14<\/strong>. Those who flee to their own land are the foreign residents who had been attracted by the wealth and commerce of Babylon from all parts of the world, cf. Jer 51:44<\/span>; Nah 2:8<\/span>; Nah 3:16<\/span>.<\/p>\n a sheep that no<\/em> man taketh up<\/em> ] Better: sheep with none to gather them<\/strong>, Nah 3:18<\/span>. For the figure cf. 1Ki 22:17<\/span>; Eze 34:5<\/span>; Mat 9:36<\/span>.<\/p>\n 14 16<\/strong>. The dispersion and slaughter of the population of Babylon. The prophecy from this point becomes more explicit in its main reference to Babylon.<\/p>\n And it shall be – <\/B>Babylon shall be.<\/P> As the chased roe – <\/B>Once so proud. lofty, arrogant, and self-confident; it shall be as the trembling gazelle, or the timid deer pursued by the hunter, and panting for safety. The word (<\/span> ts<\/I>e<\/I><\/SUP>by<\/I>) denotes a deer of the most delicate frame; the species that is most fleet and graceful in its movements; properly the gazelle (see Bocharts Hieroz. i. 3. 25). To hunt the antelope is a favorite amusement in the East, but which, from its extraordinary swiftness, is attended with great difficulty. On the first alarm, it flies like an arrow from the bow, and leaves the best-mounted hunter, and the fleetest dog, far behind. The sportsman is obliged to call in the aid of the falcon, trained to the work, to seize on the animal, and impede its motions, to give the dogs time to overtake it. Dr. Russel thus describes the chase of the antelope: They permit horsemen, without dogs, if they advance gently, to approach near, and do not seem much to regard a caravan that passes within a little distance; but the moment they take the alarm, they bound away, casting from time to time a look behind: and if they find themselves pursued, they lay their horns backward, almost close on the shoulders, and flee with incredible swiftness. When dogs appear, they instantly take the alarm, for which reason the sportsmen endeavor to steal upon the antelope unawares, to get as near as possible before slipping the dogs; and then, pushing on at full speed, they throw off the falcon, which being taught to strike or fix upon the cheek of the game, retards its course by repeated attacks, until the greyhounds have time to get up. – (Burders Orient. Cus.)<\/P> As a sheep – <\/B>Or like a scattered flock of sheep in the wilderness that has no shepherd, and no one to collect them together; an image also of that which is timid and defenseless.<\/P> That no man taketh up – <\/B>That is astray, and not under the protection of any shepherd. The meaning is, that that people, once so proud and self-confident, would become alarmed, and scattered, and be afraid of everything.<\/P> They shall every man turn unto his own people – <\/B>Babylon was the capital of the pagan world. It was a vast and magnificent city; the center of many nations. It would be the place, therefore, where numerous foreigners would take up a temporary residence, as London and other large cities are now. Jeremiah Jer 50:37<\/span> describes Babylon as containing a mingled population – and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her – that is, the colluvies gentium, as Tacitus describes Rome in his time. Jeremiah also Jer 50:28<\/span> describes this mingled multitude as fleeing and escaping out of the land of Babylon, when these calamities should come upon them. The idea in Isaiah is, that this great and mixed multitude would endeavor to escape the impending calamities, and flee to their own nations.<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 14<\/span>. “And the remnant”] Here is plainly a defect in this sentence, as it stands in the Hebrew<\/I> text; the subject of the proposition is lost. What is it that shall be like a roe chased? The Septuagint<\/I> happily supply it, , shear, the remnant<\/I>. A MS. here supplies the word yosheb, the<\/I> inhabitant<\/I>; which makes a tolerably good sense; but I much prefer the reading of the Septuagint<\/I>.<\/P> <\/P> They shall – turn<\/B><\/I> – “They shall look”] That is, the forces of the king of Babylon, destitute of their leader, and all his auxiliaries, collected from Asia Minor, and other distant countries, shall disperse and flee to their respective homes.<\/P> <\/p>\n And it, <\/B>to wit, Babylon, <\/P> shall be as the chased roe; <\/B>fearful in itself, especially when it is pursued by the hunter. <\/P> As a sheep that no man taketh up; <\/B>in a most forlorn and neglected condition. <\/P> Every man; <\/B>those soldiers of other and more warlike nations whom she had hired to assist her; which she used to do at other times, but especially upon this great occasion; of which See Poole “Jer 50:16<\/span>“; See Poole “Jer 51:9<\/span>“. <\/P> <\/p>\n 14. it<\/B>Babylon. <\/P> roe<\/B>gazelle; the mosttimid and easily startled. <\/P> no man taketh up<\/B>sheepdefenseless, without a shepherd<\/I> (Zec13:7<\/span>). <\/P> every man . . . to his ownpeople<\/B>The “mingled peoples” of foreign lands shallflee out of her (Jer 50:16<\/span>;Jer 50:28<\/span>; Jer 50:37<\/span>;Jer 51:9<\/span>).<\/P><\/p>\n And it shall be as the chased roe<\/strong>,…. That is, Babylon, and the inhabitants thereof, shall be like a roe when hunted by the dogs; which is a very fearful creature, and at the sight and noise of the dogs flies here and there for safety; just so should be the most courageous of the Babylonians, when their city should be taken. The Syriac version renders it, “they shall be”; and the Septuagint and Arabic versions, “they that are left shall be as the fleeing roe”, such who fall not by the sword. Kimchi interprets it of people of other nations that should be in Babylon when taken, which agrees with the latter part of the verse:<\/p>\n and as a sheep that no man taketh up<\/strong>; the Septuagint and Arabic versions read, “as a straying sheep”, that flees from the wolf; and there being none to fetch it back, and bring it to the flock, it wanders about and perishes:<\/p>\n they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee everyone into his own land<\/strong>; this is to be understood of such foreigners, who were called in by the king of Babylon to his assistance, and the defence of the city; who perceiving it to be taken, or in danger, fled to their own countries, from whence they came, and so left the city naked and defenceless, see Jer 50:16<\/span>.<\/p>\n “And it comes to pass as with a gazelle which is scared, and as with a flock without gatherers: they turn every one to his people, and they flee every one to his land.”<\/em> The neuter v’hayah <\/em> affirms that it will then be as described in the simile and the interpretation which follows. Babylon was the market for the world in central Asia, and therefore a rendezvous<\/em> for the most diverse nations (Jer 50:16<\/span>, cf., Isa 51:9<\/span>, 44) – for a , as Aeschylus says in his Persae<\/em>, v. 52. This great and motley mass of foreigners would now be scattered in the wildest flight, on the fall of the imperial city. The second disaster is violent death.<\/p>\n 14. And it shall be as the chased roe. He shows that auxiliary troops will be of no avail to the Babylonians, and by these comparisons he describes the fear which shall seize the soldiers. Babylon employed not only her own soldiers, but likewise foreign and hired soldiers. He says that they will all be like roes, which are timorous creatures, and like scattered sheep, so that they will neither repair to their standards or their post, nor preserve any order. <\/p>\n Every one to his own land. Hence it is easily seen that the Prophet speaks, not only of the natives, or even of the strangers who had formerly dwelt there, but of foreigners who had been brought for the protection of the city. We have formerly said that the hearts of men are in the hand of God in such a manner that, according to his pleasure, either those who formerly were timid or cowardly persons suddenly acquire fresh courage, or those who formerly boasted loudly of being bold and daring lose their fierceness and become effeminate. <\/p>\n (14) And it shall be as<\/strong> the chased roe.<\/strong>Better, as with a chased roe <\/em>. . .<\/em><\/strong> .<\/em> as with sheep <\/em>. . .<\/em><\/strong> The roe and the sheep represent the mixed multitude (sch., Pers. <\/em>52) of all nations who had been carried into Babylon, and who would naturally take to flight, some, though without a leader, returning to their own lands on the approach of the invader.<\/p>\n 14<\/strong>. <\/strong> It shall be <\/strong> That is, Babylon shall be. <\/p>\n As the chased roe <\/strong> The figure is, Babylon shall be as timid and panting when seeking an escape as a “chased” gazelle. Swift enemies from the east shall play the falcon and the dogs upon her, just as does the huntsman upon the trembling gazelle in the chase. <\/p>\n As a sheep <\/strong> Strayed in the wilderness. <\/p>\n That no man taketh up <\/strong> Alone, bereft of its shepherd, exposed to wild beasts, afraid of every thing. <\/p>\n They shall turn <\/strong> Literally, Each to his people they shall turn, and each to his country they shall flee. <\/em> Babylon was a great capital whither transient trading peoples gathered. And these are probably meant here. On the fall of the imperial city, this motley mass would scatter in wildest flight. Those who remained would be treated as described in the next verse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/strong> Against Babylon in Particular<\/p>\n v. 14. And it,<\/strong> namely, Babylon, shall be as the chased roe,<\/strong> the timid gazelle, which is so easily startled, and as a sheep that no man taketh up,<\/strong> like a panic-stricken flock which simply cannot be brought together again. They shall every man turn to his own people and flee every one into his own land,<\/strong> that is, the great mass of strangers gathered in the great world market, Babylonia, would, at her fall, scatter in all directions, every one anxious to reach the protection of his own country. <\/p>\n v. 15. Every one that is found,<\/strong> not having sought safety in flight, shall be thrust through, and every one that is joined unto them,<\/strong> rather, intercepted in flight, shall fall by the sword,<\/strong> for it is a general slaughter which will come upon the mixed population of Babylon. <\/p>\n v. 16. Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes,<\/strong> their parents witnessing their murder; their houses shall be spoiled,<\/strong> everything plundered, and their wives ravished,<\/strong> for war ever brutalizes men, in many cases placing them below the level of beasts. The punishment in general having been described, the prophet now proceeds to mention particulars. <\/p>\n v. 17. Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them,<\/strong> the Medo-Persians being the world power which conquered Babylon, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it,<\/strong> that is, it would be impossible to bribe them, to buy them off, and thus save the city whose destruction was firmly determined upon by the Lord. <\/p>\n v. 18. Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces,<\/strong> a very vivid description of the effect which would attend the wholesale slaughter; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb,<\/strong> not sparing even the unborn children, 2Ki 8:12<\/span>; 2Ki 15:16<\/span>; Hos 14:1<\/span>; Amo 1:13<\/span>; their eye shall not spare children,<\/strong> for the enemies would be devoid of all pity. <\/p>\n v. 19. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,<\/strong> an ornament of beauty in the midst of conquered nations, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency,<\/strong> to which they all pointed with pride as the greatest capital of the world, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah,<\/strong> utterly destroyed, an eternal wilderness. <\/p>\n v. 20. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation; neither shall the Arabians,<\/strong> the Bedouin nomads, pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there,<\/strong> total desolation should reign there forever. <\/p>\n v. 21. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there,<\/strong> making their dens in the midst of the ruins; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures,<\/strong> the howling jackals probably being meant; and owls shall dwell there,<\/strong> rather, ostriches, and satyrs,<\/strong> or wild goats, thought to be possessed of demons, shall dance there. <\/p>\n v. 22. And the wild beasts of the islands,<\/strong> probably hyenas, shall cry in their desolate houses,<\/strong> in the ruined palaces of the city, and dragons in their pleasant palaces,<\/strong> jackals or wolves being among the inhabitants of the stone heaps remaining. And her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged,<\/strong> the threatened ruin would come in a comparatively short time. And so it came to pass, for the destruction of Babylon, begun by Darius Hystaspes, continued by Xerxes, was completed by Seleucus Nicator in the fourth century before Christ, so that even before the birth of Christ the historian Strabo describes the ruins of proud Babylon in words which are strangely like those of the prophet here recorded. <\/p>\n b) The particular part: The prophecy against Babylon<\/strong><\/p>\n Isa 13:14<\/span> to Isa 14:23<\/span><\/p>\n 1. THE JUDGMENT ON THE CITY AND STATE OF BABYLON<\/p>\n Isa 13:14-22<\/span><\/p>\n 14And it shall be as the chased roe,<\/p>\n And as 11<\/span>a sheep that no man taketh up:<\/p>\n They shall every man turn to his own people, 15Every one that is found shall be thrust through;<\/p>\n And every one that Isaiah 12<\/span> joined unto them<\/em> shall fall by the sword<\/p>\n 16Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes;<\/p>\n Their houses shall be spoiled and their wives ravished.<\/p>\n 17Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them,<\/p>\n Which shall not regard silver; 18Their<\/em> bows also shall dash the young men to pieces;<\/p>\n And they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; 19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,<\/p>\n The beauty of the Chaldees excellency, 20It shall never be inhabited,<\/p>\n Neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: 21But 14<\/span>wild beasts of the desert shall lie there;<\/p>\n And their houses shall be full of 15<\/span> 16<\/span>doleful creatures;<\/p>\n And 17<\/span> 18<\/span>owls shall dwell there,<\/p>\n And satyrs shall dance there.<\/p>\n 22And 19<\/span>the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their 20<\/span>desolate houses,<\/p>\n And dragons in their<\/em> pleasant palaces:<\/p>\n And her time is<\/em> near to come,<\/p>\n And her days shall not be prolonged.<\/p>\n TEXTUAL AND GRAMMATICAL<\/strong><\/p>\n On Isa 13:14<\/span>. is to be construed neuter = it shall be, it turns out, such are the circumstances. The Hoph. particip. only here; beside this in Isaiah the Niph. and Pual participles, Isa 8:22<\/span>; Isa 16:3-4<\/span>. with the meaning gazelle, occurs only here in Isaiah. It seems that the Prophet by here and Isa 13:19<\/span>, intended a contrast. Babylon in the sense of decus<\/em>, is at the same time in the sense of dorcas<\/em>. occurs again Nah 3:18<\/span>; Jer 49:5<\/span>.<\/p>\n On Isa 13:15<\/span>. comp. Isa 22:3<\/span>; Isa 37:4<\/span>. only here in Isaiah. from to snatch, seize. that occurs only in Piel and Pual, is used exclusively of dashing to pieces human bodies: Hos 10:14<\/span>; Hos 14:1<\/span>; Nah 3:10<\/span>; 2Ki 8:12<\/span>; in Isa. the word occurs only here and Isa 13:18<\/span>. (kindred to ,, Isa 10:13<\/span>; Isa 17:14<\/span>; Isa 42:22<\/span>) only here in Isa. Comp. Zec 14:2<\/span>.Niph. (Kal. Deu 28:30<\/span>; Pual Jer 3:2<\/span>) occurs only here and Zechariah 14<\/span>.<\/p>\n On Isa 13:19<\/span>. comp. on Isa 4:2<\/span>, where also Isaiah has and though not in a genitive relation, a combination that occurs in no other place. comp. on Isa 1:7<\/span>. The original passage is Deu 29:22<\/span>. The substantive like infinitives has retained the verbal force.<\/p>\n On Isa 13:20<\/span>. The intransitive use of and (= to be a habitation) occurs first in Joel 4:20. It does not occur later in Isaiah; whereas in Jeremiah it is frequent (Jer 17:6<\/span>; Jer 17:25<\/span>; Jer 30:18<\/span>; Jer 46:26<\/span>; Jer 50:13<\/span>; Jer 50:39<\/span>): in Eze 29:11<\/span> also, and in Zec 2:8<\/span>; Zec 9:5<\/span>. The expression , occurs only here in Isaiah. occurs in various connections, Isa 34:10<\/span>; Isa 34:17<\/span>; Isa 51:8<\/span>; Isa 58:12<\/span>; Isa 60:15<\/span>; Isa 61:4<\/span>.. So still Jer 3:2<\/span>; comp. Jer 25:24<\/span>, otherwise in later books 2Ch 21:16<\/span>; 2Ch 22:1<\/span>; Neh 2:19<\/span>; Neh 4:1<\/span>; Neh 6:1<\/span>. Because of the following , this cannot be understood to mean nomadic shepherds in general. But the word signifies the Arabian proper, because in fact Babylon lay near enough to Arabia for Arabians proper to come thither with their flocks (Gesenius). for , like Job 35:11<\/span>, for . The form occurs only here The verb (Kal. Gen 13:12<\/span>; Gen 13:18<\/span>) is denominativum<\/em>. is to make : thus it is direct causative. Hiph. (Isa 54:11<\/span>).<\/p>\n On Isa 13:21<\/span>. (from unused, from which terra arida<\/em>) are dwellers in the desert; whether men or beasts is undetermined. Yet analogy favors the latter; for in what follows only beasts are mentioned. The word occurs in Isaiah again Isa 23:13<\/span>; Isa 34:14<\/span>; comp. Jer 50:39<\/span>. Ewald, (Lehrb<\/em>. 146, g. Anm<\/em>.) derives , and with the meaning criers, howlers, from Arabic roots, as it seems to me, without necessity. . The LXX., evidently following a kindred sound, translate . But the parallelism demands rather some species of beast. Jerome translates dracones<\/em>. Aurivillius proposed first ulula<\/em>, owls, horn owls. (Lev 11:16<\/span>; Deu 14:15<\/span>) is the ostrich. The masculine form found only Lam 4:3<\/span>. According to some, the name means the mourning daughter of the desert, (Meier, Wurzelw<\/em>. p. 49); according to others, the word is related to the Syr. jaeno<\/em>, greedy, ravenous. The feminine designation has essentially a poetic reason, comp. Mic. 4:14 with 2Ch 25:13<\/span>. , (Eze 27:6<\/span>). The word occurs in Isaiah again Isa 34:13<\/span>; Isa 43:20<\/span>; comp. Jer 50:39<\/span>; Mic 1:8<\/span>; Job 30:20<\/span>. are hirsuti<\/em>, <\/em>pilosi<\/em>, goats, i.e.<\/em>, goat-shaped demons. Piel only here in Isaiah; comp. Job 21:11<\/span>; Joe 2:5<\/span>; Nah 3:2<\/span>.<\/p>\n Isa 13:22<\/span> are jackals. The singular seems abbreviated from from an unused , ululavit<\/em>. In Arabic the jackal still is called ibn<\/em>–<\/em>awa<\/em>. The word is found only here and Isa 34:14<\/span>, and Jer 50:39<\/span>. only here for (perhaps with reference to their widowhood). Comp. Isa 23:13<\/span>; Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
And flee every one into his own land.<\/p>\n
And as for<\/em> gold, they shall not delight in it.<\/p>\n
Their eye shall not spare children,<\/p>\n
Shall be as 13<\/span>when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.<\/p>\n
Neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there;
Neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.<\/p>\n