New English Translation
Isaiah 34:13
13Her fortresses will be overgrown with thorns; thickets and weeds will grow in her fortified cities. Jackals will settle there; ostriches will live there.
Isaiah 34:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.
- New International Version (NIV)Thorns will overrun her citadels, nettles and brambles her strongholds. She will become a haunt for jackals, a home for owls.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Thorns shall grow over its strongholds, nettles and thistles in its fortresses. It shall be the haunt of jackals, an abode for ostriches.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And thorns shall come up in its palaces, Nettles and brambles in its fortresses; It shall be a habitation of jackals, A courtyard for ostriches.
Context of Isaiah 34:13
11Owls and wild animals will live there, all kinds of wild birds will settle in it. The Lord will stretch out over her the measuring line of ruin and the plumb line of destruction. 12Her nobles will have nothing left to call a kingdom and all her officials will disappear. Her fortresses will be overgrown with thorns; thickets and weeds will grow in her fortified cities. Jackals will settle there; ostriches will live there. 14Wild animals and wild dogs will congregate there; wild goats will bleat to one another. Yes, nocturnal animals will rest there and make for themselves a nest. 15Owls will make nests and lay eggs there; they will hatch them and protect them. Yes, hawks will gather there, each with its mate.
Read all of Isaiah 34Isaiah 34:13 word by word
וְעָלְתָ֤ה אַרְמְנֹתֶ֙יהָ֙ סִירִ֔ים קִמּ֥וֹשׂ וָח֖וֹחַ בְּמִבְצָרֶ֑יהָ וְהָיְתָה֙ נְוֵ֣ה תַנִּ֔ים חָצִ֖יר לִבְנ֥וֹת יַעֲנָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And thornsסִירsîyr sîyrâh sirâh · thornH5518
- shall come upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
- in her palacesאַרְמוֹן'armôn · citadel: fortressH759
- nettlesקִמּוֹשׂqimmôsh qîymôsh · nettleH7057
- and bramblesחוֹחַchôach · thistleH2336
- in the fortressesמִבְצָרmibtsâr mibtsârâh · fortificationH4013
- thereof: and it shall be an habitationנָוֶהnâveh nâvâh · pastureH5116
- of dragonsתַּןtannîyn tannîym · jackalH8577
- a courtחָצִירchâtsîyr · abodeH2681
- for owlsיַעֲנָהya‛ănâh · ostrichH3284
- for owlsבַּתbath · daughterH1323
Cross-references for Isaiah 34:13
- Isaiah 32:13Mourn over the land of my people, which is overgrown with thorns and briers, and over all the once-happy houses in the city filled with revelry.
- Hosea 9:6Look! Even if they flee from the destruction, Egypt will take hold of them, and Memphis will bury them. The weeds will inherit the silver they treasure – thorn bushes will occupy their homes.
- Zephaniah 2:9Therefore, as surely as I live,” says the Lord who commands armies, the God of Israel, “be certain that Moab will become like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah. They will be overrun by weeds, filled with salt pits, and permanently desolate. Those of my people who are left will plunder their belongings; those who are left in Judah will take possession of their land.”
- Isaiah 13:21Wild animals will rest there, the ruined houses will be full of hyenas. Ostriches will live there, wild goats will skip among the ruins.
- Isaiah 35:7The dry soil will become a pool of water, the parched ground springs of water. Where jackals once lived and sprawled out, grass, reeds, and papyrus will grow.
- Jeremiah 9:11The Lord said, “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins. Jackals will make their home there. I will destroy the towns of Judah so that no one will be able to live in them.”
- Jeremiah 10:22Listen! News is coming even now. The rumble of a great army is heard approaching from a land in the north. It is coming to turn the towns of Judah into rubble, places where only jackals live.
- Jeremiah 49:33“Hazor will become a permanent wasteland, a place where only jackals live. No one will live there. No human being will settle in it.”
- Jeremiah 50:39Therefore desert creatures and jackals will live there. Ostriches will dwell in it too. But no people will ever live there again. No one will dwell there for all time to come.
- Jeremiah 51:37Babylon will become a heap of ruins. Jackals will make their home there. It will become an object of horror and of hissing scorn, a place where no one lives.
- Malachi 1:3and rejected Esau. I turned Esau’s mountains into a deserted wasteland and gave his territory to the wild jackals.”
- Revelation 18:2He shouted with a powerful voice: “Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detested beast.
Commentaries on Isaiah 34:13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13And thorns shall come up in her palaces - בארמנותיה ועלו vealu bearmenotheyha ; so read all the ancient versions. A court for owls - יענה yaanah, the ostrich, from ענה anah, to cry, because of the noise it makes. "They roar, "says Dr. Shaw, "sometimes like a lion - sometimes like a bull. I have often heard them groan as if in the utmost distress."Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13And thorns - (see the note at Isaiah 5:6) It shall be an habitation of dragons - On the meaning of the word dragons,‘ see the note at Isaiah 13:22. Court for owls - A place of resort, a residence of owls. The word rendered court‘ (חציר châtsı̂yr ) means a dwelling-place, a habitation, as well as an enclosure or court. The margin is, Daughters of the owl,‘ or ostriches‘ (see the note at Isaiah 13:21). I would,‘ says Stephens, when standing amidst the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 9-17Verses 9-17 Those who aim to ruin the church, can never do that, but will ruin themselves. What dismal changes sin can make! It turns a fruitful land into barrenness, a crowded city into a wilderness. Let us compare all we discover in the book of the Lord, with the dealings of providence around us, that we may be more diligent in seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness. What the mouth of the Lord has commanded, his Spirit will perform. And let us…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11-14Wild animals, nocturnal birds, and thorny plants with thistles and briars filled the land. These things made the place feel empty and frightening.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. dragons--(See on Is 13:21; Is 13:22). court for owls--rather, "a dwelling for ostriches."Read the comment
Topics related to Isaiah 34:13
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Isaiah 34
- 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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