Isaiah 13:7
Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt:
Original Language Analysis
עַל
H5921
עַל
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
1 of 9
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
כֵּ֖ן
H3651
כֵּ֖ן
Strong's:
H3651
Word #:
2 of 9
properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction) rightly or so (in various applications to manner
כָּל
H3605
כָּל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
3 of 9
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
יָדַ֣יִם
Therefore shall all hands
H3027
יָדַ֣יִם
Therefore shall all hands
Strong's:
H3027
Word #:
4 of 9
a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from h3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great v
תִּרְפֶּ֑ינָה
be faint
H7503
תִּרְפֶּ֑ינָה
be faint
Strong's:
H7503
Word #:
5 of 9
to slacken (in many applications, literal or figurative)
וְכָל
H3605
וְכָל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
6 of 9
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
Cross References
Ezekiel 21:7And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore sighest thou? that thou shalt answer, For the tidings; because it cometh: and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water: behold, it cometh, and shall be brought to pass, saith the Lord GOD.Isaiah 19:1The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it.Nahum 2:10She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.Nahum 1:6Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.Ezekiel 7:17All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water.
Historical Context
Ancient warfare depended heavily on morale. An army with melted hearts—demoralized, despairing—would break and flee even before battle. When Babylon fell to Cyrus in 539 BC, it happened with minimal fighting. Daniel 5 records Belshazzar's feast the night Babylon fell—drinking, reveling, then sudden terror at the handwriting on the wall. The city's supposedly impregnable walls and gates meant nothing when God decreed judgment. Demoralization preceded and enabled military defeat.
Questions for Reflection
- What 'hands' or 'heart' are you depending on that will prove faint when tested against God's purposes?
- How does knowing that human strength ultimately fails before God affect where we place our confidence?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
The immediate physical effects of terror: 'all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt.' This describes total demoralization before overwhelming judgment. Faint hands cannot wield weapons; melted hearts cannot maintain courage. The Hebrew word for 'melt' (masas) suggests wax liquefying—complete dissolution of strength and will. This is not merely military defeat but psychological and spiritual collapse. When God's judgment falls, human bravado evaporates; earthly confidence dissolves. No courage, strategy, or strength avails against the Almighty.