Isaiah 30:17

15 For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

16 But ye said, No; for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.

One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.

18 And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.

19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee, until you are left alone like a pole on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill.
KJV
One thousand shall flee at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on an hill.
WEB
One thousand will flee at the threat of one. At the threat of five, you will flee until you are left like a beacon on the top of a mountain, and like a banner on a hill.
ASV
One thousand [shall flee] at the threat of one; at the threat of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill.
DARBY
One thousand [shall flee] at the rebuke of one; at the rebuke of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as a banner on a hill.
BLB
One thousand from the face of the threat of one, from the face of the threat of five you⁺ will flee, until only you⁺ are left behind like a pole on the top of the mountain and like a banner on the hill!
ÅB
Et tusen skal flykte for en trusel fra en mann; når bare fem mann truer, skal dere flykte inntil deres levning er lik en flaggstang på toppen av et fjell og et banner på en haug.
OTB
Tusen skal flykte ved trusselen fra én; ved trusselen fra fem skal dere alle flykte, inntil dere er igjen som en flaggstang på en fjelltopp, som et banner på en høyde."
B1930
Et tusen skal flykte for en trusel fra en mann; når bare fem mann truer, skal I flykte inntil eders levning er lik en flaggstang på toppen av et fjell og et banner på en haug.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Deuteronomy 28:25

    The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

    Read in context
  • Deuteronomy 32:30

    How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?

    Read in context
  • Joshua 23:10

    One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.

    Read in context
  • Leviticus 26:36

    And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.

    Read in context
  • Leviticus 26:8

    And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.

    Read in context
  • Proverbs 28:1

    The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.

    Read in context
  • John 15:2–6

    Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.

    Read in context
  • Romans 11:17

    And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

    Read in context