Home

Nazarene Commentary 2000©

21^st Century Paraphrase of the Hebrew Scriptures© –
21^st Century Version of the Christian Scriptures© [NCMM]

THE PROPHET ISAIAH

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:
MESSAGE TO ETHIOPIA

Isaiah 18:1, 2 – Message to Ethiopia

IS18:1 Woe! to that land of the buzzing insects 718 – that land beyond the rivers of Ethiopia. 719

718	Land of the buzzing insects: Or, KJV: land shadowing with wings; JPS: deep shadow of wings; NJB: whirling locust; LXX: wings of the land of ships. Likely a reference to Ethiopia.

719

Land beyond the rivers of Ethiopia: Or, NJB: Cush; JPS: Nubia. [Isaiah 20:3; Ezekiel 30:4; Zephaniah 3:10] The name “Ethiopia” means “Land of Burnt Faces: and in Hebrew is called KUWSH [Cush = black]. It is located south of Egypt and includes the upper Nile. Cush is first mentioned in the context of the location of Eden. [Genesis 2:13] Cush was one of the sons of Noah’s son Ham. [Genesis 10:6] Moses married a Cushite. [Numbers 21:1]. The county still goes by the Greek name in the LXX – AITHIOPIAS [Ethiopia]. A famous convert came from that land. [Acts 8:27]

IS18:2 The one sending ambassadors 720 by the sea in reed boats 721 on the surface of the waters! “Go, all of you speedy messengers, 722 to a nation picked and polished, 723 to a people of horror throughout their history 724 – a nation powerful and subjugating, 725 whose territory is cut by rivers.” 726

720	Ambassadors: Or, LXX: messengers; JPS: swift messengers. The LXX Greek is APOSTELLON [apostles].

721

By the sea in reed boats: Or, KJV: vessels of bulrushes; RHM: vessels of paper-reed; LXX: paper letters. The LXX Greek is EPISTOLAS BIBLINAS. “Reed” may also be “papyrus. The “sea” may primarily include the Nile. Such boats were used throughout Egypt and Ethiopia as well as some isolated peoples in South America.

722	Speedy messengers: The LXX Greek uses ANGELOI.

723	Picked and polished: Or, LXX: strange and harsh; NJB: tall and bronzed; RHM: drawn out and polished [footnote: as by scouring]; JPS: thrust forth and away [footnote: Hebrew uncertain]; KJV: scattered and peeled. Possibly referring to a people tall and beardless.

724	Horror throughout their history: Or, KJV: a people terrible from their beginning hitherto; JPS: of gibber and chatter; RHM: terrible from their beginning and onwards; NJB: feared far and near.

725	Powerful and subjugating: Or, NJB: mighty and masterful; RHM: mighty and subduing; KJV: meted out and trodden down.

726	Whose territory is cut by rivers: Or, KJV: whose land the rivers have spoiled; JPS: cut off by streams; RHM: whose land rivers have cut through; NJB: criss-crossed with rivers.

Isaiah 18:3-6 – A Frightful Sight

IS18:3 All you inhabitants of the land 727 – and all of you dwelling on earth 728 – you will all see when a signal is raised 729 above the mountains. When a horn 730 is blown you will hear it.

727	Inhabitants of the land: Or, NJB: all you who inhabit the world; RHM: inhabitants of the world; JPS: who live in the world. The Hebrew is TEBEL [Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #8398, habitable part].

728	Dwelling on earth: Or, JPS: inhabit the earth; RHM: dwell in the earth; NJB: people the earth. The Hebrew is ‘ERETS [Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #776, whole earth].

729	Signal is raised: Or, RHM: lifted up an ensign; JPS: flag is waved. The LXX Greek is SEMEION – see Matthew 24:3.

730	Horn: Or, LXX: trumpet; JPS: ram’s horn. The Hebrew is SHOPHAR [Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #7782].

IS18:4 For Y^eH^oW^aH said this to me: “I remain quietly undisturbed. 731 I will observe from the fixed place of My dwelling 732 – like scorching heat with its light, 733 like a cloud of dew during the heat of harvest-time. 734

731	I remain quietly undisturbed: Or, KJV: take my rest; NJB: I will sit here quietly looking down; RHM: I must be quiet; JPS: I rest calm and confident.

732	Observe from the fixed place of My dwelling: Or, RHM: I must look on in my fixed place of abode; KJV: my dwelling place; YNG: my settled place. [Isaiah 66:1]

733	Scorching heat with its light: Or, KJV: like clear heat upon herbs; NJB: burning heat in the daytime; RHM: a bright heat on the light; JPS: scorching heat upon sprouts. [2 Samuel 23:4]

734

Cloud of dew during the heat of harvest-time: Or, JPS: rain-cloud in the heat of reaping time; NJB: dewy mist in the heat of harvest. The two phrases describe God’s presence as He looks on at these world events. Both figures of speech suggest something of an invisible presence, observing what humankind is doing.

IS18:5 For before the harvest – when budding has occurred, and the blossom produces a ripe grape – then someone will cut off the branches with pruning-hooks. He will take away the pruning and throw it out. 735

735	Pruning and throw it out: The analogies suggest an examination resulting in pruning. Compare John 15:1-10. Compare Isaiah 17:11.

IS18:6 They will all be abandoned to the vultures 736 of the mountains, and to the wild beasts of the earth. Then the vulture will make a summer nest among the twigs, 737 and every wild beast of the earth will winter among them.

736	Vultures: That is, a raptor. Or, bird of prey, fowls, ravenous birds, kites, birds of the sky. The Hebrew is ‘AYIT [Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance #5861, a swooper].

737	Among the twigs: That is, what ever is left over from the destruction is used by birds as nest materials.

Isaiah 18:7 – A Gift to Mount Zion

IS18:7 “At that time a gift 738 will be brought along as a present to Y^eH^oW^aH of [angelic] armies. A people picked and polished – even a people of horror throughout their history – – a nation powerful and subjugating, whose territory is cut by rivers – [as a gift] to Mount Zion, the place of the Name 739 of Y^eH^oW^aH of [angelic] armies.”

738	Gift: Or, tribute, present. [2 Chronicles 32:23] The “gift” is that of the powerful nation which God will use for His own purposes.

739	Place of the Name: Compare Deuteronomy 12:11; 14:23; 16:2, 6, 11; 26:2; Nehemiah 1:9.