Israel

Isaiah 51:1-16

Isaiah · ~700 BC · Status: Fulfilled · Confidence: 65%
“Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.”
King James Version · the opening — all 16 verses are below
More of Isaiah 51 on this siteIsaiah 51:17-23

God calling his people to remember Abraham their father, encouraging trust in God's covenant faithfulness.

Read the whole passage — all 16 verses (KJV)

51:1Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.

51:2Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

51:3For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.

51:4Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.

51:5My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.

51:6Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

51:7Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

51:8For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.

51:9Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?

51:10Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?

51:11Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

51:12I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;

51:13And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

51:14The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.

51:15But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.

51:16And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.

Fulfillment References

Galatians 3:29 1 Corinthians 1:30

How Traditions Read This Prophecy

Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal'Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn... look unto Abraham your father' (vv. 1-2). God calls His people to remember their origin in His promise, and assures them, 'my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished' (v. 6). The everlasting salvation and righteousness of the LORD are given in the Lord Jesus, who is our righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30) — the imperishable salvation of the one God.
JewishA call to the faithful to look to Abraham and Sarah, the 'rock' of their origin, and to trust God's everlasting salvation and comfort for Zion.
CatholicGod's eternal salvation and righteousness, fulfilled in Christ; the faithful as children of Abraham by promise.
ProtestantThe everlasting salvation of God, secured in Christ; believers as Abraham's children by faith (Gal. 3:29).
AcademicA composite oracle of comfort; the 'rock' (Abraham/Sarah) and the contrast of perishable heavens with enduring salvation are its themes.
Open the full interactive entry →
Audio narration (listen to this prophecy read aloud), cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, a prophetic timeline, network maps, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.