Isaiah 5 · Verse 14

Isaiah 5:14

Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.
Isaiah 5:14, King James Version

Isaiah 5:14 in other translations

BSBTherefore Sheol enlarges its throat and opens wide its enormous jaws, and down go Zion’s nobles and masses, her revelers and carousers!
WEBTherefore Sheol has enlarged its desire, and opened its mouth without measure; and their glory, their multitude, their pomp, and he who rejoices among them, descend into it.
ASVTherefore Sheol hath enlarged its desire, and opened its mouth without measure; and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth among them, descend into it.
YLTTherefore hath Sheol enlarged herself, And hath opened her mouth without limit. And gone down hath its honour, and its multitude, And its noise, and its exulting one--into her.
DARBYTherefore doth Sheol enlarge its desire, and open its mouth without measure; and her splendour shall descend into it, and her multitude, and her tumult, and all that is joyful within her.
BBEFor this cause the underworld has made wide its throat, opening its mouth without limit: and her glory, and the noise of her masses, and her loud-voiced feasters, will go down into it.
WebsterTherefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

What does Isaiah 5:14 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
14. hell--the grave; Hebrew, sheol; Greek, hades; "the unseen world of spirits." Not here, "the place of torment." Poetically, it is represented as enlarging itself immensely, in order to receive the countless hosts of Jews, which should perish (Nu 16:30). their--that is, of the Jewish people. he that rejoiceth--the drunken reveller in Jerusalem.

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

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 5:8-23

Here is a woe to those who set their hearts on the wealth of the world. Not that it is sinful for those who have a house and a field to purchase another; but the fault is, that they never know when they have enough. Covetousness is idolatry; and while many envy the prosperous, wretched man, the Lord denounces awful woes upon him. How applicable to many among us! God has many ways to empty the most populous cities…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 5:8-23 →

Isaiah 5:14 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.

לָכֵ֗ןla.Khen<to> thereforeH3651
הִרְחִ֤יבָהhir.Chi.vahit will enlargeH7337
שְּׁאוֹל֙she.'OlSheolH7585
נַפְשָׁ֔הּnaf.Shahthroat itsH5315
וּפָעֲרָ֥הu.fa.'a.Rahand it will open wideH6473
פִ֖יהָFi.hamouth itsH6310
לִבְלִי\־liv.li-to notH1097
חֹ֑קChoklimitH2706
וְיָרַ֨דve.ya.Radand it will go downH3381
הֲדָרָ֧הּha.da.Rahsplendor itsH1926
וַהֲמוֹנָ֛הּva.ha.mo.Nahand multitude itsH1995
וּשְׁאוֹנָ֖הּu.she.'o.Nahand uproar itsH7588
וְעָלֵ֥זve.'a.Lezand [one] exultingH5938
בָּֽהּ\׃Bahin it

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

Cross references for Isaiah 5:14

  • Luke 21:34

    And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.

  • Habakkuk 2:5

    Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:

  • Proverbs 30:16

    The grave; and the barren womb; the earth that is not filled with water; and the fire that saith not, It is enough.

  • Psalms 55:15

    Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell: for wickedness is in their dwellings, and among them.

  • Matthew 7:13

    Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

  • Revelation 20:13-15

    And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

  • Isaiah 30:33

    For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.

  • Proverbs 27:20

    Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

  • Numbers 16:30-34

    But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit; then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord. And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them: And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation. …

  • Isaiah 14:9

    Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations.

  • Isaiah 21:4

    My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.

  • Luke 12:19-20

    And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
hell.
14:9; 30:33; Ps 49:14; Pr 27:20; Eze 32:18-30; Hab 2:5; Mt 7:13
Re 20:13-15
opened.
Nu 16:30-34; Pr 1:12
he that rejoiceth.
21:4; 1Sa 25:36-38; 2Sa 13:28,29; Ps 55:15; Da 5:3-6,30; Na 1:10
Lu 12:19,20; 16:20-23; 17:27; 21:34; Ac 12:21-23

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

Context

  • Isaiah 5:13

    Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst.

  • Isaiah 5:14

    Therefore hell hath enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure: and their glory, and their multitude, and their pomp, and he that rejoiceth, shall descend into it.

  • Isaiah 5:15

    And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:

Read all of Isaiah 5

Isaiah 5:14 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Por eso ensanchó su interior el sepulcro, y sin medida extendió su boca; y allá descenderá la gloria de ellos, y su multitud, y su fausto, y el que en él se holgaba.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
C’est pourquoi le shéol élargit son désir et ouvre sa bouche sans mesure; et la magnificence de Jérusalem y descendra, et sa multitude, et son tumulte, et sa joie;
German
Elberfelder 1871
Darum sperrt der Scheol weit auf seinen Schlund und reißt seinen Rachen auf ohne Maß; und hinab fährt seine Pracht und sein Getümmel und sein Getöse und wer darin frohlockt.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Propterea dilatavit infernus animam suam, et aperuit os suum absque ullo termino; et descendent fortes ejus, et populus ejus, et sublimes gloriosique ejus, ad eum.