Isaiah 13 · a question people ask

"The sun will be darkened" (13:10). Is the chapter speaking of Babylon's fall, or of the end?

In the text

The chapter's heading is "The burden of Babylon" (13:1), and 13:19 names Babylon again. Between them it speaks of "the LORD’s day" (13:6) and "the day of the LORD" (13:9), and of the sky: "For the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going out, and the moon will not cause its light to shine" (13:10), and "I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place" (13:13). It also says, "I will punish the world for their evil" (13:11). The chapter doesn't say whether its words for the sky are a picture of the day or what will be seen in it, and it names no time. Other prophets speak in words like these: "The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining" (Joel 2:10, 3:15), and, over Pharaoh (Ezekiel 32:2), "I will cover the heavens and make its stars dark" (Ezekiel 32:7). When his disciples asked, "What is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3), Jesus's answer includes words like 13:10's: "the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky" (Matthew 24:29). He doesn't name Isaiah. Christians read how his words stand beside 13:10 in more than one way; this chapter's line to Jesus gives the two readings, and these notes choose neither and name no date or event.

The verses

“The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.”
Isaiah 13:1 · World English Bible
“Wail, for the LORD’s day is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.”
Isaiah 13:6 · World English Bible
“Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Isaiah 13:19 · World English Bible
“The earth quakes before them. The heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.”
Joel 2:10 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of Isaiah 13

Isaiah 13: The burden of Babylon

The burden of 13:1 is massa', which Brown-Driver-Briggs gives here as "utterance, oracle". "It will come as destruction from the Almighty" (13:6) is word for word in Joel 1:15. And the chapter's gazelle (13:14) and Babylon's glory (13:19) are one Hebrew spelling, tsevi.

In Favor, questions like this come up right where they arise as you read, with the Hebrew and Greek behind the words and how the chapter leads to Jesus.

First week free, then $10 a month per person

More questions about Isaiah 13

All questions about Isaiah →

The best way to learn the Bible

Favor opens up every chapter as you read.

Favor is a Bible study app for your phone or computer. It takes you through the Bible one chapter at a time, a few minutes a day, and shows you what's really there: the words behind the words, the moments most people miss, and how the whole story fits together. For you. For everyone.

  • Every chapter explains itself

    As you read, short notes open up what's really going on, the details most readers walk past, and the honest questions people ask.

  • The Hebrew and Greek behind it

    Tap a highlighted word to see the original, how to say it, and what it means, checked against the original-language texts.

  • Every page leads to Jesus

    Watch promises made in Genesis kept in Jesus. Each line lights up on your map as you read.

  • Better together

    Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together.

  1. 1

    Start your free week

    Sign up in a minute with your email.

  2. 2

    Read a few minutes a day

    Each chapter opens itself up as you go. Tap what you're curious about.

  3. 3

    Bring your people, if you like

    Send one link. Everyone reads the same chapter, then meets to talk.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person

Questions like this, in every chapter

The best way to learn the Bible. For you. For everyone.

There's a seat for you at the table.

Start your free week

First week free, then $10 a month per person · Log in

Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions