Isaiah 33:12
And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.
Original Language Analysis
וְהָי֥וּ
H1961
וְהָי֥וּ
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
1 of 8
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
עַמִּ֖ים
And the people
H5971
עַמִּ֖ים
And the people
Strong's:
H5971
Word #:
2 of 8
a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock
מִשְׂרְפ֣וֹת
shall be as the burnings
H4955
מִשְׂרְפ֣וֹת
shall be as the burnings
Strong's:
H4955
Word #:
3 of 8
combustion, i.e., cremation (of a corpse), or calcination (of lime)
Historical Context
Lime production was common in ancient Near East—burning limestone for mortar, plaster. Everyone understood the metaphor: complete, irreversible transformation by fire. Thorns were gathered, dried, and burned as fuel or cleared from fields. Assyria's fate: total destruction, reduced to ash. This wasn't gradual decline but catastrophic judgment—overnight army destruction (701 BC), eventual empire collapse (612 BC). God's judgment is thorough.
Questions for Reflection
- What does the lime kiln metaphor teach about judgment's intensity and irreversibility?
- How does the image of cut thorns burning swiftly warn against fruitless lives?
- What 'thorns' in your life—sins, habits, attitudes—need to be cut down and burned before God's judgment does it?
Related Resources
Explore related topics, people, and study resources to deepen your understanding of this passage.
Analysis & Commentary
And the people shall be as the burnings of lime (וְהָיוּ עַמִּים מִשְׂרְפוֹת שִׂיד, vehayu ammim misrefot sid)—peoples (עַמִּים, ammim) will be like מִשְׂרָפוֹת (misrefot, burnings, kilns) of שִׂיד (sid, lime). As thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire (קוֹצִים כְּסוּחִים בָּאֵשׁ יִצַּתּוּ, qotsim kesuchim ba'esh yitsattu)—like קוֹצִים (qotsim, thorns) cut down (כָּסַח, kasach), in fire (אֵשׁ, esh) they'll be kindled (יָצַת, yatsat).
Double metaphor intensifies judgment's totality. Lime kilns required intense heat—limestone heated to 900°C+ to produce quicklime. Complete combustion, nothing remaining. Thorns cut and burned depict swift, complete destruction—dried thorns ignite instantly, burn fiercely, leave only ash. Hebrews 6:8 warns: 'that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.' Matthew 3:12: 'he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.'