They scoff at kings and make rulers an object of scorn. They laugh at every fortress and build up siege ramps to seize it.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yes, he scoffs at kings, and princes are a derision to him. He laughs at every stronghold, for he builds up an earthen ramp, and takes it.
- KJV And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.
- NKJV They scoff at kings, And princes are scorned by them. They deride every stronghold, For they heap up earthen mounds and seize it.
- NASB “They make fun of kings, And dignitaries are an object of laughter to them. They laugh at every fortress, Then heap up dirt and capture it.
- NLT They scoff at kings and princes and scorn all their fortresses. They simply pile ramps of earth against their walls and capture them!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Babylon scoffs at kings and rulers and laughs at fortified cities, easily overcoming them with siege ramps. It depicts the empire's contempt for all earthly defenses and powers.
Overview
No king, prince, or stronghold can withstand this nation; they mock human power and military fortification alike. The earthen ramp recalls Babylon's effective siege warfare against walled cities. Yet this very arrogance toward all authority foreshadows their guilt, for the one who derides every power forgets the God who raised them up and will bring them down.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- 2 Chr 36:6Then Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jehoiakim and bound him with bronze shackles to take him to Babylon.
- Jer 32:24See how the siege ramps are mounted against the city to capture it. And by sword and famine and plague, the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What You have spoken has happened, as You now see!
- 2 Chr 36:10In the spring, King Nebuchadnezzar summoned Jehoiachin and brought him to Babylon, along with the articles of value from the house of the LORD. And he made Jehoiachin’s relative Zedekiah king over Judah and Jerusalem.
- Isa 14:16Those who see you will stare; they will ponder your fate: “Is this the man who shook the earth and made the kingdoms tremble,
- 2 Kgs 25:6–7The Chaldeans seized the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, where they pronounced judgment on him.
- Jer 33:4For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the houses of this city and the palaces of the kings of Judah that have been torn down for defense against the siege ramps and the sword:
- 2 Kgs 24:12Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his commanders, and his officials all surrendered to the king of Babylon. So in the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon took him captive.
- Jer 52:4–7So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
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Original language
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