Bible Commentary

But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. 21. wild beasts of the desert ] The word used means strictly “dwellers in the desert” and is applied to men in Psa 72:9. In ch. Isa … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 13:21”

It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there. 20. the Arabian ] Cf. Jer 3:2. The word seems originally to mean “dweller in the desert,” but ultimately acquired the force of a proper … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 13:20”

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 19. the Chaldees’ excellency ] The territory of the Chaldans lay near the head of the Persian Gulf. Their dominion over Babylon began with Nabopolassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar. as when God overthrew, &c. … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 13:19”

[Their] bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children. Their bows also – Bows and arrows were the usual weapons of the ancients in war; and the Persians were particularly skilled in their use. According to … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 13:18”

Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and [as for] gold, they shall not delight in it. 17. the Medes ] This Iranian people first became a leading power in Asia when it divided with the Chaldans the spoils of the Assyrian Empire (b.c. 606), but it was … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 13:17”

Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes; their houses shall be spoiled, and their wives ravished. 16. That the capture of Babylon should be marked by the atrocities here spoken of was no doubt to be expected from the character of the Medes ( Isa 13:17 f.), but no such crimes … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 13:16”

Every one that is found shall be thrust through; and every one that is joined [unto them] shall fall by the sword. 15. Every one that is found ] Chiefly the natives of Babylon, who had no land to flee to. The phrase ‘ every one that is joined unto them’ is better translated, every … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 13:15”

And it shall be as the chased roe, and as a sheep that no man taketh up: they shall every man turn to his own people, and flee every one into his own land. 14. Those who flee to their own land are the foreign residents who had been attracted by the wealth and commerce … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 13:14”

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. 13. By the outbreak of Jehovah’s wrath the material universe is shaken to its foundations. Such representations are common in the descriptions of the … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 13:13”

I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. 12. golden wedge ] Render simply gold. Both the words for gold are rare and poetic. Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges I will make a man … – I will so cut off … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Isaiah 13:12”