Isaiah 21
21
1The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through, so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land. 2A 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. 3Therefore 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. 4My heart panteth, horror affrighteth me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into trembling unto me. 5Prepare the table, appoint the watch; eat, drink: arise, ye princes, anoint the shield. 6For thus hath the Lord said unto me: Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth. 7And he saw chariots, horsemen by pairs, a chariot with asses, a chariot with camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed. 8And 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. 10O my threshing, and the corn of my floor! What I have heard of Jehovah of hosts, the God#GodHebrew: Elohim of Israel, have I declared unto you.
11The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? 12The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire; return, come.
13The burden against Arabia. In the forest of Arabia shall ye lodge, ye caravans of Dedanites. 14Bring ye water to meet the thirsty! The inhabitants of the land of Tema come forth with their bread for him that fleeth. 15For they flee from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. 16For 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; 17and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, shall be diminished: for Jehovah, the God#GodHebrew: Elohim of Israel, hath spoken.
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Isaiah 21: DARBY
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First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
Isaiah 21
21
The Lord Will Judge Babylon
1 Here is a message about the Desert by the Sea:#sn The phrase is quite cryptic, at least to the modern reader. Verse 9 seems to indicate that this message pertains to Babylon. Southern Mesopotamia was known as the Sealand in ancient times, because of its proximity to the Persian Gulf. Perhaps the reference to Babylon as a “desert” foreshadows the destruction that would overtake the city, making it like a desolate desert.
Like strong winds blowing in the south,#tn Or “in the Negev” (NASB).
one invades from the desert,
from a land that is feared.
2 I have received a distressing message:#tn Heb “a severe revelation has been related to me.”
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning!”#sn This is often interpreted to mean “all the groaning” that Babylon has caused others.
3 For this reason my stomach churns;#tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed#tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.” by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
4 My heart palpitates,#tn Heb “wanders,” perhaps here, “is confused.”
I shake in fear;#tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
5 Arrange the table,
lay out#tn The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. KJV “watch in the watchtower”; ASV “set the watch”). the carpet,
eat and drink!#tn The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.
Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields!#sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.
6 For this is what the sovereign master#tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here and in vv. 8, 16 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). has told me:
“Go, post a guard!
He must report what he sees.
7 When he sees chariots,
teams of horses,#tn Or “a pair of horsemen.”
riders on donkeys,
riders on camels,
he must be alert,
very alert.”
8 Then the guard#tn The Hebrew text has, “the lion,” but this makes little sense here. אַרְיֵה (’aryeh, “lion”) is probably a corruption of an original הָרֹאֶה (haro’eh, “the one who sees”), i.e., the guard mentioned previously in v. 6. cries out:
“On the watchtower, O sovereign master,#tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). Some translations take this to refer to the Lord (cf. NAB, NASB, NRSV), while others take it to refer to the guard’s human master (“my lord”; cf. NIV, NLT).
I stand all day long;
at my post
I am stationed every night.
9 Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.”#tn Or “[with] teams of horses,” or perhaps, “with a pair of horsemen.”
When questioned, he replies,#tn Heb “and he answered and said” (so KJV, ASV).
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
10 O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor,#tn Heb “My trampled one, and the son of the threshing floor.”
what I have heard
from the Lord who commands armies,
the God of Israel,
I have reported to you.
Bad News for Seir
11 Here is a message about Dumah:#tn The noun דּוּמָה (dumah) means “silence,” but here it is a proper name, probably referring to a site in northern Arabia or to the nation of Edom. See BDB 189 s.v. II דּוּמָה. If Dumah was an area in northern Arabia, it would be of interest to the Edomites because of its strategic position on trade routes which they used. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:398.
Someone calls to me from Seir,#sn Seir is another name for Edom. See BDB 973 s.v. שֵׂעִיר.
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”#sn The “night” probably here symbolizes distress and difficult times. See BDB 539 s.v. לַיְלָה.
12 The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but then night.#sn Dumah will experience some relief, but it will be short-lived as night returns.
If you want to ask, ask;
come back again.”#sn The point of the watchman’s final instructions (“if you want to ask, ask; come again”) is unclear. Perhaps they are included to add realism to the dramatic portrayal. The watchman sends the questioner away with the words, “Feel free to come back and ask again.”
The Lord Will Judge Arabia
13 Here is a message about Arabia:
In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night,
you Dedanite caravans.
14 Bring out some water for the thirsty.
You who live in the land of Tema,
bring some food for the fugitives.
15 For they flee from the swords –
from the drawn sword
and from the battle-ready bow
and from the severity of the battle.
16 For this is what the sovereign master#tn The Hebrew term translated “sovereign master” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay). has told me: “Within exactly one year#tn Heb “in still a year, like the years of a hired worker.” See the note at 16:14. all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17 Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.”#tn Heb “and the remnant of the number of the bow, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few.” Indeed,#tn Or “for” (KJV, ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV). the Lord God of Israel has spoken.
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