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Isaiah 25:3

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 25:3 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Therefore shall a strong people glorify thee; a city of terrible nations shall fear thee.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Therefore shall a strong people glorify thee; a city of terrible nations shall fear thee.
Isaiah 25:3 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 25

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1O Jehovah, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things, [even] counsels of old, in faithfulness [and] truth.
2For thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fortified city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.
3Therefore shall a strong people glorify thee; a city of terrible nations shall fear thee.
4For thou hast been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
5As the heat in a dry place wilt thou bring down the noise of strangers; as the heat by the shade of a cloud, the song of the terrible ones shall be brought low.
6And in this mountain will Jehovah of hosts make unto all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
← Isaiah 25:2Isaiah 25:4 →
← Full Chapter 25 Isaiah Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, &c.] To whom the Lord is strength, as in the following verse (<232504>Isaiah 25:4); who are strong in the Lord, in the power of his might, and in the grace that is in him; or such of the antichristian party as shall be awakened and convinced by the judgments of God on antichrist, and shall be converted, these shall give glory to the God of heaven, (<661113>Revelation 11:13): the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee; or such who have belonged to the city or jurisdiction of Rome, and have been terrible to the people of God, yet now shall be frightened themselves, and shall fear the Lord, either with a servile fear, or some, at least, with…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“strong people--This cannot apply to the Jews; but other nations on which Babylon had exercised its cruelty (Isa 14:12) shall worship Jehovah, awed by the judgment inflicted on Babylon (Isa 23:18). city--not Babylon, which shall then be destroyed, but collectively for the cities of the surrounding nations.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The strong people - The reference here is not probably to the Babylonians, but to the surrounding nations. The deliverance of the Jews, and the destruction of Babylon, would be such striking events that they would lead the surrounding nations to acknowledge that it was the hand of God. The city of the terrible nations - The word ‘city’ here is taken probably in a collective sense, to denote the cities or the strong places of the surrounding nations which would be brought thus to tremble before God. The destruction of a city so proud and wicked as Babylon would alarm them, and would lead them to fear that they might share the same fate, especially as many of them had been associated in…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Shall fear - Thy stoutest enemies observing thy wonderful works, shall be converted, or at least forced to tremble before thee. Isaiah 25:4”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“25:3 Assyria and Egypt were strong . . . ruthless nations, but in the future they will exalt God rather than their own power.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Isa 49:23-26, Isa 60:10-14, Isa 66:18-20; Psa 46:10, Psa 46:11, Psa 66:3, Psa 72:8-11; Eze 38:23; Eze 39:21, Eze 39:22; Zac 14:9, Zac 14:16; Rev 11:13, Rev 11:15-17 Isaiah 25:4”
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Related study paths

Read Isaiah 25 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification