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Isaiah 13:8

Old Testament Major Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Isaiah 13:8 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “and they shall be dismayed; pangs and sorrows shall take hold [of them]; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail: they shall look in amazement one at another; their faces [shall be] faces of flame.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

and they shall be dismayed; pangs and sorrows shall take hold [of them]; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail: they shall look in amazement one at another; their faces [shall be] faces of flame.
Isaiah 13:8 — American Standard Version

Context — Isaiah 13

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
5They come from a far country, from the uttermost part of heaven, even Jehovah, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land.
6Wail ye; for the day of Jehovah is at hand; as destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
7Therefore shall all hands be feeble, and every heart of man shall melt:
8and they shall be dismayed; pangs and sorrows shall take hold [of them]; they shall be in pain as a woman in travail: they shall look in amazement one at another; their faces [shall be] faces of flame.
9Behold, the day of Jehovah cometh, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger; to make the land a desolation, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in its going forth, and the moon shall not cause its light to shine.
11And I will punish the world for [their] evil, and the wicked for their iniquity: and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
← Isaiah 13:7Isaiah 13:9 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And they shall be afraid, &c.] Troubled, dismayed, frightened, at the sudden taking of the city, and at the sight of Cyrus’s troops marching up into the very heart of it, and to the king’s palace: pangs and sorrow shall take hold of them; as convulsions, pains in the bowels, &c. more fully explained in the next clause: they shall be in pain, as a woman that travaileth; that is in labour, and ready to bring forth her child, whose pains are very sharp, and agonies great; the same is said of the king of Babylon, (<245043>Jeremiah 50:43): they shall be amazed one at another; that so great a city should be so surprised, and so suddenly taken; and that they shall not be able to help one another;…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“pangs--The Hebrew means also a "messenger." HORSLEY, therefore, with the Septuagint translates, "The heralds (who bring word of the unexpected invasion) are terrified." MAURER agrees with English Version, literally, "they shall take hold of pangs and sorrows." woman . . . travaileth-- (Th1 5:3). amazed--the stupid, bewildered gaze of consternation. faces . . . flames--"their visages have the livid hue of flame" [HORSLEY]; with anguish and indignation.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“They shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth - This comparison is often used in the Scriptures to denote the deepest possible pain and sorrow, as well as the suddenness with which any calamity comes upon a people Psalms 48:6; Isaiah 21:3; Isaiah 42:14; Jeremiah 6:24; Jeremiah 13:21; Jeremiah 22:23; Jeremiah 49:24; Jeremiah 50:43; Hosea 13:13; Micah 4:9-10; John 16:21; Galatians 4:19; 1 Thessalonians 5:3. They shall be amazed one at another - They shall stare with a stupid gaze on one another, indicating a state of great distress, anxiety, and alarm. They shall look to each other for aid, and shall meet in the countenances of others the same expressions of wonder and consternation. Their…”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“13:8 Pangs . . . like those of a woman in labor: The day of the Lord brings sudden and overpowering pain and fear for the wicked (see also Jer 30:6; Hos 13:13; Mic 4:9, 10; 5:3).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“pangs: Isa 21:3, Isa 21:4, Isa 26:17; Psa 48:5, Psa 48:6; Jer 30:6, Jer 50:43; Dan 5:5, Dan 5:6; Th1 5:3 be amazed one at another: Heb. wonder every man at his neighbour flames: Heb. faces of the flames, Joe 2:6; Nah 2:10 Isaiah 13:9”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification