8.2 Burden of Babylon

DIGRESSION 8-2: THE BURDEN OF BABYLON (Isa.13: 1)

ISAIAH 13

CONREMPORARY WITH HEZEKIAH

The burden of Babylon (v.1)

Prophecy of Isaiah concerning Babylon (=Assyria)1

Lift up a banner upon the bare (levelled) mountain (v.2)

-the banner of Sennacherib, lifted against the temple mount (2Kgs.18: 17; Isa.5: 26)

I have commanded my sanctified ones (v.4,5)

- sanctify war (Joel 3:9; 2: 17) holy war: Ashur v.s. Yahweh (2 Kgs 18:35; Isa.37: 6; 2Kgs.19: 28)

Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand (v.6)

- with fasting and weeping (Joel 2: 12; Isa.37:2)[compare Rev.8:13; woe, woe, woe]

Woman in travail (v.7-9) the day of the Lord

- the city of Jerusalem in dire trouble (Isa 37:3) [compare Rev.12: 1,2]

The stars of heaven darkened (v.10)

- the nation extinguished, but Jerusalem saved because of Hezekiah’s faith (Isa.5: 30)

I will shake the heavens and the earth (v.12-13)

“Hear O heavens, and give ear, o earth for the Lord hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me.” (Isa 1: 2)

The enemy flees, those who collaborate with the Assyrian destroyed (v.14,15)

Isaiah pronounces burdens against ten nations – Babylon, Philistia, Moab, Damascus, Egypt, the desert of the sea, Dumah, Arabia, the valley of vision and Tyre. (cp.Rev 17: 16)

Stir up the Medes against them ….Babylon overthrown (v.16-21)

- fall of Nineveh prophesied 2

Judgment to happen soon (v.22)

- Sennacherib assassinated by his sons while worshipping in the house of his god Nisroch. (2 Kgs.19:37)

NOTES

1 It must be recognised that the terms for Assyria and Babylon are used interchangeably by the prophet Isaiah. A good example of this is the next chapter where the prophet mentions the King of Babylon (14: 4,12) and the Assyrian (v.25) both are references to Sennacherib. The Assyrians took special pride in their domination of Babylon. Tiglath – Pileser styled himself “King of Babylon.” The association of Babylon with Assyria, by the prophet is understandable, for both Babel and Nineveh were founded by the same man – Nimrod. (Gen.10: 8-11)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 Nineveh became the capitol of Assyria during the reign of Sennacherib. The fall of Nineveh and the Assyrian empire happened within seventy years after the death of Sennacherib. Four particular factors contributed to the downfall of the Assyrian empire: a struggle for succession between two sons of Esarhaddon; the Chaldaen chieftan, Nabopolassar, who challenged Assyrian overlordship by assuming the kingship of Babylonia in 626 B.C.; the Medes who under Cyaxares attacked Assyria, and, lastly, tribal hordes from the north, known as Ummanmanda, mainly Cimmerians (biblical Gommer), who overran Assyrian territory. After several years of fighting to break the Assyrian hold on Babylonia, Nabopolassar moved against Assyria itself by 616 B.C. In 615 B.C. the Medes invaded, and in 614 B.C. took the old capitol Ashur. A formal alliance between Nabopolassar (Babylonian) and Cyaxares (Mede) followed this success. In 612 B.C. Nineveh itself fell, surprisingly quickly, to a combined siege by Babylonians, Medes and Ummanmanda. They were greatly aided by a sudden rise of the Tigris, which carried away a part of the city wall and rendered the place indefensible.

“The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.” (Nahum 2: 6)

So complete was the desolation that in Greek and Roman times the departed Nineveh became a myth. After the fall of Nineveh the Assyrian army withdrew first to Haran, then to Charchemish where they called on Egypt for assistance. The Egyptians sent a large army northwards under Nechoh. Josiah of Judah, an ally of the Babylonians, attempted to intercept the Egyptians at Megiddo and was killed (2Kgs.23: 29). The Egyptians joined the Assyrian remnant at Carchemish. In 605 B.C. the crown prince Nebuchadnezzar, placed in charge of the Babylonian army, attacked the Egyptian army at Carchemish, with massive slaughter. (Jer.46: 2-12)

1 It must be recognised that the terms for Assyria and Babylon are used interchangeably by the prophet Isaiah. A good example of this is the next chapter where the prophet mentions the King of Babylon (14: 4,12) and the Assyrian (v.25) both are references to Sennacherib. The Assyrians took special pride in their domination of Babylon. Tiglath – Pileser styled himself “King of Babylon.” The association of Babylon with Assyria, by the prophet is understandable, for both Babel and Nineveh were founded by the same man – Nimrod. (Gen.10: 8-11)

2 Nineveh became the capitol of Assyria during the reign of Sennacherib. The fall of Nineveh and the Assyrian empire happened within seventy years after the death of Sennacherib. Four particular factors contributed to the downfall of the Assyrian empire: a struggle for succession between two sons of Esarhaddon; the Chaldaen chieftan, Nabopolassar, who challenged Assyrian overlordship by assuming the kingship of Babylonia in 626 B.C.; the Medes who under Cyaxares attacked Assyria, and, lastly, tribal hordes from the north, known as Ummanmanda, mainly Cimmerians (biblical Gommer), who overran Assyrian territory. After several years of fighting to break the Assyrian hold on Babylonia, Nabopolassar moved against Assyria itself by 616 B.C. In 615 B.C. the Medes invaded, and in 614 B.C. took the old capitol Ashur. A formal alliance between Nabopolassar (Babylonian) and Cyaxares (Mede) followed this success. In 612 B.C. Nineveh itself fell, surprisingly quickly, to a combined siege by Babylonians, Medes and Ummanmanda. They were greatly aided by a sudden rise of the Tigris, which carried away a part of the city wall and rendered the place indefensible.

“The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.” (Nahum 2: 6)

So complete was the desolation that in Greek and Roman times the departed Nineveh became a myth. After the fall of Nineveh the Assyrian army withdrew first to Haran, then to Charchemish where they called on Egypt for assistance. The Egyptians sent a large army northwards under Nechoh. Josiah of Judah, an ally of the Babylonians, attempted to intercept the Egyptians at Megiddo and was killed (2Kgs.23: 29). The Egyptians joined the Assyrian remnant at Carchemish. In 605 B.C. the crown prince Nebuchadnezzar, placed in charge of the Babylonian army, attacked the Egyptian army at Carchemish, with massive slaughter. (Jer.46: 2-12)