Christian Standard Bible
Isaiah 14:23
23“I will make her a swampland and a region for herons, and I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.” This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies.
Isaiah 14:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the Lord of hosts.
- New International Version (NIV)“I will turn her into a place for owls and into swampland; I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,” declares the Lord Almighty.
- English Standard Version (ESV)"And I will make it a possession of the hedgehog, and pools of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction," declares the Lord of hosts.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, And marshes of muddy water; I will sweep it with the broom of destruction,” says the Lord of hosts.
Context of Isaiah 14:23
21Prepare a place of slaughter for his sons, because of the iniquity of their ancestors. They will never rise up to possess a land or fill the surface of the earth with cities. 22“I will rise up against them” — this is the declaration of the Lord of Armies — “and I will cut off from Babylon her reputation, remnant, offspring, and posterity” — this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will make her a swampland and a region for herons, and I will sweep her away with the broom of destruction.” This is the declaration of the Lord of Armies. 24The Lord of Armies has sworn: As I have purposed, so it will be; as I have planned it, so it will happen. 25I will break Assyria in my land; I will tread him down on my mountain. Then his yoke will be taken from them, and his burden will be removed from their shoulders.
Read all of Isaiah 14Isaiah 14:23 word by word
וְשַׂמְתִּ֛יהָ לְמוֹרַ֥שׁ קִפֹּ֖ד וְאַגְמֵי־מָ֑יִם וְטֵֽאטֵאתִ֙יהָ֙ בְּמַטְאֲטֵ֣א הַשְׁמֵ֔ד נְאֻ֖ם יְהוָ֥ה צְבָאֽוֹת׃ פRead the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- I will also makeשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: makeH7760
- it a possessionמוֹרָשׁmôrâsh · possessionH4180
- for the bitternקִפֹּדqippôd qippôd · porcupineH7090
- and poolsאֲגַם'ăgam · poolH98
- of waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
- and I will sweepטֵאטֵאţû' · to sweepH2894
- it with the besomמַטְאֲטֵאmaţ'ăţê' · broomH4292
- of destructionשָׁמַדshâmad · to destroyH8045
- saithנְאֻםne'ûm · utteranceH5002
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
Cross-references for Isaiah 14:23
- Isaiah 13:21But desert creatures will lie down there, and owls will fill the houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about.
- Isaiah 34:11Eagle owls and herons will possess it, and long-eared owls and ravens will dwell there. The Lord will stretch out a measuring line and a plumb line over her for her destruction and chaos.
- Jeremiah 50:39Therefore, desert creatures will live with hyenas, and ostriches will also live in her. It will never again be inhabited or lived in through all generations.
- Jeremiah 51:42The sea has risen over Babylon; she is covered with its tumultuous waves.
- Zephaniah 2:14Herds will lie down in the middle of it, every kind of wild animal. Both eagle owls and herons will roost in the capitals of its pillars. Their calls will sound from the window, but devastation will be on the threshold, for he will expose the cedar work.
- Revelation 14:8And another, a second angel, followed, saying, “It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen. She made all the nations drink the wine of her sexual immorality, which brings wrath.”
- Revelation 18:2He called out in a mighty voice: It has fallen, Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a home for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, and a haunt for every unclean and despicable beast.
- 1 Kings 14:10Because of all this, I am about to bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam: I will wipe out all of Jeroboam’s males, both slave and free, in Israel; I will sweep away the house of Jeroboam as one sweeps away dung until it is all gone!
- 2 Kings 21:13I will stretch over Jerusalem the measuring line used on Samaria and the mason’s level used on the house of Ahab, and I will wipe Jerusalem clean as one wipes a bowl — wiping it and turning it upside down.
- Jeremiah 51:25Look, I am against you, devastating mountain. This is the Lord’s declaration. You devastate the whole earth. I will stretch out my hand against you, roll you down from the cliffs, and turn you into a charred mountain.
Commentaries on Isaiah 14:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23I will sweep it with the besom of destruction "I will plunge it in the miry gulf of destruction" - I have here very nearly followed the Version of the Septuagint; the reasons for which see in the last note on De Poesi Hebr. Praelect, xxviii. The besom of destruction, as our Version renders it. במטאטא bematate . This, says Kimchi, is a Chaldee word: and it is worthy of remark that the prophet, writing to the Chaldeans, uses several words peculiar to their…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23I will also make it a possession for the bittern - The word bittern,‘ in English, means a bird with long legs and neck, that stalks among reeds and sedge, feeding upon fish. The Hebrew word (קפד qı̂ppod ), occurs but five times Isaiah 34:11; Zephaniah 2:14. According to Bochart and Gesenius, it means the hedgehog. It has been variously rendered. Some have supposed it to be a land animal; some an aquatic animal; and most have regarded it as a fowl. Bochart…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22-23Isaiah summarized the earlier taunt (Isaiah 14:3–21) with this prophecy, spoken in the first person. God declares that Babylon will be destroyed and left in ruins.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2323. bittern--rather, "the hedgehog" [Maurer and Gesenius]. Strabo (16:1) states that enormous hedgehogs were found in the islands of the Euphrates. pools--owing to Cyrus turning the waters of the Euphrates over the country. besom--sweep-net [Maurer], (1Ki 14:10; 2Ki 21:13). This would comfort the Jews when captives in Babylon, being a pledge that God, who had by that time fulfilled the promise concerning Sennacherib (though now still future), would also…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 14:23
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 14
- 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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