Isaiah 33:16
he will dwell on the heights; the mountain fortress will be his refuge; his food will be provided and his water assured.
He will dwell on the heights
This phrase suggests a position of safety and divine favor. In the Hebrew context, "heights" (Hebrew: "bāmôt") often symbolize a place of closeness to God, as mountains were seen as sacred places where heaven and earth meet. Historically, high places were also strategic locations for defense, indicating security and protection. Spiritually, this implies that those who are righteous and faithful will be elevated to a place of spiritual security and communion with God.

the mountain fortress will be his refuge
The imagery of a "mountain fortress" (Hebrew: "metsad") conveys strength, stability, and protection. In ancient times, fortresses were built on mountains to provide a strong defense against enemies. This phrase reassures believers that God Himself is their stronghold, offering protection against spiritual and physical adversities. It reflects the biblical theme of God as a refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).

his food will be provided
This promise of provision (Hebrew: "lechem") speaks to God's faithfulness in meeting the needs of His people. In the wilderness, God provided manna for the Israelites, demonstrating His ability to sustain His people in any circumstance. This assurance of provision is a reminder of God's ongoing care and the sufficiency found in Him, echoing Jesus' teaching in the New Testament that we should not worry about what we will eat or drink, for our Heavenly Father knows our needs (Matthew 6:31-32).

and his water assured
Water (Hebrew: "mayim") is a symbol of life and sustenance throughout Scripture. In a desert climate like that of ancient Israel, water was a precious and necessary resource. The assurance of water signifies not only physical sustenance but also spiritual refreshment and renewal. This promise reflects the living water that Jesus offers, which quenches spiritual thirst and leads to eternal life (John 4:14). It underscores the completeness of God's provision for those who trust in Him.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Righteous Man
The verse speaks of a person who lives in accordance with God's will, often referred to as the righteous or upright man.

2. The Heights
Symbolic of a place of safety and divine protection, often associated with being close to God.

3. Mountain Fortress
Represents a stronghold or place of refuge, indicating security and stability.

4. Provision of Food and Water
Symbolizes God's provision and sustenance for those who trust in Him.

5. Isaiah
The prophet who conveyed God's messages to the people of Judah, warning them of judgment and offering hope for redemption.
Teaching Points
Divine Protection
God promises safety and security to those who live righteously. Trust in His protection, especially in times of trouble.

Spiritual Provision
Just as God provides physical sustenance, He also provides spiritual nourishment. Seek His Word and presence daily.

Contentment in God's Provision
Learn to be content with what God provides, trusting that He knows and meets our needs.

Faith Over Fear
In uncertain times, rely on God's promises rather than succumbing to fear. His provision is assured.

Living in Righteousness
Strive to live a life that aligns with God's will, knowing that His blessings and protection follow those who are upright.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of dwelling on the heights and a mountain fortress enhance your understanding of God's protection?

2. In what ways can you apply the assurance of God's provision in Isaiah 33:16 to your current life circumstances?

3. How do the promises in Isaiah 33:16 compare to Jesus' teachings on provision in the New Testament?

4. What steps can you take to cultivate contentment with God's provision in your life?

5. How can the themes of protection and provision in Isaiah 33:16 encourage you to live a more righteous life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Psalm 91
This Psalm speaks of dwelling in the shelter of the Most High and finding refuge under His wings, similar to the protection described in Isaiah 33:16.

Matthew 6:25-34
Jesus teaches about God's provision, encouraging believers not to worry about food and drink, as God knows their needs.

Philippians 4:19
Paul assures that God will supply all needs according to His riches in glory, echoing the promise of provision in Isaiah 33:16.

Psalm 23
The Lord as a shepherd provides for His sheep, ensuring they lack nothing, paralleling the assurance of food and water in Isaiah 33:16.

Hebrews 13:5-6
Encourages believers to be content with what they have, for God will never leave nor forsake them, reinforcing the theme of divine provision and security.
God's Witness to CharacterR. Tuck Isaiah 33:16
The Fortress of the FaithfulAlexander MaclarenIsaiah 33:16
In the Presence of the Holy OneW. Clarkson Isaiah 33:10-16
Living Near to GodE. Johnson Isaiah 33:13-16
Bad LiteratureHomiletic ReviewIsaiah 33:15-16
Shutting the Eyes to EvilJ. Parker, D. D.Isaiah 33:15-16
The Citizens of God's KingdomProf J. Skinner, D. D.Isaiah 33:15-16
The Good ManIsaiah 33:15-16
The Rocky Fortress and its InhabitantIsaiah 33:15-16
Dwelling on HighJ. G. Govan.Isaiah 33:16-17
Hidden in the RockJ. R. Miller, D. D.Isaiah 33:16-17
Rest in GodA. Maclaren, D. D.Isaiah 33:16-17
Sale in the RockWestminster Teacher.Isaiah 33:16-17
The Christian Should be JoyfulIsaiah 33:16-17
The Life of Surrender and TrustG. H. C. Macgregor, M. A.Isaiah 33:16-17
People
Ariel, Isaiah
Places
Bashan, Carmel, Jerusalem, Lebanon, Sharon, Zion
Topics
Bread, Defence, Defense, Dwell, Fail, Fortress, Fortresses, Heights, Impregnable, Inhabit, Mountain, Munitions, Places, Refuge, Retreat, Rock, Rocks, Safely, Shut, Stedfast, Strongholds, Supplied, Sure, Tower, Waters
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Isaiah 33:16

     4293   water
     4418   bread

Isaiah 33:15-16

     5311   extortion
     8158   righteousness, of believers

Isaiah 33:15-17

     5149   eyes

Library
April 2. "He Shall Dwell on High" (Isa. xxxiii. 16).
"He shall dwell on high" (Isa. xxxiii. 16). It is easier for a consecrated Christian to live an out and out life for God than to live a mixed life. A soul redeemed and sanctified by Christ is too large for the shoals and sands of a selfish, worldly, sinful life. The great steamship, St. Paul, could sail in deep water without an effort, but she could make no progress in the shallow pool, or on the Long Branch sands; the smallest tugboat is worth a dozen of her there; but out in mid-ocean she could
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

The Fortress of the Faithful
'He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks; bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.'--ISAIAH xxxiii. 16. This glowing promise becomes even more striking if we mark its connection with the solemn question in the previous context. 'Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire?' is the prophet's question; 'who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?' That question really means, Who is capable 'of communion with God'? The prophet sketches the
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Rivers of God
'But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.'--ISAIAH xxxiii. 21. One great peculiarity of Jerusalem, which distinguishes it from almost all other historical cities, is that it has no river. Babylon was on the Euphrates, Nineveh on the Tigris, Thebes on the Nile, Rome on the Tiber; but Jerusalem had nothing but a fountain or two, and a well or two, and a little trickle and an intermittent
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Judge, Lawgiver, King
'For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us.'--ISAIAH xxxiii. 22. There is reference here to the three forms of government in Israel: by Moses, by Judges, by Kings. In all, Israel was a Theocracy. Isaiah looks beyond the human representative to the true divine Reality. I. A truth for us, in both its more specific and its more general forms. (a) Specific. Christ is all these three for us--Authority; His will law; Defender. (b) More general. Everything
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

How to Dwell in the Fire of God
'Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings? 15. He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil.'--ISAIAH xxxiii. 14, 15. 'He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God'--1 JOHN iv. 16. I have put these two verses together because, striking as is at first sight the
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Border of his Sanctuary
G. W. Is. xxxiii. 17 Glorious and solemn hour, Thus at last to stand, All behind us the great desert, All before, the land! Past the shadow of the valley, Past the weary plain; Past the rugged mountain pathway, Ne'er to be again. And before us, ever stretching In its golden sheen, Lies the fair, the blessed country Where our hearts have been-- Where our hearts have been whilst wandering Through the desert bare; For the soul's adored, beloved One, He abideth there. Clad in love and glory stands
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen, Suso, and Others

April 3 Evening
Ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning.--AMOS 4:11. The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?--We had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us.--The wages of sin is death; but the gift
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

Question of the Contemplative Life
I. Is the Contemplative Life wholly confined to the Intellect, or does the Will enter into it? S. Thomas, On the Beatific Vision, I., xii. 7 ad 3m II. Do the Moral Virtues pertain to the Contemplative Life? S. Augustine, Of the City of God, xix. 19 III. Does the Contemplative Life comprise many Acts? S. Augustine, Of the Perfection of Human Righteousness, viii. 18 " Ep., cxxx. ad probam IV. Does the Contemplative Life consist solely in the Contemplation of God, or in the Consideration
St. Thomas Aquinas—On Prayer and The Contemplative Life

Necessity of Contemplating the Judgment-Seat of God, in Order to be Seriously Convinced of the Doctrine of Gratuitous Justification.
1. Source of error on the subject of Justification. Sophists speak as if the question were to be discussed before some human tribunal. It relates to the majesty and justice of God. Hence nothing accepted without absolute perfection. Passages confirming this doctrine. If we descend to the righteousness of the Law, the curse immediately appears. 2. Source of hypocritical confidence. Illustrated by a simile. Exhortation. Testimony of Job, David, and Paul. 3. Confession of Augustine and Bernard. 4. Another
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

A vision of the King.
ONE of the most blessed occupations for the believer is the prayerful searching of God's holy Word to discover there new glories and fresh beauties of Him, who is altogether lovely. Shall we ever find out all which the written Word reveals of Himself and His worthiness? This wonderful theme can never be exhausted. The heart which is devoted to Him and longs through the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit to be closer to the Lord, to hear and know more of Himself, will always find something
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

The Resemblance Between the Old Testament and the New.
1. Introduction, showing the necessity of proving the similarity of both dispensations in opposition to Servetus and the Anabaptists. 2. This similarity in general. Both covenants truly one, though differently administered. Three things in which they entirely agree. 3. First general similarity, or agreement--viz. that the Old Testament, equally with the New, extended its promises beyond the present life, and held out a sure hope of immortality. Reason for this resemblance. Objection answered. 4.
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Seven Sanctified Thoughts and Mournful Sighs of a Sick Man Ready to Die.
Now, forasmuch as God of his infinite mercy doth so temper our pain and sickness, that we are not always oppressed with extremity, but gives us in the midst of our extremities some respite, to ease and refresh ourselves, thou must have an especial care, considering how short a time thou hast either for ever to lose or to obtain heaven, to make use of every breathing time which God affords thee; and during that little time of ease to gather strength against the fits of greater anguish. Therefore,
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Three Things Briefly to be Regarded in Christ --viz. His Offices of Prophet, King, and Priest.
1. Among heretics and false Christians, Christ is found in name only; but by those who are truly and effectually called of God, he is acknowledged as a Prophet, King, and Priest. In regard to the Prophetical Office, the Redeemer of the Church is the same from whom believers under the Law hoped for the full light of understanding. 2. The unction of Christ, though it has respect chiefly to the Kingly Office, refers also to the Prophetical and Priestly Offices. The dignity, necessity, and use of this
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Angel of the Lord in the Pentateuch, and the Book of Joshua.
The New Testament distinguishes between the hidden God and the revealed God--the Son or Logos--who is connected with the former by oneness of nature, and who from everlasting, and even at the creation itself, filled up the immeasurable distance between the Creator and the creation;--who has been the Mediator in all God's relations to the world;--who at all times, and even before He became man in Christ, has been the light of [Pg 116] the world,--and to whom, specially, was committed the direction
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

The Blessed Privilege of Seeing God Explained
They shall see God. Matthew 5:8 These words are linked to the former and they are a great incentive to heart-purity. The pure heart shall see the pure God. There is a double sight which the saints have of God. 1 In this life; that is, spiritually by the eye of faith. Faith sees God's glorious attributes in the glass of his Word. Faith beholds him showing forth himself through the lattice of his ordinances. Thus Moses saw him who was invisible (Hebrews 11:27). Believers see God's glory as it were
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

A Discourse of the House and Forest of Lebanon
OF THE HOUSE OF THE FOREST OF LEBANON. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. That part of Palestine in which the celebrated mountains of Lebanon are situated, is the border country adjoining Syria, having Sidon for its seaport, and Land, nearly adjoining the city of Damascus, on the north. This metropolitan city of Syria, and capital of the kingdom of Damascus, was strongly fortified; and during the border conflicts it served as a cover to the Assyrian army. Bunyan, with great reason, supposes that, to keep
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

"And the Life. " How Christ is the Life.
This, as the former, being spoken indefinitely, may be universally taken, as relating both to such as are yet in the state of nature, and to such as are in the state of grace, and so may be considered in reference to both, and ground three points of truth, both in reference to the one, and in reference to the other; to wit, 1. That our case is such as we stand in need of his help, as being the Life. 2. That no other way but by him, can we get that supply of life, which we stand in need of, for he
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

Isaiah
CHAPTERS I-XXXIX Isaiah is the most regal of the prophets. His words and thoughts are those of a man whose eyes had seen the King, vi. 5. The times in which he lived were big with political problems, which he met as a statesman who saw the large meaning of events, and as a prophet who read a divine purpose in history. Unlike his younger contemporary Micah, he was, in all probability, an aristocrat; and during his long ministry (740-701 B.C., possibly, but not probably later) he bore testimony, as
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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