The big picture
Isaiah 25 opens in verse 1 with “O LORD , thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 6 with “And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things…”, and closes in verse 12 with “And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, city, people, hands, heat. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Isaiah · King James Version · 12Isaiah 25:1-6
1–6: O LORD , thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for…
Isaiah 25:1–6 opens with “O LORD , thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done…” and reaches “And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Isaiah 25 develops its own movement around LORD, city, people, hands, heat, with particular weight carried by city, heat, terrible.
Context that brings the passage to life
“O LORD , thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels…” The verse names God rather than leaving the action without a source. Watch whether the next line continues, answers, or contrasts that action.
“For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
Isaiah 25:1-6
King James Version1O LORD , thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.
2For thou hast made of a city an heap; of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.
3Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
4For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.
5Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low.
6And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.
Isaiah 25:7-12
7–12: He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all…
Isaiah 25:7–12 opens with “And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail…” and reaches “And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Isaiah 25 develops its own movement around LORD, city, people, hands, heat, with particular weight carried by LORD, hands, mountain.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over…” The line’s distinctive content terms include covering, destroy, face. Its relationship to verses 8 shows what work it does in this passage.
“He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Isaiah 25:7-12
King James Version7And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations.
8He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
9And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD ; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
10For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.
11And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.
12And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Isaiah 25:1 begins with “O LORD , thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”
Where the chapter turns
Isaiah 25:3 forms a natural hinge: “Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.”
The final note
Isaiah 25:12 leaves the reader with “And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, city, people, hands, heat, mountain help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What fulfills the earlier promise concerning Ishmael?
The named twelve princes and the account of his descendants.
What family pattern increases the twins' conflict?
Isaac favors Esau and Rebekah favors Jacob.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
- hath
- has
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.