Isaiah 13:11-21

11 Thus I will ¹punish the world for its evil And the ²wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the ³arrogance of the proud And abase the ⁴haughtiness of the ⁵ruthless.

12 I will make mortal man ⁶scarcer than pure gold And mankind than the ⁷gold of Ophir.

13 Therefore * I will make the ⁸heavens tremble, And ⁹the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the LORD of hosts In ¹⁰the day of His burning anger.

14 And it will be that like a hunted gazelle, Or like ¹¹sheep with none to gather them, They will each turn to his own people, And each one flee to his own land.

15 Anyone who is found will be ¹²thrust through, And anyone who is captured will fall by the sword.

16 Their ¹³little ones also will be dashed to pieces Before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished.

Babylon Will Fall to the Medes

17 Behold, I am going to ¹⁴stir up the Medes against them, Who will not value silver or ¹⁵take pleasure in gold.

18 And their bows will mow down the ¹⁶young men, They will not even have compassion on the fruit of the womb, Nor will their ¹⁷eye pity children.

19 And ¹⁸Babylon, the ¹⁹beauty of kingdoms, the glory of the Chaldeans' pride, Will be as when God ²⁰overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.

20 It will ²¹never * be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation; Nor will the ²²Arab pitch his tent there, Nor will shepherds make their flocks lie down there.

21 But ²³desert creatures will lie down there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there.

Isaiah 13:11-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ISAIAH 13

This chapter contains a prophecy of the destruction of Babylon, literally understood as a type and exemplar of the destruction of the mystical Babylon, so often spoken of in the book of the Revelation: an account is given of the persons that should be the instruments of it, and of the desolation they should make; which would issue in the utter ruin of that once famous city. The title of the prophecy, and the person that had it, and brought it, are expressed, Isa 13:1 orders are given to the Medes and Persians to prepare for war, Isa 13:2 and are described as the Lord's sanctified ones, his mighty ones, and who rejoiced in his highness, Isa 13:3 by the multitude of them, by the length of the way they came, and the end of their coming, by divine direction, and as the instruments of God's wrath, to destroy the land of the Chaldeans, Isa 13:4,5 wherefore the inhabitants of it are called to howling, because that destruction from the Lord was at hand, Isa 13:6,9 the effects of which were fainting, fear, consternation, pain, and sorrow, without the least relief and comfort, Isa 13:7,8,10 the causes of which were their sin and iniquity, particularly their arrogance, pride, and haughtiness, Isa 13:11 which destruction is further described by the fewness of men that should be left in the land, Isa 13:12 by the strange revolution made in it, and the confusion it should be in, Isa 13:13 by the fear and flight of men, both of their own and other nations, that should be among them, Isa 13:14 by the slaughter of men and children, the plunder of their houses, and the ravishing of their wives, Isa 13:15,16 the persons that should be employed as instruments are mentioned by name, and represented as not to be bribed with gold and silver; and as merciless and uncompassionate, that should spare neither young men nor children, Isa 13:17,18 and the chapter is concluded with a particular account of the destruction of Babylon; which is aggravated, by observing its former glory; by comparing its ruin to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah; by its being no more to be inhabited by men within, nor to have Arabian shepherds pitching their tents without it; and by being the habitation of wild beasts, satyrs, dragons, and doleful creatures, Isa 13:19-22.

Cross References

• 1. Isaiah 26:21
• 2. Isaiah 3:11; Isaiah 11:4; Isaiah 14:5
• 3. Isaiah 2:11; Isaiah 23:9; Daniel 5:22, 23
• 4. Jeremiah 48:29
• 5. Isaiah 25:3; Isaiah 29:5, 20
• 6. Isaiah 4:1; Isaiah 6:11, 12
• 7. 1 Kings 9:28; Job 28:16; Psalms 45:9
• 8. Isaiah 34:4; Isaiah 51:6
• 9. Psalms 18:7; Isaiah 2:19; Isaiah 24:1, 19, 20; Haggai 2:6
• 10. Lamentations 1:12
• 11. 1 Kings 22:17; Matthew 9:36; Mark 6:34; 1 Peter 2:25
• 12. Isaiah 14:19; Jeremiah 50:25; Jeremiah 51:3, 4
• 13. Psalms 137:8, 9; Isaiah 13:18; Isaiah 14:21; Hosea 10:14; Nahum 3:10
• 14. Jeremiah 51:11; Daniel 5:28
• 15. Proverbs 6:34, 35
• 16. 2 Kings 8:12; 2 Chronicles 36:17
• 17. Ezekiel 9:5, 10
• 18. Isaiah 21:9; Isaiah 48:14
• 19. Daniel 4:30; Rev 18:11-16, 19, 21
• 20. Genesis 19:24; Deuteronomy 29:23; Jeremiah 49:18; Amos 4:11
• 21. Isaiah 14:23; Isaiah 34:10-15; Jeremiah 51:37-43
• 22. 2 Chronicles 17:11
• 23. Isaiah 34:11-15; Zephaniah 2:14; Revelation 18:2

Footnotes

• [a] Or "tyrants, despots"
• [b] Lit "more precious"
• [c] Lit "dash in pieces"
• [d] Lit "sons"
• [e] Or "howling creatures"
• [f] Or "goat demons"