Isaiah 24:18

18 And it shall come to pass that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit, and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare; for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

Isaiah 24:18 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 24:18

And it shall come to pass, [that] he who fleeth from the
noise of the fear
From the fearful noise that will be made, the voices and thunderings heard in the heavens above, the sea and waves roaring below; or from wars, and rumours of wars, and terrible armies approaching and pursuing, ( Luke 21:25 ) ( Matthew 24:6 Matthew 24:7 ) or rather at the report of an object to be feared and dreaded by wicked men, even the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven, ( Revelation 1:7 ) : shall fall into the pit;
of ruin and destruction, dug for the wicked, ( Psalms 94:13 ) just as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell into the slime pits, when they fled from their conquerors, ( Genesis 14:10 ) : and he that comes up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in
the snare;
the meaning is, that he that escapes one trouble should fall into another, so that there will be no safety anywhere. Jarchi's note is,

``he that escapes the sword of Messiah ben Joseph, shall fall upon the sword of Messiah ben David; and he that escapes from thence shall be taken in a snare in the war of Gog:''

for the windows from on high are open;
not hereby signifying, as Jerom thinks, that the Lord would now see all the sins of men, which, because he did not punish before, he seemed by sinners to be ignorant of; but the allusion is to the opening of the windows of heaven at the time of the deluge, ( Genesis 7:11 ) and intimates, that the wrath of God should be revealed from heaven, and the severest judgments be denounced, made manifest, and come down from thence in a very visible, public, and terrible manner, like an overflowing tempest of rain: and the foundations of the earth do shake:
very probably the dissolution of the world may be attended with a general earthquake; or this may denote the dread and terror that will seize the inhabitants of it.

Isaiah 24:18 In-Context

16 From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, "My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously, yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously."

17 Fear and the pit and the snare are upon thee, O inhabitant of the earth.

18 And it shall come to pass that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit, and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare; for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

20 The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.