TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.
Complete Jewish Bible
A prophecy about Arabia: You caravans of D'danim will camp in the desert growth of Arabia.
Berean Standard Bible
This is the burden against Arabia: In the thickets of Arabia you must lodge, O caravans of Dedanites.
American Standard Version
The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye caravans of Dedanites.
World English Bible Messianic
The burden on Arabia. In the forest in Arabia you will lodge, you caravans of Dedanites.
Geneva Bible (1599)
The burden against Arabia. In the forest of Arabia shall yee tarie all night, euen in the waies of Dedanim.
Young's Literal Translation
The burden on Arabia. In a forest in Arabia ye lodge, O travellers of Dedanim.
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In the KJVVerse 18,049 of 31,102
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Commentary on Isaiah 21 verses 13–17
13 ¶ The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim.
14 The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled.
15 For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war.
16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail:
17 And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it.
Arabia was a large country, that lay eastward and southward of the land of Canaan. Much of it was possessed by the posterity of Abraham. The Dedanim, here mentioned (Isa 21:13), descended from Dedan, Abraham's son by Keturah; the inhabitants of Tema and Kedar descended from Ishmael, Gen 25:3, Gen 25:13, Gen 25:15. The Arabians generally lived in tents, and kept cattle, were a hardy people, inured to labour; probably the Jews depended upon them as a sort of a wall between them and the more warlike eastern nations; and therefore, to alarm them, they shall hear the burden of Arabia, and see it sinking under its own burden.
I. A destroying army shall be brought upon them, with a sword, with a drawn sword, with a bow ready bent, and with all the grievousness of war, Isa 21:15. It is probable that the king of Assyria, in some of the marches of his formidable and victorious army, took Arabia in his way, and, meeting with little resistance, made an easy prey of them. The consideration of the grievousness of war should make us thankful for the blessings of peace.
II. The poor country people will hereby be forced to flee for shelter wherever they can find a place; so that the travelling companies of Dedanium, which used to keep the high roads with their caravans, shall be obliged to quit them and lodge in the forest in Arabia (Isa 21:13), and shall not have the wonted convenience of their own tents, poor and weather-beaten as they are.
III. They shall stand in need of refreshment, being ready to perish for want of it, in their flight from the invading army: "O you inhabitants of the land of Tema!" (who probably were next neighbours to the companies of Dedanim) "bring you water" (so the margin reads it) "to him that is thirsty, and prevent with your bread those that flee, for they are objects of your compassion; they do not wander for wandering sake, nor are they reduced to straits by any extravagance of their own, but they flee from the sword." Tema was a country where water was sometimes a scarce commodity (as we find, Job 6:19), and we may conclude it would be in a particular manner acceptable to these poor distressed refugees. Let us learn hence. 1. To look for distress ourselves. We know not what straits we may be brought into before we die. Those that live in cities may be forced to lodge in forests; and those may know the want of necessary food who now eat bread to the full. Our mountain stands not so strong but that it may be moved, rises not so high but that it may be scaled. These Arabians would the better bear these calamities because in their way of living they had used themselves to hardships. 2. To look with compassion upon those that are in distress, and with all cheerfulness to relieve them, not knowing how soon their case may be ours: "Bring water to those that are thirsty, and not only give bread to those that need and ask it, but prevent those with it that have need; give it to them unasked." Those that do so shall find it remembered to their praise, as (according to our reading) it is here remembered to the praise of the land of Tema that they did bring water to the thirsty and relieved even those that were on the falling side.
IV. All that which is the glory of Kedar shall vanish away and fail. Did they glory in their numerous herds and flocks? They shall all be driven away by the enemy. It seems they were famous about other nations for the use of the bow in battle; but their archers, instead of foiling the enemy, shall fall themselves; and the residue of their number, when they are reduced to a small number, shall be diminished (Isa 21:17); their mighty able-bodied men, and men of spirit too, shall become very few; for they, being most forward in the defence of their country, were most exposed, and fell first, either by the enemies' sword or into the enemies' hand. Note, Neither the skill of archers (though they be ever so good marksmen) nor the courage of mighty men can protect a people from the judgments of God, when they come with commission; they rather expose the undertakers. That is poor glory which will thus quickly come to nothing.
V. All this shall be done in a little time: "Within one year according to the years of a hireling (within one year precisely reckoned) this judgment shall come upon Kedar." If this fixing of the time be of no great use to us now (because we find not either when the prophecy was delivered or when it was accomplished), yet it might be of great use to the Arabians then, to awaken them to repentance, that, like the men of Nineveh, they might prevent the judgment when they were thus told it was just at the door. Or, when it begins to be fulfilled, the business shall be done, be begun and ended in one year's time. God, when he please, can do a great work in a little time.
VI. It is all ratified by the truth of God (Isa 21:16); "Thus hath the Lord said to me; you may take my word for it that it is his word;" and we may be sure no word of his shall fall to the ground. And again (Isa 21:17): The Lord God of Israel hath spoken it, as the God of Israel, in pursuance of his gracious designs concerning them; and we may be sure the strength of Israel will not lie.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 13–17. Public domain.
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JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Isaiah
(Verse 13.) Burden in Arabia. This is not found in the edition of the Seventy Interpreters: but what follows is: In the evening you shall sleep in the paths of Dodanim, which is connected with the previous vision, so that it is read, if you seek, seek: and dwell with me in the woodland. In our language, Arabia means evening, which is the beginning of night and darkness, and everyone who has the beginning of sins is involved in the evening. But whoever comes to the highest point, stands in the middle of the night. And in Egypt the firstborn are killed in the middle of the night (Exod. 12). And the Apostle Peter, before the rooster crowed, denied the Lord three times, which is understood as the middle of the night (Mat. XXVI): But after the night had passed, and the day began to approach, having overcome the darkness of the middle of the night, and with the rooster, the messenger of light, resounding, he wept bitterly, and understood his sin, and at that time he could say: At evening weeping endures, and in the morning there is joy (Ps. XXIX, 6). Meanwhile, let's talk about the present place. However, the name Arabia, that is, the evening and the west, receives different interpretations in other passages of the Scriptures.
In the forest you will sleep until evening, on the paths of Dodanim. LXX: In the forest you will sleep until evening on the road to Dedan. Those who have begun in wickedness and enter the path of sin do not sleep, nor do they tarry in cultivated fields and fallow lands, nor in meadows and fields of grain, where the Savior teaches that they should be burning for harvesting, nor among fruit-bearing trees; but in barren forests, where there are brambles and thorns, and beasts dwell. We read in the book of Kings that the forests or woods devoured more people than were killed by the sword when Absalom, the enemy of his father, rebelled against him (1 Kings 18). And it is rightly said that evening is the beginning of evils, to dwell on the road and on the paths, and on the way of Dedan, which is interpreted as judgments. For as many kinds of sins as they have, so many sentences of judgments do they deserve. Moreover, Dedan can be interpreted as a great judgment.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Isaiah
(Verse 13 onwards) Burden in Arabia. In the evening you will sleep in the thicket, in the paths of Dodanim. Bring water to the thirsty ones you encounter: you who live in the land of the South, offer bread to the ones fleeing. Because they have fled from the swords, from the menacing sword, from the drawn bow, from the severity of battle. For this is what the Lord says to me: In yet one year, like the years of a hired worker, all the glory of Kedar will come to an end, and the remaining number of archers, the mighty men of the sons of Kedar, will be few. For the Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken. To me, who was searching and pondering for a long time about what Arabia was, to which the prophetic speech is directed, whether it should be understood as the Moabites, or the Ammonites, and the Edomites, and all the other regions which are now called Arabia, an opportunity is given in this Vision that follows: All the glory of Cedar will be taken away, and the remaining number of mighty archers from the sons of Cedar will be diminished (Isaiah 21:16, 17), to be understood as the Ishmaelites. The book of Genesis teaches that Ishmael, Cedar, and the Hagarites, who are called Saracens by a perverse name, were born. They inhabit the whole wilderness, about whom I think even the poet says: 'And the wandering Barcaeans far and wide' (Virg. Aeneid. IV); and the aforementioned volume, 'He shall dwell against the face of all his brothers' (Gen. XVI, 12): because the very wide desert stretches from India to Mauritania, and the Atlantic Ocean, which I believe sounds the title of Jeremiah: 'Against Cedar and against the kingdoms of Hazor, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck' (Jer. XLIX, 28); and immediately follows: 'Thus says the Lord, Arise, and ascend to Cedar, and devastate the sons of the East: their tents, and their flocks shall they take, their skins and all their vessels, and they shall take camels for themselves' (Ibid., 29); and again: 'For Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has thought a thought against you, and has deliberated against you.' Arise and go up to a quiet and confidently dwelling nation, says the Lord: there are no gates, no bars for them: they dwell alone. And their camels shall be a booty, and the multitude of their cattle a spoil. And I will scatter them to every wind, them that are clipped on the sides: and I will bring destruction upon them from all their borders, says the Lord: and Achor shall be a habitation of dragons, desolate for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor son of man inhabit it. I have placed the entire prophecy and testimony of Jeremiah so that you may understand clearly what Cedar is. And consider how he specifically describes the people of the Ishmaelites, that they dwell in tents: they occupy the dwellings that night brings, they possess herds and flocks of camels: they do not have doors or bolts: for they do not live in cities, but dwell in the wilderness. And so, they were destroyed by the Babylonians, because they completely destroyed the city of Hazor, which was the metropolis of their people, even down to the ground: and yet, their herds of camels and flocks of sheep were captured, and their skins and tents were divided by lot: not all of their people were annihilated, for dromedary camels, numbering over a hundred thousand, are accustomed to flee through the vast wilderness in a single day. The glory of Cedar will be taken away, it says, and with the number of archers diminished, as they excel greatly in the art of war: the rest who have fled will remain. Because we have understood what Cedar is, and what Arabia is, and what Asor is, let us see what the prophet Isaiah says: 'You will sleep in the forest, at evening, on the paths of Dodanim.' The word Arab (), as we have often said, is used for evening, and Arabia, and raven, and plain, and the West. And because we translated it according to the LXX, 'you will sleep,' it can be interpreted as 'you will stay' or 'you will dwell,' which is called αὐλιθήσεσθε in Greek, and in Hebrew it is said 'Thalinu'. Moreover, he also turns to his close relatives and kinsmen. Thus, it is prophesied that now to the Jews, who were able to escape the siege of Babylon, they will cross over to the neighboring wilderness and settle in the solitude of Arabia on the journey that leads to their brothers. And again the conversation turns to the Ishmaelites, and he exhorts them to mercy: run, and bring water to your tired and endangered brothers, for they are thirsty with great fervor of the sun, and unless you help them, they will perish in the wilderness. And not only water, but also bring bread to the fugitives, so that your kindness may relieve those whom the siege has exhausted. At the same time, he explains the reason why he is giving these orders, saying: the Babylonians have fled, the bows of the Elamites have fled, a fierce battle has fled. Do not despise the unfortunate: your captivity will come quickly. For just as the year of a hired worker is swift and considers all labor to be short until he receives the desired wage, so all the glory of the sons of Cedar will be taken from you, and your arrows will be worn out, and only a small number of warriors will remain. Some people want to be taken from what is said, that even in one year, and every glory of Cedar will be taken away, not Babylonian captivity being proclaimed, about which Jeremiah also speaks, but of the Assyrians, who after one year of the devastation of Judah, have widely persecuted the Saracens. Moreover, that place which we have transferred: You who inhabit the land of the South, meet the fugitive with bread: and as if we read in the imperative mode on behalf of the Lord, they affirm that in Hebrew it can be read like this: You who inhabit the land of the South, met the fugitive with bread; just as when God said to them, when they met the thirsty, bring water, they would take away the bread with a hostile mind without water, in order to increase their thirst with food.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Isaiah 21:13 introduces a profound prophetic oracle, a "burden" or divinely imposed pronouncement of judgment, specifically directed at the region of Arabia. This verse vividly depicts the severe consequences of this impending divine action, compelling the typically mobile and prosperous "travelling companies of Dedanim" to abandon their established trade routes and secure encampments. Instead, they will be forced to seek refuge and lodge in the desolate and dangerous "forests in Arabia," a stark and powerful symbol of the profound disruption, insecurity, and hardship that will befall them due to unfolding geopolitical and divine judgments.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Isaiah 21:13 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its powerful and impactful message. The overarching device is Prophetic Oracle, a divinely inspired message, often concerning judgment or salvation, delivered through a prophet. The opening phrase, "The burden upon Arabia," serves as a direct and impactful declaration, immediately signaling the grave nature of the message. Imagery is central to the verse's profound impact, painting a vivid and unsettling picture of disruption. The striking contrast between the expected safe "lodging" of "travelling companies" and their forced encampment "in the forest in Arabia" evokes a strong sense of displacement, vulnerability, and hardship. The "forest" here functions as powerful Symbolism, representing not a lush woodland but a wild, desolate, and dangerous wilderness, a place of last resort and utter insecurity for those whose normal life has been shattered. The direct address, "O ye travelling companies of Dedanim," uses Apostrophe, lending a personal, immediate, and inescapable quality to the prophecy, making the judgment feel tangible and unavoidable for the specific group identified.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Isaiah 21:13 profoundly illustrates God's universal sovereignty and His meticulous involvement in the affairs of all nations, not just Israel. The "burden upon Arabia" serves as a powerful reminder that no people, however remote, self-sufficient, or prosperous, operates outside the purview of divine justice and control. This prophecy underscores the inherent fragility of human security and prosperity, particularly when built on transient earthly systems like trade routes and material wealth. The forced displacement of the Dedanim into the wilderness highlights the biblical theme of divine chastisement leading to disruption and desolation, often as a means to humble the proud and redirect their reliance from earthly provisions to the ultimate source of security. It reveals that God's judgments are not arbitrary but are purposeful, often targeting the very areas of life where nations or individuals place their trust apart from Him, calling them to a deeper dependence on the Almighty.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Isaiah 21:13, though a prophecy of ancient judgment, offers timeless principles for profound reflection and application in our lives today. It powerfully reminds us that God is sovereign over all aspects of human existence—nations, economies, and individual lives. Our modern world, much like the ancient trade routes, often operates with a sense of self-sufficiency and security based on established systems, accumulated wealth, and predictable routines. However, this verse serves as a stark reminder that all earthly comforts and securities are ultimately temporary and vulnerable to disruption, whether through natural disaster, economic upheaval, geopolitical shifts, or personal crises. When our "travelling companies" are forced into "forests"—when our routines are shattered, our livelihoods threatened, or our sense of security challenged—it is a profound opportunity to re-evaluate where our ultimate trust truly lies. This passage calls us to cultivate a deep reliance not on the transient stability of this world, but on the unchanging and eternal refuge found in God alone, recognizing that true and lasting security is not found in predictable circumstances but in an unwavering relationship with the One who holds all things in His hands.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of the "burden" upon Arabia?
Answer: The term "burden" (Hebrew: massa') in prophetic literature signifies a weighty, divinely inspired pronouncement, often one of impending judgment or doom. In Isaiah 21:13, it indicates that God's sovereign judgment extends to Arabia, a region known for its nomadic tribes and prosperous trade, demonstrating that no nation is outside His purview or accountability. It's not merely a prediction but a declaration of God's active involvement in the affairs of the world, bringing about His purposes and holding all peoples accountable.
Who were the "Dedanim" and why were they singled out?
Answer: The "Dedanim" (H1720, Dᵉdânîym) were the inhabitants or descendants of Dedan, an ancient city and people located in northwestern Arabia, which was a significant hub for trade routes. They were known as nomadic merchants who transported valuable goods like spices, gold, and frankincense across the desert. They are singled out because their identity and livelihood were intrinsically linked to their ability to travel and trade securely. The prophecy specifically targets this aspect of their existence, highlighting the complete disruption of their normal life and prosperity, forcing them from their customary routes and safe lodgings into the wilderness.
What does it mean for them to "lodge in the forest in Arabia"?
Answer: For nomadic merchant caravans like the Dedanim, "lodging in the forest" (H3293, yaʻar) was an extreme hardship and a powerful symbol of utter desolation. In the Arabian context, "forest" would refer to wild, uncultivated, and often dangerous wilderness areas, lacking the resources, security, or established infrastructure of typical caravan stops or oases. It implies being forced off their familiar, safe trade routes into insecure and inhospitable territory, signifying a complete breakdown of their economic activity, safety, and way of life due to the impending judgment or geopolitical turmoil, likely from Assyrian expansion. It represents a complete loss of their accustomed security and prosperity.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Isaiah 21:13 describes a specific judgment on an ancient nation, its underlying principles find profound Christ-centered fulfillment. The "burden upon Arabia" foreshadows the ultimate and universal judgment that rests upon all humanity due to sin, a weighty burden that only Christ could bear and fully satisfy through His atoning sacrifice on the cross (as seen in Isaiah 53:4-6). The disruption of earthly security and the forced displacement into the "forest" for the Dedanim speaks powerfully to the transient nature of all worldly systems and the inherent insecurity of placing our hope in them. In Christ, we find the ultimate and eternal security that no earthly upheaval or "burden" can shake. He is the true "lodging place," the secure refuge for all who are weary and burdened, inviting us to find rest and an eternal dwelling in Him (see Matthew 11:28-30). Furthermore, the judgment on nations like Arabia points forward to Christ's ultimate reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who will one day judge all nations (as depicted in Revelation 19:11-16) and establish a kingdom that knows no end, where there is no more insecurity, displacement, or need for temporary lodging for His people (see Revelation 21:3-4). The vulnerability of the Dedanim underscores humanity's universal need for a divine deliverer, a need perfectly met in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, offering a secure dwelling place not in a temporary forest, but in an eternal city.