Original Word: יָעָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: ya`ah
Pronunciation: yah-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-aw')
KJV: sweep away
NASB: sweep away
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. apparently to brush aside

sweep away

A primitive root; apparently to brush aside -- sweep away.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to sweep together
NASB Translation
sweep away (1).

יָעָה verb sweep together (with collateral idea of carrying away) (Arabic is collect, gather) —

Qal Perfect וְיָעָה consecutive Isaiah 28:17 subject בָּרָד with accusative (מַחְסֵה כָזָב ׳ויעה ב). **Compare also Arabic vessel Genesis 42:25 Saad, compare Baldensperger^{PEF 1904, 53,} who compares Modern Arabic wa±â ().

Overview

יָעָה depicts a sudden, irresistible sweeping-away. It describes the decisive action by which God removes every false security that men trust in. Although the verb is found only once, its force is amplified by the prophetic scene in which it stands, showing that a single word can illuminate a whole theme in Scripture—the inevitability of divine judgment against deception.

The Single Biblical Occurrence (Isaiah 28:17)

“I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level. Hail will sweep away the refuge of lies, and waters will overflow the hiding place.” (Berean Standard Bible)

Here יָעָה (“will sweep away”) is paired with the imagery of hail and an overflowing flood. The verse falls in the middle of Isaiah’s rebuke of Judah’s leaders who boasted of a “covenant with death” (Isaiah 28:15). God responds by promising that their carefully constructed refuge of deceit will be leveled by a storm of His own making. The measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness expose the tilt and rot of their foundation, and the sweeping hail verifies the verdict.

Historical Setting

Isaiah ministered during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Chapter 28 targets the political elite in Jerusalem who flirted with foreign alliances (especially Egypt) while feeling insulated from the Assyrian menace. Their “refuge” was not a literal bunker but a diplomatic strategy and an attitude of self-reliance. By speaking of hail and flood, Isaiah recalls the covenant curses (Deuteronomy 28:24; Genesis 6–9) and warns that Yahweh Himself will unleash nature against covenant breakers.

Theological Themes

1. Divine Measurement—The line and plumb are standards outside the structure being tested. So justice and righteousness are not negotiable cultural norms but fixed attributes of God. Anything not aligned with Him must be swept away.
2. Exposure of Falsehood—The magnificent palace of lies collapses under the first gust of divine hail. Truth ultimately exposes and destroys error.
3. Certainty of Judgment—The aoristic force of יָעָה underscores certainty. God does not merely threaten; He accomplishes.
4. Preservation of the Remnant—Though the refuge of lies is removed, those who trust the “tested stone… a precious cornerstone” (Isaiah 28:16) remain unshaken. The sweeping is selective, removing only what is false.

Prophetic and Christological Insights

Immediately before the יָעָה statement, Isaiah introduces the cornerstone—a messianic figure fulfilled in Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:6–8). The juxtaposition is deliberate: everything misaligned with the Stone must be swept away. In the Gospels, Jesus declares that those who fall upon the Stone will be broken, but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust (Matthew 21:44). The imagery of scattering corresponds to יָעָה, reinforcing that the prophetic word anticipates Christ’s role as both Savior and Judge.

Broader Biblical Parallels

• Proverbs 10:25—“When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.”
• Ezekiel 13:11–13—God sends “a deluge of rain, great hailstones, and violent winds” against the flimsy wall of false prophets.
• Hebrews 12:27—The promise of God yet once more shaking the heavens and the earth “removes what can be shaken… in order that the unshakable may remain.”

These passages echo the same principle embodied in יָעָה: whatever is built on deception cannot endure the divine storm.

Ministry Application

• Preaching—Isaiah 28:17 calls modern audiences to examine every refuge apart from Christ. The gospel preacher can use the sweeping hail as a vivid picture of final judgment.
• Counseling—Believers who place confidence in wealth, status, or secret sin need the loving warning that such shelters will not stand when God arises.
• Leadership—Church and ministry policies must pass the plumb line test of righteousness. Programmatic success is no refuge if truth is compromised.
• Evangelism—The certainty of a coming sweep strengthens the urgency of offering the Cornerstone to a generation building on sand.

Summary

יָעָה confronts the reader with a choice: trust in fortresses of human design or in the Cornerstone God has laid. When God’s hailstorm of judgment strikes, only what aligns with His justice and righteousness will remain.

וְיָעָ֤ה ויעה veyaAh wə·yā·‘āh wəyā‘āhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts