Isaiah 24:16 · Bible study
Isaiah 24:16 Commentary: Glory and Lament
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does the prophet respond to songs of praise from afar with a cry of personal anguish?
Research Summary
- Meaning: The prophet hears songs of glory to the righteous from afar but cries out in personal anguish over the treachery and judgment he witnesses.
- Key words: Razon (leanness/wasting), bogedim bagadu (treacherous deal treacherously), tzaddik (righteous).
- Main debate: Who is the “righteous one” (God, Messiah, or the righteous people) and why does the prophet react with lament instead of joining the song?
- Theological theme: The tension between already and not-yet; the co-existence of hope and suffering in the life of the faithful.
- Best use: A passage for teaching honest lament in worship and for affirming that global praise does not erase local pain.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away! Woe is me.” The treacherous betray; the treacherous deal in treachery.
WEB World English Bible 2000
From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs. Glory to the righteous! But I said, “I pine away! I pine away! woe is me!” The treacherous have dealt treacherously. Yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.
KJV King James Version 1769
From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the righteous. But I said, I pine away, I pine away, woe is me! the treacherous have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
From the skirt of the earth we heard songs, The desire of the righteous. And I say, `Leanness is to me, Leanness is to me, woe is to me.' Treacherous dealers dealt treacherously, Yea, treachery, treacherous dealers dealt treacherously.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
From the end of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the righteous! And I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! The treacherous have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
From the ends of the earth we have heard praises, the glory of the just one. And I said: My secret to myself, my secret to myself, woe is me: the prevaricators have prevaricated, and with the prevarication of transgressors they have prevaricated.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
De lo postrero de la tierra oímos salmos: Gloria al justo. Y yo dije: ¡Mi flaqueza, mi flaqueza, ay de mí! Prevaricadores han prevaricado; y han prevaricado con prevaricación de desleales.
Dos confins da terra ouvimos canções para a glória do Justo; mas eu digo: Fraqueza minha, fraqueza minha; ai de mim! Os enganadores enganam, e com enganação os enganadores agem enganosamente.
De l’ extrémité de la terre nous entendons chanter: Gloire au juste!
Wir hören Lobgesänge vom Ende der Erde zu Ehren dem Gerechten. Und ich muß sagen: Wie bin ich aber so elend! wie bin ich aber so elend! Weh mir! denn es rauben die Räuber, ja immerfort rauben die Räuber.
Van het uiterste einde der aarde horen wij psalmen, tot verheerlijking des Rechtvaardigen. Doch nu zeg ik: Ik word mager, ik word mager, wee mij! de trouwelozen handelen trouwelooslijk, en met trouweloosheid handelen de trouwelozen trouwelooslijk.
Dall’estremità della terra udiam cantare: “Gloria al giusto!” Ma io dico: Ahimè lasso! ahimè lasso! Guai a me! i perfidi agiscono perfidamente, sì, i perfidi raddoppian la perfidia.
Od kończyn ziemi słyszymy piosnkę o sławie sprawiedliwego. Alem ja rzekł: Wychudłem, wychudłem, biada mnie! Przewrotni przewrotność broją, przewrotność, mówię, bez wszelkiego wstydu broją.
От края земли мы слышим песнь: "Слава Праведному!" И сказал я: беда мне, беда мне! увы мне! злодеи злодействуют, и злодействуют злодеи злодейски.
我們聽見 從地 極 有人歌唱，說：榮耀 歸於義人。我卻說：我 消滅了！我 消滅了，我 有禍了！詭詐的 行詭詐；詭詐的 大 行詭詐。
From the farthest part of the earth comes the sound of songs, glory to the upright. But I said, I am wasting away, wasting away, the curse is on me! The false ones go on in their false way, yes, they go on acting falsely.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 24:16
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse sets two contrasting realities side by side. The first line records songs of praise from distant lands declaring “glory to the righteous”, a phrase that, as Barnes and Gill note, signals that worship of Yahweh continues even when the temple lies in ruins and the land is desolate. Calvin hears in this the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth. But then the prophet interjects a sharp cry: “I pine away! Woe is me!” Keil and Delitzsch see this as an ecstatic vision in which Isaiah sees the final salvation but cannot ignore the judgment that must come first. Clarke and Barnes read it as the voice of Jerusalem or the remnant, painfully aware of the contrast between those distant songs and their own devastation. The cry is followed by a triple repetition of treachery (bogedim bagadu), which all commentators identify as a description of faithless acts, whether by Israel’s enemies (Barnes) or by Judah itself (Wesley, JFB). The exact object of the treachery is debated, but the reality of broken covenant is not.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Righteous One = God: God is called righteous in the Psalms (Psalm 112:4) and the phrase parallels 'glory to Yahweh' in Isaiah 42:8; Calvin and Poole support.
- Righteous One = Messiah: Isaiah 53:11 and Jeremiah 23:5 call the Messiah 'righteous'; JFB and Gill cite this as the fulfillment in Christ's rejection by unbelieving Jews.
- Righteous One = the righteous remnant: Keil and Delitzsch note 'tzaddik' is used in Isaiah 3:10 for righteous individuals; the songs celebrate their vindication.
What is clear: The verse sets a global song of praise in sharp contrast to a personal lament over treachery, showing that God's salvation will be proclaimed even in the midst of severe judgment.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the Righteous One | The phrase 'glory to the righteous' points to someone (or a group) who is just and worthy of praise. | Some see it as God (Calvin, Poole); others as the Messiah (Gill, JFB, some Jewish interpreters); others as righteous believers (Keil & Delitzsch, Cambridge). Each side finds support in the broader usage of 'righteous' in Isaiah and Psalms. |
| Nature of the Prophet’s Cry | The cry 'my leanness, my leanness, woe is me' expresses deep personal distress in response to treachery. | Some read it as the prophet’s own anguish (Keil & Delitzsch, Calvin); others as personification of Jerusalem or the remnant (Barnes, Clarke). The Hebrew verb 'I said' is first person singular, but the speaker could be representative. |
| Identification of the Treacherous Dealers | The repeated root 'bagad' indicates covenant-breaking or betrayal. | Some apply it to foreign nations oppressing Israel (Barnes, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown); others to the Jews themselves for their unfaithfulness (Wesley, Gill). A third view sees it generically as all who oppose God’s rule. |
| Relationship between Judgment and Salvation in This Verse | The verse places songs of hope alongside a cry of judgment, showing they are connected. | Some read the songs as a future hope that contrasts with present judgment; others see the judgment as the necessary path to the salvation that the songs celebrate. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 24 opens the so-called “Isaiah Apocalypse” (chapters 24, 27), a sweeping vision of divine judgment over the whole earth and the subsequent restoration of God’s people. The chapter moves from local devastation (the city left desolate, v.12) to cosmic upheaval (the windows of heaven opened, the foundations of the earth shake, v.18, 20). This global scope sets the stage for verse 16. The “uttermost part of the earth” (Hebrew miknaf ha’aretz, literally “from the wing of the earth”) echoes Psalm 72:8, where the Messiah’s dominion extends to the ends of the earth. The songs heard from there likely come from the Jewish diaspora or from nations that have come to acknowledge Yahweh, a radical idea in a time when worship was centered on Jerusalem. The prophet’s sudden lament reflects a historical situation of betrayal and hardship. The repeated phrase “the treacherous have dealt treacherously” (three verb forms from bagad) suggests a pattern of covenant-breaking that could refer to Judah’s infidelity (see Jeremiah 5:11, “the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously”) or to the deceit of foreign oppressors (as in Isaiah 21:2, where the treacherous deal treacherously with Babylon). The surrounding verses (17, 20) describe an inescapable judgment, fear, pit, and snare, leaving no doubt that the treachery has severe consequences.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The main differences in English translations stem from the interpretation of razon (leanness vs. secret) and the phrase “glory to the righteous” (whether it is a title for God, Messiah, or the righteous). The Masoretic Text is stable; the Greek Septuagint (LXX) reads “hope of the righteous” for tzvi, reflecting a different vocalization. The Dead Sea Scrolls (1QIsaa) agree with the MT.
Reception History
This verse has been read in several ways across church history. Early Christian interpreters (following the LXX) saw the “righteous one” as Christ and the cry of leanness as the lament of believers under persecution. Reformers like Calvin emphasized the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth as the fulfillment of the songs. In later Protestant tradition, Gill applied the verse to the end-times judgment of antichrist and the conversion of the Jews. Jewish interpretation (e.g., Ben Melech, cited by Gill) often saw the righteous one as the righteous people of Israel, and the treachery as internal apostasy. The verse has also been used in hymnody to express both the joy of missions and the sorrow over sin, a dual theme that resonates in many liturgical settings.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Songs from afar, The global reach of God’s praise; even in desolation, worship continues somewhere (Psalm 22:27; 67:7).
- The prophet’s anguish, The tension between hope heard from afar and pain experienced now; the personal cost of bearing the burden of judgment.
- The treachery that brings woe, Repeated betrayal (bogedim bagadu) exposes the depth of human sin and the reason for judgment; yet the songs continue, pointing to a righteous One who will prevail.
Five-point outline
- Heard from the ends of the earth, The scope of redemption is universal.
- Glory to the righteous, The content of that praise, pointing to God, Messiah, or a vindicated people.
- But I said, The prophet’s personal interjection; he cannot simply rejoice.
- My leanness, my leanness, A cry that names the wasting effect of sin and suffering.
- Treachery heaped on treachery, The root cause of judgment; the prophet sees what the distant singers may not yet see.
Illustration hooks
- A family member receiving good news from overseas while the rest of the household is in crisis, joy and grief in the same room.
- Reading a friend’s social media post about answered prayer while facing your own unanswered question.
- Watching a live stream of a worship service from a church that is free to gather, while your own congregation meets under persecution.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How do I praise God when my own life feels like it’s wasting away?
- Who is the “righteous one”? Can I be sure God is on my side when everything seems treacherous?
- Is it wrong to feel joy for others’ blessings while I’m hurting?
Leading a Discussion
This verse holds two sounds together: the song of praise from far away and the cry of anguish from close up. As you read it, notice the shift in speaker and tone. The prophet is not detached; he is affected by what he hears and sees. Let these questions guide your group into the text and into your own lives.
Discussion questions
- What do the “songs” from the ends of the earth celebrate? Look at the phrase “glory to the righteous.” Who do you think this “righteous one” might be?
- Why does the prophet break in with a cry of anguish? What might have triggered that response in the context of the chapter?
- The Hebrew word razon can mean “leanness” or “secret.” How does each translation affect your understanding of the prophet’s state of mind?
- How does the repeated phrase “treacherous have dealt treacherously” (three times in the Hebrew) function in the verse? What does it say about the human condition?
- Have you ever felt torn between celebrating God’s work elsewhere and lamenting your own situation? How did you hold those two things together?
- In what ways do we see “treachery” today that makes us cry, “Woe is me”? How does the gospel address that treachery?
- How can this verse help us pray for those who suffer while others rejoice?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 15:11 | Who is like you, Yahweh, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? |
| Psalms 2:8 | Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession. |
| Psalms 22:27 | All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahweh. All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you. |
| Psalms 22:31 | They shall come and shall declare his righteousness to a people that shall be born, for he has done it. |
| Psalms 58:10 | The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, |
| Psalms 67:7 | God will bless us. All the ends of the earth shall fear him. |
| Psalms 72:8 | He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth. |
| Psalms 72:11 | Yes, all kings shall fall down before him. All nations shall serve him. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke draws attention to the Hebrew wordplay in the original, noting that "razi" can mean either "my secret" or "my leanness." He hears in these strange, clashing sounds the desperate cry of a people being systematically plundered, where even what little remains is repeatedly stripped away.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes reads the songs of praise from distant lands as a painful contrast to Judah's ruin: the joyful worship of exiled believers only makes the desolation at home more bitter. He stresses that the repeated cry "my leanness" is the land's own lament, and he highlights the fivefold repetition of the word for treachery as an emphatic literary device.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin observes that genuine praise of God is impossible until He reveals Himself and gives a taste of His goodness. He sees the phrase "from the uttermost part" as pointing to the gospel's spread: praise was once confined to Judea but would soon resound worldwide. He also notes that interpreters differ on whether "glory to the righteous" refers to God's righteousness or to believers.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The prophet hears songs of praise from Israelites of the Dispersion who prematurely celebrate an approaching deliverance. But he cannot share their hope; their jubilant voices only deepen his despair because he alone sees the darker signs of treachery and deceit that they miss.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
From the vttermost part of the earth wee haue heard praises, euen glory to the iust, and I sayd, My leanesse, my leanesse, woe is mee: the transgressours haue offended: yea, the transgressours haue grieuously offended.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads the songs from the ends of the earth as praise for end-time judgments on Antichrist and the spread of the gospel. He then focuses on the prophet's cry of "my leanness" as distress over spiritual decline and treachery among professing believers, which he sees as the Laodicean lukewarm state preceding Christ's return.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights two readings of this passage. In the first, songs praising God pour in from distant lands during exile, with "glory to the righteous" as their refrain. Horsleys alternative translation reads "glory to the Just One," and the cry "My leanness" confesses human corruption and the need for Christ's righteousness. The treacherous dealers are foreign nations oppressing Jerusalem.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argues that "the Righteous One" in this passage refers not to God but to the community of the faithful who have endured judgment. The prophet, in ecstatic vision, hears their songs of praise from earth's ends, then sees a final, universal catastrophe—a flood and earthquake—that crushes the guilty earth until it falls forever under its own sin.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry points out the striking contrast that saints driven to the farthest regions by calamity or persecution are found singing, not sighing. Their songs, carried back to their homeland, become a comfort to others, proving that godliness survives exile and that God visits His people even in the most distant places.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees joy spreading from Jews scattered worldwide, with songs of praise to the righteous Lord. Yet that joy is pierced by grief: even in the Messiah's time, some Jews act treacherously toward God. This perfidiousness is so dreadful that the prophet cries out in anguish, repeating "My leanness" to stress the crime's horror.