Isaiah 61:4
in Isaiah 61They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
KJV
And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
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This verse in Isaiah 61
Commentary
9 notes on this verse(Verse 3-5) And they shall be called in her strong justices, the plantation of the Lord, to glorify. And they shall build the ancient places that were waste, and shall raise up the desolate cities, that were destroyed for generations and generations. And strangers shall stand and shall feed your flocks: and the sons of strangers shall be your husbandmen and your vinedressers. LXX: And they shall be called the generations of justice: the planting of the Lord to glory.
This site's exposition
They will rebuild the ancient ruins
on Isaiah 61:4-6
“They will rebuild the ancient ruins”, the returned people repairing cities ruined. Verses 5 and 6 draw a line: “Strangers will stand and feed your flocks”, while “you will be called the priests of the LORD”. The whole nation takes the title of Exodus 19:6, a kingdom of priests.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
For the Savior cultivates us through the holy people of faith. And these are called God's coworkers.… And the gladness will be everlasting; for we do not expect the reward to be in things of this age but in exceeding hope and life without limit for those who are noble concerning thought and speech.
This is said to the holy apostles, "Do not be distressed when you are persecuted, tortured and disgraced among all and endure death of a thousand vanities. For through your sufferings the nations will gain salvation, and they will have a portion among those rejoicing."
The Medieval Church1 voice
And the restoration of buildings, and they shall build, these same men, or the apostles, above: and the places that have been desolate for ages shall be built in you (Isa 58:12).
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
And they shall build the old wastes,....
An unsanctified soul is like a city that is broken down and has no walls, like a house in ruins; but by the power of Christ's gospel and grace it is repaired, it is put in order again, and fitted to be a habitation of God through the Spirit.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
“And they that spring from thee” - A word is lost here likewise. After ובנו ubanu, “they shall build,” add ממך mimmecha, they that spring from thee. Four MSS. have it so, (two of them ancient), and one of mine has it in the margin, and it is confirmed by Isa 58:12, where the sentence is the very same, this word being here added.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And they shall build the old wastes - (See the notes at Isa 58:12).
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּבָנוּ֙ | uvanu | and they will rebuild | H1129 → | 376 times |
| חָרְב֣וֹת | charevot | [the] ruins of | H2723 → | 42 times |
| עוֹלָ֔ם | olam | antiquity | H5769 → | 438 times |
| שֹׁמְמ֥וֹת | shomemot | [the] desolate [places] | H8074 → | 86 times |
| רִֽאשֹׁנִ֖ים | rishonim | former | H7223 → | 182 times |
| יְקוֹמֵ֑מוּ | yekomemu | they will raise up | H6965 → | 628 times |
| וְחִדְּשׁוּ֙ | vechideshu | and they will renew | H2318 → | |
| עָ֣רֵי | ʾarei | [the] cities of | H5892 → | 1090 times |
| חֹ֔רֶב | chorev | devastation | H2721 → | 16 times |
| שֹׁמְמ֖וֹת | shomemot | [the] desolate [places] of | H8074 → | 86 times |
| דּ֥וֹר | dor | a generation | H1755 → | 167 times |
| וָדֽוֹר׃ | vador | and a generation | H1755 → | 167 times |
וּבָנוּ֙and they will rebuild
uvanuH1129 →376 times
חָרְב֣וֹת[the] ruins of
charevotH2723 →42 times
עוֹלָ֔םantiquity
olamH5769 →438 times
שֹׁמְמ֥וֹת[the] desolate [places]
shomemotH8074 →86 times
רִֽאשֹׁנִ֖יםformer
rishonimH7223 →182 times
יְקוֹמֵ֑מוּthey will raise up
yekomemuH6965 →628 times
וְחִדְּשׁוּ֙and they will renew
vechideshuH2318 →
עָ֣רֵי[the] cities of
ʾareiH5892 →1090 times
חֹ֔רֶבdevastation
chorevH2721 →16 times
שֹׁמְמ֖וֹת[the] desolate [places] of
shomemotH8074 →86 times
דּ֥וֹרa generation
dorH1755 →167 times
וָדֽוֹר׃and a generation
vadorH1755 →167 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 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
Isaiah 58:12Your 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.
it leads to
- Amos 9:14
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
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 9:11
“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,
- Nehemiah 2:17
Then 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…
- Ezekiel 36:8–11
But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and bear fruit for My people Israel, for they will soon come home.
- Amos 9:14
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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 5:5.61:4-7; 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; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 19:61.7 and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.