Logos Bible Study

Isaiah 21:4–9

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21:4My heart palpitates,7

I shake in fear;8

the twilight I desired

has brought me terror.

21:5Arrange the table,

lay out9 the carpet,

eat and drink!10

Get up, you officers,

smear oil on the shields!11

21:6For this is what the sovereign master12 has told me:

“Go, post a guard!

He must report what he sees.

21:7When he sees chariots,

teams of horses,13

riders on donkeys,

riders on camels,

he must be alert,

very alert.”

21:8Then the guard14 cries out:

“On the watchtower, O sovereign master,15

I stand all day long;

at my post

I am stationed every night.

21:9Look what’s coming!

A charioteer,

a team of horses.”16

When questioned, he replies,17

“Babylon has fallen, fallen!

All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”

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Footnotes

  1. 7 Heb “wanders,” perhaps here, “is confused.”
  2. 8 Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
  3. 9 The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. “watch in the watchtower”; “set the watch”).
  4. 10 The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.
  5. 11 Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (), 1:.
  6. 12 The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
  7. 13 Or “a pair of horsemen.”
  8. 14 The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (’aryeh, “lion”) is probably a corruption of an original הָרֹאֶה (haro’eh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6.
  9. 15 The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). Some translations take this to refer to the Lord (cf. , , ), while others take it to refer to the guard’s human master (“my lord”; cf. , ).
  10. 16 Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
  11. 17 Heb “and he answered and said” (so , ).

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

My heart staggers; horror has appalled me;

the twilight I longed for

has been turned for me into trembling.

They prepare the table,

they spread the rugs,

they eat, they drink.

Arise, O princes;

oil the shield!

For thus the Lord said to me:

“Go, set a watchman;

let him announce what he sees.

When he sees riders, horsemen in pairs,

riders on donkeys, riders on camels,

let him listen diligently,

very diligently.”

Then he who saw cried out:

“Upon a watchtower I stand, O Lord,

continually by day,

and at my post I am stationed

whole nights.

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.”

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

My heart falters,

fear makes me tremble;

the twilight I longed for

has become a horror to me.

They set the tables,

they spread the rugs,

they eat, they drink!

Get up, you officers,

oil the shields!

This is what the Lord says to me:

“Go, post a lookout

and have him report what he sees.

When he sees chariots

with teams of horses,

riders on donkeys

or riders on camels,

let him be alert,

fully alert.”

And 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!’ ”

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

My heart staggers;

horror terrifies me.

He has turned my last glimmer of hope

into sheer terror.

Prepare a table, and spread out a carpet!

Eat and drink!

Rise up, you princes, and oil the shields!

For the Lord has said to me,

“Go, post a lookout;

let him report what he sees.

When he sees riders—

pairs of horsemen,

riders on donkeys,

riders on camels—

he must pay close attention.”

Then the lookout reported,

“Lord, I stand on the watchtower all day,

and I stay at my post all night.

Look, riders come—

horsemen in pairs.”

And he answered, saying,

“Babylon has fallen, has fallen.

All the images of her gods

have been shattered on the ground.”

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

My mind reels and my heart races.

I longed for evening to come,

but now I am terrified of the dark.

Look! They are preparing a great feast.

They are spreading rugs for people to sit on.

Everyone is eating and drinking.

But quick! Grab your shields and prepare for battle.

You are being attacked!

Meanwhile, the Lord said to me,

“Put a watchman on the city wall.

Let him shout out what he sees.

He should look for chariots

drawn by pairs of horses,

and for riders on donkeys and camels.

Let the watchman be fully alert.”

Then the watchman called out,

“Day after day I have stood on the watchtower, my lord.

Night after night I have remained at my post.

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!”

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

My mind staggers; fear terrifies me;

the twilight I desired brought me fear.

Set out the table in order!

Spread out the rugs!

Eat! drink!

Rise up, commanders;

smear the shield!

For the Lord said this to me:

“Go, set a watchman in position.

He must announce what he sees.

When he sees riders,

a pair of horsemen,

riders of donkeys,

riders of camels,

then he must listen attentively,

paying attention, paying special attention.”

Then the watchman called,

“Lord, I am standing on the watchtower continually by day,

and I am standing at my post throughout the night.

And look at this! A man’s chariot is coming,

a pair of horsemen!”

Then he responded and said,

“It has fallen! Babylon has fallen!

And all the images of her gods are smashed on the ground!”

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me:

The night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.

Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink:

Arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.

For thus hath the Lord said unto me,

Go, set a watchman,

Let him declare what he seeth.

And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen,

A chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels;

And he hearkened diligently with much heed:

And he cried, A lion:

My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime,

And I am set in my ward whole nights:

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.

Public Domain