Isaiah 24:18 Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

◄ Isaiah 24:18 ►

New International Version
Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit; whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. The floodgates of the heavens are opened, the foundations of the earth shake.

New Living Translation
Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will be caught in a snare. Destruction falls like rain from the heavens; the foundations of the earth shake.

English Standard Version
He who flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit, and he who climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

Berean Standard Bible
Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

King James Bible
And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

New King James Version
And it shall be That he who flees from the noise of the fear Shall fall into the pit, And he who comes up from the midst of the pit Shall be caught in the snare; For the windows from on high are open, And the foundations of the earth are shaken.

New American Standard Bible
Then it will be that the one who flees the sound of terror will fall into the pit, And the one who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare; For the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake.

NASB 1995
Then it will be that he who flees the report of disaster will fall into the pit, And he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare; For the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake.

NASB 1977
Then it will be that he who flees the report of disaster will fall into the pit, And he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare; For the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth shake.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then it will be that he who flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, And he who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the pitfall; For the windows above are opened, and the foundations of the earth quake.

Amplified Bible
Then it will be that he who flees at the sound of terror will fall into the pit, And he who comes up out of the pit will be caught in the snare; For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

Christian Standard Bible
Whoever flees at the sound of panic will fall into a pit, and whoever escapes from the pit will be caught in a trap. For the floodgates on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Whoever flees at the sound of panic will fall into a pit, and whoever escapes from the pit will be caught in a trap. For the windows are opened from heaven, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

American Standard Version
And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

Contemporary English Version
If you are terrified and run, you will fall into a pit; if you crawl out of the pit, you will get caught in a trap. The sky has split apart like a window thrown open. The foundations of the earth have been shaken;

English Revised Version
And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Whoever flees from news of a disaster will fall into a pit. Whoever climbs out of that pit will be caught in a trap. The floodgates in the sky will be opened, and the foundations of the earth will shake.

Good News Translation
Anyone who tries to escape from the terror will fall in a pit, and anyone who escapes from the pit will be caught in a trap. Torrents of rain will pour from the sky, and earth's foundations will shake.

International Standard Version
Whoever flees at the sound of terror will fall into a pit, and whoever climbs out of the pit will be caught in a snare. For the windows of judgment from above are opened, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

Majority Standard Bible
Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.

NET Bible
The one who runs away from the sound of the terror will fall into the pit; the one who climbs out of the pit, will be trapped by the snare. For the floodgates of the heavens are opened up and the foundations of the earth shake.

New Heart English Bible
It will happen that he who flees from the noise of the fear will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the midst of the pit will be taken in the snare; for the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

Webster's Bible Translation
And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

World English Bible
It will happen that he who flees from the noise of the fear will fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the middle of the pit will be taken in the snare; for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And it has come to pass, "" He who is fleeing from the noise of the fear falls into the snare, "" And he who is coming up from the midst of the snare, "" Is captured by the trap, "" For windows have been opened on high, "" And foundations of the earth are shaken.

Young's Literal Translation
And it hath come to pass, He who is fleeing from the noise of the fear Doth fall into the snare, And he who is coming up from the midst of the snare, Is captured by the gin, For windows on high have been opened, And shaken are foundations of the land.

Smith's Literal Translation
And it was he fleeing from the voice of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he coming up out of the midst of the pit, shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from the height were opened, and the foundations of the earth, will tremble.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And it shall come to pass, that he that shall flee from the noise of the fear, shall fall into the pit: and he that shall rid himself out of the pit, shall be taken in the snare: for the flood-gates from on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth shall be shaken.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And this shall be: whoever will flee from the voice of dread will fall into the pit. And whoever will extricate himself from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the floodgates from above have been opened, and the foundations of the earth will be shaken.

New American Bible
One who flees at the sound of terror will fall into the pit; One who climbs out of the pit will be caught in the trap. For the windows on high are open and the foundations of the earth shake.

New Revised Standard Version
Whoever flees at the sound of the terror shall fall into the pit; and whoever climbs out of the pit shall be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And it shall come to pass that he who flees from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he who comes up out of the midst of the pit shall be caught in the snare; for the fountains from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And whoever will escape from the sound of fear shall fall into a ditch, and whoever will come up from within a pit will be taken captive in a snare, because floods were opened from the high place and the foundations of the Earth shook

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the terror shall fall into the pit; And he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the trap; For the windows on high are opened, And the foundations of the earth do shake;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And it shall come to pass, that he that flees from the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that comes up out of the pit shall be caught by the snare: for windows have been opened in heaven, and the foundations of the earth shall be shaken,

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

God's Judgment on the Earth
…17Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth. 18 Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken. 19The earth is utterly broken apart, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken violently.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Jeremiah 48:44
“Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.

Amos 5:19
It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.

Revelation 6:15-17
Then 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. / And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb. / For the great day of Their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”

Luke 21:35-36
For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth. / So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

Revelation 9:6
In those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, but death will escape them.

Matthew 24:29-30
Immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’ / At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Hosea 10:8
The high places of Aven will be destroyed—it is the sin of Israel; thorns and thistles will overgrow their altars. Then they will say to the mountains, “Cover us!” and to the hills, “Fall on us!”

Revelation 16:20
Then every island fled, and no mountain could be found.

Nahum 1:6
Who can withstand His indignation? Who can endure His burning anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; even rocks are shattered before Him.

Zephaniah 1:14-18
The great Day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter. / That day will be a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness, / a day of horn blast and battle cry against the fortified cities, and against the high corner towers. ...

1 Thessalonians 5:3
While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Joel 2:1-2
Blow the ram’s horn in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy mountain! Let all who dwell in the land tremble, for the Day of the LORD is coming; indeed, it is near— / a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like the dawn overspreading the mountains a great and strong army appears, such as never was of old, nor will ever be in ages to come.

Revelation 11:13
And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city collapsed. Seven thousand were killed in the quake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Psalm 18:7
Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.

Treasury of Scripture

And it shall come to pass, that he who flees from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that comes up out of the middle of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

he who fleeth

Deuteronomy 32:23-26
I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them…

Joshua 10:10,11
And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah…

Job 18:8-16
For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snare…

for the

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Genesis 19:24
Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

2 Kings 7:2
Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

the foundations

Deuteronomy 32:22
For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

Psalm 18:7,15
Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth…

Psalm 46:2,3
Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; …

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Isaiah 24

1. The doleful judgments of God upon the land
13. A remnant shall joyfully praise him
16. God in his judgments shall advance his kingdom

Berean Study Bible

Whoever flees the sound of terror
This phrase captures the urgency and desperation of those attempting to escape impending doom. The Hebrew root for "flees" (נָס, nas) conveys a sense of hurried escape, often used in contexts of war or divine judgment. Historically, this reflects the tumultuous periods in Israel's history when invasions and divine retribution were common. The "sound of terror" suggests an overwhelming fear, possibly linked to the trumpet sounds of approaching armies or divine wrath, echoing the prophetic warnings throughout Isaiah.

will fall into a pit
The imagery of falling into a "pit" (בּוֹר, bor) is significant in Hebrew scripture, often symbolizing death, Sheol, or a place of no return. This phrase suggests that attempts to escape divine judgment are futile, as one calamity leads to another. The pit is a metaphor for the inescapable consequences of sin and rebellion against God, reinforcing the theme of divine justice prevalent in Isaiah.

and whoever climbs from the pit
The act of climbing from the pit implies a struggle for survival and a desire to escape judgment. However, the futility of this effort is underscored by the subsequent phrase. This reflects the broader biblical narrative that human efforts alone cannot achieve salvation or escape from divine judgment, emphasizing the need for divine intervention and grace.

will be caught in a snare
The "snare" (מוֹקֵשׁ, moqesh) is a trap, often used in hunting, symbolizing entrapment and sudden capture. Biblically, snares are frequently associated with the consequences of sin and the deceptive nature of evil. This phrase highlights the inevitability of divine judgment and the comprehensive nature of God's justice, where no escape route is effective without repentance and faith.

For the windows of heaven are opened
This phrase evokes the imagery of divine intervention, reminiscent of the flood narrative in Genesis where the "windows of heaven" were opened to unleash the waters of judgment. It signifies an outpouring of divine wrath and the unleashing of God's power upon the earth. Theologically, it serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty and the certainty of His promises, both of judgment and redemption.

and the foundations of the earth are shaken
The "foundations of the earth" being "shaken" symbolizes a cosmic upheaval, reflecting God's power to disrupt the natural order as a form of judgment. This imagery is consistent with apocalyptic literature, where the stability of creation is overturned as a sign of divine intervention. It serves as a powerful reminder of the transient nature of earthly things and the ultimate authority of God over creation. This shaking is both literal and metaphorical, pointing to the transformative power of God's judgment and the hope of a new creation.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(18) The windows from on high are open . . .--The phrase reminds us of the narrative of the Flood in Genesis 7:11; Genesis 8:2. There was a second judgment on the defiled and corrupted land like that of the deluge. The next clause and the following verses were probably reminiscences of the earthquake in Uzziah's reign, and of the panic which it caused (Isaiah 2:19; Amos 1:1; Zechariah 14:5).

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 18. - The noise of the fear; i.e. the sound of the pursuers. Hunters pursued their game with shouts and cries. The windows from on high are open (comp. Genesis 7:11). It is not actually another flood that is threatened, but it is a judgment as sweeping and destructive as the Flood.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Whoever flees
הַנָּ֞ס (han·nās)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5127: To flit, vanish away

the sound
מִקּ֤וֹל (miq·qō·wl)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 6963: A voice, sound

of terror
הַפַּ֙חַד֙ (hap·pa·ḥaḏ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6343: A, alarm

will fall
יִפֹּ֣ל (yip·pōl)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5307: To fall, lie

into
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

a pit,
הַפַּ֔חַת (hap·pa·ḥaṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6354: A pit, for, catching animals

and whoever escapes
וְהָֽעוֹלֶה֙ (wə·hā·‘ō·w·leh)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

from
מִתּ֣וֹךְ (mit·tō·wḵ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8432: A bisection, the centre

the pit
הַפַּ֔חַת (hap·pa·ḥaṯ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6354: A pit, for, catching animals

will be caught
יִלָּכֵ֖ד (yil·lā·ḵêḏ)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3920: To catch, to capture, occupy, to choose, to cohere

in a trap.
בַּפָּ֑ח (bap·pāḥ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6341: A, sheet, a spring net

For
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

the windows
אֲרֻבּ֤וֹת (’ă·rub·bō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 699: A lattice, a window, dovecot, chimney, sluice

of heaven
מִמָּרוֹם֙ (mim·mā·rō·wm)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4791: Altitude

are open,
נִפְתָּ֔חוּ (nip̄·tā·ḥū)
Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 6605: To open wide, to loosen, begin, plough, carve

and the foundations
מ֥וֹסְדֵי (mō·ws·ḏê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 4146: A foundation

of the earth
אָֽרֶץ׃ (’ā·reṣ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

are shaken.
וַֽיִּרְעֲשׁ֖וּ (way·yir·‘ă·šū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7493: To undulate, through fear, to spring

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OT Prophets: Isaiah 24:18 It will happen that he who flees (Isa Isi Is)