Isaiah 5:30

World English Bible

They shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea: and if one look to the land, behold, darkness [and] distress; and the light is darkened in the clouds of it.

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
And it will growl over it in that day like the roaring of the sea.If one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress;Even the light is darkened by its clouds.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And it will growl over it in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; Even the light is darkened by its clouds.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
In that day he shalbe so fierce vpon him as the raging of the sea: then one shall beholde the lande, and lo darkenesse and sorow, and the light is darkened in the heauens therof.

Darby Translation
and they shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea. And if one look upon the earth, behold darkness [and] distress, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

New King James Version
In that day they will roar against them Like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, Behold, darkness and sorrow; And the light is darkened by the clouds.

Literal Translation
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea; when one looks to the land, and lo, darkness! Distress! And light shall be darkened by its clouds.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then there is a roar as loud as the ocean waves, and the captives turn their faces to the ground. And there is only darkness closing in as the light fades away in a black cloud.

King James Version (1611)
And in that day they shall roare against them, like the roaring of the sea: and if one looke vnto the land, behold darkenesse and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heauens therof.

King James Version
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
In that daye they shalbe so fearce vpon them, as the see. And yf we loke vnto the londe, beholde, it shalbe all darcknesse and sorowe. Yf we loke to heauen: beholde, it shalbe darck with careful desperacion.

Amplified Bible
And in that day they will roar against them (Judah) like the roaring of the sea. And if one looks to the land, in fact, there is darkness and distress; Even the light will be darkened by its clouds.

American Standard Version
And they shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened in the clouds thereof.

Bible in Basic English
And his voice will be loud over him in that day like the sounding of the sea: and if a man's eyes are turned to the earth, it is all dark and full of trouble; and the light is made dark by thick clouds.

Update Bible Version
And they shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea: and if one looks to the land, look, darkness [and] distress; and the light is darkened in the clouds thereof.

Webster's Bible Translation
And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea: and if [one] looketh to the land, behold darkness [and] sorrow, and the light is darkened in its heavens.

New English Translation
At that time they will growl over their prey, it will sound like sea waves crashing against rocks. One will look out over the land and see the darkness of disaster, clouds will turn the light into darkness.

Contemporary English Version
On the day they attack, they will roar like the ocean. And across the land you will see nothing but darkness and trouble, because the light of day will be covered by thick clouds.

Complete Jewish Bible
On that day they will growl at them, like the sea when it growls — and when one looks toward land, one sees darkness closing in; the light is dissipated in the obscuring overcast.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And in that day they shal roare vpon them, as the roaring of the sea: and if they looke vnto the earth, beholde darkenesse, and sorowe, and the light shalbe darkened in their skie.

George Lamsa Translation
And in that day he shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea; and if they look to the land, behold, there shall be darkness and distress, and the light shall be darkened with thick darkness.

Hebrew Names Version
They shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea: and if one look to the land, behold, darkness [and] distress; and the light is darkened in the clouds of it.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea; and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and distress, and the light is darkened in the skies thereof.

New Living Translation
They will roar over their victims on that day of destruction like the roaring of the sea. If someone looks across the land, only darkness and distress will be seen; even the light will be darkened by clouds.

New Life Bible
In that day they will make an angry noise over it like the noise of the sea. If one looks to the land, he will see darkness and trouble. Even the light is made dark by its clouds.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he shall roar on account of them in that day, as the sound of the swelling sea; and they shall look to the land, and, behold, there shall be thick darkness in their perplexity.

English Revised Version
And they shall roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea: and if one look unto the land, behold darkness and distress, and the light is darkened in the clouds thereof.

Berean Standard Bible
In that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. If one looks over the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be obscured by clouds.

New Revised Standard
They will roar over it on that day, like the roaring of the sea. And if one look to the land— only darkness and distress; and the light grows dark with clouds.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Yea he will growl at him in that day, like the growling of the sea, - Though he look hard for the land, lo! the darkness of distress, Yea the light, hath grown dark in its clouds!

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they shall make a noise against them that day, like the roaring of the sea; we shall look towards the land, and behold darkness of tribulation, and the light is darkened with the mist thereof.

Lexham English Bible
And he will roar over him on that day like the roaring of the sea, and if one looks to the land, look! Darkness! Distress! And the light grows dark with its clouds.

English Standard Version
They will growl over it on that day, like the growling of the sea. And if one looks to the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened by its clouds.

New American Standard Bible
And it will roar against it on that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks across to the land, behold, there is darkness and distress; Even the light is darkened by its clouds.

New Century Version
On that day they will roar like the waves of the sea. And when people look at the land, they will see only darkness and pain; all light will become dark in this thick cloud.

Good News Translation
When that day comes, they will roar over Israel as loudly as the sea. Look at this country! Darkness and distress! The light is swallowed by darkness.

Christian Standard Bible®
On that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. When one looks at the land, there will be darkness and distress; light will be obscured by clouds.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he schal sowne on it in that dai, as doith the soun of the see; we schulen biholde in to the erthe, and lo! derknessis of tribulacioun, and liyt is maad derk in the derknesse therof.

Revised Standard Version
They will growl over it on that day, like the roaring of the sea. And if one look to the land, behold, darkness and distress; and the light is darkened by its clouds.

Young's Literal Translation
And it howleth against it in that day as the howling of a sea, And it hath looked attentively to the land, And lo, darkness -- distress, And light hath been darkened by its abundance!

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of falsehood, and sin as it were with a cart rope; ¹⁹ who say, Let him make speed, let him hasten his work, that we may see it; and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, that we may know it! ²⁰ Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! ²¹ Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! ²² Woe to those who are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink; ²³ who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! ²⁴ Therefore as the tongue of fire devours the stubble, and as the dry grass sinks down in the flame, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust; because they have rejected the law of Yahweh of Hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. ²⁵ Therefore is the anger of Yahweh kindled against his people, and he has stretched forth his hand against them, and has struck them; and the mountains tremble, and their dead bodies are as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. ²⁶ He will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss for them from the end of the earth; and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly. ²⁷ None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the belt of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

like: Psalms 93:3, Psalms 93:4, Jeremiah 6:23, Jeremiah 50:42, Luke 21:25

if one look: Isaiah 8:22, Isaiah 13:10, Exodus 10:21-23, Jeremiah 4:23-28, Lamentations 3:2, Ezekiel 32:7, Ezekiel 32:8, Joel 2:10, Amos 8:9, Matthew 24:29, Luke 21:25, Luke 21:26, Revelation 6:12, Revelation 16:10, Revelation 16:11

sorrow: or, distress

and the light: etc. or, when it is light, it shall be dark in the destructions thereof

Reciprocal: Isaiah 9:19 - is the land Isaiah 59:9 - we wait Jeremiah 4:28 - the heavens Jeremiah 13:16 - before Jeremiah 30:5 - a voice Ezekiel 26:3 - as the sea Ezekiel 30:18 - the day Joel 2:2 - A day of darkness Amos 4:13 - that maketh Amos 5:18 - the day of the Lord is 1 Peter 5:8 - as

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And in that day they shall roar against them like the roaring of the sea,.... That is, the Romans against the Jews; whose attacks upon them should be with so much fierceness and power, that it should be like the roaring of the sea, which is very dreadful, and threatens with utter destruction; the roaring of the sea and its waves is mentioned among the signs preceding Jerusalem's destruction by the Romans, Luke 21:25:

and if [one] look unto the land: the land of Judea, when wasted by the Romans, or while those wars continued between them and the Jews; or "into it" k

behold darkness; great affliction and tribulation being signified by darkness and dimness; see Isaiah 8:21

[and] sorrow or "distress", great straits and calamities:

[and], or "even",

the light is darkened in the heavens thereof; in their civil and church state, the kingdom being removed from the one, and the priesthood from the other; and their principal men in both, signified by the darkness of the sun, moon, and stars. Matthew 24:29.

k לארץ "in terram", Montanus, Piscator; "in hanc terram", Junius & Tremellius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They shall roar against them - The army that shall come up shall roar against the Jews. The image of “the roaring of the sea” indicates the great number that would come; that of the roaring of the “lion” denotes their fierceness and terror.

And if one look unto the land - This expression has given some perplexity, because it is supposed not to be full or complete. The whole image, it has been supposed (see “Lowth”), would be that of looking “upward” to the heaven for help, and then to the land, or “earth;” compare Isaiah 8:22, where the same expression is used. But there is no need of supposing the expression defective. The prophet speaks of the vast multitude that was coming up and roaring like the tumultuous “ocean.” On “that” side there was no safety. The waves were rolling, and everything was suited to produce alarm. It was natural to speak of the “other” direction, as the “land,” or the shore; and to say that the people would look there for safety. But, says he, there would be no safety there. All would be darkness.

Darkness and sorrow - This is an image of distress and calamity. There should be no light; no consolation; no safety; compare Isaiah 59:9; Amos 5:18, Amos 5:20; Lamentations 3:2.

And the light is darkened ... - That which gave light is turned to darkness.

In the heavens thereof - In the “clouds,” perhaps, or by the gloomy thick clouds. Lowth renders it, ‘the light is obscured by the gloomy vapor.’ The main idea is plain, that there would be distress and calamity; and that there would be no light to guide them on their way. On the one hand a roaring, ragtag multitude, like the sea; on the other distress, perplexity, and gloom. Thus shut up, they must perish, and their land be utterly desolate.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 5:30. If one look unto the land, c. - "And these shall look to the heaven upward, and down to the earth"] ונבט לארץ venibbat laarets. Και εμβλεψονται εις την γην. So the Septuagint, according to the Vatican and Alexandrian copies but the Complutensian and Aldine editions have it more fully, thus: - Και εμβλεψονται εις τον ουρανον ανω, και κατω; and the Arabic from the Septuagint, as if it had stood thus: - Και εμβλεψονται εις ουρανον, και εις την γην κατω, both of which are plainly defective; the words εις την γην, unto the earth, being wanted in the former, and the word ανω, above, in the latter. But an ancient Coptic version from the Septuagint, supposed to be of the second century, some fragments of which are preserved in the library of St. Germain des Prez at Paris, completes the sentence; for, according to this version, it stood thus in the Septuagint. - Και εμβλεψονται εις τον ουρανον ανω, και εις την γην κατω; "And they shall look unto the heavens above and unto the earth beneath," and so it stands in the Septuagint MSS., Pachom. and I. D. II., according to which they must have read their Hebrew text in this manner: - ונבט לשמים למעלה ולארץ למטה. This is probably the true reading, with which I have made the translation agree. Compare Isaiah 8:22; where the same sense is expressed in regard to both particulars, which are here equally and highly proper, the looking upwards, as well as down to the earth: but the form of expression is varied. I believe the Hebrew text in that place to be right, though not so full as I suppose it was originally here; and that of the Septuagint there to be redundant, being as full as the Coptic version and MSS. Pachom. and I. D. II. represent it in this place, from which I suppose it has been interpolated.

Darkness - "The gloomy vapour"] The Syriac and Vulgate seem to have read בערפלח bearphalach; but Jarchi explains the present reading as signifying darkness; and possibly the Syriac and Vulgate may have understood it in the same manner.