Isaiah 13:20-22
It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there. But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be full of howling creatures; there ostriches will dwell, and there wild goats will dance. Hyenas will cry in its towers, and jackals in the pleasant palaces; its time is close at hand and its days will not be prolonged.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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This prophecy highlights that Babylon's desolation will be so profound that even nomadic peoples, who are accustomed to temporary stays in harsh environments, will avoid it. It's not just about buildings being destroyed, but the very land itself becoming accursed and shunned, even by those who have no permanent home.
This prophecy describes the utter destruction and perpetual desolation of Babylon. It comes after vivid imagery of God's judgment against the city, brought by the Medes, emphasizing the city's former glory and the devastating consequences of its wickedness. The passage following this verse further paints a picture of this desolation by detailing the wild and unclean creatures that will inhabit the ruins.
Prophecies often paint a vivid picture of judgment, but what does it mean when a place is declared uninhabitable for all time?
Isaiah 13:20 paints a stark picture of Babylon's complete and perpetual ruin. This isn't just about a city falling, but about a place becoming so desolate that it's shunned even by those who live a nomadic life.
A Finality in the Words
The verse declares, 'It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations.' This speaks of a finality that goes beyond mere destruction. It signifies a place rendered utterly uninhabitable, not for a season, but permanently.
Shunned by Nomads and Shepherds
Even the 'Arabian' (referring to desert dwellers who move from place to place) and shepherds, who are accustomed to finding temporary refuge and pasture in diverse locations, will avoid this land. This highlights the extreme desolation – it becomes a place too forsaken and perhaps even too dangerous for even the most adaptable.
This prophecy points to a future where Babylon, once a symbol of power and a hub of activity, would become a silent testament to divine judgment, a place where life, in any form, would cease to thrive.
Beyond physical destruction, what makes a place so profoundly shunned that even seasoned travelers avoid it?
Isaiah 13:20 doesn't just predict the physical destruction of Babylon; it hints at a deeper desolation that affects human interaction with the site.
A Place of Supernatural Dread
Commentaries suggest that the avoidance of Babylon by Arabs and shepherds wasn't solely due to physical ruin or barrenness. A significant factor was a growing superstition and a belief that the place was haunted.
Understand the original words
tsiyim · Hebrew Noun
Refers to beasts of the wilderness that inhabit desolate or ruined places, often used in prophetic literature to symbolize divine judgment and the reversal of human civilization.
bayith · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the place of abode or the ruinous state of a dwelling place left abandoned, representing the complete collapse of human society or city structures under divine judgment.
ochim · Hebrew Noun
A term used for desert creatures or owls, often evoking the sound of mourning or wailing, symbolizing the desolation of a place once full of human life.
ya'anah · Hebrew Noun
A large bird of the desert, associated in biblical literature with the wasteland and places abandoned by God's people due to judgment.
Isaiah's prophecy of Babylon's utter desolation, including its abandonment by nomads and shepherds, wasn't fulfilled immediately upon its conquest by Persia but over centuries as the city declined and became a place feared and avoided, a stark contrast to its former glory.
c. 689 BC
Sennacherib sacks Babylon
The Assyrian king Sennacherib destroys Babylon after a rebellion, filling its canals with its inhabitants' blood. This marks a significant, though not final, blow to the city.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar II begins the Neo-Babylonian Empire and deports some Jewish nobles, including Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Babylon's dominance.
587/586 BC
Destruction of Jerusalem and Second Temple
Nebuchadnezzar's final conquest of Judah results in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and a mass deportation of its people to Babylon. This event is a major focus of Babylonian power and prophetic judgment.
539 BC— this verse
Fall of Babylon to Persia
Cyrus the Great of Persia conquers Babylon, marking the end of the Babylonian Empire. This event fulfills the initial judgment prophesied by Isaiah.
This passage echoes Isaiah's prophecy, directly stating that the sea will rise over Babylon and cover it with its waves, emphasizing its complete and utter destruction and desolation.
Revelation 18:2This New Testament passage uses vivid imagery of Babylon's fall, calling it a 'dwelling place of demons' and a 'cage for every unclean spirit,' which aligns with Isaiah's prediction of the land becoming a haunt for wild animals and unfit for human habitation.
Ezekiel 26:14Though focused on Tyre, this prophecy shares the theme of a once-great city becoming a desolate place where fishermen spread their nets, illustrating God's judgment that reduces thriving metropolises to utter ruin and emptiness.
Zephaniah 2:14This verse describes Nineveh as becoming a desolation, a dry place like the desert, where wild animals will lie down in its buildings and cry out from the windows, mirroring the fate of Babylon in Isaiah 13:21-22.
cambridgeIsaiah 13:20: "It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there."
20 . the Arabian ] Cf. Jeremiah 3:2 . The word seems originally to mean “dweller in the desert,” but ultimately acquired the force of a proper name (see Jeremiah 25:24 ; 2 Chronicles 9:14 , &c.). The site of Babylon will be shunned even by the wandering nomad, as an accursed and “uncanny” place. 20…
barnesIsaiah 13:20: "It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there."
It shall never be inhabited - This has been completely fulfilled. It is now, and has been for centuries, a scene of wide desolation, and is a heap of ruins, and there is every indication that it will continue so to be. From Rauwolff's testimony it appears, that in the sixteenth century 'there was n…
This prophecy highlights that Babylon's desolation will be so profound that even nomadic peoples, who are accustomed to temporary stays in harsh environments, will avoid it. It's not just about buildings being destroyed, but the very land itself becoming accursed and shunned, even by those who have no permanent home.
This prophecy describes the utter destruction and perpetual desolation of Babylon. It comes after vivid imagery of God's judgment against the city, brought by the Medes, emphasizing the city's former glory and the devastating consequences of its wickedness. The passage following this verse further paints a picture of this desolation by detailing the wild and unclean creatures that will inhabit the ruins.
This prophecy describes the utter destruction and perpetual desolation of Babylon. It comes after vivid imagery of God's judgment against the city, brought by the Medes, emphasizing the city's former glory and the devastating consequences of its wickedness. The passage following this verse further paints a picture of this desolation by detailing the wild and unclean creatures that will inhabit the ruins.
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This adds a layer to the prophecy: Babylon's judgment extends to a spiritual desolation, making it a place that instills fear and dread, pushing people away even from its temporary use.
sa'ir · Hebrew Noun
A term denoting 'hairy ones' or satyrs, often associated in biblical imagery with demonic entities or wild, unkempt desert creatures that inhabit ruins.
iyim · Hebrew Noun
Wild canines or scavenging animals that dwell in abandoned ruins, serving as a sign of the total abandonment and degradation of a city or nation.
almanah · Hebrew Noun
A structure associated with city defenses, which, when empty and inhabited by wild beasts, signals the complete failure of human protection and the triumph of God's sovereign judgment.
tannim · Hebrew Noun
A scavenger animal often found in deserted or ruined places, representing the final state of destruction and the removal of human glory.
hekhal · Hebrew Noun
Magnificent residences or palaces, which in prophetic judgment represent the pride and worldly power of a nation that will be reduced to ruin.
eth · Hebrew Noun
The ordained moment or season determined by God for judgment to occur, emphasizing that historical events are under His sovereign control.
c. 3rd century BC
Founding of Seleucia
The Seleucid Empire, successors to the Persians, founds Seleucia on the Tigris River. This new city gradually draws population and importance away from Babylon.
c. 12th century AD
Benjamin of Tudela visits Babylon
Traveler Benjamin of Tudela finds only ruins and scattered inhabitants in Babylon, noting its significant decline from its former glory.
16th century AD onwards
Travelers report desolation
Numerous travelers report Babylon as a desolate ruin, uninhabited and shunned, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy of permanent abandonment.
"It will never be inhabited or lived in for all generations; no Arab will pitch his tent there; no shepherds will make their flocks lie down there. But wild animals will lie down there, and their houses will be f…" — This prophecy highlights that Babylon's desolation will be so profound that even nomadic peoples, who are accustomed to temporary stays in harsh environments, will avoid it. It's not just about build…
