Bible Strands
Isaiah 8:22
Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into utter darkness.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Isaiah addresses Judah during a period of national crisis, describing the inevitable consequence of their rebellion against God and their rulers. The prophet declares that their desperate search for relief will yield only despair.
The words — The Hebrew terms צָרָה (tza.Rah) and חֲשֵׁכָה (cha.she.Khah) literally mean "trouble" and "darkness," while מְעוּף צוּקָה (me.'Uf tzu.Kah) translates to "gloom of distress." These words structurally chain human suffering to divine judgment.
The thread — Isaiah 5:30 describes looking over the land and seeing darkness, while Jeremiah 13:16 warns of stumbling on dusky mountains before God brings darkness. Matthew 8:12 extends the imagery by placing the sons of the kingdom in outer darkness characterized by weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that rejecting divine authority produces inescapable despair rather than liberation. It requires readers to recognize that spiritual rebellion culminates in self-imposed isolation from hope.
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
And they shall look unto the earth; and behold trouble and darkness, dimness of anguish; and they shall be driven to darkness.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 5:30 In that day they will roar over it, like the roaring of the sea. If one looks over the land, he will see darkness and distress; even the light will be obscured by clouds.
- Jeremiah 13:16 Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.
- Matthew 8:12 But the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
- Matthew 22:13 Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
- Job 18:18 He is driven from light into darkness and is chased from the inhabited world.
- Proverbs 14:32 The wicked man is thrown down by his own sin, but the righteous man has a refuge even in death.
- Jeremiah 30:6 Ask now, and see: Can a male give birth? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale?
- Zephaniah 1:14 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.
- Jude 1:13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.
- 2 Chronicles 15:5 In those days there was no safety for travelers, because the residents of the lands had many conflicts.