Isaiah 26 Study Notes
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26:1 The strong city contrasts with the “city of chaos” (see note at 24:10). That city represents human evil and has walls that crumble, but this city’s strength (its walls and ramparts) is defined by salvation. John Oswalt states that this city is “a state of mind more than a geographical place” (Isaiah 1-39).
kaved
| Hebrew pronunciation | [kah VAID] |
| CSB translation | be heavy, honor |
| Uses in Isaiah | 20 |
| Uses in the OT | 114 |
| Focus passage | Isaiah 25:3 |
Kaved, related to kavod (glory) and adjectival kaved (heavy), means be heavy (Neh 5:18), weigh, weigh down, or be heavily loaded. One receives honor (Jb 14:21). Fighting is fierce or intensifies. Sin is serious. Ears are deaf, and eyesight is poor. The “hand being heavy on” (Ps 32:4) implies getting the upper hand or severely oppressing. Passive-reflexive verbs denote be honored or glorified. Something is a burden. Springs are filled. God reveals or displays glory; people honor themselves and receive or enjoy glory. Participles indicate dignitaries and signify honored, important, high in rank, glorious, or highly respected. The intensive verb means honor (Ex 20:12), glorify, show respect for, or reward. It is also harden. The causative verb involves loading, heavily burdening, weighing down, or making heavy. One deafens or closes ears and hardens hearts. God brings honor, and people get glory. The reflexive-passive verb signifies act important or multiply oneself.
26:2 The righteous nation includes faithful Israelites but might also suggest other peoples as well, since the defining characteristic of the nation is that it remains faithful to God and his law.
26:3-4 Trust is the defining trait of those who depend on God (on the Lord, the Lord himself see note at 12:2), not on other nations. The image of the everlasting rock points to God’s persistent protection of his people; the faithful find shelter in him (Ex 33:22).
26:5 The inaccessible city, like the “city of chaos” (see note at 24:10), represents the proud who do not humble themselves before God. Though it is called “inaccessible,” God is able to defeat this city in spite of its pretensions.
26:6 Thanks to God’s intervention, the humble . . . poor will trample on the arrogant.
26:7 The image of the path is drawn from Wisdom literature (Pr 1-9) and stands for the course of a person’s life. A level or straight path is a life with few problems (Heb 12:13).
26:8 In this verse Isaiah spoke on behalf of himself and the righteous as he expressed longing for God and specifically for God’s coming judgment on the wicked. But even in the context of passionate desire for God, they did not demand his actions but expressed confidence (we wait).
26:9-10 People learn about righteousness when wickedness is punished. Otherwise, evil behavior is encouraged (Ec 8:11).
26:11 God’s upraised hand is an image of the imminent judgment against the wicked.
26:12 Contrary to the fate of the wicked, God’s righteous people will experience peace, not destruction. While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact nature of the prophet’s reference to God’s work, it certainly includes the punishment of the wicked.
26:13 The faithful acknowledge that other lords have owned them. These would include the Assyrians and eventually the Babylonians and others. But for the faithful there is only one true ruler—God himself.
26:14 A contrast exists between this statement and v. 19. In this verse, the wicked dead stay dead. God’s judgment will not be reversed. A fuller understanding of the afterlife awaits the NT period (though it is anticipated in passages like Dn 12:2).
26:15 In contrast to the wicked whom he punishes, God blesses the righteous. In this verse his blessing takes the form of an expanded land, evoking the memory that God promised Abraham his descendants would become a “great nation” (Gn 12:2).
26:16-18 Turning from the future back to the present, God’s people experienced suffering similar to the excruciating pain of a woman in labor. A pregnant woman goes through that pain and receives a positive result at the end—a baby. However, God’s people went through the pain and simply passed gas (gave birth to wind). There was no deliverance, no victory over enemies.
26:19 In contrast to the wicked who die and stay dead (v. 14), God’s people will live again. The morning dew is an image of freshness and renewal.
26:20-21 The call to hide during the judgment is reminiscent of the first Passover when God’s people stayed in their homes while God took the lives of the Egyptian firstborn (Ex 12).