Isaiah 66:16

16 For with fire and with his sword the LORD will execute judgment on all people, and many will be those slain by the LORD.

Isaiah 66:16 in Other Translations

KJV
16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
ESV
16 For by fire will the LORD enter into judgment, and by his sword, with all flesh; and those slain by the LORD shall be many.
NLT
16 The LORD will punish the world by fire and by his sword. He will judge the earth, and many will be killed by him.
MSG
16 For it's by fire that God brings judgment, a death sentence on the human race. Many, oh so many, are under God's sentence of death:
CSB
16 For the Lord will execute judgment on all flesh with His fiery sword, and many will be slain by the Lord.

Isaiah 66:16 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 66:16

For by fire, and by his sword, will the Lord plead with all
flesh
With the Mahometans, the Turks, the Ottoman empire, against whom he will call for a sword, and will rain upon them fire and brimstone, signified by Gog and Magog, ( Ezekiel 38:22 ) ( 39:6 ) and with the other antichristian powers at the battle of Armageddon; and when the fourth vial will be poured upon the sun, and men will be scorched with fire; see ( Revelation 16:8 Revelation 16:9 Revelation 16:16 ) ( Revelation 19:20 Revelation 19:21 ) : and the slain of the Lord shall be many;
that is, those that will be slain by the Lord, both in the attempt of the Turks to recover the land of Canaan out of the hands of the Jews, possessed of it; whose numbers of slain will be so many, that the burying of them will last seven months, ( Ezekiel 39:12 ) and in the battle between the Christian princes, Christ at the head of them, and the antichristian armies, led on by the beast and the kings of the earth; when the fowls of the air will be invited to the great supper of the Lord, to eat the flesh of kings, captains, and mighty men, so great will the slaughter be, ( Revelation 19:17-21 ) , see also ( Isaiah 11:13 ) .

Isaiah 66:16 In-Context

14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the LORD will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.
15 See, the LORD is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.
16 For with fire and with his sword the LORD will execute judgment on all people, and many will be those slain by the LORD.
17 “Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following one who is among those who eat the flesh of pigs, rats and other unclean things—they will meet their end together with the one they follow,” declares the LORD.
18 “And I, because of what they have planned and done, am about to come and gather the people of all nations and languages, and they will come and see my glory.

Cross References 4

  • 1. Isaiah 30:30; Amos 7:4; Malachi 4:1
  • 2. S Isaiah 1:20; S Isaiah 27:1; S Ezekiel 14:21
  • 3. S Isaiah 13:9,11; S Jeremiah 2:35; S Ezekiel 36:5
  • 4. S Isaiah 10:4
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