Isaiah 30:28
And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.
Original Language Analysis
וְרוּח֞וֹ
And his breath
H7307
וְרוּח֞וֹ
And his breath
Strong's:
H7307
Word #:
1 of 15
wind; by resemblance breath, i.e., a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the
כְּנַ֤חַל
stream
H5158
כְּנַ֤חַל
stream
Strong's:
H5158
Word #:
2 of 15
a stream, especially a winter torrent; (by implication) a (narrow) valley (in which a brook runs); also a shaft (of a mine)
שׁוֹטֵף֙
as an overflowing
H7857
שׁוֹטֵף֙
as an overflowing
Strong's:
H7857
Word #:
3 of 15
to gush; by implication, to inundate, cleanse; by analogy, to gallop, conquer
עַד
H5704
עַד
Strong's:
H5704
Word #:
4 of 15
as far (or long, or much) as, whether of space (even unto) or time (during, while, until) or degree (equally with)
צַוָּ֣אר
of the neck
H6677
צַוָּ֣אר
of the neck
Strong's:
H6677
Word #:
5 of 15
the back of the neck (as that on which burdens are bound)
לַהֲנָפָ֥ה
to sift
H5130
לַהֲנָפָ֥ה
to sift
Strong's:
H5130
Word #:
7 of 15
to quiver (i.e., vibrate up and down, or rock to and fro); used in a great variety of applications (including sprinkling, beckoning, rubbing, bastinad
גוֹיִ֖ם
the nations
H1471
גוֹיִ֖ם
the nations
Strong's:
H1471
Word #:
8 of 15
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
שָׁ֑וְא
of vanity
H7723
שָׁ֑וְא
of vanity
Strong's:
H7723
Word #:
10 of 15
evil (as destructive), literally (ruin) or morally (especially guile); figuratively idolatry (as false, subjective), uselessness (as deceptive, object
וְרֶ֣סֶן
and there shall be a bridle
H7448
וְרֶ֣סֶן
and there shall be a bridle
Strong's:
H7448
Word #:
11 of 15
a halter (as restraining); by implication, the jaw
מַתְעֶ֔ה
causing them to err
H8582
מַתְעֶ֔ה
causing them to err
Strong's:
H8582
Word #:
12 of 15
to vacillate, i.e., reel or stray (literally or figuratively); also causative of both
עַ֖ל
H5921
עַ֖ל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
13 of 15
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
Cross References
Isaiah 37:29Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.Isaiah 8:8And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.Isaiah 11:4But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.2 Thessalonians 2:8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:Amos 9:9For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.2 Kings 19:28Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.Luke 22:31And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Historical Context
Ancient warfare often involved redirecting rivers to flood enemy positions. Assyrian annals describe such tactics. God uses similar imagery—His breath becomes overwhelming flood. The 'sifting' and 'bridle' metaphors would be familiar from agriculture and animal husbandry. Applied to nations, they depict God's sovereign control over geopolitics—He winnows empires and directs kingdoms, often to their own destruction when they oppose His purposes.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the image of God's breath as drowning flood illustrate the inescapability of divine judgment?
- What does it mean that God puts a bridle on nations causing them to err—and how does this relate to Romans 1's 'giving them up'?
- How should believers respond to this terrifying doctrine of divine hardening and judicial blinding?
Analysis & Commentary
His breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck (וְרוּחוֹ כְּנַחַל שׁוֹטֵף עַד־צַוָּאר יֶחֱצֶה)—God's ruach (breath, spirit, wind) is like a nachal shotef (overflowing torrent) reaching ad-tsavvar (to the neck). The image: floodwaters rising to drowning level—just enough to kill. The verb yechetsah (divide, reach) suggests the waters 'cut through' or reach their target. To sift the nations with the sieve of vanity—The verb hanaphah (sift, winnow) with naphah shav (sieve of emptiness/vanity) describes judgment as winnowing process. Chaff (worthless nations) is separated from wheat (God's people).
And there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err—The resen (bridle, bit) in lechayayim (jaws/cheeks) of peoples controls them like animals. This bridle causes ta'eh (wandering, going astray, error). God actively directs rebellious nations into self-destructive paths. Romans 1:24, 26, 28 describes God 'giving them up' to depraved minds—a form of judgment where rebels get what they insist on. Isaiah's bridle imagery is harsher: God actively leads them astray as judicial punishment. This terrifying doctrine—divine hardening of hearts (Pharaoh, Exodus 7:3; Israel, Isaiah 6:10)—warns: persistent rebellion eventually meets confirmed judgment where God ensures the sinner's destruction.