Destruction Genre

“Destruction Genre” in the Prophets

Eastern Regional ETS Meeting Capital Bible Seminary

Homer Heater, Jr., March 29, 1996
In recent days, particular­ly with Iraq taking center stage, a renewed interest has been shown in the idea that the ancient empire and city of Babylon would be re­built. Even though the rout of the Iraqi army and the devastation wreaked upon that country have tended to dampen enthu­si­asm for the belief that in some way, Saddam Hussein, this 20th century Nebuchad­nezzar was a fulfill­ment of prophecy, the senti­ment continues that the Bible teaches that Babylon, the old nemesis of Israel, will undergo rena­scence.
I believe it can be shown that the fall of Babylon in Isaiah 13 refers to the seventh century destruction of that city by Sennacherib. However, the fall of Babylon in Jeremiah 50-51 refers to God’s judgment on the world power with that name in 539 B.C. The purpose of this paper is not to prove this thesis, but it is intertwined with the issue of the prophetic language and so I want to show in cursory fashion that the primary focus of Isaiah 13-23 is the attempt by Judah (primarily under Hezekiah) to form coalitions against Assyria.
There were many states under the yoke of Assyria, but the two most significant powers to which Judah could look for help were Egypt and Babylon. Both loom large in Isai­ah’s messag­es, and the concept of a coalition against Assyria is to be found throughout this section. As examples we cite (1) Isaiah 14:28-32. The date and Assyrian king for this passage are difficult to identify, but the implication is clear enough. The excitement of the people of Philistia over the death of an Assyrian king (always grounds for hopes of freedom) are dashed by Isaiah who told them that the successor of the Assyri­an king would be just as severe as his predecessor. In light of Isaiah’s oracle, someone asked: “What answer shall be given to the envoys of that na­tion?” The answer came back in covenant terms: “The Lord has established Zion, and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.” (2) The Ethiopian dynasty ruling from Napata¹ is probably the referent in chapter 18. There they were repre­sented as sending envoys by the sea. This was probably part of the political maneuvering of the day against Assyria. (3) The efforts to gain help from Egypt are condemned in chapter 30: “Woe to the obstinate children, declares the Lord, to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not by my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin; who go down to Egypt without consulting me; who look for help to Pharaoh’s protection, to Egypt’s shade for refuge” (30:1-2). A similar message appears in chapter 31:1.²
Since Egypt and Babylon were prominent in the machinations against Assyrian rule, let us now look at ch. 13. It seems strange that the prophecy headed “the burden of Babylon” does not mention Babylon until v. 19. The de­scrip­tion of the “Day of Yahweh” is clas­sic.³ There are astronom­i­cal changes (10,13); the whole world (Heb­rew: tebel lbt) is involved (11); in fine, the destruc­tion wreaked seems to be universal and eschato­log­ical.

Without going into the use of the phrase “Day of Yahweh” (which at times refers to local events), I would suggest that this introduction is placed here at the begin­ning of the OAN to say that Yahweh has promised to destroy the nations. Further, the reason for the discussion about the Day of Yahweh in cosmic and universal terms is not only that it applies to Baby­lon’s destruc­tion (in a limited sense in the seventh century), but that it emphasiz­es God’s plan to judge all nations that rebel against him.⁴ It is appropriate at this place in the oracles because the following chapters refer to nation after nation against whom Yahweh will align himself. Babylon, as the most significant and active potential ally for Judah in the late eighth century, is placed at the head of the oracles as an example of how the Day of Yahweh will bring down those who oppose his will.
What follows in Isaiah is a catalog of oracles against those people who wished to conspire against the Assyrians as though they in their own strength could deliver them­selves. The purpose is to show Judah that it is futile to trust other nations for deliver­ance. The opening statement on the Day of Yahweh, there­fore, applies to the entire group of nations. Since the New Testament is still looking for an eschatol­ogi­cal “Day of the Lord,” the meaning was not exhausted in the eighth and seventh centuries. The fact that God will ultimately bring the nations into judgment and destruction is an argument that He will immedi­ately judge those nations with whom Judah was trying to ally herself in Isaiah’s time.
The section beginning with 13:17, becomes very specif­ic by refer­ring to the Medes. The usual interpretation of the Medes relates it to the Medo-Persian defeat of Babylon in 539 B.C.. However, by that time the Persians under Cyrus were domi­nant and the Medes were subordinate. Furthermore, in Isaiah 23:13 the destruc­tion of Babylon is attributed to Assyria, not the Medes. Isaiah was referring to a seventh century destruc­tion of Babylon, and with this oracle God was warning Hezekiah and Judah not to put their trust in Babylon be­cause she would be destroyed. The warning was probably given in light of the overtures of the Chaldean­/Ba­bylonian, Merodach Baladan, recorded in ch. 39.

However, the Medes and Elamites were allies of Babylon in the seventh century, not enemies. How can they therefore be referred to as attacking Babylon? Hayes and Irvine, I believe, are right in arguing that in this context they represent merce­naries in the Assyrian army.⁵ The idea of mercenary troops or cap­tive troops in the Assyrian army is supported by 22:6 where warriors from Elam and Kir are seen attacking Judah.⁶ This attack probably took place in Sennacherib’s invasion of 701 B.C. The Elamites and Medes are again depict­ed as fighting the “wil­der­ness by the sea” or Chaldea in ch. 21.⁷ This attack on Baby­lon therefore refers to the Assyri­an efforts to control their rebel­lious province. The Chaldean sheik Merodach Baladan proved to be a continuing nui­sance to the Assyrians.⁸ Several attacks were made on Babylon, but the most devastating one was led by Sennach­erib in 689 B.C. or about a decade after his attack on Jerusa­lem.⁹ Sennacherib speaks of his destruction of Babylon (689 B.C.) in these words:
“The city and its houses,—foundation and walls, I de­stroyed, I devastated, I burned with fire. The wall and the outer-wall, temples and gods, temple-towers of brick and earth, as many as there were, I razed and dumped them into the Arahtu canal. Through the midst of that city I dug canals, I flooded its site with water [cf. 14:23], and the very founda­tion thereof I destroyed. I made its destruction more complete than that by a flood. That in days to come, the site of that city, and its temples and gods, might not be remembered, I completely blotted it out with floods of water [cf. 14:23] and made it like a meadow. . . . . After I had destroyed Babylon, had smashed the gods thereof, [cf. 21:9] and had struck down its people with the sword,—that the ground of that city might be carried off, I removed its ground and had it car­ried to the Euphrates (and on) to the sea. Its dirt reached (was carried) unto Dil­mun. . . .”¹⁰
Isaiah himself attributes the fall of the Chaldeans to the Assyrians using similar language to that in Isaiah 13: “Behold the land of the Chaldeans—this is the people which was not; Assyria appointed it for desert creatures—they erected their siege towers, they stripped its palaces, they made it a ruin” (Isa 23:13).¹¹
Much of the orientation of Isaiah’s messages in 40-66 is toward the Babylonian Exile in 586 B.C.¹² and the return in 538 B.C. The 39th chapter was placed where it is to explain histori­cally why the Jews went into Babylonian exile.¹³ The date of ch. 39 is debated, but all agree that it transpired sometime around the turn of the seventh century or in the Assyri­an period of domina­tion.¹⁴ Ch. 13 likewise comes from the same milieu and is a warning, presum­ably to Hezekiah, that it is futile to lean on Babylon for she will be destroyed by the hand of Yahweh (Day of the Lord) through Assyrian might (23:13).

The prophecy of the fall of Babylon leads to a beautiful statement about the return from the exile in ch. 14. Just as the promise of judgment of the exile in Isaiah 39 is followed by beautiful promises of deliverance in Isaiah 40-66, so the promise of judgment upon Babylon in Isaiah 13 is followed by promises of the blessings of return from Exile in Isa 14:1-3. Isaiah 40-66 is anticipated in 14:1-3, and the same ques­tions arise here as in that section: were these events fulfilled in 538 B.C. when the Jews returned, and if so how is the language to be understood?
To some extent the message of Isaiah 14 and 40-55 must refer to the return from the Babylo­nian exile since this entire section refers to the Chald­eans, Babylonians and Cyrus. However, the return of the Jews under Zerubbabel was rather pathetic in compar­ison to Isaiah’s description. Only a rela­tively small num­ber of Jews returned. They were living among the ruins of Jeru­salem, and their efforts to rebuild the temple were met with staunch resis­tance by the Gentiles (whereas 14:2 says the Gen­tiles will be servants). The language of the passage forces the interpreter who is trying to take the language seri­ously to see a future for Israel that far exceeds what happened when Cyrus permitted the Jews to return to Jerusa­lem (as in 11:11ff). The same is true of chapters 40 55. The language of the second part of Isaiah is so universal and comprehensive and is so often applied to New Testament situa­tions that the ultimate fulfill­ment of these promises must be eschato­logi­cal.
Was it fulfilled in the first century when Jesus was intro­duced to Israel by John the Baptist who said he was the “voice of one crying in the wilder­ness”? In a sense, yes, though Jesus himself says that “Elijah must yet come” indicating that John the Baptist served in an interim capacity. That was a partial fulfillment; the ultimate fulfillment is yet to come.
The identity of the King of Babylon is not important to the argument of the unit. Whether it refers to an Assyrian King ruling in Babylon or a Chaldean like Merodach Baladan or to his sixth century counterpart Nebu­chadnezzar, the point is that Babylon will fall.¹⁵ Throughout Isaiah there is an emphasis on the arro­gance of individuals and kingdoms who exalt themselves against God.¹⁶ God’s axe (Assyria in 10:15; Babylon in 14) became arrogant toward its wielder. This hubris must be dealt with.¹⁷

In 14:24-27, the subject switches back to Assyria to show that this mighty threat to God’s people will be broken by God. Judah thought she needed help from other nations, but God told her to trust him. Assyria’s swift demise sounds much like this verse, I will “break Assyria in my land, and I will trample him on my mountains.” Philistia (14:28-32) is warned not to expect relief because the “rod that struck her is broken.” It sounds as though the rod is Ahaz, but Erlandsson argues (with some diffi­culty because of the chronology) that it is Assyria. Therefore, the Philistine passage continues the warning not to expect deliver­ance from Assyria until Yahweh brings it.¹⁸
In summary chs. 13-14 teach (1) Babylonia to whom Hezekiah was looking for help against Assyria would fall to the Assyrians and therefore be utterly unable to support a revolt. (2) Babylonia, looked upon as a potential ally in the eight century, would actually become an oppressor in the sixth (ch. 39). (3) God would defeat Babylon (539 B.C.), deliver Judah and return her from the exile to be imposed by these same Babylonians. Ultimately, a deliverance of the people of Israel will take place as depicted in 14:1-3 and many places in 40-66.

The language describing the fall of Babylon

should be understood as “destruction language.”
Much of argumentation for an eschatological Babylon comes from an effort to deal with the language of the prophecies of judgment on Babylon found in Isaiah and Jeremiah. This language has prompted some to argue that the historical destruction of Babylon (certainly in 539 B.C. and to some extent in the earlier periods) does not fit the lan­guage of this section.¹⁹ Lang, says:
The city has never been thus overwhelmed, but only very gradually decayed. . . . As late as the fifth century A.D. Babylon was still a town of size, and Jews were living there . . . . It is highly doubtful if the site has ever been wholly uninhabited, as is required by Jer. 50:39, 40 and Isa. 13:20. The last passage says that the Arabian shall never pitch his tent there after the destruction. Now in a diary of Dr. W. E. Blackstone, the author of Jesus Is Coming, which I read in Egypt many years ago, just after he had toured Babylonia, he stated distinctly that he had tested the point with his Arab guides and they made no objection at all to pitching in the midst of the ruins. (Lang does not seem to be aware of the destruction of Baby­lon in 689 B.C.)²⁰
Any effort to determine the meaning of the prophets demands discern­ment as to the type of material involved. This statement is so obvious as to be gratuitous, but the discussion at hand is brought about by a differ­ence of opinion as to the genre of the passage. We will now turn our attention to the language of these passages dealing with the destruction of cities and countries.

Since the work of Mendenhall relating suzerainty treaties to the covenant of Deuteronomy,²¹ considerable work has been done on curses related to the treaties.²² Included in many of these treaties is stereo­typi­cal language calling for judgment upon those who violate the terms of the treaty. The judgment from the gods upon the vassal will result in desola­tion and destruc­tion of the worst sort.²³
Isaiah 13:19-22; 14:22-23; 23:13 have been linked with the language of the treaty curses. Fensham argues that the Day of the Lord is retribution for breaking his covenant and the punish­ment upon the cities thus judged is described in similar terms to the treaties.²⁴ I would agree with those who believe that the description of the fall of Babylon belongs to that same genre of litera­ture.²⁵ We might call it for want of a better term “de­struc­tion genre.” This is not to suggest that the promise of destruc­tion is not real, it is indeed, and, as we have seen, did happen to Babylon in the seventh century. In the pagan curses, it was the hope and expectation of the suzerain that the gods would bring about the curses. When Yahweh speaks, the destruc­tion will take place, but the language was stereotypical and no one expected to see the implementa­tion of the precise de­tails.²⁶ Perhaps the most important treaty in terms of paral­lels with Old Testament oracles is the Sefire treaty. Sefire is located in Syria, the inscription comes from the middle of the eighth century B.C., and is in Aramaic.²⁷ The following para­graph from this treaty illus­trates some of the parallels with Old Testament oracles:

“And if Mati[`el] should be false [and to] his son and to his offspring, may his kingdom become like a kingdom of sand, a kingdom of sand, as long as Asshur rules! (And) [may Ha]dad [pour (over it)] every sort of evil (which exists) on earth and in heaven and every sort of trouble; may the locust devour (Arpad), and for seven years may the worm eat, and for seven [years may] TWY come up upon the face of its land! May the grass not come forth so that no green may be seen; and may its vegeta­tion not be [seen]! Nor may the sound of the lyre be heard in Arpad; but among its people (let there rather be) the din of af­fliction and the noi[se of cry]ing and lamen­tation! May the gods send every sort of devourer against Arpad and against its people! [May the mo]uth of a snake [eat], the mouth of a scorpion, the mouth of a bear, the mouth of a panther! And may a moth and a louse and a [. . . become] to it a serpent’s throat! May its vegetation be destroyed unto desolation! And may Arpad become a mound to [house the desert animal]: the gazelle and the fox and the hare and the wild-cat and the owl and the [ ] and the magpie! May [this] ci[ty] not be mentioned (any more).”²⁸
Following are lists of verses in the Old Testament describ­ing the destruc­tion of various cities (including these key passages before us) which suggests that there are stereotypical phrases²⁹ whose individual words should not be pressed for a literal meaning. The idea is that God will defeat the city. For exam­ple, the Edomites continued to exist in the Negeb after they were driven out by the Nabateans, who in turn took up residence in Petra—but look at the destruction language for Edom. The phrase “ever­lasting wastes” is applied to Jerusalem (Jer. 25:9) and Bozrah (Jer. 49:13) just as “ever­lasting desolation” is applied to Babylon (Jer. 25:12; 51:26, 62) to Edom (Ezek. 35:9) and Moab (Zeph. 2:9). The texts are taken from the NIV. They are being presented in extensio so that their impact may be felt. The first three examples have already been discussed in the litera­ture referred to.

Object of Horror, hissing
King and Jerusalmites: Jer 29:18: “And [I] will make them . . . an object of curs­ing and horror, of scorn and reproach, among all nations where I drive them.” Bozrah, Edom: Jer 49:13, 17: “I swear by myself,” declares the Lord, “that Bozrah will become a ruin and an object of horror, of reproach and of curs­ing . . . Edom will become an object of horror; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds.” Babylon: Jer 50:13: “All who pass Babylon will be horrified and scoff because of all her wounds.” Jer 51:37: “Babylon will be . . . an object of horror and scorn.” Nineveh: Zeph 2:15: All who pass by her scoff and shake their fists. Jerusalem: Jer 19:8: I will devastate this city and make it an object of scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff because of all its wounds.” Jer 22:8: “People from many nations will pass by this city and will ask one another, `Why has the Lord done such a thing to this great city?’” Jer 25:9: “I will summon all the peoples of the north and my servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon,” declares the Lord . . . I will completely destroy them and make them an object of horror and scorn, and an everlast­ing ruin.” Jer 25:18: Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, its kings and officials, to make them a ruin and an object of horror and scorn and cursing, as they are today.”

Haunt of wild creatures

Hazor: Jer 49:33: “Hazor will become a haunt of jack­als.” Babylon: Jer 50:39: “So desert creatures and hyenas will live there, and there the owl will dwell.” Jer 51:37: “Babylon will be a heap of ruins, a haunt of jackals.” Isa 13:21, 22: But desert creatures will lie there, jackals will fill her houses; there the owls will dwell, and there the wild goats will leap about. Hyenas will howl in her strongholds, jackals in her luxurious palaces. Isa 14:23: “I will turn her into a place for owls and into swamp­land.” Isa 23:13: Look at the land of the Babylonians [Chaldeans]­ . . . The Assyrians have made it a place for desert creatures. Edom: Isa 34:11, 13, 14: The desert owl and screech owl will pos­sess it; the great owl and the raven will nest there . . . She will become a haunt for jackals, a home for owls. Desert crea­tures will meet with hyenas, and wild goats will bleat to each other; there the night creatures will also repose and find themselves places of rest. The owl will nest there and lay eggs, she will hatch them, and care for her young under the shadow of her wings; there also the falcons will gather each with its mate.” Mal 1:3: “but Esau I have hated, and I have turned his mountains into a wasteland and left his inheri­tance to the desert jackals.” Nineveh: Zeph 2:14: Flocks and herds will lie down there, creatures of every kind. The desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their calls will echo through the windows. Jerusalem: Isa 32:14: . . . Citadel and watchtower will become a waste­land for ever, the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks. Jer 9:11: “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins, a haunt of jack­als.” Jer 10:22: Listen! The report is coming—a great commotion from the land of the north! It will make the towns of Judah desolate, a haunt of jack­als.” Lam. 5:18: for Mount Zion, which lies desolate, with jackals prowling over it.
The Sefire inscriptions “32 And may Arpad become a mound (tl) to [house the desert animal]: the 33 gazelle and the fox and the hare and the wild-cat and the owl and the [ ] and the mag­pie.”³⁰ Esar­had­­­don’s letter to Ashur (god): “These cities through the power [of my Lord Asshur] which I devastated, de­stroyed and burnt with fire  . . . Foxes and hyenas made their homes there.”³¹ Ashur­­bani­pal: speaking of Elam says “I put an end to the noise of men, the tramping of cattle and sheep, the happy shouting from their fields. Wild asses, gazelles, and every kind of wild animal I made lie down there . . . lairs.”³² Hillers says, “The fol­low­ing may be cited as fur­ther examples of the prophets’ use of this same [treaty] imagery: Is 13:19-22 . . . Zeph 2:13-15 . . . Jer 50:39 . . . These and Isaiah 34 are most extensive Old Testament in­stances and may be regarded as free variations on a simple theme . . .”³³

Overthrow as Sodom and Gomorrah

Israel: Deut. 29:23: “The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulphur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegeta­tion growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger.” Edom: Jer 49:18: “As Sodom and Gomorrah were overthrown, along with their neighbouring towns,” says the Lord, “so no-one will live there; no man will dwell in it.” Baby­lon: Jer 50:40: As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neigh­bouring towns,” declares the Lord, “so no-one will live there; no man will dwell in it.” Isa 13:19: Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babyloni­ans’ [Chaldeans’] pride will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. Moab/­Ammon: Zeph 2:9: “surely Moab will become like Sodom, the Ammon­ites like Gomor­rah—a place of weeds and salt pits a waste­land for ever.” Judah (almost): Isa 1:9: Unless the Lord Almighty had left us some survi­vors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomor­rah.

Summons to attack:
Babylon: Jer 50:29: “Summon archers against Babylon, all those who draw the bow. Encamp all around her; let no-one es­cape.” Jer 51:11,12: “Sharpen the arrows, take up the shields! The Lord has stirred up the kings of the Medes, because his purpose is to destroy Babylon. The Lord will take vengeance of the Lord, vengeance for his temple. Lift up a banner against the walls of Babylon! Reinforce the guard, station watchmen, prepare an ambush! For the Lord will carry out his purpose, his decree against the people of Babylon.” Jer 51:27-28: “Lift up a banner in the land! Blow the trumpet among the nations! Prepare the nations for battle against her; summon against her these king­doms: Ararat, Minni and Ashkenaz. Appoint a commander against her; send up horses like a swarm of locusts. Prepare the nations for battle against her—the kings of the Medes, their governors and all their offi­cials, and all the countries they rule.” Bozrah: Jer 49:14: I have heard a message from the Lord: an envoy was sent to the nations to say, “Assemble yourselves to attack it! Rise up for battle!” Jerusalem: Jer 6:1-6 (cf. 6:22-26): “Flee for safety, people of Benja­min! Flee from Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa! Raise the signal over Beth Hakkerem! For disaster looms out of the north, even terrible destruc­tion  . . . Shepherds with their flocks will come against her; they will pitch their tents round her, each tending his own portion. Prepare for battle against her! Arise, let us attack at noon! . . . Cut down the trees and build siege ramps against Jerusalem.”