Isaiah 8:7
in Isaiah 8the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the River, strong and many, even the king of Assyria and all his glory: and it shall come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks;
KJV
Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks:
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This verse in Isaiah 8
Commentary
12 notes on this verse[Isaiah] uses the "king of Assyria" as a symbol for the Antichrist.
This site's exposition
the Lord will surely bring
on Isaiah 8:7-8
The Lord brings "the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates," the king of Assyria. The Hebrew speaks of outstretched wings, rendered "spreading streams," a bird of prey over the land. The prophet addresses "your entire land, O Immanuel," the name from chapter 7 returning to claim the threatened ground as his.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 5, et seq.) And the Lord added, speaking to me again, saying: Because this people has rejected the waters of Siloam that flow gently, and has preferred Rezin and the son of Remaliah, therefore behold, the Lord will bring upon them the mighty and abundant waters of the river, the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it will rise above all its channels, and overflow over all its banks. And it will pass through Judah, flooding and reaching up to the neck. And the spreading of its wings will fill the breadth of your land, O Emmanuel.
The Medieval Church3 voices
A commentator
BonaventureCollations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 17 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Next to these mysteries are the mystery of the tree of life and the mystery of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For he who seeks nothing but knowledge tastes of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And this …
275. Therefore. Here the power of the enemy is described. And first, a metaphor is set out as to four things, namely, as to divine help: behold the Lord will bring upon them; as to the impulse: the waters of the river; as to their …
A commentator
BonaventureCollations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 19 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Going down to philosophy implies the greatest danger. Isaias says: "Because this people has rejected the waters of Siloe that flow gently, and melts with fear before the loftiness of Rasin and Romelia's son, therefore the Lord raises against them the waters of the River, …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And here is another comfortable intimation that though the stretching out of the wings of the Assyrian, that bird of prey, though the right and left wing of his army, should fill the breadth of the land of Judah, yet still it was Immanuel's land. It is thy land, O Immanuel! It was to be Christ's land; for there he was to be born, and live, and preach, and work miracles.
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Glory - His numerous and puissant army. He - This great river shall overflow its own proper channels. That is, this great monarch shall enlarge his dominions, and add the lands of Syria and Israel to them.
Now therefore the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many,.... Alluding to the river Euphrates, which ran by Babylon, which was a large river, full of water, and had a rapid torrent, and so is opposed to Shiloah and its waters; and these waters are explained as follows: even the king of Assyria, and all his glory; his army, which was his glory, in which he gloried, and by which he got himself honour and glory.
Great encouragement given to the people of God in the midst of those distractions; they are assured, 1. That the enemies shall not gain their point against them,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The waters of the river - By the river, in the Scripture, is commonly meant the river Euphrates, as being, by way of eminence, the largest river with which they were acquainted; and also as being that distinguished by the fact that Abraham had lived beyond it, and crossed it; see the note at Isa 7:20. In this verse the image is kept up which was commenced in Isa 8:6. The Jews rejected the gentle waters of Siloah, and sought the alliance of a foreign king, whose kingdom stretched along, and extended beyond the Euphrates.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
therefore--for the reason given in Isa 8:6, the Assyrian flood, which is first to overflood Syria and Samaria, shall rise high enough to reach rebel Judah also (Isa 8:8). the river--Euphrates swollen in spring by the melting of the snow of the Armenian mountains (compare Isa 8:6;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
The words behind it
24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְלָכֵ֡ן | velakhen | and <to> therefore | H3651 → | 771 times |
| הִנֵּ֣ה | hineh | there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| אֲדֹנָי֩ | ʾadonai | [the] Lord | H136 → | 440 times |
| מַעֲלֶ֨ה | maaleh | [is] about to bring up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| עֲלֵיהֶ֜ם | ʾaleihem | on them | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מֵ֣י | mei | [the] waters of | H4325 → | 581 times |
| הַנָּהָ֗ר | hanahar | the River | H5104 → | 119 times |
| הָעֲצוּמִים֙ | haatzumim | <the> mighty | H6099 → | 31 times |
| וְהָ֣רַבִּ֔ים | veharabim | and <the> many | H7227 → | 454 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מֶ֥לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| אַשּׁ֖וּר | ʾashur | Assyria | H804 → | 151 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| כְּבוֹד֑וֹ | kevodo | glory his | H3519 → | 200 times |
| וְעָלָה֙ | vealah | and it will rise | H5927 → | 890 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲפִיקָ֔יו | ʾafikav | channels its | H650 → | |
| וְהָלַ֖ךְ | vehalakh | and it will go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| גְּדוֹתָֽיו׃ | gedotav | banks its | H1415 → |
וְלָכֵ֡ןand <to> therefore
velakhenH3651 →771 times
הִנֵּ֣הthere!
hinehH2009 →843 times
אֲדֹנָי֩[the] Lord
ʾadonaiH136 →440 times
מַעֲלֶ֨ה[is] about to bring up
maalehH5927 →890 times
עֲלֵיהֶ֜םon them
ʾaleihemH5921 →5755 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מֵ֣י[the] waters of
meiH4325 →581 times
הַנָּהָ֗רthe River
hanaharH5104 →119 times
הָעֲצוּמִים֙<the> mighty
haatzumimH6099 →31 times
וְהָ֣רַבִּ֔יםand <the> many
veharabimH7227 →454 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
מֶ֥לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
אַשּׁ֖וּרAssyria
ʾashurH804 →151 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
כְּבוֹד֑וֹglory his
kevodoH3519 →200 times
וְעָלָה֙and it will rise
vealahH5927 →890 times
עַל־over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
אֲפִיקָ֔יוchannels its
ʾafikavH650 →
וְהָלַ֖ךְand it will go
vehalakhH1980 →1546 times
עַל־over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
גְּדוֹתָֽיו׃banks its
gedotavH1415 →
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
Amos 8:8Will not the land quake for this, and all its dwellers mourn? All of it will swell like the Nile; it will surge and then subside like the Nile in Egypt.
it leads to
- Amos 9:5
The Lord GOD of Hosts, He who touches the earth and it melts, and all its dwellers mourn—all the land rises like the Nile, then sinks like the river of Egypt—
- Hosea 4:3
Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it will waste away with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air; even the fish of the sea disappear.
- Jeremiah 46:8
Egypt rises like the Nile, and its waters churn like rivers, boasting, ‘I will rise and cover the earth; I will destroy the cities and their people.’
- Psalms 18:7
Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.
- Isaiah 5:25
Therefore 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…
- Amos 9:5
Through
Amos 9:5The Lord GOD of Hosts, He who touches the earth and it melts, and all its dwellers mourn—all the land rises like the Nile, then sinks like the river of Egypt—
it leads to
- Amos 8:8
Will not the land quake for this, and all its dwellers mourn? All of it will swell like the Nile; it will surge and then subside like the Nile in Egypt.
- Psalms 46:6
Nations rage, kingdoms crumble; the earth melts when He lifts His voice.
- Amos 8:8
Through
Isaiah 7:20On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates—the king of Assyria—to shave your head and the hair of your legs, and to remove your beard as well.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 29:18
“Son of man, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon caused his army to labor strenuously against Tyre. Every head was made bald and every shoulder made raw. But he and his army received no wages from…
- Ezekiel 29:18
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies8
On this verse
About Isaiah
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 17; Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 19; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; Hippolytus of Rome, ON THE ANTICHRIST 57:15-16; 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.