Isaiah 13 - ESV - Bible Reading / Study Notes

Isaiah 13

The Judgment of Babylon

13:1 The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

2   On a bare hill raise a signal;
    cry aloud to them;
  wave the hand for them to enter
    the gates of the nobles.
3   I myself have commanded my consecrated ones,
    and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger,
    my proudly exulting ones.¹
4   The sound of a tumult is on the mountains
    as of a great multitude!
  The sound of an uproar of kingdoms,
    of nations gathering together!
  The LORD of hosts is mustering
    a host for battle.
5   They come from a distant land,
    from the end of the heavens,
  the LORD and the weapons of his indignation,
    to destroy the whole land.²
6   Wail, for the day of the LORD is near;
    as destruction from the Almighty³ it will come!
7   Therefore all hands will be feeble,
    and every human heart will melt.
8   They will be dismayed:
    pangs and agony will seize them;
    they will be in anguish like a woman in labor.
  They will look aghast at one another;
    their faces will be aflame.
9   Behold, the day of the LORD comes,
    cruel, with wrath and fierce anger,
  to make the land a desolation
    and to destroy its sinners from it.
10   For the stars of the heavens and their constellations
    will not give their light;
  the sun will be dark at its rising,
    and the moon will not shed its light.
11   I will punish the world for its evil,
    and the wicked for their iniquity;
  I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant,
    and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
12   I will make people more rare than fine gold,
    and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
13   Therefore I will make the heavens tremble,
    and the earth will be shaken out of its place,
  at the wrath of the LORD of hosts
    in the day of his fierce anger.
14   And like a hunted gazelle,
    or like sheep with none to gather them,
  each will turn to his own people,
    and each will flee to his own land.
15   Whoever is found will be thrust through,
    and whoever is caught will fall by the sword.
16   Their infants will be dashed in pieces
    before their eyes;
  their houses will be plundered
    and their wives ravished.
17   Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them,
    who have no regard for silver
    and do not delight in gold.
18   Their bows will slaughter⁴ the young men;
    they will have no mercy on the fruit of the womb;
    their eyes will not pity children.
19   And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,
    the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans,
  will be like Sodom and Gomorrah
    when God overthrew them.
20   It will never be inhabited
    or lived in for all generations;
  no Arab will pitch his tent there;
    no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there.
21   But wild animals will lie down there,
    and their houses will be full of howling creatures;
  there ostriches⁵ will dwell,
    and there wild goats will dance.
22   Hyenas⁶ will cry in its towers,
    and jackals in the pleasant palaces;
  its time is close at hand
    and its days will not be prolonged.

Footnotes

[1] 13:3 Or those who exult in my majesty
[2] 13:5 Or earth; also verse 9
[3] 13:6 The Hebrew words for destruction and almighty sound alike
[4] 13:18 Hebrew dash in pieces
[5] 13:21 Or owls
[6] 13:22 Or foxes

Commentary

A new section, to chapter 24, where the prophet addresses other nations, promising judgment and condemnation. Jerusalem is not exempted, see 22.1-14.

v1: Words directed at Babylon, during Isaiah’s time a small nation, yet to reach her period of dominance over the Middle East. No man could have predicted these things, and therefore these words are clearly from God.

v2-3: The nation called to bring God’s wrath, as in 10.5. They are described as holy and mighty (in different versions), since God has called them for His purpose; similarly, in 45.1, Cyrus is called God’s anointed; that does not imply real faith in the true God.

v4-5: The Lord God gathered His great army from Babylon, bringing death and destruction.

v6-7: The Day of the Lord, destruction from the Almighty, before whom no man can stand. All hands will go limp, and every man’s heart will fail; no exceptions.

v8: The people’s response, in terror, pain, anguish, writhing in agony, aghast (or amazed).

v9: The Day of the Lord, to destroy sinners, not the righteous, for the Lord knows those who are His.

v10: Signs in heaven, Joel 2.30-31; Matt 24.29; Rev 6.12-13; 7.12.

v11-13: God’s wrath poured out, His ‘settled attitude to all wrong.’ Such wrath was clearly deserved by the whole world. His justice is clearly demonstrated. Any delay in executing judgment is related to God’s long-suffering, and allowing opportunity for repentance.

The people were sinful; evil, wicked, their sins, arrogance, haughty, pride, ruthless; no wonder both heaven and earth are shaken.

v14-16: Men, women, and children fall under this condemnation. The awfulness of the effects of war – people flee in panic, there is abuse of children, sexual assaults on women, as men become depraved in their violence.

v17-18: Babylon’s dominance was followed by the Medes, see Dan 5.30-31. They too have no mercy, putting children to death.

v19: Babylon was the glory of the kingdoms of the world, with glorious buildings and great wealth, yet was brought down by God.

v20-22: Judgment bringing barrenness; the prophet brought very detailed predictions, which have been accurately fulfilled, showing God’s mighty power.