In that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven above and the kings of the earth below.
Parallel translations
- WEB It shall happen in that day that Yahweh will punish the army of the high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on the earth.
- KJV And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
- NKJV It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones, And on the earth the kings of the earth.
- NASB So it will happen on that day, That the Lord will punish the rebellious angels of heaven on high, And the kings of the earth on earth.
- NLT In that day the Lord will punish the gods in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
In that day the Lord will punish both the heavenly host on high and the kings of the earth below. No power, spiritual or earthly, is beyond His judgment.
Overview
God will call to account the army of the high ones, often understood as rebellious spiritual powers, along with earthly rulers. His judgment spans heaven and earth. The verse anticipates Christ's coming triumph over every hostile authority, seen and unseen.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ps 76:12He breaks the spirits of princes; He is feared by the kings of the earth.
- Zech 14:12–19And this will be the plague with which the LORD strikes all the peoples who have warred against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
- Isa 34:2–17The LORD is angry with all the nations and furious with all their armies. He will devote them to destruction; He will give them over to slaughter.
- Ps 149:6–9May the high praises of God be in their mouths, and a double-edged sword in their hands,
- Isa 10:12So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes.
- Isa 14:1–2For the LORD will have compassion on Jacob; once again He will choose Israel and settle them in their own land. The foreigner will join them and unite with the house of Jacob.
- Isa 25:10–12For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain. But Moab will be trampled in his place as straw is trodden into the dung pile.
- Rev 18:9Then the kings of the earth who committed sexual immorality and lived in luxury with her will weep and wail at the sight of the smoke rising from the fire that consumes her.
- Ezek 38:1–23And the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
- Rev 6:14–17The sky receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place.
- Isa 10:25–27For in just a little while My fury against you will subside, and My anger will turn to their destruction.”
- Joel 3:19Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a desert wasteland, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.
- Rev 19:18–21so that you may eat the flesh of kings and commanders and mighty men, of horses and riders, of everyone slave and free, small and great.”
- Rev 17:14They will make war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will triumph over them, because He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and He will be accompanied by His called and chosen and faithful ones.”
- Joel 3:9–17Proclaim this among the nations: “Prepare for war; rouse the mighty men; let all the men of war advance and attack!
- Hag 2:21–22“Tell Zerubbabel governor of Judah that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 24:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.