Isaiahchapter 52
15 verses · BSBIsaiah book hub →
Speaks with:Isaiah 51×3Isaiah 61×2Revelation 21×1Zechariah 3×1Luke 4×11 Peter 1×1
The last three verses of this chapter open the fourth song about the Servant, which runs on through Isaiah 53. Read Isaiah 53→
Summary
Chapter summary
Zion is commanded twice to awake, put on strength and beautiful garments, and rise from the dust: sold for nought (oppressed in Egypt, then by Assyria without cause), she will be redeemed without money, and the people will know the name now blasphemed continually. The messenger's feet upon the mountains publish peace and salvation, "Thy God reigneth," words Paul applies to gospel preachers in Romans 10:15; watchmen sing, waste places of Jerusalem break forth into joy, and Jehovah bares his holy arm before all nations. A departure command follows: touch no unclean thing, bear the vessels of Jehovah cleanly, with Jehovah going before and behind, no flight in haste. Verses 13-15 open the fourth Servant Song: the Servant deals wisely and is exalted, though his visage is marred more than any man; he sprinkles many nations, and kings shut their mouths at him.
Context
Prophecy · Isaiah — Isaiah overview
- A. 1–6 Awake, Put On Thy Strength, O Zion
- B. 7–12 How Beautiful the Feet That Bring Good Tidings
- C. 13–15 My Servant Exalted, His Visage Marred More Than Any Man
The outline
A.Awake, Put On Thy Strength, O Zionvv. 1 to 6
Read vv. 1 to 6 →B.How Beautiful the Feet That Bring Good Tidingsvv. 7 to 12
Read vv. 7 to 12 →C.My Servant Exalted, His Visage Marred More Than Any Manvv. 13 to 15
Read vv. 13 to 15 →
The world behind this chapter
Isaiah 52The history
The picture of the captive is exact. Shake yourself from the dust, arise, sit down; loose yourself from the bonds around your neck. Prisoners sat on the ground in the dirt, and captives were moved with neck ropes or wooden collars linking a column of men together — Assyrian reliefs show it. Getting up off the ground and off the rope is the whole command.
The runner on the mountains is how war news arrived. A city under threat posted watchmen who scanned the ridgelines, and when a messenger appeared they read the outcome from how he ran before he could speak. So the line about beautiful feet on the mountains is not sentiment: those are the feet of the man whose arrival ends the waiting. What he shouts is a battle result — your God reigns.
The redemption terms come with a note about price. You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money. God buys nothing back from Babylon; he was never paid for them in the first place.
The departure instructions distinguish this exodus from the first. Depart, go out from there, touch no unclean thing, be clean, you who carry the vessels of the LORD — the temple utensils being carried home. But you shall not go out in haste, nor go by flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard. The first exodus was a night run with bread that had no time to rise. This one is an orderly march with an escort front and back.
The last three verses begin the fourth Servant song, and they begin with disfigurement. His appearance was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men. A prisoner beaten past recognition is a specific sight, and the ancient world had seen it.
What it meant to them
The complaint the chapter answers is that God's name was being dragged through the mud by Israel's condition: my name is blasphemed continually every day. The rescue is about his reputation as much as their comfort.
And for hearers among the nations, the last line of the chapter set up everything that follows: what had not been told them they will see, and what they had not heard they will consider. The kings of the earth shut their mouths.
Sources cited
- John N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40–66 (NICOT)
- Walton, Matthews & Chavalas, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament
The text of this chapter
This page carries no textual note on Isaiah 52. Where this site has examined a place the manuscripts differ, the examination is in the manuscripts room. Every place this site examines →
Connections from this chapter
v. 7 · Quoted here
'How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel': the formula-quoted OT source behind Eph 6:15, feet shod with the gospel of peace.
Romans 10:15→And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
public-domain commentaries in agreement; cross-checked against the UBS apparatus
v. 15 · Quoted here
'To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see': Paul grounds his ambition to preach where Christ is unnamed
Romans 15:21→Rather, as it is written: “Those who were not told about Him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.”
public-domain commentaries in agreement; cross-checked against the UBS apparatus
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Notes on the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.