Verse 1

Come down, and sit in the dust, O a virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: [there is] no b throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.

(a) Which has lived in wealth and wantonness and has not yet been overcome by any enemies.

(b) Your government will be taken from you.

Verse 2

Take the millstones, and c grind meal: uncover thy locks, d make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.

(c) You will be brought to most vile servitude: for to turn the mill was the office of slaves.

(d) The things in which she sets her greatest pride, will be made vile, even from the head to the foot.

Verse 3

Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet [thee as] a e man.

(e) I will use no humanity nor pity toward you.

Verse 4

f [As for] our redeemer, the LORD of hosts [is] his name, the Holy One of Israel.

(f) The Israelites will confess that the Lord does this for his Church's sake.

Verse 5

g Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called, The lady of kingdoms.

(g) For shame, and hide yourself.

Verse 6

I was angry with my people, I have polluted my inheritance, and given them into thy hand: thou didst show them no h mercy; upon the ancient hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke.

(h) They abused God's judgments, thinking that he punished the Israelites, because he would completely cast them off, and therefore instead of pitying their misery, you increased it.

Verse 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 i perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, [and] for the great abundance of thy enchantments.

(i) So that your punishment will be so great, as is possible to be imagined.

Verse 10

For thou hast trusted in thy wickedness: thou hast said, None seeth me. Thy k wisdom and thy knowledge, it hath perverted thee; and thou hast said in thy heart, I [am], and none else besides me.

(k) You thought that your own wisdom and policy would have saved you.

Verse 12

Stand now with thy enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, in which thou hast l laboured from thy youth; if thou shalt be able to profit, if thou mayest prevail.

(l) He derides their vain confidence, who put their trust in anything but in God, condemning also such vain sciences, which serve no use, but to delude the people, and to bring them from depending only on God.

Verse 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 m to warm at, [nor] fire to sit before it.

(m) They will utterly perish, and no part of them remain.

Verse 15

Thus shall they be to thee with whom thou hast laboured, [even] thy merchants, from thy youth: they shall wander every one to his n quarter; none shall save thee.

(n) They will flee everyone to that place, which he thought by his speculations to be most sure: but that will deceive them.