Chapter Overview
Summary
Isaiah 25 is one of the most-Christologically-rich chapters in-the-OT — containing the GREAT MESSIANIC BANQUET (vv. 6–8) and the SWALLOWING-OF-DEATH prophecy (v. 8) cited at 1 Corinthians 15:54 and Revelation 21:4. Verse 8 — 'he will swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces' — is the OT's clearest-resurrection-statement.
Notable Variants
25:6 GREAT MESSIANIC BANQUET → Matt 8:11, Luke 14:15–24, Rev 19:9 (marriage supper of the Lamb); 25:8 'he will swallow up death forever' → 1 Cor 15:54, Rev 7:17, 21:4 — eschatological resurrection-and-tear-wiping; 25:9 'this is our God; we have waited for him.'
Structural Notes
MT Isaiah 25 = LXX Isaiah 25. 12 verses. THE LITTLE APOCALYPSE — banquet and death-swallowed.
LORD, You are my God. I will exalt You; I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things — plans formed long ago, faithful and sure.
'O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure' tracks MT. PLANS-FORMED-OF-OLD divine-foreordination. Eph 1:4 ('he chose us in him before the foundation of the world') extends Christologically.
For You have turned a city into a heap of stones, a fortified city into a ruin, a palace of foreigners into what is no longer a city — it will never be rebuilt.
'For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the foreigners' palace is a city no more; it will never be rebuilt' tracks MT.
Therefore a fierce people will honor You; a city of ruthless nations will fear You.
'Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you' tracks MT.
For You have been a fortress for the poor, a fortress for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm, a shade from the heat — for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall.
'For you have been a stronghold to the poor, a stronghold to the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall' tracks MT. STRONGHOLD-TO-POOR. Christologically — Christ as-refuge-of-the-vulnerable.
As heat in a parched land, You subdue the tumult of foreigners; as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is silenced.
'Like heat in a dry place. You subdue the noise of the foreigners; as heat by the shade of a cloud, so the song of the ruthless is put down' tracks MT.
On this mountain the LORD of Hosts will prepare for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of aged wine — rich food full of marrow, aged wine well refined.
'On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined' tracks MT. THE GREAT MESSIANIC BANQUET. The eschatological-feast for ALL-PEOPLES. Matthew 8:11 ('many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham … in the kingdom of heaven') Christologically-extends. Luke 14:15–24 (great-banquet parable), Revelation 19:9 (marriage-supper of-the-Lamb) directly-fulfill. The universal-banquet — Gentile-inclusion explicit.
On this mountain He will swallow up the shroud that covers all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations.
'And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations' tracks MT. SWALLOW-UP-THE-VEIL. 2 Cor 3:14–16 ('that same veil remains unlifted … only through Christ is it taken away') Christologically-extends.
He will swallow up death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away tears from every face, and the disgrace of His people He will remove from all the earth — for the LORD has spoken.
Masoretic (WLC)
בִּלַּע הַמָּוֶת לָנֶצַח וּמָחָה אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה דִּמְעָה מֵעַל כָּל־פָּנִים וְחֶרְפַּת עַמּוֹ יָסִיר מֵעַל כָּל־הָאָרֶץ
He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth
Septuagint (LXX)
κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας καὶ πάλιν ἀφεῖλεν ὁ θεὸς πᾶν δάκρυον ἀπὸ παντὸς προσώπου τὸ ὄνειδος τοῦ λαοῦ ἀφεῖλεν ἀπὸ πάσης τῆς γῆς
Death has prevailed and swallowed them up, but God has again taken away every tear from every face; he has taken away the disgrace of the people from all the earth
1 CORINTHIANS 15:54 CITATION — DEATH-SWALLOWED-IN-VICTORY. Paul cites this verse at 1 Corinthians 15:54: 'When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY (katepothē ho thanatos eis nikos).' Paul's wording follows the MT-tradition (or Theodotion) closer than the LXX, which-actually-reverses-the-direction ('death has prevailed and swallowed').
REVELATION'S DOUBLE CITATION. Revelation 7:17 ('God will wipe away every tear from their eyes') and 21:4 ('he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more') both directly-cite this verse. The ESCHATOLOGICAL-RESURRECTION promise.
LXX-vs-MT DIVERGENCE. The MT presents-divine-victory ('he will swallow death'); the LXX presents-the-INVERSE ('death prevailed and swallowed'). Paul's-citation requires-the-MT-direction. The LXX-translator may-have-misread or-deliberately-inverted to-emphasize-current-reality before-future-reversal. The Christian-tradition has-always-followed the MT-direction in-this verse.
On that day it will be said: "Look — this is our God! We waited for Him, and He saved us. This is the LORD; we waited for Him. Let us be glad and rejoice in His salvation!"
'It will be said on that day: Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation' tracks MT. THIS-IS-OUR-GOD. Eschatological-recognition. Luke 24:27, John 20:28's 'My Lord and my God' Christologically-fulfills the THIS-IS-OUR-GOD declaration.
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain, and Moab will be trampled in his place as straw is trampled in a dung pit.
'For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain, and Moab shall be trampled down in his place, as straw is trampled down in a dunghill' tracks MT. MOAB-TRAMPLED — judgment on the Moabite-anti-Israel.
Moab will spread out his hands in the midst of it as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim, but God will bring down his pride along with the skill of his hands.
'And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim, but the LORD will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of his hands' tracks MT.
The high fortification of your walls He has brought down, laid low, cast to the ground — to the dust.
'And the high fortifications of his walls he will bring down, lay low, and cast to the ground, to the dust' tracks MT.