Isaiah 52

KJV · Chapter 52/66

1Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

2Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

3For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.

4For thus saith the Lord God, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

5Now therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the Lord; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.

6Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.

7How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

8Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

9Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

10The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

11Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.

12For ye 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 rereward.

13Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

14As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

15So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A rousing call for Jerusalem to 'awake' and clothe herself with strength, for her deliverance is near, and the 'feet' of those who bring good news of peace are called 'beautiful' upon the mountains. The chapter closes by introducing the Servant who will be exalted, but whose suffering will leave many astonished.

Explanation

The image of the "beautiful feet" of those who bring good news describes messengers running across the mountains to carry word of victory or peace to a besieged city — a real custom of the time, when news of deliverance was celebrated the moment it was sighted from afar. The command to "depart" and "touch no unclean thing," addressed to those carrying the sacred vessels of the temple, prepares the people for the journey back from Babylon in ritual purity. The chapter ends with a striking introduction: God's Servant will be "exalted and extolled, and be very high," yet his appearance will be so disfigured that "many were astonished at him" — directly setting the stage for the fourth and most famous Servant Song in the following chapter. The practical application today is that good news of hope and deliverance deserves to be celebrated and announced with genuine joy.

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