Commentaire de citation sur Isaïe 21:2

which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem Now, did he not prophesy concerning many nations, viz. the prophecy of Babylonia (ch. 13), the prophecy of Moab (ch. 15)? Thus you learn that this is not the beginning of the Book, and that the Book is not given its name for this prophecy. So we learned in the Baraitha of the Mechilta (Exod. 15: 9,10): “In the year of King Uzziah’s death” (6:1) is the beginning of the Book, but there is no early and late in the order [i.e., the order of the chapters is no indication of the chronological order. (Others read: There is no early and late in the Book—Parshandatha.] The context proves this point, for, on the day of the earthquake (see Zech. 14:5), the day Uzziah became a metzora (see 2 Chron. 26:19), it was said: “Whom shall I send and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here I am; send me” (6:8). We learn that this was the beginning of his mission, and this prophecy was said afterwards. And concerning this alone, it is stated: which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, just as Scripture says concerning each nation, “the prophecy of such and such a nation.” Here too, Scripture writes: “which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.” Since they are harsh reproofs, he calls them “chazon,” which is the harshest of the ten expressions by which prophecy is called, as is stated in Gen. Rabbah (44:7), and proof of this is the verse (infra 21:2), “A harsh prophecy (חָזוּת) was told to me.”

They come from a far country. They come from the country of Elam.⁷The Elam mentioned by I. E. cannot be the Elam of Dan. 8:2, the Persian province with the capital Susa, which is in the immediate neighbourhood of Babylonia, and by no means more entitled to be called a far country with regard to Babylon than Media, named in this same chapter (ver. 17.) The remark of I. E. is probably based on Is. 21:2, Go up, Elam, &c. and he seems to suppose that there was, besides the west Persian province Elymais, including Susiana, Dan. 8:2, another Elam or Elymais, an independent state in the north and east of Media and Persia (comp. Jer. 49:34, Ez. 32:24). The Elamites, warlike Semitic tribes (comp. Gen. 14:1, 10:22), had spread over the whole of the country between the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf, and left here and there traces of their conquests. Hence the Elymais, in the west of Persia, and another Elymais, in the north of Media; hence the great uncertainty and discrepancy among the ancient geographers and historians concerning the extent and position of Elymais. (See Smith’s Dict. of Greek and Rom. Geogr. sub voce Elymais; Niebuhr, Assur and Babel, p. 382, ff.) From the end of heaven. As if they came from the extremity of heaven; that is, they come from a great distance.

of many kinds [Heb. לְמִינָה,] a form of the word to denote a profusion of kinds, as in (Exod. 7:21): “And the fish וְהֲדָּגָה in the river”; (Isa. 21:2): “All sighs (אָנְחָתָה) have I brought to an end.”