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Elam takes up a quiver, with chariots and horsemen, and Kir uncovers the shield.
Isaiah 22:6 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Elam carried his quiver, with chariots of men and horsemen; and Kir uncovered the shield.
  • KJV And Elam bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen, and Kir uncovered the shield.
  • NKJV Elam bore the quiver With chariots of men and horsemen, And Kir uncovered the shield.
  • NASB Elam picked up the quiver, With the chariots, infantry, and horsemen; And Kir uncovered the shield.
  • NLT Elamites are the archers, with their chariots and charioteers. The men of Kir hold up the shields.

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

Foreign forces from Elam and Kir prepare for assault against Jerusalem. It matters because it shows the gathering of armies God permits against his city.

Overview

Elam with chariots and horsemen, and Kir uncovering the shield, depict invading forces arrayed for war. These nations serve as instruments in the judgment falling on Jerusalem. The military buildup makes the threat concrete and pressing. It reminds readers that God can use foreign powers to discipline his people.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 7

  • 2 Kgs 16:9So the king of Assyria responded to him, marched up to Damascus, and captured it. He took its people to Kir as captives and put Rezin to death.
  • Isa 21:2A dire vision is declared to me: “The traitor still betrays, and the destroyer still destroys. Go up, O Elam! Lay siege, O Media! I will put an end to all her groaning.”
  • Amos 9:7“Are you not like the Cushites to Me, O children of Israel?” declares the LORD. “Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Arameans from Kir?
  • Amos 1:5I will break down the gates of Damascus; I will cut off the ruler of the Valley of Aven and the one who wields the scepter in Beth-eden. The people of Aram will be exiled to Kir,” says the LORD.
  • Isa 15:1This is the burden against Moab: Ar in Moab is ruined, destroyed in a night! Kir in Moab is devastated, destroyed in a night!
  • Gen 10:22The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
  • Jer 49:35–39This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold, I will shatter Elam’s bow, the mainstay of their might.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

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 22:6YouTube · 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 22:6 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.