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Isaiah 66

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God Rejects Hypocritical Worship 1–4

1
Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? ​
2
For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. ​
3
He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations. ​
4
I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer; when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not. ​

Vindication for the Faithful 5–6

5
Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed. ​
6
A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies. ​

The Sudden Restoration of Zion 7–14

7
Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child. ​
8
Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. ​
9
Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith the LORD: shall I cause to bring forth, and shut the womb? saith thy God. ​
10
Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:
11
That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. ​
12
For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. ​
13
As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. ​
14
And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. ​

The Lord's Fiery Judgment 15–17

15
For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. ​
16
For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many. ​
17
They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD. ​

Gathering the Nations to Worship 18–21

18
For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory. ​
19
And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles. ​
20
And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD. ​
21
And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD. ​

The Eternal State 22–24

22
For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. ​
23
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. ​
24
And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh. ​

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

Study Notes for Isaiah 66

Verse 1

The heaven is my throne — Stephen quotes vv.1–2 to show that the LORD 'dwelleth not in temples made with hands' (Acts 7:48); Solomon had already said the heaven of heavens could not contain him (1 Kings 8:27). The 'house' is bayith, the 'place of my rest' menuchah, a resting-place.

Verse 2

to this man will I look — Nabat, to look intently and with favour. The man is ani (poor, afflicted), nakeh (smitten, 'contrite') and chared (trembling) at the word. So Ps 51:17: 'a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise'; and Christ: 'Blessed are the poor in spirit' (Matt 5:3).

Verse 3

as if he slew a man — Four pairs set a lawful offering beside a forbidden act: ox and man, lamb and dog, grain offering (minchah) and swine's blood, incense and idol. The offerer has 'chosen their own ways', and 'The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD' (Prov 15:8).

Verse 4

I also will choose their delusions — Bachar, 'choose', is the verb of v.3: they chose their ways, and the LORD chooses their ta'alul (caprice, vexation) and 'fears' (megurah). The principle is Prov 1:31, 'shall they eat of the fruit of their own way'; the unanswered call echoes Jer 7:13.

Verse 5

cast you out for my name's sake — Nadah, to thrust out, banish. The hated and expelled are those who 'tremble at his word', like the man of v.2 who 'trembleth at my word'. Christ foretells it: 'ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake' (Matt 10:22). The LORD 'shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed'.

Verse 6

A voice of noise from the city — Qol, voice, is repeated three times: from the city, from the temple (heykal), from the LORD. The last is the answer to the first two: he 'rendereth recompence' (gemul, requital) to his enemies. Compare 'The LORD also shall roar out of Zion' (Joel 3:16).

Verse 7

Before she travailed — The birth precedes the pain. The child is a zakar, a male, and 'she' is Zion (v.8). The same figure of the woman bringing forth a 'man child' appears in Rev 12:5; the barren one who 'didst not travail' is told to sing in Isa 54:1.

Verse 8

shall a nation be born at once? — Goy, nation, and pa'am, a single stroke or time. 'Earth' is erets, which also means land. Such a thing has not been heard before (cf. Isa 64:4). Paul names the mother of believers: 'Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all' (Gal 4:26).

Verse 9

Shall I bring to the birth — Shabar, literally 'to break', here the breaking that opens the birth; Hezekiah's day used the same picture: 'the children are come to the birth' (Isa 37:3). The LORD who begins also delivers, and does not 'shut' ('atsar) the womb: 'saith thy God'.

Verse 11

breasts of her consolations — Shad, the breast, and tanchum, consolation, from nacham, the verb of 'comfort' in v.13. Zion nourishes those who mourned for her (v.10). Compare 'Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles' (Isa 60:16) and 'the sincere milk of the word' (1 Pet 2:2).

Verse 12

peace to her like a river — Shalom extended as a nahar, a great river; the lost possibility is named in Isa 48:18, 'then had thy peace been as a river'. 'Glory of the Gentiles' is their wealth flowing in (Isa 61:6). 'Dandled' is sha'a', to fondle, said of a child on the knees.

Verse 13

As one whom his mother comforteth — Nacham occurs three times in the verse: the mother comforts, the LORD comforts, and Zion's children are comforted. It is the verb of Isa 40:1, 'Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God'; the same thought runs through 2 Cor 1:4, the God who 'comforteth us in all our tribulation'.

Verse 14

bones shall flourish like an herb — Parach, to bud or bloom, and deshe, tender grass. The reverse is Prov 17:22, 'a broken spirit drieth the bones'. The verse closes on a division: 'the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies'.

Verse 15

the LORD will come with fire — Suphah, a whirlwind or storm, is what his chariots are like; 'The chariots of God are twenty thousand' (Ps 68:17). The coming is for judgment: 'rebuke with flames of fire'. Paul speaks of 'everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord' (2 Thess 1:9).

Verse 16

plead with all flesh — Shaphat, to judge; to 'plead' here is to execute a verdict, as in Ezek 38:22, 'I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood'. The 'slain' (chalal, pierced) 'of the LORD' recall the sword of the rider in Rev 19:21. 'All flesh' (basar) is the term closing v.23.

Verse 17

behind one tree in the midst — The gardens are those of earlier rebuke: 'sacrificeth in gardens' and 'eat swine's flesh' (Isa 65:3–4). Swine was unclean (Deut 14:8). 'The mouse' is akbar. Purification rites without obedience end in being 'consumed together' (yachad; cf. Isa 1:28).

Verse 18

all nations and tongues — Goy and lashon, nations and tongues. The LORD, who says 'I know their works and their thoughts', gathers them to 'see my glory' (kavod). So 'All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord' (Ps 86:9); the mountain of the LORD's house draws them in Isa 2:2.

Verse 19

I will set a sign among them — Oth, a sign or token. Survivors (palit) are sent to Tarshish, Pul, Lud, Tubal and Javan (Greece), to those who 'have not heard my fame'. Isa 52:15 has like words, which Paul applies to his own preaching: 'To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see' (Rom 15:21).

Verse 20

for an offering unto the LORD — The brethren are brought as a minchah, the grain offering, in a 'clean vessel' like Israel's. Paul uses the figure of his ministry to the Gentiles: 'the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable' (Rom 15:16). Compare 'bring my sons from far' (Isa 43:6).

Verse 21

for priests and for Levites — Some of those gathered from the nations are taken into the offices of kohen and Levi. Israel was called 'a kingdom of priests' (Ex 19:6), and the New Testament says of believers, 'a royal priesthood' (1 Pet 2:9); compare 'ye shall be named the Priests of the LORD' (Isa 61:6).

Verse 22

the new heavens and the new earth — The promise of Isa 65:17, 'I create new heavens and a new earth', returns as the pledge of permanence: 'amad, to stand, is said of both creation and 'your seed and your name'. Peter looks for it (2 Pet 3:13) and John sees it (Rev 21:1).

Verse 23

from one new moon to another — Chodesh and shabbath, the monthly and weekly times of worship. 'All flesh' (basar) now 'come to worship' (shachah, bow down), as Zech 14:16 foretells of the nations going up 'to worship the King'. Paul calls such days 'a shadow of things to come' (Col 2:17).

Verse 24

their worm shall not die — Tola', maggot, and fire not quenched, said of the carcases of transgressors. Christ takes the words of hell: 'Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched' (Mark 9:48). 'Abhorring' (dera'on) is paired in Dan 12:2 with 'everlasting contempt'.