Isaiah 51:6

Translation
King James Version
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
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KJV (with Strong's)
Lift up H5375 your eyes H5869 to the heavens H8064, and look H5027 upon the earth H776 beneath: for the heavens H8064 shall vanish away H4414 like smoke H6227, and the earth H776 shall wax old H1086 like a garment H899, and they that dwell H3427 therein shall die H4191 in like H3644 manner H3654: but my salvation H3444 shall be for ever H5769, and my righteousness H6666 shall not be abolished H2865.
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Complete Jewish Bible
"Raise your eyes toward the skies, look at the earth below. The skies will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like clothing. Those living on it will die like flies; but my salvation will be forever, and my justice will never end.
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Berean Standard Bible
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth below; for the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and its people will die like gnats. But My salvation will last forever, and My righteousness will never fail.
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American Standard Version
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
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World English Bible Messianic
Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look on the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment; and those who dwell therein shall die in the same way: but my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
Lift vp your eyes to the heauens, and looke vpon the earth beneath: for the heauens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall waxe olde like a garment, and they that dwell therein, shall perish in like maner: but my saluation shall be for euer, and my righteousnesse shall not bee abolished.
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Young's Literal Translation
Lift ye up to the heavens your eyes, And look attentively unto the earth beneath, For the heavens as smoke have vanished, And the earth as a garment weareth out, And its inhabitants as gnats do die, And My salvation is to the age, And My righteousness is not broken.
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See also
Matthew 24:35Psalms 102:25Psalms 102:26Isaiah 34:4Hebrews 1:10Hebrews 1:12Revelation 6:12
In the KJVVerse 18,680 of 31,102

Study This Verse

SUMMARY

Isaiah 51:6 delivers a profound theological statement, contrasting the transient nature of the created order with the eternal and immutable character of God's salvation and righteousness. It calls the audience to shift their perspective from the fleeting physical realm, which is destined to decay and disappear, to the steadfast and everlasting promises of the Almighty. This verse serves as a powerful anchor of hope and assurance for those facing despair, reminding them that while all earthly things are temporary, God's redemptive work and perfect justice endure forever, providing an unshakeable foundation for faith.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse is situated within the "Book of Comfort" (Isaiah 40-66), a significant section of Isaiah's prophecy primarily aimed at reassuring and encouraging the exilic community in Babylon, or those facing similar despair in Judah. Following chapters that emphasize God's incomparable power and His role as the sole Creator and Redeemer, chapter 51 specifically calls God's people to remember His past acts of deliverance, particularly the call of Abraham and Sarah in Isaiah 51:1-2. This remembrance is intended to bolster their faith in God's capacity to deliver them again. The preceding verses (Isaiah 51:4-5) speak of God's righteousness drawing near and His salvation going forth, becoming a light to the nations, setting the stage for the radical contrast between the temporary and the eternal. The immediate call to "lift up your eyes" serves as an imperative to adopt a divine perspective, moving beyond immediate circumstances to grasp God's ultimate, enduring plan.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: The primary audience for this message was likely the Jewish exiles in Babylon, a people who had experienced the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and who were living under foreign dominion. Their world had been turned upside down; their land was desolate, their national identity threatened, and their faith severely tested. In such a context, the grandeur and apparent permanence of the Babylonian empire might have seemed overwhelming, while their own future appeared bleak and uncertain. Culturally, the ancient Near East often viewed the heavens and earth as enduring, though some traditions recognized a cyclical nature. Isaiah's proclamation of their ultimate decay would have been a radical theological statement, designed to dismantle any trust placed in the stability of the physical world or human empires, redirecting their hope solely to the God of Israel, who transcends all creation.
  • Key Themes: Isaiah 51:6 powerfully encapsulates several overarching themes of the "Book of Comfort." The most prominent is the transience of creation versus the eternality of God. While the physical universe, including human life, is depicted as subject to decay and dissolution—the heavens vanishing like smoke, the earth wearing out like a garment—God's attributes of salvation and righteousness are declared to be everlasting and indestructible. This theme directly counters the despair of the exiles, who might have felt that God had abandoned them or that His promises had failed. Instead, Isaiah asserts God's unwavering faithfulness and His ultimate triumph. This echoes themes of cosmic renewal found elsewhere, such as the promise of new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells, a concept later expanded in the New Testament (e.g., 2 Peter 3:13). Another key theme is divine perspective, as the command to "lift up your eyes" urges a shift from an earthly, limited viewpoint to a heavenly, eternal one. This reorientation is crucial for fostering profound hope and trust in God's sovereign plan, even amidst profound suffering and apparent hopelessness.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • bâlâh (Hebrew, bâlâh', H1086): Used in "the earth shall wax old like a garment" (H1086). This primitive root signifies to fail, wear out, decay, or become old. It vividly portrays the natural process of deterioration and eventual uselessness, much like a piece of clothing that becomes threadbare and is discarded. This emphasizes the inherent impermanence and finite lifespan of the created order, highlighting its susceptibility to the ravages of time and entropy.
  • yᵉshûwʻâh (Hebrew, yᵉshûwʻâh', H3444): Translated as "salvation" (H3444). This feminine passive participle means "something saved" or "deliverance." It encompasses aid, victory, prosperity, health, and welfare. In this context, it refers to God's active, redemptive intervention on behalf of His people, which is declared to be eternal, standing in stark contrast to the decaying cosmos. It speaks to God's enduring power to rescue and restore, irrespective of worldly conditions.
  • châthath (Hebrew, châthath', H2865): Used in "shall not be abolished" (H2865). This primitive root means to prostrate, break down, or be dismayed. Its negation here ("shall not be abolished") powerfully conveys that God's righteousness is not subject to being broken, discouraged, or brought to an end. It signifies an unyielding, enduring, and unbreakable quality, highlighting the absolute stability and reliability of God's character and actions, ensuring His justice and faithfulness will never fail.

Verse Breakdown

  • "Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath": This opening imperative serves as a powerful call to attention, urging the audience to observe the vastness and apparent permanence of the cosmos—both the celestial and terrestrial realms. It's an invitation to gain a panoramic, cosmic perspective, setting the stage for the subsequent profound revelation about their transient nature. It challenges the immediate, limited human viewpoint.
  • "for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment": This clause introduces the shocking truth about the created order. The heavens, seemingly eternal and majestic, are likened to "smoke" that dissipates quickly and completely, while the earth, the very foundation of human existence, is compared to a "garment" that wears out and becomes useless over time. This vivid imagery underscores the inherent impermanence and ultimate decay of the physical universe, despite its initial appearance of stability.
  • "and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner": This extends the principle of transience and decay to humanity itself. Just as the heavens and earth are destined to perish and pass away, so too are their inhabitants. This acknowledges the universal reality of mortality and reinforces the idea that all things within the created realm, including human life, are subject to decay and an ultimate end, emphasizing the fleeting nature of earthly existence.
  • "but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished": This is the pivotal contrast and the core message of profound hope and assurance. The conjunction "but" introduces a radical shift in focus from the fleeting to the eternal. God's "salvation" (His redemptive acts and deliverance) and His "righteousness" (His just character, moral integrity, and covenant faithfulness) are declared to be "for ever" (eternal, without end) and "shall not be abolished" (unbreakable, never failing, never dismayed). This provides an unshakeable foundation for faith, assuring the audience that God's nature and promises are utterly dependable, regardless of the instability and decay of the created world.

Literary Devices

Isaiah 51:6 is rich with powerful Imagery and Metaphor, particularly in its vivid depiction of the transient cosmos. The heavens "vanish away like smoke" (Simile), evoking a swift, complete, and insubstantial disappearance, emphasizing their ephemeral nature. The earth will "wax old like a garment" (Simile), portraying a gradual but inevitable process of decay, deterioration, and eventual discarding, making the abstract concept of cosmic entropy tangible and relatable. The verse employs Contrast as its central rhetorical strategy, juxtaposing the ephemeral nature of creation with the eternal permanence and immutability of God's salvation and righteousness. This stark opposition highlights the absolute reliability of God in the face of universal decay and human mortality. The opening phrase, "Lift up your eyes... and look upon," is an Imperative, a direct command that functions as a call to reorient one's perspective, urging the audience to shift their focus from the immediate, temporal world to the enduring reality of God. This also functions as a form of Hyperbole in its cosmic scope, emphasizing the ultimate and complete transformation or dissolution of the current order to underscore the magnitude of God's eternal nature.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Isaiah 51:6 stands as a profound declaration of divine immutability in the face of cosmic impermanence, a truth echoed throughout the biblical narrative. It underscores the fundamental distinction between the Creator and creation: while all that is made is subject to decay and an end, the God who made it is eternal, unchanging, and utterly reliable. This theological bedrock provides immense comfort, asserting that the ultimate hope of humanity rests not in the stability of the physical world or human institutions, but in the enduring character and covenant faithfulness of Yahweh. God's eternal salvation and righteousness are the secure anchors in a world of flux, promising a future that transcends the limitations of the present age and offers an unshakeable foundation for faith and hope.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Isaiah 51:6 offers a vital reorientation for believers in every generation, prompting us to evaluate where we place our ultimate hope and security. In a world characterized by constant change, uncertainty, and often, despair, this verse calls us away from anchoring our lives in anything temporary—be it wealth, status, physical health, political systems, or even the seeming stability of the natural world. Instead, it directs us to fix our gaze on the unchanging character and eternal promises of God. When we face personal trials, societal upheaval, or existential questions about the future, this passage reminds us that while everything else may fade, God's salvation and righteousness stand firm forever. This truth cultivates a deep sense of peace and resilience, knowing that our ultimate hope is secured in an eternal, unfailing God whose purposes cannot be thwarted and whose justice will never diminish. It encourages us to live with an eternal perspective, investing our time and energy in what truly lasts and finding our identity and security not in what we possess or achieve, but in the enduring faithfulness of our Creator and Redeemer.

Questions for Reflection

  • What earthly things do I tend to place my hope or security in, and how does this verse challenge that perspective?
  • How does the promise of God's eternal salvation and righteousness provide comfort and stability in my current circumstances, especially amidst uncertainty?
  • In what ways can I intentionally "lift up my eyes" to gain a more eternal perspective in my daily life and decision-making?
  • What practical steps can I take to live more in light of God's enduring nature rather than being consumed by the world's transience?

FAQ

Does this verse suggest that the physical heavens and earth will literally disappear?

Answer: Yes, the language used in Isaiah 51:6 ("vanish away like smoke," "wax old like a garment") strongly suggests a literal and complete transformation or dissolution of the current physical heavens and earth. This imagery is not merely poetic hyperbole but points to an ultimate end for the present cosmic order. This concept is further developed in the New Testament, particularly in 2 Peter 3:10-12, which speaks of the heavens passing away with a roar and the elements melting with fervent heat. However, this destruction is not an end to existence but a precursor to the creation of new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells, as promised in Isaiah 65:17.

How can God's "salvation" and "righteousness" be eternal?

Answer: God's salvation and righteousness are eternal because they are intrinsic aspects of His unchanging character and nature. "Salvation" refers to God's redemptive plan and His active deliverance of His people, which is rooted in His eternal love and faithfulness. "Righteousness" speaks to His perfect justice, moral integrity, and covenant fidelity. Unlike human endeavors or the created world, which are finite and subject to decay, God Himself is eternal, immutable, and perfect. Therefore, His attributes and His saving acts, being extensions of His very being, are also eternal and cannot be "abolished" or brought to an end. This truth assures believers that God's promises of deliverance and His just rule are utterly reliable and will endure forever, providing an unshakeable foundation for hope, as seen in passages like Malachi 3:6 and James 1:17.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Isaiah 51:6 finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. While the Old Testament prophet declares the transience of the cosmos and the eternality of God's salvation and righteousness, it is in Christ that these eternal realities are fully embodied and made accessible to humanity. Jesus himself is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, the very embodiment of God's eternal salvation. His atoning sacrifice on the cross and His glorious resurrection are the definitive acts of divine deliverance, securing eternal life for all who believe, as highlighted in John 3:16. Furthermore, Christ is identified as God's righteousness (e.g., 1 Corinthians 1:30), and through faith in Him, believers are clothed with His perfect righteousness (Philippians 3:9). The New Testament affirms the passing of the old creation, echoing Isaiah's prophecy, but points to Christ as the one through whom all things are held together and through whom God will ultimately bring about new heavens and a new earth. Thus, Christ is not merely the agent of eternal salvation and righteousness, but He is their very essence, standing as the unshakeable foundation for all who trust in Him, even as the world around them fades away.

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Commentary on Isaiah 51 verses 4–8

Both these proclamations, as I may call them, end alike with an assurance of the perpetuity of God's righteousness and his salvation; and therefore we put them together, both being designed for the comfort of God's people. Observe,

I. Who they are to whom this comfort belongs: "My people, and my nation, that I have set apart for myself, that own me and are owned by me." Those are God's people and his nation who are subject to him as their King and their God, pay allegiance to him, and put themselves under his protection accordingly. They are a people who know righteousness, who not only have the means of knowledge, and to whom righteousness is made known, but who improve those means, and are able to form a right judgment of truth and falsehood, good and evil. And, as they have good heads, so they have good hearts, for they have the law of God in them, written and ruling there. Those God owns for his people in whose hearts his law is. Even those who know righteousness, and have the law of God in their hearts, may yet be in great distress and sorrow, and loaded with reproach and contempt; but their God will comfort them with the righteousness they know and the law they have in their hearts.

II. What the comfort is that belongs to God's people. 1. That the gospel of Christ shall be preached and published to the world: A law shall proceed from me, an evangelical law, the law of Christ, the law of faith, Isa 2:3. This law is his judgment; for it is that law of liberty by which the world shall be governed and judged. This shall not only go forth, but shall continue and rest, it shall take firm footing and deep root in the world. It shall rest, not only for the benefit of the Jews, who had the first notice of it, but for a light of the people of other nations. It is this law, this judgment, that we are required to hearken and give ear to, at our peril; for how shall we escape if we neglect it and turn a deaf ear to it? When a law proceeds from God, he that has ears to hear, let him hear. 2. That this law and judgment shall bring with them righteousness and salvation, shall open a ready way to the children of men, that they may be justified and saved, Isa 51:5. These are called God's righteousness and his salvation, because of his contriving and bringing them about. The former is a righteousness which he will accept for us and accept us for, and a righteousness which he will work in us and graciously accept of. The latter is the salvation of the Lord, for it arises from him and terminates in him. Observe, There is no salvation without righteousness; and, wherever there is the righteousness of God, there shall be his salvation. All those, and those only, that are justified and sanctified shall be glorified. 3. That this righteousness and salvation shall very shortly appear: My righteousness is near. It is near in time; behold, all things are now ready. It is near in place, not far to seek, but the word is nigh us, and Christ in the word, righteousness in the word, Rom 10:8. My salvation has gone forth. The decree has gone forth concerning it; it shall as certainly be introduced as if it had gone forth already, and the time for it is at hand. 4. That this evangelical righteousness and salvation shall not be confined to the Jewish nation, but shall be extended to the Gentiles; My arms shall judge the people. Those that will not yield to the judgments of God's mouth shall be crushed by the judgments of his hand. Some shall thus be judged by the gospel, for for judgment Christ came into this world; but others, and those of the isles, shall wait upon him, and bid his gospel, and the commands as well as the comforts of it, welcome. It was a comfort to God's people, to his nation, that multitudes should be added to them, and the increase of their number should be the increase of their strength and beauty. It is added, And on my arm shall they trust, that arm of the Lord which is revealed in Christ, Isa 53:1. Observe, God's arm shall judge the people that are impenitent, and yet on his arm shall others trust and be saved by it; for it is to us as we make it, a savour of life or of death. 5. That this righteousness and salvation shall be for ever, and shall never be abolished, Isa 51:8. It is an everlasting righteousness that the Messiah brings in (Dan 9:24), an eternal redemption that he is the author of, Heb 5:9. As it shall spread through all the nations of the earth, so it shall last through all the ages of the world. We must never expect any other way of salvation, any other covenant of peace or rule of righteousness, than what we have in the gospel, and what we have there shall continue to the end, Mat 28:20. It is for ever; for the consequences of it shall be to eternity, and by this law of liberty men's everlasting state will be determined. This perpetuity of the gospel and the blessed things it brings in is illustrated by the fading and perishing of this world and all things in it. Look up to the visible heavens above, which have continued hitherto, and seem likely to continue, but they shall vanish like smoke that soon spends itself and disappears; they shall be rolled like a scroll, and their lights shall fall like leaves in autumn. Look down to the earth beneath; that abides too for a short ever (Ecc 1:4), but it shall wax old like a garment that will be the worse for wearing; and those that dwell therein, all the inhabitants of the earth, even those that seem to have the best settlement in it, shall die in like manner: the soul shall, as to this world, vanish like smoke, and the body be thrown by like a garment waxen old. They shall be easily crushed (Job 4:19), and no loss of them. But when heaven and earth pass away, when all flesh and the glory of it wither as grass, the word of the Lord endures for ever, and not one iota or tittle of that shall fall to the ground. Those whose happiness is bound up in Christ's righteousness and salvation will have the comfort of it when time and days shall be no more.

III. What use they are to make of this comfort. If God's righteousness and salvation are near to them, then let them not fear the reproach of men, of mortal miserable men, nor be afraid of their revilings or spiteful taunts, theirs who bid you sing them the songs of Zion, or who ask you, in scorn, Where is now your God? Let not those who embrace the gospel righteousness be afraid of those who will call them Beelzebub, and will say all manner of evil against them falsely. Let them not be afraid of them; let them not be disturbed by these opprobrious speeches, nor made uneasy by them, as if they would be the ruin of their reputation and honour and they must for ever lie under the load of them. Let them not be afraid of their executing their menaces, nor be deterred thereby from their duty, nor frightened into any sinful compliances, nor driven to take any indirect courses for their own safety. Those can bear but little for Christ that cannot bear a hard word for him. Let us not fear the reproach of men; for, 1. They will be quickly silenced (Isa 51:8): The moth shall eat them up like a garment, Isa 50:9. The worm shall eat them like wool, or woollen cloth. If we have the approbation of a living God, we may despise the censure of dying men; the matter is not great what those say of us who must shortly be food for worms. Or it intimates the judgments of God with which they shall be visited, with which they shall be consumed, for their malice against the people of God; they shall be slowly and silently, but effectually destroyed, when God shall come to reckon with them for all their hard speeches, Jde 1:14, Jde 1:15. 2. The cause we suffer for cannot be run down. The falsehood of their reproaches will be detected, but truth shall triumph, and the righteousness of religion's injured cause shall be for ever plain. Clouds darken the sun, but give no obstruction to his progress.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 4–8. Public domain.
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IrenaeusAD 202
AGAINST HERESIES 4:3.1
[Some malignantly assert] that if heaven is indeed the throne of God and earth his footstool, and if … the heaven and earth shall pass away, then when these pass away, the God who sits above must also pass away, and therefore he cannot be the God who is over all. In the first place, they are ignorant what the expression means, that heaven is [his] throne and the earth [his] footstool. For they do not know what God is, but they imagine that he sits after the fashion of a person and is contained within the bounds, but nothing contains God. And they are also unacquainted with [the meaning of] the passing away of the heaven and earth; but Paul was not ignorant of it when he declared, “For the form of this world passes away.” In the next place, David explains their question, for he says that when the fashion of this world passes away, not only shall God remain, but his servants also, expressing himself thus in Psalm 101: “In the beginning, you, O Lord, have founded the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands. They shall perish, but you shall endure, and all shall grow old as a garment; and as a piece of clothing you shall change them, and they shall be changed. But you are the same, and your years shall not fail. The children of your servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established forever”; pointing out plainly what things they are that pass away and who it is that does endure forever—God, together with his servants.
Methodius of OlympusAD 311
ON THE RESURRECTION 1:9
But if our opponents say, How then is it, if the universe is not destroyed, that the Lord says that “heaven and earth shall pass away,” and the prophet, that “the heaven shall perish as smoke” and “the earth shall grow old as a garment”; we answer, because it is usual for the Scriptures to call the change of the world from its present condition to a better and more glorious one destruction, as its earlier form is lost in the change of all things to a state of greater splendor, for there is neither contradiction nor absurdity in the Scriptures. For not “the world” but “the fashion of this world” passes away, it is said. So it is usual for the Scriptures to call the change from an earlier form to a better and more comely state “destruction”; just as when one calls by the name of “destruction” the change from a childish form into a perfect adult, as the stature of the child is turned into mature size and beauty.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Isaiah
(Verse 6) Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look down to the earth beneath: for the heavens will vanish like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a garment, and its inhabitants will die like flies. But my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be abolished. LXX: Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and behold the earth beneath, for the heavens are established like smoke. But the earth will grow old like a garment, and its inhabitants will die like these things. But my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never fail. This is what the Lord speaks in the Gospel: Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away (Matt. XXIV, 35). And David sings in the psalm: In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth, and the works of your hands are the heavens. They will perish, but you will endure, and all of them will wear out like a garment; you will wrap them up like a cloak, and they will be changed (Ps. CI, 26). From this it is shown that the destruction of heaven does not mean annihilation, but a change for the better. Of this it is said: 'There will be a new heaven and a new earth, which I will make to remain in my sight' (Apoc. XXI, 2). For if it is written of the saints: 'We shall all indeed rise again, but we shall not all be changed' (I Cor. XV, 51); and in the titles of four psalms it is said: 'For those who shall be changed'; how much more must this be believed of the heaven, the sun, and the stars, when the moon will receive the light of the sun and the sun will shine seven times brighter? And every creature groans and labors, awaiting the revelation of the sons of God, to be changed for the better (Rom. VIII). And not only the souls of humans, which are immortal, but also their bodies will be transformed into a glorified substance. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality (I Cor. XV, 53). And when the heavens and the earth grow old, along with all that is contained within the circle of the heavens, and humans, who are the inhabitants of the earth, will die like this: not for their destruction, but for the abolition of their former lowliness, and for the renewal of future glory; when the righteous will shine like the sun (Matth. XIII, 43); and as the past and old things pass away, all things will become new. Some people understand perishing and growing old as abolition and death. According to what we read in the Catholic Epistle: The heavens and the earth which now exist are reserved by the same word for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. And again: The elements will be dissolved with burning heat (2 Peter 3:7). This is indeed the opinion of the philosophers of the world, that all things which we see will perish by fire. Hence the Apostle says: The fashion of this world is passing away, for those who contemplate not the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. (I Cor. VII, 32). This is also what the apostle John writes: The world passes away, and the desire thereof (I John II, 17). And in Hebrew it is said: The heavens shall fade away like smoke. Or, according to Aquila and Symmachus, they shall be broken into nothingness, and crushed like salt and vanish away, of which the former said, they shall be dissolved; the latter, they shall perish; which clearly indicates a meaning derived from the breaking and dissolving of salt. Therefore, I wonder what the Seventy wanted to say when they said that the sky is firm like smoke. For if firmness is understood as strength, how can smoke, which is only firm, be compared to it? Unless, perhaps, we can say this: that the firmness, strength, and power of the sky are equal to the most empty wind and smoke, which dissolves in the air, as stated in Ecclesiastes: 'Vanity of vanities, all is vanity' (Eccl. I, 2). And it must be said that if the sky and the earth will perish and grow old, by what reasoning can we believe that its inhabitants will die and disappear, while we know that souls are eternal and bodies will be resurrected? From which it is clear that the sky and the earth do not perish and are not reduced to nothingness, but are changed for the better.
JeromeAD 420
COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 14:8
And not only the souls of people, which are immortal, but also their bodies will be changed into a glorified substance.… The opinion of the world’s philosophers is that all things that we can see will be destroyed by fire.… Just as John the apostle says, “The world and its desire will pass away,” and here in Hebrew it is said, “The sky like smoke will evaporate,” or, as Aquila and Symmachus have it, “will be reduced to nothing and will be worn away.” … Therefore I wonder at what the Septuagint wants to say when it says, “The sky like smoke has been made firm.” For if we take “firmness” to be “solidity,” how can what is firm be compared with smoke? Unless perhaps we can say that all the firmness and solidity and strength of the heaven that dissolves in the air is as Ecclesiastes says, the most empty wind and smoke: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” And that must be said that if the sky and the earth were to perish and grow old, then its inhabitants would also die and vanish, although we know that souls are everlasting and bodies are also resurrected. From this it is clear that heaven and earth do not perish and become reduced to nothing, but they are changed into something better.
Cyril of AlexandriaAD 444
COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 4:5.51:6
The Son is called "salvation" and "righteousness," as we often say, and thus his quality is declared that he has in himself, by which and in which he is Son by nature. Indeed, he is eternal and does not "wear out." Such is the difference between creator and creation, the made from the maker, which is clearly seen in this verse.
Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 16:51.6
From the sky and the earth, from the things on high and those below, learn of my power. I produced these elements with great ease and, conversely, I can make them disappear. “But my salvation shall be for eternity, and my righteousness shall not fail.” This is what the Lord has likewise said in the holy Gospels: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.”
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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