Table of Contents
Isaiah 13
Isaiah 13
1 The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz did see.
2 Lift ye 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.
3 I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
4 The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
5 They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6 Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
7 Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
9 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.
10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11 And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
14 And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land.
15 Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined unto them shall fall by the sword.
16 Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished.
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.
18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eyes shall not spare children.
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.
Notes
Cross Reference
Commentary
Rashi
Verse 1
<html><b>The harsh prophecy of Babylon</b> The prophecy of the retribution which [will fall] upon Babylon.</html>
Verse 2
<html><b>On a tranquil mountain raise a banner</b> to gather. On a tranquil, trusting, undisturbed mountain, raise a banner to the nations and raise your voice to those gathering, that they come upon it. <b>wave your hand</b> Wave your hand to the distant ones who cannot hear, and let them see the waving of the hand and enter the gates of the nobles, of the princes of Babylon. <b>the gates</b> Heb. פִּתְחֵי. As though it would say, בְּפִתְחֵי, into the gates. Comp. (Gen. 38:11) “Stay as a widow in your father’s house (בֵּית אָבִיךְ),” interpreted as בְּבֵיתאָבִיךְ. Menachem ben Seruk (Machbereth Menachem p. 147) interpreted it as swords. Comp. (Psalms 55:22) “And they are drawn swords (פְּתִיחוֹת).”</html>
Verse 3
<html><b>I commanded My appointed ones</b> that they come and commence to incite them, and they are Persia and Media, the men of Cyrus and Darius, whom I appointed for this. <b>I summoned My heroes to [execute] My wrath</b> To execute My wrath upon them, for they rejoice in My pride that I boast of them.</html>
Verse 5
<html><b>and the weapons of His fury</b> They are the mighty men of Media and Persia. <b>to destroy all the land</b> of Babylonia.</html>
Verse 6
<html><b>like a raid</b> Like a day of plunder, from the Holy One, blessed be He, it shall come.</html>
Verse 7
<html><b>all hands</b> of the Babylonians.</html>
Verse 8
<html><b>pangs and throes</b> (צִירִים וַחֲבָלִים) These are expressions of pains of a woman who kneels to give birth, for the hinges (צִירִים) of her womb break apart to open. <b>they shall writhe</b> Heb. יְחִילוּן. חִיל, חַלְחָלָה are expressions of shivering. <b>each man shall be amazed at his fellow</b> The Babylonians will be amazed at those who advanced against them, for they are peculiar. <b>their faces are faces of flames</b> A nation whose faces are red and very frightful, [or alternatively, because they are a pensive people, and he compares the Babylonians to them because of the amazement.]</html>
Verse 9
<html><b>and its sinners</b> Heb. וְחַטָּאֶיהָ, similar to חוֹטְאֶיהָ.</html>
Verse 10
<html><b>and its constellations</b> Similar to מַזָּלוֹתֵיהֶם. <b>illuminate</b> Heb. יָהֵלּוּ. They shall illuminate, and so (Job 29:3), “When his lamp shone,” (בְּהִלּוֹ)” (ibid. 31:26). The light when it shone brightly (יָהֵל). <b>the sun has become dark</b> Because of their distress, it seems to them as though the sun has become dark.</html>
Verse 11
<html><b>upon the earth</b> On their land.</html>
Verse 12
<html><b>I will make mortal man dearer than fine gold</b> On that night I will honor Daniel more than fine gold. When they brought him to read the writing (Dan. 5:25): “Mene mene tekel ufarsin”; (ibid. 5: 25) “Then Belshazzar ordered, and they dressed Daniel in purple…” <b>more than a collection of the gold of Ophir</b> Heb. מִכֶּתֶם אוֹפִיר, a collection of the gold of Ophir.</html>
Verse 13
<html><b>I will make heaven quake</b> All their host will quake when I cast down the prince of Babylon, for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not punish the nations until He punishes their heavenly princes first, as Scripture states (infra 24:21): “The Lord shall visit upon the heavenly host on high,” and afterwards, “on the kings of the earth on the earth.” Scripture states further (infra 14:12): “How have you fallen from heaven, Lucifer, the morning star?” And then, “You have been cut down to the ground, you who cast lots on nations.” Here too, first, “I will make heaven quake,” and afterwards, “the earth will quake.” Its inhabitants shall quake at the news of its downfall, for they shall be astonished at the event.</html>
Verse 14
<html><b>And he shall be</b> i.e., every inhabitant of Babylon. <b>like a roving deer</b> i.e., like a deer roving from its place.</html>
Verse 15
<html><b>Everyone who is found</b> outside, shall be stabbed. <b>and anyone who takes refuge</b> with the people of the city to be included with them in the siege, shall fall by the sword when the city capitulates. נִסְפֶּה is an expression similar to (Deut. 29:18): “To add the unintentional sins to the lustful ones (סְפוֹת)”; (infra 29:1) “Add year upon year (סְפוּ)”; (Jer. 7:21) “Add (סְפוּ) to your sacrifices.” [akojjlir in O.F.], to join.</html>
Verse 16
<html><b>shall be dashed</b> Heb. יְרֻטָּשׁוּ. Comp. (verse 18) “Shall dash (תְּרַטַּשְׁנָה) youths.”</html>
Verse 17
<html><b>Behold I stir up Media against them</b> Darius the Mede assassinated Belshazzar. So Scripture states (Dan. 5:30): “On that very night, Belshazzar…was slain”; (ibid. 6:1) “And Darius the Mede acquired the kingdom.” <b>and do not desire gold</b> They do not care [for anything,] but to kill and to avenge the harm the kings of Babylon did to all the peoples.</html>
Verse 18
<html><b>And the bows</b> of the peoples of Media. <b>youths</b> of Babylon. <b>shall dash</b> shall split with their arrows that they shoot with their bows. <b>newborn</b> [lit. fruit of the womb] Frail infants.</html>
Verse 19
<html><b>And Babylon…shall be</b> Two calamities befell her in two years. Darius assassinated Belshazzar and ruled a year, and in the second year it was turned over like Sodom from heaven. And so we learned in Seder Olam (ch. 28). And in that year the news came concerning Darius, and after him, in the year, the news, and Babylon that was the beauty of the kingdoms…that was the leader and the head of the kingdoms and that was the glory of the pride of the Chaldees now, shall be like the overturning of Sodom.</html>
Verse 20
<html><b>and no Arab shall pitch his tent there</b> Heb. יַהֵל, like יַאֲהֵל. Even Arabs, who customarily dwell in tents and move their livestock from place to place, will not be pleased with Babylon, to set up their tents there, for it will not even be fit for pasture for flocks. And do not wonder about לֹא יַהֵל, which is explained like לֹא יַאֲהֵל, for there are many places in which the sound of the letter is substituted for the letter, and so (Job 35:11), “He teaches us (מַלְפֵנוּ) from the beasts of the earth,” like מְאַלְפֵנוּ, and so, (Prov. 17:4), “A liar hearkens (מֵזִין) to a destructive tongue,” like מַאֲזִין.</html>
Verse 21
<html><b>martens</b> Heb. צִיִּים. Jonathan translates: תַּמְוָן, identical with נִמִּיּוֹת [found in the Talmud] martrines in O.F. <b>ferrets</b> Heb. אֹחִים. I do not know what kind of animal they are. [אֹחִים is an expression of thorns, thistles, and briars.] <b>and satyrs</b> demons.</html>
Verse 22
<html><b>And cats shall dwell in his palaces</b> Heb. וְעָנָה אִיִּים בְּאַלְמְנוֹתָיו. And cats shall dwell in his palaces. h.וְעָנַָה is similar to (Hosea 2:17) “And she shall dwell (וְעָנְתָה) there.” Also (Nahum 2:13) “And his dens (וּמְעוֹנוֹתָיו) with what he had torn.” וְעָנָה may also be interpreted as an expression of raising the voice. <b>and serpents</b> shall dwell [or howl] in their temples of pleasure. <b>and her days</b> The days of her flourishing shall not be extended, for Israel was promised (Jer. 29:10): “When seventy years of Babylon are over, I will remember you.” And that remembering will be through Cyrus king of Persia, who will take the kingdom from Babylon after Darius the Mede, for they both, Media and Persia, joined over it, [i.e., over Babylon,] and stipulated between themselves, if the kings are from us, the governors are from you.</html>