Bible Strands
Isaiah 17:12
Alas, the tumult of many peoples; they rage like the roaring seas and clamoring nations; they rumble like the crashing of mighty waters.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet pronounces judgment on the hostile nations gathering against Judah, framing their current military buildup as a temporary, doomed uproar.
The words — The Hebrew הֲמוֹן (hāmôn) denotes the tumult or mass of many peoples, while יַמִּים (yamîm) and the verb יֶהֱמָיוּ (yehemâyu) describe their raging like roaring seas.
The thread — The same metaphor of nations raging like rushing waters appears in Isaiah 17:13, where the same gathering is immediately rebuked and scattered.
Why it lands — The text contrasts the terrifying volume of human coalition with the certainty of divine rebuke, demanding that readers measure current geopolitical threats against the limits of God's authority.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters!
Cross-references
- Psalms 18:4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of chaos overwhelmed me.
- Jeremiah 6:23 They grasp the bow and spear; they are cruel and merciless. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride upon horses, lined up like men in formation against you, O Daughter of Zion.”
- Luke 21:25 There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves.
- Ezekiel 43:2 and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.
- Revelation 17:1 Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.
- Revelation 17:15 Then the angel said to me, “The waters you saw, where the prostitute was seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.
- Psalms 29:3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD is heard over many waters.
- Psalms 46:1 For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.
- Psalms 65:6 You formed the mountains by Your power, having girded Yourself with might.
- Isaiah 5:26 He lifts a banner for the distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Behold—how speedily and swiftly they come!