Job 30:31

30:31 My harp is used for ¹  mourning

and my flute for the sound of weeping.

Isaiah 24:7-11

24:7 The new wine dries up,

the vines shrivel up,

all those who like to celebrate ²  groan.

24:8 The happy sound ³  of the tambourines stops,

the revelry of those who celebrate comes to a halt,

the happy sound of the harp ceases.

24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; ⁴ 

the beer tastes bitter to those who drink it.

24:10 The ruined town ⁵  is shattered;

all of the houses are shut up tight. ⁶ 

24:11 They howl in the streets because of what happened to the wine; ⁷ 

all joy turns to sorrow; ⁸ 

celebrations disappear from the earth. ⁹ 

Jeremiah 7:34

7:34 I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness, or the glad celebration of brides and grooms throughout the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. For the whole land will become a desolate wasteland.”

Jeremiah 16:9

16:9 For I, the Lord God of Israel who rules over all, tell you what will happen. ¹⁰  I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness, to the glad celebration of brides and grooms in this land. You and the rest of the people will live to see this happen.’” ¹¹ 

Jeremiah 25:10

25:10 I will put an end to the sounds of joy and gladness, to the glad celebration of brides and grooms in these lands. ¹²  I will put an end to the sound of people grinding meal. I will put an end to lamps shining in their houses. ¹³ 

Ezekiel 26:13

26:13 I will silence ¹⁴  the noise of your songs; the sound of your harps will be heard no more.

Revelation 18:22

18:22 And the sound of the harpists, musicians,

flute players, and trumpeters

will never be heard in you ¹⁵  again.

No ¹⁶  craftsman ¹⁷  who practices any trade

will ever be found in you again;

the noise of a mill ¹⁸  will never be heard in you again.

[30:31]  ¹ tn The verb הָיָה (hayah, “to be”) followed by the preposition ל (lamed) means “to serve the purpose of” (see Gen 1:14ff., 17:7, etc.).

[24:7]  ² tn The Hebrew text reads literally, “all the joyful in heart,” but the context specifies the context as parties and drinking bouts.

[24:8]  ³ tn Heb “the joy” (again later in this verse).

[24:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “with a song they do not drink wine.”

[24:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “the city of chaos” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV). Isaiah uses the term תֹּהוּ (tohu) rather frequently of things (like idols) that are empty and worthless (see BDB 1062 s.v.), so the word might characterize the city as rebellious or morally worthless. However, in this context, which focuses on the effects of divine judgment, it probably refers to the ruined or worthless condition in which the city is left (note the use of the word in Isa 34:11). For a discussion of the identity of this city, see R. Chisholm, “The ‘Everlasting Covenant’ and the ‘City of Chaos’: Intentional Ambiguity and Irony in Isaiah 24,” CTR 6 (1993): 237-53. In the context of universal judgment depicted in Isa 24, this city represents all the nations and cities of the world which, like Babylon of old and the powers/cities mentioned in chapters 13-23, rebel against God’s authority. Behind the stereotypical language one can detect various specific manifestations of this symbolic and paradigmatic city, including Babylon, Moab, and Jerusalem, all of which are alluded or referred to in chapters 24-27.

[24:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “every house is closed up from entering.”

[24:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “[there is] an outcry over the wine in the streets.”

[24:11]  ⁸ tn Heb “all joy turns to evening,” the darkness of evening symbolizing distress and sorrow.

[24:11]  ⁹ tn Heb “the joy of the earth disappears.”

[16:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “For thus says Yahweh of armies the God of Israel.” The introductory formula which appears three times in vv. 1-9 (vv. 1, 3, 5) has been recast for smoother English style.

[16:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “before your eyes and in your days.” The pronouns are plural including others than Jeremiah.

[25:10]  ¹² sn Compare Jer 7:24 and 16:9 for this same dire prediction limited to Judah and Jerusalem.

[25:10]  ¹³ sn The sound of people grinding meal and the presence of lamps shining in their houses were signs of everyday life. The Lord is going to make these lands desolate (v. 11) destroying all signs of life. (The statement is, of course, hyperbolic or poetic exaggeration; even after the destruction of Jerusalem many people were left in the land.) For these same descriptions of everyday life applying to the end of life see the allegory in Eccl 12:3-6.

[26:13]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “cause to end.”

[18:22]  ¹⁵ tn The shift to a second person pronoun here corresponds to the Greek text.

[18:22]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[18:22]  ¹⁷ tn On this term BDAG 1001 s.v. τεχνίτης states, “craftsperson, artisan, designer…Of a silversmith Ac 19:24, 25 v.l., 38….Of a potter 2 Cl 8:2 (metaph., cp. Ath. 15:2). πᾶς τεχνίτης πάσης τέχνης Rv 18:22.”

[18:22]  ¹⁸ tn This is a different Greek word (μύλος, mulos) from the one for the millstone in v. 21 (μύλινος, mulinos). See L&N 7.68.