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| 1 The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land. |
Desert of the sea – This only makes sense when looked at symbolically. A desert is a place without water. The sea here is the symbolic sea class, the irreligious restless masses of mankind. R498 |
| 2 A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease. |
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| 3 Therefore are my loins filled with pain: pangs have taken hold upon me, as the pangs of a woman that travaileth: I was bowed down at the hearing of it; I was dismayed at the seeing of it. |
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| 4 My heart panted, fearfulness affrighted me: the night of my pleasure hath he turned into fear unto me.
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| 5 Prepare the table, watch in the watchtower, eat, drink: arise, ye princes, and anoint the shield. |
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| 6 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go, set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth. |
A watchman – Pastor Russell. |
| 7 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: |
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| 8 And he cried, A lion: My lord, I stand continually upon the watchtower in the daytime, and I am set in my ward whole nights: |
He cried, A lion – Corrected translation: "He cried as a lion." Here the watchman (Pastor Russell) cries out a message from our returned Lord (thus he is said to have "cried as a lion" - as the Lion of the tribe of Judah, as our Lord.)
I stand continually upon the watchtower – As a faithful watchman should do. A watchman watches for the morning and watches for danger. Pastor Russell fulfilled both of these duties. |
| 9 And, behold, here cometh a chariot of men, with a couple of horsemen. And he answered and said, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground. |
Babylon – Christendom, confusion, especially the confused condition of being mixed with the civil powers, the union of church and state. |
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| 10 O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: that which I have heard of the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, have I declared unto you. |
My threshing – A reference to the Harvest Work of threshing out the grain.
Corn of my floor – Compare Matt. 3:12. |
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| 11 The burden of Dumah. He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? |
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| 12 The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will inquire, inquire ye: return, come. |
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| 13 The burden upon Arabia. In the forest in Arabia shall ye lodge, O ye travelling companies of Dedanim. |
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| 14 The inhabitants of the land of Tema brought water to him that was thirsty, they prevented with their bread him that fled. |
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| 15 For they fled from the swords, from the drawn sword, and from the bent bow, and from the grievousness of war. |
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| 16 For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Within a year, according to the years of an hireling, and all the glory of Kedar shall fail: |
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| 17 And the residue of the number of archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished: for the LORD God of Israel hath spoken it. |
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