Isaiah 5:26

Isaiah 5:26 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:
• New International Version (NIV)He lifts up a banner for the distant nations, he whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Here they come, swiftly and speedily!
• English Standard Version (ESV)He will raise a signal for nations far away, and whistle for them from the ends of the earth; and behold, quickly, speedily they come!
• New King James Version (NKJV)He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar, And will whistle to them from the end of the earth; Surely they shall come with speed, swiftly.

Context of Isaiah 5:26

24Therefore, as the tongue of fire consumes the stubble [from straw] And the dry grass collapses into the flame, So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away like fine dust; Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts And despised and discarded the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25Therefore the anger of the Lord has burned against His people, And He has stretched out His hand against them and has struck them down. And the mountains trembled, and their dead bodies lay like rubbish in the middle of the streets. In spite of all this God’s anger is not turned away, But His hand is still stretched out [in judgment]. He will lift up a flag to [call] the distant nations [to bring His judgment on Judah], And will whistle for them from the ends of the earth; And indeed, they will come with great speed swiftly. 27No one among them is weary or stumbles, No one slumbers or sleeps; Nor is the belt at their waist undone [as if unprepared for action], Nor is the strap of their sandal broken. 28Their arrows are sharp and all their bows are strung and bent; Their horses’ hoofs seem like flint and their chariot wheels like a whirlwind.

Isaiah 5:26 word by word

וְנָֽשָׂא־נֵ֤ס לַגּוֹיִם֙ מֵרָח֔וֹק וְשָׁ֥רַק ל֖וֹ מִקְצֵ֣ה הָאָ֑רֶץ וְהִנֵּ֥ה מְהֵרָ֖ה קַ֥ל יָבֽוֹא׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he will lift upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: raiseH5375
• an ensignנֵסnês · ensignH5251
• to the nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• from farרָחֹקrâchôq râchôq · distantH7350
• and will hissשָׁרַקshâraq · to whistleH8319
• unto them from the endקָצֶהqâtseh qêtseh · endH7097
• of the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and, behold, they shall comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• with speedמְהֵרָהmehêrâh · hasteH4120
• swiftlyקַלqal · swiftH7031

Cross-references for Isaiah 5:26

• Isaiah 11:12And He will lift up a signal for the nations And assemble the outcasts of Israel, And will gather the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.
• Isaiah 18:3All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, When a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it! When a trumpet is blown, you will hear it!
• Jeremiah 51:27Lift up a signal in the land [to spread the news]! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Dedicate the nations [for war] against her; Call against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a marshal against her; Cause the horses to come up like bristly locusts [with their wings not yet released from their cases].
• Isaiah 7:18In that day the Lord will whistle for the fly that is in the mouth of the rivers and canals of Egypt and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
• Zechariah 10:8I will whistle for them and gather them together, For I have redeemed them; And they will increase [again] as they have increased before [in Egypt].
• Isaiah 39:3Then Isaiah the prophet came to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did these men say? From where have they come to you?” And Hezekiah said, “They came to me from a far country, from Babylon.”
• Deuteronomy 28:49“The Lord will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, [as swift] as the eagle swoops down [to attack], a nation whose language you will not understand,
• Psalms 72:8May he also rule from sea to sea And from the River [Euphrates] to the ends of the earth.
• Jeremiah 5:15Behold, I am bringing a nation against you from far away, O house of Israel,” says the Lord. “It is a mighty and enduring nation, It is an ancient nation, A nation whose language you do not know, Whose words you do not comprehend.
• Malachi 1:11For from the rising of the sun, even to its setting, My name shall be great among the nations. In every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name shall be great among the nations,” says the Lord of hosts.
• Isaiah 30:16And you said, “No! We will flee on horses!” Therefore you will flee [from your enemies]! And [you said], “We will ride on swift horses!” Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
• Jeremiah 4:13“Behold, the enemy comes up like clouds, His chariots like the whirlwind; His horses are swifter than eagles. Woe (judgment is coming) to us, for we are ruined!”
• Lamentations 4:19Our pursuers were swifter Than the eagles of the sky; They pursued us on the mountains, They waited in ambush for us in the wilderness.
• Joel 2:7They run like warriors; They climb the wall like soldiers. They each march [straight ahead] in line, And they do not deviate from their paths.
• Habakkuk 1:8Their horses are swifter than leopards And keener than [hungry] wolves in the evening, Their horsemen come galloping, Their horsemen come from far away; They fly like an eagle swooping down to devour.

Commentaries on Isaiah 5:26

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26He will - hiss "He will hist" - "The metaphor is taken from the practice of those that keep bees, who draw them out of their hives into the fields, and lead them back again, , by a hiss or a whistle." - Cyril, on this place; and to the same purpose Theodoret, ib. In Isaiah 7:18, the metaphor is more apparent, by being carried farther, where the hostile armies are expressed by the fly and the bee: - "Jehovah shall hist the fly That is in the utmost parts…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 26And he will lift up an ensign … - The idea here is, that the nations of the earth are under his control, and that he can call whom he pleases to execute his purposes. This power over the nations he often claims; compare Isaiah 44:28; Isaiah 45:1-7; Isaiah 10:5-7; Isaiah 9:11; Isaiah 8:18. An “ensign” is the “standard,” or “flag” used in an army. The elevation of the standard was a signal for assembling for war. God represents himself here as simply…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24-30Verses 24-30 Let not any expect to live easily who live wickedly. Sin weakens the strength, the root of a people; it defaces the beauty, the blossoms of a people. When God's word is despised, and his law cast away, what can men expect but that God should utterly abandon them? When God comes forth in wrath, the hills tremble, fear seizes even great men. When God designs the ruin of a provoking people, he can find instruments to be employed in it, as he…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 26The signal was a banner raised on a long pole. It was often placed on a high hill so people could see it from far away (see also Isaiah 13:2; 18:3; 30:17). In Isaiah, the phrase a banner for the distant nations appears many times. Sometimes it calls nations to join in battle, as in this passage. In other places, it calls them to share in salvation (Isaiah 11:10, 12; 49:22; 62:10). The distant nations here refer to the Assyrians and Babylonians. God used…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2626. lift ... ensign--to call together the hostile nations to execute His judgments on Judea (Is 10:5-7; 45:1). But for mercy to it, in Is 11:12; 18:3. hiss--(Is 7:18). Bees were drawn out of their hives by the sound of a flute, or hissing, or whistling (Zec 10:8). God will collect the nations round Judea like bees (De 1:44; Psa 118:12). end of the earth--the widely distant subject races of which the Assyrian army was made up (Is 22:6). The ulterior…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 5:26

• Armies
• Backsliders
• Ensign
• Isaiah
• War

In the dictionaries

• Banner
• Cast
• Cord
• Cry
• Dry
• Ensign
• Join
• Lay
• Mighty
• Regard

Commentaries on Isaiah 5

• 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