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Isaiah 24:20
ESV The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again.
NIV The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls—never to rise again.
NASB The earth trembles like a heavy drinker And sways like a hut, For its wrongdoing is heavy upon it, And it will fall, never to rise again.
CSB The earth staggers like a drunkard and sways like a hut. Earth’s rebellion weighs it down, and it falls, never to rise again.
NLT The earth staggers like a drunk. It trembles like a tent in a storm. It falls and will not rise again, for the guilt of its rebellion is very heavy.
KJV 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.
NKJV The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, And shall totter like a hut; Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, And it will fall, and not rise again.

What does Isaiah 24:20 mean?

With vivid imagery, Isaiah summarizes the end of God's great punishment of the earth (Isaiah 24:6–11). In judgment for humanity's sinfulness (Isaiah 24:5), the Lord caused the earth itself to shatter and split in a series of massive earthquakes (Isaiah 24:19). The chaos of the moving ground is compared to an intoxicated man trying to walk in a straight line.

In Isaiah's time, huts were flimsy and used during the harvest as a temporary shelter (Isaiah 1:8). To modern eyes, they would have looked like tents. These weren't meant to withstand time or sever weather. They would sway in a strong wind before falling over; earth is rattling as if it were just that frail (Isaiah 24:19). Poetically, Isaiah describes mankind's sin like a weight added to such a structure, making it even more unstable. The earthquake would be enough to level the hut—the added weight only makes the collapse that much more terrible.

The people of earth, God's creation, have lived in rebellion throughout their history (Genesis 3:1–6), defying His commands and rejecting His guidance (Romans 3:23). Only those who humbly received the gift of Christ's blood (1 Peter 1:18–19), the only covering for sin (Romans 4:7), will be forgiven (John 3:36). These souls who accept that gift of salvation will be welcomed into a home in eternity which can never be shaken (Hebrews 12:28). That is our great hope (Ephesians 1:7–10). That is the only hope that will survive this moment when the earth falls, never to rise again.
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