Isaiah 22

The Valley of Vision and the Key of David

Jerusalem parties on its rooftops and fortifies its walls but never looks to its Maker, and a proud steward is replaced by a servant who holds the key.

Probably c. 701 BC, around Sennacherib’s invasion Read with footnotes in Gospel Library

Background

After oracles against Babylon, Moab, Damascus, Egypt, and Arabia, Isaiah turns to a surprising target: Jerusalem itself, which he calls “the valley of vision.”

After oracles against Babylon, Moab, Damascus, Egypt, and Arabia, Isaiah turns to a surprising target: Jerusalem itself, which he calls “the valley of vision.” The irony is intentional. The city of prophets and visions has become spiritually blind.

The historical setting is almost certainly the Assyrian crisis around 701 BC. Verses 8–11 describe exactly the defensive measures Hezekiah took when Sennacherib invaded: checking the arsenal, repairing breaches in the wall, tearing down houses to strengthen it, and redirecting the water supply (2 Chr. 32:2–5; 2 Kgs. 20:20). Archaeologists have found evidence of each.

The second half of the chapter (verses 15–25) zooms in on two officials in Hezekiah’s court. Shebna, a proud steward, is building himself a grand tomb. Eliakim, a faithful servant, will replace him and receive “the key of the house of David.” These verses become important in the New Testament, where the Savior applies the key to Himself (Rev. 3:7).

The thread through the chapter

Isaiah 22 is about looking in the wrong direction. In the first half, Jerusalem is celebrating on its rooftops, “a joyous city” (verse 2), perhaps because the Assyrian army…

Isaiah 22 is about looking in the wrong direction.

In the first half, Jerusalem is celebrating on its rooftops, “a joyous city” (verse 2), perhaps because the Assyrian army withdrew or seemed to. But Isaiah refuses to join the party. He weeps bitterly (verse 4), because he sees what’s coming, and because he sees what’s missing.

Verses 8–11 list everything Jerusalem did right from a military point of view. They inspected the weapons in “the house of the forest.” They surveyed the breaches in the walls. They collected water in the lower pool. They counted the houses and tore some down to thicken the wall. They built a reservoir between the walls. It was a thorough and competent civil-defense effort. And then comes the verdict: “but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago” (verse 11).

They looked at walls, water, and weapons, everything except God. And when the Lord called them to repentance, they threw a feast: “let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die” (verse 13).

The second half tells the same story through two men. Shebna looked at himself. He was carving a magnificent tomb to secure his legacy (verse 16), and he will be tossed away “like a ball” (verse 18). Eliakim is called “my servant,” receives the robe and the key, and becomes “a nail in a sure place” (verses 20–23). Even he, as the final verses warn, can bear only so much weight. The only one who can hold everything hung on Him is the true Holder of the key.

Tap any highlighted phrase to open a note beneath its versein the margin.

Verses 1–7

A city partying on its rooftops

In plain words

This is the oracle about the Valley of Vision. What is wrong with you, that you have all gone up to the rooftops? You noisy, excited, partying city! Your dead didn’t die by the sword or in battle. All your leaders ran away together and were captured without a shot from a bow. Everyone who was caught was taken prisoner, even those who fled far away. So I said, “Look away from me; let me weep bitterly. Don’t try to comfort me over the destruction of my people.” For the Lord God of hosts has a day of panic, trampling, and confusion in the Valley of Vision, a day of battering down walls and crying out to the mountains. Elam takes up the quiver, with chariots and horsemen, and Kir uncovers the shield. Your finest valleys are full of chariots, and horsemen take positions at the gates.

1 The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?

2 Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.

3 All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.

4 Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.

5 For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.

6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.

7 And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.

Verses 8–14

Everything but God

In plain words

Judah’s defenses were stripped away. In that day you looked to the weapons in the House of the Forest. You saw the many breaches in the walls of the City of David. You stored water in the lower pool. You counted the houses of Jerusalem and tore some down to strengthen the wall. You built a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to the One who made it, or consider the One who planned it long ago. In that day the Lord God of hosts called you to weep and mourn, to shave your heads and wear sackcloth. Instead there was celebration and joy, slaughtering cattle and sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: “Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” The Lord of hosts revealed this in my hearing: “This sin will not be atoned for as long as you live.”

8 And he discovered the covering of Judah, and thou didst look in that day to the armour of the house of the forest.

9 Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

10 And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall.

History & Setting #

The Broad Wall

This verse has been strikingly confirmed by archaeology. In the 1970s, excavations in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter led by Nahman Avigad uncovered a massive section of city wall…

This verse has been strikingly confirmed by archaeology. In the 1970s, excavations in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter led by Nahman Avigad uncovered a massive section of city wall about seven meters (23 feet) thick, now called the Broad Wall. It dates to the late 700s BC, the time of Hezekiah, and it was built right through the foundations of existing houses, which were demolished to make room for it.

You can still see a section of it in Jerusalem today. It is a physical reminder of Isaiah’s point. The people worked very hard on their walls. What they neglected was the Maker.

11 Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

History & Setting #

Hezekiah’s water system

Water was Jerusalem’s greatest vulnerability in a siege, because its main spring, the Gihon, lay outside the walls.

Water was Jerusalem’s greatest vulnerability in a siege, because its main spring, the Gihon, lay outside the walls. Hezekiah “stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David” (2 Chr. 32:30) through a tunnel carved over 530 meters (1,750 feet) through solid rock. It still carries water today. An inscription carved by the workmen describing the moment the two tunneling teams met was found in 1880.

Isaiah doesn’t condemn the engineering. He condemns the heart behind it.

Sources: The Siloam Tunnel Inscription, Istanbul Archaeology Museums. “Siloam”, Bible Dictionary. “Hezekiah”, Bible Dictionary.

Liken It #

The key verse

After a long list of competent preparations, this is the one line that matters.

After a long list of competent preparations, this is the one line that matters. They looked at the walls, the water, the weapons, and the houses. They did not look at the One who made it all and who planned these events “long ago.”

The Hebrew verb “looked” (nabat) is the same one used in verse 8 (“thou didst look… to the armour”). They looked hard at the wrong thing. It’s easy to do the same: to put enormous effort into our own defenses while giving the Lord a passing glance. The Lord’s counsel in modern times is to prepare and to trust: “if ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30), and “seek ye first the kingdom of God” (3 Ne. 13:33).

12 And in that day did the Lord GOD of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

13 And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

Restoration Insight #

“Eat, drink, for tomorrow we die”

The Lord called for mourning and repentance (verse 12), and the people responded with a feast, fatalistic and defiant: if we’re going to die anyway, let’s enjoy ourselves.

The Lord called for mourning and repentance (verse 12), and the people responded with a feast, fatalistic and defiant: if we’re going to die anyway, let’s enjoy ourselves.

The line became proverbial. Paul quoted it to show what life looks like without faith in the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:32). Nephi foresaw that in the last days many would say, “Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us” (2 Ne. 28:7–8), and that others would add that God will justify a little sin. The attitude hasn’t changed in 2,700 years.

14 And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Verses 15–25

Shebna and Eliakim

In plain words

The Lord God of hosts says: “Go to Shebna, the steward in charge of the palace, and say: What are you doing here, and who gave you permission to cut out a tomb for yourself here, carving a grave on the heights and a resting place in the rock? The Lord is about to grab you and hurl you away. He will roll you up tightly like a ball and throw you into a wide land. There you will die, and your splendid chariots will be there too, a disgrace to your master’s house. I will remove you from office and pull you down from your position. In that day I will call My servant Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will dress him in your robe, fasten your sash on him, and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to the people of Jerusalem and the house of Judah. I will place the key of the house of David on his shoulder. What he opens, no one can shut; what he shuts, no one can open. I will drive him like a peg into a firm place, and he will be a seat of honor for his father’s house. They will hang on him the whole weight of his father’s house: all its descendants and relatives, all the small vessels, from bowls to jars. In that day,” says the Lord of hosts, “the peg driven into the firm place will give way. It will be cut off and fall, and the load hanging on it will crash down. The Lord has spoken.”

15 Thus saith the Lord GOD of hosts, Go, get thee unto this treasurer, even unto Shebna, which is over the house, and say,

History & Setting #

A proud steward and his tomb

“Over the house” was the title of the royal steward, the highest official in the palace, something like a prime minister.

“Over the house” was the title of the royal steward, the highest official in the palace, something like a prime minister. Shebna held that office, and he was using it to build himself a magnificent rock-cut tomb “on high,” a monument to his own importance.

Archaeologists found a fascinating inscription in the village of Silwan, across the Kidron Valley from ancient Jerusalem. Carved over a rock-cut tomb, it reads that this is the tomb of “…yahu who is over the house.” The beginning of the name is broken off. Some scholars have suggested it was Shebna’s tomb (Shebnayahu is a longer form of the name). It can’t be proven, but it fits remarkably well. Later, Shebna appears demoted to “scribe,” with Eliakim as steward (Isa. 36:3; 2 Kgs. 18:18).

16 What hast thou here? and whom hast thou here, that thou hast hewed thee out a sepulchre here, as he that heweth him out a sepulchre on high, and that graveth an habitation for himself in a rock?

17 Behold, the LORD will carry thee away with a mighty captivity, and will surely cover thee.

18 He will surely violently turn and toss thee like a ball into a large country: there shalt thou die, and there the chariots of thy glory shall be the shame of thy lord’s house.

19 And I will drive thee from thy station, and from thy state shall he pull thee down.

20 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah:

21 And I will clothe him with thy robe, and strengthen him with thy girdle, and I will commit thy government into his hand: and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah.

22 And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.

Witness of Christ #

The key of David

Eliakim receives Shebna’s robe, sash, and authority, and above all “the key of the house of David.”

Eliakim receives Shebna’s robe, sash, and authority, and above all “the key of the house of David.” In ancient palaces, keys were large wooden objects, and the steward might literally carry one on his shoulder as a badge of office. Whoever held the key controlled access to the king.

“He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.” The risen Christ applies these exact words to Himself: “These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth” (Rev. 3:7). He is the true steward of the house of David, the one who controls access to the Father.

Latter-day Saints will also think of the priesthood keys Jesus gave to Peter (Matt. 16:19) and restored in our day (D&C 27:12–13; D&C 110:11–16), which authorize the opening and sealing of heaven.

23 And I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place; and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father’s house.

Imagery & Symbol #

A peg in a firm place

A “nail” here is a peg, a wooden or metal peg driven firmly into a wall to hang household vessels on.

A “nail” here is a peg, a wooden or metal peg driven firmly into a wall to hang household vessels on. Eliakim will be a dependable support on which his family can hang its honor. Some readers have seen in the phrase a foreshadowing of the nails of the crucifixion, but the Hebrew picture is simply a secure peg.

Verses 24–25 then add a warning. His relatives will hang their whole weight on him, every cup and every jar, and eventually even this secure peg gives way. No human leader, however faithful, can bear the full weight of everyone’s hopes. There is only one “sure foundation” that can (Isa. 28:16; Hel. 5:12).

24 And they shall hang upon him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the issue, all vessels of small quantity, from the vessels of cups, even to all the vessels of flagons.

25 In that day, saith the LORD of hosts, shall the nail that is fastened in the sure place be removed, and be cut down, and fall; and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off: for the LORD hath spoken it.

Seeing Christ in Isaiah 22

Isaiah 22 points to Christ in two ways. First, it exposes what He came to replace: a city that trusted its walls and a steward who trusted his tomb. “Ye have not looked unto the maker thereof” (verse 11), and Christ is the Maker (John 1:3; Mosiah 3:8).

Second, it gives us one of His titles. He is the one who holds “the key of David,” who opens so that no one can shut and shuts so that no one can open (Rev. 3:7). Eliakim was a faithful servant but a fallible peg. Christ is the peg that never gives way, the one on whom the whole weight of His Father’s house can safely hang.

Liken it to yourself

In my current challenges, where am I “looking”? Am I checking my walls, water, and weapons more carefully than I’m seeking the Lord (verse 11)?
Is there any way I’m building a “tomb on high,” investing in my own legacy or reputation more than in the Lord’s work?
Am I hanging more weight on a human “peg” (a leader, a spouse, a friend) than any person can bear? What would it mean to hang it on Christ instead?
When the Lord calls to repentance, do I respond with sackcloth or with a feast?

Worth exploring next

Hezekiah’s preparations. Read 2 Chr. 32:1–8. Notice that Hezekiah both built walls and said, “with us is the LORD our God to help us.” How does that balance compare with the people in Isaiah 22?
The key of David. Compare Isaiah 22:20–23 with Rev. 3:7–8 and Matt. 16:18–19.
Shebna and Eliakim later. Follow them in Isa. 36:3, Isa. 36:22, and Isa. 37:2.

Sources & further reading

“Eliakim”, Bible Dictionary.
“Hezekiah”, Bible Dictionary.
“Jerusalem”, Bible Dictionary.
The Siloam Tunnel Inscription, Istanbul Archaeology Museums.
Chapter 14: A Voice of Warning to the Wicked (Isaiah 13–23), Old Testament Student Manual: 1 Kings–Malachi (2003).
John N. Oswalt, The Book of Isaiah, New International Commentary on the Old Testament, 2 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986–1998.

I’ve studied Isaiah 22