Isaiah 10:29 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 10:29 mean?

Isaiah 10:29 depicts an invading force advancing toward Jerusalem, with fear spreading among the towns in its path. The soldiers have crossed a passage and stopped at Geba, while the people of Ramah are afraid and those of Gibeah flee.

Isaiah presents the movement as a rapid sequence of place names. After the advance described in verse 28, the overnight stop at Geba gives the army a definite position, while the reactions in the nearby towns show the alarm its approach creates.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 10:29

• “passage” — מַעְבָּר (maʿbar): A crossing or a place to pass through. Here the word often refers to a route through difficult ground, rather than a stretch of open country.
• “lodging” — מָלוֹן (malon): A place to spend the night. The word pictures the advancing force making an overnight stop at Geba.

Why Isaiah 10:29 matters

• The verse makes the threat local and immediate. Geba, Ramah, and Gibeah were towns in the area north of Jerusalem, so the named places trace the approach toward the city.
• “Gibeah of Saul” identifies the town by its association with Saul, Israel’s first king. That name distinguishes Gibeah from other places with similar names.
• The advancing force is Assyrian in the surrounding passage. Isaiah 10:24 names “the Assyrian,” and Isaiah 10:28–32 follows the force from place to place.