Isaiah 24 · Verse 16

Isaiah 24:16

From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

Isaiah 24:16, King James Version

Isaiah 24:16 in other translations

BSB	From the ends of the earth we hear singing: “Glory to the Righteous One.” But I said, “I am wasting away! I am wasting away! Woe is me.” The treacherous betray; the treacherous deal in treachery.
WEB	From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs. Glory to the righteous! But I said, “I pine away! I pine away! woe is me!” The treacherous have dealt treacherously. Yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.
ASV	From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the righteous. But I said, I pine away, I pine away, woe is me! the treacherous have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.
YLT	From the skirt of the earth we heard songs, The desire of the righteous. And I say, ‘Leanness is to me, Leanness is to me, woe is to me.' Treacherous dealers dealt treacherously, Yea, treachery, treacherous dealers dealt treacherously.
DARBY	From the end of the earth have we heard songs: Glory to the righteous! And I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! The treacherous have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously.
BBE	From the farthest part of the earth comes the sound of songs, glory to the upright. But I said, I am wasting away, wasting away, the curse is on me! The false ones go on in their false way, yes, they go on acting falsely.
Webster	From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe to me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yes, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

What does Isaiah 24:16 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

16. Songs to God come in together to Palestine from distant lands, as a grand chorus. glory to the righteous--the burden of the songs (Is 26:2, 7). Amidst exile, the loss of their temple, and all that is dear to man, their confidence in God is unshaken. These songs recall the joy of other times and draw from Jerusalem in her present calamities, the cry, "My leanness." Horsley translates, "glory to the Just One"; then My leanness expresses his sense of man's corruption, which led the Jews, "the treacherous dealers" (Jr 5:11), to crucify the Just One; and his deficiency of righteousness which made him need to be clothed with the righteousness of the Just One (Psa 106:15). treacherous dealers--the foreign nations that oppress Jerusalem, and overcome it by stratagem (so in Is 21:2) [Barnes].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 16 But I said - The prophet speaks in the person of the inhabitants of the land still remaining there, who should be pursued by Divine vengeance, and suffer repeated distresses from the inroads and depredations of their powerful enemies. Agreeably to what he said before in a general denunciation of these calamities: - "Though there be a tenth part remaining in it; Even this shall undergo a repeated destruction." Isa 6:13 (note). See the note there. - L. My leanness, my leanness - Or, my secret; so the Vulgate, Montanus, and my old MS; רזן razan has this meaning in Chaldee; but in Hebrew it signifies to make lean, to waste. This sentence in the Hebrew has a strange connection of uncouth sounds: ואמר רזי לי רזי לי אוי לי בוגדים בגדו ובגד בגדים בגרו Vaomer, razi li razi li, oi li, bogedim bagadu, ubeged bogedim bagadu. This may be equalled by the translation in my Old MS. Bible: And I seide, my priveye thinge to me: my priveye thinge to me: woo to me: The lawe breykynge thei breken: and in lawe brekynge of the overdon thingis, they breken the lawe. The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously "The plunderers plunder" - See note on Isa 21:2.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 24:16-23

Believers may be driven into the uttermost parts of the earth; but they are singing, not sighing. Here is terror to sinners; the prophet laments the miseries he saw breaking in like a torrent; and the small number of believers. He foresees that sin would abound. The meaning is plain, that evil pursues sinners. Unsteady, uncertain are all these things. Worldly men think to dwell in the earth as in a palace, as in a castle; but it shall be removed like a cottage, like a lodge put up for the night. It shall fall and not rise again; but there shall be new heavens and a new earth, in which shall dwell nothing but righteousness. Sin is a burden to the whole creation; it is a heavy burden, under which it groans now, and will sink at last. The high ones, that are puffed up with their grandeur, that think themselves out of the reach of danger, God will visit for their pride and cruelty. Let us judge nothing before the time, though some shall be visited. None in this world should be secure, though their condition be ever so prosperous; nor need any despair, though their condition be ever so deplorable. God will be glorified in all this. But the mystery of Providence is not yet finished. The ruin of the Redeemer's enemies must make way for his kingdom, and then the Sun of Righteousness will appear in full glory. Happy are those who take warning by the sentence against others; every impenitent sinner will sink under his transgression, and rise no more, while believers enjoy everlasting bliss.

Matthew Henry, 1706 · public domain

Isaiah 24:16 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

מִכְּנַ֨ףmi.ke.Naffrom [the] extremity ofH3671

הָאָ֜רֶץha.'A.retzthe earthH776

זְמִרֹ֤תze.mi.RotsongsH2158

שָׁמַ֙עְנוּ֙sha.Ma'.nuwe have heardH8085

צְבִ֣יtze.VisplendorH6643

לַצַּדִּ֔יקla.tza.Dik[belongs] to the righteous [one]H6662

וָאֹמַ֛רva.'o.Marand I saidH559

רָזִי\־ra.zi-leannessH7334

לִ֥יli[belongs] to me

רָֽזִי\־ra.zi-leannessH7334

לִ֖יli[belongs] to me

א֣וֹי'owoe!H188

לִ֑יLito me

בֹּגְדִ֣יםbo.ge.Dim[those who] act treacherouslyH898

בָּגָ֔דוּba.Ga.duthey act treacherouslyH898

וּבֶ֥גֶדu.Ve.gedand treacheryH899

בּוֹגְדִ֖יםbog.Dim[those who] act treacherouslyH898

בָּגָֽדוּ\׃ba.Ga.duthey act treacherouslyH898

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 24:16

Isaiah 21:2
A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
Isaiah 33:1
Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
Jeremiah 5:11
For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the Lord.
Jeremiah 3:20
Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the Lord.
Psalms 22:27-31
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations. All they that be fat upon earth shall eat and worship: all they that go down to the dust shall bow before him: and none can keep alive his own soul. A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. …
Lamentations 1:2
She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.
Revelation 16:5-7
And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.
Psalms 58:10
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
Isaiah 45:22-25
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
Habakkuk 1:3
Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.
Revelation 19:1-6
And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. …
Micah 5:4
And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

uttermost part. Heb. wing.
26:15; 45:22-25; 52:10; 66:19,20; Ps 2:8; 22:27-31; 67:7; 72:8-11
Ps 98:3; 107:1-43; Mic 5:4; Mr 13:27; Ac 13:47
glory.
Ex 15:11; Ps 58:10; Re 15:3; 16:5-7; 19:1-6
But.
10:16; 17:4; Ps 106:15
My leanness. Heb. Leanness to me. or, My secret to me. thetreacherous.
21:2; 33:1; 48:8; Jer 3:20; 5:11; 12:1,6; La 1:2; Ho 5:7; 6:7; Hab 1:3

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Isaiah 24:15
Wherefore glorify ye the Lord in the fires, even the name of the Lord God of Israel in the isles of the sea.
Isaiah 24:16
From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.
Isaiah 24:17
Fear, and the pit, and the snare, are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

Read all of Isaiah 24

Isaiah 24:16 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	De lo postrero de la tierra oímos salmos: Gloria al justo. Y yo dije: ¡Mi flaqueza, mi flaqueza, ay de mí! Prevaricadores han prevaricado; y han prevaricado con prevaricación de desleales.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Du bout du pays nous avons entendu des chants: Gloire au juste! Et j’ai dit: Ma maigreur, ma maigreur, malheur à moi! Les perfides ont agi perfidement, les perfides ont agi avec une insigne perfidie.
German Elberfelder 1871	Vom Ende der Erde her hören wir Gesänge: "Herrlichkeit dem Gerechten!" -Da sprach ich: Ich vergehe, ich vergehe, wehe mir! Räuber rauben, und räuberisch raubend rauben sie.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	A finibus terræ laudes audivimus, gloriam Justi. Et dixi: Secretum meum mihi, secretum meum mihi. Væ mihi! prævaricantes prævaricati sunt, et prævaricatione transgressorum prævaricati sunt.