Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.

ISAIAH 51:6KJV
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Isaiah 51:6 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 51:6 mean?

Isaiah 51:6 describes how the heavens and the earth, as permanent as they seem, will eventually fade away, but God’s salvation and righteousness will last forever and never be destroyed. The verse contrasts the temporary nature of creation with the everlasting nature of what God provides.

In this verse, the prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Israel, encouraging them to look beyond the visible world and trust in God’s enduring promises. The language uses vivid imagery—like the heavens vanishing “like smoke” and the earth wearing out “like a garment”—to show that even the most stable things in life are not truly permanent. Isaiah reassures the people that, unlike the world around them, God’s saving power and justice are unending.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 51:6

  • The word for “salvation” is יְשׁוּעָה (yeshu‘ah), which means deliverance or rescue. This highlights that what God offers is not just a temporary fix but an ongoing, everlasting rescue.
  • The word for “righteousness” is צְדָקָה (tsedaqah), meaning justice or rightness. Here, it emphasizes that God’s standards and faithfulness are unchanging, even when everything else passes away.
  • The verb for “abolished” is חָתַת (chatat), which means to be broken or destroyed. The verse assures that God’s righteousness cannot be undone or wiped out, no matter what happens to the world.

Why Isaiah 51:6 matters

  • Isaiah 51:6 makes it clear that even the most enduring parts of creation are temporary, which helps correct the idea that the physical world is unshakable or permanent.
  • The verse draws attention to the lasting nature of God’s salvation and righteousness, encouraging trust in God rather than in things that eventually fade.
  • In the context of Isaiah 51, this verse reassures a people facing hardship that God’s promises outlast any trouble or change in the world around them.

Where else these words appear

“away” Hebrew H4414 · used in 4 verses

  • Exodus 30:35 And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:
  • Leviticus 2:13 And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.
  • Ezekiel 16:4 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.

“manner” Hebrew H3654 · used in 5 verses

  • Exodus 8:16 And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
  • Exodus 8:17 And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt.
  • Exodus 8:18 And the magicians did so with their enchantments to bring forth lice, but they could not: so there were lice upon man, and upon beast.

“old” Hebrew H1086 · used in 15 verses

  • Genesis 18:12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
  • 1 Chronicles 17:9 Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning,
  • Psalms 49:14 Like sheep they are laid in the grave; death shall feed on them; and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning; and their beauty shall consume in the grave from their dwelling.

“like” Hebrew H3644 · used in 19 verses

  • Genesis 19:15 And when the morning arose, then the angels hastened Lot, saying, Arise, take thy wife, and thy two daughters, which are here; lest thou be consumed in the iniquity of the city.
  • 2 Samuel 18:3 But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care for us: but now thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is better that thou succour us out of the city.
  • Isaiah 26:17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.