Isaiah 47

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 47:1

.— Come down, and sit in the dust; i.e. "descend to the lowest depth of humiliation" (comp. Isaiah 3:26 and Job 2:8 ). O virgin daughter of Babylon . The "virgin daughter of Babylon" is the Babylonian people as distinct from the city (comp. Isaiah 23:12 ). "Virgin" does not mean "unconquered;'' for Babylon had been taken by the Assyrians some half-dozen times. Sit on the ground : there is no throne; rather, sit on the ground throneless , or without a throne. Hitherto the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 47:1-2

Humiliation the Divine judgment on pride. The point here, according to some, is that Babylon loudly boasted about her never having been captured; so she called herself, and was called, a "virgin" city. The figure suggests all the delicacy, all the luxuriousness, all the pride, of the Eastern princess. "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." The humiliation of Babylon is presented in precise accordance with the circumstances and sentiments of a grand and proud... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 47:1-15

A SONG OF TRIUMPH OVER THE FALL OF BABYLON . The song divides itself into four strophes, or stanzas—the first one of four verses ( Isaiah 47:1-4 ); the second of three ( Isaiah 47:5-7 ); the third of four ( Isaiah 47:8-11 ); and the fourth also of four ( Isaiah 47:12-15 ). The speaker is either Jehovah (see Isaiah 47:3 , ad fin. ) or "a chorus of celestial beings" (Cheyne), bent on expressing their sympathy with Israel read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 47:1-15

The fall of ancient states a warning to modern ones. History has been defined as "philosophy teaching by examples." It is only on the supposition that there are lessons to be learnt from them that historical inquiries or historical records can be regarded as of any value or importance. In a certain sense it is no doubt true to say that "history never repeats itself." The exact circumstances, even of those historical events which most nearly resemble each other, are always in many respects... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 47:1-15

The fall of Babylon. This is a scoffing song at the overthrow of Babylon. It is divided into four nearly equal stanzas. Luxury, ambition, and the practice of magic—the one sin worse than the others—were prevalent at Babylon. Each of these is lashed in the first three stanzas. There is a climax, the scorn of the prophet reaching its highest point in the last stanza (Ewald). Spiritually considered, the picture may represent the course of "this present world" in its godless pride. I. ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 47:2

Take the millstones, and grind meal . Do the hard work commonly allotted to female slaves. Turn the heavy upper millstone all day long upon the nether one (comp. Exodus 11:5 ). Babylon having been personified as a female captive, the details have to be in unison. Uncover thy locks. Babylonian women are represented in the Assyrian sculptures as wearing closefitting caps upon their heads. Make bare the leg … pass over the rivers . On the way from their own city to the land of their... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 47:3

I will not meet thee as a man ; literally, I shall not meet a man; i.e. "I shall not find any one to oppose me." read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 47:4

As for our Redeemer , etc. Mr. Cheyne suspects, with some reason, that this is "the marginal note of a sympathetic scribe, which has made its way by accident into the text." It is certainly quite unlike anything else in the song, which would artistically be improved by its removal. If, however, it be retained, we must regard it as a parenthetic ejaculation of the Jewish Church on hearing the first strophe of the song—the Church contrasting itself with Babylon, which has no one to stand up... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 47:5

Sit thou silent, and get thee into darkness . The second strophe begins, like the first, with a double imperative. The fallen people is recommended to hide its shame in silence and darkness, as disgraced persons do who shrink from being seen by their fellows. Thou shalt no more be called The lady of kingdoms. Babylon can scarcely have borne this title in Isaiah's time, or at any earlier period, unless it were a very remote one. She had been secondary to Assyria for at least six hundred... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Isaiah 47:6

I was wroth with my people . I have polluted … and given ; rather, I polluted and gave. The reference is to the conquest of Judaea by Nebuchadnezzar. Thou didst show them no mercy. We have very little historical knowledge of the general treatment of the Jewish exiles during the Captivity. A certain small number—Daniel and the Three Children—were advanced to positions of importance ( Daniel 1:19 ; Daniel 2:48 , Daniel 2:49 ; Daniel 3:30 ), and, on the whole, well treated. On... read more

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