Isaiah 30:28 (YLT)

Passage

And His breath <FI>is<Fi> as an overflowing stream, Unto the neck it divideth, To sift nations with a sieve of vanity, And a bridle causing to err, <FI>Is<Fi> on the jaws of the peoples.

Nearby Context

Isaiah 30:26 And the light of the moon hath been as the light of the sun, And the light of the sun is sevenfold, As the light of seven days, In the day of Jehovah's binding up the breach of His people, When the stroke of its wound He healeth.

Isaiah 30:27 Lo, the name of Jehovah is coming from far, Burning is His anger, and great the flame, His lips have been full of indignation, And His tongue <FI>is<Fi> as a devouring fire.

Isaiah 30:28 And His breath <FI>is<Fi> as an overflowing stream, Unto the neck it divideth, To sift nations with a sieve of vanity, And a bridle causing to err, <FI>Is<Fi> on the jaws of the peoples.

Isaiah 30:29 Singing is to you as in a night sanctified for a festival, And joy of heart as he who is going with a pipe, To go in to the mountain of Jehovah, Unto the rock of Israel.

Isaiah 30:30 And caused to be heard hath Jehovah The honour of His voice, And the coming down of His arm He doth shew with the raging of anger, And the flame of a consuming fire, Scattering, and inundation, and hailstone.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "breath", "overflowing", "stream", "neck", "divideth", "sift", "nations", and "sieve". 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 "Lo the name of Jehovah is coming..." into verse 29's "Singing is to you as in a...", 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.