Isaiah 26: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace”

A song for a future day

Chapters 24 to 27 of Isaiah are sometimes called the Isaiah Apocalypse. They look beyond the prophet's own time, the eighth century BC, when Assyria threatened Judah, to a day when God judges the whole earth and gathers his people.

Chapter 26 begins, “In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah.” The song celebrates a strong city with salvation for walls and bulwarks, and gates open for a righteous nation that keeps the truth. In the same chapter the proud city is brought down to the dust.

What does Isaiah 26:3 mean?

The Hebrew behind “perfect peace” is shalom shalom. Repeating a word is how Hebrew makes a superlative, so it means peace in the fullest sense. Shalom is also broader than calm. It means wholeness, soundness, everything being as it should be.

The full verse says who receives this peace: the one whose mind is stayed on God, because he trusts in God. “Stayed” means propped up or leaning, like a beam resting on a support. The picture is of a mind that rests its weight on God instead of on circumstances. The verse does not promise that troubles will vanish, only that the person leaning on God will be kept, guarded as a city is guarded.

Verse 4 draws the conclusion: trust in the LORD for ever, for in him is everlasting strength. The Hebrew behind “everlasting strength” is literally “rock of ages”, a reading the King James notes in its margin, and the verse is often cited as the source of the famous hymn's title.

A verse for anxious hours

People facing surgery, exams, grief or a new job often memorize this verse, and it is a frequent gift for someone going through a period of worry. It suits a bedside, a home office, or a hospital chaplain's room, anywhere a mind needs somewhere to rest.

Peace in the New Testament

Jesus tells his disciples, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you” (John 14:27). Paul promises that the peace of God, which passes understanding, will keep hearts and minds (Philippians 4:7), using the same idea of a guard that Isaiah uses.