# Isaiah 21 đź“–: Babylon Has Fallen
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> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#🧠Chapter Summary]]
> [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]]
> [[#đź’¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#đź“‚ Internal Notes]]
## đź“ś Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
### The Lord Will Judge Babylon
[[#Verse 01.]] This is an oracle about the wilderness by the Sea:
Like strong winds blowing in the south,
one invades from the wilderness,
from a land that is feared.
[[#Verse 02.]]Â I have received a distressing message:
“The deceiver deceives,
the destroyer destroys.
Attack, you Elamites!
Lay siege, you Medes!
I will put an end to all the groaning.”
[[#Verse 03.]]Â For this reason my stomach churns;
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
[[#Verse 04.]]Â My heart palpitates,
I shake in fear;
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
[[#Verse 05.]]Â Arrange the table,
lay out the carpet,
eat and drink!
Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields!
[[#Verse 06.]] For this is what the Lord has told me:
“Go, post a guard!
He must report what he sees.
[[#Verse 07.]]Â When he sees chariots,
teams of horses,
riders on donkeys,
riders on camels,
he must be alert,
very alert.”
[[#Verse 08.]] Then the guard cries out:
“On the watchtower, O Lord,
I stand all day long;
at my post
I am stationed every night.
[[#Verse 09.]] Look what’s coming!
A charioteer,
a team of horses.”
When questioned, he replies,
“Babylon has fallen, fallen!
All the idols of her gods lie shattered on the ground!”
[[#Verse 10.]]Â O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor,
what I have heard
from the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
the God of Israel,
I have reported to you.
### Bad News for Seir
[[#Verse 11.]]Â This is an oracle about Dumah:
Someone calls to me from Seir,
“Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?”
[[#Verse 12.]]Â The watchman replies,
“Morning is coming, but then night.
If you want to ask, ask;
come back again.”
### The Lord Will Judge Arabia
[[#Verse 13.]]Â This is an oracle about Arabia:
In the thicket of Arabia you spend the night,
you Dedanite caravans.
[[#Verse 14.]]Â Bring out some water for the thirsty.
You who live in the land of Tema,
bring some food for the fugitives.
[[#Verse 15.]] For they flee from the swords—
from the drawn sword,
and from the battle-ready bow,
and from the severity of the battle.
[[#Verse 16.]] For this is what the Lord has told me: “Within exactly one year all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end.Â
[[#Verse 17.]] Just a handful of archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be left.” Indeed, the Lord God of Israel has spoken.
## đź“– Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. The wilderness by the sea (21:1) is a cryptic title for Babylon, located near the Persian Gulf in southern Mesopotamia.
2. Elam and Media (21:2) were allies in the eventual conquest of Babylon in 539 BC.
3. The cry Babylon has fallen, fallen (21:9) is quoted in Revelation 14:8 and 18:2.
4. Babylon's fall is pictured with its idols shattered on the ground (21:9).
5. Dumah (21:11) was an oasis in Arabia. The name also means silence and may be a wordplay on Edom.
6. Seir (21:11) is the mountain region of Edom.
7. Dedan and Tema (21:13-14) were trading centers in the Arabian desert along caravan routes.
8. Kedar (21:16) was an Arabian tribe descended from Ishmael (Genesis 25:13).
9. Riders on horses, donkeys, and camels (21:7) describe an approaching army with mixed cavalry.
10. The phrase within one year, as a hired worker counts years (21:16) means a precise and certain timeline.
## 🧠Chapter Summary
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the One who announces that Babylon has fallen (21:9; Revelation 18:2). Jesus is the watchman's answer to the question about the night (21:11-12), the Light who brings the morning (John 8:12).
## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application
> [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way.
## đź’¬ Discussion Questions
1. Isaiah was deeply troubled by the vision he saw (21:3-4). How should God's people feel about judgment, even on their enemies?
2. The watchman waits day after day on his post (21:8). What does faithful watching and waiting look like for a Christian?
3. Someone asks, watchman, what is left of the night? (21:11). What are people waiting for in the darkness of our time?
## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember
- đź“– verse 6: Post a watchman to report what he sees.
- đź“– verse 9: Babylon has fallen, fallen.
- đź“– verses 11-12: Watchman, what is left of the night? Morning comes, but also night.
## đź”— Related Passages/Cross Reference
- đź”— [[Revelation 18#Verse 01.|Revelation 18:1-2]] - Fallen is Babylon the great.
- đź”— [[Habakkuk 02#Verse 01.|Habakkuk 2:1-3]] - Standing at the watch post, waiting for the vision.
- đź”— [[Ezekiel 33#Verse 06.|Ezekiel 33:6-7]] - The responsibility of the watchman.
- đź”— [[John 08#Verse 12.|John 8:12]] - Jesus is the light of the world.
- đź”— [[Romans 13#Verse 11.|Romans 13:11-12]] - The night is nearly over; the day is near.
## 🙏 Devotional Reflection
đź“ť SOAP: [[Isaiah 21 - SOAP|The End is Coming]]
## đź“‚ Internal Notes