a burden · noun, common masculine singular construct
Dumah
דּוּמָ֑הdu.Mah
H1746
Dumah · proper noun, a place name
calleth
קֹרֵ֣אko.Re'
H7121
to call out to (i.e. properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
Seir
מִשֵּׂעִ֔ירmi.se.'Ir
H8165
Seir · preposition + proper noun, a place name
Watchman
שֹׁמֵר֙sho.Mer
H8104
properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
night
מִלַּ֔יְלָהmi.Lay.lah
H3915
properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular absolute
Watchman
שֹׁמֵ֖רsho.Mer
H8104
properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
night
מִלֵּֽילmi.Leil
H3915
properly · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Obadiah 1:1-16 The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumour from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the he…
Amos 1:6 Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they carried away…
Joel 3:19 Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed…
Genesis 32:3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom.
Numbers 24:18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.
Deuteronomy 2:5 Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau fo…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Isaiah 21:11-12
This prophecy concerning Dumah is very short, and withal dark and hard to be understood. Some think that Dumah is a part of Arabia, and that the inhabitants descended from Dumah the sixth son of Ishmael, as those of Kedar (Isa 21:16, Isa 21:17) from Ishmael's second son, Gen 25:13, Gen 25:14. Others, because Mount Seir is here mentioned, by Dumah understand Idumea, the country of the Edomites. Some of Israel's neighbours are certainly meant, and their distress is foretold, not only for warning to them to prepare them for it, but for warning to Israel not to depend upon them, or any of the nations about them, for relief in a time of danger, but upon God only. We must see all creature confiden…
A PROPHECY TO THE IDUMEANS WHO TAUNTED THE AFFLICTED JEWS IN THE BABYLONISH CAPTIVITY. (Isa 21:11-12)
Dumah--a tribe and region of Ishmael in Arabia (Gen 25:14; Ch1 1:30); now called Dumah the Stony, situated on the confines of Arabia and the Syrian desert; a part put for the whole of Edom. VITRINGA thinks "Dumah," Hebrew, "silence," is here used for Idumea, to imply that it was soon to be reduced to silence or destruction.
Seir--the principal mountain in Idumea, south of the Dead Sea, in Arabia-PetrÃ&brvbra. "He calleth" ought to be rather, "There is a call from Seir."
to me--Isaiah. So the heathen Balak and Ahaziah received oracles from a Hebrew prophet.
Watchman--the prophet (Isa 6…
The burden of Dumah,.... Whether this prophecy concerns the Edomites or Idumeans, or whether the Arabians, particularly the Dumean Arabians, is a question, since Dumah was a son of Ishmael, Genesis 25:14 and there was a place in Arabia called Dumatha (y); and Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret it here of Dumah the son of Ishmael; but inasmuch as mention is made of Seir, a mountain, which belonged to the Edomites, Genesis 36:8 and a distinct prophecy afterwards follows concerning Arabia, it is more generally thought that Dumah signifies Edom or Idumea; the Septuagint version renders it, the vision of Idumea; and the Arabic version calls it, a prophecy concerning Edom and Seir; and Jarchi, by Duma…
The Church Fathers
Again he says, "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, 'The morning comes, and also the night.' " For "the watchman came by night," in that the guardian of the human race even showed himself manifest in the flesh, and yet Judea, being close pressed by the darkness of its faithlessness, never knew him. Where it is well added in the voice of the watchman, "The morning comes, and also the night." For by his presence has a new light shone out upon the world, and yet the former darkness remained in the hearts of unbelievers. And it is well said, "They shall grope in the noonday as in the night," for we search out by groping that which we do not see with our eyes. Now the Jews had seen his undisguised miracles, and yet they still went on seeking him, as it were groping for him, when they said, "How long do you make us to doubt? If you be the Christ, tell us plainly." See, the light of miracles was before their eyes, yet stumbling in the darkness of their own hearts, they continued to grope in seeking for him."
(Verse 11, 12.) Oracle concerning Dumah. One calls to me from Seir: 'Watchman, what time of the night? Watchman, what time of the night?' The watchman says: 'Morning comes, and also the night. Seek if you will, inquire if you will, come.' For Dumah they set seventy idols, not over the entire Idumean province, but in a certain region that extends towards the south and is twenty miles distant from the city of Palestine, which is now called Eleutheropolis. Near it are the mountains of Seir, taking their name from Seir, the hairy and shaggy one, that is, Esau. In Abdia the prophet, it was disputed more fully about this people by us: in which it was necessary to go over the old history and to bring forth the same Visions of Ezekiel and Jeremiah as a testimony, and especially the prophecy against Mount Seir (Ezek. 25 and 35, Jer. 49). And that from the Psalms: I will stretch out my shoe upon Edom. And elsewhere: The tabernacles of the Edomites and Ishmaelites, Moab, and the Agarenians, Gebal and Ammon, and Amalek (Ps. 59, 10; Ps. 82, 7, 8). Amos also said: On account of three crimes of Edom, and on account of four I will not turn away from him, because he pursued his brother with the sword and violated his compassion (Amos 1:11), or, as Symmachus translated, his bowels, because he dared to fight against his kindred peoples and to dissent with hostile hate. The region ((Al. regia)) of Esau was in the region of Edom, that is, in the mountains of Seir. We believe that this city, as the capital according to the order of the previous Visions, was captured by the Assyrians, or by Nebuchadnezzar, and, remembering their ancient lineage, which was descended from Abraham and Isaac, they implored the help of God and, by necessity compelling them, begged for his mercy. Therefore, the Lord now narrates: he who is besieged in Seir and surrounded by enemies, calls upon my help and says: O guardian of Israel, who protect your people with eternal vigilance, and like a watchman in the night, you keep watch so that the enemy does not break in; why do you not protect us who are of his lineage with a similar mercy? To whom, as a guardian and watchman, I respond, as it is written: He who keeps Israel does not slumber or sleep (Ps. 121:4). He came in the morning to my people, and at night to the people of Edom; I will give them light, and leave you in darkness. Or rather this is the…
Dictionary and topics
Arabia — Arid, an extensive region in the south-west of Asia. It is bounded on the west by the Isthmus of Suez and the Red Sea, on the south by the Indian Ocean, and on the east by the Persian Gulf and the…
Dumah — Silence, (comp. Ps. 94:17), the fourth son of Ishmael; also the tribe descended from him; and hence also the region in Arabia which they inhabited (Gen. 25:14; 1 Chr. 1:30). There was also a town of…
Seir — Rough; hairy. (1.) A Horite; one of the “dukes” of Edom (Gen. 36:20-30). (2.) The name of a mountainous region occupied by the Edomites, extending along the eastern side of the Arabah from the…
Tower — Watch-towers or fortified posts in frontier or exposed situations are mentioned in Scripture, as the tower of Edar, etc., (Genesis 35:21; Isaiah 21:5,8,11; Micah 4:8) etc.; the tower of Lebanon. (2…
Cities · Protected at night by watchmen — Protected at night by watchmen
Dumah · 1. — 1.
Edomites, The · Country of: Called Dumah — Country of: Called Dumah
Night · Used figuratively — Used figuratively
Watchman · On towers — On towers
Watchmen · Often interrogated by passengers — Often interrogated by passengers
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
The burden of Dumah. It is evident from Genesis 25:14, that this nation was descended from a son of Ishmael, to whom this name was given, and hence his posterity are called Dumeans. [70] The cause of their destruction, which is here foretold, cannot be known with certainty, and this prophecy is obscure on account of its brevity. Yet we ought always to remember what I have formerly remarked, that it was proper that the Jews should be fortified against the dreadful stumbling-blocks which were approaching. When so many changes take place, particularly if the world is turned upside down, and if there is a rapid succession of events, we are perplexed and entertain doubts whether all things happen…
This oracle consists of a question, addressed to the prophet from Seir, and of the prophet's reply. Seir is the mountainous country to the south of Palestine, of which Edom took possession after the expulsion of the Horites. Consequently the Dumah of the heading cannot be either the Dūma of Eastern Hauran (by the side of which we find also a Tema and a Buzan); or the Duma in the high land of Arabia, on the great Nabataean line of traffic between the northern harbours of the Red Sea and Irak, which bore the cognomen of the rocky (el-gendel) or Syrian Duma (Gen 25:14); or the Duma mentioned in the Onom., which was seventeen miles from Eleutheropolis (or according to Jerome on this passage, tw…
These two prophecies pertain to Edom and Arabia, located in the territory between Babylon and Israel. These outlying regions suffered under Assyrian domination, and like Judah, they would not be able to rest under Babylon’s oppressive regime.
21:11-12 Edom: Hebrew Seir, which was the mountainous area of Edom. • how much longer until morning: Edom’s suffering would be a long ordeal. The Assyrians were dominant in the ancient Near East during the 700s and 600s BC.
Rashi on Isaiah 21:11
The harsh prophecy of Dumah That is Edom, and so does Scripture say (Ezekiel 27:32): “Who is like Tyre, like Dumah in the midst of the sea?”
To Me one calls from Seir Said the Holy One, blessed be He: “To Me the prophet or the angel calls from the yoke of the kingdom of Seir.”
Watchman, what will be of the night? Watcher of Israel, what will be of this night and this darkness?
(Verse 11, 12.) The burden of Dumah: he calls to me out of Seir: Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning comes, and also the night: if you will inquire, inquire: turn back, and come. Vision of Edom, he calls to me out of Seir: Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning comes, and also the night: if you will inquire, inquire: and dwell with me. The Hebrew word for Elai (), which all have interpreted for me, if you wish to read Eli, it means my God, or my strong one. And what we have said, he cries out, or calls, that is, καλεῖ, according to the ambiguity of the Hebrew and Greek language, can be called either 'cry out' or 'call'; and the meaning is: God, who is my guardian, calls me day and night to repentance, so that, leaving Seir, which means 'rough and hairy', I may return and dwell with Him. It sounds like thunder or a likeness, or silence. But Edom turns into earth. Therefore, the Lord speaks to the choir of the Apostles and commands him: Call to me those who are from Seir, so that the multitude of the Gentiles may serve me, which, in the likeness of Esau, has nothing soft, light, and shining in itself, but is rough, wild, and untamed. And you, Apostles, after you have called the nations from Seir to me, guard the fortifications of the Church, so that the enemy may not easily break in: let not the roaring and prowling lion, who seeks an entrance by which he may enter, tear apart and scatter the flock enclosed in the Church. And the multitude of the Church responded: not only in prosperity, but also in adversity, that is, both in day and in night, I will keep your commandments, O God. To whom God speaks: If you truly seek me, show by your actions how you seek me; and let it not suffice that you have sought me once; but whoever you find, always search; and in order to hold more perfectly, forget your people and the house of your father, and leaving behind the error of the Gentiles, dwell with me in the Church. According to the Septuagint, we have said that those who represent the vision of Edom, that is, earthly things, are placed in the title to show that they are called those who previously served earthly works. Moreover, according to Aquila, who put 'Duma,' that is, silence, or likeness, we can understand it in this way: that the multitude of the Gentiles is…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
