Bible Strands
Isaiah 33:22
For the LORD is our Judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our King. It is He who will save us.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Isaiah addresses the community of Judah in a vision of restored Zion (vv. 21–23), where Yahweh's direct presence replaces the failed political order. The verse functions as a summary declaration of who governs that restored community.
The words — מְחֹקְקֵנוּ (mechoqqenu) is rendered "lawgiver" in English but carries the root חֲקַק (chāqaq), "to engrave, to inscribe." The literal image is "our engraver" — the one who carves the law into stone, not merely pronounces it.
The thread — James 4:12 compresses the same triad: "one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy." Zephaniah 3:15 pairs "Israel's King, the LORD, is among you" with the removal of punishment, echoing the judge-and-king combination here.
Why it lands — The verse refuses to separate judgment from legislation from sovereignty; all three belong to one person, leaving no room for a reader to accept the king while rejecting the judge or to keep the law while denying the lawgiver.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.
Cross-references
- Acts 5:31 God exalted Him to His right hand as Prince and Savior, in order to grant repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
- James 4:12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
- Zephaniah 3:15 The LORD has taken away your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. Israel’s King, the LORD, is among you; no longer will you fear any harm.
- Psalms 89:18 Surely our shield belongs to the LORD, and our king to the Holy One of Israel.
- Isaiah 12:2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. For the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He also has become my salvation.”
- Isaiah 25:9 And in that day it will be said, “Surely this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He has saved us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
- Isaiah 35:4 Say to those with anxious hearts: “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you.”
- Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
- Revelation 19:16 And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
- Psalms 50:6 And the heavens proclaim His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah