Isaiah 24:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore a curse devours the earth, and its inhabitants suffer for their guilt; therefore the inhabitants of the earth are scorched, and few men are left.

NIV: Therefore a curse consumes the earth; its people must bear their guilt. Therefore earth’s inhabitants are burned up, and very few are left.

NASB: Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live on it suffer for their guilt. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth decrease in number, and few people are left.

CSB: Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants have become guilty; the earth’s inhabitants have been burned, and only a few survive.

NLT: Therefore, a curse consumes the earth. Its people must pay the price for their sin. They are destroyed by fire, and only a few are left alive.

KJV: Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.

NKJV: Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, And those who dwell in it are desolate. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, And few men are left.

Isaiah explained why the Lord will bring such all-encompassing and devastating judgment on the earth (Isaiah 24:5). The world has been defiled through human sinfulness; the Lord will defile the earth in response to our sin. We have rejected the natural, obvious covenant between the Maker and those He has made (Romans 1:18–32).

Here, Isaiah describes the result of this judgement. It will be an all-consuming scourge. No details are provided, but it might be a disease or environmental catastrophe. Whatever happens, the result is a hostile and sterile planet (Isaiah 24:7). This will be so extreme that extraordinarily little of earth will continue to support human life. Isaiah has described the planet as empty, plundered, and withered (Isaiah 24:3–4).

Without the earth's natural provision and protection, the vastly reduced population of the planet will suffer as a direct result of their own sin. They are guilty because all human beings are guilty (Romans 3:10, 23). Only when we are covered by the blood of Jesus for the forgiveness of our guilt (1 John 1:7) can we be cleansed of that sin. Those who remain in their sin and on the earth will be scorched during this time, fading, and withering until the end of days. Very few will remain.

Isaiah 24:1–13 describes the Lord's judgment of all humanity during the end times. This destruction comes in response to human sinfulness. God will bring a calamity on earth that will tear the people from their homes. All will suffer equally. Everything will wither, and the few survivors will be scorched. Music, wine, and joy will end: what's left of civilization will be like the olives missed by workers at harvest.

Isaiah describes terrible judgment the Lord will bring on the earth during the final days. The Lord will twist the surface of the earth, scattering the people. All will suffer equally regardless of status, and the earth will be fully emptied. Everything will wither and languish. The Lord will do this because of human sinfulness against Him. Few will survive, and there will be no wine, music, or gladness. The only exception to this will be the singing of those who praise the Lord. Massive earthquakes will destroy the earth, and the Lord will lock up all who stood against Him before beginning His reign as king.

Chapter 24 follows the oracles of Isaiah against the nations in chapters 13–23. However, this prophecy is against the entire earth. Here, we find the description of the judgment of the Lord on all humanity during the last days. God will destroy the world in response to human sinfulness. He will ruin the face of the earth, causing people to scatter. Few will survive. Wine, music, and gladness will disappear. Earthquakes will destroy the earth. The Lord will gather the powers from heaven and earth and lock them up together before beginning His reign on earth.

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).