13:19 Sodom and Gomorrah. Again, there is a near and far fulfillment. Babylon was first defeated by the Medes (Isaiah 13:17) around 540 B.C. (Daniel 5:30,31), some 175 years after Isaiah’s prophecy. However, Babylon continued as an important city until well after the time of Christ.

13:20 never be inhabited. Although Babylon eventually fell into ruins, it has never been completely uninhabited and has been at least partially rebuilt by the Iraqi government. The final fulfillment of this prophecy will be during the tribulation period (Revelation 18), with utter desolation during the millennium following.

13:21 satyrs shall dance. See note on Isaiah 34:14.

13:22 beasts of the islands. This part of Babylon’s “burden” will probably be fulfilled after the rebuilt Babylon sinks beneath the sea (Jeremiah 51:42,64; Revelation 18:21). The previous verse describes its habitation by “wild beasts of the desert,” this portion being fulfilled in the long centuries following her first collapse into ruins.

13:22 dragons. The “dragons” (Hebrew tannin) are the “sea monsters,” probably marine dinosaur-like reptiles, or great sea serpents (note Isaiah 27:1), that still survive in the deep ocean. It is nothing but evolutionary fantasy that assumes such monsters died out aeons before man appeared on the earth.