Isaiah 47:14
“Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Babylon's advisors and false spiritual practices are utterly consumed, leaving nothing useful behind.
Context
The oracle describes the fate of the magicians: they are reduced to stubble, burned completely, leaving only ash. No coal remains to warm by, no ember persists. This is total destruction, also describing the annihilation of Babylon's false spiritual infrastructure.
What Does Isaiah 47:14 Mean?
Stubble burns quickly and completely. There is no lingering glow, no useful remainder. Babylon's great advisors, her accumulated magical knowledge, her divination practices are consumed like stubble. And what is left is not even ash that can be used; it is only the memory of fire.
In contrast, God endures. His word is not stubble but eternal. His counsel is not consumed by the fire of history but is refined by it. When we commit ourselves to what God values, we commit ourselves to what lasts. Our works may face judgment, but if they are built on Christ, they remain. Our fears and false counselors may burn away, but the peace of God remains.
In the Original Language
keshem (קשם), 'burning' - complete, thorough consumption.
Application
What we trust in apart from God burns away. What we commit to God remains.