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And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure.
Isaiah 33:6 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB There will be stability in your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of Yahweh is your treasure.
  • BSB He will be the sure foundation for your times, a storehouse of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is Zion’s treasure.
  • NKJV Wisdom and knowledge will be the stability of your times, And the strength of salvation; The fear of the Lord is His treasure.
  • NASB And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; The fear of the Lord is his treasure.
  • NLT In that day he will be your sure foundation, providing a rich store of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. The fear of the Lord will be your treasure.

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

God himself is the true security and wealth of his people, and reverent fear of him is the treasure that holds everything else together.

Overview

As Assyria threatens Judah, Isaiah promises that real stability, salvation, wisdom, and knowledge come from the Lord, not from political alliances or military strength. The fear of Yahweh is named as the treasure that secures all these blessings. This anticipates the gospel, where in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3) and the saved find their lasting riches in God.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 25

  • Ps 112:1–3Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.
  • Prov 19:23The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.
  • 1 Tim 4:8For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
  • Matt 6:33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
  • Prov 14:27The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.
  • 1 Tim 6:6But godliness with contentment is great gain.
  • Isa 11:2–5And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
  • Eccl 7:19Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.
  • Isa 51:6Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.
  • Ps 28:8The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
  • Ps 27:1–2The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
  • Prov 24:3–7Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:
  • Isa 38:5–6Go, and say to Hezekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years.
  • Eccl 7:12For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.
  • Prov 28:2For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of understanding and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.
  • Prov 28:15–16As a roaring lion, and a ranging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.
  • Eccl 9:14–18There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:
  • Ps 45:4And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.
  • Prov 15:16Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.
  • 2 Chr 32:27–29And Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honour: and he made himself treasuries for silver, and for gold, and for precious stones, and for spices, and for shields, and for all manner of pleasant jewels;
  • Ps 140:7O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
  • Prov 29:4The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.
  • Jer 22:15–17Shalt thou reign, because thou closest thyself in cedar? did not thy father eat and drink, and do judgment and justice, and then it was well with him?
  • 2 Cor 6:10As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
  • 2 Chr 32:20–21And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Isaiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Isaiah 33:6YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on IsaiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 33:6 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.