Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; WOE TO THE BLOODY CITY! - literally, city of blood-namely, shed by Nineveh; just so now her own blood is to be shed. IT IS ALL FULL OF LIES AND ROBBERY - violence (Maurer). Extortion (Grotius). THE PREY DEPAR... [ Continue Reading ]
The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. THE NOISE OF A WHIP, AND THE NOISE OF THE RATTLING OF THE WHEELS, AND OF THE PRANCING HORSES, AND OF THE JUMPING CHARIOTS. The reader is transported into the midst of the fi... [ Continue Reading ]
The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: THE HORSEMAN - distinct from "the horses" (in the chariots, ). LIFTETH UP - denoti... [ Continue Reading ]
Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. BECAUSE OF THE MULTITUDE OF THE WHOREDOMS. This assigns the reason for Nineveh's destruction. WHOREDOMS OF THE WEL... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. I WILL DISCOVER THY SKIRTS UPON THY FACE - i:e., discover thy nakedness by throwing up thy skirts upon thy face (the greatest p... [ Continue Reading ]
And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. AND I WILL CAST ABOMINABLE FILTH UPON THEE - as infamous harlots used to be treated. AND WILL SET THEE AS A GAZINGSTOCK - exposed to public ignominy, as a warning to others ().... [ Continue Reading ]
And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee? ALL THEY THAT LOOK UPON THEE - when thou hast been made "a gazingstock" (). SHALL FLEE FROM THEE - as a thing horribl... [ Continue Reading ]
Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea? ART THOU BETTER THAN POPULOUS NO - rather, as the Hebrew. 'No Amon,' the Egyptian name for Thebes in Upper Egypt; meaning the portion... [ Continue Reading ]
Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers. ETHIOPIA - Hebrew, Cush. AND EGYPT - Lower Egypt. Ethiopia is thought at this time to have been mistress of Upper Egypt, which latter, therefore, is included under the name "Ethiopia." WERE HER STRENGT... [ Continue Reading ]
Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains. YET WAS SHE CARRIED AWAY, SHE WENT INTO CAPTIVITY - notwithstanding all her might... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy. THOU ALSO SHALT BE DRUNKEN - made to drink of the cup of Yahweh's wrath (Isaiah 51:17; Isaiah 51:21; Jeremiah 25:15). THOU SHALT BE HID - covered out of sight: a prediction remarkably verified in... [ Continue Reading ]
All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater. ALL THY STRONG HOLDS - on the borders of Assyria, protecting the approaches to Nineveh: "the gates of thy land" (). SHALL BE LIKE FIG TREES WITH THE FIRST-... [ Continue Reading ]
Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars. BEHOLD, THY PEOPLE - thy soldiers. IN THE MIDST OF THEE ARE WOMEN - unable to fight for thee (, "In that day shall Egypt be like unto women;" ; ).... [ Continue Reading ]
Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln. DRAW THEE WATERS FOR THE SIEGE, FORTIFY THY STRONG HOLDS - ironical exhortation to Nineveh to defend herself. DRAW THEE WATERS - so as not to be without water for drinking,... [ Continue Reading ]
There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts. THERE - in the very scene of thy great preparations for defense; and where thou now art so secure. SHALL THE FIRE DEV... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away. THOU HAST MULTIPLIED THY MERCHANTS - (Ezekiel 27:23, concerning Tyre, "Haran, and Canneh, and Eden, the merchants of Sheba, Asshur, and Chilmad, were thy merchants. These were thy merchants in... [ Continue Reading ]
Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are. THY CROWNED - thy princes (Revelation 9:7, "On their (the locusts') heads were as it were cro... [ Continue Reading ]
Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them. THY SHEPHERDS - i:e., thy leaders. SLUMBER - are carelessly secure (Maurer). Rather, 'lie in death's sleep, having been slain' (Jerome). (Ezek. 1... [ Continue Reading ]
There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy THERE IS NO HEALING OF THY BRUISE. According to Herodotus, the Median attack on Nineveh took place in 633 BC The final siege was about 625 BC Saracus,... [ Continue Reading ]