TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?
Complete Jewish Bible
A prophecy about the Valley of Vision: Tell me what is wrong with you, that you have all gone up on the roofs.
Berean Standard Bible
This is the burden against the Valley of Vision: What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the rooftops,
American Standard Version
The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?
World English Bible Messianic
The burden of the valley of vision. What ails you now, that you have all gone up to the housetops?
Geneva Bible (1599)
The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee nowe that thou art wholy gone vp vnto the house toppes?
Young's Literal Translation
The burden of the Valley of Vision. What--to thee, now, that thou hast gone up, All of thee--to the roofs?
In the KJVVerse 18,054 of 31,102
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Commentary on Isaiah 22 verses 1–7
1 ¶ The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?
2 Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.
3 All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.
4 Therefore said I, Look away from me; I will weep bitterly, labour not to comfort me, because of the spoiling of the daughter of my people.
5 For it is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.
6 And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.
7 And it shall come to pass, that thy choicest valleys shall be full of chariots, and the horsemen shall set themselves in array at the gate.
The title of this prophecy is very observable. It is the burden of the valley of vision, of Judah and Jerusalem; so all agree. Fitly enough is Jerusalem called a valley, for the mountains were round about it, and the land of Judah abounded with fruitful valleys; and by the judgments of God, though they had been as a towering mountain, they should be brought low, sunk and depressed, and become dark and dirty, as a valley. But most emphatically is it called a valley of vision because there God was known and his name was great, there the prophets were made acquainted with his mind by visions, and there the people saw the goings of their God and King in his sanctuary. Babylon, being a stranger to God, though rich and great, was called the desert of the sea; but Jerusalem, being entrusted with his oracles, is a valley of vision. Blessed are their eyes, for they see, and they have seers by office among them. Where Bibles and ministers are there is a valley of vision, from which is expected fruit accordingly; but here is a burden of the valley of vision, and a heavy burden it is. Note, Church privileges, if they be not improved, will not secure men from the judgments of God. You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore will I punish you. The valley of vision has a particular burden. Thou Capernaum, Mat 11:23. The higher any are lifted up in means and mercies the heavier will their doom be if they abuse them.
Now the burden of the valley of vision here is that which will not quite ruin it, but only frighten it; for it refers not to the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, but to the attempt made upon it by Sennacherib, which we had the prophecy of, ch. 10, and shall meet with the history of, ch. 36. It is here again prophesied of, because the desolations of many of the neighbouring countries, which were foretold in the foregoing chapters, were to be brought to pass by the Assyrian army. Now let Jerusalem know that when the cup is going round it will be put into her hand; and, although it will not be to her a fatal cup, yet it will be a cup of trembling. Here is foretold,
I. The consternation that the city should be in upon the approach of Sennacherib's army. It used to be full of stirs, a city of great trade, people hurrying to and fro about their business, a tumultuous city, populous and noisy. Where there is great trade there is great tumult. It used to be a joyous revelling city. What with the busy part and what with the merry part of mankind, places of concourse are places of noise. "But what ails thee now, that the shops are quitted, and there is no more walking in the streets and exchange, but thou hast wholly gone up to the house-tops (Isa 22:1), to bemoan thyself in silence and solitude, or to secure thyself from the enemy, or to look abroad and see if any succours come to thy relief, or which way the enemies' motions are." Let both men of business and sportsmen rejoice as though they rejoiced not, for something may happen quickly, which they little think of, that will be a damp to their mirth and a stop to their business, and send them to watch as a sparrow alone upon the house-top, Psa 102:7. But why is Jerusalem in such a fright? Her slain men are not slain with the sword (Isa 22:2), but, 1. Slain with famine (so some); for Sennacherib's army having laid the country waste, and destroyed the fruits of the earth, provisions must needs be very scarce and dear in the city, which would be the death of many of the poorer sort of people, who would be constrained to feed on that which was unwholesome. 2. Slain with fear. They were put into this fright though they had not a man killed, but so disheartened themselves that they seemed as effectually stabbed with fear as if they had been run through with a sword.
II. The inglorious flight of the rulers of Judah, who fled from far, from all parts of the country, to Jerusalem (Isa 22:3), fled together, as it were by consent, and were found in Jerusalem, having left their respective cities, which they should have taken care of, to be a prey to the Assyrian army, which, meeting with no opposition, when it came up against all the defenced cities of Judah easily took them, Isa 36:1. These rulers were bound from the bow (so the word is); they not only quitted their own cities like cowards, but, when they came to Jerusalem, were of no service there, but were as if their hands were tied from the use of the bow, by the extreme distraction and confusion they were in; they trembled, so that they could not draw a bow. See how easily God can dispirit men, and how certainly fear will dispirit them, when the tyranny of it is yielded to.
III. The great grief which this should occasion to all serious sensible people among them, which is represented by the prophet's laying the thing to heart himself; he lived to see it, and was resolved to share with the children of his people in their sorrows, Isa 22:4, Isa 22:5. He is not willing to proclaim his sorrow, and therefore bids those about him to look away from him; he will abandon himself to grief, and indulge himself in it, will weep secretly, but weep bitterly, and will have none go about to comfort him, for his grief is obstinate and he is pleased with his pain. But what is the occasion of his grief? A poor prophet had little to lose, and had been inured to hardship, when he walked naked and barefoot; but it is for the spoiling of the daughter of his people. It is a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity. Our enemies trouble us and tread us down, and our friends are perplexed and know not what course to take to do us a kindness. The Lord God of hosts is now contending with the valley of vision; the enemies with their battering rams are breaking down the walls, and we are in vain crying to the mountains (to keep off the enemy, or to fall on us and cover us) or looking for help to come to us over the mountains, or appealing, as God does, to the mountains, to hear our controversy (Mic 6:1) and to judge between us and our injurious neighbours.
IV. The great numbers and strength of the enemy, that should invade their country and besiege their city, Isa 22:6, Isa 22:7. Elam (that is, the Persians) come with their quiver full of arrows, and with chariots of fighting men, and horsemen. Kir (that is, the Medes) muster up their arms, unsheath the sword, and uncover the shield, and get every thing ready for battle, every thing ready for the besieging of Jerusalem. Then the choice valleys about Jerusalem, that used to be clothed with flocks and covered over with corn, shall be full of chariots of war, and at the gate of the city the horsemen shall set themselves in array, to cut off all provisions from going in, and to force their way in. What a condition must the city be in that was beset on all sides with such an army!
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–7. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
COMMENTARY ON EZEKIEL 11:38.1-23
“Gog” is a Greek word translated in Latin by “roof” (tectum) and “magog” by “from the roof” (de tecto). All pride and false knowledge, therefore, that raises itself against the acknowledgment of the truth is indicated by these words. And this is the roof about which Isaiah spoke in his vision against the valley of Zion: “What has happened to you now, that you have all gone up to the empty roof?” We shall understand “roof” to refer to the leaders of heretics and “from the roof” to those who accept their teaching. How beautiful it is, after so many mystical prophecies contained in this volume, to find at last a prophecy against Gog and Magog.
JeromeAD 420
HOMILIES ON THE PSALMS 45 (PSALM 132)
If, as I was saying, we are in the church, if we possess the faith of the church, of the apostles, of Christ, the truths of Christian teaching, we are the mountains of Zion. We do not want to be among the valleys of Zion; we want to be mountains of Zion. Zion, indeed, has its valleys; it has plains, too. The sinner is a valley of Zion, not a mountain. Someone may interpose, “You are giving us your own opinion.” Let us call upon the testimony of Isaiah when Zion had fallen into sin, in which after many visions, the prophet mentions one against Idumea, one against Moab, one against Edom and the sons of Ammon, and lastly, “a vision of the valley of Zion.” Because Zion had descended from sublime faith, it fell recklessly from the mountain into the valley.Before all else, then, let us flee from the valleys of Zion and come to the plains; from the plains, let us go to the hills, from the hills up the mountains.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Isaiah
(Chapter 22, Verse 1) The burden of the valley of vision. LXX: The word of the valley of Zion. In the book of Hebrew Names, we have defined Zion as the watchtower that is situated in the heights and contemplates those who come from afar. Therefore, when Zion is referred to in accordance with the laws of tropology, it signifies the Church. This is written in the second psalm from the perspective of the Lord and Savior: 'But I have been set as king by Him upon His holy mountain Zion' (Psalm 2:6); and, 'They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion' (Psalm 125:1); and, 'The Lord loveth the gates of Zion above all the tabernacles of Jacob' (Psalm 86:2); And the Apostle makes it even clearer: 'But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem' (Hebrews 12:22). Now we inquire why in the present vision, it is called the valley of Zion. And from the very sequence of words, we are led to spiritual understanding so that we may know that all the leaders of perverse doctrines, who have fallen from the sublimity of the sense of the Holy Scriptures and have descended to lowly things, are dwelling in the valley of Zion. I think that Solomon also says something similar in Proverbs, saying: 'The eye that mocks a father, and scorns to obey a mother, will be picked out by the ravens of the valley and eaten by the young eagles.' (Prov. 30:17). For as soon as the heretics mock the Creator Father and despise the old age of the Church mother, they are dug into by filthy and unclean birds, which are drawn to opposing strengths. And they cannot say: I lift up my eyes to the mountains, from where does my help come? (Ps. CXX, 1): but they are cast down like the beasts of the earth.
What is also true for you, because you ascended and you are all in the roofs? LXX: What happened to you now, because you all ascended into empty roofs? This, which is sought next to the interpreters of the LXX in the book of Kings, whether it was said by Elisha (4 Kings 2:14): Where is the God of Elijah Aphpho (), is more clearly stated in the present place, because the Seventy translated it as 'now'; in Hebrew it has Aphpho, which we also interpret as 'now', and Aquila, wishing to preserve the Hebrew idiom, put καίπερτοι, which the Latin language does not explain. But when he says, 'What is it to you also?' he asks why she ascends among others herself, and why she remains with the opinion of the lofty in lowly things. And the meaning is this: when philosophers swell, and all secular wisdom disputes about lofty things, despising the simplicity of the Church, why do you also follow lofty things? which the Seventy have interpreted as more important, 'vain dwellings,' that is, empty roofs, in order to show that there is another roof, from which the Savior prohibits descending (Matthew 24): which yet is not an empty roof. Finally, the apostle Peter at the sixth hour of prayer ascended to the roof (Acts X). Now, however, to demonstrate the great variety of heresies, he mentioned not one roof, but many roofs.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Isaiah
(Chapter 22—Verse 1) The burden of the Valley of Vision. Although it is not found in Hebrew, they translated it more clearly as the word "Valley of Zion". For this city is the seedbed of prophets, in which the Temple is built, and the visions of the Lord are multiplied. Therefore, because it is compared to other nations and considered one among many, it is not called a mountain, according to the prophecy: Its foundations are on the holy mountains. The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob (Psalm 87:1); but it is called a valley, because it is humbled. In other words, Jeremiah himself says this: when he received a cup full of wine, he gave it to all the nations, and finally he offered it to Jerusalem to drink, vomit, fall, and go crazy, signifying the destruction of Babylon (Jeremiah 25). The history of the kings and Jeremiah explains this more fully. From this, we understand that the creator of all is equally God, and that he judges and dispenses everything according to his will, as he himself says through Amos: Are you not as the children of the Ethiopians to me, O children of Israel? The Lord says: Did I not bring up Israel from the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir? Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon the sinful kingdom (Amos 9:7). So the Jews should not think that they have a privilege because they were brought out of Egypt, for God also says that other nations were transferred to other lands by his authority.
What is also your concern, since you have ascended and fully entered the roofs, the city full of clamor, a crowded city, an exulting state? The Hebrew explained to me that the present Vision does not pertain to that time when Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and led Zedekiah bound and blinded to Babylon, but to the times of Sennacherib when the high priest Sobna betrayed a great part of the city, and only Zion, that is, the citadel and the Temple, remained, as an example of the Roman city, which, while the Gauls were attacking, preserved the patricians and the flower of youth in the citadel. But we can also speak about the Babylonian captivity: although Eusebius refers everything to the coming of Christ and thinks that it was completed in the times of Vespasian and Titus. Let us take each point briefly, touching on the threefold explanation. What about you? What do you have, Zion, that you too have ascended all the roofs? When he says 'you too', he shows that others had already ascended. Have you also been counted among the nations that you are besieged by enemies and ascend the roofs filled with the wailing and lamentation of miserable women, once a royal city?
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Isaiah 22:1 introduces a profound prophetic oracle, termed a "burden," directed at Jerusalem, paradoxically identified as the "valley of vision." The prophet expresses deep dismay and confusion over the city's inhabitants, who, instead of demonstrating sorrow or repentance in the face of impending judgment, are depicted as having ascended to their housetops, seemingly engaged in a state of oblivious revelry or inappropriate observation. This verse poignantly sets the stage for a divine pronouncement of judgment against a city that, despite being the center of God's revelation, has become spiritually complacent and unresponsive to His urgent warnings.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Isaiah 22:1 masterfully employs several powerful literary devices to convey its message with striking impact. The most prominent is Irony, seen in the designation of Jerusalem as "the valley of vision." This city, divinely chosen and meant to be the epicenter of divine revelation and spiritual insight, is paradoxically depicted as utterly blind to its own impending doom and the gravity of God's warnings. The "burden" (a heavy judgment) contrasts sharply with the "vision" (divine insight) that should have guided them. Another potent device is Metaphor, where "burden" (מַשָּׂא, massâ') serves as a metaphor for a weighty, oppressive divine oracle of judgment. It is not a physical load but a spiritual, existential, and inescapable decree. The phrase "wholly gone up to the housetops" functions as powerful Symbolism of misplaced priorities and profound spiritual apathy. The housetops, traditionally places of lamentation and mourning in times of national crisis, are here used for what appears to be revelry or passive observation, powerfully symbolizing the people's detachment from their spiritual reality and their failure to respond appropriately to God's warnings. Finally, the verse opens with a poignant Rhetorical Question ("What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?"), which is not meant to elicit a literal answer but to express the prophet's deep consternation, bewilderment, and sorrow over the people's inexplicable and inappropriate behavior.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 22:1 serves as a profound theological statement on the nature of divine judgment and human responsibility, especially for those entrusted with spiritual privilege. It underscores that spiritual heritage or unique access to God's revelation does not guarantee immunity from His wrath if that privilege is met with complacency, disobedience, or spiritual apathy. Jerusalem, the chosen city, the recipient of God's unique and continuous revelation, is held to a higher standard, and its collective failure to respond appropriately to divine warnings leads directly to a "burden" of severe judgment. The verse powerfully highlights God's unwavering justice in holding His people accountable for their spiritual blindness and their failure to discern the times. It teaches that true worship and faithfulness involve not just passively receiving revelation but actively responding to it with humility, repentance, and a sober understanding of God's holiness and His righteous demands.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 22:1 stands as a timeless and sobering warning against spiritual complacency and indifference in the face of God's revealed truth. It challenges us to deeply examine our own hearts: are we truly discerning the spiritual realities of our time, or are we distracted by superficial concerns and misplaced celebrations, much like the inhabitants of ancient Jerusalem? When God's Word speaks, especially concerning sin, judgment, or the urgent need for repentance and spiritual awakening, our response should be one of humility, brokenness, and a fervent seeking of His face, not indifference, defiant revelry, or passive observation. This verse compels us to avoid the dangerous presumption that our spiritual heritage, church affiliation, or past blessings somehow exempt us from accountability. Like Jerusalem, we too can be recipients of immense spiritual blessings and yet fall prey to a blindness that prevents us from seeing the "burden" of our own sin or the urgency of God's warnings. It urges us to cultivate a spirit of vigilance, sober self-assessment, and immediate responsiveness to His voice, ensuring our actions align with a humble and reverent understanding of God's holiness and His prophetic word.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of "The burden of the valley of vision"?
Answer: "The burden" (Hebrew: massâ') signifies a heavy, authoritative prophetic pronouncement, typically one of judgment, indicating a severe message from God that carries immense weight. "The valley of vision" is an ironic and poetic epithet for Jerusalem. Geographically, Jerusalem is indeed located in a valley surrounded by hills. Spiritually, it was the central hub of divine revelation, where prophets received "vision" (Hebrew: chizzâyôwn) and God's presence dwelt in the Temple (Psalm 48:1). The phrase highlights the tragic irony: the city uniquely privileged to receive God's truth is now burdened with His judgment precisely because of its profound failure to heed that truth.
Why are the people "wholly gone up to the housetops" in this context?
Answer: In ancient Near Eastern culture, flat housetops were common gathering places, serving various purposes from sleeping to social interaction and observation. While they could be used for seeking refuge or a vantage point, in times of national crisis or mourning, they were typically places for lamentation, public displays of sorrow, and seeking divine intervention (Isaiah 15:3; Jeremiah 48:38). The prophet's rhetorical question, "What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?", expresses profound dismay because the people are apparently celebrating or observing with indifference, rather than mourning or repenting in the face of impending divine judgment. Their behavior signifies a deep spiritual blindness, pervasive complacency, or even defiant revelry, which is utterly inappropriate for the gravity of the "burden" being announced.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Isaiah 22:1, with its lament over Jerusalem's spiritual blindness and misplaced revelry in the face of impending judgment, finds a profound Christ-centered fulfillment in the New Testament. Centuries later, Jesus, the ultimate Prophet and the very embodiment of God's "vision," later laments over Jerusalem, weeping because its inhabitants "did not know the time of your visitation" (Luke 19:41-44). Just as Isaiah's Jerusalem was tragically blind to its "burden" and the implications of God's warnings, so too was the Jerusalem of Jesus' day blind to the presence of their Messiah, the true "vision" of God made manifest (John 1:14). The "valley of vision," which had been privileged with divine revelation, ultimately rejected the light of the world (John 3:19), leading to its ultimate desolation, a devastating fulfillment of the judgment prophesied by Isaiah. However, in Christ, the true burden of sin is lifted from those who believe (Matthew 11:28-30). He is the one who bears the ultimate "burden" of God's wrath on the cross, offering true vision and eternal salvation to all who, unlike ancient Jerusalem, turn from their complacency and embrace Him as Lord and Savior (2 Corinthians 4:6).