Isaiah 24:17

17 Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth.

Isaiah 24:17 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 24:17

Fear, and the pit, and the snare, [are] upon thee, O
inhabitant of the earth.
] This is to be understood not of the land of Judea only, and the inhabitants of it, but of all the earth; Kimchi interprets it of the nations of the world, particularly the Greeks and Turks; but the whole world, and the inhabitants of it, are meant, as the following verses show. There is an elegant play on words in the Hebrew, which cannot well be expressed in English, in the words "pachad, pachath, pach", fear, pit, and a snare; which are expressive of a variety of dangers, difficulties, and distresses; there seems to be an allusion to creatures that are hunted, who flee through fear, and fleeing fall into pits, or are entangled in snares, and so taken. Before the last day, or second coming of Christ to judge the world, there will be great perplexity in men's minds, great dread and fear upon their hearts, and much distress of nations; and the coming of the Son of Man will be as a snare upon the earth; see ( Luke 21:25 Luke 21:26 Luke 21:35 ) .

Isaiah 24:17 In-Context

15 Therefore glorify the LORD in the east. Extol the name of the LORD, the God of Israel in the islands of the sea.

16 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.

17 Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth.

18 Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

19 The earth is utterly broken apart, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently.