They are coming from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens—the LORD and the weapons of His wrath—to destroy the whole country.
Parallel translations
- WEB They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even Yahweh, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
- KJV They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
- NKJV They come from a far country, From the end of heaven— The Lord and His weapons of indignation, To destroy the whole land.
- NASB They are coming from a distant country, From the farthest horizons, The Lord and the weapons of His indignation, To destroy the whole land.
- NLT They come from distant countries, from beyond the farthest horizons. They are the Lord’s weapons to carry out his anger. With them he will destroy the whole land.
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
The armies come from far away as weapons of God's indignation to destroy the land. God brings distant nations to carry out his judgment.
Overview
The attackers march 'from the uttermost part of heaven' as 'the weapons of his indignation' — instruments of divine wrath against Babylon. The phrase 'to destroy the whole land' signals comprehensive judgment. God's reach extends to the ends of the earth, summoning whom he wills to fulfill his justice.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Jer 51:20–46“You are My war club, My weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin.
- Matt 24:31And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
- Jer 50:9For behold, I stir up and bring against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the land of the north. They will line up against her; from the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty-handed.
- Isa 5:26He lifts a banner for the distant nations and whistles for those at the ends of the earth. Behold—how speedily and swiftly they come!
- Isa 24:1Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants—
- Jer 50:3For a nation from the north will come against her; it will make her land a desolation. No one will live in it; both man and beast will flee.”
- Jer 51:11Sharpen the arrows! Fill the quivers! The LORD has aroused the spirit of the kings of the Medes, because His plan is aimed at Babylon to destroy her, for it is the vengeance of the LORD—vengeance for His temple.
- Isa 13:17Behold, I will stir up against them the Medes, who have no regard for silver and no desire for gold.
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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 13:5 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
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