The Meaning of Isaiah 25:12 Explained

Isaiah 25:12

KJV: And the fortress of the high fort of thy walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust.

YLT: And the fortress of the high place of thy walls He hath bowed down -- He hath made low, He hath caused it to come to the earth, -- unto dust.

Darby: And the fortress of the high defences of thy walls will he bring down, lay low, bring to the ground, into the dust.

ASV: And the high fortress of thy walls hath he brought down, laid low, and brought to the ground, even to the dust.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the fortress  of the high fort  of thy walls  shall he bring down,  lay low,  [and] bring  to the ground,  [even] to the dust. 

What does Isaiah 25:12 Mean?

Context Summary

Isaiah 25:1-12 - Sorrow Turned To Gladness
Here is a song of thanksgiving at the fall of Babylon. When she fell, a sigh of relief passed over the whole world, and strong, terrible nations over which she had exerted her tyranny gratefully recognized the goodness and righteousness of Jehovah. We may anticipate, as we read these glowing words, what that song will be when the spirited Babylon is overthrown, Revelation 19:1-7.
Notice how God suits Himself to our need, whether for strength, or refuge, or shadow. Take from Him what you are needing most. As the cloud draws its veil over the burning sunshine to mitigate its heat, so does God interpose to reduce the sufferings of His own. The branch, that is, the exulting song of the terrible ones, their song of triumph, shall be hushed. From Isaiah 25:6 we learn that the hunger of man for God can only be satisfied in Jesus; and from Isaiah 25:7, that the dread of death and the hereafter, which has lain heavily on humanity as a pall shall be forever ended, when Jesus comes the second time unto salvation. Compare 1 Corinthians 15:54. God will not only wipe tears from our eyes but the fountains of tears shall be dried up, Revelation 21:4. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 25

1  Song of Praise for God's Favor

What do the individual words in Isaiah 25:12 mean?

And the fortress of the high fort of your walls He will bring down lay low [And] bring to the ground down to the dust -
וּמִבְצַ֞ר מִשְׂגַּ֣ב חוֹמֹתֶ֗יךָ הֵשַׁ֥ח הִשְׁפִּ֛יל הִגִּ֥יעַ לָאָ֖רֶץ עַד־ עָפָֽר ס

וּמִבְצַ֞ר  And  the  fortress 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִבְצָר 
Sense: fortification, fortress, fortified city, stronghold.
מִשְׂגַּ֣ב  of  the  high  fort 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִשְׂגָּב 
Sense: high place, refuge, secure height, retreat.
חוֹמֹתֶ֗יךָ  of  your  walls 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: חֹומָה  
Sense: wall.
הֵשַׁ֥ח  He  will  bring  down 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁחַח 
Sense: to bow, crouch, bow down, be bowed down.
הִשְׁפִּ֛יל  lay  low 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁפֵל  
Sense: to be or become low, sink, be humbled, be abased.
הִגִּ֥יעַ  [And]  bring 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָגַע  
Sense: to touch, reach, strike.
לָאָ֖רֶץ  to  the  ground 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
עַד־  down  to 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
עָפָֽר  the  dust 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָפָר  
Sense: dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation