Isaiah 13:4

Isaiah 13:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
• New International Version (NIV)Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The Lord Almighty is mustering an army for war.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The Lord of hosts is mustering a host for battle.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The noise of a multitude in the mountains, Like that of many people! A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together! The Lord of hosts musters The army for battle.

Context of Isaiah 13:4

2On a bare hill raise a signal flag, shout to them, wave your hand, so they might enter the gates of the princes! 3I have given orders to my chosen soldiers; I have summoned the warriors through whom I will vent my anger, my boasting, arrogant ones. There is a loud noise on the mountains – it sounds like a large army! There is great commotion among the kingdoms – nations are being assembled! The Lord who commands armies is mustering forces for battle. 5They come from a distant land, from the horizon. It is the Lord with his instruments of judgment, coming to destroy the whole earth. 6Wail, for the Lord’s day of judgment is near; it comes with all the destructive power of the sovereign judge.

Isaiah 13:4 word by word

ק֥וֹל הָמ֛וֹן בֶּֽהָרִ֖ים דְּמ֣וּת עַם־רָ֑ב ק֠וֹל שְׁא֞וֹן מַמְלְכ֤וֹת גּוֹיִם֙ נֶֽאֱסָפִ֔ים יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֔וֹת מְפַקֵּ֖ד צְבָ֥א מִלְחָמָֽה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• The noiseקוֹלqôl qôl · voice: soundH6963
• of a multitudeהָמוֹןhâmôn hâmôn · crowdH1995
• in the mountainsהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
• like asדְּמוּתdemûth · likenessH1823
• of a greatרַבrab · manyH7227
• peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• a tumultuousשָׁאוֹןshâ'ôn · roarH7588
• of the kingdomsמַמְלָכָהmamlâkâh · kingdomH4467
• of nationsגּוֹיgôy gôy · nationH1471
• gathered togetherאָסַף'âsaph · to gatherH622
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
• musterethפָּקַדpâqad · to reckon: listH6485
• the hostצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · armyH6635
• of the battleמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421

Cross-references for Isaiah 13:4

• Isaiah 22:1Here is a message about the Valley of Vision: What is the reason that all of you go up to the rooftops?
• Jeremiah 50:2“Announce the news among the nations! Proclaim it! Signal for people to pay attention! Declare the news! Do not hide it! Say: ‘Babylon will be captured. Bel will be put to shame. Marduk will be dismayed. Babylon’s idols will be put to shame. Her disgusting images will be dismayed.
• Jeremiah 51:11“Sharpen your arrows! Fill your quivers! The Lord will arouse a spirit of hostility in the kings of Media. For he intends to destroy Babylonia. For that is how the Lord will get his revenge – how he will get his revenge for the Babylonians’ destruction of his temple.
• Ezekiel 38:3and say: ‘This is what the sovereign Lord says: Look, I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.
• Joel 3:14Crowds, great crowds are in the valley of decision, for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision!
• Zechariah 14:1A day of the Lord is about to come when your possessions will be divided as plunder in your midst.
• Revelation 19:11Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice he judges and goes to war.
• Joel 2:4They look like horses; they charge ahead like war horses.
• Revelation 9:7Now the locusts looked like horses equipped for battle. On their heads were something like crowns similar to gold, and their faces looked like men’s faces.
• Isaiah 10:5Assyria, the club I use to vent my anger, is as good as dead, a cudgel with which I angrily punish.
• Isaiah 45:1This is what the Lord says to his chosen one, to Cyrus, whose right hand I hold in order to subdue nations before him, and disarm kings, to open doors before him, so gates remain unclosed:
• Jeremiah 50:14“Take up your battle positions all around Babylon, all you soldiers who are armed with bows. Shoot all your arrows at her! Do not hold any back! For she has sinned against the Lord.
• Jeremiah 51:6Get out of Babylonia quickly, you foreign people. Flee to save your lives. Do not let yourselves be killed because of her sins. For it is time for the Lord to wreak his revenge. He will pay Babylonia back for what she has done.
• Joel 2:1Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm signal on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land shake with fear, for the day of the Lord is about to come. Indeed, it is near!
• Revelation 18:8For this reason, she will experience her plagues in a single day: disease, mourning, and famine, and she will be burned down with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”

Commentaries on Isaiah 13:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Of the battle "For the battle" - The Bodleian MS. has למלחמה lemilchamah . Cyrus's army was made up of many different nations. Jeremiah calls it an "assembly of great nations from the north country," Jeremiah 50:9. And afterwards mentions the kingdoms of "Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz, (i.e. Armenia, Corduene, Pontus or Phrygia, Vitring.), with the kings of the Medes," Jeremiah 51:27, Jeremiah 51:28. See Xenophon. Cyrop.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4The noise of a multitude in the mountains - The prophet here represents himself as hearing the confused tumult of the nations assembling to the standard reared on the mountains Isaiah 13:2. This is a highly beautiful figure - a graphic and vivid representation of the scene before him. Nations are seen to hasten to the elevated banner, and to engage in active preparations for the mighty war. The sound is that of a tumult, an excited multitude hastening to…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. the mountains--namely, which separate Media and Assyria, and on one of which the banner to rally the hosts is supposed to be reared. tumultuous noise--The Babylonians are vividly depicted as hearing some unwonted sound like the din of a host; they try to distinguish the sounds, but can only perceive a tumultuous noise. nations--Medes, Persians, and Armenians composed Cyrus' army.Read the comment

Topics related to Isaiah 13:4

• Muster
• War

In the dictionaries

• Lord of Hosts
• Babylon
• Glory
• Haughtiness
• Howl
• Prophecy
• Astronomy
• Canon of the Old Testament
• Esther, the Rest of
• Evil

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