Isaiah 26: Thy Dead Men Shall Live
A song of the strong city, perfect peace, labor without birth, and the dead who rise
"In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will God appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength" (26:1–4).
"With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early… O Lord our God, other lords beside thee have had dominion over us… They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise" (vv. 9–14).
"We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind… Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead" (vv. 18–19).
"Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast" (v. 20).
| Verses | What it says | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| 26:1–4 | We have a strong city; open the gates; perfect peace (shalom shalom) for the steadfast; trust in Yah the LORD, an everlasting rock | Tsur olamim: "rock of ages" (KJV margin). |
| 26:5–6 | The lofty city laid low, trampled by the feet of the poor | The reversal of 25:1–5. |
| 26:7–10 | The path of the just; we waited for you; my soul desires you at night; when your judgments are in the earth, the world learns righteousness | A prayer of trust. |
| 26:11–15 | They do not see your raised hand; you set peace for us; other lords ruled; they are dead, rephaim who will not rise; you enlarged the nation | Rephaim: the shades of the dead. |
| 26:16–18 | In distress they sought you; like a woman in labor we gave birth to wind; we won no victory | A failed birth. |
| 26:19 | Your dead will live, my corpses will rise; wake and shout, dwellers in the dust; your dew is a dew of lights; the earth will give birth to the shades | The answer to v. 18: the earth gives birth. |
| 26:20–21 | Go into your rooms, shut the doors, hide a little while until wrath passes; the earth will disclose its blood | Echo of the Passover night (Exodus 12:22–23) and Abel's blood (Genesis 4:10). |
"Rock of Ages"
Tsur olamim (26:4), "rock of ages" or "everlasting rock," appears in the KJV's margin. Augustus Toplady's hymn "Rock of Ages, cleft for me" (1763/1776) took its title from it. In Hebrew, "Rock" is a title of God (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 18:2).
Resurrection, national or personal?
"They are dead, they shall not live" (26:14) and "Thy dead men shall live" (26:19) use the same words. Some scholars read v. 19 as a metaphor for the nation's revival, like Ezekiel 37 (dry bones) and Hosea 6:2. Others read it as hope for individual resurrection, the first clear statement of it alongside Daniel 12:2 ("many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake"), which seems to echo 26:19. The dating of chapters 24–27 matters to this question and is itself debated. The library's Greek is explicit: "The dead will rise, and those in the tombs will be raised" (Giguet).
Command or promise?
The Masoretic Text has imperatives: "Awake and sing (haqitsu ve-rannenu), you who dwell in dust." The Great Isaiah Scroll reads third person: "they will awake and sing (yaqitsu ve-yerannenu)." The Cave 4 copy 4Q56 agrees with the Masoretic imperative. The scroll's form turns a summons into a statement; both are ancient.
"A little moment" and Hebrews
Hebrews 10:37 combines the Greek of Isaiah 26:20 ("a very little while," mikron hoson hoson) with Habakkuk 2:3–4: "For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come." The phrase is the Old Greek's; Hebrews joins it to another prophet.
What the evidence shows
- Isaiah 26:19 speaks of the dead living and rising.
- Isaiah 26:19 teaches individual bodily resurrection. Also read as national revival; Daniel 12:2 seems to build on it.
- The Great Isaiah Scroll reads "they will awake and sing" in 26:19. Transcription; 4Q56 agrees with the Masoretic Text.
- Hebrews 10:37 uses the Greek phrase of Isaiah 26:20.
Continue the journey
Journey of a PassageIsaiah 26:19–20: "Thy dead men shall live": awake and sing"Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise.More from this lesson
Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- Those who sleep in the dust will awake.
- Ezekiel 37:1–14; Hosea 6:2National revival as resurrection.
- Stay inside until the destroyer passes.
- "Yet a little while."