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Isaiah 62

KJV · Chapter 62/66

1For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

2And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.

3Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

4Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi–bah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

5For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

6I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence,

7And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

8The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:

9But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.

10Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.

11Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

12And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Isaiah promises he will not rest until Jerusalem's righteousness "go forth as brightness." The city will receive a new name, being called "Hephzibah" (my delight is in her) instead of "Forsaken," like a bride beloved by her God.

Explanation

The prophet's determination not "to hold his peace" until Jerusalem's salvation is fulfilled shows persistent intercession as a model of active, insistent prayer. The change of name from "Forsaken" and "Desolate" to "Hephzibah" (literally "my delight is in her" in Hebrew) and "Beulah" (married) reflects a common biblical practice of renaming people or places to symbolize a new identity and destiny (as with Abram becoming Abraham). The image of "watchmen upon the walls" who never fall silent, "day nor night," reminding God of his promise, illustrates persistent, active intercession for the city. The practical application today is that the identity God gives a person or community can be radically different from the way the world or the past has labeled them.

Fun facts

  • The name "Hephzibah" (Hebrew for "my delight is in her") was also the name of King Hezekiah's mother, mentioned in 2 Kings 21:1, suggesting a connection between the affectionate language of this chapter and real royal names actually used in that period.
  • The practice of renaming places or people to symbolize a new identity is common in the Bible, including Abram becoming Abraham, Jacob becoming Israel, and later Simon becoming Peter in the New Testament.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Isaiah 62:1“Will I not hold my peace” and “I will not rest” describe a persistent promise of intercession — someone, probably the prophet himself, determined to keep crying out for Jerusalem until the restoration is as visible as light.
  2. Isaiah 62:2Receiving a new name was, in antiquity, a sign of a change in identity or status. Here it’s applied to Jerusalem, who will no longer be seen as an abandoned city but will gain a name reflecting her new condition.
  3. Isaiah 62:3Being “a crown of glory” and “a royal diadem” in God’s hand turns the city into an object of pride on display, no longer hidden or discarded — an image of maximum value.
  4. Isaiah 62:4“Forsaken” and “Desolate” were what the destroyed city came to be called. The text promises to trade these nicknames for Hephzi-bah and Beulah, Hebrew names meaning my delight and “married” — wordplay that only makes sense knowing that, in the original language, each term was literally a nickname for the city.
  5. Isaiah 62:5Comparing sons marrying the land itself, and God rejoicing like a bridegroom, extends the marriage metaphor already used in chapter 54 to describe the relationship between the people and the restored city.
  6. Isaiah 62:6Watchmen who “shall never hold their peace” on the walls describe constant vigilance in prayer, not military: they are people tasked with reminding God of the promise made to Jerusalem, day and night without stopping.
  7. Isaiah 62:7“Give him no rest” encourages continuous insistence in prayer until the promise is completely fulfilled, an idea of perseverance that reinforces the tone of the whole chapter.
  8. Isaiah 62:8The oath sworn by the right hand uses a solemn formula, the kind a person used when swearing with a raised hand. Here it’s applied to a promise guaranteeing that enemies will no longer steal the people’s harvest.
  9. Isaiah 62:9Eating and drinking “in the courts of my holiness” contrasts with an earlier situation, mentioned in other prophetic texts, where foreigners consumed the people’s harvest; here it is the people themselves who enjoy what they planted.
  10. Isaiah 62:10“Go through the gates” and “cast up... the highway” repeat the path-preparation image used in chapters 40 and 57, here as a final invitation for the people to actually cross back home.
  11. Isaiah 62:11“Unto the end of the world” expands the reach of Zion’s salvation announcement to a global audience, and “his reward” and “his work before him” repeat the same language of recompense already used in chapter 40.
  12. Isaiah 62:12The new names given at the end of the chapter, “The holy people,” “Sought out,” and “A city not forsaken,” directly contrast with the negative nicknames mentioned in chapter 54, showing the city’s complete reversal of identity.

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