Isaiah 13:11

And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

God will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity, and He will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease and lay low the haughtiness of the terrible and powerful. The day of the Lord brings this punishment on the world for evil and on the wicked for iniquity, ending human pride and humbling the arrogant, haughty, and powerful. It is part of the description of coming destruction from the Almighty, the judgment of the great coming day and final destruction.

In its historical fulfillment it applies to Babylon, whose arrogance and haughtiness ended when its power and glory departed, fulfilling the sentence pronounced against it. For Babylon this meant its walls and gates were broken, so that the city that was the glory of kingdoms became desolate and accursed. The same punishment is applied to the seven last plagues, which come before Christ's return.

It describes the fearful judgment connected with the close of probation. In that setting those who persist in evil cannot rely on wealth or worldly security to escape judgment. The coming punishment of the world for iniquity includes religious bodies that have rejected the light and truth given to them.

Widespread wickedness brings divine judgment as transgression brought the Flood, and at the end the earth will disclose its blood and the Lord's slain will be found across the earth. God's coming to punish the world is presented as approaching and near, with great events already opening before it. The judgment on sin stands alongside the assurance that God still reaches out to people and that a human being can be made precious. It calls people to recognize their danger in this judgment and to prepare.

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