It vividly portrays how prideful kingdoms reap what they sow.
“Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces Before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished.” (Isaiah 13:16)
This verse is part of Isaiah’s prophecy against Babylon, a mighty city in Mesopotamia near the Euphrates River, in what is now modern-day Iraq. Babylon became a dominant empire for a time but was ultimately conquered by the Medes and Persians in 539 BC. Isaiah, writing in the late 8th century BC, warns of a future judgment in which Babylon’s pride and cruelty would be repaid in kind. By stating that “Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces Before their eyes” (v.16), Isaiah starkly depicts the severity of warfare, capturing the gruesome reality that the Babylonians themselves had inflicted upon others.
The prophecy continues, “Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished” (v.16), illustrating the horrific consequences Babylon would suffer as foreign invaders subjected them to the same brutality they had once shown. In doing so, the text underscores God’s justice, revealing that oppressive powers and the atrocities they commit will meet accountability. Such language speaks to the moral cause-and-effect embedded within Scripture, where hard-hearted actions eventually bring devastating repercussions (Galatians 6:7).
Although the imagery is unsettling, it fits within the broader biblical theme that God will ultimately judge oppressive nations and exalt the humble. In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of a coming day of reckoning, illustrating how no empire or worldly power, however overwhelming, remains beyond the scope of divine justice (Matthew 25:31-46). Isaiah 13:16 therefore foreshadows a divine principle repeated throughout Scripture: every earthly kingdom will eventually face God’s righteous judgment.
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Isaiah 13:16 meaning
“Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces Before their eyes; Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished.” (Isaiah 13:16)
This verse is part of Isaiah’s prophecy against Babylon, a mighty city in Mesopotamia near the Euphrates River, in what is now modern-day Iraq. Babylon became a dominant empire for a time but was ultimately conquered by the Medes and Persians in 539 BC. Isaiah, writing in the late 8th century BC, warns of a future judgment in which Babylon’s pride and cruelty would be repaid in kind. By stating that “Their little ones also will be dashed to pieces Before their eyes” (v.16), Isaiah starkly depicts the severity of warfare, capturing the gruesome reality that the Babylonians themselves had inflicted upon others.
The prophecy continues, “Their houses will be plundered And their wives ravished” (v.16), illustrating the horrific consequences Babylon would suffer as foreign invaders subjected them to the same brutality they had once shown. In doing so, the text underscores God’s justice, revealing that oppressive powers and the atrocities they commit will meet accountability. Such language speaks to the moral cause-and-effect embedded within Scripture, where hard-hearted actions eventually bring devastating repercussions (Galatians 6:7).
Although the imagery is unsettling, it fits within the broader biblical theme that God will ultimately judge oppressive nations and exalt the humble. In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of a coming day of reckoning, illustrating how no empire or worldly power, however overwhelming, remains beyond the scope of divine justice (Matthew 25:31-46). Isaiah 13:16 therefore foreshadows a divine principle repeated throughout Scripture: every earthly kingdom will eventually face God’s righteous judgment.