Why does Isa 32:19 seem to take a turn of doom & gloom by stating "it will hail when the forest comes down, And the city will be utterly laid low"

Question

Isaiah 32:15-20

New American Standard Bible 1995

15 Until the Spirit is poured out upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fertile field, And the fertile field is considered as a forest. 16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness And righteousness will abide in the fertile field. 17 And the work of righteousness will be peace, And the service of righteousness, quietness and [a]confidence forever. 18 Then my people will live in a peaceful habitation, And in secure dwellings and in undisturbed resting places; 19 And it will hail when the forest comes down, And the city will be utterly laid low. 20 How blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters, Who [b]let out freely the ox and the donkey.

Isaiah 32:15-20

New King James Version

15 Until the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, And the fruitful field is counted as a forest.

The Peace of God’s Reign 16 Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, And righteousness remain in the fruitful field. 17 The work of righteousness will be peace, And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. 18 My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places, 19 Though hail comes down on the forest, And the city is brought low in humiliation.

20 Blessed are you who sow beside all waters, Who send out freely the feet of the ox and the donkey.

32:15-20 The Westminster Leningrad Codex

15 עַד־יֵ֨עָרֶ֥ה עָלֵ֛ינוּ ר֖וּחַ מִמָּר֑וֹם וְהָיָ֤ה מִדְבָּר֙ לַכַּרְמֶ֔ל ׳וְכַרְמֶל׳ ״וְהַכַּרְמֶ֖ל״ לַיַּ֥עַר יֵחָשֵֽׁב׃

16 וְשָׁכַ֥ן בַּמִּדְבָּ֖ר מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וּצְדָקָ֖ה בַּכַּרְמֶ֥ל תֵּשֵֽׁב׃

17 וְהָיָ֛ה מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה הַצְּדָקָ֖ה שָׁל֑וֹם וַֽעֲבֹדַת֙ הַצְּדָקָ֔ה הַשְׁקֵ֥ט וָבֶ֖טַח עַד־עוֹלָֽם׃

18 וְיָשַׁ֥ב עַמִּ֖י בִּנְוֵ֣ה שָׁל֑וֹם וּֽבְמִשְׁכְּנוֹת֙ מִבְטַחִ֔ים וּבִמְנוּחֹ֖ת שַׁאֲנַנּֽוֹת׃

19 וּבָרַ֖ד בְּרֶ֣דֶת הַיָּ֑עַר וּבַשִּׁפְלָ֖ה תִּשְׁפַּ֥ל הָעִֽיר׃

20 אַשְׁרֵיכֶ֕ם זֹרְעֵ֖י עַל־כָּל־מָ֑יִם מְשַׁלְּחֵ֥י רֶֽגֶל־הַשּׁ֖וֹר

For the most part Isaiah 32:15-20 is a proclamation of blessing and favor over Israel, however, Isaiah 32:19 takes a turn by proclaiming doom and gloom. The reason being is that Isaiah 32:19 proclaims that hail will come down on the forest, and the city will be laid low. I'm asking because within the larger context of Isaiah 32:15-20 , Isaiah 32:19 seems out of place.

Therefore, should the bible reader reevaluate how she/he should interpret Isaiah 32:15-20? To elaborate, should the bible reader interpret Isaiah 32:15-20 as a mixture of blessings with doom and gloom as well? Could someone also please consider the Hebrew translation when they post their response?

Answer 1

The key to understanding this problem lies in the prophet's vision of a miraculous storm of hail that will clear shadowed forests and allow people to plant crops watered by streams formerly devoid of sunlight: "it will hail when the forest comes down... how blessed will you be, you who sow beside all waters." This is in complete accord with the theme of the entire chapter.

Isaiah 32:1

Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule with justice.

The chapter begins with the promise of a righteous king and princes who conduct themselves with honor. Verse 5 continues: "A fool will no longer be called noble nor a villain said to be honorable." In the second half of the chapter, the prophet presents a vision of a pastoral society in which peace reigns, cities no longer dominate, and rulers do not oppress the people of the land.

Reading Isaiah 32:14::

For the palace will be forsaken, the populous city deserted; the hill and the watchtower will become dens forever, the joy of wild asses, a pasture for flocks;

If one understands the theme of a transition from a corrupt society centered on walled cities and foolish princes to an idyllic pastoral culture ruled be a righteous king, there is really no need to deal with translation issues. However, since the OP asks for a consideration of the Hebrew, we may turn from traditional Christian translations to Jewish bibles. A translation of the Hebrew provided by Jewish Publication Society reads:

Then my people shall dwell in peaceful homes, In secure dwellings, In untroubled places of rest. And the brush shall sink and vanish, Even as the city is laid low.   Happy shall you be who sow by all waters, Who send out cattle and donkeys to pasture.

A more literal translation from Koren Publishers Jerusalem reads:

And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places; and it shall hail in the downfall of the forest, and the city shall descend into the valley. Blessed are you that sow beside all waters, that let the feet of the ox and the ass range freely.

Either way, Isaiah 32:19 does not seem out of place in the context chapter's general theme. The prophet envisions a nation based on farming and herding, where fortified cities and watchtowers are things of the past, in tune with the "peaceable kingdom" vision of Isaiah 60. Forests will be cleared by a miracle of nature, allowing people to sow crops by streams formerly choked of sunlight. The royal palace and urban centers will no longer rule arrogantly over the people of the land, but "the king will rule justice."

Conclusion: If readers have understood this section of Isaiah to be a sudden switch to doom, they may indeed wish to re-evaluate their interpretation. While some translations may be more in harmony with the general theme than others, verse 19, however translated, is not a break from the basic message of the chapter. It is a development of Isaiah's vision of a future pastoral kingdom of peace, replacing a society dominated by cities and powerful, villainous nobility. The transition to this ideal involves wild forests being miraculously cleared, creating rich arable land in formerly dark regions.