Isaiah 48:22 Commentary: 'No Peace for the Wicked', Verse Study

Isaiah 48 stands at the close of a trilogy of prophecies addressed to the Jewish exiles in Babylon (chapters 46, 48). The immediate context is a call to flee Babylon with joyful shouting and to proclaim that Yahweh has redeemed Jacob (v.20). Verses 18, 19 had already painted the picture of what might have been: if Israel had obeyed, their peace would have flowed like a river. Verse 21 then recalls the exodus miracles, water from the rock, to assure the exiles that God will provide again. Into this atmosphere of promised deliverance, verse 22 lands as a sharp boundary marker.

Why here? The “wicked” most likely refers to Israelites who, after years in Babylon, had grown comfortable with idolatry and refused to return to the land. Calvin, citing Rosenmuller, says the verse targets Jews who “chose to remain rather than to return to their native country and the religious worship of Jehovah.” Barnes suggests the sentiment may have been part of a victory song, reminding the returning exiles that their joy came from being God’s people, while those who stayed behind could not share it. The Cambridge Bible notes the verse is repeated verbatim in Isaiah 57:21, where it fits more naturally after a description of the wicked like the restless sea. This has led some to view the line as an editorial insertion, marking the end of a major section of the book. Whether original or added, the verse functions as a theological gate: the blessings of redemption are real, but they are not automatic. The call to “go out of Babylon” is also a call to leave behind a wicked way of life. Peace, in the Old Testament, is never merely the absence of trouble; it is the wholeness that comes from walking in covenant with God. To reject that covenant is to forfeit that peace.

This connection makes the verse deeply pastoral. Those who remained in Babylon might have built successful businesses and lives, but they lacked the one thing that gave life meaning: the presence and peace of God with his redeemed people.

The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for Isaiah 48:22. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges observes that the verse may be a gloss or an editorial insertion from the identical wording in Isaiah 57:21, intended to mark the close of a major division of the prophecy. This view is based on literary structure rather than manuscript evidence. The verse is present in all major Hebrew manuscripts, the Septuagint, and the Dead Sea Scrolls of Isaiah. No alternative readings are cited by the consulted sources.

This verse has echoed through Christian teaching as a terse summary of the consequences of sin. The Septuagint translators rendered it “There is no rejoicing for the ungodly, says the Lord,” emphasizing the absence of true gladness. In the early church, it was cited to warn professing believers that the blessings of the gospel demand a transformed life. Augustine drew on the principle to argue that peace is only possible when the soul is rightly ordered toward God. Reformers like Calvin used the verse to denounce hypocrisy among those who claimed faith while refusing obedience. In the Wesleyan tradition, the verse was linked to the call to flee the world’s Babylon, the system of sin, and to seek the peace that passes understanding. The repetition of the line in Isaiah 57:21 has given it the weight of a refrain. Throughout church history, it has been read not as a cold judgment but as a merciful warning, inviting hearers to examine whether their peace is the shallow calm of self-will or the deep river of God’s shalom.

Three-point outline

1. The peace that God gives is comprehensive. The Hebrew word shalom means completeness, health, welfare, and salvation. It is not a feeling but a state of being that flows from being right with God. Verse 18 promised that if Israel had obeyed, their peace would be like a river, constant and life-giving. The wicked lack this peace because they lack the relationship from which it springs.
2. The wicked are those who refuse God’s way. In context, the wicked are the people of Israel who chose to stay in Babylon rather than return to the land. They preferred the familiar idolatry to the uncertain journey of faith. But the principle applies universally: anyone who lives in rebellion against God, whether inside or outside the visible church, cannot possess the deep peace that comes from surrender.
3. The declaration is both a warning and an invitation. The verse closes the prophecy with a sobering boundary. It warns the careless that they can miss the promise. But because it stands after the call to flee Babylon, it also invites: leave the chaos of sin and find peace in the Redeemer. There is no peace for the wicked, but there is always peace for the penitent.

Five-point outline

1. Shalom defined: Not the absence of conflict but the presence of God’s order and blessing. This is what the wicked lack.
2. Shalom promised: In verse 18, God reveals that obedience would have brought this peace like a river. The offer still stands for those who turn.
3. Shalom portrayed: Verse 21 shows God providing water in the desert, a picture of his ability to bring life and peace even in dry places.
4. Shalom refused: The wicked either remain in Babylon (literal or metaphorical) or live in unbelief. They cannot receive what they reject.
5. Shalom secured: For the New Testament believer, true peace comes through Christ (Romans 5:1). The call to “leave Babylon” becomes the call to leave sin and follow the Savior.

Illustration hooks

• A high-powered executive who has achieved every goal but lies awake at 3 AM with a sense of emptiness. He has success but not shalom.
• A family that stays in a comfortable but spiritually destructive environment rather than making the hard move to a new church or a new start. Comfort becomes a cage.
• A person who grows up in church, knows all the right words, but has never really repented. They assume they have peace because they have religion, but the river is dry.

Questions your congregation is asking

• “I’m not a terrible person, so why don’t I feel peaceful?” (The answer may be that shalom is more than feelings; it requires alignment with God.)
• “Does this verse mean God doesn’t love the wicked?” (No, it means the natural consequences of sin include inner chaos. God’s love is shown in the call to leave Babylon.)
• “What counts as wicked? Is it about big sins or a general attitude?” (The Hebrew word describes someone whose moral life is “loose”, ungrounded. It is an orientation, not a single failure.)

This short, sharp statement comes right after one of the most hopeful passages in Isaiah, a promise of redemption and a renewed exodus. Why would God interrupt the good news with a warning about the wicked? As you lead your group, help them see that God’s promises are not magic; they require a response. The call to “leave Babylon” is a call to leave behind whatever undermines peace with God.

Discussion questions

1. Read verses 20, 22 together. What emotions do you hear in the command to “go out of Babylon” and “declare this to the end of the earth”? How does verse 22 change the mood?
2. The word for “peace” here is shalom. From the supplied lexicon, it includes completeness, safety, health, and contentment. What does it tell us about God that he defines peace so richly?
3. Barnes suggests the wicked are those who refused to leave Babylon. Why might someone choose to stay in a place of spiritual danger? What “Babylons” do people today choose over following God?
4. Calvin saw this verse as a warning to hypocrites. How can religious people, even those who claim God’s promises, be counted among the “wicked” by their actions?
5. This verse is repeated in Isaiah 57:21. What does that repetition tell us about God’s consistency? Does it make the warning stronger or more compassionate?
6. Romans 3:17 says of the unredeemed, “The way of peace, they haven’t known.” How does Isaiah 48:22 help us understand what people really need when they seem restless or angry?
7. If someone in your group said, “I feel like I have no peace, and I’m afraid that means God has rejected me,” how would you answer using the full context of this passage?