The Meaning of Isaiah 9:18 Explained

Isaiah 9:18

KJV: For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.

YLT: For burned as a fire hath wickedness, Brier and thorn it devoureth, And it kindleth in thickets of the forest, And they lift themselves up, an exaltation of smoke!

Darby: For wickedness burneth as a fire: it devoureth briars and thorns, and kindleth in the thickets of the forest, and they go rolling up like a pillar of smoke.

ASV: For wickedness burneth as the fire; it devoureth the briers and thorns; yea, it kindleth in the thickets of the forest, and they roll upward in a column of smoke.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For wickedness  burneth  as the fire:  it shall devour  the briers  and thorns,  and shall kindle  in the thickets  of the forest,  and they shall mount up  [like] the lifting up  of smoke. 

What does Isaiah 9:18 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Wickedness is not a little misguided playfulness but rebellion against God"s order for life. [1] It proceeds from a little fire to a raging inferno because, like fire, wickedness has an insatiable appetite.

Context Summary

Isaiah 9:18-21 - Social Injustice Condemned
The terrible indictment of the preceding paragraphs is continued here. Notice the awful monotony of the refrain, Isaiah 9:12; Isaiah 9:17; Isaiah 9:21; Isaiah 10:4. Internal anarchy spread with the rapidity of a prairie fire. Jealousy and distrust awoke murderous hatred. Even the ties of brotherhood would not avail to arrest the knife of the assassin. In the horrors of starvation men would consume their own flesh, Isaiah 9:20. Civil strife would exhaust the forces, which, combined with God's blessing, might have arrested the invader. The weak would become the spoil of the strong; and there would be no appeal. What pathetic questions are suggested in Isaiah 10:3! What will ye do? To whom will ye flee? See Hebrews 9:26-28. What hope is there for the soul that has known and refused the offer of forgiveness in Jesus! Dear soul, make haste to the cleft of the Rock! [source]

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 9

1  What joy shall be in the midst of afflictions, by the birth and kingdom of Christ
8  The judgments upon Israel for their pride
13  For their hypocrisy
18  And for their unrepentance

What do the individual words in Isaiah 9:18 mean?

For burns as the fire wickedness the briers and thorns it shall devour and kindle in the thickets of the forest and they shall mount up [like] rising smoke
כִּֽי־ בָעֲרָ֤ה כָאֵשׁ֙ רִשְׁעָ֔ה שָׁמִ֥יר וָשַׁ֖יִת תֹּאכֵ֑ל וַתִּצַּת֙ בְּסִֽבְכֵ֣י הַיַּ֔עַר וַיִּֽתְאַבְּכ֖וּ גֵּא֥וּת עָשָֽׁן

בָעֲרָ֤ה  burns 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בָּעַר 
Sense: to burn, consume, kindle, be kindled.
כָאֵשׁ֙  as  the  fire 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
רִשְׁעָ֔ה  wickedness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: רִשְׁעָה  
Sense: wickedness, guilt.
שָׁמִ֥יר  the  briers 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁמִיר 
Sense: thorn(s), adamant, flint.
וָשַׁ֖יִת  and  thorns 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שַׁיִת  
Sense: thorn bushes.
תֹּאכֵ֑ל  it  shall  devour 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
וַתִּצַּת֙  and  kindle 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: יָצַת  
Sense: to kindle, burn, set on fire.
בְּסִֽבְכֵ֣י  in  the  thickets 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: סְבַךְ  
Sense: thicket.
הַיַּ֔עַר  of  the  forest 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַעַר 
Sense: forest, wood, thicket, wooded height.
וַיִּֽתְאַבְּכ֖וּ  and  they  shall  mount  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָבַךְ  
Sense: to roll, turn.
גֵּא֥וּת  [like]  rising 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: גֵּאוּת  
Sense: majesty.
עָשָֽׁן  smoke 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָשָׁן  
Sense: smoke.