Isaiah 24:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The wine mourns, the vine languishes, all the merry-hearted sigh.

NIV: The new wine dries up and the vine withers; all the merrymakers groan.

NASB: The new wine mourns, The vine decays, All the joyful-hearted sigh.

CSB: The new wine mourns; the vine withers. All the carousers now groan.

NLT: The grapevines waste away, and there is no new wine. All the merrymakers sigh and mourn.

KJV: The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merryhearted do sigh.

NKJV: The new wine fails, the vine languishes, All the merry-hearted sigh.

This passage describes some cataclysmic event which scatters humanity and leaves the earth destroyed and dying. This immeasurable event will be judgement from the Lord, in response to human sin. The Lord has said the few people who have survived to this point are scorched, implying drought and perhaps an unrelenting sun (Isaiah 24:3–6).

Now Isaiah identifies wine grapes as one example of a crop that doesn't make it through this destruction. The result is that the wine "mourns," or dries up, causing the vines to wither and languish. Those looking for some relief in their suffering from the wine those grapes would have produced are left empty-handed. There will be no alcohol to provide escape from the torment. This probably means that other plants, including food crops and feed for livestock, will be virtually extinct.

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).

Accessed 5/7/2024 4:13:06 AM