Isaiah 66:16

Modern

For by fire and by His sword, the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD.

Traditional

For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many.

Literal

For by the fire and by His sword, YHWH enters into judgment with all flesh, and those slain by YHWH will be many.

Latin

…quia in igne Dominus dijudicabit, et in gladio suo ad omnem carnem; et multiplicabuntur interfecti a Domino,

Hebrew

English

For by fire and by His sword, the LORD will execute judgment on all flesh, and many will be slain by the LORD.

the Lord will come with fire: God will appear with furious judgment against his enemies (see Psalm 7:13). By contrast, he will reveal his glory to his people (see Isaiah 40:5, 10).
God will judge all creation as a part of the process of renewing the earth (see Isaiah 24:1–4; 65:17).

Here, the Lord responds to the prayer in Isaiah 63:7–64:12.

Theme notes and profiles

Ezekiel 38:21–22
And I will summon a sword against Gog on all My mountains, declares the Lord GOD, and every man’s sword will be against his brother.
Ezekiel 39:2–10
I will turn you around, drive you along, bring you up from the far north, and send you against the mountains of Israel.
Isaiah 30:30
And the LORD will cause His majestic voice to be heard and His mighty arm to be revealed, striking in angry wrath with a flame of consuming fire, and with cloudburst, storm, and hailstones.
Revelation 19:11–21
Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war.
Isaiah 27:1
In that day the LORD will take His sharp, great, and mighty sword, and bring judgment on Leviathan the fleeing serpent—Leviathan the coiling serpent—and He will slay the dragon of the sea.
Isaiah 34:5–10
When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.