This chapter contains a prophecy of the destruction of Babylon, literally understood as a type and exemplar of the destruction of the mystical Babylon, so often spoken of in the book of the Revelation: an account is given of the persons that should be the instruments of it, and of the desolation…

The burden of Babylon That is, a prophecy concerning Babylon, as the word is rendered, . The Septuagint and Arabic versions translate it “the vision”; it signifies a taking up [[21]] a speech against it, and pronouncing a heavy sentence on it, such an one as should sink it into utter destruction;…

Lift ye up a banner upon the high mountain Or “upon the mountain Nishphah”; some high mountain in Media or Persia, proper to set a standard on, or erect a banner for the gathering men together, to enlist themselves as soldiers, and so form an army to march into the land of Chaldea.

I have commanded my sanctified ones The Medes and Persians, so called, not because sanctified by the Spirit of God, or made holy persons, through the regenerating and renewing grace of God, or purified by the blood of Christ, and prepared for glory; but because they were set apart in the mind and…

The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people That is, like the noise of a very numerous people; this noise was heard either on the mountains of Media, where they flocked in vast numbers to the standard set; or on the mountains upon the borders of Chaldea, when the army under…

They come from a far country, from the end of heaven The east, as Kimchi observes; the Targum is, from the ends of the earth; the furthermost parts of it, as Persia and Media were: the former is bounded on the south side by the main ocean; and the latter, part of it by the Caspian sea; and between…

Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand These words are an address to the Babylonians, who instead of rejoicing and feasting, as Belshazzar and his nobles were the night that Babylon was taken, had reason to howl and lament; seeing the day that the Lord had fixed for their destruction was very…

Therefore shall all hands be faint Or hang down; that is, the hands of all the Babylonians, the city being taken suddenly and at once, so that they should not be able to lift them up to lay hold on a weapon, and defend themselves: and every man’s heart shall melt; like wax before the fire; be…

And they shall be afraid Troubled, dismayed, frightened, at the sudden taking of the city, and at the sight of Cyrus’s troops marching up into the very heart of it, and to the king’s palace: pangs and sorrow shall take hold of them; as convulsions, pains in the bowels more fully explained in the…

Behold, the day of the Lord cometh Or “is come” [[4]]; said in to be at hand, but now it is represented in prophecy as already come: cruel both with wrath and fierce anger; which, whether referred to “the Lord”, or to “the day”, the sense is the same; the day may be said to be cruel, and full of…

For the stars of heaven This and what follows are to be understood, not literally, but figuratively, as expressive of the dismalness and gloominess of the dispensation, of the horror and terror of it, in which there was no light, no comfort, no relief, nor any hope of any; the heavens and all the…

And I will punish the world for their evil Not the whole world, but the kingdom of Babylon, so called because of its large extent, and the number of its inhabitants, just as the Roman empire is called the whole world, “evil” may be meant, either of the evil of sin, which was the cause of…

I will make a man more precious than fine gold Which may denote either the scarcity of men in Babylon, through the slaughter made of them; so things that are scarce and rare are said to be precious, or the resolution of the Medes to spare none, though ever so much gold were offered to them, they…

Therefore will I shake the heavens Some think this was literally fulfilled at the taking of Babylon, when the heavens were shook with dreadful thunders and lightnings; as well as what is said above of the sun, moon, and stars, not giving their light; and so is likewise what follows, and the earth…

And it shall be as the chased roe That is, Babylon, and the inhabitants thereof, shall be like a roe when hunted by the dogs; which is a very fearful creature, and at the sight and noise of the dogs flies here and there for safety; just so should be the most courageous of the Babylonians, when…

Every one that is found shall be thrust through With a sword, spear, or lance, and be slain; that is, everyone that is found in the city of Babylon; and so the Targum adds, “and everyone that is found in it shall be slain;” so Kimchi, in the midst of it, or without; in the street, as Jarchi.

Their children also shall be dashed to pieces before their eyes Upon the ground, or against the wall, as was foretold should be, (Ps. 137:8, Ps. 137:9) and in way of retaliation for what they did to the Jews, and this was to be done “before their eyes”, in the sight of the inhabitants, which must…

Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them The Babylonians; this explains who are meant by the sanctified and mighty ones, the Medes were a people that descended from Medai, one of the sons of Japheth, as Josephus observes [[8]]; under these the Persians are included, though they are only…

Their bows also shall dash their young men to pieces, &c.] That is, the bows of the Medes should dash in pieces the young men of the Babylonians. The meaning is, either that they should put them into their bows, instead of arrows, and shoot them upon the ground, or against a wall, and so dash them…

And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms The first and most ancient kingdom, and now, at the time of its fall, the largest and most extensive; wherefore of the image Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream, which was a representation of several kingdoms, this was the head, the head of gold, (Dan. 2:31, Dan.

It shall never be inhabited As it has not been since its utter destruction. Pausanias [[14]], who lived in the times of Adrian, says, Babylon, the greatest city that ever the sun saw, that then there was nothing left of it but a wall: what is now called Babylon is a new city, and built in another…

But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there What sort of creatures are meant is not certain. The Targum renders it by a word which signifies monstrous, astonishing creatures; the Latin interpreter of it calls them apes.

And the wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate houses The Targum and Syriac version, “in their palaces”, and so the Vulgate Latin; or “with their widows”, such as have lost their mates: what creatures are here meant is very uncertain; we in general call them the wild beasts of the…