What does Isaiah 51:5 mean?
"My 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." - Isaiah 51:5
Isaiah 51:5 (KJV) - "My 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."
The book of Isaiah is a prophetic book in the Old Testament, and it is attributed to the prophet Isaiah who lived in the 8th century BCE. The book is a collection of oracles, prophecies, and poems that address the people of Israel and Judah. The verse in question, Isaiah 51:5, is part of a section of the book that comforts the people and encourages them to trust in God's faithfulness and salvation.
The verse begins with the declaration, "My righteousness is near." This statement reinforces the idea that God's righteousness and justice are always close at hand. The word "righteousness" in the Bible refers to God's moral perfection and justness. It signifies that God always acts in accordance with what is right and just. This declaration serves as a source of comfort and hope for the people of Israel, assuring them that God's righteous judgment and salvation are imminent.
The next phrase, "my salvation is gone forth," further emphasizes the imminence of God's salvation. Salvation, in the biblical context, refers to God's deliverance and rescue of his people from their enemies and from the consequences of sin. This declaration communicates the idea that God's saving power is actively at work and is in motion. It conveys a sense of urgency and immediacy, indicating that the fulfillment of God's promise of salvation is underway.
The verse then shifts to the image of God's arms judging the people. The image of God's arms conveys the notion of God's strength, power, and authority. "Judging the people" signifies God's role as the ultimate judge who will render righteous judgment and justice. This declaration serves as a reassurance to the people that God will judge fairly and justly, and that ultimately, justice will prevail.
The verse concludes with the statement, "the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust." The phrase "the isles" refers to the distant coastlands and nations beyond Israel. This inclusive language conveys the universal scope of God's salvation and judgment. It communicates the idea that not only Israel but all nations will ultimately place their trust in God's power and sovereignty. The image of waiting upon God and trusting in his arm signifies a posture of dependence, confidence, and hope in God's saving and judging power.
The overarching theme of Isaiah 51:5 is the imminence of God's righteousness and salvation, as well as the universal scope of God's judgment and salvation. The verse encourages the people of Israel to trust in God's faithfulness, to wait upon him, and to place their confidence in his saving and judging power. It conveys a message of hope, assurance, and ultimately, the triumph of God's justice and salvation.
In the context of the book of Isaiah, this verse is situated within a section that addresses the restoration and redemption of Israel. It follows a series of prophecies that speak to the eventual deliverance of the people from exile and the establishment of God's kingdom. The verse serves as a source of encouragement and hope for the people amid their present hardships, reminding them of God's unfailing faithfulness and promise of salvation.
Symbolically, the image of God's arms conveys the idea of God's strength and power. It symbolizes divine protection, embrace, and support. The image of waiting upon God and trusting in his arm symbolizes a posture of faith, reliance, and surrender to God's will and providence. Overall, Isaiah 51:5 conveys a message of hope, confidence, and trust in God's imminent righteousness and salvation. It calls the people to place their faith in God's sovereign power and to await the fulfillment of his promises with unwavering hope and expectation.
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Isaiah 51:5 - "My 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."
"My 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." - Isaiah 51:5
Isaiah 51:21 - "¶ Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:"
Isaiah 51:15 - "But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name."
Psalms 51:5 - "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."
"¶ Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:" - Isaiah 51:21
Isaiah 51:14 - "The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail."
Isaiah 51:2 - "Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him."
Isaiah 51:19 - "These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?"
Isaiah 51:20 - "Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God."
Isaiah 51:10 - "Art 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?"
Isaiah 51:7 - "¶ Hearken 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."
Isaiah 51:1 - "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."
"For 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." - Isaiah 51:3
Isaiah 51:9 - "¶ Awake, 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?"
Isaiah 51:17 - "¶ Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out."
Isaiah 51:8 - "For 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."
Isaiah 51:12 - "I, 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;"
Isaiah 51:18 - "There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up."
Isaiah 51:11 - "Therefore 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."
Jeremiah 51:5 - "For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel."
Isaiah 51:4 - "¶ Hearken 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."
Isaiah 37:5 - "So the servants of king Hezekiah came to Isaiah."
Isaiah 51:13 - "And 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?"
Isaiah 51:16 - "And 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."
Isaiah 51:23 - "But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over."
Isaiah 39:5 - "Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts:"
"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." - Psalms 51:5
Isaiah 5:21
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