Isaiah 25:11
in Isaiah 25He will spread out his hands within it, as a swimmer spreads his arms to swim. His pride will be brought low, despite the skill of his hands.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst thereof, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim; but Jehovah will lay low his pride together with the craft of his hands.
KJV
And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim: and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands.
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This verse in Isaiah 25
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And he shall spread forth his hands - The sense is, that Yahweh would stretch out his hands everywhere, prostrating his enemies, and the enemies of his people. Lowth, however, applies this to Moab, and supposes that it is designed to represent the action of one who is in danger of sinking, and who, in swimming, stretches out his hands to sustain himself. In order to this, he supposes that there should be a slight alteration of a single letter in the Hebrew.
This site's exposition
the hand of the LORD will rest
on Isaiah 25:10-12
Beside the feast on Zion stands one judgment named at last, "Moab will be trampled", the nation the oracles have addressed since chapter 15. Moab spends his strength for nothing, "as a swimmer spreads his arms to swim". The oracles close as "The high-walled fortress will be brought down".
This site's exposition
as a swimmer spreads his arms to swim
The swimmer may be Moab or the LORD. Lowth, followed by Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, sees Moab spreading his hands to keep from sinking. Barnes sees the LORD spreading His hands through the land to bring down pride.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 9 and following) And they will say on that day: Behold, our God, we have waited for him, and he will save us; this is the Lord, we have endured him, we will rejoice and be glad in his salvation. For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain; and Moab shall be crushed under him, as straw is crushed on a threshing floor. And he will stretch out his hands under him, as a swimmer stretches out to swim, and his glory will be humbled with the buffeting of his hands.
The Medieval Church1 voice
591. Third, as to the oppression of their enemies, namely, the Moabites, who were most hostile to them because of dreams. And first, he sets out their affliction: threshed: they have threshed Galaad with iron wains (Amos 1:3); second, their complete subjection: he shall stretch …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
5 Thou shalt bring down the noise of strangers, as the heat in a dry place; even the heat with the shadow of a cloud: the branch of the terrible ones shall be brought low. It is said in the close of the foregoing chapter that the Lord of hosts shall reign gloriously; now, in compliance with this, the prophet here speaks of the glorious majesty of his kingdom ( Ps. cxlv.
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And he shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
LOWTH takes "he" as Moab, who, in danger of sinking, shall strain every nerve to save himself; but Jehovah (and "he") shall cause him to sink ("bring down the pride" of Moab, Isa 16:6). with the spoils of . . . hands--literally, "the craftily acquired spoils" of his (Moab's) hands [BARNES].
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
As he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim “As he that sinketh stretcheth out his hands to swim” - There is great obscurity in this place: some understand God as the agent; others, Moab. I have chosen the latter sense, as I cannot conceive that the stretching out of the hands of a swimmer in swimming can be any illustration of the action of God stretching out his hands over Moab to destroy it. I take השחה hashshocheh, altering the point on the ש sin. on the authority of the Septuagint, to be the participle of שחה shachah, the same with שוח shuach, and שחח shachach, to bow down, to be depressed; and that the prophet designed a paronomasia here, a figure which he frequently uses between the similar words שהח shachah, and שחות shechoth. As תחתיו tachtaiv, in his place, or on the spot, as we say in the preceding verse, gives us an idea of the sudden and complete destruction of Moab; so בקרבו bekirbo, in the midst of him, means that this destruction shall be open, and exposed to the view of all: the neighboring nations shall plainly see him struggling against it, as a man in the midst of the deep waters exerts all his efforts by swimming, to save himself from drowning. - L.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
And he shall spread out his hands (וּפֵרַשׂ) He shall break his hands and his arms by clapping his hands in weeping.
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
For the hand of the Lord shall rest The might of the Omnipresent.
For the power of the Lord of hosts shall be revealed in this mountain; and the Moabites shall be trodden under foot even as straw is in the clay.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
12 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּפֵרַ֤שׂ | uferas | and it will spread out | H6566 → | 67 times |
| יָדָיו֙ | yadav | hands its | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹ | bekirbo | in midst its | H7130 → | 227 times |
| כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר | kaasher | just as | H834 → | 5497 times |
| יְפָרֵ֥שׂ | yefares | he spreads [them] out | H6566 → | 67 times |
| הַשֹּׂחֶ֖ה | hasocheh | <the> swimmer | H7811 → | |
| לִשְׂח֑וֹת | lischot | to swim | H7811 → | |
| וְהִשְׁפִּיל֙ | vehishpil | and he will bring low | H8213 → | 31 times |
| גַּֽאֲוָת֔וֹ | gaavato | haughtiness its | H1346 → | 19 times |
| עִ֖ם | ʾim | with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| אָרְבּ֥וֹת | ʾarebot | [the] tricks of | H698 → | |
| יָדָֽיו׃ | yadav | hands its | H3027 → | 1618 times |
וּפֵרַ֤שׂand it will spread out
uferasH6566 →67 times
יָדָיו֙hands its
yadavH3027 →1618 times
בְּקִרְבּ֔וֹin midst its
bekirboH7130 →227 times
כַּאֲשֶׁ֛רjust as
kaasherH834 →5497 times
יְפָרֵ֥שׂhe spreads [them] out
yefaresH6566 →67 times
הַשֹּׂחֶ֖ה<the> swimmer
hasochehH7811 →
לִשְׂח֑וֹתto swim
lischotH7811 →
וְהִשְׁפִּיל֙and he will bring low
vehishpilH8213 →31 times
גַּֽאֲוָת֔וֹhaughtiness its
gaavatoH1346 →19 times
עִ֖םwith
ʾimH5973 →1050 times
אָרְבּ֥וֹת[the] tricks of
ʾarebotH698 →
יָדָֽיו׃hands its
yadavH3027 →1618 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 2:11The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
it leads to
- Isaiah 5:15–16
So mankind will be brought low, and each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes.
- Psalms 18:27
For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.
- Isaiah 5:15–16
Through
Isaiah 14:26This is the plan devised for the whole earth, and this is the hand stretched out over all the nations.
it leads to
- Isaiah 23:9
The LORD of Hosts planned it, to defile all its glorious beauty, to disgrace all the renowned of the earth.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 23:9
Through
Isaiah 5:25Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Despite all…
it leads to
- Isaiah 9:21
Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they turn against Judah. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
- Isaiah 10:4
Nothing will remain but to crouch among the captives or fall among the slain. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
- 2 Kings 9:37
And Jezebel’s body will lie like dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel, so that no one can say: This is Jezebel.’”
- Isaiah 9:17
Therefore the Lord takes no pleasure in their young men; He has no compassion on their fatherless and widows. For every one of them is godless and wicked, and every mouth speaks folly. Despite…
- Isaiah 9:21
Through
Isaiah 16:6We have heard of Moab’s pomposity, his exceeding pride and conceit, his overflowing arrogance. But his boasting is empty.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 48:42
Moab will be destroyed as a nation because he vaunted himself against the LORD.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 48:42
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
About Isaiah
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.