Isaiah 21:1

Isaiah 21:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.
• New International Version (NIV)A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea: Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the Negeb sweep on, it comes from the wilderness, from a terrible land.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The burden against the Wilderness of the Sea. As whirlwinds in the South pass through, So it comes from the desert, from a terrible land.

Context of Isaiah 21:1

The burden of the desert by the sea: As windstorms sweep over the South, so it comes from the desert, a terrifying land. 2A harsh vision has been shown to me: “The traitor betrays, and the plunderer plunders. Go up, Elam! Besiege, Media! I have put an end to all her groaning.” 3Therefore my body is filled with pain. Pangs have taken hold of me like the pangs of a woman in labor. I am bewildered by what I hear, terrified by what I see.

Isaiah 21:1 word by word

מַשָּׂ֖א מִדְבַּר־יָ֑ם כְּסוּפ֤וֹת בַּנֶּ֙גֶב֙ לַֽחֲלֹ֔ף מִמִּדְבָּ֣ר בָּ֔א מֵאֶ֖רֶץ נוֹרָאָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The burdenמַשָּׂאmaώώâ' · oracleH4853
• of the desertמִדְבָּרmidbâr · wildernessH4057
• of the seaיָםyâm · seaH3220
• As whirlwindsסוּפָהsûphâh · whirlwindH5492
• in the southנֶ֫גֶבnegeb · NegebH5045
• passחָלַףchâlaph · to passH2498
• it comethבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• from a terribleיָרֵאyârê' · to fearH3372
• landאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776

Cross-references for Isaiah 21:1

• Isaiah 13:1The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw:
• Isaiah 17:1The burden of Damascus: Behold, Damascus will cease as a city and will become a ruinous heap.
• Isaiah 13:20It will never be inhabited, nor will it be dwelt in from generation to generation, nor will an Arab pitch a tent there, nor will shepherds let flocks lie there.
• Isaiah 14:23“I will also make it a possession for the porcupine, with marshes of water, and I will sweep it with the broom of destruction.” It is a declaration of Adonai-Tzva’ot.
• Jeremiah 51:42The sea has risen over Babylon— she is covered with its roaring waves.
• Job 37:9Out of its chamber comes the storm, and icy cold from the driving wind.
• Daniel 11:40“Now at the time of the end the king of the south will attack him, and the king of the north will storm out against him with chariots, horsemen and many ships. He will invade lands and pass through them like an overflowing river.
• Zechariah 9:14Then Adonai will be seen over them as His arrow flashes like lightning. Adonai Elohim will blow the shofar and march in whirlwinds of the south.
• Isaiah 13:4A sound of tumult in the mountains like that of many people! A sound of uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathered! Adonai-Tzva’ot is mustering the army for battle.
• Ezekiel 30:11He and his people with him, the ruthless of the nations, will be brought in to destroy the land. They will draw their swords against Egypt and fill the land with the slain.
• Ezekiel 31:12Ruthless barbarians from the nations cut it down. They cast it down on the mountains and in all the valleys its branches fell. Its branches have laid broken in all the streambeds of the land. All the people of the earth have come out from its shade and abandoned it.

Commentaries on Isaiah 21:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1The desert of the sea - This plainly means Babylon, which is the subject of the prophecy. The country about Babylon, and especially below it towards the sea, was a great flat morass, overflowed by the Euphrates and Tigris. It became habitable by being drained by the many canals that were made in it. Herodotus, lib. 1:184, says that "Semiramis confined the Euphrates within its channel by raising great dams against it; for before it overflowed the whole…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1The burden - (see the note at Isaiah 13:1). Of the desert - There have been almost as many interpretations of this expression, as there have been interpreters. That it means Babylon, or the country about Babylon, there can be no doubt; but the question why this phrase was applied, has given rise to a great diversity of opinions. The term desert‘ (מדבר midbâr ) is usually applied to a wilderness, or to a comparatively barren and uncultivated country - a…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1The taking of Babylon. (Is. 21:1-10) Of the Edomites. (Is. 21:11,12) Of the Arabs. (Is. 21:13-17) Verses 1-10 Babylon was a flat country, abundantly watered. The destruction of Babylon, so often prophesied of by Isaiah, was typical of the destruction of the great foe of the New Testament church, foretold in the Revelation. To the poor oppressed captives it would be welcome news; to the proud oppressors it would be grievous. Let this check vain mirth and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1This is the burden against the Desert by the Sea: This description of Babylon might ironically suggest that the land was physically lush but spiritually empty. from the desert, from a land of terror: (compare Deuteronomy 8:15).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-10He does not narrate the event, but graphically supposes himself a watchman in Babylon, beholding the events as they pass. 1. desert--the champaign between Babylon and Persia; it was once a desert, and it was to become so again. of the sea--The plain was covered with the water of the Euphrates like a "sea" (Jr 51:13, 36; so Is 11:15, the Nile), until Semiramis raised great dams against it. Cyrus removed these dykes, and so converted the whole country again…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 21:1

• Babylon
• Isaiah
• Persia
• Whirlwind

In the dictionaries

• the sea, the Great Sea, the western sea
• Anoint
• Cornfloor
• Sea, The
• Wilderness
• Winds
• Desert
• Evil
• Ezekiel
• Hezekiah (2)

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