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New Living Translation

Isaiah 13:12

I will make people scarcer than gold— more rare than the fine gold of Ophir.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Gold;   Ophir;   Thompson Chain Reference - Gold;   Ophir;   The Topic Concordance - Day of the Lord;   Earthquakes;   Heaven/the Heavens;   Punishment;   World;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Babylon;   Gold;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Babylon;   Isaiah;   Ophir;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Gold;   Ophir;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Isaiah;   Ophir;   Uphaz;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Isaiah, Book of;   Peter, Second Epistle of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Babylon ;   Ophir ;   Thessalonians, Epistles to the;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Medes;   Ophir;   Rebels;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Babylon;   Messiah;   Ophir;   Smith Bible Dictionary - O'phir;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Christ;   Old - golden;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fine;   Gold;   Isaiah;   Ophir;   Wedge of Gold;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Gold;   Ophir;   Poetry;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for February 20;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I will make a human more scarce than fine gold,and mankind more rare than the gold of Ophir.
Hebrew Names Version
I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the pure gold of Ofir.
King James Version
I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
English Standard Version
I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
New American Standard Bible
I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold And mankind than the gold of Ophir.
New Century Version
People will be harder to find than pure gold; there will be fewer people than there is fine gold in Ophir.
Amplified Bible
I will make mortal man more rare than fine gold, And mankind [scarcer] than the pure gold of Ophir.
World English Bible
I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the pure gold of Ophir.
Geneva Bible (1587)
I will make a man more precious then fine golde, euen a man aboue the wedge of golde of Ophir.
Legacy Standard Bible
I will make mortal man scarcer than fine goldAnd mankind than the gold of Ophir.
Berean Standard Bible
I will make man scarcer than pure gold, and mankind rarer than the gold of Ophir.
Contemporary English Version
Survivors will be harder to find than the purest gold.
Complete Jewish Bible
I will make humans rarer than gold, scarcer than Ofir's pure gold.
Darby Translation
I will make a man more precious than fine gold, even man than the gold of Ophir.
Easy-to-Read Version
There will be only a few people left. They will be as rare as pure gold.
George Lamsa Translation
I will make a man more precious than gold; even a man than the gold of Ophir.
Good News Translation
Those who survive will be scarcer than gold.
Lexham English Bible
I will make humanity more rare than gold and humankind more than the gold of Ophir.
Literal Translation
I will make a man more rare than fine gold; even a man more than the carvings of Ophir.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I will make a man dearer the fyne golde, and a man to be more worth, the a golden wedge of Ophir.
American Standard Version
I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the pure gold of Ophir.
Bible in Basic English
I will make men so small in number, that a man will be harder to get than gold, even the best gold of Ophir.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
I will make man more rare than fine gold, even man than the pure gold of Ophir.
King James Version (1611)
I will make a man more pretious then fine gold; euen a man then the golden wedge of Ophir.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
I wyll make a man dearer then fine gold, and a man to be more worth then a golden wedge of Ophir.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they that are left shall be more precious than gold tried in the fire; and a man shall be more precious than the stone that is in Suphir.
English Revised Version
I will make a man more rare than fine gold, even a man than the pure gold of Ophir.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
A man of ful age schal be preciousere than gold, and a man schal be preciousere than pure gold and schynyng.
Update Bible Version
I will make common man more rare than fine gold, even man more than the pure gold of Ophir.
Webster's Bible Translation
I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
New English Translation
I will make human beings more scarce than pure gold, and people more scarce than gold from Ophir.
New King James Version
I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.
New Life Bible
I will make men so few that they will be of more worth than pure gold, even the gold of Ophir.
New Revised Standard
I will make mortals more rare than fine gold, and humans than the gold of Ophir.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
I will cause, a man, to be more precious than fine gold, - Even a son of earth than, the finest gold of Ophir.
Douay-Rheims Bible
A man shall be more precious than gold, yea a man than the finest of gold.
Revised Standard Version
I will make men more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
Young's Literal Translation
I make man more rare than fine gold, And a common man than pure gold of Ophir.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold And mankind than the gold of Ophir.

Contextual Overview

6 Scream in terror, for the day of the Lord has arrived— the time for the Almighty to destroy. 7 Every arm is paralyzed with fear. Every heart melts, 8 and people are terrified. Pangs of anguish grip them, like those of a woman in labor. They look helplessly at one another, their faces aflame with fear. 9 For see, the day of the Lord is coming— the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger. The land will be made desolate, and all the sinners destroyed with it. 10 The heavens will be black above them; the stars will give no light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will provide no light. 11 "I, the Lord , will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the mighty. 12 I will make people scarcer than gold— more rare than the fine gold of Ophir. 13 For I will shake the heavens. The earth will move from its place when the Lord of Heaven's Armies displays his wrath in the day of his fierce anger." 14 Everyone in Babylon will run about like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd. They will try to find their own people and flee to their own land. 15 Anyone who is captured will be cut down— run through with a sword.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Isaiah 13:15-18, Isaiah 4:1, Isaiah 24:6, Psalms 137:9

Reciprocal: Genesis 10:29 - Ophir Joshua 7:19 - give 1 Samuel 3:1 - the word 1 Kings 9:28 - Ophir 1 Chronicles 1:23 - Ophir Job 22:24 - Ophir Job 28:16 - the gold

Cross-References

Genesis 13:7
So disputes broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot. (At that time Canaanites and Perizzites were also living in the land.)
Genesis 13:8
Finally Abram said to Lot, "Let's not allow this conflict to come between us or our herdsmen. After all, we are close relatives!
Genesis 14:12
They also captured Lot—Abram's nephew who lived in Sodom—and carried off everything he owned.
Genesis 19:1
That evening the two angels came to the entrance of the city of Sodom. Lot was sitting there, and when he saw them, he stood up to meet them. Then he welcomed them and bowed with his face to the ground.
Genesis 19:25
He utterly destroyed them, along with the other cities and villages of the plain, wiping out all the people and every bit of vegetation.
Genesis 19:29
But God had listened to Abraham's request and kept Lot safe, removing him from the disaster that engulfed the cities on the plain.
Psalms 26:5
I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked.
1 Corinthians 15:33
Don't be fooled by those who say such things, for "bad company corrupts good character."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I will make a man more precious than fine gold,.... Which may denote either the scarcity of men in Babylon, through the slaughter made of them; so things that are scarce and rare are said to be precious, 1 Samuel 3:1 or the resolution of the Medes to spare none, though ever so much gold were offered to them, they being not to be bribed therewith, Isaiah 13:17 or that such should be the fear of men, that they would not be prevailed upon to take up arms to defend themselves or their king, whatever quantity of gold, even the best, was proposed unto them, a man was not to be got for money:

even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir; which designs the same thing in different words. The Targum gives another sense of the whole, paraphrasing it thus,

"I will love them that fear me more than gold, of which men glory; and those that keep the law more than the fine gold of Ophir;''

understanding it of the Israelites, that were in Babylon when it was taken, and who were precious and in high esteem with the Medes and Persians, more than gold, and whose lives they spared. Jarchi interprets it particularly of Daniel, and of the honour that was done him by Belshazzar, upon his reading and interpreting the writing on the wall, Daniel 5:29. This is interpreted by the Jews also of the King Messiah; for in an ancient writing g of theirs, where having mentioned this passage, it is added, this is the Messiah, that shall ascend and be more precious than all the children of the world, and all the children of the world shall worship and bow before him. Some take "Phaz", the word for fine gold, to be the name of a place from whence it came, and therefore was so called; and that the kingdom of Phez, in Africa, has its name from hence; and Ophir is taken to be Peru in America; though others place it in India; and the Arabic version renders it, "a man shall be more precious than a little stone that is" brought "from India"; and the Septuagint version is, "than a stone in", or "of sapphire".

g Zohar in Gen. fol. 71, 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I will make a man ... - I will so cut off and destroy the men of Babylon, that a single man to defend the city will be more rare and valuable than fine gold. The expression indicates that there would be a great slaughter of the people of Babylon.

Than fine gold - Pure, unalloyed gold. The word used here (פז pâz) is often distinguished from common gold Psalms 19:11; Psalms 119:127; Proverbs 8:19.

Than the golden wedge of Ophir - The word (כתם kethem) rendered ‘wedge’ means properly “gold;” yellow gold; what is hidden, precious, or hoarded; and is used only in poetry. It indicates nothing about the shape of the gold, as the word, wedge would seem to suppose. ‘Ophir was a country to which the vessels of Solomon traded, and which was particularly distinguished for producing gold; but respecting its particular situation, there has been much discussion. The ‘ships of Tarshish’ sailed from Ezion-geber on the Red Sea, and went to Ophir 1 Kings 9:26; 1Ki 10:22; 1 Kings 22:48. Three years were required for the voyage; and they returned freighted with gold, peacocks, apes, spices, ivory, and ebony (1 Kings 9:28; 1 Kings 10:11-12; compare 2 Chronicles 8:18). The gold of that country was more celebrated than that of any other country for its purity. Josephus supposes that it was in the East Indies; Bruce that it was in South Africa; Rosenmuller and others suppose that it was in Southern Arabia. It is probable that the situation of Ophir must ever remain a matter of conjecture. The Chaldee Paraphrase gives a different sense to this passage. ‘I will love those who fear me, more than gold in which people glory; and those who observe the law more than the tried gold of Ophir.’ (On the situation of Ophir the following works may be consulted: The “Pictorial Bible,” vol. ii. pp. 364-369; Martini Lipenii, “Dissert. de Ophir;” Joan. Christophori Wichmanshausen “Dissert. de Navig. Ophritica:” H. Relandi, “Dissert. de Ophir;” Ugolini, “Thes. Sac. Ant.” vol. viii.; and Forster “On Arabia.”)

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 13:12. I will make a man more precious than fine gold-wedge of Ophir.] The Medes and Persians will not be satisfied with the spoils of the Babylonians. They seek either to destroy or enslave them; and they will accept no ransom for any man-either for אנוש enosh, the poor man, or for אדם adam, the more honourable person. All must fall by the sword, or go into captivity together; for the Medes, (Isaiah 13:17,) regard not silver, and delight not in gold.


 
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