Isaiah 23:13 · Bible study
Isaiah 23:13 Commentary: The Rise and Fall of the Chaldeans as a Warning to Tyre
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Isaiah 23:13 explores how the Chaldeans' humble origins became the instrument of Tyre's judgment. A study on God's sovereignty over history.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The verse uses the history of the Chaldeans, once insignificant, raised by Assyria, then used to destroy Tyre, as a warning that no power is safe from God's sovereign judgment.
- Key words: Hen (behold, calls attention to the surprising), hayah (was/ became, here meaning 'existed as a nation'), tziyyim (desert-dwellers, nomadic peoples).
- Main debate: Whether the verse refers to the Chaldeans' own origins (raised from obscurity by Assyria) or is a textual excerpt of another prophecy; most commentators see it as a historical warning.
- Theological theme: God's sovereignty over the rise and fall of nations, He uses obscure peoples to humble the proud.
- Best use: Preach or teach as a warning against pride and as a demonstration of God's global, historical purpose.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Look at the land of the Chaldeans— a people now of no account. The Assyrians destined it for the desert creatures; they set up their siege towers and stripped its palaces. They brought it to ruin.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Behold, the land of the Chaldeans. This people didn’t exist. The Assyrians founded it for those who dwell in the wilderness. They set up their towers. They overthrew its palaces. They made it a ruin.
KJV King James Version 1769
Behold the land of the Chaldeans; this people was not, till the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness: they set up the towers thereof, they raised up the palaces thereof; and he brought it to ruin.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Behold, the land of the Chaldeans: this people was not; the Assyrian founded it for them that dwell in the wilderness; they set up their towers; they overthrew the palaces thereof; they made it a ruin.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Lo, the land of the Chaldeans--this people was not, Asshur founded it for the Ziim, They raised its watch-towers, They lifted up her palaces, --He hath appointed her for a ruin!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Behold the land of the Chaldeans: this people did not exist; the Assyrian founded it for the dwellers in the desert: they set up their towers, they destroyed the palaces thereof; he brought it to ruin.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Behold the land of the Chaldeans, there was not such a people, the Assyrians founded it: they have led away the strong ones thereof into captivity, they have destroyed the houses thereof, they have, brought it to ruin.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Mira la tierra de los Caldeos; este pueblo no era; Assur la fundó para los que habitaban en el desierto: levantaron sus fortalezas, edificaron sus palacios; él la convirtió en ruinas.
Olhai para a terra dos Caldeus, este que deixou de ser povo. A Assíria a fundou para os que moravam no deserto; levantaram suas fortalezas, e derrubaram seus palácios; transformou-a em ruínas.
Vois les Chaldéens, qui n’ étaient pas un peuple,
Siehe, der Chaldäer Land, das nicht ein Volk war, sondern Assur hat es angerichtet, zu schiffen, die haben ihre Türme aufgerichtet und die Paläste niedergerissen; denn sie ist gesetzt, daß sie geschleift werden soll.
Ziet, het land der Chaldeen; dit volk was er niet; Assur heeft het gefondeerd voor degenen, die in de wildernissen woonden; zij richtten hun sterkten op, en bouwden hun paleizen, maar Hij heeft het tot een vervallen hoop gesteld.
Ecco il paese de’ Caldei, di questo popolo che già non esisteva, il paese che l’Assiro assegnò a questi abitatori del deserto. Essi innalzano le loro torri d’assedio, distruggono i palazzi di tiro, ne fanno un monte di rovine.
Oto ziemia Chaldejska, ten lud nie był ludem. Assyryjczyk założył ją dla obywateli pustyń, którzy wysławili zamki jej, pobudowali pałace jej; ale on ją w gruz obrócił.
Вот земля Халдеев. Этого народа прежде не было; Ассур положил ему начало из обитателей пустынь. Они ставят башни свои, разрушают чертоги его, превращают его в развалины.
（看哪，迦勒底人 之地 向來沒 有 這 民，這國是亞述人 為住曠野的人 所立的。現在他們建築 戍樓，拆毀 泰爾的宮殿，使她成為 荒涼。）
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Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Isaiah 23:13
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse presents the Chaldeans as a historical precedent for Tyre's coming destruction. The central claim, 'this people didn't exist' (Hebrew lo hayah), is not a denial of their prior existence but a declaration of their obscurity. As Barnes notes, they 'was not known; had no government or power; was a rude, nomadic, barbarous, feeble, and illiterate people.' Clarke adds that they 'were not reckoned among the great and potent nations of the world till of later times.' The Assyrians (Ashshur) are credited with settling these wandering tribes, giving them a land and a political identity. The irony is sharp: a people of no account, raised up by Assyria, would one day become the empire God used to topple Tyre. Calvin captures this by observing that 'the daughter has devoured the mother', the Chaldeans overthrew their Assyrian benefactors and then, under Nebuchadnezzar, struck Tyre. The verse functions as a lens: if God could raise and then humble a people from nothing, no city is safe from His sovereign plan.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: High
Main views:
- Historical precedent warning: The verse describes the Chaldeans' origins (from obscurity) and their rise through Assyrian settlement, then predicts their fall—all as a lesson for Tyre. Supported by Barnes, Calvin, Clarke.
- Textually corrupted passage: The grammatical anomalies (shifting number, gender) and lack of a clear subject for some verbs suggest the verse has been damaged or edited. This view is argued by Duhm and the Cambridge Bible, which calls for emendation to 'Chittim.'
- Chaldeans as instruments of Tyre's destruction: The siege towers and the overthrow of palaces refer to the specific attack on Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar. The historical parenthetical explains how these people came to have such power. This is the majority reading among traditional commentaries (Barnes, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown, Wesley).
What is clear: All interpreters agree that the verse intends to demonstrate God's sovereign control over nations by using the historical trajectory of the Chaldeans as a warning to Tyre about the certainty of judgment.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The identity of the agents in verse 13 | The verse contrasts the Chaldeans (the destroyers) and the Assyrians (their earlier civilizers). Both groups play a role in the rise of Babylon and in Tyre's judgment. | Some interpret 'he brought it to ruin' as referring to God (Wesley, Gill), while others see it as simply continuing the action of the Chaldean forces. The ambiguity of Hebrew pronouns leaves room for both readings. |
| The meaning of 'this people was not' | All traditions agree the phrase does not mean the Chaldeans had no existence, but that they were politically insignificant or unknown. | Calvin and Barnes read it as 'they had no name'; Clarke emphasizes they were not 'reckoned among the great nations.' The Cambridge Bible notes that the Hebrew does not permit the rendering 'this people is no more' (as a past destruction). |
| Textual integrity of the verse | Commentators acknowledge the verse is difficult and contains grammatical anomalies (shifting number, gender, person of verbs and pronouns). | Some (Cambridge Bible, Duhm) argue for textual corruption and propose emendations. Others (Barnes, Calvin) see a coherent warning if read with careful attention to the discontinuous Hebrew construction, treating the middle clauses as a parenthesis. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Isaiah 23 pronounces judgment on Tyre, the ancient Phoenician port city whose merchants 'are princes' and whose 'traffickers are the honourable of the earth' (v. 8). Tyre's wealth came from maritime trade, and its island location made it seem unassailable. The prophet breaks that illusion.
The 'land of the Chaldeans' (Babylonia) was, in Isaiah's day, a rising but not yet dominant power. The Chaldeans themselves had deep roots: Genesis 11:28 names 'Ur of the Chaldees,' the home of Abraham. But for centuries they remained a tribal people on the fringes of history, living in tents and deserts. Clarke and Barnes agree that the phrase 'this people was not' means they lacked political significance. The Assyrian empire, the dominant force of the era, settled these wandering groups, building for them a structured society, complete with towers and palaces.
The historical pivot comes with the fall of Assyria. The Chaldeans, led by Nabopolassar and his son Nebuchadnezzar, conquered Nineveh in 612 BC and established the Neo-Babylonian empire. They became the very instrument God used to judge Tyre, a fact Isaiah foresaw roughly 120 years before it happened. This stretch of history underscores the prophet's theme: God directs the rise and fall of nations for His purposes, even using obscure peoples to humble proud ones.
For Tyre, the warning was existential. If God could raise a 'no-people' to greatness and then wield that nation as a hammer, no human power, not even the gold of Tyre, could buy safety from His judgment.
Textual Notes
The Hebrew text of Isaiah 23:13 contains several grammatical difficulties that have led some scholars to propose emendations. The Cambridge Bible refers to 'insuperable difficulties' and notes that 'the text is certainly in disorder.' Duhm, for instance, restricts the original prophecy to the first and last clauses, replacing 'Chaldeans' with 'Chittim.' The ancient versions (Chaldee, Vulgate) do not resolve the ambiguities in the agents and pronouns. However, the majority of the supplied commentators (Barnes, Calvin, Gill) treat the Masoretic Text as essentially sound, interpreting the shifts in number and gender as deliberate literary features rather than errors. No manuscript evidence supports the major emendations, so the editorial decision is to follow the received text while acknowledging the difficulties.
Reception History
The verse has been read primarily as a proof of God's sovereignty in history. Medieval Jewish commentators (e.g., Rashi, David Kimchi) interpreted it as showing how God used the Chaldeans, descendants of Abraham's brother Nahor, to judge Tyre, fulfilling the pattern of blessing and curse tied to the patriarchs. Protestant Reformers like Calvin and later puritan commentators (Matthew Henry) emphasized the humbling of human pride: if a fleeting, barbarous people could become God's rod of judgment, no earthly power can withstand Him. In the 19th century, critical scholars (Duhm, Cheyne) questioned the verse's integrity, but traditional commentary (Barnes, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown) continued to read it as a coherent warning. Across eras, the verse has been sung in hymns of God's judgment and preached during national crises to remind hearers that human empires rise and fall under a higher hand.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- A people of no account. The Chaldeans 'didn't exist' as a political force. God often chooses the lowly and obscure to accomplish His purposes (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:27).
- Raised by others, used by God. The Assyrians gave order to these wanderers, but the Chaldeans eventually overthrew their founders. God's sovereignty works even through human ambition.
- The fall of Tyre as a mirror. If a proud, ancient city like Tyre could be reduced to rubble by a people just recently brought from nothing, no nation or person stands above God's judgment.
Five-point outline
- Behold the land of the Chaldeans. The prophet commands attention: look at a people who were once invisible.
- This people was not. Their ancient obscurity is not their shame, it is evidence of God's power to raise up the lowly.
- The Assyrian founded it. Human empire-building has a role in God's plan, even when the builders do not know Him.
- They set up towers, they raised palaces. The Chaldeans developed a civilization capable of great destruction. Power is a gift that can be used for judgment.
- He brought it to ruin. The same God who raised them also brought them down. All human glory is temporary under His hand.
Illustration hooks
- A small startup company goes unnoticed for years, then a larger firm invests in it; the startup later grows to acquire that very firm. The reversal turns heads.
- An old building in a city, considered permanent, is demolished by construction crews from the same crew that once poured its foundation. Time and new purpose bring change.
- A person who was once overlooked in a community becomes a key leader in the same community. Their rise reshapes local power structures.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I trust God's plan when world events seem random or driven by powerful nations?
- What does it mean that God uses 'a people of no account', does He still work through the weak and obscure today?
- If Tyre's wealth could not save it, what security do I have in uncertain times?
Leading a Discussion
This verse presents a puzzle: why does the prophet describe the Chaldeans' history in a prophecy against Tyre? The answer reveals how God uses the rise and fall of nations to accomplish His purposes. As your group reads Isaiah 23:13 in its wider context (vv. 1, 18), notice how the description of the Chaldeans' origins is not a history lesson, it is a warning.
Discussion questions
- Observation: What does the prophet say about the Chaldeans' past? How do the words 'this people didn't exist' shape your understanding of their identity?
- Observation: Who is the subject of the verbs 'set up,' 'overthrew,' and 'made it a ruin'? How does the shift in subjects affect the flow of the verse?
- Interpretation: Barnes and Clarke both suggest the Chaldeans were a 'rude, barbarous' people before the Assyrians settled them. What does this tell you about God's method of raising up a nation for judgment?
- Interpretation: The Hebrew word bachun (siege-towers) appears only here in the Old Testament. Why might the prophet use such a rare, specific military term in a prophecy about Tyre?
- Connection: How does the fate of the Chaldeans, first raised, then ruined, connect to the larger biblical theme that pride leads to a fall (Proverbs 16:18)?
- Application: If God can raise and use a 'no-account people' for His purposes, how should that shape your view of the nations, governments, and leaders in our world today?
- Application: Tyre felt invincible because of its location and wealth. What are the 'impregnable' places in your life where you might need to trust God rather than your own resources?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 2:14 | The name of the third river is Hiddekel. This is the one which flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. |
| Genesis 10:10 | The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. |
| Genesis 10:11 | Out of that land he went into Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, |
| Genesis 11:9 | Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth. |
| Genesis 11:28 | Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees, while his father Terah was still alive. |
| Genesis 11:31 | Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife. They went from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Haran and lived there. |
| II Kings 17:24 | The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, from Cuthah, from Avva, and from Hamath and Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they possessed Samaria and lived in its cities. |
| II Kings 20:12 | At that time Berodach Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke focuses on the Chaldeans' humble origins. He argues they were initially an obscure, barbarous, nomadic people descended from Abraham's brother Nahor, not counted among great nations. Only later did an Assyrian king gather and settle them in Babylon, elevating them to power.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that the Chaldeans, once a rude, wandering people of no account, were the specific agent God used to destroy Tyre. This detail fixes the prophecy to Nebuchadnezzar's siege, not Alexander's later conquest, and highlights the irony that a formerly obscure nation overthrew an ancient, magnificent city.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that the Chaldeans began as a nameless, wandering people with no separate national identity. The Assyrians gave them settled cities and civilization, yet the Chaldeans later overthrew the Assyrian monarchy that had established them. This historical irony shows that Tyre, despite feeling secure, will face the same ruin from these very conquerors.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
This commentator stresses that the original Hebrew of this verse is so corrupt and uncertain that any interpretation is highly doubtful. The best suggestion reconstructs a warning example from the fate of the Chaldeans, but this rendering is linguistically impossible, and no proposed emendation fully resolves the text's disorder.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note highlights the irony that the Chaldeans, now a fearsome nation, were originally no people at all. Assyria founded them from wilderness wanderers, who built their towers and palaces. Yet God himself brought that same empire to ruin.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill points to Babylon as proof that even the mightiest empires fall by God's hand. The Chaldeans began as a desert people of no account, yet the Assyrians built them into a great power. If God brought that nation to ruin, Tyre's destruction should not seem strange.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB highlights the irony that Tyre, one of the most ancient cities, was destroyed by the Chaldeans, a nation barely recognized before and originally a rude, nomadic people. He explains that the towers raised against Tyre were siege-towers, not the towers of Babylon.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argues that the Chaldeans, not Assyria, are the people God uses to judge Tyre. They interpret the puzzling clause about Asshur as a parenthetical reference to the prior destruction of Nineveh, which cleared the way for the Chaldean rise to power and their attack on Tyre's palaces.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry sees Tyre's fall as a deliberate divine judgment against human pride. The Lord of hosts purposed the city's destruction specifically to stain the pride of all glory and bring the honorable of the earth into contempt. No human power or wealth can stand when God acts to humble the proud.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley contrasts the Chaldeans' humble beginnings—once a scattered, tent-dwelling people without a nation—with their later rise to glory, only to stress that God will surely destroy that empire. He speaks of this future ruin as already accomplished, certain because God is its author.