Introduction to Part Two of the Book of Isaiah

Part Two of the book of Isaiah (chapters 13–23) presents oracles against other nations:

1. Babylon (13:1–14:23)
2. Assyria (14:24–27)
3. The Philistines (14:28–32)
4. Moab (15:1–16:14)
5. Aram and Israel (17:1–14)
6. Cush (the Upper Nile region) (18:1–7)
7. Egypt (19:1–24)
8. Egypt and Cush (20:1–6)
9. Babylon (21:1–10)
10. Edom (21:11–12)
11. Arabia (21:13–17)
12. Judah and Jerusalem (22:1–25)
13. Tyre (23:1–18)

The first oracle is against Babylon, even though the Babylonians conquered and destroyed Jerusalem more than a hundred years after the Assyrians besieged that city. See the discussion in the introduction to Isaiah of how the book addresses two great moments of decision that the people of Judah faced 150 years apart that were caused by the foreign empires that successively dominated their part of the world, Assyria and Babylon. The oracle against Babylon may have been placed first in the final arrangement of the book of Isaiah because the return from Babylonian exile after the destruction of that empire was the historical event that was most vivid for readers of the book.

Introduction to Isaiah 13

Structure and Formatting

The oracle against Babylon begins in 13:1 and continues through 14:23.

1. Title (1)
2. Yahweh is raising up an army against Babylon (2–5)
3. The Babylonians will be terrified and scattered (6–16)
4. The powerful Medes will completely desolate Babylon (17–22)