O inhabitants of the land of Tema, Bring water to him who is thirsty; With their bread they met him who fled.
Parallel translations
- WEB They brought water to him who was thirsty. The inhabitants of the land of Tema met the fugitives with their bread.
- KJV The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.
- BSB Bring water for the thirsty, O dwellers of Tema; meet the refugees with food.
- NASB Bring water for the thirsty, You inhabitants of the land of Tema; Meet the fugitive with bread.
- NLT O people of Tema, bring water to these thirsty people, food to these weary refugees.
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
The people of Tema bring water and bread to the fleeing refugees. It matters because it shows compassion amid the disruption, and the desperation of those who flee.
Overview
The inhabitants of Tema meet thirsty, hungry fugitives with provisions. The scene conveys both the plight of those displaced by war and a glimpse of human mercy toward them. Yet the need for such relief underscores how dire the situation has become for Arabia. The verse heightens the sense of impending calamity even as it shows kindness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Job 6:19The caravans of Tema looked. The companies of Sheba waited for them.
- Gen 25:15Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.
- Rom 12:20Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
- Prov 25:21If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat. If he is thirsty, give him water to drink:
- 1 Pet 4:9Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.
- Judg 8:4–8Gideon came to the Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men who were with him, faint, yet pursuing.
- Isa 16:3–4Give counsel! Execute justice! Make your shade like the night in the middle of the noonday! Hide the outcasts! Don’t betray the fugitive!
- 1 Chr 1:30Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).
How Isaiah 21:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.