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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Isaiah 13:6-18

We have here a very elegant and lively description of the terrible confusion and desolation which should be made in Babylon by the descent which the Medes and Persians should make upon it. Those that were now secure and easy were bidden to howl and make sad lamentation; for, I. God was about to appear in wrath against them, and it is a fearful thing to fall into his hands: The day of the Lord is at hand (Isa. 13:6), a little day of judgment, when God will act as a just avenger of his own and... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 13:6

Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand ,.... These words are an address to the Babylonians, who instead of rejoicing and feasting, as Belshazzar and his nobles were the night that Babylon was taken, had reason to howl and lament; seeing the day that the Lord had fixed for their destruction was very near, and he was just about to come forth as a judge to take vengeance on them; for though it was about two hundred and fifty years from the time of this prophecy, to the taking of Babylon,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 13:1-18

The fall of Babylon a type of the general punishment of the wicked. Scripture deals with history altogether in the way of example. Whether the subject be Assyria, or Syria, or Egypt, or Babylon, or even the "peculiar people of God," the object is to teach men by the facts adduced what they have to expect themselves. In Isaiah 10:1-34 . Assyria, here Babylon, is held up as a warning to sinners. The absolute certainty that punishment will overtake them at God's hands is the main lesson... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 13:1-22

It is remarkable that Babylon heads the list of the Church's enemies in the present catalogue. Dr. Kay supposes the term "Babel" to be equivalent to "Asshur-Babel," and to designate "the Assyro-Babylonian Empire." He thinks that "Babel" heads the list on account of Assyria's position, under Tiglath-Pileser and Shalmaneser, in the van of Israel's adversaries. But neither Isaiah nor any other sacred writer knows of an Assyro-Babylonian kingdom or empire. Assyria and Babylonia are distinct... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 13:1-22

Oracle concerning Babylon. I. APPROACH OF THE WARRIORS OF JEHOVAH . On the bare mountain the banner is upraised, and with loud cry and commanding gesture of the hand a host of warriors is summoned from all sides. As in verse 26, Jehovah is viewed by the poet as a mighty Battle-Leader, Lord of hosts. His voice is heard, "I have given commission to my anointed ones, have called my heroes for my work of punishment, my proudly rejoicing ones!" And then a noise is heard in the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 13:6

Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand (comp. Joel 1:15 ); literally, the expression used in both passages is a day of Jehovah . The idiom would not, however, allow the use of the article, so that the phrase is ambiguous. "The day of Jehovah" is properly "that crisis in the history of the world when Jehovah will interpose to rectify the evils of the present, bringing joy and glory to the humble believer, and misery and shame to the proud and disobedient" (Cheyne). But any great... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 13:6

The day of the Lord. We may truly speak of every day as a "day of the Lord." For when does the morning come on which we cannot say, "This is the day which the Lord has made' ( Psalms 118:24 )? Every day brings with it fresh tokens of his presence, new proofs of his power. The refreshment and invigoration of sleep, the provisions of the table, the enjoyment of the hearth, the activities of outward life, the continuance of mental power, etc.,—do not all these daily mercies make each... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 13:6

The day of the Lord. This expression is employed for that crisis in the history of the world when Jehovah will interpose to correct the evils of the present. Such great crises are called "days" in antithesis to the ages of Divine long-suffering. In Christian thought the term is associated with the coming day or time of judgment, and mainly with that in view we dwell on the words. Isaiah was one of a class of prophets to whom God disclosed, in visions, the scenes of the ever-nearing future.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 13:6

God as El Shaddai. It will at once come to mind that this is the name used for God by John Bunyan in his 'Holy War,' but it is an unfamiliar one, and one that needs explanation. It is translated in Scripture by the term "the Almighty," but that properly represents the Hebrew El Gibbor . Cheyne says, "Wherever it occurs ( Joel 1:15 ; Ezekiel 1:24 ; Ezekiel 10:5 ), it appears to express the more severe and awful side of the Divine nature. Though used as a mere synonym for El , or ... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Isaiah 13:6

Howl ye - Ye inhabitants of Babylon, in view of the approaching destruction.The day of the Lord - The time when Yahweh will inflict vengeance on you draws near (see the note at Isaiah 2:12; compare Isaiah 13:9).As a destruction from the Almighty - Not as a desolation from man, but as destruction sent from him who has all power in heaven and on earth. Destruction meditated by man might be resisted; but destruction that should come from the Almighty must be final and irresistible. The word... read more

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