Isaiah 65:20 · Bible study
Isaiah 65:20 Commentary: The Hundred-Year Youth
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Isaiah 65:20: Does the promise of 100-year-old youths point to literal longevity or a figurative picture of abundant life in the new creation?
Research Summary
- Meaning: In the new creation, death’s power is sharply limited; people will live to great ages, and dying at 100 will be seen as an early death, while the wicked will still face God’s curse.
- Key words: “Infant of days” (עוּל יָמִים, a suckling of few days); “fill his days” (יְמַלֵּא יָמָיו, complete the full measure of life); “youth” (נַּעַר, boy); “accursed” (יְקֻלָּל, from קָלַל, to be lightly esteemed or cursed).
- Main debate: Whether the longevity is a literal future age on earth where death is rare but still present, or a figurative picture of abundant life in the eternal state.
- Theological theme: God’s restorative justice, he reverses the curses of sin, extends life as a gift, yet does not abolish death entirely until the final consummation.
- Best use: Teaching on the intermediate state of the new creation, the hope of long life as a blessing, and the ongoing reality of judgment even in a restored world.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
No longer will a nursing infant live but a few days, or an old man fail to live out his years. For the youth will die at a hundred years, and he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed.
WEB World English Bible 2000
“No more will there be an infant who only lives a few days, nor an old man who has not filled his days; for the child will die one hundred years old, and the sinner being one hundred years old will be accursed.
KJV King James Version 1769
There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
There is not thence any more a suckling of days, And an aged man who doth not complete his days, For the youth a hundred years old dieth, And the sinner, a hundred years old, is lightly esteemed.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
There shall be no more thenceforth an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not completed his days; for the youth shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
There shall no more be an infant of days there, nor an old man that shall not fill up his days: for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
No habrá más allí niño de días, ni viejo que sus días no cumpla: porque el niño morirá de cien años, y el pecador de cien años, será maldito.
Não haverá mais ali bebês de poucos dias, nem velho que não cumpra seus dias; porque o jovem morrerá aos cem anos, porém o pecador de cem anos de idade será amaldiçoado.
Il n’ y aura plus ni enfants ni vieillards
Es sollen nicht mehr dasein Kinder, die nur etliche Tage leben, oder Alte, die ihre Jahre nicht erfüllen; sondern die Knaben sollen hundert Jahre alt sterben und die Sünder hundert Jahre alt verflucht werden.
Van daar zal niet meer wezen een zuigeling van weinig dagen, noch een oud man, die zijn dagen niet zal vervullen; want een jongeling zal sterven, honderd jaren oud zijnde, maar een zondaar, honderd jaren oud zijnde, zal vervloekt worden.
non vi sarà più, in avvenire, bimbo nato per pochi giorni, né vecchio che non compia il numero de’ suoi anni; chi morrà a cent’anni morrà giovane, e il peccatore sarà colpito dalla maledizione a cent’anni.
Nie będzie tam więcej nikogo w wieku dziecinnym, ani starca, któryby nie dopełnił dni swoich; bo dziecię we stu latach umrze; ale grzesznik, choćby miał i sto lat, przeklęty będzie.
Там не будет более малолетнего и старца, который не достигал бы полноты дней своих; ибо столетний будет умирать юношею, но столетний грешник будет проклинаем.
其中必 沒 有 數日 夭亡的嬰孩，也沒有 壽數 不 滿 的老者；因為 百 歲 死 的仍算孩童，有百 歲 死的罪人 算被咒詛。
No longer will there be there a child whose days are cut short, or an old man whose days have not come to their full measure: for the young man at his death will be a hundred years old, and he whose life is shorter than a hundred years will seem as one cursed.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 65:20
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that this verse depicts a time of extraordinary blessing, where premature death is rare and life is long. Barnes insists the images are poetic, not literal, comparing them to the wolf lying down with the lamb (v.25). The Cambridge Bible similarly denies literal fulfillment, noting that the writer did not conceive of immortal life, only a restriction of death's power. Gill, by contrast, takes the verse as a literal description of the latter-day state preceding the Millennium, where children will not die young. Keil and Delitzsch see the power of death as limited, not destroyed, and cite parallel literature from 1 Enoch. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown agree that the age, though superior, is not perfect; sin and death remain, but less frequently. The broad consensus: the verse envisions a future on earth where death remains but is dramatically curtailed, or it represents through vivid metaphor the abundance of life in God’s new creation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal future age: The context of building houses and planting vineyards (vv.21-22) suggests an earthly, ongoing existence; the 'new heavens and new earth' may refer to a renewed world within history.
- Figurative of abundant life: Death at 100 being 'youth' and the curse on the sinner are heavily symbolic; parallel images (wolf and lamb, v.25) are clearly metaphorical.
What is clear: The verse promises a radical reduction in premature death and a clear distinction between the blessing of the righteous and the curse of the wicked, even in a restored creation.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Literality of the longevity | All agree the verse describes a dramatic increase in human lifespan compared to the present age. | Some take it as literal (Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) describing an earthly millennium; others as poetic imagery for abundant life (Barnes, Cambridge Bible). |
| Presence of death and sin in the new age | The text itself includes both death (the child dies at 100) and sin (the sinner is accursed). | Gill sees this age as earthly and imperfect; Barnes and others consider it a figurative description with no room for actual sin in the final new creation. |
| Relation to the new heavens and new earth of v.17 | This verse is part of the same prophetic vision beginning at v.17 and describes the same reality. | Some identify the new heavens and new earth with the final, eternal state (so no death), while others see it as a renewed earth within history where death still occurs. |
| Meaning of 'accursed' for the sinner | The sinner, even with long life, experiences divine judgment. | Whether this curse applies at death (eschatological judgment) or during life (premature death as punishment) is disputed. Gill says the curse is eternal; Cambridge suggests early death as a mark of anger. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 65 is set within the prophet's final vision, a contrast between rebellious Israelites and the faithful remnant. The immediate context (vv.17, 25) describes the creation of new heavens and a new earth (v.17), a renewal so profound that former troubles are forgotten. In ancient Israel, premature death or childlessness was seen as a curse (Deuteronomy 4:40; Job 5:26), while long life was a sign of divine favour (Psalm 34:12). The promise that a hundred-year-old would be considered a youth reverses the common experience of the exile and post-exilic period, where violence and disease often cut lives short.
The verse opens with a textual variation: the Hebrew mishsham (“thence”) is read as sham (“there”) in the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, as noted by Barnes and Clarke. This does not change the basic sense, the blessing is located in the restored Jerusalem. The surrounding promises of building houses, planting vineyards (vv.21, 22), and God answering before they call (v.24) reinforce the theme of security and abundance. Culturally, longevity was a recurring hope in Jewish eschatology (Zechariah 8:4). The passage does not describe a timeless heaven but a renewed earth where life is full and death no longer dominates.
Textual Notes
The verse opens with the Masoretic reading lo'-yihyeh mishsham (“there shall be no more thence”). Several ancient witnesses, the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read sham (“there”) instead of mishsham, as noted by Barnes, Clarke, and Keil-Delitzsch. The change involves a single letter and does not affect the overall meaning: the promise is located in the restored city. Some manuscripts also vary the initial conjunction: the Masoretes note that five verses in Scripture begin with velo'-yihyeh (“and it shall not be”); our verse may belong to that list, but this does not alter the sense. No significant variants threaten the interpretation of the verse.
Reception History
Through church history, this verse has been read in two broad streams. Early Christian writers, such as Irenaeus and Justin Martyr, who held a more millennial expectation, often took the longevity literally as a feature of the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. By contrast, Augustine in The City of God spiritualized the passage, interpreting the age of a hundred as the fullness of faith and the curse on the sinner as the final separation from God. During the Reformation, Calvin and the Geneva Notes followed the spiritualizing trend, seeing the images as promises of spiritual peace and prosperity rather than physical length of days. Protestant commentators of the 18th and 19th centuries (Gill, Barnes, Cambridge) revived the literal-figurative debate, with Gill championing a literal earthly millennium and Barnes arguing for poetic metaphor. In modern scholarship, the verse is often interpreted within the framework of post-exilic hope for restored creation.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Long life as a sign of blessing. The reversal of infant mortality and early death shows God's restorative power. No more will parents bury children prematurely; the curse of shortened days is lifted.
- Death remains, but its sting is limited. The text still speaks of death, even in this glorious age, people die. The promise is not immortality but a full, long life. This keeps hope anchored in a real future, not disembodied existence.
- A distinction persists between the righteous and the wicked. Even at a hundred, the sinner is accursed. Blessing does not erase judgment. Long life without God does not save; the soul’s state matters more than years on earth.
Five-point outline
- The new creation transforms even the most heartbreaking human experience: the death of a child.
- God’s people will enjoy the fullness of days, no more untimely loss, no more interrupted plans.
- The hundred-year benchmark suggests a return to pre-Flood vitality (Genesis 5), a resetting of creation’s clock.
- But the mention of the “sinner” shows that sin and its consequences still exist in this age, calling for ongoing repentance and faith.
- The verse points forward to a time when death’s power is nearly exhausted, a step toward the final victory described in Revelation 21:4.
Illustration hooks
- A hospice nurse who has watched too many young people die; imagine a world where patients routinely reach 100 and still feel like youth.
- A child born with a terminal illness; the verse speaks directly to the ache of parents who hope for a day when “no more infant of days” is true.
- The modern obsession with anti-aging treatments; this verse offers something deeper than extended years, a restored relationship with the Creator.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this mean we will never die in the new creation? Or is this about an intermediate age?
- What happens to those who die young now? Does this verse promise compensation?
- How can we trust God's goodness when children still die today?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits at the heart of Isaiah’s vision of a renewed world. It raises deep questions about God’s ultimate plan for life, death, and judgment. As a group, read Isaiah 65:17-25 together before focusing on verse 20. Notice how the prophet piles up images of blessing, long life, secure homes, answered prayer, peace among animals. The verse about dying at a hundred years old feels jarring to modern ears, especially if we think of heaven as timeless. Let the tension remain; the text does not resolve it easily.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What specific promises about life and death do you see in this verse? List them.
- Observation: The verse contrasts the “child” who dies at a hundred with the “sinner” who is accursed. What does this distinction tell you about the nature of this future age?
- Interpretation: Why do you think the prophet uses the number “a hundred years” to describe youth? What cultural meaning did longevity carry in the Old Testament?
- Interpretation: Several commentators (Barnes, Cambridge) say these images are poetic and not meant literally. How do you decide when a prophetic description is literal versus figurative?
- Interpretation: If death still exists in this future age, how does that shape your understanding of the “new heavens and new earth” in this passage?
- Application: How does the promise that “an infant of days” will no longer exist speak to you or your community’s experience of grief and loss?
- Application: In light of this verse, how should we live today, with hope in a restored creation, or with a focus on the eternal state beyond death?
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)
| Deuteronomy 4:40 | You shall keep his statutes and his commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which Yahweh your God gives you for all time. |
| Job 5:26 | You will come to your grave in a full age, like a shock of grain comes in its season. |
| Psalms 34:12 | Who is someone who desires life, and loves many days, that he may see good? |
| Ecclesiastes 8:12 | Though a sinner commits crimes a hundred times, and lives long, yet surely I know that it will be better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him. |
| Ecclesiastes 8:13 | But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he lengthen days like a shadow, because he doesn’t fear God. |
| Isaiah 3:11 | Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them, for the deeds of their hands will be paid back to them. |
| Romans 2:5 | But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God, |
| Romans 2:9 | oppression, and anguish on every soul of man who does evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. |
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
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Thence "There" - For משם mishsham, thence, the Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read שם sham, there.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes reads the promises of no infant deaths and extreme longevity as poetic imagery rather than literal prediction. He compares them to classical golden-age descriptions and notes that literal interpretation would also require lions eating straw. For Barnes, the blessing of long life applies only to the righteous;
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentator reads the passage as promising a restriction of death's power, not its complete removal. He interprets the reference to dying at a hundred years old as a hypothetical case showing that even such an age would be considered an untimely death and a mark of divine judgment on a sinner.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note reads this as a prophecy that death will be postponed but still present in the coming age. A person dying at one hundred will seem like a mere youth, while a sinner dying at the same age is considered cursed rather than at peace.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill distinguishes this verse from the millennium, where Revelation says there will be no death. He sees it describing an earlier spiritual reign of Christ where human life is greatly lengthened, so a child dies at a hundred years old. Even then, a sinner reaching that age dies accursed, while the righteous die blessed.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB argues that the future age on earth, though far better than the present, will not be sinless or deathless. A person dying at one hundred years will be considered a mere child, and a sinner's death at that age will be seen as a divine curse. Sin and death will still exist, but much less frequently.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stress that "thence" refers to a location, Jerusalem itself, not a future time. In that renewed city, no infant dies after a few days and no one dies before reaching a full lifespan. This describes a limitation of death's power within the city, not the final abolition of death that Isaiah 25:8 promises.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees these promises fulfilled in two stages: partially when the Jews returned from exile and were settled in peace, but fully in the gospel church, both militant on earth and ultimately triumphant in heaven. He directs believers to find this new creation in the graces and comforts they already have through Christ.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that while the children of that generation would die at a very old age, this promise holds no comfort for the wicked. Even if a wicked person lives a hundred years, he will still die under God's curse, and his long life becomes no real advantage.