20 The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to _ fight, they have remained in their holds, their might 's_ hath failed *, they became as women /*: they have Chap. 50. burnt her dwelling places, her bars are broken 7 37. ſ When God hath determined an end, he ordereth means pro-
portionable to that end. Babylon had many valiant and mighy Men, and it is very probable the Babylmians truſted very much to them, but when it came to the puſh,God took off their courage, ſo as they had no heart to fight, bur kept themſelves in their ſtrong Holds, and, if at any time they cam? out, their courage failed thzm, and they behaved themſelves more like Women than Men of War, fo as their Enemies burnt their Cities, brake down their Forrifications, and made what havock they pleaſed.
21 One poſt ſhall run to meetanother, and one meſ-
ſenger to meet another, to ſhew the king of Babylon
- that his city is taken at one end #.
« We have had occaſion once and again to recite what we have in Civil Hiſtorians about the taking of Babylon by Cyrus, viz. That it was taken by ſurprize, by the M:4ian Emperours unexpetted, diverting the River Euphrates by divers Channels which he cur; as alſo that Babylon was a very vaſt City, the greatneſs of which mighs admit of Poſts, and Meſſengers from one end of the City to another to acquaint the King what was done at the other end of the City in which himſelf was Reſident, and it is ſaid that the King of Ba» bylen when the City was taken, did not know of his danger untill the Enemy had entred the City.
32 And that the * paſſages are ſtopt w, and the reeds they have burnt with fire x, and the men of war
are afrighted y. w This was part of the Meſſage which the Prophet faith the Meſſenger ſhould carry ro the King of Babylon, that was in the other parc of the City, that the paſſages over the River Euphrates, or any other paſſiges by which the Babylonians might, upon the Enemies entrance, make their eſcape, were all ſtopped, and guarded with Soldiers, or otherwiſe ſo as their was no hope of any making an eſcape, x The word tranſlated Reeds ſignifies alſo ſtanding Pools of Water,and that ſome judge the ſence,theWater is drained out of rhe Pits or Pools, ſo as it could not hinder the enterance of the Enemies; thoſe that adhere r10 the Tranſlation of itReeds,ſay that upon the bor- ders of theRiver£uphrates were vaſt quantities of great and tallRecds, which with theMud in which they ſtood, were as anotherWall to the City, bunt the Medes had burnt them up ſo that the way was open to theWalls; and the Men of War y ſeeing theſe Reeds burnt up,and the Water drained from them,were afrighted, ſo as their hearts through fear failed them. | 33 For thus ſaith the LORD of hoſts, the God of | Iſrael. The daughter of Babylon 3s like a threlhing Or, = floor x, || it i* time to threſh her: yet alictle white, - #-* and the time of her harveſt (halt come 4. ed z Babylon had been a threſhing inſtrument, by which, and a hur threfhing floor in which Gol had threſhed many orher Nations, God | now inrended to make it as a Threſhing-flaor wherein he would threſh the Chaldeans. a Some think becauſe of the next words that the words were better tranſlated, it is time to tread her, ( ſo the word ſignifies ) as Men uſe to prepare their Threſhing-floors againſt the time of Harveſt, for the time of this Harveſt was near 3 her Harveſt fignifierh the Harveſt which the Juſtice of God would have from the ruine of theEbaldeans.
34 Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath de- voured me, he hath cruſhed me, he hath made me an empty veſlel, he hath ſwallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath caſt
me out b.
b The Prophet ſpeaketh this in the Name of the Jews complains ing of the King of Babylon as the Author of all the Miſcries they had indureds which he expreſſerh by ſeveral Phraſes ſignifying the ſame
42
© Chap. 50. 38.
M 1 4 fi Chap.
for her. How far it is lawful fot us to pray againſt 6ur Enemi we have heard once and again. + ws Es mw Ang 35 Therefore thus faith the LORD, Behold, I will plead thy cauſe, and take vengeance for thee. d, and I * Chap: | will * dry-up her ſea, and make her ſprings drye. 5* 3% | d Men had need rake heed how they give cauſe of appeals to God 2gainſt them, eſpecially the appeals of ſuch as are a People that have a Covenant relation ts God. God in thoſe caſes ordinarily ſhewerh himſelf a ſw;/?. witneſs and Judgez and gives a ſpeedy judge ment in ſuch cautes. Beho'd ſaith God I will plead thy cauſe nor with words, bur aQtually with my judicial diſpeaſations, therefore It 15 expounded by taking vengeance. c, The vengeance which God threatneth is expreſſed meraphirically under the notion of drying up her S:a, and making her Springs dry, which ſignifies the depriving of her of all-Neceflaries, not only of the abundance of her Men, Riches, Treaſures, but of her Springs. Thus I had rather expound ir, than as referringto the particular Stratageni by which Cy-us rook Babylon, viz, By drying up in ſome meature the River Euphrates;
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that is, turning it into other Channels, | 37 And Babylon ſhall become heaps 4, a * dwelling : . +. | place for dragons,an aſtoniſhment and an hiſfing with- * 16. 13. 3 out an inhabitant e, | 2 # Heaps of Rubbiſh. e See the Not Chap. 55. 34 | the ſame thing was before ſaid. Cs 2 wh RES 38 They ſhall roar cogether like lions : they ſhall [| yell as lions whelps m. TE | [| Or, ſhake 7 It is incertain whether this be to be underſtood of the Medes, *P*"" ebves. making horrible roarings and noiſes when they took Baby'on: Or, of the Babylonians, who upon the raking of their Ciry (as is ulual ) made horrid Outcries, as being a People quite undone ; ſome thinl it reterreth to the drunken noiſes of the Bebylonians at their Feſtiva) aduring the celebration of which we are told their City was taken; bur to this one would think the compariſon of Lies Whelps ( which ordinarily yell for want of ViRuals, or for ſome miſchief done them not when their Bellies are full ) ſhould not ſo well agree. , 39 In their heat I will make their feaſts», and | "I will make them drunken, that they may rejoyce, *Ver.57 and flzep a perpetual ſleep, and not awake, faith the LORD o.