Isaiah 22:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The oracle concerning the valley of vision. What do you mean that you have gone up, all of you, to the housetops,

NIV: A prophecy against the Valley of Vision: What troubles you now, that you have all gone up on the roofs,

NASB: The pronouncement concerning the valley of vision: What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops?

CSB: A pronouncement concerning the Valley of Vision: What’s the matter with you? Why have all of you gone up to the rooftops?

NLT: This message came to me concerning Jerusalem — the Valley of Vision : What is happening? Why is everyone running to the rooftops?

KJV: The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?

NKJV: The burden against the Valley of Vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops,

The prophet Isaiah delivered a series of oracles against various nations in the region of Judah. The point of these prophecies was to show Judah that they must not put their hope in other nations. Nor should they turn to those nations' false gods to save them from their enemies. Judah must rely on God alone to save them.

Here, the recent pattern breaks. Isaiah presents an oracle against the city of Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. The details in the oracle are vague. Commentators are divided about how much of it is Isaiah's reaction to an event that has already happened and how much is prophecy about a future event. Scholars suggest it may refer to the failed Assyrian siege of Jerusalem in 701 BC. Or it might reference the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC, or perhaps even the Assyrian attack on Ashdod in 711 BC.

The subject of this oracle is identified as "valley of vision." Jerusalem is most often referred to as Mount Zion. But here Isaiah calls it a "valley." He is perhaps referring to the Hinnom, Tyropoean, or Kidron valleys that come together at Jerusalem's feet. Isaiah could be using this term because this is where he received his visions from the Lord. Another possibility is given his discouragement with the shallowness and faithlessness of his people, Isaiah is demoting Jerusalem from mountain to valley to indicate the low place they now occupy before the Lord.

He begins by asking the people of Jerusalem what they mean by going up on the housetops. It's almost as if he is saying, what do you think you are doing up there? There is nothing wrong with spending time on rooftops. It was a common way to escape the heat of ground level or to socialize. The rooftop is also a useful place to be to look for things at a distance. Yet this instance is criticized.

Commentators suggest two options for Isaiah's concern. The people may have been gathering on the rooftops to celebrate something that had recently taken place. Isaiah will insist this is not the time for parties. Another possibility is that they were engaging in false religious practices by making offerings from their rooftops, something that is strictly forbidden by the Lord. These false religious practices could have been part of a celebration.

Chapter 22:1–14 describes how the people of Jerusalem partied and feasted in the face of certain destruction during a siege. Isaiah condemns them, especially for failing to mourn and cry out to the Lord for help when all seemed lost. He weeps for those who have died. The prophet calls the people to soberly understand what has happened to them instead of partying on their rooftops. The Lord says that the sins of the people in this moment will not be atoned for until they die.

Isaiah presents a prophecy against the city of Jerusalem: "the valley of vision." The prophet condemns the people for partying, perhaps following an astonishing deliverance from the Lord. Instead, they should remember all who died. They should be sobered to realize how helpless they had been. When destruction seemed certain, they should have mourned and cried out to the Lord to save them. Instead, they reveled like nothing mattered. The Lord condemns the steward of the king's house for carving out his tomb instead of trusting God. He puts a man named Eliakim in that position. Eliakim serves with great integrity, faithfulness, and excellence. Yet, he, too, falls away.

Isaiah has recorded several prophecies in preceding chapters. These spoke of nations such as Egypt as well as various tribes. Chapter 22 is an oracle against the city of Jerusalem. Isaiah condemns the people for celebrating instead of mourning and seeking the Lord's help. This could be either before or after a great siege of the city. The prophet weeps for the lost and calls the people to repent. The Lord condemns the king's steward for faithlessness. His replacement, Eliakim, serves with strength and integrity. The next oracles concern Tyre and Sydon, before addressing the entire world.

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).