© 33 They ſhall roar together like lions - they ſhall
| yellas lions whelps m:.
m It is incertain whecher this be to be underſtood of the Medes making horrible roarings ard noiſes when they took Batylon: Or, of the B1by/onians, who upon the taking of their City (as is 11- ſnal) made horrid Outcries, as being a People quite undone.Some think it referreth to the drunken noiſes of the Babylonians at their Feſtival, during the celebration of which we are told their City was taken ; but to this one would think the compariton of Lions Whelps (which ordinarily yell for wapt of Vituals, or for ſome miſchief done them, nec when their Bellies are full) ſhould nor {0 well agree.
Chap. on. i
had no heart to fight, but kept themſelves io their ſtrong Holds, [ ling place for dragons, an aſtoniſhment and an hif-
| O, , lha, , thembcly.;
| /
39 In their heat I will make their feaſts », and * ] * Ver. 5; 77
w1ll make them drunken; that they may rejoyce, and ſleep a perpetual ſleep, and not awake, faith the LORD o.
n When they ſhall grow hot with Wine, I will put or give,or
w This was part of the meſſage which the. Prophet ſaich the 'make them a Feaſt of another nature. Interpreters judge that che
Meſſenger ſhould carry to the King of Bbylon, thag was in the o- Prophet referrech to the Feaſt made by Belſhaz3ar, Dan. 5. r. To ther part of the City, that the paſſages over the River Euphrates, a thouſand of his Lords, when he, and his Wives, and Concubines or any other paſſages by which the Babylonian? might, upon the drank Wine in the Veſſels belonging to theTemple,during which Enemies entrance,make their eſcape,wereall ſtopped, and guard- Feaſt the City was taken. o So they were made drunk with the ed with Soldiers, or otherwiſe ſo as there was no hope of any , Wine Cup of God's Fury, becauſe the Lord hath deſigned them making an eſcape. x The word tranſlated Reeds ſignifies alſo ſtand. 'to utter ruine, and deſtruction, that as Men filled with Wine are ing Pools of Water, and ſome judge that the ſence, the Water is merry, and ſhout, and then fallaſleep ; fo the Chaldeans being drained out of the Pits or Pools, ſo as it could not hinder the drunk with the Wine of the Lord's Wrath, while they were merry
entrance of the Enemies; thoſe that adhere to the Tranſlation of with their. Cups of Wine, it Reeds, ſay that upon the borders of the River Euphrates were ſhould never awake out of.
vaſt quantities of great and tall Reeds, which with the Mud in| which they ſtood, were as another Wall to the City, but the Medes had burnt up them ſo as the way was open to the Walls ; 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 Ifrael. The daughter of Babylon zs like a threſhing,
Or, inthe floor z, || it is time to threſh her : yet a little while, : me that he and the tiwe of her harveſt ſhall come 4.
threſheth her,
7 Heb.
my violence } Or, the remainder. + Heb. in- habitreſs.
lia 13. 2f,
the River Euphrates, that js, turning it into other Channels-
2 Babylon had been a threſhing inſtrument, by which, and a threſhing floor in which God had threſhed many other Nations, | God now intended to make it ava Threſhing floor wherein he would threſh the Chaldeans. a Some think becaule of the next, words that the words were better tranſlated zt 5s time to tread her, (fo the word properly 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 f:gnifieth the Harveſt which the Juſtice of God would have from the ruine of the Chaldeans.
34 Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon hath de-
voured me, he hath cruſhed me, he hath made me an].
empty veſſel, he hath ſwallowed me up like a dra-
might fall inco ſuch a Sleep as they
40 I will bring them down like Iambs tothe laugh- ter like rams with he goats p-” - þ That is, they ſhall be deſtroyed before they are aware of it,
41 How 1s Sheſhach q taken? and how is the praiſe of the whole earth ſurprized 7 ? how is Babylon be- come an aſtoniſhment among the nations / ?
9 We meet with this term Sheſhach only here, and Chap. 25 ;
26. both places leave it doubtful whether it be to be taxen tor an
Idol, which they caleld by the name ot Shach,: Or a Name given tothe City of Babylon, which worſhipped that Idol, to the honour of which the Babylonians kept a yearly Feſtival for ſeveral days, in the time of which Feſtival they ſay it was that Cyrzs took the City of Babylon. r Babylon that was fo famous over all the World for her ſplendor. { And ſo it is interpreted 'in the next words, wherein Babylon for the puniſhment brought upon it is ſaidto be an aſtoniſhment ro all Nations, which makes it probable that Bz- bylon is what it was called Sheſhach, by the doubling of a Letter becauſe ſhe worſhipped Shach.
42 The ſea is come up upon Babylon , ſhe 1s co- vered with the multitude of the waves thereof r. : A-multitude of Enemies, that are like the Sea in which there
gon, hc hath filled his belly with my delicates, he{js a multicude of Waters,or-that will.over-run them as the Sea
hath caſt meout b. |
b The Prophet ſpeaketh in the Name of the Fews complaining of the King of Babylon as the Author of all the Miſeries they had indured, which he expreſſeth by ſeveral Phraſes ſignifying the ſame thing, vi. That it was the King of Babylon that had ru- ined them, and filled himſelf and his Soldiers with their delicate things, and caſt them out of their Land, dealing with them as Wolves or other Beaſts of Prey,that eat what they pleaſe of other Beaſts they have preyed upon, and leave the reſt in the Fields.
35 The violence done to me, and to || my fleſh, be upon Babylon, ſhall the Þ inhabitant of Ziou ſay ; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, ſhall
Jeruſalem ſay c:
c The words are either a Prayer or a Predi&ion of God's Ven- geance upon Baby!on, fo Pſel. 137.Ver. 7.8. God hath faid Ven geance is his, and he willrepay it. The Church of the Fews here commits its cauſe to God, and prayeth to him to execute Venge- ance 'for her. How far it is lawful for us topray againſt our Enemies, we have heard once and again.
36 Therefore thus faith the LORD, Behold, I will plead thy cauſe, and take vengeance for thee 4, and 1 will * dry up her ſea, and make her ſprings
dry e.