Isaiah 24:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

NIV: Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake.

NASB: Then it will be that the one who flees the sound of terror will fall into the pit, And the one who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare; For the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake.

CSB: Whoever flees at the sound of panic will fall into a pit, and whoever escapes from the pit will be caught in a trap. For the floodgates on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

NLT: Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will be caught in a snare. Destruction falls like rain from the heavens; the foundations of the earth shake.

KJV: And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

NKJV: And it shall be That he who flees from the noise of the fear Shall fall into the pit, And he who comes up from the midst of the pit Shall be caught in the snare; For the windows from on high are open, And the foundations of the earth are shaken.

So far Isaiah has been presenting an oracle against the entire earth. This has detailed the Lord's judgment to come on humanity for our sinful rebellion against Him (Isaiah 24:1–13). Yet amidst all the destruction, some have come to faith in Christ. These new believers sing praise to their redeemer from the ends of the earth, even in this dark era (Isaiah 24:14–16).

However, the Lord will not hold back His final judgment of the earth. New believers in these final days have a secure resting place in eternity with God. The rest of humanity's survivors have only the earth to trust in, and the Lord is turning the earth against them.

Isaiah has given ominous warnings about the dangers to come (Isaiah 24:17). Here, he repeats the concepts just mentioned as if they were literal traps. In that word picture, people run in terror from something they can hear, but likely cannot see. Panic prevents them from seeing that they are running headlong into something even worse: the pit. Some who fall in manage to crawl out, but they are caught in yet another trap. Whatever this final combination of terror, pit, and snare is, there will be no escape for those under the Lord's judgment.

Scripture provides few details about what these things are. However, there are hints. The "windows of heaven are open," suggesting downpours of rain. Perhaps this onslaught of rainfall will bring floods and turn once-solid earth into unreliable muck. At the same time, the prophet suggests earthquakes (Isaiah 24:19) that will make the ground even more unstable. The earth itself will become unreliable, leaving those who remain with nowhere to turn for safety.

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).