Isaiah 8:9
in Isaiah 8Huddle together, O peoples, and be shattered; pay attention, all you distant lands; prepare for battle, and be shattered; prepare for battle, and be shattered!
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Make an uproar, O ye peoples, and be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces.
KJV
Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.
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This verse in Isaiah 8
Commentary
10 notes on this verse(Verse 9, 10.) Gather together, O people, and be conquered, and listen, all far away lands: be strengthened and be conquered. Gird yourselves, and be conquered: take counsel, and it shall be dissipated: speak a word, and it shall not be, because God is with us. Regarding the phrase 'gather together, or be weakened, and be broken,' as others have interpreted, the Septuagint translated it as 'know.' For the Hebrew word, Rou (), because of the resemblance of the letter Res () and Daleth (), they understood it as Dou ().
This site's exposition
Huddle together, O peoples
on Isaiah 8:9-10
The prophet addresses the nations directly, and the verdict "be shattered" comes three times like a drumbeat mocking every alliance formed against Judah. The refrain closes on the meaning of the child's name from chapter 7, "For God is with us," Immanuel confessed as the reason for confidence.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
And what the same prophet said has been fulfilled. "God is with us. Know this, O nations, and be conquered." For we who are from the nations have been conquered and overcome. And we who bend our necks beneath his grace stand forth as a kind of spoils of his victory.
The Medieval Church1 voice
278. Gather yourselves together, O you peoples. Because he had said that the persecution of the Assyrians would run over in some manner into the two tribes, here he strengthens them, because they were not to be finally captured in that persecution, nor even be …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
For God is with us " (this refers to the name of Immanuel--God with us ); "the Messiah is to be born among us, and a people designed for such an honour cannot be given up to utter ruin. We have now the special presence of God with us in his temple, his oracles, his promises, and these are our defence.
All ye - Whosoever you be, who conspire against Immanuel's land. Gird - Prepare yourselves for war. Broken - This is repeated for the greater assurance of the thing, and the comfort of God's people.
Associate yourselves, O ye people,....
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Associate yourselves - In the previous verses the prophet had seen the Assyrian coming up on the land like an overwhelming flood. He looked upon the danger, and his mind was turned to the pledge of safety which God had given. The name Immanuel, and the promise connected with the giving of that name Isa 7:16, reminded him of the perfect safety of the nation, for it was a pledge that God was with them; see Isa 8:
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The succession of the house of David cannot be set aside in Judah, for Immanuel Messiah is to be born in it as heir of David, of whom Isaiah's son is but a type (Isa 9:4, 6). give ear . . . far countries--witness the discomfiture of Judah's enemies.
Associate yourselves “Know ye this” - God by his prophet plainly declares to the confederate adversaries of Judah, and bids them regard and attend to his declaration, that all their efforts shall be in vain. The present reading, רעו rou, is subject to many difficulties; I follow that of the Septuagint, דעו deu, γνωτε. Archbishop Secker approves this reading. דעו deu know ye this, is parallel and synonymous to האזינו haazinu, give ear to It, in the next line. The Septuagint have likewise very well paraphrased the conclusion of this verse: “When ye have strengthened yourselves, ye shall be broken; and though ye again strengthen yourselves, again shall ye be broken;” taking חתו chottu as meaning the same with נשברו, shall be broken.
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| רֹ֤עוּ | rou | be bad | H7489 → | 107 times |
| עַמִּים֙ | ʾamim | O peoples | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| וָחֹ֔תּוּ | vachotu | and be shattered | H2865 → | 52 times |
| וְהַֽאֲזִ֔ינוּ | vehaazinu | and give ear | H238 → | 41 times |
| כֹּ֖ל | kol | O all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| מֶרְחַקֵּי־ | merchakei- | [the] distant places of | H4801 → | 18 times |
| אָ֑רֶץ | ʾaretz | [the] earth | H776 → | 2504 times |
| הִתְאַזְּר֣וּ | hitazeru | gird yourselves | H247 → | 16 times |
| וָחֹ֔תּוּ | vachotu | and be shattered | H2865 → | 52 times |
| הִֽתְאַזְּר֖וּ | hitazeru | gird yourselves | H247 → | 16 times |
| וָחֹֽתּוּ׃ | vachotu | and be shattered | H2865 → | 52 times |
רֹ֤עוּbe bad
rouH7489 →107 times
עַמִּים֙O peoples
ʾamimH5971 →1873 times
וָחֹ֔תּוּand be shattered
vachotuH2865 →52 times
וְהַֽאֲזִ֔ינוּand give ear
vehaazinuH238 →41 times
כֹּ֖לO all
kolH3605 →5413 times
מֶרְחַקֵּי־[the] distant places of
merchakei-H4801 →18 times
אָ֑רֶץ[the] earth
ʾaretzH776 →2504 times
הִתְאַזְּר֣וּgird yourselves
hitazeruH247 →16 times
וָחֹ֔תּוּand be shattered
vachotuH2865 →52 times
הִֽתְאַזְּר֖וּgird yourselves
hitazeruH247 →16 times
וָחֹֽתּוּ׃and be shattered
vachotuH2865 →52 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
Proverbs 11:21Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.
it leads to
- Psalms 112:1–2
Hallelujah! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments.
- Acts 2:39
This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
- Jeremiah 32:39
I will give them one heart and one way, so that they will always fear Me for their own good and for the good of their children after them.
- Psalms 37:26
They are ever generous and quick to lend, and their children are a blessing.
- Proverbs 16:5
Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD; be assured that he will not go unpunished.
- Psalms 112:1–2
Through
1 Kings 20:11And the king of Israel replied, “Tell him: ‘The one putting on his armor should not boast like one taking it off.’”
it leads to
- Proverbs 27:1
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
- 1 Samuel 17:44–47
“Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
- Ecclesiastes 9:11
I saw something else under the sun: The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong; neither is the bread to the wise, nor the wealth to the intelligent, nor…
- Proverbs 27:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies8
On this verse
About Isaiah
This page draws on 10 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); 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); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 4:1.5 and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.