Isaiah 52 · Verse 7

Isaiah 52:7

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
Isaiah 52:7, King James Version

Isaiah 52:7 in other translations

BSBHow beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
WEBHow beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news, who proclaims salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”
ASVHow beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace, that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
YLTHow comely on the mountains, Have been the feet of one proclaiming tidings, Sounding peace, proclaiming good tidings, Sounding salvation, Saying to Zion, ‘Reigned hath thy God.'
DARBYHow beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that announceth glad tidings, that publisheth peace; that announceth glad tidings of good, that publisheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
BBEHow beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who comes with good news, who gives word of peace, saying that salvation is near; who says to Zion, Your God is ruling!
WebsterHow beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith to Zion, Thy God reigneth!

What does Isaiah 52:7 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
7. beautiful ... feet--that is, The advent of such a herald seen on the distant "mountains" (see on Is 40:9; Is 41:27; Is 25:6, 7; So 2:17) running in haste with the long-expected good tidings, is most grateful to the desolated city (Na 1:15). good tidings--only partially applying to the return from Babylon. Fully, and antitypically, the Gospel (Lu 2:10, 11), "beginning at Jerusalem" (Lu 24:47), "the city of the great King" (Mt 5:35), where Messiah shall, at the final restoration of Israel, "reign" as peculiarly Zion's God ("Thy God reigneth"; compare Psa 2:6).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 7 How beautiful - The watchmen discover afar off, on the mountains, the messenger bringing the expected and much-wished-for news of the deliverance from the Babylonish captivity. They immediately spread the joyful tidings, Isa 52:8, and with a loud voice proclaim that Jehovah is returning to Zion, to resume his residence on his holy mountain, which for some time he seemed to have deserted. This is the literal sense of the place. "How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the joyful messenger," is an expression highly poetical: for, how welcome is his arrival! how agreeable are the tidings which he brings! Nahum, Nah 1:15, who is generally supposed to have lived after Isaiah, has manifestly taken from him this very pleasing image; but the imitation does not equal the beauty of the original: - "Behold upon the mountain the feet of the joyful messenger, Of him that announceth peace! Celebrate, O Judah, thy festivals; perform thy vows: For no more shall pass through thee the wicked one; He is utterly cut off." But it must at the same time be observed that Isaiah's subject is infinitely more interesting and more sublime than that of Nahum; the latter denounces the destruction of the capital of the Assyrian empire, the most formidable enemy of Judah; the ideas of the former are in their full extent evangelical; and accordingly St. Paul has, with the utmost propriety, applied this passage to the preaching of the Gospel, Rom 10:15. The joyful tidings here to be proclaimed, "Thy God, O Zion, reigneth, "are the same that John the Baptist, the messenger of Christ, and Christ himself, published: "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." From the use made of this by our Lord and the apostles, we may rest assured that the preachers of the Gospel are particularly intended. Mountains are put for the whole land of Judea, where the Gospel was first preached. There seems to be an allusion to a battle fought, and the messengers coming to announce the victory, which was so decisive that a peace was the consequence, and the king's throne established in the land. There appear to have been two sorts of messengers among the Jews: one sort always employed to bring evil tidings; the other to bring good. The names also and persons of these different messengers appear to have been well known; so that at a distance they could tell, from seeing the messenger, what sort of tidings he was bringing. See a case in point, 2Sam 18:19-27 (note). Ahimaaz and Cushi running to bring tidings of the defeat of Absalom and his rebel army. Ahimaaz is a Good man and bringeth Good tidings.

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 52:7 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.

מַה\־mah-how!H4100
נָּאו֨וּna.Vuthey are beautifulH4998
עַל\־'al-onH5921
הֶהָרִ֜יםhe.ha.Rimthe mountainsH2022
רַגְלֵ֣יrag.Lei[the] feet ofH7272
מְבַשֵּׂ֗רme.va.Ser[one who] bears newsH1319
מַשְׁמִ֧יעַmash.Mi.a'[one who] proclaimsH8085
שָׁל֛וֹםsha.LompeaceH7965
מְבַשֵּׂ֥רme.va.Ser[one who] bears newsH1319
ט֖וֹבTovgoodH2896
מַשְׁמִ֣יעַmash.Mi.a'[one who] proclaimsH8085
יְשׁוּעָ֑הye.shu.'AhsalvationH3444
אֹמֵ֥ר'o.Mer[one who] saysH559
לְצִיּ֖וֹןle.tzi.Yonto ZionH6726
מָלַ֥ךְma.Lakhhe reignsH4427
אֱלֹהָֽיִךְ\׃'e.lo.Ha.yikhGod yourH430

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

Cross references for Isaiah 52:7

  • Romans 10:12-15

    For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

  • Nahum 1:15

    Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

  • Isaiah 61:1-3

    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; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

  • Mark 16:15

    And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

  • Psalms 93:1

    The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.

  • Ephesians 6:15

    And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

  • Isaiah 40:9

    O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

  • Matthew 28:18

    And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

  • Isaiah 24:23

    Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

  • Psalms 68:11

    The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.

  • Luke 2:10

    And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

  • Mark 13:10

    And the gospel must first be published among all nations.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
How beautiful.This is a highly poetical expression, for, How welcome is his arrival! how agreeable are the tidings which he brings!
40:9; 61:1-3; Na 1:15; Lu 2:10; Ro 10:12-15
publisheth.
Ps 68:11; So 2:8; Mr 13:10; 16:15; Lu 24:47; Ac 10:36-38; Re 14:6
Thy God.
24:23; 33:22; Ps 59:13; 93:1; 96:10; 97:1; 99:1; Mic 4:7; Zec 9:9
Mt 25:34; 28:18; Re 11:15

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

Context

  • Isaiah 52:6

    Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.

  • Isaiah 52:7

    How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!

  • Isaiah 52:8

    Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again Zion.

Read all of Isaiah 52

Isaiah 52:7 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		¡Cuán hermosos son sobre los montes los pies del que trae alegres nuevas, del que publica la paz, del que trae nuevas del bien, del que publica salud, del que dice á Sión: Tu Dios reina!
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Combien sont beaux sur les montagnes les pieds de celui qui apporte de bonnes nouvelles, qui annonce la paix, qui apporte des nouvelles de bonheur, qui annonce le salut, qui dit à Sion: Ton Dieu règne!
German
Elberfelder 1871		Wie lieblich sind auf den Bergen die Füße dessen, der frohe Botschaft bringt, der Frieden verkündigt, der Botschaft des Guten bringt, der Heil verkündigt, der zu Zion spricht: Dein Gott herrscht als König!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Quam pulchri super montes pedes annuntiantis et prædicantis pacem; annuntiantis bonum, prædicantis salutem, dicentis Sion: Regnabit Deus tuus!