Isaiah 18:1

The land of buzzing wings is as good as dead, ¹  the one beyond the rivers of Cush,

biblegateway Isa 18:1

Woe to the land of whirring wings along the rivers of Cush,

biblegateway Isa 18:1

Alas, oh land of whirring wings Which lies beyond the rivers of Cush,

biblegateway Isa 18:1

Destruction is certain for the land of Ethiopia, which lies at the headwaters of the Nile. Its winged sailboats glide along the river,

biblegateway Isa 18:1

Doom to the land of flies and mosquitoes beyond the Ethiopian rivers,

SABDAweb Isa 18:1

Ho! land of the sounding of wings, on the other side of the rivers of Ethiopia:

bibleoremus Isa 18:1

Ah, land of whirring wings beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,

biblegateway Isa 18:1

Woe to the land shadowed with buzzing wings, Which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia,

biblegateway Isa 18:1

The land of buzzing wings is as good as dead, ¹  the one beyond the rivers of Cush,

¹ tn Heb “Woe [to] the land of buzzing wings.” On הוֹי (hoy, “woe, ah”) see the note on the first phrase of 1:4.

¹ sn The significance of the qualifying phrase “buzzing wings” is uncertain. Some suggest that the designation points to Cush as a land with many insects. Another possibility is that it refers to the swiftness with which this land’s messengers travel (v. 2a); they move over the sea as swiftly as an insect flies through the air. For a discussion of the options, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:359-60.