Isaiah 29:20
in Isaiah 29For the ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who look for evil will be cut down—
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scoffer ceaseth, and all they that watch for iniquity are cut off;
KJV
For the terrible one is brought to nought, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off:
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This verse in Isaiah 29
Commentary
7 notes on this verse(Verse 20). For the tyrant shall be no more, and the scoffer shall cease to be; all those alert to do evil shall be cut off. And there is rejoicing for every downfall: for he who prevailed has fallen. The deceiver, or the arrogant and proud one, is brought to an end, who said: With my strength I will do it, and with my wisdom I will remove the boundaries of nations and destroy their strength; who deceived everyone to such an extent that even the holy one said: My loins are filled with deceits (Psalm 38:8).
This site's exposition
the ruthless will vanish
on Isaiah 29:20-21
In verse 20 "the ruthless will vanish", and verse 21 names them. They "indict a man with a word", they "ensnare the mediator at the gate", and they "with false charges deprive the innocent of justice". Wesley and Clarke take the gate here as the place of judgment.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
664. Second, he indicates the occasion or the reason of their conversion: from the fall of the devil: for he that did prevail, by power, has failed, the scorner, the deceiver by cunning, above: the wretch is consumed: he has failed, that trod the earth …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
For the terrible one is brought to nought,....
Or, They shall be consumed and cut off by the judgments of God, shall be singled out to be made examples of. Or, They shall insensibly waste away, being put to confusion by the fulfilling of those predictions which they had made a jest of.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
For the terrible one - The violent one (עריץ ‛ârı̂yts), the oppressor, who had exercised cruelty over them. This, I suppose, refers to the haughty among the Jews themselves; to those who held offices of power, and who abused them to oppress the poor and needy. And the scorner - (see Isa 28:14, Isa 28:22). Is consumed - Shall be entirely destroyed. And all that watch for iniquity - That is, who anxiously seek for opportunities to commit iniquity.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
terrible--namely, the persecutors among the Jewish nobles. scorner-- (Isa 28:14, 22). watch for--not only commit iniquity, but watch for opportunities of committing it, and make it their whole study (see Mic 2:1;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אָפֵ֥ס | ʾafes | he will come to an end | H656 → | |
| עָרִ֖יץ | ʾaritz | [the] ruthless person | H6184 → | 20 times |
| וְכָ֣לָה | vekhalah | and he will come to an end | H3615 → | 208 times |
| לֵ֑ץ | letz | [the] mocker | H3887 → | 28 times |
| וְנִכְרְת֖וּ | venikhretu | and they will be cut off | H3772 → | 288 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| שֹׁ֥קְדֵי | shokedei | [those who] lie in wait | H8245 → | |
| אָֽוֶן׃ | ʾaven | <of> wickedness | H205 → | 77 times |
כִּֽי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
אָפֵ֥סhe will come to an end
ʾafesH656 →
עָרִ֖יץ[the] ruthless person
ʾaritzH6184 →20 times
וְכָ֣לָהand he will come to an end
vekhalahH3615 →208 times
לֵ֑ץ[the] mocker
letzH3887 →28 times
וְנִכְרְת֖וּand they will be cut off
venikhretuH3772 →288 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
שֹׁ֥קְדֵי[those who] lie in wait
shokedeiH8245 →
אָֽוֶן׃<of> wickedness
ʾavenH205 →77 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
Micah 2:1Woe to those who devise iniquity and plot evil on their beds! At morning’s light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands.
it leads to
- Psalms 36:4
Even on his bed he plots wickedness; he sets himself on a path that is not good; he fails to reject evil.
- Isaiah 32:7
The weapons of the scoundrel are destructive; he hatches plots to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just.
- Psalms 7:14–16
Behold, the wicked man travails with evil; he conceives trouble and births falsehood.
- Hosea 7:6–7
For they prepare their heart like an oven while they lie in wait; all night their anger smolders; in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
- Proverbs 6:12–19
A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth,
- Psalms 36:4
Through
Luke 16:14The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus.
it leads to
- Luke 23:35
The people stood watching, and the rulers sneered at Him, saying, “He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”
- Luke 12:15
And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
- Luke 23:35
Through
Isaiah 29:5But your many foes will be like fine dust, the multitude of the ruthless like blowing chaff. Then suddenly, in an instant,
it leads to
- 1 Thessalonians 5:3
While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:3
Where this verse is studied
About Isaiah

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.
