Log inSign up

Isaiah 21 · a question people ask

Does the chapter say why the glory of Kedar will fail?

In the text

No. It says when, "Within a year" (21:16), and who has spoken: "for the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken it" (21:17). The burden on Arabia names no sin of the Dedanites, of Tema or of Kedar, and it doesn't say whose swords the fugitives fled (21:15). These notes read the chapter as it stands, add no history of these peoples from outside the Bible, work out no date from "Within a year", and apply nothing in the chapter to any people or place today.

The verses

“The burden on Arabia. You will lodge in the thickets in Arabia, you caravans of Dedanites. They brought water to him who was thirsty. The inhabitants of the land of Tema met the fugitives with their bread. For they fled away from the swords, from the drawn sword, from the bent bow, and from the heat of battle. For the Lord said to me, “Within a year, as a worker bound by contract would count it, all the glory of Kedar will fail, and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, will be few; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken it.””
Isaiah 21:13-17 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Isaiah 21

Isaiah 21: Watchman, what of the night?

Isaiah 21 is the only chapter of Isaiah with more than one burden heading, and it has three. Its first heading names no city: Babylon is named only in 21:9, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon" (21:9). And the pains that seize the one who speaks (21:3) are, in Hebrew, the words of Isaiah 13:8, where "the LORD’s day is at hand" (Isaiah 13:6).

In Favor, questions like this come up right where they arise as you read, with the Hebrew and Greek behind the words and how the chapter leads to Jesus.

Start your free weekIsaiah 21 Bible study

First week free, then $10 a month per person

More questions about Isaiah 21

All questions about Isaiah →

The best way to learn the Bible

Favor opens up every chapter as you read.

Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.

  • Every chapter explains itself

    As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.

  • The Hebrew and Greek behind it

    Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.

  • Every page leads to Jesus

    Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.

  • Better together

    Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.

  1. 1

    Start your free week

    Sign up in a minute with your email.

  2. 2

    Read a few minutes a day

    Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.

  3. 3

    Bring your people, if you like

    Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person

Questions like this, in every chapter

The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.

There's a seat for you at the table.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions