My heart falters; fear makes me tremble. The twilight of my desire has turned to horror.
Parallel translations
- WEB My heart flutters. Horror has frightened me. The twilight that I desired has been turned into trembling for me.
- KJV My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.
- NKJV My heart wavered, fearfulness frightened me; The night for which I longed He turned into fear for me.
- NASB My mind reels, horror overwhelms me; The twilight I longed for has been turned into trembling for me.
- NLT My mind reels and my heart races. I longed for evening to come, but now I am terrified of the dark.
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
Isaiah's heart races with horror, and the rest he longed for becomes dread. It matters because it conveys the terror of impending judgment even on God's enemies.
Overview
The prophet's anticipated 'twilight' of rest is turned into trembling as the vision unfolds. His inner turmoil mirrors the dreadful reality of Babylon's coming fall. Even oracles against enemies are not occasions for callous delight but for sober awe at God's judgments. It reminds readers of the seriousness with which God's word treats divine wrath.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Luke 21:34–36But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
- Deut 28:67In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ and in the evening you will say, ‘If only it were morning!’—because of the dread in your hearts of the terrifying sights you will see.
- Job 21:11–13They send forth their little ones like a flock; their children skip about,
- Esth 5:12“What is more,” Haman added, “Queen Esther invited no one but me to join the king at the banquet she prepared, and I am invited back tomorrow along with the king.
- Dan 5:5At that moment the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster of the wall, near the lampstand in the royal palace. As the king watched the hand that was writing,
- Esth 7:6–10Esther replied, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked man—Haman!” And Haman stood in terror before the king and queen.
- Nah 1:10For they will be entangled as with thorns and consumed like the drink of a drunkard—like stubble that is fully dry.
- Jer 51:39While they are flushed with heat, I will serve them a feast, and I will make them drunk so that they may revel; then they will fall asleep forever and never wake up, declares the LORD.
- 2 Sam 13:28–29Now Absalom had ordered his young men, “Watch Amnon until his heart is merry with wine, and when I order you to strike Amnon down, you are to kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant!”
- 1 Sam 25:36–38When Abigail returned to Nabal, there he was in the house, holding a feast fit for a king, in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until morning light.
- Isa 5:11–14Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine.
- Jer 51:57I will make her princes and wise men drunk, along with her governors, officials, and warriors. Then they will fall asleep forever and not wake up,” declares the King, whose name is the LORD of Hosts.
- Dan 5:1Later, King Belshazzar held a great feast for a thousand of his nobles, and he drank wine with them.
- Dan 5:30That very night Belshazzar king of the Chaldeans was slain,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 21:4 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.