The enemy runs at the sound of your voice. When you stand up, the nations flee!
Parallel translations
- WEB At the noise of the thunder, the peoples have fled. When you lift yourself up, the nations are scattered.
- KJV At the noise of the tumult the people fled; at the lifting up of thyself the nations were scattered.
- BSB The peoples flee the thunder of Your voice; the nations scatter when You rise.
- NKJV At the noise of the tumult the people shall flee; When You lift Yourself up, the nations shall be scattered;
- NASB At the sound of a roar, peoples flee; At the lifting up of Yourself, nations disperse.
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
At the thunder of God's voice the peoples flee, and at His rising the nations scatter. It matters because God's mere presence routs His enemies.
Overview
In answer to the prayer, Isaiah depicts the nations fleeing at the tumult of God's voice and scattering when He rises up. The imagery underscores God's overwhelming power to disperse hostile peoples. It assures God's people that He needs only to act, and their enemies cannot stand before Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Isa 10:13–14For he has said, “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures. Like a valiant man I have brought down their rulers.
- Isa 37:11–18Behold, you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly. Shall you be delivered?
- Isa 17:12–14Ah, 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!
- Ps 46:6The nations raged. The kingdoms were moved. He lifted his voice, and the earth melted.
- Isa 59:16–18He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor. Therefore his own arm brought salvation to him; and his righteousness sustained him.
- Isa 10:32–34This very day he will halt at Nob. He shakes his hand at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.
- Isa 37:29–36Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore will I put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
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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 33:3 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.