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◄ Isaiah 8:21►

New International Version
Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God.

New Living Translation
They will go from one place to another, weary and hungry. And because they are hungry, they will rage and curse their king and their God. They will look up to heaven

English Standard Version
They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward.

Berean Standard Bible
They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God.

King James Bible
And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

New King James Version
They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

New American Standard Bible
They will pass through the land dejected and hungry, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will become enraged and curse their king and their God as they face upward.

NASB 1995
They will pass through the land hard-pressed and famished, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged and curse their king and their God as they face upward.

NASB 1977
And they will pass through the land hard-pressed and famished, and it will turn out that when they are hungry, they will be enraged and curse their king and their God as they face upward.

Legacy Standard Bible
And they will pass through the land hard-pressed and hungry, and it will be that when they are hungry, they will be angry and curse their king and their God as they face upward.

Amplified Bible
They [who consult mediums and soothsayers] will pass through the land deeply distressed and hungry, and when they are hungry, they will become enraged and will curse their king and their God as they look upward.

Christian Standard Bible
They will wander through the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged, and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They will wander through the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged, and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God.

American Standard Version
And they shall pass through it, sore distressed and hungry; and it shall come to pass that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse by their king and by their God, and turn their faces upward:

Contemporary English Version
They will go around in great pain and will become so hungry that they will angrily curse their king and their gods. And when they try to find help in heaven

English Revised Version
And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse by their king and by their God, and turn their faces upward.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They will pass through the land when they are hard-pressed and hungry. When they are hungry, they will be furious. Then they will look up, cursing their king and God.

Good News Translation
The people will wander through the land, discouraged and hungry. In their hunger and their anger they will curse their king and their God. They may look up to the sky

International Standard Version
"They'll pass through the land, while greatly distressed and hungry. When they are hungry, they'll become enraged, and they'll curse their king and their god. They'll turn their faces upwards,

NET Bible
They will pass through the land destitute and starving. Their hunger will make them angry, and they will curse their king and their God as they look upward.

New Heart English Bible
They will pass through it, greatly distressed and hungry; and it will happen that when they are hungry, they will worry, and curse by their king and by their God. They will turn their faces upward,

Webster's Bible Translation
And they shall pass through it, distressed and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

Majority Text Translations

Majority Standard Bible
They will roam the land, dejected and hungry. When they are famished, they will become enraged; and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God.

World English Bible
They will pass through it, very distressed and hungry. It will happen that when they are hungry, they will worry, and curse their king and their God. They will turn their faces upward,

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And it has passed over into it, hardened and hungry, "" And it has come to pass, "" That it is hungry, and has been angry, "" And made light of its king, and of its God, "" And has looked upwards.

Young's Literal Translation
-- And it hath passed over into it, hardened and hungry, And it hath come to pass, That it is hungry, and hath been wroth, And made light of its king, and of its God, And hath looked upwards.

Smith's Literal Translation
And passing through it, harshly oppressed and hungry; and it was when he shall be hungry, and they brake forth and cursed against their king and their God, and looked upwards.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they shall pass by it, they shall fall, and be hungry: and when they shall be hungry, they will be angry, and curse their king, and their God, and look upwards.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he will pass by it; he will fall and become hungry. And when he is hungry, he will become angry, and he will speak evil against his king and his God, and he will lift himself upward.

New American Bible
He will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry, and when hungry, shall become enraged, and curse king and gods. He will look upward,

New Revised Standard Version
They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry; when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will curse their king and their gods. They will turn their faces upward,

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And they shall pass through the land sorely beset and hungry; and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall be angry and will curse their king, and their God, and be haughty.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he shall go through in it and he shall strike it, and he shall be hungry, and when he is hungry, he shall be afraid, and he shall insult his King and his God, and he shall return above

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
And they shall pass this way that are sore bestead and hungry; and it shall come to pass that, when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse by their king and by their God, and, whether they turn their faces upward,

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And famine shall come sorely upon you, and it shall come to pass,that when ye shall be hungry, ye shall be grieved, and ye shall speak ill of the prince and your fathers' ordinances: and they shall look up to heaven above,

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Darkness and Light
…20To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.21They will roam the land,dejected and hungry.When they are famished,they will become enraged;and looking upward,they will curse their king and their God.22Then they will look to the earth and see only distress and darkness and the gloom of anguish. And they will be driven into utter darkness.…

Berean Standard Bible ·Download

Cross References

Deuteronomy 28:48
you will serve your enemies the LORD will send against you in famine, thirst, nakedness, and destitution. He will place an iron yoke on your neck until He has destroyed you.

Lamentations 4:9
Those slain by the sword are better off than those who die of hunger, who waste away, pierced with pain because the fields lack produce.

Amos 8:11-12
Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. / People will stagger from sea to sea and roam from north to east, seeking the word of the LORD, but they will not find it.

Micah 3:6-7
Therefore night will come over you without visions, and darkness without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them. / Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners will be disgraced. They will all cover their mouths because there is no answer from God.”

2 Kings 6:25-29
So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver. / As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “Help me, my lord the king!” / He answered, “If the LORD does not help you, where can I find help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?” ...

Jeremiah 14:18
If I go out to the country, I see those slain by the sword; if I enter the city, I see those ravaged by famine! For both prophet and priest travel to a land they do not know.’”

Ezekiel 7:15-19
The sword is outside; plague and famine are within. Those in the country will die by the sword, and those in the city will be devoured by famine and plague. / The survivors will escape and live in the mountains, moaning like doves of the valley, each for his own iniquity. / Every hand will go limp, and every knee will turn to water. ...

Job 15:23-24
He wanders about as food for vultures; he knows the day of darkness is at hand. / Distress and anguish terrify him, overwhelming him like a king poised to attack.

Psalm 107:4-5
Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no path to a city in which to dwell. / They were hungry and thirsty; their soul fainted within them.

Proverbs 19:3
A man’s own folly subverts his way, yet his heart rages against the LORD.

Matthew 24:7
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

Luke 15:14-16
After he had spent all he had, a severe famine swept through that country, and he began to be in need. / So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed the pigs. / He longed to fill his belly with the pods the pigs were eating, but no one would give him a thing.

Mark 13:8
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, as well as famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

Revelation 6:5-6
And when the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” Then I looked and saw a black horse, and its rider held in his hand a pair of scales. / And I heard what sounded like a voice from among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and wine.”

Revelation 18:8
Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and grief and famine—and she will be consumed by fire, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.”

Treasury of Scripture

And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward.

through

Isaiah 8:7,8
Now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many,even the king of Assyria, and all his glory: and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks: …

hardly bestead

Isaiah 9:20
And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:

Deuteronomy 28:33,34,53-57
The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway: …

2 Kings 25:3
And on the ninthday of thefourth month the famine prevailed in the city, and there was no bread for the people of the land.

they shall fret

Proverbs 19:3
The foolishness of man perverteth his way: and his heart fretteth against the LORD.

curse

Exodus 22:28
Thou shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the ruler of thy people.

2 Kings 6:33
And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evilis of the LORD; what should I wait for the LORD any longer?

Job 1:11
But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

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Angry Bitter Curse Cursing Distressed Enraged Eyes Face Faces Famished Food Fret Hard Hardly Hard-Pressed Heaven High Hungry Need Pressed Roam Sore Themselves Trouble Turn Turned Unable Upward Way Whether Worry

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Isaiah 8

1.In Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, he prophesies Syria and Israel shall be subdued by Assyria
5.Judah likewise for their infidelity
9.God's judgments shall be irresistible
11.Comfort shall be to those who fear God
19.Great afflictions to idolaters

Study Bible

Book ◦ Chapter

They will roam the land, dejected and hungry.
This phrase describes a time of distress and judgment upon the people of Israel. The context is the impending Assyrian invasion, which would lead to devastation and scarcity. The imagery of roaming suggests a lack of direction and purpose, highlighting the consequences of turning away from God. Historically, this reflects the period of instability and fear as the Northern Kingdom faced threats from powerful empires. Theologically, it underscores the spiritual famine that accompanies physical deprivation when people reject divine guidance.

When they are famished, they will become enraged;
The physical hunger leads to emotional and spiritual turmoil. This reflects a common biblical theme where unmet physical needs can lead to spiritual crises. The anger mentioned here is a result of desperation and a sense of betrayal, as the people feel abandoned in their time of need. This can be connected to the broader biblical narrative where reliance on God is contrasted with the futility of self-reliance or idolatry. The phrase also serves as a warning about the consequences of ignoring prophetic messages and divine warnings.

and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God.
This phrase indicates a misplaced blame for their suffering. Instead of introspection and repentance, the people direct their anger towards their leaders and God. Cursing the king reflects a loss of trust in earthly authority, while cursing God shows a deep spiritual rebellion. This mirrors the human tendency to blame external forces rather than acknowledging personal or communal sin. Biblically, this is reminiscent of the Israelites' complaints during the Exodus. Theologically, it highlights the need for faith and trust in God, even in times of hardship, and foreshadows the ultimate rejection and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, who was also cursed and rejected by His own people.

Persons / Places / Events

1.The People of Judah
The primary audience of Isaiah's prophecy, who are facing impending judgment due to their disobedience and idolatry.

2.Isaiah
The prophet delivering God's message, warning of the consequences of turning away from God.

3.The King
Likely referring to the earthly king of Judah, who is seen as a representative of the nation's leadership.

4.God
The ultimate authority and the one whom the people are ultimately rebelling against.

5.The Land
Refers to the land of Judah, which will experience desolation and hardship as a result of the people's actions.

Teaching Points

Consequences of Disobedience
Disobedience to God leads to spiritual and physical desolation. The people of Judah face hunger and despair as a direct result of their rebellion.

Misplaced Blame
In times of distress, people often blame God and earthly leaders instead of recognizing their own role in their suffering. This passage highlights the importance of self-reflection and repentance.

The Danger of Idolatry
Turning away from God to follow idols or false beliefs leads to emptiness and dissatisfaction. True fulfillment comes from a relationship with God.

The Role of Leadership
Leaders are accountable for guiding their people in righteousness. The king's failure to lead according to God's ways contributes to the nation's downfall.

Hope in Repentance
Despite the grim situation, there is always hope in turning back to God. Repentance can restore the relationship and bring healing to the land.

Bible Study Questions and Answers

1.What is the meaning of Isaiah 8:21?

2.How does Isaiah 8:21 illustrate consequences of turning away from God’s guidance?

3.What does "distressed and hungry" reveal about spiritual emptiness without God?

4.How can Isaiah 8:21 encourage reliance on God during personal trials?

5.Compare Isaiah 8:21 with Deuteronomy 8:3 on spiritual versus physical sustenance.

6.How can we avoid the bitterness described in Isaiah 8:21 in our lives?

7.What does Isaiah 8:21 reveal about God's judgment on disobedience?

8.How does Isaiah 8:21 reflect the consequences of turning away from God?

9.Why does Isaiah 8:21 emphasize hunger and distress as divine punishment?

10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Isaiah 8?

11.What does the Bible say about the end of the world?

12.If God will wipe away all tears in Heaven (Revelation 21:4), won't people be sad about their loved ones in Hell?

13.Does Isaiah 26:21's depiction of divine wrath against the earth conflict with the New Testament emphasis on a loving God?

14.Isaiah 65:19: How do we reconcile the promise of no more weeping in Jerusalem with its violent and sorrowful history?

What Does Isaiah 8:21 Mean

They will roam the land, dejected and hungry

Isaiah pictures a people who have ignored God’s counsel (Isaiah 8:19-20) and now reap the covenant consequences. Instead of stability they wander aimlessly, stripped of joy and provision.

•Deuteronomy 28:65 foretells that disobedience brings “no repose” and “anxious heart,” matching the restlessness here.

•Amos 8:11-12 speaks of a “famine…of hearing the words of the LORD,” so the physical hunger reflects a deeper spiritual emptiness.

•Lamentations 4:9 andLeviticus 26:26 echo the grim reality of scarcity during siege and judgment.

The phrase underlines the literal outcome of turning from God: homeless, joyless, and hungry in both body and soul.

When they are famished, they will become enraged

Hunger intensifies into anger. Physical need exposes inner rebellion; instead of repentance, fury erupts.

•2 Kings 6:25-29 shows famine driving Samaria’s residents to desperation and fury.

•Proverbs 19:3 observes that a person’s own folly “rages against the LORD,” mirroring this reaction.

•Revelation 16:11 records sufferers who “cursed the God of heaven…yet they did not repent,” illustrating the same hardened response.

What begins as unmet need now pushes the heart toward violent resentment—a tragic, but predictable, step when people refuse to seek God.

and looking upward, they will curse their king and their God

Their eyes lift, not in faith, but in accusation. Blame falls first on the throne, then on the One who placed it.

•1 Samuel 8:18 warned that Israel would “cry out for relief from the king you have chosen,” anticipating this moment.

•Job 2:9 presents the temptation to “curse God and die,” showing the age-old impulse to fault Him under pressure.

•2 Kings 6:30-33 depicts King Joram blaming Elisha—and by extension God—for the city’s calamity.

•Revelation 16:21 again shows people cursing God for calamities instead of bowing in surrender.

Rejecting both earthly and divine authority, they seal themselves in unbelief just when mercy remains available.

summary

Isaiah 8:21 traces a downward spiral: wandering, hunger, rage, and outright blasphemy. It illustrates the literal covenant warning that turning from God leads to physical deprivation and spiritual hardness. The verse calls readers to the opposite path—clinging to God’s Word, trusting His provision, and responding to hardship with repentance rather than rage.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(21)And they shall pass through it . . .--i.e.,through the land over which hangs the sunless gloom. The abruptness with which the verse opens, the absence of any noun to which the pronoun "it" may refer, has led some critics (Cheyne) to transpose the two verses. So arranged, the thought of the people for whom there is no dawning passes naturally into the picture of their groping in that thick darkness. and then the misery of that midnight wandering is aggravated by the horrors of starvation. The words may point to the horrors of a literal famine (Isaiah 2:11); but as the darkness is clearly figurative, so probably is the hunger--not a famine of bread, but of hearing the word of the Lord. The Authorised version rightly translates the indefinite singular by the plural.

When they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves.--The faithful who waited for the Lord might bear even that darkness and that hunger, as soldiers bear their night-march fasting before the battle. Not so with the panic-stricken and superstitious crowd. With them despair would show itself in curses. (Comp.Revelation 16:11;Revelation 16:21.) They would curse at once the king who had led them to destruction, and the God whom they had neglected. Possibly the words may mean, "the king who is also their God," as inAmos 5:26 (Heb.) andZephaniah 1:5; but the analogy of1Kings 21:13 is in favour of the more literal meaning. The "upward" look is, we must remember, that of despair and defiance, not of hope. Upwards, downwards, behind, before, there is nothing for them but the darkness in which they are driven, or drifting onward. All seems utterly hopeless. Like Dante, they find themselves in a land "where silent is the sun." . . .

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 21, 22 are supposed by some to be cut of place, and to belong properly to the description of the Assyrian invasion, given in vers. 7, 8. But this bold solution of a difficulty is scarcely to be commended, there being no limit to its use. An order followed in all the manuscripts should not be disturbed, if it gives any tolerable sense. Such a sense can, it is thought, be found here by regarding the two verses as exegetical of the last clause of ver. 20 - "when there is no dawn for them."Verse 21. -They shall pass through it. "It," which is feminine, must mean "the land." The Jews left in it shall wander about it (comp.Isaiah 7:21-25), seeking pasture for the remnant of their cattle.They shall fret themselves; rather,they shall be deeply angered (Cheyne).And curse their king and their God. As the causes of their sufferings.And look upward. Not in hope, but in rage and defiance.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

They will roam the land,
וְעָ֥בַר(wə·‘ā·ḇar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5674:To pass over, through, or by, pass on

dejected
נִקְשֶׁ֣ה(niq·šeh)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7185:To be hard, severe or fierce

and hungry.
וְרָעֵ֑ב(wə·rā·‘êḇ)
Conjunctive waw | Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7457:Hungry

When
כִֽי־(ḵî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588:A relative conjunction

they are famished,
יִרְעַ֜ב(yir·‘aḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7456:To be hungry

they will become enraged,
וְהִתְקַצַּ֗ף(wə·hiṯ·qaṣ·ṣap̄)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7107:To crack off, burst out in rage

and looking
וּפָנָ֥ה(ū·p̄ā·nāh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6437:To turn, to face, appear, look

upward,
לְמָֽעְלָה׃(lə·mā·‘ə·lāh)
Preposition-l | Adverb | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4605:The upper part, with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top

they will curse
וְקִלֵּ֧ל(wə·qil·lêl)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7043:To be slight, swift or trifling

their king
בְּמַלְכּ֛וֹ(bə·mal·kōw)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4428:A king

and their God.
וּבֵאלֹהָ֖יו(ū·ḇê·lō·hāw)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 430:gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

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OT Prophets: Isaiah 8:21 They will pass through it sore distressed (Isa Isi Is)