_Come down_ From thy throne; _and sit in the dust_ As a mourner for thy approaching calamities; _O virgin daughter of Babylon_ Thou that art tender and delicate like a virgin. _Sit on the ground_ In a condition the most abject and degraded. _There is no throne_ Namely, for thee. Imperial power is ta... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thy nakedness shall be uncovered_ Either for want of raiment to cover it, or rather, by thine enemies in the way of scorn and contumely. _I will take vengeance_ Upon thee, for thy many and great injuries done to my people. _I will not meet thee as a man_ But like an Almighty God, whose power thou c... [ Continue Reading ]
_As for our Redeemer_, &c. The words, _as for_, not being in the Hebrew text, Bishop Lowth translates this verse, “Our Avenger, Jehovah God of hosts, the Holy One of Israel, is his name.” And he observes, “Here a chorus breaks in upon the midst of the subject, with a change of construction as well a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Sit thou silent_ Through grief and shame, and as mourners used to do, Job 2:13. Cease thy vaunting and insolent speeches. _And get thee into darkness_ Thou shalt go into an obscure, disconsolate, and calamitous condition. _Thou shalt no more be the lady of kingdoms_ The chief and glory of all kingd... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou sayest, I shall be a lady for ever_ I shall always be the chief city and mistress of the world, and shall never know any change of condition in this respect. If we consider that the city of Babylon had no less than one hundred gates made of solid brass; that its walls were two hundred feet hig... [ Continue Reading ]
_These two things shall come to thee_ The very two things that thou didst set at defiance; _loss of children and widowhood_ Both thy princes and thy people shall be cut off, so that thou shalt be no more a government, and no more a nation. _They shall come in their perfection_ In the highest degree:... [ Continue Reading ]
_For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness_ Thou hast thought that thy cunning and policy would still preserve thee; _and hast said, None seeth me_ My counsels are so deeply and craftily laid, and my designs so secretly carried on, that none can discover them or prevent their execution. And thou hast... [ Continue Reading ]
_Stand now with thine enchantments_ Persist in these practices. _Wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth_ From the beginning of thy kingdom. For the Chaldeans in all ages were famous, or rather infamous, for the study and practice of these arts. _Thou art wearied in thy counsels_ Thou hast spent t... [ Continue Reading ]