18 Their bows will strike down the young men; they will have no mercy on infants, nor will they look with compassion on children.
18 Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.
18 Their bows will slaughter
18 They massacre the young, wantonly kick and kill even babies.
18 Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye will not spare children.
18 The attacking armies will shoot down the young men with arrows. They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for children."
35 This is what the Lord Almighty says: "See, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might.
35 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the chief of their might.
35 Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, the mainstay of their might.
35 This is what God-of-the-Angel-Armies says: "Watch this! I'll break Elam's bow, her weapon of choice, across my knee.
35 "Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, The foremost of their might.
35 This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies says: "I will destroy the archers of Elam- the best of their forces.
(Read Jeremiah 49:34-39)
The Elamites were the Persians; they acted against God's Israel, and must be reckoned with. Evil pursues sinners. God will make them know that he reigns. Yet the destruction of Elam shall not be for ever. But this promise was to have its full accomplishment in the days of the Messiah. In reading the Divine assurance of the destruction of all the enemies of the church, the believer sees that the issue of the holy war is not doubtful. It is blessed to recollect, that He who is for us, is more than all against us. And he will subdue the enemies of our souls.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Isaiah 13:18
Commentary on Isaiah 13:6-18
(Read Isaiah 13:6-18)
We have here the terrible desolation of Babylon by the Medes and Persians. Those who in the day of their peace were proud, and haughty, and terrible, are quite dispirited when trouble comes. Their faces shall be scorched with the flame. All comfort and hope shall fail. The stars of heaven shall not give their light, the sun shall be darkened. Such expressions are often employed by the prophets, to describe the convulsions of governments. God will visit them for their iniquity, particularly the sin of pride, which brings men low. There shall be a general scene of horror. Those who join themselves to Babylon, must expect to share her plagues, Revelation 18:4. All that men have, they would give for their lives, but no man's riches shall be the ransom of his life. Pause here and wonder that men should be thus cruel and inhuman, and see how corrupt the nature of man is become. And that little infants thus suffer, which shows that there is an original guilt, by which life is forfeited as soon as it is begun. The day of the Lord will, indeed, be terrible with wrath and fierce anger, far beyond all here stated. Nor will there be any place for the sinner to flee to, or attempt an escape. But few act as though they believed these things.