Isaiah — Chapter 26
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1In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks.
2Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in.
3Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
4Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:
5For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.
6The foot shall tread it down, even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
7The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.
8Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
9With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
10Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness: in the land of uprightness will he deal unjustly, and will not behold the majesty of the LORD.
11LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.
12LORD, thou wilt ordain peace for us: for thou also hast wrought all our works in us.
13O LORD our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us: but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
14They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.
15Thou hast increased the nation, O LORD, thou hast increased the nation: thou art glorified: thou hadst removed it far unto all the ends of the earth.
16LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
17Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.
18We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
19Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
20Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
21For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
1In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: we have a strong city; salvation will he appoint for walls and bulwarks.
2Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth faith may enter in.
3Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]; because he trusteth in thee.
4Trust ye in Jehovah for ever; for in Jehovah, [even] Jehovah, is an everlasting rock.
5For he hath brought down them that dwell on high, the lofty city: he layeth it low, he layeth it low even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.
6The foot shall tread it down; even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
7The way of the just is uprightness: thou that art upright dost direct the path of the just.
8Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Jehovah, have we waited for thee; to thy name, even to thy memorial [name], is the desire of our soul.
9With 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.
10Let favor be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness will he deal wrongfully, and will not behold the majesty of Jehovah.
11Jehovah, thy hand is lifted up, yet they see not: but they shall see [thy] zeal for the people, and be put to shame; yea, fire shall devour thine adversaries.
12Jehovah, thou wilt ordain peace for us; for thou hast also wrought all our works for us.
13O Jehovah our God, other lords besides thee have had dominion over us; but by thee only will we make mention of thy name.
14[They are] dead, they shall not live; [they are] deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all remembrance of them to perish.
15Thou hast increased the nation, O Jehovah, thou hast increased the nation; thou art glorified; thou hast enlarged all the borders of the land.
16Jehovah, in trouble have they visited thee; they poured out a prayer [when] thy chastening was upon them.
17Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain and crieth out in her pangs; so we have been before thee, O Jehovah.
18We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
19Thy dead shall live; my dead bodies shall arise. 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.
20Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
21For, behold, Jehovah cometh forth out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
1At that time this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city! The Lord’s deliverance, like walls and a rampart, makes it secure.
2Open the gates so a righteous nation can enter— one that remains trustworthy.
3You keep completely safe the people who maintain their faith, for they trust in you.
4Trust in the Lord from this time forward, even in Yah, the Lord, an enduring protector!
5Indeed, the Lord knocks down those who live in a high place, he brings down an elevated town; he brings it down to the ground, he throws it down to the dust.
6It is trampled underfoot by the feet of the oppressed, by the soles of the poor.”
7The way of the righteous is level, the path of the righteous that you prepare is straight.
8Yes, as your judgments unfold, O Lord, we wait for you. We desire your fame and reputation to grow.
9I look for you during the night; my spirit within me seeks you at dawn; for when your judgments come upon the earth, those who live in the world learn about justice.
10If the wicked are shown mercy, they do not learn about justice. Even in a land where right is rewarded, they act unjustly; they do not see the Lord’s majesty revealed.
11O Lord, you are ready to act, but they don’t even notice. They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind; yes, fire will consume your enemies.
12O Lord, you make us secure, for even all we have accomplished you have done for us.
13O Lord, our God, masters other than you have ruled us, but we praise your name alone.
14The dead do not come back to life, the spirits of the dead do not rise. That is because you came in judgment and destroyed them, you wiped out all memory of them.
15You have made the nation larger, O Lord; you have made the nation larger and revealed your splendor; you have extended all the borders of the land.
16O Lord, in distress they looked for you; they uttered incantations because of your discipline.
17As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliver and strains and cries out because of her labor pains, so were we because of you, O Lord.
18We were pregnant, we strained, we gave birth, as it were, to wind. We cannot produce deliverance on the earth; no people are born to populate the world.
19Your dead will come back to life; your corpses will rise up. Wake up and shout joyfully, you who live in the ground! For you will grow like plants drenched with the morning dew, and the earth will bring forth its dead spirits.
20Go, my people! Enter your inner rooms! Close your doors behind you! Hide for a little while, until his angry judgment is over.
21For look, the Lord is coming out of the place where he lives to punish the sin of those who live on the earth. The earth will display the blood shed on it; it will no longer cover up its slain.
1In that day, this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city. God appoints salvation for walls and bulwarks.
2Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter: the one which keeps faith.
3You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace, because he trusts in you.
4Trust in Yahweh forever; for in Yah, Yahweh, is an everlasting Rock.
5For 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 brings it even to the dust.
6The foot shall tread it down; Even the feet of the poor, and the steps of the needy.”
7The way of the just is uprightness. You who are upright make the path of the righteous level.
8Yes, in the way of your judgments, Yahweh, have we waited for you. Your name and your renown are the desire of our soul.
9With my soul I have desired you in the night. Yes, with my spirit within me will I seek you earnestly; for when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.
10Let favor be shown to the wicked, yet he will not learn righteousness. In the land of uprightness he will deal wrongfully, and will not see Yahweh’s majesty.
11Yahweh, your hand is lifted up, yet they don’t see; but they will see your zeal for the people, and be disappointed. Yes, fire will consume your adversaries.
12Yahweh, you will ordain peace for us, for you have also done all our work for us.
13Yahweh our God, other lords besides you have had dominion over us, but by you only will we make mention of your name.
14The dead shall not live. The departed spirits shall not rise. Therefore you have visited and destroyed them, and caused all memory of them to perish.
15You have increased the nation, O Yahweh. You have increased the nation! You are glorified! You have enlarged all the borders of the land.
16Yahweh, in trouble they have visited you. They poured out a prayer when your chastening was on them.
17Just as a woman with child, who draws near the time of her delivery, is in pain and cries out in her pangs; so we have been before you, Yahweh.
18We have been with child. We have been in pain. We gave birth, it seems, only to wind. We have not worked any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
19Your dead shall live. My dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast out the departed spirits.
20Come, my people, enter into your rooms, and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourself for a little moment, until the indignation is past.
21For, behold, Yahweh comes out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth also will disclose her blood, and will no longer cover her slain.
Summary
A song of trust and victory — "In that day" the redeemed sing of God's strong city, perfect peace for the steadfast mind, the humbling of the lofty city, the path of the righteous, longing for God in the night, and the promise of resurrection: "Thy dead men shall live."
Authorship & Background
- God's Strong City: Salvation as Walls (vv.1-4)
- The Lofty City Brought Low (vv.5-6)
- The Path of the Righteous (vv.7-9)
- The Wicked Learn Nothing from Grace (v.10)
- LORD, You Will Ordain Peace (vv.11-15)
- We Could Not Save Ourselves (vv.16-18)
- The Resurrection Promise (v.19)
- Hide Until the Indignation Passes (vv.20-21)
Map & Geography
- No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
- Charles Spurgeon: "'Perfect peace' — shalom shalom — doubled because it is complete in every direction: peace with God above, peace within the conscience, peace amid circumstances. And the condition? A mind STAYED — fixed, anchored, leaning — upon God."
Reflection
- 1. "Perfect peace, whose mind is STAYED on thee" (v.3). Peace is not the absence of problems — it's the presence of a fixed focus. Your mind will go where you point it. Are you STAYING it on God, or letting it wander to every worst-case scenario?
- 2. The Rock of Ages (v.4). "Trust in the LORD FOREVER" — not just today, not just during this crisis, but as a permanent lifestyle. He is the rock of ETERNITIES. Your problems are temporary; He is everlasting.
- 3. The wicked don't learn from grace (v.10). Grace is not irresistible to the unwilling. God's goodness is all around us — but some people see it and still refuse to change. Don't mistake God's patience for God's approval.
- 4. Resurrection: "Thy dead men SHALL live" (v.19). The dead are not gone forever. The earth will give them back. If you've lost someone, this verse is for you: death is not the end of their story.
- 5. "Hide thyself for a little moment" (v.20). God provides shelter during judgment. You are hidden in Christ (Colossians 3:3). The wrath passes OVER you, not through you. Your job in the storm: get inside, shut the door, and wait.