Isaiah 25:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you.

NIV: Therefore strong peoples will honor you; cities of ruthless nations will revere you.

NASB: Therefore a strong people will glorify You; Cities of ruthless nations will revere You.

CSB: Therefore, a strong people will honor you. The cities of violent nations will fear you.

NLT: Therefore, strong nations will declare your glory; ruthless nations will fear you.

KJV: Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.

NKJV: Therefore the strong people will glorify You; The city of the terrible nations will fear You.

The concept of the Lord's judgment is terrifying. However, it is also necessary and right. Justice demands that the Lord hold humanity accountable for defying Him and living in rebellion against His commands. The people of God will rejoice when He brings His judgment against the earth. His judgement is righteous, and His action to defend His own glory will restore order and beauty to all things (Isaiah 25:2).

That's why Isaiah says in this verse that "strong peoples will glorify the Lord." He equates strength with the humble submission to the God who created them. Weakness takes the form of ruthlessness. This is an attitude of being willing to do anything, no matter the cost, to defeat an enemy. The cities of ruthless nations will fear the Lord when they see His willingness to use His limitless strength to stop them from continuing to terrorize God's people. Their ruthlessness will be nothing before the might which the Lord brings down on them.

Isaiah 25:1–5 follows a description judgment over the whole world for humanity's sinfulness (Isaiah 24:21–23). Here, Isaiah declares his praise for the Lord. He speaks of God's eternal plan. He celebrates God for defeating His earthly enemies. To do this, Isaiah uses variations of the term "foreigners," contrasting God's people of Israel with the nations who rejected the Lord.

Isaiah's description of the Lord's judgment on the earth is followed by celebration. This comes at the beginning of the Lord's reign over all the earth. The prophet declares his own praise for God's wonderful works and righteous plans. The Lord protects the needy from the ruthless. At the inaugural banquet, the Lord swallows up death forever and wipes away every tear. All the people declare that they were right to wait on their Lord to save them. The Lord judges unbelieving Moab by trampling them into their place.

In the previous chapter, the Lord of hosts is said to reign on Mount Zion following His judgment of the entire earth. Here, Isaiah declares His praise for the Lord who protects the poor and needy. At an inaugural banquet for His kingdom, the Lord swallows up death forever. He also takes away the shame of His people's sin while wiping away their tears. The people rejoice and are glad for waiting on the Lord's salvation. The Lord destroys Moab—symbolic of nations who reject God—in judgment for not trusting in Him.

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).

Accessed 5/1/2024 6:50:04 PM