Isaiah 66 5

Isaiah 66:5 kjv

Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

Isaiah 66:5 nkjv

Hear the word of the LORD, You who tremble at His word: "Your brethren who hated you, Who cast you out for My name's sake, said, 'Let the LORD be glorified, That we may see your joy.' But they shall be ashamed."

Isaiah 66:5 niv

Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at his word: "Your own people who hate you, and exclude you because of my name, have said, 'Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy!' Yet they will be put to shame.

Isaiah 66:5 esv

Hear the word of the LORD, you who tremble at his word: "Your brothers who hate you and cast you out for my name's sake have said, 'Let the LORD be glorified, that we may see your joy'; but it is they who shall be put to shame.

Isaiah 66:5 nlt

Hear this message from the LORD,
all you who tremble at his words:
"Your own people hate you
and throw you out for being loyal to my name.
'Let the LORD be honored!' they scoff.
'Be joyful in him!'
But they will be put to shame.

Isaiah 66 verses

Isaiah 66 5 meaning

Isaiah 66:5 speaks to those within God's community who faithfully revere His word, despite being hated and expelled by their own brethren for their allegiance to the Lord. It reassures the persecuted that the Lord will appear to their vindication and joy, while their persecutors, who ironically claim to seek God's glory, will face shame. The verse highlights the painful reality of spiritual division and hypocrisy within the covenant people, contrasting true piety with superficial religious zeal, and promises divine reversal of fortunes.

Isaiah 66 5 Context

Isaiah 66 is the climactic conclusion to the entire book, drawing together themes of judgment and salvation. It emphasizes God's character as both righteous judge and merciful deliverer, introducing the vision of new heavens and new earth (Is 66:22) where righteousness will dwell. Preceding verses (Is 66:1-2) highlight God's true dwelling place—not in physical temples built by human hands, but with the humble and contrite in spirit who tremble at His word. This sets up a sharp contrast between those who engage in outward, self-righteous rituals (Is 66:3-4) and those who possess true inward reverence for God. Verse 5 specifically addresses the internal conflict within the community: the faithful remnant, who embody the reverence described in verse 2, face animosity and excommunication from their unfaithful, hypocritical brethren, leading to God's promised intervention to bring vindication and shame. The historical context reflects a tension in post-exilic Israel, where there was often a divide between those genuinely committed to covenant fidelity and those whose worship became a mere formality.

Isaiah 66 5 Word analysis

• "Hear" (שִׁמְעוּ - shim‘u): An imperative, commanding attention. It’s not just to listen with ears, but to heed, understand, and obey, echoing the fundamental call of the Shema (Dt 6:4).
• "the word of the LORD" (דְבַר יְהוָה - dəvar Yahweh): Refers to divine revelation, command, and prophetic message. It implies the ultimate authority and truth of God's communication.
• "you who tremble" (הַחֲרֵדִים - haḥaredim): From the root ḥarad, meaning to shudder, quake, be afraid, or reverently fear. It signifies deep respect, awe, and sensitivity to God's command, a recognition of His holiness and authority, rather than merely cowering fear. This is the quality God seeks (Is 66:2).
• "at His word": Emphasizes that their reverence is directed specifically towards God's communicated will, His statutes, and His prophetic messages, acknowledging their transformative power and absolute claim on one's life.
• "Your brethren": (אֲחֵיכֶם - ’aḥeichem): Highlights the painful internal division. These are fellow members of the covenant community, Israelites, implying a familial or national bond.
• "who hate you": (שֹׂנְאֵיכֶם - śone’eichem): Denotes active malice, not mere dislike. It is a profound opposition rooted in spiritual difference.
• "and cast you out" (וּמְנַדֵּיכֶם - umenaddekhem): From nadah, meaning to put away, excommunicate, banish. It signifies formal or informal exclusion from the religious or social community, often leading to ostracism and marginalization.
• "for My name’s sake": (לְמַעַן שְׁמִי - ləma‘an shmi): Crucial. The persecutors invoke God’s name as their pretext, implying they believe they are doing God’s work by expelling the faithful. This exposes their profound spiritual blindness and hypocrisy; they use divine authority to justify human malice.
• "said": (אָמְרוּ - ’amru): Indicates their explicit declaration, vocalizing their hypocrisy.
• "Let the LORD be glorified!": (יִכְבַּד יְהוָה - yikbadd Yahweh): An ironic or blasphemous utterance. They claim to seek God's honor and glory, but their actions directly contradict His will and persecute those who truly serve Him.
• "He will appear" (וְנִרְאָה - wenir’ah): From ra’ah, "to see, appear." Denotes a manifest intervention by God, a visible and undeniable act of judgment and deliverance.
• "to your joy": (לְשִׂמְחַתְכֶם - ləsimḥatkhem): God's appearance will bring profound gladness, vindication, and restoration for those who were faithful and suffered.
• "and they shall be put to shame" (וְהֵם יֵבֹשׁוּ - wehem yevoshu): Their hypocritical piety will be exposed, their boasts rendered empty, and their self-righteousness publicly discredited by God's judgment.

Isaiah 66 5 Bonus section

The specific language "cast you out for my name's sake" resonates strongly with the Jewish concept of ḥerem, or excommunication from the synagogue, a powerful social and religious penalty that removed an individual from community life. This act, when performed under false pretense or for genuinely godly behavior, would have been deeply painful and isolating. The promise that "He will appear to your joy" holds the double meaning of not only God's visible intervention but also His manifest presence being revealed in the lives of the faithful, reaffirming their identity as His people despite human rejection. The contrast between those who build magnificent temples (implied from 66:1) and those who tremble at God's word (66:2, 66:5) underlines the consistent prophetic critique of outward religious displays divorced from inward heart devotion.

Isaiah 66 5 Commentary

Isaiah 66:5 powerfully contrasts genuine faith with deceptive religious piety, offering comfort to the persecuted. Those who truly revere God’s word will often find themselves at odds with established religious systems that prioritize outward forms or human traditions over the Spirit's call. The bitter irony is that the persecutors perform their acts of exclusion under the guise of glorifying God, showcasing a profound self-deception and misrepresentation of divine will. This dynamic—persecution of the righteous by their own religious community in the name of God—is a recurrent theme throughout biblical history, prefiguring the suffering of Jesus and the early church at the hands of Jewish religious authorities. God's response is definitive: He sees the heart, He will vindicate His faithful with overwhelming joy, and the hypocrites will be publicly shamed. The promise of God’s appearance is not merely an event, but a revelatory act that exposes truth and enacts justice, establishing the ultimate triumph of authentic devotion over spiritual pretense.