Chapters 13 to 20 contained five prophecies, against Babylon, Philistia, Moab, Syria/Samaria and Egypt/Cush. Another set of prophecies begins with this chapter. The first ten verses concern Babylon.
Isaiah 21:1-2, Whirlwind from the desert
A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea:
Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland,
an invader comes from the desert,
from a land of terror.
A dire vision has been shown to me:
The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot.
Elam, attack! Media, lay siege!
I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.
An invader comes from the desert. The Desert by the Sea is probably the area around the Persian Gulf controlled by Babylon. Motyer suggests that the traitor is intended to be Babylon, urging Elam and Media to join them against Assyria.
Isaiah 21:3-4, Racked with pain
At this my body is racked with pain,
pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;
I am staggered by what I hear,
I am bewildered by what I see.
My heart falters,
fear makes me tremble;
the twilight I longed for
has become a horror to me.
The prophet is physically ill as he looks at the coming apocalyptic destruction.
Isaiah 21:5, Oil the shields!
They set the tables,
they spread the rugs,
they eat, they drink!
Get up, you officers,
oil the shields!
The officers are not paying attention. They are partying when they should be preparing for battle. Commentators differ on which kingdom is described here: Babylon? Israel? Some other one? It seems most natural to me that this describes powerful Babylon which will shortly fall. From Grogan's commentary: "Herodotus tells us that the taking of Babylon by the Persians in 539 BC was so swift that many who were at their wine in the city center did not even know that the outlying parts of the city were in enemy hands" (p.135.)
Isaiah 21:6-7, Post a lookout
This is what the LORD says to me:
“Go, post a lookout
and have him report what he sees.
When he sees chariots
with teams of horses,
riders on donkeys
or riders on camels,
let him be alert,
fully alert.”
A lookout needs to be posted, to look for the horses, donkeys, camels coming across the desert. The Hebrew text of verse 7 translates literally to "and he saw a chariot a pair of horsemen a chariot of donkeys a chariot of camels...." The pair of horsemen was probably (says Motyer) each rider leading a spare horse. The riders represent an approaching army.
Isaiah 21:8-9, Fallen, fallen!
And the lookout shouted,
“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
every night I stay at my post.
Look, here comes a man in a chariot
with a team of horses.
And he gives back the answer:
‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen!
All the images of its gods
lie shattered on the ground!’”
The news comes. The watcher cries out. He sees a single man in a chariot with a team of horses, announcing that Babylon has fallen, its idols have been smashed.
What event does this describe? The destruction of Babylon in 539 BC when Cyrus the Persian defeats the kingdom? Or is this the time of Merodach-Baladan who conquered Babylonia from 522 to 520 BC? Grogan leans toward the latter.
Isaiah 21:10, For the crushed
My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,
I tell you what I have heard
from the LORD Almighty,
from the God of Israel.
Isaiah has a message for the people of Israel, who have been "crushed on the threshing floor." The message relays the downfall of Babylon.
Isaiah 21:11-12, Edom
A prophecy against Dumah:
Someone calls to me from Seir,
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”
The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
and come back yet again.”
The topic of prophecy has changed. It is no longer Babylon but Edom. The location of Dumah is not clear but Seir was the capital of Edom. The Hebrew word dumah means "silence" so there may be some type of wordplay here, connecting with the pleas in the dark to the nightwatchman.
The watchman, who keeps track of the length to time to dawn, is asked about the coming dawn. The dawn is coming, but also night. (A strange passage.)
Isaiah 21:13-15, Caravans of Arabia
A prophecy against Arabia:
You caravans of Dedanites,
who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,
bring food for the fugitives.
They flee from the sword,
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
and from the heat of battle.
The caravans of Arabia are called to bring water and food. Yet someone flees. Again there may be wordplay in verse 13, Arab against the Hebrew ereb, the latter word meaning darkness, echoing the distressed calls to the nightwatchman,
This passage naturally follows the previous one regarding Edom. Ezekiel 25:12-14 gives a prophecy against Edom that lists Dedan as part of Edom.
Isaiah 21:16-17, One year left for Kedar
This is what the LORD says to me:
“Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.”
The LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken.
A very specific time, less than a year, is left for Kedar. Grogan (pp 137-8) writes "Sargon II conducted a campaign against the northern Arabian tribes in 715 BC and this could well provide an appropriate setting for this oracle."
Kedar was a son of Ishmael. The people of Kedar represent a nomadic Arabian tribe. (See Genesis 25:13 and I Chronicles 1:29.)
Isaiah gives a series of prophecies in chapters 21 to 23. There are apparently three prophecies here: against Babylon, Edom and Arabia. The next oracle is regarding Jerusalem, in the next chapter.
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