The Meaning of Isaiah 52:2 Explained

Isaiah 52:2

KJV: Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

YLT: Shake thyself from dust, arise, sit, O Jerusalem, Bands of thy neck have loosed themselves, O captive, daughter of Zion.

Darby: Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit down, Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, captive daughter of Zion.

ASV: Shake thyself from the dust; arise, sit on thy throne , O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Shake  thyself from the dust;  arise,  [and] sit down,  O Jerusalem:  loose  thyself from the bands  of thy neck,  O captive  daughter  of Zion. 

What does Isaiah 52:2 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Israel could not deliver herself, but she needed to rise up from her humiliated and bound condition and respond to the Lord"s deliverance of her (cf. Isaiah 47:1). Salvation is not by works of righteousness, but it does require faith. Humans cannot break the chains that bind them, but they must remove them, with His help, since God has promised that He will break them.

Context Summary

Isaiah 52:1-15 - "thy God Reigneth!"
It is not God that has become lethargic; but we that have slept and need to awake. Being awakened, we discover that two sets of attire are waiting for us: First, His strength, so that we may not be afraid of ten thousands of people who set themselves round about; and secondly, the beautiful garments of our Lord's character. See Colossians 3:9-17.
At last the climax of the long prophetic stairway is reached and the summons for the exodus from Babylon rings out, Isaiah 52:11. It was God's return to the desolate city, Isaiah 52:2; Isaiah 52:8. The stately procession moves slowly and fearlessly. It is not the escape of a band of fugitive slaves, dreading pursuit and recapture, Isaiah 52:12. Before it speed the heralds, appearing on the sky line as they ascend the mountains which surround the Holy City, publishing peace and salvation, Isaiah 52:7. The central body is composed of white robed priests, bearing with reverent care the holy vessels, Isaiah 52:11, of which Nebuchadnezzar despoiled the Temple, but which Cyrus restored. See Ezra 1:7-11. Thus, also, the Church marches through the world. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 52

1  Christ persuades the church to believe his free redemption
7  To receive the ministers thereof
9  To joy in the power thereof
11  And to free themselves from bondage
13  Christ's kingdom shall be exalted

What do the individual words in Isaiah 52:2 mean?

Shake yourself from the dust arise Sit down Jerusalem - Loose yourself from the bonds of your neck captive daughter of Zion -
הִתְנַעֲרִ֧י מֵעָפָ֛ר ק֥וּמִי שְּׁבִ֖י יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם [התפתחו] (הִֽתְפַּתְּחִי֙) מוֹסְרֵ֣י צַוָּארֵ֔ךְ שְׁבִיָּ֖ה בַּת־ צִיּֽוֹן ס

הִתְנַעֲרִ֧י  Shake  yourself 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: נָעַר 
Sense: to shake, shake out or off.
מֵעָפָ֛ר  from  the  dust 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָפָר  
Sense: dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish.
ק֥וּמִי  arise 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
שְּׁבִ֖י  Sit  down 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁב 
Sense: to dwell, remain, sit, abide.
יְרֽוּשָׁלִָ֑ם  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
[התפתחו]  - 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperative, masculine plural
(הִֽתְפַּתְּחִי֙)  Loose  yourself 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperative, feminine singular
Root: פָּתַח 
Sense: to open.
מוֹסְרֵ֣י  from  the  bonds 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מֹוסֵר 
Sense: band, bond.
צַוָּארֵ֔ךְ  of  your  neck 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person feminine singular
Root: צַוָּאר 
Sense: neck, back of neck.
שְׁבִיָּ֖ה  captive 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: שְׁבִי 
Sense: captivity, captives.
בַּת־  daughter 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בַּת  
Sense: daughter.
צִיּֽוֹן  of  Zion 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: צִיּׄון  
Sense: another name for Jerusalem especially in the prophetic books.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation