King James Version
Isaiah 21:2
2A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.1
Isaiah 21:2 in other versions
- New International Version (NIV)A dire vision has been shown to me: The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot. Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.
- English Standard Version (ESV)A stern vision is told to me; the traitor betrays, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, O Elam; lay siege, O Media; all the sighing she has caused I bring to an end.
- New King James Version (NKJV)A distressing vision is declared to me; The treacherous dealer deals treacherously, And the plunderer plunders. Go up, O Elam! Besiege, O Media! All its sighing I have made to cease.
- New Living Translation (NLT)I see a terrifying vision: I see the betrayer betraying, the destroyer destroying. Go ahead, you Elamites and Medes, attack and lay siege. I will make an end to all the groaning Babylon caused.
Context of Isaiah 21:2
1The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land. A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease. 3Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it. 4My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.
Read all of Isaiah 21Isaiah 21:2 word by word
חָז֥וּת קָשָׁ֖ה הֻגַּד־לִ֑י הַבּוֹגֵ֤ד׀ בּוֹגֵד֙ וְהַשּׁוֹדֵ֣ד׀ שׁוֹדֵ֔ד עֲלִ֤י עֵילָם֙ צוּרִ֣י מָדַ֔י כָּל־אַנְחָתָ֖ה הִשְׁבַּֽתִּי׃Read the interlinear
- A grievousקָשֶׁהqâsheh · severeH7186
- visionחָזוּתchâzûth · visionH2380
- is declaredנָגַדnâgad · to tellH5046
- unto me; the treacherous dealerבָּגַדbâgad · to act treacherouslyH898
- and the spoilerשָׁדַדshâdad · to ruinH7703
- Go upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- O Elamעֵילָם‛êylâm ‛ôlâm · ElamH5867
- besiegeצוּרtsûr · to confineH6696
- O Mediaמָדַיmâday · MediaH4074
- all the sighingאֲנָחָה'ănâchâh · sighingH585
- thereof have I made to ceaseשָׁבַתshâbath · to ceaseH7673
Cross-references for Isaiah 21:2
- Psalms 60:3Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.
- Proverbs 13:15Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.
- Isaiah 24:16From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.
- Isaiah 33:1Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.
- 1 Samuel 24:13As saith the proverb of the ancients, Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked: but mine hand shall not be upon thee.
- Jeremiah 51:44And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.
- Revelation 13:10He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
- Isaiah 13:2Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
- Jeremiah 50:14Put yourselves in array against Babylon round about: all ye that bend the bow, shoot at her, spare no arrows: for she hath sinned against the Lord.
- Jeremiah 49:34The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,
- Jeremiah 51:11Make bright the arrows; gather the shields: the Lord hath raised up the spirit of the kings of the Medes: for his device is against Babylon, to destroy it; because it is the vengeance of the Lord, the vengeance of his temple.
- Daniel 5:28PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.
- Daniel 8:20The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
- Isaiah 14:1For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.
- Isaiah 35:10And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
- Isaiah 47:6I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.
Commentaries on Isaiah 21:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2The treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth "The plunderer is plundered, and the destroyer is destroyed" - שודד והשודד בוגד הבוגד habboged boged vehashshoded shoded . The MSS. vary in expressing or omitting the ו vau, in these four words. Ten MSS. of Kennicott are without the ו vau in the second word, and eight MSS. are without the ו vau in the fourth word; which justifies Symmachus, who has rendered them passively: ̔ ̔ . He…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2A grievous vision - Margin, as in Hebrew Hard.‘ On the word vision,‘ see the note at Isaiah 1:1. The sense here is, that the vision which the prophet saw was one that indicated great calamity Isaiah 21:3-4. Is declared unto me - That is, is caused to pass before me, and its meaning is made known to me. The treacherous dealer - (חבוגד chabôgēd ). The perfidious, unfaithful people. This is the usual signification of the word; but the connection here does…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2A dire vision is declared to me: The prophet makes Babylon's experience personal, which strengthens his poetry. The concise language and repeated sounds, like The traitor still betrays (Hebrew habboged boged) and the destroyer still destroys (Hebrew hashoded shoded; also in Isaiah 33:1), add to this effect. The Elamites lived northeast of Babylon. They, along with the Medes, were major rivals of the Babylonians. I will put an end to all her groaning…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. dealeth treacherously--referring to the military stratagem employed by Cyrus in taking Babylon. It may be translated, "is repaid with treachery"; then the subject of the verb is Babylon. She is repaid in her own coin; Is 33:1; Ha 2:8, favor this. Go up--Isaiah abruptly recites the order which he hears God giving to the Persians, the instruments of His vengeance (Is 13:3, 17). Elam--a province of Persia, the original place of their settlement (Ge…Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 21:2
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. Isaiah 21:2 grievous: Heb. hard ↩
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
King James Version — Public Domain except in the United Kingdom (Crown rights)
Commentaries