Chapter 13 opens a new cycle of prophecies concerning the nations, beginning with the "Burden of Babylon." To understand the prophecy, one must recall how Babylon actually fell. After Nevuchadnezzar ruled Evil-Merodach, followed by Belshazzar. In Sefer Daniel, it is recounted that in the midst of the feast, when Belshazzar brought out the vessels of the Beis HaMikdash, he witnessed a terrifying sight: a hand emerging and writing on the wall: "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin." He summoned all the wise men, enchanters, and astrologers, but none could decipher it. Daniel was brought in, and he read and interpreted: Hashem has numbered your kingdom; it has been weighed and found wanting; and your kingdom has been divided and given over to Persia and Media. That very night, Belshazzar's own servants rose up and killed him ("on that night Belshazzar was slain"), and invited the princes of Persia and Media to come and conquer Babylon. Babylon thus fell through a fifth column from within, which handed it over to Persia and Media. (Those wishing to study these details in greater depth can consult the shiurim on Ezra, Nechemiah, and Daniel.)
The Malbim explains: The prophet here delivers this burden, describing how, as it were, the Holy One, Blessed be He, designated and set apart a cruel army - Persia and Media - to come from a distant land and destroy Babylon, and Hashem even summoned men from within Babylon itself to call them in and assist them in conquering the land.
מַשָּׂא בָּבֶל אֲשֶׁר חָזָה יְשַׁעְיָהוּ בֶּן־אָמוֹץ׃ - The burden of Babylon, which Yeshayahu the son of Amotz saw.
עַל הַר־נִשְׁפֶּה שְׂאוּ־נֵס הָרִימוּ קוֹל לָהֶם הָנִיפוּ יָד וְיָבֹאוּ פִּתְחֵי נְדִיבִים׃ - Upon a lofty mountain raise a banner, lift up a voice to them, wave a hand, that they may enter the gates of nobles.
At first, the prophet addresses the ministers who rebelled against Belshazzar: they will raise the banner of rebellion to call upon Persia and Media to come and conquer the land. The description unfolds in stages: first, "raise a banner" - a banner (*nes*) is a tall pole, visible from afar. As they draw nearer and come within earshot - "lift up a voice to them," shouting to them: Over here, come this way! And when they draw closer still, close enough to be seen clearly - "wave a hand," signaling with the hand: Here I am, enter through here.
"That they may enter the gates of nobles" - they will come to the open gates of the Babylonians. And what is the meaning of "nobles" (*nedivim*, generous hosts)? The Malbim explains: just as a generous person opens the doors of his home to welcome guests, so too will those Babylonians who rebelled against Belshazzar act like generous hosts, saying to the conquering army: Look, the doors are open; come, dine, and make yourselves comfortable. They will literally invite them in.
אֲנִי צִוֵּיתִי לִמְקֻדָּשָׁי גַּם קָרָאתִי גִבּוֹרַי לְאַפִּי עַלִּיזֵי גַּאֲוָתִי׃ - I have commanded My consecrated ones; I have also summoned My mighty ones to execute My anger, those who exult in My pride.
This verse builds upon the previous one: all of this I have commanded to My consecrated ones. Who are "My consecrated ones"? These are the ministers of Belshazzar, whom Hashem designated to rebel against their master, as Daniel stated in his prophecy. Here, "consecrated" (*kideshti*) does not denote holiness, but rather designation and appointment - I set them apart for this task. "I have summoned My mighty ones" - these are the armies of Persia and Media coming to conquer. "To execute My anger" - to fulfill through them the retribution of My fierce wrath. "Those who exult in My pride" - who will rejoice when My majesty is manifested through them. There is, as it were, a shared interest here: for them, conquering the land; and for Hashem, that His pride and majesty be revealed through them, demonstrating that He exacts retribution from the wicked empire of Babylon, which destroyed His Temple.
The Malbim notes: among soldiers who go off to war, there are two distinct dispositions. There are those who march out solely to destroy lands, because they are cruel and crave bloodshed. (Interestingly, it is noted that this was the case with Harbonah, who was appointed over destruction, a demolition contractor, and was named Harbonah after the word *churban*, destruction.) And there are others who march out to elevate their own renown and that of their king, to demonstrate the might of their nation, to make a name for themselves, and to display their prowess among the nations.
Now, the former group, who come solely to destroy and ruin, cause more destruction than those who come merely to display their pride. One who comes to display his pride has achieved his desire the moment he wins the battle, and everyone sees that he is the strongest. But one who comes out of sheer cruelty has destruction itself as his goal. However, if both traits combine in a single army - both cruelty and the pursuit of greatness and pride - it will not rest until everyone witnesses its prowess, and on the other hand, it will not be satisfied with mere conquest, but will seek to utterly destroy the conquered. And this was the camp of Media and Persia: "for My wrath" - prepared for My anger and coming in poured-out fury, cruelty; "the exulters of My pride" - coming with jubilation to display pride and dominance, so that all will know who the mighty and valiant nation is. These two traits together make the war against them exceedingly fierce.
קוֹל הָמוֹן בָּהָרִים דְּמוּת עַם־רָב עוֹל שְׁאוֹן מַמְלְכוֹת גּוֹיִם נֶאֱסָפִים יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת מְפַקֵּד צְבָא מִלְחָמָה׃ - The sound of a multitude in the mountains, like that of a vast people! The sound of the tumult of kingdoms of nations gathering! Hashem of Hosts is mustering a host for battle.
Here the prophet describes the camp advancing suddenly against Babylon, again in gradual stages. A person sits securely in his palace, and at first he hears "the sound of a multitude [hamon] in the mountains" - hamon being related to a hum or distant murmur, some indistinct sound; perhaps shepherds, perhaps harvesters, perhaps a celebrating crowd and banquets, or perhaps an army of war. As they draw closer, he perceives "like that of a vast people." As they advance further, he distinguishes "the sound of the tumult of kingdoms of nations" - it is now clear that this is the clamor of kingdoms marching to war. And when they draw completely near, he notices Who stands at their head: "Hashem of Hosts is mustering a host for battle" - he sees that Hashem Tzva'ot is, as it were, the commander-in-chief marshaling the army. That is to say, they did not march out at the command of a human minister or ruler, but by the word of Hashem through the angel; and that very angel who wrote "Mene, Mene, Tekel, u-Farsin" was the one who summoned them. Consequently, this is an utterly hopeless battle, for one is not fighting against an earthly general, but against Hashem, may He be blessed.
בָּאהמִים מֵאֶרֶץ מֶרְחָק מִקְצֵה הַשָּׁמָיִם יְהוָה וּכְלֵי זַעְמוֹ לְחַבֵּל כָּל־הָאָרֶץ׃ - They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens, Hashem and the weapons of His indignation, to destroy the entire land.
Now they are already close, and that palace dweller who had been at ease until now begins to inquire: Where are you from, who are you, and for what purpose? In answer to "Where did you come from?" - "They come from a distant land, from the end of the heavens," from the edge of civilization. In answer to "Who are you?" - "Hashem and the weapons of His indignation," we are the emissaries and weapons of wrath of the Holy One, blessed be He. And in answer to "For what purpose?" - "To destroy the entire land," and we will not turn back until the entire land of Babylon lies in ruins. All this serves to indicate that they came upon a complacent and unsuspecting people: the Babylonians were unprepared for battle, and suddenly the armies of Persia and Media would fall upon them; before they even realized what was happening, they would already be conquered.
הֵילִילוּ כִּי קָרוֹב יוֹם יְהוָה כְּשַׁד מִשַׁדַּי יָבוֹא׃ - Wail, for the day of Hashem is near; it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
From here, the prophet addresses the Babylonians themselves: you have no hope left, wail and weep (heililu from the root of howling or lamentation). The Malbim explains: when a report reaches a country that an enemy is about to attack, there is a fundamental difference between an imminent report and a distant one. If it is announced that the enemy is arriving in two hours, there is a great disadvantage - terrifying panic, since until now one was tranquil and suddenly everything is overturned; yet there is also an advantage, for everyone immediately understands the urgency, and each person grabs whatever weapon is at hand and rushes out to fight. Conversely, if it is announced that war will come in four months, the heart does not melt with fear quite as much, but neither does anyone rush to stockpile weapons of war, thinking "there is still time," relying on complacency.
Here, however, both disadvantages will combine. First, "the day of Hashem is near" - it will arrive with great speed, and therefore the terror is dreadful. And if you might argue that at least they will organize immediately, just as happened during the Yom Kippur War when people mobilized on the spot (whereas for a future war people delay, waiting for budgets to pass and preparations to be made) - to this the prophet says, "it will come as destruction from the Almighty [Mishaddai]." Shaddai is the One Who said to His world "Dai" (enough), the All-Capable. And there is no counsel and no might against Hashem. There is no point in organizing here, for one is standing before the Holy One, blessed be He.
עַל־כֵּן כָּל־יָדַיִם תִּרְפֶינָה וְכָל־לְבַב אֱנוֹשׁ יִמָּס׃ - Therefore all hands will grow slack, and every human heart will melt.
Since "it shall come as destruction from the Almighty", from the Omnipotent One against Whom none can contend - "all hands shall grow weak", no one will rush to grab weapons of war, for their hands will have gone slack. And since the disaster is close and imminent - and we noted earlier that proximity causes the heart to sink - therefore, "and every human heart will melt" - the terrible fear will melt their hearts.
וְנִבְהָלוּ צִירִים וַחֲבָלִים יֹאחֵזוּן כַּיּוֹלֵדָה יְחִילוּן אִישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵהוּ יִתְמָהוּ פְּנֵי לְהָבִים פְּנֵיהֶם׃ - And they shall be terrified; pangs and throes shall take hold of them; they shall writhe like a woman in childbirth; they shall look aghast at one another; their faces shall be faces of flame.
Here the prophet describes how the Babylonian people will look when disaster strikes, step by step. First, "and they shall be terrified (venivhalu)", because it will come suddenly. The Malbim explains: behalah (panic/terror) is synonymous with fear, except that fear does not necessarily come suddenly, whereas panic is immediate. Likewise, we say that we left Egypt be-vehilu (in haste), meaning immediately. Behalah is fear of an immediate occurrence, in contrast to fear that can linger over time.
Next, "pangs and throes shall take hold of them" - like the pangs and birth throes that seize a woman when the child begins to emerge. What is the difference between them? Tzirrim (pangs) refers to the opening of the hinges (tzirim) of the womb's doors, like a door on its hinges, as in the phrase "a door turns on its hinge"; while chavalim (throes) are the pains that follow the opening of the womb's doors, the labor pains. The third stage is "they shall writhe like a woman in childbirth", the trembling that shakes a woman throughout all her limbs due to the pain of labor.
"They shall look aghast at one another" - beyond each individual's own panic, their bewilderment will intensify when they look at each other. For in a sudden panic that strikes a multitude, if a person sees others calm, his fear subsides; but if he sees that everyone is terrified, it throws him into an even greater dread, for it is a sign that something truly terrifying is happening. Therefore, it will not be merely an isolated personal fear: each one will look around and see everyone astounded and aghast, in total shock and terrible fright.
"Their faces shall be faces of flame" - no one will need to tell his fellow, "I am afraid"; rather, the dread will be conspicuous on his face, and their faces will be like flames of fire. The Malbim explains: just as a flame grows larger the more wood and straw you add to it, so too, as each person looks at his fellow, it will be like adding wood to a bonfire; I am burning, and once I see you burning, I burn even more. This is why it is likened to a fiery flame, where every piece of wood adds to the blaze.
And why does the verse use the word yitmahu (they will be aghast)? The Malbim explains the distinction between tameh (stunned/aghast) and mitpaleh or mishta'eh (wondering or bewildered): wonder and bewilderment reside in the intellect - a person observes something and it astonishes him because he thought otherwise, which is an intellectual evaluation. But timahon is a loss of emotional composure in the heart, not an intellectual question, as in "stands as an astounded man", "strike every horse with bewilderment", and "the men were astonished one at another". It is an instantaneous shock that strikes fear in the heart, an emotional paralysis rather than an intellectual query, reflecting just how immense the surprise will be.
הִנֵּה יוֹם־יְהֹוָה בָּא אַכְזָרִי וְעֶבְרָה וַחֲרוֹן אָף לָשׂוּם הָאָרֶץ לְשַׁמָּה וְחַטָּאֶיהָ יַשְׁמִיד מִמֶּנָּה׃ - Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with fury and fierce anger, to make the earth a desolation, and He will destroy its sinners from it.
Here the prophet describes the day itself, depicting it as if it were cruel and preying without mercy, a day shrouded in utter gloom and chaos. The Malbim explains: when dealing with someone who becomes enraged but is not cruel by nature, or someone who is cruel by nature but is not currently angry, there is still hope; but one who is both cruel by nature and overcome by fury poses the greatest danger of all. This is the meaning of what is stated here: this day is inherently cruel by nature, and it is also accompanied by "fury" (evrah) - intense wrath.
And the concept of evrah (fury), as the Malbim explains in several places, is anger that exceeds all bounds. Ordinary anger is measured, whereas evrah is rage that overflows and exceeds normal limits, as in the verse "And the Lord was furious (vayit'aber) with me on your account". And what is charon af (fierce anger)? Fierce anger is generally directed only against the one who has sinned against Him. In contrast, with evrah, when the destroying angel goes forth and does not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, this is not the attribute of charon af - since the righteous does not deserve punishment - but rather the aspect of evrah, anger that overflows all bounds.
According to this, the verse is structured: "To lay the land desolate" - this is the overflow of wrath (evrah), where the land as a whole becomes desolate, even those who did not sin in practice; "and its sinners He will destroy from it" - this is fierce anger (charon af), which is measured and directed exclusively against the sinners.
כִּי־כוֹכְבֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וּכְסִילֵיהֶם לֹא יָהֵלּוּ אוֹרָם חָשַׁךְ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בְּצֵאתוֹ וְיָרֵחַ לֹא־יַגִּיהַּ אוֹרוֹ׃ - For the stars of the heavens and their constellations shall not radiate their light; the sun shall be darkened at its rising, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine.
The Radak explains that the prophets consistently speak allegorically. When they wish to describe someone struck by distress, they say that he sits in darkness, that the sun does not shine for him, and that the stars do not illuminate him. It does not mean the sun was literally extinguished, but rather that the sun grew dark for him - an expression of great distress. Similarly, we say of someone in a dire crisis that he is "sitting in the dark" - he does not know what to do or where to turn. Thus, all the expressions here are intended to convey the magnitude of the catastrophe that will befall Babylon. Regarding "shall not cause its light to shine [lo yagi'ah oro]," the Radak explains: it is as if the verse said it will not give its light, as in "He will illuminate [yagi'ah] his darkness," a term of shedding light.
The Malbim also explains this step by step: on this day, the sun has grown dark, the sun has set, and they are engulfed in darkness. And should one suggest that stars still remain - even the stars of the twilight, which shine in the dark, have extinguished and will not yield their light. And what is meant by "shall not radiate" [lo yahelu]? The Malbim clarifies the distinction between three terms for light: or refers to that which actively illuminates others; nogah is the opposite, referring to that which receives light and reflects outward what it received - the sun is or, and the moon is nogah, receiving from the sun and bestowing downward; and yahel describes something that possesses light within itself but does not illuminate others, much like what we call a halo (hilah) - light that is visible only around itself. Therefore, regarding the stars, it says "lo yahelu," as they do not have intrinsic self-radiating power to project outward, but receive their glow. Nor will this be like an ordinary night where the sun has set yet the moon still shines; hence it adds, "and the moon shall not cause its light to shine," meaning the moon will not reflect down to the earth what it receives from the sun. The Malbim notes that the word yagi'ah also carries the connotation of extraction and bringing forth, as in "Remove [hago] the dross from the silver" and "he was removed [hogah] from the highway"; the moon receives the sun's light and brings it forth, projecting it outward, and is therefore described as yagi'ah oro.
וּפָקַדְתִּי עַל־תֵּבֵל רָעָה וְעַל־רְשָׁעִים עֲוֺנָם וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי גְּאוֹן זֵדִים וְגַאֲוַת עָרִיצִים אַשְׁפִּיל׃ - And I will visit evil upon the world, and their iniquity upon the wicked; and I will put an end to the arrogance of the willful sinners, and the pride of tyrants I will bring low.
Upon the land of Babylon I will visit the evil they did to the Jewish people; and upon the wicked - the Chaldeans who harmed Israel and exceeded all bounds, as it is written, "I was only a little angry, and they helped for evil" - they, too, will receive their retribution. The Malbim explains that "I will visit" [ufakadti] stems from the root of appointment and office, as in a commander (mefaked) and officers (pekudim). The Holy One, blessed be He, so to speak appoints the evil itself - an abstract concept - to be placed in charge of Babylon, that it may exact retribution from them and act as the ruler repaying them according to their wickedness.
The Malbim further explains, building upon what was seen in verse 9: the sinners will be punished with fierce anger according to their iniquity, and by virtue of the overflow of wrath (evrah), the blow will also cross over and strike those who did not sin. Therefore, "And I will visit evil upon the world" - the calamity will cling to the world at large, even to those who did not sin, because this is an overflow that exceeds the exact measure; "and their iniquity upon the wicked" - the guilt of iniquity falls strictly upon the wicked person who sinned.
"And I will put an end to the arrogance of the willful sinners" - the zedim are those who sin deliberately, and their arrogance, pride, and power the Holy One, blessed be He, will terminate. "And the pride of tyrants I will bring low" - the aritzim (tyrants) are the mighty, who did not deliberately sin and are not termed outright sinners, yet they prided themselves on their empire. A tyrant (aritz) always denotes one who exudes power and might. Although their majesty consists merely of their might and wealth, and wealth in itself is not loathsome before Hashem seeing that they did not actively sin, nevertheless, the haughtiness they displayed is detestable before Him, and therefore "I will bring low."
And in terms of the nimshal: the princes of Babylon sinned and acted willfully against Hashem, actively doing evil to Israel; therefore, they will be punished for their malice, and their rule will be brought to an end. But the masses, who did not actively sin yet nevertheless behaved with haughtiness - where every ordinary person walking in Babylon felt that he belonged to a superpower by virtue of Nebuchadnezzar's empire - their pride Hashem will bring low, even though they did not actively sin.
The Malbim clarifies the distinction between gaon and ga'avah: ga'avah (pride) is what a person imagines within himself, conceiving himself to be greater than he truly is, and it resides within the arrogant person himself. Gaon (eminence) exists outside the arrogant person's essence - the external factors that induce pride, such as wealth, honor, and might.
אוֹקִיר אֱנוֹשׁ מִפָּז וְאָדָם מִכֶּתֶם אוֹפִיר׃ - "I will make man more precious than fine gold, and a person more than the pure gold of Ophir."
Why will the wrath against Babylon be so immense? Because the blood of Israel is precious in Hashem's eyes. The Malbim explains in several places that enosh is always an expression for the lower stratum of humanity, as in "What is man (enosh) that You are mindful of him?" and "As for man (enosh), his days are like grass"; whereas adam denotes the elevated person, from the expression "I will be like (edameh) the Most High." And the Holy One, blessed be He, says: Even the lowliest Jew is more precious in My eyes than fine gold, and the person of spiritual stature is more precious than the pure gold of Ophir, which is an expression for fine jewelry and gold far more prestigious than ordinary fine gold. From here one can understand why the accountability and anger over their deeds is so severe.
עַל־כֵּן שָׁמַיִם אַרְגִּיז וְתִרְעַשׁ הָאָרֶץ מִמְּקוֹמָהּ בְּעֶבְרַת יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת וּבְיוֹם חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ׃ - "Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth will quake from its place, through the fury of Hashem of Hosts and on the day of His burning wrath."
Since the blood of the children of Israel is so precious in My eyes, and the Babylonians spilled it, Hashem says: "I will shake the heavens." Their downfall will not occur only below, but also above. As we have explained many times, a nation that is uprooted below is first uprooted at its root above, just as we learned at length in Sefer Daniel, who saw the heavenly prince of Persia going forth, and the heavenly prince of Babylon. That is to say, the battle takes place first in heaven, as the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Wars I have waged"; and once the verdict is decided above, it materializes in practice here on earth.
And the verdicts in heaven are not determined by arsenals or types of weaponry, but solely by merits. If we possess merits, the heavenly minister of Israel prevails over the heavenly minister of the nations; but if there are no merits, prosecution intensifies, the measure of sins is filled, and the heavenly minister of Israel is surrendered beneath the minister of the nations. Then in actuality, down here, the nations harass Israel, persecute them, and wage war against them - which is simply the realization of what has already transpired above. Thus, a nation's absolute ruin begins from above.
This is the meaning of "Therefore I will shake the heavens": the downfall will not be only below, but also above, for I will uproot them from their root in heaven. And the heavens encompass the earth, so naturally "the earth will quake from its place" - when something occurs in heaven it affects things down here, and the earth quakes as a result of what was done above. And all this is "through the fury of Hashem of Hosts and on the day of His burning wrath": His burning wrath against the sinners according to their precise measure, and the fury of Hashem - that which overflows beyond the measure, punishing even the broader world, those who did not sin in practice but are punished for their arrogance, as we explained.
Chapter 13 is the Burden of Babylon, the prophecy of destruction upon the superpower that destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. The prophet describes the enemy's advance in precise stages: a banner, a voice, and a waving hand from rebels within; the sound of tumult, the likeness of a multitude, and the roar of kingdoms from without; and presiding over it all - Hashem of Hosts, Who musters the host of war. Persia and Media are "My consecrated ones" and "My mighty warriors," in whom two severe traits converge: cruelty and arrogance. Babylon will fall suddenly, without time to prepare and without any utility in preparation, for "it will come like destruction from the Almighty." The terror is depicted as panic, as the writhing and pangs of a woman in childbirth, and as faces burning like a rekindled flame. The day itself will be cruel, marked by fury and burning wrath: burning wrath against the sinners according to their measure, and fury that overflows beyond the measure, impacting the entire nation. The heavenly luminaries will grow dark as a metaphor for the magnitude of the distress, the arrogance of the willful will cease, and the pride of tyrants will be brought low. All of this stems from the preciousness of Israel's souls in Hashem's eyes - "I will make man more precious than fine gold" - and therefore Babylon's downfall will occur not only on earth but also in heaven, for a nation uprooted below is first uprooted at its root above, and the verdict there is determined solely by merits.