Isaiah 58:12
in Isaiah 58Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of the Streets of Dwelling.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places; thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
KJV
And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.
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This verse in Isaiah 58
Commentary
11 notes on this verse(Verse 12.) And the deserts of the ages will be built in you: you will raise the foundations of generation after generation: and you will be called the builder of walls, turning paths into peace. LXX: And the deserts will be built for you from the age and your foundations will be everlasting for generations and generations: and you will be called the builder of walls, and you will make paths rest in the middle.
This site's exposition
and if you give yourself to the hungry
on Isaiah 58:10-12
The standard comes, “if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul”, and then the promise: “your night will be like noonday”. “The LORD will always guide you”, and the people will be “like a spring whose waters never fail”, a picture from the desert road.
This site's exposition
you will restore the age-old foundations
Barnes notes that age-old stands for the Hebrew dor-vador, generation and generation, and that the ancient ruins picture the land laid waste in the exile. Henry sees it fulfilled when the people came home and rebuilt the cities. Wesley takes the breach as the walls torn down in judgment.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
The prophetic word comes to us through two further metaphors, and the beautiful form of hidden ideas is displayed. For it is about a deserted town and its defenseless state that a form of words is molded. It declares, your deserts will be lived in perpetually, that is, you will not be naked of good thoughts indwelling your heart, nor will you be defenseless or unguarded and insecure. For Christ will be your enduring foundation and support, and like a city you will have countless people dwelling there. For the souls of the saints are full of holy words and thoughts. And many will come to it as the level of perfection, running up and down, declaring it to be full of good things. And you will be called a builder of walls.… You must know that there are evil and contrary powers invading the vulnerable soul, giving rise to awful desires and in a despotic way carrying off whatever they want and strolling round the barren garden. But they will stop this interference when a wall is erected, that is, the divine fear set up within [the soul].
The Medieval Church1 voice
1031. Second, as to the rebuilding of their homeland: and the places that have been desolate for ages, that is, namely, the cities of the desert in former times, shall be built, after their return from captivity; you shall raise up, rebuilding upon the old …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
This was fulfilled when the captives, after their return, repaired the cities of Judah, and dwelt in them, and many of those in Israel too, which had lain waste ever since the carrying away of the ten tribes.
They shall be of thee - Thy posterity. Waste places - Cities which have lain long waste; that shall continue for many generations to come. The breach - Breach is put for breaches, which was made by God's judgment breaking in upon them in suffering the walls of their towns and cities to be demolished.
And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places,....
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
The restorer of paths to dwell in “The restorer of paths to be frequented by inhabitants” - To this purpose it is rendered by the Syriac, Symmachus, and Theodotion.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Ac 15:16, 17). be called--appropriately: the name truly designating what thou shalt do. breach--the calamity wherewith God visited Israel for their sin (Isa 30:26; 1Ch 15:13). paths to dwell in--not that the paths were to be dwelt in, but the paths leading to their dwellings were to be restored; "paths, so as to dwell in the land" [MAURER].
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And they that shall be of thee - They that spring from thee; or thy people. Shall build the old waste places - Shall repair the old ruins, and restore the desolate cities and fields to their former beauty. This language is taken from the condition of Judea during the long captivity at Babylon. The land would have been desolated by the Chaldeans, and lain waste for a period of seventy years. Of course all the remains of their former prosperity would have gone to decay, and the whole country would be filled with ruins. But all this, says the prophet, would be restored if they were obedient to God. and would keep his law. Their descendants would be so numerous that the land would be entirely occupied and cultivated again, and cities and towns would rise with their former beauty and magnificence. Thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations - That is, the foundations which had endured for generations. The word ‘foundations’ here (מוסד môsâd), means properly the foundation of a building, that is, on which a building rests. Here it means the foundation when that alone remains; and is equivalent to ruins. The Hebrew phrase translated ‘of many generational’ (דור־ודור dôr-vâdôr, generation and generation), is equivalent to one generation after another, and is the usual form of the superlative degree. The exact amount of time is not designated; but the phrase is equivalent to a long time - while one generation passes away after another. Vitringa applies this to the gospel, and supposes that it means that the church, after long decay and desolation, would rise to its former beauty and glory. […]
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּבָנ֤וּ | uvanu | and they will rebuild | H1129 → | 376 times |
| מִמְּךָ֙ | mimekha | some of you | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| חָרְב֣וֹת | charevot | [the] ruins of | H2723 → | 42 times |
| עוֹלָ֔ם | olam | antiquity | H5769 → | 438 times |
| מוֹסְדֵ֥י | mosdei | [the] foundations of | H4144 → | |
| דוֹר־ | dor- | a generation | H1755 → | 167 times |
| וָד֖וֹר | vador | and a generation | H1755 → | 167 times |
| תְּקוֹמֵ֑ם | tekomem | you will raise up | H6965 → | 628 times |
| וְקֹרָ֤א | vekora' | and it will be called | H7121 → | 733 times |
| לְךָ֙ | lekha | to you | ||
| גֹּדֵ֣ר | goder | [one who] walls up | H1443 → | |
| פֶּ֔רֶץ | peretz | a breach | H6556 → | |
| מְשֹׁבֵ֥ב | meshovev | [one who] restores | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| נְתִיב֖וֹת | netivot | paths | H5410 → | 26 times |
| לָשָֽׁבֶת׃ | lashavet | to dwell in | H3427 → | 1079 times |
וּבָנ֤וּand they will rebuild
uvanuH1129 →376 times
מִמְּךָ֙some of you
mimekhaH4480 →1188 times
חָרְב֣וֹת[the] ruins of
charevotH2723 →42 times
עוֹלָ֔םantiquity
olamH5769 →438 times
מוֹסְדֵ֥י[the] foundations of
mosdeiH4144 →
דוֹר־a generation
dor-H1755 →167 times
וָד֖וֹרand a generation
vadorH1755 →167 times
תְּקוֹמֵ֑םyou will raise up
tekomemH6965 →628 times
וְקֹרָ֤אand it will be called
vekora'H7121 →733 times
לְךָ֙to you
lekha
גֹּדֵ֣ר[one who] walls up
goderH1443 →
פֶּ֔רֶץa breach
peretzH6556 →
מְשֹׁבֵ֥ב[one who] restores
meshovevH7725 →1056 times
נְתִיב֖וֹתpaths
netivotH5410 →26 times
לָשָֽׁבֶת׃to dwell in
lashavetH3427 →1079 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Amos 9:11“In that day I will restore the fallen tent of David. I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old,
it leads to
- Acts 15:15–17
The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written:
- Jeremiah 33:14–16
Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will fulfill the gracious promise that I have spoken to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.
- Isaiah 16:5
in loving devotion a throne will be established in the tent of David. A judge seeking justice and hastening righteousness will sit on it in faithfulness.
- Acts 15:15–17
Through
Amos 9:14I will restore My people Israel from captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
it leads to
- Isaiah 61:4
They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.
- Isaiah 61:4
Through
Isaiah 61:4They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.
it leads to
- Amos 9:14–15
I will restore My people Israel from captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.
- Ezekiel 36:33–36
This is what the Lord GOD says: On the day I cleanse you from all your iniquities, I will cause the cities to be resettled and the ruins to be rebuilt.
- Amos 9:14–15
Through
Nehemiah 2:17Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in. Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned down. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 5:14
I will make you a ruin and a disgrace among the nations around you, in the sight of all who pass by.
- Isaiah 35:3–4
Strengthen the limp hands and steady the feeble knees!
- Ezekiel 5:14
Where this verse is studied
About Isaiah
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Cyril of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 5:4.58:12; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.