Isaiah 52:2

2 Jerusalem, you once were a prisoner. Now shake off the dust and stand up. Jerusalem, you once were a prisoner. Now free yourself from the chains around your neck.

Isaiah 52:2 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 52:2

Shake thyself from the dust
Or "the dust from thee" F7, in which she had sat, or rolled herself as a mourner; or where she had been trampled upon by her persecutors and oppressors; but now being delivered from them, as well as from all carnal professors and false teachers, she is called upon to shake herself from the dust of debasement and distress, of false doctrine, superstition, and will worship, in every form and shape, a great deal of which adheres to those churches called reformed. Arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem;
or "sit up", as it may be rendered; arise from thy low estate, from the ground and dust where thou art cast;

``and sit upon the throne of thy glory,''
so the Targum: it denotes the exaltation of the church from a low to a high estate, signified by the ascension of the witnesses to heaven, ( Revelation 11:12 ) . Some render it, "arise, O captivity"; or "captive" F8; so the word is used in ( Isaiah 49:24 Isaiah 49:25 ) and agrees with what follows: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion;
or loose thou "the bands off thy neck from thee"; which seems to denote the people of God in mystical Babylon, a little before its destruction, who will be called out of it, as they afterwards are in this chapter; and to throw off the Romish yoke, and release themselves from that captivity and bondage they have been brought into by the man of sin, who now himself shall be led captive, ( Revelation 13:10 ) .
FOOTNOTES:

F7 (rpem yrenth) "exute pulverem a te", Sanctius, Gataker.
F8 (ybv ymwq) "surge captivas", Forerius; so Ben Melech interprets it.

Isaiah 52:2 In-Context

1 Wake up, wake up, Jerusalem! Become strong! Be beautiful again, holy city of Jerusalem. will not enter you again.
2 Jerusalem, you once were a prisoner. Now shake off the dust and stand up. Jerusalem, you once were a prisoner. Now free yourself from the chains around your neck.
3 This is what the Lord says: "You were not sold for a price, so you will be saved without cost."
4 This is what the Lord God says: "First my people went down to Egypt to live. Later Assyria made them slaves.
5 "Now see what has happened," says the Lord. "Another nation has taken away my people for nothing. This nation who rules them makes fun of me," says the Lord. "All day long they speak against me.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.