1Behold, a king will reign in righteousness,and princes will rule with justice.2Each will be like a shelter from the wind,a refuge from the storm,like streams of water in a dry land,like the shadow of a great rock in an arid land.3Then the eyes of those who see will no longer be closed,and the ears of those who hear will listen.4The mind of the rash will know and understand,and the stammering tongue will speak clearly and fluently.5No longer will a fool be called noble,nor a scoundrel be respected.6For a fool speaks foolishness;his mind plots iniquity.He practices ungodlinessand speaks falsely about the LORD;he leaves the hungry emptyand deprives the thirsty of drink.7The weapons of the scoundrel are destructive;he hatches plots to destroy the poor with lies,even when the plea of the needy is just.8But a noble man makes honorable plans;he stands up for worthy causes.
The Women of Jerusalem
ⓘThis prophecy of judgment was against the complacent...
This prophecy of judgment was against the complacent women of Jerusalem. God’s promises regarding the future did not justify continuing in sin.
9Stand up, you complacent women;listen to me.Give ear to my word,you overconfident daughters.10In a little more than a year you will tremble,O secure ones.For the grape harvest will failand the fruit harvest will not arrive.11Shudder, you ladies of leisure;tremble, you daughters of complacency.Strip yourselves bareand put sackcloth around your waists.12Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields,for the fruitful vines,13and for the land of my people,overgrown with thorns and briers—even for every house of merrimentin this city of revelry.14For the palace will be forsaken,the busy city abandoned.The hill†and the watchtower will become caves forever—the delight of wild donkeysand apasture for flocks—15until the Spirit is poured outupon us from on high.Then the desert will be an orchard,and the orchard will seem like a forest.16Then justice will inhabit the wilderness,and righteousness will dwell in the fertile field.17The work of righteousness will be peace;the serviceof righteousness will be quiet confidence forever.18Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place,in safe and secure places of rest.19But hail will level the forest,and the city will sink to the depths.20Blessed are those who sow beside abundant waters,who let the oxand donkey range freely.
Commentary
Isaiah 32:1
a righteous king: The Messiah (11:1); the emphasis now is on righteous and wise leadership (Prov 8:20).
In Isaiah’s day, honest princes were few and far between (see Isa 3:1–6; 28:7–19).
like a shelter . . . a refuge: The same words were also used to describe God’s protection (25:4) and his provision of life-giving water (41:18; 43:19–20). The leaders would serve as God’s agents in blessing his people.
Only foolish people value fools and scoundrels as heroes (see also 19:11, 13; 32:6–8).
Commentary
Isaiah 32:6
Because they do not care about God’s standards of justice and righteousness, fools have no regard for those who are hungry or thirsty (see 1:17; 58:7, 10).
The women of Jerusalem lie around in ease. Complacent in their high standard of life and low standard of morality, they put their trust in wealth and status to maintain their way of life.
Commentary
Isaiah 32:10
In a short time: Assyria’s siege of Jerusalem (701 BC) was looming.
Commentary
Isaiah 32:11
Burlap was worn to show . . . grief, especially when mourning (see Ps 30:11). The Assyrian conquest of the farmlands of Judah and most of its cities (except Jerusalem) would cause rich people in the large cities to mourn.
Commentary
Isaiah 32:14
Jerusalem was eventually destroyed, but by the Babylonians, not the Assyrians (for a prediction of this, see 39:1–8).
Commentary
Isaiah 32:15
The Spirit would transform the nation into a godly community and bring in an era of justice and righteousness (see also Joel 2:28–32). The Spirit is connected to the Messiah (Isa 11:1) and the servant (42:1; 61:1).
wilderness . . . bountiful crops: When the people are transformed, nature will be too.
Being right with God and humans will bring peace (Hebrew shalom; see 26:3; 48:18; 52:7; cp. Jas 3:18). Peace is more than the absence of conflict. It includes personal wholeness and does not depend on outside circumstances (see also Rom 5:1).
Living in safety and feeling at rest were blessings of Israel’s covenant with the Lord (see Lev 26:5–6), but the people’s sin had previously brought curses rather than blessings (cp. Isa 32:9–11).