Isaiah 30 · Verse 28

Isaiah 30:28

And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.
Isaiah 30:28, King James Version

Isaiah 30:28 in other translations

BSBHis breath is like a rushing torrent that rises to the neck. He comes to sift the nations in a sieve of destruction; He bridles the jaws of the peoples to lead them astray.
WEBHis breath is as an overflowing stream that reaches even to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction. A bridle that leads to ruin will be in the jaws of the peoples.
ASVand his breath is as an overflowing stream, that reacheth even unto the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction: and a bridle that causeth to err shall be in the jaws of the peoples.
YLTAnd His breath is as an overflowing stream, Unto the neck it divideth, To sift nations with a sieve of vanity, And a bridle causing to err, Is on the jaws of the peoples.
DARBYand his breath as an overflowing torrent, which reacheth even to the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction, and to put a bridle into the jaws of the peoples, that causeth them to go astray.
BBEAnd his breath is as an overflowing stream, coming up even to the neck, shaking the nations for their destruction, like the shaking of grain in a basket: and he will put a cord in the mouths of the people, turning them out of their way.
WebsterAnd his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

What does Isaiah 30:28 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
28. (Is 11:4; 2Th 2:8). reach ... neck--the most extreme danger; yet as the head, or capital of Judah, was to be spared (Is 8:8), so the head, or sovereign of Assyria, Sennacherib, should escape. sieve of vanity--Rather, "the winnowing fan of destruction" [Lowth] (Is 41:16). bridle in ... jaws--as prisoners are represented in the Assyrian inscriptions (Is 37:29). causing ... to err--(Is 63:17). "People," Hebrew, "peoples," namely, the various races composing the Assyrian armies (Is 5:26).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 28 To sift the nations with a sieve of vanity "To toss the nations with the van of perdition" - The word להנפה lahanaphah is in its form very irregular. Kimchi says it is for להניף lehaniph. Houbigant supposes it to be a mistake, and shows the cause of it; the joining it to the ה he, which should begin the following word. The true reading is להניף הגוים lehaniph haggoyim, "to sift the nations." The Vulgate seems to be the only one of the ancient interpreters who has explained rightly the sense; but he has dropped the image: ad perdendas gentes in nihilum, "to reduce the nations to nothing. "Kimchi's explanation is to the following effect:" נפה naphah is a van with which they winnow corn; and its use is to cleanse the corn from the chaff and straw: but the van with which God will winnow the nations will be the van of emptiness or perdition; for nothing useful shall remain behind, but all shall come to nothing, and perish. In like manner, a bridle is designed to guide the horse in the right way; but the bridle which God will put in the jaws of the people shall not direct them aright, but shall make them err, and lead them into destruction." This latter image the prophet has applied to the same subject afterwards, Isa 37:29 : - "I will put my bridle in thy jaws, And turn thee back by the way in which thou camest." And as for the former it is to be observed, that the van of the ancients was a large instrument, somewhat like a shovel, with a long handle, with which they tossed the corn mixed with the chaff and chopped straw into the air, that the wind might separate them. See Hammond on Mat 3:12. There shall be a bridle in the jaws - A metaphor taken from a headstrong, unruly horse: the bridle checks, restrains, and directs him. What the true God does in restraining sinners has been also attributed to the false gods of the heathen. Thus Aeschylus, prom. Vinct. 691: - αλλ' επηναγκαζε νιν Διος χαλινος προς βιαν πρασσειν ταδε. "But the bridle of Jupiter violently constrained him to do these things."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 30:27-33

God curbs and restrains from doing mischief. With a word he guides his people into the right way, but with a bridle he turns his enemies upon their own ruin. Here, in threatening the ruin of Sennacherib's army, the prophet points at the final and everlasting destruction of all impenitent sinners. Tophet was a valley near Jerusalem, where fires were continually burning to destroy things that were hurtful and…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 30:27-33 →

Isaiah 30:28 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.

וְרוּח֞וֹve.ru.Choand breath hisH7307
כְּנַ֤חַלke.Na.chal[is] like a torrentH5158
שׁוֹטֵף֙sho.TefoverflowingH7857
עַד\־'ad-toH5704
צַוָּ֣ארtza.Var[the] neckH6677
יֶֽחֱצֶ֔הye.che.Tzehit reachesH2673
לַהֲנָפָ֥הla.ha.na.Fahfor shakingH5130
גוֹיִ֖םgo.YimnationsH1471
בְּנָ֣פַתbe.Na.fatin a sieve ofH5299
שָׁ֑וְאShav'worthlessnessH7723
וְרֶ֣סֶןve.Re.senand a halterH7448
מַתְעֶ֔הmat.'Eh[which] leads astrayH8582
עַ֖ל'al[is] onH5921
לְחָיֵ֥יle.cha.Yei[the] jaws ofH3895
עַמִּֽים\׃'a.MimpeoplesH5971

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

Cross references for Isaiah 30:28

  • Isaiah 37:29

    Because thy rage against me, and thy tumult, is come up into mine ears, therefore will I put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

  • Isaiah 11:4

    But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.

  • Isaiah 8:8

    And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel.

  • 2 Thessalonians 2:8

    And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

  • Luke 22:31

    And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

  • Amos 9:9

    For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.

  • 2 Kings 19:28

    Because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come up into mine ears, therefore I will put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest.

  • Revelation 2:16

    Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.

  • Hebrews 4:12

    For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

  • Isaiah 33:10-12

    Now will I rise, saith the Lord; now will I be exalted; now will I lift up myself. Ye shall conceive chaff, ye shall bring forth stubble: your breath, as fire, shall devour you. And the people shall be as the burnings of lime: as thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire.

  • Psalms 18:15

    Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

  • Matthew 3:12

    Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
his breath.
11:4; Ps 18:15; Lu 22:31; 2Th 2:8; Heb 4:12; Re 1:16; 2:16
an overflowing.
8:8; 28:17,18; 29:6; Hab 3:12-15
to sift.Bp. Lowth renders, "to toss the nations with the van of perdition;" that is, says {Kimchi,} nothing useful shall remain behind, but all shall come to nothing and perish. The van of the ancients was a large instrument, somewhat like a shovel, with a long handle, with which they tossed the corn mixed with the chaff and chopped straw into the air, that the wind might separate them.
19:12,14; 33:10-12; Ho 13:3; Am 9:9; Mt 3:12
a bridle.
37:29; 2Ki 19:28; Ps 32:9; Pr 26:3
causing.
19:3,13,14; 2Sa 17:14; 1Ki 22:20-22; Job 39:17; Eze 14:7-9
2Th 2:11

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

Context

  • Isaiah 30:27

    Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire:

  • Isaiah 30:28

    And his breath, as an overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of vanity: and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, causing them to err.

  • Isaiah 30:29

    Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the mighty One of Israel.

Read all of Isaiah 30

Isaiah 30:28 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y su aliento, cual torrente que inunda: llegará hasta el cuello, para zarandear las gentes con criba de destrucción; y el freno estará en las quijadas de los pueblos, haciéndo les errar.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		et son haleine comme un torrent qui déborde, qui atteint jusqu’au cou, pour cribler les nations au crible de la vanité et pour mettre aux mâchoires des peuples un frein qui fait errer.
German
Elberfelder 1871		und sein Odem wie ein überflutender Bach, der bis an den Hals reicht: um die Nationen zu schwingen mit einer Schwinge der Nichtigkeit, und einen irreführenden Zaum an die Kinnbacken der Völker zu legen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Spiritus ejus velut torrens inundans usque ad medium colli, ad perdendas gentes in nihilum, et frenum erroris quod erat in maxillis populorum.