Isaiah 25:11

"For the LORD’s hand will rest in this mountain. Moab will be trodden down in his place, even like straw is trodden down in the water of the dunghill."

Key Reflection

For the LORD’s hand will rest in this mountain. Moab will be trodden down in his place, even like straw is trodden down in the water of the dunghill.” This prophecy indicates that the Lord would bring judgment upon Moab, a neighboring nation to Israel, through military conquest and destruction. In the original context, the imagery of treading down straw in the dung heap conveys the idea of complete annihilation; just as one would crush and discard straw with ease, so too would Moab be utterly crushed by divine retribution, leaving no remnants behind.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

And he shall spread forth his hands -The sense is, that Yahweh would stretch out his hands everywhere, prostrating his enemies, and the enemies of his people. Lowth, however, applies this to Moab, and supposes that it is designed to represent the action of one who is in danger of sinking, and who, in swimming, stretches out his hands to sustain himself. In order to this, he supposes that there should be a slight alteration of a single letter in the Hebrew. His main reason for suggesting this change is, that he cannot conceive how the act of the stretch out of the hands of a swimmer can be any illustration of the action of God in extending his hands ever Moab to destroy it.

More from Isaiah 25

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Go deeper with Bible.talk - your AI Bible study companion