None of them grows weary or stumbles; no one slumbers or sleeps. No belt is loose and no sandal strap is broken.
Parallel translations
- WEB No one shall be weary nor stumble among them; no one shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the belt of their waist be untied, nor the strap of their sandals be broken:
- KJV None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken:
- NKJV No one will be weary or stumble among them, No one will slumber or sleep; Nor will the belt on their loins be loosed, Nor the strap of their sandals be broken;
- NASB No one in it is tired or stumbles, No one slumbers or sleeps; Nor is the undergarment at his waist loosened, Nor his sandal strap broken.
- NLT They will not get tired or stumble. They will not stop for rest or sleep. Not a belt will be loose, not a sandal strap broken.
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
The invading army is tireless and disciplined, never weary, stumbling, or unprepared. It portrays an unstoppable force perfectly equipped for conquest.
Overview
The vivid description of soldiers who never sleep and whose gear never fails emphasizes the relentless efficiency of God's chosen instrument of judgment. Their readiness contrasts sharply with the complacency and drunkenness of Judah. The verse heightens the sense of inescapable doom approaching God's unfaithful people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Job 12:18He loosens the bonds placed by kings and fastens a belt around their waists.
- Joel 2:7–8They charge like mighty men; they scale the walls like men of war. Each one marches in formation, not swerving from the course.
- Job 12:21He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty.
- Dan 5:6his face grew pale and his thoughts so alarmed him that his hips gave way and his knees knocked together.
- Ps 18:32It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way clear.
- Eph 6:13–14Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.
- Isa 45:5I am the LORD, and there is no other; there is no God but Me. I will equip you for battle, though you have not known Me,
- Deut 32:25Outside, the sword will take their children, and inside, terror will strike the young man and the young woman, the infant and the gray-haired man.
- 1 Kgs 2:5Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.
- Isa 11:5Righteousness will be the belt around His hips, and faithfulness the sash around His waist.
- Ps 93:1The LORD reigns! He is robed in majesty; the LORD has clothed and armed Himself with strength. The world indeed is firmly established; it cannot be moved.
- Isa 45:1This is what the LORD says to Cyrus His anointed, whose right hand I have grasped to subdue nations before him, to disarm kings, to open the doors before him, so that the gates will not be shut:
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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 5:27 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.