Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Isaiah 26:21 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 21. 21For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The universalizing poetic vision supplies a stated reason through “For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their…” at Isaiah 26:21 in “The People Hide while Bloodshed Is Exposed.”
A short hiding is commanded while indignation passes
This verse is one part of that explanation in Isaiah 26:20–21. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Isaiah 26:20–21
Read Isaiah 26:21 with 26:20–21. By itself, “For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, historical horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: A brief summons to closed chambers waits for indignation to pass as the earth reveals blood and no longer covers the slain.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within the same chapter, this unit advances from “Failed Labor Gives Way to Hope beyond Death” into “The People Hide while Bloodshed Is Exposed.” Its non-interchangeable movement is: A brief summons to closed chambers waits for indignation to pass as the earth reveals blood and no longer covers the slain. This verse's placement is specific: The universalizing poetic vision supplies a stated reason through “For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their…” at Isaiah 26:21 in “The People Hide while Bloodshed Is Exposed.”
What Remains True
Hope can face systemic violence and death without granting readers a timetable or permission to manufacture an enemy. In Isaiah 26:21, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The universalizing poetic vision supplies a stated reason through “For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their…” at Isaiah 26:21 in “The People Hide while Bloodshed Is Exposed.”
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Isaiah 26:20–21 — The People Hide while Bloodshed Is ExposedSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Isaiah 26:20–21, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Isaiah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology at the exact unit, without treating morphology as apparatus, lexicon, composition history, or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Isa.xml, OSIS 26:20–21 with Hebrew/KJV versification difference checked
Open the fixed Hebrew Isaiah file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Isaiah
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF
Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, poetry, older KJV language, chronology, names, textual issues, and material translation alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Isaiah PDF, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Isaiah 26:20–21 in the complete 205-page book PDF
Open the official NET Isaiah PDF ↗