Isaiah 66:5 · Bible study
Isaiah 66:5 Commentary: Enduring Persecution from Brethren
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore how those who tremble at God's word should understand persecution from their own brethren who claim to be glorifying God.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God reassures the faithful remnant that their persecutors, even their own kin, who mock them and claim to serve God will be put to shame, while the faithful will see joy.
- Key words: trembling (H2730, chared, reverent awe); cast out (H5077, naddah, to exclude or excommunicate); ashamed (H0954, bosh, to be disappointed, disgraced).
- Main debate: Whether the historical setting is post-exilic Jewish sectarian conflict, the Maccabean period, early Christian persecution by Jews, or eschatological tribulation. All agree on the believer’s vindication.
- Theological theme: The vindication of the righteous; God’s identification with the lowly who tremble at His word; the irony of religious persecution in God’s name.
- Best use: Comfort for those suffering rejection or exclusion within their own faith community; a caution against using piety as a weapon.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
You who tremble at His word, hear the word of the LORD: “Your brothers who hate you and exclude you because of My name have said, ‘Let the LORD be glorified that we may see your joy!’ But they will be put to shame.”
WEB World English Bible 2000
Hear Yahweh’s word, you who tremble at his word: “Your brothers who hate you, who cast you out for my name’s sake, have said, ‘Let Yahweh be glorified, that we may see your joy;’ but it is those who shall be disappointed.
KJV King James Version 1769
Hear the word of the Lord, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Hear the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, have said, Let Jehovah be glorified, that we may see your joy; but it is they that shall be put to shame.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Hear a word of Jehovah, Ye who are trembling unto His word, Said have your brethren who are hating you, Who are driving you out, for My name's sake: `Honoured is Jehovah, and we look on your joy,' But they are ashamed.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Hear the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let Jehovah be glorified, and let us see your joy! but they shall be ashamed.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Hear the word of the Lord, you that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hate you, and cast you out for my name's sake, have said: Let the Lord be glorified, and we shall see in your joy: but they shall be confounded.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Oid palabra de Jehová, vosotros los que tembláis á su palabra: Vuestros hermanos los que os aborrecen, y os niegan por causa de mi nombre, dijeron: Glorifíquese Jehová. Mas él se mostrará con alegría vuestra, y ellos serán confundidos.
Ouvi a palavra do SENHOR, vós que tremeis por sua palavra; vossos irmãos, que vos odeiam, e vos expulsaram para longe por causa do meu nome, dizem: Que o SENHOR seja glorificado, para que vejamos vossa alegria; eles, porém, serão envergonhados.
Écoutez la parole de l’ Éternel,
Höret des HERRN Wort, die ihr euch fürchtet vor seinem Wort: Eure Brüder, die euch hassen und sondern euch ab um meines Namens willen, sprechen: “Laßt sehen, wie herrlich der HERR sei, laßt ihn erscheinen zu eurer Freude”; die sollen zu Schanden werden.
Hoort des HEEREN woord, gij, die voor Zijn woord beeft! Uw broeders, die u haten, die u verre afzonderen, om Mijns Naams wil, zeggen: Dat de HEERE heerlijk worde! Doch Hij zal verschijnen tot ulieder vreugde, zij daarentegen zullen beschaamd worden.
Ascoltate la parola dell’Eterno, voi che tremate alla sua parola. I vostri fratelli che vi odiano e vi scacciano a motivo del mio nome, dicono: “Si mostri l’Eterno nella sua gloria, onde possiam mirare la vostra gioia!” Ma essi saran confusi.
Słuchajcie słowa Pańskiego, wy którzy drżycie na słowo jego. Bracia wasi nienawidzący was, a wyganiający was dla imienia mego, mówią: Niech się okaże sława Pańska. Okażeć się zaiste ku pociesze waszej; ale oni pohańbieni będą.
Выслушайте слово Господа, трепещущие пред словом Его: ваши братья, ненавидящие вас и изгоняющие вас за имя Мое, говорят: "пусть явит Себя в славе Господь, и мы посмотрим на веселие ваше". Но они будут постыжены.
你們因 耶和華 言語 戰兢 的人當聽 他的話：你們的弟兄─就是恨惡你們，因 我名 趕出你們的，曾說：願耶和華 得榮耀，使我們得見 你們的喜樂；但蒙羞 的究竟是他們！
Give ear to the word of the Lord, you who are in fear at his word: your countrymen, hating you, and driving you out because of my name, have said, Let the Lord's glory be made clear, so that we may see your joy; but they will be put to shame.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 66:5
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 addresses a faithful minority in Israel who are persecuted by their own religious community. The phrase “you who tremble at his word” echoes Isaiah 66:2 and identifies the humble remnant whom God values. Their “brothers”, fellow Jews, hate them and cast them out for the sake of God’s name. The persecutors mockingly say, “Let Yahweh be glorified,” claiming their hostility serves God. But the Lord promises that those who tremble at His word will see joy while their persecutors are put to shame. Many commentators (Barnes, Gill, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Keil & Delitzsch) see this as foreshadowing the early Christian experience, when Jewish authorities excommunicated and persecuted believers in Jesus. The core message is consistent: God vindicates the faithful and humbles those who oppose them, even when the opposition wears religious garb.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Post-exilic Jewish conflict: Rosenmuller, Cambridge Bible: tensions between the returned exiles and those who remained, with the faithful being mocked (Isaiah 65-66).
- Maccabean persecution: Grotius: refers to those who favored Onias and were persecuted by Hellenizing Jews under Antiochus Epiphanes.
- Early Christian persecution: Vitringa, Barnes, Gill: the mockery and excommunication match treatment of Christian believers by Jewish authorities (John 16:2).
- Eschatological fulfilment: Jamieson-Fausset-Brown: the situation will recur in the last days when believers are few (Luke 18:8).
What is clear: God promises vindication and joy to the faithful who tremble at His word, and shame to those who persecute them even under religious pretense.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Historical referent | The verse describes persecution of a faithful minority by their own religious community. | Some (Rosenmuller, Cambridge Bible) see post-exilic Jewish tensions. Grotius places it in the Maccabean period. Vitringa and Barnes apply it to early Christian persecution by Jewish leaders. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown sees a final end-times fulfillment. |
| Meaning of 'cast you out' | It refers to exclusion from community and worship, related to excommunication. | The precise type of ban is debated: some see it as informal shunning, others as formal niddui excommunication. Keil & Delitzsch argue it means 'thrust away' with a confessional reason. |
| Interpretation of 'Let the Lord be glorified' | The persecutors claim their actions are for God's glory. | Most see it as a sarcastic challenge (Barnes, JFB, Cambridge). Gill and others note it may reflect the persecutors' genuine but misguided belief that they serve God (cf. John 16:2). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 66 stands at the close of the book, contrasting two groups within post-exilic Judah: the humble who tremble at God’s word (v. 2) and the hypocritical who go through religious motions while rejecting God’s commands. Verse 5 gives voice to the tension between these groups.
The term “cast you out” (מְנַדֵּי, meneddei) carries the same root later used in rabbinic literature for niddui, a form of excommunication or social expulsion. Although the full system of niddui developed after the Babylonian exile, its seeds appear here. Keil & Delitzsch note that excommunication practices reach back “at least as far as the times succeeding the captivity.” The persecution is not merely social rejection; it is a religious act, done in the name of Yahweh.
The mocking challenge “Let the Lord be glorified” echoes earlier taunts in Isaiah 5:19, where skeptics urged God to hurry His work so they could see it. Here the persecutors express a similar cynicism: they treat the hopes of the faithful as empty enthusiasm. Barnes, following Vitringa, argues that this scene accurately describes the treatment of Christians by Jewish leaders in the first century (John 16:2). The Cambridge Bible notes the parallel to the Samaritan schism but concludes the verse better fits intra-Jewish conflict.
Whatever the precise historical referent, the pattern is clear: tension between a faithful remnant and a hostile majority that claims divine sanction for its oppression.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note some textual variation in ancient versions. Adam Clarke observes that the Syriac and Septuagint read “Say to your brothers” rather than “Your brothers… have said,” shifting the addressees. The Masoretic Text, followed by most English translations, retains “Your brothers… have said.” Keil & Delitzsch discuss an accentual issue that could connect “for my name’s sake” with “glorify,” but they reject this as forced. No variants affect the core meaning: the faithful are mocked and rejected by kin who claim to honor God, but God will reverse their fortunes.
Reception History
Early Christian readers, such as Eusebius and Jerome, saw Isaiah 66:5 as a prophecy of Jewish persecution of Christian believers, a reading adopted by many Protestant commentators (Calvin, Vitringa, Barnes). During the Reformation, the verse gave comfort to those excommunicated by the Roman Church for their evangelical convictions. Matthew Henry applies it broadly to the faithful who suffer within a nominally religious society. In modern times, the verse is often used in contexts of church conflict and spiritual abuse, reminding readers that God defends the lowly who tremble at His word. The promise of reversal, shame for the persecutors and joy for the faithful, echoes through hymns and prayers for vindication.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The faithful described, Those who “tremble at his word” are the poor in spirit whom God esteems (Isaiah 66:2). Their reverence is not terror but awed obedience.
- The persecution experienced, The attack comes from “your brothers,” not outsiders. They exclude and mock, using piety as a weapon (“Let the Lord be glorified”).
- The reversal promised, The Lord will appear for the joy of the faithful, and the mockers will be ashamed. God’s justice is not absent, just delayed.
Five-point outline
- Call to hear, The address “Hear Yahweh’s word” signals that comfort is coming.
- Identity of the hearers, Those who tremble at God’s word, the same as in Isaiah 66:2.
- Nature of the persecutors, “Your brothers”, same lineage, same worship, but they hate and exclude.
- Their false piety, “Let Yahweh be glorified”, religious language covering hostility.
- Divine reversal, The persecutors will be ashamed; the faithful will see joy. The last line overturns every mock.
Illustration hooks
- A church split where one faction accuses another of being “not spiritual enough” and claims to defend God’s honour.
- A family member who says “I’m just praying for you” as a way of dismissing your faith or choices.
- Social media “call-outs” where Christians publicly attack other Christians in the name of doctrinal purity.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why do people who claim to love God sometimes treat believers with contempt?
- When I face criticism from other Christians, how do I know whether I am the one trembling at God’s word or the one who needs to repent?
- Can I trust that God will vindicate me, or do I need to defend myself?
Leading a Discussion
This verse speaks to the pain of rejection by those who share your faith community. It reminds us that not all opposition comes from the world, sometimes it comes from brothers and sisters who think they are serving God. The promise is that God sees and will act.
Discussion questions
- What does it mean to “tremble at God’s word” in this verse? How is that different from being afraid?
- Why does the text emphasise that the persecutors are “your brothers”? What makes this kind of rejection especially painful?
- Have you ever experienced being misunderstood or criticized by other Christians? How did you respond?
- The persecutors say, “Let the Lord be glorified.” In what ways do people today use religious language to justify unkindness?
- The promise is that the faithful will see joy and the persecutors will be ashamed. How does this hope shape your perspective on present conflicts?
- How can we, as a group, support someone who feels cast out by their church or family for their faith?
- In what areas of your own life might you be tempted to use God’s name to dismiss or exclude others? How can you grow in humility?
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)
| Psalms 38:20 | They who give evil for good are also adversaries to me, because I follow what is good. |
| Proverbs 13:13 | Whoever despises instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command will be rewarded. |
| Song of Solomon 1:6 | Don’t stare at me because I am dark, because the sun has scorched me. My mother’s sons were angry with me. They made me keeper of the vineyards. I haven’t kept my own vineyard. |
| Isaiah 5:19 | who say, “Let him make haste, let him hasten his work, that we may see it; let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may know it!” |
| Isaiah 60:15 | “Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, so that no one passed through you, I will make you an eternal excellency, a joy of many generations. |
| Isaiah 66:2 | For my hand has made all these things, and so all these things came to be,” says Yahweh: “but I will look to this man, even to he who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word. |
| Jeremiah 36:16 | Now when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said to Baruch, “We will surely tell the king of all these words.” |
| Jeremiah 36:23 | When Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. |
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 examines a textual discrepancy in how ancient manuscripts render the phrase "your brethren" versus "our brethren." He notes that the Syriac version and some Septuagint editions read "your brethren," while others read "our brethren," and he considers the latter reading difficult to make sense of in context.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes interprets this verse as directed specifically to the apostles and early followers of Christ, not to the Old Testament community. He argues that the description of excommunication and persecution by fellow Jews, who claimed to be honoring God, exactly matches what Jesus predicted and what the early church endured.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator identifies "your brethren" as fellow Jews who hate and ostracize the faithful, not Samaritans. Their taunt "Let the Lord be glorified" is a sarcastic mockery of the believers' hope. The sudden noise from the city and temple signals God's destructive power unleashed against these enemies.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva commentators emphasize the hollow pretense of enemies who persecute God's people yet claim to seek His glory. They point out that those who tremble at God's word are hated and cast out, but God will show Himself to their joy while their oppressors are put to shame.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill contrasts two groups within the same nation: believers who tremble at God's word, and their own brethren who hate and excommunicate them, all while pretending to seek God's glory. The Lord's eventual appearance will bring joy to the faithful and shame to their persecutors.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the persecutors' cry "Let the Lord be glorified" was a mocking challenge, not a genuine appeal. They cast out the faithful as too polluted to worship, yet the Lord himself would appear to his people's joy, turning their rebuke into gladness. This pattern repeated in Christ's day and will recur in the last times.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch insists that the phrase “for my name’s sake” belongs with the hatred and rejection the faithful suffer, not with God’s glorification. The mockers drive away their own brethren precisely because those brethren confess Jehovah’s name, treating this confession as grounds for excommunication and scorn.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes that the prophet does not absolutely forbid the returning exiles from rebuilding the temple, but looks ahead to the time of the new heavens and new earth when no temple will be needed. In that final age, offering animal sacrifices would be as abominable as human sacrifice or pagan offerings. The passage distinguishes between the temporary legitimacy of the restored temple worship and its eschatological abolition.
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 those who persecute believers are often their own countrymen, expelling them from synagogues, cities, and even life itself. They do this while sincerely believing they are serving God, a tragic irony where religious zeal fuels cruelty.