English · KJV

Isaiah 62:4

“Zion's Righteousness and New Name”Isaiah 62:1–5
King James Version
Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for the LORD delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

KJV (with Strong's)
Thou shalt no more be termed H559 Forsaken H5800; neither shall thy land H776 any more be termed H559 Desolate H8077: but thou shalt be called H7121 Hephzibah H2657, and thy land H776 Beulah H1166: for the LORD H3068 delighteth H2654 in thee, and thy land H776 shall be married H1166.

Bible text: King James Version with Strong's numbers · Public domain

Berean Standard Bible
No longer will you be called Forsaken, nor your land named Desolate; but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be His bride.

Bible text: Berean Standard Bible · Public domain

American Standard Version
Thou 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 Jehovah delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

World English Bible Messianic
You shall no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall your land any more be termed Desolate: but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD delights in you, and your land shall be married.

Bible text: World English Bible, Messianic edition · Public domain

Geneva Bible (1599)
It shall no more be sayd vnto thee, Forsaken, neither shall it be said any more to thy land, Desolate, but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord deliteth in thee, and thy land shall haue an husband.

Bible text: Geneva Bible (1599) · Public domain

Young's Literal Translation
It is not said of thee any more, `Forsaken!' And of thy land it is not said any more, `Desolate,' For to thee is cried, `My delight is in her,' And to thy land, `Married,' For Jehovah hath delighted in thee, And thy land is married.

Bible text: Young's Literal Translation · Public domain

King James Version — Interlinear
23 Hebrew words
  1. לֹאlo'notH3808NegParticle Negative
  2. יֵאָמֵרye·'a·Merit will be saidH559V-Niphal-Imperf-3msVerb Niphal Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine
  3. לָךְlakhof youPrep-l ¦ 2fsSuffix Personal 2nd Singular Feminineלָofךְyou
  4. עוֹדodagainH5750Adj-msAdjective Numerical Singular Masculine Absolute
  5. עֲזוּבָה'a·zu·VahabandonedH5800V-Qal-PassPrtcpl-fsVerb Qal Participle Passive Singular Feminine Absolute
  6. וּלְאַרְצֵךְu·le·'ar·tzeKhand of your landH776Conj-w ¦ Prep-l ¦ N-fsc ¦ 2fsNoun Singular Feminine Construct with suffixוּandלְofאַרְצֵlandךְyour
  7. לֹאlo'notH3808NegParticle Negative
  8. יֵאָמֵרye·'a·Merit will be saidH559V-Niphal-Imperf-3msVerb Niphal Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine
  9. עוֹד'OdagainH5750Adj-msAdjective Numerical Singular Masculine Absolute
  10. שְׁמָמָהshe·ma·MahdesolationH8077N-fsNoun Singular Feminine Absolute
  11. כִּיkithatH3588PrtParticle Conditional
  12. לָךְLakhto youPrep-l ¦ 2fsSuffix Personal 2nd Singular Feminineלָtoךְyou
  13. יִקָּרֵאyi·ka·Re'it will be calledH7121V-Niphal-Imperf-3msVerb Niphal Imperfect 3rd Singular Masculine
  14. חֶפְצִיchef·tziHephzi-H2657N-properNoun Proper Location
  15. בָהּVah-bahH2657N-properNoun Proper Location
  16. וּלְאַרְצֵךְu·le·'ar·Tzekhand to your landH776Conj-w ¦ Prep-l ¦ N-fsc ¦ 2fsNoun Singular Feminine Construct with suffixוּandלְtoאַרְצֵlandךְyour
  17. בְּעוּלָהbe·'u·LahmarriedH1166V-Qal-PassPrtcpl-fsVerb Qal Participle Passive Singular Feminine Absolute
  18. כִּיkiforH3588PrtParticle Conditional
  19. חָפֵץcha·Fetzhe delightsH2654V-Qal-Perf-3msVerb Qal Perfect 3rd Singular Masculine
  20. יְהוָהYah·wehYahwehH3068N-properNoun Proper Title
  21. בָּךְBakhin youPrep-b ¦ 2fsSuffix Personal 2nd Singular Feminineבָּinךְyou
  22. וְאַרְצֵךְve·'ar·Tzekhand your landH776Conj-w ¦ N-fsc ¦ 2fsNoun Singular Feminine Construct with suffixוְandאַרְצֵlandךְyour
  23. תִּבָּעֵלti·ba·'Elit will be marriedH1166V-Niphal-Imperf-3fsVerb Niphal Imperfect 3rd Singular Feminine
English is a literal word-by-word gloss of the Hebrew, not the KJV's wording. Why?

This is the original text the KJV's translators worked from — each Hebrew word with its own literal English meaning in this verse, prepared by scholars at Tyndale House, Cambridge. The KJV translates whole sentences, not word by word, so its wording differs: one Hebrew word can become several English words, and the KJV may choose “the LORD” where the gloss reads “Yahweh”. Both are faithful — they answer different questions. For the KJV's own rendering, switch to the KJV text.

Words in [ ] are added by the English.

Translation
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In the KJVVerse 18,859 of 31,102 · 60.6%

Study this verse

Written with AI assistance. Always check it against Scripture.

This verse

The names Forsaken and Desolate give way to Hephzibah, “my delight is in her”, and Beulah, “married”, because the LORD delights in his people and claims their land.

“Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken;”

ʻăzûḇâ, the name of the exile’s shame, is retired for good.

“neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate:”

The promise reaches the land itself, laid waste as shᵉmâmâh, which will return to life and fruitfulness.

“but thou shalt be called Hephzibah,”

Chephtsîy bâhh, “my delight is in her”, a public declaration of God’s restored favour.

“and thy land Beulah:”

“Married”, from bâʻal. The land is claimed by its husband.

“for the LORD delighteth in thee,”

châphêts, to be pleased with and to desire. His delight is the reason for every new name.

“and thy land shall be married.”

The verse ends by giving Beulah’s meaning in plain words, so that the promise is unmistakable.

Zion’s New Name and God’s Delight

Isaiah 62:1–5

Summary

The LORD will keep speaking and working for Jerusalem until her righteousness shines out like brightness and her salvation burns like a torch. Then the nations and their kings will see her, and the LORD himself will give her a new name. She will be a crown of glory held in his hand. The old names Forsaken and Desolate give way to Hephzibah, “my delight is in her”, and Beulah, “married”, and God rejoices over his people as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. These five verses show us a God whose love for his people is steadfast, open for the whole world to see, and full of joy.

The LORD will not rest until Zion shines

These verses come from the last part of Isaiah, chapters 40 to 66, which bring comfort to God’s people after the prophecies of judgment and exile. Chapters 60 to 62 belong closely together. Isaiah 60 describes the future glory of Zion as a light for the nations, and Isaiah 61 tells of one anointed to bring good tidings to the afflicted. Chapter 62 carries those promises to their height. The people first addressed knew Jerusalem as a ruin, with its temple destroyed and its people taken into exile in Babylon, and the light, the crown and the wedding of these verses answer the darkness and shame of those years. The promise also reaches past the return from exile, to God’s final restoration of his people.

“For Zion’s sake” and “for Jerusalem’s sake” name one city twice, in the way Hebrew poetry repeats a thought in a second line to strengthen it. Jerusalem is the city itself, its walls and streets. Zion is its name as the city of David, the place of God’s presence and his people’s worship, and it often stands for the people of God themselves. To an Israelite both names carried a deep love for home, for nation and for God.

To hold one’s peace, châshâh, is to hush, keep quiet or be still, and to rest, shâqaṭ, is to be quiet, still or at rest. Both are spoken here with “not”, as a solemn pledge. God keeps speaking for his city and keeps working for her, and he will go on until the work is complete and can be seen by all. Scripture speaks of God here in human terms, so that we can grasp how fully he gives himself to his purpose. His word accomplishes what he sends it to do (Isaiah 55:11), and this verse applies that certainty to Zion. A psalm looks for the set time when God will arise and have mercy on Zion (Psalm 102:13), and Zechariah hears the LORD promise to return to Zion in truth and righteousness (Zechariah 8:3).

Who is speaking in verse 1?

The speaker is the LORD himself, or the prophet speaking with the LORD’s authority, and believers differ on which. On the first reading God pledges his own word for Zion. On the second the prophet will keep praying and proclaiming until God’s promise is fulfilled. On either reading the resolve comes from God, and the promise rests on his commitment to his people.

Righteousness like brightness, salvation like a torch

The verse names what God is working toward: “until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.” The word for righteousness, tsedeq, means rightness, righteousness and justice, and it can also stand for prosperity. Zion’s righteousness here is the right standing God gives her when he vindicates her before the nations, and it is also the upright life of the restored city. It will “go forth” as nôgahh, brightness or clear shining, so that everyone can see how faithfully and justly God has dealt with her.

Salvation, yᵉshûwʻâh, is deliverance, help, victory and welfare. The KJV’s “lamp” is lappîyd, a torch, and “burneth” is bâʻar, to kindle or burn. A torch that keeps burning gives light that lasts and can be seen from far away. In Scripture light speaks of God’s presence, his guidance and his glory, and here it answers the darkness and shame of exile. Chapter 60 opened by calling Zion to arise and shine because her light had come, and in this verse God promises to see that light through to its full brightness.

The nations will see her, and the LORD will name her

“Gentiles” translates gôwy, a nation, used in Isaiah for the peoples outside the covenant people of Israel. The nations that had conquered Jerusalem or ignored her will see her righteousness, and “all kings” will see her glory, kâbôwd, the splendour and honour of God’s presence resting on her. In those days a city’s glory lay in its armies, its wealth and the splendour of its temple and its king. Zion’s glory will come from God’s presence and his righteous character, and the kings of the earth will recognise whose work it is. Their seeing is acknowledgment, and the glory they see is God’s own, shining through his people.

This is one of Isaiah’s great hopes. In the last days all nations flow to the mountain of the LORD’s house to learn his ways (Isaiah 2:2–4), and chapter 60 begins, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come,” and goes on to say that the Gentiles shall come to that light (Isaiah 60:1–3). Zechariah sees many peoples coming to Jerusalem to seek the LORD (Zechariah 8:20–23).

A new name from the mouth of the LORD

“Thou shalt be called by a new name” uses châdâsh, new or fresh, a word for what is newly made or different from what came before. In Scripture a name speaks of character, standing and future, so a new name marks a new standing with God and a new future. God has given such names before: Abram became Abraham (Genesis 17:5), and Jacob became Israel (Genesis 32:28). Zion’s new name replaces the names of her shame.

The name comes from “the mouth of the LORD.” It is God’s own gift, spoken by him, and what the LORD speaks comes to pass. So the change in Zion’s standing is his work from first to last, and it is certain.

What is Zion’s new name?

Verse 2 promises the name, and verse 4 gives the names that fulfil the promise: Hephzibah for the city and Beulah for the land. What matters most is what the name declares, that Zion now stands in God’s favour and belongs to him.

A crown of glory in the hand of the LORD

Verse 3 says what Zion will be. A “crown” is ʻăṭârâh, from a root meaning to surround, so a circlet, wreath or crown, a sign of honour, royalty and triumph. “Glory” is tiphʼârâh, beauty, glory or ornament, a word for what is worthy of honour. In the second line “royal” is mᵉlûwkâh, which Strong’s defines as something ruled, a realm, and which the KJV renders kingdom, king’s and royal. “Diadem” is tsânîyph, a head-dress, turban or diadem, worn by royalty and also part of priestly dress. The two lines say the same thing in two pictures, which makes the promise doubly sure.

Kings, queens and high officials wore crowns and diadems in that day as signs of power and rank. For a people whose own kings had been taken away and who had been scattered among the nations, to be called a crown and a royal diadem was a complete reversal of their fortunes. The honour comes from God and rests on his grace alone. Isaiah has just promised that the LORD would give his mourners garments of praise in place of ashes (Isaiah 61:3), and Zechariah pictures the LORD’s people as jewels (Zechariah 9:16).

Held in God’s hand

The crown is in God’s hand, and the verse says so twice. The first line uses yâd, the ordinary word for hand, which in Scripture often stands for power and active control, together with Yᵉhôvâh, the LORD. The second uses kaph, the hollow of the hand or the open palm, a picture of holding something carefully, together with ʼĕlôhîym, God, and it makes the bond personal: “thy God”. ʼĕlôhîym is plural in form, and when it names the true God it is a plural of majesty, usually with a singular verb.

To be in God’s hand means three things in this verse. Zion belongs to him as his treasured possession. She is kept safe by his power, as Jesus says his sheep are held safe in his own hand and in his Father’s (John 10:28–29). And God holds her up for the world to see, as a display of his grace and faithfulness, so that her glory reflects his own.

Is the crown in verse 3 a literal crown?

The crown and the diadem are pictures of the honour, dignity and royal standing God gives his people. People in Isaiah’s day knew crowns as real objects, and here they stand for a real standing before God and the world, precious, beautiful and highly esteemed. That standing is already true of believers, whom God has seated with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6).

From Forsaken and Desolate to Hephzibah and Beulah

Verse 4 sets the old names beside the new. Jerusalem had been called Forsaken, ʻăzûḇâ, and her land Desolate, shᵉmâmâh, a word for devastation and desolation that can also mean horror. In the exile the city lay in ruins and the land lay waste, and the people concluded that God had left them to their enemies. Where names spoke of identity and destiny, those names announced their disgrace in public. God declares that they will be used of her “no more”.

In their place the city will be called Hephzibah, Chephtsîy bâhh, “my delight is in her.” The land will be called Beulah, “married”, a name formed from bâʻal, a verb meaning to be master and so to marry. The land that had been laid waste will belong to the LORD and be cared for by him, as a husband claims and cherishes his wife, and the marriage brings security, honour and fruitfulness where there had been barrenness.

The reason is given at once, and it matches the new name: “for the LORD delighteth in thee”. The verb châphêts means to like, to be pleased with or to desire, and Strong’s gives its root sense as to incline toward. It is the warm attachment of the heart. God’s delight is the cause of everything in the verse. His love rests on his own faithful nature, which is why he restores and renames a people who had failed him and fallen into shame. Through Jeremiah he says that he has loved his people with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) and that he delights in doing them good (Jeremiah 32:41).

Why a marriage?

Marriage is the picture of God’s covenant with Israel throughout the prophets, with God as the faithful husband and Israel as a wife who often strayed. Through Hosea the LORD promises to betroth his people to himself for ever (Hosea 2:19–20). Here the picture answers the shame of abandonment. The land that looked forsaken is claimed, and the union is secure, lasting and fruitful, like a bride brought by her husband into a safe home.

As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride

Verse 5 opens with “For” and explains the marriage of verse 4 with two comparisons. The first is “as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee.” “Marrieth” is bâʻal again, the same verb behind the name Beulah. A young man marrying a virgin is a fresh beginning, the start of a new household full of hope.

Who are “thy sons”?

“Thy sons” uses bên, son. The sons are the people of Israel returning from exile, and “thee” is Zion, the city and the land. As a husband commits himself to his wife, the returning people will settle the land again, rebuild the city and cultivate the soil, until the desolate country is a thriving community. Isaiah has already pictured Zion’s children gathering and coming back to her (Isaiah 49:18–20). Sons marrying their mother city is a figure of speech for this homecoming, and the next line turns from the people to God.

God’s joy over his people

The second comparison is the climax of the passage: “as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.” To rejoice, sûws, is to be glad and make mirth, and Strong’s traces it to being bright and cheerful. A bridegroom’s joy on his wedding day is one of the gladdest things people know, the joy of fulfilment and of a beloved won. God’s joy over his restored people is like that. Zephaniah says that the LORD will rejoice over his people with singing (Zephaniah 3:17), and through Jeremiah the LORD calls his straying people to return, because he is their husband (Jeremiah 3:14). The picture of God as a rejoicing bridegroom is given in human terms so that we can grasp how deeply he loves his people and how glad he is over them.

How these promises are fulfilled in Christ

The promises to Zion reach their fullest meaning in Jesus Christ. Zion’s righteousness comes to us in him. God has shown his righteousness through faith in Christ to all who believe (Romans 3:21–26), and Christ became our righteousness by taking our sin on himself (2 Corinthians 5:21). His finished work on the cross and his continuing intercession are the clearest sign that God will keep working until salvation is secured for his people.

The light of verse 1 shines in him too. Jesus calls himself the light of the world (John 8:12), Simeon names him a light for the Gentiles (Luke 2:32), and his disciples beheld his glory (John 1:14). Jesus calls his followers a city set on a hill (Matthew 5:14), and through them the nations see God’s righteousness and glory. John sees a great multitude from every nation standing before the throne (Revelation 7:9–10).

The new name is given to all who believe. They become children of God (John 1:12), anyone in Christ is a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17), and Peter calls believers “a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9), words that suit the crown of verse 3. That crown belongs first to Jesus, who is crowned with glory and honour (Hebrews 2:9–10) and has been given all power in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18), and his people are held in his hand.

God’s delight rests first on his Son. At Jesus’ baptism, and again at the transfiguration, the Father declared him his beloved Son, in whom he is well pleased (Matthew 3:17). In Christ, people once forsaken because of sin and desolate in spirit are brought into God’s favour and given a new name. John the Baptist calls Jesus the bridegroom (John 3:29). Christ loved the Church and gave himself for her, to present her to himself holy and without blemish (Ephesians 5:25–27), and the marriage supper of the Lamb celebrates that union (Revelation 19:7–9).

The New Jerusalem

The last chapters of the Bible gather up all of these promises. John sees the holy city coming down from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband (Revelation 21:2). An angel shows him the bride, the Lamb’s wife, and she is the holy Jerusalem (Revelation 21:9–10). The glory of God lights that city and the Lamb is its light, the nations walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it (Revelation 21:23–26). Zion’s brightness, the kings who see her glory, the new name and the marriage all come to rest there.

Is this promise for Israel or for the Church?

These promises belong first to Jerusalem and the people of Israel, restored after exile, and believers differ on how they reach the Church. Some believers hold that the Church, made up of Jews and Gentiles who believe, is now the Zion these verses address, the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16), so that the new name and the marriage are hers in Christ. Others hold that the prophecy remains first a promise to the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem, and that its truths about God’s delight, his renaming and his faithful love reach every believer in Christ. On both readings the God who speaks here keeps his word to the people he loves, and the prophecy looks forward to the New Jerusalem.

The God who delights in his people

These verses show us a God who keeps speaking and working for the people he loves until his promise is finished. He is the God who renames. The names that disaster gave his people, Forsaken and Desolate, are replaced by names he chooses himself, and every name he gives speaks of his delight. He holds his people in his hand as a king holds a crown, safe and on display. And he is glad over them with the gladness of a bridegroom on his wedding day.

For everyone who belongs to Christ, this is the God who has given a new name and holds them in his hand. Their worth before him rests on his delight and his work, and the shame of the past is answered by his word. The prayers of his people for his kingdom move in the same direction as his own unresting work, and Revelation 21 shows where that work ends: a bride made ready, a city full of light, and God dwelling with his people.

Last revised

Public-domain commentary

Matthew Henry

From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry wrote on whole passages, and this entry covers Isaiah 62:1–5. He set out his notes in a two-level outline, kept here as he numbered it.

1662–1714 · 5 verses
Passage under commentIsaiah 62:1–5
I. II. Main points1. 2. Sub-points

The prophet here tells us,

I.What he will do for the church.

A prophet, as he is a seer, so he is a spokesman. This prophet resolves to perform that office faithfully, Isaiah 62:1. He will not hold his peace; he will not rest; he will mind his business, will take pains, and never desire to take his ease; and herein he was a type of Christ, who was indefatigable in executing the office of a prophet and made it his meat and drink till he had finished his work. Observe here,

1.What the prophet's resolution is: He will not hold his peace. He will continue instant in preaching, will not only faithfully deliver, but frequently repeat, the messages he has received from the Lord. If people receive not the precepts and promises at first, he will inculcate them and give them line upon line. And he will continue instant in prayer; he will never hold his peace at the throne of grace till he has prevailed with God for the mercies promised; he will give himself to prayer and to the ministry of the word, as Christ's ministers must (Acts 6:4), who must labour frequently in both and never be weary of this well-doing. The business of ministers is to speak from God to his people and to God for his people; and in neither of these must they be silent.

2.What is the principle of this resolution - for Zion's sake, and for Jerusalem's, not for the sake of any private interest of his own, but for the church's sake, because he has an affection and concern for Zion, and it lies near his heart. Whatever becomes of his own house and family, he desires to see the good of Jerusalem and resolves to seek it all the days of his life, Psalm 122:8, Psalm 122:9; Psalm 118:5. It is God's Zion and his Jerusalem, and it is therefore dear to him, because it is so to God and because God's glory is interested in its prosperity.

3.How long he resolves to continue this importunity - till the promise of the church's righteousness and salvation, given in the foregoing chapter, be accomplished. Isaiah will not himself live to see the release of the captives out of Babylon, much less the bringing in of the gospel, in which grace reigns through righteousness unto life and salvation; yet he will not hold his peace till these be accomplished, even the utmost of them, because his prophecies will continue speaking of these things, and there shall in every age be a remnant that shall continue to pray for them, as successors to him, till the promises be performed, and so the prayers answered that were grounded upon them. Then the church's righteousness and salvation will go forth as brightness, and as a lamp that burns, so plainly that it will carry its own evidence along with it. It will bring honour and comfort to the church, which will hereupon both look pleasant and appear illustrious; and it will bring instruction and direction to the world, a light not only to the eyes but to the feet, and to the paths of those who before sat in darkness and in the shadow of death.

II.What God will do for the church.

The prophet can but pray and preach, but God will confirm the word and answer the prayers.

1.The church shall be greatly admired. When that righteousness which is her salvation, her praise, and her glory, shall be brought forth, the Gentiles shall see it. The tidings of it shall be carried to the Gentiles, and a tender of it made to them; they may so see this righteousness as to share in it if it be not their own fault. "Even kings shall see and be in love with the glory of thy righteousness" (Isaiah 62:2), shall overlook the glory of their own courts and kingdoms, and look at, and look after, the spiritual glory of the church as that which excels.

2.She shall be truly admirable. Great names make men considerable in the world, and great respect is paid them thereupon; now it is agreed that honor est in honorante - honour derives its value from the dignity of him who confers it. God is the fountain of honour and from him the church's honour comes: "Thou shalt be called by a new name, a pleasant name, such as thou wast never called by before, no, not in the day of thy greatest prosperity, and the reverse of that which thou wast called by in the day of thy affliction; thou shalt have a new character, be advanced to a new dignity, and those about thee shall have new thoughts of thee." This seems to be alluded to in that promise (Revelation 2:17) of the white stone and in the stone a new name, and that (Revelation 3:12) of the name of the city of my God and my new name. It is a name which the mouth of the Lord shall name, who, we are sure, miscalls nothing, and who will oblige others to call her by the name he has given her; for his judgment is according to truth and all shall concur with it sooner or later. Two names God shall give her: - (1.) He shall call her his crown (Isaiah 62:3): Thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, not on his head (as adding any real honour or power to him, as crowns do to those that are crowned with them), but in his hand. He is pleased to account them, and show them forth, as a glory and beauty to him. When he took them to be his people it was that they might be unto him for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory (Jeremiah 13:11): "Thou shalt be a crown of glory and a royal diadem, through the hand, the good hand, of thy God upon thee; he shall make thee so, for he shall be to thee a crown of glory, Isaiah 28:5. Thou shalt be so in his hand, that is, under his protection; he that shall put glory upon thee shall create a defence upon all that glory, so that the flowers of thy crown shall never wither nor shall its jewels be lost." (2.) He shall call her his spouse, Isaiah 62:4, Isaiah 62:5. This is a yet greater honour, especially considering what a forlorn condition she had been in. [1.] Her case had been very melancholy. She was called forsaken and her land desolate during the captivity, like a woman reproachfully divorced or left a disconsolate widow. Such as the state of religion in the world before the preaching of the gospel - it was in a manner forsaken and desolate, a thing that no man looked after nor had any real concern for. [2.] It should now be very pleasant, for God would return in mercy to her. Instead of those two names of reproach, she shall be called by two honourable names. First, She shall be called Hephzi-bah, which signifies, My delight is in her; it was the name of Hezekiah's queen, Manasseh's mother (2 Kings 21:1), a proper name for a wife, who ought to be her husband's delight, Proverbs 5:19. And here it is the church's Maker that is her husband: The Lord delights in thee. God by his grace has wrought that in his church which makes her his delight, she being refined, and reformed, and brought home to him; and then by his providence he does that for her which makes it appear that she is his delight and that he delights to do her good. Secondly, She shall be called Beulah, which signifies married, whereas she had been desolate, a condition opposed to that of the married wife, Isaiah 54:1. "Thy land shall be married, that is, it shall become fruitful again, and be replenished." Though she has long been barren, she shall again be peopled, shall again be made to keep house and to be a joyful mother of children, Psalm 113:9. She shall be married, for, 1. Her sons shall heartily espouse the land of their nativity and its interests, which they had for a long time neglected, as despairing ever to have any comfortable enjoyment of it: Thy sons shall marry thee, that is, they shall live with thee and take delight in thee. When they were in Babylon, they seemed to have espoused that land, for they were appointed to settle, and to seek the peace of it, Jeremiah 29:5-7. But now they shall again marry their own land, as a young man marries a virgin that he takes great delight in, is extremely fond of, and is likely to have many children by. It bodes well to a land when its own natives and inhabitants are pleased with it, prefer it before other lands, when its princes marry their country and resolve to take their lot with it. 2. Her God (which is much better) shall betroth her to himself in righteousness, Hosea 2:19, Hosea 2:20. He will take pleasure in his church: As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, is pleased with his relation to her and her affection to him, so shall thy God rejoice over thee: he shall rest in his love to thee (Zephaniah 3:17); he shall take pleasure in thee (Psalm 147:11), and shall delight to do thee good with his whole heart and his whole soul, Jeremiah 32:41. This is very applicable to the love Christ has for his church and the complacency he takes in it, which appears so brightly in Solomon's Song, and which will be complete in heaven.

Historical interpretation

Four Centuries of Reception

4 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.

4 quotes · AD 420–850
Post-NiceneEarly Medieval
400500600700800

Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.

d. AD 420JeromePost-NiceneSourceCommentary on Isaiah
(Verse 4.) You will no longer be called forsaken, and your land will no longer be called desolate; but you will be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land will be inhabited, for the Lord takes pleasure in you; and your land will be married. LXX: And you will never again be called forsaken, and your land will not be called deserted anymore. Indeed, you will be called My Delight Is in Her, and your land will be inhabited. For Zion and Jerusalem, you will be called the Church, and the Lord's: for the Jews, they will be called Christians. Nor will you be content with this end of the words; but what was previously called Azuba in Hebrew, you will be called Epesi-Ba, which means my will in it; and your land, which was previously called Semema, desolate or deserted, will later be called Bula, which Aquila interpreted as formed; Symmachus and Theodotion interpreted it as inhabited; Septuagint as established, which all signify inhabited and possessed. This is indeed a Hebrew custom, that names are always given to things based on their outcomes: like Abram, who was previously called 'father of heights', when he heard the promise: 'And in your seed all the nations shall be blessed' (Gen. XII, 3), was called 'father of many nations', that is, Abraham. And to the Lord the Savior a name is given above: 'Quickly take plunder, swiftly seize spoil' (Isa. VIII, 1). Also, the sons of Zebedee, one of whom could emit the voice of thunder (Mark III): 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God' (John I, 1), were called 'Sons of Thunder', which means 'sons of thunder'. But what follows is omitted by the Septuagint, and it provides reasons why it is called Ephsi and why it is called Bula, because the Lord has been pleased with it in Zion, and has made its land habitable, which was previously deserted due to Jewish error. Whether we apply this to the Church, which was previously possessed by idols and deserted by God.
d. AD 458Theodoret of CyrusPost-NiceneSourceCOMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 19:62.2
Those who believe in the Lord received a new title; they are not called after Abraham or Israel or Judah but are named after the master, Christ. For they are called Christians by everyone, since they have put on Christ through the most holy baptism.
d. AD 528Procopius of GazaPost-NiceneSourceCOMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 62:1-12
Because she will be adorned and established in incomparable beauty, he adds, “You will be a beautiful garland.” For every holy soul and the whole church must be compared with a garland put together from many flowers and a royal jewel. For David says that the church is adorned in gold-embroidered and multicolored clothing similar to what is said in our text. “In the hand of God” means “under his shelter.” For he says, “Under my hand I will shelter you.” And Christ concerning his own sheep said, “No one can steal them from the Father’s hand.” Some say that the garland of Christ are those corrected by him. And the jewel of his kingdom are those martyrs for his sake, whom in his hand the Father had chosen to put round the Son, garlanding him and placing as a royal jewel, with the fullness of those who have been saved through him and by him. Among these taking a new name, she will no longer be called “she who is left deserted” but “my will,” that is, according to my will. This means that she who was previously deserted will be saved and placed with him, rather than deserted.…He says “will,” meaning those doing his will, those who love him, as a young man loves a virgin.… For he protects and keeps her as virgin, according to the mystery mentioned by Paul when he discusses Christ and the church. He shows the present state of the churches under the guidance of the priests day and night. While the people are unconscious of God, the priests become their defending wall, unconquered and placing a faithful guard against any approach of the devil.
d. AD 850Ishodad of MervEarly MedievalSourceCOMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 62:4
“Married,” since on the days of the captivity [your land] had become a widow, without kings or children; now, on the contrary, because of the return, it will be a married woman and a mother of children. “Your land shall be married,” that is, it will be sowed and made fertile, or it will now cooperate in its tilling and germination.
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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