Isaiah 26:5 (YLT)

Passage

For He bowed down the dwellers on high, A city set on high He maketh low, He maketh it low unto the earth, He causeth it to come unto the dust,

Nearby Context

Isaiah 26:3 An imagination supported Thou fortifiest peace--peace! For in Thee it is confident.

Isaiah 26:4 Trust ye in Jehovah for ever, For in Jah Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> a rock of ages,

Isaiah 26:5 For He bowed down the dwellers on high, A city set on high He maketh low, He maketh it low unto the earth, He causeth it to come unto the dust,

Isaiah 26:6 Tread it down doth a foot, Feet of the poor--steps of the weak.

Isaiah 26:7 The path for the righteous <FI>is<Fi> uprightness, O upright One, The path of the righteous Thou dost ponder.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "bowed", "down", "dwellers", "high", "city", and "maketh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "bowed" and "down", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Trust ye in Jehovah for ever For..." into verse 6's "Tread it down doth a foot Feet...", so "bowed" and "down" 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 "bowed" and "down" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.