Isaiah 24:1
Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
Original Language Analysis
יְהוָ֛ה
Behold the LORD
H3068
יְהוָ֛ה
Behold the LORD
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
2 of 9
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
בּוֹקֵ֥ק
empty
H1238
בּוֹקֵ֥ק
empty
Strong's:
H1238
Word #:
3 of 9
to pour out, i.e., to empty, figuratively, to depopulate; by analogy, to spread out (as a fruitful vine)
פָנֶ֔יהָ
it upside down
H6440
פָנֶ֔יהָ
it upside down
Strong's:
H6440
Word #:
7 of 9
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi
Cross References
Nahum 2:10She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.Isaiah 42:15I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools.Isaiah 24:20The 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.Isaiah 2:19And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.Ezekiel 35:14Thus saith the Lord GOD; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.Ezekiel 6:6In all your dwellingplaces the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate; that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, and your idols may be broken and cease, and your images may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.
Historical Context
Isaiah 24-27 forms a distinct apocalyptic section composed during the Assyrian crisis (745-701 BC), when regional empires threatened Judah's existence. Unlike oracles against specific nations (chapters 13-23), these chapters envision universal judgment. The terminology echoes Deuteronomic covenant curses (Deut 28:63-64) where God promised to scatter covenant-breakers, but Isaiah expands this to cosmic scope—all humanity faces accountability to the Creator.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the image of God 'turning the earth upside down' challenge modern assumptions about human progress and stability?
- What connections do you see between the Babel scattering and this universal judgment? How does covenant-breaking lead to dispersion?
- In what ways does this passage warn against building security on earthly foundations rather than covenant faithfulness?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste—the Hebrew baqaq (בָּקַק, "empty") and balaq (בָּלַק, "waste") are intensive verbs depicting violent devastation. The threefold action—emptying, wasting, and turneth it upside down (avah, עָוָה, "distort/overturn")—portrays complete reversal of creation order, undoing Genesis 1's organizing work. This cosmic un-creation foreshadows Revelation's final judgment (Rev 21:1).
Scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof uses puts (פּוּץ), the same verb for Babel's scattering (Gen 11:8-9), linking humanity's judgment to covenant rebellion. Isaiah 24-27 (the "Isaiah Apocalypse") universalizes judgment beyond Israel to encompass ha'aretz (הָאָרֶץ, "the earth/land")—both territorial Israel and the entire world. This double reference establishes that local judgments prefigure eschatological consummation when God judges all nations.