Isaiah 33:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Behold, their heroes cry in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly.

NIV: Look, their brave men cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly.

NASB: Behold, their brave men cry out in the streets, The ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.

CSB: Listen! Their warriors cry loudly in the streets; the messengers of peace weep bitterly.

NLT: But now your brave warriors weep in public. Your ambassadors of peace cry in bitter disappointment.

KJV: Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

NKJV: Surely their valiant ones shall cry outside, The ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.

Isaiah 33:1–12 pronounces judgments to come on the enemies of God's people. This includes "the destroyer," which is the hostile nation of Assyria (Isaiah 10:24; 36:1). "The betrayer" seems to be those within Israel who would rely on foreign alliances instead of God (Isaiah 30:1–2). Both will pay a price for their mistakes. Only once Israel has been punished will the Lord turn on the invaders.

This chapter is set just before and following the Lord's destruction of Assyrian armies during the siege of Jerusalem. It begins with the Lord's "woe" against the destroyer and betrayer. Judah cries to the Lord to save them. The exalted Lord will save His people and provide for them. When all hope is lost in Jerusalem, the Lord says that He will rise. The destroyer is now just something to be disposed of and burned up in fire. Isaiah describes a future kingdom with the Lord as king. The Lord acknowledges that He will save them.

Assyria was an aggressive, hostile superpower threatening Israel. God used this nation to punish Israel, but also promised to restore His people and punish the evil invaders. In this chapter, the Assyrians are not mentioned by name but described as "the destroyer." Those in Israel who would ally with foreign nations are "the betrayer." When all seems most hopeless for Jerusalem, the king and people repent and cry out to the Lord to save them. The nation which attacked Israel will be eliminated entirely. A few decades after Assyria's attacks, the culture was entirely overrun by the Medes and Babylonians.

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).

Accessed 5/30/2026 1:36:07 AM