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The sound of noise from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the Lord, Who fully repays His enemies!
Isaiah 66:6 · New King James Version
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.
  • BSB 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!
  • 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 stir them up out of the place where you have sold them, and will return your repayment on your own head;
  • Isa 34:8For Yahweh has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion.
  • Amos 1:2He said: “Yahweh will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the pastures of the shepherds will mourn, and the top of Carmel will wither.”
  • Isa 59:18According to their deeds, he will repay as appropriate, wrath to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; he will repay the islands their due.
  • Isa 65:5–7who say, ‘Stay by yourself, don’t come near to me, for I am holier than you.’ These are smoke in my nose, a fire that burns all day.

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 66:6YouTube · 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 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.