Isaiah 13:8
New International Version
Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.

New Living Translation
and people are terrified. Pangs of anguish grip them, like those of a woman in labor. They look helplessly at one another, their faces aflame with fear.

English Standard Version
They will be dismayed: pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.

Berean Standard Bible
Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear.

King James Bible
And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

New King James Version
And they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; They will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; They will be amazed at one another; Their faces will be like flames.

New American Standard Bible
They will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.

NASB 1995
They will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.

NASB 1977
And they will be terrified, Pains and anguish will take hold of them; They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.

Legacy Standard Bible
They will be terrified, Pains and labor pangs will take hold of them; They will writhe like a woman in labor, They will look at one another in astonishment, Their faces aflame.

Amplified Bible
They [of Babylon] will be shocked and terrified, Pains and anguish will grip them; They will be in pain like a woman in childbirth. They will stare aghast and horrified at one another, Their faces aflame [from the effects of the unprecedented warfare].

Christian Standard Bible
They will be horrified; pain and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look at each other, their faces flushed with fear.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They will be horrified; pain and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look at each other, their faces flushed with fear.

American Standard Version
and they shall be dismayed; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail: they shall look in amazement one at another; their faces shall be faces of flame.

Contemporary English Version
Everyone will tremble with pain like a woman giving birth; they will stare at each other with horror on their faces.

English Revised Version
and they shall be dismayed; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be faces of flame.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They'll be terrified. Pain and anguish will seize them. They'll writhe like a woman giving birth to a child. They'll look at one another in astonishment. Their faces will be burning red.

Good News Translation
They will all be terrified and overcome with pain, like the pain of a woman in labor. They will look at each other in fear, and their faces will burn with shame.

International Standard Version
They will be terrified; pain and anguish will seize them; they'll writhe like a woman in labor. They'll look aghast at one another; and their faces will be ablaze with fear.

Majority Standard Bible
Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear.

NET Bible
They panic--cramps and pain seize hold of them like those of a woman who is straining to give birth. They look at one another in astonishment; their faces are flushed red.

New Heart English Bible
They will be dismayed. Pangs and sorrows will seize them. They will be in pain like a woman in labor. They will look in amazement one at another. Their faces will be faces of flame.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

World English Bible
They will be dismayed. Pangs and sorrows will seize them. They will be in pain like a woman in labor. They will look in amazement one at another. Their faces will be faces of flame.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And they have been troubled, "" Pains and pangs take them, "" They are pained as a travailing woman, "" A man marvels at his friend, "" The appearance of flames—their faces!

Young's Literal Translation
And they have been troubled, Pains and pangs they take, As a travailing woman they are pained, A man at his friend they marvel, The appearance of flames -- their faces!

Smith's Literal Translation
And they trembled; pains and writhings will lay hold of them; as she bringing forth they will be in pain: they shall wonder a man at his neighbor; their faces the face of flames.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And shall be broken. Gripings and pains shall take hold of them, they shall be in pain as a woman in labour. Every one shall be amazed at his neighbour, their countenances shall be as faces burnt.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Writhing and pain will seize them. They will be in pain, like a woman in labor. Each one will appear stupefied to his neighbor. Their countenances will be like faces which have been burned up.

New American Bible
and they are terrified, Pangs and sorrows take hold of them, like a woman in labor they writhe; They look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.

New Revised Standard Version
and they will be dismayed. Pangs and agony will seize them; they will be in anguish like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at one another; their faces will be aflame.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they shall be afraid; terror and pangs shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail; they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And they shall be troubled, and dizziness and pains as of childbirth shall seize them, and they shall be astonished, man with his fellow man, and their faces are the faces of flames!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And they shall be affrighted; Pangs and throes shall take hold of them; They shall be in pain as a woman in travail; They shall look aghast one at another; Their faces shall be faces of flame.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The elders shall be troubled, and pangs shall seize them, as of a woman in travail: and they shall mourn one to another, and shall be amazed, and shall change their countenance as a flame.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
An Oracle Concerning Babylon
7Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man’s heart will melt. 8Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear. 9Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming—cruel, with fury and burning anger—to make the earth a desolation and to destroy the sinners within it.…

Cross References
Jeremiah 30:6
Ask now, and see: Can a male give birth? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor and every face turned pale?

Nahum 2:10
She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and laid waste! Hearts melt, knees knock, bodies tremble, and every face grows pale!

Joel 2:6
Nations writhe in horror before them; every face turns pale.

Ezekiel 30:4
A sword will come against Egypt, and there will be anguish in Cush when the slain fall in Egypt, its wealth is taken away, and its foundations are torn down.

Zephaniah 1:14-15
The great Day of the LORD is near—near and coming quickly. Listen, the Day of the LORD! Then the cry of the mighty will be bitter. / That day will be a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,

Matthew 24:8
All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Revelation 6:15-16
Then the kings of the earth, the nobles, the commanders, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and free man hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. / And they said to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.

Jeremiah 4:31
For I hear a cry like a woman in labor, a cry of anguish like one bearing her first child—the cry of the Daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands to say, “Woe is me, for my soul faints before the murderers!”

Hosea 13:13
Labor pains come upon him, but he is an unwise son. When the time arrives, he fails to present himself at the opening of the womb.

Micah 4:9-10
Why do you now cry aloud? Is there no king among you? Has your counselor perished so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor? / Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor. For now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies!

Luke 21:25-26
There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves. / Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

1 Thessalonians 5:3
While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

Jeremiah 6:24
We have heard the report; our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman in labor.

Isaiah 21:3
Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see.

Jeremiah 50:43
The king of Babylon has heard the report, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain like that of a woman in labor.


Treasury of Scripture

And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travails: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.

pangs

Isaiah 21:3,4
Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it

Isaiah 26:17
Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.

Psalm 48:5,6
They saw it, and so they marvelled; they were troubled, and hasted away…

be amazed one at another.

flames.

Joel 2:6
Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness.

Nahum 2:10
She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.

Jump to Previous
Affrighted Afraid Aghast Amazed Amazement Anguish Appearance Childbirth Dismayed Faces Fear Flame Flames Friend Full Grip Hearts Hold Labor Marvel Overcome Pain Pained Pains Pangs Seize Sorrows Terrified Throes Travail Travaileth Travailing Troubled Writhe
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Affrighted Afraid Aghast Amazed Amazement Anguish Appearance Childbirth Dismayed Faces Fear Flame Flames Friend Full Grip Hearts Hold Labor Marvel Overcome Pain Pained Pains Pangs Seize Sorrows Terrified Throes Travail Travaileth Travailing Troubled Writhe
Isaiah 13
1. God musters the armies of his wrath
6. He threatens to destroy Babylon by the Medes
19. The desolation of Babylon














Terror, pain, and anguish
This phrase captures the intense emotional and physical distress that will befall the people. The Hebrew words used here convey a sense of overwhelming fear and suffering. Historically, this reflects the impending judgment upon Babylon, a powerful empire known for its pride and idolatry. In a broader spiritual context, it serves as a reminder of the consequences of turning away from God. The terror and anguish symbolize the ultimate fate of those who reject divine authority, emphasizing the need for repentance and faithfulness.

will seize them
The imagery of being seized suggests an inescapable and sudden onset of distress. The Hebrew root here implies being overtaken or captured, much like a predator capturing its prey. This reflects the certainty and inevitability of God's judgment. In a spiritual sense, it serves as a warning that divine justice is unavoidable and that individuals must be vigilant in their spiritual lives to avoid being caught unprepared.

they will writhe like a woman in labor
This simile draws a vivid picture of intense pain and helplessness. Labor pains are often used in Scripture to describe unavoidable and intense suffering. The comparison to childbirth highlights both the severity and the inevitability of the coming judgment. It also suggests a process that leads to a new beginning, as labor results in birth. Spiritually, this can be seen as a call to endure trials with the hope of eventual redemption and renewal.

They will look at one another
This phrase indicates a shared experience of fear and confusion. The communal aspect of this reaction underscores the widespread nature of the judgment. Historically, it reflects the collective downfall of a nation. In a spiritual context, it serves as a reminder of the importance of community in times of trial and the need for mutual support and encouragement among believers.

their faces aflame with fear
The imagery of faces aflame conveys a vivid picture of intense fear and shame. The Hebrew word for "aflame" suggests burning or glowing, indicating a visible and overwhelming reaction. This reflects the profound impact of God's judgment on the unrepentant. Spiritually, it serves as a sobering reminder of the seriousness of sin and the importance of living in accordance with God's will to avoid such a fate. It also calls believers to reflect on their own lives and ensure they are living in a way that honors God.

Verse 8. - They shall be afraid; rather, dismayed. Pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; literally, they shall take hold of pangs and sorrows. They shall be amazed; rather, look aghast. Their faces shall be as flames. I know no better explanation than that of Dr. Kay, that a sudden transition is intended flora despondency to extreme excitement.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Terror,
וְֽנִבְהָ֓לוּ ׀ (wə·niḇ·hā·lū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 926: To tremble inwardly, be, alarmed, agitated, to hasten anxiously

pain,
צִירִ֤ים (ṣî·rîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6735: A hinge, a throe, a herald, erranddoer

and anguish
וַֽחֲבָלִים֙ (wa·ḥă·ḇā·lîm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2256: A rope, a measuring line, a district, inheritance, a noose, a company, a throe, ruin

will seize them;
יֹֽאחֵז֔וּן (yō·ḥê·zūn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 270: To grasp, take hold, take possession

they will writhe
יְחִיל֑וּן (yə·ḥî·lūn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 2342: To twist, whirl, to dance, to writhe in pain, fear, to wait, to pervert

like a woman in labor.
כַּיּוֹלֵדָ֖ה (kay·yō·w·lê·ḏāh)
Preposition-k, Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

They will look in astonishment at
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

one
אִ֤ישׁ (’îš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

another,
רֵעֵ֙הוּ֙ (rê·‘ê·hū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

their faces
פְּנֵ֥י (pə·nê)
Noun - common plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

aflame
לְהָבִ֖ים (lə·hā·ḇîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3851: A flash, a sharply polished blade, point of a, weapon

with fear.
יִתְמָ֔הוּ (yiṯ·mā·hū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 8539: To be astounded or dumbfounded


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OT Prophets: Isaiah 13:8 They will be dismayed (Isa Isi Is)
Isaiah 13:7
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