Isaiah 7 · Verse 18

Isaiah 7:18

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
Isaiah 7:18, King James Version

Isaiah 7:18 in other translations

BSBOn that day the LORD will whistle to the flies at the farthest streams of the Nile and to the bees in the land of Assyria.
WEBIt will happen in that day that the LORD will whistle for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
ASVAnd it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah will hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
YLTAnd it hath come to pass, in that day, Jehovah doth hiss for a fly that is in the extremity of the brooks of Egypt, And for a bee that is in the land of Asshur.
DARBYAnd it shall come to pass in that day, that Jehovah will hiss for the fly which is at the extremity of the streams of Egypt, and for the bee which is in the land of Assyria;
BBEAnd it will be in that day that the Lord will make a piping sound for the fly which is in the end of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee which is in the land of Assyria.
WebsterAnd it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD will hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

What does Isaiah 7:18 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
18. hiss--whistle, to bring bees to settle (see on Is 5:26). fly--found in numbers about the arms of the Nile and the canals from it (Is 19:5-7; 23:3), here called "rivers." Hence arose the plague of flies (Ex 8:21). Figurative, for numerous and troublesome foes from the remotest parts of Egypt, for example, Pharaoh-nechoh. bee--(De 1:44; Psa 118:12). As numerous in Assyria as the fly in marshy Egypt. Sennacherib, Esar-haddon, and Nebuchadnezzar fulfilled this prediction.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 18 Hiss for the fly "Hist the fly" - See note on Isa 5:26. Egypt, and - Assyria - Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, Pharaoh-necho, and Nebuchadnezzar, who one after another desolated Judea.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 7:17-25

Let those who will not believe the promises of God, expect to hear the alarms of his threatenings; for who can resist or escape his judgments? The Lord shall sweep all away; and whomsoever he employs in any service for him, he will pay. All speaks a sad change of the face of that pleasant land. But what melancholy change is there, which sin will not make with a people? Agriculture would cease. Sorrows of every kind…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 7:17-25 →

Isaiah 7:18 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.

וְהָיָ֣ה\׀ve.ha.Yahand it will beH1961
בַּיּ֣וֹםbai.Yomin the dayH3117
הַה֗וּאha.Hu'<the> thatH1931
יִשְׁרֹ֤קyish.Rokhe will whistleH8319
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
לַזְּב֔וּבla.ze.Vuvfor the flyH2070
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhichH834
בִּקְצֵ֖הbik.Tzeh[is] at [the] end ofH7097
יְאֹרֵ֣יye.'o.Rei[the] canals ofH2975
מִצְרָ֑יִםmitz.Ra.yimEgyptH4714
וְלַ֨דְּבוֹרָ֔הve.La.de.vo.Rahand for the beeH1682
אֲשֶׁ֖ר'a.SherwhichH834
בְּאֶ֥רֶץbe.'E.retz[is] in [the] land ofH776
אַשּֽׁוּר\׃'a.ShurAssyriaH804

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

Cross references for Isaiah 7:18

  • Isaiah 5:26

    And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:

  • Deuteronomy 1:44

    And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah.

  • Isaiah 31:1

    Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord!

  • Deuteronomy 7:20

    Moreover the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed.

  • Joshua 24:12

    And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

  • Psalms 118:12

    They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.

  • Exodus 8:21

    Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are.

  • Exodus 8:24

    And the Lord did so; and there came a grievous swarm of flies into the house of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt: the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm of flies.

  • Isaiah 7:17

    The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.

  • 2 Kings 23:33-34

    And Pharaoh–nechoh put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold. And Pharaoh–nechoh made Eliakim the son of Josiah king in the room of Josiah his father, and turned his name to Jehoiakim, and took Jehoahaz away: and he came to Egypt, and died there.

  • Isaiah 13:5

    They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.

  • Isaiah 30:1-2

    Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin: That walk to go down into Egypt, and have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt!

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
hiss.
5:26
fly.
30:1,2; 31:1; Ex 8:21,24; De 1:44; 7:20; Jos 24:12; Ps 118:12
bee.
17; 2Ki 23:33,34

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

Context

  • Isaiah 7:17

    The Lord shall bring upon thee, and upon thy people, and upon thy father’s house, days that have not come, from the day that Ephraim departed from Judah; even the king of Assyria.

  • Isaiah 7:18

    And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.

  • Isaiah 7:19

    And they shall come, and shall rest all of them in the desolate valleys, and in the holes of the rocks, and upon all thorns, and upon all bushes.

Read all of Isaiah 7

Isaiah 7:18 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y acontecerá que aquel día silbará Jehová á la mosca que está en el fin de los ríos de Egipto, y á la abeja que está en la tierra de Asiria.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et il arrivera, en ce jour-là, que l’ Éternel sifflera la mouche qui est au bout des fleuves d’Égypte, et l’abeille qui est dans le pays d’Assyrie;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und es wird geschehen an jenem Tage, da wird Jehova die Fliege, die am Ende der Ströme Ägyptens, und die Biene, die im Lande Assyrien ist, herbeizischen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et erit in die illa: sibilabit Dominus muscæ quæ est in extremo fluminum Ægypti, et api quæ est in terra Assur;