Isaiah 66:6

The NET Bible®

The sound of battle comes from the city; the sound comes from the temple! It is the sound of the Lord paying back his enemies.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
A sound of uproar from the city!A voice from the temple—the voice of the Lord,paying back his enemies what they deserve!

Hebrew Names Version
A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that renders recompense to his enemies.

King James Version
A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence to his enemies.

English Standard Version
"The sound of an uproar from the city! A sound from the temple! The sound of the Lord , rendering recompense to his enemies!

New American Standard Bible
"A sound of uproar from the city, a voice from the temple, The voice of the LORD who is dealing retribution to His enemies.

New Century Version
Listen to the loud noise coming from the city; hear the noise from the Temple. It is the Lord punishing his enemies, giving them the punishment they should have.

Amplified Bible
"The sound of an uproar from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the LORD, providing retribution to His enemies.

World English Bible
A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Yahweh that renders recompense to his enemies.

Geneva Bible (1587)
A voyce soundeth from the citie, euen a voyce from the Temple, the voyce of the Lorde, that recompenseth his enemies fully.

Legacy Standard Bible
A voice of rumbling from the city, a voice from the temple,The voice of Yahweh who is paying recompense to His enemies.

Berean Standard Bible
Hear the uproar from the city; listen to the voice from the temple! It is the voice of the LORD, repaying His enemies what they deserve!

Contemporary English Version
Do you hear that noise in the city and those shouts coming from the temple? It is the Lord shouting as he punishes his enemies.

Complete Jewish Bible
That uproar in the city, that sound from the temple, is the sound of Adonai repaying his foes what they deserve.

Darby Translation
A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Jehovah that rendereth recompence to his enemies!

Easy-to-Read Version
Listen! There is a loud noise coming from the city and from the Temple. It is the Lord punishing his enemies. He is giving them the punishment they deserve.

George Lamsa Translation
A voice of tumult comes from the city, a voice from the temple, the voice of the LORD who renders recompense to his enemies!

Good News Translation
Listen! That loud noise in the city, that sound in the Temple, is the sound of the Lord punishing his enemies!

Lexham English Bible
A voice, an uproar from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of Yahweh paying back his enemies!

Literal Translation
A roaring sound from the city! A sound from the temple! It is the sound of Jehovah repaying retribution to His enemies.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For as touchinge the cite and the temple, I heare the voyce of the LORDE, that will rewarde, and recompece his enemies:

American Standard Version
A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Jehovah that rendereth recompense to his enemies.

Bible in Basic English
There is a noise of war from the town, a sound from the Temple, the voice of the Lord giving punishment to his haters.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Hark! an uproar from the city, Hark! it cometh from the temple, Hark! the LORD rendereth recompense to His enemies.

King James Version (1611)
A voice of noyse from the city, a voice from the Temple, a voice of the Lord, that rendreth recompense to his enemies.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then shalbe hearde a great noyse from the citie and the temple, the voyce of the Lorde, that wyll rewarde and recompence his enemies:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
A voice of a cry from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord rendering recompence to his adversaries.

English Revised Version
A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompence to his enemies.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The vois of the puple fro the citee, the vois fro the temple, the vois of the Lord yeldynge a reward to hise enemyes.

Update Bible Version
A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Yahweh that renders recompense to his enemies.

Webster's Bible Translation
A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that rendereth recompense to his enemies.

New King James Version
The sound of noise from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the LORD, Who fully repays His enemies!

New Living Translation
What is all the commotion in the city? What is that terrible noise from the Temple? It is the voice of the Lord taking vengeance against his enemies.

New Life Bible
Listen! A noise from the city! A voice from the house of God! It is the voice of the Lord Who is giving punishment to those who hate Him.

New Revised Standard
Listen, an uproar from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the Lord , dealing retribution to his enemies!

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The sound of a tumult - out of the city, A sound, out of the temple, - The sound of Yahweh rendering recompense to his foes.

Douay-Rheims Bible
A voice of the people from the city, a voice from the temple, the voice of the Lord that rendereth recompense to his enemies.

Revised Standard Version
"Hark, an uproar from the city! A voice from the temple! The voice of the LORD, rendering recompense to his enemies!

Young's Literal Translation
A voice of noise [is] from the city, a voice from the temple, The voice of Jehovah, giving recompence to His enemies.

THE MESSAGE
Rumbles of thunder from the city! A voice out of the Temple! God 's voice, handing out judgment to his enemies:

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"A voice of uproar from the city, a voice from the temple, The voice of the LORD who is rendering recompense to His enemies.

Contextual Overview

⁵ Hear the word of the Lord , you who respect what he has to say! Your countrymen, who hate you and exclude you, supposedly for the sake of my name, say, "May the Lord be glorified, then we will witness your joy." But they will be put to shame. ⁶ The sound of battle comes from the city; the sound comes from the temple! It is the sound of the Lord paying back his enemies. ⁷ Before she goes into labor, she gives birth! Before her contractions begin, she delivers a boy! ⁸ Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen this? Can a country be brought forth in one day? Can a nation be born in a single moment? Yet as soon as Zion goes into labor she gives birth to sons! ⁹ "Do I bring a baby to the birth opening and then not deliver it?" asks the Lord . "Or do I bring a baby to the point of delivery and then hold it back?" asks your God. ¹⁰ Be happy for Jerusalem and rejoice with her, all you who love her! Share in her great joy, all you who have mourned over her! ¹¹ For you will nurse from her satisfying breasts and be nourished; you will feed with joy from her milk-filled breasts. ¹² For this is what the Lord says: "Look, I am ready to extend to her prosperity that will flow like a river, the riches of nations will flow into her like a stream that floods its banks. You will nurse from her breast and be carried at her side; you will play on her knees. ¹³ As a mother consoles a child, so I will console you, and you will be consoled over Jerusalem." ¹⁴ When you see this, you will be happy, and you will be revived. The Lord will reveal his power to his servants and his anger to his enemies.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a voice of the Lord: Isaiah 34:8, Isaiah 59:18, Isaiah 65:5-7, Joel 3:7-16, Amos 1:2 - Amos 2:16

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 32:41 - I will Psalms 2:5 - Then Psalms 29:4 - full of Jeremiah 25:14 - I Jeremiah 51:24 - General Ezekiel 43:6 - I heard Micah 6:9 - Lord's Habakkuk 2:20 - the Lord Zephaniah 1:14 - even Matthew 10:22 - shall be hated Luke 19:27 - General Revelation 8:5 - and filled

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A voice of noise from the city,.... From the city of Jerusalem, as the Targum; so Kimchi, who says, that in the days of the Messiah shall go out of Jerusalem the voice of noise concerning Gog and Magog: this indeed respects the days of the Messiah, but such as are now past, and a voice of crying in the city of Jerusalem, at, the taking and destruction of it by the Romans; when were heard from it the noisy voices of the Roman soldiers, triumphing and rejoicing at it, and the shrieks of the inhabitants, running about from place to place for shelter; so when destruction and desolation are come upon any place, a voice or a cry is said to come from it; see Jeremiah 48:3:

a voice from the temple; either from heaven, as Aben Ezra; or rather from the temple at Jerusalem, of the priests there hindered from doing their service, and starving for want of sustenance; or of the people that fled thither for security, but forced from thence by the soldiers; and especially a voice of crying and lamentation was heard, when set on fire. Some illustrate this by what the priests heard in the temple a little before the destruction of it, a rustling and a noise like persons shifting and moving, and a voice in the holy of holies, saying, "let us go hence"; as also the words of Jesus the son of Ananus, a countryman, who went about uttering these words,

"a voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and against the temple, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, a voice against all the people:''

this he did before the war began, nor could he be persuaded to desist from it, but continued it afterwards; going on the walls of the city, saying,

"woe, woe to the city, and to the temple, and to the people, woe to myself also;''

and while he was speaking the last words, a stone, cast from a Roman engine, killed him, as Josephus q relates:

a voice of the Lord, that rendereth recompence to his enemies; for the Lord's voice was in all this, and his hand in the destruction of those people; it was according to his appointment, direction, and order, in righteous judgment for their sins, they being his implacable enemies, that would not have him to rule over them, Luke 19:14.

q De Bello Jud. I. 6. c. 5. sect. 3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A voice of noise from the city - That is, from the city of Jerusalem. The prophet sees in a vision a tumult in the city. He hears a voice that issues from the temple. His manner and language are rapid and hurried - such as a man would evince who should suddenly see a vast tumultuous assemblage, and hear a confused sound of many voices. There is also a remarkable abruptness in the whole description here. The preceding verse was calm and solemn. It was full of affectionate assurance of the divine favor to those whom the prophet saw to be persecuted. Here the scene suddenly changes. The vision passes to the agitating events which were occurring in the city and the temple, and to the great and sudden change which would be produced in the condition of the church of God. But to whom or what this refers has been a subject of considerable difference of opinion. Grotius understands it of the sound of triumph of Judas Maccabeus, and of his soldiers, rejoicing that the city was forsaken by Antiochus, and by the party of the Jews who adhered to him.

Rosenmuller understands it of the voice of God, who is seen by the prophet taking vengeance on his foes. There can be no doubt that the prophet, in vision, sees Yahweh taking recompence on his enemies - for that is expressly specified. Still it is not easy to determine the exact time referred to, or the exact scene which passes before the mind of the prophet. To me it seems probable that it is a scene that immediately preceded the rapid extension of the gospel, and the great and sudden increase of the church by the accession of the pagan world (see the following verses); and I would suggest, whether it is not a vision of the deeply affecting and agitating scenes when the temple and city were about to be destroyed by the Romans; when the voice of Yahweh would be heard in the city and at the temple, declaring the punishment which he would bring on those who had cast out and rejected the followers of the Messiah Isaiah 66:5; and when, as a result of this, the news of Salvation was to be rapidly spread throughout the pagan world.

This is the opinion, also, of Vitringa. The phrase rendered here ‘a voice of noise’ (שׁאון קול qôl shâ'ôn), means properly the voice of a tumultuous assemblage; the voice of a multitude. The word ‘noise’ (שׁאון shâ'ôn) is applied to a noise or roaring, as of waters Psalms 65:8; or of a crowd or multitude of people Isaiah 5:14; Isaiah 42:4; Isaiah 24:8; and of war Amos 2:2; Hosea 10:14. Here it seems probable that it refers to the confused clamor of war, the battle cry raised by soldiers attacking an army or a city; and the scene described is probably that when the Roman soldiers burst into the city, scaled the walls, and poured desolation through the capital.

A voice from the temple - That is, either the tumultous sound of war already having reached the temple; or the voice of Yahweh speaking from the temple, and commanding destruction on his foes. Vitringa supposes that it may mean the voice of Yahweh breaking forth from the temple, and commanding his foes to be slain. But to whichever it refers, it doubtless means that the sound of the tumult was not only around the city, but in it; not merely in the distant parts, but in the very midst, and even at the temple.

A voice of the Lord that rendereth recompence - Here we may observe:

1. That it is recompence taken on those who had cast out their brethren Isaiah 66:5.

2. It is vengeance taken within the city, and on the internal, not the external enemies.

3. It is vengeance taken in the midst of this tumult.

All this is a striking description of the scene when the city and temple were taken by the Roman armies. It was the vengeance taken on those who had cast out their brethren; it was the vengeance which was to precede the glorious triumph of truth and of the cause of the true religion.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Isaiah 66:6. A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the Lord — It is very remarkable that similar words were spoken by Jesus, son of Ananias, previously to the destruction of Jerusalem. See his very affecting history related by Josephus, WAR, B. vi., chap. v.