Isaiah 52: How Beautiful Are the Feet
Zion is called to awake and put on beauty as good news of God’s reign rings out, and the exalted yet marred Servant is introduced.
Isaiah 52 (WEB)
1 Awake, awake, put on your strength, Zion; put on your beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean.
2 Shake yourself from the dust! Arise, sit up, Jerusalem! Release yourself from the bonds of your neck, captive daughter of Zion!
3 For thus says Yahweh, “You were sold for nothing; and you shall be redeemed without money.”
4 For thus says the Lord Yahweh, “My people went down at the first into Egypt to live there: and the Assyrian has oppressed them without cause.
5 “Now therefore, what do I do here,” says Yahweh, “seeing that my people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them mock,” says Yahweh, “and my name continually all the day is blasphemed.
6 Therefore my people shall know my name. Therefore they shall know in that day that I am he who speaks; behold, it is I.”
7 How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
8 The voice of your watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Yahweh returns to Zion.
9 Break out into joy, sing together, you waste places of Jerusalem; for Yahweh has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem.
10 Yahweh has made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
11 Depart, depart, go out from there, touch no unclean thing! Go out of the midst of her! Cleanse yourselves, you who bear the vessels of Yahweh.
12 For you shall not go out in haste, neither shall you go by flight: for Yahweh will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.
13 Behold, my servant shall deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.
14 Like as many were astonished at you (his appearance was marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men),
15 so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand.
Isaiah 52 (KJV)
1 Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
2 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
3 For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.
4 For thus saith the Lord God, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
5 Now therefore, what have I here, saith the Lord, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the Lord; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
8 Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.
9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
10 The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord.
12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.
13 Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
15 So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
Isaiah 52 (ASV)
1 Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
2 Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit on thy throne, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
3 For thus saith Jehovah, Ye were sold for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.
4 For thus saith the Lord Jehovah, My people went down at the first into Egypt to sojourn there: and the Assyrian hath oppressed them without cause.
5 Now therefore, what do I here, saith Jehovah, seeing that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them do howl, saith Jehovah, and my name continually all the day is blasphemed.
6 Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak; behold, it is I.
7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
8 The voice of thy watchmen! they lift up the voice, together do they sing; for they shall see eye to eye, when Jehovah returneth to Zion.
9 Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem; for Jehovah hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
10 Jehovah hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Jehovah.
12 For ye shall not go out in haste, neither shall ye go by flight: for Jehovah will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward.
13 Behold, my servant shall deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.
14 Like as many were astonished at thee (his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men),
15 so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they understand.
Summary
God calls Zion to awake and put on strength and beautiful garments, for she will be redeemed without money and freed from her captivity. He recalls how his people went down to Egypt and were later oppressed by Assyria, and declares that he will act so they will know his name. Then the chapter bursts into one of Scripture’s most joyful images: “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,” who publishes peace and salvation and announces, “Your God reigns!” The watchmen sing together as they see the LORD return to Zion; the waste places break into joy because the LORD has comforted his people and redeemed Jerusalem. He has bared his holy arm before all nations, and the ends of the earth will see the salvation of our God. The redeemed are summoned to depart and go out from Babylon in purity, not in haste, for the LORD goes before them and is their rear guard. The chapter closes by introducing the fourth and greatest Servant Song: “Behold, my servant shall deal wisely, he shall be exalted and lifted up,” yet his appearance was marred more than any man’s, and he will sprinkle many nations and silence kings. Here the good news of God’s reign and the suffering, exalted Servant converge, fulfilled wholly in Jesus, the bringer of peace whose marred face redeemed the world.
Voices
- The LORD (Yahweh) — The God who redeems Zion without money, bares his holy arm before the nations, and introduces his wise, exalted, yet marred Servant.
- Zion / Jerusalem — The captive city called to awake, shake off the dust, and put on beautiful garments because her redemption has come.
- The Servant — The one who will act wisely and be exalted and lifted up, yet whose appearance is marred more than any man, who will sprinkle many nations, fulfilled in Christ.
Key Verse
Isaiah 52:7 (WEB)
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
Lessons Learned
- God’s people are redeemed without money—salvation is his free gift.
- There is beauty in the messengers and the message of God’s good news of peace.
- The heart of the good news is that God reigns and has comforted his people.
- The exalted Servant is also the marred Servant; glory and suffering meet in him.
- Redemption is free. “You shall be redeemed without money” (Isaiah 52:3, WEB). God’s rescue is never bought; it is given by grace.
- Good news has beautiful feet. “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news” (Isaiah 52:7, WEB). Those who carry the gospel of God’s reign are precious.
- God’s salvation is for all nations. “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God” (Isaiah 52:10, WEB). His bared arm of rescue is displayed to the whole world.
- The Servant is exalted through suffering. He “shall be exalted and lifted up,” though “his appearance was marred more than any man” (Isaiah 52:13-14, WEB). Glory comes by way of the cross.
- What is Zion called to do in verses 1-2, and why?
- Why are the feet of the messenger called “beautiful” (52:7), and how does Paul apply this in Romans 10:15?
- What does it mean that the LORD has “bared his holy arm” before all the nations (52:10)?
- How does the introduction of the Servant in verses 13-15 hold together exaltation and being “marred”?
- If “Your God reigns” is the heart of the good news, how does that truth reshape your fears and hopes this week?
- Zion is told to awake, shake off the dust, and put on strength and beautiful garments (52:1-2) because her redemption has come. The summons matches her new reality: a freed people should rise and clothe themselves in the dignity God gives.
- The feet are beautiful because of the message they carry—peace, salvation, and the reign of God (52:7). Paul quotes this of gospel preachers (Romans 10:15), making every messenger of Christ’s good news beautiful in God’s sight.
- To bare the arm is to roll up the sleeve for decisive action; God acts openly and powerfully so all nations see his salvation (52:10). His redemption is not hidden but displayed to the whole earth.
- The Servant is supremely exalted, yet his form is marred beyond any man (52:13-14). The two truths meet in the cross: he is glorified precisely through suffering, sprinkling many nations and silencing kings.
- This is a personal-application question. Help members feel the steadying power of “Your God reigns” (52:7). As leader, connect it to the gospel—our reigning God secured peace through the marred and risen Servant—and invite trust in his rule.