Isaiah 32:10
Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women: for the vintage shall fail, the gathering shall not come.
Original Language Analysis
יָמִים֙
Many days
H3117
יָמִים֙
Many days
Strong's:
H3117
Word #:
1 of 11
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an asso
עַל
H5921
עַל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
2 of 11
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
תִּרְגַּ֖זְנָה
shall ye be troubled
H7264
תִּרְגַּ֖זְנָה
shall ye be troubled
Strong's:
H7264
Word #:
4 of 11
to quiver (with any violent emotion, especially anger or fear)
בֹּֽטְח֑וֹת
ye careless women
H982
בֹּֽטְח֑וֹת
ye careless women
Strong's:
H982
Word #:
5 of 11
properly, to hie for refuge (but not so precipitately as h2620); figuratively, to trust, be confident or sure
כִּ֚י
H3588
כִּ֚י
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
6 of 11
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
כָּלָ֣ה
shall fail
H3615
כָּלָ֣ה
shall fail
Strong's:
H3615
Word #:
7 of 11
to end, whether intransitive (to cease, be finished, perish) or transitive (to complete, prepare, consume)
Cross References
Isaiah 7:23And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns.Jeremiah 8:13I will surely consume them, saith the LORD: there shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and the things that I have given them shall pass away from them.
Historical Context
Sieges caused agricultural devastation—fields couldn't be worked, orchards were cut down for siege works. When Assyria invaded (701 BC), Judean agriculture was destroyed. Later Babylonian invasions (605, 597, 586 BC) caused sustained agricultural collapse. Lamentations 5:9-10 describes post-siege famine: 'We gat our bread with the peril of our lives... Our skin was black like an oven because of the terrible famine.'
Questions for Reflection
- How does economic or agricultural collapse function as divine warning or judgment?
- What modern equivalents to 'failed vintage'—loss of expected provision—might God use to wake the complacent?
- How should awareness of potential loss affect stewardship and spiritual priorities?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Many days and years shall ye be troubled, ye careless women (יָמִים עַל־שָׁנָה תִּרְגַּזְנָה בֹּטְחוֹת, yamim al-shanah tirgaznah botechot)—for days upon years you'll רָגַז (ragaz, tremble, be troubled, agitated). For the vintage shall fail (כִּי כָּלָה בָצִיר, ki khalah batsir)—the בָּצִיר (batsir, grape harvest, vintage) will כָּלָה (khalah, fail, cease, be finished). The gathering shall not come (אֹסֶף בְּלִי־יָבוֹא, osef beli-yavo)—the אֹסֶף (osef, ingathering, harvest) won't come.
Isaiah specifies the judgment: agricultural failure. Ancient Near Eastern life depended on successful harvests—grape vintage for wine, ingathering for grain/fruit. Crop failure meant economic collapse, famine, and vulnerability to enemies. The phrase 'days upon years' (יָמִים עַל־שָׁנָה, yamim al-shanah) indicates prolonged suffering, not brief discomfort. Deuteronomy 28:38-40 lists failed harvests among covenant curses: 'Thou shalt plant vineyards... but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes.' What was promised blessing for obedience becomes curse for rebellion.