Isaiah 26:11 (GNV)

Passage

O Lord, they will not beholde thine hie hande: but they shall see it, and bee confounded with the zeale of the people, and the fire of thine enemies shall deuoure them.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 26:9 With my soule haue I desired thee in the night, and with my spirit within mee will I seeke thee in the morning: for seeing thy iudgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world shall learne righteousnesse.

Isaiah 26:10 Let mercie bee shewed to the wicked, yet hee will not learne righteousnesse: in the land of vprightnesse will he do wickedly, and will not beholde the maiestie of the Lord.

Isaiah 26:11 O Lord, they will not beholde thine hie hande: but they shall see it, and bee confounded with the zeale of the people, and the fire of thine enemies shall deuoure them.

Isaiah 26:12 Lord, vnto vs thou wilt ordeine peace: for thou also hast wrought all our workes for vs.

Isaiah 26:13 O Lord our God, other lords beside thee, haue ruled vs, but we will remember thee onely, and thy Name.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "beholde", "thine", "hande", "shall", "confounded", "zeale", and "people". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "beholde", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Let mercie bee shewed to the wicked..." into verse 12's "Lord vnto vs thou wilt ordeine peace...", so "lord" and "beholde" 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 "lord" and "beholde" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.