Isaiah 25:8

Context

Isaiah 24–27 is a section depicting judgment upon the whole earth and the restoration that follows; scholars commonly call it the "Isaiah Apocalypse." The earlier oracles (prophecies delivering the word of God) are directed against particular nations, but in this section the scope widens to the entire world.

Chapter 25 opens with a song praising God for overthrowing an unnamed "defenced city" (25:1-5). Verses 6–8 then proclaim that the LORD of hosts will make a feast for all peoples "in this mountain," that is, Zion (cf. 24:23), and will remove the covering spread over the nations. Verse 8 is the climax of this banquet scene, promising that God will abolish death, wipe away tears, and take away the "rebuke" of his people. This rebuke is commonly understood to refer to the humiliation of defeat and captivity that Israel suffered before the Gentile nations.

Interpretation

• Christian tradition: Most churches read this verse as a promise that began to be fulfilled in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and will be completed in the resurrection of the dead on the last day and in the new heavens and new earth. Two grounds are offered for this reading. First, Paul quotes the verse in 1 Corinthians 15:54 as the saying that will be "brought to pass" at the resurrection of the body. Second, Revelation 7:17 and 21:4 repeat the image of God wiping away tears.
• Jewish tradition: In Judaism as well, this verse has been read as a text of hope that death will cease and Israel will be restored at the end of days.
• Historical-critical scholarship: Some scholars note that the Hebrew verb rendered "destroy" in some translations originally means "to swallow." They regard the expression as a reversal of the imagery of Mot, the all-devouring god of death in ancient Canaanite mythology. Opinions also differ over whether "death" here refers to the end of individual physical death or is a figure for the end of the ruin and calamity the nation endured.

Debates and Issues

• Translation and quotation: The Korean Revised Version renders 1 Corinthians 15:54, where Paul quotes this verse, as "Death is swallowed up in victory." The Hebrew text's "forever" (lanetsach) appears there as "victory," a difference explained by the fact that the Hebrew netsach can also carry the sense of "victory." Paul's wording also differs from the extant Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament), leading some to suggest that he followed a different Greek textual tradition.
• Timing of fulfillment: How the feast on Zion and the abolition of death correspond to the stages of eschatology depends on one's understanding of the millennium. Across denominations, however, there is broad agreement that death, as the last enemy, will ultimately be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26).

In the Korean Church

Together with Revelation 21:4, this verse is often read as a word of comfort at funeral services and memorial services. It is also frequently cited in Easter sermons as an Old Testament text that foreshadows the hope of the resurrection.

Related Passages

• 1 Corinthians 15:54-55
• Revelation 21:4
• Revelation 7:17
• Isaiah 26:19
• Hosea 13:14