What does Isaiah 13:2 mean?
Isaiah begins his oracle—a solemn judgment—against the city-state of Babylon. As Isaiah wrote this, the Assyrian Empire still stood strong and would soon decimate Israel and most of Judah. In the end, this powerful nation would fail to bring down Jerusalem itself because of the intervention of the Lord when faithful Hezekiah was king of Judah (2 Kings 19:35–37).Babylon was, at that time, still under Assyria's rule. It was a rising power that occasionally challenged the Assyrians by attempts to form alliances with other nations and become independent. Babylon's true glory lay in the future from Isaiah's perspective. It would one day become a great power under King Nebuchadnezzar. In that era, it would fully conquer Jerusalem and carry off the people into exile (2 Kings 24:10–17).
This oracle describes God's judgment against Babylon for the current and future sins of its people and leaders. As will be shown, their defining sin is pride. Babylonian culture became famous throughout the world for its sophistication and elegance. The important people of Babylon became arrogant and haughty. They were elevating themselves in their own eyes. And the Lord hates human pride (Proverbs 16:5).
The prophet begins by calling for a banner to be raised on a bare hilltop. During this time, large banners that could be seen from great distances were raised as messages, including the signal to begin a battle. The call to raise the banner is followed by shouts and hand waving to indicate the time had come to attack. The order was to enter through the "gates of the nobles." This would be the important people of Babylonian society.
