Isaiah 24:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Terror and the pit and the snare are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!

NIV: Terror and pit and snare await you, people of the earth.

NASB: Terror and pit and snare Confront you, you inhabitant of the earth.

CSB: Panic, pit, and trap await you who dwell on the earth.

NLT: Terror and traps and snares will be your lot, you people of the earth.

KJV: Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

NKJV: Fear and the pit and the snare Are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth.

This begins Isaiah's description of the Lord's final judgment against all sinfulness in heaven and on earth. Isaiah has mourned (Isaiah 24:16) because of the traitorous, betraying sin of his people. The last judgment is now coming because of this willful, stubborn rebellion against the Lord: refusal to submit to Him or His ways (Isaiah 24:16).

The prophet warns the inhabitants of the earth who have survived judgment thus far: the end is coming for them. This end is full of dread and terror. Isaiah provides little detail about what form this will take. Instead, he gives a sense of what the Lord's judgment will feel like for those who experience it. There can be no mistaking the deeply ominous nature of Isaiah's description.

Isaiah 24:17–23 clarifies that nobody will escape the terror of God's judgment in the end times. Massive earthquakes will bring an end to it all. The Lord will gather all who stood against Him and lock them up before beginning His rule as king on earth.

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).

Accessed 4/27/2024 5:08:23 PM