Isaiah 42:11

“Let the wilderness and the cities thereof lift up their voice, &c.] The eastern part of the world, Arabia Deserta, and the inhabitants of the cities which were in it: the villages that Kedar doth inhabit; or the “courts”f821, or tents, the Kedarenes inhabited, who were Arabians, and dwelt in tents, which they pitched here and there, for the convenience of their flocks; and so the Targum, “the Arabians that inhabit the wilderness shall praise:” let the inhabitants of the rock sing: or of Petra, which Jerom says was a city of Palestine. It was the metropolis of Arabia Petraea, which whole country may be here meant, and the inhabitants of it, who had reason to sing for joy, when the Gospel was…”

“cities--in a region not wholly waste, but mainly so, with an oasis here and there. Kedar--in Arabia-Deserta (Isa 21:16; Gen 25:13). The Kedarenians led a nomadic, wandering life. So Kedar is here put in general for that class of men. rock--Sela, that is, Petra, the metropolis of Idumea and the Nabathoean Ishmaelites. Or it may refer in general to those in Arabia-PetrÃ&brvbra, who had their dwellings cut out of the rock. the mountains--namely, of Paran, south of Sinai, in Arabic PetrÃ&brvbra [VITRINGA].”

“Let the wilderness - (See the note at Isaiah 35:1). The word here denotes the most uncultivated countries, intimating that even the most rude and barbarous people would have occasion to rejoin, and would be interested in the mercy of God. And the cities thereof - To us there seems to be something incongruous in speaking of the ‘cities’ in a ‘wilderness.’ But we are to remember that the Hebrews gave the name wilderness or desert to those regions that were mostly uncultivated, or sparsely inhabited. They were places that were chiefly devoted to pasturage, and not cultivated by the plow, or regions of vast plains of sand and far-extended barrenness, with here and there an oasis on which a city…”

“The wilderness - Those parts of the world which are now desolate and forsaken of God, and barren of all good fruits. Kedar - The Arabians: who were an Heathen and barbarous people, and are put for all nations. Mountains - Who are commonly more savage and ignorant than others. Isaiah 42:12”

“Let the wilderness: Isa 32:16, Isa 35:1, Isa 35:6, Isa 40:3, Isa 41:18, Isa 41:19, Isa 43:19; Psa 72:8-10 Kedar: Isa 60:7; Gen 25:23; Psa 120:5 let the inhabitants: Jer 21:13, Jer 48:28, Jer 49:16; Oba 1:3 Isaiah 42:12”