Isaiah 16:1

"Isaiah."

Key Reflection

In first-century Israel, the opening of Isaiah's prophecy with his name serves as a reminder that these words are a continuation of the ancient prophetic tradition. The phrase "Send the lambs for the ruler of the land from Selah to the wilderness, to the mountain of the daughter of Zion" is likely directed at Moab, instructing them to send tribute—symbolized by lambs—to the ruling authority in Jerusalem. This act would have been a gesture of submission and loyalty, reflecting the geopolitical tensions and alliances between nations during that time.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Send ye the lamb -Lowth renders this, ‘I will send forth the son from the ruler of the land;’ meaning, as he supposes, that under the Assyrian invasion, even the young prince of Moab would be obliged to flee for his life through the desert, that he might escape to Judea; and “that” thus God says that “he” would send him. The only authority for this, however, is, that the Septuagint reads the word ‘send’ in the future tense (ἀποστελῶapostelō) instead of the imperative; and that the Syraic readsברbarinstead ofכרkar, “a lamb.” But assuredly this is too slight an authority for making an alteration in the Hebrew text.

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