Isaiah 62:7 · Bible study
Isaiah 62:7 Commentary: ‘Give Him No Rest’, Prayer & Sovereignty
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the meaning of 'give God no rest' in Isaiah 62:7, how persistent prayer aligns with God's sovereign promises for Jerusalem's restoration.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A call for unceasing intercession until God establishes Jerusalem as an object of praise.
- Key Words: demi (rest/silence), the intercessor’s persistent voice; tehillah (praise), the goal of restored Jerusalem.
- Main Debate: Identity of the watchmen: prophets (Keil), angels (Jewish tradition), or pious Israelites (some moderns).
- Theological Theme: Prayer as participation in God’s sovereign purposes; importunity flows from faith.
- Best Use: To motivate persistent, promise-based prayer for the church and the spread of God’s renown.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
nor give Him any rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth.
WEB World English Bible 2000
and give him no rest until he establishes, and until he makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
KJV King James Version 1769
And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And give not silence to Him, Till He establish, and till He make Jerusalem A praise in the earth.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And give him no silence till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Ni le deis tregua, hasta que confirme, y hasta que ponga á Jerusalem en alabanza en la tierra.
Nem deis descanso a ele, até que ele estabeleça, até que ele ponha a Jerusalém como louvor na terra.
Et ne lui laissez aucune relâche,
und ihr von ihm nicht schweiget, bis daß Jerusalem zugerichtet und gesetzt werde zum Lobe auf Erden.
En zwijgt niet stil voor Hem, totdat Hij bevestige, en totdat Hij Jeruzalem stelle tot een lof op aarde.
e non date requie a lui, finch’egli non abbia ristabilito Gerusalemme, e n’abbia fatta la lode di tutta la terra”.
A nie dawajcie mu odpocznienia, dokąd nie utwierdzi, i dokąd nie sposobi, aby Jeruzalem było sławne na ziemi.
не умолкайте пред Ним, доколе Он не восстановит и доколе не сделает Иерусалима славою на земле.
也不要 使 他 歇息，直等 他建立耶路撒冷， 使 耶路撒冷 在地上 成為可讚美的。
And give him no rest, till he puts Jerusalem in her place to be praised in the earth.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 62:7
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 is a summons to unrelenting, importunate prayer for God to fulfill his promises to Jerusalem. Barnes reads it as a call to “pray without ceasing” until Zion is established and the world saved. Gill describes wrestling with God like Jacob, not letting go without the blessing. Matthew Henry sees it as the divinely appointed method: God first pours out a spirit of prayer, then brings salvation. Keil and Delitzsch, identifying the watchmen as prophets, see their day-and-night intercession as part of God’s own design. All affirm that such bold persistence does not oppose God’s sovereignty but rather flows from faith in his pledged word. The command to “give him no rest” is taken as an invitation to pray with confidence, not as irreverence.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse commands persistent, unrelenting prayer for God to fulfill his promise to establish Jerusalem as a praise.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the “watchmen” | All agree God appoints intercessors who pray ceaselessly for Jerusalem. | Prophets (Keil), angelic beings (Jewish exegesis, Cambridge Bible), or pious Israelites representing the community. |
| Meaning of “give him no rest” | All see it as an invitation to persistent, bold, importunate prayer. | Some emphasize it as human prayer that moves God (Gill, Matthew Henry); others see it as a literary personification of the prophet’s own passion (Cheyne, as noted in Cambridge Bible). |
| Timing of fulfillment | All agree God will establish Jerusalem. | Whether this refers to the post-exilic restoration (Barnes), the eschatological new creation (Keil), or both typologically. |
| Prayer and sovereignty | All affirm God’s ultimate control. | Whether prayer actually changes God’s action or simply aligns us with his predetermined plan. Reformed traditions often stress the latter; Wesleyans see prayer as genuinely affecting God’s timing. |
| Application for today | The verse applies to prayer for the church, God’s spiritual Jerusalem. | Some apply it specifically to the earthly city of Jerusalem; others see it solely as the church (fulfillment in Christ). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 62 is set within a collection of prophecies (chapters 56, 66) that envision a restored and glorified Jerusalem. The city walls are presupposed as standing in verse 6, where God says he has “set watchmen upon your walls.” This suggests the vision is of an already rebuilt Zion, an idealised scene. Watchmen on city walls were a familiar office in the ancient Near East: they guarded against attack, relayed news, and kept vigil. Here they are appointed by God himself, not by the city’s rulers. Keil and Delitzsch argue these watchmen are prophets whose calling includes intercession. The Cambridge Bible notes an older Jewish tradition understanding them as angelic beings; others see pious Israelites. Poole’s Annotations calls them “remembrancers” who put God in mind of his promises, a practice drawn from covenant relationship.
The phrase “give him no rest” uses the word demi (דֳמִי), meaning “silence” or “quiet.” It echoes verse 6, where the watchmen “will never be silent day nor night.” The shift from human silence to divine rest is striking. The prayer is not a casual request but an urgent, unceasing plea, as if God himself must be kept busy with the petitions of his people. This bold language reflects the intimacy of covenant, where God allows his people to appeal to his own promises (as in verse 8: “Yahweh has sworn by his right hand”). The ultimate goal is that Jerusalem becomes “a praise in the earth”, not simply a restored city but a source of global admiration, fulfilling promises like Jeremiah 33:9 and Zephaniah 3:20. The New Testament continues this theme in Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1, 8), where importunate prayer is commended as an expression of faith.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscript traditions.
Reception History
Early Christian interpreters saw Isaiah 62:7 as a model of persevering prayer, tying it to the parable of the persistent widow. Augustine, in his exposition of the Psalms, linked city watchmen to teachers and pastors who intercede day and night. During the Reformation, commentators like Calvin applied the verse to the church’s prayer for the spread of the gospel. Matthew Henry (1710) used it to argue that God blesses a people through the ministry of word and prayer. Wesley connected it with the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of Christ’s kingdom. In modern times, the verse has been taken up by prayer movements that focus on intercession for cities, seeing “Jerusalem” as a type for every community needing God’s restoration.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- Persistent Prayer: The command to “give him no rest” calls for unceasing intercession. Like the widow before the unjust judge, believers are to keep praying until the answer comes.
- Confidence in God’s Promise: The prayer is grounded in what God has already sworn. Verse 8 reinforces that God’s oath secures the outcome. Prayer is not trying to change God’s mind but aligning with his will.
- Community Praise: The purpose is that Jerusalem becomes “a praise in the earth.” Prayer seeks not just personal blessing but the public glory of God as his people are restored.
Five-Point Outline
- Watchmen on the Walls: God places intercessors who see the city’s need and never fall silent.
- No Rest for the Intercessor: The watchers must not be quiet, and they must not let God rest either. Aggressive prayer.
- Wrestling with God: Like Jacob at Peniel, prayer holds on until the blessing comes (Gill).
- Until He Establishes: The focus is on God’s action, he establishes, he makes Jerusalem a praise. Our prayer looks to him.
- Jerusalem a Praise: The end result: a city that glorifies God and attracts nations. This points to the new Jerusalem in Revelation.
Illustration Hooks
- The persistent widow: Luke 18 keeps coming until the judge gives in. Jesus told this parable to teach that we should always pray and not give up.
- A parent at a child’s bedside: Through the night, checking, praying, refusing to rest until the fever breaks. Love compels constant vigilance.
- Waiting for a promised package: You track it, call the company, check the porch. You do not stop until it arrives. Prayer is similar: we keep bringing our request to God.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- If God is sovereign, why does he need us to pray persistently? Doesn’t he already plan to do it?
- How do I keep praying when I feel tired and nothing changes?
- What does it mean practically to “give God no rest”? Is that irreverent?
Leading a Discussion
Isaiah 62:7 stretches our imagination about prayer. It pictures God’s people so committed to his promises that they will not let God rest until he acts. This challenges our tendency toward passive prayer. In small groups, explore the tension between divine sovereignty and human intercession, and ask how persistent prayer shapes our faith.
Discussion Questions
- What strikes you about the phrase “give him no rest”? How does it change your understanding of prayer?
- Why do you think God commands us to pray so persistently if he has already promised to act?
- Who are the “watchmen” in your life or community? How can you support them?
- What does it mean for a city, or a church, to be “a praise in the earth”? What would that look like in your context?
- How does this passage relate to Jesus’ teaching on prayer in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-10)?
- Share a time when persistent prayer changed your perspective, even if the situation didn’t change immediately.
- What is one practical step you can take this week to “give God no rest” regarding a specific promise from Scripture?
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)
| Isaiah 60:18 | Violence shall no more be heard in your land, nor desolation or destruction within your borders; but you will call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. |
| Isaiah 61:11 | For as the earth produces its bud, and as the garden causes the things that are sown in it to spring up, so the Lord Yahweh will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations. |
| Isaiah 62:3 | You will also be a crown of beauty in Yahweh’s hand, and a royal diadem in your God’s hand. |
| Jeremiah 33:9 | This city will be to me for a name of joy, for praise, and for glory, before all the nations of the earth, which will hear all the good that I do to them, and will fear and tremble for all the good and for all the peace that I provide to it.’” |
| Zephaniah 3:19 | Behold, at that time I will deal with all those who afflict you; and I will save those who are lame and gather those who were driven away. I will give them praise and honor, whose shame has been in all the earth. |
| Zephaniah 3:20 | At that time I will bring you in, and at that time I will gather you; for I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says Yahweh. |
| Matthew 6:9 | Pray like this: “‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. |
| Matthew 6:10 | Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. |
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
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights the Hebrew word for silence and urges that God's ministers must never stop praying for the spread of his kingdom. They are to plead day and night as if giving God no rest until Jerusalem is restored and becomes a worldwide source of praise, not scorn.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator argues that the watchmen mentioned are angelic beings, not prophets or pious Israelites, forming Jerusalem's invisible guard. The scene is an ideal, spiritual vision where God appoints these watchers to remind Him of His promises, a bold image used by the prophet.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note urges believers to persist in prayer with such intensity that they give God no rest until He restores Jerusalem and makes it a source of praise throughout the world. This is a call to bold, unceasing intercession focused on God's promised restoration of His city.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill insists on relentless, importunate prayer that does not let God go until He establishes His church and makes her a praise in the earth. He describes the church's fluctuating outward state and lists the specific marks of her future glory: pure doctrine, unity, holiness, and the removal of all that discredits her.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that "no rest" in Hebrew means "silence," and stresses that believers must not keep silent in prayer, just as the Messiah Himself did not rest until Jerusalem's salvation was established. The watchmen on the walls imitate Christ by offering unceasing intercessory prayer for both earthly Jerusalem and the spiritual Church.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch identify the watchmen not as ordinary intercessors or angels but as post-exilic prophets like Haggai and Zechariah, stationed by God on Jerusalem's already-restored walls. These prophets cry out day and night, giving God no rest until He raises Jerusalem to its final glory as a worldwide praise.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees the appointment of faithful watchmen who never stop praying or preaching as both a sign and a means of God's coming mercy. Before God brings salvation, He first brings His people to duty and pours out a spirit of prayer. This provision is itself a token for good and an earnest of greater blessings.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley sees the praise as directed toward God for sending the Messiah and labourers into His vineyard, establishing the church on secure foundations. This makes the church itself a reason for praise, with all nations eventually joining in praising God because of her.