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Isaiah 1:7,8
Your countryis desolate, your citiesare burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, andit is desolate, as overthrown by strangers…

Isaiah 24:1,4-6,19,20
Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof…

Jeremiah 4:20-26
Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land is spoiled: suddenly are my tents spoiled,and my curtains in a moment…

Lebanon

Isaiah 14:8
Yea, the fir trees rejoice at thee,and the cedars of Lebanon,saying, Since thou art laid down, no feller is come up against us.

Isaiah 37:24
By thy servants hast thou reproached the Lord, and hast said, By the multitude of my chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the sides of Lebanon; and I will cut down the tall cedars thereof,and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the height of his border,and the forest of his Carmel.

Zechariah 11:1-3
Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars…

hewn down.

Isaiah 35:2
It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the LORD,and the excellency of our God.

Isaiah 65:10
And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor a place for the herds to lie down in, for my people that have sought me.

Song of Solomon 2:1
Iam the rose of Sharon,and the lily of the valleys.

Bashan

Deuteronomy 3:4
And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not from them, threescore cities, all the region of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.

Jeremiah 50:19
And I will bring Israel again to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan, and his soul shall be satisfied upon mount Ephraim and Gilead.

Micah 7:14
Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarilyin the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feedin Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

Lebanon is ashamed and decayed.
Lebanon, known for its majestic cedars, symbolizes strength and pride. The shame and decay of Lebanon suggest a loss of glory and vitality, often associated with divine judgment. Historically, Lebanon's forests were a source of wealth and beauty, and their decline would have been a powerful image of devastation. This can be connected to the broader theme of God's sovereignty over nations and their eventual accountability to Him.

Sharon is like a desert;
The Sharon plain, known for its fertility and beauty, becoming like a desert signifies a dramatic transformation from abundance to barrenness. This serves as a metaphor for the spiritual desolation that results from turning away from God. The transformation of Sharon into a desert underscores the severity of the judgment and the reversal of fortunes that sin brings.

Bashan and Carmel shake off their leaves.
Bashan and Carmel were regions renowned for their lush vegetation and agricultural productivity. The image of these areas shaking off their leaves suggests a stripping away of prosperity and life. This can be seen as a symbol of the temporary nature of earthly wealth and the ultimate futility of relying on anything other than God. The shaking off of leaves may also allude to the coming of a new season, hinting at the possibility of renewal and restoration through repentance and divine intervention.

“The land mourns and languishes” pictures Judah’s whole countryside groaning under judgment.

• A literal downturn: crops wither, water dries up, and daily life grinds to a halt (Isaiah 24:4;Joel 1:10).

• A spiritual mirror: the outward decay reflects inward rebellion—when people forsake God, the very ground feels it (Hosea 4:3;Romans 8:22).

• A loving warning: God lets the land “languish” so His people will sense loss and turn back before ruin becomes permanent (Deuteronomy 28:23–24;2 Chronicles 7:13–14).

Cedar-clad Lebanon, famed for strength and beauty, now “is ashamed and decayed.”

• Shame: what once stood tall now bows low; proud kingdoms collapse when they oppose the Holy One (Isaiah 2:13; 10:34).

• Decay: rot sets in where righteousness is rejected (Nahum 1:4). Even the mightiest forests cannot shelter a people from divine justice.

• Hope within judgment: God’s stripping work prepares for future renewal (Isaiah 29:17).

Sharon, the lush coastal plain, “is like a desert.”

• Contrast: green pasture turned barren underscores how quickly prosperity evaporates without God’s favor (Joel 1:12).

• Corporate consequence: the whole community feels the drought, reminding every household that sin is never private (Jeremiah 12:4).

• Glimmer of restoration: later Isaiah foretells Sharon will “become a pasture for flocks” again when the Lord restores His people (Isaiah 65:10; 35:2).

High, fertile Bashan and forested Carmel “shake off their leaves.”

• Totality of judgment: from north (Bashan) to west (Carmel) nothing is spared (Amos 1:2).

• Picture of suddenness: trees usually shed gradually, but here leaves fall at once—disaster strikes swiftly (Nahum 1:4).

• Invitation to repent: seeing fruitful regions stripped bare, Judah is urged to trust the LORD rather than foreign alliances (Isaiah 30:15).

Isaiah 33:9 strings together vivid snapshots—mourning land, humiliated Lebanon, desert-like Sharon, leafless Bashan and Carmel—to show that sin devastates everything it touches. God allows visible, physical ruin so His people will grasp the seriousness of their rebellion and return to Him. Yet woven through each scene is hope: the same Lord who strips the land can restore it when hearts turn back in faith.