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Isaiah 26:5
ESV For he has humbled the inhabitants of the height, the lofty city. He lays it low, lays it low to the ground, casts it to the dust.
NIV He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust.
NASB For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the unassailable city; He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.
CSB For he has humbled those who live in lofty places -- an inaccessible city. He brings it down; he brings it down to the ground; he throws it to the dust.
NLT He humbles the proud and brings down the arrogant city. He brings it down to the dust.
KJV For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.

What does Isaiah 26:5 mean?

The prophet's song has declared why the Lord's people must place full trust in Him. Reliance on the Lord makes it possible for righteous nations to enter His strong city. It also brings perfect peace to those whose minds are focused on Him. This peace is due to the Lord being their unchanging foundation (Isaiah 26:1–4).

Why would anyone not put their full trust in the Lord? We may be tempted to trust more immediate solutions to our problems. Judah's most pressing concern in Isaiah's day was the threat of the Assyrian Empire. Judah's leaders were tempted to solve that problem by making alliances with the various nations around them. Isaiah's oracles against those nations were intended to show Judah just how untrustworthy each of those nations was as a source of salvation. He wanted to remove any shred of doubt that the Lord was the only true security Judah could rest in.

In chapters 24–25, Isaiah pictured all those opposed to the Lord, or to Israel, as a city. He was portraying a kind of "world city" that appeared as an opposing, lofty, unbeatable fortress. The Lord, in His future judgment, will devastate that "world city" and leave it in ruins (Isaiah 24:9, 12; 25:2).

Once more this lofty city is described. The Lord has humbled and crushed the inhabitants. He shows them as scattered in the wind as dust. Those who hoped in that city to give them security will find their trust misplaced. This raises a question for anyone reading these words today: what are we trusting to provide peace and lasting security for our lives? What makes us hesitate to put full trust in the Lord?
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