Isaiah 32:19
<< Isaiah 32:19 >>
New International Version (©1984)
Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely,

New Living Translation (©2007)
Even if the forest should be destroyed and the city torn down,

English Standard Version (©2001)
And it will hail when the forest falls down, and the city will be utterly laid low.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
And it will hail when the forest comes down, And the city will be utterly laid low.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
The forest will be flattened because of hail, and the city will be completely leveled.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be brought low in humiliation.

American King James Version
When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

American Standard Version
But it shall hail in the downfall of the forest; and the city shall be utterly laid low.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But hail shall be in the descent of the forest, and the city shall be made very low.

Darby Bible Translation
And it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

English Revised Version
But it shall hail, in the downfall of the forest; and the city shall be utterly laid low.

Webster's Bible Translation
When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

World English Bible
Though hail flattens the forest, and the city is leveled completely.

Young's Literal Translation
And it hath hailed in the going down of the forest, And in the valley is the city low.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

When it shall hail - Hebrew, ברדת ברד bârad beredeth - 'And it shall hail in coming down. There is a paranomasia in the original here, which cannot be expressed in a translation - a figure of speech, which, as we have seen, is common in Isaiah. 'Hail' is an image of divine vengeance or punishment; and the reference here is, doubtless, to the storms of indignation that would come on the enemies of the Jews, particularly on the Assyrians (see the notes at Isaiah 30:30).

Coming down on the forest - Coming down on the army of the Assyrian, which is here called 'a forest.' The same term 'forest' is given to the army of the Assyrians in Isaiah 10:18-19, Isaiah 10:33-34. The sense is, that the divine judgment would come down on that army with as much severity as a storm of hail descends on a forest - stripping the leaves from the trees, destroying its beauty, and laying it waste.

And the city - According to Gesenius, this is Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire. According to Rosenmuller, Grotius, and others, it is Babylon. Hensler supposes that it is Jerusalem, and that the sense is, that as a city that is situated in a valley is safe when the storm and tempest sweep over the hills, so would it be to Jerusalem when the storm of wrath should sweep away the army of the Assyrian. But the connection evidently requires us to understand it of the capital of the enemy; though whether it be Nineveh or Babylon perhaps cannot be determined.

Shall be low in a low place - Margin, 'Utterly abased.' Hebrew, 'In humility shall be humbled.' The sense is, shall be completely prostrate. Those who refer this to Jerusalem suppose it refers to the time when God should humble it by bringing the enemy so near, and exciting so much consternation and alarm. Those who refer it to Babylon suppose it relates to its destruction. If referred to Nineveh, it must mean when the pride of the capital of the Assyrian empire should be iratabled by the complete overthrow of their army, and the annihilation of their hopes. The connection seems to require us to adopt this latter interpretation. The whole verse is very obscure; but perhaps the above will express its general sense.


Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

The city shalt be low all a low place. "The city shall be laid level with the plain" - For ובשפלה ubashephelah, the Syriac reads וכשפלה ukeshephelah. The city - probably Nineveh or Babylon: but this verse is very obscure. Saltus; Assyriorum regnum: civitas; magnifica Assyriorum castra. Ephrem Syr. ire loc. For וברד ubarad, a MS. has וירד vaiyered; and so conjectured Abp. Secker, referring to Zechariah 11:2.


Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

When it shall hail, coming down on the forest,.... The people of God will be peaceable and quiet, safe and secure, when the judgments of God, signified by a "hail" storm, shall come upon antichrist, and the antichristian states, intended by the "forest", both for their numbers, and for their barrenness and unfruitfulness; see Revelation 16:21 and as so it sometimes is, by the disposition of divine Providence, that a storm of hail falls not upon fields and gardens, and the fruits of the earth, but upon forests and desert lands; and as the plague of hail fell upon the Egyptians, and not upon the Israelites in Goshen, to which some think the allusion is here; so will it be when God comes to take vengeance on the enemies of his people:

and the city shall be low in a low place: meaning not the city of Jerusalem, surrounded with mountains, built under hills, and so under the wind, and not exposed to the fury of a storm; but rather Babylon, built in a plain, in a low plain, and yet should be brought lower still; mystical Babylon is here meant, the city of Rome, that should "in humiliation be humbled", as the words may be rendered, that is, brought very low, exceeding low; see Isaiah 26:5 and which, at the time of the great hail, will be divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations shall fall, and Babylon be had in remembrance by the Lord to destroy it, Revelation 16:19.


Geneva Study Bible

When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the {m} city shall be low in a low place.

(m) They will not need to build it in high places for fear of the enemy: for God will defend it, and turn away the storms from hurting their conveniences.


Wesley's Notes

32:19 It shall hail - As my blessings shall be poured down upon my people, who, from a wilderness, are turned into a fruitful field, so my judgments (which are signified by hail, chap.28:2,17, and elsewhere) shall fall upon them, who were a fruitful field, but are turned into a forest, upon the unbelieving and rebellious Jews. The city - Jerusalem, which, though now it was the seat of God's worship and people, yet he foresaw, would be the great enemy of the Messiah. Low - Heb. shall be humbled with humiliation: shall be greatly humbled, or brought very low.


King James Translators' Notes

low in...: or, utterly abased


Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

19. Literally, "But it shall hail with coming down of the forest, and in lowness shall the city (Nineveh) be brought low; that is, humbled." The "hail" is Jehovah's wrathful visitation (Isa 30:30; 28:2, 17). The "forest" is the Assyrian host, dense as the trees of a forest (Isa 10:18, 19, 33, 34; Zec 11:2).


Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

32:9-20 When there was so much provocation given to the holy God, bad times might be expected. Alas! how many careless ones there are, who support self-indulgence by shameful niggardliness! We deserve to be deprived of the supports of life, when we make them the food of lusts. Let such tremble and be troubled. Blessed times shall be brought in by the pouring out of the Spirit from on high; then, and not till then, there will be good times. The present state of the Jews shall continue until a more abundant pouring out of the Spirit from on high. Peace and quietness shall be found in the way and work of righteousness. True satisfaction is to be had only in true religion. And real holiness is real happiness now, and shall be perfect happiness, that is, perfect holiness for ever. The good seed of the word shall be sown in all places, and be watered by Divine grace; and laborious, patient labourers shall be sent forth into God's husbandry.


Isaiah 10:18 The splendor of his forests and fertile fields it will completely destroy, as when a sick man wastes away.
Isaiah 10:19 And the remaining trees of his forests will be so few that a child could write them down.
Isaiah 24:10 The ruined city lies desolate; the entrance to every house is barred.
Isaiah 24:12 The city is left in ruins, its gate is battered to pieces.
Isaiah 25:2 You have made the city a heap of rubble, the fortified town a ruin, the foreigners' stronghold a city no more; it will never be rebuilt.
Isaiah 26:5 He humbles those who dwell on high, he lays the lofty city low; he levels it to the ground and casts it down to the dust.
Isaiah 27:10 The fortified city stands desolate, an abandoned settlement, forsaken like the desert; there the calves graze, there they lie down; they strip its branches bare.
Isaiah 28:2 See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong. Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind, like a driving rain and a flooding downpour, he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
Isaiah 28:17 I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place.
Isaiah 29:4 Brought low, you will speak from the ground; your speech will mumble out of the dust. Your voice will come ghostlike from the earth; out of the dust your speech will whisper.
Isaiah 30:30 The LORD will cause men to hear his majestic voice and will make them see his arm coming down with raging anger and consuming fire, with cloudburst, thunderstorm and hail.

City Completely Descend Downfall Fall Forest Great Hail Hailed Leveled Tall Trees Utterly Valley


When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

it shall Isa 25:4 28:2,17 30:30 37:24 Eze 13:11-13 Mt 7:25 Re 8:7

on the Zec 11:2

the city shall be low. or, the city shall be utterly abased Isa 14:22,23 26:5 Na 1:1,8 2:10-13 Re 18:21

Isaiah Chapter 32 Verse 19

Alphabetical: and be city comes completely down flattens forest hail is it laid leveled low the Though utterly when will

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