New Living Translation
Isaiah 34:13
13Thorns will overrun its palaces; nettles and thistles will grow in its forts. The ruins will become a haunt for jackals and a home for owls.
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
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. 12It will be called the Land of Nothing, and all its nobles will soon be gone. Thorns will overrun its palaces; nettles and thistles will grow in its forts. The ruins will become a haunt for jackals and a home for owls. 14Desert animals will mingle there with hyenas, their howls filling the night. Wild goats will bleat at one another among the ruins, and night creatures will come there to rest. 15There the owl will make her nest and lay her eggs. She will hatch her young and cover them with her wings. And the buzzards will come, each one 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 32:13For your land will be overgrown with thorns and briers. Your joyful homes and happy towns will be gone.
- Hosea 9:6Even if you escape destruction from Assyria, Egypt will conquer you, and Memphis will bury you. Nettles will take over your treasures of silver; thistles will invade your ruined homes.
- Zephaniah 2:9Now, as surely as I live,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, “Moab and Ammon will be destroyed— destroyed as completely as Sodom and Gomorrah. Their land will become a place of stinging nettles, salt pits, and eternal desolation. The remnant of my people will plunder them and take their land.”
- Isaiah 13:21Desert 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.
- Isaiah 35:7The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived.
- Jeremiah 9:11“I will make Jerusalem into a heap of ruins,” says the Lord. “It will be a place haunted by jackals. The towns of Judah will be ghost towns, with no one living in them.”
- Jeremiah 10:22Listen! Hear the terrifying roar of great armies as they roll down from the north. The towns of Judah will be destroyed and become a haunt for jackals.
- Jeremiah 49:33“Hazor will be inhabited by jackals, and it will be desolate forever. No one will live there; no one will inhabit it.”
- Jeremiah 50:39“Soon Babylon will be inhabited by desert animals and hyenas. It will be a home for owls. Never again will people live there; it will lie desolate forever.
- Jeremiah 51:37and Babylon will become a heap of ruins, haunted by jackals. She will be an object of horror and contempt, a place where no one lives.
- Malachi 1:3but I rejected his brother, Esau, and devastated his hill country. I turned Esau’s inheritance into a desert for jackals.”
- 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 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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