Isaiah 5:29 kjv
Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.
Isaiah 5:29 nkjv
Their roaring will be like a lion, They will roar like young lions; Yes, they will roar And lay hold of the prey; They will carry it away safely, And no one will deliver.
Isaiah 5:29 niv
Their roar is like that of the lion, they roar like young lions; they growl as they seize their prey and carry it off with no one to rescue.
Isaiah 5:29 esv
Their roaring is like a lion, like young lions they roar; they growl and seize their prey; they carry it off, and none can rescue.
Isaiah 5:29 nlt
They will roar like lions,
like the strongest of lions.
Growling, they will pounce on their victims and carry them off,
and no one will be there to rescue them.
Isaiah 5 29 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 4:7 | "A lion has come up from his thicket, a destroyer of nations..." | Lion as destroyer of nations |
| Hos 13:7-8 | "So I will be to them like a lion; like a leopard by the road I will lurk..." | God's fierce judgment compared to predator |
| Lam 3:10 | "He is to me a bear lying in wait, a lion in ambush." | God's fierce opposition as a predator |
| Zep 3:3 | "Her officials within her are roaring lions..." | Leaders likened to destructive predators |
| Ps 22:13 | "They open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion." | Enemy's aggressive, lion-like threats |
| Ps 104:21 | "The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God." | Lions seeking prey (natural order, here reversed) |
| Isa 10:5-6 | "Ah, Assyria, the rod of My anger... against a godless nation I send him..." | God uses nations as instruments of judgment |
| Jer 5:15 | "Behold, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel..." | God brings distant nation for judgment |
| Jer 6:22-23 | "Behold, a people is coming from the north country... cruel and have no mercy." | Description of merciless invading army |
| Deut 28:49-50 | "The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar... a nation of fierce countenance..." | Warning of swift, ruthless invasion from afar |
| Hab 1:6-8 | "For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans... dreaded and fearsome..." | God raising fierce, swift judgment agents |
| Deut 32:39 | "See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is no one who can deliver from My hand." | Only God can deliver, no one else |
| Ps 7:2 | "Lest like a lion they tear my soul apart, dragging me away, with none to deliver!" | Cry for deliverance from overwhelming foe |
| Isa 42:22 | "But this is a people plundered and looted... no one to deliver." | Desolation with no one to rescue |
| Jer 30:10 | "Therefore fear not, O Jacob my servant, declares the LORD, nor be dismayed, O Israel; for behold, I will save you from afar..." | God promises future deliverance (contrast to now) |
| Hos 5:14 | "For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, like a young lion to the house of Judah..." | God as a predatory judge against Israel |
| Amos 2:14 | "Flight shall perish from the swift, and the strong shall not retain his strength..." | No escape from divine judgment |
| Nah 3:10 | "Yet she became an exile, she went into captivity... all her nobles were bound in fetters." | Utter defeat and capture, no escape |
| Isa 9:12 | "For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still." | Inevitability and continuation of judgment |
| Isa 14:27 | "For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it?" | God's purposes are unstoppable |
| Amos 9:1-4 | "Though they dig into Sheol, from there shall My hand take them; though they climb up to heaven, from there I will bring them down." | Inescapability of God's judgment |
| Lam 2:17 | "The LORD has done what He purposed; He has fulfilled His word that He commanded in days of old..." | Fulfillment of prophesied judgment |
Isaiah 5 verses
Isaiah 5 29 Meaning
Isaiah 5:29 vividly describes an invading force as ferocious, powerful, and relentless predators, akin to lions. This imagery conveys the terrifying and unstoppable nature of God's chosen instrument of judgment against Judah. They will ruthlessly seize and carry off their prey, Israel, with no one able to intervene or provide deliverance from their overwhelming might. It speaks to the utter helplessness of those under divine wrath once God removes His protective hand.
Isaiah 5 29 Context
Isaiah chapter 5 begins with the "Song of the Vineyard," an allegory where God cultivates a vineyard (Israel) expecting good fruit (justice and righteousness), but it yields only "wild grapes" (injustice and bloodshed). This leads to God's decree of the vineyard's destruction. The chapter then lists a series of six "woes" (vv. 8-23) against specific sins within Judah, such as greed, drunkenness, arrogance, perverting justice, and rejecting God's law. Following these condemnations, verses 26-30 graphically describe the judgment to be executed through a powerful, distant nation, acting as God's instrument. Verse 29 is an integral part of this description, painting a terrifying picture of the invading army as predatory lions, emphasizing their ferocity and the utter hopelessness of Judah's situation. The swift, disciplined, and destructive approach described in previous verses (like pulling their bowstring or sharpening their arrows) culminates in this vivid imagery of overwhelming conquest.
Isaiah 5 29 Word analysis
Their roaring: (Hebrew: שַׁאֲגָה, sha'agah) - Signifies a powerful, terrifying sound, often associated with a predator's warning or the sound of an impending, destructive force. It evokes a sense of dread and panic.
is like a lion: (Hebrew: לָבִיא, lavi') - An adult, mature lion, signifying established strength, ferocity, and unchallenged dominance. This establishes the initial sense of terror.
they will roar like young lions: (Hebrew: כְּפִירִים, kefirim) - Young lions, though still powerful, are often portrayed as more aggressive, hungry, and driven than older lions. This intensifies the imagery, suggesting a ravenous, vigorous, and relentless pursuit of their objective, lacking any satiety or mercy.
they will growl: (Hebrew: יִנְהָם, yinhâm) - This term denotes a guttural, menacing snarl, a lower, more sinister sound than a roar. It indicates proximity and imminent attack, the sound a predator makes when it has cornered its prey and is about to pounce.
and seize the prey: (Hebrew: יֹאחֵז, yo'khez) - To take hold of forcefully, grasp, or apprehend. This describes the successful capture and the inescapable grip of the enemy. It is a decisive act of taking possession.
and carry it off: (Hebrew: וְיַטְרִיף, v'yaṭriph) - This implies not just taking, but dragging away forcefully, or even tearing apart to devour. It denotes complete destruction, leaving nothing behind for recovery or rescue. It suggests consumption or obliteration of the captured.
with no one to deliver: (Hebrew: וְאֵין מַצִּיל, v'ein matzil) - This crucial phrase underscores the absolute finality and irreversibility of the judgment. There is no one, human or divine, who can intervene to rescue, snatch away, or provide refuge from this predatory force, highlighting the total helplessness of those facing God's appointed judgment.
"Their roaring... young lions, they will growl...": This progression of lion sounds, from a distant, powerful roar to a closer, more menacing growl, illustrates the escalating stages of the invasion. It suggests the enemies are closing in, indicating increasing terror and the immediate threat of attack, mirroring the disciplined and swift movement mentioned earlier in the chapter. The "young lions" emphasizes vigor and unrelenting aggression in their hunt.
"seize the prey and carry it off...": This combined action highlights the complete success and ruthlessness of the invaders. They will not merely attack, but effectively conquer, plunder, and annihilate, leaving no survivors or anything left to salvage. This points to the thoroughness of the impending destruction.
"...with no one to deliver.": This concluding phrase provides a chilling emphasis on the divine decree behind the attack. It implies that Judah's usual alliances or desperate pleas will be utterly futile because this judgment is from God, and no one can thwart His purpose or deliver those upon whom His hand rests.
Isaiah 5 29 Bonus section
- The predatory lion imagery is a potent archetype in Scripture, sometimes representing God's own wrath or the destructive force of adversaries. Here, it functions as an agent of divine judgment, embodying the severity and inescapable nature of God's covenant curses for disobedience.
- The meticulous detailing of the lion's behavior—roaring, growling, seizing, carrying off—underscores the inevitability and methodical ruthlessness of the impending invasion. It implies that the foreign army, like a wild beast, is entirely focused on its objective of consumption and domination, undeterred by obstacles.
- The reference to "young lions" (kefirim) may subtly imply not just power, but a large number of eager and active attackers, perhaps even drawing a parallel to the seemingly limitless strength of these pagan armies that the Lord uses as His agents of destruction.
Isaiah 5 29 Commentary
Isaiah 5:29 serves as a stark declaration of God's unyielding judgment against a morally corrupt Israel. The meticulously chosen imagery of lions—from mature to young, roaring to growling—is not merely descriptive; it's symbolic of the invading army's ferocious nature, their unbridled hunger for conquest, and the systematic, complete destruction they will inflict. The transition from roaring to growling vividly depicts the swift closing of the gap, the escalating dread as the predator zeroes in. The actions of seizing and carrying off further emphasize the totality of the capture and eradication, mirroring the devastation previously described for the vineyard. The final phrase, "with no one to deliver," acts as a theological pronouncement, sealing the fate of the nation. It proclaims that when God sends judgment, His decree is absolute, and no human power, wealth, or alliance can reverse it. This verse underlines the sovereignty of God, who, even when using ungodly nations as His instruments, perfectly orchestrates their actions to fulfill His righteous purposes of judgment.