Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 13:2
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.
2. Lift ye up a banner ] a signal, ch. Isa 5:26.
upon the high mountain ] Render, upon a bare mountain; i.e. one denuded of trees, so that the signal might be clearly distinguished.
the gates of the nobles ] The city gates through which the Babylonian magnates passed to and fro. The name Babel (Bab-ilu) signifies “Gate of God.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
2 4. Jehovah musters His hosts.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Lift ye up a banner – A military ensign or standard. The vision opens here; and the first thing which the prophet hears, is the solemn command of God addressed to the nations as subject to him, to rear the standard of war, and to gather around it the mighty armies which were to be employed in the destruction of the city. This command, Lift ye up a banner, is addressed to the leaders of those armies to assemble them, and to prepare them for war.
Upon the high mountain – It was customary for military leaders to plant a standard on a tower, a fortress, a city, a high mountain, or any elevated spot, in order that it might be seen afar, and be the rallying point for the people to collect together (see the note at Isa 11:10). Here, the prophet does not refer to any particular mountain, but means simply, that a standard should be raised, around which the hosts should be assembled to march to Babylon. The Chaldee renders it, Over the city dwelling in security, lift up the banner.
Exalt the voice – Raise up the voice, commanding the people to assemble, and to prepare for the march against Babylon, Perhaps, however, the word voice here ( qol) refers to the clangor, or sound, of a trumpet used for mustering armies. The word is often used to denote any noise, and is frequently applied to thunder, to the trumpet, etc.
Unto them – That is, to the Medes and Persians, who were to be employed in the destruction of Babylon.
Shake the hand – In the way of beckoning; as when one is at so great a distance that the voice cannot be heard, the hand is waved for a sign. This was a command to beckon to the nations to assemble for the destruction of Babylon.
That they may go into the gates of the nobles – The word rendered here nobles ( nedybym) means, properly, voluntary, free, liberal; then those who are noble, or liberally-minded, from the connection between nobleness and liberality; then those who are noble or elevated in rank or office. In this sense it is used here; compare Job 12:21; Job 34:18; 1Sa 2:8; Psa 107:40; and Pro 8:16, where it is rendered princes; Num 21:18, where it is rendered nobles. Lowth renders it here princes. Noyes renders it tyrants – a sense which the word has in Job 21:28 (see the note at that place). There is no doubt that it refers to Babylon; and the prophet designs probably to speak of Babylon as a magnificent city – a city of princes, or nobles. The Chaldee renders it, That they may enter its gates, which open to them of their own accord; retaining the original signification of voluntariness in the Hebrew word, and expressing the idea that the conquest would be easy. Our common translation has expressed the correct sense.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 2. Exalt the voice] The word lahem, “to them,” which is of no use, and rather weakens the sentence, is omitted by an ancient MS., and the Vulgate.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Lift ye up a banner, to gather soldiers together for this expedition.
Upon the high mountain; whence it may be discerned at a considerable distance. Withal he seems to intimate that their enemies should come from the mountainous country of Media.
Unto them; to the Medes, who are named below, Isa 13:17.
Shake the hand; beckon to them with your hand, that they may come to this service.
That they may go into the gates of the nobles; that they may go and fight against Babylon, and take it, and so enter into the palaces of the king, and of his princes, and spoil them at their pleasure; which the Medes and Persians did. The manner of expression implies how easily and expeditiously they did their work, that, like Caesar, they might say they only came, and saw, and overcame.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
2. Lift . . . banner (Isa 5:26;Isa 11:10).
the high mountainrather,”a bare (literally, “bald,” that is, withouttrees) mountain”; from it the banner could be seen afar off, soas to rally together the peoples against Babylon.
unto themunto theMedes (Isa 13:17), theassailants of Babylon. It is remarkable that Isaiah does not foretellhere the Jews’ captivity in Babylon, but presupposes thatevent, and throws himself beyond, predicting anotherevent still more future, the overthrow of the city of Israel’soppressors. It was now one hundred seventy-four years before theevent.
shake . . . handbeckonwith the handwave the hand to direct the nations to march againstBabylon.
noblesBabylonian.Rather, in a bad sense, tyrants; as in Isa14:5, “rulers” in parallelism to “the wicked”;and Job 21:28 [MAURER].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain,…. Or “upon the mountain Nishphah”; some high mountain in Media or Persia, proper to set a standard on, or erect a banner for the gathering men together, to enlist themselves as soldiers, and so form an army to march into the land of Chaldea. Vitringa thinks there may be an allusion to the mountain Zagrius, which divides Media and Persia from Assyria, mentioned by Strabo x. Or “upon a high mountain”; any high mountain fit for such a purpose; or “against the high mountain”, as some y read it; meaning Babylon, called a mountain, Jer 51:25 not because of its situation, for it was in a plain; but because of its eminence above other cities and states. The Targum is,
“against the city that dwells securely, lift up a sign;”
a token of war, proclaim war against it, that lives at ease, and is in peace; and so the word is used in the Talmudic language, as Kimchi observes; and to this agrees Jarchi’s note,
“to gather against the mountain that is quiet, and trusts in its tranquillity, lift up a banner to the nations.”
Exalt the voice unto them; the Medes, mentioned by name in
Isa 13:17 such as were within call, or were gathered together by the lifting up of the banner; such were to be urged with great vehemency to enlist themselves, and engage in a war against Babylon:
shake the hand; beckon with it to them that are afar off, that cannot hear the voice:
that they may go into the gates of the nobles; that dwell in the city of Babylon, where they might expect to find rich plunder; though some understand this of the nobles or princes of the Medes and Persians, as Kimchi observes, that should enter through the gates of Babylon into the city; and by others it is interpreted of the soldiers coming to the doors of the leaders or generals of the army, to give in their names, and enlist themselves in their service; which well agrees with what goes before.
x Geograph. l. 11. p. 359. y “contra montem excelsum”, Forerius, Sanctius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The prophet hears a call to war. From whom it issues, and to whom or against whom it is directed, still remains a secret; but this only adds to the intensity. ”On woodless mountain lift ye up a banner, call to them with loud sounding voice, shake the hand, that they may enter into gates of princes!” The summons is urgent: hence a threefold signal, viz., the banner-staff planted on a mountain “made bald” ( nishpeh , from which comes sh e phi , which only occurs in Isaiah and Jeremiah), the voice raised high, and the shaking of the hand, denoting a violent beckoning – all three being favourite signs with Isaiah. The destination of this army is to enter into a city of princes ( nedbm , freemen, nobles, princes, Psa 107:40, cf., Psa 113:8), namely, to enter as conquerors; for it is not the princes who invite them, but Jehovah.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
2. Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain. The word mountain contains a metaphor; for the discourse relates to Babylon, which, we know, was situated on a plain; but with a view to its extensive dominion, he has assigned to it an elevated situation, like a fortress set on high above all nations. But perhaps it will be thought better to take the word mountain as used indefinitely; as if he had said, “When a signal is given there will be a vast assemblage from very distant countries, because all men will be attracted towards it by the wide and extensive influence of the sight;” and, indeed, I consider this opinion to be more probable, but I chose to mention at first the opinion which had been commonly received. Yet it might be thought absurd that the Prophet here enjoins the creatures to yield, as it were, obedience to him, if God had not fortified the Prophet by his instructions and authority. A private man here commands the Medes and Persians, assembles armies, orders a banner to be lifted up, and sounds the trumpet for battle.
This should therefore lead us to consider the majesty of God, in whose name he spoke, and likewise the power and efficacy which is always joined with the word. Such modes of expression are frequently found in the Prophets, that, by placing the events as it were before our eyes, he may enable us to see that God threatens nothing by his servants which he is not ready immediately to execute. Isaiah might indeed have threatened in plain and direct terms, “The Persians and Medes will come, and will burst through the gates of Babylon, notwithstanding the prodigious strength of its fortifications.” But those exclamations are far more energetic, when he not only assumes the character of a herald and proclaims war, but, as if he exercised the highest authority, orders the Medes and Persians to assemble like hired soldiers. Not only does he show that they will be ready at the bidding of God, because they are moved by his secret influence; but, having been sent by God to announce the ruin of Babylon, he claims for his own voice the accomplishment of what appeared to be beyond belief. It amounts to this, “When God hath spoken about what shall happen, we ought to entertain no doubt concerning it.” It deserves our notice also, that he describes the Persians and Medes, without mentioning their names; for that threatening is more emphatic, when he points them out, as it were, with the finger, as when we say, “This and that man.” This contributes to the certainty of the prophecy, when he points out such distant events as if they were at hand.
Shake the hand, that they may enter within the gates of the nobles. When he says, Shake the hand, and they shall enter, he means that the Persians and Medes shall no sooner begin to advance at the command of God than their road shall be plain and easy in spite of every obstruction. Though the Hebrews call Princes נדיבים, ( Nedibim,) that is, generous and bountiful, on which is also founded that saying of Christ, εὐεργέται καλοῦνται, they are called benefactors, (Luk 22:25,) yet I think that the Prophet draws our attention to the splendor of power in which the Babylonians gloried. They were furnished above others with forces and warlike armaments, so that it appeared to be incredible that they could ever be vanquished. But the Prophet threatens that nothing shall hinder God from opening up a way and entrance to the enemies.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(2) Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain . . .Strictly speaking, a bare mountain. where there were no trees to hide the standard round which the forces that the prophet sees were to rally. The word and thought are the same as in Isa. 5:26; but there the summons lies for the invaders of Israel, here for its avengers. The voice that summons is, as the next verse shows, that of Jehovah. The shaking the hand is, as in Isa. 10:32, the act of the generals pointing with emphatic gesture to the city that is to be destroyed.
The gates of the nobles.The word is used to heighten the contrast between the greatness of the city to be destroyed, with its gates that had witnessed for centuries the entrance of kings and princes, and the wild roughness of the barbarian destroyers.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2. Lift ye up a banner See Isa 5:26 and Isa 11:12, and the notes there.
Upon the high mountain Literally, bald mountain, from which the reared standard could be seen from afar, and a rally thither could be made.
Unto them The Medes. The Median power, with that of Persia, is to conquer Babylon. The point of time in the vision is, when Babylon is flushed with power and prosperity, and stained with crime. The Median mountainous country lay to the northeast, the Persian to the east. Cyrus, though not named, is the great instrument of God, who is now summoning.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Isa 13:2-3. Lift ye up a banner In this beginning of the discourse we have, first, a figurative declaration of the causes, principal as well as instrumental, of the judgment to be brought upon Babylon; wherein God is introduced as a supreme general, delivering his commands to his ministers to collect a strong and numerous army, which would serve as an instrument of executing that severe judgment which he had decreed against the Babylonians. We have this command in the present verses, and the ready execution of the command in Isa 13:4-5. For the analysis of the second part, see on the sixth verse. There seems to be no doubt but that God is the speaker in these verses. See Jer 50:9. It is more doubtful who are those addressed: some think the Medes and Persians; but they cannot be the persons directly addressed, because they constitute the army which was to be collected for the execution of this decree: Others have therefore concluded, that the angels, the ministers of God’s providence, are to be understood; but Vitringa observes very justly, that in passages like this, which are in a measure dramatic, there is no need to be so solicitous for the application of every minute particular. The general meaning of the passage is, that God would take care to effect that by his secret providence, which men are used to effect by their ministers and agents. Instead of sanctified ones, Bishop Lowth reads enrolled warriors, in the third verse; and instead of even them, &c.those that exult in my greatness. Herodotus says remarkably of the Medes and Persians, that they thought themselves to be of all men the most excellent in all things, . lib. 1: p. 64. And in Ammianus Marcell. lib. 23: cap. 6 we have a character of this people, which remarkably coincides with the expression of the prophet. See Vitringa.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
In the figurative language of prophecy, the Lord describes the destruction of Babylon. The army that shall come against Babylon, the Lord calls his sanctified ones, and his mighty ones. By sanctified, we must not, as we are very apt to do, suppose is meant God’s holy ones; but only such as the Lord hath set apart, and appointed to this service. The word sanctified, doth not always mean holy. The army by which, as the Lord’s instruments, the Lord would destroy Babylon, were no more holy than the Babylon to be destroyed. Babylon was now, by the Lord’s appointment, to take his people into captivity, and afflict them. But Babylon, after that is over, shall be accounted with, and be herself ruined. Hence therefore, the Lord sends by whom he will send, and when he is pleased to correct his whole Church, or any one individual of that Church, the rod the Lord corrects with, shall, when he hath finished the correction, be thrown away. Reader! mark this observation for present times, as well as those that are past, for it will be found uniformly true. If the Reader will compare what is said in this chapter, with what the Lord hath said in another part of Isaiah’s prophecy, he will find a beautiful and striking correspondence. See Isa 45:1-4 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Isa 13:2 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.
Ver. 2. Lift up a banner. ] Deus hic quasi classicum canit; God, as chief general, gives forth his orders to the Medes and Persians. He is a “man of war,” Exo 15:3 yea, the Lord victor of war, as the Chaldee there paraphraseth. See the like Jer 50:2 .
Upon the high mountain.
Exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand.
That they may go into the gates of the nobles.
a Strabo, lib. xvi.; Curtius, lib. v.; Josephus, lib. x.
b Junius.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Lift ye up: Isa 5:26, Isa 11:12, Isa 18:3, Jer 50:2, Jer 51:27, Jer 51:28
upon the high: Jer 51:25
shake: Isa 10:32, Isa 11:15
go into: Isa 45:1-3, Jer 51:58
Reciprocal: Jdg 4:6 – Hath 1Ch 5:26 – stirred up Isa 21:2 – Go up Isa 21:5 – arise Isa 46:11 – Calling Jer 6:4 – Prepare Jer 49:14 – Gather Jer 49:28 – Arise Jer 50:9 – I will raise Jer 50:25 – opened Jer 50:41 – General Jer 51:12 – the standard Jer 51:53 – from Zec 2:9 – I will Mat 22:7 – his
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Isa 13:2-3. Lift up a banner To gather soldiers together for this expedition; upon the high mountain Whence it may be discerned at a considerable distance. Exalt the voice unto them To the Medes, named Isa 13:17. Shake the hand Beckon to them with your hand, that they may come to this service. That they may go into the gates of the nobles That they may go and take Babylon, and so may enter into the palaces of the king, and of his princes, and spoil them at their pleasure. I have commanded my sanctified ones Or, my appointed ones, as Dr. Waterland renders , namely, the Medes and Persians, who were solemnly designed and set apart by God for his service, in this sacred work of executing his just vengeance upon the Babylonians. I have called my mighty ones Those whom I have made mighty for this work; even them that rejoice in my highness Or, exult in my greatness, as Bishop Lowth renders it, that is, in the doing that work which will tend to the advancement of my glory, in destroying the Babylonian empire. Not that the Medes and Persians had any regard to God or to his glory, in undertaking and prosecuting this war: they certainly had only the gratifying their own ambition, and lust of power and empire, in view.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
13:2 Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice to them, shake the {b} hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
(b) That is, the Medes and Persians.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
This section is an introduction to all 10 oracles that follow in chapters 13-23, as well as to the first oracle against Babylon. It explains why God will judge Gentile nations: they refuse to acknowledge Yahweh’s sovereignty and instead exalt and glorify themselves. The story of the building of the tower of Babel is the classic expression of this hubris (overweening pride; Gen 11:1-9).
Isaiah related a message from God, summoning His warriors to assemble, so they could carry out His will in judging those with whom He was angry. Raising a flag on a hilltop and calling warriors to assemble pictures God doing this (Isa 13:2-3; cf. Rev 9:16). Many warriors from many kingdoms far away would respond to the Lord’s command, and gather together to do battle as His instruments (Isa 13:4-5; cf. Dan 11:40-45; Rev 14:14-20; Rev 16:12-16; Rev 19:17-19). The day of the Lord, the day in which He will actively intervene in history, would be close by (Heb. qarob). The Hebrew word describes the total preparedness of that day to dawn whenever the Lord decides that its time has come. It does not necessarily mean that the day is imminent. Therefore everyone should wail (or howl; cf. Amo 5:16-17). It would be a day when the Almighty would send destruction (Isa 13:6; cf. Isa 13:9; Isa 13:13).
"In the Hebrew Bible the title ’Almighty’ (Heb. ’Shaddai’) depicts God as the sovereign king and judge of the world who both gives and takes away life." [Note: Chisholm, Handbook on . . ., p. 48. For a study of proposed derivations of the Hebrew name, see T. N. D. Mettinger, In Search of God, pp. 70-71.]
The prospect of sudden, inevitable, inescapable destruction at the hand of the Almighty would make everyone tremble with fear. They would not know where to turn (Isa 13:7-8; cf. 1Th 5:3). The coming judgment would desolate the whole earth and exterminate sinners from it, specifically those who miss the mark of righteousness (Isa 13:9). This judgment would involve the darkening of the sun, moon, and stars (cf. Isa 34:4; Eze 32:7; Joe 2:10; Joe 2:30-31; Joe 3:15; Zec 14:6-7; Mat 24:29; Rev 8:12). Since the pagans worshipped these objects, this announcement signals the judging of them as idols as well (Isa 13:10).
The reason for this wrathful judgment is the evil of wicked people, especially their pride and haughtiness (Isa 13:11). Rather than human pride resulting in increasing good conditions for ever-expanding numbers of people, it will result in the cutting back of the human population (Isa 13:12; cf. Rev 6:8; Rev 9:15). The heavens and the earth would shake at the fury of Yahweh of armies when His anger would burn against the wicked (Isa 13:13; cf. Isa 24:18; Joe 2:10; Joe 3:16; Hag 2:6-7; Hag 2:21-22; Rev 6:12; Rev 8:5; Rev 11:13; Rev 11:19; Rev 16:18). People will scatter like frightened gazelles and sheep in that day as they seek security (cf. Rev 6:15-17). God’s warriors will slay all the wicked that they can find. Children will be unmercifully slaughtered in the sight of their parents. Houses will be looted and women raped (Isa 13:14-16).
"If we don’t have a just God to trust in, we will have no logical reason not to become violent ourselves. It is Isaiah’s vision of God’s final justice that moderates our anger and frustration right now." [Note: Ortlund, p. 125.]