Isaiah 13:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Babylonians practiced widespread sorcery and worshipped countless idols, leading their land to be recognized as the land of statues; not because of the idols alone, but because the inhabitants themselves were so devoted to falsehoods that they resembled them in negligence, with all succumbing to errant beliefs. Furthermore, they devastated the holy land chosen by God, Judea; they burned Jerusalem and the sacred temple, seized its holy vessels, and in a frenzy, slaughtered Israel, a people deemed holy and a part of God’s inheritance. It is well known among those familiar with the Holy Scriptures that God surrendered Israel, consumed by idolatry, to its adversaries, yet those who were called to do so acted with excessive severity. Consequently, we see that the Almighty God, through the prophet Zechariah, declares His passion for Jerusalem and Zion with great fervor, stating His fierce anger against the attacking tongues: I was only momentarily angry, but they have committed great evil (Zech. 1:14, 15). To Babylon, He proclaims: I have delivered them into your hands, but you showed no mercy (Is. 47:6). Therefore, God handed over Cyrus, proud and unrestrained, the epitome of every abomination—Babylon. This becomes evident as He speaks through Isaiah, saying, 'Thus says the Lord God to My anointed Cyrus, whom I have grasped by the right hand, I will cause nations to submit to him; I will dismantle the fortifications of kings; I will open gates before him, and the fortified cities shall not be locked: I will go before you, and I will level the mountains; I will break down bronze gates and cut through iron barriers' (Isaiah 45:1, 2). With his victory, Cyrus liberated Israel from bondage and commanded them to return with joy to reconstruct the most sacred temple. Therefore, the prophet Jeremiah states, 'The word that the Lord spoke against Babylon: declare it among the nations and let it be heard; lift up a signal, shout it out, reveal it: Babylon shall be captured, Bel shall be put to shame, Merodach shall be conquered… For when an invading force comes from the north, it will lay waste to her land, leaving neither man nor beast'.... 'In those days and at that time, says the Lord, the children of Israel and the children of Judah together shall come, walking and weeping, seeking the Lord their God; they shall inquire the way to Zion, turning their faces towards it, and they shall join themselves to the Lord, for an everlasting covenant shall not be forgotten' (Jeremiah 50:1-5).

On the mount of Poland, lift up a sign, raise your voice to them; do not fear, and extend your hands, O princes. I have commanded them; they are sanctified, and I will lead them; the mighty are advancing to execute my wrath, rejoicing, united, and proclaiming. The blessed prophet, imbued with the Holy Spirit, perceives the events before him as if they were vividly illustrated, rejoicing immensely and urging the Persians and Medians, victorious over the Babylonians, to elevate the sign of triumph—this, I believe, signifies victory—and to lift their voice against the army of the Chaldeans who have already fallen, granting them the glorious territory previously described by the prophet Jeremiah as the hammer of the earth, proclaiming, 'How has the hammer of the whole earth been broken and shattered?' (Jer. 50:23). The entire city and region, ravaged by their greed, lay crushed, as if struck by a hammer. The mount is described as 'polna,' perhaps signifying its humble height, resembling a hill; for triumphs or banners are not displayed atop lofty mountains, but on lower hills, ensuring visibility for the entire army. Thus, it is said, lift a sign, as those who have already triumphed under the protection of the Lord; raise the war-cry against the enemy’s forces; do not be afraid. The might of the Babylonians instilled fear and appeared insurmountable to all, and no one would critique those who regarded it with dread; however, he encourages, fear not, for the Lord has risen in wrath against their arrogance.

What does it mean to give a rebuke with the hand? It likely refers to the practice of commanders rallying their soldiers through gestures and signs to motivate and inspire those who might otherwise hesitate to attack in the chaos of battle. Therefore, he instructs those overseeing military actions to issue signals to invigorate their troops and incite them toward an unstoppable assault. He then declares, 'Open, you princes,' or perhaps commands the Babylonians themselves, already vanquished, to open their gates and surrender the once arrogant city to their foes; or it may be directed towards the holy powers assisting the Medians at God’s bidding, to unveil the challenging yet feasible path for warfare. To emphasize the inevitability of the soldiers' might, he asserts, 'I command them, and I lead them.' This signifies that it was not merely the vastness of the Midian army that approached, nor an act of their own volition; rather, it was the Persian people whom I consecrated for this purpose. The term sanctified implies that I have set them apart, having chosen them to fulfill my intentions concerning you. Hence, he declares that those whom I guide will advance like giants to execute my fury, filled with joy, united in purpose, rejoicing due to the victory they anticipate, and regarding the opposing side with disdain, revealing their perceived powerlessness. Such is often the nature of the barbaric: fueled by hope in their likely success and contempt for their foes. This raging fervor ignites courage within them, enabling them to dismiss fears and daringly confront all peril.

Giants in most Scriptural contexts represent something malevolent. It is likely that the Psalm clarifies that these giants refer to fierce angels, stating, “Send upon me the wrath of His fury, wrath and anger, and tribulation, the sending forth of fierce angels” (Psalms 77:49). Such ministers are appointed for those deserving of retribution, as they exhibit great cruelty, showing no compassion for the punished, unable to extend mercy to them. They curse the people they afflict and scorn them, reveling in the toil, suffering, and distress of those they torment.

It is not surprising that He designates the Midianites as consecrated for the destruction of Babylon, just as He referred to Nebuchadnezzar through Jeremiah for fulfilling His will in laying waste to treacherous Jerusalem, His servant and His dove. Thus, through the terminology "My strong ones" and "those who rejoice in My glory," He reveals that they dismantled the power of such a grand kingdom, not by their own might, but through the wrath of God.

He has commanded His consecrated ones. In contrast, the LXX states: I will command and bring them forth. For He Himself sanctifies His ministers, so that both He who sanctifies and those sanctified may be one. In another passage, He instructs the believers, "Be holy, for I am holy" (Leviticus 19:2). He Himself will command and deliver His princes to accomplish His directives. I have summoned My mighty ones in My wrath, celebrating in My glory. The LXX indicates that the giants emerge to execute My fury, joyfully criticizing. What is articulated here, in accordance with the Hebrew text, connects with the previous declaration: He who commanded His consecrated ones also called forth His mighty ones, exulting in His glory. In the LXX, the interpretation of giants as the agents of God's wrath reflects the malignant and opposing powers referenced in the Psalms: "He sent upon me the wrath of His fury, anger, and tribulation; He sent the fierce angels" (Psalms 77:49). Among these was the slayer in Egypt, who did not dare to enter through the door marked with the blood of the lamb (Ex. 12), as well as that spirit who stood before the Lord and declared, "I will deceive Ahab," to which the Lord replied, "You will lead him astray; go and do this" (1 Kings 22:21-22). In that same book, Micah proclaimed, "I saw the Lord of Israel sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside Him on His right and on His left" (1 Kings 22:19). The powers on the right are those angels sent for benevolent purposes, while those on the left are those to whom we yield ourselves for chastisement. Thus, the apostle states, "They were delivered to Satan so they may learn not to blaspheme" (1 Tim. 1:20). The term giants, corresponding to the Hebrew geborim, meaning strong ones, is transformed by the LXX and Theodotion into names found in pagan myths, such as sirens, titans, arcturus, gyads, and orion, which the Hebrews identify differently. Therefore, if these giants are adversaries of God, and if all heresies, which oppose the truth, stand against Him, then all heretics embody giants, reveling in their falsehood, and especially rejoice when they deride the Church.