Isaiah Chapter 21 — The Fall of Babylon
Isaiah receives a distressing vision regarding the fall of Babylon and issues further prophecies concerning the regions of Dumah and Arabia.
1The burden of the wilderness of the sea.
2A grievous vision is declared to me. The treacherous man deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, Elam; attack! I have stopped all of Media’s sighing.
3Therefore my thighs are filled with anguish. Pains have seized me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am in so much pain that I can’t hear. I am so dismayed that I can’t see.
4My heart flutters. Horror has frightened me. The twilight that I desired has been turned into trembling for me.
5They prepare the table. They set the watch. They eat. They drink. Rise up, you princes, oil the shield!
6For the Lord said to me, “Go, set a watchman. Let him declare what he sees.
7When he sees a troop, horsemen in pairs, a troop of donkeys, a troop of camels, he shall listen diligently with great attentiveness.”
8He cried like a lion: “Lord, I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime, and every night I stay at my post.
9Behold, here comes a troop of men, horsemen in pairs.” He answered, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the engraved images of her gods are broken to the ground.
10You are my threshing, and the grain of my floor!” That which I have heard from the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, I have declared to you.
11The burden of Dumah.
12The watchman said, “The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire. Come back again.”
13The burden on Arabia.
14They brought water to him who was thirsty. The inhabitants of the land of Tema met the fugitives with their bread.
15For they fled away from the swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the heat of battle.
16For the Lord said to me, “Within a year, as a worker bound by contract would count it, all the glory of Kedar will fail,
17and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, will be few; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken it.”
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Isaiah 21:6
“For the Lord said to me, 'Go, set a watchman. Let him declare what he sees.'”
This verse establishes the central metaphor of the prophet as a sentinel watching for divine judgment.
Isaiah 21:9
“He answered, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the engraved images of her gods are broken to the ground.'”
This is a pivotal declaration of Babylon's defeat, highlighting the failure of its idols.
Chapter Summary
Isaiah 21 contains three distinct 'burdens' or prophecies regarding various nations. The chapter begins with a vision of the 'wilderness of the sea,' a reference to Babylon. Isaiah describes a grievous scene where Elam and Media attack the city while its leaders are feasting. The prophet expresses intense physical and emotional anguish over the destruction he witnesses. He is commanded to set a watchman on a tower, who eventually announces that Babylon has fallen and its idols are shattered. The second prophecy, regarding Dumah (Edom), involves a watchman responding to inquiries about the duration of a difficult period, symbolized by 'night.' Finally, the chapter addresses Arabia, describing fugitives fleeing from battle through the desert. Isaiah predicts that the glory of Kedar will fail within exactly one year, leaving only a small remnant of its archers and warriors. Throughout the chapter, the emphasis remains on the certainty of these events as declared by the God of Israel.
Frequently Asked Questions
This phrase refers to the prophecy concerning Babylon. It describes a coming invasion by the Elamites and Medes that will bring the city to ruin while its leaders are distracted by feasting.
The watchman is a figure appointed by the Lord to observe and report on incoming troops. In the text, he stands continually at his post and eventually announces the fall of Babylon to the prophet.
Isaiah predicts that within one year, the glory and military power of Kedar will fail. Only a very small number of their mighty archers will remain after the judgment passes through the land.
Study Note
The repetition of 'fallen' in verse 9 is a Hebrew literary device called a prophetic perfect, used to indicate that a future event is so certain it is spoken of as already completed.
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