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Isaiah 24:12
In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.

Isaiah 25:2
For thou hast made of a city an heap;of a defenced city a ruin: a palace of strangers to be no city; it shall never be built.

Isaiah 27:10
Yet the defenced cityshall be desolate,and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof.

of confusion

Genesis 11:9
Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Jeremiah 9:25,26
Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will punish allthem which are circumcised with the uncircumcised; …

Matthew 23:34,35
Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: andsome of them ye shall kill and crucify; andsome of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecutethem from city to city: …

every house is closed to entry.
This phrase indicates a complete cessation of normal life and community. In ancient times, a closed house would signify desolation and abandonment, as homes were typically open to family and guests. The closing of houses could symbolize the end of hospitality and social interaction, reflecting a society under judgment. This imagery might also suggest a quarantine-like state, where people are isolated due to fear or destruction. In a broader biblical context, this can be linked to the plagues of Egypt, where homes were marked and protected during the Passover, contrasting with the judgment outside. The closing of houses can also be seen as a metaphor for spiritual barrenness, where the presence of God is absent, and the community is devoid of life and hope.

•Isaiah 24:10 opens with vivid finality: “The city of chaos is shattered”. The phrase pictures a literal urban center broken beyond repair, echoing the sweeping judgment foretold inIsaiah 24:1–3 where the LORD “lays waste the earth.”

• “Chaos” points to moral and spiritual disorder; when a society rejects God’s order, its foundations crumble (seeIsaiah 5:20–23;Judges 21:25).

• The shattering is decisive, like the downfall of “the fortified city” inIsaiah 25:2 or Babylon’s collapse inRevelation 18:10. Neither walls nor culture can withstand God’s righteous wrath (Psalm 2:1–5).

• This ruin is universal in scope, applying to “the earth” (Isaiah 24:4) yet specific enough to warn every city that exalts itself against the LORD (Proverbs 16:18).

• The verse continues: “every house is closed to entry.” Once the city falls, life grinds to a halt. Streets are empty, and doors are barred, whether from fear, abandonment, or both (Jeremiah 4:29;Nahum 3:11).

• Closed houses indicate total social breakdown:

– No gatherings (Isaiah 24:7–9).

– No commerce (Ezekiel 7:12–13).

– No safety, as isolation replaces community (Leviticus 26:17).

• The image also parallels siege language, where inhabitants lock themselves in while enemies ravage outside (Deuteronomy 28:52;2 Kings 25:2–4). Yet here the devastation has already breached every barrier, making the locked doors futile (Amos 3:15).

• Spiritually, it reflects hearts shut to divine truth, a condition Jesus warned of inMatthew 23:37–38—houses left “desolate” because the invitation to repentance was ignored (Revelation 3:20 shows the contrasting blessing when the door opens to Him).

Isaiah 24:10 portrays the irreversible judgment of a society that has rejected God: the city is smashed, and homes once bustling with life are sealed and silent. It is a sobering, literal snapshot of what happens when human rebellion meets divine holiness, reminding us that only in submitting to the LORD can any city—or heart—stand secure (Psalm 127:1;Proverbs 18:10).

Every house is shut up--i.e.,to complete the picture, not because its gates are barred, but because its own ruins block up the entrance.