Amplified Bible
Isaiah 30:28
28His breath is like an overflowing river, Which reaches to the neck, To sift the nations back and forth in a sieve [of disaster], And to put in the jaws of the peoples the bridle which leads to ruin.
Isaiah 30:28 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.
- New International Version (NIV)His breath is like a rushing torrent, rising up to the neck. He shakes the nations in the sieve of destruction; he places in the jaws of the peoples a bit that leads them astray.
- English Standard Version (ESV)his breath is like an overflowing stream that reaches up to the neck; to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction, and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray.
- New King James Version (NKJV)His breath is like an overflowing stream, Which reaches up to the neck, To sift the nations with the sieve of futility; And there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, Causing them to err.
Context of Isaiah 30:28
26The light of the full moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days [concentrated in one], in the day the Lord binds up the fracture of His people and heals the wound He has inflicted [because of their sins]. 27Now look, the name of the Lord comes from far away, Burning with His anger, and heavy with smoke; His lips are full of indignation, And His tongue is like a consuming fire. His breath is like an overflowing river, Which reaches to the neck, To sift the nations back and forth in a sieve [of disaster], And to put in the jaws of the peoples the bridle which leads to ruin. 29You will have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, And joy of heart as when one marches [in procession] with a flute, To go to the [temple on the] mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. 30And the Lord will make His majestic voice heard, And show the descending of His arm [striking] in [His] fierce anger, And in the flame of a devouring fire, In the crashing sound of heavy rain, cloudburst, and hailstones.
Read all of Isaiah 30Isaiah 30:28 word by word
וְרוּח֞וֹ כְּנַ֤חַל שׁוֹטֵף֙ עַד־צַוָּ֣אר יֶֽחֱצֶ֔ה לַהֲנָפָ֥ה גוֹיִ֖ם בְּנָ֣פַת שָׁ֑וְא וְרֶ֣סֶן מַתְעֶ֔ה עַ֖ל לְחָיֵ֥י עַמִּֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And his breathרוּחַrûach · spirit: breathH7307
- as an overflowingשָׁטַףshâţaph · to overflowH7857
- streamנַ֫חַלnachal nachlâh nachălâh · torrent: riverH5158
- shall reach to the midstחָצָהchâtsâh · to divideH2673
- of the neckצַוָּארtsavvâ'r tsavvâr tsavvârôn tsavvâ'râh · neckH6677
- to siftנוּףnûph · to waveH5130
- the nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
- with the sieveנָפָהnâphâh · sieveH5299
- of vanityשָׁוְאshâv' shav · vanity: vainH7723
- a bridleרֶ֫סֶןresen · bridleH7448
- in the jawsלְחִיlechîy · jawH3895
- of the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
- to errתָּעָהtâ‛âh · to go astrayH8582
Cross-references for Isaiah 30:28
- Isaiah 11:4But with righteousness and justice He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the downtrodden of the earth; And He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.
- Psalms 18:15Then the stream beds of the waters appeared, And the foundations of the world were laid bare At Your rebuke, O Lord, At the blast of the breath of Your nostrils.
- Luke 22:31“Simon, Simon (Peter), listen! Satan has demanded permission to sift [all of] you like grain;
- 2 Thessalonians 2:8Then the lawless one [the Antichrist] will be revealed and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and bring him to an end by the appearance of His coming.
- Hebrews 4:12For the word of God is living and active and full of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart.
- Revelation 1:16In His right hand He held seven stars, and from His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword [of judgment]; and His face [reflecting His majesty and the Shekinah glory] was like the sun shining in [all] its power [at midday].
- Revelation 2:16Therefore repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, your sinful behavior—seek God’s will]; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war and fight against them with the sword of My mouth [in judgment].
- Isaiah 8:8Then it will sweep on into Judah; it will overflow and pass through [the hills], Reaching even to the neck [of which Jerusalem is the head], And its outstretched wings (the armies of Assyria) will fill the width of Your land, O Immanuel.
- Isaiah 28:17I will make justice the measuring line And righteousness the mason’s level; Then hail will sweep away the refuge of lies And waters will flood over the secret [hiding] place.
- Isaiah 29:6You will be punished by the Lord of hosts with thunder and earthquake and great noise, With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.
- Habakkuk 3:12In indignation You marched through the earth; In anger You trampled and threshed the nations.
- Isaiah 19:12Where then are your wise men? Please let them tell you, And let them understand what the Lord of hosts Has purposed against Egypt [if they can].
- Isaiah 33:10“Now I will arise,” says the Lord. “Now I will be exalted; now I will be lifted up.
- Hosea 13:3Therefore they will be [swiftly dissipated] like the morning cloud Or like dew which soon disappears, Like chaff which swirls with the whirlwind from the threshing floor, And like smoke from the chimney or through the window [worthless and without substance —they will vanish].
- Amos 9:9“For behold, I am commanding, And I shall shake and sift the house of Israel among all nations [and cause it to tremble] Like grain is shaken in a sieve [removing the chaff], But not a kernel [of the faithful remnant] shall fall to the ground and be lost [from My sight].
- Matthew 3:12His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear out His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat (believers) into His barn (kingdom), but He will burn up the chaff (the unrepentant) with unquenchable fire.”
Commentaries on Isaiah 30:28
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 28To sift the nations with a sieve of vanity "To toss the nations with the van of perdition" - The word להנפה lahanaphah is in its form very irregular. Kimchi says it is for להניף lehaniph . Houbigant supposes it to be a mistake, and shows the cause of it; the joining it to the ה he, which should begin the following word. The true reading is הגוים להניף lehaniph haggoyim, "to sift the nations." The Vulgate seems to be the only one of the ancient…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 28And his breath - The word רוח rûach properly means “wind,” air in motion; then a breathing, an exhalation, a breath; then the soul, spirit, etc. The idea here seems to be that of excited, and rapid, and agitated breathing, as when one is in anger (compare Judges 8:3; Zechariah 6:8). As an overflowing stream - This figure is common to express desolating judgments (see the notes at Isaiah 8:8; Isaiah 10:22; Isaiah 28:17; compare Psalm 69:2, Psalm 69:15)…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 27-33Verses 27-33 God curbs and restrains from doing mischief. With a word he guides his people into the right way, but with a bridle he turns his enemies upon their own ruin. Here, in threatening the ruin of Sennacherib's army, the prophet points at the final and everlasting destruction of all impenitent sinners. Tophet was a valley near Jerusalem, where fires were continually burning to destroy things that were hurtful and offensive, and there the idolatrous…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 28like a rushing torrent that rises to the neck: Assyria’s destruction would be as devastating as their invasion of Judah (see Isaiah 8:8).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2828. (Is 11:4; 2Th 2:8). reach ... neck--the most extreme danger; yet as the head, or capital of Judah, was to be spared (Is 8:8), so the head, or sovereign of Assyria, Sennacherib, should escape. sieve of vanity--Rather, "the winnowing fan of destruction" [Lowth] (Is 41:16). bridle in ... jaws--as prisoners are represented in the Assyrian inscriptions (Is 37:29). causing ... to err--(Is 63:17). "People," Hebrew, "peoples," namely, the various races…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 30:28
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 30
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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