John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 22:6

"And Elam bare the quiver, with chariots of men [and] horsemen; and Kir uncovered the shield." — Isaiah 22:6 (ASV)

But Elam carrying the quiver. Here commentators think that the discourse proceeds without any interruption, and that he makes known to the Jews the same judgment which he previously proclaimed. However, when I examine the whole matter more closely, I am compelled to differ from them. I believe that the Prophet reproaches the Jews for their obstinacy and rebellion. He does this because, although the Lord had chastised them, they did not repent. Furthermore, he relates the history of a past transaction to remind them how utterly they had failed to benefit from the Lord’s chastisements.

This, then, is how these statements should be separated from what came before. First, he foretold those things that would come upon the Jews. Now, he shows how justly they are punished and how richly they deserve the sharp chastisements the Lord inflicts on them. The Lord had previously called them to repentance, not only by words but also by deeds. Yet, no reformation of life followed, even though their riches were exhausted and the kingdom weakened; instead, they obstinately persisted in their wickedness. Therefore, nothing remained but for the Lord to miserably destroy them, since they were obstinate and stubborn.

The conjunction ו (vau) I have translated as But, which is a meaning it frequently carries. Those who believe the Prophet is threatening for a future time preserve its ordinary meaning, as if the Prophet, after mentioning God, named the executioners of His vengeance. However, I have already given the interpretation I prefer, and the context will make it even clearer that I had good reasons for holding that opinion.

When he speaks of the “Elamites” and the “Cyrenaeans,” this applies better, I believe, to the Assyrians than to the Babylonians. For although those nations had never made war against the Jews with troops under their own command, it is probable that they were in the pay of the Assyrian king and formed part of his army while he was besieging Jerusalem. We have already noted that, taking a part for the whole, by “Elamites” he means the eastern nations.

And Kir making bare the shield. By Kir he undoubtedly means the inhabitants of Cyrenaica. Because they were shieldsmen (the Greek term is πελτασταὶ), he says that they laid bare the shield; for when they enter the field of battle, they draw the shields out of their sheaths.