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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Isaiah 17:12

Powerful nations are in commotion with a sound like the roar of the sea, like the crashing of huge waves.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Torrey's Topical Textbook - Armies;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Pekah;   War;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ethiopia;   Tirhakah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Isaiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Damascus;   Isaiah, Book of;   Sea;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Micah, Book of;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - War;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Evil;   Isaiah;   Noise;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Ah! The roar of many peoples—they roar like the roaring of the seas.The raging of the nations—they rage like the rumble of rushing water.
Hebrew Names Version
Ah, the uproar of many peoples, who roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters!
King James Version
Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
English Standard Version
Ah, the thunder of many peoples; they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations; they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!
New American Standard Bible
Oh, the uproar of many peoples Who roar like the roaring of the seas, And the rumbling of nations Who rush on like the rumbling of mighty waters!
New Century Version
Listen to the many people! Their crying is like the noise from the sea. Listen to the nations! Their crying is like the crashing of great waves.
Amplified Bible
Oh, the uproar of many peoples Who roar like the roaring of the seas, And the noise of nations Who roar like the rumbling of mighty waters!
World English Bible
Ah, the uproar of many peoples, who roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters!
Geneva Bible (1587)
Ah, the multitude of many people, they shall make a sounde like the noyse of the sea: for the noyse of the people shall make a sounde like the noyse of mightie waters.
Legacy Standard Bible
Alas, the uproar of many peoplesWho roar like the roaring of the seas,And the rumbling of nationsWho rumble on like the rumbling of mighty waters!
Berean Standard Bible
Alas, the tumult of many peoples-they rage like the roaring seas; the uproar of the nations-they rumble like the crashing of mighty waters.
Contemporary English Version
The nations are a noisy, thunderous sea.
Complete Jewish Bible
Oh, the terror-stricken uproar of many peoples, roaring like the roar of the seas, and the rushing about of nations, rushing and surging like wild, wild waters!
Darby Translation
Ha! a tumult of many peoples! they make a noise as the noise of the seas;—and the rushing of nations! they rush as the rushing of mighty waters.
Easy-to-Read Version
Listen to all these people! Their loud crying sounds like the noise from the sea. Listen, it is like the crashing of waves in the sea.
George Lamsa Translation
Woe to the armies of many people, which make a noise like the roaring of the seas! And to the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters!
Lexham English Bible
Ah! The noise of many peoples, they make a noise like the noise of the seas! And the roar of nations, they roar like the roar of mighty waters!
Literal Translation
Woe to the multitude of many peoples; they roar like the roar of seas; and the crash of nations, they crash like the crash of mighty waters!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Wo be to the multitude of moch people, that russh in like the see, and to the heape of folke, that renne ouer all like greate waters.
American Standard Version
Ah, the uproar of many peoples, that roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters!
Bible in Basic English
Ah! the voice of peoples, like the loud sounding of the seas, and the thundering of great nations rushing on like the bursting out of waters!
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Ah, the uproar of many peoples, that roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters!
King James Version (1611)
Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise, like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing, like the rushing of mighty waters.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wo shalbe to the multitude of much people, which shall make a sounde lyke to the noyse of the sea, and the violence of the nations which shall rage lyke the russhyng in of many waters.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Woe to the multitude of many nations, as the swelling sea, so shall ye be confounded; and the force of many nations shall sound like water;
English Revised Version
Ah, the uproar of many peoples, which roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters!
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Wo to the multitude of many puplis, as the multitude of the see sownynge, and the noise of cumpenyes as the sown of many watris.
Update Bible Version
Ah, the uproar of many peoples, that roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters!
Webster's Bible Translation
Woe to the multitude of many people, [who] make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, [that] make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
New English Translation
The many nations massing together are as good as dead, those who make a commotion as loud as the roaring of the sea's waves. The people making such an uproar are as good as dead, those who make an uproar as loud as the roaring of powerful waves.
New King James Version
Woe to the multitude of many people Who make a noise like the roar of the seas, And to the rushing of nations That make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
New Living Translation
Listen! The armies of many nations roar like the roaring of the sea. Hear the thunder of the mighty forces as they rush forward like thundering waves.
New Life Bible
Listen to the cry of sorrow of many people. They sound like the noise of the seas and the noise of nations! They sound like the rushing of powerful waters.
New Revised Standard
Ah, the thunder of many peoples, they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations, they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Alas! the booming of many peoples, Like the booming of the seas, shall they boom, - And the rushing of nations! Like the rushing of mighty waters, shall they rush.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Woe to the multitude of many people, like the multitude of the roaring sea: and the tumult of crowds, like the noise of many waters.
Revised Standard Version
Ah, the thunder of many peoples, they thunder like the thundering of the sea! Ah, the roar of nations, they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!
Young's Literal Translation
Wo [to] the multitude of many peoples, As the sounding of seas they sound; And [to] the wasting of nations, As the wasting of mighty waters they are wasted.
THE MESSAGE
Oh my! Thunder! A thundering herd of people! Thunder like the crashing of ocean waves! Nations roaring, roaring, like the roar of a massive waterfall, Roaring like a deafening Niagara! But God will silence them with a word, And then he'll blow them away like dead leaves off a tree, like down from a thistle.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Alas, the uproar of many peoples Who roar like the roaring of the seas, And the rumbling of nations Who rush on like the rumbling of mighty waters!

Contextual Overview

12 Powerful nations are in commotion with a sound like the roar of the sea, like the crashing of huge waves. 13 The nations advance like rushing waves, but God reprimands them and they retreat, driven away like dust on a mountainside, like straw in a whirlwind. 14 At evening they cause terror, but by morning they are gone. That is the fate of everyone who plunders our land.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

multitude: or, noise, Isaiah 9:5

make a noise: Isaiah 5:26-30, Isaiah 8:7, Isaiah 8:8, Isaiah 28:17, Psalms 18:4, Psalms 46:1-3, Psalms 65:6, Psalms 65:7, Psalms 93:3, Psalms 93:4, Jeremiah 6:23, Ezekiel 43:2, Luke 21:25

mighty: or, many, Psalms 29:3, Revelation 17:1, Revelation 17:15

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 32:21 - the leaders Psalms 46:3 - the waters Psalms 55:8 - the windy storm Psalms 83:13 - like Isaiah 10:12 - I will Isaiah 10:25 - For yet Isaiah 14:25 - I will Isaiah 25:5 - shalt bring Isaiah 33:3 - General Isaiah 37:33 - He

Cross-References

Genesis 17:22
When God finished speaking to Abraham, he left him.
Genesis 17:23
On that same day Abraham obeyed God and circumcised his son Ishmael and all the other males in his household, including the slaves born in his home and those he had bought.
Genesis 21:4
and when Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded.
Leviticus 12:3
On the eighth day, the child shall be circumcised.
Luke 1:59
When the baby was a week old, they came to circumcise him, and they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father.
Luke 2:21
A week later, when the time came for the baby to be circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name which the angel had given him before he had been conceived.
Acts 7:8
Then God gave to Abraham the ceremony of circumcision as a sign of the covenant. So Abraham circumcised Isaac a week after he was born; Isaac circumcised his son Jacob, and Jacob circumcised his twelve sons, the famous ancestors of our race.
Romans 2:28
After all, who is a real Jew, truly circumcised? It is not the man who is a Jew on the outside, whose circumcision is a physical thing.
Philippians 3:5
I was circumcised when I was a week old. I am an Israelite by birth, of the tribe of Benjamin, a pure-blooded Hebrew. As far as keeping the Jewish Law is concerned, I was a Pharisee,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Woe to the multitude of many people,..... Not as lamenting the people of the Jews with Hezekiah, as if they were the words of the prophet bemoaning their condition, saying, "O the multitude", c. nor intending the Syrians and Israelites joined together against Judah but the Assyrian army under Sennacherib, which consisted of people of many nations, and was very numerous, who are either threatened or called unto. A new subject is here begun, though a short one.

[which] make a noise like the noise of the seas; in a storm, when they foam and rage, and overflow the banks; this may refer both to the noise made by the march of such a vast army, the rattling of their armour and chariot wheels, and prancing of their horses; and to the hectoring, blustering, and blasphemous speeches of Sennacherib and Rabshakeh:

and to the rushing of nations, or "rushing nations",

[that] make a rushing like the rushing of mighty, waters; which denotes the fury and force with which they come, threatening to bear down all before them, as an inundation of water does.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Wo to the multitude ... - The word ‘woe’ (הוי hôy) may be either an interjection simply directing the attention to them, or it may be a word indicating approaching calamity and judgment (see the note at Isaiah 5:6). Gesenius supposes that it is rather the language of compassion, on account of the evil which they threatened to bring upon the people of God, like 1 Kings 13:30, ‘Ah! wo, my brother!’

The multitude of many people - Or, the tumult of many nations - a description of the noise attending an invading army made up of many nations mingled together, such as was that of Sennacherib.

Which make a noise ... - This is a beautiful description of a vast army, and of the shouting, the tumult, the din, which attends its march. The same comparison occurs in Jeremiah 6:23; Psalms 65:7 (see Ezekiel 43:2; Revelation 1:15; Revelation 14:2; Revelation 19:6).

And to the rushing of nations - The rushing of mighty armies to conquest.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 17:12. Wo to the multitude — The three last verses of this chapter seem to have no relation to the foregoing prophecy, to which they are joined. It is a beautiful piece, standing singly and by itself; for neither has it any connexion with what follows: whether it stands in its right place, or not, I cannot say. It is a noble description of the formidable invasion and the sudden overthrow of Sennacherib; which is intimated in the strongest terms and the most expressive images, exactly suitable to the event.

Like the rushing of mighty waters! — Five words, three at the end of the twelfth verse, and two at the beginning of the thirteenth, are omitted in eight MSS., with the Syriac; that is, in effect, the repetition contained in the first line of Isaiah 17:13 in this translation, is not made. After having observed that it is equally easy to account for the omission of these words by a transcriber if they are genuine, or their insertion if they are not genuine, occasioned by his carrying his eye backwards to the word לאמים leammim, or forwards to ישאון yeshaon, I shall leave it to the reader's judgment to determine whether they are genuine or not. Instead of כהמות cahamoth, "as the roaring," five MSS. and the Vulgate have כהמון kehamon, "as the multitude."


 
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