The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceaseth: he hath broken the covenant, he hath despised the cities, he regardeth no man.

ISAIAH 33:8KJV
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Isaiah 33:8 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 33:8 mean?

Isaiah 33:8 describes a scene of devastation and lawlessness: travel is dangerous because the highways are deserted, travelers have disappeared, and agreements have been broken without respect for people or cities. The verse paints a picture of a society where trust, order, and safety have collapsed.

Isaiah is speaking to the people of Judah during a time of crisis, likely when Jerusalem was threatened by foreign armies. The verse uses vivid images to show how chaos has spread—roads once busy are now empty, and basic agreements between people and nations are ignored. This breakdown is presented as a result of turning away from what is right and trustworthy.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 33:8

  • "highways" (מַסְלוּל, maslul): This word refers to main roads or thoroughfares, emphasizing that even the most important and well-traveled routes are now abandoned.
  • "waste" (שָׁמֵם, shamem): This word means to be desolate or ruined, highlighting the complete emptiness and destruction of places that should be bustling with life.
  • "broken" (פָּרַר, parar): This verb means to break or violate, especially in the sense of breaking a covenant (בְּרִית, berit), showing that promises and treaties are no longer honored.
  • "regardeth" (חָשַׁב, chashav): This word can mean to consider or value, so saying "he regardeth no man" underlines a total lack of respect or care for others.

Why Isaiah 33:8 matters

  • Isaiah 33:8 clarifies that the suffering and chaos are not just from outside threats but also from the breakdown of trust and moral responsibility within society itself.
  • The verse connects to the wider chapter, which contrasts the devastation caused by human failure with the hope that God will ultimately restore justice and peace.
  • This verse helps the reader see that the collapse of social order is both a symptom and a warning sign of deeper spiritual and communal problems.

Where else these words appear

“highways” Hebrew H4546 · used in 26 verses

  • Numbers 20:19 And the children of Israel said unto him, We will go by the high way: and if I and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it: I will only, without doing any thing else, go through on my feet.
  • 2 Samuel 20:13 When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.
  • Isaiah 11:16 And there shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of Egypt.

“broken” Hebrew H6565 · used in 46 verses

  • Genesis 17:14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
  • Ezra 4:5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
  • Isaiah 24:19 The earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

“man” Hebrew H734 · used in 58 verses

  • Genesis 18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
  • Psalms 25:10 All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
  • Proverbs 5:6 Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.

“ceaseth” Hebrew H7673 · used in 67 verses

  • Genesis 2:2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
  • 2 Chronicles 36:21 To fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.
  • Jeremiah 48:35 Moreover I will cause to cease in Moab, saith the LORD, him that offereth in the high places, and him that burneth incense to his gods.