Isaiah 29:8
It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.
Original Language Analysis
וְהָיָ֡ה
H1961
וְהָיָ֡ה
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
1 of 28
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
וְכַאֲשֶׁ֨ר
or as when
H834
וְכַאֲשֶׁ֨ר
or as when
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
2 of 28
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
יַחֲלֹ֤ם
dreameth
H2492
יַחֲלֹ֤ם
dreameth
Strong's:
H2492
Word #:
3 of 28
properly, to bind firmly, i.e., (through the figurative sense of dumbness) to dream
הָרָעֵ֜ב
It shall even be as when an hungry
H7457
הָרָעֵ֜ב
It shall even be as when an hungry
Strong's:
H7457
Word #:
4 of 28
hungry (more or less intensely)
וְנַפְשׁ֖וֹ
and his soul
H5315
וְנַפְשׁ֖וֹ
and his soul
Strong's:
H5315
Word #:
9 of 28
properly, a breathing creature, i.e., animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or ment
וְכַאֲשֶׁ֨ר
or as when
H834
וְכַאֲשֶׁ֨ר
or as when
Strong's:
H834
Word #:
10 of 28
who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc
יַחֲלֹ֤ם
dreameth
H2492
יַחֲלֹ֤ם
dreameth
Strong's:
H2492
Word #:
11 of 28
properly, to bind firmly, i.e., (through the figurative sense of dumbness) to dream
שֹׁתֶ֔ה
and behold he drinketh
H8354
שֹׁתֶ֔ה
and behold he drinketh
Strong's:
H8354
Word #:
14 of 28
to imbibe (literally or figuratively)
וְנַפְשׁ֖וֹ
and his soul
H5315
וְנַפְשׁ֖וֹ
and his soul
Strong's:
H5315
Word #:
18 of 28
properly, a breathing creature, i.e., animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or ment
שׁוֹקֵקָ֑ה
hath appetite
H8264
שׁוֹקֵקָ֑ה
hath appetite
Strong's:
H8264
Word #:
19 of 28
to course (like a beast of prey); by implication, to seek greedily
כֵּ֣ן
H3651
כֵּ֣ן
Strong's:
H3651
Word #:
20 of 28
properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction) rightly or so (in various applications to manner
יִֽהְיֶ֗ה
H1961
יִֽהְיֶ֗ה
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
21 of 28
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
הֲמוֹן֙
so shall the multitude
H1995
הֲמוֹן֙
so shall the multitude
Strong's:
H1995
Word #:
22 of 28
a noise, tumult, crowd; also disquietude, wealth
כָּל
H3605
כָּל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
23 of 28
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
הַגּוֹיִ֔ם
of all the nations
H1471
הַגּוֹיִ֔ם
of all the nations
Strong's:
H1471
Word #:
24 of 28
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
עַל
H5921
עַל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
26 of 28
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
Cross References
Isaiah 44:12The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.Psalms 73:20As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
Historical Context
Sennacherib's campaign aimed to enrich Assyria through tribute and plunder. His annals boast of taking 'thirty talents of gold, eight hundred talents of silver' from Hezekiah. Yet he failed to capture Jerusalem itself or depose Hezekiah—his primary goals unfulfilled. The dreamed feast of total conquest turned to the empty awakening of military catastrophe.
Questions for Reflection
- How do God's enemies' confident expectations prove as empty as dream-food?
- What does this teach about the futility of opposing God's purposes?
- When have your own plans, made without God's direction, proven as unsatisfying as a dream-meal?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty (וְהָיָה כַּאֲשֶׁר יַחֲלֹם הָרָעֵב וְהִנֵּה אוֹכֵל וְהֵקִיץ וְרֵיקָה נַפְשׁוֹ, vehayah ka'asher yachalom hara'ev vehineh okhel veheyqits vereyqah nafsho). Isaiah intensifies the dream metaphor with visceral hunger imagery. The ravenous man dreams of feasting but wakes to his soul is empty (רֵיקָה נַפְשׁוֹ, reyqah nafsho)—his נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, soul/appetite) remains void. Or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite (וְהִנֵּה עָיֵף וְנַפְשׁוֹ שׁוֹקֵקָה, vehineh ayef venafso shoqeqah)—he's עָיֵף (ayef, exhausted) and his soul שׁוֹקֵק (shoqeq, craves/longs).
So shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion—the armies came to plunder, to satisfy their imperial appetite for conquest and treasure. Instead, they wake to devastating loss, their hunger for Jerusalem's wealth utterly unsatisfied. Their confident expectations of victory prove as illusory as a starving man's dream-feast.