New International Version
Isaiah 21:9
9Look, 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!’ ”
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.
- 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.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Now at last—look! Here comes a man in a chariot with a pair of horses!” Then the watchman said, “Babylon is fallen, fallen! All the idols of Babylon lie broken on the ground!”
Context of Isaiah 21:9
7When he sees chariots with teams of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him be alert, fully alert.” 8And the lookout shouted, “Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post. 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!’ ” 10My people who are crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the Lord Almighty, from the God of Israel. 11A prophecy against Dumah: Someone calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?”
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 her and lay waste her land. No one will live in it; both people and animals will flee away.
- Jeremiah 51:27“Lift up a banner in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations for battle against her; summon against her these kingdoms: Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz. Appoint a commander against her; send up horses like a swarm of locusts.
- Isaiah 13:19Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.
- Isaiah 14:4you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!
- Jeremiah 50:2“Announce and proclaim among the nations, lift up a banner and proclaim it; keep nothing back, but say, ‘Babylon will be captured; Bel will be put to shame, Marduk filled with terror. Her images will be put to shame and her idols filled with terror.’
- Jeremiah 51:8Babylon will suddenly fall and be broken. Wail over her! Get balm for her pain; perhaps she can be healed.
- Revelation 14:8A second angel followed and said, “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’ which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”
- Revelation 18:2With a mighty voice he shouted: “ ‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’ She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.
- Isaiah 46:1Bel bows down, Nebo stoops low; their idols are borne by beasts of burden. The images that are carried about are burdensome, a burden for the weary.
- Jeremiah 51:44I will punish Bel in Babylon and make him spew out what he has swallowed. The nations will no longer stream to him. And the wall of Babylon 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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