Isaiah 13:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place, at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger.

NIV: Therefore 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.

NASB: Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the Lord of armies In the day of His burning anger.

CSB: Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will shake from its foundations at the wrath of the Lord of Armies, on the day of his burning anger.

NLT: For I will shake the heavens. The earth will move from its place when the Lord of Heaven’s Armies displays his wrath in the day of his fierce anger.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Therefore I will shake the heavens, And the earth will move out of her place, In the wrath of the Lord of hosts And in the day of His fierce anger.

The Lord has openly declared how He will respond to the sinful wickedness and arrogance of the nation of Babylon. In doing so, He has revealed His feelings about all human evil and pride. He will not let it stand. Sin always has a price. And that price is nothing less than death, destruction, and pain (Isaiah 13:11). Babylon is filled with ruthless violence against the innocent and prideful arrogance about their own power and beauty. And the Lord will answer this nation's evil.

This verse depicts powerful earthquakes from below and trembling in the sky. As with the earlier reference to darkness (Isaiah 13:10), this is probably meant as a poetic reference to the impending destruction. Nothing is more terrifying than to become the object of the wrath of the Lord of Hosts. Writing centuries later, the apostle Paul would note that all human beings were at one time the object of God's wrath due to our own sinfulness (Ephesians 2:1–10; Colossians 3:5–6). We had no more hope than Babylon did in that moment of ancient history.

The Lord did not leave us lost and without hope. He made salvation from His anger possible for those who trust in Christ (John 3:16–18). He did not change His mind about sin. This is the same God and same fierce wrath. The difference is that He poured out all that anger and destruction on Jesus until the price of our sin was satisfied. Those who come to God through Christ find their sins wiped clean (1 Corinthians 6:9–11; 1 John 1:9).

Isaiah 13:1–22 contains Isaiah's prophecy from the Lord. This is against the dominant power of Babylon, which would arise after the defeat of the Assyrians. The Lord will assemble and consecrate an international army to attack and obliterate the powerful city-state of Babylon. The people will tremble in fear as the Lord executes His judgment out of His great wrath toward the arrogant and ruthless Babylonians. The population will be slaughtered without mercy and the land left desolate. When it's over, only wild animals will walk the streets of the once-splendid city.

Chapter 13 begins a new section in the book of Isaiah, which focuses on prophecies against other nations besides Israel. It begins by describing the Lord's destruction of the city-state of Babylon. This will come after it has become a dominating power in the world. The Lord will assemble a multi-nation army to attack the city and leave the land completely desolate. All who flee will be hunted and killed. The Medes will slaughter even pregnant women and children without mercy. When it is all over, only wild animals will occupy the once luxurious center of human achievement and sophistication.

Isaiah has been discussing the eventual rescue and restoration of Israel (Isaiah 10–12). Chapter 13 introduces an entirely new section in Isaiah's book: prophecies from the Lord against Gentile nations. First is a prediction of the utter destruction of Babylon. That nation had been the dominant power in the world. The Lord will assemble a multi-nation army from near and far to destroy the luxurious and powerful city-state on the Euphrates. This is followed by reassurances and further details of God's vengeance on Israel's other oppressors.

Isaiah is among the most important prophetic books in the entire Bible. The first segment details God's impending judgment against ancient peoples for sin and idolatry (Isaiah 1—35). The second part of Isaiah briefly explains a failed assault on Jerusalem during the rule of Hezekiah (Isaiah 36—39). The final chapters predict Israel's rescue from Babylonian captivity (Isaiah 40—48), the promised Messiah (Isaiah 49—57), and the final glory of Jerusalem and God's people (Isaiah 58—66).