Verse

Isaiah 24:12

ESV Desolation is left in the city; the gates are battered into ruins.
NIV The city is left in ruins, its gate is battered to pieces.
NASB Desolation is left in the city And the gate is battered to ruins.
CSB Only desolation remains in the city; its gate has collapsed in ruins.
NLT The city is left in ruins, its gates battered down.
KJV In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.
NKJV In the city desolation is left, And the gate is stricken with destruction.

What does Isaiah 24:12 mean?

Isaiah is painting a bleak picture of life for the survivors of the judgment God will hurl against the world in response to our sin (Isaiah 24:1–5). Wine stands in for resources, food, and comforts; the city represents civilization. In the same way, the gates of a city were its primary defense: this refers to the vulnerability and helplessness of these survivors.

What was once bustling with life, song, and luxury experienced a cataclysm, leaving it in ruins. Those who remain do not even have the resources to remove the rubble and begin again (Isaiah 24:6–11). They live surrounded by the destruction of the city while the ruined gates leave the place exposed to the outer world.

Aside from apparent riots over the lack of wine, most people remain locked behind the closed doors of their houses. There are multiple reasons for this isolation, it could be due to safety from violence or from disease or simply because they languish in the torment of life on a nearly lifeless planet. As Isaiah has said in the previous verse, gladness has been banished from the earth (Isaiah 24:11).
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Context Summary
Isaiah 24:1–13 describes the Lord's judgment of all humanity during the end times. This destruction comes in response to human sinfulness. God will bring a calamity on earth that will tear the people from their homes. All will suffer equally. Everything will wither, and the few survivors will be scorched. Music, wine, and joy will end: what's left of civilization will be like the olives missed by workers at harvest.
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Chapter Summary
Isaiah describes terrible judgment the Lord will bring on the earth during the final days. The Lord will twist the surface of the earth, scattering the people. All will suffer equally regardless of status, and the earth will be fully emptied. Everything will wither and languish. The Lord will do this because of human sinfulness against Him. Few will survive, and there will be no wine, music, or gladness. The only exception to this will be the singing of those who praise the Lord. Massive earthquakes will destroy the earth, and the Lord will lock up all who stood against Him before beginning His reign as king.
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