Isaiah 13:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come!

NIV: Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.

NASB: Wail, for the day of the Lord is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

CSB: Wail! For the day of the Lord is near. It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

NLT: Scream in terror, for the day of the Lord has arrived — the time for the Almighty to destroy.

KJV: Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.

NKJV: Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

This is Isaiah's oracle against Babylon, describing a massive, then-future attack against the powerful city-state (Isaiah 13:1). The Lord has also made it inescapably clear that this is His attack against Babylon. He has assembled this massive army, consisting of the forces of multiple, far-flung nations. This attack will convey His anger in righteous judgment(Isaiah 13:3–5). The Lord is working out His purposes through this attack.

Isaiah tells the people of Babylon in this moment to "wail" or "howl." They should be humble enough at the prospect of this destruction from the Lord to be terrified. He writes that the "day of the Lord" is near. The day of the Lord is most often used in the Bible, especially by the Old Testament prophets, to describe when God's judgment will bring destruction on the guilty and salvation to the righteous.

The day of the Lord often refers to the ultimate time of God's judgment before the beginning Christ's kingdom on earth or of eternity. At other times, the day of the Lord may be more specifically directed at one nation or people for their specific sins. The latter seems to be the case here.

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).