Isaiah 13:12

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10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not give their light;
The sun will be ^adarkened in its going forth,
And the moon will not cause its light to shine.

11 “I will ^apunish the world for its evil,
And the wicked for their iniquity;
^bI will halt the arrogance of the proud,
And will lay low the haughtiness of the¹ terrible.

12 I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold,
A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir.

13 ^aTherefore I will shake the heavens,
And the earth will move out of her place,
In the wrath of the Lord of hosts
And in ^bthe day of His fierce anger.

14 It shall be as the hunted gazelle,
And as a sheep that no man¹ takes up;
^aEvery man will turn to his own people,
And everyone will flee to his own land.

Commentaries:

Barnes' Notes

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Isaiah 13:12

I will make a man ... - I will so cut off and destroy the men of Babylon, that a single man to defend the city will be more rare and valuable than fine gold. The expression indicates that there would be a great slaughter of the people of Babylon.

Than fine gold - Pure, unalloyed gold. The word used here ( pâz ) is often distinguished from common gold Psalms 19:11; Psalms 119:127; Proverbs 8:19.

Than the golden wedge of Ophir - The word ( kethem ) rendered ' wedge' means properly "gold;" yellow gold; what is hidden, precious, or hoarded; and is used only in poetry. It indicates nothing about the shape of the gold, as the word, wedge would seem to suppose. ' Ophir was a country to which the vessels of Solomon traded, and which was particularly distinguished for producing gold; but respecting its particular situation, there has been much discussion. The ' ships of Tarshish' sailed from Ezion-geber on the Red Sea, and went to Ophir I Kings 9:26; I Kings 10:22; I Kings 22:48. Three years were required for the voyage; and they returned freighted with gold, peacocks, apes, spices, ivory, and ebony (I Kings 9:28; I Kings 10:11-12; compare II Chronicles 8:18). The gold of that country was more celebrated than that of any other country for its purity. Josephus supposes that it was in the East Indies; Bruce that it was in South Africa; Rosenmuller and others suppose that it was in Southern Arabia. It is probable that the situation of Ophir must ever remain a matter of conjecture. The Chaldee Paraphrase gives a different sense to this passage. ' I will love those who fear me, more than gold in which people glory; and those who observe the law more than the tried gold of Ophir.' (On the situation of Ophir the following works may be consulted: The "Pictorial Bible," vol. ii. pp. 364-369; Martini Lipenii, "Dissert. de Ophir;" Joan. Christophori Wichmanshausen "Dissert. de Navig. Ophritica:" H. Relandi, "Dissert. de Ophir;" Ugolini, "Thes. Sac. Ant." vol. viii.; and Forster "On Arabia." )

**Other Barnes' Notes entries containing Isaiah 13:12:**

Job 22:24
Psalms 19:10
Psalms 45:9

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Isaiah 13:13 >>

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