Isa 18:2 | KingComments | STEP | That land sends “envoys by the sea” – meaning that the land is not nearby – “to a nation tall and smooth” or “a nation scattered and ravaged [or: plucked]” ( ). This last translation corresponds exactly with the conclusion of the previous chapter. Israel is that scattered and plucked nation. Its enemies have taken it out of its land and plucked it bare. It is a “feared” people, in the sense of marvelous or formidable, because it has a marvelous and formidable God Who has a marvelous plan with His people. The purpose of the envoys seems to be to persuade Judah to make an alliance with him against Assyria. The envoys, “swift messengers” uses “papyrus vessels” (cf. ). They are “swift” messengers because time is running out for that land. Judah seems to be a good ally, because it has a strong army and a reputation that instils fear. Egypt, Canaan and the surrounding peoples have experienced it in the past. The fact that it must be Judah is also clear from the alternative Darby Translation: “A nation of measure, measure and of treading down.” God has given them His laws, the Torah , with all kinds of measurements. It is also a people “of treading down” because it has been treaded down many times in its history. It is a land which “the rivers divide” or “the rivers have spoiled”, which means that Israel has been robbed of its freedom many times by lands on its rivers. We can think of Assyria ( ). The faraway land beyond the rivers is making an effort to make an alliance with the Jews and it all seems to succeed. If the historical explanation of this section is difficult, the prophetic explanation seems clearer. A comparison with other parts of the Bible suggests – seen from the perspective of Isaiah – that this distant land may be the future restored Roman Empire, Europe with allies. The prophet Daniel speaks of a firm covenant with the many and the wing of abominations ( ) and the honoring by the antichrist of a god of fortresses, i.e. a strong military power ( ).

‏ Isaiah 18:2

Envoys to Israel

That land sends “envoys by the sea” – meaning that the land is not nearby – “to a nation tall and smooth” or “a nation scattered and ravaged [or: plucked]” (Isa 18:2). This last translation corresponds exactly with the conclusion of the previous chapter. Israel is that scattered and plucked nation. Its enemies have taken it out of its land and plucked it bare. It is a “feared” people, in the sense of marvelous or formidable, because it has a marvelous and formidable God Who has a marvelous plan with His people. The purpose of the envoys seems to be to persuade Judah to make an alliance with him against Assyria.

The envoys, “swift messengers” uses “papyrus vessels” (cf. Job 9:26a). They are “swift” messengers because time is running out for that land. Judah seems to be a good ally, because it has a strong army and a reputation that instils fear. Egypt, Canaan and the surrounding peoples have experienced it in the past. The fact that it must be Judah is also clear from the alternative Darby Translation: “A nation of measure, measure and of treading down.” God has given them His laws, the Torah, with all kinds of measurements.

It is also a people “of treading down” because it has been treaded down many times in its history. It is a land which “the rivers divide” or “the rivers have spoiled”, which means that Israel has been robbed of its freedom many times by lands on its rivers. We can think of Assyria (Isa 8:7 ; Isa 17:12).

The faraway land beyond the rivers is making an effort to make an alliance with the Jews and it all seems to succeed. If the historical explanation of this section is difficult, the prophetic explanation seems clearer. A comparison with other parts of the Bible suggests – seen from the perspective of Isaiah – that this distant land may be the future restored Roman Empire, Europe with allies. The prophet Daniel speaks of a firm covenant with the many and the wing of abominations (Dan 9:27) and the honoring by the antichrist of a god of fortresses, i.e. a strong military power (Dan 11:38).