For Yahweh will execute judgment by fire and by his sword on all flesh; and those slain by Yahweh will be many.
Parallel translations
- KJV For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
- BSB For by fire and by His sword, the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD.
- NKJV For by fire and by His sword The Lord will judge all flesh; And the slain of the Lord shall be many.
- NASB For the Lord will execute judgment by fire And by His sword on humanity, And those put to death by the Lord will be many.
- NLT The Lord will punish the world by fire and by his sword. He will judge the earth, and many will be killed by him.
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
God will execute judgment by fire and sword on all flesh, and many will be slain. It matters because it warns of the universal scope and seriousness of divine judgment.
Overview
The judgment now reaches all flesh, underscoring that no one stands outside God's righteous reckoning. Fire and sword are recurring biblical symbols of God's purifying, punishing justice. This points toward the final judgment, when Christ judges the living and the dead (Acts 17:31), making the gospel's offer of refuge in him all the more urgent.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ezek 38:21–22I will call for a sword against him to all my mountains, says the Lord Yahweh: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.
- Ezek 39:2–10and I will turn you around, and will lead you on, and will cause you to come up from the uttermost parts of the north; and I will bring you on the mountains of Israel;
- Isa 30:30Yahweh will cause his glorious voice to be heard, and will show the descent of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and the flame of a devouring fire, with a blast, storm, and hailstones.
- Rev 19:11–21I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war.
- Isa 27:1In that day, Yahweh with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan, the fleeing serpent, and leviathan the twisted serpent; and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea.
- Isa 34:5–10For my sword has drunk its fill in the sky. Behold, it will come down on Edom, and on the people of my curse, for judgment.
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 66:16 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.