“For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.”
For He has brought down those who dwell on high; the lofty city He lays low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust, establishing that the descent of the exalted and the humiliation of the proud are essential components of God's justice and salvation. The bringing down of those on high parallels the judgment oracles throughout Isaiah, establishing that what will be fully accomplished in eschatology is already operative in history. The threefold repetition of the laying low and casting down emphasizes the totality and finality of the humiliation. The verse suggests that the exaltation of the remnant community depends on the corresponding humiliation of those who were exalted in pride. The logic of reversal—the high made low, the low exalted—is fundamental to Isaiah's vision of salvation.
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