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.
The treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously - referring to the military stratagem employed by Cyrus in taking Babylon. Vatablus translates '(There is, or will be) a treacherous dealer (the Medo-Persian invader), to the treacherous dealer' (Babylon). Babylon is repaid in her own coin. Isaiah 33:1; Habakkuk 2:8 favour this, The Hebrew is habogeed bogeed, vehashodeed shodeed: 'the treacherous dealer treacherous dealer, the spoiler spoiler!'
Go up. Isaiah abruptly recites the order which he hears God giving to the Persians, the instruments of His vengeance (Isaiah 13:3; Isaiah 13:17).
Elam - a province of Persia, the original place of their settlement (Genesis 10:22), east of the Euphrates. The name Persia was not in use until the captivity: it means a horseman. Cyrus first trained the Persians in horsemanship. It is a mark of authenticity that the name is not found before Daniel and Ezekiel (Bochart). Persia strictly was the tract on the Persian Gulf, now Fars or Farsistan, bounded on the west by Susiana or Elam, on the north by Media, on the east by Carmania, and on the south by the Persian Gulf. But the Persian empire ultimately was extended so as to comprise no less than 30 countries besides Persia proper.
All the sighing thereof have I made to cease - the "sighing" caused by Babylon (Isaiah 14:7-8).