Isaiah 8:22

Isaiah 8:22 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.
• New International Version (NIV)Then they will look toward the earth and see only distress and darkness and fearful gloom, and they will be thrust into utter darkness.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.

Context of Isaiah 8:22

20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. 21They will pass through the land hard-pressed and famished, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged and curse their king and their God as they face upward. Then they will look to the earth, and behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish; and they will be driven away into darkness.

Isaiah 8:22 word by word

וְאֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ יַבִּ֑יט וְהִנֵּ֨ה צָרָ֤ה וַחֲשֵׁכָה֙ מְע֣וּף צוּקָ֔ה וַאֲפֵלָ֖ה מְנֻדָּֽח׃Read the interlinear

• lookנָבַטnâbaţ · to lookH5027
• to the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and beholdהִנֵּהhinnêh · beholdH2009
• distressצָרָהtsârâh · distressH6869
• and darknessחֲשֵׁכָהchăshêkâh chăshêykâh · darknessH2825
• the gloomמָעוּףmâ‛ûph · gloomH4588
• of anguishצוּקָהtsôq tsûqâh · anguishH6695
• drivenנָדַחnâdach · to banishH5080
• into darknessאֲפֵלָה'ăphêlâh · darknessH653

Cross-references for Isaiah 8:22

• Isaiah 5:30And it will growl over it in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; Even the light is darkened by its clouds.
• Isaiah 9:1But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.
• 2 Chronicles 15:5In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for many disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands.
• Jeremiah 13:16Give glory to the Lord your God, Before He brings darkness And before your feet stumble On the dusky mountains, And while you are hoping for light He makes it into deep darkness, And turns it into gloom.
• Jeremiah 30:6Ask now, and see If a male can give birth. Why do I see every man With his hands on his loins, as a woman in childbirth? And why have all faces turned pale?
• Amos 5:18Alas, you who are longing for the day of the Lord, For what purpose will the day of the Lord be to you? It will be darkness and not light;
• Zephaniah 1:14Near is the great day of the Lord, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the Lord! In it the warrior cries out bitterly.
• Matthew 8:12but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
• Matthew 24:29“But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
• Luke 21:25“There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,
• Jude 1:13wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.
• Job 18:18He is driven from light into darkness, And chased from the inhabited world.
• Proverbs 14:32The wicked is thrust down by his wrongdoing, But the righteous has a refuge when he dies.
• Jeremiah 23:12“Therefore their way will be like slippery paths to them, They will be driven away into the gloom and fall down in it; For I will bring calamity upon them, The year of their punishment,” declares the Lord.
• Matthew 22:13Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Commentaries on Isaiah 8:22

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22And they shall look unto the earth - They would look upward and find no relief, and then in despair cast their eyes to the earth to obtain help there. Yet equally in vain. The whole image is one of intense anguish brought on the nation for leaving the counselor the true God. And behold … - see the note at Isaiah 5:30. Trouble - Anguish, oppression, צרה tsârâh from צור tsûr to oppress, to straiten, to afflict. This is a remarkable instance of the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-22Verses 17-22 The prophet foresaw that the Lord would hide his face; but he would look for his return in favour to them again. Though not miraculous signs, the children's names were memorials from God, suited to excite attention. The unbelieving Jews were prone to seek counsel in difficulties, from diviners of different descriptions, whose foolish and sinful ceremonies are alluded to. Would we know how we may seek to our God, and come to the knowledge of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-22Isaiah contrasted his message with the advice of ungodly people around him. His message brought light and truth. The message of spiritists led to darkness and death. Mediums tried to discover the future through divination (seeking hidden knowledge through rituals). Some claimed to speak with the dead (see Isaiah 19:3). However, God had forbidden these practices because they were empty and harmful (Isaiah 47:9; Deuteronomy 18:9–11).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 21-2221-22. More detailed description of the despair, which they shall fall into, who sought necromancy instead of God; Is 8:20 implies that too late they shall see how much better it would have been for them to have sought "to the law," &c. (De 32:31). But now they are given over to despair. Therefore, while seeing the truth of God, they only "curse their King and God"; foreshadowing the future, like conduct of those belonging to the "kingdom of the beast,"…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 8:22

• Blasphemy
• Colors
• Darkness
• Israel, Prophecies Concerning

In the dictionaries

• Ahaz
• Bestead
• Darkness
• Dread
• Light
• Sanctify
• Seal
• Anguish
• Ezekiel
• Isaiah

Commentaries on Isaiah 8

• 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