Isaiah 18:3

“All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, &c.] All the men of the world are here called upon, either by the Lord, or rather by the prophet, to be eye and ear witnesses of the judgment that should be inflicted upon the above nation, and of the salvation of his own people; which should be so manifest, that all should see it as easily as an ensign set up on a mountain; and the news of it should ring through the earth, and be as plainly heard as when a trumpet is blown: unless it should be thought that these are the words of the messengers sent to the above nation, addressing them in such terms, assuring them, that, however stupid and secure they were now, they should quickly…”

“see ye . . . hear ye--rather, "ye shall see . . . shall hear." Call to the whole earth to be witnesses of what Jehovah ("He") is about to do. He will "lift up an ensign," calling the Assyrian motley hosts together (Isa 5:26) on "the mountains" round Jerusalem, to their own destruction. This (the eighteenth chapter) declares the coming overthrow of those armies whose presence is announced in Isa 17:12-13. The same motive, which led Hezekiah to seek aid from Egypt, led him to accept gladly the Ethiopian Tirhakah's aid (Isa 36:6; Isa 37:9). Ethiopia, Egypt, and Judea were probably leagued together against the common enemy, 713 B.C. See notes on the twenty-second chapter, where a difference of…”

“All ye inhabitants of the world - These are to be regarded as the words of the prophet summoning all nations to attend to that which was about to occur. Grotius, however, and some others, suppose that they are the words of the Ethiopians. The meaning is, that the events which are here predicted would be of so public a nature as to attract the attention of all the world. When he - Vitringa supposes that this means the Assyrians lifting up a standard on the mountains of Judea. But the better interpretation is that which refers it to the people of Nubia, mustering their forces for war. ‘All nations behold when that people collects an army; sounds the trumpet for war; and arrays its military…”

“When - When God shall gather together the nations, as it were by the lifting up of an ensign, or by the sound of a trumpet, to execute his judgments upon this people. Isaiah 18:4”

“18:3 Both the battle flag and ram’s horn were used to marshal and send signals to armies in battle (see Judg 3:27; 6:34; 2 Sam 2:28).”

“All ye: Isa 1:2; Psa 49:1, Psa 49:2, Psa 50:1; Jer 22:29; Mic 6:2 see ye: Isa 5:26, Isa 7:18, Isa 13:2, Isa 13:4, Isa 26:11; Amo 3:6-8; Mic 6:9; Zac 9:14; Mat 13:9, Mat 13:16 Isaiah 18:4”