New English Translation
Isaiah 25:11
11Moab will spread out its hands in the middle of it, just as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim; the Lord will bring down Moab’s pride as it spreads its hands.
Isaiah 25:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.
- New International Version (NIV)They will stretch out their hands in it, as swimmers stretch out their hands to swim. God will bring down their pride despite the cleverness of their hands.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And he will spread out his hands in the midst of it as a swimmer spreads his hands out to swim, but the Lord will lay low his pompous pride together with the skill of his hands.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And He will spread out His hands in their midst As a swimmer reaches out to swim, And He will bring down their pride Together with the trickery of their hands.
Context of Isaiah 25:11
9At that time they will say, “Look, here is our God! We waited for him and he delivered us. Here is the Lord! We waited for him. Let’s rejoice and celebrate his deliverance!” 10For the Lord’s power will make this mountain secure. Moab will be trampled down where it stands, as a heap of straw is trampled down in a manure pile. Moab will spread out its hands in the middle of it, just as a swimmer spreads his hands to swim; the Lord will bring down Moab’s pride as it spreads its hands. 12The fortified city (along with the very tops of your walls) he will knock down, he will bring it down, he will throw it down to the dusty ground.
Read all of Isaiah 25Isaiah 25:11 word by word
וּפֵרַ֤שׂ יָדָיו֙ בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹ כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר יְפָרֵ֥שׂ הַשֹּׂחֶ֖ה לִשְׂח֑וֹת וְהִשְׁפִּיל֙ גַּֽאֲוָת֔וֹ עִ֖ם אָרְבּ֥וֹת יָדָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And he shall spread forthפָּרַשׂpâraώ · to spreadH6566
- his handsיָדyâd · handH3027
- in the midstקֶ֫רֶבqereb · entrails: amongH7130
- of them, as he that swimmethשָׂחָהώâchâh · to swimH7811
- and he shall bring downשָׁפֵלshâphêl · to abaseH8213
- their prideגַּאֲוָהga'ăvâh · prideH1346
- together with the spoilsאָרְבָּה'orŏbâh · artificeH698
Cross-references for Isaiah 25:11
- Isaiah 5:25So the Lord is furious with his people; he lifts his hand and strikes them. The mountains shake, and corpses lie like manure in the middle of the streets. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.
- Isaiah 14:26This is the plan I have devised for the whole earth; my hand is ready to strike all the nations.”
- Isaiah 65:2I spread out my hands all day long to my rebellious people, who lived in a way that is morally unacceptable, and who did what they desired.
- Colossians 2:15Disarming the rulers and authorities, he has made a public disgrace of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
- Isaiah 25:5like heat in a dry land, you humble the boasting foreigners. Just as the shadow of a cloud causes the heat to subside, so he causes the song of tyrants to cease.
- Isaiah 2:11Proud men will be brought low, arrogant men will be humiliated; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
- Isaiah 10:33Look, the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, is ready to cut off the branches with terrifying power. The tallest trees will be cut down, the loftiest ones will be brought low.
- Isaiah 13:11I will punish the world for its evil, and wicked people for their sin. I will put an end to the pride of the insolent, I will bring down the arrogance of tyrants.
- Isaiah 16:6We have heard about Moab’s pride, their great arrogance, their boasting, pride, and excess. But their boastful claims are empty!
- Isaiah 53:12So I will assign him a portion with the multitudes, he will divide the spoils of victory with the powerful, because he willingly submitted to death and was numbered with the rebels, when he lifted up the sin of many and intervened on behalf of the rebels.”
- Psalms 2:5Then he angrily speaks to them and terrifies them in his rage, saying,
- Psalms 110:1Here is the Lord’s proclamation to my lord: “Sit down at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool!”
- Jeremiah 48:29I have heard how proud the people of Moab are, I know how haughty they are. I have heard how arrogant, proud, and haughty they are, what a high opinion they have of themselves.
- Jeremiah 50:31“Listen! I am opposed to you, you proud city,” says the Lord God who rules over all. “Indeed, your day of reckoning has come, the time when I will punish you.
- Jeremiah 51:44I will punish the god Bel in Babylon. I will make him spit out what he has swallowed. The nations will not come streaming to him any longer. Indeed, the walls of Babylon will fall.”
- Daniel 4:37Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all his deeds are right and his ways are just. He is able to bring down those who live in pride.
Commentaries on Isaiah 25:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11As he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim "As he that sinketh stretcheth out his hands to swim" - There is great obscurity in this place: some understand God as the agent; others, Moab. I have chosen the latter sense, as I cannot conceive that the stretching out of the hands of a swimmer in swimming can be any illustration of the action of God stretching out his hands over Moab to destroy it. I take השחה hashshocheh, altering the point on the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11And he shall spread forth his hands - The sense is, that Yahweh would stretch out his hands everywhere, prostrating his enemies, and the enemies of his people. Lowth, however, applies this to Moab, and supposes that it is designed to represent the action of one who is in danger of sinking, and who, in swimming, stretches out his hands to sustain himself. In order to this, he supposes that there should be a slight alteration of a single letter in the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-12Verses 9-12 With joy and praise will those entertain the glad tidings of the Redeemer, who looked for him; and with a triumphant song will glorified saints enter into the joy of their Lord. And it is not in vain to wait for him; for the mercy comes at last, with abundant recompence for the delay. The hands once stretched out upon the cross, to make way for our salvation, will at length be stretched forth to destroy all impenitent sinners. Moab is here put…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11Isaiah used the image of a swimmer forcibly kept under water to illustrate that Moab’s people are hopelessly doomed and their human pride will be conquered.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. he--Jehovah shall spread His hands to strike the foe on this side and on that, with as little effort as a swimmer spreads forth his arms to cleave a passage through the water [Calvin]. (Zec 5:3). Lowth takes "he" as Moab, who, in danger of sinking, shall strain every nerve to save himself; but Jehovah (and "he") shall cause him to sink ("bring down the pride" of Moab, Is 16:6). with the spoils of ... hands--literally, "the craftily acquired spoils" of…Read the comment
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 25
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries