Chapter
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66
Verse
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Isaiah 9:18
ESV For wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns; it kindles the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke.
NIV Surely wickedness burns like a fire; it consumes briers and thorns, it sets the forest thickets ablaze, so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
NASB For wickedness burns like a fire; It consumes briars and thorns; It also sets the thickets of the forest aflame And they roll upward in a column of smoke.
CSB For wickedness burns like a fire that consumes thorns and briers and kindles the forest thickets so that they go up in a column of smoke.
NLT This wickedness is like a brushfire. It burns not only briers and thorns but also sets the forests ablaze. Its burning sends up clouds of smoke.
KJV For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.
NKJV For wickedness burns as the fire; It shall devour the briers and thorns, And kindle in the thickets of the forest; They shall mount up like rising smoke.

What does Isaiah 9:18 mean?

Isaiah continues to deliver a prediction of God's judgment on the wicked people of that era. This chapter concludes with four verses (Isaiah 9:19–21) describing the nature of Israel's sinfulness. It is not simply that they have neglected to worship the Lord and seek help from Him. The people of Israel have been leading self-serving, wicked lifestyles.

Scripture uses the metaphor of wildfire to depict the spread of wickedness. It consumes the briers and thorns along the ground first. Gaining momentum, it finds more fuel in the thickets and then begins to ignite the trees themselves. Soon a huge column of smoke can be seen towering over the forest.

Sinfulness, too, begins with smaller rebellions, simple and easy disobedience. The appetite for sin grows and more fuel is needed to get the same level of rush. New sins are explored. Sinful habits become sinful lifestyles. Sinful lifestyles are shared and turn into sinful neighborhoods and communities. This had happened in Israel, and the time of the Lord's judgment for sin had come.
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app:
BibleRef.com is part of Got Questions Ministries

For answers to your Bible questions, please visit