Isaiah 29:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, all that fight against her and her stronghold and distress her, shall be like a dream, a vision of the night.

NIV: Then the hordes of all the nations that fight against Ariel, that attack her and her fortress and besiege her, will be as it is with a dream, with a vision in the night—

NASB: And the multitude of all the nations who wage war against Ariel, Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her, Will be like a dream, a vision of the night.

CSB: All the many nations going out to battle against Ariel— all the attackers, the siege works against her, and those who oppress her— will then be like a dream, a vision in the night.

NLT: All the nations fighting against Jerusalem will vanish like a dream! Those who are attacking her walls will vanish like a vision in the night.

KJV: And the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel, even all that fight against her and her munition, and that distress her, shall be as a dream of a night vision.

NKJV: The multitude of all the nations who fight against Ariel, Even all who fight against her and her fortress, And distress her, Shall be as a dream of a night vision.

Isaiah 29:1–12 contains the Lord's warning to the leaders of Jerusalem. His judgment is coming in the form of a siege that will bring them to the point of death. Then God will arrive and turn Jerusalem's enemies to dust. The threat will be gone like a dream in the morning. The Lord has blinded the leaders of Jerusalem so that they cannot understand the revelation He has given to them through Isaiah. This is compared to a man who cannot read trying to understand a book.

The Lord declares that He will bring judgment on Jerusalem. Enemies will put the city under siege until the people are as good as dead. Then God will arrive suddenly, and Jerusalem's enemies will disappear like dust. The threat from the nations will be gone like a bad dream. Jerusalem's leaders are blinded to this revelation. The people use the words and motions of worship, but their hearts are far from God. He will one day make everything right and a future generation of Israelites will sanctify His name and stand in awe of Him.

Isaiah 29 is part of a larger section (Isaiah 28—33) pronouncing consequences for those who oppose the Lord's prophecy. Isaiah declares "woe" on Jerusalem and its leaders as they attempt to hide their actions from the Lord. God will lay siege against the city, then turn Judah's enemies to dust. After a time, the Lord will heal and correct all things. Chapter 30 emphasizes that Judah is foolish to ally with the Egyptians against Assyria, rather than trusting in God.

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).