What Does Isaiah 5:26 Mean in the King James?
And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far, and will hiss unto them from the end of the earth: and, behold, they shall come with speed swiftly:
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The raised ensign and piercing hiss are two signals for one gathering: what is summoned from the horizon becomes an approaching force.
THE MEANING
The verse places you before a summons that crosses distance: a sign is raised, a hiss goes out, and distant nations move swiftly. Its force is ominous, the call mobilizes what is far away and brings it near.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The belief that what is far away cannot reach you dissolves here: distance does not prevent a signal from mobilizing it swiftly.
THE ROOT
שָׁרַק
shāraq
GROWS FROM
שרק
sh-r-q
To hiss or whistle, a sharp sound used as a call.
The verb שרק (shāraq, “hiss or whistle”) describes a purposeful signal, not background noise. In Zechariah 10:8, the same verb is followed by “and gather them,” making the summons in this verse especially clear.
ALSO GROWS
shāraq: To hiss or whistle; in Isaiah 5:26, to call the nations.
שָׁרַק
The hiss is a signal sent across the distance, and the verse shows its consequence in their swift arrival.
shereqah: A hissing or whistling sound.
שְׁרֵקָה
The noun preserves the sound itself: a sharp, recognizable call that can draw attention or signal a response.
נֵס
nēs
GROWS FROM
נסס
n-s-s
To raise or display a signal so it can be seen from a distance.
A נֵס (nēs, “ensign” or “banner”) is a raised signal, not mere decoration. Paired with the hiss, it gives the summons both a visible and an audible form.
ALSO GROWS
nēs: A banner, standard, or signal raised for others to see.
נֵס
It makes the distant summons visible before the nations move.
nissî: “My banner,” as in “The LORD is my banner” (Exodus 17:15).
נִסִּי
This form carries the same banner image into a name, showing how a raised sign can represent the one who gathers or leads.
THE PATTERN
A signal sent across distance can summon a gathering with force and speed.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall hiss for the fly that is in the uttermost part of the rivers of Egypt, and for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.THE THREAD
I will hiss for them, and gather them; for I have redeemed them: and they shall increase as they have increased.Both verses use שרק (shāraq, “hiss or whistle”) for a signal sent to those far off. Zechariah makes the result explicit: the hiss gathers them, revealing the gathering force already at work in Isaiah’s image.
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