Isaiah 21:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They prepare the table, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink. Arise, O princes; oil the shield!

NIV: They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields!

NASB: They set the table, they spread out the cloth, they eat, they drink; 'Rise up, captains, oil the shields!'

CSB: Prepare a table, and spread out a carpet! Eat and drink! Rise up, you princes, and oil the shields!

NLT: Look! They are preparing a great feast. They are spreading rugs for people to sit on. Everyone is eating and drinking. But quick! Grab your shields and prepare for battle. You are being attacked!

KJV: Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield.

NKJV: Prepare the table, Set a watchman in the tower, Eat and drink. Arise, you princes, Anoint the shield!

The horrors to come for those in Babylon are so tragic that Isaiah is pained to his core. Great destruction is heading their way. It will be so intense that what Isaiah has seen has caused him physical agony and emotional suffering. He appears to have literally felt the terror the people of Babylon will soon experience, and it has left him devastated (Isaiah 21:3–4).

Now Isaiah contrasts that suffering with the reality of what is happening in the present moment. Scholars differ on whether the prophet is describing the scene in Babylon or in Judah. He may be saying that the Babylonians are unaware of the despair coming for them. They are going about their daily routines as if everything is normal and good. His description of eating and drinking may even suggest that they are celebrating.

An alternative is that Isaiah is referring to his own people in Judah. This would imply they are prematurely celebrating Babylon's rebellion against Assyria. They do not realize that Babylon will soon be crushed and leave them exposed to the Assyrians once more.

In either interpretation, Isaiah seems to cry out to those who aren't taking the threat seriously. He tells their leaders to take actions: to "oil the shields." The stiff, leather shields used in battle needed to be oiled regularly to keep them from becoming brittle. A brittle shield would do nothing to protect the soldier carrying it. It is also possible that oiled shields created a glare that made it more difficult for an enemy to see the action.

Chapter 21:1–10 contains Isaiah's prophecy against Babylon. God sends Isaiah a fierce vision which causes him great physical suffering and emotional terror. His heart falters, and his body trembles at what he witnesses. Isaiah calls the leaders to prepare for battle. He obeys the Lord's call for a watchman, taking his post on the tower until the riders come. When they arrive, the prophet announces that Babylon is fallen and her gods have all been smashed.

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).