Isaiah 26:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They are dead, they will not live; they are shades, they will not arise; to that end you have visited them with destruction and wiped out all remembrance of them.

NIV: They are now dead, they live no more; their spirits do not rise. You punished them and brought them to ruin; you wiped out all memory of them.

NASB: The dead will not live, the departed spirits will not rise; Therefore You have punished and destroyed them, And You have eliminated all remembrance of them.

CSB: The dead do not live; departed spirits do not rise up. Indeed, you have punished and destroyed them; you have wiped out all memory of them.

NLT: Those we served before are dead and gone. Their departed spirits will never return! You attacked them and destroyed them, and they are long forgotten.

KJV: They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.

NKJV: They are dead, they will not live; They are deceased, they will not rise. Therefore You have punished and destroyed them, And made all their memory to perish.

This passage boldly states that the Lord will eventually establish peace for Israel and Judah. He has been the true source of every victory throughout their long history (Isaiah 26:12; Psalm 44:1–3).

The prophet has admitted that other lords have ruled over his people in the past. These may have been the kings of invading armies or the false gods of other nations. Isaiah has made clear that those "other lords" are no longer honored or even remembered (Isaiah 26:13). Now he adds that they are all dead. They are "shades," ghosts of memory, who will never walk the earth again. Even the memory of them is wiped out, God's destruction is complete. Only the Lord, Israel's true ruler, remains.

The same can be said of those who come to God through faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. Whatever former "lords" or passions ruled their lives, the Lord has set them free and become their one and only true king (Galatians 4:8).

Isaiah 26:1–15 celebrates the Lord's future victory over wickedness on the earth and looks forward to the coming of God's judgment. Isaiah longs for that judgment to come. But the prophet knows the Lord gives perfect peace to all who stay focused on trusting Him. Only the Lord God remains of all those who attempted to rule over Israel.

Chapter 26 is a song to be sung in the land of Judah during the time of the Lord's reign as king over the earth. The towering city of wickedness has been replaced by the strong city of salvation. Isaiah waits, longing for the Lord to come and judge the sinfulness of the world. The Lord will bring peace to Israel for good. Their other rulers are dead and not worthy of remembering. The Lord's discipline has caused His people to turn back to Him. The dead among them will be resurrected after the fury of His judgment.

Chapter 26 is part of a larger section that includes chapters 24–27. The section of the book follows the descriptions of the Lord's judgment on the earth and the beginning of His kingdom through a song to be sung in Judah during that time. The wicked city of the world has been replaced with the city of salvation. Isaiah longs for the Lord to come and judge the earth. The prophet wants all to see the Lord's zeal for His own people by destroying His enemies. Isaiah remembers God's discipline and looks forward to the resurrection of the dead among His people.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).