DRAFT: A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Isaiah 21
Kuruvilla Thomas
Bangalore
Published on 27 May 2024 *

Introduction
This study treats Isaiah 21 as a cryptochiasmus in order to arrive at a coherent reconfiguration of the text ( see definition of cryptochiasmus in [1] ). If you wish to skip the technicalities of a chiastic parse, you may read starting from Section 4 of the Discussion section, which has the reconfigured text.
Isaiah 21 predicts the defeat and destruction of Qedar/Kedar in Arabia and the Fall of Babylon to the Medo-Persians. Although this chapter appears to contain three different prophecies on account of the 3 prophetic titles in vs. 1, 11, 13, we will treat the entire chapter as one prophecy. We date this prophecy to a few years before Sennacherib's assault on Qedar, c. 691BC, towards the end of Isaiah's ministry.
Discussion
1. Presuppositions
We base our parse of Isaiah 21 on the assumption that it refers to 3 Periods:
- The Devastation of Qedar by Sennacherib (691BC-689BC). We believe the prophecy refers to this particular attack on Qedar, because it occurs during Isaiah's ministry (see comment on vs 11,12 below), close to its end (see vs 4); and also because the length of this war was 2 years (see comment on vs 16-17). Qedar is referenced using synonyms throughout the prophecy, but it is mentioned by its real name in the addendum, vs 16-17
- The Fall of Babylon to Medo-Persia and the Destruction of Religious Babylon (539BC-480BC).
- The Devastation of Judea and Jerusalem during the First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD).
2. Parsing the chiasmus
We will use the NIV Bible for this parse.
Parsing this chiasmus involves dividing portions of the text into three categories as above. We will call the time of the Defeat of Qedar Period 1, the Fall of Babylon Period 2, and the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD Period 3.
Categorizing Isaiah 21
vs 1-2a belongs to Period 1. Sennacherib attacks Qedar. Assyria is known for its terrifying and devastating attacks.vs 2b belongs to Period 2. Medo-Persia attacks Babylon. We take "Elam" to refer to Persia.
vs 3-4 belongs to Period 3. The prophet is pained at the devastation of Jerusalem by the Romans. ( It is unlikely that he would suffer to the extent indicated at Babylon's defeat.)
vs 5-10 belong to Period 2. Verse 5 pithily describes Belshazzar's feast on the day of Babylon's fall. The rest of the passage is primarily regarding the fall of spiritual/religious Babylon.
vs 11-15 belongs to Period 1. The Assyrians attack Qedar/Dumah/Arabia. ( Although vs 16-17 applies to this Period, we consider it an addendum - see commentary below.)
Original text
We color-code the chiastic units of the original text (NIV) below for easy visual identification using: red for Period 1, blue for Period 2 and green for Period 3 . We have retranslated parts of the text.
Isaiah 21 1 A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea:
Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror. 2a A dire vision has been shown to me: The pillager pillages, the destroyer destroys [a].
2b Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.
3 Truly [b] my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see. 4 My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the twilight I longed for has become a horror to me.
5 Set the tables! Spread the seating rugs! Eat! Drink!
Rise, officers! Oil the shields! [c]
6 This is what the Lord says to me:
“Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees. 7 When he sees chariots with teams of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him be alert, fully alert.”
8 And the lookout shouted,
“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower; every night I stay at my post. 9 Then behold, [d] here comes a man in a chariot with a team of horses. And he announces [e]: ‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground!’”
10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the Lord Almighty, from the God of Israel.
11 A prophecy against Dumah:
Someone calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?” [f] 12 The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; [g] come back yet again.”
13 A prophecy against Arabia:
You caravans of Dedanites, who camp in the thickets of Arabia, 14 bring water for the thirsty; you who live in Tema, bring food for the fugitives. 15 They flee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and from the heat of battle.
Retranslation notes for Isaiah 21:
[a] vs 2 "The pillager pillages, the destroyer destroys" instead of "The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot".
[b] vs 3 "Truly" instead of "At this".
[c] vs 5 "Set the tables! Spread the seating rugs! Eat! Drink! Rise, officers! Oil the shields!" instead of "They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields!".
[d] vs 9 "Then behold" instead of "Look".
[e] vs 9 "announces" instead of "gives back the answer".
[f] vs 11 “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?” instead of "Watchman, what is left of the night? Watchman, what is left of the night?".
[g] vs 12 removed "and".
3. Building the reconfigured text
From this parse, it appears that Isaiah 21 forms a cryptochiasmus as below:A1 vs 1-2a Period 1. Sennacherib attacks Qedar
B1 vs 2b Period 2. Babylon falls to Medo-Persia
X vs 3-4 Period 3. The devastation of Jerusalem
B2 vs 5-10 Period 2. Babylon is fallen
A2 vs 11-15 Period 1. The Assyrians attack Qedar
We now reconstruct the passages in the right order based on the chiastic structure above and based on the ordering rules of a cryptochiasmus [1].
We lead with central pivot point 'X'. The corresponding subunits (For example; subunit A1 corresponds to A2) are placed contiguously to form units (For example, A1,A2 is a unit ) so that we get a list of such units.
The sequence selected for rearrangement is:
X [A1,A2] [B1,B2] (1)
Translating (1) into verse numbers, we get:
vs 3-4 [vs 1-2a, vs 11-15] [vs 2b, vs 5-10] (2)
We arrive at the reconfigured passage in the next section by rearranging the verses so they are in sequence (2).
4. Isaiah 21 Reconfigured
The Devastation of Judea and Jerusalem during the First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD) (vs 3-4)Qedar is devastated by Sennacherib (691BC-689BC) (vs 1-2a, vs 11-15)
The Fall of Babylon to Medo-Persia and the Destruction of Religious Babylon (539BC-480BC) (vs 2b, vs 5-10)
5. A Commentary on the Reconfigured Text
5.1 The Devastation of Judea and Jerusalem during the First Jewish–Roman War (66AD–73AD) (vs 3-4)
This Period is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:A1 vs 3a Isaiah suffers greatly after seeing this vision
X vs 3b Isaiah is initially shocked and bewildered at the prophecy
A2 vs 4 Isaiah suffers greatly after seeing this vision
Only Isaiah's reactions to the vision of the Period are recorded here; no details of the vision itself are mentioned.
Subunit A1: Isaiah suffers greatly after seeing this vision (vs 3a)
3a Truly my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;
Isaiah is in agony after he digests the prophecy of this Period and understands its ramifications.
Pivot X: Isaiah is initially shocked and bewildered at the prophecy (vs 3b)
3b I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see.
Isaiah was a prophet of God to the Judahites. So he was initially shocked and bewildered on seeing the Romans devastate the holy city of Jerusalem and its temple, and on hearing of the horrific massacre of the Judahites, albeit 7 1/2 centuries into the future. ( See more on this Period in our parse of Daniel 9 [2].)
Subunit A2: Isaiah suffers greatly after seeing this vision (vs 4)
4 My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the twilight I longed for has become a horror to me.
The horror of this vision continued to haunt him until his death - his twilight years were ruined (this prophecy was given to Isaiah towards the end of his ministry).
5.2 Qedar is devastated by Sennacherib (691BC-689BC) (vs 1-2a, vs 11-15)
The passages of this Period may seem to contain three prophecies regarding three peoples, but we show below that it predicts this one assault by Assyria on Qedar/Kedar. The names in the three titles - "Desert by the Sea", "Dumah" and "Arabia" - are synonyms for Qedar in this prophecy
The Qedarites were the descendants of Abraham's first son Ishmael by Sarah's slave Hagar (Genesis 16, 25:13-15). Abraham sent away Hagar and Ishmael into the desert south of Judah, and Ishmael's descendants can be found there to this day (see Genesis 21:8-21).
This Period is arranged in the form of a single-unit chiasmus:
A1 vs 1-2a Qedar is invaded by the Assyrians
X vs 11-12 Qedar asks Isaiah for details about the invasion
A2 vs 13-15 Qedar is invaded by the Assyrians
Subunit A1: Qedar is invaded by the Assyrians (vs 1-2a)
1a A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea:
The Qedarites were a league of nomadic tribes that, in Isaiah's time, occupied the north-western region of Arabia. Qedar is presumably called the "Desert by the Sea", because the desert nation had the Red Sea along its western border.
1b Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland, an invader comes from the desert, from a land of terror. 2a A dire vision has been shown to me: The pillager pillages, the destroyer destroys.
The Assyrians, known for their barbarous assaults ("land of terror"), invaded Qedar in an attack that had the overpowering force of a sandstorm in the Negev desert ("whirlwinds" in the "southland"), for they were bent on looting and destroying the land. They presumably entered Qedar through the Nabataean desert region that lay between the two nations ("invader comes from the desert").
Pivot X: Qedar asks Isaiah for details about the invasion (vs 11-12)
11a A prophecy against Dumah:
Dumah (known today as Al-Jawf), was the capital of Qedar. Located in Wadi Sirhan, it was of strategic importance, as it was a junction along the major trade routes through Arabia. "Dumah" synecdochically refers to all of Qedar in this prophecy.
11b Someone calls to me from Seir, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?” 12 The watchman replies, “Morning is coming, but also the night. If you would ask, then ask; come back yet again.”
Isaiah apparently passed on the prediction about the Assyrian attack in vs 1-2a to Qedar. In response, Isaiah (the "watchman") receives an enquiry from the capital Dumah through Seir in Qedar (parts of Edom's Seir mountain range extended into the northern border of Qedar, and this part of Qedar was closest to Judah), seeking details on the coming horrors ("what of the night?"). Isaiah replies that relief ("morning") will come, but only after a period of great distress ("night"), for there is nothing Qedar can do to stop this assault.
The enquirer from Qedar is urged to return for more details at the start of the Assyrian attack, because certain prophecies must be made as close to the event as possible. The prophecy in the addendum (vs 16-17) was given to Qedar when the enquirer returned. ( Note that the perspective shifts from the first person in vs 11b to the third person in vs 12.)
Note that this pivot is regarding a period shortly before the Assyrian assault, while the subunits are regarding the war itself.
Subunit A2: Qedar is invaded by the Assyrians (vs 13-15)
13a A prophecy against Arabia:
Since Qedar was located in north-western Arabia, we believe that the "Arabia" of this prophecy is another synonym for Qedar (see Ezekiel 27:21).
13b You caravans of Dedanites, who camp in the thickets of Arabia, 14 bring water for the thirsty; you who live in Tema, bring food for the fugitives. 15 They flee from the sword, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow and from the heat of battle.
The other cities of Qedar are exhorted to aid the refugees fleeing the capital city of Dumah and elsewhere during this attack - the merchant caravans of the Dedanites (cf. Gen. 37:25, Ezekiel 27:20) are to take water, and Tema (or Tayma) is to provide food. ( Qedar was primarily made up of barren desert, sprinkled with a few trading cities - such as Dumah, Dedan and Tema - along its oases.)
5.3 The Fall of Babylon to Medo-Persia and the Destruction of Religious Babylon (539BC-480BC) (vs 2b, vs 5-10)
A1 vs 2b,5 The fall of physical Babylon (539BC)X vs 6-9 The destruction of religious Babylon (480BC)
A2 vs 10 The fall of physical Babylon (539BC)
Subunit A1: The fall of physical Babylon (539BC) (vs 2b,5)
2b Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.
The Medo-Persians are urged to lay siege to Babylon, because they were chosen by God to halt the torment from the tyrannical co-regents Nabonidus and Belshazzar of Babylon (see also Isaiah 45:13) (the Elam of Isaiah's time had become a province of Persia by the time of this attack, so "Elam" represents Persia here).
5a Set the tables!
Spread the seating rugs!
Eat! Drink!
We imagine these words spoken by Belshazzar as he prepared his feast and then exhorted his nobles to partake (Dan 5:1). The Babylonians were inordinately confident in the strength of their fortifications, for even when besieged by the Medo-Persians, they indulged in festive revelry. The Babylonian nobles at Belshazzar's feast mocked God by drinking wine from the holy vessels of the temple at Jerusalem (Dan. 5:2). The famous Writing On The Wall at this feast foretold Belshazzar's defeat and death that same day as punishment for this sacrilege (Dan. 5).
5b Rise, officers! Oil the shields!
The mood at the festival gathering abruptly changes when the king is alerted of a breach in the city's defences. Apparently the Medo-Persians entered Babylon along a river bed after diverting the river that ran through the city; they entered at night, undetected under the cover of the noise from the revelry. The king orders the Babylonian commanders to prepare for battle by oiling their shields, for oiled shields provide better protection. But it is too late, and they are too inebriated to put up a viable defence (see Dan 5:30,31).
Pivot X: The destruction of religious Babylon (480BC) (vs 6-9)
We believe that the events of this pivot took place in Jerusalem shortly after the temples at Babylon were destroyed by Xerxes (c. 480BC), around 60 years after the fall of the city of Babylon (539BC).
6 This is what the Lord says to me: “Go, post a lookout and have him report what he sees. 7 When he sees chariots with teams of horses, riders on donkeys or riders on camels, let him be alert, fully alert.”
Charioteers were sent out from Medo-Persia to the surrounding nations with the important announcement of the fall of religious Babylon. The chariots were pulled by either a pair of horses, donkeys or camels; the chariots with these various animals must have gone in separate directions, as they travel at different speeds and are suitable for different terrain.
A Judahite prophet (not Isaiah) is commanded by God to place a lookout, so as to watch for a passing chariot (Isaiah writes the prophecy of this pivot from the perspective of this other prophet - this event took place long after Isaiah's death). At the time, Jerusalem was a poor, isolated town that was slowly recovering from the Babylonian exile, so a chariot with a team of animals must have been an unusual sight. The lookout was to pay close attention to the charioteer, to make sure that he heard his announcement accurately.
8 And the lookout shouted,
“Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;
every night I stay at my post.
9 Then behold, here comes a man in a chariot
with a team of horses.
And he announces:
‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen!
All the images of its gods
lie shattered on the ground!’”
After the lookout had diligently waited for many days, he sees the chariot, and reports it to the prophet ("lord"). The message from Medo-Persia was that Babylon has fallen (cf. Rev 18:1). Cyrus did not do much harm Babylon when he conquered it, because he considered the city to be sacred. But his successor Xerxes, after putting down a revolt by the satrapy of Babylon, destroyed the temple and the idols at Babylon and exiled its powerful priests of the Satanic bloodline families, because he was wary of their spiritual powers (c. 480BC) (see appendix in [4]).
The priests of Babylon and the powerful gods they worshipped regrouped in Pergamum (Rev 2:12,13) and used their spiritual powers to build their new land into a great empire. So the priests' exile can be considered the "moment of conception" of the Greek Empire and more generally the Western Empire - the political centre of the world moved to the west from Babylon at this time.
This event is accorded great importance here - it is described in some detail in this otherwise terse prophecy - because the fall of religious Babylon is a type of that watershed, the final fall of Satan's empire of "Babylon" and the end of his reign on earth (cf. Rev 18:1). The watchman of this pivot may be a type of the watchmen appointed in the New Israel by God at the start of the Millennial Reign (see Isaiah 62:6,7).
Subunit A2: The fall of physical Babylon (539BC) (vs 10)
10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor, I tell you what I have heard from the Lord Almighty, from the God of Israel.
Isaiah addresses the Judahite slaves in Babylon (those "crushed on the threshing floor") and assures them that the prediction of Babylon's defeat in the corresponding subunit A1 (vs 2b,5) is from God, so the mighty Babylon will certainly be defeated. The Judahites got their freedom soon after the fall of the city of Babylon through a proclamation from Cyrus (Ezra 1).
5.4 Addendum to the Prophecy (691 BC) (vs 16-17)
The prophecy in this addendum was supplied to the people of Qedar at the start of the Assyrian assault, when they came seeking the additional information on the war that was promised in vs 12.
16 This is what the Lord says to me: “Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.” The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.
The Assyrians devastated Qedar - primarily Dumah - and slaughtered its army (even its prisoners of war, as was their cruel custom) within 2 years, and turned it into a vassal nation. Dumah's queen and the idols of its gods were carried away, and a puppet king was installed. The Assyrians referred to Dumah as Adummatu, and they described it as a fortress of Arabia that was destroyed by Sennacherib's forces.
What is the meaning of the phrase, "as a servant bound by contract would count it"? A hired hand (presumably a fellow Israelite) can be expected to take holidays for up to half the days of a year - for sabbaths, festivals, religious observance etc.. So 1 years worth of employment by a continuously-employed slave may take up to 2 years to complete by a hired hand - see Deuteronomy 15:18 (see similar prediction in Isa. 16:14 [3]). Effectively, this prophecy predicts that the Assyrian assault will last for 2 years. This time interval may be ambiguously worded so that the wicked cannot take undue advantage of an accurate knowledge of the future.
Conclusion
With this chiastic reconstruction of the text, we have shown that Isaiah 21 contains prophecies on three distinct Periods. The destruction of Qedar can be considered a type of the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem and the end of the Old Covenant in 70AD, because the children of the slave Hagar represent the Old Covenant, according to Galatians 4:21-31 (esp. Gal. 4:25). This is the rare cryptochiasmus that does not have a Period for the start of Christ's Millennial Reign, but this final fall of religious Babylon can be considered a type of the fall of modern 'Babylon' at the start of the Millennial Reign (see Rev 18) [5].
References
[1] A Definition of Cryptochiasmus[2] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of "The 70 Weeks Of Daniel"
[3] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Isaiah 15-16
[4] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Daniel 8
[5] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Revelation 4-22, Part 2
* First version published on 17 November 2021.