Isaiah 5:25
Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
Therefore the anger of the LORD burns
The phrase begins with "Therefore," indicating a conclusion drawn from previous verses where the sins and injustices of the people are detailed. The "anger of the LORD" is a recurring theme in the Old Testament, often depicted as a righteous response to covenant unfaithfulness. The Hebrew word for "anger" here is "אַף" (aph), which can also mean "nostril" or "face," suggesting a vivid image of God's wrath as a heated, personal response. This anthropomorphic expression underscores the seriousness of Israel's transgressions and the personal nature of God's covenant relationship with His people.

against His people
"His people" refers to the Israelites, chosen by God to be a holy nation. This phrase highlights the tragic irony that those who are the recipients of God's promises and blessings are now the objects of His wrath due to their disobedience. Historically, this reflects the period of the divided kingdom, where both Israel and Judah faced consequences for their idolatry and injustice. The covenant relationship is central here; God's people are not exempt from judgment when they stray from His commandments.

His hand is raised against them to strike them down
The imagery of God's "hand" is significant in biblical literature, often symbolizing power and action. The Hebrew word "יָד" (yad) for "hand" conveys authority and might. The phrase "raised against them" suggests a deliberate and impending act of judgment. This is not a passive observation but an active intervention by God in history. The context of divine judgment serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of sin and the seriousness with which God views covenant unfaithfulness.

The mountains quake
Mountains in biblical times were often seen as symbols of stability and permanence. The quaking of mountains signifies a cosmic disturbance, reflecting the severity of God's judgment. This imagery is consistent with other biblical passages where natural phenomena accompany divine intervention (e.g., Exodus 19:18). The quaking mountains serve as a metaphor for the upheaval that sin brings to the created order, emphasizing that God's judgment affects all of creation.

and their corpses lie like refuse in the streets
This graphic imagery underscores the devastating consequences of divine judgment. The word "refuse" suggests something discarded and worthless, highlighting the dehumanizing effect of sin and judgment. Historically, this could refer to the aftermath of invasions and wars, where bodies were left unburied, a sign of disgrace and defeat. Theologically, it serves as a stark warning of the ultimate end of those who persist in rebellion against God.

Yet for all this, His anger is not turned away
The persistence of God's anger, despite the severe judgment already executed, indicates the depth of Israel's sin and the necessity of complete repentance. The phrase "not turned away" suggests that the purpose of judgment is not merely punitive but redemptive, aiming to bring about genuine repentance and restoration. This reflects the biblical theme of God's justice being tempered by His desire for His people's return to righteousness.

His hand is still upraised
The repetition of the imagery of God's "upraised hand" emphasizes the ongoing nature of His judgment. It serves as a warning that the opportunity for repentance remains, but so does the threat of further judgment. This phrase encapsulates the tension between God's justice and mercy, a central theme in the prophetic literature. The upraised hand is both a symbol of impending judgment and a call to repentance, urging the people to return to their covenantal obligations.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who is expressing His righteous anger against His people due to their disobedience and sin.

2. His People (Israel)
The nation of Israel, chosen by God, yet often rebellious and idolatrous, leading to divine judgment.

3. Mountains
Symbolic of stability and strength, yet they quake under God's judgment, indicating the severity of His wrath.

4. Corpses in the Streets
A vivid image of the consequences of God's judgment, showing the devastation and death resulting from Israel's sin.

5. Isaiah
The prophet through whom God delivers this message of warning and judgment to His people.
Teaching Points
The Seriousness of Sin
Sin is not a trivial matter to God. The imagery of corpses and quaking mountains underscores the gravity of Israel's rebellion and the seriousness with which God views sin.

God's Righteous Anger
God's anger is not capricious but is a response to persistent disobedience. Understanding His anger helps us appreciate His holiness and justice.

Call to Repentance
Despite the severity of judgment, the underlying call is for repentance. God's hand remains upraised, indicating both ongoing judgment and the opportunity for His people to turn back to Him.

The Consequences of Disobedience
The devastation described serves as a warning of the natural consequences of turning away from God. It encourages believers to remain faithful and obedient.

Hope in God's Discipline
While the passage is sobering, it also points to the hope that God's discipline is meant to bring His people back to Him, reflecting His desire for restoration.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of God's anger in Isaiah 5:25 challenge or affirm your understanding of God's character?

2. In what ways can the consequences faced by Israel serve as a warning for us today in our personal and communal lives?

3. How does the concept of God's discipline in Hebrews 12 help us understand the purpose behind the judgment described in Isaiah 5:25?

4. Reflect on a time when you experienced the consequences of disobedience. How did it lead you to a deeper relationship with God?

5. Considering the repeated theme of unrepentance in Isaiah 5:25 and Amos 4, what steps can you take to ensure a heart of repentance and responsiveness to God's correction?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 28
This chapter outlines the blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience, providing a backdrop for understanding the consequences Israel faces in Isaiah 5:25.

Amos 4
Similar to Isaiah, Amos speaks of God's judgment and the repeated refrain that despite calamities, the people have not returned to God, echoing the unrelenting nature of God's anger in Isaiah 5:25.

Hebrews 12
Discusses God's discipline as a sign of His love, offering a New Testament perspective on divine correction and its purpose.
The Unappeasable Wrath of JehovahE. Johnson Isaiah 5:25
God's Judgments Through Natural AgenciesR. Tuck Isaiah 5:24, 25
Divine Judgments as Fire and FlameR. Macculloch.Isaiah 5:24-30
Root and BlossomR. Macculloch.Isaiah 5:24-30
Sin and JudgmentJ. Trapp.Isaiah 5:24-30
Sin Brings Judgment in its TrainIsaiah 5:24-30
The Judgments of the LordW. Clarkson Isaiah 5:24-30
The Law and the WordSir E. Strachey, Bart.Isaiah 5:24-30
Unfruitfulness: Cause and EffectIsaiah 5:24-30
Universal JudgmentR. Macculloch.Isaiah 5:24-30
Withered RootsSir E. Strachey, Bart.Isaiah 5:24-30
A Darkened HeavenIsaiah 5:25-30
God's Anger and its ManifestationH. M. Booth.Isaiah 5:25-30
Hills TremblingR. Macculloch.Isaiah 5:25-30
Horses' Hoofs as FlintProf. J. Skinner, D. D.Isaiah 5:25-30
Prophecy Perpetually FulfilledSir E. Strachey, Bart.Isaiah 5:25-30
The Prophecy ExplainedSir E. Strachey, Bart.Isaiah 5:25-30
People
Ephah, Isaiah
Places
Jerusalem, Mount Zion
Topics
Anger, Bodies, Burns, Dead, Midst, Mountains, Raised, Refuse, Shake, Streets, Stretched, Strikes, Struck, Tremble, Upraised, Yet
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 5:25

     5505   roads
     6151   dirt
     8650   hands, lifting up

Isaiah 5:18-25

     4446   flowers

Isaiah 5:24-25

     5790   anger, divine

Isaiah 5:25-26

     1210   God, human descriptions
     5223   banner

Library
A Prophet's Woes
'Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field, till there be no place, that they may he placed alone in the midst of the earth! 9. In mine ears said the Lord of hosts, Of a truth many houses shall he desolate, even great and fair, without inhabitant. 10. Yea, ten acres of vineyard shall yield one bath, and the seed of an homer shall yield an ephah. 11. Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Holy Song from Happy Saints
"Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved."--Isaiah 5:1. IT was a prophet who wrote this, a prophet inspired of God. An ordinary believer might suffice to sing, but he counts it no stoop for a prophet, and no waste of his important time, to occupy himself with song. There is no engagement under heaven that is more exalting than praising God, and however great may be the work which is committed to the charge of any of us, we shall always do well if we pause awhile to spend a time in
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 61: 1915

The Well-Beloved's vineyard.
AN ADDRESS TO A LITTLE COMPANY OF BELIEVERS, IN MR. SPURGEON'S OWN ROOM AT MENTONE."My Well-beloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill."--Isaiah v. 1. THE WELL-BELOVED'S VINEYARD. WE recognize at once that Jesus is here. Who but He can be meant by "My Well-beloved"? Here is a word of possession and a word of affection,--He is mine, and my Well-beloved. He is loveliness itself, the most loving and lovable of beings; and we personally love Him with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength:
Charles Hadden Spurgeon—Till He Come

Of Confession and Self-Examination
Of Confession and Self-examination Self-examination should always precede Confession, and in the nature and manner of it should be conformable to the state of the soul: the business of those that are advanced to the degree of which we now treat, is to lay their whole souls open before God, who will not fail to enlighten them, and enable them to see the peculiar nature of their faults. This examination, however, should be peaceful and tranquil, and we should depend on God for the discovery and knowledge
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

God's Last Arrow
'Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him also last unto them.'--Mark xii. 6. Reference to Isaiah v. There are differences in detail here which need not trouble us. Isaiah's parable is a review of the theocratic history of Israel, and clearly the messengers are the prophets; here Christ speaks of Himself and His own mission to Israel, and goes on to tell of His death as already accomplished. I. The Son who follows and surpasses the servants. (a) Our Lord here places Himself in
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Dishonest Tenants
'And He began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Miracles no Remedy for Unbelief.
"And the Lord said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke Me? and how long will it be ere they believe Me, for all the signs which I have showed among them?"--Numbers xiv. 11. Nothing, I suppose, is more surprising to us at first reading, than the history of God's chosen people; nay, on second and third reading, and on every reading, till we learn to view it as God views it. It seems strange, indeed, to most persons, that the Israelites should have acted as they did, age after age, in
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Knowledge that God Is, Combined with the Knowledge that He is to be Worshipped.
John iv. 24.--"God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." There are two common notions engraven on the hearts of all men by nature,--that God is, and that he must be worshipped, and these two live and die together, they are clear, or blotted together. According as the apprehension of God is clear, and distinct, and more deeply engraven on the soul, so is this notion of man's duty of worshipping God clear and imprinted on the soul, and whenever the actions
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Barren Fig-Tree.
"There were present at that season some that told him of the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except
William Arnot—The Parables of Our Lord

A Sermon on a Text not Found in the Bible.
MR. JUSTICE GROVES.--"Men go into the Public-house respectable, and come out felons." My text, as you see, my dear readers, is not taken from the Bible. It does not, however, contradict the Scriptures, but is in harmony with some, such as "WOE UNTO HIM THAT GIVETH HIS NEIGHBOUR DRINK." Habakkuk ii. 15; "WOE UNTO THEM THAT RISE UP EARLY IN THE MORNING, THAT THEY MAY FOLLOW STRONG DRINK."--Isaiah v. 11. "TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES LEST AT ANY TIME YOUR HEARTS BE OVERCHARGED WITH SURFEITING AND
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread

Religion Pleasant to the Religious.
"O taste and see how gracious the Lord is; blessed is the man that trusteth in Him."--Psalm xxxiv. 8. You see by these words what love Almighty God has towards us, and what claims He has upon our love. He is the Most High, and All-Holy. He inhabiteth eternity: we are but worms compared with Him. He would not be less happy though He had never created us; He would not be less happy though we were all blotted out again from creation. But He is the God of love; He brought us all into existence,
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

"For to be Carnally Minded is Death; but to be Spiritually Minded is Life and Peace. "
Rom. viii. 6.--"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." It is true, this time is short, and so short that scarce can similitudes or comparisons be had to shadow it out unto us. It is a dream, a moment, a vapour, a flood, a flower, and whatsoever can be more fading or perishing; and therefore it is not in itself very considerable, yet in another respect it is of all things the most precious, and worthy of the deepest attention and most serious consideration;
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet
We shall now, in conclusion, give a survey of the third and closing discourse of the prophet. After an introduction in vi. 1, 2, where the mountains serve only to give greater solemnity to the scene (in the fundamental passages Deut. xxxii. 1, and in Is. 1, 2, "heaven and earth" are mentioned for the same purposes, inasmuch as they are the most venerable parts of creation; "contend with the mountains" by taking them in and applying to [Pg 522] them as hearers), the prophet reminds the people of
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Eleventh Day. The Holy one of Israel.
I am the Lord that brought you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God; ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy. I the Lord which make you holy, am holy.'--Lev. xi. 45, xxi. 8. 'I am the Lord Thy God, the Holy One of Israel, Thy Saviour. Thus saith the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.'--Isa. xliii. 3, 14, 15. In the book of Exodus we found God making provision for the Holiness of His people. In the holy
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Letter Xlviii to Magister Walter De Chaumont.
To Magister [75] Walter de Chaumont. He exhorts him to flee from the world, advising him to prefer the cause and the interests of his soul to those of parents. MY DEAR WALTER, I often grieve my heart about you whenever the most pleasant remembrance of you comes back to me, seeing how you consume in vain occupations the flower of your youth, the sharpness of your intellect, the store of your learning and skill, and also, what is more excellent in a Christian than all of these gifts, the pure and innocent
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

In Reply to the Questions as to his Authority, Jesus Gives the Third Great Group of Parables.
(in the Court of the Temple. Tuesday, April 4, a.d. 30.) Subdivision C. Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen. ^A Matt. XXI. 33-46; ^B Mark XII. 1-12; ^C Luke XX. 9-19. ^b 1 And he began to speak unto them ^c the people [not the rulers] ^b in parables. { ^c this parable:} ^a 33 Hear another parable: There was a man that was a householder [this party represents God], who planted a vineyard [this represents the Hebrew nationality], and set a hedge about it, and digged a ^b pit for the ^a winepress in it
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Third Day in Pasion-Week - the Last Series of Parables: to the Pharisees and to the People - on the Way to Jerusalem: the Parable
(ST. Matt. xix. 30, xx. 16; St. Matt. xxi. 28-32; St. Mark xii. 1-12; St. Luke xx. 9-19; St. Matt. xxii. 1-14.) ALTHOUGH it may not be possible to mark their exact succession, it will be convenient here to group together the last series of Parables. Most, if not all of them, were spoken on that third day in Passion week: the first four to a more general audience; the last three (to be treated in another chapter) to the disciples, when, on the evening of that third day, on the Mount of Olives, [5286]
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Of Orders.
Of this sacrament the Church of Christ knows nothing; it was invented by the church of the Pope. It not only has no promise of grace, anywhere declared, but not a word is said about it in the whole of the New Testament. Now it is ridiculous to set up as a sacrament of God that which can nowhere be proved to have been instituted by God. Not that I consider that a rite practised for so many ages is to be condemned; but I would not have human inventions established in sacred things, nor should it be
Martin Luther—First Principles of the Reformation

And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah
"And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall come forth unto Me (one) [Pg 480] to be Ruler in Israel; and His goings forth are the times of old, the days of eternity." The close connection of this verse with what immediately precedes (Caspari is wrong in considering iv. 9-14 as an episode) is evident, not only from the [Hebrew: v] copulative, and from the analogy of the near relation of the announcement of salvation to the prophecy of disaster
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

An Analysis of Augustin's Writings against the Donatists.
The object of this chapter is to present a rudimentary outline and summary of all that Augustin penned or spoke against those traditional North African Christians whom he was pleased to regard as schismatics. It will be arranged, so far as may be, in chronological order, following the dates suggested by the Benedictine edition. The necessary brevity precludes anything but a very meagre treatment of so considerable a theme. The writer takes no responsibility for the ecclesiological tenets of the
St. Augustine—writings in connection with the donatist controversy.

The Gateway into the Kingdom.
"Except a man be born again he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (John iii. 3.) There is no portion of the Word of God, perhaps, with which we are more familiar than this passage. I suppose if I were to ask those in any audience if they believed that Jesus Christ taught the doctrine of the New Birth, nine tenths of them would say: "Yes, I believe He did." Now if the words of this text are true they embody one of the most solemn questions that can come before us. We can afford to be deceived about
Dwight L. Moody—The Way to God and How to Find It

Links
Isaiah 5:25 NIV
Isaiah 5:25 NLT
Isaiah 5:25 ESV
Isaiah 5:25 NASB
Isaiah 5:25 KJV

Isaiah 5:25 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Isaiah 5:24
Top of Page
Top of Page