Bible Commentaries

^a He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make [thy] loins strong, fortify [thy] power mightily.

(a) That is, Nebuchadnezzar is in readiness to destroy the Assyrians: and the Prophet derides the undertakings of the Assyrians who prepared to resist him.

For the LORD hath ^b turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and ^c marred their vine branches.

(b) Seeing God has punished his own people Judah and Israel, he will now punish the enemies by whom he scourged them; read (Isaiah 10:12).

(c) Signifying that the Israelites were utterly destroyed.

The shield of his mighty men is made red, ^d the valiant men [are] in scarlet: the chariots [shall be] with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and ^e the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.

(d) Both to put fear into the enemy, and also that they themselves should not so soon detect blood among one another, to discourage them.

(e) Meaning their spears would shake and crash together.

^f He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.

(f) Then the Assyrians will seek by all means to gather their power, but all things will fail them.

But Nineveh [is] of ^g old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, [shall they cry]; but none shall look back.

(g) The Assyrians will flatter themselves and say that Nineveh is so ancient that it can never perish, and is as a fishpool, whose waters cannot be touched by those that walk on the banks. But they will be scattered, and will not look back, even if men call them.

^h Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for [there is] none end of the store [and] glory out of all the pleasant furniture.

(h) God commands the enemies to spoil Nineveh, and promises them infinite riches and treasures.

ⁱ She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain [is] in all loins, and the faces ^k of them all gather blackness.

(i) That is, Nineveh, and the men of it will be after this manner.

(k) {See (Joel 2:6) }

Where [is] the ^l dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, [even] the old lion, walked, [and] the lion's whelp, and none made [them] afraid?

(l) Meaning, Nineveh, whose inhabitants were cruel like the lions, and given to all oppression, and spared no violence or tyranny to provide for their wives and children.

Behold, I [am] against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the ^m smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy ⁿ messengers shall no more be heard.

(m) That is, as soon as my wrath begins to burn.

(n) Signifying the heralds, who were accustomed to proclaim war. Some read, "of you gum teeth", with which Nineveh was accustomed to bruise the bones of the poor.