Isaiah 52 · Verse 2

Isaiah 52:2

Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
Isaiah 52:2, King James Version

Isaiah 52:2 in other translations

BSBShake off your dust! Rise up and sit on your throne, O Jerusalem. Remove the chains from your neck, O captive Daughter of Zion.
WEBShake yourself from the dust! Arise, sit up, Jerusalem! Release yourself from the bonds of your neck, captive daughter of Zion!
ASVShake thyself from the dust; arise, sit on thy throne, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
YLTShake thyself from dust, arise, sit, O Jerusalem, Bands of thy neck have loosed themselves, O captive, daughter of Zion.
DARBYShake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, captive daughter of Zion.
BBEMake yourself clean from the dust; up! and take the seat of your power, O Jerusalem: the bands of your neck are loose, O prisoned daughter of Zion.
WebsterShake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

What does Isaiah 52:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. from the dust--the seat of mourners (Job 2:12, 13). arise, and sit--namely, in a more dignified place: on a divan or a throne [Lowth], after having shaken off the dust gathered up by the flowing dress when seated on the ground; or simply, "Arise, and sit erect" [Maurer]. bands of ... neck--the yoke of thy captivity.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 Sit down, O Jerusalem "Ascend thy lofty seat, O Jerusalem" - The literal rendering here is, according to our English translation, "arise, sit;" on which a very learned person remarks: "So the old versions. But sitting is an expression of mourning in Scripture and the ancients; and doth not well agree with the rising just before." It does not indeed agree, according to our ideas; but, considered in an oriental light, it is perfectly consistent. The common manner of sitting in the eastern countries is upon the ground or the floor with the legs crossed. The people of better condition have the floors of their chambers or divans covered with carpets for this purpose; and round the chamber broad couches, raised a little above the floor, spread with mattresses handsomely covered, which are called sofas. When sitting is spoken of as a posture of more than ordinary state, it is quite of a different kind; and means sitting on high, on a chair of state or throne called the musnud; for which a footstool was necessary, both in order that the person might raise himself up to it, and for supporting the legs when he was placed in it. "Chairs," says Sir John Chardin, "are never used in Persia, but at the coronation of their kings. The king is seated in a chair of gold set with jewels, three feet high. The chairs which are used by the people in the east are always so high as to make a footstool necessary. And this proves the propriety of the style of Scripture, which always joins the footstool to the throne." (Isa 66:1; Psa 105:1.) Voyages, tom. 9 p. 85, 12mo. Besides the six steps to Solomon's throne, there was a footstool of gold fastened to the seat, 2Chr 9:18, which would otherwise have been too high for the king to reach, or to sit on conveniently. When Thetis comes to wait on Vulcan to request armor for her son, she is received with great respect, and seated on a silver-studded throne, a chair of ceremony, with a footstool: - Την μεν επειτα καθεισεν επι θρονου αργυροηλου, Καλου, δαιδαλεου· ὑπο δε θρηνυς ποσιν ηεν. Iliad 18:389. "High on a throne, with stars of silver graced, And various artifice, the queen she placed; A footstool at her feet." Pope. Ὁ γαρ θρονος αυτος μονον ελευθεριος εστι καθεδρα συν ὑποποδιῳ. Athenaeus, 5:4. "A throne is n othing more than a handsome sort of chair with a footstool." - L.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 52:1-12

The welcome news of Christ's kingdom. (Is. 52:1-12) The humiliation of the Messiah. (Is. 52:13-15) Verses 1-12 The gospel proclaims liberty to those bound with fears. Let those weary and heavy laden under the burden of sin, find relief in Christ, shake themselves from the dust of their doubts and fears, and loose themselves from those bands. The price paid by the Redeemer for our salvation, was not silver or gold…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 52:1-12 →

Isaiah 52:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

הִתְנַעֲרִ֧יhit.na.'a.Rishake yourself freeH5287
מֵעָפָ֛רme.'a.Farfrom [the] dustH6083
ק֥וּמִיKu.miariseH6965
שְּׁבִ֖יshe.VisitH3427
יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑םye.ru.sha.LimO JerusalemH3389
הִֽתְפַּתְּחִי֙hit.pa.te.chuloosen for yourselfH6605
מוֹסְרֵ֣יmos.Rei[the] fetters ofH4147
צַוָּארֵ֔ךְtza.va.Rekhneck yourH6677
שְׁבִיָּ֖הshe.vi.YahO captive [one]H7628
בַּת\־bat-[the] daughter ofH1323
צִיּֽוֹן\׃\ \סtzi.YonZionH6726

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 52:2

  • Isaiah 51:14

    The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail.

  • Jeremiah 51:50

    Ye that have escaped the sword, go away, stand not still: remember the Lord afar off, and let Jerusalem come into your mind.

  • Isaiah 61:1

    The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;

  • Jeremiah 51:45

    My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and deliver ye every man his soul from the fierce anger of the Lord.

  • Luke 4:18

    The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

  • Revelation 18:4

    And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

  • Zechariah 2:6

    Ho, ho, come forth, and flee from the land of the north, saith the Lord: for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the heaven, saith the Lord.

  • Luke 21:24

    And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

  • Isaiah 29:4

    And thou shalt be brought down, and shalt speak out of the ground, and thy speech shall be low out of the dust, and thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground, and thy speech shall whisper out of the dust.

  • Isaiah 3:26

    And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she being desolate shall sit upon the ground.

  • Isaiah 51:23

    But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which have said to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and as the street, to them that went over.

  • Isaiah 49:21

    Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten me these, seeing I have lost my children, and am desolate, a captive, and removing to and fro? and who hath brought up these? Behold, I was left alone; these, where had they been?

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Shake.
3:26; 51:23; Jer 51:6,45,50; Zec 2:6; Re 18:4
arise.The common mode of sitting in the East is upon the floor, with the legs crossed; and when sitting is spoken of as a posture of more than ordinary state, it means sitting on high, on a chair of state, or throne.
loose.
49:21; 51:14; 61:1; Lu 4:18; 21:24

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 52:1

    Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

  • Isaiah 52:2

    Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

  • Isaiah 52:3

    For thus saith the Lord, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.

Read all of Isaiah 52

Isaiah 52:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Sacúdete del polvo; levántate y siéntate, Jerusalem; suéltate de las ataduras de tu cuello, cautiva hija de Sión.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Secoue de toi la poussière, lève-toi, assieds-toi, Jérusalem; délivre-toi des chaînes de ton cou, captive, fille de Sion!
German
Elberfelder 1871		Schüttle den Staub von dir ab, stehe auf, setze dich hin, Jerusalem! mache dich los von den Fesseln deines Halses, du gefangene Tochter Zion!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Excutere de pulvere, consurge; sede, Jerusalem! solve vincula colli tui, captiva filia Sion.