And the firstborn of the poor shall feed, and the needy shall lie down in safety: and I will kill thy root with famine, and he shall slay thy remnant.

ISAIAH 14:30KJV
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Isaiah 14:30 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 14:30 mean?

Isaiah 14:30 contrasts the future of the most vulnerable people with the future of Philistia, the land addressed in the passage. God promises food and safety to the poor, while announcing that famine and killing will destroy Philistia’s remaining people.

The image of a root being killed pictures destruction reaching what might otherwise grow again. The words “I will kill” present God as the speaker; “he shall slay” then describes an agent who will strike the remnant. After the warning to Philistia in verse 29, the contrast shows that its apparent cause for rejoicing will not last.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 14:30

  • “firstborn” — בְּכוֹר (bekhor): This word ordinarily means a firstborn child. Here, “the firstborn of the poor” is often understood as a way of describing the very poorest people.
  • “feed” — רָעָה (raʿah): This word can describe grazing or being cared for as a flock. Beside “lie down in safety,” it suggests animals finding pasture and resting without fear.
  • “root” — שֹׁרֶשׁ (shoresh): This means the root of a plant. In the verse, the image reaches below what is visible to the source from which new growth might come.

Why Isaiah 14:30 matters

  • The verse gives a sharper picture of the people who find refuge in Zion. Verse 32 speaks of “the poor of his people” trusting there; verse 30 depicts them eating and resting securely.
  • The warning reaches beyond a temporary shortage of food. “Root” and “remnant” picture both the source of future growth and those who remain after earlier losses.

Where else these words appear

“down” Hebrew H7257 · used in 30 verses

  • Genesis 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
  • Deuteronomy 33:13 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath,
  • Isaiah 27:10 Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof.

“root” Hebrew H8328 · used in 32 verses

  • Deuteronomy 29:18 Lest there should be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whose heart turneth away this day from the LORD our God, to go and serve the gods of these nations; lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormwood;
  • Job 30:4 Who cut up mallows by the bushes, and juniper roots for their meat.
  • Isaiah 53:2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

“safety” Hebrew H983 · used in 41 verses

  • Genesis 34:25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
  • Psalms 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
  • Ezekiel 28:26 And they shall dwell safely therein, and shall build houses, and plant vineyards; yea, they shall dwell with confidence, when I have executed judgments upon all those that despise them round about them; and they shall know that I am the LORD their God.

“poor” Hebrew H1800 · used in 46 verses

  • Exodus 23:3 Neither shalt thou countenance a poor man in his cause.
  • Psalms 41:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
  • Proverbs 28:11 The rich man is wise in his own conceit; but the poor that hath understanding searcheth him out.