Isaiah 21:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For they have fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the press of battle.

NIV: They flee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and from the heat of battle.

NASB: For they have fled from the swords, From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, And from the press of battle.

CSB: For they have fled from swords, from the drawn sword, from the bow that is strung, and from the stress of battle.

NLT: They have fled from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and the terrors of battle.

KJV: For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.

NKJV: For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, From the bent bow, and from the distress of war.

War creates refugees. It is true in every era, including Isaiah's time. This oracle against the region of Arabia focuses on the suffering of those forced to flee for their lives because of the wars between other nations and empires (Isaiah 21:13–14) The region was located between Judah and Babylonia. Specifically, the prophet has described the plight of the caravans of the descendants of Dedan (Genesis 25:3). These merchants will be forced to leave the main thoroughfares and hide in the dense bushes of Arabia with scant supplies. Isaiah has called on the people of the wealthy town of Tema to take bread and water to the Dedanite refugees (Isaiah 21:14).

This verse reveals why the Dedanites are in such a crisis. They are escaping the path of destruction brought about by open battle. Commentators suggest that some in Arabia had allied themselves with Babylon's rebellion against Assyria. If that is the case, Isaiah means to warn the people of Judah that even the tribes of Arabia will not escape the consequences of relying on Babylon to save them from Assyria. The Lord doesn't want His people to put their hope in any other source; He wants them to rely on Him alone.

Chapter 21:13–17 contains Isaiah's oracle from the Lord various tribes of Arabia (Jeremiah 24:23–24). Due to conflicts in the region, the descendants of Dedan (Genesis 25:3) will become refugees. They will be forced to move their caravans off the main roads and hide in the thickets. Isaiah calls for the people of wealthy Tema to bring them food and water in their distress. Within a year, the glory of the people of Kedar will be ended and most of their warriors wiped out. Isaiah is certain this will happen because the Lord has spoken. What the Lord says will happen, will happen.

This chapter delivers oracles against three people groups. Isaiah is terrified to the point of physical pain by the vision he sees. God reveals the terrible things coming for Babylon. Isaiah answers the Lord's call to be a watchman. When he sees the arrival of riders approaching the city, he announces that Babylon has fallen. The oracle against Dumah presents a question from an Edomite with an unsatisfying answer. The oracle against Arabia pictures starving refugees that must be fed and declares that the warriors of Kedar will be nearly wiped out within a year.

Earlier chapters included prophecies about nations such as Aram, Egypt, and Cush. Chapter 21 presents three more oracles against Israel's regional neighbors. What Isaiah sees is so horrific that he suffers intense physical pain just from watching. He answers the call to be a watchman, eventually announcing that Babylon has fallen. An oracle against Dumah provides no real answer to the question of how long the night of suffering will continue for Edom. Arabia, too, will suffer at the hand of powerful regional forces. Next is a prophecy about Jerusalem.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).