View Isaiah 47 in the note window.
God's judgments upon Babylon and Chaldea, for their cruelty
towards God's people, ver. 1 - 6.
Their pride and other sins, ver. 7 - 10.
Their enchantments shall not deliver them, ver. 11 - 15.
1: Down - From thy throne. Virgin - So, called, because she was
tender and delicate. No throne - For thee. The empire is taken from
thee, and translated to the Persians. Called - Be so.
2: Millstones - Thou shalt be brought to the basest slavery, which
grinding at the mill was esteemed. For this work was not performed by
horses, as now it is, but by the labour of slaves and captives.
Grind - Grind bread - corn into meal for thy master's use. Uncover - Take
off the ornaments wherewith such women as were of good quality, used
to cover and dress their heads. These are predictions of what they
should be forced to do or suffer. Thigh - Gird up thy garments close
and short about thee, that thou mayest be fit for travelling on foot, and
for passing over those rivers, through which thou wilt be constrained to
wade, in the way to the land of thy captivity.
3: Uncovered - Either for want of raiment to cover it; or rather, by
thine enemies in way of scorn and contumely. As a man - With moderation
and gentleness, as those men who have not quite put off humanity use to do.
5: Silent - Thro' grief and shame, as mourners use to do.
The lady - The chief and glory of all kingdoms.
6: Polluted - I cast them away as an unclean thing. Into thine
hand - To punish them. No mercy - Thou hast exceeded the bounds of thy
commission. The ancient - Who besides their common calamity were
afflicted with the miseries of old age, and therefore did require
both pity and reverence.
7: These things - Thy cruel usages of my people, and the heavy
judgments which thou hadst reason to expect for them. Nor remember - Thou
didst not consider what might and was likely to befal thee afterward.
8: I am - Independent, and self - sufficient. None - Which is not
either subject to me, or far inferior to me in power and glory.
Shall not sit - I shall never want either a king or people to defend me.
9: Perfection - In the highest degree.
10: Trusted - Confidently expecting to preserve thyself by these
and other wicked arts. None seeth - My counsels are so deeply laid.
Perverted - Hath misled thee into the way of perdition.
None seeth - Which is repeated, to denote their intolerable
self - confidence.
11: Therefore - This agrees with the history. Babylon being
surprized by Cyrus, when they were in deep security.
12: Stand - Persist in these practices. Laboured - From the
beginning of thy kingdom. For the Chaldeans in all ages were
famous for the practice of these arts.
13: Wearied - Thou hast spent thy time and strength in going from
one to another, and all to no purpose.
15: Thus - Such comfortless and helpless creatures.
They - Merchants who came from several countries to trade with Babylon.
And the verse may be thus rendered; Thus (vain and unprofitable) shall
they (thy sorcerers) with whom thou hast laboured be unto thee:
(So here is only a transposition of words, than which nothing is
more usual in scripture. Then follows another matter:) also thy
merchants, or they with whom thou hast traded from thy youth,
shall wander every one to his own quarter.
