New International Version
Isaiah 18:1
1Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush,
Isaiah 18:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:
- English Standard Version (ESV)Ah, land of whirring wings that is beyond the rivers of Cush,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Woe to the land shadowed with buzzing wings, Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,
- New Living Translation (NLT)Listen, Ethiopia—land of fluttering sails that lies at the headwaters of the Nile,
Context of Isaiah 18:1
Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush, 2which sends envoys by sea in papyrus boats over the water. Go, swift messengers, to a people tall and smooth-skinned, to a people feared far and wide, an aggressive nation of strange speech, whose land is divided by rivers. 3All you people of the world, you who live on the earth, when a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it, and when a trumpet sounds, you will hear it.
Read all of Isaiah 18Isaiah 18:1 word by word
ה֥וֹי אֶ֖רֶץ צִלְצַ֣ל כְּנָפָ֑יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר מֵעֵ֖בֶר לְנַֽהֲרֵי־כֽוּשׁ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Isaiah 18:1
- Isaiah 20:3Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush,
- Isaiah 30:2who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection, to Egypt’s shade for refuge.
- Isaiah 31:1Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the Lord.
- Ruth 2:12May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
- Psalms 17:8Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings
- Psalms 36:7How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
- Psalms 57:1Have mercy on me, my God, have mercy on me, for in you I take refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.
- Psalms 61:4I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
- Psalms 63:7Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
- Psalms 91:4He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
- Matthew 23:37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing.
- 2 Kings 19:9Now Sennacherib received a report that Tirhakah, the king of Cush, was marching out to fight against him. So he again sent messengers to Hezekiah with this word:
- Ezekiel 30:4A sword will come against Egypt, and anguish will come upon Cush. When the slain fall in Egypt, her wealth will be carried away and her foundations torn down.
- Zephaniah 2:12“You Cushites, too, will be slain by my sword.”
- Zephaniah 3:10From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings.
Commentaries on Isaiah 18:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Wo to the land - ארץ הוי hoi arets ! This interjection should be translated ho! for it is properly a particle of calling: Ho, land! Attend! Give ear! Shadowing with wings "The winged cymbal" - כנפים צלצל tsiltsal kenaphayim . I adopt this as the most probable of the many interpretations that have been given of these words. It is Bochart's: see Phaleg, 4:2. The Egyptian sistrum is expressed by a periphrasis; the Hebrews had no name for it in their…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Woe to the land - (הוי hôy ). This word, as has been already remarked (the note at Isaiah 17:12), may be a mere interjection or salutation, and would be appropriately rendered by Ho!‘ Or it may be a word denouncing judgment, or wrath, as it is often used in this prophecy (the note at Isaiah 5:8). Shadowing with wings - (כנפים צלצל tsı̂letsal kenāpāı̂ym ). This is one of the most difficult expressions in the whole chapter; and one to which as yet…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1God's care for his people; and the increase of the church. This chapter is one of the most obscure in Scripture, though more of it probably was understood by those for whose use it was first intended, than by us now. Swift messengers are sent by water to a nation marked by Providence, and measured out, trodden under foot. God's people are trampled on; but whoever thinks to swallow them up, finds they are cast down, yet not deserted, not destroyed. All the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Ethiopia was located to the south of Egypt. It marked the southern border of Egypt’s kingdom. At that time, Egypt was ruled by an Ethiopian dynasty (a family line of kings). One of its rulers was Piankhi, also known as Piye.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-7Is 18:1-7. Isaiah announces the overthrow of Sennacherib's hosts and desires the Ethiopian ambassadors, now in Jerusalem, to bring word of it to their own nation; and he calls on the whole world to witness the event (Is 18:3). As Is 17:12-14 announced the presence of the foe, so Is 18:1-7 foretells his overthrow. 1. Woe--The heading in English Version, "God will destroy the Ethiopians," is a mistake arising from the wrong rendering "Woe," whereas the…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 18:1
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 18
- 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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