Isaiah — Chapter 52
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1Awake, awake, clothe yourself with strength, O Zion! Put on your garments of splendor, O Jerusalem, holy city! For the uncircumcised and unclean will no longer enter you.
2Shake off your dust! Rise up and sit on your throne, O Jerusalem. Remove the chains from your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.
3For this is what the LORD says: “You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed.”
4For this is what the Lord GOD says: “At first My people went down to Egypt to live, then Assyria oppressed them without cause.
5And now what have I here? declares the LORD. For My people have been taken without cause; those who rule them taunt, declares the LORD, and My name is blasphemed continually all day long.
6Therefore My people will know My name; therefore they will know on that day that I am He who speaks. Here I am!”
7How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
8Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices, together they shout for joy. For every eye will see when the LORD returns to Zion.
9Break forth in joy, sing together, O ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted His people; He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations; all the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God.
11Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing; come out from it, purify yourselves, you who carry the vessels of the LORD.
12For you will not leave in a hurry nor flee in haste, for the LORD goes before you, and the God of Israel is your rear guard.
13Behold, My Servant will prosper; He will be raised and lifted up and highly exalted.
14Just as many were appalled at Him—His appearance was disfigured beyond that of any man, and His form was marred beyond human likeness—
15so He will sprinkle many nations. Kings will shut their mouths because of Him. For they will see what they have not been told, and they will understand what they have not heard.
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
Zion is called to wake up, put on strength and beautiful garments, and shake off the dust and chains of captivity, because the unclean will no longer enter her gates (vv. 1-2). Isaiah describes messengers running across the mountains with good news of peace and salvation, declaring that God reigns, and pictures the watchmen of Jerusalem breaking into song together as they see the LORD returning to Zion with their own eyes (vv. 7-8). God calls his people to leave captivity behind, carrying the vessels of the LORD but without haste, since he goes ahead of them and behind them (vv. 11-12). The chapter ends by introducing the Servant, announcing that he will act wisely and be highly exalted, though many will be appalled at him first because his appearance will be marred beyond recognition (vv. 13-15).
Authorship & Background
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.
Places on this map
- JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
- EgyptEgyptA ribbon of irrigated land along the Nile, ending in the Delta where Israel settled in Goshen. Rain-fed Canaan depended on weather; Egypt depended on a river that flooded on schedule, which made it the place everyone went when the harvest failed. Wikipedia
Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com The servant songs that begin here and run into chapter 53, and how they fit the shape of the whole book.
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the promised king who runs through Isaiah from beginning to end.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Isaiah -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Wake Up and Put On Strength (v.1) — Zion is commanded to awake, put on strength, and dress in beautiful garments now that captivity is over. Are you still living like a captive in some area where God has already set you free?
- Redeemed Without Money (v.3) — Israel was sold for nothing and will be redeemed without money — God's rescue was never about a payment He owed. Do you view your salvation as something you earned, or as a gift completely outside your ability to purchase?
- Beautiful Feet, Good News (v.7) — The messenger who brings good news of peace and salvation is called beautiful — not for eloquence, but for showing up. Who around you needs you to be the one who actually goes and brings the good news today?
- Singing Together at the Redemption (v.9) — The waste places of Jerusalem are told to break into singing because the Lord has comforted His people and redeemed the city for everyone to see. Do you celebrate God's redemptive work openly, or keep your gratitude private?
- Depart and Be Clean (v.11) — Those leaving captivity are told to depart, touch nothing unclean, and go out clean, carrying the vessels of the Lord. When God opens a door out of an old way of living, do you leave completely, or try to carry pieces of it with you?
- Exalted Yet Marred Beyond Recognition (v.14) — The Servant who will be highly exalted is first described as so disfigured that His appearance no longer looks human. Does knowing what the Servant's exaltation cost Him change how lightly or seriously you take the gospel?