Isaiah 21

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 21:6

For thus hath the Lord said unto me ,.... This is a confirmation of the above prophecy from the Lord himself, he showing to the prophet, in a visionary way, the ruin of Babylon, and the means and instruments of it: go, set a watchman ; not Habakkuk, as Jarchi; nor Urias, as the Septuagint; nor Jeremiah, as others; but himself, who, in a way of vision, represented a watchman on the walls of Babylon; and which was no way unsuitable to his character and office as a prophet: let him... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 21:7

And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen ,.... The drivers of it, or the riders in it; perhaps meaning Cyrus and Darius: a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels ; by the former may be meant the Persians, who very much used mules or asses; and the Medes by the latter, who abounded in camels: the words are in the singular number, and may be rendered, "a rider of an ass, and a rider of a camel" F23 רכב חמור רכב גמל αναβατην ονου, και αναβατην καμηλου , Sept.;... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 21:8

And he cried, a lion ,.... That is, the watchman cried, a lion, or that he saw a lion; not Uriah the priest, as the Septuagint; nor Habakkuk, as some Jewish writers; but Cyrus, at the head of the Persian and Median armies, compared to a lion for his fierceness, courage, and strength; see 2 Timothy 4:17 a type of Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, by whom antichrist, or mystical Babylon, will be destroyed, Revelation 5:5 . The Targum is, "the prophet said, the voice of armies,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 21:9

And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men ,.... Or "of a man" F24 רכב איש "currus viri", Pagninus, Montanus. ; a chariot with a man in it, Cyrus or Darius: with a couple of horsemen ; the army of the Medes and Persians, with their two leaders or generals, as before; only now seen nearer the city, just entering into it; for so the word may be rendered, "goeth", or "is gone in a chariot", &c.;: and he answered, and said ; either the watchman, upon seeing the chariot and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 21:10

O my threshing, and the corn of my floor ,.... Which may be understood either of the Babylonians, now threshed or punished by the Lord, and whom he had made use of as instruments for the punishment of others; or rather of the people of the Jews, whom the prophet calls "his", as being his countrymen, to whom he was affected, and with whom he sympathized; and besides, he speaks in the name of the Lord; or it is the Lord that speaks by him, calling the church of the Jews his floor, and the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 21:11

The burden of Dumah ,.... Whether this prophecy concerns the Edomites or Idumeans, or whether the Arabians, particularly the Dumean Arabians, is a question, since Dumah was a son of Ishmael, Genesis 25:14 and there was a place in Arabia called Dumatha F25 Vid. Hiller. Onomasticon Sacr. p. 797. ; and Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret it here of Dumah the son of Ishmael; but inasmuch as mention is made of Seir, a mountain, which belonged to the Edomites, Genesis 36:8 and a distinct... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 21:12

The watchman said, the morning cometh, and also the night ,.... Not only a morning, but a night; and as sure as the morning comes, so shall the night; there wilt be a constant succession of morning and night; as a morning of prosperity, so a night of adversity: the morning of the Gospel dispensation was coming on, or of Christ's coming in the flesh, which was attended with joy and cheerfulness; like the morning, it dispersed the shadows of the law, introduced light, which gradually and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 21:13

The burden upon Arabia ,.... Which lay heavy upon it, as a burden upon a beast; or "concerning" it, or "against" it, as Kimchi notes; which Arabia, or what part thereof, is meant, may be gathered from the names after mentioned. The Targum is, "the burden of the cup of cursing, to give the Arabians to drink.' Ben Melech says, these are the Arabians that dwell in the wilderness: in the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge ; not in their tents and huts, which they had used to carry with... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 21:14

The inhabitants of the land of Tema ,.... This country had its name from Tema, one of the sons of Ishmael, Genesis 25:15 . The Targum calls it the land of the south, as if it was Teman. These people were Arabians, and are here said to assist their countrymen, the Dedanites, in distress: brought water to him that was thirsty ; as travellers are wont to be, especially in a desert land, and when fleeing from an enemy; in which circumstances the travelling companies of Dedanim now were: ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 21:15

For they fled from the swords ,.... Of their enemy, whom they could not withstand; perhaps the Assyrian army: from the drawn sword ; just ready to be sheathed in them: and from the bent bow ; just going to let the arrow fly at them: and from the grievousness of war : too heavy for them to bear. read more

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