English Standard Version
Isaiah 24:20
20The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again.
Isaiah 24:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
- New International Version (NIV)The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls—never to rise again.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, And shall totter like a hut; Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, And it will fall, and not rise again.
- New Living Translation (NLT)The earth staggers like a drunk. It trembles like a tent in a storm. It falls and will not rise again, for the guilt of its rebellion is very heavy.
Context of Isaiah 24:20
18He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. 19The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken. The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again. 21On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth. 22They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit; they will be shut up in a prison, and after many days they will be punished.
Read all of Isaiah 24Isaiah 24:20 word by word
נ֣וֹעַ תָּנ֤וּעַ אֶ֙רֶץ֙ כַּשִּׁכּ֔וֹר וְהִֽתְנוֹדְדָ֖ה כַּמְּלוּנָ֑ה וְכָבַ֤ד עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ פִּשְׁעָ֔הּ וְנָפְלָ֖ה וְלֹא־תֹסִ֥יף קֽוּם׃ סRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
- shall reelנוּעַnûa‛ · to shakeH5128
- like a drunkardשִׁכֹּרshikkôr shikkôr · drunkenH7910
- and shall be removedנוּדnûd · to wanderH5110
- like a cottageמְלוּנָהmelûnâh · lodgeH4412
- and the transgressionפֶּ֫שַׁעpesha‛ · transgressionH6588
- thereof shall be heavyכָּבֵדkâbad kâbêd · to honor: heavyH3513
- upon it; and it shall fallנָפַלnâphal · to fall: fallH5307
- and not riseקוּםqûm · to arise: riseH6965
- againיָסַףyâsaph · to add: againH3254
Cross-references for Isaiah 24:20
- Isaiah 19:14The Lord has mingled within her a spirit of confusion, and they will make Egypt stagger in all its deeds, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit.
- Isaiah 29:9Astonish yourselves and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not with strong drink!
- Psalms 107:27they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits' end.
- Isaiah 1:8And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.
- Isaiah 38:12My dwelling is plucked up and removed from me like a shepherd's tent; like a weaver I have rolled up my life; he cuts me off from the loom; from day to night you bring me to an end;
- Isaiah 5:7For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!
- Psalms 38:4For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.
- Lamentations 1:14"My transgressions were bound into a yoke; by his hand they were fastened together; they were set upon my neck; he caused my strength to fail; the Lord gave me into the hands of those whom I cannot withstand.
- Hosea 4:1Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land;
- Matthew 23:35so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
- Jeremiah 8:4"You shall say to them, Thus says the Lord: When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return?
- Jeremiah 25:27"Then you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Drink, be drunk and vomit, fall and rise no more, because of the sword that I am sending among you.'
- Daniel 11:19Then he shall turn his face back toward the fortresses of his own land, but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.
- Amos 8:14Those who swear by the Guilt of Samaria, and say, 'As your god lives, O Dan,' and, 'As the Way of Beersheba lives,' they shall fall, and never rise again."
- Zechariah 5:5Then the angel who talked with me came forward and said to me, "Lift your eyes and see what this is that is going out."
- Revelation 18:21Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, "So will Babylon the great city be thrown down with violence, and will be found no more;
Commentaries on Isaiah 24:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Like a cottage "Like a lodge for a night" - See note on Isaiah 1:8.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard - This is descriptive of the agitation that occurs in an earthquake when everything is shaken from its foundation, and when trees and towers are shaken by the mighty concussion. The same figure is used in Isaiah 29:9. See also the description of a tempest at sea, in Psalm 107:27: They reel to and fro, And stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wit‘s end. And shall be removed like a cottage - Or rather…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-23Verses 16-23 Believers may be driven into the uttermost parts of the earth; but they are singing, not sighing. Here is terror to sinners; the prophet laments the miseries he saw breaking in like a torrent; and the small number of believers. He foresees that sin would abound. The meaning is plain, that evil pursues sinners. Unsteady, uncertain are all these things. Worldly men think to dwell in the earth as in a palace, as in a castle; but it shall be…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-23Here, the judgments described in Isaiah 13–23 apply to all of creation.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. removed like a cottage--(See on Is 1:8). Here, a hanging couch, suspended from the trees by cords, such as Niebuhr describes the Arab keepers of lands as having, to enable them to keep watch, and at the same time to be secure from wild beasts. Translate, "Shall wave to and fro like a hammock" swung about by the wind. heavy upon it--like an overwhelming burden. not rise again--not meaning, that it never would rise (Is 24:23), but in those convulsions…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 24:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 24
- 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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