Isaiah 21:12
New International Version
The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; and come back yet again.”

New Living Translation
The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but night will soon return. If you wish to ask again, then come back and ask.”

English Standard Version
The watchman says: “Morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire; come back again.”

Berean Standard Bible
The watchman replies, “Morning has come, but also the night. If you would inquire, then inquire. Come back yet again.”

King James Bible
The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come.

New King James Version
The watchman said, “The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire; Return! Come back!”

New American Standard Bible
The watchman says, “Morning comes but also night. If you would inquire, inquire; Come back again.”

NASB 1995
The watchman says, “Morning comes but also night. If you would inquire, inquire; Come back again.”

NASB 1977
The watchman says, “Morning comes but also night. If you would inquire, inquire; Come back again.”

Legacy Standard Bible
The watchman says, “Morning comes but also night. If you would inquire, inquire; Come back again.”

Amplified Bible
The watchman says, “The morning comes [only briefly], but also [comes] the night [of Babylonian oppression]. If you would ask [of me then], ask [again, if Edom really wishes to know]; Come back again.”

Christian Standard Bible
The watchman said, “Morning has come, and also night. If you want to ask, ask! Come back again.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The watchman said,” Morning has come, and also night. If you want to ask, ask! Come back again.”

American Standard Version
The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: turn ye, come.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
The Watchman said "The dawn comes, also the night. If you seek, seek. You are coming again!”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I watch in the morning and the night: if thou wouldest enquire, enquire, and dwell by me.

Contemporary English Version
From my guard post, I answered, "Morning will soon be here, but night will return. If you want to know more, come back later."

Douay-Rheims Bible
The watchman said: The morning cometh, also the night: if you seek, seek: return, come.

English Revised Version
The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: turn ye, come.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The watchman answers, "Morning is coming, and night will come again. If you need to ask, come back and ask."

Good News Translation
I answer, "Morning is coming, but night will come again. If you want to ask again, come back and ask."

International Standard Version
The watchman replies: 'Morning is coming, but also the night. If you want to ask, then ask; come back again.'"

JPS Tanakh 1917
The watchman said: 'The morning cometh, and also the night-- If ye will inquire, inquire ye; return, come.'

Literal Standard Version
The watchman has said, “Morning has come, and also night, | If you inquire, inquire, return, come.”

Majority Standard Bible
The watchman replies, “Morning has come, but also the night. If you would inquire, then inquire. Come back yet again.”

New American Bible
The watchman replies, “Morning has come, and again night. If you will ask, ask; come back again.”

NET Bible
The watchman replies, "Morning is coming, but then night. If you want to ask, ask; come back again."

New Revised Standard Version
The sentinel says: “Morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire; come back again.”

New Heart English Bible
The watchman said, "The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire. Come back again."

Webster's Bible Translation
The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come.

World English Bible
The watchman said, “The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire. Come back again.”

Young's Literal Translation
The watchman hath said, 'Come hath morning, and also night, If ye inquire, inquire ye, turn back, come.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
An Oracle Concerning Edom
11This is the burden against Dumah: One calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?” 12The watchman replies, “Morning has come, but also the night. If you would inquire, then inquire. Come back yet again.”

Cross References
Isaiah 21:11
This is the burden against Dumah: One calls to me from Seir, "Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?"

Isaiah 21:13
This is the burden against Arabia: In the thickets of Arabia you must lodge, O caravans of Dedanites.

Obadiah 1:1
This is the vision of Obadiah: This is what the Lord GOD says about Edom--We have heard a message from the LORD; an envoy has been sent among the nations to say, "Rise up, and let us go to battle against her!"--


Treasury of Scripture

The watchman said, The morning comes, and also the night: if you will inquire, inquire you: return, come.

the morning

Isaiah 17:14
And behold at eveningtide trouble; and before the morning he is not. This is the portion of them that spoil us, and the lot of them that rob us.

Jeremiah 50:27
Slay all her bullocks; let them go down to the slaughter: woe unto them! for their day is come, the time of their visitation.

Ezekiel 7:5-7,10,12
Thus saith the Lord GOD; An evil, an only evil, behold, is come…

if

Isaiah 55:7
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Jeremiah 42:19-22
The LORD hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day…

Exodus 14:1-6
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, …

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Isaiah 21
1. The prophet, bewailing the captivity of his people,
6. sees in a vision the fall of Babylon by the Medes and Persians.
11. Edom, scorning the prophet, is moved to repentance.
13. The set time of Arabia's calamity.














(12) If ye will enquire . . .--The words pre-suppose a craving to know the meaning of the mysterious oracle just given. The prophet declines to answer. If they like to ask, they may, and return and go back after a bootless journey. Some interpreters, however. have seen in the "return" a call to repentance like that conveyed by the same word in Jeremiah 3:22, but hardly on sufficient grounds. We should, in that case, have expected "return to Jehovah."

Verse 12. - The morning cometh, and also the night. An oracular reply, but probably meaning

(1) that a brighter time would soon dawn upon the Edomite people; and

(2) that this brighter time would be followed by a return of misery and affliction. We may (conjecturally) understand the "morning" of the earlier part of Sennacherib's reign, when Edom was at peace with Assyria, merely paying a moderate tribute (G. Smith, 'Eponym Canon,' p. 132), and the "night" of the later period in the same king's reign, when (about B.C. 694-690) the country suffered from another Assyrian invasion, in which the king's treasures and his gods were carried off to Nineveh (ibid., p. 137). If ye will inquire, inquire ye; return, come. Some take this very literally, as meaning, "If ye would inquire further into the meaning of this answer, do so; return to me; come again." But this implies that the Edomites had sent an actual messenger to make the inquiry of ver. 5, which is improbable. Others understand a reproach to Edom: "If ye will have recourse to God in the time of trouble, do so; but then do more - return to him altogether; come, and be one with Judah."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The watchman
שֹׁמֵ֔ר (šō·mêr)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 8104: To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to

replies,
אָמַ֣ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Morning
בֹ֖קֶר (ḇō·qer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1242: Dawn, morning

has come,
אָתָ֥ה (’ā·ṯāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 857: To arrive

but also
וְגַם־ (wə·ḡam-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

the night.
לָ֑יְלָה (lā·yə·lāh)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3915: A twist, night, adversity

If
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

you would inquire,
תִּבְעָי֥וּן (tiḇ·‘ā·yūn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 1158: To gush over, to swell, to desire earnestly, to ask

then inquire!
בְּעָ֖יוּ (bə·‘ā·yū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 1158: To gush over, to swell, to desire earnestly, to ask

Come back
אֵתָֽיוּ׃ (’ê·ṯā·yū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 857: To arrive

yet again.”
שֻׁ֥בוּ (šu·ḇū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 7725: To turn back, in, to retreat, again


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 21:12 The watchman said The morning comes (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 21:11
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