Isaiah 9:10

Good News Translation

"The brick buildings have fallen down, but we will replace them with stone buildings. The beams of sycamore wood have been cut down, but we will replace them with the finest cedar."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“The bricks have fallen,but we will rebuild with cut stones;the sycamores have been cut down,but we will replace them with cedars.”

Hebrew Names Version
The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stone; the sycamores are cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.

King James Version
The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

English Standard Version
"The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place."

New American Standard Bible
"The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with smooth stones; The sycamores have been cut down, But we will replace them with cedars."

New Century Version
"These bricks have fallen, but we will build again with cut stones. These small trees have been chopped down, but we will put great cedars there."

Amplified Bible
"The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild [all the better] with ashlar (hewed stones); The sycamores have been cut down, But we will replace them with [expensive] cedars."

World English Bible
The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stone; the sycamores are cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.

Geneva Bible (1587)
The brickes are fallen, but we will build it with hewen stones: the wilde figge trees are cut downe, but we will change them into ceders.

Legacy Standard Bible
"The bricks have fallen down,But we will rebuild with cut stones;The sycamores have been cut in pieces,But we will replace them with cedars."

Berean Standard Bible
"The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with finished stone; the sycamores have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars."

Contemporary English Version
"Houses of brick and sycamore have fallen to the ground, but we will build houses with stones and cedar."

Complete Jewish Bible
So Adonai has raised up Retzin's foes against him and spurred on his enemies —

Darby Translation
The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamore trees are cut down, but we will replace them with cedars.

Easy-to-Read Version
"Yes, those bricks fell, but we will rebuild with strong stone. Yes, those little trees were chopped down, but we will plant new trees. And they will be large, strong trees."

George Lamsa Translation
We shall lay bricks and hew stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

Lexham English Bible
"The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stone. The sycamore-fig trees were felled, but we will replace them with cedars."

Literal Translation
Bricks have fallen, but we will build with cut stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we will use cedars instead.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The tyle worcke is fallen downe, but we will buylde it with harder stones. The Molbery tymbre ys broken, but we shal set it vp agayne with Cedre.

American Standard Version
The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stone; the sycomores are cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.

Bible in Basic English
The bricks have come down, but we will put up buildings of cut stone in their place: the sycamores are cut down, but they will be changed to cedars.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Therefore the LORD doth set upon high the adversaries of Rezin against him, and spur his enemies;

King James Version (1611)
The brickes are fallen downe, but we will build with hewen stones: the Sycomores are cut downe, but we will change them into Cedars.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
The tyle worke is fallen downe, but we wyll buylde it with squared stones: the Mulberie timber is broken, but we shall set it vp agayne with Cedar.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
The bricks are fallen down, but come, let us hew stones, and cut down sycamores and cedars, and let us build for ourselves a tower.

English Revised Version
The bricks are fallen, but we will build with hewn stone: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Tijl stoonys fellen doun, but we schulen bilde with square stoonys; thei han kit doun sicomoris, but we schulen chaunge cedris.

Update Bible Version
The bricks have fallen, but we will build with cut stone; the sycamores are cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.

Webster's Bible Translation
The bricks have fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones; the sycamores are cut down, but we will change [them into] cedars.

New English Translation
"The bricks have fallen, but we will rebuild with chiseled stone; the sycamore fig trees have been cut down, but we will replace them with cedars."

New King James Version
"The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with hewn stones; The sycamores are cut down, But we will replace them with cedars."

New Living Translation
They said, "We will replace the broken bricks of our ruins with finished stone, and replant the felled sycamore-fig trees with cedars."

New Life Bible
"The clay blocks have fallen down, but we will build again with smooth stones. The sycamore trees have been cut down, but we will put cedar trees in their place."

New Revised Standard
"The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Bricks, have fallen down But with hewn stone, will we build, - Sycomores, have been felled, But with cedars, will we replace them.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with square stones: they have cut down the sycamores, but we will change them for cedars.

Revised Standard Version
"The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place."

Young's Literal Translation
`Bricks have fallen, and hewn work we build, Sycamores have been cut down, and cedars we renew.'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"The bricks have fallen down, But we will rebuild with smooth stones; The sycamores have been cut down, But we will replace them with cedars."

Contextual Overview

⁸ The Lord has pronounced judgment on the kingdom of Israel, on the descendants of Jacob. ⁹ All the people of Israel, everyone who lives in the city of Samaria, will know that he has done this. Now they are proud and arrogant. They say, ¹⁰ "The brick buildings have fallen down, but we will replace them with stone buildings. The beams of sycamore wood have been cut down, but we will replace them with the finest cedar." ¹¹ The Lord has stirred up their enemies to attack them. ¹² Syria on the east and Philistia on the west have opened their mouths to devour Israel. Yet even so the Lord 's anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish. ¹³ The people of Israel have not repented; even though the Lord Almighty has punished them, they have not returned to him. ¹⁴ In a single day the Lord will punish Israel's leaders and its people; he will cut them off, head and tail. ¹⁵ The old and honorable men are the head—and the tail is the prophets whose teachings are lies! ¹⁶ Those who lead these people have misled them and totally confused them. ¹⁷ And so the Lord will not let any of the young men escape, and he will not show pity on any of the widows and orphans, because all the people are godless and wicked and everything they say is evil. Yet even so the Lord 's anger will not be ended, but his hand will still be stretched out to punish.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

bricks: 1 Kings 7:9-12, 1 Kings 10:27, Malachi 1:4

Reciprocal: Genesis 11:3 - brick 2 Chronicles 1:15 - sycamore trees 2 Chronicles 9:27 - the sycamore Jeremiah 43:2 - all the Hosea 5:5 - the pride Luke 19:4 - a sycamore

Cross-References

Genesis 8:1
God had not forgotten Noah and all the animals with him in the boat; he caused a wind to blow, and the water started going down.

Genesis 9:1
God blessed Noah and his sons and said, "Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth.

Genesis 9:5
If anyone takes human life, he will be punished. I will punish with death any animal that takes a human life.

Genesis 9:6
Human beings were made like God, so whoever murders one of them will be killed by someone else.

Genesis 9:15
I will remember my promise to you and to all the animals that a flood will never again destroy all living beings.

Genesis 9:16
When the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between me and all living beings on earth.

Psalms 145:9
He is good to everyone and has compassion on all he made.

Jonah 4:11
How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city. After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The bricks are fallen down,.... Houses made of bricks, which were without the cities besieged and destroyed by the Assyrians; of which the haughty Israelites made no account, looking upon such a desolation as little, or no loss at all:

but we will build with hewn stone, so that the houses will be better and stronger, more beautiful, and more durable:

the sycamores are cut down; which grew in the fields, and outer parts of the cities, and were but a mean sort of wood, and which the Assyrians cut down to serve several purposes in their siege; of this sort of trees, :-:

but we will change them into cedars; that is, will plant cedars in place of them; trees tall and large, very delightful to look at, of great worth and usefulness, and very durable; though this may regard not so much the planting of them as the use of them in building, and the sense be agreeable to the former clause; that as, instead of brick, they would build houses with hewn stone; so, instead of sycamore wood, which was not so substantial and durable, and fit for building, they would make use of cedar, which was both beautiful and lasting; so the Septuagint,

"the bricks are fallen, let us hew stones, and cut down sycamores and cedars, and build for ourselves a tower;''

and so the Arabic version; so that, upon the whole, they flattered themselves they should be gainers, and not losers, by the Assyrian invasion; thus deriding it, and despising the prophecy concerning it. Jarchi interprets the bricks and sycamores of the kings that went before, as Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, in whose days they were lessened, and were like a building of brick, broken and falling; but their present king, Pekah, the son of Remaliah, was strong, like a building of hewn stone, and so cedars were better for building than sycamores; and to this sense agrees the Targum,

"the heads (or princes) are carried captive, but we will appoint better in their room; goods are spoiled, but what are more beautiful than them we will purchase.''

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The bricks are fallen down - The language of this verse is figurative; but the sentiment is plain. It contains the confession of the inhabitants of Samaria, that their affairs were in a ruinous and dilapidated state; but also their self-confident assurance that they would be able to repair the evils, and restore their nation to more than their former magnificence.

Bricks, in oriental countries, were made of clay and straw, and were rarely turned. Hence, exposed to suns and rains, they soon dissolved. Walls and houses constructed of such materials would not be very permanent, and to build with them is strongly contrasted with building in a permanent and elegant manner with hewn stone.

The meaning is, that their former state was one of less splendor than they designed that their subsequent state should be. Desolation had come in upon their country, and this they could not deny. But they confidently boasted that they would more than repair the evil.

We will build - Our ruined houses and walls.

With hewn stones - At once more permanent and elegant than the structures of bricks had been.

The sycamores - These trees grew abundantly on the low lands of Judea, and were very little esteemed; 1 Kings 10:27; 2Ch 1:15; 2 Chronicles 9:27.

‘This curious tree seems to partake of the nature of two different species,’ says Calmet, ‘the mulberry and the fig; the former in its leaf, and the latter in its fruit. Its Greek name, συκόμορος sukomoros, is plainly descriptive of its character, being compounded of συκος sukos, a fig tree, and μορος moros, a mulberry tree. It is thus described by Norden: “They have in Egypt divers sorts of figs; but if there is any difference between them, a particular kind differs still more. I mean that which the sycamore bears, that they name in Arabic giomez. This sycamore is of the height of a beech, and bears its fruit in a manner quite different from other trees. It has them on the trunk itself, which shoots out little sprigs in form of a grapestalk, at the end of which grows the fruit close to one another, most like bunches of grapes. The tree is always green, and bears fruit several times in the year, without observing any certain seasons, for I have seen some sycamores which had fruit two months after others. This sort of tree is pretty common in Egypt.”’ They were not highly valued, though it is probable they were often employed in building.

They are contrasted with cedars here -

(1) Because the cedar was a much more rare and precious wood.

(2) Because it was a much more smooth and elegant article of building.

(3) Because it was more permanent. The grain and texture of the sycamore is remarkably coarse and spongy, and could, therefore, stand in no competition with the cedar for beauty and ornament.

We will change them - We will employ in their stead.

Cedars - The cedar was a remarkably fine; elegant, and permanent wood for building. It was principally obtained on mount Lebanon, and was employed in temples, palaces, and in the houses of the rich; see the note at Isaiah 2:18.

The sycamore is contrasted with the cedar in 1 Kings 10:27 : ‘Cedars he made to be as sycamore trees.’ The whole passage denotes self-confidence and pride; an unwillingness to submit to the judgments of God, and a self-assurance that they would more than repair all the evils that would be inflicted on them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 9:10. The bricks — "The eastern bricks," says Sir John Chardin, (see Harmer's Observ. I., p. 176,) "are only clay well moistened with water, and mixed with straw, and dried in the sun." So that their walls are commonly no better than our mud walls; see Maundrell, p. 124. That straw was a necessary part in the composition of this sort of bricks, to make the parts of the clay adhere together, appears from Exodus 5:7-19. These bricks are properly opposed to hewn stone, so greatly superior in beauty and durableness. The sycamores, which, as Jerome on the place says, are timber of little worth, with equal propriety are opposed to the cedars. "As the grain and texture of the sycamore is remarkably coarse and spongy, it could therefore stand in no competition at all (as it is observed, Isaiah 9:10) with the cedar, for beauty and ornament." - Shaw, Supplement to Travels, p. 96. We meet with the same opposition of cedars to sycamores, 1 Kings 10:27, where Solomon is said to have made silver as the stones, and cedars as the sycamores in the vale for abundance. By this mashal, or figurative and sententious speech, they boast that they shall easily be able to repair their present losses, suffered perhaps by the first Assyrian invasion under Tiglath-pileser; and to bring their affairs to a more flourishing condition than ever.

Some of the bricks mentioned above lie before me. They were brought from the site of ancient Babylon. The straw is visible, kneaded with the clay; they are very hard, and evidently were dried in the sun; for they are very easily dissolved in water.