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For thus the Lord has said to me: “Within a year, according to the year of a hired man, all the glory of Kedar will fail;
Isaiah 21:16 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB For the Lord said to me, “Within a year, as a worker bound by contract would count it, all the glory of Kedar will fail,
  • KJV For thus hath the LORD said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:
  • BSB For this is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a hired worker would count it, all the glory of Kedar will be gone.
  • NASB For this is what the Lord said to me: “In a year, as a hired worker would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end;
  • NLT The Lord said to me, “Within a year, counting each day, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end.

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

Within a year all the glory of Kedar will collapse. It matters because it sets a precise timeframe, underscoring the certainty of the LORD's word.

Overview

The Lord declares that in exactly one year, measured as a hired worker counts his term, Kedar's splendor will fail. The specific timeframe stresses that this judgment is sure and soon. Kedar, a prominent Arabian tribe, stands for the region's pride and strength. The precision of the prophecy testifies to God's sovereign control over the timing of events.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 10

  • Isa 60:7All the flocks of Kedar will be gathered together to you. The rams of Nebaioth will serve you. They will be accepted as offerings on my altar; and I will beautify my glorious house.
  • Song 1:5I am dark, but lovely, you daughters of Jerusalem, like Kedar’s tents, like Solomon’s curtains.
  • Ps 120:5Woe is me, that I live in Meshech, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar!
  • Isa 16:14But now Yahweh has spoken, saying, “Within three years, as a worker bound by contract would count them, the glory of Moab shall be brought into contempt, with all his great multitude; and the remnant will be very small and feeble.”
  • Jer 49:28Of Kedar, and of the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck. Yahweh says: “Arise, go up to Kedar, and destroy the children of the east.
  • Ezek 27:21Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they were the merchants of your hand; in lambs, and rams, and goats, in these were they your merchants.
  • Isa 42:11Let the wilderness and its cities raise their voices, with the villages that Kedar inhabits. Let the inhabitants of Sela sing. Let them shout from the top of the mountains!
  • Gen 25:13These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to the order of their birth: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
  • 1 Chr 1:29These are their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
  • Job 7:1“Isn’t a man forced to labor on earth? Aren’t his days like the days of a hired hand?

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Isaiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Isaiah 21:16YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on IsaiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 21:16 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.