Isaiah 1:31
New International Version
The mighty man will become tinder and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the fire.”

New Living Translation
The strongest among you will disappear like straw; their evil deeds will be the spark that sets it on fire. They and their evil works will burn up together, and no one will be able to put out the fire.

English Standard Version
And the strong shall become tinder, and his work a spark, and both of them shall burn together, with none to quench them.

Berean Standard Bible
The strong man will become tinder and his work will be a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the flames.

King James Bible
And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

New King James Version
The strong shall be as tinder, And the work of it as a spark; Both will burn together, And no one shall quench them.

New American Standard Bible
The strong man will become like flax fiber, And his work a spark. So they shall both burn together And there will be no one to extinguish them.

NASB 1995
The strong man will become tinder, His work also a spark. Thus they shall both burn together And there will be none to quench them.

NASB 1977
And the strong man will become tinder, His work also a spark. Thus they shall both burn together, And there will be none to quench them.

Legacy Standard Bible
And the strong man will become tinder, His work also a spark. Thus they shall both burn together, And there will be none to quench them.

Amplified Bible
The strong man will become tinder, And his work a spark. So both will burn together And there will be none to quench them.

Christian Standard Bible
The strong one will become tinder, and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to extinguish the flames.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The strong one will become tinder, and his work a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the flames.

American Standard Version
And the strong shall be as tow, and his work as a spark; and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And their strength will become linen and their works sparks, and both shall burn as one, and there is none who extinguishes’”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And their strength shall be as a thread of tow, and their works as sparks, and the transgressors and the sinners shall be burnt up together, and there shall be none to quench them.

Contemporary English Version
Your strongest leaders will be like dry wood set on fire by their idols. No one will be able to help, as they all go up in flames.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And your strength shall be as the ashes of tow, and your work as a spark: and both shall burn together, and there shall be none to quench it.

English Revised Version
And the strong shall be as tow, and his work as a spark; and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Strong people will become tinder for a fire, and their work will be the spark. Both of them will burn together, and there will be no one to put out the fire.

Good News Translation
Just as straw is set on fire by a spark, so powerful people will be destroyed by their own evil deeds, and no one will be able to stop the destruction.

International Standard Version
Your strong one will be like tinder, and your work a spark; both of them will burn together, with no one to quench the flames that burn them."

JPS Tanakh 1917
And the strong shall be as tow, And his work as a spark; And they shall both burn together, And none shall quench them.

Literal Standard Version
And the strong has been for tow, | And his work for a spark, | And both of them have burned together, | And there is none quenching!

Majority Standard Bible
The strong man will become tinder and his work will be a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the flames.

New American Bible
The strong tree shall turn to tinder, and the one who tends it shall become a spark; Both of them shall burn together, and there shall be none to quench them.

NET Bible
The powerful will be like a thread of yarn, their deeds like a spark; both will burn together, and no one will put out the fire.

New Revised Standard Version
The strong shall become like tinder, and their work like a spark; they and their work shall burn together, with no one to quench them.

New Heart English Bible
The strong will be like tinder, and his work like a spark. They will both burn together, and no one will quench them."

Webster's Bible Translation
And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

World English Bible
The strong will be like tinder, and his work like a spark. They will both burn together, and no one will quench them.”

Young's Literal Translation
And the strong hath been for tow, And his work for a spark, And burned have both of them together, And there is none quenching!

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Corruption of Zion
30For you will become like an oak whose leaves are withered, like a garden without water. 31The strong man will become tinder and his work will be a spark; both will burn together, with no one to quench the flames.

Cross References
Matthew 3:12
His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Mark 9:43
If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, into the unquenchable fire.

Isaiah 4:4
when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.

Isaiah 5:24
Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 9:19
By the wrath of the LORD of Hosts the land is scorched, and the people are fuel for the fire. No man even spares his brother.

Isaiah 24:6
Therefore a curse has consumed the earth, and its inhabitants must bear the guilt; the earth's dwellers have been burned, and only a few survive.

Isaiah 26:11
O LORD, Your hand is upraised, but they do not see it. They will see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame. The fire set for Your enemies will consume them!


Treasury of Scripture

And the strong shall be as wick, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together, and none shall quench them.

the strong

Ezekiel 32:21
The strong among the mighty shall speak to him out of the midst of hell with them that help him: they are gone down, they lie uncircumcised, slain by the sword.

as tow

Isaiah 27:4
Fury is not in me: who would set the briers and thorns against me in battle? I would go through them, I would burn them together.

Isaiah 43:17
Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.

Isaiah 50:11
Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

the maker of it.

Isaiah 34:9,10
And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch…

Isaiah 66:24
And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

Ezekiel 20:47,48
And say to the forest of the south, Hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree: the flaming flame shall not be quenched, and all faces from the south to the north shall be burned therein…

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Isaiah 1
1. Isaiah complains of Judah for her rebellion
5. He laments her judgments
10. He upbraids their whole service
16. He exhorts to repentance, with promises and threats
21. Bewailing their wickedness, he denounces God's judgments
25. He promises grace
28. And threatens destruction to the wicked














(31) The maker of it as a spark.--Better, his work as a spark. The sin itself becomes the instrument of destruction. The mighty and the proud, who were foremost in the work of idolatry, and who did not repent, should perish with their work--i.e., with the idol which their hands had made. The tow and the spark are chosen as representing the most rapid form of combustion.

Verse 31. - The strong (literally, the strong one) shall be as tow; i.e. weak and powerless (comp. Judges 16:9), utterly unable to resist the Divine fiat when it goes forth. The maker of it. An extraordinary mistranslation, since po'al never means anything but "work." His own acts would light the fire by which the "strong one" would be consumed and perish.

"Nec lex justior ulla est,
Quam necis artifices arts perire sua."



Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The strong man
הֶחָסֹן֙ (he·ḥā·sōn)
Article | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2634: Powerful

will become
וְהָיָ֤ה (wə·hā·yāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

tinder
לִנְעֹ֔רֶת (lin·‘ō·reṯ)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5296: Something shaken out, tow

and his work
וּפֹעֲל֖וֹ (ū·p̄ō·‘ă·lōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6467: Doing, deed, work

[will be] a spark;
לְנִיצ֑וֹץ (lə·nî·ṣō·wṣ)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5213: A spark

both
שְׁנֵיהֶ֛ם (šə·nê·hem)
Number - mdc | third person masculine plural
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

will burn
וּבָעֲר֧וּ (ū·ḇā·‘ă·rū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 1197: To kindle, consume, to be, brutish

together,
יַחְדָּ֖ו (yaḥ·dāw)
Adverb
Strong's 3162: A unit, unitedly

with no one
וְאֵ֥ין (wə·’ên)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

to quench the flames.
מְכַבֶּֽה׃ (mə·ḵab·beh)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3518: To be quenched or extinguished, to go out


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 1:31 The strong will be like tinder (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 1:30
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