Isaiah / Chapter 52

Isaiah 52

15 verses • Westminster Leningrad Codex 3 traditions available

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

This chapter divides into two distinct movements. The first (vv.1-12) is a triumphant call for Zion to awake, put on her strength, and receive the messenger who brings good news of God's reign. The LORD bares His holy arm before all nations. The second movement (vv.13-15) begins the Fourth Servant Song — the most theologically contested passage in the Hebrew Bible — introducing a Servant who will be exalted and lifted up, yet whose appearance was marred beyond human semblance.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

Verse 7, with its image of beautiful feet on the mountains bringing good news, has become one of the most quoted verses in both Jewish and Christian liturgical traditions. The Fourth Servant Song beginning at verse 13 presents the sharpest paradox in Isaiah: the Servant is simultaneously exalted (yarum, venissa, vegavah — three verbs of elevation) and horrifyingly disfigured. This juxtaposition of glory and suffering is unprecedented in ancient literature.

Translation Friction

The division between chapters 52 and 53 is artificial — the Fourth Servant Song runs from 52:13 through 53:12 as a single literary unit. We preserve the chapter division for reference purposes while noting its inadequacy. The Hebrew of 52:14-15 is notoriously difficult; the verb yazzeh in verse 15 may mean sprinkle (a priestly act) or startle/cause to leap up. We have rendered it with a note on both possibilities.

Connections

How beautiful on the mountains (v.7) is quoted in Romans 10:15 and Nahum 1:15. The LORD baring His arm (v.10) continues the arm of the LORD theme from 51:5, 9 and anticipates the pivotal question of 53:1. The three verbs of exaltation in 52:13 echo Isaiah 6:1 (the LORD high and lifted up) — language otherwise reserved for God alone. The nations and kings of 52:15 connect to 49:7 and anticipate the kings of 53:12. **Tradition comparisons:** The Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaiah-a) preserve this chapter with notable variants: Verse 5: a minor variant in 'for nothing.' Verse 7: 'How beautiful on the mountains' reads identically. Verse 13: the Fourth Servant Song opens — 'my servant shall deal wisely' reads identically. Verse 14: the scroll has a significant variant reading 'I anointed' (mashachti) versus the MT's 'marr.... See the [DSS Isaiah comparison](/dss-isaiah/52). Targum Jonathan provides interpretive renderings: Both Memra and Shekinah appear: the people will know the name of the Memra, and God's presence is confirmed as 'behold, my Shekinah.' The eschatological revelation is a full disclosure of the Memra's... (5 notable renderings in this chapter) See [Targum Jonathan on Isaiah](/targum/isaiah). The Latin Vulgate shaped Western theology here: The Fourth Servant Song (52:13-53:12) in the Vulgate became the primary Old Testament text for Western atonement theology. Intelleget (shall understand) for Hebrew yaskil (shall prosper/act wisely) em... (2 notable Vulgate renderings in this chapter) See the [Vulgate Isaiah](/vulgate/isaiah).

Isaiah 52:1

עוּרִ֥י עוּרִ֛י לִבְשִׁ֥י עֻזֵּ֖ךְ צִיּ֑וֹן לִבְשִׁ֣י ׀ בִּגְדֵ֣י תִפְאַרְתֵּ֗ךְ יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ עִ֣יר הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ כִּ֣י לֹ֥א יוֹסִ֛יף יָבֹא־בָ֖ךְ עוֹד֙ עָרֵ֣ל וְטָמֵ֔א׃

Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion! Put on your beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city! For the uncircumcised and the unclean shall enter you no more.

KJV Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The double imperative uri uri (awake, awake!) echoes 51:9 (addressed to God's arm) and 51:17 (addressed to Jerusalem). Now Zion is told to exchange her mourning rags for garments of splendor. The exclusion of the uncircumcised and unclean envisions a purified, restored Jerusalem.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"Awake, awake"

Identical reading. The doubled imperative 'Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion' echoes 51:9 and is the same in both traditions.

Isaiah 52:2

הִתְנַעֲרִ֧י מֵעָפָ֛ר ק֥וּמִי שְּׁבִ֖י יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם הִֽתְפַּתְּחִי֙ מוֹסְרֵ֣י צַוָּארֵ֔ךְ שְׁבִיָּ֖ה בַּת־צִיּֽוֹן׃

Shake yourself from the dust; arise! Take your seat, O Jerusalem. Loose the bonds from your neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

KJV Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The command shevi (sit/take your seat) is a wordplay — in context it means not to sit passively but to be enthroned, to resume a position of dignity. The captive (sheviyah) is told to become the one seated in honor (yoshevet).
Isaiah 52:3

כִּי־כֹ֣ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה חִנָּ֥ם נִמְכַּרְתֶּ֖ם וְלֹ֥א בְכֶ֖סֶף תִּגָּאֵֽלוּ׃

For this is what the LORD says: You were sold for nothing, and you shall be redeemed without money.

KJV For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The economics of redemption are paradoxical: Israel was sold for no price (chinnam, gratis) and will be bought back for no price. The verb tigga'elu (shall be redeemed) uses the go'el root — God as kinsman-redeemer pays no ransom because no legitimate transaction ever occurred.
Isaiah 52:4

כִּ֣י כֹ֤ה אָמַר֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה מִצְרַ֛יִם יָרַ֥ד עַמִּ֖י בָּרִאשֹׁנָ֑ה לָג֣וּר שָׁ֔ם וְאַשּׁ֖וּר בְּאֶ֥פֶס עֲשָׁקֽוֹ׃

For this is what the Lord GOD says: My people went down to Egypt at first to sojourn there, and Assyria oppressed them for nothing.

KJV For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God surveys the history of Israel's oppression: Egypt (voluntary sojourn turned slavery) and Assyria (unprovoked aggression). Both served no legitimate purpose (be'efes, for nothing) — establishing that Israel's suffering was unjust exploitation, not divine abandonment.
Isaiah 52:5

וְעַתָּ֤ה מַה־לִּי־פֹה֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה כִּֽי־לֻקַּ֥ח עַמִּ֖י חִנָּ֑ם מֹשְׁלָ֤יו יְיֵילִ֙ילוּ֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה וְתָמִ֥יד כָּל־הַיּ֖וֹם שְׁמִ֥י מִנֹּאָֽץ׃

Now therefore what do I have here, declares the LORD, seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Their rulers wail, declares the LORD, and continually all the day my name is despised.

KJV Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. God's question what do I have here? expresses divine restlessness — He will not tolerate the status quo of His people in bondage. The desecration of God's name (shemi minno'ats) among the nations is a major motivating factor in Ezekiel's theology of restoration (Ezekiel 36:20-23).

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)moderate

"for nothing"

Identical consonantal text. 'My people were taken away for nothing' — the injustice of exile is stated the same way in both traditions.

Isaiah 52:6

לָכֵ֛ן יֵדַ֥ע עַמִּ֖י שְׁמִ֑י לָכֵן֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא כִּֽי־אֲנִי־ה֥וּא הַֽמְדַבֵּ֖ר הִנֵּֽנִי׃

Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore in that day they shall know that it is I who speak: Here I am.

KJV Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The revelation climaxes with hinneni (Here I am) — God's own self-disclosure. The same word Abraham spoke in response to God (Genesis 22:1) is now spoken by God in response to His people. The reversal is breathtaking.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"shall know"

Identical.

Targum Jonathan (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)memra

"Therefore my people shall know the name of my Memra; therefore in that day [they shall know] that I am he who speaks — behold, my Shekinah [is present]."

Both Memra and Shekinah appear: the people will know the name of the Memra, and God's presence is confirmed as 'behold, my Shekinah.' The eschatological revelation is a full disclosure of the Memra's name and the Shekinah's presence.

Isaiah 52:7

מַה־נָּאו֨וּ עַל־הֶהָרִ֜ים רַגְלֵ֣י מְבַשֵּׂ֗ר מַשְׁמִ֧יעַ שָׁל֛וֹם מְבַשֵּׂ֥ר ט֖וֹב מַשְׁמִ֣יעַ יְשׁוּעָ֑ה אֹמֵ֥ר לְצִיּ֖וֹן מָלַ֥ךְ אֱלֹהָֽיִךְ׃

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

KJV How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

מְבַשֵּׂר mevasser
"the one who brings good news" — herald, bearer of good tidings, evangelist

The mevasser ('herald of good news') on the mountains announces shalom, good, and salvation — 'Your God reigns!' The word is the verbal form of the root b-s-r, from which besorah ('good news, gospel') derives. Paul cites this verse in Romans 10:15.

Translator Notes

  1. One of the most celebrated verses in all of Scripture. The herald runs across the mountains — visible from Jerusalem — bringing the announcement that God has acted. The fourfold description (peace, good, salvation, God reigns) builds to the climactic declaration malakh elohayikh (Your God reigns!). Paul quotes this in Romans 10:15; Nahum 1:15 contains a parallel.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"How beautiful"

Identical reading. 'How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace' (quoted in Romans 10:15) — one of the most beloved verses in Isaiah, reading the same in the oldest scroll and the medieval text.

Targum Jonathan (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)eschatological

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the herald of good tidings... who says to Zion, 'The kingdom of your God is revealed.'"

'Your God reigns' becomes 'the kingdom of your God is revealed' (itgaliat malkhut Elahikh), transforming divine rule into an eschatological disclosure event. The kingdom does not begin — it is revealed, having always existed.

Latin Vulgate (Jerome, 405 CE)

"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who announces and preaches peace"

Quam pulchri pedes adnuntiantis (how beautiful the feet of the announcer) — Paul quotes this verse in Romans 10:15 to ground the Christian missionary mandate. The Latin adnuntiantis (announcing) and praedicantis (preaching) established the Western vocabulary for evangelistic proclamation. The verse was applied to apostles, missionaries, and preachers throughout Western history.

Isaiah 52:8

ק֥וֹל צֹפַ֛יִךְ נָ֥שְׂאוּ ק֖וֹל יַחְדָּ֣ו יְרַנֵּ֑נוּ כִּ֤י עַ֣יִן בְּעַ֔יִן יִרְא֕וּ בְּשׁ֥וּב יְהוָ֖ה צִיּֽוֹן׃

Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they sing for joy, for eye to eye they see the return of the LORD to Zion.

KJV Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The watchmen (tsofayikh) stationed on Jerusalem's walls see the LORD's return with their own eyes — ayin be'ayin (eye to eye), meaning face to face, without mediation. This is direct, unobstructed vision of God's saving action.

Targum Jonathan (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)shekinah

"For eye to eye they shall see when the LORD returns his Shekinah to Zion."

The return of the LORD to Zion is the return of the Shekinah. This is eschatological Shekinah theology: the hope of Israel is the Shekinah's return to Jerusalem, not merely God's general favor.

Isaiah 52:9

פִּצְח֤וּ רַנְּנוּ֙ יַחְדָּ֔ו חָרְב֖וֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם כִּֽי־נִחַ֤ם יְהוָה֙ עַמּ֔וֹ גָּאַ֖ל יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃

Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the LORD has comforted His people; He has redeemed Jerusalem.

KJV Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Even the ruins (chorvot) are summoned to sing — the destroyed stones themselves participate in the celebration. The verb ga'al (redeemed) is the go'el verb: God has acted as kinsman-redeemer for the city itself.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)minor

"together"

Plene spelling with yod. Same word.

Isaiah 52:10

חָשַׂ֤ף יְהוָה֙ אֶת־זְר֣וֹעַ קָדְשׁ֔וֹ לְעֵינֵ֖י כָּל־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם וְרָאוּ֙ כָּל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֔רֶץ אֵ֖ת יְשׁוּעַ֥ת אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃

The LORD has bared His holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

KJV The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

זְרוֹעַ קָדְשׁוֹ zeroa qodsho
"His holy arm" — holy arm, sacred arm, arm of holiness

The zeroa ('arm') is God's instrument of power — bared (chasaf) for all nations to see. The 'holy arm' combines divine power with divine purity. The image of God rolling up His sleeve for battle runs through Isaiah (40:10, 51:9, 53:1).

Translator Notes

  1. God rolls up His sleeve, so to speak — the baring of the arm is a warrior's gesture before battle. This arm, called to awaken in 51:9, is now displayed before all nations. The phrase yeshu'at elohenu (the salvation of our God) shares its root with the name Yeshua/Joshua. Luke 3:6 quotes this verse.
Isaiah 52:11

ס֤וּרוּ ס֙וּרוּ֙ צְא֣וּ מִשָּׁ֔ם טָמֵ֖א אַל־תִּגָּ֑עוּ צְא֣וּ מִתּוֹכָ֔הּ הִבָּ֕רוּ נֹשְׂאֵ֖י כְּלֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃

Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing! Go out from the midst of her; purify yourselves, you who bear the vessels of the LORD.

KJV Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The double imperative suru suru (depart, depart!) commands a new exodus — this time from Babylon. Those carrying the temple vessels (kelei YHWH, cf. Ezra 1:7-11) must be ritually pure. Unlike the first exodus, which was hurried (Exodus 12:11), this departure will be orderly (v.12).
Isaiah 52:12

כִּ֣י לֹ֤א בְחִפָּזוֹן֙ תֵּצֵ֔אוּ וּבִמְנוּסָ֖ה לֹ֣א תֵלֵכ֑וּן כִּֽי־הֹלֵ֤ךְ לִפְנֵיכֶם֙ יְהוָ֔ה וּמְאַסִּפְכֶ֖ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

KJV For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This new exodus surpasses the first: no haste (chippazom, the very word used of the Passover departure in Exodus 12:11), no flight — because God Himself serves as both vanguard and rear guard. The people are completely enclosed in divine protection.
Isaiah 52:13

הִנֵּ֥ה יַשְׂכִּ֖יל עַבְדִּ֑י יָר֧וּם וְנִשָּׂ֛א וְגָבַ֖הּ מְאֹֽד׃

Behold, my servant shall prosper; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exceedingly exalted.

KJV Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

עַבְדִּי avdi
"my servant" — my servant, my slave, my worker

The Fourth Servant Song begins: avdi ('my servant') will prosper (yaskil), be raised and lifted up (yarum venissa), and be very high (gavah me'od). The three verbs of exaltation are among the strongest in Hebrew — the same language used for God's own exaltation in 6:1 (Isaiah's throne vision).

Translator Notes

  1. This verse begins the Fourth Servant Song (52:13-53:12), the most theologically contested passage in the Hebrew Bible. The verb yaskil can mean prosper or act wisely — both senses may be intended. The three ascending verbs of exaltation (yarum, venissa, vegavah) are extraordinary: in Isaiah 6:1, ram venissa describes God Himself on His throne. Jewish tradition has generally read the Servant as Israel personified; Christian tradition as messianic prophecy. We present the text without privileging either reading.
  2. Targum Jonathan explicitly identifies the Servant as the Messiah ('my servant the Messiah shall prosper') but dramatically reinterprets the passage so that the Messiah conquers and is exalted while Israel or the nations bear the suffering. This is the earliest Jewish Messianic reading of the passage.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)theological

"my servant shall deal wisely"

The opening of the Fourth Servant Song — 'Behold, my servant shall deal wisely; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high' — reads identically in 1QIsaiah-a and the MT. The three verbs of exaltation (yarum, venissa, vegavah me'od) are the same.

Targum Jonathan (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)messianic

"Behold, my servant the Messiah shall prosper; he shall be exalted and increase and be very strong."

THE most important verse in all targum literature. The fourth Servant Song opens with the explicit identification: 'my servant the Messiah' (avdi Meshicha). This proves beyond doubt that pre-Christian Judaism read Isaiah 52:13-53:12 as a Messianic prophecy. What follows, however, is a dramatic reinterpretation of the suffering.

Latin Vulgate (Jerome, 405 CE)

"Behold my servant shall understand, he shall be exalted and lifted up and shall be very high...so unhonored shall be his appearance among men"

The Fourth Servant Song (52:13-53:12) in the Vulgate became the primary Old Testament text for Western atonement theology. Intelleget (shall understand) for Hebrew yaskil (shall prosper/act wisely) emphasizes knowledge over success. The contrast between exaltation and disfigurement shaped the theology of the cross as paradoxical glory.

Isaiah 52:14

כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר שָׁמְמ֤וּ עָלֶ֙יךָ֙ רַבִּ֔ים כֵּן־מִשְׁחַ֥ת מֵאִ֖ישׁ מַרְאֵ֑הוּ וְתֹאֲר֖וֹ מִבְּנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃

As many were astonished at him — his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of men —

KJV As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The paradox is staggering: the one exalted above all (v.13) is disfigured beyond recognition as human. The word mishchat (marred/disfigured) suggests destruction of form itself. The shift from second person (at thee) to third person (his appearance) is jarring in Hebrew and may indicate editorial layering or dramatic perspective shifts.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)theological

"I anointed his appearance beyond that of any man"

This is one of the most debated variants in the entire scroll. The MT reads mishchat ('marred, disfigured') — 'his appearance was so marred beyond human semblance.' 1QIsaiah-a appears to read mashachti ('I anointed') — 'I anointed his appearance beyond any man.'

Targum Jonathan (Aramaic, 1st-5th c. CE)messianic

"Just as the house of Israel looked to him... their appearance was darkened among the peoples."

Jonathan redirects the marred appearance from the Servant-Messiah to Israel in exile. The disfigurement is Israel's exile condition, not the Messiah's suffering. This begins the systematic reinterpretation of the Suffering Servant.

Latin Vulgate (Jerome, 405 CE)

"Behold my servant shall understand, he shall be exalted and lifted up and shall be very high...so unhonored shall be his appearance among men"

The Fourth Servant Song (52:13-53:12) in the Vulgate became the primary Old Testament text for Western atonement theology. Intelleget (shall understand) for Hebrew yaskil (shall prosper/act wisely) emphasizes knowledge over success. The contrast between exaltation and disfigurement shaped the theology of the cross as paradoxical glory.

Isaiah 52:15

כֵּ֤ן יַזֶּה֙ גּוֹיִ֣ם רַבִּ֔ים עָלָ֛יו יִקְפְּצ֥וּ מְלָכִ֖ים פִּיהֶ֑ם כִּ֠י אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־סֻפַּ֤ר לָהֶם֙ רָא֔וּ וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־שָׁמְע֖וּ הִתְבּוֹנָֽנוּ׃

so shall he startle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for what had not been told them they shall see, and what they had not heard they shall understand.

KJV So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb yazzeh is highly debated. The traditional rendering sprinkle (from nazah, a priestly purification act) would make the Servant a priest who purifies nations. An alternative reading startle/cause to leap up (from an Arabic cognate) better parallels kings shutting their mouths in astonishment. Both readings carry theological weight; we have followed the contextual sense of astonishment while noting the priestly alternative. Paul quotes the second half of this verse in Romans 15:21.

Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaᵃ, 125 BCE)major

"he shall sprinkle"

The MT's yazzeh ('he shall sprinkle') has long puzzled translators — 'so shall he sprinkle many nations' implies a priestly act of purification. Some emend to 'startle' (from a different root, n-z-h). 1QIsaiah-a preserves the same consonantal text (yzh), supporting the MT's 'sprinkle' reading.

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