Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Isaiah 13:5 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 5. 5They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The oracle concerning Zion and the nations states or reports “They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of…” at Isaiah 13:5 as a specific part of “The Babylon Oracle Summons an Army from Afar.”
Read It With
- Isaiah 13:1–5
Read Isaiah 13:5 with 13:1–5. By itself, “They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of…” can be detached from the speaker, addressee, historical horizon, poetic movement, or outcome that gives it force. The complete unit establishes: A banner, holy-war language, and tumult from distant lands introduce Babylon's fall through a force portrayed as the LORD's instruments.
Why This Verse Appears Here
This received unit develops “The Babylon Oracle Summons an Army from Afar” through its own speaker, addressee, scene, poem, oracle, sign, or historical episode. Its non-interchangeable movement is: A banner, holy-war language, and tumult from distant lands introduce Babylon's fall through a force portrayed as the LORD's instruments. This verse's placement is specific: The oracle concerning Zion and the nations states or reports “They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of…” at Isaiah 13:5 as a specific part of “The Babylon Oracle Summons an Army from Afar.”
What Remains True
No nation is beyond moral scrutiny, and no people is reducible to the wrongdoing of rulers or the rhetoric of an oracle. In Isaiah 13:5, that bounded truth is carried through this verse's role: The oracle concerning Zion and the nations states or reports “They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of…” at Isaiah 13:5 as a specific part of “The Babylon Oracle Summons an Army from Afar.”
How It Can Shape Life
- Evaluate rulers and systems by evidence without assigning collective guilt; protect civilians and refuse holy war, racism, colonialism, and revenge. This response follows Isaiah 13:1–5's specific concern, “The Babylon Oracle Summons an Army from Afar.” This verse directs that response through its exact role: The oracle concerning Zion and the nations states or reports “They come from a far country, from the end of heaven, even the LORD, and the weapons of…” at Isaiah 13:5 as a specific part of “The Babylon Oracle Summons an Army from Afar.”
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Isaiah 13:1–5 — The Babylon Oracle Summons an Army from AfarSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Isaiah 13:1–5, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Isaiah
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology at the exact unit, without treating morphology as apparatus, lexicon, composition history, or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Isa.xml, OSIS 13:1–5 with Hebrew/KJV versification difference checked
Open the fixed Hebrew Isaiah file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Isaiah
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2016; current official PDF
Supports: Verse-level controls for Hebrew, syntax, poetry, older KJV language, chronology, names, textual issues, and material translation alternatives.
Exact location: Official NET Isaiah PDF, translator, study, and textual notes attached to Isaiah 13:1–5 in the complete 205-page book PDF
Open the official NET Isaiah PDF ↗