“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.
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.
- BSB They scoff at kings and make rulers an object of scorn. They laugh at every fortress and build up siege ramps to seize 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.
- 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 36:6Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against him, and bound him in fetters to carry him to Babylon.
- Jer 32:24“Behold, the mounds, they have come to the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence; and what you have spoken has happened; and behold, you see it.
- 2 Chr 36:10At the return of the year, king Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylon, with the valuable vessels of Yahweh’s house, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.
- Isa 14:16Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, “Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms;
- 2 Kgs 25:6–7Then they captured the king, and carried him up to the king of Babylon to Riblah; and they passed judgment on him.
- Jer 33:4For Yahweh, the God of Israel, says concerning the houses of this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah, which are broken down to make a defense against the mounds and against the sword;
- 2 Kgs 24:12and Jehoiachin the king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his officers; and the king of Babylon captured him in the eighth year of his reign.
- Jer 52:4–7In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it round about.
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Original language
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