God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 13:22
22Hyenas will howl in Babylon’s strongholds, and jackals will howl in its luxurious palaces. Its time has almost come. Its days will not be extended.
Isaiah 13:22 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.
- New International Version (NIV)Hyenas will inhabit her strongholds, jackals her luxurious palaces. Her time is at hand, and her days will not be prolonged.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The hyenas will howl in their citadels, And jackals in their pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, And her days will not be prolonged.”
Context of Isaiah 13:22
20It will never be inhabited again, and no one will live in it for generations. Arabs won’t pitch their tents there. Shepherds won’t let their flocks rest there. 21Desert animals will lie down there. Their homes will be full of owls. Ostriches will live there, and wild goats will skip about. Hyenas will howl in Babylon’s strongholds, and jackals will howl in its luxurious palaces. Its time has almost come. Its days will not be extended.
Read all of Isaiah 13Isaiah 13:22 word by word
וְעָנָ֤ה אִיִּים֙ בְּאַלְמנוֹתָ֔יו וְתַנִּ֖ים בְּהֵ֣יכְלֵי עֹ֑נֶג וְקָר֤וֹב לָבוֹא֙ עִתָּ֔הּ וְיָמֶ֖יהָ לֹ֥א יִמָּשֵֽׁכוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the wild beasts of the islandsאִי'îy · wild beastH338
- shall cryעוּן‛ânâh · to dwellH6030
- in their desolate housesאַלְמָנָה'almânâh · widowH490
- and dragonsתַּןtannîyn tannîym · jackalH8577
- pleasantעֹ֫נֶג‛ôneg · delightH6027
- palacesהֵיכָלhêykâl · temple: palaceH1964
- and her timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
- nearקָרֹבqârôb qârôb · nearH7138
- to comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- and her daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- shall not be prolongedמָשַׁךְmâshak · to drawH4900
Cross-references for Isaiah 13:22
- Isaiah 35:7Then the hot sand will become a pool, and dry ground will have springs. Grass will become cattails and rushes in the home of jackals.
- Deuteronomy 32:35I will take revenge and be satisfied. In due time their foot will slip, because their day of disaster is near. Their doom is coming quickly.
- Jeremiah 51:33This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says: The people of Babylon are like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled. Their harvest time will come soon.
- Ezekiel 7:7Destruction is coming to you, inhabitants of the land. The time is coming. The day is near. There will be confusion. There will be no joy in the mountains.
- Habakkuk 2:3The vision will still happen at the appointed time. It hurries toward its goal. It won’t be a lie. If it’s delayed, wait for it. It will certainly happen. It won’t be late.
- 2 Peter 2:3In their greed they will use good-sounding arguments to exploit you. The verdict against them from long ago is still in force, and their destruction is not asleep.
- 2 Peter 3:9The Lord isn’t slow to do what he promised, as some people think. Rather, he is patient for your sake. He doesn’t want to destroy anyone but wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to him and change the way they think and act.
Commentaries on Isaiah 13:22
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22In their pleasant palaces "In their palaces" - באלמנותיו bealmenothaiv ; a plain mistake, I presume, for בארמנתיו bearmenothaiv . It is so corrected in two MSS., the Syriac, Chaldee, and Vulgate. ' , ̈́ . Hom. Hymn. in Apol. 77. Of which the following passage of Milton may be taken for a translation, though not so designed: - "And in their palaces, Where luxury late reigned, sea monsters whelped, And stabled." Par. Lost, 11:750. This image of desolation is…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22And the wild beasts of the islands - (איים 'ı̂yı̂ym ); see the notes at Isaiah 11:11; Isaiah 41:1, on the word rendered islands.‘ The word denotes islands, or coasts, and as those coasts and islands were unknown and unexplored, the word seems to have denoted unknown and uninhabited regions in general. Boehart supposes that by the word here used is denoted a species of wolves, the jackal, or the “thoes.” It is known as a wild animal, exceedingly fierce…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-22Verses 19-22 Babylon was a noble city; yet it should be wholly destroyed. None shall dwell there. It shall be a haunt for wild beasts. All this is fulfilled. The fate of this proud city is a proof of the truth of the Bible, and an emblem of the approaching ruin of the New Testament Babylon; a warning to sinners to flee from the wrath to come, and it encourages believers to expect victory over every enemy of their souls, and of the church of God. The whole…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-22This image of Babylon as a forever haunted ruin contrasts with its greatness at its height (see Daniel 4:29–30).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2222. wild beasts of the islands--rather, "jackals"; called by the Arabs "sons of howling"; an animal midway between a fox and a wolf [Bochart and Maurer]. cry--rather, "answer," "respond" to each other, as wolves do at night, producing a most dismal effect. dragons--serpents of various species, which hiss and utter dolorous sounds. Fable gave them wings, because they stand with much of the body elevated and then dart swiftly. Maurer understands here…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 13:22
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 13
- 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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