armies of heaven and earth is a common name for God
in Isaiah, occurring over sixty times. including the expanded Lord God of hosts in the DASV. See notes on
Isaiah 1:9 for a full listing of these occurrences in Isaiah. God as the Lord of hosts cannot and will not be
defeated in anything He wants to accomplish and also no enemy, no matter how powerful can overpower
Him. The title, Holy One of Israel, is another common name for God in Isaiah, occurring 28 times. This title
expresses God’s ultimate character, as holy, expressed in triplicate in Isaiah 6:3 and how He relates in His
holiness with His covenant people whom He has chosen for His own. See notes on Isaiah 1:4 for a full listing
of these occurrences in Isaiah. The title, Redeemer, which is ga’al in the Hebrew, occurs in Isaiah 41:14;
43:14; 44:6, 24; 47:4; 48;17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16; and 63:16. It is a beautiful depiction of God’s
family relationship with His covenant people whom He redeems as their Savior from spiritual and eternal
death which they have deserved because of their sinfulness and rebellion. See Isaiah chapter 1 for one such
listing of their sinful acts. God will be known by the title God of the entire earth, in the messianic kingdom
when all alive will glorify His great name. Although it is true that God is now King of all the earth, Psalm
47:7, not all acknowledge Him, but in the future His glory will be known, and everyone will see His glory,
Isaiah 40:5.
54:6 For the LORD has called you back
as a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
like a wife who married young and was rejected, says your God.
The LORD, Yahweh, will call His covenant people back to Himself, in the days in which the messianic
kingdom will begin to be populated with those who are believers in the Messiah. The prophet Isaiah uses the
simile “as a wife” to describe the family relationship between Israel’s Redeemer (family or kinsmen Savior)
and His covenant people. See notes on 54:5 above for the title of God as Israel’s “husband.” The covenant
people of God will feel forsaken and will grieve in spirit because they had been briefly abandoned by God,
54:7, during the days of the tribulation. God will use this period to chastise and discipline His covenant
people. They will learn the lesson of God’s discipline and repent of their national sin of having rejected the
Messiah during His first advent. The words of their confession of their national sin is recorded in Isaiah 53:1-
9. During the distressful days of the tribulation, the covenant people of God, who are also known as the
faithful remnant, will be life a wife who had married young and yet was rejected. However, God will bring
circumstances upon them which will cause them to repent of their national sin and plead for their Messiah to
return to the earth and rescue them from their enemies. For a detailed description of the Biblical record of
these events, see Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah: A Study of the Sequence of
Prophetic Events, Revised Edition, Ariel Ministries, 2004, pages 293-307. For an alternate translation of the
words, “and was rejected,” and how it relates to the context of this passage, see Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol.
2, pages 482-483. God will call His people back to Himself, like a husband who was estranged from his wife
but seeks to restore the relationship, which is portrayed for example, in the prophecy of Hosea.
54:7-8 "For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great compassion I will regather you.
555…..Isaiah 54:7-8 and 9
8
In overflowing wrath I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting love I will have mercy on you,"
says the LORD your Redeemer.
The “brief moment” of God’s abandonment of His covenant people, described in Isaiah 54:7, is not the
seventy years duration of the Babylonian captivity as many commentators suggest, for seventy years is more
than a brief moment. In the context of chapters 40-66 of Isaiah, this brief moment, must refer to the days of
the tribulation just prior to the establishment of the millennial kingdom of the Messiah. This “brief moment”
in which the Lord hid his face from them 54:8, would be days of the tribulation which will be short in
duration as recorded in Mark 13:20. Compare also: Revelation 12:12. The Lord declares that He have great
compassion upon them and with everlasting love, He will have mercy upon them, as their Redeemer and will
regather His covenant people. The place to which He will regather His faithful remnant is to His beloved city
Zion, as Isaiah has often prophesized. See Isaiah 2:1-4; 4:2-6; 11:11-16; 12:1-6; 27:12-13; 30:18-26; 31:6;
32:15-20; 33:20-24; 34:16-17; 35:1-10; 40:1-11; 41:8-20; 43:1-13; 44:1-5, 21-28; 45:14-25; 46:13; 49:14-
26; 51:1-23; 52:1-12; 54:1-17; 56:1-12; 57:14-19; 59:15b-21; 60:1-22; 61:1-11; 62:1-12; 65:17-25; and
66:10-24.
The word “compassion” in 54:7 is “racham” in the Hebrew, which can be translated as “mercy” and is
related to the word “womb.” In Isaiah, racham is translated in the DASV as “conception” in 46:3, and in
other versions it is translated as “womb” or “birth.” Racham is translated as “mercy” in 47:6; as
“compassion” in 54:7; as “mercies” in 63:7; and as “compassion” in 63:15. The words “everlasting love” in
54:8 is “hesed’ in the Hebrew and is related to God’s loyalty and devotion to His covenant with Israel. It can
be translated as “loyal love” or “royal love.” In Isaiah, hesed is translated in the DASV as “loyal love” in
16:5; as “beauty” in 40:6; as “everlasting love” in 54:8; as “loyal love” in 54:10; as “loyal covenant” in 55:3;
as “devout” in 57:1; as “loyal love” twice in 63:7.
A verse that is close in meaning and content to Isaiah 54:7 is Isaiah 63:7:
I will recall the loyal love of the LORD,
and the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
because of all the LORD has done for us,
and the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
that he did for them according to his mercies,
and according to his great loyal love.
54:9 For this is like in the days of Noah to me;
for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah
would never flood the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
or rebuke you.
Because of God’s “everlasting love” (loyal love), 54:8 to His covenant people He will show mercy to them,
54:8. This event or time is like in the time or days of Noah to God. In the days of Noah God made a covenant
(I have sworn) that the waters (as great as in the days of Noah) would never again flood the earth. God
promised in Genesis 8:21, “And the LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of
human beings, for the imagination of the human heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again
destroy every living thing as I have done.” This is repeated as a covenant in Genesis 9:8-17, particularly
Genesis 9:15, “then I will remember my covenant, that is between me and you and every living creature of
every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all flesh.” The promise in Isaiah 54:9
556…..Isaiah 54:9-10
begins with “for as” which describes the historical reminder in Genesis 8 and 9 and concludes with God’s
present promise which is similar to a covenant (I have sworn), “so I have sworn that I will not be angry with
you or rebuke you,” Isaiah 54:9.
This is a very significant promise, much like a covenant (so I have sworn), that God makes with His covenant
people to whom He has described Himself in terms of a “husband,” 54:5. This major promise has no past
historical evidence as God certainly has been angry with His covenant people and rebuked them during the
first advent of the Messiah and it is evident that He has rebuked them by chastisement and judgment since
those days. The only time that would fit this solemn promise by God to His covenant people would be during
the Messianic Kingdom following the tribulation. The days of the tribulation will be a time of trial,
chastisement and discipline for God’s covenant people and these days will end when His people have
confessed their national sin of rejecting the Messiah during His first advent, Isaiah 53:1-9. They also will
confess of their continual sin and rebellion against God, Isaiah 59:9-15, and they plead for the Messiah to
return, Isaiah 63:7-64:12. See also Leviticus 26:40-42; Jeremiah 3:11-18; Hosea 5:15-6:3; Zechariah 12:10-
14; and Matthew 23:37-39.
54:10 For the mountains may be moved,
and the hills shaken,
but my loyal love will never leave you,
nor will my covenant of peace ever be broken,
says the LORD who has compassion on you.
Continuing with the promise of Isaiah 54:9, “so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you or rebuke
you,” the LORD adds that His loyal love will never leave His covenant people although the mountains and
the hills may be moved or shaken. Although the earth and heavens itself may perish God will remain the
same, Psalm 102:25-28. God’s salvation will be forever, and His righteousness will never end, Isaiah 51:6.
God promises to be with His covenant people, Isaiah 41:1, and He will never forsake them, Deuteronomy
31:6, 8; Psalm 37:28; 94:14; Isaiah 41:17 and 62:11-12. The Lord has kept and will keep His promises to His
covenant people, Joshua 21:45; 1 Kings 8:56; 2 Chronicles 21:7; Psalm 77:8; Romans 4:21; 2 Corinthians
1:20; Hebrews 10:23 and 2 Peter 1:4. His word and His inheritance will never fade, Isaiah 40:8 and 1 Peter
1:4. God’s loyal love, Isaiah 54:10 is everlasting, 54:8 and unchanging, Micah 7:18, 20. See notes on Isaiah
54:8 above for God’s “loyal love” (everlasting love), Hebrew hesed.
Just as God’s everlasting (loyal) love will never leave His covenant people, His “covenant of peace” with
them will never be broken for God continually has compassion upon them. There are many suggestions as to
the meaning of “covenant of peace.” See for example Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 275. The writings of
Isaiah contain a few references to God’s new covenant with His people. In 42:6 and 49:8 the Servant is
appointed or given as covenant from God to His people which is a direct reference to the new covenant. See
notes above on those verses. In 24:5 Isaiah mentions an “everlasting covenant” as he does again in 55:3 and
61:8. The words “the covenant” occur in 33:8 and “my covenant” in 56:4, 6; and 59:21. See notes on these
verses for further comment. In Isaiah 54:10, Ezekiel 34:25 and 37:26 God’s covenant of peace is mentioned,
compare also Malachi 2:5. In the context of the passages where the “covenant of peace” is mentioned, it is
apparent that this is the new covenant the Messiah will mediate. The new covenant, in which all who believe
in the shed blood of Jesus Christ for salvation participate, will be fully fulfilled for Israel during the
Messianic Kingdom where the Prince of Peace will reign on the throne of David. During the duration of this
Kingdom, 1,000 years, Revelation 20:1-6, God will enact this covenant of peace, which is the new covenant,
over all creation. It will be a time when humans are at peace with each other and even the animals will live in
peaceful co-existence with each other and with humans. Warfare will be eliminated and instruments
(armaments) of war will be transformed for use in far more peaceful and pastoral pursuits.
557…..Isaiah 54:11-12
Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer rightly comment:
“Given the other uses of the phrase in Numbers and Ezekiel, the covenant of peace as used here refers
to the new covenant (cf. Jr 31:31-34), when Israel will be at peace with God and experience the
security having been re-established in the land.” (Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer, Isaiah,
Moody Bible Commentary, page 1092).
Isaiah 54:11-17: A Brief Introduction
God has made promises regarding the future to His covenant people who are without comfort and afflicted,
vs. 11. These promises begin with God’s assurance that He will rebuild their habitation (NIV: City) that will
have precious jewels for stones and for its foundation, vs. 11. God will make the pinnacles (NIV: windows)
of their inhabitation, and its gates and walls of precious gems, vs. 12. In this bejeweled habitation, the
children will be prosperous and be taught by the LORD, vs. 13. God’s covenant people will be established in
righteousness and they will have no cause to fear due oppression or terror for God will defeat any enemy that
may assemble against them, vss. 14-15. God, who has created the blacksmith to forge tools of war will
ensure no such weapon will be successful against His covenant people and even verbal accusations against
them will be refuted for God will vindicate His servants, vss. 16-17.
54:11-12 O afflicted one, tossed by storm and not comforted,
look, I will rebuild your stones with jewels,
and lay your foundations with lapis lazuli.
12
I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
and your gates of sparkling gems,
and all your walls of precious stones.
The recipient of this message, “O afflicted one,” 54:11, is the same as that of 54:1 stated as “O barren one.”
In 54:1-10, the message from God to Zion is that God’s covenant people are pictured as a wife who is
without children and who has been without a close relationship with God who is described as her “husband,”
54:5. In 54:11-17, this depiction of Zion changes to that of a city who now is afflicted but will be adorned
with Jewels as a beautiful city and by implication, as a restored wife who will be lovingly cared for, protected
and kept secure by her “husband.” The reason Zion has been afflicted, tossed by storm and not comforted, is
due to the chastisement and judgment upon Her by God during the days of the tribulation. God proclaims that
this condition is only “for a brief moment,” 54:7-8. In the days of the earthly messianic kingdom her days of
affliction will be over, and God will gather His elect, the faithful remnant from all the nations where they
have been held captive and bringing them to Zion. The messianic kingdom is being established with
regenerated people and a renewed environment.
God is taking personal oversight of the renewing of His people. The words “look, I” in the DASV is literally
“look (behold) I myself.” God is not delegating His work to another but is assuring His covenant people that
He Himself will do this work. The beginning of this work is described as “I will rebuild your stones with
jewels.” It is better translated in the NASB as “I will set your stones in antimony.” Antimony was described
in 1 Chronicles 29:2 as a black powder that was added to the mortar for inlaying the stones of the temple
built under the leadership of Solomon. The wicked wife of King Ahaz, Jezebel used antimony for painting
her eyes (like mascara), 2 Kings 9:30. God also promised in Isaiah 54:11 to lay the foundations of Zion with
“lapis lazuli.” The meaning of “lapis lazuli” seems to be sapphires which would be very reflective and when
the sun shone upon this edifice it would be brilliant in reflection.
558…..Isaiah 54:13 and 14-15
God promises, in Isaiah 54:12, to “make your pinnacles of rubies.” The word “pinnacles” is shemesh in the
Hebrew which is mostly translated as “sun” in the Old Testament. The KJV translates shemesh as “windows”
which likely was meant as reflecting the sun. The word for “rubies” is “bright red” (NASB margin note) and
would also beautifully reflect the sun when it shone upon it. The gates of restored Zion will be set with
“sparkling gems” (or jewels) and its walls (or borders) will be set with “precious stones.” The picture that
God is describing of restored Zion at the beginning of the messianic kingdom describes a city similar to the
eternal New Jerusalem that is described in Revelation 21:9-22:5. Both the city of Zion in the messianic
kingdom and the New Jerusalem in the eternal state will be places of brilliant beauty as the sun, during the
years of the messianic kingdom and the brilliance of God in the eternal state, will illuminate the precious gem
stones to a dazzling appearance which will reflect (display) the glory of God.
54:13 All your children will be taught by the LORD,
and your children will enjoy prosperity.
In the days of the messianic kingdom, the LORD, with the meaning here of the Messiah, will not delegate the
instruction of the children of Zion to human instructors. The Messiah will personally teach those in Zion,
including those of other nations, “His ways”, Isaiah 2:3. See also, Isaiah 28:26; 30:19-20; and 48:17. The
word “prosperity” is the Hebrew word “shalom” which is most often translated as peace but also mean well-
being, and completeness. The teaching of the Messiah will lead to a generation that will be at peace with their
Creator, creation, and with each other. They will have a complete education unhindered from the evil
influence of sinful humanity.
The Lord Jesus Christ cited Isaiah 54:13 as recorded in John 6:45: “It is written in the prophets, 'They will all
be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father, and learns, comes to me.” The application made by
the Lord in John 6:45 is that those who have been taught by God will come to know and have faith in the
Son, who is the Messiah. In the messianic kingdom, it will be God the Son, the Messiah who will both teach
and bring people to Himself. In those days, the people of Zion will have the most exalted Teacher who will
teach the greatest lesson to achieve the optimum result. The teaching by the Messiah will be irresistible in its
effect. The word from God (the Messiah) will accomplish that for which it was intended, Isaiah 55:11:
So will my word be that goes forth out of my mouth;
it will not return to me empty,
but it will accomplish what I desire it to,
and it will succeed in the matter for which I sent it.
54:14-15 In righteousness you will be established;
you will be far from oppression,
for you will not fear,
for terror will not come near you.
15
If anyone attacks you,
it will not be from me;
whoever will assemble against you
will be defeated because of you.
Those who will inhabit the messianic kingdom, both the covenant people of God and redeemed Gentiles will
be established in righteousness. Righteousness is a major topic of Isaiah’s prophecy. The first chapter
introduces the theme of a “city of righteousness,” 1:24-28 which will be the characteristic of Zion in during
the years of the messianic kingdom. Isaiah 9:6-7 reveals that The Messiah will rule on throne of David over
His kingdom and will uphold His kingdom with justice and righteousness:
559…..Isaiah 54:14-15 and 16-17
6
For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given,
and the government will be upon his shoulders:
and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7
Of the increase of his government
and of peace there will be no end.
He will rule on the throne of David,
and over his kingdom,
to establish it,
and to uphold it with justice
and with righteousness from this time forth forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
The concepts of justice, righteousness and salvation are closely related as they are embodied in the Ruler of
the millennial kingdom, the Messiah who will have the Spirit of the Lord upon Him, Isaiah 11:2; and 42:1.
He will be called in righteousness, 42:6 and receive help and vindication from the Lord God, 50:7-9. The
ministry of the Spirit is vital to the establishment of righteousness in the kingdom of the Messiah. See Isaiah
32:15-18. Those who will be the administrators and overseers of the kingdom will be endowed with peace
and righteousness, 60:17. The One who rules the kingdom will speak in righteousness as He is mighty to
save, 63:1 and He will restore the survivors, the preserved ones of Israel and bring salvation to the end of the
earth, 49:6. Because the kingdom will be founded or established in righteousness, those who live in it will
have no fear of being terrorized or oppressed by enemies. The threat of attack, however, is not without
possibility and is not merely a theoretical event. Any attack will not come from God and those who attack
will be defeated by Him. Isaiah 54:14 states that the citizens of the kingdom will “be far from oppression”
and “terror will not come near to them. This does not mean that an attack is impossible but if it happens, God
will defeat it.
It should be noted that even though the messianic kingdom will be peopled by those who have faith in their
Messiah and will be a community of believers, they will still be human and capable of sin. They will be
taught directly by the Lord, 54:13, and they will be administered by righteousness and justice but as the years
of the kingdom precede, a growing dissention to the rule of the Messiah will be evident. When Satan is
released from his captivity, at the end of the given years for this kingdom (1,000 years), he will lead those
who oppose the rule of the Messiah in open rebellion against their righteous Ruler. This rebellion will be
short-lived, and God will devour the rebellious people with fire from heaven, and Satan will be cast into the
lake of fire, Revelation 20:7-9.
54:16-17 Look, I have created the blacksmith
who blows the fire of coals
and produces a weapon perfect for its work.
I have created the destroyer to bring destruction.
17
No weapon that is formed against you will be successful.
You will refute every tongue
that makes accusations against you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
and their vindication is from me,"
says the LORD.
560…..Isaiah 54:16-17
God states in 54:16 that He has created those who forge weapons for a purpose and that is produce weapons
that are designed for the purposes God intends. God also has created a destroyer, kingdoms and their armies,
to bring destruction, which is His judgment, often upon His chosen people who had openly rebelled against
Him. See Isaiah 5:24-30; 7:17-25; 29:1-4; 39:5-7 and Habakkuk 1:5-11. God also uses nations and their
armies to bring judgment upon nations, for example, Assyria and Babylon, which He had called to bring
judgment on His people, but Assyria and Babylon had been too aggressive and destructive in their attack on
His people, Isaiah 10:5-19. The king of Babylon was also punished for being overly aggressive on his own
people, Isaiah 14:20.
God promises that no weapon that is formed against His people in Zion during the duration of the messianic
kingdom will be successful. As noted above, and as recorded in Revelation 20:7-9, at the end of the years
allotted to this earthly messianic kingdom, there will be a rebellion led by Satan which will attempt to
overthrow the rule of the Messiah. This rebellion will be met with fire from heaven which will consume the
human participants and its leader, Satan, will be cast into the lake of fire. Along with weapons that are
formed against the people of the messianic kingdom, words that are hurled against them will be refuted. God
will refute every tongue that makes any accusation against His people. God will protect them on every side
and will vindicate His servants.
God mentions His “servants” in 54:17. From this point on in the writings of Isaiah, God refers to servants,
plural and not the singular Servant. See 56:6; 63;17; 65:8, 9, 13, 14, 15 and 66:14. The divine Servant, the
Messiah (prophetic future sense), had completed His substitutionary work of salvation as prophesized in the
magnificent songs of the Servant, Isaiah 42:1-0; 49:1-13; 50:4-11 and 52:13-53:12. The divine Servant had
accomplished salvation and blessings for those who are the servants of God. Isaiah will refer to these
blessings in the latter chapters of His prophecy. Isaiah had also mentioned many benefits and blessings to
these servants in earlier chapters.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 54
54:1-10 The Lord as Zion’s Husband
54:1 Zion’s Praise
54:2-3 Zion’s People
54:4-10 Zion’s Prospect
54:11-17 The Lord as Zion’s Hope
54:11-12 Zion’s Prominence
54:13 Zion’s Prosperity
54:14-17 Zion’s Peace
8. God calls His People to Seek Him: 55:1-13
Many Biblical scholars understand chapter 55 as a completion of the longer unit from chapters 40 to 55 and
the shorter unit of 53:13 to 55:13. Gary V. Smith comments:
“This chapter completes the long section of chaps. 40–55, as well as the shorter section of 53:12–
55:13. Following a pattern somewhat similar to the promises and the imperative invitations to a
feminine singular audience Zion in chap. 54, this chapter has additional divine promises and
imperative exhortations to a masculine plural audience (to “everyone” in 55:1, which goes beyond
“the servants of the Lord” in 54:17) to encourage them to respond to God’s invitation to enjoy his
abundant blessings. The connections between chaps. 54 and 55 are evident in the common reference
to (a) joy and singing at the beginning (54:1) and at the end of these two chapters (55:12–13), (b) the
561…..Isaiah Chapter 55 Introduction
coming of peace in 54:10, 13; 55:12, (c) God’s compassion on his people (54:7–8, 10; 55:7), (d)
God’s love (54:10; 55:3), (e) God’s covenant (54:10; 55:3), and (f) a new relationship with the
nations (54:3; 55:4–5). The theological issues no longer focus on any of the present problems the
nation was enduring; instead, attention is concentrated on the free food and water that are available,
an everlasting covenant through a Davidic leader, forgiveness of sins, joy, and the fulfillment of all of
God’s promises. These seem to be eschatological promises that God will provide for the people living
in the New Jerusalem where he will reign as king. The structure of this chapter is divided into two
paragraphs:
Invitation to participate in God’s provisions and covenant 55:1–5
Invitation to repent and see God’s words fulfilled 55:6–13”
(Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 493).
Other scholars however, such as John A. Martin, Isaiah in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, include
chapter 55 within the section chapters 49-57 which ends, 57:21 with the words: “There is no peace, says my
God, for the wicked." A similar ending in Isaiah 48:22, concludes chapters 40-48. These statements bring a
conclusion to two sections of nine chapters each which leaves chapters 58-66, also at nine chapters, equally
dividing chapters 40-66 into three components of nine chapters each. While this may seem to be an arbitrary
division of the writings of Isaiah, it needs to be noted that Isaiah carefully composed his prophecy in a
manner that placed theological and thematic material in easily discernable sections. Isaiah also, often inserted
salvation passages at the end of judgment oracles to underscore God’s majestic plan of providing salvation to
His covenant people as well as to the nations of the earth. There is no definitive outline of Isaiah that all
would agree upon. Students of Scripture should not worry themselves overly much with scholarly
suggestions as to an outline. There are seemingly as many outlines suggested for Isaiah as there are Biblical
scholars who have written commentaries and studies on Isaiah. The great scroll of Isaiah, for example found
in the caves of the ancient Qumran community, among other writings commonly called the “Dead Sea
Scrolls, did not contain an outline. Outlines were suggested by scholars as aiding in the understanding of the
Biblical writings but are not inspired and many conflicts with other suggested outlines for the same Biblical
book.
Brief Overview of Isaiah Chapter 55
Chapter 55 of Isaiah speaks of the invitation of salvation, primarily to God’s covenant people, the faithful
remnant who have endured the tribulation, but also to all who hear or read the message of Isaiah. Salvation is
not exclusive to the Jews, for God has given His Servant the task of bring salvation to ends of the earth,
Isaiah 49:6. God extends the invitation of salvation as a depiction of waters and wine and milk for the thirsty
which can be obtained free of charge without any money, vs. 1. The portrait of salvation continues in vs. 2 to
include the finest of foods which is better than spending money on bread that does not satisfy the hungry.
God calls His audience to listen to Him, so they will live. He will make an everlasting covenant with them
like His loyal covenant with David, vs. 3. This Davidic leader, the Messiah, has been given to them as a
witness, a leader and a commander to the world’s peoples, vs. 4. Because the Lord has glorified His covenant
people, nations whom they do not know will be summoned to come to them, vs. 5. God’s calls upon all
people to seek Him and to call upon Him while He may be found and while He is close by, vs. 6. To come to
the Lord, the wicked must forsake their (evil) ways, and their unrighteous thoughts and return to Him for He
will have mercy on them, vs. 7. God’s thoughts and ways are beyond comparison to those of humans, vss. 8-
9. God’s word will accomplish what He has intended, just as the moisture of rain and snow accomplish their
purposes of making the earth sprout so that there will be bread, vss. 10-11. God’s blessings include the peace
and joy of all who respond to Him and His creation will praise Him for He will restore it with beneficial flora
as an everlasting memorial to Him, vss. 12-13.
562…..Isaiah 55:1
55:1 Everyone who is thirsty, come to the waters.
You who have no money, come buy and eat.
Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and free of charge.
Chapter 55 of Isaiah begins with a three-fold invitation, not four as in the NIV, for everyone, both Jew and
Gentile, to come to that which will satisfy the thirsty which is available from God, who is implied as the
speaker, free of any charge, without costing any money. Money in Isaiah’s day did not involve coins for
monetary use as they were not in use until much later during the days of the Persian era. In the eighth century
B.C., Silver would be weighed on a scale to determine value. See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 496.
The invitation to come to “the waters” is similar to the writings of King David in Psalm 36:7-9:
7 How precious is your loyal love, O God!
The human race takes refuge under the shadow of your wings.
8 They are abundantly satisfied with the food from your house;
you let them drink from the river of your delights.
9 For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.
Isaiah had earlier declared, in 12:2-3:
2 God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid;
for the LORD, yes the LORD,
is my strength and song;
he has become my salvation."
3 Joyfully you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
In Jeremiah 2:13, the prophet states the lament of God, “For my people have committed two evils: they have
forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”
Zechariah prophesized that living waters will flow from out of Jerusalem, Zechariah 14:8. See also Psalm
46;4; Ezekiel 47:1-12; Joel 3:18; and Zechariah 13:1. The pouring out of waters that brings life is a picture of
the pouring out of the Spirit as Isaiah states in Isaiah 44:3-5. See also Ezekiel 36:22-28.
This truth is very evident in the New Testament as the story of the Messiah with the women at the well in
Samaria indicated, John 4:3-42. Jesus the Messiah states in John 4:13-14: “Everyone who drinks from this
water will become thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst; but
the water that I will give will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” The “living water”
that the Messiah spoke about is described as the Spirit in John 7:37-39: “37 Now on the last day, the great day
of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever
believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'from within him will flow out rivers of living water.'" 39 But he said
this about the Spirit, which they who believed in him were about to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been
given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.”
The invitation to everyone who is thirsty to come to the waters, Isaiah 55:1, implies that they are seeking
spiritual sustenance from the Lord. Although, the greater context of chapter 55 and chapter 54 indicates a far
future time, when the covenant people of God are being gathered from all nations to populate the messianic
563…..Isaiah 55:1-3b
kingdom which has its capital in Zion, the invitation from God (implied), is extended to all nations, Isaiah
49:6. Some Biblical scholars are quick to insert the Church in Isaiah chapter 55 as being the prophet’s
intended meaning but there is no mention of the Church or its existence in these verses. It is an improper
exegesis to insert a meaning into the Old Testament based upon the writings of the New Testament. Many
New Testament authors applied passages of the Old Testament in their writings, but this does not give
anyone the Scriptural authority to re-interpret Old Testament passages based upon the use of application of
these passages in the New Testament. The Old Testament can stand on its on as an inspired text. One scholar
who is exploring how the New Testament writers use the Old Testament is Michael J. Vlach, both in his
published works and in his online “blog.” Vlach convincingly demonstrates that the New Testament authors
used the Old Testament, contextually, as Vlach explains:
“the majority of NT uses of the OT reveal a common sense literal and contextual understanding of the
OT texts by the NT writers.” (Michael J. Vlach, “NT use of OT, Part 4: Contextual use of the OT by
the NT Writers,” http://mikevlach.blogspot.ca/ 2011/02/nt-use-of-ot-part-4-contextual-use-of.html.
Accessed February 23, 2018.).
In the second part of Isaiah 55:1, the Lord adds to that which the thirsty will derive from Him: wine and milk.
This is part of the “finest cuisine” (55:2), God intends the seeker (the thirsty) to enjoy when the invitation to
come to the Lord is accepted by the seeker.
55:2-3a Why do you spend money for that which is not bread,
and your wages for that which does not satisfy?
Listen carefully to me,
and eat what is good,
and delight yourselves in the finest cuisine.
3
Incline your ear and come to me;
listen, so you may live.
Continuing with the same theme as 55:1, Isaiah cites the words of God in 55:2 which adds bread to water,
milk and wine, signifying the need for the thirsty (55:1) and hungry seeker to obtain the bread that satisfies
rather than spending money “for that which does not satisfy.” Again, the implied speaker is the Lord who
states, “listen carefully to me.” The Lord implores His audience, to eat good food which involves delighting
themselves in the finest of foods. Of course, the student of Scripture understands the word picture the Lord is
“painting” for His audience. It is not real food, that the seeker is invited to partake, but spiritual nourishment
that comes from trusting in the Lord and receiving upon them, the Spirit of God. In a later day, the Messiah
would state that He was the “bread of life,” John 6:35, 48 and 51. The purpose of listening carefully to God,
55:2 and inclining the ear and coming to God, 55:3a, is so that the seeker, those who are thirsty, 55:1 and
hungry, 55:2, will receive spiritual sustenance (the finest cuisine, 55:2) from the Lord by trusting in Him and
therefore receive life, 55:3a.
55:3b I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
just like my loyal covenant made to David.
The Lord spoke of a “covenant of peace” in Isaiah 54:10. Many Biblical scholars suggest that this covenant
of peace is a reference to the new covenant which is recorded in Jeremiah 31:31-34. This aspect of the
covenant of peace, if it is referring to the new covenant, best fits the time of the messianic kingdom. See
notes on Isaiah 54:10. Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 280, suggests that the “everlasting covenant”
mentioned in Isaiah 55:3b could be a reference to the new covenant or to the Davidic Covenant. Victor
Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 430, suggests that this is a reference to the Davidic Covenant.
564…..Isaiah 55:3b-4
The Apostle Paul, speaking in a synagogue in Pisidian Antioch, in Acts 13:34 cited Isaiah 55:3 from the
Greek Old Testament, also known as the Septuagint, applying it in his sermon regarding the life and death
and resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Paul applied Isaiah 55:3 (the reference to David) as a statement
about Jesus not undergoing delay (the blessings of David) but being resurrected from the dead. See context of
Paul’s statements in Acts 13:13-41.
The word “make” in Isaiah 55:3b which refers to the everlasting covenant is the Hebrew word karath which
is literally “cut”. God “cuts” a covenant with His people. This refers to the cutting up of animals as part of
the ceremony of establishing a covenant between God and His covenant people. See Genesis 15:1-21; and
Jeremiah 34:18-19. See also 1 Chronicles 16:16; Nehemiah 9:7-8; Psalm 105:9 where the word “made” in
these verses is karath meaning cut. The theological significance of “cutting” a covenant is that it requires the
shedding of blood, which in the Old Testament, was the blood of animals. However, as the shedding of the
blood of animals could not take away sin, Hebrews 10:4; God prepared a better sacrifice, that of His Son, the
unique Servant who was slaughtered as an atoning substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of humanity, Isaiah
53:1-12. In this way, God cut an everlasting covenant with His covenant people who trust in Him and with all
who trust in Him. This covenant, which is certainly the new covenant will be fully realized for Israel during
the messianic kingdom ruled by the very same Messiah who was the cut sacrifice that God demanded in
order to enact the covenant. In the context of Isaiah 55:3-4, this everlasting new covenant would be the
means by which God ensures the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant, of which the Messiah fulfills the
Davidic covenant promised in 2 Samuel 7:12-13, 16. By the new covenant God also ensures the fulfillment
of the Abrahamic Covenant. Those who believe in Jesus Christ, specifically in His shed blood for salvation
participate in the new covenant and thereby through the new covenant participate in the Davidic and
Abrahamic covenants, although the full completion of all aspects of these two covenants for Israel will be
during the messianic and eternal kingdoms.
Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer comment:
“Though physical sustenance will surely be provided, Israel will be sustained through their obedience
to the Lord and His provision of the everlasting covenant, a reference to the new covenant (see Jr
31:31-34).” (Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer, Isaiah, Moody Bible Commentary, page 1092).
55:4 Look, I have given him for a witness to the peoples,
a leader and commander to the peoples.
The word “look” in 55:4 and 5, is the Hebrew “hen,” which has the meaning of “behold.” Behold has a
stronger connotation than simply to look. God desires His audience to pay close attention to what He is
saying. The One who is identified as David in 55:3 must also be identified as the “him” in 55:4 who God has
given as a witness, a leader and a commander to the peoples. Since David has long since died and since the
everlasting covenant promised in 55:3 refers to the enactment of the Davidic covenant through the new
covenant, the One who fulfills this covenant is the Messiah. Therefore, this One must be the Messiah who
God gives as a witness to the peoples of the earth, and as a leader and commander to them. The Messiah is a
witness to God in that God made Him a light to the nations so that God’s salvation would reach to the ends of
the earth, Isaiah 49:6. He would also be a leader to (of) the peoples of the earth. This will occur when the
Messiah will rule His people when He returns at His second advent to establish His earthly kingdom. The
word “commander” is the Hebrew tsavah, which has the meaning of giving a charge and to command. The
Messiah will both lead and command, give a charge, to those living on the earth during the days of the
messianic kingdom.
565…..Isaiah 55:5-6
55:5 Look, you will summon nations you did not know;
nations that did not know you will run to you,
because of the LORD your God,
and for the Holy One of Israel,
for he has glorified you.
There is some uncertainty among Biblical scholars as to the exact identification of the word “you” in Isaiah
55:5. The word “you” is a singular which could refer to a person, such as the Messiah or to peoples identified
as a singular group, such as the covenant people of God who will be alive to populate the messianic kingdom
under the rule of the Messiah. Because the words “know” and “run” are plural, some postulate that it is the
people of God who should be identified as the “you” throughout Isaiah 55:5. However, a careful reading of
this verse strongly indicates that the word “you” in each occurrence, refers most likely to the Servant of God,
the Messiah.
As with many individual verses in Isaiah, the compound names for God are stated as giving divine authority
as the reason something is to be done or accomplished. Two of these compound names occur in Isaiah 55:5.
The LORD your God is “Yahweh Elohim” who is the great “I Am,” Exodus 3:14. God is also Elohim, the
plural name for God, who is the mighty and supreme One, who also is the Creator, Genesis 1:1. The nations
are being summoned to “run” to the Messiah by the authority and power of “the LORD your God.” The
second compound name in Isaiah 55:5 is the very familiar “Holy One of Israel,” which occurs 25 times in the
writings of Isaiah. The nations will run to the Messiah because the Holy One of Israel has glorified His
Servant, the Messiah as He is a desire to the nations. Also, God has gloried His Servant, the Messiah to
accomplish the purposes that the Holy One of Israel has for Him. In Isaiah 52:13, the prophet states the
Servant will be “lifted up and will be greatly exalted.” It is the exalted and lifted up Messiah who will be
glorified, to whom the nations will run, Isaiah 55:5 See Isaiah 2:3; 49:22-23; 60:1-22; 61:1-11; 62:1-12; and
66:18-21.
Robert B. Chisholm Jr. summarizes a discussion on Isaiah 55:3-5:
“To summarize, Isa 55:3-5 anticipates the national blessings that will result when the Davidic promise
is fulfilled through an ideal king.” Robert B. Chisholm Jr. Isaiah 55:3-5: The Fulfillment of the
Davidic Promise, The Moody Handbook of Prophecy, page 980).
55:6 Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near.
It may be tempting to suggest that this verse teaches that there are sometimes when the LORD, Yahweh is
not near or cannot be found. This may be suggested for example, by comparing Isaiah 55:6 with 54:7-8. But,
the context of 54:7-8 indicates that these verses are speaking about the judgment of God upon His people. To
be sure, there were times when God’s covenant people were sinful and unrepentant and participated in
religious festivals, when God would not respond to their prayers, Isaiah 1:15; 8:17; 45:15; and 59:2.
However God never forsakes His own, Deuteronomy 31:6, Isaiah 41:10, 17; 49:16; and Hebrews 13:5. God s
always present to provide help, Psalm 46:1. Even during times of national sin and rebellion, repentant sinners
can always come to God. See also Acts 17:27.
God’s desire is that all would come to repentance (for salvation), as recorded in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not
slow concerning his promise, as some think about slowness; but he is patient with you, not wishing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Yet there will be a time when God’s judgment will
come upon the earth, when His patience with humanity will be at an end as the wider context of 2 Peter 3:1-
566…..Isaiah 55:6-7
13 indicates. So, the seeking of the LORD while He may be found and calling upon Him while He is near
must be seen in the greater context of God’s purposes and plans. God will one day bring judgement upon the
earth when it will be too late for sinners to call upon Him. Sinners are to call upon God during the day of
salvation, Isaiah 49:8; 2 Corinthians 6:2, which are the days before God in His wisdom and perfect timing
will bring an end to the sinfulness of humanity. Therefore, “today” is always the day of salvation.
To seek the Lord and call upon Him is to recognize that He is a God who exists and who will respond to the
repentant heart cry of those who cry out to Him. This must be done in faith. Hebrews 11:6 states, “Now
without faith it is impossible to please him; for one who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he
rewards those who seek him.” For all who will call upon Him (in faith) will be saved, Acts 2:21. So also 1
Peter 1:8-9,“8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; you do not see him, yet you believe in him,
rejoicing greatly with joy unspeakable and filled with glory. 9 You are receiving the result of your faith--the
salvation of your souls.” Earlier Isaiah had declared the message of God, as recorded in Isaiah 45:22, in the
DASV, “Look to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.” It is
significant that the NIV, NASB and the ESV have the word “turn” instead of the word “look” to begin this
verse.
55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous his thoughts.
Let them return to the LORD,
and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God,
for he will abundantly pardon.
Isaiah calls upon those who are wicked and unrighteous to forsake their (evil) ways and thoughts and return,
Hebrew shub, to the LORD, Yahweh. The intent of Isaiah 55:7 is that those who are far from God because of
their sinfulness, those who are called wicked and unrighteous, will receive pardon which is forgiveness from
their sins. God who alone can forgive sins because of His great mercy upon them. This verse complements
55:6 and taken together these verses speak of God’s merciful offer of salvation by the pardoning of their sin.
Isaiah began his book with a description of the covenant people of God, as recorded in Isaiah 1:4,
O sinful nation,
a people loaded down with iniquity,
an offspring of evildoers,
children who act corruptly!
They have forsaken the LORD;
they have despised the Holy One of Israel;
they have turned their backs on him.
Isaiah spent much time during his ministry as a prophet from God warning his own people, the people of
Judah, to repent of their sinful ways and turn to the Lord. This call for repentance, the forsaking of their evil
ways and thoughts and turning to the Lord is essential for they cannot be truly saved unless they have
repented of their sin. Their salvation described in the Old and New Testaments is the same. It is by faith
alone. However, inherit in this faith is that a true heart of repentance is evident. Faith without repentance is
not saving faith. For an understanding of the Biblical meaning of repentance, see Except Ye Repent,
CrossReach Publications, 2015 Edition, by Harry A. Ironside. An online edition of this book (earlier edition)
is also available.
567…..Isaiah 55:7-10
The words “abundantly pardon” in Isaiah 55:7 are very important theologically as they indicate the
willingness and mercy of God to forgive the sins of His covenant people and all humanity in the sense of
greatly forgiving or multiplying forgiveness. This multiplying of forgiveness is clearly stated in Matthew
18:21-22, “Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive
him, seven times? 22 Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you, seven times; but, seventy times seven.” The word
“abundantly” in Isaiah 55:7 is the Hebrew rabah, which has the meaning of “much,” “many” and especially
“multiply.” For example, Isaiah had used the word “rabah” in 1:15: 9:3 and 23:16 to indicate many or
multiplied. The word “pardon” in Isaiah 55:7 is the Hebrew salach, which has the meaning of forgiveness.
The prophet Jeremiah often used salach to describe forgiveness. See Jeremiah 5:1; 31:34; 33:8; 36:3 and
50:20. It occurs also in the Psalm 25:11 and 103:3, but perhaps the most emphatic use of salach, as forgive,
occurs in Daniel 9:19 during that prophet’s impassioned prayer: “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord,
listen and act. Do not delay, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by
your name.” (bold added).
Without the willingness of the Lord in His great mercy to abundantly pardon the sins of humanity, none
would be able to stand before Him or have a relationship with Him or indeed live with Him forever in
heaven. To be abundantly pardoned by God is to stand before Him, justified by being declared righteous. It is
receiving the imputed righteousness of the Savior so that God looks upon those He pardons as being
righteous although they have no righteousness of their own. The righteousness of the Messiah imputed to
those whom God declares as justified, is the spiritual reality of being “saved.” It is this wondrous and
merciful act of God that makes God’s “thoughts and ways,” Isaiah 55:8, so immensely different than the
those of humans and even of those who are God’s chosen covenant people.
55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
says the LORD.
9
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
The LORD (Yahweh) gives His response to the mercy He has showered upon sinful humanity in the
forgiveness of their sins. He demonstrates His merciful love to humans He has created “for” or because His
thoughts and ways are not the same as those of humans who are not divine nor have an incorruptible nature.
God is completely “other” in His being and actions in comparison to humanity. The revelation of the Servant,
the Messiah, who is an atoning sacrifice for the sins of many, Isaiah 52-13-53:12, is the background for
God’s forgiveness of sinful humanity based upon their faith and turning to Him. Humanity does not
understand forgiveness as God does. Humanity is not longsuffering, patient, loving and compassionate in the
way that God demonstrates these attributes. Although humans are created in God’s image, Genesis 1:27, they
are corruptible and incapable of divine logic, and actions. Isaiah 55:9 records just how much distance lies
between God’s ways and thoughts and those of humans. This distance is incalculable and unfathomable: “as
the heavens are higher than the earth.” This infinite and unimaginable distance describes the pitiful
condition of the ways and thoughts of humans compared to the high and exalted attributes of God.
55:10-11 For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven,
and does not return there without watering the earth,
making it produce and sprout,
giving seed to the sower,
and bread to the eater;
568…..Isaiah 55:10-13
11
so will my word be that goes forth out of my mouth;
it will not return to me empty,
but it will accomplish what I desire it to,
and it will succeed in the matter for which I sent it.
The prophet in Isaiah 55:10-11 records God’s second response and reason for His merciful act of abundantly
pardoning the sins of His covenant people and humanity. God sends precipitation in the form of rain and
snow to water the earth which makes the earth produce seed and then crops which are used by humans to
make bread to assuage their hunger. God, who created humans to live on the earth, provides the means for
them to drink and eat to sustain life. God compares this provision of the necessities of life to His word which
proceeds from His mouth. God’s word will accomplish exactly what God desires it to accomplish and will
not fail: “it will not return to me empty.”
Included in the “matter” 55:11, that God sends forth His Word, are His covenants with His people including
the everlasting covenant, 55:3; (referring to the new covenant) and all of the major covenants: Noahic:
Genesis 6:18 and 9:9-17; Abrahamic: Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21; 17:1-21; 26:2-5 and 28:10-17; Mosaic:
Exodus Chapters 19-24; Priestly: Numbers 25:10-13; Davidic: 2 Samuel 7:8-16 and Psalms 72 to 89; and
the New Covenant: Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 36:25-27. Also, to this listing should be added all of
God’s promises throughout the Scriptures. God has given His covenant people and all who believe in Him,
including the body of Christ, the Church, so many wonderful and blessed promises which comprise a major
part of God’s Word. His promises will not fail or cease to be active. They will be fulfilled as certainly as God
exists for it is impossible for God to lie or fail in any “matter.” (bold intentional).
55:12 For you will go out with joy,
and be led forth with peace;
the mountains and the hills will break out in singing before you,
and all the trees of the fields will clap their hands.
Following the exalted words of God’s extraordinary promise of Isaiah 55:10-11, and the greater context of
God’s words of comfort, Isaiah 40-41, the Servant Songs and God’s proclamations, Isaiah 42 to 53 and their
follow-up, chapters 54-55, Isaiah records the inspired words given to Him from God that His covenant
people will go out, from their captivity among the nations, and will be led forth, to Zion with peace. When
they are travelling to Zion, the non-human objects of God’s created world will in a figurative and
anthropomorphic way, perform human like actions of singing and clapping their hands. See also Isaiah 35:1-
10; 40:9-11; 41:17-20; 42:10-11; 43:10-11; 44:1-5, 23; 49:13; 51:11; 52:7-10; and 54:10-13.
55:13 Instead of thorns, cypress trees will grow,
and instead of briers, myrtle trees will sprout up.
It will be a memorial for the LORD,
for an everlasting sign that will never be cut off.
When the faithful remnant of God, are gathered from the nations of the world to travel to Zion they will
witness the transformation of the natural world by its Creator. Thorns will be replaced by cypress trees and
briers will be replaced with myrtle trees. This transformation of nature, the reversal of the curse on it due to
the sin of Adam and Eve, will be both a memorial to God and His everlasting sign that will not be removed.
The content of Isaiah 55:12-13 is clearly descriptive of the last days, following the tribulation and the
beginning of the messianic kingdom and does not fit in any way with the return of the Jews who had been
exiled in Babylon. Those who suggest that these words relate to the return of the Babylonian exiles are forced
569…..Isaiah 55:13 and 56:1-8 Introduction
to make God’s promises in 55:13 as a misrepresentation and grossly exaggerated. The condition of the
natural flora in Jerusalem during and following the return of the exiles from Babylon was not any different
than when the exiles first went into captivity.
The beautiful and vibrant cypress trees and fragrant and refreshing myrtle trees are examples of the beauty
that will be seen during the days of the messianic kingdom. Of particular interest to the student of the
Scriptures is the mention of the myrtle tree. The myrtle tree was one of the trees specified for the making of
booths used for the days of the feast of booths or Tabernacles, Nehemiah 8:13-18. This feast was noted for
the presence of the Lord. The word tabernacle has the meaning of God’s dwelling (living) with or among His
people. The word tabernacle is used in Revelation 21:3 describing the dwelling of God permanently with the
redeemed. The myrtle tree is associated with the feast of tabernacles and is not insignificant that Zechariah
saw the Angel of the Lord standing among the myrtle tress conversing with the LORD, Zechariah 1:7-21.
Thus, the myrtle tree is associated with God’s presence and it also is not insignificant that this specific tree is
mentioned in Isaiah 55:13 as being one of the beautiful natural flora that God states will be for an everlasting
sign that will never be cut off, which may indicate that this tree, among others will be planted and remain
forever in the eternal state as a memorial to the presence of God. In the messianic kingdom this tree, among
others will represent the beginning days of God’s kingdom to be ruled by His Son, who is the Servant, the
Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ who is blessed forever.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 55
55:1-5 The Call of God to Redemption
55:1-2 Redemption Offered at No Cost
55:3 Davidic Covenant Confirmed
55:4 Davidic Commander Commissioned
55:5 Redeemed People Glorified
55:6-13 The Call of God for Repentance
55:6-7 God’s Abundant Pardon
55:8-9 God’s Amazing Perspective
55:10-11 God’s Awesome Purpose
55:12-13 God’s Abounding Preservation
9. God’s Promises of Salvation and Blessings to His People and Others: 56:1-8
Although many scholarly works on Isaiah place Isaiah chapter 56 as the beginning chapter of the final major
literary unit of the writings of Isaiah comprising chapters 56-66, this study of Isaiah places chapter 56 as the
second last chapter of the larger unit of chapters 49 to 57. See introduction to this larger unit, chapters 49-57
at the beginning of the study for chapter 49 for the reasons why this outline has been adopted. As mentioned
previously, there is no absolute or authorized “outline” for any Biblical book so students of Scripture can
with careful study and reasoning establish an outline that best suits the content of a particular passage or
entire book of Scripture.
In chapter 55 Isaiah records a prophecy about the Davidic leader and commander, the Messiah who will be
appointed by God as a witness to the nations, 55:4. The inhabitants of the nations will be summoned to come
to join the covenant people of God in the messianic kingdom, 55:5. The Lord, as recorded in the first eight
verses of chapter 56, describes the identity of these inhabitants and the basis upon which they will become
redeemed members of the kingdom.
570…..Isaiah 56:1-2
Isaiah 56:1-8 generally consists of a description of the obedient who are accepted into God’s kingdom
because they obey Him and keep His covenant, including Sabbath observances. Isaiah begins this section
with a declaration by the LORD of required right and just actions for His accompany salvation will soon
come and His righteousness is ready to be revealed. The LORD states that blessed are those who act justly
and do what is right and keeps the Sabbath and keep their hands from doing any evil vss. 1-2. The prophet
next, vs. 3 describes the objection of the foreigner and the eunuch who have asked, will they be accepted as
God’s people? The LORD states that eunuchs will be accepted by keeping God’s covenant and His Sabbath,
and they will receive a name better than that have bearing children, they will have an everlasting name, and
they will not be cut off, vss. 4-5. Foreigners, (Gentiles) also, like the eunuchs, will be accepted by keeping
God’s covenant and His Sabbath, vs. 6. They will be brought to God’s holy mountain where they will be full
of joy in God’s house of prayer. God will gather them from the nations to His holy mountain alongside of the
dispersed of Israel, vss. 7-8.
56:1-2 This is what the LORD says,
"Be just, and do what is right,
for my salvation will come soon,
and my righteousness is ready to be revealed.
2
Blessed is the one who does this,
the one who holds it tight,
who keeps the Sabbath and does not defile it,
and keeps his hand from doing any evil."
As there are no “chapter” divisions or section breaks in the oldest or any ancient manuscripts of the writings
of Isaiah, the contents of chapter 56 follows naturally from that of chapter 55. Chapter 56 expands upon the
revelation of chapter 55, specifically of verse 55:4 which declares that God will make the Davidic leader and
commander as a witness to the peoples (Gentiles). It is not as some may assume, only a message for the
faithful remnant of God, His covenant people who have survived the troubles of the tribulation and are being
gathered from the nations to populate the emerging messianic kingdom. The message of Isaiah 56:1-8
certainly applies to God’s covenant people but it has particular importance to the Gentiles and a unique group
called eunuchs.
The declaration, “This is what the LORD says” occurs repeatedly in the writing of Isaiah, beginning from,
1:2, “for the LORD has spoken.” Following 56:1, this statement is repeated in 56:4; 65:8, 13; 66:1 and 12.
Isaiah uses this statement to emphasize the authority of the LORD, Yahweh in declaring a truth He wants to
ensure that the audience of Isaiah will hear and obey. In this instance, it is a critically important message
about His salvation and righteousness. To all who has read or would have heard the voice of the prophet, the
LORD is commanding them to be obedient to Him through actions of justice and righteousness, stated in
56:1 as “be just and do what is right.” The paring of justice and righteousness often occurs in Isaiah. See
Isaiah 1:17, 21, 27; 5:7; 9:7; 10:2; 16:5; 28:17; 32:1, 16; 33:5; 53:11; 56:1; 58:2, 59:9 and 14. The Messiah
will establish His coming kingdom and uphold it with justice and righteousness, Isaiah 9:7. God expects that
His covenant people and all who will be obedient to His covenant, will follow the example of their Messiah
by just and right behavior. They are to do this because His salvation will soon come upon them and His
righteousness is ready to be revealed. It is critical theologically to understand that God is not demanding
righteous and just acts as a prerequisite of salvation, but He is saying that those who act this way are
demonstrating the communal affects, that is proper behavior to each other and themselves, that the coming
salvation and righteousness that the LORD alone can provide.
571…..Isaiah 56:1-3
The timing of the coming righteousness and salvation is not revealed but it is consistent with a “telescoped
viewpoint” of many prophetic passages in the Old Testament. It can therefore be applied to the first and
second advents of the Messiah. In His first advent, the Messiah accomplished the work of righteousness and
salvation and in His second advent, He will establish a kingdom completely permeated with these divine
truths.
Those described in 56:2, as practicing just and right behavior are called blessed. They are those who receive
God’s blessings and are joyful and happy in their relationship with God. They firmly take hold of justice and
righteousness by practicing this behavior, and make proof of it by keeping, without defiling, the requirements
of the Sabbath and demonstrate that their outward behavior is righteous as an indication of inward purity.
The effects upon them of the Lord’s righteousness and salvation is evidenced by their obedience to all of
God’s requirements stated in the “law.” The reference to keeping the Sabbath and behaving righteously
represent the keeping of all requirements of the law of God. See Exodus 31:12-17.
The problem, that all who study Scripture know for certain, is that without the inward work of God in their
lives including the imputation of righteousness and the appropriation of salvation, no one could faithfully and
perfectly keep all the requirement of the law. Therefore, there is a direct relationship between the salvific and
righteous work of God “in” the lives of all who seek Him and their acceptable obedience to Him. The same is
true whether a person lived in Isaiah’s day or in the present day. No one can exhibit righteous and just
behavior that is acceptable to God, without their first being an acceptance by faith of God’s free offer of
salvation that was wrought by the atoning sacrifice of His Son, the Servant, the Messiah which was described
by Isaiah in 52:13-53:12.
56:3 Do not let a foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD, say,
"The LORD will surely exclude me from his people,"
nor let the eunuch say,
"Look, I am just a withered tree."
The “law” stated in the Pentateuch forbade the inclusion of specified foreigners and eunuchs from the
inclusive worship of the Lord by the covenant people of God, expressed by Biblical scholars as Israel’s cultic
worship. See for example, Exodus 12:43 and Deuteronomy 23:1-8. However, the worship from many non-
Israelites was accepted by God, Exodus 12:48-49 and Numbers 15:14-16. Rahab and Ruth who were non-
Israelites were also accepted, as were others, 1 Kings 8:41-43. Ultimately, the inclusion of foreigners and
eunuchs in participating in worshiping the Lord was based on their observance of the law and keeping the
covenant as Isaiah 56:4 plainly states. Biblical commentators have expressed differing viewpoints on the
reasons God excluded some foreigners and eunuchs while accepting others. See for example Victor
Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 434.
In the millennial kingdom, those who are foreigners will certainly have a place in the society and in the
worship of the Messiah, Isaiah 60:3-14 and 61:1-11. See David L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical
Research Monthly – February 1946.
Isaiah’s statement in 56:3, of those eunuchs who lament their possible non-acceptance by the Lord in the
participation of worship, because they state, “I am just a withered tree,” is most likely a comment about their
inability to father children. It is an expression of their shame in not having a family legacy and its
accompanying sense of worthlessness. God will respond to their feelings in 56:4. See discussion on this point
by Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 533.
572…..Isaiah 56:4-5
56:4-5 For this is what the LORD says:
To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,
and choose the things that please me,
and hold on tight to my covenant,
5
to them I will give in my house and within my walls
a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters.
I will give them an everlasting name
that will not be cut off.
In Isaiah 56:4-5, God responds to the feelings of exclusion from His people and the worthlessness felt by the
eunuchs stated in 56:3. Isaiah begins the response of God with the authoritative “For this is what the LORD
says.” Isaiah also began his short discussion, 56:1-8, with the same authoritative declaration, 56:1. To repeat
this declaration in such a short space is an indication of the importance of the message to the eunuchs who
needed to have this message from God as an indication of His assurance, that their obedience to the law,
represented by keeping God’s Sabbaths, and their choice of doing things that pleased God and their rightful
obedience, stated as holding on tight to God’s covenant was meaningful to God. As a result, God would bless
them with a confirmed place within His walls (the temple on Mount Zion). God would also give them a
memorial and a name that would be seen as better than having children. God would ensure that the name He
would give them would be everlasting and this name would never be “cut off.” God’s mention that the name
He would give them which would not be “cut off” may have been intended as a response to the shame they
felt for being emasculated by their pagan masters who often placed them in servitude among the master’s
harem. The timing of this promise of blessings would certainly apply to the years of the messianic kingdom.
However, eunuchs, such as the one from Ethiopia, as recorded in Acts 8:26-40, can today, as during the times
of the early church become members of the body of Christ, the church by having faith in the Messiah, Jesus
Christ. The exclusion of eunuchs, as stated in Deuteronomy 23:1 may have been only applicable during the
days of the mosaic covenant and this exclusion, like so many others, came to an end when Christ, as the
believer’s great High Priest, mediated a better covenant, Hebrews 8:1-13 and 9:1-28. God specifically
mentioned three aspects of faithful activity by the eunuchs that pleased Him and led to His declaration of the
prominence and permanence He would assign to them.
The first aspect was “who keep my Sabbaths.” The keeping of God’s Sabbaths was more than mere ritualistic
observance of a set of rules. The Sabbath was of particular sacredness to God. The putting aside of daily
routines and work to worship God and contemplate on His word was a demonstration of a deep heartfelt
devotion to Him. It was more than a duty, it was genuine devotion of the kind that God desired from His
covenant people that was above all other adherences to His law. It indicated that the worshiper had faith in
Him and trusted in Him for daily guidance, which was something that the spiritual and royal leadership of the
people most often failed to demonstrate.
God placed such a high regard on keeping His Sabbath, that He placed it prominently, fourth, on the list of
the ten commandments, Exodus 20:8-11. God’s high regard for not keeping the Sabbath was demonstrated in
the issuance of the death penalty, as recorded in Exodus 31:15 and Numbers 15:32-36. The Sabbath was
called “holy,” Exodus 16:23; 20:11. No work was to be undertaken for it was a day that the Lord set aside as
a reminder that He rested on the seventh day after six days of creative work, and the Lord blessed it and
made it a holy day, Exodus 20:11. It was set aside as a holy day Deuteronomy 5:12, and also a day of
remembrance of the Lord’s deliverance of His people from slavery in Egypt, Deuteronomy 5:15. Isaiah later
recorded this declaration from the Lord for those who keep His Sabbath as a holy day, Isaiah 58:13-14:
573…..Isaiah 56:4-5
13 If you keep your foot from violating the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure on my holy day;
but call the Sabbath a delight,
and the holy day of the LORD honorable,
and if you honor it,
not going your own ways,
or pursuing your own pleasure,
or speaking your own idle words,
14 then you will delight yourself in the LORD,
and I will make you ride on the high places of the earth,
and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father."
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.
The prophet Ezekiel also declared God’s intentions for the Sabbath, Ezekiel 20:12, “I gave them my
Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, so that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies
them.” The keeping and observance of the Sabbath day represented the keeping of the entire “law” as an
outward demonstration of the inward reality that those who keep His Sabbaths are those who have faith in
God and follow Him with a heart devoted to Him. It is significant that God’s mentions the keeping of the
Sabbath first in the listing of the things the eunuchs were doing that pleased Him and brought about God’s
rewarding them with blessing and an everlasting name.
The second aspect of the obedience of the eunuchs, mentioned in Isaiah 56:4 is “and choose the things that
please me,” which is better stated as “choosing things which I desire.” This represents a continual decision to
seek what pleases the Lord and then observing it. Proverbs 21:3 states, “To do righteousness and justice is
more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.” The prophet Hosea recorded a similar message in Hosea 6:6-
7, as did Isaiah in chapter 1:10-20. See also 1 Samuel 15:22; Proverbs 15:8; and Micah 6:6-8. The things that
God desires and what pleases Him is obedience to Him and His word. The Apostle John stated the words of
Jesus, as recorded in John 14:23, “If someone loves me, he will obey my word; and my Father will love him,
and we will come to him, and make our residence with him.”
The third aspect of the obedience of the eunuchs, mentioned in Isaiah 56:4 is to “hold on tight to my
covenant.” Other English Bible versions have “hold fast” to His covenant. This is an act of obedience to the
requirements of the mosaic covenant which demonstrates that the eunuchs kept a strong hold onto their
relationship with God. This third aspect can be understood as a summary of the first two described in Isaiah
56:4 but also conveys a much more intimate desire to only do the things that the Lord commands to the
exclusion of any self-will or self-direction. Moses stated these words of God in Exodus 19:5-6, “Now
therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant then you will be my special possession from
among all peoples. For although all the earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation. These are the words you will speak to the Israelites.” King David proclaimed, as recorded in Psalm
103:17-18:
“17
But the loyal love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to their children's children;
18
to those who keep his covenant,
and who remember to do his precepts.”
574…..Isaiah 56:6-7
The eunuchs, who steadfastly keep the Lord’s covenant, will have an everlasting name within the house and
walls of the Lord, Isaiah 56:5, and will have a memorial which shall be better to them than having the legacy
of children.
56:6-7 Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,
to serve him,
and to love the name of the LORD,
to be his servants,
everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not defile it,
and holds on tight to my covenant;
7
I will bring them to my holy mountain,
and make them joyful in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples.
The language of the prophet regarding the obedience and reward of the foreigners to the LORD in Isaiah
56:6-7, is similar to that of 56:4-5 regarding the eunuch’s obedience and reward. There are however more
aspects stated regarding the obedience of foreigners to the Lord in 56:6-7 than of the eunuch’s obedience to
the Lord as recorded in 56:4-5. The notes for Isaiah 56:3 give the relevant Scriptural passages regarding the
exclusion of selected foreigners from the inclusive (cultic) worship of God’s covenant people and the verses
that allow many foreigners, those who are obedient to God access into this worship. God gave the following
directive to His Servant, the Messiah, "It is too insignificant that you should be my servant to raise up the
tribes of Jacob, and to restore the survivors of Israel. I will also make you a light to the nations, that you may
bring my salvation to the ends of the earth." 49:6. Isaiah often spoke of these foreigners (the nations) who
would have salvation brought to them and they would be brought to Zion: 2:2-4; 11:10; 14:1-2; 25:6; 42:6;
45:20-25; 49:6, 22-23; 52:10; 52:15; 57:13; 60:1-14; 61:11; 62:2; and 66:12-23. The ultimate fulfillment of
time when the nations will know the salvation of the LORD will be during the years of the messianic
kingdom. But prior to that time, the Messiah will be gathering many “foreigners” from the nations to
Himself.
Although the people of Israel were and still are the chosen people of God, they do not hold an inclusive right
to fellowship with God. God “wants all people to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth,” 1
Timothy 2:4. Those who are “foreign” to the covenant people of God can be included in those who have a
right to live in God’s holy mountain and have full participation in the worship of God, in His house which He
calls His house of prayer, Isaiah 56:7.
There are four aspects to the obedience of the foreigners as stated in Isaiah 56:6. First, they will those who
“join themselves to the LORD to serve him.” Those who join themselves to the LORD acknowledge His
sovereignty in their lives and willingly turn from pursuing their own way, so they can serve Him in purity
and righteousness. Second, they so love the Lord’s name that they willingly become his servants. This is an
outward demonstration of their inward devotion to Him as depicted by Isaiah as loving the name of the
LORD. To be willing to serve The LORD implies that these foreigners have renounced their allegiance to
serving any other master and will henceforth only serve God. Scripture makes it plain that it is impossible to
serve two masters, Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13. The love of the foreigner for the name of the LORD
therefore is an undivided and total love unencumbered with doubts as to whom they should obey. Third, as
did the eunuchs, these foreigners keep the Sabbath and do not defile it. It is an act of pure devotion for these
foreigners to keep the requirements of the Sabbath for they were not born into an Israelite family and did not
grow up with the Torah taught to them from their earliest days. Foreigners would have to adapt to the
uniqueness of Sabbath obedience which would require a stark change in their behaviour. To do so willingly
575…..Isaiah 56:6-8
speaks of their complete and total love to the LORD. Fourth, and as did the eunuchs, these foreigners held on
tight, held fast, to the mosaic covenant and obeyed it to their utmost ability. They would need to have first
learned the many religious requirements (cultic worship) that was part of holding fast to the mosaic covenant
and then faithfully, as they were able, fulfill these requirements. It was not an easy task, and as observed
above in the notes for Isaiah 56:2, no one could faithfully and perfectly keep all the requirement of the law. It
was only the forgiveness of God, for the sins of both God’s covenant people and foreigners, wrought by the
atoning sacrifice of His Son, the Servant, as recorded in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, that anyone could enjoy
righteous fellowship with God and have a standing in His presence.
Isaiah 56:7 records the three-fold response by the LORD to the obedience of these foreigners. The first
response is the promise that these foreigners would be brought to God’s holy mountain. Isaiah often spoke of
Mount Zion as God’s holy mountain, 11:9, 27:13; 56:7, 13; 65:11, 25; and 66:20. See also Psalm 2:6, 15:1;
48:1; Joel 2:1, 3:17; Obadiah 1:17; and Zechariah 8:3. This ancient mountain, Moriah, with its meaning of
“the place where Yahweh provides”, was first called Zion which has the meaning “a stronghold” and “a
fortress” and also “a dry place.” It is very significant to God’s purposes, that David captured this mountain
stronghold, 2 Samuel 5:7. It was the place where Abraham was instructed to take his “promised son” Isaac to
be tested by God and where Abraham passed the test. It is a very sacred place to God. The remnant of the
Lord are mentioned in specific relationship to Jerusalem and Zion, 2 Kings 19:31.
The second response from God stated in Isaiah 56:7 is that He would “make them joyful in my house of
prayer.” The temple, also called house, as a place of prayer, is mentioned many times in the Scriptures. See 1
Kings 8:29, 38; 9:3; 19:14; 2 Chronicles 6:20, 29 7:12; 20:5-13; Isaiah 37:14; 56:7; Luke 2:37 and Acts 3:1.
Jesus, when He drove out the money changers and the merchants from the temple, quoted this phrase from
Isaiah 56:7 as a Scriptural warrant for His actions. See Matthew 21:13; Mark 11:17 and Luke 19:46. God’s
blessings on the obedient and faithful foreigners is to make them joyful in His house of prayer. There are no
prescribed or ritualistic prayers that are mentioned in the Scriptures that must be made within the temple,
perhaps with the notable exception of the customary citing of the Psalms of accent, Psalms 120-136 during
the three prescribed annual feasts, of unleavened bread, weeks (Pentecost), and booths (tabernacles), that all
males of Israel were commanded by God to attend, Exodus 23:14-17; 34:22-24 and Deuteronomy 16:16-17.
See notes in the NASB John MacArthur Study Bible, page 844.
God’s intention was that those who enter His house, the temple would do so in the attitude of prayer in joyful
and prayerful contemplation of the creator of the sovereign of the heavens and the earth. The house of God,
specifically the tabernacle and the first temple were designated as the place of God’s presence and those
devoted to Him went to the house of God to meet Him with hearts full of joy. Those who were foreigners
were thus granted the same awesome privilege as the covenant people of God to enter into His presence in
His house. See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 535-536 for a more detailed commentary on this issue.
The third response from God stated in Isaiah 56:7 regarding His blessings upon obedient and faithful
foreigners is that He would accept their burnt offerings and their sacrifices on His altar. In this third response,
God was fully incorporating foreigners into the cultic worship of His covenant people. They were not just
allowed to pray alongside of the Israelites in the temple but were to take an inclusive participation in the
ritualistic practice of offering burnt offerings and sacrifices to God. The complete fulfillment of this promise
to foreigners will come in the future messianic kingdom when “my house will be called a house of prayer for
all peoples,” Isaiah 56:7.
56:8 The sovereign LORD, who gathers the dispersed of Israel, says,
"I will gather others to them,
besides those who are already gathered."
576…..Isaiah 56:8-and 56:9-57:21 Introduction
Isaiah completes this short section, 56:1-8 by declaring the words of God regarding the future days when His
covenant people, the faithful remnant will be dispersed to all nations during the distressful days of the
tribulation period. God is described by the prophet as the LORD, “who gathers the dispersed of Israel.” This
is a common theme of Isaiah regarding these far future days. For example, as recorded in Isaiah 11:12, the
prophet states the promise of the Lord:
“Then he will set up a signal flag for the nations,
and will assemble the outcasts of Israel,
and gather together the dispersed of Judah
from the four corners of the earth.”
See also Isaiah 27:12; 40:11; 43:5; 49:5, 18; 54:7; and 60:4. In God’s final gathering, all nations and tongues
will be gathered to Him, Isaiah 66:18. The Lord promises that along with the dispersed of Israel, foreigners
who are obedient and faithful to Him, Isaiah 56:3,6-7 will also be gathered from the nations of the earth. As
mentioned above this will be completely fulfilled during the days of the messianic kingdom. However, in the
nearer future, during the church age, this gathering will be seen as a mystery.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 56:1-8
56:1-2 The Promise of Salvation
56:3 The Remarks of Outsiders
56:4-5 The Rewards to Obedient Eunuchs
56:6-7 The Rewards to Obedient Foreigners
56:8 The Promise of Salvation
10. God judgment and ultimate forgiveness for iniquity: 56:9-57:21
The section, Isaiah 56:9 to 57:12 completes the larger unit of Isaiah chapters 40-57. This section consists of
three paragraphs: 56:9-57:2: Wicked Leaders; 57:3-13: Wicked Worship; and 57:14-21: The Contrite
Restored and the Wicked Removed. This section is notable for its recurring words such as “way,” and
“peace.” See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 539 and 540 for a discussion on the several structural
factors that are suggestive of Isaiah’s intentional unity of this section.
Isaiah 56:9-57:2: Wicked Leaders and the Righteous Removed
These verses describe the leaders and protectors of God’s covenant people who are not obedient to God’s
covenant nor keep His observances and they by inference will not be invited to participate in worship on
God’s holy mountain. Isaiah had previously spoken of others, Gentiles from all nations, who would be
participants in the messianic kingdom: Isaiah 2:2-3; 11:9-10; 14:1-2; 18:7; 19:18-25; 25:3-7; 26:9; 29:19;
42:6; 45:22-24; 49:6, 22-23; 52:10, 13-15; 53:1-12; 55:4-5. The prophet would again speak of them in
Chapters 60-62 and 66.
This passage generally consists of a judgment upon the disobedient (the blind watchmen, silent watchdogs
and greedy shepherds (kings) of Judah for their actions. The prophet in 56:9, records a message about
devouring animals (enemy nations who attack Judah) and in 56:10, the message is about the blind watchmen
and silent watchdogs of Judah who cannot keep watch over their own people. The prophet declares in 56:11
that these watchdogs have voracious appetites and the shepherds are greedy and have no understanding and
have turned (away from God) to their own way. In 56:12 the prophet declares that these shepherds and
watchmen who are described in 56:10-11, get drunk and have no wisdom about the future. In contrast to the
577…..Isaiah 56:9-11
wicked, 57:1-2, describes the death of the righteous who are taken away to spare them from the certainty of
evil which will come upon the nation.
56:9 All you animals of the field, come to devour,
yes, all you beasts in the forest.
In the context of 56:9-57:21, the Lord is bringing judgment upon the wickedness of the Jewish leaders. This
judgment is described in 56:9 prior to the description of the wickedness of the Jewish leaders. The Lord
declares that animals of the field and beasts in the forest will come to devour. This depiction of animals who
will devour is plainly understood as the nations that will come against the Jewish people. This is evident
from a parallel passage recorded in Jeremiah 15:3-4. See also Jeremiah 12:9; Ezekiel 5:17; 34:1-10 and
Hosea 13:1-16.
The timing of when foreign nations will “come to devour” the nation is not stated by Isaiah. The history of
the Jewish people from the time of Isaiah to the present day is sadly sprinkled with its conquest by foreign
nations and death to the Jews by tyrants. The horrific slaughter of six million Jews at the hands of the Nazi
regime during the second world war is a nefarious example of the nations that have devoured the Jews. The
last of these horrific times will be during the tribulation when the covenant people of God will face the wrath
of Satan who will use everything in his power to destroy them. However, as with many times in the past, all
will not be lost, and God will preserve to Himself a faithful remnant, whom God will gather from the nations
to worship Him in Zion, when the Messiah returns to defeat His enemies, those who have devoured the Jews
and establish His earthly kingdom.
56:10 Their watchmen are blind,
they are all without knowledge;
they are all silent watchdogs, who cannot bark;
dreaming and lying down,
how they love to sleep.
The reasons for the judgment of God upon His covenant people, 56:9, are described beginning in 56:10.
Their watchmen, Hebrew tsaphah, instead of fulfilling their task of watching out for danger, are described as
blind, without knowledge, like silent watchdogs, spending their days dreaming and lying down and like those
who love to sleep. See also Jeremiah 6:16-19. The watchmen were the priests, prophets and kings that have
been called by God to protect His people from false teaching, and dangerous invasive philosophies as well as
physical danger. They were to hold fast to God’s Word and His covenant and ensure that the worship of
God’s people was in strict accordance with God’s law. Most failed miserably in their assigned calling as
Jeremiah also declared in Jeremiah chapter 23. There were for sure, a few faithful “watchmen” such as the
prophet Ezekiel, see Ezekiel 3:16-27; and Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and others. But the majority were not true
to their calling and led the people of God into gross immorality and other sinful practices. For example, the
sins of king Manasseh, see 2 Kings 21:1-18; 23:26 and Jeremiah 15:3-4, were particularly objectionable to
God. Isaiah had previously warned against the blindness of those who were “seers,” 29:9-16. Jeremiah also
declared God’s judgment upon the false prophets and priests, Jeremiah 14:13-18.
56:11 Yes, the dogs have big appetites;
they can never get enough.
These are shepherds who have no understanding;
they have all turned to their own way,
every last one of them is out for his own personal gain.
578…..Isaiah 56:11-12
The watchmen 56:10, are described in 56:11 as dogs with such voracious appetites that they are never
satisfied. The words “big appetites” are similar to the words in Isaiah 5:14 which speaks of Sheol, “Therefore
Sheol has enlarged its throat and opened its mouth without limit.” See comments by Gary V. Smith, Isaiah,
Vol. 2, page 543. In the KJV, NKJV and NASB, the words “big appetites” are translated as “greedy” and is
literally, “strong of soul/appetite.” The leaders, the kings and prophets, of the Jewish people are interested
only in their own gain which can never be satisfied. They have totally neglected the needs of those who are in
their care and under their protection. The shepherds described in 56:11 are most likely referring to first, kings
who have been assigned the royal oversight of the people. See 2 Samuel 5:2; and 1 Chronicles 11:2; to judges
before there were kings, 1 Chronicles 17:6; and even to King Cyrus, Isaiah 44:28. Second, they refer to
others such as prophets, Jeremiah 17:16. See related passages regarding God’s condemnation of these
shepherds who fail to look after their flock, Jeremiah 10:21; 12:10 (re: God’s vineyard); 22:22; 23:1-40;
25:34-38; 50:6; Ezekiel 34:1-10; Zechariah 10:1-3; and 11:1-17.
These shepherds are also described in Isaiah 56:11 as having no understanding of the calling of God upon
them to tend His people, as they have turned to their own “way.” They are only interested in their own
personal gain without regard for the plight of God’s covenant people. The word “way,” is the Hebrew
“derek” and it also occurs in 57:10, 14, 17 and 18 thus making it a major theme of this section. The Hebrew
word derek is a common word used by Isaiah in his prophetic writings and is used most significantly in
Isaiah 53:6:
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned everyone to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the sin of us all.
To turn to one’s own “way” is to turn away from God and walk in rebellion against Him. Those who were
shepherds and were entrusted to the care of God’s people (flock), had made a willful decision to care only for
themselves and walk in the “way” they so desired for their own personal gain. In Isaiah 53:6, it is the sheep
who have turned to their own way and in 56:11 it is the shepherds who have done this. Thus, no one is
exempt from this charge, for all have rebelled against God, Romans 3:23, and have turned away from
following His “way,” which is the way of righteousness and obedience. Because of everyone’s walking in
their own way, the LORD, Yahweh has laid the sins of “us all” on “Him,” the Messiah who would come to
earth to be an atoning sacrifice for these sins. See notes on Isaiah 53:6.
56:12 “Come,” they say,
“I will get some wine.
Let's get drunk with strong drink;
Tomorrow will be just like today,
only better.”
Chapter 56 of Isaiah closes with a sad portrait of those who are called by God to shepherd His covenant
people. It was not enough for the unfaithful shepherds to turn to their own way in rebellion against God, and
greedily seek their own gain from which they can never be satisfied and have no understanding of their
calling from and responsibility to God for shepherding His flock, vs. 11. They also had sunken so low in
morality to desire wine and strong drink for the purpose of getting drunk. They do this because they have the
pagan mindset that their future, (tomorrow) will always be better so they can continually profit from their
wickedness. Isaiah had earlier warned against those who seek unjust gain and pursue strong drink and lavish
banquets, Isaiah 5:8-25. See also Psalm 10:1-15. The Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, spoke in a parable
about a similar mindset as recorded in Luke 12: 13-21 which had an eternal lesson applied to it, “But God
579…..Isaiah 57:1-2
said to him, 'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you. Then who will get all the things you have
prepared for yourself?' 21 So it is with the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward
God.” Luke 12: 20-21.
57:1-2 The righteous perishes, and no one takes it to heart;
the devout are taken away, with no one giving it a thought;
the righteous are taken away sparing them from the evil to come.
2
Such a one enters into peace;
those who walk in uprightness rest on their death beds.
In comparison to the judgment upon the wickedness of the leaders of God’s covenant people, Isaiah 56:9-12,
the righteous who have been oppressed by these wicked leaders, will not face this judgment, but in their
passing from earthly existence to a heavenly one, will be spared from the judgment of God, which is called
“the evil to come,” Isaiah 57:1. A sad commentary on these wicked leaders is that they have been so
consumed in their rebellion against God in turning to their own way and the gaining of personal wealth and
the pursuit of strong drink and in their pagan mindset that they will always prosper from their selfish desires,
is that they do not even notice when the righteous ones among them perish.
The implication of their not noticing the passing away of the righteous is that they could care less about the
righteous and their holy lives. Such is the blindness of the wicked who seek only to please themselves and
have no care or concern about God’s requirements and will for His creation. God promises in 57:1, that
judgment will indeed come upon them stated as “the evil to come.” Isaiah had continually warned the wicked
from the covenant people of God of the consequences of their self-will, their sinfulness and turning from God
to go their own way. God had also forewarned many pagan nations of the consequences of their wickedness.
Yet the reward of the righteous is that they will “enter into peace,” Isaiah 57:2; but there will be no peace for
the wicked, Isaiah 57:21. The words “rest on their death beds,” should not be understood as soul sleep or the
waiting of the righteous in their graves for the resurrection in the far eschatological future. The Old
Testament has a few references to the destiny of the righteous who die. Job understood that he would see
God after his earthly death, Job 19:25-27. King David seemed to understand that he would again, in the
afterlife, see his son who had died, 2 Samuel 12:23. Daniel was also assured of life after death, Daniel 12:2.
See also Psalm 16:8-11 and 17:15. The New Testament gave further revelation that made it clear that when a
righteous person dies, their soul goes to be with the Lord, Luke 16:19-31; 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:8 and
Philippians 1:23.
Isaiah 57:3-13: Wicked Worship
Isaiah, as recorded in the section 57:3-13, comments on the wickedness of the worship practices of his
audience. The speaker in this section is God as evident from vss. 6, 11, 12 and 13. The section begins with an
emphatic “but’ in vs. 3, which draws a comparison between the righteous in vss. 1-2 and the wicked in vss.
3-13. The audience, “you” are called “sons of a sorceress” and “offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute,”
in vs. 3 and “children of sin” and “offspring of liars” in vs. 4 because of their evil behavior before God. God
asks them in vs. 4, of whom are they scorning by shameful actions and facial expressions. In vss. 5-13, God
describes the vileness of their false religious practices. They are inflamed with lust and practice immorality
and cult prostitution among nature: trees, valleys, rocky cliffs, mountains. Worse, they have sacrificed their
children, vs. 5 which is particularly offensive to God. They have set up pagan symbols, “your memorial” in
their houses as they have increased their immorality and prostitution, vs. 8. They have made offerings to false
gods, such as Molech, vs. 9 and by sending ambassadors to far destinations to seek out evil worship
practices, they have made their graves with the wicked, “down into Sheol,” vs. 9. There were no limits to the
580…..Isaiah 57:3-4
journeys to sinfulness, vs. 10. In all this they did not give God any thought, vs. 11. Therefore, God will
expose their works. Their works of false righteousness will not help them, vs. 12. He will not answer them
when they cry out for help. God says to them, “let your collection of idols deliver you,” for a wind will carry
all of their idols away, vs. 13. Finally, to conclude this section, God says, only those who take refuge in Him
will possess the land (promised by His covenant with them), and they will inherit God’s holy mountain
(Zion), vs. 13.
57:3 But come here, you sons of a sorceress,
the offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute.
The setting in Isaiah 57:3 turns dramatically from the righteous who are perishing to be saved from the evil to
come, but will find rest, 57:1-2, to the description of “you” (plural) who are the wicked and who are
described as children of “a sorceress,” “an adulterer,” and “a prostitute.” All of these names describe those
who act in violation of God’s Word. The first name, is “sorceress” (female) which describes the evil practices
of their mothers, which by implication was passed down to them. Sorcery, the practice of divination, is
expressly forbidden, Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:26, Deuteronomy 18:9-14; cf. Micah 5:12. However this
practice occurred often. See 1 Samuel 28:7-14; 2 Kings 17:7-18; 21:6; 2 Chronicles 33:1-9; Isaiah 8:19;
Jeremiah 27:9-10; Ezekiel 13:6-7, and 23. It was in practice during the days of the early church, Acts 16:16-
18, and will also be prevalent in the far future in the days of the tribulation, Revelation 9:21, and 18:23.
Isaiah, in 47:9 and 12, had spoken against the sorceries of Babylon.
Secondly, they were called the offspring or seed, Hebrew zera, of an adulterer. They had forsaken their
lineage from Abraham as the seed of the promise thus removing themselves from the promises of God’s
covenant with Abraham. Adultery was expressly forbidden in the ten commandments, Exodus 20:14. The
punishment for committing adultery was death, Leviticus 20:10. It was called a great sin in Genesis 20:9 and
a great evil and a sin against God in Genesis 39:9. Thirdly, and related to the sin of adultery, was the name
“prostitute.” To be children of a prostitute or harlot was to have shame upon them, Judges 11:1-2. To be a
prostitute and be the daughter of a priest brought upon her the judgment of death by burning, Leviticus 21:9.
In the context of Isaiah 57:3-13, the prostitution was cultic in the sense that visiting prostitutes, both male
and female, was part of the religious practices of the cult worship of false gods. See for example: Genesis
38:21-22; 1 Kings 14:24; 15:12; 2 Kings 23:7; and Deuteronomy 23:17-18. Ezekiel often, throughout his
prophecy, spoke of Israel in terms of prostituting themselves against God, see specifically Ezekiel chapters
16 and 23. Prostitution is a great offense to God for it robs God of the devotion humans should be expressing
to Him. Instead of giving righteous love to their Creator, humans scorn Him by expending their sinful, self-
seeking love and sexual lust to another. To love someone other than God with this type of love, is a rejection
of His righteous glory and holiness. See 1 Corinthians 6:15-20. The book of Hosea is a description of God’s
dealings with His unfaithful covenant people who are described in Hosea as harlots.
57:4 At whom are you making fun?
At whom are you making faces,
and sticking out your tongue?
Are you not children of sin,
an offspring of liars,
Isaiah had previously declared God’s judgment against those who display or parade their sins before Him.
Isaiah 3:9 states:
581…..Isaiah 57:4-5
The look on their face witnesses against them;
they flaunt their sin like Sodom;
they do not hide it.
Woe to their soul!
They have brought disaster on themselves.
In Isaiah 3:9, the NIV has “parade” for flaunt while the NASB has “display.” See notes on Isaiah 3:9 for an
expanded discussion. In 57:4, Isaiah again describes God’s reaction to this scornful and rebellious display of
their sins before Him. It is not enough for these sinners to just practice their iniquities in the open. They bring
upon themselves certain and coming destruction by flaunting their sins in an open distain and scorn for God.
Isaiah had previously described them and His reaction to them in 1:10-15. They are described as “rulers of
Sodom,” and “people of Gomorrah,” in Isaiah 1:10. Their sexual sins, 57:3, 5-10 made them as detestable to
God as the rulers and people of Sodom and Gomorrah whom God dealt with in a mighty and lethal display of
His wrath, Genesis chapter 19. See also Isaiah 1:9, Deuteronomy 29:22-28; 32:32; and Jeremiah 23:14.
Isaiah added to their description as children of the sorceress, an adulterer and a prostitute, 57:3 by including
that they are children of sin and an offspring of liars, 57:4. In all this the implication is that they also practice
the behaviour of their parents by committing the same sins. They not only commit these sins but display
them openly in public defiance against God. Those who scorn God will face His judgment. Isaiah had earlier
declared, “the scoffer will be gone, and all those who are keen on doing wrong will be cut off.” Isaiah 29:20.
The prophet would also later state:
"Look, it is written before me:
I will not keep silent, but will repay,
yes, I will repay dropping it right into their laps
7 both your own sins and the sins of your fathers," says the LORD,
"Because they have burned incense on the mountains,
and blasphemed me on the hills;
therefore I will pay them back in full
dropping it right into their laps." (Isaiah 65:6-7)
(Note: The NASB translates blasphemed in Isaiah 65:7 as “scorned”)
57:5 you who are inflamed with lust among the oaks,
under every green tree;
who slay children in the valleys
under the rocky cliffs?
In Isaiah 57:5, the Lord continues His indictment against the covenant people of God for the rebellious and
vile practices associated with their worship of false gods. Their attachment to these false gods, Molech, 57:9
and also likely Baal whom Ahaz at times served, 2 Kings 10:18. The worshippers of false gods were
inflamed with lust, literally “burning hot” in their sexual encounters with cult prostitutes. This evil practice
was to “ensure” fertility for themselves and their crops. The Israelites did not break away completely from
the false worship of the Canaanites which included fertility rites involving cult prostitution. It is likely that
Jacob’s son Judah was seeking fertility blessings from the false gods of the Canaanites when he had sexual
relations with Tamar, his daughter in law, whom he did not recognize but thought she was a cult harlot
(temple prostitute), Genesis 38:12-26. It was customary for these sexual encounters to take place under so
called sacred trees, including oaks, Isaiah 1:29. See also Deuteronomy 12:2; 1 Kings 14:23; 2 Kings 16:4;
Jeremiah 2:20; 3:6: (green trees); 2 Kings 16:4; Ezekiel 6:13: (green tree and leafy oak); Ezekiel 20:28:
(shade tree); and Hosea 4:13 (oak, popular, terebinth, which are shade trees).
582…..Isaiah 57:6-7
The worship of false gods included a most vile and iniquitous practice of sacrificing children in valleys and
under rocky cliffs. The word “slay” in 57:5, is literally “slaughter.” This was most often related to the
worship of Molech but was involved with Baal worship as well, Jeremiah 19:5. This practice of slaughtering
children was deeply offensive to God as, Jeremiah 32:35 attests. (Note: Jeremiah 19:5 and 32:35 are very
difficult verses to interpret). It was a very early practice in the history of the Israelite people, Leviticus 18:21
and persisted for several generations, 2 Kings 16:3-4; 21:1-7; 23:10; and Ezekiel 16:20.
57:6 Among the smooth stones of the valley is your portion;
they, they are the gods you have chosen.
To them you have poured out a drink offering,
you have offered a grain offering.
Should I be appeased with these things going on?
The translation of 57:6 in the DASV is slightly different than other English versions. For example, the NKJV
has: “Among the smooth stones of the stream is your portion; they, they are your lot! Even to them you have
poured a drink offering, you have offered a grain offering. Should I receive comfort in these?” It does not
matter where the covenant people of God have rebelled against God in worshipping false gods. The Lord, the
“I” in the last phrase of 57:6, sees all that is happening and there is nothing that escapes His penetrating view.
See 1 Samuel 16:7; Job 28:24; Psalm 11:4; 33:13; 66:7; Proverbs 5:21; 15:3; and Jeremiah 32:18-19. God not
only “sees” what His covenant people are doing when they are rebelling against Him, He also fully perceives
and understands the thoughts and intents of their heart.
The first sentence of Isaiah 57:6 is an example of God’s vision. God sees that His covenant people are
committing idolatry “among the smooth (slippery) stones” of the valley, which is the Hebrew word chalaq,
which is better translated as “wadi.” Those who practiced their corrupt worship of false gods among the high
places and under shady trees, also brought offerings to these gods during the rainy season into the streams
(wadi) that were dry for some parts of the year but were smooth and slippery when the rains came. They
offered drink and grain offerings to these gods as worship for the “portion and lot” of the land these false
gods supposedly gave them. Instead of giving thanks to the only true God, for giving them their portion of
the land by the casting of lots, see Numbers 26:53-56 and Joshua 13:1-7; and Joshua chapters 14:1 to 19:51;
they ascribed to the false gods their “lot” for their portion of the land. Thus, they have wickedly denied God’s
provision for them and threw His care for them in His face by ascribing to false gods that which only the
LORD, Yahweh had promised and given to them.
God’s prescribed way for His covenant people to worship and thank Him was by their giving to Him drink
offerings, Exodus 29:40-41 and Leviticus 6:20; 23:9-21, and offerings of grain Leviticus 2:1-16. Isaiah had
earlier denounced their worthless offerings, Isaiah 1:13 and would again in 66:3. These offerings were
detestable to the Lord because of the sinfulness and rebelliousness of God’s covenant people. Those who
offered drink and grain offerings to false gods were specifically turning this into a vile and evil practice
which was intended to be holy before God. The Lord rhetorically asked them, Should I be appeased (have
compassion) with/on you with these things going on? There should have not been any in Isaiah’s audience
who would have thought that the Lord would be pleased with their wicked behaviour.
57:7 Upon a high and lofty mountain you have set your bed;
that's where you went up to offer sacrifices.
Isaiah now lifts the viewpoint of his audience from the evilness of making offerings to false gods in the
valley streams, to the wickedness of cult prostitution in the mountains. The statement of setting or making
their bed in the mountains in the context of chapter 57:3-13 certainly refers to the practice of sexual relations
583…..Isaiah 57:7-8
with cult prostitutes. See comment and Scriptural references in the notes for Isaiah 57:5. The practice of
offering, (Hebrew: zabach), sacrifices (Hebrew: zebach), on the mountains may not involve the slaughter of
children, 57:5 as this seemed to be reserved for the valleys. It may have involved the burning of incense as
practiced by King Ahaz, 2 Kings 16:4; and the worship of astronomical objects, the host of heaven, as
practiced by King Manasseh, 2 Kings 21:5. The critical issue is the rejection of God and His desire for His
covenant people to meet with Him and praise and worship Him on Mount Zion, Psalm 48:1; Isaiah 2:3;
24:23; Joel 3:17; Micah 4:2, 7 and Zechariah 8:3. The greatest wickedness was that God covenant people
rejected His Son whom He has installed on Mount Zion, Psalm 2, and replaced the worship of God’s Son
with the worship of false gods on other mountains that were not considered holy by God.
57:8 Behind the doors and the posts you have set up your memorial;
deserting me you have exposed yourself
and jumped into bed with them.
You have expanded your bed,
and made a covenant with them;
you loved their bed
and to gaze on their nakedness.
Isaiah 57:8 begins with a reference to what happens “behind the doors and the posts.” The covenant people
of God had set up a memorial to their false gods in these places and wickedly practiced their worship to these
false gods. They had completely rebelled against one of the most important confessions of their faith to
Yahweh, often called the Shema (to hear), Deuteronomy 6:4-9:
4
Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is one. 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart,
with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These words that I am commanding you this day, are to be on
your heart. 7 Teach them repeatedly to your children, and talk about them when you sit in your house, when
you walk along the way, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as a sign on your hand and bind
them on your forehead. 9 Write them on the door-posts of your house and on your gates.
Forsaking this confession of faith, they had replaced the command to write the words God had given them on
their door-posts of their houses and on their gates, with a memorial to false gods which involved immoral
sexual practices. They had aligned themselves with cult prostitutes, 57:3-7, in setting up this evil
“memorial” which in Hebrew is zikkaron, which has the meaning of a remembrance or memorial as in the
DASV. It occurs only in this verse in Isaiah but occurs often in the Old Testament. See Exodus 12:14; 13:9;
17;14; 28:12 (twice); 28;29; 30:16; 39:7; Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 5:15, 18; 10:10; 16:40; 31:54; Nehemiah
2:20; Esther 6:1; Job 13:12; Ecclesiastes 1:11; 2:16; Zechariah 6:14; and Malachi 3:16. Its use in Exodus
12:14 is especially significant as the memorial-day of Passover which is connected with the feast of
unleavened bread. It is a memorial that was to be celebrated as a feast as a permanent regulation or ordinance
to remember the Lord’s deliverance of the Hebrew’s first born from the avenging angel of death when He
rescued the Hebrew people from long years of slavery in Egypt. The breast piece of judgment worn by the
high priest was to carry the names of the twelve tribes of Israel as a continual memorial before the LORD,
Exodus 28:29. Later memorial stones were to be set up on the west bank of the Jordan River, Joshua 4:7 as a
permanent memorial to the Hebrew people reminding them that the ark of the covenant and the Hebrew
people crossed the Jordon river on dry land at that place and entered into the promised land.
The wicked and blasphemous practice of setting up of a memorial symbol, which is not described by Isaiah
as to its content, was a particularly evil taunt to God who had established His “memorials” so that His people
would always remember Him, and He would continually remember them. This pagan memorial was set up
behind doors and posts, perhaps in pagan temples, where God’s covenant people had exposed themselves in
584…..Isaiah 57:9-10
beds where their nakedness was revealed. They had also expanded their beds, perhaps to have more sexual
union with cult prostitutes or to worship additional false gods, and they had made a pact or covenant with
these cult prostitutes or the false gods they represented. The entire practice was an affront to God. God’s
covenant people had made a covenant or pact with evil. Compare this with Isaiah 28:15 and see notes for
Isaiah 57:9. God’s covenant people had rejected the sacred and solemn covenants that God made with them
and they replaced their obedience to His covenants with immorality and with covenants made with false
gods. Their observance of festivals and feasts, that were required by God’s law, was a weariness and a
burden to God, Isaiah 1:14 and therefore, His righteous judgment was to come upon them as God had so long
ago predicted as recorded in Deuteronomy 31:14-18.
57:9 You went to Molech with olive oil,
and increased your perfumes.
You sent your ambassadors far off,
and sent them even down into Sheol.
In Isaiah 57:9-10, the prophet discussed the evilness of God’s covenant people who were seeking political
pacts and agreements with pagan kings in opposition to seeking God’s guidance and help. The word
“Molech” in the DASV in 57:9 should be understood as “king.” The Hebrew word is melek, which literally
means “king.” Isaiah had earlier described the wickedness of God’s covenant people who were seeking the
aid of foreign pagan kings. King Ahaz had done this Isaiah a recorded in Isaiah 7:1-9. See also 2 Kings 16:1-
20 and 2 Chronicles 28:1-27. King Hezekiah had sent his ambassadors to Egypt 28:14-15; 30:1-7 and later
tried to seek the help of the Chaldeans, especially Merodach-baladan, Isaiah 39:1-8 See also Ezekiel 23:16.
The sending of ambassadors “far off” is most likely a reference to those from the court of Hezekiah who were
sent to Egypt for help from the threat of the invasion of the Assyrians. Their anticipated pact with Egypt was,
as recorded in Isaiah 28:15, called a “covenant with death” and “an agreement with Sheol.” Isaiah’s refence
in 57:9 to sending the ambassadors far off and sending them even down to Sheol is most likely the historical
reference the prophet would have had in mind in 57:9. There will be a far future fulfillment of this prophecy
during the evil days of the tribulation when Israel will make a pact with the antichrist, the prince who is to
come, Daniel 9:26-27, which will be broken by the antichrist himself which will result in much distress and
destruction upon God’s covenant people. See also Matthew 24:4-22.
57:10 You were wearied by the length of your journey;
yet you never said,
"It is worthless."
Instead you are energized;
therefore you do not faint.
In the long journey of Hezekiah’s ambassadors to Egypt, they likely met with many distressing and
dangerous situations. See notes on Isaiah 28:15. They did not seek the Lord’s help because they were running
away from Him and had rebelled openly against Him. They could only seek the aid of their idols and false
gods from which they could receive no help, so they depended on their own strength and wisdom. The folly
of trusting in their own strength is stated vividly by the prophet Habakkuk, “they are guilty, whose might is
their god.” Habakkuk 1:11. Those who refuse the Lord’s gracious offer of guidance and help, Isaiah 40: 28-
31 and depend upon their own finite abilities, draw upon themselves God’s judgment. They have acted as if
God does not witness their actions as Isaiah had stated in Isaiah 40:27, Why do you say, O Jacob, and claim,
O Israel, "My way is hid from the LORD, and the justice due me is ignored by my God?" See David L.
Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly – February 1946 for a “far-future” application to
the words of Isaiah 57:9-10:
585…..Isaiah 57:11
57:11 Whom were you afraid of and in fear of
so that you lied,
and have not remembered me,
or give me a thought?
Was it because I held my peace for a long time
that you do not fear me?
The speaker of the words recorded in Isaiah 57:3-13 is clearly identified in 57:11-13. It could not be the
prophet Isaiah as he does not have the authority to make the statements contained in these verses. The only
viable speaker is the LORD, Yahweh who is revealing the idolatrous worship of His covenant people. In
57:11 the LORD directly confronts them with questions which reveal their complicity with evil for they have
no fear of Him. They are liars and have not remembered Him as their covenant God, nor have they given any
thought to Him. God asks them, do they have no fear of Him because He had been silent, “held my peace”
for a long period of time. This holding of God’s peace may not be just His silence but His inactivity in the
lives of His covenant people. See J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, page 356 for a discussion on this issue. The
identification of this long period for the holding of God’s peace is not stated. Gary V. Smith comments:
“In the second half of 57:11, God questions why these people ignored their relationship to him. Could
it possibly be that these people ignored God because he “was being silent and hiding?” In the future
eschatological period when God establishes his kingdom at Zion, he will no longer be silent (62:1),
and when he punishes the wicked, he will not be silent (65:6). Thus God’s silence refers to a time
when he did not speak or act in a favorable way (42:14; 62:1; 65:6). One might think that this could
hardly refer to the times of the prophets, when God repeatedly spoke messages through numerous
prophets and repeatedly delivered and brought judgment on nations. God’s hiding or silence could
apply to any short period of time when God did not immediately answer the prayers of his people
(8:17; 59:2; 64:7; Deut 31:17; Mic 3:4; Ezek 39:23–24). For example, the lament of the people who
were suffering under the attacks of Sennacherib complained that they were waiting for God to act
(26:8), and they did not see his hand of judgment on their enemies (26:11) because God was hiding
his face for a moment (40:27; 54:7–8). Since God did not immediately answer the people’s prayers
but allowed them to suffer defeat for many days, it appeared to them that he was silent and not
interested in them. This perverse pragmatic response that requires instant gratification concerning
what they want done, without first considering why God might be putting them through this kind of
experience, demonstrates the shallowness of their relationship with God. If he does not quickly satisfy
all their needs and grant their every request, they quickly turn away and ignore him. Maybe this is not
that different from the consumer mentality that has infiltrated some modern churches. Is the biblical
worldview all about how God can make me feel good? This verse suggests that part of what gives
people a sense of the real presence of God in their lives (the opposite of God being silent) are their
own acts of fearing, remembering, and thinking about him.” (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages
557-558).
It was not enough that the covenant people of God forget about God nor gave Him any thought, but the
height of their sinfulness is that they had no fear of Him. God asks them rhetorically, who were they so afraid
of and in fear of that they did not remember Him? Was there any other being so important or wonderful in
aspect that deserved the “fear” of the people of Judah, more than the only true God who created them and
chose them for Himself as his chosen people? Could they be so blind, and deaf, Isaiah 6:9-12; 42:19, as to
“look” to and “hear” from another “god” that would cause them to transfer their fear of the LORD, Yahweh
to a worthless idol? The fear the LORD is extremely important in the relationship between Him and His
covenant people, and all who call upon His name. The word for “fear” occurring twice in 57:11 is the
586…..Isaiah 57:11-12
Hebrew, yare (closely related to yirah), which has the general meaning of “afraid,” “fearful,” “terrifying,”
“dread,” “awesome,” “revere” specifically as to “fear God.”
In the summary of the commandments of the LORD, Moses reminded the people of Israel, as recorded in
Deuteronomy 6:24-25, “The LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for
our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as he has to this day. 25 It will be our righteousness, if we
carefully do this entire commandment before the LORD our God, just as he has commanded us.” Moses later
stated, as recorded in Deuteronomy 10:12-13, “Now, then, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of
you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with
all your heart and soul, 13 to keep the command of the LORD, and his statutes, that I am commanding you
this day for your good?” Moses added, as recorded in Deuteronomy 10:20, “Fear the LORD your God, serve
him and hold on to him, and take oaths only in his name.” (Bold added for emphasis). Isaiah prophesized that
the Messiah (the Branch) would delight in the fear of the LORD, Isaiah 11:3. He also declared that the fear of
the LORD produces the treasure of stability, abundance of salvation, wisdom and knowledge, Isaiah 33:6.
Also in the far future the people of the earth will fear Him and revere His glory, Isaiah 59:19. But Isaiah had
earlier reminded God’s covenant people as recorded in Isaiah 29:13 that,
The Lord says,
These people draw near to me with their mouth
and with their lips they honor me,
but their heart is removed far from me,
and their fear of me is merely human commands
which they have been taught. (Isaiah 29:13) (Bold added for emphasis)
The writer of Proverbs began his writings with the admonition: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline, Proverbs 1:7, and later would add, The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding, Proverbs 9:10. Often the
fear of the Lord and obedience to Him is linked together, as the above examples from Deuteronomy chapters
6 and 10 clearly demonstrate. For an excellent devotional study on the fear of God, see Jerry Bridges, The
Joy of Fearing God, Waterbrook Press, division of Random House Inc. 1997.
57:12 I will expose your "righteousness;"
as for your works, they will not help you.
God sees and understands every action and thought. See for example, Genesis 6:5; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Psalm
10:4; 94:11; Isaiah 66:18; Ezekiel 11:5; Daniel 2:29-30; Amos 4:13; Matthew 9:4; 12:25; Romans 2:15; and
Hebrews 4:12. The Lord would expose (declare) their actions of so-called righteousness both in thought and
action and as their works, to achieve righteousness, would not be of any help to them. As in the Old
Testament, so in the New, only the Lord can declare someone to be righteous. See Genesis 15:6; Habakkuk
2:4; Romans 3:21-4:25; and Galatian 3:1-14. The self-righteousness of the covenant people of God in
worshiping false idols and gods and committing adultery and fornication with cult prostitutes to seek fertility
for themselves and their crops would not help them in any way to be righteous before God. Isaiah would later
state in Isaiah 64:6:
For we are all like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.
We all wither like a leaf,
and our sins carry us away like the wind.
587…..Isaiah 57:13
In Isaiah chapter 58, the prophet states the words of the Lord in declaring the transgressions and sins of His
covenant people. They have sought the Lord and have fasted, but it has been to no avail. The Lord explains
what type of actions are acceptable to Him. When chapter 57 is studied along with chapter 58, it is obvious
that the people have combined their devotion to God by following the prescribed worship of the law with the
worship of false gods. Righteous deeds required by the law have been replaced with their wicked deeds
which are described in chapter 57, and throughout the writings of Isaiah. Like a house divided, a mind
divided will not stand. The Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, states this plainly in Matthew 6:24 and Luke
16:13. The Apostle Paul also spoke of the generation of Isaiah’s contemporaries and for all generations of
those who have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped created things rather than the Creator.
Those who do these things are worthy of death. Romans 1:18-32.
57:13 When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you;
but the wind will blow them away,
a breath will carry them all away.
But the one who takes refuge in me will possess the land,
and will inherit my holy mountain.
Isaiah summarizes 57:1-13 with God’s declaration of what will happen to those who cry out (literally “wail”)
to their idols for help and compares this with those who will take refuge in Him. The words “collection of
idols” is literally just “collection,” with the meaning of things that they have gathered to themselves. It is by
implication and context that “idols” are inserted as the objects that have been gathered. When the covenant
people of God cry out (wail), Hebrew zaaq, to their collection (of idols) there will be no response for idols
cannot help them. See Judges 10:14 and Jeremiah 11:12. Their idols will be blown away by the wind and a
breath which is likely the breath of God, Isaiah 17:13; 29:5; 40:24. They had forgotten the refuge of God and
had worshiped false gods and sought the refuge of pagan kings, See Isaiah 17:10; 28:15; 30:2.
In contrast to those who seek help from worthless idols which will be blown away in the wind, God offers a
gracious provision of salvation. Those who take refuge in Him, will possess the land (of promise) and will
inherit His holy mountain (Zion). See Isaiah 4:6, 14:32; 32:1-2; 33:16. This promise of God is a further
confirmation of the Abrahamic covenant, Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21; 17:1-21; 26:2-5; and 28:10-17. For a
study of the Abrahamic covenant see, Keith H. Essex, The Abrahamic Covenant, published in The Masters
Seminary Journal, TMSJ 10/2 (Fall 1999) 191-212.
In his consistent application of Isaiah chapters 40-66 referring mostly to the far future days just prior to and
including the millennial kingdom of the Messiah, David L. Cooper adds the following comment on Isaiah
57:11-13:
“The prophet is carried forward by the Spirit to the very end of the Tribulation and sees, in verses 11-
13, the destruction of all of the apostates in Israel. These of course will be cut off out of the land of
the living. On the contrary, all those that take refuge in the Messiah shall be saved, preserved, and
enter into possession of the land which God gave Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and to his seed forever.
They are the ones who shall inherit God's holy mountain.” (D. L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah,
Biblical Research Monthly, February 1946.
Isaiah 57:14-21: The Contrite Restored and the Wicked Removed
The initial promise of Isaiah 57:13b is given more detail by God who explains that His grace is extended to
those of His covenant people who are contrite and humble in spirit. However, those who refuse to repent and
remain in their wicked condition will not find the peace that God offers. The passage begins, 57:14 with a
588…..Isaiah 57:14
call to build up and prepare the “way” and remove any stumbling blocks from the “way” of God’s people.
God explains that He is high and lofty and lives in a high and holy place with those whom are “contrite and
humble” for He will revive their spirit and heart, vs. 15. God explains in vs. 16 that He will not always be
angry with nor accuse His people for to do so would cause them to expire of the breath that He gave them.
He also explains in vs. 17 that He was angry with His people and struck them because of sins such as their
greed and they kept turning back to the “way” of their hearts. He has seen their “ways,” vs. 18 but He will
heal them, lead them and restore comfort to those who mourn. This action of God, vs. 19, will create praise
on their lips. He will also grant peace and healing to those (who are contrite and humble) who are both far
away and near. The wicked however, will not find nor will there be any peace for them, vss. 20-21.
57:14 He will say,
"Build up, build up, prepare the way,
remove the stumbling blocks out of the way of my people."
Isaiah 57:14 is similar in some respects to Isaiah 40: 3-4 in which the people of God are called upon to clear
the way in the wilderness for the coming Lord and to make level or smooth a highway in the desert for God.
In Isaiah 57:14, however, the “way,” derek in the Hebrew, which occurs twice in this verse, is to be prepared
for God’s covenant people. The word “way,” derek occurs often in Isaiah chapters 56-57. See 56:11, 57:10,
14, 17, and 18. The clear intention of preparing the “way” for God’s people is so they can become contrite
and humble themselves and avail themselves of His gracious provision of reviving their spirit and heart, 57:
15, providing healing and comfort to them, 57:18, and peace to those both far away and near, 57:19. Isaiah
would later proclaim a similar message in 62:10-12:
10
Go through, go through the gates;
prepare the way for the people.
Build it, build the highway;
remove the stones;
lift up the signal flag for the peoples.
11
Look, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth,
"Tell the daughter of Zion,
'Look, your salvation comes;
look, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.'"
12
They will call them, "The holy people,"
"The Redeemed of the LORD,"
and you will be called "Sought After, A City Not Forsaken."
Some may be tempted to apply Isaiah 57:14 to the return of the exiles from Babylon but there is no indication
that this is the intention of the prophet. The context of Isaiah 57:14-22 is a spiritual restoration not a physical
movement from one location to another. How is the way to be prepared so that the covenant people of God
can be restored to their God and become humble and contrite? The answer must be similar to that of the
ministry of John the Baptist who understood his role as preparing the way for the Messiah, John 1:6-8, 19-23,
as prophesized in Isaiah 40:3. The preparing of the way for the covenant people of God to be restored by Him
is by the teaching and proclamation ministry of the truth of God’s Word by the prophets of God, like Isaiah
and others. In order for the people of God to understand the word of God, they must be confronted with
God’s word by faithful servants who will not water-down its contents nor shy away from difficult teachings
and judgments by God. The word of God will accomplish its purposes, Isaiah 46:10; 55:11; 2 Timothy 3:16;
and Hebrews 4:12. When the word of God is faithfully proclaimed faith can result, as the Apostle Paul so
clearly taught as recorded in Romans 10:1-21.
589…..Isaiah 57:15
57:15 For this is what the high and lofty One says,
who inhabits eternity,
whose name is Holy:
"I live in the high and holy place,
with the contrite and humble of spirit,
to revive the spirit of the humble,
and to revive the heart of the contrite.
Isaiah states the authority of the LORD who is the “high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is
Holy.” The Lord also speaks, “I live in a high and holy place.” Four descriptive terms are used in Isaiah
57:15 to describe the majesty and holiness of the Lord. First, Isaiah describes the Lord as the “high and lofty
One.” Isaiah had previously declared in 33:5, “The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high. He fills Zion
with justice and righteousness.” See also Psalm 47:9; and 97:9 and Isaiah 6:1. In another passage, 52:13,
Isaiah records that the Servant of the Lord, the Messiah, will, “deal wisely; he will be exalted and lifted up,
and will be greatly exalted.” See also Philippians 2:9 and Hebrews 7:26. Second, Isaiah declares that this One
who is high and lofty also “inhabits eternity.” This is literally, “dwells in eternity.” The Lord lives or dwells
forever without beginning or end. Isaiah had previously declared in 43:13, the words of God who declared,
“from eternity I am he.” The Scriptures often describe the Lord as the One who lives forever, Psalm 90:2;
Daniel 4:34; 12:7; Revelation 4:9-10; 10:6 and 15:7. The eternality of God is difficult for humans with finite
minds to fully comprehend. Humans are born, live for a time on the earth and then die. God, however, was
never born nor had a beginning and will never die or have an end so Isaiah can state that God truly “inhabits
eternity.”
The third majestic truth about God in Isaiah 57:15 is that God’s name is Holy. The vision of God and the
seraphim would have been indelibly etched in Isaiah’s memory when He saw the Lord, high and lifted up in
the temple, Isaiah chapter 6. The voices of the seraphim would still resonate with Isaiah as he heard them
proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” Isaiah 6:3. Many
centuries before the days of Isaiah, the Lord had warned about the vile practice of sacrificing children to the
false god Molech which defiled His sanctuary and profaned His holy name, Leviticus 20:3. This warning is
significant in the context of Isaiah chapter 57:3-13 where this wicked activity was still being practiced. Other
important references to God’s holy name in Scripture occur, for example in the Old Testament in, Psalm
30:4; 103:1; 111:9; Ezekiel 36:20-23; 39:7 and in the New Testament: Luke 1:49 and Revelation 15:4. The
declaration that God’s name is holy speaks of His intrinsic attribute that He Himself is holy, Leviticus and
calls upon His covenant people to be holy, Leviticus 11:44-45.
It is significant that throughout the writings of Isaiah, the holiness of God is often declared, and He is known
by the title as the Holy One of Israel. This continual reminder to God’s covenant people underscores their
sinful and pitiful condition as introduced immediately in the prophecy of Isaiah. The contrast between the
wickedness of the people of God and the holiness of God is a major theme of Isaiah. It is only the graceful
provision of redemption by the Holy One of Israel that enables His people to have fellowship with Him, so
they can possess His land and inherit His holy mountain, Isaiah 57:13.
The fourth majestic truth about God in Isaiah 57:15 is that God Himself declares that He lives in a high and
holy place. It is not that He will one day live in this place, but he dwells eternally in a place he calls high and
holy. He has always existed in “a place” that is holy. In the far future, the Messiah will dwell in a high place,
called His holy mountain, Mount Zion, during the millennial kingdom. This also is a major theme of the
writing of the prophet Isaiah. For example, Isaiah 2:1-4; 4:2-6; chapter 35; 52:1-10; and chapters 60-62 speak
of this aspect of the messianic kingdom. The passages stated are not a complete listing of all such
occurrences in Isaiah.
590…..Isaiah 57:15-16
God, also, as recorded in Isaiah 57:15, shares this high and holy place with those who are contrite and
humble of spirit. This is a prophetic perfect sense for this describes the habitation of the Messiah with the
redeemed of the earth during the days of the messianic kingdom in the future. These days are not yet evident
for the Messiah has not yet returned to establish this kingdom. This kingdom is not already inaugurated as
many suggest. This kingdom will only be evident when the Messiah returns to earth to sit on the Davidic
throne. For an excellent discussion on the coming of the messianic kingdom refer to the previously
mentioned books by Michael J. Vlach and Andrew M. Woods. Although the ultimate fulfillment of the
declaration that God lives in a high and holy place with those who are the contrite and humble of spirit will
be during the days of the messianic kingdom, and then forever in the eternal state, the work of God in
reviving the spirit of the humble and the heart of the contrite is ever present. God is always drawing people to
Himself for the purposes of salvation. In this sense God now lives with those who He has revived. In the
New Testament, this truth is revealed as a mystery, involving the Gentiles but also the truth that Christ (the
Spirit) lives within those who believe in Him, Colossians 1:26-27. This is the reason believers in Christ are
also called the temple of the Holy Spirit, 1 Corinthians 3;16 and 6:17-20. Isaiah 57:15 should also be
compared to Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The “poor in
spirit” of Matthew 5:3 are those who God declares in Isaiah 57:15 are “contrite and humble in spirit” and
“humble.” These are those who will inherit the kingdom of heaven and live with God in “the high and holy
place.” Since the Scriptures for the Messiah during His first advent was the Old Testament, He could have
used Isaiah 57:15 as one of the texts for the first part of “His Sermon on the Mount” on what is known as the
beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-12.
This work of God in reviving the spirit of humble and the heart of the contrite is a descriptive picture of
salvation that the Old Testament occasionally references. For example, Ezekiel 36:22-27 was likely the Old
Testament passage that Jesus was referencing during His discussion with Nicodemus when He told Him, that
no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again, John 3:3-9. The Lord states in Ezekiel 36:26
that He will give them a new heart and put a new spirit within them and put His Spirit within them. This is
similar to the promise of a new covenant, Jeremiah 31:31-34, of which the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ
declared that in His blood which was poured out was the new covenant, Luke 22:20, 1 Corinthians 11:25.
Jesus Christ, who is the Servant of God, the Messiah, was the “new covenant” was prophesized about in
Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8. The reception of God’s work of salvation on behalf of the contrite and humble Isaiah
57:15, which is also described as righteousness, is by faith, Genesis 15:6 and Habakkuk 2:4. That the
Messiah is the mediator of the new covenant through His blood allows all, both Jew and Gentile, to
participate in the salvation and other blessings of the new covenant though faith in Him. God’s promises
regarding the new covenant in the Old Testament, became a reality to those who believed in Christ for
salvation. This is not to say that the messianic kingdom had begun with Christ’s statement regarding the new
covenant. It is important for students of the Bible not to merge the new covenant in the church age with an
inaugurated messianic kingdom. The faithful remnant of the covenant people of God will fully participate in
the new covenant following the return of the Messiah to rescue them after they have confessed their national
sin of rejecting the Messiah during His first advent, and upon the Messiah establishing his earthly kingdom.
57:16 For I will not make accusations forever,
nor will I always be angry;
for then they would expire before me,
even the breath of life that I have made.
God is the speaker in Isaiah 57:16 and He declares that He will not forever accuse His covenant people (of
their rebellion against Him) and He will not always be angry with them. To do so would cause them their
death. The KJV for this verse states: “For I will not contend for ever, neither will I always be wroth; for the
spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.” The word “accusations” in the DASV is
591…..Isaiah 57:16-18
“accuse” in the NIV and “contend in the KJV, NKJV, NASB and ESV. It is the Hebrew word, rib, which has
the meaning of to strive, content or dispute. It occurs in Isaiah in this way in Isaiah 3:13, “The LORD rises to
make the accusation; he stands to judge the peoples.” See also: Jeremiah 2:9. The word “they” in the DASV
is better translated as “spirit” which is ruah in the Hebrew and has the meaning of “spirit” or “breath.” The
word “breath” is the Hebrew neshamah, which literally means “soul” or “breath of life,” as in the DASV in
Isaiah 57:16. Isaiah in 57:16 indicates the frailty of humans in comparison to their Creator who has
compassion on them and will not allow them to die out as He had done previously through the great flood,
Genesis chapters 6-9. See Genesis 6:3 for a comparison to Isaiah 57:16. The gracious Creator will revive the
“spirit” of the humble and revive the heart of the contrite, 57:15 and will heal His covenant people and
restore them, 57:18-19.
57:17 I was angry because of their unjust greed,
and struck them;
I hid my face in anger,
yet they kept turning back to the way of their own hearts.
As a brief parenthesis to the description of His healing, reviving and restoring work, the LORD reminds the
audience of the prophet why He was angry with His covenant people. They were displaying the evil
intentions of their heart by their “unjust greed” (unjust gain). This may be a reference to the leaders, both
religious and royal taking advantage of the vulnerable. See also Isaiah 10:1-3; 56:11-2; and Jeremiah 8:10.
The Apostle Paul declared in Colossians 3:5, “So put to death your earthly actions: sexual immorality,
impurity, ungodly passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.” Paul would later state in 1 Corinthians
6:10: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some craving it have wandered away from the
faith, and have pierced themselves with many sorrows.” (References suggested by Thomas Constable, Isaiah,
page 293). As in the days of Paul, and in much earlier times, as it is now, greed is associated with and is the
same as idolatry. This will still be a major problem during the days of the tribulation, Revelation 9:20.
The LORD struck them and hid His face from them in His righteous indignation (anger) against them, yet
His covenant people “kept turning back to the way of their own hearts.” (bold intended). The “way,” Hebrew
derek, of man is a major theme of chapters 56 and 57. See notes on 56:11, 57:10, 14, and 18. God often
disciplined His covenant people with the desire to have them repent of their sinfulness and return to Him. See
for example, Amos 4:6-12. See also: Isaiah 6:10; 31:6; 44:22; 55:7; Jeremiah 3:6-14; 8:4-22; Ezekiel 18:32;
Hosea 5:15; 7:10; 14:1; and Joel 2:12. God is longsuffering to those whom He had called to be His own
people and desires that they seek Him for forgiveness and restoration when they have sinned and rebelled
against Him. This truth is still relevant today for those who have trusted in the Son of God for salvation and
have sinned against Him. The Apostle John stated in 1 John 1:8-9, “If we claim that we have no sin, we
deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
57:18-19 I have seen their ways,
but I will heal.
I will lead him,
and restore comfort to those who mourn,
19
creating praise on their lips.
Peace, peace, to those who are far off
and to those who are near,"
says the LORD,
"and I will heal them."
592…..Isaiah 57:18-19
Isaiah 57:18-21 is a summary of chapters 49-57 and perhaps of all preceding chapters. Isaiah declares God’s
verdict in 57:18-19 on the contrite and humble who are described in 57:15. God then describes His verdict
upon the wicked in 57:20-21. In 57:18, God makes three outstanding promises to those whom He has known
which in the DASV is translated as “seen their ways.” These are those of His covenant people who are not
described as wicked, 57:20-21 so they must be the contrite and humble described earlier, 57:15. It may be
implied from the words, “I have seen their ways,” (other translations have: “I have seen his ways”), that these
are promises that are similar in detail to the new covenant. See Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 36:22-27. It is
God’s act of grace to undeserving people for they can do nothing to earn or work towards or achieve in any
way God’s forgiveness or to be restored to a right relationship with Him. It is God who is doing the
restorative work.
The first promise of God stated in 57:18 is that He will heal them. This healing work must involve more than
physical healing for the context of Isaiah chapter 57 speaks of a revival of the heart, 57:15. The “heart work”
of God, is also described Jeremiah 24:7; 31:33; 32:39-40; Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26 and Malachi 4:6. Compare
God’s work of healing the heart with what is required of His people as recorded in Ezekiel 18:31 and Joel
2:12-13. The healing of the heart is new covenant language and is what Jesus was most likely referencing
from the Old Testament, especially, Ezekiel 36:22-27 when He told Nicodemus, recorded in John 3:3, that he
must be born again. God’s promise to heal them is thus, a promise of salvation involving the healing of the
heart. Following the announcement of peace to those far and near, Isaiah 57:19, the Lord repeats His promise
to heal them to emphasize the priority of this gracious work from God.
The second promise of God stated in vs. 18 is that He will lead them (him). The word “lead” is the Hebrew
nachah, which also has the meaning to guide. Isaiah had discussed the rebellion of God’s covenant people
against following the leading and guidance of God and their refusal to trust in Him, for He had made many
promises to lead them, for example, Isaiah 40:11; 48:17; and 49:10. See also in the Old Testament, Psalm
23:2; 25:9; 68:6; 80:1; 139:10; Ezekiel 34:15 and in the New Testament, 2 Corinthians 2:14. The folly of
seeking one’s own way is well attested in the writings of Isaiah, 8:11; 35:8; 42:24; 47:15; 53:6; 55:7-9;
56:11; 57:17; 58:13; 59:8; 65:2; and 66:3. Sinful humanity demonstrate their evil most profoundly when they
rebel against the leading of the One who has created them and rules sovereignly over His creation. The
Apostle Paul has revealed their rebellion against God in following Him as recorded in Romans 1:18-32 and
3:9-18. See also Psalm 14:1-3 and 53:1-3 which are referenced in Romans 3:10-12.
The third promise of God stated in 57:18 is that He will, “restore comfort to those who mourn.” The word
“comfort” is the Hebrew nichum, which also has the meaning of compassion. Isaiah would again declare this
promise of God in 61:2-3. See also Jeremiah 31:13 and Matthew 5:4. Isaiah often spoke of the comfort of the
Lord, Isaiah 12:1; 40:1; 49:13; 51:3, 12; 52:9; and 66:11-13. The Psalms are also a book of God’s comfort.
See Psalms 23:4; 71:21; 86:17; 119:50, and 76. The means by which God will fulfill these promises to His
covenant people, is undoubtedly through the mediatorial and salvific work of the Servant, the Messiah.
It is the through faith in the substitutionary atonement of the Messiah that humans are brought into a
righteous relationship with God and intrinsic to this relationship is a rich array of blessings that the New
Testament reveals, for example Ephesians 1:3, “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” All of Ephesians chapter 1 is a
discourse on these blessings. See also Romans 8:28-39 and Colossians 2:9-14 as other examples of these
blessings.
The result of the three blessings of God in 57:18 is that they will bring praise to the lips of those who receive
them. Isaiah had also declared words of praise for the gracious mercies of God in 12:1-6; 25:1-9; 26:1-15;
35:10; 42:10-13; 44:23; 49:13; 51:3, 11; 54:1; 60:5; 61:7, 10-11; 63:7; 65:18; and 66:10. Part of this praise
593…..Isaiah 57:20-21
that God will create on the lips of His covenant people whom He will bless, is the repetition of the word
“peace” which is the Hebrew shalom, which has the meaning of prosperity, tranquility, completeness,
wholeness, and freedom from anxiety. Peace is a gift from God, Psalm 29:11; 72:2-3; 85:8; Isaiah 52:7;
60:17; Jeremiah 33:6; Nahum 1:15 and Haggai 2:9; and John 14:27. It is also a product of righteous as the
prophet declares in Isaiah 32:17,
The produce of righteousness will be peace;
the result of righteousness,
quietness and confidence forever.
The ultimate source of peace is through faith in the Messiah, Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore since we have been
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have obtained
access by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” See also
Ephesians 2:17.
57:20-21 But the wicked are like the raging sea;
for it cannot rest,
and its waters churn up muck and mire.
21
"There is no peace," says my God,
"for the wicked."
In contrast to the blessings from God, 57:18-19 on the contrite and humble, who have faith in the atoning
sacrifice of the Servant, there is no such blessings on the wicked. The wicked are described as being like the
raging sea which cannot rest. The result of all their restlessness is only the stirring up of ‘muck and mire.”
The fruit of the righteous is peace, Isaiah 32:17. But the fruit of the wicked is that they have no peace.
As with Isaiah 48:22, “There is no peace, says the LORD, for the wicked,” which concluded the nine-chapter
section, Isaiah chapters 40-48, Isaiah 57:21, which repeats the words of the judgment of God upon the
wicked, also concludes a nine-chapter section, Isaiah chapters 49-57. Although many Biblical scholars do not
agree, the conclusion of two nine-chapter sections of the final twenty-seven chapters of Isaiah with the same
words of judgment from God upon the wicked cannot be merely coincidental but intentional on the part of
Isaiah. The fact that the final nine-chapter section, Isaiah 58-66 also concludes with God’s judgment upon
the wicked, Isaiah 66:24 is very suggestive that this was the intention of the prophet to conclude three
sections with God’s statement of judgment. As students of the Scriptures know, there are no chapters or
verses in the earliest copies of Isaiah’s prophecy. So, these statements by Isaiah must have been intentional
concluding words to indicate the end of an identifiable literary unit or structure.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 56:9-57:21
56:9-57:2: Wicked Leaders and the Righteous Removed
56:9-12 Judgment on Wicked Watchmen and Shepherds
57:1-2 Removal of of the Righteous to Obtain Peace
57:3-13: Wicked Worship Condemned
57:3-4 Sinners and Scornful Condemned
57:5-13 Idolatry and Child Sacrifice Condemned
57:14-21: The Contrite Restored and the Wicked Removed
57:14-17 God’s Desire to Bless His People
57:18-19 God’s Blessing on the Righteous
57:20-21 God’s Judgment on the Wicked
594…..Isaiah Chapters 58-66 Introduction
ISAIAH STUDY: CHAPTERS 58-66
Chapters 58-66 form the third and final section of nine chapters of the third division, chapters 40-66, of
Isaiah’s prophetic writings. In the first division, chapters 1-35, Isaiah discussed the judgment of God upon
Israel, Judah and the nations of the earth. In the second division, chapters 36-39 the prophet wrote about an
historical account of the times of Hezekiah and the invasion of Judah by Assyria. In the third division,
chapters 40-66, Isaiah described God’s comfort and salvation which will be made available to His covenant
people. In the third and final section, of chapters 40-66, Isaiah discusses the salvation ministry of the Messiah
and the glories of the messianic kingdom and the eternal state.
One of the great themes of chapters 58-66 is the revelation of the Redeemer. In 59:15b-21, Isaiah discusses
the Lord’s reaction that there was no justice in Judah with no one to intercede for His covenant people. God,
therefore, brought salvation through a Redeemer who will come to Zion, 59:20. The Lord’s glory will be
with His people in the messianic kingdom, and in the eternal state, chapter 60. The ministry of the Redeemer
in His first and second advents is discussed in chapter 61. In Chapter 62, Isaiah discusses the glory and
righteousness of the future people of Zion who will be called “The holy people, the Redeemed of the
LORD”, and also Sought After, A City Not Forsaken,” Isaiah 62:12. One of the greatest revelations of the
return of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ is given by the prophet in Isaiah 63:1-6 which is similar to
Revelation 19:15-16. The prophet records a prayer for the return of the Lord in 63:15-64:12. In chapter 65,
Isaiah records the revelation of the Lord’s mercy for His faithful servants and judgment upon those who
forsake Him and a prophecy about the messianic kingdom. In the last chapter of his prophecy, Isaiah
discusses the joy, gladness and holiness of future Jerusalem contrasted with the final destiny of the wicked.
Among other significant themes of this final section of Isaiah is that of God’s new covenant, 59:21 and 61:8.
The Messiah was appointed by His Father to be a covenant to the people, Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8. The method
by which all of God’s promises to His covenant people and to all who have faith in Him will be fulfilled,
including redemption, holiness, possession of the land, the glories of the presence of the Messiah in the
messianic kingdom and every other blessing, is through the new covenant. The Messiah revealed in the New
Testament that the new covenant was in (by) his atoning blood sacrifice, Luke 22:20 and 1 Corinthians
11:25. Therefore, by the new covenant, all the promises of God in the unilateral Abrahamic and Davidic
covenants will be realized and completed. Those who have faith in the atoning blood sacrifice of the Messiah
for their salvation, participate now in the new covenant’s promises and blessings of a replaced heart and a
renewed mind. However, the final literal completion of these promises and blessings for both the members of
the body of Christ and the covenant people of God, upon their belief in the Messiah, will be during the
messianic kingdom. Isaiah, in chapters 58-66 reveals much prophetic content about the future earthly
messianic kingdom.
It must be understood that there are not two distinct ways to salvation. Only those, both Jews and Gentiles,
who believe in the atoning blood sacrifice of the Messiah will truly be saved There are however two distinct
“peoples” that have significant roles within God’s future plans. The first are God’s covenant people which
can be understood in this age and in the future as the faithful remnant. To them God has made many promises
and to them God has made covenants including the Abrahamic, Davidic and the New. The promises and
covenant statements will be perfectly and completely fulfilled to them in the far future days of the earthly
messianic kingdom after they have confessed their national sin of rejecting the Messiah during his first
advent and have pled for Him to return and to rescue them from their enemies. They will see their Messiah
when they say, “blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” Matthew 23:39. The second “people”
are those, both Jews and Gentiles, who, by their belief in the atoning blood sacrifice of the Messiah, Jesus
Christ are baptized into the body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:13. These “people” comprise what is known as
the Church, the body of Christ. Believing Jews and Gentiles are members of the body of Christ and
595…..Isaiah Chapters 58-66 Introduction
participate fully in all the blessings and responsibilities of being a faith member in the Church. God has not
cast off or forever rejected His covenant people. A remnant of their number will repent and will turn to their
Messiah in believing faith during the final days of the tribulation and their Messiah will return and rescue
them from their enemies who will have surrounded them. It is apparent that the distinctiveness of the Jewish
people will not be forgotten or ignored both in the future days of the Messianic kingdom and the forever days
of the eternal state.
Outline of Chapters 58-66
C. The Promises of the Future Messianic Kingdom: Chapters 58-66
1. God’s Blessings for Observing Righteous Fasts and Sabbaths: 58:1-14
2. God to Bring Salvation through His Own Arm: 59:1-21
3. The Glory of the Future Kingdom: 60:1-22
4. The Messiah to Heal and Comfort the Afflicted: 61:1-11
5. The Beautiful Land of the Messiah: 62:1-12
6. The Return of the Messiah Who is Mighty to Save: 63:1-6
7. The Past Remembered: The Role of the Spirit: 63:7-14
8. Isaiah’s Prayer for Mercy from God: 63:15-64:12
9. The Idolatrous People of God: 65:1-7
10. Future Blessings on the Remnant: 65:8-12
11. God’s Judgment on the Wicked: 65:13-16
12. God’s Promise of a New Heavens and a New Earth: 65:17-25
13. Contrast Between True and False Worship: 66:1-6
14. God’s Blessings on Millennial Israel: 66:7-14
15. Destinies of the Faithful and the Wicked: 66:15-24
1. God’s Blessings for Observing Righteous Fasts and Sabbaths: 58:1-14
Chapters 58 and 59 are considered by many Biblical scholars as being one literary unit. In chapter 58, Isaiah
discusses what may be called, a return to righteousness which replaces ritual. In the first five verses, the
prophet records the Lord’s rebuke for ritualistic worship which is only formal motions without heartfelt
devotion to Him. The people, vs. 2, seek God daily and seem to delight in knowing His ways, “as if they
were a nation that did righteousness.” They ask God for righteous judgments and (seem) to draw near to
Him. But, vs 3a, they complain that although they have fasted and humbled themselves, God has not seen it
nor acknowledged it. God, vs. 3b, states that their day of fasting was really a day to seek their own pleasure
and oppress their workers. It was also a day of quarreling, argument and fighting, vs. 4. God asks, vs. 5, “Is
this really the fast I have chosen?” Is it “an acceptable day to the LORD?”
In verses 6-14, God describes what He has chosen as an acceptable fast. This includes righteous acts of
breaking every yoke and setting free the oppressed, vs. 6. It is to share bread with the hungry and give shelter
to the homeless, to clothe the naked and provide for one’s relatives, vs. 7. This righteous activity will result
in God’s pleasure and healing, vs. 8. God will answer them when they call upon Him and help them, vs. 9a.
If they replace wicked acts with righteous ones, the Lord will guide them, make them healthy and satisfy
their desires, vss. 9b-11. They will also become builders and restore ancient ruins, vs. 12. If they do not
violate the Sabbath but delight in it and honor it by not seeking their own ways and pleasure, then they will
delight themselves in the LORD, then He will bless them, vss. 13-14.
596…..Isaiah 58:1-2
58:1-5 Ritualistic Fasting Rejected
58:1 Shout out loud, do not hold back;
lift up your voice like a trumpet,
declare to my people their transgression,
and to the house of Jacob their sins.
The first words of Isaiah 58:1 in the DASV are “Shout out loud” (some versions have “Cry loudly”), which is
literally “with a full throat, spare not” according to Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 445. Although it is not
stated who is to shout or cry out, it is reasonable to consider that Isaiah has received this call from God as the
message is from Him as the second half of 58:1 indicates. Combined with the call to shout with a full throat
is the command to, “lift up your voice like a trumpet.”
The prophet is to shout or cry out with a full throat loudly, as with a trumpet or horn of summons, to give
God’s words to His covenant people (my people, the house of Jacob). God’s words are stated as, declare to
my people their transgressions and sins. This message from God is all too common in the writings of Isaiah.
From the very first chapter to the last, Isaiah is called upon to make known the sins of the people, those who
have rebelled against God, Isaiah 1:2 and those who have chosen their own ways, and who delight in their
abominations, Isaiah 66:3. The declaration by God of the sins of His people is a major theme in Isaiah, for
God has constantly reminded them of their wickedness and rebellion against Him. Thankfully, a
corresponding theme in Isaiah is God’s gracious and merciful provision of salvation for them through the
atoning sacrifice of the Servant, who is the Messiah who was “crushed for our iniquities” 53:5, and upon
Him the LORD laid “the sin of us all,” 53:6 and whose life was made “an offering for sin,” 53:10 and He
“bore the sine of many, and made intercession for the transgressors,” 53:12. The specific set of iniquities in
this declaration from God, chapter 58, has to do with the ritualistic and heartless practice of fasting, 58:3-4.
58:2 Yet they seek me daily,
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that did righteousness,
and has not rejected the ordinance of their God.
They ask me for righteous judgments;
they delight to draw near to God.
The connection between 58:1 and 58:2 is that, although the covenant people of God (my people, the house of
Jacob), have sinned and transgressed against God, they seek Him and (seemingly) delight to know
(understand) God’s ways, “as if they were a nation that did righteousness.” They were blind to the
consequences of their sinfulness. They had “rejected the ordinance of their God,” but with ignorance of the
consequences of their sin, had sought God out every day as if they had some righteous reason to know Him.
They were blind to their iniquities which kept them from God and without any remorse or repentance of their
sins, were ones who, although unrighteous, looked to God for His righteous judgments. They had ritualistic
ambition but were people whose “righteous acts are like filthy rags,” Isaiah 64:6. In spite of their
wickedness, they delighted to “draw near to God,” 58:2. This attempt to draw near to God was an
abomination to Him because they were wicked and sinful.
The “ordinance of their God” is the Hebrew word mishpat, which usually has the meaning of “justice” or
“judgment” in the Old Testament and in the context of Isaiah 58:2 can be understood as “law” or
“commands” which would refer to the law as stipulated in the Pentateuch. The repeated refusal of God’s
covenant people to obey His commands was an offence that kept them distant from fellowship with Him and
from receiving the benefits of His guidance and blessings. When they came to God clothed in the filthy rags
597…..Isaiah 58:2 and 3-5
of their own self derived righteousness, God was repulsed and would not receive them nor respond to their
“delight to draw near” to Him. God, who is intrinsically holy, did not then, and does not today, embrace
wickedness. The only way God could have fellowship with them is through their faith, Genesis 15:6;
Habakkuk 2:4; see also Romans 4:13-25; and Galatians 3:6-9. True fellowship with God is only possible by
faith in the ‘cross-work’ of the Messiah which results in the “righteousness” of Jesus Christ being imputed
(reckoned) to them. See Romans 1:17, “righteousness from God.” See also Romans 3:21-24; 4:5; 2
Corinthians 5:21; and Philippians 3:8-9. For a discussion of the imputed righteous of Christ see Henry
Clarence Thiessen, Lectures in in Systematic Theology, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Revised
Edition, 1979, pages 276-277.
Regarding their delight to know the ways of God, they should have been familiar with the words of King
David, as recorded in Psalm 37:4:
Delight yourself in the LORD,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
The desire to delight in the Lord and draw near to Him is a common theme in the Scriptures: Psalm 1:2;
37:23; 40:8; 111:2; 112:1; 119:(many vss,); Proverbs 23:26; Isaiah 58: 13-14; Jeremiah 15:16; Hebrews 4:16;
7:19, 25; 10:22; and James 4:8. However, drawing near to God and delighting in Him is an act of a pure
heart, from those who are devoted to Him and have faith in Him. Seeking God in true repentance and
humbleness of heart is pleasing to Him as are the external actions coming from this, such as the acts that God
accepts as a “fast,” as described in Isaiah 58:6-14.
58:3-5 'Why have we fasted,' they complain,
'but you did not see it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
but you take no knowledge of it?'
In the day of your fast you pursue your own pleasure,
and oppress all your workers.
4
Your fasting leads to quarreling and arguments,
and to wicked fistfights.
The fasting you do this day
will not result in your voice being heard on high.
5
Is this really the fast that I have chosen?
Is it a day just for a person to humble themselves?
Is it merely to bow down one's head like a reed,
or to lie on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
and an acceptable day to the LORD?
Those who have fasted and humbled themselves complain that God has not seen them nor acknowledge their
actions. Prior to the exile in Babylon, there was only one day of the year that fasting (a sabbath of solemn
rest) was required by all Israelites on the day of atonement, Leviticus 16:29-34. However, individuals could
fast for various reasons such as an during times of great need or when enemies attacked, 1 Samuel 7:6; 2
Samuel 12:16; Daniel 6:18; and 9:3. In later years other fasts were added during the exile in Babylon,
Zechariah 7:5; and 8:19. See also Ezra 8:21-23.
598…..Isaiah 58:3-5
The response of God Isaiah 58:3b; revealed the sinfulness of those who fasted which was the reason God did
not respond to them. The purpose of fasting was first to seek God for forgiveness of sins and second to seek
Him in complete humbleness and contriteness in spirit for His help when the only rescue possible is from
God alone. Isaiah, however, revealed that the covenant people of God spent their day of fasting pursuing
their own pleasures and oppressing their workers. The fasting rules on the day of atonement required that
everyone cease from working and spend the day humbling their souls, Leviticus 16:29-30. Not only were
they pursuing their own pleasure and oppressing their workers, but they their fasting led to quarreling,
arguments and wicked fistfights. The attitude and actions of those who fasted, Isaiah 58:3-4, reveal that their
hearts were far from God and they were merely practicing ritual without any righteousness or even desire to
be righteous.
In Isaiah58:5, the Lord asks several rhetorical questions that demand negative answers because they are
really statements about what God does not accept when His covenant people participate in a day of fasting.
The first question is the way the people choose to fast really the fast God has chosen? The obvious response
is no for God has not chosen a fast filled with wickedness and oppressive behaviour, 58:3-4. The second
question is much deeper theologically. Is the day of fasting only for someone to humble themselves? God is
asking, is that all there is to your fasting, just a day to humble yourselves? Fasting certainly includes an
attitude of humbleness but it is far more than that. God required a contrite spirit and a sacrificial attitude
which involves separation from all normal daily activities such as work and business interests and the
releasing of employees from their work obligations, so they also can fast in an appropriate manner. It is a day
to confess sins and seek forgiveness from God so that righteous fellowship with Him can be restored. It is a
day of peace from conflict and for righteous thoughts and deeds and for seeking God to have fellowship with
Him alone. It is a day of prayerful communing with the Lord and a day of devout worship of Him filled with
praises for who He is and what He has accomplished.
The third question pertains to the outward actions. God asks is the day of fasting only for bowing one’s head
like a reed or to lie on sackcloth and ashes? The bowing of the head like a reed would be ritualistic formality
without any true spiritual impact within the heart of the person. The same would apply for those who put on
sackcloth and laid on a bed of ashes. It is going through the motions to appear as if the person participating in
the fast was pious for the sake of those who would be observing these actions. At times, the Lord’s people
were requested to put on sackcloth and to lay in ashes as an outward display of mourning for coming disaster.
See Jeremiah 6:26. At other times this was an observed behaviour by the people because of the Lord’s
judgment upon them, Lamentations 2:10. See also Isaiah 3:24-26; 22:12; 32:11; 37:1-2; Ezekiel 7:18; Daniel
9:3; Joel 1:8, 13 and Amos 8:10. This is not an exhaustive listing of applicable passages.
The fourth question is a summary of the Lord’s statements, is all this what you call a fast and an acceptable
day to the LORD? The Lord asks, does their wickedness of thought and deed and their ritualistic formal
motions which are for appearances only and have no devotion or consideration of the Lord, are these things
what they would consider as acceptable to God? This fourth question, as for all of the other three, demand a
negative response for there is absolutely nothing the covenant people of God have done in their day of fasting
that is either pleasing to God or acceptable to Him. Just the opposite was true for their wickedness was an
abhorrence to the Holy One of Israel.
58:6-14 Righteous Fasting Rewarded
Isaiah 58:6-14 is notable for a series of “is not this” (if) and “then” actions and results. Vss. 6-7 contain eight
righteous actions, which “if” completed are rewarded with five results in vss. 8-9a that the Lord will give (the
“then”). Vss. 9b-10a contain four additional righteous actions, which “if” completed are rewarded with seven
results in vss. 10b-12. Vss. 13-14 are another series of “if” and “then” actions and results concerning the
599…..Isaiah 58:6-7
Sabbath day. Vs. 13 contains (perhaps) seven righteous actions beginning with “if’ and vs. 14 contains three
results beginning with “then.” Biblical scholars differ as to the exactness of the numbers of these actions and
results for some could be combined as one action or result. The clear intention of God is however, that
righteous actions, that He commands will result in His divine pleasure and response.
58:6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen:
to loose the bonds of wickedness,
to tear off the ropes of the yoke,
and to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
In stunning contrast to the fast chosen and observed by His covenant people, the Lord describes, in 58:6-14,
the observances of fasting that He has chosen. In 58:6 God describes four actions that are not usually applied
to a day or time of fasting. God is stating that if (for example) the purpose of their fasting is for the opening
up, freeing or loosening the grip of wickedness upon them or for freedom from oppression from their
enemies, they need to treat others as they would want to be treated. The Messiah would much later declare
this is a sermon, recorded in Matthew 7:12, “Whatever therefore you would that others should do to you, so
you should do to them, for this fulfills the law and the prophets.” The Messiah also proclaimed this truth, as
recorded in Matthew 6:14-15 (NKJV), as He explained one aspect of His model prayer, “For if you forgive
men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” In the same sermon, the Messiah commented
on fasting, “Moreover, when you fast, do not be as the hypocrites, who make their faces sad, for they
disfigure their faces, that they may be seen by men to fast. Truly I say to you, they have received their
reward. 17 But you, when you fast, anoint your head, and wash your face, 18 that you may not be seen by men
to fast, but only by your Father who is hidden in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward
you.” Matthew 6:6-18.
The LORD in Isaiah 58:6 describes four actions that He has chosen as an acceptable fast. The first action is
to “loose the bonds of wickedness.” The righteous acts of those devoted to God and seek Him in faith include
working to free others from the grasp of wicked people and the removing of obstacles that wickedness has
placed in the way of others. See Proverbs 21:12; 29:7 and Hebrews 11:33 (acts of righteousness). The second
action is “to tear off the ropes of the yoke.” This action may involve working towards freeing someone from
bondage or confinement as it is difficult without force to do this immediately. This, as with all righteous acts,
requires God’s involvement. Those who participate in God’s choice of a righteous fast would need to seek
God in prayer to achieve what He desires to accomplish these acts of righteousness. The third action is “to let
the oppressed go free.” This may refer to freeing those who have been oppressed by the covenant people of
God themselves and it may also involve seeking the freedom of those who are oppressed by others. The
topic of being oppressed is very wide and involves many aspects of social, political, business and religious
oppression as well as oppression by family members as the end of 58:7 indicates. The fourth action is to
“break every yoke.” This is a summary of all of the requirements of righteous “fasting” that God desires. God
requires His covenant people and all who have faith in Him to be continually at work at setting captives free,
removing wickedness and its obstacles and seeking just and fair decisions for everyone regardless if they are
or are not in the “household of faith”, Galatians 6:10.
58:7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and provide shelter for the homeless?
Is it not when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own relatives?
600…..Isaiah 58:7-8
Isaiah, in 58:7 begins God’s questions with “Is it not,” which is similar to “Is not this,” which begins God’s
questions in 58:6. These expressions translate the Hebrew halo which has the meaning of “it certainly is so.”
The words of Jesus Christ in the Gospels, “Truly I say to you,” have much the same meaning. In 58:7, the
prophet continues God’s declaration of what He considers a righteous fast. As with 58:6 there are four
actions that those who are righteously seeking God are required to perform. They are not to be done in
ritualistic formality, such was the practice in the past for God’s covenant people, but with a humble and
contrite heart. The first action is “to share your bread with the hungry.” Some may suggest that this and the
other righteous actions apply specifically to the “day” of fasting, as a day of fasting is mentioned in 58:3-5,
but the Scriptures require these and others as everyday actions of righteousness. See Proverbs 25:21; Ezekiel
18:7, 16; Matthew 25:34-40; and Romans 12:9-21. However, the righteous actions the Lord requires to be
done on the Sabbath do apply directly to that specific “day”
The second righteous action of Isaiah 58:7 is to “provide shelter for the homeless.” This is also more than an
activity to be done only on the day one fasts. It implies a much deeper and costlier commitment in
comparison to feeding those who are hungry. To provide shelter for the homeless involves a long-time
commitment of one’s availability and money. The KJV translation of this phrase is to “bring the poor that
are cast out to thy house.” The NKJV is similar: “And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast
out.” It obviously is not possible to bring all who are homeless into one’s house but the spirit of this
righteous requirement from God would be to be working continually to ensure the homeless have proper
shelter. As with the other righteous actions stated in Isaiah 58:7, this also requires a deep and sacrificial
commitment of time and money.
The third righteous action of Isaiah 58:7 is to provide clothing for the naked. Along with helping individuals
as a need is recognized, many churches have food and clothing “cupboards” which are used on a daily basis
to help relieve the critical needs of the poor and homeless in their communities. Individuals can also donate
food and clothing items to Christian charities which distribute these items free of charge to those who are
needy. In Isaiah’s day, it is not known if such charitable organizations were operating but individual acts of
kindness in providing food and clothing was always a righteous activity that God required.
The fourth righteous action of Isaiah 58:7, not to hide oneself from the needs of family, may have been the
most difficult for God’s covenant people to practice. Helping strangers in need is sometimes much easier
than swallowing pride and forgiving past hurts to help estranged family members who are in need. This may
be why God added this requirement. To help loved and cherished family members may not need a special
command from God. But to help those family members who have become “outcasts” for any reason who are
in need, is a commitment that would be a righteous activity that would not only be pleasing to God but be
most God-like. The righteous actions, stated in 58:6-7, selected by God to be requirements of a fast that He
accepts are also reminders of the righteous works of the Servant, Isaiah 11:1-10; 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11;
52:13-53:12; and 61:1-3. See also Psalm 146:7.
58:8-9a Then will your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly spring up;
your righteousness will go before you;
the glory of the LORD will guard your back.
9a
Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say, "Here I am.
The results of performing the righteous acts stated in 58: 6-7 are five rewards from the LORD, stated in 58:8-
9a beginning in 58:8 with “then.” These rewards are obviously not contained to just one day but are
consequences of actions that indicate a heart that is humble, contrite and continually devoted to doing what
601…..Isaiah 58:8-9a
pleases God. They apply not only to Isaiah’s time, nor only to a far future time but to every day including
today. Christians can confidently expect the “if” actions and “then” results to apply to them each day they
walk with the Lord. The words of the Lord to Joshua as recorded in Joshua 1:6-9 are another example where
God’s reward “then” follow His requirements of righteous actions. They are “timeless” principles for all who
have faith in God to apply to their lives.
The first result or reward from God for doing the required righteous actions stated in 58:6-7, the “then” stated
in vs. 8 is your “light” will “break forth like the dawn.” The source of “light,” Hebrew or, is the Lord, Isaiah
2:5. Isaiah prophesized in 9:2 that,
The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
on them the light has shined.
God had promised in Isaiah 42:16, to turn the darkness into light before His people. In 49:6, speaking to His
Servant, the Messiah, God promises that “I will also make you a light to the nations, that you may bring my
salvation to the ends of the earth.” Also, God promised in Isaiah 60:1-3, to the people of Zion in the far
future that,
1
"Arise, shine; for your light is come,
and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
2
For, look, darkness covers the earth,
and deep darkness the peoples,
but the LORD arises on you
and his glory is seen over you.
3
Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your radiance.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 4:6, wrote a most beautiful description of the
meaning of God’s light: “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our
hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” The “light” that will
“break forth like the dawn,” Isaiah 58:8 is many splendored. It is that the light of God, seen in the Messiah, is
the light of men, John 1:4-5, that shines so bright to dispel darkness so that God’s truth can be revealed. It is
the light that will be upon His covenant people, in the person of their Messiah, so that the nations of the earth
in a far future day will be attracted to it and desire to come to Zion, Isaiah 60:1-3. It is also the light that will
shine in the hearts of those who have faith in the Messiah, 2 Corinthians 4:6, so that the knowledge of the
glory of God will be seen in the face of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
The second reward stated in Isaiah 58:8 is that “your healing will quickly spring up.” Isaiah had previously
discussed light and healing in 30:26:
Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun,
and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter,
like the light of seven days,
in the day that the LORD binds up the injuries of his people
and heals the wound he has inflicted.
Healing was also discussed by Isaiah in 57:16-19. The most important theological writing of Isaiah regarding
healing which ties together all references to spiritual healing occurs in 53:5:
602…..Isaiah 58:8-9a and 9b-10a
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that made us whole was upon him,
and by his stripes we are healed.
The healing that will quickly spring up or sprout, Hebrew samah, is a spiritual renewal of the heart that the
Lord will bring upon those who are penitent and contrite. It is encapsulated in the new covenant, Jeremiah
31:31-34 and Ezekiel 36:26-29 through the substitutionary cross-work of the Messiah. It is a most wondrous
act of grace to a most underserving people but through faith, these who are undeserving, will be marvellously
declared “healed,” “justified,’ and “righteous.” They will have a position before God that, although they are
yet sinners, they will be seen by Him as righteous, and have the God given “right” to stand before Him. See
above comment on the imputed righteousness of Christ under notes for Isaiah 58:2.
The third reward stated in Isaiah 58:8 is that “your righteousness will go before you.” The words “your
righteousness” going before them surely is a reference to the Lord, who is their righteousness, who will go
before them, Isaiah 52:12. It is the Lord who is their righteousness, Jeremiah 23:6, 33:16. The prophet Micah
declared as recorded in Micah 7:9, “He will bring me out into the light, and I will see his righteousness.” In a
far future day, the Messiah will physically return and go before them, Micah 2:13. For Isaiah’s time and even
today, the Lord’s righteousness spiritually leads those who are obedient to Him. Those who are dependent
upon Him will have His guidance for He leads them beside still waters and guides them “in the paths of
righteousness for his name's sake.” Psalm 23:2-3.
The fourth reward stated in Isaiah 58:8 is “the glory of the LORD will guard your back.” Isaiah had
previously stated “the LORD will go before you; the God of Israel will watch your back,” Isaiah 52:12. Not
only will the LORD go before them as their righteous guide, but He will also protect them on all sides. They
should have complete confidence in Him as He surrounds them with His loving care and protection. See also
Exodus 14:13-20; Isaiah 42:16, and 49:8-13 (the ministry of the Messiah).
The fifth reward is stated in Isaiah 58:9a. The LORD will respond to them when they call out to Him and be
present to help them. In a similar passage to that of Isaiah 58: 6-14, The psalmist Asaph declared, in Psalm
50:14-15 that, “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and keep your vows to the Most High. 15 Call on me
in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will glorify me. Isaiah had also stated that God’s covenant
people were to call upon the Lord while He was near to them, Isaiah 55:6. Isaiah also stated 65:24, referring
to a far future time, “Before they call, I will answer; while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” As it was in
Isaiah’s time and remains so today and will be during the messianic kingdom, those who draw near to the
Messiah in faith and are obedient to Him will enjoy the benefits of His nearness to them for He will quickly
respond to calls for help from His people.
58:9b-10a If you remove from the midst of you the yoke of oppression,
the pointing fingers, and speaking wickedly,
10
and if you give yourself to help the hungry,
and to satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
In Isaiah 58:9b-10a, Isaiah records another set of righteous actions required by the Lord as a fast that He will
acknowledge and accept. These four righteous actions, performed by His covenant people, beginning with
the word “if”, are followed with seven rewards that again begin with the word “then” in 58:10b. The first
righteous action of Isaiah 58:9b-10-a is the removing, from the midst of God’s covenant people, the yoke of
oppression. This refers back to what God had declared as recorded in 58:6. The usage of yokes were very
common in the agricultural economy of ancient Judah during the time of Isaiah for controlling the
603…..Isaiah 58:9b-10a and 10b-12
movements of large animals for the work of plowing hard soil and other tasks. A yoke was typically a heavy
restraining device made of wood that encompassed an animal’s neck and had reins attached to it which a
farmer would use for turning the animal in a desired direction. In the context of Isaiah chapter 58, the yoke is
a metaphor for the restraints put upon people held captive. Thus, to use the metaphor for an illustration,
captive people would be under the yoke of slavery, oppression, forced labor, and cruel, brutal and unfair
treatment of any kind. The LORD expected His people to work towards the removal from their midst of any
kind of oppressive treatment. Some understand this requirement from God as a direct command to His
covenant people who oppress those who work for them during the day of their fasting.
The second righteous action has two components, the putting to an end of pointing fingers and wicked
speech. The pointing of, or stretching out, fingers was likely an action of judging others by a critical and
negative gesture that was socially demeaning. Associated with this action is wicked speaking. See Proverbs
6:12-14 as an example. Isaiah recorded a strong condemnation against God’s covenant people, Isaiah 59:2-3:
2
But your iniquities have separated you from your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.
3
For your hands are defiled with blood,
and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies;
your tongue mutters wickedness.
The third righteous action of Isaiah 58:9b-10a is that His covenant people are to give themselves to help the
hungry. This is a sharp rebuke, for during a day of fasting they would openly demonstrate their piousness by
not eating but others who have little or no food are painfully hungry, and God’s people do nothing to relieve
their hunger. This ungodly piety was no different during the days of the Messiah’s first advent, as His parable
of the good Samaritan demonstrates, Luke 10:30-37. The fourth righteous action of Isaiah 58:9b-10a is to
satisfy the needs of the oppressed. This may be a summary statement of all of the righteous acts described in
chapter 58 that God requires as a fast that He desires and accepts.
58:10b-12 then your light will rise in darkness,
and your darkness will become like the noonday.
11
The LORD will guide you continually,
and satisfy your desire even in parched places
and make your bones strong.
You will be like a watered garden,
and like a spring of water whose waters never fail.
12
They who will be from you will rebuild the old ruins;
you will raise up the foundations of many generations;
you will be called "The Repairer of the Broken Walls,"
"The Restorer of Streets to Live in. "
As with the previous set of “if” and “then” cause and effect actions in 58:6-7, righteous actions followed by
58:8-9a, positive rewards, the positive rewards stated in 58:10b-12 follow the righteous actions described in
58:9b-10a. Seven positive results or rewards from God are stated in 58:10b-12. Not everyone agrees that the
listing of these rewards can be identified as seven distinct actions from God, for some may be combined as
one general action, but the intent is the same. God promises to reward the righteous acts of His covenant
people with His presence and guidance and with benefits He alone can provide.
604…..Isaiah 58:10b-12
The first result stated in Isaiah 58:10b-12 is that, “your light will rise in darkness, and your darkness will
become like noonday.” This may be a re-statement of the result stated in 58:8, “then will your light break
forth like the dawn.” For a discussion on the importance of this result, see notes on 58:8. The second result
stated in Isaiah 58:10b-12 is that the LORD promises to continually guide His covenant people and all who
have faith in Him. This is wonderful promise from God as often stated in the Old Testament: Psalm 23:3;
48:14; 67:4; 73:24; 78:52, 72; 107:30; Isaiah 42:16; 49:10, and 57:18 and in the New Testament: Luke 1:79;
John 16:13; and Revelation 7:17.
The third result stated in Isaiah 58:10b-12 is that the LORD will “satisfy your desire even in parched places.”
The word “desire” in 58:11 is the Hebrew nephesh, which is often translated as “soul” or “body” but can
have the meaning of “desire” as translated in the DASV, ESV and the NASB, but as “soul” in the KJV and
the NKJV, and as “needs” in the NIV. This Hebrew word also occurs in 58:10 and is translated as “needs” in
the DASV and NIV. This result from God is perhaps in juxtaposition to the requirement of God for His
people to “help the hungry,” 58:10. See note below on God’s Blessings. The fourth result is that the LORD
will “make your bones strong.” This result or reward is similar in intent to what the Apostle James recorded
in James 5:13-16. It should be remembered that not everyone will be healed because they have obeyed God
with a whole heart. God’s ultimate intent is to eternally bless all who have faith in Him. Many who served
God faithfully while living on the earth but were privileged to suffer for Him in poor health and with
disabilities that were not healed, will receive healthy “heavenly” bodies. For an excellent discussion on this
reality, refer to Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, John Piper and Justin Taylor, General Editors,
Crossway Books, 2006.
The fifth result stated in Isaiah 58:10b-12 is that “you will be made like a watered garden.” This is a
metaphor for God’s provision and care resulting in the growth and fulfilled potential that God alone desires.
It is fitting that those who have faith in God are described as a garden. The results of the growth and success
of the garden resides solely in God’s hands. The “things” of the garden, the plants, flowers and crops depend
entirely on God and have no strength or ability to grow and prosper themselves. It is God’s intended result
that will determine the success of what is planted in His garden. Mature students of Scripture should be able
to discern the “intent” of God’s meaning in Isaiah 58:11 in comparison to God’s intentions in the description
of His vineyard in Isaiah 5:1-7. See notes on Isaiah chapter 5.
The sixth result stated in Isaiah 58:10b-12 is that God’s faithful people will be “like a spring of water whose
waters never fail.” This is close in meaning to the previous result of a “watered garden.” God promises to
continually be with His faithful and obedient people, so their lives will resemble a spring that constantly
flows with water for their benefit and the benefit of others. In the New Testament, the Messiah promised that
He can give water from which, those who receive it, will never again thirst, John 4:14, “but whoever drinks
of the water that I will give him will never thirst; but the water that I will give will become in him a well of
water springing up to eternal life.”
The seventh result stated in Isaiah 58:10b-12 is that those who are obedient to Him by observing a fast that
He desires and accepts will “rebuild the old ruins,” and “raise up the foundations of many generations,” and
they will be called “The Repairer of the Broken Walls, The Restorer of Streets to Live in.” Many Biblical
scholars understand that this promise applies specifically to the return to Jerusalem by the exiles in Babylon
to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem that were destroyed by the Babylonians. However, other scholars suggest
alternate interpretations. David L. Cooper for example suggests that this rebuilding will happen during the
return to Jerusalem at the end of the tribulation period by the faithful remnant of God’s covenant people at
the beginning of the Messianic kingdom. See D. L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research
Monthly – March 1946. Gary V. Smith also suggests that this restoration will happen in an eschatological
era. See Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 582-583.
605…..Isaiah 58:10b-12 and 13
God’s Blessings:
It is critical for those who have faith in God to not have the attitude of obeying and serving God only to get
blessings from God as some may imply is the case from Isaiah chapter 58. God is to be obeyed, served and
worshiped because of who He is not because of what blessings He may bestow. Some may be also tempted to
love and look for God’s blessings more than loving God Himself. The greatest gift God gives to this world is
Himself. There is nothing greater, better, higher or more exalted or holier than God Himself. His gifts,
blessings, grace and mercy flow out from who He is and are not to be desired above Him for this leads to
idolatry. The teaching of some present-day Christian associations and denominations seems to put more
emphasis on the blessings from God rather than on the divine Bestower of the blessings. Also, their teaching
may lead many to the conclusion that believers in God need to give to Him their time and particularly their
money in order to receive blessings from Him. It is taught that this is a guarantee from God that blessings are
derived in direct response to the amount of money and gifts one gives to God which is often directed solely
to the leader(s) of the Christian organization. This is not what the Scriptures teach.
God, as recorded in Isaiah chapter 58, is specifically promising His love, care and guidance and blessings to
those who are participating in a fast God desires and accepts. By comparing Scripture with Scripture, the
student understands that the direction in which God often leads His servants, may not at first be perceived as
a blessing as God’s servant Job came to understand and as the Apostle Paul and most of the other Apostles
experienced. This understanding of God’s direction in the lives of His people requires a mature outlook and
perception of what God is doing to accomplish His plans and purposes in the world He alone has created. Not
all, who wholeheartedly obey and worship God, will receive the type of blessings that many think are “due”
to them from God. The author of Hebrews makes this clear, as in Hebrews chapter 11:36-40. The ultimate
blessings from God will not be received in this earthly life but will be realized in the eternal state, when all
who live with God there, will fully comprehend His divine intentions for them.
58:13 If you keep your foot from violating the Sabbath,
from doing your pleasure on my holy day;
but call the Sabbath a delight,
and the holy day of the LORD honorable,
and if you honor it,
not going your own ways,
or pursuing your own pleasure,
or speaking your own idle words,
The requirements of “if” and the results of “then” as seen in the preceding verses of Isaiah chapter 58,
continue in 58:13-14. But in these verses, the emphasis is upon keeping the Sabbath. The Sabbath was
instituted by God as a day of rest, a holy convocation and was declared by God to be an everlasting covenant
for the sons of Israel. The Sabbath is first mentioned in Exodus 16:22-30 when God brought manna to His
people for food. They were not to gather the manna on the Sabbath day for it was to be a holy day to God.
The observance of the Sabbath was instituted by God as the fourth commandment, Exodus 20:8-11 and the
penalty for not observing the Sabbath, during the wilderness wonderings by the Israelites, was death, Exodus
31:14-15 and Numbers 15:32-36. Once the Israelites were in their promised land, there is no record that the
death penalty was practiced for not keeping the Sabbath. The observance of the Sabbath was to be a sign
between God and His people, Exodus 31:12-17 and it was to be an everlasting covenant between them,
Leviticus 24:8. Even the land was to have “sabbath’ rests every seven years, Leviticus 25:2-7; 26:34-39; and
at the end of forty-nine years a year of jubilee, the fiftieth, was to be observed, Leviticus 25:8-22. The
Sabbath was to be kept as a holy day, Deuteronomy 5:12-15. Isaiah had previously discussed the keeping of
the Sabbath day, Isaiah 56:2, 4 and 6 and would again mention it, Isaiah 66:23. The prophets Jeremiah and
606…..Isaiah 58:13-14
Ezekiel also declared the wickedness of the people of God for not observing the Sabbath day as God
required. See Jeremiah 17:19-27; Ezekiel 20:12-26; 22:8, 26 and 38.
However, by the time of Jesus there was much legalism attached to keeping the Sabbath by the Jewish
religious leaders who often accused the Lord of breaking the Sabbath by healing people on this day, Matthew
12:1-14; Mark 2:23-3:6; Luke 6:1-11; 13:10-17; 14:1-6; John 5:1-30; 7:14-24; and 9:1-17. Jesus responded
to their legalistic interpretation by stating that it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath, Matthew 12:12. The
Sabbath was kept by the followers of Jesus up until the resurrection, Luke 23:56. But following the
resurrection the observance of the Sabbath day was not kept and was replaced by religious observances
during the first day of the week, which was Sunday, Acts 20:7. The Apostle Paul also made reference to not
judging people for their observance (or not) of the Sabbath day and festival days for they were just a shadow
of what was to come, Colossians 2:16-17. See also Romans 14:5-6.
In Isaiah 58:13, the prophet lists several righteous observances, the that LORD required, with the conditional
“if” regarding the Sabbath. These are divided into negative and positive actions. The negative actions are,
first, to keep one’s foot from violating the Sabbath, which is likely a reference to not conducting business,
buying and selling on the Sabbath, Nehemiah 10:31-33 and 13:15-22. The second negative action was to
keep from doing one’s own pleasure on God’s holy day, which is stated twice in 58:13. It was a holy day, a
day of rest and a holy convocation to God’s people, Leviticus 23:3. The third negative action was to not
“going your own ways.” The fourth negative action was not to speak idle words. These actions help clarify
that God desires that His Sabbath was to be set-apart wholly for Him.
The positive actions in keeping the Sabbath, listed in 58:13 are first, to call the Sabbath a delight. Isaiah
spoke of delighting in the LORD in 58:14 as a result or reward of righteous actions in 58:13. The righteous
action of acknowledging or calling the Sabbath a delight is to observe it as God intended for the Sabbath was
a day set aside for holiness during which God’s people were to contemplate who God is and what He has and
continues to do for them. They were to have the attitude that there is no greater delight than to delight in God
alone. The second positive action was to acknowledge (to call) God’s holy day as honorable. The word
“honorable” is the Hebrew kabed, which has the meaning of “heaviness” or “weighty” and can also mean to
“glorify”. To keep the Sabbath as honorable is to observe it as having much weight or worth therefore, in
observing it this way, one glorifies God. God also describes what He means by honoring the Sabbath in
58:13, as stated in negative actions (see above): not “violating the sabbath;” “not going your own ways;” not
“pursuing your own pleasure;” and not “speaking your own idle words.” All of the positive and negative
descriptions of actions God requires for keeping the Sabbath center on delighting only in Him as 58:14 will
reveal.
58:14 then you will delight yourself in the LORD,
and I will make you ride on the high places of the earth,
and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.
The “if” actions of Isaiah 58:13 are followed by the “then” results or rewards declared in 58:14. Before
considering any conclusions about the automatic results of cause and affect between 58:13 and 14, it is best
to study what God’s intentions are for those of His covenant people who obey Him. See notes on Isaiah
58:12 above for a discussion on these intentions. God’s promises stated in 58:14 most likely have a far future
time for their fulfillment when God will restore the people to their land and bless them among the nations of
the earth. Isaiah had previously recorded the promises of God in similar language in 40:31:
607…..Isaiah 58:14 and 59:1-21 Introduction
but those who wait for the LORD will renew their strength;
they will mount up with wings like eagles;
they will run, and not grow weary;
they will walk, and not faint.
The words “and I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father,” refer to the promises God had made
to them about the land. See (not an exhaustive list), Isaiah 30:23-26; 60:1-22; 61;1-62:12; 65:17-25; also
Psalm 53:6; Jeremiah 30:3, 18-24 Ezekiel 34:11-31; and Amos 9:11-15. Finally, the LORD authenticates
His promise by stating, “the mouth of the LORD has spoken it.” These are promises that the covenant people
of God can absolutely depend upon for the LORD will certainly fulfill them. The final phrase of Isaiah
chapter 58 bears the sovereign stamp of Yahweh who has also in many places in Isaiah stated, “thus says the
LORD.”
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 58
58:1-5 Fasts Ritualistically Observed
58:6-12 Fasts Righteously Observed and their Rewards
58:6-7 Righteous Actions of Acceptable Fasts
58:8-9a Results of Righteous Actions
58:9b-10a Righteous Actions of Acceptable Fasts
58:10b-12 Results of Righteous Actions
58:13-14 Sabbaths Righteously Observed and their Rewards
2. God to Bring Salvation through His Own Arm: 59:1-21
God’s warning about the iniquities of His covenant people are continued in Isaiah chapter 59 but are directed
to their daily lives rather than to their day of fasting or Sabbath day observances. A catalog of sins is
presented, similar to many other passages in Isaiah starting with chapter 1, as the ever-present sinfulness of
the people is a major theme of Isaiah. God does not just lament over these sins but provides a salvific
solution for them as vs. 1 of Chapter 59 clearly demonstrates. God’s intention throughout the writings of the
prophet Isaiah is to not minimalize the sinfulness of His people as these sins were and are an abhorrence to
Him, but He highlights these sins as they pinpoint the primary condition of His people. They had repeatedly
and continually rebelled against Him because they had rejected Him as their sovereign ruler. They had
persistently exhibited the fruit of this rejection in a multitude of sinful behaviour stemming from their inward
desires (the heart) which is wholly deceitful. Thus, the people were only motivated to act in their own ways
with absolutely no concern for righteously walking in God’s ways.
Isaiah chapter 59 opens with a blessed reminder that God both hears and provides salvation to His people.
The metaphors of God’s hand and ear in vs. 1 are an apt introduction to this chapter as it is highlighted with
anthropomorphisms describing God’s actions: works of His hand, vs. 1, hearing of His ear, vss. 1-2, His
seeing vs. 15, works of His arm, vs. 16, and wearing garments including a helmet and a breastplate, vs. 17.
Corresponding to these anthropological descriptions of God’s actions are many depictions of human actions
which, however, describe sinful behaviour. His people sin by the use of their hands (palms), fingers, lips,
tongues, feet, thoughts, voice (growling and moaning), and speaking (talking).
Although salvation is the major theme of Isaiah chapter 59, the subject of justice and its parallel
righteousness also have a prominent place. Justice, Hebrew mishpat, occurs in vss. 8, 9, 11, 14 and 15. In vs.
4, the DASV, KJV, NKJV and NIV have the word “justice” and the ESV has “justly.” The Hebrew word is
sedeq, and is translated as righteously in the NASB, thus highlighting the parallel between justice and
608…..Isaiah 59:1
righteousness. The similar word righteousness, Hebrew sedaqah, occurs in the DASV in vss. 9, 14, 16, and
17. Theologically, salvation embraces justice/righteousness. Justice and righteousness which are acceptable
and delighted in by God could not be truly evidenced in people’s lives unless they have first believed in God
for salvation. God’s new covenant with His people, which is referenced, but not fully explained, in vs. 21 is
the means by which God will ensure that justice/righteousness is evident in the lives of those who believe in
Him by faith and thereby participate in the blessings of the new covenant. The new covenant and its resulting
blessings are referenced again in the Old Testament in such passages as Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel
36:26-29. The new covenant is given by God, Yahweh. The mediator of the new covenant is the Messiah
who has been appointed as a covenant to His people as previously declared in Isaiah, 42:6 and 49:8. The
Holy Spirit’s role, in the new covenant is introduced in Isaiah 59:21, is that of being “upon” His redeemed
people forever, for God will always be present with them.
Isaiah chapter 59 has three main sections. Vss. 1-8 are declarations by God of the sinfulness of His covenant
people. Vss. 9-15a describe a confession of these people regarding their sinfulness and its consequences. Vss.
15b-21 describe God’s gracious response to His people’s confession with His provision of salvation,
including a reference to a Redeemer to come, vs. 20 and specific promises pertaining to the new covenant,
vs. 21. Vss. 15b-21 of Isaiah chapter 59 comprise some of the most wonderful descriptions of salvation
contained not only in the writings of Isaiah but in the entire Old Testament and are worthy of careful study
by all students of the Scriptures. It should be noted that this chapter can be studied as a stand-alone Scriptural
essay on salvation for it contains a description of sins, a confession of sins and a salvation response by God
including a wonderful reference to His new covenant. Chapter 59 can also be viewed as a gateway to the
final chapters of Isaiah which describe God’s works of salvation and the promises of a peaceful and righteous
reign to come ruled by “a Redeemer (who) will come to Zion,” Isaiah 59:20.
A: 59:1-8 God declares the sinfulness of His covenant people
59:1 Look, the LORD's hand is not too short, that it cannot save,
nor is his ear so deaf, that it cannot hear.
Isaiah introduces, what modern readers know as chapter 59, with a call to “Look” or more emphatically
“Behold,” which the Hebrew word hen certainly implies. This call to “behold” follows God’s lament of His
people’s sinfulness when they were participating in a day of fasting and on the Sabbath day and His response
to them if they righteously observe these “days” in a manner that He both chooses and accepts. As if to
provide a summation of the discourse of Isaiah chapter 58 and introduce chapter 59, God abruptly states that
He can indeed hear the penitent cries of His people and provide salvation. God most likely was directly
responding to the complaint of His covenant people recorded in Isaiah 58:2-3 and in a general sense to the
people’s complaint recorded in 49:14, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”
The LORD’s response is gracious and salvific. He states emphatically that He indeed can save His covenant
people and by implication all who have faith in Him. This salvation is not a rescue from enemies or from
calamity but a spiritual salvation as Isaiah had previously made plain (selected verses only): 1:18, 27; 45:8,
17, 21; 49:6; 51:6; and 52:13-53:12; and would again describe:59:16-17; 61:10; 63:1, 4-5 and 8. The intent
of the LORD to save them spiritually is plain from the context of Isaiah chapters 58-59. The sins of His
covenant people have been described in great detail as had the consequences of these sins. The LORD speaks
of salvation within the context of this description of the sinfulness of His people. He was amazed
(astonished) that there was no one to vindicate or to intercede on behalf of His people, 59:16 so He Himself
brought salvation to Him (the Servant) and His (Yahweh) righteousness supported (upheld) Him (the
Servant). The work of the Servant, who is the Messiah, to provide salvation is described in Isaiah 52:13-
53:12. The salvific ministry of the Servant during His first advent is described in Isaiah 61:1-2a. The
609…..Isaiah 59:1-3
prophecy of the Servant returning to the earth to bring this salvation in His second advent to the faithful
remnant following the tribulation is explained in 63:1-6. The prophecy of the ministry of the Holy Spirit to
the Servant (the Branch) to bring salvation and righteousness when the Servant returns to establish His
kingdom of peace is described in Isaiah 11:1-10. Therefore, the message of Isaiah 59:1 affirms the major
theme of the writings of Isaiah, that the Lord will redeem His covenant people and all peoples of the earth
who have faith in Him.
Another aspect of the Lord’s ministry to His covenant people and to all peoples is that He listens to them and
hears them when they call out to Him. Isaiah had previously discussed that God does listen and respond to
those who call upon Him: Isaiah 30:19; 41:17, and 58:9 and would again declare this, 65:24. It is a constant
theme in the Psalms: 3:4; 4:3; 17:6; 18:6; 20:6; 34:4; 65:5; 91:15; 118:5; 119:26; 120:1 and 138:3. The
prophet Daniel prayed for the Lord to hear his call, Daniel 9:19; and a repentant Jonah knew the Lord would
hear him even in the depth of the ocean, Jonah 2:2. But the Lord does not hear (respond) to those whose
iniquities have separated them from Him according to Isaiah 59:2. God however, will respond to the sinful
who acknowledge their sin and confess their sins and seek the Lord as the second and third sections, 59:9-21
clearly affirm.
59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you,
so that he will not hear.
Although God promises to hear His people when they call upon them and save them, vss. 1, He will not
respond to them while the persist in their iniquities and sins which demonstrate that they are yet in a state of
open rebellion against Him as their sovereign Ruler and LORD. Isaiah, in 1:15 stated:
When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you.
Yes, when you make many prayers,
I will not listen,
for your hands are full of blood.
Isaiah had, as recorded in chapter 58, declared the words of God’s rejection of the faithless and sinful
formality of His covenant people in their participation of days of fasting and the Sabbath day. He would not
accept wickedness of any kind from His people in the keeping of these “days” and He will not listen to them
in any other day when they continue in their sins. The words of Isaiah in 59:2, “hidden his face,” are an
anthropomorphism representing God Himself for God is Spirit, John 4:24, and does not have facial features
nor other human-like features such as hands or ears, 59:1. Because of their sinfulness which has separated
them from God, He will not hear them. The common word “hear” is the Hebrew shama, is the last word in
the English versions of both 59:1 and 2. It is a reference to what God hears. It is translated either as “hear” or
“heard,” referring to an action of God, in Isaiah 37:4, 17; 38:5; and 65:24. In sharp contrast to what God
hears is the reaction of His covenant people who are in open rebellion against Him. In Isaiah 30:11, they said
about God, “let us hear no more of the Holy One of Israel.” The word for “hear” in 30:11 is the Hebrew
shabath which has the meaning “to cease” or “to stop.” In 59:2, God refuses to “hear” from His covenant
people because they are so wicked. In 30:11, God’s people refuse to “hear” from God because He is so holy.
59:3-4 For your hands are defiled with blood,
and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies;
your tongue mutters wickedness.
610…..Isaiah 59:3-4
4
No one cares about justice,
or pleads their case with honesty.
They trust in empty words, and speak lies;
they conceive trouble,
and give birth to sin.
As recorded in Isaiah 59:3-4, the prophet begins a list of God’s indictments against His people beginning
with the word “for” which indicates a “because” reason why God will not hear from His people. God will not
hear them because of their sinfulness which was introduced in 59:2 and is now explained in 59:3-8. The
listing of the sins of God’s covenant people is all too common in Isaiah beginning in chapter 1. The acts of
these wicked people are vividly portrayed in opposition to their God who is described often in Isaiah as the
Holy One of Israel. One of the major themes of Isaiah is a Holy God versus a wicked people. In spite of this
truth, which has existed from the creation of humanity and will continue until God finally terminates
wickedness, God’s formula for His covenant relationship with His people is “I will be their God and they
shall be my people.” This formula describes the relationship God desires in His “new covenant” with them:
Jeremiah 31:33 (cf. 24:7); 32:38; Ezekiel 37:23, 27 (cf. 11:20; 14:11); Zechariah 8:8; 2 Corinthians 6:16 and
Hebrews 8:10. Isaiah concludes chapter 59 with a description of the new covenant.
The reason why God will not “hear” from His people, is stated, beginning in Isaiah 59:3 with the sinfulness
that their hands and fingers have caused, and this verse concludes with the sinfulness of their lips and
tongues. The first depiction of sin is that their “hands (palms) are defiled with blood.” This indictment is not
new for it was announced by God as recorded in Isaiah 1:15. It was a persistently vile and wicked sin that
God abhors. Proverbs 6:16-19 reveal God’s hatred of it among other acts of wickedness:
16
There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
17
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
18
a heart that plots wicked plans,
feet that run to do evil,
19
a false witness who propagates lies,
and he who sows discord among brothers.
(Proverbs 6:16-19)
The relationship of shedding of blood and hands is also spoken of in the same context as those who commit
adultery with idols, as recorded in Ezekiel 23:37 and 45. These acts of sinfulness are pointed out as being
especially odious to God. Indeed, the very first child born into this world, Cain, grew up to be a murderer
(and a liar) by shedding the innocent blood of the second child born into this world, his brother Abel, Genesis
4:1-10. The acts of murder and lying are a characteristic of Satan, whom many desire to follow, such as Cain
and all murderers and liars, including the religious leaders at the time of the Messiah’s first advent, as Jesus
explained in John 8:44.
The second depiction of sin in Isaiah 59:3 is that their fingers (are defiled) by iniquity. Iniquity, also
occurring in 59:2 is the Hebrew word awon, which is also often translated as “guilt” and “punishment.” Of
great significance is the occurrence of awon in the fourth “Servant Song,” Isaiah 52:13-53:12. As recorded in
Isaiah 53:5 the Servant was “crushed for our iniquities.” In 53:6, it is recorded, that “the LORD has lain on
Him the sin (iniquity) of us all.” Also, in 53:11, it is recorded about the Servant that “he will bear their sins,”
(iniquities). The iniquities of God’s covenant people and all peoples of all times including Cain the murderer,
were held to Christ’s account. For He bore of all iniquities and was crushed by His Father so that the penalty
611…..Isaiah 59:3-4
for the commitment of these iniquities (and all sins) by all peoples could be paid by the innocent and
righteous Son of God, the Messiah. The just and righteous Messiah bore the sins of the unjust and
unrighteous so that they could be declared justified by God, when they put their faith in His Son, and they,
therefore would not have to bear the eternal consequence (penalty) of these iniquities. (bold intentional).
The third depiction of sin in Isaiah 59:3 is that their “lips have spoken lies.” The word “lies” is the Hebrew
sheqer, which is also translated in the Old Testament as “deceit” and in the NASB for Isaiah 53:9 as
“falsehood.” The first recorded act of lying in the Scriptures is by Satan, Genesis 3:4. Jesus called Satan “a
liar, and the father of lies,” John 8:44. Some may want to place “lying” as a sin that is somehow lesser in
importance than murder but as stated in Proverbs 6:16-19 (stated above), it is among the sins that are
detestable to God. The common expression “little white lies,” is therefore a misnomer for there is nothing
“little” or “white” about lies. Some may want to point out that God appeared to, on the surface at least,
overlook some “lies” such as by the harlot Rahab, as recorded in Joshua chapter 2. However, God
commended her faith, Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25, but not her lies.
The fourth depiction of sin in Isaiah 59:3 is that their “tongue mutters wickedness.” The word “mutters” is the
Hebrew hagah, which also has the meaning to “meditate” and “moan” or “growl.” It occurs 25 times in the
OT and is translated as “meditate” in: Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; 63:6; 77:12; 143:5; and Isaiah 33:18. In contrast
to the righteous who “meditates” on God’s law, day and night, Psalm 1:2 are the wicked who “mutters”
wickedness with their tongues. The DASV for the first phrase of Isaiah 33:18 has “Your heart will obsess
about former terrors.” The KJV, NKJV and NASB translate hagah as “meditate” while the ESV translates it
as “muse” and the NIV as “ponder.” The use of different English words to translate the Hebrew hagah is an
indication of the translator’s preference within the context of any specific English version. However, in
Isaiah 59:3 the Hebrew word hagah is translated as “mutters/muttered” in most English versions signifying a
more consistent approach to translation. The fact that they are either meditating or muttering is not as
important as is the object of what their tongues do. Their tongues mutter “wickedness” which is the Hebrew
word avlah, and which is also translated in the Old Testament as iniquity, injustice, unrighteousness
and wrong. The word avlah for wickedness only occurs in Isaiah 59:3. In the NASB, for example, the
English word wickedness occurs six times in Isaiah, 9:18; 32:6; 47:10; 58:6; 58:9 and 59:3 translating five
different Hebrew words. This points to the emphasis that God, through the writing of Isaiah, puts on
wickedness and how is separates His covenant people from Him. The speaking of wickedness was something
that God wanted His people to forsake (repent) during their day of fasting, and by implication all other days,
Isaiah 58:9. The repenting of and forsaking of speaking wickedness is a condition for God’s responding to
them when they call upon Him.
In Isaiah 59:4, the prophet continues God’s indictment upon His covenant people by highlighting their
wicked behavior. The first behavior indicated is that “no one cares about justice.” When combined with the
second behavior stated in 59:4, “or pleads their case with honesty,” (NKJV: truth), these both seem to refer
to the corruptness of the legal system. The lack of justice (righteousness) in the legal system indicates just
how pervasive wickedness had overtaken the people of God. Justice and righteousness are major themes in
Isaiah chapter 59, with the English word “justice” in the DASV occurring in vss. 4, 8, 9, 11, 14 and 15 and
the related word “righteousness” occurring in vss. 9, 14, 16 and 17. In 59:4, the word translated as “justice”
in the first phrase, is the Hebrew word sedaqah. In 59:8, “justice” is the common Hebrew word mishpat,
which also occurs translated as “justice” in 59:9, 11, 14 and 15. The word translated as “righteousness” is the
common Hebrew word sedeq, occurring in 59:9, 14, 16 and 17.
The second phrase in 59:4, “or pleads their case with honesty,” is translated in the NKJV as, “nor does any
plead for truth.” The word “honesty” in the DASV is the Hebrew word emunah, which occurs about fifty
times in the Old Testament and has the meaning of faithfulness, truthfulness and steadfastness. Emunah also
612…..Isaiah 59:3-4 and 5-6
occurs in Isaiah in 11:5 (faithfulness); 25:1 (faithfulness); and 33:6 (stability). This second phrase helps to
clarify the meaning of the first phrase which implies a courtroom and legal process as noted above.
The third phrase in 59:4 is “they trust in empty words and speak lies.” The word “empty” is the Hebrew tohu,
which has the meaning of formless and confusion and is the word describing the early condition of the
creation process of the earth, “formless” in Genesis 1:2 and Jeremiah 4:23. Tohu occurs frequently in Isaiah
in the DASV: 24:10 (wasted); 29:21 (false); 34:11 (chaos); 40:17 (worthless); 40:23 (worthless); 41:29
(empty); 44:9 (nothing); 45:18 (chaotic); 45:19 (vain); 49:4 (nothing); and 59:4 (empty). If the third phrase is
connected with the first two phrases which seems most likely, those who seek legal process through the
courts and those in judicial authority have no integrity therefore the entire process is corrupt and not
trustworthy.
The fourth phrase in 59:4, “they conceive trouble and give birth to sin” appears to be an introduction to 59:5-
6. Isaiah is describing those who have authority over and those who participate in the legal system as putting
their sinful thoughts into practice. The prophet Jeremiah described their condition as recorded in Jeremiah
17:9-10:
9
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and incurably sick.
Who can understand it?
10
I, the LORD, search the mind,
and test the heart,
to give everyone according to their ways,
according to the fruit of their actions.
During the days of Jesus’ first advent, He rebuked the religious leaders for their rejection of Him by
attributing His works to Satan and for the evilness of their hearts: “You brood of vipers, how can you, being
evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matthew 12:34. The
Scriptures often speak about the evilness within humanity: (selected verses only): Genesis 6:5; Psalm 73:7;
140:2; Proverbs 6:14, 18; 2:20; 15:28; Ecclesiastes 9:3; Isaiah 32:6; Jeremiah 4:14; 7:24; 11:8; 13:10; 16:12;
18:12; Ezekiel 14:3-4; Matthew 9:4; 12:34; 15:19; Mark 7:21; Luke 2:35; and 6:45. In Isaiah’s day the entire
society was so corrupt that their evil thoughts most always led to evil actions. It was no different in the days
of the first advent of the Messiah and is no different today and will be the same just prior to the return of the
Messiah to earth.
59:5-6 They hatch the eggs of deadly snakes,
and weave the spider's web.
Whoever eats their eggs dies;
and if one is crushed,
it hatches into a viper.
6
Their webs cannot be used as clothes,
nor will they cover themselves with their works.
Their works are works of iniquity,
and the acts of violence are in their hands.
The evilness that is conceived in the hearts of God’s covenant people give “birth,” 59:4 to wicked actions
which are described in Isaiah 59:5-6 and following. In 59:5 these actions are depicted as hatching eggs of
deadly snakes (serpents/adders/vipers) and the weaving of a spider’s web. Both of these actions lead to folly
and one leads to death. The hatching of eggs from deadly snakes bring death if the egg is eaten due to the
613…..Isaiah 59:5-6-8
poison within it. If the egg hatches, a deadly viper is released. The weaving of the spider’s web, 59:6, is folly
if the web is to be used for clothing for spider’s webs cannot provide coverage or protection like clothing.
Also, spider’s webs cannot cover the wickedness of their works, which are works of iniquity and violence,
for all is exposed before God who sees everything. The Scriptures declare that, “The LORD does not look at
things the way a man does; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1
Samuel 16:7. Also: “Now there is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and
exposed before the eyes of him before whom we must give an account.” Hebrews 4:13. Jesus called those who
had rejected Him, a “brood of vipers,” Matthew 12:34.
59:7 Their feet run to do evil,
and they are quick to shed innocent blood.
Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
devastation and destruction follow in their tracks.
The evil (trouble) that the hearts of God’s covenant people have conceived, 59:4, is further described in
Isaiah 59:7 as having feet that “run to do evil” and “they are quick to shed innocent blood.” See comments on
vs. 3 above. God’s people were corrupted by their evil thoughts and actions. Devastation and destruction
followed them along the way they walked. Instead of walking the way God intended, walking on their own
paths or highways resulted in chaos and violence. The word “devastation” is the Hebrew word shod which
also has the meaning of violence, havoc and ruin. It occurs in Isaiah in the DASV in 13:6 (destruction); 16:4
(destruction); 22:4 (destruction); 51:19 (desolation); 59:7 (devastation); and 60:18 (devastation). The word
“destruction” is the Hebrew word sheber which also has the meaning of to break, fracture or crush. It occurs
in Isaiah in the DASV in: 1:28 (crushed); 15:5 (destruction); 30:13 (topples); 30:14 (smash); 30:26 (injuries);
51:19 (destruction); 59:7 (destruction); 60:18 (destruction); and 65:14 (broken). Both of these Hebrew words,
shod and sheber, have similar meanings and are almost interchangeable with each other in the English
versions of Isaiah. A similar verse to Isaiah 59:7, occurs in 51:19 where both shod and sheber are found. See
notes on this verse. God, however, will eventually bring salvation to His covenant people and shod and
sheber will no longer be heard within their borders, Isaiah 60:18. Paul quotes from this verse in Romans
3:15-17.
59:8 The way of peace they do not know;
there is no justice in their paths.
They have made their paths crooked;
whoever walks in them does not know peace.
In Isaiah 59:8, which is the final verse in the first section of Isaiah chapter 59, God summarizes the spiritual
condition of His covenant people. They do not know the way of peace for they have walked in their own
“tracks”, 59:7 and there is no justice (righteousness) in their paths which has only resulted in devastation
(shod) and destruction (sheber). Their rebellion against God has resulted in their paths being made crooked.
They can blame no one else. It is entirely the result of their evil inward thoughts that have manifested into
wicked actions. The result of this, is that whoever, including themselves, who walk in these crooked paths
will not know peace. Isaiah had stated a similar result in 48:22 and 57:21: “There is no peace,” says my God,
“for the wicked.” They had forgotten the first song in their Hebrew song book, Psalm 1, of which vss.4-6
state:
4
The wicked are not so,
but are like the chaff that the wind blows away.
5
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
or sinners in the congregation of the righteous.
614…..Isaiah 59:9-10
6
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will perish.
B: 59:9-15a The People’s Confession Regarding Their Sinfulness and its Consequences
Verses 9-15a of Isaiah chapter 59 are a confession of the sinfulness and its consequences by the people of
Judah. Isaiah incudes himself in this confession as evidenced by the many occurrences of personal pronouns:
“us,” “we,” and “our.” Other prophets and leaders of the Jewish people had included themselves in the
confession of the sins of God’s covenant people, such as Daniel, in Daniel 9:1-19, Ezra, in Ezra 9:5-15 and
Nehemiah, in Nehemiah 1:4-11. Isaiah confessed that justice, vss. 9, 11, and 14, and righteousness, vss. 9,
and 14, were far from the people as they had multiplied their sins and transgressions in their rebellion against
the LORD. The people were “well aware,” vs. 12 of their iniquities as they had turned away from following
God. They had conceived and uttered lies from their hearts, vs. 13. Therefore, they stumbled about as the
blind in midday and walk like the dead, vs. 10. They growl like bears and moan sadly like doves and
salvation was far from them, vs. 11. Also, truth was lacking in Judah, vs. 15. It was a true confession from
the heart of the prophet as he had included himself among the others in Judah recognizing their sinfulness as
he had done earlier as recorded in Isaiah 6:5. Isaiah in 24:16, had also voiced a deep personal concern about
the treacherous times to come in the far future, as the Lord revealed to him the devastation that the earth and
its inhabitants would face. Isaiah stated, “The earth is defiled by its inhabitants; because they have
transgressed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant,” Isaiah 24:5. This defiling
of the earth by its inhabitants is also stated in Revelation 11:18 as one of the reasons for the Lord to bring
judgment upon the earth.
59:9-10 Therefore justice is far from us,
and righteousness does not overtake us.
We look for light, but see only darkness,
for brightness, but we walk in utter darkness.
10
We grope along the wall like the blind;
we grope as those who have no eyes.
We stumble at noonday just like it was twilight;
among the living we are like dead men.
Following God’s indictment against His covenant people of their iniquities that have separated them from
Him, 59:1-8, Isaiah speaks for his people, 59:9-15a, beginning with “therefore,” acknowledging and
confessing their great sinfulness and rebellion against God. Isaiah does not hide or neglect the truth of the
wickedness of the people of Judah. He first confesses that justice, the Hebrew word mishpat, is far from them
and righteousness, Hebrew sedaqah, did not overtake them. This lack of justice and righteousness is a major
theme of Isaiah chapter 59. Justice, mishpat, is mentioned in 59:8, 9, 11, 14 and 15. Righteousness, sedaqah,
is mentioned in 59:9, 14, 16 and 17. In Isaiah chapter 58, the prophet stated that God commented that His
people asked for righteous judgments, 58:2 but they had not righteously kept a day of fasting or a Sabbath
day. The Lord had declared to them what He required for a day of fasting that He could accept and what was
required to righteously observe His Sabbath day. Although God’s covenant people sought righteous
judgments, justice and righteousness was not near to them because, as Isaiah would confess in 59:12-13, they
had committed transgressions and sins which testified against them.
The people had sought for “light” but had seen only darkness. They had sought brightness, but they
continued to walk without His presence in “utter darkness.” The depiction of seeking “light” is also a major
theme of Isaiah. God had promised as recorded in Isaiah 58:8:
615…..Isaiah 59:9-11
Then will your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly spring up;
your righteousness will go before you;
the glory of the LORD will guard your back.
Also, as a result of their righteous actions, the Lord promised them in Isaiah 58:10b -11a:
“then your light will rise in darkness,
and your darkness will become like the noonday.
The LORD will guide you continually.”
From the beginning of Isaiah’s writings, the theme of light has a prominent position. God’s covenant people
are called to walk in the light of the LORD, 2:5. Light is removed from them due to their wickedness, 5:20,
30. But God promised them that the light (of salvation) would shine upon them, 9:2, which is a prophecy of
Messiah’s coming to them. On the day the Lord heals His people, 30:26, the light of the sun would be seven
times brighter. The Servant of the Lord, the Messiah is promised to be a light to the nations providing
salvation, 42:6 and 49:6. The darkness of God’s covenant people will be turned into light, 42:16. Those who
walk in darkness without light are called upon to trust in the name of the Lord, 50:10. God promises that He
will set His justice for a light to the peoples (providing salvation), 51:4. This light of salvation would break
upon them like the dawn, 58:8, and their light would become like the light of noon, 58:10. The people are
called to rise and shine for their light has come, who is the Messiah who brings the light of salvation, 60:1.
God promises that nations would come to their light, their Messiah, 60:3. Finally, God promised that He
would be an everlasting light to them for He will be their glory, 60:19-20. The light that is promised to them
was not discernable, 59:9 for their sin had blinded them as 59:10 reveals. In the New Testament the Apostle
Paul attributed blindness to the light of salvation to the acts of Satan, 2 Corinthians 4:4. This is not as easy to
discern in the Old Testament. However, the deceitfulness of Satan is evidenced from the very beginning,
Genesis chapter 3, in turning humans away from God. The people of Judah in Isaiah’s time were like so
many generations before and after them. It will not suffice to blame wicked and rebellious behavior on Satan
as if that would give anyone an excuse for escaping God’s rightful and just wrath for punishing sin.
God holds all who sin accountable and the wages (results) of sin is death, Romans 6:23. But as this verse
continues, “the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The wicked acts of God’s covenant people, Isaiah 59:9-10, result in their walking in darkness, without the
light of the salvation promised by the LORD. They “grope along a wall like the blind,” and “stumble at
noonday,” and among the living, they are “like dead men.” Isaiah often spoke about the blindness of his
people, 6:10; 29:9-10; 42:16, 19; 43:8; 44:18 and 56:10. He also declared that these eyes would be opened,
29:18; 32:3; 35:5; and 42:18 for it will be the Servant, the Messiah who will open them, 42:7. The prophet
confesses that they are like the dead, (without the light of the salvation of the Lord). Their only hope is for
the Lord to bring them salvation which He promises to do following their confession of their sins and
rebellion against Him, 59:15b-21.
59:11 We all growl like bears,
and moan sadly like doves.
We look for justice,
but there is none;
for salvation,
but it is far from us.
616…..Isaiah 59:11-12
Isaiah continues the acknowledgement of the sinfulness of the people of Judah including his own which has
resulted in their sad condition of growling like bears and moaning sadly like doves. The word “growl” is the
Hebrew hamah, with the meaning to roar, howl or be disturbed. It also occurs in Isaiah in the DASV in 16:11
(groans); 17:12 (roar) twice; 22:2 (revelry but “tumultuous in the KJV); and 51:5 (roar). The sense of the
word “growl” in 59:11 is that the sins of the people have made their lives so miserable because there is no
justice or salvation, society is left in an uproar and its citizens growl or roar in their agony. It is similar to the
reason why the people “moan sadly like doves.” King Hezekiah complained of his sickness and said he
moaned like a dove, Isaiah 38:14. The prophet Ezekiel described the people’s reaction to God’s wrath upon
them, “But if any survivors do escape, they will be on the mountains like doves of the valleys, all moaning
each one for his own sin.” Ezekiel 7:16. The growling and moaning of the people of Judah can both be for
the complaint of their situation, where there is no justice or salvation, and also as a confession of their
sinfulness that brought about God’s punishment upon them. Because of the wickedness of the people of
Judah, the justice they had looked for, Isaiah 58:2; was not present and salvation they had wanted was far
from them. Justice is a major theme of Isaiah chapter 59, verses 4, 8, 9, 11, 14 and 15, as is righteousness,
verses 9, 14, 16 and 17. In 59:11, Isaiah combines the lack of justice, Hebrew mishpat, and salvation, Hebrew
yeshuah, resulting from the people’s sinfulness.
The word salvation, Hebrew yeshuah, is of considerable importance. Moses had warned God’s covenant
people that there would be no one to rescue them, with words similar but not the same to that of Isaiah 59:11.
Moses declared in Deuteronomy 28:28-29, “The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and with
confusion of heart, 29 and you will grope around at noonday as the blind grope in darkness. You will not
prosper in your endeavors and you will be oppressed and robbed continually, but there will be no one to
rescue you.” The “salvation” sought by the people in Isaiah 59:11 could be understood as a rescue from their
enemies. However, it is likely this salvation is of far greater significance because of the emphasis in chapter
59 of justice and righteousness and the fact that Isaiah speaks of spiritual salvation in the immediate context,
59:15b-21. The Lord will bring salvation, 59:15b-19 and He will send a Redeemer to His covenant people in
Zion (a future reference), 59: 20. The Lord also punctuates the spiritual sense of this salvation with a clear
reference to the new covenant in 59:21 including the role of the Holy Spirit who will be upon His people as
an integral aspect of the new covenant.
59:12 For our transgressions are multiplied before you,
and our sins testify against us.
Our transgressions are with us,
and as for our iniquities,
we are well aware of them:
Isaiah begins a listing of the sins of God’s covenant people, including his own, in 59:12 and extending to
59:15a. It is these sins that have brought so much misery to them and have resulted in God’s judgment upon
them so that there is no justice, righteousness or salvation among them. Their miserable condition is a direct
result of these sins which the prophet now confesses. In 59:12, three descriptive words and phrases of these
sins are stated. Two of four English words in 59:12 describing sin come from the same Hebrew word, pesha.
Although some may want to group all of these words as just a general description of the sinfulness of the
people, Isaiah purposely listed them, and it is useful for the student of the Scriptures to pause and take careful
note of the meanings of each word. First, their transgressions have been multiplied before God and are with
us. Transgressions is the Hebrew word pesha, which is derived from pasha, also meaning to transgress. To
transgress is to rebel against God with actions that are offensive to Him. The first occurrence of pasha in
Isaiah is in 24:20:
617…..Isaiah 59:12-13
The earth will stagger like a drunkard,
it will sway like a hut in a storm;
its transgression will be heavy on it,
it will fall and not get up again.
Isaiah 24:20, gives a sense of the “weight” of the rebelliousness of the inhabitants of the earth against their
Creator which will result in the wrath of God against them and judgment upon the earth. See also 50:1; 57:4;
58:1 and 59:12. God, however, is loving and gracious and will remove (blot out) the guilt of these
transgressions, 43:25; 44:22, through the expiatory (atoning) cross work of the Servant, the Messiah; 53:5
and 53:8. Isaiah in 59:12, describes transgressions as being multiplied before God. The word “multiplied” is
the Hebrew word rabab, which also has the meaning of numerous, many and much. See also (selected verses
only): Genesis 6:1; Psalm 3:1; Isaiah 22:9; and Jeremiah 5:6.
The second descriptive word for the sinfulness of God’s covenant people in Isaiah 59:12 is “sins.” The
Hebrew word chattah which is derived from chata has the meaning of “to miss the mark” or fail to live up to
the righteous standard of God. It is a very common word in the Old Testament, often translated as sins,
purify, and a sin offering. Isaiah states that the sins of the people testify against them. These sinful actions are
well known to God and are the root cause of why God will not bring justice, righteousness and salvation to
them.
The third descriptive word for sinfulness is iniquities. Isaiah confesses that the people of Judah are well
aware that they are committing iniquities against God. Iniquities is the Hebrew word awon, meaning twisted
or bent and is also translated in the Old Testament as guilt and punishment. The most significant occurrence
of awon in Isaiah, is recorded in Isaiah 53:5, 6, and 11 where the iniquities of the inhabitants of the world and
specifically of the covenant people of God are put upon the suffering Servant, the Messiah who bears them as
He becomes, in the future for Isaiah’s time, an atoning sacrifice on their behalf. The Messiah would take
upon Him these iniquities and assume the punishment for these iniquities that the guilty rightly deserve to
bear. The righteous One, thus becomes a sin offering who appeases the wrath of God so that those who
believe in Him will have the punishment for their sins removed and they will be called “justified” by God.
See notes for Isaiah 53:5, 6 and 11 for an expanded discussion.
59:13 rebelling and denying the LORD,
turning away from following our God,
talking about oppression and revolt,
conceiving and uttering lies from the heart.
As recorded in Isaiah 59:13, the prophet continues to confess the sins that he and the people of Judah had
committed. There are several verbs Isaiah uses to explain the wicked behavior of God’s covenant people.
First, the people have been rebelling against the LORD. “Rebelling” is the Hebrew word pasha which is
translated as “transgressing” in many English versions. See comment on pasha in the notes for 59:12 above.
Rebelling is a very apt description of the heart condition of these people for it reveals the root of their
wickedness. The Scriptures attest that the heart of man is wicked, (selected verses only): Genesis 6:5; Psalm
28:3; 73:7; Proverbs 6:18; Isaiah 32:6; Jeremiah 4:14; 7:24; 16:12; 17:9; Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21; and
Luke 6:45. From this root of a deceitfully wicked heart spring all kinds of evil which results in open rebellion
against God. Isaiah could well be confessing this on behalf of all God’s covenant people and all of humanity.
Second, the people of God have been denying the LORD. Denying is the Hebrew word kachash which occurs
only in this verse in Isaiah. It also has the meaning of deceiving, lying and being hypocritical. Examples of
the meaning of kachash can be found in Joshua 24:27; Psalm 81:1; Proverbs 30:9; Jeremiah 5:12 and Hosea
618…..Isaiah 59:13 and 14-15a
4:2. Third, the people of God have been “turning away” from following their God. The words “turning away”
is translated from the Hebrew word sug, which also has the meaning of backsliding, moving away and
turning back. Scriptural examples of sug occur in, Psalm 78:57; Proverbs 14:14; Isaiah 42:17; 50:5 and
Zephaniah 1:6. An excellent example of this word also occurs in Psalm 53:3:
They all have turned away;
they all have become corrupt;
there is no one who does good, not even one.
(Psalm 53:3)
Fourth, Isaiah confesses that he and his people sin against God by “talking about oppression and revolt.”
They speak openly about oppressing and revolt in their relationship with each other and with God. There is
no righteousness in their midst, and it is implied from this statement that what they speak about actually
happens. The people had been oppressed from their enemies in the past, Isaiah 52:4, when various enemies
assaulted them, and the people will be oppressed again in the far future, 51:13, 23. But they have not learned
from their past history of the evils of being oppressed, for they do so to each other and also revolt against
civil and religious authority. But, most significantly, they have revolted against their God. Revolt is the
Hebrew word sarah which also has meaning to rebel and to turn one’s back on God, similar to the preceding
phrase in 59:13. The word sarah also occurs (selected verses only), in Deuteronomy 13:5; 29:32; Isaiah 1:5;
31:6 and Jeremiah 28:16;
Fifth, Isaiah confesses the he and his people sin against God by conceiving and uttering lies from their hearts.
God had indicted them of telling lies, 59:3 and Isaiah here acknowledges this sinful behavior by his
confession. The beginning of lying to each other and to God is in the heart where sins of all kinds are
conceived, as God also reminded them in 59:4. That which is conceived also gives birth, 59:4 to uttering,
which is the Hebrew word hagah which also has the meaning of moaning, growling and even meditating.
Isaiah also used the word hagah as translated in the DASV in, 8:19 (mutter); 16:7 (mourn); 31:4 (growls);
33:18 (obsess); 38;14 (moan); 59:3 (mutters); and 59:11 twice (moan and sadly).
59:14-15a Justice is turned back,
and righteousness stands far off;
truth has stumbled in the street,
and uprightness cannot even enter.
15
Truth is lacking;
anyone who rejects evil makes themselves a target.
Isaiah summarizes the results of the sinfulness of God’s covenant people in 59:14-15a by stating that justice
and righteousness are turned back and stand far off which is exactly the situation of this evil society that
Isaiah stated when he began his confession in 59:9. The wicked thoughts from their hearts which gave birth
(conceived) to all kinds of evil has resulted in a complete lack of justice, righteousness, uprightness and truth
among the people. The society from the regal, civil and religious leadership to all citizens were so corrupt
that anyone who dared to speak out against or reject evilness was made a target by others who were
immersed in this wicked behavior. The people had sunken so low in wickedness that there was no peace
among them, Isaiah 48:22; and 57:21; and no hope of salvation for them, 59:11.
Also, there was no one to vindicate them or intervene for them, 59:16. Their plight was hopeless with no
escape from their wickedness. What could be done for them? Fortunately, they had a faithful God who kept
His covenant with His people, and who would by Himself, in His own power, bring salvation to them by
providing a Savior who is called a Redeemer in 59:20. Also God would institute a new covenant with them
619….. Isaiah 59:15b-16
with the promise that the Holy Spirit would be upon them and that God’s very words would be with them
forever, 59:21. Hope, help and healing were to come from their loving and gracious Creator who promises
that He will never leave them for all eternity.
C: 59:15b-21 The Salvation That Only God Can Provide
Following God’s indictment of the wickedness of His covenant people, 59:1-8; and their acknowledgment of
their wicked behavior and the confession of their sins against God, 59:9-15a; Isaiah reveals God’s response
which is to provide salvation through a Redeemer who will come to Zion and God also promises a new
covenant which involves the ministry of the Holy Spirit upon those who participate in the new covenant.
Verses 15b-21 of Isaiah chapter 59, contain some of the most exalted salvation language found anywhere in
the Old Testament. This section begins with what the LORD saw, vs. 15b which refers to the immediate
context of the great confession of rebellion and sinfulness by His covenant people. What the LORD also saw
was that His people were in need of someone to vindicate them and intervene for them, vs. 16. Since there
was no one eligible or righteousness to accomplish this task, He brought salvation to them by His own power
and strength, vss. 16-17. These verses should not be understood as God only perceiving, as if by surprise, this
lack of someone to intervene for His people. This need of an intervenor was something God had foreseen in
eternity past. See notes on vss.15b-16. God not only brought salvation but brought due punishment for His
enemies, vss. 17-18; so that God’s glory and the fear of His great name would be known in all nations of the
earth, vs. 19. The bringing of salvation was through a Redeemer, the Messiah who, in the far future will
come to Zion, to those who turn from their sin, vs. 20. Also, God promises to establish a new covenant with
His people which will involve the ministry of the Holy Spirit, vs. 21.
The setting of these verses is clearly in the far future, in the days just prior to and during the millennial
kingdom. See comments by John A. Martin, Isaiah, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament,
page 1114, and by Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer, Isaiah, The Moody Bible Commentary, Isaiah,
pages 1095-96 and David L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly – March 1946.
59:15b-16 The LORD saw it,
and the fact that there was no justice displeased him.
16
He saw that there was no vindicator,
and was amazed that there was no one to intervene.
Therefore his own arm brought salvation to him;
his righteousness supported him.
The beginning of this grand statement of salvation, Isaiah 59:15b-21, is a declaration form the prophet that
“the LORD saw it.” What did the LORD, Yahweh see and when did He see it? The LORD saw the repentant
hearts of His covenant people and He also saw the catastrophic conditions that their sinfulness had brought
upon their society, as the next phrase reveals: “that there was no justice displeased him.” The LORD sees
everything as Proverbs 15:3 indicates: “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch upon the evil
and the good.” See also 2 Chronicles 16:9; Jeremiah 16:17 and Zechariah 4:10. It is not that the LORD just
happened to take the time to look upon the condition of His covenant people and it “surprised” Him to see
their deplorable condition. The context of 59:15b-21 is that, God as a divine warrior, had a plan for providing
salvation which He executed to perfection. God knew from eternity past that He would need to have His only
unique Son, to come to earth to be slain as an atoning sacrifice on behalf of His created people, Revelation
13:8 and Matthew 25:34. It was His divine plan which He had purposed from before the creation of the world
to bring this salvation. Although the words, “the LORD saw” may be perceived as a result of the wickedness
620…..Isaiah 59:15b-16
of His covenant people, His “seeing” was eternal for He always has seen and continues to see all things that
have happened and will happen throughout all eternity.
The LORD saw what “displeased” Him. The wickedness of the hearts of His covenant people had resulted in
an unjust and unrighteous society in which evilness “reigned” and any who sought to do turn away from
wickedness were preyed upon by those besotted in their evilness. God hates evil in any context. He hated evil
in the garden of Eden; in the entire world in Noah’s days; in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah; in the
society of the heathen nations populating Canaan; in the conduct of King Saul; in the society of the Jewish
people from their first days and continuing up to the end of the tribulation period; and in the conduct of all
the world’s people today. The wicked conduct of humanity has always displeased Him, and He had a most
gracious and loving plan to deal with this evil.
As recorded in Isaiah 59:16, God also “saw” that there was no “vindicator” (DASV), who could intervene on
behalf of His covenant people. The setting for this specific time will be during the far future days of the
tribulation when some of His people will be living in rebellion against Him in Israel and many of them will
be scattered throughout the nations. This people will not have anyone to defend their cause. The phrase in the
DASV, “there was no vindicator” is better translated “He saw that there was no man” as in the KJV, NKJV,
ESV, NASB and similar in the NIV. God was looking for a man to “intervene” on behalf of His people. The
word “intervene” is the Hebrew paga, which is also translated as “to meet”, “to encounter”, “to plead,” and
“to entreat.” The word paga also occurs in Isaiah in 47:3 (spare); 53:6 (has laid); 53:12 (intercession) and
64:5 (meet). This word has its most profound usage in Isaiah 53:6 and 12 but is extremely significant in
59:16 as an indication of what the Lord was seeking. He was (will be) looking for someone during the
chaotic days of the tribulation to stand up and plead for His covenant people, to defend their cause and fight
their enemies. There were a few such men in the past, such as Abraham, Moses, David and Daniel, but they
were the exception. The Lord told the prophet Ezekiel that, “The people of the land have committed extortion
and robbery; they have oppressed the poor and needy, and have deprived the foreigner of justice.30 I sought
for a person among them, who would build up the wall, and stand in the gap before me for the land, so that I
would not destroy it; but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:29-30.
As in Ezekiel’s days, so it will be in the future, there will be no one who will stand to intercede for the
covenant people of God, and all peoples of the earth. They would, because of their wickedness have no hope
of salvation unless God took the initiative and provide salvation for them. Isaiah states in 59:16b that
“therefore his own arm brought salvation to him.” The ESV translates this phrase as “Then his own arm
brought him salvation.” The NKJV has “Therefore His own arm brought salvation for him.” Salvation was
both a plan and a work of God. It was an act that He alone accomplished through the atoning sacrifice of His
Son during His first advent and will be applicable for all who believe in the Son, including the faithful
remnant of God during the tribulation period. God’s provision of salvation will also, during this same period
be accompanied by His judgment as 59:17-19 reveals. Isaiah stated in 59:16 that God’s “righteousness
supported (upheld, sustained) him.” God was absolutely in the “right” to provide salvation when there was no
one else to intercede on behalf of His people and all other peoples. God’s righteousness is totally apart from
the righteousness of humanity. Within God’s righteousness there is room for divine grace that reaches down
into the pit of human depravity to eternally rescue those who, by their own actions, are walking on a wide
path to hell.
God’s provision of salvation is said to be provided by “his own arm.” God does not have a physical arm or
hand. See for example notes on Isaiah 30:30, 32; 40:10; 41:10; 50:2; 51:5, 9; 52;10; 53:1; 59:1; 62:8; and
63:5. Isaiah uses anthropological language to describe the mighty power of God who neither needs arms nor
military armor but is described with these terms so that His people can easily understand that God possesses
621…..Isaiah 59:17 and 18-19
great and mighty strength that is unsurpassed within all of His creation. A similar expression occurs in Isaiah
63:5 but on this occasion, it is the returning Messiah Who, as a divine warrior, accomplishes salvation.
I looked, but there was no one to help;
I was shocked that there was no one to lend support.
Therefore my own arm brought me salvation,
and my wrath sustained me. (Isaiah 63:5)
59:17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
and a helmet of salvation on his head.
He put on garments of vengeance,
and was clothed with zeal as a robe.
With words that are similar to that of the Apostle Paul as recorded in Ephesians 6:13-17, as indeed Paul
quoted from Isaiah 59:17 in Ephesians 6:14, Isaiah describes the armor God wore along with garments of
vengeance and a robe of zeal in His fight as a divine warrior to bring salvation and defeat His enemies.
Similar “warrior language” was used earlier by Isaiah, 40;10; 42:13; 51:9; and 52:10 and would be used
again in 63:1-6. As mentioned above in the notes for 59:16; God does not need external armor to defend
Himself when He comes as a warrior to bring His righteous judgment upon the wicked. He also does not
need weapons, and Isaiah did not describe any weapons that God used in His warfare of vengeance against
those who have rebelled against Him. Vengeance is the Hebrew word naqam, which also occurs in Isaiah
34:8; 35:4; 47:3; 61:2 and 63:4. Vengeance is the righteous reaction of God against those, including His
covenant people, who have had the privilege of knowing Him or receiving blessing from Him, but have
rebelled against Him by disobeying Him and walking contrary to His way. The prophet Micah stated, “I will
execute vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations that have disobeyed.” Micah 5:15.
Also, in Isaiah 59:17, the prophet describes God’s warrior clothing as being “clothed with zeal as a robe.”
Zeal is the Hebrew word qinah which is often translated as jealously. The word qinah also occurs in Isaiah
9:7; 11:13; 26:11; 37:32; 42:13; and 63:15. The sense of God’s burning zeal (jealousy) is found in Psalm
79:5-7 as a request from God’s covenant people for God to avenge them from the nations that have
devastated Judah.
How long, O LORD?
Will you be angry forever?
Will your jealousy burn like fire?
6
Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you,
and on the kingdoms that call not on your name.
7
For they have devoured Jacob,
and laid waste his dwelling. (Psalm 79:5-7)
59:18-19 According to their deeds, so he will repay;
wrath to his adversaries,
and punishment to his enemies;
even to the distant coastlands he will repay them.
19
So they will fear the name of the LORD from the west,
and revere his glory from the rising of the sun.
For he will come like a rushing stream,
that the wind of the LORD drives on.
622…..Isaiah 59:18-20
When the LORD provides salvation in the far future, 59:15-16, He will also exact His vengeance, 59:17 upon
His adversaries and enemies. This will be a worldwide event as 59:18 clearly states. Those who are His
enemies and adversaries deserve this righteous punishment because they have rebelled against Him. The
Apostle Paul stated, “For even though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God, or give thanks to him;
but became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.22 Claiming to be wise, they
became fools,23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for images resembling corruptible man,
birds, four-footed animals and creeping things.” Romans 1: 21-23. The wicked deserve the wrath of God and
will have no peace, Isaiah 48:22; and 57:21. God will “repay” them for their evilness and they will reap what
they have sown, which will be God’s righteous and just punishment. God will be preparing the earth for the
millennial kingdom of His Son, the Messiah who is depicted as the suffering Servant in the writings of
Isaiah. God will in His great wrath, punish those who refuse to give Him glory and obey Him through
trusting in His Son, Psalm 2:10-12. Isaiah had earlier in chapters 13-27, declared God’s judgment upon the
nations, including the people of Israel and Judah.
One result of God’s judgment upon the earth, is that the peoples of the world will fear the name of the
LORD, Yahweh and revere His glory from east to west, 59:19. See also Psalm 72:19. God’s judgment and
punishment will come to the earth like a rushing stream, unstoppable and inevitable for He drives it along. A
prophetic picture of this judgment is seen in Isaiah 63:1-6, where the prophet reveals that it is the returning
Messiah who will exact this punishment. It is the Messiah who will be “marching in the greatness of his
strength,” 63:1 and who has enacted His judgment upon the wicked, “I stomped them in my anger and
trampled them in my wrath,” 63:3 Also the Messiah states, “I trampled down the peoples in my anger, and
made them drunk with my wrath, and I spilled their lifeblood on the ground,” 63:6. The Messiah will, as
Yahweh’s Servant, enact this righteous punishment upon all the wicked who are alive at the end of the
tribulation. See also Revelation 19:11-21. The earth will be purged of the wicked who have opposed God and
have killed His saints, Revelation 19:2. Only those who have trusted in the Messiah and have repented of
their sins will populate the messianic kingdom when it is established.
59:20 "A Redeemer will come to Zion,
and to those in Jacob who turn from their sin,"
says the LORD.
The Redeemer who will come to Zion is identified in Isaiah 63:1, “It is I, who announces vindication, mighty
to save.” He is the One whom Isaiah had earlier discussed as the Servant, 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and
52;13-53:12. He is the One who is given as a covenant to the people, 42:6 and 49:8. He will be a light to the
nations, 42:6 and He will bring God’s salvation to the ends of the earth, 49:6. The One to come is called a
“Redeemer,” Hebrew ga’al, who will be the savior of His kinsmen, their family redeemer. He will come to
the place the Lord loves, to Zion, Psalm 87:2. He will come “to those in Jacob who turn from their sin.” The
long sad story of the Jewish people will have a glad ending. They had continually rejected God’s prophets
whom He had sent to rebuke them for their sinfulness and to exhort them to turn to God and walk in His
ways. They had rejected God’s Son when he came to be their Savior and incited the Roman authorities to put
Him to death. God had warned them that they would need to repent, Leviticus 26:40-42, and Jeremiah 3:11-
18. God told them He would not return to them unless they acknowledged their sin and earnestly seek Him,
Hosea 5:15-6:3. They would mourn for the one they had pierced, Zechariah 12:10 and He would not be seen
among them unless they confess, “blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” Matthew 23:37-39.
The setting for the Redeemer coming to Zion is during the events of what one Biblical Scholar has called the
“Campaign of Armageddon,” when the armies of Antichrist will surround the faithful remnant of the People
of God and they will be without hope and face annihilation. When they are faced with death, they will
acknowledge their national sin of rejecting the Messiah during His first advent and confess their sins and ask
623…..Isaiah 59:21
the Messiah to return to save them. Then the Messiah as the Redeemer will come to Zion, Isaiah 59:20. See
Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah, Ariel Ministries Publisher, 2004; Chapter 14: The
Campaign of Armageddon and the Second Coming of Jesus the Messiah.
59:21 "As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD,
"my Spirit that is on you,
and my words which I have put in your mouth,
will not depart out of your mouth,
nor out of the mouths of your children,
nor out of the mouth of your children's children,"
says the LORD, "from now to forever."
Isaiah 59:21 is one of the major statements regarding the new covenant in the Old Testament. It is not
accidental that this statement is placed in the context of the second coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ when
he comes to bring His righteous judgment upon the wicked of the world, to save His covenant people from
the armies of Antichrist and to establish His millennial kingdom. In this context, the prophet, under God’s
divine inspiration, as for all of Isaiah’s writings, reveals that God will establish His covenant with them. The
description of this covenant is consistent with the other descriptions of the new covenant recorded in the Old
Testament. The primary passages, along with Isaiah 59:21 are Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 37:26-28.
Other references to the new covenant in the Old Testament include, Isaiah 42:6; 49:8; 54:10; 55:3; 61:8;
Jeremiah 32:40; 50:5; Ezekiel 16:60; 43:25; and Hosea 2:18. A careful study of these passages reveals that
God makes promises to His covenant people that are as yet unfulfilled as clearly stated in Isaiah 59:21, “my
words which I have put in your mouth, will not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouths of your
children, nor out of the mouths of your children’s children, says the LORD, from now to forever.” Other
similar promises occur in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 37:26-28. The triune God is involved in all aspects
of the new covenant. The Father, Yahweh, is the holder of the covenant. The Son of God, the Messiah is
given as the covenant to His people, Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8 and the Holy Spirit will be upon them, Isaiah 59:21.
In the Old Testament, the new covenant which is eternal, Isaiah 59:21; 61:8; Ezekiel 37:26, is made between
God and His covenant people, the house of Israel, Jeremiah 31:33. The new covenant embraces the
Abrahamic covenant, a blessing to all nations and the Davidic Covenant, with the promise that David, God’s
servant will be their prince forever, Ezekiel 37:25. The participation in the new covenant will be on the basis
of the law of God which will be written on the hearts of His covenant people, Jeremiah 31:33. God will thus
give them a “new heart.” The greatest promise of the new covenant is that Yahweh will dwell with His
people, and He will be their God and they will be His people for His sanctuary will be in their midst forever,
Ezekiel 37:37-28 and Jeremiah 31:33. See also Revelation 21:3 which confirms the new covenant formula,
“I will be their God and they will be my people.” This verse also confirms that He will dwell (tabernacle)
among them forever.
The New Testament states that the promise of Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8 that the Messiah, the Servant will be
given as a covenant to the people, is revealed as being in the blood sacrifice of the Messiah, Jesus Christ,
Luke 22:20; and 1 Corinthians 11:25. The Apostle Paul revealed that he and others were servants of the new
covenant, 2 Corinthians 3:6. Although the new covenant was a covenant between God and the people of
Israel, Jeremiah 31:33, there is a relationship to the new covenant with all believers in the Messiah, for Jesus
Christ is the mediator of the New covenant, Hebrews 9:15 and 12:24.
The connection between the promises of the new covenant made to the people of Israel and the revelation in
the New Testament that the new covenant has a relationship to all who believe in the shed blood of Jesus
Christ for salvation. This has caused much confusion in the minds of Biblical scholars and students and all
who seriously study the Scriptures. If the new covenant was between God and the people of Israel, what role
624…..Isaiah 59:21
does the church today have in participating in the new covenant? An excellent resource that discusses in
detail the new covenant in the Old and New Testaments is Dispensationalism, the Church and the New
Covenant, by R. Bruce Compton, The Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal, 8 (Fall 2003), pages 3-48. Compton
concludes: “the view that the church presently participates in the new covenant while national Israel fulfills
the new covenant in the future is the most satisfactory interpretation of the biblical evidence.” Page 48.
There is debate about whether the Lord has already given His Spirit permanently to all His people, but there
is no question that He has not yet made His people the witnesses that they should be. He has given the Spirit
to Christians, but not to all Israelites (cf. Joel 2:29). Christians are relatively ineffective witnesses now, but
Israel will be a faithful witness in the Millennium (Jer. 31:33-34; Ezek. 36:27b). Israel will witness to the
greatness of Yahweh and will draw the nations to Him (cf. 2:2-3; 60:1-3). This is the purpose for which He
will redeem them.” See Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 303)
Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer comment on 59:20-21:
God declares that He will be the Redeemer who will come to Zion. Therefore, those who turn from
transgression in Jacob will experience God’s salvation (v. 20). Paul the apostle quotes this verse in
Rm 11:26, depicting the day when Israel turns to the Lord Jesus for deliverance prior to the second
coming of Christ. When the entire nation repents, then all Israel will be saved. At that time, God will
enact the new covenant (cf. Jr 31:31-34) with Israel that will guarantee God’s presence with the
nation throughout her generations (Is 59:21). The permanence of the Spirit and the Word among the
people speaks to the promise of ongoing faithfulness and of the removal of sin. (Michael Rydelnik
and James Spencer, Isaiah, Moody Bible Commentary, page 1096). (bolded words in the original
text).
Michael Vlach presents an excellent (extended) discourse on Paul's Use of Isaiah 59:20-21 in Romans 11:26-
27
“Isaiah 59:20-21 in Context
The last two major sections of Isaiah are chapters 49-57 and 58-66. Isaiah 49-57 focuses on the
coming Suffering Servant who will vicariously atone for the sins of His people. We now know that
Jesus is this Suffering Servant. Isaiah 58-66 then focuses on the glorious kingdom blessings that will
come to Israel and the world. Israel will be restored, and the nations of the earth will then bless Israel.
Together, these two sections focus on salvation and kingdom. So when Isaiah 59:20-21 will speak of
the Lord’s salvation of Israel, the backdrop of this truth is the work of the Suffering Servant.
Isaiah 59 is a strategic chapter since it addresses: (1) Israel’s sin (vv. 1-8); (2) Israel’s national
confession of guilt (vv. 9-15a); (3) the Lord’s rescue of Israel (vv. 15b-19); and (4) the salvation of
Israel and Israel’s inclusion into the New Covenant (vv. 20-21). Starting with Isaiah 59:15b, the Lord,
who is presented as Israel’s interceder, is said to be displeased that there was “no justice” and “that
there was no one to intercede” for Israel. So He decides to act alone on Israel’s behalf against the
nations. This interceding on Israel’s behalf will include both national deliverance from Israel’s
enemies and spiritual salvation for Israel from her sins.
Isaiah 59:16-19 emphasizes the coming wrath of God against the nations, even distant nations—
“Wrath to His adversaries, recompense to His enemies; to the coastlands He will make recompense”
(59:18). This is clearly a physical deliverance from oppression. This also is the message of Zechariah
625…..Isaiah 59:21
14 and Isaiah 63:3-6 which speak of the Lord’s physical deliverance of Israel from her enemies. Also,
in the New Testament Zacharias declared that the coming Messiah (Jesus) would bring “Salvation
from our enemies” (Luke 1:71). He also said that in fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant God
would “grant us that we are being rescued from the hand of our enemies” (Luke 1:74).
Yet in addition to national deliverance from enemies, the “Redeemer” of Isaiah 59:20 is also a Savior
from sin. Much of Isaiah 58-66 concerns Israel’s sinfulness and Israel’s national confession of sin.
Isaiah 59 began with, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save” (v. 1). That this
includes salvation from sin is supported by the fact that Isaiah 59:1-15a is all about Israel’s sin and
confession of sin. So the “Redeemer” of verse 20 is more than a deliverer from oppressing nations He
is also a Savior from sin. This Redeemer is also the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 52-53 who “bore the
sin of many and interceded for the transgressors” (53:12). Also, this “Redeemer” comes “to those
who turn from transgression in Jacob” (59: 20). So the Redeemer’s coming to Zion is linked with
forgiveness of sins in Israel.
This salvation that the Redeemer brings is linked with Israel’s inclusion and participation in the New
Covenant—“‘As for Me, this is My covenant with them,’ says the LORD: ‘My Spirit which is upon
you. . . .’” (21a). The “My covenant” here most probably is the New Covenant. Jeremiah 31:31, 34
explicitly links the New Covenant with Israel’s forgiveness of sins. Ezekiel 36 also links the Holy
Spirit with the New Covenant—“I will put My Spirit within you” (Ezek. 36:27a). This inclusion of
Israel into the New Covenant is also linked with Abrahamic Covenant blessings since the New
Covenant is an extension of the Abrahamic Covenant.
In sum, Isaiah 59 reveals that Israel’s sin will one day be recognized by the people of Israel. When
this occurs, the Lord will act alone on Israel’s behalf to rescue Israel from her enemies. He also
comes to Israel with salvation, a salvation based on the work of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 52-53.
This salvation means inclusion into the New Covenant.”
Following a discussion on Paul’s use of Isaiah 59:20-21 in Romans 11:26-27, Vlach summarizes:
“Here Paul relies upon Isaiah 59:20-21a in a contextual way. The Isaiah passage predicted a coming
salvation of Israel as a corporate entity that reverses the nation’s unbelief and that is Paul’s point too.
The coming of the
Redeemer, who is Jesus the Messiah, will be linked with the salvation of national Israel and Israel’s
inclusion in the New Covenant. That is the message of both Isaiah and Paul. To compare:
Isaiah 59:20-21: Predicts a coming salvation of national Israel and inclusion of Israel into the New
Covenant.
Romans 11:26-27: Predicts a coming salvation of national Israel and inclusion of Israel into the New
Covenant.” (Michael Vlach, http://mikevlach.blogspot.ca/, accessed February 16, 2018 at 2:58 p.m.)
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 59
59:1-2 The Condemnation of Sin
59:3-8 The Conduct of Sin
59:9-11 The Consequence of Sin
59:12-15a The Confession of Sin
59:16b-21 The Conversion from Sin
626…..Isaiah 60:1-22 Introduction
3. The Glory of the Future Kingdom: 60:1-22
The last major section of the prophecy of Isaiah, chapters 58-66 is mainly centered on the return of the
Messiah: to save His people who have repented of their national sin of rejecting Him; to exact vengeance on
His enemies and to establish the millennial kingdom. In chapter 58 Isaiah dealt with the sins of God’s
covenant people during days of fasting on the Sabbath day and the rewards for these people if they
righteously observed these days. In chapter 59, the prophet declared God’s indictment on the sins of the
people on all occasions, the acknowledgment of their sinfulness and a confession of these sins, and God’s
response which was: to provide salvation by His own power and initiative, to bring righteous retribution on
the wicked and to reveal more details about the new covenant, especially the role of the Holy Spirit in this
covenant. In chapter 60, the current chapter to be studied, Isaiah reveals details about the establishment of the
millennial kingdom including the glory of the Messiah and the kingdom, the gathering of the Faithful
remnant to Zion, the role of the nations in this gathering of God’s covenant people and the transition of the
millennial kingdom into the eternal state. These themes will also continue to the end of Isaiah’s writings.
Chapter 60 of Isaiah has three major sections. Vss. 1-9 describe the glory of the millennial kingdom and the
gathering of God’s covenant people to Zion. Vss. 10-16 describe the role of the nations in the establishment
of God’s covenant people to Zion. Vss. 17-22 describe the prosperity, peace and perpetuity of the millennial
kingdom. In the first nine verses, the prophet calls upon God’s covenant people to stand (arise) and shine, for
the glory of the LORD, the returning Messiah has come to them and the nations of the earth will be attracted
to the Messiah and will come to Him, vss. 1-3. The people living in the land will observe that the faithful
remnant of God’s people will be coming to the newly established kingdom, bringing with them the wealth of
the nations, including many animals, vss. 4-7. Ships will come upon the sea from far nations carrying the
faithful remnant and great wealth. These coming people will honor the LORD because He has glorified His
people in His land, vss. 8-9.
The prophet describes, in the second section of chapter 60, that foreigners will rebuild the walls of Jerusalem
and foreign kings will serve God’s covenant people. The gates of the rebuilt city will be open continually so
that the wealth of the nations will be brought to Zion. Any nation that does not serve God’s covenant people
will be totally destroyed, vss. 10-12. The glory of Lebanon, its natural resources, will be brought to Zion to
the make beautiful, the sanctuary of the Messiah. The descendants of those who previously oppressed God’s
people will bow before God’s people and proclaim that Zion is the City of the LORD who is the Holy One of
Israel, vss. 13-14. No longer will the people of God be forsaken but will be made majestic by the LORD and
will be a source of joy for many generations. The kings of the nations will bring their best resources to Zion
so that all will know that the LORD is their Savior, Redeemer and the Mighty One of Jacob, vss. 15-16.
Isaiah, in the third section of chapter 60, describes the prosperity and peace that will come upon Messiah’s
kingdom. Valuable minerals will abound in the kingdom which will also be governed by a ruler (overseer) of
peace, vs. 17. Violence and devastation will no longer be present in Zion. God’s people will call its Salvation
and its gates Praise, vs. 18. When the transition between the millennial kingdom to the eternal state occurs,
the presence of the LORD will be so glorious that the sun and the moon will no longer be required for light
and the days of mourning will be over, vss.19- 20. God’s covenant people will finally be righteous, and they
will possess the land forever empowered by the LORD so that He will be glorified, vss. 21-22.
1: 60:1-9 The glory of the millennial kingdom and the gathering of God’s covenant people to Zion.
Isaiah 60:1-9, as does the entire 60th chapter of Isaiah, follow immediately in chronological order following
chapters 58 and 59. God’s covenant people will have finally recognized their sinfulness and will have
627…..Isaiah 60:1-2
confessed their national sin of rejecting the Messiah during His first advent. See notes on 59:20. The
Messiah, will return to the earth, at the end of the period known in the Old Testament as Jacob’s trouble
(distress), Jeremiah 30:7, and in the New Testament as the great tribulation. He will come to rescue His
people, destroy His enemies and to establish the millennial kingdom. Verses 1-9 of Isaiah 60 describe details
about this kingdom and the gathering to Zion, of the faithful remnant of God, from the nations of the world.
This is one of the most wondrous and exalted passage of God’s inspired Scriptures.
60:1 Arise, shine; for your light is come,
and the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.
The prophet calls upon God’s covenant people who are in Zion, per 60:14 to “arise, shine,” for their light has
come upon them. The glorious and majestic Messiah has now come to them to establish His earthly kingdom.
They are to arise or stand up, Hebrew qum, and not hide themselves but show themselves to the world. They
have nothing to fear, for the sons of their former oppressors and all who had despised them will bow down at
their feet, 60:14. They will stand free from oppression for no one can stand against them when they have
their Messiah with them. They are also to “shine,” Hebrew: or, which is also translated as bright or to give
light or to illumine. Examples of the light of the Lord occur in Psalm 31:16; 67:1; Proverbs 4:18-19; and
Ezekiel 43:2. They are to shine because their light, the Messiah is come to them and His glory is risen upon
them. The word “glory” is the Hebrew kabod, which Isaiah earlier had described as a display of God’s
Shechinah glory in Zion in “the day,” in the millennial kingdom, when the Branch of the LORD will be
beautiful and glorious, Isaiah 4:2-5. This glory was also manifest when a cloud divided the Israelites from the
approaching army of Egypt, Exodus 14:19-20. It was manifest in the cloud of glory, the Shechinah, which
appeared on Mount Sinai, Exodus 19:18, 24:17; and Deuteronomy 5:24. It was manifest in the tabernacle,
Exodus 40:34-38; Numbers 9:15-23; and 20:6; and in the pillar of cloud while the Israelites journey through
the wilderness, Numbers 14:14; Nehemiah 9:12,and 19. It was manifest during the dedication of the temple,
1 Kings 8:11; and 2 Chronicles 7:1, and when God resided in it, Psalm 26:8. It will also be manifest when the
faithful remnant will be gathered to Zion, Isaiah 58:8. This glory of the LORD also fills the earth, Numbers
14:21; Psalm 72:19; Isaiah 6:3; and Habakkuk 2:14; and the heavens Psalm 8:1; 19:1. Everyone will see the
Messiah’s glory when He comes, Isaiah 40:5. The covenant people of God will “shine” for they will reflect
the glory of the Messiah just as the face of Moses shone when He met with the Lord, Exodus 34:29-35.
60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth,
and deep darkness the peoples,
but the LORD arises on you
and his glory is seen over you.
The glory of the Messiah in itself and as reflected by His covenant people in Zion will shine all the brighter
because of the darkness that will be upon the earth during the distressing days of the tribulation and as the
Messiah is establishing His millennial kingdom. When the Messiah returns during this dark period, His
glorious appearance will be so bright that everyone will see it, Isaiah 40:5. Earlier Isaiah had described the
gloom of the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali which would see the glory of the Messiah, 9:1 and in 9:2 Isaiah
declares:
The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
on them the light has shined.
This describes the glory of the light of the Messiah of whom Isaiah declares in 9:6-7:
628…..Isaiah 60:2-4
6
For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given,
and the government will be upon his shoulders:
and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7
Of the increase of his government
and of peace there will be no end.
He will rule on the throne of David,
and over his kingdom,
to establish it,
and to uphold it with justice
and with righteousness from this time forth forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
Just as the darkness of sin had covered the land before the coming of the Messiah to Israel during His first
advent, so will the darkness and gloom be deeper as is covers the earth and its people prior to the Messiah’s
second coming. The Messiah however, will dispel the covering of darkness and gloom as He arises to rule
over His kingdom and His glory will be seen not only among but over His people who reside in Zion, which
will be called “The city of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel,” 60:14. The glorious appearing of the
Messiah will bring in an age of magnificent light upon the covenant people of God who reside in Zion and
upon all the peoples of the earth.
60:3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your radiance.
As the Messiah is beginning to set up His millennial kingdom, where He will reign on the throne of David,
Isaiah 9:7; the nations, Hebrew goy, which are the Gentiles, will come to the light of Zion who is the
Messiah. The kings, and leaders of these nations will come to Him who is “the brightness of your radiance.”
The people of Israel had looked for light, 59:9 and upon their acknowledgment and their confession of their
sin against their Messiah, He has come to be their light to which all nations are attracted. Isaiah, in a
millennial kingdom reference, had earlier exhorted his people to walk in the light of the LORD, 2:5. They,
who walk in darkness would see the great light of their Messiah, 9:2. The Servant who is the Messiah is
declared (appointed) by Yahweh, to be a light for the nations, 42:6 and a light to the nations 49:6. God’s
justice will be established as a light of the peoples, 51:4. The LORD, promised that when His people respond
to Him with righteous actions, their light will break out like the dawn and their righteousness would go
before them, 58:8. In the eternal state, the light of Yahweh will be everlasting and they will no longer have
need for the light of the sun or the moon, 60:19-20. It is not to any inherent light the people of Zion possess
to which that the nations and its leaders are attracted but to the light of the Messiah who is “the brightness of
your radiance.”
60:4 Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together and come to you;
your sons will come from far away,
and your daughters will be carried on the hip.
Attracted by the brightness of the radiance of the Messiah, which is the light of the people of Zion, the
nations will come to them and bring with them the faithful remnant of God’s people who will be scattered
throughout the nations of the earth. Isaiah often stated God’s promises that His faithful remnant will come to
Zion, 2:2-5; 11:10-16; 14:1-2; 43:1-7; 49:8-26; 56:8 and 66:20. God is the One who will bring His people to
629…..Isaiah 60:5-6
His city. The people who once oppressed them will carry the children of God’s covenant people as they
travel to Zion, 14:1-2; 43:6; and 49:22-23. This is not, as many Biblical commentators suggest, a return from
exile in Babylon, but a most glorious gathering from the nations following the distressing days of the great
tribulation as the reference to the wealth of the nations being brought to Zion, 60:5 most clearly reveals.
60:5 Then you will see and be radiant,
and your heart will thrill and rejoice;
because the abundance of the sea will be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations will come to you.
Those living in Zion at the time of the great gathering of the faithful remnant of God’s people, will witness
the most astonishing sight they have yet seen. The Gentile peoples who had previously oppressed the people
of God, will not only accompany God’s covenant people, but will actually be assisting them and even
carrying their young children. Another amazing sight will be seen. These Gentile peoples will also be
bringing the wealth of the nations and the abundance of the sea to Zion. The inhabitants of Zion witnessing
this most wondrous spectacle, will shine with radiance and their hearts will be thrilled as they rejoice of what
God is doing among them. The words regarding their heart, “thrill and rejoice” is literally “tremble and be
enlarged.” See NASB margin note. Compare with Psalm 34:5. Isaiah in 61:6 recorded, “You will eat the
wealth of nations, and in their glory you will boast.”
Gary V. Smith comments on Isaiah 60:5b-9:
“60:5b–9 A slightly different topic is introduced with “surely, it is true” (kî, omitted in NIV) in the
middle of v. 5. This introductory term assures the audience that all that the prophet says will happen.
The nations (mentioned already in 60:3) will not only transport people back to Jerusalem; they will
also bring gifts to Zion so that they can be presented to God. The amazing gifts they will bring to God
include things from all over the world. 60:5b refers to the “wealth” (NIV) from the sea and the
“riches” (NIV) of the nations, but the terms that describe these gifts are unusual. The first term
usually refers to the “roaring sound, noise, tumult” of large waves in the sea, of people talking, or of
God’s roaring (13:4; 17:12; 31:4; 33:3; 51:15), but in some contexts the semantic range of this term is
extended to include the idea of the “multitude of people” who are making this roaring sound as they
arrive (5:13; 16:14; 29:5, 7, 8). Thus this verse must refer to the multitude of people that will come
from far distant nations to Zion on ships of the sea. The second term can refer to the (a) great physical
strength of a person or God (2 Chr 26:13; Hab 3:19), (b) the strength or valor of a warrior, (c) an
army (1 Sam 16:18), (d) the moral strength or worth of a person (Ruth 3:11), or (e) the wealth of a
person (Gen 34:29). Verse 5b is thus an introductory summary statement that broadly categorizes the
things (“riches, wealth”) and many people (“the multitudes”) that will come to Zion.” (Gary V. Smith,
Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 616).
60:6 The multitude of camels will cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba will come;
they will bring gold and frankincense,
and will proclaim the praises of the LORD.
Isaiah continues to describe the wealth of the nations that will flow to Zion. This wealth will consist of beasts
of burden, camels and precious metal, gold and costly spice, frankincense. Victor Buksbazen comments:
630…..Isaiah 60:6-7
“One of the results of Israel’s restoration to divine favor will be a great increase in commerce with all
her neighbors.
The young camels” translated by the KJV’s as “dromedaries,” are actually young camels and not the
one-humped camels. In this verse a number of descendants from Ishmael are mentioned: Ephah is a
Midianite tribe (Gen. 25:4), the son of Keturah and Abraham. Most commentators believe that Sheba
is modern Yemen.
They come bringing their most precious gifts, gold and frankincense, proclaiming the praise of
Jehovah. The most significant aspect of this prophecy is the reconciliation of the Arab tribes with
Israel and their worship of Jehovah. This prophecy, together with Isaiah 19:23-25, indicates that in
Isaiah’s time there was a live hope and desire that Israel and her Arab neighbors might be reconciled
and worship together one God. The reference to gold and frankincense brings to mind the story of the
wise men from the East who brought gifts to the newborn child, Jesus, of gold, frankincense and
myrrh (Mt. 1:11).” (Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 457).
60:7 All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you,
the rams of Nebaioth will be brought to you for sacrifices.
They will go up as acceptable on my altar,
and I will beautify my glorious temple.
As well as camels, flocks including rams will be brought to Zion. They will come from Kedar, descendants
of the son of Ishmael, Genesis 25:13, who lived in the desert lands north of Syria and from Nebaioth, who are
the Nebateans, descendants of Nebaioth, also a son of Ishmael, Genesis 25:13. They lived in Arabia, Modern
Jordan in and near the modern city of Petra. The reason these flocks will be brought to Zion during the
millennial kingdom period will be for sacrifices, (Hebrew: sharath), on the altar of God which will be
acceptable to God for with them He will beautify (glorify) His glorious temple. There has been a continual
debate among conservative evangelical scholars, who hold to a consistent dispensational hermeneutic, as to
why there will be sacrifices during the millennial kingdom. Those who hold to an amillennial viewpoint
typically allegorize any references to sacrifices during the millennial reign of Christ for they posit that the “so
called” millennial reign of Christ is the current Church age and any references to blessings upon Israel are
fulfilled in the church, so they claim there is no need for sacrifices. Dispensational scholars who keep to a
consistent literal hermeneutic do not attempt to “explain away” the meaning of the Scriptures that refer to
these sacrifices, (see also Ezekiel chapters 40-48); nor do they employ allegory to explain them away.
Therefore, as the Scriptures attest to the presence of animal sacrifices during the millennial reign of the
Messiah, it is best to accept this as God’s desire without speculation as to an exhaustive definitive reason
why God desires them. Thomas Constable, who holds to a consistent dispensational hermeneutic, comments:
“Isaiah saw other nations, ancient enemies of Israel, bring offerings typical of their way of life.
Evidently there will be a literal temple and altar in Zion then (cf. Ezek. 40—43). The sacrifices
offered there will be for thanksgiving to God. God will glorify the millennial temple as the focal point
of worship at this time. Isaiah's vision of the future Jerusalem included a temple and altar (cf. v. 13),
but John's vision of the future Jerusalem excluded both (Rev. 21:22). The solution is probably that
Isaiah described the millennial city, and John the eternal city.” (Thomas Constable, Isaiah, page 306).
For a more detailed and excellent discussions see Ralph H. Alexander, Ezekiel, The Expositor’s Bible
Commentary, Vol. 6, 1986, pages 942-952, Lamar Eugene Cooper, Sr. Ezekiel, the New American
Commentary, comments on Ezekiel 43:13-46:24, pages 379-381, and Charles H. Dyer, Ezekiel, The Moody
Bible Commentary, pages 1268-1270.
631…..Isaiah 60:8-9
60:8-9 Who are these that fly like a cloud,
and like doves to their windows?
9
For the coastlands will expectantly wait for me,
and the ships of Tarshish will arrive first,
to bring your children from afar,
along with their silver and their gold.
They will honor the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel,
because he has glorified you.
Isaiah asks a rhetorical question in 60:8 as he sees in a vision those who are flying towards him as if they are
in a cloud and like doves to their windows. Some Biblical scholars understand that those coming to Zion are
“as thick as clouds” and remind Isaiah “of doves flying to their dovecotes.” See Thomas Constable, Isaiah,
page 306 and also Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 457. One scholar has a more futuristic understanding who
considers the reference to flying on a cloud to air travel; D.L. Cooper Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical
Research Monthly-March 1946. Geoffrey W. Grogan views this imagery as the people of Israel travelling on
Gentile ships and perhaps including Gentiles also travelling to Zion, Geoffrey W. Grogan, Isaiah, page 330.
Edward E. Hindson, also sees this imagery as referring to ships that are rapidly approaching Israel, Edward
E. Hindson, Isaiah, The King James Bible Commentary, page 852.
In Isaiah 60:9, the prophet records that, “the coastlands will expectantly wait for me.” Isaiah had earlier
expressed this phrase in 51:5:
My righteousness is near,
my salvation is gone out,
and my arms will judge the peoples.
The coastlands will expectantly wait for me,
and they will hope on my arm.
The hope of those who have trusted in their Messiah is that He would return for them. In the context of Isaiah
chapter 60 as in the preceding chapters, the setting is the end of the great tribulation and the establishment of
the millennial kingdom by the Messiah. Those who live in faraway places, described as the coastlands, have
waited in expectation for their Messiah and now He has come in His glorious light, 60:1-2. Those who are
from the far reaches of the Mediterranean Sea, Tarshish, will be the first to arrive on the shores of Israel, to
be followed later from those who live in more distant places, the coastlands. These ships will carry the
covenant people of God, the faithful remnant from the nations. The ships will also be carrying the wealth of
these nations, silver and gold, see also 60:5. As they are travelling and when they arrive in Zion, they will be
honoring the LORD who is their God and the Holy One of Israel. They will honor the LORD because He has
glorified His covenant people by His marvellous light, which is described in 60:3 as “the brightness of your
radiance.” It is not because the people of God have any glory in themselves that will be attracting the nations
to come to them. It is only because the glorious radiance of the Messiah has come upon them and it will be
the Messiah to whom the peoples of the world, both Jews and Gentiles are coming with their children and
their wealth. Those who had been their oppressors and captors will be bringing the faithful remnant of God to
worship their Messiah and these former tyrants will be coming with wealth as tribute to Messiah. See Victor
Buksbazen, Isaiah, pages 457-458.
632…..Isaiah 60:10
2: 60:10-16 The role of the nations in the establishment of God’s covenant people to Zion
Verses 10-16 of Isaiah chapter 60 describe the amazing role the Gentile nations will have in the
establishment of the people of God to Zion as the millennial kingdom of the Messiah is being established.
The horrific days of the great tribulation will have just ended. The leaders and others from many nations that
had oppressed and tormented the faithful remnant of the LORD will turn to the Lord and assist the Lord’s
people in the establishment of the kingdom. Those nations that will not serve God’s people will perish, vs.
12. Thus, at the beginning of the messianic kingdom, only those who trust in the Messiah will populate the
kingdom. Those from the Gentile nations that assist the covenant people of God will bow before them, vs.
14. The people of Zion will be a source of everlasting pride and a source of joy, vs. 15. The very best
resources these Gentile nations will be brought to Zion, vs. 16.
60:10 Foreigners will rebuild your walls,
and their kings will serve you.
For though in my wrath I struck you,
yet in my favor I have had mercy on you.
Upon arriving in Israel, and after assisting the faithful remnant of God and bringing their wealth and
resources to Zion, the leaders and others of the Gentile nations, foreigners will begin the task of rebuilding
the walls of Jerusalem. These walls and the temple will have likely been built by the Jews during the first half
of the tribulation period when the agreement, (covenant) with the Antichrist was in force. However, after the
Antichrist breaks his own agreement with the Jews, his armies, consisting of warriors from all nations will
converge upon helpless Israel and they will overrun the city, Zechariah 14:1-3; and Revelation 16:12-16.
This assault on Israel has been called the “Campaign of Armageddon,” by Arnold Fruchtenbaum. See chapter
14 in his book, The Footsteps of the Messiah, Ariel Ministries Publisher, 2004. This event will take place
immediately prior to the return of the Messiah to rescue His faithful remnant and destroy His enemies.
During the assault of Jerusalem, the walls and many other structures, including the newly built temple will be
destroyed. It should be noted that this assault on Jerusalem will be instigated by God, Zechariah 14:2, as a
judgment on His people who, even during the days of the tribulation, will continue to rebel against Him. The
leaders and others from the nations that will come against Jerusalem, will later be those who give of their
wealth and resources to Zion and will rebuild the city’s walls, and other structures. These Gentile leaders and
their people will also serve the people of Zion in other capacities.
Isaiah declares the word of the LORD, Yahweh in the second half of 60:10: “For though in my wrath I struck
you, yet in my favor I have had mercy upon you.” The wrath of God in striking His covenant people is
revealed in Zechariah 14:2. His favor by having mercy upon them is revealed in Isaiah 60:3-17. The word
“mercy” is the Hebrew racham, which is also frequently translated as “compassion.” This word also occurs
in Isaiah in 9:17; 13:18; 14:1; 27:11; 30:18; 49:10, 13, 15; 54:8, 10; and 55:7. Refer to the notes on these
verses. Isaiah had earlier declared in 54:7-8:
7
"For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great compassion I will regather you.
8
In overflowing wrath I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting love I will have mercy on you,"
says the LORD your Redeemer.
The prophet Habakkuk prayed that the LORD would have mercy when He enacted His wrath as recorded in
Habakkuk 3:2:
633…..Isaiah 60:11-13
O LORD, I have heard the report about what you have done,
and stand in awe, O LORD.
Revive your work in our time;
in the midst of these years make it known;
in wrath remember mercy.
The psalmist expressed a similar sentiment, as recorded in Psalm 78:38:
Yet he, being merciful, forgave their iniquity,
and did not destroy them;
many times he held back his anger,
and did not stir up all his wrath.
60:11 Your gates also will be open continually;
they will never be shut day or night,
so that people may bring to you the wealth of the nations,
with their kings leading the procession.
The prophet had earlier stated that nations will be bringing their wealth to Zion as the millennial kingdom is
established, 60: 5-9. The majestic ruler of the kingdom will be the Messiah, who will have for just one of His
magnificent titles, “the Prince of Peace,” Isaiah 9:6. There will be peace, safety and prosperity in all His
kingdom. These themes abound in the writings of Isaiah, 2:1-4; 4:6; 9:7; 11:6-10; 32:1-2, 17-18; 33:2-24;
35:1-10; 40:1-11; 41:12, 18-20; 45:17; 46:13; 52:7-12; 57:19; 60:1-62:12; 65:17-25 and 66:10-14. The
Prince of Peace will be resident in Zion and the gates of His capital city will always be open. However, He
will also rule the nations with a scepter of iron, Psalm 2:9 and Revelation 19:15. The inhabitants of the
kingdom will freely enter into Zion. Many who come will be kings, leading a grand procession of people
from their nations and will bring to the Messiah wealth from their nations. Isaiah had earlier declared this in
10:13-14; 45:14; 49:7, 23; 60: 3, 5, 10 and would again declare it, 61:6; 62:2 and 66:12.
60:12 For the nation and kingdom that will not serve you will perish;
those nations will be totally destroyed.
One aspect of the millennial kingdom that may be difficult for some to understand is that not only is the
Messiah the Prince of Peace, but He is also a just ruler who will not abide rebellion in any form and this will
result in the total destruction of any nation that does not submit to Him by serving His covenant people. As
mentioned above the Messiah, Jesus Christ will rule the nations of the earth during this kingdom period with
a scepter (rod) of Iron, Psalm 2:9 and Revelation 19:15. It may be that this destruction of these nations will
happen at the beginning of the kingdom age. The Messiah will destroy these nations to protect those who
inhabit the kingdom from any oppression or vindictive action by those who may oppose Him and His people.
Also, the nations will be required to go to Zion annually “to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to
celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles,” Zechariah 14:16. Those who do not do this will receive a just
punishment, Zechariah 14:17-19.
60:13 The glory of Lebanon will come to you,
the cypress, fir, and pine trees,
to beautify the place of my sanctuary;
and I will make the place of my feet glorious.
634…..Isaiah 60:13-14
As recorded in Isaiah 60:13, the prophet continues the description of the role that the nations will have in the
establishment of the millennial kingdom of the Messiah. From the bordering nation of Lebanon will come
majestic trees, “the cypress, fir and pine trees.” The wood from these trees will be to make the sanctuary of
the Messiah, “my sanctuary,” a beautiful place that will be suitable for the divine Ruler and will reflect His
glory as He is the Majesty over all of His creation including nature. The identity of this sanctuary is not
stated by Isaiah in this verse. However, the next phrase, “and I will make the place of my feet glorious,” does
provide a Scriptural reference to identify the sanctuary as the millennial temple. In 1 Chronicles 28:2, king
David stated, “Hear me, my brothers and my people. I wanted to build a house of rest for the ark of the
covenant of the LORD, and for the footstool of our God; and I began preparations for building it.” David
therefore identified “the footstool of our God” as the house of God which is the temple. The glory of the
millennial temple is stated in much detail in Ezekiel chapters 40-48.
60:14 The descendants of your oppressors will come bowing before you;
all those who despised you will bow down
at your feet,
and they will call you 'The City of the LORD,
Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
Isaiah in 60:14, reveals that those (their sons) who had previously oppressed the faithful remnant of God will
now come and bow before those they had oppressed. They will bow at the feet of the covenant people of God
not to worship them but to acknowledge God’s favor upon them and to give a visual demonstration that these
formerly oppressed ones are the people of God, who have a unique covenant relationship with Him. These
former oppressors will call God’s people, “The City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” The irony
of this is that, when the faithful remnant were held captive in the nations of the earth during the days of the
great tribulation and even prior to these days, they were made to bow before their captors. Now their captors
will come to bow before them and honor them. They will be called by the name of their LORD, Yahweh and
will be rightly identified as “Zion” the city that is beloved by the LORD. David L. Cooper comments on
Isaiah 60:13-14:
“The glory of Lebanon--the cedars of Lebanon, the most glorious of ancient days--will be given unto
Zion. All of the very best materials upon the face of the globe will be used in the reconstruction of the
Temple, as we learn from verse 13 of this chapter. The prophet, in speaking of the sanctuary,
declares, "I [Jehovah] will make the place of my feet glorious." Jehovah, then, according to this
prediction, will be there in person. This prediction is in perfect harmony with Ezekiel 43:7: "And he
said unto me, Son of man, this is the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet where I
will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile
my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom and by the dead bodies of their kings
in their high places." This passage is to be taken literally, at its face value. In keeping with all the
Scriptures is this one which foretells that Jehovah himself will be in Zion personally and will reign
there as her King. (See Zeph. 3:14-17.) At that time men will call Zion "The city of Jehovah, The
Zion of the Holy One of Israel." It will be thus named because Jehovah in person, the Messiah--the
Lord Jesus Christ--will reign there. Jerusalem therefore will be called the throne of Jehovah. (See Jer.
3:16, 17.)” (D. L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly – March 1946).
See also Isaiah 52:1. The prophet also stated in 48:2 that:
For they call themselves after the holy city,
and depend on the God of Israel.
The LORD of hosts is his name.
635…..Isaiah 60:15-16
60:15 Whereas you have been forsaken and hated,
with no one passing through you,
I will make you majestic forever,
a joy for many generations.
The nations had previously hated Zion and the covenant people of God and forsaken and oppressed them in
all the nations of the earth. People from these nations scorned Zion and refused to acknowledge its existence
by visiting it. This will be evident during the days of the great tribulation where Israel’s people will suffer
extreme persecution, and many will be killed by those loyal to Antichrist. These days are called “the time of
Jacob's trouble.” Jeremiah 30:7. If it had not been the intervention by the LORD, it is likely that the faithful
remnant themselves will not endure these days, as the last half of Jeremiah 30:7 states: “but he will be saved
out of it.” Revelation chapter 12 also reveals God’s provision of safety for His covenant people. Isaiah earlier
in 26: 20-21 had declared:
20
Go, my people, enter into your rooms.
Shut your doors behind you.
Hide yourself for a little while,
until his anger is passed.
21
For look, the LORD comes out of his dwelling place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their sin.
The earth also will reveal the bloodshed on her,
and will no longer cover her slain.
But in the days of the messianic kingdom, God will make His covenant people “majestic forever, a joy for
many generations.” In this, God is fulfilling His promise to Abram, as recorded in Genesis 12:3, that
“Through you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” See also Genesis 18;18; 22:18; Acts 3:25 and
Galatians 3:8. In this promise, God is also fulfilling one of the great provisions of the covenant that He made
with Abraham. The Abrahamic and Davidic covenants extend to the millennial kingdom and into eternity.
Those who will be blessed in the fulfillment of these covenants do so by first participating in the new
covenant by believing, for their salvation, in the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the Messiah who said, as
recorded in Luke 22:20, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.” See also 1
Corinthians 11:25.
60:16 You will also suck the milk of the nations,
and will suck at regal breasts.
You will know that I, the LORD,
am your Savior, your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Jacob.
With a common portrait of sustenance, Isaiah depicts the nation of Israel receiving the best of resources from
the nations and its kings. The nations are to give their very best as a tribute to the Messiah who will rule the
world from His throne (Davidic throne) in Zion. In a previous dispensation, sacrifices and offerings that were
acceptable to God had to be without blemish, Leviticus 22:21; Numbers 19:2 and Malachi 1:14. In the
messianic kingdom the offerings from the nations and their leaders will be of the highest value and quality
for they will be given in devotion and worship to the Messiah, who describes Himself as their Savior,
Redeemer and the Mighty One of Jacob. The latter half of Isaiah 49:26 contains the exact statement as does
the latter half of 60:16 affirming that the LORD is the Savior, Redeemer and the Mighty One of Jacob.
636…..Isaiah 60:16-17
The LORD, Yahweh is their Savior for He will eternally save His covenant people and all who believe in the
atoning work of the Servant, who is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is certainly a
spiritual salvation. The One, who is the Redeemer, is the kinsmen (family) Redeemer who also spiritually
redeems His covenant people, and all who will trust in Him, from the penalty of sin. The family of the
Redeemer had been unable to escape from certain eternal doom because of their sinfulness and rebellion
against God. God alone had to provide salvation for them, Isaiah 59:15b-17; and 63:5. The LORD also
describes Himself as the Mighty One of Jacob, Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132: 2, 5; and Isaiah 49:26; which is a
similar title to that of the Mighty One of Israel, Isaiah 1:24. This Mighty One, who is their redeeming
sovereign, will bring the wealth of the nations to Zion for it is a fitting tribute to Himself and gives glory and
honor to Him. This tribute of wealth will be of great benefit to the inhabitants of the messianic kingdom but
all who reside there should acknowledge that this wealth is not given because of any worth of significance
they have, but it is all due to their Messiah who has chosen to live among them and be their God. The
Scriptures declare The Messiah has also been appointed heir of all things, Hebrews 1:2; and that all things
were made by Him, Acts 17:24; Ephesians 3:9; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 4:11; and 5:13. Therefore, all
things belong to Him, so the wealth of the nations are a tribute to Him for this wealth rightfully belongs to
Him. See also Romans 11:36.
3: 60:17-22 The Prosperity, Peace and Perpetuity of the Messianic Kingdom
The third and final section of Isaiah chapter 60 describe some of the ways in which the Messiah will bring
prosperity, peace and perpetuity to His kingdom.
60:17 Instead of bronze I will bring gold,
and instead of iron I will bring silver,
and instead wood, bronze;
and instead stones, iron.
I will also make peace your overseer,
and righteousness your ruler.
For the building of His magnificent city, including His sanctuary, 60:13, the Messiah will bring to Zion
precious metals along with other costly metals to replace more ordinary and cheaper building materials. This
will result in a beautiful and glimmering city that will dazzle the eye to better reflect the glory of the resident
King. There will be no cutting corners to cut costs or no shoddy workmanship in this re-building project. The
Messiah will ensure the right materials will be used for He will bring them. He will also have righteous and
peaceful administrators to ensure the building process will be faithful to His plans. The temple in Zion will
be a most magnificent place as the prophecy of Ezekiel chapters 40-48 attest. The buildings will have the best
materials and will be of the best construction to ensure that they will last for at least one-thousand years. The
temple that will be built at the beginning of the messianic kingdom will be situated on Mount Zion, which
will be the highest and exalted of the world’s mountains and all people from all the nations will come to it,
Isaiah 2:2-3. Within the temple will be inscribed the names of those who are specifically designated by the
Lord, Isaiah 56:5 and it will be a glorious edifice, Isaiah 60:5, where offerings will be made to the Lord,
Isaiah 66:20.
Another aspect of the messianic kingdom in 60:17 is that the Messiah will make overseers and rulers
peaceful and righteous. The word “overseer” in the DASV is the Hebrew pequddah, which is also translated
as officers in the NKJV and KJV; as governor in the NIV; as administrators in the NASB and as overseers in
the ESV. The word “ruler” in the DASV is the Hebrew nagas, which has the literal meaning of “extractors”
(those who collect tax) This word is translated as extractors in the KJV, as magistrates in the NKJV, as ruler
in the NIV, as overseers in the NASB; and as taskmasters in the ESV. All of these English versions, except
637…..Isaiah 60:17-19
the NIV, have similar translations as the DASV in that, the Messiah will make peace their overseer (or
similar word) and also, He will make righteousness their ruler (or similar word). It is possible to understand
these phrases as the transformation by the Messiah of human governors from those who were once sinful,
corrupt and warlike to those who are now righteous and peaceful. The NIV translates these phrases as, “I will
make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler.” The NIV translations suggests that there may not
be any need for human rulers for the Messiah will ensure righteous and peaceful rule. Revelation 20:4 reveals
that resurrected saints will reign with Christ for the duration of the thousand-year messianic kingdom. See
also 1 Corinthians 6:2 and 2 Timothy 2:12. One major aspect that Isaiah is indicating in this statement by the
Lord, is that the rulership of God’s covenant people and others will dramatically change from corrupt
leadership, Isaiah chapter 57 and 59:1-15, to a righteous and peaceful governance, Isaiah chapter 60 and
following.
60:18 Violence will no more be heard in your land,
devastation or destruction within your borders,
but you will call your walls 'Salvation,'
and your gates 'Praise.'
Because of the righteous and peaceful rulership of the messianic kingdom, 60:17, violence and devastation
will no longer plague the covenant people of God and others who live in Zion. Some may point to the
uprising fueled by Satan, when he is released at the end of his thousand-year captivity, Revelation 20:7-9 as
contrary to this statement in Isaiah 60:18. However, this revolt will not invade into Zion but only surround
“the camp of the saints, and the beloved city.” Revelation 20:9. Thus the walls of Zion the beloved City of
God will be called “Salvation” and its gates will be called, “Praise.” This peaceful existence will then extend
forever into the eternal state. The most important theme of the prophecy of Isaiah is the Salvation of the
Lord. This is the prophet’s main message as it will extend far beyond the rulership of humans upon the earth
and into eternity. The salvation brought by God alone, Isaiah 59:16; 63:5 is the only way humans can co-
exist with God. God’s desire is to live with those who trust in Him and in His Son for He created humans for
this purpose so that they can righteously bring Him eternal glory. An indication of this is that the very gates
of Zion will be called “Praise.” The combination of salvation and praise is also seen in Exodus 15:2; Psalm
9:14 and 96:2 and is contained in a song of praise (implied), Isaiah 26:1. See also Jonah 2:9.
60:19-20 The sun will no longer be your light by day;
nor for brightness will the moon give light to you;
for the LORD will be an everlasting light for you,
and your God will be your glory.
20
Your sun will no more go down,
or your moon withdraw;
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and the days of your mourning will be over.
The prophet in Isaiah 60:19-20 picks up the theme of God’s light and glory from 60:1-3. The light from the
LORD is everlasting and signifies both salvation (the light to come is their Messiah who is the Savior) and
glory, Isaiah 60:1, 16b. In the beginning of God’s creation, He formed the sun and the moon to govern the
day and the night, Genesis 1:14-16. No life would exist on the earth without the sun and the earth would be in
total darkness without the light that shines from the sun to give light during the day and the sun’s brightness
is reflected off the moon to give light during the night. This has been an enduring creative act of God, Psalm
74:16; 104:19; and Jeremiah 31:35. However when the LORD, Yahweh extends the perpetuity of the
kingdom of the Messiah into the eternal state, He (Yahweh) and the Messiah (the Lamb) will be all the light
that is needed as also stated in Revelation 21:23, “The city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine on it,
638…..Isaiah 60:19-20 and 21
for the glory of God illuminates it and the Lamb is its lamp.” During the days of the messianic kingdom, the
sun and the moon will continue their purpose as God has intended, but when this kingdom is transitioned into
the eternal state, once all rebellion against God has been obliterated, then the works of the sun and the moon
will no longer be required. The light of God will also be the everlasting glory for His saints, 60:19 and His
light will completely remove all mourning, 60:20. Revelation 21:4 states, “He will wipe away every tear from
their eyes, and there will be no more death, nor will there be any more mourning, crying, or pain. The former
things have passed away.” With the dawning of the eternal state, the glorious LORD and the Lamb will be all
the saints will ever need. The saints will no longer grieve or be heartbroken nor will they mourn for any loss
for all the things and happenings that had brought them sadness will have “passed away” and will no longer
be remembered as Isaiah will later state as recorded in Isaiah 65:17.
60:21 Your people also will all be righteous;
they will possess the land forever.
I will plant them like a shoot,
the work of my hands,
that I may be glorified.
The people of the messianic kingdom, who will be transitioned into the eternal state, will not only will enjoy
the eternal benefits of having the LORD and the Lamb as their light, 60:19-20, but will also be righteous.
This righteousness is not derived from their own acts, for humans are incapable of acting in a righteous
manner that is acceptable to God. Those who are called “saints” have this title because they have received
through faith in the shed blood of the Savior, Jesus Christ, His imputed righteousness. This is implied in
Isaiah 45:24-25 but is explained in detail in Romans 3:21-26 and 2 Corinthians 5:21. See notes on these N.T.
verses in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament Edition, Editors: John F. Walvoord, Roy B.
Zuck, Cook Communication Ministries, 2004. See also the notes on these N.T. verses in The Moody Bible
Commentary, Editors: Michael Rydelnik and Michael Vanlaningham, Moody Publishers, 2014. See also the
notes on Isaiah 60:21 by Edward E. Hindson, in the King James Bible Commentary, Thomas Nelson
Publishers Inc. 1999, page 854.
Not only will “all” the inhabitants of the messianic kingdom that transition into the eternal state be declared
righteous, but they will possess “the land” forever. This is the land of promise which God told to Abraham,
Genesis 12:1-3, 7; 15:18; and 17:3-8; to Isaac, 26:2-5; to Jacob, 28:13-15; and 35:9-12; to Moses, Exodus
13:11; and 33:1; and of which Moses reminded God of His promise, Exodus 32:13. The future possession of
the land including Jerusalem and Zion is a major theme in Isaiah for it is an integral aspect of the messianic
kingdom, 4:3-6; 14:1-2; 26:1-4; 27:12-13; 35:10; 49:8, 14-26; 51:11; 54:1-17; 55:12-13; 57:13; 60:1-22;
61:1-7; 65:9; 66:8-9, and 19-23. This possession of the land will also include the transition into the eternal
state when God makes a new heaven and a new earth in which those of His covenant people and all others
who trust in Him for salvation, will live in the heavenly “land” forever.
Those who trust in Him for salvation including His covenant people and others will be planted in the land
“like a shoot.” This metaphor of planting will be the work of God’s hands which will be accomplished for
His glory. The ultimate reason for creation was for God to display His glory. Creation itself displays
(declares) His glory, Psalm 19:1. Also, God’s image bearers were created to righteously display and declare
His God to all creation. This righteous display and declaration of God’s glory through those who trust in Him
for salvation is evident in the covenants that He has enacted. This is also evident within the covenant formula
of “they shall be my people and I will be there God.” Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 37:23, 27; 2 Corinthians 6:16
and Hebrews 8:10. See also, Exodus 6;17; Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 7:23; 11:4; 24:7; 30:22; 32:28; Ezekiel
11:20; 14:11; 36:28; Zechariah 8:8 and 13:9. In the eternal state God will live or dwell (literally tabernacle)
among His people so they can eternally fulfill the purpose for which He created the heavens and the earth and
639…..Isaiah 60:22 and 61:1-11 Introduction
people, Revelation 21:3: “Look, the dwelling place of God is among humankind. He will live with them, and
they will be his people, and God himself will be with them.”
60:22 The little one will become a thousand,
and the small one a strong nation.
I, the LORD, will, in its time, accomplish this quickly.
In the messianic kingdom, God will completely fulfill the promise He made to Abraham in Genesis 12:2 that
from him, God will make a great nation. In the kingdom of the Messiah, those who are humble and meek,
(the little and the small) will increase abundantly and populate the kingdom. This is certainly the fulfillment
of the prophecy of Jesus the Messiah, as recorded in Matthew 5:5: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit
the earth.” The great increase in the population of the messianic kingdom is mentioned by Isaiah in 66:8:
Who has heard of such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Can a country be born in a single day?
Will a nation be born in a second?
Yet as soon as Zion went into labor,
she gave birth to her children.
The final promise of Isaiah chapter 60 is that “the LORD will, in its time, accomplish this quickly.” This time
will certainly come for it will be the time God has set for the dynamic increase in the population during the
reign of the Messiah. He will accomplish this quickly which will be to the amazement of all who witness this
event. Isaiah had previously declared other things the Lord will accomplish in His zeal, 9:7 and 37:32. The
accomplishments of the Lord are declared before they occur and will be certain of their completion.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 60
60:1-9 God’s Glorious Kingdom and His Gathered People
60:10-16 The Role of the Nations in Gathering the People and Building the Kingdom
60:17-22 The Prosperous, Peaceful and Perpetual Kingdom
4. The Messiah to Heal and Comfort the Afflicted: 61:1-11
As with chapter 60 and continuing to the end of chapter 62, Isaiah chapter 61 is a description of the messianic
blessings that will accrue to the land and to those who inhabit the millennial kingdom of the Anointed One
who is the Messiah. In the first three verses of chapter 61, the ministry of the Messiah is prophesized
comprising of His work that He accomplished during His first advent and continuing with the work he will
accomplish when He returns at His second advent to establish and rule His kingdom.
In the first section of Isaiah chapter 61, vss. 1-3, Isaiah, uses a number of infinitive verbs, to describe the
ministry of One who is anointed. As will be discussed in vs. 1, the identity of this Anointed One can be no
other than the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ for it is He Himself who claims this identity. In vs. 1 three
aspects of this ministry are revealed which relate to the Messiah’s first advent. In vs. 2, aspects four and five
of the Messiah’s ministry are revealed. The fourth aspect of this ministry relates to His first advent while the
fifth aspect relates to His second advent. In vs. 3, aspects six and seven are revealed which also relate to the
second advent of the Messiah.
640…..Isaiah 61:1
In the second section of Isaiah chapter 61, vss. 4-9, Isaiah provides a prophecy of the blessings that will
accrue to the people and the land during the messianic kingdom. The cities and walls that had previously
been destroyed would be rebuilt, vs. 4. Foreigners (Gentiles) will tend to the flocks and crops of God’s
covenant people, vs. 5, because God’s people will be busy as God’s priests and will be rewarded with the
wealth of the nations, vs. 6. God’s covenant people will receive a double portion of blessing and have
everlasting joy, vs. 7. The LORD who loves His people will make an everlasting covenant with His people,
vs. 8 and all who live during the duration of the messianic kingdom will realize that The LORD is blessing
His people, vs. 9.
In the third section of Isaiah chapter 61, vss. 10-11, the prophet proclaims on behalf of his people that
because of the future blessings of the messianic kingdom, that have been revealed to him by the LORD, he
will rejoice in the LORD and his soul will be joyful because God has provided salvation and righteousness
and Isaiah sees this like the adornment of a bride and bridegroom, vs. 10. The LORD, who is described as a
divine gardener, will “plant” His people so that His people will bear the fruit of righteousness and praise
before all the nations, vs. 11.
1: The Blessings of Messiah’s Ministry: 61:1-3
61:1 The Spirit of the sovereign LORD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me.
He sent me to preach good news to the poor,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and freedom to prisoners,
Students of the Scriptures may be puzzled to learn that many Biblical scholars, mostly liberal, suggest any
number of individuals as the identity of the one who is described in Isaiah 61:1, as the one whom the LORD
has anointed and who is tasked with the ministries revealed in verses 1-3 of this chapter. Even without the
evidence of the New Testament, Luke 4:18-19, which absolutely identifies the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ
as the speaker of the words of this prophecy, the tasks described in Isaiah 61:1-3, when examined carefully,
could only be performed by a divine person. The speaker declares an auto-biographical testimony of these
tasks which the sovereign LORD has given to him. The language of the speaker is so similar in content to
that of the so-called Servant Songs in Isaiah, 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11 and 52:13-53:12, that it is tempting to
assign 61:1-3 as another of the Servant Songs. Another possible addition to these Servant Songs is found in
Isaiah 63:1-6, where the speaker in that passage is obviously the Servant, the retuning Messiah.
With the clear identity of the speaker as the Messiah, which later revelation in Luke 4:18-19 confirmed,
Isaiah 61:1 is thus, one of the most outstanding declarations of the triune nature of God in all of the
Scriptures. The first phrase contains all three persons of the Godhead. It is the Holy Spirit that is mentioned
as the Spirit. He is identified as the Spirit of the sovereign LORD who is Yahweh. The LORD is the One
whom the Messiah reveals in the New Testament as His Father. The Spirit is also declared to be upon me
who is the speaker of these words. See also Isaiah 11:2: and 48:16. As the writings of the prophet Isaiah
indicate and as confirmed in the New Testament, this one described as “me,” can be no other than the
Servant, the Messiah who is the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit is declared by the Messiah to be upon me. As Isaiah had previously revealed, as recorded in
Isaiah 11:2:
641….Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the LORD will rest upon him,
the Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and might,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
It is the anointing by the Holy Spirit that enables the Messiah to accomplish the tasks given to Him by His
Father, Yahweh. It is the Father who will send the Spirit to anoint His Son, the Messiah to perform certain
assigned tasks so that the purposes of God, which will never be thwarted, will be completed. In the New
Testament, the portrait of the Spirit anointing the Messiah is seen in the passages that record the baptism of
Jesus as He begins His public ministry during His first advent, Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22
and John 1:29-34. The triune nature of God was also evident during the public baptism of the Messiah for the
Spirit descended upon the Son and the Father affirms the Son as He spoke from heaven.
The Tasks of the Messiah:
The Father is declared by the Messiah as the One whom sends the Messiah to perform certain tasks which are
stated in vss. 1-3 of Isaiah chapter 61. Although it could be acceptably correct to suggest that there are four
tasks described by the Messiah in vs. 1, many commentators understand that three distinct tasks are
mentioned.
The first task is “to preach good news to the poor.” The words “preach good news” is the Hebrew word
basar, which has the meaning of bringing or bearing a message, usually consisting of good news and also
occurs, for example, most prominently in Psalm 40:9; 96:2; Isaiah 40:9; 41:27; 52:7 and 60:6. The good
news that the Messiah is prophesized to proclaim, is the gospel that announces salvation. The Messiah’s first
and primary task is to bring or proclaim that, in Himself is salvation for all who will believe in Him, John
3:16, and in the wider context of John chapter 3. In the prophecy of Isaiah, salvation is a major theme which
starts with the meaning of Isaiah’s name: “The Lord is salvation.” This salvation, which is the good news that
the Messiah proclaimed during His first advent, will also be one aspect of His second coming, Isaiah 63:5.
The word “poor” is the Hebrew anav, which also has the meaning of afflicted, humble and meek. The care
and salvation of those who are “poor, afflicted, humble and meek” is a very precious ministry of the Messiah
as the following passages reveal (study the context of each verse for a better understanding): Psalm 10:17;
22:26; 25:9; 34:2; 37:11; 69:32; 76:9; 147:6; 149:4; Isaiah 11:4; and 29:9. The Messiah thus, preaches or
proclaims the good news of the gospel of salvation to those who are humble and meek in condition and
attitude and are physically and spiritually afflicted and are in need.
The second task is that The Messiah has been sent, “to bind up the brokenhearted.” The words “bind up” is
the Hebrew word chabash which has a few different meanings in the Old Testament. It is used to describe the
binding or wrapping of turbans of the priests, and as a saddle for riding donkeys. It is also used to describe
the binding up of wounds, Isaiah 30:26; Ezekiel 30:21; 34:16 and Hosea 6:1. In Psalm 147:3 both the binding
of wounds and healing of the brokenhearted are mentioned. The object of binding up is those who are
brokenhearted which is a metaphorical usage of this binding. The word “brokenhearted” is a combination of
two Hebrew words, shabar meaning broken and leb meaning heart. This combination occurs also in Psalm
34:18 and 147:3. See also Psalm 51:17; Isaiah 57:15; and 66:2. The Messiah had been sent by His Father to
heal (bind up) hearts that had been broken by sin and guilt, so they can be restored to spiritual health. The
salvific ministry of Jesus Christ during His first advent to bring salvation that heals sinful hearts, will
continue when He returns to establish His kingdom. Those who have had their hearts healed (bound up) will
be restored to fellowship with their Lord, so they can fulfill God’s purposes for them. The highest and
greatest good (purpose) for them is to declare forever His glory while He dwells (tabernacles) with them as
their God.
642…..Isaiah 61:1-2
The third task stated in Isaiah 61:1, is that the Messiah has been sent: “to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and freedom to prisoners.” During His first advent, the Messiah did not have a ministry of the opening of
physical jails or prisons, although the Apostles did experience this after the Lord returned to heaven, Acts
5:17-21; 12:6-19 and 16:19-34. In the Old Testament, the proclaiming of liberty to those held captive, was
observed at the year of jubilee, Leviticus chapters 25 and 27. See also Jeremiah 34:8-17. The ministry of the
Messiah, however, was to release those who were held captive by the bounds of sinfulness and rebellion. The
freedom that salvation brings is a releasing of the bondage of sin that enslaves the unsaved. It is also a release
from the bondage of spiritual blindness that Satan has brought upon those who are unbelievers in Christ, 2
Corinthians 4:1-6.
61:2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
The fourth task assigned to the Messiah by the LORD after being anointed by the Holy Spirit is described in
Isaiah 61:2 as “to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,” (DASV, NIV and ESV). Other versions have: “to
proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” (KJV and NKJV); The NASB has “favorable year.” In general
terms “the year of the LORD’s favor” is a time of salvation. In 49:8, the Servant, the Messiah proclaimed, “In
the time of my favor, I answered you; and in a day of salvation, I helped you.” See also 2 Corinthians 6:2.
Isaiah, in chapter 63, recorded these prophetic words of the returning Messiah, “the year of my redeemed
(redemption) has come,” 63:4. It is not that this is a literal year of 365 days. It is a time for the favor of the
Lord to be brought as salvation to those who will respond to the proclamation of the good news, 61:1. It is
described as a year in 61:1, and 63:4 and a day of salvation in 49:8. This “time” can be understood as
beginning with the first advent of the Messiah and continuing to His second advent. It does not mean that
salvation was not available at any other “time,” for salvation was always available for any who had faith in
God, Genesis 15:6 (Romans 4:3); Habakkuk 2:4 (Romans 1:17).
The task of the Messiah is to “proclaim,” which is the Hebrew word qara, which also occurs in 61:1. The
Messiah will proclaim that the year (time) of the LORD’s favor had come. This task was a major component
of the Messiah’s first advent. As recorded in Luke 4:16-21, Jesus Christ, entered the synagogue in Nazareth
and read from the prophet Isaiah, 16 He came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. As was his custom
he entered into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah
was given to him and he unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 "The Spirit of the
Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim
release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, 19 and to proclaim
the year of the Lord's favor.20 He rolled up the scroll, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The
eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 He began to tell them, "Today this scripture has been
fulfilled in your ears." (Luke 4:16-21).
This is an exceptional passage of Scripture, for it confirms that the speaker of Isaiah 61:1 is the Messiah, the
Lord Jesus Christ, thus attesting to the role of the triune God in the tasks assigned to the Messiah. It also is
significant for its revelation of where Jesus stopped His reading in Isaiah. He stopped after reading the first
phrase of Isaiah 61:2, “to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,” and did not read the next phrase, “and the
day of vengeance of our God.” The reason Jesus did not read this next phrase was to indicate the purpose of
His first advent, to proclaim salvation and release captives bound by their sinfulness. One scholar suggests
that in not reading the phrase regarding the “day of vengeance,” Jesus was indicating that He would not be
establishing His kingdom during the time of His first advent. See Edward E. Hindson, Isaiah, King James
Bible Commentary, page 855.
643…..Isaiah 61:2-3
The fifth task assigned to the Messiah, is stated in Isaiah 61:2 as to proclaim, “the day of vengeance of our
God.” It was not the task of Jesus Christ to enact His righteous vengeance on the people of the earth during
His first advent. In the days of His first advent, His primary objective was to be an atoning, sacrificial sin-
offering on behalf of all who would believe in Him, thus fulfilling the prophecy (among many others in the
OT), of Isaiah 52:13-53:12. It will be when the Messiah returns at His second advent to both proclaim and
enact “the day of vengeance.” This is vividly revealed by the prophet as recorded in Isaiah 63:1-6 and which
is also revealed in Revelation 19:17-21. The separation of the two advents of the Messiah was not revealed to
the prophet Isaiah. It would be revealed as revelation unfolded and God gave His inspired words regarding
two separate advents of His Son to the Apostles, who wrote of these events in their gospel accounts and in
their letters as recorded in the New Testament. David L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research
Monthly – April 1946. however suggests that “the day of vengeance of our God,” is the tribulation period
The sixth task assigned to the Messiah, is stated in Isaiah 61:2 as “to comfort all who mourn.” The days of
the tribulation will be days of great grief, destruction, turmoil, death and mourning. After the Messiah has
enacted the vengeance of God upon the earth, He will comfort those who mourn from the faithful remnant
who are God’s covenant people. He will comfort them by gathering them from the nations of those who have
enslaved and oppressed them, and bring them rejoicing to Zion, Isaiah 35:10, 51:11. The ministry of the
Messiah in comforting those who mourn is further explained in Isaiah 61:3.
61:3 to support those who mourn in Zion,
to give to them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of joy instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of the spirit of despondency.
They may be called trees of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD to glorify him.
The terrifying days of the tribulation will result in mourning throughout the earth and very particularly in
Zion. The last days of the tribulation will witness the assault by the enemies of the Messiah on Jerusalem.
The City will be captured, and many atrocities will occur at the hands of the armies of the Antichrist,
Zechariah 14:1-2. Zion will be in mourning also for the loss of many Jewish people who will have no hope
until they repent of their national sin of rejecting the Messiah during the days of His first advent and then
pleading for Him to return and rescue them. Zechariah 14:3-5 reveals the result of their confession and plea,
“3 Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations, as when he formerly fought on the day of
battle. 4 On that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is to the east of Jerusalem; and the
Mount of Olives will be split in two making a great valley from east to west. Half of the mountain will move
toward the north, and other half toward the south. 5 You will flee through the valley of my mountains; for the
valley of the mountains will reach to Azel. Yes, you will flee, like when you fled from the earthquake in the
days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.”
Many passages in Isaiah reveal how the Messiah will comfort His covenant people who are in mourning.
These include but are not limited to, 4:3-6; 14:1-2; 26:1-4; 27:12-13; 35:10; 49:8, 14-26; 51:11; 54:1-17;
55:12-13; 57:13; 60:1-22; 61:1-7; 65:9; 66:8-9, and 19-23. This comforting ministry of the Messiah is
described in 61:3 as first, to give them support. The new covenant formula, “He will be their God and they
shall be His people” will be realized. The LORD will be king over all the earth on that day, as revealed in
Zechariah 14: 9. Also Zechariah 14:11 states, regarding the newly established messianic kingdom that,
“people will live in it, and there will be no more curse; for Jerusalem will be secure.”
Second, the Messiah will give His covenant people, “a garland instead of ashes.” The word “garland” (also
NASB), is the Hebrew pe’ar (p’er) which can be translated as headdress or turban. This word also occurs in
644…..Isaiah 61:3
Isaiah 3:20 (headdresses); and 61:10 (adorns). The KJV and NKJV translate pe’ar as beauty, while the ESV
translates this word as “a beautiful headdress.” The intent of this phrase is that, instead of the ashes resulting
from the destruction which occurred during the tribulation, the LORD will adorn His people with beautiful
head coverings, like a garland.
Third, as stated in Isaiah 61:3, the Messiah will comfort those in Zion with the “oil of joy instead of
mourning.” In the Old Testament, those who are honored by the LORD have their head anointed by oil,
Psalm 23:5 and 45:7. Psalm 45:7-8 describes both the anointing with oil and the wearing of fragrant
garments:
7
You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness above your companions.
8
Your royal robes are scented with myrrh, aloes and cassia;
out of ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad.
Fourth, as stated in Isaiah 61:3, to continue the metaphors of wearing garments instead of mourning clothes
and ashes, the Messiah will give His covenant people “the garment of praise instead of the spirit of
despondency.” The phrase in the DASV, “the garment of praise instead of the spirit of despondency,” is
translated in the KJV and NKJV as “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” Despondency is
translated as “despair” in the NIV, as “fainting” in the NASB and as a “faint spirit” in the ESV. The word
“despondency” is the Hebrew keheh, which also has the meaning of dull, faint or dim. This word also occurs
in Isaiah 42:3 translated as “faintly,” in the DASV. The intent of the phrase is that for those who are in
mourning, the Messiah will replace their dim and faint spirits with praise that they will wear like joyful
garments.
Fifth, in Isaiah 61:3, the ministry of the Messiah to those of His covenant people, who will be in mourning
following the devastation of the tribulation, will result in the nations of the earth calling them “trees of
righteousness” which the LORD has planted to glorify Him. The word for “trees” is the Hebrew ayil, which
has the literal meaning of “terebinth” or as other versions translate it as “oaks.” Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah,
page 463 states that this phrase “conveys a meaning similar to “the pillars of righteousness.” The covenant
people of the LORD will be “planted” by Him to be “pillars of righteousness” so that they will glorify Him.
This will be the ultimate outcome of the Messiah’s ministry of comfort and support for His people who were
in mourning from the great distress of the tribulation. He will turn mourning into praise so that His great
name will be exalted by all peoples and nations of His coming kingdom. This “planting” of His covenant
people was promised to David as the LORD unfolded His covenant to him, 2 Samuel 7:10. The LORD
promised king David that He would “plant” them in the place (land) that He had appointed to them. In Isaiah
61:3, the testimony of the Messiah confirms this covenant promise and those who are His people can be
assured that what the LORD promised in 2 Samuel 7:10 and what the Messiah stated in Isaiah 61:3, will most
certainly happen.
2: The Blessings of Messiah’s Kingdom: 61:4-9
Following the declaration of the assigned tasks of the Messiah, the prophet next describes the role the
covenant people of God and others will have in the newly established messianic kingdom. The ancient ruins
and cities devastated for many generations and also by the destruction that will occur during the tribulation
will be rebuilt, vs. 4. God’s covenant people will be priests and ministers to Him while others will tend to the
raising of crops and animals, vss. 5-6. Those who once faced shame and dishonor among the nations will
receive a double portion of blessing in Zion where they will have everlasting joy. God will make an
645…..Isaiah 61:4 and 5-6
everlasting covenant (new covenant) with His people, vss. 7-8, and they will be known among the nations as
those the LORD has blessed, vs. 9.
61:4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins;
they will restore what was formerly destroyed;
and they will repair the wrecked cities,
devastated for many generations.
Upon the gathering of the faithful remnant from the nations to Zion, one of the first works to be
accomplished is the rebuilding of the ancient ruins and the cities that have been wrecked (ruined) and the
restoration of all that was previously destroyed. Some of these places and buildings have lain in ruins for
many generations.
During the days of God’s wrath upon the world, (the tribulation), the nations that had opposed God and
rebelled against Him will be destroyed, Isaiah 34:1-15. These nations will not be rebuilt for the Lord will
create a new heavens and a new earth. However, during the days of the messianic kingdom, the Messiah will
oversee the rebuilding of the cities and places in Israel that had lain in ruins for many generations and also
those that been destroyed during the tribulation. Both the covenant people of God and foreigners will be
involved in this process, Isaiah 58:12 and 60:10. Isaiah had also recorded the role of the Servant (the
Messiah), in this process:
This is what the LORD says,
"In the time of my favor, I answered you;
and in a day of salvation, I helped you.
I will protect you,
I will give you as a covenant for the people,
to restore the land,
to reestablish their desolate inheritances.
(Isaiah 49:8)
61:5-6 Foreigners will stand and feed your flocks,
and strangers will be your farmers and your vinedressers.
6
But you will be called 'the priests of the LORD;'
people will call you 'the ministers of our God.'
You will eat the wealth of the nations,
and in their glory you will boast.
Not only will foreigners, Hebrew zur, those from the Gentile nations, help to rebuild the cities and desolate
places of Israel, they will also tend to the raising of the crops and caring for the animals of God’s covenant
people, 61:5. See also Jeremiah 30:8-9. The reason the people of God will not tend to these chores is that
they will be assigned a very privileged role in the messianic kingdom. They will be priests and ministers of
the LORD. In this earthly kingdom, God’s covenant people will finally fulfill the promise of God recorded
in Exodus 19:5-6, Now therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant then you will be my special
possession from among all peoples. For although all the earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of
priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you will speak to the Israelites." See also Numbers 25:10-13,
which is known as the Priestly Covenant. In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:9 stated, “But
you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God's own possession, that you may
proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Many commentators
understand that Peter was assigning the role of the priesthood to the church. However, at least one Biblical
646…..Isaiah 61:5-6 and 7
scholar suggests that Peter had written his letter of 1 Peter to the remnant of Israel, so the words recorded in 1
Peter 2:9 refer to them and not to the church. See Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel’s Bible Commentary, The
Messianic Jewish Epistles, 1 Peter, Ariel Ministries Publisher, 2005, pages 342-343.
In times past, the priests of the Lord received donations (a tithe) from their fellow Hebrews as compensation
for their work of their ministry, Numbers 18:8-32. During the messianic kingdom, the covenant people of
God, the faithful remnant, will receive the donation of service of those from the Gentile nations who will
tend to their flocks and fields and will also bring to Zion, their wealth from these nations. The covenant
people of God will minister as priests to the Gentiles and will boast of God’s great goodness to them in
providing this wealth to them to enjoy. See Psalm 45:12; Isaiah 60:5, 11; 66:12; Micah 4:13 and Zechariah
14:14. The comments of one scholar are helpful in understanding this process:
“In Exodus 19:6, the children of Israel were called to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” In
appreciation of the material help and service of the converted Gentiles, the redeemed Jews will
minister to them as “the priests of the LORD.” The expression, “our God,” points significantly to the
sharing of the common faith, and the worship of the same God. The term “meshorthei” – “ministers”
– means servants who perform higher functions. The prophet sees Israel as the God-appointed
minister to the nations of the world.
The word translated “revel” (“boast” in the KJV), literally means “to take in exchange.” The thought
here is that Zion – Israel – will share her spiritual wealth with the nations, and in exchange will
participate in everything which is great and noble among the nations. We have translated “kavod” –
usually “glory” as “splendor.” It comes from a root which means “heavy or weighty.” It refers to all
that is truly meaningful and glorious.” (Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 463).
For an extended discussion of Isaiah 61:1-6 see Edward E. Hindson, Isaiah 61:1-6: The Spirit Anointed
Messiah and His Promise of Restoration, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, pages 983-996.
61:7 Instead of your shame, you will receive a double portion;
and instead of dishonor, they will rejoice in their land inheritance.
Therefore in their land they will possess double,
and have everlasting joy.
Because of their continual sin and rebellion against God, the covenant people of God were to receive a
double portion of punishment, Isaiah 40:2 and Jeremiah 16:18. This double portion of punishment likely
consisted of not only the (temporary) loss of their land and wealth but also of their royal lineage. They would
have to face both banishment to foreign nations which would oppress them and for those remaining in the
land, they would have to deal with oppressive foreign rulers over them. But God was merciful and would
look after His people whom He called His firstborn son, Exodus 4:22. The firstborn in Israel were to be
accorded a double portion of blessing, Deuteronomy 21:17. God will be merciful and would remember His
covenant with them and give them a double portion of blessing. Zechariah 9:11-12 states, “As for you also,
because of the blood sealing your covenant, I have set free your prisoners from the waterless pit. 12 Return to
the stronghold, you prisoners of hope; even today I promise that I will repay you double.” This double
portion would involve first, physical blessings of the reclamation of their land, Leviticus 26:40-45; and
Deuteronomy 30:1-20; including the receipt of the wealth of the nations and second, the glorious return of
their Messiah who will rule over them on the throne of David. For the receipt of this double portion of
blessing they will have everlasting joy.
647…..Isaiah 61:8-9
61:8 For I, the LORD, love justice,
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
I will faithfully repay them,
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
Because of the LORD’s holy and just character, which He describes in Isaiah 61:8 as loving justice and
hating robbery and wrongdoing, He will in His faithfulness “repay” His covenant people. This “repayment”
is described in 61:7 as giving them a double portion of blessing. The LORD, Yahweh also will make an
everlasting covenant with them. The LORD had made previous covenants with His people including those
with Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and with the priests and yet He was not finished with His covenants for
He promised to formulate an everlasting covenant with His people. This everlasting covenant refers to the
new covenant. Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer explain:
“God will make an everlasting covenant (v.8) with Israel, a reference to the new covenant (Jr 31:31-
34). The reason for this turn of events rests in God’s faithfulness to His covenant, which will bring
blessing to God’s people across their generations (vv. 8-9).” (Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer,
Isaiah, The Moody Bible Commentary, page 1097).
Although the new covenant was initially made with the people of Israel, it is mediated by the Messiah, Jesus
Christ. The LORD, Yahweh appointed the Servant, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to be a covenant to the people,
Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8 Jesus declared that the new covenant is in His shed blood Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians
11:25 and thus, all who have faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ for salvation, participate in the new
covenant. The covenant people of God, by their faith in their Messiah, participate in the new covenant as do
all others (the Gentiles) who have faith in Christ. Those who comprise the body of Christ, the Church
participate in the new covenant by believing in Christ for salvation which includes believing in the
substitutionary atoning sacrifice that Christ made by the shedding of His blood. Although the Church
participates in the new covenant, they do not completely fulfill it. The new covenant will be completely
fulfilled during the messianic kingdom, when God will fulfill all the promises He made to Israel that are
stated in the various new covenant statements.
61:9 Their descendants will be known among the nations,
and their offspring among the peoples;
all who see them will realize,
that they are the people the LORD has blessed.
When the Messiah returns to rescue His covenant people and establishes His millennial kingdom, His people
and their descendants will be known among all the peoples of the earth as those the LORD has blessed. The
covenant people of God will also be known at the people He has blessed when they receive the full
completion of all the promises of the Abrahamic, Davidic and new covenants. They will be in possession of
their promised land. They will be enjoying the benefits of having the wealth of the nations brought to them.
They will have others (the Gentiles) serving them by raising their crops and caring for their animals. They
will be worshiping in a magnificent temple. They will no longer need to learn about God for He will put
knowledge about Him in their hearts. They will be redeemed for they have put their faith in their Messiah.
But most significantly, they will have their Messiah with them, who will be sitting on the throne of David,
ruling over them and caring for them. For all of these reasons, (and more), all peoples of the earth will realize
“that they are the people the LORD has blessed.”
648…..Isaiah 61:10
3: The Blessings of Messiah’s Salvation: 61:10-11
In the final two verses of Isaiah chapter 61, the prophet rejoices in the LORD for the blessings of salvation
which includes righteousness, vs. 10. Isaiah also rejoices that the LORD will cause righteousness and praise
to “sprout up” before all nations, vs. 11.
61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
my soul will be joyful in my God.
For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom wears a turban like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Isaiah, expresses great rejoicing, following the declaration of the glories that will come to the kingdom of the
Messiah, including a double portion of blessing, 61:7 that includes land and wealth, as the first portion, and
the presence of the Messiah in their midst, as the second portion. The prophet also rejoices because God’s
covenant people will be priests who will minister to the nations, 61:6 and will be recipients of an everlasting
covenant (new covenant), from the LORD, 61:8, and all nations will know that they have been blessed by the
LORD, 61:9. The exclamation of rejoicing by the prophet is on behalf of his people, who will be joyful in
their souls, for the works of their God. The LORD has clothed them with garments of salvation and
righteousness comparable to the beautiful clothing worn by a bridegroom and his bride on their wedding day.
Gary V. Smith comments on the source of this rejoicing:
“The speaker emphatically declares his intention to rejoice (“rejoicing, I will rejoice”) and then
reemphasizes the point by describing how his soul will exult in “my God,” a term of endearment that
indicates a close relationship. The reason for this joyful response is “because” (kî) of what God has
done. Since God is the one who “has caused me to be clothed” with salvation, God deserves all the
credit for preparing this Anointed One to bring the gift of salvation to others. The garments of
salvation and robe of righteousness are metaphors (similar to the “clothes of vengeance” in 59:17)
that describe how God has empowered the person wearing the clothes to accomplish the task (61:1–3)
of establishing salvation. Having the character and the ability to grant salvation and righteousness will
enable the possessor of these qualities to deliver people from their former unrighteous state and will
prepare them to enter into God’s glorious kingdom.” (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 642-643).
The blessings of God to His covenant people are proclaimed by the prophet in a very beautiful portrait of
being clothed with garments of salvation and with the robe of righteousness. This clothing is also compared
to that worn by a bridegroom and a bride. In this depiction, Isaiah is declaring that the people of God have
been blessed with salvation through the provision of their God and as a result they “wear” the righteousness
of their Messiah, that God has imputed to them. This is the very core of the new covenant. Those who trust in
their Messiah for salvation will be declared justified and He will cover them with His own righteousness for
they have no righteousness of their own nor can they earn righteousness by any works. The Apostle Paul
would later expound on this marvellous work of God’s infinite grace of imputing righteousness to those who
have faith in His Son, the Messiah, Romans 3:19-22; 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Philippians 3:8-9. For a
discussion on the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the believer, see Henry Clarence Thiessen, Lectures
in Systematic Theology, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Revised Edition, 1983, pages 276-277.
649…..Isaiah 61:11 and 62:1-12 Introduction
61:11 For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
and as the garden causes things planted to sprout,
so the sovereign LORD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up
before all the nations.
Salvation and righteousness go together. In the bringing of salvation to the nations through the Servant,
Isaiah 49:6, righteousness will also arise. Righteousness will be planted by the LORD and it will “sprout up
before all the nations.” In the previous verse, 61:10, Isaiah, speaking on behalf of the covenant people of
God, rejoices that God has wrapped him, and his nation, with a robe of righteousness. Righteousness is a
common theme in Isaiah and in the Psalms, for example, in Psalm 85:11-13, the writer exclaimed:
11
Truth springs out of the earth;
righteousness looks down from heaven.
12
Yes, the LORD will give that which is good;
our land will yield its increase.
13
Righteousness will go before him,
and prepare a path for his steps.
(Psalm 85:11-13)
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 61
61:1-3 The Blessings of Messiah’s Ministry
61:4-9 The Blessings of Messiah’s Kingdom
61:10-11 The Blessings of Messiah’s Salvation
5. The Beautiful Land of the Messiah: 62:1-12
Chapter 62 continues the description of the blessings of the Messianic kingdom, that comprise much of
chapters 60-66. See notes on the introduction to chapter 60. Much discussion among Biblical scholars has
taken place regarding the “speaker” of chapter 62. It is true that the prophet Isaiah has written the words
recorded as chapter 62, but who is the one who is speaking the words that Isaiah has recorded? Some suggest
it is Isaiah himself, while others state it is Yahweh and others claim it is the anointed one, the Messiah. In
chapter 61, the identification of the speaker is easier to discern. In Isaiah 61:1-3, the speaker is clearly the
Messiah, and His discourse likely continues to 61:7. In 61:8-9 the speaker is identified as the LORD,
Yahweh. In the closing verses, 61:10-11, the speaker is clearly Isaiah. The identification of the speaker is not
as easily to discern in chapter 62. Without a detailed technical discussion, it is likely that Isaiah has recorded
the words that God has given him to speak and record. So, the “speaker” can be understood as the prophet
declaring the words of Yahweh. Isaiah chapter 62 consists of three sections which are the three main
paragraphs, vss. 1-5; vss. 6-9 and vss. 10-12. For the purposes of this study of Isaiah, chapter 62 will be
considered as a complete unit in itself. Vss. 1-5 of chapter 62 describe the beauty and righteousness of Zion;
vss. 6-9 describe the prayer and prosperity of Zion; and vss. 10-12 describe the Gathering to and Redemption
of Zion.
In the first section, vss. 1-5, the beauty and righteousness of Zion is described by Isaiah. The prophet in vss.
1-2 declares that the LORD will not remain silent about Jerusalem (Zion), until her righteousness and glory
are so bright, the nations and their kings will see it. Zion will also be called by a new name, that is revealed
in vs. 4. Zion will be a beautiful crown and diadem in the hand of the LORD, vs. 3. The new compound name
for Zion is revealed in vs. 4 as “My delight is in her” and “married.” This compound name is depicted in vs.
5 as Zion’s sons “marrying” the nation and God rejoicing over Zion.
650…..Isaiah 62:1-2
In the second section, vss. 6-9, the prayer for and the future prosperity of Zion is described. In vss. 6-7, Isaiah
declares that the LORD has appointed watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem and requests that those who
remind the LORD have no rest (compare vs. 1), until He makes Jerusalem “a praise in the earth.” In vss. 8-9
the future prosperity of Zion is described.
In the third section, vss. 10-12, the prophet describes the LORD’s call for the people, the faithful remnant, to
go through the gates and to build up a highway for them to use, vs. 10. The coming of salvation to Zion is
described in vs. 11 and in as stated in vs. 12, the result is that Zion’s people will be called: holy, the
redeemed of the LORD and a city not forsaken but sought after.
1: Isaiah 62:1-5 The Beauty and Righteousness of Zion
62:1 For Zion's sake I will not stay silent,
and for Jerusalem's sake I will not keep quiet,
until her vindication brightly shines forth,
and her salvation like a burning torch.
The topic of this chapter is introduced in the first phrase of Isaiah 62:1, “For Zion’s sake.” The entire
chapter is about Zion in the messianic kingdom and what the LORD intends for His beloved city. As
recorded in Isaiah 42:14-16, the LORD proclaimed that He had kept silent (held His peace) for a long time
but now was going to act on behalf of His covenant people to guide them from darkness into light. Isaiah also
records other instances where the LORD, who has previously been silent or away from His people, promises
to work for their security and salvation, 45:14-19; 57:11-20; 64:9-12; and 65:1-6. See also Psalm 50:1-3, and
21-23. Although God’s people had not called on Him and had become tired of Him, 43:22; and had said,
“The LORD has forsaken me, the LORD has forgotten me.” 49:14; God works tirelessly on behalf of them to
bring them to Zion and to bring them salvation. It could be said, the response of God, to the complaint of His
covenant people in 49:14, comprises the writings of Isaiah from 49:15 to 66:24.
The LORD will not keep silent until Zion’s “vindication brightly shines forth and her salvation like a
burning torch.” The word translated as “vindication” in the DASV is the Hebrew word sedeq, which is
translated as “righteousness” in most other English versions. However, one scholar suggests, “Righteousness
is here synonymous with the vindication of Israel before the nations of her world.” See Victor Buksbazen,
Isaiah, page 466.
Salvation and righteousness are often paired together in Isaiah, 45:8; 46:13; 51:5, 6, 8; 56:1; 59:16, 17; and
61:10. See also Psalm 98:2. Righteousness is the fruit or result of salvation. It is not that the residents of Zion
had or have a righteousness that is acceptable to God, but just as God provides salvation through the
Messiah, Isaiah 52:13-53:12, He also imputes the righteousness of the Messiah, Jesus Christ to His covenant
people and to all who trust in Him for salvation. The righteousness and salvation of Zion’s redeemed people
in the kingdom of the Messiah will be a light that brightly shines to illumine all the glories of God’s beloved
city and will be like a burning torch so that all nations and their kings will be drawn to it, for “Nations will
come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your radiance,” Isaiah 60:3.
62:2 The nations will see your vindication,
and all kings your glory,
and you will be called by a new name,
that the mouth of LORD will give you.
651…..Isaiah 62:2-3
As stated above in the notes for Isaiah 62:1; the nations will be so attracted to the brightness of Zion’s
righteousness that they and their Kings will come to them, Isaiah 60:3. The glory of Zion will be the presence
of the Messiah to whom all nations will come, when He sits on the throne of David in this royal city. The
residents of Zion will also reflect the glory of her Messiah. This glory will be seen by the residents of Zion
and by the inhabitants of the messianic kingdom. This theme of the glory of the Messiah is a major theme of
Isaiah, 4:2, 5; 6:3; 24:15, 16, 23; 26:15; 35:2; 40:5; 41:16; 42:8, 12; 43:7; 44:23; 58:8; 59:19; 60:1, 2, 19; and
66:18-19, and is seen as related to the light of the LORD in 58:8; 60:1, and 19.
The righteousness, vindication in the DASV, of the inhabitants of millennial Zion which will reflect the glory
of the presiding King, the Messiah, will result in another blessing for the city. Zion will be called by a new
name. In the life of the patriarch Jacob, one of the most intriguing events of his life happened when he
returned to Canaan from Paddan-aram and was preparing to meet his brother Esau whom he had deceived
and had taken to himself, what had been Esau’s birth right. Jacob was alone at night, before meeting with
Esau and the Scriptures state that he was alone and a “man” wrestled with Jacob until dawn, Genesis 32:24.
The identify of this “man” has been debated for generations. It may have been an angel whom Jacob had met
earlier, Genesis 32:1 or it may have been “the angel of the Lord” which is understood by many to be a pre-
incarnate theophany or appearance of the Messiah. Jacob must have been given superior strength for this
encounter for the “man” he wrestled with did not prevail against Jacob. The “man” touched the socket of
Jacob’s thigh so that it was dislocated. He also gave Jacob a new name, Israel and explained the meaning,
“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men,
and have prevailed,” Genesis 32:28.
In Isaiah 62:2, the prophet stated that the city of Zion would be called by a new name. This new name is
stated in 62:4. The new name for the people will be Hephzibah and the new name for the land will be Beulah.
See notes of 62:4 for a discussion on their meanings. It was not the only occurrence in Isaiah that Zion is
called a designated name. In 60:14, Isaiah declares that the descendants of those who had oppressed God’s
covenant people, will call the city, “The City of the LORD, Zion of the Holy One of Israel.” Also, in chapter
60:18, Isaiah states that Zion’s people will call Zion’s walls “Salvation,” and her gates “Praise.” See also
Isaiah 61:3, 6; Jeremiah 3:17; 33:16; and Ezekiel 48:35. The new names for Zion and its people signify the
glorious works of Yahweh on her behalf and the presence of the Messiah in her midst. These names could
only apply to Zion during the messianic reign for it is only at this time that all of her people, the covenant
people of God, will be redeemed and bear the righteousness of the Messiah. They will also have a glorious
role in this kingdom as Isaiah 61:6 states and 62:3 implies.
62:3 You will also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the LORD,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.
The LORD will so delight in the redeemed and righteous people of Zion that not only will He call His
beloved city by a new name, 62:2 but they will be as a “crown of beauty” and a “royal diadem” in His hand.
The crown stated in Isaiah 62:3 is the Hebrew word atarah, which has the traditional meaning of a crown to
adorn the head. The word diadem is the Hebrew tsaniph, which has the meaning of a turban which the high
priest wore, Zechariah 3:5. The crown is called beautiful and the diadem is called “royal” implying that God
has divine purposes for them. The fact that the LORD holds them first in His hand implies power, and
holding them in His palm, DASV hand, implies a holding out for view or display. See Edward E. Hindson,
Isaiah, King James Bible Commentary, page 856. In Isaiah 28:5, Isaiah uses similar terms to describe the
LORD of hosts but in 62:3 the covenant people of God are held in His hands as a display of His glory which
are in view by all the nations. The depiction by Isaiah in 62:3 of a royal diadem with the meaning of the
mitre (KJV) or turban of the High Priest may also refer to the role of the covenant people of God during the
millennial kingdom as priests to the nations. See notes on Isaiah 61:6.
652…..Isaiah 62:4-6
62:4 You will no longer be called "Forsaken;"
neither will your land any more be labeled "Desolate."
Instead you will be called Hephzibah [My delight is in her],
and your land Beulah [Married];
for the LORD delights in you,
and your land will be married.
As was stated in 62:2, a new name would be given to Zion and to its people. The covenant people of God
will be like a beautiful crown and royal diadem in His hands, 62:3. They were previously forsaken, Hebrew
Azubah, and their land was desolate, Hebrew shemamah, because of their sinfulness and rebellion against
God. See Isaiah 1:7-9; 5:9; 6:12; 13:9; 27:10; 49:8, 14, 19; and 60:15. Because the people will return to God
and repent of their national sin of rejecting their Messiah at His first advent and will ask Him to come back
and save them (the return of the Messiah is depicted in Isaiah 63:1-6), God will respond with salvation,
59:16; and 61:10 and with blessings of the new covenant, 59:21; and 61:8. Along with the new covenant
blessings of a new heart and a new Spirit, Ezekiel 36:26-27, God will give their land a new name. The
covenant people of God will be called Hephzibah which means “My delight is in her.” Also, the land of Zion
will be called Beulah which means married. Isaiah stated in 54:7-8, that God had previously forsaken His
covenant people, but will have mercy upon them. Also, Isaiah stated in 60:15, “Whereas you have been
forsaken and hated, with no one passing through you, I will make you majestic forever, a joy for many
generations.” Isaiah also declared that The LORD will permanently delight in His people, Isaiah 65:18-19.
The land of Israel will also be called “married” for as Isaiah explains in 62:5, the sons of the land will be
loyal to the land and rejoice over it as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.
62:5 For like a young man marries a virgin,
so your sons will marry you;
and like the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so will your God rejoice over you.
The land of Zion will be a particular source of joy to its inhabitants who will rejoice over it as a bridegroom
rejoices over his bride. Not only will the covenant people of God rejoice over Zion, but God Himself will
rejoice over His beloved city.
2: Isaiah 62:6-9 Prayer for the Future Prosperity of Zion
62:6-7 I have put watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
they will never be silent day or night.
You who remind the LORD, take no rest.
7
Give him no rest, until he re-establishes Jerusalem,
and makes her a praise in the earth.
In the second section of Isaiah chapter 62, the prophet states God’s intention of finally re-establishing
Jerusalem and making the city “a praise in the earth.” However, in God’s purposes and plans, He has set up
watchmen on the walls of the city who must never be silent and who must remind the LORD to not rest until
His purposes and plans are fulfilled. In 62:1, God stated that He would not be silent nor keep quiet until
Jerusalem’s righteousness and salvation are displayed like a blazing light (for all the nations to see). In 62:6-
7, God reveals that others will be involved in this process by continually reminding Him to accomplish this
task.
653…..Isaiah 62:6-7 and 8-9
There have been many suggestions as to the identity of these “watchmen” whom God will set up on the walls
of Jerusalem. Some have suggested sentinels who like traditional watchmen keep a vigilant watch and warn
the city when anyone approaches near to the walls. This may be a viable suggestion for in the next chapter of
Isaiah, the ones asking questions of the great One approaching them are likely watchmen. See also Isaiah
52:8. Others suggest that the watchmen are angels whom the LORD has given a perpetual watch and the
ministry of reminding God of His promises. Also, others suggest that it is the dual role of the prophets to
both watch over God’s people and invoke the LORD to fulfill His promises. The prophet Ezekiel was
appointed as a watchman, Ezekiel 3:16-21 who also often made pleas to God on behalf of the people.
It is not critical to identify exactly who God has appointed as watchmen. It is however, important to realize
that God allows the ministry of others to blend with His in the accomplishment of His great plans for His
creation, in this case for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem so that the city will become a praise in the
earth. See Isaiah 60:18 and 61:11. It is not that God needs to be reminded in case He would forget His
promises. But, it is a characteristic of God to desire the participation of His created people in His works on
behalf of the people. The participation here is prayer and pleading to Him to have no rest until Jerusalem
become a praise in the earth. This is also seen in the NT in the model prayer that the Messiah, Jesus Christ,
gave to all who believe in Him, Matthew 6:10-13. It is stated in Matthew 6:10, that believers are pray, “Your
kingdom come,” which is a plea to God to fulfill His promises to establish the millennial kingdom of the
Messiah, and to fulfill the promise that Jerusalem, representing this kingdom would indeed be a praise in the
earth.
The fact that God requests that His watchmen are to give Him no rest until Jerusalem is re-established and
the city becomes a praise in the earth, leads to many questions regarding the purpose of prayer. If God is
absolutely sovereign and will accomplish all His plans and does not require the “help” of anyone, then why
for example, does He seek anyone to remind Him (by prayer and pleading to Him) to accomplish His plans?
The “why” of this question may never be adequately answered this side of heaven. Some have made
excellent comments regarding this connection between God’s all-knowing and all-powerful attributes to
accomplish all that He plans and God’s command that we pray to Him so that He will accomplish His plans.
Millard J. Erickson, is one who has contemplated this issue and addresses it in his book, Christian Theology,
Baker Books, Second Edition, pages 430-431. Another who has written on this issue is Robert Duncan
Culver, in his book, Systematic Theology: Biblical and Historical, Mentor Imprint, Christian Focus
Publications, Ltd. 2013, pages 199-200.
62:8-9 The LORD has sworn by his right hand,
and by his mighty arm,
"I will never give your grain to be food for your enemies,
and foreigners will not drink your new wine
for which you have labored.
9
But those who harvest it will eat it,
and praise the LORD,
and those who gather it will drink it
in the courts of my sanctuary.
In the coming kingdom of the Messiah, the covenant people of God who will reside in Jerusalem will see a
reversal of what they will have to face in the days when they will be held captive in the nations of the earth
during the tribulation. In those terrible days they will work as slaves to cruel tyrants who oppressed them and
did not allow them fruits, for their own use, from their labors in the fields of agriculture. Those of God’s
people who will live in Israel during these days will also work in the fields and cultivate crops, but they also
will not personally benefit from what they will harvest. But, another day will dawn, when the covenant
654…..Isaiah 62:8-9 and 10
people will witness the destruction of their enemies by the returning Messiah, Isaiah 63:1-6. They will be
gathered from all nations where they had been oppressed and come to Zion rejoicing, (Isaiah 35:10; 51:11),
that the days of their captivity have ended. These days are often prophesized by Isaiah, 4:3-6; 14:1-2; 26:1-4;
27:12-13; 35:10; 49:8, 14-26; 51:11; 54:1-17; 55:12-13; 57:13; 60:1-22; 61:1-7; 65:9; 66:8-9, and 19-23.
They will be led in this return by their Messiah, Micah 2:13, as He comes triumphantly to His royal residence
and establishes His peaceful kingdom. In these glorious days, the covenant people of God will eat of the
harvest of the land. Foreigners (those from the Gentile nations) will raise their crops and attend to their
animals, Isaiah 61:5 as God’s people minister in the kingdom as Priests of the LORD, and will eat of the
wealth of the nations, Isaiah 61:6. All who harvest and gather the harvest (including the Gentiles) will praise
the LORD for the harvest and eat of this harvest in “the courts of my sanctuary,” which will be the courtyards
of the newly built millennial temple described in Ezekiel chapters 40-48.
God’s covenant people will have the certainty and assurance that these things will happen just as the LORD
said it would because He has guaranteed it, “The LORD has sworn by his right hand and by his mighty arm.”
Isaiah 62:8. The anthropological descriptions of God having a mighty (strong) arm and a right hand are
depictions of His great strength by which He accomplishes His plans and great works. In many places in the
Scriptures God is described in these terms. One of these is the magnificent and glorious description of the
Lord in Psalm 98:1-3:
1
O sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand, and his holy arm,
have won him the victory.
2
The LORD has made known his salvation;
his righteousness he has revealed in the sight of the nations.
3
He has remembered his loyal love
and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
For other descriptions of the mighty acts of God described in terms of His right hand and mighty arm see
(examples only, not an exhaustive list), Exodus 6:6; Deuteronomy 5:15; Psalm 18:35; 20:6; 44:3; 45:4;
48:10; 60:5; 77:15; 89:10; Isaiah 40:10; 41:10; Ezekiel 20:33-34; and Luke 1:51.
3: Isaiah 62:10-12 The Gathering to and Redemption of Zion
62:10 Go through, go through the gates;
prepare the way for the people.
Build it, build the highway;
remove the stones;
lift up the signal flag for the peoples.
The last three verses of Isaiah 62 are a preparation for the return of the Messiah described in Isaiah 63:1-6.
They do however, present an interpretative challenge. Some Biblical scholars suggest that the words of the
prophet refer to the marching out of the Gates of Babylon as the words of 62:10 seem to be similar with
Isaiah 48:20-21. However, Isaiah 62:10-12 could also be understood to be similar with 11:16; 19:23-24;
35:8-10; and 49:11-12 which refer to a highway that leads to Zion during the establishment of the messianic
kingdom. Biblical scholars do not have a cohesive agreement or understanding of which passages in Isaiah
refer best to the return of the exiles to Jerusalem from Babylon and those that refer best to the gathering of
the faithful remnant from the nations to travel to Zion to populate the newly established kingdom of Messiah.
655…..Isaiah 62:10 and 11-12
In this study of Isaiah, primary emphasis is given to the gathering of the covenant people of God to Zion
from the nations following the tribulation. The reason for this is the context of these passages. If the context
reveals that the travelling to Israel occurs during times when God’s glory is seen among all nations and
people and leaders of these nations are assisting the travelers to Zion, then it is best to apply these passages to
the days when Messiah is establishing His kingdom. In the context of chapter 62 and also 63:1-6, it is evident
that a far future time is indicated when the Messiah will return and Jerusalem (Israel) will be glorified and
blessed among all the nations of the earth. Therefore, Isaiah 62:10 should be understood as applying to these
far future days of the messianic kingdom rather than to the closer future days of the return of the exiles from
Babylon to Israel.
As a far future context of Isaiah 62:10-12 is understood when God’s faithful remnant are being gathered to
Zion, the words of 62:10, “Go through, go through the gates,” seem best to refer to those living in Zion who
are exhorted by God to exit the gates of Jerusalem and prepare a highway for all those who will be streaming
to Zion from the nations of the world. They who exit these gates are also to lift up a signal flag or banner to
indicate the way those who are travelling to Zion should come. It is possible that several signal flags or
banners will be required. The region surrounding Zion will be littered with the remains of the great armed
conflict against Israel. Machines and armaments of war and the remains of the dead will be so dense and
compacted together that it will be necessary to construct a highway with signals and banners to point the way
to Zion. A major battle is described in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 during which a leader described as “Gog”
will lead a mighty army, Ezekiel 38:15-16 against God’s people Israel. The battle described in Ezekiel 38 and
39 will result in the defeat of Gog’s army by God, with so many being killed that the people of Israel will
take seven months to bury the dead in order to clean the land, Ezekiel 39:12. Also the weapons of war used
by Gog’s forces will be used for fuel by the people of Israel for a period of seven years, Ezekiel 39:9.
There is much debate from conservative Biblical scholars as to the timing of this battle. There is no
consensus as to when it will occur although many suggest that it will occur sometime during the seven-year
tribulation period. Although this war, described in Ezekiel 38-39 may not fit exactly with the details of the
conflict of Armageddon, the timing of it may precede the battles that will be fought during the conflict of
Armageddon. However, if the conflict described in Ezekiel 38-39 occurs during the tribulation, as the
evidence of Scripture seems to indicate, then the people of Israel will be cleaning up the land littered with the
machines and implements of war when Messiah returns to lead His faithful remnant from the nations to be
gathered to Zion. When the faithful remnant travel to Zion they will be witnesses of this cleanup effort and
will be guided by the signal flags the residents of Israel have set up for them and will be walking on
roadways (highways) that have been leveled and prepared for them to journey to Zion. For a better
understanding of the events described in Ezekiel chapters 38-39, refer to the following suggested resources:
Eugene L. Cooper, Ezekiel, The New American Commentary, Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1994.
Charles Lee Feinberg, The Prophecy of Ezekiel: The Glory of the Lord, Moody Publishers, 1969. Charles H.
Dyer and Eva Rydelnik, Ezekiel, The Moody Bible Commentary, Moody Publishers, 2014. Elmer A. Jantz,
Ezekiel, King James Bible Commentary, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999.
62:11-12 Look, the LORD has proclaimed to the end of the earth,
"Tell the daughter of Zion,
'Look, your salvation comes;
look, his reward is with him,
and his recompense before him.'"
12
They will call them, "The holy people,"
"The Redeemed of the LORD,"
and you will be called "Sought After, A City Not Forsaken."
656…..Isaiah 62:11-12
Isaiah 62:11-12 is an introduction to the return of the Messiah revealed in Isaiah 63:1-6. The words “has
proclaimed”, is a prophetic perfect tense indicating that something in the future is so absolutely certain that
the prophet can declare it as already occurred. The LORD has proclaimed His message, “to the ends of the
earth.” This proclamation will occur, in the context of Isaiah chapters 60-62, in the days approaching the
establishment of the Messianic Kingdom when the Messiah comes with salvation. The proclamation by the
LORD will be through various “proclaimers.” The word of God (written and oral) will accomplish all God
has intended, Isaiah 55:11. God’s messengers, the prophets are those who proclaim His word. In these last
days, God speaks through His Son, Hebrews 1:1-3. During the distressful days of the tribulation God will
declare the gospel through the proclamation of an angel to all who live upon the earth, Revelation 14:6-7.
During the tribulation God will send two witnesses will also prophesy for Him for twelve hundred and sixty
days, Revelation chapter 11. Also, many believe that the role of the 144,000 Jewish believers who are sealed
by God in Revelation 7:1-8 will be to proclaim the gospel to the nations.
The message the LORD will proclaim to the ends of the earth is that first, the daughter of Zion (God’s
beloved people) is to be told, so that she will be ready. The prophet had earlier declared a similar message as
recorded in Isaiah 40:1-11. The message to be proclaimed will be intended for the blessing of Zion. In many
places, Isaiah 1:8; Jeremiah 6:2; Lamentations 2:1-18, and many other occurrences, the prophets declare the
judgment and punishment that will come upon the daughter of Zion. However, God will not always be angry
with His covenant people and will bring blessings, accompanied with the presence of their Messiah, to those
He calls the daughter of Zion, Psalm 9:14; Isaiah 52:2; Zephaniah 3:14-15; Zechariah 2:10-12; 9:9; Matthew
21:5 and John 12:15. The first phrase of Matthew 21:5, “Tell the daughter of Zion,” is quoted from Isaiah
63:11.
Second, the proclamation of the LORD is declared as “Look, your salvation comes.” This coming of salvation
is not just a message about salvation, but it is embodied in the coming Messiah who will come in response to
the repentance of Israel for their national sin of rejecting Him during His first advent, Leviticus 26:40-45;
Deuteronomy 4:25-31; 2 Chronicles 7:13-14; Jeremiah 3:11-18; 4:1-2; Hosea 3:4-5; 5:15-6:3 and Zechariah
12:10-13:1. This confession is stated in Isaiah 53:1-9 and the plea for their Messiah to come is declared in
Psalm 79:1-13; 80:1-19 and Isaiah 64:1-12. A major theme of Isaiah is that the Messiah will come to bring
salvation, Isaiah 25:9; 45:8, 17; 46:13; 49:6-8; 51:5-8; 52:7, 10; 56:1; 59:16-17; 61:10; 62:1 and 63:5. It is
also a major theme of the Psalms.
Third, the proclamation of the LORD is declared as, “Look, his reward is with him.” All of the proclamations
of the LORD recorded in Isaiah 62:11 regard “Him” who must be the returning Messiah. When He returns,
He will bring His reward with Him. This reward is the combined total of all the promises God has made to
His covenant people and to the nations regarding the blessings that will come upon the earth when He
establishes the messianic kingdom. For a summary of these blessings stated in Isaiah, see the chart, Isaiah’s
Description of Israel’s Future Kingdom, John Macarthur, NASB Study Bible, page 1032. The greatest and
most exalted reward is that the Messiah will reside among His covenant people and all who have faith in
Him. It is a most exalted reward for it is one of the ultimate reasons why God created the world and its
peoples. When the Apostle John saw the vision of the eternal state, this reason was clearly stated, Revelation
21:3. Another great reward is the salvation the returning Messiah will bring to the earth.
Some may desire to state that, salvation in itself could be understood as the greatest and most exalted reward,
but salvation is something the Lord brings and accomplishes. It is the Lord Himself who is above all things
and is to be praised above all things. Salvation would have little importance if the Lord of the Universe and
all creation were not resident with His people. The ultimate reason for God’s creation of the heavens and the
earth have been stated previously in this study. It is that creation itself would display (declare) the glory of
God, Psalm 19:1. Also, God’s image bearers were created to righteously display and declare His glory to all
657…..Isaiah 62:11-12
creation. God’s kingdom, His covenants with His people, His provision of salvation through the atoning
sacrifice of His Son, the establishment of the Church, the body of Christ, the coming messianic kingdom and
the eternal state where all saved people will live with God forever, is for the purpose of having God’s glory
righteously displayed and declared by the great company of the redeemed. Some Christians may think that
God’s plan for eternity is all about them, their salvation, their rewards, their place in heaven, etc. but that
thinking is not ultimately God exalting, for it places all the emphasis on themselves and no emphasis on
God’s greatest gift to His creation, which is Himself.
Fourth, the proclamation of the LORD is declared as, “and his recompense before him.” The word
“recompense” is the Hebrew peullah, which is also translated as wages or work. This word also occurs in the
DASV in Isaiah in, 40:10 (reward); 49:4 (reward); 61:8 (repay); and 65:7 (pay them back). In Isaiah 62:11 in
the DASV. the word “recompense” is well suited to the context as it implies that the Messiah will not only
return as a great and glorious Savior but as One who will gain vengeance over His enemies. The return of the
Messiah is described as a “day of vengeance” as recorded in Isaiah 34:8; 61:2; 63:4 and Jeremiah 46:10. This
day of vengeance also is included in the wider description of the “day of the Lord.” The prophet Joel declares
much about that day, Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14 and 18. It is often also referred to simply as “that day.” For
a more detailed discussion on the day of the Lord, refer to: David M. Levy, Joel: The Day of the Lord: A
Chronology of Israel’s Prophetic History, Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1993. Also, refer to Irvin A.
Busenitz, Commentary on Joel and Obadiah, Mentor, Christian Focus Publications, 2003. An additional
resource is by Richard L. Mayhue, The Bible’s Watchword: Day of The Lord, The Master’s Seminary
Journal, MSJ 22/1 (Spring 2011) 65-88.
In Isaiah 62:12, the prophet declares the result of the proclamation of the LORD, recorded in 62:11. The first
result is that God’s beloved people, the daughter of Zion, 62:11, will be called “The Holy People.” This could
not be possible until the Messiah had come to bring them salvation and following their participation in the
the new covenant. They will have new hearts, Ezekiel 36:26 and the Holy Spirit will be within them. They
will possess the imputed righteousness of their Messiah, Jesus Christ. They will be redeemed by their faith in
the shed blood of Jesus Christ who will come back and bring everlasting salvation to them. It is only then
they can truly fulfill Exodus 19:6 Leviticus 11:44-45 and Deuteronomy 7:6. See also 1 Peter 1:16. Second,
they will also be called “The Redeemed of the LORD.” Upon their faith in the Messiah, whom they had
pleaded with to return and rescue them, they will by faith be “redeemed.” They will have finally repented of
their national sin of rejecting their Messiah when He came to them during His first advent. When they call
upon Him to return, He will come to them with salvation, Isaiah 63:5. Third, they will be called “Sought
After, A City Not Forsaken.” This name is also described in Isaiah 62: 4 and all the names in 62:12 respond
to the promise of 62:2 that God’s covenant people will be called by a new name. See notes on Isaiah 62:2 and
4 for a longer discussion. The prophet has now prepared his audience for the prophetic depiction of the return
of the Messiah which is described in 63:1-6.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 62
(Note: The Outline for this Chapter is the same as the Teaching Outline)
62:1-5 The Beauty and Righteousness of Zion
62:6-9 Prayer for the Future Prosperity of Zion
62:10-12 The Gathering to and Redemption of Zion
6. The Return of the Messiah Who is Mighty to Save: 63:1-6
Isaiah chapter 63:1-7 is another majestic highpoint of the writings of the prophet. Verses 10-12 of Isaiah
chapter 62 serve as a preparation for and an introduction to the glorious declaration of the return of the
658…..Isaiah 63:1-6 Introduction
Messiah. The Messiah will come to announce vindication for His people Israel and rescue them. He will
defeat His enemies and bring salvation to His covenant people and all who will trust in Him. This section
begins with a question of identity of person (Him) who is approaching, and an answer is given, “It is I, who
announces vindication, mighty to save,” vs. 1. Another question is asked in vs. 2, regarding the color of the
clothes this person is wearing. The answer is given in vs. 3, that the person’s clothing is stained with the
blood (likened to grape juice) for He has trampled His enemies in His wrath. This great person, who is
mighty to save, announces in vs. 4 that His day of vengeance and year of His redemption has come. This One
who is mighty to save declares, in vs. 5, that there was no one to help Him, so His own arm brought
salvation. Finally, in vs. 6 this great One who is mighty to save declares that the peoples have been trampled
down and their lifeblood was spilled on the ground. Although, the One who is mighty to save is not identified
by name in these verses, there can be no doubt as to the identification of this person. Even without the
absolute definitive answer revealed in Revelation 19: 11-21, this One who is mighty to save could only be the
Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Messiah who could have the authority to do all that is described in Isaiah 63:1-
6. A quotation form Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer provides an introduction to Isaiah 63:1-6:
“The Messiah will deliver Israel, not only by restoration of the nation but by judgment of the enemies
of Israel. The backdrop is the future tribulation, when Israel will flee to the wilderness to escape the
attack of the future world ruler; also known as the Antichrist (see Ezk 20:34-36; Rv 12:6). Likely, the
place in the wilderness is in Edom (modern Jordan) in the city of Bozrah (Petra; see Is 34:5-17 for
evidence to support this). The nations will pursue Israel there leading to a bloody war (previously
depicted in 34:1-7). God is once again depicted as a conquering hero covered in blood of those He has
trampled in the winepress of His wrath (63;1-3). Not only did Isaiah previously draw this picture in Is
34, but the book of Revelation draws it as well (cf. Rv 14:19-20; 19:13-15). These passages identify
Jesus the Messiah as the One coming in judgment of the enemies of Israel. From the above passages,
it appears that Jesus returns to Bozrah as the end of the tribulation to deliver Israel. Having defeated
the nations that attacked Israel in the wilderness, the Messiah will then lead them to Jerusalem (Mc
2:12-13), where His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, and deliver besieged Jerusalem (Zch
14:3-4). God has acted alone because no one was willing to take up the cause of beleaguered Israel (Is
63:4-5). The destruction of the nations will come through the singular activity of the Son of God
(vv.5-6; cf. Ps 110:5-7).” (Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer, Isaiah, The Moody Bible
Commentary, page 1098).
Gary V. Smith also provides an introduction to Isaiah 63:1-6:
“This paragraph introduces the final annihilation of the nation of Edom, a picture of God treading out
the grapes in a wine press, and God’s wrathful judging all nations. These images are in sharp contrast
with the positive images of joy, blessing, worship, and the welcoming of the foreign nations in chaps.
60–62. …. This new emphasis is not entirely unexpected or totally unrelated to God’s positive plans
for Zion, for hidden within the wonderful news of the establishment of the kingdom of God in chaps.
60–62 are hints about God’s plan to judge those who refuse to serve him (60:12) and his plan to
remove all enemies who formerly took the grain and wine that the Israelites worked so hard to
produce (62:8–9). This eschatological Day of the Lord was already explained in great detail in 2:6–
22, 24:1–23, and 34:1–15, so the message of judgment on the wicked is not new, nor contradictory to
what was said elsewhere in Isaiah. In fact, in each of these similar messages there are similar
contrasting message of salvation and judgment (2:1–5; 25:1–12; 35:1–10 describe God’s salvation,
while 2:6–22; 24:1–23; 34:1–15 explain his judgment). Even within 63:1b, the purpose of God’s
righteous action of judgment is connected to his plan to save others. This day of vengeance on the
nation will also be a day of redemption for his people (63:4), so God’s powerful arm will not only
destroy, but it will also bring salvation (63:5b). The interconnection between these two aspects of
659…..Isaiah 63:1
God’s plan is also evident by the fact that the Anointed One will proclaim both the “year of favor”
and the “day of vengeance” (61:2). J. A. Motyer believes the Anointed Conqueror in 61:1–3 is the
one who will finally vindicate God’s justice and destroy the wicked in 63:1–6.” (Gary V. Smith,
Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 655-656).
63:1 Who is this coming from Edom,
from Bozrah with stained red garments?
Who is this wearing splendid apparel,
marching in the greatness of his strength?
"It is I, who announces vindication, mighty to save."
As evidenced from the above introduction to Isaiah 63:1-6 the setting is most certainly the last days of the
tribulation. The wrath of God against the nations of the world, (Revelation chapters 6-19) has almost been
spent but not yet extinguished. There remains a highly significant event that both Revelation chapter 19:11-
21 and Isaiah 63:1-6 describe. Following the great confession of Israel’s national sin of rejecting their
Messiah during His first advent, which is prophetically declared in Isaiah 53:1-9 and described in Zechariah
12:10-13:1 and also after the faithful remnant of the LORD pleads for the Messiah to return and rescue them,
Psalm 79:1-13; 80:1-19; Isaiah 64:1-12 and Hosea 5:15-6:3; the Messiah will return and He will first defeat
the armies of the nations that have surrounded the faithful remnant in Bozrah in Edom. After He does this,
He will lead His covenant people in a triumphant march to Jerusalem, Micah 2:12-13 where the Messiah will
free the City from its invaders who are wreaking havoc among the people of Jerusalem, Zechariah 14:1-5 by
standing on the Mount of Olives to provide a way of escape for His people.
The defeat of Messiah’s enemies in Bozrah in Edom has an important historical significance. The inhabitants
of Edom had their origin from Esau, Genesis 36:1-9. The people of Edom had a long and disgraceful history
of antagonism against their “cousins,” the Israelites whom were descendants of Jacob, Esau’s brother. Isaiah
had declared God’s judgment upon Edom, Isaiah 34:1-6 as did other prophets, Jeremiah 49:7-22. Ezekiel
25:12-14; 35:1-15; Amos 1:11-12; 9:12; Obadiah vs. 1-14 and Malachi 1:4. Alongside Edom’s many
atrocities against Israel, one stands above the rest as recorded in Psalm 137:7 “Remember, O LORD, what the
Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell; they screamed, Tear it down, tear it down, to its foundation.”
This great sin against their “brothers” will be finally dealt with by the Messiah when He returns to rescue His
people and defeats Edom which may represent all the nations that oppose the divinity and rule of the
Messiah, and are in open rebellion against Him, Psalm 2. Edom, in the Hebrew is edom, and closely
resembles the Hebrew adam which has the meaning of man or mankind. Edom, in the Hebrew also bears a
grammatical closeness to adom meaning “red.” Bozrah, which was once a capital of Edom, has the meaning
of “a fortress” and is likely the location of modern Petra in Jordan.
Some debate has arisen among Biblical scholars as to whom is asking the questions in Isaiah 63:1. It may be
one of the watchmen on the wall of Jerusalem that the LORD has set up, 62:6 or it may be the prophet Isaiah.
The questioner asks, who is this coming from Edom (and specifically) Bozrah with garments stained red? It
is certain that the watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem could not discern that the one marching towards them
could have come from Bozrah in Edom, but the LORD would have revealed this to His prophet Isaiah. It is
very significant that the One coming from Edom wears garments that are stained “red,” for the nation itself
could be grammatically identified as “red.” The questioner also asks, who is this one who wears splendid
(majestic) clothing and marching (Hebrew tsaah), in the greatness of his strength?
The depiction of the One coming is described in the KJV as “This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in
the greatness of his strength” There was a majestic look to the One coming towards the questioner. Both the
clothing and the manner of his walking suggested someone with authority.
660…..Isaiah 63:1-3
The response to these questions is startling and leaves no doubt as to His identification and the divine
importance of His mission. He responds, “It is I, who announces vindication, mighty to save.” In the parallel
passage in Revelation, the description of the clothing of the Messiah is similar, “He is dressed in a garment
sprinkled with blood, and his name is called, The Word of God,” Revelation 19:13. The One who is the Word
of God is also mighty to save. Only the Messiah could be the One who is a victorious warrior and also the
Savior and Redeemer who can truly save. No one else qualifies as Isaiah in 59:16 and 63:5 declares. See also
Psalm 106:8 and Zephaniah 3:17.
63:2 Why are your clothes red,
and your garments like one who treads grapes
in the wine press?
John A. Martin gives an introduction to Isaiah 63:2-6:
“The Lord’s garments spattered with blood will appear red as if He had been in a winepress. “Red”
(‘adom is a wordplay on “Edom” (edom). A winepress was usually a shallow pit with a hole on the
side leading to a container. As individuals trampled on the grapes in the press, the juice flowed
through the hole into the
container. Obviously some juice would also splatter on the workers’ clothes. As the Lord will fight
and defeat the nations (cf. 34:2) in the Battle of Armageddon (cf. Zechariah 14:3; Rev. 16;16; 19:15-
19), He will take vengeance on them (cf. Isa. 34:8; 35:4; 61:2) in His anger and wrath. God’s wrath is
also pictured as being like
a winepress in Revelation 14:19-20. Though that day will bring doom to the Lord’s enemies, it will
mean deliverance (redemption and salvation, Isa. 63:4-5) for those of His covenant people who turn
to Him.” (J. A. Martin, Isaiah, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Victor, Cook Communication
Ministries, 2004, page 1117).
The third question asked of the advancing majestic One who is The Messiah, the returning Jesus Christ, is
why are your clothes red? The word “red” is adom is a wordplay on Edom, (see above comments by John A.
Martin), and suggests a direct connection to that nation. This question concerning clothing also contains a
simile, “like the one who treads grapes in the wine press.” This question depicts someone who is wearing
clothes that are completely splattered with the red of the grapes which dyes the clothing. The response of the
Messiah in 63:3 confirms this description. The implication of 63: 2 is that Edom has been so trampled that
the blood of its inhabitants has stained all the clothing of the Messiah with its redness.
63:3 I have stomped in the winepress alone;
and none of the peoples joined with me.
I stomped them in my anger,
and trampled them in my wrath.
Their juice splattered on my garments,
and all my clothes are stained.
The response of the Messiah, as recorded in Isaiah 63:3, to the third question in 63:2 reveals much about the
purposes of His return to the earth. The Messiah will come to bring righteous judgment upon Edom and as
some Biblical scholars have suggested, Edom also represents the evil nations of the earth. Edom and the evil
nations have rebelled against the Son of God, Psalm 2, and in His righteous indignation, the Son of God, the
returning Messiah will rightly punish them for the judgment they deserve. The Scriptures provide ample
evidence that wickedness, if not repented and if faith is not applied to the shed blood of Jesus Christ, will
result in God’s judgment and punishment. It is not that the Messiah is simply seeking revenge for the
661…..Isaiah 63:3-4
behavior of Edom in the past against His beloved people. Messiah will be returning to accomplish the will of
God as Isaiah had earlier revealed in 61:1-3. The purpose of the return of the Messiah will be to exact divine
judgment on wicked nations as well as delivering the faithful from bondage and oppression. The words “wine
press” in Isaiah 63:3 occur also in Haggai 2:16 (wine vat) and seems to indicate that a separate bowl or
container is employed into which the red juice flows after being trodden down. The picture is of a continuing
or repeated “stomping” until the container next to the winepress is full to overflowing of the red juice (the
blood of the wicked). A similar description is given in Revelation 14:19-20 and 19:13-15.
The Messiah states that His act of judgment upon the wicked will be accomplished by Himself (alone) for no
one (none of the peoples) joined Him. This is further explained in 63:5 for just as the LORD, Yahweh had
experienced, Isaiah 59:16, no one else stood to intercede or uphold the cause of righteousness in either the
provision of salvation or the exacting of righteous judgment. The Messiah will not forestall or hold back His
righteous anger and wrath of which the nations will be in great dread as explained in Revelation 6:15-16. See
also Micah 7:10. The anger and wrath of the God are often paired together to depict God’s righteous
indignation against wickedness and rebellion against Him. See Psalm 2:5; 69:24; 78:49; Isaiah 13:9, 13;
30:27; 63:6; Ezekiel 25:14; Micah 5:15; Nahum 1:2; Habakkuk 3:12; Zephaniah 3:8 and Romans 2:8. Often,
God’s anger and wrath are depicted to be against His own people who continually rebelled against Him, as
Jeremiah 7:20 and Ezekiel 22:31 are two of many examples in the Scriptures.
The Messiah continues His description of the result of trampling the wicked of Edom (and the nations) by
stating that, “their juice (“lifeblood” in the NASB), splattered on my garments, and all my clothes are
ruined.” This description the Messiah’s blood-stained garments is also pictured in Revelation 19:13 as “a
garment sprinkled with blood.”
63:4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart,
and the year of my redeemed has come.
As recorded in Isaiah 63:4, the Messiah explains the reason for the trampling of His enemies. Isaiah had
earlier stated the great mission of the Servant, the Messiah in 61:1-3. There is a dual purpose revealed in the
writings of Isaiah for the return of the Messiah, which will be the “day of the Lord” that is often described in
the OT with positive and negative aspects. He will come to exact a “day of vengeance” and also bring a
“year of my redeemed” (redemption). The word “vengeance” is the Hebrew naqam, describing God’s
righteous, just and holy action of exacting judgment upon individuals and nations that are wicked beyond
redemption. They have brought the vengeance of God upon themselves because of their continual sinfulness
and rebelliousness against Him. Vengeance is also the translation of naqam in Isaiah 34:8; 35:4; 47:3; 59:17
and 61:2. Other occurrences in the OT for naqam include Leviticus 26:25; Deuteronomy 32:35, 41, 43;
Psalm 58:10; Proverbs 6:34; Ezekiel 24:8; 25:12, 15; and Micah 5:15. It is usually described as an action that
God undertakes for only God can enact vengeance with holiness.
It is not that vengeance will only last a day and redemption only a year. Isaiah is using poetic language to
describe two very necessary and critical aspects of the reason for the return of the Messiah. This dual purpose
is also recorded in Isaiah chapters 2, 34, 35 and 61. God’s holiness, justice and righteousness could not co-
exist with wickedness and rebellion. When the Messiah comes to establish His reign upon the earth following
the tribulation, He will of necessity need to rid the world of those who are in their sinfulness in opposition to
Him. This “cleansing” of the world will not be gentle but will be a brutal purging of wickedness with the
lifeblood of all who oppose God being spilt. This bringing of judgment upon the wicked should not be seen
as a surprise or a blind attack upon them for they have been repeatedly warned of Christ’s coming judgment
throughout Scripture and by the missionary and evangelistic efforts of countless servants of God, perhaps
beginning with Enoch, Jude vss. 14-15 and continuing right up to the return of Jesus Christ.
662…..Isaiah 63:4-6
The second aspect of this dual purpose of the Messiah’s return is described as “the year of my redeemed has
come.” Many versions have “the year of my redemption.” The time for the Messiah to bring salvation and
righteousness will have come. As stated previously in these study notes on Isaiah, righteousness is the fruit of
salvation. The Messiah will provide physical rescue for His faithful remnant who will be surrounded by their
enemies and spiritual salvation to the people of the earth who have faith in the Messiah which will result in
an earth that will be populated by those who are redeemed and bearing the righteousness of their Messiah.
The words ‘the year of my redeemed has come” could also be understood as this is the time for His redeemed
to receive the blessings He has promised them when He comes to establish His righteous and peaceful
kingdom. It will be their time to fully glorify the Messiah in all the earth before all nations. See notes on
Isaiah 62:12.
63:5 I looked, but there was no one to help;
I was shocked that there was no one to lend support.
Therefore my own arm brought me salvation,
and my wrath sustained me.
In Isaiah 63:5, the Messiah continues the reasons for His coming both in vengeance and redemption. In the
previous verses, both of these aspects of the day of the Lord, redemption (salvation) and vengeance (wrath)
are mentioned. In 63:5 the Messiah adds that His own arm brought salvation and wrath because there was no
one to help or support Him in these activities. It was not that the Messiah looked around just before He was
to return and was surprised that no one “stood up” to assist Him. This knowing that no one else could
possibly fulfil these responsibilities came before the world was created. It was with this knowledge that the
heavens and the earth were created. It was also with this knowledge that the triune God conceived the plan of
redemption for God’s image bearers, with whom He planned to spend eternity. God planned, before the
world was made, to live among (tabernacle) redeemed humanity, who could righteously display and declare
His glory to all creation forever. Since no was able to assist or lend support to the Messiah, His own arm
brought (enacted) salvation and His own wrath (divine and righteous anger or indignation against all
wickedness), sustained Him in these tasks. See notes on Isaiah 59:16.
63:6 I trampled down the peoples in my anger,
and made them drunk with my wrath,
and I spilled their lifeblood on the ground.
With the explanation of His divine actions in 63:4-5, the Messiah concludes that the peoples, not just the
single nation of Edom were (prophetic perfect tense) trampled down in His anger. In trampling down the
wicked peoples of the earth, they were made drunk in His wrath as he spilled their lifeblood on the ground.
The words “made them drunk with my wrath” are similar to the words of God as recorded in Isaiah 51:17. As
stated in Revelation 14:8-11, Babylon, during the tribulation will make all nations drink of the wine of her
immorality and those who worship the beast and receives the mark of the beast, will drink of the wine of the
wrath of God, Revelation 14:9-11. Babylon itself would be given the cup of the wine of His fierce wrath,
Revelation 16:19. The continual sinfulness of the wicked will cause them to plunge even deeper into
wickedness, (become drunk), as they relentlessly prove they deserve the wrath of a holy God. In their
drunken state of sin, from which they will be unable to recover, they will be plunged without rescue into the
wrath of God and they will have no one to blame for their demise and destruction but themselves.
For an extended discussion of Isaiah 63:1-6, Mike Stallard, Isaiah 63:1-6: The Messianic Warrior Judge, The
Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, pages 997-1009.
663…..Isaiah 63:7
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 63:1-6
63:1 The Walk of the Messiah Identification
63:2-4, 6 The Wrath of the Messiah Vindication
63:5 The Way of the Messiah Salvation
Isaiah 63:7-64:12
Many Biblical scholars suggest that the section 63:7-64:12 is a cohesive unit describing a lament by Isaiah on
behalf of the people of Judah in which the prophet recalls God’s past gracious acts and the people’s rebellion
against Him which grieved His Holy Spirit. Because of the sins of God’s covenant people, God turned from
helping them to fighting against them. The prophet appeals to God as their Father to return to them for they
acknowledge their past unrighteous acts and confess their iniquities against God. Isaiah also pleads to God to
restrain His punishment and look upon them for they are His people. In this study of the prophecy of Isaiah,
this longer section is divided into two units, 63:7-14 and 63:15-64:12.
7. The Past Remembered: The Role of the Spirit: 63:7-14
Starting in 63:7, a sharp division occurs between what Isaiah had previously declared in his prophecy, 60:1-
63:6, regarding the blessings of the return of the Messiah and the establishment of the Messianic kingdom
and a lament concerning the recalling of God’s faithfulness and the rebellion of God’s people. Isaiah recalls
God’s loyal love and praiseworthy deeds towards the house of Israel, vs. 7. God had become the Savior of
His covenant people, vss. 8-9, but they rebelled against God and grieved His Holy Spirit, so He turned
against them, vs. 10. Then the people remembered God’s past deeds, including the role of the Holy Spirit, in
the days of Moses on their behalf in which He led His people to make His name glorious, vss. 11-14.
63:7 I will recall the loyal love of the LORD,
and the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
because of all the LORD has done for us,
and the great goodness toward the house of Israel,
that he did for them according to his mercies,
and according to his great loyal love.
This section recalling God’s past praiseworthy deeds on behalf of His covenant people, begins in 63:7 with a
remembrance of God’s loyal covenant love, which is the Hebrew word, hesed. 63:7 also ends with this
reminder of God’s loyal covenant love. The words “loyal love” hesed, are translated as “lovingkindness” in
the KJV, NKJV, NASB and “steadfast love” in the ESV. Hesed is also translated in the DASV in Isaiah 16:5
as “loyal love;” in 40:6 as “beauty;” in 54:8 as “everlasting love;” in 54:10 as “loyal love;” in 55:3 as “loyal
covenant;” and in 57:1 as “devout.” It is appropriate to understand this “loyal love,” loving kindnesses,
steadfast love, as God’s covenant love (unmerited love or favor), towards His beloved and chosen people.
The prophet begins his introduction to the confession of the house of Israel’s national sin with a reminder
that God is absolutely loyal to the covenants He has made by oath to His people. God faithfully exhibits
“loyal love” to His people by His praiseworthy deeds. It is not just a lot of nice sounding words that God
gives His people. He proves His love by His deeds on their behalf and the people are to respond to Him with
praise.
The deeds of God that result from His loyal covenant love to His people are also described as His “great
goodness” toward the house of Israel which are also described as “according to his mercies.” These deeds
are most likely His covenants He has made with their forefathers, Abraham, Moses and David. They also
664…..Isaiah 63:8
would include memorable acts such as the parting of the Red Sea, as His people were led in safety out of
slavery in Egypt, and many other acts including the destruction of the army of Assyria outside of the city of
Jerusalem in the days of king Hezekiah. King David, who was often a recipient of God’s covenant loyal love,
proclaimed, Remember, O LORD, your compassion and your loyal love, for they have existed from ancient
times. Psalm 25:6. Isaiah concluded this verse by repeating the reason why God performed these
praiseworthy deeds, it was according to His great “loyal love,” which is His loving kindnesses and His
steadfast love.
63:8 For he said, "Surely, they are my people,
children that will not betray me."
So he became their Savior.
Isaiah 63:8 can be a difficult verse to understand if viewed outside of God’s covenant relationship with His
chosen people. In the context of 63:7-14, God’s words, “children that will not betray me” is certainly an
aspect of a covenant. God is expressing the covenant formula, “I will be their God and they shall be my
people,” Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 37:23, 27; 2 Corinthians 6:16 and Hebrews 8:10. See also: Exodus 6:17;
Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 7:23; 11:4; 24:7; 30:22; 32:28; Ezekiel 11:20; 14:11; 36:28; Zechariah 8:8 and
13:9. This expectation of the chosen people to be “His people” is also demonstrated earlier in Isaiah in the
“parable” of the vineyard in Isaiah 5:1-7. God’s expectation of a “good” result from His labor in the vineyard
was just and righteous. It was not a fault of God that His people did not live in accordance with His
expectations. It is also important to place the displeasure of God, expressed in Isaiah 5:2 and 63:10 within
His omniscience, that He knows beforehand all that will take place. Within this prior knowledge that God
possesses, He still expresses His displeasure when His covenant people do not act in accordance to the
requirement of His covenants, even though He knew they would not. This prior knowledge is demonstrated
in God’s love for all mankind, in that before the world was created, God had a plan that would provide
salvation for them, through the involvement of His beloved Son, whom Isaiah identifies as the “Servant.”
The words “that will not betray me” in the DASV is the Hebrew shaqar, which has the primary meaning of
“to lie,” or to “deal falsely.” It occurs six times in the OT, Genesis 21:23; Leviticus 19:11; 1 Samuel 15:29;
Psalm 44:17; 89:33 and Isaiah 63:8. In contrast to the fickleness of mankind, 1 Samuel 15:29 states, “The
Glory of Israel will not lie or change his mind, for he is not a man, that he should change his mind.”
In accordance with His covenants with His people, God became their Savior. This is implied in the
Abrahamic and Davidic covenants for in order for God to fulfill all of the covenant promises, His people
would of necessity need to be spiritually preserved, so that they can benefit from these promises. The
provision of salvation in which God Himself became their Savior is an express promise of the new covenant,
in that it is God who puts a new heart within His people and a new spirit within them, Ezekiel 36:26; and
God will forgive their sins and will no longer remember these sins, Jeremiah 31:34. God became their Savior
by His own strength and power, Isaiah 59:16; 63:5. In becoming the Savior of His covenant people, He saves
them spiritually and also He continues to save them physically, for example, from slavery in Egypt and from
certain death at the hands of the Assyrians. He will continue to save them physically even into the days of the
tribulation, Isaiah 26:20-21 and preserve them, Zechariah 14: 3-5, so they will be able to sing His praises in
the messianic kingdom and forever. Messiah’s saving His people physically does not mean they will live in
their physical human state forever. It does mean they were saved from danger at a specific time, but they
would certainly all face death at a later time.
Salvation is one of the great themes of Isaiah, beginning with the prophet’s names which means “The Lord is
salvation.” The theme of salvation permeates the entire writing of Isaiah. It is seen in words such as Savior,
salvation, save, saved, Redeemer, redeem and redeemed. Salvation has both a physical aspect and a spiritual
665…..Isaiah 63:8-9
aspect. The Lord saves His covenant people from physical destruction and death at a specific time and He
saves them spiritually, for all eternity, through the sacrificial atoning work of the Servant, who is the
Messiah. The spiritual salvation of the Lord is extended by God’s love to all the nations of the earth.
Salvation is provided to God’s covenant people and to the Gentiles through the power and strength of the
LORD, Yahweh and the Messiah for there was no one else who was capable or willing to stand up for God’s
people. Isaiah states God’s words in 43:11, “I, even I, am the LORD, besides me this is no savior.” The
Savior provides salvation, which is everlasting, as declared by Isaiah in 45:17, “But Israel will be saved by
the LORD with an everlasting salvation.” It may surprise some that salvation is not the highest or most
exalted gift of God to the inhabitants of the world. The most exalted and praiseworthy gift of God to the
world is God Himself. The purpose of salvation is to provide a means that satisfies God’s wrath against sin
and to provide a way that rebellious sinners can be declared justified in God’s eyes and have an unrestricted
(unhindered by sin) access into His presence. God created the world for His glory. God’s image bearers were
created so they would righteously display and declare His glory forever. Also, God’s intention for making
covenants with His people is so that He would be their God and they would be His people.
These people are reckoned or considered righteous by their faith in God and specifically their faith in the
shed blood of God’s Son, the Messiah. It is this shed blood which is the sign of the new covenant. Those who
have faith in the shed blood of the Messiah for salvation, participate in the blessings of the new covenant.
Those who are “in Christ,” by their faith in Him, also participate in the blessings of the unilateral covenants,
the Abrahamic covenant and the Davidic covenant. There is no faith required to enjoy the benefits of the
Noahic covenant, for it was made by God as a benefit to all mankind. Yet the Noahic covenant does have an
important role in God’s eternal plans for His creation. God preserves mankind to give opportunity for them to
have faith in the Messiah. Those who have faith will live eternally to righteously display and declare His
glory to all creation.
63:9 In all their suffering, he also suffered,
and the angel of his presence saved them.
In his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
he picked them up,
and carried them all the days of old.
Isaiah 63:9 contains deep theological truth which needs to be unpacked so that its great meaning can be
clearly understood. At first glance, the words “In all their suffering, he also suffered,” may cause some
confusion as to its meaning. Biblical scholars also have suggested differing interpretations of the Hebrew
words into English which have caused many to misunderstand the actual meaning of these words. The KJV
has perhaps the better translation, “In all their affliction he was afflicted.” The LORD cares for His people
and has compassion for them. He lovingly considers their sufferings and heals them. As a Father to His
people, He also feels their afflictions. He has and shows great emotions. The Holy Spirt grieves when God’s
covenant people rebel against Him, Isaiah 63:10. He is slow to anger, and abounds in lovingkindness, Exodus
34:6; Nehemiah 9:17; and Joel 2:13. The needs of His people are always before Him for He has inscribed
them on the palms of His hands, Isaiah 49:16.
The specific reference in Isaiah 63:9 to the suffering of His people may refer to the days when the people of
Israel were bound in slavery in Egypt as the comment at the end of the verse implies, that He had “picked
them up and carried them all the days of old.” Because of the suffering of His chosen people, Isaiah states
that the “angel of his presence saved them.” This is the only occurrence of the phrase “angel of his presence”
in the Scriptures. The LORD had previously mentioned His presence in Exodus 33:12-15. This may have
been a reference to the angel of His presence whom God had set to guide and guard His people, Exodus
14:19; 23:20-23; 32:34; Judges 2:1, and many other passages. It was the angel of the LORD who spoke to
666…..Isaiah 63:9-10
Moses in terms that can only be understood as the voice of God, Exodus 3:2. Many Biblical scholars believe
that these occurrences in the OT are pre-incarnate appearances of the Messiah, the Son of God, who would
be later born in Bethlehem and be called Jesus, because He was sent to save His people from their sins,
Matthew 1:21.
The role of the “angel of His presence” was to save His people. In the context of Isaiah 63:9, this saving was
a physical rescue of the LORD’s covenant people from their bondage in Egypt. The LORD redeemed
(physical rescue) His people by picking them up through the work of His angel and “carried them all the
days of old.” It was not that the LORD carried them in His arms but He “carried them” by leading them to
safety including the parting of the Red Sea and eventually leading them to the land He had promised them.
He also “carried them” by protecting them often in the midst of war with their enemies and in His choice of
their leaders. But this leading and protection of God, often through the ministry of His angel, was not for all
occasions. When His covenant people rebelled against Him and walked in wickedness, God often withdrew
His protection. This withdrawing of His presence was always to chastise them and not to remove them. Isaiah
declared the LORD’s intentions as recorded in 54:7-8:
7
"For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great compassion I will regather you.
8
In overflowing wrath I hid my face from you for a moment,
but with everlasting love I will have mercy on you,"
says the LORD your Redeemer.
63:10 But they rebelled,
and grieved his Holy Spirit.
Therefore he turned into their enemy,
and he himself fought against them.
The LORD was faithful to His covenants with His chosen people and He rightfully expected His people to be
faithful to Him as recipients of the blessings of these covenants. “But they rebelled.” This could be a sub-title
for the name of His people. Before the LORD met with Moses upon Mount Sinai to enact what Biblical
scholars call the Mosaic covenant, He requested obedience from His people. The people responded by
stating, as recorded in Exodus 19:8: “All the people answered together, All that the LORD has commanded,
we will do.” The first three words of Isaiah 63:10, “but they rebelled,” could be inserted immediately after the
words declared in Exodus 19:8 by the people of Israel. The word rebelled is the Hebrew marah, which
has the meaning of disobedience and rebellion. It often occurs in the context of God’s people being
disobedient to Him as an act of rebellion. The word marah also occurs in Isaiah in 1:20; 3:8 and 50:5. See
also Nehemiah 9:26; Jeremiah 4:17; 5:23; Ezekiel 5:6; 20:8, 13, 21; and Hosea 13:16. The rebellion of the
people of Israel was the sad story of their wilderness journeys. Psalm 78:40-41 states: 40 How often they
rebelled against him in the wilderness, and grieved him in the desert! 41 They turned again and tested God,
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
The rebelliousness of His people was so great that it “grieved his Holy Spirit.” This verse and the next are the
only two places in Isaiah where the Holy Spirit is mentioned. In the OT it also occurs in Psalm 51:11 during
king David’s confession of his sin and plea that God would not take His Holy Spirit from him. Isaiah 63:10
describes the Holy Spirit as One who was grieved. This is an experience that only persons can have and
therefore this verse is a testimony to the personhood of the Holy Spirit. It also speaks of the divinity of the
Holy Spirit as does Isaiah 61:1. The role and ministry of the Holy Spirit is revealed more fully in the NT.
However, there is evidence in the verses cited and including other verses in the OT that state the singular
“Spirit,” that the Holy Spirit was active in the outworking of God’s plans for His creation before the
667…..Isaiah 63:10 and 11-14
Messiah’s first advent. Stephen, the servant of God was martyred by the Jewish leaders for his testimony
concerning their sins and particularly for calling them betrayers and murderers of the Righteous One, the
Messiah. Stephen told the Jewish leaders, as recorded in Acts 7:51: “You are stubborn and uncircumcised in
heart and ears. You always resist the Holy Spirit, just like your forefathers did. “
The latter half of Isaiah 63:10 states that because of their continual rebellion against Him, the LORD became
their enemy and He Himself fought against them. Isaiah had often spoken of the LORD being against His
people and He would fight against them as they are considered His enemy, 1:25; 5:25; 10:10-12, 25; 28:16-
22; and 29:1-4. See also Leviticus 26;25; Jeremiah 30:14; Lamentations 2:5 and 17. The LORD’s purpose in
fighting against His own people, in the most part by sending foreign nations against them, is restorative so
that they will repent and return with a whole heart to Him. His overall plan was always to bring salvation to
those who had faith in Him so that His redeemed people would forever declare His glory to all God’s
creation. This plan is also declared by Isaiah in the last phrase of 63:14, “to make your name glorious.”
63:11-14 Then they remembered the days of old,
Moses and his people,
Where is he who brought them up out of the sea
with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is he who put his Holy Spirit among them,
12
who caused his glorious arm to be at the right hand of Moses?
Where is he who divided the waters before them,
to make himself an everlasting name?
13
Where is he who led them through the watery depths?
Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble.
14
Like cattle that go down into the valley,
the Spirit of the LORD provided them rest.
This is the way you led your people,
to make your name glorious.
The DASV clarifies in Isaiah 63:11, some textual translation issues that are not clear in the KJV and NKJV
specifically in the first phrase. The KJV and NKJV state, “Then he remembered the days of old.” Victor
Buksbazen clarifies these translation issues:
“Then his people remembered the days of old, of Moses”
This is one of the especially perplexing sentences in Isaiah. In Hebrew, it begins with the word –
“vaizkor” – “he remembered.” The question arises to whom does “he” refer: to Jehovah or to Israel?
It should be noted that the Hebrew text reads: “Moses his people.” Some manuscripts amended the
Hebrew text to read: “Moses, his servant” (“abdo” instead of “ammo”). Our translation gives the most
feasible sense. It means that the people having experienced a period of great calamities finally woke
up to the fact that all their misfortunes and miseries were the direct result of their disobedience and
unfaithfulness.” (Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 473).
It is best to understand Isaiah 63:11-14 as a continued narrative which immediately follows the statement of
God’s fighting against His people. Because of God’s actions of opposing His people, they remembered or as
Victor Buksbazen states above, they “finally woke up” and they realized that God’s actions against them
were due to their own sinfulness and rebellion against God, 63:10, “But they rebelled.” As recorded in Isaiah
63:11, the people first remembered the days of Moses and they asked about God’s presence, “Where is he?”
They recalled that it was God who brought their ancestors up out of the sea (the Red Sea) when the ancient
668…..Isaiah 63:11-14
Israelites were fleeing from the armies of Pharaoh of Egypt, Exodus chapter 14. God brought His chosen
people up out of the sea “with the shepherds of his flock.” These shepherds were most likely Moses, Aaron
and Miriam, Psalm 77:20; and Micah 6:4. Psalm 95:4 is a reminder that God’s people are sheep, the people
of his pasture. The leaders of the Israelites are thus likened to shepherds who look after the flock of God. In
some manuscripts the word “shepherds” is the singular “shepherd” and if this is correct, this would be a
reference to just Moses who alone is mentioned in the first part of Isaiah 63:11.
The second question of Isaiah 63:11, “where is he,” relates to two acts of the LORD. The First act was that
He” put His Holy Spirit among them.” This is likely a reference to Numbers 11:16-30, which records the
incident of the LORD putting the Spirit on the elders of the people of Israel as it was also upon Moses. The
purpose of putting the Spirit also upon seventy elders was that they would assist Moses with the oversight of
the people. The second act of God, following the question, “where is he?” of 63:11, is stated in the first
phrase of 63:12. The people also recalled that it was God who “caused his glorious arm to be at the right
hand of Moses.” This could be a reference to the plagues of Egypt, Exodus chapters 7-11, where God
requested that Moses stretch out his staff, (by implication his arm that held the staff), so that God would
bring the plagues upon the land of Egypt. It could also refer to the incident of the crossing of the Red Sea,
Exodus chapter 14, where God requested Moses stretch out his hand so that the Red Sea could be parted and
then brought together again. It may also refer to the conflict of the people of Israel with the Amalekites,
Exodus 17:8-16, where the Israelites prevailed against their enemies as long as the hand of Moses was raised.
In the context of Isaiah 63:11-14, it may be that Isaiah was only referencing the Red Sea crossing. The point
here is not trying to be so exact as to pinpoint the actual historical reference, but that it was God’s glorious
arm that was the power that enabled miraculous events to occur. This is another expression of an
anthropological description of God, who is Spirit, and does not have a physical arm. It is used to aid the
understanding of the great power of God behind these events. See also Exodus 6:6 and 15:16.
The question in Isaiah 63:12, “where is he,” relates to the dividing of the waters (the Red Sea) before them
and may suggest that this is the reference to God’s glorious arm being used, as mentioned in the first part of
63:12. The purpose of mentioning the dividing of the waters before His chosen people is that by this act, God
made for Himself “an everlasting name.” Isaiah would again state this at the end of 63:14, “to make your
name glorious.” The parting of the Red Sea to allow His people to escape the armies of the Egyptians is a
most revered topic among God and His people. It was the topic of what is called the song of Moses and
Israel, recorded in Exodus chapter 15:1-21. It was recalled by Moses as recorded in Deuteronomy 11:4.
Those who were in Canaan in Jericho had heard about this great miracle and feared the God of the Israelites,
Joshua 2:9-11. God reminded His people of His miraculous works including the incident at the Red Sea,
Joshua 24:6-7. See also Nehemiah 9:9-11. Many psalms, the hymnbook of the ancient Israelites, recount this
miracle, Psalm 66:5-6; 74:13; 78:13, 53; 106:8-9, 22; 136:12-15. It is also mentioned in the NT in Hebrews
11:29.
However, it was not just the recalling of this miracle at the Red Sea that is critical to the understanding of
God’s purposes. He accomplishes all that He does to make for Himself an everlasting glorious name. God
told Moses that His name was “I AM WHO I AM.” It was His name forever and His memorial name to all
generations, Exodus 3:13-15. God is jealous of His name, Exodus 20:7, 34:14. God is faithful to His
covenant people on account of His great name, 1 Samuel 12:22. He redeemed His chosen people to make a
name for Himself, 2 Samuel 7:23 so that His name would be magnified forever, 2 Samuel 7:26. The Psalms
are replete with praises to God’s name. Isaiah mentioned His exalted name, 12:4; for His name was the desire
of the souls of His people, 26:8. Everyone who is called by His name has been created for His glory, 43:7.
God is merciful and even delays His wrath for the sake of His name to preserve a people for Himself, 48:9.
God brings His righteous judgment so that His name will be feared throughout the earth, 59:19. He
669…..Isaiah 63:11-14 and 63:15-64:12 Introduction
accomplishes great things to make (for) Himself an everlasting name, 63:12. His accomplishes His works to
make His name glorious, 63:14.
The Lord Jesus, the Messiah taught His disciples to pray, requesting that the Father’s name will be hallowed
(in all the earth), Matthew 6:9. Jesus prayed to His Father that His name would be glorified, and His Father
responded, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” John 12:28. The Scriptures close with the
promise that the name of God will be upon the foreheads of the redeemed forever, Revelation 22:4.
Isaiah 63:13-14 contains the last of the four “where is he,” questions in this section, 63:11-14. The statements
related to this fourth question have to do with the leading of the LORD of the ancient Israelites through the
depths of the Red Sea, “the watery depths.” When the LORD separated the waters of the Red Sea, He also
make the ground smooth enough for horses not to stumble and for cattle to traverse the ground just as if they
were going to a pasture down in the valley. The Spirit of the LORD (the Holy Spirit), 63:14, was upon the
people of Israel as they walked through the towering walls of water. The Spirit provided them rest in that
they had the calm assurance that God was protecting them. God led His people is this miraculous way so that
His name would be made glorious. See above for a discussion on the name of the LORD. Some Biblical
scholars suggest that the mention of the word “rest” in 63:14 refers to the LORD’s leading of His people into
the land of promise that is mentioned in Deuteronomy 12:9. However the topic of this entire section, 63:11-
14 is best understood as referring to God’s great miracle at the Red Sea for which His name is glorified.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 63:7-14
63:7-9 Recalling of God’s Past Deeds
63:10a The Rebellion of God’s People
63:10b The Response of God
63:11-14 Recalling of God’s Past Deeds
8. Isaiah’s Prayer for Mercy from God: 63:15-64:12
The previous section, Isaiah 63:7-14 was a lament by the prophet, on behalf of God’s people, recalling the
past miraculous deeds of God and admitting that God’s covenant people had rebelled against Him. The larger
section, 63:15-64:12 records Isaiah’s prayer for God to consider His covenant people, to return to them and
perform awesome deeds as He had in the past. Isaiah prayed that God would look down and consider him for
God’s compassion (seems) to have been withheld from the prophet, 63:15. Isaiah acknowledges that God is
their Father and Redeemer who has a longstanding reputation, 63:16. The prophet laments God’s absence and
blames God for the waywardness of His people, 63:17. Their sanctuary (temple) has been destroyed and God
seems to have deserted them, 63:18-19. Isaiah pleads for God to return and perform His awesome deeds as
He did in the past, 64:1-3. The prophet acknowledges that there is no God like Him who responds to those
who act righteously, 64:4a. Isaiah next confesses the sins of God’s people, 64:4b-7, and pleads for Him to act
beneficially on their behalf and not severely punish them, for their temple has been burned and other places
have become ruins, 64:8-12.
The identification of the historical setting of Isaiah’s prayer has been the cause of much debate among
Biblical scholars. Many consider that the timeframe of the occasion of this prayer was following the return of
the exiles from Babylon. Others think it has a setting during the end of the tribulation and prior to the return
of the Messiah. For Isaiah’s audience, this prayer would have been very difficult to understand as the temple
was standing and in full operation all the years of Isaiah’s life. So, this prayer was not about local events.
Isaiah certainly would have vividly remembered His encounter with God, recorded in Isaiah chapter 6, and
would not have easily forgotten God’s miraculous actions of destroying the Assyrian army when Jerusalem
was threatened with disaster, Isaiah chapters 36-37. Isaiah may have been given the vision of the destruction
670…..Isaiah 63:15
of the temple, 64:11, not long after the events recorded in chapters 36-37. The vision of the destruction of the
temple, 63:18 and 64:11, may have caused Isaiah much concern and deep sadness and thus he was led to pray
the words, recorded in 63:15-64:12.
As has been discussed in the notes on the preceding chapters of Isaiah, the setting for Isaiah’s declarations of
the words that God has given to him, including chapters 63 and 64, best fits a far future eschatological time
frame during which time, God is dealing with the rebellion of His covenant people and the wickedness of the
peoples of the world. The comments in the notes to follow will reflect the implications of this far future
viewpoint.
63:15 Look down from heaven,
and look down from your holy and glorious home.
Where is your zeal and your mighty acts?
The yearning of your heart and compassion
are withheld from me.
Isaiah laments the fact that God is not present with him and he pleads to God to look upon him. The prophet
painfully acknowledges that God’s zeal, and mighty acts and also the yearning of God’s heart and
compassion towards him have been withheld from him and by implication the covenant people of God.
The prophet implores God to “look down from heaven” which is described as God’s “holy and glorious
home.” Heaven was understood as the dwelling place of God, where His throne was located, Isaiah 66:1.
This place is different from the “heavens” which comprise the atmosphere above as well as the place where
stars are seen. The Old Testament introduces the connection between heaven and God’s kingdom: “The
LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all,” Psalm 103:19. See also 1
Chronicles 29:11; and Daniel 4:34. However, the connection between heaven as God’s kingdom is more fully
developed in the New Testament where the phrases “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” are used
interchangeably. The Apostle Paul describes this place as God’s “heavenly kingdom” in 2 Timothy 4:18. It is
not often that the Scriptures open the “curtains” of heaven and allow a glimpse of what heaven is like, but
both the Old and New Testaments reveal aspects of God’s heavenly kingdom, including conversations that
occur there. See for example, Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6; Revelation chapters 4-22. The LORD, Yahweh, the Father
of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, spoke from heaven, Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:21; 9:35; and
John 12:28.
In 63:15, Isaiah asked God, “where is your zeal and your mighty acts?” Zeal is the Hebrew word qinah,
which has the meaning of ardor, zeal and jealously. It is translated often as jealously, as for example in
Ezekiel 36:5-6 where the LORD has spoken in the fire of His jealously, vs. 5 and in His jealously and wrath,
vs. 6. Isaiah had often referred to the zeal of the LORD. The burning zeal of the LORD also drives His fury
to devour His enemies, Isaiah 26:11; 42:13; and 59:17. The zeal of the LORD also drives Him to accomplish
His great purposes for His Son, the Messiah, Isaiah 9:7, and for the remnant of His people, Isaiah 37:32,
which Isaiah may have had in mind when He spoke the words recorded in Isaiah 63:15. Isaiah had declared
the mighty acts of God, in his preamble to his prayer, Isaiah 63:11-14. The mighty acts or deeds of God are
also mentioned by Isaiah in 64:1-4.
In the last phrase of 63:15, Isaiah relates a personal grievance against God. He states, “The yearning of your
heart and compassion are withheld from me.” Most English versions have the object of Isaiah’s grievance as
against “me” but the NIV has “from us.” The literal sense of the Hebrew favors the singular, “from me.” See
notes on this phrase from Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 680. The DASV, NASB, NIV and ESV state
these words as a fact that has happened, while the KJV and NKJV have them as a question as if Isaiah is
671…..Isaiah 63:16-17
asking God, have His yearning and compassion (mercies) been restrained from him? Both interpretations
convey well the sense of Isaiah’s complaint. The prophet intensely feels the lack of God’s involvement in his
life. The words in the DASV, “the yearnings of your heat” is literally a metaphor depicting the noise or
stirring of the bowels as an indication of deeply felt emotions. Isaiah is complaining that God no longer has
these deeply felt emotions for him nor does God display His compassion or mercy to him. This complaint is
from one (the prophet) who feels as if a personal and intimate relationship has ended, such as a relationship
between a child and a loving father, for Isaiah describes God as a Father to His people in the next verse.
63:16 For you are our Father,
though Abraham does not know us,
and Israel does not acknowledge us.
You, O LORD, are our Father;
our Redeemer, your reputation is from ancient times.
The prophet, in Isaiah 63:6, twice addresses the LORD, Yahweh as “our Father.” The depiction of the
LORD as a father to His people does not occur often in the OT. Isaiah had earlier declared the prophecy that
the Son to be born would have the name of “everlasting Father, Isaiah 9:6. Isaiah would again refer to God as
their Father in 64:8. God had declared that Israel was His son and firstborn, Exodus 4:22, whom as a son He
called out of Egypt, Hosea 11:1. See also a reference to sons in Isaiah 1:2; and a reference to God as Father
in Jeremiah 3:4, 19; and 31:9. The comment by Isaiah “though Abraham does not know us and Israel does
not acknowledge us,” may refer to these patriarchs, who are the ancestral fathers of Israel, not being present
with those of Isaiah’s day to help them. Only the LORD, who is the spiritual Father of His people, is ever
present to be of continual help to His people, even if Isaiah at times did not feel the closeness of God nor
recognize His nearness to him and the people of Judah. Isaiah again repeats in 63:16 that the LORD is their
Father and adds that He is their Redeemer. Redeemer is the Hebrew word ga’al, which refers to God as His
people’s kinsmen or family redeemer. See notes on Isaiah 41:14; 43:14; 44:6, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5,
8; 59:20; and 60:16. The concluding phrase of 63:16, “your reputation is from ancient times,” can also be
translated as the NKJV does, “from everlasting is your name.”
63:17 Why, O LORD, do you make us wander from your ways,
and harden our heart so we do not fear you?
Return for your servants' sake,
the tribes of your inheritance.
Isaiah 63:17 appears to present some difficulties for the interpreter and for students of the Scriptures to
rightfully apply what Isaiah is saying to God. Isaiah’s words are that of a complaint. On the surface the
prophet seems to be blaming God for the difficulties facing His covenant people including making them
wander from His ways and hardening their hearts, so they do not fear Him. Biblical scholars have given
many suggested explanations that exonerate God and put the blame where it rightfully belongs, on those who
have rebelled against Him, Isaiah 63:10. For example, Gary V. Smith comments:
“A second complaint to God relates to the way he rules over the earth. The questions are (a) “Why
Yahweh, would you cause us to wander from your ways?” and (b) “Why would you harden our heart
from fearing you?” These statements seem to come very close to blaming God for the nation’s present
problems. Since God is sovereignly in control of everything that happens on the earth, it is logical to
conclude that God has caused or at least allowed Israel to fall into sin and is partially responsible for
their present situation. God could have intervened at any time and prevented this situation from
happening by removing the temptation to sin or by making them strong enough to stand against evil.
Since he did not do this, they appear to suggest that God has some direct or indirect responsibility for
672…..Isaiah 63:17-18
their situation. There is some theoretical basis for this complaint, for in 6:9–10 God encouraged Isaiah
to preach and “make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull.” But in order to
understand the whole picture about hardening, one must recognize that God’s hardening of people
like Pharaoh (Exod 7:3, 13; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10) took place only after Pharaoh hardened his own
heart (Exod 7:22; 8:15, 19, 32). Elsewhere people are warned not to harden their hearts but to be
generous (Deut 15:7) and not to harden their hearts like the Israelites did in their wilderness journeys
(Ps 95:8), so it appears that there are two sides to hardening. This prayer could either be (a) wrongly
blaming God because those praying do not want to accept full responsibility for their own sinful
situation, or (b) complaining that God did not supernaturally act to remove the temptations of life so
that they would stop wandering and avoid hardening their own hearts.” (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol.
2, page 682).
From Isaiah’s perspective, it was easier to blame God for the failings of God’s covenant people than to put
the blame where it belonged, on the hearts of the people, who continued without relenting in their wickedness
and rebellion against God. Isaiah’s complaint is still heard today. Many immediately put the blame on God
for life’s difficulties and tragedies. Sometimes the direct cause is the sinfulness of those who are pleading to
God for rescue or relief from some hurt or harm. God is thus allowing their circumstances to be His righteous
judgment upon them. They have reaped what they have sown. In other instances of difficulties, God is
allowing His people to walk through troubled times in order to produce the fruit of patience and trust in God.
See 2 Corinthians 1:6; 2 Corinthians 6:4; Colossians 1:11; James 1:2-4; and Revelation 13:10.
As recorded in the second half of Isaiah 63:17, the prophet pleads for the LORD to return (to be a present
help) for the sake of His servant who are “the tribes of His inheritance.” Isaiah pleads that God would return
to His people because they are His servant and the people who have been inherited by God. In the context of
the preceding chapters, this plea best fits the last days of the tribulation, when the faithful remnant of God’s
people find themselves in great distress. The prophet’s prayer for God to return also fits the timing when the
temple and other places of Israel have been destroyed by the enemies of Israel.
63:18 Your holy people possessed for a little while,
but now our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary.
As indicated in the notes of Isaiah 63:17, the timing for Isaiah plea to God was motivated by the destruction
of God’s sanctuary (temple). The prophet records that God’s covenant people have only possessed this
sanctuary for a “for a little while.” The words “for a little while” are translated from the Hebrew word
“mitsar,” and many understand this to be the time between the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the
Babylonians under king Nebuchadnezzar in 586 and the return of some of the Hebrew exiles from Babylon to
Jerusalem seventy years later. Yet seventy years in the life of anyone is not “a little while” and for many it is
longer than a lifetime. The term “little while” also does not fit the time when the first temple stood for 373
years, from 959-586 B.C.; nor does it fit the time the second temple (Zerubbabel’s temple) stood, from 516
B.C. to 20 B.C. when it was restored by Herod and stood for another 90 years. None of these timeframes
could be understood as a little while. The period best fitting the context of Isaiah 63 and preceding chapters is
that the temple that will be built in the time of the early years of Daniel’s 70th week, Daniel 9:27. It is in this
“week” (seven years), according to Daniel 9:27, that a temple will exist in Jerusalem and it will be defaced
by the Antichrist (the one who makes desolate - Matthew 24:15 refers to Daniel 9:27). The seven-year period
of Daniel 9:27 is recognized as the time of Jacob’s trouble or distress, Jeremiah 30:7 and corresponds to the
seven-year period known as the tribulation, Revelation chapters 6-19. The first half of the tribulation appears
to be more peaceful and the Jewish people would have time to build another temple. It is this temple that will
be destroyed at the end of the tribulation. This is the only temple that will last for a “little while.” The final
673…..Isaiah 63:19 – 64:2
temple mentioned in the Scriptures will be the temple of the messianic kingdom, described in Ezekiel
chapters 40-48 and it will last for a thousand years.
63:19 We have long been like those over whom you never ruled,
like those who were not called by your name.
The Hebrew text for Isaiah 63:19 also contains the first verse of 64:1. Thus, the English versions split the
longer verse into two. It may be that the English translators understood vs. 19 of Isaiah 63 as completing the
literary unit which began with 63:15 and vs. 1 of Isaiah 64 beginning another literary unit. Isaiah seems to be
concluding this first part of his complaint to God by lamenting that God’s covenant people have long been
like those whom God never ruled nor were called by His name. This was a very strange statement for Isaiah
to make if he was making it within the setting of his prophetic ministry. In the years of Isaiah’s servanthood
to God, he certainly would have his meeting with God, Isaiah chapter 6, engraved on his mind and how could
be forget God’s more recent deeds on behalf of His people by destroying the Assyrian army, Isaiah chapters
36-37. However, if Isaiah had a vision from God of the far future, and it seems he had, then the days Isaiah is
referencing, are the days of the tribulation just prior to the return of the Messiah. The confession that Isaiah
made, 64:5-9 was on behalf of the covenant people of God in the future who will witness the days described
in Revelation chapters 6-19. Isaiah’s confession and plea for God to return, 63:17; 64:1, therefore, must be
understood as complementing his earlier confession, 53:1-9. Refer also to the plea of others for the LORD to
come to them, Psalms 79:1-13; and 80:1-19. This plea by Isaiah for God to return, is the response to God
who said that His people must ask for Him to return, Hosea 5:15-6:3; Jeremiah 3:11-4:2; Zechariah 12:10-
13:1. See also Leviticus 26:40-45; Deuteronomy 4:25-32; 30:1-10; and 2 Chronicles 7:13-14; and in the NT,
Acts 3:17-21.
64:1 O that you would rip open the heavens
and come down!
The mountains would quake at your presence.
Isaiah in 64:1-12, declares the second major part of his lament and prayer to God. The first major part occurs
in Isaiah 63:15-19. Isaiah in 64:1-3, calls for God to act in a mighty theophany to rip apart the fabric or
curtain of heaven and descend to earth to show His unequaled power by causing the mountains to quake and
fire to burn so that the nations would tremble, and His adversaries would know His name. This is the prayer
of a desperate people, who urgently need God to do something dramatic on their behalf. They wanted God to
bring His judgment upon the nations who were oppressing them and also wanted God to vindicate them.
Edward E. Hindson, in the notes for Isaiah 64:1, in the King James Commentary, page 861 suggests that the
language of 64:1, specifically the rending of the heavens (or clouds) points to the second coming of Christ.
Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 685 suggests that this plea indicates that it is an event that should already
have happened. Isaiah may have been mindful of the events at Mount Sinai, Exodus 19:18. See also Judges
chapter 5:4-5; Psalm 18:7-15; 97:1-5; Micah 1:3-4; Nahum 1:1-6; and Habakkuk 3:1-15.
64:2 As when fire burns the brushwood,
and fire causes water to boil;
may your adversaries know your name,
may the nations tremble at your presence!
Continuing his dramatic plea to God to return with mighty power, Isaiah asks that God’s great presence
would also cause fire to burn so that, combined with the shaking of the mountains and the burning of fire,
God’s adversaries (which are also His people’s enemies) would be forced to recognize His great name and
674…..Isaiah 64:2-4
that the nations who had oppressed His covenant people would tremble (with fear) when they actually
witness Him perform His mighty deeds. The prophet Habakkuk many years after the days of Isaiah
prophesized, as recorded in Habakkuk 3:3-6:
3
God came from Teman,
the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah.
His glory covered the heavens,
and the earth was full of his praise.
4
His splendor is like the light;
rays flashed from his hand;
where his power was hidden.
5
Pestilence went before him,
and plague followed his feet.
6
He stood and the earth shook;
his gaze startled the nations.
The ancient mountains shattered;
the everlasting hills bow,
along his ancient paths.
64:3 When you did awesome deeds that we were not expecting,
you came down and the mountains quaked at your presence.
Isaiah recounts the events of the past when God performed mighty deeds when He appeared before the
people of Israel and the mountains quaked at His presence, Exodus 19:18. The prophet reminds God of His
past awesome deeds and exceedingly desires God to come down again and startle the nations and His
enemies with His powerful presence. Victor Buksbazen comments:
“The twofold reference to the mountains melting away and to the fire burning the desert brushwood
indicates that the prophet thinks of the theophany at Mount Sinai with all of its terrifying phenomena.
In her present desperate situation Israel again needs such divine intervention to save her from her
enemies and to make known to the nations who hold the name of Jehovah in contempt that He alone
is the omnipotent God.” (Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 477).
64:4 For from of old no one has ever heard,
or ear perceived,
neither has any eye seen a God besides you,
who works on behalf of the one who waits for him.
In Isaiah 64:4, the prophet praises God that He alone is God and there is no other God that anyone in all of
history (or from all eternity), has seen. No eye has seen, and no ear has perceived of such a God (for there is
truly no other God but Yahweh). Isaiah continues by stating that this God (who alone is the only God),
works on behalf of those who wait for Him. The Apostle Paul paraphrased this verse in his first letter to the
church at Corinth, 1 Corinthians 2:9. See also Isaiah 25:9; 30:18; and 40:31. King David also praised God in
a similar way, as recorded in Psalm 31:19:
How great is your goodness, which you store up for those who fear you,
which you have granted to those who take refuge in you, in the sight of all humanity.
675…..Isaiah 64:4-6
The key issue that Isaiah declares in 64:4, is that God does work on behalf of those who wait for Him. The
trust and patience to wait upon God was something king Ahaz could not do, Isaiah 7:12-13, and this evil king
called upon Assyria for help, 2 Chronicles 28:16-27, which ended in tragedy for the king and his people. The
need to wait upon the Lord is frequently recorded in the Psalms, 5:3; 27:14; 33:20; 37:7; 38:15; 40:1; 119:66;
and 130:5-6. Isaiah also had earlier declared that he is waiting upon God, 8:17and 26:8. Also Isaiah stated
that God waits to have compassion on His people, 30:18. See also Lamentations 3:24, 26; Micah 7:7; and
Zephaniah 3:8 and in the NT, 1 Corinthians 1:7; 4:5; James 5:7; and Jude vs. 21. God desires that His
redeemed people wholeheartedly trust in Him and wait with expectation for Him to act. Those who cannot
wait in hopeful trust in God and proceed in their own way and in their own strength, will fail and not only
cause hurt to themselves but to many others.
64:5 You meet those who gladly do what is right,
those who remember you in your ways.
Look, you were angry because we sinned;
we have persisted in our sins a long time.
Can we really be saved?
Continuing the thought of 64:4, Isaiah states that God meets (the needs) of those who act rightfully and
remember the way that God works (perhaps another reminder to wait for God). Isaiah abruptly turns from his
praise to God and admits that God was angry (with His covenant people), because they had sinned and had
persisted (continued) in their sins for a long time. Isaiah then ponders, “Can we really be saved?” Isaiah
64:5b, is again another difficult passage in which Biblical scholars are divided in their opinion as to how best
to translate it. J. Alec Motyer suggests:
“The verbs sing and angry are perfect tenses – it was your fixed mind to be angry and ours to
continue in sin. What a collision course! So is salvation possible?” (J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah, page 391).
Students of Scripture should not be harsh with Isaiah for asking if they would be saved because of their
persistent sins against God. The sad history of the covenant people of God is one of continual rebellion
against Him. It is not surprising that God’s people should wonder if salvation is possible because of their
sinfulness. What is surprising is that God, in spite of the wickedness of His people (and all people), has
elected to provide the means for their salvation. God did this by sending His Son, the Messiah, Jesus Christ
to earth to suffer and die as a substitutionary atoning sacrifice, sufficient for all sins of all people. Those who
put their trust in God by believing in the Son’s atoning work on their behalf will indeed be saved. No works
of self-righteousness by anyone is sufficient to obtain salvation. God in His loving grace and mercy provided
the only way for those who would believe in the Son, to be justified before Him and have eternal life to live
with Him forever to righteously display and declare His glory to all creation. For this reason, God created
humans, His image bearers, to inhabit His earth and eternally to inhabit Heaven with Him.
64:6 For we are all like one who is unclean,
and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.
We all wither like a leaf,
and our sins carry us away like the wind.
Isaiah in 64:6, continues his confession of the national sin of his people. See notes on Isaiah 63:19. The
prophet rightfully admits that he and his people are all like those who are unclean before God. Isaiah also
admits that all (every single one) of their righteous acts are like filthy rags (literally: menstrual cloths). The
word “unclean” is the Hebrew tame which has the meaning of defile as in legal or ceremonial impurity.
Isaiah had cried out to God when He saw Him in a vision, “Then said I, Woe is me! For I am doomed; for I
676…..Isaiah 64:6-8
am a man of unclean lips, and I live in the midst of a people of unclean lips. My eyes have seen the King, the
LORD of hosts,” Isaiah 6:5. See also Isaiah 35:8; 52:1, and 52:11.
The sins of the people of God had also made them to wither like a leaf and like leaves that are carried away
like the wind. The Scriptures confirm that the one who sins will die, Ezekiel 18:4; and Romans 6:23. The
prophet rightfully depicts the results of sin of being life a leaf that dies. The result of sin also means that
people will have no control over their future, for sinners will be carried away like dead leaves by the wind. It
is important not to lift this verse out of its context and assume that all those who sin have no hope of
salvation. King David for example, was deeply concerned about dying as a result of his sin with Bathsheba.
The prophet Nathan, however consoled the king with the news that the Lord had removed David’s sins and
that he was not going to die, 2 Samuel 12:13. Those who wholeheartedly believe in Jesus Christ, the
Messiah, will also have the punishment for their sins removed by God and they will not die spiritually, but
have everlasting life, John 3:16.
64:7 Yet there is no one who calls on your name,
or endeavors to take hold of you;
for you have hid your face from us,
and have consumed us by means of our iniquities.
Isaiah, in 64:7, admits that none of God’s covenant people calls upon the name of the LORD (Yahweh), or
makes any effort (endeavors) to grasp onto or take hold of Him because the LORD was seemingly hiding His
face from them and He was consuming (bringing His righteous judgment) to them because of their sins. God
had earlier declared, in Isaiah 1:15, that He had hidden His eyes (because of wickedness), which is described
as having their hands full of blood. Isaiah states in 8:17, that he will wait for the LORD who is hiding His
face from the house of Jacob. The LORD declared in Isaiah 54:8, that He had hid His face from His covenant
people for a moment, in His overflowing wrath. In Isaiah 57:17, God states that He hid His face from (His
people) and was angry because of (their) iniquity. In 59:2, Isaiah declared that the iniquities of the people had
made a separation between them and God. See also many other examples of God hiding His face from His
people because of their sinfulness, Deuteronomy 31:17-18; 32:20; Job 13:24; Psalm 13:1; 27:9; 30:7; 44:24;
69:17; 88:14; 102:2; 143:7; Ezekiel 39:23, 24, 29; and Micah 3:4. It was no surprise to Isaiah that the LORD
would hide His presence, even for a moment, because of the continual sinfulness of God’s people who had
“rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit,” Isaiah 63:10. The word “consumed” is the Hebrew “mug,” which is
literally to melt. In Isaiah it occurs only in 64:7 and 14:31 both with the meaning of melting as a form of
God’s judgment. Psalm 46:6 states, “The nations rage, kingdoms are shaken; he raises his voice, the earth
melts.” See also Exodus 15:15; Joshua 2:9, 24; Psalm 75:2-3; 107:26; Amos 9:5; Nahum 1:5 and 2:6.
64:8 But now, O LORD, you are our Father;
we are the clay, and you are the potter;
and we all are the work of your hand.
The prophet in Isaiah 64:8 again confesses that the LORD, Yahweh is their Father. See notes for Isaiah
63:16. The metaphor Isaiah uses to describe the relationship of the LORD as their Father is one of a potter
with clay. Isaiah rightly confesses that all of God’s covenant people are the work their Father’s (the Potter’s)
hand. Earlier the LORD had lamented as recorded in Isaiah 29:16:
You turn things upside down!
Should the potter be thought of as no better than the clay.
Should the thing made say to him who made it,
"He didn't make me."
677…..Isaiah 64:8
Should the thing formed say of him who formed it,
"He has no understanding"?
In Isaiah 45:9, the prophet declared the LORD’s words:
Woe to him who argues with his Maker!
He who is a mere potsherd among the potsherds of the earth!
Does the clay say to the one who shapes it,
'What do you think you are doing?'
or the work of your hands complain,
'He has no skill in his hands?'
What calamity had to come upon God’s covenant people for them to finally admit that their sovereign LORD
was indeed the potter and they were but the clay in the LORD their Father’s hands? In the days of Isaiah,
when Ahaz was their earthly king, they had certainly faced adversity and disaster, 2 Chronicles 28:1-27.
They had also faced what seemed like certain death during the days of Hezekiah, Isaiah chapters 36-37.
However, in Isaiah’s days Jerusalem was unscathed and the temple was in full operation and the people of
Jerusalem were very smug about their assumed safety. They went so far as to tell their prophets not to
prophesy to them what is right, but only tell them pleasantries and they no longer wanted to hear any more of
the Holy One of Israel, Isaiah 30:10-11. God in response told them, as recorded in Isaiah 30:13-14, that:
13
therefore this iniquity will be to you
like a cracked and bulging wall ready to fall,
that topples suddenly, in an instant.
14
He will smash it like a potter's clay pot,
shattering it into pieces without mercy;
so that not a shard of it can be found among its pieces
for taking fire from the hearth,
or to dipping up water out of a cistern.
(Isaiah 30:13-14)
This did not happen during the days of Isaiah. Some may suggest that this prophecy from God of the potter’s
clay pot being shattered into pieces and their disaster will come upon them “suddenly, in an instant,” refers to
the destruction of Jerusalem by the armies of Babylon or by Rome. But these events could in no way be
characterized by a sudden attack as history so clearly revealed. Isaiah’s prayer of 64:8 must be a prophetic
pleading regarding the tribulation period when God’s covenant people think they will have an iron-clad treaty
of peace with the world ruler only to discover that their confidence in this person was a lie. The treaty will be
broken, and Jerusalem will be overtaken suddenly, leaving God’s people to turn to God in repentance and
acknowledging finally, that God truly is their Father who shapes them as a potter does the clay. When these
people during the tribulation pray for God to “rip open the heavens and come down,” 64:1, He will respond
to them and their Messiah will come and rescue them and also bring righteous judgment upon the nations
who oppose Him.
Isaiah makes His appeal to God that His people are the work of His hands. It was God who formed them for
His glory, 43:7. God as the divine Potter, molded His people for His purposes and thus He has a
responsibility for that which He alone has created. Isaiah is reminding God also of His covenant
responsibilities to the people He has formed and made. In this appeal, the prophet is trusting in the goodness
and mercy of the LORD to compassionately consider His people. Isaiah is taking God at His word, as
recorded in 44:21:
678…..Isaiah 64:9
“Remember these things, O Jacob, and Israel,
for you are my servant,
I have formed you;
You are my servant, O Israel,
I will not forget you.”
64:9 Do not be furious, O LORD,
neither remember our iniquity forever.
Please look at us, we are all your people.
Isaiah, in 64:9, pleads with the LORD, Yahweh, to not be furious with His covenant people and not to
forever remember their iniquity. It must have been with agonizing passion that Isaiah pleads, “Please look at
us, we are all your people.” Isaiah’s plea for mercy is a confession that the iniquities of the people have
received righteous judgment from God. The prophet does not try to hide this or fail to admit it, for indeed
God’s covenant people have reaped what their sins have sown. Isaiah begs for mercy similar to the plea of
the prophet Habakkuk, “in wrath, remember mercy,” Habakkuk 3:2. Isaiah had earlier recalled God’s loyal
love and the great goodness He had brought to the house of Israel, according to His mercies, Isaiah 63:5.
Isaiah now pleads that God would remember with mercy His people and not forever remember the sins His
people had committed. Isaiah implores God to remember His previous promise that He is the one who blots
out their transgressions for His own sake and will not remember their sins, Isaiah 43:25. King David had
written, in Psalm 103:8-13:
8
The LORD is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and abounding in loyal love.
9
He will not always accuse,
nor will he stay angry forever.
10
He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve,
nor repaid us according to our iniquities.
11
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his loyal love toward those who fear him.
12
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13
Like a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
(Psalm 103:8-13)
The prophet Micah had also stated in Micah 7:18-20 that:
18
Who is a God like you, that pardons iniquity,
and passes over the transgression
of the remnant of his possession?
He does not remain angry forever,
because he delights in loyal love.
19
He will again have compassion upon us;
he will tread our iniquities under foot.
You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.
20
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and loyal love to Abraham,
which you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.
679…..Isaiah 64:10-11
Isaiah reminds God, in the final clause of 64:9, that “we are all your people,” which repeats the intent of the
words Isaiah had prayed in 64:8, “we are all the work of your hand.” There are no select, elite people within
the covenant community of the house of Israel who deserve God’s mercy above any other members of the
nation. They are together, the highest leader and the poorest outcast of the people, all God’s people who have
been formed by God’s hand for the express purpose of righteously displaying and declaring His glory. Isaiah
implores God to remember His purposes for His people for His greater glory and the sake of His great name,
Isaiah 48:9.
64:10-11 Your holy cities have become a desert,
Zion has become a wilderness,
Jerusalem a desolation.
11
Our holy and beautiful temple,
where our fathers praised you,
is burned with fire,
and all our pleasant places have become ruins.
The prophet in Isaiah 64:10-11, describes the reason for his lament and pleading to God, 63:15-64:12. Isaiah,
in his vision of the last days, saw that the holy cities had become a desert, Zion had become a wilderness,
Jerusalem was reduced to a desolation, the temple was burned, and all of the pleasant places (things) had
become ruins. Some would place the setting of Isaiah’s lament following the destruction of Jerusalem by the
Babylonians in 586 B.C. However, as noted previously, the context of chapter 64 and preceding chapters is a
vision of the last days during the tribulation and just prior to the return of the Messiah. Also, God’s response
to Isaiah’s lament, chapters 65 and 66, definitely indicates a time of blessing to come when the messianic
kingdom is being established and then transitioning into the eternal state.
Bible students should take note of the words “your’ in vs. 10 and “our” in vs. 11 as Isaiah includes God in his
lament. Isaiah implores God to act, 64:1 and 12, because “your” holy cities, Jerusalem and Zion were left
desolate and had become like a desert and a wilderness. The words “holy cities” likely have the meaning that
because all of the land of Israel during the days of Isaiah’s vision (the Tribulation) belong to God, all of the
cities of His land are His holy cities. Isaiah had earlier declared the judgment of God upon Jerusalem, 3:1, 8;
10:11; 51:17; and 52:9; and upon Zion, Isaiah 1:8; 3:26; 33:14; 49:14; and 51:3. In 64:11, Isaiah described
the temple as “our” holy and beautiful temple, where “our” fathers praised you, is burned with fire. Also, all
“our” pleasant places (likely treasured things) have become ruins. The desolation of the temple in the days
just prior to the return of the Messiah is also described in Psalm 74; Isaiah 63:18; Daniel 9:27 and Matthew
24:15. This description of the destruction of the cities including Jerusalem and Zion and the temple that
Isaiah had seen in his vision moved the prophet to again seek God’s action, 64:12. Psalm 74:1-9 is a very
similar lament:
1
O God, why have you rejected us forever?
Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
2
Remember your congregation, which you have acquired long ago,
which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your inheritance,
and Mount Zion, where you dwell.
3
Turn your steps to the perpetual heap of rubble,
all the damage that the enemy has done in the sanctuary.
4
Your adversaries have roared in the middle of your assembly place;
there they have set up their battle streamers.
5
They seemed like those who swing axes
in a thicket of trees.
680…..Isaiah 64:12
6
Now they have torn down all its carved work
with hatchets and hammers.
7
They have set your sanctuary on fire;
they have profaned the dwelling place of your name
by throwing it to the ground.
8
They said to themselves,
"Let us totally crush them."
They have burned up all of God's meeting places in the land.
9
We do not see any signs of deliverance;
there are no more prophets;
neither is there anyone among us who knows how long it will last.
(Psalm 94:1-9)
64:12 After all this, how can you restrain yourself, O LORD?
How can you keep silent and punish us so severely?
To conclude his lament and plea to God, Isaiah in 64:12, boldly implored, “After all this” (the destruction of
the cities and the temple), “how can you restrain yourself, O LORD?” The prophet Isaiah, who had met God
and had been commissioned by Him, Isaiah chapter 6, and had been given many prophetic messages from
God, was keenly aware of God’s desire to bring rescue and blessings to Jerusalem, Zion and to His covenant
people. See Isaiah 1:27; 2:1-4; 4:2-6; 12:6; 18:7; 24:23; 27:12-13; 30:19; 31:4-5; 33:5, 20, 24; 35:10; 37:32;
40:1-11; 41:27; 44:1-8, 21-28; 46:13; 51:1-52:12; 54:1-17; 60:1-62:12; 63:7-14; and 65:1-66:24. Isaiah
knowing all of these promises of the LORD, spoke for a far future generation who will face the devastation
of the days of the tribulation. He, as it were, looked the LORD in the face, and asked, “How can you keep
silent and punish us so severely?” Isaiah identifies himself with this far future generation who will endure
the righteous punishment of God. It is not that Isaiah complains about the cause of God’s judgment upon his
people, for the prophet certainly knew that the sins of God’s people would result in God’s judgment. It is
however, that Isaiah was pleading with God regarding the severity of the judgment that God has revealed in
advance to Isaiah. See notes on Isaiah 64:9 above.
The LORD does not leave Isaiah waiting for a response to the lament of the prophet, Isaiah 63:15-64:12. In
the final two chapters of the writings of Isaiah, the LORD explained that He will not keep silent but respond
in His righteousness. Wickedness will receive a just response and God’s justice will prevail. God’s covenant
people will not be forgotten for He will restore His people to their land and bring blessings to the land and to
its people. Finally, the LORD will transition the promised peaceful messianic kingdom into the eternal state.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah 63:15-64:12
63:15-19 The Prophet’s Complaint about Israel’s Condition
64:1-4 The Prophet’s Citation of God’s Power
64:5-7 The Prophet’s Confession of Israel’s Sin
64:8-12 The Prophet’s Call for God’s Action
Introduction to Isaiah Chapters 65 and 66
As mentioned under the notes for Isaiah 64:12, chapters 65 and 66 are a response of the complaint and
confession of Isaiah on behalf of himself and God’s covenant people, stated in Isaiah 63:15-64:12. These
final two chapters are also a grand conclusion to the prophetic writings of Isaiah bringing God’s judgment on
wickedness to its ultimate destiny, the lake of fire, Isaiah 66:24, and bringing God’s blessings to His
covenant people and all who have faith in Him to its ultimate destiny, the eternal state with God’s continual
681…..Isaiah 65:1-2
presence in the new heavens and the new earth. Chapter 65 is divided for purposes of this study, into
divisions corresponding with the four paragraphs in this chapter. Vss. 1-7 discuss the idolatrous people of
God. Vss.8-12 discuss the future blessings of God on the faithful remnant. Vss. 13-16 discuss God’s
judgment upon the wicked and vss. 17-25 discuss God’s promise of the coming new heavens and a new
earth. Isaiah chapter 66 is divided into two main sections, although there are four paragraphs in this chapter.
The two main divisions for the purposes of this study are vss. 1-9, the birth of a new nation and vss. 10-24,
the eternal joy and endurance of the future Jerusalem.
9. The Idolatrous People of God: 65:1-7
God response to Isaiah, begins with the statement that He made Himself available to a nation (Gentiles) that
did not ask for Him, nor seek Him or call on His name, vs. 1. However, He had spread out His hands to a
rebellious people (Israel), vs. 2. His people provoked God constantly by the detestable practices of pagan
worship, vss. 3-4. These people go so far as to claim they are holier than God, but they are really like a
continuous fire that produces smoke in God’s nostrils, vs. 5. God will judge these people (pay them back in
full), for their pagan worship, vss. 6-7.
65:1 I made myself available to those who did not ask for me;
I was found by those who did not seek me.
I said, 'Here I am, here I am,'
to a nation that did not call on my name.
God’s initial response, 65:1, to Isaiah’s lament, 63:15-64:12 may appear strange for He states that He has
made Himself available to those who neither asked for Him, nor sought Him nor called on His name. God
even said to them, “Here I am, here I am.” Christian commentators usually apply 65:1 to the Gentile nations.
The word “nation” is the Hebrew goy, which is often a reference to the Gentiles but is also used as a
reference to the Israelites. The Apostle Paul cited this verse in Romans 10:20: “And Isaiah is very bold, and
says, I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.” Paul was
applying Isaiah 65:1 to his teaching that the Gentiles, who did not seek after righteousness attained a
righteousness that is by faith, Romans 9:33 and following. It is significant that God extends His availability
to all who seek Him by faith, using language, “I am” that is typically used for His covenant people.
65:2 I have spread out my hands all day long to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own imaginations.
If the opinion of many is correct, that Isaiah 65:1 refers to the Gentiles who by faith “find God,’ then 65:2
most certainly refers to God’s covenant people Israel. Thus, God begins His response to Isaiah with a great
rebuke of His covenant people who have done almost everything to provoke Him to bring judgment upon
them. In contrast to bringing mercy and salvation to those who did not call upon Him, the Gentiles, God is
the One who continually, “all day long” seeks after His people who are rebellious. The word “rebellious” is
the Hebrew sarar, which also has the meaning of being stubborn and obstinate. Is occurs often in the OT as a
reference to rebelling against God. See Nehemiah 9:29; Psalm 66:7; 68:6, 18; 78:8; Isaiah 1:23; 30:1;
Jeremiah 5:23; Hosea 4:16: 9:15; and Zechariah 7:11.
God also states through the prophet, that His covenant people walk in a way which is not good and follow
their own imaginations. One of the most graphic depictions of rebelliousness in the Scriptures is the
description of people who walk in their own way in contrast to walking in the way or path of God. See Isaiah
2:3; 30:21; 35:8; and 59:8. The Book of Proverbs is a commentary on walking in God’s ways versus the
dangers of walking in one’s own way. See Proverbs 2:13, 20; 4:14; 8:20; 9:6; 10:9; 14:2; 28:6 and 18. See
682…..Isaiah 65:2 and 3-4
also, Judges 2:22; Psalm 1:1; 119:1; Jeremiah 6:16; 18:15; Daniel 4:37; Hosea 14:9; Micah 4:2 and in the
NT, see Ephesians 5:2 and Colossians 3:7.
Victor Buksbazen provides a much needed and proper understanding of Isaiah 65:2, citing the Apostle Paul’s
quotation of this verse in Romans 10:21 and the misunderstanding of many who apply Isaiah 65:1-2 and
other verses to the erroneous conclusion that the church is the new Israel:
“All day long have I spread out my hands to a rebellious people”
“This is the tragedy of Israel: while God constantly pleaded with His people to follow Him in faith,
their response was rebellion and defiance. By contrast, many of the Gentiles to whom God has not
specifically made Himself known as He did to Israel, nevertheless have found Him. The conversion
of Gentiles to Jehovah happened from time to time in the pre-Christian era but later became a wide-
spread reality through the Messiah of Israel and His apostles. Paul refers to these two verses in the
above sense in Romans 10:21.
On the basis of the above two verses and also some other passages, many theologians, including some
of the Reformers, concluded that God had rejected Israel and that believing Gentiles, or the Church
are now “The Israel of God” or “The New Israel.” This misinterpretation has continued through the
centuries even to the present time, obscuring the true meaning of the Scriptures concerning the
relationship between historical Israel and the Church.
In this passage the prophet is merely emphasizing the sharp opinion between rebellious Israel whom
Jehovah has pleaded for many generations and those Gentiles who one day will of their own free will
come to Him, although they have not been instructed and wooed by the prophets, as Israel has been.”
(Victor Buksbazen, Isaiah, page 481).
65:3-4 These people provoke me to my face continually,
sacrificing in gardens,
and burning incense upon pagan brick altars;
4
who sit among the tombs,
and spend their night in the secret places;
who eat the flesh of pigs,
with broth made from abominable things in their pots.
In Isaiah 65:3-4, God continues His lament against His covenant people who continually provoke Him to His
face by participating in vile pagan ritual practices. They sacrifice in gardens and burn incense upon pagan
brick altars instead of the prescribed worship. Exodus 20:25 for example, describes the building of an altar of
stones and forbids the use of cut stones which has had a tool applied to it for the use of a tool profanes the
altar. See also Deuteronomy 27:5-6; and Joshua 8:31. Isaiah in 27:9, described what would happen to the
altar stones as a result of the pardoning of the sins of the people. Those who should have been completely
devoted to God also provoke Him, by sitting among tombs and spend their nights in secret places and also eat
the forbidden “flesh of pigs with broth made from abominable things in their pots.” See also Leviticus 11:1-
47; Deuteronomy 14:3-21; Isaiah 1:28-31, 66:3, and 17. The sitting among tombs and nighttime rituals may
refer to pagan practices such as worshiping the dead, but this is not explicitly stated. By participating in these
pagan practices, God declares that they continually provoke Him to His face. Isaiah had earlier stated in 3:9:
“They flaunt (display) their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to their Soul!”
683…..Isaiah 65:5 and 6-7
65:5 They say, 'Keep your distance.
Do not come near me,
for I am holier than you are.'
These are smoke in my nose,
a fire that burns all day long.
Isaiah in 65:5, reveals the attitude of God’s covenant people, who continually rebel against Him. The words
of God’s people recorded in this verse, may be the most blasphemous statements made against God in the
Old Testament. In the New Testament the religious leaders of Israel committed what many understand as the
unforgiveable sin against the Holy Spirit, Matthew 12: 22-37. From this incident recorded in Matthew 12,
many also understand that this was the rejection by these leaders of the Messiah’s offer of the kingdom to
Israel. In Isaiah 65:5 God’s covenant people clearly had rejected God’s presence. See also Job 21:14-15.
Isaiah had described a similar situation in 30:9-11:
9
For they are a rebellious people,
deceptive children,
children that will not obey the law of the LORD.
10
They tell the seers, "Stop seeing visions,"
and to the prophets, "Stop prophesying to us about what is right,
tell us pleasantries, prophesy illusions.
11
Get out of the way,
turn aside from the path,
let us hear no more of the Holy One of Israel."
It is a most grievous statement to say to God, “keep your distance, do not come near me.” In saying this,
those who should have responded in faith and trusted in God because of their covenant relationship with
Him, are stating that they want nothing of God’s gracious promises contained in the covenants He has made
with them. This includes promises of the possession of a defined land for them; promises of being a blessing
of God to all the nations of the earth; promises of becoming a nation whose members will be counted as
innumerable; promises of a coming peaceful and prosperous kingdom in which the Messiah Himself will
reside with them and rule over them; but most importantly, they want nothing of God’s promises of salvation
to them as their kinsmen Redeemer.
Their rejection of God is compounded even further by their callous and wicked statement that they consider
themselves holier than God. What more could they say than this to completely sever their relationship with
God and seal the doom of their souls. It is no wonder that God could state in response, “These are smoke in
my nose, a fire that burns all day long.” God also continues His response as recorded in 65:6-7 and 13-16.
None of those who have rejected God will survive His punishment. They will face His severest judgment that
will result in their inclusion in the lake of fire, Isaiah 66:24. It is not insignificant that just as the response of
the wicked of Israel is like a burning fire to God that is like smoke in His nostrils from a fire that burns all
day long, so will be God’s response to them for they will be tossed into a lake of fire that will burn forever.
Only those who are God’s true and faithful remnant will survive eternal punishment. They will live with God
forever to righteously display and declare His glory to His creation. The wicked religious leaders in the days
of the Messiah’s first advent who committed an unforgiveable sin faced an eternal punishment. The wicked
people of Israel in Isaiah’s day faced a similar fate. See also Isaiah 2:9 and 22:14.
65:6-7 "Look, it is written before me:
I will not keep silent, but will repay,
yes, I will repay dropping it right into their laps
684…..Isaiah 65:6-7
7
both your own sins and the sins of your fathers," says the LORD,
"Because they have burned incense on the mountains,
and blasphemed me on the hills;
therefore I will pay them back in full
dropping it right into their laps."
Isaiah had earlier invoked God to “rip open the heavens and come down,” Isaiah 64:1 and to “return for your
servant’s sake,” Isaiah 63:17. If the covenant people of God had rightfully considered their evil ways and
blasphemous words to God, they would not have been so hasty to request His return. For His return would
mean for most of them, eternal punishment. Only those who were truly repentant and faithful, only a remnant
would receive the blessings of God’s covenant promises. See Isaiah 10:21-22; 11:11, 16; 28:5; 37:31-32;
Jeremiah 23:3; 31:7; 50:20; Ezekiel 6:8; Amos 5:15; Micah 2:12; 7:18; Zephaniah 2:7, 9; 3:13; Zechariah
8:11-12; Romans 9:27 and 11:5.
God will not let sin go unpunished. Those who by faith trust in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, are declared
justified by God because their Messiah bore their sins and took upon Himself the punishment (death) they
rightfully deserved. Those who reject God however have no recourse or help, for they will bear the full brunt
of judgment for their own sins. God will not keep silent and will drop His judgment and righteous
punishment “right into their laps,” per the DASV and NIV. Other versions, KJV, NKJV, NASB and ESV,
state “into their bosom.” Both descriptions have the meaning that the just punishment for their sins will be
given to them, so there is no possible means of escaping it. The sins of their “fathers” will also result in
God’s righteous punishment for these fathers. Isaiah had earlier proclaimed that the LORD was their Father,
Isaiah 63:16; and 64:8. In response, God in 65:7 is stating that just like their biological fathers, they also
would receive the just recompense for their sins. If God was their true spiritual Father, they would have acted
in righteous ways that would have pleased Him and they would not be facing His wrath.
As stated in Isaiah 65:7, God reveals His great abhorrence for the pagan worship they had practiced, 65:3-5
and their blasphemy, (“for I am holier than you are”),63:5. He states that He will “pay them back in full,”
bringing His righteous judgment and punishment by “dropping it (punishment) right into their laps,” see also
65:6. Isaiah lamented and complained that God was not near to His people nor had lately God performed His
mighty deeds, and further the people felt they were like those whom God had never ruled or never called by
His name. The LORD’s reply must have stunned the prophet. The people who were called by God’s name
acted as if God did not exist. They worshiped false gods in vile pagan ceremonies and worse, they
blasphemed His holy name. They had wickedly rebelled against their covenant God. God therefore gave
them exactly what their sins deserved. They would receive in themselves the wrath of God’s punishment.
There would be no escape or way out. God’s decision as a righteous judge was final. Mercifully, God’s love
for His people did not end with this pronouncement of judgment. He would rescue those who had faith in
Him, even if it were but a remnant of the people.
10. Future Blessings on the Remnant: 65:8-12
Isaiah transitions from God’s judgment, vss. 1-7, to blessings for God’s servants in vss. 8-12. Another
section of judgment follows in vss. 13-16 and then a section on the coming new heavens and earth follow in
vss. 17-25. The words of judgment, vss. 1-7 was very severe as in rightfully needed to be as vs 5 indicates.
Now, however, Isaiah in vss. 8-12, declares God’s gracious mercy for those who are called His servants and
judgment for those who forsake Him. God promises not to destroy all of Israel for His servants’ sake, vs. 8.
Those who are God’s chosen, His servants will inherit His mountains, vs. 9. The plain of Sharon and the
Valley of Achor will be places for flocks and herds, vs. 10. Those however, who forsake the LORD and
685…..Isaiah 65:8
forget His holy mountain (Zion) and worship false gods, “Fortune” and “Destiny” will face death for they
also did not respond to God’s call and refused to listen to Him, vss. 11-12.
65:8 This is what the LORD says,
"When juice is found in a grape cluster,
people say, 'Do not destroy it, for there is a blessing in it,'
so I will do for my servants' sake;
I will not destroy them all.
The statement, “This is what the LORD says,” is a reminder that God is responding to Isaiah’s lament
recorded in Isaiah 63:15-64:12. Following God’s scathing rebuke of His covenant people in 65:1-7, one may
wonder if any would be saved. Also, Isaiah may have pondered why He asked the LORD to respond to his
lament and come down from heaven, 64:1 if the response from God was only going to be judgment upon the
people. The prophet Habakkuk found himself in a similar situation. Habakkuk lamented in Habakkuk 1:2,
“How long, O LORD, must I cry, and you not listen? I cry out to you "Violence," but you do not save.” The
prophet was complaining about the wickedness and violence occurring among God’s covenant people and
their seemed to be no remedy. The answer that Habakkuk received from God must have stunned him. God
responded that He was going to do something that Habakkuk would not believe. God was going to bring a
foreign nation, the Chaldeans, to punish the people of God. Habakkuk finally acknowledged the LORD’s
rightful punishment on His chosen people. The prophet declared in Habakkuk 3:18: “yet I will rejoice in the
LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.”
God was responding in a similar manner to Isaiah, but with coming judgment, God would also have mercy
and not destroy all of the people. God describes the situation with His chosen people are like that of a cluster
of grapes. All of the grapes (of a dried or pressed cluster) would not be destroyed when juice is found in it,
for some would exclaim, there is (yet) a blessing in the cluster, meaning the cluster still will yield useful
grapes with their juice in them. God will not destroy all of His people, for within them there are some who
are faithful to Him who are His faithful remnant. Isaiah often contrasted those who are faithful from those
who are wicked in his writings, 1:26-28; 6:11-13; 10:20-23; 17:4-6; 48:9; 50:10-11; 57:3-21; 65:13-16; 66:3-
9. The prophet had earlier exclaimed, in 1:9, “unless the LORD of hosts had left us a few survivors, we would
have been like Sodom, we would have become like Gomorrah.” Also, Isaiah stated in 10:20-23:
20
In that day the remnant of Israel,
and those who survive from the house of Jacob,
will no longer depend on the one who struck them,
but they will rely on the LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, in truth.
21
A remnant will return,
the remnant of Jacob to the mighty God.
22
For though your people, Israel,
be as the sand of the sea,
only a remnant of them will return;
a destruction is decreed,
overflowing with righteousness.
23
For the sovereign LORD of hosts
will execute complete destruction,
in the midst of the whole land.
(Isaiah 10:20-23)
686…..Isaiah 65:9-11
65:9 But I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
and from Judah those who will inherit my mountains;
and my chosen will inherit it,
and my servants will live there.
Not only will God preserve some among His covenant people, (a tenth according to Isaiah 6:13), but He will
cause those who are the descendants of Jacob and Judah, who are His chosen and His servants to inherit His
mountains, (the land of promise). Isaiah had previously declared that God would bring His faithful remnant
from the nations of the world to inhabit the land of Zion, 41:8-9; 43:1-7; 49:8-13; 60:1-22; and 61:4-11. They
will come to Zion rejoicing, 35:10; and 51:11 and will settle in the land of promise, 54:1-17; 57:13; 60:21;
61:7; and 62:1-12. God will keep His covenant promises to restore His people, make them a blessing in the
earth and to settle them in the land He had promised to their forefathers. See for example Deuteronomy 30:1-
20.
65:10 The plain of Sharon will be a pasture for flocks,
and the Valley of Achor a place for herds to lie down,
for my people who have sought me.
In the land of promise, where God will bring His faithful servants, 65:9, who have sought Him, 65:10, there
will be pleasant places where flocks and herds will find peaceful pastures. The plain of Sharon was a
pastureland, 1 Chronicles 5:16 and 27:29. The plain or valley of Sharon is located on the western edge of the
land, between Mount Carmel and what is present day Tel Aviv. King Solomon recorded his bride’s delight in
being praised who stated that she was “a rose of Sharon.” Song of Solomon, 2:1. Isaiah had previously
mentioned God’s judgment upon Zion as including Sharon, “The fertile plain of Sharon has become like a
desert,” Isaiah 33:9. However, following the judgment of God upon the land, there is a great promise of
restoration to the land, where those who have sought Him will live. Isaiah states in 35:1-2:
1
The wilderness and the dry land will be glad;
the desert will rejoice,
and blossom like the crocus.
2
It will blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing;
the glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Mount Carmel and the Sharon plain.
They will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
The Valley of Achor will also be a pleasant place for the herds of the people of Israel. This valley is located
west of the city of Jericho. The first mention of this valley in the Scriptures is Joshua 7:24-26. God will
transform this place of burial, as the prophet Hosea reveals in Hosea 2:15, “From there I will give her back
her vineyards, and turn the Valley of Achor (trouble) into a door of hope.” The timing of this transformation
of the land will be following the tribulation and at the beginning of the messianic kingdom. See Gary V.
Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 710-711.
65:11-12 But you who forsake the LORD,
who forget my holy mountain,
who prepare a table for Fortune,
and who fill up mixed wine for Destiny;
687…..Isaiah 65:11-12
12
I will destine you to the sword,
and you will all kneel down to be slaughtered;
because when I called, you did not answer,
when I spoke, you did not listen;
you did that which was evil in my eyes,
and chose what I did not delight in."
Isaiah concludes this section of Chapter, with a very stern reminder from God regarding those who forsake
the LORD and forget His holy mountain (Zion), 65:11-12. God states that they also “prepare a table for
Fortune and who fill up mixed wine for Destiny.” Fortune and Destiny refer to pagan gods. For a discussion
of the meaning of these gods in the context of Isaiah 65:11, see John Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters
40-66, page 648.
God’s protest about and judgment of Idol worship and pagan cultic practices is a very common theme of the
writings of Isaiah, 2:8, 18-20; 10:10-11; 19:1-3; 21:9; 30:22; 31:7; 40:18-20; 41:7, 22, 29; 42:8, 17; 44:6, 9-
20; 45:16, 20-25; 46:1-7; 48:5, 14; 57:3-13; 65:2-4 and 66:3. Idol worship, particularly among His covenant
people provokes the Holy One of Israel. He had created them for His glory, 43:7 and has been a Father to
them, 63:16; 64:8. He tenderly cared for them like a vinedresser cares for his vineyard, 5:1-7. He has
compassion for them, 14:1; 30:18; 49:10-16; 51:3; 54:1-17; 60:10; and 63:7. He will care for and comfort
them, 12:1; 40:1-11; 49:13; 51:3, 12, 19; 52:9; 54:11; 57:18; 61:2; 66:10-13. He brings them salvation, 12:2-
3; 25:9; 26:1; 33:6; 45:8, 17; 46:13; 49:6 (salvation to the ends of the earth); 49:8; 51:5-8; 52:7-12; 56:1;
59:16-17; 60:18; 61:10; 62:1; and 63:5. He is also their kinsmen redeemer, 41:14; 43:14; 44:6; 44:24; 47:4;
48:17; 49:7; 49:26; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16 and 63:16. He sent His Servant (the messiah) to accomplish
salvation for them, 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-53:12. He will bless them in the coming kingdom of
the Messiah (selected verses), 2:1-4; 4:6; 9:7; 10:13-14; 11:6-10; 32:1-2, 17-18; 33:2-24; 35:1-10; 40:1-11;
41:12, 18-20; 45:14, 17; 46:13; 49:7, 23; 52:7-12; 57:19; 60:1-62:12; 65:17-25 and 66:10-14. His Son, the
Servant who is the Messiah, will be a covenant for His people, 42:6 and 49:8 so that His people can fully
participate in His covenant promises for them.
After all that God had accomplished for His people, it is understandable and right that God, the Holy One of
Israel, their Creator, Redeemer and Savior would righteously judge them for their continual and relentless
pursuit and worship of false gods. They loved their false idols and pagan worship to their fullest capacity by
displaying their sins callously and openly before Him, 3:9, They told Isaiah, His prophet to tell them no more
about Him, 30:10-11, and most blasphemously, to not come near them for they claimed they were more-
holier than He was! 65:5. What more could God do for His people than he already has done? All that is left is
God’s righteous indignation and judgment to be given to them. In 65:12, God describes that these wicked
people will be slaughtered by the sword (and obviously other ways). They would be killed because they
failed to respond to God when He called them and refused to listen to Him when He spoke to them (likely
through the declarations of His prophets. They “did what was evil” in God’s eyes and they chose what God
did not delight in. They have reaped what they have sown and none, who have not repented and turned to
God in faith, will escape the judgment described in 66:24, the last verse of Isaiah’s writings.
11. God’s Judgment on the Wicked: 65:13-16
There is a paragraph break between 65:12-13 likely because of Isaiah’s statement of “Therefore, this is what
the LORD says.” The declaration of judgment on the wicked which began in vs. 12 continues into the next
paragraph and it is possible that Isaiah decided to add the statement of God’s authority to add emphasis to
what God is stating. God describes what will happen to the wicked in contrast to His (faithful) servants, vss.
13-14. The name of the wicked will be left as a curse which will be spoken as a curse by God’s faithful
688…..Isaiah 65:13-15
chosen ones. The LORD also declares that He will put the wicked to death. However, the LORD will give
His servants another name, in contrast to the curse of the wicked, vs. 15. In a future day, the name of God’s
servants will be used as a blessing and anyone swearing any oath will swear it by the God of truth. Also, all
former troubles will be forgotten and hidden from God’s eyes, vs. 16.
65:13 Therefore this is what the sovereign LORD says,
My servants will eat,
but you will be hungry;
my servants will drink,
but you will be thirsty;
my servants will rejoice,
but you will be put to shame;
Isaiah likely added “Therefore, this is what the sovereign LORD says,” to emphasize the divine authority of
these words of judgment. Isaiah often had inserted this and similar phrases in his writings to indicate that
these words were not just the opinion of the prophet but the divine words of God Himself. They are,
therefore, critical words to be heeded by those who would call themselves servants of the LORD. In 65:13,
God continues His declaration of judgment which He began, stated in 65:12 and earlier in 65:6-7. God
describes what will happen to the wicked who are to receive God’s judgment in comparison to those who are
His (faithful) servants. It is implied that these servants are faithful for they are not receiving the just
punishment of God upon the wicked. Isaiah in 65:13 summarizes many of the declarations of judgment he
had earlier written, 1:19-20; 5:13; 8:21-22; 42:17; 44:9-11; and would later state in 66:5 and 14. The faithful
servants, however, will be cared for by God when they hunger and thirst and will not be put to shame: 49:10;
51:3; and 61:7.
65:14 my servants will sing for joy of heart,
but you will cry for sorrow of heart,
and will wail from a broken spirit.
In 65:14, Isaiah continues the words of the LORD, Yahweh regarding the contrast between the blessings of
His faithful servants and the judgment upon the wicked. In other English versions, KJV, NKJV, NASB and
ESV, this verse begins with “behold” which is the Hebrew word, hinneh. “Behold” is likely used by Isaiah to
also draw attention to what God is saying, just as in 65:13 where the prophet declared, “this is what the
sovereign LORD says.” The message of 65:14 is that those who faithfully obey the LORD and trust in Him
will sing for their hearts will be full of joy, 35:10; 51:11. See also Psalm 66:1-4. The faithful servants will
have a joyful heart, but the wicked will have a sorrowful heart, literally a heart full of pain. The faithful
servants will sing (or shout), due to their joyful heart but the wicked will cry out because of their heart of
pain and they will wail because of their broken spirit. The “destinies” and “fortunes,” 65:11, of the faithful
servants will be vastly different than that of the wicked. The faithful servants will enter into the joy and peace
of the LORD as they inherit the promises of God. The wicked will enter into everlasting sorrow and pain for
there will be no peace for them, Isaiah 48:22; and 57:21.
65:15-16 You will leave your name for a curse for my chosen to use;
and the sovereign LORD will slay you;
but he will give his servants another name.
16
Whoever blesses himself in the earth
will bless himself by the God of truth.
For one who takes an oath in the earth
will swear by the God of truth;
689…..Isaiah 65:15-16
The former troubles will be forgotten,
and they will be hidden from my eyes.
Isaiah 65:15 begins with a startling statement that the wicked will have no other legacy except a name that
will be “for a curse for my chosen to use.” The name of the wicked will be used as a “curse” because they
had rebelled against God and grieved His Holy Spirit, therefore God turned into their enemy and fought
against them, 63:10. They had also blasphemed His holy nature by saying to Him, “Keep your distance. Do
not come near me, for I am holier than you are,” 65:5. They also had profaned the name of the LORD in all
the nations to which they had been scattered, Ezekiel 36:16-23. Because of this wickedness, the sovereign
LORD will slay them as He had also stated in 65:12. Also, because of this wickedness and the profaning of
God’s name among the nations, the faithful servants will be given a new name by the LORD. It is not stated
what this new name will be (See Revelation 2:17 and 3:12), however earlier Isaiah had recorded God’s words
in 62:2:
The nations will see your vindication,
and all kings your glory,
and you will be called by a new name,
that the mouth of LORD will give you.
They and the land of Zion will be called by new names, 62:4:
You will no longer be called "Forsaken;"
neither will your land any more be labeled "Desolate."
Instead you will be called Hephzibah [My delight is in her],
and your land Beulah [Married];
for the LORD delights in you,
and your land will be married.
The words “whoever blesses himself in the earth will bless himself by the God of truth,” is translated in the
NIV as “whoever invokes a blessing in the land will do so by the God of truth.” The intent of this phrase
seems to point to the realization that the faithful remnant who have been called by God to populate the
kingdom of the Messiah in the far future will only make a blessing by or through God who will be then
recognized for who He is, the God of truth.
The one who “takes an oath in the earth will swear by the God of truth.” Similar to the previous phrase
regarding blessing only through or by the God of truth, those who invoke an oath will do so only through or
by God who will be recognized as the God of truth. The conditions and sinfulness of this present earth will be
long forgotten and will be hidden from God’s eyes for He will have forgiven His faithful servants whom He
has brought into His glorious kingdom and the kingdom of His Son, the Messiah.
David L. Cooper comments on Isaiah 65:15-16:
“At the conclusion of the Tribulation, after the wicked in Israel have been slain, a new order will be
introduced. This fact is set forth in verses 15 and 16. The apostates who die under the powerful
judgments of the Tribulation will leave their names for a memory to those who survive as the ones
upon whom the curse of God fell. The new order mentioned in these verses involve the introduction
of a new political set-up, the inauguration of a new spiritual regime, and the institution of a new
ethical and moral world. These facts are only hinted at in this chapter but may be seen from parallel
and related passages.
690…..Isaiah 65:17
Every vestige of the present order and all things connected with it will be hidden or covered. This is
seen in the last clauses of verse 16. During the Tribulation, as we learn from many passages, not only
the heavenly bodies will be wrecked; but this earth likewise will become a desolation and a waste, the
result of the terrific judgments of the Tribulation. But when the new order is introduced, all the
wreckage and everything connected with the present age will be covered up and hidden. There will
therefore be nothing to remind anyone of the present time, during which sin and Satan reign all but
universally.” (D. L. Cooper, Commentary on Isaiah, Biblical Research Monthly – July and August
1946).
12. God’s Promise of a New Heavens and a New Earth: 65:17-25
In Isaiah 65:17-25, the declaration of God that He will create new heavens and a new earth do have a
connection with the preceding verse, 65:16. When God will have voluntarily hidden, from His eyes, all the
past troubles of His chosen servants and they will have also forgotten them, will be during a new era as
described in the notes above for Isaiah 65:16. This new era is described by God, in vss. 17-19 as His creation
of a new heavens and a new earth in which the former things will not be remembered or even come to mind,
vs. 17. God call upon His faithful servants to be glad for and rejoice forever because He will create Jerusalem
for rejoicing and her people for a delight, for there will no longer be any crying or weeping in the city, vss.
18.-19. Vss.20-25 describe selected aspects of the millennial kingdom. People will live very long lives and
abide in houses that they have built and eat the food that they have planted for they will live long enough to
enjoy the work of their hands, vss. 20-22. The people living in the millennial kingdom and their descendants
will be blessed by the LORD, vs. 23. They will receive an instant response to their prayers, vs. 24, and the
land will be full of peace, vs. 25.
65:17 For, look, I will create new heavens and a new earth;
the former things will not be remembered,
or even come to mind.
Isaiah 65:17 has certainly been the topic of a great deal of debate among Biblical scholars of all stripes and
backgrounds. Even evangelical, conservative scholars who hold to a dispensational hermeneutic, disagree on
some aspects of the meaning of the creation of new heavens and a new earth. Many understand that the word
“new” means exactly that including the creation of a brand-new earth. Others see some restoration or
renovation of the earth in such a manner that God can call it a new earth. [CONTENT NEEDED]
For other viewpoints, see Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 718. Edward E. Hindson, Isaiah, King James
Bible Commentary, page 863. Michael Rydelnik, James Spencer, Isaiah, The Moody Bible Commentary,
page 1099-1100. John A. Martin, Isaiah, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Old Testament, Victor, Imprint
of Cook Communication Ministries, page 1120. There are of course many other commentaries and Bible
expositions that could be referenced, but for purposes of this study and especially for home study and Bible
study groups, these resources and those cited above, should be sufficient for the student to grasp the meaning
of Isaiah 65:17. See also the continuing comments below for this verse.
From the many viewpoints stated above of the meaning of the words, “new heavens and a new earth,” it may
be somewhat confusing for Bible students to come to a conclusive determination as to exactly Isaiah meant
by this phrase. Therefore, some discussion is necessary to help clarify the meaning.
Isaiah did not have the completed text of the Scriptures available for him to understand the further revelation
on the sequence of events that are to occur in the last days, including the chronological events of the
691…..Isaiah 65:17
tribulation, the millennial kingdom, the last judgment, and the eternal state. Often Old Testament prophecies
of the last days merge events into one passage or statement. Therefore, the phrase “new heavens and a new
earth” does not appear to be exactly chronological as stated in the New Testament. In other words, this
phrase may be a summary statement about the events that will occur in the last days and not a statement that
the actual creation of new heavens and a new earth occur before the establishment of the millennial kingdom.
As Old Testament prophecies are so often telescoped into a single passage, the Bible student must take this
into consideration and allow Scriptures to interpret other Scriptures. Revelation is progressive in the
Scriptures and later statements of the events of the last days help to clarify earlier statements. This is not in
any way to suggest that the Old Testament must be viewed through the lens of the New Testament or that
Old Testament passages must be re-interpreted because of someone’s understanding of a New Testament
text. The Old Testament can well stand on its own without placing a grid of interpretation over it which is not
the intention of the original author of Scripture – who is God.
If the statements of Isaiah are carefully examined, the prophet had already discussed the necessity for the
creation by God of new heavens and a new earth. A study of Isaiah chapter 24 reveals the reason for the
necessity of God to create new heavens and a new earth. The prophet declares in 24:20, that the earth will fall
and will not get up again. Isaiah mentions the burning destruction of the inhabitants of the earth, 24:6. Isaiah
also stated in 34:4 that “All the host of heaven will be dissolved, and the heavens will be rolled up like a
scroll and all their hosts will fall.” These prophecies can rightly be compared with later revelation about
these events, such as 2 Peter 3:10-13. At the occurrence of the great white throne judgment, the Apostle John
stated that, at the presence of the One who sat upon the throne, “from whose presence the earth and heaven
fled away and there was no place found for them.” Revelation 20:11. Following this event which included
the description of the second death, the lake of fire, Revelation 20:14-15, John declares, in Revelation 21:1:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away; and
there was no more sea.” From the chronological events described in the book of Revelation, it therefore is
reasonable to state that the creation of the new heavens and the new earth occurs following the thousand-year
messianic kingdom and the final judgment.
If the conclusion reached in the above notes are correct, then the statement of Isaiah regarding the creation of
new heavens and a new earth, as recorded in Isaiah 65:17 can be clarified to be a summary statement and the
events which are stated in Isaiah following 65:17 describe both the messianic kingdom and the eternal state.
John F. Walvoord in his discussion on Revelation 22:1 states:
“Only a few other passages in the Bible deal with the subject of the new heaven and the new earth,
and these are often in a context dealing with the millennium (cf. Isa. 65:17; 66:22; II Peter 3:13). The
fact that millennial truths are mentioned in the same context in all three of these major references has
often confused expositors. However, it is a common principle in prophecy to bring together events
that are distantly related chronologically, such as frequent reference to the first and second comings
of Christ, actually separated by thousands of years (Isa. 61:1-2; cf. Luke 4:17-19).” (John F.
Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Moody Press, 1966, page 311).
The word “create” in 65:17 is the Hebrew bara, which occurs in the first verse of Genesis and often in the
early chapters of Genesis to describe God’s original creation of the heavens, the earth, its creatures and
humans. It occurs often in Isaiah, 4:5; 40:26, 28; 41:20; 42:5; 43:1, 7, 15; 45:7, 8, 12, 18; 48:7; 54:16; 57:19,
65:17, 18 and in reference to creation in Psalm 148:5. The usual meaning of the word bara is to create or
make and not to renovate or restore. Isaiah also uses the word bara twice in 65:18 in reference to Jerusalem.
See notes on this verse. The phrase “new heavens and new earth” occur also in Isaiah 66:22 in the context of
the eternal state for the LORD states they will endure before Him. This phrase also occurs in 2 Peter 3:13 in
692…..Isaiah 65:18-19
the context of the old heavens and earth being destroyed by burning and passing away. This phrase occurs in
Revelation 21:1 with the clear statement that the first heaven and earth had passed away. The plain sense of
the words of these verses should lead to the conclusion that the present heavens and the earth will be
destroyed by God, by being burned, and God will create (bara) new heavens and a new earth. The first
heavens and earth will have been so corrupted by wickedness and so polluted by the works of humans that
God will create a new heavens and earth and the former things of the previous heavens and earth will not be
remembered. They will completely pass away from all memory.
65:18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am about to create.
For, look, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing,
and her people as a delight
The prophet states that God’s desire is that His covenant people are to be glad and rejoice in what He is
“about to create.” This is a clear reference to a future creation and in the context of 65:17-18, it is part of the
new heavens and earth. God clarifies that it is Jerusalem that He is about to create. The newly created
Jerusalem will be made for the purpose of rejoicing forever and the people who inhabit the newly created
Jerusalem will also be “created” as an eternal delight to God. There should be no confusion that what Isaiah
prophesizes in 65:17-18 is also declared by the Apostle John in Revelation 21:1-22:5. John saw a vision of
the new (called holy) Jerusalem descending out of heaven and then described its glory, Revelation 21:9-22:5.
Only those who have a new heavenly body which is imperishable and spiritual, 1 Corinthians 15:35-49, will
inhabit the new Jerusalem and the new heavens and earth. The fact that the inhabitants of the new heavens
and earth will have a new imperishable and spiritual body is prophesied by Isaiah in 65:18, as God creating
the people of the (new) Jerusalem as a delight to Him.
It is not that God somehow did not get it right the first time He created the heavens and the earth, for He
declared that what He had created was “very good,” Genesis 1:31. For His own purposes and by His holy and
righteous determination, God deemed that His first creation although declared very good, would involve the
necessity for the humans He had created, to be redeemed by His Son. Humanity, in its rebellion and
sinfulness, could not enter into an eternal righteous relationship with God and God allowed the effects of this
wickedness to play out to its ultimate end, the corruption and pollution of the created heavens and earth. Only
those who had by faith trusted in God’s Son, (the Servant described by Isaiah who is the Messiah, the Lord
Jesus Christ), would enter into and abide forever within the new heavens and earth God will create. It is only
those, whom God has “created” with a new heavenly body, who will be His eternal delight and cause for
rejoicing, for they will righteously display and declare God’s glory to all of His newly formed heavens and
earth.
65:19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
and delight in my people;
there will no longer be heard in her the sound of weeping
or the sound of crying.
The prophet in 65:19, records the repetition of God’s statement that He will rejoice in the newly created
(holy) Jerusalem and that He will delight in His people who will abide forever in this city which will descend
from heaven to the earth, Revelation 21:1-22:5. Along with the previous description that the former things of
God’s first created heavens and earth will not be remembered nor come to mind, 65:17 and former troubles
will also be forgotten and hidden from God’s eyes, 65:16, God adds in 65:19, that within the new Jerusalem,
the sound of weeping and crying will not be heard. This implies that there will not be any cause for anyone to
experience sorrow or sadness or disappointment or any other negative emotion or feeling. Those who inhabit
693…..Isaiah 65:19-22
the new Jerusalem will be completely of a new creation with incorruptible spiritual bodies whom will forever
rejoice with their triune God and sing His praises and righteously display and declare His glory.
Isaiah 65:17-19 is a separate section describing the eternal state within the greater section of chapters 65 and
66. As mentioned above, the declaration of God in these chapters of His creation of new heavens and earth is
a summary statement, and some verses of these chapters specifically describe the eternal state and other
verses describe conditions which will be evident during the millennial kingdom of the Messiah. Isaiah 65:20-
25 describe specific conditions of the millennial kingdom including the long life of the inhabitants of the
kingdom. These verses also describe the building of homes and agricultural enjoyment of the kingdom as
well as the rapidity of God’s response to their prayers and the peace that will exist among the animals. These
are selected aspects of the kingdom that God had deemed important to reveal to the prophet. They are but a
few of the many wonderful aspects of this kingdom that God has revealed to Isaiah about which the prophet
has so richly sprinkled throughout his prophetic writings.
65:20 There will no longer be an infant who lives just a few days,
or an old person who does not live out their full days;
for the child will die at hundred years old,
and anyone failing to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.
Isaiah 65:20-25 describe circumstances of the millennial kingdom ruled by the Messiah. Children will be
born, and lifespans will be long implying a healthy environment. Those who only live to reach a hundred
years will be considered accursed which is the reverse of being blessed by the Lord. [CONTENT NEEDED]
65:21-22 They will build houses, and inhabit them;
they will plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.
22
They will not build and another inhabit it;
they will not plant and another eat it;
for as the days of a tree so will be the days of my people,
and my chosen will live long enough to enjoy the work of their hands.
Isaiah in 65:21-22 continues to describe certain selected aspects of the millennial kingdom of the Messiah.
People living on the earth will build houses and live in them (in safety and peace). See Isaiah 60:18. There
will be such a tremendous influx of people being gathered to the land of Israel that new houses will need to
be built. Also, the houses and other buildings that had been destroyed will be re-built. Isaiah had described
the great influx of people to Israel in passages such as, 43:1-7; 49:14-26; 60:1-22; 62:10; and later in 66:7-9.
The prophet described the rebuilding of the ruined buildings in 58:12 and 61:4. In contrast to their travails in
the nations where they had been scattered, they will build and possess their own homes. They will no longer
be slaves held captive to cruel tyrants who had oppressed them, 26:1-6; 52:4; and those who once oppressed
them will be judged by God and will serve God’s faithful remnant, 49:26; 60:14-16.
Another blessing of the coming millennial kingdom is that the inhabitants of the kingdom will benefit from
their agricultural labors. In times past, they had planted but others had harvested and eaten their crops, Isaiah
1:7; Amos 5:11; Micah 6;15; and Zephaniah 1:13. As mentioned in Isaiah 65:20, the people of God who
inhabit the millennial kingdom of the Messiah will live long lives. In 65:22, Isaiah states God’s words, that
one of the benefits of this longer life, is that the covenant people of God, “my chosen will live long enough to
enjoy the work of their hands.” Added to the peace and safety of the messianic kingdom will be satisfaction.
Things that have been built and planted by God’s covenant people will have a lasting legacy and benefit to
society and the people who live in the land will enjoy this benefit themselves.
694…..Isaiah 65:23-25
65:23 They will not labor in vain,
or bring forth children destined for disaster.
For they are the offspring blessed by the LORD,
and their descendants with them.
The covenant people of God, God’s chosen, 65:22, will see the reward of all their labor and this includes
raising children who will fulfill Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old
he will not depart from it.” The blessings of Deuteronomy 28:3-12 will also be realized. Also, Isaiah had
earlier declared, in 59:21:
"As for me, this is my covenant with them," says the LORD,
"my Spirit that is on you,
and my words which I have put in your mouth,
will not depart out of your mouth,
nor out of the mouths of your children,
nor out of the mouth of your children's children,"
says the LORD, "from now to forever."
Children who are born in the millennial kingdom of the Messiah will be raised with the benefits of the new
covenant. This will include Jeremiah 31:31-34, for they will have God’s law within them which will be
written on their hearts and they will all know the Lord. This will also include Ezekiel 36:26-28, for they will
have a new heart and a new spirit within them. The children will be blessed by the LORD, Isaiah 65:23 so
that they will not grow up to lead lives that are destined for disaster, calamity or without a divine purpose.
The parents, grandparents and great grandparents will also live long enough to see their descendants lead
godly and successful lives.
65:24 Before they call, I will answer;
while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
One of the greatest benefits of the millennial kingdom of the Messiah is that He will know their needs before
they ask Him and those who seek Him by calling upon Him, will receive a response even while they are
speaking the words of supplication to Him. The Lord knows the thoughts of everyone, Psalm 94:11and Isaiah
66:18. Jesus, the Messiah knew the thoughts of everyone, even those who opposed Him, Matthew 9:4; and
12:25. In the days of His coming kingdom, the Messiah will know all the thoughts of His covenant people
and all others who inhabit the kingdom. They will be people that are intimately connected to their Lord for
He will constantly be in touch with them. Not only will they be able to travel to Zion to meet Him, face to
face, they will be meet Him daily as he responds to them.
65:25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox;
dust will be the serpent's food.
They will not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,
says the LORD.
This final verse of Isaiah chapter 65, concludes the short section, 65:20-25 describing certain specified
conditions of the coming millennial kingdom of the Messiah. In a much earlier section of Isaiah, 11:6-9, the
prophet had declared:
695…..Isaiah 65:25 and Chapter 66 Introduction
6
The wolf will dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard will lie down with the young goat;
the calf, the young lion, and the fattened cow
will lie down together;
and a little child will lead them.
7
The cow and the bear will graze together;
their young ones will lie down together;
the lion will eat straw like an ox.
8
The nursing child will play near the hole of the asp,
and the weaned child will put his hand into the viper's hole.
9
They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea.
See notes on Isaiah 11:6-9
The final phrase of Isaiah 65:15, “in all my holy mountain, says the LORD,” reminds the audience of the
prophet that Zion, the mountain of the Lord, is much beloved by Him. It was one of the mountains in the land
of Moriah that God selected for Abraham’s great test with his son Isaac, Genesis 22:2. It was upon Mount
Moriah that the temple was built by Solomon and the place where God had met with Solomon’s father David,
2 Chronicles 3:1. It later became designated as Mount Zion where it was called His holy mountain and where
God had installed His Son as king, Psalm 2:6-7. It is called the “city of our God, His holy mountain,” Psalm
48:1-2. It is described in Isaiah 2:2 as, “In the latter days, the mountain of the LORD’s house will be
established as the highest of mountains.” Also, in Isaiah 2:3, it will be from Mount Zion that God’s law will
be issued. In Isaiah 4:5 the prophet declares that, in the last days, the Lord will cover Mount Zion with His
shekinah glory. Isaiah states in 24:23 that “the LORD of hosts will reign in Mount Zion.” It is called God’s
holy mountain in Isaiah 56:7; 57:13; 66:20; Joel 2:1; 3:17; Obadiah vs. 17; and Zechariah 8:3. It is called the
“city of the living God,” Hebrews 12:22 and it is the place where, in a future day the Lamb, the Messiah, will
stand, Revelation 14:1.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 65
65:1-7 God’s Judgment upon the Wicked
65:8-12 God’s Blessings on the Faithful
65:13-16 God’s Judgment upon the Wicked
65:17-25 God’s Blessings on the Faithful
Introduction to Isaiah Chapter 66
The final chapter of the prophetic writings of Isaiah conclude the response of God to Isaiah’s lament of
63:15-64:12 and in a wider context, concludes all of Isaiah beginning in chapter 1. As the prophet has so
often written, God hates false worship and will punish all who falsely worship Him in the temple. God will
also punish those who have rebelled against and have rejected Him and worship pagan gods and practice
pagan religious rites. All who oppose God will face God’s wrath for He will execute His judgment upon
them resulting in their eternal punishment. However, God will bless and comfort those who are His faithful
servants. Zion (Israel) will see great increases in population. God will also bring His faithful remnant from all
the nations to see His glory. Some of them will be selected as priests to serve Him. All who are faithful to
Him will be eternally blessed but all who have rebelled against God will be eternally doomed. In this study of
Isaiah chapter 66, three divisions in the text are selected. Vss. 1-6 discuss the contrast between true and false
worship. Vss. 7-14 discuss God’s blessings on millennial Israel. Vss. 15-24 discuss the destinies of the
faithful and the wicked.
696…..Isaiah 66:1
13. Contrast Between True and False Worship: 66:1-6
In the first six verses of Isaiah chapter 66, the prophet declares the words of the LORD regarding true and
false worship. God begins by contrasting His omnipresence with the confines of an earthly temple, vs. 1. God
reminds His covenant people that He has made all things and He looks favorably upon those who are humble
and contrite is spirit and tremble as His word, vs. 2. God declares judgment upon those who falsely worship
Him, vss. 3-4. In vss. 5-6 the LORD compares the joy of those who tremble at His word with the shame that
will come upon His enemies.
66:1 This is what the LORD says,
"Heaven is my throne,
and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house could you build for me?
Where is the place that I may rest?
Isaiah begins this last chapter with his often-stated declaration, “This is what the LORD says.” Isaiah ensures
that his audience understands that the authority for the statements he is making come from the LORD,
Yahweh and therefore, it is critical that God’s covenant people listen and heed His words. God first declares
that He is omnipotent and so infinitely vast that all of heaven is His throne and earth is but a footstool for His
feet. God reminds all who will listen that He is the divine King over all His creation. Isaiah often spoke of
God as King, 6:1-13; 32:1; 33:17, 22; 37:16-20; 43:15; and 44:6. Kings of the earth will serve His covenant
people, 60:3; and 10-12. God will punish the kings of the earth, 14:5; 24:21; and 40:23. He sits above the
earth, 40:22; and is enthroned as ruler of the earth, 9:7; 24:23; 32:1; 40:10; 52:7 and 63:15 Many of the
references to God as King apply to the Messiah who will reign on Mount Zion on the Davidic throne during
His millennial kingdom. Other Scriptures attest to the rule of the LORD, Exodus 15:18; 1 Kings chapter 8;
22:19; Jeremiah 10:10-16; Daniel chapter 4; 5:21; 6:26-27 and especially Daniel 7:9-14, which includes a
reference to the Messiah who will rule over His everlasting kingdom. The greatest number of references in
the Scriptures to God as King occur in the song book of the Israelites, the Psalms. For example, Psalm
103:19 states, “The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.” In
Psalm 2:6-9 the LORD declares:
6
"I have established my king
on Zion, my holy hill."
7
I will announce the decree.
The LORD said to me:
"You are my son;
this day have I have become your father.
8
Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,
and the ends of the earth as your possession.
9
You will break them with a rod of iron;
you will dash them in pieces like a potter's clay pot."
(Psalm 2:6-9)
Isaiah in 66:1 states that not only is heaven God’s throne and earth is His footstool but also, what possible
house (temple) could contain Him or be large enough for Him to rest (reside). King Solomon acknowledged
this fact during the dedication of the temple which had been just constructed under his direction. Solomon
stated as recorded in 1 Kings 8:27, “But will God really live on the earth? Even the heaven and highest
heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple that I have built!” God had also discussed a house for
His dwelling in 2 Samuel 7:5-7.
697…..Isaiah 66:2
In the days just following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, one of the first deacons to
be selected to serve the newly founded church, was Stephen who was full of faith and the Holy Spirit, Acts
6:5. Stephen was performing great wonders and signs among the people and was opposed by the religious
leaders of Israel who violently arrested him and put him before the High Priest and the ruling religions
Council. Stephen responded to the question of the High Priest about what he had been proclaiming to Israel.
In his brilliant and Holy Spirit guided discourse to these evil religious leaders, Stephen quoted from Isaiah
66:1-2 as recorded in Acts 7:49-50. As with the prophets of old and with the Messiah, Stephen was put to
death because of his testimony about the rebellion of Israel against the “Righteous One” (the Messiah),
including the leaders Stephen was addressing, Acts 7:51-60, specifically vss. 49-50. For other references to
heaven as the throne of God and earth as His footstool, see, Matthew 5:34-35; and 23:22. Also refer to, 1
Kings 22:19; 2 Chronicles 18:18; Hebrews 8:1, Revelation 4:2 and 5:13.
66:2 For all these things my hand has made,
that is how all these things came to be," says the LORD.
"But this is the one to whom I will look,
even to the one who is humble and contrite in spirit,
and who trembles at my word.
In reference to Isaiah 66:1, heaven and earth, the LORD reminds His covenant people that He had made “all
these things,” and explains that it was only by His creative work, by His hands, that “this is how all these
things came to be.” The Bible begins with the plain statement that, “In the beginning, God created the
heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. From time to time, God reminded His people that all things in heaven
and earth were created by Him, and they were created for Him. Isaiah also had earlier declared the word of
LORD, as recorded in Isaiah 45:18:
For this is what the LORD says
who created the heavens,
the God who formed the earth and made it,
who established it and created it not chaotic,
who formed it to be inhabited.
I am the LORD; there is no other.
For other examples (selected only), see Psalm 96:5; 102:25; 114:15; 121:2; 124:8; 134:3; 146:5-6; John 1;3;
Acts 14:15; Romans 11:36; Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 1:2; and Revelation 14:7. John 1:3; Colossians
1:15-16 and Hebrews 1:2 affirm that the Son of God, the second “person” of the triune God, who is the
suffering Servant revealed in the writings of Isaiah, who is the Messiah, Jesus Christ, was the actual creator,
whom formed the world. It is correct to understand that God created the heavens and the earth as all three
“persons” of the triune God were active in the creative process. For a discussion on the “Trinity” and the
usage of “persons” or “subsistences” to describe the triune God, the following resources are recommended:
Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology, Revised and Expanded, Moody Publishers, 2014, pages 205-
210. See also, John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue. Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible
Truth, Crossway, 2017, under heading of Trinity. Rolland McCune, A Systematic Theology of Biblical
Christianity: Volume 1: Prolegomena and the Doctrines of Scripture, God and Angels, Detroit Baptist
Theological Seminary, 2008, pages 275-305.
Following the reminder of His creative act, which was likely intended to be a sharp rebuke to those within
God’s covenant community that He and only He is God and any acknowledgment or worship of any other
god is a great affront to Him that will not go unpunished. God, who is sovereign over all His creation
explains that, in all of His creation, He will look upon the “one who is humble and contrite in spirit, and who
698…..Isaiah 66:2 and 3-4
trembles as my word.” There is no partiality with God, Deuteronomy 10;17; Acts 10:34; and Romans 2:11.
He gives no special treatment to religious, or governmental leaders or great heroes, or to anyone even to
“good people.” There is no one who “does good,” Psalm 53:3; and Romans 3:12. No one is righteous in
themselves as to gain the favor of God. God looks at the thoughts and intents of the heart and He knows who
is humble and contrite in spirit and those who tremble at His word. The word “humble” is the Hebrew ani.
This word occurs often in the OT and with great significance in Zechariah 9:9 describing the messianic
prophecy of the “King” who is humble and mounted on a donkey. The fulfilment of this prophecy is
mentioned in Matthew 21:5; Mark 11:7; Luke 19:35 and John 12:12-15. The Hebrew word ani occurs often
in the writings of Isaiah, often translated in the DASV as poor or afflicted, see 3:14, 15; 10:2, 30; 14:32;
26:6; 41:17; 49:13; 51:21; 54:11; 58:7 and 66:2. This word is only translated as “humble” in 66:2.
The word “contrite” is the Hebrew nakeh, which is found in 2 Samuel 4:4 and 9:3 referring to the crippled
and lame son of Jonathan named Mephibosheth. The word nakeh has the primary meaning of crippled and
lame. The only other occurrence of this word is in Isaiah 66:2 which is translated in the DASV, NASB, KJV,
NKJV, NIV and ESV as “contrite.” The word “contrite” is a very interesting translation of naheh. The typical
English dictionary meaning of “contrite” is to be very sorry and to be very ashamed especially of one’s sins.
Contrition, a related word, has the meaning of repentance and shame over past sins. The sense of “contrite”
in Isaiah 62:2 is that the person God looks upon, realizes they are “crippled and lame” in themselves and are
completely dependent upon God for His righteousness.
66:3-4 To them the one who kills an ox is just like one who kills a human for sacrifice;
one who sacrifices a lamb is like one who breaks a dog's neck;
one who offers a grain offering is like one who offers pig's blood;
one who burns frankincense is like one who blesses an idol.
Yes, they have chosen their own ways,
and their soul delights in their abominations.
4
I also will choose their punishment,
and will bring their fears upon them;
because when I called,
no one answered;
when I spoke,
they did not hear;
they did that which was evil in my eyes,
and chose what did not please me.
The DASV translation of the first phrase of Isaiah 66:3, “to them the one who….” may cause some to wonder
just to whom, is the prophet referring. The latter half of 66:2 refers to those who are humble and contrite. Is it
“to them” the words of judgment of the LORD are to be applied? Other English versions clarify this with the
placement of the word “But,” at the beginning of verse 3. This helps the reader with the transition God is
making between those who are faithful and those who are wicked. The comparison between the faithful and
wicked is very clear in 66:5. To them, the wicked, who shamefully display their sinfulness before God, Isaiah
3:9; 30:9-11; 65:5, God compares their worship to abominable pagan practices. For a discussion of these
practices, see Gary V. Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, pages 730-732. See also Amos 5:21-27; and Micah 6:6-8 and
Malachi 1:6-14. The last sentence of 66:3 is God’s indictment upon the wicked of His covenant people, “Yes,
they have chosen their ways, and their soul delights in their abominations.” The choice of which way to
follow is a constant theme of Isaiah, 2:3; 8:11; 26:8; 28:26; 30:11; 35:8; 42:24; 48:17; 53:6; 55:7-9; 56:4, 11;
57:17-18; 58:1-13; 59:7-8; 63:17; 64:5; 65:2, 12; and 66:4. The most significant result of the choice of
“turning to” one’s own way is described in Isaiah 53:6:
699…..Isaiah 66:3-4
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned everyone to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him the sin of us all.
As a result of following one’s own direction and way, the ultimate destiny of this choice is eternal death. God
provided “His own way” of saving people from this destiny by placing the sins of the world upon the
Servant, who is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. By believing in the cross-work and resurrection of the
Messiah, believers can leave their way and walk in the guidance and care of God’s way. If it was not enough
for the wicked to just walk in their own ways, Psalm 1, their soul delights in their abominations of their vile
pagan religious practices which are a great affront to God. The first Psalm declares the destiny of the wicked,
they will not stand in the judgment, meaning they will be condemned as they appear before God. Psalm
73:19 declares that the wicked will be instantly destroyed. At the beginning of his writings, Isaiah declared
those of His covenant people who have descended into sin, have delighted in their pagan worship, Isaiah
1:29. They will be ashamed of this delight of having chosen their own way. By their continual participation
in pagan worship, they will face the awful and eternal judgment of God upon them.
In 66:4, God declares that He will choose the punishment of these wicked people and “will bring their fears
upon them.” At the end of chapter 66, Isaiah records the punishment God has chosen. The wicked will be cast
into a fire that will not be extinguished and they will eternally endure this punishment. Those who continue
to rebel against God by worshiping false idols and rejected Him will realize their worst fears. God’s
judgment will not evade them. They will not escape. They refused to heed the call of God and refused to hear
Him. They did this by refusing to listen to the words of His prophets and not wanting to listen to them. Isaiah
30:9-11 is an example of this:
9
For they are a rebellious people,
deceptive children,
children that will not obey the law of the LORD.
10
They tell the seers, "Stop seeing visions,"
and to the prophets, "Stop prophesying to us about what is right,
tell us pleasantries, prophesy illusions.
11
Get out of the way,
turn aside from the path,
let us hear no more of the Holy One of Israel.
The sad truth of the people of Israel is that they continually refused to listen to the word of God given to
God’s servants, the prophets as recorded so often in the Scriptures. See for example, Jeremiah 2:30; 7:25-26;
25:4; 26:4-6; 35:15; 44:4-6; Daniel 9:6, 9; Zechariah 7:8-14; Matthew 5:12; 23:29-39; Luke 6:23; 11:47-51;
13:28, and 34-35. The words of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, as recorded in Matthew 23:37-39, are a stunning
example of the Israelites refusal to heed the words of God’s prophets and of the Messiah, 37 O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, you who kills the prophets, and stone the ones who are sent to you! How often would I have
gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would not! 38 Look,
your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I say to you, you will not see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord.' This indictment of the Messiah was so significant that it marked the
withdrawal of the kingdom offer to Israel during Messiah’s first advent. The Messiah will not return to His
covenant people until they repent of their national sin of rejecting Him during His first advent and plead for
Him to return. It is only then they will say, “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
700…..Isaiah 66:5
The last sentence of Isaiah 66:4 is a declaration that the wicked, among the covenant people of God,
deliberately did what was evil in the eyes of God and they chose what did not please God. The single and
only blame for the just punishment that will be coming on these wicked people lies completely with them.
They purposefully chose to walk in their own ways, refusing the rule of their LORD in their lives, and
knowingly acted in ways that was evil and did not please God. They openly displayed their wickedness,
choosing to parade their evilness in the face of God, Isaiah 3:9. They told God’s chosen prophet, Isaiah not to
bring them any more messages from the Holy One of Israel, Isaiah 30:10-11 and what is worse they
committed a great blasphemy by declaring that they were holier that God, Isaiah 65:5. They will reap what
they have sown and face the eternal punishment they deserve.
66:5 Hear the word of the LORD,
you who tremble at his word:
"Your own countrymen who hate you,
and throw you out for my name's sake, mock,
'Let the LORD be glorified,
that we may see your joy;'
but it is they who will be put to shame.
Those whom the LORD spoke about in Isaiah 66:3-4, the wicked of God’s covenant people who will face
His righteous judgment, are called in 66:5, “your own countrymen who hate you.” The words of 66:5 are
addressed by Isaiah to those who “tremble at his word.” They are the humble and contrite of spirit upon
whom God look, 66:2. Again as Isaiah had often declared, this word (message) is to be heeded for it comes
from the LORD. Those described above in 66:3-4, are so drunk with their own wickedness that they cannot
abide any of their fellow Hebrews who live righteously in humbleness before God and are contrite in spirit.
See notes on Isaiah 66:2. The words in 66:5, “and throw you out for my name’s sake,” may refer to being
prohibited from worshipping in the temple. It may also point to a far future time, just prior to the return of the
Messiah, when the unrighteous prevent the righteous from participating in synagogue worship. If it is correct
to understand the context of chapter 66 and preceding chapters as referring to “day of the Lord,” which will
occur during the tribulation and extending to when the Messiah will return to establish His millennial
kingdom, it is likely these words, of Isaiah 66:5 refer to the righteous being excluded from communal activity
that may include being thrown out of either the temple or synagogue. Isaiah 66:6 may also allude to the
temple as the place where the righteous have been excluded as it is the place within the city where judgment
will be meted out to those who mock God and His faithful people.
The wicked among God’s covenant people will not only exclude the righteous from communal activity for
the sake of the LORD’s name but will do so for they hate those who are righteous who obey and follow the
LORD. The wicked will mock the righteous with words of a taunt ridiculing both them and the LORD. They
will evilly mock the righteous with the words, “Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy,” 66:5.
The wicked will have no intention of ascribing any glory to the LORD. Neither will they care about or
consider the joy of the righteous. This mocking taunt is yet another act of evil rebellion against God that is
sealing their fate as the LORD states in the last phrase of 66:5, “but it is they who will be put to shame.” The
wicked who openly attempt to put the righteous to shame by their exclusion from communal activities will
themselves suffer the ultimate and final shame as they face eternal punishment and torment. They will be
excluded from the blessed eternal new heavens and new earth. It was no different in the days of the
Messiah’s first advent. The Messiah stated to those who followed Him, as recorded in Luke 6:22-23,
“Blessed are you, when people hate you, and when they will exclude you, and mock you, and denounce your
name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake. 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for your reward is great in
heaven; for this is the same thing their forefathers did to the prophets.” Also, the wicked may treat the
righteous is this manner for they think they are actually working in God’s service as indicated by John 16:2-
701…..Isaiah 66:6 and 7-9
3: “They will put you out of the synagogues; yet the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think that he
is offering service to God. 3 They will do these things, because they have not known the Father or me.”
66:6 Listen, a sound of uproar from the city,
a sound from the temple!
It is the voice of the LORD,
rendering to his enemies what they deserve.
The recompense for the sins of the wicked will be meted out by the LORD. It may be that the very place, the
temple, where the wicked have thrown out the righteous and excluded them from communal activities, is the
place where the wicked will receive their punishment from the LORD. The LORD will render to His enemies
the just punishment for what they deserve. It is possible that the temple itself is being judged for the wicked
who are the enemies of God and His faithful remnant have turned the temple into a place of opposition to
God.
14. God’s Blessings on Millennial Israel: 66:7-14
The middle section of Isaiah chapter 66, verses 7-14 concerns the blessings of God upon the newly
established messianic kingdom. God will cause the nation, the country (land), which is called Zion and
Jerusalem, to expand quickly and increase in numbers. This is depicted in vss. 7-9. Jerusalem will rejoice and
those who have mourned for the city will rejoice as well, vs. 10. Jerusalem will be the source of comfort for
all who mourn, vs. 11. The LORD will bring peace to Jerusalem and the glory of the nations will be brought
to the city. The peoples of these nations will also bring comfort to Jerusalem, vss. 12-13. Because of these
blessings the heart of those who mourn will be glad and receive strength from the LORD, vs. 14.
66:7-9 Before her labor pains began,
she gave birth;
before her pain came,
she delivered a boy.
8
Who has heard of such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Can a country be born in a single day?
Will a nation be born in a second?
Yet as soon as Zion went into labor,
she gave birth to her children.
9
Would I ever bring a baby to the point of birth
and not deliver it?" says the LORD.
Would I who deliver
ever force the womb shut?" says your God.
If taken by itself, Isaiah 66:7 may seem difficult to understand as the reference to the birth of a boy would
cause much discussion on the identification of this individual. However, the immediate context of 66:7-9
indicates that the word “boy” is a depiction of the rapid birth of a new nation whom the LORD will cause to
suddenly come into being. The picture is of a mother who gives birth prior to the beginning of her labor
pains. The prophet in 66:8, asks a few rhetorical questions, “Who has heard of such a thing and who has seen
such things? Also, can a country be born in a single day or in a second? The questions are immediately
answered in 66:98. It is Zion who is being depicted as giving birth, not to a boy, 66:7, but to children. The
LORD in 66:9 assures the fledgling nation that He will fulfil His promise of the rapid growth of the nation of
Zion. Although 66:7-9 contains a metaphor depicting the instant birth of children by a mother, it is explained
702…..Isaiah 66:7-9 and 10-11
that this depiction describes the rapid growth of Zion. God will cause the nation to be populated likely from
all those who have been gathered to it from the surrounding nations at the conclusion of the tribulation and as
the Messiah is setting up His rule in Zion. However, this understanding may not quite fit the reality of what
Isaiah has prophesized
Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer comment:
“The metaphor uses in v. 7 in which a birth occurs with no pain symbolizes the coming restoration of
Jerusalem that will require no effort by the people (v. 8). Interestingly, the Targum (ancient rabbinic
paraphrase) renders the final line of this verse as “her king will be revealed,” which suggests a
messianic reading referring to what happens immediately following the second coming of Christ.”
(Michael Rydelnik and James Spencer, Isaiah, The Moody Bible Commentary, pages 1100-1101).
66:10-11 Rejoice with Jerusalem,
and be glad for her,
all you who love her.
Rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn over her.
11
For you will nurse and be satisfied
from her consoling breasts;
you will suck and be delighted
with her bountiful breasts.
Those who mourn over Jerusalem, because of God’s description of coming judgment upon His holy city, are
now called upon by God to rejoice with the inhabitants of the city and be glad with them for what God will
accomplish as in a single day when He causes Jerusalem (Zion) to rapidly increase in population, 66:7-9.
Isaiah had declared an earlier promise, 49:14-26, regarding the amazing birth of the nation of Zion. In this
passage, God promises that the sons of Zion will be brought to the city assisted by the rulers of the nations
where they had been held captive and were oppressed. There former oppressors will carry them from these
nations to Zion. In Isaiah 49:21 Isaiah makes the astonishing prophecy that the inhabitants of Zion who were
bereaved of their children will be amazed at the repopulating of the city and will ask,
“Who has given birth to all these for me?
For I have been bereaved of my children and barren,
exiled and divorced,
so who has reared these children?
Look, I was left all alone,
so where did these come from?”
God answers the inquiry of the ones who had been bereaved of their children in Isaiah 49:22-23:
22
This is what the sovereign LORD says,
"Look, I will raise up my hand to signal the nations,
and set up my signal flag to the peoples.
They will bring your sons in their arms,
and your daughters will be carried on their shoulders.
23
Kings will be your foster fathers,
and their queens your nursing mothers.
They will bow their faces to the ground before you,
703…..Isaiah 66:12-14
and lick the dust of your feet.
You will know that I am the LORD,
and they who expectantly wait for me
will not be put to shame."
Not only will the rulers of the nations who once oppressed the sons of Zion comfort them as they bring them
to Jerusalem (Zion), but the city itself will be the source of comfort for these returning sons once they reach
it. They will find peace and comfort within the city for it will be the residence of the Messiah who is
described in Isaiah 49:26 as “the LORD, your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”
66:12-14 For this is what the LORD says,
"Look, I will extend prosperity to her like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream.
You will nurse and be carried on her side,
and will be dandled on her knees.
13
As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you;
and you will be comforted in Jerusalem."
14
You will see it, and your heart will rejoice,
and your bones will flourish like the fresh grass.
The hand of the LORD will be known to his servants,
and his fury to his enemies.
Isaiah 66:12-14 summarize the preceding verses as the prophet records the words of the LORD emphasizing
His many promises for the prosperity and comfort that will come to Jerusalem in the days following the
tribulation. The messianic kingdom, with Jerusalem as its capital, where the Messiah will reside, will enjoy
ongoing prosperity, like a flowing river as the wealth of the nations are brought to the capital like an
overflowing stream. This promise was earlier declared by Isaiah, in 60:5, 11; and 61:6 and was declared also
by the prophet’s Micah and Zechariah. See Micah 4:13; and Zechariah 14:14.
As mentioned in the notes, for 66:10-11, both those who carry the children from the nations to Jerusalem and
the mothers of Jerusalem will comfort those the children coming and arriving in the city. The LORD also, in
66:13, states that He will comfort those coming to Jerusalem. The time of this comforting of the children of
Zion, will be at the end of the tribulation, upon the return of the Messiah who will establish His millennial
kingdom. The Messiah will be present in Zion to comfort His covenant people who are arriving from the
nations of the world after being oppressed by the rulers and inhabitants of these nations. Their previous
oppressors will become their comforters as they bring them to Zion. They will also bring their wealth with
them for the inhabitants of the kingdom to use under the wise counsel of the Messiah who will rule over
them. The LORD promises that His covenant people, the faithful remnant will see the fulfilment of these
promises and their hearts will rejoice and they will also experience good health, including strong bones. It is
likely that the faithful remnant faced starvation and very poor living conditions under the tyrants who
oppressed them in the nations of the world where they endured the devastation of the tribulation. Now they
will flourish like fresh grass and their bodies will be strong as they face a very long life in the kingdom of the
Messiah. See Isaiah 12:1-6; 33:20; 40:11; 49:13; 51:3; 58:8-12; 65:20-23 and Zechariah 10:6-7.
The concluding phrase of Isaiah 66:14, is a link between all that Isaiah has declared to this point and the final
section of the writings of Isaiah. This first part of this phrase, “The hand of the LORD will be known to his
servants,” summarizes not only 66:7-14 but all the wonderful statements that have preceded it throughout
the book, regarding the blessings that will be given to the faithful remnant, the servants of God as they are
704…..Isaiah 66:15-16
gathered to Zion and live under the rule of the Messiah within His kingdom. The last part of this phrase, “and
his fury to his enemies,” summarizes the statements that have preceded it in Isaiah’s writings that declare, so
strikingly, the ultimate doom of those who have rebelled against God. The entire phrase prepares the reader
of this prophecy for the statements to come, in 66:15-24, which conclude the magnificent writings of the
prophet Isaiah.
15. Destinies of the Faithful and the Wicked: 66:15-24
Isaiah 66:15-24 graphically summarize the great teachings of the entire book of Isaiah. There are two
contrasting destinies revealed. Those who are faithful to God, both the faithful remnant of the Hebrew people
who are the covenant people of God, and those Gentiles from the nations who are believers in the Messiah,
who will have selected positions within the messianic kingdom and then forever in the eternal state. Those,
however, who have rebelled against God, will receive their due punishment by being cast into fire that will
not be extinguished and they will forever be punished by God who is holy, righteous and just in all His
dealings with mankind.
At the beginning of this final section of Isaiah, the prophet declares that God will come with fire as He
delivers His righteous indignation, by executing judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD,
vss. 15-16. All those who practice pagan religious rites will perish, vs. 17. God will gather all nations to see
His glory and He will perform a sign among them and send those who have survived the judgment of the
tribulation to all nations to declare His glory, vss. 18-19. God’s covenant people from all the nations will be
brought to Jerusalem as a special presentation to the LORD and some of them will serve the LORD as
priests, vss. 20-21. The LORD promises that the descendants and the name of His servants will last forever,
vs. 22. All humanity (the redeemed) will also forever come before the LORD to worship Him, vs. 23.
However, the wicked will face eternal punishment, vs. 24.
66:15-16 For, look, the LORD will come with fire,
and his chariots will be like a whirlwind.
He will manifest his anger with fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16
For by fire and his sword
the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh,
and many will be slain by the LORD.
The final section of the book of Isaiah begins in 66:15, with “For, look” (For, behold). The prophet is
emphasizing that this message is very important, and his audience is exhorted to pay attention and heed the
message Isaiah had received from the LORD. It is a message of God’s coming to the earth in fiery judgment.
He comes to deliver His furious anger (against the wicked) which is depicted as “flames of fire.” In 66:16,
the sword is added to the fire as an instrument of God’s judgment against all flesh (the wicked) and there will
be many that will be slain by the LORD.
It is implied in 66:15-16 that Isaiah is declaring the judgment that will come on the “day of the Lord” which
is also described as a “day of vengeance.” See Isaiah 34:8; 35:4; 47:3; 59:17; 61:2; 63:4 and Jeremiah 46:10.
The prophet Joel also mentions this day, Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14 and 18. It is often also referred to simply
as “that day.” For a more detailed discussion on the day of the Lord, refer to: David M. Levy, Joel: The Day
of the Lord: A Chronology of Israel’s Prophetic History, Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry, 1993. Also, Irvin
A. Busenitz, Commentary on Joel and Obadiah, Mentor, Christian Focus Publications, 2003. An additional
resource is by Richard L. Mayhue, The Bible’s Watchword: Day of The Lord, The Master’s Seminary
Journal, MSJ 22/1 (Spring 2011) 65-88. The depiction of fire as the instrument of God’s judgment upon the
705…..Isaiah 66:15-6 and 17
wicked is often described by Isaiah. See Isaiah 1:31; 5:24; 10:17; 26:11; 29:6; 30:27-33; 47:14; 50:11; and
66:24. See also Daniel 7:11; Joel 2:30; Amos 7:4; Obadiah vs. 18; Micah 1:7; Nahum 1:6; Habakkuk 2;13;
Zephaniah 1:18; 3:8; Malachi 3:2; 4:1; Matthew 25:41; Luke 3:17; 12:49; John 15:6; 2 Thessalonians 1:7;
Hebrews 10:27; 12:29; 2 Peter 3:7-12; Jude vs. 7; and Revelation 20:14-15. The Old Testament also
describes God as coming on the clouds as if riding in a chariot, Psalm 104:3; and Jeremiah 4:13. Isaiah also
described God as using a sword as an implement of His judgment upon the earth, Isaiah 1:20; 34:5-6; and
65:12. Fire and sword are also described together as instruments of judgment in Ezekiel 23:25 and Nahum
3:15.
Gary V. Smith comments on Isaiah 66:16:
“In order to reemphasize the terrible fury of God’s wrath, the prophet once again in v. 16 states that
“surely, truly” (kî, NIV and others, “for”) the fire that characterizes the outward presence of God’s
purifying holiness and his sword will execute his judgment on all flesh. Earlier Isaiah predicted that
fire would destroy those who rejected the law of God (5:24), will destroy both the pomp of the proud
Assyrian (10:16–17; 30:27–31) and the proud people of Babylon (47:14), and will consume all God’s
sinful enemies (26:11; 33:14). The power of God’s sword will destroy those who resist and rebel
(1:20), Leviathan (27:1), Assyria (31:8), all nations (34:5–6), and those who forsake the Lord and
worship pagan gods (65:12). The reference to “all flesh” suggests that this message is describing a
climactic final universal eschatological judgment. This is not just a punishment of one foreign nation
that does not follow God. The exact meaning of “all flesh” is explained in the following discussion as
every person (including Israelites) who has rebelled against God (66:17). “All flesh” does not include
the millions from the nations and from Israel who will proclaim God’s glory and come to his holy
mountain to bow down before him (66:18–23). This must be referring to the Day of the Lord or the
Day of God’s Vengeance (2:6–22; 13:1–16; 24:1–23; 34:1–15; 63:1–6).” (Gary V. Smith, Isaiah,
Vol. 2, page 746).
66:17 "Those who sanctify themselves and purify
themselves by going into the pagan gardens,
as followers of the idolatrous one in their midst,
eating the flesh of pigs, disgusting creatures,
and rats, they will perish together," says the LORD.
Isaiah in 66:17, recorded the judgment of the LORD upon those who participated in pagan worship rituals
whom “sanctify themselves and purify themselves” as a part of their ritualistic pagan devotion. This perhaps
is so detestable to the LORD because He had commanded Moses that the people of Israel had to be
consecrated before Him, including the washing of their clothes before He would come down to them on
Mount Sinai, Exodus 19:10-16. The Levites needed to be purified by the cleaning of both their bodies and
their clothes and being consecrated to the LORD before they could serve Him in the tabernacle, Numbers
8:5-22. Aaron and his sons needed to wash their hands and feet before entering the tent of meeting in service
as priests, Exodus 30:17-21. Those who perform purification rites before participating in pagan rituals are
also detestable to God for they follow an idolatrous person (perhaps the leader of the pagan worship ritual) in
eating creatures which have been forbidden by the LORD, Leviticus chapter 11. It is also possible that Isaiah
was alluding to the days of Ezekiel’s prophetic ministry described in Ezekiel 8:5-18, as suggested by Gary V.
Smith, Isaiah, Vol. 2, page 747.
The involvement of the covenant people of God in these abominable pagan worship rituals is strongly
condemned by the LORD. The judgment upon them is that they will perish. Isaiah had often declared God’s
abhorrence against His own people for their persistent involvement in pagan and idol worship, see, 1:29-31;
706…..Isaiah 66:18
2:8, 18-20; 10:10-11; 19:1-3; 21:9; 30:22; 31:7; 40:18-20; 41:7, 22, 29; 42:8, 17; 44:6, 9-20; 45:16, 20-25;
46:1-7; 48:5, 14; 57:3-13; 59:3-8; 65:2-7; 66:3, and 17. In 66:17 and 24; the prophet declares God’s final
words of judgment upon those of His own covenant people who have rebelled against Him by worshiping
other gods before Him. It is astonishing that a people who, for so many generations, had memorized the ten
commandments would so blatantly and persistently break the first one, “You shall have no other gods before
me,” Exodus 20:3.
66:18 For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming when I will gather all nations and
languages; and they will come and see my glory.
The statement by the LORD, Yahweh as recorded in Isaiah 66:18 should remind all readers of the prophetic
writings of Isaiah of God’s unfathomable omniscience. Bible scholars point out that the words “I know” and
“the time” are implied as an elliptical grammatical device which the text itself does not state but are
necessary to the understanding of the verse. However, the intent of the prophet’s statements about God, are
clearly indicated. Other Scriptures reveal God’s all-knowing abilities. For example, King David had earlier
stated in Psalm 139:1-6:
1
O LORD, you have searched me,
and known me.
2
You know when I sit down and when I get up;
you understand my thoughts even at a distance.
3
You sift through my every path and my lying down,
and are acquainted with all my ways.
4
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O LORD, you know it entirely.
5
You have protectively hemmed me in from behind and before,
and laid your hand on me.
6
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is so high I cannot grasp it.
(Psalm 139:1-6)
The study of God’s attributes including His omniscience is one that the student of the Scriptures should
undertake in awe and wonder as God reveals marvellous things about Himself. A few suggested popular level
resources will aid the student in this study are: The Moody Handbook of Theology, Revised and Expanded, by
Paul I. Enns, Moody Publishers, 2014. Basic Theology, A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding
Biblical Truth, by Charles C. Ryrie, Moody Press, 1999. Understanding Christian Theology, General
Editors: Charles R. Swindoll and Roy B. Zuck. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003.
Some Bible scholars suggest that those being gathered are the wicked of 66:17 but this does not seem
plausible for God will have eliminated the wicked from the world by the end of the tribulation as the world is
being prepared for the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom. The Messiah will return to the earth at the
request of the faithful remnant who will repent of the national sin of Israel, which was the rejection of the
Messiah during His first advent. The faithful remnant will confess their sin against the Messiah and plead for
Him to return. The Messiah will return and destroy both the enemies of Israel and those who have rebelled
against Him. Those whom God will gather, Isaiah 66:18, will be those from every nation who have come to
faith in Jesus Christ, the Messiah during the tribulation and have survived.
God will gather all nations and all languages, meaning that there will be those from every tongue and tribe.
The Apostle John recorded in Revelation 4:9-10 regarding his great vision, of the song of the those who sang
707…..Isaiah 66:18-20
about the Messiah the Son of God, Jesus Christ: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for
you were slaughtered and with your blood you purchased for God people from every tribe and language,
people and nation. 10 You made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign on the
earth.” The purpose God states in Isaiah 66:18 for this gathering of those from every nation and language is
that they will see His glory. As mentioned often in this study of Isaiah, the ultimate reason why God created
the heavens and the earth is for the display and declaration of His glory. Creation itself displays (declares)
His glory, Psalm 19:1. Also God created His image bearers to righteously declare and display His glory to all
His creation. To accomplish this purpose for His image bearers, God knew before His creative works began,
that He would need to have a Savior to redeem all who would believe in His Son, so that this great company
of the redeemed would declare and display His glory to all of His creation. One aspect of this great purpose
of God is recorded in Isaiah 66:18. He will gather all nations and languages (tongues) to see His glory. They
will see His glory manifested in His Son who is the Messiah, who will be reigning on the Davidic throne in
Zion presiding as Lord and ruler of all the earth during the period of His messianic kingdom. All who are
alive during these days will come to meet and worship their Messiah. This will be the glory God desires them
to see. See also Zechariah chapter 14.
66:19 I will perform a sign among them, and I will send their survivors to the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and
Lud, famous for drawing the bow, to Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off, that have never heard of my
fame or seen my glory. They will declare my glory among the nations.
Among all the nations and all peoples of every language, God will perform a sign. It is not stated by Isaiah in
66:19 just what this sign will be. The first “sign” God established before mankind was the rainbow as a sign
of the covenant with Noah, Genesis 9:8-17. God made many other “signs and wonders” as a witness to His
people that He keeps His promises and as an encouragement and reminder to them to continue to faithfully
follow and worship Him. God gave king Ahaz (and His covenant people) the sign of the virgin birth of the
Messiah, called Immanuel, Isaiah 7:10-14. An altar will be set up in Egypt, in the last days, as a sign and a
witness to the LORD, Isaiah 19:19-25. God had set “signs” before king Hezekiah, Isaiah 37:30; and 38:7.
The restoration of the land during the millennial kingdom will be an everlasting sign and memorial, Isaiah
55:13. The “sign” that God will perform among the survivors of the tribulation will be a witness to them of
His glory.
Selected faithful survivors from the nations will be sent out into the world to declare His glory. The nations
that are mentioned in Isaiah 66:19 were likely the furthest nations known at the time of Isaiah. Tarshish
(Isaiah 60:9 and many other references) was most likely what is now Spain at the far end of the great sea (the
Mediterranean Sea). Pul, or perhaps Put, Jeremiah 46:9; Ezekiel 27:10; 30:5; and Nahum 3:9, may refer to
Libya or to a country which is beyond Egypt. Lud, Jeremiah 46:9; Ezekiel 27:10; and 30:5, which was
famous for its archers may refer to Lydia in what became known as Asia Minor. Tubal, Ezekiel 27:13; 32:26;
38:2-3; and 39:1, also may refer a country in Asia Minor. Javan, Ezekiel 27:13, 19; and Zechariah 9:13; also
translated as Greece in Daniel 8:21; 10:20; and 11:2; was an early reference to the country that was later
known as Greece. The people from these and other countries, “to the coastland afar off,” which have not seen
or heard of God’s glory will have an opportunity to do so, from those sent to them to hear about the glory of
God. Those selected will have the mission of declaring God’s glory to the nations as well as another task
stated in Isaiah 66:20.
66:20-21 They will bring all your kindred out of all the nations for an offering to the LORD, on horses, in
chariots and wagons, on mules and camels, to my holy mountain Jerusalem," says the LORD, "just as the
Israelites bring their offerings in clean containers into the house of the LORD.
21
Some of them I will select for priests and Levites," says the LORD.
708…..Isaiah 66:20-24
The selected messengers of God’s glory, 66:19, will also have the task of bringing “your kindred” (the
Jewish faithful remnant) from all the nations to Zion, God’s holy mountain, where they will be likened to the
faithful covenant people of God who bring offerings into the house of the LORD. See Isaiah 10:13-14; 14:1-
2; 43:1-7; 45:14; 49:7, 14-23; 60:1-62:12; and 66:12. Some of the faithful remnant from God’s covenant
people will be chosen by God to serve Him as priests and Levites in the messianic kingdom, likely in the
millennial temple that will be established for this purpose, Ezekiel chapters 40-48. Some Biblical scholars
suggest that faithful Gentile servants of God will be included in the service as priests to the Lord. See Victor
Buksbazen, Isaiah, pages 495-496.
66:22 "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, will remain before me," says the
LORD, "so your descendants and name will remain.
The LORD, Yahweh promises that the descendants of the ones whom He has chosen to be priests and Levites
to serve Him, will remain (with Him), along with their name, as long as the new heavens and the new earth
He has made will exist. These chosen ones, whom will serve the LORD in Zion, likely in the millennial
temple, will begin their service in Zion at the start of the messianic kingdom. They will live long lives, 65:20
but likely will not live for a thousand years. It will be their descendants who will transition between the end
of the millennial kingdom and the eternal state, thus preserving them and their names for eternity. A similar
passage to Isaiah 66:22 occurs in Jeremiah 31:35-37 and 33:25-26 See also Isaiah 56:5; 61:8-9; and 65:22-23.
The LORD had also discussed the creation of the new heavens and earth in Isaiah 65:17. See notes on this
verse. See also Hebrews 12:26-28. 2 Peter 3:13; and Revelation 21:1-27.
66:23 From one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all humanity will come to worship
before me," says the LORD.
It is not certain if the reference to the worship of the LORD by all humanity occurs only in the millennial
kingdom, before the creation of the new heavens and earth or is it a reference to both the millennial kingdom
and the future state or only just to the future state. A strict literal reading of Isaiah 66:23 may lead some to
suggest that God is discussing worship to Him only during the millennial kingdom because of the mention of
“one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another.” A mention of the new moon in the context of
worship in the millennial temple is made in Ezekiel 46:1, 6. The moon will not exist in the new heavens and
earth for there will no longer be any need for its light nor of the light of sun, Revelation 22:5. However, the
references to the new moons and the sabbath may just be Isaiah’s depiction of the ongoing, eternal worship
of God’s people before Him. Therefore, if this is correct, the worship of God that has begun in the millennial
kingdom will continue forever as the millennial kingdom transitions into the eternal state. The reference in
Isaiah 66:23, that “all humanity will come and worship” before the LORD, certainly refers to both Jews and
Gentiles, who will form His redeemed community.
66:24 "They will go out, and look on the corpses of those who have rebelled against me; for their worms will
not die, neither will their fire be extinguished. They will be abhorred by all humanity."
In stark contrast to those who will worship eternally before the LORD, and enjoy His presence forever, the
last verse of the writings of the prophet Isaiah, remind who read and all who hear this prophecy, that the
destiny of all those who have rebelled against God will be in an eternal fire where their worm (their spiritual
entity), will not die. They will experience the ongoing, eternal punishment from God for their wickedness of
which they did not repent. They will be abhorred by “all humanity,” that is by all of God’s redeemed
community, both Jews and Gentiles who will be able to see them in this state of punishment. The word
“abhorred” (abhorring in the KJV, abhorrence in the NKJV, NASB, and ESV, and loathsome in the NIV), is
709…..Isaiah 66:24
the Hebrew word deraon, which only occurs in Isaiah 66:24 and in Daniel 12:2, in a similar context. In
Daniel 12:2, deraon is translated as “contempt” in most English versions.
Some may have an aversion to this understanding of Isaiah 66:24 and may understand it only as a figurative
depiction of the punishment of the wicked. Others also may understand this as a reference only to the
description of the burning piles in the Hinnom Valley of garbage and sometime human corpses, 2 Chronicles
28:3; Jeremiah 7:30-33; and 31:40. See also the description of hell in Matthew 5:22; Mark 9:43; and Luke
12:5. Others may suggest that this depiction of the punishment of the wicked will only occur during the
millennial kingdom as it would have no place in the eternal state as it is a cause of abhorrence to those who
view this site. However, some such as Edward E. Hindson, Isaiah, King James Bible Commentary, page 866
suggest that it has an appropriate place in the eternal state for those who are redeemed will look upon the
eternal punishment of the wicked from a transformed mindset. Whatever viewpoint is considered, one must
remember that this depiction of the wicked is placed at the very end of Isaiah’s prophecy because God, the
author of all Scriptures, wanted it to be the last word of this greatest prophetic writing in the Old Testament.
Also, as it is also described in Mark 9:48 and described in Revelation 19:20; and 20:14-15 as the lake of fire,
it is certainly a real place where the wicked will spend eternity.
Teaching Outline for Isaiah Chapter 66
66:1-6 God’s Discernment of the Faithful and the Wicked
66:7-14 God’s Design to Bless the Faithful and Punish the Wicked
66:15-24 God’s Declaration of the Destiny of the Faithful and the Wicked
Summary Comments on the Prophecy of Isaiah
Isaiah has often been called the fifth Gospel writer because his prophecy centers on the salvation of the
LORD. Isaiah vividly portrays God’s covenant people in their rebellion against Him. They persisted in
worshiping false idols which by definition are worthless. They also continued to practice vile pagan rituals
which involved the eating of animals that were forbidden by God. Although succeeding generations of these
people memorized many portions of the Torah, including the ten commandments, they consistently broke the
first one, not to have any false gods before God. Isaiah’s ministry involved bringing many messages of
rebuke and encouragement to his own people, even though he knew that these people would not respond
positively to his message and would desire he not bother them with any more messages from the Holy One of
Israel. They had sunk so low in their depravity that they openly displayed their sin before God. They also
claimed to be holier than God which was a most vile blasphemy against Him and would have been certainly
unforgiveable were it not for God’s faithfulness to His covenants with His people.
God had chosen these most stiff-necked and stubborn people for the purpose of his glory which included the
declaration of His glory and salvation to all nations. Their continual failure to fulfil His purpose for the
nations meant that God had to provide salvation for them and for the nations by His own strength and divine
power. He did this by a most amazing act of love ever devised or witnessed. God sent His own unique Son,
called the Servant in Isaiah’s writings to take upon Him, the sins of His covenant people and all humanity.
God send His son to be slaughtered like a helpless lamb so that His righteous indignation and wrath would be
satisfied. The sacrifice of the Servant was a substitutionary atoning sacrifice on behalf of all who were
without hope and had no righteousness of their own. God’s acceptance of this substitutionary atoning
sacrifice meant that, all who had faith in the Son, would be declared righteous before Him.
Why did God bring salvation to His covenant people and to the nations of the world? The ultimate answer
was that God created His image bearers to righteously declare and display His glory to all of His creation,
forever. God also deemed that He would live (tabernacle) forever among those whom He had provided
710…..Isaiah: Summary Comments
salvation. The declaration and display of His glory to all of God’s creation, and His living among His created
people forever, would not have been possible without God’s intervention into history by sending His Son as
the Savior to the world including His covenant people. They are called God’s covenant people because of the
covenants He made with them. God faithfully keeps His covenant promises even though His people
consistently fail to obey Him.
The dual themes of the punishment of the wicked and salvation for the faithful are often stated together in
that order throughout the entire prophetic writing of Isaiah. Messages of salvation are declared immediately
after stern warnings of pending judgment. Although God repeatedly warned His covenant people of His
anger and wrath that would be coming upon them for their wickedness, He also comforted them with
promises of salvation and future blessings. These future blessings most often concerned the coming of the
Messiah to rule on the earth in a peaceful kingdom. The inhabitants of this kingdom will desire to come to its
capital city, Jerusalem (also called Zion) to meet with and worship the Messiah who will rule the kingdom
sitting upon the Davidic throne. This kingdom would eventually transition into the eternal state following the
creation by God of new heavens and a new earth.
711…..Isaiah: Appendix 1: The Kingdom of God
Appendix 1
The Kingdom of God
It can be argued conclusively that the kingdom of God is the central theme of the Scriptures. God’s kingdom
is seen from the first chapter of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation. One major study of the kingdom of
God suggests that it is so grand in its scope that it embraces all other themes. See Michael J. Vlach, He will
Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God, Lampion Press, 2017, page 21. Other
recommended books on the kingdom of God include Alva J. McClain, The Greatness of the Kingdom: An
Inductive Study of the Kingdom of God, BMH Books, 1959; Eugene H. Merrill, Everlasting Dominion, A
Theology of the Old Testament, B & H Publishing Group, 2006; Andrew M Woods, The Coming Kingdom,
What Is the Kingdom and How Is Kingdom Now Theology Changing the Focus of the Church? Gospel Grace
Press, 2016. See also J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come, A Study in Biblical Eschatology, (Durham
Publishing Company) Zondervan, 1958; and The Masters Seminary Journal, MSJ 23/2 (Fall 2012) for
several articles on the Kingdom of God.
God’s kingdom thus has within it all of the covenants of God, God’s sovereign promises and plans for His
creation, including the role of His chosen people Israel, salvation, the future messianic rule of Christ on the
earth and the eternal state. To say that the kingdom of God is the central theme of the Scriptures does not
indicate that it is the grand purpose or reason why God created the heavens and the earth. The Scriptures
reveal that God’s creative acts were ultimately and exclusively for His glory. The Seraphim who stood in the
temple with Lord in Isaiah vision, recorded in Isaiah chapter six, exclaimed, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD
of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” Isaiah 6:3. In a later passage Isaiah stated, “everyone who is
called by my name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, yes, whom I have made.”
Isaiah 43:7. See also Numbers 14:21. King David exclaimed, “the heavens declare the glory of God, Psalm
19:1. See also Psalm 8:1; 97:6; and 108:5; 113:4; and 148:13, (above bolding intentional). God’s image-
bearers, humans, not only were charged to fill and subdue the earth and rule over it, they also exist to display
and declare His glory to all creation. See selected verses (not an exhaustive list):1 Chronicles 16:24, 28, 29;
Psalm 29:1-2; 57:5, 11; 71:8; 72:19; 96:3; 102:15; 138:5; 145:10-13; Isaiah 40:5; 42:12; 59:19; 66:18-19;
Jeremiah 4:2; Ezekiel 3:12; Daniel 7:14; Habakkuk 2:14; Matthew 6:13; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 1:31;
10:31; 2 Corinthians 4:15; 10:17; Philippians 2:11; 1 Peter 4:11; Revelation 4:11; 5:12-13; 14:7; 19:1, and 7.
Many Biblical scholars have identified at least two distinguishable components of God’s majestic kingdom
that are revealed in the Scriptures. The first component is God’s universal rule of all of His creation over
which He is identified as a King. The second component is referred to as the “mediatorial kingdom” over
which God has placed a mediator to superintend and rule God’s creation upon earth as God’s divinely
appointed representative. This “so called” mediatorial kingdom has within it two segments of rule. The first
segment is the rulership by humans who, from the time of the rebellious and sinful acts of Adam and Eve,
rule with unrighteous and unjust hearts. The second segment of the mediatorial kingdom is a rulership by the
Son of God, the Messiah who will reign on the earth in perfect righteousness and justice. This brief study on
the Kingdom of God will assist the student of the Scriptures in the accurate identification and proper
understanding of these components of the kingdom of God
1. The Majestic (Universal) Kingdom
Many Scriptures clearly identify God as the “King” of His creation. For example, Psalm 22:28 states, “For
the kingdom is the LORD’s and He rules over the nations.” (NKJV). Psalm 45:6 declares, “Your throne, O
God, is forever and ever; a scepter of fairness (righteousness) is the scepter of your kingdom.” And Psalm
47:2 proclaims, “For the LORD Most High is awesome; he is a great King over all the earth.” King David
gave praise to God as recorded in Psalm 145:10-13, “10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD,
and your faithful ones will praise you. 11 They will proclaim the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your
712…..Isaiah: Appendix 1: The Kingdom of God
power; 12 to make known to the sons of men his mighty deeds, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. 13
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your rule endures through all generations.”
Isaiah declared in 44:6, “This is what the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts
says, I am the first, and I am the last; besides me there is no other God.” Jeremiah in 10:10 stated, “But the
LORD is the true God. He is the living God and everlasting King.” Both John (the Baptist) and Jesus began
their itinerate ministries with proclaiming, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Matthew 3:2 and
4:17. John and Jesus did not need to explain the meaning of the “kingdom of heaven” for their audience
would have clearly understood its meaning as it is described in the Old Testament. The last two verses of the
Book of Acts states that Paul, “stayed two whole years in his own rented dwelling, and welcomed all who
came to visit him, proclaiming the kingdom of God, and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ
with all boldness without any restriction.” Acts 28:30-31. These are just a few of the great number of
passages in the Scriptures that attest to the presence of God’s universal kingdom over which He reigns as
King.
Aspects of God’s Majestic (Universal) Kingdom
First, it is ruled by God. There is no one greater, more exalted, deserving, glorified, powerful (or any other of
a multitude of descriptive words that could apply) than the awesome Creator of the universe. God created it
and He rules it! King Hezekiah of Judah, in his prayer to God declared, “O LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel, who sits enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You
made heaven and earth.” Isaiah 37:16. See also Psalm 47:8; 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1; and 146:10.
Second, it is a kingdom that is universal in its scope and sphere of influence. As God is its ruler, wherever He
exists, and is present, there also is His majestic rulership evident. It is impossible to separate God from His
role as King over his kingdom. God’s kingdom and thus God’s reign extends and exists beyond mankind’s
feeble imagination to comprehend its limits as it has no limits or boundaries. Everything and everyone
including all created beings, even Satan must submit to the rule of God over His kingdom. Nothing is
permissible unless God ordains it. Nothing escapes His oversight. No event surprises God or takes Him
unawares. God’s plans and designs for His kingdom will unfold exactly be completed as He has purposed
and ordained.
Third, it has a throne from which God rules. Is must be remembered that God is spirit, John 4:24 and to
human eyes is invisible, 1 Timothy 1:17. The perception of Scripture of God sitting on a throne must be
understood as a theophany, which is an appearance of God in a manner than humans can perceive. Isaiah for
example “saw” God in a vision. “In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high
and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple.” Isaiah 6:1. It is significant that Isaiah “saw” God
sitting upon a throne to authenticate His role as King and Ruler over His creation. The prophet Daniel, Daniel
7:9-10 had a similar vision of God sitting on a throne, as did the Apostle John, Revelation 4:2.
Fourth, it is an everlasting kingdom, Psalm 145:13, existing now and will continue forever with God
reigning on His throne in heaven, Revelation 21:5. It could be argued that God’s kingdom has always existed
in eternity past, although there is no definite Scriptural reference to this. Moses, as recorded in Psalm 90:2,
stated, “from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.” God has always existed, and He is King forever.
There will never be a time when He will not reign as King over His creation.
Fifth, God’s rule over His universal kingdom superintends and oversees those who rule as mediators upon the
earth. This included rulership over those kings of Judah and Israel who ruled from the days of Saul to the
time that the army of Babylon conquered Jerusalem. It included and includes rulership over any king,
president, prime minister, dictator, or any ruler at any time upon the earth, in the past, in the present and in
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the future. It will include also the superintendence and oversight of the messianic kingdom when God’s Son,
the Messiah will rule upon the earth, sitting on the physical throne of David for a thousand years, following
His second advent to the earth.
2. The Mediatorial Kingdom
The second component of God’s kingdom revealed in the Scriptures is what some Biblical scholars designate
as the “mediatorial kingdom.” It is not that there are two differing kingdoms with competing spheres of
influence and purposes. There is in reality only one ruler, the eternal God who is King and sovereign over all
things who has elected to rule on the earth through a human regent or mediator. See Alva J. McClain, The
Greatness of the Kingdom, pages 41 and following. This decree of God to have a representative ruling on
earth began on the sixth day of creation, where He gave mankind the mandate to be fruitful, multiply, fill the
earth and subdue (rule over) the earth, Genesis 1:28 and Psalm 8:6-8. One major promise of God’s covenant
with Abraham was that kings would come from him, Genesis 17:6. This was a reference to the line of
Abraham, the Hebrew people, that would extend for generations to come and from whom God would appoint
kings to rule over them. Thus, beginning with Saul and extending to the days when Babylon conquered and
destroyed Jerusalem, the children of Abraham had a mediatorial king rule over them. These kings ruled first
for 120 years (Saul, David and Solomon) over a united Israel and then several kings ruled for a period of
several hundred years over two distinct “kingdoms,” Israel to the north and Judah in the south. There is also
a possibility that the reference to “king in Jeshurun” in Deuteronomy 33:5 refers to Moses. See note by John
MacArthur on this verse, John MacArthur Study Bible, NASB, page 295.
From the day humans were created, God’s instructions for them included a role of mediatorial rulership over
the earth. The apex of this rulership is God’s covenant with David which included the promise that David’s
house and kingdom and throne would endure forever, 2 Samuel 7:16. David’s greatest descendant, a Son who
would be born (given to us) would rule (His government) on the throne of David and over his kingdom
forever. See Isaiah 9:6-7 and Luke 1:31-33. This greater “Son” is the promised Messiah who when He
returns to earth following the days of the tribulation will set up a kingdom in which He will rule the earth as
He sits upon the throne of David on Mount Zion. That which previous “kings’ could not do, which is to rule
with perfect righteousness and justice, this greater Son will accomplish. This Son will fulfill all that God
intended for His regents (mediators) to accomplish. Sinful and rebellious human mediators failed to fulfill
God’s role for them on the earth. Thus, God provided His unique and divine solution, in that a human would
be born from the lineage of Abraham and David who could perfectly fulfill God’s purposes for a mediatorial
to represent Him as ruler on the earth. This human, a son, was also God, Jesus Christ, John 1:1, 14, who now
sits at God’s right hand on God’s throne in heaven and will one day sit on the throne of David on the earth,
and will rule the earth for a thousand years, Revelation 20:1-6.
Aspects of the Mediatorial Kingdom
First, it was in the past and is now “ruled” by sinful and rebellious human mediators. God’s mandate for
humans is to be fruitful, multiply, fill and subdue (rule) the earth. Genesis 1:28, Psalm 8:6-8. This mandate
has not been revoked. God’s image bearers are imperfect, unrighteous and often have little or no concern for
their gracious, merciful and very patient Creator. The kings of Israel and the divided kingdoms of Israel and
Judah were also sinful and rebellious against God. The present days, which began from the destruction of
Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. are called the “time of the Gentiles,” Luke 21:24, because from
that time, the people of Israel have been “ruled” by Gentile nations which will continue until the time of the
Gentiles have been fulfilled. The prophet Daniel received revelation from God about the end of the
domination of God’s covenant people by Gentile nations. This end will come when God will establish an
everlasting kingdom that will destroy the Gentile kingdoms, Daniel 2:36-45. This kingdom God will
establish will be the messianic kingdom, ruled by the Messiah.
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A brief discussion on Christ as ruler “now” and Israel’s current status as a nation is necessary. Many
conservative and evangelical Biblical scholars hold to the view that although Christ is not reigning over His
kingdom upon an earthly throne, He nonetheless is “ruling” while sitting upon the Davidic throne in heaven
as He sits at the right hand of His father in heaven. This viewpoint is often referred to as the “already/not yet”
aspect of the mediatorial kingdom. The members of the body of Christ, the Church therefore, receive the
blessings of this heavenly rule by their Savior, Jesus Christ. To enhance this viewpoint, the Church is also
often understood to be a spiritual nation which completes the requirements of a proper kingdom, which has a
King who has the divine right to rule, a throne, and a kingdom (nation). Other conservative and evangelical
Biblical scholars strongly disagree with this viewpoint. One of these scholars is Andrew M. Woods who
defends the view that Christ’s rule over His kingdom is still in the future and will only be realized when
Christ returns to the earth and only then will He sit on the Davidic throne. Christ currently, according to
Woods, sits at the right side of His Father upon the Father’s throne. Woods also defends the viewpoint that
the Church is not a kingdom or nation and emphatically claims that the Church has not replaced Israel as a
nation and thus does not receive the benefits and promises promised to Israel stated in the Old Testament.
See Andrew M Woods, The Coming Kingdom, What Is the Kingdom and How Is Kingdom Now Theology
Changing the Focus of the Church? Gospel Grace Press, 2016. Others, such as Michael J. Vlach have a
modified viewpoint, in that Vlach defends the truth that the Church has not replaced Israel but allows for
some spiritual benefits of Christ’s rulership to accrue to the Church as Christ is understood to be “ruling”
over His kingdom from heaven although the earthly aspect of His kingdom will not be realized until He
returns to earth and rules on the Davidic throne which will be set up in Mount Zion/Jerusalem. See Michael J.
Vlach, He will Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God, Lampion Press, 2017.
The current status of Israel may also cause some to consider that the “times of the Gentiles” has been fulfilled
in that Israel is not under the domination or nor is being “ruled’ by a Gentile nation. The clear teaching of
Daniel 2:36-45 is that the Gentile nations will be destroyed by a kingdom that God will set up. Some
understand that this kingdom was inaugurated at the time of Christ’s first advent and thus the process of
destroying the Gentile nations began at that time and will be fully realized when Christ returns to the earth to
establish His dominance of the earth’s kingdoms over which He will rule from His throne in
Jerusalem/Mount Zion. Others understand that even though Israel exists as a nation, it is a nation of
unbelievers in the Messiah and thus it is not functioning as God’s covenant people who are responding in
faith and obedience to the Messiah. The current status of Israel may have some application to the “dry bones”
prophecy of Ezekiel chapter 37 in which the people of Israel have the “bones” of a people but have not yet
received the Spirit of God within them, Ezekiel 37:14. However, this passage in Ezekiel is best applied to the
gathering of Israelites from the nations which will occur during the days of the tribulation just prior to the
return of the Messiah to the earth to establish His kingdom. The statement of God in Ezekiel 37:14 also
directly applies to the “Spirit” promises of the Davidic Covenant, as stated in Ezekiel 36:27.
Second, it will be ruled by a righteous and divine mediator who will rule on the earth. God’s intention for a
regent to superintend and rule over the earth as His representative will be most righteously realized in the
rule of His Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, when Christ returns at the conclusion of the days of the tribulation
to establish a just and peaceful kingdom. Christ can fulfill this mandate because He lived as a human and was
the only human who righteously fulfilled the law of God. Christ also was the perfect lamb who was killed as
an atoning sacrifice, taking upon Himself the sins of mankind, one time for all people. Therefore, Christ is
the perfect “representative” to rule the earth as God intended. This rule by Christ has not yet occurred and
will be evident upon His return to the earth to establish His kingdom.
Third, the mediatorial kingdom began at the sixth day of creation. It did not exist before this time. As a
component of God’s Majestic (universal) rule over His creation, the mediatorial kingdom had a definite
beginning on the sixth day of creation as stated in Genesis 1:28. It has not yet been concluded but will have a
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“ceremonial” fulfillment when Christ will deliver (give to) the kingdom to the Father, 1 Corinthians 15:24-
28. Thus, the purposes for the mediatorial kingdom will be fulfilled in that all enemies will have been
defeated. This defeat will happen at the end of the thousand-year messianic kingdom as stated in Revelation
20:7-10.
Fourth, it involves a promise of a house, kingdom and throne that would be everlasting. The mediatorial
kingdom is intertwined with the Davidic Covenant and aspects of this covenant: (house and David’s line);
(kingdom and land); and (throne of David) apply to the governance of the kingdom. These aspects will
transition into the eternal state as Christ will forever rule on the Davidic throne, representing the house of
David and David’s kingdom. The mediatorial kingdom is also intertwined with the Abrahamic and New
Covenants of which the promises of these covenants are everlasting and will also transition into the eternal
state. The passage in 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 refers to the end of the earthly domain of the mediatorial
kingdom but not its existence. Christ will continue to rule forever along with His Father in the eternal state.
Fifth, the plans of God involving His covenant people, Israel will be fulfilled during the messianic kingdom
stage of this mediatorial rule. As Biblical revelation unfolds from Genesis to Revelation, it is evident that one
major pillar of the mediatorial kingdom involves God’s covenant people Israel. God told Moses to tell these
people that “if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant then you will be my special possession from
among all peoples. For although all the earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation.” Exodus 19:5-6. The Scriptures reveal God’s unique relationship and plans for His covenant people
and the responsibilities they have in the spiritual administration of the mediatorial kingdom. They were to be
a kingdom of priests bearing witness of God’s greatness and salvation to all nations. However, instead of
righteously proclaiming God to the nations, they profaned His name, Exodus 36:20-23. God’s solution for
these sinful acts of His covenant people is to cleanse them, put new hearts in them and give them His Spirit,
Ezekiel 36:25-27. In the future days of the messianic kingdom, they will fulfil their role as priests to the
nations, Isaiah 61:6 and 66:21.
Sixth, all nations of the earth (1) have been are being blessed spiritually through the mediatorial ministry of
the “Son” and (2) will be blessed as God fully intended them both spiritually and physically during the
messianic kingdom stage of this mediatorial rule. Jesus Christ, as Abraham’s and David’s greater son, has
blessed all nations through His sacrificial atoning sacrifice. He also is blessing the nations, including Israel
through His mediatorial role as an advocate and providing cleansing and forgiveness of sins, Acts 5:31; 1
John 1:7-9; and 2:1. During the days of His future messianic kingdom, Christ will be present on earth to
bless the nations with health, peace and the nations will worship Him. Isaiah chapters 60-66 and Zechariah
chapter 14:16-21.
3. The Messianic Kingdom
The millennial or messianic kingdom is a future extension of the mediatorial kingdom which is governed by
the divine rule of the universal majestic kingdom of God. There are not two or three separate “kingdoms”
having competing spheres of influence. The kingdom of God is one kingdom with at least two components,
(1) the majestic kingdom, which is universal and governing all things by God and (2) the mediatorial
kingdom on the earth which is “ruled” by God’s appointed mediators, humans, who are His image bearers.
God’s image bearers have been unrighteous and unjust in their administration of the mediatorial kingdom.
However, God has lovingly and graciously given His one unique Son to be the one, who through His
sacrificial atoning sacrifice and resurrection, has the divine right to rule over this mediatorial kingdom at the
exact time of God’s choosing. This rule by the Son of God will be on earth in the future. Many Biblical
passages attest to the literal reality of this earthly future kingdom, including its: reason (necessity), ruler,
realm, and residents. These aspects of the messianic kingdom will be briefly examined below. The following
description of the Messianic kingdom is an overview only and is not intended as an extensive or exhaustive
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study. Refer to the resources in the first paragraph of this brief essay on the Kingdom for an extensive study
of the Messianic Kingdom.
It is necessary to biblically define the messianic kingdom before individual aspects of the kingdom can be
examined. Some may have the mistaken understanding that the only reference to this kingdom is in
Revelation 20:1-10. This passage of Scripture reveals the duration of the kingdom, one-thousand years and
its divine ruler Christ and some of its co-rulers, the martyred saints. This passage also reveals that Satan will
be bound in captivity the entire length of the duration of this kingdom and will be released when the
thousand-year period is over. The duration of the kingdom is mentioned six times in these verses, which is
significant because the multi-references to its length is extremely emphatic and cannot be ignored or
allegorized as if it just represented a long time period. The repeated references to the thousand-years should
be taken as a literal time period. The plain teaching of Scripture on this issue should be accepted as fact.
Prior to the Revelation chapter 20 reference, the Scriptures reveal a great amount of information about this
kingdom which is often referred to as the millennial kingdom because of its duration of one-thousand years.
Many of these Biblical references will be stated below. From an examination of the Biblical evidence it is
possible to attempt to define the messianic kingdom as: a future reign on earth by the Messiah, Jesus Christ
that will fulfill God’s plans to have the earth ruled by a mediator who is righteous and just and also fulfill
God’s purposes for His covenant people to be a blessing to the nations of the earth. This is only an attempt at
a basic definition for a conclusive definition would consume many pages of text and then likely it would miss
some important and salient aspects of the kingdom. It is also important to add that during the messianic
kingdom, and as it transitions into the eternal state, God’s covenant promises of the Abrahamic, Davidic and
New covenants will be completely fulfilled. Thus, the promises of the messianic kingdom and these
covenants are intertwined and cannot be properly understood without this relationship to each other.
The Reason for the Messianic Kingdom
God deemed that His image bearers would rule over the earth He had created as His regents and mediators.
This rule included rule over all plant and all animal life, Genesis 1:28-29, and the works of His hands, Psalm
8:6-8. It is also evident that humans would rule over each other, not because God desired them to overtake
His theocratic rule, but because humanity had rejected God from being a divine King over them. God made a
covenant with Abraham which included the promise that kings would come from his lineage, Genesis 17:6.
Many generations later, God appointed human kings to rule over His covenant people. God selected one
person in particular, David whom He had chosen as king to be the head of a dynastic royal house, which
include a throne and regal lineage that would be everlasting. These promises are included in the covenant
God made with David, 2 Samuel 7:8-17.
The Abrahamic covenant, from which all other covenants God made with His covenant people derive,
included a basic set of promises. These promises involve a land, a seed and a blessing to all nations. The land
is identified in the Scriptures as Israel which had decreed boundaries. It was a realm with set limits to its size
and not just a nebulous or misty promise of a landscape somewhere. The seed blessing included Abraham’s
descendants which included a nation, the Hebrews and included the kings of this nation Israel and later the
divided kingdoms (nations) of Israel and Judah. However, the seed blessing much more imminently included
a single seed, a person who would in a future day, rule over, not only the covenant people of God but all
nations of the earth. This person is clearly identified as the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. His rule over the
earth is yet future. The blessing promise was first to be administered to the nations through God’s covenant
people and then through the life, death, resurrection and future rule of the singular seed, Jesus Christ.
The image bearers of God, humans did not righteously and justly carry out their role as God’s regents on the
earth. The two who were first created, Adam and Eve, rebelled against God by their sinful response to the
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insipient interjection of temptation by Satan. This resulted in the curse of the ground, the earth, by God and
the separation of humanity from perfect fellowship and a righteous relationship with God. This also resulted
in the sinfulness of all who descendants of Adam and Eve, even from birth, Psalm 51:5. God’s ultimate plans
and purposes for His creation was not doomed to failure. God, Himself provided the means for the “reverse
of the curse” by first enacting a divine covenant with Noah, his descendants and the earth itself after purging
the earth of its mass of sinful, corrupt and rebellious image bearers. God next enacted divine covenants with
Abraham, Moses, and David that included land, seed (including a nation) and blessing. God also enacted a
unique new covenant in which contained promises that He would create a new heart within His people and
inscribe His laws within them and also put His Spirit within them.
To perfectly fulfill these covenant promises, God deemed that the problem of humanity’s sinfulness would
need to be dealt with in a manner that satisfied His holiness. Sinfulness had a most terrifying result, eternal
death which forever separated God’s image bearers from their Creator. The great “message” of the Scriptures
is that God Himself provided a solution to the consequences of the sinfulness of humans. God demanded a
holy, perfect, pure and sinless atoning sacrifice that He could accept as sufficient to remove the penalty of
humanity’s sinfulness. God, though His infinite love and mercy to his created image bearers, gave His unique
Son, who is truly God, to be this atoning sacrifice. God’s unique, virgin born Son fulfilled His role as
humanity’s sin bearer by His death on a cruel Roman cross and forever conquered sin and the grave when He
was resurrected to life. The resurrected Son returned to heaven to sit at His Father’s right side with the role of
mediator and advocate between the Father and His image bearers. But there is more to be accomplished
before God’s covenant promises can be perfectly fulfilled. In a future day, known only to God, His unique
Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah will return to the earth, as a warrior King, who will defeat His enemies and the
enemies of His covenant people and establish an earthly kingdom that will transition into the eternal state and
through which, all of His covenant promises will be fulfilled. Therefore, to summarize, first, the Messianic
kingdom will have a righteous and just Regent, the singular Seed of Abraham, who will rule the nations of
the earth in perfect holiness. Second, this kingdom, during its duration and as it transitions into the eternal
state, will witness the perfect completion of all God’s covenant promises to His covenant people including a
specific land and nation. Third, through this divine Regent, all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
The Ruler of the Messianic Kingdom
If this kingdom is rightfully called “messianic” it is because its ruler is the Messiah who is revealed in the
Old Testament with titles such as Branch, Servant, Redeemer, Savior and the four-fold titles in Isaiah 9:6,
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. The title “Messiah” is mashiach
in the Hebrew and may apply in the Old Testament as a reference to the coming Savior, Jesus Christ in 1
Samuel 2:10; 35; 2 Samuel 22:51; 23:1; Psalm 2:2; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; 89:51; Daniel 9:25-26; and Habakkuk
3:13. Not every scholar or Bible student would agree that all of these references refer to the coming Savior.
For an excellent discussion of “Messiah” in the Old Testament, see Michael Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope:
is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic, B & H Publishing Group, 2010. The Messiah (Hebrew mashiach) is
the one who is called Jesus Christ in the New Testament in (Greek messias) in John 1:41 and 4:25. The
NASB translates the Greek word christos as Messiah in Matthew 1:1, 16. An important passage in the New
Testament regarding Jesus Christ and His rule of a future kingdom is Luke 1:30-33, “30 The angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Look, you will conceive in your womb, give
birth to a son, and will call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.
The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever;
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
The Scriptures give evidence of the divine status and role of the Ruler of the coming Messianic kingdom by
the various names and titles that are ascribed to this Ruler. Some of these names and titles have been
introduced in the above paragraph. The following short listing of a selected number of these names and titles
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are representative only of the great volume of these names and titles that appear in the Bible. They are simply
stated in an alphabetical order but are not stated in a chronological order or order of importance for all of
them are defining characteristics of this most beloved Ruler, who is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. As
this list reveals, many of these names and titles are stated in the prophecy of Isaiah.
Anointed: Psalm 2:2; Acts 4:26
Apostle: Hebrews 3:1
Branch: Isaiah 4:2; 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15; Zechariah 3:8-9 and 6:12-13.
Christ (the Greek Christos has the meaning of anointed or Messiah and occurs over 500 times in the N.T.)
Everlasting Father: Isaiah 9:6
Great Priest: Hebrews 10:21
High Priest: Hebrews 3:1; 4:14, 15; 5:10; 6:20; 7:26; 8:1, 3; 9:11
His Holy One: Isaiah10:17
Holy One of Israel: Isaiah 10:20
Immanuel: Isaiah 7:14; 8:8; Matthew 1:23
Jesus (the Greek esous has the meaning “God is salvation” and occurs over 900 times in the N.T.)
Judge: Isaiah 11:3-4; 16:5; 33:22; 51:4-5; Ezekiel 34:17, 20; Joel 3:1-2; Micah 4:2-3.
King: Psalm 2:6; 24:7-10; 45:6-7; Isaiah 6:5; 33:22; Ezekiel 20:33-34; Daniel 2:47; Zephaniah 3:12-20;
Zechariah 9:9; Luke 1:30-33; 19:38; John 1:49; 12:12-16; 18:37; Revelation 17:14;
King of Kings: Revelation 19:16
Light of Israel: Isaiah 10:17
Lord: Isaiah 2:2-5; 10:20;
Lord of hosts: Isaiah 6:5; 24:23; 44:6
Lord of lords: Revelation 19:16
Lord our Righteousness: Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:16;
Messiah: Daniel 9:26
Messiah the Prince: Daniel 9:25
Mighty God: Isaiah 9:6; 10:21
Mighty to save: Isaiah 63:2
Priest: Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 2:17; 5:6; 7:17, 24
Prince of Peace: Isaiah 9:6
Prince of Princes: Daniel 8:25
Redeemer: Job 19:25; Isaiah 59:20; 60:16;
Root of Jesse: Isaiah 11:10 (also Isaiah 11:1)
Ruler: Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6; Revelation 1:5
Savior: Isaiah 19:20; 43:3, 11; 45:15, 21; 49:26; 60:16; 63:8; Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Acts 5:31; Ephesians
5:23; Philippians 3:20; 1 Timothy 1:1; 2:3; 4:10; 2 Timothy 1:10; Titus 1:3, 4; 2:10, 13; 3:4, 6; 2 Peter 1:1;
2:20; 3:2, 18; 1 John 4:4, Jude vs. 25
Servant: Isaiah 42:1; 49:5-7; 50:10; 52:13; 53:11
Shepherd: Isaiah 40:10-11; Micah 7:14; (compare with Jeremiah 23:1-3, Ezekiel 34:11-31, and 37:24)
Son: Isaiah 9:6; Hosea 11:1
Wonderful Counselor: Isaiah 9:6
The Realm of the Messianic Kingdom
The Scriptures prophesy of the works of the Messiah who will be the Ruler of the Messianic kingdom. These
descriptive works provide insight into how His Realm will be governed. The government of the kingdom will
be upon the shoulders of the Messiah, Isaiah 9:6. He will rule His kingdom with a rod of iron, Psalm 2:9;
Isaiah 11:4; Revelation 12:5 and 19:15 destroying His enemies and ensuring complete compliance to Him by
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the people who inhabit the kingdom. The Messiah will reign and judge the people of the kingdom with
wisdom, righteousness, faithfulness and justice, Isaiah 11:1-5; Jeremiah 23:5.
Others will have leadership roles including judges, Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30; elders, Isaiah 24:23;
Revelation 4:4 and 11:16; princes, Isaiah 32:1; rulers with Christ, 2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 5:10; 20:4-6.
A resurrected king David will also have a role as prince, Ezekiel 34:24 and 37:25.
It will be a realm of peace, security, health and rest, Psalm 72:7; Isaiah 2:4; 29:18-19; 32:18; 33:24; 35:3-6;
Jeremiah 30:17; for the nations will turn weapons of warfare into other uses and the Messiah will now allow
any rebellion or evil acts to shatter the peace. The animals will also be at peace with each other and with
humans, Isaiah 11:6-9; 65:24-25.
It will be a realm of righteous instruction and justice. Peoples from the nations on the earth will journey to
Mount Zion to receive the Messiah’s instruction, and righteous judgments, Isaiah 2:3-4. See also Psalm
96:10; Isaiah 16:5; 61:3, 11; and Malachi 3:3, 17-18. The inhabitants will have God’s law written on their
hearts, Jeremiah 31:33. It will also be a realm of truth, Psalm 85:10-11; Jeremiah 33:6; and Zechariah 8:3,
and 8.
It will be a realm of holiness as those who inhabit Jerusalem will be called holy, and the kingdom will be a
holy place, Isaiah 4:3-4; Joel 3;17; Zechariah 2:12; and 14:20-21. Those who journey to Mount Zion from the
nations of the earth will travel on a “highway of holiness, Isaiah 35:8-10. Jerusalem will also be called
faithful and a city of righteousness, Isaiah 1:26. Mount Zion will be called God’s holy mountain, Psalm 48:1;
Isaiah 27:13; and Jeremiah 31:23, for the Lord will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, Isaiah 33:5. It
will also be a realm in which the inhabitants will be filled with the Spirit. Isaiah 32:15; 44:3; Ezekiel 36:27;
37:14; and Joel 2:28-32. The peoples of the realm, the families of the nations, will worship the Lord, Psalm
22:27-28, Malachi 1:11. A temple will be built where offerings will be made to the Lord and His priests will
minister to Him, Ezekiel chapters 40-48. God’s covenant people will be called priests and servants of God,
Isaiah 61:6. The most exalted place of the realm, Mount Zion will be covered by a canopy of the glory of the
LORD which will provide shelter from heat and protection from storms, Isaiah 4:5-6.
The Residents of the Messianic Kingdom
The Scriptures reveal that following the terrifying days of the tribulation, Revelation chapters 6-19, which is
also known as the time of Jacob’s trouble or distress, Jeremiah 30:7, the Messiah will return to the earth
when the remnant of His covenant people have repented of their national sin of having rejected the Messiah
during His first advent. The confession of this sin is recorded in Isaiah 53:1-9 and 64:1-12. See also Psalm
79:1-13; and 80:1-19. They will also call upon their Messiah to return, Hosea Isaiah 63:15-64:12; 5:15-6:3;
Zechariah 12:10-13:1 and Matthew 23:37-39. Only then will the Messiah return, 2 Chronicles 7:13-14;
Zechariah 14:3-5 and defeat the enemies of His covenant people and begin the process of establishing His
kingdom on the earth. Those who are rescued by the Messiah will journey with Him to Zion as He begins His
rulership of the earth, Micah 2:13.
Those who have been rescued from their enemies will be accompanied by those whom the Lord will gather
from the nations to come to Jerusalem and Israel where they will take up residence under the glorious rule of
their Messiah. See Isaiah 11:12; 27:12; 34:16-17; 40:9-11; 43:1-7; 49:5-6, 14-26; 54:1-17; 56:1-8; 60:1-22;
61:2b-11; 62:1-12; 66:18-21; Jeremiah 3:11-18; 23:3-8; 29:14; 30:1-11; 31:1-14; 32:37; Ezekiel 11:14-20;
20:33-44; 28:25-26; 34:11-31; 36:22-38; 37:15:28; 39:25-29; Micah 2:12; 4:1-12; Zephaniah 3:12-20;
Zechariah 10:1-12 and Matthew 24:31. Many Gentiles will accompany the covenant people of God as they
journey to Mount Zion. These Gentiles will have faith in the Messiah and assist the people of Israel in many
tasks, Isaiah 49:6; 56:6-8; 60:3, 10, 14; and 61:5.
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Others who will be residents of the Messianic kingdom include those who will be martyred for Christ during
the tribulation, Revelation 20:4-6. It is possible that 2 Timothy 2:12 refers to all believers in Christ who will
be resurrected to rule with Christ in the Messianic kingdom. Revelation 5:10 refers to the role of resurrected
believers who will be priests and who will reign upon the earth which can only be during the period of the
Messianic kingdom. Others, including resurrected Old Testament saints, like king David will have leadership
roles in the Messianic kingdom See Ezekiel 34:24 and 37:25. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will also be present,
Matthew 8:11. Some, however, dispute the role of resurrected believers being resident in the Messianic
kingdom. For a discussion on this, see J. Dwight Pentecost, Things to Come, pages 532 and following.
Matthew 25:31 states that angels will also be present when Christ comes to sit upon His throne.
For a study of the Kingdom in Isaiah refer to Michael J. Vlach, He will Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology
of the Kingdom of God, Lampion Press, 2017, pages 145-178. See also the chart of Isaiah’s Description of
Israel’s Future Kingdom, The MacArthur Study Bible, NASB, Thomas Nelson Inc. 2006, page 1032.
721…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
Appendix 2
The Covenants of God
This brief study on the covenants of God is intended to introduce students of the Scriptures to these
covenants as they are essential to understanding of God’s relationship to His covenant people and to all who
believe in the Son of God for salvation. Appendix 2 complements the essay on the Kingdom of God,
Appendix 1. Recommended resources for studying the covenants in more detail is the Master’s Seminary
Journal, TMSJ 10/2 (Fall 1999). See also, Dispensationalism, The Church and the New Covenant, by R.
Bruce Compton, the Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal, DSBJ 8 (Fall 2003): pages 3-48. Rodney Decker has
also written a specific study of the New Covenant in Hebrews, The Law, the New Covenant, and the
Christian: Studies in Hebrews 7-10; Council on Dispensational Hermeneutics, September 2009. See also,
Josh Matthews, Jeremiah 31:31-34: The New Covenant, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy,
pages 1035-1047.
Introduction to the Covenants
God, as revealed in the Scriptures, has made covenants with those who are His image bearers. Most of these
covenants were made with Abraham and his descendants. One covenant, the Noahic was made with all of
His image bearers. These image bearers are those described in Genesis chapter 1:26-28. They are humans
God has created to fill the earth and rule over it and superintending it as God’s mediatorial representatives.
This role of humans in relation to God’s creation will be explained in greater detail in the study on the
kingdom of God. When God had completed His creative works, including the creation of humans, He
pronounced that everything He had made was “very good,” Genesis 1:31. This was not to stay this way
however, for the first two humans that were created fell into sin, seriously affecting the relationship between
God and humanity, bringing physical and spiritual death to humanity, corrupting the natural world as it
received the judgment of a curse from God upon it and establishing the need for a Savior to restore a
righteous relationship between God’s image bearers and Himself. God’s intent in creation was to have the
heavens and earth He created bring glory to Him. His image bearers were to both display and declare God’s
glory to all creation. The introduction of sin into the world God had created also brought humanity into a
critical danger of being destroyed and removed from the earth, which would have prevented them from
fulfilling their original task stated in Genesis 1:26-28 and from displaying and declaring God’s glory to all
His creation.
The covenants identified in Appendix 2 are the Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Priestly, Davidic and the New
Covenant. Although many other pledges and promises in the Scriptures between humans are designated as
covenants, they do not have the divine authority or purpose as do these major covenants between God and
His people. Also, there are a few sub-covenants identified by Biblical scholars, such as that of the “land” in
Deuteronomy chapters 29-30, however, they may best be understood as re-confirmations of the promises
God has made in the covenants to Abraham, Moses and David. Refer to Thomas Constable, Notes on
Deuteronomy, Chapters 29-30, latest Edition, (online). The first covenant between God and mankind that is
clearly stated in the Scriptures as a covenant is the one God made with Noah in which the word “covenant” is
mentioned, Genesis 6:18, 9:9, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16 and 17.
The named covenants of Scripture between God and His image bearers are in form of obligations that are
legally binding and can be understood as a grant or a treaty. These covenants were not made with parties who
are equal. In each one of them God is the incomparably superior, supreme and sovereign designer and
director of the covenant which is revealed to humans who had no part in the drafting of the covenant nor
were they consulted in this process for any input whatsoever. The Abrahamic, Davidic, Priestly and New
Covenants are grants from God that are unilateral and unconditional in that the obligation for the keeping of
722…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
the covenant promises rests with God alone. The Mosaic Covenant was a treaty (contract) agreement that was
bilateral and conditional as there were obligations and requirements from both “parties” of the covenant to
keep in order for the covenant agreement to stay in force. The unilateral and unconditional covenants
between God and mankind are still in force but the bilateral and conditional Mosaic Covenant has been
replaced by the New Covenant.
It must be understood that the term “unconditional” applies in a general sense to the unilateral covenants
between God and mankind. The only truly strictly unconditional covenant is the Noahic which requires no
involvement by humans for the covenant to remain in force. The other unilateral covenants have some
aspects where humans must be involved in them. The involvement of humans is typically a reaction of faith
and trust in God. If faith and trust is not evident, individual humans will not enjoy the benefits of the
covenant. However, God will complete the covenant promises, whether some or many individual humans
have no involvement by faith in Him. Their completion is a guarantee from God, who is the covenant maker
and He will fulfil His obligation to ensure the covenant is met perfectly as He intended.
The Hebrew word in the Old Testament for covenant is berit which, according to Irvin Busenitz is difficult to
define based upon its etymology. See Irvin Busenitz, Introduction to the Biblical Covenants, The Master’s
Seminary Journal, TMSJ 10/2 (Fall 1999) pages 174-175. The most likely meaning of berit based upon its
context in the Old Testament is that it is a binding obligation that has its legal status based upon the
sovereignty of God. In the New Testament the Greek word for covenant is diatheke which can be translated
as “testament” and care must be taken not to confuse it with a “last will and testament.” The enactment of a
“last will and testament” occurs when one party is deceased. This is not the case with “testament” which is in
force while both parties are alive. Refer to article by Irvin Busenitz stated above.
1. The Noahic Covenant
Humans did not stop rebelling against God following the sinful actions of the earth’s first family. This
sinfulness increased in intensity until God finally dealt with this sin in a most dramatic display of His wrath.
God set apart only eight image bearers, Noah, his wife, Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth and their
wives, to escape His display of wrath upon the earth. All other persons upon the earth died when God caused
the earth to be completely covered in water and Noah and his family escaped death by being secured in the
ark that God instructed Noah to build. The narrative of these dramatic events is described in Genesis chapters
6 to 9. Following the receding of the flood waters, God by His own volition and divine will made a covenant
with Noah which included all living things upon the earth and Noah’s descendants which effectively included
all persons on the ark and all who would be born after them.
The details of the Noahic Covenant are stated in Genesis 9:8-17 with a pre-amble to the covenant stated in
Genesis 6:18 and 8:21-22. The content of the covenant is (1) it was made by God, without prior consultation
with anyone or anything; (2) It was made by God with Noah and his family and descendants and with every
living creature upon the earth; (3) It consisted of God’s promise to never again destroy all living things in the
world with a flood, Genesis 8:21-22; 9:11; 15. (4) It would be an everlasting covenant (berit olam) that
would be in effect as long as the earth remains, Genesis 8:21-22; 9:12, 16; (5) It would have a covenant sign,
the rainbow, which was a promise to the living creatures on the earth that upon seeing the rainbow in the
cloud, God would remember His covenant promises, Genesis 9:12-17. God’s preamble to this covenant in
Genesis 8:21-22 included the promise that “as long as the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and
heat, and summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.” This is a promise of the continuation of the
cycles of the seasons and that of day and night as the earth revolves around the sun. In the continuation of the
preamble to the covenant, in Genesis 9:1, God told Noah and his sons to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the
earth.” This command was a re-commission by God to humans that He first gave to Adam in Genesis 1:28 to
fulfil God’s intention that His created earth be filled with humans He had created.
723…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
The Noahic covenant was the only covenant God made that was not specifically connected to His chosen
people. However, this covenant has implications for His chosen people including all of Abraham’s
descendants. The background or basis for God’s everlasting covenant with Noah is not discussed in Genesis
chapters 6-9 other than the immediate need for it as God was to destroy all living things on the earth. The
purpose for this covenant extends backwards to Genesis chapter 1, where it is revealed that God created
image bearers to be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth and to have specific tasks including having dominion
over every living thing upon the earth. The purpose for this covenant also extends forward to passages such
as Isaiah 43:7 which reveals that God’s image bearers were created for His glory. See notes on Isaiah 43:7 in
this study of Isaiah. God’s purposes for His creation also included the renown of His name, Psalm 102:12
and 135:13 which was also connected to other works He has and will accomplish such as the miracle of the
escape of His people through the parted waters of the Red Sea, Isaiah 63:12 and the future blessings of the
Messianic kingdom, Isaiah 55:13. Another and some would claim the most important basis (for redeemed
mankind) for God’s covenant with Noah is God’s desire to live forever (tabernacle) with those who have
faith in Him. This is evident in a much beloved name for God in Isaiah, Immanuel, which has the meaning of
“God with us,” Isaiah 7:14, 8:8, 10. In order for God to fulfill His perfect plans and purposes for those He has
created for His glory, God needed to preserve His image-bearers until the time when He would live among
(tabernacle) his glorified people forever in the eternal state, Revelation 21:3. God also needed to preserve His
image bearers among the people He chose to come from the lineage of Abraham so that His chosen Servant,
the kinsmen Redeemer, from that line would fulfill His salvific purposes in order for God to live forever
among His redeemed people.
It is very significant that Revelation 21:3 contains what Biblical scholars suggest as the “covenant formula.”
The formula, stated in the NKJV as, “and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be
their God.” Similar forms of this formula are found in the Scriptures in passages that discuss God’s
covenants with His people, specifically those relating to the New Covenant, see Jeremiah 24:7, 31:33; 32:38
and Ezekiel 37:23, 37. If, as this essay of the covenants suggests, is correct, the supreme reason God
established His covenant with Noah was to ensure that He would forever be the God of His people to live
with them and receive everlasting praise and worship from them as they display and declare His glory.
2. The Abrahamic Covenant
The Abrahamic Covenant is critical to God’s sovereign purposes for the redemption of those who by faith
would enter into permanent relationship with Him and glorify Him forever. Students of Scripture must
comprehend the significance of God’s covenant with Abraham in its connection to the entire scope of God’s
plans for creation and the complete teaching of the Scriptures. This covenant directly impacts every major
doctrine and theological teaching of the Bible. It is also the specific basis for (1) God’s faithful and
longsuffering dealings with His unique chosen people to give them a land for their possession, (2) His care to
protect His chosen people from the idolatrous and self-exalting influences of pagan societies; (3) His desire
to bless to all nations through the intended faithful ministry of His chosen people; (4) His promise of a
blessed future both in the messianic kingdom and in the eternal state to all those who would have faith in
Him; (5) His sovereign choice of a unique people through whom, a Savior (a seed) would come to become
the means by which redemption would be made available to these chosen people and to all others on the earth
who would have faith in this Savior.
The Circumstances Leading to the Abrahamic Covenant
Genesis chapters 10 and 11 provide details of the days following the great flood during the days of Noah.
The flood did not exterminate sinfulness from the earth and mankind’s rebellion against God again became
an abhorrence to God as it did in the Garden of Eden and in the days prior to the great flood. Genesis chapter
10 includes a narration of the powerful influence of Ham’s grandson and Noah’s great grandson Nimrod who
among other things was the founder and ruler of Babel and other pagan city states such as Nineveh. These
724…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
pagan peoples who spoke the same language rebelled against the command of God to fill the earth and
subdue it, Genesis 1:28 and 9:1, 7. In the land of Shinar in which Babel (Babylon) was founded by Nimrod,
the people decided to build a tower, which would have a top “in the heavens” and to make a name for
themselves which would thwart the plan of God of having people fill the earth, Genesis 11:1-4. Underlying
this effort of tower building was the idolatrous hearts of the people, from which flowed their wicked
intentions to exalt and govern themselves. These post-flood peoples who should have learned from the stories
of their immediate families of cause of the great flood, deliberately flaunted their wickedness in God’s face.
God judged the people of the earth and rather than eliminating them, He kept His covenant promise to Noah
by allowing them to live. His judgment upon them was to confuse their single language and cause them to
speak in different languages which resulted in their spreading out over the face of the earth, each in their own
language group. This action of God did not exterminate their wicked hearts and they continued to exalt
themselves wherever they spread out upon the earth. God hated this and every form of the worship that did
not exalt Him alone. He had a redemptive plan to preserve to Himself a people through which His promise of
Genesis 3:15 would be kept and to whom He would be their covenant God and they would be His people,
worshipping Him and glorifying Him only. While the people of the earth, now speaking many different
languages spread out to fill the earth, God called one man, Abram including his immediate family, to leave
the pagan culture of Ur, located south of Babylon, and travel to a land God would show him.
For a more detailed explanation of the events and circumstances leading to God’s covenant with Abraham,
see Kenneth A. Matthews, New American Commentary, Volume 1, Genesis 1-11:26. Broadman & Holman
Publishers, 1996. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Book of Genesis, Ariel Ministries, 2008. Thomas L.
Constable, Notes on Genesis, latest edition, (online). For insight on the worship of false gods and pagan
worship practices of the post-flood people of Babylon prior to God’s calling of Abraham, see Andrew M.
Woods, The Coming Kingdom, Grace Gospel Press, 2016.
The Content of the Abrahamic Covenant
The Scriptural references to the Abrahamic Covenant include the direct covenant language of Genesis 15:18
and 17:1-21 but include the wider discussion God had with Abraham recorded in Genesis 12:1-3, 7; 13:14-
17; 15:1-21; 17:1-21; 18:17-33; 21:12-13; and 22:1-18. God re-confirmed this covenant with Abraham’s son
Isaac, Genesis 26:2-5 and Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, Genesis 28:10-17. References to permanence
(everlasting, forever) of this covenant occur in 1 Chronicles 16:15-17 and Psalm 105:8-9. See also a possible
reference in Isaiah 24:5. Other specific references occur in Exodus 2:24; 6:2-5; Leviticus 26:42-45 and
Deuteronomy 4:31. There are many other references in the Old Testament where this covenant is mentioned
in terms of what God had sworn by an oath to the forefathers of the people descended from Abraham. God’s
faithful servant Stephen mentioned this covenant as a promise sworn to Abraham, Acts 7:17. Paul also
mentioned this covenant in terms of a promise, Romans 4:13-25; Galatians chapter 3; and 4:23. The author of
Hebrews also mentions this covenant in terms of a promise, 6:13-18; 7:6; 11:8-10, 17-18. Paul, however,
explains that there is a distinction between promises and covenants, Romans 9:4. Keith Essex discusses this
issue in “The Abrahamic Covenant,” the Master’s Seminary Journal, TMSJ 10/2 (1999), pages 193-194.
Other New Testament references to the Abrahamic Covenant include Luke 1:72-75; Acts 3:25; and 7:8.
The content of God’s covenant with Abraham can be understood in at least three major areas: land, seed and
blessing. The introductory declaration by God regarding His covenant with Abraham (then Abram) in
Genesis 12:1-3, 7 is an example of these three significant aspects of the covenant. Land is stated in 12:1, 7;
nation (signifying seed) is stated in 12:2; and blessing is stated in 12:2-3.
725…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
The Covenant Stipulation of the Land
The statement by God of “a land” that He would show to Abram is a significant theme of the Abrahamic
Covenant. The land promise is also stated in specific passages directly pertaining to this covenant in Genesis
13:14-17; 15:7, 16-21; 17:8; 26:3-4; 28:13, 15. God’s promise of this land is also stated, for example in
Genesis 35:11-12; 48:4; Deuteronomy 11:24-25; 30:1-10; and Joshua 1:4-5. The boundaries of the land of
the messianic kingdom are enumerated in Ezekiel 47:13-23. These are representative examples only and not
an exhaustive listing of all the land promises. The stipulation of land that God included in His covenant with
Abraham meant that the people He had chosen to be descendants of Abraham would have a significant place
of their own among the peoples of the earth. This stipulation was of major importance to Abraham’s son
Isaac, his grandson Jacob and great-grandsons who became the heads of the tribes of Israel. These tribes were
allotted specific territories within the land, as homelands in themselves for the members of each tribe,
Numbers chapters 32-34 and confirmed in the book of Joshua.
The “land” is of extreme importance in our modern day. The people of Israel still long for occupation of all
the land of promise and Isaiah wrote often of the future return of the faithful remnant to the land from the
many countries where they are scattered. This return will follow the terrifying days of the tribulation as the
Messiah will defeat His enemies who are also enemies of His people and He will establish His messianic
kingdom which will be a complete fulfillment of the land promise contained in the Abrahamic Covenant.
Selected references in Isaiah to the fulfilled land promises including Zion and the return of the faithful
remnant to the land occur in Isaiah 2:1-4; 4:2-6; 9:6-7; 10:20-23; 11:11-16; 14:1-2; 26:1-4; 27:12; 35:1-10;
40:2-3; 41:9; 43:1-7; 49:5-26; 51:10-16; 54:1-17; 55:12-13; 57:13, 18; 60:1-22; 61:2b-11; 62:1-12; 65:8-10;
66:5-13, 18-21. See also Psalm 105:1-45. These are selected references only and not an exhaustive listing. It
is critical to the understanding of the Abrahamic Covenant that God’s stipulation of a land for Abraham’s
descendants has not been obliterated or removed. The land is as important today as it was to Abraham and
the twelve tribes of Israel and it will continue to be of utmost concern until God creates a new earth and a
new heavens. It is of utmost concern to the Servant of God, the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will
reign for a thousand years on the throne of David on Mount Zion in the midst of the land that God stipulated
in His covenant with Abraham thousands of years ago.
The Covenant Stipulation of Seed
The second major stipulation of the Abrahamic Covenant is the mention of a nation to come from Abraham
which is also described as seed, which is revealed in Scripture both in a plural and a singular sense.
Beginning in Genesis 12:2 with the mention of a great nation to come from Abram and it is repeated within
the covenant context in 13:14-16, 15:4-5; 17:1-21; 18:18-19; 21:12; 22:17-18; 26:3-4; and 28:14. Other
references in the Old Testament include Psalm 105:6; 106:40-45; Jeremiah 33:23-26; and Micah 7:18-20. In
the New Testament the seed stipulation of the Abrahamic Covenant is stated in Acts 3:25; Galatians 3:16-18;
and 4:21-31.
In Genesis 15:1-5, the promise of “seed” is emphasized. Abraham (Abram) stated, “Look, you have given me
no children, (seed), so one of my servants will be my heir,” Genesis 15:3. God responded in 15:4, “a son
coming from your own body will be your heir.” God told Abram to look up at the heavens and to count the
stars if he could number them for his descendants would be as numerous as the stars, Genesis 15:5. Abram’s
response to this promise and God’s act following this response is stunning in its theological significance.
“And Abram believed the LORD; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness,” Genesis 15:6.
Within the greater context of the God’s covenant promises to Abraham is this double response between
Abraham (Abram) and God. God made a promise of innumerable seed that would come from Abraham. In
response Abraham expressed his faith in God and in response to Abraham’s faith (he believed the LORD),
God reckoned (counted) to him as righteousness. The Apostle Paul, writing of this exchange between
726…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
Abraham and God said in the fourth chapter of Romans, said “faith was counted to Abraham for
righteousness,” Romans 4:9. In Galatians 3:5-14, Paul expands upon this simple statement by stating, “5
Does He, who gives you the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by your doing works of the law or by
believing what you heard? 6 Just as Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness,
7
know that those who believe are the sons of Abraham. 8 The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the
Gentiles by faith, when it proclaimed the gospel to Abraham saying “All nations will be blessed in you.”
9
So those who believe are blessed along with Abraham, who believed. 10 For all who rely on the works of the
law are under a curse, for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not keep doing everything written in
the book of the law.” 11 Now obviously no one is justified before God by the law, because “The one who is
righteous will live by faith.” 12 But the law is not based on faith; but the one who does works will live by
them. 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us; for it is written, “Cursed
is everyone who hangs on a tree,” 14 so that the blessing of Abraham by Christ Jesus might come to the
Gentiles and so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit by faith.” James also wrote about the
significance of Abraham’s faith in God, stating, “the Scripture was fulfilled which said, “Abraham believed
God, and it was counted to him for righteous,” James 2:23. The great truth that believers are justified by their
faith was established within the context of the Abrahamic covenant several centuries before God declared the
law to Moses. God declares that believers are justified (saved) not from obedience to the law but only by
faith in Him. Salvation as revelation is unfolded in the Scriptures would be based upon the believer’s faith in
the cross work (shed blood) of Jesus Christ. However even Abraham had some knowledge of the future as
the writer of Hebrews states, “for he was looking forward to a city with foundations, whose architect and
builder is God,” Hebrews 11:10.
The “seed” promise of the Abrahamic Covenant is declared by God in Genesis as an heir that would come
from Abraham leading to innumerable descendants and a great nation. However, the “seed” promise would
be applied in the New Testament in a singular sense with the meaning of One specific “seed.” Paul stated in
the third chapter of Galatians, “Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not
say “and to your descendants,” as of many; but as of one, “and to your descendent,” who is Christ.”
Galatians 3:16. Paul was quoting from Genesis 12:7 where the word “descendants” is literally “seed.” Some
may question Paul’s understanding that “seed” in Genesis 12:7 refers to a singular descendant of Abraham.
Thomas Constable suggests,
The Hebrew word for "seed" or "offspring" (zera, v. 16) is a collective singular, that can refer either
to one descendant or many descendants. An English collective singular, for example, is "sheep"—that
can refer to one sheep or many sheep. Both "seed" and "offspring" are also collective singulars in
English. Paul explained that the "seed" God had in mind, in Genesis 13:15 and 17:8, was the one
descendant: "Christ."162 [Note 162: See Robert A. Pyne, "The 'Seed,' the Spirit, and the Blessing of
Abraham," Bibliotheca Sacra 152:606 (April-June 1995):214-16.] (Thomas Constable, Galatians,
2017 Edition).
Paul may have had in mind the earlier promise by God stated in Genesis 3:15, that a singular person, “he”
would bruise (put to death) the head of the serpent (Satan). Also, as the writing of Scripture unfolds, the
singular sense of this seed is revealed. In Genesis 22:18, God promised Abraham, “and through your
descendants (literally “seed”) all the nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed my
voice.” Keith Essex (TMSJ 10/2 (Fall 1999), page 205, suggests that the word “seed” in Genesis 22:17b-18
should be understood in the singular. In Genesis 49, the patriarch Jacob makes a prophecy about this “seed’
who will come from the descendants of his son Judah referring to a future person, as “him” and “he,” Genesis
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49:9-12. This “seed” would also be revealed as one who would sit upon the throne of David in a future
kingdom, Isaiah 9:6-7 and Luke 1:32-33. The prophet Micah revealed where this singular “seed” described as
one who was to be ruler in Israel, would be born, Bethlehem Ephrathah in Judah, Micah 5:2. This was
confirmed in Matthew 2:1-6 as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. For an extended discussion on Paul’s use of the
singular “seed” in Galatians 3:16, see Thomas R. Schreiner, Galatians, Exegetical Commentary on the New
Testament, Zondervan, 2010, pages 228-230. However one understands the meaning of “seed” as plural or
singular in the Abrahamic Covenant, Scripture points to this seed as the greater Son of Abraham, the
Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would be from the tribe of Judah, who would be born as a son, who will
be the Savior of the world and who will rule on the throne of David over His kingdom on the earth.
The Covenant Stipulation of Blessing
The third major stipulation of the Abrahamic Covenant is blessing. In the initial statement of the covenant,
Genesis 12:1-3, God states the blessings of the covenant in 12:2 (twice) and three times in 12:3. In 12:2 God
states, “I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” In 12:3 God promises
that “I will bless those who bless you, and he who curses you, I will curse. Through you all the families of
the earth will be blessed.” In Genesis 17:16 God promises blessings on Sarah who shall bear the promised
heir. In Genesis 18:18, God promises that all nations would be blessed in Abraham. In Genesis 22:17, God
again promises to bless Abraham and in 22:18, as discussed above, God stated “and through your
descendants (seed) all the nations of the earth will be blessed.” It is certainly significant that in the midst of
the greater context of the Abrahamic Covenant in Genesis, Abraham meets Melchizedek, who is described as
the king of Salem and the priest of the “God most High,” who conveyed a blessing on both Abraham
(Abram) and God, Genesis 14:18-20.
God in His covenant with Abraham pronounces a blessing on Abraham. God also states that Abraham would
be a blessing, states that all who bless Abraham would themselves be blessed, states that Sarah would be
blessed and that through Abraham and his descendants (seed), all the families and all the nations of the earth
would be blessed. These blessings are re-confirmed with Abraham’s son Isaac in Genesis 26:3, 4, 12 and 24.
Isaac conferred the blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant on his son Jacob, Genesis 27:29 and 28:3-4. The
blessings of the covenant were also confirmed by the LORD upon Jacob, Genesis 28:13-14, “I am the LORD,
the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The ground on which you lie, I will give to you and to
your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west,
east, north and south. Through you and your offspring (seed) will all the families of the earth be blessed.”
In the Old Testament, God promised to bless His people in Numbers 6:27; Deuteronomy 7:12-14; 15:6;
26:15; 33:29; Psalm 33:12; 37:22; 67:7; 72:17; Isaiah 19:24-25; 44:1-3; 51:2; 61:9; 65:23; Jeremiah 4:2;
Zechariah 8:13. In the New Testament God’s promised blessing through His covenant with Abraham is
stated in Acts 3:25; Romans 4:9; Galatians 3:8, 9, 14; and Hebrews 6:13-20. Because of the failure of the
physical descendants of Abraham to be a blessing to the nations, the ultimate blessing of God through the
Abrahamic Covenant is through the singular “seed,” the Suffering Servant, the Messiah, who is the Lord
Jesus Christ who will bless all nations through His work of salvation. Although Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8 speaks
of the Servant as being a covenant to the people, which is a New Covenant stipulation, the outcome of the
Servants ministry fulfills the aspect of blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant. In Isaiah 42:6, the Servant will
be a light to the Gentiles and in 49:8, He will be used by God to restore the earth. In Isaiah 49:6 the Servant
will be God’s salvation to the ends of the earth. The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant directed to all the
families and nations of the earth are blessings of salvation wrought through the salvific cross work of the
“seed” of the covenant, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The blessings of salvation apply to all who have faith in
the Son of God, and just as it was said of Abraham, those who have such faith, their faith will be reckoned to
them as righteousness.
728…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
Other Important Considerations of the Abrahamic Covenant
1. Everlasting Promises
The promises of the Abrahamic Covenant are stated to be everlasting in Genesis 13:15; 17:7-8, 13 and 19.
They are everlasting in the sense that they will continue until God establishes the new heavens and the new
earth. In another sense they will truly last forever in that all who have put their faith in the Son and fulfil the
promise of blessing to all families and nations of the earth will live forever in the new heavens and new earth.
They will live with God who will “tabernacle” among them, as He has promised them in stating the great
covenant formula, they shall be His people and He will be their God. It is not correct to claim that all the
promises of blessings to the people of the earth of the Abrahamic Covenant were met with the first advent of
Jesus Christ. The salvific and blessing promises continue to this day and will continue into eternity for it is
those who have been declared justified (righteous) by their faith in Christ, will continue to live forever in the
presence of the LORD and the Lamb, who sit upon their throne, Revelation 22:1. Also, once the covenant
people of God are restored spiritually and have returned to the land of promise at the inauguration of the
millennial kingdom of the Messiah, they will then fulfill their role under the Abrahamic Covenant to be a
blessing to all nations and families of the earth, Isaiah 61:6a, 9, 11; 62:1-3.
2. Sign of the Covenant
As with many covenants the Abrahamic Covenant has a sign attached to it. The sign for the Abrahamic
Covenant was circumcision, Genesis 17:9-14, which signified the obedience by Abraham and his male
descendants to the requirements of the covenant. Those who were not circumcised were said to have broken
the covenant, Genesis 17:14. This conditional individual requirement was to be kept for all generations for it
is an everlasting condition. It does not mean that the Abrahamic Covenant itself can be destroyed by
disobedience to this requirement, but only that individuals who are directly in the lineage of Abraham, who
are not circumcised to not participate in the temporal blessings of the covenant directed to such things as
family and land issues. God’s promises are sure and cannot fail for He will fulfil all that He purposed to do
through the promises of this covenant. It should be noted that the requirement of circumcision applies to the
actual physical male descendants of Abraham and not to Abraham’s spiritual descendants, Galatians 3:7, 29.
Paul discussed the pros and cons of circumcision in Romans 2:25-29; 3:1-8, 27-31; 4:9-12; 1 Corinthians
7:18-19; Galatians 2:3-21; 5:1-6, 11-12; 6:12-15; Ephesians 2:11-13; Philippians 3:3; Colossians 2:11; 3:11
and Titus 1:10.
3. The Mosaic Covenant
The Mosaic Covenant is vast in that it is begins in Exodus and has content that extends to the end of
Deuteronomy. It is often referred to as “the law” in a singular sense although it contains many hundreds of
stipulations, regulations and ordinances that are legally binding “laws.” Although many understand the
Mosaic Covenant to be bi-lateral and conditional, it is “basically” unconditional and unilateral in that God’s
purposes for this covenant was completed as He intended. It was a covenant that was given from One who
was absolutely Sovereign and the only God to a specified chosen nation of individuals who were corrupt,
rebellious and weak, unable to fulfill the least of the legally binding stipulations of the covenant. It did not
require acceptance by the people of God for it to be ratified or in-force. It was in place when God declared
the various segments of the covenant to Moses, beginning at Mount Sinai and during the long wilderness
journeys of the covenant people of God. The covenant had conditional elements in that God’s blessings on
His people were contingent on their obedience to His covenant decrees. Disobedience to the covenant’s
requirements by God’s people did not destroy and end the covenant. God who cannot lie or commit sin could
not “break” the covenant’s legal requirements so the other party to the covenant, God’s people were solely
responsible for keeping them. The penalty for breaking the covenant resulted in spiritual and physical
consequences for God’s people including physical death, spiritual separation from God and the removal from
the promised land for a specified period of time.
729…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
The Mosaic Covenant can be understood as the legally binding constitution for the new nation that emerged
from slavery in Egypt to take residence in their own unique land that God had promised them. This covenant-
constitution was necessary for God’s people to properly and righteously live in relation to their God and with
each other. The covenant contained legal, ceremonial and moral aspects which were inter-twined and should
be considered as inseparable integral stipulations. The Mosaic Covenant, like all other covenants God made,
were given or pronounced without any prior consultation or input or review by God’s image bearers. It would
be an abhorrence to God for Him to seek the advice of sinful humanity before making any decree that
regulates the relationship between Himself and His created beings. The Mosaic Covenant is the only
covenant that has been replaced by another covenant that Scripture calls the New Covenant. It was not
replaced because it was imperfect or did not accomplish all God intended it to accomplish. It was perfect,
sure, right, pure and true, Psalm 19:7-11 and its divine author was perfect. It was replaced because it had
perfectly accomplished its purpose was completely fulfilled in Abraham’s and David’s greater Son, the
Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The central teaching of the Mosaic Covenant is found in Exodus chapters 19-24. However, elements of the
covenant in its wider sense are found in Exodus chapter 25 to the end of Deuteronomy. The essential core of
the covenant is the ten commandments or as some scholars are prone to say, the ten words, Exodus 20:1-17.
But, there are a total of 613 commands within the wider scope of the covenant, 248 being positive commands
and 365 being negative commands. Jewish legalism added much erroneous teaching and comment on the
commands of the covenant and Jesus spent considerable time during His public ministry at His first advent
correcting these additions and comments. This is seen for example in the first public sermon of Jesus which
is called the sermon on the mount, Matthew chapters 5-7. Jesus called the legalistic Pharisees and Teachers
of the law hypocrites because they so corrupted the teaching of the commands of the covenant that they led
astray the people of Israel by making entrance into God’s kingdom based entirely upon works and not by
faith. Jesus stated that no one could gain entrance into God’s kingdom unless their righteousness exceeded
that of the scribes and the Pharisees, Matthew 5:20.
The Preparation for the Mosaic Covenant
God was preparing His people for the covenant before they were freed from Egypt. When God met Moses at
the “burning bush,” Exodus chapter 3, He said to Moses “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the
sign that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this
mountain.” Exodus 3:12. God was preparing His people who were then in slavery in Egypt for a new life of
freedom in a land He had promised them. Before this would become a reality, God gave Moses an indication
of what was expected of His chosen people. They were being freed so they could worship Him. This was also
a repeated stipulation during the days when Moses met with Pharaoh of Egypt demanding that Pharaoh
release the Hebrew people, so they could worship their God. See Exodus 4:23; 7:16; 8:1; 20, 9:1; 13; 10:3, 7,
8, 11, 24, 26; and 12:31 in the NIV. The KJV, NKJV and ESV translate the Hebrew word ‘abad as “serve”
for these verses. The NASB translates ‘abad as worship in Exodus 3:12 and 12:31 but translates ‘abad as
“serve” and in all the other verses. The word “serve” has several meanings but in the context of Exodus
chapters 3 to 12 it has a direct relationship to worship, thus, to serve God is to worship Him.
The Prologue to the Mosaic Covenant
When the people under the leadership of Moses arrived and camped near mount Sinai, God spoke to Moses
and said, “This is what you will say to the house of Jacob and tell the Israelites: 4 You have seen what I did to
the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will
obey my voice and keep my covenant then you will be my special possession from among all peoples. For
although all the earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Exodus 19:3-6.
Prior to the declaration of the covenant, God told Moses that He desired the people to obey Him and keep His
covenant. If they did this, then they would be His special possession from all the earth’s peoples and also be
730…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Thus, from the very beginning of God’s statements regarding His
covenant, 19:5; there is conditionality, (if / then) attached to it. However, this conditional aspect must be
understood in conjunction with God’s earlier covenant with Abraham.
The unconditional premise of the Abrahamic Covenant of land, seed (with its inclusion of nation) and
blessing is not diminished or contingent upon the obedience of God’s people to His covenant with Moses.
God will fulfill completely all He had promised in His covenant with Abraham. If the covenant people of
God did not obey His voice and keep the Mosaic Covenant (and they did not), they would not receive the
offered blessings of being His special possession, nor would they righteously serve (worship) God as a
kingdom of priests, nor would they be a holy nation before Him. Later revelation in Scripture shows that God
indeed kept the Mosaic Covenant in force until it was perfectly fulfilled in the life, death and resurrection of
the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ. See Matthew 5:17; Galatians 3:13, 21-24.
It is not that the law has completely vanished, for Christ stated, “for truly I say to you, until heaven and earth
pass away, not one dot or one pen-stroke will in any way pass away from the law, until all things are
accomplished.” Matthew 5:18. However, believers in Christ are not under the law, Romans 6:14-15 and
Galatians 5:18. Because of a fundamental change in the priesthood, in that Jesus Christ is an eternal priest in
the “order of Melchizedek and not in accordance with prescriptions of the law itself, the law was in need of
change, Hebrews 7:11-28. Christ, through the sprinkling of His blood which was superior to the sprinkling of
the blood of animals, therefore has become the surety or guarantee of a better covenant, Hebrews 7:22, 8:8,
13; 9:13-15; 12:24. Also, what the law was not intended to accomplish, that is unhindered and free access to
God was accomplished by the mediator of the new covenant. This was symbolically performed at the death
of Christ when the great curtain in the temple torn from top to bottom, Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38; Luke
23:45, and Ephesians 2:11-18, signifying that believers can with boldness now enter the holy place (meet
with God) because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, Hebrews 10:19-22. Christ has brought us into a direct
relationship with God, and all who believe in Him, both Jews and Gentiles are one in Him. Christ is the
mediator of the new covenant, Hebrews 9:15 through His shed blood, Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke
22:20; and 1 Corinthians 11:25. Christ therefore fulfills what was prophesized of Him in Isaiah 42:6, 49:8
and 52:13-53:12 regarding His role in the new covenant which has replaced the Mosaic Covenant.
The Preamble to the Mosaic Covenant
God in Exodus 20:2 declares a brief preamble to the Mosaic Covenant. God makes two defining statements
of His qualifications to unilaterally declare His covenant with His people at the inauguration of their
nationhood. God first declares, “I am the LORD your God.” He confirms His great name by which He told
Moses to reveal to the people of Israel who were in slavery in Egypt. In Exodus 3:14 God states, “You will
say this to the Israelites, 'I AM has sent me to you.” God by stating that He is Yahweh, their God in Exodus
20:2 declares His sovereign right to make a covenant with those people who He had earlier described as His
“special possession,” Exodus 19:5 and would later describe as “a holy people to the LORD your God. The
LORD your God has chosen you to be his own special (treasured) people, above all peoples on the face of
the earth.” Deuteronomy 7:6. See also Deuteronomy 14:2. God did not need to authenticate His right to make
a covenant with His people but made this simple statement of His name to remind them that He alone is their
God and they alone are His special people.
The second brief statement God makes in Exodus 20:2 in the preamble to the Mosaic Covenant, is that it was
He “who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” God was reminding His
covenant people of His great love for them by freeing them to worship Him. This momentous act by God on
their behalf is declared often in the Scriptures, for example, Psalm 78:12-16; 81:10; Isaiah 11:16 and
Jeremiah 11:4. God’s frequent statements to His covenant people of their freedom from Egyptian slavery is
not an egotistical boast about His past accomplishments but is a reminder that He can be entirely trusted. He
731…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
is the only true God, for no other “god” could accomplish this, certainly not their idols who could accomplish
nothing. This statement of their freedom of slavery also serves to reassure God’s people that they can have
confidence in the future for their God will stand with them and provide safety from their enemies, Isaiah
37:36; provide release from captivity, Ezra chapter 1; provide a Savior for them, Isaiah 63:1-6; provide a
future peaceful and righteous kingdom to be ruled by their Messiah, Isaiah 2:1-4; 4:2-6; 9:6-7, (and many
other passages in Isaiah); they will finally be priests and ministers of God, Isaiah 61:6, and they will have
everlasting joy, Isaiah 61:7.
The People of the Mosaic Covenant
God’s covenant, declared to Moses was specifically for His covenant people, whom He had just freed from
slavery in Egypt. God did not enter into this covenant with a people who were obedient, faithful and who
desired to worship Him. They were rebellious, unfaithful and continually worshipped worthless idols. They
often willingly ignored God and sought the aid of pagan nations for help when threatened by their enemies.
There was little to commend them as ready recipients of God’s graceful care for them. Yet they were God’s
people whom He chose for His own sake, and for the glory of His name. The people of Mosaic Covenant
were those who were linked uniquely to God through the provisions and promises of the covenant God made
(cut) with Abraham. God’s plan for them involved a Savior who would come from this people, a seed, who
Isaiah describes as the Servant who would bring salvation to them as well as those from all nations of the
earth. God would fulfill His desire for worshippers from these people and all peoples who would display and
declare His glory to all creation.
The Precepts of the Mosaic Covenant
As mentioned above, the central content of the Mosaic Covenant is found in Exodus chapters 19-24 with the
most well-known part of this central content being the ten commandments known also as the decalogue. This
central content is called the “Book of the Covenant” in Exodus 24:7. The teachings of the covenant, which is
called the law, also include the material from Exodus 19 to Deuteronomy 33. The teachings of the covenant
are called precepts, statutes and laws in Nehemiah 9:14. Many Psalms reference the teachings of the law as
being precepts, an example being Psalm 119:4, “You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently.”
(NKJV). William D. Barrick discusses the key stipulations of the Mosaic Covenant, in The Masters Seminary
Journal, TMSJ 10/2 (Fall 1999), pages 2123-232. Barrick suggests that the law is a unity comprising of three
key areas involving Moral stipulations, Exodus 20:1-17; Civil stipulations, Exodus 20:22-23:33; and
Ceremonial stipulations, Exodus 25:1-31:18. It is evident that these suggested stipulations extend beyond the
content of the “Book of the Covenant,” indicating that the law is much more than the decalogue or the few
chapters following its declaration.
The Purpose of the Mosaic Covenant
Exodus 19:3-6 reveals God’s intentions for His people if they obeyed His voice and keep His covenant. Their
obedience would result in being a treasure to God above all peoples. They would also be a kingdom of priests
and also be a holy nation. Other specific purposes were revealed in the New Testament. Paul in Romans
3:19-20 and 7:7-14 stated that knowledge of sin came by the law therefore humans understand their
sinfulness through the precepts of the law. Also, the law acted as a teacher or tutor with the intention of
bringing people to Christ in that justification comes by faith and not through obedience to the law, Galatians
3:24.
The law was summarized in two statements by Jesus Christ in Matthew 22:34-39. Jesus stated, “You shall
love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great
and first commandment. 39 The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two
commandments the whole law and prophets hang.” Matthew 22:37-39. See also Mark 12:28-34 and Luke
732…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
10:27. Jesus was quoting from two passages in the law, the first from Deuteronomy 6:5 and the second from
Leviticus 19:18. Thus the purpose of the Mosaic Covenant, the law has three general aspects, (1) A Special
People (treasured by God, who are holy and are priests to God); (2) A Salvific Premise (a tutor to lead people
to Christ) and (3) A Specific Pursuit (to love God and neighbor).
Other Important Considerations of the Mosaic Covenant
1. The Promises of the Mosaic Covenant
Although the Mosaic Covenant had personal or individual conditions which if breached by God’s people
resulted in a loss of blessings, its overall intent was unilateral in that God’s plans and purposes could not be
defeated by any person, human or otherwise or by any event. Thus, the promises of the Mosaic covenant
were permanent as they coincided with the Abrahamic, Davidic and New covenants. The following promises
within the Mosaic covenant although not completely fulfilled at present, will be fully completed in the days
of the millennium kingdom of the Messiah. (1) The covenant people of God are to be God’s treasured people
above all other peoples, Exodus 19:6. (2) They are to be a kingdom of priests, Exodus 19:6. (3) They are to
be a holy nation, Exodus 19:6. (4) They are to be given a land, Exodus 20:12. Finally (5) They are to be
blessed by God above all peoples, Deuteronomy 7:14.
2. The Sign of the Mosaic Covenant
Covenants in the Old Testament were often symbolized with a sign that indicated their significance as a
binding treaty, accord and promise between God and His people. The sign of the Noahic covenant was the
rainbow, Genesis 9:12-17. The sign of the Abrahamic covenant was circumcision, Genesis 17:9-14 and the
sign of the Mosaic covenant was the Sabbath, Exodus 31:12-17; Ezekiel 20:12, 20. Exodus 31:13 states,
“Tell the Israelites, You must keep my Sabbaths, for it is a sign between me and you throughout your
generations; so that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” The keeping of the Sabbath was
inculcated in the decalogue as the fourth commandment. The sign of the Sabbath was to remind the Israelites
of the creation by God of the heavens and the earth and that God rested on the seventh day. This day was to
be holy to God’s people, for it was a holy God who sanctified them and they were to keep it “holy,” Exodus
20:8; Deuteronomy 5:12. However, it was because of the failure of the Israelites to keep the commandment
regarding the Sabbath, that God judged His people and removed them from their land. This was stated as a
consequence of breaking the Sabbath in Leviticus 26:27-46. But in future days, still to come, following the
present Church age, the Sabbath will again have significance for God and His people. Isaiah spoke of future
blessings of those who keep the Sabbath, Isaiah 56:1-8; 58:13-14 and 66:23. In the days of the millennial
kingdom, the sabbath will once again be kept, Ezekiel 44:24; 45:17; 46:1-15. Although the Sabbath is the
only commandment of the decalogue not to be re-confirmed in the New Testament, as being significant for
the Church age, it will re-emerge in importance during the earthly reign of the Messiah following the
tribulation.
4. The Priestly Covenant
The immediate context of God giving a covenant of a perpetual priesthood is found in Numbers chapter 25.
The historical background to the covenant is the story of Balak and Balaam, Numbers chapters 22-24. The
time of these events was near the end of the Israelites forty-year sojourn in the wilderness. Balak, the king of
the Moabites was afraid that the advancing Israelites would do to the Moabites all that they had done to the
Amorites. So Balak called upon Balaam, who practiced divination, to curse the Israelites in the hope that the
Moabites would defeat God’s people and drive them out of Moab, Numbers 22:1-6. Balaam was prevented
from cursing the Israelites during three attempts and pronounced a blessing upon them. See also
Deuteronomy 23:3-6 and Joshua 24:9-10. Numbers 31:16 reveals however, that Balaam was successful in
having the women of Moab seduce the men of Israel and draw them into sinning against God. Balaam was
later put to death by the Israelites, Joshua 13:22.
733…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
As a result of Balaam’s intrigue against Israel, the men of Israel committed harlotry with the women of Moab
and also committed idolatry by bowing down to the gods of Moab, Numbers 25:1-2. This brought the anger
and judgment of God upon Israel through a plague that resulted in the deaths of twenty-four thousand of the
Israelites, Numbers 25:9. There would have been many more Israelites killed had not Phineas, a priest, who
was the grandson of Aaron, taken direct action against an Israelite male and a woman from the Midianites.
The man, in sight of all Moses and all of Israel, took this woman into his tent. Phinehas went into the tent and
killed both of them with a spear, Numbers 25:6-8. God defended the action of Phinehas by a remarkable
declaration that he was giving to him a covenant of peace, which was described as a covenant of an
everlasting priesthood, because Phinehas was zealous for God and made atonement on behalf of the children
of Israel, Numbers 25:10-13.
The DASV for Numbers 25:10-13 states:
10
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 11 Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned
my wrath away from the Israelites, by showing such jealousy as I have for them, so that I did not consume
Israel in my jealousy. 12 Therefore declare, 'I am giving to him my covenant of peace.' 13 So it will be to him
and to his descendants after him, a covenant of a permanent priesthood; because he was jealous for his God,
and made atonement for the Israelites.
Four Aspects of the Priestly Covenant
First, God introduced the priestly covenant as a covenant of peace, Numbers 25:12, thus it has an aspect of
blessing, in that the act of Phinehas in his zeal for God brought the blessing of God’s peace upon the
priesthood and upon the Israelites. Second, this covenant was perpetual in that the priesthood would last
beyond the duration of the Mosaic covenant into the millennial kingdom of the Messiah, Ezekiel 40:46;
44:15-31 and 48:10-12. The permanence of the Priestly covenant is also clearly stated in Jeremiah 33:19-22.
Third, this covenant involved a lineage or seed as it was not only made to Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron,
but to the descendants or seed of Phinehas who would serve as priests to God. It is also called the Levitical
priesthood as Aaron was a Levite (a descendant of Levi), Exodus 4:14; as was Phinehas, Exodus 6:25. The
Levites had a specific role in the ministry of the tabernacle, Numbers 1:51-53. They were as sons of Aaron,
the anointed priests to God, Numbers 3:2. Their role and ministry is further described in Numbers chapters 3
and 4. Fourth, this covenant had an aspect of atonement. The act of Phineas, in putting to death, as a
sacrifice those who were openly defying God, was described by God as making atonement for the Israelites.
The Israelite man and the Midianite woman were identified by name and tribal association in Numbers 25:
14-15. Because of their open rebellion against God, He commanded Moses to attack the Midianites and
destroy them because of the Midianites involvement in the treachery of the men of Israelite in that the
Israelites were seduced into worshipping the Baal of Peor, Numbers 25:3, 16-18.
5. The Davidic Covenant
All of the major covenants identified in this essay are inter-connected. First, they build upon the promises
that God has made beginning in the Noahic covenant and continue with additional promises from each
covenant until the fulfillment of all covenantal promises in the New covenant. Second, they are inter-
connected because they all, excepting the Noahic covenant, are promises made by God to His unique
covenant people, the Israelites and their descendants. Third, all covenants including the Noahic, are
interwoven with the great purpose of God in creating the heavens and the earth. God’s creation was, is and
forever will be, a demonstration of His glory. God’s image-bearers, humans have, are doing and will
continue forever to display and declare His glory to all creation and thus the covenants ensure that God’s
purpose in the display and declaration of His glory will be perfectly and completely fulfilled. When God’s
glory is to be seen in all creation and within each nation, God has not simply delegated this to humans and
withdrawn from this task. He divinely and sovereignly oversees every step of it and will continue to do so for
all eternity.
734…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
A vital continuation of the covenant promises of God occurs in His covenant with David. The major
covenantal promises of land, seed, blessing and nation from previous covenants are not ignored in the
Davidic covenant and a very significant element is added. This addition involves the promise that the royal
“house” and throne of David will be everlasting and that a “seed,” a Son will come from David’s line who
will be later identified as Jesus Christ to whom God will give the throne of David, and this Son will reign on
this throne over the house of Jacob forever, and His Kingdom will be everlasting, Isaiah 9:6-7 and Luke
1:31-33.
The Circumstances Leading to the Declaration of the Davidic Covenant
The first statement of the Davidic covenant occurs in 2 Samuel 7:8-16. Prior to this declaration of the
statement of the covenant, the ark of God had been brought by David into his city following the defeat of the
Philistines, 2 Samuel chapter 6. David desired to build a permanent house for the ark which still was
“housed” within tent curtains, 2 Samuel 7:1-2. God however had other plans for a permanent building to
house the ark and instructed the prophet Nathan to deliver a message of covenant to David that was of far
greater importance than David’s concern for the ark.
The Content of the Davidic Covenant
The initial content of God’s declaration to David through the prophet Nathan is in 2 Samuel 7:8-16:
8
Now therefore tell David my servant, 'This is what the LORD of hosts says, I took you from the pasture,
from following the sheep, to be leader over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone,
and have cut off all your enemies before you; and I will make your name great, as famous as the greatest
who have ever lived on earth. 10 I will establish a place for my people Israel, and will plant them there, so
that they may live in their own place, and not be disturbed anymore; neither will violent men oppress them
anymore, as they did at the beginning, 11 from the day that I appointed judges to be over my people Israel. I
will give you rest from all your enemies. Furthermore the LORD declares to you that he will build you a
house. 12 When your days are completed and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up one of your
descendants after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He will build
a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will
be my son. If he sins, I will discipline him with the rod of men and with stripes inflicted by human beings.
15
But my steadfast love will never be taken from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I ousted before you.
16
Your house and your kingdom will be made secure forever before me. Your throne will be established
forever. See also 1 Chronicles 17:7-15.
From this initial statement in 2 Samuel chapter 7, of the declaration of the covenant, many significant
elements of the covenant are important to emphasize. First, David was to be a leader over God’s people
Israel, thus emphasizing the element of nation. Second, God promises to make David’s name great, “as
famous as the greatest who have ever lived on earth,” 2 Samuel 7:9. Third, God promises a place for His
people Israel, where they will be (forever) free from oppression, and have rest from all their enemies, vss. 10-
11. Fourth, God promised to build a “house” for David’s lineage, vs. 11. This is irony as David was so
concerned to build a “house” for God’s ark that would eventually decay, but God promised to build a house
that would never see decay (as later revelation reveals). Fifth, a male descendant would come from David
who will build a house for God’s name, vs. 13. Sixth, the throne of David’s kingdom through his descendant,
would last forever, vs. 13. Seventh, the human (non-divine) descendants of David, who sit upon the throne of
David, who sin, would be disciplined by God, vs. 14. Eighth, God’s steadfast (merciful) love will never
depart from David’s royal line, vs.15. Ninth, David’s house, kingdom and throne will be established forever,
vs. 16.
735…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
Although the word “covenant” is not expressly stated by God in this initial statement, David certainly
understood God’s promises to him as a covenant as David states in his “last words” recorded in 2 Samuel
chapter 23. David stated, “Is not my house like this with God? For he has made an everlasting covenant with
me, order in all things and secure. Will he not deliver me and bring all that I desire to fruition?” 2 Samuel
23:5. God confirmed that He had make a covenant with David when He spoke with David’s son Solomon, 2
Chronicles 7:18. It is also mentioned specifically as a covenant in 1 Kings 8:23-26; 2 Chronicles 21:7; Psalm
89:3 and 35; 132:12; and Jeremiah 33:19-22.
Other Scriptures attest to the promises of the Davidic covenant. Many of the Psalms are known as “royal” or
“messianic” because of their content that mention the promises God had made to David regarding his
everlasting kingly lineage involving David’s greater Son, the Messiah (His life, death and resurrection), and
also regarding David’s everlasting house, throne and kingdom which had some limited application in the first
advent of Jesus Christ but will completely be fulfilled in the earthly millennial kingdom of the Messiah.
These Psalms include 2, 8, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 40, 41, 45, 68, 69, 72, 89, 91, 101, 102, 110, 118 and 144.
For a very helpful exposition of the royal and messianic content of these Psalms, see T. Ernest Wilson, The
Messianic Psalms, Gospel Folio Press, 1997. A magnificent statement of the Davidic covenant is also stated
in Isaiah 9:6-7:
6
For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given,
and the government will be upon his shoulders:
and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7
Of the increase of his government
and of peace there will be no end.
He will rule on the throne of David,
and over his kingdom,
to establish it,
and to uphold it with justice
and with righteousness from this time forth forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
The Completion of the Davidic Covenant
As with other covenants, the Davidic covenant has similar significant elements, such as land, nation, seed,
and kingdom which are stated in 2 Samuel 7:8-16 and blessing stated in Psalm 72;17. The greatest addition
to these elements, however is that God’s Son, the suffering Servant of Isaiah, the Messiah, Jesus Christ
would be the fulfillment of the entire covenant. It is only through the life, death, resurrection and return of
Jesus Christ that God’s covenant with David could be perfectly completed. Jesus Christ was recognized as a
king during His first advent, Matthew 2:2; 27:11; Mark 15:2; Luke 23:3; and John 18:37. The angel Gabriel
announced to Mary before she gave birth to Jesus, 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you
have found favor with God. 31 Look, you will conceive in your womb, give birth to a son, and will call his
name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the
throne of his father David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be
no end.” Luke 1:30-33.
It will be at Christ’s second advent, when the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant will be witnessed by all
living upon the earth at that time. Christ will establish His messianic kingdom. He will reign upon the throne
of David, for Christ came from the line of David, both during the messianic kingdom and into the eternal
736…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
state. He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, Luke 1:33 indicating that God’s people Israel will have a
recognized identity in heaven eternally.
Christ’s rule will be characterized by peace, righteousness and justice, Isaiah 9:7. He will also rule with a
“iron sceptre” (rod of iron), Psalm 2:9 and Revelation 19:15. There are many other aspects of the rule of
Christ upon the throne of David that this very short study cannot state. However, it is important for the
student of the Scriptures to understand that all who have faith in the Messiah, Jesus Christ will participate in
the promises and blessings of not only the Davidic Covenant but also the Abrahamic Covenant through their
participation in the New Covenant. God, being so loving, merciful and gracious to the people He has created,
provided a way through which those who trust Him by faith and believe in the salvific works of His Son,
have direct and unencumbered access now (in the present) to the One who will rule upon the throne of David.
This “way” was through the wonderful promises and elements of the final covenant of our study, the New
Covenant, which also was revealed in the Old Testament.
6. The New Covenant
God’s covenants with Abraham and David are unilateral in the sense that God will perfectly and completely
fulfill all of His covenant promises with His covenant people. God will also enable His covenant people to
fully participate in these promises and benefit from them. As was evident from the conditional aspects of the
Mosaic covenant, God’s people were unable to keep the regulations and commands of the covenant because
of their wickedness and rebellion against God. It was not that they occasionally or rarely transgressed the
precepts and statutes of God’s law, but they continually walked in open rebellion against God. Therefore,
there were three major objectives among many others that God intended to accomplish by His declaration of
the new covenant. First, God provided the means by which people could participate in the blessings of these
unilateral covenants. God’s own arm provided salvation, Isaiah 59:16 and 63:5, through the shedding of the
blood of suffering Servant, the Messiah who was revealed in the New Testament as Jesus Christ. It was the
shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ that God intended to be means by which all who believed in Christ
would participate in the New covenant, Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25, and Hebrews 12:24. Second, God
accomplished what His covenant people and all mankind could not do. God radically changed the hearts and
minds of those who were to have faith in Christ. God performed “spiritual surgery” by giving them a new
heart, and by putting His Spirit in them, Ezekiel 36:26-27. It is only by this radical act of God that they could
walk righteously before Him and participate in the blessings He had promised them. Third, it was necessary
for God to replace the Mosaic covenant, for it was intended to be “our tutor until Christ came, so that we
might be justified by faith,” Galatians 3:24. The KJV for this verse states, “wherefore the law was our
schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” See notes on the Mosaic Covenant
for the fulfilled purposes of the law and its replacement by the New covenant.
Scriptural Content of the New Covenant
The specific words “new covenant” is only stated in the Old Testament in Jeremiah 31:31-34 although it is
referenced by its intended meaning in many other passages such as Isaiah 42:6; 49:8; 54:10; 55:3; 59:21;
61:8; Jeremiah 24:7; 32:40; 52:5; Ezekiel 11:19-21; 16:60; 36:24-28; 37:26-27; and Hosea 2:16-23. The
Servant Songs in Isaiah can be understood as an indirect (words “new covenant” not mentioned) but describe
essential aspects of the means by which God enacts the New covenant. This would also be true of many OT
passages that speak of God’s provision of spiritual salvation and prophetic passages regarding the Messiah
who as the Servant of God was given by God as a covenant, as stated in Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8. Many other OT
passages have been suggested by Biblical scholars as referring to the New Covenant but many of these may
be a reference to either the Abrahamic or Davidic covenants. These references are not listed in this short
survey of the New covenant. The New covenant is referenced in the New Testament in Matthew 26:28; Mark
14:24; Luke 22:20; Romans 11:27; 1 Corinthians 11:25; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Hebrews chapters 7-10; 12:24
and 13:20-21.
737…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
Specific Conditions of the New Covenant
As the actual mention of a “new covenant” is stated in Jeremiah 31:31-34, (wider context in Jeremiah chapter
31), it is useful for the student of the Scriptures to first examine this passage to understand important specific
conditions of this covenant. Other new covenant passages will also be examined. Jeremiah 31:31-34 states,
31
Look, the days are coming," says the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel,
and with the house of Judah.
32
But it will not be like the covenant
that I made with their forefathers
in the day that I took them by the hand
to bring them out of the land of Egypt;
for they broke my covenant,
although I was their husband," says the LORD.
33
But this is the covenant
that I will make with the house of Israel
after those days," says the LORD.
I will put my law within them;
I will write it in their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34
Each person will no longer have to teach his neighbor,
or each one his brother, saying,
'Know the LORD.'
For they will all know me,
from the least to the greatest of them," says the LORD.
For I will forgive their iniquity,
and remember their sin no more.
First, it is a future covenant (days are coming, vs.31 and after those days vs. 33)
It was not revealed in the Old Testament when God would “make” a new covenant. The first direct mention
that it was now in place occurs in Matthew 26:28 where Christ revealed that it was through (or in) His shed
blood that the new covenant was enacted for the remission of sins.
Second, it is a covenant that is made between God and the house of Israel and Judah (vs. 31)
This statement has been the cause of much debate among Biblical scholars as to the extent of the new
covenant in the days of the first advent of Jesus Christ and following days and if the Church participates in
any way in this covenant. A first set of questions arises regarding the recipients of the blessings of the
covenant. Is the new covenant for the benefit of the covenant people of God only or does the Church
participate in it in some way or has the Church replaced Israel as the sole recipient of the blessings of the
covenant? A second set of questions arises around the timing of the completion of the new covenant. Was the
new covenant fulfilled at the first advent of Christ, or is there only a future fulfillment, or is this there a
partial fulfillment now and a completion of the covenant blessings in the future? A third set of questions by
some traditional dispensationalists arise when they question whether there may be two new covenants, one
for the covenant people of God and another for the Church.
From an examination of the Biblical evidence it is clear that the covenant people of God, the faithful remnant
of the nation of Israel will completely fulfill the new covenant in the future messianic kingdom. They will
totally participate in all the blessings of the new covenant during the messianic kingdom era when they will
738…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
be ruled by the promised seed, the Messiah who will be physically present with them in all of the land which
has been promised to them and who will sit on the throne of David and who, along with His covenant people,
will bless all nations of the earth thus fulfilling the Abrahamic, Davidic and New Covenants. Also, the
Church now and since the time of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, participates in the spiritual
aspects of the new covenant. These spiritual aspects can be understood as the blessings that result from
having “new hearts” and having been indwelt by the Spirit of God, Ezekiel 36:26-27. These blessings to the
Church do not represent a replacement for the blessings promised to the covenant people of God. Members
of the body of Christ, both Jews and Gentiles comprising the Church, have been given these spiritual
blessings because they are now “in Christ” and have spiritual regeneration through belief in Christ and in the
atoning efficacy of His shed blood. It is only because they are “in Christ” that they derive these spiritual
blessings of the New Covenant. There is also, no Scriptural evidence for two new covenants, one for God’s
covenant people, Israel and another for the Church
Third, it was not like (or according to) the Mosaic Covenant (vs. 32)
The old Mosaic Covenant was broken by God’s covenant people even though God was “their husband,” (vs.
32). Hosea 2:19-20 states, “I will betroth you to me forever. I will take you as my wife in righteousness,
justice, loyal love, and compassion. 20 I will take you as my wife in faithfulness, and you will know the
LORD.” See also Hosea 2:16; and Isaiah 54:5. God had considered His covenant given at Mount Sinai as a
marriage vow between a husband (God) and a wife (Israelites). God was faithful in keeping all of the
covenant promises of the Mosaic covenant. However, the Israelites, like an unfaithful wife, broke the
covenant and God therefore decreed a “new” covenant that would not have contingencies for obedience
which would result in a broken covenant.
Fourth, God promises to instill His law in their hearts (vs. 33)
King David had earlier exclaimed as recorded in Psalm 40:8, “I delight to do your will, O my God; your law
is in my heart.” David had also spoken of the righteous in Psalm 37:31, “The law of his God is in his heart;
not one of his steps slip.” These and similar statements reflect a desire by followers of God to be obedient to
His laws, but they ultimately fail because of sin that besets everyone. God in the specific conditions of the
new covenant indeed promises something “new.” God promises that in future days He will put His law
within His covenant people. This is a guarantee that the “law” (all that God commands and requires), will be
obeyed to His satisfaction because God will also put His Spirit within His people, Ezekiel 11:19, 36:26-27. It
is this intervention by God by making a permanent solution to sin in that God will justify all who have faith
in His Son. Those who are justified by faith will have God’s law and His Spirit residing permanently in them.
These are New Testament blessings promised long before by the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel. All who
have faith in the Son, both Jews and Gentiles are recipients now of these promises by God. In the far future,
as the messianic kingdom begins, God’s covenant people, national Israel will come to faith in their Messiah
and also will have God’s law and His Spirit within them.
Fifth, God’s covenant formula (vs. 33)
A significant promise statement of the new covenant is made by God in Jeremiah 31:33. This statement is
often referred to as the covenant formula. This formula is, “I will be their God, and they will be my people.”
This statement is more than a slogan. It is the confirmation that finally, after generations of a broken
relationship between God and His covenant people, there will be a restored fellowship. God’s people will be
perfectly reconciled to Him through their belief in the atoning sacrifice of His Son. This covenant formula
was first plainly stated by God in Jeremiah 24:7. It also occurs in Jeremiah 32:38, Ezekiel 11:20; 14:11;
34:30; 36:28; 37:23, 27; Zechariah 8:8; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Hebrews 8:10 and Revelation 21:3. It is this final
occurrence of this promise-statement that is the most satisfying for those who have faith in their Messiah.
God intended this statement, not as a temporary measure leading to His eternal relationship with His people,
739…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
but as the defining foundation of this relationship that will last forever. He forever will dwell (tabernacle)
with His people as their God.
Sixth, knowing the Lord (vs. 34)
Another outstanding promise of the new covenant is that God’s covenant people will know Him. It is not that
they will know about Him and all He has done for His people and all humanity, but that they will know Him
through a perfectly holy relationship with Him. The Apostle Paul expressed this as an attainment, having cast
aside all personal accomplishments, and being found in Christ, not in his own righteousness, but through the
righteousness which was given to Him from God by faith (in Christ), Philippians 3:7-10. Jeremiah earlier, in
9:24, had declared the words of God, “but let the one who boasts boast in this; that they understand and
know me, that I am the LORD who acts with loyal love, justice, and righteousness, in the earth, for these are
the things I delight in.” God, through the provisions of the new covenant made it possible for all who have
faith in the Messiah to truly know Him. An excellent publication on this topic is Knowing God by J. I.
Packer, IVP Books, 1993.
Seventh, forgiveness of sins (vs. 34)
The final specific promise to God’s covenant people in the Jeremiah 34:31-34 passage is that God will
“forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.” (vs. 34). Several chapters of the New Testament
book of Hebrews address the various aspects of the new covenant in comparison to the mosaic covenant. In
Hebrews chapter 10, the writer states, “For since the law has only a shadow of the good things to come, not
the true form of these things, it can never with the same sacrifices offered continually year after year, make
perfect those who approach for worship. 2 Otherwise would they not have ceased to be offered, since the
worshippers, having been cleansed once for all, would have had no more consciousness of sins? 3 But in
these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and
goats to take away sins.” Hebrews 10:1-4. Thus, it is only through the provisions of the new covenant that
sins were forgiven and forgotten by God. Those who lived before the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
appropriated this forgiveness in that they looked forward in faith to God’s promise of a Redeemer that was
first stated in Genesis 3:15. Those who were alive at the time and following Christ’s death and resurrection
look to the fact of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and by faith appropriate the forgiveness of their sins through the
covenant promises of God who is always faithful and perfectly keeps His promises.
Another prominent new covenant passage in the Old Testament is Ezekiel 36:24-28 which states,
24
For I will take you from the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your
own land.
25
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean from all your filth, and from all your idols, I will
cleanse you.
26
I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you. I will remove the stony heart from your body,
and I will give you a heart of flesh.
27
I will put my Spirit within you, so that you walk in my statutes, and keep my regulations.
28
Then you will live in the land that I gave to your forefathers; and you will be my people, and I will be your
God.
A brief analysis of this passage reveals that first, this passage confirms a major aspect of the Abrahamic
covenant regarding the “land” that God has promised to His covenant people. Some may understand that the
present migration of Jews from the nations of the world to Israel is a pre-cursor to or an anticipation of the
complete fulfillment of the new covenant promise of Ezekiel 36:24 and 28. As noted in the Messianic Study
of Isaiah which precedes this essay on the Covenants, the fulfillment of the “land” promise will occur at the
end of the tribulation and at the establishment of the Messianic kingdom. Thus, the Abrahamic, Davidic and
New covenants all have land promise provisions that await a final fulfillment. Second, God will cleanse His
740…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
covenant people from their wickedness, 36:25. This is a picture of forgiveness which is clearly described in
the New Testament in 1 John 1:9. Third, God will instill a new heart in His covenant people that will enable
them to respond righteously to Him, 36:26. Fourth, God will put His Spirit within them, 36:26-27, an action
that ensures an everlasting righteous relationship between God who is holy and His Spirit-indwelt image-
bearers. Fifth, these cumulative actions will result in God’s ultimate desire being fulfilled forever, that they
will be His people, and He will be their God, Ezekiel 36:18 and Revelation 21:3.
There is a blending of the Davidic and New covenant promises in Ezekiel 37:24-28. The Davidic covenant
promise of a king to rule over God’s covenant people as a prince forever is the topic of vss. 24-26 and the
new covenant, which is described as a covenant of peace is the topic of vss. 27-28. In these later verses, God
promises to first, establish His people, guaranteeing that they will live securely in the land and fulfill the
earlier promise that they will be a blessing to all nations. Second, God promises to multiply them which is
also emphasized in Isaiah 66:7-11. Third, God promises to set His Sanctuary and Tabernacle in the midst of
them forever. This is clearly a promise of God Himself being the Sanctuary who dwells (lives with them as
living in a tent together) with them. This will be fulfilled on earth during the Messianic kingdom when the
Son of God, the Messiah will live among His covenant people and forever in heaven as revealed in
Revelation 21:3. Fourth, God confirms His ultimate desire to live in the midst of His people with the
covenant formula, Ezekiel 27:27, He will be their God and they shall be His people. Fifth, God confirms the
covenant promise first made to Abraham that his descendants, (Israel) will be a blessing to the nations in that
when God, sanctifies Israel by His presence, 27:28, the nations will know that is the LORD who has
accomplished all He has planned through His covenant people.
In Isaiah, the aspects of the new covenant include the identification of the person who fulfills the “seed.”
promise of the Abrahamic covenant and the person who fulfills the promise of an eternal ruler of the Davidic
covenant. Direct references to this person occur in 42:6; 49:8. In Isaiah this one is identified as the Servant of
God of whom the LORD gives as a covenant to the people. The New Testament reveals that it is Jesus Christ
who is this Servant and is specifically identified with the new covenant through His shed blood, Matthew
26:28; Mark 14:24; and Luke 22:20.
Hosea 2:18-23 emphasizes a few additional aspects of the new covenant. First, the earth will know peace, “in
that day” (Messianic kingdom). Animals (ie: beasts, birds, creeping things) will be at peace with each other
as will humans who will not engage in battle with one another, 2:18. Second, God describes His relationship
with His covenant people in terms of a marriage (betroth) that has as its basis, righteousness, justice,
lovingkindness, mercy and faithfulness, 2:19-20 (NKJV). Third, the covenant people of God will truly know
Him, vss. 20b-23.
7. Covenants in Isaiah
Direct references to a covenant, the Hebrew word berit, in Isaiah occur in 24:5; 28:15, 18; 33:8; 42:6; 49:8;
54:10; 55:3; 56:4, 6; 59:21; and 61:8. A brief analysis of these occurrences will aid the student of the
Scriptures to identify to which specific covenant between God and His covenant people they refer and which
occurrences refer only to a treaty or agreement among mankind. Isaiah 28:15, 18 and 33:8 do not refer to a
covenant made by God with His covenant people but refer to pacts and agreements made between
unregenerate Jews and pagan nations which lead to physical and spiritual death.
Isaiah 24:5, “The earth is defiled by its inhabitants; because they have transgressed the laws, violated the
statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.”
The context of 24:5 is within a separate section of Isaiah dealing with apocalyptic or end-times issues and
specifically why God will punish the earth and its inhabitants. One of the reasons for God’s judgment is that
741…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
the people of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, have transgressed His laws and violated His statutes. They
have completely rebelled against God and turned to their own way. They also have “broken the everlasting
covenant.” Isaiah does not identify which “everlasting covenant” has been broken. Many have speculated
that this covenant may refer to the Noahic, Abrahamic or Davidic Covenants. Others suggest that this
everlasting covenant may be a reference to God’s commands to mankind that they subdue, rule over and fill
the earth, Genesis 1:28. However, this also is speculation. As the context of Isaiah chapters 24-27 is
certainly eschatological (end-times) judgment on the wicked and the restoration of Israel, it seems best not to
attempt to conclusively identify which covenant that God was referencing. It may be a general statement that
mankind is so wicked that they have “broken” all of God’s covenants and they have no desire to repent of
their sinfulness and rebellion against Him.
Isaiah 42:6, “I, the LORD, have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and protect you. I
will give you as a covenant for the people, and a light for the nations.”
Isaiah 49:8, “This is what the LORD says, In the time of my favor, I answered you; and in a day of salvation,
I helped you. I will protect you, I will give you as a covenant for the people, to restore the land, to reestablish
their desolate inheritances.”
Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8 both occur within passages that are often called “Servant Songs”, Isaiah 42:1-9 and
49:1-13. Other “Servant Songs” occur in 50:4-11 and 52:13-52:12. These “songs” are prophetic statements
about the great suffering Servant of the LORD who is identified in the New Testament as the Messiah, the
Lord Jesus Christ. Among other wonderful truths revealed in 42:6 and 49:8, the LORD states that He will
give His Servant (the Messiah) “as a covenant for the people.” This is a highly significant statement about
the intention of God to save His covenant people from their sins and provide the means by which they can
live forever with Him. That these statements refer to the role of Jesus Christ in the New Covenant is clearly
stated in the New Testament in Matthew 26:28; Mark 14:24; Luke 22:20; and 1 Corinthians 11:25. See also
Romans 11:27; Hebrews chapters 7-10; 12:24 and 13:20-21. Although the New Covenant was in the Old
Testament specifically made between God and the house of Israel and Judah, Jeremiah 31:31, the statement
by Christ in Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24 and Luke 22:20 reveals that some of the spiritual benefits of the
New Covenant were applicable to those who believe in Christ for salvation and have therefore become
members of His body, the Church. See notes above on the New Covenant.
Isaiah 54:10, “For the mountains may be moved, and the hills shaken, but my loyal love will never leave you,
nor will my covenant of peace ever be broken, says the LORD who has compassion on you.”
The promise of God in Isaiah 54:10 is that His “covenant of peace” will never be broken. Many Biblical
scholars suggest that this is a clear reference to the New Covenant for God has taken the initiative to make
peace with His covenant people and this could only be accomplished through the provisions of the New
Covenant. This is very clear in Ezekiel 37:26 where God mentions this covenant of peace and also states that
He will set His sanctuary, (Himself) among them forever. This covenant of peace is also mentioned in a New
Covenant context in Ezekiel 34:25. As the notes on the New Covenant, (see above) reveal, God promises in
the Old Testament that for His covenant people, He will cleans them, exchange their hearts of stone and
instill a new heart within them and will put His Spirit within them, Ezekiel 36:25-28. It is this radical change
to His people ensuring that they will be prepared to live righteously with Him that God states is His
“covenant of peace” with them.
Isaiah 55:3, “Incline your ear and come to me; listen, so you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant
with you, just like my loyal covenant made to David.”
742…..Isaiah: Appendix 2: The Covenants of God
Some may suggest that this promise is a reference to the Davidic Covenant because of the translation of some
English versions of the Old Testament. See the KJV, NKJV, NASB and the ESV for comparison. However,
as it refers to the covenant with David that God had previously made with His covenant people, it is most
likely that God is referring to another covenant which is everlasting. This can only be the New Covenant
through which believers appropriate the blessings of the other unilateral covenants because they are “in
Christ.”
Isaiah 56:4, “For this is what the LORD says: To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things
that please me, and hold on tight to my covenant.”
Isaiah 56:6, “Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the
LORD, to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not defile it, and holds on tight to my
covenant.”
From the context of Isaiah 56:4-6, the covenant statements in 56:4 and 56:6 most certainly refer to the
Mosaic covenant. These verses should be compared to Exodus 19:5-6 and Psalm 103:17-18. The reference to
the Sabbath in both Isaiah 56:4 and 6 also helps to confirm the identity of the “covenant” in these verses.
These verses are clear statements of the Lord’s intention, in the days of the Old Testament, to offer salvation
to all peoples including eunuchs and Gentiles (foreigners). It was one of the primary tasks of Israel to be the
Lord’s representative to all nations so that all peoples could join themselves to the Lord through faith in Him.
Israel failed miserably in this role and the Lord assigned His Servant, the Messiah to fulfil this task, Isaiah
49:6.
Isaiah 59:21, “As for me, this is my covenant with them, says the LORD, my Spirit that is on you, and my
words which I have put in your mouth, will not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouths of your
children, nor out of the mouth of your children's children, says the LORD, from now to forever.”
The statement of the LORD in Isaiah 59:21 regarding His covenant including His Spirit that is upon them
and including words that the LORD has put in the mouths of His covenant people and in the mouths of their
children forever is an unmistakable reference to the New Covenant. These words will not depart from His
covenant people forever. This new covenant reference is confirmed in Jeremiah 31:34 and in the New
Testament in Hebrews 8:10 and 10:16.
Isaiah 61:8, “For I, the LORD, love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully repay them, and
make an everlasting covenant with them.”
The final occurrence to “covenant” in Isaiah in 61:8 is another clear reference to the New Covenant. Chapter
61 begins with a prophetic statement regarding the first and second advents of the Lord Jesus Christ. Verses
1-2a speak of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ during His first advent and verses 2b and following are
prophecies of the days His second advent when Israel will finally fulfil their responsibilities as “priests of the
LORD,” 61:6 and have everlasting joy, 61:7. Isaiah completes chapter 61 with joyful statements about the
salvation and righteousness that he describes as his garments, and about the righteousness and praise the
LORD will cause to sprout up before all the nations of the earth, 61:10-11. All of Isaiah chapter 61 is
therefore a prophetic revelation regarding the glorious aspects of the new covenant.
743…..Isaiah: Appendix 3: The Presence of God
Appendix 3
The Presence of God
Introduction
When discussing the “presence of God” scholars, who write systematic theologies often first mention His
omniscience. As God is spirit and is “present” everywhere, it is difficult to formulate a theologically correct
definition of His presence. Several questions need to be considered. For example: Is God only “present”
within His created heavens and the earth, assuming this refers to the universe, or is God somehow “present”
outside of the bounds of the universe as humans understand it? How can God be present everywhere at the
same time and yet confine Himself to a single conversation with one individual? How can God hear and
respond to millions of prayers said at the same time by people living in different places on the earth? How
can God be present everywhere and yet be sitting on His throne in heaven? How does God, the Holy Spirit
live inside all believers yet also be present everywhere? There are many other questions that could be
considered.
Responding to these questions regarding God’s omniscience is not the task of this appendix. Students who
desire to delve into the unfathomable depths of this attribute of God should consult a conservative,
evangelical systematic theology such as those listed in the Resource (Bibliography) section of this study of
Isaiah. Also, Paul Enns, in his book, The Moody Handbook of Theology, Revised and Expanded Edition,
2014, lists on page 226, several books on the Attributes of God that biblical students should consider. This
appendix will limit itself to the “fact” of God’s presence as He reveals Himself within the pages of Scripture
and not with “how” He can be present everywhere and yet indwell and converse with a single individual.
This appendix also limits itself to a discussion of the interrelation between God’s grand purpose in creating
the heavens and the earth and His presence with and among His covenant people and all believers.
The Promises of God’s Presence
As discussed often in this messianic study of Isaiah, it is suggested that the ultimate reason or purpose for
God’s creation of the heavens and the earth is for the display of His glory including having His righteous
image-bearers both display and declare His glory to all creation. Connected to this purpose is the promise of
God to be present among His covenant people and among all those who by faith trust in His Son for
salvation. Within the pages of Scripture are many promises of God that He would be with His people. In
Exodus 25:18, the LORD declared, “Let them make a sanctuary for me so that I may dwell among them.”
Later in Exodus God states, 45 “Then I will dwell among the Israelites and will be their God.
46
Then they will know that I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, so that I
might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.” Exodus 29:45-46. The purpose of God, dwelling
(living), among the people of Israel is so that they will know that He is their God and that He had performed
a great miracle by bringing them out of the land of Egypt. This statement is tied to the covenant formula,
“they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” Jeremiah 24:7 KJV. Versions of this formula directly
related to the God’s covenants with His people occur in Genesis 17:7-8; Leviticus 26:44-45; Jeremiah 31:33;
32:38-40; Ezekiel 11:20; 34:23-25; 37:21-28; Zechariah 8:8; 2 Corinthians 6:16; and Hebrews 8:10. The
ultimate fulfillment of God’s covenantal promise to be their God will occur in the eternal state as John
records, “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he
will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.”
Revelation 21:3, KJV.
This ultimate fulfillment in Revelation 21:3, includes the statement that God Himself shall be with them. As
recorded in Isaiah chapter 7:14, God gave the house of David a sign promise stating “the Lord himself will
give you a sign. Look, a virgin will conceive, and give birth to a son, and you will call him Immanuel [God
with us].” This sign statement, along with the miraculous promise of a virgin giving birth which was fulfilled
744…..Isaiah: Appendix 3: The Presence of God
in the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, that God will be with His people authenticates the many promises
God has made to His people that He would never leave them nor forsake them. Isaiah, records in 41:10: “Do
not be afraid, for I am with you; do not be troubled, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; yes, I will help
“you; yes, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah also states at the beginning of 43:5: “Do not
be afraid, for I am with you.” (bold intentional). See also 1 Samuel 12:22; 1 Kings 6:13; Psalm 94:14;
Jeremiah 51:5; Hosea 11:9; Joel 2:27 and Hebrews 13:5.
There are however, many statements by God that appear contradictory to His promise to never leave or
forsake his people, example 2 Chronicles 24:20. These occurrences must be understood in the grand purposes
of God to redeem His people and restore them to a righteous fellowship with Him. At times God disciplined
His covenant people by not listening to their prayers and at other times actually fighting against them, as
Isaiah recorded, “But they rebelled, and grieved his Holy Spirit. Therefore he turned into their enemy, and he
himself fought against them.” Isaiah 63:10. These periods of discipline, including the seventy-year exile in
Babylon, were times of refining for God’s people with the purpose of repentance so they would return to God
and worship Him with pure hearts. Even in exile God never left His people without His superintending care
and protection.
God’s eternal purposes of being present with His people have not and will never be undone. God’s presence
is interwoven with His creation purposes of having His creation and His created beings worship, praise and
declare His glory forever. The Apostle John recorded a glimpse of the heavenly reality of this in Revelation
5:11-13, 11 “Then I looked and heard a voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and
the elders; they numbered ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a
loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered to receive power and riches, and wisdom, and might
and honor, and glory, and blessing."13 Then I heard every created thing in the heaven, and on the earth, and
under the earth, and in the sea, and everything in them, saying, "To the one seated on the throne, and to the
Lamb, be blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, forever and ever."” (bold intentional).
God promised to be with His covenant people and with those from every nation who have believed in His
Son for salvation, so that He can forever be their God to bestow on them, who are in Christ Jesus, the
unlimited riches of His grace, Ephesians 1:7; and to be present to receive their praises of worship and
declarations of glory. His presence with them to receive these declarations of His glory is not an act of vanity
or any unworthy desire by God. God gives Himself to His people because there is no one greater or more
worthy of honor whom can be present with His people. His presence with His people is the most supreme act
of grace imaginable. Whom else in all of creation would be able to give His people the purest form of
everlasting love, grace, kindness, mercy, protection, care and every other divine blessing? God is displaying
to His people, the surpassing holiness and excellence of His character through His presence with them. God
so loved them that he gave them Himself, first through the sending of His beloved Son to become their
atoning sacrifice so they, by belief in the Son, could be declared righteous and be forever accepted and
adopted into the divine “family.” Second God gave Himself to His people as an eternal witness of His
unlimited grace to them.
Through the giving of His Son and Himself to His created beings, God was, is and always will be fulfilling
the purpose of His creative acts. To receive glory from His righteous image-bearers, He must be present
among them. It is not enough for Him to receive this declaration of glory from a distance. God’s purposed to
live eternally among His people to receive their worshipful praises and declarations ascribing glory to Him.
The question that naturally arises is, did God need to receive these declaration of glory as if there was
something unfulfilled in Himself?
745…..Isaiah: Appendix 3: The Presence of God
The Purpose of God’s Presence
The Bible clearly states that God, unlike humans, is not in need of anything, Acts 17:25. God perfectly
existed in all of eternity past without a beginning and will exist perfectly in eternity future without an end. As
a tri-unity, God exists as a single Deity, consisting of three “persons” revealed in the Bible as the Father, the
Son and the Holy Spirit. This also, like His omniscience, is an unfathomable truth. God’s understanding is
described as “inscrutable,” (beyond human comprehension), Isaiah 40:28, NASB. See also Isaiah 55:8-9 and
Romans 11:33-36. Therefore, human consideration as to why God desired to be present with His created
beings fails to provide any adequate purpose or reason for Him to do so and humans must rely on the
Scriptures as the only source of their inquiries into God’s grand plans and purposes for His creative acts. If
God did not and does not have any revealed need for anything, why would He desire to live among His
covenant people and all who believe in His Son for salvation? The reasons for this desire must be taken as
belonging to God alone without any interjection or critical analysis by fallible beings.
However, that being said, there are some indications (hints) from Scripture that allow us to at least
contemplate the interrelation between God’s creative purposes and His desire to live among His created
beings. Psalm 90:1-2 states: “Lord, you have been our dwelling place through all generations. Before the
mountains were brought forth, before you formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting,
you are God.” There can be no dispute that the Scriptures reveal the interrelation between His creative
activity and He Himself being a “dwelling place” for His people. See also Deuteronomy 33:27: “The eternal
God is your refuge, and underneath are his everlasting arms.” Isaiah 57:15 reveals: “For thus says the high
and exalted One, who lives forever, whose name is holy, I dwell on a high and holy place and also with the
contrite and lowly of spirit in order to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.”
(NASB). This stated purpose of God to bring comfort and revive the spirit and hearts of those who are lowly
reveals a glimpse of one of God’s purposes in living with His people. The purpose of His creative acts among
many other things, include the bringing of a blessing to those whom He has created. He thus lives among His
people to be comfort and blessing to them.
From the beginning of creation of humans, God’s image-bearers, God was present with them, Genesis 3:8.
He also stated that He would be present among His covenant people, Exodus 25:8; 29:45-46; 33:14;
Leviticus 26:11; Numbers 5:3; 35:34; Deuteronomy 12:10-11. The Psalms proclaim His presence, Psalm
90:1; 91:1; 135:21. Isaiah records the prayer of Hezekiah connecting God’s creative works with His being
enthroned (dwelling) in the temple, above the cherubim, Isaiah 37:16. In the New Testament, God’s presence
was most wondrously seen in the incarnation of His Son whom He sent to earth to be born as a human and to
become humanity’s atoning sacrifice, sufficient for all but effective for all who would believe in the Son.
Matthew 1:23 states the connection between the birth of Jesus Christ and God’s promise in Isaiah 7:14 that
Christ’s birth name, Immanuel has the meaning of “God with us.” The Apostle John wrote about the One
who is called the “Word” (logos) who is God, 1:1; who dwelt (tabernacled) among the people, 1:14. The
New Testament also reveals that God, the Holy Spirit lives not only among believers but in them, John
14:17; Romans 8:9, 11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Colossians 1:27 (Christ in you); 2
Timothy 1:14; James 4:5; 1 John 3:24; 4:12-16. God will also dwell (tabernacle) among His glorified people
for all eternity, Revelation 21:3. For a discussion of the theology of God’s presence, see Eugene H. Merrill,
An Exegetical Commentary: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Moody Press, 1994, re: Zechariah 2:10-12, pages
123-128.
Isaiah 43:1-21 also emphatically states the relationship between God’s creative acts and His love and
compassion and for His people for He is their Savior. However, there is another side to His creative acts.
Besides being a comfort and blessing to His people, God reveals that His people have been created for His
glory, 43:7 and will declare His praise, 43:21. For all who love God, His presence guarantees His eternal love
protection, and salvation for them. God is also present among His people to receive their declaration of praise
746…..Isaiah: Appendix 3: The Presence of God
and to glorify Him. Therefore, to conclude this very brief discussion, it can be stated, that although God does
not reveal His reasons for His creative acts, the purpose of God’s presence among His created people is to be
an everlasting blessing to them while they eternally praise Him and declare His glory.
747…..Index of Hebrew Words
Index of Hebrew Words
Some may consider the inclusion of Hebrew words in a study not intended for scholars or for the seminary
classroom to be of little use and even less practical application. For those who study Isaiah in a home Bible
group or church Bible class, knowing the Hebrew word behind the translated English word may not seem to
be of any benefit particularly for those who do not have any knowledge of the Hebrew language. So why it is
included in this study of Isaiah? The inclusion of Hebrew words in the study notes and specifically in this
index is provided so that those who desire to delve deeper into the text can do so to without having to consult
dictionaries and lexicons that require a working knowledge of the Hebrew language. Hebrew words in this
index, and in the study notes are transliterated into English in their most basic format. The Hebrew script is
not included, nor are the typical translated words with vowel and accent pointings etc. that are found in many
Hebrew dictionaries and lexicons.
This index can be used as a quick guide for selected Hebrew words but is main use is for the comparison of
the translated Hebrew words as they occur in the text of Isaiah. Hebrew words are often translated with many
different English words depending on the context of the verse or passage in the book of Isaiah. It is critical to
understand why a specific English word or words were selected in a given verse rather than another word or
words that may be considered closer to the root meaning of the Hebrew word. A comparison of English
words found in many verses in Isaiah from the more formal equivalent versions: KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV;
and from the dynamic equivalent versions such as the NIV, will reveal many translation choices that result in
different English words being used. For example, the Hebrew word shoah in Isaiah 47:11, is translated as
“calamity” in the DASV; as “destruction” in the NASB; as “desolation” in the KJV and NKJV; as “ruin” in
the ESV; and as “catastrophe” in the NIV. Not all Hebrew words mentioned in the notes are listed in the
index. This pertains mostly to the lengthy excerpts from scholars quoted in the notes.
Explanation of the Index Format
The Stong’s number for each Hebrew word is stated first. The inclusion of the Strong’s numbering system
will allow the English reader to consult Hebrew-English concordances and dictionaries that will assist in the
understanding of a particular Hebrew word in its context in Isaiah. The transliterated Hebrew word and part
of speech is stated after the Strong’s number. A brief definition of the Hebrew word is then provided
followed by the location in the notes where the Hebrew word is discussed. The first occurrence in Isaiah of
the Hebrew word is then highlighted in bold. The location of the Hebrew word or words that make up the
English translation occurring in the DASV in Isaiah are then stated. Some words may have just the location
mentioned without being translated. In a few instances, the locations of the Hebrew word in the Old
Testament outside of Isaiah are stated. Where a Hebrew word is discussed in the notes for a particular verse,
but the word does not occur in that verse, the first occurrence of the word is noted by the location being
bolded in the “translated as” line(s). It should be understood that the DASV is a smoothed and updated
translation of the 1901 ASV. Many English words in the DASV are not necessarily an exact literal
representation of the Hebrew but are a paraphrase of the intent of the Hebrew words. Therefore, correctly
identifying the English words or words translated in the DASV for some Hebrew words was a challenging
task. Every effort was made to ensure that the following Index of Hebrew words is as accurate as possible.
Abbreviations:
(2x) Hebrew word occurs in verse twice. (3x) three times, etc.
O.T. Old Testament
748…..Index of Hebrew Words
Alphabetical listing of Hebrew words with Strong numbers corresponding with Index.
Hebrew word Strongs # Hebrew word Strongs # Hebrew word Strongs #
abah 0014 binah 0998 gibbor 1368
abhi 5703 bosh 0954 gidduph 1421
ad 0001 bosheth 1322 gil 1523
adam 0120 chabash 2280 gillayon 1549
adar 0142 chabburah 2250 goy 1471
adom 0122 chalah 2470 hadar 1926
adon 0113 chalaq 2509 hagah 1897
Adonay 0136 challamish 2496 halal 2490
Aken 0403 chanah 2583 hamah 1993
almah 5959 chanan 2603 harar 2787
am 5971 chata 2398 hazon 2377
amal 0535 chathath 2865 helel 1966
anah 6031 chattah 2403 hen 2005
anav 6035 cheber 2267 herem 2764
ani 6041 cherpah 2781 hesed 2617
aniyyah 0592 choq 2706 hinneh 2009
aph 0639 choli 2483 hokmah 2451
arats 6206 choter 2415 horbah 2723
arits 6184 daat (death) 1847 hovah 1943
asah 6213 dabar 1697 hoy 1945
asham 0816 daka 1792 Immanuel 6005
atarah 5850 damah 1820 ivim 5773
attah 6258 deraon 1860 kabed 3513
avah 5753 derek 1870 kabod 3519
aven 0205 dor 1755 kachash 3584
avlah 5766 Dumah 1746 kalam 3637
avon 5771 ebed 5650 kaphar 3722
ayil 0352 ebrah 5678 karath 3772
ayin 5869 ed 5707 keheh 3544
azab 5800 Edom 0123 kesheph 3785
ba’al 1166 El 0410 kopher 3724
baar 1197 elil 0457 Koresh 3566
bagad 0898 Eloah 0433 kul 3557
balaq 1110 Elohim 0430 kun 3559
bara 1254 emunah 0530 leb 3820
basar 1319 erel 0691 limmud 3928
batach 0982 eres 0776 maas 3988
bathah 1326 esah 6098 maatsebah 4620
bazah 0959 ga’al 1350 machoboth 4341
bazoh 0960 gaon 1347 magal 4570
ben 1121 gadal 1431 mahah 4229
berit 1285 geburah 1369 makob 4341
beushim 0891 geuth 1348 makon 4349
bin 0995 geza 1503 marad 4775
749…..Index of Hebrew Words
Hebrew word Strongs # Hebrew word Strongs # Hebrew word Strongs #
marah 4784 oy 0188 salach 5545
mashal 4912 paar 6286 samah 6779
mashah 4886 pachad 6342 sar 8269
mashiah 4899 padah 6299 sarah 5627
massa 4853 paga 6293 sarar 5637
mayim 4325 pala 6381 saras 8327
melek 4428 panah 6437 sedeq 6664
meri 4805 pasha 6586 semah 6780
meshar 4339 parar 6565 shaba 7650
mishkan 4908 pe’ar (p’er) 6287 shabar 7665
mishpat 4941 peduth 6304 shabath 7673
mispach 4939 pele 6382 shachach 7817
mitsar 4705 pequddah 6486 shachar 7837
moqed 4168 pesel 6459 shachath 7843
morah 4172 pesha 6588 shadad 7703
mug 4127 peullah 6468 Shaddai 7706
muts 4160 pinnah 6438 shalom 7965
naats 5006 qabats 6908 shama 8085
nachah 5148 qadosh 6918 shamem 8074
nagas 5065 qalah 7034 shaphel 8213
nagua 5221 qalal 7043 shaqar 8266
naham 5162 qara 7121 sharath 8334
nakah 5221 qasheh 7186 shav 7723
nakeh 5223 qetseph 7110 sheber 7667
naqam 5359 qinah 7068 shemamah 8077
nasha 5377 qum 6965 shemesh 8121
nata 5193 ra 7451 shemua 8052
natah 5186 ra’a 7489 sheqer 8267
natsal 5337 raah 7200 sheresh 8328
natsar 5341 rabab 7231 shoah 7724
natash 5203 rabah 7235 shod 7701
nazah 5137 racham 7355 shofar (shophar) 7782
neatsah 5007 racham 7356 shub 7725
nephesh 5315 ramas 7429 sug 5472
nephets 5311 raqa 7554 sukka 5521
neshamah 5397 rasha 7563 taaniyyah 8386
nester 5342 resha 7562 takan 8505
nichum 5150 rib 7378 talal 8524
olam 5769 rosh 7218 taleh (toleh) 2924
or 0215 ruah 7307 tame 2931
or 0216 saddiq 6662 tannin 8577
orach 0734 sadeq 6663 tebunah 8394
otser 6115 sakal 7919 terumah 8641
750…..Index of Hebrew Words
Hebrew word Strongs # Hebrew word Strongs # Hebrew word Strongs #
teshuah 8668 yaanah 3284 yirah 3374
tipharah 8597 yada 3045 yoetz (Yaats) 3289
tob 2896 yalal 3213 yoneq 3126
tohu 8414 yaqar 3365 zaaq 2199
torah 8451 yare 3372 zaam 2195
tsaah 6808 yare 3373 zabach 2076
tsaaq 6817 yarad 3381 zakar 2142
tsaba 6635 yasar 3335 zebach 2077
tsaniph 6797 yasha 3467 zera 2233
tsaphah 6822 yashab 3427 zeroa 2220
tsavah 6680 yazzeh 5137 zikkaron 2146
tseaqah 6818 Yehudah 3063 zimmah 2154
tsedaqah 6666 yesha 3468 zur 2114
Tsiyyon 6726 yeshuah 3444
yaal 3276 YHWH 3068
Compound Words
unfathomable ayin cheqer 0369/2714
brokenhearted shabar leb 7665/3820
Compound Names
daughter of Zion bath Tsiyyon 1323/6726
Everlasting Father abhi ad 5703/0001
Everlasting God El-Olam 5769/430
God Almighty El-Shaddai 7706/430
God who sees El-Roi 7200/430
His people ammi 5971
Mighty God El Gibbor 0410/1368
My people ammi 5971
LORD of hosts YHWH tsaba 3068/6635
Holy One of Israel qadosh Yisrael 6918/3478
Maher-shalal-hash-baz Maher-shalal-hash-baz 4122
Prince of Peace Sar Shalom 8269/7965
Wonderful Counselor Pele Yoetz (Yaats) 6382/3289
751…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
INDEX OF HEBREW WORDS WITH STRONG’S #
Strongs # Hebrew word, part of speech, definitions, occurrences in Isaiah in the DASV
0001 ad, noun, “father.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 9:6.
Translated as “father’s” in 3:6; as “your father’s” in 7:17; as “My father” in 8:4; as “Father” in 9:6; as
“father” in 43:27; as “of their fathers” in 14:21; as “he will be a father” in 22:21; as “to his father’s”
in 22:23; as “of his father’s” in 22:24; as “my predecessors” in 37:12; as “your father” in 38:5; 51:2;
58:14; as “the father” in 38:19; as “that your fathers” in 39:6; as “to a father” in 45:10; as “you are
our father” in 63:16 (2x); 64:8; as “where our fathers” in 64:11; as “of your fathers” in 65:7.
0014 abah, verb, “to be willing, consent.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:19; 55:7.
Translated as “if you are willing” in 1:19; as “yet they would not” in 28:12; as “that will” in 30:9; as
“but you rejected it” in 30:15; as “they refused” in 42:24.
0113 adon, noun, “Sovereign, master.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 1:24.
Translated as “the Lord” in 1:24; as “the sovereign” in 3:1; 10:16; 10:33; 19:4; as “master” in 19:4; as
“to your master’s” in 22:18; as “the master” in 24:2; as “other lords” in 26:13; as “with my master” in
36:8; as “of my master’s” in 36:9; as “Has my master” in 36:12; as “me to your master” in 36:12; as
“his master” in 37:4; as “your master” in 37:6; as “your sovereign” in 51:22.
0120 adam, noun, “man, mankind.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 63:1.
Translated as “So the people” in 2:9; as “of humans” in 2:11; as “People’s” in 2:17; as “people” in
2:20; 13:12; 29:19; 45:12; as “human beings” in 2:22; 38:11; as “Each person” in 5:15; as
“uninhabited” in 6:11; as “everyone” in 6:12; as “a person” in 29:21; as “are merely human” in 31:3;
as “but not as human kind” in 31:8; as “of human” in 37:19; as “other people” in 43:4; as “are mere
humans” in 44:11; as “human” in 44:13; as “Then he uses it” in 44:15; as “no one” in 47:3; as “of
man” in 51:12; as “other humans beings” in 52:14; as “the one” in 56:2; as “for a person” in 58:5.
0122 adom, adjective, “red, ruddy.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 63:1; 63:2.
Translated as “red” in 63:2. (only occurrence in Isaiah). Occurs also in the O.T. in Genesis 25:30
(2x); Numbers 19:2; 2 Kings 3:22; Song of Songs 5:10; Zechariah 1:8 (2x); 6:2.
0123 Edom, proper name. Mentioned in notes often but discussed in Isaiah 21:11-12; introduction to
section 34:1-17; 34:5, 6, 8,9; 63:1, 2, 3. Translated as “Edom” in the DASV in 11:14; 34:5; 34:6;
63:1. Notes: 1) In 34:5, 6 the KJV translates Edom as “Idumea.” 2) In 34:9 “Edom” occurs in the
DASV, NIV and ESV (marginal note: “her streams.”) The NASB and NKJV state “its streams” and
the KJV state “streams thereof.”
0136 Adonay (Adonai), noun, proper name, “Lord, Sovereign.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:9; 6:1; 50:4;
51:22. See references in notes for 1:9 for resources for further study of Adonay.
Translated as “sovereign” in 3:15; 7:7; 10:16; 10:23; 10:24; 25:8; 28:16; 28:22; 30:15; 40:10; 48:16;
49:22; 50:4; 50:5; 50:7; 50:9; 52:4; 56:8; 61:1; 61:11; 65:13; as “Lord” in 3:17; 3:18; 4:4; 6:1; 6:8;
6:11; 7:14; 7:20; 8:7; 9:8; 9:17; 10:12; 11:11; 21:6; 21:8; 21:16; 22:5; 22:12; 22:14; 22:15; 28:2;
29:13; 30:20; 37:24; 38:16; 49:14. Note: The surrounding English words that translate Adonay are not
included in the above references.
0142 adar, verb, “glorious, wide, great.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in Isaiah in 42:21.
Translated as “and make it glorious” in 42:21. Also occurs in the O.T. in Exodus 15:5; 15:11.
752…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
0188 oy, interjection, “alas, woe.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 3:11.
Translated as “woe” in 3:9; 3:11; 6:5; 24:16. See related word 1945, hoy.
0205 aven, noun, “iniquity, wickedness.” Not discussed in notes.
Translated as “such sinful” in 1:13; as “unjust” in 10:1; as “wrong” in 29:20; 31:2; as “wrong doing”
in 32:6; as “Look, all of them are nothing” in 41:29; as “and the unrighteous” in 55:7; as “wickedly”
in 58:9; as “sin” in 59:4; as “of iniquity” in 59:6; 59:7; as “an idol” in 66:3.
0215 or, verb, “bright, give light, illumine.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 60:1.
Translated as “and make a fire with them” in 27:11; as “shine” in 60:1; as “light” in 60:19.
0216 or, noun, “light.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 42:6; 58:8.
Translated as “in the light” in 2:5; as “to light” in 5:20; as “and light” in 5:20; as “even the light” in
5:30; as “light” in 9:2; 60:20; as “on them the light” in 9:2; as “The light” in 10:17; as “their light” in
13:10; as “shine” in 13:10; as “Moreover the light” in 30:26; as “will be as the light” in 30:26; as
“and the light” in 30:26; as “like the light” in 30:26; as “and a light” in 42:6; as “into light” in 42:16;
as “the light” in 45:7; as “you a light” in 49:6; as “as a light” in 51:14; as “will your light” in 58:8; as
“then your light” in 58:10; as “for light” in 59:9; as “for your light” in 60:1; as “to your light” in 60:3;
as “will no longer be your light” in 60:19; as “give light” in 60:19. First occurrence in the O.T. in
Genesis 1:3 translated as “let there be light.”
0352 ayil, noun, “ram, leader, pillar, oak, terebinth.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 61:3.
Translated as “of rams” in 1:11; 34:6; as “of the sacred oaks” in 1:29; as “the rams” in 60:7; as
“trees” in 61:3.
0369/2714 ayin (substantive particle), cheqer (noun), “unfathomable, unsearchable, inscrutable.” Discussed
in notes and occurs only in Isaiah in 40:28. Translated as “is unfathomable” in 40:28.
0403 aken, adverb, “certainly, surely.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 53:4.
Translated as “on it; surely” in 40:7; as “Truly” in 45:15; as “yet surely” in 49:4; as “Surely” in 53:4.
0410/1368 El Gibbor, “Mighty God.” Discussed in notes in 9:6, 10:21.
Translated as “Mighty God” in 9:6; 10:21
0410 El, noun, “God.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 9:6; 10:21.
Translated as “God” in 5:16; 8:10; 9:6; 10:21; 12:2; 14:13; 31:3; 40:18; 43:10; 43:12; 45:14; 45:15;
45:21; 45:22; 46:9; as “Immanuel” God (with us) in 7:14; 8:8; as “sovereign” in 42:5; as “a god” in
44:10; 44:15; 44:17; 45:20; 46:6; as “my god” in 44:17; as “lust” in 57:5 (note: the KJV translates El
as “idols” in 57:5).
0430 Elohim, noun (plural), “powerful and mighty God, Creator.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 40:12;
40:28; 43:3-4; 46:8-9; 46:10; 48:16; 51:15; 51:21-22; 55:5. Many occurrences in Isaiah. First occurs
in 1:10 translated as “of our God. First occurs in O.T. in Genesis 1:1, “(In the beginning) God.”
0433 Eloah, noun, “the single or sole God.” Discussed in notes and in Isaiah only occurs in 44:8.
Translated as “God” in 44:8.
753…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
0457 elil, adjective (root), “worthless, idols.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 2:8; 49:19-20; 41:24.
Translated as “of idols” in 2:8; as “idols” in 2:18; as “their idols” in 2:20; as “and their idols” in 2:20;
as “of the idols” in 10:10; as “and her idols” in 10:11; as “The idols” in 19:1; as “from idols” in 19:3;
as “your idols” in 31:7; as “and your idols” in 31:7.
0530 emunah, noun, “faithfulness, honest, steadfastness.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 59:4.
Translated as “and faithfulness” in 11:5; as “faithfulness” in 25:1; as “He will be stability” in 33:6; as
“with honesty” in 59:4.
0535 amal, verb, “languishes, fades, withers.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 24:4.
Translated as “waste away” in 16:8; as “will waste away” in 19:8; as “languishes” in 24:4; 24:7; as
“languish” in 24:4; as “and withers” in 33:9. Amal also occurs in the O.T. in 1 Samuel 2:5; Jeremiah
14:2; 15:9; Lamentations 2:8; Ezekiel 16:30; Hosea 4:3; Joel 1:12.
0592 aniyyah, noun, “mourning.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in Isaiah 29:2.
Translated as “mourning” in 29:2. See also taaniyyah, Strongs number, 8386. Both aniyyah and
taaniyyah occur in Isaiah 29:2 and Lamentations 2:5.
0639 aph, noun, “anger, nose, nostrils, of the face.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 10:5.
Translated as “whose breath is in their nostrils” in 2:22; as “nose” in 3:21; as “therefore the anger” in
5:25; as “after all this, his anger” in 5:25; as “anger” in 7:14; 42:25; as “even after all this, his anger”
in 9:12; 9;17; 9:21; 10:4; as “of my anger” in 10:5; as “then my anger” in 10:25; as “but now your
anger” in 12:1; as “to execute my anger” in 13:3; as “and fierce anger” in 13:9; as “of his fierce
anger” in 13:13; as “in anger” in 14:6; as “burning with his anger” in 30:27; as “of his anger” in
30:30; as “in your nose” in 37:29; as “my anger” in 48:9; as “their faces” in 49:23; as “them is my
anger” in 63:3; as “in my anger” in 63:6; as “in my nose” in 65:5; as “his anger” in 66:15.
0691 erel, noun, “heroes, valiant ones.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in O.T. in Isaiah 33:7.
Translated as “their heroes” in 33:7.
0734 orach, noun, “way, path, travel.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 26:7; 30:11.
Translated as “in his paths” in 2:3; as “of your paths” in 3:12; as “The way” in 26:7; as “Yes, in the
path” in 26:8; as “from the path” in 30:11; as “the path” in 40:14; as “by a path” in 41:3.
0776 eres, noun, “earth, land.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 24:1 and mentioned in the introduction to
section 24:1-23. Eres occurs very often in Isaiah, almost 200 times, translated as “earth, land, country,
ground, nation, world.” It occurs first in 1:12, translated as “O earth.”
0816 asham, verb, “be guilty, to offend.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 24:6; 46:8-9; 53:10.
Translated as “are found guilty” in 24:6; (only occurrence of asham in Isaiah).
0891 beushim, noun, “stinking, worthless.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 5:2.
Translated as “only sour grapes” in 5:2; 5:4. Only occurrences of beushim in O.T.
0898 bagad, verb, “treacherous, traitor, betrayer.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 21:2; 33:1; 48:8.
Translated as “the treacherous man” in 21:2; as “deals treacherously” in 21:2; as “For the deceivers”
in 24:16; as “have acted deceitfully” in 24:16; as “the deceivers” in 24:16; as “have acted very
deceitfully” in 24:16; as “and you traitor” in 33:1; as “but they have not betrayed” in 33:1; as
“betraying” in 33:1; as “they will betray” in 33:1; as “that you would act treacherously” in 48:8.
754…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
0954 bosh, verb, “to be ashamed.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 44:9; 54:4.
Translated as “For you will be ashamed” in 1:29; as “will grow pale” in 19:9; as “and ashamed” in
20:5; as “Be ashamed” in 23:4; as “will be ashamed” in 24:23; as “and be put to shame” in 26:11; as
“will no longer be ashamed” in 29:22; as “and put to shame” in 37:27; 44:11; as “will be put to
shame” in 41:11; 44:11; as “and be utterly put to shame” in 42:17; as “so they are put to shame” in
44:9; as “They will all be put to shame” in 45:16; as “you will never be put to shame” in 45:17; as
“and be put to shame” in 45:24; as “will not be put to shame” in 49:23; as “that I will not be put to
shame” in 50:7; as “for you will not be put to shame” in 54:4; as “but you will be put to shame” in
65:13; as “but it is they who will be put to shame” in 66:5.
0959 bazah, verb, “despise.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 1:4.
Translated as “despises” in 37:22; as “He was despised” in 53:3 (2x).
0960 bazoh, adjective, “despise,” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 1:4.
Occurs in the O.T. only in 49:7 translated as “is despised.”
0982 batach, verb, “to trust.” Discussed in notes and first occurrence in Isaiah 12:2.
Translated as “I will trust” in 12:2; as “because they trust” in 26:3; as “trust” in 26:4; as “and trust” in
30:12; 31:1; as “you complacent” in 32:9; as “you complacent ones” in 32:10; 32:11; as “of your
confidence” in 36:4; as “now in whom are you trusting” in 36:5; as “Look, you are trusting” in 36:6;
as “to all who trust” in 36:6; as “we trust” in 36:7; as “and put your trust” in 36:9; as “trick you into
trusting” in 36:15; as “in whom you trust” in 37:10; as “who trust” in 42:17; as “For you have
trusted” in 47:10; as “let them trust” in 50:10; as “they trust” in 59:4.
0995 bin, verb, “to discern, to understand.” Discussed in the notes in Isaiah 44:18.
Translated as “do not consider” in 1:3; as “and the skillful” in 3:3; as “and shrewd” in 5:21; as “but
do (not) understand” in 6:9; as “and understand” in 6:10; 43:10; as “for I have understanding” in
10:13; as “they will ponder” in 14:16; as “Who will he make to explain” in 28:9; as “is understood” in
28:19; as “of their prudent” in 29:14; as “He has no understanding?” in 29:16; as “will be able to
discern” in 32:4; as “to enlighten” in 40:14; as “Have you not understood” in 40:21; as “or focus” in
43:18; as “or understand” in 44:18; as “they will understand” in 52:15; as “who have no
understanding” in 56:11; as “will no one give it a thought” in 57:1.
0998 binah, noun, “discern, perceive, understanding.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 11:2.
Translated as “and understanding” in 11:2; as “with no understanding” in 27:11; as “and the
understanding” in 29:14; as “to understanding” in 29:24; as “understand” in 33:19.
1110 balaq, verb, “to devastate, to lay waste.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in Isaiah 24:1.
Translated as “makes it desolate” in 24:1. Only other occurrence in O.T. in Nahum 2:10.
1121 ben, noun, “children, sons.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 49:17.
Ben occurs 84 times in Isaiah and first occurs in 1:1 translated as “the son.”
1166 ba’al, verb, “to marry, rule over.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 54:5.
Translated as “have ruled” in 26:13; as “from the married woman” in 54:1; as “is your husband” in
54:5; as “Beulah” in 62:4; as “will be married” in 62:4; as “marries” in 62:5 as “will marry” in 62:5.
755…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
1197 baar, verb, “to consume, to burn.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 5:5; 40:16.
Translated as “burn” in 1:31; as “it is you who have ruined” in 3:14; as “of fire” in 4:4; as “and it will
be eaten up” in 5:5; as “be destroyed again” in 6:13; as “burns” in 9:18; as “it will burn” in 10:17; as
“give stupid” (advice) in 19:11; as “burning” in 30:27; 34:9; 62:1; as “sets it on fire” in 30:33; as “to
burn for sacrificial fire” in 40:16; as “it burned” in 42:25; as “consume” in 43:2; as “to make a fire” in
44:15; as “that you have ignited” in 50:11.
1254 bara, verb, “to create, to shape.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 40:28; 45:18; 54:5; 65:17.
Translated as “will create” in 4:5; as “who has created” in 40:26; as “the Creator” in 40:28; 43:15; as
“has created” in 41:20; as “he who created” in 42:5; as “the one who created” in 43:1; as “and whom
I have created” in 43:7; as “and create” in 45:7 (2x); as “have created” in 45:8; 54:16; as “and
created” in 45:12; 45:18; as “who created” in in 45:18; as “they are happening” in 48:7; as “I have
created” in 54:16; as “creating” in 57:19; as “I will create” in 65:17; as “I am about to create” in
65:18; as “I create” in 65:18. See Genesis 1:1 “created,” for first occurrence of bara in the O.T.
1285 berit, noun, “covenant.” Discussed in notes in the Introduction under Covenant, and in Appendix 2.
Translated as “covenant” in 24:5; 55:3; 61:8; as “a covenant” in 28:15; as “Your covenant” in 28:18;
as “it’s treaties” in 33:8; as “you as a covenant” in 42:6; 49:8; as “nor will my covenant” in 54:10; as
“to my covenant” in 56:4; 56:6; as “As for me, this is my covenant” in 59:21. Note: Isaiah 28:15;
28:18 and 33:8 do not refer to God’s covenant.
1319 basar, verb, “good news, herald, proclaim.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 61:1
Translated as “messenger of good tidings” in 40:9; as “You who announce good tidings” in 40:9; as
“a messenger bringing good tidings” in 41:27; as “that brings good tidings” in 52:7; as “who brings
good news” in 52:7; as “and will proclaim” in 60:6; as “to preach good news” in 61:1.
1322 bosheth, noun, “ashamed, shame.” Discussed in notes in 44:9.
Translated as “will bring to shame” in 30:3; as “but only shame” in 30:5; as “the shame” in 54:4; as
“of your shame” in in 61:7.
1323/6726 (bath Tsiyyon), bath, noun, proper name, Tsiyyon, proper name, “daughter of Zion.”
Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 1:8.
Translated as “daughter of Zion” in 1:8; 10:32; 16:1; 37:22; 52:2; 62:11.
1326 bathah, noun, “wasteland.” Discussed in the notes and occurs in the O.T. only in Isaiah 5:6,
Translated in 5:6 as “it a wasteland.”
1347 gaon, noun, “pride, majesty.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 2:10.
Translated as “of his majesty” in 2:10; 2:19; 2:21; as “will be the pride” in 4:2; as “I will cause the
arrogance” in 13:11; as “pride” in 13:19; 16:6; as “Your pomp” in 14:11; as “about the pride” in 16:6;
as “the pride” in 23:9; as “the majesty” in 24:14; as “majestic” in 60:15.
1348 geuth, noun, “majesty.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 2:10.
Translated as “go up” in 9:18; as “wonderful things” in 12:5; as “the majesty” in 26:10; as “(to the)
proud” in 28:1; as “(The) proud” in 28:3.
1350 ga’al, verb: “redeemed”; noun: “Redeemer.” Ga’al is discussed in the notes in Isaiah 1:27; 12:2;
35:8-10; 43:14-15; 44:24-28; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 50:2; 52:3; 52:7; 54:5; 59:20; and 63:16.
756…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
The verb form of ga’al is translated as “but the redeemed” in 35:9; as “for I have redeemed” in 43:1;
44:22; as “has redeemed” in 44:23; 48;20; as “for the redeemed” in 51:10; as “you will be redeemed”
in 52:3; as “he has redeemed” in 52:9; as “The Redeemed” in 62:12; as “of my redeemed” in 63:4 as
“he redeemed” in 63:9.
The noun form of ga’al is translated as “your Redeemer” in 41:14; 43:14; 44:24; 48:17; 54:5; 54:8;
60:16; as “and his Redeemer” in 44:6; as “our Redeemer” in 47:4; 63:16; as “the Redeemer” in 49:7;
as “and your Redeemer” in 49:26; as “A Redeemer” in 59:20.
1368 gibbor, noun, “strong, mighty.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 9:6, 10:21.
Translated as “the mighty man” in 3:2; as “to those who are champions” in 5:22; as “Mighty” in 9:6;
10:21; as “my warriors” in 13:3; as “and warriors” in 21:17; as “like a war hero” in 42:13; as “from a
warrior” in 49:24; as “from the mighty” in 49:23.
1369 geburah, noun, “strength, power, acts, might.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 11:2.
Translated as “and your warriors” in 3:25; as “and might” in 11:2; as “and strength” in 28:6; as “will
be your strength” in 30:15; as “my might” in 33:13; as “and strength” in 36:5; as “and your mighty
acts” in 63:15.
1421 gidduph, noun, “to be reviled.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 43:28.
Translated as “to insults” in 43:28; as “their mocking” in 51:7. Gidduph also occurs in Zechariah 2:8.
1431 gadal, verb; “to bring up, to rear, to become great.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:2; 42:21.
Translated as “I have reared” in 1:2; as “you have increased” in 9:3; as “extol” in 10:15; as “I have
not reared” in 23:4; as “and excellent” in 28:29; as “to magnify” in 42:21; as “nourishes” in 44:14; as
“so who has reared” in 49:21; as “she has brought up” in 51:18.
1471 goy, noun, “nation, people, Gentiles.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 60:3; 65:1.
Goy is translated in the DASV 73 times, only as nation or nations in 1:4; 2:2; 2:4 (2x); 5:26; 9:1; 9:3;
10:6; 10:7; 11:10; 11:12; 13:4; 14:6; 14:9; 14:12; 14:18; 14:26; 14:32; 16:8; 18:2 (2x); 18:7; 23:3;
25:3; 25:7; 26:2; 26:15 (2x); 29:7; 29:8; 30:28; 33:3; 34:1; 34:2; 36:18; 37:12; 40:15; 40:17; 41:2;
42:1; 42:6; 43:9; 45:1; 45:20; 49:6; 49:7; 49:22; 52:10; 52:15; 54:3; 55:5 (2x); 58:2; 60:3; 60:5;
60:11; 60:12 (2x); 60:16; 60:22; 61:6; 61:9; 61:11; 62:2; 64:2; 65:1; 66:8; 66:12; 66:18; 66:19 (2x);
66:20. The English words “nation or nations” in the DASV, which are not a translation of goy are:
the Hebrew am (Strongs # 5971) in 8:9; 14:2; and 24:13; and the Hebrew leom (Strongs #3816) in
17:12; 17:13; 43:4; 49:1; and 51:4.
1503 geza, noun, “stem, stump.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 11:1.
Translated as “stump” in 11:1; as “stem” in 40:24; also as “stump” in Job 14:8.
1523 gil, verb, “glad, rejoice.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 35:1-2; 66:10.
Translated as “like warriors rejoice” in 9:3; as “let us be glad” in 25:9; as “will rejoice” in 29:19;
35:1; as “and rejoice” in 35:2; 65:18; as “Then you will rejoice” in 41:16; as “and be joyful” in 49:13;
as “will be joyful” in 61:10; as “I will rejoice” in 65:19; as “Rejoice” in 66:10.
1549 gillayon, noun, “tablet, table.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 8:1.
Translated as “the hand mirrors” in 3:23; as “tablet” in 8:1.
757…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
1697 dabar, noun, “speech, word.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 8:10 and 9:8.
Translated as “the word” in 1:10; 2:3; 28:14; 39:5; 39:8; 45:23 as “the message” in 2:1; as “issue
orders” in 8:10; as “according to the word” in 8:20; as “a word” in 9:8; 36:21; as “This is the word” in
16:13; 37:22; as “this word” in 24:3; 30:12; as “Therefore the word” in 28:13; as “is like the words”
in 29:11; as “the words” in 29:18; 36:13; 36:22; 37:4 (2x); 37:6; as “based on a false testimony” in
29:21; as “a word behind” in 30:21; as “his words” in 31:2; as “words” in 36:5; as “these words” in
36:12; as “all the words” in 37:17; as “Then the word” (came) in 38:4; as “this thing” in 38:7; as
“there was nothing” in in 39:2; as “there is nothing” in 39:4; as “nothing” in 39:6; as “but the word”
in 40:8; as “these things” in 42:16; as “the prophetic word” in 44:26; as “with words” in 50:4; as “my
words” in 51:16; as “so will my word” in 55:11; as “idle words” in 58:13; as “and my words” in
59:21; as “at my word” in 66:2; as “Hear the word” in 66:5; as “at his word” in 66:5. Note: dabar is
not translated in the DASV in 41:28 and 59:13.
1746 Dumah, proper name, “Edom, place of silence.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 21:11 and mentioned in
introduction to section 21:13-17. Translated as “about Dumah” in 21:11. Also occurs in the O.T. in
Genesis 25:14; Judges 15:52; and 1 Chronicles 1:30.
1755 dor, noun, “age, generation, line.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 53:8.
Translated as “from generation” in 13:20; 34:10; 34:17; as “to generation” in 13:20; 34:10; 34:17; as
“My dwelling place” in 38:12; as “each generation” in 41:4; as “to all generations” in 51:8; as “the
generations” in 51:9; as “his generation” in 53:8; as “of many generations” in 58:12; as “for many
generations” in 60:15; 61:4.
1792 daka, verb, “to crush.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 53:5.
Translated as “Why do you crush” in 3:15; as “The weavers will be crushed” in 19:10; as “he was
crushed” in 53:5; as “to bruise” tin 53:10; as “of the contrite” in 57:15.
1820 damah, verb, “to cease, ruined, silenced.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 15:1.
Translated as “is me! For I am doomed” in 6:5; as “and destroyed” in 15:1 (2x).
1847 daat (daath), noun, “knowledge, discernment, understanding, wisdom.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah
11:2; 44:19. Translated as “for lack of knowledge” in 5:13; as “of knowledge” in 11:2; as
“knowledge” in 32:4; as “and knowledge” in 33:6; 47:10; as “him knowledge” in 40:14; as “nor is
there knowledge” in 44:19; as “and makes their knowledge” in 44:25; as “I know” in 48:4; as “by his
knowledge” in 53:11; as “to know” in 58:2.
1860 deraon, noun, “abhorrence, aversion.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah, only in 66:24.
Translated as “They will be abhorred” in 66:24. Also occurs in the O.T. in Daniel 12:2.
1870 derek, noun, “way, path, journey.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 30:11; 35:10; 56:11; 57:14; 57:17.
Translated as “of his ways” in 2:3; as “the direction” in 3:12; as “in the way” in 8:11; as “from the
way” in 9:1; as “just as” in 10:24; as “just as he did” in 10:26; as “in the way” in 15:5; as “of a way”
in 30:11; as “This is the way” in 30:21; as “the way” in 35:8; 40:3; 57:14; 59:8; 62:10; as “by the
way” in 37:29; as “By the same way” in 37:34; as “to him the way” in 40:14; as “My way” in 40:27;
as “by a way” in 42:16; as “In whose ways” in 42:24; as “a way” in 43:16; 43:19; 51:10; as “all his
ways” in 45:13; as “his course of action” in 48:15; as “you in the way” in 48:17; as “along the road
ways” in 49:9; as “into roads” in 49:11; as “to his own way” in 53:6; as “his way” in 55:7; as “your
ways” in 55:8; as “my ways” in 55:8; 58:2; as “so my ways” in 55:9; as “than your ways” in 55:9; as
“to their own way” in 56:11; as “of your journey” in 57:10; as “out of the way” in 57:14; as “to the
758…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
way” in 57:17; as “their ways” in 57:18; as “your own ways” in 58:13; as “from your ways” in 63:17;
as “you in your ways” in 64:5; as “in a way” in 65:2; as “their own ways” in 66:3.
1897 hagah, verb, “meditate, moan, mutter.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 59:3; 59:13.
Translated as “and mutter” in 8:19; as “mourn” in 16:7; as “growls” in 31:4; as “will obsess” in
33:18; as “I moan” in 38:14; as “mutters” in 59:3; as “and moan” in 59:11; as “sadly” in 59:11; as
“and uttering” in 59:13.
1926 hadar, noun, “majesty, splendor.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 2:10; 35:2.
Translated as “glory” in 2:10; 2:19; 2:21; as “their famous ones” in 5:14; as “splendor” in 35:2 (2x);
as “beauty” in 53:2.
1966 helel, noun, “shining one.” Discussed in notes and only occurs in O.T. in Isaiah 14:12.
Translated as “O shining star” in 14:12. Note: translated as “Lucifer” in the KJV.
1943 hovah, noun, “disaster, ruin.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in Isaiah in 47:11.
Translated as “Disaster” in 47:11. In O.T. hovah also occurs in Ezekiel 7:26 (2x).
1945 hoy, interjection, “alas, woe.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 3:11; 45:9.
Translated as “O” in 1:4; as “woe” in 5:8; 5:11; 5:18; 5:20; 5:21; 5:22; 10:1; 10:5; 17:12; 18:1; 28:1;
29:1; 29:15; 30:1; 31:1; 33:1; 45:9; 45:10. Note, hoy is translated as “Ah” in 1:24 and as “Ho” in 55:1
in the KJV. The DASV does not translate hoy in 1:24 or 55:1. See related word 188, oy.
1993 hamah, verb, “growl, murmur, roar.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 59:11.
Translated as “groans” in 16:11; as “that roar” in 17:12; as “like the roaring” in 17:12; as “revelry” in
22:2; as “roar” in 51:15; as “We all growl” in 59:11;
2005 hen, adverb (interjection), “behold, look.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 42:1; 59:1.
Occurs many times in Isaiah, first occurs in 23:13 as “Look.”
2009 hinneh, demonstrative particle, “behold.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 65:14.
Translated as “Look, here they are” in 41:27.
2076 zabach, verb, “to slaughter, to sacrifice.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 57:7.
Translated as “to offer” in 57:7; as “sacrificing” in 65:3; as “one who sacrifices” in 66:3.
2077 zebach, noun, “sacrifice.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 57:7.
Translated as “sacrifices” in 1:11; as “with sacrifices” in 19:21; as “has made a sacrifice” in 34:6; as
“me with your sacrifices” 43:23; as “of your sacrifices” in 43:24; as “and their sacrifices” in 56:7; as
“sacrifices” in 57:7.
2114 zur, verb, “stranger, foreigner.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:4; 61:5.
Translated as “they have turned their backs” in 1:4; as “foreigners” in 1:7 (2x); 25:5; 61:5; as
“foreign” in 17:10; 43:12; as “strangers” in 25:2; as “extraordinary” in 28:21; as “foes” in 29:5.
2142 zakar, verb, “mention, remember.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 48:1.
Translated as “proclaim” in 12:4; as “and have not been mindful” in 17:10; as “who hears mention of
it” in 19:17; as “so that you may be remembered” in 23:16; as “we will keep in remembrance” in
26:13; as “the recorder” in 36:3; 36:22; as “Remember” in 38:3; 44:21; 46:8; 46:9; as “Do not
759…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
remember” in 43:18; as “I will not remember” in 43:25; as “Remind me” in 43:26; as “nor did you
reflect” in 47:7; as “and invoke” in 48:1; as “he has mentioned” in 49:1; as “and will no longer
remember” in 54:4; as “and have not remembered” in 57:11; as “You who remind” in 62:6; as “I will
recall” in 63:7; as “remembered” in 63:11; as “those who remember” in 64:5; as “neither remember”
in 64:9; as “will not be remembered” in 65:17; as “one who burns” in 66:3.
2146 zikkaron, noun, “memorial, remember.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in Isaiah in 57:8.
Translated as “your memorial” in 57:8.
2154 zimmah, verb, “plan, scheme, wickedness.” Not discussed in notes. Occurs only in Isaiah 32:7
Translated as “evil schemes” in 32:7.
2195 zaam, noun, “rage, indignation, fury.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 10:5.
Translated as “is my rage” in 10:5; as “my fury” in 10:25; as “of his anger” in 13:5; as “until his
anger” in 26:20; as “of fury” in 30:27.
2199 zaaq, verb, “cry, cry out.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 42:2-4; 57:13.
Translated as “Cry” in 14:31; as “cry out” in 15:4; as “cries” in 15:5; as “and cries” in 26:17; as “of
your cry” in 30:19; as “When you cry out” in 57:13.
2220 zeroa, noun, “arm, shoulder, strength.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 52:10.
Translated as “of their own children” in 9:20; as “and his arm” in 17:5; 48:14; as “his arm” in 30:30;
as “Be our strong arm” in 33:2; as “with his (strong) arm” in 40:10; as “in his arms” in 40:11; as “his
(strong) arm” in 44:12; as “and my arms” in 51:5; as “on my arm” in 51:5; as “O arm” in 51:9; as
“arm” in 52:10; 63:12; as “To whom is the arm” in 53:1; as “Therefore his own arm” in 59:16; as
“and by his (mighty) arm” in 62:8; as “Therefore my own arm” in 63:5.
2233 zera, noun, “descendants, offspring, seed.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 57:3.
Translated as “an offspring” in 1:4; 57:4; as “of seed” in 5:10; as “seed” in 6:13; 55:10; as “The
descendants” in 14:20; as “you cause your seed” in 17:11; as “with grain” in 23:3; as “for your seed”
in 30:23; as “the seed” in 41:8; as “your descendants” in 43:5; 48:19; 54:3; as “upon your
descendants” in 44:3; as “descendants” in 45:19; 65:9; as “with all the descendants” in 45:25; as “his
offspring” in 53:10; as “the offspring” in 57:3; as “of your children” in 59:21; as “of your children’s”
in 59:21; as “children” in 59:21; as “Their descendants” in 61:9; as “that they are the people” in 61:9;
as “or bring forth children” in 65:23; as “so your descendants” in 66:22.
2250 chabburah, noun, “bruise, stripes.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 53:5.
Translated as “welts” in 1:6; as “and by his stripes” in 53:5. Chabburah also occurs in the O.T. in
Genesis 4:23; Exodus 21:25 (2x); Psalm 38:5; and Proverbs 20:30.
2267 cheber, noun, “spell, company, association.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 47:12.
Translated as “spells” in 47:9; as “your enchantments” in 47:12.
2280 chabash, verb, “to bind up.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 61:1.
Translated as “or bandaged up” in 1:6; as “I cannot cure this” in 3:7; as “binds up” in 30:26; as “to
bind up” in 61:1.
2377 hazon, noun, “vision.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 1:1.
Translated as “The vision” in 1:1; as “a vision” in 29:7.
760…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
2398 chata, verb, “sinful, go wrong, miss the mark.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:4; 59:12.
Translated as “sinful” in 1:4; as “convict” in 29:21; as “we have sinned” in 42:24; as “sinned” in
43:27; as “because we sinned” in 64:5. Chata occurs in the KJV, NKJV and ESV in 65:20 translated
as “sinner. Chata is translated as “and anyone” in the DASV; as “the one” in the NASB; and as “he”
in the NIV.
2403 chattah, noun, “sin, sin offering.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 59:12.
Translated as “their sin” in 3:9; as “and sin” in 5:18; as “and your sin” in 6:7; as “his sin” in 27:9; as
“sin” in 30:1; as “on sin” in 30:1; as “for all her sins” in 40:2; as “with your sins” in 43:24; as “your
sins” in 43:25; as “and your sins” in 44:22; as “their sins” in 58:1; as “and your sins” in 59:2; as “and
our sins” in 59:12.
2415 choter, noun, “branch, twig, insignificant.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in Isaiah 11:1.
Translated as “a shoot” in 11:1. Only other occurrence for choter in O.T. is in Proverbs 14:3.
2451 hokmah, noun, “wisdom.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 11:2.
Translated as “and by my wisdom” in 10:13; as “wisdom” in 11:2; 29:14; 33:6; as “your wisdom” in
47:10.
2470 chalah, verb, “afflicted, grief, sick.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 53:10.
Translated as “You too have become weak” in 14:10; as “of disease” in 17:11; as “I am sick” in
33:24; as “sick” in 38:1; as “when he had been sick” in 38:9; as “that he had been sick” in 39:1; as
“and to cause him grief” in 53:10; as “therefore you do not faint” in 57:10.
2483 choli, noun, “affliction, sickness.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 53:3.
Translated as “is sick” in 1:5; as “from his sickness” in 38:9; as “with grief” in 53:3; as “our griefs”
in 53:4.
2490 halal, verb, “to defile, profane, pollute, pierce.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 47:6; 53:5.
Translated as “to defile” in 23:9; as “Therefore I defiled” in 43:28; as “I defiled” in 47:6; as “can I
allow my name to be profaned” in 48:11; as “who pierced” in 51:9; as “But he was wounded” in 53:5;
as “and does not defile” in 56:2; 56:6.
2496 challamish, noun, “flint.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in Isaiah in 50:7.
Translated as “like a flint” in 50:7. Challamish occurs also in the O.T. in Deuteronomy 8:15; 32:13;
Job 28:9; Psalm 114:8.
2509 chalaq, adjective, “flattery, smooth.” Discussed in notes and only occurs in Isaiah in 57:6.
Translated as “Among the smooth stones” in 57:6.
2583 chanah, verb, “camped, decline, laid siege.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 29:1.
Translated as “laid siege” in 29:1; as “I will lay siege” in 29:3.
2603 chanan, verb, “gracious, to show favor.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 30:18.
Translated as “When favor is shown” in 26:10; as “will show no mercy” in 27:11; as “so that he may
be gracious” in 30:18; as “he will surely be gracious” in 30:19; as “be gracious” in 33:2.
2617 hesed, noun, “goodness, kindness, mercy.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 40:6; 54:8; 54:10; 55:13;
63:7. Translated as “by loyal love” in 16:5; as “and all their beauty” in 40:6; as “love” in 54:8; as “but
761…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
my loyal love” in 54:10; as “loyal” in 55:3; as “the devout” in 57:1; as “the loyal love” in 63:7; as
“his great loyal love” in 63:7.
2706 choq, noun, “statute, ordinance.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 24:5.
Translated as “without limit” in 5:14; as “the statutes” in 24:5. Choq occurs often in Psalm 119.
2723 horbah, noun, “waste, ruin.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 5:6.
Translated as “among the ruins” in 5:17; as “her ruins” in 44:26; as “them through the deserts” in
48:21; as “for though your waste” in 49:19; as “all her ruins” in 51:3; as “you ruins” in 52:9; as
“ruins” in 58:2; 61:4; 64:11.
2764 herem, noun, “ban, devoted to destruction.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 34:2; 43:28.
Translated as “doomed” in 34:5; as “I delivered (Jacob over to destruction)” in 43:28.
2781 cherpah, noun, “disgrace, reproach.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 54:4.
Translated as “our shame” in 4:1; as “the disgrace” in 25:8; 54:4; as “and disgrace” in 30:5; as “yes,
your shame” in 47:3; as “of the insults” in 51:7.
2787 harar, verb, “to burn, to char.” Discussed in notes and only occurs in Isaiah 24:6.
Translated as “are burned” in 24:6.
2865 chathath, verb, “to be dismayed, to be shattered.” Discussed in notes and occurs first in Isaiah 8:9.
Translated as “be shattered” in 8:9; as “you will be shattered” in 8:9 (2x); as “you have broken” in
9:4; as “they will be dismayed” in 20:5; as “will be terrified” in 30:31; as “will it not be frightened” in
31:4; as “will panic” in 31:9; as “they were dismayed” in 37:27; as “will never end” in 51:6; as “fear”
in 51:7.
2896 tob, (adjective, noun, or verb, see in context), “benefit, good, well-being.” Discussed in notes in
Isaiah 52:7. Translated as “that it will go well” in 3:10; as “and beautiful” in 5:9; as “good” in 5:20;
as “and good” in 5:20; as “the good” in 7:15; 7:16; as “what is good” in 38:3; 55:2; as “and the
precious” in 39:2; as “is good” in 39:8; as “it is good” in 41:7; as “better” in 56:5; as “that is not
good” in 65:2. Note: see notes for translation of tob in 52:7.
2924 taleh (toleh), noun, “a lamb.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in 65:25.
Translated as “and the lamb” in 65:25. Occurs in the O.T. also in 1 Samuel 7:9.
2931 tame, adjective, “defile, unclean.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 64:6.
Translated as “of unclean” in 6:5 (2x); as “the unclean” in 35:8; as “and the unclean” in 52:1; as
“nothing unclean” in 52:11; as “like one who is unclean” in 64:6.
3045 yada, verb, “to know.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 11:2; 44:18; 44:19.
Translated as “knows” in 1:3; 7:16; 8:4; as “does not know” in 1:3; 63:16; as “now I will tell you” in
5:5; as “so that we may experience it” in 5:19; as “but do not perceive” in 6:9; as “when he knows
enough” in 7:15; as “will know it” in 9:9; as “declare” in 12:4; as “let this be known” in 12:5; as “you
now and make known” in 19:12; as “will reveal himself” in 19:21; as “will know” in 19:21; 49:26;
52:6; as “to one who can read” in 29:11; as “to one who cannot read” in 29:12; as “I can’t read” in
29:12; as “one who knows” in 29:15; as “will come” in 29:24; as “acknowledge” in 33:13; as “may
know” in 37:29; as “But I know” in 37:28; as “will make known” in 38:19; as “instructed” in 40:13;
as “or showed” in 40:14; as “do you not know” in 40:21; as “have you not known” in 40:28; as
762…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
“know” in 41:20; 64:2; as “and check” in 41:22; as “that we may prove” in 41:23; as “that we may
know” in 41:26; as “they do not know” in 42:16; 44:18; as “unknown” in 42:16; as “yet they did not
understand” in 42:25; as “that you may know” in 43:10; 45:3; as “can’t you see” in 43:19; as “I
know” in 44:8; as “or know” in 44:9; as “though you do not know” in 45:4; 45:5; as “so that they may
know” in 45:6; as “they have no knowledge” in 45:20; as “nor will I experience” in 47:8; as “you will
not know” in 47:11; as “which you know nothing about” in 47:11; as “prognosticators” in 47:13; as
“which you have not previously known” in in 48:6; as “Look, I knew” in 48:7; as “you (never) knew”
in 48:8; as “for I knew” in 48:8; as “you will know” in 49:23; 60:16; as “so that I may know” in 50:4;
as “and I know” in 50:7; as “to me, you who know” in 51:7; as “and acquainted” in 53:3; as “you did
not know” in 55:5; as “nations that did not know” in 55:5; as “they are all without knowledge” in
56:10; as “can never get” in 56:11; as “but you take no knowledge of it?” in 58:3; as “they (do not)
know” in 59:8; as “in them does not know” in 59:8; as “we are well aware of” in 59:12; as “will be
known” in 61:9; 66:14.
3063 Yehudah, proper name, “Judah, praise.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 26:1-2.
Translated as “Judah” in 1:1 (2x); 2:1; 3:1; 3:8; 5:3; 5:7; 7:1; 7:6; 7:17; 8:8; 9:21: 11:12; 11:13 (3x);
19:17; 22:8; 22:21; 26:1; 36:1; 36:7; 37:10; 37:31; 38:9; 40:9; 44:26; 48:1; 65:9.
3068 YHWH (Yahweh), proper name, LORD. Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:2; 1:9; 42:5; 44:6. YHWH
occurs first in Isaiah 1:2. YHWH is translated as LORD 426 times in Isaiah in the DASV. YHWH is
God’s descriptive name for Himself as described in Exodus 3:14, “I AM WHO I AM” in the NASB
and “I AM THAT I AM” in the KJV.
3068/6635 (YHWH tsaba), “LORD of hosts,” YHWH proper name, “LORD” and Tsaba, noun,
“hosts, armies” YWHW tsaba occurs first in Isaiah 1:9
The phrase “LORD of hosts” occurs 62 times in the DASV: 1:9; 1:24; 2:12; 3:1; 3:15; 5:7, 9, 16, 24;
6:3, 5; 8:13, 18; 9:7, 13, 19; 10:16, 23, 24, 26, 33; 13:4, 13; 14:22, 23, 24, 27; 17:3; 18:7 (twice);
19:4, 12, 16, 17, 18, 20, 25; 21:10; 22:5, 12, 14 (twice), 25; 23:9; 24:23; 25:6; 28:5, 22, 29; 29:6;
31:4, 5; 37:16, 32; 39:5; 44:6; 45:13; 47:4; 48:2; 51:15; and 54:5. Note: The NASB has “Lord GOD
of hosts” instead of “LORD of hosts” in Isaiah 1:24; 3:1; 3:15; 10:23; 10:24; 19:4; 22:5; 22:12;
22:14; 22:15; and 28:22; and “Lord, the GOD of hosts” in 10:16 and 10:33.
3126 yoneq, noun, “sapling, tender plant.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in O.T. in Isaiah 53:2.
Translated as “like a tender plant” in 53:2.
3213 yalal, verb, “to howl, to wail.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 15:2.
Translated as “wail” in 13:6; 14:31; 16:7; 23:1; 23:6; 23:14; as “wails” in 15:2; as “everyone wails”
in 15:3; as “will wail” in 16:7; as “over them shout a taunt at them” in 52:5; as “they will wail” in
65:14.
3276 yaal, verb, “to gain profit, to benefit.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 44:10.
Translated as “or profit” in 30:5; as “help” in 30:6; as “worthless” in 44:9; as “of any benefit” in
44:10; as “will succeed” in 47:12; as “you what is good” in 48:17; as “they will not help” in 57:12.
3284 yaanah, noun, “greed?” Often translated as ostriches or owls. Discussed in and first occurs in Isaiah
13:21. Translated as “Ostriches” in 13:21; as “of owls” in 34:13; as “and the ostriches” in 43:20.
763…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
3289 yoetz (yaats), verb, “to advise, to counsel.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 9:6.
Translated as “and your counselors” in 1:26; as “the counselor” in 3:3; as “planned” in 7:5; as
“Counselor” in 9:6; as “just as I have planned” in 14:24; as “devised” in 14:26; as “has planned” in
14:27; 19:12; 23:9; as “counselors” in 19:11; as “advises” in 19:17; as “who has planned this” in
23:8; as “he devises” in 32:7; as “plans” in 32:8; as “with whom did he consult” in 40:14; as “there is
no sage among them” in 41:28; as “let them take counsel” in 45:21.
3335 yasar, verb, “to fashion, to form.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 45:18; 54:5.
Translated as “him who planned” in 22:11; as “on them, and he formed” in 27:11; as “Should the
potter” in 29:16; as “of him who formed” in 29:16; as “like a potter’s” in 30:14; as “I planned” in
37:26; as “like the potter” in 41:25; as “he who formed” in 43:1; 44:24; as “whom I have formed” in
43:7; as “formed” in 43:10; as “I formed” in 43:21; as “and formed” in 44:2; as “All those who make”
in 44:9; as “has fashioned” in 44:10; as “fashions” in 44:12; as “I have formed” in 44:21; as “I form”
in 45:7; as “with his Maker!” in 45:9; as “to the one who shapes” in 45:9; as “and his maker” in
45:11; as “who formed” in 45:18 (2x); 49:5; as “I have planned” in 46:11; as “that is formed” in
54:17; as “and you are the potter” in 64:8.
3365 yaqar, verb, “to be precious, to be prized.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 43:4
Translated as “more rare” in 13:12; as “you have been precious” in 43:4. See notes in 43:4 for other
occurrences of yaqar in the O.T.
3372 yare, verb, “afraid, fear, revere.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 50:10; 57:11.
Translated as “and don’t be afraid” in 7:4; as “do not be afraid” in 8:12; 10:24; 37:6; 40:9; as “feared”
in 18:2; 18:7; as “from a terrifying” in 21:1; as “with fear” in 25:3; as “be afraid” in 35:4; as “and
fear” in 41:5; as “afraid” in 41:10; 41:13; 41:14; 43:1; 43:5; 44:2; 51:7; 54:4; as “So why are you
afraid” in 51:12; as “for you will not fear” in 54:14; as “and in fear of” in 57:11; as “fear me” in
57:11; as “So they will fear” in 59:19; as “awesome deeds” in 64:3. (Note: yare (3372) is likely the
same as yare (3373).
3373 yare, adjective, “afraid.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in Isaiah in 50:10.
Translated as “Who among you fears” in 50:10. See 3372 above.
3374 yirah, noun, “fear.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 57:11.
Translated as “for fear” in 7:25; as “and of the fear” in 11:2; as “in the fear” in 11:3; as “and their
fear” in 29:3; as “The fear” in 33:6; as “so we do not fear you” in 63:17.
3381 yarad, verb, “brought down, come down.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 14:15.
Translated as “will descend” in 5:14; as “I have brought down” in 10:13; as “is brought down” in
14:11; as “Yet you will be brought down” in 14:15; as “who go down” in 14:19; as “falling down” in
15:3; as “to go down” in 30:2; as “to those who go down” in 31:1; as “come down” in 31:4; as
“destroys” in 32:19; as “look, it will come down” in 34:5; as “will fall” in 34:7; as “which is gone
down” in 38:8; as “on which it had gone down” in 38:8; as “Those who go down” in 38:18; as “You
who go down” in 42:10; as “and I will force (them) to become as fugitives” in 43:14; as “Come
down” in 47:1; as “went down” in 52:4; as “comes down” in 55:10; as “and I spilled” in 63:6; as “that
go down” in 63:14; as “and come down” in 64:1; as “you came down” in 64:3.
3427 yashab, verb, “to sit, abide, remain.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 47:1.
Occurs often in Isaiah, first occurs in 3:26 translated as “will sit.”
764…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
3444 yeshuah, noun, “salvation.” Discussed in notes in 12:2; 52:7; 59:11.
Translated as “is my salvation” in 12:2; as “he has become my salvation” in 12:2; as “of salvation” in
12:3; 33:6; 49:8; 59:17; as “in his salvation” in 25:9; as “salvation” in 26:1; 52:7; 60:18; as “any
deliverance” in 26:18; as “our salvation” in 33:2; as “that you may bring my salvation” in 49:6; as
“but my salvation” in 51:6; as “and my salvation” in 51:8; as “the salvation” in 52:10; as “for my
salvation” in 56:1; as “for salvation” in 59:11; as “and her salvation” in 62:1. Note: Yeshuah is the
Hebrew name for Jesus.
3467 yasha, verb, “save, savior, to deliver.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 12:2.
Translated as “them a savior” in 19:20; as “and he will save” in 25:9; as “you will be delivered” in
30:15; as “he will save” in 33:22; as “and save you” in 35:4; as “save” in 37:20; as “to save” in 37:35;
63:1; as “is ready to save” in 38:20; as “Your Savior” in 43:3; 49:26; as “me there is no savior” in
43:11; as “delivered” in 43:12; as “Savior” in 45:15; as “will be saved” in 45:17; as “who cannot
save” in 45:20; as “and a Savior” in 45:21; as “to me, and be saved” in 45:22; as “nor is able to save”
in 46:7; as “and save” in 47:13; as “there is no one who can save” in 47:15; as “I will save” in 49:25;
as “that it cannot save” in 59:21; as “brought salvation” in 59:16; as “am your Savior” in 60:16; as
“brought (me) salvation” in 63:5; as “so he became their Savior” in 63:8; as “saved” in 63:9; as “Can
we really be saved?” in 64:5.
3468 yesha, noun, “salvation, deliverance.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 52:7.
Translated as “of your salvation; in 17:10; as “salvation” in 45:8; as “my salvation” in 51:5; as “of
salvation” in 61:10; as “Look, your salvation” in 62:11.
3513 kabed, verb, “burdensome, heavy, honored, weighty.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 43:4; 58:13.
Translated as “against the honorable” in 3:5; as “deaf” in 6:10; 59:1; as “he will make glorious” in
9:1; as “are honored” in 23:8; as “all the honored” in 23:9; as “glorify” in 24:15; as “will be heavy” in
24:20; as “with respect” in 25:3; as “You are glorified” in 26:15; as “honor” in 29:13; as “and
special” in 43:4; as “will honor” in 43:20; as “or honored” in 43:23; as “heavy” in 47:6; as “for I will
be honored” in 49:5; as “honorable” in 58:13; as “and if you honor” in 58:13; as “glorious” in 60:13;
as “be glorified” in 66:5.
3519 kabod, noun, “glory, glorious, weighty.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 2:10; 6:3; 35:2; 43:7; 44:23; and
60:1.Translated as “glorious” in 3:8; 4:2; 11:10; as “glory” in 4:5; 6:3; 8:7; 10:16; 14:18; 16:14; 17:3;
17:4; 21:16; 22:23; 22:24; 24:23; 35:2; 35:2; 40:5; 42:8; 42:12; 43:7; 48:11; 58:8; 59:19; 60:1; 60:2;
60:13; 61:6; 62:2; 66:18; 66:19 (2x); as “nobles” in 5:13; as “wealth” in 10:13; 66:12; as “grandeur”
in 10:18; as “marvelous” in 22:18; as “breasts” in 66:11. Kabod is among many Hebrew words in
Isaiah that are worthy of deeper study by the student of the Scriptures.
3544 keheh, adjective, “dim, dull, faint.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 61:3.
Translated as “and a faintly” in 42:3; as “of despondency” in 61:3.
3557 kul, verb, “to keep in, to measure, to contain, to comprehend.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah
only in 40:12. Translated as “and measured out” in 40:12.
3559 kun, verb, “establish, firm.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 45:18.
Translated as “will be established” in 2:2; as “to establish” in 9:7; as “Get ready” in 14:21; as “will be
established” in 16:5; as “made ready” in 30:33; as “to set up” in 40:20; as “who established it” in
45:18; as “who is determined” in 51:13; as “you will be established” in 54:14; as “until he
reestablishes” in 62:7. Note: in Isaiah 62:7, the NASB has “until He establishes.”
765…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
3584 kachash, verb, “deceiving, lying.” Discussed in notes and only occurs in Isaiah in 59:13.
Translated as “and denying” in 59:13.
3566 Koresh, proper name, “Cyrus.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 44:28; 45:1; 46:2.
Translated as “of Cyrus” in 44:28; as “to Cyrus” in 45:1.
3637 kalam, verb, “ashamed, embarrassed, humiliated.” Discussed in the notes in Isaiah 50:7; 54:4.
Translated as “and disgrace” in 41:11; as “and humiliated” in 45:16; as “or humiliated” in 45:17; as “I
will not be disgraced” in 50:7; as “Do not be embarrassed” in 54:4.
3722 kaphar, verb, “to cover over, to make atonement.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 47:11.
Translated as “forgiven” in 6:7; as “will not be forgiven” in 22:14; as “will be forgiven” in 27:9; as
“will be annulled” in 28:18; as “to get rid of it for a price” in 47:11.
3724 kopher, noun, “ransom, price of a life.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in 43:3.
Translated as “as your ransom” in 43:3. Kopher also occurs in the O.T. in Genesis 6:14; Exodus
21:30; 30:12; Numbers 35:31; 35:32; 1 Samuel 6:18; 12:3; Job 33:24; 36:18; Psalm 49:7; Proverbs
6:35; 13:8; 21:18; Song of Songs 1:14; 4:13; Amos 5:12.
3772 karath, verb, “cut down, cut off, make.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 55:3b.
Translated as “will cut off” in 9:14; as “and to cut off” in 10:7; as “will be cut off” in 11:13; 29:20; as
“no woodcutter” in 14:8; as “and cut off” in 14:22; as “he will prune off” in 18:5; as “that was
hanging on it will fall down” in 22:25; as “We have made” in 28:15; as “I cut down” in 37:24; as “He
cuts down” in 44:14; as “so that I do not destroy you” in 48:9; as “would not be cut off” in 48:19; as
“I will make” in 55:3; as “that will never be cut off” in 55:13; as “that will not be cut off” in 56:5; as
“and made” in 57:8; as “and make” in 61:8.
3785 kesheph, noun, “sorceries.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 47:12.
Translated as “sorceries” in 47:9; as “of your sorceries” in 47:12.
3820 leb, noun, “heart, mind, will.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 61:1.
Translated as “Make the heart” in 6:10; as “My heart” in 15:5; as “(merry)-hearted” in 24:7; as “their
heart” in 29:13; as “and his heart” in 32:6; as “Your heart” in 33:18; as “heart” in 35:4; 38:3; as
“kindly” in 40:2; as “(so that we may) consider” in 41:22; as “not take it to heart” in 42:25; as “to
mind” in 44:19; 46:8; 65:17; as “mind” in 44:20; as “(stubborn)-hearted” in 46:12; as “these things in
your heart” in 47:7; as “in your heart” in 47:10; as “in their heart” in 51:7; as “(it) to heart” in 57:1; as
“or give me a thought” in 57:11; as “the heart” in 57:15; as “of their own hearts” in 57:17; as “from
the heart” in 59:13; as “the (broken)hearted” in 61:1; as “was in my heart” in 63:4; as “our heart” in
63:17; as “of heart” in 65:14 (2x); as “and your heart” in 66:14.
3928 limmud, adjective, “disciple, taught.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 50:4.
Translated as “among my disciples” in 8:16; as “of a teacher” in 50:4; as “like those who are taught”
in 50:4; as “will be taught” in 54:13. Also occurs in the O.T. in Jeremiah 2:24 and 13:23.
3988 maas, verb, “reject, despise, cut off.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 1:4.
Translated as “rejected” in 5:24; as “refuse” in 7:15; 7:16; as “has refused” in 8:6; as “despise” in
30:12; as “despised” in 33:8; as “despises” in 33:15; as “cast away” in 31:7; as “cast you away” in
41:9; as “was rejected” in 54:6.
766…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
4122 Maher-shalal-hash-baz, noun, proper name, Literally: “quick to the plunder, swift to the spoil”
Discussed in notes and occurs first in Isaiah 8:1. Translated as Maher-shalal-hash-baz in 8:1; 8:3.
4127 mug, verb, “dissolve, faint, melt.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 64:7.
Translated as “are melted” in 14:31; as “and have consumed” in 64:7.
4160 muts, verb, “extortioner, oppressor.” Discussed in and occurs in O.T. only in Isaiah 16:4.
Translated as “for the oppressor” in 16:4.
4168 moqed, noun, “burning, altar hearth.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in Isaiah 33:14.
Translated as “fire” in 33:14. Moqed occurs also in the O.T. in Psalm 102:3 (2x).
4172 morah, noun, “fear, respect, reverence.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 8:13.
Translated as “what they fear” in 8:12; as “let him be your fear” in 8:13.
4229 mahah, verb, “blot out, wipe out.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 43:26; 44:22.
Translated as “choice meats” in 25:6; as “will wipe away” in 25:8; as “(I am he) who blots out” in
43:25; as “I have blotted out” in 44:22.
4325 mayim, noun, “water.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 48:1.
Mayim occurs 57 times in Isaiah, occurring first in 1:22, translated as “with water.”
4339 meshar, noun, “straight, upright.” Discussed in notes and occurs first in Isaiah 26:7.
Translated as “is straight” in 26:7; as “straight” in 33:15; as “things that are right” in 45:19. Also
occurs int the O.T. in 1 Chronicles 29:17; Psalms 9:8; 17:2; 58:1; 75:2; 96:10; 98:9; 99:4; Proverbs
1:3; 2:9; 8:6; 23:16; 23:31; Song of Songs 1:4; 7:9 and Daniel 11:6.
4341 makob (machoboth), noun, “pain, sorrow.” Discussed in notes and occurs first in Isaiah 53:3.
Translated as “of sorrows” in 53:3; as “our sorrows” in 53:4.
4349 makon, noun, “fixed place, established place,” “dwelling place” (KJV, NKJV). Discussed in notes
and first occurs in Isaiah 4:5. Translated as “the entirety” in 4:5; as “dwelling place” in 18:4.
4428 melek, noun, “king.” Occurs 80 times in Isaiah. Discussed in notes in Isaiah 37:9; 57:9.
Occurs first in Isaiah 1:1.
4570 magal, noun, “path, track, way.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 26:7.
Translated as “the path” in 26:7; as “in their paths” in 59:8. Magal also occurs in the O.T. in 1 Samuel
17:20; 26:5; 26:7; Psalms 17:5; 23:3; 65:11; 140:5; Proverbs 2:9; 2:15; 2:18; 4:11; 4:26; 5:6 and 5:21.
4620 maatsebah, noun, “a place of pain, torment.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in the O.T. in Isaiah
50:11. Translated as “in torment” in 50:11.
4705 mitsar, noun, “insignificant, small thing.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in 63:8.
Translated as “for a little while” in 63:8. Also occurs in the O.T. in Genesis 19:20 (2x), 2 Chronicles
24:24; and Job 8:7.
4775 marad, verb, “rebel.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 1:4; 46:8.
Translated as “that you have rebelled” in 36:5, (only occurrence in Isaiah).
767…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
4784 marah, verb, “rebellious, contentious.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:4; 46:8; 63:10.
Translated as “and rebel” in 1:20; as “defying” in 3:8; as “and I was not rebellious” in 50:5; as “But
they rebelled” in 63:10.
4805 meri, noun, “rebellious.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:4, 46:8.
Translated as “For they are a rebellious” in 30.9, (only occurrence in Isaiah).
4853 massa, noun, “oracle, burden.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:1; introduction to chapters 13-23; 13:1;
14:28; 15:1; introduction to section 17:1-4.
Translated as “An oracle” in 13:1; 14:28; 15:1; 17:1; 19:1; 21:1 21:11; 21:13; 22:11; 23:1; 30:6; as
“The load “in 22:5; as “are a burden” in 46:1; as “these burdens” in 46:2.
4886 mashah, verb, “to anoint.” Discussed in but does not occur in the notes in Isaiah 45:1.
Translated as “oil” in 21:5; as “has anointed” in 61:1. Note: Mashah occurs 69 times in the O.T. and
of these 4 apply to the Messiah: Psalm 45:7; 89:20; Isaiah 61:1 and Daniel 9:24.
4899 mashiah, noun, “anointed.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in 45:1.
Translated as “to his anointed” in 45:1. Notes (1) In Isaiah 45:1, mashiah is applied to the Persian
king Cyrus. (2) Mashiah occurs 39 times in the O.T. and of these 12 apply to the Messiah: 1 Samuel
2:10; 2:35; 2 Samuel 22:51; 23:1; Psalms 2:2; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; 89:51; Daniel 9:25; 9:26 and
Habakkuk 3:13.
4908 mishkan, noun, “dwelling place, tabernacle.” Discussed but does not occur in Isaiah 4:6 and 7:14.
Translated as “tomb in 22:16; as “homes” in 32:18; as “of your dwellings” in 54:2. See Exodus 25:9
for first occurrence of miskan in O.T.
4912 mashal, noun, “proverb, parable.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in Isaiah 14:4.
Translated as “this taunt” in 14:4.
4939 mispach, noun, “oppression.” Discussed in notes and occurs in O.T. only in Isaiah 5:7.
Translated as “but got only oppression” in 5:7
4941 mishpat, noun, “justice, judgment.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 5:7, 30:18; 40:14; 42:1; 51:4; 53:8;
58:2; chapter 59 introduction; 59:3-4; 59:9-10; and 59:11.
Translated as “justice” in 1:17; 5:7; 16:5; 28:17; 42:1; 42:3; 42:4; 59:14; 61:8; as “of justice” in 1:21;
28:6; 30:18; 40:14; as “with justice” in 1:27; 9:7; 33:5; as “judgment” in 3:14; as “of judgment” in
4:4; as “by justice” in 5:16; as “of their rights” in 10:2; as “of your judgments” in 26:8; as “For when
your judgments” in 26:9; as “to the one who sits in judgment” in 28:6; as “correctly” in 28:26; as “in
justice” in 32:1; as “right” in 32:7; as “Then justice” in 32:16; as “to destruction” in 34:5; as “and the
justice due me” in 40:27; as “for judgment” in 41:1; as “the justice due me” in 49:4; as “and I will
establish my justice” in 51:4; as “and judgment” in 53:8; as “accusations against you” in 54:17; as
“Be just” in 56:1; as “the ordinance” in 58:2; as “me for righteous” in 58:2; as “there is no justice” in
59:8; as “Therefore justice is” in 59:9; as “for justice” in 59:11; as “and the fact there was no justice”
in 59:15.
5006 naats, verb, “despise, spurn, blaspheme.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 1:4.
Translated as “they have despised” in 1:4; as “and despised” in 5:24; as “blasphemed” in 52:5 as “and
all who despised” in 60:14. Note In Isaiah 1:4, the DASV states, “they have despised the Holy One of
768…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
Israel; but the KJV states “they have provoked the Holy One of Israel until anger.” The words “until
anger” is another occurrence in the KJV of naats.
5007 neatsah, noun, “contempt, disgrace.” Discussed in notes and only occurs in Isaiah in Isaiah 37:3.
Translated as “of disgrace” in 37:3. Also occurs in the O.T. in 2 Kings 19:3; Nehemiah 9:18; 9:26;
and Ezekiel 35:12.
5065 nagas, verb, “to drive, exact, oppress.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 53:7; 60:17.
Translated as “will be oppressed” in 3:5; as “oppress them” in 3:12; as “of their oppressor” in 9:4; as
“over their oppressors” in 14:2; as “How the oppressor” in 14:4; as “He was oppressed” in 53:7; as
“and oppress” in 58:3; as “your ruler” in 60:17.
5137 nazah (yazzeh), verb, “to sprinkle.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 52:15.
Translated as “So he will sprinkle” in 52:15; as “splattered” in 63:3. Note: Some scholars suggest that
nazah (yazzeh) has the meaning of “to startle.”
5148 nachah, verb, “to guide, to lead.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 57:18.
Translated as “I will lead him” in 57:18; as “will guide” in 58:11.
5150 nichum, noun, “comfort, compassion.” Discussed in notes and only occurs in Isaiah in 57:18.
Translated as “comfort” in 57:18. Also occurs in O.T. in Hosea 11:8 and Zechariah 1:13.
5162 naham, verb, “comfort, console.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 51:12.
Translated as “I will take vengeance” in 1:24; as “and you comfort” in 12:1; as “don’t try to comfort”
in 22:4; as “comfort” in 40:1 (2x); as “has comforted” in 49:13; as “will comfort” in 51:3; as “he will
comfort” in 51:3; as “I, even I, am he who comforts” in 51:12; as “who will comfort” in 51:19; as
“has comforted” in 52:9; as “and not comforted” in 54:11; as “should I be appeased” in 57:6; as “to
comfort” in 61:2; as “comforts” in 66:13; as “so will I comfort” in 66:13; as “and you will be
comforted” in 66:13.
5186 natah, verb, “stretch out, spread out.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 44:20; 44:24.
Translated as “with outstretched” in 3:16; as “he has stretched out” in 5:25; as “stretched out” in 5:25;
45:12; as “is stretched out still” in 9:12; 9:17; 9:21; 10:4; as “to turn aside” in 10:2; as “that is
stretched out” in 14:26; as “is stretched out” in 14:27; as “He has stretched out” in 23:11; as “and
denies” in 29:21; as “turn aside” in 30:11; as “will stretch out” in 31:3; as “He will stretch over it” in
34:11; as “Incline” in 37:17; 55:3; as “stretches out” in 40:22; 44:13; as “and stretched them out” in
42:5; as “has led him astray” in 44:20; as “who stretches forth” in 44:24; as “who stretched out” in
51:13; as “and stretch out” in 54:2; as “Look, I will extend” in 66:12.
5193 nata, noun, “to plant, to establish.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 40:24 and 51:16.
Translated as “and planted it” in 5:2; as “so you plant” in 17:10; as “plant” in 37:30; as “are they
planted” in 40:24; as “He plants” in 44:14; as “who established” in 51:16; as “they will plant” in
65:21; as “they will not plant” in 65:22. See also Amos 9:15.
5203 natash, verb, “forsake, leave, abandon.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:4; 42:16.
Translated as “For you have rejected” in 2:6; as “were spread abroad” in 16:8; as “the drawn” in
21:15; as “will be forsaken” in 32:14; as “is loosed” in 33:23.
769…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
5221 nakah (nagua), verb, “to smite, to strike.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 52:15; 53:4.
Translated as “Why should you be beaten” in 1:5; as “and has struck them” in 5:25; as “to him who
struck” in 9:13; as “on the one who struck” in 10:20; as “though he strikes” in 10:24; as “He will
strike” in 11:4; as “will split” in 11:15; as “that struck down” in 14:6; as “that struck” in 14:29; as
“He has struck” in 27:7; as “those who struck” in 27:7; as “when he strikes” in 30:31; as “and struck
down” in 37:36; as “killed” in 37:38; as “strike (them) down” in 49:10; as “to those who beat me” in
50:6; as “smitten” in 53:4; as “and struck” in 57:17; as “I struck” in 60:10; as “is just like the one who
kills” in 66:3. Note” in 58:4, nakah (nagua) is not directly translated. The KJV has “and to smite”
(with the fist of wickedness).
5223 nakeh, adjective, “lame, stricken.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in 66:2.
Translated as “and contrite” in 66:2. Also occurs in the O.T. in 2 Samuel 4:4 and 9:3.
5311 nephets, noun, “cloudburst, storm.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in the O.T. in Isaiah 30:30.
Translated as “with a cloudburst” in 30:30.
5315 nephesh, noun, “soul, person, life, desire.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 58:11.
Translated as “I” in 1:14; as “to their soul” in 3:9; as “its throat” in 5:14; as “and soul” in 10:18; as
“their souls” in 15:4; as “of our soul” in 26:8; as “my soul” in 26:9; 61:10; as “stomach” in 29:8; as
“the soul” in 32:6; as “of my soul” in 38:15; as “my soul” in 38:17; as “in whom my soul” in 42:1; as
“instead of your life” in 43:4; as “himself” in 44:20; as “but they themselves” in 46:2; as
“themselves” in 47:14; 58:5; as “to one” in 49:7; as “you” in 51:23; as “when his life” in 53:10; as
“of his soul” in 53:11; as “himself” in 53:12; as “yourselves” in 55:2; as “so you” in 55:3; as
“ourselves” in 58:3; as “yourself” in 58:10; as “the needs” in 58:10; as “your desire” in 58:11; as “and
their soul” in 66:3.
5337 natsal, verb, “defend, deliver, recover, rescue.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 50:2.
Translated as “and there is no one to rescue” in 5:29; as “who will deliver them” in 19:20; as “and
deliverance” in 20:6; as “and deliver” in 31:5; as “to rescue you” in 36:14; as “will surely rescue” in
36:15; as “will rescue” in 36:18; as “been able to deliver” in 36:8; as “Did any of them deliver” in
36:19; as “were able to deliver” in 36:20; as “deliver” in 36:20; 57:13; as “and do you really think
that you will be rescued” in 37:11; as “delivered” in 37:12; as “I will deliver” in 38:6; as “with none
to rescue” in 42:22; as “There is no one who can deliver” in 43:13; as “Rescue” in 44:17; as “He
cannot save” in 44:20; as “They will not be able to save” in 47:14; as “to deliver” in 50:2.
5341 natsar, verb, “keep, preserve, watch.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 48:6.
Translated as “like a besieged” in 1:8; as “You will keep” in 26:3; as “am its keeper” in 27:3; as “I
will guard” in 27:3; as “and protect” in 42:6; as “hidden things” in 48:6; as “I will protect you” in
49:8; as “in the secret places” in 65:4. Note: In 49:6, the DASV has “the survivors” which is the
Hebrew natsar in the KJV, and the Hebrew natsir (Strong’s # 5336) in the NASB.
5342 nester, noun, “a sprout, a shoot.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 11:1.
Translated as “and a branch” in 11:1; in 14:19; as “like a shoot” in 60:21. See also, 6780, semah.
5359 naqam, noun, “avenge, vengeance.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 47:3; 59:17; 63:4.
Translated as “of vengeance” in 34:8; 59:17; 61:2; 63:4; as “with vengeance” in 35:4; as “vengeance”
in 47:3.
770…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
5377 nasha, verb, “to lend, to deceive.” Discussed in notes and occurs first in Isaiah 19:13.
Translated as “are deceived” in 19:13; as “deceive” in 36:14; 37:10.
5397 neshamah, verb, “breath.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 42:5; 57:16.
Translated as “whose breath” in 2:22; as “the breath” in 30:33; as “breath” in 42:5; as “even the
breath of life” in 57:16.
5472 sug, verb, “to turn away, to backslide.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 59:13.
Translated as “will be turned (back)” in 42:17; as “nor did I turn (back)” in 50:5; as “turning away” in
59:13.
5521 sukka, noun, “shelter, booth.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 4:6.
Translated as “like a hut” in 1:8; as “there will be a shelter” in 4:6. See Leviticus 23:34 in context of
the feast of tabernacles (booths).
5545 salach, verb, “pardon.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in Isaiah in 55:7.
Translated as “pardon” in 55:7.
5627 sarah, noun, “rebel, defect.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:5; 46:8; 59:13.
Translated as “Why do you rebel” in 1:5; as “rebelled” in 31:6; as “revolt” in 59:13.
5637 sarar, verb, “stubborn, rebellious.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:4; 46:8-9; 65:2.
Translated as “are rebellious” in 1:23; as “to the rebellious” in 30:1; as “to a rebellious” in 65:2.
5650 ebed, noun, “servant, bondage, slave, official, attendant.” In all occurrences in Isaiah, ebed is
translated as servant or servants. Discussed in notes in Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; and 52:13-
53:12. Translated as “for servants” in 14:2; as “my servant” (Isaiah) in 20:3; as “my servant”
(Eliakim) in 22:20; as “the servant” in 24:2; as (my master’s) “servants” in 36:9; as “your servants” in
36:11; as “the servants” (of King Hezekiah); in 37:5; as “your servants” in 37:24; as “my servant”
(David) in 37:35; as (Israel) “my servant” in 41:8; as “my servant” in 41:9; as “my servant” in 42:1;
as “my servant” in 42:19; as (the LORD’s) “servant” in 42:19; as “my servant” in 43:10; as (Jacob)
“my servant” in 44:1; as (Jacob) “my servant” in 44:2; as “my servant” in 44:21 as “my servant”
(Israel) in 44:21; as “his servant” in 44:26; as (Jacob) “my servant’s” (sake) in 45:4; as “his servant”
(Jacob) in 48:20; as “my servant” (Israel) in 49:3; as “his servant” in 49:5; as “my servant” in 49:6; as
“a servant” in 49:7; as “his servant” in 50:10; as “my servant” in 52:13; as “my (righteous) servant”
in 53:11; as “the servants” (of the LORD) in 54:17; as “his servants” in 56:6; as “your servants”
(sake) in 63:17; as “my servants” (sake) in 65:8; as “my servants” in 65:9; as “my servants” (3x) in
65:13; as “my servants” in 65:14; as “his servants” in 65:15; and as “his servants” in 66:14.
5678 ebrah, noun, “wrath, anger, rage, fury.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 10:6.
Translated as “Though the wrath” in 9:19; as “of my wrath” in 10:6; as “with wrath” in 13:9; as “at
the wrath” in 13:13; as “in wrath” in 14:6; as “and insolence” in 16:6.
5703/0001 abhi ad, proper name. Translated as “Everlasting Father” in Isaiah 9:6.
5703 abhi noun, “eternal, everlasting.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 9:6.
Translated as “Everlasting” in 9:6; as “forever” in 26:4; 64:9; 65:18; as “future: in 30:8; as “eternity”
in 57:15. Note: Abhi is not translated in 45:17 in the DASV. The KJV has “world without end.”
771…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
5707 ed, noun, “witness.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 44:9.
Translated as “witnesses in 8:2; as “and a witness” in 19:20; as “their witnesses” in 43:9; as “You are
my witnesses” in 43:10; 43:12; 44:8; as “their own witnesses” in 44:9; as “him for a witness” in 55:4.
Note: In 30:8, ed is not translated directly but the English word “witness” occurs in the DASV,
NASB, NIV, and the ESV. The KJV and NKJV have “For ever and ever.”
5753 avah, verb, “to twist, to bend.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 24:1.
Translated as “I was so bewildered” in 21:3; as “twists” in 24:1.
5766 avlah, noun, unrighteousness, evil, injustice.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in Isaiah 59:3.
Translated as “wickedness” in 59:3. Note: KJV translates avlah as “perverseness.”
5769 olam, noun, “eternal, everlasting, long duration.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 40:28.
Translated as “forever” in 9:7; 30:8; 32:14; 32:17; 34:10; 34:17; 40:8; 47:7; 57:16; 59:21; 60:15;
60:21; as “will never” in 14:20; as “the everlasting” in 24:5; as “it will never” in 25:2; as “you have
an everlasting” in 26:4; as “with the consuming” in 33:14; as “everlasting” in 35:10; 51:11; 61;7; as
“The everlasting” in 40:28; as “for a long time” in 42:14; as “an ancient” in 44:7; as “with an
everlasting” in 45:17; as “of old” in 46:9; 51:9; 63:9; 63:11; as “will last forever” in 51:6; 51:8; as
“but with everlasting” in 54:8; as “an everlasting” in 55:3; 61:8; 63:12; as “for an everlasting” in
55:13; as “them an everlasting” in 56:5; as “for a long time” in 57:11; as “the old” in 58:12; as “will
be an everlasting” in 60:19; as “will be your everlasting” in 60:20; as “the ancient” in 61:4; as “is
from ancient times” in 63:16; as “you never” in 63:19; as “For from of old” in 64:4; as “a long time”
in 64:5. Note: in 45:17, olam is not translated in the DASV, but is translated as “world without end”
in the KJV.
5769/430 El-Olam, proper name, “everlasting God.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in 40:28.
Translated as “The everlasting God” in 40:28. Also occurs in the O.T. in Genesis 21:33.
5771 avon, noun, “guilt, iniquity, sinfulness.” Discussed in notes and occurs first in Isaiah 1:4.
Translated as “with iniquity” in 1:4; 59:3; as “iniquity” in 5:18; 27:9; as “your iniquity” in 6:7; as “for
their iniquity” in 13:11; as “for the sins” in 14:21; as “Surely this iniquity” in 22:14; as “for their sin”
in 26:21; as “therefore this iniquity” in 30:13; as “their sin” in 33:24; as “that her iniquity” in 40:2; as
“me with your iniquities” in 43:24; as “because of your sins” in 50:1; as “for our iniquities” in 53:5;
as “on him the sin” in 53:6; as “their sins” in 53:11; as “unjust” in 57:17; as “But your iniquities” in
59:2; as “and as for our iniquities” in 59:12; as “and our sins” in 64:6; as “of our iniquities” in 64:7;
as “our iniquity in 64:9; as “Both your sins” in 65:7; as “and their sins” in 65:7.
5773 ivim, noun, “distortion.” Discussed in notes and only occurrence in O.T. is in Isaiah 19:14.
Translated as “of distortion” in 19:14.
5800 azab, verb, “leave, forsake.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:4; 42:16.
Translated as “They have forsaken” in 1:4; as “and those who forsake” in 1:28: as “deserted” in 7:16;
as “Where will you leave” in 10:3; as “that are abandoned” in 10:14; as “are forsaken” in 17:2; as
“like the forsaken” in 17:9; as “which were abandoned” in 17:9; as “They will be left” in 18:6; as
“and forsaken” in 27:10; as “deserted” in 32:14; as “will not abandon” in 41:17; as “and I will not
forsake” in 42:16; as “has forsaken” in 49:14; as “forsaken” in 54:6; as “I abandoned” in 54:7; as
“forsake” in 55:7; as “and has not rejected” in 58:2; as “you have been forsaken” in 60:15; as
“Forsaken” in 62:4; as “Not Forsaken” in 62:12; as “But you who forsake” in 65:11.
772…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
5850 atarah, noun, “crown, wreath.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 62:3
Translated as “to the (proud) crown” in 28:1; as “The (proud) crown” in 28:3; as “will become a
crown” in 28:5; as “You will also be a crown” in 62:3.
5869 ayin, noun, “eyes, look.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 3:8.
Translated as “eyes” in 1:15; 1:16; 3:16; 5:15; 5:21; 6:5; 6:10 (2x); 11:3; 13:16; 13:18; 17:7; 29:10;
29:18; 30:20; 32:13; 33:15; 33:17; 33:20; 35:5; 37:17; 37:23; 38:14; 40:26; 42:7; 43:8; 44:18; 49:5;
49:18; 51:6; 52:10; 59:10; 60:4; 64:4; 65:12; 65:16; 66:4; as “looks in 2:11; as “watchfulness” in 3:8;
as “look of his eyes” in 10:12; as “in your sight” in 38:3; as “in my sight” in 43:4; as “their own eyes”
in 52:8. Note: the NASB translates ayin as “in his sight” in 59:15. The DASV does not translate this
word in 59:15.
5959 almah, noun (feminine), “virgin, young woman.” Discussed in introduction to Isaiah 7:14-16 and in
notes in 7:14. Translated as “Look, a virgin” in 7:14. Almah occurs in the O.T. in Genesis 24:43;
Exodus 2:8; Psalm 68:25; Proverbs 30:19, Song of Songs 1:3; 6:8; and Isaiah 7:14.
5971 am, noun, “people.” Occurs 130 times in Isaiah. The phrases “my people” and “his people” are
translated from ammi which also is indicated by Strong’s number 5971. “My people” occurs in Isaiah
in 1:3; 3:12 (2x); 3:15; 5:13; 10:2; 10:24; 14:25; 19:25; 21:10; 22:4; 26:20; 32:13; 32:18; 40:1;
43:20; 47:6; 51:4; 51:16; 52:4; 52:5; 52:6; 53:8; 57:14; 58:1; 63:8; 65:10; 65;19; 65:22. “His people”
occurs in Isaiah in 3:14; 5:25; 7:2; 11:11; 11:16; 14:32; 25:8; 28:5; 30:26; 49:13; 51:22; 52:9; 56:3;
63:11. Ammi (his people) is discussed in the notes in Isaiah 25:8.
6005 Immanuel, noun, proper name, literally: “with us is God.” Discussed in the notes for many verses in
the study of Isaiah and most specifically in 7:13; Introduction to 7:14-16; 7:14; 7:15; 7:16;
introduction to Chapter 8; 8:8; 8:9-10. Translated as “Immanuel” in 7:14; as “O Immanuel” in 8:8.
6031 anah, verb, “to be bowed down, to be afflicted.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 53:7.
Translated as “sing” in 27:2; as “or intimidated” in 53:4; as “and afflicted” in 53:4; as “yet when he
was treated harshly” in 53:7; as “Why have we humbled” in 58:3; as “to humble” in 58:5; as “of the
oppressed” in 58:10; as “of your oppressors” in 60:14; as “and punish” in 64:12.
6035 anav, noun, “afflicted, humble, meek, poor.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 61:1.
Translated a “for the oppressed” in 11:4; as “The oppressed” in 29:19; as “the poor” in 32:7; as “to
the poor” in 61:1.
6041 ani, adjective, “afflicted, humble, poor.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 51:21; 66:2.
Translated as “from the poor” in 3:14; as “of the poor” in 3:15; 26:6; as “the poor” in 10:2; 32:7;
41:17; as “O poor” in 10:30; as “the oppressed” in 14:32; as “upon his afflicted” in 49:13; as “this,
you afflicted” in 51:21; as “O afflicted one” in 54:11; as “even to the one who is humble” in 66:2.
Note: Ani is not translated in the DASV in 58:7. The KJV has “the poor.”
6098 esah, noun, “to counsel, to plan, to advise, to purpose.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 11:2; 19:3;
40:13.Translated as “Let the plan” in 5:19; as “a plan” in 8:10; as “of counsel” in 11:2; as “is the
plan” in 14:26; as “counsel” in 16:3; as “their plans” in 19:3; as “of what counsel” in 19:17; as
“plans” in 25:1; 30:1; as “in counsel” in 28:29; as “their plans” in 29:15; as “your strategy” in 36:5; as
“his mentor” in 40:13; as “the predictions” in 44:26; as “My purpose” in 46:10; as “to carry out my
plan” in 46:11; as “all the advice” in 47:13.
773…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
6115 otser, noun, “coercion, restraint.” Discussed in notes and occurs only in Isaiah in 53:8.
Translated as “By oppression” in 53:8. Otser also occurs in the O.T. in Psalm 107:39 and Proverbs
30:16.
6184 arits, adjective, “ruthless, tyrant.” Discussed in notes and first occurrence in Isaiah 13:11.
Translated as “of the ruthless” in 13:11; 25:4; 25:5; as “of ruthless” in 25:3; as “tyrants” in 29:5; as
“For the tyrant” in 29:20; as “of the tyrant” in 49:25.
6206 arats, verb, “to tremble.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 8:13.
Translated as “to terrify” in 2:19; 2:21; as “or be of dread” in 8:12; as “and let him be your dread” in
8:13; as “and will stand in awe” in 29:23; as “maybe you will scare someone” in 47:12.
6213 asah, verb, “to create, to make.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 45:18; 54:5.
Occurs over 100 times in Isaiah. First occurs in 2:8 translated as “have made.”
6258 attah, adverb, “now.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 33:10.
Translated often in Isaiah as “now.” First occurs in 1:21. In 33:10, attah occurs three times for
emphasis on the actions of the LORD.
6286 paar, verb, “beautify, glorify.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 44:23.
Translated as “boast” in 10:15; as “will reveal his glory” in 44:23; as “I will be glorified” in 49:3; as
“for he has glorified” in 55:5; as “and I will beautify” in 60:7; as “he has glorified” in 60:9; as “to \
beautify” in 60:13; as “that I may be glorified” in 60:21; as “to glorify him” in 61:3. Occurs also in
the O.T. in Exodus 8:9; Deuteronomy 24:20; Judges 7:2; Ezra 7:27; Psalm 149:4.
6287 pe’ar (p’er), noun, “headdress, turban.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 61:3.
Translated as “the headdresses” in 3:20; as “them a garland” in 61:3; as “a turban” in 61:10.
6293 paga, verb, “meet, encounter, intercede, plead.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 59:16
Translated as “and I will spare” in 47:3; as “has laid” in 53:6; as “and made intercession” in 53:12; as
“that there was no one to intervene” in 59:16; as “You meet” in 64:5.
6299 padah, verb, “redeemed, ransomed.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:27; 12:2; 35:10; 43:3-4; 50:2;
52:3. Translated as “will be redeemed” in 1:27; as “who redeemed” in 29:22; as “Those ransomed” in
35:10; as “The ransomed” in 51:11.
6304 peduth, noun, “ransom, redeem.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 43:3-4; 50:2.
Occurs in Isaiah only in 50:2 translated as “redeem?” Peduth also occurs in O.T. in Exodus 8:23;
Psalms 111:9; and 130:7.
6342 pachad, verb, “to fear, to dread.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 44:8; 44:11.
Translated as “and not be afraid” in 12:2; as “and fear” in 19:16; as “will be terrified” in 19:17; as
“are afraid” in 33:14; as “Do not tremble” in 44:8; as “They will be terrified” in 44:11; as “afraid” in
51:13; as “will thrill” in 60:5.
6382/3289 (Pele Yoetz (Yaats)), Pele (Wonderful); Yoetz (Yaats) (Counselor). Literally, “wonder of a
counselor.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah 9:6.
774…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
6381 pala, verb, “wonderful, amazing.” Not discussed in the notes.
Translated as “who is wonderful” in 28:29; as “do an astonishing work” in 29:14; as “a truly amazing
work” in 29:14. Pala is related to the Hebrew word pele.
6382 pele, noun, “wonderful.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 9:6.
Translated as “Wonderful” in 9:6; as “wonderful” in 25:1. In Isaiah 29:14 the KJV and NKJV
translate pele as “and a wonder.” The NIV and ESV translate pele in 29:14 as “wonder” but it is not
translated in the DASV. The NASB has “wondrously” in 29:14, which is a translation of the related
Hebrew word, pala.
6437 panah, verb, “to face, to turn.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 45:22.
Translated as “as they turn” in 8:21; as “return” in 13:14; as “prepare” in 40:3; 57:14; 62:10; as
“Look” in 45:22; as “turned” in 53:6; 56:11.
6438 pinnah, noun, “corner, cornerstone.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 19:13.
Translated as “those who were the cornerstones” in 19:13; as “cornerstone” in 28:16. See reference to
the Messiah regarding pinnah, in the notes in Isaiah 19:13.
6459 pesel, noun, “carved image, idol.” Discussed in notes and occurs first in Isaiah 40:19-20.
Translated as “An idol?” in 40:19; as “a carved idol” in 40:20; as “to metal images” in 42:17; as
“idols” in 44:9; as “a metal idol” in 44:10; as “it into a carved idol” in 44:15; as “even his carved
idol” in 44:17; as “of their carved idols” in 45:20; as “My idol” in 48:5.
6468 peullah, noun, “recompense, wages, work.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 62:11.
Translated as “and his prize” in 40:10; as “and my reward” in 49:4; as “repay” in 61:8; as “and his
recompense” in 62:11; as “pay them back in full” in 65:7.
6486 pequddah, noun, “oversight, punishment, visitation.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 60:17.
Translated as “of punishment” in 10:3; as “and that which they have saved up” in 15:7; as “your
overseer” in 60:17.
6565 parar, verb, “breaking, frustrated, annulled.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 8:10.
Translated as “but it will achieve nothing” in 8:10; as “who can annul it” in 14:27; as “broken” in
24:5; as “ripped” in 24:19; as “apart” in 24:19; as “has broken” in 33:8; as “frustrated” in 44:25.
6586 pasha, verb, “rebel, rebellion, transgress.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:2; 1:4; 46:8-9; 48;8; 59:12;
59:13. Translated as “but they have rebelled” in 1:2; as “rebellious” in 1:28; as “have rebelled” in
43:27; as “O rebels” in 46:8; as “a rebel” in 48:8; as “with the transgressors” in 53:12; as “for the
transgressors” in 53:12; as “rebelling” in 59:13; as “who have rebelled” in 66:24.
6588 pesha, noun, “transgressions, rebellion.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:4; 43:25; 46:8-9; 59:12.
Translated as “its transgression” in 24:20; as “your transgressions” in 43:25; 44:22; as “and for your
transgressions” in 50:1; as “for our transgressions” in 53:5; 59:12; as “for the rebellion” in 53:8; as
“of sin” in 57:4; as “their transgression” in 58:1; as “Our transgression” in 59:12; as “from their sin”
in 59:20.
6635 tsaba, noun, “armies, hosts.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 47:4.
Most often connected to the name “LORD of hosts,” see index item 3068/6635.
775…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
As a stand-alone noun, it occurs in Isaiah, translated as “the troops” in 13:4; as “the host” in 24:21; as
“against all their armies” in 34:2; as “All the host” in 34:4; as “all their hosts” in 34:4; as “that her
warfare” in 40:2; as “in ranks” in 40:26; as “to all their host” in 45:12.
6662 saddiq, adjective, “just, righteous.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 51:1.
Translated as “the righteous” in 3:10; 57:1 (2x); as “justice” in 5:23; as “to the Righteous One” in
24:16; as “so that the righteous” in 26:2; as “of the righteous” in 26:7 (2x); as “to the innocent” in
29:21; as “This one is right” in 41:26; as “a righteous” in 45:21; as “my righteous” in 53:11; as “also
will all be righteous” in 60:21.
6663 sadeq, verb, “justify, righteous.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 50:8; 51:1.
Translated as “who acquit” in 5:23; as “so that they may be proven right” in 43:9; as “so that they
may prove your innocence” in 43:26; as “be vindicated” in 45:25; as “The one who vindicates” in
50:8; as “will justify” in 53:11.
6664 sedeq, noun, “righteousness.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah, 51:1; introduction to section 59:1-21;
59:4; 62:1. Translated a “righteousness” in 1:21; 11:5; 16:5; 26:9; 26:10; 45:8; 45:19; 51:1; 51:7; as
“of righteousness” in 1:26; 61:3; as “with righteousness” in 11:4; as “in righteousness” in 32:1; 41:2;
45:13; as “you with my righteous” in 41:10; as “you in righteousness” in 42:6; as “for his
righteousness” in 42:21; as “My righteousness” in 51:5; as “righteous” in 58:2; as “your
righteousness” in 58:8; as “justice” in 59:4; as “her vindication” in 62:1; as “your vindication” in
63:2; as “right” in 64:5.
6666 tsedaqah, noun, “righteousness.” Discussed in the notes in 5:7 and 46:12-13.
Translated as “righteousness” in 1:27; 5:7; 5:16; 9:7; 10:22; 28:17; 32:16; 32:17 (2x); 33:5; 45:8;
45:24; 46:12; 46:13; 48:1; 48:18; 51:6; 51:8; 54:14; 56:1; 57:12; 58:2; 59:9; 59:14; 59:16; 59:17;
60:17; 61:10; 61:11; as “justice” in 5:23; as “righteously” in 33:15; as “righteous” in 45:23; as
“vindication” in 54:17; 63:1; as “just” in 56:1; as “righteous acts” in 64:6. Note: The surrounding
English words that translate tsedaqah are not included in the above references.
6680 tsavah, verb, “charge, command, order.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 55:4.
Translated as “I will also command” in 5:6; as “I will give him an order” in 10:6; as “I have
commanded” in 13:3; as “has given commands” in 23:11; as “has commanded it” in 34:16; as “in
order” in 38:1; as “really question” in 45:11; as “I gave orders” in 45:12; as “commanded” in 48:5; as
“and commander” in 55:4.
6726 Tsiyyon, proper name, “Zion.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:8; 1:27.
Translated as “daughter of Zion” in 1:8; 10:32; 16:1; 37:22; 52:2; 62:11; translated as “daughters of
Zion” in 3:16; 3:17; 4:4; translated as “Mount Zion” in 4:5; 8:18; 10:12; 18:7; 24:23; 29:8; 31:4;
37:32; translated as “Zion” in 1:27; 2:3; 4:3; 10:24; 12:6; 14:32; 28:16; 30:19; 31:9; 33:5; 33:14;
33:20; 33:24; 34:8; 35:10; 40:9; 41:27; 46:13; 49:14; 51:3; 51:11; 51:16; 52:1; 52:7; 52:8; 59:20;
60:14; 61:3; 62:1; 64:10; 66:8. Note: In Isaiah 33:24, “Zion” is stated in the DASV and NIV, but not
in the NASB, KJV, NKJV and ESV. Note: The surrounding English words that translate Tsiyyon are
not included in the above references.
6779 samah, verb, “to sprout, to spring up.” Discussed in notes in 4:2 and 58:8-9a.
Translated as “spring forth” in 42:9; as “it springs forth” in 43:19; as “they will spring up” in 44:4; as
“sprout up” in 45:8; as “and sprout” in 55:10; as “spring up” in 58:8; as “to sprout” in 61:11; as “to
sprout up” in 61:11. See also, 5352, nester; and 6780, semah.
776…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
6780 semah, noun, “sprout, branch.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 4:2. See notes in Isaiah
4:2 for other O.T. occurrences. Translated as “the branch” in 4:2; as “its shoots” in 61:11. See also,
5342, nester.
6797 tsaniph, noun, “diadem, turban.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 62:3.
Translated as “the turbans” in 3:23; as “diadem” in 62:3.
6808 tsaah, verb, “incline, march, sway.” Discussed in notes in 63:1.
Translated as “The captive exiles” in 51:14; as “marching” in 63:1. Also occurs in the O.T. in
Jeremiah 2:20; and 48:12 (2x).
6817 tsaaq, verb, “cry out.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 42:2-4.
Translated as “They will cry out” in 19:20; as “cry” in 33:7; as “He will not cry out” in 42:2; as “If
someone cries out” in 46:7; as “but you will cry” in 65:14.
6818 tseaqah, noun, “outcry.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in 5:7
Translated as “cries for help” in 5:7.
6822 tsaphah, verb, “to keep watch, to lookout.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 56:10.
Translated as “a lookout” in 21:6; as “Your watchmen” in 52:8; as “Their watchmen” in 56:10.
6908 qabats, verb, “collecting, assembling, gathering.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 13:14.
Translated as “and gather together” in 11:12; as “with no one to gather them” in 13:14; as “You
collected” in 22:9; as “will be gathered” in 34:15; as “has gathered” in 34:16; as “he will gather” in
40:11; as “and gather” in 43:5; as “be gathered” in 43:9; as “Let them all be gathered together” in
44:11; as “Assemble” in 45:20; 48:14; “all these gather themselves together” in 49:18; as “I will
regather” in 54:7; as “who gathers” in 56:8; as “I will gather” in 56:8; as “besides those who are
already gathered” in 56:8; as “they all gather together” in 60:4; as “will be gathered together” in 60:7;
as “and those who gather it” in 62:9; as “when I will gather” in 66:18.
6918 qadosh, adjective, “holy, sacred.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 6:3 and 47:4.
Translated as “holy” in 4:3; 6:3 (3x); 57:15; as “Holy” in 57:15; as “holy day” in 58:13; as part of a
name for God (“Holy”) in 5:16; 10:17; 29:23; 40:25; 43:15; 49:7; and as “Holy” in “Holy One of
Israel” – see index entry for 6918/3478 for listing of occurrences in Isaiah.
6918/3478 (qadosh Yisrael), “Holy One of Israel,” qadosh, adjective, “holy” and Yisrael, proper name,
“Israel.” Discussed in Introduction under Themes of the Prophecy of Isaiah. Also discussed in verse
notes beginning in Isaiah 1:4 and for those verses where the “Holy One of Israel” occurs.
Translated as “Holy One of Israel” in 1:4; 5:19; 5:24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19; 30:11; 30:12; 30:15;
31:1; 37:23; 41:14; 41:16; 41:20; 43:3; 43:14; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9; 60:14.
6965 qum, verb, “arise, stand up.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 60:1.
Translated as “when he arises” in 2:19; 2:21; as “It will not stand” in 7:7; as “but they will never
happen” in 8:10; as “It raises up” in 14:9; as “rise up” in 14:21; as “I will rise up” in 14:22; as “it will
happen” in 14:24; as “Get up” in 21:5; 32:9; as “Arise” in 23:12; 60:1; as “they set up” in 23:13; as
“and not get up” in 24:20; as “do not rise” in 28:21; as “will rise” in 26:19; as “left standing” in 27:9;
as “will not last” in 28:18; as “will rise up” in 28:21; as “and I will raise” in 29:3; as “He will rise” in
31:2; as “he stands secure” in 32:8; as “Now I will rise” in 33:10; as “will stand” in 40:8; 46:10; as
“they cannot rise” in 43:17; as “who fulfills” in 44:26; as “and I will raise up” in 44:26; as “to raise
777…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
up” in 49:6; as “and rise up” in 49:7; as “to restore” in 49:8; as “stand up” in 51:17; as “get up” in
52:2; as “that make accusations” in 54:17; as “you will raise up” in 58:12; as “they will restore” in
61:4.
7034 qalah, verb, “despise, dishonor, lightly esteem.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 1:4.
Translated as “and the base” in 3:5; as “will be despised” in 16:14.
7043 qalal, verb, “slight, swift.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 1:4; 49:5-6.
Translated as “and curse” in 8:21; as “(treated) with contempt” in 9:1; as “to bring to shame” in 23:9;
as “will be swift” in 30:16; as “It is too insignificant” in 49:6; as “will be considered accursed” in
65:20.
7068 qinah, noun, “jealous, zeal.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 59:17; 63:15.
Translated as “The zeal” in 9:7; 37:32; as “The jealousy” in 11:13; as “your zeal” in 26:11; as “his
zeal” in 42:13; as “with zeal” in 59:17; as “Where is your zeal” in 63:15.
7110 qetseph, noun, “anger, indignation, wrath.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 34:2.
Translated as “is angry” in 34:2; as “wrath” in 54:8; as “For though in my wrath” in 60:10. Qetseph
also occurs in the O.T. in Numbers 1:53; 16:46; 18:5; Deuteronomy 29:28; Joshua 9:20; 22:20; 2
Kings 3:27; 1 Chronicles 27:24; 2 Chronicles 19:2; 19:10; 24:18; 29:8; 32:25; 32:26; Esther 1:8;
Psalms 38:1; 102:10; Ecclesiastes 5:17; Jeremiah 10:10; 21:5; 32:37; 50:13; Hosea 10:7; Zechariah
1:2; 1:15; and 7:12.
7121 qara, verb, “to call, proclaim, read.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 61:2.
Occurs often in Isaiah. Translated as “call, called, calling” in 1:13; 1:26; 4:1; 6:3; 7:14; 9:6; 12:4;
13:3; 21:11; 22:12; 22:20; 30:7; 31:4; 32:5; 34:12; 35:8; 40:26; 41:2; 41:25; 42:6; 43:1; 43:7; 43:22;
44:5; 45:3; 45:4; 46:11; 47:1; 47:5; 48:1; 48:2; 48:8; 48:12; 48:13; 48:15; 49:1; 50:2; 51:2; 54:5;
54:6; 55:6; 56:7; 58:5; 58:9; 58:12; 58:13; 60:14; 60:18; 61:3; 61:6; 62:2; 62:4; 62:12 (2x); 63:19;
64:7; 65:1; 65:12; 65:24; 66:4; as “cry, crying, cried” in 6:4; 8:4; 21:8; 36:13; 40:3; 40:6 (2x); as
“read” in 29:11; 29:12; 34:16; 37:14; as “proclaim” in 61:1; 61:2; as “summoned, summoning” in
41:4; 41:9; 55:5; as “name” in 8:3; as “mentioned again” in 14:20; as “bleat” in 34:14; as “announce”
in 40:2; 44:7; as “shout” in 58:1; as “cares” in 59:4. as “give” in 65:15.
7186 qasheh, adjective, “hard, severe, stubborn.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 48:4.
Translated as “and from the hard” in 14:3; as “of a cruel” in 19:4; as “A harsh” in 21:2; as “with his
terrible” in 27:1; as “with his fierce” in 27:8; as “how obstinate you are” in 48:4.
7200 raah, verb, “to see.” Not discussed in the notes. Occurs often in Isaiah.
First occurs in 1:12 as “to appear.” Most often translated as “see, seen” etc. but also as “look,
consider, and respect.”
7200/430 El-Roi, proper name, “The God who sees.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 40:28. Occurs only
in the O.T. in Genesis 16:13.
7218 rosh, noun, “head, beginning, leader.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 2:2.
Translated as “The whole head” in 1:5; as “to the top of the head” in 1:6; as “as the highest” in 2:2; as
“For the head” in 7:8; as “and the head” in 7:8; 7:9; as “the head” in 7:9; 7:20; as “head” in 9:14;
19:15; as “are the head” in 9:15; as “all their heads” in 15:2; as “(remain) in the top” in 17:6; as
“located at the head” in 28:1; as “which is at the head” in 28:4; as “your heads” in 29:10; as “on the
778…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
top” in 30:17; as “will crown their heads” in 35:10; as “her head” in 37:22; as “from the beginning”
in 40:21; 41:4; 41:26; 48:16; as “from (the mountain) tops” in 42:11; as “will be upon their heads” in
51:11; as “at the head” in 51:20; as “one’s head” in 58:5; as “on his head” in 59:17.
7231 rabab, verb, “many, much, numerous.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 59:12.
Translated as “the many” in 22:9; as “are multiplied” in 59:12; as “any many” in 66:16.
7235 rabah, verb, “great, many, much.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 55:7.
Translated as “Yes, when you make many” in 1:15; as “You have multiplied” in 9:3; as “sing many”
in 23:16; as “piled high” in 30:33; as “he increases” in 40:29; as “and made (him) many” in 51:2; as
“for he will abundantly” in 55:7; as “and increased” in 57:9.
7307 ruah, noun, “breath, spirit, wind.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 40:7; 40:13; 42:5; 57:16.
Translated as “by the spirit” in 4:4; as “and by the spirit” in 4:4; as “the wind” in 7:2; 17:13; 59:19; as
“The Spirit” in 11:2 (4x); 40:13; 61:1; 63:14; as “with the breath” in 11:4; as “wind” in 11:15; 27:8;
as “the spirit” in 19:3; 57:15; as “a spirit” in 19:14; 28:6; 37:7; as “for the breath” in 25:4; as “yes, my
spirit” in 26:9; as “only to the wind” in 26:18; as “on you a spirit” in 29:10; as “whose spirit” in
29:24; as “but not by my Spirit” in 30:1; as “His breath” in 30:28; as “and not spirit” in 31:3; as
“from the wind” in 32:2; as “until the spirit” in 32:15; as “your breath” in 33:11; as “and his Spirit” in
34:16; as “of my spirit” in 38:16; as “because the breath” in 40:7; as “and the wind” in 41:16; as “but
an (empty) wind” in 41:29; as “my Spirit” in 42:1; 44:3; 59:21; as “and spirit” in 42:5; as “along with
his Spirit” in 48:16; as “in spirit” in 54:6; 66:2; as “but the wind” in 57:13; as “of spirit” in 57:15; as
“instead of the spirit” in 61:3; as “(Holy) Spirit” in 63:10; 63:11; as “like the wind” in 64:6; as
“spirit” in 65:14.
7355 racham, verb, “compassion, mercy.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 30:18.
Translated as “nor will he have compassion” in 9:17; as “they will have no pity” in 13:18; as “will
have compassion” in 14:1; as “will not have compassion” in 27:11; as “so that he may have mercy” in
30:18; as “for he who has mercy” in 49:10; as “and will have compassion” in 49:13; as “Will she
have no compassion” on 49:15; as “I will have mercy” in 54:8; as “who has compassion” in 54:10; as
“and he will have mercy” in 55:7; as “I have had mercy” in 60:10.
7356 racham, noun, “compassion, mercy.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 54:7.
Translated as “since birth” in 46:3; as “no mercy” in 47:6; as “compassion” in 54:7; as “according to
his mercies” in 63:7; as “and compassion” in 63:15.
7378 rib, verb, “to strive, to contend.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 3:13; 50:8.
Translated as “plead” in 1:17; as “to make the accusation” in 3:13; as “you contend” in 27:8; as “to
him who argues” in in 45:9; as “I will attack” in 49:25; as “who will make accusations” in 50:8; as
“who pleads” in 51:22; as “For I will not make accusations” in 57:16.
7429 ramas, verb, “to trample.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 16:4.
Translated as “this trampling” in 1:12; as “those trampling others” in 16:4; “as will trample it down”
in 26:6; as “will be trampled” in 28:3; as “treads” in 41:29; as “and trampled” in 63:3.
7451 ra, adjective and noun, “evil, distress, wicked.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 3:11; 45:7; 47:11.
Translated as “disaster” in 3:9; 3:11; 31:2; as “evil” in 5:20 (2x); 59:15; as “have planned evil” in 7:5;
as “the evil” in 7:15; 7:16; as “for its evil” in 13:11; as “are evil” in 32:7; as “at evil” in 33:15; as
779…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
“calamity” in 45:7; as “in your wickedness” in 47:10; as “Therefore evil” in 47:11; as “any evil” in
56:2; as “the evil (to come)” in 57:1; as “to do evil” in 59:7; as “that which was evil” in 65:12; 66:4.
7489 ra’a, verb, “evildoers, act wickedly.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 1:4.
Translated as “of evildoers” in 1:4; 14:20; as “the evil deeds” in 1:16; as “Be broken” in 8:9; as “and
an evildoer” in 9:17; as “They will not hurt” in 11:9; 65:25; as “totally” in 24:19: as “broken up” in
24:19; as “of the evildoers” in 31:2; as “or do evil” in 41:23.
7554 raqa, verb, “beat out, spread out, stamp.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 44:24.
Translated as “overlays” in 40:19; as “who spread out” in 42:5; as “spread out” in 44:24.
7562 resha, noun, “evil, wickedness.” Not discussed in notes.
Translated as “to wicked” in 58:4; as “of wickedness” in 58:6.
7563 rasha, adjective, “wicked, evil, guilty.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 3:11.
Translated as “to the wicked” in 3:11; 26:10; as “the guilty” in 5:23; as “the wicked” in 11:4; as “and
the wicked” in 13:11; as “of the wicked” in 14:5; as “for the wicked” in 48:22; 57:21; as “with the
wicked” in 53:9; as “let the wicked” in 55:7; as “but the wicked” in 57:20.
7650 shaba, verb, “oath, swear.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 48:1
Translated as “has sworn” in 14:24; 62:8; as “and swear” in 19:18; as “I have solemnly sworn” in
45:23; as “will swear” in 45:23; 65:16; as “who swear” in 48:1; as “for as I have sworn” in 54:9; as “I
have sworn” in 54:9; as “For one who takes an oath” in 65:16.
7665/3820 shabar leb, (shabar, verb, “broken”); (leb, noun, “heart”). Discussed in and occurs only in
Isaiah in 61:1. Translated in Isaiah 61:1 as “brokenhearted.” See same combination in Psalms 34:18
and 147:3.
7665 shabar, verb, “broken, to break.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 61:1.
Translated as “and be broken” in 8:15; as “has broken” in 14:5; as “I will break” in 14:25; as “you is
broken” in 14:29; as “are smashed” in 21:9; as “is broken down” in 24:10; as “they are broken off” in
27:11; as “and be broken” in 28:13; as “He will smash” in 30:14; as “be broken” in 38:13; as “he will
not break” in 42:3; as “I will break” in 45:2; as “the broken(hearted)” in 61:1; as “to the point of
birth” in 66:9.
7667 sheber, noun, “break, crush, destroy, fracture.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 59:7; 59:8.
Translated as “crushed” in 1:28; as “of destruction” in 15:5; as “that topples” in 30:13; as “smash it”
in 30:14; as “the injuries” in 30:26; as “and destruction” in 51:19; 59:7; as “or destruction” in 60:18;
as “from a broken” in 65:14.
7673 shabath, verb, “to cease, desist, end.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 59:1-2.
Translated as “to cease” in 13:11; as “has ended” in 14:4; as “has ceased” in 14:4; as “an end” in
16:10; as “will disappear” in 17:3; as “I will bring to an end” in 21:2; as “ceases” in 24:8; as “halts”
in 24:8; as “no more” in 30:11; as “are gone” in 33:8.
7703 shadad, verb, “to despoil, to devastate, to ruin.” Discussed in notes in 15:1; 16:4; 21:2; 33:1.
Translated as “is devastated” in 15:1 (2x); as “the destroyer” in 16:4; as “and the destroyer” in 21:2;
as “destroys” in 21:2; as “is destroyed” in 23:1; 23:14; as “to you who destroy” in 33:1; as “but you
780…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
have not been destroyed” in 33:1; as “When you finish destroying” in 33:1; as “you yourself will be
destroyed” in 33:1.
7701 shod, noun, “destruction, devastation, havoc. Discussed in notes in Isaiah 59:7; 59:8.
Translated as “as destruction” in 13:6; as “destruction” in 16:4; as “concerning the destruction” in
22:4; as “desolation” in 51:19; as “devastation” in 59:7; 60:18.
7706 Shaddai, noun, “Almighty.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 13:6; 40:28.
Only occurrence in Isaiah in 13:6, translated as “from the Almighty.”
7706/430 El-Shaddai, proper name, “God Almighty.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 40:28.
El-Shaddai occurs in Genesis 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; Exodus 6:3 and Ezekiel 10:5.
7723 shav, noun, “emptiness, vanity, deceitfulness.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 5:18.
Translated as “worthless” in 1:13; as “of falsehood” in 5:18; as “of destruction” in 30:28; as “lies” in
59:4.
7724 shoah, noun, “devastation, destruction, ruin.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in 47:11.
Translated as “Calamity” in 47:11. Note: Strong’s number for the NASB is 7724a. But the Strong’s
number for the KJV is 7722, Hebrew word sho, which occurs in Isaiah 10:3 and 47:11 translated as
“desolation.”
7725 shub, verb, “to return, to turn back.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 55:7.
Shub occurs over 50 times in Isaiah, first occurring in 1:25 translated as “I will turn.”
7782 shofar, (shophar), noun, “horn, trumpet.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 58:1.
Translated as “when the trumpet” in 18:3; as “trumpet” in 27:13; as “like a trumpet” in 58:1.
7817 shachach, verb, “bow down, humbled.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 2:11.
Translated as “are humbled” in 2:9; as “will be humbled” in 2:11; 2:17; as “will be on their face” in
5:15; as “he will bring down” in 25:12; as “for he has brought down” in 26:5; as “where you lie” in
29:4; as “bowing” in 60:14.
7837 shachar, noun, “dawn, morning.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 47:11.
Translated as “dawn” in 8:20; as “of the morning” in 14:12; as “how to charm it away” in 47:11; as
“like the dawn” in 58:8.
7843 shachath, verb, “to corrupt, to ruin, to destroy.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 1:4.
Translated as “act corruptly” in 1:4; as “destroy” in 11:9; 36:10 (2x); 51:13; 65:8; 65:25; as “you have
destroyed” in 14:20; as “destroyed” in 37:12; as “destroyer” in 54:16; as “will not destroy” in 65:8.
7919 sakal, verb, “prudent, wise.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 44:18; 52:13.
Translated as “and understand” in 41:20; as “understand” in 44:18; as “will deal wisely” in 52:13.
7965 shalom, noun, “peace, completeness.” Discussed in notes in 9:6; 26:3; 26:12; 52:7; 53:5; 54:10;
54:13; and 57:19.
Translated as “Peace” in 9:6; 9:7; 26:3; 26:12; 45:7; 52:7; 54:10; 55:12; 57:2; 57:19 (2x); 59:8;
60:17; as “perfect” in 26:3; as “make peace” in 27:5 (2x); as “will be peace” in 32:7; as “peaceable”
in 32:18; as “of peace” in 33:7; as “was my welfare” in 37:17; as “there will be peace” in 39:8; as
781…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
“passing on in safety” in 41:3; as “then your peace” in 48:18; as “there is no peace” in 48:22; 57:21;
as “that made us whole” in 53:5; as “enjoy prosperity” in 54:13; as “the way of peace” in 59:8; as
“prosperity” in 66:12.
8052 shemua, noun, “message, report.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 28:19.
Translated as “the message” in 28:9; 28:19; as “rumors” in 37:7; as “our message” in 53:1.
8074 shamem, verb, “appalled, desolated.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 1:7.
Translated as “vacant” in 33:8; as “desolate” in 49:8; 49:19; as “were astonished” in 52:14; as “from
the desolate” in 54:1; as “deserted” in 54:3; as “amazed” in 59:16; as “destroyed” in 61:14; as
“devastated” in 61:14; as “I was shocked” in 63:5.
8077 shemamah, noun, “desolation, devastation.” Discussed in notes in 1:7; 62:4.
Translated as “desolate” in 1:7 (2x), as “absolutely devastated” in 6:11; as “there will be desolation”
in 17:9; as “Desolate” in 62:4; as “a desolation” in 64:10.
8085 shama, verb, “to hear, listen, obedient.” Discussed in the notes in Isaiah 1:19; 50:10; 51:7; 59:2.
Shama Occurs 106 times in Isaiah. The first occurrence is in Isaiah 1:2 translated as “Listen”.
Other than the many translations of shama as “hear, heard, harken, and listen,” it is translated as
“obey, obedient” in 1:19; 30:9; 42:24; 50:10; as “proclaim, proclaimed” in 41:26; 43:12; 48:3; 48:20;
62:11; as “announces, announced” in 44:8; 48:5; 52:7; as “tell” in 41:22; 42:9; as “understand” in
36:11; as “comprehend” in 33:19; as “foretold” in 43:9; as “predicted” in 45:21; as “I am showing” in
48:6; as “publishes” in 52:7.
8121 shemesh, noun, “sun.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 54:12.
Translated as “The sun” in 13:10; 60:19; as “from the sun” in 38:8; as “So the sun” in 38:8; as “of the
sun” in 41:25; 59:19; as “of the (eastern) sun” in 45:6; as “or sun” in 49:10; as “your pinnacles” in
54:12; as “Your sun” in 60:20.
8213 shaphel, verb, “abased, brought low.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 2:11.
Translated as “brought low” in 2:9; 2:11; 2:12; 2:17; 10:33; as “brought down” in 5:15; as “humbled”
in 5:15; as “bring down” in 13:11; as “the LORD will lay low” in 25:11; as “laid low” in 25:12; as
“he lays it low” in 26:5 (2x); as “you will be brought down” in 29:4; as “leveled” in 32:19; as “will be
made low” in 40:4; as “and sent them down” in 57:9.
8266 shaqar, verb, “to deal falsely, to lie.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in 63:8.
Translated in 63:8 as “that will not betray me”. Also occurs in the O.T. in Genesis 21:23; Leviticus
19:11; Psalms 44:17 and 89:33.
8267 sheqer, noun, “deceit, false, lies.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 59:3.
Translated as “lies” in 9:15; 59:3; 59:13; as “under deception” in 28:15; as “with lies” in 32:7; as “a
lie” in 44:20; as “of liars” in 57:4.
8269/7965 Sar Shalom, “Prince of Peace.” Sar Shalom, first occurrence in Isaiah 9:6.
Translated as “Prince of Peace” in 9:6. See Subject index for discussions of “Prince of Peace.”
8269 sar, noun, “chief, prince, ruler, commander.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 9:6.
Translated as “your princes” in 1:23; 43:28; as “the captain” in 3:3; as “their princes” in 3:4; as “and
on the princes” in 3:14; as “Prince” in 9:16; as “are not my princes” in 10:8; as “the princes” n 19:11;
782…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
as “the officials” in 19:13 (2x); as “your commanders” in 21:5; as “princes” in 23:8; 49:7; as “for
their officials” in 30:4; as “and their officers” in 31:9; as “and princes” in 32:1; as “all its princes” in
34:2.
8327 saras, verb, “root.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 40:24.
Translated as “will take root” in 27:6; as “taken root” in 40:24. Saras also occurs in the Old
Testament in Job 5:3; 31:8, 12; Psalm 52:5; 80:9 and Jeremiah 12:2.
8328 sheresh, noun, “roots.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 11:1.
Translated as “root” in 5:24; as “roots” in 11:1; as “root” in 11:10; as “root” in 14:29; as “your root”
in 14:30; as “take root” in 37:31; as “and like a root” in 53:2.
8334 sharath, ver, “to minister, to serve.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 60:7.
Translated as “to be his servants” in 56:6; as “will be brought to you for sacrifices” in 60:7; as “will
serve” in 60:10; as “the ministers” in 61:6.
8386 taaniyyah, noun, “lamenting.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in Isaiah 29:2.
Translated as “lamenting” in 29:2. See also aniyyah, Strongs number, 0592. Both taaniyyah and
aniyyah occur in Isaiah 29:2 and Lamentations 2:5
8394 tebunah, noun, “understanding, skill, reasoning.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 11:2; 44:19.
Translated as “of understanding” in 40:14; as “his understanding” in 40:28; as “or understanding” in
44:19.
8414 tohu, noun, “formless, meaningless.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 40:24; 44:9; 45:18; 59:4.
Translated as “wasted” in 24:10; as “of chaos” in 34:11; as “and worthless” in 40:17; as “worthless”
in 40:23: as “are nothing” in 41:29; 44:9; as “not chaotic” in 45:18; as “me in vain” in 45:19; as “for
nothing” in 49:4; as “in empty words” in 59:4. Note: Tohu is not translated in the DASV in 29:21.
The NASB, in the last phrase of 29:21 has “with meaningless arguments.” The first occurrence of
tohu, in the O.T is in Genesis 1:2 translated as “formless.”
8451 torah, noun, “law, teaching, instruction.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 5:18; 24:5; 30:9; 51:4; 51:7.
Translated as “law” in 1:10; 2:3; 5:24; 8:20; 30:9; 42:21; 42:24; 51:4; 51:7; as “laws” in 24:5; as
“teaching” in 8:16; 42:4.
8505 takan, verb, “estimate, measure, regulate.” Discussed in notes and first occurs in Isaiah 40:12.
Translated as “and measured out” in 40:12; as “not directed” in 40:13.
8524 talal, verb, “to deceive, to mock.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in 44:20.
Translated as “a deceived” in 44:20. See notes for other occurrences of talal in the O.T.
8577 tannin, noun, “dragon, sea monster, serpent.” Discussed in notes in Isaiah 51:9.
Translated as “jackals” in 13:22; as “the sea monster” in 27:1; 51:9; as “of jackals” in 34:13; 35:7; as
“the jackals” in 43:20.
8597 tipharah, noun, “beauty, glory, royal splendor.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 44:23.
Translated as “their beautiful” in 3:18; as “and beauty” in 4:2; as “the splendor” in 13:19; as “their
boast” in 20:5; as “beauty” in 28:1; 28;4; 44:13; as “and a beautiful” in 28:5; as “my glory” in 46:13;
as “beautiful” in 52:1; as “my glorious” in 60:7; as “your glory” in 60:19; as “of beauty” in 62:3; as
“who caused his glorious” in 63:12; as “glorious” in 63:14; as “and glorious” in 63:15; as “and
783…..Index of Hebrew Words with Strong’s #
beautiful” in 64:11. Note: tipharah is not translated in Isaiah10:12 in the DASV. The KJV has “and
the glory.”
8641 terumah, “contribution, offering.” Discussed in notes and occurs in Isaiah only in 40:20.
Translated as “for such as sacrifice” in 40:20.
8668 teshuah, noun, “salvation, deliverance.” Discussed in notes but does not occur in Isaiah 52:7.
Translated as “salvation” in 45:17; 46:13; as “My salvation” in 46:13.
784…..Index of English Words
Index of English Words
This index does not function as a traditional “subject” index as found in most Biblical studies and
commentaries, in that it lists the occurrences of major words themselves, rather than the occurrence of a
discussion of a particular subject. Major words are also not listed per the page number where they occur.
Instead they are listed in the notes for a specific verse. Often words are listed where they occur in the verses
of the DASV version. In this format this index functions as a concordance both for the verses of the DASV
and the notes for these verses. The decision to list the verse reference and notes rather than the page number
was made due to the format of the text. The text was formatted for an 8 ½” by 11” page that would fit in a
typical three-ring binder. Electronic versions of the text, for example in the .pdf format are intended to be in
the 8 ½” by 11” page format. Any published editions of the text would not have the same page numbers as
for the electronic format as they would be re-formatted by the publisher.
Many major words have hundreds of occurrences in the text of the study and therefore not all occurrences of
the word are listed as this index, although comprehensive is not intended to be exhaustive. Some major words
have not been listed. For example, the word “prophet” has over 1300 occurrences and often is used in place
of the word “Isaiah”. For those who want an exhaustive listing of any word, they are encouraged to use the
“find” function in an electronic version of this study. Words that are listed by verse refence only will have
the notification (verses) stated after the indexed word. Some major words, such as “promise” do not occur in
the verses of Isaiah itself and have the notification of (notes) stated after these indexed words. Some words
are listed without any reference to (verses) or (notes). In these instances, the indexed words occur both in the
verses and the notes.
Many words in this index are found in the various introductions to passages in Isaiah. Where this occurs, the
word “intro” occurs before the passage listing. Where the word “INTRODUCTION” occurs, this refers to the
beginning Introduction, situated after the Preface to this study. Often a section of the Introduction is
referenced directly after the word INTRODUCTION, so that the indexed word can be more easily found.
This is also the case for the various Appendices. Following the reference to a specific Appendix, the section
referenced within the Appendix is then stated. Where (verse) refences are stated, words occurring more than
once in any specific verse have the bracketed (2x) or (3x) indicating that the word occurs twice or three times
in the verse. Also, for ease of formatting, the traditional double column for indexes, found in most studies
and commentaries was not used.
Abbreviations:
chp chapter
chps chapters
intro introduction
785…..Index of English Words
Aaron: Intro chps 1-6; 6:4, 29:7-8; 30:18; 33:14; intro 59:15b-21; 63:11-14; 66:17, 20-21; Appendix 2: 4.
The Priestly Covenant.
abandon, abandoned: 1:4; 2:6, 7, 8; 6:11-12; 7:13; 10:13-14; 18:5-6; 30:16-17; 31:6-7; 32:9-14; 33:20;
intro 40:12-31; 40:24; 44:21-22; intro 45:9-13; 48:1-2, 9-11; 49:5-6; 50:1; 53:12; 54:6, 7-8; 55:7; 56:9;
65:11-12.
abhor, abhorrence, abhorred: 1:8; 3:9; 6:4-5; 10:6; 40:19-20; 43:18, 28; 45:10; intro chps 49-57; 49:7;
intro 50:4-11; intro 52:13-53:12; 58:3-5; intro 59:1-21; 59:3-4; 65:6-7; 66:17, 24. Appendix 2: 2. The
Abrahamic Covenant; 3. The Mosaic Covenant.
abomination: 1:12-14, 29-30; intro 2:5-9; intro chps 7-12; 14:5-6; 24:3-4; 28:5; 30:31-33; intro 41:21-24;
41:24; 52:11-12; 58:1, 2; 66:3-4, 17.
Abraham (General references to): intro chps 1-6; 1:2, 9, 18, 19-20, 27; 6:1; 9:3; 10:20-23; 19:19, 22; 20:3-4;
22:20-25; 25:5-8; 26:15, 19; 29:22-24; 37:36-38; 38:1; 40:16; 41:10; 42:1, 6; intro 43:1-7; intro 43:8-13;
43:26-27; 45:19; 49:5-6; 51:3; 56:6-7; 57:3; 59:15b-16; 60:6; 65:25; Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial
Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: 1. The Noahic Covenant; 2. The Abrahamic Covenant; 3.
The Mosaic Covenant.
Abraham and Sarah: intro 43:1-7; intro 51:1-8; 51:1, 2, 3; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant.
Abraham as father: INTRODUCTION: The Remnant; intro chps 1-6.
Abrahamic Covenant: INTRODUCTION: Covenant; intro chps 1-6; 44:1; 42:6; 45:22; 48:6b-7; 48:12-13,
18-19; 49:8; 53:12; 54:3, 17; 55:3b, 10-11; 57:3, 13; intro chps 58-66; 59:21; 60:15, 21, 22; 61:8, 9; 63:7, 8,
16: Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: Introduction; 2. The
Abrahamic Covenant; 3. The Mosaic Covenant; 5. The Davidic Covenant; 6. The New Covenant; 7.
Covenants in Isaiah.
abundant, abundance: 2:10; 7:15, 21-22; 11:14; intro 15:1-16:14; intro 30:18-26; 30:23-26; intro 33:1-3;
33:6; intro 35:1-10; 35:1-2, 6b-7; 41:14, 19; 43:19-21; 54:1; intro 55:1-13; 55:7, 10-11; 57:11; 60:5; 66:10-
11.
adoption: intro chps 1-6; 42:6; 53:9.
afflict, affliction: intro chps 7-12; 14:30-32; 21:10; 29:18-19; 30:16-17, 20; 40:17; 41:11-13, 17; 42:23-25;
intro 48:1-11; 48:9-11; 49:13, 14; intro 50:4-11; 50:7, 8, 9, 10; 51:20, 21-22; 52:1; intro 52:13-53:12; 53:3, 4,
5, 6, 7, 10; intro 54:11-17; 54:11-12; 61:1; 63:1, 9; 66:2, 7-9.
Ahaz (verses): 1:1; 7:1, 3, 10, 12; 14:28; 38:8.
Almighty God (notes): 3:1; 5:24; 7:7-9; 13:6; intro 24:1-23; 24:12; 40:23, 28; 41:6-7; 42:5; 47:14-15; 48:14-
15; 50:9; 51:3; 52:2, 7; intro 52:13-53:12; 56:3.
anger (of God): intro 5:24-30; 5:24, 25, 7:12; intro 9:8-10:4; 9:11-12, 19; intro 10:1-4; intro 10:5-19; 10:5,
6, 20-23, 24-27, 12:1; intro 13:1-6; 13:2, 3, 9, 13, 14-16; intro 30:27-33; 30:27b-30, 31-33; 34:2; 37:22; intro
786…..Index of English Words
42:1-13; 42:22, 23-25; intro 48:1-11; 48:9-11; 57:17; 63:3, 5, 6, 9: 66:15-16, 17; 66:24: final comments;
Appendix 2: 4. The Priestly Covenant.
Anguish: 2:9; 8:19-22; 9:1-2; 13:7-8; 15:5-9; intro 21:1-10; 21:3-4; 23:4-7; 30:6-7; 33:6; 40:1-2; 42:2-4;
50:8; 53:9, 11.
annihilate, annihilation: 3:1; 10:12, 20-23; 24:1, 5-6; 26:15, 16; 35:8-10; intro 43:1-7; 44:2; 49:18; 59:20;
intro 63:1-6; 65:17.
anoint, anointed: INTRODUCTION: Messianic and Messiah; 4:2; 21:8-9; 37:5-7; 40:15; 41:2-3; intro 42:1-
13; 42:1; intro 45:1-8; 45:1, 4, 6; intro chps 49-57; 49:7; 53:11; intro 61:1-11; 61:1, 2, 3, 10; intro 62:1-12;
intro 63:1-6; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: 4. The Priestly Covenant;
anthropological: 10:5; intro 59:1-21; 59:15b-16; 62:8-9; 63:11-14.
anthropomorphic, anthropomorphism: intro 30:27-33; 30:27b-30; 35:1-2; 40:10-11, 12; 41:10; 43:25;
49:13, 16; 50:2; 51;16; 53:1; 55:112; intro 59:1-21; 59:2; intro 59:15b—21; 63:9.
Ariel: intro 290:1-16; 29:1-2; intro 29:5-8; 29:6-8; intro 29:9-16; 33:7-9; 33:14; 42:16.
arm of God: 1:18; 30:27b-30; 40:10-11; 48:14-15; 50:2; 51:5, 16; 52:9-10; intro 52:13-53:12; intro 59:1-21;
63:9, 11-14.
Armageddon: 3:1; 13:4-5; intro 29:1-16; 30:23-26; 34:3; 35:3-4; 42:2-4; 49:14, 19-21; 59:20; 60:10; 62:10;
63:2.
armies of God: (see also LORD of hosts): 1:9; 8:13; 13:14-16; 28:5-6; 44:6; 48:1-2; 51:15; 54:5.
armor: 59:15b-16; 59:17.
arrogant, arrogance: 2:9; intro 2:10-22; 2:10; 3:9; intro 9:8-10:4; intro 9:8-12; 9:9-10; intro 10:5-19; 10:6,
8-9, 12, 13-14; 12:5; intro chps 13-23; intro 13:6-13; 13:11; intro 14:4-23; 14:12-14; intro 15:1-16:14; 29:2;
30:6-7; 34:2; 37:26-29; 38:2; 39:2; 47:1, 2, 7-9.
Asherah: 1:29-30; 2:22.
Assyria (verses): 7:17, 18, 20; 8:4, 7; 10:5, 12; 11:11, 16; 19:23 (2x), 24, 25; 20:1, 4, 6; 27:13 (land of
Assyria); 36:1, 2, 4, 8, 13, 15, 16, 18; 37:4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 18, 21, 33, 37; 38:6; 52:4.
Assyrian (verses): 10:24; 14:25; 36:11, 12, 13, 22; 37:4, 8.
Assyrians (verses): 19:23 (2x); 23:13; 30:31; 31:8; 37:19, 36.
atone, atonement: 1:18; 2:8; 6:6-7, 8; 7:14; 9:11-12; 28:23-29; intro 29:1-4; 43:3-4; 47:11; intro 52:13-
53:12; 53:4, 5; 57:18-19; 58:3-5; 59:21; Appendix 2: 4. The Priestly Covenant.
avenge: 1:24, 48:17; 51:16; 59:17
787…..Index of English Words
Baal: 1:29-30; intro chps 7-12; 28:21-22; 46:1; 57:5; Appendix 2: 4. The Priestly Covenant.
Babylon (verses): 13:1, 19; 14:22; 39:3, 6; 43:14; 47:1; 48:14, 20.
Babylon (king of) (verses): 14:4; 39:1; 39:7. See also Sargon II, Sennacherib, Shalmaneser V, Tiglath-
Pileser III.
Babylon is fallen, fallen: 21:9.
Balaam: 5:29; 14:28; intro 15:1-16:14; 37:36-38; Appendix 2: 4. The Priestly Covenant.
ban (the): 34:2; 43:28.
barren: 21:1; 35:1-2; 41:18; intro 46:1-47:15; 53:2, 8; intro 54:1-17; 54:1, 2, 4, 11-12.
beat, beaten, beating (verses): 1:5; 17:6; 10:26; 21:10; 24:12, 13; 28:18, 27; 32:12.
“they will beat their plows into plowshares”: 2:4;
“I gave my back for those who beat me”: 50:6.
Beulah: 62:2, 4, 5.
bless, blesses, blessed, blessing (verses): 19:24, 25; 30:18; 32:20; 44:3; 51;2; 56:2; 61:9; 65:8, 16 (2x), 23;
66:3.
blind, blinded, blindness (general references): 1:28; intro chp 6; 6:9-10; 8:5-6; 10:7; 25:7; 26:10; 29:9-10,
11-12; intro 29:17-24; 29:18-19; 32:3-4; intro 35:1-10; 35:5-6a; 38:4-6, 21-22; intro chps 40-66; 40:27; intro
42:1-13; 42:7, 9; 44:9, 12, 13, 14; 45:10; 46:5-7; 50:10; intro 52:13-53:12; 57:1-2; 61:1.
blind servants (covenant people of God as): intro 42:1-13; 42:6, 7; intro 42:14-25; 42:16; intro 42:18-25;
42:18-20, 21, 22, 23-25; 43:1; intro 43:8-13; 43:8, 9, 10, 11-13, 14-15; 44:2, 8, 9, 21-22; 45:4; 48:20-21;
49:3; 51:7-8, 13; intro 51:17-23; 53;1; intro 56:9-57:2; 56:10; 57:11; 58:2; intro 59:9-15a; 59:9-10.
bondage: intro chp 12; 12:2; 35:8-10; intro 43:1-7; 49:13; intro 52:1-12; 55:13; 58:6; 59:14-15a; 61:1; 66:3,
9; Appendix 2: 3. The Mosaic Covenant.
Branch (the Messiah): INTRODUCTION: Messianic and Messiah; intro 4:2-6; 4:2, 5-6; intro chp 6; 6:13;
intro chps 7-12; 9:6-7; intro 11:1-5; 11:1, 2, 3-4; 22:20-25; 33:6, 17; 42:9; 51:1; 53:2; 57:11; 59:1; 60:1;
Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom.
Bride of Christ: 25:6; 50:2; 54:7-8.
Bridegroom: 25:8; 62:4, 5.
brokenhearted (verse): 61:1
broken spirit (verse): 65:14
“broken the everlasting covenant”: 24:5-6; Appendix 2: 7. Covenants in Isaiah
788…..Index of English Words
“broken covenant”: Appendix 2: 6. The New Covenant;
bruised: 25:8; 30:23-26; intro 52:13-53:12.
bruised reed: 42:2-4; intro 50:4-11.
burning (eternal): Intro chp 1: 1:28, 29-30; 24:5-6; 26:11; 30:31-33; intro 33:7-12; 33:11-12; 34:10; 50:11;
65:5; 66:24.
burnt offerings: 1:11; 25:5; intro 29:1-4; 33:14; 40:16; 43:23-24; 56:6-7.
children of Israel (verses): 17:3, 19; 31:6.
city (general references) (verses): 1:8, 21, 26; 14:31; 17:1; 19:2 (2x), 18; 22:2, 7, 9; 23:7, 16; 24:10, 12; 25:2
(2x), 3; 26:1, 5; 27:10; 29:1; 32:13, 14, 19; 33:20; 36:15; 37:33, 34, 35; 38:6 (2x); 45:13; 48:2; 52:1; 60:14;
62:12; 66:6.
(specific references) (verses): City (Zion): 33:20; City of David: 22:9; Ariel 29:1; holy city: 48:2; Jerusalem
the holy city: 52:1; City of the LORD: 60:14;
Chaldeans: intro chps 1-6; 5:26; 13:19; 23:13-14; 43:14-15; intro 47:1-15; 47:5, 14-15; intro 48:12-22;
48:14-15, 20-21; 57:9; 65:8;
comfort: 1:18, 28, 29-30; 7:14; 10:5, 12; 12:1; 14:1-2; intro 37:1-13; 37:5-7; intro chps 40-66; intro chps 40-
48; intro 40:1-31; intro 40:1-11; 40:1-2, 3, 6, 8, 9, 10-11, 14, 17, 25-26, 28; 41:8-9, 10, 14, 17; 42:16; intro
43:1-7; 43:5-6; intro 43:22-28; 44:1, 23; 49:9-10, 13, intro 49:14-26; 49:14, 22-23; intro 50:4-11; 50:8, 10;
intro 51:1-23; 51:1, 3, 5, 9-10, 12, 13, 15, 19; intro 52:1-12; 52:1, 7, 9-10; intro 52:13-53:12; intro 54:1-17;
55:12; 57:14, 18-19; intro chps 58-66; 61:2, 3; 65:11-12; intro chp 66; intro 66:7-14; 66:10-11, 12-14.
compassion: 9:6-7; 14:1-2; 16:6-12; 27:7, 10-11; 30:18; 49:9-10, 13; intro 50:4-11; intro 52:13-53:12; intro
54:1-17; 54:7-8, 10; 55:7, 8-9, 10-11; 57:16; 60:10; 63:9, 15; 65:11-12.
cornerstone: 8:14-15; 19:11-13; 28:16, 17.
corruption: INTRODUCTION: Sin; 1:4, 22, 23; intro chps 2-4; 3:14; 5:18-19, 22-23; 6:1; 10:1-2; 13:9; intro
23:1-18; intro 24:1-23; 28:17; 30:23-26; 32:1-2; 38:17; 44:6; intro 44:9-22; 49:13; 51:6; 55:8-9; 57:6; 59:3-4,
7, 8, 14-15a; 60:17; 62:6-7; 65:17, 18; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: Introduction to
the Covenants; 3. The Mosaic Covenant.
country, countries (verses): 1:7; 8:9; 13:5; 22:18; 36:20 (2x); 37:18; 39:3; 46:11; 66:5, 8.
covenant: See separate entries for Noahic Covenant; Abrahamic Covenant; Mosaic Covenant, Priestly
Covenant; Davidic Covenant, New Covenant; everlasting covenant; Appendix 2: The Covenants of God.
covenant with death: 28:15, 16, 18-19; 30:1; 31:1.
covenant (verses): 24:5; 28:15, 18; 42:6, 19; 49:8; 54:10; 55:3 (2x); 56:4, 6; 57:8; 59:21; 61:8.
789…..Index of English Words
Creator, create, creation: INTRODUCTION: God’s Glory; intro chps 1-6; 1:4; 2:8, 13-19; 4:5-6; 5:2, 5;
10:15; 11:2; 13:19; 24:5-6; 29:15-16; 30:1; 37:14-20; intro 40:12-31; 40:12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 19-20, 21, 25-26,
28; 41:4, 8-9, 19; 42:5; intro 43:1-7; 43:1, 7, 14-15, 19-21; 44:6; intro 44:23-45:25; 44:23, 24-28; 45:7, 12,
18; 48:12-13; 51:16; 52:7; 53:10, 12; 54:5; 60:21; 62:11-12; 63:5, 8; intro 65:17-25; 65:17, 18, 19; 66:2, 18,
24 (final comments). Appendix 1: 2nd and 3rd paragraphs; Appendix 2: Introduction to the Covenants.
Cush: intro 18:1-7; 18:1; intro 20:1-6; 20:2, 3-4, 5-6; 37:8-13, 30-32; 43:3-4; 45:14.
Cyrus: INTRODUCTION: 7. Historical; 13:17, 18, intro 21:1-10; intro chps 40-66; 41:2-3, 25; 43:3-4; intro
44:1-8; intro 44:23-45:25; 44:23, 24-28; intro 45:1-8; 45:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8; intro 45:9-13; 45:13, 14; intro
46:1-47:15; 46:2, 11; intro 47:1-15; 47:7-9; 48:14-15.
Note: Jesus Christ: In the notes, Jesus is mentioned over 480 times, Christ is mentioned over 720 times. For
electronic versions, use “find” function to search individual occurrences.
Darius: INTRODUCTION: 7. Historical; 13:17, 18; 22:20-25.
Daughter(s) (general references): 23:4; 32:9; 43:5-6; 49:22-23; 56:5; 60:4.
daughter of Babylon: 47:1-2.
daughter of the Chaldeans: 47:1, 5.
daughter of My people: 22:3-4.
daughter of Jerusalem: 37:22.
daughter(s) of Zion: 1:8; 3:14, 16, 17; 4:4; 6:1; 37:22; 52:2; 62:11-12.
David (King): Intro chps 1-6; 1:6; 4:2; 5:4, 22-23; 10:5; intro 11:1-5; 11:5; 12:2; 20:3-4; 21:10; 25:5; 33:3-4,
24; intro 35:1-10; 40:10-11; 45:19; 49:24-26; 50:5, 10; 51:16, 21-22; 53:2, 12; 54:3; 55:1; 56:3, 4-5; 57:1-2;
58:2; 60:13; 61:3; 63:7, 10; 64:4, 6, 9: 66:18; Appendix 1: 2nd paragraph; 1. The Majestic (Universal)
Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: 6. The New Covenant.
Davidic Covenant: 7:13; 9:6-7; 37:33-35; 42:6; 49:8; 55:3b, 4; 59:21; 60:15; 63:8; Appendix 1: 1. The
Majestic (Universal) Kingdom; Appendix 2: 5. The Davidic Kingdom.
Day of the LORD: (general references): 2:2, 11-12; intro 4:2-6; 5:30; 10:20-23; intro chps 13-23; 13:1, 4-5;
intro 13:6-13; 13:6, 7-8, 9, 10, 13, 14-16; 14:3; 19:5-10; intro chps 24-27; intro 24:1-23; 24:3-4, 16b-20;
25:5; intro chp 26; 26:1-2, 17-18, 19, 20-21; intro 27:1-13; 27:4-5; intro 29:17-24; 29:17; 31:4-5; 32:1-2;
34:2, 4; 40:3; 42:10-13, 16; 47:3; 50:3; 52:5; 62:11-12; intro 63:1-6; 63:4, 5; 66:5, 15-16.
Day of the LORD (as Sabbath): 56:4-5; 58:13.
in that day: 2:11-12; intro 3:16-4:1; intro 4:2-6; 4:2; 10:20-23; 11:10; 12:1; intro chps 13-23; 17:4-6, 7-11;
intro 19:1-15; intro 19:16-25; 24:21, 23; 26:1-2; intro 27:1-13; 28:5-6; 29:18-19, 22-24; 30:23-26; 31:6-7;
52:6, 7; 57:13.
790…..Index of English Words
in that day (verses): 2:11, 17, 20; 3:7, 18; 4:1, 2; 5:30; 7:18, 20, 21, 23; 10:20, 27; 11:10, 11; 12:1, 4; 17:4,
7, 9; 19:16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24; 20:6; 22:8, 12, 20, 25; 23:15; 24:21; 25:9; 26:1; 27:1, 2, 12, 13; 28:5; 29:18;
30:23; 31:7; 52:6.
defile, defiled: 1:4; 5:2; 23:8-9; 24:5-6; 47:6; 52:15; 56:1-2, 6-7; 57:15; 59:3-4, 7-8; 64:6.
despised (God, the Holy One of Israel despised): 1:4, 28; 5:24; 7:7-9; intro 30:12-14; 31:2.
despised (Messiah the Servant despised): 49:7; intro 50:4-11; 50:6; intro 52:13-53:12; 53:3, 4, 12.
destruction (verses): 10:22, 23, 25; 13:6; 14:23; 15:5; 16:4; 22:4; 28:22; 30:28; 34:5; 43:28; 51:19; 54:16;
59:7; 60:18.
Divine deliverer: 10:28-34; intro chp 12; 19:19, 20; 28:16; 31:4-5; 35:8-10; intro chps 36-39; 36:13-20; intro
chp 37; 38:1, 4-6, 21-22; intro chps 40-48; 40:9; 43:11-13, 19-21; 46:3-4; 49:13; 50:2, 3; 52:1, 2, 6, 9-10;
54:4; intro 58:1-14; 59:21; 61:10; intro 62:1-12; intro 63:1-6; 63:1, 2, 3, 17; 64:10-11; 65:9.
Divine destroyer: 13:6; 33:1; 34:5-7.
Divine Warrior/King: 1:9; 11:3-4; 25:6; 28:5-6; 31:8-9; 34:5-7; intro chps 40-66; 40:9, 10-11; 41:15-16;
42:1, 10-13; intro 42:14-25; intro chps 49-57; 49:2, 14; 52:7, 8, 11-12; 59:15b-16, 17; 63:1, 6.
dispensational: INTRODUCTION: Covenant; 49:14; 59:21; 60:7; 65:17; Appendix 2: first paragraph;
Suggested Resources (Bibliography): B. Commentaries on Isaiah.
dispersed: 11:12; 17:1-3; 36:13-20; 41:8-9; intro 44:23-45; 54:2; 56:8; 63:19; 65:9.
earth (new): 2:2; 4:5-6; 13:9; 24:3-4; 40:28; 51:16; 60:21; 61:4; 65:17; 65:18, 19; 66:5, 22; 66:24: Final
Comments on the Prophecy of Isaiah; INTRODUCTION: A Suggested Outline of Isaiah: 3. God’s Servant
and Salvation: Chapters 40-66; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant.
earthquake: 2:14; 5:25; 13:13; 24:16b-20; 29:6-8; 35:3-4; 42:7; 54:10; 66:7-9.
Edom: 21:11-12; 33:21; intro 34:1-17; 34:5-7, 8, 9; intro 35:1-10; 35:1-2; intro 63:1-6; 63:1, 2, 3, 6.
Egypt:(occurs over 440 times) (selected verses and notes): 4:5-6; 7:18-19; 10:24-27; 11:15-16; intro 18:1-7;
18:1, 2; intro 19:1-15; 19:1, 2-4, 5-10, 11-13, 14, 15; intro 19:16-25; 19:16-17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23-25;
intro 20:1-6; 20:1, 2, 3-4, 5-6, 8; 25:3; intro chps 28-33; 28:15, 18-19; intro chp 30; 30:1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16-
17; 31:1, 3, 4-5; 32:9-14; 33:2; intro 35:1-10; 36:4-10; 37:8-13, 24-25; 38:1; 40:4; 41:8-9; 43:1; 43:3-4, 16-
17; 45:14, 15; 50:2; 51:9-10; 52:4; 57:9; 63:9, 11-14, 16; 66:19; Appendix 2: 3. The Mosaic Covenant.
election (general references): 5:2; 41:8-9.
elect (people of God): INTRODUCTION: Comprehensive and Unifying Theme: God Himself; 14:16-19;
22:20-25; 24:13; 25:8; 41:14; 48:1-2; 52:7; 64:5; 65:9; 66:19, 20-21.
791…..Index of English Words
enemies (of God and Messiah): 1:24; 10:6; 11:2, 4; intro chps 13-23; 25:5, 6; intro chp 26; 26:1-2, 11, 15;
33:3-4; 34:8; 37:5-7; 42:10-13; 47:3; 49:2; 52;13; 56:9; intro 59:15b-21; 59:17, 18-19; intro 60:1-22; 60:10;
61:3; 62:11-12; intro 63:1-6; 63:1, 2, 4, 15; 66:6, 12-14; 15-16, 17, 18; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic
Kingdom.
enemies (of Israel, God’s covenant people): 2:2; 3:1; 5:29, 30; intro chp 6; intro chps 7-12; 7:17; 9:4-5;
11:14; intro 14:1-23; 17:7-11; 19:19, 20, 23-25; intro 22:1-14; 22:6-7; 24:13; 25:3; intro chp 26; 26:1-2;
28:5-6; intro 29:1-16; intro 29:5-8; 29:5, 6-8; 30:15, 19, 23-26, 31-33; 31:1; 33:2, 3-4; intro 33:7-12; 35:3-4;
intro chps 36-39; 40:7, 17; 41:11-13, 15-16; 46:3-4; 48:12-13; 49:5-6, 8, 14, 19-21; 50:3; 51:7-8; 52:1; 8, 9-
10; 54:1, 6, 10; intro 56:9-57:2; intro chps 58-66; 59:13, 21; 62:6-7, 8-9; intro 63:1-6; 63:6, 9, 17; 66:18;
Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom.
enemies (God raises up enemies against His covenant people): intro 9:8-12; 9:11-12; intro 29:1-4; 42:23-25.
enemy (death as an enemy): 53:4.
enemy (God as enemy): 5:29; 24:12; 28:21-22; 29:2, 3-4; 63:10; 65:15-16.
Ephraim: 5:13-17; intro 7:1-9; 7:7-9; intro 7:17-25; 7:17; intro chp 8; 9:1-2; intro 9:8-12; 9:8, 9-10, 20-21;
10:24-27; 11:11, 13; 17:1-3; intro 28:1-13; 28:1, 2, 3-4; 53:3; 63:1.
eschatological: Preface; INTRODUCTION: Messianic and Messiah; 2:4; 4:5-6; 10:20-23; 12:5; intro 13:1-
14:23; 13:18; 14:3; 17:4-6, 12-14; intro chps 24-27; intro chps 28-33; 35:8-10; 42:9; 45:13, 14; 47:5; intro
55:1-13; 57:1-2, 11; 58:10b-12; intro 63:1-6; intro 63:15-64:12; 66:15-16; Appendix 2: 7. Covenants in
Isaiah.
eternal God: INTRODUCTION: 3rd paragraph; 36:13-20; 40:1-2; 41:4; intro 43:8-28; 52:9-10; Appendix 1:
2. The Mediatorial Kingdom. everlasting God: 40:28.
eternal joy: 7:14; intro chps 65-66. everlasting joy: intro 35:1-10; 35:8-10; 51:5, 7-8, 9-10, 11, 14, 16; 52:1;
intro 61:1-11; 61:3, 7.
eternal kingdom: 9:6-7; intro chps 40-48; 55:3b. everlasting kingdom: intro chps 1-6; 66:1; Appendix 1:
The Majestic (Universal) Kingdom; 2. The Mediatorial kingdom;
eternal life: INTRODUCTION: God’s Glory; 4:2; 25:9; 28:16; 42:1; 45:22; 48:18-19; 49:5-6; 53:5; 55:1;
58:10b-12; 59:9-10; 64:5. everlasting life: 25:8; 28:16; 53:10; 64:6.
eternal punishment: INTRODUCTION: 3rd paragraph; 65:5, 6-7; intro chp 66; 66:3-4, 5; intro 66:15-24;
66:24. everlasting punishment: 11:5.
eternal purpose: intro chp 1: 1:18; 45:17.
eternal salvation: INTRODUCTION: The Sovereignty of God; 5:2; 7:14; 12:2; 25:8; 45:16, 17; 50:7; 53:12.
everlasting salvation: 25:9; 45:17; 62:11-12; 63:8.
eternal state: INTRODUCTION: Messianic and Messiah; God’s Glory; 7. Historical; Outline of Isaiah:
Note 2; intro chps 1-6; 2:2; 9:6-7; 24:3-4, 5-6, 23; 25:8; 26:12; 40:9; 41:8-9; 43:7, 25; 51:6; 53:4, 5; 54:11-
12; 55:13; 57:15; intro chps 58-66; 58:10b-12; intro 60:1-22; 60:3, 18, 19-20, 21; 62:11-12; 64:10-11, 12;
792…..Index of English Words
intro chps 65-66; 65:17, 19, 20; intro 66:15-24; 66:22, 23, 24; Appendix 1: 2nd paragraph; 2. The Mediatorial
Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: 1. The Noahic Covenant; 2. The Abrahamic Covenant.
Ethiopia (See also Cush): intro chps 13-23; intro 18:1-7; 18:1, 2, 7; intro 19:1-15; 19:2-4, 15; intro 19:16-25;
intro 20:1-6; 20:3-4, 5-6; 23:8-9; intro chp 37; 37:8-13; 43:3-4; 45:14; 53:7; 56:3, 4-5.
everlasting covenant: 4:2; intro 13:1-14:23; intro 24:1-23; 24:5-6; 28:15; 54;10; intro 55:1-13; 55:3b, 4, 10-
11; 58:13; 59:8; intro 61:1-11; 61:3, 8; Appendix 2: 1. The Noahic Covenant; 5. The Davidic Kingdom; 7.
Covenants in Isaiah.
everlasting Father: intro 9:1-7; 9:6-7; 10:20-23; 46:12-13; 50:8; 63:16.
everlasting love: 54:7-8, 9, 10; 63:7.
everlasting name: 41:20; 53:12; intro 56:1-8; 56:3, 4-5; 63:11-14.
everlasting righteousness: 50:9; 51:7-8.
evil (general references): INTRODUCTION: Sin; 1:4, 10, 12-14, 16-17, 23; 3:1, 9, 11, 15; 5:2; intro 5:8-30;
5:13-17, 20, 21, 24; 6:3; 7:7-9, 10-11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17; 8:14-15; 9:15-16, 17, 18; 10:1-2; intro chps 13-23;
14:12-14, 28; 15:5-9; 19:1, 11-13; 24:3-4; 27:7; 28:15; 30:1, 2-3, 4-5; 31:2; 32:1-2; 33:15-16; 34:2, 8; 40:1-
2; 41:23; 45:7, 16; 46:5-7; 47:1, 7-9, 10, 11; 48:22; 52:1; 54:13; 55:7; 56:3; 57:1-2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 17; 59:3-
4, 7, 8, 13, 14-15a, 15b-16; 63:3, 17; 64:4; 65:6-7, 11-12; 66:1, 3-4, 5.
evil doers: 1:4; 9:17; 13:11; intro 14:4-23; intro 31:1-9; 31:2; intro 35:1-10.
evilness: 1:14, 15; 3:8; 5:13-17, 20; intro chps 7-12; 7:2; intro 9:8-10:14; 9:13; intro 9:18-21; 19:14; 24:5-6;
44:21-22; 45:10; 50:7, 9; 57:7, 9; 59:3-4, 5-6, 14-15a, 15b-16, 18-19; 66:3-4.
exalt, exalted, exaltation (verses): 2:2, 11, 17; 5:16; 12:4; 13:3; 22:19; 25:1; 33:5, 10; 52:13.
exile: INTRODUCTION: 7. Historical; Extended Outline: Note 2; intro 5:8-30; 5:13-17; 6:13; 7:3, 18-19;
10:12; 11:10; 17:4-6; 18:5-6; 27:8-9; 28:18-19; intro chps 40-66; intro chps 40-48; 40:1-2, 4, 17, 29-31; intro
41:1-29; 41:11-13, 15-16; intro 41:21-24; 41:27, 42:10-13; 43:1; intro 43:14-21; 43:19-21; 44:21-22, 24-28;
45:3, 4, 8, 11, 13, 14; 46:12-13; 47:1; 48:6b-7, 18-19, 20-21; 49:8, 12, 13, 17; 51:1, 9-10, 14; 52:3, 9-10;
54:4; 55:13; 56:8; 58:3-5; 60:4; 62:10; 66:20-21.
exodus (the first): 4:5-6; 9:11-12; 11:15-16; 19:14, 22; intro chp 36; 40:4; 43:1, 2, 3-4, 19-21; 44:21-22;
45:4; 46:3-4; 48:3, 4-6a, 6b-7, 18-19; 51:9-10.
exodus (the second): 45:4.
faith (verse): 26:2
faithful (verses): 1:21, 26; 8:2; 49:7.
faithfully (verses): 7:9; 38:3; 61:8/
faithfulness (verses): 11:5; 25:1; 38:18, 19; 42:3.
793…..Index of English Words
faithful remnant: INTRODUCTION; The Remnant; 1:8, 9, 27:8:16-17; intro 9:1-7; 10:6, 20-23; 11:11;
16:2-5; 23:18; 24:3-4, 14-16a; 25:4, 6, 10-12; intro chp 26; 26:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16, 17-18, 20-21;
27:12-13; 28:5-6, 16; 29:5, 22-24; 30:4-5, 15, 19, 20, 21-22, 23-26; 33:18-19, 20; intro 35:1-10; 35:3-4, 8-10;
40:3, 5, 9, 10-11, 29-31; 41:8-9, 10, 15-16; intro 42:1-13; 42:16, 17; intro 43:1-7; intro 43:8-13; 43:16-17,
19-21; 44:5, 24-28; 45:13, 14, 15, 24-25; 46:12-13; 49:8, 9-10, 11, 14, 17, 18, 19-21, 22-23, 24-26; intro
50:4-11; 51:1, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11, 12, 13, 16, 21-22, 23; 52:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 11-12, 15; 53:1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8; 54:1, 3,
6, 7-8, 11-12; intro chp 55; 55:13; 56:1-2, 8, 9; 57:15; intro chps 58-66; 58:10b-12; 59:1; intro 59:15b-21;
59:15b-16, 20; intro 60:1-22; 60:1, 4, 5, 8-9, 10, 14, 15; 61:1, 2, 4, 5-6; 62:10; 63:1, 4, 17: 64:5; 65:5, 8, 9,
21-22; 66:6, 7-9, 10-11, 12-14, 18, 20-21; Appendix 2. 2. The Abrahamic Covenant; 6. The New Covenant.
fall of Babylon: 13:1, 9, 18, 19, 20-22; 14:12-14; intro 21:1-10; 21:8-9; 24:10; 25:2; 30:23-26; 33:21; intro
chps 40-48; 43:14-15; intro 46:1-47:15; intro 47:1-15; 47:1, 7-9.
fall of man: INTRODUCTION: God’s Glory; 2:17, 18; 5:21; intro 41:17-20; 49:13; 53:5, 11, 55:13.
fasting: intro 58:1-14; 58:1, 2, 3-5; 6, 7, 9b-10a, 10b-12; intro 59:1-21; 59:1, 2, 3-4, 9-10; intro 60:1-22.
fearing God: 2:20; intro chp 3; intro 8:9-22; 8:13; intro 11:1-5; 11:2, 3-4; 25:3; 29:15-16; intro 33:1-6; 33:6;
intro 40:12-31; 40:17; 41:5, 6-7, 10; 50:10, 11, 18; 57:11; intro 59:15b-21; 59:18-19; 63:11-14, 17.
fearing men and nations: 5:13-17; intro 7:1-9; 7:2, 4, 5-6, 7:10-11, 13, 16; intro chp 8; 8:11-12; 10:7, 15,
24-27; 14:1-2; 18:2, 7; 30:16-17; intro 35:1-10; 35:3-4, 5-7; 37:5-7; 41:10; 51:7-8, 11, 12, 13, 15; 52:9-10,
11-12; 54:1, 14-15; 60:1.
fertility (cult rites): 1:29-30; 57:5, 12.
Fire (Lake of): 24:3-4, 5-6; 26:15; 27:1; 29:20-21; 30:31-33; 44:1; 54:14-15, 16-17; intro chps 65-66; 65:5,
17; 66:24.
first and last: 41:4; 48:12.
flood (general references): intro 8:1-8; 8:7, 8, 9-10; 9:14; 10:28-34; 21:1; 30:27b-30.
flood (Noah): 24:5-6, 22; 49:11; 54:9, 10: 57:16; 65:20; Appendix 2: 1. The Noahic Covenant; 2. The
Abrahamic Covenant.
foolishness: intro 9:8-10:4; 19:1; 36:4-10; intro chp 38; intro 44:1-8; 44:24-28; 46:8-9.
fools: 2:20; 5:21; 31:2; 32:5-8; intro 35:1-10; 35:8-10; 36:4-10; 44:24-28; 57:11.
foreigners (including verse references): 1:4, 7, 8; 2:6; intro 5:8-30; 14:1-22; 22:15-16; 25:5; 52:1, 9-10; intro
56:1-8; 56:3, 6-7, 8; 59:15b-16; intro 60:1-22; 60:10; intro 61:1-11; 61:4, 5-6; 62:8-9; Appendix 2: 7.
Covenants in Isaiah.
foreign nations: 1:5; 3:4; 5:5; intro 5:8-30; 7:15; 9:9-10; intro 10:20-34; intro chps 24-27; intro 32:1-24;
intro 47:1:15; 56:9; 61:7; intro 63:1-6; 63:10; 65:8; 66:15-16.
forgive: intro chps 1-6; 1:18; 2:9; intro 22:1-14; 27:8-9; 33:24; 43:25, 26-27; 49:8; 53:5; 55:7; 57:17; 58:6;
63:8.
794…..Index of English Words
forgiven: INTRODUCTION: Covenant; 6:6-7, 8; intro 22:1-14; 22:12-14; 26:8; 33:24; 38:17; 43:25; 45:17;
47:11; 65:15-16.
forgiveness: 5:20; 6:6-7, 8; 10:20-23; 12:2; 27:8-9, 10-11; intro 28:1-29; 30:9; 43:22, 25; 44:21-22; 45:7, 20-
21; 48:9-11; 53:5; 55:7, 8-9, 10-11; 56:6-7; 57:17, 18-19; 58:3-5; 59:21; Appendix 2: 6. The New Covenant.
forsake, forsaken (includes verses): INTRODUCTION: Sin; Comprehensive and Unifying Theme: God
Himself; 7. Historical; 1:4, 28; 5:24; 7:16; 8:8; 14:1-2; 17:1-3, 7-11; 27:10-11; 31:2; 32:9-14; 40:28; 41:10,
17; 42:6, 16, 18-20; 44:2, 21-22; 48:1-2; 49:8, 14; 50:1, 2, 3; intro 50:4-11; 50:10; 51:1, 9-10, 13; intro
51:17-23; intro 52:7-12; 54:6, 10; 55:1, 6, 7; 57:3; intro chps 58-66; 59:3-4; intro 60:1-22; 60:15; 62:4, 5, 11-
12; intro 65:8-12; 65:11-12; 66:16.
foundation (includes verses): 6:4; 11:11, 13; 24:16b-20; 28:16, 18; 30:1; 33:6; 35:1-2; 40:12, 21; 44:24-28;
45:17; 48:12-13; 50:7; 51:13, 16; 52:1; intro 52:13-53:12; 54:11-12; 58:10b-12; 63:1.
free, freely: 1:24; 12:3; 14:1-2; 19:20; intro 29:17-24; 29:22-24; 30:23-36; intro 33:17-24; 35:8-10; 42:9;
45:13; 49:8, 9-10, 19-21; intro 50:4-11; 50:9, 11; 52:3, 4, 7; intro 52:13-53:12; 53:10; intro 54:1-17; 54;4;
intro 55:1-13; 55:1, 2-3a; 56:1-2; intro 58:1-14; 58:6, 7; 60:1, 11; 63:1; 64:5; 65:2; 66:20-21.
freedom: 5:27-28; 22:1-2; 42:7, 22; 52:7; 57:18-19; 58:6; 61:1; Appendix 2: 3. The Mosaic Covenant.
Gentiles: 11:15-16; 19:23-25; 24:13, 14-16a; 25:5; 26:15; 41:10; 42:2-4; 44:3; 45:14; 49:2, 5-6, 8, 14, 22-23,
24-26; 51:4; 52:5; 53:8; 54:3, 14-15; 56:1-2, 3, 8; 57:15; intro chps 58-66; 60:3, 6, 8-9; 61:5-6; 65:1, 2;
66:20-21, 23, 24.
glory (verse references): 2:10, 19, 21; 4:5; 6:3; 8:7; 10:16; 13:19; 14:18; 16:14; 17:3, 4; 21:16; 22:23, 24;
23:9; 24:16, 23; 28:5; 35:2 (2x); 40:5; 41:16; 42:8, 12; 43:7; 44:23; 46:13; 48:11; 58:8; 59:19; 60:1, 2, 13,
19; 61:6; 62:2; 66:18, 19 (2x).
God (verses references): 1:10; 2:3; 5:16; 7:11, 13, 14; 8:10, 19, 21; 12:2; 13:19; 14:13; 17:6, 10; 21:10, 17;
24:15; 25:1, 9; 26:1, 13; 28:26; 29:23; 30:18; 31:3; 35:2, 4 (2x); 36:7; 37:4 (3x), 10, 16 (2x), 17, 20, 21; 38:5;
40:1, 3, 8, 9, 18, 27, 28; 41:10, 13, 17; 43:3, 10, 12; 44:6, 8; 45:3, 5, 14 (2x), 15 (2x), 18, 21 (2x), 22; 46:9
(2x); 48:1, 2, 17; 49:4, 5; 50:10; 51:15, 20, 22; 52:7, 10, 12; 53:4; 54:5, 6; 55:5, 7, 21; 58:2 (2x); 59:2, 13;
60:9, 19; 61:2, 6, 10; 62:3, 5; 64:4; 65:16 (2x); 66:9.
God of Israel (verse references): 17:6; 21:10, 17; 24:15; 29:23; 37:16, 21; 41:17; 45:3,15; 48:1, 2; 52:12.
God’s glory: See INTRODUCTION: God’s Glory.
God (Names for): INTRODUCTION: Names for God;
Verse references for names for God:
Creator of the ends of the earth: 40:28.
Creator of Israel your King: 43:15.
(God who) creates: 4:1; 40:26; 41:20; 42:5; 43:1, 7; 45:7 (2x), 8, 12, 18 (2x); 54:16 (2x); 65:17, 18
(2x).
Everlasting God: 40:28.
Everlasting Rock: 26:4.
Father: 9:6; 63:16 (2x), 64:8.
795…..Index of English Words
God of David your father: 38:5.
Holy One: 5:16; 10:17; 40:25; 43:15; 49:7.
Holy One of Israel: 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19; 30:11, 12, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3,
14; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9, 14.
Holy One of Jacob: 29:23.
Judge: 33:22.
King: 6:5; 32:1; 33:17, 22; 43:15.
King of Jacob: 41:21.
King of Israel: 44:6.
Lawgiver: 33:22.
LORD of hosts: 1:9, 24; 2:12; 3:1, 15; 5:7, 9, 16, 24; 6:3, 5; 8:13, 18; 9:7, 13, 19; 10:16, 23, 24, 26, 33;
13:4, 13; 14:22, 23, 24, 27; 17:3; 18:7 (2x); 19:4, 12, 16, 17, 18, 20, 25; 21:10; 22:5, 12, 14 (2x), 15, 25;
23:9; 24:23; 25:6; 28:5, 22, 29; 29:6; 31:4, 5; 37:16, 32; 39:5; 44:6; 45:13; 47:4; 48:2; 51:15; 54:5.
LORD your God: 7:11; 37:4 (2x); 41:13; 43:3; 48:17; 51:15; 55:5; 60:9.
LORD your Maker: 51:13.
LORD your Redeemer: 54:9.
Maker: 17:7; 45:9, 11; 54:5.
Mighty God: 9:6; 10:21.
Mighty One of Israel: 1:24.
Mighty One of Jacob: 49:26; 60:16.
Redeemer: 41:14; 43:14; 44:6, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16; 63:16.
Rock: 17:10; 26:4; 44:8; 51:1.
Rock of Israel: 30:29.
Savior: 43:3, 11; 45:15, 21; 49:26; 60:16; 63:8. See also 19:20.
Sovereign LORD: 3:1, 15; 7:7; 10:16, 23, 24, 33; 19:4; 25:8; 28:16, 22; 30:15; 40:10; 42:5; 48:16; 49:22;
50:4, 5, 7, 9: 51:22; 52:4; 56:8; 61:1; 11; 65:13; 65:15.
godless (verses): 9:17; 10:6; 33:14. ungodliness (verse): 32:6.
gods (false pagan) (verses): 21:9; 36:18, 19 (2x), 20; 37:12, 19 (2x), 38; 41:23; 42:17; 43:12; 44:10, 15, 17
(2x); 45:20; 46:6; 57:6.
good news: 4:2; intro 40:9-11; 40:9, 10-11; 41:27, 28-29; 52:1, 6, 7, 8; intro 52:13-53:12; 61:1, 2.
grace: 1:18; 8:18; 10:15; 27:10-11; intro 28:23-29; 40:17; 42:1; 43:26-27; 44:5; 49:2, 5-6; 50:9; 51:19, 21-
22; 52:3; 55:2-3a; 57:18-19; 58:8-9a; 59:15b-16; 61:10; 64:5; Appendix 3:The Promise of God’s Presence.
greed: 9:20-21; intro 56:9-57:12; 56:11, 12; 57:13, 17.
hand(s) of God (verses): 1:25; 5:12, 25 (2x); 8:11; 9:12, 17, 21; 10:4; 11:11, 15; 14:26, 27; 19:25; 23:11;
25:10; 26:11; 28:2; 29:23; 31:3; 34:17; 40:2, 12 (2x); 41:10, 20; 43:13; 45:9, 11, 12; 48:13 (2x); 49:2, 16, 22;
50:2, 11; 51:16, 17; 59:1; 60:21; 62:3 (2x), 8; 64:8; 65:2; 66:2, 14.
head(s) (verses): 1:5, 6; 3:17; 7:8 (2x), 7:9 (2x), 20; 9:14, 15; 15:2; 19:15; 22:12; 28:1, 4; 29:10; 35:10;
37:22; 51:11, 20; 58:5; 59:17.
heal, healing (verses): 6:10; 19:22 (2x); 30:26; 53:5; 57:18, 19; 58:8.
796…..Index of English Words
heart (verses): 1:5; 6:10 (2x); 7:2 (2x); 9:9; 10:7 (2x), 12; 13:7; 14:13; 15:5; 16:11; 21:4; 29:13; 30:29; 32:4,
6; 33:18; 35:4; 38:3; 42:25; 47:7, 8, 10; 49:21; 51:7; 57:1, 15; 59:13; 60:5; 63:4, 15, 17; 65:14 (2x); 66:14.
hearts (verses): 19:1; 44:18; 57:17.
merry-hearted (verse): 24:7; stubborn-hearted (verse): 46:12; broken hearted (Verse): 61:1.
heaven (verses): 7:11; 13:10; 14:12, 13; 24:18, 21 (2x); 34:4, 5; 37:16; 40:12; 55:10; 63:15; 66:1.
heavens (verses): 1:2; 13:13; 34:4; 40:22; 42:5; 44:23, 24; 45:8, 12, 18; 48:13; 49:13; 50:3; 51:6 (2x); 51:13,
16; 55:9; 64:1; 65:17; 66:22.
heavens (new heavens and new earth): 65:17; 66:22.
Hezekiah (verses): 1:1; 36:1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 15, 16, 18, 22; 37:1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 14, 15, 21, 30; 38:1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 22;
39:1, 2 (2x), 3 (2x), 4, 5, 8.
holy (specific verses):
Holy One: 5:16; 10:17; 40:25; 43:15; 49:7.
Holy One of Israel: 1:4; 5:19, 24; 10:20; 12:6; 17:7; 29:19; 30:11, 12, 15; 31:1; 37:23; 41:14, 16, 20; 43:3,
14; 45:11; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5; 55:5; 60:9, 14.
Holy One of Jacob: 29:23.
Holy Spirit: 63:10,11.
The LORD called holy: 6:3;
God’s covenant people called holy: 4:3; 62:12; 63:18.
Other:
holy arm: 52:10.
holy city: 48:2; 52:1
holy cities: 64:10.
holy day: 58:13 (2x).
holy feast: 30:29.
holy and glorious home: 63:15.
holy mountain: 11:9; 27:13; 56:7; 57:13; 65:11, 25; 66:20.
holy (name): 57:15.
holy place: 57:15.
holy seed: 6:13.
holy and beautiful temple: 64:11.
holiness (verses):
God the Holy One will demonstrate his holiness: 5:16.
The Way of Holiness: 35:8.
hope (verses): 5:7; 8:17; 20:5, 6; 38:18; 51:5.
hope (notes): INTRODUCTION: Sin; Intro chp 6: 6:13; intro 7:1-9; 7:3, 7-9, 14, 16; intro 9:1-7; intro 10:20-
34; 10:20-23; 18:7; 21:10; 24:13; 27:12-13; intro 28:14-29; 28:16; 29:9-10; 31:2, 6-7; 33:2; 36:1; intro 40:1-
31; 40:1-2; 41:14; intro 42:18-25; 51:5; 60:8-9.
house of Israel (verses): 5:7; 8:14; 14:2; 46:13; 63:7.
house of Jacob (verses): 2:5, 6: 8:17; 10:20; 14:1; 29:22; 46:3; 48:1; 58:1.
797…..Index of English Words
humanity: INTRODUCTION: God’s Glory; 3:9; 5:2; 6:3; 7:14; intro 13:1-16; 25:3; 40:8, 23; 42:6, 17;
45:22; 52:15; 53:1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12; 54:13; 55:6, 7, 8-9, 10-11; 59:3-4, 15b-16; 63:5; 65:18; 66:23, 24.
Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: Introduction to the Covenants.
humble: 2:9, 10, 11-12, 17, 19; 5:13-17; 6:8; 9:9-10; 10:6; 33:10; 37:14-20; 39:1; 51:21-22; 53:2; intro
57:14-21; 57:14, 15, 16, 18-19, 20-21; 58:3-5, 7; 60:22; 61:1; 66:2, 5.
humility: 2:19; 6:2; 39:2; 49:22-23; 53:6, 7.
I am (selected phrases) (verses):
I am the LORD: 42:8; 43:3, 15; 44:24; 45:5, 6, 7, 18; 48:17; 49:23, 26; 51:15,
I, the LORD: 42:6.
I am he: 43:10; 43:13; 46:4; 48:12.
I am the first, I am the last: 41:4; 44:6; 48:12.
I am God: 42:12; 45:22; 46:9 (2x).
I am the one: 41:4; 51:16; 52:6.
I am (notes): 1:9; 28:16; 41:4; 42:5; 43:10, 14-15; 48:12-13, 17; 50:4; 51:15; 52:6; 55:5; 63:11-14; 65:1;
Appendix 2: 3. The Mosaic Covenant.
idol, idols (verses): 2:8, 18, 20 (2x); 10:10, 11 (2x); 19:1, 3; 30:22; 31:7 (2x); 40:19, 20; 41:22; 42:8, 17;
44:9, 10, 15, 17, 20; 45:16, 20; 46:1; 48:5 (2x); 57:13; 66:3.
idolatry: intro chps 2-4; 2:9; 30:1, 21-22; 43:7; intro 44:1-8; 45:6; 48:9-11; 57:5, 6, 10, 17.
idolatrous: 41:6-7; 57:11; intro chps 65-66; 65:11-12; 66:17; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant.
image, images (as idols): 1:29-30; 2:20; intro chps 7-12; 10:10; 17:7-11; intro 21:1-10; 21:8-9; intro chps
24-27; 25:7; 30:21-22; 40:18, 19-20; 41:28-29; 42:5, 8, 17; 44:7, 12, 13, 18-19; 45:16, 20-21; 46:1; 46:3-4,
5-7; 48:5.
image bearers: INTRODUCTION: God’s Glory; intro chps 1-6; 1:18; 41:8-9; 53:12; 60:21; 62:11-12; 63:5,
8; 64:5; 66:18; 66:24. Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom, 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2:
Introduction to the Covenants, 1. The Noahic Covenant, 3. The Mosaic Covenant, 5. The Davidic Covenant,
6. The New Covenant; Appendix 3. The Promises of God’s Presence, The Purpose of God’s Presence.
Immanuel: 7:13; intro 7:14-16; 7:14, 15, 16, 17; 8:8, 9-10; intro 9:1-7; 33:18-19; 40:9; 41:10; 49:1; 66:19.
Immanuel’s land: intro 7:14-16; intro 8:1-8; 8:8, 9-10; intro 14:4-23; 33:18-19; 36:13-20; 43:19-21; 48:20-
21.
incarnation: 45:6; 50:4; Appendix 3: The Promises of God’s Presence.
incomparable: 11:2; 40:10-11; intro 40:12-31; 40:17; 41:8-9; 43:14-15; 44:7; 53:12.
798…..Index of English Words
Iniquities (verses): 43:24; 53:5; 59:2, 12; 64:7.
iniquity (verses): 1:4; 5:18; 6:7; 13:11; 22:14; 27:9; 30:13; 40:2; 59:3, 6, 7; 64:9.
inspiration: INTRODUCTION: A Basic Outline; 4:4; 10:15; 39:8; 41:8-9; 45:8; 49:8; 50:5; 53:3; 54:2;
59:21.
intercession: 1:2; 47:3; 52:14; 53:9, 12; 62:6-7; 63:15.
Isaiah (verses): 1:1; 2:1; 7:3; 7:131; 13:1; 20:2 2; 20:32; 37:2, 5, 6, 21; 38:1, 4, 21; 39:3, 5, 8; 39:41.
(notes: 1: DASV; 2: NASB).
Isaiah (son of Amoz) (verses): 1:1; 2:1; 13:1; 20:2; 37:2, 21; 38:1.
Israel (general references) (verses): 1:3; 4:2; 7:1; 8:18; 9:8, 12, 14; 10:17, 22; 11:12, 16; 14:1; 19:24, 25;
27:6; 40:27; 41:14, 24; 43:1, 22, 28; 44:5, 21, 23; 45:17; 48:1; 49:5, 6, 56:8; 63:16.
Israelites (verses): 27:12; 66:20.
Israel (My servant): 41:8, 9; 44:21; 49:3.
Israel (chosen) (verses): 44:1; 45:4.
Israel my glory (verse): 46:13.
See also (verses):
children of Israel: (see separately under “C”).
Creator of Israel: 43:15
descendants of Israel: 45:25.
God of Israel: (see separately under “G”).
Holy One of Israel: (see separately under “H”).
house of Israel: (see separately under “H”).
Jacob and Israel, my called ones: 48:12.
LORD, the King of Israel: 44:6.
Mighty One of Israel: 1:24.
Redeemer of Israel: 49:7.
remnant of Israel: 10:20; 46:3.
Rock of Israel: 30:29.
Jacob (general references) (verses): 9:8; 14:1; 27:6, 9; 29:22; 40:27; 41:4; 42:24; 43:1, 22, 28; 44:5, 21, 23;
45:19; 48:12; 49:5; 58:14; 59:20; 65:9.
(Specific references) (verses):
glory of Jacob: 17:4.
God of Jacob: 2:3.
his servant Jacob: 48:20
house of Jacob: 2:5, 6: 8:17; 10:20; 14:1; 29:22; 46:3; 48:1; 58:1
Holy One of Jacob: 29:23.
799…..Index of English Words
King of Jacob: 41:21.
Mighty One of Jacob: 49:26; 60:16.
my servant Jacob: 41:8; 44:1, 2; 45:4.
remnant of Jacob: 10:21.
tribes of Jacob: 49:6.
Jerusalem (verses): 1:1; 2:1, 3, 3:1, 8; 4:3 (2x), 4; 5:3; 7:1; 8:14; 10:10, 11, 12, 32; 22:10, 21; 24:23; 27:13;
28:14; 30:19; 31:5, 9; 33:20; 36:2, 7, 20; 37:10, 22, 32; 40:2, 9; 41:27; 44:26, 28; 51:17; 52:1, 2, 9 (2x); 62:1,
6, 7; 64:10; 65:18, 19; 66:10, 13, 20.
Jeshurun: 44:2; Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom.
Jotham (verses): 1:1; 7:1.
joy (verses): 9:3 (3x); 16:9, 10 (2x); 22:13; 24:8, 11, 14; 32:13, 14; 35:2, 6, 10 (2x); 48:20; 51:3, 11 (2x);
52:8; 54:1; 55:12; 60:15; 61:3, 7; 65:14; 66:5, 10.
Joyful: 49:13; 52:9; 56:7; 61:10; joyfully: 12:3; joyous: 23:7.
Judah (verses): 1:1 (2x); 2:1; 3:1, 8; 5:3, 7; 7:1, 6, 17; 8:8; 9:21; 11:12, 13 (3x); 19:17; 22:8, 21; 26:1; 36:1,
7; 37:10, 31; 38:9; 40:9; 44:26; 48:1; 65:9.
judge, judges (verses): 1:26; 2:4; 3:2, 13; 5:3; 11:3, 4; 33:22; 40:23; 51:5.
judgment, judgments (verses): 3:14; 4:4; 26:8, 9; 28:6, 7; 41:1; 53:8, 58:2; 66:16.
justice (verses): 1:17, 21, 27; 5:7, 16, 23; 9:7; 10:2; 16:5; 28:6, 17; 29:21; 30:18; 32:1, 16; 33:5; 40:14, 27;
42:1, 3, 4; 49:4; 51:4; 59:4, 8, 9, 11, 14, 15; 61:8.
Note: Jesus Christ: In the notes, Jesus is mentioned over 480 times, Christ is mentioned over 720 times. For
electronic versions, use “find” function to search individual occurrences.
All Verse References:
King (general references): 7:6, 16; 10:8; 14:9, 18; 19:4, 11; 23:15; 24:21; 30:33; 37:13 (3x); 41:2; 45:1; 49:7,
23; 52:15; 60:3, 10, 11; 62:2.
King (in reference to God the Father): 6:5; 41:21; 43:15; 44:6.
King (in reference to the Messiah): 32:1; 33:17, 22.
King Ahaz: 1:1; 7:1, 3, 10, 12; 14:28; 38:8.
King of Assyria: 7:17, 20; 8:4, 7; 10:12; 20:1, 4, 6; 36:1, 2, 4 (2x), 8, 13 (2x), 15, 16, 18; 37:4, 6, 8, 10, 21,
33, 27; 38:6.
Kings of Assyria: 37:11, 18.
800…..Index of English Words
King Cyrus (Hebrew: Koresh): 44:28; 45:1.
King of Babylon: 14:4; 39:1, 7.
King of Egypt (Pharaoh): 36:6.
King of Ethiopia (Tirhakah): 37:9.
King Hezekiah: 1:1; 36:1, 2, 4, 7, 14, 15, 16, 18, 22; 37:1, 3, 5, 9, 10, 14, 15, 21, 30; 38:1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 22;
39:1, 2 (2x), 3 (2x), 4, 5, 8.
King of Jacob (reference to God): 41:21.
King Jotham: 1:1; 7:1.
King Pekah (of Israel): 7:1.
King Rezin (of Aram): 7:1, 4, 8; 8:6.
King Remaliah (of Israel): 7:1, 4, 5, 9; 8:6.
King Uzziah: 1:1; 6:1; 7:1.
Kingdom, Kingdoms (earthly): 10:10; 13:4; 14:16; 19:2 (2x); 23:11, 17; 34:12; 37:16;, 20; 39:2; 47:5;
60:12.
Kingdom of Babylon: 13:19.
Kingdom of Damascus: 17:3.
Kingdom of idols: 10:10.
Kingdom (of Messiah): 9:7.
lament, lamenting: 1:2, 3, 6, 21; 3:11, 26; 5:8, 11-12, 18-19, 20, 21, 22-23, 26; 19:5-10; 22:1-2, 3-4; 25:10-
12; 26:10, 17-18; 29:2; 30:9; 32:9-14; 33:5-6a; 38:9, 10-14, 18-19; 43:22, 23-24, 25; 48:18-19; 49:4, 7, 15,
18; 50:6, 10; 51:1; 55:1; 56:3; 59:1; intro 63:15-64:12; 63:15, 19; 64:1, 8, 10-11, 12; 65:1, 3-4; 5, 6-7; 65:8.
land (chosen): 54:2.
land (God’s): 4:2; 14:25.
His land: 8:8, 9-10; intro 14:4-23; intro 14:24-27, 14:24, 25, 27; 26:17-18; 36:13-20; 43:5-6; 57:15; intro
60:1-22; 64:10-11.
land (Immanuel’s): intro 7:14-16; intro 8:1-8; 8:8, 9-10; intro 14:4-23; 33:18-19; 36:13-20; 43:19-21; 48:20-
21.
801…..Index of English Words
land (inheritance): 6:13; 40:1-2; 57:13; 60:16; 61:7.
land (to possess): 57:13; 60:21.
land (promised): 1:29-30; 2:9; 5:29; 9:3; 11:15-16; intro chp 12; 14:3, 26; 17:4-6; 25:8; intro chp 26; 26:1-2;
34:5-7, 16-17; 41:8-9; 43:5-6; 44:24-28; 48:20-21; 50:2; 56:3; 57:8; 58:13; 60:21, 22; 61:9; 63:9, 11-14, 19;
65:9, 10; 66:20-21; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant.
land (to restore): intro chps 1-6; 42:6; intro chps 49-57; 49:8; intro 52:13-53:12; 61:4.
Land of Assyria: 7:18-19; intro 20:1-6; 27:12-13.
Land of the Chaldeans: intro 23:1-18; 23:13-14.
Land of His Covenant People: intro 52:13-53:12.
Land of Edom: intro 34:1-17; 34:5-7, 9, 16-17; intro 35:1-10.
Land of Egypt: INTRODUCTION: The Holy One of Israel; 9:6-7; 11:15-16; intro 19:1-15; 19:18, 19, 20;
24:5-6; 27:12-13; 31:4-5; 43:3-4; 43:19-21; 63:11-14; Appendix 3: The Promises of God’s Presence.
Land of Israel: intro chps 1-6; intro 4:2-6; 8:9-10; 26:15; 28:16; 36:3-20; 49:8; 49:24-26; 62:4, 5; 64:10-11;
65:21-22.
Land of Judah (See “Judah” under “J”).
Land of Moriah: 1:27; 25:5; 65:25.
Land of Zion: 62:4, 5; 65:9, 15-16; intro 66:7-14;
Homeland (general): 36:13-20; intro chps 40-66; intro 43:1-7; 45:13; 48:1-2; 49:22-23; 66:20-21.
Homeland (Jewish national): intro 2:5-9; 5:13-17; intro 7:14-16, 17, 21-22; 8:1-2, 9-10; intro 10:1-4; intro
19:1-15; 19:16-17; 24:1; intro chp 26; 26:1-2; 30:10-11; intro 33:7-12, 17; intro 43:1-7; 49:5-6; 52:7
Other land references:
Covenant Stipulation of the Land: intro chps 1-6; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant.
land flowing with milk and honey: 24:5-6 (quotation from Jeremiah 11:1-5).
land which God gave to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: 57:13.
law (verses): 1:10; 2:3; 5:24; 8:20; 10:1; 24:5; 30:9; 42:21, 24; 51:4, 7.
lawgiver (verse): 33:22.
leader, leadership: INTRODUCTION: Extended Outline, Note 2; 1:2, 23, 26, 29-30; 2:9; intro 3:1-7; 3:1, 2-
3, 4, 5, 6-7; intro 3:8-15; 3:11, 12, 14, 15; intro 3:16-4:1; 4:4; 5:20; 7:1, 17; 9:4-5, 15-16; 10:3-4; intro 13:1-
14:23; intro 13:6-13; 14:9-11; intro 19:1-15; 19:5-10, 15; 21:5, 11-12; 22:3-4, 20-25; 23:18; 24:5-6; intro
802…..Index of English Words
chps 28-33; intro 28:1-29; 28:3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 11-13, 15, 16; intro 28:23-29; 28:23-29; 30:1, 2-3, 6-7, 16-17;
31:1, 2, 3; intro 32:1-8; 32:1-2, 3-4; intro 33:1-24; 33:3-4, 10; 35:3-4, 8-10; 36:4-10; 37:1-4; 38:1, 4-6, 21-
22; 39:1; 40:1-2, 3, 24, 28; intro 41:1-29; 43:26-27; 44:24-28; intro 45:1-8; 45:4; 46:2; intro 47:1-15; 47:7-9;
49:4, 22-23; 50:5; intro 51:17-23; 51:18, 19, 20; 52:11-12; 54:11-12, 16-17; intro chp 55; intro 55:1-13; 55:4,
5; 56:1-2, 4-5; intro 56:9-57:21; 56:9, 10, 11; 57:1-2, 17; 58:13; 59:3-4, 14-15a; 60:3, 8-9, 10, 16, 17; 62:10;
63:9, 10, 11-14; 64:9; 65:5; 66:1, 2, 17, 20-21.
life (eternal, everlasting): INTRODUCTION: God’s Glory; 4:2; 25:8, 9; 28:16; 42:1; 45:22; 48:18-19; 49:5-
6; 53: 5, 10; 55:1; 58:10b-12; 59:9-10; 64:5, 6.
a light (for the nations): 42:6; 49:6; 51:4.
light (God’s): 2:5; 9:1, 2; 42:16; 60:1, 3, 19, 20.
light of Israel: 10:17.
light of God’s people: 58:8, 10.
light (sun, moon): 5:30; 13:10; 30:26; 45:7; 60:19.
Other light references:
darkness into light: 5:20; 42:16.
lion: 5:29, 30; 11:6-9; 15:5-9; intro chp 16; intro 29:1-4; 29:1; 30:6-7; 31:4-5; 35:8-10; 38:10-14; 65:25.
listen, listening (verses): 1:2, 10, 15; 6:9; 7:13; 8:9; 10:30; 18:3; 19:22; 28:12, 23, 32:3; 34:1; 36:16; 42:18;
42:23; 44:1; 46:3, 12; 48:12, 14, 16, 49:1; 51:1, 4, 7; 55:2, 3, 65:12; 66:6.
LORD (General references) (verses): 1:24; 3:1, 15, 17, 18; 4:4; 6:1, 8, 11; 7:7, 14, 20; 8:7; 9:8, 17; 10:12,
16, 23, 24, 33; 11:11; 12:2; 19:4; 21:6, 8, 16; 22:5, 12, 14, 15; 25:8; 28:2, 16, 22; 29:13; 30:15, 20; 37:24;
38:11 (2x), 16; 40:10; 48:16; 49:14, 22; 50:4, 5, 7, 9; 51:22; 52:4; 56:8; 61:1, 11; 65:13; 65:15.
LORD of hosts (verses): 1:9, 24; 2:12; 3:1, 15; 5:7, 9, 16, 24; 6:3, 5; 8:13, 18; 9:7, 13, 19; 10:16, 23, 24, 26,
33; 13:4, 13; 14:22, 23, 24, 27; 17:3; 18:7 (2x); 19:4, 12, 16, 17, 18, 20, 25; 21:10; 22:5, 12, 14 (2x), 15, 25;
23:9; 24:23; 25:6; 28:5, 22, 29; 29:6; 31:4, 5; 37:16, 32; 39:5; 44:6; 45:13; 47:4; 48:2; 51:15; 54:5.
love, loved, loves (general references) (verses): 1:23; 38:17; 43:4; 48:14; 56:8, 10; 57:8; 61:8; 63:9; 66:10.
lover (verse): 47:8.
love (everlasting) (verse): 54:8.
loyal love (verses): 16:5; 54:10; 63:7 (2x).
beloved (verse): 5:1 (2x).
lovingkindness: 16:2-5; 55:13; 63:7, 9.
803…..Index of English Words
majesty (verses): 2:10, 19, 21; 10:34; 24:14; 26:10.
majesty: 2:10, 19; 6:5; 12:5; 24:23; 26:10; 33:17; 35:1-2; 40:10-11; intro 40:12-31; intro 40:27-32; intro
chps 49-57; 52:13; 57:15; 60:13.
majestic (verse): 60:5.
majestic: 2:2, 10, 19; 9:6-7; intro 33:1-24; 33:21; 40:5, 10; 43:14-15; intro 44:1-8; 44:24-28; 53:2, 12; 54:2;
57:15; 60:1, 11; 63:1, 2; Appendix 1: 1. The Majestic (Universal) Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom.
Marduk: 39:1; 46:1.
Messiah: (Messiah is mentioned over 1500 times. The following listing of the occurrences in the notes is
selective). INTRODUCTION: (several sections): Intro chps 1-6; 4:2, 5-6; 7:14; 8:9-10; intro 9:1-7; 9:6-7;
10:20-23; 11:1, 2, 3-4, 5, 10; 12:2; 16:2-5; 26:1-2; intro 27:1-13; 28:5-6, 16; 32:1-2; 35:3-4, 8-10; 40:3, 9,
10-11; 41:8-9; intro 42:1-13; 42:1, 2-4, 6, 7, 10-13; 43:14-15; 46:12-13; 49:1, 2, 3, 4, 5-6, 8, 14; 50:2, 3, 4, 5,
6, 11; 51:5, 12, 16, 52:6, 7, 9-10; intro 52:13-53:12; 52:13, 14, 15; 53:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12; 54:13, 14-
15; 55:3b, 4, 5; 56:1-2; 57:15; intro chps 58-66; 58:6, 8-9a; 59:3-4, 9-10; intro 59:15b-21; 59:18-19, 20, 21;
intro 60:1-22; 60:1, 2, 3, 8-9, 16, 17; intro 61:1-11; 61:1, 2, 3, 8, 10; 62:1, 2, 4, 10, 11-12; intro 63:1-6; 63:1,
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8; 65:11-12; 66:1, 3-4, 5, 12-14, 18; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom.
Messianic: (Messianic is stated over 400 times. The following listing of the occurrences in the notes is
selective). INTRODUCTION: (several sections): intro chps 1-6; 4:2, 3, 4, 5-6; intro 7:14-16; 8:16-17; 9:3, 6-
7; 10:20-23; 33:10; 37:30-31; intro chps 40-48; 41:8-9, 19; intro 42:1-13; 42:1; 51:4, 16; 52:1, 7; 54:11-12,
13; 14-15, 16-17; 55:3b, 13; intro 56:9-57:2; 57:15; intro chps 58-66; 60:17, 21, 22; intro 61:1-11; 61:3, 5-6;
62:10, 11-12; 66:18; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: 5. The Davidic Covenant; 6. The
New Covenant.
Midian (verses): 9:4; 10:26; 60:6.
Mighty God (verse): 9:6; 10:21. Almighty (verse): 13:6.
Mighty One of Israel (verse): 1:24.
Mighty One of Jacob (verse): 49:26; 60:16.
mighty to save (verse): 63:1
Millennial Kingdom: 2:2, 4; 3:13; 4:4, 5-6; 9:6-7; 11:3-4; 12:5; 14:5-6; 16:2-5; 19:18, 19; 22:20-25; 25:3;
26:1-2, 12, 13, 14, 15; 27:6; 28:5-6; 29:22-24; 30:21-22; 32:5-8, 15-20; 33:17, 20; 34:10; 35:1-2, 5-6a, 8-10;
40:15; 41:8-9; 42:6, 10-13; 43:5-6, 19-21; 45:8, 24-25; 48:17; 49:8, 12, 17; 51:3, 16; 52:1; 54:1, 4, 7-8, 14-
15; 56:3; 57:13, 15; 59:18-19, 21; intro 60:1-22; 60:1, 2, 3, 7, 8-9, 11, 12, 13, 15; 61:9; 62:3, 6-7; 65:17, 19,
20, 21-22, 23, 24, 25; 66:1, 5, 12-14, 19, 22, 23, 24; Appendix 2: 5. The Davidic Covenant.
Moab (verses): 11:14; 15:1 (3x), 2, 4, 5, 8, 9; 16:2, 4, 6, 7 (2x), 11, 12, 13, 14; 25:10, 11.
Molech: 1:29-30; 30:31-33; intro 57:3-13; 57:5, 9, 15.
804…..Index of English Words
Moses: intro chps 1-6; 1:2; 2:8; 4:3, 5-6; 5:1, 24; 6:1, 4; 11:2; 12:2; 14:9-11; 20:3-4; 21:11-12; 22:20-25;
24:5-6; 25:1, 5, 7, 8; 28:16; 30:27a; 31:2; 37:36-38; 38:1, 9; 40:16, 28; 42:1, 5; 43:10, 25; 44:18-19; 45:19,
22; 48:12-13, 18-19; 51:1, 16; 54:1; 56:4-5; 57:11; 59:11, 14-15a, 15b-16; 60:1, 21; 61:8; 63:7, 9, 10, 11-14;
66:17; Appendix 2: 3. The Mosaic Covenant.
Mosaic Covenant: INTRODUCTION: Covenant; intro chps 1-6; 24:5-6; intro chp 36; 42:6; 55:3b, 4-5;
56:6-7; 63:10; Appendix 2. 3. The Mosaic Covenant; 6. The New Covenant; 7. Covenants in Isaiah.
My People: INTRODUCTION: Covenant; 1:3, 6; 3:12, 15, 16; 5:13; 10:2, 15, 24; 14:25; 19:16-17, 23-25;
21:10; 22:3-4; 25:10-12; 26:20; 32:13, 18; 38:4-6, 21-22; 40:1-2; 41:10; 43:19-21; 44:1; 47:6; 51:4, 16; 52:4,
5, 6; 53:6, 8; 57:14; 58:1, 2; 59:3-4, 21; 60:13, 21; 63:8; 65:10, 19, 22; Appendix 2: 5. The Davidic
Covenant; 6. The New Covenant; Appendix 3: The Promises of God’s Presence.
Nathan: 1:18; 5:4; 64:6; Appendix 2: 5. The Davidic Covenant.
nation, nations (general references) (verses): 2:2, 4 (3x); 5:26; 8:9; 9:1, 3, 10:7; 11:10, 12; 13:4; 14:2, 6, 9,
12, 18, 26, 32; 16:8; 17:12, 13; 18:2 (2x), 7; 23:3; 24:13; 25:3, 7; 26:15 (2x); 29:7, 8; 30:28; 33:3; 34:1, 2;
36:18; 37:12; 40:15, 17; 41:2; 42:1, 6; 43:4, 9; 45:1, 20; 49:1, 6, 7, 22; 52;10, 15; 54:3; 55:5 (2x); 58:2; 60:12
(2x), 16, 22; 61:9, 11; 62:2; 64:2; 65:1; 66:18, 19 (2x), 20.
Nation(s): Specific References (verses):
a light to (for) the nations: 42:6; 49:6.
godless nation: 10:6.
Nations will come to your light: 60:3
my nation: 51:4.
righteous nation: 26:2.
sinful nation: 1:4.
wealth of the nations: 60:5, 11; 61:6; 66:12.
Nation of Israel: 2:18; 5:13-17, 26; 7:14, 15; 8:5-6; 9:9-10, 17; 10:10-11, 20-23; 11:1; 19:16-17; 20:3-4;
26:15; 28:7-8; intro chps 40-66; 44:5; 46:3-4; intro chps 49-57; 49:3, 5-6; 50:3; 51:16; 53:6, 9; 60:16; 61:11;
66:7-9.
national sin (of Israel): 1:5; 16:2-5; 24:23; 26:16; 28:16; 29:3-4; 35:3-4; 51:17, 18; 52:2, 7, 15; 53:1, 8; 54:2,
6, 9; 55:6; 57:15; intro chps 58-66; 59:20; intro 60:1-22; 61:3; 62:4, 11-12; 63:1; intro 63:7-64:12; 63:7, 15;
64:6; 66:3-4, 18; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom.
Nazareth: 9:2; 11:1; intro 42:1-13; 44:5; 62:2.
Nebo: intro 15:1-16:14; 15:2-4; 46:1, 5-7.
Nebuchadnezzar: INTRODUCTION: 7. Historical; A Suggested Outline of Isaiah: Note 2; 5:26; 10:8-9,
13-14; 13:19; 20:3-4; intro 22:1-14; 22:17-19, 20-25; 28:23-29; 39:5-7; intro 45:1-8; 47:7-9; 49:22-23; intro
59:15b-21; 63:18.
New Covenant: INTRODUCTION: Covenant; intro chps 1-6; 24:5-6; intro chps 40-66; intro 42:1-13; 42:6;
49:8; 51:16; 54:10; 55:3b, 4, 10-11; 57:15, 18-19; intro chps 58-66; 58:8-9a; intro 59:1-21; 59:3-4, 11, 14-
805…..Index of English Words
15a; intro 59:15b-21, 59:21; intro 60:1-22; 60:15; 61:3, 8, 9, 10; 62:4, 11-12; 63:8; 65:23; Appendix 1: 3.
The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: Introduction; 1. The Noahic Covenant; 3. The Mosaic Covenant; 5.
The Davidic Covenant; 6. The New Covenant; 7. Covenants in Isaiah.
new heavens / new earth: INTRODUCTION: A Suggested Outline of Isaiah: 3. God’s Servant and
Salvation: Chapters 40-66; 4:5-6; 13:9; 24:3-4; intro chps 40-66; 40:28; 51:16; 60:21; 61:4; intro chps 65-66;
intro 65:17-25; 65:17; 66:5, 22, 24; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant.
New Jerusalem: 24:23; intro chps 40-66; 54:11-12; intro 55:1-13; 65:18, 19.
new name: 45:4; 48:1-2; intro 62:1-12; 62:2, 3, 4 5, 11-12; 65:15-16.
new song: intro chp 12; 12:2; 42:10-13; 62:8-9.
Nineveh: INTRODUCTION: 7. Historical; Outline: A Basic Outline; 9:8; 10:16-19; intro chps 28-33; intro
chp 37; 37:5-7, 36-38; 46:1; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant.
Noah: intro chps 1-6; 5:1; 24:5-6, 22; 40:16; 49:11; 54:9; intro 59:15b-21; 59:15b-16; 61:8; 66:19; Appendix
1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: Introduction; 1. The Noahic Covenant; 2. The Abrahamic
Covenant.
Noahic Covenant: INTRODUCTION: Covenant; intro chps 1-6; 24:5-6; 53:12; 54:9; 55:10-11; 61:8; 63:8;
66:19; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: Introduction; 1. The Noahic Covenant; 2. The
Abrahamic Covenant; 3. The Mosaic Covenant; 5. The Davidic Covenant; 7. Covenants in Isaiah;.
obedience: intro chps 1-6; 1:11, 19-20; 2:17; 3:10; 4:3; 5:2; intro chp 6; 11:2; intro 11:6-10; 24:5-6; 38:1, 2-
3; 40:29-31; 43:26-27; 46:5-7; 48:9-11, 22; 50:1; intro 50:4-11; 50:5, 6, 10; 56:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6-7, 11; 57:8, 11;
63:10; Appendix 2: 3. The Mosaic Covenant.
obedient, obediently: 1:19-20; 2:4; intro chp 6; 6:8; intro 7:1-9; 19:22; 24:5-6; intro 42:14-25; 42:21; intro
43:8-13; 49:4; intro 49:14-26; 50:5, 10; 51:1, 7-8; 53:1; 56:1-2, 6-7, 8; 58:8-9a, 10b-12.
obey, obeyed (verses): 11:14; 30:9; 42:24; 48:18; 50:10.
offspring (verses): 1:4; 14:22; 22:24; 44:3; 48:19; 53:10; 57:3, 4; 61:9; 65:23.
olives, olive oil, olive tree (verses): 1:6; 17:6; 24:13; 41:19; 57:9.
oppress, oppression: 3:5; 9:4-5; 14:1-2; 16:2-5; 19:19, 20; 49:24-26; 51:9-10; intro 52:1-12; 52:1, 2, 4, 5;
53:7, 8; 54:14-15; 58:3-5, 6, 9b-10a; 59:13; 60:1, 14; 61:7; 62:8-9; 65:21-22; 66:10-11, 12-14.
oppress, oppression (verses): 1:17; 3:5, 12; 5:7; 9:4; 10:1; 11:4; 14:2, 4, 32; 16:4; 19:20; 23:12; 29:19;
30:12; 33:15; 38:14; 49:26; 51:13 (2x); 52:4; 53:7, 8; 54:14; 58:3, 6, 9, 10; 59:13; 60:14.
oracle: 1:1; 7:18-19, 20, 21-22, 23-25; intro 10:1-4; 10:1-2, 5; intro chps 13-23; 13:1; intro 14:28-32; 14:28;
15:1; intro 17:1-14; 17:1-3; 19:1; intro 20:1-6; intro 21:1-10; 21:1, 11-12, 13-15; intro 22:1-14; 22:1-2; intro
806…..Index of English Words
23:1-18; 23:1; intro chps 24-27; intro chps 28-33; intro chp 30; 30:1, 6-7; intro 33:1-24; intro chp 47; intro
54:1-17.
pagan: 1:29-30; 2:8; 5:13-17; intro 10:20-34; 14:12-14; intro 17:1-14; 44:21-22; 45:4; 46:5-7; intro 47:1-15;
52:5; 57:1-2, 8, 9; 63:1; 65:3-4, 6-7, 11-12; 66:3-4, 17; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant.
parable: 1:8; 3:14; intro 5:1-7; 5:1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 24; 14:4; 27:6; 28:23-29.
patience (God’s): 5:26; intro chps 7-12; 7:12, 13; 28:23-29; intro 30:18-26; 30:18; 31:6-7; 32:5-8; intro 35:1-
10; intro 40:12-31; 40:29-31; 50:6; 55:6; Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom.
patience (man’s): intro 5:8-30; 7:13; intro chp 26; 26:7; 28:16; intro 40:12-31; 44:3; 55:8-9; 63:17; 64:4.
peace (verses): 9:6, 7; 26:3, 12; 27:5 (2x); 32:17, 18; 33:7, 20; 36:16; 39:8; 42:14; 45:7; 48:18, 22; 52:7;
54:10; 55:12; 57:2, 11, 19 (2x), 21; 59:8 (2x); 60:17.
peace (notes): 2:4; intro 9:1-7; 9:6-7; 10:20-23; intro 11:1-10; intro 11:6-10; 11:6-9; intro 11:11-16; 11:13;
26:3-4, 12; 27:4-5; 32:1-2, 15-20; 33:7-9; 39:8; 42:18-20; 45:7; 48:22; 52:7; 53:5;; 54:10; 55:3b; 57:1-2, 11,
18-19, 20-21; 59:8; 60:11, 17; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: 7. Covenants in Isaiah.
Peace (Covenant of): intro chps 1-6; 40:10-11; intro 42:1-13; 42:6; intro 54:1-17; 54:10; 55:3b; Appendix 2:
4. The Priestly Covenant; 7. Covenants in Isaiah.
Pekah: 5:13-17; intro chps 7-12; 7:1, 4, 5-6, 7-9, 16; intro chp 8; 8:3-4, 5-6.
people, peoples (verses): 1:4, 10; 2:3, 4, 9, 11, 17, 20; 3:5, 7, 13; 6:5, 9, 10; 7:2, 8; 8:6, 11, 12, 19; 9:2, 9, 13,
16, 19; 10:6, 13, 14; 11:10, 14, 15; 12:4; 13:4, 12, 14; 14:6, 20; 17:12; 18:2, 7 (2x); 23:13; 24:2, 4, 6; 25:3, 6,
7; 27:11; 28:11, 14; 29:13, 14, 19; 30:5, 6, 9, 19, 28; 33:3, 12, 19 (2 x), 24; 34:1, 5; 36:11; 38:16; 40:6, 7;
41:1; 42:5, 6, 22; 43:4, 8, 9, 21; 44:7; 45:12; 49:8, 22; 51:4, 5, 7; 53:3; 55:4 (2x); 56:7; 60:1, 11; 61:6, 9 (2x);
62:10 (2x); 63:3, 6, 11; 65:3, 8, 18.
Other people occurrences (verses):
His people: 3:14; 5:25; 11:11, 16; 14:32; 25:8; 28:5; 30:26; 49:13; 51:22; 52:9; 56:3.
My people: 1:3; 3:12 (2x), 15; 5:13; 10:2, 24; 14:25; 19:25; 21:10; 22:4; 26:20; 32:13, 18; 40:1; 43:20; 47:6;
51:4, 16; 52:4, 5, 6; 53:8; 57:14; 58:1; 63:8; 65:10, 19, 22.
people of Judah: 5:3, 7.
The holy people: 62:12.
Your holy people: 63:18.
Your people: 2:6; 7:17; 10:22; 26:11; 60:21; 63:14; 64:9.
Persia (including Cyrus, King of Persia): INTRODUCTION: 7. Historical; intro 21:1-10; intro chps 40-66;
40:1-2; intro 41:1-29; 41:11-13; intro 41:21-24; 43:14-15; 44:24-28; 45:5, 7; 46:1, 2; 53:2; 55:1.
Medo-Persian (Medes and Persians): INTRODUCTION: 7. Historical; A Suggested Outline of Isaiah: Note
2; intro 17-22; 13:17; 17:12-14; 33:21; intro 46:1-47:15; 46:11; intro 47:1-15; 47:14-15.
perversion, perversity: 5:26; 19:14; 24:1; intro chp 30; 53:5; 57:11; 59:3-4.
807…..Index of English Words
Philistia, Philistine(s): INTRODUCTION: 7. Historical; 2:6; intro chps 7-12; 7:17; 9:11-12; 11:14; intro
14:28-32; 14:28, 29, 30-32; 18:1; 20:1; 28:21-22.
Phoenicia, Phoenician: intro 23:1-18; 23:1, 2, 4-7, 8-9, 10-12, 13-14.
please, pleasing, pleasure: 1:11; 9:17; 13:17; 32:12; 34:2; 40:10-11; 42:1, 21; 46:10; 47:7-9; 48:14-15; 49:4;
50:6, 8; intro 52:13-53:12; 53:9, 10, 12; 56:4-5; intro 58:1-14; 58:3-5, 13; 66:4.
plunder, plundering: intro 3:8-15; 3:14; 8:1-2, 18; intro 9:1-7; 10:1-2; intro 10:5-19; 10:6, 7, 13-14; 11:14;
13:16; 17:12-14; 19:16-17; 21:2; 24:3; 33:23; 34:5-7; intro 42:1-13; 42:22, 23-25; 49:24-26.
pollute: 1:25; 17:4-6; 43:28; 65:17.
poor (verses): 3:14, 15; 10:2, 30; 11:4; 14:30; 25:4; 26:6; 29:19; 32:7; 40:20; 41:17; 61:1.
poor (notes): 5:8; 7:21-22; 29:18-19; 58:7; 61:1; 66:2.
potter: 29:15-16; 30:12-14; 37:26-29; 41:25; 44:21-22; 45:9; 51:18; 64:8.
power (God’s): INTRODUCTION: Messianic and Messiah; The Sovereignty of God; intro 5:24-30; 6:4;
intro chps 7-12; 7:12; 9:8, 11-12; 10:13-14, 28:34; 11:2; 13:6; 14:27; 24:3-4, 5-6; intro 25:1-26:21; 39:5-7;
40:10-11; intro 40:12-31; 40:19-20, 21, 22, 25-26; intro 40:27-31, 40:28; 41:5, 8-9. 10, 15-16; 42:5, 8, 9;
43:3-4, 11-13; intro 43:14-21; 43:19-21; 44:20; 45:18; 46:8-9; intro 47:1-15; 47:6, 14-15; 48:4-6a; intro 50:1-
11; 50:1, 2, 3, 4; 51:5, 12, 15; 52:9-10; 54:5; 55:5; intro 59:1-8; 59:14-15a; intro 59:15b-21; 59:15b-16; intro
60:1-22; 62:3, 5, 6-7; intro 63:1-6; 63:8, 11-14; 64:1, 2, 3; 66:15-16, 17; Appendix 1: The Majestic
(Universal) Kingdom.
praise (verses): 25:1; 38:18,19; 42:8, 10, 12; 43:21; 48:9; 57:19; 60:6, 18; 61:3, 11; 62:7, 9; 63:7; 64:11.
praise (notes): INTRODUCTION: God’s Glory; 1:8; 2:8; 4:5-6; 6:3; intro chp 12; 12:2, 3, 5, 6; 24:14-16a;
25:1, 2, 4, 5, 9; 26:1-2, 5-6, 8, 11, 12; 33:4, 5, 6, 10; 37:14-20; 38:18-19; 41:20; 42:8, 9, 10-13; 43:7, 19-21;
45:15, 16, 23; 48:12-13; 49:7; intro 52:7-12; 52:7, 9-10; 54:3; 57:18-19; 60:6, 18; 61:3, 11; 62:6-7; 63:7, 8;
64:4, 10-11; Appendix 3: The Promises of God’s Presence; The Purpose of God’s Presence.
prayer (verses): 1:15; 16:12; 19:22; 26:16; 37:4, 15, 21; 38:2, 5; 44:17; 45:20; 56:7 (2x).
prayer (notes): 1:15; 6:4; 16:6-12; 26:8, 16; 33:2, 3-4; intro chp 37; 37:1-4, 14-20, 21; intro chp 38; 38:2-3,
4-6, 21-22; 41:14; 50:4; 56:6-7; 62:6-7; intro 63:15-64:12; 63:15, 17; 64:1, 8.
prediction (verses): 41:23, 26; 42:9; 44:7, 26; 45:21; 48:3, 5, 6, 14.
prediction (notes): 4:2; 6:1; 7:15, 16; 10:20-23, 28-34; intro chps 13-23; intro 13:1-14:23; 17:4-6; 25:6; intro
chps 28:33; intro 35:1-10; 37:36-38; intro 41:21-24; 41:26, 27, 28-29; intro 42:1-13; 42:5, 9; 44:6, 7, 24-28;
45:20-21; 46:1; 47:7-9, 12-13, 14-15; intro 48:1-11; 48:3, 4-6a; 6b-7; intro 48:12-22; 48:14-15; 49:1; 50:4;
52:6; intro 52:13-53:12; 52:13; 59:21; 60:6, 14.
premillennial: Preface; INTRODUCTION: Messianic and Messiah; 49:14, 24-26.
pride (verses): 2:17; 4:2; 9:9; 13:19; 16:6 (2x); 23:9; 25:11.
808…..Index of English Words
pride (Godly): 2:10; 4:2.
pride (ungodly) (notes): 2:17, 19; 3:9, 16; 4:5-6; 6:8; 9:9-10; 13:1, 11, 14-16, 19, 20-22; 14:12-14; intro chp
16; 18:5-6; intro 23:1-18; 23:8-9; 28:1; 34:2; 36:1; 37:1-4, 22; 39:1, 2; intro 47:1-15; 47:2, 7-9, 10; intro
60:10-16.
Priest, Priests (general references): 6:8; 8:1-2; 24:2; 28:7-8, 9-10; 29:13-14; 30:10-11; 37:1-4; 43:26-27, 28;
45:1; 52:11-12; 56:10; 57:3; 58:1; 61:1, 5-6, 8; 66:17.
Priestly Covenant: INTRODUCTION: Covenant; intro chps 1-6; 24:5-6; 55:10-11; 61:5-6; Appendix 2:
Introduction; 3. The Mosaic Covenant; 4. The Priestly Covenant.
Priest (High Priest – Christ): INTRODUCTION: Covenant; 4:2; 22:20-25; 33:10, 20; 52:15; 56:4-5;
Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom.
Priest (High Priest -others): 4:2; 37:36-38; 57:8; 62:3; 66:1.
Priests (Kingdom of Priests): 4:3; intro 42:18-25; 45:22; 56:4-5; 60:8-9; 61:5-6; 66:18; Appendix 1: 2. The
Mediatorial Kingdom.
Priests (God’s Covenant People as): intro 61:1-11; 61:3, 5-6, 10; 62:3, 8-9; intro chp 66; intro 66:15-24;
66:20-21, 22; Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom.
Priesthood: intro chps 1-6; 24:5-6; 40:1-2; 61:5-6; Appendix 2: 3. The Mosaic Covenant; 4. The Priestly
Covenant.
Prince of Peace: 2:4; 6:13; intro chps 7-12; 9:1-2, 6-7; 10:20-23; 26:12; 27:4-5; 32:1-2, 15-20; 33:15-16;
intro 40:12-31; 46:12-13; 50:8; 52:7; 54:10, 14-15; 60:2, 11, 12; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom;
Appendix 2: 5. The Davidic Covenant.
Prince(s) (verses): 1:23; 3:4, 14; 9:6 (Prince of Peace): 10:8; 19:11; 23:8; 32:1; 34:12; 43:28; 49:7.
proclamation (of salvation and deliverance): intro chp 1; 20:5-6; 25:5; 37:8-13, 30-32; 40:9; intro 40:27-31;
43:11-13; 45:18; intro 45:20-25; 52:7, 8, 12; 57:14; 61:2; 62:11-12.
promise: (The words promise, including promised and promises are stated over 700 times. The following
listing of the occurrences in the notes is selective). INTRODUCTION: Extended Outline of the Prophecy of
Isaiah; intro chps 1-6; 7:3; 9:3; Teaching Outline: 9:1-7; 10:20-23; 14:24, 25; 24:5-6; 25:8; 38:1, 4-6, 21-22;
40:29-31; 41:8-9, 10, 17; 42:6; 43:2, 5-6; 44:3, 21-22; 45:1, 4; 48:18-19; 49:8; intro 49:14-26; 49:16, 17, 18;
51:3, 13, 16, 21-22; 52:6; intro 52:7-12; 54:9, 10; 55:3b, 10-11; 57:13, 18-19; intro chps 58-66; 58:8-9a, 10b-
12, 14; 59:9-10, 21; 60:22; 61:3, 8, 9; 62:6-7; 63:8; 65:5, 9, 10; 66:12-14; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic
Kingdom; Appendix 2: (all sections); Appendix 3: The Promises of God’s Presence.
prophecy: (The words prophecy, including prophecies and prophetic are stated over 470 times. Only selected
sections in the Introductory section are noted). INTRODUCTION: 1. The Prominence of the Prophecy of
Isaiah; 2. The Author of the Prophecy of Isaiah; 3. Themes of the Prophecy of Isaiah; 4. Messianic
Prophecies in Isaiah.
prophet: See second paragraph of the introduction to this Index of English Words.
809…..Index of English Words
prostitute, prostitution: 1:29-30; intro 23:1-18; 23:15, 17; 28:2; intro 57:3-13; 57:3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12.
proud (verses): 2:12; 3:5; 13:11; 16:6; 28:1, 3.
proud (ungodly) (notes): 2:9; intro 2:1-22; 2:11-12; 3:9, 16, 18-23; 5:13-17; intro 6:1-7; intro 9:8-12; 10:8-9,
13-14; 11:1; 13:1, 19; 19:15; intro 22:1-14; 23:4-7; intro chps 24-27; intro 28:1-13; 28:2, 3-4; intro 47:1-15;
47:1, 4, 7-9, 10; 66:15-16.
punish, punishment (verses): 10:3, 12; 13:11; 24:21, 22; 26:14, 21; 27:1; 29:6; 30:32; 53:4, 5; 59:18; 64:12;
66:4.
punish, punishment (notes): 1:29-20; 3:11, 13; 5:13-17; 6:8; 7:14, 17; 9:11-12; 10:3-4; intro 10:5-19; 10:6,
12, 15; 13:11, 17; 24:21, 22; 26:14, 20-21; 27:1; 29:6-8; 30:16-17, 20, 31-33; 50:8; 51:15, 20; intro 52:13-
53:12; 53:4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11; 54:16-17; 59:12, 18-19; 61:7; 63:3; 64:12; 65:5, 6-7, 8; intro chp 66; 66:3-4, 6;
Intro 66:15-24; 66:24. (See also entry for Judgment).
pure: 1:15, 16-17; 5:26; 6:3; 9:17; 11:2; 25:6; 55:13; 58:2.
purity: 6:3; 56:1-2, 6-7; 60:6.
Queens (verse): 49:23; (notes): 49:22-23.
Queen of all nations (notes): 47:7-9.
Queen of Ethiopia (notes): 53:7.
Queen forever (verse): 47:7; (notes): 47:7-9.
Queen of Kingdoms (verse): 47:5; (notes): intro 47:1-15; 47:1, 5, 7-9.
Rahab (verses): 30:7; 51:9.
Rahab (notes): 30:6-7; 34:11-15; 51:9-10; 56:3; 59:3-4.
Rabshakeh: 7:3; 30:1; intro chp 36; 36:2, 3, 4-10, 11-12, 13-20; intro chp 37; intro 37:1-13.
ransom, ransomed (verse): 35:10; 43:3;51:11.
ransom, ransomed (notes): INTRODUCTION: Salvation; 6:6-7; 11:1; 12:2; intro 35:1-10; 35:8-10; intro
chps 40-48; 40:3-9; 43:3-4; 44:24-28; 48:17; 50:2; 51:11; 52:1, 3, 7.
reason together (verse): 1:18; (notes): 1:18; 43:26-27; 45:22; 50:10.
rebel (verses): 1:5, 20; 48:8.
810…..Index of English Words
rebel (notes):1:2, 4, 23; 2:8; 3:9; 5:24; 8:18; 13:1; 27:1; 28:21-22; 29:15-16; 30:27a, 31-33; 31:3; 32:5-8;
40:10-11, 17; 46:8-9; 47:7-9; 48:1-2, 8, 12-13; 49:7; 53:10; 57:18-19; 59:12, 13; 60:10; 63:9; 65:5; 66:3-4.
rebels (verse): 46:8; (notes): 1:2, 23; 46:5-7, 8-9; 48:8; 53:12.
rebelled (verses): 1:2; 31:6; 36:5; 43:27; 63:10; 66:24.
rebelled (notes): 1:2, 4, 28; 3:9; intro 5:1-7; 5:24; 7:7-9, 13; 10:6; 24:10, 21; 28:23-29; 32:5-8; 43:26-27;
44:21-22; 46:8-9, 12-13; 48:8; 49:5-6; 51:20; 54:16-17; 56:11; 57:6, 8, 10, 17; 58:1; 59:17, 18-19; 61:4;
63:3; intro 63:7-14; 63:9, 10, 17; 65:6-7, 15-16; intro chp 66; 66:12-14, 15-16, 17, 18, 24.
rebelling (verse): 59:13; (notes): 1:2, 4; 24:5-6; 27:8-9; 43:28; 50:6; 51:20; 57:6; 59:13; 65:2; Appendix 2: 1.
The Noahic Covenant.
rebellion (verse): 53:8; (notes): 1:2, 4, 6, 8, 10; 2:2, 4; 5:13-17; 6:8, 9-10; intro chps 7-12; 7:12, 14, 17; 13:9;
14:27; 19:14; 24:21; 26:17-18; 27:8-9; 29:9-10, 11-12; 30:1, 6-7; 32:5-8; 35:8-10; 42:8, 23-25; 43:25; 44:11;
45:10, 11; 47:6; 48:9-11, 18-19, 22; 49:5-6, 14; 51:19-20; 52:3; 53:6, 8; 54:5, 9, 14-15,16-17; 55:6; 56:11,
12; 57:1-2, 16, 18-19; 58:1; 59:2, 8, 9-10, 13; 60:12, 16, 19-20; 61:7; 62:4; 63:3, 4, 10; 66:5; Appendix 2: 6.
The New Covenant; 7. Covenants in Isaiah.
rebellious (verses): 1:23, 28; 30:1, 9; 50:5; 65:2.
rebellious (notes): 1:2, 3, 4, 9, 18; 3:8, 13; 5:25; 6:5, 11-12; intro chps 7-12;; 7:4, 14, 23-25; 8:9-10, 19-22;
10:20-23; 13:11; 14:28; 27:8-9; 28:15, 23-29; 30:1, 2-3, 4-5, 9, 12-14, 16-17, 18; 31:6-7; 40:17; 42:17, 23-
25; 44:2; 45:10, 11, 22; 46:8-9; 48:4-6a, 6b-7, 8; 49:3; 50:5; 51:21-22; 53:9; 54:14-15; 57:4, 5, 6; 59:9-10,
12; 63:4, 8, 10; 65:2; Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom; Appendix 2: 3. The Mosaic Covenant.
reconcile, reconciliation: 2:8; 6:6-7; 9:6-7; 53:10, 11; Appendix 2: 6. The New Covenant.
redeem (verse): 50:2 (also translated as “redeem” in KJV, NKJV and ESV. Translated as “ransom” in NIV
and NASB).
redeem, redeems (notes): 26:16; 27:12-13; 28:5-6; intro chps 40-48; 40:17, 28; intro 43:14-21; 43:14-15;
44:6, 24-28; 48:1-2, 17; 49:7; intro 49:14-26; intro 50:1-11; 50:2, 3; intro 52:7-12; 52:9-10; 53:1, 10; 54:5;
59:1, 21; 60:16; 66:18; Appendix 3: The Promises of God’s Presence.
redeemed (verses): 1:17; 29:22; 35:9; 43:1; 44:22, 23; 48:20; 51:10; 52:3, 9; 62:12; 63:4, 9.
redeemed (notes): INTRODUCTION: Salvation; God’s Glory; intro chps 1-6; 1:27, 28; 6:13; 12:2, 4; 26:17-
18; 29:22-24; 33:17, 18-19; 35:8-10; 40:9; 41:8-9, 14; 43:1, 3-4, 5-6; 44:21-22, 23, 24-28; 48:17; 51:9-10,
11; 52:1, 3, 4, 9-10; 54:14-15; 55:13; 57:15; 61:9; 62:1, 2, 3, 11-12; 63: 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11-14; 64:4; 65:18;
66:18, 23, 24; Appendix 2: 1. The Noahic Covenant.
Redeemer (verses): 41:14; 43:14; 44:6, 24; 47:4; 48:17; 49:7, 26; 54:5, 8; 59:20; 60:16; 63:16.
Redeemer (notes): INTRODUCTION: Salvation; 5. Names for God in Isaiah; 1:4, 18, 24, 27, 28; 12:2; 25:8-
9, 10-12; 35:8-10; intro chps 36-39; 40:3; 41:14; 43:3-4, 14-15, 28; 44:6, 20, 21-22, 24-28; 47:4; 48:17, 18-
19; 49:5-6, 7, 24-26; 50:2, 10; 51:14, 16, 21-22; 52:1, 3, 7, 9-10; 53:10; intro 54:1-17; 54:3, 5, 6, 7-8; intro
811…..Index of English Words
chps 58-66; intro 59:1-21; 59:11, 14-15a; intro 59:15b-21; 59:20, 21; intro 60:1-22; 60:16; 63:1, 8, 16; 65:5,
11-12; Appendix 1:3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: 1. The Noahic Covenant; 6. The New Covenant.
redeeming: INTRODUCTION: Sin; intro chps 36-39; 41:14; 43:3-4, 11-13; 44:24-28; 49:13; 52:7; 60:16.
redemption: INTRODUCTION: Salvation; 1:27; intro 5:1-7; 5:8; 6:13; intro chps 7-12; 27:12-13; 29:22-24;
33:20; 35:8-10; 43:1, 3-4; 44:23; intro 48:1-22; 50:2, 3; intro 51:1-23; 51:5; intro 51:9-16; 52:3, 7, 9-10;
57:15; intro chps 58-66; 61:2; intro 62:1-12; intro 63:1-6; 63:4, 5; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant.
refine, refined (verse): 48:10 (2x). (notes): 1:25, 26; intro 48:1-11; 48:9-11; Appendix 3: The Promises of
God’s Presence.
reign, reigned (verses): 24:23; 32:1; 37:38; 52:7.
reign (eternal) (notes): INTRODUCTION: 1. The Prominence of the Prophecy of Isaiah; 13:9; 24:23; 25:8;
38:4-6, 21-22; 48:1-2; 60:19-20; 65:17-25; 66:22; Appendix 1:1. The Majestic (Universal) Kingdom;
Appendix 2: 5. The Davidic Covenant.
reign (millennial) (notes): 2:3; 4:2, 5-6; 9:6-7; intro 11:1-10; 11:2, 6-10; 13:14-16; intro chp 16; 16:2-5;
19:23-25; 22:20-25; intro 24:1-23; 24:23; 25:3, 5, 8, 9; 26:1-2, 15, 19; intro 27:1-13; 28:5-6, 11-13, 17; intro
29:1-16; 29:1; 30:23-26; intro 32:1-20; 32:1-2; 33:5, 15-16; intro 33:17-24; 33:17; intro 35:1-10; 35:8-10;
37:30-32; 38:4-6, 21-22; 40:15; 42:1, 22; 43:19-21; 44:3, 5, 21-22; 45:13; 46:12-13; 51:1, 4, 11, 16; 52:1, 2,
6, 7, 8, 9-10; 53:12; 54:10; 55:13; 56:6-7; intro 59:1-21; 60:1 -62:12; 63:4; 65:8-12, 17-25; 66:1, 7-14, 18-24;
Appendix 1: Introduction; 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: 2. The
Abrahamic Covenant; 3. The Mosaic Covenant; 5. The Davidic Covenant. (See also Millennial Kingdom and
Messianic Kingdom).
reject, rejection (verses): 2:6; 5:24; 30:15; 53:3; 54:6; 58:2; 59:15.
rejection of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) (notes): 1:5; 2:11-12; 8:14-15, 19-22; 9:1-2; 14:9-11; 16:2-5; 24:23;
26:1-2, 16; 27:12-13; 28:5-6, 16; 29:3-4; 30:20, 21-22; 31:6-7; 35:3-4; 42:22; intro chps 49-57; 49:4, 7, 8,
14; 50:2, 3; 51:17, 18, 20; 52:2,7; 53:1, 3, 8; 54:6, 9; 57:7, 15; 59:3-4, 5-6, 20; intro 60:1-9; 61:3; 62:4, 11-
12; 63:1; 65:5; 66:3-4, 18.
rejection of God (notes): 1:4, 9; 2:17, 19, 20; 3:5, 9, 10; 5:18-19, 24; 7:13, 14; 8:5-6, 7; intro chp 12; intro
chps 13-23; intro 13:6-13; intro 13:17-22; 17:7-11; intro 28:1-29; 28:11-13; 30:15, 16-17; 31:1; 42:17; 44:6,
11, 14, 15-17; 45:16, 20-21; 47:6; 49:5-6, 14; 51:19, 20; 52:3, 7; 54:4; 57:3, 7; intro 59:1-21; 65:5, 6-7; intro
chp 66; 66:3-4.
relationship (within the Trinity): 42:1; 50: 4, 8.
relationship (with God): INTRODUCTION: Covenant; intro chps 1-6; intro chp 1; 1:4, 16-17, 23; 2:8; intro
4:2-6; 5:2, 4; 8:13; 10:15; 19:1; 29:22-24; 31:1; 32:9-14; intro chps 40-48; 43:3-4; 44:2, 21-22; 45:22; 48:1-
2; 49:15, 16; 50:2; 51:5, 16; 54:2, 4, 5, 6, 11-12; 55:7; 56:1-2, 8; 57:11, 18-19; 59:3-4, 21; 60:14; 63:8, 15;
64:8; 65:5, 18; Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2:
Introduction; 2. The Abrahamic Covenant; 3. The Mosaic Covenant; 6. The New Covenant; Appendix 3: The
Purpose of God’s Presence.
remember (The LORD will not remember sins) (verses): 43:25; 64:9; 65:17.
812…..Index of English Words
remember (The LORD will not remember sins) (notes): intro chps 1-6; intro 11:6-10; 43:25, 26-27; 49:8;
51:16; 63:8; 64:9; 65:17, 19; Appendix 2: 7. The New Covenant.
remnant (verses): 7:3; 10:20, 21 (2x), 22; 11:11, 16; 14:30; 15:9; 17:3; 28:5; 37:4, 31, 32; 46:3.
remnant (future) (notes: significant selections only): INTRODUCTION: B. Major Prophecies Relating to
the Second Advent of the Messiah; Extended Outline of the Prophecy of Isaiah; 1:9; 6:13; 8:16-17; 10:20-23;
intro 11:11-16; 11:11, 15-16; 12:4; 24:13, 14-16a; 26:1-2, 5-6, 8, 9, 13, 15, 16, 17-18, 20-21; 28:5-6; 29:5, 9-
10, 22-24; 33:18-19; intro 35:1-10; 35:3-4, 8-10; 37:30-32; 40:3, 5; 41:8-9; 42:15, 16; intro 43:1-7; 43:19-21;
44:5; 45:14, 24-25; 46:5-7, 12-13; 48:18-19; 49:5-6, 7, 8, 9-10, 11, 14, 17, 22-23, 24-26; 51:1, 7-8, 11, 12,
13, 16, 23; 52:1, 7; 53:1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8; intro chps 58-66; intro 60:1-22; 60:4, 8-9, 10, 14; 62:10; 63:1, 15; 64:5;
65:6-7, 8, 9; 66:12-14, 18, 20-21.
repent, repentance (verses): 1:27; 6:10.
repent, repentance (notes): INTRODUCTION: 3. Themes of the Prophecy of Isaiah; Sin; A Suggested
Outline of Isaiah; intro chps 1-6; into chp 1; 1:8, 12-14, 16-17, 23, 27, 28; intro chps 2-4; 2:11-12, 19; 4:5-6;
5:13-17; intro chp 6; 6:5, 6-7; intro 6:8-13; intro chps 7-12; 8:13; 9:8, 9-10, 13, 14; 10:3-4, 6, 10-11; 13:13;
19:23-25; 21:11-12; 24:5-6, 16b-20; 26:1-2, 9, 10, 11, 16; 27:10-11, 12-13; intro 28:1-29; 28:5-6, 23-29;
30:15, 21-22, 23-26; 31:6-7; 32:15-20; 33:2; 34:2; 35:3-4; 37:5-7; 40:1-2; 41:8-9; 42:22, 23-25; 43:26-27;
44:21-22; 45:10, 12; 47:6; 48:9-11; 49:14; 50:1, 3; 51:17, 18, 20; 52:2, 15; 53:1; 54:6; 55:6, 7; 57:17; 58:2;
59:3-4, 15b-16, 18-19, 20; 61:3; 62:4, 11-12; 63:3, 10; 64:8; 65:6-7, 11-12; 66:3-4, 18, 24; Appendix 1: 3.
The Messianic Kingdom.
rescue, rescued (verses): 1:17; 5:29; 31:5; 36:14, 15, 18; 37:11; 38:17; 42:22; 44:17; 49:24, 25.
rescue, rescued (notes): INTRODUCTION; Salvation; 1:18; 3:4; 12:4; 14:3, 4; 24:3-4; 25:5; 26:1-2, 15, 16,
17-18; 27:12-13; 28:5-6; 29:5; 30:19, 27b-30; 31:4-5; 32:15-20; 35:3-4, 8-10; 38:17; 40:3, 5, 9, 17; 42:22;
43:15; 46:3-4, 12-13; 48:12-13; 49:14, 18, 22-23, 24-26; 50:3; 51:9-10, 11; intro 51:17-23; 51:21-22; 52:1, 3,
4, 7, 9-10, 11-12; 54:6; 57:15; intro chps 58-66; 58:3-5; 59:11; intro 60:1-9; 60:10; 61:3, 9; 62:11-12; 63:1, 4,
9; 64:8, 12; 65:6-7; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom.
rest, resting (verses): 11:1, 10; 14:7, 18; 23:12; 25:10; 28:12 (2x); 30:15; 32:18; 34:14; 38:10; 44:17, 19;
57:2, 20; 62:6, 7; 63:14; 66:1.
restore, restoring (verses): 1:26; 23:17; 38:16; 49:6, 8; 57:18; 58:12; 61:4.
restore, restoring (notes): intro chps 1-6; 1:18, 26; 2:8; intro 4:2-6; 5:6; 8:13; intro 11:1-10; 11:1; intro 11:6-
10; 11:6-9, 10, 11, 12; 12:4; 25:8; 29:17; 30:20; 32:15-20; intro 35:1-10; 35:6b-7, 8-10; 38:10-14, 15-16;
intro 41:17-20; 41:19; 42:16; intro 43:22-28; 44:2, 3, 4; intro 44:23-45:25; 44:23; 45:8, 15; intro 49:1-13;
49:5-6, 8, 13; intro 49:14-26; intro 50:4-11; 51;16; 52:1; intro 52:7-12; intro 52:13-53:12; 54:2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11-
12, 14-15; intro 57:14-21; 57:14, 16, 17, 18-19; intro 58:1-14; 58:10b-12, 14; 61:1, 4; 63:10; 64:12; 65:9, 10,
17; 66:19; Appendix 1: Introduction; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant; 6. The New Covenant; 7.
Covenants in Isaiah.
resurrection (of Christ and believers): INTRODUCTION: 1. The Prominence of the Prophecy of Isaiah; 4.
Messianic Prophecies in Isaiah; 2:8; 14:9-11; 25:8; 26:11, 14, 15, 19; 28:23-29; 30:27a; 32:15-20; intro 45:9-
13; 45:23; 50:7; 53:9, 10, 11; 55:3b; 57:1-2; 58:13; 66:3-4; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom;
Appendix 2: 3. The Mosaic Covenant; 5. The Davidic Covenant; 6. The New Covenant.
813…..Index of English Words
return, returned, returning (verses): 7:3; 10:21, 22; 13:14; 19:22; 23:17; 30:15; 31:6; 35:10; 37:7, 8, 37;
43:3, 4; 44:22; 49:17; 51:11; 52:8; 55:7, 10, 11; 63:17.
return of the Messiah (Jesus Christ): 2:20; 3:4; 8:16-17; 11:3-4; 13:4-5; intro 13:6-13; intro 14:4-23; 14:5-
6; 25:2; 26:16; 28:5-6; 29:3-4, 5; 30:19; 34:5-7; intro chps 40-48; 40:5, 29-31; 41:15-16; 47:5; 49:14, 22-23;
50:3; 51:1, 16; intro 51:17-23; 52:8, 9-10, 11-12; 57;15; intro chps 58-66; intro 60:1-22; 60:10; 61:7; 62:4,
10, 11-12; intro 63:1-6; 63:3-4; intro 63:7-14; 63:19; 64:10-12; 66:12-14; Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial
Kingdom; Appendix 2: 5.The Davidic Covenant.
Messiah returning (notes): 14:3, 7-8;; 25:5; 28:5-6; 29:1; 30:23-26; 33:21; 34:5-7; 40:3; 42:1, 10-13; 49:17,
19-21; 51:14; intro 52:1-12; 54:1; 59:1, 15b-16, 18-19; 61:2; 62:8-9; 63:2, 3.
return of the remnant (see also under “remnant”): intro 10:20-34; 11:11; intro 14:1-23; 17:4-6; intro 35:1-
10; 35:8-10; 37:30-32; 40:4, 29-31; 41:15-16; 43:16-17, 19-21; 45:8; intro 45:14-25; 45:14; intro 48:1-22;
49:12, 14, 17, 22-23; 51:0-10; 52:11-12; 55:13; intro 60:1-22; 62:10, 11-12; 63:4; 66:12-14; Appendix 1: 2.
The Mediatorial Kingdom; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant.
remnant returning (notes): 11:10, 14; 40:3; intro 43:1-7; 49:14; 51:3, 14; intro 52:1-12; 52:7, 9-10; 54:1, 2;
59:1; 61:2; 62:8-9; 66:10-11.
righteous (verses): 3:10; 24:16; 26:2, 7 (2x); 41:10; 45:21, 23; 53:11; 57:1 (2x); 58:2; 60:21; 64:6.
unrighteous (verse): 55:7.
righteousness (verses): 1:21, 26, 27; 5:7, 16; 9:7; 10:22; 11:4, 5; 16:5; 26:9, 10; 28:17; 32:1, 16, 17(2x);
33:5; 41:2; 42:6, 21; 45:8 (2x), 13, 19, 24; 46:12, 13; 48:1, 18; 51:1, 5, 6, 7, 8; 54:14; 56:1; 57:12; 58:2, 8;
59:9, 14, 16, 17; 60:17; 61:3, 10, 11.
righteously (verse): 33:15.
ritual, ritualistic: 1:11; 29:1; 31:6-7; 43:25; 46:2; 51:18; 52:11-12, 15; 56:4-5, 6-7; intro 58: 1-14; 58:1, 2,
3-5, 7; 65:3-4; 66:17.
rod (verses): 9:4; 10:5, 15, 24, 26; 11:4; 14:29; 28:27; 30:31, 32.
rod (notes): 9:13; intro 10:5-19; 10:5, 6, 15; 11:3-4; intro 14:28-32; 14:29, 30-32; 30:31-33; 60:12.
root (verses): 5:24; 11:10; 14:29; 30; 27:6; 37:31; 40:24; 53:2. (also “shoot” 11:1).
root (notes): 1:8; 5:1; intro chps 7-12; 10:20-23; 11:1; intro 11:6-10; 11:10; 27:6; 42:9; 53:2.
rule (verses): 3:4, 6, 12; 9:7; 14:2; 19:4; 28:14; 32:1; 40:10; 52:5.
ruler, rulers (verses): 1:10; 3:6, 7; 14:5; 16:1; 22:3; 40:23; 41:25; 49:7; 60:17.
ruled (verses): 14:6; 26:13; 63:19.
God and Messiah as ruler: 9:6-7; see also: 4:2; 9:9-10; intro 11:1-10; 11:5, 10, 13; 16:2-5; 18:4; 22:20-25;
intro chps 24-27; 32:1-2; 37:14-20; 38:7-8; intro 41:1-7; 41:10, 21; 44:6; 53:10; 54:14-15; 59:2; intro 60:1-
22; 60:11, 12, 13, 17; 66:1, 18; Appendix 1: 1. The Majestic (Universal) Kingdom; 2. The Mediatorial
Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom.
814…..Index of English Words
sacrifice (verses): 1:11; 19:21; 34:6; 40:16, 20; 43:23, 24; 56:7; 57:7; 60:7; 65:3; 66:3 (2x).
sacrifice (atoning): INTRODUCTION: Covenant; God’s Glory; 6:6-7; 9:6-7; 11:2; 28:23-29; 40:9; 42:1, 6;
45:22; 49:8; 50:8; intro 51:1-23; 53:2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12; 55:3b, 8-9; 56:1-2, 6-7, 11; 57:20-21; intro
chps 58-66; 58:1; 59:12, 15b-16, 21; 61:2, 8; 62:11-12; 63:8; 64:5; 66:24 (final comments); Appendix 1: 2.
The Mediatorial Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: 6. The New Covenant; Appendix 3: The
Promises of God’s Presence; The Purpose of God’s Presence.
sacrificial system (Israel): 1:11; intro chp 16; 29:2; 40:1-2, 16; intro 43:22-28; 43:23-24, 25, 26-27, 28;
52:11-12; 53:4, 5, 7; 56:6-7; 60:16.
sacrifice (to pagan gods): intro chps 7-12; 7:23-25; 10:7; intro 15:1-16:14; intro 17:1-14; 57:7; 65:3-4.
sacrifice (during Millennial Kingdom): 19:21; 44:5; 60:7.
sacrificial love of God: 1:18.
sacrificial offering (test of Abraham with Isaac): 1:27; 37:36-38; 38:1.
sacrificing of children: 1:29-30; 30:31-33; intro 57:3-13; 57:5, 15.
Sabbath (verses): 1:13; 56:1, 4, 6; 58:13 (2x); 66:23.
Sabbath (notes): 1:12-14; intro 56:1-8; 56:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6-7; 58:3-5, 7, 13, 14; 59:1-2, 9-10; 61:2; 66:23;
Appendix 2: 3. The Mosaic Covenant; 7. Covenants in Isaiah.
Sarah (see Abraham and Sarah).
salvation (verses): 12:2 (2x), 3; 17:10; 25:9; 26:1; 33: 2, 6; 45:8, 17; 46: 13 (2x); 49:6, 8; 51:5, 6, 8; 52:7,
10; 56:1; 59:11, 16, 17; 60:18; 61;10; 62:1, 11; 63:5.
salvation (notes): (over 800 occurrences- too many to list). Specific references: See Hebrew Word Index:
3444 (Yeshuah); 3467 (yasha); 3468 (yesha); 8668 (teshuah). Refer to discussion regarding salvation in notes
for verses stated above. See also INTRODUCTION: Salvation; God’s Glory; notes for 66:24 (final
comments).
save, saved (selected verses, for physical and eternal salvation): 25:9; 33:22; 35:4; 37:20, 35; 45:17, 20, 22;
49:25; 59:1; 63:1, 9.
save, saved (eternal), (selected notes): 9:6-7; 10:20-23; 12:2; 25:8; 28:16; intro 29:17-24; intro 35:1-10;
42:2-4; 45:17, 22, 23; 46:12-13; intro chps 49-57; 49:5, 6, 7; 51:5, 21-22; 53:1, 5, 12; 55:2-3a, 6, 7; 56:6-7, 8;
57:13; 59:1, 20; 60:16; 62:4, 5, 11-12; intro 63:1-6; 63:1, 8, 9; 64:5.
Samaria (verses): 7:9 (2x); 8:4; 9:9; 10:9, 10, 11; 36:19.
Samaria (notes): intro chp 1; intro 1:5-9; 5:13-17; intro chps 7-12; 7:7-9; intro chp 8; 8:1-2, 3-4, 18; 9:9-10,
14; 10:8-9, 10-11; 11:11; intro 17:1-14; 17:4-6; intro chps 28-33; 28:1, 5-6; 36:13-20; 55:1.
815…..Index of English Words
Savior (verses): 19:20; 43:3, 11; 45:15, 21; 49:26; 60:16; 63:8.
Savior (notes): INTRODUCTION: 3. Themes of the Prophecy of Isaiah; Salvation; 5. Names for God in
Isaiah; 1:3, 24; 12:2; 19:19, 20, 22, 23-25; 25:8; 30:20; 33:22; 35:3-4; 42:7; 43:3-4, 8, 11-13, 14-15; 44:6;
45:15, 20-21, 23; 48:17; 49:24-26; 53:5; 54:5, 6; 55:7; 59:20; 60:16, 19-20, 21; 63:8; 66:18; Appendix 1: 3.
The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: Introduction; 2. The Abrahamic Covenant; 3. The Mosaic Covenant.
security: 11:6-9; 13:14-16; 23:18; 28:9-10, 15; 29:2; intro 32:15-20; 33:6; intro 33:13-16; intro 33:17-24;
38:10-14; 39:8; 47:7-9; 51:6; 54:10; 62:1.
seed (verses): 5;10; 6:13; 17:11; 28:25; 30:23; 41:8; 55:10.
seed (notes): intro chps 1-6; intro chp 6; intro 6:8-13; intro chps 7-12; 8:16-17; 25:8; 29:9-10; 35: 5-6a; 44:5;
45:22; 46:5-7; 49:5-6; 53;10; 61:9, 11; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: 2. The
Abrahamic Covenant.
Seraphim (verses): 6:2, 6.
Seraphim (notes): INTRODUCTION: The Holy One of Israel; intro 6:1-7; 6:2, 3, 4, 6-7; intro 6:8-13; 8:13;
48:17; 57:15.
Septuagint: INTRODUCTION: Isaiah Quoted in the New Testament; 40:13; intro 52:7-12; 55:3b.
servant (general reference) (verses): 14:2; 24:2; 36:9, 11; 37:5, 6, 24; 44:26; 54:17; 56:6.
-(David) (verse): 37:35.
-(Eliakim) (verse): 22:20
-(Isaiah) (verse): 20:3.
-(Israel) (verses): 41:8-9; 42:19 (2x); 43:10; 44:1, 2, 21 (2x); 45:4; 48:20; 63:17; 65:8, 9, 13 (3x), 14, 15;
66:14.
Servant (Messiah) (verses): 42:1; 49:3, 5, 6, 7; 50:10; 52:13; 53:11.
Servant (notes): (over 1,200 occurrences- too many to list). Specific references: INTRODUCTION: 3.
Themes of the Prophecy of Isaiah; A Suggested Outline of Isaiah: 3. God’s Servant and Salvation; Appendix
2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant; 7. Covenants in Isaiah; See also notes for verses listed above.
Servant Songs: 42:1-9; 49:1-13; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12.
Suffering Servant (notes): intro chp 1; 2:2; 8:19-22; 40:10-11; 46:3-4; 51:21-22; intro 52:1-12; 53:2; 59:12,
18-19, 21; 66:2.
shame, ashamed (verses): 1:29; 4:1; 20:4, 5; 23:4, 9; 24:23; 26:11; 29:22; 30:3, 5 (2x); 33:9; 37:27; 41;11;
42;17; 44:9, 11 (2x); 45:16, 17, 24; 47:3; 49:23; 50:7; 54:4 (2x); 61:7; 65:13; 66:5.
shame, ashamed (notes): 1:4; 3:8; intro 3:16-4:1; 8:18; 15:2-4; 20:2, 3-4, 5-6; 22:17-19; intro 23:1-18; 23:8-
9; 24:23; 26:11; 29:22-24; 30:2-3, 4-5, 16-17, 31-33; 37:1-4; 41:11-13; 42:17; 44:9, 11; 45:16, 17, 18; 47:3;
49:7, 22-23; 50:7, 8, 9; intro 54:1-17; 54:4; 57:3; 65:13; 66:2, 3-4, 5, 6.
Sennacherib (verses): 36:1; 37:17, 21, 37.
816…..Index of English Words
Sennacherib (notes): INTRODUCTION: 7. Historical; intro 1:5-9; 10:8-9, 12; 13:17; 22:8-11; 23:1; 30:31-
33; 33:1, 2, 7-9; intro chps 36-39; 36: 1, 2; 37:1-4, 5-7, 8-13, 14-20, 22, 23, 24-25, 26-29, 30-32, 33-35, 36-
38; 39:1; 43:14-15; 52:5.
Sheol (verses): 5:14; 7:11; 14:9, 11, 15; 28:15, 18; 38:10, 18; 57:9.
Sheol (notes): 5:13-17; 7:10-11, 14; intro 14:4-23; 14:9-11, 12-14, 15, 16-19; 28:15, 16, 18-19; 29:2; 38:7-8,
10-14, 18-19; 56:11; intro 57:3-13; 57:6, 9.
shepherd (verses): 13:20; 31:4; 38:12; 40:11; 44:28; 56:11; 63:11.
shepherd (notes): 13:14-16; 31:4-5; 38:10-14; 40:9, 10-11, 29-31; 41:2-3; 42:2-4; 44:23, 24-28; intro 45:1-8;
45:4, 6; 49:9-10; 53:1; intro 56:9-57:2; 56:11, 12; 63:11-14, 15.
sign, signs (verses): 7:11, 14; 8:18; 11:10; 19:20; 20:3; 37:30; 38:7, 22; 55:13; 66:19.
sign (notes): 5:1; intro 7:1-9; intro 7:10-16; 7:10-11, 12, 13; intro 7:14-16; 7:14, 15, 16; intro chp 8; 8:1-2, 3-
4, 18; intro 9:1-7; 9:18; 10:6; 13:10, 11; 15:2-4; 19:19, 20; 20:2, 3-4, 5-6; intro chps 36-39; 37:21, 30-32, 33-
35; intro chp 38; 38:7-8, 9; 55:13; 58:13; 63:8; 66:19; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant; 3. The
Mosaic Covenant; Appendix 3: The Promises of God’s Presence.
signs (notes): 1:1; 8:18; intro 9:1-7; intro 13:6-13; 18:3; 37:30-32; 66:19.
sin (verses): 3:9; 5:18; 6:7; 26:21; 27:9; 30:1 (2x); 33:24; 53:6, 10, 12; 57:4; 59:4, 20.
sins (verses): 1:18; 14:21; 38:17; 40:2; 43:24, 25; 44:22; 50:1; 53:11; 58:1; 59:2, 12; 64:5, 6; 65:7 (2x).
sinful, sinfully (verses): 1:4; 13; 31:7.
sinned (verses): 42:24; 43;27; 64:5.
sinner, sinners (verses): 1:28; 13:9; 33:14.
sin (notes) (over 2,100 occurrences- too many to list). Specific references: INTRODUCTION: Sin, God’s
Glory; Refer to notes for verses listed above. Also, see “national sin (of Israel)” in the Word Index.
Selected notes:
sins forgiven: INTRODUCTION: Covenant; Intro 6:1-7; 33:24; 43:25; 45:17.
forgive their sins: intro chps 1-6; intro 52:13-53:12; 63:8.
sinful, sinfulness: INTRODUCTION: 3. Themes of the Prophecy of Isaiah; Sin; God’s Glory; intro chps 1-
6; 1:4, 5, 12-14, 16-17, 25, 28; 2:9; 3:5, 9, 13; 5:13-17, 18-19, 25; 6:3, 5, 8, 9-10; 7:12, 14, 17; 8:9-10, 13;
9:9-10; 10:6, 11:1; 13:3, 11, 19; 18:5-6; 23:18; 24:21; 25:1, 6, 10-12; 27:8-9; 28:15, 17, 21-22; 29:11-12;
30:4-5, 10-11, 18; 31:2, 6-7; 34:2; 42:6, 23-25; 43:26-27, 28; 44:2, 11, 13, 18-19; 45:10; 47:10; 51:17, 21-22;
52:3, 5, 15; 53:1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12; 54:5, 13; 55:6, 7, 8-9; 56:10; 57:1-2, 3, 6, 11, 15, 18-19; 58:2; intro 59:1-
21; 59:1, 2, 3-4, 9-10, 11, 12, 13, 14-15a, 20; 60:16, 17; 61:1, 2; 62:4; 63:4, 6, 11-14, 17; 64:5, 7; 65:15-16,
18; 66:3-4; Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: 1. The
Noahic Covenant.
817…..Index of English Words
Sodom and Gomorrah (verses): 1:9, 10; 3:9 (Sodom); 13:19.
Sodom and Gomorrah (notes): 1:9, 10; 3:9; 13:19; 34:9; 57:4.
Solomon: 1:27; 2:13; 5:1, 21; 11:2; 13:12; 22:8-11; 25:5; 42;1, 17; 54:11-12; 56:6-7; 65:10, 25; 66:1.
sovereign (verses): 3:1, 15; 7:7; 10:16, 23, 24, 33; 19:4; 25:8; 28:16, 22; 30:15; 40:10; 42:5; 48:16; 49:22;
50:4, 5, 7, 9; 51:22; 52:4; 56:8; 61;1, 11; 65:13, 15.
sovereign, sovereignty (notes): INTRODUCTION: The Sovereignty of God; A Suggested Outline of Isaiah:
3. God’s Servant and Salvation: Chapters 40-66; 1:9, 24, 26; 3:1; 4:4; 5:2, 5; 7:7-9; 8:9-10, 13; 9:9-10; 10:6,
10-11, 15; intro 13:1-14:23; 13:3, 6, 19; 14:25; 19:1; 23:18; 25:8; 30:4-5; 38:18-19; intro 40:12-31; 41:14,
21; 42:5, 22; 43:11-13, 14-15; 44:6, 21-22; 45:1, 4, 7, 23, 24-25; 46:8-9; 47:7-9, 11; 48:16; 49:22-23; 50:2, 3,
4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; 51:7-8, 12, 19, 21-22; 52:4, 7; 54:5; 56:6-7; 57:18-19; 59:2; 60:16; 61:1; 62:6-7; 64:8; 65:13,
14, 15-16; 66:2.
speak (verses): 8:20; 9:17; 19:18; 28:11; 29:4; 32:4, 6 (2x); 33:15; 36:11 (2x), 12; 40:2; 41:1; 45:19; 49:5;
52:6; 58:9, 13; 59:4; 65:24.
speech (verses): 29:4 (2x); 32:9;
spirit (general references) (verses): 4:4 (2x); 19:3, 14; 26:9; 28:6; 29:4, 10, 24; 31:3; 37:7; 38:16; 42:5; 54:6;
57:15 (2x); 61:3; 65:14; 66:2.
Spirit of the LORD (verses): 11:2 (4x); 30:1; 32:15; 34:16; 40:13; 42:1; 44:3; 59:21; 61:1; 63:14.
Spirit of the LORD (notes): 4:2; 11:2; 28:5-6; 32:15-20; 40:7, 13; 54:14-15; 61:1; 63:11-14.
Holy Spirit (verses): 63:10, 11.
Holy Spirit (notes): INTRODUCTION: 1. The Prominence of the Prophecy of Isaiah; 5:20; 6:8; 9:6-7; 11:2;
intro chps 24-27; 30:1; 32:15-20; 40:1-2, 7, 12; 41:14; 48:16; intro chps 49-57; 49:7; 53:10; 57:15; 59:1, 11,
14-15a, 21; 61:1, 2; 62:11-12; intro 63:7-14; 63:10, 11-14; 65:5, 15-16; 66:1; Appendix 3.
God’s Spirit (notes): INTRODUCTION: 1. The Prominence of the Prophecy of Isaiah; 22:12-14; 30:1; intro
32:15-20.
Spirit of God (notes): 25:5; 31:3; 32:15-20; intro 42:1-13; 55:2-3a.
spiritual: 1:3, 4, 6, 7, 25, 26; 9:6-7; 10:20-23; 11:2; 29:22-24; 30:27b-30; intro chps 36-39; 42:7; 43:3-4, 7;
44:6; 24-28; 45:7; 51:3, 9-10; 52:2, 7, 9-10; 53:3, 4, 5, 10; 54:4, 5; 55:1, 2-3a, 7; 56:4-5; 57:14; 58:8-9a;
59:1, 8, 11; 60:16; 61:1; 63:4, 8, 16; 64:6; 65:6-7, 18; Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial kingdom; Appendix 2:
2. The Abrahamic Covenant; 3. The Mosaic Covenant; 6. The New Covenant; 7. Covenants in Isaiah.
spoke (verses): 7:10; 8:5; 16:13; 20:2; 65:12; 66:4.
spoken (verses): 1:1, 20; 16:14; 21;17; 22:25; 23:4; 24:3; 25:8; 37:22; 38:7, 15; 39:8; 40:5; 45:19; 46:11;
48:15, 16; 58:14; 59:3,
818…..Index of English Words
spokespersons (verse): 43:27.
sprinkle: 52:15; 63:1, 3.
strength, strengthen (verses): 10:13; 12:2; 28:6; 30:15; 35:3; 36:5; 37:3; 40:9, 29 (2x), 31; 41:1, 10; 44:12;
45:24; 49:4, 5; 51:9; 52;1; 54:2; 63:1.
strong (verses): 1:31; 5:11, 22; 8:7, 11; 18:2, 7; 24:9; 25:3; 26:1; 27:1; 28:2, 7 (3x), 22; 29:9; 31:1; 33:2;
35:4; 40:10, 26; 41:6; 44:12, 14; 53:12; 56:12; 58:11; 60:22.
stronghold (verses): 23:4; 25:4; 29:7.
substitutionary atoning sacrifice: 2:8; 53:5; 54:16-17; 55:3b; 57:18-19; 58:8-9a; 61:8; 64:5; 66:24 (final
comments).
suffering, suffered (verses): 63:9 (2x).
suffer, suffering (notes): 1:8, 10, 25, 26; 5:2, 13-17; 7:14, 17; 15:5-9; 16:6-12; 21:13-15; 23:8-9; 24:1, 10;
intro 35:3-6a; 35:8-10; 40:1-2; 42:22, 23-25; 43:2; 45:24-25; 48:18-19, 22; 52:8; 58:10b-12; 60:15; 63:9;
66:5.
Suffering Servant: intro chp 1; 1:18; 2:2; 8:19-22; 11:2; intro chps 40-66; 40:10-11; 42:1, 2-4; 46:3-4; intro
chps 49-57; 49:1, 4, 7; intro 50:4-11; 50:5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; intro 51:1-23; 51:21-22; intro 52:1-12; intro 52:13-
53:12; 53:2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 12; 59:12, 18-19, 21; 60:6; 64:5; 66:2; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant;
5. The Davidic Covenant; 6. The New Covenant; 7. Covenants in Isaiah.
God’s longsuffering: 31:6-7; 55:8-9; 57:17; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant.
Temple (verses): 6:1,4; 15:2; 44:28; 60:7; 64:11; 66:6.
Temple (notes): intro chps 1-6; 1:12-14, 27, 29-30; 2:4, 7, 13; 4:2, 5-6; 5:30; intro 6:1-7; 6:1, 3, 4, 8, 9-10;
7:2; 8:13; 19:21; 27:8-9; 33:20; 37:1-4; 38:9; intro 43:22-28; 44:23, 24-28; 45:2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 11, 13, 15, 16;
46:1, 11; 47:6; 48:18-19, 22; 51:9-10; 52:11-12; 53:7; 54:11-12; 56:6-7; 57:15; 60:1, 7, 10, 13, 17; 61:9;
62:8-9; intro 63:15-64:12; 63:18; 64:8, 10-11, 12; 65:25; 66:1, 5, 6, 20-21, 22.
temptation: 5:21; intro chps 28-33; 39:1; 42:1; 63;17.
terror (verses): 2:10, 19, 21; 7:6; 17:14; 19:17; 24:17 (2x); 28:19; 31:9; 33:18; 54:14.
terror (notes): 2:10, 19; 5:30; 7:2; 10:7; 11:11; 13:13; 14:20-21, 27, 30-32; 19:16-17; 21:3-4; 24:16b-20;
28:18-19; 31:8-9; 33:3-4, 5, 18-19; 35:8-10; 45:20-21; 54:14-15.
theme(s): [The following are selected occurrences where the words “theme” or “themes” are found in the
text of the Study. They are not intended as stating all the themes of the Prophecy of Isaiah].
INTRODUCTION: The Author of the Prophecy of Isaiah; 3. Themes of the Prophecy of Isaiah; Sin;
Salvation; The Holy One of Israel; The Kingdom of the Messiah; Comprehensive and Unifying Theme: God
Himself; A Suggested Outline of Isaiah; intro chp 1; 1:27; 2:2, 4, 22; 3:14; 5:2; intro 5:8-30; 8:13; 11:2; intro
819…..Index of English Words
11:11-16; 12:1, 2, 3; 13:14-16; intro 18:1-7; 26:8; 28:5-6; intro 29:5-8; 30:18; intro 31:1-9; 31:3; 32:1-2, 9-
14; 33:6; 34:8; 35:8-10; intro chps 36-39; 37:1-4; intro chps 40-66; 41:6-7, 8-9, 10, 14; 42:1, 6, 16; 43:8;
44:7; 45:22; 47:5, 12-13; intro chps 49-57; 49:5-6, 19-21; 51:1; 52:7; intro 52:13-53:12; 53:12; 54:14-15;
55:2-3a; 56:8, 11; 57:15, 17; intro chps 58-66; 58:1-2; intro 59:1-21; 59:1, 3-4, 9-10, 11; intro 60:1-22;
60:11, 18, 19-20, 21; 61:1, 11; 62;2, 11-12; 63:8; 65:11-12; 66:3-4, 24; Appendix 1: Introduction.
thematic: 1:29-30; 2:22; intro chps 24-27; intro chp 38; intro 55:1-13.
threat: INTRODUCTION: 7. Historical; A Suggested Outline of Isaiah; 2:22; 5:13-17; 7:2, 3, 4, 5-6, 10-11,
16; intro chp 8; 8:3-4, 8; 10:20-23, 24-27; intro 14:24-27; intro 18:1-7; 20:1; 24:13; 26:15; 28:15; intro 29:1-
16; 30:16-17; intro 33:1-24; 35:8-10; intro chps 36-39; 36:11-12; 37:1-4, 8-13, 14-20, 21, 33-35; 38:1; 39:1;
intro chps 40-66; 40:1-2, 24; 41:6-7; 54:14-15; 57:9.
throne (verses): 6:1; 9:7; 10:13; 14: 9, 13; 16:5; 22:23; 37:16; 47:1; 52;2; 66:1.
“throne of David”: 4:2; 7:17; 9:6-7; 16:2-5; 22:20-25; 39:8; 40:9; 43:19-21; 49:2; 52:7; 53:2; 54:10, 14-15;
60:2, 3; 61:7, 9; 62;2; Appendix 1: 1. The Majestic (Universal) kingdom; 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom;
Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant; 5. The Davidic Covenant; 6. The New Covenant.
“Davidic throne”: INTRODUCTION: 2. The Author of the Prophecy of Isaiah; Extended Outline of the
Prophecy of Isaiah; intro 9:1-7; 14:24; 49:8; 51:5; 57:15; 60:16; 66:1, 18, 24 (final comments); Appendix 1:
2. The Mediatorial Kingdom.
“David’s throne”: intro chps 1-6; 9:6-7; 11:6-9; 16:2-5; 18:7; 38:4-6, 21-22; 39:5-7; 52:7.
“throne of God”: 49:2, 4; 50:5; 52;13, 15; 63;17; 66:1.
“God’s throne”: 66:1; Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom.
“great white throne”: intro chps 2-4; 2:2; 4:3; 14:9-11; 24:3-4, 16b-20, 22; 45:24-25; 51;16; 53:12; 65;17.
“His throne”: intro 4:2-6; 4:2; 6:1; 10:7; 30:27a; 60:16; 63;15; 66:1; Appendix 1: 1. The Majestic
(Universal) Kingdom; 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 3: Introduction.
Tiglath-pileser III: INTRODUCTION: 7. Historical; intro chps 7-12; 7:16; 8:5-6, 7; 9:1-2; 10:8-9; intro
14:4-23; intro 14:28-32; 14:29; 17:1-3, 7-11; 46:2.
Torah: intro chps 1-6; 2:6; 5:24; 8:13; 24:5-6; 30:9; 31:2; 51:4, 7-8, 13, 21-22; 56:6-7; 66:24 (final
comments).
torment: 1:18; 14:9-11; 27:1; 28:16; 30:31-33; 50:11; 51:13, 16, 23; 52:2, 14; 53:2, 6, 7; 60:8-9; 66:5.
transgress, transgression (verses): 24:5, 20; 43:25; 44:22; 50:1; 53:5, 12 (2x); 58:1; 59:12 (2x).
transgress, transgression (notes): intro chp 1; 1:2, 3; intro 24:1-23; 24:5-6, 16b-20; 30:9; 43:25; 44:21-22;
46:8-9; 48:8; intro 52:13-53:12; 53:4, 5, 8, 12; 57:12; 58:1, 2; intro 59:9-15a; 59:9-10, 12, 13, 21; 64:9;
Appendix 2: 6. The New Covenant; 7. Covenants in Isaiah.
820…..Index of English Words
tribulation (days of): 3:1, 9, 12, 13; intro 3:16-4:1; 4:5-6; intro 14:1-23; intro 14:4-23; 17:12-14; 24:3-4, 5-6,
10, 13, 16b-20; 25:4, 8; intro chp 26; 26:1-2, 27:7, 10-11; 28:23-29; 29:2, 3-4, 5; 30:23-26; intro 31:1-9;
34:4; intro 35:3-6a; 41:8-9, 17; 42:22, 23-25; 43:19-21; 44:23; 50:1; 51:5, 7-8, 9-10, 12, 13, 14, 16; intro
51:17-23; 51:1, 17; 52:1, 2, 9-10, 11-12, 15; 54:1, 2, 3, 6, 7-8, 9, 11-12; 56:8; 57:3, 9, 17; intro chps 58-66;
59:15b-16; 60:2, 10; 61:2, 3; 62:11-12; 63:1, 8. 17, 19; 64:12; Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom; 3.
The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant.
tribulation period: 2:10, 20, 21; intro 3:1-7; 3:1, 18-23, 26; 4:4, 5-6; 6:4; 13:3; intro 14:1-23; 14:5-6; 17:12-
14; intro 21:1-10; 24:1, 3-4, 10, 16b-20, 21; 28:15; intro 29:1-16; 30:21-22, 23-26; 34:3, 4, 8; 35:1-2; intro
41:21-24; intro 46:1-47:15; intro 47:1-15; 47:14-15; intro 48:1-22; 48:9-11, 22; 49:2; intro 49:14-26; 49:22-
23, 24-26; 51:1, 6, 9-10, 12, 20; 52:5, 7, 8, 11-12; 56:8; 58:10b-12; 59:15b-16; 60:10; 61:2; 62;10; 64:8.
great tribulation: 2:2, 3, 19; 3:1; 4:2, 4; 8:19-22; 11:11; 13:2; intro 14:1-23; 14:5-6; 17:7-11; 21:8-9;
24:16b-20, 21; 25:4; 26:1-2, 8, 9, 20-21; 27:4-5, 8-9, 10-11; 43:19-21; 44:4; 45:8, 14, 19, 20-21; 48:9-11, 20-
21; 49:1, 11, 12, 17, 18; 49:19-21; 50:3; 51:14, 21-22; intro 60:1-9; 60:4, 8-9, 14, 15.
purpose of the tribulation: 4:4; intro 13:1-14:23; 24:3-4; 27:10-11.
Trinity: INTRODUCTION: The Author of the Prophecy of Isaiah; 10:20-23; intro 43:8-28; 48:16; 66:2.
trust, trusting (verses): 2:22; 12:2; 26:3, 4; 30:12, 15; 31:1; 36:5, 6 (2x), 7, 9, 15; 37:10; 42:7; 47:10, 12;
50:10; 59:4.
truth (verses): 5:9; 10:20; 16:5; 43:9; 48:1; 59:14, 15; 65:16 (2x).
turn, turning (verses): 1:4, 25; 5:20, 25; 8:22; 9:12, 13, 17, 21; 10:2, 4, 21, 22; 12:1; 14:23, 27; 17:7; 24:11;
29:16, 17; 30:11, 21 (2x); 34:9; 37:29; 38:2; 42;15, 16, 17; 43:14; 46:4; 50:5; 53:6; 56:11; 57:17; 59:13, 14,
20; 63;10. (See also “return”).
tyrant, tyranny: 13:11; 14:5-6, 9-11, 15, 20-21; 21:8-9; intro 29:1-16; 29:5, 20-21; 33:18-19; 49:24-26;
50:1, 2, 3; 51:13, 14, 16; 52:7; 56:9; 60:8-9; 62:8-9; 65:21-22; 66:12-14.
Tyre (verses): 23:1 (2x), 5, 8, 15 (2x), 17.
Tyre (notes): intro 23:1-18; 23:1, 2-3, 4-7, 8-9, 13-14, 15, 16, 17; 47:7-9.
Uzziah (king) (verses): 1:11; 6:1; 7:1.
Uzziah (king) (notes): INTRODUCTION: 7. Historical; 1:1; 2:7, 9; 3:16; 5:26; intro 6:1-7; 6:1, 8; 7:1; 33:2;
37:1-4.
unclean (verses): 6:5 (2x); 35:8; 52:1, 11; 64:6.
unclean (notes): 6:5; 13:20-22; 21:8-9; 24:16b-20; intro 35:1-10; 35:8-10; 41:5; 52:1, 11-12; 64:6.
uncircumcised: 52:1; 63:10.
821…..Index of English Words
unconditional: INTRODUCTION: Covenant; intro chps 1-6; 1:9; 41:6-7; 42:6; 49:8; Appendix 2:
Introduction; 3. The Mosaic Covenant.
unfaithful, unfaithfulness: INTRODUCTION: Covenant; intro 6:1-7; intro chps 7-12; 7:13, 23-25; intro
43:22-28; 56:12; 57:3; Appendix 2: 3. The Mosaic Covenant; 6. The New Covenant.
unique: PREFACE; INTRODUCTION: God’s Glory; intro chps 1-6; 1:4, 12-14; intro 9:1-7; intro 11:6-10;
19:23-25; 26:7; 34:5-7; intro 40:12-31; 42:1, 2-4; 43:3-4, 10, 11-13; 44:8, 21-22, 24-28; 46:8-9’ 47:7-9, 11;
48:1-2; 6b-7, 12-13; 49:16; 50:2; 55:3b; 56:1-2, 6-7; 59:15b-16; 60:14; 66:24 (final comments); Appendix 1:
2. The Mediatorial Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant; 3. The
Mosaic Covenant; 5. The Davidic Covenant.
Universal Kingdom: 9:6-7; 40:28; 52:7; Appendix 1: 1. The Majestic (Universal) Kingdom; 2. The
Mediatorial Kingdom; 3. The Messianic Kingdom.
upright, uprightness: 25:1; 26:7; 43:3-4; 44:2; 59:14-15a.
vision, visions (verses): 1:1; 21:2; 22:1, 5; 28:7; 29:7, 11; 30:10.
vision, visions (notes): INTRODUCTION: The Author of the Prophecy of Isaiah; intro chp 1; 1:1, 2, 29-30;
intro chps 2-4; intro 2:1-4; 2:1, 2, 4, 5; 5;26; intro 6:1-7; 6:1, 3,4; 7:14; intro chps 13-23; intro 21:1-10; 21:2;
intro 22:1-14; 22:1-2, 5; 24:16b-20, 21, 23; intro 28:1-13; intro 29:1-16; 29:11-12; intro 30:8-11; intro chps
40-66; 41:10; 45:14, 15, 19; 57:6, 15; 60:7, 8-9, 22; 62:11-12; intro 63:15-64:12; 63;19; 64:6, 10-11; 65:18,
25; 66:18, 23; Appendix 1: Introduction; 1. The Majestic (Universal) kingdom.
vengeance (verses): 1:24; 34:8; 35:4; 47:3; 59;17; 61:2; 63:4.
vengeance (notes): intro 34:1-17; 34:8; 35:3-4; intro 47:1-15; 47:3; 51:12; 59:17, 18-19; intro 60:1-22; 61:2,
10; 62:11-12; intro 63:1-6; 63:2, 4, 5; 66:15-16. (see also “avenge” and “revenge”).
vicarious: intro chps 40-66; 53:3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 11, 12.
vineyard (verses): 1:8; 3:14; 5:1 (2x), 3, 4, 5, 7, 10; 16;10; 27:2; 36:17; 37:30; 65:21.
vineyard (notes): 1:8; intro 3:8-15; 3:12, 14; intro 5:1-7; 5:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9-10, 24, 26; intro 7:17-25;
16:6-12; intro chps 24-27; 25:6; intro 27:1-13; 27:1, 2-3, 4-5, 6; 28:23-29; 32:9-14; 33:2; 36:13-20; 56:11;
58:10b-12; 63:8; 65:10, 11-12.
virgin birth: INTRODUCTION: Messianic and Messiah; intro 7:10-16; intro 7:14-16; 7:14, 15, 16; intro chp
8; 8:19-22; 9:6-7; intro 13:1-14:23; 37:30-32; 38:7-8; 39:5-7; intro chps 49-57; 49:1, 3; 50:4; 52:15; 66;19;
Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom; Appendix 3: Introduction.
way (verses): 8:11; 9:1; 15:5; 22:25; 26:7; 30:11, 21; 35:8 (2x); 37:29, 34; 40:3, 14, 27; 42:16; 43:16, 19;
48:17; 51:10; 53:6; 55:7; 56:11; 57:14 (2x), 17; 59:8; 62:10; 63;14; 65:2.
822…..Index of English Words
watchman, watchmen: 21:8-9, 11-12; 52:8, 9-10; intro 56:9-57:2; 56:10-11; 62:6-7; 63:1.
wicked, wickedness (verses): 3:11; 9:18; 11:4; 13:11; 14:5; 26:10; 47:10; 48:22; 53:9; 55:7; 57:20, 21; 58:4,
6, 9; 59:3.
wicked, wickedness (notes): 1:4, 5, 6, 8, 12-14, 16-17, 29-30; 2:4; 3:8, 10, 11; 4:4; intro 5:8-30; 5:22-23, 26;
6:4; 7:12, 14; 8:1-2; 9:13, 18; 10:1-2, 3-4, 5, 6, 10-11, 15; 11:3-4; 13:3, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14-16, 18, 19; 14:5-6;
22:12-14; 24:1, 10, 11, 16b-20, 22; 26:10, 11, 14, 20-21; 28:14, 15, 16, 21-22; 29:20-21; 30:10-11, 18, 23-
26; 34:2, 9; 37:30-32; 42:18-20; 43:3-4; 47:10; 48:20-21, 22; 49:14, 18; 51:7-8, 21-22; 52:8, 9-10; 53:6, 9,
10; 54:11-12; 55:7; 56:9, 12; 57:1-2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 15, 18-19, 20-21; 58:1, 2, 3-5, 6, 9b-10a, 13; 59:2, 3-4,
5-6, 8, 9-10, 11, 13, 14-15a, 15b-16, 17, 18-19, 21; 63:3, 4, 5, 6, 9; 64:5, 7, 12; 65:5, 6-7, 8, 13, 14, 15-16,
17, 18; 66:3-4, 5, 6, 15-16, 18, 24 (final comments); Appendix 2: 2. The Abrahamic Covenant; 6. The New
Covenant; 7. Covenants in Isaiah.
wisdom (of God) (verses): 11:2; 28:29; 33:6.
wisdom (of God) (notes): 4:2; 5:5; 9:6-7; 11:2, 5; 24:21; intro 28:14-29; 28:23-29; 31:2; 33:6; 40:10-11;
intro 40:12-31; 40:13, 28; 44:24-28; 55:6; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom.
witness, witnesses (for God) (verses): 19:20; 43:10, 12; 44:8; 55:4.
witness, witnesses (for God) (notes): 1:2; 19:19, 20; intro 40:9-11; intro 43:8-13; 43:8, 10, 11-13; 44:21-22;
51:16; 55:4; intro 56:1-8; 56:1-2; 59:21; 62:11-12; 66:19; Appendix 1: 2. The Mediatorial Kingdom.
woe (declaration of) (verses): 3:9, 11; 5:8, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22; 10:1, 5; 17:12; 18:1; 28:1; 29:1, 15; 30:1; 33:1;
45:9-10.
woe (by Isaiah regarding himself) (verses): 6:5; 24:16.
wonderful (verses): 9:6; 12:5; 25;1; 28:29.
Wonderful Counselor (notes): 9:6-7; 10:20-23; 11:2; intro 28:14-29; 28:23-29; 32:1-2; intro 40:12-31;
46:12-13; 47:12-13; 50:8; Appendix 1: 3. The Messianic Kingdom.
worship (of God) (verses): 19:21, 23; 27:13; 66:23.
worship (of God) (notes): INTRODUCTION: Extended Outline of the Prophecy of Isaiah (note 2); intro
chps 1-6; 1:11, 12-14, 15, 16-17; 2:2; 4:2, 5-6; intro chp 6; 6:1; 8:13; 9:6-7; 11:10; intro 13:1-14:23; 13:3;
14:1-2; intro 18:1-7; 18:4, 7; intro 19:1-15; 19:18, 21, 23-25; 23:18; 25:3; 26:5-6, 7, 9, 12; intro 27:1-13;
27:12-13; 29:15-16, 22-24; 30:20; intro 40:12-31; 41:1, 14, 20, 21; 42:8, 9; 43:14-15, 22, 23-24, 25, 26-27;
45:14-16; 49:7, 22-23, 24-26; 50:10; 52:7; 56:3, 4-5, 6-7, 9; 58:10b-12; 60:8-9; 61:9; intro 66:15-24; 66:18,
19, 20-21, 23; Appendix 2: 1. The Noahic Covenant; 3. The Mosaic Covenant; Appendix 3: The Promises of
God’s Presence.
worship (of idols) (verses): 2:8, 20; 16:12; 37:38; 44:15(2x), 17, 19; 46:6.
wrath (of God) (verses): 9:19; 10:6; 13:9, 13; 14:6; 51:17, 20, 22; 54:8; 59:18; 60:10; 63:3, 5, 6.
823…..Index of English Words
wrath (of God) (notes): INTRODUCTION: God’s Glory; 2:15, 16, 18, 19, 21; 3:15; 5:30; 6:4, 11-12; 7:12;
8:5-6, 19-22; 9:11-12, 19; intro 10:5-19; 10:5, 6, 15; 12:1; 13:2, 3, 9, 13, 14-16; intro 17:1-14; intro chps 24-
27; 24:2; 25:3; 27:4-5; 29:2, 11-12, 15-16; 30:27a, 31-33; 34:2, 8; 35:3-4, 8-10; intro 41:21-24; 42:23-25;
44:24-28; 45:11; 47:7-9; 48:22; 49:22-23; 51:7-8; intro 51:17-23; 51:17, 19, 20, 21-22, 23; 52:2, 11-12; 53:9;
56:9; 57:4; 59:9-10, 11, 12, 17, 18-19; 60:10; 61:4; intro 63:1-6; 63:1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8; 64:7; 65:6-7; intro chp 66;
66:15-16, 24 (final comments); Appendix 2: 1. The Noahic Covenant; (see also “anger of God”).
Xeres: 13:17
Yahweh: INTRODUCTION: Comprehensive and Unifying Theme: God Himself; 1:9; 6:1; 42:5, 6; 43:3-4,
14-15; 44:6; 47:4; 48:1-2, 12-13, 17; 49:5-6, 7; intro 49:14-26; 49:22-23; intro 50:1-11; intro 50:4-11; 50:4;
51:15, 21-22; 52:4, 5, 6; 53:2, 6, 10, 12; 54:2, 5, 6; 55:5, 6, 7, 8-9; 56:1-2, 6-7, 11; 57:6, 8, 11; 58:14; 59:15b-
16, 18-19, 21; 60:3, 10, 14, 16, 19-20; 61:1, 8; intro 62:1-12; 62:2; 63:3, 8, 15, 16; 64:4, 7, 8, 9; 65:14; 66:1,
18, 22; Appendix 2: 3. The Mosaic Covenant.
zeal (verses): 9:7; 26:11; 37:32; 42:13; 59:17; 63:15.
Zeal, zealous (notes): 9:6-7; intro chp 26; 26:11; 31:8-9; 37:30-32; 42:8, 10-13; 59:17; 60:22; 63;15;
Appendix 2: 4. The Priestly Covenant.
Zion (daughter of) (verses): 1:8; 10:32; 16:1; 37:22; 52:2; 62:11.
Zion (daughters of) (verses): 3:16, 17; 4:4.
Mount Zion (verses): 4:5; 8:18; 10:12; 18:7; 24:23; 29:8; 31:4; 37:22.
Zion (general references) (verses): 1:27; 2:3; 4:3; 10:24; 12:6; 14:32; 28:16; 30:19; 31:9; 33:5, 14, 20, 24;
34:8; 35:10; 40:9; 41:27; 46:13; 49:14; 51:3, 11, 16; 52:1, 7, 8; 59:20; 60:14; 61:3; 62:1; 64;10; 66:8.
824…..Suggested Resources (Bibliography)
SUGGESTED RESOURCES (BIBLIOGRAPHY)
This suggested listing of resources is provided for so that those who desire and have the funds to do so, can
purchase as many of these resources as is practical for a home or church library. This listing also includes the
works cited (referenced) in the study, however there are more suggested resources listed than those that are
referenced in the study. This list also acts as a Bibliography for works cited in this study
A. Study Bibles (alphabetical order not recommended order)
John MacArthur Study Bible: NASB, Thomas Nelson, Inc. 2006; NKJV, Thomas Nelson Inc. 1997;
NIV, Thomas Nelson Inc.2013; ESV, Crossway, 2010.
Ryrie Study Bible, Expanded Edition, KJV, Moody Press, 1994, NAS, Moody Publishers, 2012.
Scofield Study Bible, NIV, Oxford University Press, 2004.
Zondervan NIV Study Bible, Zondervan, 2002.
B. Selected Commentaries on Isaiah
Caution should be taken in considering which commentaries and resource texts are best for the home or
church library. Some commentaries and resource text listed below, contain kingdom-now viewpoints, while
others interpret Scripture from an amillennial hermeneutic. It is the opinion of the author of this study that
commentaries and resource texts written by scholars holding to a dispensational hermeneutic should hold
first place in any Biblical studies library. Those commentaries and resource texts written by scholars who
hold other viewpoints should be consulted with caution, while recognizing that they have made valuable
contributions to the ongoing research of the writings of Isaiah. For the church library and for home use, seek
the advice of a Pastor, leading Elder or Bible teacher prior to purchasing any of these books.
Archer, Gleason L. Isaiah in the Wycliffe Bible Commentary, Moody Press, 1962.
Beyer, Bryan, E. Encountering the Book of Isaiah: A Historical and Theological Survey. Baker Academic:
Baker Publishing Group, 2007.
Buksbazen, Victor. The Prophet Isaiah: A Commentary. Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry. (re-print), 2008.
Butler, Trent C. Isaiah: Holman Old Testament Commentary. B & H Publishing Group. 2002.
Constable, Thomas, L. Dr. Constable’s Notes on Isaiah, latest Edition. Quotations cited for this study came
from the 2017 edition of these notes. Website: (https://planobiblechapel.org/constable-notes/)
Cooper, David L. Commentary on Isaiah, in Expounding the Word Section of the Biblical Research
Website: (biblicalresearch.info)
Grogan, Geoffrey, W. Isaiah: The Expositors Bible Commentary first edition. Volume 6. Zondervan. 1986.
Hindson, Edward, E. Isaiah in the King James Bible Commentary, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999.
Martin, John A. Isaiah in The Bible Knowledge Commentary. Victor, an imprint of Cook Communications
Ministries. 2004.
Motyer, J. Alec, The Prophecy of Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary. IVP Academic, 1993.
825…..Suggested Resources (Bibliography)
Motyer, J. Alec. Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries,
InterVarsity Press. 1999.
Oswalt, John N. The Book of Isaiah, 2 vols. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Wm.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Volume 1: Isaiah Chapters 1-39; 1986. Volume 2: Isaiah Chapters 40-66, 1998.
Rydelnik, Michael and Spencer, James. Isaiah, in The Moody Bible Commentary, Moody Publishers, 2014.
Smith, Gary V. Isaiah. 2 vols. New American Commentary. B & H Publishing Group. Volume 1: Isaiah 1-
39, 2007. Volume 2: Isaiah 40-66, 2009.
Vine, W. E. Expository Commentary on Isaiah. Thomas Nelson Publishers. 1997.
Wolf, Herbert M. Interpreting Isaiah: The Suffering and Glory of the Messiah. Zondervan Publishing House.
1985.
Young, Edward J. The Book of Isaiah. 3 vols. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Volume 1: Chapters 1-18;
1965 (reprinted 2001); Volume 2: Chapters 19-39; 1969 (reprinted 2001); Volume 3: Chapters 40-66; 1972
(reprinted 2001).
C. Other Suggested Resources (In Print and Online)
Baron, David. Rays of Messiah’s Glory. Originally published in 1888. (Internet Version)
Baron, David. The Servant of Jehovah: The Sufferings of the Messiah and the Glory That Should Follow,
Marshall, Morgan & Scott. (Internet version)
Busenitz, I. A. Commentary on Joel and Obadiah. Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-shire, Great Britain:
Published by Mentor. 2003.
Chisholm, Robert B. Jr. Handbook on the Prophets. Paperback Edition. Baker Academic, a division of Baker
Publishing House. 2009.
Cooper, David L. The Messianic Series: Biblical Research Study Group (www.biblicalresearch.info)
Culver, Robert Duncan. Systematic Theology. Mentor Imprint: Christian Focus Publications, Ltd. 2013
edition.
Culver, Robert Duncan. The Sufferings and the Glory of the Lord's Righteous Servant. Christian Service
Foundation. (Internet version)
Detroit Baptist Theological Journal, Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary, Online link:
http://www.dbts.edu/journal/
Enns, Paul I. The Moody Handbook of Theology, Revised and Expanded. Moody Publishers, 2014.
Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology, 3rd. Edition, Baker Academic, 2013.
Feinberg, Charles L. Millennialism: The Two Major Views, BMH, 1985.
826…..Suggested Resources (Bibliography)
Feinberg, Charles L. The Minor Prophets, Moody Press, 1976.
Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. The Footsteps of the Messiah. Ariel Ministries, revised edition, 2004.
Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology. Ariel Ministries, revised
edition, 1996.
Harris, R. Laird, Archer, Gleason L. Walke, Bruce K. Editors, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.
Moody Press, 1980.
Haynie, Burl. Time of Jacob’s Trouble: Approaching: Israel – God’s Timepiece, Online publication:
Biblical Research Studies Group. Website at time of publication of this study:
http://www.biblicalresearch.info/index.html
Henebury, Paul, Martin. Biblical Covenantalism, Online Resource: Website at time of publication of this
study: https://drreluctant.wordpress.com/category/theology/biblical-covenantalism/
Journal of Dispensational Theology, Tyndale Theological Seminary and Biblical Institute, Online Archive:
https://www.tyndale.edu/jodt/
Kaiser Jr., Walter C. Jr. The Messiah in the Old Testament. Zondervan Publishing House. 1995.
Kaiser Jr., Walter C. The Promise Plan of God: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments.
Zondervan, 2008 edition.
Levy, David M. Joel: The Day of the Lord: A Chronology of Israel’s Prophetic History. The Friends of Israel
Gospel Ministry Inc. 1993.
Lindsey, F. Duane. The Servant Songs: A Study in Isaiah. Moody Publishers. (Internet version)
MacArthur, John and Mayhue, Richard. Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth, Crossway,
2017.
MacArthur, John F. (et al.), The Masters Seminary Journal, Archive Internet location as at the time of the
writing of this Study: https://www.tms.edu/msj/
McClain, Alva J. The Greatness of the Kingdom: An Inductive Study of the Kingdom of God. BMH Books,
1959, Eleventh printing, 2007.
McCune, Rolland. A Systematic Theology of Biblical Christianity, Three Volumes, Detroit Baptist
Theological Seminary, 2008.
Merrill, Eugene H. An Exegetical Commentary: Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Moody Press, 1994.
Pentecost, J. Dwight, The Words & Works of Jesus Christ: A Study of the Life of Christ. Zondervan, 1981.
Pentecost, J. Dwight, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology. Zondervan edition published in 1964.
Originally published in 1958 by Dunham Publishing Company.
827…..Suggested Resources (Bibliography)
Pentecost, J. Dwight, Thy Kingdom Come, Victor Books, 1990
Postell, Seth D. Bar, Eitan, Soref, Erez, Reading Moses Seeing Jesus, ONE FOR ISRAEL Ministry, 2017.
Price, J. Randall, Jerusalem in Bible Prophecy: God’s Stage for the Final Drama, Harvest, 1998.
Price, J. Randall, The Temple and Bible Prophecy: A Definitive Look at its Past, Present and Future,
Harvest, 2006.
Ross, Allen P. A Commentary on The Psalms, three volumes, Kregel Publications, Vol. 1:2011; Vol. 2: 2013;
Vol. 3: 2016.
Ross, Allen P. The Book of Isaiah, Biblical Studies Foundation, Online: Bible.Org
Rydelnik, Michael, The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic? NAC Studies in Bible &
Theology: B& H Publishing Group, 2010.
Rydelnik, Michael, Blum, Edwin. General Editors, The Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, Moody
Publishers, 2019.
Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth. Moody
Press, 1999.
Ryrie, Charles C. Dispensationalism, Moody Publishers, Revised Edition, 2008.
Ryrie, Charles C. So Great Salvation: What it Means to Believe in Jesus Christ, Moody Publishers, 2008.
Showers, Renald, Maranatha Our Lord Come, Friends of Israel, 1995
Showers, Renald, There Really is a Difference, Friends of Israel, 1990.
Strong, James, The New Strong’s Expanded Dictionary of Bible Words, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001.
Swindoll, Charles R. Zuck, Roy B. Editors, Understanding Christian Theology. Thomas Nelson Inc. 2003.
Thiessen, Henry, Clarence. Lectures in Systematic Theology. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Revised Edition, 1979.
Thomas, Robert L., Project Chairman. Zondervan NASB Exhaustive Concordance, Zondervan, A Division of
Harper Collins Publishers, 2000.
Toussaint, Stanley D. Behold the King: A Study of Matthew, Kregel Publications, 1980.
Vlach, J. Michael. He Will Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God, Lampion Press, 2017
Walvoord, John F. Israel in Prophecy, Zondervan, 1962
Walvoord, John, F. and Dyer, Charles H. Matthew: The John Walvoord Prophecy Commentaries, Moody
Publishing, Revised Edition, 2013.
828…..Suggested Resources (Bibliography)
Walvoord, John F. The Millennial Kingdom, Dunham, 1959
Walvoord, John F. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, Moody Press, 1969
Wood, Leon J. A Survey of Israel’s History, Revised Edition, Zondervan, 1986.
Woods, Andrew M. The Coming Kingdom: What is the Kingdom and How is Kingdom Now Theology
Changing the Focus of the Church? Grace Gospel Press, 2016.
Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, 5 Volumes, Edited by Merrill C. Tenney, Zondervan
Publishing House, 1975.
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