Isaiah 5:26

ESV He will raise a signal for nations far away, and whistle for them from the ends of the earth; and behold, quickly, speedily they come!

NIV He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily!

NASB He will also lift up a flag to the distant nation, And whistle for it from the ends of the earth; And behold, it will come with speed swiftly.

CSB He raises a signal flag for the distant nations and whistles for them from the ends of the earth. Look—how quickly and swiftly they come!

NLT He will send a signal to distant nations far away and whistle to those at the ends of the earth. They will come racing toward Jerusalem.

KJV And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

NKJV He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar, And will whistle to them from the end of the earth; Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly.

What does Isaiah 5:26 mean?

The description of the Lord stretching out His hand to strike Judah for the unfaithfulness of the people does not mince words. The Lord's people have rejected His law and despised His word and lived only for themselves (Isaiah 5:18–23). Now His promised judgment is coming.

In a few terrifying lines of poetry, Isaiah pictures the other nations of the earth as attack dogs waiting for the Lord to summon them. The kings who conquered the world during the ninth to fifth centuries BC surely did not think of themselves as being called into action by the God of the Israelites. The idea that the Lord had control over them and their armies was unfathomable. Yet that's exactly what Isaiah is describing here.

The Lord will raise the signal for the nations far away. Like an animal trainer, the Lord will whistle and the powerful armies of the nations will come rushing. Their mighty forces will be prepared to decimate Jerusalem and tiny Judah. Isaiah likely is thinking of the coming attacks by the Assyrians here, but the specifics of which nation will bring pain and death almost doesn't matter. The greater cause is God's own plan. It will be the Lord striking down His people.

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Context Summary
Isaiah 5:8–30 contains Isaiah's dire predictions about the upcoming judgment of Israel. The first "woes" are to the greedy and the pleasure-seeking drinkers. They will go into exile and to the grave for refusing to acknowledge God. The Lord then will be exalted for restoring justice and righteousness. The next woes are to those who embrace sin and mock the coming judgment. These are also those people who have mixed evil and good and believe they know better than God. The final listed woes are those who make it a point of pride how much alcohol they can drink, as well as how they can work the system with bribes. The Lord will summon the armies of the nations to bring judgment on His people.

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Chapter Summary
Isaiah 5 begins with a parable about a farmer who builds a vineyard that produces sour grapes. The owner says he will lay waste to the vineyard. Isaiah reveals the owner to be the Lord and the vineyard to be Israel. Israel's bad fruit includes the greed of the wealthy and the hedonism of the people. They will go hungry and thirsty, into exile, and the grave. The Lord will be exalted for His righteousness. Isaiah pronounces woe on the sinners, the mockers, and the unjust rulers. The Lord will summon the nations to judge His people.

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