And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
They will be terrified: anguish and grief will grip them; they will suffer like a woman in childbirth. They will stare at each other in shock, their faces flushed red with fear.
The writer is describing how people will be overwhelmed with terror and pain when God's judgment comes, comparing their anguish to the intense pain of childbirth.
📚 Historical Context
Isaiah 13 is part of a prophetic oracle in the Book of Isaiah, directed against the Babylonian empire as a warning of God's impending judgment for their pride and oppression. This verse uses dramatic imagery, such as the pain of childbirth, to depict the terror and chaos that would accompany Babylon's fall, reflecting the ancient Near Eastern cultural practice of comparing extreme distress to labor pains. Historically, this prophecy was likely given around the 8th century BC during a time when Assyria and Babylon posed threats to Judah, emphasizing God's sovereignty over world powers.
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