21:1 The burden of the a desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in
the south pass through; [so] it cometh from the desert,
b from a terrible land.
(a) On the seaside between Judea and Caldea was a
wilderness, by which he means Caldea.
(b) That is, the ruin of Babylon by the Medes and Persians.
21:2 A grievous vision is declared to me; the c treacherous
dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth.
Go up, O d Elam: besiege, O Media; all her sighing have I
made e to cease.
(c) The Assyrians and Chaldeans who had destroyed other
nations will be overcome by the Medes and Persians: and
this he prophesied a hundred years before it came to
pass.
(d) By Elam he means the Persians.
(e) Because they will find no comfort, they will mourn no
more, or I have caused them to cease mourning, whom
Babylon had afflicted.
21:3 Therefore are my f 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].
(f) This the prophet speaks in the person of the
Babylonians.
21:4 My heart panted, fearfulness terrified me: the night g of
my pleasure hath he turned into fear to me.
(g) He prophecies the death of Belshazzar as in
(Dan 5:30) who in the midst of his pleasures was
destroyed.
21:5 Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: h
arise, ye princes, [and] anoint the shield.
(h) While they are eating and drinking, they will be
commanded to run to their weapons.
21:6 For thus hath the i Lord said to me, Go, set a watchman,
let him declare what he seeth.
(i) That is, in a vision by the spirit of prophecy.
21:7 And he saw a chariot [with] a couple of horsemen, a chariot
of donkeys, [and] k a chariot of camels; and he hearkened
diligently with much heed:
(k) Meaning, chariots of men of war, and others that
carried the baggage.
21:8 And he cried, A l lion: My lord, I stand continually upon
the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my post
whole nights:
(l) Meaning, Darius who overcame Babylon.
21:9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, [with] a couple
of horsemen. And m he answered and said, Babylon is
fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he
hath broken to the ground.
(m) The watchman whom Isaiah set up, told him who came
toward Babylon, and the angel declared that it would be
destroyed: all this was done in a vision.
21:10 O n my threshing, and the grain of my floor: that which
I have heard from the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel,
have I declared to you.
(n) Meaning, Babylon.
21:11 The burden of o Dumah. He calleth to me out of p
Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the
night?
(o) Which was a city of the Ishmaelites and was so named
by Dumah, (Ge 25:14).
(p) A mountain of the Idumeans.
21:12 The watchman said, The q morning cometh, and also the
night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come.
(q) He describes the unquietness of the people of Dumah,
who were night and day in fear of their enemies, and
ever ran to and fro to enquire news.
21:13 The burden upon Arabia. In r the forest in Arabia shall
ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.
(r) For fear, the Arabians will flee into the woods and he
appoints the way they will take.
21:14 The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought s water to
him that was thirsty, they met with their bread him that
fled.
(s) Signifying that for fear they will not tarry to eat or
drink.
21:16 For thus hath the Lord said to me, Within a year, t
according to the years of an u hireling, and all the
glory of Kedar shall fail:
(t) He appoints them respite for one year only, and then
they would be destroyed.
(u) Read (Isa 16:14).
21:17 And the remainder of the number of archers, the mighty men
of the children of x Kedar, shall be diminished: for the
LORD God of Israel hath spoken [it].
(x) Which was the name of a people of Arabia: and by the
horrible destruction of all these nations, he teaches
the Jews that there is no place for refuge or to
escape God's wrath, but only to remain in his Church,
and to live in his fear.
