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Isaiah 65:14

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 65:14 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall wail for vexation of spirit.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall wail for vexation of spirit.
Isaiah 65:14 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 65

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
11But ye that forsake Jehovah, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for Fortune, and that fill up mingled wine unto Destiny;
12I will destine you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but ye did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not.
13Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah, Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry; behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty; behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be put to shame;
14behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall wail for vexation of spirit.
15And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen; and the Lord Jehovah will slay thee; and he will call his servants by another name:
16so that he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the former troubles are forgotten, and because they are hid from mine eyes.
17For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
← Isaiah 65:13Isaiah 65:15 →
← Full Chapter 65 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
“Behold, my servants shall sing for joy of heart, &c.] The songs of electing, redeeming, and calling grace, with which they come to Zion now, and will hereafter; having their hearts filled with joy unutterable, and full of glory, under a sense of the great things which God has done for them: but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit; under the sore judgments of God upon them, the sword and famine; more especially during the siege of Jerusalem, and when wrath came upon them to the uttermost, in the destruction of their city, temple, and nation, and they fell into the hands of the Romans, who carried them captive, and dispersed them in various places; and as…”
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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
“howl-- (Isa 15:2; Mat 8:12).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Shall sing for joy of heart - They who serve me shall have abundant occasion of rejoicing. But ye - shall howl. You shall shriek under the anguish and distress that shall come upon you. For vexation of spirit - Margin, as in Hebrew, ‘Breaking.’ That is, your spirit shall be broken and crushed under the weight of the calamities that shall come upon you. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“my servants: Isa 24:14, Isa 52:8, Isa 52:9; Job 29:13; Psa 66:4; Jer 31:7; Jam 5:13 ye shall: Mat 8:12, Mat 13:42, Mat 22:13; Luk 13:28; Jam 5:1 vexation: Heb. breaking Isaiah 65:15”
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Related study paths

Read Isaiah 65 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification