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Isaiah 24 KJV

The Lord's Devastation of the Earth

Major Prophets 4 min 23 verses 592 words Isaiah inhabitants ร—3 thereof ร—3 utterly ร—3 broken ร—3 wine ร—3

Isaiah Chapter 24: The Lord's Devastation of the Earth

The chapter frames the earth's devastation as a reversal of creation, with 'tohu' (waste) echoing Genesis 1:2 and undoing the ordered cosmos through divine judgment rather than primordial waters.

B1๐Ÿ”—ehold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

2๐Ÿ”— And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.

3๐Ÿ”— The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.

4๐Ÿ”— The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.

5๐Ÿ”— The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

6๐Ÿ”— Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

7๐Ÿ”— The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.

8๐Ÿ”— The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

9๐Ÿ”— They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

10๐Ÿ”— The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

11๐Ÿ”— There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

12๐Ÿ”— In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

13๐Ÿ”— When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.

14๐Ÿ”— They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea.

15๐Ÿ”— Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.

16๐Ÿ”— From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

17๐Ÿ”— Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

18๐Ÿ”— And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

19๐Ÿ”— The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

20๐Ÿ”— The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

21๐Ÿ”— And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.

22๐Ÿ”— And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited.

23๐Ÿ”— Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously.

Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain the earth โ€” rather, "the land" of Judah (so in Isa 24:3, 5, 6; Joe 1:2). The desolation under Nebuchadnezzar prefigured that under Titus.

Classic verse-by-verse commentary on Isaiah 24 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: The last times of the world in general, and of Judah and the church in particular.

1
the earth โ€” rather, "the land" of Judah (so in Isa 24:3, 5, 6; Joe 1:2). The desolation under Nebuchadnezzar prefigured that under Titus.
2
as with the people, so with the priest โ€” All alike shall share the same calamity: no favored class shall escape (compare Eze 7:12, 13; Ho 4:9; Re 6:15).
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Chapter Context

Did You Know?

1

The chapter frames the earth's devastation as a reversal of creation, with 'tohu' (waste) echoing Genesis 1:2 and undoing the ordered cosmos through divine judgment rather than primordial waters.

2

Verse 5's reference to breaking the 'everlasting covenant' extends beyond Israel to indict all humanity, implying a universal moral order traceable to Noah or even Adamic stipulations.

3

The punishment of 'the host of the high ones that are on high' in verse 21 is widely read as encompassing celestial or demonic powers alongside earthly rulers, introducing a cosmic dimension rare in pre-exilic prophecy.

4

The 'city of confusion' (KJV) in verse 10 deliberately evokes Babel through the Hebrew term tohu, linking the chapter's urban collapse to the scattering at the tower and prefiguring eschatological Babylon.

5

Its placement inaugurates the 'Isaiah Apocalypse' (24-27) by blending flood-like imagery with resurrection hints in later chapters, creating an early template for apocalyptic literature that influences Daniel and Revelation.