What is the meaning of Isaiah 16:13?

This is the message

– Isaiah pauses to mark the close of a prophecy and the start of a short reflection on it, drawing the listeners’ attention to what has already been laid out in Isaiah 15:1–16:12.

– By saying “this,” he points to a specific, complete oracle rather than a vague impression—just as other prophets identify distinct burdens (Isaiah 13:1; Nahum 1:1).

– The focus on a single, cohesive “message” underlines the unity of God’s word: His counsel is not fragmented or contradictory (Psalm 12:6; James 1:17).

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that the LORD spoke

– The authority behind every prophetic utterance is the LORD Himself, not Isaiah’s private insight (2 Peter 1:21; Amos 3:7).

– Because the same LORD who promises redemption also pronounces judgment, the oracle carries absolute certainty (Numbers 23:19; Isaiah 46:9-10).

– When God speaks, what He says is as sure as if it were already accomplished (Isaiah 55:10-11; Matthew 24:35).

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earlier concerning Moab

– “Earlier” shows that God had already delivered this warning; He is now reminding the people that His timeline may differ from theirs, but His word still stands (Habakkuk 2:3).

– Moab, Israel’s neighbor and frequent antagonist (Numbers 22–24; Judges 3:12-30), receives a measured judgment: God tracks national pride and cruelty just as He does individual sin (Jeremiah 48:29-30; Obadiah 1:3-4).

– By revisiting a prior word, God highlights two truths:

• He is patient, giving Moab time to repent (2 Peter 3:9; Isaiah 16:5).

• Repetition does not dilute judgment; it intensifies certainty (Genesis 41:32).

– The phrase prepares readers for verse 14, where the timing of Moab’s collapse is narrowed to “three years,” demonstrating that God’s long-announced warnings eventually reach a fixed date (Isaiah 37:26; Daniel 9:25-26).

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summary

Isaiah 16:13 serves as a hinge between a detailed prophecy against Moab (15:1–16:12) and the precise deadline given in 16:14. The verse affirms that the solemn warning about Moab’s downfall is not new guesswork but the unchanged, authoritative word the LORD had already spoken. By stressing that God Himself issued the message “earlier,” Isaiah underscores the reliability, patience, and eventual fulfillment of divine judgment.