Isaiah 22 · Verse 2

Isaiah 22:2

Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.
Isaiah 22:2, King James Version

Isaiah 22:2 in other translations

BSBO city of commotion, O town of revelry? Your slain did not die by the sword, nor were they killed in battle.
WEBYou that are full of shouting, a tumultuous city, a joyous town, your slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they dead in battle.
ASVO thou that art full of shoutings, a tumultuous city, a joyous town; thy slain are not slain with the sword, neither are they dead in battle.
YLTFull of stirs--a noisy city--an exulting city, Thy pierced are not pierced of the sword, Nor dead in battle.
DARBYThou that wast full of stir, a town of tumult, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.
BBEYou, who are full of loud voices, a town of outcries, given up to joy; your dead men have not been put to the sword, or come to their death in war.
WebsterThou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.

What does Isaiah 22:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. art--rather, "wert"; for it could not now be said to be "a joyous city" (Is 32:13). The cause of their joy (Is 22:13) may have been because Sennacherib had accepted Hezekiah's offer to renew the payment of tribute, and they were glad to have peace on any terms, however humiliating (2Ki 18:14-16), or on account of the alliance with Egypt. If the reference be to Zedekiah's time, the joy and feasting are not inapplicable, for this recklessness was a general characteristic of the unbelieving Jews (Is 56:12). not slain with the sword--but with the famine and pestilence about to be caused by the coming siege (La 4:9). Maurer refers this to the plague by which he thinks Sennacherib's army was destroyed, and Hezekiah was made sick (Is 37:36; 38:1). But there is no authority for supposing that the Jews in the city suffered such extremities of plague at this time, when God destroyed their foes. Barnes refers it to those slain in flight, not in open honorable "battle"; Is 22:3 favors this.

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

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 22:1-7

The siege and taking of Jerusalem. (Is. 22:1-7) The wicked conduct of its inhabitants. (Is. 22:8-14) The displacing of Shebna, and the promotion of Eliakim, applied to the Messiah. (Is. 22:15-25) Verses 1-7 Why is Jerusalem in such terror? Her slain men are not slain with the sword, but with famine; or, slain with fear, disheartened. Their rulers fled, but were overtaken. The servants of God, who foresee and warn…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 22:1-7 →

Isaiah 22:2 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.

תְּשֻׁא֣וֹת\׀te.shu.'otnoisesH8663
מְלֵאָ֗הme.le.'AhfullH4392
עִ֚יר'irO cityH5892
הֽוֹמִיָּ֔הho.mi.YahturbulentH1993
קִרְיָ֖הkir.YahO townH7151
עַלִּיזָ֑ה'a.li.ZahjubilantH5947
חֲלָלַ֙יִךְ֙cha.la.La.yikhslain [ones] yourH2491
לֹ֣אlo'notH3808
חַלְלֵי\־cha.lei-[are] slain ofH2491
חֶ֔רֶבChe.reva swordH2719
וְלֹ֖אve.Lo'and notH3808
מֵתֵ֥יme.Tei[are] dead ofH4191
מִלְחָמָֽה\׃mil.cha.MahbattleH4421

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

Cross references for Isaiah 22:2

  • Isaiah 32:13

    Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:

  • Jeremiah 14:18

    If I go forth into the field, then behold the slain with the sword! and if I enter into the city, then behold them that are sick with famine! yea, both the prophet and the priest go about into a land that they know not.

  • Lamentations 2:20

    Behold, O Lord, and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the women eat their fruit, and children of a span long? shall the priest and the prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?

  • Isaiah 23:7

    Is this your joyous city, whose antiquity is of ancient days? her own feet shall carry her afar off to sojourn.

  • Jeremiah 52:6

    And in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.

  • Lamentations 4:9-10

    They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger: for these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field. The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children: they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people.

  • Jeremiah 38:2

    Thus saith the Lord, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.

  • Amos 6:3-6

    Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near; That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall; That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David; That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

  • Isaiah 37:36

    Then the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

  • Isaiah 37:33

    Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shields, nor cast a bank against it.

  • Isaiah 22:12-13

    And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth: And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
that art.
12,13; 23:7; 32:13; Am 6:3-6
thy slain.
37:33,36; Jer 14:18; 38:2; 52:6; La 2:20; 4:9,10

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

Context

  • Isaiah 22:1

    The burden of the valley of vision. What aileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops?

  • Isaiah 22:2

    Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle.

  • Isaiah 22:3

    All thy rulers are fled together, they are bound by the archers: all that are found in thee are bound together, which have fled from far.

Read all of Isaiah 22

Isaiah 22:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Tú, llena de alborotos, ciudad turbulenta, ciudad alegre; tus muertos no son muertos á cuchillo, ni muertos en guerra.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		toi qui étais pleine de mouvement, ville bruyante, cité joyeuse? Tes tués ne sont pas tués par l’épée et ne sont pas morts à la guerre;
German
Elberfelder 1871		O getümmelvolle, lärmende Stadt, du frohlockende Stadt, deine Erschlagenen sind nicht vom Schwert Erschlagene und nicht in der Schlacht Getötete!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Clamoris plena, urbs frequens, civitas exsultans; interfecti tui, non interfecti gladio, nec mortui in bello.