Isaiah 26:2 (ASV)

Passage

Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth faith may enter in.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 26:1 In that day shall this song be sung in the land of Judah: we have a strong city; salvation will he appoint for walls and bulwarks.

Isaiah 26:2 Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth faith may enter in.

Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is] stayed [on thee]; because he trusteth in thee.

Isaiah 26:4 Trust ye in Jehovah for ever; for in Jehovah, [even] Jehovah, is an everlasting rock.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "open", "gates", "righteous", "nation", "keepeth", and "enter". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "open", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "In that day shall this song be..." into verse 3's "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace...", so "faith" and "open" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "faith" and "open" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.