Yahweh has called together the soldiers who are to be his agents in the battle to come. This verse pictures their noisy assembly. Many versions group verses 4 and 5 together as a stanza in this prophecy. Revised Standard Version does it by leaving a blank line before verse 4 and after verse 5; Good News Translation indicates it by paragraph breaks.

Hark, a tumult on the mountains: Hark, a tumult is literally “The sound/voice of a crowd,” which is further explained in the next line. The crowd is the army gathering. Good News Translation says “Listen to the noise” (similarly Bible en français courant) since the noun phrase here has an imperative function, calling the army to listen. Which mountains are referred to is left unclear. Often, however, God’s armies come on or over the mountains (see Joel 2.5), so on the mountains is an idiomatic expression.

As of a great multitude is literally “likeness/image of many people.” The Hebrew term for “likeness” is the same one used in Gen 1.26 to describe human beings as made in the likeness of God. Contemporary English Version combines the first two lines with some loss of poetry, but it is a helpful model: “Listen to the noisy crowds on the mountains!”

Hark, an uproar of kingdoms is parallel to the first line. The Hebrew word translated uproar (Revised English Bible “clamour”) literally means “destruction.” A possible translation for this line is “The sound of destruction of kingdoms.” But it more likely refers to the noisy gathering of people from foreign nations. This is how most versions interpret the expression.

Of nations gathering together completes the picture of the previous line. The nations are the foreign powers, excluding Israel (see the comments on 1.4 and 2.2). They gather together as part of Yahweh’s army, to be his agents of punishment. The use of plural forms, kingdoms and nations, suggests that this is a vast international gathering. However, this is most likely poetic hyperbole (deliberate exaggeration), intending to emphasize the extent of God’s activity. Good News Translation combines this line with the previous one, which is an option. Where kingdoms and nations are rendered by the same term, the two lines can be reduced even more by saying “like the noise of many nations gathering together.”

The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle: For The LORD of hosts, see the comments on 1.9. In the present context this title has a definite martial connotation: the LORD is gathering his army for war.

For the translation of this verse we suggest:

• Listen to the crowd gathering on the mountains. It is like that of a vast number of people. Listen to the uproar of kingdoms and nations as they gather together. This is Yahweh of hosts bringing together his army for the battle!

• The sound is of a huge crowd on the mountains, like a vast number of people.
The sound is of an uproar of nations and kingdoms coming together.
The LORD of armies is gathering his army for battle.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .