1 The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.
2 A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
3 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.
4 My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.
5 Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.
6 For thus hath the LORD said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
7 And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:
8 And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:
9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.
10 O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.
11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.
13 The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.
14 The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.
15 For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
16 For thus hath the LORD said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:
17 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.
1 The burden H4853 of the desert H4057 of the sea. H3220 As whirlwinds H5492 in the south H5045 pass H2498 through; so it cometh H935 from the desert, H4057 from a terrible H3372 land. H776
2 A grievous H7186 vision H2380 is declared H5046 unto me; the treacherous dealer H898 dealeth treacherously, H898 and the spoiler H7703 spoileth. H7703 Go up, H5927 O Elam: H5867 besiege, H6696 O Media; H4074 all the sighing H585 thereof have I made to cease. H7673
3 Therefore are my loins H4975 filled H4390 with pain: H2479 pangs H6735 have taken hold H270 upon me, as the pangs H6735 of a woman that travaileth: H3205 I was bowed down H5753 at the hearing H8085 of it; I was dismayed H926 at the seeing H7200 of it.
4 My heart H3824 panted, H8582 fearfulness H6427 affrighted H1204 me: the night H5399 of my pleasure H2837 hath he turned H7760 into fear H2731 unto me.
5 Prepare H6186 the table, H7979 watch H6822 in the watchtower, H6844 eat, H398 drink: H8354 arise, H6965 ye princes, H8269 and anoint H4886 the shield. H4043
6 For thus hath the Lord H136 said H559 unto me, Go, H3212 set H5975 a watchman, H6822 let him declare H5046 what he seeth. H7200
7 And he saw H7200 a chariot H7393 with a couple H6776 of horsemen, H6571 a chariot H7393 of asses, H2543 and a chariot H7393 of camels; H1581 and he hearkened H7181 diligently H7182 with much H7227 heed: H7182
8 And he cried, H7121 A lion: H738 My lord, H136 I stand H5975 continually H8548 upon the watchtower H4707 in the daytime, H3119 and I am set H5324 in my ward H4931 whole nights: H3915
9 And, behold, here cometh H935 a chariot H7393 of men, H376 with a couple H6776 of horsemen. H6571 And he answered H6030 and said, H559 Babylon H894 is fallen, H5307 is fallen; H5307 and all the graven images H6456 of her gods H430 he hath broken H7665 unto the ground. H776
10 O my threshing, H4098 and the corn H1121 of my floor: H1637 that which I have heard H8085 of the LORD H3068 of hosts, H6635 the God H430 of Israel, H3478 have I declared H5046 unto you.
11 The burden H4853 of Dumah. H1746 He calleth H7121 to me out of Seir, H8165 Watchman, H8104 what of the night? H3915 Watchman, H8104 what of the night? H3915
12 The watchman H8104 said, H559 The morning H1242 cometh, H857 and also the night: H3915 if ye will enquire, H1158 enquire H1158 ye: return, H7725 come. H857
13 The burden H4853 upon Arabia. H6152 In the forest H3293 in Arabia H6152 shall ye lodge, H3885 O ye travelling companies H736 of Dedanim. H1720
14 The inhabitants H3427 of the land H776 of Tema H8485 brought H857 water H4325 to him H7125 that was thirsty, H6771 they prevented H6923 with their bread H3899 him that fled. H5074
15 For they fled H5074 from H6440 the swords, H2719 from H6440 the drawn H5203 sword, H2719 and from H6440 the bent H1869 bow, H7198 and from H6440 the grievousness H3514 of war. H4421
16 For thus hath the Lord H136 said H559 unto me, Within a year, H8141 according to the years H8141 of an hireling, H7916 and all the glory H3519 of Kedar H6938 shall fail: H3615
17 And the residue H7605 of the number H4557 of archers, H7198 the mighty men H1368 of the children H1121 of Kedar, H6938 shall be diminished: H4591 for the LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel H3478 hath spoken H1696 it.
1 The burden of the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the South sweep through, it cometh from the wilderness, from a terrible land.
2 A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous man dealeth treacherously, and the destroyer destroyeth. Go up, O Elam; besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
3 Therefore are my loins filled with anguish; pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman in travail: I am pained so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I cannot see.
4 My heart fluttereth, horror hath affrighted me; the twilight that I desired hath been turned into trembling unto me.
5 They prepare the table, they set the watch, they eat, they drink: rise up, ye princes, anoint the shield.
6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman: let him declare what he seeth:
7 and when he seeth a troop, horsemen in pairs, a troop of asses, a troop of camels, he shall hearken diligently with much heed.
8 And he cried as a lion: O Lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower in the day-time, and am set in my ward whole nights;
9 and, behold, here cometh a troop of men, horsemen in pairs. And he answered and said, Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the graven images of her gods are broken unto the ground.
10 O thou my threshing, and the grain of my floor! that which I have heard from Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.
11 The burden of Dumah. One calleth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: turn ye, come.
13 The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye caravans of Dedanites.
14 Unto him that was thirsty they brought water; the inhabitants of the land of Tema did meet the fugitives with their bread.
15 For they fled away from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, all the glory of Kedar shall fail;
17 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.
1 The burden of the wilderness of the sea. `Like hurricanes in the south for passing through, From the wilderness it hath come, From a fearful land.
2 A hard vision hath been declared to me, The treacherous dealer is dealing treacherously, And the destroyer is destroying. Go up, O Elam, besiege, O Media, All its sighing I have caused to cease.
3 Therefore filled have been my loins `with' great pain, Pangs have seized me as pangs of a travailing woman, I have been bent down by hearing, I have been troubled by seeing.
4 Wandered hath my heart, trembling hath terrified me, The twilight of my desire He hath made a fear to me,
5 Arrange the table, watch in the watch-tower, Eat, drink, rise, ye heads, anoint the shield,
6 For thus said the Lord unto me: `Go, station the watchman, That which he seeth let him declare.'
7 And he hath seen a chariot -- a couple of horsemen, The rider of an ass, the rider of a camel, And he hath given attention -- He hath increased attention!
8 And he crieth -- a lion, `On a watch-tower my lord, I am standing continually by day, And on my ward I am stationed whole nights.
9 And lo, this, the chariot of a man is coming, A couple of horsemen.' And he answereth and saith: `Fallen, fallen hath Babylon, And all the graven images of her gods He hath broken to the earth.
10 O my threshing, and the son of my floor, That which I heard from Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, I have declared to you!'
11 The burden of Dumah. Unto me is `one' calling from Seir `Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?'
12 The watchman hath said, `Come hath morning, and also night, If ye inquire, inquire ye, turn back, come.'
13 The burden on Arabia. In a forest in Arabia ye lodge, O travellers of Dedanim.
14 To meet the thirsty brought water have Inhabitants of the land of Tema, With his bread they came before a fugitive.
15 For from the face of destructions they fled, From the face of a stretched-out sword, And from the face of a trodden bow, And from the face of the grievousness of battle.
16 For thus said the Lord unto me: `Within a year, as years of a hireling, Consumed hath been all the honour of Kedar.
17 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!'
1 The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through, so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.
2 A grievous vision is declared unto me: the treacherous dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, Elam! besiege, Media! All the sighing thereof have I made to cease.
3 Therefore are my loins filled with pain; anguish hath taken hold upon me, as the anguish of a woman in travail: I am bowed down so as not to hear, I am dismayed so as not to see.
4 My heart panteth, horror affrighteth me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into trembling unto me.
5 Prepare the table, appoint the watch; eat, drink: arise, ye princes, anoint the shield.
6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me: Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
7 And he saw chariots, horsemen by pairs, a chariot with asses, a chariot with camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed.
8 And he cried [as] a lion, Lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights.
9 -- And behold, there cometh a chariot of men; horsemen by pairs. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground.
10 O my threshing, and the corn of my floor! What I have heard of Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.
11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire; return, come.
13 The burden against Arabia. In the forest of Arabia shall ye lodge, [ye] caravans of Dedanites.
14 Bring ye water to meet the thirsty! The inhabitants of the land of Tema come forth with their bread for him that fleeth.
15 For they flee from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me: Within a year, according to the years of a hired servant, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail;
17 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.
1 The burden of the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the South sweep through, it comes from the wilderness, from an awesome land.
2 A grievous vision is declared to me; the treacherous man deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, Elam; besiege, Media; all the sighing of it have I made to cease.
3 Therefore are my loins filled with anguish; pangs have taken hold on me, as the pangs of a woman in travail: I am pained so that I can't hear; I am dismayed so that I can't see.
4 My heart flutters, horror has frightened me; the twilight that I desired has been turned into trembling to me.
5 They prepare the table, they set the watch, they eat, they drink: rise up, you princes, anoint the shield.
6 For thus has the Lord said to me, Go, set a watchman: let him declare what he sees:
7 and when he sees a troop, horsemen in pairs, a troop of donkeys, a troop of camels, he shall listen diligently with much heed.
8 He cried as a lion: Lord, I stand continually on the watch-tower in the day-time, and am set in my ward whole nights;
9 and, behold, here comes a troop of men, horsemen in pairs. He answered, Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the engraved images of her gods are broken to the ground.
10 You my threshing, and the grain of my floor! that which I have heard from Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared to you.
11 The burden of Dumah. One calls to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
12 The watchman said, "The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire. Come back again."
13 The burden on Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall you lodge, you caravans of Dedanites.
14 To him who was thirsty they brought water; the inhabitants of the land of Tema did meet the fugitives with their bread.
15 For they fled away from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the heat of battle.
16 For thus has the Lord said to me, Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, all the glory of Kedar shall fail;
17 and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be few; for Yahweh, the God of Israel, has spoken it.
1 The word about the waste land. As storm-winds in the South go rushing through, it comes from the waste land, from the land greatly to be feared.
2 A vision of fear comes before my eyes; the worker of deceit goes on in his false way, and the waster goes on making waste. Up! Elam; to the attack! Media; I have put an end to her sorrow.
3 For this cause I am full of bitter grief; pains like the pains of a woman in childbirth have come on me: I am bent down with sorrow at what comes to my ears; I am shocked by what I see.
4 My mind is wandering, fear has overcome me: the evening of my desire has been turned into shaking for me.
5 They make ready the table, they put down the covers, they take food and drink. Up! you captains; put oil on your breastplates.
6 For so has the Lord said to me, Go, let a watchman be placed; let him give word of what he sees:
7 And when he sees war-carriages, horsemen by twos, war-carriages with asses, war-carriages with camels, let him give special attention.
8 And the watchman gave a loud cry, O my lord, I am on the watchtower all day, and am placed in my watch every night:
9 See, here come war-carriages with men, horsemen by twos: and in answer he said, Babylon is made low, is made low, and all her images are broken on the earth.
10 O my crushed ones, the grain of my floor! I have given you the word which came to me from the Lord of armies, the God of Israel.
11 The word about Edom. A voice comes to me from Seir, Watchman, how far gone is the night? how far gone is the night?
12 The watchman says, The morning has come, but night is still to come: if you have questions to put, put them, and come back again.
13 The word about Arabia. In the thick woods of Arabia will be your night's resting-place, O travelling bands of Dedanites!
14 Give water to him who is in need of water; give bread, O men of the land of Tema, to those in flight.
15 For they are in flight from the sharp sword, and the bent bow, and from the trouble of war.
16 For so has the Lord said to me, In a year, by the years of a servant working for payment, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end:
17 And the rest of the bowmen, the men of war of the children of Kedar, will be small in number: for the Lord, the God of Israel, has said it.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Isaiah 21
Commentary on Isaiah 21 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 21
In this chapter we have a prophecy of sad times coming, and heavy burdens,
These and other nations which the princes and people of Israel had so much to do with the prophets of Israel could not but have something to say to. Foreign affairs must be taken notice of as well as domestic ones, and news from abroad enquired after as well as news at home.
Isa 21:1-10
We had one burden of Babylon before (ch. 13); here we have another prediction of its fall. God saw fit thus to possess his people with the belief of this event by line upon line, because Babylon sometimes pretended to be a friend to them (as ch. 39:1), and God would hereby warn them not to trust to that friendship, and sometimes was really an enemy to them, and God would hereby warn them not to be afraid of that enmity. Babylon is marked for ruin; and all that believe God's prophets can, through that glass, see it tottering, see it tumbling, even when with an eye of sense they see it flourishing and sitting as a queen. Babylon is here called the desert or plain of the sea; for it was a flat country, and full of lakes, or loughs (as they call them in Ireland), like little seas, and was abundantly watered with the many streams of the river Euphrates. Babylon did but lately begin to be famous, Nineveh having outshone it while the monarchy was in the Assyrian hands; but in a little time it became the lady of kingdoms; and, before it arrived at that pitch of eminency which it was at in Nebuchadnezzar's time, God by this prophet plainly foretold its fall, again and again, that his people might not be terrified at its rise, nor despair of relief in due time when they were its prisoners, Job 5:3; Ps. 37:35, 36. Some think it is here called a desert because, though it was now a populous city, it should in time be made a desert. And therefore the destruction of Babylon is so often prophesied of by this evangelical prophet, because it was typical of the destruction of the man of sin, the great enemy of the New-Testament church, which is foretold in the Revelation in many expressions borrowed from these prophecies, which therefore must be consulted and collated by those who would understand the prophecy of that book. Here is,
Isa 21:11-12
This prophecy concerning Dumah is very short, and withal dark and hard to be understood. Some think that Dumah is a part of Arabia, and that the inhabitants descended from Dumah the sixth son of Ishmael, as those of Kedar (v. 16, 17) from Ishmael's second son, Gen. 25:13, 14. Others, because Mount Seir is here mentioned, by Dumah understand Idumea, the country of the Edomites. Some of Israel's neighbours are certainly meant, and their distress is foretold, not only for warning to them to prepare them for it, but for warning to Israel not to depend upon them, or any of the nations about them, for relief in a time of danger, but upon God only. We must see all creature confidences failing us, and feel them breaking under us, that we may not lay more weight upon them than they will bear. But though the explication of this prophecy be difficult, because we have no history in which we find the accomplishment of it, yet the application will be easy. We have here,
Isa 21:13-17
Arabia was a large country, that lay eastward and southward of the land of Canaan. Much of it was possessed by the posterity of Abraham. The Dedanim, here mentioned (v. 13), descended from Dedan, Abraham's son by Keturah; the inhabitants of Tema and Kedar descended from Ishmael, Gen. 25:3, 13, 15. The Arabians generally lived in tents, and kept cattle, were a hardy people, inured to labour; probably the Jews depended upon them as a sort of a wall between them and the more warlike eastern nations; and therefore, to alarm them, they shall hear the burden of Arabia, and see it sinking under its own burden.