Isaiah 32:13
New International Version
and for the land of my people, a land overgrown with thorns and briers— yes, mourn for all houses of merriment and for this city of revelry.

New Living Translation
For your land will be overgrown with thorns and briers. Your joyful homes and happy towns will be gone.

English Standard Version
for the soil of my people growing up in thorns and briers, yes, for all the joyous houses in the exultant city.

Berean Standard Bible
and for the land of my people, overgrown with thorns and briers—even for every house of merriment in this city of revelry.

King James Bible
Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:

New King James Version
On the land of my people will come up thorns and briers, Yes, on all the happy homes in the joyous city;

New American Standard Bible
For the land of my people in which thorns and briars will come up; Indeed, for all the joyful houses and for the jubilant city.

NASB 1995
For the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up; Yea, for all the joyful houses and for the jubilant city.

NASB 1977
For the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up; Yea, for all the joyful houses, and for the jubilant city.

Legacy Standard Bible
For the land of my people in which thorns and briars shall come up, Indeed, against all the joyful houses and the exultant city.

Amplified Bible
For the land of my people growing over with thorns and briars— Yes, [mourn] for all the houses of joy in the joyous city.

Christian Standard Bible
for the ground of my people growing thorns and briers, indeed, for every joyous house in the jubilant city.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
for the ground of my people growing thorns and briers, indeed, for every joyous house in the joyful city.

American Standard Version
Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city.

Contemporary English Version
and to the happy homes in Jerusalem. The land of my people is covered with thorns.

English Revised Version
Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Mourn for my people's land where thorns and briars will grow. Mourn for all the happy homes in a joyful city.

Good News Translation
and thorn bushes and briers are growing on my people's land. Weep for all the houses where people were happy and for the city that was full of life.

International Standard Version
and over the land of my people overgrown with thorns and briers— yes, over all the houses of merriment and over this city of revelry.

Majority Standard Bible
and for the land of my people, overgrown with thorns and briers—even for every house of merriment in this city of revelry.

NET Bible
Mourn over the land of my people, which is overgrown with thorns and briers, and over all the once-happy houses in the city filled with revelry.

New Heart English Bible
Thorns and briars will come up on my people's land; yes, on all the houses of joy in the joyous city.

Webster's Bible Translation
Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; also, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city:

World English Bible
Thorns and briers will come up on my people’s land; yes, on all the houses of joy in the joyous city.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Over the ground of my people thorn [and] brier go up, "" Surely over all houses of joy of the exulting city,

Young's Literal Translation
Over the ground of my people thorn -- brier goeth up, Surely over all houses of joy of the exulting city,

Smith's Literal Translation
Upon the land of my people shall come up the thorn of the sharp point; so upon the houses of rejoicing of the exulting city.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Upon the land of my people shall thorns and briers come up: how much more upon all the houses of joy, of the city that rejoiced?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Thorn and brier will rise up, over the soil of my people. How much more over all the houses of gladness, over the city of exultation?

New American Bible
For the soil of my people, overgrown with thorns and briers; For all the joyful houses, the exultant city.

New Revised Standard Version
for the soil of my people growing up in thorns and briers; yes, for all the joyous houses in the jubilant city.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Upon the land of my people shall grow up thorns and briers; yea, upon all the houses of mirth in the mighty city;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And upon the land of my people, thorns and briars shall sprout, and in all the households of joy and in the mighty city
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For the land of my people Whereon thorns and briers come up; Yea, for all the houses of joy And the joyous city.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
As for the land of my people, the thorn and grass shall come upon it, and joy shall be removed from every house.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Women of Jerusalem
12Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vines, 13and for the land of my people, overgrown with thorns and briers— even for every house of merriment in this city of revelry. 14For the palace will be forsaken, the busy city abandoned. The hill and the watchtower will become caves forever—the delight of wild donkeys and a pasture for flocks—…

Cross References
Isaiah 5:6
I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and thorns and briers will grow up. I will command the clouds that rain shall not fall on it.”

Isaiah 7:23-25
And on that day, in every place that had a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels of silver, only briers and thorns will be found. / Men will go there with bow and arrow, for the land will be covered with briers and thorns. / For fear of the briers and thorns, you will no longer traverse the hills once tilled by the hoe; they will become places for oxen to graze and sheep to trample.

Isaiah 24:1-3
Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants— / people and priest alike, servant and master, maid and mistress, buyer and seller, lender and borrower, creditor and debtor. / The earth will be utterly laid waste and thoroughly plundered. For the LORD has spoken this word.

Isaiah 29:17
In a very short time, will not Lebanon become an orchard, and the orchard seem like a forest?

Isaiah 35:1-2
The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. / It will bloom profusely and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.

Jeremiah 4:26
I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert. All its cities were torn down before the LORD, before His fierce anger.

Jeremiah 12:10-11
Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard; they have trampled My plot of ground. They have turned My pleasant field into a desolate wasteland. / They have made it a desolation; desolate before Me, it mourns. All the land is laid waste, but no man takes it to heart.

Ezekiel 6:14
I will stretch out My hand against them, and wherever they live I will make the land a desolate waste, from the wilderness to Diblah. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”

Ezekiel 15:8
Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have acted unfaithfully,’ declares the Lord GOD.”

Hosea 2:12
I will destroy her vines and fig trees, which she thinks are the wages paid by her lovers. So I will make them into a thicket, and the beasts of the field will devour them.

Joel 1:7
It has laid waste My grapevine and splintered My fig tree. It has stripped off the bark and thrown it away; the branches have turned white.

Micah 3:12
Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble, and the temple mount a wooded ridge.

Matthew 21:19
Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.

Luke 13:6-9
Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. / So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ / ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone again this year, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ...

John 15:6
If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.


Treasury of Scripture

On the land of my people shall come up thorns and briers; yes, on all the houses of joy in the joyous city:

come

Isaiah 6:11
Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,

Isaiah 7:23
And it shall come to pass in that day, that every place shall be, where there were a thousand vines at a thousand silverlings, it shall even be for briers and thorns.

Isaiah 34:13
And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.

yea, upon.

Jeremiah 39:8
And the Chaldeans burned the king's house, and the houses of the people, with fire, and brake down the walls of Jerusalem.

Revelation 18:7,8
How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow…

in the

Isaiah 22:2,12,13
Thou that art full of stirs, a tumultuous city, a joyous city: thy slain men are not slain with the sword, nor dead in battle…

Jump to Previous
Briars Brier Briers City Exulting Glad Ground Growing Houses Joy Joyful Joyous Jubilant Mourn Overgrown People's Revelry Soil Surely Thistles Thorn Thorns Whereon
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Briars Brier Briers City Exulting Glad Ground Growing Houses Joy Joyful Joyous Jubilant Mourn Overgrown People's Revelry Soil Surely Thistles Thorn Thorns Whereon
Isaiah 32
1. The blessings of Christ's kingdom
9. Desolation is foreshown
14. Restoration is promised to succeed














and for the land of my people
This phrase highlights the deep connection between God and His chosen people, Israel. The Hebrew word for "land" is "אֶרֶץ" (eretz), which often signifies not just physical territory but also the covenantal promise God made to Abraham and his descendants. The "land" is a symbol of God's blessing and provision. The phrase "my people" underscores the intimate relationship and covenantal bond between God and Israel. It is a reminder of the special status of Israel as God's chosen nation, set apart for His purposes.

overgrown with thorns and briers
The imagery of "thorns and briers" is a powerful symbol of desolation and judgment. In Hebrew, "thorns" is "שָׁמִיר" (shamir) and "briers" is "שָׁיִת" (shayit). These words evoke the curse of the ground after the Fall in Genesis 3:18, where thorns and thistles are mentioned as a consequence of sin. This imagery suggests a reversal of the blessings of the Promised Land, turning it into a place of barrenness and hardship due to the people's disobedience and sin. It serves as a warning of the consequences of turning away from God.

indeed, for every house of merriment
The phrase "house of merriment" refers to places of feasting and celebration, which in the context of Isaiah's prophecy, have become centers of indulgence and moral decay. The Hebrew word for "merriment" is "שִׂמְחָה" (simchah), which generally means joy or gladness. However, in this context, it implies a superficial and fleeting joy that is disconnected from righteousness and true worship of God. The judgment upon these houses signifies the end of false security and the emptiness of worldly pleasures.

in the city of revelry
The "city of revelry" represents a society given over to excess and moral laxity. The Hebrew word for "revelry" is "הוֹמָה" (homah), which can denote a tumultuous or riotous celebration. This phrase paints a picture of a community that has prioritized hedonism over holiness, leading to its downfall. The city, once a place of potential blessing and community, becomes a symbol of judgment due to its inhabitants' choices. This serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of prioritizing earthly pleasures over spiritual fidelity.

Verses 13-20. - A FURTHER MINGLING OF THREATS WITH COMFORTING PROMISES. The women require, like the men, to be both warned and comforted, wherefore the prophet addresses to them, as to the men in Isaiah 30. and 31, an intermixture of threatening (vers. 13, 14) with promise (vers. 15-20). Verse 13. - Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and briars. This was the punishment with which the unfruitful vineyard was threatened in Isaiah 5:6. It may be understood either literally or of the wickedness that would abound when the time of judgment came. Yea, upon all the houses of joy (comp. Isaiah 5:9). If Sennacherib carried off, as he declares (G. Smith, 'Epenym Canon,' p. 134), more than two hundred thousand captives from Judaea, he must have left many houses without inhabitants. The solitude begun by him was completed by the Babylonians. The joyous city (see Isaiah 22:2). The word used has generally the sense of unholy mirth (comp. Isaiah 23:7; Isaiah 24:8; Zephaniah 2:15; Zephaniah 3:11).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
and for
עַ֚ל (‘al)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the land
אַדְמַ֣ת (’aḏ·maṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 127: Ground, land

of my people,
עַמִּ֔י (‘am·mî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock

overgrown
תַּֽעֲלֶ֑ה (ta·‘ă·leh)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

with thorns
ק֥וֹץ (qō·wṣ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6975: A thorn, thornbush

and briers—
שָׁמִ֖יר (šā·mîr)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 8068: A thorn, a gem, the diamond

even
כִּ֚י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

for
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

every
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

house
בָּתֵּ֣י (bāt·tê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1004: A house

of merriment
מָשׂ֔וֹשׂ (mā·śō·wś)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4885: Exultation, rejoicing

in this city
קִרְיָ֖ה (qir·yāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7151: A town, city

of revelry.
עַלִּיזָֽה׃ (‘al·lî·zāh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 5947: Exultant, jubilant


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 32:13 Thorns and briars will come up (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 32:12
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