John Calvin Commentary Isaiah 13:14

"And it shall come to pass, that as the chased roe, and as sheep that no man gathereth, they shall turn every man to his own people, and shall flee every man to his own land." — Isaiah 13:14 (ASV)

And it shall be as the chased roe. He shows that auxiliary troops will be of no avail to the Babylonians, and by these comparisons he describes the fear that will seize the soldiers. Babylon employed not only her own soldiers, but likewise foreign and hired soldiers. He says that they will all be like roes, which are timid creatures, and like scattered sheep, so that they will neither return to their standards or their post, nor preserve any order.

Every one to his own land. Therefore it is easily seen that the Prophet speaks, not only of the natives, or even of the strangers who had previously lived there, but of foreigners who had been brought for the protection of the city. We have previously said that the hearts of men are in the hand of God in such a way that, as He pleases, either those who were previously timid or cowardly persons suddenly acquire new courage, or those who previously boasted loudly of being bold and daring lose their fierceness and become cowardly.