Isaiah Chapters 13-23: Judgment of the Nations
Isaiah devotes chapters 13-23 to his series of prophecies of the judgments God will render against several nations that harmed His people. In our upcoming discussions, we will look at Isaiah's prophecies in chapters 13 through 23 and find the reasons behind God’s judging of:
- Babylon (13:1-14:23)
- Assyria (14:24-27)
- Philistines (14:28-32)
- Moab (15-16)
- Syria and Israel (17)
- Ethiopia (18)
- Egypt (19)
- Egypt and Cush (20)
- Babylon (21:1-10)
- Edom (21:11-12)
- Arabia (21:13-17)
- Jerusalem (22)
- Tyre (23)
Prophecy against Babylon (13:1-14:23)
Isaiah introduces the Lord’s coming judgment of Babylon in 13:1-5:
“1 A prophecy against Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:2 Raise a banner on a bare hilltop,shout to them; beckon to themto enter the gates of the nobles.3 I have commanded those I prepared for battle;I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath—those who rejoice in my triumph.4 Listen, 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.5 They come from faraway lands,from the ends of the heavens—the Lord and the weapons of his wrath—to destroy the whole country.”
It was in a dream or vision that Isaiah received his revelation about God’s intention to render judgment against Babylon.
Isaiah’s prophetic ministry lasted from about 740 to about 681 B.C. During those years, Judah had four kings, the last one being Hezekiah, who came to power in 715 B.C. By the time Hezekiah became king of Judah, Babylon had grown into a world power. Babylonian envoys reached out to the inexperienced King Hezekiah. Isaiah notes that “Hezekiah received the envoys gladly and showed them what was in his storehouses—the silver, the gold, the spices, the fine olive oil—his entire armory and everything found among his treasures” (39:2).
A little more than a century later, the Judean king at that time, Jehoiakim, had been made subservient to Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. Jehoiakim and the Judeans rebelled against Babylon’s rule in 597 B.C., and Babylon’s army invaded Judah, besieged Jerusalem, and took prisoners back to Babylon (Daniel and his three friends among them). According to 2 Kings 24, Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar himself went to Jerusalem (v. 11) and “13…removed the treasures from the temple of the Lord and from the royal palace, and cut up the gold articles that Solomon king of Israel had made for the temple of the Lord. 14 He carried all Jerusalem into exile: all the officers and fighting men, and all the skilled workers and artisans—a total of ten thousand. Only the poorest people of the land were left.” (vv. 13-14).
The Judean captives lived in exile until 539 B.C., when the Babylonians were conquered by the Medes and the Persians, an event that Isaiah prophesied in vv. 17-19:
“17 See, I will stir up against them the Medes,who do not care for silverand have no delight in gold.18 Their bows will strike down the young men;they will have no mercy on infants,nor will they look with compassion on children.19 Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms,the pride and glory of the Babylonians,will be overthrown by Godlike Sodom and Gomorrah.”
The Medes were a nation from southwest of the Caspian Sea. Persian King Cyrus the Great had conquered the Medes in 550 B.C. and merged the two kingdoms.
In the first part of chapter 14, Isaiah prophesied that God would return His people from their Babylonian exile to their own land of Judah (vv. 1-2):
“1 The Lord will have compassion on Jacob;once again he will choose Israeland will settle them in their own land.Foreigners will join themand unite with the descendants of Jacob.2 Nations will take themand bring them to their own place.And Israel will take possession of the nationsand make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.They will make captives of their captorsand rule over their oppressors.”
This happened under the Persian King Cyrus, who had conquered not only the Medes, but the Babylonians as well. Cyrus decided to free the Jewish exiles and issued a decree that granted permission for those exiles who wanted to return to Judah to leave Babylon. He also decreed that the people among whom the Jewish exiles were living were required to assist them in their journey back to the land by giving them money and supplies for the trip. Cyrus proclaimed: “…in any locality where survivors may now be living, the people are to provide them with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:4), and as a result “All their neighbors assisted them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with valuable gifts, in addition to all the freewill offerings” (Ezra 1:6).
In vv. 12-15, Isaiah returns to the subject of Babylon and the demise of its king:
“12 How you have fallen from heaven,morning star, son of the dawn!You have been cast down to the earth,you who once laid low the nations!13 You said in your heart,‘I will ascend to the heavens;I will raise my throneabove the stars of God;I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;I will make myself like the Most High.’15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,to the depths of the pit.”
In these verses, the prophet is taunting Babylon's arrogant king. Some commentators tell us these verses are a description of the fall of Satan and cite Luke 10:18 for support (“…I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven”). However, in the Luke 10:18 passage, Jesus is referring to an event in His earthly ministry.
A few early Christian commentators, notably Tertullian (3rd century A.D.) and Gregory the Great (6th century A.D.), did interpret v. 12 as a reference to the fall of Satan. Dante picked up the same idea in his Inferno in the 14th century, as did John Milton in Paradise Lost in the 17th century, but the fact remains that sound biblical interpretation and exegesis finds no connection between Isaiah 14 and Satan's fall.
The King James translation erroneously translates the Hebrew term ×”ֵילֵל (hay-lale’) in v. 12 as “Lucifer,” while the correct translation is “shining one,” or “morning star.” The KJV error in translating the term as “Lucifer” originated in the Latin Vulgate, a Latin Bible produced about 400 A.D. and used for more than a thousand years.
The most reliable method of biblical interpretation is the historical-grammatical approach, in which the interpreter seeks to determine the plain or literal meaning of the words based on the historical and cultural settings. The context of chapter 14 is the Babylonian monarch and not Satan.
Isaiah’s intent was to compare the Babylonian king to what was then known as the “…morning star…,” which is the planet Venus. He uses the appearance and fading of Venus as a metaphor. The king of Babylon may have appeared to have been great, but his power faded in a short time. He boasted that he would “…ascend to the heavens…” (v. 13) and place his “…throne above the stars of God...” on “…Mount Zaphon…,” which was the sacred mountain of the Canaanite god Ba’al. The king of Babylon committed the ultimate sin of thinking “…I will make myself like the Most High” (v. 14), but he is destined to be “…brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit” (v. 15).
Prophecy against Assyria (14:24-27)
Vv. 24-27 contain Isaiah’s prophecy against Assyria. At the time Isaiah made this prophecy, about 721 B.C., the Assyrian army had captured the northern kingdom of Israel and carried away its citizens into captivity, leaving Judah, the southern kingdom, without an ally to the north and having to fend for itself.
Like Babylon, however, Assyria would suffer God’s wrath, and Isaiah’s prophecy against Assyria was fulfilled during his lifetime:
“24 The Lord Almighty has sworn,‘Surely, as I have planned, so it will be,and as I have purposed, so it will happen.25 I will crush the Assyrian in my land;on my mountains I will trample him down.His yoke will be taken from my people,and his burden removed from their shoulders.’26 This is the plan determined for the whole world;this is the hand stretched out over all nations.27 For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him?His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?”
In 715 B.C., Hezekiah became king of Judah. At that time, the Assyrians were the dominant power in the region and required other nations, including Judah, to pay annual tribute. Several years into his reign, Hezekiah refused to pay tribute to the Assyrians any longer. As a result, in 701 Sennacherib, king of Assyria, invaded Judah. His army besieged Jerusalem, but failed to capture it.
The Judeans had dug a tunnel to the Spring of Gihon, to provide the city with fresh water in the event of a siege. They also had fortified the city’s wall, built towers, and erected a new reinforcing wall to protect the city. During the prolonged attack, Hezekiah relented and offered to resume paying tribute to the Assyrians (2 Kings 18:14). Sennacherib accepted the offer but continued the attack.
The siege ended, and the Assyrians withdrew, but only after the angel of the Lord supernaturally intervened in the Assyrian army camp outside Jerusalem’s wall as the Assyrian warriors slept: “35…the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there” (2 Kings 19:35-36).
Prophecy against the Philistines (14:28-32)
Isaiah gave his prophecy against the Philistines (vv. 28-32) in about 715 B.C., the year Judean King Ahaz died and his son, Hezekiah, ascended to the throne:
“28 This prophecy came in the year King Ahaz died:29 Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,that the rod that struck you is broken;from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.30 The poorest of the poor will find pasture,and the needy will lie down in safety.But your root I will destroy by famine;it will slay your survivors.31 Wail, you gate! Howl, you city!Melt away, all you Philistines!A cloud of smoke comes from the north,and there is not a straggler in its ranks.32 What answer shall be givento the envoys of that nation?‘The Lord has established Zion,and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.’”
When King Ahaz died, Judah was at a low point, without a seasoned leader and defensively unprepared. Assyria had long posed a threat to the smaller nations in the region, and the Philistines openly celebrated the prospect of the destruction of their old enemy Judah at the hands of the Assyrians now that Judah had a new and inexperienced leader. It is at this point in the history of Judah that the Lord gives Isaiah the prophecy in these verses, including a message of hope for His people: “The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge” (v. 32).
God addresses the Philistines directly in v. 29: “Do not rejoice, all you Philistines, that the rod that struck you is broken; from the root of that snake will spring up a viper, its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.” The Philistines viewed Ahaz as a snake who had been slain, but the Lord informs them that from the “…root…” of this snake “…will spring up a viper…,” which is even more deadly. The “…viper…” refers to Judah’s new king, Hezekiah, and the offspring or fruit of this viper will be “…a darting, venomous serpent…,” which is a reference to the future Messiah, who will defeat all opposition to God.
Isaiah is known for citing the vulnerabilities of God’s people in his prophetic writing and for imploring God to bless them. In the first part of v. 30, he predicts God will provide for them: “The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety.” In the original Hebrew of this verse, the actual term used is “…the first-born of the poor…”
Finally, in. v. 32, the prophet reassures God’s people with this promise: “The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.”
Prophecy against Moab (15-16)
Chapters 15 and 16 give an anguished description of the destruction of Moab, which Isaiah prophesies will take place within three years.
The land of Moab was located east of the Dead Sea, with the river valley known by the name of Zered as the southern boundary and the river valley of Arnon as the northern boundary. The Moabites were related to the Israelites through Abraham’s nephew Lot, but the two peoples were often in conflict. Through Ruth, even the royal line of David had a direct link to the Moabites.
The prophecy consists of a long poem (15:1–16:12), ending with a word from the Lord that “…Moab’s splendor and all her many people will be despised, and her survivors will be very few and feeble” (16:14).
The opening section of the poem is descriptive of the suffering of the Moabites (15:1-9):
“1 A prophecy against Moab:Ar in Moab is ruined,destroyed in a night!Kir in Moab is ruined,destroyed in a night!2 Dibon goes up to its temple,to its high places to weep;Moab wails over Nebo and Medeba.Every head is shavedand every beard cut off.3 In the streets they wear sackcloth;on the roofs and in the public squaresthey all wail,prostrate with weeping.4 Heshbon and Elealeh cry out,their voices are heard all the way to Jahaz.Therefore the armed men of Moab cry out,and their hearts are faint.5 My heart cries out over Moab;her fugitives flee as far as Zoar,as far as Eglath Shelishiyah.They go up the hill to Luhith,weeping as they go;on the road to Horonaimthey lament their destruction.6 The waters of Nimrim are dried upand the grass is withered;the vegetation is goneand nothing green is left.7 So the wealth they have acquired and stored upthey carry away over the Ravine of the Poplars.8 Their outcry echoes along the border of Moab;their wailing reaches as far as Eglaim,their lamentation as far as Beer Elim.9 The waters of Dimon are full of blood,but I will bring still more upon Dimon—a lion upon the fugitives of Moaband upon those who remain in the land.”
Isaiah lists some of Moab’s chief cities that are in ruins, while panic spreads throughout the nation. The people tried to escape the desolation with as much as they could carry.
V. 3 tells us the people wore sackcloth, which was a coarse cloth made of goat’s hair. It was the tradition in the ancient middle east for people to wear clothing made of sackcloth as an outward sign of mourning, repentance, or abasement, and it was extremely uncomfortable. Faced with calamity, the Moabites would put on sackcloth garments and wail loudly from the streets and flat rooftops of their homes and even drop to the ground and weep.
So great was Moab’s distress that Isaiah was moved to pity (“…My heart cries out over Moab…,” v. 5), but God’s own comment (“…I will bring still more upon Dimon—a lion upon the fugitives of Moab and upon those who remain in the land,” v. 9) means more suffering will follow.
In chapter 16, we find the Moabites proposing to pay tribute to the Judeans (16:1-12):
“1 Send lambs as tributeto the ruler of the land,from Sela, across the desert,to the mount of Daughter Zion.2 Like fluttering birdspushed from the nest,so are the women of Moabat the fords of the Arnon.3 ‘Make up your mind,’ Moab says.‘Render a decision.Make your shadow like night—at high noon.Hide the fugitives,do not betray the refugees.4 Let the Moabite fugitives stay with you;be their shelter from the destroyer.’The oppressor will come to an end,and destruction will cease;the aggressor will vanish from the land.5 In love a throne will be established;in faithfulness a man will sit on it—one from the house of David—one who in judging seeks justiceand speeds the cause of righteousness.6 We have heard of Moab’s pride—how great is her arrogance!—of her conceit, her pride and her insolence;but her boasts are empty.7 Therefore the Moabites wail,they wail together for Moab.Lament and grievefor the raisin cakes of Kir Hareseth.8 The fields of Heshbon wither,the vines of Sibmah also.The rulers of the nationshave trampled down the choicest vines,which once reached Jazerand spread toward the desert.Their shoots spread outand went as far as the sea.[b]9 So I weep, as Jazer weeps,for the vines of Sibmah.Heshbon and Elealeh,I drench you with tears!The shouts of joy over your ripened fruitand over your harvests have been stilled.10 Joy and gladness are taken away from the orchards;no one sings or shouts in the vineyards;no one treads out wine at the presses,for I have put an end to the shouting.11 My heart laments for Moab like a harp,my inmost being for Kir Hareseth.12 When Moab appears at her high place,she only wears herself out;when she goes to her shrine to pray,it is to no avail.”
The Assyrian army was on its way to Moab, and the Moabites had fled south to Edom. The Moabites offered in v. 1 to “…Send lambs as tribute…” to the king of Judah for the Judeans’ protection from the Assyrians. The term “…Sela…,” in v. 1, is the Hebrew word for “Petra,” the name of a city located in Edom, about 50 miles south of Moab’s border. It was from Petra that the Moabites sent their appeal to the king of Judah.
The NIV translation in v. 1 varies from the Masoretic Text, which records the text as it was written originally in Hebrew. The Masoretic Text reads: “Send a male lamb to the ruler of the land from Sela, toward the wilderness, to the mountain of the daughter of Zion.” Some Hebrew language experts explain that “male lamb” in that verse may be interpreted as a collective singular and mean “male lambs” or “young rams,” however.
From the tone of v. 6 and following, we know that Judah rejected the Moabite pleas, and nothing remains for Moab but defeat and suffering. In vv. 8-11, Isaiah expresses his sorrow for the Moabites’ plight.
To ward off destruction, the Moabites offered frenzied prayers and sacrifices at their high place (v. 12), which was a pagan place of worship. They begged their false national god, Chemosh, whose name meant “destroyer” or “fish god,” to protect them from the Assyrians. But their prayers were useless. As long as the people worshiped false gods, they would be doomed to pain, judgment, and recurring trouble.
In vv. 13-14, the prophecy against Moab ends with an explanation about Moab’s fall:
“13 This is the word the Lord has already spoken concerning Moab. 14 But now the Lord says: ‘Within three years, as a servant bound by contract would count them, Moab’s splendor and all her many people will be despised, and her survivors will be very few and feeble.’”
The judgment on Moab was prophesied to happen within three years, but the context does not give us the historical information to know when the three years began. During the time of Isaiah’s prophecies, Assyria was dominant power in the region, and Assyrian documents from the period list several Moabite kings who paid tribute to them, but there is no documentation of military campaigns against Moab.
The glory or splendor of Moab came to an end just three years after Isaiah announced God’s message that it would happen, and the Assyrian took many rich and powerful Moabites into exile, leaving only lowly and poor to live in the land.
Commentators regard this prophecy quite moving, noting that Isaiah presents graphic pictures of judgment on Moab and appeals to the reader’s emotions with his pictures of the Moabites’ grief. History records that Moab suffered under Assyrians in 715 B.C. and 711 B.C., and again in 701 B.C.
Prophecy against Syria and Israel (17)
Isaiah’s next prophecy is found in chapter 17 and was given at a time when Syria and Israel were allies. The prophecy concerns the destruction of Syria, which is referred to as “Damascus” and sometimes “Aram”:
“1 A prophecy against Damascus:
‘See, Damascus will no longer be a city
but will become a heap of ruins.
2 The cities of Aroer will be deserted
and left to flocks, which will lie down,
with no one to make them afraid.
3 The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim,
and royal power from Damascus;
the remnant of Aram will be
like the glory of the Israelites,’
declares the Lord Almighty.
4 ‘In that day the glory of Jacob will fade;
the fat of his body will waste away.
5 It will be as when reapers harvest the standing grain,
gathering the grain in their arms—
as when someone gleans heads of grain
in the Valley of Rephaim.
6 Yet some gleanings will remain,
as when an olive tree is beaten,
leaving two or three olives on the topmost branches,
four or five on the fruitful boughs,’
declares the Lord, the God of Israel.
7 In that day people will look to their Maker
and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.
8 They will not look to the altars,
the work of their hands,
and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles
and the incense altars their fingers have made.
9 In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth. And all will be desolation.
10 You have forgotten God your Savior;
you have not remembered the Rock, your fortress.
Therefore, though you set out the finest plants
and plant imported vines,
11 though on the day you set them out, you make them grow,
and on the morning when you plant them, you bring them to bud,
yet the harvest will be as nothing
in the day of disease and incurable pain.
12 Woe to the many nations that rage—
they rage like the raging sea!
Woe to the peoples who roar—
they roar like the roaring of great waters!
13 Although the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters,
when he rebukes them they flee far away,
driven before the wind like chaff on the hills,
like tumbleweed before a gale.
14 In the evening, sudden terror!
Before the morning, they are gone!
This is the portion of those who loot us,
the lot of those who plunder us.”
Isaiah predicts that Syria, referred to in this prophecy by the name if its capital city, Damascus, will be destroyed (v. 1). His prophecy was fulfilled in 732 B.C. when Assyria invaded, an event that is briefly described in 2 Kings 16:9: “The king of Assyria complied by attacking Damascus and capturing it. He deported its inhabitants to Kir and put Rezin to death.” Rezin was the king of Syria. In that invasion, the Assyrians destroyed 591 Syrian cities and led many of the survivors into exile, according to Assyrian records.
In v. 3, the term, “Ephraim,” which was the largest tribe in Israel, is used to refer to the entire 10-tribe northern kingdom. This is a practice that was common among Old Testament writers. Syria and Ephraim had formed a confederation to defend against Assyria, but that alliance failed to provide enough protection. God declares in vv. 3-6 that the inhabitants of Ephraim will be like the gleaning of an olive tree, and there will just be a few olives left on the top branches (v. 6), a way of indicating that the Assyrians will come through the land, wipe out the majority of people, and allow just a few people to remain. The judgment on Ephraim was to be complete and leave the people decimated, and the Syrians were to experience a similar fate.
“Jacob” in v. 4 is another common designation used in the Old Testament for the people of Israel, the northern kingdom, and “…the glory of Jacob…” in v. 4 is a reference to the northern kingdom’s status as a power that was superior to the southern kingdom of Judah. Its status as a superior regional power was taken away in its defeat at the hands of the Assyrians.
Nothing of Israel’s former greatness or power would remain after Assyria overran Israel. V. 6 likens the few people remaining in the land to stalks of grain that could be gleaned or a few olives that might have been missed by the harvesters.
The authors of the Targum of Isaiah commented about this prophecy, noting that the people remaining in Israel were those who were righteous, who were left “…solitary in the midst of the world among the kingdoms.”
In vv. 7-8 Isaiah indicates that the severity of God’s judgment of Israel would move some to repent of their idol worship, “…turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel” (v. 7), and “…not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and…have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made” (v. 8). The Targum of Isaiah adds that the people will look to God “…in hope.”
There is much debate among commentators about the meaning of v. 9, because meaning of the Hebrew is obscure. The NIV translators seem to have understood Isaiah’s meaning well, though, with the translation: “In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth. And all will be desolation.”
However, biblical scholars over the centuries have found v. 9 difficult, offering many different interpretations. V. 9 in the original Hebrew, the Masoretic Text, reads: “In that day his fortress cities will be like an abandoned place that the Choresh (Hebrew for “plowing” or “preparing soil for planting”) and the Amir (“the top” or “summit”) abandoned because of the sons of Israel, and it will be a desolation.” The Septuagint version (a pre-Christian Greek translation of the Old Testament), renders v.9 quite differently: “In that day your cities will be abandoned, as in the manner the Amorites and the Hivites abandoned them from before the face of the sons of Israel, and they will be desolate.” Scholars are unsure about the significance of the terms “Choresh” and “Amir” in v. 9 of the Masoretic Text and cannot explain the variances found in the Septuagint.
Jerome, a leading biblical scholar who produced the Latin Vulgate Bible in the 4th century A.D., chose a wording for v.9 that may be the clearest rendering of all: “In that day the fortified cities will be abandoned as the plows and the grain were abandoned before the face of the sons of Israel, and it will be desolate,” which captures the gist of Isaiah’s point that the northern kingdom would be left desolate.
Isaiah reminds his readers in v. 10 that it is futile to try to meet their needs without the Lord’s help. The people of the northern kingdom had turned away from God, their only source of deliverance. English translations of v.10 vary from the Masoretic Text, in which the verse reads: “For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and you have not remembered the rock of your stronghold. Therefore, you plant pleasant plants, and set it with a shoot of an alien.” The end of the Hebrew verse, “…and set it with a shoot of an alien,” does not appear in most English translations, such as the NIV and KJV, but it is important to Isaiah’s message. The RSV translation, however, does include the phrase “…and set out slips of an alien god.”
The planting of “…the finest plants…” and “…imported vines …” (NIV; the Hebrew text says “… pleasant plants…”) is a reference to idolatry, and when Isaiah added “…and set it with a shoot of an alien,” he was referring to the worship of foreign deities by the people in the northern kingdom.
Building on the thought of v. 10, Isaiah in v. 11 refers to the Israelites’ idolatrous practice of ritual planting their fields and dedicating the planting to foreign gods. They believed this ritual planting contributed to a bountiful harvest, but through Isaiah, God revealed the harvests would be poor, and the people would endure a time of sorrow and great distress.
Isaiah changes the subject beginning in v. 12 to the end of the chapter.
In vv. 12-14, he addresses those who oppose God’s people. In the Hebrew of v. 12 Isaiah adds the exclamation “…woe…” (rendered “…ah…” by some translators) into the text as his way of indicating future calamity: “Woe to the many nations that rage—they rage like the raging sea! Woe to the peoples who roar—they roar like the roaring of great waters!” (v. 12).
The nations warring against Israel and Judah would not succeed (v. 13). God would “rebuke” them, inflict severe punishment, and the invading warriors would flee.
Prophecy against Ethiopia (18)
Chapter 18 describes Isaiah’s prophecy against Ethiopia (called “Cush” in the text), which at the time consisted of what is today southern Egypt and Sudan. His prophecy consists of just seven verses that comprise chapter 18:
“1 Woe to the land of whirring wingsalong the rivers of Cush,2 which sends envoys by seain papyrus boats over the water.Go, swift messengers,to a people tall and smooth-skinned,to a people feared far and wide,an aggressive nation of strange speech,whose land is divided by rivers.3 All you people of the world,you who live on the earth,when a banner is raised on the mountains,you will see it,and when a trumpet sounds,you will hear it.4 This is what the Lord says to me:“I will remain quiet and will look on from my dwelling place,like shimmering heat in the sunshine,like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.”5 For, before the harvest, when the blossom is goneand the flower becomes a ripening grape,he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives,and cut down and take away the spreading branches.6 They will all be left to the mountain birds of preyand to the wild animals;the birds will feed on them all summer,the wild animals all winter.7 At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almightyfrom a people tall and smooth-skinned,from a people feared far and wide,an aggressive nation of strange speech,whose land is divided by rivers—the gifts will be brought to Mount Zion, the place of the Name of the Lord Almighty.”
In v. 1, Isaiah pronounces “Woe…” (doom) on the land of Ethiopia (which was also known as “…Cush…” in the ancient middle east). Ethiopia rose to such power that it overran Egypt in 715 B.C., and Assyria finally crushed the Ethiopian army 14 years later. The Masoretic (Hebrew) Text in v. 1 reads: “Woe, land of whirring (Hebrew צְלָצַל, tsel-aw-tsal’, which means something like “whirring” or “buzzing”) of wings that is beyond the rivers of Cush.” Interpreters believe the Hebrew term צְלָצַל, “…whirring…,” was a common term for the region south of ancient Egypt (Cush, or Ethiopia) due to the constant sounds there of locusts, mosquitoes, and tsetse flies.
In the latter part of v. 1, “…the rivers of Cush…,” meansa river known as the Blue Nile River, which originates at Lake Tana in Ethiopia and is one of the major tributaries of the Nile River, and “…sea…” in v. 2 was used in ancient Hebrew for any great river and here is another designation for the Blue Nile River.
Ethiopia sent envoys to Judah seeking an alliance for defense against Assyria. The “…papyrus boats …” in v. 2 were small light-weight crafts made from papyrus, a plant that grew abundantly in marshes along the rivers. The small boats held one or two people and could float past rapids and other unnavigable stretches of water without collapsing.
Isaiah turns his attention to the future in v. 3, announcing that one day people in various nations will witness an intervention of God “…when a banner is raised on the mountains…” and “…when a trumpet sounds…”
God rejected the alliance between Ethiopia and Judah. He would deal with the Assyrians Himself and tells Isaiah He will wait patiently until the appropriate time to intervene in human affairs, until sunshine and dew have built up to an opportune climactic moment (v. 4).
Isaiah’s expression “…shimmering heat in the sunshine…” in v. 4 reminds the reader of the intense heat that commonly occurred in the land as the time for harvesting approached. The Hebrew Masoretic Text renders the phrase “…clear heat from light…,” while other modern English translations use “…dazzling heat…” (NASB) and “…shining heat…” (NLB). Isaiah’s mention of “…cloud of dew in the heat of harvest…” refers to the time crops will mature.
Isaiah in v. 5 writes metaphorically of the elimination of the Assyrian threat. Either an enemy or the direct action of God eventually would defeat Assyria. History does not give us any answers. However, some biblical interpreters connect v. 5 to the destruction of Sennacherib's army by the angel during Assyrian siege of Jerusalem, which is described in 2 Kings 19:35. Regardless of one’s view, we recognize that in v. 5 Isaiah states metaphorically that the Lord will defeat the invading army.
Commenting on v. 5, the Targum of Isaiah says that the Lord would “…slay the rulers of the nations with the sword…” and “…remove and take away their mighty men.” Isaiah uses a metaphor in v. 5 to describe what will happen, indicating that God will “…cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches…”
In v. 6 Isaiah resumes literal narration, noting that the bodies the invaders (the Assyrians) who were slain will become food for carrion birds and other animals: “They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter.” The reference to birds of prey spending summer on them and beasts wintering on them emphasizes that the bodies simply would be left lying on the ground where they died.
V. 7 tells of the Ethiopians turning to the Lord and bringing gifts to Him. Bringing gifts was a means of paying homage to Judah’s God and acknowledging His sovereignty. They brought their gifts and sacrifices to the Temple in Jerusalem. Seven centuries later, Philip, Jesus’ disciple, witnessed to a man from Ethiopia on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, and the man became a Christian and brought Christianity to his homeland, laying the foundations of the present-day Christian Coptic Church in the middle east.
God did not judge the nation for trying to forge a defensive alliance with Judah, and no judgment is announced against Ethiopia in chapter 18. Instead of an alliance, He wanted Judah to trust Him for its safety.
Prophecy against Egypt (19)
Next, in chapter 19, Isaiah delivers his prophecy of judgment God will have against Egypt because of its practice of idolatry and worship of false gods (vv. 1-25):
“1 A prophecy against Egypt:See, the Lord rides on a swift cloudand is coming to Egypt.The idols of Egypt tremble before him,and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear.2 ‘I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian—brother will fight against brother,neighbor against neighbor,city against city,kingdom against kingdom.3 The Egyptians will lose heart,and I will bring their plans to nothing;they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead,the mediums and the spiritists.4 I will hand the Egyptians overto the power of a cruel master,and a fierce king will rule over them,’declares the Lord, the Lord Almighty.5 The waters of the river will dry up,and the riverbed will be parched and dry.6 The canals will stink;the streams of Egypt will dwindle and dry up.The reeds and rushes will wither,7 also the plants along the Nile,at the mouth of the river.Every sown field along the Nilewill become parched, will blow away and be no more.8 The fishermen will groan and lament,all who cast hooks into the Nile;those who throw nets on the waterwill pine away.9 Those who work with combed flax will despair,the weavers of fine linen will lose hope.10 The workers in cloth will be dejected,and all the wage earners will be sick at heart.11 The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools;the wise counselors of Pharaoh give senseless advice.How can you say to Pharaoh,‘I am one of the wise men,a disciple of the ancient kings’?12 Where are your wise men now?Let them show you and make knownwhat the Lord Almightyhas planned against Egypt.13 The officials of Zoan have become fools,the leaders of Memphis are deceived;the cornerstones of her peopleshave led Egypt astray.14 The Lord has poured into thema spirit of dizziness;they make Egypt stagger in all that she does,as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit.15 There is nothing Egypt can do—head or tail, palm branch or reed.16 In that day the Egyptians will become weaklings. They will shudder with fear at the uplifted hand that the Lord Almighty raises against them. 17 And the land of Judah will bring terror to the Egyptians; everyone to whom Judah is mentioned will be terrified, because of what the Lord Almighty is planning against them. 18 In that day five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord Almighty. One of them will be called the City of the Sun.19 In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them. 22 The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them.23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. 24 In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, ‘Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.’”
As we begin to consider what Isaiah is telling us in chapter 19, remember that the prophet’s great concern is that Egypt was about to experience calamity.
The Hebrew Masoretic Text renders v. 1 this way: “A pronouncement regarding Egypt. Look! YHWH is riding on a swift cloud and coming to Egypt. And idols worthless things will tremble before his face, and the heart of Egypt will melt within its midst.”
The Lord “…riding on a swift cloud…” is a picture of Him hurrying, coming without delay, to judge the sinful nation of Egypt and its worship of worthless idols and false gods.
This is not God’s first intervention to judge Egypt. For example, Exodus 12:12 records the Lord saying: “…I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord…,” and Moses also tells us in Numbers 33 that when the Israelites left Egypt, they “…marched out defiantly in full view of all the Egyptians, 4 who were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had struck down among them; for the Lord had brought judgment on their gods…” And now, Isaiah’s prophecies that the Lord is coming once more to judge them filled the Egyptians with dread.
V. 2 describes a breakdown of unity among the people of Egypt, with result being many conflicts. Citizens of one city would rise up against the those of another city, and the people of one “…kingdom…” (province) would oppose the people of another, not only plunging the country into chaos, but also increasing dependence on occult religious practices (v. 3: “…they will consult the idols and the spirits of the dead, the mediums and the spiritists…”).
In v. 4, the Lord threatens to cause the rebellious nation of Egypt to fall under the power of tough foreign rulers, and history confirms this occurred. The Egyptians were to be dominated by a succession of foreign nations in the sixth and seventh centuries B.C., first by Assyrian King Esar-haddon, who invaded Egypt, laid siege to Memphis, deported the Ethiopians, and appointed his own governors. Later, Assyrian King Ashurbanipal put down a rebellion in Egypt and punished rebels in Memphis and Thebes. Then late in the sixth century B.C., Persian King Cambyses, the son of Cyrus the Great, seized control of Egypt. After his death, the Egyptians rebelled, but the rebellion was quelled, and Egypt fell under the control of another Persian king, Darius.
In vv. 5-10, Isaiah touches on threats to Egypt’s economic health. The health of the Egyptian economy in that era was dependent on the Nile River. If the Nile River ceased to flow, the whole Egyptian economy would grind to a halt. The Nile River, was worshipped as a god by the Egyptians as well as being regarded as a great river. It was vital to the economy not only as Egypt’s chief means of transportation, but also for irrigation, fishing, and the production of papyrus and linen from the reeds and the flora and fauna that grew along its banks.
The Egyptians dug canals or channels (v.6) that carried water from the river to the fields for irrigation. If the river water stopped flowing, the stagnant water remaining in the canals would turn rancid and smell, reeds and rushes would shrivel and rot, the cultivated areas along the Nile River (v. 7) would dry up for lack of water, the withered plants would blow away, and no crops or any other plants would remain. Those who depended on the river for their sustenance (fishermen, flax workers, linen weavers, farmers, vv. 8-10) would therefore lose their livelihoods.
In v. 11, Isaiah names Zoan (also known as Tso'an in some texts), which was a well-known ancient city in the eastern Nile Delta. The “…region of Zoan…” is a where Moses performed miracles before Pharoah freed the Israelites: “He did miracles in the sight of their ancestors in the land of Egypt, in the region of Zoan” (Psalm 78:12), and “…he displayed his signs in Egypt, his wonders in the region of Zoan” (Psalm 78:43). Isaiah taunts the leaders of Zoan in v. 11, calling them “…nothing but fools …,” because they, like all of Pharoah’s counselors, could not offer any wisdom to Pharoah that would enable him to prevent God from carrying out His purpose for Egypt. In v. 13, Isaiah once again mentions the foolish leaders of Zoan, adding that the leaders another Egyptian city, Memphis, “…are deceived…” Memphis is commonly identified as a site south of present-day Cairo. Isaiah mentions Zoan and Memphis together because they were the two most important cities in government administration in ancient Egypt.
The combination of poor advisors to Pharoah and the threat of foreign rule and economic ruin caused the Egyptians to be uneasy and confused (v. 14). The NIV translation calls it “…a spirit of dizziness…” in v. 14, while the Masoretic Text translation renders it “… a spirit of confusion within her.”
There will be no way to earn a livelihood in Egypt during the time of judgment (v. 15). The rivers will be dry and there no fish to catch, nothing growing on the riverbanks, and no flax and no fine linen to work with. The Egyptians would prove to be weak and defenseless (v. 16) and tremble in fear and be filled with dread. There have been various attempts to translate Isaiah’s thoughts of v. 16 into English by translators, and the NIV interprets it best: “In that day the Egyptians will become weaklings. They will shudder with fear at the uplifted hand that the Lord Almighty raises against them.” The literal translation from Hebrew reads in English: “In that day Egypt will be like women and tremble and be in dread because of the waving of the hand of YHWH of hosts, which he is shaking over it.” The Egyptians would be terrified of God’s power. The mere mention of “…the land of Judah…” (v. 17) filled the Egyptians with dread.
Isaiah begins v. 16 with the expression “In that day…” It is an expression he uses many times in his prophecy, and vv. 16-17 form a kind of bridge from the first part of his prophecies of judgments to a new emphasis we will find in Isaiah’s prophetic ministry as we study the rest of the book and read his words of salvation and grace.
V. 18 relates that there would be “…five cities in Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear allegiance to the Lord Almighty…” Commentators agree that this occurred before the Lord’s judgment fell on Egypt and that Egypt was spared from the harsh judgment the people had feared. People acknowledged the God of the Jews as the true God and were devoted to Him, first in the five cities, and then more Egyptians believed in Him .
Vv. 19-21 indicate the conversion of many Egyptians:
“19 In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border. 20 It will be a sign and witness to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them. 21 So the Lord will make himself known to the Egyptians, and in that day they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.”
The “…altar to the Lord…” (v. 19) may have been the altar at a Jewish temple built at Elephantine Island on the Nile River near Aswan in the sixth or fifth century B.C., and the translation “…monument…” in v. 19 could also be properly translated “…pillar…” and would have been reminiscent to Isaiah’s Jewish readers of the pillars associated with pagan worship in Canaan during the conquest, which were part of Canaanite worship and prohibited to the Israelites (see Deuteronomy 7:5 and 12:3). However, the pillar or monument Isaiah cites here on the border of Egypt is of a different nature and seems to symbolize the claim on the land of Egypt for the true and living God.
Isaiah’s writing in these verses has been analogous to the historical conquest of Canaan by the Israelites, and the analogy continues in v. 20 with mention of a promise that could have come straight out of the book of Judges (see Judges 3:9, 15), which gives the people the assurance of deliverance from oppressors, with the reference to a “…savior and defender…” in v. 20, which is generally seen as a Messianic prophecy.
In v. 21, he refers to sacrifices, grain offerings, and vows, which suggests the Egyptian converts’ circumstances were now under Mosaic Law just like the Jews and making the point that the converted Egyptians and the Jews were now equal before God.
Vv. 22-24 record God’s judgment on Egypt and His subsequent promises of healing and grace:
“ 22 The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; he will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and he will respond to their pleas and heal them. 23 In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. 24 In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. 25 The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, ‘Blessed be Egypt my people, Assyria my handiwork, and Israel my inheritance.’”
True to his analogy, Isaiah’s mention of a plague in v. 22 reminded his Jewish readers of the plagues in Egypt and God’s intercession that led about the exodus of their ancestors from Egypt and their conquest of Canaan. Now, centuries later, the Egyptians would find faith in the true God, and God would “…respond to their pleas and heal them…” (v. 22).
Contemporaries of Isaiah must have been surprised at his predictions we find in vv. 23-25, with God’s chosen people embracing two old enemies, Egypt and Assyria, in common religious practices and harmonious interaction.
Such an idea had been foreign to everyone in the Levant for generations. Assyria’s brutality over the centuries had made them more of an object of general hatred than any other nation of antiquity, and the Egyptians, along with the Babylonians and Persians, were also known for cruelty to the people they conquered. Yet Isaiah is prophesying that Egypt and Assyria will drop their long-standing antagonism toward each other and toward Judah and cooperate, build “…a highway from Egypt to Assyria…” (v. 23), worship together (v. 23), and, together with Israel become “…a blessing on the earth…” (v.24). A highway from Egypt to Assyria would pass through the land of Israel, suggesting that the former hostilities would no longer exist.
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There is a lesson in this chapter for people of all eras. Anyone who is alienated from God for whatever reason can come to be recognized as His own. God made this possible by sending his Son to the earth and having Him surrender his life for the human family. In this way, people everywhere, though formerly at enmity with God, as were the Egyptians and the Assyrians, have been reconciled to him through their faith in Jesus Christ.
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Prophecy against Egypt and Ethiopia (20)
This prophecy, given about 711 B.C. and recorded in the six short verses of chapter 20, was given to prevent Judah becoming Egypt’s ally against Assyria. Assyria eventually attacked Egypt, and Egyptian prisoners of war were deported to Mesopotamia. Judah, however, was spared:
“1 In the year that the supreme commander, sent by Sargon king of Assyria, came to Ashdod and attacked and captured it— 2 at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said to him, ‘Take off the sackcloth from your body and the sandals from your feet.’ And he did so, going around stripped and barefoot. 3 Then the Lord said, ‘Just as my servant Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years, as a sign and portent against Egypt and Cush, 4 so the king of Assyria will lead away stripped and barefoot the Egyptian captives and Cushite exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared—to Egypt’s shame. 5 Those who trusted in Cush and boasted in Egypt will be dismayed and put to shame. 6 In that day the people who live on this coast will say, “See what has happened to those we relied on, those we fled to for help and deliverance from the king of Assyria! How then can we escape?”’”
When Isaiah wrote this prophecy, the northern kingdom of Israel had already fallen to Assyrian armies in 722 B.C., its leading officials had been deported, and its land had been settled by captives from other conquered lands (see 2 Kings 17:5-6).
Egypt, trying to assert its power, has been encouraging several Philistine cities along to rebel against Assyria, with promises to bring military aid if Assyria attacks. Those Philistine cities were united, and they revolted in 713-711 B.C. The historical record shows the fortified Philistine city of Ashdod rebelled, and two years later Assyria, under King Sargon II (722-705 B.C.) captured the city, removed Azuri, its king, and replaced him with his younger brother, Ahimiti. But his rule was unpopular, so he was then replaced with a man who was not from the royal family. Sargon II quickly subdued three other Philistine cities— Ashdod, Gath, and Asdudimmu. Preserved in the annals of Sargon II are references to military action against Ashdod and other Philistine cities which enable researchers to date the conquering of Ashdod to 711 B.C.
The way the text in v. 2 describes Isaiah’s clothing suggests that the prophet was in mourning, either because of personal bereavement or because of his concern about his people. From the time of Elijah rough clothing was associated with the office of the prophet (see 2 Kings 1:8; Zechariah 13:4; and Mark 1:6, for example).
Azuri, the deposed king of Ashdod, fled to Egypt. At this time, the Ethiopian or Nubian Dynasty ruled Egypt (about 760-656 B.C.). The fortified city of Ashdod was an important access route to Egypt using the Mediterranean coastal route, and therefore when Assyria destroyed Ashdod, Egypt had to capitulate. Among other things, Egypt was forced to give up Azuri to the Assyrians.
It was just a few years later that the Assyrians, led by Sargon II’s successor, King Sennacherib (705-681 B.C.), that Isaiah's prophecy in v. 4 was fulfilled. In the battle of Eltekeh in 701 B.C., when the Assyrian army defeated Egyptian forces, and the people of Judah would see streams of naked prisoners of war from Egypt and Ethiopia being driven north to be resettled in other lands by the conquering Assyrians.
Prophecy against Babylon (21:1-10)
Chapters 21-23 contain quite somber prophecies, while there has been some optimism in Isaiah’s earlier writings. The prophecies in chapters 21 to 23 tend to see doom and darkness.
In Isaiah's day, Babylon was not the dominant world power that it would become a hundred years later when it conquered Judah. It was a regional power, but was under Assyria’s control.
The prophecy of chapter 21 dates to about 703 B.C., when envoys from Babylon’s King Merodach-baladan were in Jerusalem trying to form an alliance with Judah against Assyria. Isaiah describes the visit of those envoys in chapter 39 and the foolishness of Judean King Hezekiah during their visit of showing them the Judean treasures.
In the prophecy of 21:1-10, Isaiah warns King Hezekiah that any alliance he would make with the Babylonians is doomed, since Babylon herself is doomed:
“1 A prophecy against the Desert by the Sea:Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland,an invader comes from the desert,from a land of terror.2 A dire vision has been shown to me:The traitor betrays, the looter takes loot.Elam, attack! Media, lay siege!I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused.3 At this my body is racked with pain,pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor;I am staggered by what I hear,I am bewildered by what I see.4 My heart falters,fear makes me tremble;the twilight I longed forhas become a horror to me.5 They set the tables,they spread the rugs,they eat, they drink!Get up, you officers,oil the shields!6 This is what the Lord says to me:‘Go, post a lookoutand have him report what he sees.7 When he sees chariotswith teams of horses,riders on donkeysor riders on camels,let him be alert,fully alert.’8 And the lookout shouted,‘Day after day, my lord, I stand on the watchtower;every night I stay at my post.9 Look, here comes a man in a chariotwith a team of horses.And he gives back the answer:“Babylon has fallen, has fallen!All the images of its godslie shattered on the ground!”’10 My people who are crushed on the threshing floor,I tell you what I have heardfrom the Lord Almighty,from the God of Israel.”
In v. 1, by the phrase “…the Desert by the Sea…” Isaiah means the desert lands southeast of Babylon’s capital city of Babylonia. That region was the homeland of Babylon’s King Merodach-baladan. It is possible also that Isaiah is referring to the entire great plain that Babylon stands on, a plain so divided by lakes and marshy stretches of country that it was appropriate to call it “…the sea.”
He has a vision of an invader or invading army approaching Babylon across the desert “…Like whirlwinds sweeping through the southland…” (v. 1) moving through the Negeb Desert, the arid region south of Judah. The Targum of Isaiah refers to armies coming from the wilderness, passing through like waters of the sea, with the armies said to come from the south and from a land where terrifying things had been done. (Targums are Jewish Aramaic translations of books of the Hebrew Bible that combine literal renderings of the biblical text with additional material, ranging from a single word to several paragraphs of commentary. They provide important insights into ancient Jewish interpretation of the biblical texts. English translations of these ancient Aramaic texts are available in modern reference books and on a few websites.)
There are some commentators who take the words in v. 2, “…Elam, attack! Media, lay siege! I will bring to an end all the groaning she caused…,” as spoken by the Lord, in which He calls on the nations of Elam and Media to attack Babylon. However, at that time, Elam and Media were Babylon’s allies, a fact which prompts other scholars to suggest the words of v. 2 are the battle cries of Babylon's allies against Assyria. Assyria was still the dominant power in the region, when Isaiah wrote this prophecy and exerted control over regional nations, including Babylon, but Babylon was trying to break away from Assyria’s dominance.
One of the first signs of Babylon’s rebellion against Assyrian’s power came during the reign of Judean King Hezekiah, after the loss of thousands of Assyrian warriors encamped outside Jerusalem (see 2 Kings 19:35). After getting that news, Merodach-baladan, the king of Babylon, sent envoys to Hezekiah, who received them warmly and showed them Judah’s treasures. Hezekiah accepted the well wishes of the Babylonian envoys and the prospect of continued friendly relations between the two nations.
After the envoys’ visit, Isaiah predicted to Hezekiah that in the future Babylon would conquer Judah, seize its treasures, and deport its rulers and governors to serve in the palace of the Babylonian monarch (see Isaiah 39). The prophecy was fulfilled beginning with the siege of Jerusalem carried out by Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon, in 597 B.C.
In vv. 3-10, Isaiah prophesies about the defeat of Babylon in 539 B.C., less than a century after it was founded, by the invading armies of Persian king Cyrus the Great and his allies, the Medes and the Elamites.
In vv. 3-4, what Isaiah sees in his vision in the future for Babylon, which holds the Jews captive, greatly disturbs him: “I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see…” (v. 3); “…My heart falters, fear makes me tremble; the twilight I longed for has become a horror to me” (v. 4). The people of Babylon and the Jewish exiles would be facing calamity.
V. 5 proved to be a prophecy whose fulfillment was recorded in the historical records of the Persians. V. 5: “They set the tables, they spread the rugs, they eat, they drink! Get up, you officers, oil the shields!” On the night of October 5-6, 539, B.C., the conquering Medes, Persians, and Elamites invaded the royal palace at Babylonia and found Babylon’s King Belshazzar and his nobles feasting, just as Isaiah had seen in his vision.
The prophet describes in vv. 6-10 that he hears the word of the Lord telling him to post a guard “…and have him report what he sees” (v. 6). The guard is to warn of any chariots or riders approaching (v. 7). The people of Judah are eagerly awaiting news of the fate of Babylon. After watching many days and nights (v. 8), the guard finally sees in the distance “…a man in a chariot with a team of horses. And he gives back the answer: ‘Babylon has fallen, has fallen! All the images of its gods lie shattered on the ground’” (v. 9).
Babylon had fallen, and this was good news for God’s people. It meant a nation that had so long oppressed them was finally overthrown (v. 10), and the Lord, Who had used Assyria to bring the downfall of Babylon, would protect His people and fulfill His purposes for them.
Prophecy against Edom (21:11-12)
This short prophecy given in just two verses, vv. 11-12, concerns Edom, referred to both as Dumah and Seir in v. 11 and also sometimes called Mount Seir in the Old Testament:
“11 A prophecy against Dumah:
Someone calls to me from Seir,
‘Watchman, what is left of the night?
Watchman, what is left of the night?’
12 The watchman replies,
‘Morning is coming, but also the night.
If you would ask, then ask;
and come back yet again.’”
“Dumah” is a Hebrew word meaning “silence.” Dumah was the common name used for Edom and also had been the name of one of Ishmael’s sons and the name of a village in Judah’s history.
In this short passage, we read of an envoy from Edom coming to ask about the future of Edom (v. 11). He directs the question to Isaiah. His question (“Watchman, what is left of the night?”) appears to mean, How much longer will the darkness continue for the land of Edom? He is asking Isaiah how long it will be before the Assyrian oppression of Edom will end.
Isaiah's answer: “Morning is coming, but also the night” (v. 12), meaning Edom can expect a continued time of oppression, after which hope is coming.
Prophecy against Arabia (21:13-17)
Isaiah’s prophecy against Arabia, vv. 13-17, is another brief one:
“13 A prophecy against Arabia:
You caravans of Dedanites,
who camp in the thickets of Arabia,
14 bring water for the thirsty;
you who live in Tema,
bring food for the fugitives.
15 They flee from the sword,
from the drawn sword,
from the bent bow
and from the heat of battle.
16 This is what the Lord says to me: ‘Within one year, as a servant bound by contract would count it, all the splendor of Kedar will come to an end. 17 The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few.’ The Lord, the God of Israel, has spoken.”
The Dedanites (v. 13) were a nomadic Jewish tribe descended from Dedan, a grandson of Abraham and Keturah, one of Abraham’s wives (see Genesis 25:1-3). Because of the danger of warring armies, the Dedanites had left their usual desert routes and pitched their tents in isolated thickets of broom trees, dwarf junipers, and tamarisks in Arabia.
The people “…who live in Tema…” (v.14) are encouraged to be hospitable to those who are fleeing from the advancing invaders and provide them with water and food. Tema was the name of one of Ishmael’s sons (see Genesis 25:16) whose descendants settled around Edom. The Dedanites were deserving of provisions of water and food because of their hasty escape “…from the drawn sword…” (v. 15), that is, from becoming war casualties.
Kedar (vv. 16-17) was the name of an Arab tribe of descendants of Kedar, one of Ishmael’s sons (see Genesis 25:13). The tribe was a distinct and independent people and known for its skilled warriors. Isaiah prophesies in v. 17 “The survivors of the archers, the warriors of Kedar, will be few,” and extant Assyrian records confirm their defeat, with all but a few Kederite warriors and archers falling in battle.
Prophecy against Jerusalem (22)
In his prophecy against Jerusalem, Isaiah’s message is that the city’s leaders do not see Jerusalem’s destruction looming and lack the foresight and courage to take steps for its defense.
There are two sections in this chapter, (1) vv.1-14, which show us Isaiah's strong denunciation of Jerusalem's people because of their attitude about deliverance of the city from the Assyrian army outside the city walls, and (2) vv.15-25, which focus on two of Jerusalem’s, “…Shebna the palace administrator…” (v. 15) and “…Eliakim son of Hilkiah…” (v. 20).
This prophecy refers to events Isaiah foresaw that actually took place later during his lifetime in 703-701 B.C. when the Assyrians, under King Sennacherib threatened to invade Jerusalem, whose king was Hezekiah. He opens the prophecy referring to Jerusalem as “…the Valley of Vision…,” rather than the usual Mt Zion, which commentators believe is sarcasm on Isaiah’s part. I should note, however, that some scholars assume this prophecy is about the final Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 588–586 B.C., while others see the prophecy’s focus as the siege of Jerusalem by the Assyrian king Sennacherib in 701 B.C.:
“1 A prophecy against the Valley of Vision:
What troubles you now,
that you have all gone up on the roofs,
2 you town so full of commotion,
you city of tumult and revelry?
Your slain were not killed by the sword,
nor did they die in battle.
3 All your leaders have fled together;
they have been captured without using the bow.
All you who were caught were taken prisoner together,
having fled while the enemy was still far away.
4 Therefore I said, ‘Turn away from me;
let me weep bitterly.
Do not try to console me
over the destruction of my people.’
5 The Lord, the Lord Almighty, has a day
of tumult and trampling and terror
in the Valley of Vision,
a day of battering down walls
and of crying out to the mountains.
6 Elam takes up the quiver,
with her charioteers and horses;
Kir uncovers the shield.
7 Your choicest valleys are full of chariots,
and horsemen are posted at the city gates.
8 The Lord stripped away the defenses of Judah,
and you looked in that day
to the weapons in the Palace of the Forest.
9 You saw that the walls of the City of David
were broken through in many places;
you stored up water
in the Lower Pool.
10 You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
and tore down houses to strengthen the wall.
11 You built a reservoir between the two walls
for the water of the Old Pool,
but you did not look to the One who made it,
or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.
12 The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
called you on that day
to weep and to wail,
to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth.
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,
slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
eating of meat and drinking of wine!
‘Let us eat and drink,’ you say,
‘for tomorrow we die!’
14 The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing: ‘Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned for,’ says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.
15 This is what the Lord, the Lord Almighty, says:
‘Go, say to this steward,
to Shebna the palace administrator:
16 What are you doing here and who gave you permission
to cut out a grave for yourself here,
hewing your grave on the height
and chiseling your resting place in the rock?
17 Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you
and hurl you away, you mighty man.
18 He will roll you up tightly like a ball
and throw you into a large country.
There you will die
and there the chariots you were so proud of
will become a disgrace to your master’s house.
19 I will depose you from your office,
and you will be ousted from your position.
20 In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. 21 I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the people of Judah. 22 I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. 23 I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will become a seat of honor for the house of his father. 24 All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots—all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.
25 ‘In that day,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘the peg driven into the firm place will give way; it will be sheared off and will fall, and the load hanging on it will be cut down.’ The Lord has spoken.”
Isaiah does not say why the people were up on their roofs (v. 1). Roofs of the homes in Judah were flat and used to dry stalks of flax needed to make linen. The flat roofs also were gathering places in the evenings for visiting, as well as where people would go to look out over the city in times of trouble. Isaiah indicates in v. 2 that he envisioned Jerusalem “…full of commotion…tumult and revelry…,” an observation he repeats in v. 13.
Revelry in Jerusalem did not last. In these verses, Isaiah saw into the future to about 701 B.C., when the Assyrian army would be encamped outside the city and the people would become concerned for their safety and mill about in the streets and climb onto the roofs to see if the enemy were approaching. They were going to be on their own to face the threat. Isaiah saw the city’s leaders abandon Jerusalem, only to be captured by the enemy (v. 3).
As he sees the future judgment God plans for his beloved city, Isaiah is inconsolable and wants to be left by himself as he wept bitterly (v. 4). Isaiah’s sorrow was so deep because he knew that Jerusalem, which was established by God's grace, would perish by His hand, since the people had continually turned away from their Lord.
The Day of the Lord, which prophesied in 2:6-22, was to happen in Jerusalem. The NIV translation “…a day of tumult and trampling and terror…” (v. 5) represents well out the alarming alliteration the three Hebrew words gives the reader of the original text. This was the occasion of the divine intervention by the angel, which ended Sennacherib's attack on Jerusalem by destroying the Assyrian army while it was encamped outside Jerusalem’s walls (see 2 Kings 19:35). The people looked down over the city’s wall and gloated over the slain Assyrians.
But that was not the end of the saga of the Judgment against Jerusalem. The city’s walls would be battered down by an enemy, and the mountains surrounding the Valley of Vision would echo with the wails of Jerusalem's inhabitants not even one generation later, in 586 B.C. when Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar took the city. And history was destined to repeat itself in 70 A.D., when the Romans overcame Jewish resistance and entered Jerusalem to wreak havoc on its people and its buildings. There may have been Elamites and Syrians (from Kir) serving in the army of the Babylonian king (v. 6), making the besieging army not just Babylonian, but an international one that filled the valleys around Jerusalem ready to invade (v. 7).
In vv. 8-13, Isaiah points out the weaknesses in the defenses of the city. Jerusalem’s walls and towers were deteriorated. The builders did not have access to the Judean quarries for the stone to make repairs, so they needed to tear down some houses to get the stone they needed. The city did have a reservoir within its walls, however, which assured the people of a water supply during a siege.
Isaiah envisions God calling His people to repent in v. 12, and to demonstrate their sorrow for their sinful conduct by weeping, mourning, shaving off their hair, and wearing sackcloth, a coarse cloth, next to their skin. But instead of repenting (v.13), the people partied: they slaughtered cattle and sheep for feasts and surrendered to a desire for pleasure and accept their fate as inevitable: “…Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (v. 13).
Isaiah reveals in v. 14 that God would not forgive the people for failing to repent and continuing in their revelry in the face of their impending death; He would allow them to fall into the hands of enemy forces.
In vv. 15-23, the spotlight of judgment is directed toward one man, Shebna, a steward or administrator of finances in the court of Judean King Hezekiah and who had an exalted view of himself. God had a future for Shebna that would be different from the one he had planned. Shebna had had a splendid tomb carved out for himself (v. 16) to be a witness to his prominence, but the Lord regarded him merely as “…this steward…” (v.15), and he was removed from his position.
Another of King Hezekiah’s administrators, Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, succeeded Shebna (v. 20), with Shebna remaining in service as an assistant or secretary (see 36:3,11,22, and 37:2).
The “…peg…” in v. 23 is a reference to a tent peg and is a simile that symbolizes the stability of Jerusalem, which Isaiah likens to a tent and calls it “…the city of our festivals…a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken” (33:20).
The mood of Isaiah’s prophecy changes dramatically in vv. 24-25, with the same contempt for Eliakim as was shown toward Shebna earlier. While Shebna's great sin was pride, Eliakim's was nepotism.
Prophecy Against Tyre (23)
Tyre was the capital city of the Phoenician Empire, also known as the Sidonia. The city was a fortified and wealthy port city that was involved in trade with the port cities of other nations on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
Phoenicia played a key role in Old Testament history. Before the Assyrians became powerful, the Phoenician Empire and its commercial cities had been at peace. About 705 B.C., however, Assyrian King Sennacherib turned his attention to Phoenicia, and led his army in an invasion that took control of the Phoenicians.
Isaiah had prophesied that the city would be taken as God judged its people because of their pride (vv. 1-18):
“1 A prophecy against Tyre:
Wail, you ships of Tarshish!
For Tyre is destroyed
and left without house or harbor.
From the land of Cyprus
word has come to them.
2 Be silent, you people of the island
and you merchants of Sidon,
whom the seafarers have enriched.
3 On the great waters
came the grain of the Shihor;
the harvest of the Nile was the revenue of Tyre,
and she became the marketplace of the nations.
4 Be ashamed, Sidon, and you fortress of the sea,
for the sea has spoken:
‘I have neither been in labor nor given birth;
I have neither reared sons nor brought up daughters.’
5 When word comes to Egypt,
they will be in anguish at the report from Tyre.
6 Cross over to Tarshish;
wail, you people of the island.
7 Is this your city of revelry,
the old, old city,
whose feet have taken her
to settle in far-off lands?
8 Who planned this against Tyre,
the bestower of crowns,
whose merchants are princes,
whose traders are renowned in the earth?
9 The Lord Almighty planned it,
to bring down her pride in all her splendor
and to humble all who are renowned on the earth.
10 Till your land as they do along the Nile,
Daughter Tarshish,
for you no longer have a harbor.
11 The Lord has stretched out his hand over the sea
and made its kingdoms tremble.
He has given an order concerning Phoenicia
that her fortresses be destroyed.
12 He said, ‘No more of your reveling,
Virgin Daughter Sidon, now crushed!
‘Up, cross over to Cyprus;
even there you will find no rest.’
13 Look at the land of the Babylonians,
this people that is now of no account!
The Assyrians have made it
a place for desert creatures;
they raised up their siege towers,
they stripped its fortresses bare
and turned it into a ruin.
14 Wail, you ships of Tarshish;
your fortress is destroyed!
15 At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king’s life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:
16 ‘Take up a harp, walk through the city,
you forgotten prostitute;
play the harp well, sing many a song,
so that you will be remembered.’
17 At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. 18 Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes.”
The city of Tyre suffered a long and bitter siege by the Assyrian army from 705-701 B.C. Interestingly, historians usually add in their descriptions of Tyre that centuries later the city again was besieged several times, by the Babylonians, the Persians, and the Greeks, who virtually destroyed the city in 333 B.C. Some commentators are of the opinion that it may be that Isaiah’s prophecy of Tyre’s complete destruction in v. 1 envisions those later centuries as well as the time of the Assyrian onslaught in 705-701 B.C.
At the time of the Assyrian military action, the Phoenicians had several colonies and dependent trading stations around the Mediterranean coast. These included Tarshish, in Spain, and ports on Cyprus, where ships from Tarshish would stop off before completing their trips to Tyre. It was at Cyprus after the Assyrian invasion that the returning ships’ crews would hear that the harbor at Tyre had been destroyed (v. 1).
“…Shihor…” (v. 3) was the name of the eastern branch of the Nile in the norther Delta region of Egypt. Egypt depended on the Nile floods for bountiful harvests and for this reason the produce is called “…the grain of the Shihor…” and “…the harvest of the Nile.” Word of the destruction of Tyre came to Egypt (v. 5). With grain from Egypt, seafaring merchants of Tyre engaged in profitable trade with other nations, but trade was no longer possible after the port at Tyre was destroyed.
The news of Tyre’s destruction travels far to the west, to Tarshish (v. 6), where some of the Phoenician refugees have fled. Isaiah notes the contrast between the revelry that characterized their old city of Tyre and their new surroundings in Tarshish (v. 7) and states that as for the destruction of Tyre, it is “…the Lord Almighty planned it, to bring down her pride in all her splendor and to humble all who are renowned on the earth” (v. 9).
The Mediterranean Sea bordered Phoenicia on the west, with Tyre being the most powerful city in the region. Therefore, when acting against Tyre and the surrounding territory, God is portrayed stretching out his hand as if ready to strike (v. 11). This would cause the kingdoms in the area (the cities of Phoenicia with their own kings) to be disturbed or to tremble in fear.
According to the Hebrew text of v. 12, God the speaker, and the name, “…Virgin Daughter Sidon…,” may mean that the city of Sidon had not yet experienced war. But the people of Sidon lived in fear and tried to find refuge on Cyprus, but even there, they Sidon would find no rest, according to the Lord.
In v. 13, the Hebrew text is obscure with its reference to Babylonia. Assyria was the dominant power, and the Babylonians posed no threat to Tyre and Phoenicia. Decades later, however, the Babylonians would rise and fight against the Phoenicians.
Some of Isaiah's prophecies end with a note of surprise, and often it is a word of grace. In this prophecy, the surprise is a partial reprieve. The city of Tyre was prophesied to sink into obscurity as a dominant commercial center in the region for “…seventy years, the span of a king’s life…” (v. 15), but then return to some prominence (v. 17), with a new period of commercial success and profits not used so much to bless the people of Tyre as to provide for the needs of the house of God in Jerusalem (v. 18).
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