Hear the uproar from the city; listen to the voice from the temple! It is the voice of the LORD, repaying His enemies what they deserve!
Parallel translations
- WEB A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Yahweh that repays his enemies what they deserve.
- KJV A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies.
- NKJV The sound of noise from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the Lord, Who fully repays His enemies!
- NASB “A sound of uproar from the city, a voice from the temple, The voice of the Lord who is dealing retribution to His enemies.
- NLT What is all the commotion in the city? What is that terrible noise from the Temple? It is the voice of the Lord taking vengeance against his enemies.
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
A sound of the LORD repaying his enemies goes out from the city and temple. It matters because it announces that God will bring just recompense even from the place of worship that was misused.
Overview
The tumult from the temple signals that judgment proceeds from God himself against those who opposed him. The very place that hypocrites trusted in becomes the source of their reckoning. This affirms that God repays his enemies (Romans 12:19) and will finally judge all who reject him, even as he saves those who tremble at his word.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Joel 3:7–16Behold, I will rouse them from the places to which you sold them; I will return your recompense upon your heads.
- Isa 34:8For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
- Amos 1:2He said: “The LORD roars from Zion and raises His voice from Jerusalem; the pastures of the shepherds mourn, and the summit of Carmel withers.”
- Isa 59:18So He will repay according to their deeds: fury to His enemies, retribution to His foes, and recompense to the islands.
- Isa 65:5–7They say, ‘Keep to yourself; do not come near me, for I am holier than you!’ Such people are smoke in My nostrils, a fire that burns all day long.
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 66:6 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.