Isaiah 5 24

Isaiah 5:24 kjv

Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 5:24 nkjv

Therefore, as the fire devours the stubble, And the flame consumes the chaff, So their root will be as rottenness, And their blossom will ascend like dust; Because they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 5:24 niv

Therefore, as tongues of fire lick up straw and as dry grass sinks down in the flames, so their roots will decay and their flowers blow away like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD Almighty and spurned the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 5:24 esv

Therefore, as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root will be as rottenness, and their blossom go up like dust; for they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 5:24 nlt

Therefore, just as fire licks up stubble
and dry grass shrivels in the flame,
so their roots will rot
and their flowers wither.
For they have rejected the law of the LORD of Heaven's Armies;
they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 5 verses

Isaiah 5 24 Meaning

(h2) MeaningThis verse powerfully declares the inevitable and total judgment awaiting the people of Judah. Their deep-seated rebellion and contempt for God's divine instruction and word will lead to their complete destruction, mirroring how fire swiftly consumes dry agricultural waste. The judgment will penetrate to their very core, causing their spiritual and societal foundation (root) to rot, and obliterating all future hope or flourishing (blossom) to mere dust.

(h2) Cross References

(h2) ContextIsaiah 5:24 is the climactic statement of judgment following a series of indictments against the kingdom of Judah. The chapter begins with the "Song of the Vineyard" (Isa 5:1-7), an allegorical narrative portraying Israel as God's carefully cultivated vineyard that, despite His meticulous care, yields only wild grapes of injustice and unrighteousness instead of justice and righteousness. This sets the stage for God's declared intent to abandon His vineyard to desolation. Following this parable, Isaiah pronounces six "Woe" oracles (Isa 5:8-23) that meticulously detail Judah's specific sins: greed leading to land monopoly (v.8-10), excessive revelry and disregard for God (v.11-12), rebellion and spiritual blindness leading to exile (v.13-17), deliberate pursuit of sin as if inviting judgment (v.18-19), distortion of moral truth by calling evil good and good evil (v.20), arrogance and self-wisdom (v.21), and perversion of justice by corrupt judges who profit from acquitting the guilty (v.22-23). Verse 24, therefore, serves as the summary divine verdict, explicating the reason for such an impending catastrophic judgment—not merely a list of offenses, but the core issue: a foundational rejection of God's revealed will. The historical context is 8th century BCE Judah, a society riddled with social inequality, moral decadence, political instability, and religious hypocrisy during a period preceding the Assyrian threat and eventual Babylonian exile.

(h2) Word analysis(ul)

• "Therefore" (לָכֵן, lakhen): This strong connective particle signals a definitive consequence or conclusion, directly linking the severity of the judgment that follows to the accumulation of sins previously denounced in the "Woe" oracles. It marks the unavoidable outcome of Judah's choices.
• "as the fire" (כָּאֵשׁ, ka'esh) / "flame" (לֶהָבָה, lehavah): "Fire" is a pervasive biblical image for divine wrath, purification, and destruction. "Flame" emphasizes its intense, consuming power. This imagery conveys an inescapable and destructive judgment that consumes completely.
• "devoureth" (אָכַל, akhal): Literally "eats" or "consumes," this verb signifies a thorough and complete destruction, leaving nothing behind, underscoring the finality of the judgment.
• "the stubble" (קַשׁ, qash) / "the chaff" (מֹץ, mots): Both refer to the worthless, dry remnants of grain after threshing—highly combustible and easily dispersed. They symbolize worthlessness, spiritual emptiness, and extreme vulnerability, highlighting the ease with which Judah, in its spiritually barren state, will be annihilated by God's wrath.
• "so their root" (שֹׁרֶשׁ, shoresh): Metaphorically, the "root" represents the deep-seated origin, foundation, life-source, or inherent nature of a person, a people, or a system. Its decay implies a profound and internal corruption.
• "shall be as rottenness" (כַּמָּק, kammaq): From the Hebrew maq, meaning decay, putrefaction, or decomposition. This signifies a fundamental, incurable, and disgusting internal corruption, suggesting that Judah's societal and moral structure is inherently decaying from within.
• "and their blossom" (פֶּרַח, perach): The "blossom" or flower represents the outward expression of vitality, growth, potential for fruit, and future prospects. Its destruction signifies the end of any hope for flourishing or continuity.
• "shall go up as dust" (יַעֲלֶה כָאָבָק, ya'aleh ka'avak): This vivid image depicts complete dispersion, loss of form, and utter annihilation. Like dust, they will be scattered and cease to exist as a unified, hopeful entity, vanishing without a trace of future or legacy.
• "because" (כִּי, ki): This causal conjunction definitively establishes the direct reason for the severe judgment. It clearly states that the punishment is a just consequence of specific actions, not arbitrary.
• "they have cast away" (מָאַס, ma'as): This strong verb indicates an act of deliberate and scornful rejection, contempt, or loathing. It highlights Judah's willful and intentional repudiation of divine authority and guidance.
• "the law" (תּוֹרָה, torah): More than just legal codes, Torah embodies God's divine instruction, teaching, revelation, and the very path to life He established for His covenant people. Its rejection means forsaking divine wisdom and righteousness.
• "of the LORD of hosts" (יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת, Yahweh Ts'vaot): This powerful divine title underscores God's supreme sovereignty over all creation, armies, and powers. Rejecting the law of such a formidable authority has ultimate consequences.
• "and despised" (נֶאֱצוּ, ne'atsu): Similar to "cast away," this verb means to treat with contempt, to spurn, or to hold in disdain. It denotes an active and profound disrespect for God's message.
• "the word" (אִמְרַת, imrat): This refers to God's spoken word, His divine utterance, message, or decree, carrying His full authority and truth. Despising it is equivalent to despising God Himself.
• "of the Holy One of Israel" (קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, Kadosh Yisrael): A distinct and frequent title for God in Isaiah, emphasizing His absolute moral purity, transcendence, and righteous character. Their despising His word is a direct affront to His holiness and moral demands, a rejection of the very source of their covenant identity.

(ul)

• "as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff": This initial metaphorical pairing uses agricultural waste imagery to illustrate the quick, effortless, and comprehensive nature of God's impending judgment. It conveys that Judah, stripped of righteousness, is no more substantial than easily burned refuse, signaling a swift, external annihilation.
• "so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust": This second parallel simile deepens the horror of the judgment by focusing on internal and foundational decay. It describes a decay from within the very source of life (the root), rendering it utterly corrupt, and eliminates any future prospect or visible growth (blossom reduced to dust). This signifies complete, systemic collapse from the inside out, leading to absolute disappearance.
• "because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel": This critical concluding phrase precisely identifies the root cause of the dire judgment. It is not an arbitrary act, but a direct, righteous consequence of Judah's deliberate, scornful, and pervasive rejection of God's covenant instructions (Torah) and His revealed will, originating from His unchallengeable authority and holy character. Their sin is one of profound theological rebellion, making their destruction an act of divine justice.

(h2) CommentaryIsaiah 5:24 powerfully connects divine judgment to its root cause: the willful rejection of God's holy law and word. It presents a terrifying vision of total ruin for Judah, employing two vivid agricultural metaphors to underscore its completeness. The first—fire consuming stubble and chaff—illustrates a swift, effortless, and external eradication, depicting Judah as spiritually weightless and prone to immediate destruction. The second metaphor—a root decaying into rottenness and blossoms dissipating as dust—conveys an even more chilling reality of internal corruption that renders the entire entity devoid of life, foundation, or future. This implies that the rot is not superficial but endemic, eliminating any hope of renewal. The dual depiction ensures the listener understands the judgment will be both sudden and utterly comprehensive. This destruction is explicitly attributed to Judah's conscious decision to "cast away" and "despise" the sacred Torah and word of the God who is both the "LORD of hosts" (Almighty Sovereign) and the "Holy One of Israel" (transcendent in purity). The verse serves as a profound warning that persistent, contemptuous disobedience to divine revelation leads to inevitable self-destruction, fundamentally undermining not only outward actions but also the very core and future of a people. For instance, any society that intentionally turns away from God's moral truths will find its very foundations corrode, and its outward expressions of prosperity ultimately turn to dust, as seen in the decline of many empires throughout history which abandoned core virtues.

(h2) Bonus section

• Chiastic Structure: Some scholars note a subtle chiastic structure within the woes oracles that culminates in this verse, bringing the message to a definitive, irreversible point.
• Unquestionable Causation: The explicit use of "because" (כִּי) leaves no ambiguity regarding the reason for God's action. The judgment is not arbitrary but a just, covenantal consequence.
• Inversion of Purpose: God's intention was for Judah to be a fruitful vineyard (Isa 5:1-7), but their rebellion causes them to become fire hazards and decaying, barren ground. This inversion highlights the severity of rejecting divine purpose.
• The Uniqueness of God's Titles: The combination "LORD of hosts" and "Holy One of Israel" is a theological anchor in Isaiah. "LORD of hosts" emphasizes His universal power and ability to execute judgment, while "Holy One of Israel" stresses His distinct moral character which demands righteousness and cannot tolerate such profanity. Despising His word is a despising of His very being.
• Educational Neglect: The casting away and despising of the Torah suggests not just practical disobedience but a deeper ideological shift, a rejection of foundational divine instruction, implying a failure of religious and moral education passed down through generations.