Isaiah 25: He Will Swallow Up Death
A song for a fallen city, a feast for all peoples, and death swallowed forever
"O Lord, thou art my God; I will exalt thee… For thou hast made of a city an heap… For 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" (25:1–4).
"And 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. And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces" (vv. 6–8).
"And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us" (v. 9). "For 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" (v. 10).
| Verses | What it says | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| 25:1–5 | Praise: the fortified city a ruin, a refuge for the poor, shade from heat, the tyrants' song silenced | Who is the city? Unnamed (see chapter 24). |
| 25:6 | On this mountain, a feast for all peoples: rich food, marrow, aged wine | A royal coronation feast for God's kingship (24:23). |
| 25:7 | He will swallow the shroud covering all peoples, the veil over all nations | The funeral veil or mourning cloth. |
| 25:8 | He will swallow death forever; the Lord GOD will wipe tears from all faces; his people's disgrace removed | Billa ha-mavet la-netsach. |
| 25:9 | This is our God; we waited for him; let us rejoice in his salvation | Yeshu'ah, salvation. |
| 25:10–12 | God's hand rests on this mountain; Moab trampled like straw in a dung pit, swimming in it; its walls laid low | Madmenah (dung pit) plays on the Moabite town Madmen (Jeremiah 48:2). |
Death that swallows
In the Ugaritic Baal myth, Mot (Death) is a god with an enormous appetite: "a lip to the earth, a lip to the heavens… a tongue to the stars," and Baal descends into his throat (KTU 1.5 II). Isaiah reverses the image: the swallower is swallowed. Habakkuk 2:5 and Proverbs 1:12 also picture death or Sheol with an open mouth. The comparison shows the language Isaiah used; it does not show direct borrowing from a particular tablet.
"Swallow up death in victory"
The Hebrew la-netsach means "forever" in biblical Hebrew; in Aramaic, netsach also means "victory." Paul quotes the verse in 1 Corinthians 15:54: "Death is swallowed up in victory (eis nikos)," in a Greek form close to the later Jewish Greek translation of Theodotion (and Aquila). The library's Greek of the Old Greek reads differently: "Death, having prevailed, swallowed" (Giguet: "La mort, ayant prévalu, dévorera les hommes"), making death the swallower. The Vulgate: "He will cast death down forever." The KJV's "in victory" follows Paul's Greek.
Tears wiped away
Revelation 7:17 and 21:4 take up 25:8: "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death." The Mishnah closes its laws of mourning with this verse (Moed Katan 3:9, reported). Jesus' sayings about many coming "from the east and west" to feast with Abraham in the kingdom (Matthew 8:11; Luke 13:29, each Gospel's report) are often connected with the banquet of 25:6, though they do not quote it.
A hymn of the Isaiah Apocalypse (24–27): after judgment on the proud city, God holds his coronation feast on Zion for all peoples, ends mourning and abolishes death. Whether the poet meant the literal end of death or the end of the deadly rule of oppressors is debated; the phrase "forever" and "from all faces" point to the widest reading.
Rabbinic tradition read the verse of the world to come, as a text of resurrection hope (reported).
1 Corinthians 15:54 quotes 25:8 as the word that will be fulfilled when "this mortal shall have put on immortality." Revelation 7:17 and 21:4 use the wiping of tears for the new creation.
Christian liturgy reads 25:6–9 at funerals and in Advent; some modern readers apply it to a future millennial banquet in Jerusalem. These are later applications; the text itself is poetry of God's reign.
What the evidence shows
- 1 Corinthians 15:54 quotes Isaiah 25:8 in a Greek form like Theodotion's. Reported; C check.
- The Old Greek of 25:8 makes death the subject that swallows. Library's Greek (Giguet); C check against Ziegler.
- Isaiah 25:8 borrows from the Ugaritic myth of Mot. Shared imagery; direct borrowing not shown.
- Revelation 21:4 draws on Isaiah 25:8.
Continue the journey
Journey of a PassageIsaiah 25:6–8: "He will swallow up death in victory""He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces." The Hebrew billa ha-mavet la-netsach means "he has swallowed death forever"; the Great Isaiah Scroll and 1QIsa-b agree.More from this lesson
Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- "Death is swallowed up in victory."
- Revelation 7:17; 21:4God wipes away all tears.
- "O death, I will be thy plagues."
- Matthew 8:11; Luke 13:29; 14:15The feast of the kingdom.