Isaiah 33:7 · Bible study
Isaiah 33:7 Commentary: What 'Valiant Ones' Means and Why They Weep
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the obscure Hebrew term 'erellam' and the historical context of Isaiah 33:7, where peace messengers weep bitterly before God delivers.
Research Summary
- Meaning: This verse captures the public grief of Judah's peace envoys after their mission to Sennacherib fails, setting the stage for God's intervention.
- Key words: 'erellam (hero/valiant one, meaning uncertain); tsa'aqu (cry out); mar (bitterly); mal'akhei shalom (messengers of peace).
- Main debate: The meaning of the rare term 'erellam, whether it refers to heroes, angels, or an alternate reading 'I will appear to them.'
- Theological theme: Human helplessness as the context for divine deliverance.
- Best use: A passage for those in pastoral care who feel their efforts have been rejected and who need language for lament.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Behold, their valiant ones cry aloud in the streets; the envoys of peace weep bitterly.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Behold, their valiant ones cry outside; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
KJV King James Version 1769
Behold, their valiant ones shall cry without: the ambassadors of peace shall weep bitterly.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Lo, `Their Ariel,' they have cried without, Messengers of peace do weep bitterly.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Behold, their valiant ones cry without; the messengers of peace weep bitterly.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Behold they that see shall cry without, the angels of peace shall weep bitterly.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
He aquí que sus embajadores darán voces afuera; los mensajeros de paz llorarán amargamente.
Eis que os embaixadores deles estão gritando de fora; os mensageiros de paz estão chorando amargamente.
Voici, les héros
Siehe, ihre Helden schreien draußen, die Boten des Friedens weinen bitterlich.
Ziet, hun allersterksten roepen daar buiten; de boden des vredes wenen bitterlijk.
Ecco, i loro eroi gridan di fuori, i messaggeri di pace piangono amaramente.
Oto mocarze ich wołają na dworze, posłowie pokoju gorzko płaczą.
Вот, сильные их кричат на улицах; послы для мира горько плачут.
看哪，他們的豪傑 在外頭 哀號；求和 的使臣 痛痛 哭泣。
See, the men of war are sorrowing outside the town: those who came looking for peace are weeping bitterly.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 33:7
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Isaiah 33:7 depicts a moment of crushing despair during the Assyrian crisis under King Hezekiah. The word 'erellam (translated 'valiant ones') is notoriously obscure. Barnes, Keil & Delitzsch, and Lange understand it as 'heroes', leaders of Judah sent to negotiate with Sennacherib. Calvin sees it as predicting a future calamity to steel believers. Gill, reading the term as 'angels,' interprets the weeping as the silencing of the church's witnesses in the end times. Despite the lexical uncertainty, the agreement is strong: the verse shows the failure of human peace efforts. The ambassadors of peace, those sent to sue for terms, weep bitterly because their mission has failed. This sets the stage for God's intervention in verse 10: 'Now I will arise.' The context of broken covenants and wide ruin leaves no doubt about the scene of distress.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Historical-Contextual: The scene of ambassadors weeping fits the known history of Hezekiah's peace embassy to Sennacherib in 701 BC (2 Kings 18–19; Isaiah 36–37).
- Eschatological-Allegorical: Gill and others read 'valiant ones' as angelic figures or witnesses who weep over the apostate church, linking the verse to the book of Revelation.
- Textual-Critical: The obscurity of the key word leaves the literal meaning uncertain; the verse may refer to 'those who see' (from the verb 'to see') rather than valiant ones.
What is clear: The verse depicts public, bitter weeping by official representatives sent to obtain peace, set against a background of broken covenants and national ruin.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'erellam' | The word is extremely rare (only one occurrence) and its meaning is uncertain. | Some (Barnes, Calvin, Keil) argue it means 'heroes' or 'valiant ones'; the LXX and Vulgate connect it with 'seeing'; Gill interprets it as 'angels' and applies it to end-times witnesses. |
| Historical reference of the weeping | Most commentators connect the verse to the Assyrian crisis under Hezekiah and the failed peace embassy to Sennacherib. | Calvin sees it as a prediction to fortify believers for a coming calamity; Gill sees it as eschatological, referring to the silencing of the two witnesses in Revelation. |
| Literary role in the chapter | Verses 7-9 describe desperate circumstances that contrast with God's deliverance in v.10. | Matthew Henry reads the weeping as a direct consequence of Assyrian treachery; Keil emphasizes the covenant-breaking as the primary cause of grief. |
| Mood of the verbs 'cry' and 'weep' | Both verbs depict action in present time, the scene is not distant future but immediate distress. | The WEB and R.V. render them as present tense ('cry', 'weep'), but some older versions (KJV) use future ('shall cry', 'shall weep'), affecting interpretation of prophecy timing. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 33 stands during the crisis of 701 BC, when Assyrian king Sennacherib invaded Judah. Hezekiah had submitted, paying heavy tribute (2 Kings 18:14, 16), but Sennacherib broke the agreement and demanded Jerusalem's surrender. The ambassadors, likely senior officials like Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah (2 Kings 18:18, 37; Isaiah 36:3, 22), returned with their clothes torn, bearing the enemy's insults.
This verse captures the moment those envoys arrived back. The word chuts ('outside') suggests a public setting, perhaps the city gates or streets, where grief could not be hidden. The verb tsa'aqu ('cry out') is a raw, desperate cry for help. Mar ('bitterly') modifies the weeping, not a quiet tear but deep, anguished lament.
Historic Christian teaching sees here the low point before deliverance. The covenant broken, the land wasted (v.9), the people helpless. Yet this desperation is precisely the moment God chooses to act. The chapter's structure moves from the collapse of human negotiations to the sovereign intervention of Yahweh, who alone secures peace.
Textual Notes
The major textual difficulty lies in the word אֶרְאֶלָּם ('erellam). The Masoretic pointing is unique; eight Hebrew manuscripts read אַרְאֵלִים (ar'elim, 'heroes'), and the ancient versions diverge. The LXX connects it to fear, the Vulgate to seeing ('videntes'), and the Targum to revelation. No significant variants affect the rest of the verse. The context strongly supports the interpretation that these are figures of strength sent on a peace mission, though the precise nuance of the term remains a subject of conjecture.
Reception History
Early Christian readers, notably Jerome, aligned the 'seers' of the Vulgate with the LXX's fearful ones, emphasizing prophetic grief over the people's sin. Medieval commentators allegorized the weeping as the church's lament over failed diplomacy with the world. Reformation-era expositors like Calvin returned to the historical context, anchoring the verse in Hezekiah's experience. The verse has appeared in hymns of lament and in sermons on waiting for God, especially in times of national crisis. Across traditions, it has been read as a reminder that human peacemaking, however noble, cannot secure what only God can give.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Failure of Human Peace Efforts. Even the best negotiators, valiant, wise, experienced, cannot secure peace when an enemy is bent on destruction.
- Weeping That Precedes Deliverance. The ambassadors weep bitterly, openly, publicly. God does not sweep their grief aside; He meets them in it.
- The Turning Point. Verse 10 begins with 'Now will I arise, says Yahweh.' Human failure clears the stage for divine rescue.
Five-point outline
- The players: valiant ones and ambassadors of peace, the best Judah could offer.
- The scene: outside the city, in the streets, no privacy for tears.
- The cause: a broken treaty, a treacherous enemy (v.8).
- The emotion: bitter weeping, not silent disappointment but loud grief.
- The hope: God is not silent; He is about to rise.
Illustration hooks
- A trusted business deal falls through through because the other party lied; the phone call that brings the news leaves your team in stunned silence.
- A parent has tried every path to reach a wayward child, letters, visits, experts, pleading, and finally sits in the car, unable to hold back tears.
- Diplomatic efforts fail, and news reports show exhausted negotiators leaving the table, their faces unable to hide the weight of failure.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God allow human efforts to fail before He steps in?
- If I'm doing the right thing, seeking peace, humility, why does it still hurt?
- Does this passage guarantee that God will rescue my situation?
Leading a Discussion
This verse gives language for the moment when every plan falls apart and all that is left is weeping. It sits between the promise of stability (v.6) and the promise of God's action (v.10). Discuss how the community of faith holds together when human resources run out.
Discussion questions
- Read verses 7, 9 aloud. What details stand out to you as you picture the scene?
- The word 'erellam is obscure. Why do you think the text uses a rare or hard-to-translate term for these figures?
- Why might the prophet Isaiah include the public weeping of the ambassadors? What does that say about the severity of the crisis?
- How does the description of the land in verse 9, Lebanon, Sharon, Bashan, add to the sense of loss?
- Compare this verse with the response of Hezekiah in 2 Kings 19:1, where he tears his clothes and goes to the temple. What does honest grief look like for people of faith?
- When have you experienced the failure of a plan you trusted? How did that moment shape your view of God?
- Verse 10 begins with 'Now will I arise.' How might the community's weeping have prepared them to hear that word?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| II Kings 18:18 | When they had called to the king, Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder came out to them. |
| II Kings 18:37 | Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, came with Shebna the scribe and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him Rabshakeh’s words. |
| II Kings 19:3 | They said to him, “Hezekiah says, ‘Today is a day of trouble, of rebuke, and of rejection; for the children have come to the point of birth, and there is no strength to deliver them. |
| Isaiah 36:3 | Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph the recorder came out to him. |
| Isaiah 36:22 | Then Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph the recorder, came to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of Rabshakeh. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke highlights the deep uncertainty about the Hebrew word often translated as "valiant ones." He notes it may mean "lions of God" or refer to an angel, and the Vulgate renders it "seers." His main point is that no interpreter actually knows what the word means.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes identifies the weeping figures as the Jewish military leaders sent to negotiate peace with Sennacherib, not ordinary messengers. He notes the unusual Hebrew word for "valiant ones" has puzzled translators, but argues it refers to the nation's heroes who returned bitterly weeping because their embassy had failed.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin sees the weeping messengers not as a mere report of failure but as a deliberate prophecy meant to prepare believers for the worst. He argues that God described this scene of utter despair so that His people would learn to wait patiently and, when rescue came, recognize it as His wonderful power alone.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator admits "their valiant ones" is hopelessly obscure, possibly meaning "God's lions" or a gentilic name, and notes the verbs should be present tense. Though the prophet seems to lose faith in describing the desolation, this is actually a plea for divine intervention, setting up the exultant response that follows.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva notes highlight the utter failure of human efforts to negotiate peace when God brings judgment. The messengers who sought peace are reduced to weeping bitterly outside the city, showing that no diplomatic solution can avert the calamity God has decreed.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads this verse as a prophecy of the future silencing and persecution of faithful gospel ministers. He identifies the "valiant ones" with the two witnesses of Revelation who prophesy publicly and are slain, and the "ambassadors of peace" with preachers who weep bitterly when they are forbidden to deliver their message of reconciliation.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB draws attention to the sharp turn from future glory back to a disastrous present: the ambassadors sent to sue for peace are rejected and left standing outside the enemy camp, while highways lie deserted and the land lies in ruins.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch notes that the word translated "heroes" deliberately echoes Jerusalem's name Ariel yet means "lions of God," referring to the messengers who wept after Sennacherib broke the treaty. They also emphasize the threefold "now" as the decisive turning point when God rises from His throne to act.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes that the extremity of Judah's distress is precisely what provokes God to act. He notes that the heroes weep and the land lies desolate, and then God declares, "Now will I rise." The severity of the crisis is the signal for divine intervention, turning the enemy's plans to destruction.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry highlights the perfect justice of God's judgment against Assyria: those who spoiled without being spoiled will themselves be spoiled, and the treacherous will face treachery in turn. This retribution comes only when their own oppressing career ends, showing God's precise and deserved timing.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley observes that God first vividly displays the ambassadors' great danger and their failed plea for peace, all to magnify the mercy He is about to show. Their weeping underscores how hopeless their situation was without divine intervention.