Isaiah 13:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

When the Almighty instills fear in the hearts of humanity, who can offer encouragement, or summon the courage necessary to resist? The envoys will be filled with anxiety, as he likens their distress to that of expectant mothers in pain; they will lament together, filled with dread, their expressions transforming into a fiery hue. These envoys, I believe, refer to the priests of idols, renowned in Babylonian sorcery, agents of demonic forces. Likely, during the preparations for the invasion, anticipating the arrival of the Medes with Cyrus and the Persians, they prophesied a favorable outcome and sought assistance from the demons, making prayers and presenting unholy offerings, committing to intercede for their entire land. Thus, he indicates that these demonic ministers, when they recognize that their fortunes have shifted unexpectedly, will be filled with terror and deep sorrow, lamenting with cries of woe to one another. Their visages will change as if they were engulfed in flames, as the faces of those who lose hope typically darken, resembling nothing more than a pile of ashes or remnants of a smoldering fire.

Through the Lord comes devastation, which is aptly termed desolation, as previously indicated concerning the warriors. When the time of judgment or peace arrives, the strength of all will diminish, as noted in another passage: “Strengthen the hands of those who are weak.” The hands will falter because no action worthy of God's righteousness will be found: “And whoever lives shall not be justified before Him” (Psalms 142:2). Hence, the psalmist laments, “If iniquity be counted as iniquity, O Lord, who can endure?” (Psalms 129:3). Every heart and soul will groan and be filled with dread at the awareness of their sins. This day is indeed dreadful and terrible. As Zephaniah proclaims, “Fear before the face of the Lord, for the day of the Lord is near” (Zeph. 1:7), and again, “The great day of the Lord is near, even exceedingly bitter” (Zeph. 1:14). Amos declares, “Woe to those who long for the day of the Lord! What will this day of the Lord be for you? It will be darkness, not light” (Am. 5:18). Additionally, what the Septuagint adds, “The ambassadors will be troubled, and pains will seize them,” may refer to those envoys sent by the citizens to oppose the one who went to a far-off land to claim a kingdom for himself. Consequently, the Lord Himself states in the Gospel, “But those mine enemies, who would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me” (Luke 19:27). They will experience anguish and distress; they will suffer as though they are in labor; everyone will gaze at one another in astonishment; their faces will appear scorched. When the Lord’s soldiers come from far away, their hands will hang limp, and their hearts will be filled with terror and despair. At that moment, there will be a pain in their bellies, resulting in torment akin to the pangs of childbirth. This illustrates how they are tormented by their own guilt, their faces scorched by the ignited fire of their sins; for they will not be able to declare, “The light of Your face shines upon us, O Lord” (Psalms 4:7), nor will they experience transformation, as we behold the glory of the Lord unveiled (2 Corinthians 3:18). They will gaze at one another, each bearing the same suffering they endure.

Therefore, all hands will grow weak, and every man's heart will become cold and shattered. They will be afflicted with pains and anguish, tormented within; each person will be astonished at their neighbor, and their faces will be as if burned. This truth speaks clearly for itself, indicating that the impending calamities are so profound that the hands of the Babylonian soldiers will fall, their hearts will succumb to fear, and torment will seize their insides, reminiscent of the pains of women in labor. Each, with a pale and weary countenance, will seek solace from another, for it is human nature to perceive others as wiser in the face of dire misfortune.