Isaiah 25 Study Notes: A Feast for All Nations and Death Defeated
A song praises God for faithfully carrying out His ancient plans, for turning a fortified city into rubble, and for sheltering the poor from the ruthless. On His mountain He hosts a rich feast for every people, ends death forever, and dries every tear, while proud Moab is brought low.
General
In 25:6, for whom does the LORD prepare a rich feast on His mountain?
Answer: For people of every nation on earth
On this mountain, Mount Zion (the hill of Jerusalem), where the previous chapter says the LORD will reign (24:23), God prepares a lavish feast of the finest food and well-aged wine for all peoples, not for Israel alone (25:6). Isaiah earlier pictured all nations streaming to the LORD’s mountain (2:2). Jesus said many would come from east and west to sit at the feast with the patriarchs in heaven’s kingdom (Matthew 8:11), and Revelation calls blessed those invited to the Lamb’s wedding feast (Revelation 19:9).
- Isaiah 25:6 (BSB)“On this mountain the LORD of Hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all the peoples, a feast of aged wine, of choice meat, of finely aged wine.”On His mountain the LORD prepares a rich feast for all the peoples.
- Isaiah 24:23 (BSB)“The moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.”The preceding verse shows the LORD reigning on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, the mountain where the feast is held.
- Isaiah 2:2 (BSB)“In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.”Isaiah already pictured all nations streaming to the mountain of the LORD’s house.
- Matthew 8:11 (BSB)“I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”Jesus says many from east and west will share the banquet of the kingdom of heaven.
- Revelation 19:9 (BSB)“Then the angel told me to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.””Revelation blesses those invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb, a feast that echoes this one.
Theological
What is the scope of the banquet the LORD prepares in 25:6?
Answer: For people of every nation on earth
The feast is held on Zion, where the LORD reigns (24:23), yet its guest list is universal: all peoples share the rich food and aged wine (25:6). This fits Isaiah’s vision of the nations streaming to the LORD’s mountain (2:2). Jesus applied the image of the eschatological banquet to Gentiles coming from east and west to recline with the patriarchs (Matthew 8:11), and Revelation pronounces a blessing on those invited to the Lamb’s wedding feast (Revelation 19:9), showing that the promise reaches its fulfillment in Christ’s kingdom.
- Isaiah 25:6 (BSB)“On this mountain the LORD of Hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all the peoples, a feast of aged wine, of choice meat, of finely aged wine.”On His mountain the LORD prepares a rich feast for all the peoples.
- Isaiah 24:23 (BSB)“The moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.”The preceding verse shows the LORD reigning on Mount Zion in Jerusalem, the mountain where the feast is held.
- Isaiah 2:2 (BSB)“In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.”Isaiah already pictured all nations streaming to the mountain of the LORD’s house.
- Matthew 8:11 (BSB)“I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.”Jesus says many from east and west will share the banquet of the kingdom of heaven.
- Revelation 19:9 (BSB)“Then the angel told me to write, “Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.””Revelation blesses those invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb, a feast that echoes this one.
General
What does 25:7-8 say God will swallow up on His mountain?
Answer: Death itself, with the covering laid over the nations
The shroud or sheet over all nations (25:7) pictures the covering of death and mourning that lies over the whole human race. God will swallow death itself up forever, dry the tears of every face, and take away His people’s disgrace, and His word guarantees it (25:8). Paul says this saying will come true at the resurrection, when mortal bodies put on immortality and death is swallowed up and defeated (1 Corinthians 15:54). Revelation takes up the wiping away of tears in its picture of the new creation, where death and mourning are gone (Revelation 21:4), and says God will dry His people’s tears while the Lamb shepherds them (Revelation 7:17). Paul says Christ Jesus has already abolished death and, through the gospel, shone light on the path to unending life (2 Timothy 1:10).
- Isaiah 25:7-8 (BSB)“On this mountain He will swallow up the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; He will swallow up death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the disgrace of His people from the whole earth. For the LORD has spoken.”On His mountain God removes the covering over the nations, swallows up death forever, and wipes away tears.
- 1 Corinthians 15:54 (BSB)“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.””Paul says the resurrection will fulfill this very saying about death being swallowed up.
- Revelation 21:4 (BSB)“‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.””Revelation echoes the wiping away of tears and declares there will be no more death in the new creation.
- Revelation 7:17 (BSB)“For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. ‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’ and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’””God wiping away every tear is promised to those the Lamb shepherds.
- 2 Timothy 1:10 (BSB)“And now He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel,”Christ Jesus has already abolished death and shed light on the way to life and immortality through the gospel.
Theological
In 25:7-8, what does the LORD swallow up, in words Paul later applies to the resurrection?
Answer: Death itself, with the covering laid over the nations
The covering over all nations (25:7) pictures death itself, the curse that lies on all; God will swallow it up forever, remove every tear, and take away His people’s reproach (25:8). Paul cites this promise as the saying fulfilled when the mortal puts on immortality at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:54). Revelation draws on the same verse for the consummation, when death and mourning are gone (Revelation 21:4), and for the Lamb’s care for His redeemed (Revelation 7:17). The victory is already secured: Christ Jesus has done away with death and, through the gospel, shone light on the path to immortal life (2 Timothy 1:10).
- Isaiah 25:7-8 (BSB)“On this mountain He will swallow up the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; He will swallow up death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the disgrace of His people from the whole earth. For the LORD has spoken.”On His mountain God removes the covering over the nations, swallows up death forever, and wipes away tears.
- 1 Corinthians 15:54 (BSB)“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.””Paul says the resurrection will fulfill this very saying about death being swallowed up.
- Revelation 21:4 (BSB)“‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.””Revelation echoes the wiping away of tears and declares there will be no more death in the new creation.
- Revelation 7:17 (BSB)“For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. ‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’ and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’””God wiping away every tear is promised to those the Lamb shepherds.
- 2 Timothy 1:10 (BSB)“And now He has revealed this grace through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has abolished death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the gospel,”Christ Jesus has already abolished death and shed light on the way to life and immortality through the gospel.
General
What does 25:10-12 say will happen to Moab?
Answer: Its pride will be humbled and its high walls torn down
While the LORD’s hand rests on His mountain to bless, Moab, Israel’s proud neighbor, meets a very different end. It will be trampled like straw, its pride humbled despite all its skill, and its lofty fortress thrown down into the dust (25:10-12). Isaiah had already described Moab’s great pride and empty boasting (16:6). The lesson runs through Scripture: pride leads to a fall (Proverbs 16:18), and God sets Himself against the arrogant and shows favor to the lowly (James 4:6).
- Isaiah 25:10-12 (BSB)“For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain. But Moab will be trampled in his place as straw is trodden into the dung pile. He will spread out his hands within it, as a swimmer spreads his arms to swim. His pride will be brought low, despite the skill of his hands. The high-walled fortress will be brought down, cast to the ground, into the dust.”Moab will be trampled, its pride humbled, and its fortress brought down to the dust.
- Isaiah 16:6 (BSB)“We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his overflowing arrogance. But his boasting is empty.”Isaiah earlier exposed Moab’s exceeding pride and empty boasting.
- Proverbs 16:18 (BSB)“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”Pride leads to destruction, as Moab’s fall shows.
- James 4:6 (BSB)“But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.
Theological
What judgment does 25:10-12 announce on Moab, and what sin is singled out?
Answer: Its pride will be humbled and its high walls torn down
The contrast is deliberate: the LORD’s hand rests on Zion in blessing, while Moab is trampled like straw (25:10). Its arrogance is named as the target; for all its skill it will be humbled, and its high-walled fortress cast down to the dust (25:11-12). Moab’s pride and empty boasting had already been exposed (16:6). God’s resistance to human pride is a constant principle of His rule (Proverbs 16:18), and James applies it directly: God sets Himself against the arrogant and shows grace to the lowly (James 4:6).
- Isaiah 25:10-12 (BSB)“For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain. But Moab will be trampled in his place as straw is trodden into the dung pile. He will spread out his hands within it, as a swimmer spreads his arms to swim. His pride will be brought low, despite the skill of his hands. The high-walled fortress will be brought down, cast to the ground, into the dust.”Moab will be trampled, its pride humbled, and its fortress brought down to the dust.
- Isaiah 16:6 (BSB)“We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his overflowing arrogance. But his boasting is empty.”Isaiah earlier exposed Moab’s exceeding pride and empty boasting.
- Proverbs 16:18 (BSB)“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”Pride leads to destruction, as Moab’s fall shows.
- James 4:6 (BSB)“But He gives us more grace. This is why it says: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.””God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble.
General
According to 25:4-5, what has God been to the poor and needy while ruthless people raged?
Answer: A shelter who shielded them from the onslaught
The song explains why the fall of the proud city leads even ruthless nations to honor God (25:2-3): He has been a refuge and stronghold for the poor and needy, a shelter in the storm and shade in the heat (25:4). The fury of the ruthless beats against the weak like a storm against a wall, but God silences their song as cloud cover cools a hot day (25:5). The psalms speak the same way of the LORD as a safe place for those crushed by others (Psalm 9:9) and a help always near in trouble (Psalm 46:1). Mary later praised God for pulling down rulers and lifting up the lowly (Luke 1:52).
- Isaiah 25:4-5 (BSB)“For You have been a refuge for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like rain against a wall, like heat in a dry land. You subdue the uproar of foreigners. As the shade of a cloud cools the heat, so the song of the ruthless is silenced.”The LORD has been a shelter for the poor and needy while the ruthless raged, and He silences them.
- Psalm 9:9 (BSB)“The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”The psalmist calls the LORD a refuge and stronghold for the oppressed in times of trouble.
- Psalm 46:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.”God is praised as the refuge and ever-present help of His people in trouble.
- Luke 1:52 (BSB)“He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.”Mary praises God for bringing down the mighty and exalting the humble, the same reversal Isaiah describes.
Theological
What does 25:4-5 say God has been for the poor amid the violence of the ruthless?
Answer: A shelter who shielded them from the onslaught
The praise of the nations (25:3) is grounded in God’s character as protector of the helpless: a refuge and stronghold for the poor and needy, shelter in the storm and shade in the heat (25:4). The fury of ruthless people is real, but God quiets the clamor of foreigners and silences their song (25:5). This is a consistent theme of Scripture: the LORD shelters the oppressed (Psalm 9:9) and is a present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1), and Mary’s song celebrates the same divine reversal of the mighty and the lowly (Luke 1:52).
- Isaiah 25:4-5 (BSB)“For You have been a refuge for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like rain against a wall, like heat in a dry land. You subdue the uproar of foreigners. As the shade of a cloud cools the heat, so the song of the ruthless is silenced.”The LORD has been a shelter for the poor and needy while the ruthless raged, and He silences them.
- Psalm 9:9 (BSB)“The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”The psalmist calls the LORD a refuge and stronghold for the oppressed in times of trouble.
- Psalm 46:1 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.”God is praised as the refuge and ever-present help of His people in trouble.
- Luke 1:52 (BSB)“He has brought down rulers from their thrones, but has exalted the humble.”Mary praises God for bringing down the mighty and exalting the humble, the same reversal Isaiah describes.
General
True or False: In 25:9, the people celebrate a rescue they say they won by their own strength.
Answer: False
This is false. In that day the redeemed will point to the LORD as their God, confess that their waiting on Him ended in His rescue, and rejoice in His salvation (25:9). The rescue is wholly God’s work; their part was to wait on Him in trust. Jonah confessed that rescue comes from the LORD alone (Jonah 2:9), the psalmist urges God’s people to wait for Him with courage (Psalm 27:14), and Paul describes believers as waiting for the glorious appearing of Jesus Christ, whom he calls God and Savior (Titus 2:13).
- Isaiah 25:9 (BSB)“And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.””The redeemed confess that they waited for their God and He saved them.
- Jonah 2:9 (BSB)“But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!””Jonah confesses that salvation comes from the LORD, not from human effort.
- Psalm 27:14 (BSB)“Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!”The psalmist calls God’s people to wait patiently for the LORD.
- Titus 2:13 (BSB)“as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”Believers wait for the appearing of their God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Theological
True or False: 25:9 presents the deliverance as the people’s own achievement rather than as God’s saving act.
Answer: False
This is false. The confession of 25:9 is entirely God-centered: it names the LORD as their God, speaks of waiting on Him, credits Him with the rescue, and rejoices in His salvation. Waiting is how faith receives rather than achieves deliverance. Jonah’s confession that salvation belongs to the LORD (Jonah 2:9) and the psalmist’s call to wait for the LORD (Psalm 27:14) say the same, and Paul frames the Christian life as waiting for the appearing of Jesus Christ, God and Savior (Titus 2:13).
- Isaiah 25:9 (BSB)“And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.””The redeemed confess that they waited for their God and He saved them.
- Jonah 2:9 (BSB)“But I, with the voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the LORD!””Jonah confesses that salvation comes from the LORD, not from human effort.
- Psalm 27:14 (BSB)“Wait patiently for the LORD; be strong and courageous. Wait patiently for the LORD!”The psalmist calls God’s people to wait patiently for the LORD.
- Titus 2:13 (BSB)“as we await the blessed hope and glorious appearance of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”Believers wait for the appearing of their God and Savior Jesus Christ.
General
In 25:1, how does the singer describe the wonders God has done?
Answer: As purposes He settled beforehand and carried out faithfully
The chapter opens with a personal song of praise. The singer calls the LORD my God and praises Him because His wonders were plans made long ago and carried out with complete faithfulness (25:1). What God does in history is not improvised; it unfolds what He purposed beforehand. Elsewhere in Isaiah God says He announces outcomes before they begin and that whatever He purposes will happen (46:10). The psalmist sings that the LORD’s plans stand firm through every generation (Psalm 33:11), and Paul says God works all things according to His own plan and will (Ephesians 1:11).
- Isaiah 25:1 (BSB)“O LORD, You are my God! I will exalt You; I will praise Your name. For You have worked wonders—plans formed long ago—in perfect faithfulness.”The singer praises the LORD for wonders that were planned long ago and faithfully carried out.
- Isaiah 46:10 (BSB)“I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’”God Himself declares that He announces what is coming and that His purpose will be accomplished.
- Psalm 33:11 (BSB)“The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.”The LORD’s plans are said to stand forever, through every generation.
- Ephesians 1:11 (BSB)“In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,”Paul says God works out everything according to the counsel of His will, including the choosing of His people.
Theological
According to 25:1, how do God’s mighty acts relate to His counsel?
Answer: As purposes He settled beforehand and carried out faithfully
The song grounds praise in God’s providence: His wonders are the execution of counsels formed long ago, accomplished in perfect faithfulness (25:1). History is the outworking of God’s eternal decree, not a series of divine improvisations. Isaiah elsewhere has God announce outcomes before they begin and insist that His purpose will be carried out (46:10). The psalmist confesses that the LORD’s counsel stands through all generations (Psalm 33:11), and Paul grounds the believer’s election in the God who works out all things as His will has planned (Ephesians 1:11).
- Isaiah 25:1 (BSB)“O LORD, You are my God! I will exalt You; I will praise Your name. For You have worked wonders—plans formed long ago—in perfect faithfulness.”The singer praises the LORD for wonders that were planned long ago and faithfully carried out.
- Isaiah 46:10 (BSB)“I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’”God Himself declares that He announces what is coming and that His purpose will be accomplished.
- Psalm 33:11 (BSB)“The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.”The LORD’s plans are said to stand forever, through every generation.
- Ephesians 1:11 (BSB)“In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,”Paul says God works out everything according to the counsel of His will, including the choosing of His people.