The Meaning of Isaiah 18:5 Explained

Isaiah 18:5

KJV: For afore the harvest, when the bud is perfect, and the sour grape is ripening in the flower, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches.

YLT: For before harvest, when the flower is perfect, And the blossom is producing unripe fruit, Then hath one cut the sprigs with pruning hooks, And the branches he hath turned aside, cut down.

Darby: For before the harvest, when the blossoming is over, and the flower becometh a ripening grape, he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning-knives, and take away and cut down the branches.

ASV: For before the harvest, when the blossom is over, and the flower becometh a ripening grape, he will cut off the sprigs with pruning-hooks, and the spreading branches will he take away and cut down.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For afore  the harvest,  when the bud  is perfect,  and the sour grape  is ripening  in the flower,  he shall both cut off  the sprigs  with pruning hooks,  and take away  [and] cut down  the branches. 

What does Isaiah 18:5 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 18

1  God, in care of his people, will destroy the Ethiopians
7  An accession thereby shall be made to the church

What do the individual words in Isaiah 18:5 mean?

For before the harvest when is perfect the bud and the sour grape ripening is in the flower and He will both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks and the branches take away [and] cut down
כִּֽי־ לִפְנֵ֤י קָצִיר֙ כְּתָם־ פֶּ֔רַח וּבֹ֥סֶר גֹּמֵ֖ל יִֽהְיֶ֣ה נִצָּ֑ה וְכָרַ֤ת הַזַּלְזַלִּים֙ בַּמַּזְמֵר֔וֹת וְאֶת־ הַנְּטִישׁ֖וֹת הֵסִ֥יר הֵתַֽז

לִפְנֵ֤י  before 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
קָצִיר֙  the  harvest 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קָצִיר 
Sense: harvest, harvesting.
כְּתָם־  when  is  perfect 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: תָּמַם  
Sense: to be complete, be finished, be at an end.
פֶּ֔רַח  the  bud 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: פֶּרַח  
Sense: bud, sprout.
וּבֹ֥סֶר  and  the  sour  grape 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּסֶר  
Sense: unripe grapes, sour grapes.
גֹּמֵ֖ל  ripening 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: גָּמַל  
Sense: to deal fully with, recompense.
נִצָּ֑ה  in  the  flower 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: נִצָּה  
Sense: blossom.
וְכָרַ֤ת  and  He  will  both  cut  off 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּרַת  
Sense: to cut, cut off, cut down, cut off a body part, cut out, eliminate, kill, cut a covenant.
הַזַּלְזַלִּים֙  the  sprigs 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: זַלְזַל  
Sense: (quivering) tendrils, twig, shoot, tendrils.
בַּמַּזְמֵר֔וֹת  with  pruning  hooks 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: מַזְמֵרָה  
Sense: pruning knife.
הַנְּטִישׁ֖וֹת  the  branches 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: נְטִישֹׁות  
Sense: twig, tendril, tendrils of a vine (as spread out).
הֵסִ֥יר  take  away 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סוּר 
Sense: to turn aside, depart.
הֵתַֽז  [and]  cut  down 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: תָּזַז  
Sense: (Hiphil) to strike away, cut away.

What are the major concepts related to Isaiah 18:5?

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