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I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have even summoned My warriors to execute My wrath and exult in My triumph.
Isaiah 13:3 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB I have commanded my consecrated ones; yes, I have called my mighty men for my anger, even my proudly exulting ones.
  • KJV I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.
  • NKJV I have commanded My sanctified ones; I have also called My mighty ones for My anger— Those who rejoice in My exaltation.”
  • NASB I have commanded My consecrated ones, I have also called for My warriors Who boast in My eminence, To execute My anger.
  • NLT I, the Lord, have dedicated these soldiers for this task. Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express my anger, and they will rejoice when I am exalted.”

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

God calls these warriors his 'consecrated ones,' set apart to execute his wrath. Even pagan armies serve God's sovereign purposes.

Overview

The Lord designates the attackers as his 'mighty men,' summoned for his anger — language showing his complete control over the agents of judgment. Though they are foreign soldiers, they are 'consecrated' for his appointed task. The verse affirms God's sovereignty over history, directing even those who do not know him.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • Joel 3:11Come quickly, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves. Bring down Your mighty ones, O LORD.
  • Jer 51:20–24“You are My war club, My weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin.
  • Rev 17:12–18The ten horns you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive one hour of authority as kings, along with the beast.
  • Ps 149:2Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
  • Isa 44:27–28who says to the depths of the sea, ‘Be dry, and I will dry up your currents,’
  • Isa 45:4–5For the sake of Jacob My servant and Israel My chosen one, I call you by name; I have given you a title of honor, though you have not known Me.
  • Ps 149:5–9Let the saints exult in glory; let them shout for joy upon their beds.
  • Isa 23:11The LORD has stretched out His hand over the sea; He has made kingdoms tremble. He has given a command that the strongholds of Canaan be destroyed.
  • Rev 18:20Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced for you His judgment against her.
  • Ezra 6:1–22Thus King Darius ordered a search of the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon.
  • Ezra 1:1–11In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:
  • Jer 50:21–46Go up against the land of Merathaim, and against the residents of Pekod. Kill them and devote them to destruction. Do all that I have commanded you,” declares the LORD.
  • Ezra 7:12–26Artaxerxes, king of kings. To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.
  • Rev 18:4–8Then I heard another voice from heaven say: “Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or contract any of her plagues.

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Isaiah videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Isaiah 13:3YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on IsaiahMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Isaiah sees him most clearly: the virgin's son Immanuel, the child on David's throne, the shoot from Jesse, the light to the nations, and above all the Suffering Servant pierced for our transgressions (ch. 53).

How Isaiah 13:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.