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The Prophets · Old Testament

Isaiah 21

Isaiah 21: the watchman's cry that Babylon is fallen, with Dumah and Arabia

General context

The burden of the desert of the sea comes like whirlwinds in the south from a terrible land. A grievous vision is declared to the speaker: the treacherous dealer deals treacherously, the spoiler spoils, and Elam is told to go up and Media to besiege, with all sighing made to cease. The speaker's loins fill with pain like a woman in labour; he is bowed down at hearing it and dismayed at seeing it, and the night he looked forward to is turned to fear. Commands follow to prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink, and for princes to rise and anoint the shield. The Lord tells the speaker to set a watchman who will declare what he sees. The watchman sees chariots of horsemen, asses and camels, listens closely, and cries that he stands on the watchtower by day and keeps his ward whole nights. A chariot of men arrives, and the answer comes: Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and all the graven images of her gods are broken to the ground. The speaker addresses his threshing and the corn of his floor, saying he has declared what he heard from the Lord of hosts. The burden of Dumah follows: someone calls out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? and the watchman answers that the morning comes and also the night, inviting them to enquire and return. The burden upon Arabia sends the companies of Dedanim to lodge in the forest, where Tema's people bring water and bread to those fleeing the sword. Within a year, as the years of an hireling, the glory of Kedar will fail and its archers be diminished, for the Lord God of Israel has spoken it.

Cited passages: Isaiah 21:1, Isaiah 21:2, Isaiah 21:3, Isaiah 21:4, Isaiah 21:5, Isaiah 21:6, Isaiah 21:7, Isaiah 21:8, Isaiah 21:9, Isaiah 21:10, Isaiah 21:11, Isaiah 21:12, Isaiah 21:13, Isaiah 21:14, Isaiah 21:15, Isaiah 21:16, Isaiah 21:17

Isaiah 21 (KJV)

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 dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease.

3Therefore 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.

4My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.

5Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.

6For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.

7And 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:

8And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights:

9And, 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.

10O 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.

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 enquire, enquire ye: return, come.

13The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.

14The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.

15For they fled 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 an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:

17And 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.

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Historical context

Three burdens share the chapter, headed the desert of the sea, Dumah, and Arabia. The first heading does not name a city, and the reader learns its subject only when the watchman says Babylon is fallen; Elam and Media are summoned as the attackers, where chapter thirteen named the Medes. The speaker reports the vision in the first person, marked For thus hath the Lord said unto me, and describes his own physical distress without naming himself. Who calls out of Seir in the burden of Dumah, and what Dumah is, the text does not say; the watchman's answer is given without interpretation. In the burden upon Arabia, Dedanim, Tema and Kedar are named as peoples or places, and the fleeing companies are unnamed; the time limit within a year, according to the years of an hireling, echoes the wording of the three-year limit set for Moab in chapter sixteen. Whether the watchman is the prophet himself or another person is not settled by the text, which has the Lord tell the speaker to set a watchman and then reports what he saw. The words Babylon is fallen, is fallen are repeated later in Revelation: Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city; that is a later use, and here they close the watchman's report.

Cited passages: Isaiah 21:1, Isaiah 21:9, Isaiah 21:2, Isaiah 13:17, Isaiah 21:6, Isaiah 21:3, Isaiah 21:11, Isaiah 21:13, Isaiah 21:16, Isaiah 16:14, Isaiah 21:7, Revelation 14:8

Literary context

The first burden is told through the senses of two people. The speaker hears and sees a vision and reacts in his body, pangs, panting, fear; then he is told to set a watchman, and the watchman's seeing and hearkening are described in detail, chariots, horsemen, asses, camels, before the single sentence of news. The delay is the design: the watchman insists he has stood by day and whole nights before the chariot of men arrives, so the fall of Babylon arrives as a report earned by waiting. The doubled fallen, is fallen, gives the news its weight, and the broken images answer the idols of chapter thirteen. A feast is ordered and interrupted, eat, drink, and then arise and anoint the shield. The burden of Dumah is a tiny exchange, a question asked twice and an answer that gives both morning and night, ending in open invitation, return, come. The burden upon Arabia shifts to hospitality among fugitives, water and bread offered on the road, before the countdown of a year. All three units use watching and night, so the chapter reads as one long vigil, and the next burden, the valley of vision, turns the watching on the speaker's own city.

Cited passages: Isaiah 21:3, Isaiah 21:7, Isaiah 21:8, Isaiah 21:9, Isaiah 13:19, Isaiah 21:5, Isaiah 21:11, Isaiah 21:12, Isaiah 21:14, Isaiah 21:16, Isaiah 22:1

Key moments

  1. Whirlwinds from a terrible land (Isaiah 21:1). The burden of the desert of the sea arrives like storms from the south.
  2. Elam and Media summoned (Isaiah 21:2). A grievous vision calls Elam to go up and Media to besiege.
  3. Pangs at the vision (Isaiah 21:3). The speaker is bowed down and dismayed like a woman in labour.
  4. A watchman set (Isaiah 21:6). The Lord tells the speaker to post a watchman who will report what he sees.
  5. Babylon is fallen (Isaiah 21:9). The watchman announces Babylon's fall and its broken idols.
  6. Watchman, what of the night? (Isaiah 21:11). A voice from Seir asks the watchman about the night.
  7. Kedar's glory fails (Isaiah 21:16). Within a year, as a hireling counts, Kedar's glory and archers are diminished.

For reflection

Asked what of the night, the watchman answers that the morning comes and also the night. What kind of answer is that to the one calling from Seir, and why does the text let it stand without more?

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