Isaiah 25:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the foreigners ' palace is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.

NIV: You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners’ stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.

NASB: For You have turned a city into a heap, A fortified city into a ruin; A palace of strangers is no longer a city, It will never be rebuilt.

CSB: For you have turned the city into a pile of rocks, a fortified city, into ruins; the fortress of barbarians is no longer a city; it will never be rebuilt.

NLT: You turn mighty cities into heaps of ruins. Cities with strong walls are turned to rubble. Beautiful palaces in distant lands disappear and will never be rebuilt.

KJV: For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.

NKJV: For You have made a city a ruin, A fortified city a ruin, A palace of foreigners to be a city no more; It will never be rebuilt.

The prophet Isaiah has praised the Lord for faithfully carrying out His plans. These designs existed in God's mind since the beginning of time (Isaiah 25:1). These plans of the Lord included turning "the city" into a pile of destruction. He has torn down the palace of the "foreigner," the oppressive enemy of Israel and of the Lord, which will never be restored.

Both terms have broader symbolic meaning. Israel was God's chosen people (Deuteronomy 7:6), and other nations generally opposed God and His Word. References to "the nations" or "the gentiles" frequently mean "non-believers." Here, both "the city" and "the palace" are tied to "foreigners." These generically represent the enemies of God; later, Isaiah will speak of God removing sin and shame from all nations (Isaiah 25:8).

Isaiah previously used a nameless wasted city as a picture of the Lord's judgment against the sinful people of the world (Isaiah 24:12). He seems to be referencing that same city in this verse. Here he is praising the Lord for carrying out His longstanding plan to destroy the political powers of the earth aligned against Him and against His people Israel.

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).