Isaiah 17

Isaiah · Chapter 17

Isaiah 17:8

1The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap.2The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid.3The fortress also shall cease from Ephraim, and the kingdom from Damascus, and the remnant of Syria: they shall be as the glory of the children of Israel, saith the LORD of hosts.4And in that day it shall come to pass, that the glory of Jacob shall be made thin, and the fatness of his flesh shall wax lean.5And it shall be as when the harvestman gathereth the corn, and reapeth the ears with his arm; and it shall be as he that gathereth ears in the valley of Rephaim.6Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two or three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.7At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One of Israel.8And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.9In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation.10Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:11In the day shalt thou make thy plant to grow, and in the morning shalt thou make thy seed to flourish: but the harvest shall be a heap in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow.12Woe 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!13The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.14And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
8And he shall not look to the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall respect that which his fingers have made, either the groves, or the images.They will not look to the altars they have fashioned with their hands or to the Asherahs and incense altars they have made with their fingers.And they shall not look to the altars, the work of their hands; neither shall they have respect to that which their fingers have made, either the Asherim, or the sun-images.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and notוְלֹ֣אve-LO'H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

he will lookיִשְׁעֶ֔הyish-'EHH8159
to gaze

שָׁעָה (sha.ah) 1) to look at or to, regard, gaze at or about 1a) (Qal) to gaze at, regard, behold, look about 1b) (Hiphil) to look away, cause gaze to turn away 1c) (Hithpael) to look in dismay, gaze about (in anxiety)

toאֶל־'el-H0413
to(wards)

אֶל (el) 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to)

the altarsהַֽמִּזְבְּח֖וֹתha-miz-be-CHOTH4196
sacrifice

דְּבַח (de.vach) sacrifice Aramaic of miz.be.ach (מִזְבֵּחַ "altar" H4196)

[the] work ofמַעֲשֵׂ֣הma-'a-SEHH4639G
deed: work

מַעֲשֶׂה (ma.a.seh) : work/product 1) deed, work 1a) deed, thing done, act 1b) work, labour 1c) business, pursuit 1d) undertaking, enterprise 1e) achievement 1f) deeds, works (of deliverance and judgment) 1g) work, thing made 1h) work (of God) 1i) product

hands hisיָדָ֑יוya-DAVH3027G
hand

יָד (yad) : hand/arm[anatomy] 1) hand 1a) hand (of man) 1b) strength, power (fig.) 1c) side (of land), part, portion (metaph.) (fig.) 1d) (various special, technical senses) 1d1) sign, monument 1d2) part, fractional part, share 1d3) time, repetition 1d4) axle-trees, axle 1d5) stays, support (for laver) 1d6) tenons (in tabernacle) 1d7) a phallus, a hand (meaning unsure) 1d8) wrists

and [that] whichוַאֲשֶׁ֨רva-'a-SHERH0834A
which

אֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when

they have madeעָשׂ֤וּ'a-SUH6213H
to make

עֲבַד (a.vad) 1) to make, do 1a)(P'al) 1a1) to make, create 1a2) to do, perform 1b) (Ithp'al) 1b1) to be made into 1b2) to be done, be wrought, be performed, be executed, be carried out

fingers hisאֶצְבְּעֹתָיו֙'etz-be-'o-TAVH0676
finger

אֶצְבַּע (ets.ba) finger, toe Aramaic equivalent: ets.ba (אֶצְבַּע "digit" H0677)

notלֹ֣אlo'H3808
not

לֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809)

he will seeיִרְאֶ֔הyir-'EHH7200G
to see: see

רָאָה (ra.ah) : see/show 1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to see 1a2) to see, perceive 1a3) to see, have vision 1a4) to look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out 1a5) to see, observe, consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish 1a6) to look at, gaze at 1a7) to provide, choose 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to appear, present oneself 1b2) to be seen 1b3) to be visible 1c) (Pual) to be seen 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to see, show 1d2) to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at 1e) (Hophal) …

and the Asherah polesוְהָאֲשֵׁרִ֖יםve-ha-'a-she-RIMH0842
Asherah

אֲשֵׁרָה (a.she.rah) § Ashera(h) = "groves (for idol worship)" a Babylonian (Astarte)-Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the supposed consort of Baal, her images her images sacred trees or poles set up near an altar

and the incense altarsוְהָחַמָּנִֽים׃ve-ha-cha-ma-NIMH2553
pillar

חַמָּן (cham.man) 1) incense altar, sun-pillar, idol, image 1a) used in idolatrous worship

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.