Isaiah 32:13-14
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The prophecy points to a devastating desolation, where thorns and briers will overtake not just the fields but also the very places of celebration, signifying that even the most cherished and joyous aspects of life will be overtaken by ruin. This highlights that the judgment is not just external but strikes at the heart of their pleasure and security.
for the soil of my people growing up in thorns and briers, yes, for all the joyous houses in the exultant city. For the palace is forsaken, the populous city deserted; the hill and the watchtower will become dens forever, a joy of wild donkeys, a pasture of flocks;
English Standard Version (ESV)
The prophet Isaiah is detailing the devastating consequences of sin and rebellion against God, emphasizing that the land, once fruitful and blessed, will become desolate and overgrown with thorns and briers. This judgment will fall not only on the fields but also on the very places of celebration and luxury, signifying a complete reversal of fortune for those who have turned away from God. This description of desolation precedes God's promise of future restoration and the coming of a righteous king who will bring lasting peace and justice.
The text paints a stark picture of devastation. What does the imagery of thorns and briers reveal about God's judgment?
Isaiah uses the vivid image of thorns and briers to describe the desolation that comes upon the land of God's people. This isn't just about wild plants overgrowing – it signifies a curse, a lack of fruitfulness, and the absence of human cultivation. It's the result of sin and disobedience.
The Land's Lament
When the land yields only thorns and briers, it means it's no longer producing what sustains life and brings joy. This is God's judgment at work, turning a place meant for flourishing into one of barrenness and distress.
Joy's Demise
This desolation extends to the 'houses of joy in the joyous city.' Imagine places once filled with laughter, celebration, and comfort, now overshadowed by this judgment. The very spaces that represented security and happiness are now marked for ruin. This highlights how sin impacts not just the physical landscape but also the emotional and spiritual well-being of a community.
While the prophecy speaks of judgment, it doesn't end in despair. What future promise does this desolate scene point towards?
The prophecy of thorns and briers is powerful, describing a judgment that will fall upon the land and its joyous places. However, the prophets often weave threads of hope even within the pronouncements of doom.
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A Future Promise
Commentators suggest that while this judgment certainly describes historical events (like the Babylonian or Roman exiles), its ultimate fulfillment points beyond immediate earthly restoration. It speaks to a deeper, more complete renewal that wasn't fully realized in Old Testament times.
The Spirit's Renewal
The promise of a future outpouring of the Spirit (as seen in verses like Isaiah 32:15, which follows this passage) is crucial. This divine intervention is what transforms the barrenness into fruitfulness, the 'wilderness' into a 'Carmel.' It signifies a divine re-creation, where God Himself brings life and joy back to His people and His land.
This verse paints a stark picture of desolation, a consequence of God's judgment. While it vividly describes the aftermath of military invasions, like Sennacherib's near miss and the later Babylonian conquest, its deepest fulfillment points to the complete destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. The 'joyous city' becoming a place of thorns and briers speaks to a profound spiritual emptiness and divine abandonment.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Invasion
Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invades Judah and captures many fortified cities. Jerusalem is besieged but miraculously spared.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Desolation of Judah
Following Sennacherib's invasion, the land suffers destruction and desolation, with cities captured and fields ravaged.
586 BC
Babylonian Conquest
Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians conquer Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and exile much of the population.
c. 6th-4th century BC
Post-Exilic Period
The return from exile and the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple, yet the land still bears scars of past devastation.
AD 70
Roman Destruction of Jerusalem
The Roman army under Titus destroys Jerusalem and the Second Temple, marking a catastrophic end to the Jewish nation.
This passage directly parallels the imagery of thorns and briers growing on the land, describing it as a consequence of God's judgment on unfruitfulness.
Jeremiah 4:7This verse speaks of a devastated land where thorns and briers have overgrown, reflecting the same desolation described in Isaiah.
Ezekiel 36:35This passage offers a powerful contrast, describing the land's future restoration where it will become like the Garden of Eden after being a desolate waste with thorns and briers.
Luke 13:7Jesus uses the imagery of a fig tree that produces only thorns and briers, illustrating the unfruitfulness and impending judgment that mirrors the consequences described in Isaiah.
bensonIsaiah 32:13: "Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:"
Isaiah 32:13-14 . Upon the land, &c., shall come up thorns and briers — If any of you think there is no great cause for such trembling and lamentation, on account of a calamity which shall last but for a year and some days, know that this affliction by the Assyrians is but an earnest of further and sorer judgments. For the time is coming when this land shall be laid de…
barnesIsaiah 32:13: "Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:"
Upon the land of my people - A description similar to this, in regard to the consequences of the invasion of Sennacherib, is given in Isaiah 7:20-25 (see the notes at that passage). Yea, upon all the houses of joy - Margin, 'Burning upon.' The marginal readling has originated from the supposition that the word כי kı̂y is derived from כיה kâvâh, "to be burned." This…
The prophecy points to a devastating desolation, where thorns and briers will overtake not just the fields but also the very places of celebration, signifying that even the most cherished and joyous aspects of life will be overtaken by ruin. This highlights that the judgment is not just external but strikes at the heart of their pleasure and security.
The prophet Isaiah is detailing the devastating consequences of sin and rebellion against God, emphasizing that the land, once fruitful and blessed, will become desolate and overgrown with thorns and briers. This judgment will fall not only on the fields but also on the very places of celebration and luxury, signifying a complete reversal of fortune for those who have turned away from God. This description of desolation precedes God's promise of future restoration and the coming of a righteous king who will bring lasting peace and justice.
The prophet Isaiah is detailing the devastating consequences of sin and rebellion against God, emphasizing that the land, once fruitful and blessed, will become desolate and overgrown with thorns and briers. This judgment will fall not only on the fields but also on the very places of celebration and luxury, signifying a complete reversal of fortune for those who have turned away from God. This description of desolation precedes God's promise of future restoration and the coming of a righteous king who will bring lasting peace and justice.
"for the soil of my people growing up in thorns and briers, yes, for all the joyous houses in the exultant city. For the palace is forsaken, the populous city deserted; the hill and the watchtower wil…" — The prophecy points to a devastating desolation, where thorns and briers will overtake not just the fields but also the very places of celebration, signifying that even the most cherished and joyous…
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Last reviewed October 2026
