Then judgment shall dwell - Or, justice shall make its appropriate dwelling-place there.In the wilderness - In the place that was a wilderness, but that shall now be turned to a fruitful field.In the fruitful field - In the nation that is like a fruitful field; in Judea restored. read more
And the work of righteousness - That which righteousness produces; or the effect of the prevalence of righteousness on the nation.Shall be peace - There shall be no internal agitation, and no conflicts with foreign nations.Quietness and assurance - This is a beautiful description of the happy effect of the prevalence of piety; and it is as true now as it was in the time of Isaiah. True religion would put an end to strifes and litigations; to riots and mobs; to oppressions and tumults; to alarms... read more
Isaiah 32:16-18. Then judgment Just judgment, as the next clause explains it, shall dwell in the wilderness In what had formerly been a wilderness, namely, among the Gentiles, now supposed to be converted to Christianity; by whom righteousness also shall be practised, and among whom it shall remain. And the work of righteousness shall be peace The effect of this righteousness shall be peace of conscience, possessed by all that practise it, and tranquillity, of mind, as well as peace... read more
A kingdom of righteousness (32:1-20)Looking beyond the victory over the Assyrians, Isaiah sees the day when the people of God are under the rule of an ideal government. At the head of this government is a king whose chief officials share his characteristics of integrity, justice and mercy. Together they give their people protection and contentment (32:1-2).In such a kingdom the people as a whole reflect in their lives the qualities of their rulers. They have a desire to know more of God and his... read more
work = tillage. assurance = confidence. Hebrew. b a t ah ( App-69 ) Same word as careless (Isaiah 32:9 ), but not in irony. read more
"Then justice shall abide in the wilderness; and righteousness shall abide in the fruitful field. And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, shall be quietness and confidence forever. And my people shall abide in a peaceable habitation, and in safe dwellings, and in quiet resting-places. But it shall hail in the downfall of the forest; and the city shall be utterly laid low. Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send for the feet of the ox and the... read more
Isaiah 32:15-16. Until the Spirit be poured upon us— The prophet teaches, that the calamity which he had foretold should at length terminate, after a long delay, in excellent benefits to be conferred upon the people of God, as he had shewn in ch. Isaiah 29:17, &c. and Isaiah 30:19, &c. which are analogous to this. The benefits that he here enumerates are principally spiritual: and though the prophet, no doubt, in these words refers primarily to the blessings consequent upon the people's... read more
16. judgment—justice. wilderness—then reclaimed. fruitful field—then become more fruitful (Isaiah 32:15); thus "wilderness" and "fruitful field" include the whole land of Judea. read more
17. work—the effect (Proverbs 14:34; James 3:18). peace—internal and external. read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 32:17-18
The peaceable fruit of righteousness. Righteousness and peace may be supposed to be entirely separate things; by those who look only on the surface they may even be imagined to be opposed to one another. In fact, they are closely and even vitally related to each other. I. THOSE WHO ARE INCAPABLE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS ARE UNRECEPTIVE OF PEACE . To them peace is simply incommunicable; it does not come within the range of their faculties. The horse, the swallow, the salmon,... read more