Bible Strands
Isaiah 21:15
For they flee from the sword—the sword that is drawn—from the bow that is bent, and from the stress of battle.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet describes refugees fleeing military threats, positioned between an appeal to Tema’s inhabitants to provide aid and a divine oracle concerning Kedar.
The words — The Hebrew נָדָ֑דוּ (na.Da.du) literally means "they have fled," paired with נְטוּשָׁ֗ה (ne.tu.Shah), which denotes a drawn sword.
The thread — The imagery of fleeing and Tema appears in Job 6:19 and Isaiah 13:14, where displaced people scatter in terror.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that military devastation forces immediate flight, requiring observers to acknowledge the physical reality of war before interpreting its divine purpose.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
Cross-references
- Job 6:19 The caravans of Tema look for water; the travelers of Sheba hope to find it.
- Isaiah 13:14 Like a hunted gazelle, like a sheep without a shepherd, each will return to his own people, each will flee to his native land.