Isaiah 13:2

Isaiah 13:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain, exalt the voice unto them, shake the hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
• New International Version (NIV)Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them; beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles.
• English Standard Version (ESV)On a bare hill raise a signal; cry aloud to them; wave the hand for them to enter the gates of the nobles.
• New King James Version (NKJV)“Lift up a banner on the high mountain, Raise your voice to them; Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.

Context of Isaiah 13:2

1The [mournful, inspired] oracle (a burden to be carried) concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw [in a prophetic vision]: Lift up a signal banner on the bare mountain, Summon them [the Medes and Persians] with a loud voice, Wave the [beckoning] hand so that they may enter the doorways of the [Babylonian] nobles. 3I [the Lord] have commanded My consecrated ones, I have even called My great warriors, My proudly exulting ones [the Medes and the Persians who triumph for My honor]— To execute My anger. 4A sound of tumult on the mountains, Like that of many people! A sound of the uproar of the kingdoms, Of nations gathered together! The Lord of hosts is mustering an army for battle.

Isaiah 13:2 word by word

עַ֤ל הַר־נִשְׁפֶּה֙ שְֽׂאוּ־נֵ֔ס הָרִ֥ימוּ ק֖וֹל לָהֶ֑ם הָנִ֣יפוּ יָ֔ד וְיָבֹ֖אוּ פִּתְחֵ֥י נְדִיבִֽים׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Lift ye upנָשָׂאnâώâ' nâsâh · to lift: raiseH5375
• a bannerנֵסnês · ensignH5251
• upon the highשָׁפָהshâphâh · be bareH8192
• mountainהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
• exaltרוּםrûm · to exaltH7311
• the voiceקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
• unto them, shakeנוּףnûph · to waveH5130
• the handיָדyâd · handH3027
• that they may goבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• into the gatesפֶּ֫תַחpethach · entranceH6607
• of the noblesנָדִיבnâdîyb · nobleH5081

Cross-references for Isaiah 13:2

• Isaiah 5:26He will lift up a flag to [call] the distant nations [to bring His judgment on Judah], And will whistle for them from the ends of the earth; And indeed, they will come with great speed swiftly.
• Isaiah 11:12And He will lift up a signal for the nations And assemble the outcasts of Israel, And will gather the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth.
• Isaiah 18:3All you inhabitants of the world, you who dwell on the earth, When a banner is raised on the mountains, you will see it! When a trumpet is blown, you will hear it!
• Jeremiah 50:2“Declare among the nations. Lift up a signal [to spread the news]—publish and proclaim it, Do not conceal it; say, ‘Babylon has been taken, Bel [the patron god] has been shamed, Marduk (Bel) has been shattered. Babylon’s images have been shamed, her [worthless] idols have been thrown down.’
• Jeremiah 51:27Lift up a signal in the land [to spread the news]! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Dedicate the nations [for war] against her; Call against her the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz. Appoint a marshal against her; Cause the horses to come up like bristly locusts [with their wings not yet released from their cases].
• Jeremiah 51:25“Behold, I am against you, O destroying mountain [conqueror of nations], Who destroys the whole earth,” declares the Lord, “I will stretch out My hand against you, And roll you down from the [rugged] cliffs, And will make you a burnt mountain (extinct volcano).
• Isaiah 10:32Yet today the Assyrian will halt at Nob [the city of priests]; He shakes his fist at the mountain of the Daughter of Zion, at the hill of Jerusalem.
• Isaiah 11:15And the Lord will utterly destroy The tongue of the Sea of Egypt; And with His scorching wind He will wave His hand over the River; He will strike and divide it into seven channels And make [it possible for] people [to] walk over in sandals.
• Isaiah 45:1This is what the Lord says to His anointed, to Cyrus [king of Persia], Whose right hand I have held To subdue nations before him, And I will ungird the loins of kings [disarming them]; To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
• Jeremiah 51:58Thus says the Lord of hosts, “The broad wall of Babylon will be completely overthrown and the foundations razed And her high gates will be set on fire; The peoples will labor in vain, And the nations become exhausted [only] for fire [that will destroy their work].”

Commentaries on Isaiah 13:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Exalt the voice - The word להם lahem, "to them," which is of no use, and rather weakens the sentence, is omitted by an ancient MS., and the Vulgate.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Lift ye up a banner - A military ensign or standard. The vision opens here; and the first thing which the prophet hears, is the solemn command of God addressed to the nations as subject to him, to rear the standard of war, and to gather around it the mighty armies which were to be employed in the destruction of the city. This command, Lift ye up a banner,‘ is addressed to the leaders of those armies to assemble them, and to prepare them for war. Upon the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2A signal flag or banner, visible from far away, was often placed on a bare hilltop as a call to battle. God opposes Babylon as the symbolic representative of all evil kingdoms.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. Lift ... banner--(Is 5:26; 11:10). the high mountain--rather, "a bare (literally, "bald," that is, without trees) mountain"; from it the banner could be seen afar off, so as to rally together the peoples against Babylon. unto them--unto the Medes (Is 13:17), the assailants of Babylon. It is remarkable that Isaiah does not foretell here the Jews' captivity in Babylon, but presupposes that event, and throws himself beyond, predicting another event still…Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 13:2

• Mountain

In the dictionaries

• Banner
• Glory
• Haughtiness
• Howl
• Astronomy
• Canon of the Old Testament
• Esther, the Rest of
• Evil
• Exalt
• Ezekiel

Commentaries on Isaiah 13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings