Isaiah 62: Zion's New Name — ReidOne Bible Study

Isaiah 62 (WEB)

1 For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go out as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burns.

2 The nations shall see your righteousness, and all kings your glory, and you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of Yahweh shall name.

3 You shall also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Yahweh, and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

4 You shall no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall your land any more be termed Desolate: but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for Yahweh delights in you, and your land shall be married.

5 For as a young man marries a virgin, so your sons shall marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you.

6 I have set watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day nor night: you who call on Yahweh, take no rest,

7 and give him no rest, until he establishes, and until he makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

8 Yahweh has sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, “Surely I will no more give your grain to be food for your enemies; and foreigners shall not drink your new wine, for which you have labored:

9 but those who have garnered it shall eat it, and praise Yahweh; and those who have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.”

10 Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way of the people! Cast up, cast up the highway! Gather out the stones! Lift up a banner for the peoples.

11 Behold, Yahweh has proclaimed to the end of the earth, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your salvation comes. Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.’”

12 They shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of Yahweh: and you shall be called Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Isaiah 62 (KJV)

1 For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.

2 And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.

3 Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi–bah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence,

7 And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

8 The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to be meat for thine enemies; and the sons of the stranger shall not drink thy wine, for the which thou hast laboured:

9 But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of my holiness.

10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.

11 Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the Lord: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Isaiah 62 (ASV)

1 For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth.

2 And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall name.

3 Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.

4 Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi-bah, and thy land Beulah; for Jehovah delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.

5 For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee; and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.

6 I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are Jehovah’s remembrancers, take ye no rest,

7 and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

8 Jehovah hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy grain to be food for thine enemies; and foreigners shall not drink thy new wine, for which thou hast labored:

9 but they that have garnered it shall eat it, and praise Jehovah; and they that have gathered it shall drink it in the courts of my sanctuary.

10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples.

11 Behold, Jehovah hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.

12 And they shall call them The holy people, The redeemed of Jehovah: and thou shalt be called Sought out, A city not forsaken.

Summary

God's passionate commitment to Zion fills this chapter. For Zion's sake he will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake he will not rest until her righteousness shines out like brightness and her salvation like a burning lamp. The nations and their kings will see her righteousness and glory, and she will be given a new name spoken by the mouth of the Lord. She will be a crown of beauty and a royal diadem in God's hand. No longer will she be called Forsaken or her land Desolate; instead she will be called Hephzibah, “My delight is in her,” and her land Beulah, “Married,” for the Lord delights in her and rejoices over her as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. God sets watchmen on her walls who will never be silent day or night, and he calls those who pray to give themselves no rest and to give God no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes her a praise in the earth. The Lord swears by his right hand that he will no longer give her grain and wine to her enemies, but those who harvest will eat and praise him in the courts of his sanctuary. The chapter closes with a summons to prepare the way and lift up a banner for the peoples, for the Lord proclaims to the ends of the earth that Zion's salvation comes, and her people will be called the Holy People, the Redeemed of the Lord, Sought Out, a city not forsaken.

Voices

Yahweh (the LORD) — The God who will not rest until Zion's salvation shines, who renames her in delight, and who rejoices over her as a bridegroom over his bride.
Zion / Jerusalem — The city given a new name—no longer Forsaken or Desolate but Hephzibah and Beulah—delighted in and married to her God.
The watchmen — Those set on Zion's walls to pray without ceasing, giving God no rest until he makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

Key Verse

Isaiah 62:4 (WEB)

You shall no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall your land any more be termed Desolate: but you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for Yahweh delights in you, and your land shall be married.

Lessons Learned

God's commitment to redeem his people is so strong that he will not rest until it is accomplished.
God gives his redeemed people a new name and a new identity rooted in his delight.
The Lord rejoices over his people the way a bridegroom rejoices over his bride.
God calls his people to persistent, restless prayer for the fulfillment of his promises.

God will not stay silent about his people's salvation. “For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace… until her righteousness go out as brightness” (Isaiah 62:1, WEB).
God renames the forsaken in delight. No longer Forsaken or Desolate, “you shall be called Hephzibah… for Yahweh delights in you” (Isaiah 62:4, WEB).
God rejoices over his people as a bridegroom. “As the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so your God will rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62:5, WEB).
God's people are called to restless prayer. The watchmen are to “take no rest, and give him no rest, until he establishes… Jerusalem” (Isaiah 62:6-7, WEB).

What does God's refusal to “rest” (62:1) reveal about his commitment to his people?
Why is the change of names from Forsaken and Desolate to Hephzibah and Beulah (62:4) so significant?
What does it mean that God rejoices over his people as a bridegroom over a bride (62:5)?
What is the role of the watchmen, and what does it teach us about prayer (62:6-7)?
How does it change your view of God to know he delights in his people and will not rest until they are made whole?

God's refusal to rest shows the depth of his determination to redeem; he is relentlessly committed to Zion's salvation until it shines for all to see (62:1). His love is not passive but active and tireless on behalf of his people.
The new names mark a complete reversal of identity. Where she was Forsaken and Desolate, she is now Hephzibah (“my delight is in her”) and Beulah (“married”), declaring that God's relationship to her has changed from abandonment to delight (62:4).
It pictures God's joy over his people not as mere tolerance but as the overflowing gladness of a groom on his wedding day (62:5). Help the group grasp that they are not merely forgiven but genuinely delighted in by God.
The watchmen never fall silent, praying day and night and giving God no rest until he fulfills his promise (62:6-7). This models bold, persistent intercession that takes God at his word and keeps asking until he acts.
This is a personal-application question. Invite members to receive that God delights in them and is tireless in pursuing their good. As leader, let the bridegroom imagery counter any sense that God merely tolerates his people.