And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

ISAIAH 8:15KJV
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Isaiah 8:15 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 8:15 mean?

Isaiah 8:15 warns that many people will stumble, fall, be broken, get caught in a trap, and be captured. The verse paints a picture of widespread trouble and downfall among those who do not heed the warning being given.

The prophet Isaiah is speaking to the people of Judah during a time of political and spiritual crisis. He is describing the consequences for those who reject God’s guidance and instead trust in their own plans or alliances. The verse uses a series of strong words to show just how serious and unavoidable these consequences will be for many in the nation.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 8:15

  • "stumble" (כָּשַׁל, kashal): This word often means to trip or lose one’s way, suggesting a failure to recognize or respond to what God is doing.
  • "snared" (יָקַשׁ, yaqash): This term refers to being caught in a trap, highlighting the idea that the people’s downfall is not just accidental but the result of being ensnared by their own choices.
  • "taken" (לָכַד, lakad): This word means to be captured or seized, emphasizing that the consequences are inescapable once the trap is sprung.

Why Isaiah 8:15 matters

  • Isaiah 8:15 clarifies that the danger is not just for a few but for "many," showing the scale of the warning and the seriousness of ignoring God’s message.
  • The verse connects to the surrounding passage, where God is described as both a sanctuary and a stumbling stone—meaning the same presence of God can be a place of safety or a cause of downfall, depending on how people respond.
  • This verse helps explain why later prophets and New Testament writers refer to stumbling and being trapped as spiritual dangers, showing that these ideas have deep roots in Israel’s history.

Where else these words appear

“snared” Hebrew H3369 · used in 8 verses

  • Deuteronomy 7:25 The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire: thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein: for it is an abomination to the LORD thy God.
  • Psalms 141:9 Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity.
  • Ecclesiastes 9:12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

“stumble” Hebrew H3782 · used in 59 verses

  • Leviticus 26:37 And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies.
  • Isaiah 3:8 For Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah is fallen: because their tongue and their doings are against the LORD, to provoke the eyes of his glory.
  • Jeremiah 50:32 And the most proud shall stumble and fall, and none shall raise him up: and I will kindle a fire in his cities, and it shall devour all round about him.

“taken” Hebrew H3920 · used in 112 verses

  • Numbers 21:32 And Moses sent to spy out Jaazer, and they took the villages thereof, and drove out the Amorites that were there.
  • Judges 9:45 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.
  • Psalms 59:12 For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.

“broken” Hebrew H7665 · used in 145 verses

  • Genesis 19:9 And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door.
  • Psalms 34:20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
  • Jeremiah 30:8 For it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him: