Isaiah — Chapter 24

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1Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants—

2people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.

3The earth will be utterly laid waste and thoroughly plundered. For the LORD has spoken this word.

4The earth mourns and withers; the world languishes and fades; the exalted of the earth waste away.

5The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant.

6Therefore 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.

7The new wine dries up, the vine withers. All the merrymakers now groan.

8The joyful tambourines have ceased; the noise of revelers has stopped; the joyful harp is silent.

9They no longer sing and drink wine; strong drink is bitter to those who consume it.

10The city of chaos is shattered; every house is closed to entry.

11In the streets they cry out for wine. All joy turns to gloom; rejoicing is exiled from the land.

12The city is left in ruins; its gate is reduced to rubble.

13So will it be on the earth and among the nations, like a harvested olive tree, like a gleaning after a grape harvest.

14They raise their voices, they shout for joy; from the west they proclaim the majesty of the LORD.

15Therefore glorify the LORD in the east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands of the sea.

16From 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.

17Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth.

18Whoever 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.

19The earth is utterly broken apart, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently.

20The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a shack. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again.

21In that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven above and the kings of the earth below.

22They will be gathered together like prisoners in a pit. They will be confined to a dungeon and punished after many days.

23The 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.

1Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

2And 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.

3The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word.

4The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.

5The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

6Therefore 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.

7The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.

8The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

9They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

10The city of confusion is broken down: every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

11There is a crying for wine in the streets; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

12In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

13When 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.

14They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea.

15Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea.

16From 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.

17Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

18And 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.

19The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

20The 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.

21And 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.

22And 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.

23Then 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.

1Behold, Jehovah maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.

2And 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 creditor, so with the debtor; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest to him.

3The earth shall be utterly emptied, and utterly laid waste; for Jehovah hath spoken this word.

4The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the lofty people of the earth do languish.

5The earth also is polluted under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.

6Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are found guilty: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

7The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merry-hearted do sigh.

8The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.

9They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.

10The waste city is broken down; every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

11There is a crying in the streets because of the wine; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

12In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

13For thus shall it be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive-tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done.

14These shall lift up their voice, they shall shout; for the majesty of Jehovah they cry aloud from the sea.

15Wherefore glorify ye Jehovah in the east, even the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the isles of the sea.

16From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the righteous. But I said, I pine away, I pine away, woe is me! the treacherous have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.

17Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

18And 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 on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

19The earth is utterly broken, the earth is rent asunder, the earth is shaken violently.

20The earth shall stagger like a drunken man, and shall sway to and fro like a hammock; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again.

21And it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah will punish the host of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.

22And 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.

23Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Jehovah of hosts will reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders shall be glory.

1Look, the Lord is ready to devastate the earth and leave it in ruins; he will mar its surface and scatter its inhabitants.

2Everyone will suffer—the priest as well as the people, the master as well as the servant, the elegant lady as well as the female attendant, the seller as well as the buyer, the borrower as well as the lender, the creditor as well as the debtor.

3The earth will be completely devastated and thoroughly ransacked. For the Lord has decreed this judgment.

4The earth dries up and withers, the world shrivels up and withers; the prominent people of the earth fade away.

5The earth is defiled by its inhabitants, for they have violated laws, disregarded the regulation, and broken the permanent treaty.

6So a treaty curse devours the earth; its inhabitants pay for their guilt. This is why the inhabitants of the earth disappear, and are reduced to just a handful of people.

7The new wine dries up, the vines shrivel up, all those who like to celebrate groan.

8The happy sound of the tambourines stops, the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt, the happy sound of the harp ceases.

9They no longer sing and drink wine; the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.

10The ruined town is shattered; all the houses are shut up tight.

11They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; all joy turns to sorrow; celebrations disappear from the earth.

12The city is left in ruins; the gate is reduced to rubble.

13This is what will happen throughout the earth, among the nations. It will be like when they beat an olive tree, and just a few olives are left at the end of the harvest.

14They lift their voices and shout joyfully; they praise the majesty of the Lord in the west.

15So in the east extol the Lord, along the seacoasts extol the fame of the Lord God of Israel.

16From the ends of the earth we hear songs— the Just One is majestic. But I say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed! Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!”

17Terror, pit, and snare are ready to overtake you, inhabitants of the earth!

18The one who runs away from the sound of the terror will fall into the pit; the one who climbs out of the pit will be trapped by the snare. For the floodgates of the heavens are opened up and the foundations of the earth shake.

19The earth is broken in pieces, the earth is ripped to shreds, the earth shakes violently.

20The earth will stagger around like a drunk; it will sway back and forth like a hut in a windstorm. Its sin will weigh it down, and it will fall and never get up again.

21At that time the Lord will punish the heavenly forces in the heavens and the earthly kings on the earth.

22They will be imprisoned in a pit, locked up in a prison, and after staying there for a long time, they will be punished.

23The full moon will be covered up, the bright sun will be darkened; for the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will rule on Mount Zion in Jerusalem in the presence of his assembly, in majestic splendor.

1Behold, Yahweh makes the earth empty, makes it waste, turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants.

2It will 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 creditor, so with the debtor; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest.

3The earth will be utterly emptied and utterly laid waste; for Yahweh has spoken this word.

4The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish.

5The earth also is polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant.

6Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

7The new wine mourns. The vine languishes. All the merry-hearted sigh.

8The mirth of tambourines ceases. The sound of those who rejoice ends. The joy of the harp ceases.

9They will not drink wine with a song. Strong drink will be bitter to those who drink it.

10The confused city is broken down. Every house is shut up, that no man may come in.

11There is a crying in the streets because of the wine. All joy is darkened. The mirth of the land is gone.

12The city is left in desolation, and the gate is struck with destruction.

13For it will be so within the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done.

14These shall lift up their voice. They will shout for the majesty of Yahweh. They cry aloud from the sea.

15Therefore glorify Yahweh in the east, even the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea!

16From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs. Glory to the righteous! But I said, “I pine away! I pine away! woe is me!” The treacherous have dealt treacherously. Yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.

17Fear, the pit, and the snare, are on you who inhabitant the earth.

18It will happen that he who flees from the noise of the fear will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the middle of the pit will be taken in the snare; for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

19The earth is utterly broken. The earth is torn apart. The earth is shaken violently.

20The earth will stagger like a drunken man, and will sway back and forth like a hammock. Its disobedience will be heavy on it, and it will fall and not rise again.

21It shall happen in that day that Yahweh will punish the army of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on the earth.

22They 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.

23Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed; for Yahweh of Armies will reign on Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem; and before his elders will be glory.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

Isaiah widens his lens from single nations to the whole earth, announcing a coming judgment that will empty the land and scatter its people regardless of status, because humanity has defiled the earth and broken its everlasting covenant with God (vv. 1-6). Joy disappears from the land as the wine, the music, and the city gates all fall silent, while a scattered remnant lifts up songs of praise to the LORD from the ends of the earth (vv. 7-16). Isaiah himself confesses his own dread and weakness in the face of what is coming, describing traps and terror closing in from every side (v. 16). The chapter builds to a cosmic climax: God will punish the powers of heaven and the kings of earth together, shutting them up as prisoners, before the moon is confounded and the sun ashamed, because the LORD of hosts reigns in glory on Mount Zion before his elders (vv. 21-23).

Authorship & Background

Author: Isaiah son of Amoz (see Chapter 1 notes for full details).
Classification: Apocalyptic Prophecy — The Isaiah Apocalypse (Chapters 24-27)
Key Themes: Universal judgment (not just one nation), the broken everlasting covenant, cosmic upheaval, the earth cursed by sin, a singing remnant amid desolation, the LORD reigns on Zion
Historical Context: Chapters 24-27 are called the "Isaiah Apocalypse" or "Little Apocalypse" — they shift from specific oracles against individual nations (chs.13-23) to universal judgment. The scope is global and eschatological. No single nation is named; the whole earth is under judgment. This section anticipates the final Day of the LORD when all human systems collapse and God's kingdom alone remains. Whether fulfilled partially in historical events (the Assyrian/Babylonian devastation of the entire region) or ultimately in the final judgment, these chapters transcend any single historical moment.
The Earth Made Empty (vv.1-3): Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down. What follows is a levelling stated as a list of pairs, and the point of the list is that no social position exempts anyone: 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. Six relationships, each of them a difference in standing, and each of them canceled.
The Broken Everlasting Covenant (vv.4-6): The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the haughty people of the earth do languish. Then the cause, and it is stated in three clauses that escalate, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. That last phrase is the interesting one. The covenant named is not Sinai, which was with Israel, but something older and wider, and the usual reading takes it as the covenant with Noah in Genesis 9, which was made with all flesh. A charge against the whole earth requires a covenant the whole earth was party to.
The Joy Is Gone (vv.7-13): The new wine is dried up, the oil faileth, and what is mourned is measured in sounds that have stopped, the mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth. They shall not drink wine with a song. Then the city, and the detail is architectural, in the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction. And the section closes with the same gleaning image as 17:6, there shall be as the shaking of an olive tree, and as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done, which is this book's standing picture of a remnant: a counted few in the branches nobody could reach.
A Remnant Sings, and the Prophet Does Not (vv.14-16a): They shall lift up their voice, they shall sing for the majesty of the LORD, they shall cry aloud from the sea. The singing comes from the far edges rather than from the center, glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea. From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs. The section stops in the middle of verse 16 because the sentence turns there, and what it turns to is the prophet's own reaction, which is not singing.
My Leanness, and the Cosmic Collapse (vv.16b-20): But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me. The songs of the previous section are still audible and the prophet is wasting away in the middle of them, which is the same structure as 21:3-4. Then the terror is set out as a trap with three stages nobody escapes, 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, the same figure Jeremiah 48:44 uses of Moab. And the earth is described as drunk and as a temporary structure, the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage.
The LORD Shall Reign in Mount Zion (vv.21-23): 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. Two tiers are named, and the higher one is not explained; the phrase the host of the high ones is left as it stands. Then a detention with a duration attached, they shall be gathered together as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and after many days shall they be visited. And the chapter ends with the sun and moon embarrassed rather than extinguished, then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, for the LORD of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and before his ancients gloriously.

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem (v.23): Capital of Judah; the holy city where the Temple stood.
  • Zion (v.23): The hill on which Jerusalem/the Temple stood; often used poetically for God's dwelling.

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Isaiah 24 - Bible Study, Explanation, and Application
2BeLikeChrist

The Reasons for Judgment - Isaiah 24:4-6
David Guzik

Isaiah 24-27 | The King's Judgment | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Articles

  • BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the promised king who runs through Isaiah from beginning to end.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Isaiah -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • The Whole Earth Undone (v.1) — God's judgment here is not aimed at one city or nation but at the entire earth and everyone in it. Do you tend to think of sin's consequences as personal only, or do you see how they touch the whole world?
  • A Covenant Broken by All (v.5) — The earth is defiled because its people have broken a covenant meant to last forever, humanity's shared rebellion rather than one nation's failure. Where do you see yourself contributing to the brokenness around you rather than standing apart from it?
  • A Remnant Remains (v.6) — Judgment leaves the earth desolate and its people few, yet a few still remain. Where do you need to trust that God preserves a remnant even in seasons that feel like total loss?
  • Singing and Groaning Together (vv.14-16) — While some voices rise in joyful praise, Isaiah's own voice breaks into grief at the treachery he still sees. Can you hold both worship and honest lament at the same time, or do you feel pressure to fake one over the other?
  • The LORD Reigns in Glory (v.23) — After all the devastation, the chapter ends with the LORD reigning so gloriously that the sun and moon are outshone. When your circumstances feel dark, do you trust that God's reign is the final word?