26:1 This is a song of salvation, as the reality of God’s continual protection is now experienced visibly and finally in the eternal city. Salvation, already experienced in a preliminary way in earthly life, is now complete, and the city is secure from all possible enemies. This point is underlined by the double imagery of walls and ramparts, emphasizing total security.

26:2–3 Yet this secure city also boasts gates, suggesting access and welcome. Verse 2 reads like one of the entrance liturgies in the Psalter, such as Psalm 24 or the collection of psalms known as the Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120–134), sung by pilgrims on their way to the great Jerusalem festivals. The city is secure, but there is a free invitation to enter. This is echoed in Revelation 21, where the new Jerusalem is guarded by a massive wall yet its gates are perpetually open, as the “kings of the earth will bring their glory into it” (Rev. 21:24).

This city is marked by “perfect peace” (Hb. “peace, peace”; the repetition is emphatic, cf. Isa. 6:3). Before the final unveiling of the city, believing faith is necessary—an important theme from chapter 7 onward. The “mind” is a vital element of faith; faith is not simply a matter of feelings. Paul calls for transformation by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2). Our faith will fluctuate, but it is God who gives and sustains it; even when we do not feel justified in our faith, we still must hold on—faith is essential for a godly lifestyle.

26:4 Trust in the Lord is not a leap in the dark but a stand on a firm foundation. He is our rock, an image that is both static and dynamic. The metaphor recalls Exodus 17 and the rock from which water flowed, an image Paul develops in 1 Corinthians 10:1–5, where he identifies the rock as Christ himself. Thus God not only is a rock at the beginning of the life of faith but continues to be so throughout the entire journey.

26:5–6 The peace and security of God’s city means the world city’s threatening its peace has been destroyed from top to bottom, crumbling into dust like the great vision of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 2:35). Such was the fate of Nineveh and Babylon, and such will be the fate of all not resting on the rock. This is no accident of history; the agent of destruction is the Lord himself. It is safe now for the poor and needy to walk about freely.

26:7 Faith here is a pilgrimage. This language recalls Psalm 1 and Proverbs, as this is the way of wisdom. Making “level” does not mean removing difficulties but means finding a way through them.

26:8 “Judgments” here may be the painful disciplines of the life of faith or the final judgment. Both would fit, and probably both are intended, since the trials that come to God’s people would not be bearable if there were no last day on which all will be well. The “name” is Yahweh, the covenant Lord, committed to his people by promises he cannot and will not break. “Remembrance” is an active word, involving not simply recalling but also positively and continually bringing to mind God’s character and his promises, which both create and strengthen in the deepest levels of our being the desire to be with him.

26:9 The language changes here to the first person; while the experiences of the previous verses apply to the whole people of God, each must apply it individually. When this happens, others realize that there is a God who judges and that there is a superior lifestyle based on faith and godly living.

26:10–11 However, convincing the world that there is a God in heaven who judges is by no means easy. God shows grace and mercy, but this does not always lead people to amend their lives. Rather, the ungodly blindly carry on their corrupt lifestyle and are equally blind to the majesty of God. Nor do they see the Lord’s hand, as the burning holiness of God would change them. Yet unless they are cleansed, they will experience his anger.

26:12 Here is the heart of the chapter: God’s people owe everything to him and can do nothing without him. The heart of God’s blessings is peace, which provides the atmosphere in which all other blessings can be enjoyed. The darkness of the previous verses is caused by the impenetrable blindness of those who refuse to see God at work. Only when we are brought from darkness to light can we give God glory and realize that salvation is all gift and that thus there is no room for boasting.

26:13–14 The people’s history, however, seems to raise questions about how Yahweh has cared for them in times of trouble. Pharaoh, along with the various oppressors during the time of the judges, ruled over them harshly, and, in the immediate context, so too will the Assyrians. But Yahweh has never abdicated his lordship over his people, while his faithfulness to his name implies that the covenant has remained intact. The oppressors have gone; only a vague memory of them remains. They have died and will not come back.

26:15 By contrast God has increased his people and extended their territory (cf. Isa. 9:2–3). The expansion of the land refers ultimately to the worldwide spread of the gospel, but during the reigns of David and Solomon, the land reached the boundaries promised to Abraham (cf. Gen. 15:18–20; cf. also 2 Sam. 8:1–13; 1 Kings 4:21).

26:16 Yet even at their lowest point the Lord did not forsake his people. Perhaps this verse suits the time of the judges, when recurring times of penitence caused the people to turn to him and discover that he was indeed gracious. Their prayer may have been feeble (“they poured out a whispered prayer”), but even a weak petition put them in touch with the God who hears and answers prayer. These times of discipline were painful, but they were God’s punishments for their sin. This left room for hope, as the hand that was strong to smite was also strong to save (cf. Hos. 6:1).

26:17–18 Unlike God’s, the people’s efforts came to nothing, vividly conveyed by the simile of a pregnant woman unable to produce a child in spite of her birth pangs. Sadly, the pangs were pangs of death, not of life. This section has already spoken of the anticipated party on Mount Zion, but what of those who have lived and died with no apparent results for their labor?

26:19 This verse has attracted much discussion, with many scholars arguing that (like Dan. 12:2) it must be a late addition, probably the second century BC. Some argue that this verse has in view mainly a national resurrection, as in Ezekiel 37:1–14. The problem with this interpretation, though such may be a secondary nuance, is that the Ezekiel passage clearly goes beyond the end of the exile, speaking of an “everlasting covenant” (Ezek. 37:26); here too the smiting of Leviathan is plainly an eschatological act (Isa. 27:1). Also, Egyptian thinking included an elaborate and detailed mythology of life after death centuries earlier than Isaiah, so there is no reason to deny the possibility of such a concept in Isaiah’s time.

Resurrection will be accompanied with shouts of joy at the banquet on Mount Zion. Here a physical resurrection is envisaged (a reality Paul will develop fully in 1 Corinthians 15): instead of dusty death, there will be the fresh dew of morning. There may be an echo here of Exodus 16:13–14, in which dew is linked with manna, the gift that removed the threat of death. The darkness of death will be replaced by the light of life, for God’s goodness is not turned aside by death. From time to time in the OT there are glimpses of what will be revealed fully in the resurrection. Paul tells us that Jesus “abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim. 1:10). Life and immortality were always there, but it took the resurrection of Christ to shine a clear light into the world of the dust.

26:20 There has always been a way of escape from judgment for those who would accept it. “Shut your doors” echoes Genesis 7:1, 16 and preservation through the flood. Going indoors recalls Exodus 12:22–23, in which the firstborn are saved from death. “Passed by” is the verb ʿabar, used also of the Lord’s passing through the land of Egypt (Ex. 12:12, 23).

26:21 The coming of the Judge is certain, however long it may be from our perspective until this occurs. The earth’s crying out for vengeance for shed blood recalls the murder of Abel in Genesis 4:10, echoed in Job 16:18; Hebrews 12:24; and in the voices under the altar in Revelation 6:10. The created order actively participates in exposing what has lain hidden.

27:1 Commentators differ as to whether this verse rounds off Isaiah 26 or begins Isaiah 27. The view taken here is that because of the recurrence of paqad (Hb. “punish”) and the deepening of the theme of judgment, this verse more naturally rounds off the former section, guaranteeing the fruitful vineyard to follow.

Yahweh has defeated his enemies throughout history and will see off the Assyrians and all subsequent enemies as well; indeed, death itself will be swallowed up in victory. But one enemy still remains: the fearsome “Leviathan,” the “ancient prince of hell.”59 It has long been recognized that the language here echoes Ugaritic texts,60 reflecting Canaanite background. Isaiah, like Paul in Acts 17, is using language connecting with the thought-background of many of his readers. The Lord’s sword that will smite Leviathan is described in terms showing the unrelenting and effective nature of this judgment. Revelation 19:15 speaks of the sword emerging from the mouth of the rider on the white horse as he comes from heaven to destroy his enemies. The sword in both cases is the Word of God, which has the power to create and to destroy.

The “serpent” and “dragon” are terms implying supernatural existence; behind them lurks the Devil himself, as in Eden. This is another example of the evil power that lies behind all earthly power opposed to God, whether that power is Assyria, Babylon, Rome, or any other. It follows naturally from the Lord’s punishing “the host of heaven” (Isa. 24:21). The whole universe will be cleansed and renewed, and there will be no more curse.61 Isaiah will return to this theme in 51:9, where the smiting of Rahab (an alternative name for Leviathan) is linked with the overthrow of Egypt.