The Meaning of Isaiah 21:17 Explained

Isaiah 21:17

KJV: And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.

YLT: And the remnant of the number of bow-men, The mighty of the sons of Kedar are few, For Jehovah, God of Israel, hath spoken!'

Darby: and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, shall be diminished: for Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath spoken.

ASV: and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be few; for Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath spoken it.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the residue  of the number  of archers,  the mighty men  of the children  of Kedar,  shall be diminished:  for the LORD  God  of Israel  hath spoken  [it]. 

What does Isaiah 21:17 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Isaiah 21

1  The prophet, bewailing the captivity of his people,
6  sees in a vision the fall of Babylon by the Medes and Persians
11  Edom, scorning the prophet, is moved to repentance
13  The set time of Arabia's calamity

What do the individual words in Isaiah 21:17 mean?

And the remainder of the number of archers the mighty men of the sons of Kedar will be diminished for Yahweh God of Israel has spoken [it] -
וּשְׁאָ֧ר מִסְפַּר־ קֶ֛שֶׁת גִּבּוֹרֵ֥י בְנֵֽי־ קֵדָ֖ר יִמְעָ֑טוּ כִּ֛י יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽי־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל דִּבֵּֽר ס

וּשְׁאָ֧ר  And  the  remainder 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: שְׁאָר  
Sense: rest, residue, remnant, remainder.
מִסְפַּר־  of  the  number 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִסְפָּר  
Sense: number, tale.
קֶ֛שֶׁת  of  archers 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: קֶשֶׁת  
Sense: bow.
גִּבּוֹרֵ֥י  the  mighty  men 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural construct
Root: גִּבֹּור  
Sense: strong, mighty.
בְנֵֽי־  of  the  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
קֵדָ֖ר  of  Kedar 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: קֵדָר  
Sense: a son of Ishmael.
יִמְעָ֑טוּ  will  be  diminished 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: מָעַט  
Sense: to be or become small, be few, be diminished.
יְהוָ֥ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֵֽי־  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
דִּבֵּֽר  has  spoken  [it] 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation