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

1This is God's message about Babylon that he showed to Isaiah, the son of Amoz: Lift up a sign on an empty hill. Shout aloud for an army to attack! Wave your hand! Then they will go through the city gates into the rulers' palaces. 3I, the Lord, have sent my special men. I am very angry. Those men are my brave soldiers who will punish Babylon on my behalf. They are proud because I have made them strong. 4Listen to the loud noise of a big crowd on the mountains! It is the sound of large armies from many kingdoms as they march and shout. Nations are joining together to fight! The Lord Almighty is preparing an army ready for war.

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 5:26The Lord will send a message to foreign nations to come and attack. He calls to nations that are far away, and now they are already coming! Their armies march quickly to Jerusalem.
• Isaiah 11:12The Lord will lift up a clear sign for the nations to see. He will bring together Israel's people that their enemies took away. Yes, he will bring back Judah's exiles from all over the earth.
• Isaiah 18:3All you people who live in the world, listen to this! You will see a battle flag on the mountains. You will hear the sound of a trumpet.
• Jeremiah 50:2‘Tell this news to the nations! Wave a flag to make sure that people listen! Do not try to hide anything. Say this: “Enemies will take Babylon. Bel will become ashamed. Yes, Marduk will be afraid. All Babylon's disgusting idols will be ashamed.”
• Jeremiah 51:27‘Call the nations to come and fight a battle against Babylonia. Wave a flag and make a noise with trumpets, so that these kingdoms prepare their armies to attack: Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz. Choose a captain to lead them into battle. Send an army of soldiers on horses to attack, like a large crowd of locusts.
• Jeremiah 51:25The Lord says, ‘Listen to me, Babylon! I am your enemy! You are like a strong mountain that destroys the whole earth. I will punish you with all my strength. I will push you down from your high place. I will make you a heap of ashes.
• Isaiah 10:32Today, the enemy has reached Nob and it stops there. He shakes his fist angrily at the people who live on Mount Zion in the city of Jerusalem.
• Isaiah 11:15The Lord will make the Sea of Egypt become dry. He will lift up his hand and he will send a strong wind to divide the Euphrates river. The river will become seven small streams. Then people can walk across it easily.
• Isaiah 45:1The Lord says this to Cyrus, the king that he has chosen to serve him: ‘I hold your right hand. I give you power over other nations, to take away the weapons of their kings. I will open the gates of cities in front of you, and they will stay open.
• Jeremiah 51:58The Lord Almighty says this: ‘The enemy will completely knock down the strong walls of Babylon. They will burn its high gates with fire. The nations work very hard, but their work is useless. They make themselves tired, but fire destroys all 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