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 21:3KJV
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Isaiah 21:3 (KJV)

What does Isaiah 21:3 mean?

Isaiah 21:3 describes the prophet Isaiah experiencing intense physical and emotional distress, comparing his pain to the agony of a woman in labor. Isaiah is overwhelmed and shaken by what he hears and sees, showing how deeply the coming events affect him.

Isaiah is speaking in the first person, describing his reaction to a troubling vision about the future fall of Babylon. The language paints a vivid picture of personal suffering, not just as a witness but as someone who feels the weight of the message. This verse highlights how seriously Isaiah takes his prophetic role and how deeply he is moved by the fate of others.

The Hebrew behind Isaiah 21:3

  • "loins" (מָתְנַ֖יִם, motnayim): This word refers to the lower back or waist area, often seen as the center of strength or emotion in Hebrew thought. Isaiah saying his "loins are filled with pain" emphasizes that his distress is deep and all-consuming.
  • "pangs" (צִירִ֑ים, tzirim): This word means sharp pains, often used for birth pains. The comparison to a woman in labor (יָלַד, yalad) underscores the intensity and involuntary nature of Isaiah's anguish.
  • "dismayed" (בָּעַת, ba'at): This word means to be terrified or greatly disturbed. Isaiah is not just sad or troubled; he is deeply shaken and alarmed by what he sees in his vision.

Why Isaiah 21:3 matters

  • Isaiah 21:3 shows that prophetic messages were not delivered coldly or without feeling; Isaiah is personally affected, which adds weight to the seriousness of the prophecy.
  • The verse helps explain the emotional cost of being a prophet, as Isaiah feels the pain of the people who will suffer, not just the facts of the vision.
  • This verse connects to the wider passage by setting the tone for the judgment on Babylon, showing that even the messenger is overwhelmed by the severity of what is coming.

Where else these words appear

“pain” Hebrew H2479 · used in 4 verses

  • Ezekiel 30:4 And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.
  • Ezekiel 30:9 In that day shall messengers go forth from me in ships to make the careless Ethiopians afraid, and great pain shall come upon them, as in the day of Egypt: for, lo, it cometh.
  • 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.

“pangs” Hebrew H6735 · used in 11 verses

  • 1 Samuel 4:19 And his daughter in law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her.
  • Proverbs 26:14 As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.
  • Isaiah 57:9 And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.

“down” Hebrew H5753 · used in 17 verses

  • 1 Samuel 20:30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?
  • 2 Chronicles 6:37 Yet if they bethink themselves in the land whither they are carried captive, and turn and pray unto thee in the land of their captivity, saying, We have sinned, we have done amiss, and have dealt wickedly;
  • Proverbs 12:8 A man shall be commended according to his wisdom: but he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.

“dismayed” Hebrew H926 · used in 39 verses

  • Genesis 45:3 And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence.
  • Job 4:5 But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.
  • Psalms 90:7 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled.