Isaiah 13:5

13:5 They come from a distant land,

from the horizon. ¹ 

It is the Lord with his instruments of judgment, ² 

coming to destroy the whole earth. ³ 

Isaiah 57:9

57:9 You take olive oil as tribute ⁴  to your king, ⁵ 

along with many perfumes. ⁶ 

You send your messengers to a distant place;

you go all the way to Sheol. ⁷ 

[13:5]  ¹ tn Heb “from the end of the sky.”

[13:5]  ² tn Or “anger”; cf. KJV, ASV “the weapons of his indignation.”

[13:5]  ³ tn Or perhaps, “land” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NLT). Even though the heading and subsequent context (see v. 17) indicate Babylon’s judgment is in view, the chapter has a cosmic flavor that suggests that the coming judgment is universal in scope. Perhaps Babylon’s downfall occurs in conjunction with a wider judgment, or the cosmic style is poetic hyperbole used to emphasize the magnitude and importance of the coming event.

[57:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “you journey with oil.”

[57:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “the king.” Since the context refers to idolatry and child sacrifice (see v. 5), some emend מֶלֶך (melekh, “king”) to “Molech.” Perhaps Israel’s devotion to her idols is likened here to a subject taking tribute to a ruler.

[57:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “and you multiply your perfumes.”

[57:9]  ⁷ sn Israel’s devotion to her idols is inordinate, irrational, and self-destructive.