Naravist

The Prophets · Old Testament

Isaiah 66

Isaiah 66: heaven my throne, Zion's sudden birth, and the fire that is not quenched

General context

The Lord says heaven is his throne and earth his footstool, asks where the house is that they build for him, and says he looks to the one who is poor, contrite and trembles at his word. He compares their sacrifices to killing a man, cutting off a dog's neck, offering swine's blood and blessing an idol, because they have chosen their own ways; he will choose their delusions, since none answered when he called. Those who tremble at his word are told that the brethren who cast them out will be ashamed. A voice from the city and temple is the Lord repaying his enemies. Before she travailed, Zion brought forth; a nation is born at once, and the Lord asks whether he would bring to the birth and shut the womb. All who love Jerusalem are told to rejoice with her; the Lord will extend peace to her like a river and comfort them as a mother comforts. He will come with fire and chariots to plead with all flesh by fire and sword, and his slain will be many; those who purify themselves in gardens and eat swine's flesh and the mouse will be consumed. He will gather all nations to see his glory and send those who escape to Tarshish, Pul, Lud, Tubal, Javan and the far isles to declare it; they will bring all your brethren out of all nations as an offering to his holy mountain Jerusalem, and he will take some of them for priests and Levites. As the new heavens and earth remain, so will their seed and name; all flesh will come to worship from one new moon and sabbath to the next, and go out to look on the carcases of transgressors, whose worm will not die and whose fire will not be quenched.

Cited passages: Isaiah 66:1, Isaiah 66:2, Isaiah 66:3, Isaiah 66:4, Isaiah 66:5, Isaiah 66:6, Isaiah 66:7, Isaiah 66:8, Isaiah 66:9, Isaiah 66:10, Isaiah 66:12, Isaiah 66:13, Isaiah 66:14, Isaiah 66:15, Isaiah 66:16, Isaiah 66:17, Isaiah 66:18, Isaiah 66:19, Isaiah 66:20, Isaiah 66:21, Isaiah 66:22, Isaiah 66:23, Isaiah 66:24

Isaiah 66 (KJV)

1Thus 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?

2For 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.

3He 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.

4I 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.

5Hear 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.

6A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence to his enemies.

7Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.

8Who 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.

9Shall 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.

10Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:

11That 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.

12For 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.

13As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

14And 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.

15For, 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.

16For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.

17They 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.

18For 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.

19And 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.

20And 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.

21And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the Lord.

22For 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.

23And 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.

24And 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.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The Lord is the speaker throughout, with saith the Lord repeated in nearly every section, and Zion and Jerusalem are the only places in the land that are named. Tarshish, Pul, Lud, Tubal and Javan are named as distant nations that have not heard his fame, with Lud described as archers; the text locates none of them. The house that ye build and the temple from which a voice comes are mentioned without saying whether the house stands, is being built, or lies in the ruin described in chapter 64. The people addressed are split by the text into ye that tremble at his word and your brethren that hated you, and the chapter attributes to the second group the words Let the Lord be glorified, spoken while casting the first out. Sacrifice itself is not condemned in the abstract; the four comparisons in verse 3 are attached to those who have chosen their own ways. The slain of the Lord shall be many is stated plainly as his own act by fire and sword. The chapter does not say who the man child born to Zion is, and gives no date for any of it. The book of Acts later quotes the opening verses in a speech, and Mark repeats the closing words about the worm and the fire; these are later citations. Nothing in the chapter identifies the author, and the book ends here.

Cited passages: Isaiah 66:1, Isaiah 66:19, Isaiah 66:6, Isaiah 64:11, Isaiah 66:5, Isaiah 66:3, Isaiah 66:16, Isaiah 66:7, Acts 7:49, Acts 7:50, Mark 9:48, Isaiah 66:24

Literary context

The last chapter of the book gathers its recurring images and sets them at extremes. Heaven and earth are throne and footstool, and the question where is the house makes any building small beside the one who looks instead to a trembling man. Verse 3 works by four matched comparisons, each turning a lawful offering into a crime, ox and man, lamb and dog, oblation and swine's blood, incense and idol. The phrase when I called, none did answer repeats the charge of the previous chapter. Birth is the central picture: Zion bears before she travails, a nation is born in a day, and the Lord asks in his own voice whether he would open and then shut the womb; the mother then becomes the comforter, and the reader is placed at her breast and on her knees. Fire appears at both ends of the closing section, the chariots of the Lord's coming and the fire that will not be quenched. Two gatherings close the book: all nations brought to see his glory, with escaped ones sent outward and brethren brought inward as an offering, and all flesh worshipping from sabbath to sabbath. The final verse withholds a comfortable ending, leaving the worshippers looking at carcases, and the word peace, extended like a river in verse 12, is not the book's last word.

Cited passages: Isaiah 66:1, Isaiah 66:2, Isaiah 66:3, Isaiah 66:4, Isaiah 65:12, Isaiah 66:7, Isaiah 66:8, Isaiah 66:9, Isaiah 66:12, Isaiah 66:13, Isaiah 66:15, Isaiah 66:24, Isaiah 66:18, Isaiah 66:23

Key moments

  1. Heaven my throne (Isaiah 66:1). The Lord asks what house could be built for him when earth is his footstool.
  2. The one who trembles at his word (Isaiah 66:2). The Lord says he looks to the poor and contrite rather than to buildings.
  3. Sacrifice as if murder (Isaiah 66:3). Offerings by those who chose their own ways are compared to killing a man and blessing an idol.
  4. Cast out for his name's sake (Isaiah 66:5). Those who tremble at the word are told their hating brethren will be ashamed.
  5. A nation born in a day (Isaiah 66:8). Zion brings forth her children as soon as she travails.
  6. Comforted as by a mother (Isaiah 66:13). The Lord promises to comfort his people in Jerusalem as a mother comforts a child.
  7. The worm that does not die (Isaiah 66:24). The book ends with worshippers looking at the carcases of transgressors in unquenched fire.

For reflection

The Lord says he looks to the one who is poor and contrite and trembles at his word, not to the house being built for him. What would it mean to be looked at in that way, and what would a person have to stop building to notice it?

People in this chapter

Also indexed here: