Isaiah 21:9

Amplified Bible

"Now look! Here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs." And one said, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; And all the carved images of her gods are shattered on the ground."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Look, riders come—horsemen in pairs.”And he answered, saying,“Babylon has fallen, has fallen.All the images of her godshave been shattered on the ground.”

Hebrew Names Version
and, behold, here comes a troop of men, horsemen in pairs. He answered, Fallen, fallen is Bavel; and all the engraved images of her gods are broken to the ground.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
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."

New American Standard Bible
"Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs." And one said, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; And all the images of her gods are shattered on the ground."

New Century Version
Look, I see a man coming in a chariot with a team of horses." The man gives back the answer, "Babylon has fallen. It has fallen! All the statues of her gods lie broken on the ground."

World English Bible
and, behold, here comes a troop of men, horsemen in pairs. He answered, Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the engraved images of her gods are broken to the ground.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And beholde, this mans charet commeth with two horsemen. And he answered and said, Babel is fallen: it is fallen, and all the images of her gods hath he broken vnto the ground.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs."And one answered and said, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon;And all the graven images of her gods are shattered on the ground."

Berean Standard Bible
Look, here come the riders, horsemen in pairs." And one answered, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon! All the images of her gods lie shattered on the ground."

Contemporary English Version
Now I see column after column of cavalry troops." Right away someone shouted, "Babylon has fallen! Every idol in the city lies broken on the ground."

Complete Jewish Bible
Then, as they appeared — the cavalry, horsemen in pairs — he spoke these words: "She has fallen! She has fallen — Bavel! All the carved images of her gods lie shattered on the ground."

Darby Translation
—And behold, there cometh a chariot of men; horsemen by pairs. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.

Easy-to-Read Version
Look! I see a man in a chariot with a team of horses." The messenger said, "Babylon has been defeated! It has fallen to the ground! All the statues of her false gods were thrown to the ground and broken to pieces."

George Lamsa Translation
And, behold, there came a man from the pair of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods are broken to the ground.

Good News Translation
Suddenly, here they come! Riders on horseback, two by two. The sentry gives the news, "Babylon has fallen! All the idols they worshiped lie shattered on the ground."

Lexham English Bible
And look at this! A man's a 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!"

Literal Translation
And, behold, here comes a chariot of a man, a pair of horses. And he answered and said, Babylon has fallen, has fallen! And He has smashed the graven images of her gods to the earth.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
With yt came there one rydinge vpon a charet, which answered, and sayde Babilon is fallen, she is turned vpsyde downe, and all ye ymages of hir goddes are smytten to ye grounde.

American Standard Version
and, behold, here cometh a troop of men, horsemen in pairs. And he answered and said, Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the graven images of her gods are broken unto the ground.

Bible in Basic English
See, here come war-carriages with men, horsemen by twos: and in answer he said, Babylon is made low, is made low, and all her images are broken on the earth.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And, behold, there came a troop of men, horsemen by pairs. And he spoke and said: 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the graven images of her gods are broken unto the ground.'

King James Version (1611)
And behold, heere commeth a charet of men with a couple of horsemen: and he answered and sayd; Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and all the grauen images of her Gods he hath broken vnto the ground.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And beholde here commeth a charret of men, with two horsemen, and he aunswered and sayd, Babylon is fallen, it is fallen, and all the images of her gods hath he smitten downe vnto the grounde.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and, behold, he comes riding in a chariot and pair: and he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all her images and her idols have been crushed to the ground.

English Revised Version
and, behold, here cometh a troop of men, horsemen in pairs. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods are broken unto the ground.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Lo! this cometh, a man stiere of a carte of horse men. And Isaie criede, and seide, Babiloyne felle doun, felle doun; and alle the grauun ymagis of goddis therof ben al to-brokun in to erthe.

Update Bible Version
and, look, here comes a troop of men, horsemen in pairs. And he answered and said, Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the graven images of her gods are broken to the ground.

Webster's Bible Translation
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 to the ground.

New English Translation
Look what's coming! A charioteer, a team of horses." When questioned, he replies, "Babylon has fallen, fallen! All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!"

New King James Version
And look, here comes a chariot of men with a pair of horsemen!" Then he answered and said, "Babylon is fallen, is fallen! And all the carved images of her gods He has broken to the ground."

New Living Translation
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!"

New Life Bible
Now see, here comes an army of men riding on horses, two by two." One answered and said, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon. All the objects of her gods are broken to pieces on the ground."

New Revised Standard
Look, there they come, riders, horsemen in pairs!" Then he responded, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the images of her gods lie shattered on the ground."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
When lo! here was a train of men coming. With horsemen in double rank, - And one began and said, Fallen! fallen! is Babylon, And all the images of her gods, are smashed to the ground!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Behold this man cometh, the rider upon the chariot with two horsemen, and he answered, and said: Babylon is fallen, she is fallen, and all the graven gods thereof are broken unto the ground.

Revised Standard Version
And, behold, here come riders, horsemen in pairs!" And he answered, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the images of her gods he has shattered to the ground."

Young's Literal Translation
And lo, this, the chariot of a man is coming, A couple of horsemen.' And he answereth and saith: `Fallen, fallen hath Babylon, And all the graven images of her gods He hath broken to the earth.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs." And one said, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; And all the images of her gods are shattered on the ground."

Contextual Overview

¹The [mournful, inspired] oracle (a burden to be carried) concerning the Desert of the Sea (the seasonally flooded plains just south of Babylon): As windstorms in the Negev (the South) sweep through, So it (God's judgment) comes from the desert, from [the hostile armies of] a terrifying land. ²A harsh vision has been shown to me; The treacherous one deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, Elam! Lay siege, Media! All the groaning [caused by Babylon's ruthless oppressions] I [the LORD] have brought to an end. ³Therefore [continues Isaiah] my loins are filled with anguish; Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in childbirth; I am so bent and bewildered that I cannot hear, I am so terrified that I cannot see. ⁴My mind reels, horror overwhelms me; The twilight I longed for has been turned into fear and trembling for me. ⁵They set the table [for the doomed banquet], they spread out the cloth, they eat, they drink; "Rise up, captains [of Belshazzar's court], oil your shields [for battle, for your enemy is at the gates]!" ⁶This is what the Lord says to me, "Go, station the lookout, let him report what he sees. ⁷"When he sees a chariot, horsemen in pairs, A train of donkeys and a train of camels, Let him pay attention and listen closely, very closely." ⁸And the lookout called like a lion, "O Lord, I stand continually on the watchtower by day, And I am stationed every night at my guard post. ⁹"Now look! Here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs." And one said, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon; And all the carved images of her gods are shattered on the ground."¹⁰O my threshed people [Judah, who must be judged and trampled down by Babylon], my afflicted of the threshing floor. What I have heard from the LORD of hosts, The God of Israel, I have [joyfully] announced to you [that Babylon is to fall].

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

behold: Jeremiah 50:3, Jeremiah 50:9, Jeremiah 50:29, Jeremiah 50:42, Jeremiah 51:27

Babylon: Isaiah 13:19, Isaiah 14:4, Jeremiah 50:2, Jeremiah 51:8, Jeremiah 51:64, Revelation 14:8, Revelation 18:2, Revelation 18:21

all: Isaiah 46:1, Isaiah 46:2, Jeremiah 50:2, Jeremiah 50:38, Jeremiah 51:44, Jeremiah 51:47, Jeremiah 51:52

Reciprocal: Isaiah 14:22 - I will Isaiah 19:1 - the idols Isaiah 21:7 - And he saw Isaiah 25:2 - For Jeremiah 27:7 - until Jeremiah 43:12 - in the Ezekiel 10:1 - I looked Revelation 18:10 - that great

Cross-References

Genesis 16:1
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not borne him any children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.

Genesis 17:20
"As for Ishmael, I have heard and listened to you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will greatly multiply him [through his descendants]. He will be the father of twelve princes (chieftains, sheiks), and I will make him a great nation.

Genesis 21:1
The LORD graciously remembered and visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for her as He had promised.

Genesis 21:3
Abraham named his son Isaac (laughter), the son to whom Sarah gave birth.

Genesis 21:5
Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born.

Genesis 21:6
Sarah said, "God has made me laugh; all who hear [about our good news] will laugh with me."

Genesis 21:13
"And I will also make a nation of [Ishmael] the son of the maid, because he is your descendant."

Genesis 21:14
So Abraham got up early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she left [but lost her way] and wandered [aimlessly] in the Wilderness of Beersheba.

Genesis 21:23
so now, swear to me here by God that you will not deal unfairly with me [by breaking any agreements we have] or with my son or with my descendants, but as I have treated you with kindness, you shall do the same to me and to the land in which you have sojourned (temporarily lived)."

Genesis 21:24
And Abraham said, "I will swear."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men,.... Or "of a man" x; a chariot with a man in it, Cyrus or Darius:

[with] a couple of horsemen; the army of the Medes and Persians, with their two leaders or generals, as before; only now seen nearer the city, just entering into it; for so the word may be rendered, "goeth", or "is gone in a chariot", c.:

and he answered, and said either the watchman, upon seeing the chariot and horsemen go into the city; or one of the horsemen that went in; so the Syriac and Arabic versions; or rather the prophet, and the Lord by him:

Babylon is fallen, is fallen: which is repeated to show the certainty of it. The same words are used of the fall of mystical Babylon,

Revelation 14:8. The Targum is,

"it is fallen, and also it shall be, that Babylon shall fall;''

that is, a second time, and hereafter: and so Jarchi and Kimchi interpret it of two falls, one by the Medes and Persians, and the other by the hand of heaven, or God himself: literal Babylon fell by the former; mystical Babylon will fall by the latter, even by the breath of Christ's mouth, and the brightness of his coming:

and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground; either Cyrus or Darius, who might do this, not from any detestation of them, but for the sake of the gold, and silver, and riches, that were about them; or rather the Lord by them, and so put an end to idolatry; as will be, when mystical Babylon is destroyed.

x רכב איש "currus viri", Pagninus, Montanus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And, behold ... a chariot of men - This place shows that the word ‘chariot’ (רכב rekeb) may denote something else than a wagon or carriage, as a chariot drawn by men cannot be intended. The sense can be expressed, perhaps, by the word “riding,” ‘I see a riding of men approach;’ that is, I see “cavalry” drawing near, or men riding and hastening to the battle.

With a couple of horsemen - The word ‘with’ is not in the Hebrew. The meaning is, ‘I see a riding of men, or cavalry; and they come in pairs, or two abreast.’ A part of the sentence is to be supplied from Isaiah 21:7. He saw not only horsemen, but riders on donkeys and camels.

And he answered - That is, the watchman answered. The word ‘answer,’ in the Scriptures, means often merely to commence a discourse after an interval; to begin to speak Job 3:2; Daniel 2:26; Acts 5:8.

Babylon is fallen - That is, her ruin is certain. Such a mighty army is drawing near, and they approach so well prepared for battle, that the ruin of Babylon is inevitable. The “repetition” of this declaration that ‘Babylon is fallen,’ denotes emphasis and certainty. Compare Psalms 92:9 :

For lo, thine enemies, O Lord,

For lo, thine enemies shall perish.

Psalms 93:3 :

The floods have lifted up, O Lord;

The floods have lifted up their waves.

A similar description is given of the fall of Babylon in Jeremiah 50:32; Jeremiah 51:8; and John has copied this description in the account of the overthrow of the mystical Babylon Revelation 18:1-2. Babylon was distinguished for its pride, arrogance, and haughtiness. It became, therefore, the emblem of all that is haughty, and as such is used by John in the Apocalypse; and as such it was a most striking emblem of the pride, arrogance, haughtiness, and oppression which have always been evinced by Papal Rome.

And all the graven images - Babylon was celebrated for its idolatry, and perhaps was the place where the worship of idols commenced. The principal god worshipped there was Belus, or Bel (see the note at Isaiah 46:1).

Are broken ... - That is, shall be destroyed; or, in spite of its idols, the whole city would be ruined.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 21:9. Here cometh a chariot of men, &c. - "A man, one of the two riders"] So the Syriac understands it, and Ephrem Syr.