Ezekiel

Gog and Allies Attack Israel

38

38:1 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh,^a Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, ³ and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. ⁴ I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out, with all your army, horses, and horsemen, all splendidly clothed, a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords. ⁵ Persia, Ethiopia,^a and Libya^b are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; ⁶ Gomer and all its troops; the house of Togarmah from the far north and all its troops—many people are with you.

* An Empire Forms in Persia (Ezek. 38:5)

The land of Persia played a major role in later Old Testament history, especially during the time of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. Like the Medes, the Persians were an Iranian tribal group that entered the region of modern Iran sometime after 1000 B.C. Little is known about the Persians before 559 B.C. when Cyrus the Great ascended the throne of Persia. Nevertheless, the prophet Ezekiel could have known of “Persia” (Ezek. 38:5) some 20 or 30 years before Cyrus. The Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (668–627 B.C.) records in an inscription that a “king of Parsumash” paid him homage around 640 B.C.

The Achaemenid empire of Cyrus (named after one of his supposed ancestors) ruled virtually the entire Near East, Egypt, and the eastern Mediterranean for about 2 centuries (559–331 B.C.). The organization of the Persian administration and its system of royal roads consolidated the state. One could argue that it was the most successful world political power until the advent of Rome.

Ashurbanipal’s guards preceding the wheeled throne bearers.

⁷ “Prepare yourself and be ready, you and all your companies that are gathered about you; and be a guard for them. ⁸ After many days you will be visited. In the latter years you will come into the land of those brought back from the sword and gathered from many people on the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate; they were brought out of the nations, and now all of them dwell safely. ⁹ You will ascend, coming like a storm, covering the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and many peoples with you.”

¹⁰ ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day it shall come to pass that thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will make an evil plan: ¹¹ You will say, ‘I will go up against a land of unwalled villages; I will go to a peaceful people, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates’— ¹² to take plunder and to take booty, to stretch out your hand against the waste places that are again inhabited, and against a people gathered from the nations, who have acquired livestock and goods, who dwell in the midst of the land. ¹³ Sheba, Dedan, the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty, to carry away silver and gold, to take away livestock and goods, to take great plunder?’ ” ’

¹⁴ “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say to Gog, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “On that day when My people Israel dwell safely, will you not know it? ¹⁵ Then you will come from your place out of the far north, you and many peoples with you, all of them riding on horses, a great company and a mighty army. ¹⁶ You will come up against My people Israel like a cloud, to cover the land. It will be in the latter days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me, when I am hallowed in you, O Gog, before their eyes.” ¹⁷ Thus says the Lord GOD: “Are you he of whom I have spoken in former days by My servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for years in those days that I would bring you against them?

Judgment On Gog

¹⁸ “And it will come to pass at the same time, when Gog comes against the land of Israel,” says the Lord GOD, “that My fury will show in My face. ¹⁹ For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath I have spoken: ‘Surely in that day there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel, ²⁰ so that the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the beasts of the field, all creeping things that creep on the earth, and all men who are on the face of the earth shall shake at My presence. The mountains shall be thrown down, the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.’ ²¹ I will call for a sword against Gog throughout all My mountains,” says the Lord GOD. “Every man’s sword will be against his brother. ²² And I will bring him to judgment with pestilence and bloodshed; I will rain down on him, on his troops, and on the many peoples who are with him, flooding rain, great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. ²³ Thus I will magnify Myself and sanctify Myself, and I will be known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” ’

Gog’s Armies Destroyed

39

39:1 “And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against you, O Gog, the prince of Rosh,^a Meshech, and Tubal; ² and I will turn you around and lead you on, bringing you up from the far north, and bring you against the mountains of Israel. ³ Then I will knock the bow out of your left hand, and cause the arrows to fall out of your right hand. ⁴ You shall fall upon the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you to birds of prey of every sort and to the beasts of the field to be devoured. ⁵ You shall fall on the open field; for I have spoken,” says the Lord GOD. ⁶ “And I will send fire on Magog and on those who live in security in the coastlands. Then they shall know that I am the LORD. ⁷ So I will make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel, and I will not let them profane My holy name anymore. Then the nations shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel. ⁸ Surely it is coming, and it shall be done,” says the Lord GOD. “This is the day of which I have spoken.

⁹ “Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and bucklers, the bows and arrows, the javelins and spears; and they will make fires with them for seven years. ¹⁰ They will not take wood from the field nor cut down any from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; and they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who pillaged them,” says the Lord GOD.

The Burial of Gog

¹¹ “It will come to pass in that day that I will give Gog a burial place there in Israel, the valley of those who pass by east of the sea; and it will obstruct travelers, because there they will bury Gog and all his multitude. Therefore they will call it the Valley of Hamon Gog.^{a 12} For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them, in order to cleanse the land. ¹³ Indeed all the people of the land will be burying, and they will gain renown for it on the day that I am glorified,” says the Lord GOD. ¹⁴ “They will set apart men regularly employed, with the help of a search party,^a to pass through the land and bury those bodies remaining on the ground, in order to cleanse it. At the end of seven months they will make a search. ¹⁵ The search party will pass through the land; and when anyone sees a man’s bone, he shall set up a marker by it, till the buriers have buried it in the Valley of Hamon Gog. ¹⁶ The name of the city will also be Hamonah. Thus they shall cleanse the land.” ’

A Triumphant Festival

¹⁷ “And as for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Speak to every sort of bird and to every beast of the field:

“Assemble yourselves and come;

Gather together from all sides to My sacrificial meal

Which I am sacrificing for you,

A great sacrificial meal on the mountains of Israel,

That you may eat flesh and drink blood.

¹⁸ You shall eat the flesh of the mighty,

Drink the blood of the princes of the earth,

Of rams and lambs,

Of goats and bulls,

All of them fatlings of Bashan.

¹⁹ You shall eat fat till you are full,

And drink blood till you are drunk,

At My sacrificial meal

Which I am sacrificing for you.

²⁰ You shall be filled at My table

With horses and riders,

With mighty men

And with all the men of war,” says the Lord GOD.

Israel Restored To the Land

²¹ “I will set My glory among the nations; all the nations shall see My judgment which I have executed, and My hand which I have laid on them. ²² So the house of Israel shall know that I am the LORD their God from that day forward. ²³ The Gentiles shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they were unfaithful to Me, therefore I hid My face from them. I gave them into the hand of their enemies, and they all fell by the sword. ²⁴ According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions I have dealt with them, and hidden My face from them.” ’

²⁵ “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Now I will bring back the captives of Jacob, and have mercy on the whole house of Israel; and I will be jealous for My holy name— ²⁶ after they have borne their shame, and all their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, when they dwelt safely in their own land and no one made them afraid. ²⁷ When I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands, and I am hallowed in them in the sight of many nations, ²⁸ then they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who sent them into captivity among the nations, but also brought them back to their land, and left none of them captive any longer. ²⁹ And I will not hide My face from them anymore; for I shall have poured out My Spirit on the house of Israel,’ says the Lord GOD.”

Geography & Environment

The places and peoples named in the Old Testament are sometimes difficult or impossible to identify today. Gog and Magog are mentioned only in Ezek. 38; 39 and Rev. 20:8. Since Meshech and Tubal (Ezek. 38:2) were tribes living in what is today Turkey, it is possible that Gog and Magog were peoples in that area. They are reported to come from the north and to be fighters with bow and arrow (Ezek. 39:2, 3).

Transition

Ezekiel’s Second Temple Vision

The 25th year of the Babylonian captivity (Ezek. 40:1) was perhaps April, 573 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar was still king, and the power of Babylon was growing greater each year. But to Ezekiel the turning point had already come, and he saw salvation arriving to replace Israel’s shame and punishment. It is appropriate that Ezekiel, who would never forsake his priestly roots, should describe the ultimate salvation with a vision of a new, and better, temple.

Ezekiel’s vision of the perfect temple is a companion piece to his earlier temple vision of chs. 8–11 (see “Ezekiel’s Temple Vision” at Ezek. 8:1). In that vision, Ezekiel saw abominations and idolatry, and the vision concluded with the glory of God departing from the temple (Ezek. 11:22, 23). This time, Ezekiel sees only perfection. The crowning moment is when “the glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east … and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple” (Ezek. 43:4, 5).

Chapters 40–48, like chs. 38; 39, contain a great deal of symbolism. Most of the symbols seem to indicate the absolute perfection of the future temple, but more specific meanings are certainly possible. These chapters too, then, can be described as early “apocalyptic” writing (see “Ezekiel’s Apocalyptic Prophecies” at Ezek. 38:1). In fact, the most extensive apocalyptic book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation, also contains an extended vision of a perfect temple in the future, phrased in language very similar to that of Ezekiel (Rev. 21).

These chapters, like chs. 38; 39 before them, are difficult to place chronologically. What temple is referred to here? If it is the actual rebuilt temple mentioned in Ezra 6:14–16, then the prophecy could be associated with that event. But the stunning, perfect temple described in this vision bears little resemblance to the disappointing structure mentioned at that time (see Ezra 3:12).

Perhaps, as is the case with the temple vision of Rev. 21, Ezek. 40–48 is a vision of a future perfection, to come at an unspecified end. Thus it is not intended as a blueprint for an earthly, physical fulfillment. Rather it pictures the purity and spiritual vitality of the ideal place of worship and those who will worship there. In this sense, Ezekiel’s vision of the restored temple complements the message of his second, hopeful ministry.

• Ezekiel 40:1–42:20

Ezekiel

A New City, a New Temple

40

40:1 In the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after the city was captured, on the very same day the hand of the LORD was upon me; and He took me there. ² In the visions of God He took me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain; on it toward the south was something like the structure of a city. ³ He took me there, and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze. He had a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand, and he stood in the gateway.

⁴ And the man said to me, “Son of man, look with your eyes and hear with your ears, and fix your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything you see.” ⁵ Now there was a wall all around the outside of the temple.^a In the man’s hand was a measuring rod six cubits long, each being a cubit and a handbreadth; and he measured the width of the wall structure, one rod; and the height, one rod.

The Eastern Gateway of the Temple

⁶ Then he went to the gateway which faced east; and he went up its stairs and measured the threshold of the gateway, which was one rod wide, and the other threshold was one rod wide. ⁷ Each gate chamber was one rod long and one rod wide; between the gate chambers was a space of five cubits; and the threshold of the gateway by the vestibule of the inside gate was one rod. ⁸ He also measured the vestibule of the inside gate, one rod. ⁹ Then he measured the vestibule of the gateway, eight cubits; and the gateposts, two cubits. The vestibule of the gate was on the inside. ¹⁰ In the eastern gateway were three gate chambers on one side and three on the other; the three were all the same size; also the gateposts were of the same size on this side and that side.

¹¹ He measured the width of the entrance to the gateway, ten cubits; and the length of the gate, thirteen cubits. ¹² There was a space in front of the gate chambers, one cubit on this side and one cubit on that side; the gate chambers were six cubits on this side and six cubits on that side. ¹³ Then he measured the gateway from the roof of one gate chamber to the roof of the other; the width was twenty-five cubits, as door faces door. ¹⁴ He measured the gateposts, sixty cubits high, and the court all around the gateway extended to the gatepost. ¹⁵ From the front of the entrance gate to the front of the vestibule of the inner gate was fifty cubits. ¹⁶ There were beveled window frames in the gate chambers and in their intervening archways on the inside of the gateway all around, and likewise in the vestibules. There were windows all around on the inside. And on each gatepost were palm trees.

The Outer Court

¹⁷ Then he brought me into the outer court; and there were chambers and a pavement made all around the court; thirty chambers faced the pavement. ¹⁸ The pavement was by the side of the gateways, corresponding to the length of the gateways; this was the lower pavement. ¹⁹ Then he measured the width from the front of the lower gateway to the front of the inner court exterior, one hundred cubits toward the east and the north.

The Northern Gateway

²⁰ On the outer court was also a gateway facing north, and he measured its length and its width. ²¹ Its gate chambers, three on this side and three on that side, its gateposts and its archways, had the same measurements as the first gate; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits. ²² Its windows and those of its archways, and also its palm trees, had the same measurements as the gateway facing east; it was ascended by seven steps, and its archway was in front of it. ²³ A gate of the inner court was opposite the northern gateway, just as the eastern gateway; and he measured from gateway to gateway, one hundred cubits.

The Southern Gateway

²⁴ After that he brought me toward the south, and there a gateway was facing south; and he measured its gateposts and archways according to these same measurements. ²⁵ There were windows in it and in its archways all around like those windows; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits. ²⁶ Seven steps led up to it, and its archway was in front of them; and it had palm trees on its gateposts, one on this side and one on that side. ²⁷ There was also a gateway on the inner court, facing south; and he measured from gateway to gateway toward the south, one hundred cubits.

Gateways of the Inner Court

²⁸ Then he brought me to the inner court through the southern gateway; he measured the southern gateway according to these same measurements. ²⁹ Also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways were according to these same measurements; there were windows in it and in its archways all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁰ There were archways all around, twenty-five cubits long and five cubits wide. ³¹ Its archways faced the outer court, palm trees were on its gateposts, and going up to it were eight steps.

³² And he brought me into the inner court facing east; he measured the gateway according to these same measurements. ³³ Also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways were according to these same measurements; and there were windows in it and in its archways all around; it was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. ³⁴ Its archways faced the outer court, and palm trees were on its gateposts on this side and on that side; and going up to it were eight steps.

³⁵ Then he brought me to the north gateway and measured it according to these same measurements— ³⁶ also its gate chambers, its gateposts, and its archways. It had windows all around; its length was fifty cubits and its width twenty-five cubits. ³⁷ Its gateposts faced the outer court, palm trees were on its gateposts on this side and on that side, and going up to it were eight steps.

Where Sacrifices Were Prepared

³⁸ There was a chamber and its entrance by the gateposts of the gateway, where they washed the burnt offering. ³⁹ In the vestibule of the gateway were two tables on this side and two tables on that side, on which to slay the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering. ⁴⁰ At the outer side of the vestibule, as one goes up to the entrance of the northern gateway, were two tables; and on the other side of the vestibule of the gateway were two tables. ⁴¹ Four tables were on this side and four tables on that side, by the side of the gateway, eight tables on which they slaughtered the sacrifices. ⁴² There were also four tables of hewn stone for the burnt offering, one cubit and a half long, one cubit and a half wide, and one cubit high; on these they laid the instruments with which they slaughtered the burnt offering and the sacrifice. ⁴³ Inside were hooks, a handbreadth wide, fastened all around; and the flesh of the sacrifices was on the tables.

TIME CAPSULE 567 to 560 B.C.

567 • Hophra joins with Nebuchadnezzar to invade Egypt

567 • Amasis repels the Babylonians, and Hophra is killed

562–560 • Evil-Merodach succeeds Nebuchadnezzar as king of Babylon

561 • Evil-Merodach releases Jehoiachin from prison (2 Kin. 25:27)

560–556 • Neriglissar, king of Babylon, was possibly known earlier as Nergal-Sharezer (Jer. 39:3)

Chambers for Singers and Priests

⁴⁴ Outside the inner gate were the chambers for the singers in the inner court, one facing south at the side of the northern gateway, and the other facing north at the side of the southern gateway. ⁴⁵ Then he said to me, “This chamber which faces south is for the priests who have charge of the temple. ⁴⁶ The chamber which faces north is for the priests who have charge of the altar; these are the sons of Zadok, from the sons of Levi, who come near the LORD to minister to Him.”

Dimensions of the Inner Court and Vestibule

⁴⁷ And he measured the court, one hundred cubits long and one hundred cubits wide, foursquare. The altar was in front of the temple. ⁴⁸ Then he brought me to the vestibule of the temple and measured the doorposts of the vestibule, five cubits on this side and five cubits on that side; and the width of the gateway was three cubits on this side and three cubits on that side. ⁴⁹ The length of the vestibule was twenty cubits, and the width eleven cubits; and by the steps which led up to it there were pillars by the doorposts, one on this side and another on that side.

Dimensions of the Sanctuary

41

41:1 Then he brought me into the sanctuary^a and measured the doorposts, six cubits wide on one side and six cubits wide on the other side—the width of the tabernacle. ² The width of the entryway was ten cubits, and the side walls of the entrance were five cubits on this side and five cubits on the other side; and he measured its length, forty cubits, and its width, twenty cubits.

³ Also he went inside and measured the doorposts, two cubits; and the entrance, six cubits high; and the width of the entrance, seven cubits. ⁴ He measured the length, twenty cubits; and the width, twenty cubits, beyond the sanctuary; and he said to me, “This is the Most Holy Place.”

The Side Chambers On the Wall

⁵ Next, he measured the wall of the temple, six cubits. The width of each side chamber all around the temple was four cubits on every side. ⁶ The side chambers were in three stories, one above the other, thirty chambers in each story; they rested on ledges which were for the side chambers all around, that they might be supported, but not fastened to the wall of the temple. ⁷ As one went up from story to story, the side chambers became wider all around, because their supporting ledges in the wall of the temple ascended like steps; therefore the width of the structure increased as one went up from the lowest story to the highest by way of the middle one. ⁸ I also saw an elevation all around the temple; it was the foundation of the side chambers, a full rod, that is, six cubits high. ⁹ The thickness of the outer wall of the side chambers was five cubits, and so also the remaining terrace by the place of the side chambers of the temple. ¹⁰ And between it and the wall chambers was a width of twenty cubits all around the temple on every side. ¹¹ The doors of the side chambers opened on the terrace, one door toward the north and another toward the south; and the width of the terrace was five cubits all around.

The Building At the Western End

¹² The building that faced the separating courtyard at its western end was seventy cubits wide; the wall of the building was five cubits thick all around, and its length ninety cubits.

Dimensions and Design of the Temple Area

¹³ So he measured the temple, one hundred cubits long; and the separating courtyard with the building and its walls was one hundred cubits long; ¹⁴ also the width of the eastern face of the temple, including the separating courtyard, was one hundred cubits. ¹⁵ He measured the length of the building behind it, facing the separating courtyard, with its galleries on the one side and on the other side, one hundred cubits, as well as the inner temple and the porches of the court, ¹⁶ their doorposts and the beveled window frames. And the galleries all around their three stories opposite the threshold were paneled with wood from the ground to the windows—the windows were covered— ¹⁷ from the space above the door, even to the inner room,^a as well as outside, and on every wall all around, inside and outside, by measure.

¹⁸ And it was made with cherubim and palm trees, a palm tree between cherub and cherub. Each cherub had two faces, ¹⁹ so that the face of a man was toward a palm tree on one side, and the face of a young lion toward a palm tree on the other side; thus it was made throughout the temple all around. ²⁰ From the floor to the space above the door, and on the wall of the sanctuary, cherubim and palm trees were carved.

The prophecies in the Book of Ezekiel often provide a date. The dates are counted from the beginning of the exile in 597 B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and carried King Jehoiachin to Babylon (2 Kin. 24:10–16). So each year is a “year in exile,” expressed as a certain “year of King Jehoiachin’s captivity” (Ezek. 1:2) or “year of our captivity” (Ezek. 33:21; 40:1). One exception is the 30th year of Ezek. 1:1, where “30” is probably Ezekiel’s age.

Dates in The Book Of Ezekiel

Reference in Ezekiel • Year in Exile • Month • Day • Modern Calendar • Prophecy

1:1 • (30th) • 4th • 5th • July 31, 593 B.C. • Ezekiel’s vision of God

1:2 • 5th • – • 5th • July 31, 593 B.C. • Receives the word of the Lord

8:1 • 6th • 6th • 5th • Sept. 17, 592 B.C. • Abominations in the temple

20:1 • 7th • 5th • 10th • Aug. 9, 591 B.C. • The rebellion of Israel

24:1 • 9th • 10th • 10th • Jan. 15, 588 B.C. • The cooking pot

29:1 • 10th • 10th • 12th • Jan. 7, 587 B.C. • Proclamation against Egypt

30:20 • 11th • 1st • 7th • Apr. 29, 587 B.C. • Proclamation against Pharaoh

31:1 • 11th • 3rd • 1st • June 21, 587 B.C. • Assyria an example for Egypt

26:1 • 11th • – • 1st • Feb. 12, 586 B.C.? • Proclamation against Tyre

33:21 • 12th • 10th • 5th • Jan. 8, 585 B.C. • News of Jerusalem’s capture

32:1 • 12th • 1st • Mar. 3, 585 B.C. • Lamentation for Pharaoh and Egypt

32:17 • 12th • – • 15th • Mar. 17, 585 B.C. • Lamentation for Egypt

40:1 • 25th • 1st • 10th • Apr. 28, 573 B.C. • Visions of the new temple

29:17 • 27th • 1st • 1st • Apr. 26, 571 B.C. • Egypt is Babylon’s wages for Tyre

²¹ The doorposts of the temple were square, as was the front of the sanctuary; their appearance was similar. ²² The altar was of wood, three cubits high, and its length two cubits. Its corners, its length, and its sides were of wood; and he said to me, “This is the table that is before the LORD.”

²³ The temple and the sanctuary had two doors. ²⁴ The doors had two panels apiece, two folding panels: two panels for one door and two panels for the other door. ²⁵ Cherubim and palm trees were carved on the doors of the temple just as they were carved on the walls. A wooden canopy was on the front of the vestibule outside. ²⁶ There were beveled window frames and palm trees on one side and on the other, on the sides of the vestibule—also on the side chambers of the temple and on the canopies.

The Chambers for the Priests

42

42:1 Then he brought me out into the outer court, by the way toward the north; and he brought me into the chamber which was opposite the separating courtyard, and which was opposite the building toward the north. ² Facing the length, which was one hundred cubits (the width was fifty cubits), was the north door. ³ Opposite the inner court of twenty cubits, and opposite the pavement of the outer court, was gallery against gallery in three stories. ⁴ In front of the chambers, toward the inside, was a walk ten cubits wide, at a distance of one cubit; and their doors faced north. ⁵ Now the upper chambers were shorter, because the galleries took away space from them more than from the lower and middle stories of the building. ⁶ For they were in three stories and did not have pillars like the pillars of the courts; therefore the upper level was shortened more than the lower and middle levels from the ground up. ⁷ And a wall which was outside ran parallel to the chambers, at the front of the chambers, toward the outer court; its length was fifty cubits. ⁸ The length of the chambers toward the outer court was fifty cubits, whereas that facing the temple was one hundred cubits. ⁹ At the lower chambers was the entrance on the east side, as one goes into them from the outer court.

¹⁰ Also there were chambers in the thickness of the wall of the court toward the east, opposite the separating courtyard and opposite the building. ¹¹ There was a walk in front of them also, and their appearance was like the chambers which were toward the north; they were as long and as wide as the others, and all their exits and entrances were according to plan. ¹² And corresponding to the doors of the chambers that were facing south, as one enters them, there was a door in front of the walk, the way directly in front of the wall toward the east.

¹³ Then he said to me, “The north chambers and the south chambers, which are opposite the separating courtyard, are the holy chambers where the priests who approach the LORD shall eat the most holy offerings. There they shall lay the most holy offerings—the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering—for the place is holy. ¹⁴ When the priests enter them, they shall not go out of the holy chamber into the outer court; but there they shall leave their garments in which they minister, for they are holy. They shall put on other garments; then they may approach that which is for the people.”

Outer Dimensions of the Temple

¹⁵ Now when he had finished measuring the inner temple, he brought me out through the gateway that faces toward the east, and measured it all around. ¹⁶ He measured the east side with the measuring rod,^a five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. ¹⁷ He measured the north side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod all around. ¹⁸ He measured the south side, five hundred rods by the measuring rod. ¹⁹ He came around to the west side and measured five hundred rods by the measuring rod. ²⁰ He measured it on the four sides; it had a wall all around, five hundred cubits long and five hundred wide, to separate the holy areas from the common.

Architecture & Building

In the religions of the world a perfect square is a common shape for sacred areas. The square represents balance and rational order. This is the shape of the heavenly Jerusalem (Rev. 21:16). The tabernacle and temple in Israel were rectangular, but the most sacred room was square in plan and a cube overall. In Ezekiel’s vision the “holy areas” (Ezek. 42:20) are enclosed by walls forming a square.

Transition

The Glory of God Returns

In perhaps September, 592 B.C., Ezekiel received his first temple vision (Ezek. 8:1). At that time he saw the glory of God depart from the temple (11:22, 23). About 19 years later, perhaps in April, 573 B.C., Ezekiel saw in a second temple vision God’s return. As God had left the old temple by the eastern gate, so now He returned by way of the same gate (43:1–5). The East Gate was the outer public entrance to the temple complex.

• Ezekiel 43:1–48:35

Ezekiel

The Temple, the LORD’s Dwelling Place

43

43:1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. ² And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. ³ It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw—like the vision which I saw when I^a came to destroy the city. The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. ⁴ And the glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. ⁵ The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

⁶ Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood beside me. ⁷ And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places. ⁸ When they set their threshold by My threshold, and their doorpost by My doorpost, with a wall between them and Me, they defiled My holy name by the abominations which they committed; therefore I have consumed them in My anger. ⁹ Now let them put their harlotry and the carcasses of their kings far away from Me, and I will dwell in their midst forever.

¹⁰ “Son of man, describe the temple to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities; and let them measure the pattern. ¹¹ And if they are ashamed of all that they have done, make known to them the design of the temple and its arrangement, its exits and its entrances, its entire design and all its ordinances, all its forms and all its laws. Write it down in their sight, so that they may keep its whole design and all its ordinances, and perform them. ¹² This is the law of the temple: The whole area surrounding the mountaintop is most holy. Behold, this is the law of the temple.

Dimensions of the Altar

¹³ “These are the measurements of the altar in cubits (the cubit is one cubit and a handbreadth): the base one cubit high and one cubit wide, with a rim all around its edge of one span. This is the height of the altar: ¹⁴ from the base on the ground to the lower ledge, two cubits; the width of the ledge, one cubit; from the smaller ledge to the larger ledge, four cubits; and the width of the ledge, one cubit. ¹⁵ The altar hearth is four cubits high, with four horns extending upward from the hearth. ¹⁶ The altar hearth is twelve cubits long, twelve wide, square at its four corners; ¹⁷ the ledge, fourteen cubits long and fourteen wide on its four sides, with a rim of half a cubit around it; its base, one cubit all around; and its steps face toward the east.”

Consecrating the Altar

¹⁸ And He said to me, “Son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: ‘These are the ordinances for the altar on the day when it is made, for sacrificing burnt offerings on it, and for sprinkling blood on it. ¹⁹ You shall give a young bull for a sin offering to the priests, the Levites, who are of the seed of Zadok, who approach Me to minister to Me,’ says the Lord GOD. ²⁰ ‘You shall take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar, on the four corners of the ledge, and on the rim around it; thus you shall cleanse it and make atonement for it. ²¹ Then you shall also take the bull of the sin offering, and burn it in the appointed place of the temple, outside the sanctuary. ²² On the second day you shall offer a kid of the goats without blemish for a sin offering; and they shall cleanse the altar, as they cleansed it with the bull. ²³ When you have finished cleansing it, you shall offer a young bull without blemish, and a ram from the flock without blemish. ²⁴ When you offer them before the LORD, the priests shall throw salt on them, and they will offer them up as a burnt offering to the LORD. ²⁵ Every day for seven days you shall prepare a goat for a sin offering; they shall also prepare a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without blemish. ²⁶ Seven days they shall make atonement for the altar and purify it, and so consecrate it. ²⁷ When these days are over it shall be, on the eighth day and thereafter, that the priests shall offer your burnt offerings and your peace offerings on the altar; and I will accept you,’ says the Lord GOD.”

East gate of Jerusalem.

The East Gate and the Prince

44

44:1 Then He brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary which faces toward the east, but it was shut. ² And the LORD said to me, “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the LORD God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut. ³ As for the prince, because he is the prince, he may sit in it to eat bread before the LORD; he shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.”

Those Admitted To the Temple

⁴ Also He brought me by way of the north gate to the front of the temple; so I looked, and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD; and I fell on my face. ⁵ And the LORD said to me, “Son of man, mark well, see with your eyes and hear with your ears, all that I say to you concerning all the ordinances of the house of the LORD and all its laws. Mark well who may enter the house and all who go out from the sanctuary.

⁶ “Now say to the rebellious, to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “O house of Israel, let Us have no more of all your abominations. ⁷ When you brought in foreigners, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in My sanctuary to defile it—My house—and when you offered My food, the fat and the blood, then they broke My covenant because of all your abominations. ⁸ And you have not kept charge of My holy things, but you have set others to keep charge of My sanctuary for you.” ⁹ Thus says the Lord GOD: “No foreigner, uncircumcised in heart or uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter My sanctuary, including any foreigner who is among the children of Israel.

Laws Governing Priests

¹⁰ “And the Levites who went far from Me, when Israel went astray, who strayed away from Me after their idols, they shall bear their iniquity. ¹¹ Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, as gatekeepers of the house and ministers of the house; they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister to them. ¹² Because they ministered to them before their idols and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity, therefore I have raised My hand in an oath against them,” says the Lord GOD, “that they shall bear their iniquity. ¹³ And they shall not come near Me to minister to Me as priest, nor come near any of My holy things, nor into the Most Holy Place; but they shall bear their shame and their abominations which they have committed. ¹⁴ Nevertheless I will make them keep charge of the temple, for all its work, and for all that has to be done in it.

¹⁵ “But the priests, the Levites, the sons of Zadok, who kept charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near Me to minister to Me; and they shall stand before Me to offer to Me the fat and the blood,” says the Lord GOD. ¹⁶ “They shall enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near My table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge. ¹⁷ And it shall be, whenever they enter the gates of the inner court, that they shall put on linen garments; no wool shall come upon them while they minister within the gates of the inner court or within the house. ¹⁸ They shall have linen turbans on their heads and linen trousers on their bodies; they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat. ¹⁹ When they go out to the outer court, to the outer court to the people, they shall take off their garments in which they have ministered, leave them in the holy chambers, and put on other garments; and in their holy garments they shall not sanctify the people.

²⁰ “They shall neither shave their heads nor let their hair grow long, but they shall keep their hair well trimmed. ²¹ No priest shall drink wine when he enters the inner court. ²² They shall not take as wife a widow or a divorced woman, but take virgins of the descendants of the house of Israel, or widows of priests.

²³ “And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and the unholy, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean. ²⁴ In controversy they shall stand as judges, and judge it according to My judgments. They shall keep My laws and My statutes in all My appointed meetings, and they shall hallow My Sabbaths.

²⁵ “They shall not defile themselves by coming near a dead person. Only for father or mother, for son or daughter, for brother or unmarried sister may they defile themselves. ²⁶ After he is cleansed, they shall count seven days for him. ²⁷ And on the day that he goes to the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, he must offer his sin offering in the inner court,” says the Lord GOD.

²⁸ “It shall be, in regard to their inheritance, that I am their inheritance. You shall give them no possession in Israel, for I am their possession. ²⁹ They shall eat the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering; every dedicated thing in Israel shall be theirs. ³⁰ The best of all firstfruits of any kind, and every sacrifice of any kind from all your sacrifices, shall be the priest’s; also you shall give to the priest the first of your ground meal, to cause a blessing to rest on your house. ³¹ The priests shall not eat anything, bird or beast, that died naturally or was torn by wild beasts.

The Holy District

45

45:1 “Moreover, when you divide the land by lot into inheritance, you shall set apart a district for the LORD, a holy section of the land; its length shall be twenty-five thousand cubits, and the width ten thousand. It shall be holy throughout its territory all around. ² Of this there shall be a square plot for the sanctuary, five hundred by five hundred rods, with fifty cubits around it for an open space. ³ So this is the district you shall measure: twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide; in it shall be the sanctuary, the Most Holy Place. ⁴ It shall be a holy section of the land, belonging to the priests, the ministers of the sanctuary, who come near to minister to the LORD; it shall be a place for their houses and a holy place for the sanctuary. ⁵ An area twenty-five thousand cubits long and ten thousand wide shall belong to the Levites, the ministers of the temple; they shall have twenty chambers as a possession.^a

Properties of the City and the Prince

⁶ “You shall appoint as the property of the city an area five thousand cubits wide and twenty-five thousand long, adjacent to the district of the holy section; it shall belong to the whole house of Israel.

* The Prince in the Temple (Ezek. 46:2)

In 586 B.C. the Babylonians destroyed the Jerusalem temple. As part of his prophecy of hope following this destruction, Ezekiel envisioned a new temple in a restored Jerusalem (Ezek. 40–48). The “glory of the Lord,” which had departed from the old temple (Ezek. 10:18, 19), returns to this new temple (Ezek. 43:1–5). Ezekiel then described to the people the design for the new temple, including the ordinances and laws related to it (Ezek. 43:10, 11).

A “prince” will rule in this restored Jerusalem. The prince will have certain prerogatives, such as owning special property in Jerusalem around the holy space of the temple (45:6, 7). More significantly, only the prince may enter the east gate (44:1–3), the gate through which God’s glory had reentered the temple (43:4).

The prince will be the civil ruler, but also a part of the religious organization. He will lead the people in their proper worship. During the Sabbath sacrifices, the prince offers burnt and peace sacrifices via the east gate, itself a large room, while the people look on from the outside (Ezek. 46:2). Additionally, the sacrificial duty of the prince extends to the monthly New Moon sacrifice (46:6, 7), as well as voluntary burnt and peace offerings (46:12).

Yet the prince must also be along when the people offer their sacrifices. The people are not free to roam in the temple courts; they enter via the north or south gate, escorted by the prince, and leave via the opposite gate (46:9, 10).

In the restored Jerusalem of Ezekiel’s vision, then, the prince combines in his own body the civic and the sacred role to maintain the city in purity and righteousness. He orders the life of the people around the temple, which again will be filled with the glory of the Lord.

⁷ “The prince shall have a section on one side and the other of the holy district and the city’s property; and bordering on the holy district and the city’s property, extending westward on the west side and eastward on the east side, the length shall be side by side with one of the tribal portions, from the west border to the east border. ⁸ The land shall be his possession in Israel; and My princes shall no more oppress My people, but they shall give the rest of the land to the house of Israel, according to their tribes.”

Laws Governing the Prince

⁹ ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Enough, O princes of Israel! Remove violence and plundering, execute justice and righteousness, and stop dispossessing My people,” says the Lord GOD. ¹⁰ “You shall have honest scales, an honest ephah, and an honest bath. ¹¹ The ephah and the bath shall be of the same measure, so that the bath contains one-tenth of a homer, and the ephah one-tenth of a homer; their measure shall be according to the homer. ¹² The shekel shall be twenty gerahs; twenty shekels, twenty-five shekels, and fifteen shekels shall be your mina.

Trade & Economics

Standard weights from the ancient world show many variations in size. The call for “honest scales” (Ezek. 45:10), however, would be satisfied by maintaining consistency within a certain region and by fair play on the part of sellers. Scales from the Roman world used a pan hanging from one end of a beam. Such scales have been recovered undamaged from the ruins of Pompeii.

¹³ “This is the offering which you shall offer: you shall give one-sixth of an ephah from a homer of wheat, and one-sixth of an ephah from a homer of barley. ¹⁴ The ordinance concerning oil, the bath of oil, is one-tenth of a bath from a kor. A kor is a homer or ten baths, for ten baths are a homer. ¹⁵ And one lamb shall be given from a flock of two hundred, from the rich pastures of Israel. These shall be for grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement for them,” says the Lord GOD. ¹⁶ “All the people of the land shall give this offering for the prince in Israel. ¹⁷ Then it shall be the prince’s part to give burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the New Moons, the Sabbaths, and at all the appointed seasons of the house of Israel. He shall prepare the sin offering, the grain offering, the burnt offering, and the peace offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel.”

Keeping the Feasts

¹⁸ ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a young bull without blemish and cleanse the sanctuary. ¹⁹ The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and on the gateposts of the gate of the inner court. ²⁰ And so you shall do on the seventh day of the month for everyone who has sinned unintentionally or in ignorance. Thus you shall make atonement for the temple.

²¹ “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, you shall observe the Passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten. ²² And on that day the prince shall prepare for himself and for all the people of the land a bull for a sin offering. ²³ On the seven days of the feast he shall prepare a burnt offering to the LORD, seven bulls and seven rams without blemish, daily for seven days, and a kid of the goats daily for a sin offering. ²⁴ And he shall prepare a grain offering of one ephah for each bull and one ephah for each ram, together with a hin of oil for each ephah.

²⁵ “In the seventh month, on the fifteenth day of the month, at the feast, he shall do likewise for seven days, according to the sin offering, the burnt offering, the grain offering, and the oil.”

The Manner of Worship

46

46:1 ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “The gateway of the inner court that faces toward the east shall be shut the six working days; but on the Sabbath it shall be opened, and on the day of the New Moon it shall be opened. ² The prince shall enter by way of the vestibule of the gateway from the outside, and stand by the gatepost. The priests shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings. He shall worship at the threshold of the gate. Then he shall go out, but the gate shall not be shut until evening. ³ Likewise the people of the land shall worship at the entrance to this gateway before the LORD on the Sabbaths and the New Moons. ⁴ The burnt offering that the prince offers to the LORD on the Sabbath day shall be six lambs without blemish, and a ram without blemish; ⁵ and the grain offering shall be one ephah for a ram, and the grain offering for the lambs, as much as he wants to give, as well as a hin of oil with every ephah. ⁶ On the day of the New Moon it shall be a young bull without blemish, six lambs, and a ram; they shall be without blemish. ⁷ He shall prepare a grain offering of an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah. ⁸ When the prince enters, he shall go in by way of the vestibule of the gateway, and go out the same way.

⁹ “But when the people of the land come before the LORD on the appointed feast days, whoever enters by way of the north gate to worship shall go out by way of the south gate; and whoever enters by way of the south gate shall go out by way of the north gate. He shall not return by way of the gate through which he came, but shall go out through the opposite gate. ¹⁰ The prince shall then be in their midst. When they go in, he shall go in; and when they go out, he shall go out. ¹¹ At the festivals and the appointed feast days the grain offering shall be an ephah for a bull, an ephah for a ram, as much as he wants to give for the lambs, and a hin of oil with every ephah.

¹² “Now when the prince makes a voluntary burnt offering or voluntary peace offering to the LORD, the gate that faces toward the east shall then be opened for him; and he shall prepare his burnt offering and his peace offerings as he did on the Sabbath day. Then he shall go out, and after he goes out the gate shall be shut.

¹³ “You shall daily make a burnt offering to the LORD of a lamb of the first year without blemish; you shall prepare it every morning. ¹⁴ And you shall prepare a grain offering with it every morning, a sixth of an ephah, and a third of a hin of oil to moisten the fine flour. This grain offering is a perpetual ordinance, to be made regularly to the LORD. ¹⁵ Thus they shall prepare the lamb, the grain offering, and the oil, as a regular burnt offering every morning.”

The Prince and Inheritance Laws

¹⁶ ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “If the prince gives a gift of some of his inheritance to any of his sons, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. ¹⁷ But if he gives a gift of some of his inheritance to one of his servants, it shall be his until the year of liberty, after which it shall return to the prince. But his inheritance shall belong to his sons; it shall become theirs. ¹⁸ Moreover the prince shall not take any of the people’s inheritance by evicting them from their property; he shall provide an inheritance for his sons from his own property, so that none of My people may be scattered from his property.” ’ ”

How the Offerings Were Prepared

¹⁹ Now he brought me through the entrance, which was at the side of the gate, into the holy chambers of the priests which face toward the north; and there a place was situated at their extreme western end. ²⁰ And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespass offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, so that they do not bring them out into the outer court to sanctify the people.”

²¹ Then he brought me out into the outer court and caused me to pass by the four corners of the court; and in fact, in every corner of the court there was another court. ²² In the four corners of the court were enclosed courts, forty cubits long and thirty wide; all four corners were the same size. ²³ There was a row of building stones all around in them, all around the four of them; and cooking hearths were made under the rows of stones all around. ²⁴ And he said to me, “These are the kitchens where the ministers of the temple shall boil the sacrifices of the people.”

The Healing Waters and Trees

47

47:1 Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. ² He brought me out by way of the north gate, and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water, running out on the right side.

³ And when the man went out to the east with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the water came up to my ankles. ⁴ Again he measured one thousand and brought me through the waters; the water came up to my knees. Again he measured one thousand and brought me through; the water came up to my waist. ⁵ Again he measured one thousand, and it was a river that I could not cross; for the water was too deep, water in which one must swim, a river that could not be crossed. ⁶ He said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?” Then he brought me and returned me to the bank of the river.

⁷ When I returned, there, along the bank of the river, were very many trees on one side and the other. ⁸ Then he said to me: “This water flows toward the eastern region, goes down into the valley, and enters the sea. When it reaches the sea, its waters are healed. ⁹ And it shall be that every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There will be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. ¹⁰ It shall be that fishermen will stand by it from En Gedi to En Eglaim; they will be places for spreading their nets. Their fish will be of the same kinds as the fish of the Great Sea, exceedingly many. ¹¹ But its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be given over to salt. ¹² Along the bank of the river, on this side and that, will grow all kinds of trees used for food; their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. They will bear fruit every month, because their water flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.”

Borders of the Land

¹³ Thus says the Lord GOD: “These are the borders by which you shall divide the land as an inheritance among the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph shall have two portions. ¹⁴ You shall inherit it equally with one another; for I raised My hand in an oath to give it to your fathers, and this land shall fall to you as your inheritance.

¹⁵ “This shall be the border of the land on the north: from the Great Sea, by the road to Hethlon, as one goes to Zedad, ¹⁶ Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim (which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath), to Hazar Hatticon (which is on the border of Hauran). ¹⁷ Thus the boundary shall be from the Sea to Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus; and as for the north, northward, it is the border of Hamath. This is the north side.

¹⁸ “On the east side you shall mark out the border from between Hauran and Damascus, and between Gilead and the land of Israel, along the Jordan, and along the eastern side of the sea. This is the east side.

¹⁹ “The south side, toward the South,^a shall be from Tamar to the waters of Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the Great Sea. This is the south side, toward the South.

²⁰ “The west side shall be the Great Sea, from the southern boundary until one comes to a point opposite Hamath. This is the west side.

²¹ “Thus you shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. ²² It shall be that you will divide it by lot as an inheritance for yourselves, and for the strangers who dwell among you and who bear children among you. They shall be to you as native-born among the children of Israel; they shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. ²³ And it shall be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells, there you shall give him his inheritance,” says the Lord GOD.

Division of the Land

48

48:1 “Now these are the names of the tribes: From the northern border along the road to Hethlon at the entrance of Hamath, to Hazar Enan, the border of Damascus northward, in the direction of Hamath, there shall be one section for Dan from its east to its west side; ² by the border of Dan, from the east side to the west, one section for Asher; ³ by the border of Asher, from the east side to the west, one section for Naphtali; ⁴ by the border of Naphtali, from the east side to the west, one section for Manasseh; ⁵ by the border of Manasseh, from the east side to the west, one section for Ephraim; ⁶ by the border of Ephraim, from the east side to the west, one section for Reuben; ⁷ by the border of Reuben, from the east side to the west, one section for Judah; ⁸ by the border of Judah, from the east side to the west, shall be the district which you shall set apart, twenty-five thousand cubits in width, and in length the same as one of the other portions, from the east side to the west, with the sanctuary in the center.

⁹ “The district that you shall set apart for the LORD shall be twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width. ¹⁰ To these—to the priests—the holy district shall belong: on the north twenty-five thousand cubits in length, on the west ten thousand in width, on the east ten thousand in width, and on the south twenty-five thousand in length. The sanctuary of the LORD shall be in the center. ¹¹ It shall be for the priests of the sons of Zadok, who are sanctified, who have kept My charge, who did not go astray when the children of Israel went astray, as the Levites went astray. ¹² And this district of land that is set apart shall be to them a thing most holy by the border of the Levites.

¹³ “Opposite the border of the priests, the Levites shall have an area twenty-five thousand cubits in length and ten thousand in width; its entire length shall be twenty-five thousand and its width ten thousand. ¹⁴ And they shall not sell or exchange any of it; they may not alienate this best part of the land, for it is holy to the LORD.

¹⁵ “The five thousand cubits in width that remain, along the edge of the twenty-five thousand, shall be for general use by the city, for dwellings and common-land; and the city shall be in the center. ¹⁶ These shall be its measurements: the north side four thousand five hundred cubits, the south side four thousand five hundred, the east side four thousand five hundred, and the west side four thousand five hundred. ¹⁷ The common-land of the city shall be: to the north two hundred and fifty cubits, to the south two hundred and fifty, to the east two hundred and fifty, and to the west two hundred and fifty. ¹⁸ The rest of the length, alongside the district of the holy section, shall be ten thousand cubits to the east and ten thousand to the west. It shall be adjacent to the district of the holy section, and its produce shall be food for the workers of the city. ¹⁹ The workers of the city, from all the tribes of Israel, shall cultivate it. ²⁰ The entire district shall be twenty-five thousand cubits by twenty-five thousand cubits, foursquare. You shall set apart the holy district with the property of the city.

²¹ “The rest shall belong to the prince, on one side and on the other of the holy district and of the city’s property, next to the twenty-five thousand cubits of the holy district as far as the eastern border, and westward next to the twenty-five thousand as far as the western border, adjacent to the tribal portions; it shall belong to the prince. It shall be the holy district, and the sanctuary of the temple shall be in the center. ²² Moreover, apart from the possession of the Levites and the possession of the city which are in the midst of what belongs to the prince, the area between the border of Judah and the border of Benjamin shall belong to the prince.

²³ “As for the rest of the tribes, from the east side to the west, Benjamin shall have one section; ²⁴ by the border of Benjamin, from the east side to the west, Simeon shall have one section; ²⁵ by the border of Simeon, from the east side to the west, Issachar shall have one section; ²⁶ by the border of Issachar, from the east side to the west, Zebulun shall have one section; ²⁷ by the border of Zebulun, from the east side to the west, Gad shall have one section; ²⁸ by the border of Gad, on the south side, toward the South,^a the border shall be from Tamar to the waters of Meribah by Kadesh, along the brook to the Great Sea. ²⁹ This is the land which you shall divide by lot as an inheritance among the tribes of Israel, and these are their portions,” says the Lord GOD.

The Gates of the City and Its Name

³⁰ “These are the exits of the city. On the north side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits ³¹ (the gates of the city shall be named after the tribes of Israel), the three gates northward: one gate for Reuben, one gate for Judah, and one gate for Levi; ³² on the east side, four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Joseph, one gate for Benjamin, and one gate for Dan; ³³ on the south side, measuring four thousand five hundred cubits, three gates: one gate for Simeon, one gate for Issachar, and one gate for Zebulun; ³⁴ on the west side, four thousand five hundred cubits with their three gates: one gate for Gad, one gate for Asher, and one gate for Naphtali. ³⁵ All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.”^a

Transition

Nebuchadnezzar’s Siege of Tyre

After destroying Jerusalem in 586 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, moved north and laid siege to the fortress city of Tyre. This was a formidable task, for not only was Tyre on an island, just off the coast, but it was a great seaport, able to supply itself from the sea. For 13 years, Nebuchadnezzar sought to bring it to heel, but without success. In 572 B.C. he gave up and lifted the siege.

The prophet Ezekiel had had much to say about Tyre in earlier years (Ezek. 27; 28). He had foretold the eventual humbling of Tyre’s pride and the desolation of the city. In the 27th year of Jehoiachin’s exile (possibly April, 571 B.C.; Ezek. 29:17), after Nebuchadnezzar had lifted the siege, Ezekiel received a new message. He declared that God would allow Nebuchadnezzar to conquer Egypt as a sort of consolation prize for his futile efforts at Tyre (29:17–21). While the prophecies against Egypt in Ezek. 30:1–19 are not dated specifically to this time, they can be understood as a further elaboration of this promise.

• Ezekiel 29:17–21
• Ezekiel 30:1–19

Ezekiel 29:17–21

Babylonia Will Plunder Egypt

29

29:17 And it came to pass in the twenty-seventh year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ¹⁸ “Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre; every head was made bald, and every shoulder rubbed raw; yet neither he nor his army received wages from Tyre, for the labor which they expended on it. ¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Surely I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he shall take away her wealth, carry off her spoil, and remove her pillage; and that will be the wages for his army. ²⁰ I have given him the land of Egypt for his labor, because they worked for Me,’ says the Lord GOD.

²¹ ‘In that day I will cause the horn of the house of Israel to spring forth, and I will open your mouth to speak in their midst. Then they shall know that I am the LORD.’ ”

Ezekiel 30:1–19

Egypt and Her Allies Will Fall

30

30:1 The word of the LORD came to me again, saying, ² “Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:

“Wail, ‘Woe to the day!’

³ For the day is near,

Even the day of the LORD is near;

It will be a day of clouds, the time of the Gentiles.

⁴ The sword shall come upon Egypt,

And great anguish shall be in Ethiopia,

When the slain fall in Egypt,

And they take away her wealth,

And her foundations are broken down.

⁵ “Ethiopia, Libya,^a Lydia,^b all the mingled people, Chub, and the men of the lands who are allied, shall fall with them by the sword.”

⁶ ‘Thus says the LORD:

“Those who uphold Egypt shall fall,

And the pride of her power shall come down.

From Migdol to Syene

Those within her shall fall by the sword,”

Says the Lord GOD.

⁷ “They shall be desolate in the midst of the desolate countries,

And her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are laid waste.

⁸ Then they will know that I am the LORD,

When I have set a fire in Egypt

And all her helpers are destroyed.

⁹ On that day messengers shall go forth from Me in ships

To make the careless Ethiopians afraid,

And great anguish shall come upon them,

As on the day of Egypt;

For indeed it is coming!”

¹⁰ ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:

“I will also make a multitude of Egypt to cease

By the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.

¹¹ He and his people with him, the most terrible of the nations,

Shall be brought to destroy the land;

They shall draw their swords against Egypt,

And fill the land with the slain.

¹² I will make the rivers dry,

And sell the land into the hand of the wicked;

I will make the land waste, and all that is in it,

By the hand of aliens.

I, the LORD, have spoken.”

¹³ ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:

Politics & Government

The Egyptians employed mercenary soldiers from the countries around them. Ethiopia was to the south, Libya to the west, and Lydia in what is today Turkey. “Chub” (Ezek. 30:5) is possibly another Hebrew term for Libya. The relative strength of Egypt and these countries fluctuated. There were periods when Egypt was ruled by Ethiopians as well as by Libyans.

* Egypt’s City of Sun Worship (Ezek. 30:17)

The prophet Ezekiel pronounced judgment upon several Egyptian cities, one by the name of “Aven” (Ezek. 30:17). In the Hebrew language, “Aven” is probably a different pronunciation for the Hebrew name “On.” On was an important Egyptian city in the Delta region. In patriarchal times, Joseph had married the daughter of the priest of On (Gen. 41:45). The city is now identified with Tell Hisn, a site in the northern suburbs of modern Cairo.

Although the city of On was never a major political center, the local priesthood wielded a strong religious influence throughout Egyptian history. On was known primarily for the worship of solar deities and, during Egypt’s New Kingdom period (c. 1550–1069 B.C.), played a major role in Egyptian theology of the kingship. Kings were considered to be the image of the sun god on earth.

One of the most controversial monarchs of the New Kingdom, Pharaoh Akhenaten (1352–1336 B.C.), built a temple in honor of the sun disk at On. He introduced the worship of this object to Egypt, describing it as having the attributes of transcendence and even uniqueness. The sun worship so prominent in On is reflected in the later Greek name for the city: Heliopolis, meaning “city of the sun.” So also Jeremiah calls the city “Beth Shemesh” (Jer. 43:13), which in Hebrew means “house of the sun.”

The prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel both prophesied of the Babylonian campaign against Egypt in 567 B.C. Jeremiah proclaims that Nebuchadnezzar would “break the sacred pillars of Beth Shemesh” (Jer. 43:10, 13); Ezekiel, that by Nebuchadnezzar’s hand “the young men of Aven” would fall (Ezek. 30:10, 17). Both prophets spoke of Egypt’s ancient city of On.

“I will also destroy the idols,

And cause the images to cease from Noph;^a

There shall no longer be princes from the land of Egypt;

I will put fear in the land of Egypt.

¹⁴ I will make Pathros desolate,

Set fire to Zoan,

And execute judgments in No.^a

¹⁵ I will pour My fury on Sin,^a the strength of Egypt;

I will cut off the multitude of No,

¹⁶ And set a fire in Egypt;

Sin shall have great pain,

No shall be split open,

And Noph shall be in distress daily.

¹⁷ The young men of Aven^a and Pi Beseth shall fall by the sword,

And these cities shall go into captivity.

¹⁸ At Tehaphnehes^a the day shall also be darkened,^b

When I break the yokes of Egypt there.

And her arrogant strength shall cease in her;

As for her, a cloud shall cover her,

And her daughters shall go into captivity.

¹⁹ Thus I will execute judgments on Egypt,

Then they shall know that I am the LORD.” ’ ”

Transition

Prophetic Account: Hope for the Future

King Nebuchadnezzar died in 562 B.C. and was succeeded briefly by his son Amel-Marduk, or as the Bible spells it, Evil-Merodach. By this time the Neo-Babylonian Empire had reached its peak. It began to decline almost immediately in the rush of kings and usurpers that followed (see “Exile in Babylon” at Ezek. 33:1).

The prophetic account of the history of Israel led up to a climactic destruction. Jerusalem, the temple, the kingdom, and the unbroken line of Davidic kings had all come to an end. That prophetic history ends, though, with a faint note of hope: Jehoiachin, the rightful king of Judah who had been taken captive to Babylon, was released from prison. He assumed a place in the court of Evil-Merodach, where he “ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life” (2 Kin. 25:29). The historical appendix to the Book of Jeremiah (Jer. 52:31–34) records that Jehoiachin remained in Babylon “until the day of his death” (52:34).

Jehoiachin’s release came in the 37th year of his captivity (possibly March, 561 B.C.). As a hope for a restored Israel it was not much, and the picture of the Davidic king serving in a foreign king’s court was hardly flattering to Israel’s dignity. Still, the line of David was not completely cut off, which left some hope of eventual restoration. After all, David himself began by serving in another king’s court (1 Sam. 16–20).

• 2 Kings 25:27–30
• Jeremiah 52:31–34

Jehoiachin’s Exile and Release

2 Kings 25:27–30

Jehoiachin Released From Prison

25

25:27 Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that Evil-Merodach^a king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. ²⁸ He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. ²⁹ So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. ³⁰ And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

Jeremiah 52:31–34

52

52:31 Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Evil-Merodach^a king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. ³² And he spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. ³³ So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ate bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. ³⁴ And as for his provisions, there was a regular ration given him by the king of Babylon, a portion for each day until the day of his death, all the days of his life.

* Evil-Merodach Extends Goodwill (Jer. 52:31)

Evil-Merodach ruled from 562 to 560 B.C. As the third king of the Chaldean dynasty of Babylon. His Accadian name, Amel-Marduk, means “man of Marduk.” Little is known of his short reign, which was quite different from that of his famous father, Nebuchadnezzar II, whom he succeeded. Nebuchadnezzar conducted several campaigns, including the conquering of Jerusalem, while no military engagements of Evil-Merodach are recorded in the known ancient literature.

The only mention of Evil-Merodach in the Bible appears in two virtually identical references to the release of King Jehoiachin of Judah (2 Kin. 25:27; Jer. 52:31). Jehoiachin was taken captive and exiled to Babylon in 597 B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar II. The historian of the books of Kings dates Jehoiachin’s release to the 37th year of his captivity, which is usually reckoned as March, 561 B.C. Evil-Merodach did not allow the Judean king to leave, but rather placed him under house arrest, while treating him kindly (2 Kin. 25:28–30).

Greek, Jewish, and Latin sources later than the Bible have more to say about Evil-Merodach. Unfortunately, much of this material is probably more legendary than actual. Some of the stories about Evil-Merodach come from Jewish midrash, which is extensive Jewish commentary on biblical passages. The Babylonian chronicler Berossus does write that Evil-Merodach was assassinated soon after he released Jehoiachin.

Transition

Isaiah and the Fall of Babylon

The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, lived during the Neo-Assyrian Empire, almost 200 years before the time of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (626–539 B.C.). Nevertheless, the Book of Isaiah records some prophecies (Is. 13:1–14:23; 21:1–17) in which Babylon’s fall is described.

Some scholars suggest that these oracles refer to the Babylon of Isaiah’s own day. During Assyria’s rule in the 8th century B.C., Babylon was a continual thorn in the Assyrian side. The Babylonian ruler, Merodach-Baladan, twice managed to declare independence from Assyria (721–710 and 703–702 B.C.). The destruction of Babylon that Isaiah prophesies, then, would describe the assault of the Assyrian king Sargon in about 710 B.C., which put down Babylon’s first rebellion. While this interpretation is surely possible, it seems odd. Merodach-Baladan was a guerrilla leader, who spent much of his time hiding in the swamps. As such, he bears little resemblance to the great, world ruler described in Is. 14.

Other scholars understand these oracles as referring to the later and much greater Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar and his successors in the 6th century B.C. This king of Babylon was the one “who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms” (Is. 14:16). The Medes (13:17; 21:2) contributed to this later Babylon’s downfall. Israel would return from captivity in this Babylon (14:1, 2). All of these details fit the later Babylon far better than the earlier, and so these prophecies can be associated with the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

Although Is. 33–35 do not name Babylon, several strong indicators suggest reading these chapters in light of Babylon’s destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. and the aftermath of that event. In Is. 21 Babylon is called a plunderer (21:2, 9), and Is. 33:1 calls down woe on “the plunderer” in very similar language. Also, the judgments of Jer. 49:7–22 and Obadiah condemn Edom for its part in Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of Jerusalem. Reminiscent of these passages is Is. 34, which calls down a curse on Edom in “recompense for the cause of Zion” (34:8). Finally, the promise of Is. 35 that the “ransomed of the LORD” will return to Zion (35:10) makes the most sense when read in light of the Babylonian captivity.

Because these chapters of Isaiah fit the later time period so well, many have suggested that they were not prophesied by the 8th-century Isaiah at all. At the very least, some propose that Isaiah’s original words were expanded by 6th-century editors to apply more closely to their own time (see “Isaiah and Cyrus the Persian” at Is. 40:1). Others, though, accept Isaiah as the author and treat these words as a foretelling of the distant future.

• Isaiah 13:1–14:23
• Isaiah 21:1–17
• Isaiah 33:1–35:10

Isaiah 13:1–14:23

Proclamation Against Babylon

13

13:1 The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

² “Lift up a banner on the high mountain,

Raise your voice to them;

Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.

³ I have commanded My sanctified ones;

I have also called My mighty ones for My anger—

Those who rejoice in My exaltation.”

⁴ The noise of a multitude in the mountains,

Like that of many people!

A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together!

The LORD of hosts musters

The army for battle.

⁵ They come from a far country,

From the end of heaven—

The LORD and His weapons of indignation,

To destroy the whole land.

⁶ Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand!

It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

⁷ Therefore all hands will be limp,

Every man’s heart will melt,

⁸ And they will be afraid.

Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them;

They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth;

They will be amazed at one another;

Their faces will be like flames.

⁹ Behold, the day of the LORD comes,

Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger,

To lay the land desolate;

And He will destroy its sinners from it.

¹⁰ For the stars of heaven and their constellations

Will not give their light;

The sun will be darkened in its going forth,

And the moon will not cause its light to shine.

¹¹ “I will punish the world for its evil,

And the wicked for their iniquity;

I will halt the arrogance of the proud,

And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

¹² I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold,

A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.

¹³ Therefore I will shake the heavens,

And the earth will move out of her place,

In the wrath of the LORD of hosts

And in the day of His fierce anger.

¹⁴ It shall be as the hunted gazelle,

And as a sheep that no man takes up;

Every man will turn to his own people,

And everyone will flee to his own land.

¹⁵ Everyone who is found will be thrust through,

And everyone who is captured will fall by the sword.

¹⁶ Their children also will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;

Their houses will be plundered

And their wives ravished.

¹⁷ “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them,

Who will not regard silver;

And as for gold, they will not delight in it.

¹⁸ Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces,

And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb;

Their eye will not spare children.

¹⁹ And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,

The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride,

Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

²⁰ It will never be inhabited,

Nor will it be settled from generation to generation;

Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there,

Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.

²¹ But wild beasts of the desert will lie there,

And their houses will be full of owls;

Ostriches will dwell there,

And wild goats will caper there.

Brick panels from the Procession Way that ran from the Marduk temple to the Ishtar Gate and the Akitu Temple.

Geography & Environment

In the ancient world, the values of life were largely experienced through personal relations and group activities. So isolated areas, such as deserts, and the animals found there were viewed with distaste and fear. The ostrich (Is. 13:21) is fitted for desert life. It eats coarse food and can go for a long time without water. Its head, neck, and legs have no feathers, helping it remain cool in the desert climate.

²² The hyenas will howl in their citadels,

And jackals in their pleasant palaces.

Her time is near to come,

And her days will not be prolonged.”

Mercy On Jacob

14

14:1 For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. The strangers will be joined with them, and they will cling to the house of Jacob. ² Then people will take them and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them for servants and maids in the land of the LORD; they will take them captive whose captives they were, and rule over their oppressors.

Fall of the King of Babylon

³ It shall come to pass in the day the LORD gives you rest from your sorrow, and from your fear and the hard bondage in which you were made to serve, ⁴ that you will take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say:

“How the oppressor has ceased,

The golden^a city ceased!

⁵ The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked,

The scepter of the rulers;

⁶ He who struck the people in wrath with a continual stroke,

He who ruled the nations in anger,

Is persecuted and no one hinders.

⁷ The whole earth is at rest and quiet;

They break forth into singing.

⁸ Indeed the cypress trees rejoice over you,

And the cedars of Lebanon,

Saying, ‘Since you were cut down,

No woodsman has come up against us.’

⁹ “Hell from beneath is excited about you,

To meet you at your coming;

It stirs up the dead for you,

All the chief ones of the earth;

It has raised up from their thrones

All the kings of the nations.

¹⁰ They all shall speak and say to you:

‘Have you also become as weak as we?

Have you become like us?

* A Failed Assault on Heaven (Is. 14:12–15)

The prophet Isaiah uses mythological language in a proverb mocking the king of Babylon (Is. 14:4, 22). His references to the Day Star, the ascent into heaven, the mount of the congregation, and to Sheol (or the Pit) would all have been familiar to his readers from the myths of the ancient Near East.

The name “Lucifer” (Is. 14:12) is a Latin translation of the Hebrew word helel, meaning “shining one.” Lucifer refers to the Day Star, Venus, and the prophet further identifies him as “son of the morning” (14:12). Similar language appears with the Ugaritic deities Shahar and Shalim. Shahar was the god of dawn or morning; Shalim, the god of dusk or evening. In another Ugaritic text, Shahar (morning) appears together with Athtar, the star deity who is also identified with Venus. So the ancient myths possibly had made Isaiah’s readers familiar with the Day Star whose father was the god of morning.

Isaiah’s taunt of the Day Star for wanting to ascend into heaven (14:13) may reflect the Ugaritic myth of Athtar, the Venus star deity. Athtar attempts to ascend to the throne of Baal, but is not able and is forced to return to his own, lower position in the pantheon. Athtar was not storming heaven, only sitting on the vacated throne of Baal. He excuses himself from the position upon realizing that he is too small. Nevertheless, a Day Star ascending to heaven was known in Canaanite myth.

In Isaiah’s proverb, the Day Star desires to sit on “the mount of the congregation” located “on the farthest sides of the north” (14:13). Similarly, Canaanite myths spoke of the mountain home of Baal on Saphon (the Hebrew word translated “north”), and also of a mount of assembly.

In Isaiah’s proverb, the Day Star fails to ascend to heaven and is brought down to Sheol, the netherworld also called the Pit (14:15). Similarly in ancient Near Eastern mythology gods could die and be sent to Mot’s netherworld. The reason that Baal’s throne was vacant in the Ugaritic myth was that Mot had vanquished Baal and taken him to the realm of the dead.

¹¹ Your pomp is brought down to Sheol,

And the sound of your stringed instruments;

The maggot is spread under you,

And worms cover you.’

The Fall of Lucifer

¹² “How you are fallen from heaven,

O Lucifer,^a son of the morning!

How you are cut down to the ground,

You who weakened the nations!

¹³ For you have said in your heart:

‘I will ascend into heaven,

I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;

I will also sit on the mount of the congregation

On the farthest sides of the north;

¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,

I will be like the Most High.’

¹⁵ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol,

To the lowest depths of the Pit.

¹⁶ “Those who see you will gaze at you,

And consider you, saying:

‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble,

Who shook kingdoms,

Beliefs & Ideas

The planet Venus was an important subject for ancient mythology. It is bright when it rises, but, when the sun comes up, Venus becomes invisible like any other star. The prophet mocks the king of Babylon, calling him “Lucifer” (Is. 14:12), a translation of the Hebrew word for the Day Star Venus. The king was trying to rival God, like Venus tried to rival the sun, and the prophet rebuked him in these terms.

¹⁷ Who made the world as a wilderness

And destroyed its cities,

Who did not open the house of his prisoners?’

¹⁸ “All the kings of the nations,

All of them, sleep in glory,

Everyone in his own house;

¹⁹ But you are cast out of your grave

Like an abominable branch,

Like the garment of those who are slain,

Thrust through with a sword,

Who go down to the stones of the pit,

Like a corpse trodden underfoot.

²⁰ You will not be joined with them in burial,

Because you have destroyed your land

And slain your people.

The brood of evildoers shall never be named.

²¹ Prepare slaughter for his children

Because of the iniquity of their fathers,

Lest they rise up and possess the land,

And fill the face of the world with cities.”

Babylon Destroyed

²² “For I will rise up against them,” says the LORD of hosts,

“And cut off from Babylon the name and remnant,

And offspring and posterity,” says the LORD.

²³ “I will also make it a possession for the porcupine,

And marshes of muddy water;

I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” says the LORD of hosts.

Isaiah 21:1–17

The Fall of Babylon Proclaimed

21

21:1 The burden against the Wilderness of the Sea.

As whirlwinds in the South pass through,

So it comes from the desert, from a terrible land.

² A distressing vision is declared to me;

The treacherous dealer deals treacherously,

And the plunderer plunders.

Go up, O Elam!

Besiege, O Media!

All its sighing I have made to cease.

³ Therefore my loins are filled with pain;

Pangs have taken hold of me, like the pangs of a woman in labor.

I was distressed when I heard it;

I was dismayed when I saw it.

⁴ My heart wavered, fearfulness frightened me;

The night for which I longed He turned into fear for me.

⁵ Prepare the table,

Set a watchman in the tower,

Eat and drink.

Arise, you princes,

Anoint the shield!

⁶ For thus has the Lord said to me:

“Go, set a watchman,

Let him declare what he sees.”

⁷ And he saw a chariot with a pair of horsemen,

A chariot of donkeys, and a chariot of camels,

And he listened earnestly with great care.

⁸ Then he cried, “A lion,^a my Lord!

I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime;

I have sat at my post every night.

⁹ And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!”

Then he answered and said,

“Babylon is fallen, is fallen!

And all the carved images of her gods

He has broken to the ground.”

¹⁰ Oh, my threshing and the grain of my floor!

That which I have heard from the LORD of hosts,

The God of Israel,

I have declared to you.

Proclamation Against Edom

¹¹ The burden against Dumah.

He calls to me out of Seir,

“Watchman, what of the night?

Watchman, what of the night?”

¹² The watchman said,

“The morning comes, and also the night.

If you will inquire, inquire;

Return! Come back!”

Proclamation Against Arabia

¹³ The burden against Arabia.

In the forest in Arabia you will lodge,

O you traveling companies of Dedanites.

¹⁴ O inhabitants of the land of Tema,

Bring water to him who is thirsty;

With their bread they met him who fled.

¹⁵ For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword,

From the bent bow, and from the distress of war.

¹⁶ For thus the LORD has said to me: “Within a year, according to the year of a hired man, all the glory of Kedar will fail; ¹⁷ and the remainder of the number of archers, the mighty men of the people of Kedar, will be diminished; for the LORD God of Israel has spoken it.”

Isaiah 33:1–35:10

A Prayer in Deep Distress

33

33:1 Woe to you who plunder, though you have not been plundered;

And you who deal treacherously, though they have not dealt treacherously with you!

When you cease plundering,

You will be plundered;

When you make an end of dealing treacherously,

They will deal treacherously with you.

TIME CAPSULE 560 to 556 B.C.

560 • Anaximander of Miletus is first known Greek prose writer

559 • Cyrus II ascends throne of Persia and founds the Achaemenid dynasty

559–331 • Achaemenid dynasty marks a period of the Persian Empire’s dominance

559–530 • Cyrus the Great of Persia

556–539 • Nabonidus, king of Babylon, promotes the moon god Sin

² O LORD, be gracious to us;

We have waited for You.

Be their^a arm every morning,

Our salvation also in the time of trouble.

³ At the noise of the tumult the people shall flee;

When You lift Yourself up, the nations shall be scattered;

⁴ And Your plunder shall be gathered

Like the gathering of the caterpillar;

As the running to and fro of locusts,

He shall run upon them.

⁵ The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high;

He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.

⁶ Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times,

And the strength of salvation;

The fear of the LORD is His treasure.

⁷ Surely their valiant ones shall cry outside,

The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

⁸ The highways lie waste,

The traveling man ceases.

He has broken the covenant,

He has despised the cities,^a

He regards no man.

⁹ The earth mourns and languishes,

Lebanon is shamed and shriveled;

Sharon is like a wilderness,

And Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits.

Impending Judgment On Zion

¹⁰ “Now I will rise,” says the LORD;

“Now I will be exalted,

Now I will lift Myself up.

¹¹ You shall conceive chaff,

You shall bring forth stubble;

Your breath, as fire, shall devour you.

Geography & Environment

Lebanon is on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel. Although it is a very small country, it includes a wide range of climates and is famous even today for the quality and variety of its fruits and vegetables. Apples, cherries, bananas, and oranges are all grown in Lebanon. The prophet warned of the destruction of this rich vegetation (Is. 33:9).

¹² And the people shall be like the burnings of lime;

Like thorns cut up they shall be burned in the fire.

¹³ Hear, you who are afar off, what I have done;

And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”

¹⁴ The sinners in Zion are afraid;

Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites:

“Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?

Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?”

¹⁵ He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,

He who despises the gain of oppressions,

Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes,

Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,

And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:

¹⁶ He will dwell on high;

His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;

Bread will be given him,

His water will be sure.

The Land of the Majestic King

¹⁷ Your eyes will see the King in His beauty;

They will see the land that is very far off.

¹⁸ Your heart will meditate on terror:

“Where is the scribe?

Where is he who weighs?

Where is he who counts the towers?”

¹⁹ You will not see a fierce people,

A people of obscure speech, beyond perception,

Of a stammering tongue that you cannot understand.

²⁰ Look upon Zion, the city of our appointed feasts;

Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home,

A tabernacle that will not be taken down;

Not one of its stakes will ever be removed,

Nor will any of its cords be broken.

²¹ But there the majestic LORD will be for us

A place of broad rivers and streams,

In which no galley with oars will sail,

Nor majestic ships pass by

* Lilith, a Deadly Demon (Is. 34:14)

The prophet Isaiah describes the total desolation which God would visit upon Edom for its hostility to God (Is. 34:2, 5). Among the descriptions of God’s wrath is the sole reference in Scripture to a well-known Mesopotamian demon—Lilith.

Later Jewish tradition connected the name “Lilith” with the Hebrew word for “night,” giving the traditional English translation “night creature” (Is. 34:14). However as a Mesopotamian name, “Lilith” comes from the Sumerian word lil, meaning “wind” (or “spirit”).

The earliest records and amulets from Mesopotamia show that people there feared the Lilu, a group of particularly malevolent demons. Lilith herself was believed to attack both babies and mothers in childbirth, eating their flesh and sucking their blood. The only protection from the Lilu was to call upon the king of demons for help.

Jewish inscriptions and amulets describe Lilith in a similar fashion, but with additional features. She was known as a woman with long hair and wings, attacking men who slept alone. Jewish incantation bowls have been found which petition God to defeat and bind Lilith as she seeks her human prey.

For Isaiah, and his listeners, the threat of Lilith finding “a place of rest” (Is. 34:14) amongst humans was nothing but terrifying. Where once the Edomite cities housed wisdom and life and cultured society, there would now be wasteland. Edom would become uninhabitable, the domain of wild animals and wild beasts. The nobility that once led the land would be gone (34:12). No human would dare to dwell in the area (34:10), for Lilith insures its perpetual desolation.

²² (For the LORD is our Judge,

The LORD is our Lawgiver,

The LORD is our King;

He will save us);

²³ Your tackle is loosed,

They could not strengthen their mast,

They could not spread the sail.

Then the prey of great plunder is divided;

The lame take the prey.

²⁴ And the inhabitant will not say, “I am sick”;

The people who dwell in it will be forgiven their iniquity.

Judgment On the Nations

34

34:1 Come near, you nations, to hear; And heed, you people!

Let the earth hear, and all that is in it,

The world and all things that come forth from it.

² For the indignation of the LORD is against all nations,

And His fury against all their armies;

He has utterly destroyed them,

He has given them over to the slaughter.

³ Also their slain shall be thrown out;

Their stench shall rise from their corpses,

And the mountains shall be melted with their blood.

⁴ All the host of heaven shall be dissolved,

And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll;

All their host shall fall down

As the leaf falls from the vine,

And as fruit falling from a fig tree.

⁵ “For My sword shall be bathed in heaven;

Indeed it shall come down on Edom,

And on the people of My curse, for judgment.

⁶ The sword of the LORD is filled with blood,

It is made overflowing with fatness,

With the blood of lambs and goats,

With the fat of the kidneys of rams.

For the LORD has a sacrifice in Bozrah,

And a great slaughter in the land of Edom.

⁷ The wild oxen shall come down with them,

And the young bulls with the mighty bulls;

Their land shall be soaked with blood,

And their dust saturated with fatness.”

⁸ For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance,

The year of recompense for the cause of Zion.

⁹ Its streams shall be turned into pitch,

And its dust into brimstone;

Its land shall become burning pitch.

¹⁰ It shall not be quenched night or day;

Its smoke shall ascend forever.

From generation to generation it shall lie waste;

No one shall pass through it forever and ever.

TIME CAPSULE 555 to 547 B.C.

555 • Anaximander proposes a mathematical model of the universe

553 • Nabonidus exiles himself to Tema

550–350 • Sparta develops the best defensive army in Greece

550 • Cyrus defeats the Median Empire and King Astyages

550 • Cyrus successfully unites the Persian and Median tribes

547 • Cyrus defeats Lydia and King Croesus

¹¹ But the pelican and the porcupine shall possess it,

Also the owl and the raven shall dwell in it.

And He shall stretch out over it

The line of confusion and the stones of emptiness.

¹² They shall call its nobles to the kingdom,

But none shall be there, and all its princes shall be nothing.

¹³ And thorns shall come up in its palaces,

Nettles and brambles in its fortresses;

It shall be a habitation of jackals,

A courtyard for ostriches.

¹⁴ The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the jackals,

And the wild goat shall bleat to its companion;

Also the night creature shall rest there,

And find for herself a place of rest.

¹⁵ There the arrow snake shall make her nest and lay eggs

And hatch, and gather them under her shadow;

There also shall the hawks be gathered,

Every one with her mate.

¹⁶ “Search from the book of the LORD, and read:

Not one of these shall fail;

Not one shall lack her mate.

For My mouth has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered them.

¹⁷ He has cast the lot for them,

And His hand has divided it among them with a measuring line.

They shall possess it forever;

From generation to generation they shall dwell in it.”

The Future Glory of Zion

35

35:1 The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them,

And the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;

² It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,

Even with joy and singing.

The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,

The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.

They shall see the glory of the LORD,

The excellency of our God.

³ Strengthen the weak hands,

And make firm the feeble knees.

⁴ Say to those who are fearful-hearted,

“Be strong, do not fear!

Behold, your God will come with vengeance,

With the recompense of God;

He will come and save you.”

⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,

And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.

⁶ Then the lame shall leap like a deer,

And the tongue of the dumb sing.

For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,

And streams in the desert.

⁷ The parched ground shall become a pool,

And the thirsty land springs of water;

In the habitation of jackals, where each lay,

There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

⁸ A highway shall be there, and a road,

And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.

The unclean shall not pass over it,

But it shall be for others.

Whoever walks the road, although a fool,

Shall not go astray.

⁹ No lion shall be there,

Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;

It shall not be found there.

But the redeemed shall walk there,

¹⁰ And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,

And come to Zion with singing,

With everlasting joy on their heads.

They shall obtain joy and gladness,

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Transition

Daniel and Belshazzar

Babylon’s might declined fastest during the reign of Nabonidus (556–539 B.C.), who left the city of Babylon to live in an oasis in the Arabian desert and worship the moon god Sin (see “Exile in Babylon” at Ezek. 33:1). His son, Bel-shar-usur, was left as regent over the city of Babylon.

The Book of Daniel, which spells Bel-shar-usur as “Belshazzar,” refers to Nebuchadnezzar as Belshazzar’s father (Dan. 5:2). This could be a metaphorical reference to Nebuchadnezzar as the father (or founder) of the kingdom; Belshazzar was not even related to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel also calls Belshazzar “king” (5:1), which he never was officially. Still, while his father Nabonidus was absent, he was the closest thing to a king that Babylon had.

Belshazzar served as coregent in Babylon for his father Nabonidus sometime around 545 B.C. Nothing more is heard of Belshazzar after 543 B.C., when Nabonidus returned from Arabian Tema and took sole control of Babylon. Daniel’s contempt for this “king,” as well as the unflattering comparison made between Belshazzar and the great Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 5:18–22), suggest that Nabonidus’s son was far from deserving his borrowed title.

• Daniel 5:1–31

Daniel

Belshazzar’s Feast

5

5:1 Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand. ² While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave the command to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken from the temple which had been in Jerusalem, that the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. ³ Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which had been in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ They drank wine, and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

⁵ In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. ⁶ Then the king’s countenance changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his hips were loosened and his knees knocked against each other. ⁷ The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.” ⁸ Now all the king’s wise men came, but they could not read the writing, or make known to the king its interpretation. ⁹ Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished.

¹⁰ The queen, because of the words of the king and his lords, came to the banquet hall. The queen spoke, saying, “O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts trouble you, nor let your countenance change. ¹¹ There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father—your father the king—made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers. ¹² Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas^a were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.”

The Writing On the Wall Explained

¹³ Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives^a from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? ¹⁴ I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you. ¹⁵ Now the wise men, the astrologers, have been brought in before me, that they should read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, but they could not give the interpretation of the thing. ¹⁶ And I have heard of you, that you can give interpretations and explain enigmas. Now if you can read the writing and make known to me its interpretation, you shall be clothed with purple and have a chain of gold around your neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom.”

¹⁷ Then Daniel answered, and said before the king, “Let your gifts be for yourself, and give your rewards to another; yet I will read the writing to the king, and make known to him the interpretation. ¹⁸ O king, the Most High God gave Nebuchadnezzar your father a kingdom and majesty, glory and honor. ¹⁹ And because of the majesty that He gave him, all peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him. Whomever he wished, he executed; whomever he wished, he kept alive; whomever he wished, he set up; and whomever he wished, he put down. ²⁰ But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit was hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him. ²¹ Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys. They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.

²² “But you his son, Belshazzar, have not humbled your heart, although you knew all this. ²³ And you have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. They have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your lords, your wives and your concubines, have drunk wine from them. And you have praised the gods of silver and gold, bronze and iron, wood and stone, which do not see or hear or know; and the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways, you have not glorified. ²⁴ Then the fingers^a of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written.

²⁵ “And this is the inscription that was written:

MENE,^a MENE, TEKEL,^b UPHARSIN.^c

²⁶ This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; ²⁷ TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; ²⁸ PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”^{a 29} Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a chain of gold around his neck, and made a proclamation concerning him that he should be the third ruler in the kingdom.

Belshazzar’s Fall

³⁰ That very night Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain. ³¹ And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.

Transition

Isaiah and Cyrus the Persian

The Babylon of King Nabonidus began to totter. In 550 B.C. Cyrus the Persian captured Ecbatana, the capital of the Median Empire, and began to look south toward Babylon. To a Babylonian population disgusted with the absentee king Nabonidus and his coregent Belshazzar, the prospect of a Persian conquest was quite attractive. In 539 B.C. Cyrus would march into Babylon as a conqueror, greeted by shouts of joy from the conquered.

The latter chapters of the Book of Isaiah have for centuries been recognized as different from the earlier chapters (see “The Book of Isaiah” at Is. 6:1). The language and style of Is. 40–55 are distinct, but the most remarkable difference is the tone. Whereas Is. 1–39 had spoken almost exclusively of judgment and disaster, the new section begins with God’s call: “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!” (40:1). These chapters declare not judgment but salvation, hope, and restoration.

It is not difficult to identify when this salvation is to be: Israel will return from the Babylonian exile. In these chapters, Jerusalem is spoken of as uninhabited and in ruins, and the temple itself as destroyed, but both city and temple will be rebuilt (44:26–28). Israel’s return from Babylon is pictured as a second exodus, with God making a way in the wilderness (40:3, 4; 43:19) and causing water to spring up in the desert (43:20; 44:3; 48:21).

God promises to deliver His people from Babylon. Furthermore, through the prophet, God even names the one through whom this great salvation would come about: Cyrus “My shepherd” (44:28; 45:1). These words of comfort seem directed to the Judean exiles in Babylon just before the city of Babylon fell to Cyrus’s Persian armies.

There is little argument, then, concerning the time spoken of in Is. 40–55. There is much more disagreement as to when and by whom these chapters were written. Many scholars hold that these oracles came from an unknown prophet who lived in Cyrus’s own time, during the Babylonian captivity, and who predicted the approaching end of the Exile. This prophet, often called “Second Isaiah,” would have considered himself a disciple of the great Isaiah of Jerusalem. Indeed, some scholars suggest that Second Isaiah may have been the one who preserved the collection of Isaiah’s oracles found in Is. 1–39.

Others, though, accept the traditional association of these words with the original Isaiah. The two parts of the book (chs. 1–39 and 40–55) always appear together in the ancient manuscripts, and several key themes appear in both parts. Regardless of who wrote Is. 40–55, these chapters speak of a future event: the glorious return from exile that will be authorized by Cyrus the Persian.

• Isaiah 40:1–45:25

* Needing Comfort in Exile (Is. 40:1, 2)

The prophet announces God’s decree, “Comfort My people!” (Is. 40:1, 2). This message of comfort was very appropriate since, along with the prophecies of Is. 40–55, it addresses the Judean experience of exile to Babylon in the 6th century B.C. Not all of the people of Judah were taken to Babylon (see 2 Kin. 25:8–12). Those who were, the exilic community, were the old Judean aristocracy. Previously they had held positions of power, status, and wealth in Jerusalem. In Babylon, though, life would be very different.

Defeated subjects who were forced from their homeland were allowed to live in ethnic enclaves in Babylon. Initially they probably worked at menial tasks, such as digging ditches to improve the Babylonian irrigation canals. Later on, some Judeans did find prosperity in Babylonian society, largely by assimilating to it. Yet, for people who had been the native aristocracy, the forced move to a Diaspora community was probably like being sent to 20th-century concentration, labor, or refugee camps. Such social change would have stretched to the limit the exilic community’s conviction that Yahweh had elected the Judeans from all the people of the earth.

Meanwhile, society in Judah had utterly disintegrated following the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. The deaths caused by the Babylonian invasion, the exile of the aristocracy, and the destruction of the temple gutted Judah of all institutions that had held the society together. Only the tribal area of Benjamin, north of Jerusalem, seemed to escape societal disintegration. In Judah itself, population plummeted 90% following the disaster. Thus the exiles in Babylon could not look to their past for hope; there they found only the consequences of their sin.

What the exiles needed—hope, comfort, tender words, a future—could be found only in the faithfulness of Yahweh, their God. The prophet offers exactly that message in Is. 40, pointing away from the sins of the past, away from the conditions of the present, to a future when the exiles would experience divine faithfulness and be restored to their land.

Isaiah

God’s People Are Comforted

40

40:1 “Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”

Says your God.

² “Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,

That her warfare is ended,

That her iniquity is pardoned;

For she has received from the LORD’s hand

Double for all her sins.”

³ The voice of one crying in the wilderness:

“Prepare the way of the LORD;

Make straight in the desert^a

A highway for our God.

⁴ Every valley shall be exalted

And every mountain and hill brought low;

The crooked places shall be made straight

And the rough places smooth;

⁵ The glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

And all flesh shall see it together;

For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

⁶ The voice said, “Cry out!”

And he^a said, “What shall I cry?”

“All flesh is grass,

And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.

⁷ The grass withers, the flower fades,

Because the breath of the LORD blows upon it;

Surely the people are grass.

⁸ The grass withers, the flower fades,

But the word of our God stands forever.”

⁹ O Zion,

You who bring good tidings,

Get up into the high mountain;

O Jerusalem,

You who bring good tidings,

Lift up your voice with strength,

Lift it up, be not afraid;

Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”

¹⁰ Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand,

And His arm shall rule for Him;

Behold, His reward is with Him,

And His work before Him.

¹¹ He will feed His flock like a shepherd;

He will gather the lambs with His arm,

And carry them in His bosom,

And gently lead those who are with young.

¹² Who has measured the waters^a in the hollow of His hand,

Measured heaven with a span

And calculated the dust of the earth in a measure?

Weighed the mountains in scales

And the hills in a balance?

¹³ Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD,

Or as His counselor has taught Him?

¹⁴ With whom did He take counsel, and who instructed Him,

And taught Him in the path of justice?

Who taught Him knowledge,

And showed Him the way of understanding?

¹⁵ Behold, the nations are as a drop in a bucket,

And are counted as the small dust on the scales;

Look, He lifts up the isles as a very little thing.

¹⁶ And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn,

Nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.

¹⁷ All nations before Him are as nothing,

And they are counted by Him less than nothing and worthless.

¹⁸ To whom then will you liken God?

Or what likeness will you compare to Him?

¹⁹ The workman molds an image,

The goldsmith overspreads it with gold,

And the silversmith casts silver chains.

²⁰ Whoever is too impoverished for such a contribution

Chooses a tree that will not rot;

He seeks for himself a skillful workman

To prepare a carved image that will not totter.

²¹ Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

Has it not been told you from the beginning?

Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

Beliefs & Ideas

The Bible normally refers to the physical sky with words that portray it as something stretched out and flattened, like hammered metal, or like a curtain (Is. 40:22). This imagery emphasizes the immense energy required to create and sustain the framework of space. The heavens are also remote from human influence and unchanged by time.

²² It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,

And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,

Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

²³ He brings the princes to nothing;

He makes the judges of the earth useless.

²⁴ Scarcely shall they be planted,

Scarcely shall they be sown,

Scarcely shall their stock take root in the earth,

When He will also blow on them,

And they will wither,

And the whirlwind will take them away like stubble.

²⁵ “To whom then will you liken Me,

Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.

²⁶ Lift up your eyes on high,

And see who has created these things,

Who brings out their host by number;

He calls them all by name,

By the greatness of His might

And the strength of His power;

Not one is missing.

²⁷ Why do you say, O Jacob,

And speak, O Israel:

“My way is hidden from the LORD,

And my just claim is passed over by my God”?

²⁸ Have you not known?

Have you not heard?

The everlasting God, the LORD,

The Creator of the ends of the earth,

Neither faints nor is weary.

His understanding is unsearchable.

²⁹ He gives power to the weak,

And to those who have no might He increases strength.

³⁰ Even the youths shall faint and be weary,

And the young men shall utterly fall,

³¹ But those who wait on the LORD

Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles,

They shall run and not be weary,

They shall walk and not faint.

Israel Assured of God’s Help

41

41:1 “Keep silence before Me, O coastlands,

And let the people renew their strength!

Let them come near, then let them speak;

Let us come near together for judgment.

² “Who raised up one from the east?

Who in righteousness called him to His feet?

Who gave the nations before him,

And made him rule over kings?

Who gave them as the dust to his sword,

As driven stubble to his bow?

³ Who pursued them, and passed safely

By the way that he had not gone with his feet?

⁴ Who has performed and done it,

Calling the generations from the beginning?

‘I, the LORD, am the first;

And with the last I am He.’ ”

⁵ The coastlands saw it and feared,

The ends of the earth were afraid;

They drew near and came.

⁶ Everyone helped his neighbor,

And said to his brother,

“Be of good courage!”

⁷ So the craftsman encouraged the goldsmith;

He who smooths with the hammer inspired him who strikes the anvil,

Saying, “It is ready for the soldering”;

Then he fastened it with pegs,

That it might not totter.

⁸ “But you, Israel, are My servant,

Jacob whom I have chosen,

The descendants of Abraham My friend.

⁹ You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth,

And called from its farthest regions,

And said to you,

‘You are My servant,

I have chosen you and have not cast you away:

¹⁰ Fear not, for I am with you;

Be not dismayed, for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

Yes, I will help you,

I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

¹¹ “Behold, all those who were incensed against you

Shall be ashamed and disgraced;

They shall be as nothing,

And those who strive with you shall perish.

¹² You shall seek them and not find them—

Those who contended with you.

Those who war against you

Shall be as nothing,

As a nonexistent thing.

¹³ For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,

Saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’

¹⁴ “Fear not, you worm Jacob,

You men of Israel!

I will help you,” says the LORD

And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁵ “Behold, I will make you into a new threshing sledge with sharp teeth;

You shall thresh the mountains and beat them small,

And make the hills like chaff.

¹⁶ You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away,

And the whirlwind shall scatter them;

You shall rejoice in the LORD,

And glory in the Holy One of Israel.

¹⁷ “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none,

Their tongues fail for thirst.

I, the LORD, will hear them;

I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

¹⁸ I will open rivers in desolate heights,

And fountains in the midst of the valleys;

I will make the wilderness a pool of water,

And the dry land springs of water.

¹⁹ I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree,

The myrtle and the oil tree;

I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine

And the box tree together,

²⁰ That they may see and know,

And consider and understand together,

That the hand of the LORD has done this,

And the Holy One of Israel has created it.

The Futility of Idols

²¹ “Present your case,” says the LORD.

“Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob.

²² “Let them bring forth and show us what will happen;

Let them show the former things, what they were,

That we may consider them,

And know the latter end of them;

Or declare to us things to come.

²³ Show the things that are to come hereafter,

That we may know that you are gods;

Yes, do good or do evil,

That we may be dismayed and see it together.

²⁴ Indeed you are nothing,

And your work is nothing;

He who chooses you is an abomination.

²⁵ “I have raised up one from the north,

And he shall come;

From the rising of the sun he shall call on My name;

And he shall come against princes as though mortar,

As the potter treads clay.

²⁶ Who has declared from the beginning, that we may know?

And former times, that we may say, ‘He is righteous’?

Surely there is no one who shows,

Surely there is no one who declares,

Surely there is no one who hears your words.

²⁷ The first time I said to Zion,

‘Look, there they are!’

And I will give to Jerusalem one who brings good tidings.

²⁸ For I looked, and there was no man;

I looked among them, but there was no counselor,

Who, when I asked of them, could answer a word.

²⁹ Indeed they are all worthless;^a

Their works are nothing;

Their molded images are wind and confusion.

The Servant of the LORD

42

42:1 “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold,

My Elect One in whom My soul delights!

I have put My Spirit upon Him;

He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.

² He will not cry out, nor raise His voice,

Nor cause His voice to be heard in the street.

³ A bruised reed He will not break,

And smoking flax He will not quench;

He will bring forth justice for truth.

⁴ He will not fail nor be discouraged,

Till He has established justice in the earth;

And the coastlands shall wait for His law.”

⁵ Thus says God the LORD,

Who created the heavens and stretched them out,

Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it,

Who gives breath to the people on it,

And spirit to those who walk on it:

⁶ “I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness,

And will hold Your hand;

I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people,

As a light to the Gentiles,

⁷ To open blind eyes,

To bring out prisoners from the prison,

Those who sit in darkness from the prison house.

⁸ I am the LORD, that is My name;

And My glory I will not give to another,

Nor My praise to carved images.

⁹ Behold, the former things have come to pass,

And new things I declare;

Before they spring forth I tell you of them.”

Praise to the LORD

¹⁰ Sing to the LORD a new song,

And His praise from the ends of the earth,

You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it,

You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!

¹¹ Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voice,

The villages that Kedar inhabits.

Let the inhabitants of Sela sing,

Let them shout from the top of the mountains.

¹² Let them give glory to the LORD,

And declare His praise in the coastlands.

¹³ The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man;

He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war.

He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud;

He shall prevail against His enemies.

Promise of the Lord’s Help

¹⁴ “I have held My peace a long time,

I have been still and restrained Myself.

Now I will cry like a woman in labor,

I will pant and gasp at once.

¹⁵ I will lay waste the mountains and hills,

And dry up all their vegetation;

I will make the rivers coastlands,

And I will dry up the pools.

¹⁶ I will bring the blind by a way they did not know;

I will lead them in paths they have not known.

I will make darkness light before them,

And crooked places straight.

These things I will do for them,

And not forsake them.

¹⁷ They shall be turned back,

They shall be greatly ashamed,

Who trust in carved images,

Who say to the molded images,

‘You are our gods.’

¹⁸ “Hear, you deaf;

And look, you blind, that you may see.

¹⁹ Who is blind but My servant,

Or deaf as My messenger whom I send?

Who is blind as he who is perfect,

And blind as the LORD’s servant?

²⁰ Seeing many things, but you do not observe;

Opening the ears, but he does not hear.”

Israel’s Obstinate Disobedience

²¹ The LORD is well pleased for His righteousness’ sake;

He will exalt the law and make it honorable.

²² But this is a people robbed and plundered;

All of them are snared in holes,

And they are hidden in prison houses;

They are for prey, and no one delivers;

For plunder, and no one says, “Restore!”

²³ Who among you will give ear to this?

Who will listen and hear for the time to come?

²⁴ Who gave Jacob for plunder, and Israel to the robbers?

Was it not the LORD,

He against whom we have sinned?

For they would not walk in His ways,

Nor were they obedient to His law.

²⁵ Therefore He has poured on him the fury of His anger

And the strength of battle;

It has set him on fire all around,

Yet he did not know;

And it burned him,

Yet he did not take it to heart.

The Redeemer of Israel

43

43:1 But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob,

And He who formed you, O Israel:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by your name;

You are Mine.

² When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.

When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,

Nor shall the flame scorch you.

³ For I am the LORD your God,

The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;

I gave Egypt for your ransom,

Ethiopia and Seba in your place.

⁴ Since you were precious in My sight,

You have been honored,

And I have loved you;

Therefore I will give men for you,

And people for your life.

⁵ Fear not, for I am with you;

I will bring your descendants from the east,

And gather you from the west;

⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’

And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’

Bring My sons from afar,

And My daughters from the ends of the earth—

⁷ Everyone who is called by My name,

Whom I have created for My glory;

I have formed him, yes, I have made him.”

⁸ Bring out the blind people who have eyes,

And the deaf who have ears.

⁹ Let all the nations be gathered together,

And let the people be assembled.

Who among them can declare this,

And show us former things?

Let them bring out their witnesses, that they may be justified;

Or let them hear and say, “It is truth.”

¹⁰ “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD,

“And My servant whom I have chosen,

That you may know and believe Me,

And understand that I am He.

Before Me there was no God formed,

Nor shall there be after Me.

¹¹ I, even I, am the LORD,

And besides Me there is no savior.

¹² I have declared and saved,

I have proclaimed,

And there was no foreign god among you;

Therefore you are My witnesses,”

Says the LORD, “that I am God.

¹³ Indeed before the day was, I am He;

And there is no one who can deliver out of My hand;

I work, and who will reverse it?”

¹⁴ Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,

The Holy One of Israel:

“For your sake I will send to Babylon,

And bring them all down as fugitives—

The Chaldeans, who rejoice in their ships.

¹⁵ I am the LORD, your Holy One,

The Creator of Israel, your King.”

¹⁶ Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea

And a path through the mighty waters,

¹⁷ Who brings forth the chariot and horse,

The army and the power

(They shall lie down together, they shall not rise;

They are extinguished, they are quenched like a wick):

* Can God Really Do This “New Thing”? (Is. 43:19)

If the exiles were to return to Jerusalem, they somehow had to escape the political and military control of the Neo-Babylonian regime. Even in the years just prior to the fall of Babylon in 539 B.C., this would have been a tall order for a small, politically and militarily insignificant community. Yet the prophet claims that this is precisely what will happen: God will do “a new thing” (Is. 43:19).

This “new thing” was a subtle reference to the military defeat of the Babylonians (43:14, 15). The prophet invokes images of the Exodus from Egypt when the Lord defeated Pharaoh and freed the Israelites from slavery (43:16, 17). This time the Lord would lead the exilic community back across the wilderness to their ancestral home in Judah (43:19). What a hopeful announcement this was for the Judeans in Babylon! That God would restore them to the land He had given them was the blunt political reality of the prophet’s message.

Yet because the Judeans were still subject to Babylonian power, the announcement was also risky. The message rang of subversion and rebellion, qualities that the Neo-Babylonian regime met with brutal and violent displays of power in their subjected communities. Perhaps this explains why the community did not enthusiastically endorse the prophet’s message—why they had not “called upon” the Lord (43:22–24). To do so would have meant really believing that God’s power was stronger than the Babylonians, a high stakes political gamble if they were wrong!

¹⁸ “Do not remember the former things,

Nor consider the things of old.

¹⁹ Behold, I will do a new thing,

Now it shall spring forth;

Shall you not know it?

I will even make a road in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert.

²⁰ The beast of the field will honor Me,

The jackals and the ostriches,

Because I give waters in the wilderness

And rivers in the desert,

To give drink to My people, My chosen.

²¹ This people I have formed for Myself;

They shall declare My praise.

Pleading With Unfaithful Israel

²² “But you have not called upon Me, O Jacob;

And you have been weary of Me, O Israel.

²³ You have not brought Me the sheep for your burnt offerings,

Nor have you honored Me with your sacrifices.

I have not caused you to serve with grain offerings,

Nor wearied you with incense.

²⁴ You have bought Me no sweet cane with money,

Nor have you satisfied Me with the fat of your sacrifices;

But you have burdened Me with your sins,

You have wearied Me with your iniquities.

²⁵ “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake;

And I will not remember your sins.

²⁶ Put Me in remembrance;

Let us contend together;

State your case, that you may be acquitted.

²⁷ Your first father sinned,

And your mediators have transgressed against Me.

²⁸ Therefore I will profane the princes of the sanctuary;

I will give Jacob to the curse,

And Israel to reproaches.

God’s Blessing On Israel

44

44:1 “Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant,

And Israel whom I have chosen.

² Thus says the LORD who made you

And formed you from the womb, who will help you:

‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant;

And you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

³ For I will pour water on him who is thirsty,

And floods on the dry ground;

I will pour My Spirit on your descendants,

And My blessing on your offspring;

⁴ They will spring up among the grass

Like willows by the watercourses.’

⁵ One will say, ‘I am the LORD’s’;

Another will call himself by the name of Jacob;

Another will write with his hand, ‘The LORD’s,’

And name himself by the name of Israel.

There Is No Other God

⁶ “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel,

And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:

‘I am the First and I am the Last;

Besides Me there is no God.

⁷ And who can proclaim as I do?

Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me,

Since I appointed the ancient people.

And the things that are coming and shall come,

Let them show these to them.

⁸ Do not fear, nor be afraid;

Have I not told you from that time, and declared it?

You are My witnesses.

Is there a God besides Me?

Indeed there is no other Rock;

I know not one.’ ”

Idolatry Is Foolishness

⁹ Those who make an image, all of them are useless,

And their precious things shall not profit;

They are their own witnesses;

They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.

¹⁰ Who would form a god or mold an image

That profits him nothing?

¹¹ Surely all his companions would be ashamed;

And the workmen, they are mere men.

Let them all be gathered together,

Let them stand up;

Yet they shall fear,

They shall be ashamed together.

¹² The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,

Fashions it with hammers,

And works it with the strength of his arms.

Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails;

He drinks no water and is faint.

¹³ The craftsman stretches out his rule,

He marks one out with chalk;

He fashions it with a plane,

He marks it out with the compass,

And makes it like the figure of a man,

According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.

Science & Technology

Blacksmiths (Is. 44:12) work with iron and fire, and in traditional societies are often regarded with suspicion and fear. They produced weapons and armor as well as plows. Woodworkers made furniture and other domestic products, including looms and doorposts. Wood craftsmanship (Is. 44:13) had reached very high standards centuries before the prophets.

¹⁴ He cuts down cedars for himself,

And takes the cypress and the oak;

He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.

He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.

* The Temple Slave of the Lord (Is. 44:5)

The expression “My servant” (Is. 44:1) is found often throughout Is. 40–55. The designation “the LORD’s” in Is. 44:5 possibly gives a clue to the social world from which the image of “My servant” arises. This servant belonged to Yahweh, just as temple slaves in the ancient Near East belonged to the god whose temple they served.

Slavery existed throughout the Neo-Babylonian society. In fact, a large and important group of temple slaves performed much of the work in and around temple properties. Slavery did not necessarily mean low status. Most temple slaves did do menial agricultural work with small compensation. Yet some became important functionaries overseeing the god’s economic resources, the resources of the temple and its priests. While temple slaves would never be free, their position could bring a share of power, wealth, and honor.

Neo-Babylonian temple slaves were marked on their foreheads or on the back of their hand with the expression “belonging to …” Added to this expression was the name of the Babylonian deity who literally owned them. The prophet’s expression “I am the LORD’s” (Is. 44:5) draws from this imagery of Neo-Babylonian temple slavery to depict how the Lord “owns” His servant Israel.

We do not know if the Judeans built a temple in Babylon or not. However, when the first group of exiles returned to Jerusalem around 538 or 537 B.C., a class of temple slaves called “the Nethinim” returned with them (Ezra 2:58). When Nehemiah was governor of Judea in 445 B.C., the Nethinim were recognized members of the temple personnel, which also included priests, Levites, gatekeepers, and singers (Neh. 10:28). Anyone familiar with Neo-Babylonian temple slavery as practiced within the Judean exilic community would know the meaning of “I am the LORD’s.”

¹⁵ Then it shall be for a man to burn,

For he will take some of it and warm himself;

Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;

Indeed he makes a god and worships it;

He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.

¹⁶ He burns half of it in the fire;

With this half he eats meat;

He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.

He even warms himself and says,

“Ah! I am warm,

I have seen the fire.”

¹⁷ And the rest of it he makes into a god,

His carved image.

He falls down before it and worships it,

Prays to it and says,

“Deliver me, for you are my god!”

¹⁸ They do not know nor understand;

For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,

And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.

¹⁹ And no one considers in his heart,

Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,

“I have burned half of it in the fire,

Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals;

I have roasted meat and eaten it;

And shall I make the rest of it an abomination?

Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”

²⁰ He feeds on ashes;

A deceived heart has turned him aside;

And he cannot deliver his soul,

Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Israel Is Not Forgotten

²¹ “Remember these, O Jacob,

And Israel, for you are My servant;

I have formed you, you are My servant;

O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!

²² I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions,

And like a cloud, your sins.

Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

²³ Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it!

Shout, you lower parts of the earth;

Break forth into singing, you mountains,

O forest, and every tree in it!

For the LORD has redeemed Jacob,

And glorified Himself in Israel.

Geography & Environment

Cush (Is. 45:14) refers to areas south of Egypt, corresponding roughly to the northern Sudan. The Sabeans came either from this area or from across the Red Sea in southern Arabia. These regions were sources of gold. By means of international trade and control of trade routes through their land, the Sabeans developed into a strong commercial power.

Judah Will Be Restored

²⁴ Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,

And He who formed you from the womb:

“I am the LORD, who makes all things,

Who stretches out the heavens all alone,

Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;

²⁵ Who frustrates the signs of the babblers,

And drives diviners mad;

Who turns wise men backward,

And makes their knowledge foolishness;

²⁶ Who confirms the word of His servant,

And performs the counsel of His messengers;

Who says to Jerusalem, ‘You shall be inhabited,’

To the cities of Judah, ‘You shall be built,’

And I will raise up her waste places;

²⁷ Who says to the deep, ‘Be dry!

And I will dry up your rivers’;

²⁸ Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,

And he shall perform all My pleasure,

Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,”

And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’

Cyrus, God’s Instrument

45

45:1 “Thus says the LORD to His anointed, To Cyrus, whose right hand I have held—

To subdue nations before him

And loose the armor of kings,

To open before him the double doors,

So that the gates will not be shut:

² ‘I will go before you

And make the crooked places^a straight;

I will break in pieces the gates of bronze

And cut the bars of iron.

³ I will give you the treasures of darkness

And hidden riches of secret places,

That you may know that I, the LORD,

Who call you by your name,

Am the God of Israel.

⁴ For Jacob My servant’s sake,

And Israel My elect,

I have even called you by your name;

I have named you, though you have not known Me.

⁵ I am the LORD, and there is no other;

There is no God besides Me.

I will gird you, though you have not known Me,

* Cyrus, the Lord’s Anointed (Is. 45:1)

In 559 B.C. Cyrus the Great became the ruler and founder of the Achaemenid dynasty of Persia, which expanded quickly in all directions to become a world empire. Arising from the desert fringes of Mesopotamia, Cyrus ultimately conquered the Neo-Babylonian Empire and absorbed it into his realm in 539 B.C. The defeat of Babylon expanded the Persian Empire to include almost all of the ancient Near East. Only Egypt remained independent.

The ancient mind would ask, “What god has empowered this Persian king, Cyrus?” The Judean prophet answered by identifying Cyrus as a world leader chosen by Yahweh, the God of Israel (Is. 45:1–7). Even more amazingly, the prophet uses language reserved for Israelite and Judean kings to describe God’s election of Cyrus. Cyrus is Yahweh’s “anointed” (Is. 45:1), the agent by which the Babylonian subjection of the Judean exilic community would be ended.

The social-political force of the prophet’s oracle possessed a powder-keg-like quality. Not only did the prophet speak of the military downfall of the ruling junta—the Babylonians, but he also picked a rival monarch as the precise agent of Babylon’s demise. This message smacked of political subversion. If heard by the “wrong” people, it could bring a sharp reprisal on himself, and possibly on the whole Judean community by the Babylonian authorities. Ancient Near Eastern regimes were always anxious to beat down a possible uprising before it occurred.

⁶ That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting

That there is none besides Me.

I am the LORD, and there is no other;

⁷ I form the light and create darkness,

I make peace and create calamity;

I, the LORD, do all these things.’

⁸ “Rain down, you heavens, from above,

And let the skies pour down righteousness;

Let the earth open, let them bring forth salvation,

And let righteousness spring up together.

I, the LORD, have created it.

⁹ “Woe to him who strives with his Maker!

Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!

Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’

Or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?

¹⁰ Woe to him who says to his father, ‘What are you begetting?’

Or to the woman, ‘What have you brought forth?’ ”

¹¹ Thus says the LORD,

The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:

“Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons;

And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me.

¹² I have made the earth,

And created man on it.

I—My hands—stretched out the heavens,

And all their host I have commanded.

¹³ I have raised him up in righteousness,

And I will direct all his ways;

He shall build My city

And let My exiles go free,

Not for price nor reward,”

Says the LORD of hosts.

The LORD, the Only Savior

¹⁴ Thus says the LORD:

“The labor of Egypt and merchandise of Cush

And of the Sabeans, men of stature,

Shall come over to you, and they shall be yours;

They shall walk behind you,

They shall come over in chains;

And they shall bow down to you.

They will make supplication to you, saying, ‘Surely God is in you,

And there is no other;

There is no other God.’ ”

¹⁵ Truly You are God, who hide Yourself,

O God of Israel, the Savior!

¹⁶ They shall be ashamed

And also disgraced, all of them;

They shall go in confusion together,

Who are makers of idols.

¹⁷ But Israel shall be saved by the LORD

With an everlasting salvation;

You shall not be ashamed or disgraced

Forever and ever.

¹⁸ For thus says the LORD,

Who created the heavens,

Who is God,

Who formed the earth and made it,

Who has established it,

Who did not create it in vain,

Who formed it to be inhabited:

“I am the LORD, and there is no other.

¹⁹ I have not spoken in secret,

In a dark place of the earth;

I did not say to the seed of Jacob,

‘Seek Me in vain’;

I, the LORD, speak righteousness,

I declare things that are right.

²⁰ “Assemble yourselves and come;

Draw near together,

You who have escaped from the nations.

They have no knowledge,

Who carry the wood of their carved image,

And pray to a god that cannot save.

²¹ Tell and bring forth your case;

Yes, let them take counsel together.

Who has declared this from ancient time?

Who has told it from that time?

Have not I, the LORD?

And there is no other God besides Me,

A just God and a Savior;

There is none besides Me.

²² “Look to Me, and be saved,

All you ends of the earth!

For I am God, and there is no other.

²³ I have sworn by Myself;

The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness,

And shall not return,

That to Me every knee shall bow,

Every tongue shall take an oath.

²⁴ He shall say,

‘Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength.

To Him men shall come,

And all shall be ashamed

Who are incensed against Him.

²⁵ In the LORD all the descendants of Israel

Shall be justified, and shall glory.’ ”

TIME CAPSULE 538 to 536 B.C.

538 • Cyrus Cylinder announces that Marduk chose Cyrus to conquer the world

538 • Cyrus issues proclamation of freedom for the Jews (Ezra 1:2–4)

538 • First group of exiles returns to Jerusalem

538 • Sheshbazzar returns temple vessels to Jerusalem

537 • Zerubbabel and Jeshua begin construction of a new temple (Ezra 3:8)

536 • Work is stopped on the Jerusalem temple

Transition

Babylon and Her Idols

As Cyrus and his armies were gaining strength, before capturing Babylon in 539 B.C., the prophet proclaimed that Babylon and her gods were doomed. Bel and Nebo, two important Babylonian gods, would themselves be taken into captivity (Is. 46:1, 2). It was common in the ancient Near East to see wars between nations as wars between those nations’ respective gods. Thus, Babylon’s victory over Assyria would have been considered a victory for Babylon’s gods, and the approach of Cyrus as the challenge of Persia’s deities.

The prophet radically alters this prevailing view. No section of Scripture declares God’s uniqueness so clearly as does Is. 40–55. “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me” (Is. 46:9; see 45:5, 6, 14, 18). Since there is only one God, Cyrus must not be a representative of Persia’s gods. Whether he knows it himself or not, he is sent by the one God, the God of Israel (45:4). Moreover, Babylon’s gods will be humiliated, not because they are weaker than another nation’s gods but because they are mere idols. Gods that can be carried on cattle (46:1) or on one’s shoulders (46:7) are no gods at all.

Babylon’s religion involved not only sacrifice to idols but also faith in astrology. The prophet’s spirited satire of Babylon’s idolatry extended also to her stargazers and soothsayers (47:12, 13). Mostly, though, Babylon adored herself. She claimed to be eternal (47:7), all-powerful (47:8), and all-wise (47:10). Claiming for herself the status of God Himself, she would be desolated suddenly (47:9–11).

• Isaiah 46:1–48:22

Isaiah

Dead Idols and the Living God

46

46:1 Bel bows down, Nebo stoops; Their idols were on the beasts and on the cattle.

Your carriages were heavily loaded,

A burden to the weary beast.

² They stoop, they bow down together;

They could not deliver the burden,

But have themselves gone into captivity.

³ “Listen to Me, O house of Jacob,

And all the remnant of the house of Israel,

Who have been upheld by Me from birth,

Who have been carried from the womb:

⁴ Even to your old age, I am He,

And even to gray hairs I will carry you!

I have made, and I will bear;

Even I will carry, and will deliver you.

⁵ “To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal

And compare Me, that we should be alike?

* No Middle Ground (Is. 47:1)

The prophet uses theological satire relentlessly in attacks upon the Neo-Babylonian society in which the exiled Judeans would find themselves (Is. 41:6, 7; 44:9–20; 46:1, 2). The satire eventually turns directly against the Neo-Babylonians, declaring Babylon’s impending doom (Is. 47:1–15).

The image of the “virgin daughter of Babylon” (Is. 47:1) emphasizes the reversal of social and political fortunes that will befall the Babylonians. The Babylonians had showed God’s elect, the exilic community, no mercy, even forcing the elderly into forced labor (47:6). The prophet therefore declares that God will remove the privileged Babylonians from their position of wealth, power, and honor. From a situation described as “tender and delicate” (47:1), they would face abject conditions, lacking even the resources to heat their own homes (47:14).

Social, economic, and political issues were at stake behind the prophet’s message of deliverance for the exilic community. Cyrus’s rise and the exiles’ deliverance would mean the end of the Babylonians’ luxurious life. Yet the “virgin daughter of Babylon” still controlled the social and political life of the exiled Judean community. Talk of Babylonian demise was risky business.

There was no middle ground. The prophet forced the issue for his people: Should the community stand with the prophet and take the political risk of reprisal by the Neo-Babylonians? Or should the community attempt to maintain the status quo and continue to work with—and under the control of—their Neo-Babylonian overlords? They should listen to what the prophet declared concerning those overlords: no one would save them (47:15).

⁶ They lavish gold out of the bag,

And weigh silver on the scales;

They hire a goldsmith, and he makes it a god;

They prostrate themselves, yes, they worship.

⁷ They bear it on the shoulder, they carry it

And set it in its place, and it stands;

From its place it shall not move.

Though one cries out to it, yet it cannot answer

Nor save him out of his trouble.

⁸ “Remember this, and show yourselves men;

Recall to mind, O you transgressors.

⁹ Remember the former things of old,

For I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is none like Me,

¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times things that are not yet done,

Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,

And I will do all My pleasure,’

¹¹ Calling a bird of prey from the east,

The man who executes My counsel, from a far country.

Indeed I have spoken it;

I will also bring it to pass.

I have purposed it;

I will also do it.

¹² “Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted,

Who are far from righteousness:

¹³ I bring My righteousness near, it shall not be far off;

My salvation shall not linger.

And I will place salvation in Zion,

For Israel My glory.

The Humiliation of Babylon

47

47:1 “Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon;

Sit on the ground without a throne,

O daughter of the Chaldeans!

For you shall no more be called

Tender and delicate.

² Take the millstones and grind meal.

Remove your veil,

Take off the skirt,

Uncover the thigh,

Pass through the rivers.

³ Your nakedness shall be uncovered,

Yes, your shame will be seen;

I will take vengeance,

And I will not arbitrate with a man.”

⁴ As for our Redeemer, the LORD of hosts is His name,

The Holy One of Israel.

⁵ “Sit in silence, and go into darkness,

O daughter of the Chaldeans;

For you shall no longer be called

The Lady of Kingdoms.

⁶ I was angry with My people;

I have profaned My inheritance,

And given them into your hand.

You showed them no mercy;

On the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily.

⁷ And you said, ‘I shall be a lady forever,’

So that you did not take these things to heart,

Nor remember the latter end of them.

⁸ “Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasures,

Who dwell securely,

Who say in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me;

I shall not sit as a widow,

Nor shall I know the loss of children’;

* The New Exodus (Is. 48:20, 21)

With the command “Go forth from Babylon!” (Is. 48:20), the prophet explicitly encouraged the Judean exiles to leave their homes in Babylon and return to their own land. He did not advise them to sneak out, but rather to go publicly and joyously, with “a voice of singing.”

The journey would be a new Exodus. The prophet invokes the memory of the Israelites’ trip from Egypt to the land of Canaan following the first Exodus (48:21). The people could remember stories of Moses drawing drinking water from a rock (Ex. 17:6). Though now a desert faced the people between Babylon and Judah, they need not worry: as God had provided for Israel’s escape from Egyptian tyranny during Moses’ time, so would He now provide for these exiles to escape from Babylonian rule.

There was one problem, though. The Babylonians had not yet been removed from power. Still the command “Go!” is given. To leave Babylon would be to take political liberty that the Babylonians were not ready to offer. The prophet challenged the people’s faith in God to redeem them, even though their redemption would be rebellion against the Babylonian regime!

⁹ But these two things shall come to you

In a moment, in one day:

The loss of children, and widowhood.

They shall come upon you in their fullness

Because of the multitude of your sorceries,

For the great abundance of your enchantments.

¹⁰ “For you have trusted in your wickedness;

You have said, ‘No one sees me’;

Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you;

And you have said in your heart,

‘I am, and there is no one else besides me.’

¹¹ Therefore evil shall come upon you;

You shall not know from where it arises.

And trouble shall fall upon you;

You will not be able to put it off.

And desolation shall come upon you suddenly,

Which you shall not know.

¹² “Stand now with your enchantments

And the multitude of your sorceries,

In which you have labored from your youth—

Perhaps you will be able to profit,

Perhaps you will prevail.

¹³ You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels;

Let now the astrologers, the stargazers,

And the monthly prognosticators

Stand up and save you

From what shall come upon you.

Beliefs & Ideas

The belief that the stars control human destiny was widespread in ancient times. Ancient kings maintained astrologers in their courts to give an opinion about whether a certain time was right for a project, or what events to expect (Is. 47:13). In addition to fortune-telling, astrologers had some factual knowledge of astronomy, which they used for establishing a calendar.

¹⁴ Behold, they shall be as stubble,

The fire shall burn them;

They shall not deliver themselves

From the power of the flame;

It shall not be a coal to be warmed by,

Nor a fire to sit before!

¹⁵ Thus shall they be to you

With whom you have labored,

Your merchants from your youth;

They shall wander each one to his quarter.

No one shall save you.

Israel Refined for God’s Glory

48

48:1 “Hear this, O house of Jacob, Who are called by the name of Israel,

And have come forth from the wellsprings of Judah;

Who swear by the name of the LORD,

And make mention of the God of Israel,

But not in truth or in righteousness;

² For they call themselves after the holy city,

And lean on the God of Israel;

The LORD of hosts is His name:

³ “I have declared the former things from the beginning;

They went forth from My mouth, and I caused them to hear it.

Suddenly I did them, and they came to pass.

⁴ Because I knew that you were obstinate,

And your neck was an iron sinew,

And your brow bronze,

⁵ Even from the beginning I have declared it to you;

Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you,

Lest you should say, ‘My idol has done them,

And my carved image and my molded image

Have commanded them.’

⁶ “You have heard;

See all this.

And will you not declare it?

I have made you hear new things from this time,

Even hidden things, and you did not know them.

⁷ They are created now and not from the beginning;

And before this day you have not heard them,

Lest you should say, ‘Of course I knew them.’

⁸ Surely you did not hear,

Surely you did not know;

Surely from long ago your ear was not opened.

For I knew that you would deal very treacherously,

And were called a transgressor from the womb.

⁹ “For My name’s sake I will defer My anger,

And for My praise I will restrain it from you,

So that I do not cut you off.

¹⁰ Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver;

I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

¹¹ For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it;

For how should My name be profaned?

And I will not give My glory to another.

God’s Ancient Plan To Redeem Israel

¹² “Listen to Me, O Jacob,

And Israel, My called:

I am He, I am the First,

I am also the Last.

¹³ Indeed My hand has laid the foundation of the earth,

And My right hand has stretched out the heavens;

When I call to them,

They stand up together.

¹⁴ “All of you, assemble yourselves, and hear!

Who among them has declared these things?

The LORD loves him;

He shall do His pleasure on Babylon,

And His arm shall be against the Chaldeans.

¹⁵ I, even I, have spoken;

Yes, I have called him,

I have brought him, and his way will prosper.

¹⁶ “Come near to Me, hear this:

I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;

From the time that it was, I was there.

And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit

Have^a sent Me.”

¹⁷ Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,

The Holy One of Israel:

“I am the LORD your God,

Who teaches you to profit,

Who leads you by the way you should go.

¹⁸ Oh, that you had heeded My commandments!

Then your peace would have been like a river,

And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.

¹⁹ Your descendants also would have been like the sand,

And the offspring of your body like the grains of sand;

His name would not have been cut off

Nor destroyed from before Me.”

²⁰ Go forth from Babylon!

Flee from the Chaldeans!

With a voice of singing,

Declare, proclaim this,

Utter it to the end of the earth;

Say, “The LORD has redeemed

His servant Jacob!”

* A Light to the Gentiles (Is. 49:3–7)

The tone and subject of the prophet’s oracles changed, turning dark. No longer did he speak of Babylon’s demise or the exiles’ return to Judah, though his oracles seemingly still addressed the same exiled community. Conflict seemed to lurk beneath the prophet’s words. His attempt to persuade his people seemingly had produced little, if any, results. He felt as if he had labored “for nothing and in vain” (Is. 49:4).

Instead of narrowing his task, however, God widened the prophet’s mission. No longer content to address only the Judean exilic community, God would give the prophet as “a light to the Gentiles” (49:6). In this way, the Judean exilic community’s rejection of the prophet’s message would lead to the inclusion of all persons, Jews and Gentiles, into the restorative purposes of God. Through His servant, the prophet, God would proclaim “salvation to the ends of the earth” (49:6).

²¹ And they did not thirst

When He led them through the deserts;

He caused the waters to flow from the rock for them;

He also split the rock, and the waters gushed out.

²² “There is no peace,” says the LORD, “for the wicked.”

Transition

The Servant of the Lord

A “servant of the Lord” is one who voluntarily serves God, as did Abraham (Ps. 105:42). The phrase “My servant” appears frequently in Is. 41–53. Sometimes the phrase describes the entire nation of Israel, God’s chosen Jacob (41:8). This meaning is found most often in chs. 41–48. But the nation Israel proved to be an unproductive servant. Assigned to bring “light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes” (42:6, 7), she herself became blind (42:18–20).

The most important passages concerning “My servant” are the famous Servant Songs (42:1–4; 49:1–6; 50:4–11; 52:13–53:12). Sometimes in these songs, the servant again is identified with the nation of Israel (49:3), but at other times the servant appears to be an individual, working to bring salvation to Israel and the nations (49:4, 5).

It is difficult to know how these poems would have been understood by their first hearers. Perhaps some prophet or king was identified as the servant. Since the time of Christ, however, Christians have identified Jesus Himself as the Servant of the Lord who brought salvation to the Gentiles as well as to the Jews (see Matt. 12:18–21, quoting Is. 42:1–4).

• Isaiah 49:1–51:23

Isaiah

The Servant, the Light To the Gentiles

49

49:1 “Listen, O coastlands, to Me, And take heed, you peoples from afar!

The LORD has called Me from the womb;

From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.

² And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword;

In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me,

And made Me a polished shaft;

In His quiver He has hidden Me.”

³ “And He said to me,

‘You are My servant, O Israel,

In whom I will be glorified.’

⁴ Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain,

I have spent my strength for nothing and in vain;

Yet surely my just reward is with the LORD,

And my work with my God.’ ”

⁵ “And now the LORD says,

Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,

To bring Jacob back to Him,

So that Israel is gathered to Him^a

(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the LORD,

And My God shall be My strength),

⁶ Indeed He says,

‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant

To raise up the tribes of Jacob,

And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;

I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles,

That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”

⁷ Thus says the LORD,

The Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One,

To Him whom man despises,

To Him whom the nation abhors,

To the Servant of rulers:

“Kings shall see and arise,

Princes also shall worship,

Because of the LORD who is faithful,

The Holy One of Israel;

And He has chosen You.”

⁸ Thus says the LORD:

“In an acceptable time I have heard You,

And in the day of salvation I have helped You;

I will preserve You and give You

As a covenant to the people,

To restore the earth,

To cause them to inherit the desolate heritages;

⁹ That You may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’

To those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’

“They shall feed along the roads,

And their pastures shall be on all desolate heights.

¹⁰ They shall neither hunger nor thirst,

Neither heat nor sun shall strike them;

For He who has mercy on them will lead them,

Even by the springs of water He will guide them.

* Intimidation Denied (Is. 50:4)

A conflict escalated between those who accepted the prophet’s message and those who rejected it. On the bright side, the prophet developed a following among those who stood with the prophet (Is. 50:8) and who feared the Lord and obeyed “the voice of His Servant” (50:10). Therefore, the prophet spoke with “the tongue of the learned” (50:4), leading those who would believe.

On the darker side, the prophet also had evoked strong resistance, most likely from within his own community. His faithfulness to proclaim the word of the Lord produced a violent reaction. The prophet received beatings, the pulling of his beard, insults, being spit upon—all tactics to intimidate, humiliate, and discredit him (50:5, 6). The Judean leaders who had accommodated themselves to Babylonian society found his message dangerous and wished to silence him.

Yet the torture did not change the prophet’s stance. It seems, instead, to have hardened his resolve: he set his face “like a flint” against his opposition (50:7). The prophet could not be shamed, for torment ultimately awaited those who tormented him (50:11). God, after all, was on his side (50:9).

¹¹ I will make each of My mountains a road,

And My highways shall be elevated.

¹² Surely these shall come from afar;

Look! Those from the north and the west,

And these from the land of Sinim.”

¹³ Sing, O heavens!

Be joyful, O earth!

And break out in singing, O mountains!

For the LORD has comforted His people,

And will have mercy on His afflicted.

God Will Remember Zion

¹⁴ But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me,

And my Lord has forgotten me.”

¹⁵ “Can a woman forget her nursing child,

And not have compassion on the son of her womb?

Surely they may forget,

Yet I will not forget you.

¹⁶ See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;

Your walls are continually before Me.

¹⁷ Your sons^a shall make haste;

Your destroyers and those who laid you waste

Shall go away from you.

¹⁸ Lift up your eyes, look around and see;

All these gather together and come to you.

As I live,” says the LORD,

“You shall surely clothe yourselves with them all as an ornament,

And bind them on you as a bride does.

¹⁹ “For your waste and desolate places,

And the land of your destruction,

Will even now be too small for the inhabitants;

And those who swallowed you up will be far away.

²⁰ The children you will have,

After you have lost the others,

Will say again in your ears,

‘The place is too small for me;

Give me a place where I may dwell.’

²¹ Then you will say in your heart,

‘Who has begotten these for me,

Since I have lost my children and am desolate,

A captive, and wandering to and fro?

And who has brought these up?

There I was, left alone;

But these, where were they?’ ”

²² Thus says the Lord GOD:

“Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations,

And set up My standard for the peoples;

They shall bring your sons in their arms,

And your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders;

²³ Kings shall be your foster fathers,

And their queens your nursing mothers;

They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth,

And lick up the dust of your feet.

Then you will know that I am the LORD,

For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.”

²⁴ Shall the prey be taken from the mighty,

Or the captives of the righteous^a be delivered?

²⁵ But thus says the LORD:

“Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away,

And the prey of the terrible be delivered;

For I will contend with him who contends with you,

And I will save your children.

²⁶ I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh,

And they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine.

All flesh shall know

That I, the LORD, am your Savior,

And your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.”

The Servant, Israel’s Hope

50

50:1 Thus says the LORD:

“Where is the certificate of your mother’s divorce,

Whom I have put away?

Or which of My creditors is it to whom I have sold you?

For your iniquities you have sold yourselves,

And for your transgressions your mother has been put away.

² Why, when I came, was there no man?

Why, when I called, was there none to answer?

Is My hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem?

Or have I no power to deliver?

Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea,

I make the rivers a wilderness;

Their fish stink because there is no water,

And die of thirst.

³ I clothe the heavens with blackness,

And I make sackcloth their covering.”

⁴ “The Lord GOD has given Me

The tongue of the learned,

That I should know how to speak

A word in season to him who is weary.

He awakens Me morning by morning,

He awakens My ear

To hear as the learned.

⁵ The Lord GOD has opened My ear;

And I was not rebellious,

Nor did I turn away.

⁶ I gave My back to those who struck Me,

And My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard;

I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.

⁷ “For the Lord GOD will help Me;

Therefore I will not be disgraced;

Therefore I have set My face like a flint,

And I know that I will not be ashamed.

⁸ He is near who justifies Me;

Who will contend with Me?

Let us stand together.

Who is My adversary?

Let him come near Me.

⁹ Surely the Lord GOD will help Me;

Who is he who will condemn Me?

Indeed they will all grow old like a garment;

The moth will eat them up.

¹⁰ “Who among you fears the LORD?

Who obeys the voice of His Servant?

Who walks in darkness

And has no light?

Let him trust in the name of the LORD

And rely upon his God.

¹¹ Look, all you who kindle a fire,

Who encircle yourselves with sparks:

Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled—

This you shall have from My hand:

You shall lie down in torment.

The LORD Comforts Zion

51

51:1 “Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness,

You who seek the LORD:

Look to the rock from which you were hewn,

And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.

² Look to Abraham your father,

And to Sarah who bore you;

For I called him alone,

And blessed him and increased him.”

³ For the LORD will comfort Zion,

He will comfort all her waste places;

He will make her wilderness like Eden,

And her desert like the garden of the LORD;

Joy and gladness will be found in it,

Thanksgiving and the voice of melody.

⁴ “Listen to Me, My people;

And give ear to Me, O My nation:

For law will proceed from Me,

And I will make My justice rest

As a light of the peoples.

⁵ My righteousness is near,

My salvation has gone forth,

And My arms will judge the peoples;

The coastlands will wait upon Me,

And on My arm they will trust.

⁶ Lift up your eyes to the heavens,

And look on the earth beneath.

For the heavens will vanish away like smoke,

The earth will grow old like a garment,

And those who dwell in it will die in like manner;

But My salvation will be forever,

And My righteousness will not be abolished.

⁷ “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,

You people in whose heart is My law:

Do not fear the reproach of men,

Nor be afraid of their insults.

⁸ For the moth will eat them up like a garment,

And the worm will eat them like wool;

But My righteousness will be forever,

And My salvation from generation to generation.”

⁹ Awake, awake, put on strength,

O arm of the LORD!

Awake as in the ancient days,

In the generations of old.

Are You not the arm that cut Rahab apart,

And wounded the serpent?

¹⁰ Are You not the One who dried up the sea,

The waters of the great deep;

That made the depths of the sea a road

For the redeemed to cross over?

¹¹ So the ransomed of the LORD shall return,

And come to Zion with singing,

With everlasting joy on their heads.

They shall obtain joy and gladness;

Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

¹² “I, even I, am He who comforts you.

Who are you that you should be afraid

Of a man who will die,

And of the son of a man who will be made like grass?

¹³ And you forget the LORD your Maker,

Who stretched out the heavens

And laid the foundations of the earth;

You have feared continually every day

Because of the fury of the oppressor,

When he has prepared to destroy.

And where is the fury of the oppressor?

¹⁴ The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed,

That he should not die in the pit,

And that his bread should not fail.

¹⁵ But I am the LORD your God,

Who divided the sea whose waves roared—

The LORD of hosts is His name.

¹⁶ And I have put My words in your mouth;

I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,

That I may plant the heavens,

Lay the foundations of the earth,

And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ”

God’s Fury Removed

¹⁷ Awake, awake!

Stand up, O Jerusalem,

You who have drunk at the hand of the LORD

The cup of His fury;

You have drunk the dregs of the cup of trembling,

And drained it out.

¹⁸ There is no one to guide her

Among all the sons she has brought forth;

Nor is there any who takes her by the hand

Among all the sons she has brought up.

¹⁹ These two things have come to you;

Who will be sorry for you?—

Desolation and destruction, famine and sword—

By whom will I comfort you?

Arts & Literature

The Hebrews were not seafarers, and they found the ocean dangerous and frightening. In the Bible the sea is usually a symbol for disorder and chaos (Is. 51:10). Rahab (51:9) was one name given to the chaos monster in pagan mythology. The prophet alludes to popular literature in describing Israel’s escape from Egypt across the Red Sea, which was a similar conquest over the threatening waters.

²⁰ Your sons have fainted,

They lie at the head of all the streets,

Like an antelope in a net;

They are full of the fury of the LORD,

The rebuke of your God.

²¹ Therefore please hear this, you afflicted,

And drunk but not with wine.

²² Thus says your Lord,

The LORD and your God,

Who pleads the cause of His people:

“See, I have taken out of your hand

The cup of trembling,

The dregs of the cup of My fury;

You shall no longer drink it.

²³ But I will put it into the hand of those who afflict you,

Who have said to you,^a

‘Lie down, that we may walk over you.’

And you have laid your body like the ground,

And as the street, for those who walk over.”

Transition

The Suffering Servant

The Servant of the Lord brings salvation (see “The Servant of the Lord” at Is. 49:1). That salvation comes about in a startling new fashion, though. There will be no wars, plagues, and flight, as when God brought Israel out of Egypt (Is. 52:12). Nor shall this salvation cost Israel (52:3). Instead, salvation shall be brought by the Servant’s suffering and death (53:4–6).

To the Judean exiles in Babylon, the message was simply that their suffering was over. God had redeemed His people in a new and marvelous way. Since the passion of Christ, though, Christians have recognized a much more specific fulfillment to the final Servant Song. Christ Himself is the promised Servant. He was the One who bore “our griefs and carried our sorrows” (53:4), and on Him God laid “the iniquity of us all” (53:6). The salvation proclaimed in the New Testament, a salvation that depends not on morality or on earthly power but rather on the Servant’s humble self-sacrifice, finds its most powerful expression in Is. 52:13–53:12, written centuries before Christ.

• Isaiah 52:1–55:13

Isaiah

God Redeems Jerusalem

52

52:1 Awake, 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.

² Shake yourself from the dust, arise;

Sit down, O Jerusalem!

Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck,

O captive daughter of Zion!

³ For thus says the LORD:

“You have sold yourselves for nothing,

And you shall be redeemed without money.”

⁴ For thus says the Lord GOD:

“My people went down at first

Into Egypt to dwell there;

Then the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

⁵ Now therefore, what have I here,” says the LORD,

“That My people are taken away for nothing?

Those who rule over them

Make them wail,”^a says the LORD,

“And My name is blasphemed continually every day.

⁶ Therefore My people shall know My name;

Therefore they shall know in that day

That I am He who speaks:

‘Behold, it is I.’ ”

⁷ How 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!”

⁸ Your 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.

⁹ Break forth into joy, sing together,

You waste places of Jerusalem!

For the LORD has comforted His people,

He has redeemed Jerusalem.

¹⁰ The 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.

¹¹ Depart! 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.

¹² For 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.

* Behold, My Servant (Is. 52:13)

The words “Behold, My Servant” (Is. 52:13) begin a definitive description of the Servant through whom God would deliver Israel from their sins (Is. 52:13–53:12). From the earliest days of the church, Christians have considered this “Servant” to represent prophetically Jesus Christ, and with good reason. In a very profound sense, the life of Christ reflects and fulfills the life of the Servant.

What is said about the Servant is nothing less than tragic. Like the Servant, Jesus proclaimed good news to the community. Like the Servant, Jesus’ good news threatened those who had most accommodated themselves to the foreigners: the prophet’s exilic community with the Babylonians; Jesus’ Jerusalem priesthood with the Romans. Like the Servant, Jesus did not alter His message, and like the Servant, He paid for it by His life—disgraced, shamed, and held in no account.

Jesus, therefore, relived and fulfilled the theological and social dynamics encountered by the Servant. No one expected that the Messiah would come as a servant: quiet, unassuming, and suffering. This Servant “was wounded for our transgressions”; He was “oppressed” and “afflicted”; yet, by “His stripes we are healed” (53:5, 7). In raising Jesus from the dead, God has allotted Jesus “a portion with the great” (53:12), “exalted and extolled” (52:13). For so many reasons, Christians cannot read Is. 52:13–53:12 without hearing echoes of the life of Christ.

The Sin-Bearing Servant

¹³ Behold, My Servant shall deal prudently;

He shall be exalted and extolled and be very high.

¹⁴ Just as many were astonished at you,

So His visage was marred more than any man,

And His form more than the sons of men;

¹⁵ So shall He sprinkle^a 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.

53

53:1 Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

² For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,

And as a root out of dry ground.

He has no form or comeliness;

And when we see Him,

There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

³ He is despised and rejected by men,

A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.

And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

⁴ Surely He has borne our griefs

And carried our sorrows;

Yet we esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten by God, and afflicted.

⁵ But He was wounded for our transgressions,

He was bruised for our iniquities;

The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

And by His stripes we are healed.

⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray;

We have turned, every one, to his own way;

And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

⁷ He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He opened not His mouth;

He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

So He opened not His mouth.

⁸ He was taken from prison and from judgment,

And who will declare His generation?

For He was cut off from the land of the living;

For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.

⁹ And they^a made His grave with the wicked—

But with the rich at His death,

Because He had done no violence,

Nor was any deceit in His mouth.

¹⁰ Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him;

He has put Him to grief.

When You make His soul an offering for sin,

He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,

And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.

¹¹ He shall see the labor of His soul,^a and be satisfied.

By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,

For He shall bear their iniquities.

* The Heritage of Barren “Servants” (Is. 54:17)

The prophet changed his message in a subtle, but important way. No longer did he speak of a single “Servant”; now he spoke of the plural “servants.” These servants were the Judean exiles, whose city Jerusalem was in ruins. Yet the prophet offered a message of hope as he turned to address “the heritage of the servants of the LORD” (Is. 54:17).

The situation of these “servants” is similar to that of a barren woman (Is. 54:1). In antiquity a single woman or a woman unable to bear children was in a vulnerable social and economic situation. Such a woman bore social shame from a society which believed infertility indicated a curse from God. Additionally, in a society where children provided “social security,” a barren or single woman could be left economically destitute upon the death of her husband. The barren woman provided a powerful image to describe the uncertain situation the people faced when they returned to their desolate city Jerusalem.

But God saw these servants much differently. Though barren, shamed, and a widow, the servants were not destitute. Judah had not been divorced. Her estranged husband would take her back, and she would yet bear children (54:5–10). They were not forsaken; on the contrary, their “husband” owned the wealth of all creation!

The prophet did not deny the servants’ current predicament: they were “afflicted” and “not comforted” (54:11). Yet because God was their husband, the future was anything but bleak: God would have mercy on them (54:8). The foundations and walls of their city would be rebuilt and inhabited by their children (54:11–13). This was their “heritage” as God’s servants.

¹² Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,

And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,

Because He poured out His soul unto death,

And He was numbered with the transgressors,

And He bore the sin of many,

And made intercession for the transgressors.

A Perpetual Covenant of Peace

54

54:1 “Sing, O barren, You who have not borne!

Break forth into singing, and cry aloud,

You who have not labored with child!

For more are the children of the desolate

Than the children of the married woman,” says the LORD.

² “Enlarge the place of your tent,

And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings;

Do not spare;

Lengthen your cords,

And strengthen your stakes.

³ For you shall expand to the right and to the left,

And your descendants will inherit the nations,

And make the desolate cities inhabited.

Architecture & Building

The Arabs of the desert, known as the bedouin, live in tents made of dark goat hair. The floor plan of these tents is rectangular with an interior curtain dividing the tent into two parts. A standard tent is made of 6 to 8 lengths of cloth held up by 9 interior poles. The overall size can be up to 6 by 10 yards. Large tents are made twice the size of a standard tent (Is. 54:2).

⁴ “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed;

Neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame;

For you will forget the shame of your youth,

And will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore.

⁵ For your Maker is your husband,

The LORD of hosts is His name;

And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel;

He is called the God of the whole earth.

⁶ For the LORD has called you

Like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,

Like a youthful wife when you were refused,”

Says your God.

⁷ “For a mere moment I have forsaken you,

But with great mercies I will gather you.

⁸ With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment;