Isaiah — Chapter 52

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1Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

2Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

3For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.

4For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

5Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.

6Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.

7How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

8Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.

9Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

10The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

11Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.

12For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.

13Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

14As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

15So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

1Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

2Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit [on thy throne], O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

3For thus saith Jehovah, Ye were sold for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.

4For thus saith the Lord Jehovah, My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there: and the Assyrian hath oppressed them without cause.

5Now therefore, what do I here, saith Jehovah, seeing that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them do howl, saith Jehovah, and my name continually all the day is blasphemed.

6Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore [they shall know] in that day that I am he that doth speak; behold, it is I.

7How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

8The voice of thy watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Jehovah returneth to Zion.

9Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for Jehovah hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

10Jehovah hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

11Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Jehovah.

12For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight: for Jehovah will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward.

13Behold, my servant shall deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.

14Like as many were astonished at thee (his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men),

15so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand.

1Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful clothes, O Jerusalem, holy city. For uncircumcised and unclean pagans will no longer invade you.

2Shake off the dirt! Get up, captive Jerusalem. Take off the iron chains around your neck, O captive daughter Zion.

3For this is what the Lord says: “You were sold for nothing, and you will not be redeemed for money.”

4For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “In the beginning my people went to live temporarily in Egypt; Assyria oppressed them for no good reason.

5And now, what do we have here?” says the Lord. “Indeed my people have been carried away for nothing, those who rule over them taunt,” says the Lord, “and my name is constantly slandered all day long.

6For this reason my people will know my name; for this reason they will know at that time that I am the one who says, ‘Here I am.’”

7How delightful it is to see approaching over the mountains the feet of a messenger who announces peace, a messenger who brings good news, who announces deliverance, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

8Listen, your watchmen shout; in unison they shout for joy, for they see with their very own eyes the Lord’s return to Zion.

9In unison give a joyful shout, O ruins of Jerusalem! For the Lord consoles his people; he protects Jerusalem.

10The Lord reveals his royal power in the sight of all the nations; the entire earth sees our God deliver.

11Leave! Leave! Get out of there! Don’t touch anything unclean! Get out of it! Stay pure, you who carry the Lord’s holy items.

12Yet do not depart quickly or leave in a panic. For the Lord goes before you; the God of Israel is your rear guard.

13Look, my servant will succeed! He will be elevated, lifted high, and greatly exalted—

14(just as many were horrified by the sight of you) he was so disfigured he no longer looked like a man; his form was so marred he no longer looked human—

15so now he will startle many nations. Kings will be shocked by his exaltation, for they will witness something unannounced to them, and they will understand something they had not heard about.

1Awake, awake! Put on your strength, Zion. Put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city: for from now on the uncircumcised and the unclean will no more come into you.

2Shake yourself from the dust! Arise, sit up, Jerusalem! Release yourself from the bonds of your neck, captive daughter of Zion!

3For Yahweh says, “You were sold for nothing; and you will be redeemed without money.”

4For thus says the Lord Yahweh: “My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there: and the Assyrian has oppressed them without cause.

5“Now therefore, what do I do here,” says Yahweh, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them mock,” says Yahweh, “and my name is blasphemed continually all day long.

6Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore they shall know in that day that I am he who speaks. Behold, it is I.”

7How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

8Your watchmen lift up their voice, together they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Yahweh returns to Zion.

9Break out into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for Yahweh has comforted his people. He has redeemed Jerusalem.

10Yahweh has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

11Depart, depart, go out from there; touch no unclean thing! Go out from among her! Cleanse yourselves, you who carry Yahweh’s vessels.

12For you shall not go out in haste, neither shall you go by flight: for Yahweh will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

13Behold, my servant will deal wisely. He will be exalted and lifted up, and will be very high.

14Just as many were astonished at you (his appearance was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men),

15so he will cleanse many nations. Kings will shut their mouths at him: for they will see that which had not been told them; and they will understand that which they had not heard.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Reflection

Summary

"Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion!" — Jerusalem is commanded to rise from the dust, shake off her chains, and put on beautiful garments. The beautiful feet of those who bring good news. God reigns! The LORD has bared His holy arm. Then the fourth Servant Song begins: the Servant will be exalted but first will be marred beyond human recognition.

Authorship & Background

Author: Isaiah son of Amoz (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Classification: Prophetic Salvation Oracle + Beginning of Fourth Servant Song (52:13-15) Key Themes: Zion's awakening, liberation from captivity, beautiful feet bringing good news, God reigns, departure from Babylon, the Servant exalted yet marred beyond recognition
Historical Context: The chapter calls Zion to WAKE UP — captivity is over, freedom has come. Isaiah 52:1-12 celebrates liberation (from Babylon historically, from sin ultimately). Verse 7 — "beautiful feet" — is quoted by Paul in Romans 10:15 as the gospel proclamation. Then 52:13-15 begins the fourth Servant Song (continuing through 53:12). The tone shifts dramatically: from celebration to horror. The Servant will be "exalted and extolled" (v.13) yet His appearance is "marred more than any man" (v.14). Kings will shut their mouths in astonishment. This is the prelude to Isaiah 53's atonement portrait.
Structure:
  • Awake, Zion! Put on Strength (vv.1-2)
  • Sold for Nothing, Redeemed Without Money (vv.3-6)
  • Beautiful Feet: Good News of Peace (vv.7-8)
  • Break Forth Together: God Has Redeemed Jerusalem (vv.9-10)
  • Depart from Babylon: Be Clean (vv.11-12)
  • Fourth Servant Song Begins: Exalted Yet Marred (vv.13-15)

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem (v.1, v.2, v.9): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.
  • Zion (v.1, v.2, v.7): The hill on which Jerusalem/the Temple stood; often used poetically for God's dwelling.
  • Egypt (v.4): Land to the southwest; place of Israel's bondage and exodus.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
  • Charles Spurgeon: "'How beautiful are the feet!' Not the voice, not the face — the FEET. Dusty, tired, blistered feet that RAN to bring the news. God honors the going, not just the eloquence. GO."

Reflection

  • 1. "Awake, awake!" (v.1). If you're living as a captive when God has already set you free, WAKE UP. Put on your new identity. Stop wearing bondage clothes when freedom garments are available.
  • 2. Beautiful feet (v.7). The world needs people who GO — who RUN with good news. Your feet become beautiful when they carry the gospel. Who needs you to show up with good news today?
  • 3. "Marred more than any man" (v.14). The cost of your salvation disfigured the Son of God beyond recognition. Don't take the gospel lightly — it cost EVERYTHING. His beauty was destroyed so yours could be restored.
  • 4. "Kings shall shut their mouths" (v.15). Even the most powerful people will be speechless before the Servant's sacrifice. The cross silences all human boasting. No one has anything to add.
  • 5. "Depart ye, depart ye" (v.11). When God opens the door from captivity — LEAVE. Don't linger in Babylon. Don't take Babylonian souvenirs. Go clean and go completely.