Bible Strands
Isaiah 33:14
The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling grips the ungodly: “Who of us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting flames?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God declares His might to those near and far, and the unfaithful in Zion react to His impending judgment. The people of Zion confront the reality of divine holiness and the threat of destruction.
The words — אָחֲזָ֥ה ('a.cha.Zah) = it has seized [H270]; רְעָדָ֖ה (re.'a.Dah) = trembling [H7461]. The text states that dread physically grips the ungodly, leaving them with no refuge from the coming fire.
The thread — The consuming fire motif appears in Hebrews 12:29 and Isaiah 66:24, while the eternal fate of the ungodly is echoed in Matthew 25:46.
Why it lands — The text forces a reader to confront the impossibility of dwelling with holy judgment without righteousness. It demands a clear-eyed assessment of one's standing before divine holiness.
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
The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
Cross-references
- Hebrews 12:29 “For our God is a consuming fire.”
- Isaiah 66:24 “As they go forth, they will see the corpses of the men who have rebelled against Me; for their worm will never die, their fire will never be quenched, and they will be a horror to all mankind.”
- Matthew 25:46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
- Deuteronomy 5:24 and you said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him.
- Matthew 18:8 If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.
- Matthew 25:41 Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
- Revelation 14:10 he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
- Isaiah 29:13 Therefore the Lord said: “These people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. Their worship of Me is but rules taught by men.
- Job 18:11 Terrors frighten him on every side and harass his every step.
- 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.