Isaiah 30:31-33

For the sudden and extraordinary end of the huge *Assyrian army, see Isaiah 37:33-36.

woe ~ a very sad cry because there is much pain to come.
Lord ~ God’s name in the Bible. In the original language, it means ‘head over all’ and ‘God always’.
messenger ~ someone who delivers a message.
ass ~ A kind of animal that people ride, which is similar to a horse.
Assyrian ~ A person from the country called Assyria or anything that has a relationship with the country called Assyria.
prophet ~ a person who speaks on behalf of God.
Jerusalem ~ at the time of David and Solomon, the capital of the country called Israel. During the time of Isaiah, Jerusalem was the capital of the country called Judah. But the ‘New Jerusalem’ is God’s future, perfect home for his people.
idol ~ home-made image of a god.
Tophet ~ a place near Jerusalem where people burnt the city’s rubbish.
Jerusalem ~ at the time of David and Solomon, the capital of the country called Israel. During the time of Isaiah, Jerusalem was the capital of the country called Judah. But the ‘New Jerusalem’ is God’s future, perfect home for his people.
tolerate ~ accept as a reasonable opinion.

Isaiah: New *Heavens and a New Earth

The Sad People

Isaiah Chapter s 28 to 33

Gordon Churchyard

This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Words in boxes are from the Bible.

Tap the * before a word to show an explanation.

The words in brackets, […], are not in the *Hebrew Bible. They make the book easier to understand in English. Isaiah wrote his book in the *Hebrew language.

Chapter 30

A sad day for people that depend on Egypt’s army

v1 ‘[It is] a very sad [day] for children that do not obey [their father]’, says the *LORD. ‘They have decided to make a plan, but they did not ask me [for advice]. [Such people] have decided to make an agreement [with Egypt] without my Spirit’s [help]. They have added *sin to *sin as a result.

v2 [Those people] hurry to go down to Egypt, but they do not ask for my advice. [Those people] ask for Pharaoh’s help to protect them. And they look for shelter from Egypt. [It is as if they will be safe] under its shadow.

v3 But Pharaoh’s protection will make you ashamed. And you [trust] in Egypt’s [people as if their] shadow [protects you]. [But you] will lose honour [because of that].

v4 The princes have arrived in Zoan. And their officials have gone to Hanes.

v5 Everyone will be ashamed, because [Egypt’s] people will be of no use to them. [Egypt’s people] will bring no help to you and they will bring no advantage. [They will bring to you] only shame and lack of honour.

v6 [These are] serious [words] about the animals [that go through] the Negev. It is a place where there is trouble and danger. [These wild animals live] there:

• female lions and male lions that roar

• dangerous snakes, and poisonous snakes that [seem to] fly.

[There the leaders of Judah] carry their wealth. [They carry it] on the backs of donkeys (animals like small horses). And they carry their very valuable things on camels’ humps (higher parts on those animals’ backs). They do that for people that are of no use!

v7 Egypt has no value. They will not send any help. Therefore, I call [Egypt] “Rahab”, which means this. “She roars while she sits still.” ’

Notes

Verse 1 ‘Very sad [day]’ is ‘*hoy’ in the *Hebrew Bible. There is a note about that for Isaiah 29:1. The father here is God. When God is called ‘father’ in the *Old Testament, he is usually the father of the king and nation. There he is not the father of separate *Jews, as he is in John 5:18. In Isaiah 30:1, ‘children’ means the Jews. The ‘Jews’ were God’s people, who lived in Judah. They wanted help to fight against Assyria’s army. But in this chapter, God warns the Jews that it is dangerous to ask Egypt’s leaders for help. He says that the Jews should have asked God for help. A ‘sin’ means when people do not obey God. *LORD is a special word for God. There is a note about it for Isaiah 1:1.

Verse 2 At the end of the verse, the *Hebrew Bible has this. ‘They look for shelter in Egypt’s shadow.’ That is poetry. It means this. ‘They look for help from Egypt’s leaders. Because they hope that it will protect them.’ ‘Pharaoh’ was the special name that Egypt’s people gave to their kings.

Verse 3 In the Bible, the name ‘Egypt’ often refers to death (Exodus 1:22). Egypt was not a place in which to look for life! Notice that in verses 1 and 2 Isaiah used the word ‘they’. But here it changes to ‘you’, although it means the same people. That often happens in Isaiah’s book.

Verse 4 Zoan and Hanes were places in Egypt. The princes and officials were probably from Pharaoh Shabako of Egypt. He was Egypt’s king from 716 to 702 B.C. ‘B.C.’ means ‘years Before Christ came to the Earth’. Shabako united Egypt and he made it strong. King Hezekiah of Judah probably sent people to meet those princes and officials. Hezekiah probably thought that the strong king of Egypt would defeat Assyria’s army.

But perhaps the princes and officials were not from Egypt, but from Judah. Perhaps they were the men whom Hezekiah sent. Then they would be the same men who travelled through the Negev in verse 6. And they met Egypt’s rulers at Zoan and Hanes.

Verse 5 Egypt’s army will not be able to make Judah safe from attack by Assyria’s army. If Assyria’s soldiers attack Judah, then the people in Judah will only be ashamed. And they will lose honour.

Verse 6 For ‘serious [words]’, the *Hebrew Bible has a word that actually means ‘something heavy’. Isaiah uses that word several times in this main section of his book. It has a special meaning in this section. The note before Isaiah 13:1 explains that special meaning. Verses 1-5 emphasised this. Those who made Judah’s plans were only men. They did not ask God for advice. Verses 6-7 are about the cost of those plans. The leaders of Judah sent many valuable things to Egypt to pay for Egypt’s help against Assyria. They took so many things that they needed donkeys and camels to carry them! ‘Donkeys’ are animals like small horses. Camels are animals with either one or two humps on their backs. ‘Humps’ are higher parts that stick up on some animals’ backs. Also, the journey was dangerous. The people that took the valuable things to Egypt did not go by the safe road. That was next to the Mediterranean Sea. Those people went by a secret, dangerous road through the Negev desert. Therefore, not many people knew what the leaders were doing. But Isaiah said that God knew!

So, the donkeys and camels went through the Negev, which was south from Jerusalem. The Negev was partly wild country, and it was partly desert. There were male and female lions there. And there were dangerous snakes. There were also some poisonous snakes that seemed to fly! We do not know what those were. King Esarhaddon of Assyria said that he saw yellow snakes. And he said that they were flying! Some modern books call the Negev by the name ‘Negeb’. That is because the *Hebrew letters ‘B’ and ‘V’ can be the same.

Verse 7 In Psalms 87:4, the writer calls Egypt by the name ‘Rahab’. But the word ‘Rahab’ means this. ‘She roars while she sits still.’ That is like a special description of an animal. An animal may make a lot of noise. Then people would think that it is fierce. But if it sits still, it will do nothing. So the description means that Rahab (Egypt) is doing nothing! Egypt will not send help.

v8 ‘Now go! Write it down on a tablet (flat piece of stone) for them. Also, write it in a *scroll. Then, in future days, it will always be a proof.

v9 [Do that] for this reason. These [people] are people that do not obey [the *LORD]. They are his children and they speak lies. They are children that do not want to listen to the *LORD’s commands.

v10 They say to the seers (people that see the future), “Do not see anything!” And [they say this] to the *prophets. “Do not tell us what is the right [thing to do]. Tell us pleasant things. Say what is not true!

v11 Leave this path. Get off this road. Do not hold the Holy [God] of Israel in front of us.”

v12 Therefore, this is what the Holy [God] of Israel says. You have not listened when [I] warned you [by my] message. And you have trusted in cruelty. And you have trusted in lies.

v13 Therefore this will happen. This *sin will be [like this] for you. [It will be] like a high wall that has a crack in it. It will lean over and suddenly it will fall down. That will be instant damage!

v14 He (God) will break [this *sin] into pieces as [easily as someone breaks] a piece of pot. He will destroy it without pity. Among the bits, there will not be a [big enough] piece to lift a hot coal from a fire. And [there will be nothing that is big enough] to gather water from a pool.

v15 The *LORD [is] the Holy [God] of Israel. Now this is what the *Lord said. “You will be safe if you return [from Egypt]. You will [be able] to rest. You will be strong. But you must be quiet and you must trust [in God].” However, you would not [listen].

v16 But you said, ”No! We will run away on horses.” Therefore you will run away. [You said], “We will ride away very quickly.” Therefore the people that chase you will move quickly.

v17 A thousand [people in your army will run away] from just one enemy. You will [all] run away from five [soldiers of the enemy]! They will leave you like a flagpole (pole for a flag) on top of the mountain. Or [they will leave you like] a *banner on a hill.’

Notes

Verses 8-9 A ‘tablet’ was a flat piece of stone that people wrote on. They used sharp points to write on it. A ‘scroll’ was a very long piece of paper that people wrote on. They rolled it up. Isaiah wrote the messages down on both a tablet and a scroll. Therefore, later those things would be certain proof to people that he had said those messages! The tablet was a public proof, and the scroll was a private proof. There are two messages here:

• Verses 9-14 People that will not listen to God’s message will have trouble.

• Verses 15-17 An enemy will *destroy people that will not listen to God.

Verses 10-11 These words show to us what kind of attitude the *Jewish leaders have. Those leaders do not want a message that tells them to obey God. It is often difficult to obey God. So they ask for something easier. Often, that thing is not what God wants them to do. The ‘path’ and the ‘road’ mean the right ways to live. A ‘*prophet’ told the people what God was saying. ‘Seer’ is actually another word for ‘*prophet’. ‘Holy’ means ‘very, very good’. Only God is really holy.

Verse 12 Isaiah uses the same name for God that the leaders did in verse 11. Isaiah does not mention Egypt again in these verses. But he refers to what God said about Egypt (verses 1-7). Bible students are not sure what ‘cruelty’ refers to here. It may mean Egypt’s leaders, who perhaps were cruel to the people. They made the people work for only a little money. Or it may mean that Judah’s leaders were cruel to the people in Judah.

Verses 13-14 ‘He’ in verse 14 is God. These two descriptions show that God will completely *destroy the leaders of the *Jews. Isaiah does not say whom God will use as his own agent. Actually it was not an army from Assyria, which the leaders were worrying about then. It was an army from Babylon 100 years later.

Verse 15 ‘Lord’ means ‘master’. Here it is a name for God. But it is not the same word in *Hebrew as ‘*LORD’. Isaiah tells the leaders what God has said. They must stop all their activity in Egypt. They must return home and they must rest. The leaders must trust in God, who will make them strong. Armies from Egypt cannot make them strong. But the leaders have not listened to God’s message. For us today, the ‘return’ is not a return from Egypt. It is a return from when we do wrong things. It is not enough to be sorry because we have done wrong things. We must stop doing (return from) what is wrong. With God’s help, we can stop our wrong behaviour. And we can start to serve him and to trust him. We could translate part of this verse as ‘Your strength will be in quiet confidence.’ We can always have confidence in God.

Verse 16 However, the *Jews preferred action. They preferred a military answer to their problem rather than God’s help. Egypt was famous because of its horses. The *Jews probably thought that Egypt’s leaders would give horses to them. Then the *Jews could fight against the army from Assyria. But God said, by means of his *prophet Isaiah, that the enemy would ride as fast as the *Jews.

Verse 17 The *Jews may seem brave on their horses, but even a small army from Assyria will beat them. They will not be able to go far, even on their fast horses. Everybody will see Assyria’s army defeat them. It will be as easy as when they see a flagpole or banner on a hill. The mountain is probably one near Jerusalem. A ‘flagpole’ is a pole that can carry a flag. A ‘banner’ is a large piece of material and it has words or pictures on it. Two poles usually hold it up high. Armies have flags and banners. But after Assyria’s army defeats Judah, then Judah will have no army. There will only be flagpoles and banners.

v18 Therefore the *LORD will wait [before] he is kind to you. Also, therefore, [one day] he will rise to show you his great love [for you]. Because the *LORD is a God that loves to be fair. He will make everyone that waits for him very happy.

v19 Yes! You people in Zion (Jerusalem), who live in Jerusalem, you will not weep again. [The *LORD] will be very kind to you when you cry for help. When he hears you, he will answer you.

v20 [In the past] the *Lord has given trouble to you. [The trouble has been] as [if it was] your bread. And he has given pain to you as if it was your water. But then your Teacher will not hide himself from you. You will see him with your own eyes.

v21 And your ears will hear a message close behind you. When you turn to the right or left, [that voice] will say [these words]. ‘This is the way. Walk in it.’

v22 And you will not use your images that you cut [from rocks or wood]. You covered them with silver. [And] you will not use your [other] images. You made them from metal that you melted. You covered them with gold. You will throw them [all] away as if they were dirty. You will say to them, ‘Go!’

v23 He (God) will send rain for your seeds that you plant in the ground. And plenty of good food will come from the ground. In those days your cows will eat [grass] in wide fields.

v24 And the [animals called] oxen and donkeys that work [on] the land will eat the best food for animals. Farmers will scatter it with a fork and spade.

v25 And water will flow in streams. [It will flow] on every tall mountain and [it will flow] on every high hill. [That will happen] on the day when tall buildings fall. And many people will die [on that day].

v26 Moreover, the moon will shine as brightly as the sun. And the light of the sun will be seven times brighter. It will be like the light [that would shine during] seven days. [But it will all be shining at the same time]! That will happen when the *LORD puts bandages on his people’s bruises. And he will cure the injuries that he caused to them.

Notes

Verses 18-19 The word ‘therefore’ appears two times in verse 18. That links with verse 16, where ‘therefore’ also appeared two times. In verse 16, those words have a connection with judgement and punishment. But after that, God will give to his people kindness and love (verse 18). Verses 18 and 19 start a new section about God’s love for his people. The word ‘kind’ in these verses really means ‘kind when he does not have to be kind’. Christians call that sort of kindness ‘grace’. And because the *LORD gives grace, they describe him as ‘gracious’. These verses are probably about the *LORD’s return to the Earth. They are a promise for the future!

Verse 20 We need bread and water every day. So, in the past, the *Jews needed trouble and pain every day as a punishment. But things will be different! Their Teacher (a name for God) will not hide. He will answer their prayers (verse 19). Some Bible students think that the word teacher should be plural, ‘teachers’. Then it would not be a name for God, but it would be a name for his *prophets. Other Bible students think that the *Hebrew word actually means ‘early rain’. We cannot be certain who is right. Here we read ‘you will see him’. The note about verse 26 explains when that may happen.

Verse 21 The *LORD will be close enough so that people can see him with their eyes (verse 20). And he will be close enough so that they can hear him with their ears. The word ‘message’ here links with ‘message’ in verse 12. The people did not listen to it then. But in the future, they will listen. Here we read, ‘This is the way.’ It links with the first part of verse 11.

Verse 22 The people cut some images into shape with a knife. Then they put silver onto them. To make some other images, they melted an ordinary metal. Then they made it into a shape and they covered it with gold. The images represented false gods. ‘Throw away’ is a translation of the same *Hebrew word as ‘scatter’ is in verse 24.

Verse 23 Here is a link with the bread and water in verse 20. There, the *Hebrew word for ‘bread’ is the same as the word for ‘food’ here. Here the people’s punishment is over. Read again the note about verses 18-19. Also, the curse that God declared in Genesis 3:17-19 is over. (A ‘curse’ here means a special bad situation that God sends to somebody.) Therefore, the situation here will quite probably be after Jesus will return to the Earth. Paul wrote about the curse in Romans 8:21-22.

Verse 24 ‘Oxen’ (plural of ‘ox’) are like cows, and ‘donkeys’ are like small horses. Their work is to pull ploughs. The danger to those animals in verses 6-7 is now over. They can wander in wide fields and they can be safe (verse 23). And they will have the best food. Again, read Romans 8:21-22.

Verse 25 The streams are permanent. They will not just appear when it rains. We read here about the ‘day when tall buildings fall’. But Bible students do not know what that refers to. Perhaps an enemy destroyed the tall buildings, and in that way they killed many people. Those words may refer to Isaiah 2:12-17 and Isaiah 25:1-5. Again, like verse 23, the words would then describe the situation after Jesus will return to the Earth.

Verse 26 Notice the parallel between verses 25 and 26:

Something will happen	When it will happen
Verse 25 Water will flow on hills and mountains	When someone (perhaps the *LORD) destroys armies and tall buildings
Verse 26 Bright light will come from the sun and moon	When the *LORD cures his people

When we show the parallel between the verses, it helps us to understand them. Here, we get the idea that maybe the *LORD will destroy the armies and tall buildings. That makes it clearer that perhaps Isaiah was referring to Isaiah 2:12-17 and Isaiah 25:1-5. In that case, it will happen after the *LORD returns to the Earth. Then, ‘you will see him’ (verse 20). Revelation 19:11-18 also describes a great battle when Jesus returns to the Earth. And that is when Jesus says, ‘People will see me’ (Mark 13:26).

v27 Look! The *LORD himself is coming from a long distance away. His nose burns. And dense clouds of smoke [are all round him]. [The *LORD’s] lips are full of anger and his tongue eats things like a fire.

v28 [The *LORD’s] breath is like a flood of water. [It is like water] that will reach up to [someone’s] neck. [The *LORD] shakes the nations to separate them. And [he shakes them] to destroy them. And he puts a *bit in their mouths to lead them away.

v29 And you, [my people], will sing! It will be like that night when [you] have a big public party in your religion. You will feel very happy inside you! Sometimes people go up the *LORD’s hill with [their] flutes (musical instruments that people blow). It will be like that. [The *LORD] is the *Rock of Israel.

v30 Then the *LORD will make [people] hear his voice. [It will be] like the voice of a great king! [The *LORD] will make [people] see his arm as it comes down [to hit them]. He will make [them] see that he is very, very angry. [The *LORD will be like] a fire that burns everything. [He will be like] a cloud that bursts. [It bursts so that it drops rain everywhere]. [The *LORD will be like] a very noisy storm. [He will be like] hail (bits of ice that fall like rain).

v31 The voice of the *LORD will completely destroy Assyria’s [armies]. He will beat them down with his pole. [That pole shows that he has authority.]

v32 [The *LORD] will hit [those armies] to punish them with his stick. As [the *LORD] fights [those armies] in battle, it will sound like [music]. [It will be like] the music of [instruments called] harps and tambourines. [He will use] his arms to hit [those armies].

v33 [The Great King] made the place called Topheth ready [a] long [time] ago. He prepared it for the king [of Assyria]. The large hole [in the ground] for the fire is deep and wide. There is plenty of wood for the fire. The breath of the *LORD will start the fire. [His breath] is like a stream of sulphur (a yellow substance). [And the sulphur] is on fire.

Notes

Verses 27-28 At the beginning, the *Hebrew words mean ‘the name of the *LORD is coming’. ‘The name’ means ‘the person himself’. Then there is a list of different parts of his head. It is in verse 27 and the first sentence of verse 28. These verses contain special descriptions of fire and water, which can destroy people and things. ‘His nose burns’ means this. It means that God is very angry. A ‘bit’ is what people put in horses’ mouths. People are then able to guide the horse.

Verse 29 In verses 27-28 the *LORD is punishing his enemies. That makes his people very happy. The ‘Rock of Israel’ is a name for God. A ‘flute’ is an instrument like a tube with holes. People blow on it to make music.

Verses 30-32 Isaiah does not say who the ‘people’ are until verse 31. These verses contain some more descriptions of how *LORD will punish his enemies. Here his anger is like a terrible fire or it is like a great storm. In verse 31 ‘the voice’ links with the noisy storm (verse 30). And ‘beat them down’ is like heavy rain. It beats things down as it falls. Because God has complete authority, he can use nature to punish his enemies. Notice Isaiah’s special technique again here. It starts in verse 31. And it continues in the first part of verse 32. In the *Hebrew verses too he says the same thing several times, but he uses different words each time. God would punish the enemies. But to Isaiah’s listeners, that would be like wonderful music. Harps (for harmony) and tambourines (for rhythm) are musical instruments. So are flutes, which people blow. Perhaps this music has a connection with the people’s happiness in verse 29. Flutes, harps and tambourines together provide a small orchestra to play music.

Verse 33 ‘Topheth’ is a *Hebrew word. It probably means ‘a place in which to burn things, where there is shame’. The soldiers from Assyria would march to Zion (Jerusalem) (Isaiah 10:8-11). But they did not know that their journey would lead to their own funeral! A ‘pit’ is a large hole in the ground. Perhaps Isaiah meant the Pit, the very deep hole in the ground in *Sheol. People said that really bad people went there. Sulphur is a yellow substance that burns with a blue flame. We have put ‘Great King’ here instead of ‘*LORD’ to show that God is greater than Assyria’s king.

Something to do

1. Read these verses that follow. Which verses in Isaiah chapter 30 do they make you think about? Deuteronomy 32:30; 1 Kings 22:27; Job 5:18; Psalms 1:1-6; Psalms 18:15; Psalms 89:10; Amos 4:7; Matthew 23:37; Romans 8:21-22; 1 Corinthians 10:4.

2. Learn to say Isaiah 30:15 and Isaiah 30:21 by heart. Then you will not need to look at the words as you say them.

3. If you have a printer, make a copy of Isaiah chapter 30. Mark the words or verses that link with each other. That helps us to understand how Isaiah combined these verses to form a unit. Also, it shows to us that Isaiah was a very clever writer.

This publication is in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

heavens ~ another word for ‘skies’. It can also mean where God lives and the skies above us.
Hebrew ~ the language that Isaiah spoke.
lord ~ someone with authority. With a capital L, it is a name for God.
LORD ~ a special name for God that only his servants should use. It is not a translation. It represents the Hebrew word YHWH. It probably means that God is always alive.
Hebrew ~ the language that Isaiah spoke.
sin ~ not to obey God; or, what you do when you do not obey God.
hoy ~ a Hebrew word that asks for attention. Isaiah uses this word to warn about danger.
Hebrew ~ the language that Isaiah spoke.'Old Testament ~ the first 39 books in the Bible.
Jews ~ God’s people that lived in Judah and Israel.
scroll ~ a very long piece of paper. This was the ancient form of a book.
prophet ~ a prophet told people what God had said to him. Sometimes the prophet told people what would happen in future times.
lord ~ someone with authority. With a capital L, it is a name for God.
LORD ~ a special name for God that only his servants should use. It is not a translation. It represents the Hebrew word YHWH. It probably means that God is always alive.
Hebrew ~ the language that Isaiah spoke.
banner ~ a piece of material with words or pictures on it. Two poles usually hold it up high.
destroy ~ to punish in a severe manner, usually by death or exile.
exile ~ people that an enemy takes to another country are ‘in exile’. They are away from home. We also call these people ‘exiles’. They have gone ‘into exile’.
bit ~ a piece of metal that people put in a horse’s mouth. People fix long narrow pieces of leather to the metal. When people pull the leather, the metal presses the inside of the horse’s mouth. So in that way people can make the horse go where they want it to go.
Rock ~ a name for God. This name emphasises that God makes his people safe.
Sheol ~ where people go when they die. In the Old Testament, people used this word to describe death.

Old Testament ~ the first 39 books in the Bible.