King James Version

Isaiah 54

Isaiah 54 is God's promise to restore his people, pictured as a barren and abandoned wife who will have more children than she can house. God says "thy Maker is thine husband," swears his kindness will not depart as surely as he swore after Noah's flood, and ends with "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper."

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Isaiah 54 (KJV)

Sing, O barren: enlarge the place of thy tent v. 1-3

¹Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.

²Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;

³For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.

Thy Maker is thine husband v. 4-8

⁴Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.

⁵For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

⁶For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

⁷For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.

⁸In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

As the waters of Noah v. 9-10

⁹For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.

¹⁰For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.

Foundations of sapphires and no weapon that prospers v. 11-17

¹¹O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.

¹²And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.

¹³And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.

¹⁴In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.

¹⁵Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.

¹⁶Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.

¹⁷No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.

What Isaiah 54 means

The chapter speaks to Zion, God's people, as a woman who could not have children and was then left alone. She is told to sing anyway, because the desolate will have more children than the married wife. She must enlarge her tent, lengthen the cords and strengthen the stakes to make room.

Verses 4-8 take away her shame. Her Maker is her husband and her Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. God admits there was a small moment when he forsook her and hid his face in a little wrath, but he sets that against great mercies and everlasting kindness.

Verses 9-10 compare this promise to God's oath after the flood. As he swore the waters of Noah would no more cover the earth, he swears not to be wroth with her. Mountains may depart and hills be removed, but his kindness and the covenant of his peace will not.

The last section rebuilds the afflicted city out of precious stones: sapphire foundations, agate windows, carbuncle gates. Her children will be taught of the LORD and have great peace. Anyone who gathers against her will fall, because God made both the smith who forges weapons and the waster who destroys.

Verse 17 is often quoted on its own, but in context it is part of this promise to God's restored people, and it ends by naming them: This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD. Paul quotes verse 1 in Galatians 4:27, and Jesus echoes verse 13 in John 6:45.

Background and context

Isaiah 1:1 names the prophet as Isaiah the son of Amoz, who prophesied in the days of the kings Uzziah to Hezekiah. Many scholars assign chapters 40-66 to later writers in Isaiah's tradition, while many others hold to Isaiah's authorship of the whole book.

Isaiah 54 comes right after Isaiah 53, the chapter of the suffering servant. Readers have long noticed the order: the servant bears the people's sins, and then the barren one is told to sing.

Key verses

For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
Isaiah 54:5 · KJV

For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.
Isaiah 54:10 · KJV

No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
Isaiah 54:17 · KJV

Cross references

Galatians 4:27 Paul quotes verse 1: Rejoice, thou barren that bearest notFor it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
John 6:45 Jesus cites the prophets: they shall be all taught of God (verse 13)It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.
Genesis 9:11 God's covenant after the flood, which verse 9 recallsAnd I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
Hosea 2:19 God betroths his people to himself in lovingkindness and merciesAnd I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies.
Revelation 21:19 The new Jerusalem's foundations garnished with precious stones, including sapphireAnd the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;
Romans 8:31 If God be for us, who can be against usWhat shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

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Common questions

What is the meaning of Isaiah 54?

It is God's promise that his people, though they felt barren and abandoned, will be restored, enlarged and protected, because he is bound to them like a husband and has sworn not to withdraw his kindness.

What does no weapon formed against thee shall prosper mean?

It is God's promise in verse 17 that attacks on his people will not succeed and false accusations will be answered. The verse calls this "the heritage of the servants of the LORD."

Who is the barren woman in Isaiah 54?

She stands for Zion, God's people, who had been left desolate. In Galatians 4:27 Paul applies verse 1 to the children of the promise.

Who wrote Isaiah 54?

The book names Isaiah the son of Amoz as its prophet. Scholars differ on whether chapters 40-66 come from Isaiah himself or from later writers in his tradition.