Isaiah52
New King James Version
1Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean Shall no longer come to you.
2Shake yourself from the dust, arise; Sit down, O Jerusalem! Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck, O captive daughter of Zion!
3For thus says the Lord: “You have sold yourselves for nothing, And you shall be redeemed without money.”
4For thus says the Lord God: “My people went down at first Into Egypt to dwell there; Then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
5Now therefore, what have I here,” says the Lord, “That My people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them Make them wail,” says the Lord, “And My name is blasphemed continually every day.
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 upon the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
8Your watchmen shall lift up their voices, With their voices they shall sing together; For they shall see eye to eye When the Lord brings back Zion.
9Break forth into joy, sing together, You waste places of Jerusalem! For the Lord has comforted His people, He has redeemed Jerusalem.
10The Lord has 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! Depart! Go out from there, Touch no unclean thing; Go out from the midst of her, Be clean, You who bear the vessels of the Lord.
12For you 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 rear guard.
13Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently; He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.
14Just as many were astonished at you, So His visage was 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 what had not been told them they shall see, And what they had not heard they shall consider.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Isaiah 52.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: The welcome news of Christ's kingdom. (1-12). The humiliation of the Messiah. (13-15).
vv1-12
The gospel proclaims liberty to those bound with fears. Let those weary and heavy laden under the burden of sin, find relief in Christ, shake themselves from the dust of their doubts and fears, and loose themselves from those bands. The price paid by the Redeemer for our salvation, was not silver or gold, or corruptible things, but his own precious blood. Considering the freeness of this salvation, and how hurtful to temporal comfort sins are, we shall more value the redemption which is in Christ. Do we seek victory over every sin, recollecting that the glory of God requires holiness in every follower of Christ? The good news is, that the Lord Jesus reigns. Christ himself brought these tidings first. His ministers proclaim these good tidings: keeping themselves clean from the pollutions of the world, they are beautiful to those to whom they are sent. Zion's watchmen could scarcely discern any thing of God's favour through the dark cloud of their afflictions; but now the cloud is scattered, they shall plainly see the performance. Zion's waste places shall then rejoice; all the world will have the benefit. This is applied to our salvation by Christ. Babylon is no place for Israelites. And it is a call to all in the bondage of sin and Satan, to use the liberty Christ has proclaimed. They were to go with diligent haste, not to lose time nor linger; but they were not to go with distrustful haste. Those in the way of duty, are under God's special protection; and he that believes this, will not hasten for fear.
vv13-15
Here begins that wonderful, minute, and faithful description of the office, character, and glory of the Messiah, which has struck conviction to many of the most hardened unbelievers. Christ is Wisdom itself; in the work of our redemption there appeared the wisdom of God in a mystery. Those that saw him, said, Surely never man looked so miserable: never was sorrow like unto his sorrow. But God highly exalted him. That shall be discovered by the gospel of Christ, which could never be told in any other way. And Christ having once shed his blood for sinners, its power still continues. May all opposers see the wisdom of ceasing from their opposition, and be made partakers of the blood of sprinkling, and the baptism of the Holy Ghost; obeying him, and praising his salvation.
Key Words
עוּר: to wake (literally or figuratively)
לָבַשׁ: properly, wrap around, i.e. (by implication) to put on agarment or clothe (oneself, or another), literally or figuratively
עֹז: strength in various applications (force, security, majesty, praise)
צִיּוֹן: Tsijon (as a permanent capital), a mountain of Jerusalem
תִּפְאָרָה: ornament (abstractly or concretely, literally or figuratively)
בֶּגֶד: a covering, i.e. clothing; also treachery or pillage
יְרוּשָׁלַ͏ִם: Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine
קֹדֶשׁ: a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity
עִיר: a city (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post)
כִּי: (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
Cross References
Isaiah 52Paul directly quotes this verse regarding the beautiful feet of those preaching the Gospel.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Paul quotes the command to depart and touch no unclean thing, applying it to Christian separation.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Paul quotes this verse verbatim to justify his pioneer missionary mandate to the Gentiles.
Supported by John Calvin
Peter echoes the theme that believers are redeemed 'without money' (not with corruptible silver or gold).
Supported by Matthew Henry
Nearly identical language of 'beautiful upon the mountains are the feet' announcing deliverance from oppressors.
Supported by JFB
Inversion of 'Awake, awake'; here Zion is commanded to awake, answering her previous plea to God.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Paul cites this verse to show how God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels the poetic language of 'all the ends of the earth' seeing the salvation of God.
Supported by JFB
The call to depart from historical Babylon prefigures the final call to come out of mystical Babylon.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Illustrates the ancient military metaphor of 'making bare the arm' for battle and execution of judgment.
Supported by JFB
The historical return of the physical temple vessels carried back from Babylon by purified Levites.
Supported by JFB
Contrasts the urgent, hurried flight from Egypt with the deliberate, secure departure from Babylon.
Supported by JFB
The prophetic pattern of the 'sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.'
Supported by Matthew Poole
Expands on the Servant's marred, disfigured visage and deep physical humiliation detailed in chapter 53.
Supported by JFB
God gives up His people into their enemies' hands 'for nought' without receiving any price.
Supported by JFB