Isaiah 13

Isa 13:1-22.

THE

THIRTEENTH THROUGH

TWENTY-THIRD

CHAPTERS

CONTAIN

PROPHECIES AS TO

FOREIGN

NATIONS.--THE

THIRTEENTH,

FOURTEENTH, AND

TWENTY-SEVENTH

CHAPTERS AS TO

BABYLON AND

ASSYRIA.

The predictions as to foreign nations are for the sake of the covenant

people, to preserve them from despair, or reliance on human

confederacies, and to strengthen their faith in God: also in order to

extirpate narrow-minded nationality: God is Jehovah to Israel, not for

Israel's sake alone, but that He may be thereby Elohim to the nations.

These prophecies are in their right chronological place, in the

beginning of Hezekiah's reign; then the nations of Western Asia, on the

Tigris and Euphrates, first assumed a most menacing aspect.

1. burden--weighty or mournful prophecy [GROTIUS]. Otherwise, simply, the prophetical

declaration, from a Hebrew root to put forth with the

voice anything, as in

Nu 23:7

[MAURER].

of Babylon--concerning Babylon.

2. Lift . . . banner--

(Isa 5:26; 11:10).

the high mountain--rather, "a bare (literally, "bald," that is,

without trees) mountain"; from it the banner could be seen afar off, so

as to rally together the peoples against Babylon.

unto them--unto the Medes

(Isa 13:17),

the assailants of Babylon. It is remarkable that Isaiah does not

foretell here the Jews' captivity in Babylon, but

presupposes that event, and throws himself beyond,

predicting another event still more future, the overthrow of the

city of Israel's oppressors. It was now one hundred seventy-four years

before the event.

shake . . . hand--beckon with the hand--wave the hand to direct

the nations to march against Babylon.

nobles--Babylonian. Rather, in a bad sense, tyrants; as in

Isa 14:5,

"rulers" in parallelism to "the wicked"; and

Job 21:28

[MAURER].

3. sanctified ones--the Median and Persian soldiers

solemnly set apart by Me for the destruction of Babylon, not

inwardly "sanctified," but designated to fulfil God's holy purpose

(Jer 51:27, 28;

Joe 3:9, 11;

where the Hebrew for prepare war is "sanctify" war).

for mine anger--to execute it.

rejoice in my highness--"Those who are made to triumph for My

honor" [HORSLEY]. The heathen Medes could not be said to "rejoice in

God's highness" MAURER translates, "My haughtily exulting ones"

(Zep 3:11);

a special characteristic of the Persians [HERODOTUS,1.88]. They rejoiced in their own

highness, but it was His that they were unconsciously

glorifying.

4. the mountains--namely, which separate Media and Assyria, and on

one of which the banner to rally the hosts is supposed to be reared.

tumultuous noise--The Babylonians are vividly depicted as hearing

some unwonted sound like the din of a host; they try to distinguish the

sounds, but can only perceive a tumultuous noise.

nations--Medes, Persians, and Armenians composed Cyrus' army.

5. They--namely, "Jehovah," and the armies which are "the weapons of

His indignation."

far country--Media and Persia, stretching to the far north and east.

end of heaven--the far east

(Ps 19:6).

destroy--rather, "to seize" [HORSLEY].

6. day of the Lord--day of His vengeance on Babylon

(Isa 2:12).

Type of the future "day of wrath"

(Re 6:17).

destruction--literally, "a devastating tempest."

from the Almighty--not from mere man; therefore irresistible.

"Almighty," Hebrew, Shaddai.

7. faint . . . melt--So

Jer 50:43;

compare

Jos 7:5.

Babylon was taken by surprise on the night of Belshazzar's impious

feast

(Da 5:30).

Hence the sudden fainting and melting of hearts.

8. pangs--The Hebrew means also a "messenger."

HORSLEY, therefore,

with the Septuagint translates, "The heralds (who bring word of

the unexpected invasion) are terrified."

MAURER agrees with

English Version, literally, "they shall take hold of pangs and

sorrows."

woman . . . travaileth--

(1Th 5:3).

amazed--the stupid, bewildered gaze of consternation.

faces . . . flames--"their visages have the livid hue

of flame" [HORSLEY]; with anguish and

indignation.

9. cruel--not strictly, but unsparingly just; opposed to

mercy. Also answering to the cruelty (in the strict sense) of

Babylon towards others

(Isa 14:17)

now about to be visited on itself.

the land--"the earth" [HORSLEY].

The language of

Isa 13:9-13

can only primarily and partially apply to Babylon; fully and

exhaustively, the judgments to come, hereafter, on the whole

earth. Compare

Isa 13:10

with Mt 24:29;

Re 8:12.

The sins of Babylon, arrogancy

(Isa 13:11;

Isa 14:11; 47:7, 8),

cruelty, false worship

(Jer 50:38),

persecution of the people of God

(Isa 47:6),

are peculiarly characteristic of the Antichristian world of the latter

days

(Da 11:32-37;

Re 17:3, 6; 18:6, 7, 9-14, 24).

10. stars, &c.--figuratively for anarchy, distress, and

revolutions of kingdoms

(Isa 34:4;

Joe 2:10;

Eze 32:7, 8;

Am 8:9;

Re 6:12-14).

There may be a literal fulfilment finally, shadowed forth

under this imagery

(Re 21:1).

constellations--Hebrew, "a fool," or "impious one"; applied to

the constellation Orion, which was represented as an impious giant

(Nimrod deified, the founder of Babylon) chained to the sky.

See on

Job 38:31.

11. world--the impious of the world (compare

Isa 11:4).

arrogancy--Babylon's besetting sin

(Da 4:22, 30).

the terrible--rather, tyrants [HORSLEY].

12. man . . . precious--I will so cut off Babylon's

defenders, that a single man shall be as rare and precious as

the finest gold.

13. Image for mighty revolutions

(Isa 24:19; 34:4;

Hab 3:6, 10;

Hag 2:6, 7;

Re 20:11).

14. it--Babylon.

roe--gazelle; the most timid and easily startled.

no man taketh up--sheep defenseless, without a shepherd

(Zec 13:7).

every man . . . to his own people--The "mingled peoples" of foreign

lands shall flee out of her

(Jer 50:16, 28, 37; 51:9).

15. found--in the city.

joined--"intercepted" [MAURER]. "Every one that has

withdrawn himself," namely, to hide in the houses

[GESENIUS].

16.

(Ps 137:8, 9).

17. Medes--

(Isa 21:2;

Jer 51:11, 28).

At that time they were subject to Assyria; subsequently Arbaces, satrap

of Media, revolted against the effeminate Sardanapalus, king of

Assyria, destroyed Nineveh, and became king of Media, in the ninth

century B.C.

not regard silver--In vain will one try to buy his life from them for

a ransom. The heathen XENOPHON

(Cyropædia, 5,1,10) represents Cyrus

as attributing this characteristic to the Medes, disregard of riches.

A curious confirmation of this prophecy.

18. bows--in the use of which the Persians were particularly skilled.

19. glory of kingdoms--

(Isa 14:4; 47:5;

Jer 51:41).

beauty of . . . excellency--Hebrew, "the glory of the pride" of

the Chaldees; it was their glory and boast.

as . . . Gomorrah--as utterly

(Jer 49:18; 50:40;

Am 4:11).

Taken by Cyrus, by clearing out the canal made for emptying the

superfluous waters of the Euphrates, and directing the river into this

new channel, so that he was able to enter the city by the old bed in

the night.

20. Literally fulfilled.

neither . . . Arabian pitch tent--Not only shall it not be a permanent

residence, but not even a temporary resting-place. The Arabs, through

dread of evil spirits, and believing the ghost of Nimrod to haunt it,

will not pass the night there (compare

Isa 13:21).

neither . . . shepherds--The region was once most fertile; but owing

to the Euphrates being now no longer kept within its former channels, it

has become a stagnant marsh, unfit for flocks; and on the wastes of its

ruins (bricks and cement) no grass grows.

21. wild beasts--Hebrew, tsiyim, animals dwelling in arid wastes.

Wild cats, remarkable for their howl [BOCHART].

doleful creatures--"howling beasts," literally, "howlings"

[MAURER].

owls--rather, "ostriches"; a timorous creature, delighting in solitary

deserts and making a hideous noise [BOCHART].

satyrs--sylvan demi-gods--half man, half goat--believed by the Arabs

to haunt these ruins; probably animals of the goat-ape species

[VITRINGA]. Devil-worshippers, who

dance amid the ruins on a

certain night [J. WOLFF].

22. wild beasts of the islands--rather, "jackals"; called by the

Arabs "sons of howling"; an animal midway between a fox and a wolf

[BOCHART and

MAURER].

cry--rather, "answer," "respond" to each other, as wolves do at night,

producing a most dismal effect.

dragons--serpents of various species, which hiss and utter dolorous

sounds. Fable gave them wings, because they stand with much of the body

elevated and then dart swiftly.

MAURER understands here another species

of jackal.

her time . . . near--though one hundred seventy-four years distant,

yet "near" to Isaiah, who is supposed to be speaking to the Jews as if

now captives in Babylon

(Isa 14:1, 2).