Isaiah 25

Praise for God's Wonderful Deeds

¹The LORD, you are my God. I will exalt you! I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago, in complete faithfulness and truth.

²For you have made a city into a heap, a fortified city into a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city. It will never be built.

³Therefore a strong people will glorify you. A city of awesome nations will fear you.

⁴For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the dreaded ones is like a storm against the wall.

⁵As the heat in a dry place you will bring down the noise of strangers; as the heat by the shade of a cloud, the song of the dreaded ones will be brought low.

⁶In this mountain, the LORD of Armies will make all peoples a feast of choice meat, a feast of choice wines, of choice meat full of marrow, of well refined choice wines.

⁷He will destroy in this mountain the surface of the covering that covers all peoples, and the veil that is spread over all nations.

⁸He has swallowed up death forever! The Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces. He will take the reproach of his people away from off all the earth, for the LORD has spoken it.

⁹It shall be said in that day, “Behold, this is our God! We have waited for him, and he will save us! This is the LORD! We have waited for him. We will be glad and rejoice in his salvation!”

¹⁰For the LORD’s hand will rest in this mountain. Moab will be trodden down in his place, even like straw is trodden down in the water of the dunghill.

¹¹He will spread out his hands in the middle of it, like one who swims spreads out hands to swim, but his pride will be humbled together with the craft of his hands.

¹²He has brought the high fortress of your walls down, laid low, and brought to the ground, even to the dust.

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Isaiah 25 is a triumphant hymn of praise celebrating God's faithfulness in executing His long-planned purposes of judgment and salvation. The prophet envisions God's ultimate victory over oppressive powers, His protection of the vulnerable, and His establishment of a glorious feast for all nations on His holy mountain. The chapter culminates in the promise that God will abolish death forever and remove all tears and reproach from His people, while simultaneously humbling proud enemies like Moab.

Context

This praise hymn follows the apocalyptic judgments of chapters 24 and provides a worshipful response to God's promised deliverance before the woes against specific nations continue.

Key Themes

Outline

1-3
Praise for God's Faithful Plans Isaiah exalts God for His wonderful deeds and the destruction of oppressive cities as planned from long ago.
4-5
God as Refuge for the Oppressed God serves as a stronghold and shelter for the poor and needy against their powerful oppressors.
6-9
The Great Feast and Victory Over Death God will host a magnificent banquet for all peoples and permanently defeat death, bringing salvation and joy.
10-12
Judgment on Moab God's hand will rest on His mountain while Moab is trampled down and their fortifications destroyed.

Praise for God's Wonderful Deeds

25:1–25:12

prophecy song triumphant

A song of praise celebrating God's wonderful deeds and faithfulness, culminating in the promise that death will be swallowed up forever. The passage contrasts God's protection of the needy with His judgment on the proud, pointing to ultimate salvation and victory.

theme_rarity

Isaiah 25 uniquely combines exuberant praise with death's defeat, making it the only biblical passage where celebratory worship directly anticipates mortality's ultimate destruction.

Insight Rare Theme

Isaiah 25 uniquely combines exuberant praise with death's defeat, making it the only biblical passage where celebratory worship directly anticipates mortality's ultimate destruction.