For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easy to miss here is the sharp contrast between fleeting destruction and eternal security. The "moth" and "worm" are small, common things that can utterly consume what seems solid, like a garment or wool, highlighting the fragility of human endeavors and even human life. Yet, God's righteousness and salvation are presented as impervious to such decay, offering an enduring foundation that spans all generations.
For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Isaiah is speaking to a people who are feeling overwhelmed by their enemies and the devastation around them. He's urging them to remember God's past faithfulness and to find hope not in earthly things, which are fleeting, but in God's eternal righteousness and salvation. This verse contrasts the eventual decay of all human endeavors and oppressors with the everlasting nature of God's saving actions.
What happens to those who oppose God's people? The Bible uses stark imagery to describe their ultimate fate.
The verse paints a vivid picture of inevitable decay and destruction for those who stand against God and His people. The imagery of a garment being eaten by a moth and wool by a worm highlights:
This isn't just about physical decay; it represents the ultimate, sure judgment that awaits those who reject God's authority.
While worldly things decay, there's a foundation that lasts forever. What is it, and why is it so significant?
In stark contrast to the decay of the wicked, the verse declares the eternal nature of God's righteousness and salvation.
Ask a follow-up
This contrast is meant to offer immense hope and security: while the world may seem impermanent and its enemies destined for destruction, God's character and His plan of salvation are eternally reliable.
The imagery of moths and worms consuming garments highlights the utter destruction and decay that befell Jerusalem and its people during the Babylonian exile. In contrast, the promise of God's eternal righteousness and salvation offers profound hope and a stark reminder of His enduring faithfulness amidst devastating loss.
c. 701 BC
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
The Assyrian king Sennacherib invades Judah, conquering many cities and besieking Jerusalem. This event would have instilled great fear and a sense of impending doom among the Judeans.
c. 597 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Jerusalem, deporting King Jehoiachin and a significant portion of the Judean elite, including the prophet Ezekiel. This marked the beginning of the Babylonian exile.
c. 586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, further escalating the exile and scattering of the Judean people. This was a catastrophic event for Judean identity and worship.
c. 539 BC
Cyrus the Great Conquers Babylon
Cyrus the Great of Persia overthrows the Babylonian Empire, initiating a new era for the exiles.
c. 538 BC
Edict of Cyrus Allowing Return
Cyrus issues a decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. This marked the end of the Babylonian exile.
This passage vividly describes the holiness of God and how His presence can bring about overwhelming awe and even physical reactions, paralleling Isaiah's emphasis on God's unchanging righteousness in contrast to the decay of earthly things.
Psalm 102:25-27This Psalm directly echoes Isaiah's theme of the transient nature of creation ('heavens will vanish like smoke...earth will wear out like a garment') contrasted with the eternal nature of God ('but you remain the same, and your years will have no end').
Romans 8:18-25This passage speaks of the 'groaning' of creation and the hope of future redemption, resonating with Isaiah's contrast between present decay and future glory, and the enduring nature of God's salvation.
1 Corinthians 15:50-57This New Testament passage discusses the resurrection and the transformation from perishable to imperishable, directly addressing the theme of decay and ultimate victory over death through God's power, similar to Isaiah's message.
barnesIsaiah 51:8: "For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation."
For the moth - (see Isaiah 50:9 ). The idea is, that they shall be consumed as the moth eats up a garment; or rather, that the moth itself shall consume them as it does a garment: that is, that they were so weak when compared with Yahweh that even the moth, one of the smallest, and most contemptible of insect…
pulpitIsaiah 51:8: "For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation from generation to generation."
Verse 8. - The moth shall eat them (comp. Isaiah 50:9). If men themselves never wholly pass away (see the comment on ver. 6), yet it is otherwise with their judgments. These perish absolutely, disappear, and are utterly forgotten.
What's easy to miss here is the sharp contrast between fleeting destruction and eternal security. The "moth" and "worm" are small, common things that can utterly consume what seems solid, like a garment or wool, highlighting the fragility of human endeavors and even human life. Yet, God's righteousness and salvation are presented as impervious to such decay, offering an enduring foundation that spans all generations.
Isaiah is speaking to a people who are feeling overwhelmed by their enemies and the devastation around them. He's urging them to remember God's past faithfulness and to find hope not in earthly things, which are fleeting, but in God's eternal righteousness and salvation. This verse contrasts the eventual decay of all human endeavors and oppressors with the everlasting nature of God's saving actions.
Isaiah is speaking to a people who are feeling overwhelmed by their enemies and the devastation around them. He's urging them to remember God's past faithfulness and to find hope not in earthly things, which are fleeting, but in God's eternal righteousness and salvation. This verse contrasts the eventual decay of all human endeavors and oppressors with the everlasting nature of God's saving actions.
"For the moth will eat them up like a garment, and the worm will eat them like wool, but my righteousness will be forever, and my salvation to all generations.”" — What's easy to miss here is the sharp contrast between fleeting destruction and eternal security. The "moth" and "worm" are small, common things that can utterly consume what seems solid, like a garm…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026