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

24As flames burn up straw and dry grass shrivels in flames, so their roots will rot, and their blossoms will blow away like dust. They have rejected the teachings of the Lord of Armies and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. 25That’s why the anger of the Lord burns hot against his people, and he is ready to use his power to strike them down. The hills tremble, and dead bodies lie like garbage in the streets. Even after all this, his anger has not disappeared, and he is still ready to use his power. The Lord raises up a flag for the nations far away. With a whistle he signals those at the ends of the earth. Look, they are coming very quickly! 27None of them grow tired or stumble. None of them slumber or sleep. The belts on their waists aren’t loose or their sandal straps broken. 28Their arrows are sharpened; all their bows are ready to shoot. Their horses’ hoofs are as hard as flint. Their chariot wheels are as quick as the wind.

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 11:12He will raise a banner for the nations ⌞to gather around⌟. He will gather the outcasts of Israel and bring together the scattered people of Judah from the four corners of the earth.
• Isaiah 18:3Look when someone raises a flag on the mountains. Listen when someone blows a ram’s horn, all you inhabitants of the world who live on the earth.
• Jeremiah 51:27Raise your battle flag throughout the world. Blow the ram’s horn among the nations. Prepare nations to attack Babylon. Tell the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz to attack it. Appoint a commander to lead the attack. Bring up horses like a swarm of locusts.
• Isaiah 7:18On that day the Lord will whistle for the flies that are at the distant branches of the Nile River in Egypt and for the bees that are in Assyria.
• Zechariah 10:8I will signal them with a whistle and gather them because I have reclaimed them. They will be as numerous as they have ever been.
• Isaiah 39:3Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked, “What did these men say? And where did they come from?” Hezekiah answered, “They came to me from the distant country of Babylon.”
• Deuteronomy 28:49The Lord will bring against you a nation from far away, from the ends of the earth. The nation will swoop down on you like an eagle. It will be a nation whose language you won’t understand.
• Psalms 72:8May he rule from sea to sea, from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
• Jeremiah 5:15Nation of Israel, I’m going to bring a nation from far away to attack you, declares the Lord. It is a nation that has lasted a long time. It is an ancient nation. You don’t know the language of this nation. You can’t understand what its people say.
• Malachi 1:11“From the nations where the sun rises to the nations where the sun sets, my name will be great. Incense and pure offerings will be offered everywhere in my name, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord of Armies.
• Isaiah 30:16You’ve said, “No, we’ll flee on horses.” So you flee. You’ve added, “We’ll ride on fast horses.” So those who chase you will also be fast.
• Jeremiah 4:13The enemy comes up like clouds. His chariots are like a raging wind. His horses are faster than eagles. How horrible it will be for us! We will be destroyed!
• Lamentations 4:19Those who were hunting us were faster than eagles in the sky. They chased us in the mountains and ambushed us in the wilderness.
• Joel 2:7They run like warriors. They climb walls like soldiers. They march straight ahead. They do not leave their places.
• Habakkuk 1:8Their horses will be faster than leopards and quicker than wolves in the evening. Their riders will gallop along proudly. Their riders will come from far away. They will fly like an eagle that swoops down for its prey.

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