Isaiah 33 · Verse 21

Isaiah 33:21

But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
Isaiah 33:21, King James Version

Isaiah 33:21 in other translations

BSBBut there the Majestic One, our LORD, will be for us a place of rivers and wide canals, where no galley with oars will row, and no majestic vessel will pass.
WEBBut there the LORD will be with us in majesty, a place of wide rivers and streams, in which no galley with oars will go, neither will any gallant ship pass by there.
ASVBut there Jehovah will be with us in majesty, a place of broad rivers and streams, wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
YLTBut there mighty is Jehovah for us, A place of rivers--streams broad of sides, No ship with oars doth go into it, And a mighty ship doth not pass over it.
DARBYbut there Jehovah is unto us glorious, — a place of rivers, of broad streams: no galley with oars shall go there, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
BBEBut there the Lord will be with us in his glory,... wide rivers and streams; where no boat will go with blades, and no fair ship will be sailing.
WebsterBut there the glorious LORD will be to us a place of broad rivers and streams; in which shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass through it.

What does Isaiah 33:21 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
21. there--namely, in Jerusalem. will be ... rivers--Jehovah will be as a broad river surrounding our city (compare Is 19:6; Na 3:8), and this, too, a river of such a kind as no ship of war can pass (compare Is 26:1). Jerusalem had not the advantage of a river; Jehovah will be as one to it, affording all the advantages, without any of the disadvantages of one. galley with oars--war vessels of a long shape, and propelled by oars; merchant vessels were broader and carried sail. gallant--same Hebrew word as for "glorious," previously; "mighty" will suit both places; a ship of war is meant. No "mighty vessel" will dare to pass where the "mighty Lord" stands as our defense.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 21 The glorious Lord "The glorious name of Jehovah" - I take שם shem for a noun, with the Septuagint and Syriac. See Psa 20:1; Pro 18:10.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Isaiah 33:15-24

The true believer watches against all occasions of sin. The Divine power will keep him safe, and his faith in that power will keep him easy. He shall want nothing needful for him. Every blessing of salvation is freely bestowed on all that ask with humble, believing prayer; and the believer is safe in time and for ever. Those that walk uprightly shall not only have bread given, and their water sure, but they shall…

Read the full comment on Isaiah 33:15-24 →

Isaiah 33:21 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.

כִּ֣יkithatH3588
אִם\־'im-exceptH518
שָׁ֞םshamthereH8033
אַדִּ֤יר'a.Dir[will be] majesticH117
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
לָ֔נוּLa.nufor us
מְקוֹם\־me.kom-a place ofH4725
נְהָרִ֥יםne.ha.RimriversH5104
יְאֹרִ֖יםye.'o.RimcanalsH2975
רַחֲבֵ֣יra.cha.Veibroad ofH7342
יָדָ֑יִםya.Da.yimboth handsH3027
בַּל\־bal-notH1077
תֵּ֤לֶךְTe.lekhit will goH1980
בּוֹ֙boon it
אֳנִי\־'o.ni-a ship ofH590
שַׁ֔יִטSha.yitrowingH7885
וְצִ֥יve.Tziand a shipH6716
אַדִּ֖יר'a.DirmajesticH117
לֹ֥אlo'notH3808
יַעַבְרֶֽנּוּ\׃ya.'av.Re.nuit will pass along itH5674

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

Cross references for Isaiah 33:21

  • Psalms 46:4-5

    There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

  • Isaiah 41:18

    I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.

  • Isaiah 48:18

    O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:

  • Isaiah 66:12

    For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees.

  • 2 Corinthians 4:4-6

    In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

  • Acts 7:2

    And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

  • Psalms 29:3

    The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
the glorious.
Ps 29:3; Ac 7:2; 2Co 4:4-6
a place.
Ps 46:4,5
broad rivers and streams. Heb. broad of spaces, or hands.

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

Context

  • Isaiah 33:20

    Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken.

  • Isaiah 33:21

    But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

  • Isaiah 33:22

    For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us.

Read all of Isaiah 33

Isaiah 33:21 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Porque ciertamente allí será Jehová para con nosotros fuerte, lugar de ríos, de arroyos muy anchos, por el cual no andará galera, ni por él pasará grande navío.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		mais là l’ Éternel est pour nous magnifique, – un lieu de fleuves, de larges rivières: il n’y viendra aucun vaisseau à rames, aucun noble navire n’y passera.
German
Elberfelder 1871		sondern daselbst ist ein Mächtiger, Jehova, bei uns; ein Ort von Flüssen, von breiten Strömen: kein Ruderschiff kommt hinein, und durch denselben zieht kein mächtiges Schiff.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		quia solummodo ibi magnificus est Dominus noster: locus fluviorum rivi latissimi et patentes: non transibit per eum navis remigum, neque trieris magna transgredietur eum.