Discovery BoxIsaiah 13:1-5 
Context13:1 1 This is a message about Babylon that God revealed to Isaiah son of Amoz: 2
13:2 3 On a bare hill raise a signal flag,
shout to them,
wave your hand,
so they might enter the gates of the princes!
13:3 I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; 4
I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger, 5
my boasting, arrogant ones. 6
13:4 7 There is a loud noise on the mountains –
it sounds like a large army! 8
There is great commotion among the kingdoms 9 –
nations are being assembled!
The Lord who commands armies is mustering
forces for battle.
13:5 They come from a distant land,
from the horizon. 10
It is the Lord with his instruments of judgment, 11
coming to destroy the whole earth. 12
Isaiah 13:16-18
Context13:16 Their children will be smashed to pieces before their very eyes;
their houses will be looted
and their wives raped.
13:17 Look, I am stirring up the Medes to attack them; 13
they are not concerned about silver,
nor are they interested in gold. 14
13:18 Their arrows will cut young men to ribbons; 15
they have no compassion on a person’s offspring, 16
they will not 17 look with pity on children.
1 sn Isa 13-23 contains a series of judgment oracles against various nations. It is likely that Israel, not the nations mentioned, actually heard these oracles. The oracles probably had a twofold purpose. For those leaders who insisted on getting embroiled in international politics, these oracles were a reminder that Judah need not fear foreign nations or seek international alliances for security reasons. For the righteous remnant within the nation, these oracles were a reminder that Israel’s God was indeed the sovereign ruler of the earth, worthy of his people’s trust.
2 tn Heb “The message [traditionally, “burden”] [about] Babylon which Isaiah son of Amoz saw.”
3 sn The Lord is speaking here (see v. 3).
4 tn Heb “my consecrated ones,” i.e., those who have been set apart by God for the special task of carrying out his judgment.
5 tn Heb “my warriors with respect to my anger.”
6 tn Heb “the boasting ones of my pride”; cf. ASV, NASB, NRSV “my proudly exulting ones.”
7 sn In vv. 4-10 the prophet appears to be speaking, since the Lord is referred to in the third person. However, since the Lord refers to himself in the third person later in this chapter (see v. 13), it is possible that he speaks throughout the chapter.
8 tn Heb “a sound, a roar [is] on the mountains, like many people.”
9 tn Heb “a sound, tumult of kingdoms.”
10 tn Heb “from the end of the sky.”
11 tn Or “anger”; cf. KJV, ASV “the weapons of his indignation.”
12 tn Or perhaps, “land” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NLT). Even though the heading and subsequent context (see v. 17) indicate Babylon’s judgment is in view, the chapter has a cosmic flavor that suggests that the coming judgment is universal in scope. Perhaps Babylon’s downfall occurs in conjunction with a wider judgment, or the cosmic style is poetic hyperbole used to emphasize the magnitude and importance of the coming event.
13 tn Heb “against them”; NLT “against Babylon.”
14 sn They cannot be bought off, for they have a lust for bloodshed.
15 tn Heb “and bows cut to bits young men.” “Bows” stands by metonymy for arrows.
16 tn Heb “the fruit of the womb.”
17 tn Heb “their eye does not.” Here “eye” is a metonymy for the whole person.
