Isaiah 33:8
 Isaiah 33:8 
New International Version (©2011)
The highways are deserted, no travelers are on the roads. The treaty is broken, its witnesses are despised, no one is respected.

New Living Translation (©2007)
Your roads are deserted; no one travels them anymore. The Assyrians have broken their peace treaty and care nothing for the promises they made before witnesses. They have no respect for anyone.

English Standard Version (©2001)
The highways lie waste; the traveler ceases. Covenants are broken; cities are despised; there is no regard for man.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
The highways are desolate, the traveler has ceased, He has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, He has no regard for man.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
The highways are deserted; travel has ceased. An agreement has been broken, cities despised, and human life disregarded.

International Standard Version (©2012)
The highways are deserted; travelers have quit the road. The enemy has broken treaties; he despises their witnesses, and respects no one.

NET Bible (©2006)
Highways are empty, there are no travelers. Treaties are broken, witnesses are despised, human life is treated with disrespect.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Highways are deserted. Travelers stop traveling. Agreements are broken. Witnesses are rejected. People are no longer respected.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases: he has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, he regards no man.

American King James Version
The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases: he has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, he regards no man.

American Standard Version
The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: the enemy hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth not man.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The ways are made desolate, no one passeth by the road, the covenant is made void, he hath rejected the cities, he hath not regarded the men.

Darby Bible Translation
The highways are desolate, the wayfaring man ceaseth. He hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

English Revised Version
The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth not man.

Webster's Bible Translation
The highways lie waste, the way-faring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

World English Bible
The highways are desolate. The traveling man ceases. The covenant is broken. He has despised the cities. He doesn't respect man.

Young's Literal Translation
Desolated have been highways, Ceased hath he who passeth along the path, He hath broken covenant, He hath despised enemies, He hath not esteemed a man.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

33:1-14 Here we have the proud and false destroyer justly reckoned with for all his fraud and violence. The righteous God often pays sinners in their own coin. Those who by faith humbly wait for God, shall find him gracious to them; as the day, so let the strength be. If God leaves us to ourselves any morning, we are undone; we must every morning commit ourselves to him, and go forth in his strength to do the work of the day. When God arises, his enemies are scattered. True wisdom and knowledge lead to strength of salvation, which renders us stedfast in the ways of God; and true piety is the only treasure which can never be plundered or spent. The distress Jerusalem was brought into, is described. God's time to appear for his people, is, when all other helpers fail. Let all who hear what God has done, acknowledge that he can do every thing. Sinners in Zion will have much to answer for, above other sinners. And those that rebel against the commands of the word, cannot take its comforts in time of need. His wrath will burn those everlastingly who make themselves fuel for it. It is a fire that shall never be quenched, nor ever go out of itself; it is the wrath of an ever-living God preying on the conscience of a never-dying soul.


Pulpit Commentary

Verse 8. - The highways lie waste {croup. Judges 5:6). The meaning is that' they were unoccupied. Fear of the Assyrians restrained men from travelling. He hath broken the covenant. Sennacherib, when he accepted the sum of money sent him by Hezekiah (2 Kings 18:15; 'Eponym Canon,' p. 135), must have consented to leave him unmolested for the future. But in a very short time we find him, apparently without any reasonable pretext, sending a fresh expedition against Jerusalem, requiring it to be admitted within the walls, and even threatening the city with destruction (2 Kings 18:17-35; 2 Kings 19:10-13). Isaiah, therefore, taxes him with having broken his covenant. Despised cities. "Sennacherib," says Delitzsch, "continued to storm the fortified places of Judah, in violation of his agreement." Regardeth no man; i.e. "pays no attention to the protests that are made against his infraction of the treaty - does not care what is said or thought of him."


Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

The highways lie waste,.... No man walking in them, for fear of the enemy; "the ways of Zion", which are said to "mourn, because none come to the solemn feasts", Lamentations 1:4 none daring to attend the ministry of the word and ordinances; see Isaiah 35:8,

the wayfaring man ceaseth; or, "the traveller rests" (z); or stops; he does not proceed on his journey; a stop is put to a religious course and conversation; there is an entire cessation of religious worship; a sabbath is kept, but not a religious one; he that would walk in Zion's ways is forbid, and is obliged to sit still:

he hath broken the covenant; some, as Kimchi's father, interpret this of the Jews' complaining that God had broken his covenant with them, as in Psalm 89:39 but most of Sennacherib's breaking his covenant with Hezekiah, 2 Kings 18:14 rather this is to be understood of antichrist, whose doctrine is, that faith is not to be kept with heretics, and which will abundantly appear at this distressing time:

he hath despised the cities; as Sennacherib did the fenced cities of Judah; he despised their fortifications, and easily took them, and treated the inhabitants with disdain and contempt; and so will the reformed Protestant cities and countries be invaded, seized upon, and insulted, by the Romish antichrist:

he regardeth no man; so as to keep covenant with them, have compassion on them, and spare them, he fearing neither God nor man.

(z) "cessaverat viator", Junius & Tremellius; "desiit viator", Cocceius.


Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

8. broken … covenant—When Sennacherib invaded Judea, Hezekiah paid him a large sum to leave the land; Sennacherib received the money and yet sent his army against Jerusalem (2Ki 18:14, 17).

despised—make slight of as unable to resist him (Isa 10:9; 36:19); easily captures them.


Isaiah 33:8 Parallel Commentaries

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The Lord is Exalted
7Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly. 8The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases: he has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, he regards no man. 9The earth mourns and languishes: Lebanon is ashamed and hewn down: Sharon is like a wilderness; and Bashan and Carmel shake off their fruits. …

Judges 19:17 When he looked and saw the traveler in the city square, the old man asked, "Where are you going? Where did you come from?"
Isaiah 24:5 The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.
Isaiah 35:8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it.