Isaiah 30:28 (ASV)

Passage

and his breath is as an overflowing stream, that reacheth even unto the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction: and a bridle that causeth to err [shall be] in the jaws of the peoples.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 30:26 Moreover the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days, in the day that Jehovah bindeth up the hurt of his people, and healeth the stroke of their wound.

Isaiah 30:27 Behold, the name of Jehovah cometh from far, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke: his lips are full of indignation, and his tongue is as a devouring fire;

Isaiah 30:28 and his breath is as an overflowing stream, that reacheth even unto the neck, to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction: and a bridle that causeth to err [shall be] in the jaws of the peoples.

Isaiah 30:29 Ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come unto the mountain of Jehovah, to the Rock of Israel.

Isaiah 30:30 And Jehovah will cause his glorious voice to be heard, and will show the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation of [his] anger, and the flame of a devouring fire, with a blast, and tempest, and hailstones.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "breath", "overflowing", "stream", "reacheth", "even", "neck", "sift", and "nations". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "breath" and "overflowing", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "Behold the name of Jehovah cometh from..." into verse 29's "Ye shall have a song as in...", so "breath" and "overflowing" 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 "breath" and "overflowing" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.