Isaiah 13:18Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

However, the Midianites, he asserts, will be driven by motives beyond selfish gain, pursuing the destruction of Babylonian pride; for the Babylonians have long been exalted due to their archery skills, which they hold in high esteem, yet in this domain, they will fall short before their foes. Following their triumph, the Midianites will be merciless and cruel, showing no compassion for those deserving of pity and shedding no tears for the suffering of children. Babylon, renowned as glorious through the Chaldean king, will reach such a state of ruin that it will resemble the desolate remains of Sodom and Gomorrah, becoming unoccupied and so forsaken that neighboring peoples and distant nations will avoid it; even the shepherds of Arabia will not allow their flocks to graze there, for it will be left utterly barren. It is relevant to note that he refers to the Arabs as the Saracen nations, who stretch into Assyrian territory and inhabit the arid deserts; for they occupy the lands adjacent to the Arab territories, and likely, the Saracens of Arabia roam the Assyrian wastelands alongside the Arabs.

Here, the Prophet envisions the day of retribution, when the Midianites have seized the Babylonians without showing them compassion, granting no clemency to their offspring. Notice that the Psalm does not commend those who kill the children of Babylon but rather those who desire first to eliminate their newborns to prevent them from maturing and misleading others, and second, those who do not wish to harm them. For it brings joy to Him who, through wisdom, triumphs over the birthing pains of a troubled mind known as Babylonian, and thus, he will shatter these entities against a stone. This stone is, in essence, Christ, who dismantles false teachings with the truth, striking down the ways of Babylon. Therefore, if the children of Babylon symbolize the unrighteous doctrines that disturb the soul of those who accept them, let the utterly vanquished child of Babylon be dashed against the stone.

Behold, I will raise up the Midianites against them, who will neither seek silver nor covet gold. The hidden truth is unveiled–the powerful giants referenced here are not angels or demons but are the people of Midian, whose ruler Darius first brought ruin to Babylon, having slain Belshazzar, the grandson of Nebuchadnezzar, the son of Evilmerodach (Dan. 5). It is noted that the ferocity of the Midianites and Persians is such that their thirst for blood causes them to scorn wealth, disregarding treasures offered to them.

They will use arrows to slay infants, showing no mercy to those yet in the womb, their eyes devoid of compassion for children. Babies will be slaughtered, and their injuries will match their small size; pregnant women will be cut open, and their unborn children snatched from their bodies, while the ruthless victor will kill the children who cling to their mothers.

Once again, I will raise up the Midianites against them, who neither covet silver nor gold; they shall kill infants with arrows and will not spare the fruit of the womb, nor will their eyes have compassion on the children. As seen in Genesis (Gen. 10), the forefather of the Midianites was Madai, symbolizing measure, strength, or might. Therefore, against the Babylonians—conflicted and confused in thought—God stirred up agents of His power for judgment, to repay each according to his actions. For the measure they used shall be measured back to them. With the measure poured out, shaken together, and overflowing, it will be given back to them (Luke 6:38). They will take neither silver nor gold; this signifies that they will disregard the allure of eloquence or worldly wisdom that they once cherished, yet they will punish those delivered into their hands, showing no compassion for infants and the fruit of the womb, amplifying their suffering.

Oh, how we too should long to be stirred by the Lord, desiring neither silver nor the eloquence of worldly wisdom, but to destroy the children of heretics and all those ensnared by spiritual arrows. Oh, to have the lack of mercy to obliterate those who nourish themselves on the milk of falsehood, perishing through merciful cruelty; to show no remorse for their childish naivety and be blessed in this: "Blessed is he who takes and dashes his infants against the rock" (Psalm 136:9)!