Isaiah 21:8

Bishop's Bible

And he cryed, a lion, my Lorde I stande continually vpon the watche towre in the day tyme, and am appoynted to kepe my watch euery nyght.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the lookout reported,“Lord, I stand on the watchtower all day,and I stay at my post all night.

Hebrew Names Version
He cried as a lion: Lord, I stand continually on the watch-tower in the day-time, and am set in my ward whole nights;

King James Version
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:

English Standard Version
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.

New American Standard Bible
Then the lookout called, "Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower, And I am stationed every night at my guard post.

New Century Version
Then the lookout called out, "My master, each day I stand in the watchtower watching; every night I have been on guard.

Amplified Bible
And 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.

World English Bible
He cried as a lion: Lord, I stand continually on the watch-tower in the day-time, and am set in my ward whole nights;

Geneva Bible (1587)
And he cryed, A lyon: my lorde, I stand continually vpon ye watche towre in the day time, and I am set in my watche euery night:

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the lookout called,"O Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower,And I am stationed every night at my guard post.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the lookout shouted, "Day after day, O lord, I stand on the watchtower; night after night I stay at my post.

Contemporary English Version
Then a guard said, "I have stood day and night on this watchtower, Lord.

Complete Jewish Bible
He calls out like a lion: "My lord, I stand on the watchtower all day long, I stay at my post all night."

Darby Translation
And he cried [as] a lion, Lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then one day the watchman called out, "My master, every day I have been in the watchtower watching. Every night I have been standing on duty.

George Lamsa Translation
Then the watchman cried into my ears, saying, I the LORD stand continually in the daytime, and I stand upon my watchtower every night.

Good News Translation
The sentry calls out, "Sir, I have been standing guard at my post day and night."

Lexham English Bible
Then the watchman called, "Lord, I am standing on the watchtower continually by day, and I am standing at my post throughout the night.

Literal Translation
And he cried, A lion! My lord, I always stand on my watchtower by day; and I am stationed at my post all the nights.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the lyon cried: LORDE, I haue stonde waytinge all the whole daye, and haue kepte my watch all the night.

American Standard Version
And he cried as a lion: O Lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower in the day-time, and am set in my ward whole nights;

Bible in Basic English
And the watchman gave a loud cry, O my lord, I am on the watchtower all day, and am placed in my watch every night:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he cried as a lion: 'Upon the watch-tower, O Lord, I stand continually in the daytime, and I am set in my ward all the nights.'

King James Version (1611)
And he cryed; A lyon: my Lord, I stand continually vpon the watch-tower in the day time, and I am set in my ward whole nights.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Hearken with great attention, and call thou Urias to the watch-tower: the Lord has spoken. I stood continually during the day, and I stood in the camp all night:

English Revised Version
And he cried as a lion: O Lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the day-time, and am set in my ward whole nights:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and criede as a lioun, Y stonde contynueli bi dai on the totyng place of the Lord, and Y stonde bi alle nyytis on my kepyng.

Update Bible Version
And he cried as a lion: O Lord, I stand continually on the watch-tower in the day-time, and am set in my ward whole nights;

Webster's Bible Translation
And he cried, a lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower in the day time, and I am set in my ward whole nights.

New English Translation
Then the guard cries out: "On the watchtower, O sovereign master, I stand all day long; at my post I am stationed every night.

New King James Version
Then he cried, "A lion, [fn] my Lord!I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime;I have sat at my post every night.

New Living Translation
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.

New Life Bible
Then the watchman called out like a lion, "O Lord, I stand watching from the watch-tower at all times during the day. And I stand there every night.

New Revised Standard
Then the watcher called out: "Upon a watchtower I stand, O Lord, continually by day, and at my post I am stationed throughout the night.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then cried he. A lion! On the watch, O My Lord, had I been standing continually, by day, And at my post, had I been stationed whole nights; -

Douay-Rheims Bible
And a lion cried out: I am upon the watchtower of the Lord, standing continually by day: and I am upon my ward, standing whole nights.

Revised Standard Version
Then he who saw cried: "Upon a watchtower I stand, O Lord, continually by day, and at my post I am stationed whole nights.

Young's Literal Translation
And he crieth -- a lion, `On a watch-tower my lord, I am standing continually by day, And on my ward I am stationed whole nights.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the lookout called, "O Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower, And I am stationed every night at my guard post.

Contextual Overview

¹ The burthen of the waste sea. Euen as the stormie weather passeth through at the noone day from the wildernesse, so shall it come from the terrible lande. ² A greeuous vision was shewed vnto me: let one deceiptfull offendour come agaynst another, and one destroyer agaynst another: Up Elam, lay siege thou of Media, all their gronyng haue I layde downe. ³ Therfore are my loynes fylled with sorowe, heauinesse hath taken holde vpon me as the panges of a woman that is trauaylyng: it made me stoupe when I heard it, and it vexed me when I sawe it. ⁴ My heart panted, fearefulnesse came vpon me: the nyght of my voluptuousnesse hath he turned agaynst me into feare. ⁵ Whyle they garnished the table, the watchman loked: and whyle I was eatyng and drynkyng, it was sayde, vp ye captaynes, take you to your shielde. ⁶ For thus hath the Lorde sayde vnto me: Go and set a watchman to tel what he seeth. ⁷ And he sawe a charret which two horsemen sat vpon, with the cariage of an Asse, and the cariage of a Camel: So he loked, and toke diligent heede. ⁸ And he cryed, a lion, my Lorde I stande continually vpon the watche towre in the day tyme, and am appoynted to kepe my watch euery nyght. ⁹ 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. ¹⁰ Thou art he whom I must threshe, and thou belongest to my corne floure: This that I hearde of the Lorde of hoastes the God of Israel, haue I shewed vnto you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cried, A lion: or, cried as a lion, Isaiah 5:29, Jeremiah 4:7, Jeremiah 25:38, Jeremiah 49:19, Jeremiah 50:44, 1 Peter 5:8

I stand: Isaiah 56:10, Isaiah 62:6, Psalms 63:6, Psalms 127:1, Habakkuk 2:1, Habakkuk 2:2

whole nights: or, every night

Reciprocal: Nehemiah 12:25 - keeping Psalms 130:6 - I say more than they that watch for the morning Ezekiel 3:17 - a watchman Ezekiel 10:1 - I looked Acts 12:10 - the first Romans 12:7 - ministry Revelation 18:2 - become

Cross-References

Genesis 19:3
And he preassed vpon them exceedinglye: and they returnyng in vnto hym, entred into his house, & he made them a feast, and did bake vnleuened bread, and they did eate.

Genesis 26:30
And he made them a feast, and they dyd eate and drynke.

Genesis 29:22
Then Laban gathered together all the men of that place, and made a feast.

Genesis 40:20
And it came to passe the thirde day, which was Pharaos birth day, that he made a feast vnto all his seruauntes: and he lyfted vp the head of the chiefe butler, and of the chiefe baker among his seruauntes:

Judges 14:10
And so his father went downe vnto the woman, and Samson made there a feast: for so vsed the younge men to do.

Judges 14:12
And Samson sayd vnto them, I will nowe put foorth a riddle vnto you: & yf you can declare it me within seuen dayes of the feast, and finde it out, I will geue you thirtie sheetes, & thirtie chaunge of garmentes:

1 Samuel 1:22
Neuerthelesse, Hanna wet not vp, but sayde vnto her husband: I will tary vntill the lad be weaned, and then I will bryng hym, that he may appeare before the Lord, and there abyde for euer.

1 Samuel 25:36
And Abigail came to Nabal, and beholde, he held a feast in his house lyke the feast of a king, and Nabals heart was mery within hym, for he was very drunken: Wherfore she tolde him nothyng neither lesse nor more, vntyll the morowe mornyng.

2 Samuel 3:20
And so Abner came to Dauid to Hebron, hauing twentie men with him: & Dauid made him & the men that were with him a feast.

1 Kings 3:15
When Solomon awoke, beholde it was a dreame: And he came to Hierusalem and stoode before the arke of the couenaunt of the Lorde, & offred burnt offringes and peace offringes, and made a feast to all his seruauntes.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he cried, a lion,.... That is, the watchman cried, a lion, or that he saw a lion; not Uriah the priest, as the Septuagint; nor Habakkuk, as some Jewish writers; but Cyrus, at the head of the Persian and Median armies, compared to a lion for his fierceness, courage, and strength; see 2 Timothy 4:17 a type of Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, by whom antichrist, or mystical Babylon, will be destroyed, Revelation 5:5. The Targum is,

"the prophet said, the voice of armies, coming with coats of mail, as a lion.''

Aben Ezra interprets it, the watchman cried as a lion, with a great voice; upon sight of the chariots and horsemen, he lifted up his voice, and roared like a lion, to express the terror he was in, and the greatness of the calamity that was coming upon the city.

I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime: so that nothing could escape his notice:

and I am set in my ward whole nights: which expresses his diligence, vigilance, and constancy, in the discharge of his duty; and therefore what he said he saw might be depended on.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And he cried, A lion - Margin, ‘As a lion.’ This is the correct rendering. The particle כ (k) - ‘as,’ is not unfrequently omitted (see Isaiah 62:5; Psalms 11:1). That is, ‘I see them approach with the fierceness, rapidity, and terror of a lion (compare Revelation 10:3).

My lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower - This is the speech of the watchman, and is addressed, not to Yahweh, but to him that appointed him. It is designed to show the “diligence” with which he had attended to the object for which he was appointed. He had been unceasing in his observation; and the result was, that now at length he saw the enemy approach like a lion, and it was certain that Babylon now must fall. The language used here has a striking resemblance to the opening of the “Agamemnon” of AEschylus; being the speech of the watchman, who had been very long upon his tower looking for the signal which should make known that Troy had fallen. It thus commences:

‘Forever thus! O keep me not, ye gods,

Forever thus, fixed in the lonely tower

Of Atreus’ palace, from whose height I gaze

O’er watched and weary, like a night-dog, still

Fixed to my post; meanwhile the rolling year

Moves on, and I my wakeful vigils keep

By the cold star-light sheen of spangled skies.’

Symmons, quoted in the “Pictorial Bible.”

I am set in my ward - My place where one keeps watch. It does not mean that he was confined or imprisoned, but that he had kept his watch station (משׁמרת mish^emeret from שׁמר shâmar “to watch, to keep, to attend to”).

Whole nights - Margin, ‘Every night.’ It means that he had not left his post day or night.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 21:8. And he cried, A lion - "He that looked out on the watch"] The present reading, אריה aryeh, a lion, is so unintelligible, and the mistake so obvious, that I make no doubt that the true reading is הראה haroeh, the seer; as the Syriac translator manifestly found it in his copy, who renders it by דקוא duka, a watchman.