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Isaiah 54 · a question people ask

"No weapon that is formed against you will prevail" (54:17). Does this mean nothing will ever harm God's people?

In the text

The verse speaks of weapons that are formed, and says they won't prevail: "No weapon that is formed against you will prevail; and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment" (54:17). The verses before speak the same way: "Behold, they may gather together, but not by me. Whoever gathers together against you will fall because of you" (54:15). And the LORD says of the one who makes the weapon, "Behold, I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame, and forges a weapon for his work; and I have created the destroyer to destroy" (54:16). The same chapter calls her "You afflicted, tossed with storms, and not comforted" (54:11). The promise is spoken to the woman the chapter addresses, and it ends, "This is the heritage of the LORD’s servants, and their righteousness is of me" (54:17). The verse doesn't say how prevail will look in any one life, and these notes say no more than it says.

The verses

“Behold, they may gather together, but not by me. Whoever gathers together against you will fall because of you. “Behold, I have created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame, and forges a weapon for his work; and I have created the destroyer to destroy. No weapon that is formed against you will prevail; and you will condemn every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the LORD’s servants, and their righteousness is of me,” says the LORD.”
Isaiah 54:15-17 · World English Bible
““You afflicted, tossed with storms, and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in beautiful colors, and lay your foundations with sapphires.”
Isaiah 54:11 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Isaiah 54

Isaiah 54: Sing, barren

Isaiah has the Hebrew word for barren only once, to open chapter 54, and the woman "who didn’t give birth" is told to enlarge her tent (54:1-2). The LORD calls his forsaking "a small moment" and his loving kindness "everlasting" (54:7-8), and swears it as he swore of Noah's waters (54:9). Jesus said, "They will all be taught by God" (John 6:45).

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Last reviewed September 29, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions