Isaiah 13:4
in Isaiah 13Listen, a tumult on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations gathered together! The LORD of Hosts is mobilizing an army for war.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The noise of a multitude in the mountains, as of a great people! the noise of a tumult of the kingdoms of the nations gathered together! Jehovah of hosts is mustering the host for the battle.
KJV
The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle.
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This verse in Isaiah 13
Commentary
10 notes on this verseOf the battle “For the battle” - The Bodleian MS. has למלחמה lemilchamah. Cyrus’s army was made up of many different nations. Jeremiah calls it an “assembly of great nations from the north country,” Jer 50:9. And afterwards mentions the kingdoms of “Ararat, Minni, and Ashchenaz, (i.e. Armenia, Corduene, Pontus or Phrygia, Vitring.), with the kings of the Medes,” Jer 51:27, Jer 51:28. See Xenophon. Cyrop.
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.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
(Vers. 3, 4.) And the leaders shall enter the gates: I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. The princes, and the giants, according to the LXX Translators, Eusebius interprets as angelic powers, and the most wicked demons, who were sent for the overthrow of Babylon. But following the order of the story, we say they were the Medes.
(Verse 4, 5.) The voice of the multitude on the mountains, like the voice of many people: the sound of the gathered kings of nations. The Lord of hosts has commanded the forces of war to come from afar, from the top of the heavens. The Lord and His vessels of fury, to destroy all the earth.
The Medieval Church1 voice
The voice of a multitude. Here he describes the coming of those who are called, and first, as to the lowly: the voice of a multitude; second, as to the great, the voice of the sound of kings: their voice shall roar like the sea …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), not rude and barbarous, but modelled and regular troops, such as are furnished out by well-ordered kingdoms. The great God has hosts at his command. They are far-fetched: They come from a far country, from the end of heaven.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people,....
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Note, All the hosts of war are under the command of the Lord of hosts; and that which makes them truly formidable is that, when they come against Babylon, the Lord comes, and brings them with him as the weapons of his indignation,
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the mountains--namely, which separate Media and Assyria, and on one of which the banner to rally the hosts is supposed to be reared. tumultuous noise--The Babylonians are vividly depicted as hearing some unwonted sound like the din of a host; they try to distinguish the sounds, but can only perceive a tumultuous noise. nations--Medes, Persians, and Armenians composed Cyrus' army.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The noise of a multitude in the mountains - The prophet here represents himself as hearing the confused tumult of the nations assembling to the standard reared on the mountains Isa 13:2. This is a highly beautiful figure - a graphic and vivid representation of the scene before him. Nations are seen to hasten to the elevated banner, and to engage in active preparations for the mighty war. The sound is that of a tumult, an excited multitude hastening to the encampment, and preparing for the conquest of Babylon. Like as of a great people - Hebrew, ‘The likeness of a great people.’ That is, such a confused and tumultuous sound as attends a great multitude when they collect together. A tumultuous noise - Hebrew, ‘The voice of the tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together.’ The Lord of hosts - Yahweh, the God of hosts, or armies (note Isa 1:9). Mustereth - Collects; puts in military array. Over all this multitude of nations, hastening with confused sounds and tumult like the noise of the sea, putting themselves in military array, God, unseen, presides, and prepares them for his own great designs. It is not easy to conceive a more sublime image than these mighty hosts of war, unconscious of the hand that directs them, and of the God that presides over them, moving as he wills, and accomplishing his plans.
The words behind it
16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ק֥וֹל | kol | [the] sound of | H6963 → | 506 times |
| הָמ֛וֹן | hamon | a tumult | H1995 → | 83 times |
| בֶּֽהָרִ֖ים | beharim | [is] on the mountains | H2022 → | 546 times |
| דְּמ֣וּת | demut | [the] likeness of | H1823 → | |
| עַם־ | ʾam- | a people | H5971 → | 1873 times |
| רָ֑ב | rav | numerous | H7227 → | 454 times |
| ק֠וֹל | kol | [the] sound of | H6963 → | 506 times |
| שְׁא֞וֹן | sheon | an uproar of | H7588 → | 18 times |
| מַמְלְכ֤וֹת | mamlekhot | kingdoms of | H4467 → | 117 times |
| גּוֹיִם֙ | goyim | nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
| נֶֽאֱסָפִ֔ים | neesafim | gathering | H622 → | 200 times |
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| צְבָא֔וֹת | tzevaot | of hosts | H6635 → | 485 times |
| מְפַקֵּ֖ד | mefaked | [is] mustering | H6485 → | 303 times |
| צְבָ֥א | tzeva' | an army of | H6635 → | 485 times |
| מִלְחָמָֽה׃ | milchamah | battle | H4421 → | 320 times |
ק֥וֹל[the] sound of
kolH6963 →506 times
הָמ֛וֹןa tumult
hamonH1995 →83 times
בֶּֽהָרִ֖ים[is] on the mountains
beharimH2022 →546 times
דְּמ֣וּת[the] likeness of
demutH1823 →
עַם־a people
ʾam-H5971 →1873 times
רָ֑בnumerous
ravH7227 →454 times
ק֠וֹל[the] sound of
kolH6963 →506 times
שְׁא֞וֹןan uproar of
sheonH7588 →18 times
מַמְלְכ֤וֹתkingdoms of
mamlekhotH4467 →117 times
גּוֹיִם֙nations
goyimH1471 →561 times
נֶֽאֱסָפִ֔יםgathering
neesafimH622 →200 times
יְהוָ֣הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
צְבָא֔וֹתof hosts
tzevaotH6635 →485 times
מְפַקֵּ֖ד[is] mustering
mefakedH6485 →303 times
צְבָ֥אan army of
tzeva'H6635 →485 times
מִלְחָמָֽה׃battle
milchamahH4421 →320 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
Joel 2:25I will repay you for the years eaten by locusts—the swarming locust, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust—My great army that I sent against you.
it leads to
- Zechariah 10:6
I will strengthen the house of Judah and save the house of Joseph. I will restore them because I have compassion on them, and they will be as though I had not rejected them.…
- Joel 1:4–7
What the devouring locust has left, the swarming locust has eaten; what the swarming locust has left, the young locust has eaten; and what the young locust has left, the destroying locust has eaten.
- Joel 2:2–11
a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like the dawn overspreading the mountains a great and strong army appears, such as never was of old, nor will ever be…
- Zechariah 10:6
Through
Joel 3:14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the Day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
it leads to
- Joel 3:2
I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning My people, My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among…
- Isaiah 34:2–8
The LORD is angry with all the nations and furious with all their armies. He will devote them to destruction; He will give them over to slaughter.
- Revelation 16:14–16
These are demonic spirits that perform signs and go out to all the kings of the earth, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.
- Philippians 3:2
Watch out for those dogs, those workers of evil, those mutilators of the flesh!
- 2 Peter 3:7
And by that same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
- Joel 3:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Isaiah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; 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.