King James Version

Isaiah 24:20

The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again.

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Hebrew

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נ֣וֹעַnoato up and downנוּעַverb, qal, infinitive absolute — “to up and down”, the verb used for emphasisH5128to waver, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively (as subjoined)continually, fugitive, [idiom] make, to (go) up and down, be gone away, (be) move(-able, -d), be promoted, reel, remove, scatter, set, shake, sift, stagger, to and fro, be vagabond, wag, (make) wander (up and down).תָּנ֤וּעַtanuato up and downנוּעַverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “to up and down”, an unfinished actionH5128to waver, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively (as subjoined)continually, fugitive, [idiom] make, to (go) up and down, be gone away, (be) move(-able, -d), be promoted, reel, remove, scatter, set, shake, sift, stagger, to and fro, be vagabond, wag, (make) wander (up and down).אֶ֨רֶץ֙eretsearthאֶרֶץnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “earth”, the ordinary formH776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.כַּשִּׁכּ֔וֹרkashikoras drunkשִׁכּוֹרpreposition, with the article, adjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “as drunk”, the ordinary formH7910intoxicated, as astate or a habitdrunk(-ard, -en, -en man).וְהִֽתְנוֹדְדָ֖הvehitnodedahand fleeנוּדconjunction, verb, hithpolel, sequential perfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and flee”, a completed action in a sequenceH5110to nod, i.e. waver; figuratively, to wander, flee, disappear; also (from shaking the head in sympathy), to console, deplore, or (from tossing the head in scorn) tauntbemoan, flee, get, mourn, make to move, take pity, remove, shake, skip for joy, be sorry, vagabond, way, wandering.כַּמְּלוּנָ֑הkamlunahas cottageמְלוּנָהpreposition, with the article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “as cottage”, the ordinary formH4412a hut, a hammockcottage, lodge.וְכָבַ֤דvekhavadand be chargeableכָּבַדconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and be chargeable”, a completed action in a sequenceH3513to be heavy, i.e. in a bad sense (burdensome, severe, dull) or in a good sense (numerous, rich, honorable; causatively, to make weighty (in the same two senses)abounding with, more grievously afflict, boast, be chargeable, [idiom] be dim, glorify, be (make) glorious (things), glory, (very) great, be grievous, harden, be (make) heavy, be heavier, lay heavily, (bring to, come to, do, get, be had in…עָלֶ֨יהָ֙aleyhaaboveעַלpreposition, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…פִּשְׁעָ֔הּpishahrebellionפֶּשַׁעnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “rebellion”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH6588a revolt (national, moral or religious)rebellion, sin, transgression, trespass.וְנָפְלָ֖הvenafelahand fallנָפַלconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “and fall”, a completed action in a sequenceH5307to fall, in a great variety of applications (intransitive or causative, literal or figurative)be accepted, cast (down, self, (lots), out), cease, die, divide (by lot), (let) fail, (cause to, let, make, ready to) fall (away, down, -en, -ing), fell(-ing), fugitive, have (inheritance), inferior, be judged (by mistake for H6419 (פָּלַל…וְלֹאveloand no , -r,לֹאconjunction, particle, negative — “and no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…תֹסִ֥יףtosifaddיָסַףverb, hiphil, imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “add”, an unfinished actionH3254to add or augment (often adverbial, to continue to do a thing)add, [idiom] again, [idiom] any more, [idiom] cease, [idiom] come more, [phrase] conceive again, continue, exceed, [idiom] further, [idiom] gather together, get more, give more-over, [idiom] henceforth, increase (more and more), join, [idi…קֽוּםqumriseקוּםverb, qal, infinitive construct — “rise”, the to-form of the verbH6965to rise (in various applications, literal, figurative, intensive and causative)abide, accomplish, [idiom] be clearer, confirm, continue, decree, [idiom] be dim, endure, [idiom] enemy, enjoin, get up, make good, help, hold, (help to) lift up (again), make, [idiom] but newly, ordain, perform, pitch, raise (up), rear (u…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

The earth reeleth to and fro like a drunken man, and swayeth to and fro as a lodge; and the transgression thereof is heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

The earth shall stagger like a drunken man, and shall sway to and fro like a hammock; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again.

Young’s Literal Translation

Stagger greatly doth the land as a drunkard, And it hath been moved as a lodge, And heavy on it hath been its transgression, And it hath fallen, and addeth not to rise.

World English Bible

The earth will stagger like a drunken man, and will sway back and forth like a hammock. Its disobedience will be heavy on it, and it will fall and not rise again.

Darby Translation

The earth reeleth to and fro like a drunkard, and is shaken like a night hut; and its transgression is heavy upon it; and it falleth and shall not rise again.

Douay-Rheims

With shaking shall the earth be shaken as a drunken man, and shall be removed as the tent of one night: and the iniquity thereof shall be heavy upon it, and it shall fell, and not rise again.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

The earth reeleth to and fro like a drunken man, and swayeth to and fro as a lodge; and the transgression thereof is heavy upon it, and it shall fall, and not rise again.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

It reels as a drunkard and one oppressed with wine, and the earth shall be shaken as a storehouse of fruits; for iniquity has prevailed upon it, and it shall fall, and shall not be able to rise.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἔκλινεν ὡς ὁ μεθύων καὶ κραιπαλῶν, καὶ σεισθήσεται ὡς ὀπωροφυλάκιον ἡ γῆ· κατίσχυσεν γὰρ ἐπʼ αὐτῆς ἡ ἀνομία, καὶ πεσεῖται, καὶ οὐ μὴ δύνηται ἀναστῆναι.