Isaiah 13:21

Isaiah 13:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.
• New International Version (NIV)But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will dwell, and there wild goats will dance.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But wild beasts of the desert will lie there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches will dwell there, And wild goats will caper there.

Context of Isaiah 13:21

19Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the flower of Chaldean pride, will be devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them. 20Babylon will never be inhabited again. It will remain empty for generation after generation. Nomads will refuse to camp there, and shepherds will not bed down their sheep. Desert animals will move into the ruined city, and the houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Owls will live among the ruins, and wild goats will go there to dance. 22Hyenas will howl in its fortresses, and jackals will make dens in its luxurious palaces. Babylon’s days are numbered; its time of destruction will soon arrive.

Isaiah 13:21 word by word

וְרָבְצוּ־שָׁ֣ם צִיִּ֔ים וּמָלְא֥וּ בָתֵּיהֶ֖ם אֹחִ֑ים וְשָׁ֤כְנוּ שָׁם֙ בְּנ֣וֹת יַֽעֲנָ֔ה וּשְׂעִירִ֖ים יְרַקְּדוּ־שָֽׁם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• But wild beasts of the desertצִיtsîyîy · wild beastH6728
• shall lieרָבַץrâbats · to stretchH7257
• there; and their housesבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• shall be fullמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390
• of doleful creaturesאֹחַ'ôach · howling animalH255
• and owlsיַעֲנָהya‛ănâh · ostrichH3284
• and owlsבַּתbath · daughterH1323
• shall dwellשָׁכַןshâkan · to dwellH7931
• there, and satyrsשָׂעִירώâ‛îyr ώâ‛ir · satyrH8163
• shall danceרָקַדrâqad · to skip aboutH7540

Cross-references for Isaiah 13:21

• Isaiah 34:11It will be haunted by the desert owl and the screech owl, the great owl and the raven. For God will measure that land carefully; he will measure it for chaos and destruction.
• Revelation 18:2He gave a mighty shout: “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal.

Commentaries on Isaiah 13:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Satyrs - A kind of beast like to man, which is called מרמוטש marmots, a monkey. - Rabbi Parchon.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there - Hebrew, (ציים tsı̂yı̂ym ). This word denotes properly those animals that dwell in dry and desolate places, from צי tsı̂y “a waste, a desert.” The ancient versions have differed considerably in the interpretation. The Septuagint in different places renders it, ́ Thēria - Wild animals;‘ or ́ daimonia - Demons.‘ The Syriac, Wild animals, spirits, sirens.‘ Vulgate, Beasts, demons, dragons.‘ Abarbanel renders…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-22Verses 19-22 Babylon was a noble city; yet it should be wholly destroyed. None shall dwell there. It shall be a haunt for wild beasts. All this is fulfilled. The fate of this proud city is a proof of the truth of the Bible, and an emblem of the approaching ruin of the New Testament Babylon; a warning to sinners to flee from the wrath to come, and it encourages believers to expect victory over every enemy of their souls, and of the church of God. The whole…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-22This image of Babylon as a forever haunted ruin contrasts with its greatness at its height (see Daniel 4:29–30).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. wild beasts--Hebrew, tsiyim, animals dwelling in arid wastes. Wild cats, remarkable for their howl [Bochart]. doleful creatures--"howling beasts," literally, "howlings" [Maurer]. owls--rather, "ostriches"; a timorous creature, delighting in solitary deserts and making a hideous noise [Bochart]. satyrs--sylvan demi-gods--half man, half goat--believed by the Arabs to haunt these ruins; probably animals of the goat-ape species [Vitringa]…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 13:21

• Animals
• Cyrus
• Ostriches
• Owl

In the dictionaries

• Doleful creatures
• Babylon
• Dance
• Devil
• Glory
• Goat
• Haughtiness
• Howl
• Owl
• Satyr

Commentaries on Isaiah 13

• 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