Isaiah 33:12

12 You're good for nothing but fertilizer and fuel. Earth to earth - and the sooner the better.

Isaiah 33:12 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 33:12

And the people shall be [as] the burnings of lime
Like chalk stones that are burnt to make lime of; which may denote not only their hardness and impenitency, which brought upon them and issued in the wrath of God; but the miserable condition into which they are brought, and the torture they should be put to: perhaps this may refer to the casting of the beast and false prophet alive into the lake burning with fire and brimstone, ( Revelation 19:20 ) : [as] thorns cut up shall they be burned in the fire;
"thorns" are a fit simile to express the unfruitfulness, uselessness, and harmfulness of wicked men, particularly the sons of Belial, the followers of antichrist; and these "cut up", and so not green and moist, but dry, and fit fuel for the fire, which burn the more easily and quickly, makes the metaphor more agreeable. The burning of Rome seems here to be pointed at, ( Revelation 17:16 ) ( 18:8 ) .

Isaiah 33:12 In-Context

10 "Now I'm stepping in," God says. "From now on, I'm taking over. The gloves come off. Now see how mighty I am.
11 There's nothing to you. Pregnant with chaff, you produce straw babies; full of hot air, you self-destruct.
12 You're good for nothing but fertilizer and fuel. Earth to earth - and the sooner the better.
13 "If you're far away, get the reports on what I've done, And if you're in the neighborhood, pay attention to my record.
14 The sinners in Zion are rightly terrified; the godless are at their wit's end: 'Who among us can survive this firestorm? Who of us can get out of this purge with our lives?'"
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.