47:1 [Descende, sede in pulvere, virgo filia Babylon : sede in terra ; non est solium filiae Chaldaeorum, quia ultra non vocaberis mollis et tenera.
*H Come down, sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne for the daughter of the Chaldeans, for thou shalt no more be called delicate and tender.
Ver. 1. Virgin; delicate. M. — Cyrus overthrew this empire, (C.) which now felt its share of misery. W.
47:2 Tolle molam, et mole farinam ; denuda turpitudinem tuam ; discooperi humerum, revela crura, transi flumina.
*H Take a millstone and grind meal: uncover thy shame, strip thy shoulder, make bare thy legs, pass over the rivers.
Ver. 2. Shame. Heb. tsammathec, Cant. iv. 1. 4. Prot. "thy locks, make bare the legs, uncover the thigh, pass," &c. H. — Thou shalt be reduced to a state of the most abject slavery. Ex. xi. 5. Sup. iii. 17. and xx. 4. The Barbarians sold their slaves naked.
47:3 Revelabitur ignominia tua, et videbitur opprobrium tuum ; ultionem capiam, et non resistet mihi homo.
Thy nakedness shall be discovered, and thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and no man shall resist me.
* Footnote * Nahum 3 : 5
Behold I come against thee, saith the Lord of hosts: and I will discover thy shame to thy face, and will shew thy nakedness to the nations, and thy shame to kingdoms.
47:4 Redemptor noster, Dominus exercituum nomen illius, Sanctus Israel.
Our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.
47:5 Sede tacens, et intra in tenebras, filia Chaldaeorum, quia non vocaberis ultra domina regnorum.
Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called the lady of kingdoms.
47:6 Iratus sum super populum meum : contaminavi haereditatem meam, et dedi eos in manu tua : non posuisti eis misericordias ; super senem aggravasti jugum tuum valde.
*H I was angry with my people, I have polluted my inheritance, and have given them into thy hand: thou hast shewn no mercy to them: upon the ancient thou hast laid thy yoke exceeding heavy.
Ver. 6. Polluted; deemed or declared unclean. But thou hast sought to gratify thy vindictive temper, in punishing my people. C. — The sins of both called down vengeance. W.
47:7 Et dixisti : In sempiternum ero domina. Non posuisti haec super cor tuum, neque recordata es novissimi tui.
*H And thou hast said: I shall be a lady for ever: thou hast not laid these things to thy heart, neither hast thou remembered thy latter end.
Ver. 7. Lady. Pride goes before ruin. Prov. xvi. 18.
47:8 Et nunc audi haec delicata, et habitans confidenter, quae dicis in corde tuo : Ego sum, et non est praeter me amplius ; non sedebo vidua, et ignorabo sterilitatem.
And now hear these things, thou that art delicate, and dwellest confidently, that sayest in thy heart: I am, and there is none else besides me: I shall not sit as a widow, and I shall not know barrenness.
* Footnote * Apocalypse 18 : 7
As much as she hath glorified herself and lived in delicacies, so much torment and sorrow give ye to her. Because she saith in her heart: I sit a queen and am no widow: and sorrow I shall not see.
47:9 Venient tibi duo haec subito in die una, sterilitas et viduitas : universa venerunt super te, propter multitudinem maleficiorum tuorum, et propter duritiam incantatorum tuorum vehementem.
*H These two things shall come upon thee suddenly in one day, barrenness and widowhood. All things are come upon thee, because of the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great hardness of thy enchanters.
Ver. 9. Two. The empire and the people shall be removed at once. — Enchanters; princes or magicians, who gave them evil counsel. v. 12.
47:10 Et fiduciam habuisti in malitia tua, et dixisti : Non est qui videat me. Sapientia tua et scientia tua, haec decepit te. Et dixisti in corde tuo : Ego sum, et praeter me non est altera.
And thou hast trusted in thy wickedness, and hast said: There is none that seeth me. Thy wisdom, and, thy knowledge, this hath deceived thee. And thou hast said in thy heart: I am, and besides me there is no other.
47:11 Veniet super te malum, et nescies ortum ejus ; et irruet super te calamitas quam non poteris expiare ; veniet super te repente miseria quam nescies.
*H Evil shall come upon thee, and thou shalt not know the rising thereof: and calamity shall fall violently upon thee, which thou canst not keep off: misery shall come upon thee suddenly, which thou shalt not know.
Ver. 11. Know. All this shews the vanity of magic, which cannot announce future events to do any good. C.
47:12 Sta cum incantatoribus tuis et cum multitudine maleficiorum tuorum, in quibus laborasti ab adolescentia tua, si forte quod prosit tibi, aut si possis fieri fortior.
Stand now with thy enchanters, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, in which thou hast laboured from thy youth, if so be it may profit thee any thing, or if thou mayst become stronger.
47:13 Defecisti in multitudine consiliorum tuorum. Stent, et salvent te augures caeli, qui contemplabantur sidera, et supputabant menses, ut ex eis annuntiarent ventura tibi.
*H Thou hast failed in the multitude of thy counsels: let now the astrologers stand and save thee, they that gazed at the stars, and counted the months, that from them they might tell the things that shall come to thee.
Ver. 13. Months, to tell which would prove lucky. Est. iii. 7.
47:14 Ecce facti sunt quasi stipula, ignis combussit eos ; non liberabunt animam suam de manu flammae ; non sunt prunae quibus calefiant, nec focus ut sedeant ad eum.
*H Behold they are as stubble, fire hath burnt them, they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flames: there are no coals wherewith they may be warmed, nor fire, that they may sit thereat.
Ver. 14. Thereat, to warm themselves, (H.) or to adore. C. — In Cappadocia are to be seen "Pyratheia,...in which the magi keep a perpetual fire, and sing hymns about the space of an hour." Strabo xv. — These were a sort of open temples. C.
47:15 Sic facta sunt tibi in quibuscumque laboraveras : negotiatores tui ab adolescentia tua, unusquisque in via sua erraverunt ; non est qui salvet te.]
*H Such are all the things become to thee, in which thou hast laboured: thy merchants from thy youth, every one hath erred in his own way, there is none that can save thee.
Ver. 15. Merchants. The city was well situated for trade. C. xiii. 20. Diod. ii.