Isaiah Chapter 51 – Listen, Look, and Lift Up Your Eyes
Isaiah 51 is a chapter of hope and awakening. After confronting rebellion in Isaiah 50, God now speaks tenderly to those who seek Him, urging them to listen, remember, and lift their eyes to the coming redemption. The language shifts from judgment to comfort, from silence to song. It is a chapter soaked in the assurance that God has not forgotten Zion.
Repeatedly, God calls out: “Hearken unto me…” and “Awake, awake!” He reminds Israel of Abraham’s calling, of past deliverance, and of the unshakable nature of His righteousness.
From Worn Down to Awakened
✔ God comforts those who seek Him.
✔ He reminds them of Abraham and Sarah’s miraculous beginning.
✔ His righteousness is forever, His salvation will not fail.
✔ He calls Zion to rise and shake off despair.
✔ The same arm that split the sea will strike again.
✔ Sorrow will flee—joy and singing will remain.
📖 Isaiah 51:6 – “Lift up your eyes… my righteousness shall not be abolished.”
🔎 The faithful are not forgotten—they are being prepared.
Isaiah Chapter 51 - Overview
Isaiah 51:1–3 – Remember the Rock
📖 Isaiah 51:1 – “Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.”
🔎 God begins with an intimate call—not to the rebellious, but to the faithful remnant. These are people longing for righteousness and seeking God in the midst of exile.
His message is clear: “Don’t look at the ruin around you—look at the root beneath you.” They are to remember where they came from, to recall the miraculous beginning that shaped their destiny.
The “rock” here refers to Abraham, and the “hole of the pit” is Sarah—two aged, barren people who became the fountainhead of a nation. Their story is a testimony that nothing is too hard for God.
📖 Isaiah 51:2 – “Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.”
🔎 God reminds them that Abraham was one man, and Sarah was one woman, both past the age of bearing children. Yet God blessed and multiplied them into a nation. This is more than history—it’s an invitation to believe again.
If God could bring life from barrenness, then no exile is too dark, and no restoration too late. Abraham was called alone—God doesn’t need numbers to start a movement. He only needs faith.
📖 Isaiah 51:3 – “For the Lord shall comfort Zion… he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord…”
🔎 This is the promise of visible transformation. What is now desolate will become beautiful. What is dry will be fruitful. God doesn’t just comfort in word—He comforts by renewing what was lost.
🔥 Eden is mentioned not as nostalgia, but as a prophetic symbol: God intends to restore what sin destroyed. Where there was mourning, there will be joy. Where there was barrenness, there will be blossoming.
Isaiah 51:4–8 – My Righteousness Will Not Fail
📖 Isaiah 51:4 – “Hearken unto me, my people… a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.”
🔎 God speaks again to “my people”—this is a message for those who have not turned away. He promises that His law and justice will not vanish in exile. Even when everything feels lost, His Word continues to go forth. His judgment is not wrath here—it is righteousness that brings order and light.
🔥 In a world where laws change and justice is perverted, God’s Word remains the one unshakable light.
📖 Isaiah 51:5 – “My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth… the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.”
🔎 God’s righteousness is not distant—it’s already moving into place. His salvation isn’t an idea—it’s an active mission. And it’s not just for Israel: the “isles” (Gentile nations) are waiting for it. His arm—a symbol of strength and action—will be trusted by people far beyond Jerusalem.
This is a quiet prophecy of the gospel reaching the ends of the earth. Salvation isn’t something we must summon—it’s already in motion.
📖 Isaiah 51:6 – “Lift up your eyes… the heavens shall vanish away… but my salvation shall be forever…”
🔎 The entire universe may dissolve, but God’s Word and His salvation will outlast it all. Don’t place your trust in created things—even the stars will fade. But His promises endure. What outlives galaxies? God’s righteousness. His covenant. His mercy.
📖 Isaiah 51:7 – “Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.”
🔎 When you stand for righteousness, you will face pushback. God prepares His people for this—don’t fear the opinions of men. Their voices are loud, but temporary. Fear of man silences faith. But those who trust in God’s righteousness can stand unshaken.
📖 Isaiah 51:8 – “For the moth shall eat them up like a garment… but my righteousness shall be forever…”
🔎 God compares human power and slander to a moth-eaten cloth—fragile, perishable. But His righteousness isn’t cloth—it’s eternal.
🔥 Everything decays but Him. Every enemy fades, but those who stand in God’s righteousness will endure forever.
Isaiah 51:9–11 – Awake, O Arm of the Lord
📖 Isaiah 51:9 – “Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord; awake, as in the ancient days… Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?”
🔎 The people cry out with longing, not doubt—asking God to act again as He did before. They remember His power that once tore down Egypt (“Rahab”) and crushed chaos (“the dragon” or sea monster—symbolic of evil forces). This is not a command, but a pleading intercession: “Lord, do again what You did in the past.”
Rahab (Egypt) symbolizes tyranny and oppression. The dragon reflects spiritual resistance. The “arm of the Lord” refers to God’s visible intervention—a Messianic phrase later tied to Christ (Isaiah 53:1).
📖 Isaiah 51:10 – “Art thou not it which hath dried the sea… made the depths a way for the ransomed to pass over?”
🔎 They recall the parting of the Red Sea—proof that God doesn’t just make promises, He makes a path. The impossible is nothing when God is leading. This verse calls on past deliverance as a prophetic template for future redemption.
📖 Isaiah 51:11 – “Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion… and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.”
🔎 This is the beautiful result of answered prayer. The exiles will not return silently—they will come singing, crowned with everlasting joy. The sorrow of captivity will vanish in the light of redemption.
🔥 This is both a near-term promise (the return from Babylon) and a prophetic preview of the joy of salvation through Christ.
Isaiah 51:12–16 – I, Even I, Am He Who Comforts You
📖 Isaiah 51:12 – “I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die…?”
🔎 God Himself speaks—not through a prophet, but directly: “I, even I…” This repetition is intimate and emphatic. He’s not offering generic comfort—He’s personally declaring His presence and care. And then He gently rebukes: Why fear mortal men? Their threats are temporary; His promises are eternal.
🔥 The fear of man fades in the presence of the God who says, “I AM your comfort.”
📖 Isaiah 51:13 – “And forgettest the Lord thy maker… that hath stretched forth the heavens…”
🔎 Fear is not just a reaction—it’s a spiritual amnesia. When we tremble at earthly threats, we’ve forgotten who our Maker is. This verse doesn’t condemn weakness; it calls us back to remembrance. He who formed the galaxies holds your cause. What then shall we fear?
📖 Isaiah 51:14 – “The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed…”
🔎 God sees the longing of the afflicted. He knows their desperation to be free. And here’s the hidden hope: they will not die in despair. The delay is not denial. The exile is temporary. God’s redemption is drawing near.
📖 Isaiah 51:15 – “But I am the Lord thy God, that divided the sea…”
🔎 Again, He draws their eyes back to history—to remind them that He doesn’t just promise deliverance—He performs it. The sea wasn’t a barrier; it became a doorway. God is still the Sea-Splitter. Still the Chain-Breaker. Still the God who shows up when the road ends.
📖 Isaiah 51:16 – “I have put my words in thy mouth… and covered thee in the shadow of mine hand…”
🔎 Not only does God deliver—He equips. He puts His Word in the mouths of His servants and covers them with His hand. This verse points prophetically toward the Servant/Messiah and toward God’s messengers in every age.
🔥 We are not just protected—we are commissioned. He delivers us so we can declare Him.
Isaiah 51:17–23 – Awake, O Jerusalem
📖 Isaiah 51:17 – “Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury…”
🔎 The focus now shifts to Jerusalem, personified as a woman who has been forced to drink deeply from the cup of God’s wrath. She is stumbling, disoriented, and overwhelmed by judgment. But God’s call—“Awake, awake”—is not one of condemnation, but of restoration. She has drunk the cup—but now the time of trembling is ending.
📖 Isaiah 51:18 – “There is none to guide her… among all the sons she hath brought forth…”
🔎 The image grows more tragic: Jerusalem’s children (her people) are unable to comfort or lead her. This shows a state of total helplessness—she is surrounded, but unsupported.
🔥 This is what sin and judgment do—they isolate, disorient, and break natural bonds. Yet God still sees her.
📖 Isaiah 51:19 – “These two things are come unto thee… who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword…”
🔎 Jerusalem has suffered severely—both inward ruin and outward attack. No one among the nations grieves for her. But God does. He is not indifferent to her pain—He is the One announcing its end.
📖 Isaiah 51:20 – “Thy sons have fainted… they are full of the fury of the Lord…”
🔎 Her people are portrayed as broken in spirit, lying in the streets like wild bulls caught in a net. This is a nation overwhelmed by divine discipline, gasping for relief.
📖 Isaiah 51:21–22 – “Therefore hear now this… behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling… thou shalt no more drink it again.”
🔎 The turning point has come. God removes the cup. The season of judgment is over—not because of merit, but because of mercy. The discipline was real, but so is the restoration. This is the gospel pattern: judgment is followed by joy, wrath gives way to redemption.
📖 Isaiah 51:23 – “I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee…”
🔎 The justice of God is full. The same cup Jerusalem drank will now pass to her enemies. Those who mocked, oppressed, and trampled will face divine retribution.
🔥 God is not only a deliverer—He is also a righteous judge.
Isaiah Chapter 51 - Deeper Study
Overview: Comfort for the Remnant
🔹 Timeframe: Still during the exile, but increasingly focused on the return and Messianic hope.
🔹 Setting: God speaks to the faithful remnant—those who still seek Him and trust in His promises.
🔹 Theme: Divine comfort, covenant remembrance, and a call to awaken and return.
🔹 Connection to Christ: The Servant is not mentioned by name here, but His fingerprints are everywhere—He is the one who will redeem, restore, and lead Zion home.
God Has Not Forgotten You
Isaiah 51 is a divine love song to the faithful—those who still seek righteousness, even while walking through affliction. It speaks to the ones who feel worn down by the weight of sorrow, surrounded by decay, and silenced by fear. Over and over, God says: “Hearken unto me.” Not to scold, but to comfort. Not to condemn, but to remind you who you are—and who He is.
He points back to Abraham, the one He called alone, to say: “If I can build nations from the barren, I can rebuild you.” He lifts our eyes from the dust of despair to the unshakable foundation of His righteousness. He does not change. His salvation does not fade. His comfort does not fail.
💡 Even when fear whispers louder than faith, God says: “I, even I, am He who comforts you.”
💡 Even when sorrow is long and exile is bitter, He promises: “The redeemed shall return with singing.”
The cup of trembling has passed. The exile has an end. And the joy that is coming will be everlasting.
📖 “Lift up your eyes to the heavens… my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.” (Isaiah 51:6)
Key Takeaways
🔑 God speaks comfort to those who seek Him.
🔑 His righteousness is eternal, even when the world crumbles.
🔑 He calls His people to awaken—to remember His power and promises.
🔑 Past deliverance is a pattern for future redemption.
🔑 The cup of wrath is removed—joy is on the horizon.
Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment
🔮 The redeemed returning to Zion foreshadows both the return from Babylon and the coming of Christ.
🔮 The call to “awake” anticipates the resurrection and spiritual awakening in Christ.
🔮 God’s everlasting righteousness is fulfilled in Jesus, who offers peace that cannot be taken away (John 14:27).
🔮 The removal of wrath anticipates Christ’s substitution—He drank the cup for us (Matthew 26:39).
Historical & Cultural Context
📜 The people were weary from exile, suffering, and spiritual silence.
📜 Many feared they had been permanently cast off.
📜 Yet God reminds them of Abraham, the Exodus, and past faithfulness.
📜 “Rahab” is a poetic term for Egypt—God’s past victory was meant to fuel future faith.
Present-Day Reflection: Are You Listening?
Three times in this chapter, God says, “Hearken unto me.” It’s a whisper to the weary—not shouted from a throne, but spoken into the soul of those who still seek Him. In a world filled with chaos, headlines, noise, and confusion, His call hasn’t changed.
🔹 God is still speaking.
🔹 He’s still comforting.
🔹 He’s still reminding us of His past faithfulness to fuel present trust.
Sometimes we stare at the wilderness so long, we forget there was once a garden—and God says He can restore it. Sometimes we fear the future so deeply, we forget the arm that split the sea is still moving today.
🔹 He has not forgotten you.
🔹 He is not done with you.
🔹 His salvation is not far away—it is near, even now.
📖 Isaiah 51:8 – “My righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation.”
💡 Final Reflection: The Cup Has Been Removed
There is no wrath left for those in Christ. The cup has been taken. Joy is returning. Zion will rise.
📌 Do you believe He still comforts?
📌 Are you ready to return with singing?
📌 Will you awaken and walk into the promise?
📖 Isaiah 51:11 – “The redeemed of the Lord shall return… and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.”
🔥 God hasn’t forgotten Zion. He hasn’t forgotten you.
The Lord’s Comfort for Zion
Isa 51:1 Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD: look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged.
Isa 51:2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.
Isa 51:3 For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.
Isa 51:4 Hearken unto me, my people; and give ear unto me, O my nation: for a law shall proceed from me, and I will make my judgment to rest for a light of the people.
Isa 51:5 My righteousness is near; my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the people; the isles shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall they trust.
Isa 51:6 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.
Isa 51:7 Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
Isa 51:8 For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation.
Isa 51:9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; awake, as in the ancient days, in the generations of old. Art thou not it that hath cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon?
Isa 51:10 Art thou not it which hath dried the sea, the waters of the great deep; that hath made the depths of the sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
Isa 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Isa 51:12 I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;
Isa 51:13 And forgettest the LORD thy maker, that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?
Isa 51:14 The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.
Isa 51:15 But I am the LORD thy God, that divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name.
Isa 51:16 And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.
Isa 51:17 Awake, awake, stand up, O Jerusalem, which hast drunk at the hand of the LORD the cup of his fury; thou hast drunken the dregs of the cup of trembling, and wrung them out.
Isa 51:18 There is none to guide her among all the sons whom she hath brought forth; neither is there any that taketh her by the hand of all the sons that she hath brought up.
Isa 51:19 These two things are come unto thee; who shall be sorry for thee? desolation, and destruction, and the famine, and the sword: by whom shall I comfort thee?
Isa 51:20 Thy sons have fainted, they lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net: they are full of the fury of the LORD, the rebuke of thy God.
Isa 51:21 Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine:
Isa 51:22 Thus saith thy Lord the LORD, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of his people, Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury; thou shalt no more drink it again:
Isa 51:23 But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.
Date Written
740–700 BC
Written By
The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz
Language
Hebrew
Verses
23