The Meaning of Isaiah 26:7 Explained

Isaiah 26:7

KJV: The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.

YLT: The path for the righteous is uprightness, O upright One, The path of the righteous Thou dost ponder.

Darby: The way of the just is uprightness: thou, the Upright, dost make the path of the just even.

ASV: The way of the just is uprightness: thou that art upright dost direct the path of the just.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The way  of the just  [is] uprightness:  thou, most upright,  dost weigh  the path  of the just. 

What does Isaiah 26:7 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Presently the path of the righteous is smooth in that the trip from justification to glorification is secure, though in experience we encounter many obstacles. Isaiah prayed that the "Upright One" would make the road that the righteous tread level in experience (cf. Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 6:13). He used this unusual name for God because He wanted the One who is altogether right to make the path of His people altogether right.

Context Summary

Isaiah 26:1-10 - Peace Through Steadfast Trust
No doubt when Babylon fell before Cyrus the Jewish remnant under Ezra and Nehemiah sang this triumphal ode, which contrasts the respective lots of Babylon and Jerusalem. The one is the city of this world and its children; the other the city and home of the saints. The fate of Babylon is delineated in Isaiah 26:5-6; but with what glowing words does the prophet dwell on the blessedness of those who are fellow-citizens with the saints and of the household of God, Ephesians 2:19. Note in Isaiah 26:3, margin, one of God's double doors against the intrusion on the soul of a single note of alarm or fear. God is the Rock of Ages, Isaiah 26:4, margin. Our trust should be permanent as His love-forever. The weakest foot may trample on the proudest foe, when God has laid him in the dust. God levels the path of the just. However difficult your path, dare to believe that you are being directed in righteousness God cannot make mistakes. Any other path would be impracticable. Only nurse the desires of your soul for God; they are the result of the promptings and drawings of His Spirit. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 26

1  Trust in God's Provision

What do the individual words in Isaiah 26:7 mean?

The way of the just [is] uprightness Most Upright the path of the just You weigh
אֹ֥רַח לַצַּדִּ֖יק מֵֽישָׁרִ֑ים יָשָׁ֕ר מַעְגַּ֥ל צַדִּ֖יק תְּפַלֵּֽס

אֹ֥רַח  The  way 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: אֹרַח  
Sense: way, path.
לַצַּדִּ֖יק  of  the  just 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: צַדִּיק  
Sense: just, lawful, righteous.
מֵֽישָׁרִ֑ים  [is]  uprightness 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מֵישָׁרִים  
Sense: evenness, uprightness, straightness, equity.
יָשָׁ֕ר  Most  Upright 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: יָשָׁר 
Sense: straight, upright, correct, right.
מַעְגַּ֥ל  the  path 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַעְגָּל 
Sense: entrenchment, track.
צַדִּ֖יק  of  the  just 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: צַדִּיק  
Sense: just, lawful, righteous.
תְּפַלֵּֽס  You  weigh 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: פָּלַס 
Sense: (Piel) to weigh, make level, balance.