Isaiah 13:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

When the prophet speaks of the destruction of sinners, he does not imply that a small few among them are free from judgment; rather, the label of sinners fittingly applies to all Chaldean inhabitants due to their impiety and idolatry.

Moreover, when great tribulations engulf a person, they can almost entirely shroud the mind in despair and darkness, making daylight feel non-existent, as though the sun is dormant. Thus, concerning enlightenment and all heavenly bodies, including the moon’s radiance, he notes: the stars of heaven and Orion, along with all celestial adornments, fail to illuminate. The minds of the Babylonians will be enveloped in darkness, for even when the sun rises and the moon shines, the elements still possess their light; yet, out of great fear and the weight of divine judgment, they experience a night devoid of clarity. The command declares that all creation is to engage in wickedness; thus, it is proclaimed as a threat that evil will descend, toppling the arrogance of the lawless and humbling the proud, particularly the most boastful deceivers among the Babylonian priests, who were consistently arrogant and vain, utterly rejecting God and disregarding all that is good in His eyes.

It is important to note that interpreters of scripture refer to Orion to denote one of the most prominent stars, not imitating the fables of the Greeks, but rather using acknowledged terminology, certainly in alignment with the passage from the book of Job: “He made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south” (Job 9:9).

Thus, the prophetic declaration refers not to these natural occurrences, but rather to the complete obscurity of the stars and the radical alteration of the universe. It is understood that Scripture identifies Orion as a cluster of twenty-two stars, which others refer to as Boötes. Skilled astronomers categorize these stars, noting that four are of the third magnitude, nine belong to the fourth, and the remaining nine are of the fifth. This constellation is situated in the northern sky and is referred to as Orion in the Scriptures as a single entity. The term constellation signifies a grouping of various stars, whereas a star denotes each individual one. Scripture also refers to Arcturus, a yellowish star that is found in proximity to Orion. The Pleiades are likewise mentioned in Scripture, as well as by non-Jewish authors, who seemingly gained this knowledge from the Jews. Contrary to the belief of some that the Pleiades consist of six stars, they actually encompass seven, closely positioned in a triangular formation. Thus, alongside the reference to Orion, we also find the names of Arcturus, Esper, and the Pleiades in Job, who states, ‘Thou shalt create the Pleiades, and Esper, and Arcturus, and the treasures of the south’ (Job 9:9). Therefore, he who observes the vastness of the stars and knows their names (Ps. 146:4) understands their number and titles. However, not many of the Greek stars are mentioned in Scripture, while others have adopted their own names, assigning various titles to both the fixed stars and planets. Some stars are divided into twelve segments along the zodiacal path which the sun travels, while others that are static in the northern and southern heavens have been named according to human preference.

In the same vein, the stars of the sky along with their beauty will not emit light: the sun will fade with its rising, and the moon will fail to shine. The Septuagint reads that the celestial luminaries, including Orion and all the adornments of heaven, will be darkened at the sun's ascent. While we have translated it as 'their beauty,' Aquila and Theodotion opted for the term chisileem in Hebrew, with the Septuagint interpreting it as Orion, and adding the phrase about the adornments of the sky, which must be led by an obel. Regarding Orion, pagan legends claim he is depicted by twenty-two stars—four of the third magnitude, nine of the fourth, and another nine of the fifth—commonly referred to as Booth. The book of Job also mentions the Hyades, Vesper, Arcturus, and the hidden treasures of the south (Job 9:9), which merits separate discussion.

It is essential not to assume that these stars bear the same names in Hebrew as those found in Greek and Latin, as they possess specific designations. Just as God named the light day, the firmament heaven, dry land earth, and gathered waters the sea (Genesis 1), He also designated each star with its unique name, which our language cannot encompass. Indeed, Scripture states, "He that counteth the multitude of the stars, and calleth them all with names" (Psalm 146:4). Thus, when the Lord's day arrives to transform the world into a desolation, and to completely annihilate the wicked, the stars of the heavens and their brilliance will diminish in comparison to divine majesty. It is not unexpected that He speaks of the lesser stars when even the sun will lose its brightness at dawn, and the moon will be devoid of its customary glow.

The Septuagint conveys that at sunrise, the stars and Orion along with all the beauty of the sky will become obscured, which does not denote a sign or miracle, as it naturally occurs that the stars are hidden from view after dawn. It is equally unsurprising that this is said of the sun, since even during a full moon when the night is aglow, most stars remain unilluminated. Moreover, the presence of stars in the daylight is verified through a solar eclipse, where, due to the shadow of the earth, and when the moon aligns on the opposite side, the stars become visible in the sky.

In this allegorical vein, these words are subject to varying interpretations. Some view them as a metaphorical depiction of God’s wrath, illustrated by a fierce tempest that annihilates everything in its way, stirring up dust and debris until neither the sun nor any celestial bodies are visible, or shrouding the sky in clouds that blot out divine light, casting a shadow of darkness upon the earth as though these lights had vanished entirely. Others believe this metaphor refers to the downfall of Babylon’s rulers and their subordinate leaders, as both are often represented in Scripture as stars (Is. 14:12, Num. 24:17, Dan. 8:10, Rev. 8:10). A third interpretation, held by Cyril of Alexandria and Blessed Jerome, suggests that the mental state of the Babylonians facing disaster is depicted here. They explain that profound wickedness can envelop the human mind in such gloom and despair that even during daylight, the sun’s radiance may seem absent, as well as the brilliance of the heavenly bodies and the moon itself. Thus, the prophet states: "the stars of heaven, and Orion and all the ornaments of heaven give no light" (Cyril). Additionally, Jerome observes: "For mortals, by the greatness of fear, everything will be darkened, and the sun itself, and the moon, and the shining stars will appear to have lost their light." Among the celestial bodies mentioned, Orion is a prominent southern constellation known for its brilliant stars.