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.
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.
- BSB In that day the LORD will punish the host of heaven above and the kings of the earth below.
- 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 shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.
- Zech 14:12–19And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
- Isa 34:2–17For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter.
- Ps 149:6–9Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand;
- Isa 10:12Wherefore it shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed his whole work upon mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of Assyria, and the glory of his high looks.
- Isa 14:1–2For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
- Isa 25:10–12For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.
- Rev 18:9And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
- Ezek 38:1–23And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
- Rev 6:14–17And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
- Isa 10:25–27For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.
- Joel 3:19Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
- Rev 19:18–21That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
- Rev 17:14These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
- Joel 3:9–17Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
- Hag 2:21–22Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.