Isaiah65
King James Version · Public Domain
1I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.
2I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts;
3A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick;
4Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
5Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou. These are a smoke in my nose, a fire that burneth all the day.
6Behold, it is written before me: I will not keep silence, but will recompense, even recompense into their bosom,
7Your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fathers together, saith the Lord, which have burned incense upon the mountains, and blasphemed me upon the hills: therefore will I measure their former work into their bosom.
8Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all.
9And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.
10And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.
11But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop, and that furnish the drink offering unto that number.
12Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not.
13Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed:
14Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit.
15And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name:
16That he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
17For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
18But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
19And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying.
20There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
21And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them.
22They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.
23They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.
24And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Isaiah 65.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The calling of the Gentiles, and the rejection of the Jews. (1-7). The Lord would preserve a remnant. (8-10). Judgments upon the wicked. (11-16). The future happy and flourishing state of the church. (17-25).
vv1-7
The Gentiles came to seek God, and find him, because they were first sought and found of him. Often he meets some thoughtless trifler or profligate opposer, and says to him, Behold me; and a speedy change takes place. All the gospel day, Christ waited to be gracious. The Jews were bidden, but would not come. It is not without cause they are rejected of God. They would do what most pleased them. They grieved, they vexed the Holy Spirit. They forsook God's temple, and sacrificed in groves. They cared not for the distinction between clean and unclean meats, before it was taken away by the gospel. Perhaps this is put for all forbidden pleasures, and all that is thought to be gotten by sin, that abominable thing which the Lord hates. Christ denounced many woes against the pride and hypocrisy of the Jews. The proof against them is plain. And let us watch against pride and self-preference, remembering that every sin, and the most secret thoughts of man's heart, are known and will be judged by God.
vv8-10
In the bunch of unripe grapes, at present of no value, the new wine is contained. The Jews have been kept a distinct people, that all may witness the fulfilment of ancient prophecies and promises. God's chosen, the spiritual seed of praying Jacob, shall inherit his mountains of bliss and joy, and be carried safe to them through the vale of tears. All things are for the display of God's glory in the redemption of sinners.
vv11-16
Here the different states of the godly and wicked, of the Jews who believed, and of those who persisted in unbelief, are set against one another. They prepared a table for that troop of deities which the heathen worship, and poured out drink-offerings to that countless number. Their worshippers spared no cost to honour them, which should shame the worshippers of the true God. See the malignity of sin; it is doing by choice what we know will displease God. In every age and nation, the Lord leaves those who persist in doing evil, and despise the call of the gospel. God's servants shall have the bread of life, and shall want nothing good for them. But those who forsake the Lord, shall be ashamed of vain confidence in their own righteousness, and the hopes they built thereon. Wordly people bless themselves in the abundance of this world's goods; but God's servants bless themselves in him. He is their strength and portion. They shall honour him as the God of truth. And it was promised that in him should all the families of the earth be blessed. They shall think themselves happy in having him for their God, who made them forget their troubles.
Key Words
דָּרַשׁ: properly, to tread or frequent; usually to follow (for pursuit or search); by implication, to seek or ask; specifically to worship
לֹא: not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
שָׁאַל: to inquire; by implication, to request; by extension, to demand
מָצָא: properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire; figuratively, to occur, meet or be present
בָּקַשׁ: to search out (by any method, specifically in worship or prayer); by implication, to strive after
אָמַר: to say (used with great latitude)
הִנֵּה: lo!
גּוֹי: a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
קָרָא: to call out to (i.e. properly, address by name, but used in a wide variety of applications)
שֵׁם: an appellation, as amark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character
Cross References
Isaiah 65Paul explicitly quotes this verse to apply the calling of the Gentiles and Israel's rejection.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Paul directly applies the spreading out of God's hands to disobedient and gainsaying Israel.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
John's vision of the new heaven and new earth fulfills this Isaianic creation prophecy.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Verbatim verbal echo regarding the wolf, lamb, lion, and not hurting in all my holy mountain.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Israel provoking God to anger with abominations, which directly corresponds to their idolatrous garden sacrifices.
Supported by JFB
Contrasts God's command for altars of unhewn stone with their corrupt, self-willed altars of brick.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Typified by the Pharisee's self-righteous posture: 'Stand by thyself... I am holier than thou.'
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
The preservation of the remnant ('destroy it not') matches Paul's remnant according to election.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Describes the original state of the Gentiles who were strangers from the covenants of promise.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The mosaic prohibition of swine's flesh, illustrating the depth of their rebellion.
Supported by JFB
Parallels God's recompense of iniquities directly 'into their bosom' as a measure of judgment.
Supported by JFB
The Valley of Achor, once a place of trouble, is transformed into a place of rest.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The tragic parallel of God calling and speaking, but the people refusing to answer or hear.
Supported by JFB
New testament expectation of a new heaven and earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Ultimate fulfillment where God wipes away all tears, and crying is heard no more.
Supported by Matthew Henry