Isaiah 28:4
ESV
and the fading flower of its glorious beauty, which is on the head of the rich valley, will be like a first-ripe fig before the summer: when someone sees it, he swallows it as soon as it is in his hand.
NIV
That fading flower, his glorious beauty, set on the head of a fertile valley, will be like figs ripe before harvest— as soon as people see them and take them in hand, they swallow them.
NASB
And the fading flower of its glorious beauty, Which is at the head of the fertile valley, Will be like the first-ripe fig prior to the summer, Which one sees, And as soon as it is in his hand, He swallows it.
CSB
The fading flower of his beautiful splendor, which is on the summit above the rich valley, will be like a ripe fig before the summer harvest. Whoever sees it will swallow it while it is still in his hand.
NLT
It sits at the head of a fertile valley, but its glorious beauty will fade like a flower. Whoever sees it will snatch it up, as an early fig is quickly picked and eaten.
KJV
And the glorious beauty, which is on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, and as the hasty fruit before the summer; which when he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.
NKJV
And the glorious beauty is a fading flower Which is at the head of the verdant valley, Like the first fruit before the summer, Which an observer sees; He eats it up while it is still in his hand.
What does Isaiah 28:4 mean?
Figs were one of the primary crops of Israel, along with grapes, dates, olives, nuts, and citrus fruits. Figs left to ripen fully until September were then dried and made into cakes. Early figs, though, were a special treat. These were plucked from the tree and eaten just as they started to ripen in June (Hosea 9:10; Nahum 3:12). In season, they were "easy picking" for a quick meal.Isaiah says that Samaria, the glorious capital of Israel, will be like an early fig for the Assyrian army. They will pluck it and heartily devour it. Isaiah compared the beauty of this city to a wreath of flowers on the head of valley below. Those flowers were now fading just as the flowers in a wreath quickly begin to die.
The Assyrians conquered the city of Samaria in 722 BC, following a three-year siege that destroyed its beauty and resources (2 Kings 17:5–6).
