Isaiah 21:7

7 and when he sees a troop, horsemen in pairs, a troop of donkeys, a troop of camels, he shall listen diligently with much heed.

Isaiah 21:7 Meaning and Commentary

Isaiah 21:7

And he saw a chariot [with] a couple of horsemen
The drivers of it, or the riders in it; perhaps meaning Cyrus and Darius: a chariot of asses, [and] a chariot of camels;
by the former may be meant the Persians, who very much used mules or asses; and the Medes by the latter, who abounded in camels: the words are in the singular number, and may be rendered, "a rider of an ass, and a rider of a camel" F23; and so may describe the couple of riders along with the chariot, which may signify the whole army of the Medes and Persians, chariots being much used in war; and the rider of the ass or mule may design Cyrus, who was called a mule, because of his mixed descent, being a Persian by his father, and a Mede by his mother's side; so the oracle of Apollo told the Babylonians, that their city should stand, until a mule was king of the Medes; and the rider of the camel may point at Darius: and he hearkened diligently with much heed;
the watchman that was set to watch used the utmost attention to what he saw, and listened diligently to the noise of this chariot and horsemen, as they came nearer.


FOOTNOTES:

F23 (lmg bkr rwmx bkr) (anabathn onou, kai anabathn kamhlou) , Sept.; "ascensorem asini, et ascensorem cameli", V. L. "unum equitantium in asinis, alterum equitantium in camelis", Piscator.

Isaiah 21:7 In-Context

5 They prepare the table, they set the watch, they eat, they drink: rise up, you princes, anoint the shield.
6 For thus has the Lord said to me, Go, set a watchman: let him declare what he sees:
7 and when he sees a troop, horsemen in pairs, a troop of donkeys, a troop of camels, he shall listen diligently with much heed.
8 He cried as a lion: Lord, I stand continually on the watch-tower in the day-time, and am set in my ward whole nights;
9 and, behold, here comes a troop of men, horsemen in pairs. He answered, Fallen, fallen is Bavel; and all the engraved images of her gods are broken to the ground.
The Hebrew Names Version is in the public domain.