Isaiah 18:4 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For thus the Lord said to me: "I will quietly look from my dwelling like clear heat in sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest."

NIV: This is what the Lord says to me: "I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place, like shimmering heat in the sunshine, like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest."

NASB: For this is what the Lord has told me: 'I will quietly look from My dwelling place Like dazzling heat in the sunshine, Like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.'

CSB: For the Lord said to me: I will quietly look out from my place, like shimmering heat in sunshine, like a rain cloud in harvest heat.

NLT: For the Lord has told me this: 'I will watch quietly from my dwelling place — as quietly as the heat rises on a summer day, or as the morning dew forms during the harvest.'

KJV: For so the Lord said unto me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat upon herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.

NKJV: For so the Lord said to me, “I will take My rest, And I will look from My dwelling place Like clear heat in sunshine, Like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”

This chapter implies the concern felt throughout the world about the threat posed by the powerful Assyrian Empire. Everyone had heard the stories about the war machine leaving devastation in one city after another. How should the leaders of the nations prepare for this invasion? Should they form alliances with other nations to become more powerful together in hopes of defending themselves? Or should they give up and offer tributes to the Assyrians before it was too late?

Isaiah has called all the nations of the earth to look for a signal, presumably from the Lord (Isaiah 18:3). They should wait on Him to see what action the Lord will take against the Assyrians. He is still the one in control, not the enemy everyone fears. The Lord will act when the time is right. And at that time, everyone will know it was God.

Now, Isaiah says the Lord has revealed that the time for action has not yet come. Instead, God will continue to wait. His waiting will be like burning sunshine that builds and builds intense heat. The Lord's waiting is like the collecting of evaporated dew into a cloud: God is building up and accumulating His judgement to unleash it on His enemies.

Israelites may have wondered why the Lord waited to strike the cruel and godless Assyrians. They would not have fully understood His purpose: using Assyria to bring His judgment on His own people for their faithlessness. Then, in His time, He would end Assyria's reign of terror on the earth (Isaiah 10:12, 25, 32).

Isaiah 18:1–7 begins with Isaiah's calls to a land beyond the rivers of Cush. This may refer to ancient Ethiopia—different from modern Ethiopia—south of Egypt. He calls for messengers to be sent to a faraway nation. Then he calls for all the people of the earth to look for the signal of the Lord. The Lord will prune away the Assyrian threat when the time is right, but not before then. When He does so, the bodies of Assyrian soldiers will feed wild animals for months. Then the nations will bring tribute to the Lord at Mount Zion.

This short chapter begins with a call from Isaiah to a people beyond the land of Cush. They send ambassadors to a nation of people quite different from those normally seen in Israel. All the people of the world are concerned about the threat of the Assyrian war machine. Isaiah calls for all to wait for the Lord's signal. He will prune away the Assyrians when the time is exactly right, ending their reign of terror on the earth. Then the nations of the earth will send tribute to the Lord at Mount Zion, where His name resides.

Prior passages were targeted messages in the form of predictions about certain nations. This passage is also an oracle, but one more about reassurance that the Lord is in control and prepared to act accordingly. Every nation is concerned about the cruel Assyrian conquerors who leave death and devastation in their wake. Isaiah calls the world to watch for the Lord's signal. He is waiting for just the right moment to prune the Assyrians away and end their time of terror. Following chapters return to the typical pattern of Isaiah.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).