Isaiah 13:20 She will never be inhabited or settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there.

◄ Isaiah 13:20 ►

New International Version
She will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; there no nomads will pitch their tents, there no shepherds will rest their flocks.

New Living Translation
Babylon will never be inhabited again. It will remain empty for generation after generation. Nomads will refuse to camp there, and shepherds will not bed down their sheep.

English Standard Version
It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.

Berean Standard Bible
She will never be inhabited or settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there.

King James Bible
It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

New King James Version
It will never be inhabited, Nor will it be settled from generation to generation; Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there, Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there.

New American Standard Bible
It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds allow their flocks to lie down there.

NASB 1995
It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

NASB 1977
It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

Legacy Standard Bible
It will never be inhabited or dwelt in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

Amplified Bible
Babylon will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will the shepherds let their sheep lie down there.

Christian Standard Bible
It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; a nomad will not pitch his tent there, and shepherds will not let their flocks rest there.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
It will never be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; a nomad will not pitch his tent there, and shepherds will not let their flocks rest there.

American Standard Version
It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there.

Contemporary English Version
No one will live in Babylon. Even nomads won't camp nearby, and shepherds won't let their sheep rest there.

English Revised Version
It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall shepherds make their flocks to lie down there.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
It will never be inhabited again, and no one will live in it for generations. Arabs won't pitch their tents there. Shepherds won't let their flocks rest there.

Good News Translation
No one will ever live there again. No wandering Arab will ever pitch a tent there, and no shepherd will ever pasture a flock there.

International Standard Version
It will never be inhabited or lived in through all generations; no Bedouin will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.

Majority Standard Bible
She will never be inhabited or settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there.

NET Bible
No one will live there again; no one will ever reside there again. No bedouin will camp there, no shepherds will rest their flocks there.

New Heart English Bible
It will never be inhabited, neither will it be lived in from generation to generation. The Arabian will not pitch a tent there, neither will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

Webster's Bible Translation
It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

World English Bible
It will never be inhabited, neither will it be lived in from generation to generation. The Arabian will not pitch a tent there, neither will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
She does not sit forever, "" Nor continue to many generations, "" Nor does Arab pitch tent there, "" And shepherds do not lie down there.

Young's Literal Translation
She doth not sit for ever, Nor continueth unto many generations, Nor doth Arab pitch tent there, And shepherds lie not down there.

Smith's Literal Translation
It shall not be inhabited forever, and it shall not be dwelt in even to generation and generation: and the Arabian shall not go on there, and the shepherds shall not recline there.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
It shall no more be inhabited for ever, and it shall not be founded unto generation and generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch his tents there, nor shall shepherds rest there.

Catholic Public Domain Version
It will not be inhabited, even unto the end, and it will not be reestablished, even from generation to generation. The Arab will not pitch his tents there, nor will the shepherds take rest there.

New American Bible
It shall never be inhabited, nor dwelt in, from age to age; Arabians shall not pitch their tents there, nor shepherds rest their flocks there.

New Revised Standard Version
It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; Arabs will not pitch their tents there, shepherds will not make their flocks lie down there.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; neither shall the Arabians encamp there; neither shall the shepherds make their folds there.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
She shall never be inhabited, and she shall not dwell for a generation of generations, and they shall not dwell there. The Arabians and Shepherds shall not shepherd there

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
It shall never be inhabited, Neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; Neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; Neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
It shall never be inhabited, neither shall any enter into it for many generations: neither shall the Arabians pass through it; nor shall shepherds at all rest in it.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

An Oracle Concerning Babylon
…19And Babylon, the jewel of the kingdoms, the glory of the pride of the Chaldeans, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. 20She will never be inhabited or settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there. 21But desert creatures will lie down there, and howling creatures will fill her houses. Ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats will leap about.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Jeremiah 50:39-40
So the desert creatures and hyenas will live there and ostriches will dwell there. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation. / As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighbors,” declares the LORD, “no one will dwell there; no man will abide there.

Revelation 18:21-22
Then a mighty angel picked up a stone the size of a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be cast down, never to be seen again. / And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never ring out in you again. Nor will any craftsmen of any trade be found in you again, nor the sound of a millstone be heard in you again.

Jeremiah 51:29
The earth quakes and writhes because the LORD’s intentions against Babylon stand: to make the land of Babylon a desolation, without inhabitant.

Zephaniah 2:13-15
And He will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria; He will make Nineveh a desolation, as dry as a desert. / Herds will lie down in her midst, creatures of every kind. Both the desert owl and screech owl will roost atop her pillars. Their calls will sound from the window, but desolation will lie on the threshold, for He will expose the beams of cedar. / This carefree city that dwells securely, that thinks to herself: “I am it, and there is none besides me,” what a ruin she has become, a resting place for beasts. Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist.

Revelation 18:2
And he cried out in a mighty voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a lair for demons and a haunt for every unclean spirit, every unclean bird, and every detestable beast.

Jeremiah 49:18
As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown along with their neighbors,” says the LORD, “no one will dwell there; no man will abide there.

Isaiah 34:10
It will not be quenched—day or night. Its smoke will ascend forever. From generation to generation it will lie desolate; no one will ever again pass through it.

Revelation 14:8
Then a second angel followed, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, who has made all the nations drink the wine of the passion of her immorality.”

Jeremiah 25:12
But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.

Malachi 1:3-4
but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.” / Though Edom may say, “We have been devastated, but we will rebuild the ruins,” this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “They may build, but I will demolish. They will be called the Land of Wickedness, and a people with whom the LORD is indignant forever.

Revelation 17:16
And the ten horns and the beast that you saw will hate the prostitute. They will leave her desolate and naked, and they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire.

Jeremiah 51:37
Babylon will become a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals, an object of horror and scorn, without inhabitant.

Ezekiel 26:20-21
then I will bring you down with those who descend to the Pit, to the people of antiquity. I will make you dwell in the earth below like the ancient ruins, with those who descend to the Pit, so that you will no longer be inhabited or set in splendor in the land of the living. / I will make you an object of horror, and you will be no more. You will be sought, but will never be found,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

Revelation 19:3
And a second time they called out: “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises forever and ever.”

Jeremiah 51:43
Her cities have become a desolation, a dry and arid land, a land where no one lives, where no son of man passes through.

Treasury of Scripture

It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelled in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

Isaiah 14:23
I will also make it a possession for the bittern, and pools of water: and I will sweep it with the besom of destruction, saith the LORD of hosts.

Jeremiah 50:3,13,21,39,45
For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they shall remove, they shall depart, both man and beast…

Jeremiah 51:25,29,43,62-64
Behold, I am against thee, O destroying mountain, saith the LORD, which destroyest all the earth: and I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and roll thee down from the rocks, and will make thee a burnt mountain…

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Isaiah 13

1. God musters the armies of his wrath
6. He threatens to destroy Babylon by the Medes
19. The desolation of Babylon

Berean Study Bible

It will never be inhabited
The phrase speaks to the complete and utter desolation decreed upon Babylon. The Hebrew root for "inhabited" is "יָשַׁב" (yashab), which means to dwell or sit. Historically, Babylon was a thriving metropolis, a center of culture and power. Yet, this prophecy foretells its permanent desolation, emphasizing the sovereignty of God over nations. The fulfillment of this prophecy serves as a testament to God's control over history and His ability to bring about His divine will.

or settled from generation to generation
The word "settled" comes from the Hebrew "שָׁכַן" (shakan), meaning to abide or dwell. This phrase underscores the enduring nature of Babylon's desolation. The repetition of "generation to generation" highlights the perpetual nature of this judgment. It serves as a warning to all nations that defy God, illustrating the eternal consequences of rebellion against His divine order.

no nomads will pitch their tents there
The term "nomads" refers to wandering tribes, often Bedouins, who were known for their transient lifestyle. The Hebrew word "עֲרָבִים" (aravim) is used here, indicating those who live in temporary shelters. The prophecy that even these transient people will avoid Babylon underscores the severity of its desolation. It suggests a divine curse so profound that even those accustomed to barren lands will find it uninhabitable.

and no shepherds will rest their flocks there
Shepherds were a common sight in the ancient Near East, and their presence often indicated a land's fertility and safety. The Hebrew word "רָבַץ" (rabat) means to lie down or rest, suggesting peace and provision. The absence of shepherds and their flocks signifies a land devoid of life and sustenance. This imagery reinforces the totality of Babylon's destruction, serving as a powerful symbol of God's judgment against pride and idolatry.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(20) Neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there . . .--The word "Arabian" is used in its widest extent, as including all the nomadic tribes of the Bedouin type east and north of Palestine as far as Babylon (2Chronicles 21:16; Strabo, xvi., p. 743). Here, again, we note a literal fulfilment. The Bedouins themselves, partly because the place is desolate, partly from a superstitious horror, shrink from encamping on the site of the ancient temples and palaces, and they are left to lions and other beasts of prey. On the other hand, Joseph Wolff, the missionary, describes a strange weird scene, pilgrims of the Yezidis, or devil-worshippers, dancing and howling like dervishes amid the ruins of Babylon.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 20. - It shall never be inhabited. This part of the prophecy did not receive its fulfillment till many centuries had gone by. From the time of Cyrus to that of Alexander the Great, Babylon was one of the chief cities of the Persian empire. Alexander was so struck with it, and with the excellence of its situation, that he designed to make it his capital. It first began seriously to decline under the Seleucidae, who built Seleucia on the Tigris as a rival to it, and still further injured it by fixing the seat of government at Antioch. But it had still a large population in the first century after our era (Josephus, 'Ant. Jud.,' 18:9, § 8); and is mentioned as a place of some consequence in the time of Trajan (Die Cass., 68:27), and even in that of Severue (Die Cass., 75:9). But after this it went rapidly to decay. Under the Sassuntans it disappears from sight; and when Benjamin of Tudela, in the twelfth century, visited the spot, there was nothing to be seen of the mighty city but those ruins of the Kasr, or palace, which still arrest the traveler's attention. The site had become, and has ever since remained, "without inhabitant." Neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there. A superstitious feeling prevents the Arabs from encamping on the mounds of Babylon, which are believed to be the haunts of evil spirits (Rich, 'First Memoir on Babylon,' p. 67; Ker Porter, 'Travels,' vol. 2. p. 371). Neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. The nitrous soil of the Babylonian mounds allows them to produce nothing but the coarsest and most unpalatable vegetation. The shepherds consequently do not feed their flocks on them.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

She will never
לֹֽא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

be inhabited
תֵשֵׁ֣ב (ṯê·šêḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

or
וְלֹ֥א (wə·lō)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

settled
תִשְׁכֹּ֖ן (ṯiš·kōn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7931: To settle down, abide, dwell

from
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

generation
דּ֣וֹר (dō·wr)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1755: A revolution of time, an age, generation, a dwelling

to generation;
וָד֑וֹר (wā·ḏō·wr)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1755: A revolution of time, an age, generation, a dwelling

no
וְלֹֽא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

nomad
עֲרָבִ֔י (‘ă·rā·ḇî)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 6163: Arabian -- inhabitant of Arabia

will pitch his tent
יַהֵ֥ל (ya·hêl)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 167: To move a tent (from place to place)

there,
שָׁם֙ (šām)
Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither

no
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

shepherd
וְרֹעִ֖ים (wə·rō·‘îm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 7462: To tend a, flock, pasture it, in, to graze, to rule, to associate with

will rest his flock
יַרְבִּ֥צוּ (yar·bi·ṣū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7257: To crouch, be implication, to recline, repose, brood, lurk, imbed

there.
שָֽׁם׃ (šām)
Adverb
Strong's 8033: There, then, thither

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OT Prophets: Isaiah 13:20 It will never be inhabited neither will (Isa Isi Is)