1.
Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.
ground = earth. Hebrew. 'arez.
there is no throne = throneless.
2.
Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.
grind meal: the work of slaves (Exodus 11:5 .Matthew 24:41; Matthew 24:41 ). meal. Put by Figure of speech, for the corn from which meal is ground.
uncover thy locks = remove thy veil.
make bare the leg = lift up thy skirts or train.
3.
Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.
not meet thee as a man = not accept or regard any man.
4.
As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.
5.
Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.
lady of kingdoms = mistress of the kingdoms. The king of Babylon called himself "the King Vicar" Compare Ezekiel 26:7 . Daniel 2:37 . So the popes name themselves, and are so addressed when crowned. Compare Revelation 18:7 .
6.
I was wroth with my people, I have polluted mine inheritance, and given them into thine hand: thou didst shew them no mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.
no mercy. Compare 2 Kings 25:5 , 2Ki 25:6 , 2 Kings 25:26 . Jeremiah 50:17 , &c.
ancient = elder. Compare Lamentations 4:16 .
7.
And thou saidst, I shall be a lady for ever: so that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart, neither didst remember the latter end of it.
the latter end of it = the issue thereof: but some codices, with one early printed edition (Rabbinic, Mar 1517), and Vulgate, read "thy latter end". Reference to Pentateuch (Deuteronomy 32:29 ). App-92 .
8.
Therefore hear now this, thou that art given to pleasures, that dwellest carelessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know the loss of children:
carelessly = confidently.
none else beside me. Babylon and Rome claim the Divine attributes, as used in these chapters. Compare Isaiah 45:6 , Isaiah 45:14 ; Isaiah 46:9 .
none. See note on Isaiah 5:8 .
children = sons.
9.
But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments.
perfection = full measure.
10.
For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thine heart, I am, and none else beside me.
trusted = confided. Hebrew. batah. App-69 .
11.
Therefore shall evil come upon thee; thou shalt not know from whence it riseth: and mischief shall fall upon thee; thou shalt not be able to put it off: and desolation shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.
evil = calamity. Hebrew. ra'a'.
mischief = ruin; especially as prepared for others. Not the same word as in Isaiah 59:4 . Only here and Ezekiel 7:26 .
put it off = expiate it, or charm it away.
12.
Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.
Stand now with = Persist in.
prevail = strike terror.
13.
Thou art wearied in the multitude of thy counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save thee from these things that shall come upon thee.
astrologers. The scientists of Babylon were divided into three classes: writers of (1) charms to be placed on afflicted persons or houses; (2) formulae of incantations; (3) records of observations which mixed up astronomy with astrology, and resulted, in the case of any two successive or concurrent events, in the conclusion that one was the cause of the other; and, the further conclusion was reached by reasoning from the "particular" to the "general".
the monthly prognosticators = they who make known the future by observing new moons. See the fifth "creation tablet" (British Museum).
14.
Behold, they shall be as stubble; the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame: there shall not be a coal to warm at, nor fire to sit before it.
themselves = their souls. Hebrew. nephesh.
15.
Thus shall they be unto thee with whom thou hast laboured, even thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his quarter; none shall save thee.
thy merchants. Compare Revelation 18:11-19 . t
hey shall wander = stagger onward.
one. Hebrew. 'ish. App-14 .