Isaiah 30:16 (ASV)

Passage

but ye said, No, for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 30:14 And he shall break it as a potter`s vessel is broken, breaking it in pieces without sparing; so that there shall not be found among the pieces thereof a sherd wherewith to take fire from the hearth, or to dip up water out of the cistern.

Isaiah 30:15 For thus said the Lord Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. And ye would not:

Isaiah 30:16 but ye said, No, for we will flee upon horses; therefore shall ye flee: and, We will ride upon the swift; therefore shall they that pursue you be swift.

Isaiah 30:17 One thousand [shall flee] at the threat of one; at the threat of five shall ye flee: till ye be left as a beacon upon the top of a mountain, and as an ensign on a hill.

Isaiah 30:18 And therefore will Jehovah wait, that he may be gracious unto you; and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for Jehovah is a God of justice; blessed are all they that wait for him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "flee", "upon", "horses", "therefore", "shall", and "ride". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "flee", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "For thus said the Lord Jehovah the..." into verse 17's "One thousand shall flee at the threat...", so "said" and "flee" belong inside that flow. In Isaiah context, the local focus is the Holy One of Israel, judgment and restoration, the servant of the LORD, and Zion's hope.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "said" and "flee" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.