Isaiah 32:19
New International Version
Though hail flattens the forest and the city is leveled completely,

New Living Translation
Even if the forest should be destroyed and the city torn down,

English Standard Version
And it will hail when the forest falls down, and the city will be utterly laid low.

Berean Standard Bible
But hail will level the forest, and the city will sink to the depths.

King James Bible
When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

New King James Version
Though hail comes down on the forest, And the city is brought low in humiliation.

New American Standard Bible
And it will hail when the forest comes down, And the city will be utterly laid low.

NASB 1995
And it will hail when the forest comes down, And the city will be utterly laid low.

NASB 1977
And it will hail when the forest comes down, And the city will be utterly laid low.

Legacy Standard Bible
And it will hail when the forest comes down, And the city will be utterly laid low.

Amplified Bible
But it will hail, when the forest comes down, And the [capital] city will fall in utter humiliation.

Christian Standard Bible
But hail will level the forest, and the city will sink into the depths.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But hail will level the forest, and the city will sink into the depths.

American Standard Version
But it shall hail in the downfall of the forest; and the city shall be utterly laid low.

Contemporary English Version
even if hailstones flatten forests and cities.

English Revised Version
But it shall hail, in the downfall of the forest; and the city shall be utterly laid low.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The forest will be flattened because of hail, and the city will be completely leveled.

Good News Translation
(But hail will fall on the forests, and the city will be torn down.)

International Standard Version
But it will hail when the forest comes down, and the wood will be leveled completely.

Majority Standard Bible
But hail will level the forest, and the city will sink to the depths.

NET Bible
Even if the forest is destroyed and the city is annihilated,

New Heart English Bible
And it will hail when the forest comes down, and the wood is brought low in humiliation.

Webster's Bible Translation
When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

World English Bible
though hail flattens the forest, and the city is leveled completely.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And it has hailed in the going down of the forest, "" And the city is low in the valley.

Young's Literal Translation
And it hath hailed in the going down of the forest, And in the valley is the city low.

Smith's Literal Translation
And the hail hailing upon the forest; and the city shall be made low in lowness.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But hail shall be in the descent of the forest, and the city shall be made very low.

Catholic Public Domain Version
But hail will be in the descent of the forest, and the city will be brought exceedingly low.

New American Bible
And the forest will come down completely, the city will be utterly laid low.

New Revised Standard Version
The forest will disappear completely, and the city will be utterly laid low.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And hail shall come down on the forest, and the city shall be made low like a plain.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And hail shall descend on the forest, and like the valley, the city will be made low
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And it shall hail, in the downfall of the forest; But the city shall descend into the valley.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And if the hail should come down, it shall not come upon you; and they that dwell in the forests shall be in confidence, as those in the plain country.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Women of Jerusalem
18Then my people will dwell in a peaceful place, in safe and secure places of rest. 19But hail will level the forest, and the city will sink to the depths. 20Blessed are those who sow beside abundant waters, who let the ox and donkey range freely.…

Cross References
Matthew 7:24-27
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. / The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock. / But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ...

Ezekiel 13:10-15
Because they have led My people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and whitewashing any flimsy wall that is built, / tell those whitewashing the wall that it will fall. Rain will come in torrents, I will send hailstones plunging down, and a windstorm will burst forth. / Surely when the wall has fallen, you will not be asked, ‘Where is the whitewash with which you covered it?’ ...

Isaiah 28:2
Behold, the Lord has one who is strong and mighty. Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest, like a driving rain or flooding downpour, he will smash that crown to the ground.

Luke 6:47-49
I will show you what he is like who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them: / He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid his foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the torrent crashed against that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. / But the one who hears My words and does not act on them is like a man who built his house on ground without a foundation. The torrent crashed against that house, and immediately it fell—and great was its destruction!”

Isaiah 30:30
And the LORD will cause His majestic voice to be heard and His mighty arm to be revealed, striking in angry wrath with a flame of consuming fire, and with cloudburst, storm, and hailstones.

Amos 9:9
“For surely I will give the command, and I will shake the house of Israel among all the nations as grain is sifted in a sieve; but not a pebble will reach the ground.

Isaiah 5:24-25
Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes the straw, and as dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will decay and their blossoms will blow away like dust; for they have rejected the instruction of the LORD of Hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. / Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lie like refuse in the streets. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.

Revelation 16:18-21
And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake the likes of which had not occurred since men were upon the earth—so mighty was the great quake. / The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. And God remembered Babylon the great and gave her the cup of the wine of the fury of His wrath. / Then every island fled, and no mountain could be found. ...

Isaiah 25:4-5
For You have been a refuge for the poor, a stronghold for the needy in distress, a refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like rain against a wall, / like heat in a dry land. You subdue the uproar of foreigners. As the shade of a cloud cools the heat, so the song of the ruthless is silenced.

Jeremiah 23:19
Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone out with fury, a whirlwind swirling down upon the heads of the wicked.

Nahum 1:8
But with an overwhelming flood He will make an end of Nineveh and pursue His enemies into darkness.

Isaiah 29:6
you will be visited by the LORD of Hosts with thunder and earthquake and loud noise, with windstorm and tempest and consuming flame of fire.

Matthew 24:27-29
For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. / Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. / 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.’

Isaiah 8:7-8
the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks. / It will pour into Judah, swirling and sweeping over it, reaching up to the neck; its spreading streams will cover your entire land, O Immanuel!

Isaiah 10:16-19
Therefore the Lord GOD of Hosts will send a wasting disease among Assyria’s stout warriors, and under his pomp will be kindled a fire like a burning flame. / And the Light of Israel will become a fire, and its Holy One a flame. In a single day it will burn and devour Assyria’s thorns and thistles. / The splendor of its forests and orchards, both soul and body, it will completely destroy, as a sickness consumes a man. ...


Treasury of Scripture

When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

it shall

Isaiah 25:4
For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.

Isaiah 28:2,17
Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand…

Isaiah 30:30
And the LORD shall cause his glorious voice to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, with scattering, and tempest, and hailstones.

on the

Zechariah 11:2
Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.

the city shall be low.

Isaiah 14:22,23
For I will rise up against them, saith the LORD of hosts, and cut off from Babylon the name, and remnant, and son, and nephew, saith the LORD…

Isaiah 26:5
For he bringeth down them that dwell on high; the lofty city, he layeth it low; he layeth it low, even to the ground; he bringeth it even to the dust.

Nahum 1:1,8
The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite…

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City Completely Descend Downfall Fall Forest Great Hail Hailed Leveled Tall Trees Utterly Valley
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Isaiah 32
1. The blessings of Christ's kingdom
9. Desolation is foreshown
14. Restoration is promised to succeed














But hail
The Hebrew word for "hail" is "בָּרָד" (barad), which often symbolizes divine judgment or a powerful act of God in the Old Testament. Hail is used as an instrument of God's wrath, as seen in the plagues of Egypt (Exodus 9:18-26). In this context, it signifies a sudden and overwhelming force that is beyond human control, reminding us of God's sovereignty and the certainty of His justice. The imagery of hail conveys the idea of purification and the removal of what is unworthy or sinful.

will level the forest
The phrase "level the forest" suggests a complete and utter destruction. The Hebrew word for "forest" is "יַעַר" (ya'ar), which can symbolize pride, strength, and human achievement. Forests in ancient times were often seen as places of mystery and power. The leveling of the forest indicates the humbling of human pride and the dismantling of structures or systems that stand in opposition to God's will. It serves as a metaphor for the removal of obstacles to righteousness and justice.

and the city
The "city" here can be understood as a representation of human civilization and societal structures. In biblical times, cities were centers of power, culture, and economic activity. The Hebrew word for "city" is "עִיר" (ir), which often denotes a place of refuge or strength. However, cities can also become places of corruption and idolatry. The mention of the city in this verse highlights the vulnerability of human constructs when they are not aligned with God's purposes.

will sink to the depths
The phrase "sink to the depths" conveys a sense of complete downfall and humiliation. The Hebrew root "שָׁפֵל" (shafel) means to be brought low or to be humbled. This imagery is reminiscent of the fate of Babylon in Isaiah 47:1, where the city is brought down from its lofty position. It serves as a warning that any society or system that exalts itself against God will ultimately face judgment and collapse. This humbling process is not just punitive but also redemptive, as it clears the way for God's kingdom to be established.

(19) When it shall hail, coming down on the forest.--Better, But it shall hail. A time of sharp judgment, "hailstones and coals of fire," is to precede that of blessedness and peace. Of such a judgment "hail" was the natural symbol. (Comp. Isaiah 30:30; Ezekiel 13:13.) The "forest" stands in the symbolism of prophecy for the rulers and princes of any kingdom, as in Isaiah 10:34 for those of Assyria, and here probably of Judah. Not a few commentators refer the words here also to Assyria, but the city that follows is clearly Jerusalem, and the interpretation given above harmonises accordingly better with the context. Of that city Isaiah says that it shall be "brought down to a low estate," its pride humbled even to the ground, in order that it may afterwards be exalted.

Verse 19. - When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; rather, but it shall hail in the coming down (i.e. the destruction) of the forest. "The forest" has commonly been regarded as Assyria, on the strength of Isaiah 10:18, 19, 33, 34. Mr. Cheyne, however, suggests Judah, or the high and haughty ones of Judah, whose destruction was a necessary preliminary to the establishment of Christ's kingdom. May not God's enemies generally be meant? The city. Nineveh (Lowth, Gesenius, Rosenmüller); Jerusalem (Delitzsch, Knobel, Cheyne, Kay); "the city in which the hostility of the world to Jehovah will, in the latter days, be centralized" (Drechsler, Nagel) - the "world-power," in fact. The last view seems to give the best sense.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But hail
וּבָרַ֖ד (ū·ḇā·raḏ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1258: To hail

will level
בְּרֶ֣דֶת (bə·re·ḏeṯ)
Preposition-b | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

the forest,
הַיָּ֑עַר (hay·yā·‘ar)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3293: A copse of bushes, a forest, honey in the comb

and the city
הָעִֽיר׃ (hā·‘îr)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement

will sink
תִּשְׁפַּ֥ל (tiš·pal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 8213: To be or become low, to be abased

to the depths.
וּבַשִּׁפְלָ֖ה (ū·ḇaš·šip̄·lāh)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8218: Humiliation


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 32:19 Though hail flattens the forest and (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 32:18
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