This verse proclaims that all barriers are shattered in God’s triumphant act of redemption, causing the heavens and earth to unite in joyful praise.
“Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done it!
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it;
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob
And in Israel He shows His glory.” (v.23)
Isaiah, who prophesied in Judah sometime between 739-681 BC, calls on all of creation to rejoice in God’s mighty act of deliverance. By using phrases like Shout for joy, O heavens and Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains (v.23), the prophet shows that not only humanity, but the very earth itself testifies to the Lord’s redemptive power. This echoes the hope Paul describes when he writes that creation longs for redemption alongside God’s people (Romans 8:19-22). Isaiah’s mention of the LORD has redeemed Jacob (v.23) refers to the descendants of Jacob—later named Israel—who would see the fulfillment of God’s promises through their nation’s restoration and covenant relationship with Him.
In calling creation to explode in praise, Isaiah underscores that there is no aspect of the natural world unaffected by the Lord’s saving work (v.23). The biblical concept of redemption conveys rescue from bondage and restoration to a rightful purpose. Here, the prophet emphasizes that the Lord’s purchase of His people’s freedom displays His glory in Israel. Jacob, who lived centuries earlier (around the second millennium BC), fathered the twelve tribes that became the nation of Israel, and this passage reveals how God’s redeeming grace knits together the past, present, and future, culminating in jubilant worship.
All of creation is invited to celebrate the Lord’s victory because, through Israel’s redemption, He shows that His reign and salvation extend beyond cultural and geographical boundaries. This is ultimately a picture pointing forward to the salvation found in Jesus the Messiah, whereby believers—in unison with all of creation—rejoice in God’s victorious plan to liberate from sin and darkness (John 3:16).
Set to dark mode
Isaiah 44:23 meaning
“Shout for joy, O heavens, for the LORD has done it!
Shout joyfully, you lower parts of the earth;
Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains,
O forest, and every tree in it;
For the LORD has redeemed Jacob
And in Israel He shows His glory.” (v.23)
Isaiah, who prophesied in Judah sometime between 739-681 BC, calls on all of creation to rejoice in God’s mighty act of deliverance. By using phrases like Shout for joy, O heavens and Break forth into a shout of joy, you mountains (v.23), the prophet shows that not only humanity, but the very earth itself testifies to the Lord’s redemptive power. This echoes the hope Paul describes when he writes that creation longs for redemption alongside God’s people (Romans 8:19-22). Isaiah’s mention of the LORD has redeemed Jacob (v.23) refers to the descendants of Jacob—later named Israel—who would see the fulfillment of God’s promises through their nation’s restoration and covenant relationship with Him.
In calling creation to explode in praise, Isaiah underscores that there is no aspect of the natural world unaffected by the Lord’s saving work (v.23). The biblical concept of redemption conveys rescue from bondage and restoration to a rightful purpose. Here, the prophet emphasizes that the Lord’s purchase of His people’s freedom displays His glory in Israel. Jacob, who lived centuries earlier (around the second millennium BC), fathered the twelve tribes that became the nation of Israel, and this passage reveals how God’s redeeming grace knits together the past, present, and future, culminating in jubilant worship.
All of creation is invited to celebrate the Lord’s victory because, through Israel’s redemption, He shows that His reign and salvation extend beyond cultural and geographical boundaries. This is ultimately a picture pointing forward to the salvation found in Jesus the Messiah, whereby believers—in unison with all of creation—rejoice in God’s victorious plan to liberate from sin and darkness (John 3:16).