1The prophet seeth in a vision the fall of Babylon by the Medes and Persians. 11He giveth warning to Edom. 13The set time of Arabia's calamity.
1THE1 burden 2of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass 3through; so 4it cometh 5from the desert, from 6a terrible land.
1 That is, a sore prophecy against the wilderness by the seaside. See Isa. 13:1.
2 By this wilderness is meant Babel, as may be gathered from verse 9. And it is so called, because the land about Babel would be laid waste and bare, yea, it would lie as a sea which the queen Nitocris caused there the great river Euphrates to run through it, thereby to keep her enemies out. Compare Isa. 19:5. She caused the breadth of 320 furlongs to be dug, besides many more creeks here and there, spoiling much land and people. Others suppose that Babel is called therefore a desert or wilderness of the sea, because there are naturally many pools, seas, and standing waters, which are also called seas by the Hebrews. Others in respect of the multitude of people, who dwelt in it, and went and came in and out every day, flowing in and out.
3 That is, use to pierce through, namely, with great force and boisterousness. Hebr. to pass through, namely, are disposed. Other, As the whirlwinds in the south, passing through he cometh out of the desert, out the terrible land.
4 Namely, Cyrus; or, the burden, that is, the punishment, namely, upon Babel. Other, it, namely, the army of Cyrus.
5 That is, from Persia and Media. Between these lands and Babylon there is a great desert, which Cyrus with his army was to pass through if he wanted to come to the city of Babylon.
6 Thus the prophet calls the land of the Persians and the Medes, because the land of Babylon was conquered and miserably destroyed by Cyrus, the king of the Persians and the Medes.
27A grievous vision is declared unto me; 8the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. 9Go up, 10O Elam: 11besiege, 12O Media; 13all the sighing thereof have 14I made to cease.
7 The first words of this verse are the words of the prophet, who here calls his burden (that is, that which was shown him by God in a vision) grievous, because God thereby threatened to punish the Babylonians in a severe and grievous manner.
8 Here God speaks of the king at Babel, who continued daily in his customary treachery and destruction of other nations, and caused many to groan under his tyranny and oppression.
9 Namely, to punish the Babylonians.
10 That is, ye Elamites, that is, ye Persians, as Acts 2:9.
11 Namely, the city of Babel, or, besiege him, namely, the king of Babel.
12 That is, ye Medes. Here the Lord God names those nations (namely, the Persians and the Medes) by whom He would destroy the kingdom of Babylon about 170 years after (as some do compute).
13 Or, I will cause all their sighing to cease.
14 Namely, of the people of the Jews, who, both in the city and throughout the entire kingdom of Babel, sighed and groaned by reason of the prolonged captivity, from where they were at last delivered by king Cyrus, who permitted them to go home to their own country after he had taken Babel. But some take the last clause of this verse in this sense: I will put an end to all the sighing of the Babylonians, namely, of the wicked Babylonians. And then it is as much as if it had been said, I will cause the sighing, caused by the wicked Babylonians, to cease. Such kind of phrase is also used in Gen. 18:20, the cry of Sodom, that is, caused by those of Sodom.
315Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down 16at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it.
15 Namely, because I hear that the Persians and the Medes came marching on to besiege, storm and take the city of Babylon, and to plunder, waste or destroy all that is in or about it.
16 That is, when I hear it.
417My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: 18thea night 19of my pleasure 20hath 21he turned into fear unto me.
17 That is, my thoughts walk to and fro; I know not which way to turn me by reason of fear and trouble.
18 Or, my desired twilight. Other, the darkness, that is, the night which I desired and longed for, namely, that I might sleep quietly. Others understand hereby the twilight, the morning, for which men do exceedingly wish and long when they cannot sleep or take no rest in the night, for then they do commonly fall asleep.
a Job 7:3.
19 Hebr. properly, of my embracing.
20 That is, turneth He into trembling unto me.
21 Namely, God. Others, the enemy, which comes marching with his dreadful army.
522Prepare the table, 23watch 24in the watchtower, eat, drink: 25arise, ye princes, and 26anoint the shield.
22 Place all things in order upon the table. Here the Lord, or the prophet, speaks ironically to the Babylonians, and it is as much as if He said: Go to, make good cheer, feast and be merry; as long as you set the guards, it is sufficient, ye have done enough. But before ye are aware, the enemy will set upon you so that king and prince must be up and ready in arms.
23 As if He said: Let all the care be charged upon the guards, make yourselves merry, be void of care and trouble.
24 Hebr. watch.
25 Some take these words to be as it were spoken ironically to the princes of Babel, as was said immediately before, in this sense: While ye are a feasting and making merry, the watchmen unexpectedly will cry, get ye up, the enemy is at hand, etc. Others understand here the princes of the Persians and the Medes, as if God, or the prophet said to them: Get ye up to battle, while the Babylonians are making good cheer and are secure and careless, assault them, fall upon them, etc.
26 The soldiers were used to grease their shields or bucklers with oil, to make them smooth and bright. And under the word shield can here suitably be understood all manner of warlike instruments and weapons, so that anoint the shield is as much as to say: prepare yourselves to fight.
627For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, 28set a watchman, let him 29declare what he seeth.
27 Here the prophet speaks again in his own person, relating the vision which he saw.
28 As if the Lord said to the prophet: In order that thou mayest be the more sure of the ruin of the Babylonians, therefore take with thee yet a witness besides thyself, namely, either a prophet, or a disciple or scholar of the prophets, or someone of the people, who may inform thee what he has seen.
29 Namely thee, O Isaiah, or the Babylonians.
7And 30he saw 31a chariot with a couple of horsemen, 32a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and 33he hearkened diligently with much heed:
30 Namely, the watchman whom I had appointed, and he saw, that is, he cried or brought word what he saw.
31 Other, chariots, two rows, or, troops, horsemen, etc.
32 That is, a chariot drawn by asses (or mules) and a chariot by camels. Here is described the coming of Cyrus’ army, when he would march forth to go and besiege Babylon; for, by chariots must here be understood the army-chariots.
33 Hebr. he heeded them with heed, with abundance or greatness of heed.
8And 34he cried, 35A lion: My lord, 36Ib stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my wardc whole nights:
34 Namely, the watchman.
35 Namely, is at hand, understanding by the lion king Cyrus, coming to besiege Babylon. Other, as a lion, that is, with a great and terrible voice.
36 Or, I shall stand continually upon the watchtower.
b Hab. 2:1.
c on guard, on watch*
937And, behold, 38here cometh a chariot of men, with 39a couple of horsemen. And 40he answered and said, Babylond is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods 41he hath broken unto the ground.
37 Or, And look upon this.
38 Other, behold, there has already come in a chariot of a man with two horses, namely, into the city of Babel.
39 Or, two troops of horsemen. So likewise verse 7.
40 Namely, the watchman, or he who was in the chariot.
d Jer. 25:12; 51:8; Rev. 14:8; 18:2.
41 Namely, God the Lord, or Cyrus by God’s command.
1042O my threshing, and 43the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.
42 Here the prophet addresses the people of God, and calls them his threshing, or his threshing-fruit, because he had foretold that they would be carried away captive unto Babel, and there be threshed, that is, grievously vexed and plagued during the seventy years of their captivity. See similar phrases Isa. 25:10; 41:15; Jer. 51:33; Micah 4:13.
43 Or, the wheat of my threshingfloor. Hebr. the son of my threshingfloor. See the annotation Job 5 on verse 7.
11 ¶ 44The burden of 45Dumah. He calleth 46to me 47out of Seir, 48Watchman, 49what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
44 See Isa. 13:1.
45 That is, Idumea, or Edom; likewise Ram is mentioned in Job 32:2 for Aram.
46 Namely, unto the prophet Isaiah, who was appointed as a watchman over the people of the Jews.
47 That is, one out of Seir calls to me, that is, an Edomite. The prophet takes here mount Seir (situated in the land of the Edomites, Genesis 36; Deuteronomy 2) for the entire land of the Edomites.
48 That is, thou prophet Isaiah, who passeth thyself off for a watchman over Judah and Israel. See Ezek. 3:17.
49 They are the words of the Edomites spoken in a mocking manner, as if they said: Thou, prophet, hast heretofore spoken much of the night or the misery that would come upon us and upon our neighbors, but we still enjoy the morning, that is, happy and prosperous times, wherein we are no more in subjection unto you; but since the time that we did cast off the yoke of your king Joram until now, we have had ever since our own king, 2 Kings 8:20.
1250The watchman said, 51The morning cometh, and 52also the night: if ye will 53enquire, 54enquire ye: 55return, 56come.
50 That is, I, Isaiah, say this to you, O ye Edomites.
51 As if he said: It is true, ye have enjoyed rest and peace a long time, but this ye shall know that ye shall be shortly assaulted by the Assyrians, namely, when they shall attack your neighbors.
52 Or, it shall also become night, as if he said: After this rest, misery shall come upon you.
53 Namely, of the Lord, namely, by me, how it shall go with you. Other, if ye will seek, namely, the Lord.
54 That is, then do it in good earnest, and do not mock God, or me, His servant.
55 Repent and turn from you evil ways to the way of righteousness, which is the true and right way.
56 Come unto us, who are the people of God.
13¶The burden upon Arabia. 57In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies 58of Dedanim.
57 That is, for fear of the Assyrians ye shall in the nighttime hide yourselves in the desert.
58 That is, of the Dedanites. These were the posterity of Dedan, the son of Jokshan, the son of Abraham by Keturah, Gen. 25:3. Other, in the paths of Dedanim, or, in the ways of Dedanim. See further Jer. 25 on verse 23.
14The inhabitants 59of the land of Tema brought water to him that was 60thirsty, they prevented 61with their bread him 62that fled.
59 Situated in Arabia desert, or desolate Arabia, formerly belonging to the Ishmaelites; for, Tema was the son of Ishmael, Gen. 25:15.
60 Namely, the Dedanites.
61 That is, with the bread which he (namely, the Dedanite) had need of, that he might not die of hunger, and the prophet calls it their bread (namely, the bread of the Dedanites) because they were bound to communicate it unto him in his want or need. At least here is described the great want and necessity into which the Arabians would fall, who fleeing from their enemies, would be constrained to beg water and bread of their neighbors.
62 Or, those that strayed, or, wandered to and fro.
15For they fled 63from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
63 Hebr. from the face of the swords, etc., and so in the sequel. And understand here the swords and bows of the Assyrians, namely, of the soldiers of Sennacherib.
16For thus hath the Lord said unto me, 64Within a year, 65according to the years of an hireling, and all 66the glory 67of Kedar shall fail:
64 Or, within the year, namely, counting from that time when this was spoken.
65 See Isa. 16:14.
66 Or, honor. See Job 19 on verse 9.
67 That is, of the Kedarines. Kedar was a son of Ishmael, Genesis 25. It signifies sometimes all Arabia Petraea, or all the stony Arabia, Psalm 120:5.
17And the residue of the number 68of archers, 69the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be 70diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.
68 These men retained still the nature of their forefather Ishmael, who was an expert archer, Gen. 21:20.
69 Hebr. the champions of the children of Kedar.
70 Many of them are slain by the Assyrians.