The Meaning of Isaiah 8:8 Explained

Isaiah 8:8

KJV: And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

YLT: And it hath passed on into Judah, It hath overflown and passed over, Unto the neck it cometh, And the stretching out of its wings Hath been the fulness of the breadth of thy land, O Emmanu-El!

Darby: and he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow it and go further, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel!

ASV: and it shall sweep onward into Judah; it shall overflow and pass through; it shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of its wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he shall pass  through Judah;  he shall overflow  and go over,  he shall reach  [even] to the neck;  and the stretching out  of his wings  shall fill  the breadth  of thy land,  O Immanuel. 

What does Isaiah 8:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Assyrian tide would not stop at Syria and Israel, however, but would sweep into Judah as well. This invasion happened in701 B.C. But its waters would stop short of completely engulfing Judah; they would reach only to her neck. Israel would drown, but Judah would keep her head above water. Seen from above, the deepening waters of Assyria"s army filling every valley and rising higher and higher resembled the wings of a huge, ominous bird of prey that covered the whole land. Isaiah described the whole land as Immanuel"s land. Probably this is a double reference to the child predicted to be born ( Isaiah 7:14) and to Israel as a whole, the people whose God was with them and would not allow Assyria to devour its prey. The reappearance of Immanuel in this passage that predicts the birth of Maher-shalal-hash-baz, and so closely parallels the Immanuel prophecies in chapter7 , suggests again that Maher-shalal-hash-baz was the initial fulfillment of the Immanuel prediction. In view of the later fulfillment of the Immanuel prophecy in Jesus Christ, we have a reminder that Yahweh continued to be with His people and provided salvation for them ultimately in Christ.

Context Summary

Isaiah 8:5-18 - Fear God's Power, Not Man's
It seems likely that Syria and Samaria attacked Ahaz because he would not join in a federation against the growing power of Assyria. A strong party seems to have pressed this policy on him, but in all such schemes they repudiated the Divine Protection, Isaiah 8:6. Compare Psalms 46:4. Ahaz and the court party on the other hand, sought to federate with Assyria. But Isaiah never ceased to urge that the true line of defense was to put away whatever was inconsistent with the fear of God. He would be the sanctuary of defense and hiding in the day of trouble, Isaiah 8:13-14. We learn from Hebrews 2:13, how absolutely, when speaking thus, the prophet was being prompted by the Holy Spirit. If men will not build on God's foundation-stone, they fall over it to their hurt. Compare Isaiah 8:15 and Matthew 21:44. Are we not all in danger of substituting human alliances for federation and union with the eternal God? Let our fellowship be with the Father and the Son; and let us wait for Him till the day dawn and the day star shines, 2 Peter 1:19. [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 8

1  In Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, he prophesies Syria and Israel shall be subdued by Assyria
5  Judah likewise for their infidelity
9  God's judgments shall be irresistible
11  Comfort shall be to those who fear God
19  Great afflictions to idolaters

What do the individual words in Isaiah 8:8 mean?

And He will pass through Judah He will overflow and pass over to the neck He will reach up and the stretching out of his wings will fill the breadth of Your land - Immanuel -
וְחָלַ֤ף בִּֽיהוּדָה֙ שָׁטַ֣ף וְעָבַ֔ר עַד־ צַוָּ֖אר יַגִּ֑יעַ וְהָיָה֙ מֻטּ֣וֹת כְּנָפָ֔יו מְלֹ֥א רֹֽחַב־ אַרְצְךָ֖ עִמָּ֥נוּ אֵֽל ס

וְחָלַ֤ף  And  He  will  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָלַף 
Sense: to pass on or away, pass through, pass by, go through, grow up, change, to go on from.
בִּֽיהוּדָה֙  through  Judah 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
שָׁטַ֣ף  He  will  overflow 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁטַף  
Sense: to wash, rinse, overflow, engulf, rinse or wash off.
וְעָבַ֔ר  and  pass  over 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.
צַוָּ֖אר  the  neck 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: צַוָּאר 
Sense: neck, back of neck.
יַגִּ֑יעַ  He  will  reach  up 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָגַע  
Sense: to touch, reach, strike.
מֻטּ֣וֹת  the  stretching  out 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: מֻטָּה  
Sense: spreading, outspreading, spreading out.
כְּנָפָ֔יו  of  his  wings 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּנָף  
Sense: wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt.
מְלֹ֥א  will  fill 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מְלֹא  
Sense: fullness, that which fills.
רֹֽחַב־  the  breadth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹחַב  
Sense: breadth, width, expanse.
אַרְצְךָ֖  of  Your  land 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
עִמָּ֥נוּ  - 
Parse:
אֵֽל  Immanuel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: עִמָּנוּ אֵל  
Sense: symbolic and prophetic name of the Messiah, the Christ, prophesying that He would be born of a virgin and would be ‘God with us’.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation