4 Prepare the Arrows for fighting, whether by featherin go, ſharpning, or poliſhing and cleanſing of them, is not much material. f You that are Chaldeans, gather all the Shields you have together, you will have need of them all : the Chaldeans, gather you together your Shields. t For God hitch pur a Spirit into Cyrus and Dariws, &c. and his deſign 1s againſt Babylon to PEE it. # It is aday in whick God 1s reſolved to take vengeace on Babylon, to take vengeance for the indignities they have offered to, and the horrible profanation of his Temple.
12 Set up the ſtandard upon the walls of Babylon,
make the watch ſtrong, ſer up the watchmen, prepare Heb. the + ambuſhes »: for the LORD hath both deviſed
#i® nd done thatwhich he ſpake againſt the inhabitants of Babylon.
w. Some judge theſe words ſpoken to the M:d:s, declaring the Will of God, that they ſhould uſe all probable means to conquer Babylon, or ( as ſome would have it ) diſplay their Banners upon. the Walls of it, as ſigns of its being already conquered : Bur certainly it-is more reaſonable to conclude them the Prophets Words to the Babylonians, either rouſing them our of their ſecuricy ( for it appears they were ſtrangely ſecure from Dan. 5. Hiſtorians tell us that the Ciry was fortified by Walls fifry Cubits high, and two hundred Cubirs broad, and by a very deep and large Ditch, beſides that on one ſide it had the River Enphrares ) or at leaſt quickning them to make all the preparation they could, though all would be to very little purpoſe, for God had reſolved upon what he would do upon, Babylon, and it was already as good as done.
13 O thou that dwelleit upon many waters x, abun-
dant in treaſures y, thine end is come, and the meaſure
of thy covetouſneſs z.
x Babylon is ſaid to dwell upon many Waters, becauſe upon the great River Euphrates, which they fay did not only run by it, but almoſt incompaſs it, branching it ſelf into many ſmaller Rivers, which made ſeveral parts of the City, Iflands. » It is a City much noted in Scripture for Wealth, and made much more wealthy than it was by Traffick, by the Conqueſt of Many Nations. z The Prophet tells them that now their gathering time was over, there was now a boundary ſer to their coverouſneſs ;. in the Hebrew. it is the Cubit of thy covetouſneſs, which is by our Tranſlators well
tranflared a car becauſe it was amongſt the Jews the common meaſure of height and depth.,, The wo:d by us tranſlated covetouſ- neſs, as Exod. 18, 21. may .cither ſignifte Riches the obje&t of their covetouſneſs, or proſperity, or that unlawful delire of having more, which is properly called Caverou[neſs, either becauſe they ſhould be deſtroyed utterly, or becauſe they ſhould proſper no more, there was no end put to the Babylon:ans Luſts, but there was an end put to the ſatisfa&tion of their Luſts.
Chap. Heb. 1. 13.
| Chap. ©. 28.
+ Heb. bi ſol. , Surely 1 will fill theewith men, aswith caterpillars and they (ball + lifc up a ſhout againſt thee c.
# The Lord thar is able to bring to paſs what he ſaith, hath ſworn by his Life, or by himſelf, ſee the like phraſe Chap. 22. 5. and 44. 26. and 49. 13: Amos 4. 2. and 6.8. Jja. 45: 23, that is the thing next inenrtioned ſhall come to paſs as'certainly as that there is a God in Heaven, or that God liveth. 6b TI will bring againſt thee a great Army, that ſhaij be like a Fwarm of Caterpillers, and ſhall come againſt thee in ſuch numbers as Caterpillars uſe to come, and for the ſame end, to eat thee up, and deſtioy thee, andas Soldiers uſe to do when they go on to fight their Enemies, or to aſſault Cities, they ſhall make a great ſhout againſt thee.
15 * He hath made the earch by his power, he hath eſtabliſhed the world by his wiſdom, and hath * ſtretched 'Chap- 10. out the heaven by his underſtanding. <0 122,13,14 16 When he uttereth his voice there is a[| multitude 25 of waters in the heavens, and he * cauſech the vapours *® Job g.8- . P41. 152, to aſcend from theends of the carth, he maketh light- 2. nings with the rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of
Iſa. 40. 22+ his creaſuress I = noiſe, 35. 4 founder is confounded by the graven image : for his * Chap. molten image is falſhood, and there 3s no breath in
*Gen, 1. x, 6
m. | 18 They are vanity, the work of errors: in the time
of their viſitation they (ball periſh.
: I9 * The portion of Jacob is not like them, for he is
the former of allthings, and Tae! is the rod of his inhe-
ritance : the LORD of hoſts is his name 9d.
4 We had theſe five Verſes all in the tenth Chapter, Verſe 12. 13, 14,15, 16. See there the explication of the ſeveral paſſages in them, the ſcope of which is only to convince thoſe to whom the Prophet ſpoke, that notwithſtanding all the Power, and Riches, and Greatneſs, and Aliances of the Chaldzans, yet that God who had threatned this ruine to them was able to bring it upon them, and all their Idols were Vanities, things of nought thatſhould not beable to prore& them, and from whoſe power or impotency, they muſt not meaſure nor make up a judgment of what God was able to do, for Iſrasls God was that God who made the World and the Lord of all the Armies of the Creatures whether in Heaven or Earth. 20 * Thou art my battle-axe and weapons of war :
' #0 know,
Sg Chap. ' 10. 16,
T Chap-
'M oO. 23-
raiſed up the ſpiric of the kings of
or you that are the Enemies of |.
14 The LORD of hoſts hath ſworn by + himſelf, ſaying, |
17 * Every man|| is brutiſh by his knowledge, every
an + #' H.
for || with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and wich chee wiil I deſtroy kingdoms e.
e Interpreters are here divided, whether by thou or the in this !7 524 or and the tollowing Verſes to underſtand Cyrw, whom God made uſe © #9.
of ra deſtroy Babylon, and many other places, or Babylon. Our Tran- ſlators underſtand it of Cyr, and therefore ſpeak of the future Tenſe, will I, The Hebrew Text will not reſolve us ;I rather incline to 1Nterpret it of Babylon, as indeed the moſt do, and ſo itſhould be T:ou haft been, and art, for that is the ſence, Cyrus and Darins were nor yet in Being. God had made uſe of P3/zl:n like an Hawmer or Batt:c-Axe to break many Nations in pieces.
21 And with thee will I break in pieces the horſe and his rider, and with thee will I break in pieces the chariot and his rider :