Amplified Bible
Isaiah 21:9
9Now look! Here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs.” And one said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon; And all the carved images of her gods are shattered on the ground.”
Isaiah 21:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.
- New International Version (NIV)Look, here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses. And he gives back the answer: ‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!’ ”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And behold, here come riders, horsemen in pairs!" And he answered, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the carved images of her gods he has shattered to the ground."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!” Then he answered and said, “Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground.”
Context of Isaiah 21:9
7When he sees a chariot, horsemen in pairs, A train of donkeys and a train of camels, Let him pay attention and listen closely, very closely.” 8And the lookout called like a lion, “O Lord, I stand continually on the watchtower by day, And I am stationed every night at my guard post. Now look! Here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs.” And one said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon; And all the carved images of her gods are shattered on the ground.” 10O my threshed people [Judah, who must be judged and trampled down by Babylon], my afflicted of the threshing floor. What I have heard from the Lord of hosts, The God of Israel, I have [joyfully] announced to you [that Babylon is to fall]. 11The [mournful, inspired] oracle (a burden to be carried) concerning Dumah (Edom): Someone keeps calling to me from Seir (Edom), “Watchman, what is left of the night [of Assyrian oppression]? Watchman, what is left of the night? [How long until morning?]”
Read all of Isaiah 21Isaiah 21:9 word by word
וְהִנֵּה־זֶ֥ה בָא֙ רֶ֣כֶב אִ֔ישׁ צֶ֖מֶד פָּֽרָשִׁ֑ים וַיַּ֣עַן וַיֹּ֗אמֶר נָפְלָ֤ה נָֽפְלָה֙ בָּבֶ֔ל וְכָל־פְּסִילֵ֥י אֱלֹהֶ֖יהָ שִׁבַּ֥ר לָאָֽרֶץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And, behold, here comethבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- a chariotרֶ֫כֶבrekeb · chariotH7393
- of menאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- a coupleצֶ֫מֶדtsemed · pairH6776
- of horsemenפָּרָשׁpârâsh · horsemanH6571
- And he answeredעָנָה‛ânâh · to answerH6030
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Babylonבָּבֶ֫ל, בָּבֶלbâbel · BabylonH894
- is fallenנָפַלnâphal · to fall: fallH5307
- and all the graven imagesפָּסִילpesîyl · idolH6456
- of her godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- he hath brokenשָׁבַרshâbar · to breakH7665
- unto the groundאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: soilH776
Cross-references for Isaiah 21:9
- Jeremiah 50:3For out of the north a nation (Media) has come against her which will make her land desolate, and no one will live there. They have fled, they have gone away—both man and animal.
- Jeremiah 51:27Lift up a signal in the land [to spread the news]! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Dedicate the nations [for war] against her; Call against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a marshal against her; Cause the horses to come up like bristly locusts [with their wings not yet released from their cases].
- Isaiah 13:19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.
- Isaiah 14:4that you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say, “How the oppressor has ceased [his insolence], And how the fury has ceased!
- Jeremiah 50:2“Declare among the nations. Lift up a signal [to spread the news]—publish and proclaim it, Do not conceal it; say, ‘Babylon has been taken, Bel [the patron god] has been shamed, Marduk (Bel) has been shattered. Babylon’s images have been shamed, her [worthless] idols have been thrown down.’
- Jeremiah 51:8Babylon has suddenly fallen and is shattered! Wail for her [if you care to]! Get balm for her [incurable] pain; Perhaps she may be healed.
- Revelation 14:8Then another angel, a second one, followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality [corrupting them with idolatry].”
- Revelation 18:2And he shouted with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen [certainly to be destroyed] is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place for demons, a dungeon haunted by every unclean spirit, and a prison for every unclean and loathsome bird.
- Isaiah 46:1Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over; Their idols are on the beasts [of burden] and on the cattle. Your burdens [of idols] are loaded [on them], Burdens on the weary animals.
- Jeremiah 51:44I will punish and judge Bel [the handmade god] in Babylon And take out of his mouth what he has swallowed up [the stolen sacred articles and the captives of Judah and elsewhere]. The nations will no longer flow to him. Yes, the wall of Babylon has fallen down!
Commentaries on Isaiah 21:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9Here cometh a chariot of men, etc. "A man, one of the two riders" - So the Syriac understands it, and Ephrem Syr.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9And, behold a chariot of men - This place shows that the word chariot‘ (רכב rekeb ) may denote something else than a wagon or carriage, as a chariot drawn by men cannot be intended. The sense can be expressed, perhaps, by the word “riding,” I see a riding of men approach;‘ that is, I see “cavalry” drawing near, or men riding and hastening to the battle. With a couple of horsemen - The word with‘ is not in the Hebrew. The meaning is, I see a riding of…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9fallen is Babylon!: Assyrian King Sennacherib destroyed Babylon in 689 BC. The final fall of Babylon occurred in 539 BC. In Scripture, Babylon symbolizes all ungodly power structures, including nations and kingdoms that do not follow God and his word. The apostle John offered hope with his prophecy that all Babylons will fall (Revelation 14:8; 18:2). All the images of her gods lie shattered on the ground!: False gods could not save the Babylonians (see…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. chariot of men--chariots with men in them; or rather, the same body of riders, horsemen two abreast, as in Is 21:7 [Maurer]. But Horsley, "The man drawn in a car with a pair of riders." The first half of this verse describes what the watchman sees; the second half, what the watchman says, in consequence of what he sees. In the interval between Is 21:7 and Is 21:9, the overthrow of Babylon by the horsemen, or man in the car, is accomplished. The…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 21:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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