Isaiah 26:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain.

NIV: See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed on it; the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

NASB: For behold, the Lord is about to come out from His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their wrongdoing; And the earth will reveal her bloodshed And will no longer cover her slain.

CSB: For look, the Lord is coming from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal the blood shed on it and will no longer conceal her slain.

NLT: Look! The Lord is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been killed. They will be brought out for all to see.

KJV: For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.

NKJV: For behold, the Lord comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain.

The storm is coming, bringing the Lord's justice. Isaiah is assuring his readers, the people of the Lord, that the Lord is alive and active. The prophet wants to ensure his readers understand that one day God will one day step out of eternity and into time to hold humanity accountable for all its wrongdoing. The picture of the Lord arriving to deliver this justice is both terrifying and comforting (Revelation 19:11–15). We all long for justice. Our hearts desire for those who have shed innocent blood to be held accountable, and for all those who have done evil to pay for their crimes. Isaiah is clear that moment is coming.

Terror comes because we also know, deep down, that we are guilty of sin as well. We deserve judgment ourselves. None of us is righteous on our own (Romans 3:10). All of us have sinned and have fallen short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). We have only one hope of escaping the terrible judgment of the Lord when all sin is revealed on the earth: "the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe" (Romans 3:22).

Paul spells it out: "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Only those who have received that gift (Titus 3:5) will be excluded from God's act of judgment followed by "shame and everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:2)." As Paul also declares:

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, 'Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame' " –Romans 10:9–11.

Isaiah 26:16–21 recalls the distress of the Lord's discipline. When Israel sinned, God sent them consequences to inspire repentance. Despite the struggles and trials of life on earth, human effort eventually comes to nothing. And yet, for those who trust in God, there will be a resurrection of the dead. Isaiah calls for the people of the Lord to take shelter while the fury of God's judgment passes over the earth.

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).