Isaiah 62

Chapters 60–62 in the latter part of Isaiah are commonly read as a unit celebrating the glorious restoration of Zion. Following the proclamation of the anointed one in Isaiah 61, chapter 62 depicts Zion receiving a new name and welcoming her salvation.

Outline

• Verses 1–5: The speaker declares that he will not keep silent until Zion's righteousness and salvation shine forth like light. Zion becomes a crown in the hand of the LORD. Instead of being called "Forsaken" and "Desolate," she is called "Hephzibah" and "Beulah," and God rejoices over Zion as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.
• Verses 6–9: God sets watchmen on the walls of Jerusalem and tells them not to rest until Jerusalem is made a praise in the earth. He also swears by his right hand that he will never again allow her grain and wine to be taken by her enemies and by foreigners.
• Verses 10–12: A series of commands follows: go through the gates, prepare the way, build up the highway, gather out the stones, and lift up a standard for the peoples. The news that salvation is coming to the daughter of Zion is proclaimed, and Zion is called "The holy people," "The redeemed of the LORD," "Sought out," and "A city not forsaken."

Key Verses

• Isaiah 62:4 "But thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah." Hephzibah means "my delight is in her," and Beulah means "married." The new names express the reversal of Zion's forsaken condition.
• Isaiah 62:6 "I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem." This verse is frequently cited in discussions of unceasing prayer.
• Isaiah 62:11 "Behold, thy salvation cometh." This verse is linked to the Old Testament text quoted in the account of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem in Matthew 21.

Figures and Places

• The LORD: God, who delights in Zion and swears to restore her.
• Zion and Jerusalem: the object of restoration, portrayed as a bride.
• Watchmen: those on the walls who call upon the LORD day and night without rest.

Points for Reflection

• Interpreters differ on the identity of the "I" in verse 1. Some take it to be the prophet himself; others take it to be God.
• Many scholars regard chapters 56–66 as addressed to the community after the return from the Babylonian exile. Traditional conservative interpreters, by contrast, regard the entire book of Isaiah as the work of a single prophet.
• The command "prepare ye the way" in verse 10 echoes the language of Isaiah 40 and Isaiah 57.
• The words "Tell ye the daughter of Sion" in Matthew 21:5 are commonly explained as a combined quotation of verse 11 of this chapter and Zechariah 9:9.
• The portrayal of Zion as a bride and the theme of a "new name" are sometimes read in connection with the New Testament understanding of the church and with the New Jerusalem in Revelation. Traditions differ in emphasis on whether the passage should be read as the restoration of the nation of Israel or applied to the church.
• Hephzibah is also the name of the wife of Hezekiah and mother of Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1). In this chapter, however, Hephzibah is a symbolic name given to Zion.

In the Korean Church

The watchman passage in verses 6–7 is frequently cited in sermons encouraging intercessory prayer and early-morning prayer meetings. The word "Hephzibah" is also used as a name for prayer groups and institutions.