Isaiah 51:22 kjv
Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:
Isaiah 51:22 nkjv
Thus says your Lord, The LORD and your God, Who pleads the cause of His people: "See, I have taken out of your hand The cup of trembling, The dregs of the cup of My fury; You shall no longer drink it.
Isaiah 51:22 niv
This is what your Sovereign LORD says, your God, who defends his people: "See, I have taken out of your hand the cup that made you stagger; from that cup, the goblet of my wrath, you will never drink again.
Isaiah 51:22 esv
Thus says your Lord, the LORD, your God who pleads the cause of his people: "Behold, I have taken from your hand the cup of staggering; the bowl of my wrath you shall drink no more;
Isaiah 51:22 nlt
This is what the Sovereign LORD,
your God and Defender, says:
"See, I have taken the terrible cup from your hands.
You will drink no more of my fury.
Isaiah 51 22 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 51:17 | Awake, awake! stand up, O Jerusalem, thou hast drunk at the LORD's hand the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out. | Historical judgment upon Jerusalem |
| Jeremiah 25:15 | For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the cup of this wine of fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it. | God commands Jeremiah to take the cup |
| Jeremiah 51:7 | Babylon hath been a golden cup in the LORD's hand, that made all the earth drunken: of her wine have all the nations drunk; therefore the nations are mad. | Babylon's symbolic cup |
| Psalm 75:8 | For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them down. | God's cup of wrath for the wicked |
| Revelation 14:10 | The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: | Final judgment and God's cup |
| Revelation 16:19 | And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his anger. | Judgment on Babylon's fierceness |
| 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 on the ground, and as a walking path unto them that went over. | God's vengeance on oppressors |
| Psalm 11:6 | Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. | The portion of the wicked's cup |
| Lamentations 4:21 | Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass unto thee: thou also shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked. | Edom receives judgment |
| Ezekiel 23:31-34 | Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast made light of thy oath and covenant by breaking it, and lo, I have given thee into the hand of them whom thou hatest, into the hand of them by whom thy great confusion was, 32 Yet in thy heaps thou hast heard their judgments: thou hast drunk thy fill of blood, and hast thy fill of thy punishment, saith the Lord GOD. 33 For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even put thee to punishment, a punishment of great confusion, by the hand of strangers: for the most fierce judgments shall be in store for thee and thy ways. 34 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou shalt drink thy sister's cup, the cup of deep sorrow and destruction. | Israel's sin and judgment by peers |
| Jeremiah 49:12 | For, lo, they that were wholly innocent were to go an innocent, and art thou he that shall go unpunished? thou shalt not go unpunished, but thou shalt surely drink of it. | Unpunished shall not go |
| Zechariah 12:2 | Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be they shall besiege both Judah and Jerusalem. | Jerusalem as a cup of trembling |
| Nahum 3:11 | Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy. | Nineveh's downfall |
| Obadiah 1:16 | For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had never been. | Nations drinking judgment |
| Romans 11:25 | For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. | Future for Israel |
| Galatians 3:28 | There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. | Unity in Christ |
| 1 Corinthians 10:21 | Ye cannot drink of the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils. | Two cups: Lord's and devils' |
| Isaiah 42:25 | And the people of Israel hath not called upon him: they turned away, and did not acknowledge the Lord. | Israel's turning away |
| Isaiah 40:2 | Speak ye comfortably unto her, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins. | Israel receiving double for sins |
Isaiah 51 verses
Isaiah 51 22 Meaning
This verse speaks of God removing his cup of wrath from his people, no longer forcing them to drink it. Instead, this judgment is now poured out upon their tormentors.
Isaiah 51 22 Context
This verse is found in Isaiah chapter 51, which continues the theme of comfort and restoration for Zion (Jerusalem and its people). Following pronouncements of judgment on their oppressors, this specific verse focuses on the reversal of fortunes. Isaiah 51:1-23 describes God's comforting promises to his people who have endured great suffering and exile due to their sin. They have experienced the "cup of fury," symbolizing God's righteous judgment. This chapter shifts from recounting past suffering to proclaiming future deliverance and vengeance upon those who afflicted Israel. The immediate preceding verses detail the devastation brought upon Babylon, the oppressor.
Isaiah 51 22 Word Analysis
But (Hebrew: וְ): This conjunction marks a transition, introducing a contrasting action from God.
I (Hebrew: אֲנִי): Emphatically refers to God Himself, highlighting His active role in this reversal.
will put (Hebrew: שַׂמְתִּי - "samti"): Past tense used prophetically for certainty; means to place or set. God has determined to place something.
it (Hebrew: אוֹתָהּ - "otah"): Refers to the "cup" mentioned in the previous verse, the cup of God's wrath.
into the hand (Hebrew: יַד - "yad"): Signifies power, control, and agency. God delivers this cup to others.
of them (Hebrew: לְשָׁקַעֲצִיךְ - "l'shagazayikh"): Refers to the oppressors or tormentors of God's people.
that afflict (Hebrew: מְעַנַּיִךְ - "me'anayikh"): Specifically those who cause pain, distress, and oppression to Zion.
thee (Hebrew: אותָךְ - "otakh"): Refers to Zion, God's people.
which (Hebrew: אֲשֶׁר - "asher"): Introduces a clause describing these oppressors.
have said (Hebrew: אָמְרוּ - "amru"): They spoke words of intimidation and control.
to thy soul (Hebrew: לְנַפְשֵׁךְ - "l'nafshēkh"): To your life, your very being, implying a desire to crush their spirit and existence.
Bow down (Hebrew: הִשְׁתַּחֲוִי - "hishtahăvi"): A command for submission and humiliation, forcing them to prostrate themselves.
that we may go over (Hebrew: שֶׁנַעֲבֹר - "shəna'avor"): Implying they used them as a pathway, a stepping stone, showing utter disregard for their dignity.
and thou hast laid thy body on the ground (Hebrew: וַתִּתְּנִי גֵוֵךְ לָאָרֶץ - "vatitteni gevēkh la'aretz"): Your back, your body; describing the profound humiliation and submission enforced upon them.
and as a walking path (Hebrew: כַּמְּסִלָּה - "kəmsil·lah"): As a road or pathway for them to walk over, highlighting their debased status.
unto them (Hebrew: לַעוֹבְרִים - "la'ovrim"): For those passing over.
Word-Group Analysis: The verse constructs a stark contrast. "It" (the cup of wrath) which Zion "hast drunk" (verse 22, implicitly referring back to v.17) is now "put into the hand of them that afflict thee." The oppression described—demanding submission, making their very bodies a pathway—underscores the deep injustice and suffering endured by God's people. The pronoun shifts emphasize God's direct intervention to rectify this.
Isaiah 51 22 Bonus Section
The imagery of the "cup" for divine judgment is prevalent throughout Scripture, particularly in the prophetic books. It represents the fullness of God's wrath, dispensed according to His perfect justice. While Israel justly received judgment for sin, the nations who exploited and amplified that judgment with cruelty and pride will themselves face a similar cup. This transfer of the cup demonstrates God's sovereign control over history and His commitment to justice for His people, ultimately fulfilled in Christ who drank the "cup" of God's wrath for the sins of the world, so that His people might drink from the "cup" of salvation and fellowship with Him (1 Corinthians 10:16; Matthew 20:22-23).
Isaiah 51 22 Commentary
This verse signifies a pivotal turning point from suffering to vindication for God's people. The "cup" metaphor is potent: in ancient Near Eastern culture, drinking from a shared cup could symbolize covenant, but when commanded by a ruler, it represented the cup of their wrath. Zion has drunk deeply of God's fury, a consequence of their own sin but also part of a larger divine plan for discipline. However, God declares that this cup of judgment will not perpetually be theirs. Instead, the divine judgment, the "cup," will be transferred to the hands of their tormentors. These are the nations and powers that haughtily commanded Zion's prostration, using her as a mere pathway. God’s act of "putting it into their hand" is an act of sovereign justice and retribution, assuring them that their oppressor will face divine wrath. This is a promise of retributive justice, where the instrument of suffering becomes the recipient of judgment.
- Practical Usage Example: In times of persecution or great difficulty, believers can find encouragement that God sees their suffering and promises to ultimately bring judgment on those who afflict the righteous, turning their trials into ultimate vindication.