Isaiah 52King James Version
How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace. Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing. Then the transition into the fourth Servant Song: 'Behold, my servant shall deal prudently... His visage was so marred more than any man.'
Awake, O Zion, put on strength and beautiful garments. You were sold for nothing and will be redeemed without money. The messenger comes over the mountains with good tidings: your God reigns. The watchmen sing together. God will go before you and be your rear guard. Then the prelude to the Servant Song: his visage marred more than any man, yet kings shut their mouths in astonishment.
The return from exile is not simply a homecoming; it is a royal procession, God going before and behind, and the whole creation watching.
verse: "How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth", Paul quotes this in Romans 10:15 as the foundation of preaching.
The mountains between Babylon and Jerusalem, imagined as a runner's road. The watchmen on Jerusalem's walls suddenly see the feet of someone coming with news. The city stirs. Then the scene darkens slightly into the vision of the servant, whose face is so marred that kings cannot look at him.
Zion, addressed as captive daughter shaking herself loose. God, who redeems without money. The messenger on the mountains, whose beautiful feet carry the gospel of return. The watchmen who lift their voice together. The servant whose marred face prefaces chapter 53.
The beautiful-feet verse (v. 7) is one of the most-cited Old Testament texts in New Testament missiology. The departure from Babylon (vv. 11-12) echoes the Exodus but adds a reversal: not in haste this time, with God as both vanguard and rear guard. The final verses (13-15) form the prelude to the Suffering Servant passage that follows immediately.
For when you feel you have been sitting in the dust of captivity so long that freedom seems theoretical. The call to shake off the dust and put on beautiful garments is addressed to the person who has forgotten what garments look like.
1Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
2Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
3For thus saith the LORD, Ye have sold yourselves for nought; and ye shall be redeemed without money.
4For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down aforetime into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause.
5Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for nought? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed.
6Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.
7How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
8Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
9Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
10The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
11Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.
12For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.
13Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
14As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
15So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.