God’s Word Translation
Isaiah 21:9
9Look! Here come chariots and horsemen in pairs.” Then he said, “Babylon has fallen! It has fallen! All the idols they worship lie 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
7He will see chariots, pairs of horsemen, riders on donkeys, and riders on camels. Let him watch carefully, very carefully. 8The watchman called, “Sir, I stand on the watchtower every day. Every night, I stand guard at my post. Look! Here come chariots and horsemen in pairs.” Then he said, “Babylon has fallen! It has fallen! All the idols they worship lie shattered on the ground.” 10You, my people, have been threshed and winnowed. I make known to you what I heard from the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel. 11This is the divine revelation about Dumah. Someone is calling to me from Seir, “Watchman, how much of the night is left? Watchman, how much of the night is left?”
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 50:3A nation from the north will attack Babylon and destroy its land so that no one will live in it. People and animals will run away.
- Jeremiah 51:27Raise your battle flag throughout the world. Blow the ram’s horn among the nations. Prepare nations to attack Babylon. Tell the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz to attack it. Appoint a commander to lead the attack. Bring up horses like a swarm of locusts.
- Isaiah 13:19Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the proud beauty of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them.
- Isaiah 14:4Then you will mock the king of Babylon with this saying, “How the tyrant has come to an end! How his attacks have come to an end!”
- Jeremiah 50:2“Announce this among the nations, and spread the news. Raise a flag, and announce it. Don’t hide anything. Say, ‘Babylon will be captured. Bel will be put to shame. Marduk will be filled with terror. Babylon’s statues will be put to shame. Its idols will be filled with terror.’
- Jeremiah 51:8Babylon will suddenly fall and be shattered. Cry for it. Bring medicine for its pain. Maybe it can be healed.
- Revelation 14:8Another angel, a second one, followed him, and said, “Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has made all the nations drink the wine of her passionate sexual sins.”
- Revelation 18:2He cried out in a powerful voice, “Fallen! Babylon the Great has fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a prison for every evil spirit, every unclean bird, and every unclean and hated beast.
- Isaiah 46:1The god Bel bows down; the god Nebo stoops low. Their statues are seated on animals and cattle. The gods that you carry are burdens, a load for weary people.
- Jeremiah 51:44I will punish Bel in Babylon. I will make Bel spit out everything that it has swallowed. Nations will no longer stream to Babylon, and its walls will fall.
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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