I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The phrase "my proudly exulting ones" isn't describing a group that truly delights in God's glory, but rather a fierce, triumphant spirit within the invaders that God is using. It highlights how God can commandeer even human pride and ambition to accomplish His purposes, making them unwitting instruments of His justice.
I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Lord declares that He has specifically summoned and empowered a military force – the Medes and Persians – to carry out His judgment. These "sanctified ones" and "mighty ones" are set apart by God for this task, even though they may not understand they are instruments of His divine anger. Their pride and exultation in their strength and impending victory will be used to fulfill God's purpose against Babylon.
Who are these 'sanctified' and 'mighty' ones God commands? Are they righteous heroes or ruthless conquerors?
In Isaiah 13:3, God declares, 'I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones.' This refers to the Medes and Persians, the formidable empire that would conquer Babylon.
Set Apart for a Purpose
The term 'sanctified' (or 'consecrated') doesn't mean these soldiers were holy in a spiritual sense. Instead, it signifies that God set them apart for a specific task—to be instruments of His judgment against Babylon. Think of it like a tool: a hammer isn't inherently moral, but it can be used for constructive or destructive purposes. God designated the Medes and Persians for a destructive purpose.
Mighty by His Power
Similarly, 'mighty ones' highlights their strength and military prowess, but ultimately, this strength is attributed to God. He calls them 'His' mighty ones, indicating that their power and their very actions are under His sovereign control and directed by His will. They are mighty because God made them so and called them to action.
The invaders 'rejoice in my highness.' What does this mean when they're driven by pride and conquest?
The verse continues, 'to execute my anger, even them that rejoice in my highness.' This reveals a crucial distinction:
The Divine Mandate
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These soldiers were summoned 'for His anger.' Their mission wasn't self-assigned; it was divinely ordained to carry out God's wrath against Babylon's sin and arrogance. While they likely didn't understand or acknowledge the divine source of their command, their actions served God's judgment.
Their 'Joy' in His Glory
The phrase 'rejoice in my highness' is tricky. The commentators suggest it doesn't mean they were rejoicing in God's holiness or character. Instead, it points to their own proud exultation in their power, their military success, and the grandeur of their mission, which, unbeknownst to them, was glorifying God's justice. They rejoiced in their perceived greatness and achievements, but in doing so, they were actually advancing God's sovereign plan and exalting His authority over nations.
Understand the original words
mequddashay · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
In an evangelical context, this refers to those set apart or sanctified by God for a specific purpose, often used to describe instruments of divine judgment or the holy people of God.
aph · Hebrew Noun
The righteous, settled indignation of God against sin and rebellion. It is not an emotional loss of control, but a holy and judicial response to wickedness.
Isaiah's prophecy in chapter 13 speaks to the fall of Babylon, a pivotal event in ancient Near Eastern history. The prophecy foretells the rise of the Medes and Persians as God's instruments of judgment, highlighting that even pagan armies can be 'sanctified' or set apart by God to accomplish His purposes, regardless of their own motivations.
Late 8th century BC
Assyrian Empire at its height
The powerful Neo-Assyrian Empire dominates the Near East, frequently subjugating and deporting populations, including Israelites. This sets a precedent for large-scale imperial power and its devastating effects.
612 BC
Fall of Nineveh
Babylon, allied with the Medes, conquers the Assyrian capital, Nineveh. This marks the decline of Assyrian power and the rise of Babylon as a major world empire.
605 BC
First Babylonian deportation of Judah
Under Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon conquers Jerusalem. Daniel and other Judean nobles are taken into exile, marking the beginning of the Babylonian Captivity.
c. 550 BC
Rise of the Medo-Persian Empire
Cyrus the Great unites the Medes and Persians, creating a new, vast empire that rivals Babylon's dominance.
October 12, 539 BC— this verse
Fall of Babylon to Persia
Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon. This event fulfills Isaiah's prophecy of Babylon's destruction by the Medes and Persians, ending Babylonian imperial rule.
This passage also calls for nations to be consecrated or set apart for judgment, specifically mentioning the Medes and their allies against Babylon, mirroring Isaiah's language of God's instruments for destruction.
Zephaniah 3:11This verse uses similar phrasing ('proudly exulting ones' or 'rejoicing in my highness' in some translations) to describe those who will be humbled on God's judgment day, offering a parallel concept of those who exult in their own perceived might being brought low.
Isaiah 45:1-4This passage directly names Cyrus, the Persian king, as God's 'anointed' (or 'chosen one') who will be empowered to conquer nations and bring about God's purposes, aligning with the idea of 'sanctified' or 'mighty' ones being summoned for a divine task.
Romans 9:22-23Paul speaks of vessels of wrath prepared for destruction and vessels of mercy prepared for glory, which echoes the concept in Isaiah of God preparing and using specific people or nations as 'instruments' for His anger or His mercy.
wesleyIsaiah 13:3: "I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness."
13:3 Sanctified ones - The Medes and Persians, so called, because they were set apart by God, for this holy work of executing his just vengeance. Mighty ones - Those whom I have made mighty for this work. Highness - Or, as others render it, in my glory, in the doing of that work which tends to the advancement of my glory. Tho' the Medes had no regard to Go…
barnesIsaiah 13:3: "I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness."
I have commanded - This is the language of God in reference to those who were about to destroy Babylon. "He" claimed the control and direction of all their movements; and though the command was not understood by "them" as coming from him, yet it was by his direction, and in accordance with his plan (compare the notes at Isaiah 10:7 ; Isaiah 45:5-6 ). The "…
The phrase "my proudly exulting ones" isn't describing a group that truly delights in God's glory, but rather a fierce, triumphant spirit within the invaders that God is using. It highlights how God can commandeer even human pride and ambition to accomplish His purposes, making them unwitting instruments of His justice.
The Lord declares that He has specifically summoned and empowered a military force – the Medes and Persians – to carry out His judgment. These "sanctified ones" and "mighty ones" are set apart by God for this task, even though they may not understand they are instruments of His divine anger. Their pride and exultation in their strength and impending victory will be used to fulfill God's purpose against Babylon.
The Lord declares that He has specifically summoned and empowered a military force – the Medes and Persians – to carry out His judgment. These "sanctified ones" and "mighty ones" are set apart by God for this task, even though they may not understand they are instruments of His divine anger. Their pride and exultation in their strength and impending victory will be used to fulfill God's purpose against Babylon.
"I myself have commanded my consecrated ones, and have summoned my mighty men to execute my anger, my proudly exulting ones." — The phrase "my proudly exulting ones" isn't describing a group that truly delights in God's glory, but rather a fierce, triumphant spirit within the invaders that God is using. It highlights how God…
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Last reviewed October 2026