The Meaning of Isaiah 24:20 Explained

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.

YLT: Stagger greatly doth the land as a drunkard, And it hath been moved as a lodge, And heavy on it hath been its transgression, And it hath fallen, and addeth not to rise.

Darby: The earth reeleth to and fro like a drunkard, and is shaken like a night hut; and its transgression is heavy upon it; and it falleth and shall not rise again.

ASV: The earth shall stagger like a drunken man, and shall sway to and fro like a hammock; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again.

Discover Isaiah 24:20

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Isaiah 24:20?

MEANING: What does Isaiah 24:20 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Isaiah 24:20 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Isaiah 24:20?

What is the context of Isaiah 24:20?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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.

What does Isaiah 24:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The prophet compared the earth under divine judgment to a reeling drunkard about to collapse and to an old shack about to fall down. A drunkard falls because of internal weakness, and a shack gives way because of external pressures. What causes the destruction is the guilt of transgression that weighs heavily on the earth. This fall will be irrevocable.

This section of Isaiah"s vision of God"s victory over the nations ( Isaiah 24:1-20) provides the basis for the following sections, which elaborate on features of the judgments previously described.

Context Summary

Isaiah 24:14-23 - The Inescapable Penalty Of Sin

There is always a godly remnant, as we are told in Isaiah 24:13, remaining in times of shaking, on the topmost boughs. The survivors who had fled across the seas from the judgments, would adore Jehovah for His goodness and mercy.

The fires of the East are in contrast to the isles of the West, Isaiah 24:15. Perhaps they stand for the fires of tribulation, in which we must glorify God. To whatever part of the earth the fugitives fled, they would be compelled to acknowledge the glory of righteousness, or perhaps of the Righteous One. The dispersion of the Church in the early days carried the message and music of the gospel everywhere. Though we may travel to the limits of sorrow, let us glorify our God.

Note the instability of all earthly things, Isaiah 24:18, etc. Woe to those who trust in them! Remember to build within the borders of the everlasting kingdom of Hebrews 12:23-28. When all the world kingdoms are destroyed, that of Israel, God's ancient choice, shall stand, Isaiah 24:23. May we as the brethren of the King share His glory and reign with Him in those great coming days! In the meanwhile glorify Him in the skies. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 24

¹ The doleful judgments of God upon the land
¹³ A remnant shall joyfully praise him
¹⁶ God in his judgments shall advance his kingdom

What do the individual words in Isaiah 24:20 mean?

To and fro shall reel the earth like a drunkard and shall totter like a hut and shall be heavy upon it Its transgression and it will fall and not again rise -

נ֣וֹעַ תָּנ֤וּעַ אֶ֙רֶץ֙ כַּשִּׁכּ֔וֹר וְהִֽתְנוֹדְדָ֖ה כַּמְּלוּנָ֑ה וְכָבַ֤ד עָלֶ֙יהָ֙ פִּשְׁעָ֔הּ וְנָפְלָ֖ה וְלֹא־ תֹסִ֥יף קֽוּם ס

נ֣וֹעַ	To and fro
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute Root: נוּעַ Sense: to quiver, totter, shake, reel, stagger, wander, move, sift, make move, wave, waver, tremble.
תָּנ֤וּעַ	shall reel
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular Root: נוּעַ Sense: to quiver, totter, shake, reel, stagger, wander, move, sift, make move, wave, waver, tremble.
אֶ֙רֶץ֙	the earth
Parse: Noun, feminine singular Root: אֶרֶץ Sense: land, earth.
כַּשִּׁכּ֔וֹר	like a drunkard
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Adjective, masculine singular Root: שִׁכֹּור Sense: drunken.
וְהִֽתְנוֹדְדָ֖ה	and shall totter
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular Root: נוּד Sense: to shake, waver, wander, move to and fro, flutter, show grief, have compassion on.
כַּמְּלוּנָ֑ה	like a hut
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, feminine singular Root: מְלוּנָה Sense: lodge, hut.
וְכָבַ֤ד	and shall be heavy
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular Root: כָּבֵד Sense: to be heavy, be weighty, be grievous, be hard, be rich, be honourable, be glorious, be burdensome, be honoured.
עָלֶ֙יהָ֙	upon it
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular Root: עַל Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
פִּשְׁעָ֔הּ	Its transgression
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular Root: פֶּשַׁע Sense: transgression, rebellion.
וְנָפְלָ֖ה	and it will fall
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular Root: נָפַל Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
וְלֹא־	and not
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle Root: הֲלֹא Sense: not, no.
תֹסִ֥יף	again
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person feminine singular Root: יָסַף Sense: to add, increase, do again.
קֽוּם	rise
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct Root: קוּם Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
ס	-
Parse: Punctuation

What are the major concepts related to Isaiah 24:20?

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