Isaiah 24:10 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 24:10 mean?

Isaiah 24:10 pictures a city whose public life has collapsed. Its ruined condition reaches into ordinary homes: every house is shut, and no one can enter. The verse gives a close-up view of the destruction Isaiah describes across the land.

The prophet calls it “the city of confusion,” a phrase that gives the city a symbolic character rather than a familiar place-name. The closed houses make the scene feel deserted and inaccessible, following the loss of joy described in verse 9.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 24:10

• “confusion” — תֹּהוּ (tohu): This word can suggest emptiness, disorder, or a waste place. Here it gives the city’s name a sense of desolation as well as confusion.
• “broken down” — שָׁבַר (shavar): This word often means to break or smash. It gives a physical force to the picture of the city’s ruin.
• “shut up” — סָגַר (sagar): This word means to close or shut. The wording presents the houses as closed against entry, making the loss of access part of the scene.

Why Isaiah 24:10 matters

• The ruined city is part of a wider picture, not an isolated accident. Isaiah 24 speaks of devastation across the earth, and the city brings that sweeping picture down to a place where people would normally live together.
• The verse contrasts a city’s usual purpose with its condition here. A city gathers people and households, but “every house is shut up,” leaving no way to come in.
• The following verses deepen the picture of lost public life. Verse 11 describes crying in the streets, while verse 12 returns to the city’s ruin and its broken gate.