Isaiah 24:20 kjv
The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.
Isaiah 24:20 nkjv
The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, And shall totter like a hut; Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, And it will fall, and not rise again.
Isaiah 24:20 niv
The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls?never to rise again.
Isaiah 24:20 esv
The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again.
Isaiah 24:20 nlt
The earth staggers like a drunk.
It trembles like a tent in a storm.
It falls and will not rise again,
for the guilt of its rebellion is very heavy.
Isaiah 24 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isaiah 24:1 | Behold, the LORD will make the earth empty and make it desolate... | Destruction and Emptiness |
| Isaiah 24:2 | And it shall be alike People as Priest, like as the Servant... | Universal Judgment |
| Isaiah 24:3 | The earth is utterly broken, the earth is rent into great pieces... | Earth's Total Ruin |
| Isaiah 24:4 | The earth mourns and fadeth away, the wondrous people of the earth... | Earth's Lamentation |
| Isaiah 24:5 | The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they... | Moral Corruption Leading to Judgment |
| Isaiah 24:6 | Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell... | Consequence of Transgression |
| Isaiah 24:19 | The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved... | Earth's Dissolution |
| Jeremiah 4:23 | I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the... | Earth Unformed in Judgment |
| Jeremiah 4:24 | I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills... | Mountains Trembling |
| Jeremiah 10:23 | O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in... | Man's Inability to Guide Himself |
| Jeremiah 25:30 | Thou shalt prophesy against them all these words, and shalt say unto them,... | LORD's Roar from His Holy Habitation |
| Jeremiah 25:33 | And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the... | Slain of the LORD's widespread Death |
| Psalms 104:32 | He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: he toucheth the hills, and they... | God's Sovereignty Over Creation |
| Psalms 114:7 | Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the God... | Earth's Response to God's Presence |
| Haggai 2:6 | For thus saith the LORD of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will... | Earth to be Shaken Again |
| Revelation 6:14 | And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together... | Heavenly Bodies Withdrawn |
| Revelation 16:18 | And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was... | Great Earthquake of Final Judgment |
| Revelation 16:19 | And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations... | Cities Divided by Judgment |
| Revelation 18:19 | And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing... | Mourning Over Babylon's Fall |
| Revelation 18:21 | And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast... | Destruction of Babylon |
| Romans 8:19-22 | For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation... | Creation's Groaning and Expectation |
| 2 Peter 3:10 | But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens... | Day of the Lord Coming Like a Thief |
| Acts 2:19-20 | And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath... | Fulfillment in Joel (Echoed) |
Isaiah 24 verses
Isaiah 24 20 Meaning
The earth will reel and stagger like a drunkard and be removed like a tent. This vivid imagery depicts a complete destabilization and uprooting of the natural order, signifying a cataclysmic event that will fundamentally alter the physical world. It implies a loss of all stability and security.
Isaiah 24 20 Context
Isaiah chapter 24 describes a sweeping judgment of God upon the entire earth due to its pervasive sinfulness. This chapter is often called the "Isaiah Apocalypse" because of its eschatological imagery. The prophecy foretells a universal devastation, a stripping bare of the land, and a breakdown of social and natural order. Verse 20 directly follows verses describing the absolute desolation and the reversal of earthly stability. It's part of a larger prophetic vision of God's wrath against a rebellious world, leading ultimately to a purified earth for His faithful remnant. The immediate context highlights the utter collapse of earthly structures and stability, preparing the reader for the subsequent depiction of God's reign.
Isaiah 24 20 Word Analysis
- וְנָע֙ (wə·nā‘): And it shall move. The verb "na'" signifies to move, shake, or totter. This word establishes the primary action of instability affecting the earth. It carries the sense of involuntary, often unstable movement.
- מָּט֖וֹ (mā·ṭōw): to and fro. From the root "matu," meaning to waver, reel, or stagger. This amplifies the movement described by "na'", suggesting erratic and uncontrolled motion, like a drunkard.
- וְזָ (wə·zā): and shall be removed. This is the conjunctive "waw" with the verb "zu," meaning to move away, remove, or draw aside. It speaks of being displaced from its settled position.
- נַ֖עַד (na·‘aḏ): as a tent. This is from "na'ad," meaning to shake, remove, or wander. Here, it's used comparatively (indicated by the suffix attached to the verb form), signifying that the removal will be like that of a tent. A tent is temporary, easily struck and moved, lacking a permanent foundation.
- כְּמְסֻבָּה (kə·mus·sā·ḇāh): like a shepherd's dwelling / booth / hut. While "matsuveh" can relate to something thrown or tossed, in other contexts, it can refer to a booth or temporary dwelling, often one used by shepherds. The imagery emphasizes extreme mobility and fragility, suggesting the earth will be as easily packed up and moved as such a structure. Some scholars link "musav" to dwelling or station, so "musavah" would be something related to a dwelling or encampment. The sense is one of impermanence and easy displacement.
Isaiah 24 20 Bonus Section
The imagery of the earth reeling like a drunkard is a potent metaphor for divine judgment that affects the very fabric of existence. In ancient Near Eastern thought, kings or gods were sometimes depicted as being drunk, but here it is the earth itself that is presented as intoxicated by God's judgment. This personification of the earth receiving the consequence of sin reflects the broader biblical theme of creation groaning under the weight of human transgression (Romans 8:22). The comparison to a tent is particularly striking; it highlights the fragile and temporary nature of the present order when it is subjected to God's full wrath. A tent is easily taken down, folded, and carried away, contrasting with the solid permanence expected of the earth. This serves as a powerful reminder of the transient nature of earthly systems when they are divorced from God's order.
Isaiah 24 20 Commentary
Isaiah 24:20 portrays a world so violently disrupted by divine judgment that its very foundations are overturned. The earth's stable existence is likened to the tottering of a drunken man and the uprooting of a tent. This speaks of a profound, cataclysmic event where all natural order collapses. The movement is not slight; it is a reeling and staggering, a complete removal as if something anchored were completely pulled up. The comparison to a tent emphasizes the impermanence and lack of foundation that sin has imposed upon creation, and how the final judgment will strip away any pretense of enduring stability for the wicked. This verse paints a picture of universal chaos preceding a new, stable order established by God.