Isaiah 9:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.

NIV: Every warrior's boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.

NASB: For every boot of the marching warrior in the roar of battle, And cloak rolled in blood, will be for burning, fuel for the fire.

CSB: For every trampling boot of battle and the bloodied garments of war will be burned as fuel for the fire.

NLT: The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire.

KJV: For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.

NKJV: For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.

The prophet Isaiah is describing a future when the Lord will return glory to Israel. He has prophesied that God's people are about to enter a period of great darkness due to their unbelief and rejection of Him (Isaiah 8:22). That darkness will not be the end of the story, though. A great light will come, and all the people will live in security and with abundance (Isaiah 9:2–3). The Lord will break the oppression of Israel's enemies (Isaiah 9:4).

Now Isaiah adds that the end of that oppression will not lead to more oppression. This will bring the end of all oppression. The devices of war will be destroyed. The description he provides echoes what he wrote in chapter 2 about the kingdom of the Lord on earth:

"they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore" --Isaiah 2:4.

To put it even more plainly, the Lord, reigning as king on earth, will bring lasting peace by bringing an end to war itself. Israel will rest secure and thriving, without fear of future enemies.

Isaiah 9:1–7 begins with the end to Isaiah 8. The darkness that was mentioned in that chapter will one day be permanently replaced with glory. Israel will abound in life and joy. The nation will be secure and free from oppression. War will end. Peace will be permanent. How will this happen? God will send a child who will become the forever king on David's throne. He will be called Mighty God and Prince of Peace. And He will rule in righteousness and justice. The Lord will cause all this to happen.

Isaiah 9 begins prophecy about a future when darkness will be lifted from Israel. The nation will be free, prosperous, and at permanent peace. This will happen because God will send a child who will become a king on David's throne. More than a man, this king will be called Mighty God and Prince of Peace and will rule forever. In Isaiah's day, though, God's judgment will soon fall on Israel. He will wipe out their leaders. Wickedness burns through the nation like fire.

Isaiah 9 begins with what may be the conclusion of the previous chapter. Isaiah 8 ended with the description of the darkness experienced by those in Israel who reject the Lord. The prophet describes a day in Israel's far future when the gloom will lift and glory will return. A child will become king of Israel, but He will also be the Everlasting Father who will rule forever. However, In Isaiah's time, the Lord will judge Israel with destruction from other nations. The following chapter pronounces disaster for the people who persist in sin.

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).