Isaiah 26NASB
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Isaiah26

New American Standard

1On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah: “We have a strong city; He sets up walls and ramparts for security.

2Open the gates, that the righteous nation may enter, The one that remains faithful.

3The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.

4Trust in the Lord forever, For in God the Lord, we have an everlasting Rock.

5For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city; He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.

6The foot will trample it, The feet of the poor, the steps of the helpless.”

7The way of the righteous is smooth; O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.

8Indeed, while following the way of Your judgments, Lord, We have waited for You eagerly; Your name, and remembering You, is the desire of our souls.

9At night my soul longs for You, Indeed, my spirit within me seeks You diligently; For when the earth experiences Your judgments, The inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.

10Though the wicked person is shown compassion, He does not learn righteousness; He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, And does not perceive the majesty of the Lord.

11Lord, Your hand is lifted up, yet they do not see it. They see Your zeal for the people and are put to shame; Indeed, fire will devour Your enemies.

12Lord, You will establish peace for us, Since You have also performed for us all our works.

13Lord, our God, other masters besides You have ruled us; But through You alone we confess Your name.

14The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise; Therefore You have punished and destroyed them, And You have eliminated all remembrance of them.

15You have increased the nation, Lord, You have increased the nation, You are glorified; You have extended all the borders of the land.

16Lord, they sought You in distress; They could only whisper a prayer, Your discipline was upon them.

17As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth, She writhes and cries out in her labor pains; This is how we were before You, Lord.

18We were pregnant, we writhed in labor, We gave birth, as it seems, only to wind. We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth, Nor were inhabitants of the world born.

19Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.

20Come, my people, enter your rooms And close your doors behind you; Hide for a little while Until indignation runs its course.

21For behold, the Lord is about to come out from His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their wrongdoing; And the earth will reveal her bloodshed And will no longer cover her slain.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Isaiah 26.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: The Divine mercies encourage to confidence in God. (1-4). His judgments. (5-11). His people exhorted to wait upon Him. (12-19). Deliverance promised. (20,21).

vv1-4

"That day," seems to mean when the New Testament Babylon shall be levelled with the ground. The unchangeable promise and covenant of the Lord are the walls of the church of God. The gates of this city shall be open. Let sinners then be encouraged to join to the Lord. Thou wilt keep him in peace; in perfect peace, inward peace, outward peace, peace with God, peace of conscience, peace at all times, in all events. Trust in the Lord for that peace, that portion, which will be for ever. Whatever we trust to the world for, it will last only for a moment; but those who trust in God shall not only find in him, but shall receive from him, strength that will carry them to that blessedness which is for ever. Let us then acknowledge him in all our ways, and rely on him in all trials.

vv5-11

The way of the just is evenness, a steady course of obedience and holy conversation. And it is their happiness that God makes their way plain and easy. It is our duty, and will be our comfort, to wait for God, to keep up holy desires toward him in the darkest and most discouraging times. Our troubles must never turn us from God; and in the darkest, longest night of affliction, with our souls must we desire him; and this we must wait and pray to him for. We make nothing of our religion, whatever our profession may be, if we do not make heart-work of it. Though we come ever so early, we shall find God ready to receive us. The intention of afflictions is to teach righteousness: blessed is the man whom the Lord thus teaches. But sinners walk contrary to him. They will go on in their evil ways, because they will not consider what a God he is whose laws they persist in despising. Scorners and the secure will shortly feel, what now they will not believe, that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. They will not see the evil of sin; but they shall see. Oh that they would abandon their sins, and turn to the Lord, that he may have mercy upon them.

vv12-19

Every creature, every business, any way serviceable to our comfort, God makes to be so; he makes that work for us which seemed to make against us. They had been slaves of sin and Satan; but by the Divine grace they were taught to look to be set free from all former masters. The cause opposed to God and his kingdom will sink at last. See our need of afflictions. Before, prayer came drop by drop; now they pour it out, it comes now like water from a fountain. Afflictions bring us to secret prayer. Consider Christ as the Speaker addressing his church. His resurrection from the dead was an earnest of all the deliverance foretold. The power of his grace, like the dew or rain, which causes the herbs that seem dead to revive, would raise his church from the lowest state. But we may refer to the resurrection of the dead, especially of those united to Christ.

Cross References

Isaiah 26
v1Isaiah 60:18thematic

Salvation appointed as walls and bulwarks; Isa 60:18 similarly equates salvation with walls.

Supported by JFB

v7Ephesians 2:10thematic

JFB links the righteous as God's 'workmanship' (Hebrew structure) to believers created in Christ.

Supported by JFB

v2Psalms 118:20allusion

The gate of the Lord into which the righteous nation shall enter.

Supported by JFB

v3Psalms 112:7thematic

The righteous man's heart is established (stayed), trusting in the Lord.

Supported by JFB

Jehovah as the 'Rock of ages' (everlasting strength) echoes Deuteronomy's Rock.

Supported by JFB

v71 Samuel 2:3thematic

God weighs the path of the just; 1Sa 2:3 notes actions are weighed by Him.

Supported by JFB

v9Psalms 63:6thematic

Seeking/desiring God in the night matches David's meditation on his bed.

Supported by JFB

Other lords ruling over Israel, reflecting the consequence of subjection to foreign kings.

Supported by JFB

v9Psalms 58:11thematic

Inhabitants of the world learning righteousness through manifest divine judgments.

Supported by JFB

v12Psalms 138:8thematic

God working all things for us: 'The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.'

Supported by JFB

v12John 3:21thematic

Poole links God working our works in us to deeds 'wrought in God'.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v19Ezekiel 37:1-14typology

The corporate resurrection and restoration of Israel's dead national body.

Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB

v8Exodus 3:15allusion

The remembrance/memorial of God's name throughout all generations.

Supported by JFB

v21Genesis 4:10thematic

The earth disclosing her blood, echoed by Abel's blood crying from the ground.

Supported by Matthew Poole

v20Psalms 30:5thematic

Indignation lasting only 'for a little moment' mirrors God's anger being for a moment.

Supported by Matthew Henry