Isaiah32

New King James Version

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¹Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, And princes will rule with justice.

²A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, And a cover from the tempest, As rivers of water in a dry place, As the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

³The eyes of those who see will not be dim, And the ears of those who hear will listen.

⁴Also the heart of the rash will understand knowledge, And the tongue of the stammerers will be ready to speak plainly.

⁵The foolish person will no longer be called generous, Nor the miser said to be bountiful;

⁶For the foolish person will speak foolishness, And his heart will work iniquity: To practice ungodliness, To utter error against the Lord, To keep the hungry unsatisfied, And he will cause the drink of the thirsty to fail.

⁷Also the schemes of the schemer are evil; He devises wicked plans To destroy the poor with lying words, Even when the needy speaks justice.

⁸But a generous man devises generous things, And by generosity he shall stand.

⁹Rise up, you women who are at ease, Hear my voice; You complacent daughters, Give ear to my speech.

¹⁰In a year and some days You will be troubled, you complacent women; For the vintage will fail, The gathering will not come.

¹¹Tremble, you women who are at ease; Be troubled, you complacent ones; Strip yourselves, make yourselves bare, And gird sackcloth on your waists.

¹²People shall mourn upon their breasts For the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.

¹³On the land of my people will come up thorns and briers, Yes, on all the happy homes in the joyous city;

¹⁴Because the palaces will be forsaken, The bustling city will be deserted. The forts and towers will become lairs forever, A joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks—

¹⁵Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.

¹⁶Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness remain in the fruitful field.

¹⁷The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.

¹⁸My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places,

¹⁹Though hail comes down on the forest, And the city is brought low in humiliation.

²⁰Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, Who send out freely the feet of the ox and the donkey.

Study Guide

Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Isaiah 32.

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Chapter Summary

In this chapter: Times of peace and happiness. (1-8). An interval of trouble, yet comfort and blessings in the end. (9-20).

vv1-8

Christ our righteous King, and his true disciples, are evidently here intended. The consolations and graces of his Spirit are as rivers of water in this dry land; and as the overhanging rock affords refreshing shade and shelter to the weary traveller in the desert, so his power, truth, and love, yield the believer the only real protection and refreshment in the weary land through which he journeys to heaven. Christ bore the storm himself, to keep it off from us. To him let the trembling sinner flee for refuge; for he alone can protect and refresh us in every trial. See what pains sinners take in sin; they labour at it, their hearts are intent upon it, and with art they work iniquity; but this is our comfort, that they can do no more mischief than God permits. Let us seek to have our hearts more freed from selfishness. The liberal soul devises liberal things concerning God, and desires that He will grant wisdom and prudence, the comforts of his presence, the influence of his Spirit, and in due time the enjoyment of his glory.

vv9-20

When there was so much provocation given to the holy God, bad times might be expected. Alas! how many careless ones there are, who support self-indulgence by shameful niggardliness! We deserve to be deprived of the supports of life, when we make them the food of lusts. Let such tremble and be troubled. Blessed times shall be brought in by the pouring out of the Spirit from on high; then, and not till then, there will be good times. The present state of the Jews shall continue until a more abundant pouring out of the Spirit from on high. Peace and quietness shall be found in the way and work of righteousness. True satisfaction is to be had only in true religion. And real holiness is real happiness now, and shall be perfect happiness, that is, perfect holiness for ever. The good seed of the word shall be sown in all places, and be watered by Divine grace; and laborious, patient labourers shall be sent forth into God's husbandry.

Key Words

BeholdH2005Hebrew

הֵן: lo!; also (as expressing surprise) if

kingH4428Hebrew

מֶלֶךְ: a king

reignH4427Hebrew

מָלַךְ: to reign; inceptively, to ascend the throne; causatively, to induct into royalty; hence (by implication) to take counsel

righteousnessH6664Hebrew

צֶדֶק: the right (natural, moral or legal); also (abstractly) equity or (figuratively) prosperity

princesH8269Hebrew

שַׂר: a head person (of any rank or class)

ruleH8323Hebrew

שָׂרַר: to have (transitively, exercise; reflexively, get) dominion

justiceH4941Hebrew

מִשְׁפָּט: properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style

EachH376Hebrew

אִישׁ: a man as an individual or a male person; often used as an adjunct to a more definite term (and in such cases frequently not expressed in translation)

hiding placeH4224Hebrew

מַחֲבֵא: a refuge

windH7307Hebrew

רוּחַ: wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions)