This verse gives the results of the earthquake.

The earth is utterly broken, the earth is rent asunder, the earth is violently shaken: These three lines have a special literary form in Hebrew, which is literally “Broken it has been broken, the earth; split it has been split, the earth; shaken it has been shaken, the earth.” In Hebrew each line begins with a repeated verb (first as an infinitive and then as a finite verb) and ends with the noun “earth.” This repetition highlights the effects of the earthquake. Revised Standard Version uses the adverbs utterly and violently to express it. Translators will need to find the appropriate vocabulary and syntactic forms to reflect the Hebrew, as well some good rhetorical devices, such as sound play and repetition.

The first two lines of this verse are synonymous. Broken and rent asunder both refer to the earth breaking apart. The third line speaks of the earth shaking as if it is about to fall over.

The Hebrew verb forms used in these three lines may be treated as either passives or reflexives. Although many English translations prefer passive forms, translators may choose to use active forms (see the second example below).

For the translation of this verse consider the following examples:

• The earth is completely shattered,
it is split and shaken violently.

• The earth breaks into pieces,
the earth tears itself apart,
the earth shakes violently.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .