So mankind will be brought low, and each man humbled; the arrogant will lower their eyes.
Parallel translations
- WEB So man is brought low, mankind is humbled, and the eyes of the arrogant ones are humbled;
- KJV And the mean man shall be brought down, and the mighty man shall be humbled, and the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled:
- NKJV People shall be brought down, Each man shall be humbled, And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.
- NASB So the common people will be humbled and the person of importance brought low, The eyes of the haughty also will be brought low.
- NLT Humanity will be destroyed, and people brought down; even the arrogant will lower their eyes in humiliation.
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
Humanity is brought low and the arrogant are humbled. It declares the leveling of human pride that God's judgment accomplishes.
Overview
This echoes the recurring theme of Isaiah that the proud will be cast down so that the Lord alone is exalted (2:11-17). The humbling of the arrogant is the necessary counterpart to God being lifted up. It prepares for the next verse's affirmation of God's exaltation in justice.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Isa 2:9So mankind is brought low, and man is humbled—do not forgive them!
- Isa 2:11The proud look of man will be humbled, and the loftiness of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
- Jer 5:4–5Then I said, “They are only the poor; they have played the fool, for they do not know the way of the LORD, the justice of their God.
- Isa 9:14–17So the LORD will cut off Israel’s head and tail, both palm branch and reed in a single day.
- 1 Pet 5:5Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- Isa 2:17So the pride of man will be brought low, and the loftiness of men will be humbled; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day,
- Isa 13:11I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and lay low the pride of the ruthless.
- Jer 5:9Should I not punish them for these things?” declares the LORD. “Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?
- Isa 24:2–4people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor.
- Isa 10:33Behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts will lop off the branches with terrifying power. The tall trees will be cut down, the lofty ones will be felled.
- Ps 62:9Lowborn men are but a vapor, the exalted but a lie. Weighed on the scale, they go up; together they are but a vapor.
- Jas 1:9–11The brother in humble circumstances should exult in his high position.
- Exod 9:17Still, you lord it over My people and do not allow them to go.
- Isa 37:29Because your rage and arrogance against Me have reached My ears, I will put My hook in your nose and My bit in your mouth; I will send you back the way you came.’
- Isa 37:23Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!
- 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.
- Rev 6:15–16Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains.
- Dan 4:37Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.
- Job 40:11–12Unleash the fury of your wrath; look on every proud man and bring him low.
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 5:15 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.