Isaiah 47:13
“Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Babylon, exhausted by her endless consultations with false advisors, is invited to call on them one final time.
Context
The verse catalogs Babylon's advisors: astrologers, stargazers, monthly prognosticators. These were real features of Babylonian court life; the empire was famous for its astronomical learning, which was often intertwined with divination. The word 'wearied' suggests Babylon has sought counsel after counsel without finding peace.
What Does Isaiah 47:13 Mean?
How many councils has Babylon held? How many midnight sessions with her magicians and wise men, seeking some word, some sign, some path that would secure her power? And she is wearied. This is the spiritual exhaustion of the person who seeks security everywhere but in God. Every answer leaves room for doubt. Every counsel spawns the need for another.
Jesus offers something different: 'Come to me, all you who are weary, and I will give you rest.' The rest we are seeking through endless consultations, endless planning, endless self-management is found in surrender. Not in the abdication of wisdom, but in the acknowledgment that there is a wisdom beyond our own that can be trusted.
In the Original Language
asaph (אסף), 'stood up' or 'were gathered' - the assembly of the counselors.
Application
Spiritual exhaustion comes from seeking truth in false places. Peace comes from trusting one faithful God.