Isaiah 66:14 · Bible study
Isaiah 66:14 Commentary: The Hand of God for Servants and Enemies
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
God's promise that His servants will see, rejoice, and flourish while His hand is known in blessing and indignation against enemies.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God's servants will see His restoration and rejoice, their strength renewed, while His power is revealed both in blessing them and in indignation against His enemies.
- Key words: see (רָאָה), rejoice (שׂוּשׂ), bones (עֶצֶם), grass (דֶּשֶׁא), hand (יָד), indignation (זָעַם).
- Main debate: Whether the blessing and indignation are sequential, simultaneous, or solely perspectival, that is, the same event seen differently by servants and enemies.
- Theological theme: Divine retribution and restoration; the same holy hand that saves also judges; the physical and spiritual renewal of God's people.
- Best use: Comfort for the suffering faithful who long to see vindication; a sober warning that rebellion has real consequences.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
When you see, you will rejoice, and you will flourish like grass; then the hand of the LORD will be revealed to His servants, but His wrath will be shown to His enemies.
WEB World English Bible 2000
You will see it, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones will flourish like the tender grass. Yahweh’s hand will be known among his servants; and he will have indignation against his enemies.
KJV King James Version 1769
And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And ye shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the tender grass: and the hand of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants; and he will have indignation against his enemies.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And ye have seen, and rejoiced hath your heart, And your bones as tender grass do flourish, And the hand of Jehovah hath been known unto His servants, And He hath been indignant with His enemies.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And ye shall see [this], and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like the grass; and the hand of Jehovah shall be known toward his servants, and he will have indignation toward his enemies.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
You shall see and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb, and the hand of the Lord shall be known to his servants, and he shall be angry with his enemies.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y veréis, y alegraráse vuestro corazón, y vuestros huesos reverdecerán como la hierba: y la mano de Jehová para con sus siervos será conocida, y se airará contra sus enemigos.
E vereis; então vossos corações se alegrarão, e vossos ossos se avivarão como a erva que brota. E a mão do do SENHOR será conhecida pelos seu servos, e se enfurecerá contra seus inimigos.
Vous le verrez, et votre cœur sera dans la joie,
Ihr werdet's sehen, und euer Herz wird sich freuen, und euer Gebein soll grünen wie Gras. Da wird man erkennen die Hand des HERRN an seinen Knechten und den Zorn an seinen Feinden.
En gij zult het zien, en uw hart zal vrolijk zijn, en uw beenderen zullen groenen als het tedere gras; dan zal de hand des HEEREN bekend worden aan Zijn knechten, en Hij zal Zijn vijanden gram worden.
Voi lo vedrete; il vostro cuore si rallegrerà, e le vostre ossa, come l’erba, riprenderanno vigore; e la mano dell’Eterno si farà conoscere a pro dei suoi servi, e la sua indignazione, contro i suoi nemici.
Ujrzycie zaiste, a radować się będzie serce wasze, a kości wasze jako trawa zakwitną. I poznana będzie ręka Pańska przy sługach jego; ale się gniewem zapali przeciwko nieprzyjaciołom swoim.
И увидите это, и возрадуется сердце ваше, и кости ваши расцветут, как молодая зелень, и откроется рука Господа рабам Его, а на врагов Своих Он разгневается.
你們看見，就心 中快樂；你們的骨頭 必得滋潤 像嫩草一樣；而且耶和華 的手 向 他僕人 所行的必被人知道；他也要向 仇敵 發惱恨。
And you will see it and your heart will be glad, and your bones will get new strength, like young grass: and the hand of the Lord will be seen at work for his servants, and his wrath against his haters.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 66:14
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 this verse sets a dramatic contrast. Barnes notes that the hand of the Lord will be made known both to defend His people and to punish their enemies. Cambridge sees the bones flourishing like tender grass as a picture of fresh vitality, where the bones once consumed by sickness (Psalm 32:3) now fill with sap. Gill adds that the joy renews spiritual strength, the bones dried up with sorrow become fat and flourishing, like a garden whose springs never fail. Keil-Delitzsch describes the hand of Yahweh as the source of all vernal life in body and mind. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown connects the verse to the vision of dry bones in Ezekiel 37: the hand that once held wrath now brings life. The core is unity: God's servants experience restoration and rejoicing when they see His work, while His enemies encounter His indignation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Consecutive manifestation: The joy and flourishing come first, followed by indignation. Some commentators (Barnes) treat the two halves as sequential: restoration, then judgment.
- Simultaneous revelation: The hand of God is revealed to servants and against enemies at the same time. Keil-Delitzsch describes the hand making itself known in both ways as one act.
- Perspectival difference: The same divine action (the coming of God in glory) appears as joy to servants and as wrath to enemies. This is similar to how an event can be deliverance for one group and destruction for another.
What is clear: God will surely reveal His hand — bringing renewal and joy to those who serve Him, and indignation to those who oppose Him. The word is certain, the outcome is different for the two groups, and the verse summons confidence in God's justice and compassion.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The timing of fulfillment | God will act decisively for His people. The verse describes a real future intervention. | Some traditions see this as fulfilled in the return from exile and early church growth (Barnes, Matthew Henry). Others read it as eschatological, pointing to the final judgment and new creation (Keil-Delitzsch). |
| The nature of flourishing | The flourishing of bones represents renewal of life and strength, opposite to dryness and death. | Gill notes that some Jewish interpreters take this as literal resurrection of the body, citing the bone 'luz'. Christian commentators generally interpret it as spiritual and physical vitality in this life, while allowing an echo of resurrection (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown links it to Ezekiel 37). |
| The relationship between hand and indignation | Both come from the same God and are equally certain. | Some see the two clauses as chronological: first the servants see blessing, then the enemies receive wrath. Others see them as two sides of the same revelation: when God's hand is known for His servants, it automatically means indignation for those who oppose them. |
| Identity of servants and enemies | Servants are those who fear God and tremble at His word (v.5). Enemies are those who reject His rule. | Wesleyan tradition sees servants as the faithful remnant of Israel plus believing Gentiles. Some Reformed readings identify the enemies specifically with those who engaged in false worship (v.17). The categories are broad enough to include all who align with or against God's purposes. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 66 is the final chapter of the book, a closing courtroom scene. The preceding verses (5-6) address those who tremble at God's word but are hated by their own brothers. Now the prophet turns to comfort. Verses 10-13 call the friends of Jerusalem to rejoice over her restoration, using maternal imagery of nursing and comfort. Verse 14 then delivers the climax: the reward for faithful servants and the fate of their enemies.
The image of bones flourishing was culturally powerful. In Hebrew thought, bones were the frame of life, dried bones meant death (Lam 1:13), while healthy bones meant vigor (Prov 3:8). Grass (דֶּשֶׁא) was a common symbol of quick, fresh life, especially after rain (Job 38:27). The hand of the Lord (יַד־יְהוָה) appears frequently in post-exilic texts like Ezra as a mark of divine favor and protection (Ezra 7:9, 8:22). Here it carries that connotation for servants, but the same hand also brings indignation (זָעַם), a verb that implies public denunciation and curse.
The literary flow moves from individual emotion (heart rejoicing, bones flourishing) to cosmic revelation. The first half is inward and physical; the second half is outward and decisive. The two halves are held together by the single working of God. The same prophet who promised a new heavens and a new earth (Isa 65:17) now shows how that future breaks into present experience: restoration for the faithful, wrath for the defiant. The verse ends the call to rejoicing that began in verse 10, but it also opens the door to the final judgment described in verses 15-24.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentary notes a grammatical ambiguity. The Hebrew particle אֶת (with) before “his servants” is a preposition (with/by), while the same form before “his enemies” marks the accusative (direct object). This means the hand of Yahweh is “known with (in/among) His servants,” but He is indignant “against His enemies.” Keil-Delitzsch and the Cambridge Bible note this distinction. Lange mentions that the Masoretic text reads smoothly without suggesting a textual variant. No significant manuscript variants are reported in the consulted sources.
Reception History
Jewish tradition, as cited by Gill, has long connected this verse to the resurrection of the dead. The phrase “your bones shall flourish like the tender grass” was used at funerals, mourners would pluck grass and throw it over their shoulders, reciting Psalm 72:16 and this verse as a confession of hope. The Talmudic concept of the bone luz, from which the body is reconstructed, may also be linked here.
Christian interpreters from the Reformation onward have seen this verse as a promise of the joy of the gospel. Matthew Henry applies it to comfort during persecution. The verse has been sung in hymns of hope and used in funeral liturgies, especially in traditions that emphasize the bodily resurrection. In the modern era, it is often cited as a promise of vindication for believers who suffer under oppressive regimes, alongside cross-references like Isaiah 26:19 and Romans 11:15-24.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Seeing stirs joy. The verse opens with “You will see it”, the fulfilment of God's promises (restored Jerusalem, reconciled nations, vindicated servants). This is not abstract hope but concrete vision. The heart rejoices because the eyes have evidence.
- Joy reaches the bones. Bones represent the deepest, most hidden strength. When they flourish like grass, the renewal is total: emotional, physical, spiritual. The same God who dries the bones in judgment (Ezekiel 37) now makes them surge with life.
- God's hand is known in two directions. For servants, the hand is protection, comfort, and provision, “known” by experience. For enemies, the same hand is indignation, felt as fierce opposition. The verse does not resolve the tension; it proclaims both realities.
Five-point outline
- Seeing God's work in history. The “this” refers back to the restoration of Jerusalem and the gathering of nations (vv.10-13). Faithful servants watch God act, and the sight itself produces joy.
- Heart rejoicing. Internal delight, not mere duty. The heart is the seat of will and emotion, and it breaks into joy.
- Bones flourishing. Physical renewal accompanies spiritual joy. The proverb “a cheerful heart makes good medicine” (Prov 17:22) echoes here. Restoration is embodied, not only spiritual.
- The hand of the Lord known among His servants. “Known” (יָדַע) implies experiential knowledge. God's power and presence become undeniable in the community that trusts Him.
- Indignation against enemies. The same hand that comforts also judges. This is not a different God; it is the same holy love that both saves and opposes rebellion.
Illustration hooks
- A long-awaited medical report comes back negative. The relief starts in the mind and spreads to the whole body. That is what this verse describes: good news that changes everything.
- Think of a garden after a drought. The first rain makes the grass reappear overnight, what looked dead shoots up green. Bones are like that when God's hand touches them.
- A courtroom where a judge delivers both an acquittal to the innocent and a sentence to the guilty. One decision, two outcomes. The hand of God is that kind of final justice.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I be sure that the restoration promised here is for me, not just for ancient Israel?
- What do I do when I don't “see” God's hand at work in my situation? Does this verse only apply when things are going well?
- How do I relate to God's indignation against enemies while still loving my enemies as Jesus commands?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits at the hinge of Isaiah's final promise. It links the comfort of verses 10-13 with the judgment of verses 15-24. For those who have mourned with Jerusalem, this is the moment of vindication. For small groups, the goal is to let the verse stand as a promise of God's conclusive action, both comforting and sobering.
Discussion questions
- What is the “this” that the servants are called to see? Look back at verses 10-13 and describe what God is doing.
- Why does the prophet connect seeing with heart rejoicing? How does seeing God's work produce joy in a way that hearing alone might not?
- Bones are mentioned as the location of flourishing. What does this tell us about the kind of renewal God offers? Is it only spiritual?
- Why is the same “hand of the Lord” described as both known among servants and indignant against enemies? How do these two aspects of God’s character relate?
- How does this verse help us understand the relationship between comfort and judgment in God's plan? Are they opposites or parts of one purpose?
- In your own life, have you ever experienced a time when God's “hand” became known to you in a way that felt like both blessing and challenge?
- How should this verse shape the way we pray for enemies and for the church? Does it call us to confidence, caution, or both?
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)
| Ezra 7:9 | For on the first day of the first month he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first day of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God on him. |
| Ezra 8:18 | According to the good hand of our God on us they brought us a man of discretion, of the sons of Mahli, the son of Levi, the son of Israel, namely Sherebiah, with his sons and his brothers, eighteen; |
| Ezra 8:22 | For I was ashamed to ask of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the way, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is on all those who seek him, for good; but his power and his wrath is against all those who forsake him.” |
| Ezra 8:31 | Then we departed from the river Ahava on the twelfth day of the first month, to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he delivered us from the hand of the enemy and the bandits by the way. |
| Proverbs 3:8 | It will be health to your body, and nourishment to your bones. |
| Proverbs 17:22 | A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. |
| Isaiah 10:5 | Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation! |
| Isaiah 26:19 | Your dead shall live. Their dead bodies shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in the dust; for your dew is like the dew of herbs, and the earth will cast out the departed spirits. |
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
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What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes unpacks the metaphor of flourishing bones as a scriptural picture of restored health and vigor, not physical appearance. He then explains that “the hand of the Lord” refers to God’s power made visible in defending His people and punishing their enemies.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that the promise of renewed strength uses a vivid physical image: bones flourishing like tender grass, meaning fresh and full of life. This contrasts with language elsewhere in Scripture where failing strength is described as bones burning or wasting away. They also observe that the phrase "his indignation" is better translated as a verb, "he will have indignation."
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva annotators highlight the sharp contrast in how God reveals himself: His saving power is known among his servants, while his fierce anger is reserved for their enemies. The promise that their bones will flourish like grass uses a vivid agricultural image to describe the renewal of life and vitality that comes with divine deliverance.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that Jewish interpreters read this promise of flourishing bones as a reference to bodily resurrection, citing their funeral custom of tossing grass while recalling this verse. He even notes a chemical experiment meant to illustrate how the dead could be restored from their ashes.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB reads the verse as a promise that what God's wrath once dried up will flourish again. The "bones" represent a people brought low by judgment, yet destined for renewed life. The phrase "known toward" signals that God makes His favor actively visible on behalf of His people.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stresses the sharp contrast within one divine action: the same hand of Jehovah that awakens springlike life in His servants' bodies and spirits also brings fierce anger against His enemies. The flourishing of bones like young grass pictures full bodily revival as a direct experience of God's power.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry draws a sharp contrast between the two very different responses to God's word. Those who tremble at it are promised joy and comfort, while their enemies who cast them out in mockery will be put to shame. The same God who brings forth a nation suddenly will not fail to complete His comfort for His people.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that for those who fear God, rejoicing springs specifically from the church's peace and the advance of Christ's kingdom. This joy causes believers to flourish like new growth in spring. He interprets "the hand" as God's power, protection, and guiding influence.