AN ORACLE CONCERNING Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
2Raise a banner on a bare hilltop,
shout to them;
beckon to them
to enter the gates of the nobles.
3I have commanded my holy ones;
I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath—
those who rejoice in my triumph.
4Listen, a noise on the mountains,
like that of a great multitude!
Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms,
like nations massing together!
The LORD Almighty is mustering
an army for war.
5They come from faraway lands,
from the ends of the heavens—
the LORD and the weapons of his wrath—
to destroy the whole country.
6Wail, for the day of the LORD is near;
it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
7Because of this, all hands will go limp,
every man’s heart will melt.
8Terror will seize them,
pain and anguish will grip them;
they will writhe like a woman in labor.
They will look aghast at each other,
their faces aflame.
9See, the day of the LORD is coming
—a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger—
to make the land desolate
and destroy the sinners within it.
10The stars of heaven and their constellations
will not show their light.
The rising sun will be darkened
and the moon will not give its light.
11I will punish the world for its evil,
the wicked for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty
and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
12I will make man scarcer than pure gold,
more rare than the gold of Ophir.
13Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;
and the earth will shake from its place
at the wrath of the LORD Almighty,
in the day of his burning anger.
14Like a hunted gazelle,
like sheep without a shepherd,
each will return to his own people,
each will flee to his native land.
15Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
all who are caught will fall by the sword.
16Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
their houses will be looted and their wives ravished.
17See, I will stir up against them the Medes,
who do not care for silver
and have no delight in gold.
18Their bows will strike down the young men;
they will have no mercy on infants
nor will they look with compassion on children.
19Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,
the glory of the Babylonians’ pride,
will be overthrown by God
like Sodom and Gomorrah.
20She will never be inhabited
or lived in through all generations;
no Arab will pitch his tent there,
no shepherd will rest his flocks there.
21But desert creatures will lie there,
jackals will fill her houses;
there the owls will dwell,
and there the wild goats will leap about.
22Hyenas will howl in her strongholds,
jackals in her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,
and her days will not be prolonged.
Original Meaning
AS NOTED IN the introduction, Isaiah 7–12 and 36–39 are “bookends,” dealing with the different ways in which two Judean kings, Ahaz and Hezekiah, approach the problem of trust in God in the face of serious military/political threats to their kingdom. But what lies between in the intervening chapters? We might call them “Lessons in Trust.”
It is as though the student has failed the examination in chapters 7–12. So before this student is allowed to take the examination again in chapter 36, some tutoring is necessary. The tutoring falls into three sessions: chapters 13–23; 24–27; and 28–33, with a wrap-up in 34–35. Here are some of the subjects covered in the tutoring sessions:
• Why trust the nations when they are under judgment from God (chs. 13–23)?
• Why trust the nations when all of history is in our God’s hands (chs. 24–27)?
• Those who counsel you to trust flesh and blood instead of the Spirit of God are fools (chs. 28–35).
Once these lessons have been presented, it will be time to take the test again, but this time, as the prophet has foretold, for much higher stakes: not merely for the survival of the Davidic dynasty but for the very survival of the nation.
The material in chapters 13–23 fits a category found in several of the prophets: oracles against the nations (see esp. Jer. 46–51; Ezek. 25–32, but note also Obadiah and Nahum, which are each composed of a single such oracle—Obadiah against Edom and Nahum against Assyria). In general these oracles are God’s way of saying that just because he chooses to use the pagan nations as his tool to judge disobedient Israel and Judah does not mean those nations are going to escape judgment for their sins. Israel will be restored after disciplinary punishment, but some of these nations are going to disappear from the face of the earth.
As I have already said, the oracles against the nations have been placed at this point in the book of Isaiah to emphasize the foolishness of trusting in the nations, something Ahaz has done and Hezekiah will be tempted to do. They may also be at this place to underline the certainty of the promises of restoration made in Isaiah 11. The nations will not be able to hold their captives because God will certainly judge them. The particular nations marked for judgment are Babylon (13:1–14:23; 21:1–10 [and Assyria, 14:24–27]), Philistia (14:28–32), Moab (15:1–16:14), Damascus (Syria, 17:1–14), Cush (Nubia and Ethiopia, 18:1–7), Egypt (19:1–20:6), Dumah (Edom? 21:11–12), Arabia (21:13–17), Jerusalem (Judah, 22:1–25), and Tyre (23:1–18). There is no obvious reason for this particular selection or this particular arrangement, although scholars have tried valiantly to find one.1 About the most one can say is that it is an inclusive list, covering the whole ancient Near Eastern world (omitting only Ammon), beginning with the great commercial power in the east, Babylon, and concluding with the great commercial power in the west, Tyre.
Address Against Babylon (13:1)
THE FACT THAT the first oracle (chs. 13–14) begins with Babylon, which was not a world power in Isaiah’s lifetime, is often taken to be proof of the late date of the book. According to this argument, the later editors of the book, realizing that it was Babylon to whom Judah fell and not Assyria, inserted this oracle at this point. But the opening lines of chapter 13 seem to have been designed precisely to counter such a conclusion. We are told that “Isaiah son of Amoz,” not some later editor, saw this oracle against Babylon. Either this is a truthful statement or a deception. If it is a deception, then the reliability of the other things that are said in the book, including its theological claims, are all in question.2 The final chapter of this division (ch. 39) shows that Isaiah clearly understood Babylon as the enemy to whom Judah would finally fall.
If we grant Isaiah enough perspicuity to know that Babylon was Judah’s real enemy, then it is not too much to believe that God could have inspired this oracle, especially since it contains many features that were perennially true of Babylon.3 Even during the time of the Assyrian Empire, Babylon was the center of culture and civilization in the Mesopotamian valley and indeed in the entire Near East. Thus, it is fitting to begin a series of judgments against human power and glory with an oracle against Babylon.4
When compared with the other oracle against Babylon in 21:1–10, chapters 13–14 have a much more universal flavor. The very stars and constellations are darkened (13:10), the whole world is punished for its arrogance and haughtiness (13:115), and the “heavens” and “earth” will be shaken. The king of Babylon (ch. 14) is also clearly much more than one particular ruler, although Sargon II of Assyria may have provided the model (see comments on 14:16–21). Clearly this figure represents all creaturely pride that believes it can contend with God for rule of the world. Thus, the introductory oracle uses Babylon to represent the pride and glory of all creation and to argue that at its greatest and highest, there is no reason to trust any such creatures, because the Lord God will bring them all down into the dust.
The Terror of Coming Judgment (13:2–8)
IN THIS STANZA the terror of the coming judgment is emphasized. Once again (cf. 5:26), a signal “banner” is run up to call the various nations to come against God’s enemy in judgment (13:2; see 5:26). But these armies come from the very “ends of the heavens” (13:5). This is not a merely historical judgment but an eschatological one. Furthermore, there is no question who is the effective cause of this uproar. It is “I,” “the LORD Almighty,”6 “the Almighty.”7 Even the mightiest and most glorious of earth’s nations is no match for the God who has placed his name on Jerusalem. Against him there will be no mighty blows, only limp hands and melted hearts (13:7). Nor will there be any arrogant looks, only the red faces of shame and disgrace (13:8).
The Sin of Pride (13:9–13)
AS SEEN IN the earliest chapters of Isaiah, the greatest of all the sins of creation is the sin of pride. For those who depend for their very existence on the continued grace of a loving Creator to act as if they are somehow ultimate is the worst trespass upon reality imaginable. Oftentimes, the pagan deification of humanity expresses itself in the fiction that the gods, made in human form, are the stars. In fact, says Isaiah, the opposite is true. Far from the stars being the guarantee of our lordship of creation, they are the dutiful servants of the Almighty, and they will not escape the cataclysms when he punishes rebellious earth. He will darken them and shake them (13:10, 13).
The Collapse of Power (13:14–22)
ISAIAH NOW TAKES up a somewhat more historical note, although the language still retains a distinctly universalistic tone. Verses 14–15 describe the break-up of the collection of city-states out of which every ancient empire was crafted. As the central power began to collapse, it was quickly every city (“native land”) for itself, as everyone rushed to get some modicum of protection. But, in fact, there would be no protection, for the strongest of men could not save his wife, his children, or his possessions (13:16).
The “Medes” were a warlike people from the Zagros Mountains east of the Tigris River (in what is today Iran). They seem to have loved fighting more than ruling, for they were successively allied with Assyria, Babylon, and Persia. Only the Greeks under Alexander proved their match, and even the Greeks spoke of the Medes with a certain degree of awe. Here (13:17), with prophetic inspiration, Isaiah recognizes that the Medes are the ones who will undo the Mesopotamian power as they first join Babylon to destroy Assyria and then join the Persians to wipe out Babylon. Neither the strong (“the young men”) nor the weak (“infants,” “children,” 13:18) will receive any quarter from them, so that Babylon’s destruction will be complete (13:19–22).
Although the Medo-Persian conquest of Babylon did not signal the city’s immediate demise, it did signal the beginning of the end. The Persians had dual capital cities in Susa in Persia and Ecbatana in Media, while the successors of Alexander made their capitol in Antioch of Syria. Thus, the greatest city in the ancient world went into a slow decline so that in the eighteenth century A.D., even its location was unknown. Isaiah’s prophecy about its becoming a haunt of “hyenas” and “jackals” (13:22) came true with a vengeance. Was it the glory of the world? Listen to the owls hooting in its windows and the goats bleating as they jump over the stumps of its walls!
Bridging Contexts
ON THE SURFACE, Isaiah seems to be picking an uneven fight. What can the God of tiny little Jerusalem do to mighty Babylon? Of course Isaiah knows something that the rulers of Babylon do not. The Holy One of Israel is the sole God of the whole world, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Yes, it is an uneven fight, but in the exact opposite direction from what the Babylonians may be thinking.
Many years after Isaiah, when Babylon was at the height of its power, the God of the exiled Judeans humbled Nebuchadnezzar, the mightiest Babylonian king of all time, to eat grass like an ox (Dan. 4:24–35). The words that Nebuchadnezzar spoke at the end of that experience are true then and now (see 4:34b–35):
His dominion is an eternal dominion;
his kingdom endures from generation to generation.
All the peoples of the earth
are regarded as nothing.
with the powers of heaven
and the peoples of the earth.
No one can hold back his hand
or say to him, “What have you done?”
Compared to the glory of the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the glory of the greatest Babylon that the earth can produce is only dust and ashes.
John the Revelator said much the same thing six centuries after Nebuchadnezzar, when he depicted the Babylon of his day, Rome, as a gorgeous prostitute to whom all the great of the earth came. Yet, using language that clearly combines that used to describe Babylon here and Tyre in Isaiah 23, the prophet writes that all her wealth and power will come to nothing:
“Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!
She has become a home for demons
and a haunt for every evil spirit,
a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird.
For all the nations have drunk
the maddening wine of her adulteries.
The kings of the earth have committed adultery with her,
and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.
‘Woe! Woe, O great city,
O Babylon, city of Power!
In one hour your doom has come!’” (Rev. 18:2–3, 10)
Today, all that remains of ancient Rome is a collection of impressive ruins. “Eternal Rome” did not last for even a thousand years. More recently, the world-spanning British Empire, on which “the sun never set,” was more presciently described by Rudyard Kipling when he said, “Lo, all our wealth of yesterday is one with Nineveh and Tyre.”8
Contemporary Significance
IT IS ALL TOO EASY to be blown away by the glory of this world. We see the glamour of the movie stars; we see the power that wealth gives; we see aircraft carriers and intercontinental ballistic missiles, and we think, “Ah, there is reality.” But that is not where glory resides. Isaiah heard the seraphim correctly when they sang, “The whole earth is full of his glory.”
Imagine if New York City, arguably the most glamorous and powerful city on the earth, were struck with a nuclear attack this afternoon. What would all the glamour and power be worth in one millisecond? Exactly nothing. Isaiah knows nothing about nuclear physics, but he knows about a God to whom earth’s mightiest nuclear explosion is less than a sneeze. What is the fusion of a few atoms of uranium to the One who spoke a word of command and the “Big Bang” occurred?
Yet we all, like the ancient Hebrews, persist in trusting everything else before God. We give our allegiance to flesh and blood, to physical things, as though they can give us significance and worth. In fact, they are all passing faster than we can imagine. In childhood the days seem to stretch on and on forever, and the month of December takes several years to pass—or so it seems. With the passing of years, the days begin to fly by, and we begin to see that some things we thought were so important will shortly be gone.
So wisdom asks: What will survive the wreck of all human accomplishments? It is not the works of humans, amassed by cleverness and oppression. Nor is it even our finer works of art and culture. In the end, while they may survive their creators, they are as fragile as we are. One day the finest cathedrals will fall, as did Solomon’s temple. One day, the Mona Lisa will crumble into dust. If we trust our power, someone will emerge more powerful than we; if we trust our intelligence, someone will emerge smarter than we; if we trust our creativity, someone will emerge more creative than we; if we trust our allies, they will one day run away before an enemy mightier than we, and they may even become the enemy themselves.
Whence comes this endless string of supersedence? It comes from the fact that we are neither self-originating nor self-authenticating. Thus, it is foolish to trust in humanity that has breath in its nostrils (Isa. 2:22). Rather, we should be looking to the eternal, which will not pass away. We may love our country and grieve over the unmistakable signs of its demise that are all around us. But if we put our hope in its eventual recovery and success, that is a vain hope. Yes, God may give us a revival, and we may have years to come. But the end is inevitable. Why trust the veil when we may trust him who is behind the veil and will assuredly one day pull that veil to the ground?
Once again, Christ’s words come to mind: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt. 7:24). If we put our trust in God and give our lives to finding out his nature and purposes, that will endure whatever crashes time may bring on us. Nations may—indeed, will—fall, but we can stand. The apostle Peter said it well when he said,
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:10–11)
While the “these things” he is talking about may be our calling and election, it is more likely that he is referring to the “these things” in verses 8–9 (NIV “these qualities” in v. 8, “them” in v. 9), namely, the virtues of faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. These will endure because they are the very qualities of God. If we, in response to his grace, have given our lives to pursuing him, we too will endure (John 12:25–26).