Rebuke for Seeking Egypt's Help; Call to Trust the Lord
Isaiah 30:1-33
Isa.30.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הוי: INTJ
- בנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- סוררים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- נאם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לעשות: VERB,qal,inf
- עצה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- מני: PREP+PRON,1,_,sg
- ולנסך: CONJ+VERB,qal,inf
- מסכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- רוחי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- למען: PREP
- ספות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- חטאת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- חטאת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:2-4 (thematic): Both passages denounce Israel as rebellious children who turn from God, accumulating guilt and refusing true instruction.
- Isaiah 30:9-11 (structural): Immediate parallel within the chapter: the people are called 'rebellious' who refuse to hear the LORD and seek counsel/comfort not from him—same motive and language.
- Jeremiah 23:16 (thematic): Condemns prophets who give messages not from the LORD; connects to taking counsel 'not of me' and relying on human/false guidance.
- Ezekiel 13:6-9 (verbal): Denounces those who prophesy lies and give false coverings/comfort—language and critique of false spirit and deceptive counsel echo Isaiah 30:1's charge.
- Deuteronomy 32:28 (thematic): Describes a people 'without counsel' and lacking understanding—parallels the criticism of seeking counsel apart from God and thereby compounding sin.
Alternative generated candidates
- Woe to the rebellious children, declares the LORD, who take counsel, but not of me; who make a covenant, but not by my Spirit, to heap sin upon sin.
- Woe to the rebellious children, declares the LORD, who devise a plan, but not by me, and make a covenant, but not by my Spirit, to pile sin upon sin;
Isa.30.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ההלכים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- לרדת: VERB,qal,inf
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ופי: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- שאלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- לעוז: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- במעוז: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ולחסות: CONJ+VERB,qal,inf
- בצל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 31:1 (verbal): Direct parallel and reiteration of the same rebuke: condemns those who go down to Egypt for help and trust in horses/chariots rather than in the Lord.
- Jeremiah 2:18 (thematic): Prophetic chiding of Israel for seeking Egypt ('to go to Egypt') and relying on foreign aid instead of God—same trust-in-Egypt motif.
- 2 Kings 17:4 (structural): Historical example: King Hoshea sought help from Egypt (So), illustrating the political/military reliance on Egypt that prophets condemn and which led to disaster.
- Psalm 20:7 (thematic): Contrasts human military confidence ('some trust in chariots and horses') with trust in God—reflects Isaiah's critique of relying on Egypt's power.
- Ezekiel 17:15 (allusion): Allegory of Judah making an alliance with Egypt and relying on its strength—parallels Isaiah's charge that trusting Egypt violates dependence on the Lord.
Alternative generated candidates
- They go down to Egypt without consulting my mouth; they seek refuge in Pharaoh's stronghold and take shelter in the shadow of Egypt.
- who go down to Egypt without asking my counsel, to take refuge in the stronghold of Pharaoh and to trust in the shade of Egypt.
Isa.30.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- מעוז: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פרעה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- לבשת: PREP,NOUN,f,sg,abs
- והחסות: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בצל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לכלמה: PREP,NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 31:1 (thematic): Both passages condemn seeking military/political help from Egypt rather than trusting YHWH; Isa.30:3 predicts shame from relying on Pharaoh, and 31:1 issues a woe to those who go down to Egypt for help.
- Isaiah 31:3 (verbal): Isaiah explicitly diminishes Egyptian power ('the Egyptians are men, and not God'), directly supporting Isa.30:3's claim that trust in Egypt/Pharaoh results in humiliation.
- Hosea 7:11 (thematic): Hosea depicts Israel/Ephraim calling to Egypt for help (and to Assyria), echoing the motif of misplaced reliance on Egypt that Isaiah condemns.
- Ezekiel 17:15-16 (structural): Ezekiel recounts Judah's envoy to Egypt for military support and announces consequences—parallel narrative structure and theme: making alliance with Egypt brings divine judgment or shame.
- Psalm 118:8 (thematic): Expresses the theological principle opposite reliance on human powers ('It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes'), paralleling Isaiah's critique of trusting Pharaoh/Egypt.
Alternative generated candidates
- Yet the refuge of Pharaoh shall become to you shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt a disgrace.
- Therefore the stronghold of Pharaoh will be to you a shame, and the refuge in the shade of Egypt a disgrace.
Isa.30.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- היו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בצען: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- שריו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss3m
- ומלאכיו: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss3m
- חנס: VERB,qal,part,m,pl
- יגיעו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 30:1-5 (structural): Immediate context: the people seek help from Egypt rather than the LORD; these verses explain and criticize the reliance on Egyptian aid that 30:4 describes (officers at Zoan, ambassadors at Hanes).
- Isaiah 31:1 (thematic): A parallel warning against turning to Egypt for military assistance (horses, chariots); continues the theme of misplaced trust in Egyptian power rather than God.
- Ezekiel 17:15-16 (verbal): Describes a ruler sending envoys/ambassadors to Egypt for alliance—parallels the diplomatic outreach to Egypt pictured in Isa 30:4 (sending officers/ambassadors to Egyptian cities).
- Psalm 78:12 (verbal): Mentions Zoan (Tanis) in recounting God’s acts in Egypt; provides a geographic/cultural link to the city named in Isaiah 30:4 and highlights Egypt’s role in Israel’s narrative.
Alternative generated candidates
- For their princes were at Zoan, and their messengers came to Hanes.
- For his princes were at Zoan, and his ambassadors arrived at Hanes.
Isa.30.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כל: DET
- הביש: NOUN,m,sg,def
- על: PREP
- עם: PREP
- לא: PART_NEG
- יועילו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- למו: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- לעזר: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- להועיל: INF,hif
- כי: CONJ
- לבשת: VERB,qal,perf,2,ms
- וגם: CONJ
- לחרפה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 30:3 (structural): Immediate context: the chapter condemns reliance on Egypt and predicts that Egyptian aid will be of no avail — closely connected to the theme of shame and futility in v.5.
- Isaiah 31:3 (verbal): Explicitly links trust in Egypt to shame: ‘they shall be confounded and ashamed because of Egypt their confidence,’ echoing Isa.30:5’s motif of humiliation when human help fails.
- Proverbs 11:2 (thematic): Connects the theme of shame with moral failure: ‘When pride comes, then comes shame,’ paralleling Isaiah’s depiction of ignominious failure following misplaced confidence.
- Psalm 44:13-16 (thematic): Describes a people made a byword and object of reproach among the nations — a parallel image of public shame and humiliation like that in Isa.30:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- All that humbles a people will not help them; it will give them neither deliverance nor succor—it will be for shame and reproach.
- All that shame shall be upon the people; there will be no help for them—no aid, no deliverance; only humiliation and reproach.
Isa.30.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- משא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בהמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נגב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- צרה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וצוקה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לביא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וליש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- אפעה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושרף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מעופף: PTC,qal,act,m,sg
- ישאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- כתף: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עירים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- חילהם: NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,m,pl
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- דבשת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- גמלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- אוצרתם: NOUN,f,pl,abs,3,m,pl
- על: PREP
- עם: PREP
- לא: PART_NEG
- יועילו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Isaiah 13:21 (verbal): Both passages enumerate desert/wild creatures (wild beasts, owls/ostriches) inhabiting a land laid waste—verbal and thematic overlap in motifs of desolation populated by animals.
- Isaiah 34:11-15 (thematic): A prophetic catalogue of creatures (wild animals, night‑birds, desert‑spirits) dwelling in a devastated land as a sign of judgment—parallels Isaiah 30:6’s imagery of beasts occupying a land of distress.
- Jeremiah 50:39 (verbal): Foretells that desert creatures and owls will inhabit desolated Babylon—language and imagery closely mirror Isaiah 30:6’s depiction of animals in a ruined/afflicted land.
- Isaiah 21:13-17 (structural): Oracle concerning Arabia/Desert caravans (Tema/Dedan) and their camels; relates to Isaiah 30:6’s southern/caravan imagery (camels bearing spoil, beasts of the Negev) and the prophetic focus on the southern frontier.
Alternative generated candidates
- A burden on the beasts of the Negeb: in a land of trouble and anguish, from where come the lion's whelp, the viper and the flying fiery serpent. They carry their riches on donkeybacks and their treasures on the humps of camels—to a people that will not profit them.
- A burden of beasts of the Negev: from a land of trouble and distress they come—camels and dromedaries bearing their riches; they shall place their loads upon a people who will not profit by them.
Isa.30.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומצרים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וריק: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- יעזרו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- לכן: ADV
- קראתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לזאת: PREP+DEM,f,sg
- רהב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הם: PRON,personal,3,m,pl
- שבת: VERB,qal,inf
Parallels
- Isaiah 31:1 (verbal): Direct parallel within Isaiah condemning reliance on Egypt and on horses for help; repeats the motif of seeking foreign aid rather than trusting God.
- Hosea 7:11 (thematic): Criticizes Israel's folly in seeking help from Egypt (and Assyria), echoing the theme of misplaced political/military reliance instead of faithfulness to God.
- Jeremiah 42:18 (thematic): God warns that fleeing to or relying on Egypt will bring disaster; parallels Isaiah's denunciation of Egypt as futile help and the prophetic warning against trusting it.
- Ezekiel 29:6–7 (allusion): Prophetic judgment against Egypt emphasizing its impotence and coming desolation—underscores the point that Egypt is not a reliable source of rescue.
Alternative generated candidates
- Egypt is vain and empty; therefore I have called her Rahab who sits still.
- Egypt's help is vanity and emptiness; therefore I have called her Rahab who sits still.
Isa.30.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עתה: ADV
- בוא: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- כתבה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- על: PREP
- לוח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתם: PRON,2,m,pl
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- ספר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חקה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ותהי: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ליום: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחרון: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- לעד: ADV
- עד: PREP
- עולם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 8:1-3 (verbal): Same prophet instructed to write on a large tablet and set a sign-name (Maher‑shalal‑hash‑baz); parallels wording and the use of writing as a prophetic, enduring witness.
- Habakkuk 2:2 (verbal): Command to 'write the vision; make it plain on tablets'—a near-verbatim parallel in purpose and language to record a message for a future time.
- Jeremiah 30:2 (verbal): God tells Jeremiah 'Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you'—similar divine injunction to record prophetic speech for posterity.
- Exodus 17:14 (structural): After Israel's victory God tells Moses 'Write this on a scroll as a memorial,' echoing the practice of inscribing important events/words to preserve them.
- Revelation 1:11 (allusion): John is commanded 'Write what you see in a book' for the churches—New Testament echo of the prophetic motif of inscribing revelation for future readers.
Alternative generated candidates
- Now go, write it on a tablet before them and inscribe it in a book, that it may endure for the days to come—forever and ever.
- Now go, write this on a tablet before them and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may be for a later day, a witness forever.
Isa.30.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- עם: PREP
- מרי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- בנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- כחשים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- בנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- אבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שמוע: VERB,qal,infc
- תורת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:4 (verbal): Both passages portray Israel as 'children' and as a rebellious, sinful people who have forsaken the LORD—echoing the charge of disobedient sons who will not heed God's instruction.
- Ezekiel 2:3 (verbal): Ezekiel is sent to 'a rebellious house' (or nation) described as hard‑hearted and obstinate—language very close to Isaiah's depiction of a people who will not listen.
- Jeremiah 7:24 (verbal): Jeremiah condemns the people for not listening ('they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear'), paralleling Isaiah's accusation that the children will not hear the law of the LORD.
- Psalm 78:8 (thematic): The psalm warns against a 'stubborn and rebellious generation' and laments children's failure to keep God's covenant—a thematic parallel about recalcitrant descendants who refuse God's ways.
- Hosea 11:1-2 (thematic): God's image of Israel as a beloved child who turns away after being taught resonates with Isaiah's picture of unresponsive, rebellious children who will not accept the LORD's instruction.
Alternative generated candidates
- For this is a rebellious people, children who are obstinate, children who will not hear the instruction of the LORD.
- For this is a rebellious people, children who refuse to obey, children who will not hear the instruction of the LORD;
Isa.30.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אשר: PRON,rel
- אמרו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- לראים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תראו: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,pl
- ולחזים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תחזו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- נכחות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- דברו: INF,qal,inf+3ms
- לנו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- חלקות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- חזו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מהתלות: PREP+ART+NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Isaiah 6:9-10 (verbal): Similar wording and motif about seers/prophets being unable or unwilling to reveal truth—'see ye, and perceive not' parallels the injunction to seers/prophets not to see or prophesy.
- Jeremiah 6:14 (thematic): Condemns leaders/prophets who give superficial comfort—'They have healed the hurt of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace,' echoing Isaiah's critique of 'smooth things' and false assurances.
- Ezekiel 13:10-16 (thematic): Denounces false prophets who prophesy 'peace' and build confidence on falsehoods; parallels Isaiah's rebuke of those demanding pleasant, illusory messages.
- Jeremiah 23:16-17 (verbal): Explicitly warns against prophets who speak visions of their own heart and tell the people 'peace'—closely parallels the demand in Isaiah for prophets to prophesy 'smooth things' rather than truth.
Alternative generated candidates
- Who say to the seers, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.
- who say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions.’
Isa.30.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- סורו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- מני: PREP+PRON,1,_,sg
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- הטו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- מני: PREP+PRON,1,_,sg
- ארח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- השביתו: VERB,hif,imp,2,pl
- מפנינו: PREP+PRON,1,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- קדוש: ADJ,m,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 30:10 (structural): Immediate context: the preceding verse records people telling the seers and prophets to stop prophesying and to give pleasing words; v.11 continues that demand by urging the Holy One of Israel to withdraw.
- Amos 7:12-13 (verbal): Amaziah orders the prophet Amos to 'go, flee' and prophesy no more at Bethel—an instance of authorities silencing and expelling a prophet, paralleling the call in Isa 30:11 to remove God's presence/prophetic voice.
- Exodus 10:28 (verbal): Pharaoh angrily tells Moses and Aaron, 'Get out of my sight!'—similar imperative language ordering God’s representatives to depart.
- Isaiah 1:15 (thematic): God declares He will hide His eyes and not listen when the people's worship is hypocritical—a thematic parallel of divine withdrawal from a people whose conduct or demands reject true relation with the Holy One.
- Zechariah 7:11-12 (thematic): The people 'refused to pay attention' and 'made their hearts like flint' against earlier prophets—paralleling the refusal to accept prophetic word and the attempt to shut off God's presence expressed in Isa 30:11.
Alternative generated candidates
- Get out of the way, turn aside from the path; remove the Holy One of Israel from before us.”
- Leave off from me—turn aside from the path; remove the Holy One of Israel from our presence.
Isa.30.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- קדוש: ADJ,m,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יען: CONJ
- מאסכם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- ותבטחו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- בעשק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ונלוז: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,pl
- ותשענו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Jeremiah 17:5 (thematic): Condemns trusting in humans or worldly help rather than the LORD—parallel rebuke of misplaced trust.
- Psalm 118:8 (verbal): Explicit contrast between taking refuge in the LORD and trusting in man, echoing Isaiah’s criticism of reliance on other supports.
- Jeremiah 2:13 (allusion): Speaks of forsaking the true 'fountain' and trusting in broken cisterns—similar image of rejecting God’s word and relying on worthless alternatives.
- Isaiah 31:1 (structural): A closely related Isaianic denunciation of seeking help from Egypt/foreign powers rather than God, continuing the theme of misplaced trust.
- Proverbs 3:5 (thematic): Admonishes trust in the LORD rather than in one’s own understanding or other supports—contrasts with the attitude condemned in Isa 30:12.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: Because you despised this word and trusted in oppression and relied on deceit,
- Therefore thus says the Holy One of Jacob: Because you have rejected this word and have trusted in oppression and have relied on it,
Isa.30.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לכן: ADV
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- העון: NOUN,m,sg,def
- הזה: DEM,m,sg
- כפרץ: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נפל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- נבעה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בחומה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נשגבה: VERB,nif,perf,3,f,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- פתאם: ADV
- לפתע: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יבוא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שברה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isa.30.14 (structural): Immediate continuation: same image developed—God will break the wall/pottery suddenly; verse 14 explicates the collapse pictured in 30:13.
- Ezek.13:10-14 (verbal): Ezekiel condemns those who leave 'gaps' in a wall and promises God will tear down their repairs—parallel language of a breached wall and divine judgment for falsehood.
- Jer.51:8 (thematic): Declares Babylon 'suddenly fallen' because of its guilt—parallels the theme of sudden, catastrophic collapse as the consequence of sin.
- Prov.25:28 (thematic): Compares a person without self-control to 'a city broken into and without walls'—uses wall/breach imagery to signify vulnerability and ruin due to moral failure.
- Matt.7:26-27 (structural): Jesus' parable of a house collapsing in a storm because it was built on sand echoes the sudden destructive consequence of wrong foundations/behavior analogous to the sudden breach in Isa. 30:13.
Alternative generated candidates
- therefore this iniquity shall be to you like a sudden breach—like a bulge in a high wall whose breaking comes at once, suddenly.
- therefore this sin of yours shall be to you like a breach ready to fall, a bulge in a high wall—when it comes suddenly it will collapse at once.
Isa.30.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ושברה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- כשבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נבל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יוצרים: NOUN,m,pl,constr
- כתות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יחמל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- ימצא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- במכתתו: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,suff3,m,sg
- חרש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לחתות: PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- אש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מיקוד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולחשף: CONJ+PREP+VERB,qal,inf
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מגבא: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Jeremiah 19:10-11 (verbal): Jeremiah is commanded to break a potter's vessel in public as a sign of judgment—very close verbal and symbolic parallel to Isaiah’s image of a smashed potter’s jar rendered useless.
- Jeremiah 18:3-4 (thematic): The potter-and-clay motif: God’s control over the vessel/clay underscores divine sovereignty in shaping or breaking nations, a structural theme behind Isaiah’s broken-jar simile.
- Romans 9:21 (allusion): Paul’s rhetorical use of the potter/clay image echoes the prophetic tradition (Jeremiah/Isaiah) about God’s right to shape or break, reflecting the same theological point in a New Testament context.
- Isaiah 64:8 (thematic): Another Isaiah passage using the potter/clay metaphor to describe the relationship between God and Israel; thematically related in portraying God as craftsman whose handling determines the people's fate.
Alternative generated candidates
- Its breaking will be like the breaking of a potter's vessel that is smashed so that not one shard is found to take coals from the hearth or to scoop water from the cistern.
- And its breaking will be like the smashing of a great jar—shards and splinters; no one will have compassion, nor will a smith be found to take fire from it or to scoop water out of the cistern.
Isa.30.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- כה: ADV
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- קדוש: ADJ,m,sg
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בשובה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ונחת: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תושעון: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- בהשקט: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- ובבטחה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- תהיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
- גבורתכם: NOUN,f,sg,cons+2,m,pl
- ולא: CONJ
- אביתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 46:10 (verbal): The command to 'be still' and acknowledge God parallels Isaiah's emphasis on quietness/cessation and reliance on the Lord as the locus of salvation and strength.
- Psalm 37:7 (verbal): 'Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him' echoes Isaiah's call to quiet trust and waiting as the means of deliverance.
- Isaiah 26:3-4 (thematic): Near parallel within Isaiah: the promise of 'perfect peace' for those who trust in the LORD and the call to trust in him forever mirrors 'in quietness and in trust you shall be saved.'
- Matthew 11:28-30 (thematic): Jesus' invitation to come to him for rest for the soul parallels Isaiah's motif that salvation and strength come through returning to and resting in God's care.
- Hebrews 4:9-11 (thematic): The New Testament theme of entering God's rest as the goal of faith corresponds to Isaiah's linking of salvation with rest, quietness, and trust.
Alternative generated candidates
- For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength. But you refused.
- For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Jacob: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength—but you would not.
Isa.30.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמרו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- כי: CONJ
- על: PREP
- סוס: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ננוס: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,pl
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- תנוסון: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- קל: ADV
- נרכב: VERB,qal,impf,1,c,pl
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- יקלו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
- רדפיכם: NOUN,m,pl,abs,2mp
Parallels
- Isaiah 31:1-3 (verbal): Directly parallels the warning against trusting in horses/Egypt for deliverance; both condemn reliance on horses and human allies rather than God.
- Psalm 20:7 (verbal): Contrasts trust in chariots and horses with trust in the LORD—uses the same imagery of fleeing/leaning on horses as misplaced confidence.
- Psalm 33:16-17 (verbal): Declares that a horse is a vain hope and cannot save by its great strength, echoing Isaiah’s critique of reliance on cavalry for security.
- Jeremiah 17:5-8 (thematic): Sets up the broader theological theme behind Isaiah 30:16: the folly of trusting in human strength (including military power) versus the blessing of trusting in the LORD.
Alternative generated candidates
- You said, “No—for we will flee upon horses”—therefore you shall flee; “we will ride upon swift steeds”—therefore those who pursue you will be swift.
- You said, ‘No; for we will flee upon horses’—therefore you will flee; ‘we will ride upon swift steeds’—therefore your pursuers shall be swift.
Isa.30.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אלף: NUM,m,sg
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- מפני: PREP
- גערת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- מפני: PREP
- גערת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חמשה: NUM,m,pl
- תנסו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- עד: PREP
- אם: CONJ
- נותרתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,pl
- כתרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- ראש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ההר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- וכנס: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
- על: PREP
- הגבעה: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 28:25 (thematic): Part of the covenant curse predicting rout and panic—Israel will 'go out one way and flee seven ways before them,' echoing Isaiah's image of mass flight and terror.
- Judges 7:22 (thematic): Gideon's victory where a small force causes the enemy to panic and flee—parallels the motif of many fleeing in terror at the threat of few ('a thousand will flee at the threat of one').
- Isaiah 11:12 (verbal): Uses the 'signal/ensign/banner' (raising a signal for the nations) imagery related to Isaiah 30:17's simile of being left like a banner on a hill—shared symbolic vocabulary within Isaiah.
- Psalm 60:4 (verbal): Speaks of God giving a 'banner' to those who fear him—shares the banner/ensign motif of Isaiah 30:17, offering a positive counterpart to Isaiah's image of a solitary, desolate standard.
Alternative generated candidates
- One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five you shall flee, until you are left like a banner on the summit of a mountain, like a signal on a hill.
- One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five you shall flee, until you are left like a flag on the top of a hill, like a signal on a mountaintop.
Isa.30.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ולכן: CONJ
- יחכה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לחננכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- ולכן: CONJ
- ירום: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,sg
- לרחמכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- אלהי: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אשרי: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- כל: DET
- חוכי: VERB,qal,ptc,_,m,pl
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Lam.3:25-26 (verbal): Directly echoes the theme that the LORD is good to those who wait for him and affirms that it is right to wait quietly for God's salvation—paralleling Isaiah's blessing on those who wait for the Lord.
- Ps.27:14 (thematic): Both verses exhort the faithful to 'wait for the LORD' and promise blessing/strength to those who do so, linking patient trust with divine favor.
- Isa.40:31 (thematic): Shares the motif that waiting on the LORD yields vindication or renewal (exaltation/renewed strength), connecting patient trust with God's action on behalf of his people.
- Exod.34:6-7 (allusion): Isaiah's depiction of God as merciful and yet a God of judgment resonates with the Exodus revelation of the LORD's attributes (merciful, gracious, just), providing theological background for God's gracious waiting.
- Ps.130:5 (verbal): A concise personal expression of waiting for the LORD ('I wait for the LORD; my soul waits'), paralleling Isaiah's communal blessing on those who wait and hope in God.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice—blessed are all who wait for him.
- Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the LORD is a God of justice—blessed are all who wait for him.
Isa.30.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- עם: PREP
- בציון: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בירושלם: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בכו: PREP
- לא: PART_NEG
- תבכה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- חנון: ADJ,m,sg
- יחנך: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg+2ms
- לקול: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- זעקך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כשמעתו: CONJ,VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ענך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 30:18 (verbal): Immediate context: proclaims that the LORD waits to be gracious and will have compassion—echoes the promise that God will be merciful and hear the people's cry.
- Isaiah 30:20-21 (structural): Near context and continuation: promises healing, guidance, and that the people will hear a guiding voice—develops the theme of God responding to distress and leading them.
- Isaiah 40:1-2 (thematic): Same consolatory motif—'Comfort, comfort my people' and the announcement that sorrow is ended; both passages address comforting Jerusalem and reversing suffering.
- Jeremiah 31:13 (thematic): God promises to turn mourning into joy and to comfort his people—a close thematic parallel about transformation of sorrow into gladness for Zion.
- Psalm 126:5-6 (thematic): Imagery of weeping giving way to rejoicing—'Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy' parallels the movement from weeping to consolation in Isaiah 30:19.
Alternative generated candidates
- For a people shall dwell in Zion; in Jerusalem you shall weep no more. He will be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears, he will answer you.
- For the people of Zion who dwell in Jerusalem, you will weep no more; he will be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears it, he will answer you.
Isa.30.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונתן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- אדני: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1,sg
- לחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לחץ: ADV
- ולא: CONJ
- יכנף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עוד: ADV
- מוריך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
- והיו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עיניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+2ms
- ראות: VERB,qal,ptc,3,f,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- מוריך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2ms
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 8:3 (thematic): Speaks of God humbling Israel with hunger and giving bread to teach dependence on him—parallels Isaiah’s image of the ‘bread of adversity’ as a means of instruction.
- Isaiah 30:21 (structural): Immediate context and continuation: promises direct guidance (‘this is the way, walk ye in it’) that complements 30:20’s assurance that teachers will remain and be seen.
- Psalm 32:8 (verbal): ‘I will instruct you and teach you… I will guide thee with mine eye’ echoes the theme of God-provided instruction and guidance implicit in ‘your teachers… your eyes shall behold your teachers.’
- Jeremiah 3:15 (thematic): God’s promise to give ‘pastors according to my heart… who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding’ parallels Isaiah’s assurance of retained teachers and instruction.
- Amos 8:11 (thematic): Contrasts Isaiah’s promise of available instruction: Amos predicts a ‘famine of hearing the words of the LORD,’ highlighting the reversal in Isaiah where, despite hardship, teachers and guidance remain.
Alternative generated candidates
- And the LORD will give you bread of adversity and water of affliction; your teachers shall no longer be hidden—your eyes shall behold your teachers.
- The LORD will give you bread of adversity and water of affliction, but he will not hide his teachers anymore; your eyes shall see your teachers.
Isa.30.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואזניך: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- תשמענה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מאחריך: PREP+2ms
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- הדרך: NOUN,f,sg,def
- לכו: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,pl
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- תאמינו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
- וכי: CONJ
- תשמאילו: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 32:8 (verbal): God promises personal instruction and guidance: 'I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go; I will guide thee with mine eye,' echoing the promise that a voice will tell you 'this is the way.'
- Proverbs 3:6 (thematic): Both verses emphasize divine direction for human paths—'in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths' parallels the command to follow the way God indicates.
- Isaiah 58:11 (thematic): Promises continuous divine guidance—'the LORD shall guide thee continually'—resonating with Isaiah 30:21's assurance that God will tell the faithful which way to go.
- Psalm 23:3 (thematic): The shepherd imagery 'He leadeth me in paths of righteousness' parallels the motif of being led or told the correct way to walk by God.
- John 10:27 (allusion): Jesus' saying 'My sheep hear my voice... and they follow me' alludes to the idea of divinely guided hearing and obedient following found in Isaiah 30:21.
Alternative generated candidates
- Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it,” if you will believe and if you will yield.
- And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it,’ when you turn to the right hand or when you turn to the left.
Isa.30.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וטמאתם: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,pl
- את: PRT,acc
- צפוי: ADJ,m,sg
- פסילי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- כספך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואת: CONJ
- אפדת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מסכת: NOUN,f,sg,construct
- זהבך: NOUN,m,sg,poss,2,m
- תזרם: VERB,qal,imperf,3,f,sg
- כמו: PREP
- דוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- צא: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- תאמר: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 2:20-21 (structural): Both passages picture a future day when people cast away idolatry—throwing away their silver and gold images—and the imagery and context (a turning from idols) parallel Isaiah 30:22 closely.
- Habakkuk 2:18-19 (verbal): Denounces idols made of silver and wood and mocks those who address lifeless images (’Woe to him who says to a wooden thing, Awake!’), echoing Isaiah’s command to reject and speak to idols.
- Exodus 32:20 (thematic): Moses grinds the golden calf, scatters it on water and makes the people drink—an act of defilement and disposal of a golden image that parallels Isaiah’s language of treating silver/gold idols as unclean and casting them away.
- Deuteronomy 7:25-26 (verbal): Instructs Israelites to burn and utterly destroy carved images and not bring an abomination into the house—reflecting Isaiah’s theme of repudiating and defiling idols of silver and gold.
- Isaiah 46:6-7 (thematic): Describes idols of silver and gold that must be carried and which cannot speak or save—reinforcing Isaiah 30:22’s critique of precious metal idols and the futility of trusting them.
Alternative generated candidates
- And you shall cast away the ornaments of your silver and the chains of your gold; you shall fling them away like a menstruous garment and say to them, “Away with you!”
- And you shall cast away the unclean thing from your silver and the idol from your gold; you shall say to it, ‘Away with you!’
Isa.30.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ונתן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- מטר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- זרעך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- אשר: PRON,rel
- תזרע: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- האדמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ולחם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תבואת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- האדמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- דשן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושמן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ירעה: VERB,qal,imprf,3,f,sg
- מקניך: NOUN,m,pl,abs,PRON,2,m,sg
- ביום: PREP
- ההוא: DEM,ms,sg
- כר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נרחב: ADJ,m,sg
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 28:12 (verbal): Promises that the LORD will open the heavens to give rain to the land in its season and bless the work of hands—closely parallels Isaiah's language of God giving rain for the seed and blessing the harvest.
- Leviticus 26:4 (thematic): As part of covenant blessings, God promises rain in due season and abundant produce of the land—the same covenantal motif of divine provision for seed and harvest found in Isaiah 30:23.
- Joel 2:23 (verbal): Calls Zion to be glad because God has given the former and latter rain for the seed—uses the same imagery of divine rain enabling sowing and fruitful harvest.
- Psalm 65:9-13 (thematic): Describes God visiting and watering the earth, enriching it and making pastures clothed and grain to grow—poetic depiction of the divine grant of fertility parallel to Isaiah's promise of abundant produce.
- Joel 3:18 (Joel 4:18 in some numberings) (thematic): Imagery of the land producing wine, milk and waters—an eschatological picture of agricultural abundance comparable to Isaiah's depiction of fatness and broad pastures in the day of the LORD's blessing.
Alternative generated candidates
- He will give rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and bread of the increase of the earth; it shall be rich and plenteous. In that day your cattle shall graze in broad pastures.
- He will give rain for your seed with which you sow the ground, and bread of the increase of the earth; it shall be rich and plenteous—on that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures.
Isa.30.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והאלפים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- והעירים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,def
- עבדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- האדמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- בליל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חמיץ: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- יאכלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אשר: PRON,rel
- זרה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- ברחת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ובמזרה: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 65:25 (thematic): Both verses picture providential provision and peaceful relations between animals and people—food for beasts and a restored, flourishing creation (’the lion shall eat straw like the ox’ parallels oxen eating winnowed grain).
- Psalm 104:14-15 (thematic): Both emphasize God’s care in providing food: God makes grass for cattle and crops for people, paralleling Isaiah’s image of oxen and donkeys eating the prepared harvest.
- Leviticus 19:9-10 (structural): The legal requirement to leave the edges of the field and gleanings for the poor and strangers parallels Isaiah’s depiction of accessible, properly-winnowed produce that sustains the vulnerable.
- Ruth 2:2-3, 15-16 (thematic): Ruth’s gleaning behind the harvesters and eating what is left over echoes the social practice of gleanings and the image of people (and by implication their animals) subsisting on harvest leftovers described in Isaiah.
Alternative generated candidates
- The oxen and the young of the herd that plow the ground shall eat clean fodder, which has been winnowed with the shovel and the fork.
- The oxen and the young donkeys that till the ground shall eat clean provender, which has been winnowed with the shovel and the fork.
Isa.30.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- כל: DET
- הר: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- גבה: ADJ,m,sg
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- כל: DET
- גבעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נשאה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- פלגים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יבלי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ביום: PREP
- הרג: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- בנפל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מגדלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 35:6-7 (thematic): Uses similar language of transforming desolate/ parched places into springs and streams of water as part of divine restoration.
- Joel 3:18 (verbal): Promises mountains dripping with wine and hills flowing with milk and rivers of Judah—parallel imagery of life-giving liquids on high places in the eschatological day.
- Zechariah 14:8 (thematic): Foretells living waters flowing out from Jerusalem in that day, echoing the motif of water issuing on hills and mountains at the coming of the Lord.
- Ezekiel 47:1-12 (allusion): Describes a river flowing from the temple that brings life to the land and trees on its banks—comparable life-restoring water imagery and widespread transformation.
- Revelation 22:1 (verbal): Depicts a river of the water of life flowing from God's throne—New Testament echo of divine waters bringing healing and renewal.
Alternative generated candidates
- On every high mountain and on every lofty hill there shall be streams and brooks of water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
- On every high mountain and on every lofty hill there will be brooks and streams of water, on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
Isa.30.26 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- אור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הלבנה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- כאור: PREP
- החמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- ואור: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- החמה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שבעתים: ADV
- כאור: PREP
- שבעת: NUM,card,construct
- הימים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ביום: PREP
- חבש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- שבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ומחץ: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מכתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3ms
- ירפא: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 60:19-20 (thematic): Transforms celestial light in connection with the LORD’s restorative presence — sun and moon no longer primary lights because God himself is everlasting light, resonating with the verse’s image of intensified moon/sun light at God’s healing day.
- Malachi 4:2 (verbal): Links sun imagery with healing: the ‘Sun of righteousness’ that rises brings healing, paralleling Isa. 30:26’s coupling of increased light and the LORD’s healing of his people.
- Isaiah 9:2 (thematic): Speaks of people receiving great light after walking in darkness; thematically parallels the motif of divine restoration inaugurated by light in Isa. 30:26.
- Revelation 21:23 (structural): The New Jerusalem needs no sun or moon because God’s glory is its light — a related eschatological motif in which God’s presence transforms or supersedes ordinary celestial lights.
- Isaiah 24:23 (allusion): Depicts the moon and sun responding to the LORD’s reign (moon confounded, sun ashamed) — a related prophetic trope of cosmic signs accompanying Yahweh’s decisive action and restoration.
Alternative generated candidates
- The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold—like the light of seven days—in the day that the LORD binds up the fracture of his people and heals the stroke of their wound.
- The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days—on the day when the LORD binds up the bruise of his people and heals the stroke of their wound.
Isa.30.27 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הנה: PART
- שם: ADV
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- בא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ממרחק: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בער: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אפו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff3ms
- וכבד: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- משאה: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
- שפתיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- מלאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- זעם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולשונו: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- כאש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אכלת: VERB,qal,ptcp,0,f,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 30:30 (structural): Immediate context: continues the scene of the Lord's coming with a glorious voice, the display of his arm and indignation—same prophetic announcement of divine visitation and wrath.
- Isaiah 66:15 (thematic): Declares that the LORD will come with fire and his chariots like a whirlwind; echoes the motif of God's coming in consuming fire and judgment.
- Deuteronomy 32:22 (verbal): Speaks of a fire kindled in God's anger that will burn; uses fire imagery to describe divine wrath, paralleling 'tongue like fire' and consuming judgment.
- Nahum 1:2-6 (thematic): Portrays Yahweh as jealous, avenging, and sovereign over chaos with wrath that consumes—similar language about the fierceness of God's anger and its devastating effects.
- Psalm 18:7-15 (thematic): Describes the LORD's dramatic advent with smoke, fire, voice, and shaking heavens—parallels theophanic imagery of God coming from afar in anger and consuming power.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar—his anger is burning, and heavy are his lips; his mouth is full of indignation, and his tongue is like a consuming fire.
- Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar: his burning anger and heavy burden are upon him; his lips are full of wrath, and his tongue is a devouring fire.
Isa.30.28 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ורוחו: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs,prsfx=3ms
- כנחל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שוטף: VERB,qal,ptc,m,sg
- עד: PREP
- צואר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יחצה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- להנפה: PREP+VERB,hiph,inf
- גוים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בנפת: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שוא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ורסן: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מתעה: VERB,hiph,ptc,m,sg
- על: PREP
- לחיי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- עמים: NOUN,pl,m,abs
Parallels
- Amos 9:9 (verbal): Uses the same sieve/sifting metaphor—God will 'sift' (or 'shake') Israel among the nations, paralleling Isaiah's image of sifting nations with a sieve.
- Isaiah 11:4 (verbal): Speaks of the Messiah's 'breath' or 'blow' as an instrument of judgment ('with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked'), echoing Isaiah 30:28's depiction of God's breath as a destructive, sweeping stream.
- Nahum 1:8 (thematic): Describes divine judgment as an overflowing flood that makes an end of a place—parallels Isaiah's 'breath like an overflowing stream' that reaches to the neck to overwhelm nations.
- Isaiah 10:5 (structural): Portrays Assyria as the rod of God's anger, an instrument used to punish nations—parallels the theme in Isaiah 30:28 of God using foreign powers/means (a 'bridle') to lead nations astray as part of judgment.
- Jeremiah 51:20 (thematic): Calls Babylon 'my battle-axe and weapons of war'—the theme of God employing foreign peoples as his instrument of punishment corresponds to Isaiah's image of a bridle/bit placed in the mouths of peoples to control or mislead them.
Alternative generated candidates
- And his breath is like a rushing flood that reaches to the neck; he will lift up a signal for the nations and sift them in the sieve of vanity, and put a bridle on the peoples, driving them against one another.
- And his breath is like an overflowing stream that reaches to the neck; he will sift the nations with the sieve of futility, and put a bridle in the jaws of the peoples to lead them astray.
Isa.30.29 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- השיר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- יהיה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לכם: PREP,2,m,pl
- כליל: ADV
- התקדש: VERB,hitp,perf,3,m,sg
- חג: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ושמחת: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לבב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- כהולך: PREP+VERB,qal,part,m,sg
- בחליל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לבוא: VERB,qal,inf
- בהר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- צור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 98:4-6 (thematic): Calls for joyful music and instruments to the LORD—similar language of festive song and musical procession directed to God in Isaiah 30:29.
- Psalm 122:1 (thematic): Expresses gladness at going up to the house of the LORD; parallels the rejoicing and the idea of going up to the mountain/house of God in Isa 30:29.
- Isaiah 25:6 (thematic): Speaks of a festal banquet on the LORD’s mountain—comparable festival imagery and mountain-of-the-LORD setting found in Isa 30:29.
- Deuteronomy 32:4 (verbal): Refers to God as the Rock and uses 'Rock' imagery for Israel’s God, resonating with Isa 30:29’s designation 'the Rock of Israel.'
Alternative generated candidates
- You shall have a song as on a holy night, a festival and gladness of heart—like one who goes with pipes to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.
- A song shall be to you as a perpetual festival, a holy day and joyful gladness of heart—like one who walks with flutes to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.
Isa.30.30 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והשמיע: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- הוד: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- קולו: NOUN,m,sg,poss3ms
- ונחת: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- זרועו: NOUN,m,sg,poss3ms
- יראה: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- בזעף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אף: ADV
- ולהב: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אוכלה: VERB,qal,ptc,f,sg
- נפץ: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וזרם: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ואבן: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ברד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 18:7-15 (cf. 2 Samuel 22:8-16) (verbal): A theophanic passage using very similar language—earthquake, smoke, hailstones/coals of fire, and the outpouring of God's anger—often parallel to Isaiah's description of the LORD's voice, arm, and devouring fire.
- Psalm 29:3-9 (verbal): Refrain about 'the voice of the LORD' thundering over the waters and dividing flames of fire; shares the motif of God's voice manifesting power and storm imagery.
- Joel 2:1,11 (verbal): Joel speaks of the LORD's voice and the coming day of the LORD with a mighty, devouring presence executing judgment—paralleling Isaiah's 'voice' and 'devouring fire' imagery.
- Nahum 1:2-6 (thematic): Depicts God's fierce wrath expressed in storm/temporal imagery ('whirlwind and storm', 'who can stand before his indignation?'), resonating with Isaiah's emphasis on divine anger and destructive power.
- Habakkuk 3:3-11 (thematic): A prophetic theophany describing God's coming in brightness, hail, earthquake and arrows of lightning—echoes Isaiah's combination of voice, arm, fire, and hail as instruments of divine judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- The LORD will give forth his majestic voice, and the descent of his arm will be seen in fierce anger: a devouring fire, a tempest, and a hailstorm.
- And the LORD will make his voice heard, and the descent of his arm will be seen in fury—his indignation, a consuming, devouring flame; with a blast and tempest and hailstones.
Isa.30.31 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- מקול: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- יחת: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- אשור: NOUN,prop,m,sg
- בשבט: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יכה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 10:5-6 (thematic): Assyria is depicted as the 'rod' or instrument of God's judgment—here and in Isa 30:31 the LORD uses Assyria as a rod to strike the nations.
- Isaiah 30:30 (structural): Immediate context: verse 30 describes the LORD's voice, lightning, and shaking that precede the striking of Assyria in 30:31—closely parallel language and scene.
- Joel 3:16 (Joel 4:16 in some numbering) (thematic): Both texts emphasize the 'voice of the LORD' issuing from Zion/Jerusalem with world-shaking power to execute judgment on nations.
- Psalm 2:9 (verbal): Uses the image of a rod/club as the instrument of the anointed Lord's rule and judgment—echoes the motif of striking with a rod found in Isa 30:31.
Alternative generated candidates
- For at the voice of the LORD Assyria shall be struck down; by the rod he will fall.
- For by the voice of the LORD Assyria will be beaten down; he will strike with the rod.
Isa.30.32 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- כל: DET
- מעבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מטה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מוסדה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יניח: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- עליו: PREP,3,m,sg
- בתפים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ובכנרות: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ובמלחמות: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- תנופה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נלחם: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- בם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 15:20-21 (thematic): Miriam takes a timbrel and leads the people in song after divine deliverance—connects music (timbrel/lyre) with God's victorious acts.
- 2 Chronicles 20:21-22 (thematic): Jehoshaphat's singers lead the procession and the LORD defeats the enemy—music and praise accompany God’s victory in battle.
- Psalm 149:3-9 (verbal): Calls for praise with tambourine and strings and depicts the godly executing judgment—combines musical worship and divine/judicial warfare imagery similar to Isaiah’s scene.
- Isaiah 30:29-31 (structural): Immediate context: nearby verses use the same imagery (singing, drums/lyres, and the LORD fighting) and elaborate the theme of God’s intervention against foes.
Alternative generated candidates
- And every passerby will be appalled at them; where the LORD has smitten there shall be the sound of timbrels and harps—there shall be tumult as they go into battle against them.
- And every clash and tumult at the fortresses where the LORD lays his charge will be answered—then with tambourines and stringed instruments, and with battle-cries, he will fight against them.
Isa.30.33 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- ערוך: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- מאתמול: ADV,temporal
- תפתה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- גם: ADV
- היא: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- למלך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הוכן: VERB,niphal,perf,3,m,sg
- העמיק: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- הרחב: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- מדרתה: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,f,sg
- אש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ועצים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- הרבה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- נשמת: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- כנחל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גפרית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בערה: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- בה: PREP+PRON,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 34:9-10 (verbal): Both passages depict divine judgment as unquenchable fire and brimstone; Isaiah 34 uses similar imagery of burning pitch/brimstone and an unquenchable flame over a land of desolation.
- Genesis 19:24 (verbal): God rains 'fire and brimstone' on Sodom and Gomorrah—lexical and thematic parallel to the LORD's burning wrath described as brimstone and consuming fire in Isaiah 30:33.
- Ezekiel 38:22 (verbal): Ezekiel announces God's judgment with 'fire and brimstone' (and pestilence), echoing the motif of divine breath/anger producing consuming flames as in Isaiah 30:33.
- Psalm 11:6 (11:6 in KJV/MT) (verbal): This psalm speaks of God raining 'fire and brimstone' on the wicked—parallel language and theme of retributive, fiery divine judgment found in Isaiah 30:33.
- Revelation 20:10 / 21:8 (allusion): New Testament eschatology portrays final punishment as a 'lake of fire and brimstone'—a later theological development that alludes to Old Testament imagery of divine fire/brimstone judgment like Isaiah 30:33.
Alternative generated candidates
- For Topheth has long been prepared; yes, it is made ready for the king. Its pyre is ample with wood and much fuel; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, kindles it.
- For Topheth has long been prepared; indeed, for the king it is prepared—he has made it deep and wide; its pyre is fire with much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, kindles it.
Woe to the rebellious children, declares the LORD, who take counsel, but not from me; who make a covenant, but not by my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin.
Who go down to Egypt without asking — who rely on the strength of Pharaoh and take refuge in the shadow of Egypt.
Your refuge will be Pharaoh — a shame; the shelter in the shade of Egypt will be disgrace.
For his officials are at Zoan, and his envoys have reached Hanes.
All that brings disgrace upon a people will not help them; it will be no support, no help — only shame and reproach.
A burden concerning the beasts of the Negeb: in a land of distress and anguish — bring them forth. They come with a hissing and a flying serpent; they bear their loads on the shoulder of young asses and heap treasure on the humps of camels. They come to a people that will not profit them.
Egypt is vanity and emptiness; its help is worthless — therefore I have called her Rahab, the one who rests in vain. Now go, write it on a tablet before them and inscribe it on a scroll, that it may be for the time to come, for ever and ever.
For this is a rebellious people, children who refuse instruction, sons who will not listen to the law of the LORD.
To the seers they say, “Do not see,” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions.”
Get out of the way, turn aside from the path; stop up the Holy One of Israel for us — they say.
Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel: Because you have rejected this word and trusted in oppression and relied upon it,
this iniquity shall be for you like a breach ready to fall, a bulge in a high wall, whose collapse comes suddenly, instantly.
Its breaking will be like the smashing of a potter’s jar; no mercy — not a shard to take fire from the hearth, nor a fragment on which one might scoop water from a cistern.
For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. But you refused. And you said, “No — we will flee on horses”; therefore you shall flee. “We will ride upon swift steeds”; therefore your pursuers will be swift.
One thousand will flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five you shall flee, until you are left like a flag on the mountaintop, like a banner on the hill.
Therefore the LORD waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; blessed are all who wait for him.
For a people will dwell in Zion; in Jerusalem you shall weep no more. He will be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when he hears, he will answer you.
The LORD will give you bread of adversity and water of affliction; your teachers will no longer be hidden, and your eyes shall see your teachers. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.
You will cast away the silver idol, the work of your hands, and fling aside the gold chain; you will say to them, “Be gone!”
He will give rain for your seed that you sow in the ground, and bread of the produce of the earth; your fields will be rich and fruitful. On that day your cattle will graze in broad pastures. And the oxen and the young donkeys of the stalls will eat good fodder; they will eat the grain from the threshing floor and the gleanings of the sieve.
On every lofty mountain and every high hill there shall be streams and brooks of water, on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.
The light of the moon shall be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, like the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD binds up the bruises of his people and heals the stroke of their wound.
Behold, the name of the LORD comes from afar; his anger burns, and the burden of his lips is heavy. His lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is like a devouring fire. And his breath is like a sweeping torrent that reaches to the neck; he will sift the nations with the sieve of vanity, and will cast out the rest of them as a bridle on the jaws of peoples.
Your song will be a holy joy, a festival and gladness of heart — as when one goes with flutes to the mountain of the LORD, to the Rock of Israel.
The LORD will make his majestic voice heard, and show the descent of his arm; in fierce anger and a devouring flame of fire, a blast and storm and hailstones.
For by the voice of the LORD Assyria will be broken; with the rod he will strike. And the tumult he will set against them — the LORD will array against them tambourines and harps; at the cry of battle he will fight them.
For Topheth has long been prepared; for the king it is made deep and wide — its pile is fire and much wood; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, sets it ablaze.