Isaiah 21 · Verse 2

Isaiah 21:2

A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
Isaiah 21:2, King James Version

Isaiah 21:2 in other translations

BSBA dire vision is declared to me: “The traitor still betrays, and the destroyer still destroys. Go up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media! I will put an end to all her groaning.”
WEBA grievous vision is declared to me. The treacherous man deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, Elam; attack! I have stopped all of Media’s sighing.
ASVA grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous man dealeth treacherously, and the destroyer destroyeth. Go up, O Elam; besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
YLTA hard vision hath been declared to me, The treacherous dealer is dealing treacherously, And the destroyer is destroying. Go up, O Elam, besiege, O Media, All its sighing I have caused to cease.
DARBYA grievous vision is declared unto me: the treacherous dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, Elam! besiege, Media! All the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
BBEA vision of fear comes before my eyes; the worker of deceit goes on in his false way, and the waster goes on making waste. Up! Elam; to the attack! Media; I have put an end to her sorrow.
WebsterA grievous vision is declared to me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler plundereth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all her sighing have I made to cease.

What does Isaiah 21:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. dealeth treacherously--referring to the military stratagem employed by Cyrus in taking Babylon. It may be translated, "is repaid with treachery"; then the subject of the verb is Babylon. She is repaid in her own coin; Is 33:1; Ha 2:8, favor this. Go up--Isaiah abruptly recites the order which he hears God giving to the Persians, the instruments of His vengeance (Is 13:3, 17). Elam--a province of Persia, the original place of their settlement (Ge 10:22), east of the Euphrates. The name "Persia" was not in use until the captivity; it means a "horseman"; Cyrus first trained the Persians in horsemanship. It is a mark of authenticity that the name is not found before Daniel and Ezekiel [Bochart]. thereof--the "sighing" caused by Babylon (Is 14:7, 8).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 The treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth "The plunderer is plundered, and the destroyer is destroyed" - הבוגד בוגד והשודד שודד habboged boged vehashshoded shoded. The MSS. vary in expressing or omitting the ו vau, in these four words. Ten MSS. of Kennicott are without the ו vau in the second word, and eight MSS. are without the ו vau in the fourth word; which justifies Symmachus, who has rendered them passively: ὁ αθετων αθετειται και ὁ ταλαιπωριζων ταλαιπωρει. He read בגוד שדוד bagud shadud. Cocceius (Lexicon in voce) observes that the Chaldee very often renders the verb בגד bagad, by בזז bazaz, he spoiled; and in this place, and in Isa 33:1, by the equivalent word אנס anas, to press, give trouble; and in Isa 24:16 both by אנס anas and בזז bazaz; and the Syriac in this place renders it by טלם talam, he oppressed. All the sighing thereof have I made to cease "I have put an end to all her vexations" - Hebrews "Her sighing; that is, the sighing caused by her." So Kimchi on the place: "It means those who groaned through fear of him: for the suffixes of the nouns refer both to the agent and the patient. All those who groaned before the face of the king of Babylon he caused to rest;" Chald. And so likewise Ephrem Syr. in loc., edit. Assemani: "His groans, viz., the grief and tears which the Chaldeans occasioned through the rest of the nations."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 21:1-10

The 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…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 21:1-10 →

Isaiah 21:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

חָז֥וּתcha.Zuta visionH2380
קָשָׁ֖הka.ShahsevereH7186
הֻגַּד\־hu.gad-it has been toldH5046
לִ֑יLito me
הַבּוֹגֵ֤ד\׀ha.bo.Gedthe traitorH898
בּוֹגֵד֙bo.Ged[is] acting treacherouslyH898
וְהַשּׁוֹדֵ֣ד\׀ve.ha.sho.Dedand the destroyerH7703
שׁוֹדֵ֔דsho.Ded[is] destroyingH7703
עֲלִ֤י'a.Ligo upH5927
עֵילָם֙'ei.LamO ElamH5867
צוּרִ֣יtzu.Rilay siegeH6696
מָדַ֔יma.DaiO MediaH4074
כָּל\־kol-allH3605
אַנְחָתָ֖ה'an.cha.Tahgroaning itsH585
הִשְׁבַּֽתִּי\׃hish.Ba.tiI will cause to ceaseH7673

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Isaiah 21:2

  • Jeremiah 49:34

    The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying,

  • Isaiah 33:1

    Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously, they shall deal treacherously with thee.

  • Isaiah 24:16

    From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. But I said, My leanness, my leanness, woe unto me! the treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously; yea, the treacherous dealers have dealt very treacherously.

  • Psalms 60:3

    Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

  • Revelation 13:10

    He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

  • Daniel 5:28

    PERES; Thy kingdom is divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.

  • Jeremiah 51:44

    And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and I will bring forth out of his mouth that which he hath swallowed up: and the nations shall not flow together any more unto him: yea, the wall of Babylon shall fall.

  • Psalms 79:11

    Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;

  • Daniel 8:20

    The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.

  • Lamentations 1:22

    Let all their wickedness come before thee; and do unto them, as thou hast done unto me for all my transgressions: for my sighs are many, and my heart is faint.

  • Proverbs 13:15

    Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors is hard.

  • Jeremiah 51:48-49

    Then the heaven and the earth, and all that is therein, shall sing for Babylon: for the spoilers shall come unto her from the north, saith the Lord. As Babylon hath caused the slain of Israel to fall, so at Babylon shall fall the slain of all the earth.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
grievous. Heb. hard.
Ps 60:3; Pr 13:15
the treacherous.
24:16; 33:1; 1Sa 24:13; Jer 51:44,48,49,53; Re 13:10
Go up.
13:2-4,17,18; Jer 50:14,34; 49:34; 51:11,27,28; Da 5:28; 8:20
all the.
14:1-3; 35:10; 47:6; Ps 12:5; 79:11; 137:1-3; Jer 31:11,12,20,25
Jer 45:3; 51:3,4; La 1:22; Mic 7:8-10; Zec 1:15,16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Isaiah 21:1

    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.

  • Isaiah 21:2

    A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.

  • Isaiah 21:3

    Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.

Read all of Isaiah 21

Isaiah 21:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Visión dura me ha sido mostrada. El prevaricador prevarica, y el destructor destruye. Sube, Persa; cerca, Medo. Todo su gemido hice cesar.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Une cruelle vision m’est révélée: Le perfide agit perfidement, et le destructeur détruit. Monte, Élam! assiège, Médie! J’ai fait cesser tout son gémissement.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Ein hartes Gesicht ist mir kundgetan: Der Räuber raubt, und der Verwüster verwüstet. Ziehe hinauf, Elam! belagere, Medien! All ihrem Seufzen mache ich ein Ende.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Visio dura nuntiata est mihi: qui incredulus est infideliter agit; et qui depopulator est vastat. Ascende, Ælam; obside, Mede; omnem gemitum ejus cessare feci.