The Meaning of Isaiah 52:1 Explained

Isaiah 52:1

KJV: Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

YLT: Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion, Put on the garments of thy beauty, Jerusalem -- the Holy City; For enter no more into thee again, Do the uncircumcised and unclean.

Darby: Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

ASV: Awake, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Awake,  awake;  put on  thy strength,  O Zion;  put on  thy beautiful  garments,  O Jerusalem,  the holy  city:  for henceforth there shall no more  come  into thee the uncircumcised  and the unclean. 

What does Isaiah 52:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

God called on Israel to awake and to be strong (in the strength that God provides). The Israelites did not need to call on Him to awake and to be strong, as they had done ( Isaiah 4:2-657). He was ready to save them. But were they ready to trust Him for their salvation (cf. Isaiah 40:27-31; Isaiah 42:23-25; Isaiah 43:22-24; Isaiah 45:9-13; Isaiah 45:15; Isaiah 45:18-19; Isaiah 46:8-13; Isaiah 48:1-22; Isaiah 49:14 to Isaiah 50:3)? The Lord instructed the people of Zion to put on the beautiful garments of salvation that God would provide for them. How He would provide salvation for them is the subject of the next Servant Song ( Isaiah 52:13 to Isaiah 53:12). God saw His people as comprising a holy city, and they needed to view themselves that way too, as holy people (cf. 1713515837_8; 1 Corinthians 1:2). References to Jerusalem as "the holy city" appear in Nehemiah 11:1; Nehemiah 11:18; Isaiah 48:2; Isaiah 52:1; Daniel 9:24; Matthew 4:5; Matthew 27:53; and Revelation 11:2. The Lord would forbid any uncommitted and unclean people from having a part in His future for them.
"Notwithstanding the priestly house of Aaron and the royal house of David, the ideal of a royal, priestly people ( Exodus 19:4-6) had never been realized, but while Zion slept (1a) a marvel occurred so that on waking she finds new garments laid out (1bc), expressive of a new status of holiness (1d)." [1]

Context Summary

Isaiah 52:1-15 - "thy God Reigneth!"
It is not God that has become lethargic; but we that have slept and need to awake. Being awakened, we discover that two sets of attire are waiting for us: First, His strength, so that we may not be afraid of ten thousands of people who set themselves round about; and secondly, the beautiful garments of our Lord's character. See Colossians 3:9-17.
At last the climax of the long prophetic stairway is reached and the summons for the exodus from Babylon rings out, Isaiah 52:11. It was God's return to the desolate city, Isaiah 52:2; Isaiah 52:8. The stately procession moves slowly and fearlessly. It is not the escape of a band of fugitive slaves, dreading pursuit and recapture, Isaiah 52:12. Before it speed the heralds, appearing on the sky line as they ascend the mountains which surround the Holy City, publishing peace and salvation, Isaiah 52:7. The central body is composed of white robed priests, bearing with reverent care the holy vessels, Isaiah 52:11, of which Nebuchadnezzar despoiled the Temple, but which Cyrus restored. See Ezra 1:7-11. Thus, also, the Church marches through the world. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 52

1  Christ persuades the church to believe his free redemption
7  To receive the ministers thereof
9  To joy in the power thereof
11  And to free themselves from bondage
13  Christ's kingdom shall be exalted

What do the individual words in Isaiah 52:1 mean?

Awake awake Put on your strength Zion Put on garments your beautiful Jerusalem city the holy for no from now on shall come to you longer the uncircumcised and the unclean
עוּרִ֥י עוּרִ֛י לִבְשִׁ֥י עֻזֵּ֖ךְ צִיּ֑וֹן לִבְשִׁ֣י ׀ בִּגְדֵ֣י תִפְאַרְתֵּ֗ךְ יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ עִ֣יר הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ כִּ֣י לֹ֥א יוֹסִ֛יף יָבֹא־ בָ֥ךְ ע֖וֹד עָרֵ֥ל וְטָמֵֽא

עוּרִ֥י  Awake 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: עוּר 
Sense: to rouse oneself, awake, awaken, incite.
עוּרִ֛י  awake 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: עוּר 
Sense: to rouse oneself, awake, awaken, incite.
לִבְשִׁ֥י  Put  on 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: לָבַשׁ  
Sense: to dress, wear, clothe, put on clothing, be clothed.
עֻזֵּ֖ךְ  your  strength 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: עֹז  
Sense: might, strength.
צִיּ֑וֹן  Zion 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
לִבְשִׁ֣י ׀  Put  on 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: לָבַשׁ  
Sense: to dress, wear, clothe, put on clothing, be clothed.
בִּגְדֵ֣י  garments 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֶּגֶד 
Sense: treachery, deceit.
תִפְאַרְתֵּ֗ךְ  your  beautiful 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: תִּפְאֶרֶת  
Sense: beauty, splendour, glory.
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
עִ֣יר  city 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ  the  holy 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: apartness, holiness, sacredness, separateness.
לֹ֥א  no 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יוֹסִ֛יף  from  now  on 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָסַף 
Sense: to add, increase, do again.
יָבֹא־  shall  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בָ֥ךְ  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
ע֖וֹד  longer 
Parse: Adverb
Root: עֹוד  
Sense: a going round, continuance adv.
עָרֵ֥ל  the  uncircumcised 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עָרֵל  
Sense: uncircumcised, having foreskin.
וְטָמֵֽא  and  the  unclean 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: טָמֵא  
Sense: unclean, impure.