Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 21:6
For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
6. Go, set, &c. ] Render, Go set the watchman, what he seeth he shall declare.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
6 9. Hitherto the prophet has spoken of his vision as a thing “announced” to him; now he proceeds to describe, in a very interesting passage, the method of its communication. The delineation is figurative, but seems in some sense to imply a dual consciousness of the writer. The watchman is the prophet himself in the ecstatic condition; he then sees and hears things beyond human ken. Meanwhile his ordinary waking consciousness is not suspended, but is ready to receive and transmit to the world the “watchman’s” report. The same figure is somewhat differently applied in Hab 2:1. For the expression, cf. Jer 6:17; Eze 3:17; Eze 33:7.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Go, set a watchman – This was said to Isaiah in the vision. He represents himself as in Babylon, and as hearing God command him to set a watchman on the watch-tower who would announce what was to come to pass. All this is designed merely to bring the manner of the destruction of the city more vividly before the eye.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Thus hath the Lord said unto me; I speak not my own fancies, but what God hath made me to see and hear in a vision; the particulars whereof are related in the following verses.
A watchman; either,
1. A prophet; such being oft so called, as Eze 3:17; 33:2. Or rather,
2. A military watchman. For this was now done only in a vision, which yet did foresignify what should be done really afterwards.
Let him declare, to thee in vision, to them really.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. Go, set a watchman, let himdeclare what he seethGod’s direction to Isaiah to set awatchman to “declare” what he sees. But as in Isa21:10, Isaiah himself is represented as the one who “declared.”HORSLEY makes himthe “watchman,” and translates, “Come, let him whostandeth on the watchtower report what he seeth.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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 declare what he seeth; what he sees coming at a distance, or at hand, let him faithfully and publicly make it known: these are not the words of the king of Babylon to one of his watchmen; but of the Lord of hosts to his prophet.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The prophecy is continued with the conjunction “for” ( ci ). The tacit link in the train of thought is this: they act thus in Babylon, because the destruction of Babylon is determined. The form in which this thought is embodied is the following: the prophet receives instruction in the vision to set a m e tzappeh upon the watch-tower, who was to look out and see what more took place. “For thus said the Lord to me, Go, set a spy; what he seeth, let him declare.” In other cases it is the prophet himself who stands upon the watch-tower (Isa 21:11; Hab 2:1-2); but here in the vision a distinction is made between the prophet and the person whom he stations upon the watch-tower ( specula ). The prophet divides himself, as it were, into two persons (compare Isa 18:4 for the introduction; and for the expression “go,” Isa 20:2). He now sees through the medium of a spy, just as Zechariah sees by means of the angel speaking in him; with this difference, however, that here the spy is the instrument employed by the prophet, whereas there the prophet is the instrument employed by the angel.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
6. For thus hath the Lord said to me. The Prophet is commanded to set a watchman on the watchtower, to see these things at a distance; for they cannot be perceived by the eyes, or learned by conjecture. In order, therefore, that all may know that he did not speak at random, he declares that he foretells these things; for although they are unknown to men, and incredible, yet he clearly and distinctly knows them by the spirit of prophecy, because he is elevated above the judgment of men. This ought to be carefully observed; for we must not imagine that the prophets learned from men, or foresaw by their own sagacity, those things which they made known; and on this account also they were justly called “Seers.” (1Sa 9:9.) Though we also see them, yet our sight is dull, and we scarcely perceive what is at our feet; and even the most acute men are often in darkness, because they understand nothing but what they can gather by the use of reason. But the prophets speak by the Spirit of God, as from heaven. The amount of what is stated is, that whosoever shall attempt to measure this prophecy by their own judgment will do wrong, because it has proceeded from God, and therefore it goes far beyond our sense.
Go, appoint a watchman. It gives additional weight that he “appoints a watchman in the name of God.” If it be objected, “You relate incredible things as if they had actually happened,” he replies that he does not declare them at random; for he whom the prince has appointed to be a watchman, sees from a distance what others do not know. Thus Isaiah saw by the revelation of the Spirit what was unknown to others.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) Go, set a watchman . . .The prophet is, as it were, placed in vision on a lofty watch-tower, and reports what meets his gaze, or that of the watchman with whom he identifies himself (Eze. 33:7). (Comp. the striking parallel of Hab. 2:1-2.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Go, set a watchman As if a degree of languor was already coming on the scene. The watchman, to look, apparently, into the distance, then to report the on-coming of Persian troops, and of successive events of the war upon Babylon.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 21:6-9. For thus hath the Lord said unto me The Holy Spirit, having proposed to make Isaiah, and by him the church, most certain of this memorable event, confirms the preceding revelation by an elegant emblem, offered to the prophet in vision; which confirmation makes the other part of this prophetic. This emblem exhibits to us the prophet commanded by God to set a watchman, in this verse; and in what follows, the consequence of the execution of the command; namely, that the watchman appointed by the prophet attended accurately to the least motion of the nations against Babylon, and at length, after long expectation, had discovered, and, like a lion, had declared with a loud voice what he had seen. The seventh verse should be rendered, And he saw a cavalcade; two file of horse; with ass-carriages, and carriages of camels; and he attended with very close attention. The meaning is, that the watchman saw the army of the Medes and Persians, with their usual cavalcade of horse, attended by those beasts of burden, asses and camels, which accompanied armies in those countries, moving towards Babylon; upon which he gave the greatest attention possible. Vitringa reads in the eighth verse, And he cried as a lion; declaring what he now saw; namely, the hostile cavalcade approaching to Babylon; Behold, here cometh a cavalcade of men; two file of horse: Immediately after which, he declares the consequence of this approach to the enemy; Babylon is fallen, is fallen. See Rev 18:1-2. This repetition was intended, according to some, to shew the certainty of the event; though Vitringa thinks that it, as well as the whole prophesy, might have a mystical reference to the fall of the spiritual Babylon; as much as to say, “Babylon is fallen, nay, and shall hereafter fall.” As to the last expression, All the graven images of her gods he hath broken, it is remarkable, that Xerxes, after his return from his unfortunate expedition into Greece, partly out of religious zeal, being a professed enemy to image worship, and partly to reimburse himself, seized the sacred treasures, plundered or destroyed the temples and idols of Babylon, and thereby accomplished the prophesies of Isaiah; which will gain great light by a comparison with what Jeremiah has written on this subject. See Vitringa and Bishop Newton.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Here by vision, a sketch of that memorable event is given to the Prophet. Though at a distance of time and place so remote; yet the outline of the horrors of Babylon is given to the Prophet, to behold in vision: Chariots and horsemen; the cry of a lion, and a voice proclaiming, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, and all the graven images of her gods broken to the ground! These were strong prophetical intimations of the vast ruin and overthrow, which should take place. And the Prophet’s seal to the vision is striking, in that he saith, that what he had delivered, was from the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel. Reader! do not overlook, that as this event, here foretold, was exactly fulfilled; so there is a far greater blessing the church is now taught to look for in gospel times, and from existing circumstances, we hope it is not greatly remote, in which Babylon, the mother of harlots, shall fall to rise no more! Rev_17:5; Rev_18:1-2 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
“Handfuls of Purpose”
For All Gleaners
“Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.” Isa 21:6
This is a favourite figure of the prophet. (Compare Eze 33:7 , and Hab 2:1 , Hab 2:2 .) In vision the prophet is placed upon a lofty pile, and from that eminence he looks abroad upon the whole field of human action, and reports what passes under his own eyesight. A watchman is not a warrior. We must always notice the distribution of functions in spiritual and social life. Though the watchman is not a warrior, yet the warrior would be weaker did he lack the guidance of the watcher’s eyes. The watcher draws no sword, yet to him may the victory in no small degree be due. We need in the Church quiet, observant, contemplative men. Yet there must be a limit even to a watchman’s silence. The lifting of a finger may be enough in some instances, or the holding forth of an appointed signal. In other cases there must be a loud crying out, so that men may know that danger is imminent. The circumstances of each case will determine the watchman’s duty. The unfaithful watchman is a murderer. This doctrine applies to preachers, teachers, statesmen, patriots, and to all persons susceptible of deep conviction and charged with high responsibilities. Woe to the world when the watchmen are asleep or are selfishly silent.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Isa 21:6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth.
Ver. 6. For thus hath the Lord said unto me. ] Confirming, by a prophetic vision, what I had foretold concerning the calamity of the Chaldees.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 21:6-10
Isa 21:6-7
“For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman; let him declare what he seeth: and when he seeth a troop, horsemen in pairs, a troop of asses, a troop of camels, he shall hearken diligently with much heed.”
All are agreed that Isaiah himself was the “watchman” set to announce the coming destruction. Hailey believes this to be indicated by the expression, “O Lord” in Isa 21:8.
The mention of asses and camels as participating in the overthrow has been used to bolster the false theory that we have a prophetic reference to 539 B.C. They quote Herodotus to show that some of the Persians in that overthrow rode on asses and camels; but it would have been no distinctive mark at that time. After the siege of Babylon in 710 B.C., “Asses and camels are expressly mentioned as having been left on the field of battle by Merodach-Baladan, and we may assume that the Assyrians also employed them in the Assyrian army.
Isa 21:8-9
“And he cried as a lion: O Lord, I stand continually upon the watch-tower in the day-time, and am set in my ward whole nights; and, behold, here cometh a troop of men, horsemen in pairs. And he answered and said, Fallen, fallen is Babylon; and all the graven images of her gods are broken unto the ground.”
Here is the same language employed by the Lord through the apostle John in describing the fall of the Great Harlot of the times of the Apostasy (Rev 14:8; Rev 17:5). It is this fact, more than any other, which supports the view that there could be a great deal more in this passage than a prophecy of one of the several falls of ancient Babylon. Babylon became, in time, a symbol of all wickedness and unrighteousness, giving her name to the Great Apostasy itself.
Isa 21:10
“O thou my threshing, and the grain of my floor! that which I have heard from Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you.”
This verse is in the form of a lament by Isaiah over the fate of God’s people as it looms in this prophecy. There will be no help from Babylon. Assyria will completely subdue it and rule over it; and now there is absolutely nothing left in the whole world to protect God’s people (from the earthly viewpoint) from the terrifying cruelty and oppression of Assyria. Grieved as Isaiah assuredly was at this tragic news, he reminds the Lord’s people here that he has surely spoken unto them the true Word of God, that the “threshing” they are sure to receive will only expose the true grain as distinguished from the chaff.
Isa 21:6-10. VERIFICATION: Who is this watchman? It is our opinion that God was instructing Isaiah to appeal to those who believed his prophecy to pass along this prophecy to future generations who would watch diligently as historic events fullfilled and verified Isaiahs predictions. These future generations of a faithful remnant would then read and remind all who would hear that Isaiahs prophecies were sure and certain. God would chasten His people, but He would also deliver them. Joel bids those who witnessed the locust plague to pass on the information from one generation to another in order to interpret Gods actions of chastening in the world. Jeremiah predicted the death of Hananiah. Hananiahs death verified Jeremiahs authenticity as a prophet (Cf. Jer 28:5-17). The Elamites used asses and the Medes used camels as animals of warfare. When the Judeans of the future should see this great mass of mounted warriors approaching Babylon they should know their deliverance from Babylons captivity was near. All their songs and sighings of oppression in captivity would cease. The Persians in two short years would begin (536) the restoration of the Jews to their land. The word lion is not in the best, most ancient, Hebrew texts. It is not in the Isaiah manuscript of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The cry of those with faith to take Isaiah at his word and watch is: Fallen, fallen, is Babylon! Babylons gods are impotent and they are ground into the dust of destruction.
Fallen Babylon proclaimed the defeat of the great enemy of Gods people and their deliverance. In a certain sense, this is the basic theme of the entire book of Isaiah. It is the prelude to the triumphant messages of conquest and joy found in chapters 40-66. It is the same message John the apostle sees in a vision concerning the Roman empire in Revelation 18, which is symbolic of Gods final defeat of His enemies and the deliverance of His people. Babylon was symbolic of all the forces opposed to God and His redemptive work in the earth. Especially did she symbolize the forces of sensuality and worldliness as they oppose God and His kingdom in luring humanity to commit adultery with the gods of carnality. That is why Babylon is called a mistress and a whore. The overthrow of Babylon in the book of Revelation is a prelude to the joyous conquest of Revelation 21-22.
Isaiahs heart goes out to Gods people, so long threshed by their oppressors. They have been ground into the earth as. grain on a threshing floor, but the precious grain is Gods. He will separate the wheat from the chaff by the Babylon captivity. And when the Medes have delivered Judah from Babylon, the wheat-seed will produce a harvest in the Messiah. What the aged prophet had heard from Jehovah, he tenderly but forth-rightly declared to all who would listen and believe.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Go: Isa 62:6, 2Ki 9:17-20, Jer 51:12, Jer 51:13, Eze 3:17, Eze 33:2-7, Hab 2:1, Hab 2:2
Reciprocal: 2Sa 18:24 – the watchman Son 3:3 – watchmen Isa 21:11 – what
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 21:6. For thus hath the Lord said unto me I speak only what God hath caused me to see and hear in a vision, the particulars whereof are related in the following verses. The Holy Spirit, to make Isaiah, and, by him, the church, most certain of this memorable event, confirms the preceding revelation by an elegant emblem, offered to the prophet in vision. This emblem exhibits to us the prophet commanded by God to set a watchman, in this verse; and, in what follows, the consequence of the execution of the command, namely, that the watchman attended accurately to the least motion of the nations against Babylon, and, after long expectation, had discovered what is afterward related. See Vitringa. The reader will observe, that as the command to set a watchman was given to the prophet in a vision, so it was executed by him only in a vision. It signified, however, what should really be done afterward, namely, when the Medes and Persians should march to besiege and attack Babylon.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
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.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The sovereign God told Isaiah to post a reliable sentry who would report what he saw. When the sentry saw horsemen in pairs with a train of donkeys and camels, he should pay close attention. According to the Greek historian Xenophon, this is how the Persian army marched. [Note: Xenophon, Cyropaedia 1.6, 10; 4.3-5; 6.1, 28; 7.4, 17.]