Isaiah 47:14

Isaiah 47:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.
• New International Version (NIV)Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot even save themselves from the power of the flame. These are not coals for warmth; this is not a fire to sit by.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before!
• New King James Version (NKJV)Behold, they shall be as stubble, The fire shall burn them; They shall not deliver themselves From the power of the flame; It shall not be a coal to be warmed by, Nor a fire to sit before!

Context of Isaiah 47:14

12So continue with your magic, if you want to. Say your magic words. You have always used that magic, since you were young. Perhaps your magic will help you. Perhaps you will frighten your enemies! 13You receive a lot of advice, and it has made you become tired. Let your advisors come and stand there. They study the sky and the stars to decide what will happen. They say what will happen each month. So let them come and help you! See if they can rescue you from the trouble that is coming! But they are as useless as straw that quickly burns in a fire. They cannot save themselves, because the fire is too hot! This is not a nice fire to sit beside and enjoy the heat. 15You have worked with those magicians since you were young, but you will have no help from them now. They have gone their own separate ways. There is nobody left who can save you.’

Isaiah 47:14 word by word

הִנֵּ֨ה הָי֤וּ כְקַשׁ֙ אֵ֣שׁ שְׂרָפָ֔תַם לֹֽא־יַצִּ֥ילוּ אֶת־נַפְשָׁ֖ם מִיַּ֣ד לֶֽהָבָ֑ה אֵין־גַּחֶ֣לֶת לַחְמָ֔ם א֖וּר לָשֶׁ֥בֶת נֶגְדּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Behold, they shall be as stubbleקַשׁqash · stubbleH7179
• the fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
• shall burnשָׂרַףώâraph · to burnH8313
• them; they shall not deliverנָצַלnâtsal · to rescueH5337
• themselvesנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: myselfH5315
• from the powerיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
• of the flameלֶהָבָהlehâbâh lahebeth · flameH3852
• a coalגַּחֶ֫לֶתgechel gacheleth · coalH1513
• to warmחָמַםchâmam · to warmH2552
• fireאוּר'ûr · flameH217
• to sitיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427

Cross-references for Isaiah 47:14

• Isaiah 40:24They are like plants that soon disappear. Somebody plants them in the ground. But while their roots are still growing into the soil, God blows on them and they become dry. Then the wind carries them away like straw.
• Isaiah 41:2Tell me, who has woken up that king in the east? Who has chosen that king to serve him? He has given that king power over many nations, so that the kings of those nations must obey him. He uses that king's weapons to destroy other nations. He blows them away like dust or straw.
• Ezekiel 15:7I will become their enemy. They may have escaped from the fire once, but soon the fire will destroy them. When I punish them like that, then you will know that I am the Lord.
• Psalms 83:13God, blow them away like dust, like chaff that blows away in the wind!
• Joel 2:5Their noise is like the noise of many feet. They jump over the mountains as fast as fire burns dry grass. They are like a great army ready for a fight.
• Obadiah 1:18The people in Jacob's and Joseph's family will kill all the people that belong to Esau's family.’ This is what the Lord said.
• Nahum 1:10He will kill them. And then it will be like when thorn bushes have caught people. Or it will be like when they have drunk too much alcohol. It will be like when someone burns dry straw.
• Malachi 4:1‘The great day when I come to judge people will certainly happen. Punishment will come like the great fire of a hot oven. It will destroy all the proud people who do evil things. It will completely destroy them, like a fire that destroys dry grass. Nothing will remain.’ That is what the Lord Almighty says.
• Matthew 10:28Do not be afraid of those people who can kill only your body. These people cannot kill your soul. No, it is God that you should be afraid of. He can kill your body, and then he can also destroy your soul in hell.
• Matthew 16:26A person may get everything in the whole world for himself. But if he loses his life, it will not be any good for him. There is nothing that a person can give to get back his life.
• Isaiah 30:14That wall will break into pieces, like the pieces of a pot. It will be completely broken so that it is all useless. There will be no piece that is big enough to carry coal from a fire, or water from a well.’
• Jeremiah 51:25The Lord says, ‘Listen to me, Babylon! I am your enemy! You are like a strong mountain that destroys the whole earth. I will punish you with all my strength. I will push you down from your high place. I will make you a heap of ashes.
• Revelation 18:21Then a powerful angel picked up a very big, heavy stone. He threw it into the sea. He said, ‘God will throw you down, Babylon! You are a great city, but God will throw you down like this stone. Nobody will ever see you again!

Commentaries on Isaiah 47:14

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Behold, they shall be as stubble - They shall be no more able to resist the judgments which are coming upon the city, than dry stubble can resist the action of the fire. A similar figure is used in Isaiah 1:31 (see the notes at that verse). Compare also Isaiah 29:6; Isaiah 30:30, where fire is a symbol of the devouring judgments of God. They shall not deliver themselves - Margin, as Hebrew, Their souls.‘ The meaning is, that they would be unable to…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-15Verses 7-15 Let us beware of acting and speaking as Babylon did; of trusting in tyranny and oppression; of boasting as to our abilities, relying on ourselves, and ascribing success to our own prudence and wisdom; lest we partake of her plagues. Those in the height of prosperity, are apt to fancy themselves out of the reach of adversity. It is also common for sinners to think they shall be safe, because they think to be secret in wicked ways. But their…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-15When disaster struck, Babylon turned to occult practices for help, but found none.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. (Is 29:6; 30:30). not ... a coal--Like stubble, they shall burn to a dead ash, without leaving a live coal or cinder (compare Is 30:14), so utterly shall they be destroyed.Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 47:14

• Idolatry
• Stubble

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Commentaries on Isaiah 47

• 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