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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Isaiah 21:3 Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/isaiah/21-3.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/3/23_Isa_21_03.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Isaiah 21:3 - Babylon is Fallen" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. 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Sharp pangs of anguish are upon me, like those of a woman in labor. I grow faint when I hear what God is planning; I am too afraid to look.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/isaiah/21.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Therefore my loins are filled with anguish; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman in labor; I am bowed down so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I cannot see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/isaiah/21.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/isaiah/21.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing <i>of it</i>; I was dismayed at the seeing <i>of it</i>.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/isaiah/21.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Therefore my loins are filled with pain; Pangs have taken hold of me, like the pangs of a woman in labor. I was distressed when <i>I</i> heard <i>it;</i> I was dismayed when <i>I</i> saw <i>it.</i><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/isaiah/21.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />For this reason my loins are full of anguish; Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in labor. I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/isaiah/21.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />For this reason my loins are full of anguish; Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in labor. I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/isaiah/21.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />For this reason my loins are full of anguish; Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in labor. I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/isaiah/21.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />For this reason my loins are full of anguish; Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in labor. I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/isaiah/21.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />Therefore [continues Isaiah] my loins are filled with anguish; Pains have seized me like the pains of a woman in childbirth; I am so bent <i>and</i> bewildered that I cannot hear, I am so terrified that I cannot see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/isaiah/21.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Therefore I am filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pain of a woman in labor. I am too perplexed to hear, too dismayed to see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/isaiah/21.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Therefore I am filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pain of a woman in labor. I am too perplexed to hear, too dismayed to see. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/isaiah/21.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Therefore are my loins filled with anguish; pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail: I am pained so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I cannot see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/isaiah/21.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />I'm in terrible pain like a woman giving birth. I'm shocked and hurt so much that I can't hear or see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/isaiah/21.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Therefore are my loins filled with anguish; pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail: I am pained so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I cannot see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/isaiah/21.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />That is why my body is full of trembling. Pain grips me like the pain of childbirth. I'm disturbed by what I hear. I'm terrified by what I see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/isaiah/21.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />What I saw and heard in the vision has filled me with terror and pain, pain like that of a woman in labor.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/isaiah/21.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Therefore my body is racked with pain; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman in labor; I am so upset that I cannot hear; I am so frightened that I cannot see while I'm reeling around. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/isaiah/21.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />For this reason my stomach churns; cramps overwhelm me like the contractions of a woman in labor. I am disturbed by what I hear, horrified by what I see. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/isaiah/21.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Therefore my thighs are filled with anguish. Pains have taken hold on me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am in so much pain that I can't hear. I so am dismayed that I can't see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/isaiah/21.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.<div class="vheading2"><b>Majority Text Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/isaiah/21.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/isaiah/21.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Therefore my thighs are filled with anguish. Pains have seized me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am in so much pain that I can’t hear. I am so dismayed that I can’t see. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/isaiah/21.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Therefore my loins have been filled [with] great pain, "" Pangs have seized me as pangs of a travailing woman, "" I have been bent down by hearing, "" I have been troubled by seeing.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/isaiah/21.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Therefore filled have been my loins with great pain, Pangs have seized me as pangs of a travailing woman, I have been bent down by hearing, I have been troubled by seeing.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/isaiah/21.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />For this, my loins were filled with pain: distress took hold of me as the pains of her bringing forth: I was shaken from hearing; I trembled from seeing.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/isaiah/21.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Therefore are my loins filled with pain, anguish hath taken hold of me, as the anguish of a woman in labour: I fell down at the hearing of it, I was troubled at the seeing of it. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/isaiah/21.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Because of this, my lower back has been filled with pain, and anguish has possessed me, like the anguish of a woman in labor. I fell down when I heard it. I was disturbed when I saw it.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/isaiah/21.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Therefore my loins are filled with anguish, pangs have seized me like those of a woman in labor; I am too bewildered to hear, too dismayed to look. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/isaiah/21.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Therefore my loins are filled with anguish; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman in labor; I am bowed down so that I cannot hear, I am dismayed so that I cannot see.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/isaiah/21.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Therefore my loins are filled with pain; pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail; I was dismayed so that I could not hear, I was terrified so that I could not see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/isaiah/21.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Because of this, my guts are filled with quaking and terror seized me as the terror of a woman in labor. I shook so that I could not hear and I was disturbed that I could not see<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/isaiah/21.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Therefore are my loins filled with convulsion; Pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail; I am bent so that I cannot hear; I am affrighted so that I cannot see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/isaiah/21.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />Therefore are my loins filled with feebleness, and pangs have seized me as a travailing woman: I dealt wrongfully that I might not hear; I hasted that I might not see.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/isaiah/21-3.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Xv9bHT-nr9s?start=4201" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/isaiah/21.htm">Babylon is Fallen</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">2</span>A dire vision is declared to me: “The traitor still betrays, and the destroyer still destroys. Go up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media! I will put an end to all her groaning.” <span class="reftext">3</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘al- (Prep) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">Therefore</a> <a href="/hebrew/3651.htm" title="3651: kên (Adv) -- So, thus. From kuwn; properly, set upright; hence just; but usually rightly or so."></a> <a href="/hebrew/4975.htm" title="4975: mā·ṯə·nay (N-mdc:: 1cs) -- Loins. From an unused root meaning to be slender; properly, the waist or small of the back; only in plural the loins.">my body</a> <a href="/hebrew/4390.htm" title="4390: mā·lə·’ū (V-Qal-Perf-3cp) -- To be full, to fill. Or malae; a primitive root, to fill or be full of, in a wide application.">is filled</a> <a href="/hebrew/2479.htm" title="2479: ḥal·ḥā·lāh (N-fs) -- Anguish. Feminine from the same as Chalchuwl; writhing; by implication, terror.">with anguish.</a> <a href="/hebrew/6735.htm" title="6735: ṣî·rîm (N-mp) -- A hinge, a throe, a herald, erranddoer. From tsuwr; a hinge; also a throe; also a herald or errand-doer.">Pain</a> <a href="/hebrew/270.htm" title="270: ’ă·ḥā·zū·nî (V-Qal-Perf-3cp:: 1cs) -- To grasp, take hold, take possession. A primitive root; to seize.">grips me,</a> <a href="/hebrew/6735.htm" title="6735: kə·ṣî·rê (Prep-k:: N-mpc) -- A hinge, a throe, a herald, erranddoer. From tsuwr; a hinge; also a throe; also a herald or errand-doer.">like the pains</a> <a href="/hebrew/3205.htm" title="3205: yō·w·lê·ḏāh (V-Qal-Prtcpl-fs) -- A primitive root; to bear young; causatively, to beget; medically, to act as midwife; specifically, to show lineage.">of a woman in labor.</a> <a href="/hebrew/5753.htm" title="5753: na·‘ă·wê·ṯî (V-Nifal-Perf-1cs) -- To bend, twist. A primitive root; to crook, literally or figuratively.">I am bewildered</a> <a href="/hebrew/8085.htm" title="8085: miš·šə·mō·a‘ (Prep-m:: V-Qal-Inf) -- To hear. A primitive root; to hear intelligently.">to hear,</a> <a href="/hebrew/926.htm" title="926: niḇ·hal·tî (V-Nifal-Perf-1cs) -- To disturb, terrify. A primitive root; to tremble inwardly, i.e. be alarmed or agitated; by implication to hasten anxiously.">I am dismayed</a> <a href="/hebrew/7200.htm" title="7200: mê·rə·’ō·wṯ (Prep-m:: V-Qal-Inf) -- To see. A primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively.">to see.</a> </span><span class="reftext">4</span>My heart falters; fear makes me tremble. The twilight of my desire has turned to horror.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/4-19.htm">Jeremiah 4:19</a></span><br />My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh, the pain in my chest! My heart pounds within me; I cannot be silent. For I have heard the sound of the horn, the alarm of battle.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/nahum/2-10.htm">Nahum 2:10</a></span><br />She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and laid waste! Hearts melt, knees knock, bodies tremble, and every face grows pale!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/daniel/5-6.htm">Daniel 5:6</a></span><br />his face grew pale and his thoughts so alarmed him that his hips gave way and his knees knocked together.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/ezekiel/21-6.htm">Ezekiel 21:6-7</a></span><br />But you, son of man, groan! Groan before their eyes with a broken heart and bitter grief. / And when they ask, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you are to say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, and every hand will go limp. Every spirit will faint, and every knee will turn to water.’ Yes, it is coming and it will surely happen, declares the Lord GOD.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/30-6.htm">Jeremiah 30:6</a></span><br />Ask now, and see: Can a male give birth? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/13-8.htm">Isaiah 13:8</a></span><br />Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/6-24.htm">Jeremiah 6:24</a></span><br />We have heard the report; our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman in labor.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/15-5.htm">Isaiah 15:5</a></span><br />My heart cries out over Moab; her fugitives flee as far as Zoar, as far as Eglath-shelishiyah. With weeping they ascend the slope of Luhith; they lament their destruction on the road to Horonaim.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/16-11.htm">Isaiah 16:11</a></span><br />Therefore my heart laments for Moab like a harp, my inmost being for Kir-heres.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/22-4.htm">Isaiah 22:4</a></span><br />Therefore I said, “Turn away from me, let me weep bitterly! Do not try to console me over the destruction of the daughter of my people.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/18-10.htm">Revelation 18:10</a></span><br />In fear of her torment, they will stand at a distance and cry out: “Woe, woe to the great city, the mighty city of Babylon! For in a single hour your judgment has come.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/24-8.htm">Matthew 24:8</a></span><br />All these are the beginning of birth pains.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/luke/21-25.htm">Luke 21:25-26</a></span><br />There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves. / Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/mark/13-8.htm">Mark 13:8</a></span><br />Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, as well as famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_thessalonians/5-3.htm">1 Thessalonians 5:3</a></span><br />While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold on me, as the pangs of a woman that travails: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.</p><p class="hdg">are</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/15-5.htm">Isaiah 15:5</a></b></br> My heart shall cry out for Moab; his fugitives <i>shall flee</i> unto Zoar, an heifer of three years old: for by the mounting up of Luhith with weeping shall they go it up; for in the way of Horonaim they shall raise up a cry of destruction.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/16-9.htm">Isaiah 16:9,11</a></b></br> Therefore I will bewail with the weeping of Jazer the vine of Sibmah: I will water thee with my tears, O Heshbon, and Elealeh: for the shouting for thy summer fruits and for thy harvest is fallen… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/habakkuk/3-16.htm">Habakkuk 3:16</a></b></br> When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.</p><p class="hdg">pangs have</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/13-8.htm">Isaiah 13:8</a></b></br> And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces <i>shall be as</i> flames.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/26-17.htm">Isaiah 26:17</a></b></br> Like as a woman with child, <i>that</i> draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, <i>and</i> crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/48-6.htm">Psalm 48:6</a></b></br> Fear took hold upon them there, <i>and</i> pain, as of a woman in travail.</p><p class="hdg">I was bowed</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/deuteronomy/28-67.htm">Deuteronomy 28:67</a></b></br> In the morning thou shalt say, Would God it were even! and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear, and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/daniel/5-5.htm">Daniel 5:5,6</a></b></br> In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/isaiah/20-5.htm">Affrighted</a> <a href="/isaiah/13-8.htm">Anguish</a> <a href="/isaiah/5-28.htm">Bent</a> <a href="/job/41-25.htm">Bewildered</a> <a href="/isaiah/15-3.htm">Bitter</a> <a href="/isaiah/20-2.htm">Body</a> <a href="/isaiah/10-4.htm">Bowed</a> <a href="/isaiah/19-17.htm">Cause</a> <a href="/isaiah/13-8.htm">Childbirth</a> <a href="/luke/9-39.htm">Convulsion</a> <a href="/isaiah/20-5.htm">Dismayed</a> <a href="/isaiah/17-5.htm">Ears</a> <a href="/isaiah/6-4.htm">Filled</a> <a href="/isaiah/19-8.htm">Grief</a> <a href="/isaiah/18-3.htm">Hear</a> <a href="/isaiah/11-3.htm">Hearing</a> <a href="/isaiah/18-4.htm">Hold</a> <a href="/isaiah/13-8.htm">Labor</a> <a href="/isaiah/17-11.htm">Pain</a> <a href="/isaiah/13-8.htm">Pained</a> <a href="/isaiah/13-8.htm">Pains</a> <a href="/isaiah/13-8.htm">Pangs</a> <a href="/isaiah/10-27.htm">Reason</a> <a href="/isaiah/13-8.htm">Seize</a> <a href="/isaiah/19-8.htm">Sorrow</a> <a href="/songs/7-1.htm">Thighs</a> <a href="/isaiah/14-3.htm">Travail</a> <a href="/isaiah/13-8.htm">Travaileth</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/isaiah/21-4.htm">Affrighted</a> <a href="/isaiah/23-5.htm">Anguish</a> <a href="/isaiah/21-15.htm">Bent</a> <a href="/isaiah/21-4.htm">Bewildered</a> <a href="/isaiah/22-4.htm">Bitter</a> <a href="/isaiah/26-19.htm">Body</a> <a href="/isaiah/25-12.htm">Bowed</a> <a href="/isaiah/22-4.htm">Cause</a> <a href="/jeremiah/6-24.htm">Childbirth</a> <a href="/ezekiel/30-4.htm">Convulsion</a> <a href="/isaiah/28-16.htm">Dismayed</a> <a href="/isaiah/22-14.htm">Ears</a> <a href="/isaiah/27-6.htm">Filled</a> <a href="/isaiah/23-2.htm">Grief</a> <a href="/isaiah/24-16.htm">Hear</a> <a href="/isaiah/22-14.htm">Hearing</a> <a href="/isaiah/22-17.htm">Hold</a> <a href="/isaiah/22-4.htm">Labor</a> <a href="/isaiah/26-17.htm">Pain</a> <a href="/isaiah/23-5.htm">Pained</a> <a href="/isaiah/26-17.htm">Pains</a> <a href="/isaiah/26-17.htm">Pangs</a> <a href="/isaiah/29-22.htm">Reason</a> <a href="/isaiah/22-17.htm">Seize</a> <a href="/isaiah/22-12.htm">Sorrow</a> <a href="/ezekiel/21-6.htm">Thighs</a> <a href="/isaiah/23-4.htm">Travail</a> <a href="/isaiah/42-14.htm">Travaileth</a><div class="vheading2">Isaiah 21</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/21-1.htm">The prophet, bewailing the captivity of his people, </a></span><br><span class="reftext">6. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/21-6.htm">sees in a vision the fall of Babylon by the Medes and Persians.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">11. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/21-11.htm">Edom, scorning the prophet, is moved to repentance.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">13. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/isaiah/21-13.htm">The set time of Arabia's calamity.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/isaiah/21.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/isaiah/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/isaiah/21.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Therefore my body is filled with anguish.</b><br>This phrase reflects the deep emotional and physical turmoil experienced by the prophet Isaiah. The use of "body" indicates that the distress is not only spiritual but also physical, suggesting a holistic suffering. This anguish is often associated with the burden of prophetic revelation, as seen in other prophets like Jeremiah (<a href="/jeremiah/4-19.htm">Jeremiah 4:19</a>) and Ezekiel (<a href="/ezekiel/21-6.htm">Ezekiel 21:6-7</a>). The context of <a href="/isaiah/21.htm">Isaiah 21</a> is a prophecy against Babylon, and the anguish could be due to the impending judgment and destruction that Isaiah foresees.<p><b>Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor.</b><br>The comparison to labor pains is a vivid metaphor for intense and unavoidable suffering. Labor pains are recurrent in biblical literature to describe sudden and inevitable distress (<a href="/jeremiah/30-6.htm">Jeremiah 30:6</a>, <a href="/1_thessalonians/5-3.htm">1 Thessalonians 5:3</a>). This imagery emphasizes the severity and inevitability of the coming judgment. In a broader biblical context, labor pains can also symbolize the birth of a new era or divine intervention, as seen in <a href="/romans/8-22.htm">Romans 8:22</a>, where creation groans in labor pains awaiting redemption.<p><b>I am bewildered to hear,</b><br>The bewilderment Isaiah experiences upon hearing the message suggests a revelation that is both unexpected and overwhelming. This reaction underscores the gravity of the prophecy concerning Babylon's fall. The bewilderment can also reflect the human struggle to comprehend divine plans, as God's ways and thoughts are higher than human understanding (<a href="/isaiah/55-8.htm">Isaiah 55:8-9</a>). The auditory aspect of the revelation highlights the importance of hearing in prophetic experiences, as faith comes by hearing the word of God (<a href="/romans/10-17.htm">Romans 10:17</a>).<p><b>I am dismayed to see.</b><br>The dismay upon seeing indicates a vision that is both shocking and distressing. This visual component of the prophecy complements the auditory revelation, providing a fuller, more immersive experience of the divine message. The dismay can be linked to the prophet's empathy and compassion for those who will suffer, reflecting God's own sorrow over judgment (<a href="/ezekiel/18-32.htm">Ezekiel 18:32</a>). The dual sensory experience of hearing and seeing aligns with other prophetic encounters, such as those of Daniel (<a href="/daniel/8-27.htm">Daniel 8:27</a>) and John in Revelation (<a href="/revelation/1-17.htm">Revelation 1:17</a>), where the overwhelming nature of divine visions leads to physical and emotional responses.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/i/isaiah.htm">Isaiah</a></b><br>The prophet who received and conveyed the vision. He is known for his prophecies concerning the judgment and redemption of Israel and the nations.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/b/babylon.htm">Babylon</a></b><br>The subject of the prophecy in <a href="/bsb/isaiah/21.htm">Isaiah 21</a>. Babylon was a powerful empire known for its wealth and idolatry, often seen as a symbol of human pride and opposition to God.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_vision.htm">The Vision</a></b><br>Isaiah receives a vision concerning the fall of Babylon, which causes him great distress and physical anguish.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/t/the_reality_of_god's_judgment.htm">The Reality of God's Judgment</a></b><br>Isaiah's anguish reflects the seriousness of God's judgment. Believers should be aware of the reality of divine justice and live in a way that honors God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_weight_of_prophetic_revelation.htm">The Weight of Prophetic Revelation</a></b><br>Receiving and understanding God's messages can be overwhelming. Christians are called to seek wisdom and strength from the Holy Spirit to comprehend and respond to God's Word.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_urgency_of_repentance.htm">The Urgency of Repentance</a></b><br>The imagery of labor pains suggests an impending event. This serves as a reminder of the urgency to repent and turn to God before His judgment comes.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/e/empathy_for_the_lost.htm">Empathy for the Lost</a></b><br>Isaiah's distress over the vision of Babylon's fall can inspire believers to have compassion for those who are lost and to pray for their salvation.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/trust_in_god's_sovereignty.htm">Trust in God's Sovereignty</a></b><br>Despite the chaos and distress depicted, believers can trust in God's ultimate control and His plan for redemption and justice.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_isaiah_21.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Isaiah 21</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/are_you_in_heaven_or_hell.htm">Are you in Heaven or Hell?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_couldn't_ezekiel_mourn_his_wife.htm">Why would God forbid Ezekiel from mourning his wife's death (Ezekiel 24:15-18), and how does this command reconcile with the Bible's portrayal of divine compassion?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_does_jesus_cry_out_in_mark_15_34.htm">Why does Jesus, believed to be divine, cry out 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' (Mark 15:34)?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/order_of_jesus'_disciples'_calling.htm">What does 'travail' mean in the Bible?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/isaiah/21.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(3) <span class= "bld">Therefore are my loins filled with pain . . .</span>--Comp. <a href="/nahum/2-10.htm" title="She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melts, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.">Nahum 2:10</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/21-6.htm" title="Sigh therefore, you son of man, with the breaking of your loins; and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.">Ezekiel 21:6</a>; and for the image of the "woman in travail," <a href="/isaiah/13-8.htm" title="And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travails: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.">Isaiah 13:8</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/30-6.htm" title="Ask you now, and see whether a man does travail with child? why do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?">Jeremiah 30:6</a>. The vision of destruction is so terrible that it over-powers all feeling of exultation, and oppresses the prophet like a horrible nightmare.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/isaiah/21.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 3.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Therefore are my loins filled with pain</span>, etc. (comp. above, <a href="/isaiah/15-5.htm">Isaiah 15:5</a>; <a href="/isaiah/16-9.htm">Isaiah 16:9-11</a>). The prophet is horrorstruck at the vision shown him - at the devastation, the ruin, the carnage (<a href="/isaiah/13-18.htm">Isaiah 13:18</a>). He does not stop to consider how well deserved the punishment is; he does not, perhaps, as yet know how that, in smiting Babylon, God will be specially avenging the sufferings of his own nation (see the introductory paragraph). <span class="cmt_word">I was bowed down at the hearing</span>, etc.; rather, <span class="accented">I am so agonized that I cannot hear</span>; <span class="accented">I am so terrified that I cannot see</span>. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/isaiah/21-3.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Therefore</span><br /><span class="heb">עַל־</span> <span class="translit">(‘al-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><br /><span class="word">my body</span><br /><span class="heb">מָתְנַי֙</span> <span class="translit">(mā·ṯə·nay)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - mdc | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4975.htm">Strong's 4975: </a> </span><span class="str2">The waist, small of the back, the loins</span><br /><br /><span class="word">is filled</span><br /><span class="heb">מָלְא֤וּ</span> <span class="translit">(mā·lə·’ū)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4390.htm">Strong's 4390: </a> </span><span class="str2">To fill, be full of</span><br /><br /><span class="word">with anguish.</span><br /><span class="heb">חַלְחָלָ֔ה</span> <span class="translit">(ḥal·ḥā·lāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_2479.htm">Strong's 2479: </a> </span><span class="str2">Writhing, terror</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Pain</span><br /><span class="heb">צִירִ֣ים</span> <span class="translit">(ṣî·rîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6735.htm">Strong's 6735: </a> </span><span class="str2">A hinge, a throe, a herald, erranddoer</span><br /><br /><span class="word">grips me,</span><br /><span class="heb">אֲחָז֔וּנִי</span> <span class="translit">(’ă·ḥā·zū·nî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural | first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_270.htm">Strong's 270: </a> </span><span class="str2">To grasp, take hold, take possession</span><br /><br /><span class="word">like the pains</span><br /><span class="heb">כְּצִירֵ֖י</span> <span class="translit">(kə·ṣî·rê)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-k | Noun - masculine plural construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6735.htm">Strong's 6735: </a> </span><span class="str2">A hinge, a throe, a herald, erranddoer</span><br /><br /><span class="word">of a woman in labor.</span><br /><span class="heb">יֽוֹלֵדָ֑ה</span> <span class="translit">(yō·w·lê·ḏāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3205.htm">Strong's 3205: </a> </span><span class="str2">To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage</span><br /><br /><span class="word">I am bewildered</span><br /><span class="heb">נַעֲוֵ֣יתִי</span> <span class="translit">(na·‘ă·wê·ṯî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Nifal - Perfect - first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5753.htm">Strong's 5753: </a> </span><span class="str2">To bend, twist</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to hear,</span><br /><span class="heb">מִשְּׁמֹ֔עַ</span> <span class="translit">(miš·šə·mō·a‘)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-m | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_8085.htm">Strong's 8085: </a> </span><span class="str2">To hear intelligently</span><br /><br /><span class="word">I am dismayed</span><br /><span class="heb">נִבְהַ֖לְתִּי</span> <span class="translit">(niḇ·hal·tî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Nifal - Perfect - first person common singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_926.htm">Strong's 926: </a> </span><span class="str2">To tremble inwardly, be, alarmed, agitated, to hasten anxiously</span><br /><br /><span class="word">to see.</span><br /><span class="heb">מֵרְאֽוֹת׃</span> <span class="translit">(mê·rə·’ō·wṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-m | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7200.htm">Strong's 7200: </a> </span><span class="str2">To see</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/isaiah/21-3.htm">Isaiah 21:3 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/isaiah/21-3.htm">Isaiah 21:3 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/isaiah/21-3.htm">Isaiah 21:3 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/isaiah/21-3.htm">Isaiah 21:3 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/isaiah/21-3.htm">Isaiah 21:3 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/isaiah/21-3.htm">Isaiah 21:3 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/isaiah/21-3.htm">Isaiah 21:3 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/isaiah/21-3.htm">Isaiah 21:3 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/isaiah/21-3.htm">Isaiah 21:3 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/isaiah/21-3.htm">Isaiah 21:3 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/isaiah/21-3.htm">OT Prophets: Isaiah 21:3 Therefore my thighs are filled with anguish (Isa Isi Is)</a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/isaiah/21-2.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Isaiah 21:2"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Isaiah 21:2" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/isaiah/21-4.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Isaiah 21:4"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Isaiah 21:4" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>