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Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

Isaiah 47:2

Take the millstones. — Always the most servile form of female labour (Exodus 11:5; Job 31:10; Matthew 24:41).

Uncover thy locks. — The picture of suffering is heightened by the fact that the female slave has to wade unveiled, and bare-legged, all sense of shame outraged, to the scene of her labours. The picture is, of course, to be taken symbolically, not literally.

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See also Isaiah 47:2 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Isaiah 47:2. _TAKE THE MILLSTONES, AND GRIND MEAL_ - "Take the mill, and grind corn"] It was the work of slaves to grind the corn. They used hand-mills: water-mills were not invented till a lit...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    TAKE THE MILLSTONES, AND GRIND MEAL - The design of this is plain. Babylon, that had been regarded as a delicately-trained female, was to be reduced to the lowest condition of poverty and wretchedness...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 47 A Description of the Fall of Babylon 1. _Babylon's degradation announced (Isaiah 47:1)_ 2. _Israel acknowledges the redeemer (Isaiah 47:4)_ 3. _Retribution for Babylon (Isaiah 47:5)_ 4. Th...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    A TAUNT-SONG OF TRIUMPH ON THE FALL OF BABYLON. Isaiah 47:1. Babylon, erroneously personified as a virgin, as if never before captured, is bidden descend from the effeminate ease of her throne to the...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    GRIND MEAL: the work of slaves (Exodus 11:5.Matthew 24:41; Matthew 24:41). meal. Put by Figure of speech, for the corn from which meal is ground. UNCOVER THY LOCKS. remove thy veil. MAKE BARE THE LEG...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    COME DOWN, AND SIT IN THE DUST, &C.— The prophet here commands Babylon to assume the habit and forms of the most abject state, most opposite to that state of honour and glory in which she had long flo...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    b. CONQUERING THEIR GOVERNMENTS TEXT: Isaiah 47:1-15 1 Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon; sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. TAKE THE MILLSTONES - like the querns or hand-mills found in this country before...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    AN ODE ON THE HUMILIATION OF BABYLON 1-15. The coming calamity. The reason of Babylon's fall. Her helplessness to avert it....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    GRIND] i.e. as a slave (Exodus 11:5). UNCOVER, etc.] RV 'remove thy veil, strip off the train, uncover the leg.' The overthrow of the city is set forth under the figure of a maiden carried away into...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    ISAIAH: GOD CONTROLS THE NATIONS GOD PROMISES COMFORT TO HIS PEOPLE ISAIAH CHAPTER S 40 TO 48 _NORMAN HILLYER_ CHAPTER 47 This short chapter is severe in the manner that it warns the proud *Bab...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    The inhabitants of Babylon had been very cruel to their slaves. But now the inhabitants of Babylon will themselves become slaves. And they will suffer the same shame that they caused for their former...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    קְחִ֥י רֵחַ֖יִם וְ טַ֣חֲנִי קָ֑מַח גַּלִּ֨י צ

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    Isaiah 44:1; Isaiah 45:1; Isaiah 46:1; Isaiah 47:1; Isaiah 48:1...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE PENALTY OF TRUSTING IN WICKEDNESS Isaiah 47:1-15 Babylon dwelt in careless security. She was given to pleasures, Isaiah 47:8; and said in her heart that her vast crowd of astrologers, magicians,...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The prophecy is now addressed to Babylon itself, and in language full of force and beauty describes its judgment. The description is fourfold. First, the degradation of the city is foretold. From a pr...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    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 th...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Shame. Hebrew tsammathec, Canticle of Canticles iv. 1, 4. Protestants, "thy locks, make bare the legs, uncover the thigh, pass," &c. (Haydock) --- Thou shalt be reduced to a state of the most abject...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    If we read these verses with an eye to the history of Babylon, as a people, we shall find, that the threatenings here denounced were all literally fulfilled: Babylon, which had conquered all nations,...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    2._Take millstones. _The whole of this description tends to shew that there shall be a great change among the Babylonians, so that this city, which was formerly held in the highest honor, shall be sun...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 46, 47, AND 48. In Chapter s 46, 47, the application is made to Babylon and to her idols, but still as pleading for Israel as beloved of God; for governmental...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    TAKE THE MILLSTONES, AND GRIND MEAL,.... Foretelling that the Chaldeans should be taken captives, and used as such, and sent to prison houses, where they should turn the mill, and grind corn into meal...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers. Ver. 2. _Take the millstone._] As the most abject slaves used to do, _qui in pistri...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Come down_ From thy throne; _and sit in the dust_ As a mourner for thy approaching calamities; _O virgin daughter of Babylon_ Thou that art tender and delicate like a virgin. _Sit on the ground_ In a...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Take the millstones, those of the hand-mill, as turned by female slaves, AND GRIND MEAL, the grain being fed in through the center opening above and ground to flour by the revolving of the upper stone...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE HUMILIATION OF THE DAUGHTER OF BABYLON...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-6 Babylon is represented under the emblem of a female in deep distress. She was to be degraded and endure sufferings; and is represented sitting on the ground, grinding at the handmill, the lowest a...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    TAKE THE MILLSTONES; betake thyself to the millstones; as we commonly say, _Take thy bed_, or, _Betake thyself to thy bed_. The meaning is, Thou shalt be brought down to the basest kind of slavery, wh...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Isaiah 47:2 Take H3947 (H8798) millstones H7347 grind H2912 (H8798) meal H7058 Remove H1540 (H8761) veil...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, Sit on the ground without a throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans. For you will no longer be called tender and delicate. Take the mills...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Judgment pronounced upon Babylon. CHARACTERS: God. CONCLUSION: Those who abuse their honor or power provoke God to deprive them of it utterly and to make them sit in dust. While God often...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Isaiah 47:2. _Take the millstones and grind meal._ Prepare the weekly loaf, as was anciently the custom, a work which the servants performed with handmills. Isaiah 47:4. _Our Redeemer, the Lord of hos...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Come down, and sit in the dust_ DIRGE ON THE DOWNFALL OF BABYLON: Babylon is pictured as a royal lady, dethroned, led in captivity over the streams to a distant land, and there made the meanest sla...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    ISAIAH—NOTE ON ISAIAH 47:2 God warns Babylon about the end of its luxurious selfishness and the beginning of slavery and exile. ⇐...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION ISAIAH 47:1 A SONG OF TRIUMPH OVER THE FALL OF BABYLON. The song divides itself into four strophes, or stanzas—the first one of four verses ...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now in chapter 47, God speaks of the judgment that is going to come against Babylon. Now this is before Babylon ever conquered them. But God has declared that Babylon shall conquer them, but because o...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Exodus 11:5; Ezekiel 16:37; Hosea 2:3; Isaiah 20:4; Isaiah 3:17;...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Millstones — Thou shalt be brought to the basest slavery, which grinding at the mill was esteemed. For this work was not performed by horses, as now it is, but by the labour of slaves and captives. Gr...

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