Isaiah 21:16

Isa 21:16 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:

Ver. 16. Within a year, after the years of an hireling.] See on Isa 16:14; before the year be come about.

All the glory of Kedar.] Whose tents {Psa 120:5} were rude, but rich. {Son 1:5} {See Trapp on "Son 1:5"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Isa_21:16-17

Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, sad all the glory of Kedar shall fail

End of the year: a warning and a lesson

I.

A TERRIBLE THREATENING. We have here a prophecy of the fall of a nation, which had held a proud position by reason of prowess and skill in war. But glory founded on physical strength, upon wealth, or upon power, may speedily fade away. With all the study of economics we seem to know but little even now, and we have found, many times of late, how trifling a matter may lead to the overthrow of existing engagements and conditions. Much less stable is the glory of a nation built upon the strength of its arms. A nations glory is safe only when it is founded upon righteousness and obedience to God.

II. A TIME FIXED. Within a year. How different the feeling in looking back over a year and looking forward! The retrospect--bow short a time, how quickly passed, how little done, and yet what changes have taken place! How the number of the mighty have diminished! The prospect--what a long time, what hopes we have, what possibilities are in it! To us as a nation, to us in our families, to us as persons. Are we prepared for them! The fall of the glory of Kedar was announced to come within the year. Forbearance must have its limits. A boundary to life, to sin, to indulgence; but within a given period the time of reckoning must he fixed.

III. THE ATTITUDE WE SHOULD ADOPT. Standing on the threshold of a new year, let us consider our position. Certain it is that some will fall within the year. Men shall be diminished. Let our influence, by example and precept, be exerted to found our national glory, not upon our skill in arms, on our insular position, on our wealth, but upon true obedience to God. The number of those who form the glory of the Church will be diminished this year. Are the younger people preparing themselves to fill the vacant places? There is a warning here, that those who trust in aught but in Jehovah will find their glory naught but folly. There is also encouragement. The God of Israel hath spoken it. To him that walketh uprightly and serveth God humbly, shall glory be revealed from day to day, until the full glory of God is revealed to us in the life beyond. (Frank Mabin.)

According the years of an hireling

In a years time, calculated as exactly as is the custom between employers and employed, Kedars freedom, military strength, numbers, and wealth shall have vanished. (F. Delitzsch.)

The number of archers

They [the sons of Kedar] are numbered hero, not by heads, but by bows, so specifying the fighting men--a mode of numbering common, e.g., among the Indians of America. (F. Delitzsch.)

Within a year

A sensible person said he could never covet the office of chief magistrate of London, because that honour continued only one year. Might not the idea be justly extended to all the honours and enjoyments of this life? None of them are permanent. (Anon.)

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The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Isa 21:16-17. For thus hath the Lord said — Hitherto the prophet had spoken figuratively: now he ceases to do so; within a year — From the time of the delivery of this prophecy, according to the years of a hireling — Namely, an exact year: for hirelings diligently observe and wait for the end of the year, when they are to receive their wages. And this prophecy “was probably delivered about the same time with the rest in this part of the book, that is, soon before or after the 14th of Hezekiah, the year of Sennacherib’s invasion. In his first march into Judea, or in his return from the Egyptian expedition, he might, perhaps, overrun these several clans of Arabians, whose distress, on some such occasion, is the subject of this prophecy.” — Bishop Lowth. And all the glory of Kedar shall fail — Their power and riches, and all things wherein they used to glory The Kedarenes were another division of the Arabians, descended from Kedar, Ishmael’s son, (Gen 25:13,) who were famous for the use of the bow, as is intimated in Isa 21:17, at which weapon their ancestor Ishmael was very expert, Gen 21:20. The same people are said to dwell in the tents of Kedar, (Psa 120:5; Son 1:5,) and were remarkable for their swarthiness, the word Kedar signifying black or tawny. It is here foretold that they should suffer a grievous slaughter, whereby their mighty men should be diminished, and that they should be deprived of their flocks, tents, furniture, and wealth, and be obliged to save themselves by fleeing into the interior parts of the desert.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thus does the approaching fate of Arabia present itself in picture before the prophet's eye, whilst it is more distinctly revealed in Isa 21:16, Isa 21:17 : "For thus hath the Lord spoken to me, Within a year, as the years of a hired labourer, it is over with all the glory of Kedar. And the remnant of the number of bows of heroes of the Kedarenes will be small: for Jehovah, the God of Israel, hath spoken." The name Kedar is here the collective name of the Arabic tribes generally. In the stricter sense, Kedar, like Nebaioth, which is associated with it, as a nomadic tribe of Ishmaelites, which wandered as far as the Elanitic Gulf. Within the space of a year, measured as exactly as is generally the case where employers and labourers are concerned, Kedar's freedom, military strength, numbers, and wealth (all these together constituting its glory), would all have disappeared. Nothing but a small remnant would be left of the heroic sons of Kedar and their bows. They are numbered here by their bows (in distinction from the numbering by heads), showing that the righting men are referred to - a mode of numbering which is customary among the Indian tribes of America, for example.

(Note: See the work of V. Martius on the Indians of Brazil, i. 395, 411, etc.)

The noun she'âr (remnant) is followed by five genitives here (just as peri is by four in Isa 10:12); and the predicate ימעטוּ is in the plural because of the copiousness of the subject. The period of the fulfilment of the prophecy keeps us still within the Assyrian era. In Herodotus (2, 141), Sennacherib is actually called "king of Arabians and Assyrians" (compare Josephus, Ant. x. 1, 4); and both Sargon and Sennacherib, in their annalistic inscriptions, take credit to themselves for the subjugation of Arabian tribes. But in the Chaldean era Jeremiah predicted the same things against Kedar (chapter 49) as against Edom; and Jer 49:30-31 was evidently written with a retrospective allusion to this oracle of Isaiah. When the period fixed by Isaiah for the fulfilment arrived, a second period grew out of it, and one still more remote, inasmuch as a second empire, viz., the Chaldean, grew out of the Assyrian, and inaugurated a second period of judgment for the nations. After a short glimmer of morning, the night set in a second time upon Edom, and a second time upon Arabia.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

21:16 Kedar was an Arabian tribe that had great wealth and possessions (see 60:7; Ezek 27:21).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

He appointeth them respite for one year only, and then they should be destroyed.

Read Isa. 16:14.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

years of . . . hireling--(See on Isa 16:14).

Kedar--a wandering tribe (Psa 120:5). North of Arabia-Petræa, and south of Arabia-Deserta; put for Arabia in general.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(16) According to the years of an hireling . . . The prophet uses, as in Isa_16:14, the formula which expressed the most precise measurement, and so gives a test as to his forecast of the future.

And all the glory of Kedar shall fail.—Kedar is used, as in Psa_120:5, Son_1:5, generically for the nomadic tribes of Arabia, including Dedan.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

16. according to the years of a hireling] See on Isa_16:14.

Kedar] a tribe of pastoral nomads (Isa_60:7; Eze_27:21) in the Syrian desert (Jer_2:10), is here apparently a comprehensive designation of the north Arabian tribes (cf. Son_1:5; Psa_120:5).

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For thus hath the Lord said unto me,.... The prophet; which confirms what is before said, as well as assures the accomplishment of what follows:

within a year, according to the years of an hireling; that is, exactly and precisely, as soon as ever the year is come to an end; for the hireling, when his year is up, instantly demands dismissal from his service, or his wages, or both. The time is to be reckoned from the delivery of this prophecy; and so the calamity predicted was brought upon them by the Assyrians, perhaps under Sennacherib, when he invaded the cities of Judah, and might take Arabia in his way; less time is allowed than was the Moabites, who suffered by the same hand; see Isa 16:14,

and all the glory of Kedar shall fail; these were another sort of Arabians, as the Targum calls them: they descended from Kedar, a son of Ishmael, Gen 25:13 their "glory" were their multitude, their riches and substance, and which chiefly lay in their flocks; for the sake of which they moved from place to place for pasture, and dwelled in tents, which they carried with them, and pitched where it was most convenient for them; hence they were called Scenites; see Psa 120:5.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Within a year - What has been said before was figurative. Here the prophet speaks without a metaphor, and fixes the time when this should be accomplished. It is not usual for the prophets to designate the exact “time” of the fulfillment of their prophecies in this manner.

According to the years of an hireling - Exactly; observing the precise time specified Job 7:1. See the phrase explained on Isa 16:14.

All the glory - The beauty, pride, strength, wealth, etc.

Of Kedar - Kedar was a son of Ishmael Gen 25:15. He was the father of the Kedareneans or “Cedrai,” mentioned by Pithy (“Nat. Hist.” v. 11). They dwelt in the neighborhood of the Nabatheans, in Arabia Deserta. These people lived in tents, and were a wandering tribe, and it is not possible to fix the precise place of their habitation. They resided, it is supposed, in the south part of Arabia Deserts, and the north part of Arabia Petrea. The name ‘Kedar’ seems to be used sometimes to denote Arabia in general, or Arabia Deserts particularly (see Psa 120:5; Son 1:5; Isa 42:11; Isa 60:7; Jer 2:10; Jer 49:28; Eze 26:21).

Shall fail - Shall be consumed, destroyed (כלה kâlâh).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Hireling; counting precisely, chap. xvi. 14. (Calmet) --- Cedar: Arabia, (Challoner) near to Edom. (Calmet)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Within a year, from the time of this prophecy.

According to the years of an hireling, to wit, an exact year; for hirelings diligently observe and wait for the end of the year, when they are to receive their wages.

All the glory; their power, and riches, and all things wherein they used to glory. This was executed by the Assyrians.

Kedar; of whom see on Psa 120:5; Jer 49:28.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

16. Years of a hireling — The desert carriers had probably become rich, and plunder was the object of assaults upon them. The prophet sees that God is to permit them, that is,

Kedar — the representative term for all Arabian carriers — to be impoverished. These, and all their glory of wealth and protective guards are to be ruined within a year, as the hireling figure runs — hired for one year.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A year - From the time of this prophecy: an exact year. Glory - Their power, and riches, and all things wherein they used to glory. This was executed by the Assyrians.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

“For thus saith the Lord to ye. In yet a year (or in a year longer) like the years of a hireling (i.e., strictly computed) shall fail (or cease) all the glory of Kedar.” This verse seems to fix a time for the fulfillment of the foregoing prophecy. Here, as in Isa 17:3, glory comprehends all that constitutes the dignity or strength of a people. On the meaning of the phrase, years of a hireling, see above, Isa 16:14. Kedar was the second son of Ishmael (Gen 25:13). The name is here put either for an Arab tribe or for Arabia in general (Isa 42:11; Isa 60:7; Eze 27:21). The Rabbins call the Arabic the language of Kedar. The chronological specification in this verse makes it necessary either to assume a later writer than Isaiah, as some do in Isa 16:14; or a terminus a quo posterior to his time, as if he had said, within a year after something else before predicted; or an abrupt recurrence from the days of Nebuchadnezzar or Cyrus to those of Hezekiah. The last would be wholly in accordance with the usage of the prophets; but the best solution seems to be afforded by the second hypothesis. The sense will then be that the Arabians who suffered with the Jews, so far from sharing their deliverance, should within a year after that event be entirely destroyed. At the same time, due allowance should be made for diversity of judgment in a case so doubtful.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Prophecies of Isaiah (1846–1847; New York: Scribner, 1870–1878) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

as a laborer hired for a year would see it

"as a hired laborer would count the days of a year." A hired worker is careful to count the days so that he works exactly the amount of time he is paid to work. This means Kedar will be defeated in exactly one year. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

of Kedar

This is a region in Arabia. Kedar represents the population of Kedar. AT: "of the people of Kedar" (See: How to Translate Names and Metonymy)

translationWords

year

labor

glory

archer

Yahweh

God

Israel

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

like the year of a hireling I will be exact with them to limit the time like a hireling, hired by years, who is exact with the time of the completion of his year.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

For thus hath the Lord said unto me, etc., because of this sin, that they did not show kindness; comp. because they did not prevent you, etc. (Deut. 23:5.)

Within a year, according to the years of an hireling. That is, within a year, that will seem to be as long as the year of an hireling.

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.