Isaiah 65:20

Infant of days. That is, an infant who dies being but a few days old. Many expositors have been greatly perplexed over this verse inasmuch as it presupposes the continuance of death and sin at a time when they believe these would have been abolished. The perplexity has been expressed thus: “What is most remarkable in the description is that death and sin are represented as still continuing” (Pulpit). The answer to this problem has already been given (see on v. 17). Isaiah describes the new heavens and the new earth in terms of how these conditions would have been brought about with respect to the nation of Israel.

The resurrection and state of immortality would have been preceded by a period in which adherence to the laws of God and cooperation with the divine program would have largely banished sickness and premature death. It is this feature that Isaiah emphasizes in this present verse. His language is poetic, but the general meaning seems clear. His first point of observation is with regard to infant mortality. There would be no infant deaths.

Filled his days. That is, there would be no premature deaths. Old men would not die until they had lived out their allotted span.

Child. Heb. na‘ar, “a lad,” “a youth.” The third group, the youth, is now mentioned. The statement concerning them parallels those concerning the other groups. The young people, too, would not die until they had lived out the allotted span. The span is here placed at 100 years. Why this particular figure was chosen is not made clear. It was doubtless a round number, and in the time of Isaiah represented a figure well above the average span of life. According to Ps. 90:10, of which Moses is thought to have been the author, man’s span was 70 years. A few attained to 80 years. Of the kings of Judah from Rehoboam to Jehoiakim whose approximate length of life can be calculated, the average age at death was about 47 years. An age of 100 years for Isaiah’s contemporaries would thus be considerably above the age that the average man hoped to reach.

The promises here made to Israel on the condition that they would cooperate with the divine program may be compared with the promises to them at the time of the Exodus. At that time the Lord promised to take away all sickness (Deut. 7:15). Upon the fulfillment of the “conditions,” the promise was verified to them. “There was not one feeble person among their tribes” (Ps. 105:37; see further COL 288). The same promises of longevity and immunity from suffering were now once again offered Israel, and upon the same conditions.

The conditions here described — a spiritually revived Israel at last working in harmony with Heaven’s plan, and inheriting a once more productive Palestine (Isa. 65:9, 10) — would have preceded the final eradication of sin and sinners, the resurrection, and subsequent immortality for the righteous.

With the failure of Israel and the consequent fulfillment of these promises in the Christian church (PK 713, 714), certain features will be altered, but the final climatic event — the new heavens and the new earth, in which dwelleth righteousness — is still the blessed hope of the saints today (2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 21:1,2). For this the church has long prayed (Matt. 6:10).

Some have understood the clause, “the child shall die an hundred years old,” to mean that at the age of 100 a man would be regarded as a mere youth. They believe that the comparison is with conditions in this world before the Flood: “Men before the flood lived many hundreds of years, and when one hundred years old were considered but youths” (4SG 156). However, the use of the word “die” (Heb. muth) to describe the transition from youth to adulthood would be most unusual. Since the passage can be understood without difficulty by ascribing to muth its normal meaning, it seems better to avoid an involved and uncertain interpretation of the word.

Accursed. In contrast with the blessings enjoyed by the righteous, the sinner, even should he attain to old age, would be accursed.