Isaiah 65: New Heavens and a New Earth
God answers the lament: rebels and servants divided, and a creation where the old die at a hundred
"I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name. I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people… A people that provoketh me to anger continually to my face; that sacrificeth in gardens, and burneth incense upon altars of brick; Which remain among the graves, and lodge in the monuments, which eat swine's flesh… Which say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou" (65:1–5).
"Thus saith the LORD, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not; for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sakes, that I may not destroy them all" (v. 8). "But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop (Gad), and that furnish the drink offering unto that number (Meni)… Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty" (vv. 11–13).
"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy… and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed" (vv. 17–20).
"And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them… for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands… And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD" (vv. 21–25).
| Verses | What it says | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| 65:1–2 | I let myself be sought and found by those who did not ask; "Here I am"; all day I spread my hands to a rebellious people | Romans 10:20–21 divides the verses between Gentiles and Israel. |
| 65:3–4 | Sacrificing in gardens, incense on bricks, sitting in tombs, lodging in hidden places, eating pork and unclean broth | Practices associated with the dead (incubation, necromancy) and with forbidden foods (Leviticus 11:7). |
| 65:5–7 | "Keep away, I am too holy for you"; smoke in my nose; I will repay their iniquities and their fathers' together | The origin of the English phrase "holier than thou." |
| 65:8–10 | As one spares a grape cluster with juice in it, so I will spare for my servants; Sharon and the Valley of Achor as pastures | Achor, "trouble" (Joshua 7:24–26), becomes a place of rest (compare Hosea 2:15). |
| 65:11–12 | You who forsake the LORD and set a table for Gad and fill mixed wine for Meni: I destine (maniti) you for the sword | A pun: Meni / maniti. Gad and Meni: deities of fortune and fate. |
| 65:13–16 | My servants eat, drink, rejoice, sing; you hunger, thirst, are shamed, cry; your name a curse; my servants called by another name; blessing by "the God of amen" | "God of truth" (elohei amen), unique to v. 16. |
| 65:17–19 | I create new heavens and a new earth; the former not remembered; I create Jerusalem a joy; no more weeping | Bara', "create," three times. Revelation 21:1–4. |
| 65:20 | No infant who lives only days, no old man who does not complete his days; dying at a hundred is dying young; the sinner at a hundred is cursed | Death remains, but early death ends. |
| 65:21–23 | They build houses and live in them, plant vineyards and eat; their days like a tree's; they will not labor in vain or bear children for terror | Reverses the curses of Deuteronomy 28:30–41. The Greek: "the tree of life." |
| 65:24 | Before they call I will answer; while they speak I will hear | Reverses 65:12 ("when I called, ye did not answer"). |
| 65:25 | Wolf and lamb graze together; lion eats straw like the ox; dust the serpent's food; no harm on all my holy mountain | Repeats 11:6–9; adds Genesis 3:14. |
Gad and Meni
Gad is a known West Semitic god of good fortune: the word appears in place names (Baal-gad, Joshua 11:17; Migdal-gad) and in Aramaic and Nabatean inscriptions, and Leah's cry "a troop cometh" at Gad's birth is read by many as "good fortune!" (Genesis 30:11). Meni is less clear; it is often linked with Manat, a goddess of fate worshipped in pre-Islamic Arabia, or with the Hebrew verb "to count, allot." The KJV translated both as common nouns ("troop," "number"); the library's Greek has "the demon" and "fortune." The identification as fate deities is widely held, but the details of their cult in Judah are not known.
In the restoration community, God answers the lament (63:7–64:12) by distinguishing two groups within Israel: "my servants," who will inherit, and those who practice forbidden rites. The new creation is centered on Jerusalem and described in earthly terms: long life, secure houses and harvests, children born without dread, peace among animals.
Jewish tradition read the new heavens and earth of 65:17 and 66:22 of the world to come or the messianic age, and debated how 65:20 (death at a hundred) fits with 25:8 (death swallowed up). Some rabbinic sources apply 65:20 to the days of the messiah and 25:8 to the world to come (reported). 1 Enoch 72:1 and 91:16 speak of a new creation.
2 Peter 3:13 waits for "new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness," after the elements are dissolved by fire. Revelation 21:1–5 sees "a new heaven and a new earth" with no sea, the new Jerusalem descending, and "no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying." Romans 10:20–21 uses 65:1–2. No Gospel cites Isaiah 65.
Christian interpreters have harmonized 65:20 with Revelation 21:4 in several ways: as a millennial kingdom before the final state, as a poetic way of saying "life without untimely death," or as a different stage of hope. Critical scholars see the texts as developing images, each in its own book, with different assumptions about time and death. See "New Heavens and the Disturbing Ending."
Long life is not the absence of death
65:20 is precise: no infant will die in its first days, no old person before completing a full life; one who dies at a hundred will be thought young. This is not Revelation 21:4's "there shall be no more death." Isaiah 25:8 ("He will swallow up death in victory") is closer to Revelation. Within Isaiah itself, then, the hope for the future takes more than one form, and the site does not merge them into a single description.
Servants and rebels
From 65:8 the book speaks of "my servants" (plural) as one group within Israel and of rebels as another. The division is new: earlier in the book judgment fell on the whole people and comfort was offered to all. Many scholars see a split in the Persian-period community behind these chapters (compare 66:5, "your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake"). Who the groups were is debated.
What the evidence shows
- Isaiah 65:20 envisions long life but not the end of death.
- Gad and Meni are deities of fortune and fate. Gad well attested; Meni less certain.
- Romans 10:20–21 quotes Isaiah 65:1–2.
- Isaiah 65:17–25 and Revelation 21 describe the same future in the same terms.
- The phrase "holier than thou" comes from Isaiah 65:5 (KJV).
Continue the journey
Journey of a PassageIsaiah 65:1–2: "I am found of them that sought me not": God's answer, and Paul's division in Romans 10:20–21"I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not: I said, Behold me, behold me, unto a nation that was not called by my name.More from this lesson
Echoes Across Civilizations
Optional: how other ancient peoples told similar stories. Open one to compare, then come back to the lesson.
CreationBabylon · Egypt · India · K'iche' Maya
How did other ancient peoples tell the beginning of the world?
- Babylon: Enuma Elish Shared literary world
- Egypt: The Memphite Theology (Shabaka Stone) Resemblance only
- India: Rig Veda 10.129, the Hymn of Creation (Nāsadīya Sūkta) Resemblance only
- K'iche' Maya: Popol Vuh Resemblance only
Calling up the deadMesopotamian · Greek · Israelite
Did other ancient peoples try to consult the dead, and how?
- Mesopotamian: Ghost-raising rituals and Gilgamesh XII Shared literary world
- Greek: The Odyssey, book 11 (the Nekyia) Resemblance only
- Israelite: Isaiah against necromancers Possible historical contact
Also covered: A hologram at En-dor?, clearly labeled as a modern theory.
Compare side by side →Why this matters to the rest of Scripture
- Isaiah 11:6–9; 25:8The peaceable mountain; death swallowed up.
- Building and not living there.
- A new heaven and a new earth.
- New heavens, where righteousness dwells.