God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 59:18
18He will pay them back according to their deeds. He will pay back his opponents with wrath and punish his enemies. He will pay back the people who live on the coastlands.
Isaiah 59:18 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence.
- New International Version (NIV)According to what they have done, so will he repay wrath to his enemies and retribution to his foes; he will repay the islands their due.
- English Standard Version (ESV)According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment.
- New King James Version (NKJV)According to their deeds, accordingly He will repay, Fury to His adversaries, Recompense to His enemies; The coastlands He will fully repay.
Context of Isaiah 59:18
16He sees that there’s no one to help. He’s astounded that there’s no one to intercede. So with his own power he wins a victory. His righteousness supports him. 17He puts on righteousness like a coat of armor and a helmet of salvation on his head. He wears clothes of vengeance. He wraps himself with fury as a coat. He will pay them back according to their deeds. He will pay back his opponents with wrath and punish his enemies. He will pay back the people who live on the coastlands. 19The people of the west will fear the name of the Lord. Those in the east will fear his glory. He will come like a rushing stream. The wind of the Lord pushes him. 20“Then a Savior will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from rebellion,” declares the Lord.
Read all of Isaiah 59Isaiah 59:18 word by word
כְּעַ֤ל גְּמֻלוֹת֙ כְּעַ֣ל יְשַׁלֵּ֔ם חֵמָ֣ה לְצָרָ֔יו גְּמ֖וּל לְאֹֽיְבָ֑יו לָאִיִּ֖ים גְּמ֥וּל יְשַׁלֵּֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- According toעַל‛al · uponH5921
- deedsגְּמוּלָהgemûlâh · recompenseH1578
- accordingly he will repayשָׁלֵםshâlam · to completeH7999
- furyחֵמָהchêmâh chêmâ' · rageH2534
- to his adversariesצַרtsar tsâr · enemyH6862
- recompenceגְּמוּלgemûl · recompenseH1576
- to his enemiesאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
- to the islandsאִי'îy · coastlandH339
Cross-references for Isaiah 59:18
- Isaiah 63:6In my anger I trampled on people. In my wrath I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground.”
- Job 34:11God will repay humanity for what it has done and will give each person what he deserves.
- Psalms 18:24The Lord paid me back because of my righteousness, because he can see that my hands are clean.
- Psalms 62:12Mercy belongs to you, O Lord. You reward a person based on what he has done.”
- Jeremiah 17:10I, the Lord, search minds and test hearts. I will reward each person for what he has done. I will reward him for the results of his actions.
- Jeremiah 50:29“Call together the archers, the soldiers with bows, against Babylon. Set up blockades around it. Don’t let anyone escape. Pay the people of Babylon back for what they have done. Do to them what they did to others. They have disobeyed the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
- Matthew 16:27The Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory. Then he will pay back each person based on what that person has done.
- Romans 2:6He will pay all people back for what they have done.
- Revelation 20:12I saw the dead, both important and unimportant people, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened, including the Book of Life. The dead were judged on the basis of what they had done, as recorded in the books.
- Isaiah 1:24That’s why the Lord, the Lord of Armies, the Mighty One of Israel, says, “How horrible it will be when I take revenge on my opponents! I will avenge myself against my enemies.
- Isaiah 49:25This is what the Lord says: Prisoners will be freed from mighty men. Loot will be taken away from tyrants. I will fight your enemies, and I will save your children.
- Isaiah 63:3“I have trampled alone in the winepress. No one was with me. In my anger I trampled on people. In my wrath I stomped on them. Their blood splattered my clothes so all my clothing has been stained.
- Isaiah 66:15The Lord will come with fire and with his chariots like a thunderstorm. He will pay them back with his burning anger and punish them with flames of fire.
- Psalms 21:8Your hand will discover all your enemies. Your powerful hand will find all who hate you.
- Lamentations 4:11The Lord’s fury has accomplished his purpose. He unleashed his burning anger. He started a fire in Zion that even burned its foundations.
- Ezekiel 5:13“I will unleash my anger. I will use my fury against you, and I will get revenge. When my fury is unleashed against you, you will know that I, the Lord, spoke to you while I was angry.
Commentaries on Isaiah 59:18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay "He is mighty to recompense; he that is mighty to recompense will requite" - The former part of this verse, as it stands at present in the Hebrew text, seems to me to be very imperfect, and absolutely unintelligible. The learned Vitringa has taken a great deal of pains upon it after Cocceius, who he says is the only one of all the interpreters, ancient or modern, who has at all understood it, and has…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18According to their deeds - The general sentiment of this verse is plain, though there is not a little difficulty in the construction of the Hebrew. Lowth pronounces the former part of the verse, as it stands in the Hebrew text, to be absolutely unintelligible. By a slight change in the Hebrew as it now stands (reading בעל ba‛al “lord,” instead of כעל ke‛al “as according to”), Lowth supposes that he has obtained the true sense, and accordingly translates…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-21Verses 16-21 This passage is connected with the following chapters. It is generally thought to describe the coming of the Messiah, as the Avenger and Deliverer of his church. There was none to intercede with God to turn away his wrath; none to interpose for the support of justice and truth. Yet He engaged his own strength and righteousness for his people. God will make his justice upon the enemies of his church and people plainly appear. When the enemy…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18He will repay according to their deeds: The Lord will give fair punishment to the whole earth. His justice requires judging people for the wrongs they have done (see also Isaiah 3:9–11; 13:9).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1818. deeds--Hebrew, "recompenses"; "according as their deeds demand" [Maurer]. This verse predicts the judgments at the Lord's second coming, which shall precede the final redemption of His people (Is 66:18, 15, 16). islands--(See on Is 41:1). Distant countries.Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 59:18
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 59
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries