Isaiah 21:11
in Isaiah 21This is the burden against Dumah: One calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The burden of Dumah. One calleth unto me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
KJV
The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?
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This verse in Isaiah 21
Commentary
10 notes on this verse(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.
This site's exposition
He calleth to me out of Seir
on Isaiah 21:11-12
The burden of Dumah is the shortest and starkest of the book's oracles: a voice calls out of Seir, Edom's own territory, asking the watchman twice, Watchman, what of the night? and receives an answer that refuses false comfort, the morning cometh, and also the night. Henry and Barnes read the answer as deliberately unresolved, relief and renewed danger both promised in the same breath, fitting a nation whose future under this burden is mixed rather than settled either way. The watchman closes without a clearer word, if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come, leaving Edom to ask again rather than handing over a final answer.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(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. […]
The Medieval Church2 voices
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistMorals on the Book of Job, Book 6.34 · Written before 604.
proposed
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."
519. The burden of Duma. Here he threatens against their friends and relatives. And first, against the Idumeans, who belong to the descendants of Esau the brother of Jacob (Gen 25), and were sometimes friends, as it says in 2 Kings 3:9; I have heard …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
He - The people of Dumah, one of them in the name and by the appointment of the rest. Me - To the watchman: the prophet delivers his prophecy in the form of a dialogue between the people and the watchman. Seir - Out of Edom, which is frequently called Seir.
The burden of Dumah,....
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
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-Petræa. "He calleth" ought to be rather, "There is a call from Seir." to me--Isaiah.
The burden of Dumah “The oracle concerning Dumah” - Pro דומה Dumah, Codex R. Meiri habet אדום Edom; and so the Septuagint, Vid. Kimchi ad h. 50. Biblia Michaelis, Halae, 1720, not. ad 50. See also De Rossi. Bishop Lowth translates the prophecy thus: - 11. The Oracle Concerning Dumah. A voice crieth to me from Seir: Watchman, what from the night? Watchman, what from the night? 12. The watchman replieth: - The morning cometh, and also the night. If ye will inquire, inquire ye: come again. This differs very little from our common Version. One of Kennicott’s MSS., and one of my own, omit the repetition, “Watchman, what from the night?” This prophecy, from the uncertainty of the occasion on which it was uttered, and from the brevity of the expression, is extremely obscure. The Edomites as well as the Jews were subdued by the Babylonians. They inquire of the prophet how long their subjection is to last: he intimates that the Jews should be delivered from their captivity; not so the Edomites. Thus far the interpretation seems to carry with it some degree of probability. What the meaning of the last line may be, I cannot pretend to divine. In this difficulty the Hebrew MSS. give no assistance. The MSS. of the Septuagint, and the fragments of the other Greek Versions, give some variations, but no light. This being the case, I thought it best to give an exact literal translation of the whole two verses, which may serve to enable the English reader to judge in some measure of the foundation of the various interpretations that have been given of them. The burden of Dumah. - R. D. Kimchi says, “His father understood this of the destruction of Dumah (one of the cities of the Ishmaelites) by the inhabitants of Seir; and that they inquired of the prophet to know the particular time in which God had given them a commission against it. […]
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Analysis of Isa 21:11, Isa 21:12. - VISION 17. Dumah, or Idumea. This prophecy is very obscure. It comprises but two verses. When it was delivered, or on what occasion, or what was its design, it is not easy to determine. Its brevity has contributed much to its obscurity; nor, amidst the variety of interpretations which have been proposed, is it possible to ascertain with entire certainty the true explanation. Perhaps no portion of the Scriptures, of equal length, has been subjected to a greater variety of exposition.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
The harsh prophecy of Dumah That is Edom, and so does Scripture say (Ezekiel:32): “Who is like Tyre, like Dumah in the midst of the sea?”
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
My threshed grain and the product of my threshing floor My hallowed grain, the stack of wheat which I was commanded by the Holy Spirit to rectify you and lead you on the straight path, like a man who threshes and winnows his grain on the threshing floor.
Kings who are skillful to wage war, shall come against her to plunder her, like a husbandman who is skillful to thrash the floor. The prophet said, The voice of the WORD of the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, which I have heard, I have declared unto you.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
11 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מַשָּׂ֖א | masa' | [the] oracle of | H4853 → | 66 times |
| דּוּמָ֑ה | dumah | Dumah | H1746 → | |
| אֵלַי֙ | ʾelai | to me | H413 → | 5510 times |
| קֹרֵ֣א | kore' | [someone is] calling | H7121 → | 733 times |
| מִשֵּׂעִ֔יר | miseir | from Seir | H8165 → | |
| שֹׁמֵר֙ | shomer | O watchman | H8104 → | 468 times |
| מַה־ | mah- | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| מִלַּ֔יְלָה | milaylah | [is] from [the] night | H3915 → | 233 times |
| שֹׁמֵ֖ר | shomer | O watchman | H8104 → | 468 times |
| מַה־ | mah- | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| מִלֵּֽיל׃ | mileil | [is] from [the] night | H3915 → | 233 times |
מַשָּׂ֖א[the] oracle of
masa'H4853 →66 times
דּוּמָ֑הDumah
dumahH1746 →
אֵלַי֙to me
ʾelaiH413 →5510 times
קֹרֵ֣א[someone is] calling
kore'H7121 →733 times
מִשֵּׂעִ֔ירfrom Seir
miseirH8165 →
שֹׁמֵר֙O watchman
shomerH8104 →468 times
מַה־what?
mah-H4100 →752 times
מִלַּ֔יְלָה[is] from [the] night
milaylahH3915 →233 times
שֹׁמֵ֖רO watchman
shomerH8104 →468 times
מַה־what?
mah-H4100 →752 times
מִלֵּֽיל׃[is] from [the] night
mileilH3915 →233 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Amos 1:6This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Gaza, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they exiled a whole population, delivering them up to Edom.
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 28:18
The Philistines had also raided the cities of the foothills and the Negev of Judah, capturing and occupying Beth-shemesh, Aijalon, and Gederoth, as well as Soco, Timnah, and Gimzo with their villages.
- Amos 1:11
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Edom, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because he pursued his brother with the sword and stifled all compassion; his anger raged…
- Obadiah 1:11
On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them.
- 1 Samuel 6:17
As a guilt offering to the LORD, the Philistines had sent back one gold tumor for each city: Ashdod, Gaza, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron.
- Amos 1:9
This is what the LORD says: “For three transgressions of Tyre, even four, I will not revoke My judgment, because they delivered up a whole congregation of exiles to Edom and broke a covenant…
- 2 Chronicles 28:18
Through
Deuteronomy 2:5Do not provoke them, for I will not give you any of their land, not even a footprint, because I have given Mount Seir to Esau as his possession.
it leads to
- Joshua 24:4
and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau Mount Seir to possess, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.
- Genesis 36:8
So Esau (that is, Edom) settled in the area of Mount Seir.
- Joshua 24:4
Through
Joel 3:19Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a desert wasteland, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.
it leads to
- Isaiah 19:1–15
This is the burden against Egypt: Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud; He is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians will…
- Isaiah 19:1–15
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Isaiah; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book 6.34; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.