Isaiah Chapter 30 · Verse 17
One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.
Original Language Analysis
אֶ֣לֶף
thousand
H505
אֶ֣לֶף
thousand
Strong's:
H505
Word #:
1 of 19
hence (the ox's head being the first letter of the alphabet, and this eventually used as a numeral) a thousand
מִפְּנֵ֛י
at
H6440
מִפְּנֵ֛י
at
Strong's:
H6440
Word #:
3 of 19
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi
מִפְּנֵ֛י
at
H6440
מִפְּנֵ֛י
at
Strong's:
H6440
Word #:
6 of 19
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi
תָּנֻ֑סוּ
shall ye flee
H5127
תָּנֻ֑סוּ
shall ye flee
Strong's:
H5127
Word #:
9 of 19
to flit, i.e., vanish away (subside, escape; causatively, chase, impel, deliver)
עַ֣ד
H5704
עַ֣ד
Strong's:
H5704
Word #:
10 of 19
as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)
אִם
H518
אִם
Strong's:
H518
Word #:
11 of 19
used very widely as demonstrative, lo!; interrogative, whether?; or conditional, if, although; also oh that!, when; hence, as a negative, not
נוֹתַרְתֶּ֗ם
till ye be left
H3498
נוֹתַרְתֶּ֗ם
till ye be left
Strong's:
H3498
Word #:
12 of 19
to jut over or exceed; by implication, to excel; (intransitively) to remain or be left; causatively to leave, cause to abound, preserve
עַל
H5921
עַל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
14 of 19
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
רֹ֣אשׁ
upon the top
H7218
רֹ֣אשׁ
upon the top
Strong's:
H7218
Word #:
15 of 19
the head (as most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many applications, of place, time, rank, itc.)
הָהָ֔ר
of a mountain
H2022
הָהָ֔ר
of a mountain
Strong's:
H2022
Word #:
16 of 19
a mountain or range of hills (sometimes used figuratively)
וְכַנֵּ֖ס
and as an ensign
H5251
וְכַנֵּ֖ס
and as an ensign
Strong's:
H5251
Word #:
17 of 19
a flag; also a sail; by implication, a flagstaff; generally a signal; figuratively, a token
Cross References
Deuteronomy 28:25The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.Deuteronomy 32:30How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?Leviticus 26:36And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.Joshua 23:10One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.Leviticus 26:8And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.Proverbs 28:1The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
Historical Context
This prophecy was literally fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar's armies decimated Judah in 586 BC, leaving Jerusalem a desolate ruin. The covenant curses of Leviticus 26:36-37 came to pass: "the sound of a driven leaf shall chase them." The few survivors were left isolated in a devastated land, visible reminders of God's judgment against covenant rebellion.
Questions for Reflection
- When has disobedience turned God's promised blessings into their opposite in your experience?
- What does it feel like to be a 'beacon' of warning to others through your failures?
- How does the dual meaning of 'ensign' (judgment and Messiah) reveal God's redemptive plan?
Analysis & Commentary
One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one—This reverses Deuteronomy 32:30's covenant blessing where "one could chase a thousand." Instead of supernatural multiplication of Israel's strength, there is supernatural multiplication of their terror. The Hebrew word rebuke (גְּעָרָה/ge'arah) can mean a threatening roar or battle cry—a single enemy soldier's shout sends a thousand Israelites fleeing.
Till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain (תֹּרֶן/toren)—a solitary flagpole or signal mast, stripped bare, isolated, visible to all. And as an ensign on a hill (נֵס/nes)—a military standard or rallying flag. The image is desolate: once-mighty Judah reduced to a lonely pole on a barren hilltop, a monument to judgment, not victory. Yet nes also points forward—Isaiah later prophesies Messiah as an ensign/banner for the peoples (Isaiah 11:10).