Isaiah 24 Study Notes: The LORD Judges the Whole Earth
Isaiah describes the LORD laying waste the whole earth because its people broke His laws and covenant, so that joy ceases and few people remain. Songs of praise rise from distant lands, the powers on high and earthly kings are punished, and the LORD reigns in glory in Zion.
General
According to 24:5, why has the earth come under this judgment?
Answer: Its people broke God's laws and the everlasting covenant
The earth is polluted by those who live on it, because they have disobeyed God's laws, overstepped His decrees and violated the everlasting covenant (24:5). Therefore a curse devours the land, and its people bear their guilt (24:6). The judgment is not random; it answers human rebellion. Interpreters differ on which covenant is meant: some point to God's covenant with Noah and all living creatures (Genesis 9:16), others to the law God wrote on human hearts (Romans 2:14-15). Either way, all humanity is accountable to God, and the ground itself has carried a curse since Adam's sin (Genesis 3:17).
- Isaiah 24:5-6 (BSB)“The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth’s dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive.”The earth is polluted by its people's rebellion, so a curse devours it.
- Genesis 9:16 (BSB)“And whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of every kind that is on the earth.””God's covenant after the flood is called everlasting and made with every living creature.
- Romans 2:14-15 (BSB)“Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them”Paul says God's law is written on human hearts, so even those without Scripture are accountable.
- Genesis 3:17 (BSB)“And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.”The ground came under a curse because of Adam's sin.
Theological
What ground does 24:5-6 give for the curse consuming the earth?
Answer: Its people broke God's laws and the everlasting covenant
The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants because they have transgressed God's laws, overridden His statutes and violated the everlasting covenant (24:5); hence the curse devours the land and its people bear their guilt (24:6). The judgment is moral, a response to universal rebellion. Readers differ over whether the covenant is the Noahic covenant made with all creatures (Genesis 9:16) or God's law inscribed on every conscience (Romans 2:14-15); on either reading the whole human race stands guilty before God, and the curse recalls the ground cursed after Adam's fall (Genesis 3:17).
- Isaiah 24:5-6 (BSB)“The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth’s dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive.”The earth is polluted by its people's rebellion, so a curse devours it.
- Genesis 9:16 (BSB)“And whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of every kind that is on the earth.””God's covenant after the flood is called everlasting and made with every living creature.
- Romans 2:14-15 (BSB)“Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them”Paul says God's law is written on human hearts, so even those without Scripture are accountable.
- Genesis 3:17 (BSB)“And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.”The ground came under a curse because of Adam's sin.
General
What point does 24:2 make by listing pairs like priest and people, master and servant, and buyer and seller?
Answer: God's judgment falls on every class alike
The chapter opens with the LORD laying the earth waste and scattering its inhabitants (24:1). Verse 2 then lists pairs, matching priest with people, master with servant, and lender with borrower, to show that rank, wealth and job offer no shelter (24:2-3). God judges without partiality. Hosea says it would be the same for people and priest, each punished for their ways (Hosea 4:9), and Ezekiel tells buyer and seller alike not to rejoice or mourn because wrath was on the whole crowd (Ezekiel 7:12). Paul gives the principle: God shows no partiality in judgment (Romans 2:11).
- Isaiah 24:1-3 (BSB)“Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants— people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor. The earth will be utterly laid waste and thoroughly plundered. For the LORD has spoken this word.”The LORD lays the earth waste and scatters its people, whatever their rank or role.
- Hosea 4:9 (BSB)“And it shall be like people, like priest. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.”Hosea says priest and people alike will be punished for their ways.
- Ezekiel 7:12 (BSB)“The time has come; the day has arrived. Let the buyer not rejoice and the seller not mourn, for wrath is upon the whole multitude.”Ezekiel tells buyer and seller that wrath is coming on the whole multitude.
- Romans 2:11 (BSB)“For God does not show favoritism.”Paul states that God judges without favoritism.
Theological
What is the force of the paired social categories in 24:1-3?
Answer: God's judgment falls on every class alike
The LORD's devastation of the earth (24:1) is universal in scope, and the paired categories of 24:2, religious and lay, slave and free, commercial and financial, underline that no status exempts anyone (24:2-3). Divine judgment is impartial. Hosea 4:9 applies the same leveling to priest and people, Ezekiel 7:12 to buyer and seller, and Romans 2:11 states the principle that God shows no partiality.
- Isaiah 24:1-3 (BSB)“Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants— people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor. The earth will be utterly laid waste and thoroughly plundered. For the LORD has spoken this word.”The LORD lays the earth waste and scatters its people, whatever their rank or role.
- Hosea 4:9 (BSB)“And it shall be like people, like priest. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.”Hosea says priest and people alike will be punished for their ways.
- Ezekiel 7:12 (BSB)“The time has come; the day has arrived. Let the buyer not rejoice and the seller not mourn, for wrath is upon the whole multitude.”Ezekiel tells buyer and seller that wrath is coming on the whole multitude.
- Romans 2:11 (BSB)“For God does not show favoritism.”Paul states that God judges without favoritism.
General
What picture does 24:13 use for the few left among the nations after the judgment?
Answer: Gleanings after an olive or grape harvest
Verse 6 says only a few people survive the burning of the earth's inhabitants, and verse 13 compares the nations to a beaten olive tree or vines after the harvest, with only scattered leftovers remaining (24:6, 13). The judgment is sweeping, yet it does not wipe out everyone: a remnant, a small surviving group, is left. Isaiah used the same picture of a few olives left at the top of the tree (17:6). The idea of a surviving few also appears in 1:9, where Judah has survivors only because the LORD left them, a verse Paul quotes for the remnant God keeps (Romans 9:29).
- Isaiah 24:6 (BSB)“Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth’s dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive.”Only a few of the earth's people survive the judgment.
- Isaiah 24:13 (BSB)“So will it be on the earth and among the nations, like a harvested olive tree, like a gleaning after a grape harvest.”The nations are left like the scattered fruit after a harvest.
- Isaiah 17:6 (BSB)“Yet gleanings will remain, like an olive tree that has been beaten—two or three berries atop the tree, four or five on its fruitful branches,” declares the LORD, the God of Israel.”Isaiah used the same picture of a few olives left at the top of a beaten tree.
- Isaiah 1:9 (BSB)“Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”Unless the LORD had left survivors, His people would have been wiped out like Sodom.
- Romans 9:29 (BSB)“It is just as Isaiah foretold: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.””Paul quotes Isaiah 1:9 to show that God preserves a remnant.
Theological
What image in 24:13 (compare 24:6) depicts the remnant left after the earth's judgment?
Answer: Gleanings after an olive or grape harvest
The few who survive the burning of the earth's inhabitants (24:6) are compared to the sparse fruit left after olives are beaten from the tree or grapes are gleaned (24:13). Even judgment on a world scale does not empty the earth completely; a remnant survives. The image repeats 17:6, and the theme of a surviving few recalls 1:9, where survivors exist only because the LORD left them, a verse Paul cites in Romans 9:29 for the remnant God preserves.
- Isaiah 24:6 (BSB)“Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth’s dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive.”Only a few of the earth's people survive the judgment.
- Isaiah 24:13 (BSB)“So will it be on the earth and among the nations, like a harvested olive tree, like a gleaning after a grape harvest.”The nations are left like the scattered fruit after a harvest.
- Isaiah 17:6 (BSB)“Yet gleanings will remain, like an olive tree that has been beaten—two or three berries atop the tree, four or five on its fruitful branches,” declares the LORD, the God of Israel.”Isaiah used the same picture of a few olives left at the top of a beaten tree.
- Isaiah 1:9 (BSB)“Unless the LORD of Hosts had left us a few survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.”Unless the LORD had left survivors, His people would have been wiped out like Sodom.
- Romans 9:29 (BSB)“It is just as Isaiah foretold: “Unless the Lord of Hosts had left us descendants, we would have become like Sodom, we would have resembled Gomorrah.””Paul quotes Isaiah 1:9 to show that God preserves a remnant.
General
How does 24:7-12 describe the effect of the judgment on the city's celebrations?
Answer: Music and wine fail and all gladness turns to gloom
The fresh wine fails, the merrymakers groan, tambourines and harp go quiet, and strong drink tastes bitter (24:7-9). The chaotic city lies broken, its houses shut and its gate battered to rubble, while people cry in the streets for wine (24:10-12). The pleasures people relied on are taken away. Jeremiah describes God silencing joy and putting out the lamp in judgment (Jeremiah 25:10), and Revelation pictures a judged Babylon where harpists will never again be heard (Revelation 18:22). The city is not named; some readers look for a particular city, while many take it as a picture of human society organized apart from God.
- Isaiah 24:7-12 (BSB)“The new wine dries up, the vine withers. All the merrymakers now groan. The joyful tambourines have ceased; the noise of revelers has stopped; the joyful harp is silent. They no longer sing and drink wine; strong drink is bitter to those who consume it. The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry. In the streets they cry out for wine. All joy turns to gloom; rejoicing is exiled from the land. The city is left in ruins; its gate is reduced to rubble.”Wine, music and celebration cease, and the broken city is left desolate.
- Jeremiah 25:10 (BSB)“Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp.”Jeremiah describes God silencing joy and putting out the lamp in judgment.
- Revelation 18:22 (BSB)“And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never ring out in you again. Nor will any craftsmen of any trade be found in you again, nor the sound of a millstone be heard in you again.”Revelation pictures music and trade falling silent in judged Babylon.
Theological
What becomes of the revelry of the shattered city in 24:7-12?
Answer: Music and wine fail and all gladness turns to gloom
Judgment reverses festivity: the vintage fails, the instruments fall silent, drink turns bitter (24:7-9), and the chaotic city is broken, barred and gated with rubble as its people lament for wine (24:10-12). Jeremiah 25:10 depicts the same removal of joy, and Revelation 18:22 echoes it in the silencing of judged Babylon. The city is unnamed; some identify a particular city, while many read it as human society ordered without God.
- Isaiah 24:7-12 (BSB)“The new wine dries up, the vine withers. All the merrymakers now groan. The joyful tambourines have ceased; the noise of revelers has stopped; the joyful harp is silent. They no longer sing and drink wine; strong drink is bitter to those who consume it. The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry. In the streets they cry out for wine. All joy turns to gloom; rejoicing is exiled from the land. The city is left in ruins; its gate is reduced to rubble.”Wine, music and celebration cease, and the broken city is left desolate.
- Jeremiah 25:10 (BSB)“Moreover, I will banish from them the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of the bride and bridegroom, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp.”Jeremiah describes God silencing joy and putting out the lamp in judgment.
- Revelation 18:22 (BSB)“And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never ring out in you again. Nor will any craftsmen of any trade be found in you again, nor the sound of a millstone be heard in you again.”Revelation pictures music and trade falling silent in judged Babylon.
General
Why are the moon and sun said to be put to shame in 24:23?
Answer: The LORD reigns in Zion with glory outshining theirs
The chapter ends with moon and sun put to shame, because the LORD will rule as King in Zion and Jerusalem, with His glory displayed before His elders (24:23). Zion was the hill of Jerusalem where God's temple stood, and in Isaiah it stands for the place of God's rule among His people. His glory so outshines the brightest lights of creation that they seem dim beside Him. Isaiah later says God Himself will be His people's everlasting light (60:19), and Revelation's holy city needs no sun or moon because God's glory lights it (Revelation 21:23). The elders before His glory recall Israel's elders who saw God at Sinai (Exodus 24:9-10).
- Isaiah 24:23 (BSB)“The moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.”Moon and sun are put to shame as the LORD reigns in glory in Zion before His elders.
- Isaiah 60:19 (BSB)“No longer will the sun be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your splendor.”Isaiah later says the LORD Himself will be His people's everlasting light.
- Revelation 21:23 (BSB)“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.”The holy city needs no sun or moon because God's glory gives it light.
- Exodus 24:9-10 (BSB)“Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.”Israel's elders saw God at Sinai, as elders behold His glory here.
Theological
What reason does 24:23 give for the confounding of moon and sun?
Answer: The LORD reigns in Zion with glory outshining theirs
The heavenly lights are abashed because the LORD takes up His reign in Zion and Jerusalem, His glory manifest before His elders (24:23). The created luminaries, often objects of pagan worship, are eclipsed by the Creator's own radiance. The image anticipates 60:19, where the LORD Himself becomes His people's light, and is echoed in Revelation 21:23. The elders beholding His glory recall the elders at Sinai who beheld God (Exodus 24:9-10).
- Isaiah 24:23 (BSB)“The moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.”Moon and sun are put to shame as the LORD reigns in glory in Zion before His elders.
- Isaiah 60:19 (BSB)“No longer will the sun be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your splendor.”Isaiah later says the LORD Himself will be His people's everlasting light.
- Revelation 21:23 (BSB)“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, because the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its lamp.”The holy city needs no sun or moon because God's glory gives it light.
- Exodus 24:9-10 (BSB)“Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. Under His feet was a work like a pavement made of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself.”Israel's elders saw God at Sinai, as elders behold His glory here.
General
In 24:21-22, whom does the LORD punish on that day?
Answer: The powers on high and the kings who rule on earth
At that time the LORD punishes the heavenly host on high and earthly kings below; both are rounded up like captives in a pit, locked away, and punished after a long time (24:21-22). No power in heaven or on earth lies beyond His judgment. Readers understand the heavenly host in different ways: some see rebellious spiritual powers, like the evil spiritual forces that Paul describes (Ephesians 6:12) and the powers Christ disarmed at the cross (Colossians 2:15); others see the sun, moon and stars that Israel was warned not to worship (Deuteronomy 4:19), which fits the shamed moon and sun of the next verse. Earthly kings who take their stand against the LORD (Psalm 2:2) will not escape Him either.
- Isaiah 24:21-22 (BSB)“In that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven above and the kings of the earth below. They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon and punished after many days.”The LORD punishes the heavenly host and earthly rulers, confining them like prisoners.
- Ephesians 6:12 (BSB)“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”Paul speaks of evil spiritual powers in the heavens that oppose God's people.
- Colossians 2:15 (BSB)“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”Christ disarmed the powers and authorities and triumphed over them by the cross.
- Deuteronomy 4:19 (BSB)“When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.”The host of heaven names the sun, moon and stars that Israel must not worship.
- Psalm 2:2 (BSB)“The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:”The rulers of the earth set themselves against the LORD and His Anointed.
Theological
What two realms does the LORD punish in 24:21-22?
Answer: The powers on high and the kings who rule on earth
The LORD's visitation reaches the host on high and earthly kings alike; both are gathered as captives into a pit, imprisoned, and after a long time punished (24:21-22). No power, heavenly or earthly, lies outside His jurisdiction. Interpreters read the heavenly host either as hostile spiritual powers, the rulers and authorities of Ephesians 6:12 whom Christ disarmed and triumphed over at the cross (Colossians 2:15), or as the sun, moon and stars Israel was forbidden to worship (Deuteronomy 4:19), in keeping with the abashed moon and sun of 24:23. The earthly kings are those who set themselves against God and His Anointed (Psalm 2:2).
- Isaiah 24:21-22 (BSB)“In that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven above and the kings of the earth below. They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon and punished after many days.”The LORD punishes the heavenly host and earthly rulers, confining them like prisoners.
- Ephesians 6:12 (BSB)“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”Paul speaks of evil spiritual powers in the heavens that oppose God's people.
- Colossians 2:15 (BSB)“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”Christ disarmed the powers and authorities and triumphed over them by the cross.
- Deuteronomy 4:19 (BSB)“When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.”The host of heaven names the sun, moon and stars that Israel must not worship.
- Psalm 2:2 (BSB)“The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One:”The rulers of the earth set themselves against the LORD and His Anointed.
General
What is heard from the west and from the farthest lands in 24:14-16?
Answer: Songs praising the LORD as the Righteous One
In the middle of the devastation, voices rise from the west, and the call goes out to honor Him in the east and in the coastlands; from earth's farthest reaches comes singing that honors the Righteous One (24:14-16). Even amid judgment, praise rises to God for His justice. Isaiah later calls the islands and the farthest lands to sing a fresh song of praise (42:10), Malachi says God's name will be honored among the peoples from sunrise to sunset (Malachi 1:11), and Revelation pictures the redeemed praising the nations' King whose just deeds are made known (Revelation 15:3-4).
- Isaiah 24:14-16 (BSB)“They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they proclaim the majesty of the LORD. Therefore glorify the LORD in the east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away! Woe is me.” The treacherous betray; the treacherous deal in treachery.”Voices from every direction praise the LORD, though the prophet himself is in anguish.
- Isaiah 42:10 (BSB)“Sing to the LORD a new song—His praise from the ends of the earth—you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who dwell in them.”Isaiah later calls the islands and the farthest lands to sing the LORD's praise.
- Malachi 1:11 (BSB)“For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Hosts.”Malachi says God's name will be great among the nations from east to west.
- Revelation 15:3-4 (BSB)“and they sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and wonderful are Your works, O Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.””Revelation pictures God's people praising the King of the nations for His just deeds.
Theological
What response arises among the nations in 24:14-16a amid the judgment?
Answer: Songs praising the LORD as the Righteous One
From west to east and across the coastlands, a worldwide song honors the Righteous One (24:14-16). The LORD's righteous judgment draws praise from the peoples. The same global praise appears in 42:10 and Malachi 1:11, and Revelation 15:3-4 gives it its fullest form in the song of the redeemed to the nations' King whose just acts are now manifest.
- Isaiah 24:14-16 (BSB)“They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they proclaim the majesty of the LORD. Therefore glorify the LORD in the east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away! Woe is me.” The treacherous betray; the treacherous deal in treachery.”Voices from every direction praise the LORD, though the prophet himself is in anguish.
- Isaiah 42:10 (BSB)“Sing to the LORD a new song—His praise from the ends of the earth—you who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, you islands, and all who dwell in them.”Isaiah later calls the islands and the farthest lands to sing the LORD's praise.
- Malachi 1:11 (BSB)“For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Hosts.”Malachi says God's name will be great among the nations from east to west.
- Revelation 15:3-4 (BSB)“and they sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb: “Great and wonderful are Your works, O Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the nations! Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.””Revelation pictures God's people praising the King of the nations for His just deeds.
General
True or False: When the prophet hears the distant songs of praise in 24:16, he joins in gladly and says all is now well.
Answer: False
This is false. Right after the songs from far away, the prophet cries out that he is wasting away and pronounces woe on himself, because the treacherous are still betraying (24:16). The praise is real, but the prophet knows the work of judgment is not finished while treachery continues. Isaiah had cried woe over himself before when he saw the LORD's holiness (6:5), and Jeremiah described Israel and Judah as utterly faithless to God (Jeremiah 5:11).
- Isaiah 24:16 (BSB)“From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away! Woe is me.” The treacherous betray; the treacherous deal in treachery.”The distant songs are answered by the prophet's own cry of grief over continuing treachery.
- Isaiah 6:5 (BSB)“Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.””Isaiah also cried woe over himself when he saw the LORD's holiness.
- Jeremiah 5:11 (BSB)“For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to Me,” declares the LORD.”Jeremiah describes Israel and Judah as utterly faithless to God.
Theological
True or False: The prophet answers the songs of 24:16a with untroubled rejoicing, because the work of judgment is complete.
Answer: False
This is false. Against the distant praise the prophet sets his own lament, wasting away and crying woe, because treachery still abounds (24:16). The anticipation of praise does not cancel the present reality of sin and coming judgment. The cry echoes Isaiah's woe before the holy King (6:5), and Jeremiah 5:11 voices the same grief over a people thoroughly faithless.
- Isaiah 24:16 (BSB)“From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away! Woe is me.” The treacherous betray; the treacherous deal in treachery.”The distant songs are answered by the prophet's own cry of grief over continuing treachery.
- Isaiah 6:5 (BSB)“Then I said: “Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips dwelling among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.””Isaiah also cried woe over himself when he saw the LORD's holiness.
- Jeremiah 5:11 (BSB)“For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to Me,” declares the LORD.”Jeremiah describes Israel and Judah as utterly faithless to God.
General
What does the sequence of terror, pit and snare in 24:17-18 teach about the judgment?
Answer: Escaping one danger only leads into the next
Whoever runs from the sound of terror drops into a pit, and anyone who climbs out is trapped by the snare (24:17-18). No one can outrun God's judgment. Jeremiah uses nearly the same words against Moab (Jeremiah 48:43-44), and Amos pictures a man who escapes a lion and then meets a bear (Amos 5:19). Heaven's windows opening recall the flood, when heaven's floodgates burst open (Genesis 7:11), and the earth reels like a drunk man and collapses under the weight of its rebellion (24:18-20).
- Isaiah 24:17-20 (BSB)“Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth. Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. The earth is utterly broken apart, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently. The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a shack. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again.”Whoever escapes one danger is caught by the next, and the earth reels under its rebellion.
- Jeremiah 48:43-44 (BSB)“Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of Moab,” declares the LORD. “Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.”Jeremiah uses nearly the same sequence of dangers against Moab.
- Amos 5:19 (BSB)“It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.”Amos pictures escaping one danger only to meet another.
- Genesis 7:11 (BSB)“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.”Heaven's floodgates opening recalls the flood in Noah's day.
Theological
What is the point of the terror-pit-snare progression in 24:17-18?
Answer: Escaping one danger only leads into the next
The triad of terror, pit and snare describes inescapable judgment: escape from one peril delivers the fugitive into the next (24:17-18). Jeremiah 48:43-44 applies the same sequence to Moab, and Amos 5:19 offers a parallel picture. The opened windows of heaven evoke the flood (Genesis 7:11), and the earth itself reels and falls under the burden of its transgression (24:18-20), judgment on a cosmic scale.
- Isaiah 24:17-20 (BSB)“Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth. Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. The earth is utterly broken apart, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently. The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a shack. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again.”Whoever escapes one danger is caught by the next, and the earth reels under its rebellion.
- Jeremiah 48:43-44 (BSB)“Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of Moab,” declares the LORD. “Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.”Jeremiah uses nearly the same sequence of dangers against Moab.
- Amos 5:19 (BSB)“It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.”Amos pictures escaping one danger only to meet another.
- Genesis 7:11 (BSB)“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.”Heaven's floodgates opening recalls the flood in Noah's day.