Show Bible Commentary For A Bible Verse

Click here to show/hide instructions.

Selected Verse: Isaiah 21:7 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Isa 21:7	Strong Concordance	And he saw [07200] a chariot [07393] with a couple [06776] of horsemen [06571], a chariot [07393] of asses [02543], and a chariot [07393] of camels [01581]; and he hearkened [07181] diligently [07182] with much [07227] heed [07182]:
	King James	And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen, a chariot of asses, and a chariot of camels; and he hearkened diligently with much heed:

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

Open All | Close All Open All | Close All

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
chariot, &c.--rather, "a body of riders," namely, some riding in pairs on horses (literally, "pairs of horsemen," that is, two abreast), others on asses, others on camels (compare Isa 21:9; Isa 22:6). "Chariot" is not appropriate to be joined, as English Version translates, with "asses"; the Hebrew means plainly in Isa 21:7, as in Isa 21:9, "a body of men riding." The Persians used asses and camels for war [MAURER]. HORSLEY translates, "One drawn in a car, with a pair of riders, drawn by an ass, drawn by a camel"; Cyrus is the man; the car drawn by a camel and ass yoked together and driven by two postilions, one on each, is the joint army of Medes and Persians under their respective leaders. He thinks the more ancient military cars were driven by men riding on the beasts that drew them; Isa 21:9 favors this.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

chariot, &c.--rather, "a body of riders," namely, some riding in pairs on horses (literally, "pairs of horsemen," that is, two abreast), others on asses, others on camels (compare Isa 21:9; Isa 22:6). "Chariot" is not appropriate to be joined, as English Version translates, with "asses"; the Hebrew means plainly in Isa 21:7, as in Isa 21:9, "a body of men riding." The Persians used asses and camels for war [MAURER]. HORSLEY translates, "One drawn in a car, with a pair of riders, drawn by an ass, drawn by a camel"; Cyrus is the man; the car drawn by a camel and ass yoked together and driven by two postilions, one on each, is the joint army of Medes and Persians under their respective leaders. He thinks the more ancient military cars were driven by men riding on the beasts that drew them; Isa 21:9 favors this.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
And he saw a chariot with a couple of horsemen - This passage is very obscure from the ambiguity of the word רכב rekeb - 'chariot.' Gesenius contends that it should be rendered 'cavalry,' and that it refers to cavalry two abreast hastening to the destruction of the city. The word רכב rekeb denotes properly a chariot or wagon Jdg 5:28; a collection of wagons Ch2 1:14; Ch2 8:6; Ch2 9:25; and sometimes refers to the "horses or men" attached to a chariot. 'David houghed all the chariots' Sa2 8:4; that is, all the "horses" belonging to them. 'David killed of the Syrians seven hundred chariots' Sa2 10:18; that is, all "the men" belonging to seven hundred chariots. According to the present Masoretic pointing, the word רכב rekeb does not mean, perhaps, anything else than a chariot strictly, but other forms of the word with the same letters denote "riders or cavalry." Thus, the word רכב rakâb denotes a horseman Kg2 9:17; a charioteer or driver of a chariot Kg1 22:34; Jer 51:21. The verb רבב râbab means "to ride," and is usually applied to riding on the backs of horses or camels; and the sense here is, that the watchman saw "a riding," or persons riding two abreast; that is, "cavalry," or men borne on horses, and camels, and asses, and hastening to attack the city. With a couple of horsemen - The word 'couple' (צמד tsemed) means properly a "yoke or pair;" and it means here that the cavalry was seen "in pairs, that is," two abreast. A chariot of asses - Or rather, as above, "a riding" on donkeys - an approach of men in this manner to battle. Asses were formerly used in war where horses could not be procured. Thus Strabo (xv. 2, 14) says of the inhabitants of Caramania, 'Many use donkeys for war in the want of horses.' And Herodotus (iv. 129) says expressly that Darius Hystaspes employed donkeys in a battle with the Scythians. And a chariot of camels - A "riding" on camels. Camels also were used in war, perhaps usually to carry the baggage (see Diod. ii. 54; iii. 44; Livy, xxxvii. 40; Strabo, xvi. 3). They are used for all purposes of burden in the East, and particularly in Arabia.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
What the man upon the watch-tower sees first of all, is a long, long procession, viz., the hostile army advancing quietly, like a caravan, in serried ranks, and with the most perfect self-reliance. "And he saw a procession of cavalry, pairs of horsemen, a procession of asses, a procession of camels; and listened sharply, as sharply as he could listen." Receb, both here and in Isa 21:9, signifies neither riding-animals nor war-chariots, but a troop seated upon animals - a procession of riders. In front there was a procession of riders arranged two and two, for Persians and Medes fought either on foot or on horseback (the latter, at any rate, from the time of Cyrus; vid., Cyrop. iv 3); and pârâsh signifies a rider on horseback (in Arabic it is used in distinction from râkib, the rider on camels). Then came lines of asses and camels, a large number of which were always taken with the Persian army for different purposes. They not only carried baggage and provisions, but were taken into battle to throw the enemy into confusion. Thus Cyrus gained the victory over the Lydians by means of the great number of his camels (Herod. i. 80), and Darius Hystaspis the victory over the Scythians by means of the number of asses that he employed (Herod. iv 129). Some of the subject tribes rode upon asses and camels instead of horses: the Arabs rode upon camels in the army of Xerxes, and the Caramanians rode upon asses. What the spy saw was therefore, no doubt, the Persian army. But he only saw and listened. It was indeed "listening, greatness of listening," i.e., he stretched his ear to the utmost (rab is a substantive, as in Isa 63:7; Psa 145:7; and hikshib, according to its radical notion, signifies to stiffen, viz., the ear); (Note: Bttcher has very correctly compared kâshab (kasuba) with kâshâh (kasa), and Fleischer with sarra (tzâr), which is applied in the kal and hiphil (asarra) to any animal (horse, ass, etc.) when it holds its ears straight and erect to listen to any noise (sarra udhneı̄h, or udhnahu bi-udhneı̄h, or bi-udhnı̄h iv., asarra bi-udhnı̄h, and also absolutely asarra, exactly like hikshib).) but he heard nothing, because the long procession was moving with the stillness of death.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
A chariot - Hereby he signifies the variety and abundance of warlike provisions which the Medes and Persians should have for their expedition, and particularly of chariots, whereof some were for the carriage of necessary things, and others for the battle.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
And he saw a chariot, etc. "And he saw a chariot with two riders; a rider on an ass, a rider on a camel" - This passage is extremely obscure from the ambiguity of the term רכב recheb, which is used three times, and which signifies a chariot, or any other vehicle, or the rider in it; or a rider on a horse, or any other animal; or a company of chariots, or riders. The prophet may possibly mean a cavalry in two parts, with two sorts of riders; riders on asses or mules, and riders on camels; or led on by two riders, one on an ass, and one on a camel. However, so far it is pretty clear, that Darius and Cyrus, the Medes and the Persians, are intended to be distinguished by the two riders on the two sorts of cattle. It appears from Herodotus, 1:80, that the baggage of Cyrus' army was carried on camels. In his engagement with Croesus, he took off the baggage from the camels, and mounted his horsemen upon them; the enemy's horses, offended with the smell of the camels, turned back and fled. - L.

Top

⁹ And, behold, here cometh [0935] a chariot [07393] of men [0376], with a couple [06776] of horsemen [06571]. And he answered [06030] and said [0559], Babylon [0894] is fallen [05307], is fallen [05307]; and all the graven images [06456] of her gods [0430] he hath broken [07665] unto the ground [0776].

⁷ And he saw [07200] a chariot [07393] with a couple [06776] of horsemen [06571], a chariot [07393] of asses [02543], and a chariot [07393] of camels [01581]; and he hearkened [07181] diligently [07182] with much [07227] heed [07182]:

⁶ And Elam [05867] bare [05375] the quiver [0827] with chariots [07393] of men [0120] and horsemen [06571], and Kir [07024] uncovered [06168] the shield [04043].

²¹ And with thee will I break in pieces [05310] the horse [05483] and his rider [07392]; and with thee will I break in pieces [05310] the chariot [07393] and his rider [07392];

³⁴ And a certain man [0376] drew [04900] a bow [07198] at a venture [08537], and smote [05221] the king [04428] of Israel [03478] between the joints [01694] of the harness [08302]: wherefore he said [0559] unto the driver of his chariot [07395], Turn [02015] thine hand [03027], and carry me out [03318] of the host [04264]; for I am wounded [02470].

¹⁷ And there stood [05975] a watchman [06822] on the tower [04026] in Jezreel [03157], and he spied [07200] the company [08229] of Jehu [03058] as he came [0935], and said [0559], I see [07200] a company [08229]. And Joram [03088] said [0559], Take [03947] an horseman [07395], and send [07971] to meet [07125] them, and let him say [0559], Is it peace [07965]?

¹⁸ And the Syrians [0758] fled [05127] before [06440] Israel [03478]; and David [01732] slew [02026] the men of seven [07651] hundred [03967] chariots [07393] of the Syrians [0758], and forty [0705] thousand [0505] horsemen [06571], and smote [05221] Shobach [07731] the captain [08269] of their host [06635], who died [04191] there.

⁴ And David [01732] took [03920] from him a thousand [0505] chariots, and seven [07651] hundred [03967] horsemen [06571], and twenty [06242] thousand [0505] footmen [0376] [07273]: and David [01732] houghed [06131] all the chariot [07393] horses, but reserved [03498] of them for an hundred [03967] chariots [07393].

²⁵ And Solomon [08010] had four [0702] thousand [0505] stalls [0723] for horses [05483] and chariots [04818], and twelve [08147] [06240] thousand [0505] horsemen [06571]; whom he bestowed [03240] in the chariot [07393] cities [05892], and with the king [04428] at Jerusalem [03389].

⁶ And Baalath [01191], and all the store [04543] cities [05892] that Solomon [08010] had, and all the chariot [07393] cities [05892], and the cities [05892] of the horsemen [06571], and all that Solomon [08010] desired [02836] [02837] to build [01129] in Jerusalem [03389], and in Lebanon [03844], and throughout all the land [0776] of his dominion [04475].

¹⁴ And Solomon [08010] gathered [0622] chariots [07393] and horsemen [06571]: and he had a thousand [0505] and four [0702] hundred [03967] chariots [07393], and twelve [08147] [06240] thousand [0505] horsemen [06571], which he placed [03240] in the chariot [07393] cities [05892], and with the king [04428] at Jerusalem [03389].

²⁸ The mother [0517] of Sisera [05516] looked [08259] out at a window [02474], and cried [02980] through the lattice [0822], Why is his chariot [07393] so long [0954] in coming [0935]? why tarry [0309] the wheels [06471] of his chariots [04818]?

⁷ They shall abundantly utter [05042] the memory [02143] of thy great [07227] goodness [02898], and shall sing [07442] of thy righteousness [06666].

⁷ I will mention [02142] the lovingkindnesses [02617] of the LORD [03068], and the praises [08416] of the LORD [03068], according to all that the LORD [03068] hath bestowed [01580] on us, and the great [07227] goodness [02898] toward the house [01004] of Israel [03478], which he hath bestowed [01580] on them according to his mercies [07356], and according to the multitude [07230] of his lovingkindnesses [02617].