# Isaiah 51 š: Comfort for Zion
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[[-Isaiah Overview]] | [[Isaiah 50]] | [[Isaiah 52]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#š Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#š Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#š§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#āļø Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#š Key Principles / š Life Application]]
> [[#š¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#āļø Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#š Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#š Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#š Internal Notes]]
## š Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### There is Hope for the Future
[[#Verse 01.]]Ā āListen to me, you who pursue godliness,
who seek theĀ Lord.
Look at the rock from which you were chiseled,
at the quarryĀ from which you were dug.
[[#Verse 02.]]Ā Look at Abraham, your father,
and Sarah, who gave you birth.
When I summoned him, he was a lone individual,
but I blessed himĀ and gave him numerous descendants.
[[#Verse 03.]]Ā Certainly theĀ LordĀ will console Zion;
he will console all her ruins.
He will make her wilderness like Eden,
her arid rift valley like the garden of theĀ Lord.
Happiness and joy will be restored toĀ her,
thanksgiving and the sound of music.
[[#Verse 04.]]Ā Pay attention to me, my people.
Listen to me, my people!
ForĀ I will issue a decree,
I will make my justice a light to the nations.
[[#Verse 05.]]Ā I am ready to vindicate,
I am ready to deliver,
I will establish justice among the nations.
The coastlandsĀ wait patiently for me;
they wait in anticipation for the revelation of my power.
[[#Verse 06.]]Ā Look up at the sky.
Look at the earth below.
For the sky will dissipateĀ like smoke,
and the earth will wear out like clothes;
its residents will die like gnats.
But the deliverance I giveĀ is permanent;
the vindication I provideĀ will not disappear.
[[#Verse 07.]]Ā Listen to me, you who know what is right,
you people who are aware of my law.
Donāt be afraid of the insults of men;
donāt be discouraged because of their abuse.
[[#Verse 08.]]Ā For a moth will eat away at them like clothes;
a clothes moth will devour them like wool.
But the vindication I provideĀ will be permanent;
the deliverance I give will last.ā
[[#Verse 09.]]Ā Wake up! Wake up!
Clothe yourself with strength, O arm of theĀ Lord!
Wake up as in former times, as in antiquity.
Did you not smashĀ the Proud One?
Did you notĀ wound the sea monster?
[[#Verse 10.]]Ā Did you not dry up the sea,
the waters of the great deep?
Did you not makeĀ a path through the depths of the sea,
so those delivered from bondageĀ could cross over?
[[#Verse 11.]]Ā Those whom theĀ LordĀ has ransomed will return;
they will enter Zion with a happy shout.
Unending joy will crown them,
happiness and joy will overwhelmĀ them;
grief and suffering will disappear.
[[#Verse 12.]]Ā āI, I am the one who consoles you.
Why are you afraid of mortal men,
of mere human beings who are as short-lived as grass?
[[#Verse 13.]]Ā Why do you forgetĀ theĀ Lord, who made you,
who stretched out the sky
and founded the earth?
Why do you constantly tremble all day long
at the anger of the oppressor,
when he makes plans to destroy?
Where is the anger of the oppressor?
[[#Verse 14.]]Ā The one who suffersĀ will soon be released;
he will not die in prison,
he will not go hungry.
[[#Verse 15.]]Ā I am theĀ LordĀ your God,
who churns up the sea so that its waves surge.
TheĀ LordĀ of Heavenās Armies is his name!
### Zionās Time to Celebrate
[[#Verse 16.]]Ā āI commission youĀ as my spokesman;
I cover you with the palm of my hand,
to establishĀ the sky and to found the earth,
to say to Zion, āYou are my people.āā
[[#Verse 17.]]Ā Wake up! Wake up!
Get up, O Jerusalem!
You drank from the cup theĀ LordĀ passed to you,
which was full of his anger.
You drained dry
the goblet full of intoxicating wine.
[[#Verse 18.]]Ā There was no one to lead her
among all the children she bore;
there was no one to take her by the hand
among all the children she raised.
[[#Verse 19.]]Ā These double disasters confronted you.
But who feels sorry for you?
Destruction and devastation,
famine and sword.
But who consoles you?
[[#Verse 20.]]Ā Your children faint;
they lie at the head of every street
like an antelope in a snare.
They are left in a stupor by theĀ Lordās anger,
by the battle cry of your God.
[[#Verse 21.]]Ā So listen to this, oppressed one,
who is drunk, but not from wine.
[[#Verse 22.]]Ā This is what your SovereignĀ Lord, even your God who judgesĀ his people says:
āLook, I have removed from your hand
the cup of intoxicating wine,
the goblet full of my anger.
You will no longer have to drink it.
[[#Verse 23.]]Ā I will put it into the hand of your tormentors
who said to you, āLie down, so we can walk over you.ā
You made your back like the ground,
and like the street for those who walked over you.ā
## š Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
## š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Abraham and Sarah (51:2) are named as the rock and quarry from which Israel was cut, reminding exiles that God began with one couple.
2. God promises to make Zion's wilderness like Eden, the garden of the Lord (51:3).
3. The heavens vanishing like smoke and the earth wearing out like a garment (51:6) is echoed in Hebrews 1:10-12.
4. The moth eating them like a garment (51:8) repeats the image of 50:9.
5. Rahab and the sea monster (51:9) are poetic pictures of chaos and of Egypt.
6. God drying up the sea for the redeemed (51:10) recalls the exodus through the Red Sea.
7. Verse 11 is nearly identical to 35:10.
8. The cup of wrath (51:17) is a common prophetic image (Jeremiah 25:15; Revelation 14:10).
9. Jesus spoke of the cup He had to drink in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39).
10. Conquerors who said lie down so we can walk over you (51:23) reflects the ancient practice of stepping on the backs of defeated enemies.
## š§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## āļø Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the One who drank the cup of God's wrath so His people would never drink it again (51:17, 22). Jesus prayed, let this cup pass from Me, yet He drank it for us (Matthew 26:39).
## š Key Principles / š Life Application
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## š¬ Discussion Questions
1. God tells His people to look to the rock from which they were cut, Abraham and Sarah (51:1-2). How does remembering God's past faithfulness strengthen faith?
2. God says not to fear the insults of mere mortals (51:7-8). Whose opinions have too much power over you?
3. God takes the cup of wrath out of His people's hand (51:22). What does it mean to you that Jesus drank that cup for you?
## āļø Key Verses to Remember
- š verse 1: Look to the rock from which you were cut.
- š verse 6: The heavens will vanish like smoke, but My salvation will last forever.
- š verse 11: The redeemed will return to Zion with joy, and sorrow will flee.
## š Related Passages/Cross Reference
- š [[Matthew 26#Verse 39.|Matthew 26:39]] - Let this cup pass from Me.
- š [[Hebrews 01#Verse 10.|Hebrews 1:10-12]] - The heavens will wear out like a garment.
- š [[Romans 04#Verse 16.|Romans 4:16-18]] - Abraham, the father of us all.
- š [[Matthew 10#Verse 28.|Matthew 10:28]] - Do not fear those who kill the body.
- š [[Revelation 14#Verse 09.|Revelation 14:9-10]] - The cup of God's wrath.
## š Devotional Reflection
š SOAP: [[Isaiah 51 - SOAP|Donāt Fear Peopleās Opinions]]
## š Internal Notes