Isaiah 51:6

Isaiah 51:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
• New International Version (NIV)Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth beneath; for the heavens vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment, and they who dwell in it will die in like manner; but my salvation will be forever, and my righteousness will never be dismayed.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Lift up your eyes to the heavens, And look on the earth beneath. For the heavens will vanish away like smoke, The earth will grow old like a garment, And those who dwell in it will die in like manner; But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness will not be abolished.

Context of Isaiah 51:6

4“Listen carefully to Me [says the Lord], O My people, And hear Me, O My nation; For a [divine] law will go forth from Me, And I will quickly establish My justice as a light to the peoples. 5My righteousness (justice) is near, My salvation has gone forth, And My arms will judge the peoples; The islands and coastlands will wait for Me, And they will wait with hope and confident expectation for My arm. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, Then look to the earth beneath; For the heavens will be torn to pieces and vanish like smoke, And the earth will wear out like a garment And its inhabitants will die in like manner. But My salvation will be forever, And My righteousness (justice) [and faithfully fulfilled promise] will not be broken. 7Listen to Me, you who know righteousness (right standing with God), The people in whose heart is My law and instruction; Do not fear the reproach and taunting of man, Nor be distressed at their reviling. 8For the moth will eat them like a garment, And the worm will eat them like wool. But My righteousness and justice [faithfully promised] will exist forever, And My salvation to all generations.”

Isaiah 51:6 word by word

שְׂאוּ֩ לַשָּׁמַ֨יִם עֵֽינֵיכֶ֜ם וְֽהַבִּ֧יטוּ אֶל־הָאָ֣רֶץ מִתַּ֗חַת כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֜יִם כֶּעָשָׁ֤ן נִמְלָ֙חוּ֙ וְהָאָ֙רֶץ֙ כַּבֶּ֣גֶד תִּבְלֶ֔ה וְיֹשְׁבֶ֖יהָ כְּמוֹ־כֵ֣ן יְמוּת֑וּן וִישֽׁוּעָתִי֙ לְעוֹלָ֣ם תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה וְצִדְקָתִ֖י לֹ֥א תֵחָֽת׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Lift upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: lookH5375
• your eyesעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869
• to the heavensשָׁמַיִםshâmayim shâmeh · heavenH8064
• and lookנָבַטnâbaţ · to lookH5027
• upon the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• shall vanish awayמָלַחmâlach · to dissipateH4414
• like smokeעָשָׁן‛âshân · smokeH6227
• shall wax oldבָּלָהbâlâh · to become oldH1086
• like a garmentבֶּ֫גֶדbeged · garmentH899
• and they that dwellיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• therein shall dieמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
• in likeכְּמוֹkemô kâmô · likeH3644
• mannerכֵּןkên · gnatH3654
• but my salvationיְשׁוּעָהyeshû‛âh · salvationH3444
• shall be for everעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769
• and my righteousnessצְדָקָהtsedâqâh · righteousnessH6666
• shall not be abolishedחָתַתchâthath · to to be dismayedH2865

Cross-references for Isaiah 51:6

• Isaiah 40:26Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these heavenly bodies, The One who brings out their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one is missing.
• Deuteronomy 4:19And beware that you do not raise your eyes toward heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and let yourselves be led astray and worship them and serve them, [mere created bodies] which the Lord your God has allotted to [serve and benefit] all the peoples under the whole heaven.
• Psalms 8:3When I see and consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have established,
• Isaiah 34:4All the host of heaven will be dissolved, And the skies will be rolled up like a scroll; All their hosts [the stars and the planets] will also wither away As a leaf withers from the vine, And as a fig withers from the fig tree.
• Isaiah 50:9In fact, the Lord God helps Me; Who is he who condemns Me [as guilty]? Indeed, they will all wear out like a garment; The moth will eat them.
• Psalms 102:26Even they will perish, but You endure; Yes, all of them will wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will change them and they shall be changed.
• Matthew 24:35Heaven and earth [as now known] will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
• Hebrews 1:11They will perish, but You remain [forever and ever]; And they will all wear out like a garment,
• 2 Peter 3:10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will vanish with a [mighty and thunderous] roar, and the [material] elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and the works that are on it will be burned up.
• Revelation 6:12I looked when He (the Lamb) broke open the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth [made] of hair, and the whole moon became like blood;
• Revelation 20:11And I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them [for this heaven and earth are passing away].
• Isaiah 51:8For the moth will eat them like a garment, And the worm will eat them like wool. But My righteousness and justice [faithfully promised] will exist forever, And My salvation to all generations.”
• Isaiah 45:17Israel has been saved by the Lord With an everlasting salvation; You will not be put to shame or humiliated for all eternity.
• Psalms 103:17But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who [reverently] fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,
• Daniel 9:24“Seventy weeks [of years, or 490 years] have been decreed for your people and for your holy city (Jerusalem), to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make atonement (reconciliation) for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness (right-standing with God), to seal up vision and prophecy and prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
• John 3:15so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life [after physical death, and will actually live forever].

Commentaries on Isaiah 51:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6My salvation shall be for ever - Aben Ezra says, From this verse divines have learnt the immortality of the soul. Men shall perish as the earth does, because they are formed from it; but they who are filled with the salvation of God shall remain for ever. See Kimchi.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Lift up your eyes to the heavens - The design of directing their attention to the heavens and the earth is, probably, to impress them more deeply with a conviction of the certainty of his salvation in this manner, namely, the heavens and the earth appear firm and fixed; there is in them no apparent tendency to dissolution and decay. Yet though apparently thus fixed and determined, they will all vanish away, but the promise of God will be unfailing. For…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-8Verses 4-8 The gospel of Christ shall be preached and published. How shall we escape if we neglect it? There is no salvation without righteousness. The soul shall, as to this world, vanish like smoke, and the body be thrown by like a worn-out garment. But those whose happiness is in Christ's righteousness and salvation, will have the comfort of it when time and days shall be no more. Clouds darken the sun, but do not stop its course. The believer will…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6die like gnats: Many wicked people will die on the day of God's judgment.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. (Is 40:6, 8; Psa 102:26; He 1:11, 12). vanish away--literally, "shall be torn asunder," as a garment [Maurer]; which accords with the context. in like manner--But Gesenius, "Like a gnat"; like the smallest and vilest insect. Jerome translates, as English Version, and infers that "in like manner" as man, the heavens (that is, the sky) and earth are not to be annihilated, but changed for the better (Is 65:17). righteousness--My faithfully fulfilled…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 51:6

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Church
• Earth
• God
• Gospel
• Heaven
• Justification

In the dictionaries

• Approach
• Astronomy
• Loose
• Plead
• Rest
• Sword
• Abolish
• Gnat
• Isaiah
• Justice

Commentaries on Isaiah 51

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings