Isaiah 13:7
in Isaiah 13Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man’s heart will melt.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Therefore shall all hands be feeble, and every heart of man shall melt:
KJV
Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt:
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This verse in Isaiah 13
Commentary
8 notes on this verse(Verse 6, 7.) Howl, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come as destruction from the Lord. Therefore all hands will be feeble, and every man's heart will melt, and be crushed. For the warriors of the Lord are coming to destroy all the earth, howl and repent, for punishment is coming. For the day of the Lord is near, the end of the world, and judgment, or the end of each person's life. For plunder comes from the Lord, which we call destruction, to keep the metaphor, because the warriors had been sent ahead.
This site's exposition
Listen, a tumult on the mountains
on Isaiah 13:4-8
The tumult on the mountains gathers many nations under one command, the LORD of Hosts mobilizing an army. The prophet cries that "the Day of the LORD is near," coming as destruction from the Almighty. Writhing "like a woman in labor" is one of the oldest figures for sudden dread.
This site's exposition
all hands will fall limp
Barnes read the hands that fall limp and the hearts that melt as terror too great for any man of Babylon to defend himself. Ezekiel 21:7 joins the same two pictures for the news of judgment on Jerusalem. Babylon, once the conqueror, loses heart.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 7, 8.) Therefore, all hands will be loosened, and every man's heart will waste away and be crushed. There will be twisting and pain: they will be in agony like a woman in labor. Each person will be astonished at their neighbor; their faces will be burned with the expression of fear.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Second, as to the abatement of work: therefore shall all hands be faint: the king of Babylon has heard the report of them, and his hands are grown feeble (Jer 50:43).
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Therefore shall all hands be faint,.... Or hang down; that is, the hands of all the Babylonians, the city being taken suddenly and at once, so that they should not be able to lift them up to lay hold on a weapon, and defend themselves: and every man's heart shall melt; like wax before the fire; be dispirited, and lose all their valour and courage, have neither power nor heart to resist their enemies, and attempt to save themselves.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Therefore shall all hands be faint - This is designed to denote the consternation and alarm of the people. They would be so terrified and alarmed that they would have no courage, no hope, and no power to make resistance. They would abandon their plans of defense, and give themselves up to despair (compare Jer 50:43: ‘The king of Babylon hath heard the report of them, and his hands waxed feeble; anguish took hold of him, and pangs as of a Women in travail;’ Eze 7:17; Zep 3:16).
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
faint . . . melt--So Jer 50:43; compare Jos 7:5. Babylon was taken by surprise on the night of Belshazzar's impious feast (Da 5:30). Hence the sudden fainting and melting of hearts.
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The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| עַל־ | ʾal- | there- | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כֵּ֖ן | ken | -fore | H3651 → | 771 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| יָדַ֣יִם | yadayim | hands | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| תִּרְפֶּ֑ינָה | tirpeinah | they will drop | H7503 → | |
| וְכָל־ | vekhol | and every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| לְבַ֥ב | levav | heart of | H3824 → | 252 times |
| אֱנ֖וֹשׁ | ʾenoosh | a person | H582 → | 566 times |
| יִמָּס׃ | yimas | it will melt | H4549 → | 21 times |
עַל־there-
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
כֵּ֖ן-fore
kenH3651 →771 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
יָדַ֣יִםhands
yadayimH3027 →1618 times
תִּרְפֶּ֑ינָהthey will drop
tirpeinahH7503 →
וְכָל־and every
vekholH3605 →5413 times
לְבַ֥בheart of
levavH3824 →252 times
אֱנ֖וֹשׁa person
ʾenooshH582 →566 times
יִמָּס׃it will melt
yimasH4549 →21 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Nahum 1:6Who can withstand His indignation? Who can endure His burning anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; even rocks are shattered before Him.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 10:10
But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and eternal King. The earth quakes at His wrath, and the nations cannot endure His indignation.
- Malachi 3:2
But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap.
- Jeremiah 10:10
Through
Ezekiel 7:17Every hand will go limp, and every knee will turn to water.
it leads to
- Hebrews 12:12
Therefore strengthen your limp hands and weak knees.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 21:7
And when they ask, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you are to say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, and every hand will go limp. Every spirit will faint, and…
- Hebrews 12:12
Through
Isaiah 19:1This is the burden against Egypt: Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud; He is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians will…
it leads to
- Exodus 12:12
On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn male, both man and beast, and I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt. I am…
- Exodus 12:12
Through
Nahum 2:10She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and laid waste! Hearts melt, knees knock, bodies tremble, and every face grows pale!
it leads to
- Daniel 5:6
his face grew pale and his thoughts so alarmed him that his hips gave way and his knees knocked together.
- Joel 2:6
Nations writhe in horror before them; every face turns pale.
- Psalms 22:14
I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it melts away within me.
- Daniel 5:6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Isaiah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Joseph Addison Alexander, Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaiah; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Isaiah.