Therefore shall the strong people glorify thee, the city of the terrible nations shall fear thee.
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore a strong people will glorify you. A city of awesome nations will fear you.
- BSB Therefore, a strong people will honor You. The cities of ruthless nations will revere You.
- NKJV Therefore the strong people will glorify You; The city of the terrible nations will fear You.
- NASB Therefore a strong people will glorify You; Cities of ruthless nations will revere You.
- NLT Therefore, strong nations will declare your glory; ruthless nations will fear you.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Because of God's mighty acts, even strong and ruthless nations will come to glorify and fear Him. His judgments lead some of the nations to worship.
Overview
The fall of the proud city moves strong peoples to honor and revere the Lord. God's judgments are also a means of drawing the nations to acknowledge Him. This anticipates the gospel's reach, as peoples once hostile bow before the God of Israel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Isa 49:23–26And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.
- Zech 14:16And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles.
- Ps 46:10–11Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
- Zech 14:9And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
- Isa 60:10–14And the sons of strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I had mercy on thee.
- Isa 66:18–20For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
- Rev 11:13And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
- Ezek 39:21–22And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them.
- Ezek 38:23Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.
- Isa 13:11And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
- Rev 11:15–17And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
- Ps 66:3Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
- Ps 72:8–11He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 25:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.