New English Translation
Isaiah 21:2
2I have received a distressing message: “The deceiver deceives, the destroyer destroys. Attack, you Elamites! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all the groaning!”
Isaiah 21:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- 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.
Context of Isaiah 21:2
1Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea: Like strong winds blowing in the south, one invades from the desert, from a land that is feared. I have received a distressing message: “The deceiver deceives, the destroyer destroys. Attack, you Elamites! Lay siege, you Medes! I will put an end to all the groaning!” 3For this reason my stomach churns; cramps overwhelm me like the contractions of a woman in labor. I am disturbed by what I hear, horrified by what I see. 4My heart palpitates, I shake in fear; the twilight I desired has brought me terror.
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
Words taken from the KJV.
- 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 60:3You have made your people experience hard times; you have made us drink intoxicating wine.
- Proverbs 13:15Keen insight wins favor, but the conduct of the unfaithful is harsh.
- Isaiah 24:16From the ends of the earth we hear songs – the Just One is majestic. But I say, “I’m wasting away! I’m wasting away! I’m doomed! Deceivers deceive, deceivers thoroughly deceive!”
- Isaiah 33:1The destroyer is as good as dead, you who have not been destroyed! The deceitful one is as good as dead, the one whom others have not deceived! When you are through destroying, you will be destroyed; when you finish deceiving, others will deceive you!
- 1 Samuel 24:13It’s like the old proverb says: ‘From evil people evil proceeds.’ But my hand will not be against you.
- Jeremiah 51:44I will punish the god Bel in Babylon. I will make him spit out what he has swallowed. The nations will not come streaming to him any longer. Indeed, the walls of Babylon will fall.”
- Revelation 13:10If anyone is meant for captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed by the sword, then by the sword he must be killed. This requires steadfast endurance and faith from the saints.
- Isaiah 13:2On a bare hill raise a signal flag, shout to them, wave your hand, so they might enter the gates of the princes!
- Jeremiah 50:14“Take up your battle positions all around Babylon, all you soldiers who are armed with bows. Shoot all your arrows at her! Do not hold any back! For she has sinned against the Lord.
- Jeremiah 49:34Early in the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, the Lord spoke to the prophet Jeremiah about Elam.
- Jeremiah 51:11“Sharpen your arrows! Fill your quivers! The Lord will arouse a spirit of hostility in the kings of Media. For he intends to destroy Babylonia. For that is how the Lord will get his revenge – how he will get his revenge for the Babylonians’ destruction of his temple.
- Daniel 5:28As for peres – your kingdom is divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”
- Daniel 8:20The ram that you saw with the two horns stands for the kings of Media and Persia.
- Isaiah 14:1The Lord will certainly have compassion on Jacob; he will again choose Israel as his special people and restore them to their land. Resident foreigners will join them and unite with the family of Jacob.
- Isaiah 35:10those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way. They will enter Zion with a happy shout. Unending joy will crown them, happiness and joy will overwhelm them; grief and suffering will disappear.
- Isaiah 47:6I was angry at my people; I defiled my special possession and handed them over to you. You showed them no mercy; you even placed a very heavy burden on old people.
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
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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