John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 13:19
And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms ,.... The first and most ancient kingdom, Genesis 10:10 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, Daniel 2:31 so Babylon is called the "lady of kingdoms", Isaiah 47:5 the word here used for "glory" is the same with that which is rendered a "roe", Isaiah 13:14 . Babylon was once as a... read more
John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Isaiah 13:18
Their bows also shall dash their young men to pieces ,.... 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 to pieces; or that they should first shoot them through with their arrows, and then dash them with their bows; according to Xenophon F12 Cyropaedia, l. 2. sect. 1. , Cyrus came to Babylon... read more