“Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people.”
My Notes
What Does Isaiah 62:10 Mean?
Isaiah commands preparation for the return of God's people: go through the gates, prepare the way, build up the highway, clear the stones, raise a banner. Each instruction removes an obstacle between the exiles and their homecoming. The urgency is in the repetition: "go through, go through" and "cast up, cast up."
The highway preparation echoes Isaiah 40:3 — "prepare ye the way of the LORD" — but here the road is being built for the people, not just for God. The same road God walks, his people walk. The divine highway is a shared path.
The stone-gathering is practical: ancient roads were unusable when covered with debris. Clearing the stones meant removing every stumbling block between the travelers and their destination. And the raised standard (nes — a banner, a signal flag) serves as a visible marker so the people can see where they're headed. The road is cleared and the destination is marked.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What 'stones' are you called to clear from someone else's spiritual path?
- 2.How does the urgency of 'go through, go through' apply to preparation work you might be delaying?
- 3.What 'banner' needs to be raised in your community so people can see where they're headed?
- 4.Who went before you and cleared the road — and how did their preparation make your journey possible?
Devotional
Go through. Go through. Build up. Build up. The urgency doubles every command. Isaiah isn't whispering instructions — he's shouting them. The highway must be prepared. The stones must be cleared. The banner must be raised. The people are coming home, and the road needs to be ready.
The stone-clearing is the most practical image. Every literal stone on the road represents a stumbling block between someone and their destination. Isaiah says: remove them. All of them. Don't leave obstacles on the path that God's people will walk. The highway isn't just built — it's cleared of everything that could trip a traveler.
The banner raised for the people is the opposite of the stones: where stones block, banners guide. The standard is a visible signal — come this way. You're headed in the right direction. Keep going. The people returning from exile need both: the obstacles removed and the destination marked.
This verse speaks to anyone whose calling includes preparing the way for others. Parents clearing stones from their children's spiritual path. Leaders lifting banners so communities can see where they're headed. Friends removing stumbling blocks and pointing toward home. The preparation work isn't glamorous — nobody writes songs about stone-clearing — but it's essential. Someone has to go through the gates first and make the road walkable.
What stones need clearing on the path someone near you is walking? What banner needs raising so they can see where home is?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Go through, go through the gates,.... Open them, and keep them open for persons to enter in; meaning not the gates of…
Go through, go through the gates - The connection of this with what goes before is not very apparent, and there has been…
Of the people "For the people" - Before the word העם haam, the people, two MSS. insert יהוה Yehovah; one MS. adds the…
This, as many like passages before, refers to the deliverance of the Jews out of Babylon, and, under the type and figure…
Announcement of the return of the exiles. The passage resembles ch. Isa 48:20 ff., Isa 52:11 f.; and at first sight it…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture