Easton's Bible Dictionary The rendering in Isaiah 8:21, where alone it occurs, of a Hebrew word meaning to oppress, or be in circumstances of hardship. Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (imp. & p. p.) of Bestead. 2. (v. t.) To put in a certain situation or condition; to circumstance; to place. 3. (v. t.) To put in peril; to beset. 4. (v. t.) To serve; to assist; to profit; to avail. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia BESTEAD be-sted' (niqsheh, "caught in a snare," "entrapped"; as Judah hard pressed in their own land by the Assyrians (Isaiah 8:21 the King James Version)): Found only here. Old English word steden meaning "place," hence, "set," "beset"; usually with "ill," "sorely bested." In the Revised Version (British and American) rendered "sore distressed."

Multi-Version Concordance Bestead (1 Occurrence) Isaiah 8:21 And they shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: and it shall come to pass, that when they shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse their king and their God, and look upward. (KJV JPS)