Isaiah33
New American Standard
1Woe to you, destroyer, While you were not destroyed; And he who is treacherous, while others did not deal treacherously with him. As soon as you finish destroying, you will be destroyed; As soon as you cease to deal treacherously, others will deal treacherously with you.
2Lord, be gracious to us; we have waited for You. Be their strength every morning, Our salvation also in the time of distress.
3At the sound of a roar, peoples flee; At the lifting up of Yourself, nations disperse.
4Your plunder is gathered as the caterpillar gathers; Like an infestation of locusts, people storm it.
5The Lord is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.
6And He will be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; The fear of the Lord is his treasure.
7Behold, their brave men cry out in the streets, The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
8The highways are desolate, the traveler has ceased, He has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, He has no regard for mankind.
9The land mourns and wastes away, Lebanon is shamed and withers; Sharon is like a desert plain, And Bashan and Carmel lose their foliage.
10“Now I will arise,” says the Lord, “Now I will be exalted, now I will be lifted up.
11You have conceived chaff, you will give birth to stubble; My breath will consume you like a fire.
12The peoples will be burned to lime, Like cut thorns which are burned in the fire.
13“You who are far away, hear what I have done; And you who are near, acknowledge My might.”
14Sinners in Zion are terrified; Trembling has seized the godless. “Who among us can live with the consuming fire? Who among us can live with everlasting burning?”
15One who walks righteously and speaks with integrity, One who rejects unjust gain And shakes his hands so that they hold no bribe; One who stops his ears from hearing about bloodshed And shuts his eyes from looking at evil;
16He will dwell on the heights, His refuge will be the impregnable rock; His bread will be given him, His water will be sure.
17Your eyes will see the King in His beauty; They will see a distant land.
18Your heart will meditate on terror: “Where is one who counts? Where is one who weighs? Where is one who counts the towers?”
19You will no longer see a fierce people, A people of unintelligible speech which no one comprehends, Of a stammering tongue which no one understands.
20Look at Zion, the city of our appointed feasts; Your eyes will see Jerusalem, an undisturbed settlement, A tent which will not be folded; Its stakes will never be pulled up, Nor any of its ropes be torn apart.
21But there the majestic One, the Lord, will be for us A place of rivers and wide canals On which no boat with oars will go, And on which no mighty ship will pass—
22For the Lord is our judge, The Lord is our lawgiver, The Lord is our king; He will save us—
23Your ship’s tackle hangs slack; It cannot hold the base of its mast firmly, Nor spread out the sail. Then the prey of an abundant spoil will be divided; Those who limp will take the plunder.
24And no resident will say, “I am sick”; The people who live there will be forgiven their wrongdoing.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Isaiah 33.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: God's judgments against the enemies of his church. (1-14). The happiness of his people. (15-24).
vv1-14
Here we have the proud and false destroyer justly reckoned with for all his fraud and violence. The righteous God often pays sinners in their own coin. Those who by faith humbly wait for God, shall find him gracious to them; as the day, so let the strength be. If God leaves us to ourselves any morning, we are undone; we must every morning commit ourselves to him, and go forth in his strength to do the work of the day. When God arises, his enemies are scattered. True wisdom and knowledge lead to strength of salvation, which renders us stedfast in the ways of God; and true piety is the only treasure which can never be plundered or spent. The distress Jerusalem was brought into, is described. God's time to appear for his people, is, when all other helpers fail. Let all who hear what God has done, acknowledge that he can do every thing. Sinners in Zion will have much to answer for, above other sinners. And those that rebel against the commands of the word, cannot take its comforts in time of need. His wrath will burn those everlastingly who make themselves fuel for it. It is a fire that shall never be quenched, nor ever go out of itself; it is the wrath of an ever-living God preying on the conscience of a never-dying soul.
vv15-24
The true believer watches against all occasions of sin. The Divine power will keep him safe, and his faith in that power will keep him easy. He shall want nothing needful for him. Every blessing of salvation is freely bestowed on all that ask with humble, believing prayer; and the believer is safe in time and for ever. Those that walk uprightly shall not only have bread given, and their water sure, but they shall, by faith, see the King of kings in his beauty, the beauty of holiness. The remembrance of the terror they were in, shall add to the pleasure of their deliverance. It is desirable to be quiet in our own houses, but much more so to be quiet in God's house; and in every age Christ will have a seed to serve him. Jerusalem had no large river running by it, but the presence and power of God make up all wants. We have all in God, all we need, or can desire. By faith we take Christ for our Prince and Saviour; he reigns over his redeemed people. All that refuse to have Him to reign over them, make shipwreck of their souls. Sickness is taken away in mercy, when the fruit of it is the taking away of sin. If iniquity be taken away, we have little reason to complain of outward affliction. This last verse leads our thoughts, not only to the most glorious state of the gospel church on earth, but to heaven, where no sickness or trouble can enter. He that blotteth out our transgressions, will heal our souls.
Key Words
הוֹי: oh!
שָׁדַד: properly, to be burly, i.e. (figuratively) powerful (passively, impregnable); by implication, to ravage
לֹא: not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
בָּגַד: to cover (with a garment); figuratively, to act covertly; by implication, to pillage
תָּמַם: to complete, in a good or a bad sense, literal, or figurative, transitive or intransitive
נָלָה: to complete
חָנַן: properly, to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow; causatively to implore (i.e. move to favor by petition)
קָוָה: to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. collect; (figuratively) to expect
זְרוֹעַ: the arm (as stretched out), or (of animals) the foreleg; figuratively, force
בֹּקֶר: properly, dawn (as the break of day); generally, morning
Cross References
Isaiah 33Sennacherib breaking his covenant with Hezekiah despite the payment of tribute.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
The dramatic destruction of Sennacherib's army, fulfilling the doom of the unprovoked spoiler.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole, JFB
The retributive principle that those who spoil others will ultimately be spoiled themselves.
Supported by JFB
The weeping ambassadors of peace sent to Rabshakeh during the Assyrian siege.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Echoes the classic liturgical question and answer regarding who may dwell in God's holy presence.
Supported by JFB
Paul's triumphantly adapted query 'Where is the scribe?' celebrating God's defeat of worldly wisdom.
Supported by Matthew Henry
The severe image of divine wrath turning enemies into 'burnings of lime' or bone-ash.
Supported by JFB
The solemn realization of eternal burnings and unquenchable fire facing the hypocrites and wicked.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Saints defined by clean hands, pure hearts, and refusal of deceitful gain.
Supported by JFB
The terrifying threat of a fierce, invading nation whose foreign tongue cannot be understood.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Jerusalem, lacking literal rivers, is watered by the secure and quiet streams of God's presence.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Hezekiah's trust and divine deliverance, demonstrating that the fear of the Lord is stability.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Highways lying desolate and travelers ceasing, representing extreme national terror and ruin.
Supported by John Calvin
Sharon and Lebanon, here desolate under judgment, are later restored to magnificent beauty.
Supported by JFB
The linkage of physical healing and restoration to the ultimate forgiveness of iniquity.
Supported by Matthew Henry