Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Isaiah 13:19

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Isaiah 13:19. And Babylon — The great city of Babylon was at this time rising to its height of glory, while the Prophet Isaiah was repeatedly denouncing its utter destruction. From the first of Hezekiah to the first of Nebuchadnezzar, under whom it was brought to the highest degree of strength and splendour, are about one hundred and twenty years. I will here very briefly mention some particulars of the greatness of the place, and note the several steps by which this remarkable prophecy was at length accomplished in the total ruin of it.

It was, according to the lowest account given of it by ancient historians, a regular square, forty-five miles in compass, inclosed by a wall two hundred feet high and fifty broad; in which there were a hundred gates of brass. Its principal ornaments were the temple of Belus, in the middle of which was a tower of eight stories of building, upon a base of a quarter of a mile square, a most magnificent palace, and the famous hanging gardens, which were an artificial mountain, raised upon arches, and planted with trees of the largest as well as the most beautiful sorts.

Cyrus took the city by diverting the waters of the Euphrates which ran through the midst of it, and entering the place at night by the dry channel. The river being never restored afterward to its proper course, overflowed the whole country, and made it little better than a great morass; this and the great slaughter of the inhabitants, with other bad consequences of the taking of the city, was the first step to the ruin of the place. The Persian monarchs ever regarded it with a jealous eye; they kept it under, and took care to prevent its recovering its former greatness. Darius Hystaspes not long afterward most severely punished it for a revolt, greatly depopulated the place, lowered the walls, and demolished the gates. Xerxes destroyed the temples, and with the rest the great temple of Belus, Herod. iii. 159, Arrian Exp. Alexandri, lib. vii. The building of Seleucia on the Tigris exhausted Babylon by its neighbourhood, as well as by the immediate loss of inhabitants taken away by Seleucus to people his new city, Strabo, lib. xvi. A king of the Parthians soon after carried away into slavery a great number of the inhabitants, and burned and destroyed the most beautiful parts of the city, Valesii Excerpt. Diodori, p. 377. Strabo (ibid.) says that in his time great part of it was a mere desert; that the Persians had partly destroyed it; and that time and the neglect of the Macedonians, while they were masters of it, had nearly completed its destruction. Jerome (in loc.) says that in his time it was quite in ruins, and that the walls served only for the inclosure for a park or forest for the king's hunting. Modern travellers, who have endeavoured to find the remains of it, have given but a very unsatisfactory account of their success. What Benjamin of Tudela and Pietro della Valle supposed to have been some of its ruins, Tavernier thinks are the remains of some late Arabian building. Upon the whole, Babylon is so utterly annihilated, that even the place where this wonder of the world stood cannot now be determined with any certainty! See also Clarke's note on "Isaiah 43:14".

We are astonished at the accounts which ancient historians of the best credit give of the immense extent, height, and thickness of the walls of Nineveh and Babylon; nor are we less astonished when we are assured, by the concurrent testimony of modern travellers, that no remains, not the least traces, of these prodigious works are now to be found. Scattered fragments of its tiles and bricks are yet to be found. Proud Babylon reduced now to a few brick-bats! Our wonder will, I think, be moderated in both respects, if we consider the fabric of these celebrated walls, and the nature of the materials of which they consisted. Buildings in the east have always been, and are to this day, made of earth or clay, mixed or beat up with straw to make the parts cohere, and dried only in the sun. This is their method of making bricks; see on Isaiah 9:9. The walls of the city were built of the earth digged out on the spot, and dried upon the place, by which means both the ditch and the wall were at once formed, the former furnishing materials for the latter. That the walls of Babylon were of this kind is well known; and Berosus expressly says, (apud Joseph. Antiq. x. 11,) that Nebuchadnezzar added three new walls both to the old and new city, partly of brick and bitumen, and partly of brick alone. A wall of this sort must have a great thickness in proportion to its height, otherwise it cannot stand. The thickness of the walls of Babylon is said to have been one-fourth of their height, which seems to have been no more than was absolutely necessary. Maundrell, speaking of the garden walls of Damascus, says, "They are of a very singular structure. They are built of great pieces of earth, made in the fashion of brick, and hardened in the sun. In their dimensions they are two yards long each, and somewhat more than one broad, and half a yard thick." And afterward, speaking of the walls of the houses, he says, "From this dirty way of building they have this amongst other inconveniences, that upon any violent rain the whole city becomes, by the washing of the houses, as it were a quagmire," p. 124. And see note on Isaiah 30:13. When a wall of this sort comes to be out of repair, and is neglected, it is easy to conceive the necessary consequences, namely, that in no long course of ages it must be totally destroyed by the heavy rains, and at length washed away, and reduced to its original earth. - L.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

13:1-23:18 MESSAGES FOR VARIOUS NATIONS

All the nations are under the rule of God, who controls their rise to power and their final destruction according to his purposes. This is the truth that the prophet teaches in the collection of prophecies against various nations in Chapters 13 to 23. The first message is for Babylon, which in Isaiah’s day had not yet risen to a position of international power. The fall of Babylon that is pictured in these chapters would not take place for more than one hundred and fifty years.

The pride and fall of Babylon (13:1-14:23)

Although a combined army of Medes and Persians overthrew Babylon, God was the one who moved them to do it. The prophet pictures the scene as the Medo-Persian army gets ready for battle, with soldiers shouting, signalling, organizing themselves and preparing their weapons (13:1-5). The people of Babylon shake with fear as they see that defeat is upon them (6-8). It is, for them, the day of the Lord, the day of God’s great intervention in judgment (9-10). The chief cause of Babylon’s punishment is its pride, for it boasted of its achievements, mocked God and dealt with people ruthlessly. When God decides that he will no longer tolerate the arrogance of the haughty, he pours out his wrath (11-13).
Enemy armies who invade the proud city show no mercy on its inhabitants, whether they be native Babylonians or foreigners (14-16). The Babylonians try to bribe the Medes into turning back, but the Medes will not listen. They carry on with the slaughter and destruction, till the people are wiped out (17-18). The city that was once beautiful is left a ruin, inhabited only by wild animals (19-22).
A further reason for the overthrow of Babylon is now revealed. God wants to break the power of Babylon, so that the captive Jews can be released and return to their homeland. Peoples who once oppressed the Jews will now help them rebuild their ruined nation (14:1-2). (The permission for the Jews’ return was given by the conquering Persian king, Cyrus.)
Then comes a song that the Jews sang to the disgrace of their former master, the king of Babylon. The king is seen as the embodiment of all Babylon’s pride and evil (3-6). Now that he is dead and the captive Jews are free from his rule, the whole world rejoices. Nations feel a sense of relief after years of Babylonian oppression (7-8).
Those in the world of the dead welcome the fallen king, reminding him that though he was all-powerful in life, he is no better than they in death (9-11). Arrogant and ambitious, seeking after the highest place, the greatest honour and supreme power, he is brought down to the lowest place, the greatest shame and complete weakness (12-15). Those who see him can scarcely recognize him as the one who destroyed kingdoms and enslaved entire nations. They find it hard to believe that one who terrified the world can come to such a humiliating end (16-17).
Most kings are buried with honour, but this king is treated with disgrace. He is left unburied, his corpse thrown out to rot in the sun. His sons also are to be killed, to make sure they have no opportunity to copy their father (18-21). The power of Babylon must be destroyed, so that the nation can never rise again (22-23).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, who shall not regard silver, and as for gold, they shall not delight in it. And their bows shall dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; and their eyes shall not spare children. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans' pride, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah."

This is the first specific mention of Babylon since the head of the chapter; and the mention of the Medes as the destined destroyers of Babylon must have come as a shock to that generation in which Isaiah wrote, because they were, at that time, probably the last people on earth that any human student of the current era would have chosen for such a task. Assyria was the big power when Isaiah wrote this. Babylon, which would later overthrow Assyria and take Israel captive, was, when Isaiah's prophecy was given by the Lord, no threat at all to Assyria. Here indeed is a sensational leap in predictive prophecy.

The statement in Isaiah 13:17 that the destroyers of Babylon would not regard silver or gold, "does not mean that they were a rude or barbaric people, but that they could not be bought off"Homer Hailey, p. 134 from their purpose of destroying Babylon.

The mention of "bows" (Isaiah 13:18) designates the chief weapon of the Medo-Persian conquest. This weapon continued to dominate ancient warfare until the deployment of the Macedonian phalanx by Alexander the Great, the chief weapon of which was the spear.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms - That is, the capital or chief ornament of many nations. Appellations of this kind, applied to Babylon, abound in the Scriptures. In Daniel 4:30, it is called ‘great Babylon;’ in Isaiah 14:4, it is called ‘the golden city;’ in Isaiah 47:5, ‘the lady of kingdoms;’ in Jeremiah 51:13, it is, spoken of as ‘abundant in treasures;’ and, in Jeremiah 51:41, as ‘the praise of the whole earth.’ All these expressions are designed to indicate its immense wealth and magnificence. It was the capital of a mighty empire, and was the chief city of the pagan world.

The beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency - Hebrew, ‘The glory of the pride of the Chaldees;’ or the ornament of the proud Chaldees. It was their boast and glory; it was that on which they chiefly prided themselves. How well it deserved these appellations we have already seen.

Shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah - Genesis 19:24. That is, shall be completely and entirely overthrown; shall cease to be inhabited, and shall be perfectly desolate. It does not mean that it shall be overthrown in the same manner as Sodom was, but that it should be as completely and entirely ruined. The successive steps in the overthrow of Babylon, by which this prophecy was so signally fulfilled, were the following:

(1) The taking of the city by Cyrus. This was accomplished by his clearing out the “Pallacopas,” a canal that was made for the purpose of emptying the superfluous waters of the Euphrates into the lakes and marshes formed by it in the south - west borders of the province toward Arabia. Into this canal he directed the waters of the Euphrates, and was thus enabled to enter the city in the channel of the river under the walls (see the notes at Isaiah 45:1-2). He took the city by surprise, and when the inhabitants, confident of security, had given themselves up to the riot of a grand public festival; and the king and the nobles were revelling at a public entertainment. From this cause, also, it happened that the waters, which were thus diverted from their usual channel, converted the whole country into a vast, unhealthy morass, that contributed greatly to the decline of Babylon.

(2) The “second” capture of Babylon by Darius Hystaspes. Cyrus was not the destroyer of the city, but he rather sought to preserve its magnificence, and to perpetuate its pre-eminence among the nations. He left it to his successor in all its strength and magnificence. But, after his death, it rebelled against Darius, and bade defiance to the power of the whole Persian empire. Fully resolved not to yield, they adopted the resolution of putting every woman in the city to death, with the exception of their mothers and one female, the best beloved in every family, to bake their bread. All the rest, says Herodotus (iii. 150), were assembled together and strangled. The city was taken at that time by Darius, by the aid of Zopyrus, son of Megabyzus, who, in order to do it, mutilated himself beyond the power of recovery. He cut off his nose and ears, and having scourged himself severely, presented himself before Darius. He proposed to Darius to enter the city, apparently as a deserter who had been cruelly treated by Darius, and to deliver the city into his hands.

He was one of the chief nobles of Persia; was admitted in this manner within the walls; represented himself as having been punished because he advised Darius to raise the siege; was admitted to the confidence of the Babylonians; and was finally entrusted with an important military command. After several successful conflicts with the Persians, and when it was supposed his fidelity had been fully tried, he was raised to the chief command of the army; and was appointed to the responsible office of τειχοφύλαξ teichophulax, or guardian of the walls. Having obtained this object, he opened the gates of Babylon to the Persian army, as he had designed, and the city was taken without difficulty (Herod. iii. 153-160). As soon as Darius had taken the city, he ‘leveled the walls, and took away the gates, neither of which things had Cyrus done before. Three thousand of the most distinguished of the nobility he ordered to be crucified; the rest he suffered to remain.’ - (Herod. iii. 159.)

(3) After its conquest by Darius, it was always regarded by the Persian monarchs with a jealous eye. Xerxes destroyed the temples of the city, and, among the rest, the celebrated temple or tower of Belus (Strabo, xvi. 1, 5.) ‘Darius,’ says Herodotus, ‘had designs upon the golden statue in the temple of Belus, but did not dare to take it; but Xerxes, his son, took it, and slew the priest who resisted its removal.’

(4) The city was captured a third time, by Alexander the Great. Mazaeus, the Persian general, surrendered the city into his hands, and he entered it with his army - “velut in aciem irent” - ‘as if they were marching to battle.’ - (Q. Curtius, v. 3.) It was afterward taken by Antigonus, by Demetrius, by Antiochus the Great, and by the Parthians; and each successive conquest contributed to its reduction.

(5) Cyrus transferred the capital from Babylon to Susa or Shusan Nehemiah 1:1; Ezra 2:8; Ezra 4:16; Ezra 9:11, Ezra 9:15, which became the capital of the kingdom of Persia, and, of course, contributed much to diminish the importance of Babylon itself.

(6) Seleucus Nicator founded Seleucia in the neighborhood of Babylon, on the Tigris, chiefly with a design to draw off the inhabitants of Babylon to a rival city, and to prevent its importance. A great part of its population migrated to the new city of Seleucia (Plin. “Nat. Hist.” vi. 30). Babylon thus gradually declined until it lost all its importance, and the very place where it stood was, for a long time, unknown. About the beginning of the first century, a small part of it only was inhabited, and the greater portion was cultivated (Diod. Sic. ii. 27). In the second century, nothing but the walls remained (Pausanius, “Arcad.” c. 33). It became gradually a great desert; and, in the fourth century, its walls, repaired for that purpose, formed an enclosure for wild beasts, and Babylon was converted into a hunting place for the pastime of the Persian monarchs. After this, there is an interval of many ages in the history of its mutilated remains, and of its mouldering decay (Keith, “On the Prophecies,” p. 216; Jerome, “Commentary on Isa.” ch. xiv.) Benjamin of Tudela vaguely alludes to the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, which, he says, could not be entered, on account of its being the abode of dragons and wild beasts. Sir John Maundeville, who traveled over Asia, 1322 a.d., says, that ‘Babylone is in the grete desertes of Arabye, upon the waye as men gert towarde the kyngdome of Caldce. But it is full longe sithe ony man durste neyhe to the toure, for it is alle deserte and full of dragons and grete serpentes, and fulle dyverse veneymouse bestes all abouten.’

Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

19.And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms. Here the Prophet intended to give a brief summary of his prophecy about the Babylonians, but enlarges it by some additions tending to show more fully that it will be completely destroyed. In this manner do the prophets speak of the punishment of the wicked, so as to leave no room for compassion by which they may relieve their minds. But the godly, though they may sometimes think that they are severely chastised, are yet supported by the confident hope that the Lord will have compassion on them, and will not altogether destroy them. Hence we may conclude that we ought not always to judge from outward appearances; for we would often think that the children of God are ruined when their salvation is at hand even in the midst of death.

Of Sodom and Gomorrah. This example is frequently employed by the Prophets, in order to inform us that, though the mode of punishment be not the same, yet, since the judgment of God is impartial, that memorable display which he gave in Sodom (Genesis 19:24) has a reference to all the reprobate, and that not less dreadful punishment awaits those who are hardened by similar obstinacy in their sins. They distinguish between the punishment of the elect people and the punishment of the wicked by this circumstance, that God reserves some seed for the Israelites, but none for the ungodly, which agrees with the words which we formerly met with,

Unless the Lord of hosts had left us a seed,
we should have been like Sodom. (Isaiah 1:9.)

But he pursues the wicked with vengeance that cannot be appeased, and therefore he threatens against them the same destruction which was executed against the inhabitants of Sodom, that is, utter perdition without any hope of escape.

Shall be like God’s overthrowing. ⁽²⁰⁸⁾ He says that it is God’s overthrowing, that we may not think that it happens by chance, or that it has proceeded from the will of men. As it was not at random that the thunderbolt fell from heaven on Sodom, so it was not at random that Babylon fell down, but by the righteous vengeance of God, who, being always like himself, executed righteous judgment on them; and in like manner will execute the same judgment on all the reprobate till the end.

When Babylon is called the glory of kingdoms and splendid brightness, this is added for the sake of amplification, (πρὸς αὔξησιν,) in order to inform us, that no glory or splendor can hinder God from bringing the wicked to nought; for that overturn, having been incredible, afforded a more remarkable proof of Divine power.

(208) Bogus footnote

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 13

Now as we move into chapter 13 and he speaks of the burden of Babylon which Isaiah saw, you remember that we mentioned when we started the prophecy of Isaiah that in many of the prophecies, there was what we called the near fulfillment and the far fulfillment. The prophecies were sort of like a two-edged sword in that they had an immediate connotation, but oftentimes there was also a future connotation. So in the seventh chapter when he said, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, shall call his name Immanuel" ( Isaiah 7:14 ), and that had an immediate kind of a connotation, not of the virgin bearing a son, but a child born at that time before he is old enough to really know much the kings would be destroyed from Samaria and from Syria. But the far was a prophecy of Jesus Christ, born of the virgin Mary as was interpreted by Matthew in his gospel. So the near and the far of the prophetic fulfillment.

With Babylon in the book of Revelation chapter 17 and 18, we have details of the destruction of the ecclesiastical Babylon in chapter 17 and the commercial Babylon in chapter 18. Now this particular cry against Babylon is the same as Revelation 17:1-18; Revelation 18:1-24. It is talking about the ecclesiastical commercial Babylon of the last days. So this prophecy is carrying us out to these end times.

Lift up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles. I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: for the LORD of hosts is mustering the host of the battle ( Isaiah 13:2-4 ).

The kingdoms of nations. This, of course, Jesus said, "Kingdoms against kingdoms, nations shall rise against nations, kingdoms against kingdoms" ( Matthew 24:7 ). This would be one of the signs of His second coming, the worldwide state of wars. And so the gathering of God of these nations, the kingdoms of nations. This great gathering which is spoken of in Psalms 2:1-12 , "Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?" ( Psalms 2:1 ) For they have gathered together, the kings of the earth have gathered together against Jehovah and against His anointed or His Messiah saying, "We will not let them to rule over us," but God who dwells in the midst of heaven shall laugh, seeing that He has them in derision. And yet He will establish His kingdom upon the holy hill of Zion. So the whole Psalms 2:1-12 comes in to this picture here as we see now the kingdoms of nations gathered together in this last portion of the Great Tribulation period. And we're dealing now with that final period of Great Tribulation prior to the return of Jesus Christ. As the nations have gathered together really in a sense to try to hinder the establishing of the Lord's kingdom.

They come from far countries, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty ( Isaiah 13:5-6 ).

The day of God's vengeance and wrath, the day of God's judgment that is to be poured out in the Great Tribulation.

Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt: and they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travails: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames. Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened ( Isaiah 13:7-10 )

We are told this in Matthew 24:1-51 . Definitely we're in the Great Tribulation period.

the sun will be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine ( Isaiah 13:10 ).

Now upon whom is this coming? God's people, the church? Those servants that have been faithful unto Him? God forbid! We've not been appointed unto wrath, Paul tells us in both Romans and in Thessalonians, in case you didn't get it the first time. But God says,

And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity ( Isaiah 13:11 );

It is a punishment against the evil world and against the iniquity of the world. But "God has not appointed us unto wrath" ( 1 Thessalonians 5:9 ). Our iniquity has been forgiven through Jesus Christ. He bore God's wrath for my sin. And therefore, I will not have to face God's wrath when it is poured out upon the world. It is to be poured out upon a Christ-rejecting world. But I haven't rejected Christ. And that is why when Jesus talks about these very things, in Luke 21:1-38 , He says in talking of these things, "Pray ye always, that you'll be accounted worthy to escape all of these things, and to be standing before the Son of man" ( Luke 21:36 ). So when these things begin to take place, don't look for me down here; I'll be up around the throne of God saying, "Worthy is the Lamb to receive glory and honor and might and dominion and power."

and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold ( Isaiah 13:11-12 );

There will be a tremendous slaughter.

even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. Therefore [God said] I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place ( Isaiah 13:12-13 ),

Now this is interesting because more than one place God has made reference to the earth being shaken out of its place. In fact, God speaks about the "earth staggering to and fro like a drunken man" ( Isaiah 24:20 ). We'll get that as we move on in Isaiah. Isaiah tells us that. And will be moved out of her place. It would seem that the earth has gone through changes in its past.

It would appear that at one time the earth's orbit was a 360-day orbit, rather than the 365 and a quarter. It would seem that at one time the earth was not tilted at twenty-three and a third degrees on its axis. Because we know that at one time, there were tropical jungles around the North Pole. There were forests in the South Pole area. So the earth has gone through some tremendous upheavals. They believe that there has actually been a polar shift. In the book, Worlds in Collision, Immanuel Velikovsky suggests that the earth actually has changed its rotation from the present; that before, the earth actually rotated from west to east instead of east to west. And he gives you his reasons. You want to read the book, Worlds in Collisions; he gives quite a bit of argument in that vein.

Now the interesting thing is that we do know that in the Kingdom Age, God is going to restore the earth like it was during the time of Adam and Eve, back to the Garden of Eden where the deserts will disappear. The Bible speaks of that age where there will be streams in the deserts, rivers in dry places and all. And "the deserts will blossom and bud as a rose" ( Isaiah 35:1 ), and the desert areas being removed. The whole earth once again being like a giant garden.

Now, it is possible that in this earth being moved out of her place is a reference to another flip or a change of the polar axis, and rather than being tilted at twenty-three and a third degrees, which gives us our seasons, that the earth will be on pretty much a straight axis as far as its relationship to the sun, which would have quite a dramatic effect upon the earth. One, the ice caps of the polar regions would be melted. And the polar regions would again become very lush places as far as warmer climate. With this greater mass of water, there would be more evaporation now, as the sun would draw more water into the atmosphere and it could be that once again the earth would be covered with the water canopy. As the temperatures would be equalized with the equator and the poles, you would no longer have these tremendous cold-hot areas where the winds would be formed and created coming down from the poles from the cold areas, coming into these warmer areas where the heat rises and the cold air comes flowing in to fill it. And you could get rid of the violent storms. Again, you'd have only very gentle breezes and a very lush kind of an atmosphere around the whole earth. And I may not even have to go to Hawaii. You could go to Death Valley and the thing is going to be like a glorious garden with rivers and waterfalls and beautiful ferns and everything else, you know.

The whole earth, the scripture said, will be filled with His glory. And so God is going to restore it, and it could very well be that in this very shaking of the earth and removing it out of its place, it could be a reference to that.

Now the physicists who talk about the shifting of the polar axis refer to the earth's wobble. That the earth before the flip of the polar axis or the shift of the polar axis goes into a wobble state and then it shifts. When you read where Isaiah said, "The earth will stagger to and fro like a drunken man," it would be describing the wobble and then it said, "And shall be moved out of her place." So it is very possible that the scriptures are actually prophesying a polar axis shift that could bring a whole new climate around the whole world and setting it up for the Kingdom Age where God restores it back like it once was, where there were no burning deserts, where there, you know, where the whole earth was able to produce and all.

And really, if you fly from... You hear of the population explosion and all of this and the earth is getting too crowded, but all you have to do is get in a jet and fly all over the United States and you'll see all of that vast territory that is not inhabited. It's not fit for habitation because of the deserts and everything else. But if God would restore all of that, make all that area habitable, there's plenty of room for every child of God.

So interesting reference here. Just what it all indicates, we are free to guess, but we really don't know. But again he refers to

the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger ( Isaiah 13:13 ).

So this is in the period of the judgment where God shakes the thing and turns it. But this all is a preface to His return, the day of God's wrath. You remember that Revelation chapter 6 tells us that the people of the earth will be crying unto the rocks and the mountains saying, "Fall on us, and hide us from the face of the Lamb: for His day of wrath has come; and who shall be able to stand?" ( Revelation 6:16-17 )

Now does it really make sense to you that God would place His church in the middle of all of this when He specifically told us that He has not appointed us unto wrath? What kind of a mentality would try to insist and encourage everyone to gear up for it that you're going to have to be here? Calling us escapisms or escapists or whatever. I just can't understand.

And so he speaks about

And it shall be as the chased roe ( Isaiah 13:14 ),

And this is referring to the Jews.

They will be a sheep that no man takes up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land. Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword ( Isaiah 13:14-15 ).

The fierce anger.

Their children also shall be dashed in pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished ( Isaiah 13:16 ).

Now I told you Isaiah's prophecy jumped from far to near, near to far. This would seem to be a near reference to the Babylonian invasion as we get to verse Isaiah 13:14 , because in Psalms 137:8 , Psalms 137:9 ,the psalmist opens that Psalms 137:1-9 by declaring, "When we were in Babylon, we hanged our harps on the willow tree and we cried. They said unto us, 'Sing us one of your songs of Zion.' But how can we sing of Zion when we are in captivity?" ( Psalms 137:1-4 ), and so forth. And then he takes out against Babylon and he said, "Happy will be they who dash your children in the street, even as you dashed our children." Psalms 137:8 , Psa 137:9 comes into play here and it was a reference to the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem.

But then Babylon itself will be destroyed. Verse Isaiah 13:17 :

Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it. Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children. And Babylon, the glory of the kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah ( Isaiah 13:17-19 ).

Now here is an interesting thing. Isaiah is predicting that the Medes will be destroying the Babylonian kingdom, and at this point, the Assyrian empire was really the predominant empire. Babylonian empire had not yet taken Assyria. And, of course, the Medes were just a small insignificant tribe when he actually prophesied that they will be the destroyers of the great Babylonian kingdom.

Only God could have known that, and thus, God proves that He is God and the author of the book by writing of these things, showing that He is outside of our time domain. Knowing the end from the beginning.

And speaking of the destruction of Babylonian:

It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs [or demons] shall dance there. And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged ( Isaiah 13:20-22 ).

So the destruction of Babylon by the Medes. "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

B. God’s sovereignty over the nations chs. 13-35

This major section of the book emphasizes the folly of trusting in the nations rather than in Yahweh. The section preceding it shows how King Ahaz trusted in Assyria and experienced destruction (chs. 7-12). The section following it shows how King Hezekiah trusted in the Lord and experienced deliverance (chs. 36-39). In this present section, the prophet expanded his perspective from Israel to include the world. The God of Israel is also Lord of the nations. This whole section of the book expands the idea that all the kingdoms of the world will become the kingdom of God and His Christ, Immanuel (cf. Daniel 2:44).

1. Divine judgments on the nations chs. 13-23

"This second section of the book’s first main unit [chs. 1-39] presents a series of judgment oracles against various nations (chapters 13-23). This litany of judgment sets the stage for a vision of worldwide judgment that ushers in the Lord’s kingdom on earth (chapters 24-27)." [Note: Chisholm, Handbook on . . ., p. 46.]

The recurrence of the Hebrew word massa’, translated "oracle" or "burden," prescribes the boundaries of this section of text. There are 10 oracles beginning in Isaiah 13:1; Isaiah 14:28; Isaiah 15:1; Isaiah 17:1; Isaiah 19:1; Isaiah 21:1; Isaiah 21:11; Isaiah 21:13; Isaiah 22:1 and Isaiah 23:1. Chapters 13-23 present the nations over which Immanuel is ruler, and they announce judgment on them all for their pride (Isaiah 10:5-34; cf. Isaiah 2:6-22; Isaiah 13:11; Isaiah 13:19; Isaiah 14:11; Isaiah 16:6; Isaiah 17:7-11; Isaiah 23:9). They are announcements of doom on these nations, but they are also announcements of salvation for Israel if she would trust in Yahweh. Isaiah delivered them to the Israelites, rather than to the nations mentioned, at various times during his prophetic ministry. Thus they assured God’s people of Yahweh’s sovereignty over the nations with a view to encouraging them to rely in the Lord (cf. Jeremiah 46-51; Ezekiel 25-32; Amos 1-2). It would be foolish to trust in nations whom God has doomed. The unifying theme is the pride of these nations. Exalting self and failing to submit to God results in destruction.

". . . He [God] will hold every nation accountable for its actions." [Note: A. Martin, Isaiah . . ., p. 47.]

Alec Motyer provided a helpful diagram of the structure of this section (chs. 13-23) and the one that follows it (chs. 24-27). [Note: Adapted from Motyer, p. 133.]

Note that each of the first two columns of oracles (chs. 13-23) begins with Babylon, and the fourth section of each of these columns deals with Israel, which the peoples of the world surround in the literary structure of the passage. In the first column: Babylon is to Israel’s north, Philistia to the west, Moab to the east, and Egypt to the south. In the second column: Babylon is to the north, Edom to the south, Arabia to the east, and Tyre to the west. Thus the selection of these nations in the literary structure of the passage suggests that Israel occupies the central place in God’s plans, and the surrounding nations are vulnerable. [Note: See the map of Palestine at the end of these notes.]

"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." [Note: The NET Bible note on 13:1.]

The first series of five oracles chs. 13-20

The first series (column) shows that God has placed Israel at the center of His dealings with the Gentile nations. The second series of oracles projects the principles revealed in the first series into the future, moving from concrete historical names to more enigmatic allusions. The third series points far ahead into the eschatological future but shows that the same principles will apply then. God’s dealings with the nations in Isaiah’s day were a sign of His similar dealings with them in the future.

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

This pericope foretells the destruction of Babylon. Prophecies of the day of the Lord may describe the eschatological judgment coming (Isaiah 13:2-16), or a more recent, limited judgment coming (Isaiah 13:17-22). Each soon-coming judgment on a particular segment of humanity foreshadows the great eschatological judgment that will fall on the whole human race in the Tribulation. This destruction of Babylon was a judgment of the Lord in a day that would be closer to Isaiah’s own time, a near and limited fulfillment of the day that the prophet just described. The fall of Assyria (Isaiah 14:24-27) was one fulfillment, and the later fall of Babylon (Isaiah 13:17-22) was another. The same principles that operate in the eschatological day of the Lord just described also operate in the earlier days of the Lord. [Note: See G. von Rad, "The Origin of the Concept of the Day of Yahweh," Journal of Semitic Studies 4:2 (1959):97-108; and A. Joseph Everson, "The Days of Yahweh," Journal of Biblical Literature 93:3 (September 1974):329-37.]

Part of the Lord’s warriors would be the Medes, who occupied what is now central Iran. In Isaiah’s day, the Medes were already a powerful people that the Assyrians dreaded. They would destroy Babylon. They united with the Babylonians to destroy the last vestiges of the Assyrian Empire in 609 B.C. Still later, it was the Medes and the Persians who overthrew Babylon in 539 B.C. (cf. Esther 10:2; Daniel 5:30-31; Daniel 6:8; Daniel 6:12; Daniel 6:15). The Medes valued silver and gold less than military conquest; they could not be bought off, but mercilessly slew every enemy (Isaiah 13:17-18). Revenge motivated them more than booty. [Note: Delitzsch, 1:303.]

"The Medes are probably mentioned here rather than the Persians because of their greater ferocity and also because they were better known to the people of Isaiah’s day. According to the Greek historian Xenophon, Cyrus acknowledged that the Medes had served his cause without thought of monetary reward." [Note: Grogan, p. 103. Cf. Delitzsch, 1:302-3.]

In the late 700s B.C., Babylon was the showcase of the ancient world, specifically the showcase of the Assyrian Empire. She was culturally and economically superior to Assyria and was ascending politically. The Chaldeans were the ruling class that had been responsible for the supremacy of Babylon. However, Isaiah announced, Babylon would experience the same fate as Sodom and Gomorrah: destruction from the Lord’s hand (Isaiah 13:19). After her judgment, Babylon would be uninhabitable even by nomads. Wild animals would be the only residents of the once great city. This destruction would come soon, and it would not be delayed (Isaiah 13:20-22).

Babylonia was under the Assyrian yoke when Isaiah gave this prophecy, probably during Hezekiah’s reign (715-686 B.C.). She was one of the nations, along with Egypt, to which Judah was looking as a possible savior. This prophecy showed that Babylon was not a safe object for trust because God would destroy her.

Has this prophecy been fulfilled? Babylon suffered defeat in 689 B.C. when Assyria (including the Medes), under Sennacherib, devastated it (cf. Isaiah 23:13), but the city was rebuilt. Many interpreters believe that the fall of Babylon in 539 B.C. to Cyrus fulfilled this prophecy, [Note: E.g., Archer, p. 621; the NET Bible note on 13:22.] but Cyrus left the city intact. Others believe the destruction-that Darius Hystaspes began in 518 B.C., and that Xerxes later completed-was the fulfillment. [Note: E.g., Delitzsch, 1:304.] Some scholars believe that what Isaiah predicted here never took place literally, at least completely, so the fulfillment lies in the future. [Note: E.g., G. H. Lang, Histories and Prophecies of Daniel, pp. 33-34; Kenneth W. Allen, "The Rebuilding and Destruction of Babylon," Bibliotheca Sacra 133:529 (January 1976):19-27; and Charles H. Dyer, The Rise of Babylon: Sign of the End Times; J. Martin, p. 1060.] Many conservatives argue for a near and a far fulfillment. I think the destruction in 689 B.C. that resulted in Babylon’s temporary desolation fulfilled this prophecy (cf. Isaiah 13:22 b), and I believe there will also be an eschatological judgment of Babylon (Revelation 17-18), though not necessarily one that requires the rebuilding of the city. Destruction terminology, such as appears in this passage, is common in the annals of ancient Near Eastern nations. It speaks generally and hyperbolically of devastating defeat and destruction, but it did not always involve exact or detailed fulfillment. [Note: See Homer Heater Jr., "Do the Prophets Teach that Babylonia Will Be Rebuilt in the Eschaton?" Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 41:1 (March 1998):36, for further specifics.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms,.... The first and most ancient kingdom, Genesis 10:10 and now, at the time of its fall, the largest and most extensive; wherefore of the image Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream, which was a representation of several kingdoms, this was the head, the head of gold, Daniel 2:31 so Babylon is called the "lady of kingdoms", Isaiah 47:5 the word here used for "glory" is the same with that which is rendered a "roe", Isaiah 13:14. Babylon was once as a pleasant roe, but now a chased one:

the beauty of the Chaldees excellency; the glory of that nation; what they gloried in, being so famous for pompous buildings, number of inhabitants, riches and wealth, see Daniel 4:30. Pliny n calls it the head of the Chaldean nations, and says it obtained great fame in the whole world:

shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah; which, though not at once, and by fire from heaven, as that was, yet was of God, and, when completed, was, like that, irrecoverable; which was begun by Cyrus and Darius, and in after times finished; and besides there was a circumstance which made it similar to that; for as the men of Sodom were eating and drinking, when their destruction came upon them, so Belshazzar, and his nobles, were feasting and revelling when the city was taken. The Jews o say, that, after Belshazzar was slain, Darius reigned one year, and in his second year the city was overthrown, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah by fire from heaven; but without any foundation; for certain it is that Babylon was in being many years after this, and continued to the time of Alexander the great.

n Nat. Hist. l. 6. c. 26. o Jarchi & Kimchi ex Seder Olam Rabba, c. 28.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      19 And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.   20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.   21 But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there.   22 And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces: and her time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolonged.

      The great havoc and destruction which it was foretold should be made by the Medes and Persians in Babylon here end in the final destruction of it. 1. It is allowed that Babylon was a noble city. It was the glory of kingdoms and the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency; it was that head of gold (Daniel 2:37; Daniel 2:38); it was called the lady of kingdoms (Isaiah 47:5; Isaiah 47:5), the praise of the whole earth (Jeremiah 51:41), like a pleasant roe (so the word signifies); but it shall be as a chased roe,Isaiah 13:14; Isaiah 13:14. The Chaldeans gloried in the beauty and wealth of this their metropolis. 2. It is foretold that it should be wholly destroyed, like Sodom and Gomorrah; not so miraculously, nor so suddenly, but as effectually, though gradually; and the destruction should come upon them as that upon Sodom, when they were secure, eating and drinking, Luke 17:28; Luke 17:29. Babylon was taken when Belshazzar was in his revels; and, though Cyrus and Darius did not demolish it, yet by degrees it wasted away and in process of time it went all to ruin. It is foretold here (Isaiah 13:20; Isaiah 13:20) that it shall never be inhabited; in Adrian's time nothing remained but the wall. And whereas it is prophesied concerning Nineveh, that great city, that when it should be deserted and left desolate yet flocks should lie down in the midst of it, it is here said concerning Babylon that the Arabians, who were shepherds, should not make their folds there; the country about should be so barren that there would be no grazing there; no, not for sheep. Nay, it shall be the receptacle of wild beasts, that affect solitude; the houses of Babylon, where the sons and daughters of pleasure used to rendezvous, shall be full of doleful creatures, owls and satyrs, that are themselves frightened thither, as to a place proper for them, and by whom all others are frightened thence. Historians say that this was fulfilled in the letter. Benjamin Bar-Jona, in his Itinerary, speaking of Babel, has these words: "This is that Babel which was of old thirty miles in breadth; it is now laid waste. There are yet to be seen the ruins of a palace of Nebuchadnezzar, but the sons of men dare not enter in, for fear of serpents and scorpions, which possess the place." Let none be proud of their pompous palaces, for they know not but they may become worse than cottages; nor let any think that their houses shall endure for ever (Psalms 49:11), when perhaps nothing may remain but the ruins and reproaches of them. 3. It is intimated that this destruction should come shortly (Isaiah 13:22; Isaiah 13:22): Her time is near to come. This prophecy of the destruction of Babylon was intended for the support and comfort of the people of God when they were captives there and grievously oppressed; and the accomplishment of the prophecy was nearly 200 years after the time when it was delivered; yet it followed soon after the time for which it was calculated. When the people of Israel were groaning under the heavy yoke of Babylonish tyranny, sitting down in tears by the rivers of Babylon and upbraided with the songs of Zion, when their insolent oppressors were most haughty and arrogant (Isaiah 13:11; Isaiah 13:11), then let them know, for their comfort, that Babylon's time, her day to fall, is near to come, and the days of her prosperity shall not be prolonged, as they have been. When God begins with her he will make an end. Thus it is said of the destruction of the New-Testament Babylon, whereof the former was a type, In one hour has her judgment come.